What? She was in the same department as me? That's insane.
Kang Woojin almost let his real thoughts slip out.
For a moment, he nearly asked the female employee—
"Do you know me? Because I have no idea who you are."
But he barely held it in.
Instead, he just stared at her, desperately digging through his memory.
Who is this woman? Why can't I remember? Come on, think.
Nothing came up.
Too much time had passed.
He simply didn't recognize her face.
No, I seriously don't know her. Who is she supposed to be?
Were they close?
That seemed unlikely.
If they had been even slightly close, he would have remembered.
His memory was fuzzy, but one thing was certain—
Woojin had never had many close female friends in college.
He had always been introverted.
And there was one more thing he knew for sure.
Women changed a lot.
He had realized that even more after getting a younger sister.
The version of her lounging at home and the version of her dressed up to go out were basically two different people.
He used to tease her all the time.
"Hey, is this a plastic surgery clinic? Where's my sister? Why is some random woman coming out?"
"Ah! Shut up!"
"Why don't you try for the Guinness World Record for 'woman with two faces'?"
"Mom! Oppa's messing with me again!"
A woman's appearance could change drastically with just a bit of makeup.
Maybe the woman in front of him had even gotten cosmetic surgery after graduation.
Either way—
there had been far more female students than male students in Woojin's design department.
Probably twice as many.
How was he supposed to remember all of them?
Still, Kang Woojin felt uneasy.
It's fine. You didn't do anything weird in college. You never dated anyone.
Just stay calm. You can get through this.
At any moment—
his college life could be exposed.
Meanwhile—
Ah… he really doesn't remember me?
The female employee sounded disappointed.
But she clearly remembered Woojin.
The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant.
Wasn't pretending to remember someone when you clearly didn't a bit too much?
Ah, I really don't know her.
Woojin decided to stay calm and stick to his concept.
I seriously don't remember.
"…Oh."
The female employee's expression turned stiff.
It really had been a long time.
Just then—
Click.
Choi Sunggeon returned from the restroom.
"Sorry! I had to step out for a second."
Still smiling brightly, he immediately noticed the strange tension in the meeting room.
As he sat down beside Woojin, he tilted his head.
"So, what were you two talking about?"
One of the higher-ranking MxDonald employees answered instead.
"Haha, nothing much. One of our coworkers here went to the same department as Woojin back in college. But Woojin doesn't remember her."
At that, the MxDonald team burst into laughter.
"Oh, so they weren't close after all?"
"Right. If Woojin doesn't remember her, she's basically a stranger."
As the teasing continued, the female employee's face turned bright red.
"Ah! Team leader! Stop it!"
Woojin offered a quiet apology, which only made things more awkward.
"I'm sorry."
"Haha, Woojin doesn't need to apologize. It just means our Hyejoo wasn't memorable enough."
"Stop it! Seriously, enough!"
Having grasped the situation, Choi Sunggeon quietly nodded.
The more famous he gets, the more this will happen.
Kim Daeyoung… this employee… there'll be more.
He glanced at Woojin.
With that aura and that face—
he must have stood out even back then.
Whether that was true or not, Woojin felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Now that Sunggeon was back, he needed to steer things away from this.
Just as Woojin was about to redirect the conversation—
"But didn't Woojin major in the same field as Hyejoo? That means design, right? That's unusual."
"Right. Some actors didn't major in acting, but design? That's rare."
"Hyejoo, was Woojin popular in college?"
The MxDonald employees suddenly grew curious about his past.
Woojin was genuinely flustered.
Please just stop. I wasn't popular. I was a loner. Don't you remember?
Sensing the atmosphere tightening again, Woojin quickly cut in.
"No, I was just… invisible."
"Come on. With a face like yours, girls must've lined up for you."
"Most of them were guys."
At that moment, the female employee licked her lips.
Unlike before, she now looked slightly sulky.
"Well, I don't remember everything exactly."
Her tone carried a hint of irritation.
"But Woojin was really good at design. He even won a few competitions."
"Oh? So he was one of the top students?"
