The moment he heard Kang Woojin's words, Director Kyotaro began muttering things like "a stranger" and "an outsider who ignores causality." It sounded almost like he was talking to himself.
Watching Director Kyotaro stroke his chin with a grave expression, Woojin thought,
'…'
On the outside, he showed no reaction, but inside, he felt slightly tense.
'Did it work? Or not? What's going on? Which is it?'
He had spoken impulsively, but this was the first time he had done something like this. The same had been true even after suddenly becoming an actor. Still, if he had said nothing, he knew he would have regretted it.
That was Kang Woojin's honest feeling.
The ending of a work could determine its overall box office performance. In other words, if The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice changed its ending the way Kang Woojin had suggested, the ratings could change as well.
-[7/Scenario (Title: The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice), SS Rank]
Right now, it was SS-rank, but it could drop to A-rank or even B-rank. Of course, the opposite could also happen.
'If the ending doesn't change, there's nothing I can do.'
Would it be fine if the score dropped a little? Or not?
'Still, for some reason, it feels like I protected Kiyoshi.'
Even if the rating of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice dropped, Kiyoshi would survive. To Woojin, that alone felt worth it. The reason was not clear. It was simply a feeling. Without realizing it himself, it was the desire of an actor. Something like not wanting to ruin a character.
Kang Woojin did not realize how much he had grown.
He spoke to Director Kyotaro, who was standing right in front of him, lost in deep thought.
"Fans of the original work may complain because the ending is different, but I wanted to mention it because it feels like the character of Kiyoshi is being ruined."
Even in a moment like this, he kept his composure. Because what he had just said directly challenged Akari, a writer known around the world.
'This is really hard. Pretending to be strong feels like walking on thin ice every day.'
Meanwhile, the white-haired Director Kyotaro remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"...I understand what you mean."
Then he pulled out the shooting storyboard and a pen from his back pocket. He began scribbling something into an empty space, as if trying to catch an idea that had just occurred to him.
At the same time, Director Kyotaro sank into thought.
'That could work. No, it's definitely a gamble. The hardcore fans of the original will complain one hundred percent.'
There was also a very high chance that the entire Japanese content market would criticize it. That was because it openly shattered the deep-rooted fixed idea of "causality." The public and the Japanese entertainment industry alike would react negatively to it.
Especially in Japan, change was poison.
More precisely, there was a strong aversion to anything new. That was why Japanese actors had spent decades performing in fixed patterns, often exaggerated and loud. Films and dramas also clung to similar plots.
In other words, they only chose the safe path.
The plot lines of popular Japanese anime were similar too.
But the manga market that anime was built on had at least developed with some degree of creativity. The rest of the content industry, on the other hand, had stagnated. It had spent years standing still, never truly progressing.
'It was already ruined.'
Japanese dramas and films had reached the point where live-action adaptations of anime and manga dominated the market. Compared to Korea, they were lagging far behind. The global wave of Korean media made that obvious. In contrast, Japan still relied on its domestic market.
They were afraid of change.
Director Kyotaro recalled what The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had meant when it was first announced.
To criticize this foolish market.
The acting of Japanese actors, the atmosphere of the market, the fixed flow of money, and the countless directors who encouraged fear. In that environment, Kang Woojin had been chosen as the killer. The radical acting that placed a Korean actor at the center of a work by the world-famous Japanese writer Akari had all been intended to overturn everything.
And now Woojin was trying to overturn even the ending of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
But Director Kyotaro felt positive about it.
'Yes. If we're going to do it, then we should do it properly.'
He was ready to take the lead.
'If we do it the way Woojin suggested, Kiyoshi will shine even more.'
He imagined the bombardment that would follow. No matter how fierce the battle became.
"...All right. Let's take five—no, ten minutes."
Muttering in Japanese, Director Kyotaro turned away while continuing to write on the storyboard. Then he pulled out his phone. It looked as though he was calling Writer Akari, but Woojin did not think much of it.
'Hm. Did it work? I said everything I wanted to say.'
Soon afterward, the assistant director shouted something like, "Ten-minute break!!" to the entire set. The hundred or so staff members were puzzled by a break coming right after filming had begun, but they quickly busied themselves preparing for the next shoot.
Meanwhile, just as Kang Woojin was about to leave the set, the Japanese actors approached him and gave him thumbs-ups. For some reason, all of them were congratulating him.
"Congratulations, Woojin."
"I saw the article and was really shocked! I've never seen this many viewers gather before!"
"Congratulations. It's a rare result even in Japan, so I'm jealous, but mostly just impressed."
What was this?
Why were they suddenly congratulating him?
At first Woojin was confused, but soon something clicked in his mind.
