I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 210

Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae’s eyes, fixed on Corporal Jin Seon-cheol’s profile, widened gradually. His brow furrowed. The camera slowly moved, capturing it all.

‘Why is he smiling? Did I see wrong? Was it a hallucination?’

That was the exact expression on Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae’s face. He was doubtful. He needed to think, but the situation was too urgent. His brain, overwhelmed by the urgency, spewed out excuses. ‘I must be mistaken. More importantly, the soldiers need to take cover as quickly as possible.’

In that instant, the camera that was filming him up close pulled back.

Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae shouted at the half-crazed soldiers.

“Aaaargh!!!”

“You bastards!! Shoot! Shoot again!!”

“Stick your heads out!! I’ll blow you away!!”

He shouted again.

“You crazy bastards!! Don’t go forward!! Run inside the school!!”

Then, he turned his head sharply and gave a harsh order to Corporal Jin Seon-cheol, who was now sobbing again.

“Jin Seon-cheol! What the hell are you doing? Drag Staff Sergeant Nam! Now!!”

Corporal Jin Seon-cheol, his lips trembling, stammered.

“Y-yes, I understand!”

He was back to his usual self. ‘Right, I must have seen wrong. There’s no way that guy would be smiling.’ When Lieutenant Choi Yu-tae reached that conclusion, Corporal Jin Seon-cheol grabbed the slumped Staff Sergeant Nam Tae-oh and slowly dragged him. His life was almost extinguished. His eyes were unfocused. His breath was shallow. Almost all the blood had drained from his body.

But at the end of his life, for some reason, he called out to Corporal Jin Seon-cheol, who was diligently dragging him towards the school.

“…Jin Seon-cheol.”

The camera focused on the two figures from the side. Amidst the faint dialogue, Corporal Jin Seon-cheol lowered his head. His face was filled with terror, but it disappeared in an instant. One or two seconds. The devilish look was back in Corporal Jin Seon-cheol’s expression as he looked down at Staff Sergeant Nam Tae-oh.

A smile of enjoyment or interest.

Then, Staff Sergeant Nam Tae-oh, using all his remaining strength, opened his mouth again.

“Who are you…”

While dragging his upper body, Jin Seon-cheol subtly pushed the arrow in his abdomen a little deeper, his lips gradually curving up into a smile, and whispered into Staff Sergeant Nam Tae-oh’s ear.

“It’s so much fun here, sweet and salty.”

Around this time, among the many people watching the gathered actors, the men in suits behind Director Kwon Ki-taek whispered.

“Certainly, Kang Woo-jin’s acting is impressive.”

It wasn’t a negative murmur, but an atmosphere of acknowledgment.

“Impressive? No. That facial expression is something that will be talked about in the acting world for years.”

“That’s right. To express a dual personality just with his expression… and yet, it’s acting that you can recognize. It’s insane.”

“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve seen Woo-jin’s acting in person, and it’s shocking. Hanryang Park was also great, but… it’s like the work can’t fully capture Kang Woo-jin’s acting.”

“If we’re talking about looks, he’s several times better in person than on broadcast.”

“That’s right, that’s it.”

After a brief silence, Director Kwon Ki-taek’s signal echoed throughout the set again.

“Cut—Okay. Let’s change to Lieutenant Choi’s angle and go again.”

As a result, this scene was filmed a total of three times. It wasn’t that the actors’ acting was weak. It was just that Director Kwon Ki-taek was being more ambitious than usual.

Because it was the last cut of Staff Sergeant Nam Tae-oh, or rather, Jeon Woo-chang.

Soon.

“Cut, okay. Woo-chang, you’ve worked hard.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek stood up and clapped. All the staff did the same. In other words, Jeon Woo-chang was now leaving ‘Island of the Missing’. Thanks to that, the muscular Jeon Woo-chang, who got up with a rustle, awkwardly scratched his head.

“Hahaha. Thank you, but it feels strange. I’m a bit sad that I’m the only one finished.”

