I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 416: Busy (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The first platform ‘Universal Movies’ used for their official announcement was their official social media.
– [Hello, this is ‘Universal Movies’. We bring you new updates. The title of director Danny Landis’ new film has been confirmed as ‘John Persona’. Additionally, regarding the male lead actor, which has been a topic of discussion for some time, our ‘Universal Movies’ has decided to work with actor Kang Woojin for ‘John Persona’. We have high expectations for him……]
Following this, Universal Movies’ official YouTube channel and media outlets followed suit.
『LA TIME / ‘Universal Movies’: “The title of the new project is ‘John Persona’, with Kang Woojin confirmed as the male lead.”』
『ABY / ‘Universal Movies’ announces the title for the first time, and the casting rumors about Kang Woojin were true!』
Hollywood quickly became abuzz. Of course, it was expected. Firstly, ‘John Persona’ was the first film in which Danny Landis didn’t write the screenplay himself. But more than that, it was because of the rumors surrounding Kang Woojin that had been spreading like wildfire for the past few weeks.
『BBX / Korean actor Kang Woojin confirmed to work with director Danny Landis! Sets a new record by securing roles in three out of Hollywood’s “Big Five” studios.』
Following ‘Columbia Studios’ and ‘World Disney Pictures’, now even ‘Universal Movies’. Kang Woojin had been cast as the male lead in new films from three major Hollywood studios. And this happened just as he appeared in Hollywood, practically all at the same time.
There had never been an actor in Hollywood who had achieved such a feat.
Since this record-breaking actor was Korean, it was only natural that foreign media and international audiences were thrilled. This unbelievable news spread beyond Hollywood and quickly reached the rest of the world.
Once again, Kang Woojin’s name was on fire everywhere.
While foreign media largely reported the facts and the shock of the announcement, global public opinion had mixed reactions.
Is this possible? How could this happen? What kind of magic did Kang Woojin use? Obviously he earned it through skill? I doubted my eyes when I saw the article, and so on. Since the perception of Kang Woojin varied widely among international audiences, the reactions to him were split evenly between positive and negative.
With the world rapidly shifting into a state of excitement, there was no way Korea would remain quiet.
『[Breaking News] Kang Woojin joins ‘Universal Movies’ as the male lead.』
『[Official] The title of Universal Movies’ new film is ‘John Persona’, with Kang Woojin confirmed as the male lead.』
『The rumors were true! Kang Woojin will work as the male lead under Hollywood’s legendary director Danny Landis!』
The news of Kang Woojin securing ‘Universal Movies’ spread across Korea at the speed of light.
The public was in a frenzy.
– Wow…. this is insane…. is this for real??
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ no ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ way ㅋㅋㅋ this is so impressive.
– Kang Woojin is seriously on another level.
– What happened?? There was no talk about Kang Woojin even auditioning, right? Is this a joke?
– You idiot, it’s official. The source is Universal’s official SNS.
– Holy shit, this is actually happening?
– Kang Woojin’s momentum is so crazy it’s laughable.
– So that famous producer who came to Korea last time was really here to see Kang Woojin?!
– A contract as the male lead with three out of the Hollywood Big Five… My chest is swelling with pride.
– But is this even a possible schedule???
– At this point, even Hollywood actors can’t compete with Kang Woojin ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
However, the one receiving overwhelming congratulations from over a hundred staff members and actors at the ‘Beneficial Evil’ set in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.
“Wow!! Woojin-ssi! Is this real?! Is it really true?! Amazing!!”
“Congratulations!! This is seriously legendary!!”
“Huh- how did things escalate to this level?? Am I seeing this right?!”
“Woojin-ssi is literally devouring Hollywood!! Congrats!!”
“I never thought I’d witness something like this in my lifetime……”
Kang Woojin himself had little change in his emotions. He simply nodded slightly and responded in a low tone.
“Thank you.”
Although he was keeping up his usual concept act, deep down, Kang Woojin felt the same way.
He had already been in contact with Joseph Felton, received the official script for ‘John Persona’, and even knew when the announcement would be made.
Of course, seeing his colleagues celebrate so enthusiastically made him feel a little awkward.
‘They’re too excited… kinda embarrassing, should I slip into the Void Space for a bit?’
He briefly considered escaping there, but in the end, he decided to stay and watch their happiness unfold.
Their expressions had a certain energy, something akin to a national team winning the World Cup.
At the same time, Kang Woojin’s phone was practically on fire.
