I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 234

Actually, Kang Woo-jin’s piano performance had been uploaded to the Japanese online world a few days prior. It was a Friday at the end of January—specifically, the night Kang Woo-jin showcased his piano skills at the hotel restaurant.

The video first appeared on YouTube.

It started with just that single video, but the atmosphere shifted dramatically the next day.

In Japan, the search volume for ‘Kang Woo-jin’ was already quite high, and the Japanese public who checked out the video gradually increased. Simultaneously, the number of videos uploaded to YouTube also grew. Some were copies of the original, but others were new videos from people who had actually witnessed Kang Woo-jin’s performance.

-Is that Kang Woo-jin playing the piano?

-If it’s Kang Woo-jin, is he the Korean actor? Why is he playing the piano there?

Interest steadily grew.

-The video is a bit dark, so his face isn’t very clear, lol. But it does seem like it’s Kang Woo-jin.

-Wow!! Amazing… He plays the piano so well??

-Which restaurant is that?

-According to the description, it’s the Kashii Tokyo Hotel! He’s playing my favorite song!! I love him!!

-Do Korean actors usually learn piano??? If you look at Kang Woo-jin’s YouTube, he’s good at singing and cooking too? There’s nothing this actor can’t do.

-Wow…. I’m so jealous of the people who were at that restaurant… Seeing Kang Woo-jin… and hearing him play the piano right in front of them….

-Is the video manipulated? Is it really Kang Woo-jin?

-So cool!!!

If it had stopped there, it might have remained a small ripple. But the wave continued. It spread from YouTube to Japanese social media, mainly to SNS [Social Networking Services] like Twitter and Instagram, which are the most popular in Japan.

Here, the buzz exploded exponentially.

People who were actually at the restaurant, those who saw the video on YouTube, and those who were curious about Kang Woo-jin and searched for him—regardless of the source, the sharing increased rapidly. That sharing led to more sharing, and the phenomenon grew endlessly as people added their own thoughts to the shared posts.

It had only been two days. A moderate wave had turned into a tsunami.

As a result, Kang Woo-jin dominated the ‘Real-time Trend Rank’ of Japan’s number one SNS, which Chairman Hideki was currently observing.

[1.#KangWooJinPianoPerformance]

[2.#MerryGoRoundOfLifeKangWooJin]

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[5.#KangWooJin]

[6.#KangWooJinPiano]

Out of the top 10, four were related to Kang Woo-jin. This ranking was similar to Korea’s real-time search rankings. Moreover, the same atmosphere was present on Instagram and other lower-ranked SNS. In other words, many people in Japan were talking about Kang Woo-jin.

Even at that moment, the buzz was growing.

[@_HJO54__]

[#KangWooJin Found a super-cool piano video!!! I’ve already listened to it five times, and I’m still not tired of it!! I’ll listen to it all night!]

[@kyo1533]

[lololol The video of #KangWooJin playing the piano is a huge topic right now, but did he play that song #MerryGoRoundOfLife on purpose to boost his popularity??? #MerryGoRoundOfLife is a song that Japanese people love]

[@45642877_gg]

[(Video Link) It’s a waste to listen to this alone!!! Does everyone know #KangWooJin? He’s a rising Korean actor in Japan these days!! He played the piano himself! Go listen to it right now!! The song is #MerryGoRoundOfLife!!]

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Every second, every minute, posts flooded various SNS. The trend gradually spread to other areas as well—not just SNS, but the internet and offline too. It was a picture of the buzz spreading throughout Japan, like a trend or a hot topic. Usually, such things happen when luck and timing align, or when there is a certain flow.

The same was true for Kang Woo-jin now. The current situation was the result of many factors combined.

Woo-jin was already quite famous in Japan, and then there was Kang Woo-jin playing the piano himself, his incredible piano skills, the vividness of the video, the popularity of the song, the fact that it happened recently, Kang Woo-jin’s indifferent expression in the video, and the glimpses of several people other than the ‘Strange Guest’ actors.

Kang Woo-jin was becoming a major trend in Japan.

Seeing this, Chairman Hideki smiled faintly, though his face was still wrinkled. Kang Woo-jin had always been a hot topic, but this time, the momentum and power were extraordinary. It was a stroke of good luck. Hideki, the owner of a large corporation, decided to capitalize on this wave.

This stroke of good luck was where his investment money had gone.

“Are the articles coming out?”

“Yes, they are increasing continuously.”

“Let’s join in with our channels too. Spread it as much as possible.”

It would have a significant impact on ‘Strange Guest’ as well as BW Entertainment.

Meanwhile.

Inside a van speeding down the road was Kang Woo-jin. They were heading to the ‘Strange Guest’ set. Of course, they were also aware of the current trend throughout Japan. That’s why the atmosphere in the van was chaotic.

