Chapter 131: Departure (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Subscribers: 1.01 million. The words of a team leader from Netflix Japan Team were true. As if to prove it, Han Ye-jung joined Choi Sung-gun, who had his hair tied back in a ponytail.
“CEO~nim.”
She whispered softly beside Choi Sung-gun, showing him her phone.
“We just achieved it.”
On Han Ye-jung’s phone screen, the main page of Kang Woojin’s alter ego channel on Youtube was displayed.
[Channel Name: Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego]
[Subscribers: 1.01 million]
[Videos: 5]
Upon seeing this, Choi Sung-gun’s mouth stretched into a wide smile.
“Another first achieved.”
He gave a thumbs-up to Kang Woojin, who was on stage.
But Kang Woojin, who was currently busy with the event and speaking fluent Japanese, had no idea.
“Yes, my chemistry with Hwalin was great. The atmosphere on the set was friendly and warm from beginning to end. If there’s something memorable – ah, but it’s a bit difficult to mention. It could be a spoiler.”
He was clueless.
The next day, in the morning.
Having successfully completed the event organized by Netflix Japan the day before, Woojin was meeting with PD Shinjo, who was thin as a reed, from ‘Ame-talk Show!’ starting from the morning of the 27th. The meeting took place in a restaurant inside a hotel, with Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun on one side and PD Shinjo and the writers on the other.
“Haha, Woojin, it’s even more delightful to see you in Japan!”
“Hello, PD~nim.”
“You know, right? Your name is creating a buzz in Japan right now. Hanryang is doing so well, it’s completely different from the early days of our investigation! Whether it’s communities or SNS, you’re the hottest topic, Woojin. And since your arrival in Japan yesterday, it’s gotten even more intense.”
Excitement sparkled in the eyes of PD Shinjo and the writers as they rapidly spoke in Japanese. It was only natural. They had only expected to cover ‘Hanryang’ with Kang Woojin, but he had grown into an unexpectedly huge success. They felt like they had hit the jackpot.
“And I saw earlier that your Youtube channel has already surpassed 1 million subscribers? That’s really amazing. I’ve been a PD for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a rapid rise.”
Woojin, wearing a mask of indifference, was genuinely happy inside.
‘Admittedly, even I can’t believe this is real. Me – becoming a million-subscriber Youtuber.’
He briefly reminisced about yesterday’s thrill, imagining a sweet future.
‘At this rate, reaching 2 million will be easy, and even 3 million won’t be hard. No, this could definitely hit 5 million.’
It was then that PD Shinjo suddenly brought up work. He talked about the recording scheduled for two days later.
“We had to overhaul our original plan because everything happened so suddenly. There are many additions, and the recording time will be a bit longer.”
“No problem.”
“Haha, thank you. The opening and closing will be as usual. You have projects you’re participating in, right? Like Hanryang, ‘Male Friend’, ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, other Korean works, and your Youtube channel. We’ve included plenty of promotional segments.”
“Yes, PD~nim.”
“And, by any chance… could you sing a bit of the song you posted on your Youtube channel?”
“Do you mean perform on stage?”
“No, just a verse or so during the talk would be fine.”
“That’s doable.”
PD Shinjo’s face brightened instantly as he explained how the recording would proceed.
“As you know, the recording doesn’t happen in order like the broadcast seen by viewers. The recording is long, and the invited audience will be present for only 2 hours, so we plan to shoot in a mixed-up manner and edit accordingly. The recording will likely start with the audience Q&A.”
“So, that segment will be shown towards the latter half when it airs?”
“Around the middle to latter half, yes. Oh, and just so you know, Hwalin has been confirmed as a guest for the ‘Male Friend’ segment.”
This was news to him. Looking at Choi Sung-gun, he too seemed a bit surprised. Was this a last-minute decision? Just as he thought this, PD Shinjo provided an answer.
“This morning, I contacted Hwalin’s side just in case, and thankfully, they replied that she could make it for a short time.”
Woojin thought he could ask for more details later. Just as he settled on this internally, PD Shinjo on the other side continued speaking.
“The audience for the recording has been selected primarily from your fans, Woojin, totaling about 200 people.”
Kang Woojin was genuinely surprised, inwardly.
‘I have 200 fans in Japan??!’
But the thin PD Shinjo dropped a twist.
“There were over 3,000 applications for the audience. It was really tough to choose.”
200 was just a fraction.
29th day.
Two days passed quickly, filled with minor interviews and promotional schedules. Before he knew it, it was the 29th. Today was the day for the official recording of Japan’s popular talk show ‘Ame-talk Show!’.
It was a full day shoot.
