I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 244

On the 6th, as soon as the official announcement from ‘Leech’ was released.

『[Official] ‘Leech’ actor lineup confirmed! Shim Han-ho, followed by Kang Woo-jin, Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-joon, Han So-jin』

The film industry media quickly followed suit.

『Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-joon, and Han So-jin join Director Ahn Ga-bok’s 100th film, ‘Leech’』

『[Movie Talk] ‘Leech’ lineup is dazzling! Shim Han-ho, Kang Woo-jin, Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-joon, Han So-jin confirmed』

The project itself already carried significant weight. Director Ahn Ga-bok’s 100th film, a milestone in Korean cinema, the collaboration of veteran actor Shim Han-ho and the unconventional Kang Woo-jin, and the ambition to compete at the Cannes Film Festival, among other factors, all contributed to the buzz.

And unusually.

『‘Leech’ held auditions; were all the selected supporting actors also auditioned?』

Rumors circulated that auditions were held for everyone, regardless of their status, drawing even more attention.

The actor lineup announced by ‘Leech’ was also somewhat peculiar.

Following Kang Woo-jin and Shim Han-ho, they announced Oh Hee-ryung, a top-tier actress, then Jin Jae-joon, and Han So-jin, the most outstanding rookie actress of the year. It was an unconventional mix, to say the least. Two rookies had joined the cast.

Of course, Kang Woo-jin and Han So-jin were treated very differently.

『Two rookie actors from the Blue Dragon Awards meet in ‘Leech’』

『Han So-jin, overshadowed by ‘8-Crown’ Kang Woo-jin, can she shine in ‘Leech’?』

Still, broadly speaking, it was a lineup that completely defied the expectations of the film industry media.

‘Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-joon, and Han So-jin were late additions? Oh Hee-ryung is amazing, though?’

‘Right? But Jin Jae-joon and Han So-jin are a bit unexpected. Especially Jin Jae-joon, how long has it been since ‘Drug Dealer’ ended?’

‘Wow—Han So-jin hit the jackpot? She gets cast in Director Ahn’s work right after winning the Best New Actress award at the Blue Dragon [a prestigious film award]?’

‘There were rumors that ‘Leech’ held auditions this time, so she must have shown her skills there.’

‘There must have been a lot of top actors, how did she manage?’

‘Who knows? Maybe something unexpected happened at the audition.’

‘But looking at it like this, Kang Woo-jin is just ridiculous; he didn’t even audition. He was just picked by Director Ahn Ga-bok and got on board, right?’

‘Honestly, even in terms of market value, Kang Woo-jin and Han So-jin aren’t in the same league.’

The public, deeply interested in ‘Leech,’ were also actively commenting online.

-Wowwwww, the lineup is finally out! Shim Han-ho, Kang Woo-jin, Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-joon, Han So-jin? It’s so unique, but it seems to fit well.

-Shim Han-ho and Oh Hee-ryung… that’s going to be epic… I’m so curious about the movie plot…

-Jin Jae-joon is working with Kang Woo-jin again after ‘Drug Dealer’??? But it seems like Kang Woo-jin’s issues never end.

-↑LOLOLOL, yeah, Kang Woo-jin’s piano performance in Japan went viral, and Japan is going crazy over it. Kang Woo-jin is definitely a top star.

-Can we see this after it goes to Cannes? Ugh… when is it coming out?

Around this time, Kang Woo-jin, having heard the news about ‘Leech,’ was traveling between schedules in his van. He hadn’t received any direct contact from Director Ahn Ga-bok, so he also confirmed it through the news articles. Due to his usual stoic demeanor, his face was expressionless, but various thoughts were swirling in Kang Woo-jin’s mind.

‘Hmm—does this mean Hye-yeon and Hwa-rin didn’t make it? And the other actors too. Should I send them a message or something? To cheer them up? Is that too much?’

It was too much. No, there was no need to do that. Although it was an unintentional misunderstanding, Kang Woo-jin had set the acting standard at the ‘Leech’ audition. It would be strange for him to send comfort to the actors who didn’t make it.

Kang Woo-jin wasn’t good at that kind of thing anyway.

Besides, aren’t they all professionals? Anyway, the surrounding stylists asked Choi Sung-gun, the ponytail manager.

‘Ah… should we contact Hye-yeon sunbae [a term for a senior colleague]?’

‘Right, if we send them a message to cheer them up—’

However, Choi Sung-gun in the passenger seat was quite firm.

‘It’s okay. Hong Hye-yeon hasn’t been in this industry for just a day or two. You guys just need to focus on your work.’

‘Ah! Yes!’

