Chapter 72

< Expansion (1) >

What? You graduated from the same department as me? Oh, my. Kang Woojin almost revealed his true self to the female employee. "Do you know me? I don't think I know you," to that extent.

He barely managed to hold back. However, Woojin stared intently at the female employee, trying to recall the past.

'Who is she? Wait a moment, why can't I remember? Try to remember quickly.'

But it was in vain. How could he put it? Quite some time had passed, and the female employee's face was not familiar.

'No, I really don't know. Who are you?'

Were they close? There was no way. If they were even a little close, he would have remembered. It was ambiguous. To be honest, he didn't have any close female friends. Kang Woojin was almost a loner in college.

Moreover, Woojin knew well.

'Women can change a lot, you know.'

This was even clearer because he had a younger sister. In the past, when Kang Hyuna was at home, she looked completely different from when she went out. So, Woojin often teased his sister.

'Hey, what's your room, a plastic surgery clinic? Where's my sister? Why is a different person coming out?'

'Ah! Shut up!'

'Check the Guinness Book, for women with two faces.'

'Mom! Big brother is teasing me!'

To that extent, a woman's appearance can change significantly with just a slight change in makeup. So, the woman sitting in front of him might have had plastic surgery after graduating from college, right? Besides, the design department where Woojin studied had more women than men, at least twice as many. How could he remember them all?

Anyway, Woojin was anxious.

'No, it's fine. I didn't do anything in college. I was never that person, right? Stay calm. I can handle this.'

His college life might be exposed.

On the other hand.

"Ah, maybe you don't remember?"

The woman, slightly disappointed, seemed to remember Kang Woojin accurately. It was awkward. How could he pretend to know her when he didn't?

'Ah, I don't know.'

Kang Woojin maintained his composure while gritting his teeth and pretending not to know.

"I have no idea."

"......Ah."

The female employee's expression suddenly became awkward.

"Well, that's possible. It has been quite a while."

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

Choi Sunggeun, who had gone to the bathroom, returned quickly.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I had to go to the bathroom."

Choi Sunggeun, who had been smiling, noticed the awkward atmosphere in the meeting room. There was a subtle tension. Thanks to this, Choi Sunggeun, who was sitting next to Woojin, tilted his head.

"Um, were you talking about something?"

The answer came from the male employee of 'Maxnald' who seemed to be the highest-ranking.

"Ha ha, no. It seems our employee is a college classmate of Mr. Woojin. But Mr. Woojin doesn't remember."

The 'Maxnald' employees chuckled while looking at the female employee.

"Ah, so you're not classmates?"

"That's right. If Mr. Woojin doesn't remember, you're just a stranger. Yes."

The female employee's face turned slightly red as the teasing intensified.

"Ah! Team leader! Stop it!"

This atmosphere was fueled by Kang Woojin's low apology.

"I'm sorry."

"Ha ha, no, Mr. Woojin has nothing to apologize for. It seems Hyeju was a bit less noticeable in college."

"Stop! Stop it now!"

Choi Sunggeun, who understood the situation, nodded.

'As my popularity grows, it's time to meet people I know, like Kim Daeyoung and that female employee.'

He glanced at Kang Woojin, who was sitting next to him.

'With this level of appearance and unique aura, he must have stood out. Even if he wasn't a campus celebrity, rumors must have spread.'

Regardless, Woojin was anxious. With Choi Sunggeun back, he needed to quickly change the mood. So, he decided to push the work forward. Just as he was about to speak solemnly,

"But Mr. Woojin, didn't you graduate from the acting department? If you and Hyeju are in the same field, it's design, right? That's unusual."

"That's true. While there are actors who didn't study acting, it's quite unique for someone from the design department."

"Hyeju, wasn't Mr. Woojin popular in college?"

The 'Maxnald' employees were curious about Kang Woojin's past. Woojin was genuinely flustered. Please, just shut up. He wasn't popular at all. He was a loner, okay? An unexpected and tense situation had arisen. So, Kang Woojin quickly interjected.

