Episode 450: Speed of Light (2)



The reason why 'Beast' Kang Woo-jin—no, 'diver' Kang Woo-jin—wore full-body tights from the very first scene of the first filming of Beast and the Beauty was simple.

'Tch! Even if it's just for CG, how am I supposed to capture the other person's emotions while wearing something like this?!'

As 'diver' Kang Woo-jin shouted inwardly, most of the 'beast' scenes had to be filmed wearing tights for special effects. The actual 'beast' makeup and filming would only be done a few times throughout the entire schedule. For the majority of the time, Kang Woo-jin had to wear these tights.

'Hey! Making team! Don't film this, don't film this!'

It was a ridiculous outfit, covered in gray dots from head to toe, but it was all part of a special costume for CG. Additionally, something was stuffed inside the tights to increase the size of the 'beast.' It was extremely uncomfortable and funny, but what could he do? It was all for the sake of completing the production.

In fact, Kang Woo-jin was prepared for this situation.

Because he had done some preliminary preparations before the first shoot.

He had tried on this special costume a few days ago, and a week ago, he had done extensive filming in a strange booth surrounded by cameras. This was to capture his expressions, facial movements, and other details for creating a near-perfect CG 'beast.' When they ran the simulation, the beast's face, as implemented on the monitor, followed Kang Woo-jin's movements precisely—it was amazing.

Even the intricate facial expressions.

In order to create such an elaborate result, Woojin had to act in tight tights for more than half of the filming of Beast and the Beauty, or maybe even more. It didn't match the concept he was portraying, but he held back his shame as much as possible for the sake of acting and the project.

'I never thought Cara would laugh so freely. Haaa—'

Anyway, the foreign staff rushed onto the set. Since there was an NG, they had to set up the scene again. Woojin, who was on the central staircase, came down awkwardly.

Cara, standing on the first floor.

"Haha-Pffft!!.."

She, who looked exactly like 'Beauty Belle,' was still holding back laughter at the sight of Kang Woojin in his tights. Woojin approached Cara among the dozens of staff members.

"Are you going to keep laughing?"

Although he had a serious expression, inside, he kept shouting, 'Don't laugh!' Cara apologized while wiping away her tears.

"I'm sorry. Why am I like this? It's not like it's the first time I've seen that special costume, but when Woojin comes out wearing it, I can't help but laugh."

"Just laugh as much as you want, then get used to it."

Cara, who had been smiling, shook her head.

"It's not that it's funny, it's just that it's cute, and that makes me laugh."

'Cute? What on earth do you find cute about me? Do you have unique tastes?'

Kang Woojin was confused, and for a moment, he recalled something his mother had told him in the past.

'Woojin, whether it's a person or an animal, once something starts being cute, it's over.'

At this point, director Bill Lautner, wearing black horn-rimmed glasses, approached. He, too, was smiling slightly as he looked at Kang Woojin.

"It's not bad to start off cheerfully, Woojin. I'm glad that special costume suits you well."

Woojin stared at him blankly and didn't really answer. He just grumbled to himself,

'Is this foreign grandpa teasing me?'

Then, director Bill Lautner spoke seriously to the two actors again.

"The atmosphere before the NG felt dead. Let's focus and start over from the beginning."

"Yes, Director."

"All right."

The two actors responded and went back to their positions. Soon, director Bill Lautner was watching Kang Woojin's back as he walked awkwardly, supported by the staff.

'Ughhh'.

He sat back down in his chair, surrounded by monitors and key staff. Then, he began to mutter.

"······How much did that actor study the 'Beast'?"

A soft exclamation. The first scene of the first shoot. The scene itself was an NG, but the two actors' performances were excellent. In particular, when 'the Beast' appeared, it was remarkable—at least, that's what director Bill Lautner thought. However, the other key staff members seemed to think the same and added their opinions.

"He may look like that, but every action he takes, even the lines he delivers, are those of a beast."

"That's right. In particular, did you see the way Woojin walked while filming? He lifted his heels, and in that stance, he exuded a heavy yet confident aura. I guess he studied the characteristic gait of the Beast."

"From his expressions to the movements of his face, shoulders, arms, and hands—it seems like every part of his body was tailored to fit the Beast. The details are so refined... I can't wait to see the finished work."

Director Bill Lautner crossed his arms.

"It's a mistake to think that you can just gloss over expressions or act sloppily just because you're using CG. On the contrary, it requires acting that's several times more intense. If you do it carelessly, it'll immediately look fake. But with Kang Woojin, I don't have to worry about that."

He smiled faintly, looking very satisfied.

"Even wearing that ridiculous costume, he still reminds me of the Beast."



The next morning, around 9 o'clock.



