At the mention that Miley Cara was appearing in a Korean production, the female reporter, who had been combing through her long permed hair, immediately shot back at the man in the cap.
"Are you joking?"
The male reporter only shrugged. The woman stared at him for a moment, then frowned and burst out laughing.
"If you were trying to make me laugh, congratulations. That's the most absurd joke I've heard all year."
She took it as a joke. It was an understandable reaction. Miley Cara was already one of the top five stars in the world, an overwhelming presence in both acting and music. On top of that, her recently released album was sweeping the Billboard charts. Who could possibly imagine a superstar of that magnitude suddenly appearing in a Korean production?
But the male reporter remained completely unfazed and simply repeated himself.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Peggy, but I wasn't trying to make you laugh."
"Then what is this? Why are you saying something so ridiculous? I'm busy."
Holding a tablet in one hand, the reporter passed it over to her.
"I think it sounds ridiculous too, but for some reason, rumors about Miley Cara are spreading rapidly across Korean websites and social media."
"..."
The smile disappeared from the female reporter's face, and her brows knit together again. She lowered her gaze to the tablet. On the screen were translated Korean articles and posts the reporter had gathered from social media. Most of them seemed to have been uploaded by Cara's fans. One of the Korean headlines read:
[[Unexpected photo from the* Beneficial Evil *set appears to show "Miley Cara"! Is her casting confirmed through her connection to Kang Woojin?]]
Most of the articles he had collected carried similar headlines. Even the posts from Cara's fans on social media all followed the same line of thought. The wording varied slightly, but the core of it was identical.
Was Miley Cara appearing in a Korean production?
After scanning through the contents, the woman swept back her permed hair once again. This time, her expression had turned serious. The male reporter quickly added an explanation.
"I haven't verified every single detail yet, but this is actively being discussed across Korean social media and community sites. It's only just started picking up recently, so Hollywood is still quiet for now."
"...This is confusing. Why would a rumor like this suddenly start circulating?"
In response to her question, the male reporter swiped the tablet screen in her hands. A photo that looked like it had been taken on a filming set appeared.
"This is from the set of a Korean drama called Beneficial Evil*. The overseas shoot took place in Bangkok. From what I found, it's being produced as a Netflix original series. And this male actor here is Kang Woojin."*
"Kang Woojin—the actor who won Best Actor at Cannes this year."
"Right, and you were the one who thought his acceptance speech was ridiculous too, Peggy, when he said he'd be aiming for the Academy Awards next year."
"I remember. The moment Cannes ended, the articles about him exploded, and Hollywood started talking about him too."
As though he already knew that, the male reporter nodded and moved his index finger again.
"And the reason this rumor is spreading is because of this blonde woman."
"...She really does look like Miley Cara."
"It seems the controversy started when this photo leaked. As you know, Kang Woojin also participated in Miley Cara's album this time. And when Miley Cara came to Korea, she even appeared on Kang Woojin's YouTube channel."
"And the two of them were frequently spotted together at this year's Cannes Film Festival."
"Doesn't that make this an interesting story? You did me a favor last time, Peggy, so I'm handing this one to you."
The female reporter glanced once more at the blonde woman on the tablet screen. Miley Cara was enjoying immense global popularity at the moment. Her presence at Cannes had made headlines, but the explosive reaction to her new album sweeping Billboard had played the biggest role.
To put it simply, any story involving Miley Cara was guaranteed to sell.
A moment later, the standing reporter pulled out a chair and sat down. Reopening the laptop he had closed earlier, he turned toward the male reporter sitting at the desk beside him.
"Kang Woojin, and the Korean project Miley Cara is supposedly appearing in—is the title really Beneficial Evil*?"*
It looked as though Beneficial Evil was about to spill overseas.
──────────
Later.
It was ten minutes before the final shoot began on the set of the drama Beneficial Evil, where Kang Woojin was appearing. Every staff member nearby was focused on their phone. More precisely, they were checking the explosive reactions flooding out of Korea and Japan at the same time.
"Oppa! Leech hit 780,000 viewers! Seven hundred eighty thousand!!"
"That's insane! How many did Island of the Missing get on opening day again???"
"About 700,000!"
"Whoa!! That means it's up by eighty thousand?!"
"Do you think Leech might break yet another all-time record?!"
