小火星

Kang Woojin’s YouTube channel was already set up. The team and producer were assembled, chosen the first song, and completed editing the lyrics.

The song selected for his debut was ‘Ballerina’ by the top-tier girl group ‘Elani.’

It was a hit song that had swept charts in Korea and Japan and even entered the Billboard 200. It was a jazz-style dance track with powerful choreography and a fitting rap, , and the lyrics, modified in a foreign language, had already become familiar to Kang Woojin.

He had been looking into it quite often recently.

Although it would have been convenient if the lyrics were manifested in the void space, unfortunately, that aspect did not emerge. So, what remained now were recording, filming, editing, and uploading.

Today, both recording and filming were scheduled to happen in one go.

Anyway, Choi Sung-gun smiled and introduced the man with the wearing the cap in front of the workstation.

“Woojin, this is Producer Kim Eun-jung, who is in charge of composing the music. It was really hard to recruit him, as he’s a famous name in this industry.”

The producer waved his hand lightly, as if dismissing the excessive praise.

“No need to go that far; we’ve already signed the contract.”

“I am honored once again that you took on our project amidst your busy schedule to work with us, haha.”

Though he was said to be famous, Kang Woojin found the producer unfamiliar, he was just giving off a slightly bland vibe. Well, he did exude an expert vibe.

At that time,

“First, please sit down. We’ll discuss after listening to the track.”

The producer sat in the center of the workstation, and Kang Woojin and the other dozen people also took their places on the sofas and makeshift chairs behind him.

Soon,

– Swoosh.

Music blasted throughout the entire studio.

– ♬♪

Thanks to that, everyone, including Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun, perked up their ears. This composed version of ‘Ballerina’ was different right from the start. The original started with an alarm-like sound effect followed by intense drums, but what they heard now began with a piano instead.

However, it wasn’t serene.

Whether it was because of the fast rhythm or not, it definitely wasn’t a dull intro. The beat was somewhere between the original and a ballad. Woojin, while casually listening to the track, inwardly gave a thumbs up.

‘It’s good? It’s really good. I don’t know why it’s good, but it just is.’

‘Ballerina’s’ original track was, of course, a song familiar to Kang Woojin. Naturally, since the song had been saved on Woojin’s phone when it became popular. The track playing now included the producer’s guide vocals.

– ♬♪

Though it was nothing but ‘hmm’ and ‘ah,’ having the voice layered made it even more pleasant to listen to.

‘What do they call this, acoustic? Something like that?’

The sound of a guitar was added to the piano. As the composed version of ‘Ballerina’ reached its climax, the beat quickened, focusing more on the vocals.

And then.

“It cuts off here.”

The playback of the composed ‘Ballerina’ stopped. At the same time, the producer, having turned his body around while seated, asked.

– Swoosh.

He questioned Choi Sung-gun and Kang Woojin, who were seated on the sofa.

“How is it?”

Choi Sung-gun was quick to respond.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? It retains the tempo of the original, so it feels familiar, yet it’s also new? It’s much better than the sample you sent in the midway.”

“That’s probably because the instruments weren’t included.”

“Ah, I see. Woojin, what do you think?”

The question was passed to Kang Woojin. Though his expression was neutral, he really wanted to give a double thumbs up, thinking, ‘He truly is a famous figure.’ However, suppressing his excitement, Woojin offered controlled praise.

“It feels like it’s continually looping in my head, especially the intro and the climax.”

A faint smile spread across the previously indifferent-looking producer’s face. Behind him, Kang Woojin’s YouTube team, Han Ye-jung, and Jang Su-hwan also started discussing it.

“Wow, changing ‘Ballerina’ like this almost makes it a completely different song, doesn’t it?”

“It’s so catchy!”

“Somehow, it’s nicer to listen to with a male voice.”

The corners of the producer’s mouth, previously bearing a faint smile, lifted even more. Then, after a small cough.

