<Episode 85>
[??? What? Kang Woojin is doing a romantic comedy? And as a clumsy character? What is going on? I figured we’d hear news about his next project soon, but I didn’t expect a rom-com. I thought it’d obviously be an action movie.]
↳ They said it’s fraternal twins. Who’s going to play the twin? Well, obviously, he’ll be handsome. If he’s Kang Woojin’s twin, that’s only right. Even if they’re fraternal, those genes don’t just disappear.
↳ Everyone already knows Kang Woojin is good at acting, so I’m excited.
↳ Isn’t this a completely new side of him? Even when he did romance before, he always played serious, weighty roles.
↳↳ Right. This is seriously huge.
[While he was lamenting about changing his image, he ended up having a drama meeting thanks to CEO John Raid Lombardi’s recommendation. Wow. What is this? CEO, thank you. Thanks to you, we’ll get to see a new side of our boy.]
↳ I’m already excited.
↳ I’ve been rewatching the Spade Joker music video behind-the-scenes nonstop.
↳↳ Same.
↳↳ Same here.
↳↳ I watch that every morning on my way to work. It’s basically my commute video. You could call it addictive.
Articles about Kang Woojin starring in a romantic comedy drama began pouring out rapidly.
“So I came to hang out.”
And using that as an excuse, Kang Woojin showed up at my house.
“…Ha.”
“But, hyung.”
“Yes.”
“Can I call you hyung? I mean, I’m not one of your company’s people anyway. Or should I just join your agency while we’re at it? I heard rumors already spread about you coming with me to the script reading.”
“…Just call me hyung.”
If I refused both, it felt like he’d keep bothering me, so I just let him call me that.
“Okay, hyung.”
Seeing Kang Woojin smiling brightly like that, it felt like I’d been played.
Ding-dong.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
“What is it?”
I instinctively sounded flustered, wondering if he had invited someone else.
“Oh, I got hungry, so I ordered delivery. You should eat lunch too, hyung.”
I couldn’t bring myself to hate him as he smiled and headed to the door.
Like imprinting, where a creature recognizes the first being it sees after hatching as its mother… it seemed he felt a sense of closeness toward me for being the first person to recognize that composer Maru was actually him.
“Looks good.”
Kang Woojin smacked his lips and began setting the food on the living room table.
“It’s tteokbokki.”
“Yeah. I don’t usually eat it, but when I start filming, I really crave it. I think it’s because I can’t eat spicy or stimulating food during shoots.”
Actors did tend to watch what they ate, perhaps because of maintaining their condition.
‘Idols, on the other hand, often try to eat as much as possible right before going on stage.’
“Let’s eat.”
Kang Woojin quickly started stuffing tteokbokki into his mouth.
Shaking my head, I sat down next to him.
“Hyung.”
“Yes.”
“You said you’re mixed, right? Is it your dad’s side or your mom’s side?”
“My mother is Korean, and my father is American.”
Kang Woojin nodded.
“I heard you even did a PhD in the U.S. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. I guess it’s pretty reliable.”
“What is?”
“Your fan café.”
“…What?”
Kang Woojin smiled at me.
“You joined it?”
“Yeah. That’s how I know.”
“No, but why would you…”
“Because you don’t talk about yourself much.”
I had nothing to say.
“Just ask me directly. I’ll answer. The information on fan cafés is limited, isn’t it?”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes.”
It really did seem like Kang Woojin’s mental age was younger than the Spade Joker members.
“By the way, what do you think about speaking more casually?”
Kang Woojin asked, his eyes sparkling.
“That would be difficult.”
“Tch.”
At my firm answer, he clicked his tongue briefly.
“But it looks like you have a guest room here. Can I stay over tonight?”
I hadn’t exactly closed the door, but I also hadn’t given him a tour… when had he even seen that?
“You came over on a Sunday afternoon, and now you want to sleep over? Besides, my parents are coming from the U.S. tomorrow, so that won’t work.”
“Oh? Your parents are coming tomorrow? Why?”
“To see their son. And if I had to add another reason, they’re investors in Ramos Entertainment. If they want to visit as investors, I need a valid reason to refuse.”
“Then they’ll come to the company tomorrow too?”
At Kang Woojin’s question, a chill ran down my spine.
