Chapter 116: Multi (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The reason the PD of ‘Ame-talk Show!’ was surprised was quite simple. Kang Woojin’s Japanese was fluently impeccable. It wasn’t just the PD, but the entire production team of ‘Ame-talk Show!’ in the room felt the same.

The PD asked Kang Woojin in front of him again.

“You speak Japanese… very well?”

With a serious look, Woojin nodded and answered. Of course, in Japanese.

“I know enough to get by.”

Just enough? Even in their brief conversation, his pronunciation was already at a native speaker’s level. The skinny PD, slightly embarrassed, assessed Kang Woojin with a mix of confusion.

‘He feels quite different from his character in ‘Hanryang’.’

Quite tall, with the visuals emitting an actor’s charisma, and a deep voice. Was this his usual demeanor? The PD grew curious. It’s true that actors are different from their roles, but this Korean actor in front of him had a particularly intense dichotomy.

‘And he speaks Japanese, at that. This feels promising.’

Being able to speak the language was a significant advantage, most of all because ‘Ame-talk Show!’ was a talk show. From the audience’s perspective, there’s a huge difference between having a translator and not.

It was at this moment.

“Hello-”

A man with a ponytail and awkward Japanese entered from behind Kang Woojin. It was Choi Sung-gun. He greeted everyone with a gentle smile..

“I am Choi Sung-gun, CEO of bw Entertainment.”

The one who responded immediately was the ‘Ame-talk Show!’ PD.

“I’m Shiiki Shinjo, the main PD of the talk show.”

After the introductions, including the writers and interpreters, were over, and several business cards had been exchanged, everyone, including Kang Woojin, sat at the table. It seemed like the meal would follow the discussion, as Choi Sung-gun first ordered something to drink from the Korean restaurant staff.

-Swish.

He first smiled at PD Shinjo across from him.

“I must say, I was surprised. I heard ‘Hanryang’ is gaining popularity in Japan, but I didn’t expect a Japanese talk show to be interested in our Woojin.”

Naturally, it wasn’t Kang Woojin but an interpreter who did the translating, and PD Shinjo, who had been observing Woojin, equipped with a business smile and spoke in Japanese.

“‘Profiler Hanryang’ is extremely popular in Japan at the moment. It’s beyond just ‘gaining popularity.’ Naturally, there’s a lot of focus on the actors as well.”

“Is Woojin’s recognition good?”

“Of course. Before contacting you, we did some research, and Kang Woojin is mentioned almost as much as the lead actors of ‘Hanryang,’ especially on social media.”

Though Choi Sung-gun already knew this, he put on a happy expression for the meeting. Pretending to know less seemed more beneficial for the atmosphere. Around this time, PD Shinjo’s attention shifted from Choi Sung-gun to Kang Woojin.

A profoundly nonchalant vibe.

‘Is he not pleased? Or is he always this stoic?’

Kang Woojin seemed slightly fascinated while looking at the ‘Ame-talk Show!’ team across from him.

‘The Japanese variety show crew seems somewhat solemn?’

They were distinctly different from, say, PD Yoon Byung-seon’s team.

‘They look like a documentary team? Anyway, it’s good for my persona to work well in this quiet atmosphere..’

His cynicism solidified. Unaware of this, PD Shinjo judged Kang Woojin in his way.

‘He’s quiet, which isn’t unusual in Japan, too, but he’s a newbie in his first drama, ‘Hanryang,’ right? But he seems like he’s experienced a lot. Why?’

The Kang Woojin before him exuded a more heavier aura. Moreover, PD Shinjo’s research on Woojin’s filmography was anything but ordinary. Starting with the renowned director Kwon Ki-taek, who had a reputation in Japan, the projects he was set to join had big names involved.

And he had debuted less than a year ago.

That fact alone piqued PD Shinjo’s curiosity. Not just in Korea, but a newcomer with a track record like Kang Woojin’s was unprecedented in Japan.

Furthermore.

‘All the works he appeared in were hugely successful.’

The rookie actor had not yet experienced failure in his career. The more he dug, the more peculiar he seemed. And he was fluent in Japanese. He knew that Korean entertainment companies provided early foreign language education to new talents, but Kang Woojin’s proficiency in Japanese didn’t seem to stem from that.

It was at this moment.

“PD.”

Kang Woojin, who had been quiet all this while, finally spoke up. Of course, it was in Japanese, and the following lines were given by Choi Sung-gun.

“Thank you for coming all the way to Korea. Can we hear about the plans you have in mind?”

