I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 28

It was Sunday morning.

Kang Woo-jin, having woken up at his lodgings near the ‘Detective Agency’ filming location, immediately headed to Sea Blue Studio. He’d received a call from the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ team, a meeting scheduled a few days prior. Originally, it was meant to be earlier, but PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo had delayed it to accommodate Woo-jin’s filming schedule.

After getting out of the ‘Detective Agency’ van, Woo-jin met with PD Song Man-woo, writer Park Eun-mi, the production manager, and others. The meeting began with the bearded PD Song Man-woo presenting the finalized style concept for Park Dae-ri.

“Woo-jin-ssi, this is Park Dae-ri’s usual clothing concept, and here are the finalized concepts for his house and other locations. Please take a look.”

Kang Woo-jin examined everything decided for the character ‘Park Dae-ri,’ from his appearance to his living space. It was a finalized version, not a draft, and Woo-jin maintained a calm expression while thinking,

‘Wow, it’s incredibly detailed. They’re showing photos of the locations and his house. His outfits change every day. Is it similar to design work? Researching materials and data before starting work.’

He was constantly amazed internally. After listening to the concept details for about ten minutes, Woo-jin moved on to a script meeting with writer Park Eun-mi.

“Here you go. The official scripts for episodes 3 and 4. The other actors have already received them, but Woo-jin-ssi, you were a bit late because of the ‘Detective Agency’ filming. It’s a bit tight on time, but please analyze them thoroughly.”

A hint of worry crossed Park Eun-mi’s eyes. She seemed concerned about giving him the script late. However, Kang Woo-jin didn’t see any problem with it. He could grasp everything within the day.

So, with a touch of bravado.

“It’s no problem.”

“Really?”

“Yes, writer-nim [term of respect for a writer].”

Soon, the worry in Park Eun-mi’s eyes turned into affection. ‘Profiler Hanryang’ had already produced official scripts up to episode 4. Woo-jin didn’t know, but the first drafts of the scripts had progressed beyond episode 7. The covers and formats of the episode 3 and 4 scripts given to Kang Woo-jin were the same as the episode 1 script. Of course, every script had a black square attached to it.

At this point, the bearded PD Song Man-woo explained to Woo-jin.

“Park Dae-ri appears until episode 4 and then exits. But there are flashback scenes in later episodes. You’ll see him again around episode 6.”

So, a total of six episodes. At 3.5 million won per episode, that was 21 million won. That was just a simple calculation, and if you included reruns and other things, it was quite a substantial amount.

‘Nice, being an actor is good.’

Kang Woo-jin internally cheered. Then, for about an hour, Woo-jin had to listen to a verbal rehearsal about episodes 3 and 4. It was quite fun. Hearing the thoughts of the creators and director was a good comparison to his own reading.

As soon as the script meeting ended, PD Song Man-woo grinned.

“It seems the actors have been awakened thanks to Woo-jin-ssi.”

Awakened? What awakening all of a sudden? This wasn’t a fantasy. Curious, Woo-jin asked in a low voice.

“What do you mean by awakened?”

“After seeing your acting during the script reading, the other actors felt like their feet were on fire, worried they might get overshadowed by Park Dae-ri.”

Writer Park Eun-mi added, smiling as well.

“Did the ‘Detective Agency’ filming go well?”

“Yes, without any problems.”

“I’m looking forward to ‘Detective Agency’ too. What was the atmosphere like on set? Was it manageable?”

I almost died. That was Woo-jin’s honest feeling, but here, it was best to act like it was nothing.

“It was okay, I guess.”

“Okay? You must have good stamina, Woo-jin-ssi? That’s good. Our first filming for ‘Profiler Hanryang’ is coming up soon, so please take care of your condition. Though, I’m sure you’ll do well.”

Was there even time to take care of his condition? Kang Woo-jin thought he had no choice but to endure. It was afternoon when Kang Woo-jin finished the meeting. As soon as he came out of the building, Kang Woo-jin muttered to himself.

‘It’s kind of hectic but also manageable.’

It was then.

-Vrrrm, vrrrm.

A long vibration came from the pocket of Woo-jin’s fleece. It was a phone call. Checking the caller ID, it was the burly Kim Dae-young, and Woo-jin, looking around, answered the phone.

“What.”

“Hey! Kang Woo-jin! Come out now! Let’s have a drink. Everyone’s free.”

“I refuse, you guys drink among yourselves.”

“…Are you still acting busy when you’re unemployed? You haven’t even changed jobs yet.”

“Thanks for the criticism disguised as concern, shut up.”

“What the hell are you doing these days? Why are you suddenly being all mysterious? Why won’t you show your face!”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet his friends, but honestly, Kang Woo-jin didn’t have time to drink right now. He was genuinely busy, not just pretending.

“I’ll tell you later, bye.”

-Click.

As soon as he hung up, Woo-jin, thinking about Kim Dae-young and his friends, muttered to himself.

