Translator: Dreamscribe
The title track of Miley Cara's new album, in which Kang Woojin participated, just debuted to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Not just any chart, but,
-[Billboard Hot 100]
The Hot 100 chart. For reference, there are two main charts on Billboard. The Hot 100 and the Billboard 200. The Hot 100 is similar to domestic chart rankings, as it ranks individual title tracks. On the other hand, the Billboard 200 evaluates the ranking of an album as a whole, including its various included tracks.
Both are highly influential, but the Hot 100 holds greater weight.
That said, the Billboard 200 is also a chart that can't be ignored either. As of now, Miley Cara's new album holds the top spot on this chart as well. In other words, Miley Cara was dominating both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, and of course, Kang Woojin's name was naturally included in the credits.
The Billboard charts, coveted by global pop stars and fans alike.
For a Korean actor to have their name on such No. 1 rankings was obviously unprecedented, and it was unlikely such an event would happen again anytime soon. Miley Cara was fully aware of this. Smiling, she crossed her legs and showed her phone to her main manager, Jonathan.
"Right after he won Best Actor at Cannes, there's no way people won't know about Kang Woojin now. It's nice that my album is doing well, but his promising future is interesting too."
Jonathan scratched his chin at her rare smile, considering her usually composed demeanor.
“Miley, you know you’ve been smiling every time Kang Woojin’s name comes up lately?”
At that moment, Miley wiped the smile off her face, coughed lightly, and shrugged her shoulders.
"What are you talking about, I smile often even when it's not related to him."
“...Hmm. I’ve never seen it, though.”
“Nevermind.”
Cutting him off, she swiftly changed the subject and looked back at her phone.
“Still, having only five songs in the Top 10 is a bit disappointing.”
Although Miley Cara's song held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, five of the top 10 songs were also hers. The momentum of the globally acclaimed superstar Miley Cara was undeniable. What was even more impressive was that the music video featuring Woojin had already surpassed 300 million views.
“Well, it’s fine. There’s still plenty of time.”
This was only the beginning. Regardless, Miley needed to focus on her new album schedule for the foreseeable future. Soon, Jonathan pulled out a tablet and asked as if something had come to mind.
“About the rumors that 'Beneficial Evil' plans to start leaking news of your casting, they seem a bit premature to me. Shouldn’t we wait until you’ve handled more of your album’s schedule first?”
Miley brushed her blonde hair behind her ear and said.
"It doesn't really matter whether it's early or delayed. According to Kang Woojin, it doesn't seem like they'll make an official announcement right away anyway."
“Hmm- true. Still, I’ve never seen a rollout handled in that way before.”
She responded nonchalantly.
“Isn’t it interesting? Watching how things play out can be fun too.”
Meanwhile, in Korea, at the office of the editor-in-chief of the major media outlet 'PowerPatch'.
The editor-in-chief was staring at his phone, which displayed photos from the overseas location shoot of 'Beneficial Evil' in Bangkok. The pictures showed dozens of staff, filming equipment, and Kang Woojin. However, the name that spilled out of the sharp-eyed reporter with square glasses was, surprisingly, Miley Cara.
Because of the faintly blurred profile of a blonde woman in the photos.
“Could it be... Miley Cara?”
At the reporter's widened eyes, the editor-in-chief lowered his voice, seemingly sharing the same thought.
“Right? It’s a bit ambiguous, but it looks like her to me. The fact that you thought the same thing at first glance confirms it.”
“Anyone could mistake her for Miley Cara based on this, no doubt.”
Moreover, the sharp-eyed reporter with glasses furrowed his brow and rubbed his forehead as if struggling to understand.
“No- but... it doesn’t make sense, does it? Miley Cara? That Miley Cara being involved in 'Beneficial Evil'? That’s just impossible.”
“Logically speaking, you’re right.”
“Isn’t it more likely that this blonde woman is just a local staff member or maybe an extra they hired?”
“That could be the case.”
“More than anything, the idea of Miley Cara starring in a Korean project, she’d have a ton of Hollywood offers lined up. There’s no reason for Miley Cara to do a Korean project. What would she gain from it?”
The editor-in-chief chuckled softly.
“Still, she does look like Miley Cara.”
“......”
“And she’s close with Kang Woojin. Sure, Miley Cara is an international superstar, but right now, Kang Woojin’s global influence isn’t to be underestimated either.”
The reporter, catching on to what the editor-in-chief was implying, responded as if entranced.
“So, regardless of whether it’s true or not, you want to create a connection?”
“The story is good, the narrative works. And it’s not like we’re smearing Kang Woojin. Plus, this photo is already stirring up quite a buzz over in Bangkok. You never know whether something is solid until you try to break it.”
The gears in the reporter’s head began turning rapidly.
