I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 414: Busy (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
If I decide, does that mean I’m confirmed as the male lead right away? On the other side of the giant, Joseph Felton’s face held a faint smile, along with a determined expression. Although Kang Woojin’s deep poker face showed little change in expression.
“……”
Inside, Kang Woojin was quite surprised.
‘Whoa- shit, no audition or screen test?? Damn, for real? If I just say I’ll do it, it’s an immediate okay?!’
The same went for Choi Sung-gun, who was sitting next to him. No, Choi Sung-gun was several times more shocked than Woojin. Just by looking at his widened eyes, his emotions were palpable.
‘Wait, so if our Woojin just says he’ll do it, he’s confirmed as the male lead?!! Is he serious?? What the hell, did he already talk this over with ‘Universal Movies’?’
Of course, the bw Entertainment staff felt the same way. Even though they weren’t deeply familiar with Hollywood, the condition Joseph Felton just laid out was unheard of. Just thinking simply, Hollywood’s top actors like Chris Hartnett in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ or Miley Cara in ‘Beast and the Beauty’ had to go through auditions.
But Kang Woojin gets a free pass?
It wasn’t strange at all that Choi Sung-gun was in shock. A brief silence spread across the entire conference room. Neither Kang Woojin nor Joseph spoke, only exchanging glances. This lasted for about a few dozen seconds. The first to break the silence was Joseph Felton.
“Woojin, please understand that this condition is quite extraordinary. Of course, I have already received confirmation from ‘Universal Movies’. I’m not acting on my own.”
Choi Sung-gun gasped again. There was no doubt, this condition Joseph presented was unprecedented not only for himself or ‘Universal Movies’ but possibly for all of Hollywood. If this news spread, it would stir up not just Korea but the entire Hollywood industry. For the first time in his career, Joseph had offered such an exceptional condition to Kang Woojin.
Woojin could feel just how determined Joseph Felton was.
‘Damn, this guy’s confidence is insane. And it’s even more impressive because he’s such a famous producer.’
A flurry of thoughts flashed through Woojin’s mind. From the moment he first saw Joseph Felton until now. Come to think of it, Joseph Felton was the first person in Hollywood to acknowledge Woojin. It started with ‘Last Kill 3’, and after that, Joseph had shown him continuous admiration.
‘He even led his team all the way to Bangkok during ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming.’
If there had been a confirmed script, he would have handed it to Woojin sooner, and if the project’s quality wasn’t bad, Woojin would have taken it. But the timing hadn’t been right.
‘Did he not expect me to rise this fast in Hollywood? Well, he might feel a bit unfairly treated, but for me, this situation is working out fine.’
If Joseph had given Woojin a script earlier than Columbia or Disney, he wouldn’t have had to offer such an unprecedented condition. There would have been an audition, no exceptions.
Whatever the case.
-Swoosh.
Kang Woojin lowered his gaze back to the bundle of papers Joseph had handed him, the script.
“I see.”
He responded briefly in a low voice. It was to show that he wasn’t particularly affected. In other words, he was putting on an act. Sure, he was surprised, but reacting impulsively wouldn’t do. Joseph, across from him, was about to say something.
“Yes, but aside from those conditions, we are confident-”
-Poof.
Before he knew it, Woojin had already entered the endless, pitch-black void space. He had secretly poked the black square. As soon as he arrived in the void space, Kang Woojin muttered,
“Whew- damn. Almost showed I was surprised since that came out of nowhere.”
He immediately dropped his composed act. Feeling stiff, he stretched his neck from side to side and arrived at the place where the white rectangles were lined up. At the far end, he saw the latest scripts in which he had been confirmed as the male lead.
-[11/Script (Title: Pierrot), EX+ Grade]
-[12/Script (Title: Beast and the Beauty), EX Grade]
And at the very end.
-[13/Script (Title: Unknown), S Grade]
-[*A highly completed movie script. 80% reading is possible.]
The script Joseph had handed him floated in the air. As soon as he saw it, Woojin folded his arms and muttered,
“As expected, the title doesn’t show up. It wasn’t written on the script either, right?”
The script cover he had received was blank. While the content was there, neither the title nor the director’s name was written on it. That meant the director and title had yet to be decided.
What was unusual.
‘But the completion rate is- 80%?’
The completion rate. Not 100% but 80%. That meant the script wasn’t perfect yet. Was it roughly an early draft before revisions? That’s what Kang Woojin thought. He had encountered a few similar cases before. In other words, Joseph had brought the script to Woojin the moment it was available.
