Chapter 285: All Time (16)

Translator: Dreamscribe

See, this is my Void space!

It was a cry that resonated intensely in Kang Woojin’s mind, whose smile grew broader. In the past, he might have been slightly flustered.

“Sweet.”

The current Woojin was enjoying the gift of the Void space. So, French? Hmm, yeah, French. Honestly, would Kang Woojin ever have had the chance to use French in his life? No, probably not if it weren’t for the Void space.

‘I wouldn’t have even thought about it until I died.’

English and Japanese were languages he often heard around him enough to be familiar, but French was extremely unfamiliar. However, Kang Woojin’s excitement level kept rising.

‘It’ll be useful somewhere, right? Whatever it is, it’s a huge benefit to acquire a language like this so easily!’

Kang Woojin could possess languages from all over the world. Well, he might not use them every day, but just having them imprinted internally was enough to get him excited. In the dark Void space, Woojin saw a familiar, endlessly vast gray.

The gray engulfed Kang Woojin. Woojin smiled. He thought for a brief moment.

In the near future.

“Ah- right, French. I might be able to use it if I go to the Cannes Film Festival.”

He was envisioning a stage where he could use French.

How much time had passed?

The conference room of bw Entertainment was gradually becoming more crowded. Not only the team leaders of each team, but also the staff of the actors started to appear. Even though they were all from the same company, they were busy greeting each other because they rarely saw each other’s faces.

Meanwhile.

“……”

“……”

Already seated, two of bw Entertainment’s top actors remained silent for some reason. Kang Woojin and Hong Hye-yeon. Woojin was quietly looking down at the script she handed him, and Hong Hye-yeon, who brushed her long hair aside, was frowning slightly as she looked at Kang Woojin.

‘What is this, I’m getting unnecessarily nervous. Why isn’t he saying anything?’

Kang Woojin, who was usually quiet, became even more composed after looking at the script. Hong Hye-yeon was subtly nervous. Although she pretended not to, she couldn’t take her eyes off Woojin because of the many gazes around them.

At that moment.

-Flap.

For some reason, Kang Woojin, who had been quietly reading, turned a page of the script. His expression was still solemn. Hong Hye-yeon was conflicted. Should she just ask him? But she didn’t open her mouth. Yet she thought.

‘…But if Woojin-ssi says it’s not good, should I not do it?’

The work was something Hong Hye-yeon liked quite a bit. However, what if Kang Woojin firmly said it was ‘not interesting’? Should she pass on it? Suddenly, she shook her head slightly.

‘No. I shouldn’t rely on it.’

Kang Woojin’s intuition or animal-like instinct was undeniably amazing to the point of being divine. There had been plenty of evidence in the past, and all the works he had been involved in so far had been massive hits. It had gone beyond the point of believing or not believing. It was like a religion. It would undoubtedly be better to listen to Kang Woojin’s words.

But relying too much could lead to bad habits.

At least, that was Hong Hye-yeon’s thought.

‘I’ll just use it as a reference. Even if he says it’s trash, if I decide I should do it… then I should.’

It was then that Kang Woojin’s slightly cold voice was heard.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, really? Is it interes… huh? Wait a minute. Thank you? For what?”

When Hong Hye-yeon, with a puzzled look on her face, asked again, Kang Woojin replied nonchalantly.

“Just because.”

“Eh?”

“This script, it’s not bad.”

“From ‘thank you’ to ‘not bad’?”

“Should I change the order then?”

“What’s the difference?”

“You’ll understand if you listen.”

This man, really. As always, Hong Hye-yeon felt like she was being swayed whenever she talked to Kang Woojin, and she bit her lower lip slightly. At the same time, she took the script from Woojin’s hand and cleared her throat.

“Ahem! Anyway. Thank you, too, for looking at this.”

Kang Woojin, recalling the French he had imprinted, sincerely muttered.

“This much is nothing.”

The next day, the 7th. Monday.

The hectic weekend had passed, and it was now a weekday. The time was around 7 a.m. Although it was early in the morning, Kang Woojin had just come out of the shop. His hair was slicked back, and his makeup was already done. The reason was simple.

‘Today’s schedule is full too.’

Because it was a schedule that required him to move busily from early morning. Although he spent almost all of Sunday filming ‘Leech’, today he only needed to join in a little past noon. Instead, his schedule was packed between morning and lunchtime.

“Woojin!”

Choi Sung-gun waved his hand from the large van parked in the salon shop’s external parking lot. He had been away for a few days on company business and was absent even this morning, but now he had returned.

“Haha, didn’t you miss me? I- was feeling a bit lonely not seeing your stiff face for a few days.”

