The script reading for the film Frozen love was underway.
Even with dozens of actors, staff, industry personnel, and reporters filling the room, the atmosphere remained relatively quiet.
Actors who had arrived early were reading through their scripts. Staff and other personnel were busy with their own work, while the reporters checked their phones.
Still, they all had one thing in common.
They kept stealing glances at the rookie actor who had arrived a few minutes earlier.
Though they acted as if they were focused on their scripts or their phones, their attention kept drifting toward Kang Woojin, who sat at the end of the U-shaped table.
['The Mysterious Man Next Door / Kang Woojin' role]
His part was small, closer to a minor role or a cameo, so his seat had naturally been placed near the back. Even after introductions were over, Woojin simply sat there with a blank face, looking down at his script as if he had no interest in anything happening around him.
Meanwhile, the actors whispered among themselves.
"Woojin really does look serious."
"I'd heard rumors, but he feels way colder than I expected."
"Still, he greeted everyone earlier, so he doesn't seem arrogant. Maybe he's just naturally introverted."
"He definitely looks like the hard-to-get-close-to type."
"But considering the insane success he's had since debut, I doubt he'd be nervous at a script reading like this."
"Exactly. He already turned everything upside down from Korea to Japan. There's no way he'd be nervous here."
The reporters murmured among themselves too.
"He's unbelievably calm, even after causing that kind of explosion in Korea and Japan."
"It's honestly fascinating. Just from the atmosphere alone, he doesn't feel like a rookie at all. He feels like a top veteran. I've never seen a rookie like that before."
"He's almost intimidating because everything about him is so new, but he's too calm. I couldn't even approach him for an interview. Most rookies have a softer edge, but he feels too stiff. Or is that just me?"
"I agree. He's definitely different from ordinary rookies. Look at him. He started reading the script the moment he got here."
"Why would someone who works with famous directors like Kwon Gitaek get nervous over a script reading like this?"
"Huh? Isn't this a script reading for writer Lee Walseon, the star writer?"
"Yeah, but you know what I mean."
While all of them were busy sizing him up, Kang Woojin was fighting a fierce battle with the pounding of his own heart.
'Seriously? This kind of quiet atmosphere is hard to get used to. I can feel everyone sneaking looks at me. Just ignore it. Ignore it.'
More than tension, it was awkwardness that pressed down on him. In truth, there wasn't a single person he knew at this script reading. It was the first time he had attended one completely alone. Choi Sunggeon wasn't here, and neither was writer Lee Walseon.
'Well… maybe it's better that writer Lee Walseon isn't here.'
Maybe it was because the air felt so suffocating, but Woojin's acting instinct kicked in even harder than usual. His blank expression became colder and heavier. It was probably his own way of trying to settle himself down.
Click.
Kang Woojin pressed the black square attached to the script for episode one of Frozen love. Soon, he stepped into the endlessly dark void space. Only then did he let out a small sigh of relief.
"Whew, that's better. I'll rest here for a second. The atmosphere in that reading room was way too stifling."
After stretching lightly, Woojin decided to spend a little time there. Once he felt ready, he headed for the rows of white rectangles. The reading was just around the corner, and he intended to do a final run-through right before it started.
Naturally, he chose The Mysterious Man Next Door.
It was not an ordinary role. Since he needed to express it more vividly, repeatedly going over the script—experiencing it—was an essential part of his preparation.
Soon, the familiar robotic female voice rang out.
["Preparing reading for 'The Mysterious Man Next Door'..."]
At that voice, Woojin sank completely into the world of The Mysterious Man Next Door.
──────────
When Kang Woojin returned to the Frozen love reading room, an intense tension spread through his whole body.
He could open his mouth, but speaking felt difficult. His mind gave commands, yet his body seemed to resist. Everything about The Mysterious Man Next Door had been carved deeply into him, so strongly that it felt like an overwhelming presence pressing against his chest.
'...This is bleak.'
