Chapter 20: Reading (1)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Expressionless? Kang Woojin’s face was definitely indifferent at the moment. He was just staring at the goddess laughing in front of him. No, top actress Hong Hye-yeon.
“······”
His mind was calm. It was incredibly serene. But this wasn’t real peace. His thoughts had just frozen due to an unexpected situation.
‘…Huh?’
Kang Woojin had been frozen since the appearance of Hong Hye-yeon and his expression had stiffened. This naturally maintained Woojin’s persona. Who wouldn’t freeze in thought? Especially when a goddess suddenly appears.
“Aren’t you surprised at all? Anyway, can I do ‘Exorcism’?”
She wants to make a short film.
‘Ah- wait a minute. Wait, wait. What’s going on here?’
Why would the leading actress of a major drama come here to make a short film? If there had been any hint, it would have been understandable, but Hong Hye-yeon provided no pretext. In fact, Woojin hadn’t had much conversation with her in the first place.
‘Is this going to turn out weird again?’
Kang Woojin barely started his stalled brain. Things are getting bigger. Thousands of times more than when Director Shin Dong-chun overturned everything.
At this point, he heard Hong Hye-yeon’s laughter.
“Woojin, but aren’t you too calm? Did you expect that I’m going to do ‘Exorcism’?”
No, not at all. Kang Woojin didn’t speak because the shock hadn’t worn off yet. He was worried he might misspeak. So, he just shook his head.
-Swoosh.
Hong Hye-yeon, who slightly turned her face, asked again.
“But why are you so calm? It’s boring. I thought you’d be surprised this time.”
He was surprised. Incredibly so. He can honestly say that. Soon, Woojin managed to produce a low voice.
“I was surprised.”
“You’re funny, you have no expression.”
Around this time, Kang Woojin was struggling to work out his thoughts. About why this goddess is here. Then, something flashed through his mind, and he murmured,
“Did PD Song man-woo mention it by any chance?”
Director Shin Dong-chun and PD Song man-woo are close. If he had to find a connection to Hong Hye-yeon, that was the only one, and whether it was right or wrong, Hong Hye-yeon laughed and brushed her long hair.
“Half-right.”
It smells good. Ah, no. Kang Woojin suddenly came to his senses. The first thing to do was to make sure.
“…So you really want to do ‘Exorcism’?”
“I said so. Is that not okay?”
“If it’s a joke.”
“It’s not? I might seem like I’m always playing around, but I’m busy. Where do I have time for jokes?”
Even when she’s complaining, she’s a goddess. What ever, if she agrees, it’s a win, right? He’s too grateful. The reputation of Kang Woojin around him had soared indefinitely, but he was still very much an ordinary citizen.
But that common man is going to include Hong Hye-yeon in his work.
‘Combat power increased by a million times.’
In an instant, Kang Woojin’s passion soared.
“If you want to do it, I guess it’s okay.”
“Yeah, deal?”
While in the meantime, staring dumbfounded at the conversation between Woojin and Hong Hye-yeon.
“······Ah.”
Director Shin Dong-chun covered his face with one hand and opened his mouth.
“Um, Hye-yeon, sit down first.”
But Hong Hye-yeon shook her head.
“No, I have to go right away because I have the next schedule. Ah, PD Dong-chun, long time no see. I’m saying hello now.”
“Ah…yes. It’s been a long time. But, Hye-yeon, are you really going to do ‘Exorcism’? I’m sorry. It’s a little hard to believe.”
“Yes, I want to.”
Hong Hye-yeon, who answered shortly, placed a bundle of paper she had brought in her side on the desk. It was a ‘Exorcism’ scenario.
“I’ve already read the Scenario several times. If the director is okay with it, I want to play the role of ‘the wife’.”
“Hye-yeon… Do you really understand? That wife role is not the lead, it’s a supporting character, and this ‘Exorcism’ is just a short film?”
“Yeah, yes. I know. Plus, isn’t this film going to be submitted to the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’?”
“······Huh? How did you know that?”
When asked back, Hong Hye-yeon smiled with her eyes and shrugged.
