I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 110

Director Kwon Ki-taek, surveying the vast forest, smiled faintly.

‘The weather is sweltering, and the humidity is oppressive—unpleasantly perfect.’

This was the setting for ‘Island of the Missing,’ a world he had created. Director Kwon Ki-taek could picture it vividly, even with his eyes closed. He turned to the director of photography, who was filming the surroundings with a small camera a few steps away.

“How does this look? As the spot where Private Kim’s head falls.”

The mention of ‘Private Kim’s role’ indicated the importance of this location. Private Kim was the character whose death triggered the events on the ‘Island of the Missing.’

Anyway.

“Ugh, it’s disgustingly hot.”

The director of photography lowered his camera, wiped his sweat, and thought about ‘Private Kim’s role’ in the ‘Island of the Missing.’ He then nodded.

“It’s perfect. The visuals are almost identical to what I imagined. Especially the smell here. What on earth is that? Is there a corpse hidden somewhere?”

‘Maybe there is.’ Director Kwon Ki-taek, having briefly removed his safari hat, squatted down and poked the ground with his finger.

The ground was muddy.

His finger sank into the soft earth. He pulled it out, roughly wiped the dirt on his thigh, and looked up.

“It would be good to shoot Private Kim’s head falling from below. Make the head prop a bit heavy. It would be fun if it made a dent when it hits the ground.”

The assistant director, panting in the heat, responded from behind.

“Yes! I understand.”

The reason the ‘Island of the Missing’ team, including Director Kwon Ki-taek, was in Vietnam was simple: location scouting for overseas filming.

However, it wasn’t a planned trip.

Originally, they were going to film on a set, but Director Kwon Ki-taek changed his mind after seeing the completed set. He decided on a mix of set and overseas location shooting. It was common for the director to change his mind. Director Kwon Ki-taek’s instructions were clear.

‘Contact PD Park in Vietnam.’

He was referring to the line PD [Production Director] who had worked with him on his previous project. So, the ‘Island of the Missing’ team had quickly packed their bags and flown to Vietnam. Now, it was already the second day. This had caused a slight change in the pre-production schedule that had started around April.

But that was coming to an end.

Around this time.

“PD Park.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, having put his safari hat back on, wiped his sweat and asked the line PD gently.

“Let’s add this to the list. How many more places are left?”

“About five more?”

“What about the overall schedule?”

“If we finish location scouting today and tomorrow, and the local staff meeting, it should be done in three days.”

“Three days in total, right?”

“Yes, Director.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek nodded slowly and called the planning team manager, who was busy taking pictures of the scenery.

“Manager Ryu!”

“Ah! Yes! Director! I’m sorry, haha. My daughter keeps asking me to send her pictures.”

“Send them whenever you want, but more importantly, when we go back to Korea in a few days, make a schedule to check the set first. When did we say the expected script reading day was?”

“We set it a bit later because of the Vietnam location shoot.”

“The Vietnam issue ended faster than expected, so let’s move the ‘script reading’ up.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek paused to consider the date, then spoke again.

“How about August 3rd? Is it too early?”

The planning team manager checked his diary and nodded, indicating it was fine.

“About two weeks. No, I don’t think there will be any problem.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, hearing the answer, turned his gaze back to the lush forest.

“Then, let’s confirm the script reading for that day.”

He murmured softly.

“Contact the actors as soon as we get back to Korea.”

Two days later, on the 24th, late lunch.

The ‘Boy Best Friends’ team was hurrying to set up in a slightly secluded area behind the high school’s main building. They were laying rails, setting up lights, and arranging props around the area. There was a small warehouse and a place where various trash was collected.

Today, they were planning to shoot a few frustrating scenes and a scene that emphasized Han In-ho’s personality.

In the drama, bullies who dislike ‘Lee Bo-min,’ who has moved up to the second grade, appear. There was no special reason. It was just because Lee Bo-min was pretty. If they wanted to find fault, they could find anything. So, one of the female bullies spreads a strange rumor and harasses Lee Bo-min.

However, Lee Bo-min, who was very optimistic, was confident and showed no signs of backing down.

Besides, she had Han In-ho. Even if everyone turned their backs on her, she could endure it as long as she had Han In-ho. However, the bullies didn’t leave Lee Bo-min alone, who seemed unfazed. Since she wasn’t affected, they would now have to harass her openly.

Was it thanks to that?

“The ‘bullies’ are gathering!!”

