The bomb that dropped on Director Woo Hyungoo around noon on the 23rd spread across the internet that very night like a nuclear blast.
The scale was enormous.
[Victims of film industry heavyweight Director Woo Hyungoo: "The Director openly sexually harassed me"]
Things had never been this chaotic before.
Woo Hyungoo's towering reputation had triggered the entertainment industry's first major scandal of the year.
It was like dumping oil onto a fire.
The entire industry froze.
And given the circumstances—
Shocking!! Director Woo Hyungoo's hidden ugly true nature! Was sexual harassment like a drug to him?! All the victims broke down in tears.
IssueKing TV
3,107,335 views / March 23, 2020
The exposé video uploaded by IssueKing TV blasted past 3 million views and sent shockwaves everywhere.
Not just across online communities, but on social media and YouTube as well, the revolting truth about Director Woo Hyungoo spread in an instant.
Wow… I can't believe I watched that bastard's movies. That's disgusting…
LOL, shouldn't this old man act his age? What an idiot.
Please investigate thoroughly so the victims can get justice.
Physiognomy really is a science, huh? LOL. He looks exactly like the kind of person he is.
I hope he gets punished over and over for the pain he caused people.
This makes me want to puke.
"Master," my ass… he's just a filthy old man.
Delete all of criminal Woo Hyungoo's films.
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The situation had spiraled completely out of control.
Director Woo Hyungoo even made it onto the news as the closing segment of that day's broadcast.
[Victims claiming they were sexually harassed by the so-called master Director Woo Hyungoo continue to come forward. This is reporter Kim Daebin.]
Now that it had spread beyond the internet and onto television, it was obvious the situation would be even worse by the next morning through radio and word of mouth.
The road to Director Woo Hyungoo's destruction was accelerating.
And people across every corner of the industry were busily talking about Kang Woojin.
Like Song Manwoo PD and Park Eunmi, for example.
"What? Really? Something like that happened without me even knowing?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. I didn't tell you, Writer Park, because I wanted you to stay focused on writing."
"…Goodness."
Then there were Choi Sunggeon and Hong Hyeyeon, from the same agency.
"Do you think Kang Woojin's family might be shamans?"
"…Try to say something that makes sense."
"No one knows what might happen! We don't know anything about his past or private life!"
"Anyway, what if Woojin had impulsively joined that damned Woo Hyungoo? How did a guy like that stay hidden for this long? From now on, I can't ignore Woojin's instincts."
On the other hand, some people remained completely buried in their work despite the uproar.
One of them was Director Shin Dongchun.
He was practically locked inside the editing room at The Private Investigator's production company.
Working side by side with the editors, Director Shin Dongchun looked so exhausted that even his beard had grown in rough and wild.
"Let's rewind the last scene one more time."
"…Okay."
All three of them were so absorbed in the edit that they looked like complete wrecks.
Dark circles hung heavily under their eyes.
They looked almost homeless.
"But Director Dongchun, this actor Kang Woojin—he's a rookie actor, right? The more I watch him, the more absurdly incredible his acting looks."
"Mm. Honestly, the camera didn't even capture all of it. If you saw it in person on set, you'd be completely speechless."
"I can imagine it. How can a rookie make expressions like that? He looks pitiful and hopeless, but his eyes are full of tension. It's honestly amazing."
"His expressions are intense. No, more than that—it looks like he's gone through that exact situation hundreds of times. That means he analyzed the script that deeply."
"I've been editing films for over ten years, and even veteran actors struggle to show that kind of expressive power. He's a very promising rookie."
Director Shin Dongchun felt a faint dissatisfaction with the current cut they had just finished.
The more he watched Kang Woojin's acting on the monitor, the more inadequate the edit seemed.
Is it really okay to be satisfied with this?
The raw footage was just too good.
Considering the quality of the material, it almost felt like the editing was damaging the film's atmosphere.
Especially since The Private Investigator was a short film intended for festival submission.
The conditions were completely different from a commercial movie that leaned on star actors for box office appeal.
This kind of film demanded even more from the edit.
A lot of films collapse in post-production.
In the end, a film was born in the Director's hands.
No matter how outstanding an actor's performance might be, if the Director lacked skill, the movie would end up branded a failure.
Director Shin Dongchun didn't want to stick Kang Woojin with that kind of shame.
That would be a betrayal of the affection and passion he had been given.