“Our capable CEO told me.”
“Hold on, wait a minute.”
Perhaps due to the rush of so many things happening all at once, Director Shin Dong-chun sunk helplessly into his chair. Then, he had a sudden flash of inspiration and locked eyes with Hong Hye-yeon again.
“Ah! But for Hye-yeon’s appearance fee… It’s impossible for me to afford.”
“I know that too.”
Hong Hye-yeon quickly murmured and pulled out a business card from her blue jacket pocket. She handed it directly to Director Shin Dong-chun.
Her smile deepened.
“But you don’t need to worry, we are the investors, aren’t we?”
“Huh? You’re the investors?”
Director Shin, who trailed off, checked the business card he received.
-bw Entertainment.
-CEO Choi Sung-gun.
The card had Hong Hye-yeon’s agency and CEO written on it. Looking at such a business card, Director Shin Dong-chun looked up again.
“Ah, CEO Choi.”
“You know him, right?”
“Of course. It would be stranger if I didn’t. But does bw take care of the investment too?”
“Yes. You can proceed by directly contacting the CEO.”
Things are accelerating at a breakneck speed. Kang Woojin just watched with a poker face. He wasn’t sure about what was going on, but decided to stay silent. Noticing it was about time to leave, Hong Hye-yeon turned around, then paused.
“Oh, and Director Dong-chun. Please keep it a secret that I am joining and anything else related to me. Ideally, until the work is submitted.”
She grabbed the door handle of the rented office, then suddenly turned back to Kang Woojin.
“But why ‘Exorcism’ of all things?”
He had heard a similar question somewhere before. Because of this, Woojin gave a stern response, similar to the one he had given back then.
“Intuition.”
“Intuition? Ha! You’re really odd. You know that, right? You’re a bit of a weirdo?”
“Perhaps.”
Hong Hye-yeon, who had made a slightly incredulous expression, murmured softly as she left the office.
“Well, I’ll find out when I see. I’ll get in touch.”
-Thunk.
As soon as the door closed, Director Shin Dong-chun rushed towards Kang Woojin.
“What on earth! Woojin! You didn’t know about this either, did you?!”
But.
“……..”
Kang Woojin remained silent with a firm expression. This wasn’t about maintaining a façade.
Just.
“‘I’ll get in touch?’”
He was simply surprised at Hong Hye-yeon’s words.
Later that afternoon, in Kang Woojin’s studio apartment.
Due to the sudden incident in the morning, Kang Woojin was lying down on his bed. He was staring blankly at the ceiling. Although various thoughts were crossing his mind, the most prominent was about Hong Hye-yeon whom he had met in the morning.
He was obviously happy. So was Director Shin Dong-chun. But he couldn’t help but feel as if he was walking in a dream.
“So, does this mean I will be working on two projects in a row with Hong Hye-yeon?”
At this point, Kang Woojin thought of his friend, Kim Dae-young. What would he think if he heard this? Would he be seriously shocked? As Woojin indulged in these pointless thoughts, he suddenly got up.
There was one thing that was certain.
“I can’t just sit still.”
Kang Woojin’s motivation and fighting spirit were flaring up compared to yesterday. What he held was the official script of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ Part 1 received yesterday. The cover was lavender and the title was written in brush-style white letters.
“So, this is the official script- it does look different.”
Unlike the paper stack, the official script had the power to excite people. At least, Kang Woojin felt that way now.
“Ah, I’ll be holding this on the shooting set, won’t I?”
He began to fantasize. Himself, looking at this script on the shooting site where numerous staff are running around. Thanks to this, Kang Woojin felt a sense of realism.
-Whoosh.
He smiled slightly and lightly tapped the black square next to the script. Immediately, Woojin was sucked into the void.
A space of endless darkness.
The feeling of the infinite void was still the same. However, except for a slight sense of fear, Kang Woojin was now very calm. Naturally, since he had visited this place quite a few times.
“Let’s see-”
Kang Woojin turned his body and moved in front of the floating white square. The interesting thing was that the number of white squares lined up had decreased significantly.
Now, only 3 were visible.
