The news that the OP of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ sung by Kang Woojin topped the real-time Oricon chart in Japan was, of course, quickly delivered to the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team through Writer Choi Na-na.
The location was a restaurant in a 4-star hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.
Among the dozens of staff members wearing thin clothes due to the humid and hot weather, it was PD Song Man-woo who reacted the most.
“Oricon chart? Woojin-ssi ranked number one on that??”
“Yes, yes!! It just came up right now!”
Writer Choi Na-na, already elated by the 14% viewership rating of ‘Male Friend: Remake’, showed her phone to PD Song Man-woo while jumping up and down. A smile spread across the face of PD Song Man-woo, who was wearing something like a sleeveless shirt.
“Wow, seeing Woojin-ssi’s name sitting at the top of a chart filled with Japanese names—it gives me an odd feeling. Makes my shoulders rise up.”
“There are some K-pop idol songs too! But Woojin-ssi being number one is really incredible, right??!”
“This means the Japanese people are listening to the song a lot and downloading it too, right? Hey, check the comments here.”
“Uh, yes!!”Soon, not only PD Song Man-woo but several key staff members gathered around Writer Choi Na-na. The news about ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was already a hot topic among them. Soon, a string of comments in Japanese popped up on Writer Choi Na-na’s phone.
– Love the song!! Kang Woojin’s vocals are perfect!!
– I watched the anime and immediately downloaded the OP and EP, they’re both so good….especially the OP….
– Male Friend: Remake really nailed the OP this time, it fits so well with Kang Woojin’s voice
– The anime was a hit, and it looks like the OP is going to blow up too!! I’m playing it on repeat!
– Kang Woojin acts well, does great voice acting, and now even sings well? Is there anything he can’t do? He’s even a genius in looks!
– Who would’ve thought the day would come when a Korean actor’s name would be at the top of the Oricon chart….We need to reflect on this
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Although it was difficult to judge clearly since everything was in Japanese, PD Song Man-woo and others like writer Choi Na-na sincerely applauded after getting a rough explanation of the comments’ contents from a staff member who knew some Japanese.
“Hahaha, our lead doing well is always welcome!”
Of course, what they were looking at now were just the real-time and daily charts of Oricon. Kang Woojin’s name had not yet appeared on the weekly or monthly charts.
But that was only a matter of time.
Moreover, Kang Woojin had already set many firsts in Japan with this situation. From voicing an anime character to singing the OP, and that OP reaching number one on Japan’s real-time Oricon chart in just one day, among other feats.
“If Woojin-ssi keeps blowing up in Korea, Japan, and even Hollywood, then the future of our ‘Beneficial Evil’ only gets brighter and brighter!”
That was indeed the case. ‘Beneficial Evil’, which aimed for a global audience, would be promoted not just in Korea, but in Japan and Hollywood as well.
In other words, the more Kang Woojin soared.
“Oh, with our male lead putting in so much effort, don’t we also need to step up our game?!”
“Hahaha! That’s right!”
“I suddenly feel a surge of energy!”
It meant that the chances of success for ‘Beneficial Evil’, which was targeting a global market, were increasing.
A few days later, on July 17th.
Several days had passed since the massive success of ‘Male Friend: Remake’. However, the momentum hadn’t subsided. It was the same in both Korea and Japan. In Japan, the media and various outlets were in full blitz mode.
『‘Male Friend: Remake’ achieves 14.8% viewership, and the OP sung by Kang Woojin tops the Oricon chart!』
『It’s spreading like wildfire, quickly going viral on SNS and communities, 「‘Male Friend: Remake’」』
Of course, this was also due to the heavy promotion efforts by ‘A10 Studio’. Thanks to that, for several days now, ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was the number one search term on Japanese SNS, and Kang Woojin was number two. Although the rankings sometimes flipped, the difference was negligible.
The OP sung by Kang Woojin was also still holding strong at number one on the Oricon chart. On Youtube, his OP was spreading and multiplying several times over.
The momentum of its success, the flow, was overwhelming.
While monitoring the current situation in Japan, the Korean side was spreading issues centered around Kang Woojin. Despite only a 20-minute or so anime being aired, both countries were in an uproar.
The interesting thing was.
‘Oh— the OP has made it onto the Korean music charts too??’
The protagonist himself, Kang Woojin, was in faraway LA. Inside a van driving through the streets of LA, Woojin was looking at his phone with a serious expression. His outfit and hairstyle were simple.
It was early morning.
Today, his destination was not Miley Cara’s recording studio.
