I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 274

A man with slightly messy hair, wearing a worn khaki jacket, stood before a mansion. He had a rough stubble and a listless expression that betrayed his lack of motivation.

“Hoo-”

He looked up at the old two-story mansion and exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke. The camera, filming his back, slowly moved to the side. The man was Detective Yoshizawa Mochio. He seemed to be alone today, without his junior detective. Mochio, with a cigarette in his mouth, muttered quietly.

“Is that guy living here? He looks ordinary.”

Mochio had just finished wrapping up the series of deaths that had occurred. To be clear, it was the official conclusion for the public. The police had formally announced the full story of the incidents to the public.

“······”

The perpetrator and the victims were all dead. Starting with Misaki Shutoku, who killed Konakayama Kinzo, everyone was entangled like a ball of yarn, killing each other. Additionally, the story of ‘Misaki Toka’ was revealed, but it was not made public. It was too old, and the other serial deaths were several times more sensational.

Or was there anything left? Yes, solid circumstances and evidence.

The circumstances and remaining evidence were too clear to harbor any other suspicions, and the public was in fear. It was only natural for the police to announce the conclusion of the incidents as quickly as possible.

However.

-Swish.

Only one person, Detective Mochio, who was now taking out a new cigarette and putting it in his mouth, had not yet concluded the case. Two things were swirling in his mind.

An accomplice. And ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’.

Detective Mochio put his hands in his jacket pockets and took a step.

-Clang, clang, clang.

He slowly climbed the iron stairs. At the end of the second-floor hallway. He lived in the last apartment. The man Mochio was looking for.

The camera, moving backward, captured Mochio walking down the hallway from the front.

Soon.

“······”

Mochio, who had reached the end of the hallway, was about to raise his hand to knock on the door when.

-Clunk!

The iron door suddenly opened and hit Mochio on the head with a thud.

“Ugh!”

Mochio, clutching his head, groaned softly, and the man who came out of the apartment was startled and immediately spoke to Mochio. Or rather, it was closer to snapping at him.

“You startled me, who are you?”

The man, with his brow furrowed, glared at Mochio, who was clutching his head and slightly bent over. He was deeply suspicious. The man looked around the hallway. Then, he snapped at Mochio again.

“You surprised me. What are you doing here?”

Mochio, clutching his head, made a sound like ‘kuh’ and took something out of his pocket. It was his detective’s badge.

“I’m a detective. It opened suddenly, and I couldn’t dodge it.”

“······A detective? Why is a detective in front of my apartment? Ah! This is self-defense! Ah- no, is that not quite right?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, I mean, it’s not my fault that I hit the detective.”

“I’m not blaming you, but.”

“Of course not!”

The man’s voice was slightly frivolous. Mochio stared at him intently for a moment. Soon, Mochio put his detective’s badge in his pocket and asked the man.

“······Are you Iyota Kiyoshi?”

“Huh? What? How do you know my name- are you here to see me?”

“Yes, I am.”

The man’s eyes widened slightly. No, Iyota Kiyoshi scratched his chin with a strange expression.

“Why, why me?”

Kiyoshi tensed up immediately. On the other hand, Mochio, tilting his head slightly, answered as if it was nothing.

“Do you remember ‘Misaki Toka’?”

Kiyoshi crossed his arms and looked up. He seemed deep in thought. But as if he didn’t remember, he shrugged. His movements and voice were light.

“Who is that? I’ve never heard of them.”

There was a moment of silence here. About 5 seconds. Then, Director Kyotaro’s shout rang out.

“Cut, cut, cut! OOOOK!!”

It was a sign of satisfaction. At the same time, Kiyoshi. No, Kang Woo-jin and Mana Kosaku came down the iron stairs. Several staff members approached them. It was for makeup touch-ups. Director Kyotaro joined them afterward.

“According to the storyboard, we’ll only go up to this cut, and after that, as I mentioned before, please feel free. We’ll alternate between filming the existing scenes and then filming freely for the later scenes.”

