Chapter 169: Breaking (8)

Chapter 169: Breaking (8)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Thud, thud, thud. It was the sound of Iyota Kiyoshi. No, Kang Woojin descending the stairs. Calm and serene. Presence, expressionless. His current demeanor on the stairs doesn't catch the eye at all.

If anything, he didn't quite look Japanese.

A subtle face. A chill wraps around Woojin's forearm as he descends the stairs. Reality. Yes, right now, he is living in Kiyoshi's life, experiencing it for real.

He just lost the only thing he had and erased one of the many common things.

In other words, one person died, and another was killed.

One voluntarily, the other involuntarily. Woojin, who witnessed it all with his own eyes, remained unchanged.

"······"

His emotions were still faint, his expression void of anything.

However.

"What, what is this!!!"

"Kyaaaah!!"

"Police!! Call the police!!"

"Uwaaaah!!"

The school turned upside down. Screams from below, bizarre shouts from the nearby corridors, the lower stairs bustling almost to the point of exploding, students bumping into Woojin's shoulder as they ran, followed quickly by teachers.

It was understandable.

Two students had died suddenly. But it wasn't unheard of. Lately, in Japan, it was not uncommon for students to take their own lives. Still, witnessing a news event firsthand makes a big difference.

-Swish.

Kang Woojin entered the 2nd-floor corridor, where the classrooms were, not the chaotic first floor. Then, he hesitated. He looked down at his hands. The same as always. Same heartbeat, similar tremble, breath not much different.

"It's okay."

His murmur was not to comfort himself. It was a conviction that he wouldn't be pinpointed as the culprit. So, he walked again. However, the classroom Woojin arrived at was not his own but 'Misaki Toka's'. There were no students. They must have all gone to see what happened. Only the classroom's unique atmosphere welcomed Kang Woojin.

-Rattle.

He sat on a chair. It was Toka's seat. There were various scribbles on the desk. Die, dirty, smelly, moron's seat, and so on. Woojin looked down at the graffiti with a dried-up expression. About 5 seconds or so.

-Swish.

He took out a notebook and a pencil case from the desk drawer. Both bore the name 'Misaki Toka'. Kang Woojin began to write something on a blank page of the notebook.

-Tsugumune Shinnosuke

It was a name. However, he crossed out the name he just wrote. Because that person's head was already smashed. Below that, a total of 9 names were listed, mixed with both males and females. Soon after finishing writing the names, Woojin tore the paper. He folded it in half, then folded it again.

The folded paper went into his pocket.

"Not now."

He was talking about the time. A time when he could erase these 9 people without any problems, without any regrets. Then, Woojin slowly walked out of the classroom and along the corridor, muttering to himself.

"One might be okay, but all 9 is too much. I lack the strength. And the intellect. And experience."

Everything was lacking. Insufficiency leads to failure. Above all, adding actions now could make him a target of vengeance.

"I need to be forgotten."

He must become a 'stranger' in this world. To the extent that no one would remember him. He must wear an even quieter, more unremarkable obscurity.

Kang Woojin, Kiyoshi, had to choose the long game.

Whether it takes 1 year or 5 years. And when everything about him has faded from everyone's minds, when he is sufficiently equipped without lacking anything, that's when it will begin. An unforeseen disaster. There will be many victims, and it will be a very 'eerie sacrifice'.

Soon, Kang Woojin stopped walking along the corridor. And then.

"······"

He looked outside the window. A multitude of people was visible. Hundreds of students, police who had arrived, panicked teachers. And those 9 people, huddled and whispering among themselves. Kang Woojin's blurry eyes stared at them.

Neither hatred nor intent to kill.

Just.

"Homework."

Just a task to be done.

·

·

·

·

How long had it passed?

["End the reading (experience) of 'A: Iyota Kiyoshi's'"]

Kang Woojin, who had been living as Iyota Kiyoshi, returned. Naturally, he was inside the van, and although he had lived for at least a few years, only a few seconds had passed in reality. Perhaps that's why Woojin felt the van he was in now seemed unfamiliar.

