I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 77

“…You’re not okay?”

At Ryu Jung-min’s firm reply, Director Kwon Ki-taek scratched his protruding belly and then crossed his arms thoughtfully.

“So, you’re saying you’re doing it against your will.”

“You could see it that way. To be frank, I had a lot of concerns.”

“But you’re doing it because it’s my project? Are you tempted by my influence and connections?”

At the question, Ryu Jung-min straightened his posture. Then, he recalled the ‘Hanryang’ filming with Woo-jin.

“……”

It was a few seconds later that he spoke again.

“Director, when actors are still inexperienced, they choose to push their limits when they feel they’re hitting a wall. They’re full of energy. I was like that too. But after reaching a certain level, when you feel your limits, you feel frustration rather than a breakthrough. The sense of loss is significant, shall we say?”

“…Hmm.”

“But I’m being praised as a top actor by those around me. The fear of frustration and the sense of loss hit me several times harder. The problem is that I’ve recently entered that state, and what triggered those feelings is a monster pretending to be a rookie.”

Ryu Jung-min gave a bitter smile.

“Putting aside that monster’s past. Even though his career in the domestic entertainment industry is far behind mine, he’s a monster who could crush my career in just a few days.”

“You’re talking about Woo-jin.”

“You asked if I’m really okay? Kang Woo-jin, he’s overwhelming. I can’t even fathom where his potential ends. He’s growing every time I see him, and when I look into his eyes while acting together, it feels like an abyss. When I struggle, I feel like I’ve gotten closer, but he’s already running ahead of me.”

“Hmm.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, slowly nodding his head, accurately understood the inner thoughts of top actor Ryu Jung-min. He had seen the ‘Hanryang’ set firsthand. The two-shot of Ryu Jung-min and Kang Woo-jin too. Their acting seems similar at first glance. But there’s a difference in intensity. To be clear, it was a difference in concentration.

At this moment, Ryu Jung-min’s bitter smile deepened.

“But what’s strange is that even though I’m feeling the biggest crisis as an actor of over a decade, the project is doing exceptionally well. The evaluations about me, whether it’s acting or technical aspects, are higher than ever.”

“You’ve improved; they usually call that breaking out of your shell.”

“Yes. Without realizing it, I put down the weight of being a lead, a top actor, and purely competed with acting. I don’t think Woo-jin felt it that way though.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek thought to himself.

‘The reason that was possible is because Kang Woo-jin acted as a pillar on set.’

Thanks to that, Ryu Jung-min, the lead, was able to focus solely on acting, ignoring everything else.

“When Woo-jin finished his filming and left, I felt relieved. But conversely, I was also anxious. It’s true that when I’m with him, everything I’ve built up feels like a speck of dust, and every time I face him, the thought of running away naturally comes to mind.”

“……”

“Various things get broken too. Whether it’s motivation or passion.”

Here, Ryu Jung-min suddenly changed his expression to serious.

“But he makes people pure. Any word like desire, greed, ambition, or overzealousness, ‘pure’ is attached to the front. He makes me show my bare self, and while I feel frustrated, I can also see the possibility of further development.”

“It’s a strange relationship.”

“A monster? It’s scary, but I’ve changed my thinking a bit. I’m going to use that scary thing. For myself.”

Soon, Ryu Jung-min, leaning slightly forward, made eye contact with Director Kwon Ki-taek and smiled faintly.

“Moreover, this time, there’s no gap in roles; we’re both leads. It’ll be several times more intense. Now, I’m even looking forward to it, how much more monstrous Woo-jin will be, and to what extent I will grow.”

The experienced Director Kwon Ki-taek let out a hollow laugh inwardly.

‘He’s also a monster in his own right, just that his class is different from Kang Woo-jin.’

Back at the ‘Drug Dealer’ set.

While Director Kim Do-hee was glued to the monitor, smacking her lips, the lead and supporting actors were waiting for Kang Woo-jin’s next move.

‘To think he’d suddenly ad-lib here, his acting is so unpredictable that I can’t take my eyes off him.’

‘Did he think his first take was a bit lacking? It was amazing enough in my eyes.’

The impact of the first take was so strong that, except for Kang Woo-jin, no one thought that the current hug was a mistake.

Anyway.

‘Hmm? I’ve experienced this atmosphere before?’

In the strangely quiet situation, Kang Woo-jin recalled the past. The situation when he actually fell during ‘The Fixer.’ For some reason, people accept Woo-jin’s mistakes as acting.

