In fact, Kang Woojin didn’t need to go to the children’s center. He originally came to Jinju to rest, and if he went off his planned schedule, things could get complicated in various ways. If he was spotted in public, whether at the Jinju market or anywhere else, it could easily cause a stir.

But Woojin still went to the children’s center.

‘Oh – it’s bigger than I thought.’

Maybe it was because he wanted to do something good, but it was also because he cared about his younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, and her fan club Strong Heart. After all, it was his last day of rest, and he figured that making a brief appearance wouldn’t hurt.

At first, his mood wasn’t so bad.

This was largely because of his younger sister, whom he saw as soon as he arrived at the children’s center.

‘There she is. Wow, this is awkward.’

Kang Hyun-ah was standing in the hallway at the entrance of the hall, gathered with the Strong Heart management team. Woojin found it funny seeing her in such a formal setting. He almost burst out laughing at how serious she looked.

Why are you taking this so seriously?

As her older brother, Woojin knew everything about her life. To him, her current demeanor was a joke in itself. At that moment, Woojin was full of thoughts about teasing Kang Hyun-ah. But he restrained himself.

‘But you are the president of Strong Heart, after all.’

He had to maintain his composure. He couldn’t act the way he normally did around Kang Hyun-ah. Above all, if he started behaving like his usual self, his poker face would crack. So, Woojin stopped walking even when he saw Kang Hyun-ah just ten steps away. He intended to slip into the hall unnoticed if his sister remained preoccupied.

However, things didn’t go as planned.

“That’s just too much.”

His attention was drawn to a middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared in the hallway. Had he been drinking? Of course, this was just Woojin’s impression. The man was chubby, in his 60s, with a flushed face. He suddenly started arguing with Kang Hyun-ah, and from a distance, Woojin furrowed his brow. This wasn’t part of an act—he meant it.

Still, Woojin decided to observe for a while.

But there was no need for that.

The man from Sulton—or rather, the man who claimed to be the representative of the sponsor of this children’s center—was crossing the line the more he spoke to Kang Hyun-ah.

What’s up with this crazy guy?

At this point, Woojin’s feelings were on the verge of anger. He was getting irritated.

‘Only I can scold her.’

There’s an old saying: an older brother might give his younger sister a hard time, but he can’t stand it when someone else does the same. That’s exactly what Kang Woojin was feeling.

Woojin’s protective instincts were ignited.

Before acquiring his subspace abilities, Kang Woojin didn’t have a particularly gentle personality. If you left him alone, everything would be fine, but if you bothered him for no reason, he wouldn’t tolerate it.

He acted immediately.

The timing was perfect when the sponsor representative made his final remark.

“Be sure to pass it on to Kang Woojin. Next year, let’s make it more than just 10 million.”

“You can tell me directly.”

Without hesitation, Kang Woojin walked over to where his sister and the sponsor representative were standing. Once he reached them, he looked down at the man in the fancy suit. Woojin was full of irritation, but he did his best to hide his emotions. Even so, his gaze remained cold.

The sponsor representative was visibly startled by Woojin’s sudden appearance.

Is this really happening?

“One hundred million.”

Woojin casually announced a donation of 100 million won. And that wasn’t all. He also declared that the sponsor for the children’s center was being replaced on the spot.

Things took an unexpected turn.

It must have felt strange to everyone. Kang Hyun-ah had certainly never expected her brother to do something like this. She looked at Woojin and the sponsor representative with a confused expression, and the Strong Heart management team had similar looks on their faces. The representative of Sulton’s sponsor opened his mouth slightly, but no words came out. He just looked up at Kang Woojin, who maintained his indifferent expression.

Meanwhile, Woojin picked up his phone.

“Yes, CEO. Thank you.”

He held the phone to his ear, speaking to Choi Seong-gun, the CEO on the other end of the call. There was no need to explain the situation in detail. Choi Seong-gun didn’t ask any questions.

“That children’s center? Yes, connect me there.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll handle the rest. Do you have time to explain?”

“I’ll call you back later.”

“Okay. Make sure everything’s organized.”

The call, involving hundreds of millions of won, lasted only a few seconds. The sum of 100 million won had been mentioned, but Choi didn’t ask Woojin why. He knew Kang Woojin well enough to understand that if Woojin took action, there was always a reason.

Whatever that reason was.

Woojin sighed as he put down his phone and then spoke quietly, addressing the sponsor representative who had been caught off guard by everything happening around him.

“The sponsor for this children’s center has changed.”

“...Hey, wait—”

“You’re still speaking informally.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Apologize first.”

