I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 183

When Kang Woo-jin first saw the assailant rushing towards Hwa-rin, his instincts took over. It was such an urgent situation. His brain and body reacted reflexively. However, reason quickly intervened.

‘This is enough, right? I can stop him. First, I need to grab that arm with the awl.’

Kang Woo-jin quickly assessed the assailant’s posture, build, and weapon, and a solution immediately formed in his mind. The assailant was simply charging forward. There was no technique involved. In that brief moment, Woo-jin shielded Hwa-rin with his body, obscuring the assailant’s vision. Everyone has a moment of hesitation. The assailant was no different.

Should I hide? What should I do? Should I stab Kang Woo-jin first?

The assailant’s pupils briefly wavered. Kang Woo-jin didn’t miss that moment. He immediately snatched the hand holding the awl and subdued him in an instant. He had already clearly visualized what to do, so there was no hesitation. It was all thanks to the ingrained ‘martial arts.’

And now.

“Aaaack!! Get off!! Get off me!!!”

The assailant was thrashing with his face buried in the floor. Woo-jin calmly looked down at the back of the assailant’s head that he was pressing down on.

It was then that he realized.

‘Wow, seriously? That was crazy.’

What he had just done so casually.

‘Did that just happen?? It really happened. That was awesome just now.’

He wasn’t flustered. He was just amazed that his abilities worked so well in reality. ‘Martial arts’ was different from things like language or vocals. It could be used to strike and attack an opponent. Moreover, the ‘martial arts’ ingrained in Woo-jin were not just ‘imitations.’

What Kang Woo-jin possessed was the real deal.

However, what you imagine and what you see in reality are worlds apart. Such events shouldn’t happen often in the first place. Kang Woo-jin had learned ‘martial arts,’ but he never expected to use them so directly.

Therefore, Woo-jin’s heart pounded belatedly.

At that moment.

-Swish.

The subdued assailant thrashed even more on the floor. The assailant’s strength, the sensation, the screams. A subtle shiver ran down Kang Woo-jin’s arm. Amazement, a sense of accomplishment, and a strange excitement enveloped him. It was an emotion similar to pleasure.

However, Kang Woo-jin was different.

‘But, it doesn’t feel that good, though.’

He didn’t welcome violence. While the situation itself was something to be proud of, he didn’t want to experience it again. This was the honest feeling of the real Woo-jin.

Still, well, the situation is resolved, so that’s good, right?

Then, Kang Woo-jin firmly established his persona and solidified his ego. Now was the time to hide his pounding heart and lower his voice. Due to the situation, Woo-jin was surprised by the deep tone that came out.

“Call the police.”

Soon, several large guards rushed over. One grabbed the assailant’s arm that Woo-jin was holding, and the others grabbed the assailant’s body and legs. The assailant, who couldn’t move even when Woo-jin was holding him down, was now as good as locked in an iron fortress.

“Aaaack! Get off!! Get off me!!!”

However, his insane struggles showed no sign of stopping. Then, Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail and the chubby manager rushed towards Woo-jin.

“W, Woo-jin! Are you okay?!”

“Are you alright?!”

The stylists, who arrived late, looked confused and went to Hwa-rin.

At this point, Kang Woo-jin slowly got up.

-Swish.

While putting on an even colder expression.

‘Is Hwa-rin okay???’

He spoke to Hwa-rin, who was in shock in front of him.

“Hwa-rin, are you okay?”

Hwa-rin, still covering her mouth with both hands, was dazed for a moment before finally opening her mouth.

“······Ah, yes?? Ah, yes, I’m okay.”

It was then that Woo-jin calmly nodded to the people around him, except for Choi Sung-gun.

“I’m fine.”

A cold demeanor without any wavering. Hwa-rin’s chubby manager was slightly impressed by this.

‘What, how is he so calm? Everyone else is agitated, but he’s the only one who’s so nonchalant… and what was that move just now?’

Choi Sung-gun, standing next to Woo-jin, was also lost in thought for a moment.