This time, it felt like that again.

‘Okay, let’s smoothly continue.’

The height of shamelessness.

Woo-jin had already experienced it, so without changing his expression, he once again raised Lee Sang-man’s intensity. Thus, the filming continued to the end without interruption.

Of course, no one noticed Woo-jin’s mistake. Woo-jin, who was outwardly calm, clenched his fist tightly inside.

‘Nice, I think I got through it pretty well, right?’

After that, the scene was repeated about four times before it was finished, and the next cut was a scene where Lee Sang-man was falling into drugs alone. An important scene to solidify the character after Lee Sang-man’s first appearance in ‘Drug Dealer.’ Therefore, the actors didn’t particularly talk to Kang Woo-jin.

They seemed to be holding back their curiosity.

“Woo-jin, are you okay to go right away? If you need time, you can take a break.”

Director Kim Do-hee, who was talking to Kang Woo-jin for rehearsal, was a bit worried, but for Woo-jin, who had the script in his hand, time didn’t mean much. It would only delay his leaving work.

“No, I’m fine. You can go right away.”

Woo-jin, who answered curtly, briefly looked around Lee Sang-man’s office while the set was being prepared. After taking in the reality, he secretly raised his index finger. It was to enter the subspace before filming to review.

-Thud!

More precisely, it was also to account for the possibility of it becoming dull. It was a nauseating scene, but it had to be repeated and repeated to become clear but not special.

Soon, Kang Woo-jin returned after immersing himself in Lee Sang-man’s world.

Two worlds coexisted for ‘Lee Sang-man.’ Reality and death. With that sticky emotion on his body, Woo-jin sat on the sofa. Before raising his emotions, he increased Lee Sang-man’s volume. He already had everything about him, but he was greedy.

‘A little more, a little more realistically.’

He was already Lee Sang-man himself, but he tried to forget that. He retraced it. He had to be completely lost in delusion. At this moment, the surrounding objects were not very important. Because this cut would be concluded with Lee Sang-man’s existence alone.

At that time.

“Hi-”

Because the filming preparation was finished, Director Kim Do-hee shouted loudly into the megaphone.

“Action!”

Immediately, Kang Woo-jin pulled out the path of death that Lee Sang-man was walking. That foul smell was vividly expressed on his face.

“Kuh- huh-”

His eyes, nose, and mouth moved separately. Something was pulling Lee Sang-man. No, it was also pushing him away. The physical space was endlessly collapsing.

Lee Sang-man’s world was filled with indescribable things.

It was so poignant and mysterious. The camera captured the world of death that bloomed on his face from the front. It was close. Therefore, the forced joy and sorrow of Lee Sang-man that was displayed on the monitor was so vivid that it made you want to curse.

More than 60 people were watching this up close.

No evaluation came out. No one could add any comments while watching the current Lee Sang-man. That, that acting, was something that no one could carelessly handle.

The scene wasn’t long.

“…Cut! O, OK!!”

As soon as the signal dropped, Woo-jin’s face, which had been in a trance, immediately returned to a blank expression. The addiction that had been wafting until just before disappeared as if washed away. Kang Woo-jin, organizing the props he had used and handing them over to the props team, in case there was a reshoot.

It was around this time that some of the actors murmured quietly.

“He’s crazy, really.”

“I got goosebumps; it’s like he ambiguously expressed the space between a seizure and a fit of madness—I’m speechless.”

Director Kim Do-hee, holding the megaphone, was slightly dazed. Of course, her gaze was on Kang Woo-jin in the monitor.

‘He’s not a rookie, he’s just an actor. A real actor.’

It was amazing. That word was all there was to it. The scene just now was a scene that Director Kim Do-hee had put a lot of effort into. She had even gone to interview drug addicts and found and included all the drug videos that existed in the world.

The acting hurdle was very high, but Kang Woo-jin did it so lightly.

Of course, it would be similar in the eyes of other people, not just her. At this time, one of the production company executives standing around Director Kim Do-hee opened his mouth with difficulty.

“…Um—I’m saying this because I’m seriously worried. Uh, could it be that Kang Woo-jin has actually done drugs or something like that? I know this is crazy, but wow—his acting is real.”

“Oh, come on. That’s impossible.”

The distribution company personnel also cautiously chimed in.

“But I didn’t know he could show it in such detail.”

“…There was something like that in the past.”

“Ah, Jo Ho-jae?”

It was a strange sight. The actor’s acting was so outstanding that the production staff began to confuse reality with acting. It was Director Kim Do-hee who mediated it.

