I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 81

Was what I just heard real? Did I mishear? Kang Woo-jin, standing awkwardly, replayed the memory. But it was too clear.

‘She definitely said something about being 100% a fan of Woo-jin, right?’

Clearly, Hwa-rin had just said she was a fan of Kang Woo-jin. Well, it’s not like Kang Woo-jin was openly stalking her to hear it. It was purely coincidental. He was just trying to return the bracelet Hwa-rin had dropped.

He was just about to call out to her when he heard Hwa-rin’s voice.

Anyway, Kang Woo-jin blinked, trying to sort out his thoughts. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it.

‘Is that even possible?’

Hwa-rin was the leader of the famous girl group ‘Elani.’ And what about their fandom? It was enormous. Among ‘Elani,’ Hwa-rin’s popularity was at the top. Even Kang Woo-jin, who didn’t know much about girl groups, knew that much.

Anyone could see that Hwa-rin was a top star.

A star of a different caliber than Hong Hye-yeon. Why would such a star be a fan of Kang Woo-jin?

‘I am an actor, but… I’m just a newbie actor taking baby steps, right? If it were a top actor like the handsome Ryu Jung-min or Jin Jae-joon, then maybe.’

It was hard to believe, but as a result, Hwa-rin had said she was a fan of Kang Woo-jin. Passing over ultra-class actors like Ryu Jung-min and Jin Jae-joon. Soon, Woo-jin’s mood became bubbly.

Of course. Hwa-rin had just come out as a fan right in front of him.

Kang Woo-jin’s lips curled up without him realizing it.

‘Ah, no. Don’t do that, you crazy lips.’

His carefully constructed persona shattered in an instant. Woo-jin desperately tried to regain his blank expression. However, his lips, intoxicated with the feeling, kept curving upwards. Was he crazy? Kang Woo-jin lightly slapped his cheeks.

‘Get a grip.’

First, he put Hwa-rin’s bracelet in his pocket. Leaving it on the floor bothered him, and handing it directly to her would be awkward.

It would be more natural to give it to her later, saying he found it.

-Swish.

Forcibly putting on a nonchalant demeanor, Woo-jin turned away. He planned to go to the Netflix meeting room first. As he did, he recalled the first time he saw Hwa-rin.

‘I first saw her at this Netflix place, right? From the beginning, she seemed uncomfortable with me. She even avoided my eyes.’

It felt like she absolutely disliked or was cold towards Kang Woo-jin. But what if those weren’t because she disliked him, but because she was surprised? Suddenly, Kang Woo-jin remembered his own persona. The moments when misunderstandings had unintentionally piled up.

“It’s definitely possible.”

He didn’t know why or what for, but she didn’t seem to want to reveal that she was a fan?

Her actions were one of two things. Either she wanted to hide that she was a fan of Kang Woo-jin, or she had started off on the wrong foot and ended up here.

Kang Woo-jin looked back at himself from the past until now.

‘Misunderstandings and misinterpretations are scary—I’m living proof of that.’

Of course, Kang Woo-jin currently needed his persona very much. Hwa-rin was probably just shy and awkward. Still, Woo-jin felt a sense of kinship with her.

‘I should protect her for now, right?’

Whatever the situation, Kang Woo-jin decided to protect Hwa-rin’s secret for now. It wasn’t cool to blab about it carelessly. Well, she might tell him herself when the time comes. It was okay if she kept hiding it.

‘Hehe, still, it feels good. Hwa-rin is a fan of me? Ah—I can’t even brag about this anywhere.’

His lips twitched slightly again. At that moment, a staff member greeted Kang Woo-jin, who had arrived at the entrance of Netflix Korea.

“Ah! Mr. Woo-jin, over here!”

Kang Woo-jin, who had hastily hidden his elated mood, lowered his voice.

“Hello.”

Then, Woo-jin followed the staff member’s guidance and entered the meeting room. But inside the meeting room, a familiar figure was immediately visible.

“Oh! Mr. Woo-jin! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“…Director Shin Dong-chun?”

