When Director Kyotaro and his team suddenly appeared, the dozens of employees at BW Entertainment stopped what they were doing and all turned to stare.
"…Director Kyotaro? Isn't that Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro?"
Meanwhile, the employees who didn't recognize him quickly asked the ones who did.
"Who's that? Is he famous? A Director? I've never seen him before. He's speaking Japanese."
"…He's Tanoguchi Kyotaro. A huge Director in Japan. Extremely successful."
As the office buzzed with whispers, CEO Choi Sunggeon instantly grabbed the hand Director Kyotaro had extended.
Even so, his head was already full of questions.
Why would a Director of that level come all the way here?
It was a completely unexpected visit.
At the same time, Kang Woojin, who had stepped into the CEO office to assess the situation, was also startled.
Only on the inside, of course.
'Huh? That Japanese Director. Isn't he the one who gave me the award at the film festival?'
When his eyes met Director Kyotaro's, the older man gave him a brief smile.
Woojin quickly organized his thoughts.
His face soon settled back into its usual blank expression.
He had heard Director Kyotaro was famous in Japan too.
So then why was he here?
The two of them had only spoken briefly at the film festival's closing ceremony.
Maybe five minutes.
Everything had been so hectic that Woojin barely remembered it.
So to him, Director Kyotaro felt less like a legendary filmmaker and more like a friendly ajusshi from the neighborhood.
Whoosh.
After letting go of Choi Sunggeon's hand, Director Kyotaro said something in Japanese. His smile didn't fade.
"I thought coming in person would better convey my sincerity. If this is inconvenient, I can arrange another meeting."
The Japanese was smooth and natural.
Of course, an interpreter was standing beside him.
Even so, for some reason, Director Kyotaro kept watching Kang Woojin closely.
And then the contagion spread.
Choi Sunggeon also turned to Woojin, surprise written all over his face.
The employees did the same.
Why Woojin, of all people?
In an instant, dozens of eyes landed on him.
At that moment, Kang Woojin glanced around and immediately understood.
'Ah. They want me to interpret? Haha, easy.'
At last, he had a chance to show off the Japanese he had learned.
As he approached Director Kyotaro, Kang Woojin spoke in low, fluent Japanese.
"Hello, Director. I didn't expect to see you again after the film festival."
"Really? I expected we would meet again."
The conversation continued without the slightest pause.
Choi Sunggeon already knew, but the dozens of BW Entertainment employees were stunned by Kang Woojin's Japanese.
In any case, Director Kyotaro kept talking.
"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"
"Please wait a moment."
Kang Woojin turned to Choi Sunggeon on his left.
"We need a place to talk."
"…Huh? Talk? Ah, right!"
Slightly flustered, Choi Sunggeon hurriedly came to his senses.
"This way, please!"
The place he led them was the CEO office.
Kang Woojin politely gestured for Director Kyotaro to enter.
Soon, Director Kyotaro and the interpreter sat across from Choi Sunggeon and Kang Woojin inside the office.
The rest of Director Kyotaro's team remained outside.
Then—
"Woojin."
Choi Sunggeon leaned over and whispered.
"Why did Director Kyotaro suddenly come here?"
"I'm not sure either."
"Did he come because of Hyeyeon? Either way, stay here too. You're much better than that professional interpreter."
For Woojin, it wasn't a bad experience.
Learning Japanese in a single day had been fun, after all.
At that moment—
"This is a first for me. I like it."
Director Kyotaro, seated across from them, smiled with his gray-haired face and continued in Japanese.
"It's really nice when the actor speaks Japanese. The conversation feels completely natural. Every time I come to Korea, it's usually uncomfortable. Mr. Kang Woojin, would you interpret directly for us?"
At the question, Woojin gave a slight nod.
"Yes, I can."
"I regret that our conversation at the Mise-en-scène Film Festival was so brief. And I also find your current situation unfortunate. With talent like yours, receiving only a short film award feels disappointing. In my opinion, Mr. Woojin deserves awards at much larger festivals."
"…Thank you."
