小火星

Chapter 282: All Time (13)

“I think it’s better to expand the scale even more.”

The expressions of the bigwigs gathered in the reception room were unusual. Well, it was natural. After all, he was suggesting to fan the flames of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, which already had the fires of hell clearly in sight. It was a rather surprising statement, but seeing Woojin’s calm face, everyone had a similar thought cross their minds.

Yeah, that’s exactly the kind of conclusion you’d expect from that actor.

Choi Sung-gun who was sitting next to Kang Woojin, chuckled quietly.

‘I knew Woojin had no hesitation, but he’s becoming even more relentless as time goes by. Haha, well, I like that part too.’

Author Akari, sitting opposite Woojin, widened her eyes in slight surprise and was newly impressed.

‘That… kind of guts isn’t just bravado or showmanship hastily put up. It’s the color of Kang Woojin deeply embedded in his veins. It’s ingrained in his body.’

It was fresh every time she saw it. He fears nothing. In Kang Woojin’s vision, there was only the future. Although his past was unclear, it was evident he had climbed rugged mountains for a long time to get here.

At least that was the judgment of world-class top author Akari.

Then,

“Hmm.”

Chairman Hideki, who had white hair mixed in his eyebrows, rubbed his chin as if intrigued.

“Guts. No, a certain degree of madness is necessary.”

Realistically, based on accumulated data, it was right to avoid Woojin’s conclusion. Unless he was a crazy bastard or a lunatic. However, Chairman Hideki liked Kang Woojin’s ‘no backing down’ proposal.

While crossing his arms, he glanced at Director Kyotaro on his right. Director Kyotaro, with a serious expression, nodded.

“I agree. Only sturdy trees remain in the fierce storm and rain. ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is indeed a sturdy tree.”

In the heavily weighted atmosphere, Woojin, who maintained a stern face, was slightly flustered inside.

‘Ah- damn, the air is super heavy. Honestly, it wasn’t like I thought that deeply before speaking. But is this getting approved??’

However, what he had to do now was to firmly show his resolve on his face. Well, there wasn’t much else to do. Even though conversations among the gathered figures continued for about 10 minutes, ultimately, Kang Woojin’s suggestion was confirmed.

“Alright, then we’ll put in several times more effort than originally planned.”

As soon as it was confirmed, the representatives and executives from the distribution company and film company took out their phones and started moving busily. Chairman Hideki matched his gaze with Woojin and spoke in a rough voice.

“During the latter part of the editing, when ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ starts its full-scale promotional schedule, will you join that flow, Woojin-ssi?”

“Yes. We’ve agreed on about a week, including the production presentation and stage greetings.”

“Hmm, alright.”

Chairman Hideki, who was nodding slowly, suddenly showed a wrinkled smile.

“Ah right. There was something to congratulate you on, but I’m late. I heard your lead role film currently released in Korea is doing well? Congratulations.”

Director Kyotaro and author Akari chimed in.

“I saw that ‘Island of the Missing’ surpassed 10 million today, congratulations Woojin.”

“It’s a double celebration. I heard that the film industry in Korea has been declining like in Japan, but your first leading film hitting 10 million… that’s incredible.”

The people from the film company and distribution company of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, who were already quick with the news, joined in.

“From what I see, if this pace continues, it looks like the top movie in Korea might change.”

“Congratulations, Woojin. Whew- our ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ should do well too.”

Woojin, who already knew the SSS-grade rating of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, was itching to speak, but he just solemnly accepted the congratulations.

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later, Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun left their seats first.

“We’ll be going now.”

It was due to Woojin’s schedule.

A little while later.

Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun exited the reception room. They headed straight to the parking lot without stopping by to see the other actors or staff of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ in the hall.

Time was quite tight after all.

As they got into the elevator, Choi Sung-gun, who had just pressed the button, asked Kang Woojin, who was idly looking at the floor numbers rise.

“By the way, Woojin. I know your personality well enough, but do you have a particular reason for suggesting to expand the scale? Realistically speaking, there’s no need for us to throw more wood onto the fire, is there?”

Even if you ask so deeply, I don’t really have a reason? If I had to say, it felt annoying? Like we were running away? Kang Woojin’s thoughts were quite light, but Choi Sung-gun had no way of knowing that.

Additionally.

‘When I went into the Void Space, there wasn’t any particular change either.’

No one knew, but as soon as Woojin exited the reception room, he had entered the Void Space to check the rating of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’ The passage was the ‘Male Friend: Remake’ script he held. Anyway, Kang Woojin pretended to be weighty and strong.

“It just felt right that way.”

Soon, Choi Sung-gun’s eyes slightly widened, and he murmured.

“……Ah, is it Woojin’s crazy intuition again? I can’t ignore that.”

