Seeing Kang Woo-jin’s younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, stammering, who was also known as ‘Blood Sister’ [a reference to her role as the representative of his fan club], Woo-jin smirked mischievously inside.
‘She’s totally out of it, ah—I really want to tease her.’
It’s most fun to mess with her when she makes that face. If it were the old Kang Woo-jin, he would have said something like, ‘Are you okay? Your face is ugly.’
‘Or I want to tell her not to suddenly flash her face, it’d be hilarious.’
Then Kang Hyun-ah would go wild again. But Woo-jin, recalling the fun of those past moments, had to hold back. With hundreds of fans gathered, he had to maintain a solemn demeanor. In times like these, the concept was a bit of a shame. Anyway, Woo-jin lowered his voice to his dazed sister.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
He pretended not to know. Kang Hyun-ah, her eyes even wider, held out her phone.
“T-this article just came out??”
On her phone, an article that seemed to have just been published was displayed.
『[Star Talk] Kang Woo-jin Included as a Candidate for the ‘Beast’ Role in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Live-Action Adaptation Announced by ‘World Disney Pictures’』
Kang Woo-jin’s expression didn’t change as he read the article. He had already guessed it when Kang Hyun-ah asked if he was a candidate for the ‘Beast’ role. ‘World Disney Pictures’ must have announced the candidate actors.
‘But this is kind of out of the blue again.’
The feeling was similar to when he was cast in ‘Pierrot.’ However, since the original ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is loved worldwide, the impact of this announcement would be on a completely different scale than ‘Pierrot.’ Kang Woo-jin himself thought so.
‘Even I would be surprised if there was a Korean actor among the candidates for the ‘Beast’ role.’
Woo-jin, who didn’t care about the other actors confirmed as candidates, knew without looking. They would be a string of top Hollywood actors. After being lost in thought for a moment, Woo-jin raised his gaze again. To his dazed younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, on her phone. Then, he answered nonchalantly.
“Yeah, that’s right. The article is correct.”
Because his answer was so low-toned, Kang Hyun-ah seemed to accept it naturally, but then.
“Ah—really? I thought you were just a candidate… wait??!! R-really?!!!”
She shrieked. Her scream echoed throughout the department store lobby. Thanks to that, the murmuring of the hundreds of fans gathered grew several times louder. But Woo-jin nodded without panicking.
“Yeah. It’s true.”
“……”
Kang Hyun-ah, her eyes and mouth wide open, froze for a moment before finally managing to speak.
“……Wow.”
From this point on, the fan signing event at the department store, where hundreds had gathered, was turned upside down.
“%&&#^^@*!*!!”
“Woo-jin oppa!*&#%*(#(*%*(#”
“Kyaa!!$*#%*#(%@)(”
The murmuring turned into bizarre screams, echoing loudly. Hundreds of fans were jumping up and down, holding up their phones, and frantically taking pictures of Woo-jin on the stage. It was a situation overflowing with excitement and frenzy. The fan signing event turned into chaos. On the other hand, Woo-jin remained seated, maintaining his cool.
But inside, he was a little scared.
‘Are they suddenly going to rush at me?’
The reaction of the hundreds of fans was that extreme. Seeing it right in front of him, it was natural to flinch. Dozens of guards were struggling to hold them back, but it seemed like only a matter of time.
Around this time.
“Woo-jin-ah.”
Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, who had been talking to the staff behind him, approached Kang Woo-jin. He whispered.
“Let’s clear the area first. I’ve already arranged it, we’ll postpone the fan signing and leave.”
“Yes, CEO.”
Woo-jin, who had put down the fan he was holding, got up from his seat. At his movement, the voices of the hundreds of fans in front and the crowd on the upper floor railings grew even louder. Kang Woo-jin was about to go down the stage when he suddenly stopped. Then, he turned to face the frenzied hundreds of fans and gestured. Asking them to be quiet for a moment.
With the decibel level significantly lowered, Woo-jin opened his mouth.
“You’ve probably seen the articles and news. It’s true that I’ve been selected as a candidate for both ‘Pierrot’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast.'”
He continued calmly.
“I’ll make sure you see articles about me being confirmed for the roles, not just as a candidate.”
Soon, ear-splitting screams filled the department store.
After that.
Around the middle of the new year, Kang Woo-jin once again caused a tsunami in Korea, which was already bustling with various issues. Or rather, it should be said that Hollywood’s ‘World Disney Pictures’ caused it. Without any prior notice, ‘World Disney Pictures’ suddenly announced the candidate actors for the main roles of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’
Kang Woo-jin was listening to it in the van.