"Even though the Korean acting world has such a high barrier to entry… it's unfortunate that someone like you is only appearing in short films."
'What is this old man talking about?'
Woojin remained silent, his expression unchanged.
"…."
"How long were you in Japan?"
"It's difficult for me to talk about that because of certain circumstances."
"Ah, I see. My apologies."
At that point, Choi Sunggeon, who had been blinking while listening, finally cut in.
"Excuse me. Director, did you come here because of actress Hong Hyeyeon?"
Woojin immediately interpreted the question.
Director Kyotaro slowly shook his head.
"Miss Hong Hyeyeon is famous in Japan too. She's an excellent actress. Her acting in The Private Investigator was impressive. But the reason I came here today is because of actor Kang Woojin."
Me?
He came looking for me?
Why?
The situation was spiraling in a completely unexpected direction.
And then—
"Woojin, what do you think about debuting in Japan?"
Director Kyotaro asked it with a serious expression.
On the outside, Woojin stayed calm.
Inside, he was in complete shock.
'Are you insane? I've only been acting for two months, and now you're talking about Japan? What kind of nonsense is this?'
He wasn't acting anymore.
He was genuinely speechless.
But to Director Kyotaro, that deep silence looked like the face of someone seriously thinking things over.
"It's natural for you to hesitate. Do you have any confirmed projects right now?"
The Profiler Hanryang project was still under wraps, and the one with Director Kwon Gitaek hadn't been finalized yet either.
So Woojin only had one answer.
"Nothing has been confirmed yet."
"I see…"
Hearing that, Director Kyotaro sighed inwardly.
Just as I thought. What a waste.
For several days, Director Kyotaro had investigated Woojin's overall position in the Korean entertainment industry.
But he had found nothing concrete.
Then, after briefly closing his eyes, Director Kyotaro looked at Kang Woojin again.
"I'm currently preparing my next project. The project itself has already been decided, and since it's an adaptation of a famous Japanese novel, about eighty percent of the scenario is already complete."
He spoke with complete confidence.
"I want to do that project with you, Mr. Woojin."
Later.
After the meeting with Kang Woojin, Director Kyotaro left for Japan the very next day, on the 14th.
What had originally been meant to be a one-day trip had stretched into a full week.
In any case, they agreed to stay in contact through Choi Sunggeon by email.
Urgent matters would be discussed directly with Kang Woojin.
Anyway, Woojin had responded positively.
There had been a slight misunderstanding during his conversation with Director Kyotaro.
'I'm not saying I'm going to Japan right away. It's always better to keep more possibilities open.'
There had been no reason to reject the offer from the start.
They had agreed to receive the completed script first, and for now, considering Director Kyotaro's proposal was the right move.
If the grade he checked later in the void space turned out to be terrible—
that would be awkward.
After Director Kyotaro left, on the 15th—
it became a historic day.
Because it was the day Profiler Hanryang finally aired for the first time.
The production staff launched one final push in promotion, and many famous actors also encouraged viewers to tune in through their social media.
Time flew by in a blur.
Before anyone realized it, it was already 9 p.m. on the evening of the 15th.
Kang Woojin arrived in a van at a large barbecue restaurant near Yangjae Station.
It was a standalone two-story building, and on that day, the drama's production staff had rented out the entire place.
It was the Profiler Hanryang team dinner.
Soon—
Slide.
Wearing a comfortable hoodie, Kang Woojin stepped out of the black van parked outside.
Then—
"..."
He silently looked up at the barbecue restaurant.
Beside him stood Choi Sunggeon, Jang Suhwan, and Han Yejung in a line.
They were all staring at the restaurant with him.
The first to speak was Choi Sunggeon.
"At last. Thanks to all the promotion we've done, the reporters are probably waiting for the first broadcast right now."
Still smiling, he turned to the solemn Woojin.
"How does it feel? The first broadcast is right in front of us."
Kang Woojin answered with a mix of honesty and concept.
"I'm hungry, and I'm looking forward to it."
"Hahaha, what a witty answer. How can this kind of attitude possibly belong to a rookie?"
