I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 187

Inside the plane heading to LA International Airport.

The plane, which had departed from Incheon Airport, had been in the air for about two hours, and it was expected to take another 11 hours to reach LA International Airport. What was unusual was that there were quite a few broadcasting staff and celebrity staff on this plane.

It was the ‘Our Table’ team.

There were already dozens of them, and when you added the staff of the performers, the scale was considerable. Among them were the cast members of ‘Our Table,’ and Kang Woo-jin, with an indifferent face, was looking out the window. He looked calm, but his heart was full of excitement.

‘So many clouds. Wow, it’s spectacular, spectacular.’

He felt like a child going on a picnic. Woo-jin, whose core was that of a native Korean, couldn’t believe that he was going to America. Just earlier this year, when he was working at a design company, he couldn’t have imagined such a sight unfolding before his eyes.

Even.

‘I’m filming a variety show in America.’

It wasn’t a vacation trip, but a filming trip as a cast member on a show by the variety show mogul, PD [Production Director] Yoon Byung-sun. On the plane, Woo-jin realized once again that life was like a kaleidoscope.

At that moment.

“Woo-jin-ssi.”

From the right seat, Hong Hye-yeon, with her long hair tied up, stared at Woo-jin’s profile and spoke to him.

“Why are you spacing out like that? Are you lost in memories?”

For reference, the cast members’ seats on the plane were arranged by team. Kang Woo-jin and Hong Hye-yeon from the kitchen team, Hwa-rin and Ha Kang-soo, Ahn Jong-hak as the boss, and Yeon Baek-gwang as the youngest. Anyway, at Hong Hye-yeon’s question, Woo-jin turned his head from the window.

Memories? What memories.

It was his first time on a plane to America, so there was no way he could have any memories. Then, Kang Woo-jin suddenly remembered the misunderstandings he had been under. Was it about being an international student? It was already a deeply ingrained idea. But Woo-jin didn’t want to create non-existent American memories. The answer here was to gloss over it vaguely. And add a little bit of bluff.

His voice naturally deepened.

“No. I was just thinking about my work.”

Hong Hye-yeon, who was dumbfounded, chuckled and shook her head.

“Even at a time like this? I know you’re a hard-working genius, but take a break.”

“I am taking a break.”

Not outside, but in the subspace.

“When? I haven’t seen it? When we were filming ‘Island of Disappearance’ in Da Nang, you were always looking at the script even during breaks?”

That’s when I went into the subspace.

“I rested when you weren’t looking.”

“You’re funny. I was watching you the whole time… no, ahem! Anyway, think about something else.”

Hong Hye-yeon suddenly changed the subject.

“Is your jet lag okay? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since it’s not your first time in America, right?”

Jet lag? LA, where they were going, was 16 hours behind Korea. But it would be okay. He had the subspace.

Right then.

“Hey- everyone?”

PD Yoon Byung-sun, who had been talking with the writers, pushed up his glasses and stood up from his seat. It seemed he had something to say to the cast members.

“These days, they don’t really use airplane travel cuts, but just in case, I’ve installed mini-cams around you guys, okay? Chat a bit and then go to sleep.”

Ahn Jong-hak, who had slicked back his hair, grumbled.

“If they don’t use them, why not just take them out?”

“Hey- we can’t waste a single cut when we’ve gathered such great people.”

“Squeeze it, squeeze it. So, can you tell us the destination soon?”

“Yes, yes, that’s what I was about to tell you.”

Yoon Byung-sun PD, who was smiling wryly, continued to speak to the cast members, including Kang Woo-jin.

“I told you we’d be going with a food truck for the first two days, right? The location is a place called North Hollywood Park. There’s a food truck street there. We’ve also booked accommodations nearby, and when we arrive at LA International Airport, we’ll first look at the prepared food trucks and then move to the accommodations.”

Kang Woo-jin’s heart began to beat faster.

PD Yoon Byung-sun, unaware of this, introduced a suitable schedule.

“When we arrive at LA International Airport, it’ll be early morning, and since we’ll have jet lag, we’ll take it easy on the first day. Instead, we’ll film the introduction of the food trucks, the accommodations, and a tour around the accommodations. We’ve already got the inserts. The real stuff starts on the second day.”

Yoon Byung-sun PD, who was explaining, asked Ahn Jong-hak, who had his arms crossed.

“So, leader-nim? What’s the first thing we need to do on the second day?”

Ahn Jong-hak shrugged his shoulders and answered nonchalantly.

“Why am I the leader?”

“Because you’re the boss, right?”

“A figurehead, a figurehead. The concept is cooking, so of course, the leader should be the chef, Woo-jin-ssi.”

