小火星

Chapter 278: All Time (9)

He was slightly flustered. It was understandable. It was too sudden, too abrupt. Chairman Hideki was currently the main investor in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and also a reliable backer of bw Entertainment. Of course, this was due to Chairman Hideki’s personal power, not as the head of Kashiwa Group.

All authority was entrusted to Choi Sung-gun.

Thanks to this, Chairman Hideki only occasionally checked Choi Sung-gun’s reports.

A kind of ‘It will run well on its own’ feeling.

This time, as Choi Sung-gun was in Japan for a direct briefing, Chairman Hideki suddenly made a proposal and suggestion for the first time. To establish an overseas branch of bw Entertainment.

Choi Sung-gun was.

‘I can’t get a handle on this guy’s sudden acceleration. For now, let’s test the waters a bit.’

He quickly regained his composure and posture. It was because he had a feeling that something big was coming.

“……When you say an overseas branch- which location are you referring to?”

Although Choi Sung-gun was somewhat proficient in Japanese, he spoke in Korean for precise communication, and the interpreter conveyed this to Chairman Hideki. Soon, Chairman Hideki, who was smiling slightly, spoke in a gruff voice.

“Where else but Hollywood?”

“Ah.”

He was serious. Chairman Hideki wasn’t just speaking casually. At least, Choi Sung-gun thought so. Though Chairman Hideki’s wrinkled mouth was smiling, his eyes were sharp. By now, Choi Sung-gun was calculating in his head. He was skilled at grasping situations and reading the room.

‘Hold on, if he’s serious, I need to hear as much as possible here.’

Already, bw Entertainment’s expansion in Korea was running smoothly. They had gathered top stars like Kang Woojin, Hong Hye-yeon, Ryu Jung-min, and quite a few A-listers. The business with newcomers was also expanding. Currently, bw Entertainment’s growth rate among domestic entertainment companies was probably the steepest.

However.

‘It might be a bit too fast.’

Their domestic businesses weren’t fully stabilized yet. Expanding overseas in this state had a high possibility of causing issues somewhere.

‘If he pour in money, that’s great, but if we can’t digest it, it’ll cause problems.’

Of course, bw Entertainment would eventually need to expand overseas, but for now, it was a burden. Even so, refusing an investor’s money was foolish. Choi Sung-gun decided it was better to get a definitive answer first.

A down payment of sorts. Or he could take the money and proceed with the business at a slower pace.

At this point.

“But it would be a bit challenging right now, wouldn’t it?”

Chairman Hideki, who had crossed his legs slowly, spoke in relaxed Japanese. It seemed he was well aware of the situation. He had seen the reports and materials brought by Choi Sung-gun, and more importantly, he was the head of Japan’s giant Kashiwa Group. It would be strange if he didn’t know.

“Looking at bw Entertainment’s current situation, it’s more appropriate to solidify the work in Korea than overseas.”

While acknowledging, Choi Sung-gun left the door open.

“Yes, that’s correct. If you look at the settlements I regularly send, you’ll see that bw Entertainment is in a phase of spreading its wings, so there’s no need to overextend. However, setting up an overseas branch isn’t impossible. As long as it’s not done hastily.”

After listening to the interpretation, Chairman Hideki nodded slowly, and Choi Sung-gun, who had become more serious, asked back.

“May I ask why you suddenly thought of an overseas branch?”

Recalling Kang Woojin at the set of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, Chairman Hideki replied.

“Since we’ve acquired quite a few top talents, we need to expand our horizons. The branches are also the face of a company. More importantly, Kang Woojin isn’t someone who should be limited to Korea or Japan. He’s already making waves in Hollywood. It’s the same in Japan; since Kang Woojin has paved the way, we should start with an overseas branch and then expand to a Japanese branch.”

The monster named Kang Woojin was leading the way, clearing the dense mountain path. Those following behind only needed to walk comfortably thanks to Woojin’s influence. Thus, every territory needs a superstar who can stir the market.

Chairman Hideki continued speaking.

“If ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ does well, there would be no problem setting up a Japanese branch first. Still, I think an overseas branch should come first. Kang Woojin’s ‘Leech’, the album work with Miley Cara, and the calls from Hollywood, although he declined them. He has already made his mark in Hollywood and will probably expand there soon.”

