"Self-taught? Really?? Are you joking?"
The female staff member from the production team didn't give up hope. Surely, this was meant as a joke to lighten the heavy atmosphere in the hall. But Kang Woojin's answer came low and confident.
"Yes, I taught myself."
"Really? You're serious?"
"Yes, really."
The female staff member instantly covered her mouth with one hand, startled. She hadn't expected the word self-taught to come out. The dozens of people left in the hall were equally shocked.
Entertainment industry insiders, production staff, and journalists all began murmuring loudly.
"What did he just say?"
"Self-taught? He learned acting on his own?"
"Is that even possible? That must be a joke. We saw his acting—there's no way someone could do that just by teaching themselves."
"But… doesn't his expression look so serious?"
Of course, the actors, including Ryu Jung-min, were in a similar state of disbelief.
Among them:
'Self-taught? No… really self-taught???'
The male lead of the drama Profiler Hanryang, Ryu Jung-min, was completely shocked. Seeing Kang Woojin's intense performance only heightened the surprise. The veteran actors seated nearby also froze. Naturally, it was hard for anyone to believe.
All except one person.
-Swoosh.
The one who pulled out her phone was Hong Hye-yeon. Among the many actors present, she was the only one who reacted calmly. She already knew.
"Everyone must be shocked. I understand. Even I, who already knew, find it hard to accept."
Meanwhile, PD Song Man-woo and writer Park Eun-mi sat side by side at the square table. The two heavyweights didn't intervene—they simply observed.
The atmosphere in the vast hall reached a peak.
Kang Woojin's single word, self-taught, was enough to ignite a flood of misunderstandings and misconceptions. Explaining each one individually was impossible.
The protagonist of this entire incident, Kang Woojin, thought to himself:
'Calm down, Kang Woojin.'
He tried his best not to show emotion. He needed to maintain a cool demeanor to match the words self-taught.
'Control your expression. Control your expression.'
At first, this might have been just a smoke screen or excuse to hide embarrassment, but now, self-taught had become Woojin's trademark, and he had fully embraced this terrible persona. PD Song Man-woo and writer Park Eun-mi already knew the truth.
'It might sound arrogant, but I don't care. I already said it.'
Consistency was essential to maintain the character. At least, that's what Kang Woojin thought. Wavering would only make him look foolish. He might have made the wrong choice from the start, but now that he'd come this far, what else could he do?
Furthermore:
'It's not a lie, right? I did have a cheat code, but I taught myself. So I'm safe.'
In a sense, Kang Woojin's words weren't false. The period had been extremely short, but it was true that he had done it on his own. Repeating this thought, he comforted himself. The hall was full of top stars. He thought it might be better to take a counterattack quickly.
But:
'Ugh, I'm nervous. I should run away now.'
The sharp gazes of veteran actors and other seniors were intense. For Woojin, who came from a humble background, it was a heavy burden. He had been maintaining this composed appearance for half a day and was already exhausted. Eventually, he decided to escape.
-Toward the exit.
Woojin rose slowly from his seat with an expressionless face and bowed lightly to the staff ahead.
"I'm sorry, I'm not good at talking."
The production staff reacted awkwardly and stepped aside. At that moment, Woojin's mind held only one thought: move forward. The people left in the hall could only watch him leave.
Right then:
"Hey, Hong Hye-yeon."
Ryu Jung-min rose from his seat with a serious expression and approached Hong Hye-yeon.
"You knew, right? Kang Woojin came with you."
Hong Hye-yeon, preparing to leave, tossed her long hair back and replied:
"Yes. Sorry. The police chief told me to bring him along."
"Who is Kang Woojin? A staff member of your agency?"
"No."
"Do you know what he did before? Self-taught is meaningless."
"I don't really know either. He seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ask the police chief at the dinner table."
After answering appropriately, Hong Hye-yeon picked up a script and approached CEO Choi Seong-geon nearby. Keeping a respectful distance from Ryu Jung-min, Choi whispered to her in an excited voice:
"Ms. Hong Hye-yeon, what that man said earlier… it's true? About being self-taught?"
"Yes. Even if you used connections to check in the theater world, you wouldn't find anything. Acting was just a hobby for him. He even appeared in Super Actor for fun."
"Is this… really possible? Acting isn't a subject you just memorize. How did he do overseas performances?"
"I told you, his past is unclear. Who knows the situation… Anyway, let's talk in my room."
At that moment, everyone left in the hall was actively discussing Kang Woojin.
Meanwhile:
A few minutes earlier, Kang Woojin had exited the auditorium and was walking down the corridor with an expressionless face. With staff bustling by, he couldn't afford to let his guard down in what felt like a battlefield. Every step felt heavy due to the tension.
'Ah, I'm tired. I should go to my room and lie down.'
