In truth, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was a revenge story.
A brutally cruel revenge story, drawn with chilling precision. That was exactly why writer Akari's original novel, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, had earned such high praise. And that same essence remained, almost intact, in the screenplay adapted by Director Kyotaro.
Of course, it was impossible to fit everything from the original into the script.
Still, they had done everything they could, and the core of it came through clearly. That was why Kosaku Mana could not take his eyes off the synopsis.
'This is interesting. It's incredibly well written.'
The story was so compelling that he immediately wanted to read not only the synopsis, but the full screenplay as well, and even the original novel too. But given the circumstances, getting his hands on the script seemed unlikely for now.
Soon, Kosaku's thoughts drifted away from the final line of the summary and moved elsewhere.
'Honestly, it's a relief this wasn't turned into some typical live-action adaptation.'
He was not drawn to the work simply because famous names were attached to it, like the director or the original author. If he was being honest, what pulled him in more was the feeling that this was a proper film, the kind he had not seen in a long time.
Lately, the Japanese film industry had been flooded with live-action adaptations.
To be more precise, a huge share of the films being made were adaptations of manga or anime. Since Japan had such a rich manga and anime culture, the trend itself was not surprising. With built-in fanbases and reliable profits, that kind of project had secured a firm place in the Japanese film market.
Out of the seven films released that week, five were tied to manga or anime.
'Either way, things needed to change.'
That trend had left Kosaku with a growing sense of fatigue. Even the last drama he had worked on had been a live-action adaptation of a manga. Of course, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice could also technically be called an adaptation, but at its core, it felt different. If anything, it felt closer to an original film screenplay that merely happened to come from a novel.
Works like that had become rare in Japan now.
But one thing still bothered him.
"Director, what role is the Korean actor playing?"
There was one Korean actor in the cast, and even though he was a rookie, he had been given the lead role. From Kosaku's point of view, that was undeniably strange. But Director Kyotaro answered with a calm smile.
"He'll be playing Iyota Kiyoshi."
Kosaku's eyes flew wide open.
The reason was simple.
'The lead?'
Not a supporting role. Not a bit part. The actual lead. Iyota Kiyoshi was the one who carried the story forward. The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had several important characters, but the one who truly led the narrative was Kiyoshi.
He was, in effect, the single most important character in the entire story.
A Korean actor was taking that role? Why? How? Kosaku did not show it on his face, but inwardly, he could not make sense of it. The original work was by the famous writer Akari. The director was the legendary Kyotaro. And yet the lead actor was a rookie from Korea.
Kosaku felt surprise and discomfort tangled together.
It was obviously a major project, but to him, it felt as if something had become twisted along the way. Then Director Kyotaro leaned forward and spoke to the serious-faced Kosaku.
"Mana-san, I'd like you to play the villain."
Kosaku stayed silent.
"But once you read the full screenplay, you'll understand. Every character in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is a villain. Read it, think it over carefully, and then give me your answer."
"Director, may I ask you one thing?"
"Of course."
"Why was that Korean actor cast as Iyota Kiyoshi?"
Director Kyotaro's reply was extremely short.
"Because it had to be him."
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The next day, Friday, July 3.
The large conference room at Harmony Film, the production company behind Island of the Missing, was bustling. An emergency production meeting had been called, and around twenty people had gathered, including Director Kwon Gitaek at the head of the U-shaped table, along with the cinematographer, company executives, and distributor representatives.
The subject of discussion was, naturally, the recent scandal involving Seo Chae-eun.
"Ah! Just imagining what would've happened if we'd gone ahead with Seo Chae-eun gives me chills."
"Timing was everything. If we'd announced things before the news about Seo Chae-eun broke, we would've taken a direct hit."
"Power Patch moved first, thank god. If they hadn't, and we'd gone straight into filming..."
Everyone voiced the same feeling in excited tones. It was the relief of having narrowly escaped disaster.
"I saw in the news today that they found traces of other drugs besides propofol. Things are getting worse on that side."
"Really? So she was taking other drugs too, not just propofol?"
"Looks that way."
"Wow. Seo Chae-eun? I honestly never would've guessed."
"Director, your call to delay the promotional work was absolutely the right move."
To be clear, no one in that room knew the truth behind Seo Chae-eun's case. Director Kwon Gitaek had kept it buried, and Choi Sunggeon had agreed. There was no reason to reveal Kang Woojin's or Choi Sunggeon's involvement. That would only stir up pointless rumors.
In any case, it was Director Kwon Gitaek's calm voice that cut off the increasingly heated conversation.
"That's enough. We didn't gather here to talk about that."
"Ah, sorry."
