The first screening of ‘Drug Dealer’. To be exact, a test and blind screening has begun. Thanks to this, the male lead of ‘Drug Dealer’, Jin Jae-joon, the main actors, director Kim Do-hee, the cinematographer, the key staff, and the film company staff, including Kang Woo-jin who made a cameo, all of the 30 people in attendance were focused on the screen in front of the sound studio.
-[And Kang Woojin]
Kang Woo-jin’s name, which had just appeared on the screen, disappeared like smoke, and suddenly a powerful beat that you would hear in a club started to ring out from the magnificent music.
-♬♪
The screen that was showing black showed a nightclub. It was not the present, but the past. The numerous people dancing to the music were similar, but their appearance and clothes had a strong old-fashioned feel. It was natural. The era of ‘Drug Dealers’ was 1999.
The place is Busan.
Soon, the angle moves to follow the back of the waiter carrying the drinks. The place where the waiter arrived was a room, and the screen showed a man and woman who were drunk. What was set up in this room was not just any liquor. It was liquor mixed with drugs that were being distributed to Busan.
So the men and women who were hanging out together in the room lost their minds.
At that moment, the door to the room suddenly opened.
[“You idiots, you’re having fun.”]
A man with a cigarette in his mouth appeared. He was a detective. The main character of ‘Drug Dealer’ played by Jin Jae-joon, ‘Jung Sung-hoon’. Jung Sung-hoon on screen had a very angry vibe, and he took a long drag on his cigarette and suddenly shouted.
[“Where’s the CEO’s son?! Dongtae! Hey hey Kim Dongtae!!”]
The angle changes immediately. The screen quickly changes from the back of a man in a suit running away to Jeong Seong-hun in front of the room. The man who arrived is begging Jeong Seong-hun.
[“Oh my- Detective, if you’re here, why don’t you just come to me? Why are you picking my butt? Come here. I’ll get you a pack of cigarettes.”]
A man shoves something into Jeong Seong-hoon’s pocket. What could it be? Money. The angle is a close-up of Jeong Seong-hoon, who is grinning wickedly.
[“Why are my pockets a little lighter?”]
A man who puts more money in the other pocket.
[“Okay, I put a lot of weight in it, so let’s go get some coffee together. Okay? I called you guys with thick butts.”]
Jeong Seong-hoon is forcibly dragged by a man. No, he pretends to be dragged. Here, the screen goes black. Suddenly, a news anchor’s voice is heard.
[“Drug dealers are on the rise in Busan.”]
Then, a scene from the news is displayed on the screen, with white subtitles underneath. It explains the situation in 1999. From here, the speed of ‘Drug Dealer’ gradually increases.
So the ‘drug dealer’ increases his speed.
As characters are gradually added from Jeong Seong-hun’s perspective, incidents explode here and there.
A feeling of intense tension and urgency.
‘Drug Dealer’ has reached the middle of a story that is hard to take your eyes off. At this point, the screen shows a dark sky and soon it starts to rain. The sound of rain is strong.
-Shoooooooo
Then the screen changed. The driver’s seat of the last of the four sedans opened and a man in a suit got out. He had no tie and the top button on his neck was undone, so a tattoo of ‘Lee Sang-man’ was visible on his chest. The boss of the ‘Sangman faction’.
Kang Woo-jin’s first appearance.
-♬♪
The theme song of Lee Sang-man that is immediately popular. Heavy and cruel, but somehow lonely movie music. At that moment, Woo-jin sits with his legs crossed in the middle of the studio.
“······”
There was no change in his indifferent expression, but inside he was getting excited.
‘Eww! It’s me!’
Although I did check it on the director’s monitor while filming, the embarrassment was dozens of times greater when I actually saw the finished product on the screen.
Even then.
‘······Well, it’s kind of cool, isn’t it?’
He falls into a bit of narcissism. On the other hand, the rest of the people except Woojin, who is the person involved, were busy whispering quietly from the first appearance of Lee Sangman.
“Sure – it kills the character of Lee Sang-man.”
In particular, people in the film industry were very vocal.
“At first, it was fast and then slow, but in the middle, only the abnormalities appeared, so the immersion really increased.”
“I guess the director was aiming for that.”
These reviews became more shocking as ‘Drug Dealer’ entered its second half. This was due to the change in Lee Sang-man, who gradually lost his charisma and died.