The work with her had almost reached its final stages as of yesterday, and today, according to the initial plan, he was heading to a large studio for filming. It was about an hour away from the 5-star Beverly Hills hotel where Woojin was staying, and they arrived after passing by numerous towering buildings.
The large studio was built in a rather desolate area.
How should I put it? It felt like a rest stop along a highway. The densely packed buildings and people had significantly decreased. Around the giant dome-shaped studio, there were only trees and roads. Of course, the downtown area could be seen in the distance. Anyway, the van carrying Woojin stopped in front of the dome-shaped studio building. Kang Woojin got out.
He immediately scanned his surroundings.
-Swish.
In the vast outdoor parking lot, various types of vehicles were parked—trucks, buses, vans, etc. At a glance, there were easily over a dozen. What stood out was the size of the large vehicles like the trucks.
‘Wow— the scale is insane.’
He also noticed several foreigners rushing around the parking lot. At this moment, Choi Sung-gun and his team approached Woojin from behind. Choi Sung-gun, wearing a zip-up hoodie, was the first to speak.
“It’s huge. Honestly, this is my first time at a music video shoot on this side, so I don’t have much to say. But from what I’ve gathered, the system is pretty similar to Korea.”
“Yes, CEO~nim.”
In other words, today Kang Woojin was participating in the music video shoot of global superstar Miley Cara. According to the received storyboard and schedule, it was going to be an all-day shoot. By this point, Woojin’s heart started to thump a little.
‘Ah— Shit, don’t get nervous.’
This was also his first time. And it’s a music video for Miley Cara, no less! For Kang Woojin, it was natural to feel some tension. Whatever happens during the shoot, once the music video is completed, people around the world would see it. And naturally, they’d see Kang Woojin in it as well.
‘This is insane promotion, but— being paired with Cara is what’s making me nervous. Phew— just focus on the concept, focus on the concept.’
Kang Woojin began extreme mind control. It wasn’t just that this was his first time filming a music video; there were also quite a few scenes of skinship with Miley Cara in the storyboard. What man in the world could remain calm about that?
Soon, Kang Woojin, having forced himself to calm down, started walking.
In just a few minutes, the foreigners near the dome-shaped studio entrance spotted Woojin. Foreign staff members with intercoms around their necks announced his arrival and ran towards Woojin.
Thus, Kang Woojin entered the massive studio dome.
Woojin immediately gaped. Of course, only inwardly.
‘Wo— Crazy! Isn’t this size ridiculously over the top??!!’
Inside the studio dome, there were four distinct sections. And in each section, a gigantic set was built, with absurdly large height and width.
Among them, the set in front, filled with flowers and with dozens of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, was even more overwhelming.
Nearly a hundred staff members, various cameras including several small jibs, audio equipment he had never seen before, almost fifty backup dancers practicing their choreography on one side, and so on. How do you even describe this? Kang Woojin was openly struck by the grandeur of the sight he was witnessing for the first time.
Is this what a Hollywood music video set looks like?
It didn’t feel unfamiliar. The atmosphere of the set itself was similar to that of movie or drama sets. However, the air was definitely different. Soon after, several foreign staff members approached Kang Woojin. Choi Sung-gun was called away, and Woojin’s stylists followed him.
And then.
-Swish.
Among the dozens of backup dancers practicing their choreography, a blonde woman with her hair tied in a single ponytail approached Kang Woojin. It was Miley Cara. Her outfit was bold—she wore a white tank top that exposed her stomach and shoulders, paired with loose-fitting jeans. The jeans were so ripped that you could see almost all of her legs from her thighs down. Could those even be called jeans?
In any case, the outfit was quite revealing.
Cara, now standing close to Woojin, gave a small smile.
“Welcome, this is my MV shooting site.”
Her makeup was unusual. It was thick but smudged, as if she’d been crying just moments ago. It matched the concept of the music video perfectly. Still, a fragrance wafted from Cara, who had come quite close. Woojin, trying to calm his pounding heart, replied in low English.
“It’s impressive. I look forward to working with you.”
“Same here.”
Cara then introduced Woojin to many foreign staff members, starting with the music video director. Though her tone was somewhat cold, Cara seemed excited, like a friend enthusiastically showing off her favorite toy.
‘What’s up with her? Isn’t her energy a bit high?’
A few dozen minutes later, after introducing the backup dancers, Cara moved into the set. It was the area filled with dozens of chandeliers and flowers covering the floor. In the corner, a piano adorned with black flowers came into view. Cara pointed to the piano with both hands.
“That’s the piano Woojin will be playing. Isn’t it pretty?”
