Chapter 7

Concept (3)

Kang Ujin, who had effortlessly delivered a divine performance as if blowing his nose, was now giving a terrible monologue. It seemed that he had changed 180 degrees in just one day.

PD Song Manwoo found the reason in Kang Ujin's eyes.

'He's expressing his dissatisfaction through his acting.'

Interrupting Kang Ujin's performance, he asked directly.

"Mr. Ujin, may I ask why you're showing such a poor performance?"

At this moment, the people around PD Song Manwoo finally realized what was happening. Hong Hyeon and others also understood.

"!!"

"Oh."

Expressions of realization, as if to say, "Ah, it was a poor performance on purpose!" They seemed somewhat relieved. In contrast, Kang Ujin maintained a blank expression at this moment.

But inside, it was different.

'Poor performance? How do you do that?'

When he asked to be sent home, PD Song Manwoo started spouting strange words. Despite showing a clearly terrible performance, he said Kang Ujin was doing a poor performance on purpose. But it didn't seem like a joke. PD Song Manwoo's face was serious as he looked at Ujin.

Kang Ujin quickly became calm. The situation was quite simple when he put it all together.

'Hmm, why is this bearded guy... It seems he's misunderstanding something again.'

Their misunderstanding probably started from the 'Super Actor' first round yesterday. It had rolled from there to this point. Kang Ujin had noticed these misunderstandings when he saw his acting videos. A fanatical concept or a pretense of strength.

'Because they see me as a crazy talented person, they come to such a conclusion.'

It seems the misunderstanding has grown quite large. However, correcting it would be troublesome and meaningless. So, there was only one answer.

Control the current situation.

The misunderstanding was their delusion, and only Kang Ujin knew about it. Whatever. Let's see how far this goes. If the concept is revealed, then we'll deal with it then. Ujin tried to keep his emotions as cold as possible. A bit of arrogance wouldn't hurt.

Then he chose an appropriate line. Soon, a rather cold and calm voice came from Kang Ujin's mouth.

"Because you asked me to act without any explanation or preparation."

PD Song Manwoo, slightly surprised, reacted immediately.

"Oh, that."

As he started to make excuses, Ujin felt that he could overact a bit. He was riding the wave of pretense.

So he overacted.

*Thud.*

Kang Ujin suddenly stood up.

"I'm not in a good mood. The treatment."

Everyone, including PD Song Manwoo and top actress Hong Hyeon, looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes. PD Song Manwoo's reaction was particularly strong.

"Wait, wait, calm down first."

PD Song Manwoo, who had also stood up, extended his hand.

"I'm sorry, I—my heart was too hasty. Sit down first."

"..."

"I'll explain everything, so please sit down and listen."

Ujin, with an indifferent face, silently stared at PD Song Manwoo. Counting the seconds in his head. One, two, three, four, five. Then Kang Ujin sat down smoothly.

Soon, PD Song Manwoo let out a sigh of relief.

*Swish.*

He scratched his head, looking around at the people nearby, then met Kang Ujin's gaze again.

"First, I apologize again. I didn't mean to belittle you... I just wanted everyone to see your acting quickly."

"I understand."

"Um, then, let me start with the questions I prepared."

PD Song Manwoo asked Kang Ujin, who remained calm. His tone was serious.

"In the 'Super Actor' interview, you said you learned acting on your own. How long have you been doing it?"

Everyone in the room, including Hong Hyeon, focused their attention on Kang Ujin. At this point, Ujin was slightly pondering. What should he say? Five years? Or ten years? He decided to go for a vague answer.

'Let's just be vague.'

Kang Ujin spoke in a low, vague tone.

"I'm not sure. Quite a while."

"..."

An ambiguous answer. But PD Song Manwoo, a top-tier figure, stared intently at Ujin.

'I don't know why he's showing up now, but...'

He started to make his own judgment.

'No one can deliver such a performance without long-term analysis. It means he has a lot of data in his brain and body. It must have been at least ten years, maybe more.'

Of course, Hong Hyeon, who was sitting to the right of PD Song Manwoo with long, flowing hair, felt the same way. She was paying attention to the aura Kang Ujin was emitting.

'But... where did he get such a high level of composure and solid self-esteem? The poor acting just now was really top-notch.'

An actor's self-esteem usually grows with experience. Continuously throwing their performances on TV or the big screen, repeating the process, and receiving evaluations from directors to the final audience, they become more confident.

That was the source of an actor's confidence.

But Kang Ujin was already at a top-level actor's level without going through that process. At least, that's how it looked to Hong Hyeon.

'Has he been doing this alone all this time... Is it just a natural talent?'

