After the unexpected rumor about the Kashiwa Group first began circulating in Japan.
Kashiwa Group interested in the collapse of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice? Rumors sweep through the film industry.
As if everything had already been set in motion, the production team of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, which had recently been pushed into a corner, released an official statement.
[Official] The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice production team: Investment issue resolved, now fully focused on production.
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had descended into complete chaos. To be honest, both the media and the public had already assumed it would collapse just like that. That expectation had taken hold naturally, and deep down, most people felt the same.
So then, had The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice really come back?
It was shocking. This wasn't a small amount of money, but well over 10 billion won, nearly reaching 20 billion. And after the project's image had already crashed under waves of rumors and speculation, they were now saying the investment issue had been resolved overnight?
Why The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, which had lost nearly 70 percent of its funding, suddenly came back to life.
It had happened too fast. In the film industry, when a project of this scale ran into trouble, solutions usually took time to surface.
There was always a process.
But in the case of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, especially considering the scale nearing 20 billion won, everything had turned around far too abruptly. Even the Japanese press reacted with skepticism at first, hesitating even as they wrote their articles.
"Is it really true that the film The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice has resolved all of its investment issues?"
"I don't know. But with public opinion already this bad, would they really release an official statement based on a lie? That would blow up immediately. It would be exposed right away."
"Right? I heard nearly half the investment disappeared in a short time. How could they possibly secure that much money overnight? The total amount was over 10 billion won."
"There were even rumors it might have reached 20 billion. And now suddenly everything is resolved?"
"That's exactly why it feels off."
"Wait—look at this. There's talk that the Kashiwa Group is investing in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice*."*
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I have no idea either."
The rumor involving the Kashiwa Group sounded absurd at first, almost impossible to believe, but it slowly began to spread. The timing of its emergence only made it more explosive.
Did the Kashiwa Group save The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice? Where did the rumor even begin?
There had never been any known connection between the Kashiwa Group and The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, nor had there been any sign suggesting such a link. That was why, at first, it sounded completely baseless.
But once the Japanese press picked up the story, they moved to verify whether there was any truth to it.
This was the Kashiwa Group, one of the ten largest conglomerates in Japan. Ignoring even a hint of involvement would have been foolish.
Kashiwa Group entering the cultural industry through The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice?
And just like that, the Kashiwa Group and The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice became entangled. Chairman Hideki's name began appearing more frequently as well.
Was the entire investment in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice made under Chairman Hideki's direction? The media was flooded with speculation.
Soon, both the business and entertainment sections were filled with similar articles. But it wasn't just the press spreading the rumors. Actors and industry insiders across Japan's massive entertainment scene were also caught up in heated discussions.
"Do you really think it makes sense that the Kashiwa Group got involved with The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice*? They've never shown any interest in the cultural industry."*
"It sounds like tabloid nonsense to me. Maybe another major company spread it on purpose as part of a power struggle."
"Doesn't this feel like reality turning into a movie? But if it's true, wouldn't The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice be a massive success?"
"Wait, do you actually think that's possible?"
Even as the rumors surrounding The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice continued to snowball, the production team steadily pushed back by presenting facts.
From that point on:
[Kashiwa?? Why is the Kashiwa Group suddenly showing up now? lol]
[The media saying nonsense again isn't exactly new]
[But seriously, all the investors pulled out and now only Kashiwa is dumping money into it?]
[Didn't they say the investment issue was resolved? Then maybe it's true]
[If a major corporation invested, that means they saw real potential in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice]
[It's probably because of the Korean Wave. Kang Woojin is in it, after all]
[Nothing's confirmed yet, so let's not jump to conclusions]
Little by little, public opinion around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice began to shift. But just as expected, the Kashiwa Group revealed nothing and remained silent.
Is it only a rumor? The Kashiwa Group shows no movement.
As if that silence itself was feeding the speculation.
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The next day, the 22nd, on the set of Frozen love.
While The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice continued to dominate headlines in Japan from the 21st into today, Kang Woojin was in the middle of his second day of filming for Frozen love.
"Action!!"
