novelburst
Chapter 480
Chapter 480
Chapter 480: Sudden Event (3)
At the end of July, in LA.
Kang Woojin could be found on a sprawling set replicating a city. Dressed in a worn-out t-shirt and jeans, he was in the middle of a fight scene with several men in an alleyway.
“Hyah!”
“Ugh!”
With precise movements and strikes, the sturdy men fell one after another. The last man, faced with Woojin’s cold expression and evident skill, was overwhelmed.
“...Ugh!”
He turned and ran away as fast as he could. Woojin didn’t bother chasing him. Instead, he calmly rummaged through the fallen men’s pockets, pulled out a phone, and made a call. Cameras were positioned around him, capturing the scene from multiple angles.
For about 10 seconds, the set was silent.
Then—
“...Cut!”
The renowned director, Danny Landis, who was monitoring the scene with his round glasses perched on his nose, suddenly jumped to his feet and shouted.
“OK!!!”
As soon as he gave the cue, a roar of cheers erupted from the hundred or so crew members on set. Applause followed. Danny Landis, who had rushed over to Woojin, muttered his appreciation.
“You’ve worked so hard. Your efforts won’t be wasted; we’ll dive into post-production with everything we’ve got.”
“Thank you for your hard work, director.”
“There are still a few steps left, like post-dubbing, but as of today, the filming schedule for John Persona is officially over.”
Filming for John Persona, which began in February, was now complete. Although the initial plan was to wrap up in June, the schedule had been pushed back due to various events involving Kang Woojin. Nonetheless, Woojin’s third Hollywood film, John Persona, was now entering the editing phase.
Soon after, Woojin exchanged greetings with Danny Landis and many key staff members.
Though his face remained stoic, inside, he was quietly celebrating.
“Phew—finally! I can finally take a break. Even if it’ll be short.”
At that moment—
“Mr. Woojin.”
Someone called out to him from among the crowd of staff. When he turned around, he saw the towering figure of Joseph Felton smiling at him. Did he bulk up again? The tight black shirt he wore emphasized his imposing frame. Joseph, holding a stack of papers in one hand, approached Woojin and extended his other hand for a handshake.
“As always, today’s shoot was phenomenal. It’s been an honor to work with you throughout the filming of John Persona.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, Woojin answered in his usual understated manner, though he kept a composed expression.
“Thank you.”
After briefly surveying the noisy surroundings, Joseph Felton spoke to Woojin.
“Could you spare a moment?”
“I can give you about 10 minutes.”
“That’s plenty.”
The two of them headed toward Woojin’s trailer.
A short while later.
Inside the trailer, Woojin’s team members were already gathered, but Choi Sung-gun, noticing the situation, quickly led them out. Soon, only Woojin and Joseph Felton were left inside. It was Joseph who broke the silence.
“To be honest, I’ve been wanting to make this proposal for a few months now, but I knew the answer I’d get from you without the script being ready. So, it took a bit longer.”
Swish.
Joseph placed the stack of papers he had brought onto the table. The cover bore the title John Persona 2. Woojin immediately understood.
‘Ah! This must be the script for John Persona 2!’
With a smile, Joseph continued.
“I mentioned it briefly during filming, didn’t I? John Persona has been confirmed as a series, and Universal Movies is planning up to three films. The script for John Persona 2 has just been completed.”
“I see.”
“Of course, both Universal Movies, the director, and I, along with everyone involved, are hoping that you’ll take the lead in John Persona 2. Naturally, there’s no need for an audition; all the casting decisions for the sequel will revolve around you.”
“Is that so?”
“...Yes! As for the terms we have in mind—”
Before Joseph could finish his enthusiastic pitch, Woojin interrupted calmly.
“Before we discuss terms, I’d like to check the script first.”
No matter the conditions, if the script was bad, it wouldn’t matter. While the script for the first film had been great, there was always the possibility that John Persona 2 could be terrible. Joseph, who seemed to have anticipated Woojin’s reaction, nodded with a smile.
“Of course. Please feel free to review the script and contact us whenever you’re ready.”
“Understood.”
With that, Joseph left the trailer. Now alone, Woojin picked up the script for John Persona 2 from the table. As expected, next to the script was a familiar black rectangle. Without much thought, Woojin pressed his finger into the swirling black rectangle.
Poof!
In an instant, Woojin’s surroundings shifted into the infinite darkness of the Subspace. Stretching his arms, Woojin shed his usual calm demeanor.
“Aah—might as well relax a bit while I’m here.”
He strolled over to the floating white rectangles. There were a lot more than before. Woojin started by checking everything except The Clown: The Birth of a Villain, which had already claimed the top spot globally.
