I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 220

In Kang Woo-jin’s, or Kiyoshi’s, mind, the only person he respected, who had thrown herself from the railing, came to mind. ‘Misaki Toka.’ That unreserved, lonely smile, and her school uniform buttons that looked as if they had been forcibly torn off.

‘It must have been you, Ginzo.’

While it was true that Ginzo was involved in bullying ‘Misaki Toka,’ he had always looked at her in a peculiar way. It was because he had a pathological obsession with women. That’s why that smile of yours now is wrong.

It’s not that you shouldn’t laugh, but you shouldn’t forget.

It wasn’t intense hatred. Rather, it was completely empty. It was just a reminder of the necessity of the task. The worn-out paper in Woo-jin’s pocket. The nine names written on that paper.

At that moment, Ginzo, having finished his conversation with the woman, started walking again.

-Swish.

Kang Woo-jin, who had been watching idly, also began to move. Ginzo was unaware that a ‘stranger’ was following him. Although it had been over a month, he hadn’t noticed even a hint, and Kang Woo-jin had spent that month figuring out even his most trivial habits.

He was a bit taller. But he was still shorter than Woo-jin. An advantage.

Despite appearances, Ginzo had a family and young children. He also had a respectable job. Commuting to and from work. What time he left the office, what time he took the subway, his frequent bars, the acquaintances he met, his travel routes, the secret lovers he met, the illegal encounters he committed once a week, and the karaoke girls he met under the guise of business trips.

Perhaps Kang Woo-jin knew more details than Ginzo himself. About his life, or his entire existence.

He recorded and stored everything with terrifying meticulousness.

That Konakayama Ginzo entered his company.

“8:48 AM. Three minutes later than yesterday.”

Kang Woo-jin, or Kiyoshi, took out an old-fashioned cell phone. It wasn’t registered under his name. He had bought it from one of the homeless people in a vacant lot a little ways from the station. Not just one, but several. The camera he was holding was also a film camera.

He had already collected enough of Ginzo’s dirty secrets.

Enough. Now, let’s set up the fireworks. First, he would shake Ginzo by holding his company and family hostage. Woo-jin sent a text message to Ginzo. The message was short.

‘Let’s start with—yes, an affair would be good.’

Exactly one minute after sending the text, Ginzo received a call. Woo-jin answered the phone with a blank expression.

“Hello.”

Ginzo, on the other end of the phone, was furious.

“You, you! Who are you?!”

“Does it matter? First, come outside the company.”

He hung up immediately. The phone rang again, but Kang Woo-jin ignored it. Across the street, Ginzo, his face a mix of despair and anger, rushed out of the company. Woo-jin watched him with a hazy gaze for a moment.

‘What form would be good?’

He had no intention of giving Ginzo immediate comfort or death. He would slowly, or gradually, tighten the noose. That smile from before would not exist after today.

‘What about decorations?’

Well, I won’t get an answer, so I’ll decide myself. Anyway, you’ll be isolated. The dessert you’ll taste for over a month starting today is a mental hell. Anxiety, vigilance, discomfort, restlessness, unease, and all similar emotions.

“Is that enough for today?”

Leaving the frantic Ginzo across the street, Kang Woo-jin entered a nearby fast-food restaurant. He was moderately hungry.

From that day on, one by one, Ginzo’s dirty secrets were delivered to him.

The numbers changed frequently. But the sender was clearly the same.

“Damn it!! Who the hell is this bastard?!”

Every day was becoming more disgusting for Ginzo. His wife’s suspicion deepened, and he couldn’t focus on his work. Even the woman he liked didn’t catch his eye. The moment a person’s peace is shattered, they are engulfed in extreme anxiety.

Ginzo spent every day in agony and ended it with alcohol.

But in the morning, a text message would always arrive.

Why are you doing this to me?

If you want money, I’ll give it to you, and if you want a woman, I’ll give you one. But the anonymous sender made no demands. They were just taking away Ginzo’s life day by day.

Then.

“Ugh! Ack-”

Ginzo, who had passed out drunk, barely opened his eyes. His body was churning. And he was cold. Why was it so cold? Ginzo let out a faint groan and slowly raised himself.

“…Huh??”

His eyes widened in an instant. He realized that he was lying on a swaying boat floating on the sea.

It was at this moment.

“You’re awake?”

The expressionless man sitting in front of him came into Ginzo’s view.

“It’s been a while, Ginzo.”

It was ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.’

20th, Kyoto, Japan.

Late afternoon. In front of them was the sea, and behind them were the lush mountains of the fishing village ‘Ine Funaya’ [a traditional village with houses built along the water]. The underwater village, which seemed to float on the sea, was usually bustling with tourists, but since yesterday, ‘Ine Funaya’ was crowded with a film crew.

It was the ‘Strange Geisha’ team.

The place where about 70 to 80 Japanese staff members had gathered was at the end of the houses that were densely packed and seemed to float on the sea. Near where several boats were docked.

The filming conditions were not very good.

“Director! Please check the monitor!”

