Chapter 228: Growth (1)

Translation: Dreamscribe

Woojin, who was lying down, abruptly sat up at the sound of a robotic woman’s voice that spread throughout the void space.

“What did you say??”

It was such an unexpected moment that surprise spread across Kang Woojin’s face. His eyes widened as well. At the same time, he recalled the phrase the robotic woman had uttered.

‘Acquiring understanding of role synthesis.’

Woojin asked the invisible woman.

“What did you acquire? Understanding of role synthesis?? What is that?”

But.

[“……”]

No more voice was heard in the void space. No, if you’re not going to answer, at least take some action? Languages or martial arts – whenever such skills were involved, her words would usually be followed by a grey mass engulfing Kang Woojin.

But now.

“What, is it over??”

It was silent. Nothing happened. Only the endlessly dark void space was visible. Woojin narrowed his brows and slowly stood up, wondering if it was because he had been sitting. But even standing up, nothing happened. Could it be— a joke? The thought briefly crossed his mind, but he soon shook his head.

‘The void space wouldn’t do such meaningless things.’

Muttering to himself, Woojin turned his head to check the array of white rectangles. Nothing significant seemed to have changed. What could it be? It clearly said it acquiring something? Tilting his head, Woojin stood and scratched his head.

“Hmm.”

Just in case, he looked into his inner self. To be precise, it would be more appropriate to say he felt it. His inside, his inner world, was already quite vast. Many worlds of various works were imprinted there, and abilities were densely accumulated. The worlds of the works Kang Woojin possessed were, well, lined up like small rooms for each work.

That was the image.

It was unclear whether Kang Woojin or the void space had decided it, but whenever Woojin needed to pull out the world of a work, he always started by opening the door to that room. Then, the world of that work would instantly permeate him. Of course, seeing through the eyes of the character to be read (experienced).

Another reality.

From dialogues to emotions, thoughts, habits, etc., the role exists within the world of the work. Pulling out just the role without the work was impossible. Therefore, when Kang Woojin embarked on acting, the degree of freedom had to be considered slightly lower.

‘Because there’s a set framework.’

Although the owner was Kang Woojin, in the end, the process of living in the world of the designated role and emerging from it was the same. Hence, when he pulled out a role, the backdrop of the work naturally unfolded before him. That was the default. Certainly, Woojin could flesh out his acting, but it wouldn’t be better than the power of the void space. Anyway, Kang Woojin’s inner self had always been like this until now.

But.

“Huh? Something’s— a bit.”

Having just scanned his insides, Kang Woojin noticed a change. It wasn’t drastic. Just a slightly different image than before. To put it into words, it felt as if the characters Kang Woojin had portrayed were standing in front of each small room of their respective works.

As if waiting for their owner’s call.

It was similar but definitely a different aspect. From here, Kang Woojin unconsciously concluded.

‘Am I supposed to use them as I wish??’

It seemed like he could freely use each role. They were disconnected from the worlds of their works. The roles maintained their personality, tendencies, and charm, but were distinctly separated from their backgrounds in the works.

Yes, like a skill acquired in a game.

Or perhaps like familiars? It felt like S-rank familiars he had painstakingly obtained were waiting at the door. S-rank ‘Kim Ryu-jin,’ ‘Park Dae-ri,’ ‘Han In-ho,’ ‘Lee Sang-man,’ among others. Those who made Kang Woojin what he is today were waiting for their owner’s choice, independent of the worlds that once confined them.

In a moment, Kang Woojin, standing dumbfounded in the void space, muttered softly.

“So role synthesis means— I can use these roles independently of the works’ worlds?”

In “Hanryang,” Woojin could call forth ‘Lee Sang-man,’ and from ‘Island of the Missing’, he could draw ‘Kim Ryu-jin.’ Soon, Woojin for some reason muttered his exit. The darkness around him shifted to reality. Inside the tent where he was waiting; naturally, there was no one else in the tent besides Woojin.

Outside, there was a clamor, but no signs that someone was coming towards the tent.

“……”

With a seriously contemplative expression, not just an act, Kang Woojin shifted his gaze while sitting. He was looking at the script for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ laid out on the desk in front of him. How does this role synthesis work?

“Well, it’s not like I’ll find the answer by thinking about it.”

Woojin chuckled softly, then exhaled lightly. Let’s experiment. Next, he brought forth ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ from ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Due to frequent readings (experiences) and implementations, it was instant. The scene inside the tent that had existed in Woojin’s view disappeared like smoke, and Kiyoshi’s world began to unfold one by one.