"Sigh-"

It was always like this. Every time after experiencing (reading) a role, the real place where he was supposed to be felt uncomfortable. At the same time, the vividness of the role intensified. Of course, 'Iyota Kiyoshi' was no exception. Although it had already been imprinted, its outline became several times clearer.

Kang Woojin calmly recalled his concept.

This was like a process to thicken his own identity, closing the door on 'Iyota Kiyoshi' among the many roles he had imprinted so far. Woojin was now quite accustomed to controlling it.

"That's done."

Color, smell, and everything else were stripped away in an instant. The very essence of the master. That was Kang Woojin. He immediately picked up the 'Leech' scenario. One might think he was studying for another work, but that wasn't the case.

"Next time- yeah, let's rest."

This was the real appearance of the ordinary citizen, Kang Woojin.

Afterward.

Thanks to the buff from the void space, Woojin, who took only a few seconds in reality to review 'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' and even took a considerable break, plunged back into shooting 'Island of the Missing'.

"Standby- cue."

Woojin, who had been 'Kiyoshi' some time ago, casually switched to 'Corporal Jin Sun-cheol' and concentrated. Especially since he had a schedule in Japan in a few days, there were many scenes Woojin had to shoot.

Meanwhile, the staff of 'Island of the Missing' whispered to each other.

"Tt's noisy in the media, but Woojin-ssi seem calm. And his acting quality isn't affected."

"He's always been the type not to get easily shaken."

"But, is he planning to change his agency? He must be in contact with various agencies."

"Well, I think he'll continue with Choi Sung-gun."

Most of the staff, though they couldn't say it openly, shared similar murmurs.

"Wow- If we could sign Woojin-ssi, that would be a real jackpot. Isn't his YouTube subscribers close to 6 million?? And SNS too."

"But aren't both owned by Woojin-ssi?"

"Even so, his recognition, impact, and promotional power are incomparable to other actors. He's also friendly with big names in dramas, movies, and the variety show industry."

"Now that you mention it, all the works Woojin-ssi participated in have done well, haven't they??"

On the other hand, Director Kwon Ki-taek, along with the actors, thought about it but did not take any action to ask Kang Woojin anything.

In the meantime.

-Vrrrr.

-Vrrrr.

Kang Woojin's phone, placed on his seat, continuously received something. There were messages from acquaintances, but also a explosion of contacts from entertainment companies.

Even if he didn't see it, the veteran Choi Sung-gun, couldn't be unaware.

"······"

With his arms crossed, he was organizing his thoughts while looking at Kang Woojin inside the shooting zone. Precisely, he was calculating the current value of Kang Woojin.

'The other companies know so little.'

The world, the entertainment companies drooling over Kang Woojin, were ignorant. Therefore, the current valuation of Woojin was wrong. Of course, the amount they could offer now was unimaginable for a rookie, but in Choi Sung-gun's view, it wasn't strange if it was even higher.

For one, they hadn't yet noticed the existence of Director Ahn Ga-bok.

Even if it wasn't confirmed yet, just the fact that Kang Woojin was a strong candidate for the 100th work of such a mega-giant increases his prestige. And that's not all.

'Kang Woojin is aiming for the Academy Awards.'

Setting aside other things, the monstrous Kang Woojin had his sights set on the Academy Awards. Anyone who truly knew him couldn't deny the possibility of 'impossible.'

The future value was tremendous.

Here, the ability that Choi Sung-gun was most greedy for in Woojin comes into play.

'The absurd intuition.'

Woojin's crazy intuition that could somewhat steer an uncertain future. Beyond astonishing, it was something to be revered. This was also unknown to domestic entertainment companies. Kang Woojin had already made a foray into Japan overseas with his intuition and had caught the eye of Director Ahn Ga-bok, A legendary Director in Korea's cinematic history.

Next would be Cannes, and then the Academy Awards.

As for now, only Choi Sung-gun knew everything, which gave him an advantage in weighing his options.

"It's time to make a move."

He decided. He would pour more than just earnestness into this.

Meanwhile, on the internet, baseless rumors about Kang Woojin started to circulate.

『[StarTalk] Kang Woojin, expected to enter the FA market, has already been in contact with many major entertainment companies』

『GGO Entertainment admits "We are indeed very interested in Kang Woojin"』

Although these were desperate attempts for clicks, it was a common sight.

