Miley Kara owed Kang Woojin a great debt. Yes, from Miley Kara's point of view, it was an enormous one. That was why her blue eyes were filled with sincerity as she looked at him.
Meanwhile, for some reason, Kang Woojin remained silent.
"..."
For at least ten seconds, he stared blankly at Kara's face. In response, Kara tilted her head slightly and cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
She avoided Woojin's steady gaze. At the same time, Kara found herself asking a question.
'Why did I avoid his eyes?'
Even though she was the one who had brought it on, she realized her own flustered state far too late. Miley Kara was famous for having a strong personality. The fact that she stood at the top of the ruthless Hollywood industry was proof enough of that. But the Kara of this moment felt somehow different from her usual self. At least, that was how she felt.
'Why can't I look this man straight in the eyes?'
Not when she had first met Kang Woojin and been completely astonished by how versatile he was, and not even when they had reunited in LA, had Kara ever reacted like this. The heart that had calmed down somewhat over time now began to beat faintly once again.
For a while, she seemed trapped inside her own confusion.
'Hmm.'
Woojin, whose face was expressionless, was in fact somewhat worried about her despite what he looked like on the outside.
'Is she okay? No, no, she's definitely not okay.'
Not just Woojin—anyone would have thought the same thing.
'Whew, there's no way she'd be fine after going through something that horrific.'
In a situation like this, asking whether she was okay felt awkward in its own way. Kang Woojin thought for a moment. What could he say that would comfort Kara while still maintaining his usual image? Just then, an idea occurred to him, and Woojin suddenly lowered his voice. His English came out in a rather deep tone.
"Do you like Korean food?"
Kara, who had been lost in thought, blinked her blue eyes.
"...Excuse me?"
"Korean food."
Tilting her head slightly again, Kara answered,
"Uh—yes. I eat it often. You remember how much I enjoyed the food you cooked for me when we were filming in Korea, right?"
"Good."
"Why are we suddenly talking about Korean food?"
"Can you handle spicy food?"
"I like it."
Woojin calmly crossed his legs. It was intentional.
"Before I go back to Korea after we finish our work together, I'll make you my favorite Korean dish. It tastes much better when it's spicy."
At that instant, Kara's eyes widened. Her face lit up with interest.
"Really??"
"Yes. Sometimes I relieve stress by eating spicy food."
Stress? Miley Kara let out a small laugh. Only then did she realize why Kang Woojin had suddenly brought up Korean food and spicy food. The man in front of her was worrying about her in his own way. The faint warmth she could feel from Woojin, who usually seemed so cold, became much clearer.
'Worrying like that… he really is such a strange person.'
The tension in her body quickly loosened, and Kara let out a small sigh before answering.
"If you're going to make it, make it really spicy. So spicy that I can't even think straight."
"You'll regret it."
"It's fine. If I'm going to relieve stress, it has to be that spicy."
"Do as you want."
After hearing Woojin's short answer, Kara brushed her blonde hair back from her forehead and returned to the main point.
"Thank you. But more importantly, about this debt—Woojin, I owe you a huge one."
"I heard."
"If it weren't for you, I would have lost a lot. I could have even lost my life… Hoo—even if it hadn't gone that far, if I'd been injured, it would have taken an enormous amount of time to recover."
That was true. For someone at Miley Kara's level of superstardom, even a minor injury made a complete recovery absolutely critical. In other words, not only would the album she was currently working on have been interrupted, but so would the countless activities she already had lined up. If it had been a serious injury, recovery could have taken years.
Kang Woojin had prevented all of that.
Knowing that, Kara spoke to him.
"I can't live while owing someone something, but this debt is so huge that I think I'll have to repay it over quite a long time."
"There's no need. I did it without expecting anything in return."
"I know, but I still want you to tell me. I'm going to repay you one way or another, and that's separate from this. Is there anything you need right now, Woojin? Honestly, I want to do something for you immediately."
Kang Woojin, expressionless, looked at Kara's serious face. She looked firm. It was not something he could brush off easily. Well, even normally, Woojin was not the type to refuse when someone offered him something. He sank into thought.
'Hmm... should I say something that'll make Miley Kara feel a little more at ease?'
Money? No, money was not a good idea. He was already earning enough, and asking for money in a situation like this would look a little tacky. Hollywood connections? Considering Kara's influence, she already had strong ties, and from what she was saying, her network was broad enough already.
