Chapter 170: Breaking (9)

I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

At Kang Woojin’s indifferent greeting, Choi Sung-gun received it nonchalantly at first.

“Uh, hey. I’ll take care of······ huh?”

He paused.

“Hold on a moment.”

Then, he made eye contact with the cynical-faced Woojin.

“Woojin, what did you just say?”

“I said I look forward to working well together at Cannes next year.”

“…But Cannes is in September next year.”

“Yes.”

“And your contract ends in March next year.”

“That’s right.”

“So, that means- you, you’re saying you want to continue with me.”

Due to the completely unexpected nature of the statement, even Choi Sung-gun, who usually exuded ease and slyness, seemed quite taken aback. How should one put it, a feeling of disbelief yet pleasure? Regardless, Kang Woojin remained calm.

“Would you mind?”

“What! Mind!! No, but it’s just too sudden without any warning- I didn’t expect you to tell me directly.”

“I didn’t say it without thinking.”

“Of course. Still······ wow, it feels really touching.”

“Is that so?”

Woojin, who asked again, actually hadn’t gone through much of a lengthy contemplation.

‘Why is he so surprised? Wasn’t he somewhat expecting this?’

Forgetting that it was a one-year contract, imagine how much more surprised he could be. While the entertainment world was in chaos, Kang Woojin himself didn’t make much fuss about it.

Therefore, it was a straightforward conclusion and sincere.

However, the pebble casually thrown by Kang Woojin caused a big wave. To whom?

‘As expected, this guy isn’t good for the heart, bewitching people in strange ways.’

To Choi Sung-gun.

He felt infinite joy from Woojin’s nonchalant remark. He was moved. For him, who had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, it was a situation he was experiencing for the first time, and he thought that Woojin was certainly beyond unique.

“Haha, right. Tsundere. That’s exactly what you are.”

Choi Sung-gun, trying to contain his emotion, pulled up a folding chair nearby and gestured for the standing Kang Woojin to sit down.

“I guess I should just gratefully accept it- but you must have been contacted by a lot of agencies, both big and small, right?”

“Yes. More than ten. It’s still the same now.”

“Is it okay to decide so hastily? There’s still time until early next year.”

Watching Choi Sung-gun, Woojin thickened his act. He made his voice colder.

“There is time, but I think spending it on this is a waste. I’m also busy.”

This too was sincere. If it were a break period, he might consider meeting with them for the experience, but with back-to-back schedules from the moment he opens his eyes until he closes them, bothersome tasks were unwelcome.

Moreover, he wondered if it was really necessary.

Most importantly.

‘There’s no place like the current agency.’

The relationship built up with Choi Sung-gun was too deep. Though it was short, it was also long, a little less than a year. A lot had happened during that time, and Choi Sung-gun had supported Kang Woojin through numerous shocks. As the head of an entertainment company, that is. Of course, the deeply ingrained misunderstandings couldn’t be ignored, and Woojin’s concept was something bw Entertainment was familiar with. And there’s also Hong Hye-yeon.

Wouldn’t this be the best agency for Kang Woojin?

Hence, Choi Sung-gun was Woojin’s top choice. However, that didn’t mean he intended to gloss over the practical aspects.

‘Leaving things vague would make the CEO even more uncomfortable.’

A contract is ultimately business, and relationships are strengthened when both parties are firm. Choi Sung-gun knew this better than anyone.

Therefore.

“Woojin.”

Choi Sung-gun was the first to turn the conversation towards reality.

“When we signed the 1-year contract, I told you to first see what it’s like at bw Entertainment, right?”

“Yes.”

“Was it okay?”

“It was good.”

“Haha, thanks. But even so, you need to hear the main points I had in mind for the extension contract.”

“Please tell me, ah- but we don’t need to do a 1-year contract anymore. It’s troublesome.”

Choi Sung-gun suddenly became serious.

“I know, that’s why I set the extension contract for 3 years. You can consider it the basic term. The ratio will be 7:3 from 9:1. This is also a standard ratio. Of course, all works and s carried out at 9:1 will remain under the previous contract. Finally, regarding the contract payment.”

Recently, the transfer fee of top actress Hong Hye-yeon, akin to her stature, became a hot topic. 2 billion won. The media was abuzz with just the signing bonus amounting to 2 billion won. That 2 billion won was the valuation of everything from her career. In contrast, Kang Woojin’s initial signing bonus was 40 million won. (TL: 2 billion won at current rate = 1.5 million $ and 40 million won = 30k $)

Soon, Choi Sung-gun made an offer to Kang Woojin.

“I want to give you the house you’re currently living in.”

“······”

Woojin, with his unchanged stoic expression, was internally screaming.

‘What??!’

The luxury officetel near Samsung Station where Kang Woojin currently lived.

‘Giving me the house?? Crazy!! For real??!’