"No. I was just a nobody."

"Come on, no way. Just looking at you, you must have had a line of girls, right?"

"Mostly, there were more guys."

At this moment, the female employee who graduated from the same university as Woojin moved her lips. Her expression was slightly indifferent, unlike before.

"Well, I don't remember exactly, either."

She seemed a bit upset.

"Mr. Woojin was just good at design. He won quite a few design competitions, I think."

"Oh, he was an elite?"

At this moment, Choi Sunggeun, with his ponytail, was slightly surprised.

'So, he studied design while learning acting on his own? Does he have two brains?'

Regardless, it was fortunate for Woojin that the female employee was sulking. It seemed she was pretending not to know him out of pride. Woojin didn't miss this opportunity.

"No, I was just average. Let's talk about the ad."

Of course, he was sarcastic. At this point, the 'Maxnald' employees gathered their materials and returned to the main topic.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just so surprising that one of our team members is Mr. Woojin's classmate."

"We were all surprised when Hyeju said you were a classmate, and we picked Mr. Woojin as our model."

"Let's start with the concept, then."

Choi Sunggeun whispered to Woojin.

"You too, huh? You weren't just focused on acting, right? How did you manage design as well? Did you have talent in that area?"

Talent? What talent? Woojin had worked hard on design just to survive. But he couldn't say that. Kang Woojin decided to give a vague answer.

"I just worked hard because I needed to."

"......Needed?"

At this moment.

'Ah.'

Choi Sunggeun had a sudden realization.

'Maybe......he did design to help with acting? Creativity or something like that.'

After that.

Despite the unexpected crisis, the 'Maxnald' ad meeting proceeded smoothly. This was natural since 'Maxnald' had been eager to work with Woojin.

"We're planning to launch a new shrimp burger line. As you can see from the concept, we just need you to embody the 'Park Daeri' vibe."

The content was similar to what Choi Sunggeun had guessed. It would be a 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-second version, to be released on various video platforms including TV and YouTube. It would start with a short-term contract, and the extension would be decided based on product sales.

"The ad shoot will be scheduled around Mr. Woojin's schedule, and it should be wrapped up in a day."

After various discussions, the crucial numbers were brought up.

"Next is the appearance fee."

From this point on, the seemingly indifferent Kang Woojin was inwardly amazed. It was natural, given the tens of millions of won being casually mentioned. It was incredible. Of course, Woojin had already received millions for various acting roles.

'Ads are amazing. They pay this much for just one shot? What a deal?'

Getting paid millions for a single ad shoot seemed unreal.

Thus.

"Please take care, Mr. Woojin."

"I'll do my best."

With Kang Woojin's signature, the 'Maxnald' ad contract was officially signed. This solidified Woojin's position as the hottest new actor of the year.

"See you on the shoot day."

After Woojin and Choi Sunggeun left the meeting room, the 'Maxnald' employees quickly started evaluating Kang Woojin. Most of the comments were enthusiastic.

"Mr. Woojin had an incredible aura, didn't he? I didn't expect that kind of vibe."

"Exactly. His main character was very serious."

"He seemed aloof but was subtly kind. His voice was great, too. Ha, he's completely my type."

However, one female employee was slightly puzzled. She was a college classmate of Woojin.

"Swoosh- I don't think he had that kind of aura."

Soon, other employees chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah. Spill the beans. How was he? Were you close to Mr. Woojin? Why don't you remember?"

"Well, we weren't that close. As I mentioned earlier, he was quite good at design. He was popular among girls. There were many girls in the department, and initially, about half of them were interested in Mr. Woojin."

"Well, with that face, he must have been popular. Hyeju, too?"

"Ah! Not me!"

"Kind of? The type who doesn't realize their own popularity?"

"Something like that. But his aura wasn't that heavy. He was quiet, but not that sarcastic. I never heard he was acting."

"Acting is personal, so it's understandable. His aura—was it just business in school? There are quite a few people like that."

"......Is that so?"