Because of the his immense trust in that intuition, Choi Sung-gun quickly dismissed his doubts and changed the subject as they got off the elevator.

“The official dubbing for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ starts at 12:30 – if we go now, we’ll make it just in time.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. And a voice actor for the male lead in an anime- this is my first time in such a situation.”

“Me too.”

“For a first, you were so – well, never mind. I won’t understand even if you explain. Anyway, the production manager for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ called.”

Choi Sung-gun, scratching his ponytail, shrugged his shoulders.

“He said the spirit of the voice actors changed after doing a reading with you.”

Meanwhile, back in the reception room from which Kang Woojin had left.

The atmosphere was slightly heavy. Chairman Hideki, as well as Director Kyotaro, were all silent, seemingly deep in thought with serious expressions.

Then.

– Swoosh.

Chairman Hideki, who was sitting at the head of the table with his legs crossed, moved. After looking at the empty seat of Kang Woojin for a moment, Chairman Hideki spoke again in his gravelly voice.

“……Every industry needs a superstar.”

Immediately, everyone in the reception room turned their eyes to Chairman Hideki. Among them, author Akari, who was organizing the bag hanging on her chair, asked back.

“Huh??”

For some reason, Chairman Hideki’s wrinkled smile deepened.

“In corporations, politics, sports, and the entertainment industry. If there’s one star, not only does it attract public attention, but things flow more smoothly in many ways. Money also gathers in the market.”

“Ah-”

“It’s the same for writers, right? Because Akari-nim is here, the flow of money goes that way. ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ has many top Japanese actors, but the one who takes the position of the big tree will be Kang Woojin.”

Author Akari and Director Kyotaro did not particularly respond. It was a silent agreement, and Chairman Hideki recalled the response Kang Woojin had given a moment ago.

“Suddenly suggesting to expand the scale – maybe he’s aiming for a big hit.”

“A big hit?”

“Kang Woojin is an icon of declaration of war. From what I’ve investigated, he was like that in Korean film festivals and production presentations. The same in several places in Japan.”

“……”

“Unless he’s planning to make a big hit and attract attention again, there was no need to talk about expanding the scale even more. He must be planning something for sure.”

He wasn’t. If anything, Kang Woojin had no specific thoughts. But the snowball of misunderstanding began to roll. And to everyone, Kang Woojin was confirmed as an actor with no retreat, even if it meant becaming a cannon fodder.

‘It’s like a businessman’s mindset – if he wasn’t an actor, I would’ve hired him long ago.’

With Chairman Hideki’s thoughts ending.

“I’m looking forward to it, whether it’s at the production presentation or wherever, to see what bomb he’ll drop.”

An imaginary bomb was loaded.

A few hours later, near Tokyo Station, at ‘A10 Studio’.

Throughout the entire ride, the excitement level of the team members in the van with Kang Woojin was at an all-time high.

“Wow!! I didn’t think ‘Island of the Missing’ would even be featured on the news!!”

“It hit 10 million in just 12 days! Honestly, it deserved to be featured!!”

“The way articles are being released is really crazy!!”

“Hahaha! The ‘Sea Battle’ team must be really nervous right now, right?!”

“Woojin oppa! You must be getting a lot of congratulatory messages, right? Your phone has been ringing like crazy since earlier!”

Indeed, it was true. Kang Woojin’s phone was blowing up as he silently gazed out the window. Starting with a long KakaoTalk message from his parents, there were countless contacts from various bigwigs. Naturally, Kang Woojin was internally ecstatic.

‘Hehe, a 10 million viewer actor! Man- the title is pretty awesome.’

It wasn’t just a possibility; it was a certainty. Well, ‘Island of the Missing’ had always been buzzing, but today’s news seemed to have triggered an even bigger reaction. However, Woojin, being keen on maintaining his image, couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

Moreover,

‘Phew- First, stay calm. I have to do the dubbing too.’

The official recording for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was imminent. It would be disastrous to make a mistake because he got carried away. Thus, Woojin cooled his excitement. Although it was difficult, his accumulated experience helped him manage it somehow.

Soon.

-Thud!

Kang Woojin, Choi Sung-gun, and the team got off the van parked in the parking lot. As they entered the massive ‘A10 Studio’, various visitors and staff in the lobby glanced at Woojin.

“It’s Kang Woojin, Kang Woojin. They said he looks several times better in person, and it’s true. Wow- his aura is just…”

“I heard the dubbing for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ starts today.”

“Isn’t this his first time as a voice actor? Will he be okay?”

“I heard that during the reading for ‘Male Friend: Remake’, Kang Woojin did so well that the other voice actors broke out in a sweat.”

“Eh- no way.”

They all were whispering in Japanese.

“Following ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, now ‘Male Friend: Remake’ – this is the first time a Korean actor has taken on so many lead roles in Japan, right?”

