Kang Rojun waved at the dozens of reporters with considerable ease. Inwardly, however, he was more surprised than he’d expected.
‘Whoa—there are way more reporters than I thought??’
He had heard about it on the way to Gimpo Airport. That there would be quite a few reporters. But this was too many, wasn’t it? For Rojun, who had to cross the crosswalk, it was slightly burdensome.
‘They look like they’re about to eat me alive. I can’t go.’
Then how had the reporters found out and gathered there?
First of all, the reason Kang Rojun had come to the airport in the morning was because of Netflix Japan’s “Like a Kaleidoscope.” The script reading was scheduled for around noon today. The news related to it had first broken in Japan.
《Netflix’s Highly Anticipated “Like a Kaleidoscope,” Script Reading on February 22》
《“Like a Kaleidoscope” Insider: “Rojun Will Attend the Script Reading”》
Naturally, it had crossed over to Korea as well. Of course, GN Entertainment, Culture Drawer, and “Like a Kaleidoscope” had already been doing media play related to the script reading.
《[Star Talk] “Rojun,” Busy Preparing for His “Vanguard” Debut, to Participate in “Like a Kaleidoscope” Script Reading Amid It All》
《“Rojun,” Crossing Over to Japan as Both Writer and Actor, to Work with Japanese Actors》
However, they hadn’t announced the exact schedule. But once the date came out in Japan, reporters flocked to the airport. What could anyone do? Whether in Korea or Japan, the media threw things out there first if they smelled an exclusive. Other fields were probably similar, but especially in the entertainment industry, things never went the way one wanted.
In any case, beside Rojun, who was mechanically waving to the reporters.
—Swish.
A man in a black long padded coat approached, exuding a faint presence.
“Rojun-nim, the guards will be out soon, so you can move then.”
It was Chief Kim Gibaek. For this trip to Japan, Kang Rojun was accompanied by Chief Kim Gibaek as well as several GN Entertainment staff members.
“The photos being taken now will be used for articles about your departure, Rojun-nim, so please keep smiling as much as possible.”
I’m already doing that. As Rojun answered inwardly, Kim Gibaek continued whispering.
“Inside the airport, there’ll probably be more fans than reporters. Fansite masters, too. I’d like to get through as quickly as possible if we can, but since the ‘Guards’ will be there too, I think you’ll need to give a brief greeting.”
If “Guards,” “Vanguard’s” official fan club, was there, it would be hard to ignore them. However, since the airport could become chaotic, they would go in and out as quickly as possible.
“If we disrupt the flow of the airport, it’ll directly lead to damage to your image. We’ll pay as much attention as we can too.”
“Yes, Chief.”
After receiving Chief Kim Gibaek’s tactics, Rojun nodded, and large-built guards were positioned around the dozens of reporters.
Only then did Kang Rojun start walking.
The camera flashes were still going off like mad.
—Papapapapak!
The reporters shouted at the top of their lungs, but Rojun maintained his smile as calmly as possible without answering.
‘Now that I’ve done it a few times, I feel like I’m getting used to this too. You’ve grown a lot, Kang Rojun.’
He entered the airport just like that. The dozens of reporters, blocked by the guards, looked disappointed, but they immediately checked the photos they had just taken.
They clicked their tongues right away.
“Damn—his face is insane.”
“Right? His visuals are so terrifying that even a random shot looks like a pictorial.”
And the moment Kang Rojun stepped into the airport, he immediately saw a crowd that easily surpassed a hundred people.
“Kyaaaaaaa!!”
“Rojun! It’s really Rojun!!”
“Aaaah!! Oppa! A gift! A gift for you!!”
“Holy crap, he’s so freaking handsome!!”
“Kyaaaah!!!”
Fans who had come specifically to see Kang Rojun from the start, people who had been at the airport for departure or arrival, over a dozen guards, airport staff, and so on. In an instant, the airport turned into utter pandemonium, and all of the hundred-plus people raised their phones above their heads and started filming Rojun.
If it had been his first time seeing this, Kang Rojun would have been startled too, but since he already had experience from “Geubaekpeu” and the like, Rojun remained fairly composed.
To them, Kang Rojun bowed repeatedly.
“Hello, thank you—”
The greeting lasted roughly ten seconds. If he followed his heart, he would have liked to enjoy this rare sight, this dopamine-bursting situation, but given the circumstances, Rojun’s team moved immediately.
The guards opened a path, and Kang Rojun cut across.
Gifts thrown here and there, fans’ hands stretching out, screams striking his ears. Rojun responded as much as he could while hastening his steps. With the guards’ protection and the GN Entertainment staff’s assistance, they fortunately passed through without any major problems.
The plane had also arrived on time, so they were able to board quickly.
