Woojin's Piercing Gaze and Iron Grip
Baek Woojin's intense gaze and the strength in his grip made dry saliva swallow involuntarily.
"…Please take care of me."
Ahn Jong-hoon tried to play it cool, forcing a smile that wouldn't look too awkward.
"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to working together. Take care of me too."
Woojin's response carried an effortless confidence that overflowed from his expression.
"Alright, now that you've all exchanged greetings, let's get back to shooting. We'll start as soon as Jong-hoon is set!"
Whatever history tied them together, Woojin himself wasn't saying much, so the details remained unclear. But one thing was obvious: the two weren't on friendly terms.
Woo Seung-hyun PD sensed the subtle tension between Woojin and Ahn Jong-hoon right away and quickly clapped his hands to speak up.
Only then did Woojin release the handshake and pass by Ahn Jong-hoon. He turned to Lee Kang-sik with a smile.
"Dad, wanna smoke one before we shoot?"
"Perfect timing. Let's go!"
Right after Woojin and Lee Kang-sik left, Ahn Jong-hoon shifted his gaze to his own hand.
It was trembling faintly, beyond his control.
"……."
In that instant, a whirlwind of thoughts flooded Ahn Jong-hoon's mind.
What the hell? This pressure…
He'd known it intellectually for a while, but his heart refused to accept it. The fact that the current Woojin had become an actor on an entirely different level—one impossible to compare himself to—and was soaring ahead.
Two years ago, this guy couldn't even meet my eyes, and now…
From right after Woojin left SJ upon his regression until now, Ahn Jong-hoon had only run into him twice: at the Daehan Arts Awards and on the set of Chosun Sunshine.
At the awards, even when he'd personally handed Woojin the trophy, he hadn't felt much. Sure, there was that backstage collar-grabbing incident, but back then, it was more like a joke: This kid's grown a lot, huh?
As for Chosun Sunshine, he'd argued with the PD and stormed off before even properly facing Woojin, so that didn't count.
But this third encounter was on a whole different plane from the previous two.
It had to be. Justice was Woojin's home turf. He was the owner of the "dual lead" title, while Ahn Jong-hoon was there merely as a "special appearance" guest.
In this place, where the very air felt different from those prior spots, the gap between the old Woojin in his memories and the current one he'd just seen with his own eyes was staggeringly wide.
As those two images began overlapping in comparison, Ahn Jong-hoon's mind grew even more chaotic.
Just from that handshake and eye contact, he felt the nagging truth he'd been denying—he had to start acknowledging it now.
From his perspective, it was nothing short of profound defeat and humiliation.
"Fuck, let's see what you've got, you cocky bastard…."
He muttered under his breath, clenching his fist tight. Then,
"Jong-hoon, head straight to wardrobe."
"Ah, yeah!"
He snapped his mouth shut at the sudden voice of a staff member beside him, startled.
Watch your mouth, watch your mouth…
A bead of cold sweat trickled down his back as he followed the staff.
* * *
"Hey, kid."
Lee Kang-sik took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled.
"Yeah, Dad?"
"You and that guy aren't on good terms, are you?"
Lee Kang-sik hit the nail on the head.
Ah, as expected! So direct.
"Sudden question out of nowhere?"
"Just vibes. You can't fool these eyes."
Lee Kang-sik downed his coffee and continued.
"Felt just like how Seung-cheol and I look at each other."
"Hmm, so in your eyes, Dad, who looked like Lee Kang-sik and who like Jo Seung-cheol?"
At Woojin's question, Lee Kang-sik turned to stare at his face.
Woojin smiled back.
"This punk, slipping in some casual talk?"
"Ah, really!"
"Hahaha!"
Lee Kang-sik laughed heartily before adding,
"Obviously, you're Lee Kang-sik, and Ahn Jong-hoon's Jo Seung-cheol."
"Why's that?"
"I guarantee it, kid. You're the type to take a backstab, not dish one out. And…."
"And?"
"I'm better looking than Jo Seung-cheol. Good for you too, right? Hahaha!"
Praise, sure, but why does it feel weird…
Woojin tilted his head slightly and scratched it.
"Would it be rude to ask what happened?"
Lee Kang-sik continued in a low voice.
"It's your business, not anyone else's. Makes me wanna know."
"……."
His senior's languid tone carried worry, comfort, encouragement—all mixed in.
Boiled down, it was, He really cares about me.
"Nothing worth hiding from you, Dad. Don't want to anyway. Just a bit cautious."
"Cautious?"
"Like you said, Ahn Jong-hoon did stab me in the back, but I don't feel like broadcasting it. Got zero interest in him now."
Lee Kang-sik nodded silently.
"Dad."
After a brief hesitation, Woojin smiled softly.
"From here on, off the record."
Woojin laid out his tangled history with Ahn Jong-hoon to Lee Kang-sik—objectively, sticking to the facts.
"Heh."
Lee Kang-sik listened intently, chuckling midway.
