Inside the large van speeding through downtown LA, Miley Kara, her blonde hair falling all the way to her chest, stared intently at Kang Woojin across from her and asked again in English.
"...You got first place?"
Woojin answered calmly.
"Yes."
They were talking about the animation Boy Friend: Remake, the one he had worked on in Japan. It seemed that the series, where he had voiced the main character, was now enjoying the highest popularity. For some reason, though, confusion lingered in Kara's blue eyes.
'W-what is this?'
She hesitated over whether she should congratulate him or not. His reaction was just too calm. If anything, he looked indifferent.
'Is first place not satisfying enough for him? Is there some rank even higher than first? No, that's ridiculous. Then did it get first place, but the ratings were disappointing?'
Shouldn't anyone be jumping with joy if their project took first place? At the very least, there should have been a smile. But Kang Woojin's face held nothing but indifference. It was impossible to tell what he was really feeling.
He really was a unique person, unlike anyone she had ever seen before, and every time she looked at him, that impression only seemed to grow stronger.
Miley Kara cleared her throat lightly.
'Well, it is first place, so I should congratulate him.'
Having made up her mind, she spoke to Woojin, who was looking at his phone. Her voice still carried the same cool edge as always, but the congratulations themselves were sincere.
"So you got first place. Congratulations."
Woojin lifted his head, but his expressionless face did not change at all.
"Thank you."
"But could it be that the ratings weren't as good as expected?"
Woojin looked into Kara's blue eyes for a moment and answered first in his head.
'Not good? What are you talking about? I'm completely satisfied.'
Then he lowered his voice and spoke in an even deeper tone.
"No, I'm satisfied."
"You really don't look like it."
"That's probably just your imagination."
"...Anyone else would say the same thing. You're far too calm."
"Really? Then I'm glad."
Once again, Kara realized just how unusual Kang Woojin was. He said he was happy, yet the atmosphere around him still felt almost cold. Even so, Kara felt she could understand him to some degree.
Yes, that level of detachment must be what allows him to control his emotions. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to possess all those abilities. Someone like him must be used to suppressing emotion even in extreme situations.
That was mostly true. On the outside, Kang Woojin looked calm, but on the inside, he was practically dancing with joy. None of that excitement showed on the surface, of course.
'Holy shit—seriously? First place?! This is insane, hahaha. I almost broke character when I saw that result!! Anyway, first place! That's huge!!'
It was the kind of result he had expected based on the ratings in the void space, but seeing it in reality felt completely different. Regardless of the number itself, the fact that Boy Friend: Remake had taken first place was enough to make him want to shout in triumph inside.
'Ah, damn, the opening move finally landed perfectly.'
In truth, this was the first project Woojin had worked on in Japan. Originally, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had been supposed to release first, but Boy Friend: Remake had come out ahead of it. Still, what did it matter which one came first? The important thing was that it had begun, and it had taken first place, which meant he could ride that momentum straight into The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice and keep things moving smoothly.
It felt as though he had finally cleared away one of the many things piled up in front of him.
'Haha, let's go!'
Though he was dancing inside, Woojin looked as serious as ever on the outside. Several dozen minutes later, Kang Woojin, Miley Kara, and the rest of the group settled into a Korean restaurant. It was already quite famous even in LA, and as soon as Woojin stepped into the spacious hall, his phone started vibrating.
-Bzzzzz.
-Bzzzzz.
They were congratulatory messages. DMs from Japan, texts from Korea, and more. Woojin wanted to check the reactions from Japan and Korea right away, but he held himself back. Right now, maintaining his composure was the highest priority.
But Choi Sunggeon and the rest of his team, who were seated beside him, were already excited.
Choi Sunggeon, his hair tied back in a ponytail, beamed as he spoke.
"Woojin, did you see the ratings for Boy Friend: Remake*? It's 14.8%! 14.8%! Can you believe it? It beat* Magic Revolution*!!"*
Choi Sunggeon looked as though he was on the verge of hysteria.
"This is… this is honestly unbelievable. Do you know how long it's been since a Japanese animation broke past 10% ratings?"
"I don't."
"At least five years. Five years, minimum. Maybe even longer!"
Without even remembering to order food, Choi Sunggeon passionately launched into an explanation of the ripple effect that Boy Friend: Remake's ratings would create. His excitement was so intense that even Miley Kara and the foreign staff seated across from them looked startled. But honestly, Choi Sunggeon's reaction was not strange at all.
