小火星

The reason was simple.

"You call this a movie?! You\'ve completely butchered the original work!!"

The shouts of the hundreds of angry audience members inside the screening room could be heard loud and clear. A staff member from the movie theater, who had been curiously sneaking glances at Woojin as they guided him, and a representative from the distribution company for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, both paused and tried to dissuade him.

"Uh- going in right now might not be..."

“Yeah, you might want to wait until things calm down a bit or just skip this screening altogether.”

The representative’s tone suggested they were well-accustomed to such situations. And they were. The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had held more than double the usual number of preview screenings compared to other films, and every time, reporters and most attendees got worked up. Of course, the audience previews were even noisier than the press screenings. However, all those incidents had occurred when Kang Woojin wasn’t present. This time, he was.

“If you go in now, Woojin-ssi, things might escalate even further.”

Woojin\'s face showed indifference, but internally he strongly agreed.

‘True, no doubt. If I go in there now, who knows what might come flying my way.’

But showing weakness now would be a mistake when he was committed to maintaining his persona. Suppressing his racing heart, Woojin responded nonchalantly, though with effort.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“...Sorry?”

“I said, it doesn’t matter.”

“Ah.”

It really didn’t. And so, Kang Woojin boldly entered the charged atmosphere of the screening room. Once inside, though, he found himself far less nervous than he’d expected.

‘Come on, I’ve walked the red carpet at Cannes, this is nothing.’

That said, he did make an effort to keep his poker face even more impenetrable than usual. After all, the atmosphere in this screening room was particularly hostile. Predictably, director Kyotaro Tanoguchi and the Japanese cast members of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger were taken aback by Woojin’s sudden appearance. And understandably so, his being in Japan at this moment had been a rather hastily arranged decision. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a problem if he hadn’t shown up at all. But Kang Woojin had made it a point to come anyway.

After all, as the lead actor, it wouldn’t have looked good if he didn’t show his face at least a few times during the stage greetings.

Naturally, the moment Woojin appeared, the movements and loud voices of the hundreds of audience members immediately came to a halt. It was a completely unexpected entrance, after all.

And to top it off,

“…Kang Woojin?”

“Didn’t he say he wasn’t coming?”

“Whoa, that scared me.”

The enormous prestige of \'Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award Winner\', a title that had shaken the world, also played a significant role. Whatever the reason, Kang Woojin lowered his voice and addressed the hundreds of audience members.

‘I’ll go harder than usual.’

Of course, his calculated coldness was entirely intentional.

“Hello, I am Kang Woojin, and I played Iyota Kiyoshi in The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.”

The hundreds of audience members, save for the die-hard fans of the original The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, were struck speechless. Dozens even stood there with their mouths agape, as if they couldn’t believe they were seeing Kang Woojin in person. Amidst this, murmurs spread through the once chaotic crowd of spectators.

“Kang Woojin…he’s definitely different from the other actors.”

“He didn’t do anything flashy, but doesn’t his presence feel…so heavy?”

“Yeah. What do they call that again? Top of the tops or something?”

“His presence is honestly unreal.”

Everyone was overwhelmed by Kang Woojin’s commanding aura. As a bonus, the entire theater that had been noisy just moments ago fell mouse-quiet.

“……”

“……”

Director Kyotaro Tanoguchi let out a small, incredulous chuckle.

\'It looked like a war was about to break out - but just the appearance of Kang Woojin, everything is resolved so effortlessly?’

Even for him, a veteran director of several decades, this was a first.

‘He’s already become a world-class star.’

The Japanese cast of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger shared the same sentiment as Kyotaro. They, too, watched Kang Woojin with a sense of awe, so how must the audience have felt? Mana Kosaku, with a serious expression, muttered quietly to himself, though only in his mind.

‘How in the world does a second-year actor look like this?’

At this point,

-Swoosh.

Kang Woojin, who had just finished greeting the audience, handed the microphone he was holding to Mana Kosaku. With his strong-featured face, Mana gave Woojin a small nod of thanks and said,

“Thank you.”

He stepped aside, creating a space right next to Director Kyotaro, giving Woojin the first spot among the actors. Naturally, Kang Woojin, as the main male lead of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, deserved the position. Once Woojin stood in his place, the full lineup of the film’s lead cast was complete.

“Hello, I’m Mana Kosaku, and I played the role of Detective Yoshizawa Mochio in the Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger."

As if nothing had happened earlier, the stage greetings proceeded smoothly. By this point, the hundreds of audience members were acting entirely differently compared to just minutes ago.