‘He’s not planning to show up tomorrow too, is he?’
“They will, but just briefly. It would be disruptive to the staff otherwise.”
I deliberately emphasized the word briefly.
If Kang Woojin and John Raid Lombardi’s parents met, it would definitely become chaotic.
‘Just imagining it is exhausting.’
“Yeah… that makes sense.”
“Yes.”
“Then… what kind of food do you like?”
I was relieved he changed the subject.
“Are we on a blind date or something?”
“You told me to ask.”
Kang Woojin pouted at my blunt response. Even I felt that was a bit much, so I answered right away.
“I don’t think I have any particular favorite food.”
There were foods I disliked, but none I liked enough to call a favorite.
“That must be how you maintain your figure. In a way, I envy that. If I don’t manage myself, I gain weight easily, so I can’t eat whatever I want.”
Kang Woojin said, rubbing his stomach.
“I had no idea. Your body in advertisements always looks perfect.”
At my reply, the corners of his lips twitched upward.
He seemed pleased by the compliment.
“I go to the gym whenever I have time. Even during filming, I squeeze in workouts. You work out too, right?”
“No.”
“…What? Then that body…?”
Kang Woojin’s gaze moved to my body.
Since I was wearing slightly fitted clothes, my physique was visible.
‘This is probably thanks to the character settings in the game.’
I wasn’t someone who enjoyed exercising.
Since being transmigrated into this game, I had never gone to work out.
At first, I was too busy adapting.
Later, I was simply too busy.
And more than anything, there was no point in maintaining my body when one mistake would reset me back to the point of possession.
“Ah, I think it’s because I exercised a lot when I was in the U.S., so my body just stayed like this. I don’t really eat much either.”
“You don’t get abs just from surfing.”
“You saw that in the fan café too?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Woojin nodded as he answered.
“That fan café is seriously impressive. Surfing was just a hobby… I also did rugby and judo.”
“Wow. You could totally be an action actor.”
“Acting doesn’t suit me.”
“Then why did you start an entertainment company?”
“Because I like K-pop.”
“But why does it feel like you’re talking about someone else’s story?”
That was a very sharp question.
‘So this is why people say Kang Woojin has good instincts.’
I was actually talking about John Raid Lombardi’s story, not my own, so I had spoken in a detached tone… and he noticed that subtle difference.
“Maybe because those are things I don’t do anymore after coming to Korea.”
“That makes sense.”
It seemed best to be careful around Kang Woojin.
‘Though I’m not sure he’d believe me even if I told the truth.’
“Then what do you even live for?”
“…What?”
It was a question I had never heard before.
“No, from what you’ve said, you used to be really active, but you’re not anymore. And it doesn’t seem like you picked up any new hobbies. You don’t even enjoy food or indulge in anything, so I’m curious.”
“…I’m not sure.”
I had long forgotten such things, being completely consumed by the desire to escape this endless cycle of regression.
‘Well, even before being transmigrated, I wasn’t exactly someone who enjoyed life much.’
“Aren’t you focusing too much on business? Sure, business is important, but you need to take care of yourself too. If you’re human, you should enjoy things as well.”
Kang Woojin started lecturing as if he had been waiting for the chance.
“Right. How about we all go to the beach together sometime?”
“All of us? Who exactly is ‘all’?”
“Who else? You, me, Spade Joker, and even your secretary.”
“If that many people go to the beach, we won’t even be able to enjoy it because of the crowd.”
Even if it were just Kang Woojin and me, a crowd would gather, so adding Spade Joker would make it impossible to even enter the water.
“Then we’ll do indoor surfing. Somewhere with an ocean view.”
“…Do you even know how to surf?”
“No? But I’ll learn quickly. Oh! How about this? We’ve been filming a lot of original content lately, right? Let’s film our trip as content. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
I almost asked if he was okay with revealing his real personality to the world, but stopped myself.
He had come all the way to see me just because a bit of his real personality was shown in the music video behind-the-scenes.
‘How did I end up getting entangled with Kang Woojin?’
Still, I didn’t dislike him.
He wasn’t malicious or ugly… just pure and bright.
‘Somehow, we’ve ended up like friends.’
Related Series
Comments (1)
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Chapter 85 and 86 is the same.