Normally, there should have been more than 3. The reason was simple. Woojin had discovered the ‘delete’ function. The method was simple. Select the unnecessary white square and shout delete, and it would be erased.
It was similar to the ‘exit’ command to go outside.
Kang Woojin, who originally liked tidiness, quite liked this function. It’s easier to see and neat, isn’t it?
Anyway.
-Whoosh.
Woojin checked the white squares that had been reduced to three.
-[1/Scenario (Title: Exorcism), B grade]
-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), A grade]
-[3/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), A+ grade]
Soon, he muttered as if he had expected it.
“As I thought. It recognizes the rough draft of the script and the official script separately.”
It was about ‘Profiler Hanryang’. In fact, until yesterday, there were two white squares in Woojin’s virtual space. But just now, one more was added, making it three.
In other words, the official script for Part 1 of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was listed.
With this, the answer was simple. The draft, which used to be a bundle of papers, and the official script were separate. It was only natural. Although the content is the same, slight modifications like atmosphere go into the official script.
At this point.
“Huh?”
While looking at the white squares, Kang Woojin found something different in the one that was just added.
-[3/script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), Grade A+]
It was the grade marked at the end.
“A+? There’s a ‘+’ attached?”
The original draft was just grade A. But this official script had a ‘+’ added. In other words, the grade had gone up.
“Is it A+ above A? Then what’s above that, A++? Or S grade?”
Whatever it was, it was a new discovery. Although he’d never seen a grade of A+ before, Kang Woojin focused on something else.
“So the grade isn’t a fixed?”
Meaning, there could be changes. Indeed, it wasn’t strange. There could be many processes and changes in creating a work. So why did this official script have its grade raised?
Is the quality higher? Because there were slight modifications?
Either way, a higher grade was a green light. It would be a problem if it was lower, but if it was higher, it wouldn’t matter much. Kang Woojin, who idly pondered this, turned his attention to what he was about to do.
“I should try to read (experience) all of it if possible.”
Experiencing the characters in the official script of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ Part 1. If possible, all of them. Of course, this included ‘Park Dae-ri’.
When it comes down to it, this was practice for Kang Woojin.
“My goal is to master all the characters.”
Not just seeing from the perspective of Park Dae-ri, but possessing the viewpoint of all the male characters in ‘Profiler Hanryang’. This should increase comprehension.
“I lack knowledge in this area already, so if I want to keep up with these amazing top actors, I need to have something.”
Kang Woojin didn’t know that this was an important part of script analysis, understanding each character and their dynamics. He couldn’t have known that this would improve his acting quality. It was just a simple conclusion he reached from a layman’s point of view.
So Kang Woojin.
-[You have selected 3/script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1).]
-[Listing characters available for reading (experience).]
-[A: Yu Ji-hyeong, B: Jung Sang-min, C: Bae Se-jun… E: Park Dae-ri]
First, he chose the lead male role.
[“Preparing to read ‘A: Yu Ji-hyeong’…”]
Soon.
[“…Preparation complete. This is a highly finished script or scenario. Implementation rate is 100%. Starting the reading.”]
Kang Woojin was sucked into the world of Yu Ji-hyeong, not Park Dae-ri.
Two days later.
It was late in the morning when the disheveled Kang Woojin woke up and was rubbing his eyes on his way to the bathroom.
-♬♪
Woojin’s cell phone rang loudly. At first, he thought it was an alarm, but it wasn’t. It was a call. The caller was Director Shin Dong-chun. Soon, Woojin, slightly tilting his head, picked up the phone. There was no need to clear his voice.
-Whoosh.
He had just woken up, so his voice was deep and husky.
“Yes, Director.”
In contrast, the voice of Director Shin Dong-chun over the phone as cheerful.
“Woojin! Haha, I need you to come somewhere with me in a few hours, like a late lunch!”
“Where to?”
“You’ll see when you get there! Oh, do you have any plans?”
Plans? Not really. But making it too obvious that he’s not busy could interfere with his Persona. So, Woojin pretended to think for a moment.