After all, it was true that Boy Friend: Remake had just set the biggest hit record in years.
Compared to Japan's past, there had certainly been even more astonishing achievements before, but those could not be compared to the current barren ratings landscape. Rival works based on popular manga had remained in the 9% range, while Boy Friend: Remake had surpassed 14%.
Calling it an enormous sensation was not an exaggeration.
That was why Choi Sunggeon and Woojin's staff made no effort whatsoever to hide their excitement.
"A10 did put in some marketing effort, sure, but more than half of these insane ratings came from Woojin oppa, right?! Right?!"
"What are we even supposed to say?! Without oppa, it wouldn't have made 10%, let alone 5%!"
"Wow—Woojin oppa, social media is exploding right now! Japanese fans are flooding in!"
A little later, while sharing phone screens with the staff, Choi Sunggeon leaned toward Woojin and whispered.
"I'm sure quite a few of those viewers watched the animation because they wanted to criticize you. Like, 'Let's see just how good he really is.' But what can they do now? Thanks to that, it pulled 14.8%, so we might as well enjoy it."
If you thought about it, it was an ironic situation. The very people who had disliked him had ended up becoming allies instead.
"Anyway, since it's a weekly animation, I think we need to push the promotion hard enough to keep this momentum going until next week's broadcast."
They had to maintain the explosive popularity. Some viewers might drop away after the first episode, but thanks to the massive surge in ratings, the next episode would likely draw in twice as many new viewers.
Even if there were no other reason, simple curiosity alone would be enough.
Kang Woojin tried his best to hide his feelings and answered calmly.
"I'm sure A10 Studio will handle it well."
At that moment, Woojin turned his gaze toward Kara. Staff members were gathered around her, and Kara was staring at her phone with a faintly troubled expression. The people on that side no longer seemed especially interested in Kang Woojin, and when Kara noticed him looking, she brushed back her blonde hair and showed him her phone.
"Woojin, this may be a good day for you, but something big happened in Hollywood."
There was a breaking news article from an overseas media outlet on her screen.
[[Breaking News] Brad Willis Attacked at Home by Knife-Wielding Intruder!]
Both the headline and the article were in English, but that posed no problem at all for Woojin.
"That looks serious."
"Yeah. He's an actor I know well. I should call him."
Just then, the short-haired manager standing beside Kara muttered,
"Doesn't it feel like there have been more incidents like this lately? Things like attacks. There was one last month too, right?"
"Ah, you mean that strange person who showed up at Tom's house?"
"Yes. It's because of social media, YouTube, TikTok. There are more mentally unstable people these days. Whew, things like this always happen, but we really need to strengthen security."
"Seriously, thank you. Really."
Woojin watched their conversation with an indifferent face, but inwardly, his reaction was completely honest.
'Attacks like that are common? Hollywood is terrifying—'
──────────
Later.
As Kang Woojin was wrapping up his day in the cold reality of LA, the morning was just beginning in Japan and Korea, where stories surrounding Boy Friend: Remake were continuing to unfold.
As expected, the impact in Japan was several times stronger.
Woojin confirmed that after returning to the hotel. Even a quick glance was enough to show that the Japanese media was overflowing with stories about the animation.
[The Korean Original Boy Friend: Remake Takes First Place with 14.8% Ratings]
[Against All Expectations, Boy Friend: Remake Claims No. 1 in Third-Quarter Ratings!]
Once he returned to his hotel room, Woojin finally stopped acting and let a smile spread across his face. It was such a wide grin that it nearly reached his ears.
"Hehe, this is turning into quite a hot topic."
In reality, the Japanese media kept pouring out articles about Boy Friend: Remake without pause.
That was only natural. It was the first time in years that an animation had broken past 10% ratings. On top of that, it was not based on a popular manga or light novel, but on Boy Friend, a work starring a Korean actor, which naturally made it an even bigger story.
And it had even recorded ratings above 14%.
[Kang Woojin Effect? Boy Friend: Remake Breaks the Highest Romantic Comedy Ratings Record in Years!]
If the Japanese press had not been excited, that would have been stranger. Public reaction to the unexpected result was just as fervent. And with both the media and the public in such an uproar, how could A10 Studio, the production company behind Boy Friend: Remake, possibly stay calm?
"14.8%??!! This isn't an error, right?!"
"How could it be an error? This is the official announcement!"
"Oh my god!! We passed 10%??? Is this real?"
"Wahaha!! It's 14.8%! That's nowhere near just 10%!"