The location was the ‘Ame-talk Show!’ set inside the TBE’s private broadcasting station in Japan. The recording was set to start around 10 am. Therefore, Woojin visited the salon early in the morning to get his hair and makeup done, and dressed in a brown blazer and slacks set.
Kang Woojin, around 9:30 am.
“Huff- Phew-”
He was alone in the waiting room behind the set, taking deep breaths. About 30 minutes earlier, he had toured the set with PD Shinjo and found it surprisingly vast. There were two sofas in the center of the main stage, several posters related to Kang Woojin planned to be hung in the back, the ‘Ame-talk Show!’ logo displayed around the stage, and seats for about 200 audience members in front.
Without the lights, it almost felt like a large movie theater.
‘Why is it already the day of recording? Ah- damn. I’m so nervous.’
Thinking about it, this was Kang Woojin’s first time on a proper talk show. Apart from radio or ‘Sports Day’, he had hardly appeared in Korean variety shows. And now, suddenly, he was on a major talk show, and not just any, but Japan’s national variety show?
‘I heard that Hollywood stars and top Korean actors have been on this talk show. And now me?’
Kang Woojin, the main guest on such a show, was understandably nervous. His palms began to sweat due to the uncertainty of the unfamiliar.
‘Ame-talk Show!’ wasn’t ‘acting’.
In other words, the power of the Void Space was unnecessary. He had to navigate through it solely as ‘Kang Woojin’. Then, Woojin mentally prepared himself with a ‘no turning back’ mindset.
‘Whatever, damn it. It’ll work out somehow. Just do it as usual, just like always.’
Avoiding it was impossible, so he might as well enjoy it as much as he could.
Hadn’t it always been like that? No going back, only moving forward. As Kang Woojin controlled his mind, he somewhat calmed down.
-Click!
Just then, the door to the waiting room opened, and Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail poked his head in.
“The recording is starting, let’s go Woojin.”
Woojin stood up from his chair, exuding an artificial chill.
“Yes, CEO~nim.”
As Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun walked down the corridor, a staff member of ‘Ame-talk Show!’ with an intercom around his neck rushed over. Following his guidance and hurrying along, Choi Sung-gun murmured quietly.
“All the audience seats are filled. They said about 200, but it looked like more than that. Maybe around 250.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Not that you get nervous or anything. But since this is Japan, not Korea, I thought I should ask.”
Now, whether it was 200 or 2,000 people, it didn’t matter to Woojin who had already steeled himself with firm mindset control.
“Whether it’s Korea or Japan, it doesn’t make much of a difference to me.”
Choi Sung-gun chuckled and patted Woojin’s shoulder.
“At least this is a relief. Usually, managing the mental state of newbies is tougher. But you, you’re always so nonchalant, haha.”
Yes, CEO~nim. I will fight this battle alone. As Woojin braced himself, he entered the studio where the recording was about to take place. The interior of the set was bustling. Dozens of staff were busy setting up cameras, lights, audio equipment, and more.
Soon after.
-Tadada!
Several staff members rushed over to Kang Woojin to mic him up, and Choi Sung-gun whispered to him, gesturing towards the male MC on the sofa on the stage.
“That guy over there is Karamatsu Soyo. He’s like a national MC in Japan. Have you heard of him?”
MC Karamatsu Soyo was checking his cue cards. He had a slightly chubby face, resembling a beaver. However, Kang Woojin was.
“……”
Too preoccupied to notice him, as he was looking at the audience filling the seats. The audience, as directed by PD Shinjo, was already taking insert cuts for the beginning and middle-to-end parts of the show.
‘Crazy, it’s so overwhelming. Are all these people Japanese??’
Then, a few audience members in the front spotted Kang Woojin getting his mic on. This triggered an exaggerated reaction.
“Whoa! Ka, Kang Woojin!”
“Where?? Where is he?”
“Over there!”
Their near-shrieking in Japanese quickly spread throughout the audience, accompanied by exaggerated sound effects like gasps and shouts. Soon, PD Shinjo turned around and hurriedly came over to Woojin.
“Woojin, there’s no need to be too nervous since it’s a recording! Uh- as I mentioned during our meeting, we’ll start with the audience Q&A. Ah, and Hwalin will arrive in the middle of the recording.”
“Yes, I understand, PD~nim.”
“Is everything ready? Okay. Then you can go up on stage now.”
Woojin, suppressing his rapidly increasing heartbeat, stepped onto the brightly lit stage, and the beaver-like MC Soyo smiled and extended his hand to Kang Woojin.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Karamatsu Soyo. Haha. It’s an honor to meet the hottest actor in Japan right now. Ah, you speak Japanese well, don’t you?”
“Yes. Hello, I’m Kang Woojin. Please take care of me today.”
