I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 240

For Kang Woo-jin, understanding a production came from experiencing its various roles. In fact, he could simply read (experience) the roles assigned to him and perform them without issue. That alone would be enough to astound any director or actor.

However, Kang Woo-jin was meticulous by nature.

That’s why, from the moment he first experienced the subspace, he had read (experienced) all the roles in a production, except for the ones he was assigned. It wasn’t for any profound reason; it was simply out of curiosity at first.

Focusing solely on the assigned role would be more efficient, one might think.

But in the end, Woo-jin’s choice proved correct. Reading (experiencing) other roles significantly broadened his understanding of the world. He gained the perspective of his assigned role, as well as the perspectives of the characters around him. Although it was the same world, each role offered a distinct viewpoint.

All of that knowledge seeped into Kang Woo-jin.

Naturally, the scope of the production’s world expanded. This, in turn, enhanced the quality of Kang Woo-jin’s performance. Ah, I see. That’s how Kang Woo-jin had gradually learned and progressed, repeating this process with each production. After all, time in the subspace was practically infinite. If a bit of fatigue meant an increase in quality, it was a worthwhile trade-off.

Kang Woo-jin had the subspace, but his sole weakness was a lack of experience.

The same was true for this production, ‘Leech.’

When he first received the script for ‘Leech,’ he experienced (read) all the existing roles, starting with ‘Park Ha-sung,’ then ‘Chairman Yoon Jung-bae,’ and ‘Yoon Ja-ho.’ He even skimmed through them again recently, as a precaution for the ‘Leech’ auditions, in case he made a mistake as a judge, something he had never done before.

That was the Park Ha-sung and Yoon Jung-bae that everyone saw.

How clear would it be? How vivid would it be?

However, Woo-jin also had concerns about portraying a role other than Park Ha-sung. For some reason, he felt he shouldn’t show it exactly as it was. So, he would add a variation, toning down the intensity a bit. Going all out was fine for Park Ha-sung. Would about 70% be enough?

“And I will definitely win against and surpass you, Woo-jin.”

When Han So-jin made this declaration, Kang Woo-jin paid it no mind. Of course, he did think, ‘What is she talking about?’ but his concerns took precedence.

Ah, right. Should he combine Chairman Yoon Jung-bae with Iyota Kiyoshi?

Role synthesis. While maintaining the foundation of Chairman Yoon Jung-bae, he would transplant the emptiness of Kiyoshi. That was how another Yoon Jung-bae was born.

“Daughter, my beloved daughter.”

Overflowing with a desire for power and domination. For Chairman Yoon Jung-bae, love and affection were merely tools to maintain power. For him, his children were like the last line of defense for maintaining his relationship with his wife, the hidden power behind the scenes. It was like planting seeds in preparation for a possible catastrophe.

So, he acts out paternal love.

“It seems like it’s not not, daughter. Huh?”

There was no genuine love. This was why Woo-jin chose Kiyoshi for the role synthesis. Just as Kiyoshi saw ‘bizarre sacrifice’ as a homework assignment without any emotion, for Yoon Jung-bae, his son and daughter were no different from objects. However, they were objects he had to cherish, to the point that their loss would be troublesome.

That was the kind of gaze in Woo-jin’s eyes.

Han So-jin, standing before him. No, Yoon Ji-min was his daughter, but it was learned affection. I love my daughter. I cherish her. These words are for your future. I’m saying again, I love you. Because I am your father. But why? Why are you doing things that bother me when I cherish and love you so much?

That gaze made Han So-jin freeze. Time seemed to stop.

‘What, what is going on?’

Kang Woo-jin, right in front of her. Han So-jin, who made eye contact with him. In Woo-jin’s eyes, there was a void that went beyond coldness. But his mouth was smiling. His expression was disjointed, yet there was no sense of incongruity. Because a marvelous lie was in his eyes. Daughter? No, an object. There is a limit to how much you can cherish an object. He says he loves her, but the true meaning in his eyes is dry.

It was just domination disguised as love.

You are an important object, but if you lose it, well, there’s nothing you can do. That was the mindset of Yoon Jung-bae that Kang Woo-jin had interpreted.

It was then.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woo-jin, who had been face-to-face with Han So-jin, slowly straightened his back. Then, he reached out his hand to her. Flinch. Yoon Ji-min, or Han So-jin, trembled slightly. It wasn’t acting; her confused mind had returned. Regardless, Kang Woo-jin opened his mouth.

He returned to a dignified but sly tone.

