小火星

One hour. That was the time it took for Kang Woojin to get his hair and makeup done after arriving at the salon. Of course, it wasn’t completely finished in just one hour, but it was nearly done.

Sitting in front of the mirror, Kang Woojin felt relatively calm.

‘Yeah, my face looks good today as well. It’s almost like magic.’

He was simply self-praising his changed appearance. However, about an hour ago, when the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel was launched, unlike its calm owner, it was experiencing a significant seismic shift. The ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel, which had a soft opening, initially had roughly 100 subscribers.

Those were mostly subscribed out of mere curiosity.

However, now things were different. There was a noticeable change in just one hour.

[Channel Name: Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego]

[Subscribers: 5,858]

[Videos: 2]

The channel had gained over 5,000 subscribers in just an hour. The surge in subscribers was unexpected. The difference in the two uploaded videos was even more striking.

The first video, a greeting from the channel owner, Kang Woojin.

-【Greeting】Hello, I am actor Kang Woojin. No, Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego. Do you have a moment?｜Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego

-Views: 12,000 / 2020. 8. 19

It had already surpassed 10,000 views. However, the first video was just a teaser. The real game-changer was the second video, Kang Woojin’s first cover song, the Japanese version of Elani’s ‘Ballerina.’

-【(1)Elani/’Ballerina’】Cover [Japanese.Ver]｜Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego

-Views: 23,000 / 2020. 8. 19

This one had crossed 20,000 views without any promotion. This was purely Kang Woojin’s influence, including the issues built up so far and the recent Director Kyotaro’s incident. This indicated Kang Woojin’s high recognition among the domestic audience. They must have been curious at first.

People who were searching for information about Kang Woojin on YouTube due to the Japanese movie incident, stumbled upon his alter ego channel and his cover song.

As a result:

-Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego, LOL. I’m dying

-Is this for real???????!!Why????

-…..I was sure it was going to be fake, but why is the real Kang Woojin appearing?? And why is he so good-looking??

-Why is Kang Woojin so good at Japanese??

-His vocal tone is insane!!! He could be the main ego, not just an alter ego!!!

-Wow…his Japanese pronunciation is perfect… Did he live in Japan???

-LOL I was just curious and searched for him, and the timing was perfect. The video just got uploaded LOL

-So, is this Kang Woojin the rookie actor chosen by Director Kyotaro?

-↑I looked this up because of that.

The comment section exploded like a nuclear bomb.

-Oppa!! Why have you been hiding this singing talent until now!!! Why?!! Thanks anyway!!

-Kang Woojin, LOL. He hurried to upload this as soon as he got attention.

-Wow, when he hits the high notes, his voice slightly breaks, exuding raw masculinity. ㅠㅠ

-This vocal quality is something many idols can’t even compare to

-First upload, and already over five thousand subscribers. Impressive!

-Passing by, I’m a Japanese language major. This guy’s Japanese is good enough to pass as a native.

-Are you planning to debut in Japan??

-Is this your voice or a song? I knew it!

-Park Dae-ri: Just upload one more song, it’s not satisfying enough.

-The composition is amazing, and the vocals are killer. This guy is not just good at acting. He’s a cheat character.

-I really wish this could be released as an official track………..

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It was a complete mess.

Meanwhile.

The news about the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel quickly spread from hand to hand. It first hit Woojin’s fan club ‘Kang’s Heart’, and then flowed into various blogs, cafes, SNS, and messengers, etc.

The speed of the rumor was extraordinary.

-Breaking News! Kang Woojin opened a YouTube channel (link).

Everywhere on the internet in South Korea, the issue of Director Kyotaro’s ‘Korean rookie actor’ was a hot topic. Debates and discussions were endless. Therefore, Kang Woojin’s newly emerged YouTube channel instantly became a sensation.

-Cheat Character Kang Woojin’s Vocal Talent + Japanese Proficiency.GIF

Posts nicknamed ‘Wrecker’ popped up rapidly, and countless netizens were drawn to the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel. The influx of viewers was enormous.

Fireworks were bursting in dozens of places.

The newcomers generally shared a similar sentiment. Who exactly is Kang Woojin? An actor of continuous surprises, possessing mysterious high-level vocal skills, and native-like Japanese proficiency. It was an understandable reaction, given that Kang Woojin’s path from his debut was anything but ordinary.

What was peculiar here was:

-Kang Woojin seems to be a Zainichi Korean. (TL: Zainichi means residing in Japan)

-Is he actually trained in acting in Japan and then moved to Korea???

There was a flood of massive misunderstandings and misconceptions.

