Chapter 190: United States (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Currently, two actors had been confirmed for ‘Leech’. First year rookie Kang Woojin and the veteran actor of 30 years, Sim Han-ho. There was a significant difference in the gravitas between the two actors, an unusual pairing by any standard. Yet, it was precisely this contrast that made it all the more captivating. The gap between the two actors intensified the stimulation, sparking interest.
Consequently, interest amplified.
Whether it was the media, public opinion, or countless unspecified individuals in the entertainment industry. This was likely to be an unprecedented lineup in the history of the Korean entertainment industry. At least, that’s what the veteran actor Sim Han-ho thought.
‘Actors like Kang Woojin don’t come around often.’
Decades. The long years Sim Han-ho had been active. Yet, he had never seen an actor like Kang Woojin. He hadn’t seen his acting in person. However, to exude such energy, impact, and influence within just a year was unprecedented.
Even extending beyond Korea to Japan.
On the other hand, Sim Han-ho was the type to gradually build up his acting skills and filmography. It took about 5 years just for him to become known to the public. Kang Woojin was the complete opposite type. Hence, Sim Han-ho found Kang Woojin deeply intriguing.
With a degree of jealousy as well.
That Kang Woojin and Sim Han-ho would clash in ‘Leech’ would be announced by director Ahn Ga-bok at the ‘Night of Stars’ party today.
Soon, Sim Han-ho spoke in a deep voice, asking director Ahn Ga-bok, who held a faint smile.
“Doing it here would cause a fuss.”
Nodding as if understanding, director Ahn Ga-bok turned his gaze out the window. Dozens of reporters with cameras were visible around the entrance of the ultra-luxury hotel. Additionally, many actors, directors, and officials would be in the banquet hall.
“Yes, it will cause a spectacle.”
“You don’t like noise, do you?”
“As you get older, you prefer tranquility. But if you’re going to throw in firewood, it’s best when it catches fire well, isn’t it?”
“If you’re trying to build a fire.”
“You throw the firewood when the fire is blazing, haha.”
Sim Han-ho crossed his arms, looking at the director with his short white hair for a moment.
“You seem a bit excited, senior.”
“Well. It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun. Isn’t it nice? You and I, we had our times too, though not quite like that kid.”
“…”
“Honestly, it’s an old man’s meddling. But, I’m curious. Just how far that kid will go.”
Muttering, director Ahn Ga-bok turned his gaze to Sim Han-ho sitting on his right, deepening his wrinkled smile.
“A backroom oldie like you would easily be surpassed, wouldn’t you?”
“Your jokes are still sharp.”
“Half joke, half serious. You haven’t seen that kid Kang Woojin’s acting in person yet, have you?”
“…Well, it does make my blood boil for the first time in a while.”
“Good, that’s a very beneficial attitude for a director.”
Sim Han-ho, shrugging his shoulders, changed the subject.
“So, at which part of the party will you make the announcement?”
“Hm – it will be chaotic from the start… How about during the afterparty, after everyone’s done playing? Just pick any noticeable reporter then.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Stick around me then.”
Once again turning his gaze outside, director Ahn Ga-bok continued calmly.
“That will make the picture come alive.”
Meanwhile, at Netflix Korea in Seoul.
Netflix Korea was bustling with the lunchtime rush.
What stood out was,
“Kang Woojin is really amazing!!”
“Right! I saw it again.”
“I spilled my coffee this morning because I was so shocked by the video.”
“The twist was intense, wasn’t it?”
“Who would have thought Kang Woojin would be involved in that incident-”
“But Kang Woojin is surprisingly agile, right? By his image, you’d think he’d be too lazy to move much.”
“Did he learn self-defense or something??”
“Even if you learn that kind of thing, can you really use it so calmly in a real situation?”
The topic of conversation among the employees was all about Kang Woojin.
“I still see Woojin as ‘Han In-ho’… I watched it drooling.”
“Ayong, aren’t you too into him??”
“He’s cool! I even joined ‘Kang’s Heart’ fan club after ‘Male Friend’.”
“You’ve fallen hard. But even as a guy, I have to admit that video was something. But how did Woojin do that? I couldn’t have.”
“Who else could? He’s like a real-life hero!”
“Anyway, the media is going crazy right now. Thankfully, they even mentioned ‘Male Friend’ again, you know??”
They already had a connection with Kang Woojin through ‘Male Friend’, and a few hours ago, on their way to work, they could see Woojin everywhere.
Of course,
“Ah?”
