Chapter 219: Momentum (6)
Translator: Dreamscribe
January 17, Sunday at 7 PM. The new variety show by PD Yoon Byung-seon, the godfather of the variety show industry, ‘Our Dining Table’ had its first airing. The channel was cable HTBS, not a public broadcaster. However, nowadays the line between channels is blurred, and the name value of PD Yoon Byung-seon alone was more than enough to overcome any disadvantages.
Anyway, starting from today, ‘Our Dining Table’ will be broadcast every Sunday at 7 PM.
However, the ‘Our Dining Table’ that started today was episode 0.
‘Our Dining Table’ mainly discussed America, but there was quite a story in the preparation process too. The officially started episode 0 of ‘Our Dining Table’ began with interviews from each member.
[“Hyung! Sit down, sit.”]
[“Ha- I’m sick and tired of seeing your face, Yoon Byung-seon. Can’t we meet just once a year?”]
[“As expected. It’s great that you haven’t changed at all, hyung.”]
[“I hate you.”]
Starting with Ahn Jong-hak, the figurehead boss, followed by Ha Gang-su, Hong Hye-yeon, Hwalin, Yeon Baek-kwang, and Kang Woojin. After the formation of the team, the story of deciding the team at a street food restaurant and practice cuts followed. The main focus here was on the kitchen team of Hong Hye-yeon and Kang Woojin. Hong Hye-yeon’s clumsy cooking skills were shown first, followed by the brilliance of Kang Woojin.
The unique editing and subtitles of PD Yoon Byung-seon vividly brought the scenes to life.
During a scene where the star chef mistakes Woojin’s cooking for that of a real chef, the live viewer chatroom was shaken up. ‘Our Dining Table’ was a feast for the eyes, ears, and mouth.
In the latter part, scenes were shown of Kang Woojin creating his original dishes to a professional standard.
[“The name? Hmm- just Kimjaban makguksu sounds good.”]
The viewer chatroom went wild even then. Ultimately, episode 0 of ‘Our Dining Table’ ended with the members boarding a plane to America.
The total runtime was about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
After ‘Our Dining Table’ ended, the viewer reactions were overwhelmingly positive. It was hard to find any negativity.
-PD-nim………..it’s seriously super fun…….
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ this is crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋHealingㅋㅋㅋㅋIt’s too fun!!
-ReallyㅋㅋㅋㅋIs Kang Woojin’s personality really like that???ㅈㄴOriginalㅋㅋㅋㅋBut somehow so funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋ
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})-Just watch ‘Our Dining Table’ on Sunday night and the weekend is perfectly wrapped upㅋㅋㅋㅋsuper fun!!
-Fell in love with Kang Woojin’s wok skills in the first round and his knife skills in the second round.
-Ah…. bring the next episode now!! Happy to have a watchable variety show after a while…
-The chemistry between members is expected to be greatㅋㅋㅋㅋI knew about Ahn Jong-hak and surprisingly Ha Gang-su and Yeon Baek-kwang are clownsㅋㅋㅋHong Hye-yeon and Hwalin are beautiful! Kang Woojin doesn’t talk much but just feels like the centerㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Hey!! Am I the only one who wants to eat Kimjaban makguksu?? Where do they sell this???
-ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠIt’s so fun!! Can’t wait to see the reactions from overseas…..
-Didn’t PD Yoon’s last variety show hit like 12 percent?? This one seems like it’ll get even better ratingsㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Kang Woojin is the bestㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋWhat can’t he do???
At this time, the editing room of the cable channel HTBS’s variety department for ‘Our Dining Table’ was like hell. Unpublished videos for Youtube, trailers, teasers, making-of videos, and the main episodes, endless editing and meetings were continuing through the night.
Thanks to that, the faces of PD Yoon Byung-seon and the writing team were plastered with fatigue.
“How are the viewer responses?”
“They’re going crazy right now!”
“Okay! Immediately upload the prepared videos on YouTube and spread the articles too!”
“Yes, PD-nim!”
The internet was already rapidly spreading stories about ‘Our Dining Table’.
At this moment, in Tokyo,
At around 8 PM, Kang Woojin was on his way to attend the closing ceremony and after-party of the ‘Tokyo International Short Film Festival’. Of course, he was dressed in a full suit. The venue was Roppongi Tower in Minato-ku, Tokyo. It was a massive building and a complex tower where various contents could be enjoyed.
Woojin’s destination was the hall of the hotel inside Roppongi Tower.
