The production PD standing beside Director Kwon Gitaek responded to the Director's murmur.
"Director, what did you just say? A monster?"
"No."
But Director Kwon Gitaek shook his head with his arms folded.
"I was just talking to myself."
He answered calmly while staring intently at Kang Woojin inside the interrogation room set. At the moment, Kang Woojin was filming a solo shot from that same scene.
"If his acting had really been that awful, there would've been no point in holding an audition in the first place. Once this drama airs, I think appearance offers are going to pour in for him."
So did Woo Hyungoo not see Kang Woojin's acting?
If he had, there was no way he would've pushed for an audition.
"Even if he's on the decline now, he still turned down an offer from the great Director Woo Hyungoo. Does that mean he's brave, or just fearless?"
At that, Director Kwon Gitaek recalled the Kang Woojin he had seen that morning.
"Wasn't he surprised because the studio was so big? He feels completely different from how he does now. Is he the type whose acting self and everyday self are totally separate?"
A moment later, Director Kwon Gitaek asked the production PD again,
"What do you think of that rookie?"
The production PD, who had also been watching Kang Woojin closely, answered right away.
"He's incredible. There's nothing to criticize in his acting. Every little detail is unbelievable. I want to see him up close."
"He controls his breathing well, holds back when he needs to, and still explodes with energy. Look at his eyes. It's really amazing. Even Ryu Jungmin, who's facing him directly, must've been shocked."
The casting Director, who had been standing with them, joined in.
"It has to be method acting. It doesn't even feel like acting anymore. It feels like he's showing us the character itself. His script analysis and understanding are exceptional."
The production PD turned his head.
"Director Kim, is this your first time seeing him too? It's my first."
"Yes, I really don't know either. To be honest, I searched everywhere I could—theater, musicals, the entertainment industry. I'm flustered too. If he were really an actor that good, he should've stood out by now. I'm sorry, Director. I failed to identify him properly."
When the casting Director lowered his head, Director Kwon Gitaek calmly shook his own.
"No, maybe he disappeared at some point. PD Song probably knows the situation best. But even that is just speculation."
Director Kwon Gitaek, who had been alternating his gaze between Ryu Jungmin and Kang Woojin on set, rubbed his chin.
"It seems the rumor that his acting has risen to another level is true. Ryu Jungmin exceeded my expectations. You can really feel how much work he put in."
"Yes, his skills have definitely improved a lot."
"It's not just that his acting improved. He made a major leap as an actor."
Director Kwon Gitaek calmly pointed at Kang Woojin with his index finger.
"The catalyst that probably raised the acting level of this cast was that rookie."
"You mean the rookie, Kang Woojin?"
"Yes. To me, it doesn't look like Ryu Jungmin is leading him. If anything, it looks like Ryu Jungmin is desperately trying to keep up with him. Usually, the lead actors are the pillars on set, right? They guide and support the rest of the cast."
"Yes. In terms of atmosphere, staff relationships, and all that."
"But in this production, male lead Ryu Jungmin is ignoring everything else and focusing only on acting. Look at his eyes. Is he checking his surroundings? No. He's only looking at the rookie actor in front of him. He's constantly immersing himself in the character."
The production PD and the casting Director both nodded.
They had been watching and listening too, and Ryu Jungmin really did seem completely focused on acting. In that picture, it almost felt like rookie Kang Woojin was standing at the very front.
In any case, Director Kwon Gitaek was certain.
"I don't know the full story, but it looks like Ryu Jungmin and the others were all stimulated by this young rookie named Kang Woojin."
"Hmm."
"Think about it. It's a work by writer Park Eunmi, directed by PD Song. If an unknown rookie actor ends up performing even better, wouldn't the public notice?"
"That would wound the pride of people at the top."
"The overall quality of the production improved. That rookie is playing an important role in this drama. I just don't know whether he realizes it himself."
At that point, the casting Director, who had been glancing around the spacious studio set, spoke up.
"Director, now that we've confirmed everything, should we leave? The staff and the actors' managers have started looking this way."
