I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 125

Ten minutes.

That’s all it took for articles mirroring Director Kyotaro’s official statement to flood the Japanese media.

『Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro Officially Announces Korean Rookie Actor “Kang Woo-jin” as Lead』

The situation was explosive, like a furnace at full blast. The controversy, fueled by Director Kyotaro’s interview, had captured the attention of countless people.

『Toei Ga Film Company Confirms: Korean Actor “Kang Woo-jin” Cast in Lead Role』

Japanese media outlets were quick to copy and paste the official statement, spreading the news like wildfire.

Finally, a clear answer had emerged.

『Kang Woo-jin: First Rookie Actor from Both Korea and Japan to Lead a Foreign Film!』

With the mystery resolved, the Japanese public reacted with a mix of enthusiasm and grumbling opposition.

– I knew it was Kang Woo-jin! I love it! This actor is amazing.

– It was practically confirmed in Korea already, so why the secrecy?

– They kept it quiet for a while, but I guess the issue became too big to hide?

– Still, I’m not sure about a Korean actor appearing in a role that’s supposed to be a bizarre sacrifice of someone I like.

– Kang Woo-jin! I’m such a fan! Everyone, check out his YouTube channel, you’ll all become fans!

– I think it’s better to have a Korean actor anyway; Japanese actors’ acting has been declining.

– I like it too! If you’re not happy, go watch ‘The Layabout’ on Netflix first.

– It’s incredible… How did a rookie land the lead role?

·
·
·

Regardless of the opinions, the facts were out. This situation was unprecedented in Japan, and the public was witnessing it for the first time, causing quite a stir.

Of course, not everyone in Japan was positive. There were plenty of negative views as well.

『’Korean Rookie Actor’ Revealed, but Film Industry Insiders Express Skepticism』

『Who is “Kang Woo-jin”? Netizens’ Concerns Grow』

However, one thing was consistent: the Japanese media and public were now focused on ‘Kang Woo-jin’ and ‘the bizarre sacrifice of a stranger.’

His name recognition and value skyrocketed.

With the groundwork he had already laid, this was a major boost. Additionally, ‘The Layabout’ on Japanese Netflix was frequently mentioned.

『Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro’s “Kang Woo-jin” Turns Out to Be a Supporting Actor in a Popular Korean Drama on Netflix』

Japanese reporters were all over Kang Woo-jin’s social media, YouTube channel, filmography, and past works. It was a given, as the public demanded as much information as possible.

Around this time, at the Japanese private broadcasting station TBE.

“PD-nim [PD is a Korean term for a producer]!!”

The writers of ‘Ametalk Show!’ rushed to Shinjo PD.

“It’s Woo-jin-ssi!! It’s Woo-jin-ssi!”

“Huh? What is it?”

“The ‘Korean rookie actor’ that Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro mentioned! It’s Woo-jin-ssi!”

“What are you talking about… Are you sure? There were only speculations, no facts.”

“Just now! Director Tanoguchi made an official announcement! He confirmed that Woo-jin-ssi is the one cast as the lead!”

Shinjo PD’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Immediately contact BW Entertainment! And bring all the plans we’ve made!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Hurry! Communicate with BW Entertainment so we can release the article as soon as possible! And we need to redo more than half of the plan!”

The ‘Ametalk Show!’ team was in a frenzy, bordering on chaos.

And then.

『Hot Korean Rookie “Kang Woo-jin” to Star in Rom-Com ‘Guy Friends’ Soon to Launch on Netflix』

As if on cue, Japanese Netflix announced the upcoming launch of ‘Guy Friends.’

Furthermore.

『”Kang Woo-jin” and “Hwa-rin” Scheduled to Visit Japan Soon for ‘Guy Friends’ Promotion』

The news of Kang Woo-jin and Hwa-rin’s upcoming Japanese schedule also leaked.

– Wow! Kang Woo-jin and Hwa-rin are coming to Japan?!!

– Really?? ‘Guy Friends’? Is it a rom-com? I need to check it out!

– Which airport! What time! I want to see them in person!

This news spread rapidly as well.

