BW Entertainment's LA branch.
Kang Woojin looked around the office, which was not even fully finished yet, with an indifferent expression. Nothing changed on his solemn face.
Inside, however, it was a completely different story.
'Wow, holy shit. This is really our agency's overseas branch?'
He was stunned. Of course, he had heard about it before, but he had never expected it to be prepared this quickly. On top of that, the office was already in pretty decent shape, and there was even a huge poster of himself hanging on the wall.
'No, seriously, why would they hang something that embarrassing up there?'
He was still a complete nobody in Hollywood, so seeing that poster here in LA made it several times more embarrassing. But maybe because his outward concept was so strong, none of it showed on his face at all.
And yet I'm the main figure here?
At that moment, Choi Sunggeon, standing beside him, grinned and asked,
"What do you think?"
What do I think? Isn't this unbelievably amazing?
In truth, Woojin felt a strange excitement bubbling up inside him. He could hardly believe things had grown this big. Not long ago, LA had been something he could not even dream about. But now he was standing here, looking at an overseas branch centered around him. Along with that, a faint sense of responsibility began to rise within him too.
Choi Sunggeon pointed at the poster of Kang Woojin on the wall and spoke again.
"I doubt you're the type to feel burdened, but just in case you might be worried, let me say this first. That poster is basically a good-luck charm for us. It's like saying, 'Starting with you, we're pushing into the Hollywood market!' Isn't that cool?"
Woojin calmly nodded without the slightest change in expression.
"It's not bad."
"Haha, right? If this place feels a little cramped, we're using the office next door too, so once everything is fully running, it'll actually be pretty decent. We're starting here for now, but once things get bigger, we'll move somewhere larger."
Choi Sunggeon, practically overflowing with excitement, patted Woojin on the shoulder. Woojin muttered inwardly, 'The pressure just keeps getting heavier, doesn't it?' but answered as coolly as ever.
"It won't take long."
Inside, he was already half-tormented by the weight of it, but outwardly, he looked strong and full of swagger. Choi Sunggeon's smile only deepened, as if he had been moved.
"I know, you punk. Haha. Go on, dream about conquering Hollywood. Bring it on!"
Choi Sunggeon's fighting spirit was exceptionally high. Naturally, it would be. From the very beginning, he had joined BW Entertainment with the dream of breaking into Hollywood. Back then, Hong Hyeyeon had been his first goal. Whether it took five years or ten, he had firmly resolved that he would one day move toward Hollywood.
But Kang Woojin's arrival had changed everything one hundred and eighty degrees.
And it had only taken two years to reach this stage. BW Entertainment had already built a name for itself in the domestic entertainment industry through explosive growth, and with Chairman Hideki's solid backing, they had managed to accomplish things that normally would have seemed impossible.
And at the center of all of it was Kang Woojin.
"The deal with Miley Cara, and then Leech and Beneficial Evil too. At this point, it's only a matter of time. Just thinking about it makes my heart race."
Woojin asked back,
"When does this place officially open?"
"Hm? It should all be settled by September. First we have to select the people transferring from headquarters to the overseas branch, and then we'll have to hire new staff too."
"I understand."
After looking around the office, Woojin and Choi Sunggeon climbed back into the van parked by the curb. Their next destination was the hotel Miley Cara had reserved for them.
Late at night, the two vans sped through downtown LA. Sitting in the front van, Woojin gazed silently out the window. He looked as though he were simply captivated by the nightscape of LA, so completely different from Korea, but in truth, part of his mind was occupied with imagining the future waiting for him in this vast country.
'LA? Is this even real?'
Hollywood.
Was he really going to act in a place this enormous?
No, set acting aside for a moment—
a faint unease crept in about whether he would really be accepted here. It was an extremely small worry. It was really nothing more than the kind of misunderstanding or overthinking that people like Choi Sunggeon had planted in him, but now that he had become an actor, he had to aim for the highest point.
Which meant Hollywood.
'Ha… I still honestly can't believe it. Where even is this place? And why am I here?'
Deep in Kang Woojin's heart, everything that had happened in such a short amount of time felt overwhelming, as though the world had turned upside down and he had been dropped into a second life. The strange emotions he felt were not surprising at all.
And yet—
'This is insane.'
The fact that all of this had begun from a simple misunderstanding left Kang Woojin dazed. But that was not the only absurd thing.