Inside the hall, there were already a plethora of famous figures from the Japanese film and entertainment industry who had attended the ‘Tokyo International Short Film Festival’. Yet, as Woojin entered the lobby, he was the epitome of stoicism, unfazed.
Despite the swarms of journalists from the entrance pressing their camera shutters frantically.
“······”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Kang Woojin’s solid demeanor remained unchanged. Dozens of Japanese reporters poured out various comments in bewilderment, astonishment, or amusement.
“He looks incredibly confident, doesn’t he?”
“Is his expression always like that? It’s icy cold, really cold.”
“I heard he is quite arrogant in Korea. Guess it’s true.”
“I think he looks fine? He definitely gives off the feeling of one-year wonder.”
Currently, Woojin was rising rapidly in popularity in Japan. It was natural for a stir to occur as soon as Kang Woojin appeared. And as he moved past dozens of journalists, Woojin was actually feeling a bit nervous.
‘So this is the Roppongi Tower? It’s freaking huge. I want to see other places too. Can’t I take a little detour?’
He was in full tourist mode. Partly because there were so many people around. However, to Woojin, all the famous figures and big shots gathered here were just ordinary people. What does it matter if they are well-known and respected in Japan? To Woojin’s eyes, they were just Japanese grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunts. Or good-looking Japanese men and women in their 20s and 30s.
Then.
-Swish.
As Kang Woojin entered the hall filled with many VIPs, he heard a familiar voice in Korean from the side of the entrance.
“You’re here.”
Turning around, there was a Korean grandpa holding a wine glass. No, it was Director Ahn Ga-bok, dressed in a somewhat loose suit, approaching. Whether he had been waiting for Woojin or had just arrived, he was alone too.
“You were busy, weren’t you?”
“No, it’s fine. Hello, Director~nim.”
“Yes, good to see you.”
Director Ahn Ga-bok pointed to a long table in the middle of the hall spread with food, snacks, champagne, and wine.
“Wine? Champagne? Have something to drink.”
Despite drooling internally at the abundant food.
‘Wow- man, the sushi looks delicious.’
Woojin silently shook his head.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“I’ll stick with water.”
It had been a hectic day for Woojin beyond his interview schedule, and although he was tempted by alcohol, he had to resist. As he picked up a bottle of water placed around the alcohol, Director Ahn Ga-bok continued speaking.
“Look at these people, pretending not to care but all sneaking glances at Woojin-gun.”
“······”
It was actually true. There were at least 200 people gathered in the hall, including famous directors and actors, and since Kang Woojin’s arrival, they had been stealing glances at him. However, no one had approached him yet. This made Director Ahn Ga-bok show a wrinkled smile.
“Is it curiosity or a sense of superiority? Whichever it is, Woojin, you’ve definitely left a strong impression.”
“I didn’t intend to.”
“This industry would be heaven if everything went as intended. But it’s not, and that’s why it’s hell. However, Woojin-gun, you don’t seem too tense.”
“Should I be?”
“No, not at all. You can stir things up as much as you want. That’s also your strength. Not giving a damn about anyone around you, no matter the country or situation.”
It was a misunderstanding. Kang Woojin was actually sneaking glances at the sushi on the central table. Unaware of this, Director Ahn Ga-bok sipped his wine and changed the subject.
“How about participating in the actor auditions for ‘Leech’?”
“The auditions you mentioned?”
“Yes. I’m asking you to be on the judging panel, but you can pass if you’re busy. But it would be a great help if you could come.”
“······”
Woojin maintained his poker face, but internally, he was taken aback.
‘Judging?? You want me to judge an actor audition?! What the hell is this nonsense???’
Director Ahn Ga-bok, after exchanging nods with the Japanese actors around, locked eyes with Woojin.
“People around here are talking about how Woojin-gun’s career this and that, how people view you this and that. In reality, in my view, the acting life you’ve built up is more than enough. It may be only your first year since debut, but you’ve been self-studying acting all this time, right?”
“······”
“It’s hard to estimate, but Director Kwon Ki-taek thinks it’s at least 10 years. Maybe even 15 years. I think similarly. It’s problematic to judge whether you’re a newbie or a veteran. You should be seen as the latter.”
Well, used to such misconceptions, Woojin didn’t take it too seriously.
“Do I just need to sit there without actually judging?”
“Yes. Honestly, I’d be grateful if you could just do that much. Especially since you dropped such a huge bomb at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, you should at least show some corresponding performance, shouldn’t you?”
