Chairman Hideki smiled as he stroked his grandson's head, the child finally wearing the smile he had once lost.
Even so, his thoughts remained elsewhere.
That rookie actor from Korea. His name was Kang Woojin, wasn't it?
Left to himself, he began piling misunderstanding on top of assumption.
'There must be a family member, or someone precious to him, who went through something similar to my grandson. I'm sure of it. Sign language is far too difficult to learn as a mere hobby or passing interest.'
To the chairman, that explanation felt not only plausible, but almost inevitable.
Learning another spoken language was difficult, yes, but it came with clear rewards. Sign language was different. Compared to other languages, its range of use was narrow, and only a tiny number of people actually used it.
In other words, people did not learn sign language to build a career or polish a résumé.
As he looked into his grandson's eyes, Chairman Hideki found himself drifting back to the past, to those years that had been so painfully difficult.
He had learned sign language for one reason alone.
For his grandson.
'I know far too well. Even if love is the reason, I can imagine how painful it must have been.'
The chairman did not know the Korean actor's face well, nor did he know his voice, yet he still felt a strong sense of kinship with Kang Woojin. Regardless of how little he actually knew, the mere fact that a man like that had learned such a language and still become an actor was impressive enough.
Then he paused.
'Wait. But why Japanese Sign Language? Why not Korean Sign Language? Ah, right. Then perhaps that important person in his life has some connection to Japan.'
His misunderstanding only deepened and branched into yet another error.
At that moment, his grandson beamed and added more in sign language.
[Mr. Kang Woojin was really good at Japanese Sign Language, and his Japanese seemed incredibly fluent too! He looked completely comfortable talking with the PD and the staff!]
[Is that so?]
He speaks Japanese too?
That only made the chairman more certain, and more sincerely impressed.
'Japanese Sign Language and Japanese too? He really isn't an ordinary actor. There's a reason people are making such a fuss over him.'
He fell silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to the bright smile on his grandson's face.
Whatever the details, one thing was certain.
He was grateful.
Because of that man, his grandson had recovered the smile he had lost.
It had been almost ten years since he had last seen the child smile like that.
Behind the boy, several documents lay spread out across the desk. On the cover was the name of a company.
Kashiwa.
The Kashiwa Group was one of the ten largest conglomerates in Japan, a massive corporate empire with business interests in chemicals, textiles, construction, housing, food, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and more. It maintained close business ties with major Korean corporations and countless other companies besides. Yoshimura Hideki, the chairman and CEO of the Kashiwa Group, was its true owner in every meaningful sense.
It was the sort of family that wore its status openly.
But even the chairman of a conglomerate was still just a man. Sudden tragedy did not discriminate.
About ten years earlier, devastating news had struck.
The vice chairman of Kashiwa Group dies tragically in a traffic accident… Wife and son were in the car as well.
The man in the accident had been Chairman Hideki's eldest son.
A husband, wife, and their four-year-old child had all been in the vehicle. The parents died on the spot, but their young son survived by some miracle.
He had been shielded in his mother's arms.
The accident robbed the four-year-old boy of both his hearing and his speech. Hideki had three sons and a large family, but losing his eldest son and daughter-in-law, the couple he had expected to lead the future, and then seeing the grandson he had barely managed to keep alive left disabled at only four years old, dealt him a crushing blow.
Even in the midst of mourning his son and daughter-in-law, the fact that his grandson Yoshimura Shingo had survived became Hideki's only comfort.
From that point on, Shingo became more precious to him than life itself. He had no choice but to cherish him.
'If it's to save Shingo, I'll do anything.'
Chairman Hideki personally took charge of raising his four-year-old grandson, Yoshimura Shingo. Despite being the head of a giant corporation, he learned sign language himself and studied hearing impairment with his own hands and time.
But as Shingo grew older, he gradually lost his desire to live.
As the grandson of a conglomerate chairman, he became the target of envy and resentment, but the greater reason for his isolation was his disability. At school and in the world beyond it, Shingo became completely alone. By the time he was eight, the light in his face had started to fade. By ten, he had cut himself off from the world entirely. He even fell into severe depression, and his condition only worsened from there.
That continued until he was fourteen.
For almost ten years, Shingo never smiled. His face remained fixed and lifeless, like that of a machine. Except for his sign language teacher, he shut out everyone. Naturally, Chairman Hideki tried everything for his grandson, from psychiatric treatment to every form of psychological care he could find, pouring money into it without hesitation. He learned sign language, and whenever he had time, he cared for the boy himself with endless devotion.
But all of it seemed meaningless.
Even after pouring in unimaginable sums of money, he could not bring back Shingo's smile or his vitality. The boy shut himself away in his room more and more, letting his mind sink into darkness. The only things he still cared about were games and videos.
