What? She was in the same major as me? That's crazy. Kang Woojin almost revealed his true self to the female employee by asking, 'Do you know me? I don't know you?'.
However, Woojin barely held it in while continuing to stare at the female employee, trying to recall the past.
'Who is she? Wait, why can't I remember? Come on, try to remember.'
But he came up empty. Time had passed quite a bit, and he didn't recognize the female employee's face.
'No, I really don't know her. Who the heck is she?'
Were they close? That seemed unlikely. If they were even a little close, he would remember. It was vague. Actually, Woojin didn't have many close female friends in college. He was more of an introvert.
And Woojin knew one thing for sure.
'Women change a lot.'
Having a younger sister made this more apparent. In the past, his sister looked completely different when she was lounging at home versus going out. So, Woojin often teased her about it.
'Hey, is your room a plastic surgery clinic? Where's my sister? Why is a different person coming out?'
'Ah! Shut up!'
'You should go for the Guinness World Records as a 'two-faced woman."
'Mom! Brother's making fun of me!'
Just a slight change in makeup can drastically alter a woman's appearance. Maybe the woman in front of him had plastic surgery after college? After all, in Woojin's design major, there were way more females than males, probably twice as many. How could he remember them all?
Anyway, Woojin felt uneasy.
'It's okay. You didn't do anything in college. You didn't date anyone. Just stay calm. You can get through this.'
His college life might be fully exposed any moment now.
On the other hand,
"Oh, do you not remember me?"
The female employee, her voice tinged with disappointment, seemed to remember Woojin quite clearly. This was awkward. Pretending to remember when you clearly don't is a bit over the top, right?
"Ah, I have no idea."
Maintaining his composure, Woojin decided to stick with his concept.
"I really can't remember."
"·····Oh."
The female employee's expression instantly turned awkward.
"Well, it's been a long time."
At that moment,
-Swish.
Choi Sung-gun, who had gone to the bathroom, quickly returned.
"Sorry! I had to use the bathroom."
Choi Sung-gun, who had been cheerfully smiling, noticed the awkward atmosphere in the conference room. The scent of something delicate was in the air. Consequently, Choi Sung-gun, sitting next to Woojin, tilted his head.
"Um, were you guys talking about something?"
The answer came from a 'MxDonald' employee, who seemed to be of the highest rank.
"Haha, no. It seems our colleague is Woojin's college classmate. But Woojin doesn't remember her."
The 'MxDonald' team chuckled.
"Oh, then they're not really classmates, are they?"
"Right. If Woojin doesn't remember, she's a complete stranger. Yep."
The teasing intensified, making the female employee's face redden.
"Ah! Team leader! Stop it!"
This atmosphere was further heightened by Woojin's soft apology.
"I'm sorry."
"Haha, no need for Woojin to apologize. Maybe our Hye-joo's just wasn't very memorable."
"Stop it! Enough!"
Choi Sung-gun, who seemed to understand the situation, nodded.
'As your fame grows, It's time for you to start to running into people you know. Whether it's Kim Dae-young or that female employee.'
He sneakily glanced at Woojin.
'With that level of aura and the distinct appearance, he would've stood out. Even if he wasn't famous, there would've been rumors.'
Whether that was the case or not, Woojin was anxious. Now that Choi Sung-gun had returned, they needed to move on from this awkward atmosphere. Just as Woojin decided to move on with the meeting,
"But didn't Woojin study acting? If he was in the same field as Hye-joo, then it's design. That's unusual-"
"Indeed. There are actors who didn't major in acting, but design is rare."
"Hyeju, was Woojin popular in college?"
The 'MxDonald' employees were curious about Woojin's past. Woojin was genuinely flustered. Please shut your mouth. I wasn't popular. I was a loner, remember? The situation suddenly became tense. So, Woojin quickly interjected.
"No, I was just… invisible."
"Come on- you look like you had girls lining up for you."
"It was mostly guys."
At that moment, the female employee who graduated from the same university as Woojin licked her lips. Her expression turned a bit sullen compared to before.
"Well- I don't remember exactly."
She sounded slightly annoyed.
"But Woojin was good at design. I think he won some competitions too."
"Oh, so he was an elite?"
At this moment, Choi Sung-gun was somewhat surprised internally.
'Did he self-study acting and also managed to excel in design? Does he have two brains?'
Anyway, it was fortunate for Woojin that the female employee had brought this up. She probably pretended not to know despite knowing, due to her pride. Woojin seized this timing.
"No, I was just average. Anyway, let's talk about the advertisement."
Of course, there was a hint of sarcasm. At that point, the 'MxDonald' employees returned to the main topic, bringing the materials they had prepared.