-Swoosh.

They were all busy pulling out their phones to take pictures of Kang Woojin.

About 30 minutes later.

The The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger team finished their stage greetings and exited the screening room. Soon after, the Japanese cast members crowded around Kang Woojin, bombarding him with questions. However, with Director Kyotaro stepping in, the frenzy eased somewhat. Kyotaro then turned to Woojin and asked,

“Woojin, are you sure you’re okay? I heard your schedule was packed, whether in Korea or overseas.”

Kang Woojin, who silently nodded, replied,

“It’s tight, but manageable. I have to fly back to Korea this afternoon.”

“You must have come during filming for Beneficial Evil, right?”

“Yes. But I already got permission. As long as I make it short and impactful, there’s no problem.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“No, it’s nothing. I couldn’t possibly skip the stage greetings for the Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.”

“But considering you’re here, why has the media been so quiet?”

"I came in secretly."

As a result, Woojin decided to attend stage greetings for a total of four screening rooms, including the one he had just completed. Right after that, his schedule left him no rest, he had to head straight back to Korea. At this point, Kang Woojin felt as though the distance between Japan and Korea was as trivial as traveling between Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

While Kang Woojin was busy completing the stage greetings for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger...

『Cannes Best Actor 「Kang Woojin」 makes surprise appearance at \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' audience preview / Photos』

The news was causing a frenzy in the Japanese media, which was firing off articles like mad. This was because the audience members from the earlier screening room had already spread photos and videos of Woojin across social media.

『「Kang Woojin」 makes surprise visit to Japan, did he sneak into the country?』

『「Kang Woojin」 suddenly appears at \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' audience preview, sightings flood social media』

『With a week left until the release of \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\', is Cannes’ leading man 「Kang Woojin」nervous?』

It was a whirlwind of a half-day. After wrapping up all the stage greetings, Woojin moved straight to Haneda Airport that same afternoon without a moment’s rest. On the way there, inside the van, Kang Woojin called Choi Sung-gun. Despite being swamped with work in Korea, Choi Sung-gun always made sure to answer Woojin’s calls.

"Hey, Woojin. Did you wrap up your Japan schedule? Ah, I should have gone with you."

“It’s fine. Everything is wrapped up nicely, CEO-nim.”

With his low tone, Kang Woojin began outlining his decision.

“And about the scripts and scenarios we received from overseas this time, I’m rejecting all of them.”

“...All of them? Even Jurassic Land 4?”

“Yes. All of them.”

Kang Woojin declined all the offers, including Jurassic Land 4. On the other end of the phone, Choi Sung-gun didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“Got it. I’ll handle the rest on my end.”

Shortly after, Kang Woojin arrived at Haneda Airport. Since his entry into Japan had been secretive, it had gone quietly, but his departure was anything but.

-Pabababababak!

-Pabababababababak!

Hundreds of Japanese reporters, as well as an even greater number of fans and onlookers, crowded the airport to greet Kang Woojin. However, he had no time to linger. Waving briefly at them, Woojin completed the departure procedures and entered the terminal leading to his plane.

What stood out here was Woojin’s internal reaction. While he had flown into Japan on a commercial flight, this time was different.

‘Whoa- shit, crazy! Is that the... private jet??!\'

Kang Woojin laid eyes on the private jet gifted to him by Chairman Hideki Yoshimura.

‘Fuck!! Is this seriously my private jet?!’

Even as he saw it, he found it hard to believe.

Meanwhile, in Korea.

At the same time that Kang Woojin was overwhelmed in Japan, Korea was bustling, or rather, in an uproar, over the various issues surrounding him. The aftereffects of both the Cannes Film Festival and Leech were still going strong.

『Leech, confirmed for October 27 release, theaters competing for early screening dates / Photos』

Leech continued to be a hot topic overseas, and Korea was no exception. Add to that the chain of incidents involving Miley Cara and The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, among others.

Currently, Kang Woojin\'s brand power in Korea was emperor-class.

Naturally, all works associated with him were receiving attention as well.

『[Star Talk] Kang Woojin’s \'Beneficial Evil\' garners increasing global interest post-Cannes』

『Netflix benefits from Kang Woojin’s power... Is it putting full force behind the global launch of Beneficial Evil?』

Both major and mid-sized domestic media outlets had their eyes glued to Kang Woojin, Korea’s top-selling star. Among them, PowerPatch, a major media company with a history involving Woojin, was no exception. Its entertainment division’s office resembled a chaotic marketplace as its editor-in-chief walked in.

