What a twist.
Yoon Byeongseon PD's first impression of Kang Woojin flipped completely.
When he played Assistant Manager Park, he had a rough, edgy vibe and talked a lot. But in real life, he gave off an extremely calm presence.
Was he always this quiet?
Or was he just… dull?
A faint unease crept into Yoon Byeongseon PD.
He had worked with countless personalities in variety shows and seen every type of celebrity imaginable, but the least appealing kind was always the one with no passion.
And from Kang Woojin, he sensed a subtle but unmistakable lack of enthusiasm.
"Wow, that reaction is really plain. Woojin, you seem a bit awkward right now. Are you really nervous?"
Yoon Byeongseon PD laughed playfully.
But Kang Woojin remained completely expressionless.
Awkward?
What did that even mean?
With his tension at its peak, he answered in a solemn voice.
"I'll do my best."
"What?"
Yoon Byeongseon was baffled.
Was this actor's passion overflowing?
Or had it sunk straight to the bottom?
He had seen hundreds—no, thousands—of entertainers.
But this was the first time he couldn't read someone's personality at all.
"Ah, thank you. Please take a seat for a moment."
"Yes."
With his head slightly lowered, Kang Woojin slowly walked toward the set.
Yoon Byeongseon PD and the writers watched him go.
"He's really something else. Woojin is incredibly quiet in real life."
"Too quiet, honestly. How does someone like that play Assistant Manager Park?"
"That's exactly why he's such a good actor. His real self and the role are complete opposites. Anyway… he's got a strange aura."
Around then, Kang Woojin stepped onto the set.
Dozens of cameras were already installed.
A long desk sat in place, and behind it hung a massive poster of Profiler Hanryang.
Several small cameras were mounted directly on the desk.
It looked like they would start in a talk-show format, then move into a game segment in the second half.
Even so—
…
Kang Woojin briefly scanned the area, then sat down in the very last seat with a resolute expression.
The overwhelming number of lights and cameras immediately stood out.
Dozens of staff moved busily in front of him.
Half of the scene felt familiar.
The other half felt completely foreign.
'There are seriously a lot of cameras. Feels like three times more than a drama set… Are even those tiny things cameras?'
There was clearly a huge difference between drama filming and variety filming.
Because of that, Woojin's poker face grew even colder.
'Keep the concept the same… but handle reactions and lines my own way. Honestly, I don't even have the mental space to think about lines right now.'
On the outside, he looked exactly as usual.
Inside, his thoughts were tangled, and his heartbeat kept accelerating.
And then—
"Hello—"
The atmosphere in the studio brightened instantly the moment Hong Hyeyeon entered.
"Hello, Hyeyeon!"
"PD! Hyeyeon's here!"
Today, she had a natural look.
Her long hair flowed freely, and she wore jeans with a fitted T-shirt.
After greeting Yoon Byeongseon PD, she adjusted her mic and looked toward the set.
"Hmph. What are you doing sitting there all alone?"
Seeing Kang Woojin sitting quietly in deep thought, she suppressed a smile.
There was something oddly awkward about him sitting alone in silence on such a lively variety show set.
Soon, the other actors arrived one by one.
Ryu Jungmin.
Hong Hyeyeon.
Lee Dojeong.
And the rest.
As they took their seats, Woojin greeted them calmly.
Before long, the studio was filled with actors whose combined value could easily reach tens of billions of won.
Including Kang Woojin, there were seven in total.
Once everyone was seated, Yoon Byeongseon PD, standing at the front, began the opening.
"It's great to have all of you here! Today, Sports Day has come to meet the cast of the hit drama Profiler Hanryang*!"
The official recording had begun.
In fact, the cameras had already been rolling since before Kang Woojin entered.
"First of all, as everyone already knows! For our subscribers and viewers, could each of you give a simple introduction?"
At the cue, Ryu Jungmin—sitting closest to the desk—smiled toward the camera.
"Hello, I'm Ryu Jungmin, and I play Yoo Jihyung in the drama Profiler Hanryang*."*
"Haha, Jungmin, that baby perm really suits you."
"Really? My mom said I look like lettuce."
The atmosphere was warm and lively.
Hong Hyeyeon and Jang Taesan introduced themselves in turn.
And finally—
It was Kang Woojin's turn.
"You're the actor everyone's been talking about lately, right? The actor! Please introduce yourself!"
All eyes turned to him.
Cameras.
Actors.
Staff.
Managers.
