I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 118

Ah, that was a bit of a slip-up. Well, a dead animal suddenly appeared, so I couldn’t help it. Kang Woo-jin, whose poker face had momentarily cracked, glanced at Jang Su-hwan, who had rushed over.

Did he suspect something? Well, it couldn’t be helped.

‘Let’s just say I was surprised like a normal person. Yeah, I’m human too.’

However, Jang Su-hwan’s eyes widened as he looked at Woo-jin, and he suddenly gave a thumbs up.

“That scream just now… Wow, Hyungnim [term of respect for an older male]! Did you just try out the acting for the role you’re playing?! Amazing! That scream was so out of character, it didn’t sound like you at all!”

“…Oh. Yeah, um.”

He felt a little bad at the word ‘out of character,’ but Woo-jin figured it was fine. Then, Woo-jin checked the time and murmured.

“Let’s go, slowly. It’s time.”

“Yes, sir!”

While returning to the set complex, Woo-jin scanned the surroundings, comparing them to the background in the script rather than enjoying the scenery. It was calm now, but in this area, grotesque creatures would appear, and slaughter and murder were planned to take place.

Of course, most of it would be special effects.

For reference, over 150 staff members had arrived for today’s script reading. It was a huge scale even for a typical film crew, and the VFX (special effects) team and the art team had a significant presence.

That meant they were putting a lot of effort into special effects.

The production costs must be enormous. Woo-jin was once again struck by how unreal it felt to have joined this massive project as the lead.

‘I feel like I’m the only flaw.’

Whatever the case, Woo-jin returned to the entrance of the forest he had entered. Soon, a vast sea unfolded before his eyes. Well, it was actually a lake, but in the script, it was the sea. Anyway, Kang Woo-jin paused there for a moment.

“……”

He took in the lake for a moment. His expression became serious.

Around this time, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was busy giving instructions to the staff near the entrance of the set complex, spotted Kang Woo-jin.

“Hmm?”

Kang Woo-jin, while briefly looking around the dense forest, was once again gazing intently at the lake. His demeanor was quite serious and solemn.

Director Kwon Ki-taek chuckled at this.

“Is he already synchronizing his emotions with the background?”

The assistant director next to him asked back.

“Huh??”

“I mean, Woo-jin.”

“Ah.”

“Look at his expression, he’s already seeing this place as something other than a set. He’s seeing it as ‘The Island of the Missing’.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek was convinced that Woo-jin was in the process of recognizing this place as the world of ‘The Island of the Missing.’ He had seen that face, expression, and vibe even at the set of ‘The Idler’.

‘With a genius like him putting in the effort, he’s bound to become a monster.’

That wasn’t it. Kang Woo-jin was simply gazing at the lake, making a wish.

‘Whether it’s the sea or a lake, it’s been a while. Ha- I really want to have some fun.’

He had a strong urge to splash around in the water right now. When was the last time he went swimming? Even when he tried to recall, it was so long ago that it was hazy.

‘Banana boat… ramen after swimming. Aish- damn.’

It was the middle of summer. It was the perfect time to go swimming. It was right then.

“Woo-jin-ah.”

A familiar male voice was heard from behind. When he turned around, Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, was smiling.

“Let’s go, the script reading setup is almost done.”

“…Understood.”

Kang Woo-jin, with a sense of regret, started walking, and Choi Sung-gun murmured quietly.

“And it has begun.”

What? What has? Woo-jin didn’t understand right away, but he put on a facade for now.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I told you, the best way to cover up an issue is with another issue. Did you see the article the paparazzi shot earlier?”

He was referring to the article with the title about his split personality. There were a few others that had popped up as well. Indeed, as Choi Sung-gun had told him in the car, some reporters had eagerly latched onto Woo-jin’s past as a form of entertainment. Only now did Woo-jin understand what he meant, and he slowly nodded.

“Yes, I saw it. There were quite a few comments too.”

“Yeah. If we leave it like this, it’ll get annoying, but it’s okay. We just won’t give it time to spread.”

“……”

Choi Sung-gun showed his phone to Kang Woo-jin, who had chosen to remain silent. It was an article. An article that seemed to have just been published.

『[Issue Pick] Japanese Master Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro’s New Film ‘The Bizarre Sacrifice of a Stranger,’ But Suddenly Casting a Korean Actor? Rapidly Spreading in Japan』

What? Why was this announced? As Woo-jin internally questioned, Choi Sung-gun, who had taken back his phone, lowered his voice.

“I’ll tell you the details after the reading. Anyway, Japan is in an uproar over this, and the issue has spread domestically because of the ‘Korean actor’ keyword.”

“Ah- yes.”

Choi Sung-gun’s smile deepened as he handed the ‘Island of the Missing’ script to Woo-jin, who had replied.