Since its market price was 1 billion won.

Meanwhile,

Time passed. While Kang Woo-jin was busy fulfilling his acting roles and schedule, the external buzz kept proliferating endlessly.

『Numerous entertainment companies showing interest, where will Kang Woojin nest next year?』

Alongside Kang Woojin’s issues being added, related topics were also highlighted once again. Or rather, the ongoing attention had just become louder.

For example, ‘Male Friend’. (TL: Some user in comments mentioned that it is ‘Boyfriend’ and not ‘Male Friend’, So just to make it clear it is ‘Male Friend’ and not ‘Boyfriend’. The Korean used here ‘남사친’ is a slang and shorted version of ‘남자사람친구’ which means male friend or someone who is a friend but not a lover. Whereas ‘남자 친구’ means boyfriend. If you MTL it or a beginner in Korean you might think it is ‘Boyfriend’ but in actuality it is not. So hopefully this makes it clear.)

『[DramaPick] ‘Male Friend’ has been maintaining its top ranks on Netflix for about a month already, making uprising of the short dramas.』

‘Male Friend’, which caused a sensation upon its launch, was currently holding the second spot on Netflix Korea.

[Today’s Top 10 Content in South Korea]

1. Bad Mothers

2. Male Friend

Though it had given up the first place, that too was a recent development. The short drama ‘Male Friend’ had held the first place for almost 3 weeks. That alone was a record-breaking achievement, and it significantly boosted Kang Woojin’s recognition and acting spectrum. That’s not to say its popularity had died down.

It was still holding the second spot.

What was peculiar was the situation in Japan.

[Today’s Top 10 Content in Japan]

1. Male Friend

In Netflix Japan, ‘Male Friend’ was still in first place. Clearly, while ‘Male Friend’ was popular in Korea, it had an even bigger impact in Japan. Thanks to this, Japanese media shone various lights on this phenomenon or analyzed it.

『The Hallyu wave in Japan seen through the success of ‘Male Friend’, Japan needs to be wary』

Whatever it was, ‘Male Friend’ had boosted the Hallyu wave crashing into Japan, and the OST of ‘Male Friend’ was still dominating the music charts.

[1(-)]Is This Okay?/Kang Woojin·Hwalin (‘Male Friend’ OST Part. 3)

[2(↑1)] Forbidden Love!/Go Ju-ah (‘Girl Group Trainee is in Forbidden Love’ OST Part 1, Prod. Han Ari)

[3(new!)]Spicy boy/Joobid

[4(↓1)]Male Friend/Kang Woojin (‘Male Friend’ OST Part. 1)

Even appearing on Japan’s Oricon chart.

Thus, ‘Male Friend’ could be considered a unique legend as a short drama, and naturally, Kang Woojin stood tall at its center.

However, the most bullish run at the moment was undoubtedly ‘Drug Dealer’.

『[KMovie] ‘Drug Dealer’ surpasses 5 million and continues to dominate Box Office… Unmoved at 1st place』

It had been about 3 weeks since its release. Yet, the R-rated ‘Drug Dealer’s momentum was still fierce. Naturally, it had lost some power compared to its initial release, but cinemas across the country were still showing sold-out screenings.

After reaching 3 million viewers, it took off on its own. The film media and the public spread word of mouth for free.

『’Drug Dealer’ surpasses 5 million viewers, continues its march at box office 1st place』

『[StarTalk] Jin Jae-jun dances to a girl group dance as a 5 million viewer promise / Photos』

The unprecedented box office run of ‘Drug Dealer’ was even introduced on terrestrial TV news. Having monopolized the 1st place in the box office for 3 consecutive weeks, ‘Drug Dealer’ eventually.

『Will it break records in the history of R-rated films? Crowds flock to see ‘Drug Dealer’ over the weekend』

Achieved a milestone that R-rated films had not surpassed before.

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Drug Dealer/ Release Date: October 28/ Number of Viewers: 360,111/ Number of Screens: 1002 / Cumulative Viewers: 6,015,472

It surpassed 6 million viewers. This was good news for the beleaguered film industry and seemed to offer hope for R-rated films. While there was no shortage of new movies being released every week, none could stop the solo domination of ‘Drug Dealer’. The fun of the movie itself and the actors’ performances were unmatched.

『’Drug Dealer’ surpasses 6 million viewers, setting a new record for the fastest R-rated movie to do so!』

Especially, the word of mouth spreading like wildfire among the public and influencers played a big part. Additionally, the standout character that kept adding fuel to the movie’s success.

It was Kang Woojin’s ‘Lee Sang-man’.

『[MovieTalk] The Kang Woojin effect? ‘Drug Dealer’ aiming for 7 million after surpassing 6 million』

『[In-depth Analysis] The unique character pushing ‘Drug Dealer’, audiences fell for ‘Lee Sang-man’』

Whether in entertainment or sports, any field needs a star that captures attention, and in ‘Drug Dealer’, Lee Sang-man was undeniably that star.

