The filming of ‘A Stranger’s Bizarre Sacrifice’ was finally over. It felt like a period that was both long and short. The hundred or so staff members couldn’t hide their excitement, each expressing their relief and satisfaction in their own way.
“Everyone, you’ve worked so hard!!”
“Hahaha, it’s over! It’s finally over!”
“Ehhh?? Lighting director, aren’t you a bit too happy?!”
“Hey! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
“Aww, I feel bittersweet! Thank you for your hard work!”
“I think I’ll remember this project for a long time!!”
“It’s a shame it’s over! You all worked so hard!!”
They bowed, smiled happily, teared up slightly, or clapped.
—Clap clap clap clap clap!
The staff from each team congratulated and praised each other. There were especially many shouts directed at the actors. Although Kang Woo-jin was the only actor officially involved in the final scene, all the actors from ‘Strange Geisha’ were present to watch the final filming.
“Woo-jin, thank you!!”
“Thank you for showing us great acting all this time!”
“You were the best again today!”
The actors and staff mingled and exchanged final greetings. The dozens of supporting staff and the actors’ teams were no different. The subway station, which had been rented for the shoot, was bustling with the shouts of over 150 people.
Director Kyotaro, at the monitors, was busy shaking hands with the key staff.
“You’ve worked hard, Director.”
“Hmm. From editing to release, the real work is just beginning, but everyone has worked hard.”
“Haha. Still, you should rest for a few days.”
The ‘Strange Geisha’ set was like the final scene of any movie shoot. Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin, slowly descending the stairs and receiving greetings from numerous staff and actors,
“Woo-jin! Can I get on your YouTube channel? I really want to be on it!”
“If it’s Uramatsu Mihuyu, you’re welcome.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, I’ll check and let you know.”
“Ehh! I’m so happy!”
While maintaining a poker face, he looked around the bustling set. The overflowing crowd. His face might seem like a concept, but it was actually filled with genuine emotion.
‘Hmm—so another project has come to an end like this?’
A strange feeling welled up. It was a feeling of being happy but not being able to fully enjoy it.
And then.
‘This one was a bit intense. Was it because it was filmed in a foreign country?’
Although he had gotten rid of the scent long ago, it felt like the lingering scent of ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ remained. Was it because the filming took place in unfamiliar Japan? Or perhaps it was because many new things were added in the process of playing Kiyoshi.
Piano, character synthesis, freedom of the role, and so on.
It was Kiyoshi and Kang Woo-jin who fully embraced it. He would probably remember it for a long time. When an actor finishes a project, many farewells await, but the farewell with the character is the most prominent.
Especially for Kang Woo-jin, it was even more so.
He was the only one in the world who lived and left the world of the character. It had always been like that, and it was the same this time. Another world had come to an end.
At this point, Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, approached Kang Woo-jin with his team.
“Woo-jin, you’ve worked hard.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Oppa! You’ve done a great job!”
“Another one is over!”
All those who had worked hard because of Woo-jin’s schedule. Kang Woo-jin spoke with a voice that was sincere in its own way. Of course, it was still a very low tone.
“You’ve worked hard, and thank you.”
“Oh my? What’s this? It’s a bit touching?”
“I know, right? It’s a very ordinary line to others, but for some reason, when Woo-jin oppa says it, it hits differently?”
Choi Sung-gun, who was grinning, put his hand on Woo-jin’s shoulder and said,
“One mountain crossed. Now, let’s wrap up the ‘Strange Geisha’ stuff for a few days and finish the recording for ‘Boyfriend: Remake.’ Including the minor schedules, it should take about two weeks.”
He was referring to the voice dubbing, OST [Original Sound Track], and piano recordings for the anime ‘Boyfriend: Remake.’
“Then, we’ll return to Korea and finish up ‘Leech.’”
Soon, the stylists groaned.
“Aaaah—a movie just ended, but why doesn’t it feel like there’s less work??”
“Oppa, aren’t you tired? Seriously, if you finish all the remaining work, you should rest for at least a year.”
“Not really.”
“Wow—you’re the only one who’s energetic! A robot! A monster!”
Director Kyotaro, wearing a hat pulled low, approached Kang Woo-jin, who was talking with the staff. At the same time, the stylists cleared a path, and Director Kyotaro, who had come to see Woo-jin, extended his hand.
“It’s not completely over yet, but you’ve worked hard, Woo-jin. And thank you. I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
Kang Woo-jin, who took his hand, bowed his head.
“I’m the one who learned a lot.”
After that, the bustling ‘Strange Geisha’ set entered the final wrap-up phase. Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin murmured softly, looking at the ‘Strange Geisha’ set and the staff.
