Chapter 71

< Multi (10) >

How much time had passed?

Kang Ujin, who had been living in various worlds as "Lee Sangman," suddenly returned to the minivan. Everything was the same. The traffic was still congested, Jang Suwan was in the driver's seat, Choi Sunggeun was on a call, and Han Yejeong was looking at a coordination book. They had no idea where Kang Ujin had just been.

Nothing had changed.

But Kang Ujin had lived in the reality of "Lee Sangman" and possessed everything about him. Although there was no significant change in Ujin's world, the life of the new character was now more vivid to him. This time was no exception.

Therefore, Kang Ujin.

"......"

He maintained a blank expression and momentarily fixed his gaze on the air. It wasn't clear where he was looking, but it was evident that he was focused.

To extract the smell of "Lee Sangman" that he had experienced firsthand.

'It's okay, I don't feel bad.'

He needed to use the character "Lee Sangman" in the script freely. To do this, he had to elevate his sense of self as Kang Ujin to the extreme.

'I am the master of all the characters I portray, and you are just my expendables.'

Kang Ujin's face was very serious, but it wasn't an act. The experiences of his past roles, such as "Kim Ryu-jin" and "Park Daeri," had been helpful. They had prepared him for countless hells.

Kang Ujin's mind was already strong.

The penalty of the subspace was intense but bearable. At the very least, that's how he felt. It wasn't light, but it wasn't heavy either. It was similar to his usual state. A bit uncomfortable, but not problematic.

Still.

'Hmm-'

He couldn't help but feel a bit queasy. He had felt nauseous. In the story, Lee Sangman had experienced pleasure, but Ujin felt as if he had just emerged from a swamp. An experience he never wanted to repeat. A scene he had to pretend was just acting.

'Let's drink some water.'

The water tasted bitter. Was it because the dampness hadn't fully dissipated? But this would shorten with repeated experiences. He had to become desensitized.

Then, Kang Ujin.

-Swoosh.

Lowered his gaze. He was looking at the "drug dealer" script in his hand. More precisely, he understood the feelings of "Lee Sangman" after the experience in the subspace. Excluding everything imprinted by Lee Sangman, he analyzed Lee Sangman purely from his own perspective.

This process was similar to the script analysis techniques Kang Ujin had mastered.

The content of the script, the life of Lee Sangman experienced in the subspace, and Kang Ujin's personal evaluation. When these three elements combined, his acting became incredibly solid, surpassing method acting. The results were already evident to the world.

Park Daeri in the later episodes of "Profiler Hanryang" (Episodes 3 and 4).

Moreover.

'If I do this, my acting will be several times more enjoyable.'

After completing this process and diving into the acting, the pure "fun" would be several times greater. The lingering impression of the imprinted character would become even more vivid. Kang Ujin was maximizing the abilities of the subspace in his own way, leading to even more development. This was manifested in the quality of his vivid acting.

At that moment.

"Hey, Ujin."

Choi Sunggeun, sitting in the passenger seat, called out to Kang Ujin.

"About Kim Daeyoung, right? We're talking about him joining the company in mid-June next month."

Kang Ujin focused slightly at the mention of his close friend.

"Yes."

"But originally, the manager side needs training. And you're a rookie, right? So it's a bit awkward to assign him to you right away. We're not short of staff here either. We're thinking of assigning him to Hyeon first."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, but if you want, we can assign him to you."

No, not at all. Especially with Kim Daeyoung, he would beg to be assigned to Hong Hyeon.

"No, I think the representative's idea is right."

"Right? For a while, he'll be assigned to Hyeon for training, whether as a manager or a guard. I'll only call on you in situations where I can't be there."

Currently, Choi Sunggeun was Kang Ujin's main manager but also the CEO of BW Entertainment. Therefore, there were occasional situations where he had to be absent. In such cases, he would assign the trainee Kim Daeyoung as a temporary replacement.

Kang Ujin responded solemnly.

"Understood, sir."

But inside, he smiled sarcastically.

'Kim Daeyoung, this guy. He's achieved his lifelong dream. I wonder if he can do his job properly, standing stiff in front of Hong Hyeon.'

Meanwhile, Choi Sunggeun's phone rang.

-♬♪

He quickly put the phone to his ear. After a brief call, Choi Sunggeun put the phone down and looked at Kang Ujin.

"......Huh- What's this? Ujin."

He met Kang Ujin's eyes again. Choi Sunggeun had a strange expression.

"Is something strange happening again?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just talked to the Netflix Creative Team. They decided to cast 'Nam Sachin' with Hwa-rin."

Huh? Hwa-rin? This was unexpected. Ujin was a bit surprised inside. Why? He didn't understand.

