Chapter 171: Stranger (1)

Chapter 171: Stranger (1)

Kang Woojin looked towards the entrance of the arrival hall, the same one he had come to during the Male Friend' schedule in the past. It was his second visit, but it still didn't feel familiar.

Moreover,

Today, Hwalin is not here either.'

Unlike when he came to Japan for the Male Friend' schedule, Kang Woojin was alone this time. The difference between having a colleague around or not was palpable through his heartbeat.

Ugh, I feel somewhat nervous.'

The tension was high. It was because Choi Sung-gun had mentioned that, just like before, the media and fans would swarm in. A lot had changed in a short period. In Japan, Male Friend' and Ame-talk Show!' had been huge hits, and The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' had shaken the whole of Japan.

What about the Kang Woojin's Alter Ego' channel with 6 million subscribers?

Kang Woojin was indeed comparable to popular actors contributing to the Hallyu wave in Japan. Anyway, before entering the arrival hall, Woojin checked his appearance. His makeup and hair were perfect, thanks to a visit to the salon early morning. His outfit was a black trench coat.

It feels somewhat awkward.'

Regardless, Kang Woojin, surrounded by dozens of staff and guards,

-Swish.

passed through the gates of the arrival hall.

At the same time,

Wow- shit, what's this! This is crazy!'

Kang Woojin was inwardly taken aback. The reason was simple.

Kang Woojin! Kang Woojin!!!

Will you be heading straight to the script reading of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger'?!!

How do you feel about the popularity of Male Friend'?!!

Look here!! Please, look here!!

Kang Woojin! What do you think about working with Japanese actors!!

The mouths of hundreds of journalists crammed against the fence spewed Japanese like crazy.

Is it true that you've been in contact with a Japanese agency regarding a transfer??!

Naturally, the camera flashes went off incessantly.

-Papapapapak!

-Papapapapapak!!

Despite having experienced this before, Woojin, with his stoic expression, felt dizzy. Honestly, he hadn't expected this level of attention. However, he had to pull himself together. He reminded himself to just stick to the concept. Falling here would be a disaster.

With a deep poker face, Woojin

-Swish.

greeted with a hand wave towards the journalists. Although the hand gesture seemed a bit awkward at a glance, it didn't seem to be a big issue to others, and as evidence, the monstrous screams of fans enveloping the journalists engulfed the arrival hall.

Kyaaaak!!

Kang Woojin! Kang Woojin!!!

Male Friend' was so fun!!

Please, look over here!! I'm a BJ, say hello to the viewers! Kyak! Don't push!

I watch your YouTube channel a lot!!

While they were all mostly in Japanese, occasionally some awkward Korean was heard too.

Oppa! I love you, oppa!!

The fans were mixed men and women, but women were overwhelmingly in the majority. Naturally, this was the aftermath of the still hugely popular Male Friend'. Kang Woojin's name constantly appearing on Japanese SNS and communities, and Woojin's OST proudly hanging in the upper ranks of Japan's Oricon chart, made the current situation quite understandable.

Regardless,

Hello- Thank you.

After briefly greeting the journalists and fans, Kang Woojin quickly made his way to a van waiting on the roadside outside Haneda Airport. Meanwhile, the journalists and fans continued to follow Woojin and his group closely.

Soon after,

-Vroom!

A line of three vans started moving one after another. Among them, in the van Kang Woojin boarded, exclaims from stylists including Han Ye-jung burst out.

Amazing! What's with Woojin oppa's popularity??!

Agreed!! At this rate, he's definitely on par with quite a few idols, isn't he??!

Did you see the BJ among the fans? Male Friend' must really be a hit in Japan!

Wasn't it similar to when you came with Hwalin~ssi??

There were a lot of Korean journalists too!

To the composed Kang Woojin, they fired off celebratory shots. Well, Woojin was also dancing a lively shoulder dance inwardly. He just maintained solemnity on the outside.

At that moment,

Woojin.

Choi Sung-sun in the passenger seat turned around to call Kang Woojin. It was for a briefing.

We've added a few Japanese schedules while you're here for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' script reading, remember?

Yes, I remember.

Choi Sung-gun flipped through a page of his diary.

Yes, after the script reading of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger', there's a brief interview with PD Shinjo related to the Ame-talk Show!'. This will be aired on the main broadcast of Ame-talk Show!' and on YouTube, and for Male Friend', we've scheduled about an hour of shooting at Netflix Japan Studio. Male Friend' has exploded in popularity in Japan beyond our expectations.

