People did that sometimes.
They said the opposite of what they really felt just to hide their true emotions.
That was exactly what Hwarin was doing right now.
She insisted she was not interested in Kang Woojin at all.
In truth, she was a huge fan.
Every time a new article about him came out, she read it carefully.
Whenever she had time, she lurked on Kang Woojin's Alter Ego and checked everything.
So yes, she did feel a little guilty about claiming she was not interested.
But she still refused to take it back.
"I'm not interested in him at all. He's completely not my type. Unni, stop making weird assumptions."
She had no intention of correcting herself.
Sometimes, the closer you were to someone, the more you hid your real feelings.
For some reason, Hong Hyeyeon looked relieved by Hwarin's answer.
Of course, Hwarin did not notice.
"You really dislike Woojin that much? Why? You haven't even met him yet."
"Yeah. His eyes look cold. He seems kind of scary."
"That's just because of the Assistant Manager Park role he played, right?"
At that moment, Hwarin casually thought she should leave another comment later telling people to dig up more information on Woojin.
"Oh? So he's not like that normally?"
"Of course not… he's not completely cold… maybe a bit detached, but he's totally different from Assistant Manager Park."
"Really? He seems like he'd have a scary personality."
"He's not scary at all… I wouldn't call him warm and cuddly either, but he's closer to the tsundere type. He's kind, but firm."
Hwarin nodded like it did not matter.
At the same time, she quietly stored that new information about Kang Woojin in her head.
"Tsundere? Well, I don't know. It's not like it matters to me. But since you're in the same agency, you must see him a lot?"
"Do I see him often? I don't know. I'm busy, and as for Woojin… well, you've seen the articles."
"Why would I read articles about him—I mean, that actor?"
Even though she checked his articles several times a day, Hwarin forced a smile, took a long sip of wine, and turned her gaze to the large TV in front of her.
Episode 5 of Profiler Hanryang was playing.
Hong Hyeyeon crossed her arms and continued.
"He already has over 130,000 Instagram followers, and he even has a fan club now. At this rate, it feels like he'll catch up to me in no time."
"…A fan club?"
"Yeah. It was created right after his debut. It already has thousands of members."
"Really? Wow, that's amazing."
Pretending not to care, Hwarin set down her wine glass and casually pulled out her phone.
'He has a fan club now? Oh my god, I had no idea. I've been way too busy lately.'
Acting like she was searching for something else, she quickly looked it up.
The result appeared immediately.
[Welcome to Kang Woojin's official fan cafe, "Kang's Heart"!]
Members: 3,111
Head Manager: Blood Sister
The membership had already passed three thousand.
Hwarin let out a silent sigh.
'Ugh, I was planning to join as soon as it opened.'
It was frustrating.
But it was already too late.
She bookmarked the page and lowered her phone.
"Still, you're Hong Hyeyeon. How could you possibly get pushed aside by some rookie?"
"Why not? You'd understand if you saw him yourself."
"Why would I ever meet him? I have no intention of meeting him. So after Assistant Manager Park, what role did he take?"
"I only saw it in the news. Apparently he's joining Lee Wolsun's drama. It's a small role, but it's still big news. Everyone seems desperate to get him."
"Okay. Good for him."
Hwarin answered indifferently.
Hong Hyeyeon, still watching Episode 5, sank into thought.
"I wonder if the ratings will hold."
"Why?"
She let out a small sigh.
"That show lost Assistant Manager Park."
The next morning.
Early.
At writer Park Eunmi's studio.
Even though it was Saturday, Song Manwoo PD—his beard overgrown—pushed open the door.
His face looked gaunt and exhausted.
The reason was simple.
"Ah, I'm dying."
He had been trapped in an endless cycle of filming, editing, filming, and editing again.
On top of that, he still had promotions and interviews to handle.
The only good news was that filming was nearly over.
"Writer Park, are you here?"
Song Manwoo PD collapsed onto the sofa.
Park Eunmi, her hair tied back, appeared.
"What is that smell? PD, get up! Go take a shower!"
"You're saying that to someone who's been editing all night?"
"Why were you working all night? I thought we still had some breathing room."
"There's no time to think like that. Ratings hit 25%, so now I have to edit like crazy to hold it. After Episode 4, Assistant Manager Park is gone."
Park Eunmi sighed and sat beside him.
"I'll hand in the final script tomorrow."
"Right. I submitted my resignation yesterday."
"What? Seriously? No way… you mean it?"
"I'm serious. Filming's almost done, and only editing is left. It's time for me to go."
"Wow… the drama department must be in chaos."
"It is. The department heads keep hovering around me. It's driving me insane."
"Of course they are. You pulled over 20% from the very first broadcast. But do you really mean this?"
Song Manwoo PD leaned his head back.
"Yeah. I've been getting scouting offers from multiple places. There's talk about investments too. Once this wraps up, I'm thinking of starting my own production company. I want to direct until the day I die."
"You've always said that."
A moment later, Song Manwoo PD thought of Kang Woojin.