It meant that instead of going with a single long take, they would divide each cut into existing scenes and free scenes.

Kang Woo-jin and Mana Kosaku gave concise answers.

“Yes, Director.”

“Okay.”

The scene from just now had already been repeated about three times, and from here on, it was the turn of the two actors to freely improvise, as Director Kyotaro had told writer Akari. Of course, while maintaining the direction, situation, the characters’ emotions, and conflicts.

At this, the atmosphere of the set, where nearly 200 people had gathered, changed.

“So, it’s starting now.”

“Are Kang Woo-jin and Mana Kosaku making up the lines too?”

“That’s what I heard.”

Not only the hundred or so staff members but also the executives of the film company and distribution company.

“I’ve never seen a cut like this before, is it going to be okay?”

“Well- they often leave it up to the actors like this in Hollywood. The director’s and the actor’s perspectives are different. You don’t see it in Japan, honestly, I’ve heard about it, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.”

“The current one isn’t bad either, though. There are already a lot of challenges mixed in, isn’t this just pushing it too much?”

“We’ve come this far, so we have no choice but to watch.”

Writer Akari, sitting behind the director’s chair with her glasses perched on the tip of her nose, didn’t say much. There was also a sense of wonder. She was watching the scene of her own work with her own eyes. But her expression was stiff.

“······”

The scene she had just seen was already one she knew. And it was a picture that was satisfactory enough. However, from here on, it was unknown.

At that moment.

“Writer-nim.”

A rough, old voice was heard from her right. It was Chairman Hideki, who had taken off his suit jacket and was accompanied by his secretaries. He asked quietly while sitting.

“The Kiyoshi from just now seemed a bit unusual. He wasn’t originally that kind of character, was he?”

“Ah- that’s right. In the storyboard, Kiyoshi knew that Detective Mochio was coming, and he was adding a suitable performance.”

“To hide his true self?”

“Yes. It’s to cause confusion. Kiyoshi knows that Detective Mochio is sharp. This scene is also somewhat expressed in the original work, but the director added more detailed direction and adaptation as he became more ambitious with this cut.”

“So, it’s going to be different now? I heard that the actors are going to act freely, deviating from the script.”

“······I came to see that too.”

“Hmm- I see.”

Chairman Hideki, with a glint in his eyes, faced forward.

‘I’m seeing a rare sight. But is it not easy after all? The tension among the staff has increased.’

Director Kyotaro, having finished explaining to Kang Woo-jin and Mana Kosaku, was leaving the filming zone. The staff who had finished their makeup touch-ups were also doing the same. Kang Woo-jin and Kosaku were only having brief conversations, not seeming to make any particular plans.

Was it that they were going to prioritize each other’s feelings?

That was the truth.

The two actors, Woo-jin and Kosaku, had agreed on something. It started with Kosaku’s suggestion.

“Let’s keep the basic core lines, but let’s go with the rest of the free acting without telling each other, and just go with it.”

They decided not to plan it out. It was a way of becoming the actual characters of ‘Nakkisaeng’ [a fictional work], and letting their bodies be guided by the emotions, situations, and acting that came without warning. Kang Woo-jin had no reason to object.

“Understood.”

It was easier for him that way. No, it was even more ridiculous to tell each other everything. That wouldn’t be leaving it up to the actors’ freedom, would it? Kang Woo-jin answered cynically.

“I’ll go with it comfortably.”

He was sincere.

Several tens of minutes later.

The preparations for the reshoot were slowly coming to an end. The hundred or so staff members who had left were now surrounding the filming zone in a circle, holding their breaths, and the executives of the film company and distribution company were also fixing their gazes on the set with serious expressions. Writer Akari’s eyes were filled with a strange mix of anticipation and worry, and Chairman Hideki on her right had an inscrutable expression.

“······”

Director Kyotaro, having finished a brief conversation with the director of photography, sat down in front of the various monitors.

“Hoo-”

He let out a small breath and gestured to a staff member. A male staff member stepped forward and clapped the slate in front of the camera.

-Clap!

