Hideki Yoshimura had never attended a script reading in his life.
Of course, the reason he came was to meet Kang Woojin. He was the Korean actor who had brought vitality and life back to his grandson and made him dream again. Hideki was deeply grateful. Kang Woojin, too, must have lived through a hard life.
He wanted to see that man with his own eyes. That was how Hideki Yoshimura felt.
Kang Woojin stirred something like camaraderie in him and made Hideki Yoshimura look back on his own past. When he first saw Kang Woojin in the hall, the impression was that of a beast hiding its fangs. He looked sturdy on the outside, yet there was a strange composure and charisma hidden within. His eyes were filled with strength, and his voice carried conviction.
Truly, Kang Woojin was no ordinary man.
Yoshimura Hideki, the chairman of a major corporation, immediately recognized the unusual energy radiating from Kang Woojin. It was an aura rare for someone his age. It also showed just how exceptional Kang Woojin's character work was.
Even so.
'…What is that?'
The moment the script reading began and Woojin immersed himself in the performance, Hideki Yoshimura, who had been standing with his arms crossed, found his thick white brows twitching without realizing it.
'Acting? Is that what you people call acting?'
Even to Yoshimura Hideki, a man who had spent his entire life focused on business with no real interest in acting, Kang Woojin's transformation was unmistakable.
'Everything that had filled him is gone now.'
The aura that had wrapped around him had vanished without a trace. The Kang Woojin who revealed Kiyoshi was empty. Completely hollow. His eyes, his voice, his gestures, his thoughts. How could someone who had seemed so full just moments ago become this vacant in an instant? Hideki Yoshimura gradually became absorbed in Kang Woojin's performance. He couldn't take his eyes off him.
Were all actors like this?
But the more the reading continued, the more Kang Woojin's acting built the story itself.
"I don't regret meeting you."
"It's lunchtime."
Hideki Yoshimura understood it even more clearly. Kang Woojin was special. There were plenty of top Japanese stars around him, but it was hard to place them on the same level.
'The other actors clearly show signs of imitation, but Kang Woojin has no empty space left to fill.'
Woojin's acting was outstanding. The others were acting, but Kang Woojin looked as if he were showing another life altogether. At least, that was how it seemed in Hideki Yoshimura's eyes.
Once again, he asked himself.
Was that really acting?
No, it wasn't. The man had changed. Hideki Yoshimura had seen fire in Kang Woojin's eyes before. But the Kang Woojin before him now, no, Kiyoshi, was like water. Colorless. Odorless. A being that gave off no emotion or sensation at all.
'He just flows naturally.'
Suddenly, a memory surfaced faintly in Hideki Yoshimura's mind. It wasn't his own memory, but his grandson's. His grandson, who had lost all vitality and barely gone on breathing, with hollow eyes. Yes, it felt similar to that.
Soon, Hideki Yoshimura's own scene would appear.
──────────
He finally pulled his gaze away from Woojin and looked around. There were dozens of actors, along with Director Kyotaro, writer Akari, and well over a hundred people in the hall. Every one of them was staring at Woojin.
His presence was overwhelming. There was something about him that pulled every eye toward him.
A skill for captivating people and controlling the situation. It was more than simple charm.
It was an incredibly valuable ability.
Right then.
"Now isn't the time."
Kang Woojin began his monologue. After Toka vanished from the world, he listed the grotesque sacrifices he intended to carry out as a stranger.
"I need to be forgotten."
At the end, Kang Woojin, or rather Kiyoshi, took his gaze away from Toka. She was already gone. His eyes drifted toward some point inside a vague emptiness. No emotion showed on his face. Yet his mouth never faltered, and his lines continued in an even rhythm. It was like something floating quietly on a still surface of water.
Then.
"Homework."
Kiyoshi's desolate eyes wandered through the air as if searching for their destination. For a moment, they drifted across several actors seated toward the front. Nine people. It was the act of checking the list of nine names he had already decided on. The actors whose eyes met Kiyoshi's could feel that fact vividly.
'There's no trace of reason or instinct in him.'