"When I start my company, I wonder how much Woojin's appearance fee will be. If it's too high, I might not be able to afford him."
"It'll definitely be expensive. You set the bar too high from the start. But I was shocked when I heard he's joining Wolsun unni's project. She must be doing it to provoke me."
"Maybe it started as jealousy, but she has a good eye. The moment she saw Woojin's potential, she must've wanted him too."
Then—
"Ah! Right."
Park Eunmi suddenly clapped her hands.
"Do you know my assistant writer, Choi Nana?"
"Yeah, the timid one."
"She has a meeting with Woojin tomorrow."
"…Why?"
"Woojin asked to meet after reading her short drama script."
"What? When did that happen?"
"Yeah. That must be the totem again, right?"
"Is it similar to The Private Investigator*? What kind of absurd thing happens this time?"*
Right then—
Bzzzz.
Song Manwoo PD's phone vibrated.
Park Eunmi quickly asked,
"Is that the Episode 5 rating?"
"Yeah."
He answered the call.
"Yeah, tell me. What's the rating? Hm."
His eyes suddenly widened.
"…What? How much?"
After hanging up—
Park Eunmi rushed closer.
"What happened? What's the rating?"
Song Manwoo PD sighed.
"I knew this would happen."
"How much?"
"…21.7%."
"Ah!"
A drop of four percent.
From 25%.
It was significant.
"I expected it to fall, but not this much just because Woojin left."
There was no doubt.
It was because Assistant Manager Park was gone.
At the same time.
BW Entertainment parking lot.
Kang Woojin got into the van.
His hair was slightly messy.
Han Yejung followed and spoke coolly.
"Oppa, after your meeting and photoshoot today, let's take some pictures for social media. You saw you passed 130,000 followers, right?"
"Yes."
"Your fan club passed 3,000 members too. I think it's time for a fan meeting."
"A meeting for what?"
Woojin stayed silent.
Han Yejung continued.
"If that's too much, at least a fan signing. The growth is fast. We need to do something. Do you know who runs the fan club?"
"No."
"I'll check. The ID is… 'Blood Sister'? That's a weird name."
It really was.
Woojin smirked inwardly.
Thump!
The door swung open.
Choi Sunggeon rushed in.
"Woojin! Episode 5 got 21.7%!"
"The ratings…"
"Yeah! They dropped hard."
But his expression was complicated.
"This is tricky. A drop is bad… but for you, Woojin… maybe not?"
Woojin said nothing.
Choi Sunggeon continued.
"People are saying the show dropped four percent because of you."
It was true.
The media immediately reported it.
A four-percent drop in a single day was impossible to ignore.
Still, 21% was high.
But after Assistant Manager Park left, the ratings fell.
Public attention locked onto Kang Woojin.
Articles poured out.
Viewers even demanded the character's return.
There was nothing Woojin could do.
Promotions were already over.
Now it depended on the next villain, Song Manwoo PD, and the rest.
The ratings might rise again.
But one thing was certain—
Kang Woojin's name spread even further.
His popularity surged.
And—
The Private Investigator was released across multiple OTT platforms, riding his popularity.
It even hit No. 1 on some.
That afternoon.
A teaser video dropped.
Views exploded.
Comments flooded in.
LOL that one-word "Yes"
Finally Woojin acting normal again
Bring Assistant Manager Park back
Hyeyeon is insanely pretty
Release the full episode already
We're finally getting Woojin in a variety show???
He kinda seems rude though
That perm again LOL
What role will Woojin play???
His name appeared everywhere.
The teaser passed 300,000 views in just an hour.
That same afternoon.
At Netflix Korea.
A woman stepped out of a van.
Long legs. White mask.
Hwarin.
Her manager spoke nervously.
"Are you serious? This is just a meeting, right?"
"I told you to stop. I haven't decided yet. I'm just here for a meeting."
"The CEO keeps calling—"
"Ignore it."
They entered the elevator.
"Do you really need to do a short drama? The writer's a rookie."
Hwarin smirked.
"So what if I mess up? Our last album did well."
"Are you serious?"
"Quiet. We haven't even seen the cast yet."
"What about the kissing scene?"
"If possible, I'll remove it. And if I'm not doing it, why does it matter?"
"Hey! This is Netflix!"
She shrugged.
Ding.
The doors opened.
A staff member greeted them.
"Welcome!"
"Hello."
"The Director is in the meeting room."
They walked in.
Hwarin whispered—
"Don't say anything weird. I'll handle it."
Knock knock.
The door opened.
Hwarin stepped inside.
"Hello."
Several people were already seated.
A Netflix executive stood up.
"Hwarin? Why are you here? You were supposed to go to the other room."
A mistake.
But Hwarin wasn't listening.
Her eyes locked onto one man.
Cold.
Detached.
Her body tensed.
'Huh??? T-That's Kang Woojin?! Why is he here?!'
Because it really was him.
Kang Woojin.
The one she was obsessed with.
Then his low voice reached her—
"Hello."
Hwarin felt like her ears were melting.