“I’ll think about it. It seems like it wouldn’t be a big deal if I have the time.”
“Thank you.”
Just then.
“Woojin-ssi!”
Suddenly, Japanese was spoken nearby. It was a familiar voice. Looking aside, Director Kyotaro with his short hair full of gray was half-running towards him.
“Haha, it’s been a while. Actually, I’ve been watching you from a while ago, but I was caught up over there so I got delayed.”
Director Kyotaro, dressed in a suit, awkwardly smiled and reached out his hand, and Woojin, grabbing his hand, replied in a low tone of Japanese.
“It’s okay, Director~nim.”
“We’ll see each other at the filming site in a few days, but I’m still glad to see you. Right now, that crowd over there is also noisy about Woojin-ssi. Well, most of them here are.”
“Is that so?”
“Because you’re the hottest figure right now.”
Director Kyotaro smiled meaningfully as he exchanged nods with Director Ahn Ga-bok. The two had already greeted each other at the festival and were acquainted with each other from before.
Anyway, from here…
“Hello- Kang Woojin-ssi.”
Japanese actors, who had been merely watching cautiously, began to approach Woojin. It seemed largely influenced by Director Kyotaro joining them.
“Nice to meet you, Kang Woojin-ssi.”
“I enjoyed watching ‘Hanryang’ and ‘Male Friend’. Nice to meet you for the first time.”
Gradually, more people started gathering around Woojin. Japan’s top actors, renowned directors, and figures from the Japanese entertainment industry, etc. Surrounded by at least a dozen people, Kang Woojin received many greetings and questions.
Of course, Directors Ahn Ga-bok and Kyotaro were in the same situation.
At this point, one fact was disclosed to the Japanese bigwigs.
“Ah… so you’re aiming for the Cannes Film Festival with Director Ahn.”
The fact that Director Ahn Ga-bok and Kang Woojin were participating in this year’s Cannes Film Festival spread quickly among the top Japanese actors and directors gathered in the hall. A peculiar tension soon filled the air.
The reason was simple.
“Huh- I heard Director Komuro is also submitting to this year’s Cannes Film Festival.”
“Director Masuzawa also cranked in last month, right? This Cannes is going to be a battlefield.”
Several Japanese master directors were also targeting Cannes.
The next morning.
Inside a large van running on Tokyo’s roads, Choi Sung-gun, including Woojin’s team, yawned widely, each busy with their respective tasks. Among them, Kang Woojin, wearing a grey coat, was indifferently looking out the window.
The van stopped at an external parking lot of a huge building.
The location was roughly near Tokyo Station.
Getting out of the parked van, Woojin stepped out and took in the sight of the towering building. It was entirely grey and seemed to be over 10 stories high. Moreover, it was broad.
‘Wow- it’s definitely big.’
Just then, Choi Sung-gun tapped Kang Woojin’s shoulder.
“Let’s go, Woojin.”
The group moving towards the building included Choi Sung-gun, Kang Woojin, and a few staff members. There was also an interpreter among them. Soon, they were greeted by a massive statue at the entrance of the building. To be precise, it was a character from a famous animation, recognizable enough that even Woojin, who didn’t follow anime closely, knew it.
And above the entrance hung a bold sign.
-‘A10 Studio’
One of the top three massive anime production companies in Japan. Today, this was where Kang Woojin was set to have a meeting about the animation of ‘Male Friend’.
Indeed, the ‘A10 Studio’ lobby was extraordinary.
‘This is insane—Is this a company or just a place selling merchandise?’
Just as Woojin muttered internally, the first floor lobby of the large production company ‘A10 Studio’ was filled with anime characters. Life-size figures were visible in various spots, and many monitors around the lobby displayed anime scenes. Even the ceiling and walls were also a character heaven.
There was even a store selling merchandise.
For anime fans, this place must be heaven.
Although Kang Woojin tried to maintain an indifferent demeanor, he couldn’t hide his amazement at the incredible sight. Nonetheless, the ‘A10 Studio’ staff that came out to meet Woojin’s team were ordinary.
“Hello, we’ve been waiting for you.”
A few men and women in suits greeted Kang Woojin and took charge of guiding him. Interestingly, all the staff they passed, whether at the information desk, elevator, or hallways, openly stared at Woojin. There were even quite a few female employees who squealed.
The place Kang Woojin’s team arrived at was a large conference room on the fifth floor.
‘Can this even be called a conference room??’