“Well, they’ll all see it on TV soon anyway.”

It was a plan to hide it and then reveal it, rather than lying to them when they met.

Around this time, a production company van came out of the underground parking lot to pick up Kang Woo-jin. There was no reason to refuse a ride home.

-Thump!

As soon as Woo-jin got in, the van started. Since the production staff was there, Kang Woo-jin switched back to his concept. A nonchalant expression. Then, Woo-jin picked up the episode 3 script from the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ scripts he had just received.

‘Should I read episode 3 before I get home?’

-Whoosh!

He no longer hesitated to pierce the black square, and soon, Kang Woo-jin entered the endlessly dark subspace. Then, he immediately checked the floating white square.

“The connected scripts seem to be listed like this.”

‘Profiler Hanryang’ episode 3 was a small square below the original episode 1 white square. It was the same as episode 2. Well, if there were 16 episodes, it would be hard to see if there were 16 white squares lined up. Only the size was smaller, the operation was the same.

Kang Woo-jin, having grasped something new, moved his index finger.

-[You have selected 2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Episode 3).]

-[Listing characters available for reading (experience).]

And.

[“Preparing to read ‘E: Park Dae-ri’……”]

Woo-jin was sucked into the unfamiliar world of Park Dae-ri in episode 3.

Later that day, late lunch, Kang Woo-jin’s studio apartment.

It was past 1 PM when Kang Woo-jin returned to his studio apartment. Fortunately, the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ team had given him a ride home, so he arrived comfortably, but thanks to the fatigue from five days of filming, yesterday’s dinner, and this morning’s meeting, Woo-jin.

“Ugh-”

He collapsed onto the bed as soon as he arrived home.

“……”

Kang Woo-jin, who had been lying face down without moving for three minutes, barely moved. Or, to be precise, he turned over. How long had it been since he had found peace? Even the noise from the upstairs neighbors sounded pleasant.

Should he just fall asleep like this?

Kang Woo-jin reached for his phone out of habit while turning over again. Then, he saw the business cards.

“Ah.”

They were the business cards he had received on the script reading day. Ah, right. Those were still there. It had been about a week since he received the business cards, so it was time to make a decision.

“Hoo-”

However, Kang Woo-jin was too lazy to even get up right now. So, he reached out and grabbed the stack of business cards while lying down. There were nine in total. They were all entertainment companies, but one was a film company. Well, that was that.

“Agencies, huh? Checking out the companies is basic, but…”

Did he really have to meet all eight entertainment companies? That seemed a bit much. It was a bit of a hassle, but given the concept Kang Woo-jin had adopted, he wondered if it was right to go around meeting them all. Also.

“I saw that people knew each other well on the reading day. If I go around meeting agencies, wouldn’t rumors spread?”

Although it was a guess, Woo-jin’s muttering was close to the truth. The entertainment industry was faster than light when it came to rumors, and especially the entertainment agencies were several times more sensitive to trends. If Kang Woo-jin went around everywhere, there was a good chance that bad rumors would spread.

“Moving around too lightly is a no-go.”

At this point, Kang Woo-jin paused at a familiar business card.

-bw Entertainment.

-CEO Choi Sung-gun.

It was the agency of top actress Hong Hye-yeon.

“Hmm-”

Then, Woo-jin touched the business card and let out a groan. Many thoughts went through his mind in a short moment. Honestly, Kang Woo-jin didn’t know anything about the entertainment industry. Even if he searched each agency, he wouldn’t be able to make a clear decision.

‘I’ll just have more worries.’

Therefore, he needed experience.

Later that day, late afternoon, at an advertisement filming location.

It was a cosmetics advertisement, and a desk was placed in the middle of the set, with various cosmetics on it. Sitting there was Hong Hye-yeon in a white dress. She put a cosmetic on her cheek and smiled at the camera.

“Give your skin the gift of nature.”

At the same time, a chubby man watching the monitor shouted into a megaphone.

“OK! Nice expression!! Hye-yeon-ssi! We’ll change the cosmetics and go again!”

The advertisement team staff rushed to the desk where Hong Hye-yeon was sitting. The cosmetics were quickly replaced. Meanwhile, the stylists quickly fixed Hong Hye-yeon’s makeup.

Around this time.

-Swish.

A familiar man with a ponytail entered the filming location. It was CEO Choi Sung-gun. As soon as she saw him, Hong Hye-yeon opened her mouth while her face was still in the hands of the stylists.

“You’re here?”

CEO Choi Sung-gun immediately gave her a thumbs up.

“Amazing, Hong Star. You’re looking gorgeous today?”

“What is it? Why are you suddenly flattering me? Did you bring some work? Tell me quickly. What is it?”

“Haha, I really don’t have anything? Ah- but come to think of it, there is one small thing. Now that our Hye-yeon’s ‘Detective Agency’ is over, how about doing a chicken commercial?”

“No.”

“Hey, listen to the conditions.”