“Hmm- lunchtime might be tight. How about around 3 in the afternoon?”
“Okay, let’s meet around then.”
A few hours later.
Although the day had warmed up, Woojin, still wearing his padded jacket, came out of his studio building and walked a bit. On the side of the road, Director Shin Dong-chun was standing, smiling.
“Woojin! Get in!”
Behind the energetic Director Shin Dong-chun was a black van parked.
“Hahaha, I borrowed it long-term because it’s necessary.”
Feeling good about being picked up by car, Woojin imagined his future manager as he climbed into the van, and the high-spirited Director Shin got into the driver’s seat quickly.
-Vroom!
The van started. It quickly entered the highway and picked up speed. In the meantime, Director Shin, who was driving, chatted non-stop to Woojin in the passenger seat.
“We’ve fortunately managed to secure the investment very neatly, hahaha. Hye-yeon is truly a benefactor, a benefactor.”
The new investor was bw Entertainment, they immediately secured a film company, the actors were quickly cast, etc. By this point, Woojin was simply nodding in agreement. After about 2 hours of driving?
-Screech!
The van arrived in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. As Kang Woojin got out of the car, he looked straight ahead. He couldn’t help it. There was nothing around except for a pretty large villa in front.
“Ah.”
Woojin realized as soon as he saw the villa.
“That villa.”
“It was very similar to the villa in ‘Exorcism’. As if to prove this, Director Shin Dong-chun standing next to Woojin smiled happily.
“That’s right. This villa is the main filming location of our ‘Exorcism’.”
A two-story height, a living room with large windows through which the inside was clearly visible, a deserted road around, and a mountain full of trees spread out behind the villa, etc.
The slightly eerie atmosphere was a carbon copy of the villa in ‘Exorcism’.
Director Shin Dong-chun, who walked a few steps towards the villa, added to the explanation.
“We can’t afford a set because the production budget is tight. It’s the same for most short films.”
I see. But how did they find such a similar villa? As Woojin muttered to himself, Director Shin Dong-chun turned his body and spoke.
“I happened to find this place when I was working on the early stages of the script and kept it in my mind. As soon as the investment was sorted out, I started booking here.”
Behind him, Director Shin Dong-chun laughed, saying that the elderly couple who owned the villa graciously allowed them to use it.
-Swoosh.
Suddenly, he walked in front of Kang Woojin and showed him the white document bag he had brought. Soon, Director Shin Dong-chun, whose face became serious, spoke in a confident voice.
“Woojin. We’ve sorted out both investors and film companies. Fortunately, it seems that the rest of the actors can be cast without any problems. Same for Hye-yeon.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s all thanks to Kang Woojin.”
What did I do? Contrary to Woojin, who thought he hadn’t done anything special, Director Shin Dong-chun, with slightly red eyes, held out the document bag to Kang Woojin.
“Now only one main protagonist is left for the contract. It’s a formal contract negotiation.”
Kang Woojin calmly accepted the document bag. With this, Kang Woojin confirmed his first leading role in a film. Although it was a short film. Next, Director Shin Dong-chun looked at Woojin and continued the briefing.
“However, due to the lack of time, script reading and the main shooting schedule are likely to overlap. The main shooting starts right on March 10th. We are planning for a 5-day shooting period.”
Today was Friday, February 28. In other words, there were about ten days left until March 10th. The shooting suddenly came up close. Thanks to that, Kang Woojin, while maintaining his cynicism, muttered inside.
‘Wow, I’m a bit nervous now that it’s actually happening.’
At this moment.
-Brrrr
A short vibration rang from Kang Woojin’s phone. It was a message, and Woojin, after asking for Director Shin Dong-chun’s understanding, checked the sender and content of the message.
-From PD Song Man-woo.
-[Script reading and MT schedule sharing]
-[March 7th Saturday ~ 8th Sunday, 1 night 2 days schedule]
The script reading of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was a week later.
And when the day, March 7th, arrived.
『[StarTalk] Top actors join ‘Profiler Hanryang’, going on an MT for script reading…leaving tomorrow』
It happened in the blink of an eye.
*****