I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 421: Appearance (4)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Looking at Choi Sung-gun who wore a deep smile, Kang Woojin remained composed. There was no particular change in his cynical expression. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
“……”
It was already late May. With June just around the corner, the weather had become much hotter. Woojin nodded slowly and responded to Choi Sung-gun. As expected, his voice was calm and composed.
“Has the first shoot been confirmed?”
“Yes.”
With a smile, Choi Sung-gun placed a hand on Kang Woojin’s shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
“The second week of June. Specifically, June 11th. There’s a chance it could be moved forward or back by a day or two due to circumstances, but if everything goes smoothly, the crank-in will be on the 11th.”
The 11th, huh- Not much time left. Outwardly, Woojin remained composed, but internally, a slight tension built up.
Every time, with every project, he felt that the preparation phase, including script readings, and the actual filming process were worlds apart. It had been the same for every project he had shot so far. It was like, how should he put it? The preparation phase was like loading a gun, while the first shoot was pulling the trigger and firing towards the world.
‘And this time, it’s Hollywood, isn’t it?’
And that wasn’t all. Having set numerous firsts and records, Kang Woojin had become the first Asian actor to land a lead role in Hollywood. This was the ignition point. Today was May 27th. That meant there were roughly two weeks left until June 11th. Depending on perspective, it could be seen as a long or short time. No, considering Kang Woojin’s hellish schedule, it was undoubtedly tight.
With a faint tension lingering in the air, Kang Woojin took off his suit jacket.
It was too hot.
-Swish.
Then, starting with Choi Sung-gun, who was still smiling, he scanned the faces of the team members. Everyone wore expressions full of anticipation.
Woojin then turned his body. The filming site for ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 came into view. It was a dark night, yet the installed lights shone blindingly bright. Insects were gradually gathering around them, while nearly a hundred staff members were busy cleaning up. PD Song Man-woo was engaged in conversation with the assistant directors regarding tomorrow’s shoot. With the rising temperatures, everyone was in short sleeves.
As he observed the scene for a moment, Kang Woojin felt a slight sense of regret.
‘……So this will be my last shoot in Korea. What is this feeling? Why do I feel a bit sentimental?’
Though his face, hardened with his usual persona, remained unchanged, his heart softened slightly. It was understandable, once he left for LA, he wouldn’t be returning to Korea for quite some time. How did he end up here? Various thoughts flashed through Woojin’s mind, and Choi Sung-gun stepped up beside him. Staring straight ahead like Woojin, he suddenly spoke.
“What’s wrong? Feeling a bit sentimental? Now that you’re really about to spend all your time in Hollywood?”
What the-? Might as well spread out a fortune-telling mat. Internally startled, Woojin forced himself to respond nonchalantly.
“No. I just feel like time is passing quickly.”
“Haha, true. It’s already been three years since I first met you. Feels like ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was just yesterday. Especially with PD Song over there, it makes it feel even more so.”
At this moment, as if sensing their gaze or perhaps by coincidence, PD Song Man-woo, who had been talking with the staff, came jogging over. Wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and a cap pulled low over his head, he got straight to the point the moment he arrived.
“We’ll be on standby from noon tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
After Woojin’s dry response, Choi Sung-gun tilted his head.
“Hm? That’s a bit of a late start, isn’t it?”
“Ah- I have an interview shoot at Netflix in the morning. Something about the ‘Emmy Awards’. Netflix HQ requested it, or something like that. But- did something happen? You two seem pretty serious.”
Woojin gave a brief response.
“’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’’s first shoot date has been set.”
PD Song Man-woo, momentarily pausing, widened his eyes and grew excited.
“Oh! Ooooh!! Really?? When?”
“June 11th.”
“The 11th? Hold on, the 11th means, there are only two weeks left? Whoa, that’s tight. Isn’t Woojin-ssi getting stretched too thin? Are you okay?”
“No problem.”
“Well, I know you’ll handle it fine. But still, you have to take care of your health. If you suddenly collapse- whew, how many productions would get put on hold?”
Just imagining it made PD Song Man-woo visibly uneasy, and suddenly.
-Swish.
Folding his fingers, he seemed to be calculating something. Then, his expression suddenly turned serious.
“We were roughly planning to crank up around June 7th, but let’s try to move it up, even if just by a few days. If we push a little, shortening the schedule isn’t a big deal.”