“I cherish you, daughter. So, I’ll give you some advice. Huh? You are the ruling class. Don’t be so foolishly compassionate, but rather dominate. Don’t be obsessed with that servant, that leech, but possess him.”

Woo-jin’s hand, with a faint smile, paused near Han So-jin’s cheek before landing on her shoulder.

“That’s how you can cherish and break them, you see?”

It was a life lesson. You are the proof, daughter. The snake-like smile of Yoon Jung-bae.

The scene wasn’t over, but it had reached its climax. Perhaps because the acting of the two actors was so intense, the small theater was silent. However, many people were watching the stage.

The most noticeable among them was the great actor Shim Han-ho.

‘Yoon Jung-bae’s – new interpretation. But that side is rather… more realistic.’

With over 30 years of acting experience, it was the first time he had stood up after seeing someone else’s acting. It was an unconscious action. He didn’t even realize he was standing. The face with the aura of a tiger was nowhere to be seen. He was just staring intently at Woo-jin with wide eyes. No, at Kang Woo-jin’s acting.

‘How can he do that? Park Ha-sung, who perfectly embodied the Ripley Syndrome [a psychological disorder characterized by a need to lie and manipulate], was already quite amazing. But to be able to do Yoon Jung-bae like that… it’s close to impossible.’

But on stage, Kang Woo-jin was nonchalant. He, who had just been showing Park Ha-sung, was easily embodying Yoon Jung-bae. Isn’t that beyond the realm of an actor? Meanwhile, Shim Han-ho was analyzing Woo-jin’s acting, along with the shock.

Specifically, he was weighing it against his own interpretation of Yoon Jung-bae.

He felt a lack. The regret grew. The discrepancy in his own interpretation was highlighted.

‘Yes, that kind of appearance is also possible.’

Shim Han-ho readily admitted it. It wasn’t the Yoon Jung-bae he had created, but he had to take what he could. It was foolish to ignore what he could learn.

At that moment.

“Daughter. Did you understand?”

Kang Woo-jin’s chillingly soft voice spread throughout the small theater. Instantly, Han So-jin, who had regained her senses, gasped for breath. I don’t know, I really don’t know. It’s like the Yoon Jung-bae I know, but I’m confused. What kind of interpretation did he bring? Han So-jin’s reason was slightly fading. It was because Kang Woo-jin’s acting had far exceeded expectations.

However, Han So-jin somehow held on to her sanity. The deeply rooted venom became her strength.

“Ah, I understand that you cherish me. But break me? Why?”

“Why? What you possess is bound to get boring. Or it might break. It’s the ruler’s job to deal with that. Understood?”

“…I said no. Stop talking about that disgusting servant. I’ll tell Mom if you keep going.”

“It’s not about that leech. It’s a reminder. Keep it in mind. That you are the ruler. That there will be times when you have to break what you possess.”

Yoon Jung-bae had implanted in the mind of his daughter, Yoon Ji-min, that she was the perfect person to break the leech who didn’t know his place and crossed the line. She was a daughter whose mind and spirit were already confused. And affection accompanied by obsession sometimes exhibits unexpected aggression.

Kang Woo-jin’s hands grabbed Han So-jin’s shoulders. The emptiness that had disappeared returned to his eyes.

“You are my daughter, Ji-min.”

Woo-jin’s face changed in an instant. Han So-jin felt like she had entered Yoon Ji-min’s world. And she wanted to run away. Not as an actress, but as Yoon Ji-min. From the monster in front of her, called ‘father.’

“Ugh…”

Around this time, Director Ahn Ga-bok was feeling awe.

“…”

He didn’t speak or have a clear thought. He was just enjoying the world of ‘Leech’ unfolding before him. Right now, he wasn’t a director. He was just one audience member. It was like witnessing a variation of ‘Leech,’ and a future world-shaking actor stretching his wings.

It was enjoyable. This was the true taste of a director.

Why Kang Woo-jin could embody other roles, how he could bring such interpretations, etc., were not important.

‘It’s a shame, I wish I had met you a little sooner.’

Evaluation was also irrelevant here. It was enough to remember the thrill that the bizarre actor named Kang Woo-jin was personally feeding him. When this play was over, he would give him rave reviews along with crazy acting.

On the other hand, the ‘Leech’ staff and managers watching the play couldn’t fully enjoy it like Director Ahn Ga-bok.

“…Wow.”

“How, how is that possible?”

“How would I know?”

The staff forgot their jobs and were lost in the audition performance. Choi Sung-gun had a look as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head. His eyes were wide open.