– Bzzzz.
– Bzzzz.
– Bzzzz.
An endless stream of vibrations.
Beyond his usual contacts in Korea, Japan, and Hollywood, countless others were sending their congratulations.
And so, for the entire day, both Korea and Kang Woojin’s immediate surroundings were swept up in a half-crazed festival-like atmosphere.
Naturally, this kind of buzz wouldn’t die down in just a day or two.
– Swoosh.
That same night, Kang Woojin, who was resting at the now somewhat calmer ‘Beneficial Evil’ set, entered the void space. He needed to check the newly arrived ‘John Persona’ list and take a brief rest. Anyway, as soon as he arrived in the endlessly dark place, Woojin…
“Let’s see, anything changed?”
Immediately moved to the white rectangle. The last white rectangle with changed text from before.
‘John Persona’ which was S-rank before…
– [13 / Script (Title: John Persona), SSS-grade]
-[*This is a movie screenplay with very high completeness. 100% reading possible.]
It had been upgraded two levels, now reaching SSS-grade.
Exiting the Void Space, Kang Woojin let out a small chuckle and murmured under his breath.
“At this rate, even EX-grade might be possible.”
Meanwhile, in LA.
In front of a massive building, a towering statue stood, over three times the height of an average person.
To be precise, it was a trophy statue of the Primetime Emmy Awards, also known as the Academy Awards of television.
This was the ATAS headquarters, the governing body of the Emmy Awards.
Inside, key figures responsible for reviewing numerous productions had gathered in a large meeting room.
Although the exact date wasn’t set yet, by August, the Primetime Emmy Awards would officially take place, so, naturally, things were getting hectic.
For reference, although there had been no public announcement yet, the ‘Emmy Awards’ had already finalized their official nominee selections through voting by numerous jury members.
“All the selections are in.”
“Then all that’s left is announcing the official nominees.”
Thus, the ATAS executives reached a conclusion.
“Alright, let’s schedule the announcement within the week.”
The nominee list was locked in.
Back to Kang Woojin.
Due to the sky-high impact of the movie ‘John Persona’ issue, Kang Woojin’s already hellish schedule became more than twice as busy. Filming ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 was default, and including various domestic schedules, he also graced the covers of famous overseas magazines. Many foreign media outlets personally entered Korea to secure interviews with Kang Woojin.
With world-wide attention pouring in at nuclear levels, this was a natural progression.
At this point, it wouldn’t be strange for someone’s nose to reach the sky with pride but…
‘Ugh- this is chaos, pure chaos. Hold on, first I gotta shoot ‘Beneficial Evil’, then prep for ‘John Persona’ reading (experience) too.’
There wasn’t much change in Woojin’s mindset. His head was full of works he needed to film ahead. Meanwhile, bw Entertainment’s global influence had also become tremendously powerful.
And in the midst of it all, Hollywood projects involving Kang Woojin were moving forward without delay. With the title and male lead now set, ‘John Persona’ had officially entered the early stages of pre-production. Though they confirmed Kang Woojin as the male lead, the rest of the cast was undecided. So first, they needed to compile the actor list.
Of course, ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was also progressing rapidly.
『LA TIME / Kang Woojin & Miley Cara, duo leads for ‘Beast and the Beauty’! Casting in full swing for remaining roles.』
‘Beast and the Beauty’ required an especially long period for set construction. Since it was based on an animated original, filming at real-world locations was not an option. In other words, the 50,000-pyeong ‘SPT Studio’ set had to be completed first. Not to mention, extensive work was required for special makeup, CGI, and other post-production elements, so a long production schedule was inevitable.
Still, the casting process was in its final stages.
On the other hand, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ showed the fastest progress.
『CNM / The first chapter of the ‘Cinematic Universe’, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, completes actor casting! When will the script reading take place with Kang Woojin as the male lead?』
From the beginning, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ had the quickest start and was the first to complete its planning among the ongoing projects. With Kang Woojin and Chris Hartnett already onboard, the entire cast had been finalized. Of course, Director Ahn Ga-bok was also wrapping up pre-production. While the system in Korea was quite different, Director Ahn Ga-bok’s experienced and skilled handling significantly shortened the preparation time.
At that moment, Director Ahn Ga-bok was finalizing the draft shooting schedule and arranging the remaining location scouting.
‘Phew- somehow, we should be able to hold the script reading within May.’
Thus, the script reading for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was set.
A Few Days Later, May 8th
Late morning, around 11 a.m.
