The news that the opening song Kang Woojin had sung for Boy Friend: Remake had reached real-time No. 1 on Japan's Oricon chart was, naturally, delivered to the Beneficial Evil production team almost immediately through writer Choi Nana.
The place was the restaurant inside a four-star hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.
Among the dozens of staff members dressed in light clothes because of the humid heat, the one who reacted most strongly was PD Song Manwoo.
"The Oricon chart? Woojin is No. 1 there??"
"Yes, yes!! It just came out!"
Already excited by the 14% ratings for the drama Boy Friend: Remake, writer Choi Nana bounced up and down as she showed PD Song Manwoo her phone. A smile spread across the face of PD Song Manwoo, who was dressed in something like a sleeveless shirt.
"Wow, seeing Woojin's name sitting at the very top of a chart filled with Japanese names feels strange in a good way. It makes my shoulders rise all on their own."
"There are a few K-pop idol songs on there too! But Woojin being No. 1 is seriously incredible, isn't it?!"
"This means Japanese people are listening to the song a lot and downloading it a lot too, right? Look at these comments."
"Ah, yes!!"
Soon, not only PD Song Manwoo but several key staff members also gathered around writer Choi Nana. News about Boy Friend: Remake was already a hot topic among them. Before long, comments written in Japanese began flooding Choi Nana's phone.
[The song is so good!! Kang Woojin's vocals are perfect!!]
[I watched the animation and immediately downloaded the opening and the episode. Both were so good… especially the opening…]
[Boy Friend: Remake's opening this time is seriously amazing. It suits Kang Woojin's voice so well.]
[The animation was amazing, and the opening song feels like it's going to be hugely popular too!! I keep replaying it!]
[Kang Woojin is a great actor, his voice acting is excellent, and now he can sing too? Is there anything he can't do? He's ridiculously handsome too!]
[Who could have imagined the day would come when a Korean actor's name would reach No. 1 on the Oricon chart… We really need to look back on this moment.]
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.
.
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Everything was in Japanese, so it was hard for them to judge it precisely, but PD Song Manwoo, writer Choi Nana, and the others roughly understood the content through the explanations of staff members who knew at least some Japanese, and they applauded sincerely.
"Hahaha, our male lead doing well is always welcome!"
Of course, what they were looking at right now was only Oricon's real-time daily chart. Kang Woojin's name had not yet appeared on the weekly or monthly rankings.
But that was only a matter of time.
On top of that, Kang Woojin had already set several firsts in Japan through this alone. From voicing an animation character, to singing the opening song, to taking that opening song to No. 1 on Japan's real-time Oricon chart within a single day of release, he had achieved one milestone after another.
"If Woojin keeps gaining popularity in Korea, Japan, and even Hollywood, then the future of our Beneficial Evil will only get brighter!"
That was true. Since Beneficial Evil was aiming at a global audience, it was going to be promoted not only in Korea but also in Japan and Hollywood.
In other words, Kang Woojin's influence had become even more powerful.
"If our male lead is working that hard, shouldn't we work even harder too?!"
"Hahaha! That's right!"
"I suddenly feel energized!"
That also meant the chances of Beneficial Evil, which was targeting the global market, succeeding had grown higher.
A few days later, on July 17.
Several days had passed since the explosive success of Boy Friend: Remake, but the heat had not died down. That was true in both Korea and Japan. In Japan especially, the media and all sorts of outlets were pouring out coverage on a massive scale.
[Boy Friend: Remake Records 14.8% Ratings, and the Opening Song Sung by Kang Woojin Takes No. 1 on the Oricon Chart!]
[Boy Friend: Remake Is Spreading Rapidly Through Social Media and Online Communities]
Of course, that was also thanks to the aggressive promotional push from A10 Studio. Because of that, Boy Friend: Remake held the No. 1 spot in Japanese social media searches for several days, while Kang Woojin ranked No. 2. Sometimes the two switched places, but the gap was minimal.
The opening song sung by Kang Woojin was also still holding firmly to No. 1 on the Oricon chart. On YouTube, the opening song was exploding in popularity, and its views were multiplying several times over.
The momentum of that success, that flow, was overwhelming.
The Korean side, which had been closely watching what was happening in Japan, helped spread the wave of discussion surrounding Kang Woojin even further. Even though the animation episode itself was barely over twenty minutes long, both countries were in an uproar.
What was interesting was this.
[Huh, the original poster is on the Korean music charts too??]
The very person at the center of it all, Kang Woojin, was far away in LA. Inside a van moving through the streets of Los Angeles, Woojin stared down at his phone with a serious expression. His clothes and hairstyle were plain.
