I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 245

Slightly surprised by the main writer’s words, PD Yoon Byung-sun. The other PDs who had gathered around tilted their heads, and the head of the variety show department, who was close to PD Yoon Byung-sun, asked,

“What is it? What happened?”

They were still basking in the celebratory atmosphere of achieving a 20% viewership rating. However, when PD Yoon Byung-sun suddenly turned serious, both the department head and the general manager were flustered, wondering if a problem had arisen. It was the unpredictable nature of the entertainment industry.

On the other hand.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

PD Yoon Byung-sun, after a brief glance at the main writer, smiled again.

“It’s nothing, I was just a little surprised.”

He calmed the executives, including the department head and the general manager. However, they still looked concerned.

“What is it?”

PD Yoon Byung-sun didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pulled the main writer and the team out of the variety show department.

“Later, later—”

The matter he had just heard from the main writer was closely related to ‘Our Table,’ but the urgent issue wasn’t on the entertainment department’s side.

Anyway.

-Swish.

PD Yoon Byung-sun, having left the bustling variety show department, moved to the ‘Our Table’ exclusive meeting room. As he walked, he asked the main writer again,

“A food company called you directly?”

The main writer, who pressed the elevator button, shook her head.

“No, they sent an email first, and I called after checking it. I think they contacted us first to confirm before contacting Woo-jin.”

“Ah, really? Which food company is it?”

“Nongshim.”

“Nongshim? A huge company contacted us.”

“Judging by the speed, they must have sensed a potential hit and moved immediately.”

PD Yoon Byung-sun nodded slowly as they entered the elevator. It was clear the company had sensed something. First, the impact of ‘Our Table,’ which had exceeded 20%, and Kang Woo-jin’s cooking skills that had even captivated Americans. And then there was the ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’ developed by Kang Woo-jin. Just considering these three things was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

“…Indeed, that ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’ is unbelievably delicious.”

The main writer nodded quickly, strongly agreeing.

“It’s amazing, ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles.’”

The surrounding staff also reacted similarly.

“Ah, that’s a given.”

“It’s a little savory and spicy. It also has the salty taste of Gim-Jaban [seasoned dried seaweed]… Ha, I suddenly want to eat it again.”

“Honestly, it wouldn’t be the same as what Woo-jin makes, but if it were sold commercially, I would buy it at least once a week.”

While the team members were drooling, PD Yoon Byung-sun recalled the first time he ate ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles.’

‘Honestly, it was shocking.’

He had asked Kang Woo-jin to develop a dish, but he came up with something too perfect. And the taste? It was heavenly. It was no exaggeration to say that a real chef had made it.

It wasn’t that there were no such cases at all.

But even though there were precedents, it was extremely rare. Well, these days, there are more similar cases on YouTube and such, but most of them were actual chefs or people who used to be chefs.

It was practically the first time for an actor like Kang Woo-jin.

As he stepped off the elevator, PD Yoon Byung-sun recalled Kang Woo-jin’s current momentum. He was Kang Woo-jin, whose every move was a hot topic and all his works were mega-hits.

“If it comes out… it will definitely sell like hotcakes.”

This was also an unexpected bonus.

“But it’s a total jackpot. If Woo-jin’s dishes are commercialized—”

“He’s being properly recognized by the public. Woo-jin is truly from another world.”

More than anything, if ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’ with Kang Woo-jin’s name on it were available nationwide, he could become several times more familiar to the public than he was now. Considering Kang Woo-jin’s brand power, it was definitely a good thing.

If it became a mega-hit, it would be history in the making.

Soon.

“‘Our Table’ should be the first to do the commercial for the ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’ product.”

PD Yoon Byung-sun, with a wider smile, spoke directly to the main writer.

“First, call Woo-jin right away.”

At that moment.

New news began to spread on the internet, which was already buzzing with various issues, especially articles about ‘Leech’.

『[Issue Pick] ‘Our Table’ Captivates LA Locals, Surpasses 20% Viewership Rating That Seemed Impossible!』

『‘The Benevolent Evil,’ Confirmed for ‘Global Launch,’ Netflix Says, “We Will Create a Work Without Regrets”』

It was ‘Our Table’ that surpassed 20% for the first time, and ‘The Benevolent Evil’ that released an official announcement at almost the same time. ‘The Benevolent Evil’ had quite a few provocative keywords, so it quickly became a hot topic.

Because it was the first time.

『‘The Benevolent Evil’ Featuring ‘Kang Woo-jin,’ Netizens Explode with Curiosity, “Is it Action?”』

It had a strong sense of challenge, but the people involved were so impressive. It was only natural that the public’s expectations were rising.

-OMG, isn’t it the first time they’re aiming for the world with a Netflix original??