Woojin shut his eyes for a moment and slowly sorted through the emotions rushing through him. As he did, the world of The Mysterious Man Next Door spread wider inside him.
And in that moment, one thought rose clearly.
'Sign language? I can see it perfectly.'
His head was filled with scenes of sign language. He had already become skilled with it, but after repeating the script and experiencing it over and over, his understanding had deepened even more.
Then he realized something else.
The muscles in his face had become astonishingly flexible.
His voice still did not come easily, but his senses felt sharper. His body had become light. No, it was more than just light. It felt fluid, as if his whole body had changed from something solid into something soft and flowing.
That made sense. The Mysterious Man Next Door had to rely heavily on gestures to communicate through sign language.
Right then, voices began to fill the room.
"Hello, everyone."
As the reading start time approached, the lead and supporting actors began arriving one by one. They exchanged greetings with professional smiles, all while maintaining serious expressions.
Before long, a crowd formed around Kang Woojin.
"Wow, Woojin-ssi? Nice to meet you. Ha ha, I was really surprised when I heard you'd be working with Director Kyotaro in Japan."
Almost all the actors approached him. Their eyes were full of smiling politeness, but underneath that, there was admiration, jealousy, envy, awe, curiosity, fascination, suspicion, and delight all mixed together.
Among them was one man quietly watching him.
'So that's Kang Woojin… He doesn't look like a typical rookie at all. What exactly makes him so special?'
The actor who had shaken Woojin's hand and then moved to the seat at the very front was filled with curiosity. He was Jung Janghwan, the top star playing Song Taehyung, the lead of Frozen love. Wearing a cap, Jung Janghwan gave off a tall, broad, masculine presence.
His image overlapped with Woojin's in some ways, but he was a full ten years older.
Jung Janghwan was known as an actor who struggled in film despite explosive popularity in dramas. There were actors like that, stars who dominated television but somehow always stumbled in movies, and Jung Janghwan was one of them. Even so, within the drama world, he was a legend. His acting was considered unmatched, and he was widely acknowledged as one of the best.
That was likely why writer Lee Walseon had cast him.
In any case, after opening his script, Jung Janghwan casually chatted with the actors around him while his mind drifted elsewhere.
He stole another glance at Kang Woojin.
Even with the room growing noisy as actors crowded around him, Woojin remained exactly the same, sitting quietly and calmly as before. People threw congratulations at him and bombarded him with questions, yet there was no trace of embarrassment, delight, or arrogance on his face.
How should he describe it?
'He's like still water.'
There was not the slightest ripple on Woojin's face. Jung Janghwan's curiosity toward him only grew stronger.
He had only seen Woojin's acting in two projects, Kim Ryujin and Assistant Manager Park. That was probably true for almost everyone else in this reading room too. Both projects had been huge hits, and Woojin's acting in them had been so strong that it was hard to believe he was a rookie.
'I know he's good, but is he really good enough to capture people like Director Kwon or Director Kyotaro?'
And it wasn't just them. Why were heavyweights like writer Lee Walseon, PD Song Manwoo, and writer Park Eunmi all gathering around this rookie? The question lingered in Jung Janghwan's mind.
'What happens if I knock him off balance? What kind of face will he show if something catches him off guard?'
The reason was simple. In Frozen love, the only actor Kang Woojin had to directly work with was Jung Janghwan.
'Has he ever dealt with ad-lib at a script reading or on set?'
The role Woojin had taken, The Mysterious Man Next Door, had only a short amount of screen time, but in Frozen love, it was the role that demanded the deepest acting. According to lead actor Jung Janghwan, the difficulty of the part was extreme.
'Sign language isn't an ordinary language. Even if someone learns it, expressing it naturally is almost impossible.'
In other words, the bare minimum for that role was to do it well. Anything even slightly average would be criticized. On top of that, the role required emotional expression without spoken dialogue. He had to deliver the same force as lines without saying a single word.
How would this rookie handle that kind of part?
It was while Jung Janghwan's focus was completely fixed on Kang Woojin that the glass door opened.