Kang Rojun, Kim Gibaek, and the others took seats here and there in business class, and not long after, the plane headed for Japan rose into the sky. Looking at the airport growing smaller, Kang Rojun recalled the time of “Geubaekpeu” in the past.
‘Come to think of it, I’m alone today.’
There had been even more reporters and fans than back then.
A little while later.
About ten minutes after the plane took off. The business-class cabin was calm overall. However, GN Entertainment’s staff, including Chief Kim Gibaek, were busy. They were organizing Kang Rojun’s schedule from the moment they arrived in Japan.
“Mm—once we arrive in Japan, we’ll meet up with Culture Drawer first, then get straight into the car prepared by Netflix Japan and move.”
For reference, Culture Drawer’s staff were already waiting at Haneda Airport. This trip to Japan for Rojun was as an actor, but since it also included his role as a writer, that was only natural.
“Culture Drawer will handle the writer-related matters on their own—and it looks like we only need to focus on Rojun-nim’s script reading.”
A female staff member from the PR and marketing team suddenly let out a laugh.
“No, but… this is my first time following a member who hasn’t even debuted yet to a script reading. As an actor and a writer.”
The other staff members agreed fervently.
“Tell me about it. The order is completely backwards, isn’t it? Usually, these are things that happen after debuting, rolling around on set nonstop, and building recognition for a few years. Or they might not happen at all.”
“It’s Rojun-nim we’re talking about. You can’t look at him through common sense.”
“But isn’t it kind of fresh and fun? He hasn’t debuted yet, but if you look at his current popularity, he’s eating most idols alive.”
Then one staff member asked Chief Kim Gibaek.
“But is Rojun-nim okay?”
Kim Gibaek, who had been looking at his phone, answered feebly.
“In what sense?”
“He does have script-reading experience from ‘Rental Lover,’ but this is his first time doing it in Japan. I looked at the actor lineup, and there are a lot of top Japanese actors, aren’t there? It’d be natural to be nervous.”
“Ah—”
“As for acting practice… we almost never get to see Rojun-nim’s training itself, so I have no idea. What if he gets nervous and messes up his lines?”
“Well. It’s honestly hard to imagine Rojun-nim making a mistake, but—”
Chief Kim Gibaek trailed off and slowly turned his head to the left. He was looking at Kang Rojun. But the moment Kim Gibaek saw Rojun, he chuckled.
“Looks like we were the only ones fretting.”
The staff, blinking, also turned their gazes toward Rojun in the window seat. Then they understood what Chief Kim Gibaek meant.
“…Is he sleeping?”
Because Kang Rojun was sleeping like a log.
Afterward.
Kang Rojun, who had been sound asleep, opened his eyes wide. When did I fall asleep? Rojun rubbed his eyes and first checked outside the window. The plane was already attempting to land at Haneda Airport.
‘Wow—an hour just got deleted.’
It had felt like one minute, but an hour had already passed. Soon, the plane touched down without issue, and Kang Rojun’s team quickly gathered their luggage and headed toward the arrival hall. The large-built guards were in front, Rojun was in the middle, and Kim Gibaek and the staff stood behind him. A few minutes later, airport staff joined them as well, and the group soon opened the doors to the arrival hall.
At the same time.
“Kyaaaaa@*$)(@$*@$&$(*@!!”
“#$%^&!!(#*!#)(!”
“**&*@&$@&$@!!!”
Screams and shrieks struck Kang Rojun’s ears. Japanese and awkward Korean mixed together, creating decibels so high he couldn’t tell what anyone was saying.
Because hundreds of people were packed into the arrival hall.
It was similar to Gimpo Airport, but there were even more fans here. Hundreds of Japanese fans and reporters were frantically taking pictures of Rojun. Since this side was even more of a hellish chaos, Rojun’s team hurried their movements even more. As Kang Rojun quickened his steps and bowed every second, Culture Drawer’s staff joined them.
“Whoa—what a mess. Writer-nim! Hello!”
The first person he saw was Team Leader Ryu Jeonghwa, wearing a suit, her long hair tied back. Kang Rojun gave a brief greeting to her, whom he hadn’t seen in a while. However, it was not a situation where they could have any kind of conversation. Rojun’s team swiftly left Haneda Airport, then split up and boarded several vans prepared by Netflix Japan.
—Vrooom!
The vans departed quickly. However, the “Vanguard” Neotube team that had come with them remained at Haneda Airport, cameras in hand.
—Swish.
Naturally, it was for uploading to “Vanguard’s” Neotube.
Several hours later, Japan.
It was a little past noon. The location was a vast office. Small cameras were set up here and there, and long tables were arranged in the shape of the number 11. Tablets, stacks of paper, and nameplates were lined up across the tables. Dozens of folding chairs surrounded those number-11-shaped tables.