‘He can be that perfect with other roles too? Did he have time? No, he didn’t. Absolutely not. Woo-jin, what the heck are you…?’

Choi Sung-gun, who was almost always with Kang Woo-jin, was several times more shocked. He was probably more terrified than anyone else in this small theater. In that hellish schedule, just embodying the various roles he was assigned was already mind-blowing. Other actors couldn’t do it.

But was that not his limit?

Even if it was just a level of imitation, it would be difficult to understand, but he was at the point where he could be put into filming as Yoon Jung-bae right away without any problems.

The surrounding actors and managers were just as bewildered.

“S-something changed again just now.”

“More than that, why is he going back and forth between other roles?”

“He’s not even looking at the script.”

“…Can that be called an audition partner?”

“I-it’s impossible.”

And.

“Wow-”

At the very back of the small theater, a surprised woman stood with her arms crossed. The woman wearing a hat was Oh Hee-ryung, who had briefly stopped by the audition. She was the actress who had been confirmed for the role of ‘Yoo Hyun-ji,’ the mistress in ‘Leech.’ She had come to take a moment to see Kang Woo-jin, whom she would be facing the most.

“I came without much thought, but I saw something amazing.”

After that.

The audition performance that Han So-jin had chosen reached its end. Thanks to that, Kang Woo-jin, who had been filled with Yoon Jung-bae, quickly returned to his original self.

‘Whew- that was intense.’

Then, he gave a small greeting to Han So-jin in front of him.

“You worked hard.”

Han So-jin also received the greeting in a daze.

“Ah- yes, you worked hard.”

At the same time, Kang Woo-jin thought to himself.

‘Well, with this much, she wouldn’t be a bad partner, right? And it won’t feel like I’m slacking off while skipping the audition evaluation.’

It was pretty good.

‘I changed some of the other roles besides Park Ha-sung with synthesis, so they didn’t overlap either.’

That was all he thought. But not all the auditions were over. In the tense situation, Director Ahn Ga-bok continued the auditions. After Han So-jin, it was Hwa-rin.

“Well, please take care of me, Woo-jin.”

“Yes, you too.”

She also had to win the role of Yoon Ji-min that Han So-jin had set, but she chose a different scene. This time, the partner was Yoon Ja-ho, not Yoon Jung-bae. Again, Woo-jin quickly created Yoon Ja-ho.

Once again, the small theater fell into chaos.

But as if that wasn’t the end, after Hwa-rin’s audition, Kang Woo-jin instantly brought out Park Ha-sung, who was the partner of Hong Hye-yeon.

It was as if Kang Woo-jin was in control of this place.

The funny thing was.

‘….He’s a madman. Unless he’s possessed.’

That was the reaction of everyone in the small theater. It was like the atmosphere was gradually shifting from shock to acceptance. At this moment, no one was seeing Kang Woo-jin as a one-year rookie actor. It was too absurd from the start.

It was something they had never experienced before.

It was the first time, so any judgment was impossible. Their thoughts stopped. Like that, for several hours.

“Cut.”

With Director Ahn Ga-bok’s signal, all the auditions barely ended. But even though the audition performances were over, the inside of the small theater was filled with silence.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The thoughts of the people who had seen everything about Kang Woo-jin were 180 degrees different from the beginning.

‘I understand Director Ahn Ga-bok’s feelings. With that much, he can’t help but make him a judge.’

‘It’s a warning, if you think lightly and approach this production, you’ll be buried.’

‘Damn it! That’s not just a stimulant! It’s comparable to poison! What actor can withstand that!’

But Kang Woo-jin, with an indifferent face.

-Swoosh.

He just gave a nonchalant greeting to the audience.

“You all worked hard.”

Then, he walked calmly to his seat. Of course, he was the center of everyone’s attention. The eyes of a dozen staff members and managers, Director Ahn Ga-bok, Shim Han-ho, etc., all followed Woo-jin’s movements. Of course, Kang Woo-jin was also aware of it. The attention was burdensome, but he didn’t let go of his composure.

Soon.

“…”

When Woo-jin sat down cynically, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been watching Kang Woo-jin, glanced at Shim Han-ho on his right. Then, he returned his gaze to Kang Woo-jin at the end.

‘Right, the reason why Kang Woo-jin suddenly said he would be the partner instead of being a judge.’

Suddenly, the veteran Director Ahn Ga-bok came up with a new conclusion.

‘He made everyone aware of the acting standards for all the roles in ‘Leech’.’

End