Expressionless? Kang Woojin's face was definitely expressionless at that moment. He was simply staring at the goddess before him—no, top actress Hong Hye-yeon.
"······"
His mind was calm. Incredibly serene. But this wasn't true peace. His thoughts had simply frozen from the unexpected situation.
'…What?'
Kang Woojin had stiffened the moment Hong Hye-yeon appeared. Naturally, this showed his usual persona. Who wouldn't freeze when a goddess suddenly appears?
"Not surprised at all? By the way, can I do Exorcism?"
She wanted to make a short film.
'Ah, wait a second. What's happening right now?'
Why would the lead actress of a popular drama come here to film a short movie? If there had been some hint, it would have made sense, but Hong Hye-yeon offered no explanation. In fact, Woojin hadn't really spoken with her before.
'Is something weird happening again?'
Kang Woojin finally got his stalled brain moving. Things were escalating. Much bigger—thousands of times—than when Director Shin Dong-chun had turned everything upside down before.
At that moment, he heard Hong Hye-yeon laugh.
"Woojin, aren't you too calm? Did you expect I'd do Exorcism?"
No, not at all. Kang Woojin didn't speak; the shock hadn't worn off yet. Worried he might say something wrong, he just shook his head.
-Swoosh.
Hong Hye-yeon tilted her head slightly and asked again.
"But why are you so calm? It's boring. I thought you'd be surprised this time."
He was surprised. Truly. He could honestly admit that. Soon, Woojin managed a low voice.
"I was surprised."
"Funny, you have no expression."
By this point, Kang Woojin was thinking hard about why this goddess was here. Then, something suddenly came to mind, and he murmured,
"Did PD Song Man-woo happen to mention it?"
Director Shin Dong-chun and PD Song Man-woo were close. If there was any connection to Hong Hye-yeon, that would be it. Right or wrong, Hong Hye-yeon laughed and brushed her long hair back.
"Half-right."
Smells good… Ah, no. Kang Woojin suddenly snapped back to reality. The first thing he needed to do was to confirm.
"...So you really want to do Exorcism?"
"I said so. Is that not okay?"
"If it's a joke."
"It's not? I may seem playful all the time, but I'm busy. Where would I have time for jokes?"
Even when complaining, she seemed like a goddess. Anyway, if she agreed, that was a win. He was incredibly grateful. Kang Woojin's reputation had skyrocketed around him, but he was still just an ordinary citizen.
Yet this ordinary man was going to include Hong Hye-yeon in his work.
'Combat power increased a millionfold.'
In an instant, Kang Woojin's passion surged.
"If you want to do it, I think it's okay."
"Yeah, deal?"
Meanwhile, Director Shin Dong-chun was watching the conversation between Woojin and Hong Hye-yeon, dumbfounded.
"······Ah."
He covered his face with one hand and spoke.
"Um, Hye-yeon, sit down first."
But Hong Hye-yeon shook her head.
"No, I have to leave right away for my next schedule. Ah, PD Dong-chun, long time no see. I'm greeting you now."
"Ah… yes. Long time. But, Hye-yeon, are you really going to do Exorcism? Sorry, it's hard to believe."
"Yes, I want to."
Hong Hye-yeon, answering briefly, placed the bundle of papers she had brought on the desk. It was the Exorcism scenario.
"I've already read the scenario several times. If the director is okay with it, I want to play the role of 'the wife'."
"Hye-yeon… do you really understand? That wife role isn't the lead; it's a supporting character, and this Exorcism is just a short film."
"Yes, yes. I know. Besides, isn't this film going to be submitted to the 'Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival'?"
"······Huh? How did you know that?"
Hong Hye-yeon smiled with her eyes and shrugged.
"Our capable CEO told me."
"Hold on a minute."
Perhaps overwhelmed by everything happening at once, Director Shin Dong-chun sank helplessly into his chair. Then, a sudden thought struck him, and he locked eyes with Hong Hye-yeon again.
"Ah! But Hye-yeon's appearance fee… I can't afford it."
"I know that too."
Hong Hye-yeon murmured quickly and pulled a business card from her blue jacket pocket, handing it directly to Director Shin Dong-chun.
Her smile deepened.
"But don't worry, we are the investors, aren't we?"
"Huh? You're the investors?"
Director Shin, trailing off, checked the business card.
