I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 101

That’s right, ‘The Bizarre Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was a revenge story. A very cruel and desperate, yet extremely meticulous revenge drama. That was the reason why Akira’s original book, ‘The Bizarre Sacrifice of a Stranger,’ received such high praise. This was almost identically incorporated into the scenario adapted by Director Kyohtaro.

Of course, it didn’t capture everything, but it did its best, so the essence was clear. That’s why Kosaku couldn’t take his eyes off the synopsis.

‘It’s interesting, the quality is so good?’

It had an addictive pull that made you get sucked in. He wanted to read the scenario, not just the synopsis, right away. The same went for the original book. However, given his position, it was difficult to read the scenario immediately.

Soon, Kosaku’s thoughts shifted at the last line of the synopsis.

‘Honestly, the work itself is great, but the fact that it’s not a live-action adaptation is a blessing.’

The reason why he was drawn to this work. The names of the director and the original author also played a part, but honestly, Kosaku was more drawn to something else. It felt like a proper movie after a long time.

The recent Japanese film industry was full of live-action adaptations.

If you had to categorize them, there were quite a few manga or anime being made into movies. It couldn’t be helped since they were a powerhouse in that area. Due to various reasons such as the flow of money and the influx of fans, the Japanese film market had solidified its current state.

Out of the seven movies released this week, five were related to manga or anime.

‘I needed a change anyway.’

Thanks to that, Kosaku was getting a bit tired of it. The drama he had filmed right before was also a live-action adaptation of a manga. Of course, if you think about it, this ‘The Bizarre Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is also a live-action adaptation. However, the tone of the original work is different. It felt like a script being born as a movie scenario.

Such works are now as rare as hen’s teeth in Japan.

However, there was one thing that bothered him.

“Director, what role is the Korean actor playing?”

The fact that a Korean actor was involved. Moreover, a rookie, and the first actor to be cast. From Kosaku’s point of view, it was quite strange. On the other hand, Director Kyohtaro’s answer, with a relaxed smile, was simple.

“He will play the role of ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.'”

“!!!”

Kosaku’s eyes widened in an instant. The reason was simple.

‘He’s even the lead??’

Not a supporting role or a minor role, but a proper lead role. And ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ was the character who drove the direction of the story. There were quite a few lead roles in ‘The Bizarre Sacrifice of a Stranger,’ but it was ‘Kiyoshi’ who drove the story.

In a way, he was the main focus.

And a Korean actor was playing that role? Why? How did that happen? Kosaku didn’t show it on the outside, but he found it difficult to understand. The original work was by the great Akari, and the director was the master Kyohtaro. But the actor in the main role was a Korean actor.

Kosaku felt a sense of novelty and discomfort at the same time.

It was clearly a big deal, but it felt tangled up. At this point, Director Kyohtaro leaned forward and spoke to the serious Kosaku.

“I want Mana-san to play the villain.”

“······”

“But as you’ll see when you read the scenario, everyone in ‘The Bizarre Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is evil. Read the scenario and think about it carefully before you answer.”

“Director, may I ask you one question?”

“Of course.”

“Why was that Korean actor cast for the role of Iyota Kiyoshi?”

Director Kyohtaro’s answer to the question was very short.

“Because it had to be him.”

The next day, Friday, July 3rd.

The large conference room of Eoullim Film Company, which was producing ‘Island of the Missing,’ was bustling. It was because an emergency production meeting was being held. Therefore, about 20 people gathered, including Director Kwon Ki-taek at the head of the U-shaped table, key staff such as the director of photography, film company executives, and distributors.

The topic of the discussion was, of course, Seo Chae-eun, who had caused a stir last week.

“Phew! What if we had gone with Seo Chae-eun? Just imagining it makes me shudder.”

“The timing was what it was—if our announcement had been faster than Seo Chae-eun’s, we would have been tied up and taken a hit.”

“It’s because Power Patch moved first, but if we had actually started filming…”

Many people spoke excitedly, saying similar things. It felt like they had narrowly escaped a close call.

“I saw an article on my way here that said other drug components were found besides propofol. Things are getting bigger over there.”

“Really? Does that mean she was using other drugs besides propofol?”

“That’s what it seems.”

“Huh—I didn’t think Seo Chae-eun was that kind of person.”

“It was a stroke of genius that the director postponed the media play back then.”

For reference, everyone in this meeting didn’t know the clear truth about the Seo Chae-eun incident. Director Kwon Ki-taek kept it quiet, and Choi Seong-geon agreed. There was no reason to spread the involvement of Kang Woo-jin or Choi Seong-geon. It would only lead to unnecessary rumors.

Whatever the case, it was Director Kwon Ki-taek’s calm voice that cut off the messy conversation.

“Let’s stop. We didn’t gather here to talk about that.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

The atmosphere quickly settled down. Then, Director Kwon Ki-taek sighed softly and continued.