“Hold on tight, it’s going to be full throttle starting next week.”

Choi Sung-gun patted Woo-jin’s shoulder and whispered.

“After the reading, it’ll have spread more domestically, because I’m going to give it a push.”

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin’s vision suddenly-

-Swish!

Turned into a dark world. The reason was simple. Woo-jin had suddenly entered the subspace. It was a way to calm his somewhat chaotic state.

“Ugh, my heart’s starting to race.”

The reading with top actors was just around the corner. Kang Woo-jin took a deep breath and moved towards the array of white rectangles. Among them, he naturally chose ‘Island of the Missing’.

-[3/Scenario (Title: Island of the Missing) has been selected.]

-[Listing characters available for reading (experience).]

-[A: Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae, B: Sergeant Jo Bong-seok, C: Corporal Nam Tae-oh, D: Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol……]

More clearly, even more certainly. ‘Island of the Missing’ raises tension with ‘Private Kim’ in the beginning, then shows the ordinary lives of the main characters.

It was like an introduction to the roles.

Among them, Woo-jin had done the reading (experience) of ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’ several times, but it wasn’t strange to be greedy now. The reading room a few steps away was overflowing with top predators. It was always important not to let your guard down, but today, he had to be especially solid.

“Hoo-”

Then, Kang Woo-jin-

-Swish.

Stuck his pick into the villain he would play.

[“Preparing for ‘D: Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’ reading……”]

[“……Preparation complete. The script or scenario is of very high quality. The implementation rate is 100%. Starting the reading.”]

Soon, Woo-jin was sucked into the world of ‘Island of the Missing’.

It was chilly.

That was the first sensation Kang Woo-jin felt as the all-gray world slowly cleared. It was a temperature somewhere between cold and cool.

What he saw was mostly lacking in color.

Silver, white, and black.

He was standing. That was his eye level. Kang Woo-jin slowly rolled his eyes. Rectangular silver objects were arranged in a row. Soon, Woo-jin could recognize it.

A morgue, this was a morgue.

From here, everything about ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’ began to be hammered into Kang Woo-jin. Something surged into his entire chest like a tidal wave. It was emotions and the five senses. ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’ and Kang Woo-jin were already one. This was the life of ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’.

What he felt first was.

“Ah- uh.”

It was confusion and shyness. Along with timidity, there was also shyness. He had low confidence and self-esteem, and even when his eyes were open, his focus was always lower than the middle. It felt like he had to, and it was a habit. Everything was lacking. He was thin and weak. He had a deep-seated lack of basic needs, and even when he had something to say, he couldn’t say it clearly.

He was hesitant. Because he was afraid.

That’s why he was always looking around. He was indecisive. He was slow and hesitant, and he was more defined by his deficiencies than his decisions. Woo-jin secretly looked around the morgue and checked his body.

He was wearing a military uniform.

His rank was Private First Class. But somehow, the uniform he was wearing was generally shabby. It was wrinkled. It was as if the uniform he was wearing was representing the owner’s personality.

At that moment.

“Would you… like to confirm?”

A strange man’s voice was heard. Thanks to that, Woo-jin’s face, which had been rolling his eyes as if he had emotional instability, was fixed. Towards the man standing in front of him. The man had his hands together and pointed to the silver table placed between him and Woo-jin.

No. It wasn’t just a silver table.

Under the white cloth, the silhouette of a person lying down could be seen. A corpse, yes, it was a corpse. Since this was a morgue, it was only natural. But Woo-jin was hesitant. He couldn’t answer easily.

A faint voice of his ego could be heard in his mind.

‘Should I… answer? No. I can’t. What if, what if my mom is really lying here? But I have to confirm? What should I do?’

Woo-jin mumbled in his mouth. That was the feeling. He was anxious and urgent, but he couldn’t open his mouth easily. At this point, the morgue worker’s voice was heard again.

“What will you do? If it’s too difficult…”

It was then.

“I- I’ll see.”

Woo-jin, letting out a small breath, said with his lips slightly trembling.

“Show me.”

“Alright.”

-Rustle.

The worker slightly peeled back the white cloth at the head. Soon, his mother’s face, which was hard to tell if it was white or blue, was revealed. It was pale. As if it would freeze your hand if you touched it. Again, the voice of his ego was heard inside Woo-jin. Mom, why are you here? Why? Why is your face like this? Mom, please answer me, Mom.

From somewhere in his abdomen, a tickling and surging feeling rose to his head, Kang Woo-jin.

“……Mom. Mom.”

Why did you have to go when I was in the military? Why? Mom. Soon, Kang Woo-jin’s legs trembled, and he knelt down. He collapsed. Reason and the world were submerged. Woo-jin, while shedding tears, raised his trembling hand.

