Kim Daeyoung narrowed his eyes.
For someone with such a huge build, the expression on his face looked absurdly cute.
Kang Woojin nearly jammed two fingers into Daeyoung's eyes on reflex, but barely stopped himself.
With his headache getting worse, Woojin shot him a vicious glare.
'Stop it. You bastard, shut your mouth for once.'
But Kim Daeyoung completely missed the meaning behind that look.
Instead, he misunderstood it.
'Yeah, yeah, buddy. You're grateful, right? I caught on fast and covered for you. Haha. This guy's loving it.'
The two of them were reading the situation in completely different ways.
Even so, Kang Woojin looked past Daeyoung's head toward Hong Hyeyeon and Choi Sunggeon.
Both of them were staring at him with slightly surprised expressions.
'Do they actually believe what he's saying?'
And judging by their faces, they did.
Woojin had no idea why Daeyoung had suddenly pulled something like this, but seeing that the situation had not turned disastrous, he quietly let out a breath of relief.
'Things got a little twisted because of this damn Kim Daeyoung, but it's still manageable.'
Right then—
"Kim Daeyoung-ssi?"
From behind him, Choi Sunggeon, his hair tied back, called out to Daeyoung.
"You seem a lot brighter now… so back then, Woojin used to be…"
"Yes, CEO-nim."
Turning his head, Kim Daeyoung casually began explaining Woojin's past.
"Woojin used to be intense. Colder and quieter than he is now."
"He was overwhelmingly charismatic and dominant, but at the same time, he was also very arrogant and cynical."
"That's enough."
Kang Woojin quickly cut him off and leaned in close.
Then he whispered into his ear.
"Stop. Shut up."
As if nothing had happened, Woojin turned back to Choi Sunggeon.
"CEO, why is he here?"
"Hmm? Ah, your friend didn't tell you?"
"We're recruiting new employees at the company, and Mr. Daeyoung submitted an application."
"I asked if he happened to know you, so I only just spoke with him a moment ago."
"…You're hiring?"
'What the hell is this?'
Woojin turned back toward Kim Daeyoung, whose eyes had narrowed again.
'Should I kill him?'
Barely suppressing the emotion boiling inside him, Woojin quietly said to Choi Sunggeon,
"CEO, please give us a moment."
"Hmm?"
"I need to speak to my friend alone."
"Ah, yes. Go ahead."
At that exact moment—
"Wait."
Hong Hyeyeon removed her hat and spoke.
"You said your name is Kim Daeyoung, right?"
"…I'm honored. Yes, that's right. That's my name. Thank you."
"Then why did you take Woojin to that audition that day?"
"With his personality, there's no way he would've suggested it first."
What she said was almost correct.
In truth, Woojin had gone to the Super Actor audition because Kim Daeyoung had asked him to.
And the real reasons had been a huge samgyeopsal meal and Hong Hyeyeon herself.
But Kim Daeyoung, now strangely serious, glanced at Woojin and answered,
"He has talent in design, but in my opinion, him just acting alone because he was bored was a waste."
Feeling the situation spinning even further out of control, Woojin roughly grabbed Kim Daeyoung by the arm.
"Let's go."
Woojin dragged Kim Daeyoung out of the CEO's office, leaving Choi Sunggeon and Hong Hyeyeon behind.
The two of them stared at the closed door for a moment.
"Good grief."
Hong Hyeyeon, brushing back her long hair, spoke first.
"He's this cheerful now, so how gloomy must he have been before?"
Choi Sunggeon chimed in.
"Exactly. Even now, Woojin's cynicism goes way too far."
"If I'd met him back then, I might not have been able to handle it."
"…Maybe Woojin's unknown past or environment really wasn't very good."
"That's probably true."
"And even through all of that, he kept building his self-esteem and studying acting on his own…"
"It's honestly incredible."
"The fact that his self-taught acting is now shaking up the Korean acting world… it still feels unreal."
"Anyway, one thing's certain, right?"
"He's definitely getting brighter."
"That's right."
"His friend just proved it."
Hong Hyeyeon folded her arms and thought of Woojin.
'Did the acting he started out of boredom end up saving him?'
The misunderstanding had already grown into a fortress.
Meanwhile—
Kang Woojin and Kim Daeyoung reached the emergency stairwell at the end of the hallway.
Kim Daeyoung kept chuckling, while Woojin checked the corridor outside the metal door.
Slam.
After confirming no one was around, Woojin quietly cursed at him.
"Are you insane? What the hell are you doing here?"
"You should've called me first."
"Shut up. Did you tell us anything?"
"You totally blindsided everyone, going from movies to dramas."
"I just wanted to surprise you once too."
"So, how did it feel?"
"Ugh. I almost threw up. Get over here."
Woojin grabbed Kim Daeyoung by the collar.
Daeyoung shoved at Woojin's shoulder, and the two ended up in a brief scuffle.
