Kang Woo-jin looked at the entrance door where he had been before during his time with ‘Boyfriend’. It was already his second visit, but he still didn’t feel familiar with it.
Moreover.
‘Hwarin isn’t here today.’
Unlike when he came to Japan for his ‘Nam Sa Chin’ schedule, Kang Woo Jin was currently alone. The difference between having a colleague and not having one was evident in his heartbeat.
‘Oh, I feel a little sick.’
The tension is high. It was because Choi Sung-geon said that the press and fans would flock there similar to that time. A lot has changed in a short period of time. In Japan, ‘Nam Sa-chin’ and ‘Ame Talk Show!’ were huge hits, and ‘Nam Gisaeng’ shook up the whole of Japan.
What about the ‘Kang Woojin’s side character’ channel with 6 million subscribers?
Kang Woo-jin was a popular actor who was truly adding to the power of the Japanese Korean Wave. Anyway, before entering the immigration office in front of him, Woo-jin checked his appearance. Since he had been to the shop since early in the morning, his makeup and hair were perfect. His outfit was a black trench coat.
‘This is so awkward.’
Whether or not, Kang Woo-jin was buried among dozens of staff members and guards.
-Ugh.
I passed through the immigration gate.
at the same time.
‘······Wow- what the heck! I’m crazy!’
Kang Woo-jin opened his mouth wide inwardly. The reason was simple.
“Mr. Kang Woojin!! Mr. Kang Woojin!!!”
“Are you going straight to the ‘Stranger’ script reading?!!”
“How do you feel about ‘Nam Sa Chin’ becoming so popular!!”
“Here!! Please look here!!”
“Mr. Kang Woo-jin! What do you think it’s like to work with Japanese actors!!”
Because Japanese was pouring out like crazy from the mouths of hundreds of reporters crowded around the fence.
“Is it true that you contacted a Japanese agency regarding a transfer??!”
Of course, camera flashes poured out like crazy.
-Pavabavabak!
-Pavabavabavabak!!
Woojin, who had already experienced it, still had a silent expression on his face, and his mind was confused. To be honest, he didn’t expect this much. However, he had to calm his mind. Just remember the concept. If he falls here, it will be a disaster.
Woojin made a serious poker face.
-Ouch.
He showed the reporters a handshake that contained the leisure he had created. At first glance, it seemed like an awkward gesture, but to others, it didn’t seem like a big problem, and as proof, the loud screams of fans surrounding the reporters filled the arrival hall.
“Gyaaaah!!”
“Kang Woojin! Kang Woojin!!!”
“Male friend was so much fun!!”
“Please look this way!! I’m a BJ, so say hello to the viewers! Whoa! Don’t push me!”
“I’m watching you on YouTube!!”
It was all in Japanese, but I also heard some awkward Korean here and there.
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“Oppa! I love you, oppa!!”
The fans were a mix of men and women, but there were definitely more women. Naturally, this was the aftermath of the still-popular ‘Nam Sa Chin’. Kang Woo Jin’s name is constantly appearing on Japanese SNS and communities, and Woo Jin’s OST is proudly ranked high on the Japanese Oricon chart, so the current situation is understandable.
Whatever it is.
“Hello – thank you.”
Kang Woo-jin briefly greeted the reporters and fans, then quickly left Haneda Airport and boarded a waiting van on the side of the road. In the meantime, reporters and fans continued to follow Woo-jin’s group.
yet.
-Boohoo!
Three vans that had stopped in a line started off one after another. Among them, the van that Kang Woo-jin was riding in was receiving exclamations from stylists like Han Ye-jeong.
“Awesome! Woojin oppa, what’s your firepower??!”
“Admit it!! At this level, I can really compare to some idols??!”
“Have you seen the BJs among the fans? It looks like ‘Nam Sa Chin’ is really popular in Japan!”
“Wasn’t it similar to when I came with Hwarin?”
“There were a lot of Korean reporters too!”
They are the ones who are setting off the fireworks in place of the indifferent Kang Woo-jin. Well, Woo-jin is also dancing a lively shoulder dance on the inside. He just maintains his dignity on the outside.
Around that much.
“Woojin.”
Choi Sung-seon, the guy in the passenger seat with the long hair, turned around and called Kang Woo-jin. It was for a briefing.
“While reading the script for ‘The Stranger’, I added a few more Japanese schedules, right? I told you about that last time, right?”
“Yes, I remember.”
Choi Sung-geon turned a page of his diary.
“Uh. After the ‘Strange Life’ script reading, I’ll meet with PD Shinjo and have a brief interview about ‘Ame Talk Show!’ This will be uploaded on the original ‘Ame Talk Show!’ and YouTube, and for ‘Nam Sa Chin,’ we’ll film for about an hour at the Netflix Japan studio. ‘Nam Sa Chin’ became a bigger hit in Japan than I expected.”
It was a schedule of at least three days. Although it was close, Japan was a foreign country, and it was right to do it all at once when I came here.
“And there’s also a fan signing event hosted by Netflix Japan. Well, it’s not that big. But I think a hundred or so fans will easily show up.”