‘That’s why he’s been acting like he’s ordinary. If he hadn’t, would people have approached him? But, what did I just see?’

Then, Choi Sung-gun suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Ah!”

With worry in his eyes, he began to feel Woo-jin’s arms and body all over.

“No, you idiot! Are you really okay?! Look! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

Hey, where are you touching? Woo-jin lowered his voice.

“Representative.”

“Here? How about here?”

“Representative, I’m fine.”

“Aish, seriously you!”

Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, looked down at the subdued assailant. His eyes were filled with anger.

“Who are you!! What are you, you bastard! Are you a stalker?!”

Choi Sung-gun had a similar experience a few years ago. The victim was Hong Hye-yeon. There were quite a few celebrities who had experienced similar incidents. Surprisingly, such things often happen in the entertainment industry.

For example, sasaeng fans [obsessive fans who invade the privacy of celebrities].

Whatever it was, Woo-jin approached the shocked Hwa-rin. She was being supported by the stylists and was trembling slightly. Kang Woo-jin made eye contact with Hwa-rin but didn’t offer any words of comfort or concern.

‘What should I say in this situation? I really have no idea.’

He had no clue. Would just saying anything calm her shocked heart? In the end, unable to find an answer, Kang Woo-jin turned his gaze to the surrounding stylists.

“It would be best for Hwa-rin to go to the car.”

The stylists quickly nodded and slowly moved with Hwa-rin. At that moment.

“Hwa-rin.”

“······Yes?”

Woo-jin said quietly to Hwa-rin as she passed by.

“Chanel Allure.”

“Huh?”

“You asked about the perfume.”

Woo-jin gestured for Hwa-rin to show her wrist, then took out a perfume vial from his pocket and lightly sprayed it on her wrist.

“The perfume, Chanel Allure.”

Soon, Woo-jin looked at Hwa-rin for a moment before walking towards Choi Sung-gun. Hwa-rin got into the white van with difficulty, still smelling the scent on her wrist.

“······It smells nice.”

She felt a little calmer.

Back in the underground parking lot where the assailant had appeared, the atmosphere was chaotic. The police had already been called, and the assailant was subdued by the guards, unable to do anything but breathe. His screams had stopped, as if he had run out of energy.

Then, Choi Sung-gun, scratching his ponytail, asked Hwa-rin’s chubby manager.

“What is this guy?”

The chubby manager gave a reply filled with embarrassment, annoyance, and apology.

“I’m sorry, it seems like he’s Hwa-rin’s sasaeng or stalker.”

“Ah-”

“It’s been a bit unsettling lately. Strange letters have been coming to the company. Sasaengs are always a problem for Hwa-rin or ‘Elani,’ but… I never thought a crazy guy would come out with an awl.”

The manager trailed off, gritting his teeth, then turned his head sharply towards Woo-jin.

“Woo-jin, are you really okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

After hearing the answer, the manager politely bowed to Kang Woo-jin.

“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, Woo-jin, I don’t know what would have happened… If you feel any pain later, please tell us immediately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The chubby manager, letting out a long sigh, suddenly remembered something and asked Kang Woo-jin.

“But Woo-jin, how did you do that?”

“Hmm?”

“No, I mean just now. How you grabbed the assailant and subdued him so quickly.”

“······”

Ah, that? I received it as a gift from the subspace. Since he couldn’t say that, Woo-jin cynically changed the subject. He pointed at the assailant on the floor with his index finger.

“More importantly, shouldn’t we check this person’s pockets?”

“Yes?”

“He might have come by car. If he did, there might be some evidence inside.”

“Ah!”

The manager’s eyes widened as he searched the pockets of the assailant on the floor. A car key was found. Then, Kang Woo-jin pointed to the end of the parking lot with his index finger.

“Press it.”

-Beep!

An alarm sounded from somewhere. It was a gray compact car parked in the corner of the parking lot. Many things were found inside the car. Among them, the most notable were the posters and merchandise of Hwa-rin filling the back seat, and a camera with its memory full of Hwa-rin’s pictures. The chubby manager was furious as soon as he checked the car.