Some cameras were set up on land, but a couple had to be on boats. Thanks to this, two members of the film crew had to get on the swaying boats with cameras on their shoulders. On the other hand, the general manager of this site, Director Kyotaro, with his gray hair, was checking the monitor from his seat in front of the monitor set up on the pier.

“Number 2, let’s move a little further back!”

“Yes, sir!”

Frantic radio communications were going back and forth. Not only the film crew, but also the lighting team that was raising the lights as the sky darkened, the diving team that was there for safety, and the drone team that was in charge of inserts and backgrounds.

“Director! Drone is going up!”

“From the entrance of the village!”

All the teams were preparing for filming with serious expressions, braving the cold weather. Today was the official first day of filming for ‘Strange Geisha.’ Of course, the clear preparations had been made since the rehearsal yesterday, but the tension was several times higher today, the day of the crank-in [start of filming]. Meanwhile, the directing and production teams were setting up tents behind Director Kyotaro and controlling the onlookers, including the villagers who had gathered.

In addition, there were quite a few guests at today’s filming.

Most of them were gathered in the second of the two large tents. Some of the lead actors who were not filming today but were present on set, the original author of ‘Strange Geisha,’ Akari, key executives from ‘Toega’ Film Company and the distributor of ‘Strange Geisha,’ and about five Japanese journalists who were allowed on set.

Akari, the author, with her glasses perched on the tip of her nose, was standing next to Director Kyotaro, admiring the scenery. The background unfolding as per the scenario seemed to please her.

“It’s great, as you said, Director, ‘Ine Funaya’ was the right choice.”

Director Kyotaro, who was busy communicating with the staff, smiled faintly.

“Thank you. I took a few shots of the scene during the rehearsal with the actors yesterday, and it’s better than I expected.”

“The village of ‘Ine Funaya’ is a beautiful place, but it also feels scary. The blue sea in front, the green mountains behind. But the village itself can look grotesque depending on the direction.”

Meanwhile, dozens of staff members were glancing at the first tent while preparing for filming. It was the tent where the actors who would be filming today were gathered.

“Did you see the rehearsal yesterday? I thought it was a bit boring.”

“I think it’s because the actors were acting with less energy. The director also directed them that way.”

“…Well, yeah—but Kang Woo-jin’s acting seemed a bit weaker than during the script reading.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It caused quite a stir among the filming crew.”

Among the things the staff were talking about, there were surprisingly many concerns.

“Will it be okay? The actors seemed a bit uncomfortable with each other during the rehearsal yesterday.”

“Kang Woo-jin, who is the main lead, caused a stir as soon as he came to Japan, so it’s understandable.”

“Considering that… I was a bit disappointed.”

There were many people on the ‘Strange Geisha’ team who had not attended the script reading in the past. In other words, there were quite a few staff members who were seeing the lead actors for the first time. As expected, most of the conversations included Kang Woo-jin, who was at the center of the controversy.

He was the only Korean actor on this film set.

Not only them, but many people had similar thoughts. Would it be okay? If things continued like this, the movie would be labeled as controversial. Currently, the interest in ‘Strange Geisha’ was explosive in Japan. In addition, the entire Japanese entertainment industry was focusing on Kang Woo-jin.

“If the visuals are ambiguous, it might end up being rejected by hardcore fans of the original work as soon as it’s released.”

“The media will also have a field day mocking it.”

“I’m worried, the noise is much louder than the initial plan. The atmosphere and expectations are so high. To properly put an end to it, the quality has to be so good that no one can say anything…”

Like the conversation the film company officials were having, the position of ‘Strange Geisha’ was fifty-fifty. It was at its peak in terms of issues, but it was also on the edge of a cliff. They had pushed ahead with filming, ignoring all the criticism, and if the result was lukewarm, they would probably be attacked to dust.

That’s why about half of the staff, film company, distributors, and other guests had worried expressions.

It was at this moment.

“Actors, stand by!”

At the sign from Director Kyotaro, who was wearing a thick padded jacket, several members of the directing team ran to the first tent, and the actors who were about to film came out in a row. A total of four actors were needed for this cut. The handsome Oogimoto Yasuta, who played ‘Konakayama Ginzo,’ Nakajo Kimi, who would appear in the flashback as ‘Misaki Toka,’ and a male actor playing an unidentified man.

And.

-Swish.

Kang Woo-jin, who played ‘Iyota Kiyoshi,’ came out at the very end of the tent.

“…”

Woo-jin’s current outfit, which was full of cynicism, was a plain suit. He had makeup on, but it wasn’t heavy, and his hair was slightly disheveled.

It was as if his appearance was no different from ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.’

Anyway, dozens of eyes were glued to Kang Woo-jin as he was the key to this scene. The lighting team moving equipment, the directing team around Director Kyotaro, the prop team gathered at the pier, the journalists in the next tent, and so on.

Regardless, Kang Woo-jin.

“Hoo-”

He didn’t care much. He just let out a small breath. He was used to this kind of attention, even though a lot of it was focused on him.

‘Okay, let’s nail this.’

About 30 minutes later.

