Although it was deep into the night outside, the set, which was larger than a logistics warehouse and packed with over a hundred staff members, was flooded with bright lights.
It was the filming set of Beneficial Evil.
Seated beside several monitors, PD Song Manwoo stared at Kang Woojin—or rather, at Jang Yeonwoo inside the frame.
"..."
Then, all of a sudden, he shouted,
"Cut!! Haah…"
The instant his shout rang out, dozens of nearby staff members rushed onto the set. Song Manwoo PD quickly called out to them.
"There's only one scene left! Just one more scene, so hang in there a little longer!!"
Today's schedule had once again been a brutal march. That was true not just for Kang Woojin, but for the hundred-plus staff members and actors as well. But no one complained. From the beginning, Song Manwoo PD had been filming and editing side by side, staying up for days at a time. Most of his sleep came in brief snatches while moving between places.
Given that kind of situation, it was only natural for fatigue to pile up.
'Don't I feel a little stiff?'
Still, Kang Woojin had to look calmer than anyone else. For someone whose concept was built on intensity, it was important to maintain the image that something like this is nothing. Besides, for Woojin, who had already made repeated use of the void space, enduring this much was more than possible.
It was when Kang Woojin sat down in a chair with his usual indifferent face.
"Woojin."
A familiar male voice came from beside him. It was Choi Seonggeon. He had returned to Woojin's filming set after dealing with all the work that had piled up. Still, because of the year-end events and everything else, he could no longer remain on set as consistently as before. In any case, as he handed Woojin a bottle of water, he lowered his voice and spoke.
"Director Ahn Gabok called about an hour ago and said he wants to see you as soon as possible. Have you already set a time with him?"
'Ah, I was so busy I forgot to mention that.'
Woojin lowered his voice as he answered.
"I heard he was in LA. He contacted me and asked whether I could make time once he got back to Korea."
Kang Woojin briefly explained the recent conversation he had had with Director Ahn Gabok, especially the part about the possibility of joining a Hollywood project. Choi Seonggeon listened quietly, then rubbed his chin.
"Director Ahn is in LA, and he asked whether you'd gotten any Hollywood offers?"
"Yes."
"Why would he be in LA?"
"I didn't ask for details."
"Hmm... Since nothing has hit the press, it sounds like he slipped out quietly and in secret."
After thinking for a moment, Choi Seonggeon quickly made a guess.
"Maybe he got an offer to direct in Hollywood. After winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, that would make perfect sense."
Then he suddenly grinned and met Woojin's eyes.
"But the fact that he wants to see you the moment he gets back to Korea... doesn't that sound like another opportunity?"
His instincts for this kind of thing were practically animalistic. Of course, Kang Woojin had picked up on it too. The hints Director Ahn had dropped had been more than obvious.
"He might bring a script."
"Exactly. That's what I think too. I can't be one hundred percent sure, but if that's true, wouldn't it be amazing? The two stars of Cannes reuniting in Hollywood. If it somehow leads all the way to the Academy Awards... that alone would be worth making into a movie."
"Not bad."
"It's way bigger than just 'not bad.' Anyway."
After pulling out his phone and saying he should set a time with Director Ahn, Choi Seonggeon moved on to something else.
"Since you're staying in Korea for a while because of the Beneficial Evil shoot and the year-end events, the overseas schedules you either planned or postponed are starting to pile up. Before long, you'll be traveling back and forth between Korea and abroad, so if possible, I'd like you to start considering Hollywood projects too."
"Alright. Send them to me as they come in."
"Yes. At a time like this, taking on domestic projects would be difficult, so I'm planning to focus only on overseas ones."
That effectively meant he would soon be using his private jet as naturally as if he were sitting down to eat.
Friday, November 5.
The first week of November. By then, morning TV news programs in Japanese households were still constantly covering The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
"The film adaptation of writer Takikawa Akari's original novel, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice*, is setting off a chilling craze. Though it has now been over ten days since release, it still holds first place in reservations, and it continues to be mentioned without pause on social media and community boards. Even more unusual is the fact that despite the growing controversy and criticism after release, audience numbers for* The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice continue to surge..."
That report played while one Japanese family ate breakfast together.
"People are still watching it even though it's getting slammed like that?"
"I saw it too, and honestly, it was fun. Of course, the ending was a little shocking."
"How was it?"
"If I tell you, that'll ruin it. Mom, you should go watch it with Dad. Honestly, it felt fresh. Japanese films always have a similar feel, don't they?"