-I got it. Kang Woojin is definitely an identical twin, confirmed. There are two separate Kang Woojins: actor Kang Woojin and singer Kang Woojin.

This part was something neither Kang Woojin nor Choi Sung-gun had intended. Regardless, the snowball of interest was rapidly growing.

Meanwhile, at this moment.

Unlike online, the offline world hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet.

For instance, in a large Japanese restaurant in Seoul, many actors, including the top stars, were gathered. It was a pre-meeting for the upcoming script reading of ‘Freezing Love,’ the next work by star writer Lee Wol-seon, scheduled two days later. Though it was officially a pre-meeting, it was essentially a dinner party. Kang Woojin had also been invited, but due to his conflicting schedule, he couldn’t attend.

Regardless.

“I wonder how Kang Woojin’s sign language practice is going? Did he practice well?”

“It’s already a challenging role, the writer must have managed it carefully.”

“Is it true, though? About Kang Woojin and Director Kyotaro?”

For some reason, Kang Woojin was the topic of conversation among the actors. It wasn’t strange, considering Woojin had been turning the entertainment industry upside down. They were also scheduled to meet him soon.

“Ah, the rookie actor picked by Director Kyotaro? Isn’t that just speculation by the journalists?”

“It doesn’t seem confirmed yet.”

“This kind of hype isn’t new in this industry. I personally think it’s not true. Just because that rookie is hot these days, he’s being pointed out.”

“But I read an article saying it’s quite credible. Kang Woojin won the acting award at Mise-en-scène, and it was presented by Director Kyotaro.”

“Would he have chosen him just because of that brief encounter?”

Behind their discussions, there was a mix of jealousy and genuine curiosity. The debate among the actors was quite heated.

“To be honest, looking at the projects Kang Woojin is in or scheduled for, it’s already over the top, right? It’d take him over half a year just to learn his lines, let alone learn Japanese and go to Japan.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Sometimes, when I see news about Woojin, I think he’s incredible. It’s been only half a year since his debut, and he’s managing all that.”

“To keep up as he is, and then to debut in Japan too? He’d have to be an alien to pull that off.”

“He’s already an alien with what he’s achieved so far.”

“But if Kang Woojin really is that ‘rookie actor,’ that would be legendary. It’d be an unprecedented event in history.”

There was a split opinion among them. This atmosphere was not just limited to the actors of ‘Freezing Love,’ but was a general scene across the media, including various broadcasting stations across the Korean entertainment industry.

As the afternoon waned, Kang Woojin’s name was transitioning from Korea to Japan, following a pattern similar to how the issue had spread from Japan to Korea.

-You know about that Korean rookie actor Director Tanoguchi talked about? In Korea, it seems to be narrowing down to an actor named Kang Woojin.

-Kang Woojin? Who’s that? Never heard of him. Is he really a rookie in Korea?

-Ah! Kang Woojin! That actor! He appeared in ‘Hanryang’ on Netflix!

-‘Hanryang’? I watched that. Are you talking about the villain actor in the first episode?

-Kang Woojin! I was curious and looked him up. He’s scary in dramas, but super cute on SNS!

-But it’s not confirmed in Korea either, right? It’s not a fact, just a rumor.

To the Japanese public, who were only slightly buzzing about ‘Korea’s rookie actor,’

-Kang Woojin has an SNS account?

Gradually, the name ‘Kang Woojin’ began to imprint itself in people’s minds. Although it wasn’t confirmed as a fact, curiosity drove them to continue their search. They moved from portal sites to Kang Woojin’s SNS.

@Wooji_n

Posts: 71

Followers: 1.83 million

Following: 9

And even on to YouTube. There were many results when searching for Kang Woojin on YouTube.

There was even an official channel owned by Kang Woojin, with two uploaded videos. The second video seemed tailor-made for Japanese netizens.

-【(1)Elani/’Ballerina’】Cover [Japanese.Ver]｜Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego

It was a Japanese cover of a KPOP song.

[Channel Name: Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego]

[Subscribers: 24,000]

[Videos: 2]

The number of subscribers began to skyrocket.

The next day, August 20th.

The location was the event hall of a hotel in Seoul. The hall was filled with numerous tables, and dozens of journalists with large cameras were seated. There appeared to be at least fifty of them.

Facing these journalists on the stage was:

-[Netflix ‘Male Friend’ Production Announcement]

A large poster hung prominently. It featured a still image of Kang Woojin and Hwalin, along with the title ‘Male Friend’. The reason was simple: the hall was currently hosting the official production announcement of ‘Male Friend.’

Therefore, in front of the poster, on the center stage, the main cast was seated.