-Info: PD Song Man-woo is the PD who directed ‘The Vagrant’

-Manager Park… no, Lee Sang-man… no, just Kang Woo-jin is crazy….

-LOL, you’re exaggerating. K-dramas will never work overseas.

-Whether it works or not, you have to give meaning to the attempt, you idiot.

-The Benevolent Evil! The title is kind of hot? Is it action?

-But isn’t the twin theory of Kang Woo-jin highly likely?? I think I saw a Leech article yesterday???? Is that schedule all possible??

-Oh!!! In ‘The Vagrant,’ Woo-jin oppa [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend] was a supporting role! This time, he’s the sole lead!! And it’s going overseas!!

-Action? Can Kang Woo-jin do action??

-↑Didn’t you see Kang Woo-jin saving Hwa-rin? It was almost special forces level

-Is Netflix the trend after all?? Anyway, since it’s Kang Woo-jin, I’m not worried about the acting, but please… don’t make it look tacky….

On the other hand, there were also those who opposed the flood of articles.

『After the Huge Success of ‘The Vagrant,’ PD Song Man-woo Turns to Global, Is It the Right Decision?』

It was some of the broadcasting stations that had participated in the auction for ‘The Benevolent Evil’ this time.

“Did you see it, Director? PD Song chose Netflix, skipping over domestic broadcasting stations.”

“I know, I saw it. Sigh, it’s a shame, a shame.”

“Well, we have to give up since it turned out like this. But PD Song has been directing for a long time, so is his sense getting weaker? Suddenly challenging the global market without any preparation.”

“He got greedy.”

“I understand, but honestly, K-dramas are still not doing well overseas, right? If he had Kang Woo-jin, he would have secured a certain level of domestic viewership, so it seems right to release it domestically first and then go to Netflix as a second step.”

“I also think the probability of success is low. No matter how much of a challenge it is, if it fails, it becomes a useless work.”

It was an evaluation with a bit of discomfort and a certain sense of reality for being pushed out.

“Global launch on Netflix—it’s too early.”

“That’s right… Even if Kang Woo-jin is a nuclear rookie, it’s only been a little over a year, and he doesn’t have any recognition overseas except for Korea and Japan.”

“That Hollywood screen test thing from before, there wasn’t any news that came out, right?”

“Yes, nothing. It’s quiet.”

“Hmm, it’s a shame.”

In fact, not only the broadcasting stations that were rejected but also the entire industry had a similar view. Various production companies and media outlets, etc.

『[Planning] ‘The Benevolent Evil’ Aims for the World by Joining Hands with Netflix, Industry Insiders Say “It’s Too Early”』

Most of the reactions were that it wouldn’t be easy. No matter how high the quality of the PD, writer, and actors, they were still unknowns overseas.

At this point, it was impossible for it not to reach PD Song Man-woo’s ears.

But PD Song Man-woo, who was very busy.

“Busy bodies.”

He didn’t care. There wasn’t even a hint of wavering. He didn’t have the time to care about such things. Since ‘The Benevolent Evil’ had switched to pre-production, he had to create twice the quality of a live production.

And so, around the afternoon of the same day.

“Thank you for your hard work, Woo-jin!”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you for playing the song requested by the viewers live in the middle, I honestly didn’t know you would play it right away.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

To Woo-jin, who was walking down the hallway for his next schedule after finishing his visible radio show.

“Woo-jin.”

Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail and a faint smile, murmured.

“A meeting with Nongshim has been scheduled.”

Nongshim? It was a very familiar company to Kang Woo-jin as well. Why? Because Woo-jin’s favorite ramen was also from Nongshim. Kang Woo-jin felt a little happy that the company of his favorite ramen had contacted him. However, he didn’t let go of his cynicism and asked back,

“Is it an advertisement?”

“It’s similar but not quite. They want to release a product with the recipe you use for cooking.”

“…”

What was that supposed to mean? Woo-jin didn’t understand right away. That’s why he chose silence, and Choi Sung-gun, who had no way of knowing this, continued his explanation before getting into the van.

“That ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles.’ Nongshim wants to make it into a product. I was slightly expecting it since the viewers’ reactions were good, but I didn’t expect the push to come this quickly.”

Choi Sung-gun then rattled off the explanation he had received. It was the first time this had happened, so Choi Sung-gun’s briefing, who was a little excited, was long, but if you roughly grasped the core, it was like this. The meeting with Nongshim was tomorrow morning. And what Nongshim was aiming for was to make ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’ into cup noodles.

Kang Woo-jin, with a silent face, murmured inwardly.

‘Crazy, so amazing.’

It was a situation he had never imagined. Well, his cooking skills were definitely a gift from the subspace, but he never expected that it would actually bear fruit as a product.

