It was certain.
The robotic female voice had clearly announced that not one ability, but two, would be granted. Kang Woojin was caught off guard for a moment.
'Not one, but two abilities??'
It was unprecedented. From English to Japanese, sign language, even singing, the void had always given him only one gift at a time. But now it was offering two at once.
Cooking techniques and recipes.
To be honest, Woojin had already half expected that he might gain some kind of ability here, and it had seemed entirely possible. But he had never imagined he would get two at once. More than anything, the timing felt strange. Why now, and in a moment like this?
Then a thought flashed through Kang Woojin's mind.
'Is the void evolving?'
He could not be sure, but that was what it felt like. The void had always been unfriendly and never explained anything, but looking at the situation now, it almost seemed as though it was growing along with him. Like a game, where the rewards increased the more quests you cleared. Was the void working the same way?
There had still been no actual quests.
Maybe the broad range of abilities Woojin possessed was the result of how well he had used the void all this time. Well, that was as good an explanation as any. Understanding the void completely had never been possible in the first place.
Besides, if it was being offered, then all he could do was be grateful.
There was no reason to refuse it, and no way to refuse it anyway. Kang Woojin could only accept it with a smile.
'Does that mean I might eventually get three, four, maybe even five gifts at once?'
A faint spark of anticipation swelled inside him. The void really was incredible. Two thumbs up did not even begin to cover it. It was practically divine.
Just then—
[Preparing to read the chef's cooking techniques / recipes]
[Preparation complete. Beginning to read 'Chef's Skills / Recipes.']
After the gentle female voice spoke, Kang Woojin was swallowed by a vast gray expanse. The force of it was violent, but Woojin was smiling. Even so, the sharp pain in his lower abdomen remained.
'Ugh.'
Soon after, Kang Woojin slowly opened his eyes.
The place looked similar to where he had improved his singing ability. Like the previous void, it stretched on in endless darkness. But something was different.
Ah.
Woojin realized it almost immediately. The moment he turned his head to the left, it became obvious. He had always been alone in this place, but now there was another Kang Woojin standing beside him.
Or rather, something like another Kang Woojin.
A mirror?
What he saw was himself, reflected exactly as he stood. From blinking to raising a hand to lifting a foot, every movement was mirrored perfectly.
'Because there are two gifts?'
It felt eerie. In that complete darkness, it was as if only he and another version of himself existed there together.
And then it began.
Strange shapes started flying toward him from far away. It was only when they came close that Woojin realized what they were.
Food.
Countless dishes rushed toward Kang Woojin and covered his body. Was this what the chef's recipes meant?
The strangest part was this:
Why could he taste them?
As the food merged into one, a chilling cold ran through him, yet at the same time it felt as though he were actually eating dishes soaked through with ingredients and flavor. The tastes were vivid. Meanwhile, the reflected Woojin on his left was under attack too. Moving blades, flashing woks, and all kinds of tools swept over him.
So many tools.
──────────
The next day, the 13th, in Tokyo, Japan.
It was a little past eight in the morning. The location was the parking lot of Toega Film Company. Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro stood there quietly as more and more cars entered the lot.
His expression was grave. He kept his eyes fixed on the parking lot entrance, as though waiting for someone. At a time when The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was on the brink of collapse, why was he standing here instead of dealing with the set?
The reason was simple.
Was Kashiwa Group really offering investment funds?
It was because of a call he had received the day before from a woman named Lily Tetsugawa. Director Kyotaro recalled that conversation.
He had been genuinely confused.
"Are you saying Kashiwa Group intends to invest in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice?"
Lily's voice on the other end of the line had been calm.
"Yes, that's correct. Is anyone around you right now?"
"Ah, yes. There are people nearby."
"Then please move somewhere else."
"Understood."
Once he stepped out into the hallway, Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro thought it might have been nothing more than a prank call. But he still needed to confirm it.
"Forgive me, but how am I supposed to believe you're really from Kashiwa Group?"
"You don't have to believe me."
"What?"
"We are fully aware of the current situation surrounding The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. Even so, we plan to proceed with the investment."
"Who are you?"
"You'll know once we meet in person."
There had been something unusual about the woman. It was obvious in her tone, in the quiet dignity in her voice, and in the way she led the conversation.
"Director, are you available tomorrow morning?"
"Tomorrow morning?"
"Yes. If that works for you, we'll send a car."
Director Kyotaro already had another appointment with an investor, but he felt he could not afford to miss this chance. In the end, he chose not to let the faint opportunity slip away.
"Tomorrow morning is fine."