His appearance was peculiar. A muscular man was talking with an arrow stuck in his stomach. Anyway, the actors, including Ryu Jung-min, who handed the prop gun to the staff, also gave Jeon Woo-chang a thumbs up.

“You worked hard, Woo-chang.”

“Wow—going out with an arrow is impactful.”

“What is?”

“It sticks in your memory, right?”

Of course, Kang Woo-jin, who maintained a poker face, also gave a small greeting to Jeon Woo-chang.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Jeon Woo-chang smiled faintly, meeting Woo-jin’s indifferent gaze.

“Hey, Woo-jin. Did you catch a lucky day today? Your acting was amazing. I was actually a bit scared when you looked down at me at the end.”

“Is that so?”

Woo-jin’s answer, full of his usual persona, was indifferent, but inside, he was desperately holding back laughter.

‘Arrow! Tell him to take out the arrow and talk! Ah—the arrow dangling in his stomach is driving me crazy.’

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin unknowingly narrowed his brow. It was because of the smell. An unknown rotten smell was wafting from the entire school building set. The reason was simple. The staff had sprayed fish sauce all over the school at Director Kwon Ki-taek’s direction.

‘Even if it’s for realistic acting, the smell is too much?’

On the other hand, the actors, except for Woo-jin, didn’t seem to mind much. The smell was faint to them. Woo-jin concluded, ‘It must be because of my cooking skills.’

Then.

“Ah—Woo-jin.”

Jeon Woo-chang and Kim Yi-won, having noticed Kang Woo-jin’s expression, approached. It was Jeon Woo-chang who spoke softly.

“You seem a bit down, right?”

Down? What down? What is this muscle man suddenly talking about? Whatever it was, Jeon Woo-chang seemed to have read dissatisfaction in Woo-jin’s current expression. It was a minor misunderstanding, but Woo-jin didn’t particularly ask.

“…”

The muscle man, Jeon Woo-chang, gestured with his chin towards Director Kwon Ki-taek’s spot, where the monitor was placed. There were many people in suits around the director.

“Those guys. They say it’s a pre-arranged inspection, but anyone can see they’re here to verify you, Woo-jin.”

Following him, Woo-jin’s serious eyes moved. Ah—he was talking about them? Kang Woo-jin hadn’t really noticed those people. It was just that when he arrived on set, he thought, ‘There are a lot of guys in suits?’

But in his reply, he added a bit of bravado to his sincerity.

“I don’t particularly care.”

“Hey, still.”

Hah Yu-ra, who was dusting off the dirt on her bob, also joined in. For reference, her bob was a wig.

“It’s definitely verification. From what I heard, there were supposed to be only about five people coming, but there are almost ten of them. It must be because of Woo-jin’s declaration.”

“That’s right, noona [term for older sister or female friend]? What’s with that? They just came in a bunch and ruined Woo-jin’s mood.”

Wait a minute? Mood? Kang Woo-jin’s current condition was arguably at its peak. The details of his continuous ‘Corporal Jin Seon-cheol’ acting had doubled, and he had recently felt that his stamina had also increased quite a bit. Woo-jin guessed that it was probably because he had learned ‘martial arts’. It was then that the tall Ryu Jung-min approached.

“Regardless of them, we just need to act as we always do. They’ll be watching that kind of mentality too.”

Ryu Jung-min, who had muttered, looked at Kang Woo-jin’s indifferent face. Then, he chuckled.

“Well, Woo-jin isn’t the type to be shaken by that kind of thing. More importantly, let’s take a look at the rehearsal for the next scene. Woo-chang, are you leaving right away?”

“No way. I’m going to watch everything. No! Aren’t we having a wrap-up dinner today?! It’s my last day!”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was intently watching the actors on the monitor, was slightly surprised as he looked at the cynical Woo-jin.

‘The volume of his acting is visibly increasing. The way he handles his gaze and expressions to show his dual personality is flexible, and the appeal of his emotions has also become more intense. His movements are also delicate, yet strangely disciplined and ferocious.’