It started with director Shin Dong-chun, followed by writer Choi Na-na, Kang Woojin, and Hwalin. They sat in a row, each with their own microphone. Director Shin Dong-chun was quite relaxed, as he was accustomed to such events. On the other hand, writer Choi Na-na, wearing round glasses, was:

“… Phew-”

Visibly nervous. It was her first time at such an event, and she was naturally shy. Beside her, Woojin stood out. Kang Woojin, dressed in a neat navy suit, with his hair styled upwards, maintained a calm demeanor throughout the press conference. However, internally, he was overwhelmed by the flashing cameras and journalists.

‘Crazy. How many are there? Ah, it’s blinding, the shutter is going crazy.’

Hwalin, dressed in a white dress, exuded confidence similar to director Shin Dong-chun. The atmosphere at the ‘Male Friend’ press conference was a bit more relaxed than usual.

It had been over 30 minutes since it started.

“As you know, our ‘Male Friend’ is the start of Netflix’s short drama projects. It has been confirmed for release on Netflix in both Korea and Japan…”

During the production announcement of ‘Male Friend,’ director Shin Dong-chun was giving an introduction of the project, followed by his ambitions and then writer Choi Nana’s thoughts. And according to the cue sheet next was Kang Woojin’s turn.

“I worked hard on it. Even though it might be lacking, I hope you’ll find it enjoyable.”

His tone was somewhat nonchalant, but sincere. Next, Hwalin’s aspirations weren’t too lengthy either, keeping the mood balanced.

Soon.

“Okay! Now we will take some questions from the journalists.”

At the signal from the host, dozens of journalists eagerly raised their hands. They chose which journalist would ask the question. The first question was directed to director Shin Dong-chun.

“Yes. The journalist with the perm, please.”

“Hello, director. A few years ago, you suddenly left the drama industry to pursue filmmaking, right? After that, you won the Mise-en-scène award with ‘Exorcism’.”

“That’s correct.”

“I heard that you received numerous offers from the entire film industry, but you suddenly made a comeback to drama, and that too, a short drama series. Why is that?”

“Haha, that’s a pretty deep question to start with.”

Director Shin Dong-chun laughed awkwardly and glanced at Kang Woojin, seated third from him, before responding.

“I’ll answer that as ‘I have a debt of gratitude to repay to Mr. Woojin’.”

Immediately, the gazes of dozens of journalists all converged on Kang Woojin. In truth, everyone present had their own hidden agenda. Naturally, there was an overflowing interest in Kang Woojin, the center of numerous issues.

But for now, they held back their eagerness.

After the question to writer Choi Na-na, it was the cynical, leg-crossed Kang Woojin’s turn.

“Next, we have a question for Mr. Woojin!”

-Whoosh.

As if they had been waiting, all 50-plus journalists eagerly raised their hands. Their eyes were filled with longing, almost excessively so. Woojin thought to himself:

‘What the heck, if I refuse to answer, it’s like I’m asking to be slapped.’

Although he was inwardly reluctant, he maintained a dignified demeanor. It was tough, but he decided to choose a reporter who looked relatively gentle. Kang Woojin’s choice fell on a female journalist sitting at the far right, who had kind-looking eyes.

Soon, Woojin gestured towards the female journalist.

“Yes, the journalist in the shirt at the end.”

As soon as she was called, the female journalist stood up with a small smile. Woojin thought he had made a good choice. However, this thought shattered in just one second.

The question thrown by the kind-looking female journalist was totally unexpected.

“Mr. Woojin. Since we’re talking about the launch of ‘Male Friend’ in Japan, there’s rampant speculation that you are the ‘Korean rookie actor’ handpicked by the renowned Japanese Director Kyotaro. What do you say about that?”

“······”

“The media and public opinion are divided between yes and no, but recent public opinion seems to lean towards the theory that it’s you. What are your thoughts on this?”

The female journalist’s question instantly piqued the interest of the other dozens of journalists. Everyone seemed to share the same curiosity. However, the question was too sensitive. Therefore, Director Shin Dong-chun signaled the host subtly, shaking his head slightly.

It was a sign to cut off the question.

Such scenes were common at press conferences, so the host quickly understood and was about to address the journalists.

“Ah- About that question.”

“Yes”

Kang Woojin, composedly raising the microphone, spoke in a low, nonchalant tone.

“I am that ‘Korean rookie actor’.”

It was a bold declaration.

“······”

“······”

“······”

A brief silence flowed through the large hall. The entire ‘Male Friend’ team, including Hwalin, and the more than fifty journalists, all looked stunned at Kang Woojin.

This lasted for about 10 seconds. Then, towards Kang Woojin.

-Pabababababak!

-Pababababababab!

A barrage of camera flashes erupted.

****