"The lead actor is Korean, right? Was it Kang Woojin? Didn't that feel awkward?"
"Not at all. Mom, don't you know Kang Woojin won Best Actor at Cannes this year? There were a lot of great actors in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, like Kosaku Mana, but Kang Woojin's acting was the best."
It had already been eleven days since The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was released, but the heat showed no sign of fading. If anything, the aftermath had grown so large that it had become a topic even inside ordinary homes. It had gone beyond being a mere hit and turned into a sensation. The media, every kind of platform, and all sorts of articles reported the explosive popularity of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice in real time, every single day.
[Unstoppable momentum: The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice maintains first place in reservations for eleven straight days.]
[Despite the controversy, if this pace continues, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is certain to surpass ten million viewers, and may aim even higher!]
[Even as criticism and controversy intensify, the box office results of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice continue to climb. Film critics: "This is an unprecedented and baffling situation."]
Naturally, the film had taken over the main pages of Japan's major portal sites, and on platforms like YouTube and social media, nearly everything revolved around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. In simple terms, it was a guaranteed way to drive traffic. That alone showed how intensely public attention had gathered around it.
But what stood out most were the YouTube review comments, film review sites, social media posts, and community discussions about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
[This is seriously weird. Why is this movie still doing this well???]
[Honestly... I can understand the craze lasting maybe three days. But more than ten days...? I really don't get it.]
[Stop whining and just admit it! People aren't idiots! They're watching it because it's fun!]
[The movie is definitely entertaining, but as a fan of the original, I still feel deeply betrayed.]
[Why do people keep watching something with an ending like that?]
[Aren't you tired of talking about the ending? Maybe you're the one trapped inside a box.]
[Exactly! The collapse of Japanese content is entirely because of people like that.]
[This movie succeeding is going to leave a terrible precedent! It absolutely must not succeed!]
[But hasn't it already succeeded?]
[You're all idiots!]
Despite the overwhelming criticism and extreme clashes of opinion, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice showed no sign of slowing down. Judging by the overall mood and by the predictions of so many media outlets, it should already have collapsed.
And yet somehow, that runaway locomotive called The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice only grew more terrifying by the day.
At that point, even the smartphones of commuters crushed inside packed morning trains were full of content about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
In other words—
Thanks to The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, theaters are lively again, packed with audiences every weekend.
It was obvious that more and more Japanese moviegoers would continue flocking to theaters. The same phenomenon was clearly visible in Korea, and inside the van, Kang Woojin was fighting to keep the corners of his mouth from curling upward.
'This momentum is insane. Haha. Burn brighter. SSS-tier power.'
But the reason his mouth kept trying to lift was not just because of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. Leech, which was currently overturning the Korean film industry, played a part too. The difference from Japan was that Leech was achieving enormous box office success without any controversy at all.
[Movie Talk:Leech holds onto first place at the box office even on its tenth day, despite new releases!]
[Leech continues its box office streak on day ten, still ahead of Island of the Missing.]
After exploding at Cannes and pushing audience expectations sky-high, Leech had lived up to every bit of that anticipation and turned into a word-of-mouth sensation.
[Director Ahn Gabok's Leech, the film that dropped a nuclear bomb at Cannes, summarized in ten minutes! | Movie Pickie]
[Kang Woojin's insane acting!!! Review of the blockbuster hit Leech!! (Spoilers included) | Movie Monster]
[Leech Analysis: Chilling foreshadowing and detailed breakdown! Find out why this film is so popular | Issue Gulf]
Japan's The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice and Korea's Leech both showed no sign of losing momentum. Kang Woojin acted indifferent, but inside, he was barely holding back a grin. More than anything else, what had him dancing inwardly were the current box office totals for the two films.
He had already looked at the figures many times, but they still never got old.
[The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice surpassed 9.45 million viewers yesterday, the 4th, and is now confirmed to break 10 million today, the 5th.]
Excluding today, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had already reached a staggering 9.45 million viewers in just ten days.
[The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is certain to surpass 10 million viewers... expectations for its final box office total continue rising amid intense audience interest.]
Today marked its eleventh day in release, but the exact total had not yet been announced. Still, judging by advance reservations, crossing ten million was already guaranteed.
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had now reached the point where it stood shoulder to shoulder with, or even surpassed, the biggest box office hits in Japanese film history. What mattered here was that most of those record-breaking hits had been animated films. For a live-action film to explode this hard at the box office was, effectively, a first.
'Good. Now it's Leech's turn.'