A graceful yet eerie life.

Woojin’s chest tightened with a slight excitement. Indifferent and stiff. Kang Woojin had become ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.’ His dialogues, thoughts, emotions, and sensations were transmitted right to his fingertips.

Here, at this moment, Kang Woojin did something he had never tried before.

The process was oddly easy, even though he hadn’t learned it. Was this also thanks to the void space? In the state where ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ was pervasive, Kang Woojin called forth another role or one of the waiting S-rank familiars. Who to choose? He didn’t know, anyone. What Kang Woojin chose was Kim Ryu-jin from ‘Exorcism’. He felt the Kim Ryu-jin within him stepping forward.

And then painted over the spread of Kiyoshi.

It was a strange feeling for Kang Woojin. It was subtle. His current emotions were a jumbled, entangled mess. Maybe because it was his first time, Woojin felt a slight nausea. That lasted for a few seconds.

“……”

Soon, Kang Woojin calmed down. The world was still that of Kiyoshi. The universe remained the same. Of course, Woojin was still Kiyoshi too. The dialogues, objectives, thoughts, and feelings remained the same. But.

“Cigarette.”

The current Kiyoshi wanted a cigarette. The fatigue was heavy. His curiosity was intense. A lack of motivation was apparent even in the expression Woojin made. Clumsiness was also equipped. All of this was not something the original Kiyoshi possessed. But now, Kang Woojin was indeed Kiyoshi.

“You don’t have to go that far for me, Misaki Shutoku ssi.”

The ingrained dialogue spewed as if they were his own words. However, the intonation, stress, and tone were different. Synthesis. Yes, now Kiyoshi and Kim Ryu-jin were synthesized. It’s not that Kiyoshi was completely deleted and only Kim Ryu-jin was visible.

Both existed.

Thanks to this, a very subtle and completely different entity was born. The characteristics of Kiyoshi and Kim Ryu-jin were mixed and manifested. Lean but intensely curious, dry yet clumsy. Ah— that’s it, Kang Woojin who had been showing both Kiyoshi and Kim Ryu-jin realized the method.

What if I remove one S-rank familiar then?

Woojin excluded only Kim Ryu-jin from the two mixed characters. This too was done naturally, although he hadn’t learned it. Instantly, he felt Kim Ryu-jin disappearing from his body. Then, Kang Woojin spoke the dialogue again.

“You don’t have to go that far for me, Misaki Shutoku ssi.”

Only Kiyoshi remained. Dull and completely devoid of moisture like dry firewood. It was completely different from before. All of this happened in a matter of seconds. Since it was his first time experiencing this, it felt strange, but Woojin was sure it would get faster with familiarity.

If someone else witnessed this, they would surely see him as a madman.

Regardless, Kang Woojin thought.

‘How’s my body condition? It’s fine.’’

Next, he brought forth another familiar. It was Park Dae-ri. And then.

‘Next.’

He repeated the process.

A moment later.

Kang Woojin, sitting in the tent, appeared unchanged at a glance, but in reality, a tremendous event had taken place. He had synthesized all the summoned creatures or roles with Kiyoshi.

Each character that emerged was extraordinary.

Soon, after removing all roles and returning to being Kang Woojin, he reflected on everything he had experienced up to now. He soon reached a conclusion and even smiled slightly.

“It seems like it’ll be useful?”

Well, being only in his first year in the entertainment industry, it would be impossible for him to grasp everything, but Woojin instinctively knew. What he had just experienced was certainly an unheard-of technique. But where could it be applied?

Woojin became serious in an instant and lowered his head, spreading out the script for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

‘You know, there’s such a thing as acting within acting.’

There are more scenes than one might think where a role within a work is performing. Situations where one pretends to be someone else, fabricates a lie, or is initially required to act. If the actor is the protagonist, they can openly show acting.

‘Even if it’s not exactly that, as long as there’s a similar situation, an actor can create the scene themselves.’

Having acted a bit, Kang Woojin’s thoughts quickened. Of course, his guess wasn’t wrong. That’s commonly referred to as ‘analysis.’ It was something that real actors did as routinely as eating. If it makes the character stand out more than the original direction, then anything goes for an actor.

‘They also call it crafting the acting.’

Of course, this was a realm Kang Woojin had never explored before. It was also a meaningless process since the void space automatically instilled everything in him.

But now Woojin.

“Let’s see— which part would be good.”

He began crafting the acting he hadn’t performed before. He unfolded the script and read around the areas that came to mind. He selected scenes. Then, he played out the acting he would perform in his head. Would it be okay? Or not? Might not be bad. Ah— but just reading it, I can’t really concentrate.