"Wow, even considering the Cannes buzz, 780,000 on a weekday is incredible... seriously unbelievable."
"What about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice*? Did the sales numbers for* The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice come out yet?"
As though he had not been listening, Kang Woojin suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
"880,000."
The excitement of the stylists and the other team members instantly turned into full-blown frenzy.
"880,000!!! That's higher than opening day, isn't it? Wait—Oppa, how do you know that?"
"I got a call."
"Wow! 880,000? That number is completely unprecedented! The Japanese media kept saying The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice would flop! Serves them right!"
"I mean, yes, but calling it 'nonsense' is a bit..."
"No, seriously, I got so mad reading those articles!"
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice and Leech were both delivering massive box office results side by side. Until yesterday, only The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had been breaking records, but today both films had set new ones. Viewership numbers of 880,000 and 780,000 respectively were more than enough to rewrite records in both countries.
At that moment—
"Mr. Woojin!! Congratulations!!"
"Wow, those numbers are absolutely insane?!"
Dozens of people from the Beneficial Evil team crowded around the calm-faced Kang Woojin, showering him with praise and congratulations. Some of them pointed out what was truly astonishing about the current situation.
"I've never seen or heard of anything like this! It was already unbelievable that you were starring in films opening in Korea and Japan at the same time, but the fact that both of them are setting audience records is just unreal!"
The common factor between the two films was Kang Woojin.
It was unprecedented for one actor's films to open in two countries at the same time and both become massive hits. Naturally, it was a first for both Korea and Japan. Kang Woojin had created an unprecedented event in both countries.
The staff immediately began predicting an enormous future.
"If this keeps up, and both films break ten million viewers, they'll be gigantic hits, right?"
"Bigger than that! Mr. Woojin will just become a legend!!"
Soon everyone except Kang Woojin was bouncing with excitement.
"Seriously, Mr. Woojin! How can you be that calm after dropping something this huge?! You're way too calm!!"
That was not true.
Just a little while earlier, Kang Woojin had already been dancing excitedly with his shoulders bouncing.
Of course, only inside his head.
Even now, he was grinning broadly in his mind.
'Hehe. Ah, the corners of my mouth keep trying to lift. Calm down, Kang Woojin. Calm down.'
He desperately tried to settle his racing heart, but the Korean media showed no such restraint.
[[Main Article] Cannes Palme d'Or winner* Leech *surpasses 780,000 viewers on opening day and dominates the box office!]]
[[Leech records 780,000 viewers on a weekday, surpassing* Island of the Missing*'s 700,000 opening-day figure!]]
[[The man from Cannes, Kang Woojin, scores another box office hit! Leech surpasses 780,000 viewers on opening day!]]
The moment the results for Leech were announced, media outlets swarmed like a hive and began reporting on it.
[["At this pace, it might surpass twenty million." Leech, the film that shook Cannes, rewrites records with 780,000 viewers on its opening day.]]
Even on its second day of release, Leech was still holding first place in reservations. As a result, every kind of article full of soaring expectations poured out.
[[Movie Talk] 780,000 viewers on opening day, #1 at the box office, rave reviews from audiences... will* Leech*, winner of the Palme d'Or and Best Actor, become a box office hit in Korea too?]]
The media attention had reached its peak, but public opinion was just as intense. The public's expectations for Leech had clearly been astronomical. It had swept Cannes, and major critics around the world had praised it lavishly. Usually, when expectations for a film run that high, disappointment is just as fierce if the movie fails to live up to them.
But the viewers who watched Leech had no complaints at all.
"Ah, this is seriously incredible. I need to watch it again."
"The way the genre suddenly shifts in the middle was such a shock, right? Kang Woojin's change in expression was completely dramatic."
"I looked it up—it's Ripley syndrome. But seriously, is Kang Woojin insane? His acting is god-tier."
"Honestly, Shim Hanho barely even stood out."
"I agree. In terms of acting, I don't think there's anyone who can surpass Kang Woojin."
They had experienced something beyond what they had expected.