A bit of darkness had descended on the village of ‘Ine Funaya.’ It wasn’t completely dark, but the horizon of the sea in the distance was full of darkness. At this moment, Kang Woo-jin was on a boat. A strangely unstable-looking wooden boat. In front of him sat Japanese actor Yasuta, who was preparing to fall over.

He, who played ‘Konakayama Ginzo,’ spoke to Woo-jin in a low voice in Japanese.

“It’s our first shoot. There are a lot of people watching, so I’m a bit nervous. You too, Woo-jin? The media and public opinion are focused on us, after all.”

Kang Woo-jin replied in a low voice.

“No, not really. I’m just acting.”

“Haha… Is that so?”

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

“Yes, yes, me too.”

As the short conversation ended, two boats carrying cameras and a boat with dim lights approached them. A drone also took off high into the sky. Soon, Director Kyotaro, who had been standing in front of the monitor, sat down, as if he had finished preparing. Kang Woo-jin and Yasuta could be seen on several monitors.

Finally, ‘Strange Geisha’ was being displayed on the monitor.

Many people were watching it. Above all, Akari, the original author and a world-renowned star writer, was right next to them. Kyotaro, the master director of Japan, closed his eyes and took a small deep breath.

“Hoo-”

Then, he exchanged signals with the key staff around him. Camera, audio, lighting. All okay. Director Kyotaro slowly picked up the megaphone, and over 70 staff members swallowed hard and closed their mouths.

Director Kyotaro’s first voice echoed in the eerie yet quiet pier of ‘Ine Funaya’ village.

“Hi—Cue.”

In an instant, a brief moment of Kang Woo-jin blinking on the wooden boat.

-Swoosh.

He pulled out Iyota Kiyoshi. It was just for a moment. It was impossible for anyone on this film set to notice. But Kiyoshi was already all over Woo-jin’s body.

Although he was floating on the deep sea, the current of Kang Woo-jin’s emotions was infinitely weak.

Emptiness. Futility. Void.

His calm and chilling eyes turned to the camera in front of him. His posture was upright.

“…”

He simply performed the task of staring with a blank expression. Kang Woo-jin, whose intentions were impossible to guess, was being displayed on the monitor. For some reason, Director Kyotaro, who had his nose practically glued to the monitor, opened his mouth slightly. What was it?

‘To be able to show ‘nothingness’ so easily—which actor can express such clear ’emptiness’?’

There was no desire in his eyes. But they were cloudy eyes that seemed hard to break.

At this moment.

“Ugh-”

Yasuta, or Ginzo, who had been lying in front of Woo-jin, slowly got up, clutching his head. At the same time, Kang Woo-jin’s hazy gaze, which had been looking at the camera, also lowered. Ginzo’s eyes widened as he assessed the situation.

“…Huh??”

He was startled. Thanks to that, the boat they were on swayed slightly. Why was he, who should have been at the bar, on a wooden boat on the sea? Where was he? That was exactly what Ginzo’s eyes were conveying.

Then, a man’s voice with a constant pitch was heard in his ear.

“You’re awake?”

Ginzo’s gaze turned to the front. It was dark, so the man’s face was not clear. Ginzo narrowed his brows. On the other hand, the man’s voice was unwavering.

“It’s been a while, Ginzo.”

“Wh-who are you!”

“You know. We’re classmates.”

“…What?”

Woo-jin, with a stiff face, just moved his mouth.

“And I’ve been waking you up every morning.”

“!!!”

Ginzo’s eyes widened even more, and he quickly pressed his back against the end of the boat.

“You—you!! You were the one sending the texts!”

“I’m glad to see you too. But let’s save the greetings for later.”

-Creak.

Suddenly, a sound was heard next to Ginzo. The noise of a similar wooden boat. In an instant, Ginzo, startled, quickly turned his head to the right. An unidentified man was rowing a wooden boat. He was slowly approaching.

Ginzo, wondering what was going on, turned his head back to the front.

“Ugh!!”

Ginzo was so surprised that he almost threw up. Woo-jin, who had been sitting at the end of the boat, was now just a fist away. His expressionless face, his listless eyes, were right in front of him. Like a mannequin? There was no change. There wasn’t even a slight tremor on Woo-jin’s face.

But it was scary. It was chilling.

“So, you can make that kind of face.”

At this, Ginzo’s mouth opened and closed, unable to speak. On the other hand, Woo-jin, who had been staring at him without blinking, spoke in a flat voice.

“Are you okay? Calm down.”

“…Wh-who are you!”

“My introduction? Of course, I plan to tell you. Later.”

Soon, the sound of a wooden boat was heard again.

-Creak.

The unidentified man’s wooden boat was now close by. Woo-jin, with an expressionless face, pointed to that boat and calmly explained to Ginzo.

“I’ll introduce you to him first, rather than me. He’s the one who will rape you, say hello.”

Here, Ginzo, or rather, Yasuta, who was playing Ginzo, was genuinely about to pee his pants as he looked at Kang Woo-jin’s mannequin-like face.

‘W-wait a minute! Don’t be genuinely scared. It’s acting, it’s acting.’

It was unconscious.

End