Joseph Felton frowned as if he could not believe what he was seeing.
On the tablet in front of him were Kang Woojin's photos and his past career history. Beside him, however, the bald foreigner sitting calmly showed no reaction at all.
"Joseph, there's no way my investigation is wrong."
The bald man, Robert, sounded completely confident. And he had reason to be. This sort of research was routine for him. Working under the famous producer Joseph, tracking down actors was practically a basic skill. He had plenty of experience contacting actors from all over the world, from major Hollywood names to performers in Japan, China, India, and beyond.
There was no reason finding a Korean actor would be difficult.
Still, he added one more comment about Kang Woojin's unusual filmography.
"Understood. I've never seen a filmography like this before either, but I gathered the information through thorough research, from the Korean press to local industry sources, so it's accurate."
After hearing the explanation, Joseph, the tall Black man, met Robert's firm gaze for a moment before lowering his eyes back to the tablet.
'...What is this?'
He ran a hand over his short, tightly curled hair.
'This makes no sense.'
He had been in Hollywood for twenty years. He had already made a name for himself as a producer for more than ten of those years. A genuine veteran. Even to Joseph, this filmography felt completely foreign.
Could something like this even be possible?
'...Kang Woojin only started working this year.'
To begin with, the starting point of this Korean actor's career was already strange. He had begun acting earlier that year with minor roles in a short film and a drama.
In other words, Kang Woojin's acting career was barely a year old.
'Then that practically makes him a beginner.'
It was fair to call him a complete rookie. The entertainment systems in Korea and Hollywood obviously differed in scale, but the essence was the same. In Hollywood, rookie actors were almost invisible. Korea was probably similar. Usually, beginners like that had extremely sparse filmographies, one or two projects at most.
But Kang Woojin's résumé was absurdly crowded.
He had made an impression from the beginning, then moved straight into one project after another without a break. More than that, he had already landed lead roles in only a handful of works. If this information was true, he had risen to leading-man status in barely half a year.
Why? How?
And on top of that—
"No failures... at all."
According to Robert's summary, excluding the projects currently in progress, everything Woojin had participated in had been a success. One or two projects might succeed by chance, but for every single one of them to do well was hard to imagine.
'Is this what people mean by the Midas touch? That Netflix drama was a huge hit not just in Korea, but in Japan too.'
His entry into Japan had been almost seamless. What was more, he had been cast as the lead in a Japanese blockbuster film. After that, all of the Korean productions he joined were also lead-level roles.
No matter where Joseph looked, the filmography was packed with projects starring top-tier actors.
And yet Kang Woojin had achieved all of that in just one year, and the momentum was still building. It was no wonder it was hard to believe even while looking right at it.
Soon, Joseph Felton slowly lowered the tablet.
──────────
At the same time, he recalled the Kang Woojin he had met earlier.
'I thought he'd been in the field for at least five years. No, probably longer than that.'
It had been a hasty assumption. Just then, the famous producer Joseph began sorting through his thoughts. Still sounding unconvinced, he asked Robert, who was sitting beside him,
"Then what about his English, his acting, and his martial arts skills?"
"I don't know."
"He's only been active for a year... so how could he create that kind of tension so naturally? Learning technical skills is one thing, but showing them that way in front of everyone is a completely different matter. And yet that actor overwhelmed veteran Chinese actors and even won a role in Director George's project."
After Woojin had left the audition room, Joseph Felton had asked Gary Peck, the stunt coordinator who had seen Kang Woojin opposite the others, for his impression. Gary had answered immediately. In terms of martial arts, Kang Woojin's movements were professional-level, and Director George would regret losing him. The assumption behind that comment had been obvious: that Woojin must have been doing this for a long time.
Would Gary's eyes go wide if he saw this report?
"And he's not even that old. He's only in his twenties."
The circumstances of Kang Woojin's audition had already been confirmed through the casting director. Of course, luck had played a part. But the acting and martial arts Woojin displayed that day were not luck. For a rookie actor in his twenties with barely one year of experience to possess that level of skill was almost impossible to believe.
"Then how did he have the nerve to turn down a Hollywood role?"
Why had he carried himself with that kind of top-tier energy and composure? Even though it had only been a brief meeting, Joseph had been completely drawn in by Kang Woojin. More accurately, captivated. The steadiness that did not waver under outside pressure, the dignified bearing and attitude, the confidence radiating from his skill, the aura pouring out of that overwhelming ability, even that extraordinary energy that seemed to promise an explosive future.
Those were the kinds of qualities often seen in people at the very top of Hollywood.