“Is there anyone here who has actually done drugs?”

“Uh, no.”

“But how do you judge that the acting Woo-jin just did was realistic?”

“……”

“If that’s the case, I should be checked first since I wrote the scenario.”

“Ah, no. I’m sorry, director.”

“Don’t even think about going to Woo-jin and asking him. If you show such disrespectful behavior to an actor who is our benefactor, I will really turn this set upside down.”

Following that, the production company and distribution company personnel quickly backed down. Kim Do-hee was the type to do what she said. While she was exploding with annoyance, she also understood their feelings to some extent.

‘In other words, it means that Woo-jin’s acting was so absurd that these people are saying such stupid things.’

A rookie who had appeared just a few months ago had confused prominent industry figures with his acting. It was enough to make you laugh. Soon, Director Kim Do-hee got up from her seat and said coldly to the production company and distribution company personnel.

“Everyone, start withdrawing; you’ve seen Kang Woo-jin’s acting, so the verification is over, right? You’re interfering with the filming.”

Director Kim Do-hee walked towards Kang Woo-jin in the filming zone. Woo-jin was talking to the cinematographer about something.

“Woo-jin, are you okay?”

What? Woo-jin, who was just a bit tired, answered roughly in a low voice.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Oh, come on, take a break. That intense scene just now is hard for anyone. The visuals came out well, and I don’t think we need to film it twice. So, take a break and calm your emotions.”

Director Kim Do-hee, who patted Woo-jin’s shoulder, made eye contact with the cinematographer and continued.

“Let’s go have a cigarette, Woo-jin.”

Kang Woo-jin indifferently shook his head at Director Kim Do-hee, who was taking out a pack of cigarettes from her pants pocket.

“No, I don’t smoke.”

“…Huh? You don’t smoke?”

“Yes. I don’t smoke.”

At that moment, Director Kim Do-hee and the cinematographer were slightly surprised. It was Director Kim Do-hee who asked again.

“But you smoked naturally when filming ‘Lee Sang-man’? I thought you definitely smoked, even if you weren’t a chain smoker?”

Kang Woo-jin answered very casually.

“It was acting.”

Here, Director Kim Do-hee chuckled without realizing it.

“…Haha, I was completely fooled.”

It was because she was no different from the production company and distribution company personnel.

Early morning the next day.

The area around a shabby warehouse in the vast set complex of ‘Drug Dealer’ was bustling. Of course, it was in preparation for filming.

“Art team! The director says there should be more bloodstains on this chair!”

“How much?!”

“A lot, a lot!”

“Block that window up there! Where’s the barrier?!”

“I’ll go buy it right away!”

The atmosphere was exactly like a derelict warehouse. It was quite large. The stone pillars showed traces of time, and trash was overflowing everywhere on the floor. There were also piles of vinyl with bloodstains in the corners. Amidst the dozens of staff members running around busily in such a derelict warehouse.

-Flap.

A man sitting on a wooden chair set up in the center of the warehouse, looking at the script, caught the eye. He was wearing a plain short-sleeved T-shirt. It was Jin Jae-joon, the male lead of ‘Drug Dealer.’ His impression was generally sharp. He was also one of the top actors in the country and had a strong image as a character actor.

In ‘Drug Dealer,’ he played the role of ‘Jung Sung-hoon,’ who was conducting an undercover investigation.

What was interesting was.

“Hoo-”

There was a hint of tension mixed in the expression of top actor Jin Jae-joon. The filming of ‘Drug Dealer’ was already past the halfway point, and he had long since adapted. But Jin Jae-joon was somehow serious.

‘Kang Woo-jin, huh-’

Of course, it was because of the monster Kang Woo-jin who had appeared yesterday. A rookie who had turned the set upside down with just one cut of acting. The conversations that the actors had in the dorm after finishing filming yesterday were all about Kang Woo-jin.

And Jin Jae-joon.

‘It’s exactly what Jung-min *hyung* [older brother/male friend] said, that.’

He had already asked Ryu Jung-min about Kang Woo-jin. About what kind of actor he was. Ryu Jung-min’s answer was short and concise.

‘Act like you’re dying, or you’ll be eaten without even realizing it.’

Honestly, Jin Jae-joon found it hard to believe. It was advice from a top actor like Ryu Jung-min, but no matter what, it didn’t make sense to be eaten by a rookie, right? However, as of yesterday, Jin Jae-joon could fully believe Ryu Jung-min’s words.

