Episode 151: Woojin's Burning Passion Turns to the Stage
Baek Woojin's burning passion for acting was now pointing to its next stage: the stage. It was a realm of performance he had never experienced before. Just as he had been harboring a desire to try it someday, the timing felt perfect.
"You want to do theater, right?"
"Yeah, hyung."
Woojin nodded with a face full of conviction. Truth be told, he was even more eager to dive back into musicals, but his singing skills still needed polishing, so he decided to pass for now. Someday, he would definitely challenge himself!
Theater….
The actor, who had always made unexpected choices that stunned those around him, pulled out yet another surprising card.
Jun-an quickly masked his slightly surprised expression and said, "You're serious? I honestly never imagined you'd say you wanted to do theater, Woojin. Team Leader Tae-gon and Vice Manager Min-seong are gonna flip when they hear this."
Jun-an let out a playful "Heh heh."
A smile tugged at Woojin's lips as well.
"You've been weird all week. The script was clearly good, but something just didn't sit right with you."
He added in a low voice, "I really wanted to act, but my heart wouldn't move… I kept wondering why, and then it just kept popping into my head."
"What?"
"West End."
Fresh, vivid memories from those two months bloomed in his mind. Actors performed live in front of audiences, who cheered back in real time. Unlike screen acting, where you could retake an NG, stage acting offered no do-overs. That demanded an even higher level of concentration from the performer. The pressure and tension of knowing you couldn't afford a single mistake. And the indescribable thrill and rush when you successfully walked that tightrope.
The fundamental difference between stage and screen acting hit an actor hard. That feeling of breathing together with the audience. Woojin wanted to feel it again, even for a moment.
It seemed the West End's magic wasn't over yet… Or maybe it was just beginning.
"Of course I'm all for it, hyung. You should do what you want."
"Right?"
"Mind if hyung says one thing?"
"The famous quote time, as always?"
"You'd miss it if it didn't come, right? Bet you missed it a ton these past two months. Kahahat!"
"Hit me with today's wisdom!"
Woojin spread his arms wide in a dramatic gesture, shouting in a cheerful voice.
Jun-an, his face brimming with fondness, replied, "We've been together for three years already, you know. Ever since Wanted wrapped."
"Yeah. Time flies."
"Watching you closely all that time, I can say for sure—you've never once taken the easy or ordinary path. I'm dead serious about that!"
Jun-an shot up from his seat. Whenever Woojin wrestled with project dilemmas, his manager was there to steady him, and this gesture naturally accompanied his occasional advice.
Woojin gazed at Jun-an's face with bright, sparkling eyes, listening intently. Hyung's voice has this subtle power to draw everyone's attention, like a real performer. What a magnetic guy(?).
If Amanda from ten years ago saw Jun-an hyung now, she'd have given him her number.
"I'm your manager, sure, but I'm also your biggest fan!"
"Kinda embarrassing, but you're right!"
"This choice feels so you, Woojin. So hyung's supporting you 100%."
Even as he built a career anyone would call peak prime, he was technically only three years into his debut. A crucial time for any actor, yet Woojin had declared his intent to start from auditions in Hollywood. And amid a flood of film and drama offers, he suddenly wanted to do theater. He could have taken the smooth road, but he always chose the rugged path of challenge. It was admirable, yet worrisome too.
But because it was Woojin, of all people. Jun-an knew too well his approach to acting and the effort he poured in.
"Hyung's really curious too. Every time you make a choice that's hard for others to understand, how you prove it right. I wanna watch this one up close too."
From the moment he'd heard "stage acting," Jun-an's expectations for Woojin had been swelling inside him. That was his honest feeling.
"Thanks, hyung. You always give me strength."
"Nailed today's quote, right?"
"Approved!"
As Woojin flashed a thumbs-up, Jun-an let out a triumphant "Uwooo-!" roar.
"Okay, anyway—you worked hard on that script, so let's eat first. I'll pass it on to Team Leader."
"Sure, hyung."
Jun-an picked up his phone. About to dial somewhere, he paused and asked Woojin, "Oh, Woojina. One thing I'm curious about."
"What?"
Jun-an suddenly wondered. All the offers coming to the agency were for films, dramas, or TV variety shows. He'd rarely heard of theater casting calls. Even if an actor wanted to do theater, without an offer, it was pointless. He was no expert on theater himself.
"I get that you want stage acting, but how does casting work for theater?"
"No clue."
"I just realized I wanted it."
"Whoa, then what do we do? You need a production to join."
"That's why I'm asking now."
"Huh?"
Woojin said it so matter-of-factly. Jun-an's eyes went wide.
Who're you calling?
"You have a connection?"
"Yeah, someone you know well too."
"Who… Oh!"
Jun-an clapped his hands. Woojin grinned and tapped his phone.
