Sunday morning.
After waking up at the lodging near the "Exorcism" film set, Kang Woo-jin headed straight to SeeBlue Studio. He had received a call from the production team of Profiler Han-ryang. The meeting had actually been scheduled a few days earlier. Originally, it was supposed to happen sooner, but PD Song Man-woo had adjusted the schedule.
Anyway, after finishing the Exorcism shoot and getting out of the van, Woo-jin met with PD Song, writer Park Eun-mi, and the production manager. The meeting started with PD Song, who presented the finalized style concept for the character Deputy Park.
"Woo-jin, this is Deputy Park's everyday outfit concept, along with the confirmed settings for his home and other locations. Take a look at everything."
Kang Woo-jin carefully reviewed all the details of Deputy Park—from appearance to residence and other settings. Previously, these had been drafts, but now they were finalized, so Woo-jin maintained a calm expression.
Wow, they're really thorough. Even showing the locations and house photos. And the outfits change each time, but the basic design seems consistent. Once materials are ready, production can start immediately.
He admired it silently. Woo-jin listened to about ten minutes of the concept discussion, after which writer Park Eun-mi took over and moved the meeting to the script discussion.
"First, here are the official scripts for Parts 3 and 4. Other actors have already received theirs, but you were delayed due to the Exorcism shoot. I know your schedule is tight, but I'd appreciate it if you could analyze them carefully."
Writer Park's expression showed a hint of worry, seemingly concerned about submitting the scripts late. But Kang Woo-jin had no problem at all. He could fully understand all the contents today.
He even felt a little proud.
"No problem at all."
"Really?"
"Yes, writer."
Park Eun-mi's eyes softened instantly, shifting from worry to affection. Whatever had happened, the Profiler Han-ryang official scripts were now completed up to Part 4. Woo-jin didn't know it, but the draft scripts had already surpassed Part 7. The cover and format of Parts 3 and 4 were identical to Part 1. Of course, all scripts had black boxes attached.
PD Song explained further.
"Deputy Park appears until Part 4, and after that, he doesn't show up, except in a few flashback scenes. You should read up to Part 6."
A total of six parts. Assuming 3.5 million viewers per episode, that's 21 million. Considering reruns and other factors, the raw numbers alone were enormous.
Nice. That's good news for the actor.
Woo-jin silently rejoiced. For about an hour, he listened to a rehearsal of Parts 3 and 4. It was quite fun. Comparing the production team and director's interpretations with his own rehearsal was a valuable experience.
As soon as the script discussion ended, PD Song smiled broadly.
"Thanks to Woo-jin, the actors seem to have woken up."
Woken up? What awakening? This wasn't a fantasy world. Woo-jin asked quietly, curious.
"What do you mean by 'awakened'?"
"They said they felt a sense of urgency watching your acting during the reading, worrying that you might overshadow Deputy Park."
Writer Park Eun-mi added to his comment, also smiling.
"How was filming Exorcism? Was it okay?"
"Yes, no problem at all."
"I'm looking forward to Exorcism too. How was the atmosphere on set? Was it okay?"
Almost died. That was Woo-jin's honest thought, but it was better to pretend everything was fine here.
"It seemed fine."
"Fine? Then you've got stamina, Woo-jin. Good. Profiler Han-ryang filming starts soon, so take care. You'll do well."
Would he even have time to manage his condition? Kang Woo-jin thought he could only endure. After finishing the afternoon meeting and leaving the building, he muttered quietly to himself.
It's hectic, but I think I can handle it.
Then.
– Vrrr, vrrr.
A long vibration came from the pocket of Woo-jin's fleece jacket. It was a phone call. The caller was Kim Dae-young. Woo-jin looked around before answering.
"What is it?"
"Hey! Kang Woo-jin! Come out now! Let's drink. The members are ready."
"I'll pass. Let them drink without me."
"…Still pretending to be busy, you unemployed fool? You haven't even got a new job."
"Thanks for the criticism disguised as concern. Now, shut your mouth."
"What have you been up to lately? Why so secretive? Why aren't you showing your face?"
Woo-jin didn't dislike meeting his friends, but honestly, he had no time for drinking. Not an excuse—he was really busy.
"I'll tell you later. Bye."
– Click.
After hanging up, Woo-jin muttered to himself, thinking about Kim Dae-young and his friends.
Anyway, they'll see it on TV soon enough.
Better to hide the truth now and reveal it later than to lie directly. That was the plan.
Around that time, the production company's minivan arrived from the underground parking lot to pick up Woo-jin. He had no reason to refuse the ride home.
Bang!
As soon as Woo-jin got in, the minivan started. The production team was already there, so Woo-jin's expression became blank again. He picked up the scripts for Parts 3 and 4 of Profiler Han-ryang and focused on Part 3.
Should I read Part 3 before going home?
– Click!
