Chapter 29: Master (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Sunday morning.

Kang Woojin, who had opened his eyes in a lodging near the ‘Exorcism’ filming site, immediately moved to C-Blue Studio. Because he received a call from the team of “Profiler Hanryang.” Actually, it was a meeting that had been scheduled for a few days. It was originally meant to happen earlier, but PD Song man-woo moved the schedule,

Anyway, after getting off the van from ‘Exorcism’, Woojin met with PD Song man-woo, Writer Park Eun-mi, the production manager, and others. The meeting started with the PD Song, wwho showed the confirmed style concept for the character Park Dae-ri.

“Woojin, this is the usual costume concept of Park Dae-ri, as well as places like his house and other confirmed concepts. Please take a look at them all.”

Kang Woojin reviewed various decisions about the character “Park Dae-ri,” from appearance to his living place. Although it was only a draft before, now it was confirmed, and Woojin kept a calm expression.

‘Wow- it’s really detailed? They even show pictures of places and houses. The costumes change every time. Well, the framework is similar in design? They must go into production after researching materials.’

He was secretly amazed. Woojin listened to the concept discussion for about 10 minutes, then writer Park Eun-mi took over, and they moved on to the script meeting.

“First of all, here are the official scripts for parts 3 and 4. The other actors already received theirs, but you were delayed because of the ‘Exorcism’ filming. I know your schedule is tight, but please analyze it well.”

A hint of worry was in writer Park Eun-mi’s eyes. She was concerned about giving the script late. However, Kang Woojin had no problems. He could grasp everything today.

So he bragged a little.

“There’s no problem.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Writer.”

Writer Park Eun-mi’s eyes quickly changed from worry to affection. Whatever happened, “Profiler Hanryang” now had official scripts up to part 4. Woojin didn’t know, but the draft scripts had progressed beyond part 7. The covers and format of the scripts for parts 3 and 4 were the same as part 1. Of course, there were black squares attached to all the scripts.

Then, PD Song man-woo explained to Woojin.

“Park Dae-ri appears until part 4 and then leaves. But there are a few scenes in flashbacks later. You should read up to part 6.”

A total of 6 parts. So, considering 3.5 million per episode, it was 21 million. Pure calculations aside, including reruns and other factors, it was quite a mouth-opening amount.

‘Nice, good for the actor.’

Kang Woojin silently cheered. Then, for about an hour, Woojin had to listen to the verbal rehearsal for parts 3 and 4. It was quite fun. Comparing the thoughts of the creators and the director with his reading was valuable.

As soon as the script-related meeting ended, PD Song Man-woo grinned.

“It seems the actors have awakened thanks to Woojin.”

Awakening? What awakening? It’s not even a fantasy world. Woojin quietly asked, curious.

“What do you mean by awakening?”

“When they saw your acting during script reading, they felt a sense of urgency, afraid of being overshadowed by Park Dae-ri.”

Writer Park Eun-mi added at the end of his sentence. She was also smiling.

“How did ‘Exorcism’ shooting go? Was it okay?”

“Yes, without any problems.”

“I’m looking forward to ‘Exorcism’ too. How was the atmosphere at the set? Was it okay?”

I almost died. This was Woojin’s honest feeling, but here, pretending it was no big deal was the right answer.

“It seemed fine.”

“Fine? You must have good stamina then, Woojin? Good. Our ‘Profiler Hanryang’ filming starts soon, so take care of your condition, although you’ll handle it well.”

Is there time to control my condition? Kang Woojin just thought he had to endure. He finished the meeting in the afternoon. As he left the building, he quietly muttered to himself.

‘It feels hectic, but I feel like I can manage.’

It was then.

-Brrrr, Brrrrrr.

A long vibration rang from the fleece pocket Woojin was wearing. A call. The caller was Kim Dae-young, and Woojin, glancing around, answered.

“What.”

“Hey! Kang Woojin! Come out now! Let’s have a drink. The guys are ready.”

“I decline, drink with them.”