Woojin calmly pointed to Kang Hyun-ah, who was standing to his left.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m used to hearing informal language in my line of work. But the person here is the president of my fan club.”

“……”

“She’s not someone you should speak to informally.”

Woojin’s voice was cold. There were countless posters of him in the room. Kang Hyun-ah looked as though she’d just inhaled a breath of fresh air, but she was also curious. This was completely different from her brother’s usual behavior. Had she ever seen him like this before? Regardless, given the situation, she kept her mouth shut.

Woojin’s stern voice filled the space again.

“Apologize.”

After a brief pause, the sponsor representative, whose face had turned an even deeper shade of red, finally realized the gravity of the situation.

‘Damn it.’

He had just been trying to impress the fan club kids with his show of power. But who could’ve expected that Kang Woojin would suddenly appear like this? Now, the situation had spiraled out of control, and his pride wouldn’t let him simply back down.

So, he puffed out his chest.

“Well, I didn’t say anything wrong.”

That’s when it happened.

“What’s going on here?”

An elderly voice came from the hall. Woojin turned around to see the mayor of Jinju standing there, his bald head shining under the lights. Local officials and children’s center staff were also nearby. The sponsor representative was clearly flustered by this new development.

“Oh, no! We were just talking for a moment. Yes! Kang Woojin is here!”

The sponsor’s pride quickly evaporated in front of the mayor. Anyway, the mayor of Jinju.

“Hmm.”

He glanced at the solemn Kang Woojin and assessed the situation. He then turned his attention to the sponsor representative.

‘What’s this guy up to now?’

As usual, the sponsor seemed to be someone who always caused trouble. The mayor turned his head and spoke to the children’s center staff.

“Close the door.”

“What? Oh—yes, sir!”

At the mayor’s order, the door to the hall was closed. In other words, no one else could see what was happening, and the mayor made his way toward the group of Woojin and Kang Hyun-ah. The sponsor representative, feeling desperate, intervened.

“Uh, Mr. Mayor!”

The mayor raised a hand, stopping him. Instead, he addressed Woojin and Kang Hyun-ah.

“Nice to meet you, Kang Woojin. Could you tell me what’s going on here?”

Woojin remained silent. It was Kang Hyun-ah who began explaining. She detailed everything that had happened. The mayor sighed several times as he listened.

Finally.

“Whew—”

After hearing the entire story, the mayor rubbed his bald head and looked sternly at the sponsor representative standing nearby.

“Representative Park.”

“Yes, yes, Mr. Mayor.”

The mayor’s voice was soft but carried undeniable weight.

“I’ve told you several times before not to cause unnecessary trouble. I don’t understand why you keep doing it.”

“……”

“It’s becoming harder for me to tolerate this. First of all, apologize to the Strong Heart members here.”

The sponsor representative, who had been watching the scene unfold, cleared his throat and lowered his head slightly.

“I—I’m sorry.”

“Speak formally.”

“Oh! Right. Mr. Mayor, I’m sorry.”

The mayor sighed deeply and continued.

“And as of today, you will no longer be the sponsor representative.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Do you think it’s appropriate for someone like you to sponsor a children’s center with all the noise you’ve caused?”

“But—”

“Let’s not make this any worse.”

The sponsor representative, realizing he had no choice, fell silent. Meanwhile, the mayor turned his gaze back to Woojin, speaking in a more apologetic tone.

“You came to my hometown to rest, and I seem to have caused you trouble. As mayor, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Kang Woojin responded in a calm, steady voice.

“It’s fine.”

“There’s no need for you to take on the role of sponsor for this children’s center. I can handle the organization myself. The Strong Heart people have already made their donations.”

“No, I meant it when I donated and became the sponsor.”

Woojin spoke casually.

“I’ll take charge from now on.”

After that.

With the mayor’s intervention, peace returned to the children’s center. The CEO of Sulton left the hall after offering several more apologies to both the mayor and Woojin. His earlier bluster was completely gone. It was the look of a defeated man.

Maybe it’s because showing off to the mayor of Jinju didn’t lead to anything good.

Afterward, the mayor went on his way, and Woojin exchanged a few words with the Strong Heart management team.

“Thank you for your hard work today. I should’ve come sooner.”

“Oh, no! Brother! No, Woojin! Could you shake my hand?”

“Me too!”

The Strong Heart members had seen Woojin in person before, but this was the first time they’d been this close to him. A glimpse of the real Woojin.

‘Phew – calm down, first.’

Woojin softened his voice, still maintaining a composed exterior.

“Sure.”

He hugged a few fans instead of just shaking hands. He even signed some phone cases and papers. The girls eventually ran out of the children’s center, and Kang Hyun-ah quietly looked at her brother’s face.

