I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 138

The start of Kang Woo-jin’s episode of ‘Ametalk Show!’ was typical. MC Karamatsu Soyo, who resembled a beaver, appeared on the familiar set and gave a brief opening statement.

[“It’s mid-September, and it’s still hot. But today’s guest is so unique, you’ll forget all about the heat!”]

Then, MC Soyo introduced the guest.

[“Currently the hottest man in Japan! The monster rookie actor from Korea, Kang Woo-jin!”]

The guest entrance music unique to ‘Ametalk Show!’, a long-standing tradition, began to play.

-♬♪

Kang Woo-jin appeared through the guest entrance door on the set. Woo-jin and MC Soyo exchanged a quick handshake before settling onto their respective sofas.

[“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kang Woo-jin. Could you please say a few words to the viewers?”]

[“Hello, ‘Ametalk Show!’ viewers. I’m actor Kang Woo-jin. It’s an honor to be on Japan’s long-running talk show. I’ll do my best to have a good chat.”]

[“Wow, your Japanese is really good! If I closed my eyes, I’d think you were a native speaker.”]

[“I hear that often, but I’m still more comfortable speaking Korean.”]

Kang Woo-jin on ‘Ametalk Show!’ was calm and polite. There was no awkwardness at all.

[“Ah! I heard this is your first talk show since your debut, Mr. Woo-jin?”]

[“Yes. ‘Ametalk Show!’ is my first. So, I’m a little nervous.”]

[“Oh, you don’t look nervous at all! Haha, still, it’s your first talk show, so I’m not sure what to expect.”]

[“You don’t look nervous at all.”]

[“Huh? Are you teasing me?”]

[“I’m teasing you.”]

After the greetings, they had a wide-ranging conversation. They discussed his schedule in Korea, how busy he was currently, and how he felt when he first joined ‘Profiler Hanryang’.

[“How did you feel when you were cast in ‘Profiler Hanryang’?”]

[“I wondered if it was real.”]

They talked about his thoughts when ‘Hanryang’ became a hit in Japan, the upcoming ‘Male Friend’ series, the huge influx of followers on Kang Woo-jin’s social media, and the ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel that surpassed 1 million subscribers in just a few weeks.

Then, MC Soyo asked Kang Woo-jin a favor.

[“I took a quick look at your channel, Mr. Woo-jin. You only have a few videos, but you’ve already surpassed 1 million subscribers. And your skills are beyond what you’d expect for a hobby. Plus, the topics are unique. You cover K-pop in Japanese or English.”]

[“I’m planning to show covers of J-pop or pop songs in Korean soon.”]

[“Just hearing that, the views will explode, right? Are you planning any other content?”]

[“I’m thinking about it.”]

[“Hmm! Could you do a short cover for us? The viewers would love that.”]

[“Of course.”]

-♬♪

The request was for about one verse, but Kang Woo-jin sang almost the entire first verse. What was interesting was…

-Sigh.

Near the second verse, an unexpected guest suddenly appeared. It was Hwa-rin, holding a hand microphone. She passionately sang the second verse of ‘Ballerina’ by ‘Elani’ as the original song.

A very complete performance.

Then, Kang Woo-jin and Hwa-rin sat side by side and continued promotional talk related to ‘Male Friend’. Around the middle, MC Soyo shifted the topic to ‘Nakkisaeng’. She asked about her relationship with Director Kyotaro, the inside story of her casting, the movie’s content, her mindset, and so on.

However, unfortunately, ‘Nakkisaeng’ was still under wraps, so the answers were not very detailed.

Around this time, ‘Ametalk Show!’

[“Alright! Good. Shall we change the pace a bit?”]

The atmosphere was refreshed. They started a Q&A with hundreds of audience members who had participated in the recording. And the first question was…

[“······”]

It was from a young boy who was silent. Or, to be precise, a child who was using Japanese sign language. Of course, subtitles were displayed below. But suddenly…

-Swish.

Kang Woo-jin, after seeing the Japanese sign language question the child had posed, got up from the sofa and strode forward. He walked right in front of the young child. Soon, Kang Woo-jin was naturally communicating with the young child in Japanese sign language.