If yesterday's filming had focused on misunderstandings caused by a breakdown in communication, today's scenes showed the male lead, Song Taehyung, slowly opening his heart to the mysterious man next door and beginning to understand him. He came to realize that the man could not speak, and because of that, he gradually developed an interest in sign language.
And through that, he began to recognize his own shortcomings.
"Cut, cut!! Good!! Good, good!!"
Of course, filming between Kang Woojin and Jung Janghwan moved forward smoothly without any issues. Kang Woojin fully embodied the mysterious man next door, even performing sign language naturally, and that, in turn, drew out an equally strong performance from Jung Janghwan.
By late afternoon.
"Cut!! Good! That was really good!"
Woojin's portion of the shoot was nearly finished.
"Ten-minute break while we swap the props!"
The directing PD announced a break across the set. Staff members moved quickly, Jung Janghwan checked his script, and Kang Woojin sat still while his makeup was touched up. Watching this, the PD slowly sat down and smiled toward writer Lee Wolsun beside him.
"Now I understand what he meant."
Writer Lee Wolsun had arrived about two hours earlier. She looked as though she didn't want to miss even a single moment of Kang Woojin's performance. After taking a sip of water, she tilted her head slightly, her expression puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
The directing PD turned his gaze toward Kang Woojin.
"I know PD Song Manwoo. A few weeks ago, I called to congratulate him on starting Profiler Hanryang*, and he said this to me. 'Once Kang Woojin starts filming, it feels like such a shame when it ends and you have to move on.'"*
"So you just want to keep watching him act?"
"Exactly."
Lee Wolsun gave a faint smile.
"So even when it wasn't an NG, you kept the cameras rolling, changing angles and props while observing the actors' reactions?"
"I'll admit I got a little greedy, but I couldn't help it. Isn't it fascinating? Every take is different, but the impact is always consistent. He handles the difficult task of portraying a disability as if it were nothing."
It was not an easy role.
"Once this drama airs, when people start talking about acting that portrays disability, Woojin's name will come up first."
Lee Wolsun found that completely understandable, yet she still felt quietly amazed.
Just two days of filming had left that kind of impression. No wonder major figures from both Korea and Japan were drawn to him.
"Ah, speaking of Japan, did you see the articles about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice? They're saying some massive Japanese corporation suddenly got involved."
"Yes, I saw them too. It felt strange. I'd heard the Kashiwa Group doesn't operate in the entertainment industry."
"It has to be a rumor, right? The whole thing sounds ridiculous."
"Rumor or not, the investment issue seems to be resolved. In the end, isn't that what matters?"
Meanwhile, Woojin had just finished getting his makeup touched up.
──────────
He stepped away from the filming area and returned to his seat. His throat felt dry, and Jang Soohwan, who noticed, handed him a bottle of water.
"Hyung, I kept it cold for you!"
"Yeah. Thanks."
Woojin answered quietly and took a long drink. But inside, a faint ripple of unease remained.
'A conglomerate? I've never even heard of the Kashiwa Group. Still… it's probably nonsense. Japanese media isn't all that different from Korean media when it comes to sensational headlines.'
He had heard the news about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice as well. But no matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense. A massive Japanese corporation with no prior connection stepping in to save a project that had been on the verge of collapse—it was hard to accept.
That was exactly why it had become such a hot topic in Japan.
The timing of the Kashiwa Group's sudden appearance was too perfect, and more than anything, there was still no concrete evidence backing it up. Naturally, Woojin found it absurd.
'Could Director Kyotaro have some connection to them? Is that why it turned into an S+ project?'
He left that possibility open. In any case, the investment issue would be resolved. What really caught him off guard was the scale—well over 15 billion won.
Just then—
"Hyung."
Jang Soohwan held out Woojin's phone.
"Do you want to check it?"
"Ah, sure."
Since yesterday, his phone had been flooded with messages and calls. Naturally, all of them were about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. Woojin scrolled through them with an indifferent expression.
Then—
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
A long vibration echoed.
It was a call from Director Kyotaro in Japan. The first contact since the investment issue. Woojin quietly cleared his throat and answered.
"Yes, Director."
Japanese flowed from the other end. Kyotaro's voice sounded noticeably more energetic than before.