Choi Sunggeon laughed brightly and led the way.
Han Yejung and Jang Suhwan followed after him.
Kang Woojin walked at the very end.
Though his face stayed stiff, inside he was taking deep breaths.
'It's the first broadcast. Good lord. Today is basically D-Day.'
Up until the Profiler Hanryang teaser had been released, he had been fine.
Back then, his face had barely shown up.
But today was different.
Today, everything would be revealed.
That was why Woojin felt oddly uneasy.
'This feels completely different from the first day of filming, geez.'
The tension of a first broadcast and the tension of a first shoot were completely different.
Well, of course they were.
Today would become a major turning point in Kang Woojin's life.
Around that time—
Thud.
Kang Woojin's group entered the barbecue restaurant.
Dozens of Hanryang staff members were already bustling around preparing the place.
The moment they saw Woojin, they greeted him warmly.
"Oh my! Woojin's here!"
"Hello!!"
"Haha, Woojin! Writer Park was so enthusiastic, it must've been a bit burdensome, right?"
The staff quickly crowded around him.
Keeping his indifferent attitude, Kang Woojin greeted them calmly.
Soon, the first assistant from the lighting team pointed upstairs.
"Woojin! PD-nim and the writer are upstairs. The actors are eating upstairs too!"
In other words, he was telling Woojin to head to the second floor.
At that moment, Choi Sunggeon patted Woojin on the shoulder.
"Go on ahead. I'll sort out a few things here and come up after."
Kang Woojin nodded and climbed the iron stairs to the second floor.
The mood upstairs wasn't much different from the first floor.
A few staff members were setting up a large TV in front of round tables covered with alcohol and meat.
The moment they saw Kang Woojin, they smiled brightly.
"Oh my, our Assistant Manager Park is here."
"Woojin, have you been well?"
Two familiar people sitting at the round tables stood up.
They were the bearded Song Manwoo PD and writer Park Eunmi.
"Woojin! Over here!"
"You came early, huh? Ah, but why does it feel like we haven't seen each other in years?"
After greeting the production staff, Woojin joined the two of them.
"Hello, PD-nim. Hello, writer."
After seating Woojin, Park Eunmi, who had tied up her long permed hair today, sat beside him and smiled.
"Congratulations on the grand prize. I said it at the closing ceremony too, but 'congratulations' doesn't even feel like enough."
"Thank you. But where are the other actors?"
"Huh? Ah, a few of them are on the first floor. Didn't you see them? The rest are on their way."
Right then—
Swoosh.
Song Manwoo PD suddenly leaned toward Kang Woojin and whispered in his ear.
"Your English is so good that I thought you'd lived in America. I heard your Japanese is fluent too. Were you in Japan too?"
"…I'm sorry. It's a little difficult for me to talk about."
Writer Park Eunmi, who had just tossed back a shot of soju, gently grabbed Kang Woojin's right hand.
She even closed her eyes.
Woojin was annoyed.
'What is this writer doing?'
In a low voice, he asked back,
"What are you doing?"
"Praying."
"Praying?"
The answer came from Song Manwoo PD.
"She's praying to Kangshin-sang so the ratings explode."
Still with her eyes closed, Park Eunmi answered sincerely.
"I'm already a believer."
Kang Woojin looked at her calmly and decided to just leave it alone.
Several dozen minutes later, the actors began arriving one by one.
Ryu Jungmin, wearing a cap, came first.
"Hello, sunbae-nim."
"Mm. Woojin, you got here early. And you started off by winning the grand prize right away?"
Then the lead and supporting actors, including the blunt Jang Taesan, arrived one after another, and the second floor quickly filled up.
The last to arrive was Hong Hyeyeon, who had just finished a pictorial shoot.
Without hesitation, she nudged Song Manwoo PD aside and took the seat to Kang Woojin's right.
Then she immediately whispered to him,
"I heard Director Kyotaro came to the company. They said the whole place turned upside down?"
As always, she smelled good today too, and Kang Woojin answered while trying hard to steady himself.