'Ah, Island of the Missing!'
At that exact moment, Choi Seonggeon approached him. Smiling, he leaned in and whispered into Kang Woojin's ear.
"Island of the Missing broke the all-time Korean opening-day record and the record for the highest first-day audience, passing 700,000 viewers."
"...Really?"
Kang Woojin asked coldly, but inside, he felt like screaming.
'What—what is this??!! Seven hundred thousand in a single day??!! This is insane!!'
At the same time, for some reason, Japanese media had started pouring out stories about a Korean film.
The Korean film Island of the Missing, starring Kang Woojin, drew 700,000 viewers on its very first day of release.
That was not a small number.
But compared to what was happening in Korea right now, it was almost nothing.
Right now, in Korea—
『[Box Office Rankings] "Amazing!", Island of the Missing takes first place with over 700,000 viewers on opening day』
『As expected of Director Kwon Gitaek! Island of the Missing tops the box office the moment it opens, surpassing 700,000 viewers!』
Articles about Island of the Missing were already flooding the media.
『Island of the Missing, which surpassed 700,000 viewers on opening day and took first place… could this become the year's biggest blockbuster?』
It was an enormous number.
But it was also a completely reasonable reaction. In the middle of peak theater season, when countless blockbuster films were pouring in, Island of the Missing had not only taken first place—
『Challenger Island of the Missing posts an opening-day score nearly identical to the current top-grossing film Naval Battle』
—it had posted numbers nearly matching the biggest box office hit in Korean history. A fortress that had stood unshaken for seven years was beginning to tremble. Many reporters could not stay still after seeing the astonishing figure of 700,000 viewers in a single day.
『Kang Woojin's acting shines again… Island of the Missing may become this year's first 10-million-viewer film』
Their fingers moved every second, every minute. A few hours later, as Island of the Missing covered multiple portal sites, public opinion began changing rapidly.
["Island of the Missing" / Release date: May 19, 2021]
[Rating: 9.6]
[Viewer and netizen reviews / 1002 participants]
When the monster first appeared, I thought the movie would go downhill, but instead it climbed uphill and scared the hell out of me / yin****
This movie has so much to see… and Kang Woojin's godlike acting… it's shockingly good. I got goosebumps / ****
Everyone, the critics' average score is over 7, so definitely go watch it. And bring spare pants and a collar too!
[Holy shit, is Kang Woojin insane? His acting is fucking incredible / lov****][I fell asleep halfway through / bmb****][Ryu Jungmin holds the center, Ha Yura is beautiful, and Kang Woojin is insane / dark****][Now I finally understand why Director Kwon Gitaek is called a master. It was so much fun / snn****][The actors' performances are amazing! Woojin's acting stood out the most^^ The story is solid and entertaining! / dhn****][The monster at the beginning is only a secondary element. This movie is about human nature. Go see it. I'm going again tomorrow / tck****][Boring, I dropped out / dbf****][Actor Kang Woojin keeps getting better at acting… his performance was absolutely insane. I kept going "wow, wow" the whole time. There was none of his old style left.][There wasn't a single weak point in his acting. Kang Woojin was the real deal, and his performance was explosive!! He controlled the tension all by himself….. / ssg****]
It was like the publicity effect of a nuclear bomb. The news spread instantly through communities, social media, and YouTube. By late afternoon on the 20th, multiple media outlets had joined in. News programs, radio broadcasts, and all kinds of platforms began discussing the winner of this "film war."
It might sound exaggerated.
But only a single day had passed.
Meanwhile, the films that had lost their momentum to Island of the Missing sank into gloom.
"Seven hundred thousand in one day? Are numbers like that even possible now?"
"I can't believe it either. But let's not lose hope! Things might change tomorrow!"
"A reversal? Did you not see the ratings and public reaction for Island of the Missing? Do you really think it'll collapse that easily?"
"..."
"It's a disastrous defeat. Ha… all I can do now is hope we at least pass the break-even point somehow."
Others resolved to fight harder.
"Don't bow your heads! Now is exactly the time to push even harder with promotion!"
"Ah, yes!"
"We're not trying to beat Island of the Missing! It's not like people are only going to watch one movie! Let's aim for second place and maybe turn things around at the last moment! Get it together and stay focused!"
They say there is opportunity in crisis.
Many films that had targeted the peak season tried to relaunch their momentum. It was the same for films released before Island of the Missing, on the same day, and afterward.
But that hope shattered just one day later, on the 21st.
Island of the Missing / Release date: May 19 / Daily viewers: 715,005 / Screens: 1,159 / Total viewers: 1,415,228
Not only did Island of the Missing overwhelm the competition, it surpassed 1.4 million viewers in just two days.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Kang Woojin was facing a slight crisis in maintaining his image.