Even entities from Japan started to emerge.

『[Issue Check] Japanese agencies also making wooing calls to Kang Woojin? Expected signing bonus of at least several hundred million Won』

Rumors about who he was in contact with, who he had deep conversations with, an unprecedented signing bonus compared to newcomers, creating a one-person agency, etc. Some articles were recklessly spread by the media, while others were intentionally released by entertainment companies.

Either way, it helped increase Kang Woojin's recognition.

It was somewhat similar to noise marketing. Among the various big names who checked these articles, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had sent a scenario to Kang Woojin about a week ago, said,

"Hmm- Has Woojin not responded yet?"

He was simply waiting at home for the newcomer's answer. It was the first time in his cinematic life, and the film company's CEO beside him felt the same.

"Yes, Director~nim. Still......I'm anxious because we're running out of time."

"He must be carefully reading the scenario. Plus, he probably has a lot of schedules. Let's wait a bit more."

"What if- I hope it doesn't happen, but what if Woojin says he can't make it?"

Rejection? Normally, a newcomer would gladly accept, but somehow, thinking it was Kang Woojin, Director Ahn Ga-bok smiled faintly.

"Well. Maybe I should beg?"

Late at night.

The time had passed 11 PM. The location was a familiar shooting studio, precisely a kitchen-style studio. It was where the 'Our Dining Table' team used to practice for their one-day restaurant.

In such a studio, Kang Woojin was seen wearing a hat pulled down low.

Even after the shooting of 'Island of the Missing' had ended and he had come straight here, there was no sign of fatigue on Woojin's poker face. Although his face contained the concept, internally, he was still quite energetic.

Of course, not only him but also his team, including Choi Sung-gun.

"Okay!! Camera setting is done!"

The main PD of the YouTube 'Kang Woojin's Alter Ego' channel and the filming team were gathered. There were about a dozen people. Appropriate lights and cameras were also set up in between.

The reason why Woojin and everyone gathered this night was simple.

"First, let's start with an interview about the 'cooking' content with Woojin!"

It was for a test shoot of the new 'cooking' content soon to be added to the 'Kang Woojin's Alter Ego' channel. Additionally, they also needed scenes for Kang Woojin's interview and teaser video. They needed to start before heading to Japan so that it could be ready by the time he returned.

The recent uploaded video had skyrocketed in views and was a huge success.

-[(6)Miley Cara/'Absolute']Cover [Korean. Ver]Kang Woojin's Alter Ego

-Views: 10,050,000

A post was also made on the channel community to tease the new content. Naturally, the cover videos on 'Kang Woojin's Alter Ego' had been doing well in views, both old and new, every day.

They needed to release it quickly when the teaser attracted attention.

Anyway.

"Yes! Okay! I think that's enough for the interview!"

The interview cut with Kang Woojin ended, and he started cooking. The menu was whatever Woojin wanted. The content was to teach subscribers simple and clear recipes. Secondly, he would ask any staff member and cook the food they wanted.

Naturally, he was unhesitant.

A plate of bulgogi flavored with a smoky taste was soon placed in front of a male staff member who had sat down at the table. The content was completed when the guest's talk mixed in.

Then, the last part.

"Who wants to try 'Avatar Cooking'?"

"Me!"

"Ah! I'll try!!"

Woojin began the test for the 'Avatar Cooking' content, where he only gives instructions and the avatar does the cooking. Among many staff members, Han Ye-jung with her short blue hair was chosen. The PD thought her coldness and Kang Woojin's cynicism would make for an interesting teaser.

"Okay, let's start comfortably-"

Soon, the staff in the kitchen studio left, and a scene was set with Woojin outside the kitchen and Han Ye-jung inside. Han Ye-jung, standing idly in the kitchen, asked Woojin.

"Oppa, what should I do first?"

Woojin, with his indifferent face, wasn't too agitated at this point.

'This could be fun?'

He was rather intrigued.

"First, wash your hands and put on an apron."

"Okay."

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want to try making the spicy pork you made last time. Is it hard?"

"It's easy."

"Good. Let's do that. I'm tired of takeout food, I want to make it at home."

