Chapter 94

< Threat (4) >

Oh? You can get it done today? Despite his indifferent expression, Kang Woojin inwardly gave a thumbs up.

‘Indeed, your ability is astounding, our representative.’

Although he subtly urged him, there were over four artworks to find. Even though he thought it would be fine if it was done by tomorrow, Choi Sunggeun’s answer was refreshingly clear.

Kang Woojin sincerely bowed to Choi Sunggeun.

“Thank you.”

In contrast, Choi Sunggeun waved his hands as if it was nothing.

“No, no, no. What are you thanking me for? If you ask me to find 100 artworks, I’ll bring them, man.”

“Really?”

“...Yeah. But I was joking, and you seem to be serious, so I’ll cancel it.”

Behind him, Choi Sunggeun was busy making calls while briefing today’s schedule, and the minivan Kang Woojin was in sped down the road toward the first schedule. His first schedule for the day was a meeting with an advertiser.

Additional information about the advertisement.

The meeting, which started around 1 PM, lasted about 2 hours. After finishing the meeting with the company, Kang Woojin returned to the minivan around 3 PM in the early afternoon. He let out a small sigh, as the meeting took longer than expected.

‘Clothing advertisement—scary, I’ve only ever bought clothes, never thought I’d be in one. Does this mean I’ll get sponsorships? Is that something I’ll receive? It’s a sweet deal if so.’

The result was confirmed. Thus, Woojin was already set to shoot his second advertisement, and he had many more advertisement meetings scheduled in the future.

‘Wow, really.’

Indeed, Kang Woojin’s popularity was soaring in all sectors of the entertainment industry. If he could dominate the advertising industry as well, it would be hard to gauge how big he would become by the end of the year.

At this point.

“Brother.”

Han Yejeong, who was checking the coordination book, showed her phone to Woojin.

“The media has already started speculating.”

On the phone screen, an article was being displayed.

[Star Pick] Ultra-Rising Star ‘Kang Woojin’ Shows Signs of Sweeping Newcomer Awards This Year

However, Kang Woojin’s cynical expression remained unchanged. It was partly due to the concept, but also because he genuinely felt no emotion.

‘Newcomer award? Me?’

It still felt unreal. It was a different feeling from the ‘Mijangsen Film Festival.’ Back then, he stumbled and even won the grand prize, and it was a relatively minor award ceremony in the grand scheme of things.

However, Kang Woojin’s team was almost certain.

“Isn’t it obvious?! If Woojin doesn’t win, who will?! Isn’t that right, representative?!”

“Suwan. Look ahead.”

“Agreed. Although there are about six months left, honestly, you should win it. Otherwise, it would be an overreaction.”

Thanks to this?

‘If I’m standing on a huge stage, giving an acceptance speech—’

Woojin started to daydream without realizing it. His heart was pounding.

‘Wow, there are so many reporters, and that long red carpet? I have to walk on that too.’

Though his expression was blank, his mood was quite elevated. Choi Sunggeun interjected at this moment.

“Would Woojin be swayed by a newcomer award? Look at that face, he’s already convinced he’ll win it.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

No, but still, given his built-up character, Kang Woojin acted tough.

“...I’ve already prepared my acceptance speech.”

“Haha, look at him. There are six months left, and he’s already prepared his speech.”

“Brother! I envy your self-esteem!”

Choi Sunggeun, who was shaking his head, opened his diary and changed the subject.

“Anyway, I’ll tell you about the fan signing event.”

Ah, right. The fan signing event. Kang Woojin, who had momentarily forgotten about it, recalled it. He had been distracted by ‘The Missing Island’ earlier and hadn’t paid much attention. Choi Sunggeun continued the briefing.

“It’s on Friday, the 26th, two days from now. It will last about 3 hours. The venue is the ‘Maxnals’ headquarters event hall. It’s in the morning. Since it’s sponsored by ‘Maxnals,’ you need to pay attention to the advertisement. So, a few reporters will be there, and our PR team will also be filming.”

Han Yejeong, who was nodding slowly, chimed in.

“You have to do it, it’s your first signing.”

“Exactly. Woojin, you’re having a signing event much earlier than Hyeon.”

Woojin, who was now starting to feel a bit nervous, recalled the short signing event he had at a convenience store in the past. Would many people come? How many? 100 people? Choi Sunggeun conveniently provided the answer.