At that, Choi Sunggeon was inwardly shocked.
Was he self-teaching acting while excelling in design too?
What, does he have two brains?
Fortunately for Woojin, the topic had shifted in a helpful direction.
Whether out of pride or because she genuinely remembered him well—
it didn't matter.
Woojin seized the opening.
"No, I was just average. Anyway, let's get back to the main topic."
There was a faint edge in his tone.
At that, the MxDonald staff quickly gathered their materials and returned to business.
"Ah, sorry about that. We were just surprised when we found out Hyejoo from our team had gone to school with Mr. Woojin."
"We'd already chosen Woojin as our model, so when we learned that, everyone was shocked."
"Shall we start with the concept?"
Choi Sunggeon leaned toward Woojin and whispered.
"I thought you were focused only on acting. How are you that good at design too? Did you have talent for it?"
Talent?
Nothing like that.
Woojin had simply worked like his life depended on it.
But of course—
he couldn't say that out loud.
So he gave a vague answer.
"I just worked hard because I had to."
"…Had to?"
At that moment—
Ah.
Choi Sunggeon seemed to arrive at his own conclusion.
Did he study design to help with acting? Creativity? Perspective?
Even though Woojin had run into an unexpected situation, the meeting with MxDonald went smoothly.
As expected.
MxDonald clearly wanted Kang Woojin.
"This is for the shrimp burger line. We're launching a new product, and as you can see from the concept, we're looking for someone who can perfectly embody the 'Assistant Manager Park' image."
It was exactly what Choi Sunggeon had predicted.
There would be 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-second versions.
They would be used across TV, YouTube, and other platforms.
The contract was initially a one-time deal, but extensions were possible depending on performance.
"We'll adjust the filming schedule to match Woojin's availability. It should wrap in one day."
After several rounds of discussion—
they reached the most important topic.
"Next, let's discuss the appearance fee."
At that moment, Kang Woojin was internally stunned.
Naturally.
They were casually throwing around tens of millions of won.
It was absurd.
This is insane. That much for one shoot?
What kind of efficiency is this?
He had already earned several million won before.
But this—
was on a completely different level.
And so—
"We're happy to work with you, Mr. Woojin."
"I'll do my best."
With his signature, Kang Woojin officially finalized his contract with MxDonald.
With that—
he firmly established himself as the hottest rookie actor of the year.
"We'll see you on the shooting day."
After Woojin and Choi Sunggeon left the meeting room, the MxDonald staff immediately began talking about him.
The overall reaction was extremely positive.
"Wasn't Woojin's aura incredible? I didn't expect that in person."
"Right. His image feels really serious."
"He's quiet, but surprisingly kind. And that voice too… yeah, he's totally my type."
But one female employee still looked flustered.
His former classmate.
"Hmm… I don't think he had that kind of vibe before."
Soon, the others gathered around her.
"Come on, tell us. What was he like in college? Were you close? Why doesn't he remember you?"
"We weren't that close. Like I said, he was really good at design. And he was popular with girls too. There were a lot of girls in our department—at first, about half of them were interested in him."
"Well, with that face, of course. Were you one of them too?"
"Ah! No, not me!"
"So he was the type who didn't even realize he was popular?"
"To some extent, yeah. But his vibe wasn't as heavy as it is now. He was quiet, but not this cynical. And I never heard anything about him acting."
"Maybe he just acted differently in private. Hard to judge. And maybe he was just putting on a professional front back then. Plenty of people do that."
"…Maybe."
The female employee looked uncertain.
Too much time had passed.
"Still, it must've been shocking for Hyejoo. A guy you studied design with suddenly becoming a famous actor."
"Totally. When his drama aired, our college group chat exploded."
Meanwhile—
Thunk.
Kang Woojin climbed into the van, trying to calm his racing heart.
Damn. I never thought I'd run into a college classmate.
But it's not like being careful would let me avoid this forever.
That was true.
There were too many places where something like this could happen.
He couldn't avoid all of them.
In situations like this—
he had no choice but to rely on instinct.
Maybe I should prepare a few lines in advance… just in case.