The location was Netflix Korea’s headquarters.
Inside a meeting room adorned with posters of numerous hit productions, including the newly added ‘Beneficial Evil’, Kang Woojin sat in the middle of the ㄷ-shaped conference table with a cynical expression.
“……”
Though he was deliberately maintaining an air of composure and weight, internally, he was quite nervous.
‘Sigh- why is this taking so long??’
Beside Woojin, Choi Sung-gun was seated.
Surrounding them were PD Song Man-woo, Writer Choi Na-na, and other core members of ‘Beneficial Evil’. The unusual thing was that everyone’s faces looked exceptionally serious. The tension was thick. PD Song Man-woo was anxiously tapping the table with his index finger, while Writer Choi Na-na, who was naturally timid, had been taking deep breaths for a while now.
The others were no different.
Some shook their legs, while others constantly glanced at their phones, each displaying their own form of nervousness.
At that moment, Choi Sung-gun, who had just tied his ponytail more securely, scanned the room before subtly leaning toward Kang Woojin’s ear.
– Swoosh.
He whispered.
“How do you think this will go?”
Startled, Woojin flinched slightly but forced himself to stay composed, lowering his voice.
“Who knows.”
“Aren’t you nervous? Oh, wait- right. There’s no way you would be.”
Internally, Woojin muttered, ‘Actually, I am.’
Then, across from him, he locked eyes with PD Song Man-woo. Without a word, PD Song Man-woo showed a faint smile. A forced one.
Despite his well-established reputation, and having become an even bigger figure thanks to ‘Beneficial Evil’, PD Song Man-woo, who had more than enough experience, couldn’t stop his heart from pounding.
But why?
Why was the entire ‘Beneficial Evil’ team gathered at Netflix Korea in the middle of filming? And why was Kang Woojin there as well?
The answer was about to be revealed.
– Click!!
The sudden creak of the conference room door.
Entering was Kim So-hyang, the Executive Director, who looked noticeably thinner.
Had she run here? She was slightly out of breath as she appeared. The moment she stepped in, PD Song Man-woo and Writer Choi Na-na shot to their feet. Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun swiftly turned their heads toward Kim So-hyang.
Of course, the same went for the dozens of people in the meeting room.
“The announcement is out.”
With an expression that was difficult to read, somewhere between a smile and neutrality, Kim So-hyang spoke.
In truth, just moments ago, she had been reviewing the official nominee list for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards as announced on their official website and live-streamed online.
Up until now, everything had been confidential. But foreign media had strongly predicted ‘Beneficial Evil’ would be among the nominees.
Now, the moment of truth had arrived, straight from Kim So-hyang’s mouth. Her gaze lingered on Kang Woojin before shifting to PD Song Man-woo.
Then, she grinned.
“It’s confirmed! ‘Beneficial Evil’ has officially been nominated for this year’s Emmy Awards!”
The moment the words left Kim So-hyang’s mouth, a deafening roar erupted in the conference room.
PD Song Man-woo, Writer Choi Na-na, and the entire ‘Beneficial Evil’ team screamed in unison.
“Kwaaaah!! Yes!! This is how it should be!”
“That’s right!! We did it!!”
“Kyaaaah!! Really?! Is this real?!!”
Their reaction was more than justified.
Out of countless non-English dramas worldwide, ‘Beneficial Evil’ had become the first to ever be nominated for the ‘Emmy Awards’, the most prestigious honor in the television industry. This was not just a victory for Korea, it was a monumental achievement for all of Asia.
But Kim So-hyang wasn’t done yet. She spoke again to the ecstatic team, as if there was more.
“And it’s not just any nomination! ‘Beneficial Evil’ has been nominated in a total of 10 categories!!”
“W-what?! What do you mean!!”
“Is this for real?! You’re saying we got nominated in ten categories??!”
Finally, Executive Director Kim So-hyang’s smile deepened as she met eyes with Kang Woojin, who was the only one sitting indifferently.
“Kang Woojin-ssi is included in those 10 categories.”
Silence fell for a brief moment.
Then.
“Woojin-ssi has been nominated for Best Actor in a Drama! He’s one of the five finalists!! You realize what this means, right? He’s the first Asian actor ever to achieve this!!”
After Cannes, now the Emmy Awards.
Yet, Kang Woojin’s expression remained as indifferent as ever.
“……”
But inside, his mind was filled with nothing but giant question marks.
‘Huh??’