The two large vans finally pulled up and came to a stop in front of the hotel. The instant he stepped out, an unbelievably grand hotel unfolded before Kang Woojin's eyes.
'T-This is crazy!!'
It was the Beverly Hills Hotel, one of LA's five-star hotels. Palm trees rose up around the entrance, the building stretched upward as though it were part of the surrounding forest, hotel staff stood at the entrance ready to greet Kang Woojin's group, and a red carpet extended from the entrance through to the wide lobby beyond.
It looked less like a hotel and more like a palace hidden in a lush forest.
Faced with that grandeur, Kang Woojin muttered inwardly once again,
'…Wow, shit. This is actually ridiculous.'
Standing beside him, Choi Sunggeon gave a thumbs-up.
"Miley Cara booked suites for the whole team. You're getting your own room too. Isn't that amazing?"
Yeah, it really is amazing, isn't it?
Inside, Kang Woojin's jaw had practically dropped, but outwardly he remained extremely calm.
"It's not bad."
"I heard it costs over five million won a night. Makes you realize just how massive Miley Cara's influence really is."
Over five million won for a single night.
Considering that Kang Woojin's team had more than ten people, that meant at least three rooms must have been booked, and since their stay would be about a week, the total cost had to be enormous. Carrying the luggage they had brought, Choi Sunggeon muttered,
"Well, to someone like her, this might just be pocket change. We should just enjoy it and thank her. That's the polite thing to do. Come on, Woojin."
Kang Woojin, still expressionless, quietly made up his mind.
'Damn it. I'm going to become successful enough that I can throw around this kind of money like it's nothing too.'
──────────
The next morning, at a large café in downtown Los Angeles.
It was around eight o'clock. The café, which sold bagels, sandwiches, and all kinds of coffee, was packed with foreigners stopping by on their way to work. People looking for a quick breakfast or coffee before heading into their offices crowded the place.
Even the hall full of round tables was packed.
Not a single seat was empty. Whenever a table had one open chair, it was common for people to ask if they could sit there too. Because of that, it was not unusual to see complete strangers sitting together at the same table and chatting. It was a fairly common sight in LA.
At one of the tables in the far corner of the hall, a familiar face could be seen.
"..."
A black man was quietly drinking coffee while looking down at his phone. He was a huge man, and the black long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his forearms made him stand out even more. It was the famous Hollywood producer Joseph Felton. Two foreigners Joseph did not know were sitting at the same table, talking among themselves, when a woman with short brown hair tied back approached.
It was Megan Stone, the casting director.
Sensing her presence, Joseph lifted his gaze from his phone and smiled.
"You're late."
Megan, who sat down beside the towering Joseph, set the coffee she had brought onto the table and answered,
"I got here on time. Don't you see that line over there? If anything, I got here early."
Muttering under her breath, she retied her short brown hair and complained,
"Why did we have to meet somewhere this chaotic?"
"I'm a regular here."
Megan let out a quiet sigh and pulled a tablet out of the extra bag she had brought along with her handbag.
"I narrowed the actors down based on the image."
"Mm."
Joseph nodded, accepted the tablet from her, and replied,
"Did you hear Kang Woojin is in LA? Actually, by now, he's probably already arrived."
"I saw it on Miley's Instagram. It was planned quite a while ago, so it didn't surprise me that much."
Joseph slowly nodded. There was an unreadable smile on his face. Watching that expression, Megan crossed her long legs and asked again,
"You're thinking of meeting Kang Woojin."
"If he's willing to meet me, that is. Chances like this don't come often. I'm curious how he's been doing lately."
Joseph Felton lowered his eyes back to the tablet.
"Cannes opens in about two months. Before that, I should probably give Kang Woojin a little hint about our project. You remember the role we saw back in Last Kill 3*, don't you?"*
"…He rejected that role right there on set."
"He turned it down in front of the director without a moment of hesitation. I can't guarantee the same thing won't happen to us too."
"So you want to give him advance notice?"
"Something like that."
Joseph set the tablet down, picked up his coffee cup, and continued thinking aloud.
"Just two years. A Korean actor has grown enough in that time to seriously aim for Hollywood. He must have a very definite plan. And the album collaboration with Miley Cara before showing up at Cannes definitely isn't a coincidence."
