I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 225

The moment Director Kwon Ki-taek declared the wrap-up of ‘Island of the Missing,’ the excitement of the hundred or so staff members gathered at the large set complex skyrocketed.

“Whoa!! Finally!!”

“Great work, everyone!!”

“That’s right! It actually ended!! Haha!”

“Director! You’ve worked hard!!”

“Ugh!! I need to get some sleep, for real!”

“Hey, hey, everyone, don’t forget about the remaining cleanup?!!”

The staff, who had shared joys and sorrows for a considerable time, hugged each other and laughed, sharing their happiness. The easygoing Director Kwon Ki-taek simply sat in front of the monitor, not particularly restraining the hundred or so staff members.

Because he knew their hard work better than anyone.

Of course, it wasn’t 100% over. There could be occasional additional filming. There were also minor schedules left, such as the production presentation and remaining poster shoots. However, at this moment, the entire staff of ‘Island of the Missing’ could be considered to have entered a rest period. However, for Director Kwon Ki-taek, this was where the real work began.

Because the post-production, one of the core parts of filmmaking, remained.

Therefore, the smile slowly disappeared from the face of the pot-bellied Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was staring intently at the monitor in front of him. Before he knew it, he began to organize his thoughts on editing. How should the official poster, not the temporary one, look? What about the first and second trailers? The opening music?

What kind of directing would maximize the actors’ charms?

His brain suddenly started working. Although the filming schedule had just ended, there was no time to rest. However, Director Kwon Ki-taek was a master among the masters of domestic directors. Soon, his expected directing ideas began to accumulate.

‘It’s better to focus on Private Jin Seon-cheol from the early to mid-part and beyond.’

It was about the role Kang Woo-jin had played. From the initial planning of the ‘Island of the Missing’ scenario, Director Kwon Ki-taek had emphasized the character of ‘Private Jin Seon-cheol.’ This was because he was in charge of each character’s conflicts and the tension of the play.

Just as Director Kwon Ki-taek was busily racking his brain.

“Be careful!! Hey! Just because it’s over doesn’t mean you can be reckless! Do you know how much that costs?!!”

“Sorry!”

“I’ll organize the props!”

“Filming team! We’re removing the rails?!!”

The hundred or so staff members put their joy aside and began to clean up the filming site. Around this time, Ryu Jung-min, still in his military uniform, approached Director Kwon Ki-taek. Perhaps because he was tall, the military uniform suited him quite well.

“Director.”

At his presence, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had been staring at the monitor, turned his head.

“Oh, yes. Jung-min, you’ve worked hard.”

Ryu Jung-min, with his short hair, smiled slightly and bowed his head.

“You’ve worked hard, Director.”

“Haha. For me, the real hard work starts now.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had been quietly smiling, crossed his arms and looked at the chaotic scene of cleanup.

“By the way, it’s become a bit lonely. There were so many actors when we started.”

Currently, the actors remaining in ‘Island of the Missing’ were Ryu Jung-min, Ha Yu-ra, and a few supporting and minor roles. The rest of the main actors, like Kang Woo-jin, had left after their filming schedules were over. In response, Ryu Jung-min massaged Director Kwon Ki-taek’s shoulder as if to cheer him up.

“Indeed, it would have been more lively if everyone was here. I always feel a bit… bittersweet when a movie ends.”

“You came straight over after ‘Hanryang’ ended, so it must feel even more so. So, did you gain anything from ‘Island of the Missing’? You also had the goal of finding your limits besides filming, right?”

This was also about Kang Woo-jin. The hidden meaning Ryu Jung-min had before joining ‘Island of the Missing.’

“Director, I can’t express a dual personality just with my eyes and expressions.”

“Is that so?”

“Not yet. It’s impossible to chase a monster that expresses emotions just with what’s on their face. I know that now.”

“You know?”

Ryu Jung-min, making eye contact with Director Kwon Ki-taek, recalled Kang Woo-jin’s performances he had seen in ‘Island of the Missing.’

“Mr. Kang Woo-jin is a different entity. He’s the same actor, but his essence itself is…”

Ryu Jung-min trailed off. He probably wanted to express something like a new human or uniqueness. Director Kwon Ki-taek, who fully understood, got up.

“You’re quite the oddball yourself. It’s just that Woo-jin exists.”

He changed the subject.

“We’re roughly aiming for a May release for ‘Island of the Missing.'”

“May… it’s spring.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, smiling warmly, gave Ryu Jung-min a thumbs up.

“Rest a bit and get some skin care, you’ll be busy.”

After that.

