I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 20

Kang Woo-jin’s February came to an end. Looking back, February was a month of enormous events for Woo-jin, who was just an ordinary person. Anyway, March began. March was going to be a month where a lot would happen, and before he knew it, Saturday, March 7th, had arrived.

Today was the day they were leaving for the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ MT [Membership Training, a team-building retreat] and script reading. The current time was dawn. The location was Kang Woo-jin’s studio apartment. Naturally, the studio was dark, and Kang Woo-jin was fast asleep.

What woke him up was.

-♬♪

The cell phone ringtone, which sounded even louder due to the quiet, went on for about a dozen seconds. Half-awake, Woo-jin fumbled around and barely picked up the phone placed by his head.

Still groggy, he put the phone to his ear without checking the caller ID.

“…Hello.”

A hoarse voice came out, his throat still tight with sleep. In contrast, a clear female voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

“Oh my? You were asleep.”

“……”

Kang Woo-jin flinched as soon as he heard the woman’s voice and checked the phone screen. He squinted at the bright light that seemed to blind him.

-Hong Hye-yeon.

The caller was top actress Hong Hye-yeon.

“!!!”

Kang Woo-jin immediately jumped up and checked the time. It was a little past 4 AM. What was going on? Was this a dream? Why was Hong Hye-yeon calling at this early hour? While many thoughts crossed his mind, Woo-jin first got his wits about him.

‘Ah- first, let’s get into character.’

He barely managed to regain his composure. Thanks to being somewhat used to playing a role, it didn’t take long.

“What’s the matter?”

“Aren’t you getting ready?”

Ready? Ah, ready to go to the MT and script reading?

“I understand we’re supposed to arrive by 9 AM.”

“That’s right.”

“I was planning to take the staff minibus.”

“Ehh- that would look a bit shabby. It’s the first appearance of the popular star ‘Manager Park,’ after all. I told you, the actors and staff are all very curious about you.”

“……”

“Where do you live?”

“Near Suji.”

“Ah, just a moment.”

There was a sound of her operating her phone, and then Hong Hye-yeon continued.

“Then, Suji-gu Office Station? Come out here in two hours.”

What was this? This felt like she was making a date? Woo-jin blinked his eyes and asked back.

“Why?”

Through the phone, Hong Hye-yeon’s laughter-filled reply was heard.

“Why else? I’m saying I’ll pick you up. Let’s go in my car instead of the minibus.”

About two hours later.

The time was approaching 6 AM, and it was early in the morning, so there weren’t many people on the streets. Among them, Kang Woo-jin, wearing a bomber jacket over a hoodie, was walking.

He stopped when he saw his reflection in the glass of a store.

“Ah- still, it’s the first script reading, should I have dressed up a bit?”

It was a script reading attended by top actors and many others. That’s why Woo-jin had been thinking about it, but PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo had just told him to come comfortably. Everyone was coming casually.

So, Woo-jin dressed as coolly as possible.

However, because he tried too hard to look like he didn’t care, Kang Woo-jin’s current appearance was the very definition of free-spirited. But the die was cast. Going back was too much of a waste of time.

“Tsk, whatever.”

Thanks to that, Kang Woo-jin, who felt like he didn’t care anymore, quickened his pace again. Soon, he could see the area around the station. Two large cars immediately caught his eye. A black van and a luxurious white van were parked on the side of the road near the station.

That must be them. They were clearly unusual cars.

Sensing this, Kang Woo-jin put on a solid poker face as he crossed the crosswalk. He had been chanting the spell of acting tough all the way here, so he wasn’t worried. However, he needed a stronger mindset than usual.

Because he was about to ride in the car of the goddess Hong Hye-yeon.

Soon, Kang Woo-jin, who had arrived in front of the two cars, rolled his eyes. The car windows were so tinted that he couldn’t be sure which one it was. That’s when it happened.

-Slide!

The back door of the luxurious white van slid open. At the same time, Kang Woo-jin smelled a pleasant fragrance. Then, Hong Hye-yeon, wearing a hat, appeared, waving her hand.

“Did you come?”

She was smiling inside the white van. Morning or not, that woman was still beautiful. Woo-jin was internally impressed, but he spoke in a cold voice.

“Yes, hello.”

“But… Woo-jin.”

Hong Hye-yeon, who was in the car, scanned Kang Woo-jin up and down. She seemed concerned about his attire.

“Wow- you really don’t seem nervous at all?”

“I am nervous.”

“You expect me to believe that? I mean, even if it’s just a script reading, there will be a line of actors, staff, and reporters, etc. There will be at least 50 to 60 people, and your outfit is so casual?”

“I dressed appropriately.”

“Too appropriately?”

Ah, this. Did I dress too casually after all? As Woo-jin was about to say ‘oops,’ Hong Hye-yeon shook her head as if she was fed up.

“I knew it, but you really don’t care about what others think. You’re an actor now, you know?”