Executive Director Kim So-hyang was also wide-eyed like a startled rabbit. Why, you ask?
“I still can’t believe it even after watching it again.”
She was sitting at her desk, continually watching Kang Woojin’s dashcam video on her laptop.
After rewinding and watching the video about 5 times, Kim So-hyang unwittingly opened her mouth wide. It was a natural reaction for her. She had been following him since ‘Male Friend’, but she had never imagined he could perform martial arts at a professional level. Soon, she removed her hand from her mouth and spoke her thoughts purely.
“Isn’t Kang Woojin too amazing for it to be a coincidence? It’s like he’s an actor chosen by the heavens??”
Thinking back, even during ‘Male Friend’, unexpected events were not uncommon. Hwalin’s sudden joining, Kang Woojin’s unexpected vocal skills, expansion to Japan, and so on.
But was that just the tip of the iceberg?
Kang Woojin was like a random box. At least, that’s how Kim So-hyang felt.
“Marital arts… I really didn’t see that coming. He’s like an onion. The more you peel, the more you find.”
At that moment,
-Knock knock.
There was a knock on the office door before it opened. A female team manager entered. She had a tablet tucked under her arm, and Executive Director Kim So-hyang was the first to speak to the approaching team manager.
“Oh, Kang Woojin’s video? I already saw it a while ago.”
Then, the female employee handed over the tablet and replied,
“Yes, I’ve seen it too, but this is something else. It’s related to Woojin.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“A major Japanese animation production company has made a request. They want to remake ‘Male Friend’.”
“…What? Really? Which one?”
Kim So-hyang hurriedly checked the tablet, murmuring as she read the email.
“This production company… It’s one of the top three in Japan, isn’t it?”
At this time,
Around noon. A vast number of people in the country were explosively searching for ‘Kang Woojin’ on portal sites. In fact, the frenzy had started since the early hours of the morning, but it surged tremendously after work and lunch hours.
Of course, this morning’s news also played a big part.
People riding the subway or bus were almost all looking at their phones, and most of the screens featured something related to Kang Woojin.
It wasn’t intentional, but the buildup was perfect.
Especially with the growing issue of sasaeng fans and stalkers. The victim being Hwalin made it a significant social issue, followed by an interview with the stalker, which infuriated the public. People felt as frustrated and angry as if they had eaten a hundred sweet potatoes. (TL: Sweet potato here is a slang used in South Korea to show frustration and its opposite slang is Cider which means something refreshing or cool etc)
Then came the twist. Kang Woojin.
For the public, Kang Woojin effortlessly subduing the assailant was like drinking an endless supply of Cider, and the emergence of an unexpected figure sparking explosive interest was just a bonus. Above all, Kang Woojin’s current influence was incredibly strong.
Thus,
『[Breaking News] The person who saved ‘Hwalin’ from the ‘Awl Assailant’ was ‘Kang Woojin’』
The volcano erupted with a loud bang.
『[Issue Pick] Kang Woojin’s dashcam video uploaded on a popular community, the content reveals······』
『Wasn’t he a guard?!” The monster rookie ‘Kang Woojin’ protected and saved Hwalin』
『The figure of ‘Hero’ Kang Woojin clearly captured in a citizen’s dashcam video / Video』
The media started firing off articles at dawn after catching wind of this story. Hence, the erupted lava had already covered the entertainment industry.
『[StarTalk] Netizens on the video of ‘Kang Woojin’ subduing the stalker assailant “How did he do it?”』
『The real-life ‘Male Friend’, Kang Woojin truly saved Hwalin… Dashcam video rapidly spreading』
The firepower had multiplied several times over since the Hwalin incident broke. With Kang Woojin’s entrance, the situation flipped 180 degrees. Articles were updated every second. Refreshing the page dumped new articles. Kang Woojin’s name was mainlined on any portal site you visited.
『This year Kang Woojin flips the entertainment industry, now appealing to fans with a heroic story?』
『[Entertainment] Kang Woojin, went over to the U.S. with ‘Our Dining Table’ but his absence barely felt… Why hasn’t Hwalin revealed the truth?』
『Kang Woojin, who created a heroic tale beyond a good deed but hid everything… Why?』
Reporters endlessly produced speculations mixed with misunderstandings and errors.
『[The ‘Kang Woojin Dashcam Video’ that Shocked the Nation, Some Communities Even Speculate it’s Edited or Fabricated]』
『[Issue Check] From ‘Male Friend’ to ‘Our Dining Table’, this time Kang Woojin saving Hwalin… The scent of their love becomes stronger』
Of course, the public was several times more excited than the reporters.