“Wow!! Oppa, Japanese people are only talking about you on SNS!!”

“It’s a huge deal that you took the number 1 spot on Twitter’s real-time search!”

“It seems like the people here really love this song!!”

The stylists were shouting excitedly. Han Ye-jeong was silently showing various SNS posts, and Jang Su-hwan was constantly praising Kang Woo-jin.

And.

“A nuclear bomb has gone off, a nuclear bomb,” Choi Seong-geon said with a smile, his ponytail bouncing in the passenger seat.

“Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, search sites, etc., are all overflowing with tags of your name, Woo-jin.”

“……”

Of course, Kang Woo-jin was deeply cynical.

“Well, the situation isn’t bad for us. You probably expected this much when you showed off your piano skills, right, Woo-jin?”

“Yes, roughly.”

That wasn’t true.

‘It’s exploding this much??!’

Kang Woo-jin was currently unable to hide his surprise.

‘No, I just played the piano once, so why is it such a big deal??! Why?? What??’

He thought it would get some buzz, but he didn’t expect it to shake the entire country of Japan. But what could he do? The tsunami had already started, and Kang Woo-jin just had to endure it. Still, it was okay. Hiding his bewilderment and acting like it was no big deal was what Kang Woo-jin was an expert at.

Then, Choi Seong-geon, who had opened his diary, changed the subject.

“It would be good to amplify this flow, but there’s no time. You know that after finishing today’s filming, we have to wrap up the remaining schedules in Japan and go straight back to Korea, right?”

Kang Woo-jin, who had completed about three weeks of schedules in Japan, had to return to Korea because his schedule there was also packed. After finishing that, he would return to Japan again.

It was at this moment.

“Oh my god!! Representative, look over there!”

Just as they were almost arriving at the set, one of the stylists pointed forward. Everyone’s gaze, including Kang Woo-jin’s, turned in that direction. Dozens of reporters with cameras were gathered at the large set entrance.

“What, what is it?? Why are reporters gathered at the set?!”

It was the first time this had happened. That meant there was only one explanation. Choi Seong-geon, scratching his ponytail, muttered the answer.

“What else could it be? It’s because of Woo-jin. But where did the set location leak from??”

Anyway, when they parked the car in the set’s outer parking lot, a few ‘Strange Guest’ staff members who had been waiting nearby rushed over. One of the male staff members shouted in Japanese at the open back door of the van.

“Woo-jin-ssi!! Please come in with us as quickly as possible!!”

As expected, the reporters had gathered because of Kang Woo-jin. Soon, Kang Woo-jin, who had zipped up his short padded jacket, quickly moved to the set entrance with the staff.

At the same time.

“Oh oh!! Kang Woo-jin!!”

“Kang Woo-jin-ssi!! Just a short comment!!”

“Woo-jin-ssi!!”

The reporters frantically pressed their camera shutters.

After that.

A few days disappeared.

It was already February 3rd.

Today, Kang Woo-jin was, of course, heading to a filming location, but it wasn’t the ‘Strange Guest’ set. It was an advertisement filming location for the Kashii Group’s food affiliate. As a result, Woo-jin arrived at a large studio in Tokyo early in the morning.

Woo-jin’s first impression upon entering the studio was this:

‘It’s huge. This is an advertisement filming set??’

‘The scale is considerable.’ If he wasn’t trying to act cool, he would have openly said wow. Of course, he had seen large studios in Korea, but this place was more like a movie set than an advertisement filming set.

The preparations were massive.

“Ah! Kang Woo-jin-ssi! Hello!”

“Kang Woo-jin-ssi has arrived!”

“Nice to meet you, Woo-jin-ssi. I’m the director in charge of this advertisement.”

Including the advertisement filming team who welcomed Woo-jin upon his arrival at the studio, and the Kashii Group employees who came out to facilitate the shoot, there were easily 70 people. Some asked about Woo-jin’s piano skills. As for the filming equipment, there were all kinds of cameras and even a small jib arm. The expensive-looking audio equipment also caught Woo-jin’s eye.

Additionally.

‘The set is crazy too. Is that area for CG [Computer Graphics] filming only?’

The studio, divided into four sections, had pre-built sets and green screens set up in each section. It was truly like a movie set. But Woo-jin sat silently in the actor’s waiting area without showing any surprise. Soon, the advertisement director rushed over.

“Woo-jin-ssi, you’ve seen the storyboard, but I’ll explain it again.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Today, Kang Woo-jin was going to film an advertisement for a new ramen product. The brand itself was one of the top in Japan. Woo-jin was listening to the briefing from the director and staff, but he was also a bit amazed.

‘Wow—I’m really filming an advertisement in Japan.’

He had filmed quite a few advertisements in Korea, but filming in a foreign country like Japan was a bit new. Meanwhile, Choi Seong-geon and Woo-jin’s team were looking at the distributed advertisement filming storyboard and laughing for some reason.