“As early as next year even.”

“If ‘Leech’ does well at Cannes, it will be even faster. The overseas branch I mentioned is for setting up a base for Kang Woojin in Hollywood. It’s okay if it’s just for show for now. But it’s essential to care for Woojin, who will be making a splash in Hollywood. Additionally, during that time, the agency will also get promoted, so there needs to be a focal point in Hollywood, right?”

“Hmm, certainly. Rather than having the company in Korea— the picture of the headquarters being in Korea and the branch in Hollywood is more glamorous.”

“It means we need to take care of Kang Woojin’s form too.”

There was no concept of Kang Woojin’s failure in their conversation. Their plan included 100% of him shaking up Hollywood. It was natural. Kang Woojin was already in the process of dominating Korea and Japan as a preliminary step.

Choi Sung-gun responded with a faint smile.

“I will sort out the overseas branch matter as soon as possible.”

A few hours later, a late lunch.

Having stuffed himself at a Korean restaurant, Kang Woojin was now in a van running on the streets of Tokyo. His destination was ‘A10 Studio’, near Tokyo Station, the production company of the anime ‘Male Friend: Remake’. Today was the first meeting of the entire voice cast and a simple script reading session.

The actual recording was scheduled for a few days later.

Anyway, the van Kang Woojin was in was lively. It was even more so because Choi Sung-gun, who usually set the tone, wasn’t there. Although the usually cold Han Ye-jung tried to rein in the excitement, it was hard to calm them down.

Well, Woojin could understand.

‘Whether in Japan or Korea, everything is booming. Ah, but it’s about me, right?’

For the staff of an actor, the actor’s success equaled their joy. When an actor did well, the staff’s filmography also became solid. Currently, Woojin was a monster not only in Japan but also in Korea, and even further in the online world. Referring to SNS and YouTube channels.

Since there was no area left out, it was natural to be happy.

Of course, Kang Woojin was brimming with excitement inside. But maintaining a calm poker face was more important. Honestly, he felt like tap dancing right then and there, but Woojin held back.

On the other hand.

-Buzz, buzz.

-Buzz, buzz.

Kang Woojin’s phone did not hold back. It had been buzzing since morning. No, recently his phone had been vibrating like crazy. Countless communications were arriving. Including DMs, texts, and messages were exploding. In the group chat with his best friends, they were throwing in real-time reactions and scores of ‘Island of the Missing’.

Because of such communications, Woojin felt as if he was still in Korea despite being in Japan.

‘Don’t these guys work?? It’s all easy for them.’

After sending appropriate replies to the messages, Kang Woojin logged into a portal site. He had tried not to look as much as possible for the sake of his concept, but this time curiosity got the better of him. The huge issues were immediately visible. Among the various topics flooding in, the most prominent was the uproar caused by ‘Island of the Missing’.

‘Wow- insane, the media is really going wild.’

Kang Woojin scanned through the titles of the articles densely packed in the entertainment section. What was interesting was that most of the articles were uploaded just a few minutes ago, indicating a flood of news.

Given the state of the media, it was obvious what public opinion in communities would be like.

-Wow, seriously ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is the #1 movie really changing??!

-But it deserves it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. I watched ‘Island of the Missing’ today, and it’s still sold out during prime time ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.

-The firepower is insane;;;

-It’s entertaining, and the actors’ performances are amazing. Especially Kang Woojin, he’s the real deal.

-Midas’ Touch❌ Kang Woojin’s Touch⭕️

-Nah, y’all are overreacting ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I thought it was boring as hell

-Agreed, the current hype around ‘Island of the Missing’ is overblown.

-By the way, what’s the number one movie in our country?

-Just google it, you idiot

-↑The number one movie is ‘Sea Battle’, with 16.7 million viewers. It’s the top in our country’s history.

-Whaaat, is ‘Island of the Missing’ trying to surpass that? But 16.7 million…that’s tough.

-But Kang Woojin and Ryu Jung-min are hitting home runs back to back, aren’t they? Especially Kang Woojin, his form is just insane.

-Kang Woojin seems like he’s got divine guidance in choosing projects.

·

·

·

The public’s mouths and fingers were restless.

Thus, ‘Island of the Missing’ was steadily racing toward 10 million viewers.