The ‘bully’ supporting actors stood in front of the camera. There were five of them. Three girls and two boys. They were all wearing school uniforms, but the aura they gave off was definitely different from ordinary students. They were either wearing tight clothes or had their buttons undone.

They showed that they were different from others through their clothes.

Such supporting actors were different from extras. They all had lines and belonged to agencies. Whatever the case, Director Shin Dong-chun, who was watching them on the monitor, let out a regretful sigh.

“Hmm—it’s a bit disappointing.”

Then, the assistant director next to him tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

“No, I didn’t realize it when I was looking at the script, but now that I see them standing there, it’s like—”

Director Shin Dong-chun trailed off, turning his gaze to the five supporting actors beyond the camera.

“It feels a bit weak. It’s the first frustrating scene, isn’t it a bit boring?”

“I think it’s fine.”

“No. It’s better to have an exaggerated feeling of ‘ugh’ as soon as you see them, for this kind of scene. That way, the sweet potato [a metaphor for a frustrating situation] you eat becomes more dry, and the following cider [a metaphor for a satisfying resolution] becomes more refreshing.”

“Do you have any other ideas?”

“Hmm…”

Director Shin Dong-chun, with his square jaw, looked around while sitting in his chair. He scanned the dozens of staff members running around.

“Let’s look together. I wish they had a ‘bully’-like mask and were bigger.”

“Are you perhaps going to add another supporting actor?”

“That’s right.”

“B-but suddenly finding someone on set is a bit! These bully roles are quite important among the supporting roles, aren’t they? They all have lines and get camera close-ups. That’s why we had auditions, right?”

“Well, it’s okay. They just have to stand still.”

“But there’s also facial acting.”

Although the assistant director was trying to dissuade him, Director Shin Dong-chun casually scanned the set. But he couldn’t see anyone suitable. Above all, their age didn’t match. They were supposed to be high school bullies, but everyone’s faces looked worn out, perhaps from the hard work.

Soon, Director Shin Dong-chun scratched his chin in disappointment.

‘Han In-ho is supposed to look cool, so I want to increase the scene volume if possible… tsk, do I have to go with the disappointing version?’

That’s when it happened.

“Director.”

A low male voice cut in from behind Director Shin Dong-chun. When he turned around, Kang Woo-jin was standing there with a nonchalant face, wearing a school uniform. Director Shin Dong-chun, with a smile, immediately jumped up.

“Oh, oh, Woo-jin. Are you done with makeup?”

“Yes, but I happened to overhear.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you perhaps looking to add someone for the bully role?”

“Ah, well, it’s enough as it is, but I just wish it was a bit more exaggerated. It’s just greed, greed. But I think it’s better to just go with the disappointing version.”

“…”

Woo-jin, who was silently staring at Director Shin Dong-chun, moved his body halfway and pointed at someone.

“Then, how about our manager?”

“…Manager? Who?”

Where Woo-jin was pointing, a burly man was standing. Kang Woo-jin calmly introduced Kim Dae-young.

“Kim Dae-young.”

In an instant, Kim Dae-young’s eyes widened. His eyes, which looked like they were about to pop out, turned to Kang Woo-jin. He cursed with his eyes.

‘What, what are you doing, you crazy bastard!!’

Of course, Kang Woo-jin wasn’t affected at all. Woo-jin, who casually ignored Kim Dae-young’s gaze, spoke to Director Shin Dong-chun again.

“He’s been in an acting club for quite a long time, so I think he has some acting experience.”

Kang Woo-jin remembered Kim Dae-young’s dream that he had mentioned sometime in the past. It was at a drinking party.

‘Hey, Kim Dae-young. Why do you act? Is it fun?’

‘It’s fun. I want to stand in front of the camera someday. Not just as a passing extra, but as a supporting role. It would be a blessing if I had lines. That’s my dream.’

‘A supporting role—is that easy? Or is it difficult? I don’t know anything about the entertainment industry.’

‘It’s damn hard. That’s why it’s a dream.’

‘You bastard, if you were born a man, you should step on the gas pedal once. Go for it.’

‘Only my head will break? Haha, never mind, let’s just drink.’

He was trying to make that happen. It wasn’t forced, and it was natural given the situation. There was no problem, and it was a win-win for both Kim Dae-young and Director Shin Dong-chun.

‘Well, it’s all for nothing if the director doesn’t like it.’

Kang Woo-jin added an explanation calmly.