Ah? Japanese fans? Thinking about it, it was his first time meeting Japanese fans. Since he was equipped with Japanese, it wouldn’t be a big problem, but Woojin was a little nervous as he recalled the fan signing event with Japanese fans.
‘Is it a little different from Korean fans? It’s probably the same?’
Although many questions arose inside, Woojin’s outward seriousness grew stronger.
“No problem.”
“Haha, okay. That would be easy. Oh, and.”
Choi Sung-geon, who was covering his diary, changed the subject.
“Woojin, you haven’t made an official announcement about your transfer yet, right? That’s why the media and public opinion are still talking nonsense – I think I’ll let that sit for a while.”
“Do you feel like you’re keeping up with the issues?”
“Yes. Issues like this will help you raise your status. Well, it won’t drag on for long. I’ll open it when it’s heated up a bit.”
“All right.”
“Okay, leave it to me.”
Including Choi Sung-geon, Jang Su-hwan, and Han Ye-jeong, all of Woo-jin’s team, which had grown considerably, laughed quietly. They had heard that they would continue to go together. However, they were still silent.
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mudfish.
-Ugh.
Sung-Geon Choi handed Woo-Jin the transparent file he had prepared. Woo-Jin Kang immediately asked back.
“What is it?”
“You know? In ‘The Stranger’, you’re the only one learning Korean, and we’re the only Korean staff. The rest are all Japanese. Well, you’re always a bit of a jerk, but you’re still a stranger, right? I’ve organized the cast of ‘The Stranger’ that we’ll meet later.”
“ah.”
“As you can see, there are a lot of towers. Of course. The director is Kyotaro Tanokuchi and the original author is Akari. There are a lot of familiar actors, right?”
No, not at all. The Japanese actors in the transparent file that Woojin was looking down on were all strangers. They were supposedly top Japanese actors, but they were completely unfamiliar to Kang Woojin.
‘Just- yeah, good-looking and pretty Japanese people.’
If I say I wasn’t nervous, I’d be lying, but honestly, it was less than when I was on ‘The Missing Island’. At least that’s what Kang Woo-jin felt. Then, Woo-jin looks out the window of the moving van at the Japanese city center. It’s a scenery that’s subtly different from Korea.
‘It’s a bit absurd. I’m going to film a movie by a Japanese master director.’
Although it is only a script reading, it feels more and more real now that it is right in front of us. However, it is not a dream. There are already quite a few Japanese fans who are crazy about Kang Woo-jin.
He was gradually becoming greedy.
‘How many Japanese fans will there be when Stranger is released?’
At that time, at the headquarters of the Kashihi Group.
In a conference room, a group of executives dressed in suits came out. The last in line was an old man with white eyebrows. It was Chairman Hideki. He buttoned up his suit jacket and spoke in an old voice to the secretaries behind him.
“What time is it?”
The answer came quickly from Secretary Lili, who had an upright posture.
“It’s 10 o’clock.”
“What time is the reading of ‘The Stranger’?”
“It starts at 11. You can leave right away.”
“Um, okay. Let’s go right away.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Chairman Hideki slowly walks away. He seems to be going to the script reading for ‘The Stranger’. However, there is a hint of worry in the eyes of Lili, who has her long hair tied up in a single line.
“Is everything okay? I heard there are a lot of reporters on site right now.”
Chairman Hideki answered quietly with a wrinkled smile.
“It doesn’t matter, the landlord who rented the place is just stopping by to say hello.”
Then at the same time.
As was the case with Chairman Hideki, there were many people moving to the Kashihi Tokyo Hotel, the script reading venue for ‘The Stranger’. The most noticeable movement was that of Japanese actors. Top actors who were officially cast for ‘The Stranger’.
Among them.
“Kang Woo-jin? It seems like Haneda Airport was in chaos since morning because of that Korean actor?”
Inside the car of Mana Kosaku, a famous Japanese band member and top actor, there was a lot of talk about Kang Woo-jin. Kosaku, who had long hair tied up with a hair band, was the actor that Director Kyotaro contacted after Kang Woo-jin. That means he is recognized in Japan.
However, his staff seemed more worried.
“Kang Woo-jin- Honestly, even though they say there’s no problem in Korea, it’s true that I’m worried.”
“Is that so? If you watch ‘Ametalk Show!’ you’ll see that he speaks Japanese well.”
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“Being good at Japanese and acting in Japanese are not the same thing.”
“Well, the acting styles in Korea and Japan are a bit different.”
“Director Kyotaro is really an eccentric person. He suddenly cast a Korean actor as the lead in ‘The Stranger’.”
Their concerns were clearly justified. Kang Woo-jin’s popularity in Japan had increased exponentially, but there was still a lack of proper verification. Acting in a foreign language is very difficult. Concerns about that.
The situation for ‘Strangers’ was already terrifying. Among them, Kang Woo-jin was the only Korean actor.
It was natural that attention was focused on it.
‘hmm-‘
Mana Kosaku, who was lost in thought with her arms folded, also agreed. However, Kosaku was worried and at the same time, a sense of unknown crisis was welling up in her.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen your face in person, so why do I feel so threatened?’