『‘Island of the Missing’ already surpasses 8 million, on the verge of breaking ‘Sea Battle’ record… already two days ahead』

『[Big Issue] Will ‘Sea Battle’ record be broken?… ‘Island of the Missing’ countdown to 10 million』

『With 10 million in sight, ‘Island of the Missing’ aims for the title of Korea’s all-time number one movie!』

But it didn’t seem like it would stop at 10 million.

Meanwhile, in Incheon, Korea.

Near the Hwaseu Pier in Incheon. Compared to other places, Hwaseu Pier was smaller, with quite a wide mudflat nearby, and on the opposite side, there were small houses and shops crammed together. The shops were quite diverse. Homes, restaurants, hardware stores, etc. There were also many alleyways in between. The road in front was a mix of unpaved, dirt, and paved sections.

A crowd of dozens gathered there.

Some were setting up cameras, some were raising lights, some were unloading tables and various audio equipment, and some were arranging necessary props in visible spots. Beyond the filming area, there were vans and mini-buses parked on the roadside. It was clearly a filming team.

At this moment.

“Hmm-”

An old man in a suitable black knit appeared in the filming area. It was the veteran Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been surveying the area. His short white hair and deeply wrinkled face remained unchanged. No, perhaps the wrinkles were even deeper from staying up late frequently. He looked at the bustling set and instructed the assistant director next to him.

“That dirt road over there, does it really need to be flattened? It looks more unnatural to me. Restore it to its original state.”

“Oh! Yes! Understood!!”

It was the outdoor filming session for the movie ‘Leech’. Beyond Director Ahn Ga-bok, top actor Jin Jae-jun was getting his makeup done. It seemed to be Jin Jae-jun’s turn for the upcoming scene. Director Ahn Ga-bok, seated at a table with several monitors, sighed lightly as he picked up the shooting storyboard laid out on the table. About 30% of the filming remained. Crossing his legs slowly, he muttered softly.

“……Mid to late stages- maybe we need to speed up a bit more.”

Although they were already shooting on a hellish schedule, Director Ahn Ga-bok still felt pressed for time.

‘In a few days, it’ll already be June.’

Fortunately, whenever there was a break during filming, they were doing preliminary editing work. However, no matter how he looked at it, time was tight. At least, the experienced Director Ahn Ga-bok thought so.

At this moment.

-♬♪

Director Ahn Ga-bok’s phone rang. The caller was the CEO of the film company responsible for producing ‘Leech’.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Over the phone, the slightly excited voice of the film company CEO was heard.

“Director~nim, the official opening date for Cannes was just announced.”

Around 2 PM, in Japan.

Kang Woojin, who had just arrived at one of Japan’s top three anime production companies, ‘A10 Studio’, stepped out of the van. With a solemn expression, Woojin looked at the building. The building of ‘A10 Studio’ was still massive, and the various statues and life-sized cutouts of anime characters near the entrance were the same as before.

‘Wait, have some been added? I don’t remember seeing that female character before.’

Anyway, the team gathered around Woojin as he started walking. Along with this, a slight sense of nervousness rose within him.

‘Japanese voice actors— it’s my first time seeing them. I wonder what it’ll be like.’

Soon, he would be meeting many voice actors participating in ‘Male Friend: Remake’. In Japan, where anime is incredibly powerful, voice actors are treated somewhat like celebrities, unlike in Korea. Popular voice actors even hold fan meetings, autograph sessions, and appear on variety shows.

Still, it was very unfamiliar to Kang Woojin.

At this moment.

-Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Woojin stopped walking. His phone in the pocket of his denim jacket was vibrating persistently. It was a call, and Woojin gestured briefly to Jang Su-hwan and the other staff before checking the caller.

‘The old man, no, it’s Director Ahn Ga-bok?’

The caller was Director Ahn Ga-bok. Woojin then put the phone to his ear with a firm expression.

“Yes, Director~nim. Hello.”

An aged voice resonated from the other end.

“Right, since we’re both busy, I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“The Cannes Film Festival opening day has been confirmed, September 30th. It will run for ten days from that date.”

The Cannes Film Festival opening on September 30th.

“Is that so?”

Which means, Kang Woojin will be heading to France around that time.

*****

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