"Alright."

Kang Woojin pointed towards the refrigerator from outside the kitchen.

"Let's start with preparing the ingredients."

"What should I take out?"

Although Woojin felt a bit of hassle, he calmly listed the ingredients. Han Ye-jung followed the instructions diligently, though not perfectly.

Woojin pointed out a mistake.

"No, that's not garlic, that's ginger."

"Is it? I got confused."

Hey, how can you confuse those two? The horror of this content slowly began to dawn on Woojin.

"Why did you take out the bell pepper?"

"Do we not need it?"

"······Put it back."

"Okay, oppa. Are you mad?"

"No. Just start frying the ingredients."

"How? Like frying an egg?"

She was a complete newbie in the world of cooking. Hence, for Woojin, hell unfolded.

"It's burning, Ye-jung. Lower the heat."

"Oh. But isn't this how you get the charred flavor?"

"···It's going to taste burnt, not charred."

"You know, I saw on YouTube they intentionally burn it."

You're practically playing with fire here?

She seemed to regard cooking as kindling. Woojin clenched his fists secretly and felt extremely frustrated.

"If you're not making charcoal, lower the heat."

"Okay."

"No, don't turn it off, just lower it."

"Huh? Why did it turn off?"

Wow- Fuck, this is really frustrating. Han Ye-jung burnt the ingredients, and Woojin was furious. Unexpectedly, this content brought a crisis to his concepting. He was insanely frustrated and angry. Keeping calm was hard.

'Stay calm, Woojin. This is also a learning experience.'

Woojin consoled himself with the lie of 'growth.'

And then.

"Nice. CEO~nim, this might blow up in terms of response? It's hilarious."

The PD and the staff, including Choi Sung-gun, were snickering. Kang Woojin struggling was the core of this 'Avatar Cooking' content.

Whatever it was.

"Finished."

Han Ye-jung's spicy pork. Rather, something masquerading as spicy pork was served. The end of the shoot involved Woojin, who had given the instructions, tasting it.

"······"

He picked up his chopsticks with a profound expression.

'This isn't pork- it's like seaweed crisps? No, eating this would be death.'

He passed on the blackened meat, picking up a few relatively unharmed onions to taste. Immediately, Han Ye-jung's question followed.

"Oppa, how is it?"

Woojin answered honestly.

"Order delivery from now on."

"That bad?"

"It tastes like it could worsen your health."

"Ah."

Everyone burst into laughter, except Woojin. He needed to calm his mind and body. But the teaser video turned out to be fantastic. Afterwards, Woojin sat in a chair in the corner while the studio was being cleaned up.

'It was a long day.'

It was midnight. Despite another tightly packed day, the sense of accomplishment was profound.

Then.

"Good work."

Choi Sung-gun came over with a bottle of water for Woojin.

"I tried Ye-jung's cooking too, but that's not spicy pork, it's carnage."

"It's like seaweed crisps." (TL: Seaweed crisps if you don't know are a type of Korean snack)

"Ha, right. Spot on."

"Crunchy on the outside, crunchy on the inside."

Choi Sung-gun laughed heartily. To him, Woojin, who had been gulping down the water, suddenly dropped a sentence in a low tone.

"I'll do 'Leech'."

Immediately, the smile vanished from Choi Sung-gun's face.

"Really? Have you read it all?"

"Halfway through. But it's interesting."

"······Is it your intuition kicking in? Or just because it's Director Ahn Ga-bok?"

"If I didn't like it, even from Director Ahn Ga-bok, I wouldn't do it."

"Well, it's you after all."

"The feeling is good. Please let them know I'll do it."

Choi Sung-gun's eyes widened slightly.

"Alright. It's late now, I'll convey it first thing tomorrow morning."

Woojin, who had been slowly nodding, stood up from his chair.

"Director Ahn Ga-bok said the Cannes Film Festival is in September next year."

For reference, Kang Woojin's contract lasts until March.

"Yeah, I heard. It's going to be quite tight."

"Yes."

Was it the timing? As Choi Sung-gun was organizing the remarks he had prepared, Woojin slightly bowed his head and indifferently said,

"Please take care of me in next year's 'Cannes' as well."