Chapter 173: Stranger (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

It was the first time in Hideki Yoshimura’s life that he attended a script reading.

Of course, the purpose was to see Kang Woojin. The Korean actor who had brought back vitality and life to his grandson, and allowed him to dream again. He was grateful. He must have had a tough life as well.

He wanted to see it with his own eyes. That was Hideki Yoshimura’s heart.

Kang Woojin, who evoked a sense of camaraderie and made Hideki Yoshimura reflect on his past self. When Hideki Yoshimura first saw Woojin in this hall, his impression was that of a beast hiding its teeth. On the outside, he seemed tough, but one could glimpse a mysterious leisure and charisma. His eyes were full of strength, and his voice was mixed with conviction.

Indeed, Kang Woojin was extraordinary.

Being the head of a conglomerate, Hideki Yoshimura immediately recognized the uncommon energy emitted by Kang Woojin. An aura hard to find in that age group. It signified the greatness of Kang Woojin’s character portrayal.

Anyway.

‘…What is that.’

The moment the script reading started and Woojin delved into acting, Hideki Yoshimura, with his arms crossed, couldn’t help but twitch his bushy white eyebrows.

‘Acting? Is that what you call acting?’

Even to Hideki Yoshimura, who had never paid attention to acting and was only interested in business, the change in Kang Woojin was clear.

‘Everything that was filled is now gone.’

The aura that had enveloped him was nowhere to be found. Kang Woojin, now showing Kiyoshi, was empty. Completely hollow. His eyes, voice, movements, thoughts. How could everything that was so full a moment ago be emptied out so quickly? Hideki Yoshimura gradually focused on Kang Woojin’s acting. He couldn’t take his eyes off.

Is this what all actors are like?

However, as the reading went on, and Kang Woojin’s acting built the narrative.

“I don’t regret meeting you.”

“It’s time for lunch.”

Hideki Yoshimura noticed more clearly. That he was special. Around Woojin, who was acting, were many of Japan’s leading actors. But it was hard to see them as being on the same level as Kang Woojin.

‘The other actors definitely have a hint of imitation. But Kang Woojin shows no gap that needs to be filled.’

Woojin was exceptional. Other actors were acting, but Kang Woojin was showing a different life here. At least, that’s how it appeared to Hideki Yoshimura.

He asked himself once more.

Is that acting?

No, it wasn’t acting. The person had changed. Hideki Yoshimura had seen flames in Kang Woojin’s eyes. But the current Kang Woojin. No, Kiyoshi was water. Colorless, odorless. An existence from which no emotion or sensation can be felt.

‘It’s just flowing.’

Suddenly, Hideki Yoshimura’s mind vaguely recalled the past. Not his, but his grandson’s. The appearance of his grandson who had lost vitality and life and had only been breathing, with dead eyes. Yes, it was similar to that.

Soon, Hideki Yoshimura.

-Swish.

Moved his gaze, which had been attached to Woojin, elsewhere. Around him, a hundred people, dozens of actors, including Director Kyotaro and Writer Akari. Everyone was looking at Woojin. His presence was outstanding. There was an overwhelming charm that captured attention.

A technique that mesmerizes people and manipulates situations. More than just attraction.

It belongs to a very precious ability.

At that moment.

“Now is not the time.”

Kang Woojin began a monologue. He makes a list of the ‘Eerie sacrifices’ he intends to make as a ‘stranger’ after Toka disappears from the world.

“I need to be forgotten.”

Kang Woojin, Kiyoshi, removed his gaze from Toka at the end. Because she was gone. And his gaze wandered somewhere in the vague emptiness. There was nothing in his expression. But his mouth did not rest. The rhythm of his lines was consistent. He seemed to be quietly floating on a motionless water surface.

Then.

“Homework.”

The desolate eyes of Kiyoshi move in the void, searching for a destination. They drift momentarily among a few actors in front. 9 people. It was the confirmation of a list of 9 specified people. The actors whose eyes met Kiyoshi’s could feel it intensely.

‘There’s no hint of reason or instinct.’

Therefore, it was more terrifying. Vaguely frightening. There was no reason or outcome. Pleasure? Joy? Intent? Hatred? Rage? None of the above. There were no actions mixed with emotion. System. Yes, it was a system. For him, there was only work to be done.