- Ring ring.
"Hello?"
- Hey, junior. Long time no talk. How've you been?
"Great, sunbaenim. Hope you've been well too?"
When good people connect, the line always goes through. A warm voice greeted Woojin from the phone—a master of the theater world he'd shared breaths with during Justice's climax. Jeong Jae-min sunbaenim.
Call anytime if you want to do theater, he'd said.
"Sunbaenim, I want to do a play!"
Woojin declared it boldly, straight to the point.
A hearty laugh boomed from the other end. Jun-an stuck out his tongue unwittingly.
Woojin, you…
You had a plan all along?
* * *
They headed straight to Daehak-ro to meet Jeong Jae-min sunbaenim. The spot was the office of Actor's Yard, the theater troupe he now led.
"Hello, sunbaenim!"
"Hahaha, come on in!"
Woojin bowed politely, and Jeong Jae-min came rushing out with a "whoosh."
Meeting anyone was nice, but sharing even one scene made reunions that much sweeter. Talk naturally turned to theater.
"Honestly, your call surprised me. Guys like you are rare these days, Woojin."
Jeong Jae-min felt pleased hearing a talented junior he'd witnessed firsthand on Justice wanted to do theater. He'd seen plenty go from stage to screen, but a top actor who'd skyrocketed via screen work turning to theater without connections? Almost unheard of.
Why? No need. With offers lining up, choosing theater as next project was a bold call that had initially left him speechless.
And understandably so. The norm was transitioning from theater to screen at the right time for stability. Theater alone couldn't sustain a living. Doing theater alongside post-success film/drama? Sure. But like Woojin? Unprecedented.
"Since you saw it yourself, sunbaenim, that's why I'm saying this—but during London busking, I couldn't hold back my desire for stage acting anymore."
How does he pick the most beautiful words? Hearts were popping "pop pop" in Jeong Jae-min's eyes.
He'd lived for over a decade believing acting's essence was the stage. Sure, film and drama had overtaken as mainstream with tech advances, but historically, performance art began onstage. He lived by "Theater is society's mirror," proud to the core. Yet theater remained a tough survival ground for actors, past and present.
Now, an "box office guarantee," "first-maker" with West End buzz videos going viral domestically and abroad, picking theater next? Temporary or not, it could spark massive public interest in theater.
Just as Woojin's heart raced at the thought of theater, Jeong Jae-min felt the same upon hearing his junior's decision.
"Hold on, Woojin—any dinner plans?"
"Pardon? No, none."
"Perfect. No point talking here—come with me?"
Mid-conversation, Jeong Jae-min suddenly mentioned somewhere to go.
"Where to?"
"Kang-sik's heading home for dinner. No schedule? Join us?"
"Oh, sounds great."
And just like that, they got to see one more familiar face. The two rode in Woojin's car straight there.
Soon, they arrived at Lee Kang-sik sunbaenim's home.
"Whoa! How long's it been?"
Lee Kang-sik practically barreled out barefoot. Woojin hugged him warmly.
"What's this sudden visit, no heads-up? You scared me."
"Haha, a surprise event just for you, sunbaenim."
During filming, he'd called him "Dad," but three months post-finale, "sunbaenim" felt more natural now. Maybe that's how you gradually shed a character—in these little shifts. Thankfully, Lee Kang-sik didn't mind the title change.
"Come in, let's talk. I stocked up big at the market—plenty of food!"
Like during Justice, his place was perfect for a casual drink. The excited reunion soon flowed into a cozy drinking session.
Glasses clinked amid nonstop chatter. Woojin retold his now-famous London tales and his theater aspirations for his next project—a happy rerun he could loop forever.
"So you're getting hooked on creating something yourself, right?"
"Yeah, seems like it. Making that busking video with Anne and Peter stirred feelings I'd never had before."
"Whoa, hyungnim. I think Woojin's mindset here is huge."
Lee Kang-sik nodded in admiration.
"Actors usually focus deep on their role's piece of the puzzle, not the big picture."
"True."
"It was just friends messing around, calling ourselves 'directors' and all, but it got me curious. About directing, which I knew nothing about."
"Yeah, directing experience is massive. Theater/film majors rotate through it, building knowledge, but you've never done theater, so yeah."
"Exactly. Even if I'm not directing, I'd love to learn from the sidelines."
"Nothing beats theater for that. Screen directing takes more know-how and time."
The sunbaes nodded in agreement. Arms crossed, Lee Kang-sik turned to Jeong Jae-min.
"Hyungnim, so Actor's Yard's teaming up with Woojin this time?"
"If he's cool with it, we'd love to."
"Absolutely, sunbaenim!"
Lee Kang-sik smiled. "You're including me too, right?"
What started as one junior's desire to try the stage was quietly growing in scale, even unbeknownst to those involved.