But Woojin remained firm.
His voice stayed calm.
"Hello, I'm Kang Woojin, who played Profiler Hanryang in the drama Assistant Manager Park*."*
Good.
Nice.
That should pass.
'Perfect.'
Woojin praised himself inwardly.
But—
…
…
After a brief silence—
Laughter exploded across the studio.
Actors and staff alike burst out laughing.
But Kang Woojin didn't understand.
'Why? What happened? Why are they laughing?'
Hong Hyeyeon explained.
"Hey, Woojin? Why did you change the drama title to Assistant Manager Park*?"*
Jang Taesan joined in.
"I think we need to introduce ourselves all over again. Woojin just changed the title."
From the front, Ryu Jungmin corrected him.
"Woojin, you switched Assistant Manager Park and Profiler Hanryang*."*
Ah, damn it.
For a split second, Kang Woojin panicked.
His rehearsed line had come out backward.
Still—
He forced himself to stay calm.
"That was intentional."
Naturally, no one believed him.
"What kind of intention is that, Mr. Profiler Hanryang?"
"A perfect Assistant Manager Park making a slip? That's rare!"
"He didn't show a single emotion during filming—like the Terminator!"
Grinding his teeth internally, Woojin denied it.
"This is a misunderstanding."
At that moment—
Yoon Byeongseon PD's eyes flickered.
'He might actually be crazy… in a good way.'
He immediately followed up.
"Yes! This is Kang Woojin, who played Profiler Hanryang in the drama Assistant Manager Park*! We heard you showed no emotion during filming, like the Terminator. When was the hardest moment for you?"*
Woojin answered instantly.
"Right now."
The studio burst into laughter again.
Meanwhile—
Inside a radio booth.
In the waiting room used for visual radio broadcasts, a woman sat alone.
A familiar beauty mark rested beneath her eye.
It was Hwarin, leader of the popular girl group Elani.
She wore a comfortable hoodie.
Her appearance was simple, but her beauty was undeniable.
With one leg crossed over the other, she reviewed a questionnaire handed to her by a radio writer.
"Hmm—"
Muttering softly, she pulled out her phone.
The browser was already open.
On the screen—
An article about Kang Woojin.
The actor she had unknowingly become a fan of.
'I thought he'd go on a variety show soon… but I didn't expect Sports Day. When does it air?'
She was curious about his first variety appearance.
'Why isn't there a fan club yet? He already has over fifty thousand followers… If I made one, it'd blow up. Wait—why am I even thinking about that?'
Right then—
Bang!
The door swung open.
Her manager walked in.
Hwarin quickly set down her phone and picked up the questionnaire.
Several hours later—
Back at Sports Day.
The recording had reached its climax.
They were now playing a game.
Guess the Celebrity Name.
The rules were simple.
Identify the celebrity in one second.
If all seven actors answered correctly—
They would win prizes.
But—
"Take away one prize."
Only three remained.
The actors groaned.
The game continued.
Then—
Yoon Byeongseon PD suddenly spoke.
"Woojin, you haven't had many turns. Want to switch seats?"
Woojin was startled.
"No, I'm fine."
"No way! Switch!"
The others agreed.
Woojin ended up in the front seat.
His expression hardened.
'Damn it. I'm terrible with celebrities.'
He made a silent vow.
He would win.
That determination showed.
The camera zoomed in.
"Why does Woojin look so serious?"
"He looks like he's going to war."
"But… he's kind of cute."
The game resumed.
A photo appeared.
"Oh, Michael Fassbender."
Correct.
The staff murmured.
"His pronunciation…"
Perfect.
Even Yoon Byeongseon noticed.
But the game didn't stop.
Soon—
It was Woojin's turn again.
"Last one! This is easy!"
A photo flashed.
A female actress.
Very familiar.
Everyone expected him to get it.
But—
…
Woojin hesitated.
'Who is that?'
"Wrong!!"
The PD shouted.
Silence.
Then—
"I'm sorry… who was it?"
Smack!
Hong Hyeyeon hit his arm.
"Ah!! That was me!! Are you crazy?!"
"...The photo looked different."
"What are you talking about?!"
Woojin bowed slightly.
"I acknowledge defeat."
Then—
Yoon Byeongseon PD approached Choi Sunggeon.
"Does Woojin speak English?"
Choi Sunggeon answered casually.
"Not just conversational. He's basically native level. Same with Japanese."
In that instant—
Yoon Byeongseon PD's eyes widened.