When Woojin finished,
"Seung-cheol and I were child's play compared to that?!"
Lee Kang-sik's eyes widened as he shouted.
"Dad, shh!"
"Ahh, sorry. Slipped out."
Startled, they both instinctively hunched down.
Haha, what is this?
Meeting eyes while bent over, they burst into laughter simultaneously.
Then Lee Kang-sik affectionately ruffled Woojin's hair with a kind expression.
"Good to see you're okay!"
"Of course."
"Real man, you are."
"Next life, I'll try being a daughter instead."
"Puhaha!"
No matter the topic, chats with Senior Lee Kang-sik were always fun.
Before Justice filming ramped up, he'd shared the full story of his beef with Jo Seung-cheol.
Felt right to tell him too.
First time—and probably last—laying out the Ahn Jong-hoon saga in detail to someone straight from my mouth.
"So, just you know, right?"
"Yeah. Director only knows we're not exactly buddies~ Haven't told Writer Kim or Writer Seo myself."
"Okay, I'll watch it then."
Lee Kang-sik brushed off his butt and stood.
"Let's go, kid."
"Sure."
He slung an arm around Woojin's shoulders as they walked.
Then, suddenly,
"Kinda feels like it."
"What?"
"Won't show it, obviously, but thinking of sticking my nose in?"
Nosy?
Woojin looked puzzled, and he smiled.
"Maybe set up a little meet~ Like you said!"
Ah, drinks.
"Looking forward to it."
"Eh, yeah?"
Haha, this must be how it felt for him.
Fresh.
If it happened with Ahn Jong-hoon, that'd be fun in its own way.
Why were these days so damn enjoyable?
"Scene 15, rolling!"
The assistant director's call rang out perfectly timed.
* * *
"Ready, action!"
'Reclum' operatives began entering Korea one by one.
A drug trafficking operation of indeterminable scale.
After clinching victory in the brutal turf war with the 'Thai Mafia,' 'Reclum's' size had ballooned uncontrollably.
Lee Jin-tae's unimaginable thirst for revenge. Add unimaginable funds to that.
The curtain on a blood-soaked vengeance awaited over 30 years—it was only a matter of time.
And sure enough, breaking news started pouring in nonstop via TV.
The victims of mysterious deaths kept piling up.
Notably, all were high-ranking officials.
In the initial draft of Justice, they'd correspond to the 'Four Evils.'
As the scale and story expanded, the victims shifted from four specific figures to an unspecified multitude.
A multitude of victims. At first glance, no common thread, but dig deeper, and one link emerges.
Choi Il-man… former ANSP (National Security Planning Agency) Anti-South Division Chief.
Ko Jin-gyu… former Defense Minister.
Lee Tae-hwa… former ANSP Special Operations Director.
And all the dead were key figures from 1983…
"Is this really all coincidence?"
One man toiling to uncover the truth and seize the hidden mastermind: Yoon Tae-oh, special prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
- Bang!
He slammed the desk without realizing.
Already over a dozen victims.
Serial killings, but not some simple murder case.
A grotesque truth, deep-seated hatred, and above all….
"It won't end with murders. There's definitely more…."
A strong conviction gripped him.
These killings would spark something bigger, plunging the nation into chaos—his gut screamed it.
He had to find the puzzle pieces fast.
And… stop it.
That alone was the fate he'd assigned himself as Prosecutor Yoon Tae-oh.
"Investigator, got what I asked for?"
"Yes, Prosecutor. Suspected steady influx from Thailand past two months."
"Scale?"
"Cross-checked entry records…."
The investigator paused, then spoke.
"Estimated over a hundred personnel…."
"……?!"
The side full shot shifted to Yoon Tae-oh's front, closing up on his intricate expression.
Widened eyes, wavering focus. Even the faint facial tremors.
Could emotions be portrayed this minutely?
Everyone watching the main monitor held their breath—
"Damn it!"
Yoon Tae-oh's sharp voice shattered the silence.
"Justice, what the hell are you planning…."
Next to the corpses killed by an unknown, formless evil: a common note.
Justice.
One word in red ink.
Group or lone wolf.
Yoon Tae-oh dubbed the true culprit 'Justice.'
Is taking lives outside the law your 'justice,' Justice? Do you truly believe that?
The camera held on Yoon Tae-oh's face as his inner monologue flowed.
If that's your justice, then mine is punishing the guilty within the rightful judicial system. I'll drag everyone tied to this into court. You too, Justice!
Close-up on his reddened eyes.
Five seconds of delay followed, then,
"Cut!"
Woo PD called out.
Episode 10 Ending Scene, Fin.
"Straight into Episode 11 Scene 1!"
Staff bustled about.
After a quick chrome ball shot for CG compositing, the assistant director spoke into the walkie.
"Actors Baek Woojin, Ahn Jong-hoon. Get ready."
Finally, the moment?
Woojin stood on his mark with a light heart.
Ahn Jong-hoon followed.
For the first time ever on camera… the two faced off.