Chapter 211: New Year (2)

Translator: Dreamscribe

First Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae’s eyes widened as he looked at the side profile of Corporal Jin Sun-cheol. His brows furrowed. The camera slowly moved to capture this.

Why is he smiling? Did I see it wrong? Was it an illusion?

That was the expression on First Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae’s face. He was uncertain. He needed to think. However, the situation was extremely urgent. His brain frantically scrambled for excuses. You must have been mistaken, but right now, the soldiers need to hide as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, the camera that was filming him up close pulled back.

First Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae shouted at the half-crazed soldiers.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!”

“You bastards! Fire! Fire again!!”

“Stick your heads out!! I’ll grind you all!!”

He yelled again.

“You crazy sons of bitches! Don’t go forward!! Run into the school!!”

Then, he sharply turned his head and gave a fierce command to Corporal Jin Sun-cheol, who was now sobbing.

“Jin Sun-cheol! What are you doing down there not dragging Lance Corporal Nam Tae-oh along!”

Corporal Jin Sun-cheol, his lips trembling, stammered a reply.

“Ah- Ah, understood!”

That was typical of him. Yes, I must have seen it wrong. He couldn’t have been smiling. When First Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae came to this conclusion, Corporal Jin Sun-cheol slowly dragged the barely alive Lance Corporal Nam Tae-oh. His life was nearly extinguished. His eyes were unfocused. His breath was faint. Nearly all his blood had drained from his body.

Yet, at the brink of death, for some reason, he called to Corporal Jin Sun-cheol, who was earnestly dragging him towards the school.

“······Jin Sun-cheol.”

The camera focused on the side of the two. Amidst the faintly audible dialogue, Corporal Jin Sun-cheol looked down. His face was filled with fear. But that fear vanished in a moment. In 1 or 2 seconds. The expression on Corporal Jin Sun-cheol’s face as he looked down at Lance Corporal Nam Tae-oh again held a devilish cast.

A smile of enjoyment or interest.

Then, Lance Corporal Nam Tae-oh gathered all his remaining strength and spoke again.

“Who are you······”

While dragging his upper body, yet without showing it, Corporal Jin Sun-cheol pushed the arrow stuck in his abdomen even deeper, his lips curling up to his ears, and whispered into Lance Corporal Nam Tae-oh’s ear.

“This is fucking fun, sweet and salty.”

During this time, among the actors gathered, the men in suits sitting behind Director Kwon Ki-taek whispered.

“Kang Woojin’s acting is indeed impressive.”

It wasn’t a negative murmur but one of acknowledgment.

“Impressive? No, that’s not it. This facial expression will be talked about in the acting world for years.”

“Right. To express a split personality just with facial expressions······ And to perform it to the extent that it’s noticeable is insane.”

“Honestly, it’s my first time seeing Woojin’s acting in person, and it’s shocking. Park Dae-ri was great too, but what can I say, the work can’t fully capture Kang Woojin’s performance.”

“If we’re talking about looks, he’s several times better in person than on screen.”

“That’s right, exactly that.”

After a moment of silence, Director Kwon Ki-taek’s signal echoed across the set again.

“Cut- Okay. Let’s change the framing to lieutenant Choi and go again.”

Consequently, this scene was shot a total of 3 times. It wasn’t that the actors’ performances were weak; Director Kwon Ki-taek was simply more demanding than usual.

Lance Corporal Nam Tae-oh. Or rather, Jeon Woo-chang’s final cut.

Soon.

“Cut, okay. You’ve worked hard, Woo-chang.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek stood up and applauded. The rest of the staff did the same, meaning Jeon Woo-chang was now exiting from ‘Island of the Missing.’ Thanks to this, the muscular Jeon Woo-chang awkwardly scratched his head.

“Hahaha. Thank you, but it feels strange. It’s a pity that I’m the only one who’s finished.”

It was an unusual sight. A muscleman speaking with an arrow stuck in his stomach. Nonetheless, the staff, including Ryu Jung-min who handed over the prop guns, gave Jeon Woo-chang a thumbs up.

“You’ve worked hard, Woo-chang.”

“Whoa- The arrow really makes an impact, huh.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s memorable, isn’t it??”

Of course, even the poker-faced Kang Woojin also gave a small greeting to Jeon Woo-chang.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Jeon Woo-chang smiled weakly as he made eye contact with the composed Woojin.

“No, Woojin-ssi, did you pick today to shine? Your acting was killer, wasn’t it? I was really nervous when you looked down at me at the end.”

“Is that so?”

Woojin’s response was filled with his usual poker face, but internally, he was desperately trying to hold back laughter.

‘The arrow! Tell him to take out the arrow before he talks! Ah, the dangling arrow stuck in my stomach is driving me crazy.’

At that moment, Kang Woojin unconsciously furrowed his brow. It was because of the smell. The entire set, the school building, reeked of an unidentifiable rotten odor. The reason was simple: the staff had sprayed fish sauce all over the school as per Director Kwon Ki-taek’s instructions.

Even if it was for the sake of realistic acting, wasn’t the smell too much?