"Then please come to the Toega Film Company parking lot by eight a.m. A car will arrive, and you simply need to get in."
That had been the end of it.
Now, recalling yesterday's events, Director Kyotaro stood in the Toega Film Company parking lot again. Was it real? Was Kashiwa Group truly involved?
He could not fully believe it, but he wanted to.
'I have no connection to them at all. What in the world is going on?'
Kashiwa Group was one of the ten largest corporations in Japan's business world. But Director Kyotaro had never had any relationship with them. Could it be because of Writer Akari?
At that moment—
A sleek, expensive black sedan glided smoothly into the parking lot. Anyone could tell at a glance that it was a costly foreign car, and it naturally drew Director Kyotaro's eye before stopping right in front of him.
Then the passenger door opened, and a woman in a neat suit stepped out. Her posture was straight and immaculate. She bowed politely to Director Kyotaro.
"Good morning, Director. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Lily Tetsugawa, the one who contacted you."
She opened the rear door of the car and gestured courteously for him to get in.
"Please."
Almost as though under a spell, Director Kyotaro got into the car.
──────────
About an hour later.
The luxury sedan carrying Director Kyotaro came to a stop in front of a mansion so enormous it was hard to take in at once. Lily, with her long hair tied back, stepped out first.
Then she opened the rear door.
Director Kyotaro still looked bewildered. He had not exchanged a single word with her during the ride.
"Director, please follow me."
Absentmindedly, he stepped out of the car and followed Lily, scratching at his white hair. They crossed a broad courtyard, passed bustling staff members, and walked by furniture grand enough to leave anyone speechless.
At last, her guidance stopped in front of a brown wooden door.
Lily knocked.
Knock, knock.
From inside came the voice of a rough-sounding man.
"Come in."
The voice was relaxed and unhurried. When Lily opened the door, Director Kyotaro immediately took in the room beyond it.
It was filled with books.
Clearly, it was a study.
A large desk stood in the center, and beside it—
"Ah, pleased to meet you. You must be Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro."
An old man with thick white eyebrows, like a white-maned lion, stood there with a faint smile and his hand extended.
Director Kyotaro recognized him instantly.
Chairman Yoshimura Hideki.
The chairman of the giant Kashiwa Group. A man known not only in Japan, but internationally as well.
So it had all been real.
Kashiwa Group's approach had been sincere, not a lie. Only then did Director Kyotaro pull himself together. Given the importance of the man before him and the situation at hand, that was only natural.
"Good morning, Chairman Yoshimura. It's an honor to meet you for the first time."
"I've seen you in the media many times. So in that sense, this isn't quite the first time."
Recently, the matter had grown far larger than originally planned.
When speaking of Japanese film directors, Tanoguchi Kyotaro was not a name one could leave out.
"You flatter me."
With a faint smile, Chairman Hideki gestured toward the three-seat sofa in front of the desk and invited Kyotaro to sit. Tea was soon brought into the study, and after taking a sip, Hideki began the real conversation.
"I heard the situation with your film The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is not good. Is that true?"
He did not bother circling the issue. He went straight to the point. Still, Director Kyotaro kept his posture steady and answered calmly.
"Yes, that's correct."
"How serious is it?"
"At the very least, the investment problems mentioned in the press are true."
"I see."
Chairman Hideki set his teacup down in an easy, almost lazy manner, but his eyes were sharp.
Then he asked again,
"How much of the investment has been withdrawn?"
"Roughly seventy percent."
"That would be about fifteen billion yen."
Director Kyotaro's eyes shook for a fraction of a second. How could he know the investment figures so precisely? Even so, he answered without losing his composure.
"Approximately."
"Fine. In that case, I'll fill the gap in the investment. I'll even add a little more than the original amount, so feel free to expand the project as needed."
"!!"
"But I do have one condition."
"W-what condition?"
Chairman Hideki picked up his teacup again and answered simply.
"That Korean rookie actor, Kang Woojin, must remain part of the project."
"You may replace any other actor if you wish."
At that, Director Kyotaro was taken aback. Why was Woojin being mentioned here? Coming from a businessman of this scale, the remark was even more unexpected.
Still hiding his surprise, Kyotaro asked something else instead.
"May I ask why you've taken an interest in our film?"
"Hm. Let's just say I want to protect a child's dream. For that child, even a hundred billion yen would not feel like much."
It was not an easy answer to understand. But Director Kyotaro decided it was not appropriate to press further, so he shifted the subject.
"Do you happen to know Kang Woojin personally?"