It was early morning.
His destination today was not Miley Kara's recording studio.
His work with her had already entered its final stages as of yesterday, and today, just as originally planned, he was heading to a large studio for filming. From the five-star Beverly Hills hotel where Woojin was staying, the studio was about an hour away, and after passing countless high-rise buildings, they finally arrived.
The large studio had been built in a rather desolate area.
How should it be described? It looked almost like a highway rest stop. The tightly packed buildings and crowds had noticeably thinned out. Around the huge dome-shaped studio, there were only trees and roads. The city could still be seen in the distance, of course. In any case, the van carrying Woojin came to a stop in front of the dome-shaped studio building, and Kang Woojin stepped out.
He immediately looked around.
The spacious outdoor parking lot was filled with all sorts of vehicles, including trucks, buses, and vans. At a glance, there had to be well over a dozen of them. The size of the larger vehicles, especially the trucks, stood out immediately.
'Wow, the scale is unbelievable.'
He also saw several foreigners moving busily through the parking lot. Right then, Choi Sunggeon and the others approached Woojin from behind. Choi Sunggeon, dressed in a zip-up hoodie, spoke first.
"This is huge. Honestly, it's my first time seeing a music video shoot on this side, so I don't really have much to compare it to. But from what I've looked into, the system seems pretty similar to Korea's."
"Yes, sir."
In other words, today Kang Woojin had come to the music video shoot for global superstar Miley Kara. According to the storyboard and schedule he had received, filming was going to continue all day. By that point, Woojin's heart had started thumping little by little.
'Ah, damn it, don't get nervous.'
This music video shoot was his first too. And on top of that, it was Miley Kara's music video. It was only natural that Kang Woojin would feel tense. No matter what happened during filming, once the music video was completed, people all over the world would watch it, and naturally, Kang Woojin himself would be in it too.
'This is some insane publicity… Working with Kara really does make me nervous. Whew… Just focus on the concept, focus on the concept.'
Kang Woojin immediately began extreme psychological control. It was not just that this was his first music video shoot. The storyboard also included quite a few scenes involving physical contact with Miley Kara. What man in the world could stay completely calm in that kind of situation?
Soon, Woojin forced himself to settle down and started walking.
Within just a few minutes, the foreigners near the entrance of the dome-shaped studio spotted Woojin. Foreign staff members with intercoms hanging around their necks announced his arrival and hurried over to him.
That was how Kang Woojin entered the massive studio dome.
For a brief moment, Woojin's mouth fell open. Only inwardly, of course.
'Wow—this is insane! Isn't this size way too excessive??!!'
Inside the studio dome, the space had been split into four zones, and in each zone stood a set with enormous height and width.
Among them, the front section, overflowing with flowers and filled with dozens of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, was especially overwhelming.
There were nearly a hundred staff members, all kinds of cameras including multiple small jibs, sound equipment unlike anything he had seen before, and close to fifty backup dancers practicing choreography on one side. How could this even be described? Kang Woojin was overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of the sight in front of him.
'So this is what a Hollywood music video set looks like?'
It did not feel completely unfamiliar. The atmosphere of the set was similar to a movie or drama set. But the mood was definitely different. Before long, several foreign staff members approached Kang Woojin. Choi Sunggeon was called away, and Woojin's stylists followed after him.
Then, while dozens of backup dancers were practicing choreography, a woman with blonde hair tied to one side approached Kang Woojin. It was Miley Kara. Her outfit was bold. She wore a white tank top that exposed her stomach and shoulders, along with loose jeans so ripped that most of her thighs and legs were visible. Could those even still be called jeans?
In any case, the outfit was quite revealing.
Standing close beside Woojin, Kara gave him a slight smile.
"Welcome. This is the set for my music video."
Her makeup was unusual. It was heavily applied but smudged, making her look as though she had been crying just moments earlier. It matched the music video concept perfectly. At that moment, a faint fragrance drifted from Kara as she stood quite close to him. Woojin tried to calm the pounding in his chest and answered quietly in English.
"It's very impressive. I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Me too."
After that, Kara introduced Woojin to a number of foreign staff members, beginning with the music video director. Her tone was somewhat cold, but she looked oddly excited, like a friend proudly showing off a favorite toy.
'What's with her? She seems a little too energetic.'
Several dozen minutes later, after introducing him to the backup dancers as well, Kara moved toward the set. It was a space filled with dozens of chandeliers and flowers carpeting the floor. In one corner stood a piano decorated with black flowers. Kara pointed to it with both hands.