The mood quickly settled again. Director Kwon Gitaek let out a quiet sigh before continuing.
"The more we keep talking about her, the more involved we become. We've already drawn a clear line, so let's stop discussing Seo Chae-eun from here on."
"Yes, Director."
"Please keep your mouths shut."
His tone was warm, but firm enough to silence everyone. Then Director Kwon Gitaek turned to the film staff.
"What exactly has been delayed because of this incident? The general promotional schedule, the script reading, and what else?"
"Aside from the issue of filling the vacancy left by Seo Chae-eun's departure... there isn't really anything else serious besides recasting that role."
"Hm."
"Once the script goes out, I think actresses will agree quickly. Since only Kang Woojin and Ryu Jung-min have officially been confirmed so far, it won't feel like we're forcing the casting too urgently. If you don't already have someone in mind, we've prepared a few candidates."
"No. I've already chosen the actress, and she should be here any minute."
"...What?"
The air in the room tightened instantly. Who was suddenly coming here? Just then, there was a knock on the glass door. A slightly flustered female employee opened it and spoke quietly.
"Director... Ha Yu-ra is here."
Everyone's eyes widened. Whispering immediately spread around the room.
Ha Yu-ra? Wasn't she in Hollywood?
That reaction rippled through the meeting room.
──────────
Ha Yu-ra really did walk into the conference room. With a faint smile in her eyes, she greeted everyone.
"Hello."
The fact that Ha Yu-ra was in Korea had been kept secret, and this was the first time Director Kwon Gitaek had revealed it. Naturally, everyone was stunned. But the composed Director Kwon walked over to Ha Yu-ra, standing at the entrance, and spoke in a low voice.
"An actress who should be in Hollywood comes back to Korea to appear in a film by Director Kwon Gitaek. If we launch the promotion with something that dramatic, won't it draw even more attention?"
The distributor's side responded immediately.
"Yes, of course! It'll grab everyone's attention!"
It was a strategy meant to stack one shock on top of another. But Director Kwon did not stop there.
"Good. Then we'll restart the promotional campaign we paused. We'll begin with Ha Yu-ra."
Then he added calmly,
"Ah, and make sure Hong Hye-yeon's cameo appearance is included too."
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Later that day.
By the afternoon of the third day, while the internet was still roaring with Seo Chae-eun's name, articles about Island of the Missing began flooding online.
『[Exclusive] Ha Yu-ra makes a shocking appearance in Director Kwon Gitaek's Island of the Missing... Hong Hye-yeon to make cameo』
Naturally, the timing of the promotion launched by the distributor of Island of the Missing was perfect. The news came with an unexpected twist.
『[Movie Pick] Main cast lineup for Island of the Missing confirmed! Ryu Jung-min, Jeon Woo-chang, Kim Yi-won, Kang Woojin, Ha Yu-ra』
『[Star Talk] Ha Yu-ra confirmed for Island of the Missing... "Wasn't she supposed to be in Hollywood?"』
『Ha Yu-ra suddenly joins the already star-studded cast of Island of the Missing, which already includes Jeon Woo-chang and Kim Yi-won!』
That was right. It was Ha Yu-ra. An actress who should have been in Hollywood was suddenly in Korea? And on top of that, she was appearing in the highly anticipated Island of the Missing? Just like that, Ha Yu-ra's name began spreading across the internet, much like Seo Chae-eun's had.
Both stories were shocking, but in completely different ways.
Seo Chae-eun's popularity crashed, while Ha Yu-ra's shot upward. The contrast could not have been clearer.
『After Ryu Jung-min and Kang Woojin, now Ha Yu-ra joins Island of the Missing too? Netizens stunned』
Curiosity about Ha Yu-ra only intensified, and her SNS soon answered it. Around the third night, Ha Yu-ra personally posted the full story herself.
In short, Ha Yu-ra's return to Korea had been confirmed.
And with that, the public's anticipation for Island of the Missing surged even higher. Kang Woojin had already stirred up buzz, Ryu Jung-min had added momentum, and now top actors including Ha Yu-ra were soaring alongside them. The eyes of the entire film industry turned toward Island of the Missing.
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Meanwhile, in the editing room, the productions Kang Woojin had appeared in were steadily gaining speed.
Drug Dealer had already entered intensive post-production editing about two weeks earlier.
The interesting part was this.
"Ah, damn it. This is driving me insane."
Director Kim Do-hee, who was overseeing the dim editing room, looked completely frustrated. The reason was simple.
"This is unbelievably hard. If I leave this scene in, the one before it feels awkward. But if I cut the previous one, then this one feels wasted. Ah, editing Lee Sang-man's scenes is going to be a nightmare."
