I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 223

Only Kang Woo-jin, or Kiyoshi, remained on the building’s rooftop. One might expect a commotion after someone fell, but Woo-jin, expressionless, simply stared at the spot he had been looking at.

“······”

The camera slowly panned from Woo-jin’s profile to his front, capturing him slowly from his chest to his face. The current Kiyoshi was strangely calm. His blinking was steady, and his breathing was even.

Everything was empty and still.

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

Something white fluttered and fell between the camera and Kang Woo-jin.

“Hmm?”

Woo-jin slowly raised his head. The camera followed belatedly. In the sky, the white was gradually increasing. It was snow. It was strange. It was a gruesome incident in a fishing village, but as the snow fell, a sense of melancholy spread.

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin extended his right hand forward and murmured dryly.

“Was it supposed to come?”

The camera captured the snowflakes on his hand. They were artificial snowflakes, but in the senses of Kang Woo-jin, who was imbued with Iyota Kiyoshi, they felt cold.

“Let’s go down.”

Woo-jin, speaking the line as if to himself, turned his body. He extended his leg normally. There was no sign of excitement in his gait or gestures. He was utterly ordinary. The camera moved backward, capturing him from the front.

Here, Director Kyotaro called cut. The same scene was filmed once more. After two takes, an OK was given, and after setting up the shot below the building, the action began again.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woo-jin had already left the building. He turned his head to the left.

“······”

His dry gaze fell upon the body of a man covered in blood. Kang Woo-jin approached calmly. His face was not expressionless, but rather blank. In his eyes, he saw the lifeless corpse sprawled out.

A homeless man. No, it was Misaki Shutoku.

The camera vividly captured the corpse with its head smashed.

Misaki Toka’s father. Woo-jin had found him a year before he began his homework in earnest.

‘Hello, I’m Iyota Kiyoshi.’

Shutoku was living like a complete wreck. He was as good as dead. After his daughter died, his wife had also suffered from mental illness and died. He had nothing left. He was just like a doll that was breathing.

Woo-jin temporarily breathed life into him.

‘Your daughter did not commit suicide. She was murdered.’

He told him everything he knew, everything that had happened to his daughter. Shutoku was furious, the reaction Kiyoshi had expected. After that, Shutoku, who had a purpose, extended his life and stayed with Kiyoshi.

And a few minutes ago, his companionship with him had ended.

Kiyoshi, or Woo-jin, quietly looked down at Shutoku’s body, which was covered in blood and gradually being covered with snow. He could see it growing cold. Kang Woo-jin’s gaze was dry.

Ah, I should have stopped him after all.

“There was no need to go this far.”

In fact, Kang Woo-jin had written the scenario under the premise that Shutoku was alive. He had been clear on how to confuse the investigation and what instructions to give him. But now, there was no need to use them. Woo-jin, looking down at Shutoku, who was growing cold, said.

“I want to cover you up, but it’s going to be difficult.”

He spoke, knowing there would be no answer.

“If I cover something up, it will be obvious that there was a third party.”

“······”

As expected, there was no answer. But as Woo-jin turned, he paused. Shutoku’s voice, which shouldn’t have been heard, brushed past his ear.

‘Thank you, now you go your own way.’

This voice was not actually heard on set. In the later editing, Shutoku’s voice would be inserted, but currently, it was silent. However, the camera, which was zooming in on Kang Woo-jin’s expression, vividly captured the current situation. A calm face, eyelids blinking peacefully.

Even the slight trembling of his soulless eyes.

His outer expression was the same, but the silent reverberation within was clearly expressed. For about 5 seconds. Woo-jin, who had shown no reaction, began to move again.

-Tap, tap.

The snow was falling harder. Woo-jin stopped at the pier where two wooden boats were docked. The camera captured his back. The other shot showed Kinjo, naked and huddled inside the wooden boat.

His eyes were wide open, but he was motionless.