Director Kyotaro, who fixed his gaze on Kang Woojin, recited the stage direction.

“Kiyoshi sits in the bustling classroom, looking at the chalkboard in front. Still, his face shows nothing.”

According to the scenario, after two students die at school, the world turns upside down, but it doesn’t last long. Like living people must go on living, the school strove for normalization. Of course, the minds of the entire student body were not intact.

Only Kiyoshi’s time had stopped.

Just as it was the moment when Toka sat on the railing, smiling.

However, there were changes at the school. Some of the 9 people on Kiyoshi’s list had transferred or dropped out. Some still attended the school.

Kiyoshi didn’t care.

What he had to do now was.

“Study.”

To accumulate knowledge. Because he had to look at the long term. There was basic information on the 9 people. Including the data accumulated over time and student records. From here, Kiyoshi had to fill in what was lacking.

Director Kyotaro passes the time with stage directions.

1 year, 2 years, 3 years. Kang Woojin’s mindset wasn’t much different in that time. He lived a life just like any other.

“Just a little more, soon.”

He was being forgotten by the world, but the plan was already in motion. After 4 years and then 5 years, from here the scene shifts to more monologues by Woojin than stage directions by Director Kyotaro. The scene shows the opposite, but underneath, Kiyoshi’s voice overlays.

Everyone in the hall gazes at ‘The Stranger.’

Kang Woojin was rolling his eyes with an expressionless face. His posture was stiff. His gaze and breathing were steady, and his hands and heartbeat were calm. But what he had to do was clear. His appearance suggested a calm madness. Woojin’s mind was filled with calculations.

“Let’s start, everyone and the world have forgotten me.”

An undefined objective stirred within him. Then, from Kang Woojin’s flat mouth, lines were spoken. It was a monologue.

“5 years. I spent 5 years filling in what I was lacking. And now, I’m about to start the second sacrifice after the first. One of the 9, Konakayama Ginzo.”

A voice neither warm nor cold, with a consistent rhythm. It was so devoid of anything, one might wonder if it was even a human voice. The actors seated closest to Woojin felt it most acutely.

‘Putting aside how naturally he acts in Japanese… How does one even do that?’

‘I’ve never seen such an acting method before. It’s as if he’s lived without emotions from the start – but why does it sound so clear? There’s nothing in it, yet the power is good.’

Kang Woojin, who was staring intently at the actor playing ‘Konakayama Ginzo,’ with perfect features and a pretty-boy style, took a moment to breathe. He quietly maintained his gaze, conveying to everyone that he was watching from a distance. The monologue that followed was next.

“I chose ‘Konakayama Ginzo’ for the ‘restart of the sacrifices without signs’ is because of his refined appearance. He’s excessively glamorous and knows how to attract people’s attention well. Of course, among those 9, he’s the farthest from having any connection with me. That’s why I marked him. ‘Konakayama Ginzo’s eerie sacrifice will attract attention in a flash, but it will not be related to me.”

It was quite a long line. However, Kang Woojin finished the monologue in a straight line without any disarray or deviation. Gradually, a dreamy atmosphere began to circulate around Kang Woojin. Upon seeing this, writer Akari, who was watching Woojin through her glasses perched on her nose, felt a shiver.

‘I’m seeing Kiyoshi, whom I wrote about in this book, with my own eyes. It’s scary, but I’m also greedy. How far can he show us Kiyoshi?’

At that moment, Kang Woojin fumbled in his pocket and pretended to take something out. It was the list of 9 people he had written on Toka’s desk 5 years ago.

“‘Konakayama Ginzo’ is married. He has a family. But he still likes women. Human habits are terrifyingly meticulous. Therefore, Ginzo has traces of his habits left. Prostitution, compensated dating, adultery. Outwardly, he appears family-oriented, but his inside is rotten. He says he’s on a business trip to his family while he commits sexual crimes. He has many shameful secrets.”

Woojin, who had been reciting an endless plan, slightly tilted his head. His expression was still empty, and a hollow look lingered on the Japanese actor across from him.