‘They were looking for a replacement, but some monster came.’

Even just through the director’s monitor, he had goosebumps all over his body. Especially Kang Woo-jin’s drug solo scene was so captivating that he was completely mesmerized. Today, Jin Jae-joon was scheduled to film his first face-to-face scene with Kang Woo-jin. In the scenario, ‘Jung Sung-hoon,’ who was eager to advance into Japan, makes an appointment to meet ‘Lee Sang-man’ through his gangster connections.

Lee Sang-man already boasted the largest scale among the Busan organizations.

If he made a wrong move, Jung Sung-hoon might be killed by Lee Sang-man without a trace, let alone advancing into Japan. However, as of now, Lee Sang-man was the only one who had a proper connection in Japan. So, Jung Sung-hoon had to get into Lee Sang-man’s good graces.

The problem was the meeting place.

A derelict warehouse, not an office. In the actual scenario, Jung Sung-hoon and Lee Sang-man show many provocative scenes in this derelict warehouse.

Of course, the climax stems from Lee Sang-man’s hands.

At this time.

-Swish.

“Hello.”

Kang Woo-jin, who had finished his makeup and costume preparation, entered the derelict warehouse. He had also stayed in the dorm near the set yesterday, and today, his face was somewhat more lively than yesterday. Although his low tone was still the same.

After Woo-jin greeted Director Kim Do-hee and the staff.

“Hello, *senior* [term of respect for someone with more experience].”

He also bowed his head to Jin Jae-joon, who was waiting. Jin Jae-joon smiled faintly and extended his hand to Woo-jin.

“I was too flustered yesterday to even greet you. Please take care of me; I think I’ll be meeting you the most, right?”

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Jin Jae-joon, who saw Woo-jin up close, thought his atmosphere was unique.

‘I can’t tell if he’s calm or cold; well, his actual personality doesn’t matter when it comes to acting.’

And Woo-jin was constantly marveling inwardly while letting go of Jin Jae-joon’s hand.

‘Wow—Jin Jae-joon. His face is so small. He’s so handsome and has such a small head; top actors are all cheat characters.’

After about a few tens of minutes, the filming preparation was finished, and actors who didn’t have filming today gathered at the derelict warehouse.

“Oh? Did you come out too, *teacher* [term of respect for a senior actor]?”

“There are a few scenes where Lee Sang-man is with me. I’m curious about what kind of acting he does when he has a partner, not just solo cuts.”

“Ah—I see, isn’t it Lee Sang-man who kills Professor Kim?”

It was more accurate to see them as spectators rather than actors. Whatever the case, Kang Woo-jin and Jin Jae-joon were sitting facing each other on the wooden chair in the center of the derelict warehouse. Director Kim Do-hee, holding the script, was between them.

“First, let’s say that Lee Sang-man torturing his subordinate is done. Let’s do a rehearsal of the scene after that. Woo-jin, the knife is here.”

Soon, a sashimi knife was handed to Kang Woo-jin, who was only wearing a dress shirt. The knife was currently clean, but when the actual filming started, blood would be dripping from it. Kang Woo-jin picked up the knife and wiped it on his shirt sleeve.

Then, he threw the knife onto the center of the desk.

The knife rolled and stopped in front of Jin Jae-joon. No, in front of ‘Jung Sung-hoon.’ Then, Lee Sang-man, resting his chin, spoke his line.

“What is it, you.”

Jung Sung-hoon answered, trying to remain calm.

“What do you mean? I came to sell drugs. Pave a path for me in Japan.”

“Those Jap bastards are a bit picky, aren’t they?”

“I know. But they said it’ll be okay if I do some varnishing, so I came.”

“Then try varnishing. Let’s see, what you brought.”

Jung Sung-hoon took something out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. Lee Sang-man, looking down at the small grains, spoke in a low voice.

“Diamonds.”

At that moment.

-Whoosh!

Lee Sang-man picked up the sashimi knife that had stopped in front of Jung Sung-hoon and placed it in front of Jung Sung-hoon’s right eye. The sharp blade was trembling slightly in front of Jung Sung-hoon’s eyeball. Jung Sung-hoon flinched.

On the other hand, Lee Sang-man slightly tilted his head and said.

“Your eyes aren’t those of a drug addict?”

He looked deeply into Jung Sung-hoon’s pupils. A violent gaze.

“They’re a cop’s eyes, you’re a cop.”

Jin Jae-joon swallowed hard without realizing it.

End