Kang Woojin picked up one of the pens scattered across the desk.

-Swish.

Then he started writing something on the script. Where should the recently acquired role synthesis fit in?

‘Where should I use it to get good?’

However, he shouldn’t shake the foundation of the character Iyota Kiyoshi. Basically, keep Kiyoshi but find a scene that could amplify his character traits momentarily.

-Flap.

With his eyes fixed on the script, Woojin immersed himself in his own time. His posture seemed truly that of a real actor. Then.

“Ah, I think this part would be good.”

Woojin’s pen stopped. It was a section scheduled for filming today in the script, and he was crafting the acting for the experiment, keeping the scene’s objective and Kiyoshi intact, but only to the extent that it wouldn’t cause a major issue. He began writing it in the margins of the script.

About 5 minutes later, having crafted all the acting, Woojin slowly nodded and muttered to himself.

‘Sigh— Would this make Kiyoshi look more eerie? I don’t know, let’s just try it.’

About an hour later.

The preparation for filming ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, which had been slightly delayed, was finally complete. The location was behind the high school, specifically the recycling station. More precisely, it was a warehouse at the recycling station, a space larger than expected, filled with various sports props and equipment.

The film crew for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ set up their equipment in front of the warehouse.

Inside the warehouse, one camera, several in the front, lights, boom mics, etc. The actors of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, all finished with makeup, stood around. About ten men and women. Naturally, all were wearing school uniforms. Kang Woojin, with his tousled hair, was no different.

All the actors were.

“The main camera is this one, so focus here.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“And Woojin, you don’t necessarily have to look at the camera.”

“Yes, Director~nim.”

Director Kyotaro with a head full of gray hairs, was in the middle of a verbal rehearsal. The director of cinematographer and lighting director were also included.

This scene was observed from about ten steps away by a group of foreigners.

It was Megan Stone and her team, with her brown bobbed hair.

The CD, Megan Stone, had been busy contacting the film company and assessing the situation due to the video related to Kang Woojin and ‘Last Kill 3’ that had surfaced earlier. Nevertheless, she had now calmed down somewhat, since it was decided to just wait and see how the situation would unfold.

When she asked Choi Sung-gun, it seemed that bw Entertainment was not involved in this incident, and there was no way to contact that Youtuber immediately.

Meanwhile, Megan and her team of foreigners at the filming site were murmuring in English.

“What’s going on all of a sudden? If it’s not from Kang Woojin’s side, then where could it have leaked from?”

“It couldn’t have come from the ‘Last Kill 3’ team. Especially not to a Korean Youtuber? That doesn’t make sense.”

“But the photos in the video were clearly from when they did the screen tests. So, it must be from Kang Woojin’s side—”

“It’s possible, but it’s also strange. There was a confidentiality agreement, so why? Kang Woojin is doing well. He wouldn’t risk a scandal just for one issue.”

“Hmm.”

As the team members murmured, the leader Megan Stone, with her arms crossed, cut them off sharply.

“Enough. Baseless speculation and doubt are pointless.”

“That’s true. Besides, Kang Woojin saw us but didn’t seem particularly surprised.”

The chubby man chimed in as if he was also surprised.

“He was so composed that I thought he knew we were coming. But he didn’t?”

Megan brushed her bobbed hair back and nodded.

“Yeah. But even during the screen tests, Kang Woojin had a similar demeanor. He didn’t get excited about anything.”

“He’s a really unique character. So Megan, did you hear an explanation about that scene? Given they’re wearing school uniforms, is it a flashback?”

The chubby man gestured towards the filming scene just before the shoot, and Megan nodded affirmatively.

“Right, it seems they’re shooting a flashback of the characters.”

At that moment, another foreign team member joined the conversation.

“I’ve read the original book of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ three times.”

“Oh- are you a fan of author Akari?”

“Not exactly, but I’ve read ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ several times because it’s interesting. This scene is in the original too. It probably shows the protagonist being bullied.”

“In Japan, it’s called ijime? I think.”

“That’s right. But Megan. The scene where we’ll see Kang Woojin’s acting might be a bit dull.”

Megan Stone, who had been observing Kang Woojin on the set, turned her head.

“Why?”

“The protagonist, that is, Iyota Kiyoshi, is a character with a deadened spirit, and here too, he probably won’t take much action. That’s how Kiyoshi is throughout the work.”

The chubby man sighed softly as he concluded.

