I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 236

Another reality. Someone else’s world. Park Ha-sung, who struggles to make money and calls his own life a bottom-tier existence, now has Kang Woo-jin living it. And in Woo-jin’s eyes, he sees the madam’s sign language.

[‘Honey, I’ll be playing with this kid here. The party is too boring.’]

In that instant, a cold wind brushed against Kang Woo-jin’s face. His five senses were working perfectly. Of course, they were Park Ha-sung’s senses, and therefore, also Woo-jin’s. Was it the chilly weather? Seeing her sign language, two distinct feelings arose in Woo-jin. A cold, hard sense of reality, where warmth was utterly absent, settled in.

The first was about gains and losses.

Is spending time here beneficial? Am I wasting my time?

For those in the upper echelons of society, this might be a brief amusement, but for Kang Woo-jin, crushed by debt like gravity, this was a fierce battle. Ultimately, it’s about money. Will this time make me money?

The second was discomfort.

A middle-aged man with graying hair slicked back with pomade, looking like the head of a chaebol [a large family-owned business conglomerate] family. And the madam, who seemed to be his wife. How much wealth do they possess? Hundreds of billions would be easy, and trillions wouldn’t be uncommon. On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin, or rather, Park Ha-sung, didn’t even have a million won in his bank account.

In other words, in this place, Kang Woo-jin was nothing more than livestock.

That’s how he felt.

‘Damn it, this just makes me feel worse.’

It was like the suit Kang Woo-jin was wearing right now. It felt like he was just dressed up nicely for a brief deception. A sense of disgust washed over him. Like seasickness, his insides churned faintly. It was twisted. Damn it, the suit that didn’t fit him felt even more cumbersome.

Although no one mentioned it, Kang Woo-jin’s self-esteem plummeted.

Everything about Park Ha-sung was like this.

A defeatism that reeked.

His inner self was a landfill full of rotten things. It stank. A foul and rotten smell permeated everything. It always soured his mood. His perspective was negative. Everything was disadvantageous. Suddenly, a beautiful classical melody reached Woo-jin’s ears. It must be coming from the party. The sky was also excessively clear.

But only Kang Woo-jin was being stained black.

It was at this moment.

“Hmm, what do you think?”

The middle-aged man, having heard his wife’s request, spoke in a deep voice.

“My wife seems to like you. How about it, could you keep my wife company until this event is over?”

His tone was gentle, and he even added a smile. Is that the余裕 [leeway/composure] of a chaebol? Hearing the question, Woo-jin scratched his chin slightly and checked the madam’s face. She was also wearing a faint smile. ‘Elegant’ was the word that came to mind. If you were to sculpt the word into a form, that’s exactly what she would look like.

Graceful, dignified, refined.

What else? Woo-jin was momentarily stunned looking at the madam, then he snapped back to his senses. Keeping her company wouldn’t be difficult, but Woo-jin was currently working. Let’s think. What’s a way to get some easy money without any harm in this situation? And could he get more money than his hourly wage?

Park Ha-sung, or Kang Woo-jin, was not bad at reading the room or being resourceful.

Alright, I’ll just pass the work to that chaebol guy and reveal my intentions a bit.

“I, it’s possible, but as you can see… I’m in the middle of working. If I leave, it could cause some trouble.”

“Hmm, no, no. Just tell me if you want to or not.”

“…If you could speak to my manager, I think it would be okay.”

“You want me to handle it without any problems? Is that difficult? Okay. I’ll take care of that part. Then, please do me a favor? Huh?”

Just as the middle-aged man was about to finish, adjusting his well-fitting suit, Kang Woo-jin, who had swallowed hard, took a step closer to him and lowered his voice.

“Thank you. But I didn’t expect to be doing work that involved sign language today.”

The middle-aged man’s smile deepened as he stared intently into Kang Woo-jin’s eyes. It was a sly gaze, but it had a subtle charisma.

“I like your eyes.”

“Yes?”

“They’re better than those chattering types. More desperate.”

Desperate? Woo-jin felt a bit uncomfortable, but the middle-aged man didn’t care and took out his wallet from his suit.

“Well, that’s cleaner. I’ll buy your sign language skills and your time.”

The middle-aged man took out two pieces of paper from his wallet and stuffed them into Woo-jin’s suit jacket pocket.

“Play well with my wife. Just don’t try to seduce her.”

“…I understand.”

He smiled wryly and showed sign language to his wife behind Woo-jin’s head.

[‘I’ll be going. Just asking, you’re not falling for this guy, are you?’]

The madam, still smiling, replied with both hands.

[‘Go take care of your work.’]

[‘Okay. I’ll text you.’]

The middle-aged man patted Woo-jin’s shoulder a couple of times and turned around. With only the madam and Kang Woo-jin left, the madam sat back down on her chair and tapped the empty chair in front of her with her right hand.

It was a gesture towards Kang Woo-jin.