“That bastard!!!”

Several guards had to stop the chubby manager from attacking the assailant. At this point, Woo-jin, who had been quietly observing the situation, finished his thoughts.

‘There aren’t many witnesses, right?’

Then, he casually said to Choi Sung-gun next to him.

“Representative. I’d like my involvement in this incident to be omitted.”

He was asking for his part in subduing the assailant to be left out.

“I’d rather not have things get unnecessarily noisy. It’s not a good thing.”

Honestly, Woo-jin had no intention of using his ingrained ‘martial arts’ outside of acting, and he never thought such a thing would happen. But the incident had occurred. Kang Woo-jin’s thought here was simple.

‘There’s a smell of misunderstanding.’

He sensed that another misunderstanding of a different kind would arise if he wasn’t careful. There were already many misunderstandings surrounding Woo-jin. No, even if it was already too late to fix them, there was no reason to add to them, right? If this blew up, his acquaintances would surely bombard him with questions.

In short, it was annoying.

Kang Woo-jin was already going through a lot and struggling. So, that was enough. Let’s not make things bigger. He just wanted to be a little more comfortable.

That was all he was thinking.

However, Choi Sung-gun, looking at Woo-jin, had no way of knowing this.

‘…He must be saying that he doesn’t want to use such a terrible incident to gain fame.’

He turned his gaze away from Woo-jin and scanned the inside of the parking lot. The CCTV cameras on the ceiling and the few parked cars.

‘The witnesses and CCTV can be handled by talking to Hwa-rin’s side, but it’s difficult to deal with those cars.’

Anyway, if Kang Woo-jin, the person involved, didn’t want it, Choi Sung-gun had to agree and take action.

‘…Okay, let’s do as Woo-jin says here, and then let things flow naturally.’

If he ignored it and used this incident, there would be an uproar. But an unnatural intention wouldn’t be of much help to Kang Woo-jin right now. There was nothing to be sorry about.

‘It could backfire. Like his relationship with Hwa-rin.’

After finishing his calculations, Choi Sung-gun made eye contact with Woo-jin again.

“Okay. Leave the cleanup to me. I’ll go talk to them over there. But the incident itself will probably be widely reported. Hwa-rin’s company will handle the incident, but they also need to issue a general warning. We need to remind the public of the danger.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Okay, you get in the car for now.”

A few minutes later, the police arrived at the scene, and in the meantime, Choi Sung-gun got into the passenger seat of the van. Inside the car, only Kang Woo-jin was seen looking at his phone. The rest of the people were outside. Soon, Choi Sung-gun, making eye contact with Woo-jin in the back, let out a small sigh.

“Hoo- Woo-jin. It’s mostly sorted out.”

“Is that so?”

Choi Sung-gun’s sigh deepened at the question.

“Honestly, I’m so glad that Hwa-rin is okay, but you’re more precious to me, you know?”

Wow, touching. Woo-jin hid his emotion and replied in a low voice.

“Yes, Representative.”

“Next time, use me as a shield instead. I’d rather get hurt than see you get hurt 100 times over. Got it?”

Woo-jin brushed off his words. That would never happen.

“How was it handled?”

“What do you mean how? The evidence is undeniable. Hwa-rin’s side is ready to punish that stalker properly, and the incident will be reported as early as tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I conveyed what you said, but that manager said he had to report it to the CEO. The CEO of JML Entertainment is a good person. I’ll take care of that part.”

“I understand, Representative.”

At this point, Choi Sung-gun opened and closed his mouth out of the blue. He seemed hesitant to ask. Then, after scratching his head, he opened his mouth with a ‘what the heck’ expression.

“But… how did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“What do you mean what, you idiot? How you subdued that assailant.”

“Ah.”

“I know I sound crazy for asking this, but Woo-jin, are you perhaps a secret agent or something… Ha, seriously. What is this.”

Woo-jin was genuinely dumbfounded by the question. Huh? What? A secret agent? He almost lost his composure. But he barely managed to hold it in. Thinking about it, he could understand his question.

