I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 268

As soon as the first-day box office results for ‘Island of the Missing’ were released,

1. Island of the Missing / Release Date: May 19 / Admissions: 700,223 / Screens: 1159 / Cumulative Admissions: 700,223

About 50 people gathered at Oullim Film’s studio suddenly erupted in cheers.

“Whoaaaaa!!”

“Huh! Is, is this real?!”

“Hahaha, it’s real, it’s real!!”

“Congratulations, Director!!”

“Ah, no!! 700,000?! In one day?!”

“Wow!! This is insane!”

“Get a grip! It’s real!!”

The studio echoed intensely as they all shouted at once. Key staff members like the cinematographer and lighting director hugged each other and jumped around, while the film company’s president and executives clapped and made a fuss. Half of the distribution company’s employees were jumping up and down, and the other half were busy making phone calls.

It was a performance worthy of such a reaction.

700,000 admissions in just one day. Even with it being a holiday during peak season, it was nothing short of astonishing. There were countless films that failed to surpass 1 million admissions in a whole year. Yet, ‘Island of the Missing’ had nearly reached 1 million in just one day.

It would be foolish to stay still.

They needed to further accelerate their promotional marketing and spread this absurd achievement far and wide. Even if the media would naturally pick it up, adding a booster would make the word-of-mouth spread even faster through numerous media outlets, YouTube, social media, and public opinion.

The power of increased admissions stems from there.

Word-of-mouth.

The flow was like heaven and earth, depending on how powerful and fast that word-of-mouth was. In fact, Kang Woo-jin had experienced that disaster-level power with ‘Drug Lord.’

For reference, ‘Drug Lord’ had 250,000 admissions on its first day.

That’s about a three-fold difference from ‘Island of the Missing.’ Well, ‘Drug Lord’ was rated R, so it was understandable. Either way, the first-day performance of ‘Island of the Missing’ was legendary. The fact that so many prominent figures in the film industry were dancing wildly on their shoulders was clear proof of that.

“I, I’ve never seen a movie get 700,000 admissions in one day!!”

“Me neither! I’ve seen up to 500,000! But 650,000!”

“Director! Congratulations!!”

“I’m really looking forward to this being a super, super, super hit?!”

Even for them, the current results were unfamiliar. No, it was safe to say they had almost never seen anything like it. It was no different for Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was considered one of the top-tier master directors in Korea.

‘…700,000 admissions in one day—an absurd number.’

Director Kwon Ki-taek had already surpassed 10 million admissions before, but his maximum was 600,000 admissions in one day. 700,000 was a first for him.

“That’s incredible.”

At that moment, an employee in front of a laptop shouted.

“The difference isn’t that big!!”

The other people who were in a frenzy gathered around.

“What?!”

“Hey! What are you talking about without context!”

The employee shouted again.

“The numbers for ‘Naval Battle’! ‘Naval Battle’ had 730,000 admissions on its opening day! We’re only 30,000 behind!!”

The movie ‘Naval Battle.’ It was released in 2014 and achieved an enormous total of 16.75 million admissions.

And that ‘Naval Battle’ was the number one movie in the Korean box office history.

Even after seven years, the 16.75 million record had never been broken. Of course, there were quite a few similar works. 14 million, 13 million, and so on. But none were truly dominant. ‘Naval Battle’ was a legend from daily admissions to weekend admissions. No work had ever caught up to that massive record.

But now.

“30,000? Only 30,000 behind?! ‘Naval Battle’ is the number one movie in Korea, right? It hasn’t been broken yet?”

“It hasn’t been broken!”

“W, wow! If we do well!!”

‘Island of the Missing’ had come close to that legend after seven years.

It meant they were aiming for the number one spot in the Korean box office.

Meanwhile, in Japan, at the set of ‘Strange Geisha.’

A space where dozens of staff and actors were busy preparing for filming. In the meantime, Kang Woo-jin, sitting in the waiting area, maintained a poker face without letting his guard down. Currently, it was the moment when the first results of ‘Island of the Missing’ were released in Korea, but it had not reached Woo-jin. Well, Choi Sung-gun would come running to tell him soon, or his phone would ring.

Anyway, Woo-jin’s makeup was already that of Iyota Kiyoshi himself. With a bland look, he was looking at the ‘Strange Geisha’ script with a black rectangle attached to it.

‘Hmm—’

At first, he was pretending to read it to hide his anxiety while waiting for the results of ‘Island of the Missing.’ But now, he was quite focused. The reason was simple.

‘It’s still a bit strange.’