That made it even scarier. The fear was vague, but undeniable. There was no reason and no outcome attached to it. Pleasure? Joy? Intent? Hatred? Anger? None of them. There was no emotion mixed into his actions. It was a system. Yes, a system. For him, there was only the task that had to be done.
Director Kyotaro, his eyes fixed on Kang Woojin, read out the stage direction.
"Kiyoshi sits in the crowded classroom, staring at the blackboard in front of him. But there is no emotion on his face."
According to the script, after the deaths of the two students, the world was turned upside down, but the chaos did not last long. Just as the living had to keep living, the school also worked to return to normal. Of course, none of the students' hearts had truly recovered.
Only Kiyoshi's time had stopped.
In that frozen time, Toka was still sitting on the railing, smiling.
But the school itself had changed. Some of the nine people on Kiyoshi's list had transferred or dropped out, while others were still attending.
Kiyoshi did not care.
What mattered now was only one thing.
"Study."
He needed to accumulate knowledge. He had to take the long view. He already had the basic information on those nine people, along with data gathered over a long period and student records. From here on, Kiyoshi had to fill in what was missing.
As Director Kyotaro's stage directions moved the passage of time forward, one year, then two, then three passed. Kang Woojin's mindset had not changed much over all that time. He lived a life no different from anyone else's.
"Just a little more. Soon."
The world was forgetting him, but the plan was already in motion. After four years, then five, the scene became less about Kyotaro's direction and more about Woojin's monologue. The image on display showed the complete opposite, but Kiyoshi's voice was layered over it all.
Everyone in the hall was staring at the stranger.
Kang Woojin rolled his eyes with a blank expression. His posture was stiff. His gaze, his breathing, the movement of his hands, even his heartbeat were calm. Yet what he intended to do was clear. There was a calm madness in him. Woojin's mind was filled with calculations.
"Well then, shall we begin? Everyone, the world has forgotten me now."
Some nameless purpose writhed inside him. Then lines began to flow from Kang Woojin's expressionless lips, like a quiet soliloquy.
"Five years. For five years, I've filled in what I lacked. And now, after the first sacrifice, I'm about to begin the second. One of the nine, Konakayama Ginzo."
His voice held a fixed rhythm, neither warm nor cold. It was so empty that one could doubt whether it even belonged to a human being. The actors seated closest to Woojin felt that emptiness even more intensely.
'Setting aside how naturally he speaks Japanese… how does he even do that?'
'I've never seen this kind of acting before. It's like he's lived without emotion from the beginning, so why does it sound so calm? There's nothing there, and yet it overflows with force.'
Kang Woojin had been staring straight at the actor playing Konakayama Ginzo, a man with perfect features and the image of a beautiful young star. Then he briefly caught his breath and shifted the atmosphere. He kept his gaze fixed quietly, as if he were watching from a distance, before beginning another monologue.
"The reason I selected Konakayama Ginzo for the resumption of the unmarked rite is because of his polished appearance. He's excessively flashy and knows exactly how to draw people's attention. Of those nine, he is also the one farthest removed from me. That is why I chose him. Konakayama Ginzo's grim sacrifice will attract attention in an instant, but it will have nothing to do with me."
It was a fairly long passage. But Kang Woojin carried it through in a straight line, without the slightest wobble or detour, before bringing the monologue to an end. A dreamlike atmosphere slowly began to gather around him. Watching him through the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, writer Akari shuddered.
'I'm seeing the Kiyoshi I described in the book with my own eyes. It's frightening, but at the same time it makes me greedy. Just how far can he take Kiyoshi?'
At that moment, Kang Woojin slipped a hand into his pocket as if pulling something out. It was the list of nine names he had written on Toka's desk five years earlier.
"Konakayama Ginzo got married and built a family. But he still likes women. Human habits are disturbingly meticulous, so traces of his past still cling to him. Prostitution, paid encounters, adultery. On the surface he looks like a devoted family man, but inside he's rotten. He lies about going on family business trips while committing sex crimes. He carries countless shameful secrets."
As Woojin recited his endless plan, he tilted his head slightly. His expression remained empty, while the Japanese actor across from him looked completely dazed.