“Then what do you do?”

“Support the chef. In any restaurant in America, the chef is a god.”

“Are you okay with being ordered around by a junior? I don’t think Woo-jin-ssi would care about seniority when giving orders?”

“What’s wrong with that? Actually, being the one receiving orders is the most comfortable.”

“Your true feelings are showing. You want to be comfortable.”

“I’m a figurehead, remember?”

Soon, small laughs spread among the staff. Then, Ahn Jong-hak leaned forward and met Kang Woo-jin’s gaze.

“So, Woo-jin-ssi, start giving orders.”

Suddenly, everyone on the plane’s attention was focused on the silent Kang Woo-jin. Suddenly? Normally, this would be a moment to be flustered, but Kang Woo-jin nonchalantly brought up ‘Chef’s Recipe.’ Then, a decent answer came out in an instant.

“We should decide on the menu and then select and buy the ingredients.”

PD Yoon Byung-sun clapped his hands as if it was the right answer.

“As expected of the leader-nim! By the way, are we going to make all the dishes selected for the food truck? Chef-nim?”

“It’ll be difficult. The space is small and the movement will be tight. Two simple ones would be appropriate.”

“Two! Okay, you can decide on the menu, Chef-nim. We’ll buy the ingredients according to the decided menu. From the time we arrive in LA, Woo-jin-ssi will be in charge.”

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin was not a rookie actor. He was Chef Kang Woo-jin.

That’s how ten-odd hours passed.

“Alright! Let’s move!!”

The ‘Our Table’ team and the cast members, including Kang Woo-jin, came out into the arrival hall. A vast airport unfolded at once. Although it was morning, the airport was quite crowded, and the scene that unfolded before Kang Woo-jin’s eyes was shocking.

‘Wow- amazing… no, wow!’

It was amazing to see so many different races mixed together, but the people who seemed to be Americans were incredibly huge. Both in width and height. Looking at them, Kang Woo-jin felt like a hobbit.

‘Th-that black guy who just passed by! His fist is as big as my head??!’

Woo-jin began to get excited inside. This wasn’t just another country, it was like another planet. Meanwhile, someone tapped Woo-jin’s back, who had stopped.

“What are you doing, standing still?”

Thanks to that, Woo-jin, who had snapped back to his senses, barely managed to speak in a low voice.

“Ah- it’s nothing.”

But the excitement inside didn’t subside.

‘Crazy! Where is this place?! Is this even the same Earth??’

Kang Woo-jin and the ‘Our Table’ team arrived in LA.

Meanwhile, in Korea.

It was early morning in the US, but late at night in Korea. Around 11 PM. Korea was still noisy with various issues. In particular, the Hwa-rin assault case was a constant topic in many domestic communities. There, rumors, gossip, misinformation, nonsense, and bullshit were mixed in, and the snowball kept rolling.

Of course, news of ‘Our Table’s’ arrival in the US was also frequently seen in articles. At this very moment, a post was uploaded to a large domestic community.

-Super Super Super Jackpot)) This was filmed by my car’s dashcam right in front (not an attention grab).avi

Just by the title, it was clear what the content was. It was such a hot issue and a large community, so the views quickly exceeded 300. More than half of them probably clicked on it, thinking they were being tricked. Usually, fake posts called ‘fishing’ were often uploaded.

But about 30 minutes later, when the post’s views exceeded 1000.

-Huh? What is this? This is real??

The comments on the post began to explode.

-OMG, I thought it was a composite, but is this real??????

In other words, it was proof that it wasn’t an attention grab.

The next day, around 8 AM.

The location was Jinju, Gyeongnam [South Gyeongsang Province]. A porridge shop near the terminal. It was a familiar place. It was the shop run by Kang Woo-jin’s parents. There were no customers in the porridge shop yet. It was because it was opening time.

On the other hand, Woo-jin’s parents were busy.

His father, Kang Woo-cheol, and his mother, Seo Hyun-mi, were wiping the tables in the hall. What was unusual was that the interior of the porridge shop had changed, and the equipment in the kitchen and the air conditioners in the hall had been replaced with new ones.

The reason was simple.

It was all done by their son, Kang Woo-jin.

In addition, the posters of Woo-jin inside the porridge shop had also increased a lot. Magazine pictorials, advertising posters, ‘Drug Dealer’ posters, ‘Boyfriend’ stills, etc. It seemed that Kang Woo-jin’s fans also came often. On one side of the wall, there were Polaroid photos of their authentication shots.

It felt like it had become a bit of a landmark.

Whatever it was.

-Swish.