The conference room itself was a kingdom of animation characters. From the U-shaped desk to the glass doors and the screen at the front, characters were everywhere. It was to the point where one would be reluctant to sit down, but somehow Woojin managed to pull out a chair and sit down.
As soon as the guiding staff left, the bw Entertainment personnel couldn’t help but comment.
“Isn’t this place a bit chaotic?? I knew it was a famous animation studio, but I didn’t expect this level.”
“Look at this, even the chairs are decorated with characters.”
“It feels like… we’re in Akihabara or something. You know? That place famous for all things animation.”
Kang Woojin silently agreed.
Meanwhile.
-Swish.
The glass door, painted with a female character, opened again, and different staff members entered. Two women and two men. But there was something distinct about them. Woojin thought they might be senior executives of ‘A10 Studio’.
After brief greetings and exchange of business cards.
“Thank you, Kang Woojin-ssi. You have no idea how nervous we were, wondering if we would even be able to meet you.”
The woman who introduced herself as the head of the planning department smiled at Kang Woojin.
“Our company is in an uproar right now, because there are many fans of yours here.”
“Thank you, it’s an honor.”
“‘Male Friend’ was really fun to watch.”
“I’m glad Japanese fans enjoyed it.”
“Wow— I already knew, but how are you so good at Japanese??”
Whether she was the mood maker or not, the meeting atmosphere quickly relaxed, and the A10 Studio side handed over a few tablets to Kang Woojin’s team. The screens were displaying the front and back views of a male character. The female team leader explained who it was.
“This is the character sheet for ‘Han In-ho’. We referenced your appearance as much as possible.”
Tall stature, black hair, pronounced facial features, an indifferent expression. It definitely resembled Kang Woojin. Choi Sung-gun and other bw staff chimed in.
“He looks like you, Woojin-ssi.”
“Yeah, he does.”
“I think it’s well-drawn, right??”
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin thought differently.
‘Is this supposed to be me? No way— this guy is way too handsome??’
This character feel a bit off? At this point, a male executive from A10 Studio continued the explanation.
“I’ll give you the details in due course, but to start with the key points. The animation for ‘Male Friend’ is already in production. The goal is to launch it in July of this year. To speed things up, we have three teams working.”
That meant one team was working on episode one, another on episode two, and another on episode three. This approach allowed for three episodes to be completed simultaneously. This might be impossible for a medium-sized studio, but it was certainly feasible for a large one like A10 Studio.
-Swish.
The female team leader from A10 Studio pushed a sufficiently thick stack of papers toward Woojin.
“Here is the official script for episode one. It has some changes and additions compared to the draft we sent you, but you can consider it final.”
Things have changed, but the core remains the same.
Woojin, with a stoic expression, received the script and checked the cover. The title was printed in Japanese.
-‘Male Friend Remake’
-Episode 1
-A10 Studio
However, Kang Woojin was focused more on something else rather than the title. It was a black square attached next to the script, and secretly Woojin raised his index finger.
-Poof.
Instantly, his view shifted from the character-filled conference room to a void space filled only with darkness. At this point, Woojin, who had shed his concept, stretched and moved his feet.
“Okay! First, let’s check the ratings.”
Among the several white rectangles floating around, he checked the newly added ‘Male Friend Remake’. Soon, Woojin chuckled.
“Oh-”
-[10/Script (Title: Male Friend Remake), S-grade]
-[*The script is of very high quality for an animation. 100% readability is possible.]
It was a sign that the project was likely to be a great success. Keeping his smile, Woojin selected the white rectangle of ‘Male Friend Remake’.
-[You have selected 10/Script (Title: Male Friend Remake).]
Soon, the white rectangle listed the characters available for ‘reading’ (experiencing). Naturally, Kang Woojin chose the male lead. Honestly, he was more curious about the world of the completed 100% animation than just the reading (experience) of the anime.
Even when the animation world from the previous draft was only 50% implemented, it had been quite shocking. And fun.
“How much will it change at 100%?”
But then.
[“······”]
The robotic female voice provided silence. This was a very familiar atmosphere. Soon her voice echoed throughout the void space.
[“Abilities exceeding basic specs detected. ‘Piano’ skills will be acquired first.”]
This was unexpected. It wasn’t like this last time, was it?
“Wait a minute, piano?”
However.
[“Preparing to read ‘Piano’……”]
[“······Preparation complete. Starting ‘Piano’ reading.”]
A massive wave of gray engulfed Kang Woojin in an instant.