Then Shingo started watching the Netflix drama Profiler Hanryang.
He had always liked Korean dramas.
He had grown tired of the formulaic acting and direction in Japanese content, and somewhere inside him he also wanted to escape Japan. Whatever the reason, he became completely absorbed in Assistant Manager Park.
The reason was simple.
A traffic accident.
Assistant Manager Park's story contained echoes of his own life. Their circumstances were very different, but like Shingo, Assistant Manager Park had lost his parents in a traffic accident. Naturally, Shingo's interest shifted to the actor who played that role.
Kang Woojin.
The Korean actor Kang Woojin's performance left a deep impression on him.
Even as a rookie, he had already caused a major stir in both Korea and Japan. Then Shingo discovered Kang Woojin's YouTube channel, where he uploaded cover videos while speaking fluent Japanese, and that eventually led him to attend the taping of Ametalk Show!.
After returning from that appearance, Shingo miraculously smiled again.
Neither money nor any method had managed to restore the will to live that seemed to be draining out of him. Yet all at once, energy burst back into his body. It was no wonder Chairman Hideki felt a level of gratitude that was almost ecstatic.
It was as if his beloved grandson had come back to life.
And because of that, Chairman Hideki found himself filled with hope, and deeply grateful to the obscure Korean actor Kang Woojin.
Right then—
[Grandfather!]
Shingo, brimming with excitement, continued in sign language.
[Do you think I'll get to talk to Mr. Kang Woojin again someday?]
[If the opportunity comes. But those chances usually have to be made. It'll be difficult if you stay shut up in your room.]
[Right! The drama Boy Friend is going to air in Japan soon! I'm really looking forward to it. Ah, and I heard Mr. Kang Woojin is filming a movie with a famous Japanese director too!]
[Is it a Japanese film?]
[Can we go watch it when it comes out? Grandfather, let's go together!]
[Of course. Let's do that. When does it come out?]
[They said filming starts soon! I'm so excited! Grandfather, do you think I could become an actor like Mr. Kang Woojin someday? I can't speak, but I want to become an actor who uses sign language.]
Tears welled in Chairman Hideki's eyes, but he forced them back down.
What his grandson needed was not tears.
It was hope.
[If you believe you can, then you can. That belief matters. I'll help you.]
[Yes! Grandfather.]
To see the grandson who had been dying inside finally turn back toward the world with dreams and goals in his eyes was a beautiful thing.
The study remained very quiet as they exchanged sign language, yet courage shone clearly in Shingo's bright eyes.
[Ah! It's time for my sign language lesson! Grandfather, I'm going to study really hard!]
Shingo flashed a wide smile and ran out of the study.
Watching his grandson's retreating figure, Chairman Hideki felt a thrill greater than anything any large-scale business project had ever brought him.
'It was Kang Woojin, wasn't it? I'm so grateful I could cry.'
He meant that with complete sincerity.
He did not know the exact circumstances, but Kang Woojin had accomplished in a single day what Hideki had failed to do for more than ten years, even after pouring enormous amounts of money into it. Whether he had intended it or not, to Hideki it felt as though a mountain-sized burden had suddenly disappeared.
Perhaps Shingo had felt that sense of connection because he himself remembered the years his grandfather had spent learning Japanese Sign Language for him.
As this thought passed through his mind, Hideki slipped on the suit jacket that had been resting over the desk chair and smiled faintly.
A man like that deserves tremendous success.
──────────
Meanwhile, at Toe-ga Film Company—
The moment Director Kyotaro said that resistance came from fools rotting in place because they feared change, the atmosphere inside the conference room tightened.
Sensing the shift, Choi Sunggeon leaned toward Kang Woojin, who was seated beside him, and whispered,
"What's wrong? What happened?"
In an indifferent tone, Woojin briefly explained the investment issue. Choi Sunggeon's eyes widened slightly as he listened.
"The script reading got pushed back to early next year?"
"Yes."
Choi Sunggeon immediately began putting the pieces together. His years of experience let him grasp the shape of the problem very quickly.
'I suspected something like this, but I didn't think it would actually go this far. I guess there are quite a lot of people in Japan who view Woojin's success negatively.'
In reality, negative public opinion toward Kang Woojin had been growing in both Korea and Japan. Woojin himself did not care, but Choi Sunggeon, who handled his management, was fully aware of it. That meant the investors behind The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice might well have been influenced by that atmosphere.
In any case, the money involved was far from insignificant.
'Maybe they simply disliked the idea of placing a Korean actor at the center of the project. Either way, this is a real headache.'