『’Drug Dealer’, to become the highest-grossing R-rated film if it reaches 7 million viewers』

However, despite already achieving jaw-dropping results, the final score of ‘Drug Dealer’ remained unpredictable.

『’Drug Dealer’ surpasses 6 million viewers, crossing 45 billion won in cumulative revenue, what if it reaches 7 million?』

‘Drug Dealer’ still dominated the box office as the undisputed leader, and its momentum had not waned.

『The unexpected ‘Drug Dealer’, on the verge of surpassing 7 million viewers』

Roughly a week. Perhaps by next week, the final score of ‘Drug Dealer’ would become clear.

At this point, while ‘Drug Dealer’ was dominating the film industry, new developments were being thrown into the entertainment industry as a whole.

『Kang Woojin, the star of ‘Drug Dealer’, departs for Japan on the 16th for the script reading of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’』

『[Star Issue] Kang Woojin heads to Japan once again after ‘Male Friend’, this time a solo visit』

『In the Japanese master director’s movie ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, Kang Woojin to showcase his acting skills in Japan as the sole Korean actor』

It was related to Director Kyotaro’s ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Of course, not just in Korea but also in Japan.

『Korea’s Kang Woojin, returning to Japan for the script reading of the much-talked-about ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’』

The news of Kang Woojin’s revisit spread across Japan.

The morning of the 16th, in Tokyo, Japan.

The ‘Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel’ in Tokyo, a top-class hotel. As the name suggests, the ‘Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel’ is owned by one of Japan’s conglomerates, the Kashiwa Group. The vicinity of such a hotel was very busy. It was always a famous hotel with many guests, but.

“What’s with all the reporters?”

“Looks like there’s some event at the hotel.”

“It’s chaotic.”

Today, for some reason, there were many reporters. They were visible from right in front of the hotel to the streets nearby. The reason was simple.

Today, the ‘Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel’ was scheduled to host the script reading for the movie ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, which had stirred up Japan. But even considering that, the number of reporters seemed a bit excessive.

The script reading for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was fraught with many issues.

Not only was ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ itself participated in by many top Japanese actors, but it also involved Japan’s leading director Kyotaro, world-renowned novelist Akari Takikawa, and the Kashiwa Group along with Chairman Hideki, who had yet to make their positions clear.

And.

『’Male Friend’s Kang Woojin, set to arrive today, the only Korean actor among the cast of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’』

The skyrocketing fame of the Korean actor, Kang Woojin, was truly extraordinary. The script reading was a convergence of both entertainment and social issues, attracting journalists. The reporters surrounding the hotel were enough to catch the eyes of the public, and even inside the hotel lobby, there were quite a few of them.

However, these reporters were a bit different from those outside.

These were journalists officially invited to the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ script reading. Hence, unlike the fierce competition among the external reporters, they had a bit of leisure.

“Did you hear? The original author, Akari Takikawa, will also attend today’s reading.”

“It’s a noisy project as well as one of the bestsellers, so that’s expected. I hope we can get a quick interview.”

“Hmm, but holding the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ script reading at the ‘Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel’ means-”

“It’s clear that the Kashiwa Group is the major support behind it.”

They busied themselves with small talk while waiting to enter the hall.

“It would be nice if Chairman Hideki Yoshimura could make an appearance.”

“Well, I doubt Chairman Hideki Yoshimura would bother to show himself.”

“Anyway, it’s crazy with all these reporters swarming around. Doesn’t it feel like an end-of-year awards ceremony?”

“By the way, when is Kang Woojin arriving?”

“He’s the only Korean actor among them, he must have arrived at Haneda Airport by now.”

A reporter nodded slowly and chuckled.

“There must be quite a crowd of reporters there too.”

Meanwhile, at Haneda Airport’s arrival area.

The arrival area was more crowded than ever. Among them, a woman who was clearly a BJ, judging by the gimbal-mounted phone in her hand, stood out. Naturally. Not just because of her attire, but her hair was close to green in color.

“Wow!! Look at the reporters!”

She spun around to show the state of the arrival area through her phone. At least a hundred reporters were packed tightly in front of the fence line.

What was amusing.

“Ah!! Please move aside!!”

“Yikes! Someone just stepped on my foot!”

“Don’t push!!”

Was that directly behind the reporters, there were many more onlookers standing on tiptoes or holding their phones high above their heads, several times the number of reporters. There were dozens of people with a vibe similar to the green-haired BJ. Soon, the BJ exclaimed with wide eyes.

“Look at this, this. They are all Kang Woojin’s fans! They even brought banners over there!”

Right then.

“Ah!!”

The female BJ quickly showed the arrival area through her phone and shouted.

“Kang Woojin! Kang Woojin is out!!”

*****