Then, abruptly, another remark surfaced.
"Did you hear? Apparently Kang Woojin used to be special forces."
Joseph, who had been sipping his coffee, stopped for a moment.
"Special forces? What's that supposed to mean?"
──────────
Meanwhile, about thirty minutes later, the situation inside the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles was completely different.
Kang Woojin opened his eyes inside the hotel's enormous suite. For a while, he stared blankly at the ceiling before slowly pushing himself up, still half asleep. When he turned his head with his hair a complete mess, the vast cityscape of LA spread out through the window beside him.
"Wow—this is seriously incredible."
It really was the kind of view you only got from a suite. It was the kind of scenery worth photographing. Woojin had already taken dozens of pictures of the night view last night, but the morning view had a completely different mood. After getting out of bed, he snapped a few more photos, stretched, and walked out of the bedroom.
A massive living room opened up in front of him.
The suite was at least three times bigger than Kang Woojin's house. The living room was filled with luxurious sofas and various pieces of furniture, and the kitchen was huge as well. Beyond it, large glass windows opened out toward a terrace furnished with a table and chairs, and below that stretched a wide swimming pool surrounded by palm trees.
Kang Woojin had the entire absurdly huge suite all to himself.
"So this is what a real rich person's life feels like?"
As soon as the concept performance slipped away, Woojin let out a small laugh. After brewing the complimentary morning coffee, he sat down on the sofa. Beyond him, the vast scenery of LA spread endlessly into the distance.
He quietly relaxed for a while inside this ridiculous situation.
But the moment did not last long.
Knock, knock.
The sound was regular and firm. Woojin quickly straightened his expression and opened the door. Standing there was Choi Sunggeon, waving a hand.
"You awake?"
"Yes, sir."
Choi Sunggeon entered and sat down on the sofa, and Woojin poured him a cup of coffee. After taking a sip, Choi Sunggeon pulled out his phone and began talking.
"A few minutes ago, I got a call from Megan Stone, the casting director. You remember her, right?"
Of course the name was familiar. How could he forget? Megan Stone, the famous Hollywood casting director. She had worked on Last Kill 3, and she had also come to see Kang Woojin during the shooting of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
"Yes, I remember."
"She's asking whether you have time to meet while you're in LA. It doesn't feel like a casual request. There's something behind it, that kind of feeling. What do you think?"
"That's fine. As long as it fits the schedule."
"Good. I'll arrange it."
Then Choi Sunggeon changed the subject.
"Anyway, today's schedule is pretty light. Miley Cara is coming to the hotel this afternoon."
In other words, Woojin had a fair amount of free time until then. His overall schedule was still moving on all fronts, but most of that was being handled by Choi Sunggeon and the team, and there was not much Kang Woojin personally had to do.
Choi Sunggeon set his phone down and asked,
"It's a short trip, and you've got some time. Since you're in LA, is there anything you want to do? Or you can just relax until this afternoon if you want. You saw the pool outside, right? It looked incredible."
Kang Woojin thought for a moment with his usual indifferent expression, then answered briefly,
"Shall we go hunting?"
──────────
A few hours later, around late lunchtime.
The destination was a shooting range about an hour away from the hotel by car. The building itself was spacious, and signs and windows displayed all kinds of gun photographs. A large van pulled into the wide parking lot in front of the range.
From it stepped Kang Woojin, Choi Sunggeon, and a few others.
Woojin was dressed casually in a hoodie and a cap pulled low over his head, but he did not bother trying to cover his face. In truth, there was no reason to. Hardly anyone in this part of LA would recognize him anyway. Of course, if he had gone to Koreatown, that would have been a different story. Soon, Woojin looked toward the shooting range with a calm expression.
"..."
On the outside, he showed no emotion.
Inside, however, excitement was boiling over.
'Hehe, this is going to be fun as hell.'
The reason he wanted to shoot was simple. Inside the void, Kang Woojin had fired countless weapons, but in reality, he had not touched a gun even once since his military service.
It was closer to curiosity than anything else.
According to their reservation, Kang Woojin, Choi Sunggeon, and the others entered the range and listened for around ten minutes to explanations from the heavyset owner. Various guns and props were displayed along the walls of the range.
Once the procedures were finished, the owner asked in English,
"What kind of gun would you like?"