Various effect subtitles were added to ‘Ametalk Show!’ which was broadcasting this.

And this scene.

[“Grandpa! I! I was on TV!”]

Chairman Hideki, watching with emotion alongside his grandson Shingo, stroked Shingo’s head while also staring intently at Kang Woo-jin on TV. He assessed his appearance, physique, and demeanor. Then, he focused on the Japanese sign language Woo-jin was using.

He was more impressive than he had expected.

More than anything.

‘He catches my eye. His performance is good. Was approaching Shingo like that and using sign language the production team’s idea? No, it’s definitely his idea. It’s an idea that only someone who knows sign language well would think of. Because the eyes and expressions need to be clearly visible.’

Kang Woo-jin was skilled at techniques that emphasized his presence. There would be some stage direction or adaptation, of course.

‘He knows how to command attention. His stage presence is also good. The best part is that cool composure. He’s definitely not ordinary.’

Chairman Hideki’s interest in Woo-jin grew even more.

Meanwhile.

As ‘Ametalk Show!’ was nearing its end, everyone gathered in the main control room of the private broadcasting station TBE was celebrating wildly.

“We’ve surpassed 20.5%!”

Even if it wasn’t the overall viewership rating, it was enough. Even if it was a real-time viewership rating for reference, the numbers had already far exceeded expectations. Thanks to this, congratulations poured in on the bewildered face of PD Shinjo.

“Shinjo! You did great, you did great!”

“PD Shiiki!! Congratulations!”

“I was worried because public opinion wasn’t good, but it’s turning around like this??!”

“How long has it been since we had a 20% viewership rating?! Hey! Shinjo! Get a grip!”

“Hahaha, Chief, this guy is out of it!”

The soul of the exhausted PD Shinjo did not easily return. That’s because…

‘20%?!! Did we really surpass 20%??’

The viewership rating of over 20% that was unfolding before his eyes was something that hadn’t happened since the early days. Even looking at the entire history of the long-running ‘Ametalk Show!’, the average viewership rating was 10%, and the highest, 23%, was 8 years ago. It was the episode with a popular Hollywood actor.

There had been no 20% viewership rating since then.

Kang Woo-jin had raised it again. Of course, it wasn’t solely due to Kang Woo-jin’s power. It was the result of a combination of Director Kyotaro and numerous other factors.

Even so, the one at the center was…

“Shinjo! You have to contact that Korean rookie. No! Kang Woo-jin, right??”

No matter what anyone said, it was Kang Woo-jin.

At that time, in Korea.

The location was the production company of ‘Freezing Romance’. It was a large conference room in that production company. Roughly a dozen people were gathered. ‘Freezing Romance’ had already finished its script reading, and now they were in the final production meeting during pre-production.

So, not only the directing PD but also the key staff of various teams and writer Lee Wol-sun, who was adorned with jewelry, were also in attendance.

Now, only filming remained for ‘Freezing Romance’.

Major decisions such as set design, location scouting, actor casting, and scheduling had already been finalized. And at this final production meeting, the first day of filming was scheduled to be fixed.

What was interesting was…

“The atmosphere around ‘Nakkisaeng’ is getting worse and worse? Public opinion is much worse than a few days ago.”

For some reason, the production manager and the directing PD were talking about Woo-jin and ‘Nakkisaeng’. Writer Lee Wol-sun was the same. The news of ‘Nakkisaeng’ shaking Japan had spread to Korea as well.

“Well, whether it’s in Japan or Korea, film or drama production is always precarious. Everyone knows that.”

“Still, the director was that Director Kyotaro, and the scale was so big, and when the issue of Woo-jin being the lead came out, it was a big deal, right? But suddenly, the situation has changed so drastically.”

“Isn’t it common for the media and public opinion to change their stance? The backlash is probably big because the issue was so huge.”

“Is it true that the investors of ‘Nakkisaeng’ are pulling out because of Kang Woo-jin? I heard they’re still pulling out.”

The ‘Freezing Romance’ team, although it was not their problem, expressed their disappointment because Kang Woo-jin was involved in the incident. The more Kang Woo-jin soared, the more trickle-down effects there would be for ‘Freezing Romance’.