“……”

“For us, the set is a battlefield, makeup is our armor, and acting is our weapon. If you’ve decided to reveal yourself, you need to manage your image.”

Hong Hye-yeon suddenly started nagging. If it had been his mom’s sharp nagging with a back smack, he would have run away.

‘Her nagging is sweet. Why?’

Because it was Hong Hye-yeon, even this sounded sweet to Woo-jin. More than that, when he looked closely, Hong Hye-yeon looked like she wasn’t trying, but she was clearly dressed up. Full makeup, overall fashion balance, and so on. In today’s terms, it was the epitome of ‘effortlessly chic’.

Around this time, Hong Hye-yeon let out a small sigh.

“Let’s get in. People will see us.”

She gestured for him to get into her van. As soon as Kang Woo-jin got into the van, the van and the minibus immediately departed. Meanwhile, Hong Hye-yeon, looking at Woo-jin sitting across from her, crossed her arms.

“There’s so much to tell you. Why do you use that good-looking face like that? You’re flawless in acting, but in this area, you’re a complete blank slate.”

It was nagging again, but everything was going in one ear and out the other for Woo-jin. There was no way he could concentrate.

For Kang Woo-jin, the current situation itself was too stimulating.

This was inside the car of top actress Hong Hye-yeon, something he couldn’t have even dreamed of a month ago. The distance between her and him was close enough to hear each other’s breathing. Hong Hye-yeon was nagging at Woo-jin while emitting a pleasant fragrance. And the atmosphere was such that it could be mistaken for an intimate relationship. It felt surreal.

So, Woo-jin.

“……”

Just chose to remain silent. For now, let’s just maintain the character. He just looked out the window.

At that moment.

-Swish.

Hong Hye-yeon reached out her hand towards Woo-jin’s face as he was looking out the window. Startled by that, Woo-jin instinctively moved without realizing it.

-Thud.

“Ah.”

“Huh?”

Kang Woo-jin had slightly brushed away Hong Hye-yeon’s hand. He saw that she was holding a makeup powder puff in her hand. Then, there was a moment of silence. It lasted for about 10 seconds.

Then.

“…You said you’d give me basic makeup. Didn’t you hear?”

Hong Hye-yeon muttered slightly sulkily, and Kang Woo-jin, who was trying his best to hide his embarrassment, quickly made an excuse.

“I’m sorry, I don’t like anyone touching my face.”

That wasn’t true. Thanks to that, Woo-jin internally lamented.

‘Ah- I’m screwed. I’m ruined, my image is ruined. She’s going to hate me.’

On the other hand, Hong Hye-yeon, who was carefully observing Woo-jin’s firm face, thought.

‘He doesn’t like people touching his face? Does he have some kind of story? Something related to his past… But this is the first time I’ve been rejected so openly.’

It was treatment she was receiving for the first time in her life.

‘Ha, seriously. This is kind of hurting my pride.’

Around 9 AM, Gyeonggi-do, Gapyeong.

The location was a condo in Gapyeong. It was a large condo with a total of five buildings, and numerous cars began to park in the outdoor parking lot in front of one of the buildings. Vans, minibuses, large vans, etc. There seemed to be over 30 of them.

The reason was simple.

This condo was the location for the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ MT and script reading. The ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ team had rented one entire building of the condo for 1 night and 2 days.

Thanks to that, the outdoor parking lot was packed.

“No, no!! That’s this way! Bring it this way!”

“Hey! Rookie! Who told you to put down the equipment like that! Don’t you know the lighting equipment is expensive?!!”

“Okay, everyone! Let’s quickly move the luggage first and set up the reading room!!”

“We’re short on walkie-talkies!”

Dozens of staff members were unloading luggage from the buses, and the actors who were arriving one after another were busy greeting each other.

“Wow- you look better? Is that cosmetic you’re advertising really worth it?”

“What do you mean? Are you going to use it, oppa [an honorific term used by females to address older males]? By the way, oppa, I heard you’re doing a variety show?”

Reporters and the actors’ managers were also seen. If you counted the number of people, wouldn’t there be over a hundred?

The overall picture was reminiscent of a college MT.

For all of them, the first thing to do was to unpack their luggage in their assigned rooms, and the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ staff were busy with various setups. Everyone was slowly gathering in the large hall on the first floor.

The script reading would begin at 10 AM in this hall.

Originally, it was an empty space, but now it was different. The hall was as large as a school auditorium, and desks were arranged in a square shape in the middle. On top of them were placed snacks and drinks, and more than 40 chairs were placed around the square desks. Dozens of folding chairs were also visible at the entrance of the hall.

A large-scale script reading room at a glance.

There were many small cameras placed everywhere and large cameras placed all around the hall. There were even about six filming teams filming all over this huge reading room. They were the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ making team.

The making team was busy running to get interviews every time an actor appeared.

