小火星

“Enhancing singing ability?”

Upon hearing the robotic female voice, Kang Woojin smirked.

“It can be enhanced?”

The results exceeded expectations. Honestly, Woojin had somewhat anticipated this situation, though he didn’t think it would be this pronounced.

The hint was the cigarettes.

Woojin had never tried a cigarette in his life. But after acquiring the void space, he experienced smoking for the first time during the early days with ‘Exorcism’ when playing as ‘Kim Ryu-jin’. What was interesting was the complete absence of any discomfort. Usually, a person trying cigarettes for the first time would have a 100% adverse reaction.

But Kang Woojin didn’t even cough.

In other words, it was clearly the power of the void space.

The character’s traits were transferred to Woojin’s body. That’s why, even while playing the role of ‘Lee Sang-man’, Woojin felt no strangeness towards cigarettes. Addiction? He wasn’t worried at all. He craved cigarettes while acting as ‘Lee Sang-man’, but the moment he finished the role and put ‘Lee Sang-man’ away, he didn’t think about smoking.

That’s when Kang Woojin had an idea. Wouldn’t singing be learned in the same way as smoking?

He didn’t expect to become a professional or anything. He just wanted to have singing skills suitable for the scene. Perhaps a verse or a full song. It was different from learning a language. While anyone can learn a language, singing required inherent talent and physical attributes.

However.

[“Preparing to enhance ‘singing ability’…”]

The void space was even enhancing his ‘singing ability’. Was it really providing him with singing skills just like it did with language?

“This void space is awesome! Wow, this is insane.”

Where was the limit of this bizarre void space ability? However, that wasn’t really important right now. Woojin just had to enjoy it.

Suddenly, he wondered,

“Oh, did I really need my singing skills enhanced?”

Kang Woojin laughed awkwardly. He was somewhat confident in his singing, but apparently, it was insignificant according to the void space. If he had singing skills equivalent to ‘Male Friend’s’ ‘Han In-ho’, then probably there wouldn’t have been any enhancement.

“If I had started filming without it, I would have been a laughingstock. Ugh, just thinking about it is embarrassing.”

At that moment,

[“…Preparation complete. Starting ‘singing ability’ enhancement.”]

After hearing the female robotic voice, a familiar vast gray enveloped Kang Woojin. After a brief emptiness, when Woojin opened his eyes again, he was in a different space.

‘Huh? This place feels different?’

It wasn’t like the place where he learned languages. Firstly, he wasn’t floating. And it wasn’t all gray. He was standing firmly in a dark space that extended endlessly.

Suddenly,

“Whoa.”

A line of white light appeared in the dark space. It ran from right in front of Woojin to the horizon. Something was approaching along that line. Musical notes. Shining silver notes. They smoothly moved along the white line, then suddenly sped up.

Then they climbed up Woojin’s body.

The note stopped near Woojin’s throat, melting into him. At the same time, he felt a tingling sensation that spread throughout his body.

“Uh.”

The tingling became more intense. However, more notes were approaching.

“Here comes another one.”

Second, third. Countless notes came in succession along the white line.

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, Woojin found himself back in the hotel room. He vaguely remembered hearing the robotic female voice again at the end, but it wasn’t clear due to the overwhelming experiences.

“…”

Standing near the small table, Woojin zoned out for a moment. Then he touched his throat, feeling the lingering tingling. Soon after, he vocalized.

“Ah-ah-ah-”

Huh? Something had changed. Was it resonance?

“The voice is the same, but…”

It’s hard to describe. Woojin immediately headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

-Whoosh.

The bathroom quickly filled with the sound of running water. After clearing his throat, Woojin began to sing, testing out any song he could remember.

-♬♪

Just one verse. As soon as he sang a line from the ballad he always sang at karaoke, Woojin exclaimed,

“This is insane.”

He could keenly feel the enhanced ‘singing ability’.

Afterward.

Around 7 p.m., Kang Woojin delved into the filming of ‘Drug Dealer’ once more. While a world-shaking incident had taken place in his hotel room, no one was aware of it, and Kang Woojin did not show it externally.

He just grinned to himself,

‘Heh, doesn’t my voice seem to have a greater range now?’

In reality, Kang Woojin’s vocal delivery, as he portrayed ‘Lee Sang-man’, had improved. His already realistic dictation was now stronger, causing the director Kim Do-hee and other staff to take notice.

“Woojin’s tone and diction seem fresher, right? Or is it just me?”

“It was always good… but now it feels more captivating.”

Regardless, Kang Woojin gave a stellar performance. He was in a good mood, so he didn’t feel tired at all. The scene they were shooting was a meeting between ‘Lee Sang-man’ and Japanese Yakuza. It was set after ‘Jeong Seong-hoon’ had killed the drug lord, Choi Jun-ho.