The next day.
The internet was still buzzing about Profiler Hanryang.
Then—
a new update dropped.
[Star Talk] Trendsetter Kang Woojin signs with MxDonald
It was news of his first commercial deal.
Both bw Entertainment and MxDonald released it simultaneously.
[MxDonald: We expect great synergy with actor Kang Woojin]
Woojin's momentum was already rising fast.
bw Entertainment wanted to push it even further.
MxDonald wanted to capitalize on his popularity.
[After Hanryang, is he taking over the world? Kang Woojin begins with MxDonald]
As a result—
from Tuesday morning onward, the internet exploded.
In the film industry—
he was called this year's Chungmuro blue chip.
In entertainment—
a superstar rookie.
The industry loved one word.
First.
And Woojin kept collecting them.
Fastest-rising star.
Award-winning rookie.
No.1 ratings.
Commercial debut.
One after another.
And Assistant Manager Park had played a huge role.
The "Assistant Manager Park syndrome" spread everywhere.
From communities—
to YouTube—
to mainstream media.
Comments flooded in.
No way this is real
This is blowing up lol
Assistant Manager Park is everywhere now
Why is this actually so accurate
Parodies exploded.
Impression YouTubers.
Short skit creators.
BJ streamers.
Everyone copied Kang Woojin.
Even comedy shows joined in.
It became a full-blown meme.
Of course—
everyone had the same goal.
Attention.
Using Kang Woojin's popularity—
to create content—
and from that—
more buzz.
Even so—
Woojin's popularity kept rising.
Everything about it was explosive.
But for some reason—
Woojin felt uneasy.
Why…?
He couldn't explain it.
Just a feeling.
Somehow… I feel uneasy.
Was it because things were happening too fast?
Because it felt unreal?
Because it was overwhelming?
Or just meaningless anxiety?
Whatever it was—
it didn't matter.
Then—
another bomb dropped.
[Exclusive] Hwarin and Kang Woojin join Netflix short drama project
Late that afternoon—
Netflix entered the game.
[Issue Pick] Why is Hwarin starring in a short drama? Project with Kang Woojin revealed]
[Netflix: Hwarin and Kang Woojin to lead romantic comedy]
It was huge.
Hwarin of Elani—
and Kang Woojin.
The pairing exploded instantly.
Public reaction went wild.
OMG!!!
Hwarin doing a short drama??
I don't care, I LOVE romcoms
Wait… she's working with Kang Woojin again??
Why does this combo feel so random lol
Unnie!!!! I've been waiting for this
Kang Woojin in a romcom??? I need details NOW
Is his role small again? lol
Why is Hwarin suddenly doing short dramas??
This was Kang Woojin's first romantic comedy.
And paired with Hwarin—
curiosity skyrocketed.
Then—
confirmation.
[Official] bw Entertainment confirms Kang Woojin's participation]
[JML Entertainment confirms Hwarin casting]
And finally—
the title was revealed.
[Entertainment Pick] Anticipation rises for romantic comedy drama Boyfriend]
The project—
was officially announced.
Wednesday.
Around 9 a.m.
Kang Woojin sat in a salon in Cheongdam-dong.
His schedule had been brutal.
Interviews.
Netflix meetings.
Additional filming.
I'm exhausted…
He stared blankly at his reflection.
Heavy.
Tired.
I'm sleepy. I can't keep this up.
Once this is over… I need to go into the void space and rest.
Just then—
"Woojin."
Choi Sunggeon approached, smiling brightly.
He showed a video on his phone.
"It just dropped. The full Sports Day episode."
The Hanryang Sports Day episode—whose teaser had already passed three million views—had finally been released.
Interestingly, within just thirty minutes of upload—
[Episode 1! The Hanryang team's energy explodes! Total chaos… seriously total chaos… The Hanryang team is full of passion, but the result is…? Sports Day X Profiler Hanryang][SBC] / ENG SUB
Views: 243,554
The view count had already passed 200,000.
Choi Sunggeon grinned and pointed at Kang Woojin.
"But more than half the comments are about you."