‘Woo-jin, you don’t need to say anything to Hye-yeon either. Same with Hwa-rin. They’re both pros. Well, you’re not the type to worry too much even if you don’t say anything.’

‘……’

Kang Woo-jin, who had been hesitant to answer, dismissed the thoughts he had briefly entertained. Let’s just keep a poker face. Choi Sung-gun continued.

‘The teams will take care of any consolation or anything like that. More importantly, we need to handle the Japan side.’

Talking about a heroic tale.

‘Woo-jin, if you were in Japan, the reporters would have gone crazy; the situation is insane right now. Anyway, we’re constantly spreading articles through our channels in Japan and Korea. What are you going to do? Are you going to reply on social media like Asami Saya, the voice actress?’

Was there a need to do that? Woo-jin hadn’t played the piano hoping for this situation. But if he took action, it felt like the meaning would be diminished. It also felt like he was being overly dramatic.

Therefore, Woo-jin.

‘No. I’ll leave it as it is.’

He chose silence.

‘You will?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay, well, it doesn’t really matter. The Japanese media is already handling it well. It wasn’t something that was planned from the start anyway. Got it.’

Choi Sung-gun, nodding, recited today’s schedule. There were two major things, excluding the minor ones. The first was the character interview shoot for ‘Island of the Missing,’ which was currently in post-editing. It was a shoot closer to a teaser for promotion and marketing, and the second was the recording for Woo-jin’s ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel.

For reference, the current ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel was.

[Channel Name: Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character]

[12.03 million subscribers]

[45 videos]

It had surpassed 12 million subscribers, and the number of subscribers from Japan had increased dramatically in the past few days. Of course, many domestic fans had also joined, but the surge in Japanese subscribers was enormous. Therefore, video uploads couldn’t be neglected. Additionally, Ryu Jung-min was confirmed as the third guest, following Hwa-rin and Kara.

The next guest was being discussed among top Japanese actors.

Whatever it was, Choi Sung-gun, who was reciting the schedule, moved on to the next thing. He handed a tablet to the silent Kang Woo-jin. The tablet contained a lot of material sent from ‘A10 Studio,’ the production company related to the anime ‘My Best Friend: Remake.’

The script for the anime ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ and the guide recording files related to the OST [Original Sound Track].

He had to be familiar with all of them.

It was a schedule that would make most actors shake their heads, but it wasn’t a big deal for Kang Woo-jin. He could just skim through the script after reading it (experience). If other actors spent 10 hours, Kang Woo-jin would only need about 1. And.

‘Woo-jin, ‘A10 Studio’ has requested a piano performance in the drama? You probably expected it, right?’

‘Ah—yes.’

‘They probably didn’t know you played the piano. But now that your piano performance has gone viral in Japan, they’ve contacted us in a hurry. They have eyes and ears, so they wouldn’t want to waste a story like this. It would be a significant marketing boost for ‘My Best Friend: Remake.’’

Currently, ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ hadn’t been officially announced yet. But if Kang Woo-jin’s voice acting, OST, and piano were all combined in the first announcement, the Japanese public would be thrilled.

‘The conditions are naturally going to be upgraded, but this is optional, so you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. But since you’re already doing the male lead’s voice acting, and you were the lead in the original ‘My Best Friend,’ I think it’s a good idea to do it. Your brand power will also increase rapidly.’

Then he should do it. It wasn’t a difficult task for Kang Woo-jin.

‘Okay, please let them know that I’ll do it.’

‘Oh—okay. I’ll take care of the contract revisions.’

Choi Sung-gun, having finished speaking, suddenly grinned.

‘And the Baeksang side is starting to make inquiries.’

Baeksang? Ah—was he talking about the Baeksang Awards [a prestigious South Korean award ceremony]? As Woo-jin nodded calmly, Choi Sung-gun’s smile deepened.

‘You know? Baeksang covers both film and TV. If you think of it as the wrap-up for last year, considering your momentum last year, it won’t end with just one or two trophies.’

The Baeksang Arts Awards were scheduled to be held in mid-March.

After that.

The bustling 6th came to an end, and Sunday, the 7th, began. Of course, the 7th was just as noisy as the 6th in the domestic entertainment industry. Whether it was the film industry or the variety show industry, it was the same everywhere. Kang Woo-jin was also busy.

That much time melted away.

Later in the afternoon.

『‘Our Table’ is breaking records with 19% viewership; can it surpass 20% this week?』

『[Variety] As expected of PD Yoon! The terrifying momentum has focused all eyes in the variety show industry on ‘Our Table’!』

The live broadcast of ‘Our Table’ was on the air again. ‘Our Table’ had already achieved a viewership of over 19%, and with PD Yoon Byung-sun’s frantic promotion over the past week, the viewership for today was highly anticipated.

