小火星

Ever since he arrived at the condo, Kang Woojin’s heart had been pounding non-stop. He was extremely nervous. Is this the place I should be in? He wondered. He was thrown into a new environment too abruptly to adapt.

Woojin tried to maintain a poker face, but it was a war zone inside.

‘Keep calm. Don’t panic, they’re all just people. I’m confident, I’m tough.’

He tried to control his mind to cover up his humble citizen’s essence.

Fortunately.

“Hong Hye-yeon, when did you confirm this project?”

All the actors who recognized top actress Hong Hye-yeon and approached her didn’t even care about Kang Woojin. It was strange to recognize him.

Thanks to that.

‘I should hide behind Hong Hye-yeon.’

He bought time. Kang Woojin used Hong Hye-yeon as a shield and quietly focused on breathing. This condo was a critical location for Woojin’s disguise. Hundreds of watching eyes.

‘Because they are all acting masters.’

The hall was filled with veterans in the field. He has been maintaining the disguise well so far, but if it collapses here, everything goes back to square one.

So he had to be more alert than usual.

‘Ah- Shit. Control your expression, control your expression.

Honestly, at this moment just before the script reading, Kang Woojin was staking his life on ‘disguise’ more than ‘acting’. At that time.

“Hong Hye-yeon, are you going to the after-party after today’s reading?”

A tall, handsome actor approached Hong Hye-yeon at the entrance of the large hall. As soon as Woojin saw him, he recognized him.

‘Ah, Ryu Jung-min. He’s really good-looking.’

He recognized Ryu Jung-min, the male lead of ‘Profiler Hanryang’, whom he had only seen in the news. He had seen many actors on the way, but Ryu Jung-min indeed exuded a different aura. It was then that Ryu Jung-min brought up the actor playing the role of Park Dae-ri, who was right next to him.

“Hey, have you seen the actor for the role of Park Dae-ri?”

Woojin unknowingly was about to raise his hand in surprise. He barely held back.

‘That actor is here, right in front of you.’

The problem was.

“Oh- This guy looks too good to be a manager. He is handsome.”

Ryu Jung-min suddenly showed interest in Kang Woojin. He openly called Woojin, Hong Hye-yeon’s manager. What’s going on? Why is he misunderstanding? However, Woojin focused on the compliment ‘handsome’ that came out of Ryu Jung-min’s mouth.

‘Crazy. I almost laughed.’

Even if it’s an empty compliment, Ryu Jung-min, the nation’s boyfriend, called him handsome, so he must feel like dancing. But it didn’t end there. Ryu Jung-min stepped forward to Woojin and said,

“Really, you should try acting once. It’s a waste of your face not to.”

Ah, but this guy is really handsome. Even more so up close. A face that could effortlessly pull off long hair. Women would go crazy for someone as handsome as him. Kang Woojin unknowingly found himself admiring Ryu Jung-min’s face. No, he was mesmerized.

“······”

Then, Ryu Jung-min casually said to Hong Hye-yeon.

“This guy is cool. He has an aura. Or is he nervous? Is he a rookie?”

It was a misunderstanding. Oh, this wasn’t intended. Around this time, familiar faces appeared at the entrance of the hall. They were PD Song man-woo and writer Park Eun-mi, and Ryu Jung-min moved away, greeting Hong Hye-yeon.

Next.

“Woojin.”

Hong Hye-yeon tapped Kang Woojin’s shoulder and pointed to the middle of the table arranged in ㅁ shape.

“That’s the spot for the popular star, Park Dae-ri. Well, I’m sure you’re not nervous, but don’t be tense.”

Are you kidding? I’m insanely nervous. Woojin exhaled a long breath, trying not to show it. Then, he checked the middle seat she pointed out. Among the actors, he could see the role card for ‘Park Dae-ri’.

-Swoosh.

Soon, Woojin moved. To blend in among the hundreds of people. His heart, which had somehow calmed down, started thumping again. It felt like his heart would burst.

‘Wow- this is crazy.’

Experiencing this situation for the first time, Woojin felt a slight tremble in his fingertips. But now there’s no turning back. And what he has to do is set.

Kang Woojin walked step by step, chanting his mantra. Thankfully, no one in the hall was paying attention to Woojin. By the time he finally reached Park Dae-ri’s seat,

“PD, ah- what is this. There’s no actor for Park Dae-ri. Are they not coming?”