There was a strange mark on his neck, and snow was piling up on his naked body. Kinjo’s end. Kang Woo-jin, looking down at Kinjo indifferently, took something out of his pocket.

-Swoosh.

It was a crumpled piece of paper. He unfolded the folded paper once, then twice. Among the nine names written on the paper, he marked an X after ‘Konakayama Kinjo’.

“The second one.”

Above Kinjo’s name was the name ‘Horinochi Amie’. The woman who was hit by the shrapnel of the firework that was Kinjo.

Kang Woo-jin quietly looked at the name, folded the paper, and put it back in his pocket.

“It’s cold.”

With a dry line, he raised his head to the sky. The camera slowly pulled back. On the monitor, Kang Woo-jin’s bizarre back view, along with the bright moonlight and the swaying sea, were gradually captured. The snow falling in the scenery gradually obscured it.

It was a bizarre spectacle.

That was all displayed on the monitor. Next to Director Kyotaro, who was concentrating with a serious look, Akari, the writer wearing a padded jacket, looked at the monitor and covered her mouth with both hands. Then, she slowly raised her head and looked at Kang Woo-jin’s back in front of the monitor.

Iyota Kiyoshi. He was standing there as if he were real.

The original author of ‘Night Visitor’ was beyond overwhelmed; she was in a state of shock.

‘To think I could see this….’

Tears were about to fall. The words she had written, the scenes that countless readers had seen, were unfolding before her eyes. It wasn’t just a recreation. It felt like the world in the book had been plucked out and dropped here.

‘It’s magnificent, I wonder what writer could feel this. What if Woo-jin wasn’t Iyota Kiyoshi?’

When an author’s work is adapted into a live-action film, there are parts they have to give up because there is a thick wall called reality. But now, Akari decided to think that she had entered another world.

This is the world of ‘Night Visitor’.

And she became greedy.

‘Quickly—I want to show this to everyone who has read my writing as soon as possible.’

She wanted to show the world of ‘Night Visitor’ that Kang Woo-jin had created to the readers. If the original author who wrote the work was this excited, how much more would the fans who read and loved the story be?

Director Kyotaro felt the same way.

‘His acting… Woo-jin’s acting density has increased unbelievably. I was already amazed during the script reading, but now, it feels like there’s an indescribable spirit included in his emotional lines and flexibility.’

He focused on Kang Woo-jin’s acting, as well as the directing.

‘Even though he already has the skills to be recognized worldwide, his acting continues to improve, as if there is no end to his growth.’

He was relieved.

‘Who else could express that piercing and empty murderous intent? It’s only possible because it’s Woo-jin.’

And he guessed.

‘He’s a monster, literally. The Iyota Kiyoshi he created will become a part of Japanese film history.’

A moment of silence fell over the entire set.

Kang Woo-jin, looking up at the snow, also stopped, and the camera filming his back, as well as the dozens of staff, just swallowed hard. The lead actors who had come to watch, even though they had no scenes, simply observed Woo-jin’s acting.

“······”

“······”

It was calm and quiet, but the air was tingling. It was a scene that was so intense it was breathtaking, to the point of choking.

At that moment.

“Cut!!”

Director Kyotaro jumped up and shouted loudly.

“OOOK!!!”

Of course, it was an OK in one take.

30 minutes later.

The set around the ‘Night Visitor’ pier was in the midst of being cleaned up. It was past 11 PM. It was time to end today’s filming. But tomorrow’s filming was early in the morning. So, dozens of staff were cleaning up and preparing for tomorrow at the same time.

Among them, the master director Kyotaro was going around praising the actors who were recovering.

To the supporting and minor actors who played the homeless man, or ‘Misaki Shutoku’.

“Haha, you did a great job. Your lines on the rooftop were really good.”

“Thank you, Director.”

To Yasta, who played Kinjo.

“Oogimoto-ssi, your acting in the mid-to-late part was the best. It was exactly the tone and acting I wanted.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, both the writer and I wanted that Kinjo. Did you suddenly have an awakening or something? Hahaha.”