The question he had from before had resurfaced. What he was looking at was the end of the ‘Strange Geisha’ script. It was still disappointing. The movie version of ‘Strange Geisha’ had been adapted or modified in many ways compared to the original, but even so, the beginning and the ending followed the original.

The original ‘Strange Geisha’ was quite an old work.

So, is this ending right? Kang Woo-jin personally didn’t like it. When he first received the ‘Strange Geisha’ script, he didn’t think much of it, and it was only recently that he had this question. It was the sincere feeling of an ordinary citizen, not something conceptual.

Iyota Kiyoshi’s end was karmic retribution.

Or, it was karma, or reaping what you sow. There was also a hint of poetic justice. Whatever the process, there is a result. Endure it. Kiyoshi leaves with that message. In a way, it was a formulaic result and something familiar to the public. Especially in Japan, most movies and content are like that. It’s hard to find works that aren’t. Karmic retribution, that is.

In some way, the protagonist takes responsibility for what they have done. If they kill, they are killed, and if they take revenge, they suffer corresponding damage.

‘It’s not that it’s bad. It’s the right thing to say.’

Kang Woo-jin didn’t deny that. Well, there are plenty of similar stories in Korea too.

However.

‘But is this right for Kiyoshi too? No, I just have to act, but—it’s a bit disappointing? Yeah, it’s disappointing.’

Woo-jin felt that it was wrong for Iyota Kiyoshi of ‘Strange Geisha’ to go down the same path. No, rather than right or wrong, it felt out of place. It was uncomfortable. It kept bothering him. Kang Woo-jin himself didn’t know it, but the thought he had now was affection for the character in the play. Something that ordinary actors usually have.

That’s why he re-examines karmic retribution in ‘Strange Geisha.’

What is wrong in that world? What moment can be called wrong? What existence? Is there evil? Who is evil? Then what is good? Is there any point in dividing this?

Who judges everything?

Kang Woo-jin vaguely came to a conclusion.

‘I’m the one who judges.’

Not the director, not the writer, not the audience. The judgment regarding those numerous question marks is made by Kang Woo-jin. No, it’s right for ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ to make it. ‘Strange Geisha’ is from Kiyoshi’s perspective.

However, Kiyoshi does not make biased judgments throughout the progress of the work.

He just acts.

Because Kiyoshi is a ‘stranger.’

‘Aish—damn, my head hurts. But even if I don’t know well, I think it’s okay for the ‘stranger’ to remain a ‘stranger’ until the end.’

Instead of reaching some kind of karmic retribution ending, he just returns as a ‘stranger.’ In ‘Strange Geisha,’ Kiyoshi never directly carried out his own ‘homework.’ He moved ‘others.’

So, what karmic retribution? What karma?

What does a ‘stranger’ have to do with that?

Did Kiyoshi really want to inform those who were watching him, that is, the audience or onlookers, of the boring conclusion that ‘revenge is meaningless’? Is that the message he wants to convey?

Let’s look into Kiyoshi’s true feelings.

No. No, it wouldn’t be. He wouldn’t even think of that.

With a silent face, Woo-jin slowly shook his head. He didn’t know, he didn’t know. There was no way Woo-jin could know the thoughts of mega-giants like Director Kyotaro or writer Akari.

‘I don’t know about messages or anything. It’s just what I think.’

However, Kang Woo-jin is the only one in the world who knows ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ the best. Because he lived and had his actual life. The real Kang Woo-jin denies the ending of Kiyoshi in ‘Strange Geisha.’

In Woo-jin’s eyes, Kiyoshi was a stone.

Even if the situation changes over time, Kiyoshi’s essence remains the same. It doesn’t change color. Why is there that saying? That people repeat the same mistakes.

Change and growth seem similar, but they are different contexts.

Especially for Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi is clumsy. So, there can be emotional growth. But he will not change. Kiyoshi was someone who was calm and quiet even after seeing countless deaths before his eyes, and who treated people’s deaths as homework.

He’s a stone.

So, will he repent everything and accept the results? Will he calmly digest karmic retribution?

‘I’m drawn to a different direction.’

Homework is just homework. Nothing more, nothing less. The concept of wrong doesn’t exist for Kiyoshi, and he wouldn’t even think about it deeply. Revenge is not futile, but a process of returning everything to the starting point. From the beginning, Iyota Kiyoshi’s mindset was different from ordinary people.

Moreover, he is quick and meticulous.

Let’s put everything together.

‘As expected, this guy Kiyoshi has meticulously planned his end, and he would never think it’s wrong, no matter what.’

The end of ‘Strange Geisha’ needs surgery.

However.

‘But—will it change if I say something?’

