The short film The Private Investigator had a runtime of forty-five minutes.
That was unusually long for a short film.
The story followed a man named Kim Ryujin, who quietly ran a small detective office by himself.
Then one sudden incident shattered that quiet life.
One day, a man in his forties visited Kim Ryujin as a client.
The request itself was simple.
He wanted proof that his wife was having an affair.
Kim Ryujin often handled cases involving cheating spouses, so he accepted the job without much hesitation.
The very next day, he immediately began tailing the client's wife.
At Ryujin's suggestion, the husband left home claiming he had to go on a business trip.
The moment he was gone, the wife stepped out as if she had been waiting for that exact moment.
As expected, she met another man at a subway station.
He was dressed neatly.
Up to that point, though, it was only suspicious.
Nothing more.
As Kim Ryujin watched the situation unfold, a thought crossed his mind.
So he started taking photos.
Dozens of them.
The unsuspecting wife and the man got into the same car and eventually arrived at a villa deep in Gangwon Province.
Kim Ryujin parked along the road in front of the villa and observed the interior through binoculars.
Fortunately, the villa had large windows.
The living room was clearly visible.
Nothing happened until late afternoon.
The two of them spent the day like a married couple.
They chatted in the living room.
Drank tea.
Watched TV.
At that point, the smell of infidelity only grew stronger.
The real problem came later that afternoon.
The man and woman were eating together.
That was all.
Nothing unusual.
Then suddenly—
The man slammed his face straight into the soup bowl.
No one could drink soup with their nose.
Kim Ryujin froze in confusion.
'What the hell? Did he just die?'
His mind spun in every direction.
Then—
The wife, who had been poking the husband while his face was still buried in the soup, suddenly made a phone call.
Soon after, a large, muscular man appeared.
The wife and the man lifted the motionless husband into a car.
Then they got in and drove off somewhere.
What the hell had just happened?
Kim Ryujin was completely thrown off.
He had accepted nothing more than a routine job.
Yet what he had just witnessed looked like murder.
Acting on instinct, he approached the villa and looked inside.
That was when he noticed an open window.
Carefully, he slipped inside.
Five minutes later, Kim Ryujin found a door leading to the basement.
Slowly, he went down the stairs.
At the bottom was an iron door.
It was slightly open.
Peering through the gap, Ryujin saw a man collapsed on the floor.
The man was trembling faintly.
He was alive.
That man was still alive.
Kim Ryujin's eyes widened.
He rushed down and shook him.
But the man's condition was terrible.
His pupils were dilated.
His entire body hung limp.
And then—
Bang!
A loud noise echoed above.
Footsteps.
Upstairs.
It was them.
The wife and the large man had come back.
Certain of that, Kim Ryujin quickly hid in a corner of the basement behind a pile of broken furniture.
From that moment on—
Kim Ryujin became the intruder trapped inside the villa.
Inside the short film The Private Investigator, tension, suspense, and unexpected twists unfolded one after another within that cramped villa.
From Kim Ryujin's perspective, the villa itself looked like hell.
And of course—
Kang Woojin had experienced that hell himself.
He was the only one who could.
By entering and leaving the world of The Private Investigator, he had gone through it firsthand.
[4/Scenario (Title: The Private Investigator), B-grade]
[This is a completed film scenario. It is readable at 100%.]
Become the protagonist Kim Ryujin.
["Preparing script for 'A: Kim Ryujin'······"]
["······Preparation complete. This is a finished script or scenario. Execution rate is 100%. Beginning reading now."]
Everything began inside an old car.
The moment Woojin realized where he was, his senses flooded in all at once.
The car seat pressed against his back.
The musty smell mixed with cigarette smoke.
His own breath in the cold winter air.
The parking lot visible through the windshield.
And then—
♫♪
A trot song blasted from the stereo.
Way too loud.
When Kang Woojin turned the volume down, the husband sitting in the passenger seat spoke.
His eyes burned with rage.
"Can you kill those bastards? How much would it cost?"
Woojin answered indifferently.
"Five hundred million won each."
"That's expensive."
"I'm joking, idiot. I don't do that kind of work."
"No discounts? Telecom discounts? Credit card discounts?"
"Hey, are you even listening? Do I look like someone selling pizza or burgers?"
"But you deal with meat. Human meat."
"I've never killed anyone, idiot. Get a grip."
After that exchange filled with sarcasm and dry humor, Kang Woojin accepted the request.
And just like that—
he unexpectedly ended up erasing evidence inside a villa and hiding in panic.
By the time Woojin returned to his tiny studio apartment, Kim Ryujin from The Private Investigator had already been deeply engraved into him.
Along with the suffocating tension he had experienced firsthand inside the villa.
Woojin's next schedule was a visit to Blue Vision Film Company.