“…Are you still pretending to be busy, you jobless jerk? You haven’t even found a new job.”

“Thanks for the criticism disguised as concern, now shut up.”

“What have you been doing lately? Why are you acting so mysteriously? Why won’t you show your face?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet his friends, but honestly, Kang Woojin didn’t have the time to drink. It wasn’t an excuse, he was genuinely busy.

“I’ll tell you later, bye.”

– Click.

As soon as he hung up the phone, Woojin, who was thinking about Kim Dae-young and his friends, murmured to himself.

“Well, they’ll all see it on TV soon anyway.”

Better to hide it and then reveal it than to lie in person. That was the plan.

Around this time, a minivan from the production company that was going to pick up Kang Woojin emerged from the underground parking lot. There was no reason to refuse a ride home.

– Thump!

As soon as Woojin got in, the minivan started. The production staff was there, so Kang Woojin reverted to his indifferent expression. He then picked up the script for parts 3 and 4 of “Profiler Hanryang,” focusing on part 3.

‘Should I read part 3 before I get home?’

– poke!

Now he had no hesitation in pressing the black square, and soon Kang Woojin was plunged into the endless dark void. Then he immediately checked the floating white rectangle.

“So, the connected scripts are laid out like this.”

Part 3 of “Profiler Hanryang” was placed small under the original part 1 white rectangle. It was the same for part 2, and now again. If there were 16 parts, the white rectangles would be hard to see, lined up 16 times. The operation was the same, only the size was smaller.

Kang Woojin, realizing something new, moved his finger.

-[You have selected ‘Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 3)’.]

-[Listing available characters for Reading (Experience).]

And then.

[“‘E: Park Dae-ri’ reading preparation in progress······”]

Woojin was sucked into the unfamiliar world of Park Dae-ri in part 3.

Later in the afternoon of the same day, Kang Woojin’s studio apartment.

Kang Woojin returned to his studio apartment until after 1 o’clock. Fortunately, the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ team drove him home, so the trip was comfortable, but due to the fatigue from five days of shooting, the drinking party the night before, and the meeting this morning, left Woojin exhausted.

“Uh-”

As soon as he arrived home, he collapsed onto his bed.

“······”

Kang Woojin, who had been lying motionless for 3 minutes, barely moved. No, to be exact, he squirmed. Was this the peace he had longed for? Even the noise from the upstairs apartment seemed comforting.

Should he just fall asleep like this?

As he habitually reached for his phone, Kang Woojin squirmed again. Then he spotted some business cards.

“Ah.”

They were the business cards he had received on the script reading day. Oh right, those were still there. He’d had them for about a week, so he needed to make a decision.

“Sigh-”

But right now, even standing up seemed too bothersome for Kang Woojin. So he just reached out, lying down, and grabbed the stack of business cards. A total of nine. Most were entertainment companies, but one was a film company. Well, that aside.

“Choosing an agency- It’s basic to check the company.”

Did he really need to meet with all eight entertainment companies? That seemed excessive. It would be a bit of a hassle, and it didn’t seem right for Kang Woojin to go around visiting each one, considering his attitude. Plus,

“When I saw them on the reading day, they seemed to know each other well. If I meet with a lot of agencies, wouldn’t there be a rumor?”

Though he was just pondering, Woojin’s musing was close to the right answer. The entertainment world, where rumors spread faster than light, and the entertainment sector, in particular, was especially quick due to its sensitivity to trends. There was a good chance that negative rumors would spread if Kang Woojin went around here and there.

“Being too fickle is a no-no.”

At this point, Kang Woojin paused at a familiar business card.

-bw Entertainment.

-CEO Choi Sung-gun.

It was the agency of top actress Hong Hye-yeon.

“Hmm-”

Then, Woojin mumbled as he fiddled with the business card. In a brief moment, many thoughts crossed his mind. Honestly, Kang Woojin knew nothing about the entertainment world. Even if he researched each company, he wouldn’t come to a clear judgment.

‘Just worrying won’t help.’

