I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 156

“Huh? A strong core, you say?”

‘Drug Dealer’ garnered significant attention within the entire domestic film industry. It was a rare R-rated movie, and it also featured acting powerhouses like Jin Jae-jun and Park Ban-seo. But above all, the massive buzz surrounding the newcomer Kang Woo-jin was the biggest factor.

『Jin Jae-jun Praises Kang Woo-jin’s Joker-like Performance in ‘Drug Dealer’: “There was a real ‘Lee Sang-man’ on set.” (‘Hello FM’)』

Consequently, numerous directors and various entertainment industry figures watched ‘Drug Dealer.’

『Star Writer Park Eun-mi Spotted at the Theater: “Came to see ‘Drug Dealer’” / Photo』

『[Photo] ‘The Big Shots’ of ‘Hanryang,’ PD Song Man-woo and Writer Park Eun-mi Enter the Theater Side-by-Side / Photo』

Directors, PDs [Production Directors], writers, film companies, production companies, and countless people from the entertainment industry were among them. Director Shin Dong-chun and his team were no exception. Since it was Kang Woo-jin’s movie that was released while ‘Boyfriend’ was still doing well, watching it was a must, and Shin Dong-chun, with his square jaw, also had a desire for input.

‘The actors’ performances are great, and the directing is good too. Especially the skill in controlling the pace stands out.’

And then there was Lee Sang-man, played by Kang Woo-jin.

As the story progressed, Lee Sang-man changed. His charisma gradually faded, and his voice tone became more frivolous. However, perhaps because it was so natural, the audience was slow to notice. But Lee Sang-man on the screen was sending clear signals.

The first to notice it was Director Shin Dong-chun.

‘His eyes are dull, he scratches his body more frequently, and his gait has lost its strength. He’s dying.’

It was clear. Lee Sang-man was briefly filling himself with vitality through drugs, but his life was fading away.

[“Those Japs [derogatory term for Japanese people] are a bit picky, huh?”]

[“I know. But they said if I apply some varnish, it’ll be fine, so I came.”]

[“Then apply it. Let’s see what you brought.”]

At the same time, his violence also became bizarre.

[“Hehehe, it’s a diamond.”]

Strangely, that bizarre force captivated hundreds of viewers.

“Lee Sang-man seems a bit different, doesn’t he?”

“Right? But he’s scarier now than in the beginning.”

“Still, since Lee Sang-man is a junkie, he’ll probably team up with Jung Sung-hoon.”

And then the twist.

[“Those eyes aren’t a junkie’s eyes, are they?”]

The screen filled with a close-up of Lee Sang-man’s face holding a sashimi knife. His hand was trembling slightly. The audience felt as if a sashimi knife was right in front of their eyes.

[“Those are a cop’s eyes, you’re a cop.”]

Thanks to that.

“!!!”

The viewers’ pupils dilated intensely. Dozens even covered their mouths. Lee Sang-man’s gaze, his breathing, had ensnared everyone. A repulsive yet irresistible feeling. Director Shin Dong-chun, speaking for everyone, assessed the current Lee Sang-man.

‘Such a smooth transformation is hard to portray. You have to maintain the original self while showing that it’s changing, gently coaxing the audience so they don’t feel alienated.’

That was the point of the unbroken captivating power. In other words, a technique that relies entirely on the actor’s performance.

‘It’s possible because it’s Woo-jin, and more than anything, he must have done it very lightly, even though I didn’t see it.’

As the screenings of ‘Drug Dealer’ increased, the popularity of the character ‘Lee Sang-man’ could only rise. As proof, the name Kang Woo-jin was always on the lips of the audience members who came out of the theater.

Around this time, a new movement began to emerge.

It was from acting academies, theater groups, and university drama departments.

“Everyone, watch ‘Drug Dealer’ before the next class. The assignment is to carefully observe the performances of the actors and write down your thoughts on how you would do it. I’ve already seen it, and it will be helpful.”

“Professor! All the actors who appeared??”

“I’ll leave the choice of actors to each of you. But you’ll probably notice Kang Woo-jin’s performance.”

“Ah—Kang Woo-jin.”

“Well, isn’t he the actor closest to your goals?”

For aspiring actors, Kang Woo-jin had become a benchmark. It was as if Kang Woo-jin was paving a sensational shortcut in the domestic acting scene.

“Everyone knows there’s a lot of talk about Kang Woo-jin these days. ‘He’s turning the domestic entertainment industry upside down since his debut.’ Look, it’s possible, right? We have Kang Woo-jin as living proof.”

A role model. If you want to be an actor, you need to have an impact like Kang Woo-jin. That was the thought of most aspiring actors.

And they flocked to the theaters.

Finally, the 29th ended, and on the 30th, the second box office results for ‘Drug Dealer’ were released.

[October 29, 2020, Audience Count]

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Drug Dealer / Release Date: October 28 / Audience: 339,166 / Screens: 1002 / Cumulative Audience: 590,115

2. Monster Priest / Release Date: October 28 / Audience: 110,452 / Screens: 998 / Cumulative Audience: 198,995

3. Crazy Sunshine / Release Date: October 1 / Audience: 30,113 / Screens: 1011 / Cumulative Audience: 3,344,063

4. Nature of a Suspect / Release Date: September 23 / Audience: 8,808 / Screens: 881 / Cumulative Audience: 2,010,261

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Still dominating. The audience numbers even increased significantly from the previous day. The buzz and word-of-mouth generated by Kang Woo-jin were in full force.

