The only object of respect that Kang Woo-jin or Kiyoshi had thrown off the railing came to mind. ‘Misaki Toka’. That foolish, lonely smile, and for some reason, the buttons on her uniform that looked like they had been forcibly ripped off.
‘It would have been you, Ginjo.’
It seemed like he was bullying ‘Misaki Toka’, but Ginjo looked at her strangely. It was because he had a pathological love for women. That’s why that smile was wrong for you now.
I’m not telling you not to laugh, but you shouldn’t forget.
It wasn’t a strong hatred or anything. Rather, it was completely empty. It was just a reminder of the need for homework. The worn-out piece of paper currently in Woojin’s pocket. The nine names written on that piece of paper.
At this point, Ginjo, who had finished talking to the woman, starts walking again.
-Ugh.
Kang Woo-jin, who had been staring at him intently, also turns away. Ginjo doesn’t know that a ‘stranger’ is following him behind him. It’s been more than a month, but he hasn’t even noticed, and Kang Woo-jin has figured out even his personal habits over the past month.
He is a bit taller. But he is smaller than Woojin. He is superior.
He may look like that, but Ginjo has a family and young children. He also has a decent job. He goes to work and comes home. What time he leaves the office, what time he takes the subway, the bars he frequents, the acquaintances he meets, his route of travel, the lover he meets secretly, the illegal meeting he commits once a week, the karaoke girls he meets under the pretense of a business trip.
Perhaps Kang Woo-jin knew more about Ginjo than he did. His life or living.
It is recorded and saved with frightening precision.
Such a person, Kinzo Konakayama, entered the company.
“8:48. Three minutes later than yesterday.”
Kang Woo-jin or Kiyoshi took out an old cell phone. It wasn’t in his name. He bought it from one of the homeless people in the empty lot a little away from the station. It wasn’t just one, it was several. The camera he was holding was also a film camera.
I have already collected enough of Ginjo’s wealth.
Enough. Now let’s set up the firecrackers. First, let’s shake Ginjo’s company and family. Woojin sent a text message to Ginjo. The content is short.
‘To start with – yeah, an affair would be good.’
Exactly one minute after sending the text, Ginjo called. Woojin answered the phone with a blank expression on his face.
“hello.”
Ginjo is getting angry on the other side of the phone.
“You, you! Who are you?!”
“Is it important? First, get out of the company.”
He hung up right away. The phone rang again, but Kang Woo-jin ignored it. Across the street, Ginjo ran out of the company with a mixture of despair and anger on his face. Woo-jin watched him with blurry eyes for a moment.
‘What shape would you like?’
I had no intention of giving Ginjo immediate comfort or death. I slowly and gradually strangled his neck. There would be no more laughter like that from today.
‘What about the decorations?’
Well, I won’t be able to hear the answer, so I’ll decide for myself. Either way, you’ll be isolated. The dessert you’ll taste for over a month from today is mental hell. Anxiety, alertness, discomfort, nervousness, reluctance, and all similar emotions.
“Is today okay?”
Kang Woo-jin leaves the glowing Ginjo across the street behind and goes into a nearby fast food restaurant. He is moderately hungry.
From that day on, each day, a piece of trash was delivered to Konakayama Kinzo.
The numbers changed frequently, but the person on the other end was clearly the same.
“Damn it!! Who the hell is this kid!!”
Every day was a long and disgusting one. My wife’s suspicions grew stronger, and I couldn’t do my job properly. I couldn’t even see the woman I liked. People are extremely anxious the moment their peace is broken.
Ginjo spent each day in pain and ended it with alcohol.
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But in the morning, without fail, a text message arrived.
Why on earth are you doing this to me?
If he wants money, he’ll give it to him. If he wants a woman, he’ll give it to him. But the anonymous opponent makes no demands. He just takes Ginjo’s life away day by day.
And then.
“Ugh! Aww-”
Ginjo, who had lost consciousness due to drinking, opened his eyes with difficulty. His body was shaking. And he was cold. Why was it so cold? Ginjo let out a faint groan and slowly got up.
“······uh??”
His eyes widened for a moment as he realized he was lying on a rocking boat floating on the sea.
This was the moment.
“Are you awake?”
Ginjo saw the expressionless man sitting in front of him.
“Long time no see, Ginjo.”
It was ‘Kiyoshi Iyota’.
20th, Kyoto, Japan.
A slow afternoon. Inehunaya, a fishing village with a sea in front and a lush mountain behind. The underwater village, which seems to float on the sea, is usually crowded with tourists, but since yesterday, Inehunaya has been crowded with filming crews.
It was the ‘Stranger’ team.
The place where the Japanese staff, who seemed to number about 70 to 80 people, gathered was at the end of the houses that were tightly packed together floating on the sea. It was near where many boats were anchored.
The shooting conditions weren’t very good.
“Director! Please check the monitor!”
Some cameras were installed on land, but a couple had to be on a boat. This meant that two members of the filming crew had to climb onto the bouncing boat with their cameras on their shoulders. Meanwhile, the general manager of the scene, the sassy director Kyotaro, was checking the monitor installed on the dock.