“Well, let’s start with a light recording session. Woojin, it doesn’t have to be perfect. We have to work on this for more than half a day anyway, so just relax.”

With his heart beating increasingly faster, Woojin responded in a low voice.

“Yes, understood.”

For Kang Woojin, today’s schedule was solely dedicated to his YouTube channel activities, including recording, filming, and various meetings. Choi Sung-gun had adjusted the schedule for today.

Then.

“We’ll start setting up the cameras first!”

The YouTube channel team members were the first to move. They set up cameras around the microphone in the recording booth, covering every angle because, after all, the more footage, the better.

It took about 30 minutes to set up.

“We’re all set!”

As soon as the team members left the booth, the producer in front of the equipment asked Woojin, who was getting his makeup retouched by Han Ye-jung.

“You said there are two versions, right? English and Japanese.”

“Yes.”

“Which one will you do first?”

Choi Sung-gun, sitting on the sofa at the back, was quick to respond.

“Let’s start with the Japanese version first, and if there’s time, we’ll move on to the English one.”

“Okay— you can go in whenever you’re ready, Woojin.”

A little later, Kang Woojin, having finished preparing, entered the booth. He was a bit nervous, perhaps because of the cameras filling this already familiar space.

‘Whew— deep breaths. Just think you’re at a karaoke.’

But he had to appear calm; he needed to exude ease.

Kang Woojin walked briskly and stood in front of the round microphone surrounded by cameras. The scenery had changed. Through the glass window of the booth, he could see the producer and about ten other people. One of them, the producer, was gesturing at his ear, signaling to put on the headphones.

-Swish.

As soon as he put on the headphones hanging nearby, he heard the producer’s voice.

“Today’s a long day, so don’t strain yourself from the beginning. Let’s start slowly, aligning with the intro timing.”

Nodding slowly, Kang Woojin heard the composed ‘Ballerina’ began to play through the headphones.

“······”

Focused on the song, Woojin, holding his phone in one hand, began to sing the Japanese lyrics.

-♬♪

With Kang Woojin’s vocals, the feel of the composed ‘Ballerina’ changed dramatically. Surprisingly, even though it was his first time, Woojin made no mistakes in the intro.

The producer outside the booth was taken aback, then listened intently.

‘······His low notes are deep, heavy, yet smooth. There’s a distinctive raspy tone mixed in. And his Japanese pronunciation is incredible?’

A minute later, having heard Kang Woojin’s high notes, the producer,

-Swish.

swiveled back in his chair, locking eyes with Choi Sung-gun.

“Who is this guy?”

Shock was evident in the producer’s eyes.

“His vocals are insane! Among those I’ve worked with, he’s one of the best!”

Midday, three days later, on a plane.

Somewhere in the middle seats of a flight bound for Japan. Familiar faces were visible. They were the production team of ‘Ame-talk Show!’ returning to Japan after a few days’ work in Korea. The writers, perhaps tired, had their eyes closed, and only PD Shinjo was looking outside the window during the pre-flight preparations.

“······”

PD Shinjo had a lot on his mind. Of course, it was because of Kang Woojin he met in Korea. But the person he was thinking about right now was Choi Sung-gun.

Specifically, their conversation.

It started with Choi Sung-gun.

‘I’m sorry, but we are somewhat negative about going in as a group. Solo would be a different story.’

‘Could you tell me why?’

‘There are several reasons, but mainly, it’s a burden because Woojin would have to shoulder everything. Moreover, Woojin doesn’t have a close relationship with the other actors who played villains in ‘Hanryang’. They had different shooting schedules, so they’ve only rarely seen each other a few times.’

‘Ah-‘

‘Probably, the other actors feel the same. It doesn’t seem like a fun scene would come out of four strangers gathering. And the group image is not good for us. It’s a sensitive time for Woojin, so we have to be careful even with small things.’

‘I understand.’

‘So, a group appearance will be difficult for us.’