It was true.
Especially around Ryu Jungmin's side, whispers had already started. If they stayed any longer, things would obviously get noisy.
But the mild-mannered Director Kwon Gitaek was reluctant to leave.
What a shame. If circumstances allowed it, I'd like to watch until the very end.
He felt a strong urge to keep watching.
It wasn't just Ryu Jungmin. He had been especially captivated by Kang Woojin, who had shown unbelievably strong acting for a rookie.
More precisely, he had been drawn in by Kang Woojin's acting itself.
"That kid's acting has real magnetism."
Director Kwon Gitaek let out a soft murmur filled with regret, then finally started walking.
"But why did he only appear now?"
A few hours later, in the afternoon.
The Profiler Hanryang production staff continued filming without a break. Since they had gathered early in the morning and filmed all through the afternoon, they managed to shoot a large number of scenes with almost no rest aside from lunch.
Even so—
"Lighting team! Why is the light flickering over here?!"
"We'll check it right away!"
"Boom mic! Stay sharp! If the mic drops into frame again like last time, we're dead!"
"Yes, yes!"
"Coffee, coffee! Refill the coffee over here!"
The huge studio set was still hectic.
The sun had already gone down, but the energy of the dozens of staff members was no different from the morning.
People were running around, setting up equipment, shouting, checking things.
Filming moved ahead nonstop.
Of course, every staff member had to be tired, but nobody showed it. If anything, they looked energized.
"We nailed those earlier scenes, didn't we?"
"Seriously, watching Jungmin and Woojin act is incredible... ah."
"Isn't this going to be a huge hit?"
"Of course it is! Haha, we might actually get a reward vacation for the first time in forever!"
From the very first day of filming, the actors' performances had been exceptional.
That meant the final footage would be strong, and that would obviously affect ratings.
That was why so many staff members were brimming with anticipation.
Meanwhile—
I'm dying. I might actually die.
Sitting inside the interrogation room set, Kang Woojin felt like his soul had left his body.
Of course, his face remained expressionless out of habit, but inside, he wanted to scream.
This is way more intense than I expected. What the hell did I even do today? Ah, right. Acting. Fine. I think the acting itself went well.
The pace was completely different from The Private Investigator.
The moment PD Song Manwoo shouted "Cut," it was followed immediately by "Action," and then again "Cut" and "Action."
What is this pace?
He had mentally prepared himself to some extent, but the scale and speed were far beyond what he had imagined. For Kang Woojin, who had only been acting for two months, it was brutally hard, and adjusting to the urgency of the filming set wasn't easy.
It felt like he was floating through a huge empty space.
Still, there was no turning back.
He just had to grit his teeth and endure.
Well, whatever. If I just keep going, somehow it'll work out. I'm not actually going to die.
Fortunately, the character he was playing, Assistant Manager Park, had become much clearer than before, so it took almost no time to bring the role out. His lines, of course, were already perfectly engraved in his mind.
Once again, Kang Woojin was grateful for the power of the void space.
Just then—
Swoosh.
Ryu Jungmin, who had just finished fixing his hair, stepped into the set. Holding his script in one hand, he sat across from Kang Woojin.
The moment he arrived, Woojin's face somehow turned even more expressionless.
"..."
"..."
Since morning, the two of them had barely exchanged a word.
Ryu Jungmin was maintaining his character, and Woojin wasn't talking either. Sitting beside such a handsome top actor felt awkward to him.
The staff watching them were impressed.
"Even when they're not filming, both of them look extremely serious."
"I heard actors sometimes end up in psychological conflict with each other, especially when they're shooting emotional scenes."
"Ah, then are they still fighting a psychological battle as Yoo Jihyung and Assistant Manager Park?"
"Looks like it. That's probably why their acting looks so good."
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin was having his own internal conflict.
Since Ryu Jungmin was reading the script, should I pretend to read it too?
That thought made him calmly pick up his own script.
But it's kind of cold in here.