“Yes, it looks nice.”
“I came up with everything from the concept. Can you play a little for me?”
The composed Woojin nodded. Since he’d have to play the piano during the music video shoot anyway, he might as well think of this as a rehearsal.
-Swish.
As Woojin sat down at the piano, he rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie to his forearms. At the same time, not only Cara but also the backup dancers and foreign staff who had gathered around the music video set focused their eyes on Kang Woojin.
Everyone’s eyes were full of curiosity.
Was this Korean actor’s piano skill really worthy of being in Cara’s music video? Even though Cara had made the decision, there was still some skepticism among the staff.
However.
-♬♪
As soon as Kang Woojin began playing the piano calmly.
“…Wow.”
Gasps of amazement escaped from here and there. Some staff members even covered their mouths with their hands, and among the backup dancers behind him, a few had their eyes and mouths slightly agape.
-♬♪
Naturally, the piano melody Woojin played was a part of Miley Cara’s new song, and her blue eyes, now full of intrigue, shone brighter than ever as she smiled.
“You’re the best, just as I thought.”
Soon, applause erupted on the set.
-Clap clap clap clap clap!!
Though he felt quite embarrassed inside, Kang Woojin’s expression remained unchanged. Cara, giving a thumbs-up, spoke to him.
“Now go get your costume and makeup done, then we’ll rehearse the cuts together.”
Woojin nodded and followed the guidance of a foreign staff member. He had more than five outfits to wear today. The first was a tuxedo, the kind you’d wear to a film festival. It fit him perfectly, perhaps because it had already been discussed with Choi Sung-gun beforehand. This tuxedo was for the scene in the music video where Woojin’s character was getting married, and Miley Cara’s character would be obsessively attached to him.
From this point, the intense ‘pursuit’ would begin.
‘I’ve really made it, haven’t I? Miley Cara is obsessed with me.’
By the time Woojin finished checking his outfit, Cara, her blonde hair still tied back, was practicing the choreography with the dozens of backup dancers again.
Her new song echoed loudly throughout the entire set.
About five minutes passed.
Seemingly satisfied, Miley Cara gave a thumbs-up to the backup dancers. They appeared to be very comfortable with each other, probably from working together for a long time. With sweat trickling down, several staff members rushed toward Cara, who was now standing in the center of the studio dome. They were there to touch up her makeup.
Cara closed her eyes without a second thought.
More than seven foreign staff members, running at full speed, reached Cara, who had her eyes shut. Among them, one slightly chubby female staff member’s movements were strangely rough. She was running the fastest and had the most aggressive demeanor. It didn’t seem like she was rushing to fix makeup—there was an air that suggested she was going to strike Cara.
In that moment.
“Eek!!”
A short scream came from one of the staff members standing next to the chubby woman. The reason was simple. What the chubby woman held in her hand was not a makeup tool.
It was a knife—a short but sharp knife.
However, the chubby female staff member didn’t slow down, and Miley Cara, still unaware, kept her eyes closed. In fact, most of the people in the massive studio dome hadn’t noticed. Thanks to the staff member who had screamed, only a few were just now turning their heads.
The set was so chaotic with noise and activity that no one was paying attention.
Eventually, the chubby female staff member finally reached Cara. Sensing something strange, Miley Cara slowly opened her eyes.
Her blue eyes looked ahead.
Right in front of her was a woman running towards her with madness in her eyes and a flush on both cheeks, smiling. The woman was holding a knife above her head. What…? Who are you?
“!!!”
In a flash, an article she had seen a few days ago quickly flashed through Cara’s mind.
『[Breaking] Brad Willis attacked by a knife-wielding intruder at his home!』
“Ah.”
The chubby woman, her knife raised high, smiled even wider. The makeup staff running with her tried to grab her, but it was no use. They couldn’t match her speed or strength.
The chubby woman’s dry lips moved, and she muttered in a low voice, in English.
“Goodbye, Miley Cara.”
-Swish!!
The woman, now right in front of Cara, swung the knife down with all her might. Whether she was aiming for Cara’s face, shoulder, or chest, it was unclear. Even so, Cara’s entire body froze, and no sound came from her throat.
At that moment.
-Wham!!!
Suddenly, the chubby woman’s body lurched to the side, flying off with a whoosh.
“Ugh!”
The first thing Cara saw was a long leg. Then, she saw the expressionless face of Kang Woojin. It was Woojin who had kicked the woman in the side.
-Tatad!
Woojin immediately rushed towards the woman holding the knife.
****
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