Chapter 280: All Time (11)

Chapter 280: All Time (11)

When Kang Woojin first set foot in the corridor of ‘A10 Studio’ where the reading room was located.

“After Kang Woojin was cast, the buzz certainly shot up, but doesn’t it feel like our voice acting industry is being taken lightly?”

The Japanese voices of two people who appeared to be voice actors immediately reached his ears. They were a few steps ahead, whispering about Kang Woojin. As he slowly followed them, they didn’t notice his presence and continued their gossip. Naturally, the person who understood their conversation most clearly was Kang Woojin himself.

His brow furrowed slightly without showing.

‘What the hell? Talking behind my back?’

Kang Woojin felt a twinge of irritation. It was honestly a scene where it wouldn’t be strange to get angry. However, since he had to maintain his composed persona, he maintained his cynical demeanor for now. He wasn’t suppressing it; he was simply observing how much bullshit they would spew. Regardless, the Japanese voice actors continued to talk enthusiastically about Woojin. At this point, Han Ye-jung, with her blue bob haircut with black tips, who had walked up to Woojin’s side, said coldly.

“Oppa, I think they’re talking about you. In a bad way.”

She wasn’t very proficient, but she could understand some Japanese. This news quickly spread to the stylist team. Kang Woojin calmed them down.

“I know, just leave it for now.”

The Japanese voice actors were still spewing nonsense as they opened the glass door to the conference room that appeared to be the reading room.

“How about a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“On whether he’ll mess up from the very first line or not.”

Kang Woojin had been waiting for this. Sure, it was a moment to act tough due to his persona, but even his natural personality wouldn’t tolerate such a scene. He couldn’t stand it if they provoked him openly. Thus, Woojin lowered his voice.

“Sounds good, let’s bet.”

But he raised the volume. His low and heavy voice resonated in the reading room. Consequently, dozens of staff members and the Japanese voice actors who had arrived early turned their heads toward the entrance as if on cue. The Japanese voice actors gossiping about Woojin were startled.

In contrast, Woojin spoke calmly, ensuring everyone could hear.

“How about we bet on who messes up more – me, an amateur, or you two as professionals. What do you think?”

The eyes of the Japanese voice actors widened. No, everyone in the reading room reacted similarly. As a result, the staff of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ started whispering.

“W-what did Kang Woojin just say?”

“I think he challenged them to a bet.”

“On who would perform better, him or the voice actors?”

“That’s what I heard too.”

“What the hell? Should we intervene?”

The staff, already aware that Woojin had a bad reputation among the voice actors, had their expressions darken instantly. Some of the voice actors in the reading room had similar reactions. However, their expressions were more of a frown than mere darkness. They seemed slightly offended by Woojin’s words.

Nonetheless, Woojin didn’t care and kept his eyes fixed on the voice actors standing in front of him.

“Why are you silent?”

Perhaps because his gaze was so cynical, the voice actors who had been talking behind Woojin’s back froze up.

“Huh? Th-that’s...”

“Are you not going to take the bet?”

Of course, Woojin didn’t care about that at all.

“You were talking about me on your way here, weren’t you? What did you say? ‘Today’s going to be tough, Kang Woojin is an amateur, so he’ll keep making mistakes.’ Was that it?”

“Um, well. That...”

“You said other things too, but I can’t remember them clearly.”

“......”

The Japanese voice actors mumbled and looked around nervously. Meanwhile, Woojin, with a stern face, scanned the now silent reading room. Everyone was watching him. Some staff members seemed ready to intervene. Woojin fixed his gaze back on the voice actors in front of him. Usually, given the situation and the gazes of many people, he would settle things moderately, but.

“Hm-”

But true to his ‘don’t give a damn’ attitude, Woojin didn’t stop.

“Is this what they call territoriality behavior?”

“......”

“If I hadn’t heard it directly, I might not have known, but hearing it myself makes me quite uncomfortable.”

The staff and voice actors of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ gradually understood the situation. Ah, they got caught talking behind his back. Over 80% of them began to feel flustered. This kind of direct confrontation was rare in Japan, given the country’s unique cultural atmosphere.

So what? Of course, this had nothing to do with Kang Woojin.

‘Do I have to adjust to that too? If I’m pissed, I should resolve it then and there.’

Woojin spoke coldly again.

“Are you not going to take the bet?”

On the contrary, the voice actors were almost in a state of shock. They were stunned because they had never experienced such a situation before.

“...I’m, I’m sorry.”

“It was a slip of the tongue... We apologize.”

