I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 233

The high school, the very place where past scenes of ‘Stranger’ were filmed, was bustling late in the morning. The hallway leading to the music room was crowded with dozens of ‘Stranger’ staff members. Actors were also present, surrounded by various pieces of filming equipment.

Director Kyotaro sat intently before a monitor.

“……”

He and the entire ‘Stranger’ team held their breath. About half of them were peering into the music room, while the other half were focused on the monitor where Director Kyotaro’s gaze was fixed. Specifically, they were watching Kang Woo-jin, dressed in a school uniform, inside the music room.

The cue had already been given.

Kang Woo-jin, inside the music room, had begun his performance. He was now being captured on camera as ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.’ Director Kyotaro, his gray hair contrasting with his sharp gaze, watched Kiyoshi intently.

‘Yes, that’s the atmosphere I was looking for.’

The scene being filmed was a cut that wasn’t in the original shooting storyboard. It was present in the original work but had been removed during the adaptation. However, Director Kyotaro had revived the scene, hastily creating the direction and plan just yesterday and starting filming today.

Even so, there was no real need for such haste.

What fueled Director Kyotaro was Kang Woo-jin’s piano performance two days prior. The sight he witnessed at the restaurant, the energy that captivated dozens of customers, the overflowing emotion and excitement. Having seen it clearly with his own eyes, the renowned Japanese director Kyotaro felt an irresistible urge.

He wanted to capture it on camera as soon as possible.

And now, Kang Woo-jin was doing just that. Kiyoshi sat at the black piano.

“……”

His face, looking down at the open piano, was unreadable. His eyes, the surrounding air, were utterly devoid of emotion. Normally, he would recall memories, but for Kiyoshi, it was just a piano keyboard.

“It’s been a while.”

He muttered flatly. He slowly placed both hands on the piano keys. Kiyoshi had already taken over his entire being, his heart was numb. Before pressing the keys, Kang Woo-jin, or rather, Kiyoshi, activated his ‘Piano’ skill.

There was no problem.

He had already experienced activating skills when deeply immersed in a role. For example, Sergeant Jin Seon-cheol in ‘Island of the Missing.’ Woo-jin had used sign language to express his dual personality without uttering a word.

It was just that it had now shifted to the piano.

Kiyoshi took a shallow breath and moved his fingers.

-♬♪

A rough melody flowed from the old piano. The song was ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle.’ This was also Director Kyotaro’s choice, and Kiyoshi, with his expressionless face, played the piano a little slowly.

It was strange.

There was no emotion in the piano performance. It was just sound. The notes were connected, but it was stiff and bland. The person playing the piano had no expression, and the performance itself was lifeless.

-♬♪

However, Kiyoshi did not stop playing.

At that moment, the actors who had witnessed Kang Woo-jin’s piano performance at the restaurant two days ago widened their eyes. Mihuyu and the other actresses even covered their mouths with one hand.

‘It’s completely different from then? I don’t know why, but it’s definitely different.’

‘The playing skill is similar, but why is there such a difference? Is he perhaps acting even with his piano playing?’

‘It’s like a robot is playing the piano… or should I say, the sound?’

‘It’s so different that I’m getting goosebumps.’

Since they didn’t know much about the piano, they couldn’t make a clear judgment. They just felt a strange chill from the dry piano melody they were hearing. However, Director Kyotaro had some knowledge of the piano. He had attended piano recitals from time to time, though not often.

That’s why he knew.

“He’s talking to himself.”

The piano that Kiyoshi was playing now lacked the intention to convey something to someone. He was just muttering to himself.

-♬♪

Here, the camera angle, which had been filming Kiyoshi’s back in front of the piano, lowered slightly. His figure, which had shown his head, now only showed his back. And someone walked into the angle that had been just Kiyoshi. Calm footsteps. She was wearing the same school uniform as him, but with a skirt.

The woman, who was behind Kiyoshi playing the piano, stood for a moment and then sat next to him.

The monitor showed the backs of two people.

Neither of their heads were visible. The woman was just sitting next to Kiyoshi. She was ‘Misaki Toka.’ Or, to be precise, a form of Kiyoshi’s memory.

Or an imagination. A past.

Kiyoshi had summoned Toka, who did not exist. Therefore, she was only present here and did not take any action.

It was that moment.