“As you can see, he has a good physique, what do you think?”

At the question, Director Shin Dong-chun stroked his chin.

-Swish.

He walked a few steps in front of the flustered Kim Dae-young. Soon, Director Shin Dong-chun was sizing up Kim Dae-young. He was a bit haggard, but that could be covered with makeup.

‘Still, his look is better than the staff here, it doesn’t look forced. He’s big, so the scene volume will increase significantly. If he was in an acting club, he must have some experience.’

Director Shin Dong-chun, who thought it wasn’t bad, asked Kim Dae-young.

“Can you do it? It’s not confirmed. I need to shoot a few test cuts. How about it? Do you want to try?”

“…”

Kim Dae-young, who was stunned for a moment, wondering if this was real.

-Swish.

He looked at the expressionless face of Kang Woo-jin in front of him and, with a surge of emotion, answered with difficulty.

“I can… do it, Director.”

The corners of the burly Kim Dae-young’s eyes became slightly moist. Woo-jin glanced at that.

‘Is he crying, by any chance? When you look at him, the guy with the biggest build is the softest.’

Woo-jin, who laughed inwardly, poked Kim Dae-young’s side without showing it, and Kim Dae-young, who flinched, looked at Kang Woo-jin on his right and suddenly came to his senses.

Then, he shouted loudly to the square-jawed Director Shin Dong-chun in front of him.

“I can do it!”

Only then did a smile spread across Director Shin Dong-chun’s face, and he lightly tapped Kim Dae-young’s shoulder.

“Okay, let’s see—then we need to figure out the costume first.”

Soon, Director Shin Dong-chun asked the surrounding staff.

“What’s the biggest size of our school uniform costume?”

At this time, in Japan.

In the Japanese entertainment industry, there was a lot of talk about ‘Profiler Han Ryang,’ which had launched on Netflix about a week ago. The media, various production companies, agencies, and actors were all discussing it.

In particular, Han Ryang was frequently mentioned among Japanese actors.

“That Korean thing, Han Ryang? It’s noisy these days, isn’t it? Is it still number one on Netflix?”

“It’s just noisy because it’s the first week of launch. There were many Korean dramas like that in the past, right?”

“I guess so. It’s only a fuss in the first week of launch, and it usually falls in the rankings after some time.”

“It’ll calm down soon, right?”

The reactions were mixed. No, if you went deeper, the negative views were a bit stronger. The better Han Ryang did, the stronger the Korean wave would become.

However, Han Ryang’s popularity in Japan was solid.

Rather, as time went on, word of mouth spread rapidly among the Japanese public. Han Ryang, which had taken first place upon launch, remained unshaken at the top. It was unusual. It had surpassed the level of a mere launch boost.

That was because.

『Korean drama 「Profiler Han Ryang」, which took first place on Netflix, is soaring in popularity』

The Japanese media also began to cover Han Ryang in earnest. They noticed that there was a great response from various age groups beyond the younger generation in Japan.

『Korean-style mystery drama 「Profiler Han Ryang」spreads rapidly by word of mouth on SNS, etc.』

Many K-dramas had already landed in Japan, but Han Ryang showed signs of being more powerful than any of them. It was evident just by looking at SNS or various communities.

It was even mentioned on a Japanese variety show a few days ago.

“Ah, has anyone seen Han Ryang? I almost stayed up all night watching it yesterday.”

“I saw it! I love Manager Park!”

“Miko-chan knows what’s good? I love Manager Park too!”

When the situation reached this point, the master director Kyotaro couldn’t have been unaware. Director Kyotaro, who was currently in the midst of casting actors, was genuinely happy about Han Ryang’s rise.

“At this rate, his recognition in Japan will increase even before our movie is released.”

It was an evaluation of Kang Woo-jin.

And around this time, the topic of ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ came up at a meeting of a famous Japanese talk show team. They were in the midst of selecting items.

“What should we cover in the next overseas special episode?”

“The last Hollywood episode had a weak response. I think it’s because we proceeded with only materials without guests.”

“How about making it ‘K-Drama Week’ this time? ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ on Netflix is noisy these days. Word of mouth is spreading fast among the public.”

“Ah, that drama? I’ve seen a few articles too. Hmm, the momentum is definitely noticeable. But the top actors in it are too expensive, aren’t they?”

“How about inviting the villains instead of the leads?”

A somewhat novel idea came up.

“Only the villains from Han Ryang?”