Therefore, he needed experience.

Later that same afternoon, at a commercial shooting site.

It was a cosmetics commercial, and a desk was placed in the middle of the set with various cosmetics products arranged on top. Seated there was Hong Hye-yeon in a white dress. She dabbed one of the products onto a ball and smiled at the camera.

“Bring nature to your skin.”

At the same time, a chubby man watching the monitor shouted into a megaphone.

“OK! Nice expression, Hye-yeon! We’ll just change the cosmetic and do it again!”

Staff from the advertising team rushed over to the desk where Hong Hye-yeon was sitting. The cosmetics were swiftly replaced. Amidst this, stylists quickly adjusted Hong Hye-yeon’s makeup.

At this moment.

-Swoosh.

A familiar man entered the shooting area. It was CEO Choi Sung-gun. As soon as he saw him, Hong Hye-yeon’s face was left to the stylists, and she opened her mouth.

“You’re here?”

CEO Choi Sung-gun immediately gave her a thumbs up.

“You’re killing it, Hong-star. Your beauty is at its peak today, isn’t it?”

“What’s with the sudden praise today? You must have come to ask for something. Spit it out. What is it?”

“Ha ha, there’s really nothing. Ah- But now that I think about it, there is one small thing. How about you, Hye-yeon, being a chicken model now that ‘Exorcism’ is over?”

“No.”

“Hey, you. At least listen to the terms.”

“If I model for chicken, I have to eat only that chicken. There are so many types of chicken in the world. I don’t want to.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun let out a long sigh.

“Do you know how much this is worth, and you’re refusing it over taste?”

Just then.

-♬♪

The CEO’s phone rang, interrupting their impending battle. It was a call from an unsaved number. At that, CEO Choi Sung-gun signaled Hong Hye-yeon to wait and answered the call.

“Yes, this is Choi Sung-gun.”

A deep male voice came from the other end.

“Hello, this is Kang Woojin.”

Startled, CEO Choi Sung-gun’s eyes widened, and he mouthed to Hong Hye-yeon,

‘Hey, it’s Kang Woojin.’

Hong Hye-yeon jumped up.

‘What? Tell me quickly!’

Thanks to this, CEO Choi Sung-gun opened his mouth with a smile.

“Oh, Woojin. I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“I’m sorry. I was shooting.”

“I know, I know.”

“I would like to meet and discuss the contract.”

Soon, CEO Choi Sung-gun clenched his fist.

“Of course, let’s meet! But it’s a bit late now. I’ll go near your house tomorrow.”

However, Kang Woojin’s voice over the phone was incredibly calm.

“No, I’ll go to bw Entertainment.”

On the 16th.

The weekend had passed, and it was a busy Monday morning everywhere. Of course, this was also true for bw Entertainment near Samseong Station. The office was not particularly large, but the ten or so employees were all busy with their own work.

bw Entertainment’s interior had a generally neat atmosphere.

Nothing particularly stood out. There were the offices where employees worked, meeting rooms, the CEO’s office. The only noticeable thing was that posters of Hong Hye-yeon were hanging here and there on the office walls.

The employees of bw Entertainment were quietly whispering to each other.

“Who’s the man who just went into the CEO’s office? oes anyone know him?”

“Isn’t he from some other company?”

“He was quite handsome, though. His aura was heavy. He looked like an actor.”

“Huh? An actor? What’s going on? The CEO didn’t tell us. Is he a new recruit?”

“Wow- is our second actor finally coming?”

“But isn’t it excessive to sign an unknown actor at this time?”

The protagonist of their whispers was sitting at the four-person desk in the CEO’s office. It was the expressionless Kang Woojin. Casually dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, he was

‘I want that large poster.’

staring intently at a large poster of Hong Hye-yeon on the front wall. Just then,

“Hahaha, Woojin. please have this.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun placed a coffee cup in front of Woojin, and Woojin, who was looking at the poster, suddenly regained his senses.

“Thank you.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, still smiling, sat opposite Woojin and twirled his finger.