Director Kyotaro, taking off his hat, picked up the megaphone. Just before ‘Action’ was about to come out of his mouth, Kang Woo-jin on the set’s mansion side had already closed the iron door and entered inside.

And then.

‘First-’

He quickly pulled up Iyota Kiyoshi. Soon, the world that Woo-jin saw became ‘Nakkisaeng’. Everything became Kiyoshi, but for some reason, Kang Woo-jin didn’t stop working.

He was different from the past.

Currently, Kang Woo-jin had the recently added ability of ‘Freedom of Role’. The framework was broken. Countless possibilities were overflowing. Well, in fact, it had been broken for quite some time, and Woo-jin was already skilled at it. To put it extremely, Kang Woo-jin could now do a sudden Talchum [Korean mask dance] while maintaining ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ himself.

However, instead of Talchum, Woo-jin took out something else.

Because he already had an answer that he had decided on a few days ago.

‘Role synthesis is necessary for now.’

After all, it was a cut where Kiyoshi was adding a suitable performance while looking at Detective Mochio. So, role synthesis would be useful. But Woo-jin didn’t want to abandon the foundation of Kiyoshi. He wanted Kiyoshi to remain Kiyoshi-like until the end. Even if he was acting within acting.

So, the role he summoned through role synthesis had to be similar to Kiyoshi but also capable of a twist.

As expected, Kang Woo-jin had a summon he had in mind.

“······”

Another scent overlapped with Kang Woo-jin, who was already saturated with Kiyoshi. The summon had responded to its master’s call. Role synthesis was completed in an instant.

This was just a taste. The real thing was from here on.

He would maintain the foundation of Kiyoshi with the summon he had pulled out through role synthesis. But Kang Woo-jin was planning to break the framework of the scenario.

He would unlock ‘Freedom of Role’.

Meanwhile, Mana Kosaku, outside the iron door, who had no way of knowing this situation, was reviewing Detective Mochio’s emotions while making a resolution in his mind.

‘It’s okay, just go with it calmly. Even if we leave it up to freedom, the situation in the play is the same. Mochio’s situation is more advantageous than Kiyoshi’s. Kiyoshi has to hide, and I’m vaguely aware that he’s hiding something.’

He would deal with any acting that came his way comfortably.

‘If anyone is going to attack, it’s going to be me. I have no intention of letting him, Kiyoshi, go easily.’

The two actors were thrown into an unknown territory as the characters of ‘Nakkisaeng’.

At that moment.

“Hi- Action!”

The director’s signal rang out. Soon, Mana Kosaku. No, Detective Mochio moved with his hands in his jacket pockets. He climbed the iron stairs with a clang, clang, clang sound. The camera followed him from behind and then moved in front of him.

He had reached the end of the hallway.

However.

“······”

It was quiet. According to the original scenario, the iron door should have opened. But it didn’t move at all. The framework was broken from the start. But Detective Mochio didn’t care. He scratched his head. Then, he knocked on the iron door.

-Knock knock.

3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds. There was no movement. Mochio sighed softly and scratched his chin.

“Is he not home?”

He knocked on the door again.

-Knock knock knock.

This time, the intensity was stronger than before. Still, the iron door showed no sign of opening. What was going on? Detective Mochio looked around the hallway and chuckled.

“It’s like he’s asking for a password.”

A natural ad-lib. Director Kyotaro, who had his nose buried in the monitor, also muttered with satisfaction.

“Good, like that.”

In any case, the door didn’t open. Detective Mochio was about to lower his head to look at his wristwatch in front of the iron door when.

-Clunk!

The iron door suddenly opened and hit Detective Mochio’s head hard. With a thud, Mochio staggered slightly, and Iyota Kiyoshi, with a nonchalant face, peeked out from inside the door.

But he didn’t open his mouth.

“······”

He just.

“Kuhh-”

He just stared at Detective Mochio, who was expressing pain. Kiyoshi’s face didn’t have much expression. What was interesting was.

-Swish.

