Chapter 82

< Reinforcement (3) >

Was what I just heard really true? Did I mishear it? Kang Ujin, standing awkwardly, tried to recall the memory. But it was too clear.

‘Didn’t you say something about being a fan of Ujin? ’

Clearly, the Hwa-rin he had just heard was talking about being a fan of Kang Ujin. It wasn’t as if Kang Ujin had been stalking her and overheard it; it was purely by chance. He was just trying to return the bracelet she had dropped.

The moment he was about to call her, he heard Hwa-rin’s voice.

In any case, Kang Ujin blinked his eyes and tried to organize his thoughts. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it.

‘Does this make any sense? ’

Hwa-rin was the leader of the famous girl group ‘Ellani.’ What about the fandom? It was enormous. Among the members of ‘Ellani,’ Hwa-rin’s popularity was at the top. Even Kang Ujin, who didn’t know much about girl groups, knew this much.

Anyone could see that Hwa-rin was a top star.

A star of a different caliber from Hong Hye-yeon. Why would such a star, who had everything, be a fan of Kang Ujin?

‘I am an actor, but I’m just a beginner, a complete novice. If it were someone like Ryu Jung-min or Jang Jae-joon, a top actor, it would make sense. ’

It was hard to believe, but in the end, Hwa-rin had said she was a fan of Kang Ujin. Even over ultra-top actors like Ryu Jung-min and Jang Jae-joon. Kang Ujin’s mood started to warm up.

Of course. Hwa-rin had just come out as a fan right in front of him.

Kang Ujin’s lips curled up without him realizing it.

‘Ah, stop it. Don’t curl up, you crazy lips. ’

His concept was shattered in an instant. Kang Ujin desperately tried to maintain a neutral expression. However, his lips kept curling up, driven by his emotions. Is he going crazy? Kang Ujin lightly slapped his cheeks.

‘Get a grip. ’

He put the bracelet he was holding into his pocket. Putting it on the floor would be noticeable, and directly handing it to her would be awkward.

It would be more natural to return it later, saying he found it.

-Swoosh.

Kang Ujin, who had forced himself to act cool, turned and walked away. He intended to head to the Netflix meeting room first. While doing so, he recalled the first time he met Hwa-rin.

‘Wasn’t the first time I met her here at Netflix? From the beginning, she seemed uncomfortable around me. She even avoided eye contact. ’

It felt like she was deliberately avoiding him or treating him coldly. But what if it was because she was surprised? Suddenly, Kang Ujin remembered his own concept. The moments when misunderstandings and misconceptions had mixed together.

“It’s quite possible.”

Why, for what reason, is she a fan of me? Even if I don’t know, I don’t feel like revealing it?

Her actions could be one of two things: she wants to hide being a fan of Kang Ujin, or she started off on the wrong foot and it’s led to this.

Kang Ujin reflected on himself from the past to the present.

‘Misunderstandings and misconceptions are scary— I’m a witness to that. ’

Of course, Kang Ujin currently needs to maintain his concept. Hwa-rin would probably act shy and awkward. Still, Kang Ujin felt a sense of empathy towards her.

‘For now, it’s best to protect her. ’

Regardless of the situation, Kang Ujin decided to protect Hwa-rin’s secret. It wouldn’t be cool to blurt it out. Maybe she’ll tell him when the time is right. It’s fine even if she keeps it hidden.

‘Hehe, still, it feels good. Hwa-rin is a fan of me? Ah, I can’t go around bragging about this. ’

His lips curled up slightly again. At this moment, an employee greeted Kang Ujin as he reached the entrance of Netflix Korea.

“Ah! Mr. Ujin, over here!”

Kang Ujin, who had inadvertently hidden his excited mood, lowered his voice.

“Hello.”

Following the employee’s guidance, Kang Ujin entered the meeting room. Inside, a familiar figure was immediately visible.

“Hey! Mr. Ujin! Long time no see!”

“…Director Shin Dong-chun?”

It was Director Shin Dong-chun with his square jaw. Why is he here? As Kang Ujin wondered, Hwa-rin entered the room a bit late, trying to avoid him while greeting the employees.

Kang Ujin called out to her.

“Ms. Hwa-rin.”

She flinched slightly, surprised. Regardless, Kang Ujin calmly handed her something. It was the bracelet she had dropped.

“You dropped this.”

“Oh.”

Realizing she had lost it, Hwa-rin took the bracelet, trying to show as little emotion as possible.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Sure.”

“Alright.”

Hwa-rin turned away abruptly. A few of the Netflix team leaders, who were already seated, whispered to each other.

“From last time, it seems like Ms. Hwa-rin and Mr. Ujin don’t get along well, don’t they?”

“Maybe they’re just not close yet.”

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s a relief—”

Kang Ujin, maintaining a neutral expression, tried to control his lips.

‘Lips, just stay still, really. ’

Hwa-rin seemed kind of cute.

Meanwhile.