The more Woojin spoke, the more PD Shinjo was impressed by his fluency in Japanese. The atmosphere and aura were 100% Korean, but the Japanese he spoke was incredibly natural. That disparity radiated an indescribable charm.

Anyway.

“We are planning to focus on the four villains in ‘Hanryang.'”

Even as PD Shinjo explained the plan, he had a strange certainty about Kang Woojin.

‘It should definitely be him,  Woojin should be the main focus; he will make the whole show come alive.’

August 1st, morning. A media company.

The newsroom was sparsely populated, perhaps because it was morning. Among them, a reporter with a protruding lower jaw was intensely focused on his laptop screen. His hands moved rapidly, clicking away.

-Click, click.

His slightly bloodshot eyes suggested he hadn’t slept much. He was a reporter who had stumbled upon a post about Kang Woojin’s past in an online community. Since yesterday, he had been frantically searching and gathering data and information.

“Tch, there are too many comments on YouTube. It’s annoying.”

It started with online communities, and now he extended his search to YouTube. Next, he targeted SNS. Including Kang Woojin’s own SNS, which had well over 1.5 million followers.

@Wooji_n

Posts: 71

Followers: 1.538 million

Following: 9

He had to sift through countless SNS posts that mentioned or tagged him. It was an incredibly tedious and endless task, but the reporter’s passion was ignited.

It wasn’t an exclusive scoop, but what he discovered was significant enough to boost his record.

No, if played right, it could create a stir, given it was about Kang Woojin, a monstrous rookie who continued to shake the entertainment world with rising popularity and several ‘firsts’ under his belt since his debut.

The reporter had stumbled upon the post in the community by chance.

“Heh, this is good. It will definitely attract attention.”

Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few posts with a similar sentiment. Of course, that included comments. He had found more than five so far – three posts and two comments. They were all generally about a change in Kang Woojin’s personality, and they mentioned working at the same company, university, or high school.

As he continued to gather data, the reporter pondered over the provocative headlines. What could he use? Split personality? A life that’s an act? Whatever it was, it needed to be sensational and eye-catching.

Otherwise, all this tedious work would be pointless.

At that moment, he noticed an additional comment under a video related to ‘Park Dae-ri’. By then, he had the first line of his article in mind. Something like, ‘An online community is heated with discussions about popular rookie actor Kang Woojin’s past.’

“Let’s see – should I include ‘split personality’ in the title?”

Meanwhile.

The ‘Male Friend’ filming crew had finished the high school scenes and moved onto the university ones. In the peak of summer, the weather was getting even hotter.

“Action!!”

They were at a university renowned for its beautiful campus and buildings. Like the high school, the university was on break, so there weren’t many students around.

“Oh my, why is Kang Woojin’s face so small?”

“Despite that, his physique is amazing. No wonder he’s popular. I really enjoyed ‘Hanryang.’ Where’s ‘Park Dae-ri’? Who would see him as a sociopathic killer? He’s just a very good-looking actor.”

“Hwalin is also amazing, what’s with those proportions?”

“Ah- she’s really pretty. She must look pretty even with her morning wake-up face, right?”

University staff were gathering around. The current filming location for ‘Male Friend’ was right in front of the main building on a lawn. Kang Woojin was in the middle of an intense scene amidst the set cameras and reflectors.

“Cut! Okay! That was good, Woojin! Let’s go back to the scene behind!”

“Yes, director.”

It was a solo scene for Kang Woojin. Hwalin was sitting a bit away from the filming zone, reading her script. She was wearing a crop top that almost revealed her belly button, sitting with her legs crossed.

At that moment,

-Swish.

Choi Sung-gun quietly approached her. His expression was peculiar, as if he had some scheme in mind.

“Hwalin.”

She was slightly startled by his sudden appearance, her eyes widening in confusion. Standing up smoothly from her chair, she greeted him.

“Ah- hello.”

“Am I disturbing you?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Hwalin tilted her head slightly as she placed the script she was reading on the chair. Everyone in the entertainment industry knew Choi Sung-gun, and she was aware of him, but she didn’t have a personal acquaintance with him. She had heard more about him through Hong Hye-yeon than she had spoken with him directly.

Though slightly flustered, Hwalin smiled, perhaps out of fandom.

“Do you need something, CEO?”

“I have something to tell you, not particularly business. Is it okay for a moment?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Woojin is planning to cover one of the hit songs from ‘Elani.'”