“It feels like it’s going to be canceled, a bit—it’s a shame. I thought Woo-jin was going to make history.”

“If ‘Nakkisaeng’ is canceled like this, will it have an impact on Woo-jin?”

“It will have some, but if you look at the big picture, it’s actually beneficial for Woo-jin even if ‘Nakkisaeng’ is canceled. The negative comments are temporary, and Woo-jin’s recognition in Japan has increased exponentially.”

“Still, there will be some damage to his image, and it’s definitely best for ‘Nakkisaeng’ to be produced rather than canceled. It would also be a first.”

“Hmm—given the atmosphere, the viewership rating for that talk show that Woo-jin is appearing on will probably be bad.”

“Ah, that one? Ametalk? It’s a national talk show in Japan, but right now, it’s getting a lot of flak from the public.”

At this point, writer Lee Wol-sun, who had put down her phone, refocused the production meeting.

“We’ll see what the results are. We need to fix the first day of filming first, right?”

The directing PD and the key staff regained their focus.

“Ah, right. Let’s see—the writer said it would be good to start with Jang-hwan and Woo-jin’s scene, right?”

“That’s right. It’s the most important scene in the early part, and it’ll be easier to capture Jang-hwan’s emotional line. And it was said that it’s better to match Woo-jin’s schedule this month.”

“Yes, I heard from CEO Choi.”

Writer Lee Wol-sun, nodding, asked the production manager.

“I heard that Woo-jin’s filming for ‘Island of the Missing’ is imminent. When is the filming start date?”

“Ah—I heard it’s confirmed for the 25th. And they’re leaving for overseas location about a week later.”

“Then it seems like it would be best for us to schedule the first filming around the 20th? What do you think, PD?”

The directing PD, stroking his chin, looked down at the expected filming schedule in front of him and replied.

“Today is the 16th—roughly a week.”

“It’s a bit tight, but it’s not impossible, right? Everything that needs to be set up is already done. And Jang-hwan said he has no other schedule besides ours.”

“The props and sets are a bit lacking… but it’s possible if we hurry.”

“Then can we confirm it?”

“Well, Woo-jin’s filming schedule is only two days at most, so it’s better to do that. We don’t know how long we’ll have to wait if Woo-jin leaves for overseas location for ‘Island of the Missing’.”

As the opinions were mostly gathered, the directing PD continued.

“We need to check Woo-jin’s schedule right away. Ah, writer. What do you think about that? The actors wanting to observe on Woo-jin’s filming day.”

Soon, writer Lee Wol-sun, as if it didn’t matter.

“Doesn’t it matter? As long as it doesn’t interfere with filming. They probably want to see it with their own eyes. It might be stimulating.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m going to go see it too.”

Just as things were slowly wrapping up.

“Huh?!”

The assistant director exclaimed in slight surprise.

“Ametalk Show! There’s an article out now saying the viewership rating surpassed 20%??”

The shock spread to everyone, including writer Lee Wol-sun.

“Huh, how much did it surpass??!”

Thus, the record-breaking viewership rating renewal of ‘Ametalk Show!’ quickly spread to Korea as well.

『‘Monster Rookie’ Kang Woo-jin’s Episode Surpasses 20% Viewership Rating on Japan’s National Talk Show ‘Ametalk Show!’』

Because Kang Woo-jin was so popular, domestic reporters were monitoring the situation in Japan in real-time. In other words, Japan, like Korea, was quickly reporting the reversal of ‘Ametalk Show!’

『[Issue Check] ‘Another 20% After Hanryang?!’ Kang Woo-jin’s Solo Appearance on ‘Ametalk Show!’ Renews Viewership Rating』

『‘Pour Me a Shot of National Pride!’, Kang Woo-jin Records 20% Viewership Rating on Japanese Talk Show/Photo』

As a result, the negative public opinion in Japan was gradually changing.

-Wow! Ametalk’s viewership rating surpassed 20%?? Everyone was saying they wouldn’t watch it!

-(Laugh) Everyone was probably curious about Kang Woo-jin

-I don’t think Kang Woo-jin is that great? I didn’t see any particular charm, so I wish he would stop coming to Japan!