It was spring, but the nights were still chilly. On top of that, the studio was filled with cool air. Kang Woojin felt a slight chill, and his fingertips trembled a little.
Ryu Jungmin, sitting across from him and glancing over from time to time, didn't miss it.
"Mr. Park, it's not easy to recover from intense emotion, is it? You're trembling because you're still so overwhelmed. Your hand cramped up earlier too."
Seriously, that's a top actor's eye for detail.
But honestly, Kang Woojin had no idea what he was talking about. Recovering from emotion out of nowhere? What did that even mean?
He didn't really understand, but decided that simply looking at Ryu Jungmin was probably the best move here. Telling the truth also seemed like the right answer.
"No, I'm just a little cold."
"It's okay. No actor can be perfect in every way. Emotional recovery is a natural process. I know you missed the script reading party last time because you were recovering too."
No, it's cold, sunbae. Why won't you believe me?
During that whole script reading, Kang Woojin had simply been asleep.
Woojin felt a little stifled inside, but Ryu Jungmin, who obviously didn't know that, gave him a bright smile.
"I understand very well, so don't worry."
"...Thank you for being considerate, sunbae."
Just then, Song Manwoo PD, who had been talking with the lighting Director and the other key staff members, called out loudly.
"Alright! Jungmin, Woojin! Let's rehearse the lines for the next scene!"
As Kang Woojin handed his script to Jang Suhwan from the production staff, he got a vague feeling from what had just happened.
So... even if I tell the truth, nobody's going to believe me anyway, right?
That night.
The first day of filming for Profiler Hanryang, starring Kang Woojin, continued late into the night.
And one record was set during that shoot.
Song Manwoo PD proudly announced it inside the filming vehicle.
"Do you know how many NGs we had today? Fifteen. Fifteen total. Five of them were because of lighting or on-set issues, and the other ten were actor NGs."
That was an incredibly low number.
Ryu Jungmin had seven.
Kang Woojin had three.
But Kang Woojin's NGs weren't because he made mistakes. They happened because his facial acting had been too strong.
Strictly speaking, Kang Woojin hadn't done anything wrong.
Well, he was someone boosted by the void space, so of course that would happen.
Even male lead Ryu Jungmin knew it.
That was why, in the car on the way back, Ryu Jungmin was deeply frustrated.
"Seven times... and five of those were line mistakes."
"Jungmin, seven is actually a very low number, right?"
"Mr. Kang Woojin didn't mess up his lines even once today. I'm the veteran actor here, so honestly, I feel embarrassed."
"That's... because Kang Woojin is a little unusual."
"It's abnormal for a veteran actor to mess up more lines than a rookie. Hyung, make sure I memorize my lines properly tonight. Sleep over at my place."
"Huh? Ah... yes, yes."
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin had already parted ways with Choi Sunggeon.
Choi Sunggeon had shouted,
"Woojin! You were incredible today, absolutely incredible! You know that, right?! PD Song and all the staff were praising you!"
"Ah, yes. That's high praise. Yes."
"You won't get much sleep, but get as much rest as you can! Your call time is seven tomorrow morning, so I'll come pick you up at five!"
"Thank you for your hard work."
The moment Kang Woojin got back to his studio apartment, he collapsed onto the bed without even changing clothes.
Doing laundry felt impossible.
His whole body was exhausted.
Actor or not, all he wanted was to sleep for a full twenty-four hours straight.
"Ugh, this is seriously exhausting."
Anyway, he had to head out again in five and a half hours.
If he slept now, he might be able to survive.
"Ah, but I should at least brush my teeth."
Rationally, Woojin knew he needed to move.
But his body wouldn't listen.
The tension and pressure from his first large-scale filming set still clung to his entire body. He could barely remember what he'd even done. It had just been shoot, shoot, shoot.
In the end, he stopped caring.
Kang Woojin closed his eyes.
Just then—
Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz.
The phone in his back jeans pocket vibrated for a long time. Without even checking at first, he glanced at it—
and saw the name.
