It was an emergency.
The first thing that came to Kang Woojin's mind was the bizarre scene around the food truck.
'What is this? What's going on here?'
No, that did not quite cover it. Whatever this was, it was strange. There was a line of Americans stretched out in front of the Our Table food truck. Something had clearly gone wrong. Woojin was flustered, but he forced himself to keep a composed expression.
Everyone else from Our Table, however, showed their shock and confusion openly.
"Why is the line so long?!"
"Did another food truck's line spill over to ours?!"
"No! The others aren't even open yet!!!"
"There are more than thirty people just from what I can see!!!"
Everyone except Kang Woojin was in full panic mode. Of course, the whole scene was being captured vividly by the mini-cams installed inside the vehicle, and the two VJs holding cameras were filming as well.
In the middle of it all, Ahn Jonghak, who had his hair neatly combed as usual, shouted at Ha Gangsu in the driver's seat.
"Gangsu! Just drive past it for now!"
"Should I really just keep going?"
"Yes, yes, just go! If we stop there, people are going to crowd around us!"
"Ah! Got it!"
Ha Gangsu drove past the food truck and parked on the shoulder a few hundred meters away. At the same time, everyone's eyes turned toward the rear window. The long line was still there. Fortunately, the Americans waiting in line paid no attention to the van at all.
They were only waiting for the food truck to open.
At that point, everyone, including Kang Woojin, became sure of it. Those people were waiting for Our Table, and something had definitely changed. Otherwise, none of this made sense. The day before, when they had opened for business, hardly anyone had cared. They had gotten customers during operating hours, of course, but there had been far more passersby than actual guests.
Trying to calm himself, Ahn Jonghak ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his phone.
"Are the staff around? PD Yoon, have you seen this?"
In the middle of the emergency, he hurriedly tried to call PD Yoon Byeongseon, but there was no need.
The van door suddenly slid open, and Yoon Byeongseon appeared, glasses on and a playful smile tugging at his mouth.
"With this many customers gathered, why aren't you opening up?"
Hwarin and Yeon Baekgwang almost shouted at the same time.
"Are we starting business right now?"
Then Ahn Jonghak, the nominal boss, joined in as well.
"How are we supposed to start filming in a situation like this? And who even are all these people? PD Yoon, do you know something?"
"Hyung, anyone can tell they're customers."
"That's exactly what I'm asking. Why are there customers here this early in the morning? They're even lining up."
"Well?"
"······You know something, don't you? Spit it out already."
Still grinning, Yoon Byeongseon finally revealed what he had been hiding behind his back.
"Take a look at this."
What he had brought into the van was a newspaper filled with English text. The unusual part was—
"Here, right here. See this? Our truck made the front page."
There, on the front page, was a very familiar photo.
It was the Our Table food truck.
Pointing at it with his index finger, Yoon Byeongseon began to explain.
"This is a local newspaper, and our truck got featured in an article. People were already gathering here early this morning, and when the article came out, I was shocked too. So I asked around, and this is what happened."
"······So we made the front page of a local newspaper."
"That's right. But the more interesting part is this."
Still smiling, Yoon Byeongseon looked toward Kang Woojin, who was staring down at the paper in silence.
"Woojin, do you remember that elderly couple from yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Of course. They were our first customers. But it turns out the grandfather is actually pretty well known around here."
Hong Hyeyeon, her long hair tied back, chimed in as well.
"Ah, I heard about that too. He runs a restaurant. He's a chef. I was surprised when I found out."
Apparently that was not the end of it, because Yoon Byeongseon jumped right back in.
"I looked into the restaurant, and it has one Michelin star. It's a very famous place around here."
"Michelin?!"
"Wow, no way! Then does that mean Woojin hyung got praised by a Michelin chef?!"
As Yeon Baekgwang started getting excited, Kang Woojin nearly joined in with a shoulder dance of his own. He barely suppressed the urge and lowered his voice as much as possible.
"Did that man spread the word? Is that how the article came out?"
"That's basically it. Remember how the chef gave us his contact information and told us to let him know when we opened? I talked to him, and he said that on his way home yesterday he recommended our food truck to people he knew. One of them happened to be a reporter from the local paper."
"Did that reporter come by our truck yesterday?"
"Exactly. But it's not just the paper. The article also went online. They even posted it on the newspaper's social media accounts."
"······"
Once he understood the situation, Woojin closed his mouth, but Yoon Byeongseon only grew more excited.
"With that kind of attention, of course people were going to flock here!"
Tapping the headline with his finger, Yoon Byeongseon flashed Woojin a bright smile.
"Woojin, you don't need to translate the whole thing. Just the title is enough."
"Even a Michelin one-star chef fell for Korean food. The taste of this Korean food truck was absolutely fantastic."
"Did you see the last part of the article? There's an interview with that old chef from yesterday."