“If we keep talking about her, it will make our relationship seem closer. We’ve clearly drawn a line, so let’s not talk about Seo Chae-eun anymore.”

“Yes, yes, Director.”

“Make sure to keep your mouths shut.”

Everyone quieted down at his gentle but firm tone, and Director Kwon Ki-taek looked at the film company staff and asked.

“What has been delayed due to this incident, besides the overall promotion and script reading?”

“Besides what you mentioned and the casting of the actor in the empty spot… I don’t think there are any major problems.”

“Hmm.”

“I think we’ll get offers soon if we send out the scenario to actors. We’ve only revealed Kang Woo-jin and Ryu Jeong-min to the outside, so it won’t feel like a patch-up. If you don’t have an actor in mind, we have a separate list.”

“No. I have an actor in mind, and they’re probably almost here.”

“······Yes?”

The entire conference room buzzed. Who was coming out of the blue? At that moment, there was a knock on the glass door. Soon, a slightly flustered female employee opened the glass door and said softly.

“Um, Director. Ha Yu-ra is here.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. The murmuring grew louder. Who came? Ha Yu-ra? Isn’t Ha Yu-ra in Hollywood? Whispers like that spread throughout the room.

-Swoosh.

Ha Yu-ra actually entered the conference room. She smiled and bowed to everyone.

“Hello.”

It was a secret that Ha Yu-ra was in Korea, so Director Kwon Ki-taek was revealing it for the first time today. Well, as expected, everyone was startled. On the other hand, the calm Director Kwon Ki-taek approached Ha Yu-ra, who was standing at the entrance, and murmured.

“Ha Yu-ra, who should be in Hollywood, was in Korea and was cast in Kwon Ki-taek’s movie. Wouldn’t it be more eye-catching if we started promoting it like this?”

The distribution company was the first to react quickly.

“O-of course! It will definitely attract 100% attention!”

A strategy that added shock to the twist. But this wasn’t the end, as Director Kwon Ki-taek continued.

“Okay, then let’s resume the halted media play right away. Let’s start with Ha Yu-ra here.”

He added instructions in a gentle tone.

“Oh, and let’s mix in Hong Hye-yeon’s cameo as well.”

After that.

Around the afternoon of the 3rd, news about ‘Island of the Missing’ was fired like a cannon into the internet, which was still a mess with Seo Chae-eun’s name.

『[Exclusive] Ha Yu-ra Joins Director Kwon Ki-taek’s ‘Island of the Missing’······Hong Hye-yeon to Make a Cameo』

Of course, it was a promotion that the distributor of ‘Island of the Missing’ had started, aiming for the right timing. The problem was that there was quite a twist hidden in the content.

『[Movie Pick] ‘Island of the Missing’ Lead Lineup Confirmed! Ryu Jeong-min, Jeon Woo-chang, Kim Yi-won, Kang Woo-jin, and Ha Yu-ra』

『[Star Talk] ‘Island of the Missing’ Official Says, “Ha Yu-ra is Confirmed,” Wasn’t Ha Yu-ra in Hollywood?』

『From the Sudden Appearance of Ha Yu-ra to Jeon Woo-chang and Kim Yi-won, the Lineup for ‘Island of the Missing’ is Indeed Splendid!』

It was Ha Yu-ra. She, who should be in Hollywood, was in Korea? Moreover, she was cast in the hot ‘Island of the Missing.’ Therefore, Ha Yu-ra’s name began to be mentioned on the internet, similar to Seo Chae-eun.

Both were the same shock, but the nature was different.

Seo Chae-eun was buried deep in the abyss, while Ha Yu-ra soared high into the sky. It was a very contrasting picture.

『Ryu Jeong-min and Kang Woo-jin Join ‘Island of the Missing,’ and Suddenly Ha Yu-ra? Netizens Puzzled』

The curiosity about Ha Yu-ra was resolved on her SNS. It was because Ha Yu-ra herself uploaded the whole story around the night of the 3rd.

In other words, Ha Yu-ra’s return to Korea was confirmed.

Therefore, the public’s expectations for ‘Island of the Missing’ soared endlessly. Kang Woo-jin opened the floodgates, Ryu Jeong-min added wings, and other top actors like Ha Yu-ra flapped their wings. As such, while everyone in the film industry was focused on ‘Island of the Missing,’

In an editing room, a work that Kang Woo-jin had also been involved in was gaining speed.

‘Drug Dealer,’ which had entered full-scale post-editing about two weeks ago.

The interesting thing was.

“Aish—damn it, I’m going crazy.”

The face of Director Kim Do-hee, who was handling the slightly dark editing room, was full of difficulty. The reason was simple.

“This is so hard. If I keep this cut, the previous cut bothers me, and if I put the previous cut, this cut is too good. Ha, I thought editing Lee Sang-man’s part would be a pain.”

The amount of footage of Lee Sang-man, played by Kang Woo-jin, was a serious concern.