"Ah, sorry. We were just surprised to find out that Hye-joo, from our team, was Woojin's classmate."
"We had chosen Woojin as our model, and then learning that Hye-joo was his classmate surprised all of us."
"Let's start with the concept then."
Choi Sung-gun leaned close to Woojin and whispered,
"Weren't you only focused on acting? How did you manage to excel in design too? Were you talented in that area as well?"
Talent? There's no such thing. Woojin had worked desperately in design just to survive. But he couldn't say that outright. Woojin responded vaguely,
"I just worked hard because it was necessary."
"… Necessary?"
At this moment,
'Ah.'
Choi Sung-gun seemed to realize something on his own.
'Could it be… he did design to help with his acting? Creativity or reverse thinking, something like that.'
Afterwards,
Despite an unexpected crisis for Woojin, the 'MxDonald' advertisement meeting proceeded relatively smoothly. It was expected since the 'MxDonald' side was keen on having Woojin from the start.
"It's about our shrimp burger line. We're thinking of including a new product, and as you can see from the concept, we just need you to embody the 'Park Dae-ri' vibe."
The content was more or less what Choi Sung-gun had anticipated: versions of 1 minute, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds, to be aired on TV and various video platforms including YouTube. It would initially be a one-time contract, with a potential extension based on the product sales.
"The shooting day will be coordinated with Woojin's schedule, and it should be wrapped up in a day."
After some discussions, they finally reached the critical topic of the fee.
"Next, we'll discuss the appearance fee."
At this point, Kang Woojin was internally astounded. Understandably so. Huge amounts in the tens of millions of won were being discussed nonchalantly. It was astonishing. Of course, Woojin had already received several millions from his various roles.
'Advertisements are crazy. They pay this much for just one shoot? What's the cost-effectiveness?'
The idea of earning millions for just one ad shoot felt surreal.
And so,
"We look forward to working with you, Woojin."
"I'll do my best."
With Kang Woojin's signature, the 'MxDonald' advertisement contract was officially finalized. With this, Woojin solidified his position as this year's hottest rookie actor.
"We'll see you on the day of the shoot."
After Woojin and Choi Sung-gun left the meeting room, the 'MxDonald' employees enthusiastically discussed their opinions on Woojin. They were generally positive.
"Wasn't Woojin's aura amazing? I never expected him to have that kind of vibe."
"I know right. His primary image was quite serious."
"He's stoic, but unexpectedly kind. And his voice was great, right? Ah- he's totally my type."
However, one female employee looked slightly perplexed. She was the one who had been Woojin's classmate in university.
"Hmm, I don't think he had that kind of vibe before."
Soon, other employees gathered around her.
"Come on, tell us some stories. How was he in college? Were you close to Woojin? Why can't he remember?"
"Well, we weren't that close. As I mentioned earlier, he was pretty good at design. He was also popular among the girls. We had many girls in our department, and in the beginning, about half of them were interested in Woojin."
"With that face, of course, he would be popular. Were you one of them?"
"Oh! Not me!"
"So was he the type who didn't realize he was popular?"
"Kind of. But his aura wasn't as heavy as it is now, you know? He was quiet, but not this cynical. I've never heard of him acting."
"Maybe he was acting in private, so it's hard to tell. As for the aura- maybe he just put on a business face in school? There are surprisingly many people who do that."
"…Maybe?"
The female employee seemed to be confused, as it was a long time ago.
"Anyway, it must be so surprising for Hye-joo. To see a friend who used to design with her suddenly become a huge actor."
"Totally. When Woojin's drama aired, my friends' group chat exploded."
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin…
-Thud!
He just got into the van, trying to calm his surprised heart.
'Ah, damn. I didn't expect to run into someone from college. But I can't really avoid it just by being careful, can I?'
That was true. There were dozens of meeting spots, and he couldn't possibly avoid them all. Woojin had to rely on his wit in situations like this.
'Should I prepare some lines just in case?'
The next day.
The internet was still buzzing about 'Profiler Hanryang'. Then, new news dropped:
『[StarTalk]Trending 'Kang Woojin' lands a MxDonald's advertisement.』
The news was about Woojin securing his first advertisement. Naturally, the source was bw Entertainment and 'MxDonald's'. Both had coordinated their PR to start promoting at the same time.
『MxDonald: "Expecting good synergy with actor Kang Woojin"』
Given that Woojin was already a rising star, the goal of bw Entertainment was to keep the buzz alive. For 'MxDonald's', they were leveraging Woojin's popularity to promote their brand and a new product.
