The wide eyes of the pearl market with its slightly bald head showed no sign of shrinking.
“······Oh, Kang Woo-jin is here? In Jinju? Right now?”
That was because it was truly unexpected news. It was closer to a surprise than a shock.
“Are you sure? I haven’t heard anything at all. Why all of a sudden, without any hints? Where did you find out?!”
“I, I didn’t officially confirm it either, just by chance-”
The employee who was submitting the report quickly took out his cell phone. Then he accessed SNS, that is, Instagram. Then he typed ‘Kang Woo-jin’ in the search bar. The employee touched the post that included Kang Woo-jin among the recent posts of an unspecified number of people. Woo-jin was clearly in it. The location was a porridge restaurant in Jinju, and the time was about an hour ago. The tag was proof.
“I confirmed that Kang Woo-jin showed up at the porridge restaurant his parents run! There are so many posts about this and that.”
“Oh- I see! So you’re still at the porridge restaurant? Oh, that porridge restaurant is run by Kang Woojin’s parents?”
“Yes, that’s right! If you look through the posts, it seems like Kang Woo-jin is out of the house right now.”
“Oh no! We should have noticed this a long time ago!”
“I’m sorry! This visit was so sudden and unexpected!”
“······That’s definitely true.”
The bald pearl market swallowed its saliva with regret. Yes, that wasn’t the issue right now.
“What do you think? Do you think that friend Kang Woo-jin will come visit for a bit and then go back?”
“I don’t think so, based on what I checked.”
“What is the basis?”
“If you look at the articles, it says that the filming of the movie ‘Leech’ was finished yesterday. If he came back to his hometown the next day, I guess he came to rest, even if it was only for a short time!”
“hmm.”
The mayor of Jinju nodded slowly. The reason he, the mayor, cared so much about Kang Woo-jin was very simple.
Because Kang Woo-jin’s ripple effect was enormous.
It wasn’t just that it was amazing, but it was also shaking up the domestic and Japanese markets. As of now, it’s safe to say that there is no celebrity who can beat Kang Woo-jin in terms of popularity, issues, and brand power. Simply put, just look at ‘The Missing Island’, which recently achieved crazy results of nearly 19 million.
That Kang Woo-jin was from Jinju.
It was impossible for the mayor of Jinju not to drool.
“How are the tourists at the Jukjip area these days?”
“It has already become a famous tourist attraction and is a must-see for tourists visiting Jinju. In addition, the number of Japanese tourists is increasing these days.”
It was natural since Kang Woo-jin has a strong presence in Japan as well.
“Jinju is often mentioned on social media by Japanese tourists who have visited the area.”
Just the existence of Woojin, whose hometown is Jinju, has led to the promotion and marketing running smoothly, and the core of the many things in Jinju Market is the revitalization of the region. That is why they put their heart and soul into holding large festivals and executing various events every year. It has become essential to move YouTube and SNS these days.
What is always essential at these times are invited celebrities or famous people.
Because it is the easiest way to capture the public’s attention and interest. The fact that the promotional ambassadors for each region are mostly popular celebrities is proof. In other words, Kang Woo-jin was the number one priority for the mayor of Jinju. No, he was the number zero priority.
‘Even if he mentions it only a few times, not often, it will be covered in the news quite a bit.’
Kang Woo-jin has been the ‘Issue King’ in Korea since last year. How many issues has Woo-jin caused or will cause? Is that all? Woo-jin’s ‘Kang Woo-jin sub-character’ channel and SNS are amazing. In the past, Kang Woo-jin was just a citizen 1, but now it’s different. Of course, there are many celebrities and famous people from Jinju.
However, the current Kang Woo-jin’s momentum was enough to overwhelm them all.
Of course, the Jinju market also made several offers to Kang Woo-jin. They wanted to be a public relations ambassador, invite him to big festivals or events, etc. There were even times when they wanted only a simple meeting.
‘I said I would go myself.’
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The Jinju market also said that it would go to Seoul in person. The work began last year. Probably after the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ incident.
But it was a failure every time.
There were many attempts, but the reason BW Entertainment gave was Kang Woo-jin’s tight schedule. Well, it’s not that the Jinju market didn’t understand. In fact, Kang Woo-jin hadn’t been to Jinju even once since his debut.
Such a hot actor suddenly appeared in Jinju?
As the mayor of Jinju, this opportunity could not be missed.
“What about the media now? If it’s on social media, some reporters must have sniffed it out.”
“Yes, that’s right. There’s already an article about Kang Woo-jin coming to Jinju.”
“Yes, that’s right. Indeed- the power of publicity is amazing.”
The emoji-singing pearl market searched for ‘pearl’ on its cell phone. In fact, there were quite a few articles that included Kang Woo-jin.
『[Star Photo] The myth of 19 million viewers, ‘Kang Woo-jin’, suddenly spotted in Jinju, Gyeongnam··· Did he go back to his hometown for a break? / Photo』
Has Jinju ever been mentioned this much recently? No, not at all. Even if it sparkles during festivals or events, it quickly cools down. But Jinju receives this much strength just from Woojin’s simple actions.
