Before Kang Woojin's eyes—
A terrifying set of numbers unfolded.
[All-Time Korean Box Office]
[Overall Film Rankings]
Leech / Total Viewers: 20,483,558
Island of the Missing / Total Viewers: 20,321,451
Naval Battle / Total Viewers: 16,715,955
Unstoppable Force / Total Viewers: 15,557,118
.
.
.
Until yesterday, it hadn't looked like this.
But in just one day—
Everything changed.
Leech, which had been hovering in the nineteen-million range, smashed past twenty million and proudly claimed the number one spot in Korean film history.
Naturally—
Island of the Missing was pushed down to second place.
That meant something absurd:
Two separate films had both surpassed twenty million viewers within a single year.
And yet—
Even while witnessing this bizarre reality unfold, Kang Woojin maintained his usual calm expression.
If anything, he looked even colder.
Thanks to his recently acquired 'Beastification' ability, his ruthless aura had only grown stronger.
But that was merely on the surface.
'Whoa, holy hell!! The picture is actually complete?! This is seriously insane!!'
Inside, fireworks were exploding.
Of course they were.
In just his second year since debut, he had produced two films that each reached twenty million viewers before year's end.
And beyond that—
Within a single year, he had completely overturned the all-time Korean box office rankings.
Only Kang Woojin had accomplished something this absurd.
There had never been anyone before him.
And there likely never would be again.
That was simply undeniable.
So honestly?
Even if Woojin had started doing a full celebratory dance, nobody could've blamed him.
But his entire image was built on indifference and effortless coolness.
So in moments like this—
He had to remain expressionless.
However—
Choi Sunggeon, clutching his phone with his ponytail swaying, could no longer contain himself.
"You crazy bastard!!"
Without warning, he lunged forward, hugged Kang Woojin, and began jumping up and down wildly.
Woojin's body naturally bounced along with his rhythm.
"Double twenty million! DOUBLE TWENTY MILLION!! Does this even make sense?! No! It absolutely does not!!"
"..."
"And it hasn't even been a full year! The number one and number two spots in Korean film history are BOTH your lead movies!! This is insane! Absolutely insane!!"
To be honest—
Around the middle stretch, Leech had shown slight signs of slowing down.
But it recovered almost immediately.
No—
Calling it a recovery wasn't enough.
It had explosively rebounded.
Beyond Miley Cara, numerous issues surrounding Kang Woojin, plus Director Ahn Gabok's Hollywood advancement, all injected enormous momentum into the latter half.
Of course—
Leech's box office dominance was still ongoing.
Compared to its explosive opening, the heat had cooled slightly—
But maintaining this level over a month after release?
That was monstrous.
Still—
The real monster was Kang Woojin himself.
Despite his suffocating filming schedule, he had carved his name directly into Korean cinematic history.
"Hahahaha! Island of the Missing! Leech! What actor could EVER break this number one and two record?! Nobody but you! You'll have to break your own damn record!!"
"…CEO, please calm down."
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! How the hell am I supposed to calm down?!"
Choi Sunggeon's violent display of affection continued for over three minutes.
Then—
"Wow… I seriously never imagined I'd live to see something like this."
Finally calming down, Choi Sunggeon grabbed his phone again, as though this still wasn't the end.
The corners of his mouth curved upward like a bow.
"And the truly ridiculous part?"
He grinned.
"There's still one more nuclear bomb left."
Tap. Tap.
He touched his phone several times.
Soon, Japanese text appeared instead of Korean.
And once again—
The numbers were shocking.
[As of November 24, 2021 — 'The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice' Audience Count]
[The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice / Release Date: October 26 / Total Viewers: 21,091,784]
It was because of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
Released just one day before Leech, it too had surpassed twenty million.
No—
It had exceeded twenty-one million.
Compared to Leech, its momentum had weakened slightly, but it still held firmly within Japan's top five reservation rankings.
And more than that—
It had climbed into Japan's all-time box office rankings as well.
Though the rankings were dominated by animated films, and while it hadn't surpassed those giants—
Its achievement was still deeply symbolic.