-bw Entertainment
-CEO Choi Sung-gun
The card had Hong Hye-yeon's agency and CEO written on it. Looking at it, Director Shin Dong-chun looked up again.
"Ah, CEO Choi."
"You know him, right?"
"Of course. It'd be stranger if I didn't. But does bw handle investment too?"
"Yes. You can proceed by contacting the CEO directly."
Things were moving at breakneck speed. Kang Woojin just watched with a poker face. He didn't fully understand what was happening but decided to remain silent. Noticing it was time to leave, Hong Hye-yeon paused at the door.
"Oh, and Director Dong-chun. Please keep it a secret that I'm joining, and anything else about me. Ideally, until the work is submitted."
She grabbed the door handle, then suddenly turned to Kang Woojin.
"But why Exorcism, of all things?"
He had heard a similar question somewhere before. So Woojin gave the same firm answer as he had back then.
"Intuition."
"Intuition? Ha! You're really strange. You know that, right? A bit of a weirdo?"
"Perhaps."
Hong Hye-yeon, with a slightly incredulous expression, murmured softly as she left the office.
"Well, I'll see when I watch it. I'll be in touch."
-Thunk.
As soon as the door closed, Director Shin Dong-chun rushed to Kang Woojin.
"What on earth! Woojin! You didn't know either, did you?!"
But.
"....."
Kang Woojin remained silent with a firm expression. This wasn't just for show.
He was simply surprised by Hong Hye-yeon's words:
"'I'll be in touch?'"
Later that afternoon, in Kang Woojin's studio apartment.
Due to the sudden morning incident, Kang Woojin lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Various thoughts crossed his mind, but most prominently, Hong Hye-yeon, whom he had met that morning.
He was clearly happy. So was Director Shin Dong-chun. But he couldn't shake the feeling of walking in a dream.
"So, does this mean I'll be working on two projects in a row with Hong Hye-yeon?"
At this point, Kang Woojin thought of his friend Kim Dae-young. What would he think? Would he be seriously shocked? As Woojin indulged in these thoughts, he suddenly got up.
One thing was certain.
"I can't just sit still."
Kang Woojin's motivation and fighting spirit flared more than the day before. He held the official script for Profiler Hanryang Part 1 received yesterday. The cover was lavender, with the title written in brush-style white letters.
"So, this is the official script—it looks different."
Unlike the pile of papers, the official script had a certain excitement to it. At least, Woojin felt that now.
"Ah, I'll be holding this on the shooting set, won't I?"
He began to imagine himself looking at the script on set, with numerous staff running around. This gave him a sense of realism.
-Whoosh.
He smiled slightly and lightly tapped the black square next to the script. Immediately, Woojin was sucked into the void.
An endless space of darkness.
The feeling of infinite void was still the same. Except for a slight fear, Kang Woojin was calm now. Naturally, he had visited this place several times.
"Let's see—"
Woojin turned to the floating white squares. Interestingly, the number of squares had significantly decreased.
Now, only three were visible.
Normally, there should've been more. The reason was simple: Woojin had discovered the delete function. Just select the unnecessary square and shout "delete," and it disappears.
It was like the exit command.
Woojin, who liked tidiness, quite liked this function. Easier to see, cleaner.
Anyway.
-Whoosh.
He checked the three remaining white squares:
-[1/Scenario (Title: Exorcism), B grade]
-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), A grade]
-[3/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), A+ grade]
Soon he muttered, as if expected:
"As I thought. It separates drafts and official scripts."
It was about Profiler Hanryang. Until yesterday, there had been only two squares in Woojin's virtual space. Now, a third appeared.
In other words, the official script for Part 1 was listed.
Thus, the answer was simple. The draft bundle and the official script were separate. Of course. The content was the same, but slight modifications—like tone—went into the official script.
At this point.
"Huh?"
Looking at the new square, Woojin noticed something different.
-[3/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), A+ grade]
It was the grade at the end.
"A+? A plus?"
The original draft was just A. But the official script had a + added. In other words, the grade was higher.
"A+ above A? Then what's above that, A++? Or S grade?"
Whatever it was, it was a new discovery. He had never seen A+ before but focused on something else.
"So the grade isn't fixed?"
It could change. Not strange. Creating a work involves many stages and modifications. So why was the official script grade higher?
Better quality? Slight modifications?
Either way, a higher grade was a green light. Lower would be a problem, higher—no worries. Woojin pondered and turned to what he would do next.