Although the issue had already gained traction with the music video reaching hundreds of millions of views, the concrete results sparked reactions from the media and public that were several times stronger.
- Miley Cara’s new song is amazingᄒᄒᄒᄒ
- I’m not even a fan of Kang Woojinᄏᄏᄏᄏbut I was shocked after hearing the songᄏᄏᄏᄏit’s so good.
- I mean, Cara’s always been legendary, but seriously...what CAN'T Kang Woojin do??
- Wow... Kang Woojin... his voice tone is unreal... please release a solo song, oppa....
- Was that piano in the middle actually played by Kang Woojin??
- This song is going crazy overseasᄏᄏᄏKang Woojin might seriously become a legend.
- The MV just surpassed 300 million views on YouTubeᄃᄃᄃᄃᄃᄃ
- Streaming it on repeat!!!
- At this rate, Kang Woojin might actually drop an album and dominate the Billboard charts himselfᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ
Watching all of this unfold, Kang Woojin remained fairly calm.
‘It’s fascinating, but it’s not as impressive as a dinosaur.’
This was partly because Miley Cara had already sent him a DM. Moreover, Woojin wasn’t too familiar with Billboard charts to begin with, so the impact on him was somewhat muted. Regardless, the domestic media and public continued to spiral into a frenzy over the added buzz.
A few days later.
-♬♪
Kang Woojin’s phone alarm went off. It was around 5 a.m. The location: Woojin’s home in Samseong-dong. In the darkened house, he groggily opened his eyes in bed.
“......Ugh-”
He groaned. The previous day’s 'Beneficial Evil' shoot had ended around midnight, and he didn’t get home until 1 a.m. He’d fallen asleep by 2 a.m., leaving him with barely three hours of rest. Becoming a zombie was no surprise. Of course, his schedule for the day was packed as usual. By 7 a.m., he had to be at the shop, followed by two interviews with foreign media, a photo shoot, more 'Beneficial Evil' filming in the afternoon, and finally, a meeting for his YouTube channel, Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego, at night.
“At this rate, I might actually die.”
Curled up in bed, he muttered to himself before reluctantly sitting up. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, chugged half of it, and immediately picked up the script sitting on the coffee table in the living room. It was the script for 'Beneficial Evil'. He planned to enter the void space.
“Let’s just take it easy for now and survive round one.”
It was a choice made for survival. After spending quite a long time idling in the void space, Kang Woojin returned to reality. His complexion had somewhat recovered. After quickly washing up, he pressed a cap over his head and left the house.
-Swoosh.
While waiting for the elevator, he took out his phone. The number of unread messages was overwhelming. He couldn’t check them all, so he prioritized the urgent ones. Among the pile of messages, he spotted one from Choi Sung-gun and moved his thumb to open it.
The content was brief.
-(Link)
-Article's out.
Tilting his head slightly in curiosity, Kang Woojin tapped on the link Choi Sung-gun had sent. At the same time, the elevator doors opened, and his phone screen loaded the linked page. It was an article that had been published just minutes ago. The moment he saw the title, Kang Woojin muttered softly.
“Oh-”
It was only natural. While he hadn’t been anxiously waiting for it, it was an article he’d been anticipating for quite some time.
『[Exclusive] Expanding globally 'Kang Woojin', spotted with 'Miley Cara' at the 'Beneficial Evil' Bangkok overseas location... Is Miley Cara appearing in 'Beneficial Evil'?』
-'PowerPatch'
The article featured a familiar photo. A blonde woman with an ambiguous appearance and Kang Woojin. Though it had only been a few minutes since the article was uploaded, it already had over 100 comments.
‘The snowball starts rolling.’
Recalling the media frenzy that would soon follow, Kang Woojin smirked internally, feeling proud. At that moment, the elevator doors opened again, and Woojin put on his best poker face. Waiting in the underground parking lot was a black van. As Woojin approached, the side door of the van slid open, and the burly Jang Su-hwan stepped out. Recently, he had been promoted one level up from road manager.
“Hyung-nim!! You’re here!”
As usual, Jang Su-hwan greeted him with high energy, to which Kang Woojin responded in a low voice.
“Yeah. Breakfast?”
“You’ll have to eat at the shop, Hyung-nim!”
As Woojin got closer, Jang Su-hwan suddenly gave him a thumbs-up.
“It’s finally happening, isn’t it?!”
Understanding the meaning behind those words, Kang Woojin gave a nod.
“That’s right.”
"Started monitoring the Japanese side!!"
Jang Su-hwan waved his business phone in the air. Today was Tuesday, October 26th.
“How’s it looking?”
“Articles are already out, and it’s going crazy! 'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' has already taken the No. 1 spot in advance ticket sales!”
It was the release day for 'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger'.