It was Director Shin Dong-chun with the square jaw. Why was this guy here? As Woo-jin wondered inwardly, Hwa-rin entered belatedly behind him. She made an effort to avoid Kang Woo-jin while greeting the staff.

Kang Woo-jin called out to Hwa-rin.

“Ms. Hwa-rin.”

Flustered. Hwa-rin was slightly surprised. Regardless, Kang Woo-jin nonchalantly handed her something. It was the bracelet he had picked up.

“You dropped this.”

“Ah.”

Only now realizing it was missing, Hwa-rin took the bracelet, expressing her thanks with what seemed like the least amount of emotion possible.

“Uh, um. Thank you.”

“Yes.”

“Then.”

Hwa-rin turned away quickly. Here, some of the Netflix team leaders who were seated whispered to each other.

“I’ve noticed it since last time, but don’t you think Ms. Hwa-rin and Mr. Woo-jin seem to have a bad relationship?”

“Maybe it’s because they’re not close yet.”

“If that’s the case, it’s a relief, but—”

Kang Woo-jin, with a blank expression, tried his best to control his lips.

‘Stay still, lips, seriously.’

Because Hwa-rin felt kind of cute.

Meanwhile.

The first episode of ‘Sports Day’ featuring Han-ryang, which was rapidly gaining views, was producing remarkable results.

-EP.1! The Han-ryang Team is Insane! Confused… Confused… The ‘Han-ryang’ Team is Full of Motivation, But the Result is…? | Sports Day X Profiler Han-ryang

-ENG SUB

-10,465,008 views

It surpassed 10 million views in about a week after being uploaded three days ago. Of course, it was still steadily rising. ‘Sports Day’ already had over 3 million subscribers and a large number of loyal subscribers. Added to that, the power of ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ and the various topics surrounding Kang Woo-jin caused the views to explode.

The memes of Woo-jin that had spread like wildfire on YouTube also played a part.

Many people may have just watched ‘Sports Day,’ but even when searching for Han-ryang and the top actors who appeared, including Kang Woo-jin, ‘Sports Day’ was the result.

Thanks to that.

-EP.2! The Enraged Hong Hye-yeon… Will Kang Woo-jin Survive?? | Sports Day X Profiler Han-ryang

-ENG SUB

-1,155,146 views

The second episode of ‘Sports Day,’ which was uploaded this morning, easily surpassed 1 million views in just a few hours. So, what was the public’s reaction? There were already tens of thousands of comments overflowing.

-Woo-jin, why have you changed so much?ㅋㅋㅋYou’ve become weird

-The chemistry between everyone is just wonderful.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh!! Hurry up and release episode 3ㅋㅋㅋㅋIt’s not enoughㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No, but seriously, Hong Hye-yeon is soooooo pretty….

-Ryu Jung-min and Kang Woo-jin have surprisingly good chemistryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Jang Tae-san’s angry eyes are tearing apartㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ11:05 Kang Woo-jin is a tsundere here…

-Some actors are really shy but I love how they tried their best for this show!!

-Park Dae-ri is insane

-Their team work are awesome indeed!

-Ha….Kang Woo-jin’s arrogant puppy charm is something else….He’s so cute

-I know Ryu Jung-min is handsomeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋBut why do I keep seeing only Kang Woo-jinㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Kang Woo-jin was popular in college tooㅋㅋㅋBut he seems a bit darker nowㅋㅋㅋㅋ

·

·

·

Since there were so many top actors, there were quite a few English comments as well. Naturally, Kang Woo-jin’s momentum was reaching new heights. Because of this, domestic media outlets couldn’t help but become more interested in Woo-jin.

New flavors sell better than familiar ones.

“Wow—Kang Woo-jin, what’s going on in just a few months? He’s even getting commercials. Hey, hey, is there any gossip about Kang Woo-jin?”

“We’re digging, but there’s nothing yet.”

“Is his past clean? Dig deeper. Something will come out.”

In short, Kang Woo-jin was skyrocketing everywhere. There were clear indicators as well.

