I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 143

‘One-Day Restaurant’? The words of PD Yoon Byung-sun conjured a simple image in Kang Woo-jin’s mind, reminiscent of the somewhat ordinary variety shows he’d seen.

‘Are we doing a trial run before the main filming? Like a part-time job before opening a business. Oh, this sounds fun!’

Though not a PD himself, Kang Woo-jin was already envisioning himself in the variety show, picturing himself awkwardly bumping into customers. It felt strangely both burdensome and exciting.

In his mind, he was being dramatic, but with his concept persona on, Woo-jin asked in a cool tone,

“Are we renting a place and running it for a day?”

PD Yoon Byung-sun, adjusting his glasses, smiled.

“That’s right. We’ve already secured a location. You know those kinds of restaurants? Like Kim Bab Cheon Guk [a popular Korean diner known for its diverse menu].”

“Ah.”

“We’re going to run a K-street food place in the US, but it’ll be boring if it’s just street food, so the concept will be diverse, like Kim Bab Cheon Guk.”

In other words, the main menu would be street food, but they would also offer various Korean dishes like freshly made kimbap [seaweed rice rolls]. PD Yoon Byung-sun then received some papers from the writers and handed them to Woo-jin. They included photos and drawings.

It felt like they were roughly expressing the concept of ‘Our Table’.

-Flap.

As Woo-jin looked at the papers, PD Yoon Byung-sun leaned forward slightly and continued,

“I heard that the overseas filming for ‘Island of the Missing’ starts tomorrow, the 30th, and will last a little over a month.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“CEO Choi said that during filming, around October 17th, you’ll be back in Korea for about a week for a domestic schedule, so we’re planning the filming around that time.”

“Is that so?”

PD Yoon Byung-sun nodded and handed over a transparent file.

“Well, I’ve already spoken with CEO Choi. This is the expected schedule—we’re planning about two days for the ‘One-Day Restaurant’ filming. One day for the cast to meet beforehand and practice cooking, and the next day, we’ll immediately have them run the restaurant.”

That’s it, without enough practice? It was almost like a Spartan training. Well, it’s a variety show, so is that normal? Anyway, it’s just practice in name only; it’s just about getting a feel for it. Whatever it was, Kang Woo-jin wasn’t nervous about the cooking practice.

‘Hah. I have recipes and techniques.’

Thanks to the grace of the subspace, he had acquired the skills of a chef. Around this time, following PD Yoon Byung-sun, the main female writer sitting next to him added explanations about the filming.

“As the PD mentioned, we’ve already secured a restaurant for the ‘One-Day Restaurant’. It’s not in Seoul, though. We’ll be taking applications for the customers who will come for the surprise opening—and, by the way, we won’t be making over 30 dishes like a real Kim Bab Cheon Guk.”

“Then?”

“For now, we’re looking at about five dishes. We’ll decide whether to increase or decrease based on how it goes. Just the basics. Ramen, kimbap, or tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes], etc.”

Indeed. Woo-jin was relieved. Honestly, if there were dozens of dishes like Kim Bab Cheon Guk, it would be chaotic, regardless of how well you could cook. At that moment, the main writer opened her mouth again, showing a tablet.

“You know Chef Lee, right?”

The tablet displayed a profile of a familiar chef, someone who often appeared on variety shows. Kang Woo-jin had seen him a few times on YouTube.

“Yes, I’ve seen him on TV.”

“On the practice filming day, a mentor will be assigned to each part, and we’ve hired this person for the cooking part. The chef will come and teach you the basic recipes.”

“I see.”

PD Yoon Byung-sun interjected, his smile mischievous.

“Of course, you can add your own creations to the recipes you’re taught. We’ll have our staff try the dishes and give feedback.”

“What if they don’t like it?”

“You’re out. But since this is going to be sold in the US, it can’t just be okay. So, you should probably stick to the recipes you’re taught.”

That was natural. It was a project to promote Korean food abroad, so they couldn’t just make something mediocre. PD Yoon Byung-sun added to this.

“Well, you’ve seen it before, right? When a celebrity shows off a creative dish on TV, and it becomes so popular that it’s sold commercially? It has to be at that level, or it’ll be tough.”

Ah—is that what they’re talking about? Woo-jin vaguely remembered something like that. Celebrities appearing on various food shows and having their ramen, pizza, or spaghetti dishes sold as actual products.

Suddenly, as Woo-jin’s mouth watered, PD Yoon Byung-sun changed the subject.

“Anyway, that’s the gist of the filming, and it’ll take up about half of the first episode. However, not all the cast members will have the same format. Kitchen, hall, counter, and promotion. Each section will have different training and responsibilities. So, about that.”

“I’m pretty good at cooking.”

But before PD Yoon Byung-sun could finish his question, Woo-jin interjected nonchalantly.

“I think I’m not bad.”