“Thank you for your great interest in this live-action adaptation of ‘Beauty and the Beast.'”
Choi Sung-gun, in the passenger seat, was in charge of the briefing. Woo-jin maintained a poker face, but his ears were perked up. Of course, the team members around him were the same.
“We are aware that there are many fan castings for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ circulating on social media and community sites. We also consider this a sign of great affection. Therefore, we are announcing the official candidate actors for the main characters. First, for the role of ‘Belle.'”
From Choi Sung-gun’s mouth, the names of top-tier actresses in Hollywood were listed. Each time a name was called, the team members went ‘Ooh.’ They were that famous. Compared to the team members, Kang Woo-jin’s reaction was lukewarm, but he did react.
‘Ah—who was that actress just called? I’ve heard her name a lot.’
It was similar to Chris Hartnett. He knew she was famous, but he couldn’t quite remember who she was. Then, a familiar name was called from Choi Sung-gun’s mouth.
“Miley Cara.”
Oh? Miley Cara too? That was unexpected. Of course, Woo-jin had seen the fan casting boards circulating on the internet. He also knew that Miley Cara was mentioned a lot. But it was real? He had never heard it directly from her.
‘Coincidence? Well, I guess so?’
Some of the stylists chimed in.
“It seems like Woo-jin oppa and Miley Cara have a deep connection!”
“Right, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ must be a real coincidence. Right? Oppa, you haven’t heard anything, have you?”
“Yeah, I haven’t.”
“But Miley Cara is a perfect fit for ‘Belle.'”
Kang Woo-jin agreed. At this point, Choi Sung-gun recited the candidate actors for the ‘Beast’ role. As expected, top Hollywood actors were named. Among them was a pop singer at the peak of his popularity. Finally.
“And—Kang Woo-jin.”
The team members let out emotional screams. In the meantime, Choi Sung-gun spoke again.
“Wow—the comments on this post are a nuclear bomb.”
Everyone was curious and picked up their phones. Kang Woo-jin did the same. What he said was true. The SNS post that ‘World Disney Pictures’ had uploaded was filled with an enormous number of comments. It was ongoing, and the languages were diverse.
‘Crazy? This is insane, really?’
It easily surpassed tens of thousands of comments. Kang Woo-jin roughly scanned the comments. It was a mess. As expected, there were several times more negative comments at the moment. But this was a picture that Woo-jin had expected, so he didn’t care much. However, Choi Sung-gun and the team members’ expressions were dark.
“……I was prepared for it—but it’s harsh, isn’t it?”
Kang Woo-jin changed the search. First, he accessed the number one search site in Korea. As soon as the page loaded, Kang Woo-jin’s face was plastered on the front page of the news.
『Kang Woo-jin Rises as a Candidate for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Live-Action Adaptation!』
Below that, there were also articles with Kang Woo-jin’s name on them.
『[Issue Talk] Kang Woo-jin, Who Has Once Again Turned the Country Upside Down, Suddenly Announced to Join ‘World Disney Pictures’ Masterpiece ‘Beauty and the Beast’!』
·
·
·
Even at this moment, articles were being produced endlessly. It was a highly stimulating piece of news. Kang Woo-jin, who had already shown insane issue-making power with ‘Pierrot,’ was now attached to ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ which had recently been a hot topic due to its live-action adaptation. Who would have expected that Kang Woo-jin’s name would be included in that work, which was in everyone’s memories?
Behind the scenes, the media and various domestic outlets began to cover this issue exclusively.
『Following ‘Pierrot,’ Now ‘Beauty and the Beast’? What Happened During Kang Woo-jin’s Last Trip to LA?』
Articles, news, radio, etc., Woo-jin’s name was mentioned non-stop all day long. From the end of the year to the new year, Kang Woo-jin’s actions were all unprecedented, so it was natural. Moreover, this one was quite large. Even those who were not very interested in Kang Woo-jin would be wide-eyed.
“Huh? Kang Woo-jin is a candidate for the ‘Beast’ role?? Seriously?”
“Yeah, the articles are out and it’s a mess!”
“Wow—what a twist?! It’s crazy, it’s a bit out of the blue, but I’m shocked!”
“I know!”
“Then what? If Kang Woo-jin passes the audition, he’ll play the ‘Beast’ role? That’s amazing, it’s a bit chilling??”