Due to Woojin’s unyielding attitude, Han Ye-jung and the others behind him felt their shoulders rise with pride. As if to say, ‘See? This is our Kang Woojin.’ Meanwhile, the staff members cautiously approached to mediate.Reêad latest novels at novelhall.com

“Uh, Kang Woojin, please calm down for now. We apologize too.”

Woojin responded indifferently.

“It’s not particularly different from usual.”

Woojin, who had slowly stood up, loosely grasped Umi Natsumi’s hand and replied in a low, short tone.

“Nice to meet you.”

Then he sat back down. The whole process took less than five seconds. This was not the reaction Umi Natsumi had expected. Slightly flustered, she thought to herself.

‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go?? Isn’t he being a bit, a bit arrogant??!’

She quickly lowered her hand that was awkwardly left hanging in the air, biting her lower lip.

‘Tsk, why is he so cold? What’s his deal? Is he acting this way because he’s doing well now? Whatever, I’m more successful in the voice acting industry.’

At that moment.

“Woojin.”

A middle-aged woman’s voice interrupted between them. Turning around, they saw a woman with tied dark brown hair and a kind expression approaching. It was the famous voice actor Asami Sayaka, who had a connection with Kang Woojin through the piano performance in the hotel. Surprised by the appearance of a senior, Umi Natsumi bowed slightly.

“Oh! H-hello, sunbae!”

Sayaka waved her hand with a gentle smile.

“Yes, hello.”

Then she immediately addressed Kang Woojin.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I was really debating whether to contact you after the SNS incident, wondering if I might have caused you any trouble.”

Woojin was already standing.

“No, there was nothing like that at all.”

“That’s a relief. Thanks to you, my daughter is always smiling these days. Thank you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. By the way, did you know? I heard that your popularity at my daughter’s school is through the roof. She boasts about you all the time.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“She prays every day, hoping you’ll do well. If you ever have any trouble with voice acting, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

It was a truly peaceful conversation. However, for Umi Natsumi, who was watching from the side, it was anything but peaceful. Woojin’s tone was entirely different from the one he used with her.

‘Why is he so gentle? What’s with the temperature difference? C-could it be that he prefers older women??!’

At that moment.

“Alright, everyone, please take your seats.”

A man with round glasses, standing at the head of the ᄃ-shaped table, began organizing the reading room. He was one of the executives from ‘A10 Studio’ and the chief director of ‘Male Friend: Remake.’

“Hello, I’m Mahiro Sakuichi, the director of ‘Male Friend: Remake.’”

He was a famous director in the anime industry. Thanks to him, Woojin, Asami Sayaka, Umi Natsumi, and all the other voice actors took their seats. The director introduced the voice actors, including the male lead Kang Woojin, the female lead Umi Natsumi, and Asami Sayaka, as well as dozens of other voice actors, and then introduced the production team and the executives from ‘A10 Studio.’

Soon.

“Now, let’s start with a light reading of Episode 1, as a way to warm up our voices.”

The director sat down, and the anime started playing on the large monitor in front of them. Since it wasn’t the final version, there was no opening, OST, or title. It went straight into the content. While Umi Natsumi and dozens of voice actors focused on the monitor, they also glanced at Kang Woojin, who had a calm expression.

‘He’ll... make a mistake, right?’

‘Considering he boldly declared that bet—he must have practiced a lot, but it’s hard to get the first lines right.’

‘Is he not even nervous? Why is he so peaceful?’

There was a subtle hope that Kang Woojin would make a mistake. The only one genuinely worried was Asami Sayaka.

‘I hope he doesn’t feel too pressured.’

At this moment, in the ‘Male Friend: Remake’ on the giant monitor, a male character with messy hair and glasses appeared, waking up groggily from his bed. It was Toru Sengoku, the male lead character. Just before his first lines came out, Kang Woojin looked at the monitor calmly and opened his mouth without any hesitation.

“Haa... what a bother. Silence really is the best, no, my room is the best.”

The character’s chaotic mouth movements matched Woojin’s voice perfectly, without any discrepancies. Naturally, Woojin had directly experienced the world inside the giant monitor of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ and was now channeling Toru Sengoku.

The subsequent lines were the same.

The rhythm, pauses, and emphasis based on emotions and situations matched the character’s mouth movements perfectly. He didn’t even change his expression. The director, seated at the head, was astonished as he looked at Woojin.

‘To deliver the first lines so cleanly—even I’ve never seen this before. And this is his first time as a voice actor??’

Soon, the eyes of dozens of voice actors were all fixed on Kang Woojin. They were filled with a feeling that transcended disbelief and reached a state of awe.

Especially.

‘...Huh? Huuuuh??!’

The female lead Umi Natsumi unconsciously covered her mouth with one hand.

‘No way! He’s insanely good, this cold handsome guy!!’

*****

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