"What kind of grim sacrifice would suit you? Ginzo, you should become fireworks. I chose you because of your outstanding talent. The scattered fragments should splatter onto the remaining eight. It would be best to begin with the conflict between you and your family. Your wife is not part of my task."
Only then did the Japanese actor, or rather Yasta, who was playing Konakayama Ginzo, seem to come back to himself. Once Kang Woojin's monologue ended and the scene of Ginzo's daily life appeared in the reading, Yasta had to deliver his lines.
He murmured his set dialogue as if talking to himself. It was Ginzo's office scene.
At that moment, even Chairman Hideki, who knew nothing about acting, could feel it.
"Clearly different. Even someone like me, who knows almost nothing about acting, can tell the level of these two actors is different. Actor Yasta is doing a fixed, conventional kind of performance."
The gap between Kang Woojin and the top Japanese actors was considerable. It might not have stood out without direct comparison, but in a drama centered around Kang Woojin's Kiyoshi, the difference became impossible to miss. At that moment, the Japanese actors were being overshadowed by a rookie Korean actor.
At the same time, Choi Sunggeon, sitting behind Kang Woojin, noticed it too.
'Their acting feels too unnatural. With the Japanese actors, the sense of "I'm acting" is too strong. The exaggerated emotional expression, the overly heightened line delivery, the awkward eye work… all of it.'
Why had Director Kyotaro been so obsessed with Kang Woojin? What problem had he seen in the Japanese acting world, and why had he wanted to shake up the Japanese content market?
'Maybe they don't notice it when they're only around each other, but once Woojin goes wild right in front of them like this, whether they like it or not, they're forced to realize something's missing.'
Through Kang Woojin, the master Japanese director Kyotaro wanted to send one message to all Japanese actors.
You have stagnated.
He wanted them to watch this film, wake up, and learn.
In fact, while scanning the Japanese actors and marveling at the contrast, Director Kyotaro muttered to himself,
"Just a few months ago, this actor was learning alone in obscurity, and only now, after such a long time, has the world begun to recognize him. All of you must be feeling something when you see that."
Misreading the gap only worked in his favor.
And so.
"It keeps shrinking until it disappears."
With the script reading well underway, Director Kyotaro quietly murmured as he reviewed the flow of the whole reading.
"Let's take a short break."
A few minutes later, the script reading for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was given a break of about twenty minutes. But not a single actor left their seat. Kang Woojin did not move either. The atmosphere was strange. Most of the actors pretended to look at their scripts while stealing glances at Woojin, who sat there wearing an indifferent expression.
The reporters and roughly one hundred staff members were busy murmuring among themselves.
Meanwhile, Choi Sunggeon was outside the hall taking a call. His face was serious.
"I see. All right. I'll review the proposal you sent by email carefully. Yes, thank you."
Click.
After hanging up, Choi Sunggeon lowered his phone and frowned.
"Tsk."
The result did not seem to be what he had hoped for.
In truth, the person he had just spoken to was an investor connected to bw Entertainment's expansion. The project had been in motion for quite some time, and Choi Sunggeon had been meeting with various investors, including corporations. bw Entertainment was still a small and relatively new company, but it had top actress Hong Hyeyeon and, above all, Kang Woojin, who had exploded in popularity ever since his debut.
That alone had drawn the attention of numerous investors.
CEO Choi Sunggeon had long felt the need to expand the company and had been working steadily toward that goal. At last, the opportunity for investment had become a reality.
But the problem was this.
'Every one of them wants to interfere.'
All of the promising investors came with conditions that involved management interference. Of course, they phrased it politely and indirectly, but in the end they were all saying the same thing. They wanted to leave Choi Sunggeon as a nominal CEO while tightening their grip from behind the scenes. They might not show it openly at first, but it was obvious they would reveal their true intentions in time.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Having seen and experienced every kind of situation in the entertainment industry, Choi Sunggeon knew that better than anyone. That was why he had tried to avoid management interference at all costs, but what those people truly wanted was control of bw Entertainment itself.
He let out a long sigh.
'Hyeyeon and Woojin. bw Entertainment is too small to properly support both of them. We absolutely need to expand if we want broader management, and we can't keep relying on just the two of them. Finding new talent matters too.'