Even if it was arrogant, that was still better than leaving behind a disgraceful name.
Director Shin Dongchun wanted to paint a future where Woojin proudly lifted his head because the work had turned out that well.
"This won't do. Let's revise this part and the part before it."
"…What?? Director, this is already the third cut. Aren't we running out of time?"
"No. Whether it takes ten tries or a hundred, if it isn't good enough, we fix it. The actor gave a performance that sincere. How can the Director ruin it in editing?"
"That's true. But will you really be satisfied? Too much greed could backfire."
"Let's do it again. There was that full shot without the cropped upper body, right? Stitch that in and rebuild the sequence."
"Ah… y-yes."
Director Shin Dongchun's resolve gradually hardened.
Little by little, he awakened to it.
Just a little more.
Just a little more.
Just a little more.
It might never be perfect, but I have to finish it properly.
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin—the one at the very center of all this—
Thud!
He had just entered the void space.
The reason was simple.
He wanted to delete Director Woo Hyungoo's script for Negotiation.
But the interesting part was—
"Huh?"
Seeing the white rectangles floating in the endless darkness, Woojin tilted his head.
More specifically, what he saw was the white rectangle labeled The Private Investigator.
"Did the grade suddenly go up?"
The reason was simple.
-[1/Scenario (Title: The Private Investigator), A-rank]
The grade of The Private Investigator had risen to A-rank.
The next morning.
Choi Sunggeon introduced Kang Woojin, who had officially joined BW Entertainment, to his new team members.
They were a road manager and a stylist.
Including Choi Sunggeon himself, there were only three of them in total, but Kang Woojin thought that was manageable enough.
"This is Jang Suhwan, who'll be your road manager! And this is Han Yejung, who'll be your stylist. For reference, Han Yejung came over from Hyeyeon's team."
The first thought that came to Kang Woojin's mind when he saw road manager Jang Suhwan was simple.
He looks exactly like Kim Daeyoung.
Because he was huge.
Solidly built, too.
If you stood him next to Kim Daeyoung, there would probably never be a fight.
However, compared to his massive frame, Jang Suhwan's voice was surprisingly thin and boyish.
"Hello! Woojin hyung! I'm younger, so please be comfortable with me!"
The gap between his bear-like body and that voice sent Kang Woojin into brief mental chaos.
It nearly made him burst out laughing because it reminded him so much of Kim Daeyoung.
Damn it, Kim Daeyoung.
Anyway, Kang Woojin suppressed the laugh and greeted him.
"Please take good care of me."
Next was stylist Han Yejung.
She had short black hair mixed with green highlights.
Her voice was a little rough.
"Hello. I'm younger than you too. I already looked over the Hanryang style concept, and I'm preparing the outfits."
"Yes, please take good care of me."
Kang Woojin ended it with a meaningful greeting.
Watching him, both Jang Suhwan and Han Yejung had brief thoughts of their own.
He feels a little heavy, atmosphere-wise, but he seems nice. I need to work hard.
For a rookie, he's pretty polished.
Choi Sunggeon looked around at the four of them, including himself and Kang Woojin, and laughed heartily.
"This is Team Kang Woojin, hahaha! Let's all do our best!"
It was the moment Kang Woojin's first team was formed.
At the same time, at a famous film production company—
Located near Sinnonhyeon Station, MV Film was a major production company that handled not only commercial movies, but art films as well.
Of course, its main field was commercial film.
Still, it also had a substantial number of awards in the art film sector.
As a result, the lobby walls were lined with many unfamiliar posters.
Inside MV Film's medium-sized meeting room, an older man sat alone in the middle of a U-shaped desk arrangement.
He was the veteran Director Kwon Gitaek, a man with a warm, approachable presence.
"Hmm—"
He sat there alone, staring at his tablet.
Articles about Director Woo Hyungoo, which had exploded into a major issue since yesterday, filled the display.
"Tsk, what an idiot."
Director Kwon Gitaek, his belly jutting out noticeably, clicked his tongue.
Whenever something like this happened, the entire film industry froze up.
It was true that he had never gotten along especially well with Director Woo Hyungoo, but given the years they had spent in the same field, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Well, can't be helped. He brought it on himself."
But there was no turning back now.
Even at that very moment, portal sites were overflowing with articles about Director Woo Hyungoo.
And his crimes were anything but minor.
In other words—
"It's over for him now."
Director Woo Hyungoo's glittering career had ended right there.
