Ryu Jeong-min couldn't take his eyes off Kang Woo-jin.
"·····"
At first, he had mistaken Woo-jin for a manager, but now Woo-jin's astonishing acting completely overshadowed that initial impression.
'That acting… what the hell is he doing? Showing off? How can that be called controlled acting?'
Although Ryu Jeong-min was the male lead of Profiler Hanryang, at this moment, the main focus of the script reading was Kang Woo-jin. Not just Ryu Jeong-min, but every actor present was staring intently at Woo-jin. Their gaze had all changed from "Who are you?" to "What on earth are you?"
Of course, other staff scattered throughout the hall shared the same thought. Among them was Choi Seong-geon, CEO of BW Entertainment, Hong Hye-yeon's agency and a secret investor in the short film Exorcism. He had arrived separately with Hong Hye-yeon and was sitting on a small chair near the entrance.
At that moment, Choi Seong-geon was speechless.
"···How did he grasp emotions so quickly? Why is his emotional transition so fast?"
Naturally, it was all thanks to Kang Woo-jin. A previously unknown actor, suddenly cast by PD Song Man-woo and writer Park Eun-mi, Woo-jin had caught Hong Hye-yeon's attention. Honestly, the first impression Woo-jin left on CEO Choi was just… okay. Nothing remarkable.
But now, the situation was completely different.
The moment CEO Choi saw Woo-jin performing the role of Deputy Park, his mind went blank. He couldn't comprehend the unfolding scene, nor could he be sure he could properly evaluate the actor.
'I've never seen acting like that before.'
How much analysis and practice would it take to perform like that? Could practice alone bring someone to that level? At this point, it was hard to judge Woo-jin by conventional acting standards.
Yes, he was just Deputy Park. Nothing more, nothing less.
Then, Deputy Park's gaze and expression shifted. Once filled with desire and pleasure, his deep eyes now held a calculated smile. His face reminded one of a child, like a character from a distorted fairy tale. Calculated innocence. He embraced something and muttered faintly:
"So cute. So soft. I want to crush you."
Deputy Park slowly turned his head, surveying the room. His eyes were clearly focused on his own face, but his fingers trembled slightly—not from fear.
From excitement.
Watching this, CEO Choi unconsciously stood.
'···An antisocial person who doesn't miss pleasure right in front of him.'
It was fascinating. Deputy Park was enjoying himself while breaking something right before his eyes. At that moment, no one in the hall doubted that this man was indeed Deputy Park.
They couldn't.
This wasn't mere mimicry of the script. Kang Woo-jin's acting was smooth, precise, and natural. As for his muttered lines? CEO Choi couldn't stop admiring them.
'A single short line captures a person's character.'
It was fair to call it mesmerizing. At that moment, CEO Choi suddenly realized something.
'Wait, he was told to act moderately.'
The magical word PD Song Man-woo had given Woo-jin was "moderately." It was a key instruction that set the tone of the drama. In other words, all of Woo-jin's performance so far could be judged as "moderate" — exactly as instructed.
Realizing this, CEO Choi could not hide his astonishment.
Yet, the expression on Kang Woo-jin's face, after finishing the first half of Deputy Park's scene, remained serious. Innocently serious, as if his previous performance had been too light.
Indeed.
'The aura of Deputy Park vanished like a ghost as soon as the scene ended. The expression was the same, but the eyes were completely different? Such rapid emotional transitions?'
Woo-jin's immersion in and withdrawal from the role were astonishingly fast. Even for Choi Seong-geon, who had over ten years of acting experience, this was unprecedented.
'Perhaps… it was just moderate.'
And he had to admit it. He didn't know exactly what was happening, but the guy — that monster — acted with composure. Without that composure, he couldn't have shown such moderation.
Thus, Kang Woo-jin overwhelmed everyone gathered in the hall.
High expectations or low, Woo-jin had exceeded all predictions with a single "ordinary" performance. More than 100 people, including actors, were left speechless.
"······"
"······"
At some point, all eyes were fixed on the expressionless Kang Woo-jin.
Ah, now I understand why he's sitting there.
Meanwhile, Woo-jin was lost in thought.
'Phew, that was tough. Acting while sitting is really not easy.'
Under the gaze of about a hundred people, he felt as uncomfortable as sitting on a bed of nails.
'And everyone seems to be staring at me. Was my acting bad? That can't be. Anyway, my scene is done, so why isn't it moving forward? Should I just wait?'
He felt a slight urge to flee. But Kang Woo-jin maintained a calm, emotionless expression. The tension remained at its peak, yet he kept his composure, wishing time would pass quickly.
For male lead Ryu Jeong-min, the situation was even more shocking. His face turned pale.