Keeping his expression as unchanged as possible, Woojin tapped at his phone a few times. The screen changed immediately.
[Audience count as of November 4, 2021]
[Daily Domestic Box Office]
Leech / Release date: October 27 / Viewers: 711,055 / Screens: 1,354 / Cumulative viewers: 8,358,754
Leech had surpassed 8.3 million viewers. It was an astonishing achievement in just nine days. It seemed to lag slightly behind The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, but considering that The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had opened one day earlier, the difference was negligible.
Having already passed 8.3 million, Leech was now entering the weekend, including Friday. At this pace, it was expected to pass ten million on Saturday, the eleventh day since release.
For reference, if the current trend continued, Leech would hit ten million faster than Island of the Missing.
[Leech surpasses twenty-million pace faster than Island of the Missing, which hit ten million in twelve days!]
[Island of the Missing reached ten million in twelve days, but Leech is expected to do it in eleven!]
[Is the all-time ranking of Korean films about to change again? At this rate, both first and second place might end up being "Kang Woojin films"!]
It was only a difference of one day.
The next day, early Saturday morning, at BW Entertainment.
It was around eight in the morning. Even at that early hour, the underground parking garage of BW Entertainment, which had recently wrapped up the establishment of its overseas branch and was preparing to relocate its headquarters, was fairly crowded with vehicles. Right in the middle of that underground garage, a gray van stopped, and an elderly man stepped out.
Wearing a light padded jacket against the chill, with short white hair and a deeply lined face, Director Ahn Gabok stood there.
His expression was calm, as always, the very picture of a veteran. In one hand, he held two thick bundles of documents. The moment he stepped out of the van, three people approached him: the CEO of his agency and several others who had gone with him to LA.
"Let's go."
Without another word, Director Ahn took the lead and headed toward the elevator. At that moment, expectation and unease mingled on his face.
'Haha. It feels like I'm waiting for report cards to be graded.'
For someone regarded as a legend of Korean cinema, it was a rather unusual feeling. But Ahn Gabok paid it no mind. If anything, all the unfamiliar experiences that had followed the Cannes Film Festival had left him feeling much the same.
It was like soft rain falling on dry, cracked earth.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and shortly after, Director Ahn stepped into BW Entertainment's office. The office, decorated wall to wall with posters of BW's top stars such as Kang Woojin, Hong Hyeyeon, and Ryu Jungmin, was quiet. Since the workday had not fully begun yet, no staff members were around.
Then—
"Ah! Director!"
A man's voice broke the silence of the office. It was Choi Seonggeon, stepping out of the CEO's office. The moment he spotted Director Ahn, he immediately hurried over.
"If you'd called, I would've waited outside for you!"
After a brief handshake, Director Ahn answered with a wrinkled smile.
"There's no need for that. Isn't meeting here enough?"
"I'm sorry."
"Not at all. But where's Woojin?"
"Ah, ah. He's inside."
Choi Seonggeon pointed toward the CEO's office he had just come from. Director Ahn slowly nodded, gestured for his group to wait a moment, and went inside with Choi Seonggeon.
Kang Woojin was already there.
"Director, good morning."
A low voice. Since he had not been to the salon yet, Kang Woojin looked much as he usually did. But in Ahn Gabok's eyes, even in that state, Woojin still carried that distinct aura.
'As expected, after Cannes, his presence has only grown stronger.'
Director Ahn extended his hand toward Kang Woojin.
"I'm sorry for bothering you this early when you must be busy."
"It's fine."
After a brief greeting, Kang Woojin and Ahn Gabok sat facing one another, while Choi Seonggeon took the seat beside Woojin. At the same time, Director Ahn placed the thick stack of documents he had brought onto the desk. Without beating around the bush, he spoke directly.
"Take a look at this first. One is in English, and the other is in Korean. Read whichever is more comfortable for you."
He pushed the two bundles across the desk toward Kang Woojin. Woojin glanced at them indifferently and answered,
"Understood."
As expected, Kang Woojin picked up the English version. Director Ahn's gaze briefly shifted to Choi Seonggeon beside Woojin. Expectation and excitement were mixed in his eyes.
Then the sound of turning pages filled the room.
Director Ahn's gaze settled quietly on Kang Woojin as he read through the stack. Naturally, Ahn Gabok said nothing.
'Now is the time to wait. I need to give this kid enough time.'
Kang Woojin turned another page.
But then—
"Director."
Only a few minutes had passed when Kang Woojin suddenly spoke. His voice was noticeably low.
"I'll take this project."