"Yes, but only for a very short time."
"Are you going to Japan?"
"I don't know."
Hearing that, Hong Hyeyeon's expression turned strange.
At that moment—
"Ah! The commercials are on!"
A plump lighting Director shouted while staring at the big TV in front of them.
Because of that, all the actors and dozens of staff members turned their eyes toward the screen.
It was right before the first episode of Profiler Hanryang began.
"This is so exciting!!"
"Haha, should we all bet on the ratings for the first time in a while?"
"Nice! I'll put 50,000 won on 10%!"
"I think it'll be 10.7%!"
Suddenly, everyone started placing bets.
"I've got a feeling about this! 15% for 50,000 won!"
"Oh! Then me too! 15.5%!"
The actors and staff all started shouting numbers.
Strangely enough, not a single person bet below 10%.
Then all the actors looked at Kang Woojin as if to say, You should join too.
Caught up in the mood, Woojin—
'I don't know, damn it. Just say anything.'
He shouted the biggest number anyone had said.
"I'll bet 50,000 won on 20%."
Most of the staff burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Doesn't that feel refreshing? When was the last time we even got close to 20%? Three years ago? No, maybe five?"
The male staff member standing closest to the TV shouted,
"Ah! It's starting!!"
Sure enough, as the commercials ended, the drama title appeared on the screen.
—Profiler Hanryang
The first episode began.
About forty minutes later.
At a shabby gukbap restaurant.
Around 10:30 at night, a group of six men and women entered the nearly empty restaurant.
Among them—
"Boss! Six bowls of gukbap, please!"
The one shouting like the leader was a heavily built man.
It was none other than Woojin's close friend, Kim Daeyoung.
Apparently, this was a place they visited often. The people with him were his coworkers. Today, they were having a modest farewell dinner to celebrate his job change.
Even so—
it was already past 10:30.
Before he had even sat down after ordering, Kim Daeyoung grabbed the remote.
The action looked oddly natural.
He changed the channel on the small TV hanging on the wall.
Soon, the coworkers behind him started murmuring.
"Wow, are we really watching a drama?"
"Shouldn't we just catch the rerun later? It already started forty minutes ago, so it's almost over."
But Kim Daeyoung shook his head.
"Absolutely not! That's not the attitude of a true fan."
"Impressive. A true Hong Hyeyeon fan, huh?"
"Haha, make sure you all watch Profiler Hanryang. It's going to be really good."
"It's written by Park Eunmi, right? Then at the very least it should be decent."
Soon, Profiler Hanryang, which was currently airing, appeared on the TV.
Hong Hyeyeon, playing a detective, showed up from the beginning. Sitting comfortably with his coworkers, Kim Daeyoung gave a thumbs-up.
"Just like I expected! Wow, she really fits a detective role perfectly, right?"
"Hong Hyeyeon is beautiful. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's number one in looks among the top actresses."
At that point, the gukbap arrived, and Kim Daeyoung and his coworkers dug into the hot bowls.
Of course, while watching Profiler Hanryang.
Judging by how focused they were on the TV instead of talking, they seemed to be enjoying it.
"It's fun, right? The pacing's good too. I need to go home and rewatch it from the start."
"Wow, even with a baby perm, Ryu Jungmin is handsome? And he acts well too."
"Oh, the tension keeps building! Huh? The scene changed. Huh? I've never seen that actor before. He must be a rookie."
"Wow, look at those eyes. Creepy."
"It's not like he's bad at acting, right? He's definitely the killer. One hundred percent!"
"Ah! That smile just now was seriously insane."
At that exact moment—
Clatter!
While his coworkers were completely absorbed in the drama, Kim Daeyoung dropped the spoon he was holding onto the table.
The sound startled everyone.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Daeyoung? Your eyes got huge."
And indeed, Kim Daeyoung was staring at the TV with his mouth slightly open.
More precisely, he was staring at the actor on screen smiling in that chilling way.
"…That crazy bastard."
Because the name Assistant Manager Park had just appeared for the first time.