Then, folding the newspaper, Yoon Byeongseon looked irritably at the still-dazed cast of Our Table.
"Huh? What are all of you doing still sitting here? We need to open. Are you really going to make the customers wait? You've been sitting here taking pictures of a closed food truck. You know what's going on now, so hurry up and go guide the guests."
"······"
"These people are only the beginning. It's only this many because we haven't opened yet. Once we do, even more will show up. Come on, let's move!"
At that moment, Kang Woojin remembered the silver-haired American grandfather from yesterday, smiling kindly at him. For some reason, that smiling face overlapped in his mind with Director Ahn Gabok's.
'······Why do all the old men around me, both in Korea and in America, love causing trouble so much? Why?'
Right then, he had a feeling.
Today, that food truck was going to turn into exactly one thing.
'Ah, I'm screwed.'
A train bound for hell.
──────────
A few hours later, in Korea.
It was early in the morning on the 10th. The place was an enormous mansion in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. At first glance, it looked like the kind of home a chaebol family would live in, but instead it was crowded with foreigners.
They were the entourage of the world-famous star Miley Kara, who had recently arrived in Korea.
Her team had rented the house.
Normally they would have stayed in a hotel, but for safety reasons the accommodations had been changed. Now on her third day in Korea, Miley Kara was still sound asleep, while her foreign staff bustled around preparing for the day's schedule.
As a result, the first-floor living room was busy.
Among the people there, one man stood out in particular. He was a large, broad-bodied foreigner with short hair, sitting on the sofa. He was Kara's manager. Around him, staff members of all shapes and sizes were busily reporting things to him.
At that moment, a skinny foreign man spoke up.
"Jonathan, but why is Kara interested in only 'Kang Woojin's Alter Ego' out of all the Korean YouTube channels?"
The short-haired manager crossed his arms, his muscles standing out.
"Who knows what goes on in Kara's head?"
He answered briefly, but his mind drifted back to a conversation from a few days ago.
It had happened on the plane, before they arrived in Korea. Kara had declared that she would only appear on Kang Woojin's Alter Ego, and the conversation had started while her short-haired manager was checking out the channel.
[Channel Name: Kang Woojin's Alter Ego]
[Subscribers: 7.88 million]
[Videos: 31]
The channel description was in Korean, with English and Japanese translations kindly provided below it. The channel was quite large, and naturally it had many overseas fans as well.
Anyway, while looking over Kang Woojin's Alter Ego, the manager raised his head and met Kara's blue eyes.
"Kara, this channel was on our original shortlist too."
Kara answered coolly.
"Then why was it left out? It wasn't on the list you showed me."
The short-haired manager explained right away.
"It definitely was in the initial research. The subscriber count is impressive, and the views per video are remarkable too."
"But?"
"There's a problem if we use it for promotion. The channel's main content is song covers. Sure, there are occasional videos where the channel owner interacts with subscribers, but…"
"More than ninety percent of the videos are cover songs?"
"Exactly. What we want is something that blends conversation, film promotion, and Kara's charm in the right way. We thought it would be better to contact channels built around that kind of format."
He was not wrong. No matter how many subscribers a channel had, if the concept did not match, the promotional effect would be limited.
"For reference, there are quite a few Korean channels around that size. Not many, but enough. What we want, or what the film studio wants, is a channel that promotes openly."
"Then find a way."
"······"
As usual, the short-haired manager scratched his head before continuing.
"Fine. First, I'll contact this channel and ask whether they can create content for us. If the channel owner is only interested in song covers, then we'll have to look elsewhere. Of course, since it's you, the channel owner might be willing to make something special just for us. But if the result doesn't satisfy us, we'll move on to another channel."
"Hm."
"This isn't something that gets solved just because you insist on it. We also have to consider your image and the position of the film studio."
"Of course. But did you know the owner of that channel is a Korean actor?"
"Naturally. I looked into that too, and honestly, that part worries me a little. It feels like he started it as a hobby and then got lucky enough for it to blow up."
"A hobby? That singing isn't just a hobby. And Kang Woojin? He may not be a professional singer, but I like him because we have something in common. He covered one of my songs beautifully. And judging by the videos, his English seems pretty good too."
Miley Kara kept speaking in her cool, even tone. Watching her, the manager gave a short laugh.
"You seem to watch that channel pretty often."
"Only sometimes. I like the voice of that actor, Kang Woojin. I'd like to see his real work as an actor too."
"······All right."
The short-haired manager sensed something and sighed again.
"So you want me to find one of that Korean actor's projects? One with English subtitles, obviously."
"Yes. I'm planning to watch it while I'm in Korea. And I want to know more about actor Kang Woojin too."
"Fine. Assuming you end up appearing on that channel."
The blonde Kara gave a faint smile.
"Thank you in advance, Jonathan."
That had been the end of it.