Creak.
Lee Walseon, who was both the writer and effectively the one leading the session, entered the packed reading room. A woman in a suit came in with her. The actors and staff immediately stood.
After exchanging light greetings, Lee Walseon walked over and stopped in front of Kang Woojin. Her sparkling earrings caught the light.
"It's been a while, Woojin."
"Hello, writer."
"You've made a much bigger splash than the last time we met, haven't you?"
"It just happened that way."
"We can do the congratulations later. First, this person here is a sign language expert."
Lee Walseon introduced the suited woman, who seemed to be a sign language interpreter or consultant. It was common for productions to bring in a specialist to supervise the set, check for mistakes, and offer advice. At the sight of her, Woojin's chest tightened slightly.
'A specialist? Damn, that makes me nervous. Then again, if you think about it, the void space is practically cheating.'
Woojin gave the sign language expert a simple greeting.
"Hello."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I really enjoyed Profiler Hanryang."
"Thank you."
Then Lee Walseon cut in with a faint smile.
"Writer Park Eunmi said something interesting. She said if you showed up at the reading, there'd be a big change. Do you have any idea what she meant?"
"I'm not sure."
"Really? Well, maybe you'll understand once you see it yourself."
The actors looked puzzled by the exchange, but Lee Walseon simply moved with the sign language expert to the head of the table.
Thump.
They sat down, and at the same time the PD announced the start.
"Alright, then let's begin."
As the reading of Frozen love started, Lee Walseon quietly asked the sign language expert seated to her right a question.
"What do you think of Kang Woojin? Just your first impression. Does anything feel off?"
"...It's hard to say for certain right now. But sign language is a language of hands, facial expressions, and body movement, right? Emotion has to show. But Woojin… doesn't reveal much emotion, so he almost feels expressionless."
"So his face is already a problem?"
The sign language expert gave a small shrug.
"I can't be certain yet, but if he keeps acting like that, it could become a problem."
A little later, introductions for the cast of Frozen love began. After the female lead, it was time for Jung Janghwan, the male lead.
"I'm Jung Janghwan, and I play Song Taehyung. I hope all of our hard work comes together so we can create a satisfying production."
Applause followed. The introductions continued, and then it was Kang Woojin's turn.
"I'm Kang Woojin. I play The Mysterious Man Next Door. I'll do my best."
Woojin's brief but intense introduction shifted the atmosphere. The applause remained the same, but the actors' eyes grew a little stranger, more curious.
After all the introductions were over, the main production staff gave a few words as well.
"Alright, writer Lee, would you like to say something?"
The PD turned to Lee Walseon, and she gave a casual shrug.
"Let's have a fun reading."
Her words sounded light, but the meaning behind them was not. Lee Walseon, a star writer, was famous for being deeply involved in her script readings. Unlike writer Park Eunmi, who worked more through collaboration with the PD, Lee Walseon was known for directly giving notes to actors herself.
She smiled lightly and added,
"Shall we start?"
Rustle, rustle.
At the beginning of the reading, Lee Walseon gave the actors a certain amount of freedom. Even if lines slipped, the acting felt weak, the interpretation differed from her intentions, or the emotions missed the mark, she first watched quietly and let them work through it.
But once the reading reached the middle, her approach would change completely.
It was like watching an herbivore suddenly turn into a carnivore.
That was why so many rookie actors had ended up in tears during readings for her works. Her criticism was sharp, and she was ruthless with everyone, veteran or rookie alike.
With that, the reading began.
"S#1. A dark room with blackout curtains drawn. At that moment, Song Taehyung suddenly opens his eyes on the bed."
The reading of Frozen love opened with the PD's narration. The story centered on the growth of a man named Song Taehyung, played by Jung Janghwan. He was a capable man in his thirties, but because of obsessive-compulsive disorder, he lived completely cut off from the outside world.
Song Taehyung felt most at ease inside the cage he had made for himself.