“The signing event itself is unofficial, and about 300 fans will attend. Even if it’s more, it won’t exceed 400. I’d like to make it bigger, but there are limits. Also, your schedule doesn’t allow for more time.”

“...”

Woojin, whose expression remained unchanged, inwardly exclaimed.

‘400 people?? 400 people?!!’

So many? Choi Sunggeun, who didn’t know this, continued his explanation.

“About half of them will be from the fan club. By the way, did you hear that your fan club has surpassed 10,000 members?”

“Ah, yes.”

“This time, the official fan club managers and staff will all be there. They’re people you’ll see often, so it’s good to get to know them at the signing event. You know, actors often exchange DMs with their fans, right?”

“Is the general manager’s nickname ‘Blood Sister’?”

“Yeah. You remember? Do you visit the fan club often?”

“Not often, but occasionally.”

Woojin, who answered, continued sarcastically.

“‘Blood Sister,’ I remember the nickname because it’s unique.”

He laughed inwardly.

‘Even if the nickname sense is bad, you have to do well, being the fan club representative.’

Late afternoon. A famous hotel in Seoul.

Kang Woojin was being interviewed in a lounge with a large media company. At this point, Choi Sunggeun, Han Yejeong, and Jang Suwan were having a late lunch at the hotel restaurant, of course, paid for by the media company. Jang Suwan, who had a good build, laughed heartily.

“Haha! It’s great! Our actor is doing so well, so we get treated like this!”

Han Yejeong, who was rolling her spaghetti, replied coldly.

“Yeah. These days, wherever we go, they treat us very kindly. Newcomers are usually treated casually.”

“It’s because Woojin is doing so well right now!”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s just like Hyun’s feeling.”

While the two were lavishly praising Kang Woojin, Choi Sunggeun was mysteriously tapping his phone. Of course, it was to fulfill Kang Woojin’s request.

“Yeah, Manager.”

Choi Sunggeun, who was on a call with someone, suddenly stood up.

“Thank you so much. I’ll buy you a meal next time. Yeah, sushi is a must. Haha, yeah. Right, send it to bw Entertainment via quick delivery. Yeah. Thanks!”

After ending the call, Choi Sunggeun gave instructions to the two who were looking up at him.

“I’ll be back to the company for a bit, so after you finish eating, take good care of Woojin.”

“Ah! Then the car keys.”

“No, I’ll take them. If Woojin finishes first, it will be a hassle. I’ll just take a taxi. Next is the radio (Visible Radio), right? If anything happens in between, call me immediately.”

“Yeah.”

“Got it!”

“Won’t take long. Let’s meet again at the radio studio.”

Choi Sunggeun quickly left the restaurant and hailed a taxi that had stopped in front of the hotel. At the same time, he called the company. The other party answered quickly, and Choi Sunggeun spoke immediately.

“Yeah, three quick deliveries came today, right? Yeah, another one will come in a few dozen minutes. Collect all four and put them on my desk.”

After finishing his call, Choi Sunggeun told the taxi driver.

“Sir, please hurry.”

A few hours later.

It was already night. The location was a public broadcaster’s radio station. After completing his four-part guest appearance on the radio, Kang Woojin thanked the host and staff.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes! Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Woojin!”

Woojin, who received the host’s thanks, left the booth. Writers immediately approached him, holding paper and markers.

“Mr. Woojin, can you sign for me?”

“Sure.”

Looking inside the booth, he saw many signatures from the celebrities who had appeared as guests. Feeling a bit awkward, he now signed with more familiarity. However, it wasn’t just one.

“Please, me too!”

“Me too, me too! I’m a fan, and my younger brother is a big fan.”

“Sure, here you go.”

“Thank you! By the way, Mr. Woojin, did you see that the listeners were raving about your voice today?”

Woojin, trying to hide his embarrassment, silently completed a total of five signatures. Only then could he leave the booth.

In the hallway, Choi Sunggeun, with his spiky hair, was smiling.

‘I thought he had to leave for something, but he’s back already?’

For some reason, Choi Sunggeun urged Kang Woojin.

“The kids are in the car. The next schedule is canceled, so they can go home. Let’s hurry.”

“Yes, representative.”

Woojin, who answered quietly, inwardly wondered. He’s not usually like this? Then he had a hunch.

“Ah.”

The reason this guy was so confident.

“Did you manage to get everything?”

The question about whether he had gathered all the requested items. Choi Sunggeun’s face showed a bit of disappointment, or rather, a lot of disappointment.