The momentum didn’t decrease the next day either. Kang Woo-jin was introduced on the morning news, and the number of articles increased several times compared to yesterday. In addition, YouTube also smelled a scoop and was plastered with Kang Woo-jin.
SNS and communities were already saturated.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋCrazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-WhaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋKang Woo-jin is really insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋI was genuinely surprisedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Chilling….Isn’t this seriously history?? A Korean actor being a candidate for two Hollywood major film companies??
-Am I the only one who’s amazed that Kang Woo-jin’s name is among the top Hollywood actors??
-Why are you all just praising him? I’m a bit dumbfoundedㅋㅋㅋHonestly, Kang Woo-jin doesn’t really suit the Beast role
-↑Agreed. They’re getting a lot of hate from overseas for this choiceㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-What nonsense? It’s not even confirmed yet, he’s just a candidate
Naturally, there was a sharp polarization.
-Disney…if he gets the role, his recognition will skyrocket…but he’ll get a lot of hate too…a hot potato…
-No!! Everyone!! A Korean actor is making an impact in Hollywood, why are you all hating on him!! You should be cheering him on!!
-The brainless haters always hate without reasonㅋㅋㅋㅋNo need for anything else, Kang Woo-jin will solve it by overwhelming them with his skills
-But it’s seriously chillingㅋㅋㅋIf Kang Woo-jin gets both Pierrot and Beauty and the Beast…I can’t even imagine it
-Kang Woo-jin’s sync rate is good though? It would be even better if it’s with Cara? He has a good voice and his acting is amazing, right?
·
·
·
·
This atmosphere lasted for several days. The flames were burning fiercely. A nuclear bomb had dropped on Kang Woo-jin’s SNS and YouTube channels. It was no exaggeration to say that everyone, including the domestic entertainment industry, actors, directors, and most of the public, were talking about Kang Woo-jin.
『[Issue Check] The Media and Public Opinion Are All Talking About Kang Woo-jin, Even Though He Broke a Big Scoop Since the New Year, Kang Woo-jin Is Quiet』
Of course, Japan was also buzzing.
“Did you hear?? Kang Woo-jin has been confirmed as a candidate for the live-action movie of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by ‘World Disney Pictures’!”
“Eeeeeh?? Really? Not ‘Pierrot’?”
“What? Isn’t the news too late? Both ‘Pierrot’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ are confirmed!”
“That’s amazing?! I saw ‘Leech’ [a reference to a previous work] a few days ago!”
“Ah—Kang Woo-jin, can’t you make a guest appearance once??”
Woo-jin’s story was frequently featured on Japanese variety shows, and like in Korea, the media was also full of his stories. Although there was a difference in temperature, the Japanese public was also boiling over with the topic of Kang Woo-jin.
And this topic was spreading beyond Hollywood.
『[Overseas Topic] Kang Woo-jin’s Name Spreads to LA, etc., Public Opinion Divided on Whether He Suits ‘Beauty and the Beast’』
It was spreading around the world.
A few days later, on the 18th. DM Production.
The large editing room of DM Production, which was in charge of producing ‘The Benevolent Evil.’ The room was filled with a musty smell. In that editing room, tired editors were huddled together.
“……”
“……”
They were all silently staring at the front, where several monitors were installed. They were frozen except for breathing. However, the man with a beard sitting in the middle was moving. It was Song Man-woo PD [PD stands for Producer Director, a common title in Korean media].
-Tap, tap, tap.
He was smoothly operating the editing equipment. His beard had grown longer, and the dark circles under his eyes were several times darker. Even as Woo-jin’s name was flying around the world, Song Man-woo PD was focused without wavering.
-♬♪
A song was played and then turned off in the editing room. Kang Woo-jin’s face appeared on the monitors and then stopped. After operating the equipment alone for several tens of minutes, Song Man-woo PD.
-Swish.
Suddenly leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
“Hoo—somehow or other.”
The editors swallowed hard and looked at him, and Song Man-woo PD rubbed his face with his dry hands. For about a few seconds. Then, Song Man-woo PD took out his phone and made a call. The signal was short. He opened his mouth as if the other party had answered.
“Yes, General Director.”
On the other end of the phone was Kim So-hyang of Netflix Korea, and whether it was positive or negative, Woo-jin’s name was soaring worldwide.
“The editing is finished.”
The preparations for the launch of ‘The Benevolent Evil’ were complete.