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“Your acting is crazy.”
“It might be because of the makeup, but the expression of Lee Sang-man going crazy while in high spirits is really······ugh.”
“Woojin is so hot right now. If he does it well, he’ll be considered one of the best villain characters of all time.”
“If my acting is like that, after the movie comes out, there might be a controversy about whether Woojin has done drugs or not?”
It could be said that it was almost overwhelming.
“Hey- no way.”
back.
The distributor of ‘Drug Dealer’, which finished its blind screening, immediately started preparing for its release.
『[Movie Talk] Final stages of post-production, Jin Jae-jun, Kang Woo-jin, and more ‘Drug Dealer’ to be released in October at the earliest! / Photo』
Along with securing theaters, a planned promotional schedule was launched. At the same time, trailers and related videos for ‘Drug Dealer’ were released simultaneously.
-【[Drug Dealer]】Official 1st Trailer｜ENG SUB
Of course, the Japanese side was still noisy with the ‘strange parasite’.
『’Stranger’, what is the lead role played by “Kang Woo-jin”? Rumors spread around the community』
Time melts. I mean Kang Woojin’s time.
It was partly because of the Japanese schedule that the schedule was piled up, but there were also many schedules that were added to the issues that were getting stronger day by day. That’s why Kang Woo-jin didn’t have time or leisure to feel relieved even though the recent blind preview of ‘Drug Dealer’ went well. The schedules were piling up like a tidal wave. First of all, there were the delayed advertisement filmings.
『[Star Talk] ‘Maxnald’, which saw great advertising effects with Kang Woo-jin, “Confirmed contract extension with Kang Woo-jin”』
There were more than one or two advertisements for newly contracted clothing, including ‘Maxnald’, which changed from a short-term model to a long-term model. The advertising world could not leave Woojin, currently number one in Korea in terms of topicality, alone.
『’Advertising Blue Chip’ Kang Woo-jin, Achieves 1st Place in Brand Reputation in August!』
In total, Kang Woo-jin has signed over 10 commercial contracts, both long-term and short-term. Even.
『[Fact Check] Clothing Brands Target ‘Issue Monster’ Kang Woo-jin, Will It Sell Out If He Wears It?』
The response to the products that Kang Woo-jin modeled for was also very good. Especially in the clothing sector. This is where Han Ye-jeong’s abilities were demonstrated, as the jackets and jeans advertised and sponsored on Woo-jin’s SNS achieved enormous sales.
thus.
-Kang Woojin’s jeans seem to be of good quality lol
-Yesterday, I bought a mountain jacket from Kang Woojin.jpg
Among the general public, there has been a phenomenon in which the name ‘Kang Woo-jin’ is attached to products. In fact, if you search for ‘Kang Woo-jin jeans’, the product will be searched.
『From the first appearance to now, ‘Crazy Walk’, how many advertisements? What is Kang Woo-jin’s expected income?』
So, Woojin’s bank account was bound to accumulate more and more money. However, Kang Woojin had no time to spend the money.
“I’m going to record two songs today, and I’m going to select four songs in total for the video, one in English and one in Japanese! Please be as relaxed as you always are!”
“Yes, PD.”
“If I have time, I’ll also film a short communication video to upload.”
Filming of a video for the channel ‘Kang Woo-jin’s sub-character’, which has over 1 million subscribers, or the post-production recording of ‘Nam Sa-chin’, which is currently in the middle of editing.
『[Drama Pick] Netflix’s short film project ‘Namsachin’, short but extraordinary in Korea and Japan』
There were so many promotional schedules for ‘Nam Sa-chin’ both online and offline, photo shoots for magazines, fan signing events with strong promotional intent, etc. that it was impossible to list them all.
『Kang Woo-jin waving to fans at an event related to ‘Nam Sa-chin’ / Photo』
A week passed by in the blink of an eye.
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Monday, September 8, Tokyo, Japan.
The location is the headquarters of the large company Kashihi Group. The office is right next to the chairman’s office at the top. This is the secretary’s office. A woman sitting upright at the desk in the secretary’s office catches the eye. She is Chairman Hideki’s chief secretary. Her eyes are big and she has a generally upright image. Her name is Tetsukawa Riri.
She is in her mid-30s and has been assisting Chairman Hideki for over 10 years. As a result, there are few people in the Kashihi Group who do not know her.