“Whoa – really… I mean, PD Shinjo, isn’t this beyond just speaking Japanese well?”
After a brief moment of admiration and polite greetings, Kang Woojin and MC Soyo sat side by side on the sofa. PD Shinjo, standing among the staff outside the stage, shouted loudly.
“Alright, let’s start the recording! We’ll begin with the Q&A!”
As his shout ended, the lights on the cameras around the stage turned on. It meant the recording had started. Then, MC Soyo, holding his cue cards, naturally began his speech.
“Okay, let’s change the atmosphere a bit, shall we? I’ve been feeling the sharp gazes of the audience members since earlier. Now, let’s proceed with a Q&A session with the audience!”
It was a scripted line, typical for a recording. The handheld microphone was then passed among the audience members. At this moment, two staff members approached PD Shinjo. Choi Sung-gun, watching this closely, stroked his chin.
‘Interpreters? One for potential Korean questions, but what about the other one?’
Choi Sung-gun, who couldn’t understand Japanese well, thought he heard something about ‘interpreters’ in the conversation between PD Shinjo and the staff. However, having two seemed odd. Anyway, the first question from the audience came from a woman in the middle. She looked excited to see Woojin for the first time.
“Hello! I became a fan after watching Hanryang! I recently saw your ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ Youtube channel! Will you continue to upload cover videos on the same theme?”
Kang Woojin, holding the microphone, spoke calmly in fluent Japanese.
“Yes. I plan to continue uploading consistently. Furthermore, not just KPOP covers, but also covering JPOP and pop songs in Korean is something I’m thinking about.”
“Oh! When will that be uploaded?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you!”
“My pleasure.”
The first question went smoothly. The next was from a young boy in the front row of the audience. But then.
-Swish.
Instead of using a microphone, the young boy began using his hands. It was sign language. Choi Sung-gun wasn’t sure if this was a deliberate selection by PD Shinjo, but he slowly nodded his head when he saw the young boy using sign language.
‘Ah, so that’s why there were two interpreters.’
Choi Sung-gun, who had turned his gaze to Kang Woojin on the stage, crossed his arms.
‘Sign language – Woojin knows Korean sign language. But sign language varies by country, right? That must be Japanese sign language.’
He was correct. Sign language isn’t a universal language. Like spoken languages, sign languages are different in Korea, Japan, America, and other countries. Therefore, each country’s sign language is a different language in its own right.
Soon, Choi Sung-gun thought,
‘What a pity.’
He felt a bit disappointed even as he watched the young boy eagerly using Japanese sign language.
‘If sign language was the same worldwide, Woojin could have shown his skills in it as a surprise. That would have amazed everyone.’
If that were the case, Kang Woojin’s appearance on ‘Ame-talk Show!’ would have been even more impressive. The entertainment world loves such surprises and shocks. Choi Sung-gun’s disappointment was greater knowing how well Woojin knew Korean sign language.
However, this was something he just had to accept.
After all, imagining it didn’t cost anything. As Choi Sung-gun was indulging in his thoughts, PD Shinjo and the production team organized the translation of the Japanese sign language and displayed it on the prompter. Then they signaled to MC Soyo on stage.
At that moment.
“…Ah? What?”
PD Shinjo, who was sending the signal, suddenly stopped moving. His eyes widened in disbelief. And he wasn’t the only one.
“P, PD~nim, look at that-”
“….What’s happening??”
“Wow, unbelievable.”
“How is this possible?”
The staff around PD Shinjo on the set reacted similarly. The same was true for the 200 or so audience members. Everyone froze like ice as they looked at the stage, their mouths slightly open, as if witnessing something completely unexpected.
And indeed, they were.
What PD Shinjo and the entire ‘Ame-talk Show!’ staff saw was Kang Woojin. Sitting on the sofa, Woojin had shifted from his initial indifference to showing an appropriate expression.
Or, more precisely.
“……”
He was responding in sign language to the young audience member. Woojin, making eye contact with the young boy, wasn’t even looking at the prompter. Why? How? The peculiar thing was.
‘…Japanese sign language?’
Just like Choi Sung-gun had just muttered internally, Kang Woojin was calmly using Japanese sign language, not Korean.
But Kang Woojin himself.
‘This much should be a good enough response, right? Yeah, that seems about right.’
Didn’t find it significant. It was as if it was no big deal for him. Then, Woojin noticed the expression of the young boy, who had frozen in shock, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit. The young boy then used Japanese sign language again towards Woojin.
[“How do you know Japanese sign language?”]
Woojin, who understood it comfortably, thought, Huh? Because I know sign language – wait, hold on.’ It was at this moment that Woojin realized.
‘Why… how do I know Japanese sign language??’
That what he was using wasn’t Korean sign language.
***