“What form of ‘eerie sacrifice’ would be good? Ginzo, you have to become fireworks. That’s why I chose you, for your brilliance. The scattered fragments must splash onto the remaining 8. It seems right to start with the conflict between you and your family first. Your wife is not included in my task.”

Soon, the Japanese actor. No, Yasuta, who played ‘Konakayama Ginzo’, snapped back to his senses. After Kang Woojin’s monologue ended, he had to say his lines as his daily life cut appeared.

He muttered the designated lines like talking to himself. His scene at the company.

At this point, the serious Chairman Hideki could feel it.

‘It’s distinctly different. Even someone like me, who doesn’t know much about acting, can see that the acting of these two actors is of a different class. That actor Yasuta is doing standardized acting.’

The gap between Kang Woojin and the top Japanese actors was quite significant. Without a comparison, it might not be noticeable, but with Kiyoshi’s Woojin as the focal point, it became vividly visible and audible. Currently, Japanese actors were being overshadowed by a rookie actor from Korea.

At the same time, Choi Sung-gun, seated behind Kang Woojin, also noticed.

‘The acting feels very unnatural. The Japanese actors have a strong scent of ‘I am acting.’ Overdone emotions, escalated lines, strained gaze handling.’

Why Director Kyotaro was so fixated on Kang Woojin, what the problem with Japan’s acting scene was, and why he wanted to shake up Japan’s content market.

‘You might not have felt it when you were together, but when Woojin is rampaging in front of you like this, you can’t help but realize it even if you dislike it. That something is lacking.’

Japanese master Director Kyotaro wanted to make a point to all Japanese actors with Kang Woojin as an actor. You are stagnant. Thus, he hoped they would watch, awaken, and learn.

In fact, Director Kyotaro, shocked by the Japanese actors, murmured to himself as he glanced over them.

‘This actor, who just months ago was learning alone, has gone through a long period of obscurity and is now coming into the light. You all must have something to feel.’

Misunderstanding the gap is a bonus.

Thus.

“Fade out.”

Around the middle of the script reading, Director Kyotaro softly recited over the entire reading session.

“Let’s take a break.”

After a few minutes.

The script reading of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ had about 20 minutes of break time. However, none of the actors left their seats. Kang Woojin was the same. The atmosphere was strange. Most actors pretended to look at the script but glanced at Woojin, who was keeping a nonchalant face.

Journalists and about a hundred staff members were busy whispering.

Meanwhile, Choi Sung-gun was on a call outside the hall. His expression was serious.

“Is that so? Hmm- I understand. I’ll carefully review the proposal you sent by email. Yes. Thank you, yes.”

-Click.

After finishing the call, Choi Sung-gun put down his phone and frowned.

“Tsk.”

It seemed the outcome wasn’t what he wanted.

In fact, the person Choi Sung-gun had just spoken to was an investor for the expansion of bw Entertainment. It was a project that had been underway for quite some time, and Choi Sung-gun had met with quite a few investors, including corporations. bw Entertainment was small and newly established, but it had the top actress Hong Hye-yeon, and more importantly, Kang Woojin, who had been rising with insane momentum since his appearance.

Thanks to that, there were many interested investors.

Choi Sung-gun felt the necessity of expanding the company and had been working towards it, ultimately bringing the investment opportunity to the brink of realization.

However, the problem was.

‘They all want to meddle.’

The condition from every promising investor included management interference. Of course, they spoke around it, but it boiled down to making Choi Sung-gun a nominal CEO. They wouldn’t interfere outright from the start, but it was certain they would gradually show their true colors.

Too many cooks spoil the broth, as the saying goes.

Choi Sung-gun, who had experienced and witnessed all sorts of situations in the entertainment industry, knew this better than anyone. Thus, he aimed to avoid conditions involving management interference, but essentially, what they all wanted was to take control of bw Entertainment.

“Sigh.”

Choi Sung-gun’s worries deepened.

‘Hye-yeon and Woojin. bw Entertainment is too small to contain them both. Expansion is essential for broader care, and we can’t just rely on the two of them. Discovering new talents is also crucial.’

That’s when.

“Excuse me.”

