Director Ahn Gabok's tone was calm, but the core production team behind Leech looked visibly stunned.
"Are you… are you considering Kang Woojin as a judge?"
The staff all flinched at once. They glanced at one another, then turned to stare at Director Ahn at the head of the U-shaped table.
"Kang Woojin as a judge?"
"If it were Senior Shim Hanho, that would be one thing, but Woojin feels a bit…"
"Are you serious, Director?"
"Casting Kang Woojin as the lead in Leech was already groundbreaking enough. I know his acting is incredible, of course, but having him judge auditions too feels like a bit much."
Most of them looked confused and unsettled. It was understandable. Kang Woojin had overturned the domestic entertainment industry despite being only in his first year since debut, and even so, bringing him into actor auditions for Leech was an extreme move.
Director Ahn Gabok, meanwhile, simply sat there with his arms crossed and a wrinkled smile on his face.
"Is it really that strange?"
At his question, the key staff blinked. The film company CEO seated beside him answered first.
"It's not strange exactly, but it changes the meaning of the process, doesn't it? This isn't an audition for extras or one-scene roles. We're talking about a casting audition for lead and supporting roles."
"I know."
"The actors participating won't be rookies. Most of them will be top-tier A-listers or veterans. For those actors to be judged by Kang Woojin…"
"So what you're saying is there wouldn't be much pushback if it were someone like Shim Hanho. The actors auditioning would accept it more easily too, since he has the name value."
"That's what I think."
"That much is true. A judge should carry authority people recognize. But that matters most in ordinary circumstances. So then, what do you think my standard is for choosing judges for Leech?"
"That would be…"
"To me, the most important things are the film's quality and the synergy with the two actors already confirmed. In that case, is there really a problem with Woojin joining as a judge? He was cast as a lead before Shim Hanho, wasn't he?"
"..."
The film company CEO fell silent. So did the key staff. Even so, more than half of them still wore expressions that said they could not quite follow his thinking. Director Ahn scratched at his short white hair and let out a veteran's sigh.
"Hoo… so I'm the only one willing to take the risk. You're all still too focused on appearances. You watched me go all the way to Da Nang, Vietnam, just to cast Woojin. Why do you think I did that?"
"Director, that…"
"The basics are the core. I wanted to show the industry, no, all of you, that we need to throw away our fixed sense of status and our stale ways of thinking. How are we supposed to survive in a market that keeps changing if we don't? I've said this a hundred times already. A hundred. If we don't force ourselves to break our preconceptions, we'll just keep making the same films over and over."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Even then, Director Ahn spoke again.
"Who doesn't know those top actors have experience? But why do you think I'm holding auditions? It isn't because I doubt their acting. It's because Leech demands desperate commitment. I need actors who'll throw their lives into it."
"..."
In simple terms, he was talking about the actors' mindset.
"I've already lit a fire under them. But it's burning too quickly. We have to start soon because the shooting schedule is several times tighter than usual. That means we need to move even faster. If they aren't prepared to stake everything on it, how can they immerse themselves properly? In a situation like that, who has time to deal with someone acting proud or losing their mental footing?"
Amid the silence from the major staff, the film company CEO bowed his head slightly.
"I'm sorry, Director. I wasn't seeing far enough ahead."
"You, me, all of us—we've been too shortsighted to even correct ourselves properly. To be honest, I'd take an actor who can throw away their pride without hesitation a hundred times over one who's only a little better at acting. The one who can desperately endure is the better actor."
What he wanted had nothing to do with market value or image. He wanted someone with pure passion as an actor.
Put simply, he had no need for anyone who would already feel offended just by seeing Woojin sitting in the judge's chair.
Woojin, in that sense, was like a sieve. If an actor clung to pride or got dragged into meaningless competition over résumés, that mentality would eventually cause trouble on set. Director Ahn Gabok, now making his hundredth film, had seen that sort of thing far too many times.
Handling it was possible, of course, but even that time was precious.
At least, that was how Director Ahn saw it.
"Besides, I never said I was definitely making Woojin a judge. If he doesn't want to do it, I won't even consider it. But if he agrees, that would be excellent."
Then Director Ahn gave the room his final thought.
"Even if he just sits there silently, his aura alone will be enough."
──────────
Meanwhile, in Cheongdam-dong—
It was late morning. In front of a very large hotel, a red carpet had been laid out, and dozens of reporters surrounded it. At the end of the carpet stood a photo wall covered in luxury brand logos.
A famous luxury brand party was being held there. It was the kind of event usually thrown every year near the New Year.
Flashes burst nonstop.
Many celebrities and influencers arrived one after another under a storm of cameras. Each guest slowly walked down the red carpet, posed at the photo wall, and then gave a short interview to the waiting reporters.