-♬♪

The piano melody of Kiyoshi, which had been withered and constantly muttering to himself, suddenly changed. It was from the moment Toka appeared. A faint emotion was heard in the piano that Woo-jin was playing. It slowly gained strength.

He was talking to her.

Something new was seeping into the sound that had been empty. The difference between the beginning and now, the emotion, was so drastically different. Even someone who didn’t know much about the piano could tell right away.

This also felt bizarre.

Director Kyotaro’s aim was clear. He wanted to reveal the faint feelings of Iyota Kiyoshi, the ‘stranger,’ in this cut. Kiyoshi’s heart was bizarre, but it was not dead.

-Swoosh.

The camera moved from behind Kiyoshi to the side. Toka’s seat was empty. Kiyoshi had stopped remembering. Slowly, the camera moved from Kiyoshi’s chest to his face.

“……”

Kang Woo-jin, with no expression. Kiyoshi was still the same. And.

-♬♪

The piano he was playing became rough again. He was muttering to himself, devoid of emotion. Soon, dozens of staff members swallowed hard. This scene had to be filmed. Everyone had that look on their faces.

What about the actors?

‘It’s a masterpiece. No other words are needed.’

‘The absence and presence are so clear… I can’t take my eyes off it. Even though it’s just a scene of him playing the piano.’

‘That actor can control anything with his acting. It’s a truly enviable ability.’

At this point.

“Hoo-”

Director Kyotaro, who had his face buried in the monitor, smacked his lips. Of course, it was an OK. But it was a pity. He wanted to enjoy it a little more. Soon, he reminded himself of the future audience.

“There’s no way they won’t fall for this absurd variation.”

He was sure that they would feel the same way as him.

Back.

Kang Woo-jin’s time began to melt away. Today, Sunday, the filming of ‘Stranger’ continued without a break.

Even so.

“Cut!! OOOOK! Great, Woo-jin!”

The filming pace of ‘Stranger’ was fast. With Kang Woo-jin as Kiyoshi as the starting point, the quality of the actors had improved significantly. In other words, the number of NG [No Good] cuts had decreased significantly. Thanks to this, the storyboard was progressing quickly.

Meanwhile, around the same afternoon. In Korea, the second episode of ‘Our Table’ was being broadcast.

The second episode covered the reasons why foreigners were lining up in front of the food truck, ‘Our Table’ being introduced in a local LA newspaper, the relationship between the elderly chef couple and the reporter, and the ‘Our Table’ members working hard to serve customers.

In this second episode, there were even more reactions from foreigners than in the first episode.

[“Oh! This is delicious? What did they say the name of the food was?”]

[“It’s written on the menu. Gimja-ban Makguksu [spicy buckwheat noodles with seasoned seaweed]? Is it that delicious?”]

[“Yeah, I could eat it every day.”]

[“Then I’ll try it too.”]

Everyone praised the cooking skills of the main chef, Kang Woo-jin. In addition, Woo-jin’s quick thinking also shone. Whether it was mistakes during the food truck operation or adjusting to the tastes of foreign customers. It was an episode that highlighted the popularity of ‘Gimja-ban Makguksu’ and his composure.

-HahㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠSo fun, seriouslyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-I want to eat Gimja-ban Makguksu too!!!! Please sell it!!!!

-↑Agreed, I want to try all the dishes Kang Woo-jin makes, not just Makguksu….

-But the members of Our Table are really well-chosenㅋㅋㅋㅋTheir chemistry is amazingㅋㅋㅋPD [Producer Director] Yoon definitely has a good eye

-Kang Woo-jin’s leadership today was amazingㅋㅋㅋㅋHe handles any situation without a fuss, so coolㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-……….And like this, Sunday is over…..How am I going to survive until next week…..

-Yeon Baek-gwangㅋㅋㅋㅋHe’s like a puppy following Kang Woo-jin aroundㅋㅋㅋㅋSo cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Hong Hye-yeon and Hwa-rin were so pretty today too

-Chef GrandpaㅋㅋㅋㅋWas it just me who thought it was cute that he keeps coming back because he’s fallen for Woo-jin oppa’s [term of endearment for older brother or male friend] cooking???

Then, the weekend ended and Monday came again. And January ended. February 1st. February had begun.

The busiest from the first morning of February was.

