I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 261

The large-scale first audition for ‘The Righteous Evil’ had begun. From here, the field would be narrowed down to the second round, and then to the final decision. Hundreds of participants flocked to the waiting rooms, from room 1 to room 3. There were even some unexpected events, like having to quickly set up a fourth waiting room because more people showed up than anticipated.

The audition process was simple.

The assistant director in charge of the proceedings would call out the participants in alphabetical order, and about five people would enter the audition room to perform. In a way, it was no different from a public audition. The first team had just finished, and the second team was entering the audition room.

Gradually, the faces of the participants gathered in the waiting room turned pale or flushed.

“Ugh… I don’t feel well.”

“You were like that last time too. If you fail this time, you’re really going to get chewed out by the professor, you know?”

“Ha… I really want to get even a minor role. But Woo-jin-nim won’t come, will he? I just want to see him in person at least once…”

“Why would the person who turned the Baeksang [a prestigious South Korean awards ceremony] upside down yesterday come here?”

Theater troupes, acting students, acting academy members, rookies from agencies, and unknown actors who had been struggling on their own.

Participants with their own unique charms.

They all gave off different vibes, but one thing they had in common was that they were all holding papers in their hands. It was the script for the performance they would show today. Since today’s audition was free acting, it would be the script each of them had prepared.

“Ha… I can’t remember my lines, manager.”

“You little…! I told you to memorize them even when you were on the toilet, didn’t I?”

Groans could be heard here and there in each waiting room. Some participants were also fascinated by the audition information posted on the front of the waiting room.

-[Work: The Righteous Evil]

-[Director: Song Man-woo]

-[Writer: Choi Na-na]

-[Actor: Kang Woo-jin]

-[Production: Netflix Korea, DM Production]

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The interesting thing was Kang Woo-jin’s changed status from the past.

“Get your head straight! It’s Kang Woo-jin, Kang Woo-jin. If you get into his work, it means you’ll get some kind of buzz, so even if it’s a fleeting role, it’s a jackpot. Okay??”

“Yes, yes!”

“Don’t be scared, you! Kang Woo-jin is your role model, right? You won’t get another chance like this, so give it your all.”

This was easily proven in the numerous conversations at this audition.

“Hoo… If I just pass the final round, I’ll be going global with Kang Woo-jin. Just imagining it is thrilling.”

“Don’t talk about my idol like that.”

“Is he only yours? To me, including all the unknowns and trainees, Kang Woo-jin is practically a god. By the way, is ‘Lee Sang-man’ okay? That crazy guy picked a role in the divine realm.”

“I prepared it because I knew everyone would avoid it.”

“If you can pull off even a toenail’s worth of Kang Woo-jin’s acting, you might pass.”

Kang Woo-jin was an ultra-level superstar here. Of course, he already had top-tier influence in the country, but in this audition, he was treated like someone from the divine realm or an alien.

Pioneer, idol, role model, etc.

To them, Woo-jin was a powerful hope and a catalyst. The achievements he had made in just two years were so enormous. Yes, it was like a new human race discovering a new continent and walking forward without hesitation. That’s exactly how it felt.

Whatever the case, hundreds of audition participants were struggling in their own ways.

Who would be the actor to pass the second audition and receive the final acceptance certificate? However, despite the participants’ fighting spirit, the teams that entered the audition room were often retreating in less than five minutes.

“Yes, that’s enough. Okay, next team.”

This was because Song Man-woo PD, the main judge among the five judges, was making quick decisions. He would watch the acting for 10 seconds, or 30 seconds at most. Still, for a big shot like Song Man-woo PD to watch for that long meant he was paying a lot of attention.

Usually, they wouldn’t even watch for 5 seconds. Plus, there were too many participants.

“Start when you’re ready.”

“Yes, sir!”

Song Man-woo PD looked at the five participants standing in front of him, and fatigue slowly began to set in.

‘Hoo… There’s no one good, not a single one.’

He had already seen more than 10 teams, but there wasn’t a single participant that caught his eye. More than half of them didn’t even have the basics down. If they had the basics, they lacked charm. Stumbling over lines was commonplace.

‘I expected it, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.’

He was prepared. Song Man-woo PD knew that 80% of the participants would be meaningless. It was a moment when he keenly felt how out-of-this-world Kang Woo-jin was.

‘Damn it. Still, I have to hold on until the end. Even if I can’t get a pearl necklace, I’ll be successful if I can just get a silver ring.’