This week’s ‘Our Table’ content covered the end of the food truck and the entry into the newly opened store.

What was particularly noticeable was Kang Woo-jin’s cynical improvisation and his attitude as a leader or chef. With that, Sunday ended with ‘Our Table,’ and the weekdays returned.

Monday, the 8th.

From early morning, many people gathered in the large conference room of Netflix Korea. The large U-shaped table was so full that there were no empty seats. It seemed to be over 30 people. Half of the table, on the window side, was occupied by Netflix executives, including General Director Kim So-hyang, and across from them sat the bearded PD Song Man-woo and his team.

In other words, these people were also the team for ‘The Beneficial Evil.’

DM Production and Netflix Korea. Now, these two companies were merging to target the world, and it was also the first production meeting after a major team reorganization.

‘It seems like everyone is here, so let’s begin.’

Broadly speaking, there were no changes in the production of ‘The Beneficial Evil.’ However, in detail, many things were about to change.

‘First, here are the production costs that we have revised and calculated.’

What was immediately noticeable was the significantly increased production cost. In other words, funding. The number of production staff and various equipment being invested. This would inevitably speed up the production process. It was only natural with the increased manpower, wasn’t it?

In addition, the promotional and marketing aspects were also several times more powerful.

About an hour later.

‘Okay—then let’s start with a big announcement.’

‘Yes, PD-nim [a term for a producer]. We’ve already prepared, so just give the signal.’

‘The Beneficial Evil’ was properly revealed to the entire country.

『‘Acting Monster’ Kang Woo-jin and veteran PD Song Man-woo team up for a new drama titled ‘The Beneficial Evil’; the script is by Choi Na-na, the writer of the legendary one-act drama ‘My Best Friend’』

Furthermore.

『[Exclusive] Kang Woo-jin + PD Song Man-woo’s ‘The Beneficial Evil,’ final destination is Netflix… aiming for a worldwide launch!』

The goal of ‘The Beneficial Evil’ was revealed to be worldwide at once.

Meanwhile, at the HTBS variety show department.

The variety show office was bustling.

‘PD Yoon! It’s out!!’

‘Oh oh! Let’s see!’

To be precise, the ‘Our Table’ team was busy. Because of that, all the surrounding PDs were also focused on the ‘Our Table’ team. In the midst of this, the viewership chart from yesterday was delivered to PD Yoon Byung-sun, who wore glasses. Soon, PD Yoon Byung-sun found ‘Our Table’ on the viewership chart.

It didn’t take long. The numbers quickly caught PD Yoon Byung-sun’s eye.

-‘Our Table’ / 20.4%

Finally, ‘Our Table’ had surpassed 20% viewership. Thanks to that, the assistant directors and writers who had gathered around PD Yoon Byung-sun roared.

‘Woooaaaaah!! It’s over! It’s over!!’

‘Kyaaak! How! Did we really surpass 20%?!’

‘Wow—it’s my first time!! 20% viewership!!’

‘Yeah, definitely! 19% was already insane, but the impact is huge now that the first digit has changed!!’

Congratulations poured in from the surrounding PDs.

‘Hahaha, congratulations, Yoon sunbae!’

‘Wow—it’s amazing! 20% viewership in this day and age!’

‘As expected of PD Yoon!!’

It was a well-deserved achievement. A 20% viewership was a major record even for Yoon Byung-sun, a veteran of the variety show industry. At the same time, executives such as the variety show director and the head of the department also rushed into the variety show department. Naturally, it was to praise PD Yoon Byung-sun, and PD Yoon Byung-sun, who had become a bit awkward, gave credit to the cast members.

‘What did I do? It’s all thanks to the members doing a great job.’

‘Hahaha, is that so?’

Everyone added a word as if they agreed. Among them, the variety show director brought up Kang Woo-jin.

‘Kang Woo-jin is the key, the key! It was a stroke of genius.’

‘That’s right. It feels like the volume of ‘Our Table’ is just right because of Woo-jin?’

‘His cooking skills as a chef are also amazing!’

‘It’s a scam, a scam. There’s nothing Woo-jin can’t do.’

At this time.

-Swish.

The main writer of ‘Our Table,’ who had arrived late at the variety show department, pushed through the chaotic atmosphere and approached PD Yoon Byung-sun. Her expression was not good.

‘PD-nim, I just got a call.’

‘Huh? What call?’

‘It’s from the marketing team of a food company.’

The main writer then whispered in PD Yoon Byung-sun’s ear.

‘It seems to be related to commercializing Woo-jin’s ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles.’’

PD Yoon Byung-sun’s eyes widened.

‘Commercializing ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’?’