“That’s why the media and the entertainment industry are paying attention. I mean, it makes sense for him to be an actor in films, but who knew he’d be a voice actor too…”

“I’m curious about the performance of both works.”

Of course, Kang Woojin.

‘I can hear everything, I can hear you, folks.’

He could roughly hear their conversation but ignored it, and soon, the staff from ‘Male Friend: Remake’ who had come out to greet him welcomed him. After exchanging brief greetings with them, Woojin moved to the studio where he would perform his task, guided by them.

In the meantime, Woojin felt a slight nervousness.

‘I never thought I’d be a voice actor, but what will the dubbing place look like?’

This too was a first experience. Whatever it was, the studio for the official dubbing of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was located on almost the top floor. There were many other studios on the same floor. It seemed to be a floor specializing in recordings and such.

Soon.

“It’s here, Woojin-ssi.”

The staff opened the thick studio door. Indifferently, Woojin’s eyes took in the recording studio. It was large enough to make his jaw drop.

‘Damn, it’s huge?’

A massive monitor was attached to the front of the spacious recording booth, with several microphones lined up in a row. Inside the booth were various audio-related equipment and some makeshift chairs. Beyond the glass wall was a workspace for the director and other related staff. It also had multiple monitors. At the back, there were sofas and chairs for others to wait.

It was similar yet different from a music recording studio.

First, Kang Woojin was initially shocked by the grandeur.

‘Wow- so this is where they do anime dubbing. The scale is insane.’

Already, more than a dozen staff members, including the overall director and the female team leader of the planning team for ‘Male Friend: Remake’, were gathered in the studio. As Woojin appeared, those who had gathered in front of the booth quickly approached him.

“Woojin-ssi, you’re here?”

“Welcome, how are you feeling?”

Woojin answered various questions roughly and then looked inside the booth. Though he wasn’t late, more than half of the voice actors for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ had already arrived inside the booth. Among them were Asami Sayaka and Umi Natsumi, who played the lead female role with her distinctive snaggletooth.

At Kang Woojin’s appearance, tension was visible on the faces of all the voice actors.

‘……He’s here.’

‘He’s here, that cold handsome guy! But why does he look so relaxed??’

‘Today I need to minimize mistakes as much as possible. I won’t be able to show my face if people say I’m worse than him.’

‘Whew- why on earth…is an actor better than voice actors at this? No, why does he have better form than voice actors?’

‘Well, even so, script reading and official recording are a bit different – he might make mistakes today.’

They vividly remembered the shock from the script reading. They were mentally bracing themselves. On the other hand, Kang Woojin misunderstood the tense expressions of the voice actors.

‘Ah- it’s kind of scary. I guess they are sensitive because it’s an official dubbing session? It’s probably going to proceed in a serious atmosphere.’

If that’s the case, I should intensify my concept too. Kang Woojin, who seemed cold, entered the spacious booth and greeted the voice actors in a low voice.

“Hello.”

The voice actors, startled, greeted back, but their firm expressions didn’t relax. However, among them, only Asami Sayaka, who had a connection with Woojin, showed a kind smile.

“Woojin-ssi, I saw the good news from Korea. Congratulations. My daughter was pestering me so much because she wanted to see that movie.”

“Thank you, Asami Sayaka-nim.”

“I asked the team for permission, and my daughter is coming over with her dad later. Could you sign the poster of the movie ‘Island of the Missing’ for her? I don’t know where she got it, but…”

What’s difficult about that? Woojin replied in a low yet gentle tone.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Since you wore a military uniform in ‘Island of the Missing’, my daughter is currently obsessed with the military these days.”

About 30 minutes later, all the voice actors for ‘Male Friend: Remake’, including Kang Woojin, had arrived. Everyone, wearing headphones, stood in front of their respective microphones inside the booth. The director, standing outside the booth, spoke to them.

“We’ll start with the rehearsal for episode 1. As you all heard, today’s goal is to complete up to episode 5.”

He gestured something to the equipment staff. Soon, episode 1 of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ started playing on the large monitor installed inside the booth.

The voice actors, with headphones on and scripts in hand, all stared at that monitor.

But Kang Woojin didn’t need to do that.

“……”

As he summoned the male character ‘Toru Sengoku’, his surroundings transformed from the booth into the animated world of ‘Male Friend: Remake.’

Then.

“Ready- action.”

The director’s signal.

Simultaneously.

– Swoosh.

A girl in a wheelchair with a poster of ‘Island of the Missing’ on her lap at the entrance. No, Asami Yusako, watched Kang Woojin inside the booth and whispered with her mouth slightly open.

“Wo, wow- Woojin-nim is do…ing amazingly well.”

The official dubbing recording of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ had begun.

*****

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