“How can there not be a single cut to throw away—”

There wasn’t a single cut to cut out. Whether it was a front view, a side view, a solo shot, or a two-shot, etc. The editing difficulty of Lee Sang-man was literally hellish. The fact that there was nothing to criticize was actually a hindrance.

“Crazy. It’s my first time struggling so much with a cameo edit, really.”

“Director. What are you going to do? If we keep delaying, the whole schedule will be messed up?”

“Then, let the editor choose. Which of these three cuts is better?”

“······I think the front shot is.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. The side view might be better… no, I’m sorry.”

At that moment, one of the editors murmured.

“But if Lee Sang-man’s quality is this good, I think the audience will be hooked no matter which cut we use?”

“That’s true, but I want to maximize that through editing.”

Director Kim Do-hee, who was scratching her messy hair, made a decision.

“I don’t know, let’s postpone Lee Sang-man for now. Let’s quickly cut out the other cuts.”

She pushed Lee Sang-man to the latter part of the editing. Of course, it was also a decision to maximize the speed.

The following Saturday.

A large work was about to come to an end. It was ‘Profiler Han-ryang,’ which had reached its 16th episode. Saturday, July 4th. Today was the last episode. It was a very popular work, so it had been eventful.

『’The Last Episode Already,’ What Will Be the Ratings for the Last Episode of Han-ryang, Which Consistently Exceeded 20%?』

Han-ryang consistently maintained a 20% viewership rating. And the viewership rating for the last episode, which received a lot of attention, was announced the next day, Sunday morning.

『[Drama Pick] ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ Leaves a Legend, Last Episode Achieves a Total Viewership Rating of 24.3%』

24.3%. It was a great number, partly due to the hype around the last episode. However, one thing was disappointing.

『’Han-ryang’ Last Episode Viewership Rating 24.3%···Ultimately, It Didn’t Surpass the 25% of ‘Park Dae-ri’ in the Early Episodes』

It didn’t surpass the impact of ‘Park Dae-ri.’ Still, the reaction to Han-ryang after the last episode was full of praise. Overall, it was praised for being perfect from beginning to end. Therefore, the value of many people skyrocketed at once.

Writer Park Eun-mi, PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo, Hong Hye-yeon, Ryu Jeong-min.

Among them, the most outstanding was, of course, Kang Woo-jin. ‘Island of the Missing’ was a bit noisy, but the buzz increased several times with the last episode of Han-ryang.

Several days later.

『’Profiler Han-ryang’ to be Released on Netflix Japan, Will It Work in Japan as Well?』

The news of the Japanese launch of ‘Profiler Han-ryang,’ which had finished its official run, spread. The expectations were high since it was a huge hit in Korea. That’s why.

『[Issue Check] ‘Han-ryang’ May Soar in Japan Thanks to the Power of ‘Hallyu’ [Korean Wave]』

『Even if It Did Well ‘Domestically,’ Many Works Have Failed in ‘Japan’···’Profiler Han-ryang’ Could End Up the Same if Careless』

Nonsense was popping up here and there.

Friday, the 10th.

Late morning. With an indifferent face, Kang Woo-jin was in a van, moving somewhere. He was currently reading a script without saying a word.

-Flip, flip.

It was the first part of the ‘Male Best Friend’ script. Of course, he wasn’t looking at it in detail. He had already finished reading it. Woo-jin was just.

‘It gets deeper the more I look at it, I should do a few readings (experiences) after I finish reading this.’

He just wanted a deeper performance. Then why was Woo-jin suddenly focusing on ‘Male Best Friend’? It was simple. Because there was a formal script reading for ‘Male Best Friend’ scheduled for noon, exactly one hour later.

Therefore, the place he was moving to now was the production company of ‘Male Best Friend.’

He probably knew that the script reading setup was in full swing at the production company of ‘Male Best Friend.’ Of course, Netflix personnel such as General Director Kim So-hyang would have gathered as well. The actors who would be gathering today were about a dozen, including Kang Woo-jin and Hwa-rin.

The levels ranged from B-list to rookies.

Soon.

‘Ugh—this feeling is really not getting any easier.’

Kang Woo-jin, who was imagining the script reading in an hour, felt a little nervous. It was partly because of the actors he was meeting for the first time, but the biggest reason was.

‘The lead role, honestly, it doesn’t feel real.’

It was his first script reading as a lead actor. The main character who grabs the commercial work by the collar and pulls it along. The pressure was bound to increase. Moreover, he still felt like a newbie. At this point, Kang Woo-jin decided to just let go of his thoughts.

He didn’t know the ins and outs of the situation, so he would just focus on acting.

So, should he slowly enter the subspace? Just as Kang Woo-jin raised his index finger, it happened.

“Oh, speak—oh?!”

Choi Seong-geon in the passenger seat suddenly shouted into the phone attached to his ear.

“Han-ryang is number one on Netflix in Japan right now?!”

End