'How can he stay so composed? Was it really nothing?'
Next to him sat a veteran actor with over 30 years of experience, who lightly patted Ryu Jeong-min on the shoulder.
Thud.
And whispered quietly:
"Don't lose your mind."
"···Huh?"
The veteran slightly raised his chin toward Kang Woo-jin, who sat opposite with a solemn expression.
"He captivated everyone with a single performance and controlled the flow effortlessly. He's not a rookie. He has extensive experience."
At that moment, Kang Woo-jin's face was etched deeply into the minds of every actor in the hall.
'Where does such immense talent come from? Stay alert, or his acting will consume you.'
"······"
As an extraordinary and uncanny actor.
The second part of Profiler Hanryang began. Kang Woo-jin's view was no longer the reading hall. Woo-jin, as Deputy Park, walked the streets licking ice cream. His outfit looked as casual as if he had just stepped out of home.
Deputy Park arrived at the police station in front of his house.
– Rats squeaking.
With ice cream still in his mouth, Deputy Park nonchalantly opened the police station door. The officers were busy and paid him no attention. After a moment, Deputy Park tilted his head slightly and knocked.
– Knock, knock, knock.
A police officer finally noticed him.
"How may I help you?"
Deputy Park answered calmly.
"I'm here to surrender."
At that moment, PD Song Man-woo switched the scene.
"In the interrogation room, Yu Ji-hyung and Deputy Park are facing each other."
As soon as the line was delivered, Deputy Park gazed at the male lead Ryu Jeong-min, i.e., Yu Ji-hyung. His expression was ambiguous — somewhere between a smile and indifference. But his deep eyes held a faint madness, reflecting Yu Ji-hyung's figure.
The conversation began about Deputy Park.
"You seem angry."
Before starting his acting, Yu Ji-hyung muttered to himself while staring at Deputy Park across from him.
"He doesn't even look at the script. Or maybe he doesn't need to? But if he managed the role of Deputy Park this well, he must have analyzed the script carefully."
Misjudging him, he responded in an annoyed tone befitting his nickname Yoo Han-ryang: "Yu Ji-hyung."
"I'm not angry. I'm just excited to have the notorious serial killer right in front of me."
"He was notorious. That's right. He used to be."
Deputy Park rolled his eyes as if recalling the past, then glanced at his handcuffed hands.
"They're stronger than I expected. It hurts a bit."
Yu Ji-hyung touched his chin.
"You seem comfortable. Aren't you scared? This is the interrogation room. The police are outside."
"I know. They're probably behind that mirror."
"Good."
"But surprisingly, I'm not afraid."
Yu Ji-hyung suddenly asked Deputy Park:
"You're a psychopath, right?"
Deputy Park replied with a bitter smile, turning question into question.
"Are you a profiler?"
"Hmm, yes. Somehow I got involved in this bothersome situation."
"Then I guess I have to handle it by any means necessary. I'll be looking forward to it."
Yu Ji-hyung sighed in annoyance but observed every subtle movement of Deputy Park carefully.
"Why did you surrender? If you lived as usual, those cases would remain unsolved for life. That would have been like a medal for you, right?"
Deputy Park clasped his hands, glanced at Yu Ji-hyung, then tilted his head slightly.
"How many?"
"What?"
"The people I killed."
"···Four. If you really are a serial killer."
"You're right, I guess?"
"Then why surrender?"
Repeated questions. Deputy Park smiled at Yu Ji-hyung. He was in control; the situation unfolded exactly as he intended. At this moment, he was the protagonist.
"Because I got angry?"
"About what?"
"Do you know why? I can't stand being misunderstood for no reason."
Yu Ji-hyung opened the file Deputy Park had brought.
"Misunderstood? You've killed four times before, and this time you return in a spectacular way with another murder, right?"
Squinting, Deputy Park pointed at the file with his index finger. His voice exuded menace.
"That's why I surrendered. Someone imitated my great work. A fake."
"···Imitated?"
"Yes, and poorly, at that. Didn't the police suspect anything?"
"Was the method the same as yours?"
Deputy Park smiled and leaned slightly forward.
"Profiler, do you know why children are told not to watch violent films?"
"Because they imitate them."
"Exactly. And the person who died this time, I didn't kill them. There's a real criminal impersonating me."
"······"
"Don't believe me? You'll find out if you investigate a bit. I have a solid alibi. Oh, I haven't checked it yet?"
Deputy Park leaned back as if he had said all he needed.
"The reason I surrendered is to prove I didn't do it."
Yu Ji-hyung crossed his arms and asked again:
"There's another real criminal?"
The serial killer claimed innocence and surrendered.