At the question, Chairman Hideki tilted his head slightly, but he did not answer at once. Instead, he fell into thought, recalling the shared pain and hard years that somehow connected him with a Korean actor he had never truly met.
About ten seconds passed.
Then Chairman Hideki's wrinkled lips parted slowly.
"Let's say we understand each other's pain."
Director Kyotaro's eyes widened. There was something in Hideki's tone that made it feel as though there really was a connection between the chairman and Kang Woojin.
At once, Director Kyotaro sank deeper into his own misunderstanding.
'So that explains why Woojin speaks Japanese like a native. He must definitely have some connection to Chairman Hideki.'
He became convinced of it. Hideki's sudden investment, and the way he had mentioned Kang Woojin by name, pushed him there.
Woojin's flawless Japanese, his overwhelming self-confidence, his endless drive, his astonishing acting, and even that indescribable aura around him.
Even the calm way he had said he would wait, despite the film being on the verge of collapse. Yes, when all of it was connected back to Chairman Hideki, it suddenly seemed to make sense.
'I don't know their exact relationship, but all the circumstances line up.'
Chairman Hideki's next words only made Kyotaro more certain.
"Director, only you are to know of my existence and of everything discussed here today."
"Understood."
Neither side realized how deeply misunderstanding had already taken root. And in that atmosphere thick with false assumptions, Chairman Hideki spoke once more.
"The investment funds will be sent immediately. But everything must remain strictly confidential, and I assume it's acceptable if I handle all media response personally?"
He was talking about using his influence over the press.
"Of course."
"Would you mind giving me a rough explanation of how you intend to proceed?"
"It's simple. First, I'll let it be known that the investment issue has been resolved cleanly."
At that, Chairman Hideki's faint smile deepened.
"Then rumors will begin to spread that Kashiwa Group is backing you. Those rumors will spread far enough to bind you and your project together."
──────────
A few days later, on the evening of Wednesday the 16th.
The air date of Japan's popular talk show Ametalk Show! had already been announced.
Even though The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had been surrounded by controversy, Ametalk Show! had decided to push forward with the broadcast.
The episode featuring Kang Woojin would air on the 16th without any changes.
Promotional activity had continued ever since Kang Woojin arrived in Japan.
Of course, once the The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice crisis broke and multiple controversies around Kang Woojin surfaced, many people questioned whether Ametalk Show! should really keep going. Looking at the overall situation, airing it right in the middle of a scandal did not seem like a good idea.
Even the press had started to question it.
"Are they ignoring public opinion? Why is Ametalk Show! still going ahead with the Kang Woojin episode?"
Japanese public opinion was much the same.
[Why are they airing the Kang Woojin episode now of all times, when things are messy? Couldn't they have waited until the situation cooled down?]
[I seriously don't get it. Why is the Ametalk PD insisting on this?]
[Doesn't matter. I'm not watching anyway.]
[It's a long-running talk show that's been on for over ten years. It would've been fine without Kang Woojin. Replaying an older episode would've made more sense right now.]
[What is the Ametalk production team even thinking?]
[He's not even the top actor in Korea. He's just a rookie, so why bother watching?]
The backlash was unmistakable. Even if some criticism had its reasons, hateful comments were still hateful comments. On Japanese social media and communities, posts related to Ametalk Show! climbed higher and higher.
Of course, not every comment was negative.
[Why?? I'm really looking forward to it!]
But most of the responses were filled with concern or outright criticism.
And yet that was only one part of the whole picture.
At that very moment—
"Three more commercials left!"
The main control room for TBE's Ametalk Show! broadcast was crowded with people. From the head of the entertainment department to upper management, everyone was there.
"Hoo—"
PD Shinjo swallowed nervously while staring at the many monitors. He was already thin by nature, but with tension written all over his face, he looked even leaner. Naturally, the writers around him wore much the same expression.
Then—
"Ametalk Show! is live now!"
The moment the staff member gave the signal, the opening sequence of Ametalk Show! began running across the monitors.
That meant the Kang Woojin episode of Ametalk Show! was now being broadcast live across Japan.
At once, the department head stepped over to the control room staff.
"How is it? How is it?"
Shinjo PD followed close behind, eyes wide, while the writers crowded around them all, fixing their gaze on the staff member.
A second later, after checking something—
"Ametalk Show!'s opening ratings—"
He whipped around and shouted to the crowd gathered behind him.
"The first-minute rating is 20.3%! 20.3%!"
In that instant, not only the department head but Shinjo PD and everyone else in the room gaped openly.
"What?? How much did you say?! 20.3%?!"
This was not just a reversal.
It was a complete turning point.