“Whoa, they’ve all leveled up.”
The other projects had risen in rank.
-[12/Script (Title: Beauty and the Beast), EX++ Grade] -[13/Script (Title: John Persona), EX+ Grade] -[14/Script (Title: Guest), EX Grade] -[15/Script (Title: The Bat: The Birth of a Hero), EX+++ Grade]
Everything was EX grade or higher. Naturally, this was thanks to Woojin’s immense influence and the overwhelming success of The Clown.
Finally, at the bottom:
-[16/Script (Title: John Persona 2), EX Grade]
The newly updated John Persona 2 script had already started at an EX grade. A wide grin spread across Woojin’s face.
“Nice—this is going to be great.”
At this point, Woojin suddenly had a thought.
“...But how long will this Subspace last?”
It was a question about the strange Subspace’s lifespan. He had prepared himself for the possibility that it might disappear one day, but if it vanished too suddenly—
‘Honestly, I’d feel really disappointed.’
By now, the Subspace felt like a close companion, having been with him through thick and thin. If the Subspace disappeared, what would happen to his abilities? Would they remain with him, or would they vanish along with it?
‘Will my powers disappear with it?’
Woojin, lost in thought, glanced up at the dark, endless Subspace and spoke aloud.
“Hey—Subspace, how long are you going to stick around?”
“...”
As expected, there was no reply. It had always been that way, so he wasn’t surprised. Woojin muttered to himself, ‘What am I even doing?’ when suddenly—
Swoosh.
At the very end of the white rectangles, something unexpected appeared. It was translucent at first but quickly became clear. Woojin blinked in confusion.
“What the...? What is this?”
There had been nothing after John Persona 2, but now a new white rectangle had appeared. Woojin took a cautious step closer, his toes trembling slightly from the unexpected change.
Then, the contents of the new white rectangle became visible.
-[17/Script (Title: One Year Later and the Missing 30 Minutes), ? Grade] *-[This is a perfect script. 100% readability is guaranteed.]
The grade and description were a bit unusual. In fact, this had never happened before.
“...‘One Year Later and the Missing 30 Minutes’? What’s this about?”
With his brow furrowed, Woojin touched the new white rectangle. More text appeared immediately.
-[17/Script (Title: One Year Later and the Missing 30 Minutes) selected.] -[Listing available characters for reading (experience).] -[A: Kang Woojin]
Seeing his own name listed, Woojin tilted his head slightly.
“Me?”
Almost hypnotized, he touched his name.
Soon, a familiar, robotic female voice echoed throughout the Subspace.
[“Preparing to read (experience) ‘A: Kang Woojin’...”] [“...Preparation complete. This is a perfect script. The realization rate is 100%. Beginning the reading.”]
As soon as her voice faded, a massive wave of gray engulfed Woojin.
How much time had passed?
Woojin’s ears, which had been muffled, began to pick up on the sounds of bustling voices. His darkened vision slowly returned to normal. His senses were coming back. There was a pleasant smell in the air.
‘...This scent is familiar.’
It was a fragrance he often smelled. Suddenly, in his now-clear vision, a blonde woman appeared. She hugged Woojin tightly.
“Woojin! We did it!!”
Cara? It was unmistakable. The woman hugging him was Miley Cara, his girlfriend. The familiar scent was coming from her. Gradually, more people came into view, and Woojin realized where he was.
‘...This is Walt Disney Pictures?’
Surrounding him were Miley Cara, Myra Armas, and other cast members of Beauty and the Beast, along with director Bill Lautner, crew members, and Walt Disney Pictures executives. They were all cheering, staring at the large screen in front of them.
“Look at that!! $1.5 billion!! $1.5 billion!!”
“Hahaha! I knew it! I knew Beauty and the Beast would succeed!!”
“We’ve passed $1.5 billion worldwide! Sure, the original story helped, but it was mainly thanks to Kang Woojin and Miley!”
“There was some talk about The Beast early on, but no one cared about that in the end! We’ve surpassed $1.5 billion!!”
Woojin, still wrapped in Cara’s embrace, scanned the room. On the screen, the box office results for Beauty and the Beast were displayed. Wait, what? Upon closer inspection, Woojin noticed that people were wearing much thicker clothes. He, too, was dressed in a dark denim jacket. It felt more like early winter than summer.
It was only then that Woojin realized.
‘I’m... I’m experiencing myself?’
Kang Woojin was reading (experiencing) a script where he was the protagonist. Still hugging him, Cara whispered in his ear.
“The world has acknowledged your Beast, Woojin.”
“...Yeah, I guess so.”
“What’s with that reaction? Aren’t you happy?”