And so, the audition proceeded calmly yet fiercely. Thirty minutes, one hour, one hour and thirty minutes. As time went on, the judges other than Song Man-woo PD were losing energy, but no remarkable actors had emerged. The only participants who were even considered were those who might be suitable for minor roles.

Song Man-woo PD grumbled.

“It’s a drought, a drought.”

The judges, except for the casting team leader, agreed.

“You can say that again. If they at least had a good look, I’d ask them a question, but so far, it’s been a bit bland, right?”

“Their acting is, at best, at the level of a college freshman.”

“Let’s move quickly. Call the next team.”

Then, the next team of five entered the audition room. The acting started immediately. The first participant’s diction was a mess. The second was the same. The third had a unique look, but their acting fundamentals were wrong.

Then, the fourth participant.

It was a young woman. She had a dark brown bob and was short. Her face was like a puppy. As soon as Song Man-woo PD saw her, he felt it.

‘If she makes it, she’d be perfect for the nation’s little sister title.’

Adorable? Cute? Lovely? If you were to visualize the word ‘cute,’ that’s exactly what she would look like. God must have made her shoe size tiny too. 210? Maybe 215? Just from her image, Song Man-woo PD guessed her voice. But.

“Hello, I’m Im Hae-eun.”

The voice of the woman who introduced herself as Im Hae-eun was slightly low and eerie. Song Man-woo PD’s eyebrows twitched subtly. It was an unexpected twist.

“……”

Soon, Song Man-woo PD, who had been quietly looking at Im Hae-eun standing in front of him, lowered his gaze to her profile.

-Flap.

It was the first time. It was the first time Song Man-woo PD had looked at a participant’s profile so deeply. Then, he discovered something novel and asked her a question.

“Hmm? Is your mother a shaman?”

“Yes. Since I was young.”

“But you dream of becoming an actress?”

“My mother told me not to become a shaman.”

“Hmm… I see.”

There was nothing particularly unusual about the rest. She was 20 years old and was attending both a university acting program and an acting academy. This kind of story was common among other participants.

“Okay, let’s see your acting.”

“Yes.”

She took a small breath and repeated.

“The performance I’ve prepared is Kim Ryu-jin from the short film ‘Errand Agency.’”

Song Man-woo PD was slightly surprised. He had seen many people prepare Kang Woo-jin’s acting, but this was the first time he had seen someone prepare Kim Ryu-jin from ‘Errand Agency.’

‘The sound and audio were the highlights of Woo-jin’s performance. But she’s doing that?’

Intrigued, Song Man-woo PD slowly nodded, and Im Hae-eun suddenly sat down on the floor. Then, unlike her slightly eerie demeanor just before, she began to breathe raggedly and harshly.

Her body trembled, and her eyes darted around quickly.

In that moment, Song Man-woo PD, who had been twirling a pen in his hand, stopped abruptly, and his eyes changed.

‘Oh ho?’

Meanwhile.

Overseas news outlets were simultaneously releasing articles with similar content. The first piece of bait had been thrown two days ago. Now, it had grown considerably.

『Rumors Spread that Miley Cara is Working on an Album with a Korean Actor』

Miley Cara was a global star. That’s why there were so many paparazzi, and since it was a Cara-related article, most of the photos in the article were shots taken by Cara’s paparazzi.

『Miley Cara’s Sudden Move, Hollywood and Fans are Stirred, but She Remains Silent』

That Cara was participating in the production of a new album with a Korean actor? What kind of nonsense was this? The content of the foreign news articles was mostly question marks. In other words, it was hard to understand. It could be a tabloid story. It might be an absurd clickbait.

The tabloids in Hollywood were beyond imagination, even though Korea was no slouch.

They would expose non-existent pregnancies or suddenly reveal non-existent affairs overnight. In that sense, Cara’s article was absurd but still at an adorable level. However, Miley Cara was a top-tier force in the music industry. The articles spread rapidly among various foreign media outlets.

There was also a strange aspect. If it were a Korean singer, it might be understandable. The K-pop wave was no joke. But a Korean actor? Even if Cara had some eccentricities, it was strange.

So, where did this bait come from? Where did it leak from, and where did it start?

In fact, it was unclear who the starting point was.

But what did it matter?

This bait, which started in foreign media, steadily moved to social media, mainly through paparazzi. The reactions of the overseas public were swift.

-A Korean actor? What kind of media play is this?

-It’s obviously a fake article. It’s a relief that it’s not an article saying Cara is pregnant.

-I think it’s possible. Korean actors sometimes work as singers too, right?

-I was looking forward to Cara’s new album, but now I’m starting to worry a little.