“Number 2, let’s move a little bit further back!”
“yep!”
There is a lot of radio communication going on and on. Not just the filming crew, but also the lighting team that turns on the lights as the sky gets darker, the diving team that is there for safety, the drone team that is in charge of inserts and backgrounds, etc.
“Director! Raise the drone!”
“From the entrance of the village!”
All the teams are preparing for filming with serious faces despite the cold weather. Today is the official first day of filming for ‘Strange Life’. Of course, we had a clear preparation since yesterday when we had rehearsals, but the tension was several times greater today, the day of the crank-in. In the meantime, the production department and the production department set up a tent behind Director Kyotaro and controlled the crowd of onlookers, such as the townspeople.
Besides, there were quite a lot of guests at today’s shoot.
Most of them were gathered in the second of the two large tents. There were no scenes filmed today, but there were several main actors who were present on site, the original author of “The Stranger”, writer Akari, key staff members from the “Toega” film company and the distributor of “The Stranger”, and about five Japanese reporters who were allowed to enter the site.
Writer Akari, wearing glasses on the tip of her nose, was standing next to Director Kyotaro, admiring the scenery. It seemed like she really liked the background that was unfolding according to the scenario.
“Good. As the director said, ‘Inehunaya’ was the correct answer.”
Director Kyotaro, who was busy radioing the staff, smiled faintly.
“Thank you. I took a quick picture while rehearsing with the actors yesterday and it exceeded my expectations.”
“The village of ‘Inehunaya’ is a beautiful place, but it also feels scary. In front is the blue sea, behind is the green mountain. But the village itself looks bizarre depending on the production.”
Meanwhile, dozens of staff members glanced at the first tent while preparing to film. It was the tent where the actors who were going to film today were gathered.
“Did you see the rehearsal yesterday? I was a little bored.”
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“I think it’s because the actors acted with less strength. The director also directed it that way.”
“······That’s true, but Kang Woo-jin’s acting seemed a bit weaker than during the script reading.”
“Was it so?”
“Yeah. That made a big fuss among the filming crew.”
There were surprisingly many concerns among the staff members’ chatter.
“Is it okay? The actors seemed a bit uncomfortable harmonizing with each other during rehearsal yesterday.”
“The main character, Kang Woo-jin, dropped a bomb as soon as he arrived in Japan, so I guess that’s a bit much.”
“For something like that… I feel a bit disappointed.”
Among the ‘Strangers’ team gathered today, there were many who had not attended the previous script reading. In other words, there were quite a few staff members who had met the lead actors for the first time. Of course, most of the conversation involved Kang Woo-jin, who was at the center of the controversy.
Because I was the only Korean actor on set.
Not only them, but many other people had similar thoughts. Is it okay? If this continues, it will be branded as a movie that only adds to the controversy. Currently, interest in ‘The Stranger’ is explosive in Japan. In addition, the entire Japanese entertainment industry is focused on Kang Woo-jin.
“If the picture is ambiguous, it may end up only receiving backlash from fans of the original work as soon as it is released.”
“The media will also happily mock you.”
“I’m worried, the noise has gotten much louder than the initial plan. The atmosphere of waiting and expectations have gotten much higher. In order to end it properly, we need to produce a quality that no one can talk about······”
As the conversation between film industry insiders just now shows, the position of ‘The Stranger’ was halved. It was the highest point in terms of issues, but it was also on the edge. They pushed ahead with filming while ignoring all the criticism, and if the results were lukewarm, they would probably be attacked to the point of being torn to pieces.
Perhaps that’s why about half of the staff, film company, distributor, and other guests had a look of concern on their faces.
It was at this time.
“Actors, stand by!”
At the autograph of Director Kyotaro, who was wearing thick padding, several staff members of the production team ran to the first tent, and actors who witnessed the filming came out of the tent. There were a total of four actors needed for this cut. Yasuta Ogimoto, a handsome man who played ‘Konakayama Ginzo’, Kimi Nakajo, who appeared in a flashback as ‘Misaki Toka’, and a male actor with an unidentified supporting role.
and.
-Slurp.
Kang Woo-jin, who took on the role of ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’, who came out at the very end of the tent.
“······”
Woojin’s current outfit, which is full of cynicism, is a plain suit. He has makeup on, but it’s not heavy, and his hair is a bit messy.
What should I say, even in appearance, is there no difference from ‘Kiyoshi Iyota’?
Anyway, dozens of eyes were focused on Kang Woo-jin as he appeared, the key to this scene. The lighting team moving the equipment, the production team around Director Kyotaro, the prop team gathered at the dock, the reporters in the tent next door, etc.
Either way, Kang Woo-jin.
“Hoo-”
I didn’t really care. I just let out a small breath. There was a lot of attention being paid to me, but I was a little used to this kind of gaze.
‘Okay, let’s try it.’
About 30 minutes later.