The first episode of ‘Sports Day’ featuring the ‘Hanryang’ team was gaining massive views.

-EP.1 !The Hanryang Team’s Form is Insane! It’s chaotic... It’s chaotic... The enthusiastic ‘Hanryang’ team, but what will the results be? | Sports Day x Profiler Hanryang

-ENG SUB

-Views: 10,465,008

In just about a week after its upload on the 3rd day, it surpassed 10 million views. Of course, it’s still rising. ‘Sports Day’ already had over 3 million subscribers and a large number of loyal followers. The combination of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ and various topics surrounding Kang Ujin led to the explosive growth in views.

The memes of Ujin that spread like wildfire on Nertube also contributed.

While many people watched ‘Sports Day,’ searching for Hanryang, Kang Ujin, and other top actors in Hanryang also led to ‘Sports Day’ appearing in the search results.

As a result.

-EP.2 !The Furious Hong Hye-yeon... Will Kang Ujin Survive? | Sports Day x Profiler Hanryang

-ENG SUB

-Views: 1,155,146

The second episode of ‘Sports Day,’ uploaded this morning, broke 1 million views in just a few hours. How would the public react to this? Already, tens of thousands of comments were flooding in.

-Ujin, why have you changed so much? Haha, you’re weird.

-The chemistry between everyone is just wonderful.

-Haha, come on, release episode 3 already! Haha, it’s less annoying.

-But seriously, Hong Hye-yeon is so beautiful...

-The chemistry between Ryu Jung-min and Kang Ujin is good, hahaha.

-Jang Tae-san’s angry eyes are intense... 11:05, Kang Ujin’s tsundere moment...

-Some actors are really shy, but I love how they tried their best for this show!!

-Park Daeri’s form is insane.

-Their teamwork is indeed awesome!

-What to do with Kang Ujin’s arrogant cuteness... He’s so cute, really.

-I know Ryu Jung-min is amazing, hahaha, but I can’t help but only see Kang Ujin, hahaha.

-Kang Ujin was popular in college, hahaha, but he seems a bit darker now, hahaha.

·

·

·

With so many top actors, English comments were also quite common. Naturally, Kang Ujin’s popularity was soaring. As a result, domestic media outlets couldn’t help but take more interest in him.

New flavors sell better than familiar ones.

“Wow, Kang Ujin, what’s this after just a few months? Even getting ads. Hey, are there any tabloids about Kang Ujin?”

“Not really, we’re still digging, but there’s nothing yet.”

“Is his past clean? Dig deeper. Something will come up.”

Currently, Kang Ujin is on the rise everywhere. There were clear indicators.

[email protected]_n

Posts: 29

Followers: 403,000

Following: 4

Kang Ujin’s SNS followers had already surpassed 400,000.

-[Official/Kang Ujin’s official fan club ‘Strong Heart’ welcomes you!]

-Members: 8,008

-Representative Manager: Blood Sister

The fan club membership had surpassed 8,000. Of course, there might be some inactive members, but for a new actor, this was an unprecedented speed.

However, as things got bigger, negative views were bound to follow.

Public opinion is currently overwhelmingly positive about Kang Ujin, but the media, like hyenas, can change their stance at any moment. These media outlets were gradually spewing out sensational headlines to get clicks.

‘Rising ‘Kang Ujin’ is on the rise, but is he just a hollow shell? ’

‘[Issue Pick] ‘Stand-in, minor roles, one-act plays’—Why is the hot new actor Kang Ujin only taking small roles? ’

Naturally, there are far more articles bashing Kang Ujin. Even non-existent controversies are being created, so these tabloids are relatively light.

‘Park Daeri ‘Kang Ujin’—Trouble on the set of ‘Hanryang’? Acting skills top-notch, but next roles are bottom-tier. ’

With Kang Ujin’s news selling well, a few media outlets were barking. This could further attract public attention.

For now, there’s no major issue.

As popularity rises, so do the noise and barking, but these are just tabloids and speculations.

‘[Star Talk] Blue Chip of Chungmuro ‘Kang Ujin’—No proper movie casting, just stand-ins. ’

These days, the public isn’t stupid. They know very well the greed of journalists.

-Another bunch of scumbags, hahaha, writing whatever they want. They’ll only stop if they get sued.

The ratio was 80% positive and 20% negative. Thus, the controversial topics weren’t very visible, and there was no need to respond to them one by one.

‘Major new actor Kang Ujin—Thanks to ‘Sports Day,’ his variety show character is set, but his main job as an actor is lagging behind? ’

For now, it’s just material to boost Kang Ujin’s popularity.

A few minutes later, at GGO Entertainment in Nonhyeon-dong.

In the spacious CEO’s office, about three people were visible on the 5-person sofa. CEO Seo Goo-sub, sitting at the head of the table, was in a furious state, his face red and blue. He carelessly threw the tablet he was looking at onto the table in front of him.

-Smash!