In front of her like that.
“hmm-”
There were transparent files lying around. They were materials on Kang Woo-jin, Director Kyotaro, and others that had been investigated by order of Chairman Hideki. However, even though it had been a week since the order was given, she did not move at all.
The reason was simple.
Because Chairman Hideki changed his orders. Then, Lili tapped the transparent file with her index finger and crossed her legs. Then, she recalled the time when Chairman Hideki changed his orders. It all started when she reported the investment problem of ‘Strange Life’ to Chairman Hideki.
Oddly enough, Chairman Hideki was sensitive to the issue of ‘strange parasites’, but soon regained his composure when he realized that the reason was money.
Then he said one word.
“It seems like if it’s money, there’s no problem.”
Then Chairman Hideki calmly began to identify the problem.
“But why did the investment issue come up?”
“It is not certain because the ‘stranger’ side is keeping quiet and it has not been revealed on the outside.”
“I know, I’m just telling you what you think.”
“···It seems that Kang Woo-jin, who you asked to find out about the timing, was the beginning.”
“Are investors reluctant to accept him? Well, the more noise he makes, the more likely it is that there will be opposition.”
“Yes. There has been a noticeable increase in complaints from fans of the original ‘Stranger’. After all, it’s not common to use a Korean actor, especially a new one, as the lead.”
“Maybe he didn’t like the fact that I was a Korean actor in the first place. Maybe his pride was hurt. Maybe he resists change.”
Chairman Hideki clicked his tongue, as if he didn’t like it.
“Why don’t you know that the more you do that, the more it becomes difficult?”
“However, considering Director Kyotaro Tanokuchi’s high standing in Japan, the power of the original work ‘The Stranger’, and the overlapping issues, I believe the investment issue can be resolved.”
“How long do you think it will take to resolve this?”
“It could be as short as a few months or as long as half a year.”
“Hmm. It’s clear that there has been a hitch in the plan. There’s also a possibility of a fall.”
Chairman Hideki, who was rubbing his chin, recalled his grandson’s smiling face.
“You will be disappointed.”
“yes?”
“No, but rather, how much was the total production cost of ‘The Stranger’?”
“Based on what I’ve checked, it’s a little under 20 billion.”
“What’s missing?”
“I estimate it will be around 10 billion.”
“I see.”
Chairman Hideki nodded slowly and muttered something to himself about Kang Woojin.
“I guess this is enough of a thank you. You, quietly contact the ‘Stranger’ film company and tell them I’ll pay you the money.”
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Lili blinks her eyes.
“···Do you have any plans to expand your cultural business?”
“Well, not right away, but surprisingly, business can grow in unexpected places.”
It was a completely difficult thing to understand, but Chairman Hideki was such an eccentric person that he quickly shut his mouth.
“Okay, I’ll get moving right away.”
At this time.
“Ah- wait a minute.”
Chairman Hideki, who was gently brushing his white eyebrows, called Lily again.
“Rather than intervening right away, it would be better to give it some time and let it form a curve. Since I’m going to express gratitude anyway, it would be better to increase the results several times.”
Soon, Chairman Hideki began to laugh softly and mutter to himself. It was because a different calculation had been made.
“Since it’s a film directed by Kyotaro Tanokuchi, investors will come even if it’s late. But if that happens, Nana’s situation will become too vague. I have to make it alone. So that I can focus.”
Indeed, even though he is old, he is the one who brought the Kashihi Group up, so his brain works very quickly.
“A twist, no, a method to increase the firepower of ‘Stranger’ while firmly imprinting my face, and insert a bigger background than now.”
Then, Chairman Hideki slowly raised his head and met Lili’s eyes. His voice was calm.
“We should leak that secret investment issue to the world from our side.”
“yes?”
“They are telling us to stir up controversy over ‘The Stranger’ because the media and public opinion love crises.”
“Thinking about noise marketing.”
“It’s probably similar. But you shouldn’t let it show. Just let it flow quietly. Just add some firewood and fan it. If you just put the ‘strange person’ on the chopping board like that, it will burn out on its own.”
That was right. The momentum of ‘Stranger’ was already very high.
“Then the investment hole will be blocked even further.”
“···Obviously, you’ll be even more scared than you are now.”