“What was the biggest reason you decided to do ‘Profiler Han-ryang’?”

“Hahaha, what is this? Are you really filming now?”

If they filmed anything, they could use it later as making-of footage, previews, and teasers. Anyway, the actors slowly arrived at the huge hall. Lead roles, main and supporting roles, supporting roles, etc. Their manager teams took seats around the square desks.

Several tens of minutes later.

Before they knew it, the place was so full of people that it was hard to find an empty seat.

What was interesting here was.

“Did you find the actor playing Manager Park?”

“No? Not yet. He’ll come to the reading today, right?”

“There’s a rumor that he’s from overseas, is a real foreigner going to appear?”

Almost all the actors who had gathered were talking about the role of ‘Manager Park’.

“Ah, we can see him today. I’ve been dying of curiosity, really.”

“Me too. I guess we’ll find out how innovative the actor is that they’ve kept it a secret until today.”

“All the rumors were probably nonsense, seeing as none of the actors who were mentioned are showing up.”

“Why isn’t he coming though?”

The actors were constantly whispering and glancing at the empty seat for the role of Manager Park.

It was at this time that Hong Hye-yeon, wearing a hat, appeared.

“Hellooo-”

As soon as she appeared with about six staff members, greetings were thrown her way. In the midst of Hong Hye-yeon greeting the actors, a tall man joined her.

“Hong Hye-yeon, are you going to have a get-together after the reading today?”

It was top actor Ryu Jung-min, who played the male lead in ‘Profiler Han-ryang’. He was still maintaining his long hair because his hairstyle hadn’t been decided yet, and Hong Hye-yeon shrugged her shoulders and answered casually.

“I don’t know, depends on my condition? But we came all the way here, shouldn’t we join in at the beginning?”

“Ah- I guess we should. Oh right, hey, have you seen the actor playing Manager Park?”

Hong Hye-yeon smiled nonchalantly at the question.

“Who knows?”

“Ah, when is he coming? I’m dying of curiosity. Is he not coming today either?”

Ryu Jung-min scanned the surroundings and made eye contact with a man wearing a bomber jacket among Hong Hye-yeon’s managers.

“Oh- this person has a good mask for a manager? He’s handsome. And his physique is good too. Hey, Hong Hye-yeon, this person is too good to be a manager?”

Hong Hye-yeon smiled at the bomber jacket manager.

“Really? Should I try to make him an actor?”

“Hahaha, that’s good. If you have Hong Hye-yeon as your backer, it’s a highway for a rookie.”

Ryu Jung-min, who was laughing heartily, spoke to the bomber jacket manager. It was a nuance like he was just killing time.

“You should really try acting. It’s a waste of your face.”

“……”

But the manager didn’t answer. And he had an indifferent expression. Ryu Jung-min, who was scratching his long hair, turned his gaze back to Hong Hye-yeon.

“This person is chic. He has an aura. Or is he nervous? Is he a newbie?”

That’s when it happened.

-Swish.

PD Song Man-woo with a beard appeared at the entrance of the large hall. Of course, writer Park Eun-mi, with her long permed hair, was also with him. Thanks to that, the dozens of people filling the hall moved to their respective seats.

Soon, PD Song Man-woo and writer Park Eun-mi stood side by side at the head of the square table.

At this time, all the actors’ attention was focused on PD Song Man-woo, and Ryu Jung-min, the male lead sitting right next to him, suddenly opened his mouth.

“PD-nim [an honorific title for a director], ah- what is it? The actor for Manager Park isn’t here. Is he not coming?”

Dozens of actors nodded in agreement. Then, PD Song Man-woo with a beard and writer Park Eun-mi smiled slightly. It was PD Song Man-woo who spoke.

“He’s here?”

“……Huh?”

“???”

Soon, the actors tilted their heads and had question marks in their eyes. Regardless, PD Song Man-woo turned his head and looked towards the middle of the square table.

What was immediately visible was the cast list placed on the table.

-[Manager Park Role]

And for some reason, PD Song Man-woo nodded while looking in that direction. Who was he nodding to? In an instant, all the actors’ gazes were focused on the seat for the role of Manager Park. Not only the actors but also their managers and the production staff. That was clearly an empty seat.

But a man wearing a bomber jacket was standing in the seat, having arrived at some point.

It was the man whom male lead Ryu Jung-min had called Hong Hye-yeon’s manager. Thanks to that, Ryu Jung-min with long hair blinked his eyes while looking at the man. However, despite the tremendous attention, the bomber jacket man was unfazed and had a cold, expressionless face. He briefly scanned all the actors gathered in the large hall.

Soon, the man who had pulled out the chair for the ‘Manager Park’ role muttered to everyone. His voice was cold.

“Hello, I’m Kang Woo-jin, playing the role of ‘Manager Park’.”

In that instant.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The huge hall that had been buzzing was instantly silent.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────