“Wow—this is really ingenious, isn’t it?”

“Right, Representative. Doesn’t it seem like it suits Woo-jin oppa perfectly?”

“Yeah. The advertisement has a story, comedy, and a twist. When the advertisement is released, it’ll be a hot topic in both Japan and Korea.”

Meanwhile, in Japan, the tags #KangWooJin and #KangWooJinPiano were spreading like wildfire. The articles were the same. The videos on Japanese YouTube had already easily exceeded 3 million views. His recognition was exploding several times over.

-I’m addicted…. I can’t escape Kang Woo-jin’s piano performance… I really wish I could see Kang Woo-jin in person…

-I’m so jealous of the people who saw his piano performance up close! What must it feel like??

-I wish Kang Woo-jin’s piano performance would be uploaded to YouTube!!!

Therefore, it was inevitable that negative comments would increase as well.

-Why are you all praising Kang Woo-jin so much? Isn’t it just that he played the piano to make himself stand out?

-He probably chose the song ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ on purpose, right? Because he knows that Japanese people like it.

Anyway, even in Korea, where the ‘Beneficial Evil’ related rumors were circulating, Kang Woo-jin’s piano skills, which had turned Japan upside down, began to be revealed.

Starting with online communities.

-Current situation in Japan where it’s a mess because of Kang Woo-jin.jpg

-I took this from Japanese YouTube, lol. Kang Woo-jin played the piano in Japan and it’s a huge topic

-Go look at Japanese Twitter right now, lol. Kang Woo-jin has taken over the real-time search rankings there, lol.

Reporters who smelled the story also moved.

『[Star Talk] What’s the deal with ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Piano Performance’ rapidly spreading in Japan?』

Kang Woo-jin’s piano video began to be shared in Korea as well.

That’s how the three days, which were noisy in both countries, came to an end.

Early in the morning of the following Thursday, the 4th.

For some reason, Kang Woo-jin could not be found at the ‘Strange Guest’ filming set. He wasn’t at his hotel either. To be clear, he was not visible in Japan.

It was natural.

“Sneaking out of the country was the answer. It’s a relief to be able to board without reporters, right, Woo-jin?”

“Yes, Representative.”

“Sleep for at least an hour until we arrive in Korea.”

Kang Woo-jin was already on a plane bound for Korea. The plane was already flying in the sky. Just by the looks of it, it seemed like he had dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan and was running away to Korea.

So what.

From the beginning, Kang Woo-jin hadn’t calculated this situation and moved. He didn’t encourage it either. They just made a fuss and it exploded, right?

‘When I go back after finishing my schedule in Korea, it’ll be a bit quieter, right?’

Time passing and things calming down was a common occurrence in the entertainment industry. Kang Woo-jin had seen it often. Thinking that, Woo-jin closed his eyes.

But that was Woo-jin’s hasty judgment.

He hadn’t even imagined that another tsunami would occur. The starting point of that other tsunami was right now—the moment Kang Woo-jin, who was on the plane, closed his eyes.

A famous Japanese voice actress posted a message on Instagram.

[_dadaco8]

[Hello, this is Asami Saya. Today, I’d like to talk about something unrelated to my work. Actually, I was hesitant about whether to write this post or not. But I thought I should properly express my gratitude to that person.]

[There is a Korean actor who is currently causing a stir in Japan with his impromptu piano performance, right? Yes, it’s Kang Woo-jin-ssi. I’m going to talk about Kang Woo-jin-ssi, and even the inside story of that impromptu piano performance. I’m very happy that Kang Woo-jin-nim’s popularity is increasing, but I’d like to correct some misunderstandings in some posts. Kang Woo-jin-nim didn’t just play the piano to show off. That piano performance was for my daughter.]

[My beloved daughter has some leg problems that require her to use a wheelchair. Some of you may know. My daughter likes K-pop and often watches Korean content. That’s why she became a huge fan of Kang Woo-jin-nim. I became one too. Last week was my daughter’s birthday. So, our family decided to have dinner at the Kashii Tokyo Hotel restaurant as planned. And there, my daughter and I met Kang Woo-jin-nim.]

The post was filled with sincerity.

[I found out later, but Kang Woo-jin-nim was scheduled to film at the hotel. Anyway, my daughter froze as soon as she saw Kang Woo-jin-nim. Right? She wouldn’t have expected her favorite actor to appear in front of her. Kang Woo-jin-nim’s energy was amazing. He was cool, of course, but what should I say, he had an aura that made me think, ‘He’s an actor.’ My daughter was flustered and rambling, but Kang Woo-jin-nim calmly greeted her, gave her an autograph, and talked to her.]

The famous Japanese voice actress was Asami Yusako’s mother.

End