A straight-forward female voice intruded. It was in Japanese. Choi Sung-gun, slightly startled, turned his head. Behind him stood a woman in a neat suit with her long hair tied back in a single line. It was Tetsugawa Lili, the chief secretary of Chairman Hideki Yoshimura. Choi Sung-gun recognized her face.

He had seen her standing behind Chairman Hideki Yoshimura a few hours ago.

Then, Choi Sung-gun greeted her with a small nod and spoke awkward Japanese.

“Ah- Please, go ahead.”

Lili’s answer was slow yet clear.

“May I have a moment of your time?”

“Are you referring to me?”

“Yes. You are Mr. Choi Sung-gun, correct?”

“That’s right.”

Communication proceeded awkwardly, and Lili, slightly turning her body, gestured politely. It was a sign to follow her. Choi Sung-gun was a bit puzzled but followed her anyway.

-Swish.

They arrived at an employee-only room at the end of the corridor past the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ script reading hall. Leading the way, Lili knocked on the room’s door before opening it. The interior of the room, which appeared to be for staff use due to its office-like atmosphere, was immediately visible to Choi Sung-gun.

In the center was a five-seater sofa.

“Ah.”

Choi Sung-gun’s eyes widened slightly, for a simple reason. Seated on the main seat of the five-seater sofa was Hideki Yoshimura, the head of the Kashiwa Group, with white hair even in his eyebrows. Next to him was a man in a suit, and Lili, who had guided Choi Sung-gun, gestured for him to sit on the sofa next to Chairman Yoshimura.

“Please, take a seat.”

Choi Sung-gun’s confusion deepened, understandably so given that he was suddenly sitting in front of a Japanese conglomerate owner. Still, he managed to sit down on the sofa with as relaxed a face as possible. Simultaneously, Chairman Hideki Yoshimura, who had been smiling wryly, began to speak.

“I’m impressed.”

His rough-toned Japanese was translated into Korean by the man in a suit across Choi Sung-gun. Soon, feeling it was okay to speak in Korean, Choi Sung-gun asked Chairman Yoshimura.

“What do you mean?”

“Actor Kang Woojin. The acting I saw earlier was something I’ve never encountered in my life.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“It was a fresh shock. Ha, if only my grandson could even mimic Kang Woojin.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind. More importantly- Right. I see potential in Kang Woojin. Not just his acting, but his value is very high.”

Chairman Hideki Yoshimura leisurely spoke and then signaled Lili, who handed a transparent file to Choi Sung-gun. The chairman explained.

“It’s a proposal.”

“······What kind?”

“We are considering scouting Actor Kang Woojin for our Kashiwa Group, to be the advertising model for several of our subsidiaries.”

Choi Sung-gun’s eyes widened as he unfolded the transparent file. It was a proposal in Korean. At a glance, he saw words like department store, food, and more. And not just one but several kinds. What? Choi Sung-gun was somewhat puzzled. It wasn’t unheard of for Korean celebrities to shoot advertisements in Japan, but it wasn’t common either.

Moreover, the offer came from the Kashiwa Group.

The suddenness was extreme.

‘What is this…suddenly, without any context??’

Was Chairman Hideki Yoshimura proceeding with such a significant matter after seeing Kang Woojin for the first time today? The proposal was so unexpected that Choi Sung-gun momentarily wondered if it was a joke.

At that moment.

“I read an article from Korea a few days ago.”

As if that wasn’t the end, the elderly voice of Chairman Hideki Yoshimura continued.

“It said that Kang Woojin’s contract period is coming to an end. Is he transferring?”

Choi Sung-gun concluded that Chairman Hideki Yoshimura was eyeing Kang Woojin. There must be some linked agency involved. Therefore, Choi Sung-gun responded firmly.

“It’s true about the contract period. However, there will be no transfer.”

“······So, does that mean Kang Woojin will continue with bw Entertainment?”

“That’s correct.”

After hearing the answer, Chairman Hideki Yoshimura stared into Choi Sung-gun’s eyes for a moment. His face was full of wrinkles, but his gaze was still that of a heavy hitter. Then, Chairman Hideki Yoshimura suddenly smiled and made a quiet yet significant offer.

“I’ve heard that bw Entertainment is looking to expand.”

“I personally would like to invest. What do you think?”