Meanwhile, other actors besides Woojin seemed not to mind much, probably because the odor was fainter to them. Woojin concluded that it might be due to his ‘cooking skills.’

Then.

“Ah- Woojin-ssi.”

Jeon Woo-chang and Kim Yi-won approached after seeing Kang Woojin’s expression. It was Jeon Woo-chang who spoke softly.

“You must be feeling a bit off, right?”

Off? What does he mean? Suddenly, what is he talking about? Although uncertain, it seemed like Jeon Woo-chang had read dissatisfaction in Woojin’s current expression. It might have been a minor misunderstanding, but Woojin didn’t bother to clarify.

“······”

Jeon Woo-chang gestured towards Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was near monitors surrounded by men in suits.

“Look at that. They say it was a scheduled inspection from the beginning, but anyone can see they came to evaluate Woojin-ssi.”

Following his gaze, Woojin’s solemn eyes moved. Ah- was he talking about those people? Kang Woojin hadn’t really noticed those figures. He had merely thought, ‘Why are there so many men in suits?’ when he arrived on set.

But in his answer, he added a tough act to his sincerity.

“I don’t really care.”

“Ey, still.”

Ha Yu-ra, dusting off her bob (which was a wig), joined in the conversation.

“It’s definitely an evaluation. I heard they were supposed to bring at most 5 people, but there were nearly 10 of them. It must be because of Woojin-ssi’s declaration of war.”

“Right, noona? What’s with that? They all rush here just to mess with Woojin-ssi’s mood.”

Wait? Mood? Currently, Kang Woojin was in top condition. His portrayal of ‘Corporal Jin Sun-cheol’ had become more detailed, and his physical condition seemed to have improved, possibly due to martial arts training. It was then that the tall Ryu Jung-min approached.

“Regardless of them, we just need to keep acting as we do. They’ll be watching our mentality too.”

Ryu Jung-min mused, looking at the indifferent face of Kang Woojin, then chuckled.

“Well, Woojin-ssi isn’t the type to get shaken by that. Anyway, should we check the next scene’s rehearsal? Woo-chang, are you going to leave right away?”

“Of course not. I’ll watch everything. Wait! Aren’t we going out for drinks tonight?! It’s my last day?”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was intently watching the actors on the monitor, seemed slightly surprised as he observed the increasingly cynical Woojin.

‘The volume of his acting is growing. The way he manages his gaze and expressions when revealing a split personality is flexible, and the emotional appeal has become more viscous. His movements are delicate yet strangely precise and fierce.’

Had he been practicing his acting? No, there wouldn’t have been time for that. But clearly, Kang Woojin’s performance had become impeccably solid. The destructive power of his acting ability was similar, but he kept evolving, adding flesh precisely where needed.

To the masterful eyes of Director Kwon Ki-taek, it appeared as if…

‘As if…… he bought the necessary abilities and transplanted them into his body.’

Afterwards.

Although the new year had begun, the entertainment industry became even busier than the end of the year. From New Year’s specials to planned broadcasts, parties, and events—everywhere was the same  in the entertainment industry. On top of that, as they entered the new year, a storm of blood blew through the broadcasting industry. Numerous shows were cut and others survived amidst the reorganizations.

『[Entertainment] This year, 5 variety shows to be cancelled, broadcasters seriously sharpening their knives』

Amidst this, actors and celebrities alike had no time to enjoy the New Year. For them, this period was a prime time. It was a time when forgotten broadcasters could suddenly rise to fame and become the talk of the town, providing artificial respiration to keep their presence alive.

However, it seemed difficult this year to aim for buzz or issues.

Why?

Because the power shown by Kang Woojin at the end of the year was too formidable.

『[StarTalk] Kang Woojin sets a new record in the Korean entertainment industry, why it’s hard to break the record of winning 8 awards』

『With 8 trophies, ‘Kang Woojin’ boosts issue power… What kind of bomb will he drop this year?』

Winning 8 awards in his debut year was a record that would be long remembered in the history of the Korean entertainment industry. Kang Woojin, in his first year, had set this record. His momentum, although it was the New Year, seemed to have multiplied several times over.

The articles that appeared when searching his name were updated every minute.

『[IssueIs] Kang Woojin currently ‘Brand Power No. 1’』

This unbelievable firepower was clearly evidenced by the metrics related to Kang Woojin. The number of SNS followers and fan club members was astonishing, but the subscribers to ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel had increased the most significantly.

[Channel Name: Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego]

[Subscribers: 9.52 million]

[Videos: 35]

Before he knew it, he was looking at 10 million subscribers. Even now, more than half of the top 10 popular videos on Youtube were Woojin’s. They were of his crazy antics at award shows and interviews.

『‘With nearly 10 million subscribers’, Kang Woojin scheduled to shoot a major film with big stars this year… His value is skyrocketing』

Meanwhile, Kang Woojin was buried in the shooting of ‘Island of the Missing’.

“Woojin-ssi! Standby!! Standby!!!”

‘Island of the Missing’, which had its crank-in last September, was now in the middle to final stages of shooting, and thus, Director Kwon Ki-taek and the production team were pushing forward with increased speed.