“Raw materials from China, manufacturing in Korea, and the market in Japan.”

Lee Sang-man’s Japanese was fluent. The actors playing the Yakuza roles were actually Japanese. However, Lee Sang-man’s Japanese did not sound out of place at all. It simply sounded like a conversation among Japanese people.

“Haha, don’t worry about sales. But the manufacturing is okay, right?”

“Brother, don’t you trust me? I’ll consistently deliver the best, just make sure to manage the market properly.”

Of course, Kang Woojin’s portrayal wasn’t limited to Lee Sang-man’s fluent Japanese. He also vividly represented the character’s gradual addiction. Over time, his deteriorating condition, deepening dark circles, pale skin, and frail voice.

The vivid portrayal of death due to drug addiction by Woojin was incredibly realistic.

While makeup played a role, Kang Woojin’s increasingly vacant expression was truly exceptional. Fellow actors’ praises were evidence of this.

“His tone is progressively weakening, isn’t it? His gaze also seems fragile. Definitely different from the morning shoot. It’s a natural progression, but the details are extraordinary.”

“Did you see how he keeps checking his forearm while saying his lines? He’s truly embodying a drug addict. Honestly, I’ve never seen a rookie pay such attention to detail.”

“He really doesn’t feel like a rookie. Woojin is hard to get close to. He’s a bit cold, so it’s tough to approach him.”

“Yeah… I heard he learned acting through self-study.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I heard it from Mr. Park from the Profiler Hanryang’s side. Since he self-studied, he might lack experience working with other actors.”

As the actors continued their puzzled discussion, Choi Sung-gun, who had been waiting a bit away from the shooting zone, felt a long vibration from his phone.

-Brrrr, Brrrrrr.

He took a few steps away and answered the call.

“Yes, Choi Sung-gun speaking-”

On the other side was a male voice.

“Hello, Mr. Choi. I’m an employee from Director Kyotaro Tanoguchi’s agency.”

“…Ah! Yes, yes!”

Choi Sung-gun moved even further away.

“We’ve received the script you sent.”

“Good to hear. The reason I called is that Director Kyotaro is currently in Korea.”

Choi Sung-gun’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What? Right now? In Korea?”

“Yes. However, he isn’t here specifically to meet Kang Woojin directly. The director has other commitments.”

“Oh, I see.”

“However, he and the guest accompanying him wish to see Kang Woojin’s acting in person. Is Kang Woojin currently on a shooting set?”

As he was asked this, Choi Sung-gun looked over to the filming zone. Kang Woojin was in the middle of his passionate performance. Choi Sung-gun quickly realized the significance.

‘I knew Director Kyotaro would come back to Korea. But isn’t this too soon?’

There was definitely something up. What particularly caught Choi Sung-gun’s attention was the word ‘guest.’ Given that the director was well-recognized even in Japan, the guest he brought must be quite important. It would be more beneficial to showcase rather than hide.

Having made a quick decision, Choi Sung-gun organized the upcoming schedule in his head before replying,

“Actually, Woojin is currently filming a movie.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. It’s a cameo role but quite a significant part. There shouldn’t be any issues if you want to see his performance. However, you’d need to align your schedule.”

“Could you let us know the schedule?”

“After today’s shoot, we’ll be on a break and reshoot in about two days.”

Around that time, Kang Woojin’s scenes were expected to wrap up. The final ruthlessness and pitiable death of ‘Lee Sang-man.’ Two contrasting scenes were scheduled back-to-back. They were crucial cuts.

“So we should visit in two days?”

“Yes.”

After the sound of flipping pages over the phone, the man spoke again.

“Alright, we’ll coordinate accordingly in two days. Both the director and our guest just wish to watch Kang Woojin’s performance quietly and leave.”

“Yes. I’ll keep it a secret from Woojin. It might interfere with his acting. But I’ll need to get the on-site director’s consent.”

“Of course. If the on-site director disagrees, there’s nothing we can do.”

The conversation was nearing its end.

“Then, I’ll seek our director’s consent and get back to you.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, has Kang Woojin read Director Kyotaro’s script?”

“I usually don’t interfere in that aspect, but I believe he is diligently going through it.”

Choi Sung-gun, reminded of Kang Woojin’s straightforward nature, smiled slightly.

“He might have already made up his mind.”

On the morning of the 10th the next day at the HTBS broadcasting station.

It was just past 9 o’clock. At this time, Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun were walking down the corridor of HTBS’s entertainment department. Their attire was casual—white short sleeved shirts with jeans, suitable for the increasingly warm June weather.