That was because the scenes featuring Lee Sang-man, played by Kang Woojin, were too strong.
"How does it make sense that there isn't a single shot I can throw away?"
There was not one disposable shot. Front angle, side angle, solo shot, two-shot, it did not matter. Editing Lee Sang-man's scenes was an ordeal. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them, and ironically, that was exactly what made things harder.
"Seriously, I've never struggled this much editing a cameo before."
"Director, what do we do? If we keep putting it off, the whole schedule's going to fall apart."
"Then you pick. You're the editing specialist. Out of these three scenes, which one is best?"
"...I think the front-facing shot."
"You sure?"
"No. That one might be better too... ah, sorry."
At that moment, one of the assistant editors muttered,
"But if Lee Sang-man's acting is this strong, wouldn't the audience get completely drawn in no matter which shot we use?"
"That's true, but I want to maximize that effect through the editing."
Director Kim Do-hee scratched through his messy hair in frustration, then finally made a decision.
"Fine. Let's put Lee Sang-man's part on hold for now and move ahead with the rest of the edit first."
To maximize efficiency, they decided to push Lee Sang-man's footage to the later stage of post-production.
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The following Saturday.
One major project was about to come to an end. The drama Profiler Hanryang, which had already aired through episode fifteen, reached its final episode on Saturday, July 4. It had been a massive hit, though not without its ups and downs along the way.
『The finale is already here; what rating did Hanryang, the drama that stayed above 20% almost nonstop, record for its final episode?』
Hanryang had consistently maintained ratings in the 20% range. Then, on the following Sunday morning, the long-awaited final-episode rating was announced.
『[Drama Pick] Profiler Hanryang leaves behind a legend with a 24.3% rating for its final episode』
24.3%.
It was an outstanding figure, especially with the boost that came from being the finale. But there was still one small regret.
『Hanryang's final episode records 24.3%... falls just short of Assistant Manager Park's early peak of 25%』
It had failed to surpass the impact of Assistant Manager Park, but after the final episode aired, the reaction to Hanryang was overwhelmingly positive. The shared opinion was that it had been flawless from beginning to end. As a result, the popularity of many people involved in the drama soared.
Writer Park Eun-mi, PD Song Man-woo, Hong Hye-yeon, and Ryu Jung-min all benefited from it.
But among them, Kang Woojin stood out the most. He had already caused a sensation with Island of the Missing, and with Hanryang reaching its finale, his popularity multiplied several times over.
A few days later,
『Can Profiler Hanryang, soon to be released on Netflix Japan, succeed in Japan as well?』
After the drama officially ended, news broke that Profiler Hanryang would be released in Japan. Since it had been such a huge success in Korea, expectations there were naturally high as well.
『[Issue Check] With the Korean wave rising, Hanryang is also expected to gain explosive popularity in Japan』
『Many dramas succeeded in Korea only to fail in Japan... if Profiler Hanryang lets its guard down, it could meet the same fate』
That sort of nonsense could be heard all over the place.
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Then Friday the 10th arrived.
Late that morning, Kang Woojin climbed into a van with his usual blank expression and headed somewhere. Quietly, he read through a script.
Flip. Flip.
It was the script for part one of Boy Friend. Of course, he was not checking the details. He had already read it carefully a long time ago. Even so, Woojin thought,
'The more I read it, the more I understand it. At this rate, I might even pick up something new just from reading it again.'
He simply wanted to deepen his performance. So why was Woojin suddenly so focused on Boy Friend?
The reason was simple. Exactly one hour later, at noon, the official script reading for Boy Friend was scheduled to begin.
That was why he was on his way to the production company.
The place was probably already busy preparing for the script reading. Netflix officials, including General Director Kim So-hyang, were expected to be there. As for the actors attending, Kang Woojin and Hwarin were among them.
The rest of the cast ranged from B-list stars to complete rookies.
Soon,
'Ah, I still can't get used to this feeling.'
Thinking about the script reading an hour away, Kang Woojin felt a slight tremor run through him. Part of it was because he would be meeting the other actors for the first time, but the biggest reason was this.
'I'm the lead actor, but it still doesn't feel real.'
This would be his first script reading as a lead actor. He was the one carrying a commercially major project. For someone still lacking experience, the pressure was naturally immense. In that moment, Kang Woojin decided to shake off those thoughts.
No matter how tangled everything around him might be, he decided to focus only on acting.
'Should I step into the void space right now?'
The moment Kang Woojin raised his index finger—
"Hey, say that again— what?!"
Choi Sunggeon, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly shouted into the phone pressed to his ear.
"Hanryang is number one on Netflix Japan right now?!"