Now, he pressed the black box without hesitation and plunged into the endless abyss of darkness. Then he immediately checked the floating white rectangle.
"So, the connected script is arranged as follows."
Profiler Han-ryang Part 3 was placed in a small box below the white rectangle of Part 1. The same applied to Part 2, repeated in the same way this time. If there were 16 parts in total, the white rectangles would be lined up 16 times and barely visible. The operation method was the same, only the size was smaller.
Woo-jin realized something new and moved his finger.
– [Script (Title: Profiler Han-ryang Part 3) selected.]
– [Available characters for reading (experience) listed.]
Then.
["E: Deputy Park" script loading······]
In Part 3, Woo-jin was drawn into the unfamiliar world of Deputy Park.
Late afternoon the same day, Kang Woo-jin's studio apartment.
Woo-jin returned to his studio apartment past 1 p.m. Fortunately, the Profiler Han-ryang team had given him a ride, so he arrived comfortably, but the five days of filming, last night's drinking, and the morning meeting had left him utterly exhausted.
"Ugh–"
As soon as he arrived, he collapsed onto the bed.
"······"
Kang Woo-jin lay still for three minutes, barely moving. Or more precisely, he twitched slightly. Was this the peace he had been longing for? Even the noise from upstairs felt comforting.
Should he just fall asleep like this?
Out of habit, Woo-jin reached for his phone but recoiled. His eyes caught a few business cards.
"Ah."
They were the cards he had received on the script reading day. Oh right, they were still there. It had been about a week, so it was time to make a decision.
Sigh–
But now, even standing felt too cumbersome. So he stayed lying down and reached for the pile of cards. There were nine in total. Most were entertainment companies, but one was a film company. Whatever.
When choosing an agency, the most important thing is to carefully examine the company.
Did he really need to meet all eight agencies? It seemed excessive. Quite troublesome, and given Woo-jin's attitude, it didn't seem appropriate for him to go around individually. Moreover,
"We met on the audition day and felt familiar. Wouldn't it cause rumors to meet multiple agencies?"
Woo-jin was lost in thought, but his reasoning was close to correct. In the entertainment world, where rumors spread faster than light—especially in trend-sensitive circles—if Woo-jin went around, the chance of negative rumors spreading was extremely high.
Being too fickle isn't good.
At that moment, Woo-jin paused at a familiar business card.
– BW Entertainment.
– CEO Choi Sung-geon.
It was the agency of top actress Hong Hye-yeon.
Hmm–
Woo-jin fiddled with the card and muttered to himself. Thoughts rushed through his mind. Honestly, he knew almost nothing about the entertainment industry. Even if he investigated each company, he didn't feel he could make a proper judgment.
Worrying alone won't solve anything.
Experience was necessary.
Late that afternoon, at a commercial shooting studio.
It was a cosmetics ad shoot. In the center of the set was a desk displaying various cosmetics. Hong Hye-yeon, in a white dress, sat at the desk, scooping a cosmetic into a small ball and smiling at the camera.
"Bring nature to your skin."
At that moment, a chubby man monitoring the shoot shouted through a megaphone.
"Great! Hye-yeon, your expression is perfect! Let's adjust the makeup a bit and shoot again!"
The ad team rushed to the desk where Hye-yeon sat. The cosmetics were quickly replaced with fresh products. Meanwhile, stylists swiftly touched up Hye-yeon's makeup.
Right at that moment.
– Swoosh.
A familiar man entered the set: CEO Choi Sung-geon. Seeing him, Hye-yeon handed over her face makeup to the stylist and spoke.
"You're here?"
CEO Choi immediately gave a thumbs-up.
"Hong-star, you look amazing. You're at your peak beauty today."
"Why are you praising me so much all of a sudden? Are you here to ask something? Go ahead. What is it?"
"Haha, nothing much. Oh, but a small thought just came to mind. Hye-yeon, now that Exorcism is done, how about modeling for chicken?"
"No."
"Come on, at least hear me out."
"If I model for chicken, I'd have to eat only that chicken. There are so many types of chicken in the world. I don't want to do that."
CEO Choi sighed deeply.
"Do you know how expensive this is? And you refuse just because you don't like the taste?"
Right then.
– ♬♪
CEO Choi's phone rang, interrupting their sudden confrontation. The number wasn't saved. He gestured Hye-yeon to wait and answered the call.
Yes, it was Choi Sung-geon.
A deep male voice came from the receiver.
Hello, this is Kang Woo-jin.
Surprised, CEO Choi widened his eyes and mouthed to Hye-yeon.
"Hello, this is Kang Woo-jin."
Hye-yeon jumped up.
What? Speak quickly!
Thanks to that, CEO Choi opened his mouth and smiled.
"Oh, Woo-jin. I was waiting for your call."
"Sorry, I was filming."
"I know, I know."