It was a schedule of at least three days. Though Japan is close, it is still a foreign country, and it made sense to handle everything in one trip.

And there's also a fan signing event organized by Netflix Japan. Well, it's not huge in scale. Still, I think easily a hundred fans will show up.

Ah? Japanese fans? Thinking about it, this would be his first face-to-face interaction with Japanese fans. He was equipped with Japanese language skills, so there shouldn't be a big problem, but Woojin felt a bit nervous recalling the fan signing event with Japanese fans.

Is it different from Korean fans? Probably the same, right?'

Despite the many questions bursting inside, Woojin's outward solemnity deepened.

No problem.

Hey! You!

Can I shake hands with him and hug him??

There were also male actors who quietly assessed Kang Woojin's acting.

His acting is fascinating.

Is it?

He seemed like a different person for each role, to an extreme extent.

Really?

Whether he can show the same level of performance in Japan is uncertain.

Everyone seemed like guests waiting for a party.

About an hour later, at the Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel'.

The exterior and lobby of Tokyo's Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel' were incredibly noisy. Most of the commotion was due to the massive number of journalists stationed, but hotel guests and staff also crowded around one of the halls.

Why?

Because many celebrities were entering the hall one after another. Therefore, the flashes from journalists' cameras were going off non-stop.

-Papapapapak!

-Papapapapapapak!

Looking at the scene, one might think it was not a script reading but a mega-scale party. Inside the hall, many people had already taken their seats. In the center of the spacious hall, a U-shaped table was set up. The table with name tags of actors was filled with actors, and around them were the actors' staff and the film production crew.

Along with dozens of journalists and officials.

Even though not everyone had arrived yet, the number easily exceeded a hundred. At the front side of the U-shaped table.

-[Role of Iyota Kiyoshi / Kang Woojin]

Kang Woojin was not yet visible.

At that moment,

-Swish.

Into the crowded hall entered two titans.

Director~nim! How are you!

Author~nim, It's an honor meeting you in person!

It was Kyotaro Tanoguchi, the director with a head full of gray hairs, and Akari, the bespectacled author of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger'. With their arrival, many seated actors and staff members stood up to greet them eagerly. The focus of the journalists intensified significantly.

Ha ha ha, yes. How have you been, Author~nim? This here is Mana Kosaku, the one I told you about.

Of course, I know. Nice to meet you, Mana~ssi.

It's an honor, Author~nim.

Introductions and greetings took place dozens of times. However, this didn't last long because of what erupted from the mouths of about a dozen journalists.

Oh- oh, here they come.

Eh?

Chairman Hideki Yoshimura! He's here.

What?!

Chairman Hideki, resembling an old lion, appeared with his secretaries. His entrance turned the hall upside down in an instant. The outside was also in a frenzy, judging by the commotion. The pouring flash of cameras, top actors with eyes wide open, frozen staff, murmuring production crew, etc.

No one expected Chairman Hideki to actually show up.

In contrast, Chairman Hideki, who was quietly observing the entire hall, was brimming with composure. He approached Director Kyotaro with a wrinkled smile.

How have you been, Director~nim?

Fine, of course, thank you for coming.

Next, Chairman Hideki exchanged glances with Author Akari.

I really enjoy your works, Author~nim. It's an honor.

The honor is mine. Thank you for lending us the place.

I've also enjoyed The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' as a book, so I'm looking forward to it a lot.

Following that, Chairman Hideki exchanged handshakes with the main actors. Somehow, he was overwhelming everyone, not intentionally though. His presence was that commanding. Truly, an owner of a conglomerate ranked within the top 10.

Then,

Excuse me.

A strange yet fluent Japanese voice came from the entrance of the hall. It was a low but atmospheric male voice. As a result, not just Chairman Hideki and Director Kyotaro, but everyone in the hall turned their attention.

At the entrance stood Kang Woojin with a nonchalant expression.

I was delayed due to traffic from the airport.

Woojin, who instantly captured everyone's attention, saw Director Kyotaro moving towards him. Interestingly,

-Swish.

Chairman Hideki, quicker than Director Kyotaro, was the first to extend his hand to Kang Woojin.

I've been waiting for you.

Waiting? Why would Chairman Hideki wait? Director Kyotaro showed a subtle smile as if to say as expected,' and everyone in the hall, including Author Akari, widened their eyes. It was incomprehensible that the head of a leading conglomerate would wait for a Korean actor he's meeting for the first time.

Then, Kang Woojin, with a poker face,

muttered to himself while shaking hands with Chairman Hideki. Of course, inwardly.

Who is this old man again?'

*****

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