I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 423: Joker (1)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Standing in the shooting zone was the ‘Joker’. No, it was Kang Woojin. But in reality, he wasn’t the true ‘Joker’ just yet. He was merely wearing the costume that would be used for the actual shoot, but his face hadn’t been fully made up, nor had his hair been styled.
Right now, Woojin was simply standing there for a pre-shoot test before the actual poster shoot.
However, for the hundreds of crew members of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, for the cameras focusing intently on him, and for veteran director Ahn Ga-bok, who was watching Woojin.
‘To think I’d get chills at my age. And we haven’t even really started yet.’
An unidentifiable wave of goosebumps surged through him.
Those chills carried many emotions, thrill, excitement, admiration, and awe. Of course, he had already seen Woojin in the costume he had prepared himself during the audition and screen test. However, seeing Kang Woojin in the officially completed ‘Joker’ costume was a completely different experience. What was once rough now felt crystal clear.
Moreover.
‘That guy, the actor who used me as a stepping stone, is now standing at the center of Hollywood.’
Although it had been a long journey filled with hardships, Woojin was now standing there as the male lead, commanding the attention of numerous Hollywood figures. It wasn’t as if Ahn Ga-bok had never imagined this moment, but actually witnessing it with his own eyes sent endless shivers down his spine.
The hundreds of foreign crew members watching Kang Woojin felt something similar.
The nature of their emotions differed slightly, while Ahn Ga-bok felt a mix of thrill and admiration, the foreign crew members were filled with awe and amazement. It wasn’t surprising. Only a handful of people had seen Woojin’s performance during his audition. For the majority of them, this was their first time seeing him as the ‘Joker’.
A brief moment of silent observation.
Ahn Ga-bok alternated his gaze between the real-life Kang Woojin and the image of him on the monitor, while the hundreds of crew members continued to take in the sight of Woojin standing still. Meanwhile, quite a few of the foreign crew tilted their heads, puzzled by Woojin’s extremely composed demeanor.
‘He’s surprisingly relaxed. Is he not nervous at all?’
‘It’s not his first shoot, but this is the first time the entire team has gathered together, yet he seems completely at ease. It’s like he’s been working in Hollywood for over a decade.’
Despite having no prior Hollywood experience, his posture remained perfectly steady. Utterly still, like a tranquil sea without a single ripple.
But this was a complete misunderstanding.
Right now, Kang Woojin was.
‘Wo – Shit! What the hell is that camera??!’
In an extremely excited state. Because he was overwhelmed with extreme curiosity.
‘That camera mounted on the car over there is huge! Is that thing a freaking tank?!’
To be honest, he was more fascinated by everything around him than focused on the shoot. In fact, ever since arriving at this ‘Columbia Studios’ set, he had been in a state of internal frenzy. Though his expression remained unchanged due to his intense commitment to staying in character, internally, Kang Woojin had screamed at least ten times.
Hollywood’s film sets far exceeded anything he had ever imagined.
For starters, the sheer scale was absurd. Hundreds of foreign crew members, shooting equipment he had never even heard of, and all sorts of additional structures set up on site, it was all overwhelming. When Woojin had first experienced the trailer assigned to him today, he had nearly let out an audible gasp.
‘The quality was insane. Shit, it felt like a damn mini hotel.’
Things that were hard to come by in Korea were commonplace here. The sheer novelty of it all made time fly. Before he knew it, Woojin was standing on the verge of the poster shoot. Just then, a hoarse voice reached his ears.
“Let’s start with the test shot.”
It was Ahn Ga-bok.
Since it was a cue given through a megaphone, Kang Woojin quickly nodded. He had already been briefed on the poster concept beforehand, and with the number of productions he had been involved in, he had done countless poster shoots. Still, standing here in this unfamiliar environment, with hundreds of foreign crew members watching.
‘Ugh, this is kinda embarrassing.’
A wave of awkwardness crept in.
But.
“Hi- cue.”
The moment the shoot started, any sense of embarrassment was tossed aside like garbage. Standing on a crosswalk, Kang Woojin struck a variety of poses without hesitation. Running, walking, brushing his hair back, stretching out both hands and jumping, raising his middle finger straight at the camera, tap dancing, among many others.
For the record, Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’s poster featured Kang Woojin alone.
All promotional posters, as well as every other poster being produced, were planned to feature him alone. While other actors’ faces would be included in the official release poster, the dominant presence on the poster would be Kang Woojin.
After about tens of minutes of test shooting, Ahn Ga-bok, seemingly satisfied.
