I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 417: Busy (6)
Translator: Dreamscribe
‘Huh?? I’m nominated for Best Actor??’
Though his poker face showed little change, Kang Woojin was actually quite bewildered inside. Had he dropped his concept act, he probably would have shown his surprise by tilting his head.
‘Wow- damn, I honestly didn’t see this coming.’
He hadn’t expected it or even considered the possibility. Kang Woojin was aware of the Primetime Emmy Awards. Of course, until a few months ago, he hadn’t heard of them or cared about them, but with the foreign and domestic media constantly mentioning ‘Beneficial Evil’ and the ‘Emmys’, he couldn’t help but take notice.
After looking into it here and there, he confirmed that it was an enormous awards ceremony.
There were some complicated aspects, but Woojin simply concluded that it was the TV equivalent of the Academy Awards. And to be nominated for Best Actor at such an Emmy Awards? His feelings were subtly different from when he was at Cannes. If anything, he had intentionally aimed for Cannes, but this ‘Emmy’ nomination? It was completely unintentional.
‘I didn’t take my acting lightly-’
That didn’t mean Kang Woojin had approached ‘Beneficial Evil’ half-heartedly. If anything, he had incorporated all the acting skills he had accumulated so far with his first attempt at action, making it high-level. On top of that, CQC was a bonus. Still, since he hadn’t initially aimed for the ‘Emmys’, at this moment, Kang Woojin was.
‘I mean, it’s great, but why does it feel like I just stumbled into this?’
The feeling was strange. Regardless, he was happy. Being nominated for Best Actor at the globally recognized ‘Emmys’, including Hollywood, was.
‘Guess this means I really killed it.’
It was proof that the ‘Emmys’ acknowledged his acting and action in ‘Beneficial Evil’. On top of that, Woojin was the first-ever Asian actor to be nominated for ‘Emmy’ Best Actor. That was why PD Song Man-woo, Executive Director Kim So-hyang, Writer Choi Na-na, Choi Sung-gun, and many others were practically having a seizure from excitement.
“W-Wait, Best Actor nominee??!! Oh my god!! Woojin-ssi is a Best Actor nominee?!”
“This is a first!! A Korean actor, no, an Asian actor, has never been nominated for ‘Emmy’ Best Actor before! This is insane!!”
“Woojin-ssi! Congratulations!! This is seriously a huge deal! Even if you don’t win, you’ve already changed ‘Emmy’ history!”
“Cannes, Cannes was already crazy, and now this?? I mean, of course, Woojin-ssi was incredible in ‘Beneficial Evil’! But I never expected him to get a Best Actor nomination just like that!!”
“Woojin-ah!!! You did it! You really did it!!”
“Hahaha! I mean, straight from Cannes to the Emmys?? Domestic and international media are gonna go nuts over this!!”
Everyone was genuinely congratulating Kang Woojin for his Emmy Best Actor nomination. The atmosphere was a frenzy of excitement, admiration, and emotion. Meanwhile, Kang Woojin.
“…Yes, thank you.”
Remained calm. Sure, there was a bit of an act to it, but even deep down, he wasn’t as hyped as the others. He wasn’t exactly indifferent, but maybe his reaction was just more muted? These people deeply understood the Emmys’ insane influence, but for Woojin, who was only encountering the Emmys for the first time this year, it still felt unfamiliar. Let’s just chalk it up to a difference in experience.
PD Song Man-woo, now familiar with such reactions from Woojin, laughed heartily.
“As expected! You somewhat anticipated the Emmy nomination too, right? Right, Woojin-ssi? You maintained that incredible tension throughout filming, so you must have been confident.”
Expected what? I didn’t think about this at all. Kang Woojin silently conveyed his true feelings but outwardly just gave a vague response.
“More or less.”
Executive Director Kim So-hyang seemed a little surprised. She still wasn’t used to Woojin’s boldness.
“S-Still, Woojin-ssi? This is the Emmys! It’s basically on the same level as the Academy Awards! But you seem way too lukewarm about it??”
“No, I’m happy.”
“You don’t look happy at all!”
At this point, Choi Sung-gun was looking at Woojin with a mix of pride and affection.
‘This guy just made Cannes look like a stepping stone.’
He was getting chills all over again. Honestly, with Cannes alone, Kang Woojin’s career was already legendary. And that wasn’t even all, he had swept through Korea’s Blue Dragon, Baeksang, and Grand Bell Awards. Plus, he had joined three major Hollywood Big Five studio. He had already surpassed monster-level achievements by a long shot.
And now, out of nowhere, the Emmys had appeared.