“This is······the brand power.”
Then the balding mayor got up from his seat and shouted at his staff.
“What are you doing now! Tell everyone to come in!!”
An emergency call. It felt like an emergency.
“Unless it’s urgent, everything should be attached here!”
At the mayor’s direction, the staff left for a moment and returned with key staff members. The mayor of Jinju gave urgent instructions to the group of about 15 people gathered.
“First, let’s start with the media! Let’s make the number of articles twice as many as now!”
“Yes, yes!”
“On our YouTube channel too!”
“You, what kind of YouTube channel-”
“It’s annoying! Just use it to spread the news! The content doesn’t matter! Just put ‘Kang Woo-jin’ in the title! And put up the banner as soon as possible! Somewhere that’s noticeable.”
The hands of employees writing in notebooks become faster.
“Please add a comment like ‘Welcome to Kang Woo-jin’s visit to Jinju’!”
Jinju started to shake just because Woojin visited.
The next morning, Saturday the 26th.
The time is around 8 o’clock. The location is an old apartment building with only 4 buildings in the east, with not many households in Jinju. The 10th floor, the very front of the apartment building, is the house that Kang Woo-jin’s parents, Kang Woo-chul and Seo Hyun-mi, had prepared when they came to Jinju.
It was quite large. There were three rooms.
The master bedroom was the main room used by the couple, and the other rooms were used when Kang Woo-jin or Kang Hyun-ah came. Of course, there were clothes and other miscellaneous things piled up in each room. Among them, Kang Woo-chul and Seo Hyun-mi were lying side by side on the large bed in the master bedroom.
They were both awake though.
“······”
“······”
He was looking at his phone in silence. He was clearly searching for his son who had suddenly visited yesterday. In fact, both of them searched for their sons when they were bored, but today was a bit special.
Anyway, Kang Woo-jin’s search results were dazzling.
First of all, the first thing that comes up is the cool profile picture of the person, blog, cafe, community, SNS, YouTube, etc. If you just look at the search volume and information, it was truly a top actor.
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Above all, the articles that are still rising.
『[Issue IS] Kang Woo-jin appears in Jinju amidst a tight schedule… Turns out his hometown is Jinju, Gyeongnam』
『’Issue King’ Kang Woo-jin makes a surprise visit to his parents’ store in Jinju, takes photos with customers… Fan service is the best!』
『[Photo] “He’s handsome even if I just take a quick picture” Kang Woo-jin’s sightings in ‘Jinju’ continue to appear on SNS/Photos』
Of course, there were articles on other topics, but Woojin’s parents only looked at the Jinju-related ones. No matter which photo of Kang Woojin was in the article, he was full of coolness and charm. He could even feel the force of a top actor. Kang Woochul and Seo Hyunmi still haven’t gotten used to it.
Seo Hyun-mi put her phone down and muttered softly.
“······Are these pictures really of my son?”
Kang Woo-cheol, who took the same action, came to his senses while agreeing.
“Yeah. But now let’s get used to it. Woojin came down too.”
At this time.
“really!”
Seo Hyun-mi suddenly woke up.
“I have to prepare breakfast for my son!!”
“Oh! Yeah! That guy’s favorite spicy stir-fried chicken!”
“Honey, please prepare the chicken I bought yesterday.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The couple, who had reached an agreement, left the living room after getting ready, leaving behind the sight of Kang Woo-jin looking very cool.
however.
-Hurrrrrrp!
As soon as the couple left the living room, the sound of ramen being sucked rang out. The reason was simple.
“···Uh, Woojin?”
Because when I woke up, Kang Woojin was sitting at the kitchen table eating ramen from a pot. Of course, there was something sinister about Woojin looking at his parents while chewing ramen.
“Hello, good night?”
There was no sign of a poker face or concept at all.
Kang Woo-jin picks up kimchi while giggling.
A gray sweatshirt with a teddy bear print that is slightly peeling off, a knee-length hoodie, black hair that looks like it was struck by lightning and a harmonious mix of a bun and a disheveled hairstyle, and the way he scratches his head while chewing ramen as if it tickles.
The essence of Kang Woo-jin himself.
“Do you still like sorcery? I have a feeling that I will have a younger sibling. Hehe.”
Kang Woo-chul and Seo Hyun-mi, who were looking at Kang Woo-jin like that, were slightly confused. The ‘actor Kang Woo-jin’ with explosive force that they had seen on the internet just before was nowhere to be found. Yes, a beggar. All they could see was the ‘that jerk’ that Seo Hyun-mi often used to shoot at Woo-jin.
Soon, the couple looked at each other and spoke quietly in unison.
“······Oh, this is my son.”
Seo Hyun-mi let out a long sigh and approached Kang Woo-jin, suddenly giving him a back smash.
-match!!
“Are you eating ramen in the morning?!”
since.
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Even though Kang Woo-jin was tattered from the back smash, he still ate all the ramen he was eating. Of course, Woo-jin also finished the spicy stir-fried chicken that Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul made for him.