He didn't inconvenience anyone, so there was no need to get entangled with them. He could do his work perfectly well without building deep relationships. He hated disorder in every form, whether it was physical mess or emotional mess.
Frozen love portrayed the growth, love, and change of Song Taehyung, a man who was like an adult child, in a way that felt light on the surface but deep underneath.
The trigger for Song Taehyung's first change was this.
"Song Taehyung leaves his apartment carrying hand sanitizer. Then the door next door opens, and his eyes meet those of The Mysterious Man Next Door. Since they've already crossed paths a few times, Song Taehyung dislikes him."
The role of The Mysterious Man Next Door belonged to Kang Woojin. Soon, Jung Janghwan, seated opposite Woojin, glanced at him and knit his brows.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Jung Janghwan frowned.
Woojin, on the other hand, looked back at him without the slightest change in expression. In truth, The Mysterious Man Next Door could not speak. Jung Janghwan—or rather, Song Taehyung—did not know that, and the man's gaze felt strangely unsettling.
What was hidden in those odd eyes?
Why did he keep looking at him like that?
Annoyed, Song Taehyung questioned the man next door.
"Hey, you. Do you have something to say to me?"
But The Mysterious Man Next Door gave no response.
"..."
"Fine. You're taking the elevator? I'll wait and take the next one."
"..."
"I'll take that as a yes, then."
In the script, Song Taehyung returned to his apartment, while The Mysterious Man Next Door briefly looked at the closed door before silently getting on the elevator. Then the PD narrated again.
Song Taehyung rubbed hand sanitizer hard into his hands while muttering toward the shoe cabinet, as if he were trying to scrub away the unpleasant feeling.
It was Song Taehyung's line.
"Every time I see him, I feel sick. If he has something to say, he should just say it. Seriously, I can't stand it. I might have to move out."
After finishing his day and returning home, Song Taehyung glanced toward the neighboring door before quietly opening his own.
Bang!
The Mysterious Man Next Door appeared again.
Once again, he said nothing, only looked at Song Taehyung. The script stated that he held a plastic bag in one hand, and the scene was meant to end with Song Taehyung clicking his tongue and quickly going inside.
The camera direction in the script called for a close-up of The Mysterious Man Next Door. He did not move. He had no expression.
So Kang Woojin simply looked at Song Taehyung across from him with that strange, unreadable gaze.
'This is where it ends. Then the next part is—'
But at that moment, Song Taehyung suddenly spoke again.
"Hey, you."
It was unexpected.
That line was not in the script.
"Why do you keep making me uncomfortable? Either say something or ignore me. How many times has this been? If you keep this up, I'm reporting you."
The eyes of everyone in the reading room turned toward The Mysterious Man Next Door—toward Kang Woojin.
Woojin stared at Jung Janghwan, but inside, he was plainly flustered.
'Huh? What is this? That line wasn't in the script, was it? No, wait. No, it definitely wasn't.'
It was a line he had never heard before, never even seen. But everyone else in the room seemed unfazed.
Some actors seemed to think it was natural.
'Ad-lib? Well, Janghwan-hyung does make up his own lines sometimes when he's analyzing a character.'
'That's just his style, isn't it? He throws in ad-libs pretty often, and some of them even make it into the final script.'
Since it was not unusual, Lee Walseon, who had been idly turning her pen, did not feel the need to interfere.
'So he's trying to amplify the discomfort. That's not a bad read of the scene.'
It fit the mood.
And more than anything—
'I want to see how Kang Woojin reacts. He'll probably brush it off without much trouble.'
Lee Walseon was curious about how Kang Woojin would respond. He was the monster rookie, Kang Woojin. There was no way this level of ad-lib would shake him.
But inside, Woojin was genuinely thrown off.
'What is going on? Why is nobody stopping this?'
As The Mysterious Man Next Door, he was caught off guard by the sudden situation.
'Wait, what? What am I supposed to do here? Huh?'
Outwardly, he remained calm. Still, as he looked at Jung Janghwan seated across from him, the slightest trace of confusion slipped through.