"Jinju! Your outfit is really bold today!!"
"Really??"
Even in the middle of the chaos, security guards and event staff were stationed everywhere. Fortunately, the interviews with each celebrity or influencer did not last long.
Then—
"Kang Woojin is here!"
"Mr. Woojin!!"
The reporters clustered at the very end of the line suddenly shouted with excitement toward the actor who had just arrived. Kang Woojin appeared wearing a luxury suit, his hair neatly styled back. He had attended thanks to the tuxedo sponsorship a luxury brand had arranged for him at year's end.
The moment he appeared, the speed of the shutter clicks multiplied several times over.
"Mr. Woojin!! Over here, please!!"
Unlike the excited reporters, Kang Woojin kept a perfectly blank expression the entire time.
"..."
He walked slowly toward the photo wall. Standing before the logo-covered backdrop, he briefly raised a hand toward the dozens of reporters. He said nothing special, but inside, he was quietly suffering.
'Damn it, the flashes are killing my eyes.'
After the short but intense photo session ended, the reporters began firing questions at him.
"You're heading to Japan soon. How do you feel about it?"
Just then, a stir ran through the crowd of reporters, and a man in a cap suddenly shouted an unexpected question.
"Are you still in contact with Miley Kara?!!"
"Are you close with Kara? Personally too?"
Woojin kept his outwardly indifferent face, but inwardly tilted his head in confusion.
'What? Why are they suddenly bringing up Miley Kara?'
Unaware of what he was really thinking, the reporters rapidly increased the number of questions about Kara.
"Was Miley Kara mentioning you on The Jamie Show planned in advance?!"
"Mr. Woojin, you were mentioned on The Jamie Show! Did you see it???"
"What do you think about Kara calling you an alien?"
"Could you comment on how some overseas outlets have been covering you?"
The reason was simple. News had broken in Korea that the episode of The Jamie Show featuring Miley Kara had aired.
In Gifu—
No, more accurately, all over the internet—countless articles had already gone up about the American talk show where the global superstar mentioned Kang Woojin.
『[Major Issue] Miley Kara mentions Kang Woojin on The Jamie Show—how close are they really?』
『Miley Kara appears on hit American talk show The Jamie Show and says, "Kang Woojin is an alien"』
『Global superstar Miley Kara praises Kang Woojin on an American talk show after appearing on Kang Woojin's Alter Ego』
Several overseas outlets had already covered it, and edited clips from The Jamie Show featuring the Kang Woojin segment were spreading on YouTube.
『[Star Talk] Looking back on Kang Woojin's Jamie Show appearance and his eight award wins this year』
From the moment Miley Kara visited Korea and appeared only on Kang Woojin's Alter Ego, gossip and rumors had exploded. For a Korean actor who had not even entered Hollywood yet to be discussed on The Jamie Show was not something people could ignore. Kara had even spoken about him as if they were personally acquainted.
The actual airtime had not been very long, but the reaction from the Korean press was explosive.
『Is Hollywood top actress Miley Kara sending a signal? Rumors grow over Kang Woojin's possible Hollywood debut』
Of course, the rumor itself was nonsense.
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin's agency, BW Entertainment, was busy with something entirely different from the Miley Kara articles.
If you could call it good news, that was.
『[BW Entertainment, home to Kang Woojin and Hong Hyeyeon, must be making serious money—company relocating to a much bigger office]』
At the same time, they were finally putting their long-planned move into action. In truth, preparations had been moving forward gradually over the past few days, so the process itself was not especially dramatic. The new BW Entertainment office was still in Samseong-dong, but it was several times larger than before. It was now a two-story building, far more spacious than the old one. The number of employees had doubled, and several new teams had been formed.
Naturally, this was possible because of backing from a major Japanese corporation.
That expansion had been made possible by the investment from Yoshimura Hideki, chairman of Kashiwa Group. The details of the investment contract had been kept secret, and Hideki's personal influence had not been made public. Even so, it was confirmed that he had supported BW Entertainment.
You could say their situations had become linked.
In any case, BW Entertainment kept moving forward in step with its expansion. The company had grown, but so had the need to fill it. The most urgent task was securing more artists beyond Kang Woojin and Hong Hyeyeon.
The first actor BW Entertainment brought in was one of the top actresses in the industry, Lee Hanna.
『[Exclusive] Lee Hanna, formerly with GGO Entertainment, confirmed to have transferred to BW Entertainment!』
Her move had been planned ever since her days at GGO Entertainment. When Seo Guseop was pushed out, Choi Sunggeon and Lee Hanna had already come to an understanding. With that, BW Entertainment began actively recruiting actors. Because of the influence of Kang Woojin and Hong Hyeyeon, many domestic actors had started showing interest as well.