“I’m happy.”
Director Bill Lautner, clearly excited, shouted.
“We’ve broken $1.5 billion! We’re now 8th on the all-time worldwide box office list!!”
The surrounding actors applauded.
“8th place worldwide!!”
“This is insane! But I guess it’ll be hard to beat The Clown, right??”
“Hahaha, what are you talking about? No one can beat those monster numbers!”
Everyone was celebrating. Meanwhile, Woojin’s gaze drifted back to the screen. The all-time box office rankings were listed there.
-[Worldwide All-Time Box Office Rankings] -<1/The Clown: The Birth of a Villain/ $2.8 billion> ... ... -<8/Beauty and the Beast/ $1.5 billion>
Two of the top-grossing films worldwide were Woojin’s.
At that moment—
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, the surrounding environment warped, and the scene shifted. Woojin found himself standing outside his house in LA, under a dark sky. As he gazed at the house in a daze, a familiar female voice called out from behind.
“What are you doing, standing there like an idiot?”
When he turned around, he saw Miley Cara smiling as she approached and wrapped her arm around his.
“Come on, let’s go inside. It’s cold.”
“...Huh?”
“Why are you surprised? We agreed to spend today together. You were supposed to help me pick a dress, remember?”
A dress? At that moment, the environment warped again. This time, Woojin was looking down at his phone, with Choi Sung-gun sitting beside him, shouting in excitement.
“Yes!! This means three of your films are now in the top 10, Woojin!!”
On Woojin’s phone, a Hollywood news article was displayed.
?NT/The Clown and Beauty and the Beast are joined by John Persona, which has surpassed $1.3 billion, breaking into the top 10 worldwide box office rankings!?
Once again, the environment shifted.
Now, Woojin found himself sitting on the couch in the living room of his LA home.
‘My house??’
Holding a remote, Woojin was casually watching TV. On the screen, a foreign news anchor was reporting.
-[“The film Guest, starring Miley Cara and Chris Hartnet, and produced by Kang Woojin and his agency BW Entertainment, continues to dominate the box office. Despite competition from other blockbuster releases, it remains at the top of the charts.”]
From the kitchen, Miley Cara’s playful voice echoed.
“You’re still going to swap the villa in Korea as promised, right?”
Smiling, with her blonde hair tied up, Miley Cara approached the couch in comfortable clothes and snuggled up to Woojin.
“I bought that boat you talked about! This time, don’t delay it!”
Without thinking, Woojin lifted Cara up. But, unfortunately, his vision warped once more. This time, he found himself on a familiar film set. There were cameras, equipment, actors, and hundreds of foreign crew members.
And Director Ahn Gabok.
“Woojin, are you ready?”
“...”
As Woojin looked at Director Ahn Gabok’s wrinkled face, he glanced down at his own costume. It was the Joker outfit. Ahn Gabok placed a hand on Woojin’s shoulder.
“Let’s flip the world with The Bat: The Birth of a Hero, just like we did with The Clown.”
Woojin nodded calmly.
“Yes, Director.”
Director Ahn Gabok returned to his position, and hundreds of crew members turned their attention to Woojin. Soon, the director’s signal echoed across the set.
“Action!!”
The world warped again, but this time, it felt as though everything was rewinding. Scenes flashed by in quick succession.
Woojin’s Joker acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, filming for Leech, Foreign Sacrifice, The Island of the Missing, the Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Profiler Scoundrel.
The life of Kang Woojin was rapidly rewinding.
Finally.
“I’m quitting.”
Woojin was back at his design company, announcing his resignation.
“I’ve made sure to organize everything I was working on. This is where I’ll stop.”
Soon, Woojin’s vision settled on the toad-like face of his boss.
“Ha! Quitting, huh?!”
Suddenly, everything froze. Woojin, still reading (experiencing) himself, could do nothing but wait. There was nothing else to do. Soon, the frozen world changed again, this time fast-forwarding. Images flew by rapidly. His old one-room apartment, drunken nights with friends.
The fast-forwarding finally stopped abruptly.
“Hey, drink, drink, drink!!”
“Yeah! What’s the point of life?! Drink!!”
“Woojin! Are you drunk?!”
“Shut up! I’m not drunk! Raise your glass, you bastards!”
Clink!
Woojin was completely wasted. Kim Da-young, Lee Kyung-sung, and Na Hyung-gu were all blurry. He felt nauseous. Everything spun around him. His brain wasn’t functioning properly. He wanted to escape. The air felt suffocating. Staggering, Woojin let out a deep breath and got up. The stench of alcohol was overwhelming.
Who cares?