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had shaken Japan's animation-dominated box office and became the first pure live-action feature film in Japanese history to surpass twenty million viewers.
Choi Sunggeon raised his thumb.
"This isn't just double twenty million."
Kang Woojin answered in a low voice.
"Triple."
"Exactly!! Triple twenty million!!"
Island of the Missing.
Leech.
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
All three had surpassed twenty million viewers.
Meaning—
Within just two years, three separate twenty-million-viewer films had been born.
Across both Korea and Japan—
There was no actor besides Kang Woojin who had achieved this.
"Hey, hey… but this still isn't the end, right?"
"Right."
Like there were still bullets left in the chamber, Choi Sunggeon muttered.
"Leech opens in Japan next month. And The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice opens in Korea next month."
Like passing a baton—
Each film would take turns occupying the stage.
"If Leech surpasses ten million in Japan, and The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice surpasses ten million in Korea…"
Because the release schedules alternated between Korea and Japan.
"Then it won't be twenty million."
His grin widened.
"It'll be thirty million. Thirty."
──────────
A few days later.
Saturday, November 27th.
Early afternoon.
Los Angeles.
In the heart of downtown LA, inside the spacious conference room of a major film production company headquarters—
Foreigners filled the room.
At least thirty of them.
And seated alone at the head of the U-shaped conference table—
The only Korean.
An old man?
No—
It was Director Ahn Gabok, his wrinkled face carrying quiet authority.
He had arrived in LA two days ago.
In other words—
This was Columbia Studio, one of Hollywood's Big Five.
And the foreigners gathered here were the core production staff of Pierrot.
Tablets and transparent files lay before both Ahn Gabok and the staff.
Then—
-Tap.
At the front of the conference room, near the small screen, stood a sharp-featured foreign woman with hair slightly longer than a bob cut.
She was Pierrot's executive producer.
Like Joseph Felton, she was a major Hollywood name with an equally major price tag.
Then she spoke.
"Next, let's review the male lead candidates."
Click.
The screen changed.
Faces of Hollywood's top male stars appeared one after another.
She flipped rapidly through profile screens, as though merely showing faces.
One.
Two.
Three.
Eventually—
Five top Hollywood actors appeared.
And then the sixth face—
A Korean actor very familiar to Director Ahn Gabok.
Kang Woojin.
After confirming him as the final candidate, the female producer turned toward the dozens of staff.
"These six."
Murmurs immediately spread.
Rumors about Hollywood actors had circulated endlessly, but this was the first time identities had been openly shown.
"They're all huge names."
"Choosing only one among them feels insane."
"How much would their fees even be?"
"The screen test will be a war zone."
"Wait, isn't the last one Kang Woojin? That Korean actor from Cannes?"
"Yeah. The one who said his goal was the Academy Awards during his acceptance speech."
"That was impressive, sure… but doesn't he feel a little out of place here?"
"There were rumors among actors too… Hmm. Still, doesn't he seem lacking compared to them?"
"Director Danny highly praised him."
"Ah—Danny Landis?"
Despite the noise, the female producer continued calmly.
"To remind everyone once again, no actor information can leak outside at this stage."
For reference—
Columbia Studio had officially announced only the production of a major new film and Director Ahn Gabok's confirmed involvement.
Everything else—
Including the title Pierrot—
Remained top secret.
Soon, the female producer looked directly at Ahn Gabok.
"Director, we're planning actor audition tests for January. Does that work for you?"
──────────
Meanwhile, in Korea—
Though it was the afternoon of the 27th in LA, it was the morning of the 28th in Korea.
Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.
At the Beneficial Evil filming site, over a hundred staff members bustled frantically.
PD Song Manwoo oversaw everything, while actors including Hwarin monitored the set.
Right then—
"Kang Woojin has arrived!!"
At that moment, Kang Woojin entered the filming site in a long padded jacket.
As always—
His trademark blank expression remained intact.
PD Song Manwoo, clutching the Beneficial Evil script in one hand, immediately rushed toward him.
"Woojin."
His skin looked rough from endless overnight shoots and brutal exhaustion.
His dark circles were practically sunglasses.
Woojin greeted him calmly.