Back in the plane, PD Shinjo reflected on the conversation. Although Choi Sung-gun spoke nicely, but essentially, it was a refusal unless it was solo. And honestly, he hadn’t even considered having Kang Woojin alone for the show. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Solo- A solo it is then.”

If they go with Kang Woojin solo, the ‘K-Drama Week’ special would have to be in two parts, not one. One episode for Kang Woojin and another for the rest of the villain actors. They could cram everything into one episode, but it would only air for roughly 30 minutes. Splitting it into 15-minute segments made no sense.

‘Or we could exclude Kang Woojin.’

That also wasn’t ideal. Originally, the special was about the villains of ‘Profiler Hanryang,’ and if Kang Woojin, the main actor, was left out, it would be better not to do it at all. PD Shinjo’s dilemma deepened. In fact, during their schedule in Korea, he had met all three other villain actors, including Kang Woojin.

The response from everyone was overwhelmingly positive.

It wasn’t just okay; it was rather enthusiastic. Only Kang Woojin was opposed. His reaction was lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. Now, what? What would PD Shinjo do? Would he split the one episode into two? Or scrap the entire plan?

At that moment, the stationary plane started to move.

“PD.”

A female writer named Yuki subtly asked PD Shinjo.

“Have you made your decision? We have to report back to the director as soon as we return.”

PD Shinjo looked out the window for a moment with his chin propped in his hand and murmured softly.

“Let’s scrap the plan.”

The female writer’s eyes widened in surprise,

“Excuse me??”

However, PD Shinjo remained calm.

“Let’s just go with Kang Woojin alone.”

Meanwhile, at the same time, in Kang Woojin’s van.

Kang Woojin was on the highway. His schedule for the day was exceptionally tight. He had been filming for ‘Male Friend’ since early morning, and now, around noon, he was on his way to Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province.

The journey would take roughly 2 hours.

While the van was speeding along, Woojin was quietly reading a script. The cover showed familiar words.

-‘Island of the Missing’

It was Director Kwon Ki-taek’s ‘Island of the Missing’. Naturally. After all, he was heading to the very place where the large set for ‘Island of the Missing’ was located. Except for some outdoor and overseas shoots, the filming for ‘Island of the Missing’ was planned to take place at the Buyeo set.

Of course, Woojin hadn’t yet seen that massive set yet. That’s why his heart fluttered over and over again while reading the ‘Island of the Missing’ script.

‘The set, is it more like a complex? Or a village? Supposedly, it’s enormously large. Could it be bigger than the drug dealer’s set?’

He had heard that lush forests, mountains, and seas surrounded the set complex. Woojin imagined the scenery in the ‘Island of the Missing’ script and the pictures he had experienced (through the void space).

He made a rough guess.

‘A place that looks ordinary, but strangely chilly.’

A mix of emotions rushed in: anxiety, anticipation, worry, tension, and a bit of fear. It was always like this—feelings that always emerged whenever he started a new project.

However, Kang Woojin was a bit different from before.

‘I wonder what it looks like.’

During ‘Exorcism’ shoot, he used to be so nervous that his hands would tremble, but now he felt more excited than anxious. He had become accustomed, but it was also true that he had grown more.

Without realizing it, he had developed the demeanor of an actor.

The changes in Woojin’s team were noticeable. Originally, there were a total of three members, but now, including the stylist Han Ye-jung, two more had joined. This meant Kang Woojin’s team had grown to a total of five members. Among them, Han Ye-jung, with her new blue bob hairstyle, was particularly noticeable.

“······Huh?”

She narrowed her brows while looking at her phone, her expression suggesting she saw something disturbing. Then, she smoothly stood up and leaned toward the passenger seat. CEO Choi Sung-gun, was resting with his eyes closed in the passenger seat.

“CEO, I think you need to see this article.”

Awoken by the noise, Choi Sung-gun sleepily got up.

“······What is it?”

“Well, I saw it while searching for articles about Woojin oppa. Look, this article is already ranked 5th on the portal site. Why is such nonsense ranked 5th?”