'One and a half million in just two days!! Damn, this is insane! I thought Drug Dealer was already huge, but this is unbelievable!!!'
The early success of Drug Dealer had already made him incredibly popular, but this success was on a different level. It was almost impossible to believe. Around this time, his phone was being bombarded with messages from countless people, to the point that it felt like it might explode.
And on top of that, word of mouth about Island of the Missing was spreading fast.
The results were released on Saturday morning, the 22nd, including Friday's numbers and the statistics from the third day.
Island of the Missing / Release date: May 19 / Daily viewers: 865,448 / Screens: 1,159 / Total viewers: 2,280,676
The daily audience had leapt from 700,000 to over 800,000. In just three days, the cumulative audience had passed two million. For the first time, Island of the Missing had thrown down a challenge to Naval Battle, the film that had long held the number-one spot.
『[Movie Talk] All-time number one Naval Battle passed 2.1 million viewers on its third day, challenger Island of the Missing surpassed 2.28 million… the balance has shifted!』
At that moment, the record was broken.
Right now—
late in the morning, a large event was being held at A10 Studio, one of Japan's three biggest animation studios. In particular, the entire Boy Friend: Remake production team was there.
"Wow—"
"The results turned out really well."
"The special effects and 3D effects are so clean."
"Even without the OST and sound effects, it already builds anticipation."
Dozens of people were speaking Japanese inside a medium-sized studio. They were the Boy Friend: Remake production team and A10 Studio executives. On the large and small monitors in front of them, the animation was playing.
One of the male characters looked strangely familiar.
He looked a lot like Kang Woojin.
The reason was simple.
"All of the characters are charming. Especially the male lead's performance, and using Woojin as the model was really an excellent choice."
What they were watching was Boy Friend: Remake, the animation based on the Korean drama Boy Friend.
And it was not the first episode.
It was the twelfth episode.
In other words, it was the test screening for the final episode.
Even without the dubbing, sound effects, and mixing finished, the animation still built tremendous anticipation among the viewers watching. And that anticipation made sense. A Korean actor, Kang Woojin, had joined as part of the voice cast. In this way, after overcoming countless obstacles, production of Boy Friend: Remake episodes 1 through 12 had been completed.
Surprisingly, it had all been done in only about six months.
Managing four teams had truly been a brilliant strategy.
Now all that remained were the opening, ending, and OST.
"Have the schedules for the dubbing, sound, and OST recording been set?"
"We're coordinating them, but we have a rough outline."
"Good. Ah, but what about Woojin?"
"I heard he's in the final stages of filming The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice."
"...At last, the end is in sight."
Only Kang Woojin's recording and the voice cast remained.
Everything was almost ready for launch.
Meanwhile, in the parking lot outside the set of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice—
In the wide parking lot filled with countless vans, two familiar figures were seated face-to-face in the back of a white square van. One of them was Director Kyotaro, and his expression was firm.
"..."
Across from him sat Takikawa Akari, the original author of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. With her glasses resting low on her nose, she was looking down at several sheets of paper. The pages were densely covered with text.
──────────
Naturally, they had been handed to her by Director Kyotaro.
More specifically, it was the revised ending for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. It was a proposal Kyotaro had completed in only a few days. Akari's approval was essential. Her expression as she read it was difficult to interpret.
It was not blank.
But it was not smiling either.
The ending Kyotaro had written described what happened after "Iyota Kiyoshi" had finished his "homework."
Everything began on a morning commuter train.
The setting of Kyotaro's ending was extremely ordinary and familiar. Not just Akari, but anyone would have thought the same thing.
'It's the kind of morning commute scene you can see anywhere. There's nothing special or surprising about it.'
Nothing around it stood still. The station was packed with people waiting for the train. Office workers exhausted by the commute. They all looked the same. Black or navy suits, blank faces. At a glance, it was hard to tell one person from another.
Hundreds of people boarded the train at once.
And then they got off.
Because of all the dark clothing, they looked like a giant swarm of ants. They might as well have been people stamped out of a factory. They did not say a word to one another.
Of course.
To each other, they were "strangers."
Or "unknown people."
In the camera angle, the backs of hundreds of people climbing the stairs were shown. Among those hundreds of strangers—those unknown people—one person stopped walking and slowly turned their head to look back.
One of the many strangers who, after finishing his "homework," had gone back to living an ordinary life.
"..."
That "stranger"—
was Iyota Kiyoshi.
After reading that far, Writer Akari calmly looked at Director Kyotaro and quietly asked,
"This ending...was it Woojin who suggested it?"