Having maintained his usual demeanor since morning, Woojin was extremely fatigued. His whole body felt like lead. He wanted meat, but he realized he needed to rest in his room for at least another hour.
As he crossed the lobby on the first floor:
"Woojin."
Someone called from behind. A man's voice. Turning around, a slightly chubby man appeared, wearing a gloomy smile.
"Hello. I was impressed by your performance as Deputy Park. At the script reading, you completely dominated the scene."
"Thank you."
"Who is this person?" Woojin scratched his head and answered absentmindedly. There were too many people for him to recognize him. Fortunately, the man handed Woojin a business card.
"I'm Nam-gu Kim, manager at BHM Entertainment."
Ah, an entertainment industry professional. Today's script reading had over twice as many industry insiders as actors. Kim smiled and continued:
"I have a lot of interest in you. Do you have an agency?"
"No, not yet."
"Oh, really?!"
Woojin nodded cynically, but inside, he was slightly excited.
'Wow, is this a famous scout or contact? Amazing.'
Unaware of Woojin's inner thoughts, Kim continued to hang on.
"Please! Contact me. After the reading, I want to talk at length at our company. Woojin, you're fascinating. Your unique aura, and the acting you just showed—amazing."
"Ah, yes."
"Haha, as you know, our BHM Entertainment…"
The chubby manager kept promoting his company. It seemed like a fairly large agency. For Woojin, who didn't know the market well, it was a boring story, but luckily the manager noticed his expression and finished quickly.
"Let's discuss in more detail at the company. Please contact me. With you, Woojin, we can offer better terms."
Woojin didn't know exactly what 'better terms' meant, but he nodded and put the card in his pocket.
"Yes, I'll think about it."
Immediately after finishing, Woojin moved again, eager to reach his room. But when he arrived at the elevator, things didn't go smoothly.
"Kang Woojin!"
Someone stopped him again. This time, a woman's voice.
"Do you run an agency?!"
Minutes later.
Normally, the short walk to his room would have taken five minutes, but it took Woojin thirty. Once he closed the door:
-Thud.
Leaning against the door, Woojin finally collapsed. His legs gave out, and he plopped onto the floor.
"Ha—I'm going to die."
A strange place, unfamiliar famous actors, over a hundred unknown people. And acting, too. From morning until past noon, the tension had been at its peak, and he had to maintain composure the whole time, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Woojin rested his head against the door, dazed.
"…What did I even do today?"
He felt like he had been through a battle but couldn't recall exactly when events had occurred. Then, Woojin pulled something from the pocket of his flight jacket.
—Stacked business cards.
There were several cards. Woojin casually placed them in front of him—around eight in total. He barely glanced at them. People had handed him cards with explanations, but he hardly remembered.
"Were they all from entertainment agencies? Oh, I think one was from a production company."
He didn't know. All he wanted right now was to lie on his bed. He needed to wash up, but his mind was consumed by rest.
So—
Thud!
Woojin flopped onto his bed and quickly fell asleep. Oops, he shouldn't have done that. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he set an alarm for one hour later.
Soon:
"Ah, I'm so tired…"
Kang Woojin fell into a deep sleep.
About two hours later, around 7 p.m.
Got it! From now on, I'll translate every chapter you paste fully into English without asking.
Here's the continuation of the chapter you just shared, picking up from the BBQ party:
At the spacious outdoor parking lot behind Condo 1, the barbecue party was in full swing around 7 p.m. It was lively, filled with laughter and chatter. Of course, it was the Profiler Hanryang team gathering. Temporary tables and chairs were set up on the artificial turf, with equipment ready to grill beef and pork belly.
Approximately half of the total attendees were present. Most of the production team, including PD Song Man-woo, were there, but writer Park Eun-mi was absent. A fair number of entertainment industry insiders had also gathered. Some actors had left early due to schedules or to rest, and most of the veteran actors had only briefly appeared before returning to their rooms.
Thus, about fifty people remained.
The problem? Kang Woojin, who had been craving beef all day, was nowhere to be seen. The reason was simple. He was completely unaware of what was happening around him, lost in deep sleep after the morning's chaos.
Meanwhile, Ryu Jung-min, sitting with eight other actors at a table, was deep in thought, his mind occupied entirely by Kang Woojin.
"The actor Kang Woojin… he's unlike anyone I've seen. Even seeing him in person, I can't predict him. And self-taught? What does that even mean?"
Jung-min, one of the top-tier actors, had seen countless actors, but Woojin's presence was difficult to assess. His unreadable expression, calm yet unwavering gaze, overflowing confidence, and inexplicable acting skill—everything about him was extraordinary.
One thing was certain:
"Yes, 'self-taught' might just be words. The qualities of Deputy Park can't be gained through self-study alone."