Confusion mixed with surprise on Hwalin’s face. ‘Elani’ was the girl group she belonged to. But Kang Woojin covering one of ‘Elani’s’ hit songs? She blinked and licked her lips in bewilderment.

“A cover? Woojin is doing one of our songs? What do you mean by that?”

Choi Sung-gun’s smile widened, exuding confidence.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. The song is ‘Ballerina.'”

‘Ballerina’ was a top hit song from the girl group ‘Elani’ three years ago, having made a significant impact in both Korea and Japan. Choi Sung-gun casually continued.

“Woojin plans to open a YouTube channel, and he’ll debut the ‘Ballerina’ cover there.”

“Ah.”

Understanding hit Hwalin immediately, and her heart started to beat slightly faster.

‘Wait a minute! A YouTube channel? Is Woojin going to be mainly singing? Does this mean I can keep listening to his songs?’

This news was exciting enough to make Hwalin, a devoted fan, almost jump for joy. Still, she couldn’t reveal her true feelings to Woojin’s manager and forced herself to maintain composure, clearing her throat lightly.

“Ahem. Is that so? Well, I did hear him during the OST recording last time, and it would be a waste not to utilize Woojin’s vocals.”

“Right. Well, there’s a connection between you and Woojin, so we chose an ‘Elani’ song. Oh, and the matter of Woojin’s YouTube channel is still confidential.”

“Yes, I’ll keep it to myself.”

“Thank you. I just thought it was right to let you know in advance since it’s an ‘Elani’ song being covered.”

“It’s going to be composed, right?”

“Yes. It’s almost done.”

That was all Choi Sung-gun was willing to disclose. He kept most of the information about Kang Woojin’s YouTube channel a secret. Regardless, Hwalin was bursting with anticipation.

‘I wonder? What will the composition be like? They’ll have to lower the key, for starters. If Woojin sings that song- Ah, I really want to hear it soon.’

Soon, Hwalin, hiding her excitement, pretended to be calm.

“It’s fine, there are already many composed covers of ‘Ballerina’ anyway.”

Choi Sung-gun smiled brightly. He hadn’t leaked this information to Hwalin without a reason. There was a purpose behind it.

‘While it seemed that Woojin and Hwalin weren’t exactly close, even if they weren’t friends or even if their relationship was terrible, leaving things as they were would inevitably spark interest.’

His goal was clear.

“Please give it a listen when the song is uploaded.”

“Yes, I will.”

“If you like it, please spread the word. Haha, it would be an honor if you, Hwalin, just write a single line about it on SNS.”

It was just a single line.

Hwalin was already immensely popular not only domestically but also in Japan and internationally. She had 18 million followers on SNS, and ‘Elani’ team channel had well over 10 million subscribers.

Her one line could be incredibly powerful.

Soon, Hwalin responded a bit playfully.

“I’ll do so if I like it.”

Choi Sung-gun, wearing an expression that said he was open to any outcome, merely smiled.

‘There’s no way she won’t like it.’

Two days later, early morning.

The location was a recording studio near Samsung Station. In the spacious recording room, adorned with guitars and other instruments on the walls, sat a man with a hat pushed down over his head. It was late, but he was alone, focused on his work.

The music played briefly.

-♬♪

Then stopped, repeating this cycle. It was precisely then.

-Thunk!

The thick door of the studio opened, and a man with an indifferent face entered. It was Kang Woojin, who looked a bit tired. As he looked around the studio.

‘Oh- It’s much bigger than I thought? And it smells really good. What do they call this, woody scent?’

He greeted the man seated amongst the recording equipment in a low voice.

“Hello.”

The man with the hat seemed to have expected Kang Woojin’s arrival and stood up nonchalantly.

“Hello, I enjoyed Hanryang.”

“Thank you.”

The man seemed a bit blunt. It wasn’t clear if it was just his personality. Anyway, as soon as Kang Woojin’s greeting was over, several people entered behind him, including Choi Sung-gun, Jang Su-hwan, Han Ye-jung, and four members of Kang Woojin’s YouTube channel team.

The previously quiet studio became noisy in an instant.

The reason they all gathered was revealed by Choi Sung-gun, who stood behind Woojin.

“We rushed over as soon as we heard the song was finished, hahaha.”

The composition was complete.

At this point, Kang Woojin threw a blank stare at the recording booth and muttered to himself.

‘I’m really doing this.’

Soon, there was to be an official recording. It would be uploaded on Kang Woojin’s YouTube channel.

‘But aren’t there too many onlookers? Ah- It’s a little embarrassing.’

It was about his first cover song.