The employees flinched, and Seo Goo-sub gritted his teeth.

“Damn it. This new kid, Kang Ujin, is really getting on my nerves.”

“...”

“Is this even possible? From ‘Detective Agency’ to ‘Hanryang’ and now ‘Sports Day’—all this in just a few months for a new actor?”

“...It is a bit unusual.”

“Is that all? He’s even getting ads and has a fan club already?”

“The SNS side is also showing a significant rise.”

“Do I not know that?”

“I’m sorry.”

Seo Goo-sub, speaking in a cold tone, grinded his teeth and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Is it right to just let this slide? This GGO, and me, attacked by that Choe Sung-geun kid. If I let this go, how ridiculous will I look?”

“...”

“Sigh...”

He exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke and asked the executive sitting next to him.

“What about the investigation into Kang Ujin’s background in Japan? He’s a Korean-Japanese, right? Is there anything we can use to tarnish his image?”

“Well, we’ve been looking into the Japanese theater scene and so on, but nothing has come up yet. We even hired a detective, but...”

“Can’t even find his Japanese name?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the Kyotaro director side?”

“Kyotaro is preparing a new work, but there seems to be no connection to Kang Ujin in his circle.”

-Smash!!

Seo Goo-sub, who hadn’t realized the futility of the investigation, kicked the table.

“Domestic side.”

“We’ve also checked the domestic theater scene and acting schools, but there’s nothing unusual.”

“Then what? Is Kang Ujin really just a nobody who fell from the sky?”

“I’m sorry.”

Seo Goo-sub covered his forehead, his frustration reaching its peak.

“Damn it. ‘Detective Agency’ was clearly stolen from me. It was all mine. Just let this slide? They see me as a fool, and thanks to that kid, Jung-hyuk is now a nobody. Tsk, keep an eye on Kang Ujin for now.”

“Understood.”

“Going after Choe Sung-geun and Hong Hye-yeon is better. I’ll handle that, but you guys, make the tabloids about Kang Ujin more intense. I’ve seen a few articles already, with some abuse and comments about only taking small roles. Make it more noisy.”

“Understood, sir.”

Seo Goo-sub, lighting a new cigarette, stood up from the sofa.

“There must be a reason why Kang Ujin only takes minor roles or insignificant works.”

A few minutes later, thanks to Seo Goo-sub’s influence, the number of tabloids about Kang Ujin increased significantly.

At this time, at Eulrim Film Company near Shinsha Station.

In a large meeting room, at least 20 people had gathered. They were the production team for the movie ‘The Missing Island.’ Naturally, the head of the table was occupied by...

“Hmm...”

Director Kwon Gi-taek, with his gray hair, was sitting there. They were in the middle of a production meeting, with tablets, transparent files, numerous papers, and location photos spread out on the table.

However, what Director Kwon Gi-taek was looking at on his tablet was...

‘[Star Talk] Blue Chip of Chungmuro ‘Kang Ujin’—No proper movie casting, just stand-ins. ’

A news article about Kang Ujin was being displayed. Recently, Director Kwon Gi-taek had been monitoring Kang Ujin frequently. It was natural, as Kang Ujin was now part of his team.

All of Kang Ujin’s issues were directly related to ‘The Missing Island.’

Soon, Director Kwon Gi-taek, putting down his tablet, said:

“Why are the tabloids increasing?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about Kang Ujin.”

He looked at the entire production team.

“It’s fine for him to take roles in ‘Drug Dealer’ and other works. It’s good that his popularity has risen thanks to ‘Sports Day.’ But these tabloids and abusive articles are a bit annoying. We can ignore them, but I don’t like it.”

“Seems like the journalists are just barking because Kang Ujin is so hot.”

“I don’t like it.”

“...The kind of noise that comes with rising actors is normal, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“I understand. I just don’t like it.”

Director Kwon Gi-taek, speaking gently, slowly crossed his legs.

“Honestly, I was planning to announce it after finishing the filming of ‘Drug Dealer,’ but the main cast is almost finalized. What do you think about starting some official promotion?”

The first to respond was an employee from the distribution company.

“Should we immediately release the prepared promotional materials? The media is already prying. They know about the director’s projects. The timing is good. The film industry is in a drought, so it will attract attention.”

Director Kwon Gi-taek, nodding slowly, crossed his arms and gave instructions.

“First, officially announce Kang Ujin’s casting. We can gradually reveal the rest over time.”

“Understood, sir. I’ll prepare a teaser. With the tabloids and Kang Ujin’s popularity, there will be an immediate response. Our movie’s promotion will naturally follow.”

The distribution company employee made a call, and an article with Director Kwon Gi-taek’s name appeared on the internet exactly 10 minutes later.

‘[Exclusive] Master Director Kwon Gi-taek’s Next Work to Feature Major New Actor Kang Ujin... Film Company: “Kang Ujin is cast as the lead.” ’

It was like a nuclear bomb had dropped in the film industry.

< Rein