It didn't even need end credits.
His impressive filmography would simply burn away into ash.
At least, that was how Director Kwon Gitaek saw it.
Soon, he let out a low sigh and shook his head.
Knock knock.
A knock came at the glass door of the meeting room.
Several men entered.
The man in front paused for a second, because Director Kwon Gitaek's expression was so solemn.
"Ah, Director. Should we come back later?"
Director Kwon Gitaek gave a faint smile, as if to say it was fine.
"No, it's alright. Let's begin."
The men soon sat across from him.
One small-eyed man handed over the documents and transparent folders he had brought.
"Director, I think it would be good to start by reviewing the military uniform concepts first."
"Hmm."
"So far, we've only prepared the upper and lower pieces."
For a while, Director Kwon Gitaek examined the concepts in silence, focusing on something important.
Then he raised his index finger.
"Let's narrow it down to these three. This one, this one, and this one."
"Understood."
The small-eyed man gathered the selected materials, nodded, then abruptly changed the subject.
"Director, what's your schedule tomorrow? You said you were going to the first filming set for Profiler Hanryang."
"I have to go. The time and place are set, and I already told PD Song, so there shouldn't be any problem."
"How many people are going?"
"Just the three of us. You and me. We can't go interfering in someone else's important place. We need to move quietly and keep a low profile. We'll just observe Ryu Jungmin's performance and leave."
"But is there really a need to go in person? Rumors that his acting improved could just be rumors."
"Mm. I'll have to see for myself. Maybe if I watch Ryu Jungmin directly, some of my concerns will ease."
Director Kwon Gitaek folded his arms and smiled.
"I want to know whether his acting really improved—and if it did, why."
Early morning on the 25th.
Around 8 a.m., the filming location was a massive studio complex in Ilsan.
At a glance, it looked like seven warehouse-sized studios connected together.
Each studio was enormous.
Even though it was still early, the area in front of Studio A was already packed with people.
Minibuses and vans filled the lot.
There were at least ten vehicles, and every one of them had Profiler Hanryang stickers on the front windshield.
Dozens of people poured out of them.
"Let's start setting up the filming team! Prepare while checking the shooting storyboard!"
"Our team doesn't have radios!"
"Ah! Here are the radios!"
At a glance, it looked like more than fifty people had gathered.
The moment they got out of the cars, they moved with frantic urgency.
It wasn't exactly orderly.
But every single one of them had eyes burning with passion.
Around then—
Click.
A bearded man stepped out of the van parked in the very first slot.
He looked tired.
Of course, it was Song Manwoo PD.
With a script in one hand, he stretched as he looked over the massive studio set in front of him.
"Ugh! Hah— it's starting."
The beginning came in the form of that simple line.
The first shoot.
Starting today, Wednesday the 25th, filming officially began for the drama Profiler Hanryang, with the main cast participating.
Every one of the dozens of production staff had determined looks in their eyes.
Song Manwoo PD, the chief PD, was no exception.
Just then—
Beep!
A staff member's voice crackled through the small radio clipped to his waist.
"PD! Please check the interrogation room props!!"
"Yeah, I'm coming."
Song Manwoo PD and the directing team entered the filming set.
An hour later—
Screeech!
A familiar black van pulled into the parking lot, already packed with staff vehicles.
Then a cynical-looking man stepped down from the back seat.
…
He stared straight ahead without showing any emotion.
But his heart was nowhere near that calm as he looked up at the enormous studio complex.
Wow, this is seriously huge. Isn't this insane?
It was Kang Woojin, the actor playing Assistant Manager Park.
And he was the first actor to arrive on set.
Outwardly showing no sign of amazement, he quietly looked around the gigantic studio.
Doesn't this place look exactly like a logistics warehouse?
At that moment, three men naturally passed right beside Woojin.
Since Kang Woojin was busy taking in the scale of the studio, he didn't notice them.
However—
Click.
Among the three, the one in front—Director Kwon Gitaek, wearing a mask and giving off a warm atmosphere—briefly turned to look at Kang Woojin, who was expressionlessly staring up at the huge studio set.
"He looks surprised. Is this his first time on such a large filming set? He looks like an actor, but I don't recognize his face."
Director Kwon Gitaek started walking again and smiled faintly.
"A newcomer, maybe? He's pretty cute."
He muttered quietly to himself.
"I wonder if he'll get nervous during filming and make mistakes."