『After Hanryang, conquering the advertisement world? 'Kang Woojin' starts with MxDonald's / Photo.』
As a result, from Tuesday morning, the internet was flooded with discussions related to Kang Woojin's popularity. The film industry touted him as this year's 'Blue Chip of Chungmuro', while the entertainment industry was abuzz with him being a superstar rookie.
The entertainment industry has always loved the term 'first.'
And Woojin had many 'firsts' to his name: This year's first: fastest on rise, acting awards, viewership ratings, endorsements, and so on.
The character 'Park Dae-ri' also played a significant role.
The Park Dae-ri syndrome, or meme. What started in online communities spread to YouTube and mainstream media.
– What if Profiler Hanryang's Park Dae-ri joined a voice chat? LOL | MemeBoxTV
– Ordering at a sandwich shop in 'It'd be less annoying?' style | I do as I'm told!
Parodies poured in. YouTubers who specialized in impersonations, short dramas, and various BJs imitated Woojin's Park Dae-ri character.
And that wasn't all.
Even comedy shows and stand-up comedy programs imitated the Park Dae-ri meme. It was a trend and this trend spread among people like buzzwords.
Of course, everyone had their own motives.
For many different reasons, this could all be summarized as capturing the public's attention. They leveraged Woojin's undeniable popularity to derive new content and creating new stimulation from it.
Regardless, Woojin's popularity kept soaring.
Of course, it was all exciting, but Woojin himself felt a bit uneasy. He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason. He just felt that way.
"Somehow… I feel a bit uneasy."
Was it because everything was happening so fast? Because it felt like a dream? Overwhelming? Mere unnecessary worries? But it seemed like his slight concern didn't matter at all.
『[Exclusive]Hwalin and Kang Woojin join Netflix's 'Short Drama Project'.』
By late afternoon that day, amidst the numerous online issues, even Netflix joined the fray.
『[IssuePick]Why is Hwalin in a short drama? Netflix project with rising star Kang Woojin unveiled.』
『Netflix says, "The collaboration between Hwalin and Woojin is a rom-com."』
Moreover, this was big news. Including Kang Woojin, the girl group 'Elani's Hwalin was also mentioned. The pairing of Kang Woojin and Hwalin created huge waves.
Public opinion was buzzing. While Woojin popularity was one thing, the firepower from Hwalin's side was astonishing.
-OMG!!
-I knew Hwalin started her solo activities…but suddenly in a short drama?
-Short drama or not, I love romantic comedies!
-Wow…another work with Kang Woojin? Hasn't he already done several?
-But why is it so random? Why would Kang Woojin be paired with Hwalin?
-Sis!!! I've been waiting!!!!
-Kang Woojin…in a rom-com?… Wait, give me more info. This is unexpected!!!
-But is Kang Woojin's role this time minor again. lol
-Lol, what's Hwalin up to? Why suddenly a short drama?
·
·
·
Rising star Kang Woojin's first romantic comedy with Hwalin as the co-star. It was bound to raise many questions.
However.
『[Official] bw Entertainment confirms Kang Woojin's joining Netflix, promises to give his best.』
bw Entertainment had confirmed, and,
『JML Entertainment's Hwalin acknowledges drama participation through SNS.』
Hwalin's agency, JML Entertainment, also nodded in agreement. Following this, Netflix released the official title of the work.
『[Entertainment Pick] Hwalin and Kang Woojin's rom-com drama titled 'Male Friend'. Anticipation rises.』
The first announcement of 'Male Friend' was made.
On a Wednesday.
Around 9 in the morning, Kang Woojin was at a salon in Cheongdam-dong. He had a packed schedule, including selective interviews, meetings with Netflix, and additional shooting for Hanryang.
Exhausted, Woojin…
"..."
Sat and stared at his reflection, feeling the weariness.
'I'm sleepy. I can't go on like this. Once this is over, I'll go into the void space and take a break.'
Just then,
"Woojin."
Choi Sung-gun, who was downstairs, approached. He smiled broadly, showing Woojin a video on his phone. It was a YouTube video.
"It just came out. The main episode of 'Sports Day'."
The 'Sports Day' Hanryang episode, which had over 3 million views just for its trailer, had been uploaded.
Interestingly, within 30 minutes of upload.
-EP.1! The Hanryang team is on fire! Confused…I'm really confused… The 'Hanryang' team is full of enthusiasm but the result…? | Sports Day X Profiler Hanryang
-[SBC]/ENG SUB
-Views: 243,554
It had already surpassed 200,000 views. Choi Sung-gun pointed at Kang Woojin, chuckling.
"But more than half the comments are about you."
*****