At this moment, PD Song Manwoo, who had been nodding slowly, asked another question.

"Where did you learn acting on your own? Even in a small theater group, correction is necessary. There are things in acting that can't be done alone."

He was right. Acting needs to be shown to others to improve. Evaluating yourself repeatedly is meaningless. But Kang Ujin couldn't have known this in depth.

So Kang Ujin's choice was.

"..."

A solemn silence. Then PD Song Manwoo naturally continued.

"Not a small theater group. Even a small group would have risen to the surface if an actor like Mr. Ujin was there."

"..."

"No director or casting director would have left you alone. Then, overseas. Did you study acting overseas?"

Suddenly, overseas? Ujin was internally flabbergasted. Of course, he had thought about working in Australia a few days ago. But PD Song Manwoo's statement was clearly wrong.

'Why is this getting bigger and bigger?'

Is this okay? As Ujin's life was turning into a bizarre situation, Hong Hyeon suddenly interjected.

"Is there something you can't talk about? If so, you don't have to answer."

Bingo. Kang Ujin chose a non-existent reason he couldn't talk about.

"I'll do that."

The situation was getting strange. Ujin felt like he was rowing hard in a river he couldn't cross. On the other hand, PD Song Manwoo was confident.

'Can't talk about it—since he's on 'Super Actor,' it's probably not a crime. What's important now is that he's in front of me.'

I can't let this arrogant monster slip away. PD Song Manwoo suddenly leaned towards Ujin. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Be honest."

He pointed to two men sitting a bit away.

"That's the production manager and the casting director."

Next, he pointed to a middle-aged woman with long perm hair who had been silently observing the situation on his left.

"This is writer Park Eunmi. You know her, right?"

Kang Ujin did know writer Park Eunmi. He knew her because she was famous, but he had learned about her while searching for PD Song Manwoo yesterday. He didn't watch much TV, after all. Anyway, Ujin nodded at writer Park Eunmi.

"Yes."

Then PD Song Manwoo's hand moved to the right, pointing to the top actress Hong Hyeon.

"There's no need to introduce Hong Star."

Soon, PD Song Manwoo, who had been introducing the people around him, continued confidently.

"We are preparing a new drama."

Ujin also knew this. He had heard about it from his friend Kim Daeyoung. Something about a super star-studded cast? But it wasn't Ujin's concern. So what?

The shock came from PD Song Manwoo's mouth.

"We want you to join the new drama, Mr. Kang Ujin."

"Join?"

"Yes, join. In other words, we want to cast you as an actor."

"Oh."

Ujin's short response showed no particular reaction. On the surface, he seemed calm. But his emotions were not unchanged.

'...What?!!'

He was so shocked that he couldn't react at all.

'What is this bearded guy saying? Is he serious??'

The shock was so great that Kang Ujin, who had maintained his composure so well, almost lost it. He barely managed to hold it together.

*Swish.*

Writer Park Eunmi, who had been sitting across from him, moved for the first time. She handed a stack of papers she had brought to Ujin. Then she looked at Kang Ujin.

"This is the script for the first part of the new drama. It's the first time it's been shown outside."

She calmly requested.

"Can you show us a performance of any role in here?"

At the same time, in a mid-level food company.

Employees, both men and women, were taking a break in a fairly large break room. There were about five people, each with a mug in front of them.

Among them.

"Man, Hong Hyeon is really beautiful."

The burly Kim Daeyoung was praising the top actress Hong Hyeon he had seen in the 'Super Actor' preliminary round.

"Her beauty is insane. How do I describe it? When you look at her, you feel like you're being sucked in. Her eyes are huge, you can see yourself reflected in her pupils."

"Come on, that's an exaggeration."

"You're exaggerating. Man, it's really breathtaking to see her in person."

"Anyway, from what I hear, you failed the preliminary round because of diarrhea?"

"No! I just got nervous and cut my lines."

"You really messed up. If not for that, you would have just pooped and gone home, right?"

Kim Daeyoung, who was being teased by the other employees, suddenly looked bitter.

"Anyway, who would be the man to date or marry Hong Hyeon? I'm so envious."

"At least a top actor. Or a tycoon."

"Right? I'm so envious. Anyway, I'll keep the autograph as a treasure for life. I'll pass it down to my children."

"You have to get married first, though."

"Damn."

At this moment.

*Ring.*

Kim Daeyoung's phone in his pocket started ringing. It was a call, and after checking the caller, Kim Daeyoung left the break room and answered the call in the hallway.

"Hey, bro."