"That piano is the one you'll be playing, Woojin. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, it looks good."
"I came up with everything, starting from the concept. Could you play for a moment?"
Calm as ever, Woojin nodded. He would have to play the piano during the music video shoot anyway, so it seemed fine to think of this as a rehearsal.
As soon as Woojin sat at the piano, he rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie to his elbows. At the same time, not only Kara but also the backup dancers and foreign staff gathered around the music video set all turned their eyes toward Kang Woojin.
Their gazes were filled with curiosity.
Was this Korean actor's piano skill really good enough to justify appearing in Kara's music video? Kara had already made her decision, but skeptical looks still lingered among the staff.
But the moment Kang Woojin calmly began to play the piano—
♬♪
"…Wow."
Gasps of surprise burst out here and there. Some staff members covered their mouths with their hands, and a few of the backup dancers in the back widened both their eyes and their mouths slightly.
♬♪
Naturally, the melody Woojin played on the piano was one of the songs from Miley Kara's new album, and her blue eyes, already full of curiosity, shone brighter than ever as she smiled.
"You're the best. Just like I thought."
Before long, applause burst out across the set.
Clap clap clap clap clap!!
Kang Woojin was flustered inside, but not the slightest change showed on his face. Kara gave him a thumbs-up and spoke to him.
"All right, now go get your outfit and makeup ready, then come back so we can rehearse together."
Woojin nodded and followed the guidance of a foreign staff member. There were more than five outfits prepared for him today. The first one was a tuxedo that looked as though it belonged at a film festival. Since it had apparently been discussed with Choi Sunggeon beforehand, it fit his body perfectly. This tuxedo was for a scene in the music video where Woojin's character was getting married, while Miley Kara's character would be shown obsessing over him.
From this point on, a fierce pursuit would begin.
'I really made it, didn't I? Miley Kara is completely obsessed with me.'
By the time Woojin finished checking his outfit, Kara, her blonde hair still tied up, had already started practicing choreography again with dozens of backup dancers.
Her new song echoed loudly through the entire venue.
About five minutes passed.
Looking satisfied, Miley Kara gave the backup dancers a thumbs-up. Since they had worked together for a long time, they all looked very comfortable with one another. Sweat was dripping from them, and a few staff members hurried over to Kara, who was standing in the center of the studio dome.
They had come to touch up her makeup.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kara closed her eyes.
More than seven foreign staff members rushed toward Kara as she stood there with her eyes shut. Among them was one female staff member with a somewhat heavy build who was moving with unsettling roughness. She had run the fastest and moved with the most aggressive energy. It did not look like she was hurrying over to fix makeup. It looked more like she was about to strike Kara.
At that moment—
"Kyaak!!"
One of the staff members standing beside the heavyset woman let out a short scream. The reason was simple. What the woman was holding in her hand was not makeup.
It was a knife. A short but sharp knife.
But the heavyset female staff member did not slow down, and Miley Kara still had her eyes closed, unaware of what was happening. In truth, most of the people inside the huge studio dome had not noticed either. It was only because of the screaming staff member that a few people were finally turning their heads.
The set was too noisy and too busy for anyone to focus.
At last, the heavyset woman reached Kara. Sensing that something was wrong, Miley Kara slowly opened her eyes.
Her blue eyes faced forward.
Right in front of her, a woman with crazed eyes and flushed cheeks was running at her with a smile on her face. The woman had raised a knife high over her head. What…? Who are you?
"!!!"
In an instant, an article she had seen a few days ago flashed through Kara's mind.
[[Breaking News] Brad Willis Attacked at Home by Knife-Wielding Intruder!]
"Ah."
The heavyset woman holding the knife high smiled even wider. The makeup staff who had run over with her tried to grab her, but it was useless. They could not keep up with either her speed or her strength.
The woman's dry lips moved, and in a low voice, she muttered in English,
"Goodbye, Miley Kara."
Then, now standing right in front of Kara, the woman swung the knife down with all her strength. It was impossible to tell whether she was aiming for Kara's face, her shoulder, or her chest. Even so, Kara's entire body froze, and no sound came out of her throat.
At that exact moment—
Bang!!!
Suddenly, the heavyset woman's body was knocked sideways and sent flying with a violent whoosh.
"Ugh!"
The first thing Kara saw was a pair of long legs. The next thing she saw was Kang Woojin's expressionless face. It was Woojin who had kicked the woman in the side.
Thud thud thud!
Woojin immediately charged toward the woman holding the knife.