Back in Korea.

Korea, which had experienced the nuclear bomb of news before Japan, was still reeling even late into the night. The news on various portal sites continued to update, and articles spread rapidly through people’s fingertips.

It was chaotic, the most it had been all year.

At this point, there was no way Kang Woo-jin’s acquaintances wouldn’t know. The situation was extreme. His younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, was shocked, and Woo-jin’s close friends were in an uproar.

In addition, everyone Kang Woo-jin had ever crossed paths with was also taken aback.

Directors, PDs, actors, staff—the number of people easily exceeded several hundred, and they all had various reactions.

“PD-nim!! Did you see the article?! Our Kang Totem is confirmed to star in Akari’s live-action movie!”

“I saw it too! That project is going to be a huge success!”

“But why is Woo-jin-ssi so good at singing too? Didn’t you know? If you knew, you should have given him an OST [Original Soundtrack] in ‘The Layabout’??”

“How would I know!”

Starting with Song Man-woo PD and Park Eun-mi writer, everyone was excited beyond words.

As a result, the prelude to chaos had begun.

Yes, a prelude. This was just the beginning. Meanwhile, Hwa-rin, who had been with Kang Woo-jin just moments ago and was now in her van, had earphones in.

The reason was simple.

-♬♪

She was listening to Kang Woo-jin’s cover songs. Specifically, she was checking out the YouTube channel ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Sub-Character.’ She giggled during the greeting video, and her face changed dramatically with emotion during the cover songs.

Just one minute into listening to a cover song, she covered her mouth with one hand.

‘No! Woo-jin-nim! You said you only knew a little Japanese??! This? This doesn’t sound like just a little!’

Woo-jin’s Japanese in the cover song was far beyond just being good. It was on a different level. If you closed your eyes and listened, you would think he was a native Japanese singer. At least, that’s how it sounded to Hwa-rin. And her judgment was accurate.

She was also fluent in Japanese.

The girl group ‘Elani,’ which included Hwa-rin, was already a top group in Japan, and they had completed many Japanese schedules. So Hwa-rin was also proficient in Japanese.

‘I- I learned it, so there’s still a bit of awkwardness in my pronunciation, but Woo-jin-nim’s Japanese is just like a local’s.’

At that moment, she became extremely curious about Kang Woo-jin’s past. But that was only for a moment.

-♬♪

Hwa-rin surrendered to Kang Woo-jin’s voice. Her mind went hazy, and her heart was pounding.

‘With this face, this voice, this tone… He nailed it. I’m melting, I’m seriously melting. It doesn’t sound like our song at all. It’s so good. I’ll listen to it ten times a day. No, a hundred times.’

Hwa-rin’s arm was covered in goosebumps. This was beyond fan love; it was adoration.

‘How can he have endless charms? Ha- I think I made a good decision becoming a fan.’

Soon, Hwa-rin repeatedly pressed the ‘like’ button on the video, then accessed the group chat room where the members of ‘Elani’ were gathered and shared Woo-jin’s video.

– Hwa-rin: Listen to this! Listen to it 100 times!

Then, she accessed her social media.

‘It’s too good to listen to alone! It’s going to be a hit anyway since it’s Woo-jin-nim’s channel, but still, this song needs to be heard more.’

She promoted the ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Sub-Character’ channel.

21st, morning.

The time was around 10 o’clock. Kang Woo-jin was standing in front of an elevator in a tall building. The weather had warmed up, so his clothes were light. However, even though his name was buzzing all over Korea and Japan, he maintained his usual calm.

“……”

Kang Woo-jin’s face was an unwavering poker face. Well, this was more genuine than a concept.

‘Ugh- I’m so tired. Did I sleep for about 2 hours? I almost stayed up all night looking at the reactions.’

Yesterday, Kang Woo-jin had been glued to his phone until dawn after work. It was incredible. No matter where he went on the internet, his name was everywhere.

Next to him, Choi Sung-gun, who had been on the phone non-stop since earlier, looked busy.

“Yes, yes, Kim PD-nim. Hahaha. Thank you. About the casting? Ha- but right now, Woo-jin-ssi’s schedule is really difficult for the first half of the year. How about the second half?”