“Why is the set atmosphere like this? It’s completely different from when we had the meeting.”

It was Song Man-woo PD, a big name in the drama industry. He was at the set under construction from early morning, directing the work.

“Set team, bring the confirmed storyboard. Is it just me who sees something wrong??”

Unlike ‘Leech,’ which was in the mid-to-late pre-production stage, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was entering the mid-production stage.

But they were almost simultaneous.

In any case, after confirming Kang Woo-jin as the main lead, Song Man-woo PD meticulously searched for actors while also focusing on the script work. He was meticulous about other things as well. Script meetings, martial arts storyboards, location scouting, set checks, actor meetings, etc., were more detailed than ever.

There was a possibility that the production direction could change to pre-production.

The reason was simple.

As an outsourced production company, ‘Beneficial Evil’ had entered production, but the broadcasting station had not yet been decided. Therefore, they had not yet announced the production of ‘Beneficial Evil’ to the outside world. Of course, all the major networks, cable channels, and general programming channels were interested, but Song Man-woo PD was carefully considering the conditions. The possibility was high with SBC, which had created ‘The Vagrant,’ but there was no need to decide immediately.

There were aspects that could further enhance the conditions.

There was something that had been kept hidden until now.

Song Man-woo PD instructed the production department manager about it.

“Let’s slowly open up about Woo-jin. We’ve already finished talking with BW Entertainment.”

“Ah- are we starting?”

“We have to. Just leak it like a teaser. Like, I’m teaming up with Woo-jin again.”

“Haha, PD-nim [term of respect for a producer director] and ‘guy friend’ writer Choi Na-na were already powerful, but if you add Kang Woo-jin, the broadcasting stations will be drooling.”

Song Man-woo PD smiled, recalling the broadcasting stations he had met with.

“The game will change.”

Then, around late morning on Monday.

The first issue was launched.

『[Official] ‘Our Table’ Episode 2’s overall viewership rating rises again to 19.3%』

It was the viewership rating of ‘Our Table.’ It broke records in the entertainment industry with 19.3%. It was the result of many factors. The quality of ‘Our Table,’ word-of-mouth, Kang Woo-jin’s numerous issues, the recognition of the cast members, the ‘Our Table’ team’s relentless promotion, and so on.

In addition, there was also the fact that there was nothing to watch in the domestic entertainment scene recently.

『Writing legends every episode, ‘Our Table’ hits 19.3%… and Kang Woo-jin succeeded again this time』

In other words, Kang Woo-jin was making history even in entertainment.

Following ‘Our Table.’

『[Exclusive] The two main figures who created the miracle of ‘The Vagrant’ team up, drama industry giant Song Man-woo PD confirms ‘acting monster’ Kang Woo-jin as the male lead for his next project!』

The first teaser for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was thrown.

At the same time, Tokyo, Japan. The headquarters of the Kashii Group.

A huge chairman’s office where everything from the sofas to the desks looked incredibly expensive. A man in a suit was standing by the large window in such a place.

“……”

It was Chairman Hideki, the head of the Kashii Group, with white hairs mixed in his eyebrows. He had his hands in his pockets and was quietly looking out the window. Because he was on a high floor, the entire city of Tokyo was at his feet.

Then.

-Knock knock.

The sound of knocking echoed throughout the chairman’s office. Chairman Hideki, who reacted immediately, opened his mouth while keeping his gaze out the window. It was a rough and deep voice.

“Come in.”

Soon, the door of the chairman’s office opened with a click. The one who entered was Tetsukawa Riri, the neatly dressed chief secretary with her hair tied back in a single braid.

“Chairman.”

“Hmm, yes.”

She had brought a lot of things, from reports to tablets, as if she had a lot to report. Then, Chairman Hideki, who had returned to his large desk, looked down at the report that Riri had handed him, and Riri recited the report in a calm voice. Many topics were discussed. Chairman Hideki nodded and looked down at the report Riri had presented.

Then.

“That’s right.”

Chairman Hideki, as if something had come to mind, raised his head and his eyes met Riri’s.

“Was it last week? How was the filming of ‘Stranger’ at our hotel?”

He was referring to the filming of the ‘Stranger’ team at the ‘Kashii Tokyo Hotel.’ Chairman Hideki had been too busy recently to pay attention, but he had always been thinking about ‘Stranger.’ To be precise, it was about the target of the investment. ‘Stranger’ and Kang Woo-jin or BW Entertainment.