The sign language expert beside Lee Walseon suddenly reacted.
"What?"
Her eyes sharpened as she studied Woojin's face.
"...He looks flustered. Or something close to it. I'm pretty sure. That's the kind of expression people who use sign language often show when communication suddenly breaks down."
Hearing that, Lee Walseon turned back to Woojin. But to her own eyes, there was no fear or panic visible on his face at all.
Still—
'The expert must be seeing something I can't.'
In a case like this, the judgment of the sign language specialist carried more weight. Since Woojin was currently embodying The Mysterious Man Next Door, Lee Walseon focused on something else instead.
'Even so… to show such a slight shift in the eyes, so subtle that only a specialist can catch it…'
That was Kang Woojin's acting.
It was enough to make her think, in spite of herself, that he was extraordinary.
Jung Janghwan pressed again with another ad-lib.
"Don't look at me like that. It's creepy. Seriously, stop staring."
"..."
Woojin's face remained expressionless, and he still said nothing. But something had changed. His lips moved slightly, as if he were murmuring to himself. They trembled just a little.
The sign language expert whispered at once.
"He's thinking it through. It looks like he's trying to decide something."
Frowning, Jung Janghwan made a show of pulling out his phone as he glared at Kang Woojin.
"Fine. I don't know why you keep doing this to me, but if you're going to keep it up, I'm reporting you right now."
Woojin's faint lip movement stopped.
He tilted his head ever so slightly and gave a small nod, as if he had finally understood what the other man meant.
After that, Kang Woojin's hand moved for the first time.
The motion was not big.
It was clear, short, and lasted only a few seconds.
Without taking his eyes off Jung Janghwan, Woojin made one final gesture. He clenched his right hand into a fist and brought it near his nose with the thumb pointing toward it.
The actors watching finally realized what they were seeing.
Some of them stared in disbelief.
They could not say it aloud during the reading, but the thought spread through the room all at once.
It was sign language.
And it was good.
Too natural to look like awkward memorization.
How much had he practiced for this?
And more importantly, this was not in the script.
Then what exactly was happening right now?
Others were equally stunned.
He was unbelievably fluent.
Was that gesture planned beforehand, or had he just responded to an ad-lib with sign language on the spot?
In any case, Kang Woojin, as The Mysterious Man Next Door, held his fist near his nose and smiled.
It was dazzlingly bright.
Nothing like the cold stillness he had shown before.
It was a smile full of warmth, the kind that looked as if it belonged under clear sunlight, and it was the first real expression to bloom across his hard, unreadable face.
Seeing that, Jung Janghwan thought to himself,
'He started with sign language, but none of that was in the script.'
Not knowing what the improvised sign language meant, Song Taehyung reacted only with the instinctive discomfort it stirred in him.
"W-What? Why are you smiling? Are you making fun of me by covering your nose with your fist?"
But Kang Woojin's smile only deepened.
For a moment, even Lee Walseon lost herself in that smile.
'That kid really does smile beautifully.'
Then she turned to the sign language expert beside her and asked quietly,
"It looked like sign language. What did it mean?"
The expert, her lips parting slightly in surprise, answered in a hushed voice.
"Kang Woojin's sign language skills are impressive… and I didn't expect a smile that beautiful. Were you trying to show the difference in perspective between the two characters in this scene?"
Lee Walseon gave a faint nod.
"That could be one interpretation. A difference in position caused by a failure to communicate."
The sign language expert slowly nodded as well and repeated the same motion Woojin had just made. Her version was smaller, but the final shape was the same: a fist, with the thumb directed toward the nose.
Then she explained.
"In that sign, the last part—making a fist and bringing the thumb toward the nose—means 'to like.' It's a good example of how strongly a smile can deliver emotion. You saw how beautifully Woojin-ssi smiled just now, didn't you? The full meaning of what he expressed in sign language was built on that."
And then she stated it plainly.
"It meant, 'I like you.'"