“There’s no need to go that far.”
“No, no.”
A growing smile spread across PD Song Man-woo’s face as he called over the assistant director and then spoke.
“Our ‘World Star’s’ first deployment day is set, so he needs to be in top condition. Don’t you agree, CEO Choi?”
“Hahaha, I’d be grateful if you did.”
“Let’s try to wrap it up by the 4th or 5th at the latest.”
Having reached a conclusion, PD Song Man-woo glanced at the ever-composed Kang Woojin and grinned widely.
“Make those Hollywood folks overbite in surprise.”
Meanwhile, in LA.
Unlike Korea, where it had already passed midnight, it was early morning in LA. The roads were packed with cars, and the blaring of honking horns echoed, piercing through the air. Cafés, bagel shops, and even the sidewalks were crowded with foreigners. The subway was no exception.
Inside one particular subway car in LA, which at a glance could be mistaken for a gang hideout.
“……Hmm.”
A familiar face stepped in. It was Director Ahn Ga-bok, dressed casually in a short-sleeve shirt and comfortable jeans. Of course, he wasn’t alone. At least a dozen foreigners surrounded him, the key staff members of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. The reason Ahn Ga-bok and his team were in the subway was simple.
‘A subway scene works better on location than on a set.’
As he muttered this, they were out on a location hunt for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. Given the filming schedule, this was their final scouting session. Technically, the location hunt had already been wrapped up, but an additional check had been scheduled at Director Ahn Ga-bok’s request.
-Screeeech!
Just then, a subway train arrived.
However, neither Ahn Ga-bok nor the foreign key staff boarded. Rubbing his chin, Ahn Ga-bok took in the entire platform with his eyes, while some of the key staff wandered around, busy taking photos. At this point, several details caught Ahn Ga-bok’s attention, the graffiti scrawled across the walls, the homeless people settled in corners or on benches, the oddly dressed individuals, and even a man playing the guitar, possibly an aspiring musician.
-♬♪
But to Ahn Ga-bok, the sound of the guitar was different.
‘The music plays.’
One of the many OSTs from ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ echoed in his mind. Just then, police officers appeared on the platform, seemingly to crack down on the homeless. And before he knew it, Ahn Ga-bok’s gaze had transformed into that of a camera lens.
Kang Woojin appeared. No, to be precise.
‘The dancing ‘Joker’, pursued by the police.’
It was ‘Joker’.
To Director Ahn Ga-bok, the sight of the two police officers rounding up the homeless resembled a scene where ‘Joker’ taunted them by tap dancing. The enraged officers, with their heavy bodies, waddled clumsily as they tried to chase after Kang Woojin, or rather, ‘Joker’. But they were no match. Smirking, ‘Joker’ even flicked away his cigarette with a relaxed air.
Then, ‘Joker’ slid down the stair railing as if riding a slide.
Blowing out a long plume of smoke, he glanced up the stairs. The overweight officers were chasing him as if their lives depended on it, but with a smirk, ‘Joker’, with his long red hair, swept it back and moved with steps infused with tap dancing.
At that moment, standing by the stairs, Director Ahn Ga-bok murmured in a low voice.
“This feels killer.”
A sudden, overwhelming desire surged within him, to see this imagined scene on a monitor as soon as possible.
‘Whew- these two weeks are going to feel like two hundred years.’
With that thought, he turned to the approaching foreign key staff and spoke in English.
“We’ll shoot this scene here.”
Pulling a Joker card from his pocket, Ahn Ga-bok spoke again. The card had an illustration of ‘Joker’ on it.
“The first shoot should be Joker’s first awakening scene.”
About a week later, on June 4th. Korea.
May came to an end, and June began. With the weather now radiating intense heat, people on the streets had all switched to lighter clothing. It was late afternoon.
Inside a van speeding down the highway, writer Choi Na-na, the mind behind ‘Beneficial Evil’, which was rapidly expanding its reach worldwide, was seated.
Her now considerably long hair was twisted up into a bun.
-Swish.
She was looking down at her phone, checking articles related to ‘Beneficial Evil’.