“Ah, no, that’s!”

“You worked really hard. The corpse makeup and form might be a bit difficult, but please do your best again tomorrow morning.”

“Of course!”

Yasta, who was naked but now wearing a thick coat, was filled with passion. He had been praised by Tanoguchi Kyotaro, one of Japan’s top masters.

Soon, Director Kyotaro, wearing a navy long padded coat, approached Kang Woo-jin, who was talking to Choi Sung-gun.

“Woo-jin-ssi.”

At the Japanese he heard, Woo-jin, with an indifferent face, turned his head. As soon as he recognized the person, he lowered his voice.

“Ah, Director. You’ve worked hard.”

“No, you’ve had the hardest time, Woo-jin-ssi. Your filming tomorrow is in the afternoon. You can rest well.”

“Yes, Director.”

Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, who had seen their conversation, moved Woo-jin’s team, including Han Ye-jung, a step back, and Director Kyotaro, who had suddenly approached Kang Woo-jin, who had a strong concept, smiled slightly.

“You told Oogimoto-ssi something during filming, didn’t you?”

He was talking about Yasta. In Director Kyotaro’s eyes, it looked like Yasta had awakened after Kang Woo-jin’s advice. On the other hand, Woo-jin looked at Director Kyotaro, wondering what he was talking about. What did I tell him? Then, Kang Woo-jin remembered that he had warned Yasta about his breathing on the wooden boat.

Did I tell him to take deep breaths with a pause?

‘Ah—that.’

Thinking that Director Kyotaro must have seen it on the monitor, Woo-jin nodded obediently.

“Yes, that’s right. It looked dangerous.”

Director Kyotaro’s smile deepened as his face changed to one of understanding.

“Thank you, the actor did what the director should have done.”

“No, it’s better for anyone to say something before an accident.”

“Accident—yes, if it had continued like that, we might have had to stop filming today.”

Well, if an actor fainted, we would have to stop for a few days, not just today, right? Kang Woo-jin, who agreed, spoke in a low voice.

“I’m glad it was resolved well.”

“You’re already doing enough with your acting… I didn’t know you would take care of the other actors’ conditions. It’s an unexpected side of you, Woo-jin-ssi. So, you’re not just cold. Anyway, thanks to you, Oogimoto-ssi had an acting awakening. What advice did you give him?”

Huh? An acting awakening? Advice? It felt a bit off, but Woo-jin gave a rough answer.

“I just told him to breathe slowly.”

“Breathing. That must have been the perfect answer for Oogimoto-ssi right now.”

They were talking about different things, but strangely, there was no problem with the conversation. Around that time, Yasta, who had met the lead actors of ‘Night Visitor’, was being bombarded with questions.

“Yasta, what did Kang Woo-jin-ssi do on the wooden boat earlier? Your acting tension suddenly changed after that.”

“Yeah, did Woo-jin-ssi give you some advice? What did he say?”

“Did he really teach you some acting skills??”

Yasta, who was handsome, smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I was able to change because of his advice. When the filming of ‘Night Visitor’ is over… I think I’ll go back to the theater scene.”

“W-What?”

“My filming will be over in a few days, but everyone should be nervous. There’s a world of difference between seeing Woo-jin-ssi from afar and seeing him up close. Everyone, forget about acting, if you fall into the hypnosis of Kang Woo-jin, this place becomes the world of ‘Night Visitor’.”

Then, Yasta declared to the remaining ‘Night Visitor’ actors.

“You’ll have to fight a bloody battle with a real monster called ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’.”

The next morning.

On the 21st, Shin-Okubo, known as Korea Town in Japan, was a place where a huge crowd gathered due to the exploding Korean Wave [Hallyu], and it was now famous as a tourist attraction in Japan. It was crowded with Koreans, Japanese, and many overseas tourists.

Among them, foreigners were seen sitting by the window of a large cafe.