“He must’ve been in a hurry, that guy.”
Since it had come to Korea immediately without a title, director, or detailed revisions, that was the obvious conclusion. Yet, the fact that it was already rated as S-grade was remarkable. Of course, there was a difference compared to the recent EX-grade scripts, but for an unfinished script to be S-grade.
“That’s huge.”
Profiler Hanryang had been S-grade. Island of the Missing had been SS-grade. Moreover, once this script was complete, its rating could go up, or there might be other variables at play.
Like Hollywood’s renowned director, Danny Landis.
And if Kang Woojin himself joined as well, the rating would undoubtedly change. All things considered, it wasn’t a bad situation. Woojin rubbed his chin as he stared at the white rectangles. His mind began spinning rapidly. Unlike when he was a rookie in acting, he now fully embraced the mindset of an actor.
‘Hmm… Well, the rating is one thing. But there’s another factor I can’t ignore.’
The other factor he was considering, to put it bluntly.
‘Impact.’
The buzz it would generate.
He had already secured roles with two of Hollywood’s Big Five: Columbia Studios and World Disney Pictures. That alone was historic. But if Universal Movies joined in, that would make it three. Kang Woojin would have conquered three major Hollywood studios. It would be the first time in Hollywood history, and the one making it happen was a Korean actor. Kang Woojin. This wasn’t just legendary; it was unparalleled.
Beyond the symbolic significance, it would be an insurmountable record for not just future Korean actors but even Hollywood actors.
And the key part? In all three films, he wasn’t a supporting actor or an extra. he was the lead. Every single one of these projects had massive influence. Even with a rough estimation, it was clear that Woojin’s impact on the world would far exceed common sense.
“……Will an opportunity like this ever come again?”
If he continued to push forward in Hollywood like a madman, similar situations might arise someday. But was there any reason to wait for that? Right now, a golden opportunity was lying right in front of him, just waiting to be seized. In Woojin’s eyes, the path to becoming a Hollywood legend was wide open.
And with that, Kang Woojin’s no backing down mentality kicked into overdrive.
Then.
“Exit.”
With a slight smirk on his lips, Woojin left the void space and returned to reality. specifically, bw Entertainment’s conference room. As if time had resumed, Joseph Felton continued speaking right where he had left off.
“We are confident. We’ve invested a great deal of time in developing this script, and when I read it…”
However, Woojin wasn’t listening. Joseph’s English words went in one ear and out the other. Instead, he flipped past the blank cover of the script.
-Rustle.
Countless lines of English text appeared before him. He casually skimmed through the first page, the second page, and several more before looking up. Then, in a low-toned English, he addressed Joseph, who was still passionately giving his briefing.
“Joseph, this project… it doesn’t have a title yet.”
Joseph Felton hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“That’s right. Actually, we haven’t decided on a title yet. We brought it to you as soon as the first draft was completed.”
“So that’s why the script’s completion feels a bit lacking.”
Of course, Kang Woojin didn’t actually feel that way at all. That was just an act. But there was no way Joseph could know that, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“…You could tell?”
“Yes.”
Kang Woojin closed the script he had been flipping through and responded to Joseph.
“I understand. I’ll read through the script and get back to you.”
He was serious about reading the project.
Later.
After finishing the meeting with Kang Woojin, Joseph Felton and his team members got into the elevator. At the same time, the towering Joseph ran a hand through his hair and let out a small laugh.
“Haha, honestly, I was planning to keep that part hidden-“
His team members tilted their heads in confusion, and it was the bald Robert who spoke up.
“What do you mean?”
Joseph, keeping his gaze forward, responded with a faint smile.
“The script’s level of completion.”
“Ah.”
“Not having a title isn’t a big issue, but I didn’t expect him to skim through the script and immediately notice that it wasn’t at completion.”
“……”
“The script I handed over is still a draft and needs revisions. But even experienced actors wouldn’t easily pick up on that. That’s why I just pushed forward. We were in a hurry, after all.”
As he spoke, Joseph stepped out of the elevator, recalling Kang Woojin’s composed expression from earlier.
“For him to realize that after only reading a few pages… My instincts were spot on.”
It was a complete misunderstanding.
Meanwhile.
After parting ways with Joseph, Kang Woojin headed straight to Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. He was preparing to film ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2.
-Rustle.
Inside the moving van, he was reading the script.