-Swoosh.

The editor-in-chief, unaffected by the deafening chatter of the reporters, immediately walked toward a nearby desk. Seated there was a reporter with heavy dark circles and square glasses. The editor tapped the reporter’s shoulder lightly and gestured.

“Come to my office.”

The reporter grumbled a bit but followed the editor. This reporter had even attended the Cannes Film Festival and conducted an interview with Kang Woojin. Once inside the editor’s office, the editor, leaning casually against the desk, spoke to him.

“Hey, have you seen this before?”

The editor held out his phone. On the screen was what looked like a photo taken on set. The reporter, tilting his head in confusion, replied.

“What is this?”

“This came in from Bangkok. Don’t you recognize it?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Hmm- seems like it’s starting to spread on Bangkok’s SNS and communities. I got this through someone I know in Bangkok.”

“Okay. And?”

“Look closely at the picture, you idiot.”

The reporter scratched his chin and leaned in closer to the phone. The photo showed various cameras and filming equipment, with dozens of staff members visible. It was clearly a filming site, taken from a distance in a wide shot. The editor pointed at one man in the image with his index finger.

“Don’t you recognize who this is?”

The reporter, scrutinizing the photo, suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”

“Kang Woojin?”

“Exactly. Kang Woojin.”

“......”

After a brief pause, the reporter clapped his hands together.

“This is a behind-the-scenes shot of Beneficial Evil’s overseas location, isn’t it? Right? Beneficial Evil recently went to Bangkok for filming.”

“Correct.”

“So? Shots like this will eventually be officially released by Beneficial Evil anyway. Doesn’t seem like a big deal. Still, I guess it could be useful to draw some early attention.”

“Listen until the end.”

The editor, narrowing his brows, moved his finger on the screen. This time, he pointed to a blonde woman standing a little apart from Kang Woojin.

“What about this blonde woman? Who do you think she is?”

“......Wait a second.”

The reporter, whose face had grown serious, leaned even closer to the phone. Though the image was a bit blurry and the woman’s profile wasn’t captured head-on, her distinctive blonde hair, silhouette, and aura felt oddly familiar.

After staring intently at the woman for a moment, the reporter hesitantly muttered a name under his breath.

“Could it be... Miley Cara?”

Meanwhile, in LA.

While it was early afternoon in Japan and Korea, it was late at night in LA. Despite the late hour, the lights of downtown LA shone brightly as two large vans sped down the roads. Sitting in the front van was a familiar blonde-haired woman: Miley Cara, who had been exceptionally busy lately with the release of her new album.

“......”

The blonde-haired woman, her hair flowing down, was on her way to the recording studio after completing yet another packed schedule for the day. Sitting by the window, she silently stared down at her phone. Then, Miley Cara lifted her head slightly and smiled faintly. She was looking at Jonathan sitting across from her.

“300 million views.”

Cara murmured as she held up her phone to show Jonathan. Displayed on the screen was the music video for her latest song uploaded to her YouTube channel.

-【alcoholism (feat. WooJin)】｜Miley Cara

-300 million views

Jonathan also smirked and gave her a thumbs-up.

“It was at 290 million around lunchtime. Congrats, Cara.”

“We should all celebrate this, not just me. But isn’t it the first time in a while that a video has surpassed hundreds of millions of views in such a short time?”

“Yeah, about five years. It’s all thanks to your collaboration with Kang Woojin.”

“A house as a gift wouldn’t even be enough. Either way, I should send him a DM.”

As she lowered her gaze back to her phone, Jonathan, arms crossed, asked her another question.

"But are you really not going to read any of the incoming scripts?"

Still focused on her phone, Cara brushed her blonde hair aside and replied.

"Yeah. I\'ll wait for Joseph. It’d be a shame if I read something else and ended up liking it. It’s better not to look at all.”

“Hmm-”

At that moment, Miley Cara turned her phone back toward Jonathan again.

“If I send him this, do you think Kang Woojin will react?”

“Probably. It’s bound to blow up his international recognition, his YouTube, and his SNS even more.”

“He’s the type who rarely shows emotion, though.”

Displayed on Cara’s phone was the updated Billboard chart for the week.

[Billboard Hot 100]

-1. alcoholism (feat. WooJin) / Miley Cara (New this week!)

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Kang Woojin’s name was now engraved at the top of the Billboard chart.