"Woojin, you might already know, but I wanted to tell you myself. Everything's been resolved cleanly."
"Yes. That's good news."
"Yes, really. It's a relief."
Woojin almost asked about the Kashiwa Group, but held himself back.
'Do I really need to ask that?'
'As long as it's resolved, that's enough.'
After a brief pause, Kyotaro spoke again.
"Thank you for your concern."
'…What?'
'When did I ever show concern?'
'Is he just saying that out of politeness?'
Woojin tilted his head slightly, confused, as Kyotaro continued.
"Thanks to you, we were able to expand the production scale even beyond what it was before the issue. The investment amount increased."
'Why is that because of me?'
He was about to ask—but stopped.
"Director."
"Ah, I've kept you too long. We're both busy. Once the schedule for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is finalized, I'll have the company inform you. I'll see you at the next script reading."
"Understood."
"Then I'll see you then."
Click.
The call ended abruptly.
Woojin slowly lowered his phone, a slight crease forming between his brows. The feeling lingered—familiar, but difficult to define.
'What was that?'
'It feels like something big is about to happen.'
But the thought faded just as quickly as it came. Woojin kept his expression steady and chose not to dwell on it.
'Maybe I'm overthinking it.'
Meanwhile, as Woojin returned to the set, quiet murmurs spread among the actors.
"Did you see the article? There were rumors that The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice ran into trouble, but now they're saying it's resolved?"
"Ah, yes. The investment issue article?"
"Really? Then it won't be canceled, right? That's great news."
Their tone wasn't negative. If anything, there was relief.
"Then Woojin's heading to Japan soon."
"But before that, doesn't he still have to film Island of the Missing*?"*
"His schedule is insane. He just finished Boy Friend*, didn't he? How does he still have that much energy? I'd be completely burned out."*
"More importantly… what exactly is this Kashiwa Group? They're saying it's the Japanese conglomerate that covered the investment."
"Sounds like tabloid nonsense."
"Still… the timing feels too strange for it to be just a rumor."
The real issue was that the speculation was getting more and more ridiculous.
"I think I've seen comments like that before."
"What kind?"
"That Woojin is connected to a major corporation."
"Oh! I saw that too! Wasn't there even a rumor he's the son of a chaebol family? That was fake, right?"
"Still… considering the timing, doesn't it feel like he might actually have some connection to the Kashiwa Group?"
"Then what, the identical twin theory is real too?"
"That's ridiculous."
Even amid the confusion and speculation, filming for Frozen love continued without interruption.
"Cut!! Okay!! Wow, Woojin! Great work!!"
Kang Woojin's two-day shoot for Frozen love.
"Woojin, great job. Let's work together again next time."
"Yes, Writer. PD, you worked hard as well."
The shoot finally wrapped late that night.
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Later.
The very next day, the 23rd, right after Woojin finished filming Frozen love, the film Drug Dealer, which had completed editing the week before, entered full-scale promotions.
Drug Dealer's Jin Jaejun enters the variety scene.
At noon on the 23rd, the third trailer for Drug Dealer was released. It had a noticeably different tone compared to the previous ones. Though the one-minute runtime followed a similar structure, there were no major changes in content.
At the very end—
[First release: Wednesday, October 28]
The release date appeared clearly.
Interestingly, that same afternoon, the official release date for Boy Friend was also revealed.
[Boy Friend official trailer (includes unreleased scenes) - Netflix Korea]
The video included unreleased scenes, along with part of the OST duet sung by Kang Woojin and Hwarin.
And finally—
[Release: Monday, October 19]
The confirmed dates appeared.
Boy Friend on the 19th.
Drug Dealer on the 28th.
About a week apart.
Early afternoon, September 25.
A large van sped along the highway. Inside, a familiar top actor sat reading a script.
Flip.
It was Ryu Jungmin, his hair cut short for his new role. The script in his hands was Island of the Missing, and the van was headed toward a massive set in Buyeo.
Why?
Top actors Ryu Jungmin, Kang Woojin, Ha Yura, and more begin filming Director Kwon Gitaek's Island of the Missing today.
Today marked the official start of filming for Island of the Missing.