“It was fun.”
The next day, the 29th. A late morning. Japan.
From the morning, the Japanese broadcasting industry, production companies, and various areas of the entertainment industry were buzzing. Especially the film companies and production companies.
“I heard ‘Strange Geisha’ finished filming yesterday.”
“Ah, is that so? It was noisy from the start, but it’s finally wrapping up, as expected of the master director Tanoguchi Kyotaro.”
“Yeah, considering the number of problems that occurred. Normally, they would have been pressured by public opinion and industry momentum to stop.”
The rumors of ‘Strange Geisha’ finishing filming yesterday had spread.
“······If it’s a wrap now—it might be pushed to next year, but at the normal pace, it should be released in the second half of this year. If the timing overlaps, it’ll clash with us.”
“Probably.”
‘Strange Geisha’ was very famous throughout the Japanese entertainment industry. First of all, it was the next project of the Japanese master director Kyotaro, and it was based on the original work of the prominent writer Akari. The sudden recruitment of the Korean actor Kang Woo-jin, and so on. There hadn’t been a quiet day from the start until now.
“CEO! Did you hear?? ‘Strange Geisha’ finished filming yesterday!”
“I know, I heard.”
“It was so precarious, like it was going to fall apart, but it’s finally wrapping up. How will the results be? The public’s interest is high, so it seems like it’ll have a good start.”
“Well, we’ll have to see when it’s released. The fact that the original work is by Akari, the next project of Director Kyotaro, the cast, and the backing of the ‘Kashihi Group.’ Just the background alone is enough for 10 million viewers, but—”
The reaction of the Japanese industry was mixed. Some were wary of it as a competitor, while others were looking forward to it as part of the same industry.
“······Isn’t 10 million difficult? Considering the current trend.”
“Personally, I hope that movie gets 10 million. Or, even if it doesn’t, I hope it gets the highest possible score. It’s been about 10 years since a pure movie, not an animation, achieved that score. It’s time for the market to change.”
“I understand that ‘Strange Geisha’ will be released in both Japan and Korea.”
“I hope it does well in both countries. That way, manga live-action movies and anime theatrical releases will slow down a bit, and the pure movie industry will get some breathing room.”
If you think about it, ‘Strange Geisha’ is also a work with an original source, but it’s closer to a proper movie with the director’s adaptation and a well-written scenario. However, the Japanese drama and movie scene was already dominated by theatrical anime releases. It was no exaggeration to call them the overlords.
It had been over 10 years since a pure movie had achieved decent results in Japan.
Conversely, theatrical anime releases had been soaring in the last three years alone. Two years ago, there was even a theatrical anime that surpassed 18 million viewers.
‘Strange Geisha’ had to penetrate that needle hole.
Generally, the assessment was that the possibility was very low.
Whatever the case, it was clear that it was the hottest project in Japan.
『The much-talked-about “Strange Geisha” finishes filming yesterday』
The Japanese media quickly reported the news of ‘Strange Geisha’ finishing filming. This issue quickly spread from the media to public opinion. The next topic was on social media. Since the power of ‘#KangWooJin’ had been strong recently, the sharing was instantaneous, like a fire on dry wood.
YouTube also added to the fire. Soon, an unspecified number of Japanese people were busily moving their fingers.
-I’ll definitely watch this movie when it’s released! I’ve only seen anime theatrical releases, so it’s been a while since a real movie is being released!
-So it finally finished filming…. I’m a fan of the original work, so I’m not happy about this movie being released.
-I’m most curious about how Kang Woo-jin will turn out! The voice acting in the anime is interesting, but he’s an actor after all!
-They pushed ahead despite the opposition of many fans of the original work, so the result must be good.
-I hope it’s at least half as good as the original….
-Does it even make sense for a Korean actor to play Iyota Kiyoshi in the first place?
-There’s no reason why not, Kang Woo-jin is already a star in Japan.
-Looking at the reactions, this movie will be noisy in its first week when it’s released anyway.
A fight was already breaking out.
While ‘Strange Geisha’ was rapidly growing into a nationwide issue in Japan, Kang Woo-jin could be found at a Korean restaurant in Shin-Okubo [a vibrant Korean neighborhood in Tokyo].
His schedule for today started at noon.
Therefore, Kang Woo-jin visited a Korean restaurant with his team staff in the late morning. It was to have a late breakfast. However, for some reason, Choi Sung-gun was not to be seen.
As soon as Woo-jin appeared, the gazes of the Japanese customers already in the restaurant naturally exploded.
“Wow! It’s, it’s Kang Woo-jin!”
“Heeeee! It’s real?? It’s really Kang Woo-jin!”