Did he practice acting? No, there wouldn’t be time for that. But Kang Woo-jin’s acting had clearly become more solid and flawless. The destructive power of his acting was similar, but it was as if he was adding flesh to the necessary parts, constantly developing.

At least, that’s how it looked to the eyes of the master director Kwon Ki-taek.

‘It’s like… he bought the necessary abilities and transplanted them into his body.’

After that.

The new year had begun, but the entertainment industry was busier than at the end of the year. From New Year’s special broadcasts to planned programs, parties, events, and so on. It was the same everywhere in the entertainment industry. In addition, as the new year began, a bloodbath swept through the broadcasting world. Many programs disappeared due to reorganization, while others survived.

『[Entertainment] Five variety shows disappear this year, the broadcasting world is sharpening its knives』

Meanwhile, entertainers, including actors, also had no time to enjoy the new year. This period was their peak season. During this time, forgotten entertainers would suddenly rise to fame, become a hot topic, and get a new lease on life.

But this year, it seemed difficult to aim for topicality or issues.

Why?

Because the power Kang Woo-jin showed at the end of the year was too overwhelming.

『[Star Talk] Kang Woo-jin sets a new record in the Korean entertainment industry, the reason why it’s hard to break his 8-award record at the awards ceremony』

『Kang Woo-jin raises his issue power with 8 trophies… What kind of bombshell will he drop this year?』

Winning 8 awards in the year of his debut was a record that would go down in the history of the Korean entertainment industry. And Kang Woo-jin, who was only in his first year of debut, had achieved it. Kang Woo-jin’s momentum had increased several times over, even in the new year.

The articles that appeared when you searched his name were being updated every minute.

『[Issue is] Kang Woo-jin currently solidifies his position as ‘Brand Power No. 1’』

This unbelievable power was clearly confirmed in the numbers related to Kang Woo-jin. The number of SNS followers and fan club members had changed to an astonishing degree, but the number of subscribers to the ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel had increased the most.

[Channel Name: Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character]

[Subscribers: 9.52 million]

[Videos: 35]

He was already looking at 10 million subscribers. Moreover, more than half of the top 10 most popular videos on YouTube were Woo-jin’s videos. They were his crazy antics or interviews from the awards ceremonies.

『’Close to 10 million subscribers’, Kang Woo-jin, who is scheduled to film a blockbuster movie with big names this year… His value will skyrocket』

On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin was buried in the filming of ‘Island of the Missing’.

“Woo-jin! Standby!! Standby!!!”

‘Island of the Missing’, which had declared its crank-in [start of filming] in September of last year, was now in the mid-to-late stages of filming, and accordingly, Director Kwon Ki-taek and the production team were speeding up even more.

『’Master Director Kwon Ki-taek’s’ ‘Island of the Missing’ filming nearing the end… When will it be released?』

Thus, time was melting away.

As that happened, things related to Kang Woo-jin were progressing smoothly. As January 4th ended and the 5th began, a new video was uploaded to the ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel, which had gained monstrous momentum.

This time, it wasn’t a cover video. It was a cooking content.

The guest was Hwa-rin.

Her relationship with Kang Woo-jin was deep. There had been minor scandals after ‘Male Friend’, and Kang Woo-jin had also saved her in the awl assailant incident. It was a bonus that they were both members of ‘Our Table’.

Perhaps because of that, the video with guest Hwa-rin recorded an enormous number of views in just one day.

-【What do you want to eat? (ep1)】 guest/ Hwa-rin｜Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character

-Views: 6.82 million

6.8 million.

Well, it was the result of attracting attention in many ways, but it also clearly proved the ripple effect of the current ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel. However, the ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel did not stop its momentum here.

Because they immediately uploaded a new video on the 6th.

-【Cooking Avatar+ Cover (ep0, Teaser)】 guest/ Miley Cara｜Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character

It was a teaser video of content with ‘Miley Cara’, who had caused a stir in Korea around the end of last year. It was a video closer to a trailer, so the running time was short. About a minute. It had already been repeatedly reported that Cara had insisted on only appearing on the ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel, and since it was global superstar Miley Cara, the impact was enormous.