Thanks to that, PD Yoon Byung-sun and the writers widened their eyes slightly, and then a bit of laughter mixed in. They thought they had captured a funny scene. Of course, everything was being filmed.

“Oh, really? Woo-jin is good at cooking? Somehow—I can’t imagine it. No matter how I look at you, you don’t seem like the type who’s good at cooking? Is it because you’re so rough? What do you guys think?”

PD Yoon Byung-sun asked the writers around him, and the four or five writers looked at the silent Woo-jin and answered.

“Ah—well, he doesn’t seem like he’d be flashy?”

“Right. Just nonchalantly, like, ‘thump, thump’? You just do survival cooking, right?”

“But with acting, vocals, foreign languages… if you’re good at cooking too, you’re too much of a cheat character. You can be bad at something.”

Most of them expressed that they thought Woo-jin would just do basic home cooking. PD Yoon Byung-sun’s gaze was similar. Well, Woo-jin thought it was better to keep his mouth shut here, so he chose silence. Then, PD Yoon Byung-sun slowly nodded.

“Okay, then Woo-jin will be in the kitchen. It’ll be more eye-catching if you don’t look like you can cook. Whether your role will be main or assistant, our staff will decide after tasting your food on the filming day!”

“So, I’m confirmed for the kitchen?”

“Yes, Woo-jin is confirmed for the cooking department.”

He was emitting a strange smile. Of course, the writers were the same. They were looking forward to Kang Woo-jin failing miserably.

“I’m looking forward to your cooking, Woo-jin.”

That was the face they wanted.

At the same time, in an office that was not yet organized.

An office where numerous piles of papers, posters, books, etc., were scattered everywhere. An office that looked like a junkyard at first glance. A desk was placed in the office. The desk was also messy. However, what stood out was a framed poster of ‘Profiler Han Ryang’.

A man was sitting at that desk. A familiar beard. It was Song Man-woo PD. In other words, this was the production company he had newly opened.

“Hmm.”

Song Man-woo PD, whose face had become puffy as if he had gained weight, was looking intently at the desk. His expression was quite serious.

“It was okay-”

He muttered to himself, looking at two stacks of papers placed on top of each other. Of course, they were scripts. Looking closely, they were familiar. Why? These two scripts were the ones that had been passed to Kang Woo-jin before and returned.

Then why was Song Man-woo PD looking down at the scripts and agonizing?

Then, Song Man-woo PD.

“······”

While looking down at the scripts, he recalled the phone call he had with Kang Woo-jin a few days ago after receiving the scripts back.

It started with Song Man-woo PD’s voice full of anticipation.

“Oh, oh! Did you read them all??! How were they?”

Kang Woo-jin’s answer was as cynical and clear as ever.

“They were okay, PD-nim.”

To Song Man-woo PD, this sounded a bit ambiguous.

“······Okay?”

“Yes.”

“Both of them?”

“Yes. Both were okay. If I had to say, ‘The Praised Chef’ was a bit better.”

Okay? Was this good or not? Song Man-woo PD paused for a moment, then asked in a different way.

“Then, if I were to pass these two scripts to Woo-jin? Would you do it? You can be honest. You would anyway.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Ah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“······”

Song Man-woo PD, who had snapped back to his senses at the low apology, slowly shook his head.

“No, why are you sorry, Woo-jin? More than that, you decided on Han Ryang after only seeing the first episode script, right?”

“Yes.”

“But these aren’t it, you’re saying?”

“That’s right.”

Here, back in reality, in his office, Song Man-woo PD leaned back deeply in his chair. Then, a long sigh.

“Phew—if Kang Totem says that, it means both of these are bland.”

Song Man-woo PD slowly stroked his beard. Kang Woo-jin probably wasn’t being indirect, but there was a nuance of politeness. Perhaps he had toned down the facts a bit, considering his relationship with Song Man-woo PD.

‘Even if the totem didn’t activate, I thought I’d try it if I just heard it was okay. Hah—hearing it now, it feels very unsettling.’

More than anything.

‘If Woo-jin isn’t interested, even if I go through the script revision process… it’s meaningless.’

Kang Woo-jin had to be included in Song Man-woo PD’s blueprint. That’s why he showed the scripts to Kang Woo-jin first, even if it was under the guise of script evaluation.

But this was like going backward.

Thanks to that, Song Man-woo PD put the scripts he was looking at into his desk drawer. Then, he made his face more serious.

“This won’t do, I need to find something else.”

The next day, September 30th, at the airport.

It was a vast airport with many planes coming and going. However, the scenery was unfamiliar. There were foreigners, but not many, and there were quite a few Koreans passing by, but not all of them. Of course. This wasn’t Korea.

This airport was Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam.

That Da Nang International Airport was bustling with a large crowd, and at that moment, a large group came out through the arrival gate. Just by looking, it was an unusual number of people. It was easily over 50 people. The eyes of the people stationed in the airport lobby were focused on them.

Foreigners, as well as Koreans who had come to travel.