Then—
'Ah.'
A decent idea suddenly came to Woojin's mind. But he wondered whether it would actually work.
'Is this a bit too much? Ah, whatever, let's just do it.'
Woojin's bold personality kicked in again, and he lowered his voice as much as he could. He had to show sincerity.
"Then how about this?"
"Huh? What?"
Kara perked up her ears.
Two days later, on the 19th, in Bangkok, Thailand. It was early morning.
The filming location was a four-star hotel in Bangkok, where the Beneficial Evil production team was staying while handling location scouting and overseas filming. The restaurant visible just past the lobby was crowded with people. The hotel breakfast buffet was in full swing. A variety of foods were laid out throughout the spacious restaurant, and among the guests enjoying their meals were several members of the Beneficial Evil production staff.
Soon after, a group of muscular foreigners appeared inside the humid restaurant.
"Oh, the food's good today."
"Haha, we got lucky. If the sausages had been dry like yesterday, I might've cried."
Ethan Smith, the leader of the stunt team, had been fully occupied with upgrading the CQC scenes and scouting locations together with his team. The weather was hot, so everyone wore light clothing, which only made their muscles stand out even more. A little later, Ethan, who was leading the group, picked up a breakfast tray.
As he scanned the restaurant, he looked for familiar faces from the Beneficial Evil staff among the many guests. He spotted a few of them, and even though it was still early in the morning, they seemed more excited than usual. Ethan, who had a prominent nose, rested his hand on the serving tongs and spoke.
"Hmm—what's going on?"
The answer came from the bear-like man standing behind him.
"It's probably because of Kang Woojin."
"Kang Woojin?"
"I heard the project he did in Japan turned out well."
"Ah, the animation?"
They did not know all the details, but they had heard that the Boy Friend: Remake animation had been successful.
"But wasn't that news from a few days ago?"
"It still seems to be a hot topic in Japan and Korea."
"Aha, I see. So that's why the staff seemed so excited."
"If Kang Woojin does well, it'll have a good effect on Beneficial Evil too. I heard Kang Woojin's recognition is now at the point where he's practically shoulder to shoulder with Japan's top actors."
Another team member chimed in.
"That might be part of it, but it could also just be because Kang Woojin himself is so compelling."
As Ethan placed more food on his plate, he nodded.
"That's true. While shooting a major Korean drama, the project he was doing in Japan became a massive hit. Kang Woojin is in Hollywood too. On top of that, he's even working on an album with Miley Kara. Even from our point of view, that's really surprising and impressive."
"He seems busier than most Hollywood actors. It's amazing he can maintain that kind of stamina."
"Well, he comes from special forces."
"Ah—"
Ethan let out a small sigh and said,
"At this rate, we'll probably be seeing Kang Woojin in Hollywood before long."
Ethan vaguely knew that an opportunity had already been offered to Kang Woojin. It was related to Last Kill 3.
'Why did Kang Woojin turn down that opportunity?'
At the same time,
♬♪
A ringtone went off from the phone in Ethan's shorts pocket. He casually pulled it out, then looked slightly surprised.
"...Joseph Felton?"
The caller was none other than the famous Hollywood producer Joseph Felton. As Ethan pictured the hulking Joseph's face, he quickly put the phone to his ear.
"Joseph?"
Joseph Felton's voice began coming through the line. As they talked for around five minutes, one thought occurred to Ethan.
'…Wait, Hollywood? No, Joseph Felton is after Kang Woojin??'
He was fairly shocked.
'Is he really thinking of coming all the way to Bangkok himself? Or with his team?'
Ethan, who had paused for a moment, suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.
'Ah, I see. So Hollywood had already been keeping an eye on Kang Woojin.'
After talking for a few more minutes, Ethan lowered his phone. The stunt team members immediately asked him,
"Joseph Felton? Was that really Joseph you were just talking to?"
"…Yeah."
"That's pretty sudden. Is it a casting issue? But considering Joseph Felton's status, there are plenty of stunt teams besides us."
"No, he's not looking for us."
"Huh? Then—"
"But in this case, it might actually help our resume."
Ethan quietly muttered to himself, his smile deepening.
"Looks like a party is about to happen in Bangkok over the CQC shoot."
A few hours later.
Late in the evening on the 19th in Bangkok, Thailand, it was around 10:30 p.m. The members of the Beneficial Evil team entered the lobby of the four-star hotel all at once, drenched in sweat.