A little darkness has fallen over the village of ‘Inehunaya’. It is not completely dark, but from the ridge of the sea in the distance, darkness is full. At this moment, Kang Woo-jin is on a boat. A wooden boat that looks strangely uneasy. In front of him, sitting is Japanese actor Yasuta, who is preparing to capsize.
He, who was in charge of ‘Konakayama Ginzo’, spoke quietly to Woojin in Japanese.
“Our first shoot is on. There are a lot of people watching, so I’m a little nervous. I’m sure Woojin is too, right? It’s probably because the media and public opinion are all focused on it.”
Kang Woo-jin answered quietly.
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“No, not really. I just act.”
“Haha······Is that so?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Yes, yes, me too.”
As the short conversation ended, two boats carrying cameras and a boat carrying dim lights approached the two. A drone also flew high into the sky. Soon, Director Kyotaro, who had been standing in front of the monitor, sat down, as if he had finished preparing. Kang Woojin and Yasuta were visible on several monitors.
Finally, ‘Stranger’ is being output on the monitor.
Many people are watching it. Above all, the original author, Akari, a world-renowned star writer, is right next to him. Japanese master director Kyotaro closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“after-”
Then he exchanged autographs with the surrounding staff. Camera, audio, lighting. All okay. Director Kyotaro slowly raised the loudspeaker, and the 70+ staff members all swallowed their saliva and shut their mouths.
Director Kyotaro’s first voice spread across the eerie yet quiet docks of the village of Inefu-naya.
“Hi- Q.”
In that moment, Kang Woo-jin on the wooden boat blinked his eyes for a brief moment.
-Ugh.
Iyota Kiyoshi was pulled out. It was only for a moment. It was impossible for anyone in this filming location to notice. However, Ujin’s entire body was already filled with Kiyoshi.
Although he was floating on the deep sea, Kang Woo-jin’s emotional waves were extremely weak.
Emptiness. Vanity. Blankness.
Woojin’s calm and gentle eyes turned towards the camera in front of him. His posture was upright.
“······”
He just does the work of staring with an expressionless face. The monitor displays an unpredictable Kang Woo-jin. Here, for some reason, Director Kyotaro, who has his nose buried in the monitor, opens his mouth slightly. What is it to me?
”Nothingness” can be shown so easily – which actor can express such a clear ’emptiness’?’
There was no desire in them. But the cloudy eyes seemed hard to break.
At this time.
“eww-”
Yasuta, no, Ginjo, who was lying in front of Woojin, slowly got up while covering his head. In addition, Kang Woojin’s hazy gaze, which had been looking at the camera, also went down. Ginjo’s eyes, which had been assessing the situation, widened.
“······uh??”
He was startled. Because of that, the boat they were on rocked slightly. Why was he, who should have been at a bar, on a wooden boat in the sea? Where am I? Ginjo’s eyes seemed to contain exactly that meaning.
Then, a man’s voice with a constant pitch was heard in his ear.
“Are you awake?”
Ginjo’s gaze turned straight ahead. Perhaps because of the darkness, the man’s face was unclear. Ginjo narrowed his eyebrows. On the other hand, the man’s voice was unwavering.
“Long time no see, Ginjo.”
“Who, who are you!”
“I know. We’re classmates.”
“···what?”
Woojin, with his stiff face, only moved his mouth.
“And I wake you up every morning.”
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“!!!”
Ginjo, whose eyes had grown wider, quickly placed his back against the end of the boat.
“You- You!! You were texting!”
“Nice to meet you too. But I’ll say hello later.”
-Squeak.
Suddenly, a noise was heard next to Ginjo. The noise of a similar wooden boat. In an instant, Ginjo gasped and turned his head to the right. A man of unknown identity was rowing the wooden boat. He was slowly approaching.
When Ginjo, wondering what was going on, turned his head back to the front again.
“town!!”
Ginjo was so surprised that he almost vomited. Woojin, who was clearly sitting at the end of the boat, was a fist’s length away. His expressionless face and dull eyes were right in front of his nose. A mannequin? There was no change at all. Woojin’s face didn’t even show the slightest tremor.
But it’s scary. It’s creepy.
“You make that kind of expression too.”
At this, Ginjo opened his mouth and became speechless. On the other hand, Woojin, who had been staring at him without blinking, spoke in a flat voice.
“Are you okay? Calm down.”
“······Who, who are you!”
“Introduce myself? Of course, I plan to tell you. Later.”
Soon, the sound of a wooden boat is heard again.
-Squeak.
Suddenly, a wooden boat belonging to an unidentified man was within reach. Woojin, expressionless, pointed towards the boat and calmly explained to Ginjo.
“I’ll introduce him first. He’s the one who’s going to rape you. Say hello.”
Here, Ginjo looking at Kang Woojin with a mannequin-like face in front of him. No, Yasuta, who played the role of Ginjo, really felt the need to pee.
‘Wait, wait! Seriously, don’t be scared. It’s just acting, acting.’
It was unconscious.
end