He intended to stay calm.
And confident.
Since everyone there was part of the entertainment industry, he thought caution wouldn't hurt.
Still—
he had shown up without contacting them first.
So he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
'What if they throw me out and tell me to get lost?'
'Maybe I should just go home. It's not like this is the only short film in the world.'
That was the state of his thoughts.
But the square-jawed man who greeted Kang Woojin inside Blue Vision Film Company acted strangely.
The moment he saw Woojin, he spoke as if he had already been expecting him.
"You were supposed to come at three. You're a little late."
You never even contacted me.
So Woojin asked back.
"Are you talking to me?"
The square-jawed man ignored the question and led him inside the production company.
"Of course. If you were told to come, then come in."
What felt odd was the man's attitude.
He seemed indifferent.
Yet faintly hostile.
Woojin entered the shabby office and sat down when instructed.
Then the man spoke again.
"While we wait for Director Park, should we see some acting? You prepared properly, right? You didn't come all the way here just to show your face."
Director Park?
Woojin realized immediately.
'This guy has mistaken me for someone else.'
The square-jawed man clearly thought Woojin was another actor.
Even so—
he was still asking him to act.
Maybe he was one of the company staff.
Woojin felt slightly uncomfortable, but—
'Well… what does it matter?'
He reached a quick conclusion.
What he wanted and the current situation lined up perfectly.
He could simply explain the truth after the acting.
So Kang Woojin casually performed Kim Ryujin.
A character he had lived.
A character engraved deep inside him.
To be honest, he had planned to keep it light.
But because of the recent script readings, the emotions came out stronger than expected.
Still—
Woojin had recently realized something.
He could control the intensity of his acting.
The more experience he gained inside the void space, the freer and more flexible he would become.
Even so—
"······?"
When Woojin finished, the square-jawed man's eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out.
Woojin ended it cleanly.
"That's it."
His voice sounded solid.
Satisfied.
'Good. This persona is getting more professional.'
But the square-jawed man only stared at him in stunned silence.
Several seconds passed.
Finally he spoke.
"Excuse me… how long have you been with GGO Entertainment?"
At that moment—
Bang!
The iron door of the production company burst open.
A fat man suddenly appeared.
"Hahaha! Director Shin! Sorry I'm late!"
His voice was absurdly loud.
And he was overflowing with energy.
At least—
that was how he looked to Kang Woojin.
The moment Woojin saw him, he understood.
That big man must have been the person who was actually expected.
Maybe because several young actors stood behind him.
Had they mistaken Woojin for one of them?
As if proving that point, the fat man looked at Woojin.
"Who's that guy over there? Is he an actor?"
The square-jawed man turned to Woojin.
"Director Park doesn't know you?"
The moment had finally come.
Without changing his expression, Woojin answered calmly.
"My name is Kang Woojin."
It wasn't his fault.
The other side had made the mistake on their own.
What was interesting was the square-jawed man's reaction.
The moment he heard the name, he frowned.
"Kang… Woojin?"
He looked like he had heard it somewhere before.
The fat man interrupted irritably.
"Director, what are we doing? Are we really going to keep standing here?"
That alone made it obvious.
He had come with an actual appointment.
Woojin had not.
Ah.
So this was the Director.
Hearing the word Director, Woojin realized the square-jawed man was Director Shin Dongchun, the Director of The Private Investigator.
Director Shin Dongchun snapped back.
"No! Director Park, the meeting was at three! Look at the time!"
At that moment—
Creak.
Kang Woojin calmly stood up.
"Then I'll be going."
The situation looked ready to explode at any moment.
It was annoying.
Besides—
Woojin felt he had already shown everything he needed to.
More importantly, his eyes kept drifting toward the handsome young man and woman standing behind the fat man.
'Looks like the lead and supporting roles are already decided.'
Just as Kim Daeyoung had said—
short films often finalized their lead and supporting actors in advance.
Woojin felt disappointed.
'If it's not a lead or supporting role, there's no point.'
Even so, The Private Investigator was still a small project.
A short film.
What mattered more than role ambition was experience as an actor.
And if the role turned out to be even smaller than a supporting role?
That would be unfortunate.
But Woojin let go of the attachment.
There would always be another project.
Then—
Swoosh.
"Thank you."
After offering a polite goodbye, Kang Woojin turned and left the production company without hesitation.
Director Shin Dongchun awkwardly tried to stop him.
"Wait a second."
But Woojin was already gone.
Meanwhile, Director Park ushered the young actors toward Shin Dongchun.
"Sorry I'm late. Haha. But look at these kids' faces. They look good, don't they?"
And then—
"Ah!"
The moment Director Shin Dongchun saw their faces, something clicked.
His hyung from yesterday.