While ‘Island of the Missing’ was in the midst of cleanup, a certain variety show was being talked about among the public gathered in numerous companies and cafes across the country.

“Huh? You haven’t seen ‘Our Table’?”

“No, not yet. I don’t usually watch PD [Production Director] Yoon Byung-sun’s shows. But is it that fun? Everyone’s talking about it.”

“It’s totally hilarious? You should try a quick peek on YouTube! You’ll get hooked right away.”

It was PD Yoon Byung-sun’s ‘Our Table.’

“There’s a reason why it got those ratings?? It’s so fun. It’s been a while since I’ve had a variety show to watch!”

“Kang Woo-jin is on it too, right? How is he?”

“…Ah, Kang Woo-jin is the key there. His cooking is insane. I wasn’t really a fan of Kang Woo-jin, but after watching ‘Our Table,’ I searched him up a lot. I’ve started stanning him [becoming a devoted fan].”

It wasn’t just today, but from the day after ‘Our Table’ aired. Like movies and dramas, variety shows are especially familiar content to the public, so the reaction was even stronger.

Therefore, the domestic media couldn’t help but be noisy about ‘Our Table.’

『’As expected of Yoon PD,’ ‘Our Table’ explodes with a 15.6% viewership rating in the stagnant variety show scene!』

『How long has it been since a variety show exceeded 15% viewership? ‘Our Table’ members, including Kang Woo-jin, are on a roll』

The fact that the new variety show by the veteran PD Yoon had set a record of over 15% also played a part.

『Kang Woo-jin’s high-level cooking skills on ‘Our Table,’ so good that even real chefs are confused?』

『[Star Talk] ‘Our Table’ Kang Woo-jin, is there anything he can’t do? Netizens clamoring for “Give us episode 1 quickly!” before his trip to the US』

However, it wasn’t just the name value of the cast members like Yoon Byung-sun and Kang Woo-jin that made the record. ‘Our Table’ also had solid content. It was enough to give the public explosive anticipation that would make them wait for the next week, going beyond mere entertainment.

『Kang Woo-jin’s original dishes spreading on SNS, what does the ‘Gimjaban Makguksu’ [seaweed and sesame seed cold buckwheat noodles] that appeared on ‘Our Table’ taste like?』

With the water flowing in like this, there was no way PD Yoon Byung-sun would stay still. The ‘Our Table’ team put all their efforts into promotion, mobilizing all channels. On YouTube, edited videos of the 0th episode that aired the previous week were flooding, and they were frantically releasing trailers for the 1st episode that would air this week.

The trailers showed the ‘Our Table’ members operating a food truck in the US in earnest.

The appearance of a Michelin 1-star chef from LA was a bonus.

All the videos uploaded by ‘Our Table’ had a basic view count of 100,000, and many had over 1 million.

-Haa… I want to see it soon… Time is going so slow… When will I get off workㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜㅠ

-Ah!! Give us the main episode, not the trailer!! Give it to us! Now!!

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋThey’re starting with a food truckㅋㅋㅋㅋI’m so curious about the reactions of the Americansㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Is Kang Woo-jin confirmed as the main chef??? What if the Americans say it tastes bad???

-It’s so novel that top actors in Korea are going to the US to cookㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Who is that Michelin one-star chef?? Did the production team scout them???

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋLolㅋㅋㅋA Michelin one-star chef from the US is eating Kang Woo-jin’s foodㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Lee Sang-man: It’s gonna burn, the money pot is gonna burn

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Well, of course, it wasn’t just the ‘Our Table’ issue that was exploding on the internet. Since there were so many topics to use, the domestic media was busy picking and choosing what they wanted to report.

『’I will conquer with Japanese acting’ Kang Woo-jin starts filming ‘Nakkisaeng’ in Japan, sightings appearing on Japanese SNS』

Thus, the 21st came to an end, and Friday the 22nd dawned. From the morning, it was the film industry that caught the public’s eye.

-OhㅋㅋㅋㅋThey say the filming for Island of the Missing is over???ㅋㅋㅋㅋIt ended faster than I thought

The news of ‘Island of the Missing’ wrapping up had spread.

『Master Director Kwon Ki-taek’s ‘Island of the Missing’ wraps up yesterday! When will it be released?』

『[MovieIS] ‘Island of the Missing’ announces end of filming, official says “Not confirmed, but expected to be released around May”』

It was a new work by Director Kwon Ki-taek, considered the best among masters, and it was a work with high expectations as top actors such as Ryu Jung-min and Kang Woo-jin appeared in it. Both the industry and the public.