'Don't they know I'm the male lead? What is this? It's clear they won't do it.'

Clearly, during the Netflix meeting, Hwa-rin seemed to look at him indifferently. Kang Ujin asked, just in case.

"Does she not know I'm the lead?"

Choi Sunggeun shook his head.

"They said they revealed you as the lead at the beginning of the meeting with Hwa-rin."

"......"

"But why is Hwa-rin doing this? Her appearance at the meeting was also unexpected, and it's a bit surprising. Of course, it's good, but..."

Jang Suwan and Han Yejeong also chimed in.

"I'm a fan of Hwa-rin, and she is unique! I've never seen her do a short drama before!"

"Maybe it's because of Hyeon? Hwa-rin and Hyeon are close, right?"

It was a plausible guess, but Choi Sunggeun still tilted his head.

"Hmm- Well, it might be influenced, but at Hwa-rin's level, the line between work and personal life is clear. Work is work, so she wouldn't choose a project based on a few words of advice from Hyeon."

"Ah, that's true."

Meanwhile, Kang Ujin maintained a poker face.

'A- Hwa-rin. She's pretty, but her personality is a bit off.'

He was slightly grumbling inside.

'She seemed to ignore me a bit.'

Then, a thought struck him.

'Ah.'

Something flashed in Kang Ujin's mind.

-[6/Script (Title: Nam Sachin), A-grade]

The sudden upgrade from B to A for "Nam Sachin."

'So it's because of Hwa-rin that it became A-grade. But does her joining alone raise the grade so much? Hmm- Or is there something else?'

Regardless, Kang Ujin's enthusiasm waned slightly. His first impression of Hwa-rin wasn't great.

'Ah, whatever. I'll just focus on acting.'

He couldn't abandon an A-grade project, though. Ujin thought this was the life of an actor. Even if the co-star wasn't great, he had to give it his all.

At this point, Choi Sunggeun in the passenger seat.

'Is something else about to happen?'

He glanced at the expressionless Kang Ujin.

'Whenever Kang Ujin is involved, something absurd happens in the project, like with the private detective agency and the profiler. This time, "Nam Sachin" too.'

His eyes were filled with deep anticipation.

'Heh heh. What crazy thing will happen this time?'

Afterward.

While Kang Ujin was moving in the minivan, the internet was noisy from early morning. Numerous issues were swirling, but the most prominent was, of course, "Profiler Hanryang."

The 6th episode aired yesterday.

Moreover, the ratings, which had been over 25%, dropped to 21.7% in the 5th episode, so the media and public were highly focused on the 6th episode's ratings.

And the ratings announced in the morning.

[Official] 'Profiler Hanryang' Episode 6 Ratings: 22.3%

Fortunately, the 22.3% ratings helped recover somewhat, but they still didn't reach 25%. The media, always hungry for drama, couldn't let this go.

[Issue Pick] 'Hanryang,' Though it recovered, the ratings still didn't reach 25%

[22.3 Ratings for 'Profiler Hanryang,' Can it return to the 25% range?]

As soon as the ratings were announced, the media pounced. Consequently, Kang Ujin or Park Daeri were summoned again.

[Star Talk] 22% Ratings for 'Hanryang,' Should we bring back Kang Ujin, who left the show?

Due to the media and public's desensitization. Despite maintaining an incredible record of over 20%, the media chewed and tore at the meager issues.

Negative stimuli sell better.

Regardless of the issue, the topic of "Hanryang" grew day by day. Thanks to this, the preview video for the "Sports Day" episode featuring the "Hanryang" team, uploaded on Saturday afternoon, was:

-! Preview! I hope you watch this more, a bit less...? | Sports Day x Profiler Hanryang

-[SBC]/ENG SUB

-Views: 2,312,335 / 2020. 5. 30

It surpassed 2.3 million views and was still rising rapidly.

Later in the afternoon.

[email protected]_n

Posts: 18

Followers: 196,000

Following: 3

Kang Ujin's SNS saw an explosive increase in followers. In about two weeks, he gained nearly 200,000 followers, and the number was growing daily.

Meanwhile, at Netflix Korea.

"......What? Really??"

In the meeting room, the head director, seated at the top, opened her eyes wide. The creative team leader had just delivered a bombshell to her after an external meeting.

"Really, Hwa-rin said she would do 'Nam Sachin'?"

Hwa-rin, a top star, had expressed her willingness to join the short drama "Nam Sachin." Naturally, the head director, Kim Sohyang, found it hard to believe.

"What? At the meeting yesterday, Hwa-rin seemed indifferent, right? She had many questions but didn't seem like she would do it at all."