“Eh- I was going to surprise you in the car. You’re too perceptive. But yes, I got everything.”

Despite that, it was quite obvious, wasn’t it? Regardless, Choi Sunggeun’s ability was real. Really gathering those four works in one day. Woojin inwardly praised him. But he couldn’t show it.

“Thank you, representative.”

Instead, he bowed deeply to show his gratitude. Of course, Choi Sunggeun refused the thanks.

“Don’t, don’t. I already told you this morning. I didn’t do anything big. This is just a new start for what you’ve done, so feel free to ask me for more.”

Woojin felt very supported.

A few minutes later, Woojin got into the minivan parked in the broadcasting station’s parking lot. Next to his usual seat, four scripts and scenarios were stacked. Kang Woojin immediately picked up one of them. Choi Sunggeun, looking at him through the rearview mirror, asked with a satisfied expression.

“Oh, you’re going to read it right away? That’s like you.”

He signaled Jang Suwan to start the car.

“Let’s go, just take Woojin home.”

“Yes!”

The minivan started smoothly. Meanwhile, Woojin, looking at Han Yejeong on his right, raised his finger.

- Poke!

He poked the black square attached to the script. Immediately, he entered a subspace and announced his departure. He repeated this about four times. Despite the significant changes, no one noticed, of course.

‘All done, next is—’

Kang Woojin, who had listed all the works, threw himself into the subspace again. After a small deep breath, he turned his body. The white squares floating in the subspace suddenly increased.

“Let’s see—what’s the result?”

The original ones were not needed. What Kang Woojin needed were the ones he had just listed.

-[8/Scenario (Title: Zamanchu), F-grade]

-[9/Scenario (Title: How to Use a Sword), F-grade]

-[10/Script (Title: Royal Company Episode 1), C+ grade]

-[11/Scenario (Title: Again Man), C grade]

The results were immediately clear. Only two works were exactly F-grade. The rest were ordinary. And those two works were.

“They’re both Seo Chaeun’s, right?”

Seo Chaeun’s movies. A smile quickly spread across Kang Woojin’s lips.

“My intuition was right.”

It was just a guess, but it was spot on. In other words, the likelihood that Seo Chaeun was the culprit was very high. The reason was simple. Even if the movies flopped, it was unrealistic for two movies to both be F-grade.

Seo Chaeun was a top actor.

And both movies featured other top actors or skilled actors. Yet, they were F-grade from the start? This was a puzzling statistic. Moreover, he had a good grasp of what F-grade meant from the Seo Hyun-gu incident.

‘When the production itself fails or completely flops.’

F-grade was the absolute bottom. In other words, Seo Chaeun’s two movies would have less than 100,000 viewers or be a complete failure. Yet, both movies featuring Seo Chaeun were F-grade?

“Seo Chaeun is confirmed.”

The suspect was almost certainly her. Seo Chaeun was the reason two movies, no, including ‘The Missing Island,’ a total of three movies, had their ratings ruined.

“Is ‘The Missing Island’ only D because she joined late?”

The other two movies had already finished filming or were close to wrapping up. So, the damage would have been significant. In any case, the suspect was narrowed down to Seo Chaeun. Of course, he still didn’t know what she had done. Moreover, it was urgent to find out.

At this point, Kang Woojin thought.

“What should I do? I need to pass it off.”

He needed to hand over the matter. How? By relying on misunderstanding and the concept. Soon, Kang Woojin left the subspace and returned to the minivan.

It took about an hour to reach the parking lot of Woojin’s office apartment.

-Creak!

“Good job, brother!”

“Brother, thank you for your hard work!”

“Woojin, get some rest!”

The immediate greetings. However, Kang Woojin, with an indifferent expression, called out to Choi Sunggeun.

“Representative, a moment.”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah. What is it? Do you need more scripts?”

“No. I have something to tell you, outside.”

“Outside?”

Choi Sunggeun, who looked puzzled, got out of the car. Kang Woojin did the same. Then, a few steps away from the minivan, Woojin spoke first.

“Representative, about Seo Chaeun. She’s quite intense. I don’t have a good feeling about her.”

“What?? What do you mean?”

Kang Woojin used the misunderstanding. And he put on a poker face, deeper than ever, to amplify the seriousness.

“It’s similar to what happened with Seo Hyun-gu.”

Because of this?

“...What?”

Choi Sunggeun’s eyes widened dramatically.

< Threat (4) > End