“Brother.”

Woojin glanced around and then lowered his voice.

“Hey, you go home first.”

“No, brother.”

“Go. I’ll handle things here. And listen to me, before I cut off your pocket money.”

Hyun-ah immediately bowed deeply.

“Good luck, brother!”

Woojin, watching his sister run off, sighed softly and entered the hall, where a crowd of people was waiting for him.

As expected.

“Oh my! Kang Woojin! So nice to see you.”

“Hehe, you’re really tall, just as I imagined! You’re going to be the sponsor of the children’s center now?”

“And you donated even more!”

Everyone who had participated in the day’s event, from local officials to children’s center employees, gathered around Woojin. Of course, the bald-headed mayor of Jinju, wearing a slightly proud expression, was also there.

From that point onward, Woojin was out of his element.

“How about a picture with our Woojin? Ah, but only if it’s not uncomfortable for you.”

“It’s fine, we can take pictures.”

Woojin had just donated 100 million won and was now responsible as the official sponsor of the children’s center. They took several group photos with the mayor and local officials. There was even a request for an interview from the Jinju City Hall YouTube team, but Woojin politely declined.

In the end, Woojin spent about an hour there.

The last conversation Woojin had was with the mayor of Jinju. The mayor’s expression had brightened since their first encounter.

“Hehe, Kang Woojin, thank you so much for today. There were a lot of unexpected developments.”

“No problem.”

“But about the promotional ambassador role…”

“That might be difficult. Scheduling issues.”

“Ah, I see. Well, can I at least publish an article about your visit?”

“Sure.”

After talking with the mayor, Woojin had a brief chat with the children’s center staff.

“I’ll connect you with our company.”

It was about the change in sponsorship. After giving his final goodbyes, Woojin left the hall. What happened next was somewhat unexpected.

“……”

“……”

There was a brief moment of silence in the hall. Then, a few seconds later, an explosion of excitement broke out.

“Wow!!! Kang Woojin is incredible in person!!”

“No, seriously, he seemed a little cold at first, but his manners are amazing, right?!”

“The way he carries himself… totally unreal.”

“He’s a real actor. He definitely doesn’t have a normal aura!”

By then, Woojin was already seated in his Rottweiler, which was parked outside in the lot.

“Ha… things got a little out of hand.”

He clicked his tongue and started the car. His destination, of course, was home. When he arrived, Kang Hyun-ah rushed over to him, but he easily fended her off. That night, Woojin, Kang Hyun-ah, and their parents gathered for dinner.

After all, it was Woojin’s last day of vacation.

“Woojin, are you going to be busy again soon?”

“Brother! Give me some inside info about Beneficial Evil! Post it on the fan café!”

It was a noisy dinner, but Woojin felt surprisingly at ease.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve had something like this. How long has it really been?’

It was the first time in a while that the entire family had gathered together. It wasn’t bad.

However.

‘I’m starting to feel a little restless.’

As comfortable as it was, he also felt a strong desire to return to being ‘actor Kang Woojin.’ Had he already become a workaholic? He wasn’t sure of the answer, but after dinner, Woojin said goodbye to his father, Kang Woo-cheol, and his mother, Seo Hyun-mi, before lying down.

And then.

Poof!

He pressed the black square attached to the script he had brought with him. Soon, Woojin’s vision was filled with the darkness of subspace.

“Here we go.”

He was getting ready to return to his role as actor Kang Woojin.

Monday the 28th, around noon.

When Kang Woojin arrived at his officetel in Samseong-dong from Jinju, it was around 12:10. A familiar van was waiting for him in the parking lot, right on time. Of course, it was the van that always greeted Woojin.

“Hyung!!”

The large man, Jang Soo-hwan, was the first to welcome Woojin, brimming with more energy than usual. While Woojin had been on vacation, his entire team had taken time off as well.

Soon, Kang Woojin climbed into the van, and they headed to BW Entertainment.

BW Entertainment was like a battlefield. These days, it was hard to believe it had once been a startup. The number of employees, once just a few dozen, had grown to hundreds, and many top actors had joined the company. Anyway, Woojin entered the spacious CEO’s office.

Choi Seong-gun, buried in paperwork, approached Woojin with a sly grin.

“Did you rest well?”

Woojin, now back in his professional mode, responded, “Yes, CEO.”

“There’s a lot to talk about regarding Jinju, articles, and other things. But first…”

Choi sat down and picked up a transparent file, handing it to Woojin.

“I heard there’s going to be an additional scene in episodes 1 and 2 of Beneficial Evil. The running time is increasing.”

In other words, there would be changes to the script.