“That’s right. Let’s let it mature for a while. Until the flames of controversy are at their peak. When the time is right, we should complete the picture of pulling ‘Strange Parasite’ out of the pit.”
At this point, a picture had formed in Lili’s head.
“And then do you plan to announce to the world that we will be taking on the investment of ‘Stranger’?”
Chairman Hideki answered in a rough, relaxed voice.
“No. It’s dangerous to confirm anything. Even just spreading vague rumors like “The Kashihi Group is behind ‘The Stranger’” is enough. It’ll just cause confusion. That alone will give us publicity power that is several times greater than what we have now. Just us or ‘The Stranger’.”
“Are you going to keep asking?”
“Well, well. It’s not too late to do that after seeing the results of ‘The Stranger’. If the results aren’t that great, ask, and if they’re good, you can announce them. The image of investing in a challenging cultural industry. Not bad.”
Chairman Hideki’s changed instructions were thrown out with a faint smile.
“Han- Wait a week. In the meantime, solidify the information on the ‘strange’ side. You can throw in the firewood and leak it yourself next week. Focus on the major media outlets. Just enough to make a fuss.”
Here, Lili is back in her seat again. That is, back to reality. She checks the date displayed on her laptop. It has been exactly one week since the chairman’s instructions.
Soon, she picked up her cell phone.
-Ugh.
I contacted major media outlets that had already been sprayed with poison.
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“Now will do.”
Later that same day, around lunchtime, an article about ‘Strange Parasite’ appeared on the entertainment page of Japan’s number one portal site.
『[Exclusive] The hot topic “Strange Parasite”, withdrew 10 billion out of the 20 billion investment? Why?』
It was caught on the main page.
Two hours later, Korea. Buyeo.
At around 2 p.m., many staff members were running around the large set of ‘The Island of the Lost’. It wasn’t as many as during the script reading, but there seemed to be at least 40 people. In addition, all the main and supporting actors of ‘The Island of the Lost’ were gathered.
Because we had a teaser poster shoot today.
The teaser poster was different from the official poster. You can think of it as a trailer for the poster. A poster that would be used for promotion during the filming of the movie. The teaser poster was very important. It was the poster that the public would see until the filming was over.
Anyway, by now Kang Woo-jin was riding in a taxi.
‘I think I’ve been waiting for about 30 minutes – how much longer do I have to wait??’
They are waiting because the filming set is in full swing. Of course, all the actors including Ryu Jung-min are the same. What is interesting is Kang Woo-jin’s current outfit.
‘By the way, the military uniform is really dirty. Ugh- I’m going crazy.’
It was a military uniform that was also in Woojin’s house. It was when Woojin frowned at the feeling of the hard military boots and rough military uniform.
-Drunk!
Suddenly, the back door of the van opened and Choi Sung-geon with his long hair popped his face out. His expression was a bit serious.
“Woojin, something happened.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s a huge article about ‘strange’ investment funds disappearing from the Japanese side.”
Kang Woo-jin immediately let out a curse inwardly.
‘Ahhh- crazy. Didn’t you say that if it gets revealed, you’ll be screwed??’
At the same time, Choi Sung-geon continues speaking.
“The additional article is spreading and it’s causing chaos now. Just know this for now. We’ll have to wait and see how things turn out. Anyway, the poster shoot will start in 10 minutes, so get ready.”
Seong-geon Choi, who had finished his remarks, closed the car door. Woo-jin quickly picked up the scenario that was nearby. When he picked it up, he saw that it was ‘The Island of the Missing.’ Whatever it was, he was the one who immediately stabbed the black square.
-Phew.
Kang Woo-jin, who had just entered the subspace, quickly moved towards the white square.
“Ah- If I do this, won’t my grade drop even further?”
The ‘strange’ grade that I checked while I was in Japan had dropped from A+ to C. But then the investment problem was thrown into the world.
“D? What if I fall over or something? F too? Tch! This is a bit tricky.”
Woojin, whose complex mind was deepening, immediately confirmed the white square of the ‘strange parasite’. But.
“Huh?”
Woojin blinked his eyes.
“Huh? What is it?”
It was worth it. The grade of ‘Stranger’ that had dropped from an A+ to a C and was even considered a D or F.
-[7/Scenario (Title: Strange Sacrifice of a Stranger), S+ Grade]
Because it suddenly rose to S+ rank.