-No way. No matter how weird Miley Cara is, is she a professional? Why suddenly a Korean actor?

-Who cares? I’ll listen to any album she releases.

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Among them, there were also people who showed some reasoning skills.

-Didn’t Cara go to Korea recently to promote a movie? Something might have happened then.

-If you go to Cara’s YouTube channel, there’s a video of her singing a duet with a Korean actor. It might be that actor.

-I saw that video too, but that guy was an actor?! I definitely thought he was a Korean singer!

And so, the bait about Cara, which had started overseas, gained momentum, and even in the huge LA filming set, where it was late afternoon, people were talking about Cara.

Specifically, it was the team of producer Joseph Felton, who was watching the filming.

“Joseph.”

It was the bald Robert who called out to Joseph, who was looking at a set that made up a village. At his call, Joseph, who was wearing a casual suit, turned his head. Robert showed him his phone.

“Have you seen the Miley Cara articles? It seems to be quite noisy these days.”

Joseph, who was looking at the articles on the phone with his arms crossed, chuckled softly.

“Hmm… So that’s why Cara went to Korea to see ‘Leech.’”

“So, the ‘Korean actor’ in the article is referring to Kang Woo-jin?”

“Well, it’s not 100%, but I think it’s close to 90%. I think Cara leaked this issue as well.”

“Cara did?”

“Yes. It’s a heads-up to the media and the public. So they won’t be too surprised.”

“Do you see it as confirmed?”

“No. I haven’t heard from Cara. Kang Woo-jin might have rejected the offer.”

The bald Robert, standing next to Joseph, scratched his head.

“Since knowing Kang Woo-jin, a lot of things I’ve never seen before are happening. Isn’t Cara famous for working on albums alone without featuring or collaborating?”

“People sometimes act blindly when they fall for something. More than that…”

Joseph trailed off and turned his gaze forward. Numerous filming staff and Hollywood actors were performing passionately. What he was watching now was the filming of season 4 of a famous drama. The black Joseph scratched his chin.

“After going to Korea, nothing catches my eye. It’s a big problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“Their acting.”

“Are you comparing them to Kang Woo-jin?”

“……”

The giant Joseph was silent. It was a silent affirmation. Even if he tried to intentionally forget Woo-jin’s acting, when he saw the acting of Hollywood actors, Joseph naturally remembered the filming set of ‘Leech.’

“It’s not that I’m disappointed, but it doesn’t catch my eye. They’re doing well, it’s just that I’ve seen something new.”

It was like he had seen the skills of a master craftsman.

The bald Robert, who seemed to have similar thoughts, chimed in.

“Indeed… It’s hard to find the shock from Korea.”

“If an actor is shocking every time, you’ll get used to it. That’s why some veteran actors make mistakes by going overboard. Explosion and rampage are just a hair’s breadth apart. However, for some reason, Kang Woo-jin knows how to adjust that ambiguous boundary. How is that possible?”

“But why aren’t you doing any work?”

Joseph chuckled and replied.

“He’s an actor who even rejects a casting offer in a Hollywood movie, would Kang Woo-jin pack his bags and get on a plane just because I called him?”

“……”

“He’ll have his own desired appearance. Probably—it’ll be Cannes [a prestigious film festival].”

Joseph, having finished his speculation, stroked his chin.

“I think the first thing is to find a work that suits him.”

Back in Korea.

The audition for ‘The Righteous Evil’ was nearing its end. The time was already past 2 PM. Among the judges gathered in the audition room, Song Man-woo PD stretched out his long arms.

“Ugh! Hoo, how many teams are left?”

The assistant director, who was waiting by the door, immediately answered.

“About three teams left.”

“It’s long, it’s long.”

Still, he had managed to find some good ones. Starting with the eye-catching Im Hae-eun, he had picked about 50 participants to see again in the second round.

“Let’s go for a final spurt.”

“Yes, sir!”

The assistant director, who nodded vigorously, brought in the next team. The previous team had been five women, but this time it was five men.

And.

‘Hmm? His look—it’s not bad?’

The first man caught Song Man-woo PD’s attention. Clean? Pure? First of all, his skin was clear. He also looked over 180 cm tall. He was definitely handsome, but his kind image stood out. Meanwhile, his eyes, nose, and lips were distinct. His casually styled hair was a subtle brown. He was full of freshness.

A free pass for women.

At this point, Song Man-woo PD suddenly thought of Kang Woo-jin.

‘…He’s the opposite of Woo-jin. Quite contrasting. In terms of vibe and look.’

He was definitely the opposite of Kang Woo-jin in terms of appearance.