A little outside of downtown LA, where there were fewer people and buildings than in the city center, stood an eight-story building. Inside, there was a small film company called A8 Media. It was referred to as a small company, but in reality, it was more like a startup that had just begun.

Perhaps that's why its signboard looked newer than the others.

The interior of A8 Media, which occupied a corner of the 4th floor, felt cramped. There were only about ten employees. However, some of its productions had already achieved success, as movie posters of films produced by A8 Media were displayed on the office walls.

There was also a meeting room there, where five foreigners were currently in discussion.

Three foreign men in suits sat on one side. Opposite them sat a woman in her mid-40s with short dark brown hair, wearing a white shirt, and a younger man with freckles on his face.

A transparent file and a tablet lay in front of each person.

"Okay, I understand."

As if the conversation had come to an end, the three men in suits stood up.

"We'll contact you after reviewing everything."

The woman with short brown hair shook hands with all three men.

"Please take good care of it."

The three men in suits exited the meeting room. Soon after, one of them—a plump man—chuckled as he recalled the conversation they had just had.

"Oh. I heard they remade Kang Woojin's debut film, so I thought it might have some connection to him, but it turns out there's nothing at all."

"That's right. Honestly, I was a little excited about the possibility of casting Kang Woo-jin. But as expected, it was a waste of time. A complete waste."

"Not only is there no connection, but Kang Woo-jin acted like he didn't know anything about this. Well, rumor has it that his schedule is packed until the year after next, with Columbia Studios, Disney, and Universal Movies."

"I heard that too. With that much influence, there's no reason for him to take on such small projects, no matter how much they're connected to his past."

The plump man among them, who had just stepped off the elevator, continued speaking.

"Even if Kang Woo-jin's debut film is causing a stir in Hollywood, would anyone invest in a short film in Korea if he has no involvement in it?"

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"It's impossible. The film company is new, too. Getting funding to even start production is out of the question. And even if they manage to start, it'll fail."

Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of A8 Media

The atmosphere in the room was heavy. The short-haired woman and the freckled man, who remained after the three men left, sat in silence.

"······"

"······"

The freckled man finally broke the silence, struggling to find the right words.

"That— That's going to be tough, isn't it?"

The meeting just now had been about securing investment. The three men who had left were key figures in funding film productions. But now, the short-haired woman let out a long sigh, as if she was about to lose hope.

"It's not easy, after all."

"But they did say they'd be in touch. Maybe there's still a chance."

"I doubt I'll ever see their faces again."

"······Representative."

The short-haired woman was none other than Jennifer Thurman, the CEO of the fledgling film company A8 Media. However, despite her title, she was just another small business owner trying to make it in LA, a city crowded with film companies.

Jennifer Thurman had previously worked at Universal Movies. The first film she produced after going independent had been a success.

She thought she had made a breakthrough—but after that, everything went downhill.

Now, she was standing at the edge of a cliff.

Leaning back in her chair, Jennifer glanced at the stack of papers on her desk. Two script covers overlapped. One read:

["Guest"] The other: ["Detective Agency"]

Yes. Detective Agency. Kang Woo-jin's debut film.

Jennifer Thurman had attended the Mise-en-scène Film Festival in Korea years ago. That's where she first saw the Detective Agency and recognized its potential. A few months later, she had acquired the rights to remake it.

Of course, the remake wasn't just a short film—it had been restructured into a full-length feature tailored to Hollywood's style.

For a while, news of the Hollywood remake, Guest, had made waves in Korea. But back then, Kang Woo-jin wasn't the global star he is now, and the buzz quickly died down.

Now, however, Guest was stuck in limbo. It had already been a year.

'Whew— I never thought things would turn out like this.'

There had been a brief moment when the project seemed like it would move forward, but it had been overturned at the last minute.

Well, now that Kang Woo-jin's career was skyrocketing in Hollywood, there was a sliver of hope. In fact, unlike before, meetings about the film had increased significantly.

But Jennifer Thurman's expression remained tense.

'They're all just looking for Kang Woo-jin. No one is actually looking at the project itself.'

Even though Guest is a remake of Kang Woo-jin's Detective Agency, it has been adapted so much that it feels like an entirely new film. Without Woo-jin in the lead role, Guest would be just another forgettable script from an unknown film company.

Even mid-sized studios often struggle with securing investments, so the chances of a new film company getting funding were slim to none.

At this point, the freckled man hesitantly spoke up.

"CEO, I think it would be better to start looking at other scripts besides Guest. We've had alternative scenarios lined up for a while now."

"······You're right. But— Ugh, yeah, you're right. It was just my greed."

Jennifer Thurman had held onto Guest for over a year, refusing to let it go despite its failure to gain attraction. The script was well-written, compelling, and had the potential to breathe fresh air into the horror and occult genre.