“He’s here.”

With a smile, PD Song man-woo nodded his head looking at Woojin. At that moment.

-Swoosh.

The attention of over a hundred people in the hall focused on Kang Woojin. Oh, wait a minute. Woojin froze. The glances of dozens of actors, the whispering managers, the reporters craning their necks, and so forth.

Over a hundred people were thirsting for a response from Kang Woojin.

Who are you?

Kang Woojin felt his body and mind turn as white as a blank sheet of paper. The funny thing was that there was one clear command in his mind in this situation where his sanity had flown away.

‘I don’t know, shit.’

Conceptualization. Straightforwardness. Only one thing was clear without any minor details. It’s scary how habits can be. That’s why Woojin could purely pursue just that, and make a ruthless expression while scanning everyone looking at him.*****

That took a few seconds.

Regaining some sanity, Woojin…

‘Ah, self-introduction.’

He spoke in a low voice.

“Hello, I’m Kang Woojin, playing the role of ‘Park Dae-ri’.”

Soon, the large hall, which had been full of awkwardness, became quiet. The atmosphere is somewhat strange. Anyway, Kang Woojin felt like he should sit, so he pulled out a chair.

-Thud.

In this huge reading room, only the sound of Woojin pulling out a chair echoed.

“······”

“······”

That increased the focus. Famous veteran actors with their eyes wide open, successful female actresses in entertainment shows, male actors whose recent movies were a hit, actors whose faces were familiar but names were unknown, and so on.

‘Ah, stop looking at me. I’m trembling.’

Woojin muttered to himself as he glanced at one of the actors.

‘Ah, I bought a padding jacket after seeing the commercial that actor did.’

Hong Hye-yeon, who was sitting in the front row, was smiling slightly, as if holding back her laughter. The male lead, Ryu Jung-min, still had his eyes wide open, looking at Woojin with a very dumbfounded expression.

Anyway, over a hundred people in the hall were shocked for a different reason.

The role they had been anticipating, ‘Park Dae-ri’, was taken by an actor they had never heard of. In fact, to everyone, Kang Woojin was no different from a ordinary person. Therefore, it was natural for all the actors to look at him with puzzled faces.

The reporters and manager teams who came to the script reading were no different.

Around then.

“Alright.”

PD Song man-woo broke the silence in the hall.

“You’ve all been curious about the actor playing the role of Park Dae-ri, Mr. Kang Woojin. You’ve exchanged greetings, right?”

Only then did everyone’s eyes, which had been focused on Kang Woojin, turn away. Woojin exhaled a sigh of relief without showing it, and PD Song man-woo proceeded with the script reading.

“We’ll do a detailed introduction as we go into the reading. Everyone, open part 1 of the script.”

-Flip, flip.

Soon, the flustered actors quickly spread their scripts. Even while doing so, they sneakily glanced at Woojin, embarrassed.

“Who is he? Do you know?”

“No, it’s my first time seeing him. Is he an unknown?”

“An unknown… He’s too unknown though. I know a bit about the theater world but he’s completely unfamiliar.”

Everyone had the same opinion.

“Doesn’t PD Song rarely cast unknowns or rookies?”

“Exactly, on top of that, isn’t the role of ‘Park Dae-ri’ a supporting role? They gave that to an unknown? That’s crazy.”

Of course, the actors sitting around Kang Woojin greeted him as well.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kang Woojin? Have you done theater?”

“Hello, I haven’t done theater.”

“You have a nice voice, is this your first work?”

“Yes. It’s my first work.”

Kang Woojin maintained a serious demeanor. Since, he didn’t know much, so his answers had to be as brief as possible. However, this was evaluated differently by the surrounding actors.

“Why is his reaction so stiff? He hasn’t caught the star disease already, has he?”

“He looks decent… Isn’t that just his personality?”

“I was quite looking forward to ‘Park Dae-ri,’ but the acting itself might be a bit bland.”

“But if PD Song has cast him, he’ll at least have the basics down, right?”

“As long as he does the basics, it’s okay.”

At this point, PD Song man-woo said,

“Let’s start with the introductions.”

The script reading officially started.

A moment later.

The introductions of the production team and actors went around once. There was a bit of awkwardness during Kang Woojin’s introduction, but the introduction time ended smoothly.

The start of the reading was from PD Song Man-woo’s narration.