-↑Those kinds of hateful comments are what kill people

-I came after watching Kang Woo-jin’s YouTube!! Total shock!! He’s really good at singing!! Crazy!!!!!!!!

-Hwa-rin and Kang Woo-jin… their chemistry is good…

-His Japanese is perfect? You can tell he put in a lot of effort

-Yeah, at that level, he wouldn’t sound awkward at all even if he spoke Japanese lines

-Oppose!! Oppose Kang Woo-jin!!!

-I’ve come to like Kang Woo-jin, especially the scene where he does Japanese sign language. He went directly to the boy and did sign language… why is it cool?

·

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Of course, it wasn’t a complete turnaround to positive, but many changes were visible. The biggest question among them was…

-Guys, more than that, am I the only one curious about why Kang Woo-jin is so good at Japanese, and even knows Japanese sign language????

It was his fluent Japanese and Japanese sign language. The next morning, on the 17th, the official viewership rating of ‘Ametalk Show!’ was announced in Japan.

『Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Ametalk Show!’, Official Viewership Rating is 20.4%』

Indeed, the power of ‘Ametalk Show!’ at 20% was significant. The influx of viewers, inflated several times over, began to flow into Kang Woo-jin-related content.

The situation was similar in Korea as well as in Japan.

For about two days.

In Korea, there was even an incident where the Japanese ‘Ametalk Show!’ Kang Woo-jin episode was uploaded to illegal sites.

However.

『Film Industry Expert: “It Seems About 70% of the Investment Funds for ‘Nakkisaeng’ Have Been Withdrawn”』

The crisis related to ‘Nakkisaeng’ in Japan was still ongoing.

Morning of the 21st, Suwon.

The KBC drama production center located in Suwon. In other words, a large filming set. This KBC drama production center was divided into inside and outside. The scale was quite large. Inside the production center, there were sets in each section, and numerous lights were hung from the ceiling.

In front of one of the sets, cameras and various audio equipment were already being set up.

“No!! Not that light! Behind here!!”

“Ah! I’ll fix it right away!”

“Set team! This door is creaking!”

“The PD told us to make it creak!”

There were easily over 50 staff members gathered. The shape of the set was reminiscent of a corridor in a luxury apartment.

At this time.

“Art team! The PD is looking for you!!”

The directing PD called for the art team. Looking at him, the directing PD was familiar. The script he had tucked into his back pocket had this title on it.

-‘Freezing Romance’

In other words, this was the filming set for ‘Freezing Romance’.

At this very moment.

-Squeak!

A foreign car stopped in the outside parking lot. It was a red car, and a woman with flashy earrings and other accessories got out of the car. It was star writer Lee Wol-sun.

What was interesting was…

-Thud!

When she closed the car door and turned her head, Lee Wol-sun smiled as soon as she saw the van that had just parked nearby.

To be precise.

“Mr. Woo-jin, you’re here early?”

“Ah—yes. Hello, writer.”

It was a smile thrown at Kang Woo-jin, the ‘Mysterious Man Next Door’ who had gotten out of the van. No, from today, he would be participating in the filming of ‘Freezing Romance’ for about two days.

Meanwhile, in a slightly dim editing room.

Many monitors, various devices, audio equipment hanging on the wall, etc. The scenery of the editing room was the same as usual, but the people gathered and the atmosphere were generally depressed. It was as if there was no energy in this editing room.

In that editing room, there were roughly four or five people. Among them, a familiar man caught the eye.

“Hoo—ugh, finally.”

It was director Shin Dong-chun, who had just slumped back into his chair, his face covered in dark circles. Then, after patting the shoulders of the surrounding editors, he suddenly took out his phone and made a call somewhere. The other party was Netflix Korea.

“Ah—General Director.”

It was General Director Kim So-hyang, and director Shin Dong-chun murmured with a faint upturn of his lips.

“It’s done, the post-production.”

The editing had just finished. In other words, ‘Male Friend’, which included a steamy first scene, various OSTs [Original Soundtracks], and the hot spring ‘Han In-ho’, was completed.

“Let’s set a date.”

It was a signal that only the launch remained.

End