Already, a dozen or so people were sitting in those folding chairs, looking at the stacks of paper, while several people who appeared to be reporters were checking their cameras.
And.
“Sato-senpai, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Has it? Inoue, you’ve lost some weight, haven’t you?”
“Eheh—I’m glad! I lost some because of an ad for a diet company.”
“Haha, you can stop losing weight now.”
Around the number-11-shaped tables, Japanese rang out noisily. More than a dozen people had gathered in twos and threes, chatting. They were not ordinary people.
Japanese actors.
There were even several top Japanese actors or actors of comparable level mixed in here and there.
It was not strange.
Because this was the script-reading venue for Netflix Japan’s “Like a Kaleidoscope.” In Japan, “Like a Kaleidoscope” was hot. Kang Rojun being involved was part of it, but the bigger reason was that a large number of top Japanese actors had been cast. In any case, the Japanese actors were busy chatting with colleagues they had met after a long time. Then the topic turned to the Korean actor and writer who had not yet arrived.
“Is the writer not here yet? I’m curious.”
“Writer Rojun? Ah—I’m not sure whether to call him a writer or an actor.”
“It is unusual. There aren’t really cases of a writer acting. And I hear his main job is being an idol? Did anyone watch ‘Geubaekpeu’?”
“I watched it. Senpai, you didn’t?”
“As if I had time to watch.”
“Eh—it was insanely popular, you know!”
In an instant, the topic of conversation shifted to Kang Rojun.
“But it’s a Netflix Japan original series, and all the actors are from here, so isn’t it a bit strange that only one person is a Korean actor?”
“And a rookie who’s only filmed one short is taking the lead role.”
“‘Rental Lover’? I enjoyed the work itself. But Rojun felt almost like a visual cameo, didn’t he? He didn’t have many lines either.”
“Still, his presence in ‘Rental Lover’ was definite. Hm, is this his first proper role? That’s a bit worrying.”
The Japanese actors, including the top stars, had almost no experience with Kang Rojun. At most, all they had seen was “Geubaekpeu” or “Rental Lover” on Netflix Japan. Quite a few of the actors hadn’t even seen those.
“He’s an idol, but also a writer and an actor, and on top of that, ‘Geubaekpeu’ and ‘Rental Lover’ were both home runs… Netflix Japan probably prioritized his influence over acting ability. He’s very popular in Japan too, so how could they miss out on Rojun?”
The atmosphere itself was overflowing with ease.
Meanwhile, there were several actors who were seated as well. One who stood out was a young-looking actress. She had short brown hair and a slight flush on her cheeks. Her name was Suzuki Rie, a rising actress who had recently been enjoying popularity in Japan.
Suzuki Rie listened to her seniors’ conversation and, for no real reason, felt spiteful inside.
‘Hmph. They’re all busy running their mouths when they haven’t even seen him.’
She knew Kang Rojun fairly well. Because she had secretly been an avid viewer of “Geubaekpeu.” However, she was not Rojun’s fan. Her favorite was Jeongu, contestant number 71, one of the eliminated participants from “Geubaekpeu.” Therefore, if one had to categorize her, Suzuki Rie was on the side that resented Rojun. She did not hate him. She merely resented him.
Because Kang Rojun had been far too enormous in “Geubaekpeu.”
‘If only Rojun hadn’t been there, Jeongu would have made it.’
And yet, to think she would meet him in the same project like this. However, Suzuki Rie thoroughly hid her current feelings. If she brought it up for no reason, she would have to join the conversation of those nosy seniors. Whether she did or not, the Japanese actors gathered near the entrance were still busy talking about Kang Rojun.
“You can’t leave out his visuals, either. Even if his acting is a bit lacking, with a face like that, wouldn’t it be fine?”
“Ah, right. He was handsome.”
“It’s a face that fits the role perfectly.”
“Will he be like that in person too? He’s definitely handsome, but I thought people were making too big a fuss.”
“Mm. To be honest, Korea has a lot of handsome actors.”
“What are you saying? Our side isn’t easy to beat either, you know?”
At that moment.
“Hello.”
An unfamiliar male voice intruded. Fluent Japanese.
“I’m Rojun.”
The startled Japanese actors’ heads all turned toward the entrance in unison. Black-haired Rojun was standing there. The Japanese actors froze like ice, and several of them stepped backward. Thanks to that, a gap opened between the people. Through that gap, Kang Rojun’s face appeared.
Suzuki Rie, who was sitting in her seat with her eyes wide open, was also looking at Rojun.
“…”
In her eyes, the top Japanese male actors around Kang Rojun were.
‘Top-tier… squids?’
They looked endlessly small.