“S#1. A forest, morning. Police are all over the forest.”

‘Profiler Hanrang’ was a story set in 2010

Although it had not been written to completion yet, the plan was to connect four episodes into 16 parts in total. Among them, ‘Park Dae-ri’ was a key character in the first episode. He was also the character who opened the lid that ran through the main theme of the entire drama.

The first scene, a male body in his 50s is discovered in the mountains.

That’s where the male lead Ryu Jung-min, appears. He played the role of ‘Yu Ji-hyeong’ a profiler. He had the brain of a genius but was called ‘Yu Hanryang’ because he was a slacker by nature.

With the appearance of ‘Yu Hanryang’, he says his lines.

“Ah- The state of the body is not great. I came here after having breakfast.”

The next to appear is Hong Hye-yeon. She plays the role of ‘Jeong Yeon-hee’, a passionate detective. She was set up as a hard-nosed detective who chases persistently once she gets a hold on something.

As soon as Jeong Yeon-hee sees Yu Ji-hyeong, she frowns.

“Why is Mr. Yu Hanryang here? Isn’t there anyone else?”

“There aren’t many profilers nationwide, are there? If you’re so bothered, why don’t you do it, Detective Jeong. I’m going to go eat dessert.”

“Ha- ridiculous.”

The two seem to know each other well and started bickering. Behind them, the male body. Other actors join the scene. The atmosphere for the script reading quickly becomes serious, as the actors who are well-known for their acting skills exchange lines they have each analyzed.

“When is the estimated time of death?”

“It looks like last night.”

“What’s that red thing under the nails?”

“It’s nail polish.”

“Nail polish? What kind of hobby does this old man have?”

The actors carry on with their performance in full spirit, even though it’s just a script reading. The intensity is palpable. However,

‘Hmm-‘

Kang Woojin was subtly shaking his head while watching the actors’ performances.

‘That actor. It feels like he’s delivering his lines somewhat carelessly.’

Because in his sight, this wasn’t a reading room, it was the world of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ part 1 unfolding. Kang Woojin had already experienced the lives of each role. The character who just delivered his lines, the one currently muttering his lines, and the one preparing his lines.

In fact, he was capable of the most candid acting among any of the actors present at this script reading session.

‘No, that part needs emphasis. The character is supposed to be desperate, right? Why are they delivering the lines so flatly?’

Sure enough.

“Tae-san, your lines were too bland just now. Please add some intensity.”

Just like Woojin was inwardly disappointed, PD Song man-woo calmly pointed out the actor’s shortcoming. Woojin inwardly responded,

‘See, I knew it. That actor’s expression has been strange from the beginning, right?’

At the same time, writer Park Eun-mi, who had a hairband on, scolded Jang Taesan, who was playing the supporting role.

“Tae-san, have you properly analyzed your character? I don’t know why you seem so drained.”

“···I’m sorry, I was trying to analyze it differently. I’ll try to do it properly.”

Everything was as Kang Woojin had thought. Of course, he didn’t know about the female roles. But it didn’t matter much for the role of Park Dae-ri, which was mostly paired with male roles. Woojin, maintaining his poker face, was fully tense, but he began to enjoy the script reading session.

Comparing the performances of the actors to what he had personally experienced. Sometimes he wanted to jump in himself.

‘It’s not supposed to be done that way. I almost said.’

It was like the feeling of secretly playing with dirt during free time on the playground. Suddenly, Woojin felt it. Ah, is this what they call ambition for a role? Meanwhile, in the middle of ‘Profiler Hanryang’, a twist that shakes the plot unfolds.

It starts with a line from profiler Yu Ji-hyeong.

“Can you look at this? The red nail polish, the clothes only taken off the upper body, murder weapon, and arranging the posture casually before the body stiffens after killing. Weren’t there similar methods used in the past? Among unsolved cases.”

It turns out that the method and modus operandi of this murder is the same as the still unsolved case, the serial killer who created five bodies in the past. So, the whole country is turned upside down. Here’s Jeong Yeon-hee’s line.

“In 2004…he vanished. But he’s back after 6 years?”

“We’re not sure yet, but it looks like his work, right? It feels like a flashy comeback?”

“Talking about a comeback. But why suddenly now?”

As the middle of Part 1 is crossed, the tension in the drama gradually intensifies. Of course, due to the performances of the actors, the atmosphere in the script reading session is hot.