『‘Master Director Kwon Ki-taek’s ‘Island of the Missing’ nears end of shooting… When will it release?』

Therefore, as time melted away.

The more it did, the more the activities related to Kang Woojin progressed smoothly. When January 4th drew to a close and the 5th arrived, a new video was uploaded on the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel, which had a monstrous momentum.

This time, it wasn’t a cover song video. It was a cooking content.

The guest was Hwalin.

Her relationship with Kang Woojin was close. They had been embroiled in minor rumors after ‘Male Friend’ and Kang Woojin had also saved her during the awl incident. They were both members of ‘Our Dining Table’ is a bonus.

Thanks to that, the guest Hwalin’s video recorded a tremendous number of views within a day of upload.

-【What Do You Want to Eat? (ep1)】 guest/ Hwalin｜Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego

-Views: 6.82 million

6.82 million.

Well, it was an attention-grabbing result, but it also solidly proved the current impact of the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel. However, ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel did not stop boosting there.

On the 6th, a new video was uploaded back-to-back.

-【Avatar Cooking+ Cover (ep0, Teaser)】 guest/ Miley Cara｜Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego

Last year, around the end of the year, there was a frenzy when ‘Miley Cara’ came to Korea. The content teaser video with her was almost like a preview. It was short, just over a minute. The fact that Cara insisted on only appearing on ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel had already been an issue several times, and being a global superstar, Miley Cara brought tremendous firepower to this side.

-Views: 3.12 million

It surpassed 3 million views just 4 hours after upload.

-Finally, it’s out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Crazy???!!! Is it true that Cara and Woojin oppa sang a duet?!!?!??!!

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋKang Woojin’s Alter Ego’s form is insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Just release the duet song already…..I’m going crazy…….

-But why did Cara only appear on Kang Woojin’s channel??? Does anyone know???

-LOL Kang Woojin controlling Cara to cook sounds like it would be super fun ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-With Hwalin… and even Cara… I mean, this channel is just a hobby for Kang Woojin, but why is it so huge???

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Reactions exploded. Interestingly, the number of comments in Japanese and English dramatically increased.

Thus, the following Thursday morning, the 7th.

Kang Woojin, who was focused on shooting ‘Island of the Missing,’ could be found in his hotel room in Buyeo. It was around 10 AM. Having finished preparing for work, he was mostly in a natural state, but for some reason, he was staring down at his phone with his eyes wide open.

“Wow… No, really, this is crazy.”

There was no trace of his usual on-camera facade. The pure Kang Woojin himself was in awe. The reason was simple.

“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, billion… 1 billion of won?” (TL: 1 billion won = 723,482 USD)

He was looking at his internet banking app. He hadn’t paid much attention due to his busy schedule, but today, he noticed an astonishing amount had accumulated. Of course, Woojin had seen money in the hundreds of millions since becoming an actor, but now, it was on a completely different level.

“Cra-, crazy.”

The sources were diverse. Too extensive to list simply. This included appearance fees from various works, notably the recent blockbuster ‘Drug Dealer,’ various schedules, Youtube, etc. There were even earnings yet to be settled. If one were to calculate future projects, the amount would be staggering.

Perhaps tens of billions of won?

This was the result Kang Woojin achieved in just one year. It was an impossible situation for a typical rookie actor. Because it takes at least 3 to 5 years to generate profits. Nationwide. No, worldwide, it’s probably only possible and achievable for Kang Woojin.

Well, even Kang Woojin himself must have thought it was a dream.

‘This is freaking awesome. No, wow- shit. Where the hell should I spend this?’

Considering it was money he had never even dreamed of seeing, let alone hearing about, Woojin was at a loss for how to utilize these funds.

That’s when it happened.

-Knock knock.

A knock at the door interrupted the excited Woojin, causing him to quickly adopt a poker face. Soon, Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail peeked into the room. He came to pick up Woojin. Then, Kang Woojin moved to the filming location with Choi Sung-gun, maintaining his composure as much as possible.

Around the same time, as they reached the elevator, Choi Sung-gun nonchalantly said,

“By the way, Woojin. You know about your house, right? The one we talked about the down payment for. All the paperwork’s finished. It’s officially yours now.”

Kang Woojin’s assets now included a house in Samseong-dong.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Tokyo.

In the back seat of a high-end sedan cruising down the road, a familiar old man can be seen. It was Chairman Hideki Yoshimura, wearing a neat suit with white hair mixed in his eyebrows.

He suddenly asked his secretary Lili, seated in the passenger seat, in Japanese,

“Is it today? Did the article go up?”

Lili, turning her body and bowing her head slightly, seemed to know exactly what he was asking and immediately replied,

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Hmm.”

Chairman Hideki nodded slowly and turned on his phone. He accessed Japan’s top portal site, tapped on the news section, and found the article he was looking for.

『【Breaking News】Kashiwa Group Subsidiary Hires Korean Actor ‘Kang Woojin’ as advertising Model: A ‘Strange Event’ Has Occurred』

It was the first time a Korean actor had been hired as a model for the Kashiwa Group.