“We’re good. Let’s move on to makeup.”
gave the next instruction. Soon, Woojin stepped out of the shooting zone, and the makeup team moved busily. It was time for him to transform, not just in costume, but into the real ‘Joker’.
About an hour later.
While Ahn Ga-bok was shooting additional insert shots, a message came through his radio. Woojin’s makeup was complete. After responding to bring him over, Ahn Ga-bok turned to the key staff and instructed them to prepare for the official poster shoot. The hundreds of crew members moved in perfect coordination.
And then.
-Swoosh.
Through the crowd of hundreds of foreign crew members, the real ‘Joker’ – no, Kang Woojin, appeared, his dress shoes clicking with every step. A red jacket and trousers, a blue shirt, a yellow vest, and worn-out brown shoes. The outfit remained the same.
But his face, had changed completely.
First, his hair. A deep, wet red, longer than his usual hair, reaching past his ears and covering his jawline. But the hair was the least of it.
“……”
Woojin’s expression was utterly indifferent, but his face was ghostly white. That wasn’t all. His eyes were encased in sharp, rectangular black paint. Red dots marked the ends of his eyebrows and the tip of his nose.
Most striking of all, his mouth.
Kang Woojin, grinning as if his lips had been slashed open several times over. No, it was drawn that way. A vivid, blood-red smile. It was unnervingly natural, far from artificial, thanks to the mastery of Hollywood’s makeup team.
And then, starting with Ahn Ga-bok.
“……Huh-”
Every single foreign crew member was utterly mesmerized by him.
But Woojin, unfazed, simply flicked his damp red hair back and nonchalantly stepped in front of the countless cameras. It was the same crosswalk from earlier, but this time, he was the real ‘Joker’.
As he swept back the strands of hair that had fallen over his face.
-Swish.
He pulled a cigarette from his jacket’s inner pocket and placed it between his lips. Exhaling a long stream of smoke, cigarette still in his mouth,
“Hoo-”
he let out a smile, a grin so wide it seemed unnatural.
In that instant, every single crew member froze in place.
Why?
Because right before their eyes, the ‘Joker’ was smirking at them.
“……”
“……”
They were completely intimidated.
Afterwards.
The insert shots, posters, and test footage for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ weren’t wrapped up until late afternoon. As soon as the work was finished, Kang Woojin left, but Ahn Ga-bok and the key staff immediately gathered at ‘Columbia Studios’ for a final meeting.
Because the official crank-in was happening tomorrow.
At that moment, inside the van heading to his hotel, Kang Woojin was looking at his phone. The stylists had sent over the photos. Images of him as the ‘Joker’ during the poster shoot were loading on his screen.
‘Damn- this is insane. Feels monumental.’
He marveled internally, and the rest of his team felt the same way.
“Agh! We have to upload these photos to Woojin oppa’s Instagram right away!!”
“I know, right?! The moment we post them, the internet’s gonna explode! The fact that we can’t because of spoilers is killing me!”
“But the makeup, it’s insane, isn’t it? Woojin oppa doesn’t even look like himself. It’s like the ‘Joker’ is real.”
“Agreed. The moment he stepped out after getting his makeup done, I got chills.”
“So this look is gonna be on posters everywhere around the world?? I cannot wait!”
Even Choi Sung-gun was grinning in satisfaction while looking at the photos. It was completely understandable. Even Kang Woojin himself had been momentarily stunned when he saw his face after the transformation.
Of course, only on the inside.
‘I wonder what Dad and Mom will say when they see this?’
Not just his parents, every single person who knew Kang Woojin would be left speechless.
Meanwhile, many figures in Hollywood were also making their moves in anticipation of tomorrow. Among them were the high-ranking executives of ‘Columbia Studios’, who had poured an immense amount of money into the production.
“Tomorrow, we’re all heading to the ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ set first.”
“It starts in the morning, right? Of course, we have to be there. Seeing Kang Woojin’s performance and his ‘Joker’ portrayal should give us a clearer picture.”
“Phew-‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ has to succeed. It’s nerve-wracking.”
“Same here. But this is the start of the Cinematic Universe, so I need to see it with my own eyes.”
The Hollywood actors who had attended the script reading of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ and witnessed Kang Woojin’s moderate performance.
“You’re going to the ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ set tomorrow? I get that it’s a symbolic day since it’s the crank-in, but there won’t even be any actual filming. Is there really a reason to go?”
“It’s not just me. A lot of other actors said they’re going too. Aren’t you curious if what Kang Woojin showed at the reading was real or just an act?”