It was at that moment.

“Fade out.”

PD Song man-woo turned a page of the script and pointed to the next character.

“A quiet park. Ah, Woojin.”

In the latter part of Part 1, Park Dae-ri makes his appearance.

“Park Dae-ri’s first appearance is a solo act without any partner, so just capture the feel a bit and do it moderately. Let’s match the tone of the plot progression.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll do it moderately.”

However, Woojin, who lacks experience, doesn’t understand what ‘moderately’ means. What level of ‘moderate’ is he talking about? Is he suggesting to cut back on expressions? Or is he asking him to do it carelessly? Woojin didn’t know. Although he didn’t know, Woojin made a rough conclusion.

‘Phew- I’m nervous. I’m sitting down anyway, so I’ll keep my movements minimal, and express myself properly, what else.’

Performing in front of more than a hundred people, let alone in a place filled with actors, was a first for Woojin. His heart felt like it would burst, but he couldn’t let it show. Act as calmly as possible, as relaxed as possible. Just think about the imposing Park Dae-ri.

He solely focused on the experiences he had seen, observed, and felt as Park Dae-ri. ‘moderately’ reducing the movement a little.

In doing so, the focused and attentive Kang Woojin became Park Dae-ri. He didn’t gradually get into character. In an instant, Kang Woojin’s aura changed. This wasn’t a difficult process for Woojin.

He had read and experienced it over dozens of times, had experienced it, understood it, and digested it.

Suddenly, the scene before Woojin’s eyes changed. The hundreds of people had all disappeared, and a peaceful daytime park was spread out before him. The hot temperature of the reading room turned into sunshine, touching his skin. The temperature was warm.

Now, Park Dae-ri’s expression was gentle.

It was not at the level of being full of vitality. It was just that Kang Woojin was Park Dae-ri. No, it doesn’t matter which one. There’s nothing different anyway.

-Swish.

Park Dae-ri raised his head. A smile spread across Park Dae-ri’s face, which was gentle but haggard. It was a strange expression. His eyes were dark yet subtly gleamed with madness.

It was enough to cause discomfort.

At this moment, Park Dae-ri, who had been staring at a point in mid-air, suddenly erased his expression. The peculiar smile from a moment ago was nowhere to be found. His face was completely smooth without a single wrinkle. Why? It was a puzzling change. Park Dae-ri smiled again. It was slightly different from before, just enough to reveal a bit of his teeth.

There was a slight gap in the visible smile.

This gap was subtle, but it hid meaning. Veteran actors wouldn’t miss this. The actors watching Park Dae-ri were opening their mouths. They had never seen such an expression anywhere.

Even Hong Hye-yeon, who was staring at Park Dae-ri so as not to miss a thing, was no exception.

‘He doesn’t care about the tension, he’s overflowing with composure. It feels even more… profound than before? How did he prepare for part 2? Ah, I can’t wait to see.’

The writer Park Eun-mi, who created Park Dae-ri, was no exception either.

‘Showing off to these top actors… it’s even clearer than before. He’s really insane. Is he continually improving??’

The chief PD Song man-woo, who oversees the entire direction, was no exception either.

‘I guess he doesn’t care about the gaze of hundreds of people. Because his self-esteem is in the sky. No matter what, ah, monitor, I want to see it on the monitor right now, that thing.’

Then Park Dae-ri lowered his head and raised it again. He then scanned the actors. To the right, to the left. The emotions he had built up were making it impossible for them to take their eyes off him.

Soon.

-Swish.

Park Dae-ri’s intense eyes reached a point. It was Ryu Jung-min, the male lead, whose eyes were filled with shock. No, more accurately, near him. Then Park Dae-ri tilted his head slightly, and a smile crept up his stiff face.

He was smiling, but his eyes were static.

Anticipation envelops the thrill and pleasure.

After looking intently at the area near Ryu Jung-min for a few seconds, Park Dae-ri’s mouth opened slightly.

“Ah, there you are. Bastard.”

At this moment, the target of Park Dae-ri, the male lead Ryu Jung-min.

“…Sociopath.”

He, who experienced Kang Woojin for the first time, muttered to himself unknowingly.

“Is that acting is what you call ‘moderate’?”

*****

TL Note:

1) Hanryang means playboy/loafer etc

*****