Joseph had no answer. The more he studied the report, the deeper he sank. Then, after stopping for a moment, he casually asked Robert,
"Is it possible this actor, Kang Woojin, worked in Hollywood in the past under a different name?"
It was plausible enough.
"That English is at a native level. If he worked here as a child and then returned to Korea for some reason, wouldn't that explain it?"
Robert nodded first.
"That's possible. But if he changed his name and worked under another identity, it'll be difficult to track down. The same goes for finding his earlier projects. It would take quite a bit of time."
"...Hmm. No, there's no need. If all he did was theater work, it would be nearly impossible to trace anyway."
But instead of easing Joseph's doubts, that only made his own theory feel more convincing. On top of that, his interest in Kang Woojin rose even higher.
"Ha. I've never seen an actor this mysterious, this inexplicable, this monstrous."
Not just Kang Woojin's acting, but Kang Woojin himself as an actor felt fresh and unique. While stroking his chin, Joseph lowered his gaze to the tablet once more. This time, a string of familiar directors' names caught his attention.
'Kwon Gitaek, Tanoguchi Kyotaro, and Director Ahn Gabok.'
All of them were directors who had made names for themselves at the three major international film festivals. Joseph remembered seeing them accept awards more than once. Among them, Director Ahn Gabok was someone Joseph had personally met and become acquainted with. He was a director with a strong reputation on the international festival circuit and one who was respected even in Hollywood.
──────────
Joseph operated the tablet and carefully reviewed the information related to Director Ahn Gabok.
'Kang Woojin was cast in the lead role for Director Ahn Gabok's 100th film. The project is aiming for Cannes next year.'
He stared at it for several dozen seconds.
The large Black man, Joseph, kept looking down at the tablet for a while, then seemed to make up his mind and asked Robert beside him,
"Robert, are Korean winters very cold?"
Meanwhile, in Korea—
On the morning of the 19th, articles poured out about the global superstar Miley Cara, who had left the country the day before.
'What did Miley Cara think of Korea? The global star waves to reporters and fans at the airport after wrapping up her schedule in Korea.'
'[Star Issue] Miley Cara appears solo on Kang Woojin's YouTube channel during her visit to Korea... did the two already know each other beforehand?'
'Kang Woojin, the YouTuber with 8 million subscribers, leaves netizens saying, "I'm curious about the content he filmed with Miley Cara!"'
At the same time, the film-industry press was busy with festival coverage after an official announcement from the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
'[Official] This year's Blue Dragon Film Awards to open on December 23... organizers say, "Please look forward to a grand event."'
The breadcrumbs were being scattered everywhere.
'[Entertainment] Blue Dragon Film Awards nominations revealed, which film received the most nods? Drug Dealer, which surpassed 7 million viewers.'
'Shim Hanho, Kim Sinhye, Jin Jaejun, Song Gangseong, Hwang Deokhui... who will take home Best Actor and Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards?'
'This year's Blue Dragon Film Awards to open in grand fashion at the luxury resort hotel Paradise S City.'
Using information posted on the official Blue Dragon and Grand Bell Awards websites, reporters rapidly pushed out articles. The purpose was simple: with awards season right around the corner, they wanted to stir up attention.
'Kang Woojin of The King of Troubles earns simultaneous Best New Actor nominations at both the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards.'
'[Film Festival] Sweeping year-end awards in his debut year? Attention fixed on Kang Woojin, the actor chosen by Director Ahn Gabok.'
In any case, carried along by the year-end atmosphere, the major film awards began announcing their official dates one after another. The Blue Dragon Awards went first, followed by the Grand Bell Awards.
'[Official] Following the Blue Dragon Film Awards, the Grand Bell Awards will also be held... December 26, after Christmas!'
The Blue Dragon Film Awards would be held on the 23rd, and the Grand Bell Awards on the 26th. In other words, both ceremonies would wrap up within roughly a week. Naturally, Kang Woojin was already confirmed to attend both.
'Kang Woojin, currently the busiest actor around, set to attend every major film festival in his debut year.'
'The effort film festivals are putting into securing Kang Woojin this year... the year-end atmosphere feels very different.'
As the film-awards buzz intensified, the terrestrial broadcasters reacted immediately.
"The film awards are relying on publicity and 기사 placements anyway, so let's dress everything up nicely!"
"We're not going to throw out bait articles about the nominated candidates!"
"Hey! We can at least announce the dates early, right?!"
"Understood!"
Although the ceremonies all started around the same time, ratings depended on anticipation and public interest, so the major terrestrial networks, SBC, MBS, and KBC, jumped into their own promotional competition.
'[Issue] Broadcasting industry announces consecutive drama awards dates... SBC on December 30, MBS and KBC on the 31st.'