‘I only knew how to eat it, but my name is going to be on a cup noodle? Seriously?’

Currently, there were stacks of ramen in Woo-jin’s house. And a ramen he created was going to be added to that. Woo-jin felt a strange feeling.

There was no reason to refuse this, right? Rather, he wanted to see the real thing as soon as possible.

Therefore.

“I think it’s okay.”

Kang Woo-jin suppressed his rising excitement as much as possible and coldly gave the OK sign.

After that, the morning of the 9th, the next day, arrived quickly.

Around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Woo-jin could be found in a large conference room of the large corporation, Nongshim. Moreover, next to him were about six people, including Choi Sung-gun and the marketing team of BW Entertainment. The people from Nongshim, who were seated on the opposite side, were also about six.

It was a fairly large-scale meeting.

The beginning of the meeting was, of course, the praise of Kang Woo-jin by the people from Nongshim. In fact, outside this conference room, in the hallway, there were already.

“Wow, Kang Woo-jin is so handsome in person??”

The Nongshim employees who had gathered to see Woo-jin were lined up.

“I saw him go in for a moment, and his physique is great.”

“He’s so cool, I honestly didn’t know what they meant by having an actor’s face, but seeing Kang Woo-jin, I understand.”

“His aura is different, for sure… His long coat looks amazing. And why is his face so small??”

Regardless, the meeting between Nongshim and Woo-jin proceeded quite smoothly.

“Woo-jin, as we mentioned in advance, we are aiming to commercialize ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles’ as quickly as possible.”

Of course, it wasn’t just a casual thing. Very detailed and complex discussions took place. Woo-jin, with a firm face, pretended to understand while adding a bit of bravado.

‘Hot seat—I want to escape.’

Honestly, his head was aching. Whatever it was, the core of the long meeting was roughly this: ‘We will make it for you, so Kang Woo-jin, you take charge of all the promotion when the time comes.’

“Of course, as you can see in the design mock-up, Woo-jin’s image will be included in the product.”

Instead, the recipe had to be provided to Nongshim. Woo-jin remembered only two things: promotion and providing the recipe. After all, Choi Sung-gun would be in charge of all the money-related matters, and BW Entertainment would take care of the contract part.

Kang Woo-jin just had to say one solemn word.

“Please take good care of me.”

This one word was the starting point for the commercialization of ‘Gim-Jaban Buckwheat Noodles.’

The next day, Wednesday the 10th. Tokyo, Japan.

Near Tokyo Station in Japan, where heroic tales that surpassed Kang Woo-jin’s good deeds were still rampant. Towards the gray building with more than 10 floors, with a famous animation character statue at the entrance.

-‘A10 Studio’

It was the A10 Studio building, one of the top 3 animation production companies. Inside such ‘A10 Studio,’ in a medium-sized recording studio. For a large animation production company, the recording studio had a normal feel. The only thing that stood out was the character standees placed in various booths.

And.

“…”

A woman who looked to be in her 40s was sitting on the sofa in the recording studio, looking down at her phone. She had dark brown hair tied up, and a kind impression. She was a familiar face. She was Asami Saya, a famous voice actress who had recently formed a connection with Kang Woo-jin through her piano performance.

Saya, who was alone, was looking at her social media. At the same time, she spoke in Japanese with a troubled expression.

“Ha, things have gotten too big. I hope I haven’t caused any harm to Woo-jin-nim?”

Her daughter, Asami Yusako, was jumping for joy, but Saya was worried. More than anything, she was more worried because there was no action from Kang Woo-jin’s side.

‘Should I send a DM?’

At that time.

-Swish.

The thick door of the recording studio opened, and about three ‘A10 Studio’ employees entered. At the front was the female team leader of the planning department for the anime ‘Childhood Friend: Remake.’ Then, Saya and the employees exchanged brief updates and greetings, and the female team leader handed Saya a tablet and got to the point.

“Saya-nim, we are currently preparing a new animation. We haven’t announced it externally yet, but we are in the middle of casting voice actors, and there is a role that we would like Saya-nim to take on.”

A voice acting offer. Since Saya had already participated in many hit works, she had expected it since the ‘A10 Studio’ meeting request came. However, she had just finished one project recently and was in a resting period, and more than anything, Saya was planning to do another anime project that had already been offered to her.

“Um, I’m sorry. I don’t think I have the time right now.”

“Ah, is that so? That’s a shame. Actually, Kang Woo-jin-ssi has agreed to take on the role of the male lead in this project.”

In an instant, Saya’s expression changed.

“Who? Kang Woo-jin-nim?”

“Yes. We thought it would create synergy with Saya-nim, but if you don’t have the time.”

“No.”

Saya, without looking back, suddenly changed her attitude.

“I’ll do it, that project. I really want to do it.”