[‘What are you doing? You need to work.’]

What just happened? Park Ha-sung, or Kang Woo-jin, had to talk to the madam without even checking the amount of money in his pocket. The time with her was less eventful than he thought.

[‘How are your parents?’]

[‘They passed away.’]

[‘I’m sorry.’]

[‘No, it’s okay.’]

[‘Then, are you alone now?’]

[‘Yes, how about you, madam?’]

[‘Me? I have the husband you just saw, two sons, and a daughter. But why did you learn sign language?’]

[‘My mother was a bit unwell. So, I learned it when I was young.’]

Simple background checks and conversations about unimportant topics.

How he usually spends his time, why he works here, what his worries are these days, what kind of food he likes, and so on. It was a really trivial conversation, but for some reason, the madam seemed to enjoy it. She smiled a lot. Maybe it was because her smile was so radiant, but Woo-jin enjoyed the conversation.

Was it because he hadn’t used sign language in a while? Or was it because it reminded him of his mother?

[‘You’re the same age as my eldest son. He doesn’t live with us anymore, so I don’t see him often… Maybe that’s why I feel a connection with Ha-sung.’]

I don’t know. Well, there’s no need to find a definite answer.

Time flew by.

The sky was gradually darkening. Around this time, the madam’s phone vibrated. Soon, she smiled and offered Woo-jin a handshake. She also gave him a sign language message to cheer him on. The madam walked away. Only after she had completely disappeared did Kang Woo-jin put his hand into his suit jacket pocket and check the paper the middle-aged man had given him.

“…Crazy.”

Two 1 million won checks. That was 2 million won. Wow. He had to work his ass off for a month to earn that much, and they just threw it around so easily. Well, yeah, to them, this must be like a piece of trash.

The funny thing was.

“Huh?”

There was also a business card. It was the middle-aged man’s.

Why did he give me a business card?

Kang Woo-jin’s heart beat faintly.

It was because a crack had formed in his otherwise monotonous daily life.

The background and time shifted.

Late at night, in a cramped studio apartment. Kang Woo-jin was in front of his laptop. He was searching for information about the people he had met today.

As expected, they were a chaebol family.

A great family. If ranked, they were among the top 5, beings living on a different planet. However, Woo-jin found something interesting in the old articles. The middle-aged man with the pomade hairstyle he had seen today.

No, Chairman Yoon Jung-bae.

Chairman Yoon Jung-bae had a very strange nickname a long time ago. He was the male version of ‘Cinderella.’ The eldest daughter of a chaebol family and a son-in-law who was no different from an ordinary person. That was Chairman Yoon Jung-bae’s past, and the eldest daughter of the chaebol family was the madam Woo-jin had seen today.

Her name was Yoo Hyun-ji.

“…Does that mean the real power lies with this madam? Is the chairman just a figurehead?”

Well, things might be different now. Who cares? Anyway, these stories just felt like a novel to Kang Woo-jin. Kang Woo-jin, who had been looking at his laptop, flopped down in his cramped studio apartment. Then, he turned his gaze to the 2 million won checks and the business card he had received today.

The important thing was the business card. Why did he give it to me?

It couldn’t be meaningless. Woo-jin’s mind was a mess as he looked up at the drab ceiling. The best thing to do was to contact him.

But for some reason.

“Ha- damn it, I feel like I’m getting caught in something.”

An unknown anxiety piled up. It felt like he was about to open Pandora’s box. He even felt a strange chill. But on the other hand, it also felt like a silent opportunity. His reason was telling him to ignore it, but his instincts kept urging him to contact him.

Kang Woo-jin’s eyes fell on the 2 million won checks again.

Money. Ah- I don’t know, let’s just think about the money. As a result, Woo-jin sent a text message to the contact number on the business card the next day. The message was simple. ‘I will gratefully accept the money you gave me.’ It was at night when Chairman Yoon Jung-bae called him.

“Where is your place?”

The chaebol chairman had come to Kang Woo-jin, or rather, Park Ha-sung’s studio apartment. Woo-jin got into the luxury sedan in a daze. Without his suit jacket, his tie and shirt were loosened, and Chairman Yoon Jung-bae in the back seat looked slightly disheveled. He also smelled faintly of alcohol.

As he looked out the window, he spoke in a deep voice.

“It was the first time.”

Woo-jin, who was tense, was watching his expression. Except for the engine sound, the car was silent, the man in the driver’s seat, the smell of cigarettes on the seats. Woo-jin swallowed hard.

“…Yes?”

“My wife acting like that.”

“Ah.”

“She talked about you all the way home? That dull woman was actually smiling.”

Dull woman? Woo-jin narrowed his brow without showing it. Regardless, Chairman Yoon Jung-bae smiled wryly and met Kang Woo-jin’s gaze.

“Your debt is roughly a little less than 100 million, right?”

“Is, is that about me?”