'Which network among SBC, MBS, and KBC will take first place in ratings during the drama awards on the 30th and 31st?'
Only the SBC Drama Awards would begin on December 30, while MBS and KBC would hold theirs on the 31st. Awards for entertainment and variety programs still seemed unrelated to Kang Woojin for now.
Even so—
'Will Kang Woojin attend the broadcasting awards? bw Entertainment states, "Kang Woojin will only attend the SBC Drama Awards and the KBC Drama Awards."'
Since Woojin had no work airing on MBS, he could not attend that ceremony, but his appearances at the SBC and KBC Drama Awards were already confirmed.
'Kang Woojin's chances of winning Best New Actor at both the SBC and KBC Drama Awards appear high.'
The drama-awards nominations had not been announced yet, but Kang Woojin was already being mentioned as a strong candidate for Best New Actor. If he ended up sweeping multiple year-end awards,
'Blue Dragon, Grand Bell, SBC, KBC... monster rookie Kang Woojin now has a strong chance of becoming a four-time Best New Actor winner.'
That would mean at least four trophies.
Sunday the 20th. Buyeo.
It was morning. Kang Woojin's van came to a stop in the familiar parking lot of the large set complex. It was the filming site for the drama Island of the Missing. It was around ten in the morning, but the wide parking lot was already full of vans, minibuses, and passenger cars.
Naturally, filming had started two hours earlier.
Soon, Kang Woojin stepped out of the rear seat of the van, dressed casually in a navy long padded coat. It was winter, but because the set was in a remote location and exposed to harsh wind, it felt even colder than usual. Woojin quietly zipped his coat up to his neck with his usual blank face.
'Whew, the weather's completely changed.'
It was cold. But that was fine. Kang Woojin's concept itself was like winter. Somehow his life had been turned upside down, but the season felt as though it had finally returned to its proper place. Seeing his breath come out white, Woojin was almost stunned.
'Is it because of the shoot? Time really does fly.'
Right then, Han Yejung, several stylists, and the broad-built Jang Suhwan came up behind him. For some reason, Choi Sunggeon was nowhere to be seen. Soon Jang Suhwan gestured and shouted,
"Let's go, hyung!"
Woojin answered in a low voice.
"Yeah."
As Kang Woojin and his team slowly started moving, the stylists carrying hand warmers asked him,
"Oppa! Aren't you cold? Want a hand warmer?"
"Huh?! Oppa, you don't have any in your pockets?"
"Absolutely not!! Your body is way too precious!!"
In an instant, they rushed over, stuffed hand warmers into the pockets of his long padded coat, and shoved a few more into his hands. Around then, at the entrance to the set, the assistant director of Island of the Missing—
"Ah!! Mr. Woojin!!"
—and several staff members came running as if they had not seen him in years. While doing that, the assistant director shouted into the walkie-talkie,
"Kang Woojin has just arrived!!"
That was how Kang Woojin stepped back into the set of Island of the Missing, slipping in among the staff. The filming crew had gathered in front of one of the buildings, and when Woojin approached, the lead actors in military uniform greeted him with broad smiles.
It all began with the ever-energetic Jeon Woochang.
"Hahaha! You're finally here! Our Kang-star is back! Don't tell me you came back even stronger?"
Kim Iwon followed right after him.
"Wow, it's only been a few days, but your aura got upgraded again?? As expected from someone chosen by Director Ahn Gabok!"
Filming paused briefly, and dozens of staff members greeted Kang Woojin warmly. Ryu Jungmin, who had taken off his helmet and walked over, gave Woojin a thumbs-up.
"Weren't you supposed to be off filming Our Dining Table? The moment you left, the whole country got turned upside down."
Woojin quietly greeted the actors and staff, then lowered his voice when he saw Ryu Jungmin.
"Things just happened."
At that, the tall Ha Yura, whose face was covered in heavy injury makeup, laughed beside Ryu Jungmin.
"I saw you save Hwarin. When did you learn martial arts like that?"
The atmosphere heated up instantly. Just then, the man sitting in front of the monitor stood up as if it were nothing. It was Director Kwon Gitaek, wearing his usual likable expression.
He smiled at Woojin.
"You've worked hard."
Normally a man of few words, Kang Woojin bowed politely.
"I'm back, Director."
Director Kwon Gitaek continued in a gentle tone.
"You set off quite a few bombs in that short time, didn't you?"
"It wasn't intentional."
"So it seems."
Kang Woojin had finally returned to Island of the Missing. Director Kwon Gitaek smiled lightly, but there was unmistakable seriousness beneath it.
"Is it time for us to get moving now?"