By Choi Sunggeon's estimate, the delay to early next year had already disrupted the overall production schedule of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, and depending on how the casting moved from here, it could even lead to principal actors leaving the project.
The same applied to the many supporting teams that had already been assembled.
That would invite every possible rumor and speculation in the industry, and once the media and the public got hold of it, the production could suffer serious damage. Considering the prestige of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, the negative impact would be at least twice as severe.
'The project had momentum from the start, and it maximized its publicity through Woojin. If this falls apart now, all of that could go to waste.'
That would not only hurt things in Japan, but in Korea as well.
Choi Sunggeon quickly looked across the table at Director Kyotaro and asked in Korean,
"Given your reputation and writer Akari's reputation, isn't it strange that the investment would be pulled back this easily?"
After hearing Woojin translate, Director Kyotaro gave a bitter smile.
"Of course our names carry weight. But the writer is only the original author. And ever since we announced the project, there has been no shortage of controversy. The original fans are loud and widespread across several countries. In the beginning, the backlash was much fiercer."
He folded his arms.
"But we kept pushing ahead. The investors raised concerns, but because I insisted, the project moved forward. Then after Woojin joined, things started to grow unstable again. I was confident, but they were not."
"So they're pulling back because they think it won't work?"
"Investors tend to dislike risk. In Japan, that tendency is especially strong. Right now, Woojin is shaking up the Japanese market, and the attention on him is much hotter than you can imagine."
Director Kyotaro crossed his arms more tightly.
"But what happens if this project fails? Everyone, including the existing fans, will turn their backs on it. They're afraid they'll be condemned for casting a Korean actor. Cowards, in other words."
At that moment, Kang Woojin moved.
Swish.
He picked up the script for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice lying in front of him.
It had been prepared for the meeting, but Woojin used it as a path into the void.
Whoosh.
He slipped quietly into the emptiness and moved quickly toward the white rectangles floating there. There were seven of them. The moment he reached them, he noticed the first change immediately.
'Damn. So it really happened.'
-[7/Script (Title: The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice), Grade C]
The rating for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, which had once stood at the highest level, had dropped all the way to C.
A+ was the top grade.
C was merely average.
Woojin let out a sincere sigh.
'Ah. Average is a little disappointing. If they secure the remaining investment, can it go back up?'
But early next year was still far away. There was no telling what might happen before then, and he had no way to predict it.
Still, for now, there was at least the faint outline of hope.
After all, the entertainment industry could be both kind and cruel.
The shadow of a sponsor had begun to creep in.
──────────
After finishing the meeting with Director Kyotaro, Kang Woojin boarded a flight back to Korea on the afternoon of the 30th.
Meanwhile, Hwarin, who had wrapped up her Ametalk Show! recording before him, had already returned to Korea the day before.
When Woojin arrived in Korea, the airport was unusually quiet.
The reason was simple.
He had entered discreetly, keeping his identity concealed.
Because of that, he was able to board the van in peace and—
Haaa.
—breathe in Korean air for the first time in a while.
He quietly took in the feeling.
Then Choi Sunggeon, seated in the front passenger seat, spoke in an encouraging tone.
"The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice will be fine. The director's reputation is too strong for it to collapse."
"Yes, CEO. It'll be fine."
"That's good. Still, unfortunately, there isn't much we can do right now. We've already done enough promotion and drawn more than enough attention. To be honest, we don't even have the time to worry about that project at the moment."
"I understand."
"We'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, Woojin, you had a rough time in Japan. I'd like to let you rest for a few days, but the schedule is too tight. Go home today and just sleep. Don't do anything else."
Then Choi Sunggeon closed his planner and began listing what lay ahead.
From the blind preview for the film Drug Dealer to the teaser poster shoot for Island of the Missing, their schedule was completely packed.
──────────
The next morning, the 31st, in Tokyo.
It was the last Monday of August. The month was ending, but the Japanese weather was still as hot as Korea's.
That morning was no exception.
Regardless of the weather, a luxury sedan rolled smoothly out from a sprawling mansion.
It was Chairman Hideki's car.
Another vehicle carrying bodyguards followed behind.
Chairman Hideki sat in the rear seat of the front car, dressed in a suit, his eyebrows flecked with white.
Rustle.
As he unfolded the newspaper that had been prepared for him in advance, he addressed the chief secretary sitting in the front passenger seat.
"Do you know the Korean actor named Kang Woojin?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, she turned around and answered immediately.
"Yes. Japan has been rather noisy because of that actor recently, so I know who he is."
"Good."
"May I ask why you're asking, sir?"
"Find out everything you can about the actor Kang Woojin, as quickly as possible."
"Sir?"
At her question, Chairman Hideki murmured quietly,
"It is enough that I must express my thanks to him."