In other words, for an ordinary actor, the journey up to this point would be enough to film an autobiography. But for this alien, Kang Woojin, it was just another stepping stone. Even if Woojin were to end his career here, there wouldn’t be another actor surpassing this record for centuries. However, seeing Woojin’s bland reaction, Choi Sung-gun couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
‘Even the Emmys are just another stepping stone to him, huh?’
No, that was a complete misunderstanding. Kang Woojin, noticing the fiery look in Choi Sung-gun’s eyes, vaguely realized the misconception. But he didn’t bother correcting it.
‘Whatever- Let it roll however it wants.’
Woojin had long since mastered the art of dealing with misunderstandings, and misconceptions. For the next several minutes, the meeting room remained filled with deafening shouts of excitement over Woojin’s big news. Then, as she finally regained her composure, Kim So-hyang suddenly exclaimed.
“Ah! Ahhh! Look at me losing my mind! Sorry! I’ll show you all the categories ‘Beneficial Evil’ has been nominated in right now!”
She quickly projected a neatly organized list from her laptop onto the projector. Soon, on the slightly dimmed conference room screen, the achievements of ‘Beneficial Evil’ at the ‘Emmys’ began to appear. A staggering 10 nominations.
– [(Drama Category) Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Directing, Best Writing, Best Original Music, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Stunt Performance. A total of 10 categories.]
It was an absolutely overwhelming list. Below each award title, the names of the nominees were displayed. Of course, Kang Woojin’s name was there, along with PD Song Man-woo, Writer Choi Na-na, and several key staff members. It was an achievement so monumental that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it legendary.
“This is already a historic achievement! A non-English drama being nominated in 10 categories at the Emmys! That’s unprecedented!!”
“Exactly! This isn’t just global recognition, it’s a matter of national prestige! The President should be calling any moment now!”
Then, turning to the still-silent Kang Woojin, Kim So-hyang said.
“If we win even just one of these awards… ‘Beneficial Evil’ will be remembered forever, including on Netflix.”
Meanwhile.
While Kang Woojin and the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team were in the midst of a frenzied meeting at Netflix Korea, the shockwave was spreading like wildfire across the entire Korean entertainment industry.
“T-The ‘Emmys’!! Is this for real?! Not only is ‘Beneficial Evil’ officially nominated, but in 10 categories?!”
“What?! 10 categories?! Are you sure you’re not misreading it?!”
“Dude! Just come and see for yourself!!”
Not just broadcasting stations, film companies, production studios, and media outlets, but all related industries were in an uproar.
“Holy shit!! Even being nominated in just one category is a historic milestone, but 10?!!”
The official nomination list, announced on the ‘Emmys’’ official website and through a live online broadcast, had just been confirmed. And the impact of this globally publicized announcement sent shockwaves across Korea.
“Whoa- what is this result?! With all the international media hyping up the Emmys, I thought maybe they’d get a directing nomination… but 10 categories?!”
“And not just any 10 categories! These are major drama categories at the Emmys! The big ones!”
“…Has this ever happened before?”
“Maybe in Hollywood, sure, but for Korea? No. For Asia as a whole? Never! This is the first time an Asian drama has completely overturned the Emmys like this!”
And then.
“Get the article out! As fast as possible! Make sure ‘Beneficial Evil’, ‘Emmys’, and ‘Kang Woojin’ are all in the headline!”
“Yes, sir!”
“No, wait! Publish Kang Woojin’s Best Actor nomination first!!”
“Woojin first?!”
“Yes!! Lead with Kang Woojin, then drop ‘Beneficial Evil’ right after! Hurry up!”
Kang Woojin’s name had been elevated beyond mere glory, it had exploded into something even greater. And rightfully so. ‘Beneficial Evil’ had already demonstrated monstrous global success, and most recently, it had shattered expectations by dominating ‘Universal Movies’.
So naturally.
“Wow-Kang Woojin got nominated for ‘Emmy’ Best Actor in the drama category?!”
“Huh?? For real?”
“…Yeah, look at this.”
“That’s insane. Just look at the Hollywood actors nominated alongside him. I feel so proud that a Korean actor is up there, but damn, I’m also jealous as hell.”
“Honestly, as a fellow actor, I have to admit, this is incredible. Feels like he’s a pioneer or something.”
“No doubt about it. He’s paving the way for everyone else in Hollywood all by himself. At first, his rapid success seemed almost bizarre… but now, it’s nothing but pure respect. Even though he’s technically my junior.”
“What are you talking about? At Kang Woojin’s level, forget seniority, he’s automatically a sunbae to everyone now.”