But the one I want to recommend isn't those flashy kids. It's someone else.
Those had been Song Manwoo PD's words.
That actor's already been cast in our drama. It was ridiculously hard to recruit him. His name is Kang Woojin. He's a rookie, so you probably don't know him.
Kang Woojin.
The exact same name as the man who had just left.
Director Shin Dongchun frowned.
"Could it be… the same guy?"
An hour later.
Cheongdam-dong.
Inside a luxury Korean restaurant.
A large VIP room decorated with ornamental trees was filled with people.
Near the window sat Song Manwoo PD and Writer Park Eunmi.
Three other production staff members sat nearby.
Across from them sat four of Korea's top actors.
The reason all these important figures had gathered was simple.
It was the first dinner meeting for the lead cast of the new drama Profiler Hanryang.
Only the lead actors had been invited.
Usually, meetings like this were where people set boundaries and discussed the project before the official script reading.
Even if actors knew each other personally, private relationships and professional work were separate matters.
Holding a glass of water, Song Manwoo PD looked at the actors seated before him and smiled with satisfaction.
"Haha. Seeing everyone gathered like this is reassuring. It really is a great sight."
The first to respond was Hong Hyeyeon.
Her long hair fell neatly over her shoulders.
"Hmm."
She smiled brightly at Song Manwoo PD and Writer Park Eunmi.
"Aren't the two of you much bigger than the rest of us? I'm not sure we even deserve to be sitting in front of you."
"That's a bit much."
"Don't the rest of you feel the same way?"
When Hong Hyeyeon asked, the others laughed and nodded.
At that moment—
♫♪
Song Manwoo PD's phone rang.
He switched it to silent and answered.
The caller was his close hyung.
Director Shin Dongchun.
Tilting his head slightly, Song Manwoo spoke.
"Hey, Dongchun. I'm in a meeting right now. I'll call you later."
But Shin Dongchun interrupted him immediately.
"Hyung."
"Did you tell him?"
"Tell him what?"
"That actor you mentioned yesterday while we were eating chicken feet. Kang Woojin. Is he over one-eighty? Strong impression, cynical vibe, deep voice?"
Song Manwoo frowned.
"…How do you know that?"
"Did you tell him about my film?"
"Why would I? You told me not to."
"Then how did he know and come here?"
"Who?"
"Actor Kang Woojin."
"…Kang Woojin came there?"
The moment Kang Woojin's name was mentioned, the people nearby reacted.
Writer Park Eunmi looked over.
Hong Hyeyeon did the same.
Song Manwoo's face twisted slightly.
'How did that guy even think to go there?'
It was completely unexpected.
Did Dongchun think he came because of me?
No.
That didn't seem right.
Song Manwoo had met Shin Dongchun yesterday.
And more importantly—
he had met Kang Woojin recently.
What exactly was going on?
His thoughts tangled.
Song Manwoo stood up and spoke into the phone.
"Hey, I didn't say anything. But that guy's impossible to control. Wait a second."
He stepped out of the VIP room and continued the call.
"So when Kang Woojin came to see you, what did he do?"
"He acted."
"What?"
"What was… his acting like?"
If it had been anyone else, Song Manwoo would have asked why first.
But because the impression Kang Woojin had left on him was so strong, his instincts went elsewhere.
'That guy must have shaken things up over there too.'
Soon—
Song Manwoo grinned.
"What was your impression of his acting?"
"…It felt like the character I wrote."
"Like the character came back to life?"
"Even more vivid than that."
"I got goosebumps. It's the first time I've ever been completely overwhelmed by an actor's performance."
Song Manwoo's smile deepened.
"That's the usual reaction when people see Kang Woojin act. Can you believe he learned everything by himself?"
"Excuse me??"
At the stunned reply, Song Manwoo lowered his voice.
"He came to find you on his own. Dongchun, I don't know the full story yet. I'll need to talk to Woojin later. But since I'm in a meeting, I'll just say one thing."
"What?"
"Do you remember how hard it was for us to recruit Kang Woojin?"
"We even raised his appearance fee."
"Writer Park became a huge fan of Kang Woojin too."
"Do you know how much I had to beg him to do this drama?"
"…What? That's ridiculous. I've never seen that face in my life. He looked like a complete nobody. And you and Writer Park went that far?"
"Yes. Writer Park and I did."
"It's a long story."
"Writer Park thought he was such an exceptional talent that she wanted to be the one to introduce him."
"But Kang Woojin contacted you himself?"
"Yes. He did."
Remembering Kang Woojin's face, Song Manwoo suddenly burst out laughing.
"A phoenix flew to you on its own."
"Are you really going to let that kind of opportunity slip away?"
TL Note:
Trot — A genre of Korean popular music known for its traditional vocal style and rhythmic pattern.