<Episode 39>
While I was saving the photos, a call came in from Kang Woojin.
“Hello.”
[You said you’d tell me the details later, so I thought maybe you didn’t like the song… but was it because you were going to send me this?]
There was a strange excitement in Kang Woojin’s voice.
“Yes.”
[Wow. Do you usually do this for all composers?]
“I tend to.”
A loud “Wow!” came through the phone. Then, for a while, instead of his voice, I only heard noisy sounds, as if he was doing something on his own.
“…What exactly are you doing right now?”
Originally, Kang Woojin wasn’t this kind of person.
He mainly worked in melodramas and was known among the public as a “kiss master.”
He was usually cast as the lead, or at least in roles with significant weight.
Because of that, he rarely appeared on variety shows. Even when he did, he would briefly show up in a serious, composed manner to promote his drama and leave.
[I’ve been really frustrated all this time.]
“I can imagine.”
I didn’t bother denying it. At that, Kang Woojin burst into hearty laughter.
[My previous agency messed up my image completely, so I can’t even go out comfortably in public.]
“So that’s why you didn’t join another agency after leaving them?”
[Yeah. I left with just my manager Hyung and started a one-man agency, but it’s not easy at all.]
Kang Woojin had previously revealed on a variety show that he personally handled the company’s paperwork.
“Running an entertainment company isn’t easy.”
[Exactly. By the way, where are you right now, sir?]
“I’m at a café near my house.”
The moment he suddenly asked for my location, a chill ran down my spine.
[Which neighborhood do you live in, by any chance?]
It felt a bit suspicious, but I answered and told him the name of the apartment I currently live in.
[Oh? I live near there too. We’re neighbors.]
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
There were quite a few actors and idols living in the apartment complex across from mine. With convenient transportation to broadcasting stations and many entertainment companies nearby, it was only natural that many people wanted to live around here.
“I see.”
[Can I come hang out at that café? I don’t have any schedule today, so I’m just at home.]
“No.”
I rejected him immediately.
I wasn’t out to hang around, and if Kang Woojin came, there was no way I’d be able to stay comfortably here. People had already started recognizing me after appearing on a broadcast… if a famous actor like Kang Woojin showed up too, the attention would be overwhelming.
[Ah, that’s too bad. Alright then. But next time, hang out with me.]
“Why would I do that?”
[Don’t be so cold, just hang out with me once. You have days off, don’t you? I want to spend some time talking to someone about my music. Besides, until now, no one except my manager hyung has seen this side of me. Do you know how lonely I’ve been?]
He sounded like a whining child.
Judging by the way he talked, he seemed even younger than the Spade Joker members.
‘Honestly, I’m just glad our kids are mature.’
In previous timelines, I had contacted Maru while pretending not to know anything, so I had no idea Kang Woojin had this kind of personality.
His energy level was too much for me to handle.
‘Now I understand why his former agency tried to hide this.’
If someone like this starred in a romance, it would definitely hurt the audience’s immersion. I could fully sympathize with the agency’s reasoning.
“I’ll consider it when I have time. I’m busy. If we happen to run into each other by chance, I’ll hang out with you then. I’ll hang up now.”
Before Kang Woojin could say anything more, I ended the call. Otherwise, it felt like the conversation would go on forever.
‘Good thing I cut it off at the right timing. I almost lost all my time.’
I took a sip of my Americano and focused again on the plush merchandise production work.
I must have concentrated too much, because my eyes felt dry and my neck stiff. I did some light stretching, closing and opening my eyes.
‘For now, I can pass the plush merchandise proposal to Han Sooseok. As for other goods… we can make things like phone cases or tumblers based on the finished character designs.’
It was time to focus on the next album.
‘The music video director is the problem.’
The overall concept for the album and stage had been set.
But there were still many details to adjust. Especially since this was a concept and songs that hadn’t been shown in previous timelines, there was a lot to consider.
Moreover, the ideas so far were too cliché. I needed something fresh.
I reviewed the proposal for the upcoming album, [GAME], once more.
[Story set in a casino (film-like) music video production.
Outfit concept: suits.
Hair: not too flashy in color.
Spy movie vibe.]
‘This is frustrating.’
“Ha…”
“Sir, why are you sighing like that?”
At the sudden voice from in front of me, my shoulders flinched.
I quickly raised my head to check who it was.
It was Kang Woojin.
Wearing a deeply pulled-down cap, he waved at me.
“…What are you doing here?”
At my question, Kang Woojin gave a mischievous smile.
He seemed to find this whole situation amusing.
“This is a coincidence.”
The last thing I had said to him on the phone came to mind.
‘If we happen to run into each other by chance, I’ll hang out with you.’
My hand naturally went to my forehead.
“How did you know I was here?”
“A coincidence disguised as intention.”
“…You didn’t actually go around cafés in this neighborhood looking for me, did you?”
Kang Woojin deliberately avoided my gaze.
“Impressive.”
I hadn’t expected him to be this persistent.
“Ha…”
“Oh? By the way, are you wearing makeup?”
As expected of an actor, he was observant.
“Yes. I had a studio recording for an observational program today.”
“Ah, that? I saw it on YouTube. But I saw on SNS that your company has the day off today. You’re the only one busy.”
“That’s why I’m the CEO.”
Kang Woojin glanced at the proposal I had been looking at.
If it had been someone else, I would’ve immediately covered the documents, but since I had already given him a brief explanation before, I didn’t bother hiding it.
“You handle planning yourself, too?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t expect that. I thought employees came up with ideas and the CEO just picked one.”
“That’s how other agencies work, especially the bigger ones. But we’re small. The CEO has to do as much as possible. Otherwise, the employees will all run away.”
“Still…”
Like a dog waiting for its owner, Kang Woojin kept swaying side to side as he looked at me.
It was distracting.
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have told him where I lived.
“You said earlier you’d hang out with me if we met by chance.”
“If you want to hang out with me, solve this problem first.”
“If I solve this, that’s enough?”
“Yes.”
Kang Woojin took the documents and quickly scanned through them.
“You’re looking for a music video director? Planning to make it feel like a short film?”
“Yes.”
“Why not just hire a short film director?”
“Aren’t short films and music videos fundamentally different?”
“Then make two versions of the music video. One performance version and one story version.”
“Spade Joker has no acting experience.”
None of the Spade Joker members had any acting experience.
It was possible to shoot two versions as Kang Woojin suggested, but if we forced members who couldn’t act into acting, it would fail, wasting money and earning criticism for being cringeworthy.
There had even been real cases of failure.
A small agency once tried to raise its idols as actors and produced a drama-style version of a music video, making all members act.
The result? They spent a lot of money, and the music video flopped.
[What were they even trying to show? It’s honestly so cringey. I seriously doubt any director or PD would want to contact them after seeing this.]
↳ Who wrote the script? That’s what I’m curious about.
↳↳ Feels like the script ruined everything. The lines are too cringey. And the tone is weird. Normally, you’d say “Who are you?” but instead it’s like “Who are you, you. Who might you be, that I see such an unfamiliar face?” It feels like a direct translation from English.
↳ I bet the CEO wrote it himself to save money.
Since the opportunity cost was high, I couldn’t help but hesitate as a businessman.
‘And the production period would be longer too.’
“If you make it like a silent film without dialogue, it should be fine. Idols already do facial acting on stage. That level would be enough.”
That made me waver again.
‘Their facial expressions are pretty solid, actually.’
“And you can cast one skilled actor as the central axis of the story.”
That made sense, too.
“For example, if you cast an actor like me, it solves the problem. I can cover for the members’ acting.”
Comments (0)