Choi Sunggeon glanced at Kang Woojin, making it clear that he was leaving the choice to him. Woojin answered immediately in fluent English. He had already decided.
"A Glock 17."
"Oh, excellent choice."
Jang Yeonwoo, the protagonist of Beneficial Evil, also used a Glock 17 first. Soon, a Glock 17 and a box of ammunition were handed over to Kang Woojin, and the group was guided into the indoor range. About ten shooting lanes stretched out ahead, laid out almost like a bowling alley. At the end of each lane hung a human-shaped paper target.
It was a very typical shooting-range setup.
Kang Woojin's lane was number three. He was also given shooting earmuffs. After a staff member gave him some additional instructions, the human-shaped target was moved all the way to the far end of the lane.
At that point, Woojin—
"..."
He silently handled the Glock 17. It was the first time in his life he had seen a real Glock 17, yet it did not feel unfamiliar. That was entirely because of the power of the void space. He felt as if he could start handling the pistol and going wild with it immediately. But the real owner of that impulse, Woojin himself, suppressed the feeling.
A little earlier, the interpreter from BW Entertainment had asked Choi Sunggeon a question.
"But why the sudden shooting?"
"Who knows. Woojin said he wanted to. Maybe he's trying to build up more experience for something like Beneficial Evil*. Anyway, the last time any of us fired a gun was probably during military leave."*
"Ah…"
"Well, since we're here, trying it once isn't such a bad idea. Who knows when we'll get another chance to fire a gun?"
Meanwhile, with the earmuffs hanging around his neck, Kang Woojin finished getting ready. The staff member stepped back as well. The moment Woojin raised the Glock 17 with both hands—
"Is he Chinese?"
He heard English spoken from the side. When he turned his head, he saw three men, mixed white and black, who looked to be in their thirties, grinning at him. They were customers who had arrived earlier, and judging by the way they carried themselves, they seemed like regulars.
"No, he looks Japanese."
"He's handsome. Definitely not Chinese."
"Looks like he's just here in LA for a little trip and trying shooting for the first time. His face looks tense."
"Good. Let's take a break and watch."
"Want to make it a game? Let's bet how many shots that Japanese guy lands. How about one beer?"
"Sounds good."
The amused murmurs among them made it clear that they assumed Kang Woojin could not understand English. But their laughter stopped at once when a low, firm voice spoke in fluent English.
"I'm Korean."
The three men looked startled. Woojin ignored them and, still wearing the same calm expression, spoke again in perfect English.
"Let's make it a game. You against me. Whoever gets the higher score wins."
"…Ah, so you're Korean."
"If I lose, I'll give you five hundred dollars. If I win, you give me five hundred."
The three foreigners exchanged whispers among themselves, then suddenly grinned. It looked as though they thought they had found easy prey. The man wearing sunglasses opened his mouth.
"Fine. Five hundred dollars. And let's add a beer at the bar up front."
Woojin nodded.
"I'll go first."
He did not need any mental preparation at all.
The moment he put on the earmuffs, Woojin immediately fired the Glock 17.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The expressions on the foreigners' faces, which had been full of laughter until then, began to change.
"He's just blasting away like he's playing a video game."
"H-Hey, that's—"
"What? What the hell?"
"!!!"
The mocking smiles gradually began disappearing from their faces.
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin continued firing at the target with a rigid, unreadable expression, betraying no emotion at all. After firing five shots, he slightly tilted the Glock 17 to one side and fired again.
Bangbangbangbang!
Ten shots rang through the shooting range with ear-splitting force. Then Woojin lowered the Glock 17 at once. The target at the far end of the lane automatically came closer.
At that moment, every trace of a smile vanished from the three foreigners' faces.
"...?"
"???"
The reason was simple.
"Jesus."
The large red circles marking the head and chest on the human-shaped target had vanished. Kang Woojin's bullets had completely erased them. The five rounds he had put into the head and chest had not missed even once. Every bullet had landed exactly inside those red circles. Even the staff member at the range widened his blue eyes in disbelief.
Then Woojin turned his head and said quietly to the three foreigners,
"Your turn."
From the back near the entrance of the range, an unfamiliar English voice could suddenly be heard.
"Jesus…"
The person standing there with his mouth slightly open was none other than the powerhouse producer, Joseph Felton.