But not a word was spoken.
Like dancing without music, it turned into a silent fight.
About a minute later—
Kim Daeyoung, barely holding back laughter, smirked.
"Why were you acting all cool in front of Hong Hyeyeon?"
"Now that you're an actor, are you trying to show off?"
"Ha— no. It just turned out that way. Just think of it like that."
"Heh. I figured it out and played along."
"You should be thanking me."
"But honestly, you're not normal either."
"You're acting, right? Keeping up some kind of concept."
"It's not what I wanted."
"I can't exactly undo it now."
"Because of you, I'm stuck gritting my teeth and keeping it going."
"And what was with that acting speech you gave Hong Hyeyeon?"
"Huh? Ah, that."
"I was the one who brought you to that audition."
"If I'd said you couldn't act, that would've been weird."
"So I just played dumb."
At that point, Kang Woojin looked half resigned.
'Well, the result wasn't bad.'
'Let's just move on.'
He changed the subject.
"So what happened with the interview at our company?"
"What about the company you're working at now?"
"Ah, I was already thinking about changing jobs, and the timing just worked out."
"Actually, I'd always been interested in the entertainment industry too."
"So?"
"Since you're an actor now, I thought it might be good if we worked together."
"The CEO said you already have a manager, though."
"So he suggested I start as a manager's assistant or bodyguard."
"And honestly, it sounded pretty good."
"When do you start?"
"I'm wrapping things up at my current job this month and starting the new one next month."
Kang Woojin narrowed his eyes at his friend's absurdly calm face.
"You serious?"
"Completely."
Kim Daeyoung's eyes really were full of determination.
For a moment, Woojin pictured a future with Kim Daeyoung and Jang Suhwan standing beside him.
Like two giant bears.
'At the very least, nobody would dare mess with us.'
It actually looked pretty good.
Having his friend nearby could become a refuge amid all the hardships, misunderstandings, and false impressions of the entertainment industry.
Then Kim Daeyoung asked,
"So, are you going to keep up this concept?"
"Yes."
"There's no turning back now."
"If you're going to work with us, you'll have to keep it up too."
"Hehe. This is going to be fun."
"It's like real-life acting, isn't it?"
"Leave it to me."
"And—"
Kang Woojin trailed off.
He had almost started talking about all the misunderstandings he had suffered through until now, but he stopped himself.
Daeyoung would understand eventually.
'Now that I mentioned the concept, he'll figure it out on his own sooner or later.'
Kim Daeyoung checked the time on his phone and asked another question.
"But with your popularity rising this fast, haven't people you know started noticing too?"
"I saw one comment."
It was something Woojin had already thought about before.
"…Elementary school is fine."
"We moved around a lot, and I changed schools often, so hardly anyone from back then would remember."
For the record, Kang Woojin and his close friends had only become friends in middle school.
"I transferred schools in my second year of middle school too."
"But what does it matter?"
"Middle school and high school kids wouldn't know anything about my private life anyway."
"Yeah, probably."
"But your old coworkers might find it strange."
"I think that's something you should handle carefully."
Woojin scratched his head as if to say, so what?
Then he muttered,
"I don't know."
"It'll work out somehow."
"It always does."
Friday morning, the 29th.
Japan.
The location was the Toega production company near Shinjuku Station.
In terms of size, it was one of the largest production companies in Japan.
A lot of people had gathered in one of Toega's spacious meeting rooms.
At least twenty people.
Possibly more.
They sat around a square table arrangement, and among them was a familiar face.
A silver-haired man in his fifties sat near the entrance.
It was none other than Japan's master Director, Tanoguchi Kyotaro.
The rest were people from production companies and distributors.
What was interesting was—
…
…
Everyone in the meeting room, including Director Kyotaro, was focused on a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her sixties.
The room had gone silent in an instant.
The woman, glasses resting at the tip of her nose, quietly read through a stack of papers.
Flip.
In truth, she was the hugely popular Japanese novelist Takikawa Akari.
Akari was famous not only in Japan but in Korea as well, and globally recognized as a mystery novelist.
She had been active for over thirty years and written dozens of works.
More than five of them were bestsellers.
The reason she was there was simple.
The original work for Director Kyotaro's next film was one of her novels, and the film adaptation had just been completed yesterday.
Today's meeting was to hand Akari the adapted script.
Then—
Flip.
Akari finished reading and closed the stack of papers.
Then she looked toward Director Kyotaro and smiled warmly.
"Director, I like it."
"The adaptation is very good."
Director Kyotaro smiled back and nodded.
"I'm relieved to hear that."
"I can tell you tried very hard to stay faithful to the original."
"Some things were left out, but I appreciate how true you remained to the source."
"I'm sorry I couldn't include everything."
"I'll do my best."
Hearing their exchange, the production company and distributor representatives visibly relaxed.