They had just returned after finishing the day's schedule.
The dozen or so exhausted key staff exchanged simple greetings in the lobby before heading off to their respective rooms. Among them was PD Song Manwoo.
"Ugh— I'm so tired."
They had already been staying in Bangkok for over a week. The schedule had been intense, but they were now almost at the end of it. During that short but intense week, a great many things had been revised and decided. As the final decision-maker, PD Song Manwoo turned on the air conditioner the moment he entered his room and peeled off his black sleeveless shirt, which was soaked in sweat.
"This is exhausting, seriously exhausting."
PD Song Manwoo, whose skin looked slightly tanned, stretched out on the bed. He was a famous figure in the drama industry and was no stranger to overseas shoots, but work was always grueling. Tomorrow, he would have to move out early again. Lying there and blankly staring at the painting of a palace hanging on the wall, he finally forced himself to move.
'First I need to wash up, then check what got done today... and after that, I need a beer.'
He desperately wanted a cold can of beer. Slowly, he pushed himself up from the bed.
Bzzzzz.
The phone on the bedside table vibrated noisily. PD Song Manwoo sat bolt upright. A call this late at night? Something had definitely happened.
But then—
"What?"
After checking the caller ID, Song Manwoo tilted his head.
"Mr. Woojin?"
The person calling was none other than Kang Woojin, who should have been in LA right now.
Wait, what's the time difference between Bangkok and LA again? After doing the math quickly, he realized it was still early morning in LA. Curious, Song Manwoo put the phone to his ear.
"Oh, Mr. Woojin. Haha, it's been a while! How's LA? Bangkok is so hot I feel like I'm dying."
Woojin's dry voice came through the phone.
"Same here. Nothing special."
"Really? But isn't it morning over there right now?"
"Yes."
"Then what's going on this early? Did something happen? No, wait, I heard Boy Friend: Remake is doing really well."
"PD-nim, would it be possible to add one more actor to Beneficial Evil right now?"
"…Huh? An actor?"
"Yes. It doesn't matter whether it's a special appearance or a cameo."
At that moment, Song Manwoo's brows twitched slightly. What Kang Woojin had just said sounded strangely familiar. It was the kind of move entertainment agencies or production companies used all the time.
Throwing an actor into a project at the last minute. Something often called a last-minute casting push.
It was a common sight in the entertainment industry, and for someone like PD Song Manwoo, it was extremely familiar. But what felt strange and confusing was that the request had come from Kang Woojin, and that the timing was so sudden.
"Mr. Woojin already knows the project casting was completely finished, so why is he suddenly trying to push in another actor now?"
If it had been Choi Sunggeon, the CEO of BW Entertainment, he could have understood it. But Kang Woojin was not that type of person.
'Hmm, it's sudden, but BW Entertainment has been expanding aggressively lately... Could this be CEO Choi's request?'
Would there be anyone who could easily turn down a favor from Woojin? In any case, it was difficult to understand. But PD Song Manwoo could not simply ignore a request from Kang Woojin. It was Kang Woojin, after all.
'Can't be helped.'
There was, in truth, a bit of a dilemma. No matter what actor Woojin was trying to add, bringing in a new actor at this stage would inevitably increase the workload. The directing side would have to be considered, and writer Choi Nana would also need to revise the script to fit the additional role. Whether it was a supporting actor, an unknown actor, or a rookie actor, the difficulty would be the same.
The overall production schedule would inevitably be disrupted a little.
Even so, for some reason, PD Song Manwoo smiled.
"Haha, all right. If it's a request from you, Mr. Woojin, then even the impossible has to be made possible. So then, who's the actor? Ah, but if it's too unknown of an actor, we'll have to verify the acting first, right?"
"It's an actor you know too, PD-nim."
"Really? Who is it? Is it someone decent enough to handle a few lines?"
When he asked again, Woojin's low voice came through the phone.
"Miley Kara."
At first, PD Song Manwoo nodded absentmindedly.
"Ah, Miley Kara? I know her, I know her. If it's someone at that level, then—"
He abruptly stopped in the middle of his sentence. Then he blinked a few times, wondering whether he had heard correctly.
"Wait a second, wait a second. Who did you say?"
Kang Woojin's answer was short and clear once again. There was not even the slightest trace of excitement in his voice.
"Miley Kara."