Kang Woojin, whose name was mentioned, looked up from the script, and Choi Sung-gun, who had yawned slightly, took Han Ye-jung’s phone.

The article title was immediately visible.

『[StarIssue] Acting Monster ‘Kang Woojin,’ Has a Split Personality? Eyewitness Accounts Spread in Communities』

The article contained very provocative wording. However, Choi Sung-gun, who would normally be startled, remained calm. Without much reaction, he quietly checked the content of the article. Even the comments at the end.

-Omgggggg, is this true??? Must be nonsense, right?

-Just some trash stirring things up. Why pay attention? Just ignore them.

-Lol, looks like something’s starting to bubble up for him too, hahaha.

-Split personality my ass, more like he’s just a real jerk in real life, no?

-Ridiculous.

-But…. if these stories are from Kang Woojin’s classmates or acquaintances, they seem somewhat credible….

-Isn’t he just exactly like his character Park Dae-ri? Lol.

-Why does this reporter always write articles based on what they find in online communities??? Do some legwork, you lazy reporter.

.

.

.

The article had been posted just a few dozen minutes ago, but there were already a ton of comments. Undoubtedly, it was thanks to Kang Woojin’s soaring popularity, but it wasn’t a situation to laugh about. Han Ye-jung expressed this concern.

“CEO, if we leave this as it is, it’s going to cause problems and spread. Shouldn’t we do something to stop it?”

She had a point. However, Choi Sung-gun just hummed and scratched his chin. Soon, he turned his body and made eye contact with Kang Woojin. There was an exchange with a meaningful gaze.

Then.

“It’s fine. If the article is already ranked 5th, blocking it will just bring out another one. Look here, there’s another similar article at the end already.”

After returning the phone to Han Ye-jung, Choi Sung-gun pulled out his own.

“It’s better to cover this up. Distract them with something else. It’s a bit earlier than planned, but it doesn’t matter.”

Ignoring Han Ye-jung, who blinked in confusion, Choi Sung-gun sent a message somewhere.

Two hours later.

Kang Woojin’s van arrived at its destination. The outdoor parking lot was already packed with numerous vans and minibuses, of course, including those belonging to actors.

As Kang Woojin got out of the van.

-Swish.

He took in the surrounding scenery.

‘This is killer. It’s picturesque.’

The breathtaking view was enough to make his mouth fall open. Around the spot Kang Woojin stood, mountains and a dense forest embraced the area, and beyond the forest lay the sea. Numerous houses could be seen towards the front of the parking lot, with tall trees standing between them.

At a glance, one could have mistaken it for a real island.

The set was that elaborate and realistic, immense in scale. Though still a newbie, it was the first time Kang Woojin had seen a set of this magnitude.

‘They practically built an entire village.’

As Kang Woojin genuinely marveled, it happened then.

“Woojin, you’re here.”

A soft voice infiltrated from the side. Turning, he saw a man with a warm expression approaching. It was Director Kwon Ki-taek, who seemed to have spotted Woojin among dozens of staff. Soon, Woojin bowed deeply in a formal greeting.

“Hello, Director.”

The interesting thing was.

“You’re early.”

The fact that a woman, evidently beautiful at first sight, was with him. Director Kwon Ki-taek introduced her.

“Ah, this is Ha Yu-ra. Is this your first time meeting Woojin?”

The woman was Ha Yu-ra, a top actress who had joined after Seo Chae-eun withdrew, and upon seeing Kang Woojin, she thought to herself.

‘So this is that Kang Woojin. Doesn’t seem wild at all?’

Meanwhile, in Japan.

The past few days had been noisy in Japan due to ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’ No, it was still ongoing since the production company kept pushing their promotional efforts. In the midst of this, an unexpected article was released in Japan.

『Korean Actor Cast as Main Lead in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ Directed by Kyotaro Tanoguchi and Based on Akari Takikawa’s Work: But who is the Korean Actor?』

Given the content, it was clear that the content would quickly spread to Korea as well.

*****