It had been quite a while, so the female employee seemed confused about the past.

"Anyway, Hyeju must be amazed. A friend she designed with suddenly became a big actor."

"Exactly. When Mr. Woojin appeared in a drama, my friends' group chat exploded."

Meanwhile, Kang Woojin.

-Clunk!

He had just climbed into a van. He was still trying to calm his surprised heart.

'Oh, man. What a surprise. Meeting someone from college. But this isn't something you can avoid, right?'

That was true. There were dozens of meeting places, and it was impossible to avoid them all. In this aspect, Kang Woojin had to rely on his wit.

'Should I prepare a few lines?'

The next day.

The internet, still noisy with "Profiler Hanryang," received new news.

"[Star Talk] Hot 'Kang Woojin' lands Maxnald ad"

The news was that Kang Woojin had landed his first ad. The source, of course, was bw Entertainment and 'Maxnald,' who had coordinated to start the promotion at the same time.

"[Maxnald] 'Expecting good synergy with actor Kang Woojin'"

Since Kang Woojin was already a rising star, bw Entertainment aimed to maintain the buzz, and 'Maxnald' aimed to promote their brand and new products by leveraging Woojin's popularity.

"[Hanryang to Ads?] 'Kang Woojin' starts with Maxnald / Photo"

Thus, from Tuesday morning, the flood of news about Kang Woojin's popularity was overwhelming. The film industry hailed him as the best Blue Chip of the year, and the entertainment industry as a major new star.

The entertainment industry loves the word "first."

And Kang Woojin had many "firsts" to his name. First of the year, shortest time, acting awards, ratings, big names, etc.

The character of 'Park Daeri' also contributed.

The 'Park Daeri' phenomenon or meme, which had spread through communities, had now penetrated YouTube and broadcasting.

-What if 'Profiler Hanryang Park Daeri' joins a voice chat room? 😂😂😂😂 | Meme Box TV

-Ordering 'less cool' at a sandwich shop | Do as I say!

Parodies were pouring in. Voice actors, short dramas, and various streamers were imitating Kang Woojin's 'Park Daeri.'

Not only that.

Comedy shows and stand-up comedy programs also imitated the 'Park Daeri' meme. It was a trend. Issues spread like catchphrases, infecting people in a certain form.

Of course, everyone had their own motives.

There were many reasons, but they could be summarized as one: people's attention. Creating new stimuli based on the solid foundation of Kang Woojin's popularity.

Anyway, Kang Woojin's popularity continued to grow.

Naturally, it was a wild dance, but Woojin, the subject, was slightly worried. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling.

"Something feels uneasy."

Was it because things were happening too quickly? Was it too dreamlike? Was it overwhelming? Was it just unnecessary worry? But Kang Woojin's slight worry seemed irrelevant.

"[Exclusive] Netflix 'One-Act Play Project' joins Hwarin, Kang Woojin"

Later that afternoon, Netflix joined the already chaotic internet with numerous issues.

"[Issue Pick] Why is Hwarin doing a one-act play? Looking into the Netflix project with rising star Kang Woojin"

"[Netflix] 'Hwarin and Kang Woojin's chemistry will likely be a romantic comedy'"

Moreover, this time it was a big deal. Including Kang Woojin, it also featured Hwarin from the girl group 'Ellani.' The combination of Kang Woojin and Hwarin created a huge wave.

Public opinion was buzzing. While interest in Woojin was high, Hwarin's impact was enormous.

-What the hell??

-Hwarin started solo activities, but suddenly a one-act play??

-It's a one-act play, but a romantic comedy is great!!

-Wow...Kang Woojin's works are amazing??? Hasn't he already done a few?

-But it's a bit unexpected, isn't it? 😂😂😂😂 Why Hwarin and Kang Woojin?

-Sister!!!!!! I've been waiting for you!!!!!!!!

-Kang Woojin...romantic comedy?...Kiss...Wait, give me more information, it's not cool enough!!!

-But Kang Woojin's work is small again 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

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