Anyway.

“Alright, see you later.”

In front of a meeting room, Choi Sung-gun patted Kang Woojin’s shoulder. It seemed that only Kang Woojin would enter this meeting room. Thanks to that, Woojin’s expression was quite stern.

“Yes, sir.”

Inside, he felt a little nervous.

‘Shit, I’ve been to the broadcasting station before, but it’s my first time in the entertainment department. Why the hell am I even here?’

While Kang Woojin had grown a lot, many things were still unfamiliar to him. However, his facade had become more convincing. Woojin knocked and then opened the door to the meeting room. As he entered the meeting room, the first person he saw was PD Yoon Byung-seon, with glasses, the entertainment industry mogul.

“Oh! Woojin, you’re here?”

He got up quickly to greet Kang Woojin. There were also a few female scriptwriters in the room. Keeping his composure, Woojin shook the hand extended by PD Yoon Byung-seon.

“Hello, PD.”

He also briefly greeted the surrounding writers. Then he took in the sight of the meeting room. A rather large desk with several small cameras on top. Cameras were mounted in various parts of the room. As Kang Woojin looked intently at PD Yoon Byung-seon, he laughed reassuringly.

“Hahaha, don’t be nervous. If you’re confirmed, we’ll use the footage, but if not, we definitely won’t. There are many viewers who enjoy seeing the preparation stages.”

Confirmed? Confirmed for what? Kang Woojin, slightly confused, took a seat. Across from him, PD Yoon, continued with a smile.

“You’ve been busy lately, right? I saw the news. Congrats on the . Your momentum seems unstoppable.”

“Thank you.”

“Your value seems to increase every day. Now, I have something to show you.”

PD Yoon handed over a thin bundle of papers he got from a writer.

“This is the plan for a new variety show we’re preparing. It’s still in the preliminary stages, but the production is confirmed.”

“……”

“There’s a plan to air it in the second half of this year, and it’ll probably be one of the biggest variety shows I’ve done. Would you like to briefly read through the proposal?”

“Ah- Yes.”

Kang Woojin responded and looked down, then internally exclaimed,

‘A variety show?! What’s this about? Is PD Yoon trying to cast me in it??’

PD Yoon Byung-seon, unaware of this, continued to explain.

“As you can see, the main stage will be overseas. One English-speaking country in Europe, then Japan, and the last one might either be Korea or another country – we’re still considering.”

Indeed, it was a big variety show.

“We are planning a three-part series. Naturally, we won’t shoot them all at once; we’ll divide them by quarters. After filming the first part in the winter, we’ll take a break and then shoot the second, and so on.”

Woojin’s heart was beating faster and faster, but he tried to remain calm.

“I see.”

“We will be opening a restaurant. We’ll be selling Korean food to foreigners. The goal is to provide both laughter and meaning. It will include cultural exchanges, foreigners’ reactions, and promoting Korea. So, it would be great if the participating actors can speak foreign languages, at least one or two of them.”

PD Yoon, who had been briefing leisurely, took off his glasses and leaned forward towards Woojin.

“And I’d like one of those people to be you, Woojin.”

“…”

“What do you think? I’m formally offering you the role.”

This is insane. Absolutely insane. Woojin tried hard to maintain a neutral face, but internally, he was ecstatic.

‘Me? PD Yoon really wants to cast me?’

Woojin was a fan of PD Yoon. More precisely, he loved his variety shows. But to be cast in a variety show he used to enjoy on TV or YouTube? This was entirely different from ‘Sports Day’. This was about being cast in a main variety show by PD Yoon.

This threw Woojin’s thoughts into chaos.

However, he couldn’t show it. For now, he decided to buy time by acting nonchalant.

“Um-”

Kang Woojin hesitated slightly. To PD Yoon, this seemed like contemplation.

‘Well, I guess there’s nothing to regret at this point.’

PD Yoon quickly spoke,

“It’ll be fun. You’ll also get to breathe foreign air after a long time.”

Long time? It would be his first time. What does he mean by ‘after a long time’? This smells like a misunderstanding. Anyway.

“But I didn’t offer you the role just because of your language skills. Your character is intriguing. You’ve seen the reaction from ‘Sports Day’, right? The public loves your character.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed that.”

“People like you. Ah- honestly, I considered others for your spot. I even had meetings with them. But still, you’re the most fitting. I’m greedy for you. I really want to work with you.”

The writers and PD Yoon intently watched Woojin, who maintained inscrutable expression. However, Woojin didn’t immediately respond. Only after a few tense moments did he finally speak.

“If I have a condition, would you consider it?”

*****