『[Entertainment+] Following Kang Woojin, BW Entertainment could discover another superstar rookie? Business expansion plans confirmed』
As Kang Woojin grew, BW Entertainment grew with him.
──────────
A few days later, on the 17th, at Gimpo Airport—
It was morning, and a large crowd had gathered near the airport entrance. Some wore long padded coats, others short ones, and many had thick jackets on. Airports were always busy, of course, but the people gathered there clearly seemed to be waiting for something specific.
The distinctive thing was that nearly all of them were holding cameras the size of cannons.
The reason was simple.
They were reporters.
That in itself was not especially unusual. Reporters flocking to airports happened all the time whenever celebrities or idols were expected to appear.
On top of that, male and female onlookers surrounded the reporters too.
"Wow, this is my first time seeing him in person."
"He's seriously handsome. Like, ridiculously handsome."
"Ahhh!! Oppa!! I'm from Kang's Heart!!"
But today, the reporters were especially excited.
The one they had gathered for was none other than Kang Woojin. Unlike the crowd of reporters and onlookers, he stood there in a black duffel coat with a calm expression. Behind him were Choi Sunggeon, who had recently been busy with BW Entertainment's expansion, along with dozens of company employees.
Today, Kang Woojin was leaving for Japan for the filming of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
He had originally been scheduled to depart on the 18th, but various small schedule changes had pulled it forward to the 17th. Because of that, Woojin had agreed to spend a short time with the press. In both Korea and Japan, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was already drawing plenty of attention.
Skipping the press entirely would not have been good for his image.
A moment later, after exchanging a few words with Choi Sunggeon behind him, Kang Woojin stepped forward.
Then he spoke to the gathered reporters in a low voice.
"Thank you. I'll take questions now."
At once, dozens of reporters raised their hands and hammered their shutters. Woojin pointed to one female reporter.
She immediately asked the question she had prepared.
"A few days ago Miley Kara mentioned you on The Jamie Show. Are the two of you close personally?"
"No, we aren't close."
"Since overseas outlets have started covering you, are you preparing anything for a Hollywood debut?"
"At the moment, there are no such plans."
After giving those short answers, Woojin pointed to another reporter with his hand raised. A male reporter adjusting his glasses shouted his question.
"I saw that filming for Island of the Missing has wrapped! When does full production for the main project begin?"
"That hasn't been finalized yet. As far as I know, the shoot is still ongoing."
The next question came immediately.
"You signed on as an ad model for the Japanese conglomerate Kashiwa Group! When is the shoot scheduled?"
"I think it'll become clear once the meetings are complete."
"Since beginning your ad model activities, have you received contact from other Japanese companies as well?"
"Not yet."
After a few more exchanges, Choi Sunggeon checked the time and informed the reporters,
"Sorry, but we need to board soon. We'll take just a few more questions and then wrap up."
The next question was about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
"You're the first Korean actor ever to appear in a live-action adaptation of writer Takikawa Akari's work. How do you feel?"
How do I feel? Honestly, it's just another project.
Woojin softened that truth into a more diplomatic answer.
"There isn't anything particularly uncomfortable about it. It's no different from any other project."
"And you're the only Korean actor appearing in the work of a legendary Japanese director. Do you feel any pressure?"
"No, not particularly."
Choi Sunggeon signaled that this would be the last question. A female reporter in a cap raised her voice.
"At the Blue Dragon Film Awards, you declared, 'This year it's Best New Actor, but next year I'll definitely claim Best Actor.' The cast of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is made up entirely of Japanese actors. With what kind of mindset are you approaching the filming?"
She seemed to be trying to connect it back to Blue Dragon, but Woojin responded without the slightest hesitation.
"My mindset is the same as it was at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. To me, it's all the same—whoever it is, wherever it is."
The moment Kang Woojin finished answering, Choi Sunggeon moved quickly. He led Woojin away, and dozens of BW Entertainment employees followed behind them. As he entered the airport, Woojin felt quietly satisfied with that final answer.
'Yeah, that was polite enough. I added just the right amount of edge too. Not bad.'
Some of the reporters who kept photographing his back immediately started shouting to one another.
"Ah! Yes, send that final quote exactly as he said it!"
Several were already calling their desks.
"Write this down word for word. 'My mindset is the same as it was at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. To me, it's all the same—whoever it is, wherever it is.'"
The mood spread in an instant.
"What does that even mean? He's basically saying he's going to crush the Japanese actors on the set of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice!"
"That's a Blue Dragon-style declaration all over again! No—this is a declaration of war! He's saying he'll overpower the Japanese cast with his acting!"
Naturally, the message became slightly exaggerated along the way.