Anyway, Riri, who slightly lowered her head, suddenly handed the tablet she had tucked under her arm to Chairman Hideki.

“First of all, we received word that the filming itself ended without any problems. I have also checked the on-site photos from the hotel.”

Chairman Hideki asked with his arms crossed.

“First of all? Why first of all?”

“That is…”

Chief Secretary Riri trailed off for some reason. Chairman Hideki narrowed his wrinkled brow.

“Did something happen?”

“It is an incident, but-”

Then, deciding that it would be better to see it directly than to explain, Riri, who had bowed, manipulated the tablet placed in front of Chairman Hideki. She accessed YouTube in Japan. Riri typed something into the search bar.

The search term in Japanese was this.

-‘Kang Woo-jin Piano’

As soon as he confirmed it, Chairman Hideki narrowed the gap between his brows even more.

“Kang Woo-jin Piano? What is this?”

“Please watch this, Chairman.”

Riri pushed the tablet further towards the chairman. Naturally, Chairman Hideki’s face lowered. The screen displayed the results of the search term he had just entered.

However.

“……Hmm?”

There were not just one or two videos that came up as results. No, rather, there was a huge amount of them.

-Kang Woo-jin playing the piano while filming Stranger in Japan!!!

-Kang Woo-jin was a pianist in the past (there is a scene of him playing the piano)

-The piano version of ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ by the hot Korean actor Kang Woo-jin! I filmed it myself at the Kashii Tokyo Hotel!!

-Enjoy Kang Woo-jin’s piano skills 「Merry-Go-Round of Life」/Location is Kashii Tokyo Hotel

-The piano performance of Korean actor Kang Woo-jin that turned the restaurant upside down (+full version, last Friday)

-【Kang Woo-jin Piano Performance】The reason why you can’t help but fall for himwwwwwwwwwwww

·

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The view counts were all unusual. If it was low, it was 100,000, and if it was high, it was not uncommon to see 1 million. Chairman Hideki touched a title that included Kang Woo-jin, piano, and the hotel name.

The video started playing immediately.

At first, it was a bit shaky. It was clearly filmed with a cell phone. Then, the screen showed a wide, high-end restaurant and dozens of customers, and the back of a man sitting in front of a white piano was displayed. Then, he started playing the piano.

-♬♪

At the same time, Riri, who was standing in front, spoke softly in Japanese.

“That man is Mr. Kang Woo-jin.”

“……Wait a minute.”

Chairman Hideki, who stopped her words, listened to the piano melody for a while. It was roughly several tens of seconds.

“Huh- amazing.”

As Chairman Hideki finally opened his mouth, Riri continued her explanation.

“Last Friday, it was confirmed that Mr. Woo-jin gave an impromptu piano performance at the restaurant inside the hotel.”

“He knew how to play the piano? And it even sounds very high-level. How is it?”

“If his name wasn’t revealed, he could be mistaken for a pianist. There are many comments that are actually confused.”

After asking for Chairman Hideki’s understanding, she moved her index finger to change the screen on the tablet. The main page of YouTube was displayed. Among them, she touched ‘Real-time Popular Video Ranking.’ Chairman Hideki said what he saw as it was.

“The number one is ‘Kang Woo-jin Piano.’”

“There are quite a few at number 4 and below. And.”

Riri paused for a moment, then turned off YouTube and accessed Twitter. It was the SNS [Social Networking Service] that Japanese people currently use the most, like Instagram.

It was possible to grasp the current trends and hot issues in Japan.

What Riri turned on in Twitter was the ‘Real-time Trend Rank.’ In other words, it meant the keywords that the Japanese public was most interested in at the current time.

[1.#KangWooJinPianoPerformance]

[2.#MerryGoRoundOfLifeKangWooJin]

Both number 1 and 2 also had Kang Woo-jin’s name. And the piano too.

Chairman Hideki’s eyes widened quite a bit.

“……Twitter is being swallowed up by this, is it?”

Riri, as if it wasn’t the end.

“The videos are spreading rapidly. The situation on Instagram is similar, Chairman.”

She answered calmly.

“It’s swallowing up the three major SNS in Japan.”