‘Oh- this one feels good right from the start. Damn, without the void space, I wouldn’t have caught anything about the completion level.’
Choi Sung-gun, who was watching Woojin through the rearview mirror, chimed in.
“Woojin, of course, you’ll read through the project before deciding, but what’s your impression so far? Are you leaning positively?”
Kang Woojin responded nonchalantly.
“For now, yes. If the script isn’t interesting, I’ll obviously reject it.”
That said, Woojin highly doubted he’d have to reject it. There was a reason the void space had rated it S-grade. Even from just a quick glance, it was already entertaining.
At the ‘Beneficial Evil’ Set.
Kang Woojin arrived at the film set. PD Song Man-woo and over a hundred staff members were bursting with curiosity about him. Around the set, dozens of reporters were stationed, but Woojin focused entirely on filming.
Meanwhile, Domestic Media Was Stirring Up the Buzz.
『As expected of ‘World Star’ Kang Woojin. ‘Universal Movies’ personally came to Korea just to meet him』
『[Feature] Growing rumors… Did ‘Universal Movies’ really visit just for Kang Woojin? If true, this would be a Hollywood first』
Hollywood Was No Different.
Especially, ‘Universal Movies’’ movements were heating up two of Hollywood’s Big Five studios: Columbia Studios and World Disney Pictures.
Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was deep in mid-stage pre-production, commented,
“Universal Movies, huh- well, those guys did show up at the ‘Leech’ filming site, too. This isn’t just some tabloid rumor. Hollywood’s about to flip upside down again.”
Similarly, Bill Rotner, who was building up the early stages of ‘Beast and the Beauty’, marveled,
“Ever since Kang Woojin appeared, Hollywood hasn’t had a single quiet day.”
Naturally, not only the executives of the two film studios but also countless staff members, actors involved in the films, and many others in the industry were reacting in a similar manner. Miley Cara and Chris Hartnett even posted about the buzz on their social media accounts.
The rumors and speculation quickly engulfed Hollywood.
However, even after a day, then two days, and even on the third day when Joseph Felton boarded a flight back to LA, there was no major response from Kang Woojin’s side.
Only.
『Kang Woojin remains silent on ‘Universal Movies’ while throwing himself into filming ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2』
He was simply pushing through the ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 shoot and enduring a grueling schedule. And the more he remained silent, the more the buzz surrounding him continued to grow. Not just this latest rumor, but also topics related to Beneficial Evil’s Emmy prospects, ‘Beast and the Beauty’, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, and numerous others.
With both Korea and Hollywood in a frenzy, time melted away relentlessly. Before anyone knew it, March had ended, and April had begun.
April 4th, Monday.
Early in the morning, seated inside a van, Kang Woojin.
“……”
Was staring at the script with a composed expression. Lately, whenever he had a moment to spare, whether during transit or short breaks, Woojin was always reading this script.
And then.
-Swoosh.
After completing his first full read-through, Kang Woojin closed the script. His expression remained unchanged. That was because his eyes had met with Choi Sung-gun, who was seated in the passenger seat. Without a word, Woojin gave a slight nod with his usual indifferent face.
Meanwhile, in LA.
While it was early morning in Korea, in Los Angeles, it was already afternoon.
A giant man, Joseph Felton, sat in his office, gazing out the window while talking on the phone. It seemed to be a business call. After wrapping up the conversation, he put his phone down and glanced at the date displayed on his laptop. His face showed slight impatience.
“……Hoo, it’s been over a week. Should I reach out to him first after all?”
He was thinking about Kang Woojin, who was in Korea.
Just then.
-♬♪
His phone suddenly rang loudly in his hand. Startled for a moment, he checked the caller ID.
“!!”
His eyes widened immediately, and he pressed the phone to his ear without hesitation. His English carried a sense of urgency.
“Woojin, I’ve been waiting for your call.”
Because the caller was none other than Kang Woojin.
A Few Days Later, Afternoon. Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.
By the time morning and lunch had passed, Kang Woojin had finished a photoshoot.
-Thunk!
He then arrived at the Yeoncheon set for ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming. As he walked in, he glanced down at his phone with his usual unreadable expression.
“……”
Displayed on his screen was a freshly published international news article.
『BBX / ‘Universal Movies’ new project to be helmed by legendary director Danny Landis! This marks the first time he directs a film he hasn’t personally written』
Kang Woojin smiled. Of course, only on the inside.
‘Joseph, that guy works ridiculously fast.’