“Oh!! Hey, hey, over there! Isn’t that Ryu Jung-min?!!”

“Really?! Where?”

“Over there! By the arrival gate! That woman is Ha Yu! And the guy behind her is Kang Woo-jin?!!”

“Crazy! It’s real??! Ah! This must be that! The filming for ‘Island of the Missing’!”

“Wow! Come quickly! Let’s see them up close!”

It was true. That huge group was the real ‘Island of the Missing’ filming team. It was quiet in Da Nang, but there had already been a commotion in Korea.

『[Star Talk] Ryu Jung-min, Ha Yu-ra, Kim Yi-won, Jeon Woo-chang, and Kang Woo-jin… Director Kwon Ki-taek’s ‘Island of the Missing’ team departs for overseas location filming/Photos』

『Incheon Airport bustling with ‘Island of the Missing’ team』

『’Issue Monster’ Kang Woo-jin calmly signing autographs for the gathered fans/Photos』

The overseas filming schedule for ‘Island of the Missing’ had begun. Therefore, the huge group included Director Kwon Ki-taek, dozens of staff members, and the lead actors. Soon, onlookers began to gather around the ‘Island of the Missing’ team. There were quite a few Koreans.

“Wow!! Hello!!”

“Kyaa!! Ryu Jung-min! Ryu Jung-min!!”

“Woo-jin oppa [an affectionate term for an older brother or male friend]! I’m a ‘Strong Heart’!!”

“Ha Yu-ra is crazy! Her proportions are insane!”

“Isn’t that Kim Yi-won and Jeon Woo-chang behind them?!!”

Because a huge group of top actors were gathered together. Of course, there were also supporting actors besides them, but the onlookers were just busy looking at the top actors. The ‘Island of the Missing’ team was gradually in danger of being isolated due to the gathering onlookers.

“Excuse me!! Please let us pass!!”

From the airport entrance, dozens of men rushed in and made a path. The line PD in charge of the overseas location had appeared. Soon, the actors and the ‘Island of the Missing’ team left the airport following the path made by the guards. Even in the midst of this, the onlookers were busy taking pictures with their phones.

Finally.

-Swoosh.

The ‘Island of the Missing’ team arrived in front of several vans and mini-buses parked right in front of the airport.

“Please board in order! We’ll head straight to the accommodation!!”

At the line PD’s shout, the ‘Island of the Missing’ team began to get into the cars one by one. Among them, Kang Woo-jin, wearing a hat pulled down low, stood out.

“······”

With a poker face on, he was quietly looking around the airport. His face was as cold as ice, but inside, he was jumping for joy.

‘Wow—damn, Da Nang. This place feels a bit more overseas? Are all those trees palm trees?? Something! Something definitely smells like a different country!’

Then, Kang Woo-jin looked up at the murderous sunlight shining on his face, and his first impression was simple.

‘But it’s so damn hot? Crazy. I’m going to get cooked, cooked. I’m supposed to act here??!’

Next to Woo-jin, Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, wiped away sweat and stuck to him. His face was full of hell.

“Ugh—it’s hot, it’s hot, man, it’s murderous? Are you okay, Woo-jin?”

Kang Woo-jin’s answer was full of bravado.

“I’m fine, CEO-nim.”

‘Island of the Missing’ had begun its overseas filming.

About two weeks later, Seoul. October 17th.

The location was the living room of a luxurious house. An old man was sitting on the head seat of the sofa in the living room, which was mostly filled with wooden interiors. Short white hair and a face full of wrinkles. In terms of age, he seemed much older than Director Kwon Ki-taek. The aura he exuded was also extraordinary.

A bit of an old master’s power was felt.

Next to him, a man in his 40s, full of embarrassment, was talking.

“D, Director. Even so… wouldn’t it be difficult to find an actor who is fluent in sign language? You know that usually, they practice like crazy or use a stand-in, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Yes, yes, and not all of the acting is in sign language, and the sign language acting is only a few dozen cuts, right? To find an actor who has learned sign language for that, it’s a bit—Director, actors learn foreign languages, including English, but they don’t learn sign language.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, you’re aiming for international film festivals, and it’s your 100th film, right? The condition must be that acting is number one.”

“······”

At the man’s words, the old director closed his mouth. He just stared intently at the man. But why did it feel like a beast was quietly growling? Soon, the man, who was sweating profusely, lowered his eyes and changed his words.

“I, I’ll do my best to find someone.”

The old director suddenly took out his phone from his pocket and turned something on. Then, he showed the phone to the man.

“Where is this guy now?”

The man, tilting his head, fixed his gaze on the phone. A YouTube video was playing on the phone. An edited version of a famous Japanese talk show. A scene where an actor was talking to the audience in sign language.

-Kang Woo-jin doing Japanese sign language on the Japanese national talk show Ametalk show!! (My own edited version)｜God Issue King TV

It was Kang Woo-jin from ‘Ametalk show!’