[Leech / Released October 27, 2021]
[Rating: 9.5]
[Viewer and netizen reviews / 1,988 participants]
[The script, the directing, the acting—everything was incredible... it gave me chills... / r****]
[The moment Kang Woojin steps into the mansion and his expression changes, the entire genre changes with him / t****]
[Ripley syndrome. Thanks to Instagram, I think most people these days are already living as though fiction is reality. Anyway, Kang Woojin's acting was unbelievable / damn]
[I completely understand why this film won the Palme d'Or and why Kang Woojin won Best Actor at Cannes / h****]
[A film that quietly feeds your anxiety... / 4 stars]
[This film speaks for itself, and I think everyone in the world today should watch it at least once. Also, Kang Woojin is now unquestionably the best actor in Korea. / 4 stars]
[That scene stuck in my head for a long time and gave me chills. Then I deleted Instagram. / d****]
[This film sharply criticizes the problems of modern society through Ripley syndrome. Director Ahn Gabok is a genius. / 6 stars]
[LOL do you think Kang Woojin has Ripley syndrome too? LOL / gae****]
[Why is everyone only praising it? To me, it just looked like an idiot destroying a family. / c****]
[I had to change my underwear several times because of Kang Woojin's acting... he was responsible for all of it / 1 star]
In a way, the public response to Leech and The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice stood in sharp contrast. Leech had been praised even before release and continued receiving acclaim afterward, while The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had been bombarded with criticism and ridicule from the production stage all the way to release.
But the more The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was criticized, insulted, and met with anger, the more its box office results rose instead.
[[850,000 + 880,000! The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice surpasses 1.73 million viewers in just two days and continues holding #1 in reservations for a third straight day!]]
[[Are criticism and controversy becoming its driving force? Even amid a flood of harsh reviews,* The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice *continues to break records one after another.]]
As this happened, the number of mentions of Kang Woojin exploded. Actors, directors, ordinary people, and the media in both countries all kept talking about him without pause. The entertainment industries in both Korea and Japan had been completely overturned, but the ripple effect did not stop there.
One major newspaper headline out of New York read:
"Kang Woojin, who declared war on the Academy Awards, confirms Miley Cara's appearance in his next project, Beneficial Evil."
It looked as though his influence was beginning to spread across the entire world.
──────────
A few days later, Sunday, October 31. Los Angeles.
While the film industries of Korea and Japan were in chaos, LA remained relatively calm. Inside a mid-sized conference room at one of the five major film distributors in the industry sat a familiar, seasoned old man. Seated at the center of a U-shaped table, he gave off the aura of a veteran master.
"..."
Silently gazing out at the Los Angeles skyline beyond the window, Director Ahn Gabok looked exactly the same as ever, with his short white hair and deeply lined face. Of course, he was not alone. The CEO of the management company representing him, a few executives, and an interpreter were there with him. Including Ahn, there were five people in total, and all of them seemed to be waiting for someone.
So why was Director Ahn Gabok in LA instead of Korea?
And why now of all times, when Leech had only just opened in Korea? The timing was strange. Normally, once Leech opened domestically, this should have been the period when Ahn would be making public appearances everywhere for promotion.
Instead, he was in Hollywood.
Just then—
"Director."
The slightly heavyset CEO of the management company leaned toward Ahn Gabok and spoke in a low voice. Judging by his expression, he looked excited, though he was clearly trying to hold it in.
"The Saturday numbers for Leech just came in. It drew 1.21 million viewers, which means it passed four million cumulative viewers in just four days. It's moving faster than Island of the Missing*."*
"Hmm."
Director Ahn gave a short hum through his nose, then asked,
"What about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice*?"*
"That one's charging ahead even more recklessly than we are."
At that moment—
-Click!
The closed conference room door opened, cutting off the management CEO's words. Soon, four foreigners with distinctly different looks entered the room one by one. The moment they stepped inside, everyone including Director Ahn stopped talking, stood up, and exchanged handshakes and brief greetings.
"Director Ahn Gabok, it's an honor. And once again, congratulations on winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes."
"Watching you break Cannes tradition to win that award was truly remarkable."
"Thank you."
About ten minutes later—
-Swish.
After brief greetings and a little light conversation, everyone took their seats. Then, among the foreigners sitting across from Director Ahn, a bald man who looked to be in his sixties, wearing glasses, spoke in English. His tone was filled with sincerity.
"Director, we would like to place the megaphone for our film in your hands."
Ahn Gabok had just been offered the chance to direct a Hollywood film.