‘I guess it could look like that?’

He was fluent in several foreign languages, even various sign languages, had god-like acting skills and abilities that he would dedicate his life to, and the martial arts skills he had shown earlier. What about Kang Woo-jin’s cold personality? Even his past was shrouded in mystery.

‘Wow, what is this? It’s like the setting for a spy movie protagonist?’

As expected, misunderstandings were swirling. It was the moment when the reason to hide today’s incident became clear. Therefore, Woo-jin sincerely denied it.

“No, not at all.”

“Hahaha, okay, okay. Just forget it. Think of it as nonsense.”

“I’m just an actor, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Yeah, yeah. But how did you subdue that guy earlier? It was short, but… that’s not something you can do easily.”

Woo-jin chose the truth as his answer.

“I did a little Hapkido when I was young.”

“······Hapkido? A little?”

Kang Woo-jin had actually done Hapkido when he was young. Choi Sung-gun decided to just accept this absurd answer.

“Ah- okay, Hapkido. Right, it was Hapkido. Hapkido. Right, it was Hapkido.”

It was futile to try to understand.

The next morning. December 3rd. Inside a meeting room.

Choi Sung-gun, wearing a black blazer, was seen in a medium-sized meeting room. For him, who usually dressed casually, it was a rather formal appearance.

In front of him.

“Haha, my movie has become quite noisy, hasn’t it?”

Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his short white hair, was sitting there. Of course, he wasn’t alone. The movie company’s CEO and staff were with Director Ahn Ga-bok.

In other words, this was a meeting related to the movie ‘Leech.’

However, Kang Woo-jin was not there. The reason was simple. Woo-jin was currently busy with his schedule, and this was going to be a very realistic discussion. Woo-jin had expressed his intention to appear in ‘Leech,’ but it was only a verbal confirmation. Therefore, Kang Woo-jin’s formal contract was to be finalized here. In addition, Woo-jin’s fee.

Then, Choi Sung-gun responded with a business smile.

“I was a little surprised. Shim Han-ho-nim, I was so surprised to see the article so suddenly without any prior notice.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok gave a wrinkled smile, as if he understood.

“I’m sure you were. However, I was also surprised. I didn’t know there was a reporter at that restaurant.”

After some polite small talk, Choi Sung-gun took the lead.

“Director, does actor Shim Han-ho really have any intention? Or is it just a reporter’s blunder?”

“Shim Han-ho and I are close friends. But it wasn’t just a meeting for a meal. It would be good for CEO Choi to know. Of course, I also gave the script to actor Shim Han-ho.”

“······I see. Did Shim Han-ho also talk about our Woo-jin?”

“I explained everything. That I gave him the script for the second time as well.”

At that moment, Choi Sung-gun let out a groan. In his mind, of course.

‘He, he actually said that?? Shim Han-ho should have been the first to receive it, no matter what?!’

However, the veteran Director Ahn Ga-bok didn’t care. He just maintained his wrinkled smile.

“Well, shall we begin?”

Director Ahn Ga-bok turned his gaze to the movie company’s CEO, who then spoke about the main points.

“Let’s start with this.”

A transparent file was handed to Choi Sung-gun.

“This is a draft of Woo-jin’s appearance fee that we have set. We will finalize it at this meeting today.”

“Yes, I’ll take a look.”

Several words were visible to Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail, but the key point was this.

-Kang Woo-jin / Appearance Fee: 150 million / Running guarantee of 100 won per additional viewer if the break-even point is exceeded.

“!!”

A fixed appearance fee of 150 million and a running guarantee of 100 won. In simple terms, if the number of viewers exceeds 5 million, Woo-jin would receive a total of over 600 million won. It was an absurd amount for a rookie in his first year, and his value had increased tremendously compared to the time of ‘Island of the Missing.’

He was being treated well enough.

However.

‘I can inflate it more, this.’

Choi Sung-gun was confident that he could raise Woo-jin’s value even more.

End