“Did you see the post on the community? They say Kang Woojin saved Hwalin.”
Kang Woojin’s name was erupting everywhere. In high schools, universities.
“Really?”
“Ah! Yeah! I saw the video too! It’s crazy!”
“What? I want to see it too! Where? On YouTube?”
“No no, just a sec.”
“Wow- but Kang Woojin was insane! At first, I really thought it was just edited!”
“Amazing!! What is this?? Really Kang Woojin?? So cool!”
“At this rate, if they said Kang Woojin is from the NIS, I’d believe it.” (TL: NIS=National Intelligence Service)
Office workers gathered in a restaurant for lunch.
“I was right, wasn’t I? I told you it was Kang Woojin who saved Hwalin, Kim~nim.”
“Wow- Is this really the dashcam footage from the Hwalin incident?”
“Yes, it is!! It was even on the news this morning!”
“······Kang Woojin is cool. But, did he originally train in some kind of sport? His movements are like Bruce Lee’s.”
“Based on the video, seems like he’s a black belt in something, right??”
“Ah, or maybe he learned it in the military. Ah! Kang Woojin must have been in the special forces!”
“Eh? What’s that??”
Wild guesses and misconceptions flooded the conversations. The public’s excitement was overheating. At this point, the original video that sparked the current situation was hitting record numbers.
-Super super super super big news)) <Hwalin awl Stabbing Incident> This was captured right in front of my car’s dashcam (not clickbait).avi
The video posted on a major community had hit 100,000 views, and the comments exceeded thousands.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋwhat can’t Kang Woojin do???
-Manager Park’s form was insane
-???: Bring a longer awl next time, that tiny thing isn’t satisfying
-Why the fuss?? Clearly, it’s edited ㅋㅋㅋ
-↑Why does this retard only post stupid comments wherever he goes??
-Lee Sang-man: That’s not the eyes of a fan, that’s a sasaeng, right?
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋI feel so refreshed!!! Kang Woojin is so cool!!!
-Hwalin must have truly fallen for him ㅋㅋㅋI bet they’re already dating
-Why… am I repeatedly watching this video today…. I think I’ve added like 1000 views……
-But Kang Woojin ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ is so fucking calm for real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe would have dominated in soccer……
-Kang Woojin again ㅋㅋㅋㅋI’m sick of it
-Doesn’t anyone from his military service know him??? His movements are seriously professional? Seems like he’s been trained properly
-Acts well… sings well… physical above average… he’s got it all…. that’s why I’m falling for Kang Woojin
-Passing martial artist here, the movements Kang Woojin showed in the video are crisp without any excess motion, my panties are getting wet.
-Oppa!! Save me too!!!!!!!
·
·
·
Was that all?
-[Video] A slight mistake could have been disastrous, Kang Woojin saves Hwalin!! Big News
-!Legend! Kang Woojin saving Hwalin videoㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ Honest Towing TV (TL: ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ is a slang for scary or sometime used to denote shivering)
The dashcam video had spread across all video platforms, including YouTube. With the situation at this point, Kang Woojin’s acquaintances couldn’t be unaware.
Woojin’s close friends’ group chat was already in turmoil.
-Kyung-sung: Hey!! Woojin!! Respond!!!!
-Hyeong-gu: Shit, did you see it too??? Our company is buzzing with talks about Woojin
-Hyeong-gu: But did this dude ever do sports? I don’t remember anything
-Kyung-sung: He played basketball, remember? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Hyeong-gu: Then he should shoot hoops, why the hell is he shooting a martial arts scene
-Dae-young: Woojin is in the US now
-Hyeong-gu: Crazy! You didn’t go with him? Weren’t you there when this happened?
-Dae-young: I didn’t go to the US, I’m at the company, almost spewed seeing the dashcam video
-Kyung-sung: Which unit did Woojin serve in? Marines? Special forces?
-Dae-young: As far as I know, regular infantry
-Hyeong-gu: But why is he so good ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah Woojin is silent again
-Kyung-sung: Isn’t it that?? He self-trained martial arts? Like in that movie, Oldboy
-Dae-young: Are you crazy? Why would Woojin, while stuffing his face with dumplings, train in martial arts
And all this happened within just about 13 hours after the dashcam video was released.
『[Feature] ‘Acting Monster’ and ‘Issue Monster’ Kang Woojin, why his issues never cease… there might still be more to come』
It was just the beginning.
*****