-@Wooji_n

Posts 29

Followers 403K

Following 4

Woo-jin’s SNS followers had already surpassed 400,000.

-[Official/Welcome to Kang Woo-jin’s official fan cafe ‘Strong Heart’!]

-Number of members: 8,008.

-Representative manager: Blood Sister.

The fan club membership had surpassed 8,000. Of course, there would be ghost members, but it was an unbelievable speed for a rookie actor.

However, when things get this big, negative attention is bound to follow.

The public was currently busy praising Woo-jin, but the media were always hyenas ready to change their attitude. Such media outlets were gradually spitting out sensationalism to gain clicks.

『Rising ‘Kang Woo-jin’s’ Momentum is Rising, But is it All Show and No Substance?』

『[Issue Pick] ‘Fill-in, Supporting Roles, One-Acts’ Why is the Hot Rookie Kang Woo-jin Only Getting Small Roles?』

Of course, there were far more articles praising Kang Woo-jin. In a situation where they were creating controversies out of nothing, this level of gossip was light.

『Did Park Dae-ri and ‘Kang Woo-jin’ Have Trouble on the Han-ryang Set… Top-Notch Acting Skills, But His Next Projects are Low-Quality』

Because Kang Woo-jin’s news was selling so well, some media outlets were just spouting nonsense. If this gained the public’s attention, it might become excessive.

There wasn’t a big problem yet.

It was natural for nonsense and gibberish to increase as popularity grew, and what they were spouting was just gossip and speculation.

『[Star Talk] Chungmuro’s Blue Chip ‘Kang Woo-jin,’ No News of Proper Movie Casting Besides Fill-ins』

The public wasn’t stupid these days. They knew the reporters’ greed all too well.

-Here we go again, those trash reportersㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThey write articles however they wantㅋㅋㅋㅋThey need to get sued to wake up

In terms of ratio, 80% was positive and 20% was negative. Therefore, the controversy bait wasn’t very visible, and there was no need to respond to each one.

『Large Rookie Kang Woo-jin’s Entertainment Character is Established Thanks to ‘Sports Day’… But His Main Job as an Actor is Stagnant?』

It was still just material to increase Kang Woo-jin’s recognition.

A few minutes later, at GGO Entertainment in Nonhyeon-dong.

Roughly three people were visible on the large five-person sofa in the CEO’s spacious office. CEO Seo Gu-seop, sitting at the head of the table, was quite angry. His face was flushed. CEO Seo Gu-seop threw the tablet he was looking at onto the table in front of him.

-Thud!

The employees flinched, and CEO Seo Gu-seop gritted his teeth.

“Ha—damn it. This rookie bastard, Kang Woo-jin, is annoyingly irritating.”

“……”

“Is this even possible? ‘Errand Boy’ blew up, then Han-ryang, and now ‘Sports Day’ is a hit? How is this happening in just a few months, and with a rookie’s momentum?”

“…It is a somewhat unusual rise.”

“Is that all? He’s even getting commercials and already has a fan club?”

“The SNS side is also rising rapidly.”

“Hey, do you think I don’t know that?”

“So, sorry.”

CEO Seo Gu-seop, who had spoken coldly, puffed and then put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Is it right to just let this go? That Choi Sung-gun bastard who attacked this GGO, and me. If I leave it like this, how much will they look down on me?”

“……”

“Hoo—”

He exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke and asked the executive next to him.

“How’s the investigation into Kang Woo-jin’s Japanese side going? He’s a Korean-Japanese, right? Is there anything we can dig up about his past?”

“W-well—we’ve been looking into his past in the Japanese theater scene. But there’s nothing coming up yet. We even hired a detective there, but nothing at all…”

“Couldn’t you even find out his Japanese name?”

“No, sir.”

“And what about Director Kyotaro? Is there nothing there either?”

“Director Kyotaro is preparing a new project, but there seems to be no connection between him and Kang Woo-jin.”

-Bang!!

CEO Seo Gu-seop, not knowing that the investigation had been a waste of time, kicked the table.