Seo Hyun-mi, who was wiping the table, suddenly picked up a thin booklet from the counter. It was an advertisement booklet for a car brand with various new cars, and Kang Woo-cheol, with a strong impression, sighed as he watched his wife settle near the counter.

“Are you looking at that again?”

“Our son is going to change our car, so I have to choose properly.”

“You chose yesterday, didn’t you?”

“When I woke up this morning, I didn’t like the car from yesterday.”

“It’s been days now. It’s been over two weeks just choosing.”

“What’s wrong with that! I’m happy, I’m happy.”

“If you’re happy twice, you’ll memorize all the car names.”

“I already memorized them.”

Seo Hyun-mi, who answered simply, looked at the advertisement booklet again, and Kang Woo-cheol sat next to her as if telling her to do as she pleased. Then, he picked up the remote control placed on the counter. He turned on the large TV hanging on the front wall. The TV was also replaced with a new one by Kang Woo-jin this time.

Soon.

-Swish.

Kang Woo-cheol, who was yawning, changed the channel familiarly. He stopped at a public broadcasting channel. It was obvious that the morning news would be on at this time. Kang Woo-cheol always watched the news while opening the shop, so the couple’s scene was no different from usual.

Therefore, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol’s appearances were the same as yesterday.

However.

[“Next news, we reported on the assault case of singer and actress Hwa-rin a few days ago. Related to that, a new fact was revealed yesterday.”]

Behind the news anchor’s comment on TV, a tidal wave hit Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol’s same daily life.

[“It has been confirmed that it was not her bodyguard who subdued the stalker who attacked Hwa-rin with an awl, but actor Kang Woo-jin. The source was a community site. A citizen who had parked his car at the scene at the time released the black box video. Kang Woo-jin subdued the assailant in an instant, here’s reporter Go Min-hee.”]

At that moment, Kang Woo-cheol’s eyes, who was holding the remote control, widened.

“Huh? What did they say?”

His mouth slowly opened.

Of course, Seo Hyun-mi, who was sitting next to him, also showed a strong reaction. She threw down the advertisement booklet she was looking at and jumped up.

“Wh-what did they say??! What did my son do??! Honey! They just said Woo-jin’s name on the news!!”

“…Yeah, I heard it too.”

Whether they did or not, the news on TV had already started to change scenes. The anchor had disappeared, and something that looked like a black box video was being displayed. It was showing the video that was uploaded to the community as it was.

The start was from when Hwa-rin and Kang Woo-jin were coming out to the parking lot, and at the same time, the reporter’s voice was laid over it.

[“Hwa-rin-ssi and Kang Woo-jin-ssi are entering the parking lot while having a brief conversation. At this time, an assailant with an awl appears.”]

In the video, Kang Woo-jin protects Hwa-rin while subduing the rushing assailant in a matter of seconds. In that short moment, the skill and courage he showed were not ordinary.

[“Kang Woo-jin, who sent Hwa-rin behind him to protect her, grabbed the assailant’s arm first, and in a scene reminiscent of a movie, he twisted his arm and tripped the assailant’s foot, knocking him to the ground. It’s a touch-and-go situation, but Kang Woo-jin is calm.”]

The news showed the cut of Kang Woo-jin subduing the assailant several times. Then, it moved on to the scene where Woo-jin took the awl from the restrained assailant.

[“Kang Woo-jin, who subdued the assailant, took the weapon, an awl, from him and handed it over to the staff. Soon, the bodyguards joined in, and the assailant was completely restrained.”]

Even the situation after that.

[“As you can see, it was Kang Woo-jin who saved Hwa-rin, but it is speculated that the reason it was not known is that Kang Woo-jin took measures to prevent it from being known externally.”]

Then, the news displayed the community site where the black box video was uploaded.

[“The comments from netizens who have seen this video have already exceeded hundreds. Reactions such as ‘I thought I was watching a movie,’ ‘His subduing skills are unusual,’ ‘It’s a composite or CG,’ and ‘It’s even cooler that he hid such a heroic deed’ are pouring in.”]

Soon, the news began to report other news, but Kang Woo-cheol and Seo Hyun-mi were frozen. They were just staring blankly at the TV. Among the two, it was Seo Hyun-mi who spoke first.

“Is, is that our Woo-jin??”

“…It is.”

“It’s… filming, right?”

“It’s not.”

Seo Hyun-mi, who heard the answer, turned her head and met Kang Woo-cheol’s gaze. Both of their pupils were very dilated.

“…How long did Woo-jin take Hapkido when he was young?”

Kang Woo-cheol, who recalled Kang Woo-jin’s appearance from a long time ago, answered briefly.

“Three months.”