“Yeah. It’s like your parents just left you with a burden. You must have had a hard time. That’s why you’re working so hard, right?”

“That’s a bit… harsh, isn’t it?”

“Is it harsh? Then, let me cheer you up. How about I pay off your debt? And I’ll give you a job too. Would 5 million a month be enough?”

What the hell is this crazy guy saying? Kang Woo-jin was a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you not satisfied? Okay, then 6 million. The job is simple. You just have to be my wife’s secretary.”

Chairman Yoon Jung-bae, who had been crossing his legs, stroked his chin. Then he smiled.

“It sounds good to say secretary, but it’s just being a servant. You’ll be my wife’s companion, play with her, eat with her, go shopping with her. You’ll be with her except when she’s sleeping or doesn’t call for you. You can decide your days off with her, my wife.”

“…?”

“Of course, you’ll live in my house, there are plenty of rooms.”

Chairman Yoon Jung-bae, who had been muttering, leaned close to Kang Woo-jin next to him and whispered.

“There’s only one goal. First, make my wife rely on you, blindly.”

Woo-jin’s eyes widened. His heart was pounding as if it would burst. He wanted to open the door and run away right now. That’s how he felt. But Kang Woo-jin listened to the foul-smelling thing that existed somewhere inside him.

“…I’ll do it.”

And Kang Woo-jin’s, no, Park Ha-sung’s voice was heard.

“I thought this was a shortcut, like a sudden reversal of fortune.”

No, it was the beginning of a disaster.

Around noon on the same day.

The location was near Hongik University Station, a small theater titled ‘Cloud Above Small Theater.’ Although it was called a small theater, the building was quite large. It was a three-story building with a mix of cafes and simple brunch shops, and it included a medium-sized hall and quite a few waiting rooms. It even had an outdoor parking lot.

Because of its size, it was rented out for various purposes.

Performances, plays, various events, and fan meetings for celebrities. Usually, it was rented out by time slots, but today, ‘Cloud Above Small Theater’ was fully booked for the entire day. A film company had rented it out entirely.

It was the ‘Leech’ team.

The auditions were scheduled to start in about two hours. If it were a normal audition, they wouldn’t go this far, but considering the names of the actors participating in today’s audition, renting out the entire venue was a given. It was a consideration, if you could call it that.

For top-tier and A-list actors, a private waiting room was a must.

The ‘Leech’ team knew which actors were coming, but the actors coming to the audition had no information about their competitors. It was better not to have it. It would be uncomfortable. Well, they were also in the position of challengers, so they would inevitably encounter each other, but it had to be minimized.

Anyway.

-Thump!

Despite the early hour, a white van parked in the theater’s outdoor parking lot. It was a van that anyone could tell was carrying a celebrity, and after a brief moment of silence, the back door of the van opened, and a woman wearing a khaki short padded jacket got out. Long hair reaching her chest and a mole under her eye.

It was Hwa-rin.

She looked at the rather large theater building with a thin stack of papers in one hand.

“Hoo-”

A small breath. Then, her chubby manager and team members approached her. The manager was the first to speak.

“It’s definitely Director Ahn Ga-bok’s work, the audition is on a massive scale. They rented out an entire small theater.”

Hwa-rin, who was walking, shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s not a normal audition, it’s too big to do it in a film company or office.”

“That’s true. By the way, is Kang Woo-jin really coming as a judge? Hwa-rin, are you really okay? No matter how I think about it, this is a bit tough.”

“Teacher Shim Han-ho is also there. I’m more comfortable with Woo-jin-nim – no, I mean, Kang Woo-jin.”

“Ha- I don’t know.”

“Whether I get it or not, when else would I get to experience a project like this?”

Hwa-rin, who had answered, had a rather grand ambition.

‘At first, it was influenced by Woo-jin-nim, but now that I’ve come this far, I really want to do well. Hoo, but I’m really nervous. It’s okay, seeing Woo-jin-nim’s face will make me feel better.’

She entered the theater building with her team. It was still quiet. Hwa-rin asked her manager as she walked towards the elevator.

“Oppa, where was our waiting room again?”

“2-B. It should be on the second floor. Let’s go there first.”

“Okay.”

The chubby manager pressed the elevator button.

It was at this moment.

“…Hwa-rin?”

A familiar female voice was heard from the entrance. Thanks to that, everyone from Hwa-rin’s team turned their heads. There were about six people standing there. Among them, a woman wearing a white long padded coat was at the front. Long straight hair and a tall height. It was Hong Hye-yeon. Seeing her, Hwa-rin’s eyes widened. Hong Hye-yeon had a similar expression.

It was natural.

Both of them didn’t know.

Soon, Hong Hye-yeon asked Hwa-rin with wide eyes.

“You- you’re here… for the audition?”

Hwa-rin, with her mouth slightly open, asked back.

“Oh, you too, unnie?”