"I should read (experience) all of it if possible."
Experiencing all the characters in the official script of Profiler Hanryang Part 1. Ideally, all of them. Including Park Dae-ri.
This was practice for Kang Woojin.
"My goal is to master all characters."
Not just Park Dae-ri's perspective, but all male characters' viewpoints. This would enhance comprehension.
"I lack knowledge in this area. To keep up with these top actors, I need something."
Woojin didn't know this was essential for script analysis and acting improvement. It was simply his layman conclusion.
So Kang Woojin:
-[You have selected 3/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1)]
-[Listing characters available for reading (experience)]
-[A: Yu Ji-hyeong, B: Jung Sang-min, C: Bae Se-jun… E: Park Dae-ri]
First, he chose the male lead.
["Preparing to read 'A: Yu Ji-hyeong'…"]
Soon:
["…Preparation complete. This is a highly finished script. Implementation rate 100%. Starting reading."]
Woojin was sucked into Yu Ji-hyeong's world, not Park Dae-ri's.
Two days later.
Late morning, disheveled Woojin rubbed his eyes on the way to the bathroom.
-♬♪
His phone rang loudly. At first he thought it was an alarm, but it wasn't. It was Director Shin Dong-chun. Woojin slightly tilted his head and answered. No need to clear his throat.
-Whoosh.
Just waking up, his voice was deep and husky.
"Yes, Director."
Meanwhile, Director Shin's voice was cheerful.
"Woojin! Haha, I need you to come with me somewhere in a few hours, like a late lunch!"
"Where?"
"You'll see! Do you have plans?"
Plans? Not really. But showing he's free could hurt his persona. Woojin pretended to think.
"Hmm, lunchtime might be tight. How about 3 PM?"
"Okay, see you then."
A few hours later.
The day had warmed up. Woojin, still in his padded jacket, stepped out and walked a bit. Director Shin Dong-chun was smiling on the roadside.
"Woojin! Get in!"
Behind him, a black van was parked.
"Hahaha, borrowed it long-term, necessary."
Feeling good being picked up, Woojin imagined his future manager as he got in. Director Shin quickly took the driver's seat.
-Vroom!
The van sped onto the highway. Meanwhile, Director Shin chatted non-stop in the passenger seat.
"We managed to secure investment cleanly, hahaha. Hye-yeon is truly a benefactor."
The new investor was bw Entertainment. Film company, actors, all cast quickly. Woojin nodded along. About two hours later:
-Screech!
They arrived in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Woojin stepped out, seeing only a large villa ahead.
"Ah."
He recognized it immediately.
"That villa."
"It looks exactly like the villa in Exorcism," said Director Shin with a happy smile.
"Yes. This villa is the main filming location for our Exorcism."
Two-story building, living room with large windows, deserted road, forested mountain behind—the slightly eerie atmosphere matched the film's villa.
A few steps closer, Director Shin explained:
"We couldn't afford a set. Budget is tight. Most short films are the same."
I see. How did they find such a similar villa? Woojin wondered. Shin added:
"I found it during early script work, kept it in mind, and booked once investment was ready."
The elderly owners graciously allowed them to use it.
-Swoosh.
Suddenly in front of Woojin, Shin showed a white document bag and spoke confidently:
"Woojin, investors and film company sorted. Rest of the actors can be cast without problem. Hye-yeon too."
"Relief."
"All thanks to you, Kang Woojin."
"What did I do?" Woojin thought. Director Shin, eyes slightly red, handed him the document bag.
"Now only one main actor left for contract. Formal negotiation."
Woojin calmly accepted the bag. This confirmed his first lead role, even in a short film. Shin continued:
"Due to lack of time, script reading and main shooting may overlap. Shooting starts March 10, for five days."
Today was Friday, Feb 28. Ten days left. Suddenly, the shooting was near. Woojin muttered:
'Wow, nervous now that it's real.'
At that moment:
-Brrrr
Phone vibrated. A message. Woojin asked Shin for understanding, checked sender and content.
-From PD Song Man-woo
-[Script reading and MT schedule]
-[March 7 Sat ~ 8 Sun, 1 night 2 days]
Script reading for Profiler Hanryang was a week later.
And March 7 arrived.
『[StarTalk] Top actors join Profiler Hanryang, going on MT for script reading…leaving tomorrow』
It happened in the blink of an eye.