Kiyoshi’s eyes, which had been looking back and forth between Detective Mochio and the iron door, were now filled with surprise. An expression immediately formed. It was a different look from his usual expressionless self. Nevertheless, his overall expression was stiff. And he didn’t say anything.

“······”

Kiyoshi hesitated slightly, twitching his hands.

Mochio confirmed that.

He pressed his head with one hand and took out his detective’s badge with the other. Showing the badge to Kiyoshi, Mochio said.

“Kuhh- ah, it’s okay. It opened late, so I didn’t have time to dodge. Don’t worry about it. I’m a detective. You’re Iyota Kiyoshi, right?”

“······”

A question was thrown, but Kiyoshi, surprised, only blinked his eyes and didn’t answer. Mochio put his badge in his jacket and smiled slightly. He still had one hand on his head.

“You are Iyota Kiyoshi, aren’t you?”

Mochio made eye contact with Kiyoshi. He was wearing glasses. His attire was a simple shirt. A shirt that was close to gray. It was a look that could be seen anywhere. If you didn’t pay attention, it was a look that no one would remember. What was strange was his behavior.

‘Why isn’t he reacting?’

It was strange. Clearly, it was. The Kiyoshi in front of him now had a mix of his original self and a clumsy or awkward young man. Yes, it was as if two characters were combined.

Kosaku, or Mochio, spoke again as if to test the waters.

“Ah, don’t be nervous. There was a big incident throughout Japan, but there’s nothing going on around here. I just have a few things to ask you.”

“······”

Kiyoshi didn’t answer this time either. Nevertheless, his eyes were fixed on Detective Mochio. There was something strange about his gaze. Where was he looking? More than that, silence? Mochio judged that Kiyoshi was frozen right now.

Was he going to keep his mouth shut?

‘He’s calculating quickly in his head, not speaking is to hide his tension.’

But he couldn’t give him an opening. Detective Mochio, who now had a smile on his face and a rough stubble on his chin, asked Kiyoshi again.

“Iyota Kiyoshi, you knew I was coming, didn’t you?”

Kiyoshi’s expression didn’t change much. At this point, everyone on the set, over 200 people, sensed something was wrong.

‘Why- isn’t he saying anything?’

‘Did he perhaps forget his lines? No, since it’s free, is there anything to forget?’

‘Is it… okay?’

This was the same for Director Kyotaro, who was staring at the monitor.

‘Silence. Is silence what he planned? Is he going to keep his mouth shut until the end?’

That wasn’t bad in itself. But the doubt didn’t go away. The first appearance, where the scents of two characters seemed to be mixed, was good, but remaining silent was too bland.

It was at this moment.

-Swish.

Kang Woo-jin, or Kiyoshi, who had monopolized the attention of over 200 people, moved for the first time. He raised one hand and placed it on his chest. The motion was filled with courtesy.

Then, he opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Ah, ah- uhh-”

Woo-jin suddenly let out a groan. No, was it not a groan? Soon, question marks appeared in everyone’s eyes, starting with Director Kyotaro. Especially, Detective Mochio, who was looking directly at Kang Woo-jin, was the most extreme.

‘Wh…what? What kind of sound is he making?’

Mochio, with his brow furrowed, asked Kiyoshi again.

“Excuse me? Hey, are you perhaps making fun of me right now?”

But Kang Woo-jin was still making similar groans.

“Uh, ah- ah-”

He suddenly raised both hands. Detective Mochio instinctively flinched and went into a defensive stance, but Kang Woo-jin’s hands were not meant to attack him.

-Swish.

His two hands began to fly smoothly in the air.

[“I’m sorry, I can’t hear what the detective is saying.”]

It was Japanese sign language.

[“You probably don’t know the meaning of this sign language either, do you?”]

Kiyoshi was using sign language.

In an instant, Director Kyotaro, who was watching the monitor, widened his eyes and raised his head sharply. He had seen Kang Woo-jin inside the set mansion.

‘Si, sign language?!’

Furthermore, Mochio froze at the completely unexpected acting.

“Ah······”

It was clear that Detective Mochio was flustered.

End