“I already told you, it was just a bit of bravado to boost his confidence early on. Sure, Kang Woojin’s acting during the reading was impressive, but I can’t imagine him delivering something even greater than that.”
“Most people seem to think the same, but Chris and the director’s reactions bother me. In a way, Kang Woojin’s behavior was quite arrogant, yet they just accepted it like it was nothing.”
Additionally, Miley Cara and other actors from ‘Beast and the Beauty’, Joseph Felton, and members of ‘John Persona’.
No, all of Hollywood was talking about Kang Woojin.
Whether negative or positive, everyone was discussing him in their own way.
At this point Kang Woojin.
-Poof.
Entered the Void space.
-[11/Scenario (Title: Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain), EX+ Grade]
“I should do a few more readings (experiences) before sleeping today.”
It was to refine Henry Gordon’s clarity several times over.
The Next Day, the 11th.
Heavy rain was pouring down. The rain was so heavy that the streets were nearly deserted. It was only natural, on a day like this, staying indoors and watching TV was the best choice.
-Rumble!
Thunder boomed, shaking the air. Because of this, the streets were almost empty, but there was one man walking along the sidewalk. He was dressed in a black hoodie and jeans. With the hood pulled up over his head, his face remained hidden.
However, something about him stood out.
-Step, step.
His steps were weak and unsteady. His back and shoulders were hunched. The overall atmosphere he carried was inexplicably eerie, sending a chill down one’s spine. Despite being drenched in the heavy rain, he moved at an unnaturally slow pace. That alone made him unsettling.
The man came to a stop in front of a pizza shop.
“……”
He lifted his gaze toward the old, shabby sign above. The sign looked so rundown that it wouldn’t be surprising if the place had already gone out of business. The man flinched slightly. He pulled his hands out of his hoodie’s pockets, then shoved them back in. Took a step forward, then hesitated. Turned his body as if to leave, only to return. He stared blankly at the sign again.
What was he doing?
Anyone could tell from his body language, he was struggling with deep hesitation and internal conflict.
But in the end, the man.
-Screech.
Pushed open the heavily rusted metal door of the pizza shop, the kind of door that made one reluctant to touch it. A harsh, eerie creaking sound echoed. Inside, the sound of people talking filled the air, no, it was the sound of a TV.
A fat man was sitting in front of the television, chuckling. A beer bottle was in his hand. He turned his head sharply in surprise. The hooded man stood there, rainwater dripping from him.
The fat man furrowed his brow.
“What the hell? We’re closed today! Get lost!”
Another crash of thunder rumbled.
-Rumble-BOOM!
At the same time, recognition flashed across the fat man’s face as he realized who the hooded figure was. He slowly set down his beer bottle and got to his feet.
“You-you’re Henry? You’re Henry Gordon, aren’t you? What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?”
The moment the fat man uttered the name ‘Henry Gordon’, his tense expression instantly loosened. The fear that had spiked within him dissipated. However, the hooded man, the one he had called ‘Henry Gordon’, remained utterly still.
“……”
Inside his mind, a storm of emotions raged. Contempt, oppression, discrimination, prejudice, scorn.
Ah-screw it. They can all go to hell.
The hunched man, ‘Henry Gordon’, fidgeted with the hands buried deep in his hoodie pockets. The fat man tilted his head in suspicion.
“What’s that?”
A strange chuckle escaped from Henry Gordon’s lips.
“Pffhuhuhu.”
“???”
“A tragedy for you, a comedy for me.”
“What? What the hell are you saying, you crazy bastard?!”
The fat man roared. Henry Gordon’s shoulders twitched. Not because he was intimidated. But because of the overwhelming sense of release surging from deep within him.
Then, he pulled something out from his hoodie pocket.
A silver object. A gun.
And then, inside the pizza shop.
“Hey! You!!”
A cacophony of chaotic noises erupted. Beer bottles shattered, chairs fell, various objects spilled, something broke, and gunshots muffled by thunder rang out.
-Bang! Bang!
Someone’s heavy body slammed onto the floor.
-Thud!!
Before he knew it, only ‘Henry Gordon’ was standing in the pizza shop. He was breathing heavily. His face was white with flour. He looked down at the lump of meat sprawled on the floor.
Nonchalantly.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired a few more bullets into the mass of flesh.
With a smile on his face.
“……Hehe.”
At that moment, a large camera slowly moved in toward ‘Henry Gordon’, or rather, Kang Woojin.
-Ssshhh.
His figure was intensely captured on various monitors. And more than 200 foreigners were watching those monitors. Hollywood actors were mixed in.
‘……What the fuck.’
Everyone was holding their breath.
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