Recalling that smile now, the short-haired manager returned to reality, seated on the living room sofa.
Then he asked the foreign staff member beside him,
"How much research did we manage to do on this Korean actor Kang Woojin and the 'Kang Woojin's Alter Ego' channel?"
A freckled woman answered quickly.
"It was rushed, so I can't say it's perfect, but it should be enough for Kara."
She handed the tablet to the short-haired manager.
Then she added,
"But there's something strange about this Korean actor, Kang Woojin."
"Hm? Why? Did he commit some crime in the past or something?"
"Not at all. It's not like that. It's just that the more you learn about him, the more absurd his filmography feels. Take a look at the projects, Jonathan."
The manager stared at the tablet for a moment, then lowered his eyes to the screen. A brief research summary on Kang Woojin was displayed there, though the contents were anything but brief. Even accounting for the differences between Korea and Hollywood, Kang Woojin's overall filmography looked comparable to that of a veteran Hollywood actor.
Soon the short-haired manager stroked his chin in amazement.
"Wow. He's got a much stronger filmography than I expected. I've heard of Director Kwon Gitaek, and Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro too. So he's worked in Japan as well. Working with masters in Korea like that is incredible."
"And all the Korean projects he appeared in were major hits."
"And on top of that, he runs a YouTube channel that big. Could he actually be considered a top-tier YouTuber too?"
The freckled woman changed the mood in an instant.
"He achieved all of that in just one year after debuting."
At first the manager's face showed interest.
Then it turned to shock.
"W-what did you just say?"
──────────
Meanwhile, in the largest room on the second floor of the house—
The luxurious room lacked for nothing. Bed, TV, refrigerator, dining table, desk, sofa, bathroom. It was more than enough space for one person to live in comfortably.
A woman with long blonde hair was stretched out across the bed.
It was Miley Kara.
But she was not asleep. She was lying there watching TV.
More specifically, she was watching the Korean drama Profiler Hanryang on Netflix. English subtitles were on, of course, and the scene currently playing was Assistant Manager Park's interrogation scene.
Kara, looking somewhat cold as usual, could not take her eyes off Assistant Manager Park on the screen.
Why?
Because the acting of the Korean actor Kang Woojin, the man who ran Kang Woojin's Alter Ego, was far beyond what she had imagined.
'······Is that really him? It feels completely different from the cover videos.'
Just then, a knock sounded.
Knock knock.
Kara paused Profiler Hanryang, straightened her long blonde hair, and got up to open the door. Standing outside was her broad-built manager with the close-cropped hair.
"Yes, Jonathan?"
He handed her the tablet and spoke in serious English.
"Kara, look at this."
"What is it?"
"About Kang Woojin."
"Already?"
"There are a lot of interesting things about actor Kang Woojin. Before I explain, watch this video first."
Kara frowned and looked down at the tablet screen. Unsurprisingly, it was a video about Kang Woojin. After watching it for a while, confusion spread across her usually composed face. Without taking her eyes off the screen, she asked her manager,
"What is this? A scene from an action film?"
The short-haired manager shook his head.
"No. It's real. And it happened just a few days ago."
──────────
A few days later, on the 13th, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
It was late in the morning. The location was Hollywood, the heart of the film industry. The five-star Beverly Hotel, located in central Hollywood, radiated luxury from the entrance to the lobby, living up to its name with the impressive people filling the space.
But the atmosphere changed completely around the back.
The outdoor garden, styled almost like a beach, was full of leisure. Plenty of foreigners could be seen swimming in the pool or lounging in the sun.
On one of the many benches set out in the middle of that resort-like scene sat a man wearing sunglasses.
He had a round belly and looked strikingly like Santa Claus. His hair was somewhere between blond and white. He appeared to be relaxing comfortably, soaking up the sun.
Then it happened.
"Director."
A woman's voice reached the Santa-like man. Turning his head slightly, he saw a foreign woman in a suit with short brown hair. The moment he saw her, he leaned back again as if resuming his sunbathing.
"You're up early."
"Did you throw your phone into the pool?"
"Of course not. It's probably in a locker somewhere."
"Couldn't you at least stay where people can see you?"
"If the casting directors spot me, it'll just increase my workload."
The woman sighed and shook her head, but changed the subject.
"Just as you asked, we've continued keeping an eye on Asian actors."
"See? That's exactly why my workload keeps increasing."
"······As expected, there are a lot of martial artists from China."
"Makes sense."
"But do you remember that Korean actor you mentioned before?"
"Hm? Who was that again?"
"The one who stood out the most at the Korean Mise-en-scène International Film Festival. Actor Kang Woojin."
"Ah, yes. I remember."
"Recently, there's been something involving that actor—"
The short-haired woman stepped closer to the lounging Santa-like man and continued.
"There's an interesting video making the rounds on YouTube of him subduing a thug."