『Will ‘Island of the Missing,’ with a master director and top actors, be a hit or a flop?』

Meanwhile, even while Kang Woo-jin was in Japan, things related to him were progressing steadily. Song Man-woo PD of ‘The Beneficial Evil’ was having script meetings with writer Choi Na-na.

“Writer, I think we can go a bit more extreme and, how should I say it, no-holds-barred here.”

“R-really?? I was worried it might be too much.”

“It’s okay, let’s just go for it.”

He was quickly pushing through the pre-production stage by repeatedly having production meetings with key staff. But there was no rush. Since the total production cost was substantial, it was necessary to be meticulous.

Then, later that afternoon, a drama that Kang Woo-jin had been involved in was ending on the public broadcasting channel KBC.

-[Frozen Romance]

-[Final Episode]

It was the ‘Frozen Romance’ by star writer Lee Wol-sun. Woo-jin had only appeared in the first two episodes, but Kang Woo-jin also appeared in the final episode that aired today. It wasn’t long. However, his appearance caused a stir in various online communities.

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠIs anyone watching the final episode of Frozen Romance right now?? Kang Woo-jin is appearingㅠㅜㅜSo touching… Kang Woo-jin’s appearance really brings out the feeling of the finale…

For reference, ‘Frozen Romance’ maintained a viewership rating of around 10% until the final episode. It was a decent result, but since Lee Wol-sun was such a star writer, there were also frequent articles criticizing the work.

『Star writer Lee Wol-sun, ‘Frozen Romance’ ends with an average viewership rating of 10%, a disappointing result』

However, writer Lee Wol-sun, the production team of ‘Frozen Romance,’ and the cast seemed satisfied.

『Writer Lee Wol-sun, “A sufficiently happy work, I learned a lot, thank you to the production team, actors, and Kang Woo-jin”』

Whatever the case, even though Kang Woo-jin was not currently in Korea, his name was constantly being mentioned. The finale was when the final episode of ‘Frozen Romance’ ended.

One piece of news was delivered to several top actors.

For example, Jin Jae-joon of ‘Drug Dealer.’

“Jae-joon! It’s out! ‘Leech’ just sent the audition information!!”

“Oh! Really?”

The official audition date for ‘Leech’ by veteran or eccentric director Ahn Ga-bok was confirmed. Even though ‘Leech’ had been very selective, many top actors were going to participate in the audition.

The problem was.

“Uh, uh! The audition is a designated performance, and also, Director Ahn Ga-bok and senior Shim Han-ho, and… uh? Kang Woo-jin?”

“Woo-jin? What about Woo-jin?”

“No… it says Kang Woo-jin will be on the audition judging panel? Is this right??”

“Woo-jin will be… there?”

The audition information that was distributed included Kang Woo-jin as a judge.

“Uh, uh. Ah, no way. ‘Leech’ must have made a mistake. Even if it’s Director Ahn Ga-bok, there’s no way they’d put Kang Woo-jin as a judge when top actors are lining up for auditions.”

“…No, it must be real. It’s called an audition, but it’s probably more about just looking at the form.”

“Even so! You’re Jin Jae-joon! Even if Kang Woo-jin is a nuclear bomb right now, how can you audition in front of him!”

“Isn’t that what Director Ahn is trying to see?”

Thanks to that, several top and A-list actors who checked the audition information for ‘Leech’ were in an uproar.

“K-Kang Woo-jin??! Is Kang Woo-jin really going to be on the judging panel??!”

“Call! Call them!”

The reactions were varied.

“Ah, damn it! What is this! No, isn’t this too much! I’m already pissed about having to audition at my level! What? Kang Woo-jin??”

“Yeah… this is a bit much.”

Some thought it was an error, some were suspicious, some were angry, some gave up, and so on.

But it was clear.

“…Are you okay? Can you audition in front of a junior?”

“Yes, I don’t mind.”

“Okay, I understand.”

At this point, the actors’ positions were clearly divided. Those who wanted to challenge and those who wanted to ignore it. Of course, there were more who wanted to ignore it.

“Pass, pass! This is really not it! It’s not like Director Ahn’s work is the only one in the world!”

“Yeah, yeah. How great is Kang Woo-jin? They need to keep it reasonable.”

“Unless he’s conquered the world, how can I audition in front of someone whose filmography is far less than mine!”

In any case, it was an issue that turned the domestic acting scene upside down.

The next day, Saturday the 23rd. Tokyo, Japan.