There were three people in total: a woman with brown bobbed hair, a man with short orange hair, and a fat man. Among them, the woman with brown bobbed hair had a face that was particularly familiar.

She was Megan Stone, who was the casting director for Hollywood’s ‘Last Kill 3’.

She was the one who first told Santa-like director George Mendes about Kang Woo-jin, and she also watched Woo-jin’s screen test with famous producer Joseph Felton. Why was she in Japan all of a sudden?

Of course, she hadn’t come to see Kang Woo-jin.

Megan Stone and her casting team had simply attended the ‘Tokyo Short Shorts International Film Festival’ in Japan, which had ended a few days ago. It was a film festival that many Hollywood people visited every year. In short, it was work.

In other words, it was purely by chance that she saw Kang Woo-jin in Japan.

Anyway, Megan’s team had finished the film festival and had taken some rest, and they were scheduled to leave the country this afternoon. Currently, they were just looking around Tokyo in their remaining time. Of course, the topic of conversation was the ‘Tokyo Short Shorts International Film Festival’.

“It was a bit disappointing compared to what I expected.”

The fat foreign man’s words made the orange-haired man nod.

“Yeah. It was held grandly, but there wasn’t much to see. The actors we searched for weren’t that great either.”

As they spoke in English, the Japanese people sitting nearby glanced at them. Megan, who had swept back her brown bobbed hair, crossed her long legs, ignoring them.

“Kang Woo-jin was there.”

When the name of a Korean actor was suddenly mentioned, the team members agreed.

“Who? Kang Woo-jin? Ah—right, that Korean actor.”

“Yeah. I was a bit surprised when he showed up at the closing party. I didn’t expect him to be in Japan, not Korea.”

Megan took a sip of her coffee and replied.

“He must be filming for Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro’s work.”

“Ah—right, I think I saw that when we were investigating him. It seems like he’s doing well.”

After the ‘Last Kill 3’ screen test, Megan and the others hadn’t paid much attention to Kang Woo-jin. After all, the role Woo-jin had turned down was a minor one, and they were busy. However, Megan, the leader of the casting team, was interested in Kang Woo-jin.

“I’m curious.”

“About what?”

“About Kang Woo-jin.”

“Why?”

“Because his changes are strangely noticeable.”

The most noticeable news recently was about Miley Kara. For some reason, she had also met Kang Woo-jin when she visited Korea, and she even mentioned him on ‘Jamie Show’ and praised him highly. It was hard to see it as just a polite gesture.

Additionally.

‘Joseph Felton is also paying attention to him.’

Joseph, a famous Hollywood producer, had also asked about Kang Woo-jin after the test. He had also wanted the investigation report. Why? Why were such people so interested in a Korean actor?

‘Of course, I know he’s not ordinary.’

His filmography and the martial arts he showed during the test were the same. However, that alone was not enough. Thanks to that, Megan had been searching for information about Kang Woo-jin since she saw him a few days ago.

There were many absurd articles.

Not only in Korea, but he had also suddenly made a bold declaration of war after coming to Japan for filming?

Therefore, Megan’s curiosity had reached its peak.

“Why are so many big shots hovering around Kang Woo-jin?”

The fat man shrugged as if it was nothing.

“There might be some coincidences, but isn’t it because he has more than basic skills? The martial arts he showed during the test were amazing.”

“We didn’t see his acting directly.”

“Acting? Well. After the test, I heard that George and others felt fear about his acting and avoided him.”

Avoided? Is that true? Of course, at that time, Megan also thought similarly because he had criticized ‘Last Kill 3’ so absurdly. It was practically impossible to turn down such an opportunity. But now, looking back, avoiding seemed a bit strange.

Considering that, Kang Woo-jin was too confident everywhere.

“······I have to see it after all.”

Megan’s murmur made her team members narrow their eyes.

“See what? What?”

Megan, holding her phone, smiled at her team members.

“I think I’ll have to postpone my departure for a few days.”

Then, she made a phone call somewhere.

End