“Oh, looks like we came at a time when the acting is a bit easy. Bad timing.”

“……”

Megan Stone looked at her team members silently and then turned her gaze back to the scene. It seemed the rehearsal had finished, as Director Kyotaro was now moving. He took a seat where the monitors were placed. Shortly after discussing a few points with the surrounding staff.

“Standby!!”

The assistant director yelled loudly in Japanese, signaling the start of filming. Kang Woojin and the other actors captured by the camera assumed their positions. All stood with indifferent faces, and Kang Woojin sat with his back against the wall.

Then.

-Clap!!

A male staff member in front of the camera clapped the slate, and Director Kyotaro, putting his mouth to the megaphone, shouted the cue.

“Action!”

Simultaneously, Japanese actors looked at Kang Woojin sitting down and giggled. The camera captures them in a wide shot. Before the appearance of Misaki Toka in the script. In other words, the situation where Kiyoshi is being heavily bullied. Everyone is alive. The sharp-faced Tsugumune Shinnosuke, the first to fall from the roof following Toka, the handsome Konakayama Ginzo, with heavily make-up Horinochi Amie, and others.

Roughly 9 people.

With a dry expression, Kang Woojin sat facing three figures, including Shinnosuke and other men. The rest were busy laughing and chatting behind them.

At that moment, Shinnosuke crouched down in front of Woojin.

“Hey, Kiyoshi. Did you bring the allowance you owe me?”

“……”

“I asked if you brought it.”

“Yeah.”

“Then give it to me.”

Kang Woojin pulled out a few bills from his pocket. Simultaneously, Ginzo, who was next to him, curled his lip up.

“Oh, that’s quite a lot? Let’s go to the karaoke after we’re done today. Invite some girls too.”

“Ginjo. Stop messing around with girls all the time.”

Amie Horinochi, who had approached, glanced at Kang Woojin sitting quietly like a dead mouse, and shuddering slightly.

“It’s creepy, isn’t it? Doesn’t his face just make you uncomfortable every time you look at him? He’s like a robot.”

Hearing this, Shinnosuke matched Woojin’s withered face with his gaze. Then he grabbed his chin and shook it slightly.

“It is true. That’s what makes it a bit boring, right? Kind of dull. You annoying bastard. Hey Kiyoshi, show some reaction, will you? Huh? Try it.”

Shinnosuke, who was shaking his chin, tapped Woojin’s cheek with a moderate force.

“……”

But Kang Woojin just looked at him with a dry gaze, doing nothing. Gradually, Shinnosuke’s slaps grew harder.

“Stop looking at me like that. I told you to react. Huh?”

Including Ginzo, all nine laughed. The camera zoomed in closely on the lifeless side profile of Woojin. In the script, Kiyoshi merely mutters to stop. Shinnosuke then gets even more annoyed.

Now, it was Kang Woojin’s turn. Stop it. A short line.

But.

-Swish.

Woojin’s breathing quickened as he looked at Shinnosuke. His scent abruptly changed. A cunning sense of fear spread across his dry eyes. It was peculiar. Except for the eyes, the rest of his face resembled Kiyoshi, but the eyes had changed. Kang Woojin, with his mouth slightly trembling, said,

“S, stop it. Don’t do it. I, I, I’m scared. Don’t hit me. I, I gave you the money.”

What? The actor playing Shinnosuke flinched slightly. The tone of the voice was indeed Kiyoshi’s, but the feel was completely different. Timid? Low self-esteem? But why did the rest of the face, except for the eyes, maintain the dry Kiyoshi? The current Kang Woojin was truly bizarre.

No, even eerie.

Kiyoshi but not Kiyoshi.

Even.

“Stop?”

The bizarreness and eeriness vanished from Kang Woojin’s appearance in just a few seconds. It was as if two people had come and gone in that short time. Now he was back to the usual Kiyoshi himself. Shinnosuke only blinked, but it felt like he had experienced two different people.

Shinnosuke froze without realizing it.

“……Ah.”

The actors standing behind also stiffened their expressions. Director Kyotaro, watching Kang Woojin on the monitor, furrowed his brow at the unexpected turn.

‘Deflated fear. Or dried-up timidity? How did he do that? He was Kiyoshi and then he wasn’t. And he returned to Kiyoshi in just a few seconds. Is that even possible? What was that? What did he bring?’

And.

“……”

The group of foreigners stood still as if time had stopped. Among them, Megan Stone with her bobbed brown hair, her pupils dilating, unwittingly murmured as if she had been bewitched.

“That, that actor. What the hell did he just do?”