A late morning. A high school in Tokyo. It was currently the end of the school break, so there were no students in sight. However, there were nearly a hundred people gathered in the school’s front yard. There were also various filming equipment such as cameras, lights, and audio equipment.

The reason was simple.

They were the filming team for ‘Nakkisaeng.’ After finishing the schedule in the village of ‘Inefunaya,’ which was the first filming location, they had moved to this outdoor filming location. It was tight, but the ‘Nakkisaeng’ team had somehow managed it. At this school, all the past scenes that would be the starting point of the ‘Nakkisaeng’ incident were scheduled to be filmed.

Kiyoshi’s bullying and Misaki Toka’s death. And everyone’s childhood.

“Rails! We’ll lay them from the yard here! Next is the classroom!”

“We’ll pile up the trash behind the school!!”

“Have the costumes been distributed to the actors?!”

“Yes! They’ve all been distributed!!”

“Camera test! One, two!”

Therefore, all the main actors appearing in ‘Nakkisaeng’ were scheduled to arrive at this school. There were roughly over a dozen of them. The standby time was around noon. It was currently 11 AM, so not all the actors had arrived yet.

In the actors’ waiting tent among the several tents set up in the yard, there were about five actors.

Soon-to-leave Yasta, the adult actress Nakajo Kimi who played ‘Misaki Toka,’ two supporting actors, and Kang Woo-jin, who had become a popular star among the entire ‘Nakkisaeng’ team. Woo-jin was currently maintaining a poker face.

“…”

He was sitting silently. But he wasn’t alone. The handsome Yasta was next to him, chattering away.

“Woo-jin, wow. Your YouTube subscribers exceeded 10 million? How did you do that??”

“I just do it as a hobby.”

“Eeeh?? A hobby. That’s unbelievable. You could quit acting and just do YouTube! Ah, but you really shouldn’t quit. I’ve become a fan of yours.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! So, Woo-jin. Should we follow each other on Instagram? It would be nice to get to know each other.”

“Sure.”

Woo-jin was genuinely a bit annoyed. Ha- he was a more talkative type than he thought. His personality was a bit like his younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah. Meanwhile, Nakajo Kimi, the rookie who played ‘Misaki Toka,’ was also very interested in Kang Woo-jin.

‘S-should I talk to him? He’ll think it’s weird, right?’

But she only glanced at him and didn’t take any action. Around this time, some of the ‘Nakkisaeng’ staff members outside the tent, who were frantically busy, were expressing their confusion.

Because there were foreigners who weren’t originally at the site.

“Which team are those foreigners from?”

“Yeah, I’m seeing them for the first time too. Were they at the filming yesterday?”

“They weren’t, right? What is it.”

“If they’re talking to the director – ah, maybe they’re the special effects team or the VFX team?”

“But why aren’t they doing anything.”

The group of foreigners who suddenly appeared consisted of five people, including a woman with brown bobbed hair, a man with short orange hair, and a chubby man. They had a brief conversation with Director Kyotaro and then just talked to each other, not getting involved in the filming setup.

A man with a ponytail was watching them closely.

“Sss- I’ve seen them somewhere. Especially that brown bob. Or am I wrong?”

It was Choi Sung-gun, with his arms crossed, in front of the actors’ and staff’s tent. Today, he had overlapping work in Korea, so he was planning to return to Korea for the time being, and he had come to check the site for a short while. In that gap, he saw the group of foreigners. But the foreign woman especially looked familiar.

“I’m sure I’ve seen that face, but I can’t quite remember.”

It was then.

“CEO.”

Han Ye-jeong, the stylist manager who had suddenly come out of the tent with her hair changed to a blue bob, spoke to Choi Sung-gun. She seemed a bit urgent.

“Have you seen this?”

Soon, Choi Sung-gun, who had taken his eyes off the foreigners, turned his head.

“Huh? What?”

“I was monitoring YouTube and just saw this.”

She explained and then held out her phone to Choi Sung-gun. A YouTube video was playing on Han Ye-jeong’s phone. It had been uploaded about 30 minutes ago.

-【Exclusive Scoop!!】The sensational actor Kang Woo-jin!! Secretly already received a screen test for a Hollywood movie?! Hollywood entry just around the corner! (Decisive evidence obtained!)｜Fact Guys

Soon, Choi Sung-gun’s brow furrowed deeply after seeing the video title. The reason was simple.

“…What is this? How did this get out?”

A top secret that no one should know had been revealed to the world. Moreover, in just 30 minutes since it was uploaded, the view count had already exceeded 400,000.

-View count 410,000

The comments were already frantically saturated.

End