It was because of Kang Woo-jin’s momentum and the recognition of Director Kyotaro and Writer Akari. A new Korean actor who was personally scouted by Japanese big names who went to Korea. And what Director Kyotaro said about Kang Woo-jin.
‘Because it has to be that way.’
Mana Kosaku was a veteran among veterans in the Japanese entertainment industry. But still, a strange sense of tension enveloped her whole body.
“Why does it have to be that way?”
Of course, he wasn’t the only actor who expressed curiosity about Kang Woo-jin. There were more than five top-tier actors who participated in ‘The Stranger’. There were also many A-list actors, and their reactions to Woo-jin were varied.
There are actresses who show extreme affection.
“I can’t wait! I want to see you soon!”
“Mihuyu, why are you so excited? Calm down.”
“Because Kang Woojin is handsome!”
“······There will be a lot of reporters at the scene. Be careful what you say. Do you want to be the subject of gossip again?”
“So what? But what would it smell like to Kang Woojin?”
“Hey! You!”
“Can we shake hands and hug?”
There was also a male actor who taciturnly evaluated Kang Woo-jin’s acting.
“His acting is amazing.”
“what?”
“It was like a different person for each role, it was that bad.”
“Was it so?”
“It is unknown whether he will be able to show the same level of performance in Japan.”
They all looked like guests about to attend a party.
About an hour later, ‘Kashihi Tokyo Hotel’.
The outside and lobby of the Kashihi Tokyo Hotel in Tokyo were buzzing with excitement. Most of the crowd was made up of reporters, but guests and staff at the hotel were also crowded around one of the halls.
Why?
Because many celebrities were entering the hall one after another, the reporters’ flashes were going off like crazy.
-Pavabavabak!
-Pavabavabavabak!
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Just looking at the picture, it reminded me of a large party rather than a script reading. Inside the hall, many people were already seated. In the center of the large hall was a square-shaped desk. The actors were sitting at the desks with their name tags on them, and around them were the actors’ staff and the film crew.
There were about a dozen reporters and officials there.
There were well over a hundred people there, even though not everyone had arrived yet. In front of the M-shaped desk.
-[Iyota Kiyoshi Station / Kang Woo-jin]
Kang Woo-jin hasn’t been seen yet.
At this time.
-Ugh.
Two giants entered the hall filled with a large crowd.
“Director! Hello!”
“Writer, it’s nice to meet you!”
It was Director Kyotaro, who was full of slang, and Writer Akari, the original author of ‘The Stranger’, who had glasses on the tip of her nose. Many actors and staff who had been sitting were busy standing up and greeting them as the two appeared. The concentration of the reporters also increased significantly.
“Hahaha, yes. How have you been? Author. This is Mana Kosaku-san, whom I told you about.”
“Of course I know. Nice to meet you, Mana.”
“It is an honor, author.”
Introductions and greetings were made dozens of times. However, they did not last long. The reason was revealed by the mouths of dozens of reporters.
“Uh- uh, here we come.”
“huh?”
“Chairman Hideki Yoshimura! He’s here.”
“What?!”
Because Chairman Hideki, who resembled an old lion, appeared with his secretaries. The hall was instantly turned upside down by his appearance. Judging from the fact that it was very noisy outside, it seemed like chaos had broken out. The shower of flashes, the big-eyed actors, the frozen staff, the production staff chattering, etc.
I didn’t know that Chairman Hideki would actually show up.
On the other hand, Chairman Hideki, who was quietly looking around the entire hall, looked relaxed. He, who had a calm aura, smiled wrinkly at Director Kyotaro who approached him.
“How have you been, Director?”
“Of course. Thank you for coming.”
Next is Chairman Hideki, who locks eyes with writer Akari.
“I really like your works. It’s an honor, sir.”
“I would like to thank you for lending me the space.”
“I also enjoyed reading ‘The Stranger’ as a book, so I have high expectations.”
Then, Chairman Hideki shook hands with the main actors. He was overwhelming everyone, even though he didn’t mean to. He had that much presence. He was indeed the owner of a conglomerate that ranks in the top 10 in the business world.
That was when.
“sorry.”
An unfamiliar but fluent Japanese voice was heard from the entrance of the hall. It was a low but atmospheric male voice. Thanks to this, not only Chairman Hideki and Director Kyotaro, but also everyone in the hall turned their attention to it.
At the entrance, Kang Woo-jin was standing with an indifferent face.
“I was a little late because of traffic at the airport.”
It was Woojin who immediately grabbed attention and gaze, and Director Kyotaro moved his feet. What’s interesting is…
-Ouch.
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The fact that Chairman Hideki, before Director Kyotaro, was the first to reach out to Kang Woo-jin.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Waited? Why that Hideki chairman? Director Kyotaro showed a strange smile that seemed to say, ‘as expected’, and everyone in the hall, including writer Akari, widened their eyes. It was hard to understand why the head of a large corporation would wait for a Korean actor whom he had just met.
Next is Kang Woo-jin, who has a poker face.
“······”
I held Chairman Hideki’s hand and muttered calmly. Of course, in my head.
‘Who is this old man?’