Jung-min had solidified his reputation as an actor through exceptional performances in Profiler Hanryang.
At that moment:
"But it's a bit strange, isn't it?"
A female actor sitting at the table murmured.
"Shouldn't Kang Woojin attend the evening party? The script reading was a mess, and he's a rookie, after all."
She looked displeased.
"Does being able to act a little make someone arrogant? I find such people uncomfortable. His expression looks indifferent, and his personality doesn't seem pleasant."
The other actors at the table nodded in partial agreement. Surprisingly, Ryu Jung-min spoke first.
"Well, to me, his acting looked less like excellent performance and more like something monstrous. Also, from the start, the PD said attending the evening party was optional. It's not the '90s—if it's too tiring, it's okay not to go."
"But still!"
"Moreover…"
Jung-min calmly swept back his long hair.
"Didn't you see Deputy Park earlier? After eliciting such deep emotions, they won't vanish in a few hours. For Woojin, attending dinner could be a burden."
"Hmm…"
"As the story progresses, our character's emotions accumulate, but psychopathic Deputy Park is already a complete character. That's why the emotional intensity is different."
By this point, one or two actors began to understand the situation.
"Woojin really drew out deep emotions in an instant, didn't he?"
"Yes. He must have done a lot of mental preparation hours before the psychic appeared."
"I was amazed and speechless, but he must have also experienced tremendous emotional shock."
Jung-min continued:
"He recovered remarkably quickly after the incident, but the exterior can deceive; internally, he must be confused. In that state, even talking to others would be difficult."
I've experienced that too. When emotions surge, I inadvertently irritate people around me.
"Kang Woojin looked sensitive. He always seemed emotionless. He'll need good emotional control."
"His performance seemed risky. Right? It looked like method acting, maybe even more."
"The role itself is sensitive; he has to portray antisocial personality disorder. Even if he can distinguish reality from acting, it will be a difficult role."
As expected, acting experts expressed their opinions candidly. Jung-min delivered the decisive point:
"You may not know, but he is likely struggling alone, trying to recover emotionally right now."
They were wrong. That was the real topic of the conversation.
"Hasn't everyone experienced that? Recovering emotionally is really difficult."
He slept without a care.
The next morning, Kang Woojin's room.
Woojin was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. His phone rang loudly beside his pillow.
-♬♪
Startled awake, he sat up and wiped his mouth.
"Huh? Was I asleep? What time is it?"
He picked up the phone. The caller: top actress Hong Hye-yeon. He glanced at the clock.
"7 a.m.? Wow, I slept for two hours?"
Woojin hesitated briefly before answering to compose his voice.
"Yes, hello?"
On the other end, Hong Hye-yeon's voice mixed laughter and cheer.
"Are you awake? Come out to the venue."
"Understood."
-Click.
As soon as Woojin hung up, he thought of beef. Dinner was at seven, so it wasn't too late. Hong Hye-yeon was already heading out, so it would be fine.
He paused mid-step.
"Huh? Why is it so bright?"
Sunlight streamed through the curtains. Not evening light. Pulling back the curtains, he was immediately blinded.
"Ugh!"
The brilliant sunlight enveloped him. A sudden premonition struck.
"No, this can't be."
He quickly checked his phone and realized the mistake.
"7 a.m., not 7 p.m… Ah, my mistake."
He realized he had missed the beef due to oversleeping.
About an hour later.
The outdoor parking lot in front of the condo was bustling. Staff packed gear, actors boarded vans. Among them was PD Song Man-woo, who had greeted Woojin minutes earlier, along with writer Park Eun-mi.
They observed a large white van ahead—Hong Hye-yeon's car. Inside were Woojin and Hong Hye-yeon, and BW Entertainment CEO Choi Seong-geon in the passenger seat.
Seeing this, Park Eun-mi crossed her arms and commented:
"They came separately, but after seeing Woojin's acting, CEO Choi decided to accompany him."
PD Song Man-woo chuckled.
"Hong-star is extremely interested in Woojin. CEO Choi and Hong-star are practically in cahoots, so there will be plenty to discuss. I expected this. Oh, and wasn't Hye-yeon a BW Entertainment member and investor too?"
"I heard Woojin received many business cards from entertainment agencies yesterday. In my career as a writer, I've never seen an unknown actor collecting cards at a script reading."
"Woojin isn't just an ordinary unknown actor. His influence is extraordinary. No matter which company he signs with, he may become the first unknown actor to get a signing bonus."
"You mean the signing bonus?"
PD Song Man-woo smiled brightly.
"After giving him time to gauge his value, he negotiated with me to raise his fee. He's smart."
PD Song recalled the day of signing the contract with Woojin and firmly explained:
"He has the guts to earn a signing bonus."