-Views: 3.12 million

It surpassed 3 million views in just 4 hours after uploading.

-It’s finally out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Crazy???!!! Is it true that Cara and Woo-jin oppa [term for older brother or male friend] sang a duet?!!?!??!!

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋKang Woo-jin Sub-Character is insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Please upload the duet song right now… I’m dizzy…

-But why did Cara only appear on Kang Woo-jin’s channel??? Does anyone know???

-LOLOLOL Kang Woo-jin controlling Cara to cook will be so much funㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Hwa-rin… and even Cara… No, this channel is just Kang Woo-jin’s hobby, but why is the scale cosmic???

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The reaction was explosive. What was unique was that the number of Japanese and English comments was gradually increasing significantly.

And so, the 7th continued. Thursday morning.

Kang Woo-jin, who was focused on filming ‘Island of the Missing’, could be found in his hotel room in Buyeo. The time was around 10 a.m. He had finished preparing for work, and was in a mostly natural state, and for some reason, he was staring at his phone with his eyes wide open.

“Wow… no, wow—that’s really crazy.”

There was no usual persona. The pure Kang Woo-jin himself was in awe. The reason was simple.

“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, hundred million… hundred million?”

What he was looking at was his online banking. He had been too busy to pay attention, but when he looked today, there was an eye-popping amount of money accumulated. Of course, Woo-jin had already seen amounts of money in the hundreds of millions after becoming an actor, but now it was on a different level than before.

“C-crazy.”

The sources were diverse. They were too extensive to list simply. In addition to the appearance fees for various works, there were also the recent mega-hit ‘Drug Dealer’, various schedules, YouTube, and so on. There were even parts that had not yet been settled. If you calculated the future works, it would be a staggering amount.

Wouldn’t it easily be several billion won [Korean currency]?

This was the result that Kang Woo-jin had achieved in just one year. It was an impossible situation for a typical rookie actor. It usually takes a minimum of 3 to 5 years to make a profit. In the whole country. No, probably only Kang Woo-jin could do it and achieve it in the whole world.

Well, even Kang Woo-jin himself wondered if it was a dream, so how could it not be?

‘This is amazing. No, wow—damn. What am I supposed to do with all this money?’

It was money that he thought he would never see or even hear about in his entire life, so Woo-jin, with his mouth open, had no idea how to use it.

That’s when it happened.

-Knock knock.

A knock sounded in Woo-jin’s ears, which were filled with excitement. Thanks to that, Kang Woo-jin was startled and immediately put on a poker face. Soon, Choi Seong-geon, with his ponytail, pushed his face into the room. He had come to pick up Woo-jin. Then, Kang Woo-jin, maintaining as much composure as possible, moved to the filming location with Choi Seong-geon.

Around this time, Choi Seong-geon, who had arrived at the elevator, casually said to Woo-jin.

“Oh, right, Woo-jin. You have a house, right? The one we agreed to give you as a down payment. The paperwork is all done. It’s your house now.”

A house in Samsung-dong was added to Kang Woo-jin’s assets.

At the same time, in Japan. Tokyo.

In the back seat of a top-class sedan driving on the road, a familiar old man could be seen. It was Chairman Hideki, with white hairs mixed in his eyebrows, wearing a neat suit.

As he looked out the window, he suddenly asked his secretary, Riri, in the passenger seat in Japanese.

“Was it today? Did the article go up?”

Riri, who turned and bowed her head, immediately answered, knowing exactly what he was asking.

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Hmm.”

Chairman Hideki slowly nodded and turned on his phone. He accessed Japan’s number one portal site, and a desired article appeared in Chairman Hideki’s eyes when he touched the news section.

『[Breaking News] Kashih Group affiliate, using Korean actor 「Kang Woo-jin」 as advertising model? ‘Unfamiliar event’ has occurred』

It was the first time in Kashih Group’s history to use a Korean actor as a model.

End