Choi Sung-gun, who patted Woojin’s shoulders a couple of times, gestured for them to move. Soon, the van carrying Kang Woojin and several staff members left the shop. As the van started running on the road, Choi Sung-gun stretched and turned to speak to Kang Woojin.

“First, we’re heading to Harmony Film Company.”

Harmony Film Company, which produced ‘Island of the Missing’ that had turned the Korean film industry upside down. The reason Woojin was moving to Harmony Film Company in Sangam-dong this morning was simple.

“The audience is going to be shocked silly.”

Starting today, Kang Woojin, who returned triumphantly, was beginning his support for the post-promotion of ‘Island of the Missing’. For that, everyone, including Woojin, had agreed to gather at Harmony Film Company.

Choi Sung-gun, who had been explaining for a while, changed the subject as he pulled out his phone.

“The Japanese side is in even more of an uproar, even though you’re not there.”

It was about the situation in Japan where Kang Woojin wasn’t present.

“Even considering that we are intentionally spreading it and that the production company and distributor of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ have started circulating it, it’s much noisier than expected.”

In reality, it was so. The Japanese media, almost as if crying out for Kang Woojin to return, were even reporting the real-time performance of the Korean film ‘Island of the Missing’ in Japan. And that wasn’t all. Topics related to the currently full-scale editing of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and ‘Male Friend: Remake’ were also spreading like wildfire.

In addition to that.

『One of the lead actors of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ 「Mifuyu Uramatsu」, ‘I am excited to visit Korea and appear as a guest on Kang Woojin’s alter ego channel’』

The interviews and variety show appearances of Japanese actors who experienced working with Kang Woojin were causing a considerable snowball effect. At the center of it all was always Kang Woojin. The more Woojin expanded his range of activities, the greater his influence on the Japanese entertainment industry became.

It was inevitable that his name would come up frequently.

Actors, voice actors, directors, PDs, staff, and countless figures scattered throughout the Japanese entertainment industry had recently been experiencing a mix of various emotions.

Resentment, jealousy, expectation, envy, admiration, disdain.

The evidence of this was very easy to find.

For instance, Mana Kosaku, who was taking a break after filming ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. The Japanese actor who played Detective Yoshizawa Mochio in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. He had exchanged the most lines with Woojin during filming. He was now at a private gathering. Although he originated from a famous Japanese band, this private gathering consisted of only top Japanese actors.

About a dozen or so.

Here, Mana Kosaku was…

“You’ll feel it too if you act with Kang Woojin. He’s a foreign actor, but there’s a lot to learn from him. It’s a pity he’s a Korean actor.”

He was lavishly praising Kang Woojin. It wasn’t a strange sight. During the filming of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, he had felt awe from Woojin several times. However, expressing it in words was difficult.

Hence, he was eagerly sharing his experiences and praises.

“The Japanese actor scene needs to change now. When the movie is released, many actors will wake up.”

However, most of the top Japanese actors gathered at this private meeting did not share Kosaku’s sentiment. In fact, more than half had been looking at him with discontent for some time. Their expressions were as if saying, “Why do you keep bringing up his name, it’s annoying.”

Finally…

“Hey, Kosaku.”

One Japanese actor who had been sipping whiskey blurted out his upset feelings.

“Aren’t you praising Kang Woojin too much? It’s getting tiresome.”

Several male and female actors nodded and joined in.

“That’s right. It’s already uncomfortable enough with all the media and public opinion buzzing about that Kang Woojin lately.”

“Stop it, Kosaku. What could we possibly have to learn from that actor?”

“Even if there is something to learn, we should learn from our senior actors, not from a second-year Korean actor. Does that make sense?”

In the end, the remaining actors had similar reactions. The actor who had first shown irritation frowned and asked Mana Kosaku again.

“Kosaku. You’re one of Japan’s top actors. I don’t know what you see in Kang Woojin, but it looks a bit pathetic. Have you lost your pride?”

Pride? Mana Kosaku, who was picking up a watermelon from the fruit snacks, almost burst out laughing. No, actually, a little chuckle did escape.

“Hehe, pride? Pride, huh-”

He then scanned the Japanese actors watching him. Their faces were full of discomfort. Ah, I see. Kosaku instinctively realized.

“It will take a long time to change.”

This actor scene in Japan. No, it would take an incredibly long time for the stagnant water to be purified. And he was swimming in it. But after seeing Woojin, he had awakened.

“Why was I here? I was blind too. Now I understand what Director Kyotaro Tanoguchi meant.”

The Japanese actors around him frowned even more at his muttering.

“What? What’s Kosaku muttering to himself?”

“Hey, don’t ruin the mood unnecessarily, let’s just drink.”