"Quick, gather everyone! No, wait! Start flooding the press with articles right now!"
"Exactly! If we keep riding this wave, the next few days are going to be complete chaos! We need to push the promotion several times harder!!"
It had gone beyond simple celebration and turned into something close to frenzy. The phrase a cauldron of excitement fit perfectly. The director of Boy Friend: Remake, the production staff, and the executives and employees of A10 Studio were hugging one another and shouting. A rating of 14.8% was something neither the Japanese animation market as a whole nor A10 Studio itself had seen in years. In fact, they were convinced they might never reach such a number again.
The same was true for all the voice actors who had participated in Boy Friend: Remake.
"It's a new record! A massive record!!"
Across the entire Japanese animation industry, Boy Friend: Remake had become the center of attention.
"Magic Revolution got 9.1%, Strongest Spy* got 8.8%, and* Boy Friend: Remake* got 14.8%?!"*
"I can't believe the gap is this huge."
"The gap isn't even the only issue! How does something even score 14.8%?!"
"...Has it really been five years? Six? I thought it would be impossible for animation to break past 10% again, but suddenly, completely out of nowhere, this happened."
"How did it manage such a high rating? What on earth happened?"
"The original did have some success, but I think Kang Woojin's presence played a major role. Whether they were fans or critics, he's clearly the one who pulled the public in front of the TV."
A new record had been set.
The animation market had been somewhat stagnant in recent years, but Boy Friend: Remake breathed life back into the industry. By around noon, the number of related articles had doubled, and content connected to Boy Friend: Remake began flooding social media, online communities, and YouTube.
That flow, that momentum, was only getting faster.
Throughout the morning, the Japanese media seemed unable to escape their shock, but by then, their attention had begun shifting toward Kang Woojin.
[The Star Who Drew 20 Million Moviegoers in Korea — Is Kang Woojin's Influence Reaching Japan Too?]
That day was filled with explosions.
And by the time night came, Boy Friend: Remake had already taken first place across all kinds of rankings in Japan. It ranked first in third-quarter animation ratings, first in trending searches across Japan's three biggest portal sites, first in social media trends, first in YouTube's real-time popular videos, and more.
It had taken first place in more than five categories altogether.
And of course, the name mentioned most often alongside all of that was the same one.
[Boy Friend: Remake Breaks Ratings Record! Kang Woojin, the Man Behind One Success After Another, Causes a Storm in Japan Too]
Kang Woojin's name.
On the morning of the 14th, in Korea.
A full day had passed since Boy Friend: Remake shook Japan, but the heat over there had not cooled in the slightest. If anything, it had grown even more intense. Naturally, that blazing excitement spread to Korea in an instant as well.
[Kang Woojin's animation seriously pulled 14% ratings in Japan lolololololol]
[Seriously??? That's insane lolololol 14% is crazy]
[No, actually it was 14.8%, so you could basically round it up and call it 15%.]
[Squee!!! My national pride is overflowing!]
It was the first gift Kang Woojin had brought to domestic fans after heading to Japan on his own.
[No way!! Kang Woojin did it again?!]
But Korea's reaction was somewhat different from Japan's. Rather than focusing purely on the success of Boy Friend: Remake, Korean audiences were even more interested in the effect Kang Woojin himself had had on the Japanese animation market.
[Seriously lol who would've thought he'd beat Magic Revolution lol]
[I agree. Kang Woojin seems way more popular in Japan than I expected.]
Korean dramas and films, including Korean Wave content, had been going through a stagnant period in Japan. The only industry still thriving there had been animation. Then Kang Woojin entered Japan and ended up taking over even that market, and people started going wild.
But Kang Woojin had not only taken over the animation market.
The first person to confirm that was writer Choi Nana, who was currently staying in Bangkok for overseas filming on the movie Beneficial Evil.
"Waaaah!! How!! This is amazing, just amazing!!"
As the original author of Boy Friend: Remake, she too was jumping with joy in a foreign country. Sincere congratulations poured in from PD Song Manwoo and the key staff of Beneficial Evil. At that moment, something occurred to Choi Nana, and after adjusting her round glasses, she quickly typed something into her phone.
Swipe.
She opened the Japanese Oricon chart. It was a site where the real-time daily, weekly, and monthly rankings of the Japanese music market could be checked immediately.
"...Oh my god."
Writer Choi Nana's eyes widened as she checked the real-time Oricon chart.
"Woojin-nim is in first place."
Because the opening song Kang Woojin had sung had also taken first place on the Oricon chart.