The caller was a close senior from the theater club where Kim Daeyoung was a member. Soon, a young man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Daeyoung, are you busy? Is it okay to talk?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"No, it's not about that. Did you finish reading the script I gave you? 'Detective Agency'"

At the same time, Kim Daeyoung, who remembered the short film script he had given to Kang Ujin, immediately replied.

"Um, I did read it."

"Good. Then give it back. I need to look at it again."

"Haha, okay, okay. I'll bring it this weekend. But why do you need to look at it again?"

The man on the other end of the phone gave a reasonable answer.

"Ah, I heard 'Detective Agency' is going into production. I might go to the audition."

Soon, Kim Daeyoung, somewhat impressed, replied.

"Oh, I thought it was going to fail, but it's really going into production?"

Back in the Cielo Studio meeting room.

A slightly tense atmosphere. Everyone, including PD Song Manwoo, was still focused on Kang Ujin. Kang Ujin, on the other hand, was.

"..."

Silently looking at the stack of papers handed to him. The script for the new drama from writer Park Eunmi. Fortunately, the shock had somewhat subsided.

Still, he couldn't understand why they were talking about casting.

Time. Yes, time was needed. At this moment, Kang Ujin saw a black passage next to the script handed by writer Park Eunmi. He decided to touch it first. Without a specific answer, he took the script.

Then he pretended to check the cover.

*Swish.*

The script for the new drama was a rough draft, not a book, with a simple title and episode number on the cover.

-'Profiler Hanryang'

-Part 1.

Whatever it was, it wasn't important right now. Kang Ujin slightly lowered the script. Then he lightly touched the edge of the black rectangle next to the script with his index finger.

Immediately, a tingling sensation spread through his body.

Then, as expected, Kang Ujin was sucked into the subspace. Soon, an endlessly dark space spread before his eyes. At the same time, Kang Ujin, who had found peace of mind, exhaled deeply.

"Phew—What just happened?"

This crazy space was unexpectedly peaceful. Now, Kang Ujin could think calmly without worrying about time.

"Casting? They want to cast me as an actor? And in a new drama with Hong Hyeon as the lead, directed by the legendary PD Song Manwoo and written by the ultra-star writer Park Eunmi?"

It was an unexpected turn of events.

Let's try to organize this. Inside the subspace, Kang Ujin crossed his arms, trying to remain calm.

"Their reason for casting me. They only saw me in 'Super Actor,' right? So... my performance was better than I thought?"

The experience gained in this subspace seems to be dozens of times more significant than expected. Otherwise, things wouldn't have progressed so quickly.

"Phew, okay, for now."

Then, uncrossing his arms, Ujin turned and walked towards the row of white squares. As expected, one more white square had been added.

He checked the text on the 5th white square.

-[5/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), A-grade]

-[*A very high-quality drama script. 100% reading is possible.]

Focusing on one of the texts, he muttered without realizing it.

"A-grade, huh?"

About 30 seconds later.

Or rather, it wasn't 30 seconds for Kang Ujin, who was in the subspace. It was 30 seconds for everyone else, including PD Song Manwoo and writer Park Eunmi, who were watching Ujin's face as he checked the script cover.

Among them.

'Why is he looking at the title so deeply?'

As writer Park Eunmi slightly furrowed her brow,

*Swish.*

Kang Ujin, who had been motionless, slightly paused, then slowly raised his head. He met writer Park Eunmi's gaze. At the same time, writer Park Eunmi smiled slightly.

"Do you understand the context? From what I heard, you only had a minute to read a short script in the 'Super Actor' preliminary round. This time, there's no need. We can wait 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or however long it takes."

Writer Park Eunmi was the type who would do anything to improve the quality of her work.

"You can perform a few lines from any role in the script without any pressure. I just want to see Mr. Ujin's tone."

In fact, she already had a specific role in mind that she wanted to see from Kang Ujin. But she kept it hidden for now, to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Kang Ujin seemed a bit sensitive at the moment.

Then, Kang Ujin's indifferent face twitched. He slowly lowered his gaze to the 'Profiler Hanryang' script in his hand.

His low voice spoke at this moment.

"I'll read for a bit."

*Flip, flip.*

Ujin started reading the script. However, his reading was very short. About 5 minutes? After flipping through dozens of pages, Ujin raised his head again.

Then, he calmly spoke to everyone watching him.

"I'll do the 'Park Daeri' role."

Soon.

"!!!"

"Park Daeri??"

PD Song Manwoo and writer Park Eunmi were shocked, their eyes wide. 'Park Daeri' was exactly the role they had wanted.

"Yes, the 'Park Daeri' role."

It was a role with added sociopath material.

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