“Mom, can I, can I touch Mom just once?”

“……”

The worker didn’t answer. Kang Woo-jin, with overflowing sadness in his fingertips, touched his mother’s cold cheek. Is this skin? It’s too hard. No, Mom, please don’t. Although he couldn’t scream because of his timidity, Woo-jin grabbed his mother’s pale shoulder and let out a restrained sob.

“Mom… *sob*, Mom, I’m sorry. I wanted to do better, I should have done better, how could you leave so soon? I’m sorry, Mom.”

It was as if he could hear his mother’s voice from somewhere.

‘It’s okay, son, I’m sorry. I’m so grateful that you, who were so small, have grown up so well.’

His mother’s voice, fading into the distance. Woo-jin, whose tears had intensified, wanted to hold onto his mother somehow. He had to hold on. But he had no way of knowing where she was, where his mother had gone. That thought made his tear ducts explode.

“Mom, is this really the end? Huh? Mom. Just a little. Can’t you stay a little longer? Mom… I’m not ready yet. Just one day, no, just a few hours.”

Woo-jin, burying his face in his mother’s shoulder, burst into tears. The morgue worker, who was watching him, also felt a pang in his heart.

It was then.

‘Hey, you bastard.’

From within Kang Woo-jin’s ego, which was fluctuating with emotions, a voice with a different tone was heard.

‘Stop it and get lost, you moron, are you going to cry all night?’

A clearly different accent and tone. And it was rough. It even felt like it was trying to dominate his whole body. It was invading. Woo-jin, who was sobbing, resisted fiercely.

‘D-don’t. My mom… she died. This isn’t where you should be.’

‘Bullshit. You son of a bitch, you secretly think it’s good that she died! If that damn woman hadn’t died, I would have killed her.’

‘D-don’t… don’t do that. Stop it. Don’t come out. Just leave me alone!’

‘What are you talking about, you crazy?’

The rough guy’s voice was mixed with laughter.

‘You’re you, and I’m you too.’

At this moment, all the indecisive senses were washed away as if it were a lie. Like being covered by a wave. Soon, cold blood spread throughout his body. He was cold and detached. He was firm and had nothing to hold back.

Damn, everything was displeasing. Everything was a complaint.

When a completely different emotion took over his body, Woo-jin opened his eyes wide. His eyes had changed. The anxiety had disappeared, and they were filled with ferocity. At this point, the voice of the timid ego, which had changed its position, was heard.

‘M-move. We have to send Mom off… please. Can’t you give me just a little time?’

Kang Woo-jin snorted.

“Shut up. It’s my time now.”

Then, the morgue worker, who had been blinking, stammered.

“Huh? What did you just say?”

Woo-jin, who had been slumped over, slowly stood up. Then, he dusted off his military uniform. As if something dirty had gotten on it. Then, he glared at the worker in front of him.

“Cover it.”

“……?”

Why couldn’t he understand? Kang Woo-jin roughly covered the white cloth that had been peeled back. He didn’t need to be in this disgusting place anymore, so he turned his body and left the morgue without a moment’s hesitation.

The worker, who was watching his back, had a dumbfounded expression.

“What, what was that sudden change…”

Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin, who had left the morgue, strode towards the restroom. There was no trace of the indecisiveness from before. He immediately entered a stall and took out his phone from his military pants pocket.

At this point, the voice of the timid ego was heard again.

‘W-what are you doing?’

“Shut up. Damn, let’s see-”

Kang Woo-jin, who had been touching his phone screen for a few minutes, had a glint in his eyes and a vile smile on his lips as if he had found what he wanted.

“Hehehe, you bitch. How much is the insurance money?”

‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’ was not one person.

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The reading room was filled with big names and top actors, as well as over a hundred staff members. Heated emotions. Heightened excitement. Concentrated focus. Heavy breathing. High-level lines. Acting of a different caliber.

‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’, piercing through the center of such a reading room.

No, Kang Woo-jin’s acting.

“Hehehe, you bitch. How much is the insurance money?”

The first appearance of ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’, the acting of a rookie who had only debuted half a year ago, put pressure on this reading room. It made everyone’s mouths heavy.

Everyone was just looking at him with shock on their faces.

“……”

“……”

“……”

They were looking at the only rookie actor in this reading room. He adjusted his posture. Rookie actor Kang Woo-jin changed the attitudes of the big names from all walks of life.

It was understandable.

Director Kwon Ki-taek at the head of the table.

‘He’s… already not one person.’

All the actors, including Ryu Jung-min and Ha Yu-ra. And to the hundred or so people, Kang Woo-jin was clearly one person. But ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol’ sitting in the chair now was.

-[Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol Role/ Kang Woo-jin]

Clearly two people.

End