Woo-jin couldn’t imagine this huge board being overturned by just one word from him. So, should he just leave it? After all, the rating of ‘Strange Geisha’ is already high. It’s going to be a great success even without scratching it.

That’s when it happened.

“Woo-jin-ssi! Please stand by!”

A staff member shouted in Japanese. It meant that the preparation for the first scene was finished. The start was Kang Woo-jin. No, it was from Kiyoshi. Before hearing the results of ‘Island of the Missing,’ Woo-jin put down the ‘Strange Geisha’ script and stood up.

—Swish.

Then, he moved into the set. The concept was thick. He called out the waiting Iyota Kiyoshi. By the time the slate was prepared in front of Woo-jin, he was already no different from Kiyoshi.

“……”

A face without expression. Carved-out emotions. When all the preparations were finished, the sound of the slate echoed throughout the set. Several cameras were aimed at Kang Woo-jin. Over a hundred staff members also closed their mouths while looking at him. Director Kyotaro, looking at Woo-jin on the monitor, shouted.

“Action.”

A moment later.

This cut was a solo scene of Kang Woo-jin that continued from the previous scene. There were no particular lines, but it was a difficult scene where he had to convey a lot with a face without expression.

Kang Woo-jin looked down at the floor.

He was looking at a lifeless body, though it wasn’t there now. It was a body that felt cold at a glance. But there was no change in Woo-jin’s face. Just for a few seconds. Then, he slowly raised his head. The front camera slowly captured Woo-jin, or Kiyoshi, as it moved along the rail.

A close-up from the bust to the face.

A blank.

The quiet set was like that, and so was Woo-jin’s bland expression. But there was a strange amount of things contained in Kang Woo-jin’s stiff mask. The density gradually increased. Director Kyotaro, who had his nose buried in the monitor, wet his lips.

‘Yes, that’s right. This subtle inflection point is the key. It’s the core.’

Calm breathing. Impetuous actions. Compared to that, a deflated spirit. A plausible revenge. A simple homework. A convincing past. All the things that could be recognized were contained in Kang Woo-jin’s eyes. It lingered on his expression. It was conveyed in his expression.

‘Eyes that have no expectations for people. It’s amazing, it gives me goosebumps.’

The scene ended here. However, Director Kyotaro enjoyed the current thrill and dragged out the sign a little longer.

For about 10 seconds.

“……Cut!!”

Director Kyotaro in front of the monitor jumped up. At the same time, the surrounding Japanese actors and staff let out a hollow laugh. Some people took a long breath. They had been hooked by Woo-jin’s acting and had just now come out of it.

Then.

—Swish.

Director Kyotaro, who had tucked the shooting script into his back pocket, quickly approached Woo-jin inside the set.

“Woo-jin-ssi. This is perfect. It’s more than satisfactory. Instead, let’s change the composition a bit and do a few more cuts.”

“Understood, Director.”

Kang Woo-jin replied in a low voice. He calmly looked at Director Kyotaro, who had gray hair. On the outside, he was full of cynicism, but on the inside, he was agonizing alone. A little intensely. Then, Woo-jin made a rough decision according to his original no-nonsense personality.

‘Ah—damn, I don’t know. Let’s just say it for now. If it doesn’t work, then whatever.’

He called out to Director Kyotaro.

“Director.”

Director Kyotaro tilted his head at the low Japanese, and Kang Woo-jin delivered the prepared line.

“Wouldn’t ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ be thinking of returning to his normal life as the original ‘stranger’?”

“……Hmm?”

“Kiyoshi’s ending. I think he’ll show Misaki Toka that ‘I’m doing well as a stranger.’ Someone has to check the homework, and for Kiyoshi, that would probably be Toka.”

Kang Woo-jin lowered his voice even more.

“Frankly speaking, karmic retribution doesn’t suit Kiyoshi. It fits his color to live well and prosper. Without any harm.”

At that moment, Director Kyotaro’s eyes widened slightly.

‘……Becoming a stranger from all karma.’

And in his head, several scenes mixed with Kiyoshi flashed like lightning.

“!!!”

It was quite common for the content or lines in a play to change during the filming of movies or dramas. Most of the time, it was due to ad-libs or actions by actors who had thoroughly analyzed the script, or due to the surrounding filming environment.

Of course, it was only possible if the director or writer liked it.

However, it was rare for the ending itself to change.

Especially if production had already started, it became even more difficult. It was even more so for works with an original like ‘Strange Geisha.’ Because having a different ending from the original was quite a challenging thing.

But for some reason, Director Kyotaro’s eyes were now shining mysteriously.

‘The end is also becoming a ‘stranger’—’

A light of change was cast on the ending of ‘Strange Geisha.’

End