It was right then.
"Excuse me."
A firm woman's voice cut in. It was Japanese. Slightly startled, Choi Sunggeon turned around. Standing behind him was a woman in a suit, her long hair neatly tied straight back. It was Lily Tetsugawa, chief secretary to Chairman Hideki Yoshimura. Choi Sunggeon recognized her face immediately.
A few hours earlier, he had seen her standing behind Chairman Hideki Yoshimura.
He gave a small nod and greeted her in awkward Japanese.
"Ah, yes. Please, go ahead."
Lily answered slowly but clearly.
"Would you spare me a moment?"
"You mean me?"
"Yes. You're Choi Sunggeon, correct?"
"That's right."
After the awkward exchange, Lily turned slightly and gestured politely with one hand. It was a signal for him to follow. Choi Sunggeon was a bit flustered, but he followed her anyway.
──────────
They passed the script reading hall for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice and arrived at a staff-only room at the end of the corridor. Lily stepped ahead, knocked on the door, and opened it. The room looked like an office space for staff, and the interior came into view at once.
A five-seat sofa stood in the center.
"Ah."
Choi Sunggeon's eyes widened slightly. The reason was simple. Sitting across from the sofa was Hideki Yoshimura, chairman of the Kashiwa Group, his brows as white as snow. Beside him sat a man in a suit. Lily, who had led Sunggeon there, gestured for him to sit on the sofa next to Chairman Yoshimura.
"Please, sit."
The fact that he was suddenly being asked to sit in front of the head of a major Japanese conglomerate only made Choi Sunggeon more flustered. Even so, he did his best to keep his face composed and sat down. Then Chairman Hideki Yoshimura, wearing a faint bitter smile, opened his mouth.
"Impressive."
The suited man sitting opposite translated Chairman Yoshimura's words into Korean. Realizing he could probably speak Korean, Choi Sunggeon looked at the chairman and asked,
"What do you mean?"
"Actor Kang Woojin. The performance I just saw was the first of its kind in my life."
"Ah, thank you."
"It was a genuinely fresh shock. Ha, if only my grandson could imitate even a little of Kang Woojin."
"Excuse me?"
"It's fine. More importantly, yes. I saw potential in Kang Woojin. Not only in his acting, but in his value as well."
Chairman Hideki Yoshimura spoke leisurely, then signaled to Lily. She handed Choi Sunggeon a transparent document folder. The chairman explained,
"It's a proposal."
"······What kind?"
"Our Kashiwa Group is considering using actor Kang Woojin as an advertising model for several of our subsidiaries."
The moment Choi Sunggeon opened the folder, his eyes widened. It was a proposal written in Korean. Department stores, food brands, and several other categories of advertising were listed inside. What is this? He was genuinely thrown off. It was not unheard of for Korean celebrities to film commercials in Japan, but it was hardly common either.
And this proposal had come from the Kashiwa Group.
The abruptness of it was staggering.
'What is this… out of nowhere, without any lead-up at all?'
Had Chairman Hideki Yoshimura really decided to push something this significant after meeting Kang Woojin for the first time today? The proposal was so sudden that Choi Sunggeon almost wondered if it was some kind of joke.
Right then.
"A few days ago, I read an article from Korea."
As though that were only the beginning, Hideki Yoshimura's aged voice continued.
"It said Kang Woojin's contract period is nearing its end. Is he planning to move?"
At that, Choi Sunggeon concluded that Chairman Yoshimura had taken a direct interest in Kang Woojin. Judging that some larger intent must be involved, he responded firmly.
"The part about his contract period is correct. But there will be no move."
"······Then does that mean Kang Woojin will continue with bw Entertainment?"
"That's right."
After hearing that answer, Chairman Hideki Yoshimura stared at Choi Sunggeon's eyes for a brief moment. His face was deeply lined with wrinkles, yet there was still the presence of a giant in his gaze. Then, all at once, he smiled and made a quiet but loaded offer.
"I heard bw Entertainment is planning a business expansion."
"I'd like to invest personally. What do you think?"