“It’s small, isn’t it? But it’s quite big for a startup. Well, everything is thanks to Hong Hye-yeon, though. Hahaha.”

Indeed, a top actress. Can a single company be maintained just because of her? Kang Woojin, recalling news about celebrities who bought buildings worth hundreds of billions of won, asked.

“But why only Hong Hye-yeon?”

“Is there anyone else? Well- I did focus on Hong Star, and I was busy establishing the company’s position. I also handed out my business card at various places like broadcasting stations and production companies.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun answered with a smile and abruptly stood up. He then went to his seat, brought a clear file, and sat down again across from Woojin, solemnly unbuttoning his suit jacket.

“Woojin, have you met any agencies?”

You’re the first. But he couldn’t just say that. Kang Woojin mixed a bit of bluster into his moderate response.

“I think I’ve met enough.”

“It’s confusing, isn’t it? But you need to stay focused. It’s an important time.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, who brought the transparent file, slightly pushed it towards Kang Woojin.

“This is the contract we’re offering you, Woojin. But before we get to that.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, with his hands together, met Kang Woojin’s cold gaze.

“I think we should address this first. The signing bonus. That will make the contract discussion smoother. You said other agencies talked about ‘exceptional terms,’ right? I’ve prepared something as well.”

Startled by the sudden realistic talk, Kang Woojin was slightly taken aback inside.

‘Wow, this guy’s throwing straight balls. Stay calm, Kang Woojin. You’ve experienced this before.’

He then calmly nodded his head.

“Please go on.”

“Do you have something in mind?”

He did. Kang Woojin had roughly figured out the size of the signing bonus. His source was Director Shin Dong-chun.

‘I think you can ask for about 20 million won for the signing bonus?’

That is, it was 20 million won. But is this really right? Woojin, who had come so far, now felt that 20 million won was an enormous sum. No, it was indeed a large amount.

‘Will I be kicked out for calling for 20 million won?’

Or perhaps the CEO might get angry and suddenly splash the coffee he was drinking on Woojin’s face.

You know, the kind that appears in morning dramas.

On the other hand, CEO Choi Sung-gun was not even thinking about morning dramas. He was simply hitting the calculator in his head repeatedly.

“It’s okay; he’s different. He’s been in two works already, one of them being ‘Profiler Hanryang.’ He will definitely rise after that. Recouping the signing bonus is no big deal. The key is to sign him.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, who had schemed all he could in the entertainment industry, would never engage in a losing business.

Meanwhile, Kang Woojin had made up his mind.

‘Coolly. Just briefly and clearly say two million won. Just do it. Let’s shout it out. What if you get splashed with coffee? Just consider it washing your face.”

Soon, just as Woojin was about to mention the twenty million won he had decided on in his head.

“Woojin.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, looking serious, stopped Woojin’s two million won. He made the first move.

“How about thirty million?”

What? Why? Kang Woojin was taken aback by the unexpected amount. Thanks to his rehearsed composure, there was no change in his expression, but his pupils shook briefly. However, Woojin couldn’t close his mouth, which had opened in surprise.

“Four… “¹

It should have been ‘Thirty million won?!’ but Kang Woojin barely stopped his mouth before the final sound. He almost foolishly questioned in a situation where he should remain cool and composed. He was too stunned. Therefore, Kang Woojin praised himself for a moment.

“You did well; you almost showed it. But what’s going on, thirty million all of a sudden?”

Kang Woojin began to choose his words. Meanwhile, CEO Choi Sung-gun, who had been quietly looking at Woojin for some reason, said,

‘…Four?’²

With a sudden strong voice.

“Okay. Forty million. We can do it.”

*****

TL Notes:

1) The starting sound for both ‘thirty’ (samship) and ‘forty’ (saship) is the similar in Korean, so here, the first word wasn’t actually ‘four,’ but it was supposed to be ‘thirty.’ However, CEO Choi misunderstood it as Woojin trying to say ‘forty.