'But that's just my opinion.'

Sighing, Jennifer pushed back her brown hair as she slowly got up from her chair.

"We'll do one final round of investor outreach... and then we'll move on to other projects. If we keep dragging this out, we'll all be in real trouble."

The freckled man hesitated before speaking, sympathy evident in his voice.

"······I know you were against it, but just in case— what if we sent the script for Guest to Kang Woo-jin? Wouldn't he at least be interested in the remake of his own debut work?"

"There's only one reason I'm against it: there's no way he'd care."

Jennifer crossed her arms and leaned against the desk.

"He's already working with three of the 'Big Five' Hollywood studios. And from what I've heard, his schedule is packed until the year after next."

"Still—"

"Besides, we may be desperate, but we can't do something that would inconvenience him, right?"

At her words, the freckled man fell silent.

Jennifer cast a wistful glance at the Guest script sitting on her desk, her expression tinged with quiet resignation.

"It's a shame, but this one will have to stay buried in my memories."



Two Days Later, September 4th

A van sped down the highway. Inside, Kang Woo-jin, Choi Sung-geon, and a few team members sat quietly, their hats pulled low to avoid attention.

They were on their way to SPT Studio for another day of filming Beast and the Beauty. It had already been four days since Woo-jin started juggling Beast and the Beauty and Perriot: The Birth of a Villain.

But despite the grueling schedule, Woo-jin looked completely unfazed.

More interestingly—

-Flip.*

With his usual poker face, Kang Woo-jin flipped through a script. The cover had a familiar title printed on it:

[*Guest*]

Without looking up, Woo-jin asked in a calm voice, "So, this is the Hollywood remake of Detective Agency?"

Choi Sung-geon, the long-haired man sitting beside him, answered right away.

"Yeah, that's right. The title's Guest. Do you remember? I mentioned it to you once before. It's rare for a Korean short film to get picked up for a Hollywood remake."

Woo-jin nodded. "I remember."

"That's the one. But you don't need to think too much about it. Just read it like a book when you have time. It's just a courtesy since you were the original lead."

"Did Director Shin Dong-chun send it?"

"Yeah, he did. But don't worry, he doesn't have any ulterior motives. Since Detective Agency was your film, he just thought it'd be polite to send you the remake script. He made it very clear that he wasn't asking you to get involved."

Woo-jin nodded again before turning his attention back to the script. His gaze lingered on a particular section—

A small, black square with an unexpected twist beside it. At that moment, Choi Sung-geon added more context.

"But from what I heard, the situation isn't looking great."

"It must have been," Woo-jin agreed.

"It's obvious. The company that bought Detective Agency was a brand-new Hollywood film studio. At the time, the director was also a rookie, and when people heard that Hollywood had picked up a Korean short film, they didn't take it seriously. After that, they spent about a year adapting it, and just when it was almost finished—everything fell apart."

"So, there won't be any more investments moving forward?"

"Director Shin already gave up halfway through. He probably figured it was too difficult to get it made."

As he listened, Kang Woo-jin subtly moved his index finger. Without anyone noticing, he entered his subspace.

The familiar darkness surrounded him. Without hesitation, Woo-jin navigated to a white square.

A new entry has been added.

-[14/Scenario (Title: Guest), S-Class]

-[This is a very high-quality movie scenario. It is 100% readable.]

Woo-jin's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh—S-class? That's pretty amazing."

Actually, it was more than just amazing. Has he become desensitized after working only with SSS-class and EX-class scripts lately? If he thought about it, The Drug-Dealer was also S-class. It might not be a massive blockbuster, but considering that this was a Hollywood project, an S-class rating meant it had serious potential.

'I should at least do a reading (experience) later. Maybe I can gain some new abilities.'

But then reality set in.

'It's impossible for me to take this on.'

He was already locked into three Hollywood productions. On top of that, his schedule was packed with commitments in Korea, Japan, and Hollywood. And with each passing day, his workload was only growing.

No matter how he looked at it, it was just not feasible.

'I really can't take on this project. There are so many actors in Hollywood who could do this instead.'

Still, a pang of regret lingered. As he absentmindedly stroked his chin, his mind wandered to Hollywood's top actors, aside from Chris.

"Hmm... It's a bit of a shame. An S-class script, and it's a remake of Detective Agency, too."

Then, as if struck by an idea, Woo-jin suddenly muttered, "Exit," snapping back to reality.

Inside the van, Choi Sung-geon was still chatting beside him.

"It's a shame, but what can you do? There are thousands—no, tens of thousands—of projects that just disappear in Hollywood. Just read it once and put it behind you."

Woo-jin, now back to his usual solemn expression, spoke in a low, measured tone.

"How about we become the main investors in Guest?"