Several hours later.
The script reading ended. Starting early in the morning, it only concluded in the afternoon, but the hall was still buzzing. Then PD Song Man-woo dropped a bomb.
"Great work, everyone! We've prepared a lot for the after-party in two hours, so enjoy! Of course, if you want to rest, feel free to stay in your rooms."
As soon as he finished, some actors among the dozens hesitated, then rose from their seats. Some stole glances at Kang Woo-jin. Even actors leaving the hall slowly peeked at him. Everyone furtively glanced at the expressionless Woo-jin. The rest of the actors did the same.
Their perception of him had completely reversed.
Of course, murmurs continued.
"Wasn't his acting chilling?"
"Yes, he was really like Deputy Park. Almost as if the writer modeled the character after him."
"It's been a while since I felt such a fresh shock. But… he seems hard to approach, doesn't he?"
"Agreed. Seeing him act as Deputy Park, his emotionless face makes you hesitant to approach."
"But where did they find that guy? From the theater?"
Yet, because Woo-jin still displayed a somewhat cynical attitude, the actors, especially after seeing his intense portrayal of Deputy Park, decided not to approach him for a while.
"Is he recovering emotionally? He seems a bit heavy."
"That makes sense. After seeing his acting, I feel like we really need to be careful not to create a real antisocial personality."
"In Hollywood, people often get into accidents doing that."
"Dangerous."
Their judgment was wrong. Expressionless Kang Woo-jin was deep in thought.
'Am I still tense? I'm so hungry. I'll eat a lot of meat at the after-party. But I should restrain myself from drinking. Don't want the mask to slip. I hope it's beef.'
He was also trying to coordinate his movements so as not to seem too impatient.
'Looks like everyone's leaving. Should I get up too? Or wait a bit longer? There are still quite a few people.'
Woo-jin's serious demeanor created a heavy atmosphere around him, though in reality, he just really wanted beef. The dozens of people in the hall, from entertainment officials, reporters, Hong Hye-yeon, Ryu Jeong-min, other actors, and the Profiler Hanryang production team, were simply observing his tense state.
At that moment.
– Tap, tap.
Someone tapped Kang Woo-jin on the shoulder. Turning, he saw six people, led by a woman, two of whom were holding cameras mounted on gimbals. The woman smiled awkwardly.
"Hello, Woo-jin. We're the production team."
The production team? Ah, I saw them on YouTube. So that's how they film. At that moment, the focus on Woo-jin in the hall intensified. Actors and staff leaving the hall paused their steps. Woo-jin's low voice echoed:
"Yes, hello."
"You must be tired, but we'd like to ask a few questions."
Tired? They want to ask me questions? Oh, a bit nervous. Woo-jin nodded.
"Understood."
The woman's face brightened at his agreement.
"I really enjoyed your acting! I heard the role of Deputy Park is very difficult, but you performed so realistically, I'm impressed. How much did you analyze and practice? It must have taken quite some time to understand the hidden meaning in the lines, right?"
At that moment, writer Park Eun-mi, sitting at the ㅁ-shaped table, loosened her headband and tapped PD Song Man-woo's shoulder.
"PD, shouldn't we stop now? Woo-jin isn't supposed to appear in the making-of video. Knowing his personality, he might answer 'It wasn't difficult at all' without filtering."
But PD Song Man-woo stroked his beard and remained calm.
"That's usually asked to other actors. Deleting it would look bad. Besides, that's part of his charm. It's unique star power. It's confidence with a reason."
"But there are reporters here."
"It's fine. They can only write about the reading session. It's also a good chance to leave a strong impression of actor Kang Woo-jin. Everyone attending will be captivated by him."
"But still…"
PD Song Man-woo reassured the worried Park Eun-mi like a mother.
"Ha ha, it's okay. There are plenty of people here, so even if Woo-jin ignores others' opinions, he'll respond appropriately."
Woo-jin thought for a moment.
'Hmm… analysis? Practice? Hidden meaning? I should answer this using professional terms.'
The hall was full of top actors. A sloppy answer could expose me.
'If I seem careless, people might doubt my image. I should use social skill to clear up such misunderstandings.'
Woo-jin answered the female production team member casually and briefly:
"The script was really excellent."
Writer Park Eun-mi, watching, was slightly moved.
"Wow, that easily?"
The woman smiled and asked another question:
"Ah, I see. Yes, the script is amazing, right? Woo-jin, you suddenly appeared like a comet. Did you practice acting in a theater club?"
All the actors, including Ryu Jeong-min and other entertainment officials, were listening. Woo-jin's answer was concise:
"No, I'm self-taught."
Everyone remaining in the hall blinked in surprise.