"PD-nim, I'll be in your care again today."
Forcing a faint smile, Song Manwoo quietly whispered—
"At this rate, we should be fully operational within ten days."
Part 1 of Beneficial Evil was nearly complete.
Ten days left.
Though Woojin showed no outward reaction—
Inside?
'Already?'
'It feels like we just filmed that Bangkok long-take yesterday. Time really melts away.'
Of course, there was still Part 2—
But the pace had undeniably been aggressive.
No—
Insane.
More than a hundred staff, actors, and teams had pushed themselves relentlessly through a suffocating schedule.
A brutal march capable of killing everyone.
And yet—
Kang Woojin alone remained perfectly fine.
Without the blessing of the void space, even he would've collapsed.
After briefly sighing in relief, Song Manwoo continued.
"Of course, there may be minor schedule changes depending on circumstances, but if we wrap Part 1 within ten days, Beneficial Evil's release will stay on track."
Still—
Was PD-nim really okay?
To Woojin, Song Manwoo looked like he could collapse at any second.
He seemed thinner too.
Maintaining his usual calmness, Woojin quietly asked—
"PD-nim… are you okay?"
"Hm?"
"You need to stay alive to see both the release site and the filming site."
Song Manwoo blinked several times, pointed at himself, then burst into laughter.
"Ah, me? Wow, Woojin-ah, are you actually worried about me now? Hahaha. Don't worry. I've been directing for decades. This is nothing."
"Really?"
"Of course. You saw me during Hanryang, didn't you?"
"..."
"Honestly, this is tougher than before, but I've survived worse schedules. Back then, filming conditions were truly horrific."
After briefly reminiscing about the industry's harsh past, he cleared his throat.
"Anyway, discussions with Netflix are done. We're aiming for a global release around January, or February at the latest. You're basically the only one here who still looks human, so just hold on a little longer."
In other words—
Beneficial Evil Part 1 was expected to officially release worldwide between January and February.
A blood-and-sweat result from Song Manwoo.
"Also, before release, I booked a solo promotional shoot centered on you for marketing. Is that okay?"
"That's fine."
"Miley Cara's side agreed too. Whew… Character intros, teasers, trailers—we'll start releasing them soon. Oh, and I adjusted your filming schedule slightly because of your overseas plans and year-end events."
This was all about Kang Woojin.
"We'll prioritize scenes focused on you as much as possible."
After finishing his briefing, Song Manwoo gave Woojin double thumbs-up, shouted for everyone to prepare, and left.
Watching him go, Woojin thought—
'When Beneficial Evil releases globally… what kind of reaction will the world have?'
For a moment—
He recalled its rating.
[9/Script (Title: Beneficial Evil), EX Grade]
The first-ever release of an EX-grade project.
'Since it's EX grade… the chaos will probably be beyond imagination.'
Honestly—
He couldn't fully predict it.
But he was excited.
In many ways—
Beneficial Evil was Kang Woojin's first true challenge to the world.
Thirty minutes later—
Over a hundred staff members fell into total silence.
Seated before the monitors, Song Manwoo shouted toward Woojin on set.
"Hi—Action!!"
──────────
December 4th.
Before anyone realized it—
November had ended.
December had begun.
The first snow had already fallen.
Kang Woojin was on a plane.
Seated by the window, cap pulled low.
But—
This wasn't an ordinary plane.
There were far fewer passengers.
Aside from Choi Sunggeon, only Woojin's team members were visible.
The reason was simple.
This—
Was Kang Woojin's private jet.
Beyond the window, instead of land, only a sky blanketed in clouds stretched endlessly.
Wearing a dignified expression while barely suppressing his excitement, Woojin quietly muttered—
"I've been to LA before… but this definitely feels different. Probably because the scale this time is huge."
Of course—
He wasn't nervous at all.
'What could they even do? They already lost.'
For Kang Woojin—
This was his very first flight aboard a private jet bound for Hollywood.
And at that exact moment—
New breaking news about him erupted in Korea.
『[Exclusive] Kang Woojin departs for LA on private jet ahead of year-end! Sudden move for Hollywood debut?』