"I'd like to meet and discuss the contract."
CEO Choi clenched his fists immediately.
"Of course, let's meet! But it's a bit late now. I'll come near your place tomorrow."
Yet, Woo-jin's voice over the phone was remarkably calm.
"No, I'm going to BW Entertainment."
On the 16th.
After the weekend, Monday morning was busy everywhere. BW Entertainment near Samseong Station was no exception. The office wasn't large, but about ten employees were all focused on their work.
The interior of BW Entertainment was generally neat.
Nothing particularly stood out, except that posters of Hong Hye-yeon were on the walls throughout the office.
BW Entertainment employees whispered quietly among themselves.
"Who was that man who just went into the CEO's office? Does anyone know?"
"Isn't he from another company?"
"He was quite handsome. The atmosphere was serious. He looked like an actor."
"Actor? What's going on? The CEO didn't tell us. Is he a new employee?"
"Wow, is this finally the second actor joining?"
"But isn't it too much to bring in an unknown actor at this point?"
The subject of their whispers sat at the four-person desk in the CEO's office. It was the expressionless Kang Woo-jin. Dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, he sat comfortably.
I want that big poster.
He stared at the large poster of Hong Hye-yeon on the front wall. Right then,
"Hahaha, Woo-jin, here you go."
CEO Choi placed a coffee cup in front of Woo-jin. Woo-jin snapped out of his daze.
"Thank you."
CEO Choi, still smiling, sat across Woo-jin, spinning his fingers.
"It's small, right? But for a startup, it's quite large. Well, all thanks to Hong Hye-yeon. Hahaha."
Could a company really survive with just one top actress? Woo-jin recalled news of celebrities buying buildings worth billions and thought.
Then why only Hong Hye-yeon?
"Was there anyone else? Hmm, I focused on Hong-star and worked on solidifying the company's position. I even handed out business cards to broadcasters and production companies."
CEO Choi smiled and answered, then suddenly stood up, returned with a file, sat across Woo-jin, and solemnly unbuttoned his jacket.
"Woo-jin, have you met agencies before?"
You're the first. But he couldn't say it so definitively. Woo-jin responded calmly, with a touch of bravado.
"I think I've met enough by now."
"Confusing, right? But you must stay focused. This is an important time."
CEO Choi slid a transparent file toward Woo-jin.
"Woo-jin, this is the contract we're offering. But before that…"
CEO Choi folded his hands and met Woo-jin's cold gaze.
"We need to handle this first: the signing bonus. Once we discuss that, negotiating the contract will be much easier. You mentioned other agencies offered 'special conditions'? I have something prepared too."
Surprised by the sudden practical talk, Woo-jin was slightly unsettled internally.
Wow, this person is direct. Calm down, Kang Woo-jin. You've handled situations like this before.
He nodded nonchalantly.
Please continue.
"Have you considered an amount?"
Yes. Woo-jin had roughly calculated the signing bonus, using information from Director Shin Dong-chun.
I think asking for 20 million won would be appropriate.
So, 20 million won. But was that really right? At this point, Woo-jin felt that 20 million was enormous. Truly a huge amount.
Will I get kicked out if I ask for 20 million?
Or maybe the CEO might suddenly get angry and spill his coffee on Woo-jin's face.
You know, the kind you see in morning dramas.
Meanwhile, CEO Choi wasn't thinking about morning dramas; he was mentally calculating.
It's fine. He's different from others. He's already acted in two projects, including Profiler Han-ryang. He'll definitely become more famous. Retrieving the signing bonus isn't a big deal. The important thing is casting him.
Having used every trick in the entertainment industry, CEO Choi would never engage in a losing business.
Meanwhile, Woo-jin had already made up his mind.
Stay calm. Just say 20 million won clearly and concisely. Just do it. What if coffee spills? Consider it washing your face.
Just as he was about to mention the 20 million won he had decided on,
"Woo-jin."
CEO Choi, with a serious expression, blocked Woo-jin's 20 million. He acted first.
"How about 30 million won?"
What? Why? Kang Woo-jin was shocked by the unexpected amount. Thanks to his practiced composure, his expression didn't change, but his pupils flickered. He couldn't close his mouth from surprise.
Thir…
He had almost said "30 million won," but barely kept his mouth shut before finishing the word. In a situation requiring composure, he nearly blurted out foolishly. He praised himself quietly for staying controlled.
Well done. Almost nailed it. But suddenly 30 million won—what's going on?
Woo-jin began to choose his words carefully. Meanwhile, for some reason, CEO Choi, quietly watching him, spoke.
…Four?
Suddenly, in a loud voice.
"Alright. 40 million won then. You can do it."
TL Note:
In Korean, the initial sounds of "thirty" (삼십) and "forty" (사십) are similar. Here, the first word should actually have been "thirty," but CEO Choi misheard Woo-jin as saying "forty."