"I, I also found it hard to believe when I received the call and asked several times, but Hwa-rin said she would do it."

"......Wow, what's going on here?"

"We've already informed Kang Ujin's side."

"What did they say?"

"They said it was good."

"Of course. But it feels a bit crazy."

Netflix, a global platform, delegates full authority to the head directors of each country's branch.

In other words, the short drama project was her decision.

Honestly, Head Director Kim Sohyang didn't expect much from the short drama project. She wanted to emphasize Netflix Korea's image of caring about the market and its adventurous nature.

It was closer to branded content targeting the general public.

'Why is everything going so smoothly all of a sudden?'

But unexpected bombs were exploding one after another in this short drama.

'I was planning to cast unknown actors. But then rising star Kang Ujin joined, and now Hwa-rin too??'

These were truly unexpected outcomes. Netflix Korea hadn't taken any specific actions.

"We only circulated the script widely, right? The casting process hasn't even started properly. Did you do any special work?"

"No, we didn't. And the only responses we got were from Kang Ujin and Hwa-rin."

"What? It's too good to be true. If there's some connection between Kang Ujin and Hwa-rin, it would make sense. But there isn't, right?"

"No, they're from different agencies and aren't close."

"They're complete strangers-"

Head Director Kim Sohyang, trailing off, needed to make a clear decision now. She had to think quickly. The situation was turning out strangely, but she couldn't just stand idly by.

She needed to maximize efficiency.

Soon, Head Director Kim Sohyang, who had been deep in thought, had an idea and spoke again.

"First, let's prioritize. We need to finalize the contracts with Kang Ujin and Hwa-rin as quickly as possible and start production on 'Nam Sachin' right away."

"Will the project's first opening be with 'Nam Sachin'?"

"Of course. Focus the first promotion on 'Nam Sachin.' When the time comes, use Kang Ujin and Hwa-rin's names prominently. We should also strengthen the production team."

"Understood."

"And."

Head Director Kim Sohyang suddenly smiled.

"Should we expand the scope a bit?"

"Expand? How?"

"I mean, let's broaden our perspective. Don't limit it to domestic. If Hwa-rin is joining, it could work in Japan, right? 'Ella' is very popular in Japan."

"Oh."

"In Japan, dramas are shorter and more focused, so short dramas might work better than in Korea. Currently, more than half of the top 10 on the Japanese Netflix ranking are our content."

"Yes, more than 5 out of the top 10."

Head Director Kim Sohyang, hearing the response, concluded.

"We should launch it on Japanese Netflix as well. This way."

Monday, near Yongsan-gu.

June 1st, early morning. May had ended, and June had arrived. For Kang Ujin, May had been a period of tremendous change, and June was expected to bring even more significant changes.

Kang Ujin was in a large building.

The headquarters of 'Maxnald's,' one of the top 3 fast-food brands in the country. Ujin was sitting in the middle of a large conference room with a U-shaped table. Choi Sunggeun was naturally with him. The 'Maxnald's' logo was visible everywhere on the walls, and although Ujin didn't show it, he was looking around the room.

'I never thought I'd be a model here. Maxburger is so delicious.'

He had often eaten 'Maxnald's' hamburgers. But now, he was sitting there as the brand's advertising model. Of course, Kang Ujin wasn't the overall model for 'Maxnald's.' Fast-food brands have various products, each with its own model.

In other words, Ujin was expected to model for one of the hamburger lines.

'What a crazy turn of events, really.'

Life is unpredictable. Even more so.

"......Ujin!"

"Wow......He's so handsome......"

"Ah......!!"

Outside the conference room, 'Maxnald's' employees were making a commotion at the sight of Ujin. Thanks to the semi-transparent glass, their movements were clearly visible. It was a scene that vividly demonstrated Ujin's rapidly rising popularity.

"I should give autographs when the meeting ends."

"Understood."

"Let's see- I'll be back in a minute, I need to use the restroom."

"Okay."

Choi Sunggeun quickly left the conference room, perhaps to use the restroom before the meeting. About a minute later, the conference room door opened again. Ujin turned, thinking it was Choi Sunggeun, but.

"Hello, Mr. Ujin."

"Did you wait long? Ah- Where is Mr. Choi?"

'Maxnald's' employees, related to the advertisement, entered. They were from the marketing team and others. About five of them, holding tablets and transparent folders, entered. Ujin instinctively stood up to greet them, lowering his voice.

"Hello, Mr. Choi is using the restroom."

"Oh- I see."

"Shall we have a brief conversation before Mr. Choi returns?"

Soon, Kang Ujin and the