“Hmm- as expected, it’s really delicious.”
“Are you eating well? I know you’re busy, but try not to skip meals if possible.”
“Dad, why are you suddenly speaking in such a low voice? I’m starting to feel a little PTSD.”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, I just had a concept in mind.”
“These days, this guy is trying to improve his image because of you.”
However, Woojin also brought up a topic he had been thinking about.
“Rather than that, I told you to look for a house. While eating ramen, I looked around and found that there are a lot of new apartments. Or would you like to go to a house?”
“Hey, it’s really nice here. What are you moving? And you should have changed the car from the store furniture to the expansion. I’ll save it and use it for you.”
Kang Woo-jin’s bank account was filled with money. All the works that touched his contract money or bonuses were huge hits, and money was pouring in like a flood from numerous advertisements, pictorials, and ‘Kang Woo-jin’s sub-character’ channels. He still had money coming in from his days as a bum, so much so that it was hard to even talk about it. Well, even if you exclude all the money that will come in in the future, it was still this much.
But, what can I say, even if I wanted to write, my schedule is hell and I don’t have time to write.
“Hey, you’re saying I’m being forced to save money? I have to spend some money. Our CEO told me to spend it. It’s because of taxes and stuff.”
Anyway, after finishing his meal with his parents, Kang Woo-jin took a shower to get rid of his ‘scum’ appearance, and in the meantime, Kang Woo-chul and Seo Hyun-mi left the house to open a store. Then, around the time Woo-jin finished showering, he checked numerous messages from his younger sister and the president of the fan club ‘Strong Heart’, Kang Hyun-ah.
By the way, Kang Hyun-ah, who is on vacation from college, also came down to Jinju’s house.
At this time.
-Whoooosh, woooosh.
The phone vibrated for a long time. It was a call, and the person on the other end was Choi Sung-geon. Kang Woo-jin, who soon cleared his throat, put the phone to his ear.
“Yes, sir.”
A low voice that was quickly spat out. On the other hand, there was a hint of laughter in Choi Sung-geon’s voice on the other end of the phone.
“Hehe, you’re really the issue-generating actor Kang Woo-jin? What kind of appearance did you make in Jinju that made the media go crazy?”
“No, I just said, ‘I’m back.’”
“And you said ‘I’m back’ while being hit by the gazes of those around you and the stern look on your face?”
“About.”
“Well, you did well. Even if it’s just a short break, it’s not bad to have a hot topic like this. But don’t move around too much. You went down alone.”
“I know.”
“You’re only going to rest for three days, so forget everything and just sleep. I’ve postponed all my schedules.”
After some worry, Choi Sung-geon changed the subject.
“I called to ask you a few questions and deliver something urgent. First, I got a call from Jinju City Hall. The content is similar to before, like a public relations ambassador or something. Are you going to do it?”
“I don’t.”
“You’re not going to do anything special while you’re resting there, are you? What did you say? I got an offer to attend some charity event or do a vlog.”
“Yes, I don’t.”
“Yeah. That’s your hometown, so I asked just in case. Honestly, just the fact that you went there is enough mention of Jinju. Anyway, I’ll take care of it. Oh, but does Jinju City Hall really stop people from hanging banners and making a fuss?”
A banner? What kind of banner? Woojin blinked and nodded.
“yes.”
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“And Miley Cara sent me a schedule and other stuff. There are also materials about the album work and a song guide. I’ll brief you when you get back. After roughly planning the schedule, I think you should go to LA before ‘Beneficial Evil’ is fully launched.”
“Is that so?”
“Uh, uh. I think I’ll spend about a week working on the album when I go to LA. I’m not sure, but I think I have an interview schedule with Kara. Once it’s sorted out, let’s not come right away and rest there for a few days.”
Choi Sung-geon, who was mumbling on the phone, put some strength into his voice.
“I have something to show you in LA.”
Meanwhile, Seoul. DM Production.
A large crowd gathered in the conference room of DM Production, where PD Song Man-woo is the head of the production department and the CEO. There seemed to be over 20 people. Of course, the bearded PD Song Man-woo sat at the top of the table.
“Next, it’s about location hunting.”
A production-related PPT was being displayed on the slightly dark conference room front screen. It was natural. The current meeting was the latter half of the production meeting for ‘Beneficial Evil’, which was in the final stages of its pre-production. Therefore, it was more about confirmation than progress checks.
Soon, cuts drawn in 3D were displayed on the front screen.
It was a shooting continuity cut selected from the ‘Beneficial Evil’ script, and only one of the many characters was drawn with a blue line. The main character of ‘Beneficial Evil’. In other words, the role of ‘Jang Yeon-woo’, which Kang Woo-jin will play. Judging from the intense cuts, anyone could tell that it was an action scene.
PD Song Man-woo, who had been quietly looking at the PPT in front of him, stroked his beard.
“It seems that just the domestic set isn’t enough, so let’s finalize the overseas location.”
He hummed softly.
“Let’s start coordinating with Bangkok, Thailand, which was Plan 1.”
end