It wasn’t just now; it had been like this since yesterday. From the moment Kang Woo-jin went ‘no-backing-down’ at the ‘Guy Friends’ production presentation, Choi Sung-gun’s phone was flooded with calls and messages every second.

Of course, it was even worse on the BW Entertainment side.

However, Kang Woo-jin had no time to pay attention to Choi Sung-gun. Today was the day for the script reading of star writer Lee Wol-sun’s ‘Frozen Romance.’ This tall building was where the production company of ‘Frozen Romance’ was located, and the script reading was scheduled to officially begin in about an hour.

Soon, Woo-jin, who was indifferently looking at the elevator floor numbers, let out a small breath.

It was a deep breath.

‘I don’t know anyone here today, not even one person, huh- I’m getting a little nervous… I’m starting to feel queasy.’

Should he take some motion sickness medicine? As Woo-jin was thinking, Choi Sung-gun, who had finished his call at the right time, spoke.

“The calls are coming in like texts. Look, it’s coming again, it’s coming again. It’s so bad that I can’t go inside the reading room. Well, you’ll be fine alone, right? It’s not like you’re going to be nervous.”

No? I want to take motion sickness medicine. But Woo-jin, suppressing his true feelings, nodded solemnly.

“Yes, it’s enough.”

Choi Sung-gun, smiling wryly, patted Kang Woo-jin’s shoulder.

“Well, you have a lot of firsts, but there’s no other actor who does script readings as often as you. Especially a rookie.”

“I’m attending this because of the writer.”

“Oh? Ah- yeah, yeah. That’s right. Honestly, you don’t really need to attend this reading. Your part is short. But it’s good to make an impression on Lee Wol-sun.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“You never know when or how connections in this industry will be used.”

Choi Sung-gun, having said that, predicted the current situation in the reading room.

“Ugh, but the actors and staff in the reading room are probably all talking about you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I guess so, when have you ever cared about that?”

At that moment.

-Ding!

The elevator that had arrived opened its doors.

Meanwhile, inside the ‘Frozen Romance’ reading room.

The reading room, with a U-shaped table, was almost set up. There were already some supporting actors who had arrived, as well as dozens of staff and about half a dozen reporters.

The funny thing was.

“Is Kang Woo-jin really coming?”

“Ah- yes, he is. I asked the assistant director several times. If you don’t believe me, Kim reporter, go ask again.”

“He’s lucky. There were a lot of rumors about whether Kang Woo-jin would come to the reading, but he’s here the day after the scoop.”

Everyone was talking about Kang Woo-jin.

“Did you see the search sites? Seriously, all the entertainment news is about Woo-jin-ssi.”

“It’s understandable. There’s a bit of national pride involved, but it’s the first time in the history of the film industry.”

“But it’s really amazing, how did he get the lead role in that world? Does he have a good backer?”

“Some articles say he’s a chaebol [a wealthy business conglomerate family]. Acting, vocals, even Japanese. He received a lot of early education.”

The reporters, staff, and actors were busy whispering.

“Wow- Kang Woo-jin. I’m jealous, so jealous. When will I ever get to go overseas?”

“You need to get rid of your supporting role image in Korea first, right?”

“You’re the same.”

“Anyway, the internet and social media are all about Kang Woo-jin. It’s going to last for a while. I wonder if he’ll start ignoring the other actors?”

“They say his personality is good.”

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

The glass door slowly opened, and a man with a cold face entered. It was Kang Woo-jin. Everyone in the reading room’s gaze was fixed on Woo-jin at the entrance, and Woo-jin, after scanning them for a moment, bowed his head and murmured in a low voice.

“Hello, I’m Kang Woo-jin.”

In an instant, the reading room became silent. At this time, a reporter’s phone, who was slightly spacing out while looking at Woo-jin, caught my eye. What was visible was the YouTube channel ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Sub-Character.’ It seemed they were watching it because of Kang Woo-jin, who they were about to meet.