“イケメン!! (Ikemen!! – A handsome man, I’m shocked)”
Even after Woo-jin entered the room, the hall of the Korean restaurant was buzzing with Kang Woo-jin’s name. The restaurant was full of Japanese people due to the Korean wave [Hallyu].
Soon.
“Yo—Woo-jin hyungnim [older brother]!”
The large Jang Su-hwan, who was sitting on a chair, grinned and strongly patted the shoulder of Kang Woo-jin, who was taking off his hat, which was pulled low, right next to him.
“Hyungnim! At this point, you can say that you’re more popular than any of the top Japanese stars!!”
Han Ye-jeong and the stylists also strongly agreed.
“He’s already surpassed them.”
“Completely, completely!! Did anyone see the person in front of the KPOP goods store on the way here?! There was a poster of Woo-jin oppa [older brother]!!”
“Really?!”
Of course, Kang Woo-jin had also seen it out of the corner of his eye. He had even shouted internally, ‘Why is my picture there?!’ At this time, Jang Su-hwan, who was looking at the menu, suddenly showed his phone to Kang Woo-jin.
“Hehe, Japan is Japan, but isn’t the real deal Korea??! Keu—this sight is amazing no matter how many times I see it!!”
What was it? What he showed was the results of ‘Island of the Lost,’ which was dropping a nuclear bomb, including today’s results. ‘Island of the Lost’ had already been released for ten days, and the results up to yesterday, Friday, were released today, Saturday.
[May 28, 2021, Number of Viewers]
[Daily Domestic Box Office]
1. Island of the Lost / Release Date: May 19 / Viewers: 780,115 / Number of Screens: 1159 / Cumulative Viewers: 8,364,234
.
.
.
8 million. It was a huge upheaval beyond shock.
A clear difference from other movies. The winner of the ‘Movie War’ was solidifying as ‘Island of the Lost.’ Now, the only competitor for ‘Island of the Lost’ was the number one Korean movie of all time, ‘Naval Battle.’
Even that, ‘Island of the Lost’ was ahead by about two days.
However, Kang Woo-jin was calm. He had already secretly jumped around in the morning.
“The future is more important. It’s been about 10 days now.”
“But it’s still an insane speed!”
“But oppa! Do you think ‘Island of the Lost’ will beat ‘Naval Battle’??!”
“Definitely.”
“Wow—confidence is exploding.”
Han Ye-jeong said in her unique cold tone.
“It’s understandable, oppa, you can be like that now. You’ve probably heard? Right now, if you ask aspiring actors in the theater scene or acting academies who their role model is, they almost all say Woo-jin oppa.”
“I heard.”
“I heard that when our company was recruiting new people last time, a lot of people gathered, and over 80% said that Woo-jin oppa was their goal. Even at this moment, there will be tons of trainees going to see ‘Island of the Lost.’”
That was actually the case. Woo-jin, who was in Japan, couldn’t confirm it, but in Korea, there were many acting trainees or aspirants watching ‘Island of the Lost’ at this time.
No, they were overflowing.
In university acting departments, Woo-jin’s acting was being added as a mandatory study, and many theater groups and acting academies were also using Kang Woo-jin as a role model for their education. Doing so ignited the trainees’ fighting spirit.
At this time.
—Knock knock.
The food came into the room. Braised short ribs, spicy pork, cold noodles, kimchi stew, and so on. There was a huge amount of food because there were so many people. However, behind the two female employees who were serving, a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the owner of the restaurant came in and smiled.
“This. The spicy braised chicken is on the house! Woo-jin, if you want anything else, just tell me. I’ll give it all to you!”
Kang Woo-jin solemnly shook his head.
“No, you don’t have to do that.”
The female owner replied with a gesture begging him to accept.
“Woo-jin, your popularity in Japan has made my business several times better! And the ‘Kim Jaban Makguksu’ effect too! Please, just eat it!”
Woo-jin was already an icon of national prestige in Japan.
At the same time. Kashihi Group headquarters.
Inside the enormous chairman’s office, a familiar man could be seen on a five-person sofa that looked incredibly expensive. It was Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail. Today, for some reason, he was wearing a white shirt, and several transparent files he had brought were placed on the glass table in front of him.
Next to Choi Sung-gun, on the head seat of the five-person sofa, sat an old man. No, it was Chairman Yoshimura Hideki, who resembled a lion with a thick white mane.
He crossed his arms and spoke in a rough voice, looking at Choi Sung-gun.
“Considering Kang Woo-jin’s momentum—I think it’s about time we set up an overseas branch related to BW Entertainment, what do you think, CEO?”
At that moment, Choi Sung-gun’s eyes widened.
End