Then an older man from the production company asked Director Kyotaro,
"Director, are you really planning to cast a Korean actor in this film?"
Once again, every eye in the room turned toward Director Kyotaro.
But instead of answering directly, he posed the question to Akari.
"I'm considering casting a Korean actor in this film."
"What do you think?"
After a brief pause, Akari, still holding the script, met Director Kyotaro's eyes.
"I'm in favor of it."
"To be honest, Korean actors are already far ahead of Japanese actors, aren't they?"
"Not just K-pop, but Korean dramas too."
"Korean culture is becoming more and more influential."
"Unfortunately, that's true."
"Japan is trapped in old ways right now."
"Do you want to wake up our actors?"
"That's one reason, but not the only one."
At that point, an executive from the distributor stepped in.
"I understand your intention."
"But with a Director and writer of your level, top Korean actors would gladly join."
"The Korean actor you mentioned is still relatively unknown, though, isn't he?"
Director Kyotaro answered immediately.
"You're asking why I'd choose someone with low recognition?"
"Because I have no choice."
"A famous actor wouldn't serve as a wake-up call to our actors."
"But… I checked that actor out, and his popularity has been rising lately."
"I checked too."
"Isn't it too risky?"
"To be frank, I was surprised by how suddenly that actor's popularity started rising."
"Before that, there was almost nothing about him."
"It sounds like he had some issue with a drama production staff, but even putting that aside, I don't understand why an actor this talented is only being recognized now."
The meeting room stirred.
There really was an actor Kyotaro had praised this highly.
And he was Korean.
Director Kyotaro turned to Akari again.
"To my eyes, that Korean actor looked like someone who had polished his acting for at least ten years."
"I don't think there are many actors capable of that kind of performance."
"His style was uniquely impressive."
"You think that highly of him?"
"I can't even express it properly."
"The moment I watched the film, I got chills."
"But—"
At that, Director Kyotaro slowly looked around the room.
"That actor, who had hidden away for over ten years, finally appeared in a short film and then shone in a drama."
"And not even in a major role."
"Korea's acting level seems far higher than Japan's."
"But what about Japan these days?"
…
"Powerful agencies monopolize the market."
"Broadcasters keep reusing the same popular actors."
"And even when rookie actors appear, their skills quickly decline."
"The market is already saturated."
A little later—
"That is exactly the kind of actor we need."
"I want everyone to see him."
"I was so shocked by his acting that I felt I had to let people know."
"In Korea, an actor with that kind of talent usually ends up stuck in short films that barely run thirty minutes."
Director Kyotaro let out a deep sigh.
"Of course, I also took into account his acting ability, his attitude, his charm, and above all, his perfect Japanese."
"His Japanese is that important."
Writer Akari folded her arms.
Then she asked,
"Could I see the actor's information?"
"I've never seen you this taken with an actor before, so I'm curious."
"Has the actor already shown interest in joining?"
"No, not yet."
"We'll send the script first and proceed with an official casting meeting afterward."
"I see."
After that short response, Akari fell into thought for a moment.
Then she looked back at Kyotaro.
"If you're planning to return to Korea, why not match your visit with my schedule there?"
"I have a schedule in Korea in June."
She smiled faintly.
"I'd like to meet that actor too."
That same night, back in Korea.
It was around 9:50 p.m.
The location was Hong Hyeyeon's luxurious mansion in Cheongdam-dong, decorated in black and white.
Hong Hyeyeon sat on the rug in the living room.
Beside her was Hwarin, the girl with the mole under her eye.
"Wow, what is this wine? It's really good!"
The two of them were dressed comfortably, and the table in front of them was covered with snacks and wine.
They had clearly been chatting for quite a while.
And there was a reason for that.
"By the way, unni, can I watch episode 5 of Profiler Hanryang with you tonight?"
"How's filming going?"
Episode 5 of Profiler Hanryang would start in ten minutes.
"It's fine."
"I'm not filming today."
"Hwarin, I wanted to watch it with you."
"I'm touched—cheers!"
Sipping her wine, Hwarin stole a glance at Hong Hyeyeon.
Then, trying to sound casual, she brought up what she was really curious about.
"But unni, Assistant Manager Park doesn't appear starting from episode 5, right?"
Of course, her real target was Kang Woojin.
But all of a sudden, Hong Hyeyeon smiled and lightly tapped Hwarin on the shoulder.
"Why?"
"Ah! You like Kang Woojin, the actor who played Assistant Manager Park, don't you?"
Inside, Hwarin fiercely agreed.
'Yes, absolutely.'
'He's cool, and his acting is really good.'
'I'm especially curious about that unique acting tone of his.'
But judging by what Hong Hyeyeon said next—
"Seriously? Our Hwarin falling for a male actor, and a rookie actor at that?"
Outwardly, Hwarin immediately blurted out the exact opposite.
"W-What are you talking about?"
"I don't like him at all."
It had gone badly from the very start.