What was interesting was

[Channel Name: Kang Woo-jin’s Sub-Character]

[Subscribers: 509,000]

[Videos: 2]

It was a subscriber count that had ‘skyrocketed’ in slang terms.

Around that time, outside the reading room.

Choi Sung-gun, who was wandering around the hallway, still had his phone to his ear. The calls were pouring in like crazy. The person he was talking to now was Kim So-hyang of Netflix Korea.

“The Japanese promotion schedule is on the 26th?”

The Japanese promotion schedule was referring to the event disguised as a production presentation that she had mentioned before. It was planned to be a joint venture with Japanese Netflix. Anyway, in response to Choi Sung-gun’s question, Kim So-hyang, the general director, answered from the other side of the phone.

“Yes, next month is fine too, but we agreed with Japanese Netflix that it’s better to do this kind of thing as soon as possible. We need to strike while the iron is hot. Of course, if Woo-jin-ssi’s schedule doesn’t work, we’ll have to change direction.”

“No. Next month is even more difficult. Woo-jin-ssi’s schedule is twice as busy next month. Hmm- the 26th.”

If you counted, it was just a few days away. Soon, Choi Sung-gun, who was calculating in his head, spoke.

“There are a few schedules on the 26th, but how about Hwa-rin-ssi’s side?”

“It’s a one-day schedule anyway, so they said it’s okay. If it’s too difficult, you can arrive in Japan separately from Hwa-rin-ssi. You can join up locally.”

“No, it’s better to have a picture of them going together if possible. Okay, I’ll try to arrange it.”

“Ah! Thank you, then I’ll prepare for the 26th on my end?”

“Yes, General Director-nim.”

With that, Choi Sung-gun, who had finished the call, opened his diary. It was already full without any gaps. He sighed softly, turned the page, and wrote something.

‘Arrive in Japan on the 26th. Complete the Japanese promotion schedule related to ‘Guy Friends.’ Then- I need to schedule ‘Ametalk Show!’ on the 27th and a meeting with Director Kyotaro.’

He closed his diary and muttered to himself.

“And the official recording of ‘Ametalk Show!’ on the 30th.”

In short, Kang Woo-jin’s Japanese schedule this time was not just one day, but a total of four days. Since the filming of ‘Ametalk Show!’ was on the 30th, it would be cumbersome to go back and forth.

Choi Sung-gun, who seemed to have come up with an answer, made a call this time. The other party was the production manager of ‘Island of the Missing.’

“Yes, Manager-nim. I’m late in contacting you. I was organizing the schedule. Yes, yes. First of all, I’ll tell you the exact details after meeting Director Kyotaro in Japan this time. Yes. But the overseas location schedule won’t be canceled, and we’ll try to keep the filming schedule as intact as possible.”

After a long explanation, Choi Sung-gun finished his closing remarks.

“Yes, yes, then I’ll see you after I come back from Japan. Yes. Ah- I’ll call Director Kwon directly about that part. Yes-”

-Click.

Choi Sung-gun, who seemed to have put out the urgent fires, let out a long sigh.

“Hoo, this is even busier than when Hye-yeon was around. Well, she never had this many overlapping schedules. It’s fun even though it’s hectic.”

At that moment.

-Bzzzt, bzzzt.

The bell rang again. Soon, Choi Sung-gun, who had checked the caller, tilted his head slightly.

“Director Kim Do-hee?”

Because the caller was Director Kim Do-hee of ‘Drug Dealer.’ Then, Choi Sung-gun, thinking ‘She must be calling to congratulate Woo-jin,’ answered the phone.

“Yes, Director-nim. Haha, have you eaten?”

However, what Director Kim Do-hee said on the other side of the phone was not a congratulation.

“We’re going to have a blind preview of ‘Drug Dealer’ sometime next week.”

“……A blind preview?”

A blind preview was a schedule at the end of the post-production of a work. It was a preview where only the production staff, such as the director, and the actors gathered. It was like a viewing of the finished product.

In other words.

“Yes. A blind preview. If possible, I’d like you to come with Woo-jin-ssi, definitely.”

It meant that the release of ‘Drug Dealer’ was just around the corner.

End