As if it couldn’t be stopped.

『‘Drug Dealer’ Surpasses 590,000 in Two Days Since Release… Will It Become the Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film?』

The ‘Drug Dealer’ team was frantically releasing follow-up articles. Of course, the media was also independently spreading the news.

Not only that.

-Ah… I almost peed my pants watching this movie… Time flies + Guaranteed fun! [Drug Dealer Review]｜R Movie

‘Drug Dealer’ was spreading across various video platforms, including YouTube. A combination of intentional promotion and the desire to rack up views formed a certain current.

But of course, when momentum builds, various noises also arise.

Therefore, gradually.

『‘Drug Dealer’ Causes a Sensation Upon Release, Moviegoers Say, “Did Kang Woo-jin Really Do Drugs?”』

『[Issue Pick] ‘Drug Dealer’s’ Early Success Sparks Bizarre ‘Kang Woo-jin Drug Rumors’』

『Movie Community Netizens on Kang Woo-jin’s Insane Acting: “Let’s Get Him Tested”』

In crude terms, even ridiculous nonsense gained traction. The sources were varied.

Unidentified Netizens.

-I found this movie so disgusting lololol

-I saw an article about Kang Woo-jin’s drug rumors, is it true??

-↑That’s just tabloid trash, you idiot.

-lololol but you never know lololol if they test him and he actually has drugs in his system, that’d be hilarious lololol

-If you ignore it, the rumors will die down on their own, why are you guys overreacting???

-R-rated movies usually surge at the beginning and then gradually lose momentum.

-I just watched ‘Drug Dealer’ and Kang Woo-jin definitely has experience lololol

-There are so many idiots here who are going to get sued lololol

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Media outlets desperate for clicks, film companies whose movies were competing with ‘Drug Dealer,’ and so on.

“No way!! How can our ‘Monster Priest’ be losing to an R-rated film?!”

“We, we’re also a bit taken aback. Honestly, we thought we lost on the first day because of Kang Woo-jin and other issues, but we didn’t expect it to be this strong on the second day either…”

“Instead of being surprised, we need to come up with a plan! Huh? At this rate, we won’t even reach the BEP [break-even point], let alone make enough to cover the cost of cigarettes!”

“Yes, yes. We’ve already talked to the distribution company and more than doubled the planned promotion. The actors’ schedules too.”

“We have to do something, anything!”

“Well, ‘Drug Dealer’ will lose steam soon. R-rated movies have their limits, so let’s just wait and see until the end of this weekend.”

Meanwhile, a day passed, and it was a bright Friday, the 30th.

Movies usually premiere on Wednesdays or Thursdays. And there was a saying in the film industry: ‘Wednesdays and Thursdays are appetizers. The real deal starts on Friday of that week.’

『[Movie Talk] ‘Drug Dealer’ Dominates, Competitors Must Close the Gap Today, Friday』

The reason was obvious. Compared to Wednesday and Thursday.

『Aiming for Friday’s Golden Time, Intense Promotion War Among Films Besides ‘Drug Dealer’』

『[Issue Pick] From Teenagers to Families… Let’s Go See ‘Monster Priest’ Instead of ‘R-Rated’ Drug Dealer』

Friday’s impact was immense.

The next day, Saturday, the 31st. Da Nang, Vietnam.

It was morning. The last day of October had dawned. Once today passed, November would arrive. In Korea, a cool breeze would be starting to blow, but Vietnam was still hot.

Thanks to that.

-Whirr.

The air conditioner in Kang Woo-jin’s room, buried in the bed, was working silently.

Around that time.

-♬♪

Woo-jin’s phone, placed by his head, emitted a ringtone. No, it was an alarm. Thanks to the vibration and the sound, Kang Woo-jin, who had been practically dead, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“······Ugh. I’m dying. Ugh!”

Kang Woo-jin, who stretched with a groan, his hair flattened and looking like a mess, wanted to turn off the alarm and laze around in bed even more, but he couldn’t.

‘Standby at 11, was it?’

Today, filming for ‘Island of the Missing’ was scheduled to start quite early. All the leads in ‘Island of the Missing,’ not just Kang Woo-jin, were gathering at the same time.

In other words, a group shot.

It wouldn’t do for Kang Woo-jin, a rookie, to be late when everyone was gathering for the first time in a while. Kang Woo-jin, who had been yawning widely, picked up his phone and got out of bed.

At that moment.

-Buzz.

The phone in his hand vibrated briefly. It was a message. Looking at the screen, the sender was Seo Hyun-mi. In other words, Kang Woo-jin’s mom.

-Mommy: Woo-jin, I saw the article. Congratulations! Your dad is also very happy. You’re doing well, right? Make sure to eat.

Woo-jin tilted his head after checking the message.

“Congratulations all of a sudden?”

Well, there had been a lot to celebrate recently, but was there something today too? Woo-jin was about to reply to his mom when he realized he had a lot of unread messages.

“Huh.”

There were over a dozen. Various people had sent congratulations. At that moment.

-Buzz.

Another message arrived. This time, it was from Director Kim Do-hee. What was interesting was that her message was just a bunch of article links. Below that, the previews of the articles were visible. Kang Woo-jin’s eyes widened as he checked the titles.

“Crazy, 1 million??!”

It was natural.

『[Movie Media] 1 Million Viewers in 3 Days! ‘Drug Dealer’s’ God-like Acting Explodes Audience Numbers, Will It Make R-Rated History?』

He was witnessing 1 million viewers for the first time in his life.