All Woojin wanted was to breathe some fresh air. As he got up and walked away, his friends yelled after him, but Woojin dismissed them with a half-hearted “bathroom” excuse and stumbled forward. His vision was wobbly, distorted.
Where’s the bathroom?
The cold air was refreshing, but he had no idea where he was. How far had he walked? Suddenly, something surged up from his stomach. Woojin rushed to a nearby alley, grabbing a wall and throwing up everything he had consumed.
“Uuurgh! Ughhhhh!”
It was strange—no matter how much he vomited, the dizziness only intensified. The world spun faster. Along with it, all the worries he had been suppressing deep inside began to bubble up.
He had quit his job.
Now what?
Though he had acted all nonchalant in front of his friends, it was all an act to keep their relationships intact.
He was scared, terrified, weighed down by anxiety.
As Woojin continued to vomit, tears streamed down his face. Sure, some of it was due to the physical act of throwing up, but most of it was the fear of an uncertain future manifesting as tears.
“Huuurgh, sniff! Damn it—life really sucks.”
He couldn’t remember much of his past. He felt like he had done so many things, but now everything felt empty. He had worked hard, fought through struggles, focused intensely. He had done all that, but why did it feel like nothing remained?
Collapsed against the wall, Woojin slid down to the ground.
It was cold. The ground felt cool against his skin.
If I just close my eyes here, maybe everything will be easier.
At that moment—
“Dear child.”
A gentle, grandmotherly voice reached Woojin’s ears. It was warm and soothing.
“Dear, why are you lying here on the cold ground?”
Still dizzy, Woojin struggled to raise his head. He saw an elderly woman with her hands clasped behind her back, smiling at him. Her face and clothes were unclear, but Woojin somehow managed to stand. However—
“Ugh!”
He immediately slipped and fell again. In the end, Woojin sat back down on the ground, his back against the wall. For some reason, tears welled up in his eyes again. He didn’t know why, but the woman’s voice touched him deeply.
Sniff! “No, it’s... Grandma, I’m sorry. I’m just really...f***ed up. Ah, sorry. I’m just...life feels so messed up right now. It sucks. Life really sucks.”
The old woman sat beside him as Woojin slurred his words.
“What makes life feel so messed up? Why did you drink so much?”
“It’s just...just. When I drink, I can forget for a while. I can escape reality. Phew...I just feel like I’m an extra in this world. Even when I drink and throw up like this, no one cares. I’m just an extra.”
“...”
“I quit my job. At the time, I thought I looked cool. But it’s the same. It’s still heavy, still scary. I regret it too. Maybe I should’ve just stayed. Then at least I wouldn’t feel like such an extra. Life is boring—”
As Woojin continued to sob, the old woman looked down at him gently and asked softly.
“Would it be nice if life were more fun?”
“That would be nice. Exciting, enjoyable. Not boring. Ha—sorry, I’m just rambling. Thank you for listening to me in this cold weather.”
“...Here.”
Suddenly, the old woman handed something to Woojin.
“Drink this. It’ll make you feel better. And life will get more interesting too.”
“Huh?”
Woojin looked up. Though his vision was still blurry, it seemed like a bottle of hangover cure. Without thinking, Woojin took it and gulped it down.
“Ah—thank you. But...Grandma, I feel like I’m getting even dizzier.”
“Child.”
As Woojin’s vision became even more distorted, the old woman’s gentle voice reached him again.
“You’re not in this world, dear. Your life is the script, and this world is just the background. That’s all it is.”
She softly stroked Woojin’s head as he collapsed, her voice growing fainter.
“Enjoy it, dear child. You’re the protagonist.”
The world faded into darkness. Soon, the robotic female voice returned.
[“Ending the reading (experience) of ‘A: Kang Woojin.’”]
Before he knew it—
“...Huh?”
Woojin was back inside the trailer. He slowly looked around. Everything seemed the same as before. He touched his arms. Nothing had changed. He checked the time. Still the same.
Suddenly.
“Oh!”
Startled, Woojin checked the script for John Persona 2 in his hands. Or more accurately, the black rectangle attached to it.
Thankfully—
“It’s still there?”
The swirling Subspace was still present, standing before its master, the protagonist. With a deep sigh of relief, Woojin smiled.
“Alright, let’s just enjoy this, full speed ahead.”
With that, Woojin picked up his phone. The person he dialed was none other than Joseph Felton, whom he had just met. The call connected quickly, and Joseph, surprised by how soon Woojin had made up his mind, answered.
“Woojin? Have you already made a decision??”
With a slight smirk, Woojin answered with full determination.
“Yes. I’ll take the role—lead protagonist.”
THE END....