Hong Hyeyeon.
It was top actress Hong Hyeyeon.
Since the first shoot had ended, she had probably wanted to encourage him.
"..."
For some reason, Kang Woojin just blankly stared at the phone screen.
Normally, curiosity would have made him answer immediately.
But soon, Kang Woojin closed his eyes again and set the phone down.
"Sorry, Hong Hyeyeon."
Right now, sleep was his top priority.
Early the next morning.
In front of the massive set in Ilsan.
Naturally, it was the filming set for Profiler Hanryang, and Song Manwoo PD was sitting alone inside a minivan parked in the lot. He stroked his beard as he looked down at his phone.
Then—
Slide.
The back door of the minivan suddenly opened, and a man stepped inside. It was Director Kwon Gitaek of the film Master, the same man who had visited the set the day before.
Interestingly, Song Manwoo PD looked completely calm at the unexpected appearance.
"Hello, Director."
"Good to see you. I wasn't able to greet you properly yesterday, PD."
The reason was simple.
They had already arranged to meet. Since Song Manwoo PD's schedule was so packed, Director Kwon Gitaek had ended up coming again.
"Haha, it's fine. We both had work to do."
"Thank you for making time for me even though you're busy today."
Director Kwon Gitaek shook hands with Song Manwoo PD and naturally continued the conversation.
Two giants of the film and drama worlds now sat face-to-face inside the minivan.
Song Manwoo PD spoke first.
"You got a good look at Ryu Jungmin yesterday, right?"
"Yes. His acting has improved a lot."
"That's a relief. Were you looking at him for your next project?"
"That's right. But for now, it's still confidential."
"Understood. Then I'll keep my mouth shut."
Director Kwon Gitaek slowly nodded, then gave a faint smile.
"But there was also that rookie yesterday. Kang Woojin."
As if he had been waiting for exactly that, Song Manwoo PD answered immediately.
"Right, Woojin. He surprised you, didn't he?"
"Surprised me? No. I couldn't sleep last night because I kept thinking about that kid. One of the reasons I wanted to meet today was Kang Woojin. Where did you find him? Theater? Even our casting department didn't know him."
"It wasn't really that I found him. It felt more like he suddenly dropped out of the sky."
"...Dropped out of the sky? Really? So you're saying you didn't actually discover him?"
"Yes. It'd be more accurate to say he appeared at exactly the right time."
"Well then, if it's alright with you, could you tell me a little about him?"
I don't really know much myself. Woojin's like a man wrapped in a veil.
"At least that much is fine."
Soon, Song Manwoo PD looked at Director Kwon Gitaek's face for a moment before speaking again. His eyes were full of excitement.
"First of all, Woojin has done everything entirely on his own. No help from anyone. Completely alone."
"Hmm? What do you mean? Alone?"
The giant of the drama world passed his misunderstanding on to the giant of the film world.
"If you dig into it, you'll see. Woojin has no real connections at all in the Korean acting world. I'm almost certain he's self-taught."
"...?"
Song Manwoo PD was the source of that misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, inside Kang Woojin's van.
The van carrying Kang Woojin, Choi Sunggeon, and the rest of his team sped down the road. Naturally, their destination was the huge filming set for the drama Profiler Hanryang.
Inside the van sat Kang Woojin.
"....."
He stared coldly out the window, but inside, he felt drained.
It was because he hadn't slept enough.
Even so, in the passenger seat, Choi Sunggeon and stylist Han Yejung were enthusiastically discussing today's shoot in detail.
Then—
"Ah, right. Woojin."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Choi Sunggeon turned around and called to him.
"Sorry to interrupt while you're thinking about the script, but I took care of it."
He handed Woojin a bundle of papers.
Kang Woojin accepted them and asked in a low voice,
"Thank you. But what is this?"
Still smiling, Choi Sunggeon answered simply.
"You told me to bring it, remember? The Japanese script."
TL Note:
Here, "origin" means that PD Song Manwoo is the source of the misunderstanding.