But Mana Kosaku stood up from the sofa without answering. As he did so, he spoke quietly to the Japanese actors lifting their glasses.

“All of you are stagnant in this narrow puddle. You think this is everything. If you don’t strive to climb up and look beyond, you’ll rot, and it’ll start to stink.”

“Wh-what?! Hey!!”

Kosaku locked eyes with the Japanese actor who had first expressed irritation and recalled the final scene of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, where he had felt goosebumps all over his body from Kang Woojin’s performance, and laughed.

“Kenjiro, you might never get to act with Kang Woojin, but let me tell you something.”

“…What is it?”

“At first, even I wasn’t comfortable with Kang Woojin. I even wanted to break his proud nose.”

“And?”

“It’s a meaningless act.”

Kosaku’s smile deepened. It was a smile laden with many meanings.

“Things like pride are nothing but trash in front of Kang Woojin.”

Kosaku then left the room where the private gathering was held. As he walked slowly down the corridor, he murmured to himself.

“With the actors’ mindsets like that- it will be quite a sight when ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is released.”

Meanwhile, in Korea. Harmony Film Company in Sangam-dong.

The van carrying Kang Woojin stopped in the film company’s parking lot. Woojin got out immediately. His outfit today was a thin white shirt and jeans. The team members, including the stylist, remained in the van, and only Woojin and Choi Sung-gun moved towards the elevator.

They arrived on the third floor.

-Ding!

As soon as the elevator door opened, Choi Sung-gun turned right along the hallway. Meanwhile, Kang Woojin, for some reason, moved to the left.

He spoke in a low tone to Choi Sung-gun.

“I need to use the restroom.”

Nodding while retying his ponytail, Choi Sung-gun gave a thumbs up.

“Okay- I’ll go ahead and set up our spot.”

“Yes, CEO~nim.”

Woojin, who gave a brief answer, continued to walk calmly.

“…”

His face remained stiff the whole way. There was no change. He opened the glass door of the restroom and checked inside. There was no one.

“Phew.”

Woojin’s lips briefly curved into a smile as he opened his mouth. However, this time, what came out of his mouth was not Korean.

[“I am Kang Woojin, an actor from Korea.”]

It was the French he had already imprinted. It was amazing no matter how many times he used it. He spoke it fluently, as if he had used it all his life. If his face was hidden, no one would doubt that he was a resident of France.

‘This pronunciation is really unique.’

Unlike English or Japanese, there was a peculiar pleasure in it. Thanks to this, Woojin, after relieving himself, washed his hands and uttered another phrase in French.

[“I wonder what will be for lunch today, I hope it’s meat.”]

The food truck on the set of ‘Leech’ boasted top-notch taste. He would eat lunch right after arriving on set in a few hours, and he hoped there would be meat.

French came out effortlessly.

Kang Woojin smiled and shook the water off his hands.

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

The restroom’s glass door opened. Sensing someone, Woojin instantly put on his concept and turned around. The person who opened the door was an incredibly handsome man. No, it was top actor Ryu Jung-min, wearing a green knit short-sleeve shirt. He, too, had arrived at the film company for the same purpose as Kang Woojin. The curious thing was his pupils had grown quite large.

“Woojin-ssi.”

Ryu Jung-min, approaching the composed Woojin, spoke.

“…I overheard a bit outside. Was that French? Don’t tell me you know French too?”

Although it was an unexpected situation, the indifferent-faced Kang Woojin reacted calmly. He gave a reasonable excuse.

“No. I was just practicing some basic greetings.”

“Greetings?”

A film festival flashed through Woojin’s mind like lightning. The one he had thought of in the Void space just before French was imprinted.

“Yes, for Cannes Film Festival.”

That’s right, the Cannes Film Festival. Well done, that was natural. It made sense to say he was practicing light greetings for Cannes. There was no need to hide that he can speak French, but there was also no reason to reveal it now. It would just be annoying.

On the other hand, Ryu Jung-min blinked, looking even more puzzled.

“Cannes? Cannes is still a few months away, and even if you don’t prepare greetings in French, there will be interpreters. Besides, unless you’re going to receive an award and go on stage, you won’t have many opportunities to give greetings.”

He was right. The Cannes Film Festival, the top of the world’s three major film festivals, was attended by countless prestigious filmmakers from various countries, including Hollywood. However, only a few are called to the stage.

Kang Woojin responded nonchalantly, indirectly.

“I know, I just wanted to try it out in advance.”

“…”

The funny thing was, Ryu Jung-min, who had been staring at Kang Woojin oddly for a while, suddenly burst out laughing.

“Ah, not just greetings.”

He chuckled.

“You were preparing an acceptance speech, weren’t you? Because there’s no way you won’t win.”

A misunderstanding about French was created.