『’Beneficial Evil’ loses world’s No. 1 spot but holds strong at No. 2』
『’Beneficial Evil’ nominated in 10 categories for the ‘Emmy Awards’, famous international YouTubers parody the show… proving it’s a monsterous drama』
『[Issue Pick] ‘Beneficial Evil’ takes over the world, rumors swirl about a Season 2 production』
Adjusting her round glasses as she read the articles, Choi Na-na switched her search topic. This time, she typed in Kang Woojin. An overwhelming number of results flooded in.
‘Wow- amazing!’
Though she was well aware of Kang Woojin’s massive influence, she still couldn’t help but feel amazed every time. It had become a habit for her to look him up. By the way, Choi Na-na’s own value had skyrocketed. Of course, she was nowhere near Kang Woojin’s level, but having hit global home run with her debut work, she was now receiving offers from overseas as well.
At that moment.
“Writer-nim.”
A woman sitting beside Choi Na-na spoke. It was Executive Director Kim So-hyang.
In fact, this van had departed from Netflix Korea, and the destination for Choi Na-na, Kim So-hyang, and the others was Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province. In other words, they were headed to the ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming set.
With a small smile, Executive Director Kim So-hyang asked Choi Na-na,
“Have you come up with a storyline for Beneficial Evil 2?”
Lowering her phone, Choi Na-na scratched her head.
“Not yet… Honestly, the story was left open with ‘Jang Yeon-woo’, so if the lead changes, I have no idea how to begin.”
Kim So-hyang let out a short sigh, as if she had the same headache.
“Whew- Of course, having ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ continue the story would be the best. But aside from Kang Woojin’s drastically increased fee, the real issue is his schedule. I checked with CEO Choi, and not only this year but next year too, he’s almost fully booked.”
“I expected that. But, Executive Director, if Woojin-nim isn’t in ‘Beneficial Evil’, do you think people will still watch it?”
“……The viewership will definitely drop. By a lot. At least by half- no, it could be even worse. But when Netflix HQ is throwing an insane amount of money at this project, ignoring it isn’t exactly an option for me.”
“I agreed to this because I truly, truly love ‘Beneficial Evil’, but honestly, I don’t know. Whether we’ll find an actor who can take over Woojin-nim’s role is also a big question.”
As their conversation continued, Choi Na-na was the first to lower her gaze. Looking troubled, she picked up her phone again. Despite her many thoughts, her fingers moved instinctively.
-Swish.
This time, she accessed Instagram. Out of habit, she first checked Kang Woojin’s account before moving to another page she had been frequenting lately. And then, her once gloomy expression suddenly turned excited.
“Oh!!”
She immediately turned to Kim So-hyang and shouted.
“They announced it!!”
Urgently, she held up her phone screen for Kim So-hyang to see. The SNS account she had accessed was.
– [Hello, this is the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).]
It was the official channel of the organization that hosted the ‘Emmy Awards’, often referred to as the television industry’s Academy Awards. ATAS had just posted an official announcement, and Choi Na-na exclaimed the key detail.
“The ‘Emmy Awards’! It’s happening on August 1st!!”
That meant it was less than two months away.
Meanwhile, in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Over a hundred staff members silently watched the filming zone, holding their breath. They were the production crew of ‘Beneficial Evil’.
PD Song Man-woo, his expression serious, focused on one of the multiple monitors, the one displaying a close-up of the actor’s face.
“……”
Naturally, the person on the screen was Kang Woojin.
Currently embodying ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ completely, Woojin took off his suit jacket and spoke.
“It’s hot.”
Inside the filming zone, he trudged forward toward the front-facing camera. His face was filled with annoyance, carrying the weary aura of an exhausted office worker. As he gradually approached the camera, he delivered his next line.
“Next is-”
He brushed right past the camera.
But the camera remained still.
For a brief moment, silence spread across the entire set. Around five seconds passed.
Before anyone realized it, not just Kang Woojin but all the hundred-plus staff members had turned their gazes toward PD Song Man-woo.
The goateed PD, still staring at the monitor, finally spoke.
“Cut.”
With that short signal, he stood up and exchanged a look with Kang Woojin. Then, he raised his thumb.
“OK. Well done, and that was incredible, Woojin-ssi.”
Immediately, as if on cue, over a hundred staff members erupted into cheers. PD Song Man-woo then approached Kang Woojin, who was dusting off his clothes, and extended a handshake.
“I’m looking forward to ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.”
Kang Woojin responded indifferently.
“I’ll see you at the ‘Emmy Awards’.”
The filming for ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 had wrapped up.
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