“What about the domestic side?”

“Just in case, we’ve checked everything from domestic theater to acting universities… There’s nothing strange at all.”

“Then what is it? Is that Kang Woo-jin bastard really just dropped from the sky?”

“So, sorry.”

CEO Seo Gu-seop covered his forehead. His frustration had reached its peak.

“Damn it. ‘Errand Boy’ was clearly attacked and taken away. It should have all been mine. Are you telling me to just let this go? They looked at me like an idiot, and thanks to that Kang Woo-jin bastard, Jung-hyuk has been reduced to a nobody. Tsk, keep an eye on that Kang Woo-jin for now.”

“Yes.”

“It’s better to go after Choi Sung-gun and Hong Hye-yeon. I’ll take care of that, so you guys focus on spreading more gossip about Kang Woo-jin. I saw a few articles already doing some clickbaiting. Saying he’s only getting small roles and stuff. Make that side a bit louder.”

“Understood, CEO.”

CEO Seo Gu-seop, who had lit another cigarette, got up from the sofa.

“There must be a reason why Kang Woo-jin is only choosing small roles and projects.”

A few minutes later, thanks to CEO Seo Gu-seop’s influence, the gossip about Kang Woo-jin increased significantly.

At this time, at Oullim Film Company near Sinsa Station.

At least 20 people had gathered in a large conference room. It was the production team for the movie ‘Island of the Missing.’ Therefore, naturally, at the head of the U-shaped table.

“Hmm—”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, with his gray hair, was sitting. The table was full of tablets, various transparent files, numerous papers, and location photos, as if they were in the middle of a production meeting.

However, the tablet that Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was now stroking his chin, was looking at.

『[Star Talk] Chungmuro’s Blue Chip ‘Kang Woo-jin,’ No News of Proper Movie Casting Besides Fill-ins』

It was an article about Kang Woo-jin. Recently, Director Kwon Ki-taek had been monitoring Kang Woo-jin frequently. It was natural. Kang Woo-jin had now joined Director Kwon Ki-taek’s team.

All of his issues were directly related to ‘Island of the Missing.’

Soon, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had lowered the tablet,

“The gossip articles are increasing.”

“Yes?”

“I’m talking about Kang Woo-jin.”

He looked at the entire production team.

“It’s okay that he’s taking on roles like ‘Drug Dealer’ and other projects. It’s good that his recognition has skyrocketed with ‘Sports Day.’ But these gossip and clickbait articles are a bit annoying. You can ignore them, but I don’t like them?”

“It seems that the reporters are just spouting nonsense because Mr. Woo-jin is so hot right now.”

“That’s what I don’t like.”

“…That kind of noise is always attached to rising actors, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“I know. I’m just saying I don’t like it.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had been speaking softly, slowly crossed his legs.

“Hmm, honestly, I was planning to open up after finishing filming ‘Drug Dealer,’ but the main cast is already mostly finalized. How about we start some official PR on our side?”

The first to answer was a staff member from the distribution company.

“Then should we release the prepared promotional materials right away? The media has been constantly poking us anyway. They know you’re working on a project. It’s a good time to release it now. It’ll draw attention. There’s a drought of issues in the film industry anyway.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who slowly nodded, crossed his arms and instructed.

“First, just release the official confirmation of Kang Woo-jin’s casting, and we’ll open the rest gradually over time.”

“Understood, Director. I’ll draft something with a teaser vibe. There’s gossip about Mr. Woo-jin, and he’s so hot right now, so we’ll get a reaction right away. Our movie’s promotion will naturally follow.”

Then, the distribution company staff member made a phone call, and an article with Director Kwon Ki-taek’s name on it appeared on the internet exactly 10 minutes later.

『[Exclusive] Giant ‘Kwon Ki-taek’s’ Next Project, Large Rookie ‘Kang Woo-jin’ Joins Forces… Film Company Says, “Kang Woo-jin is Cast as the Lead”』

It was like a nuclear bomb had dropped on the film industry.

End