The undeniable symbol and main figure behind Beneficial Evil’s ‘Emmy’ nominations in 10 categories was, of course, Kang Woojin. Reporters, witnessing this earth-shattering news, went absolutely berserk, flooding the internet with articles.
『 [Breaking News] ‘Beneficial Evil’ nominated in 10 ‘Emmy’ drama categories, Kang Woojin secures Best Actor nomination!』
『 Netflix’s ‘Beneficial Evil’ makes history… major ‘Emmy’ nominations in the U.S.!』
『 Kang Woojin becomes the first Asian actor ever nominated for ‘Emmy’ Best Actor! ‘Beneficial Evil’ secures 10 nominations!』
Broadcasting networks scrambled to prepare reports, while influencers, YouTubers, bloggers, anyone with a finger on the pulse of trending news, rushed to react. All of this unfolded within just 30 minutes of the Emmys’ official announcement. This was before Netflix Korea, Kang Woojin, or bw Entertainment had even released an official statement.
『[Official] Beneficial Evil’s Kang Woojin does it again…Makes history with U.S. Emmy Best Actor nomination! Cannes Film Festival was just an appetizer』
This massive news spread across Korea in an instant. And of course, this was only the beginning. After sweeping through Korea, it was inevitable that the news would spread to Japan, Hollywood, and eventually the entire world.
Because of this, Kang Woojin’s global image would become even more alien-like.
To be fair, Hollywood, and the international scene in general, had already viewed Kang Woojin as an absurdly unpredictable anomaly. And now, with the ‘Emmys’ on top of everything else, his reputation was about to grow exponentially.
And if, by any chance, Kang Woojin actually won the ‘Emmy’ for Best Actor, then he wouldn’t just be limited to Korea anymore.
『Foreign media declares Kang Woojin the ‘strongest contender’ for the ‘Emmys’, Predicts first-ever Asian Best Actor win!』
At that point, calling him the “hero of all Asia” wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.
That same afternoon.
In the morning, Kang Woojin had been at Netflix Korea. But now, he had already moved to Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, specifically, to the filming set of ‘Beneficial Evil’.
Even though today was a historic day that shocked the world, he couldn’t skip a scheduled shoot. Having arrived around noon, Woojin had been filming for several hours straight. Currently, they were on a short break.
Today’s filming atmosphere for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was more electric than ever before.
And how could it not be?
From PD Song Man-woo to over 100 crew members, actors, and their personal staff, easily exceeding 200 people, everyone had ‘Emmys’ on their minds. The energy levels were several times higher than usual, and the excitement was practically explosive.
Kang Woojin’s team, including Choi Sung-gun, was no exception.
“Ooooooh! New articles are popping up literally every second!!”
“Whoa! Oppa! Your Instagram followers are skyrocketing, it’s insane!!”
“The online communities are going wild! The entire conversation is just ‘Beneficial Evil’, the ‘Emmys’, and Woojin-oppa!!”
Ponytailed Choi Sung-gun hadn’t put his phone down since the morning. That meant the calls were non-stop. The same was true for Woojin’s phone. However, instead of calls, he was flooded with messages, the usual congratulations.
Still, compared to the past, the number of people reaching out had drastically increased. And the range of nationalities was diverse.
Even more surprising.
‘Whoa-damn, Miley Cara and Chris Hartnett, sure, I get that. But who the hell are these other Hollywood actors? I’ve never even seen them before. What’s going on?’
Hollywood actors that Kang Woojin had never even met were posting congratulatory messages about him on social media. The common theme in all of their posts? They all explicitly stated that they were fans of Kang Woojin. Woojin found it somewhat fascinating.
‘Damn, this is kinda exciting.’
But it wasn’t all that strange.
Because right now, he was the star of Hollywood stars.
At that moment.
-Bzzzz, bzzzzzz.
His phone vibrated with a long buzz. A call. The caller? Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was in LA.
With the bustling commotion around him, Woojin got up and moved a bit away before answering.
“Yes, Director-nim.”
A deep, aged voice came through the phone.
“Woojin-gun, first of all, congratulations. Your Emmy Best Actor nomination, it’s truly remarkable. You accomplished in just three years what all of Asia couldn’t do for decades.”
“I can only say I’ve accomplished something if I actually win the award.”
“Hahaha, true. Am I getting ahead of myself?”
“No, thank you. I appreciate it.”
Then, Director Ahn Ga-bok’s tone subtly shifted.
“Actually, the congratulations were just part of the reason I called. The script reading date has been set.”
His voice now carried the authority of someone speaking as the executive director of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.
“It’s on May 17th.”
The script reading was next week.