“If I do a chicken commercial, I have to eat only that chicken. There are so many kinds of chicken in the world. I don’t want to.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun immediately let out a long sigh.

“Do you know how much this is worth? And you’re rejecting it because of your taste?”

Then.

-♬♪

CEO Choi Sung-gun’s phone, which was about to start a war, rang. It was a call, and it was an unsaved number. So, CEO Choi Sung-gun gestured for Hong Hye-yeon to wait and answered the phone.

“Yes, this is Choi Sung-gun.”

A low male voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

“Hello, this is Kang Woo-jin.”

He paused. CEO Choi Sung-gun, whose eyes widened slightly, immediately mouthed to Hong Hye-yeon.

‘Hey, it’s Kang Woo-jin.’

Hong Hye-yeon jumped up.

‘What are you doing! Say something quickly!’

Thanks to that, CEO Choi Sung-gun smiled and opened his mouth.

“Oh, oh, Woo-jin-ssi. I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“I’m sorry. Because of filming.”

“I know, I know.”

“I wanted to meet you about the contract.”

Soon, CEO Choi Sung-gun clenched his fist.

“Of course, we should meet! It’s a bit late right now. I’ll go near Woo-jin-ssi’s house tomorrow.”

However, Kang Woo-jin’s voice on the phone was calm.

“No. I will go to bw Entertainment.”

16th.

The weekend passed, and Monday morning arrived. It was a time when everyone was busy. Of course, the same was true for bw Entertainment near Samsung Station. The office was not very large, but about ten employees were all busy doing their own work.

The interior of bw Entertainment was generally neat.

Therefore, there was nothing particularly unusual. An office where employees worked, a meeting room, and the CEO’s office. The only thing that stood out was that there were posters of Hong Hye-yeon’s photoshoots on the walls of the office and other places.

The employees of bw Entertainment whispered among themselves.

“Who was the man who just went into the CEO’s office? Does anyone know?”

“Isn’t he from some company?”

“He was quite handsome though. And his vibe was heavy. He looked like an actor.”

“Huh? An actor? What is it? I haven’t heard anything from the CEO. Is he a rookie?”

“Wow- is our second actor finally coming in??”

“But isn’t it too much to sign an unknown actor at this time when we need money?”

The main character of their gossip was sitting at the four-person desk in the CEO’s office. It was the expressionless Kang Woo-jin. His attire was casual. Jeans and a sweatshirt. He was.

‘I want that big poster.’

He was staring intently at the large Hong Hye-yeon poster on the front wall. At this time.

“Hahaha, Woo-jin-ssi. Please have some.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail placed a coffee cup in front of Woo-jin, and Kang Woo-jin, who had been looking at the poster, suddenly came to his senses.

“Thank you.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, maintaining his smile, sat opposite Woo-jin and swirled his index finger.

“It’s small, right? But it’s big for a startup. Well, it’s all thanks to Hong Hye-yeon. Hahaha.”

Indeed, a top actress. Was it possible for one company to be maintained by just one person? Kang Woo-jin, thinking about the articles about celebrities buying buildings worth hundreds of billions, asked.

“But why only Hong Hye-yeon?”

“Is there a reason? Well- I’ve been focusing on Hong Star, and I’ve been busy trying to establish the company. I’ve been going around to broadcasting stations and production companies, handing out business cards.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, who had answered, smiled and suddenly stood up. Then, he took a transparent file from his seat, and as he sat opposite Woo-jin again, he straightened his suit jacket and became serious.

“Woo-jin-ssi, have you met with any agencies?”

You’re the first one, but he couldn’t say that. Kang Woo-jin mixed a bit of bravado into his answer.

“I think I’ve met with a few.”

“It’s hectic, right? But you have to stay focused. It’s an important time.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, pushed the transparent file he had brought towards Kang Woo-jin.

“This is the contract we’re proposing to Woo-jin-ssi. But before we get to the main point.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, with his hands clasped together, met Kang Woo-jin’s cold gaze.

“I think it’s better to address this first. The contract fee. That way, the contract discussion will be a bit smoother. You said that other agencies offered ‘groundbreaking conditions’? I’ve also prepared accordingly.”

Kang Woo-jin was slightly startled inside by the sudden realistic talk.

‘Oh, this guy is going straight for it. Hoo- stay calm, Kang Woo-jin. You’ve already experienced this once.’

He then pretended to be calm and slowly nodded his head.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Do you have anything in mind?”

He did. Kang Woo-jin had roughly decided on the size of the contract fee. The source was director Shin Dong-chun.

‘I think it’s okay to ask for about 20 million won as a contract fee?’

That is, 20 million won. But was this really right? Now that he had come this far, 20 million won felt too big to Woo-jin. No, it was actually a large amount.

‘What if I ask for 20 million and get rejected?’

Or maybe that ponytail CEO would get angry and splash the coffee he was drinking on Woo-jin’s face.

There’s that kind of thing, like in morning dramas.

On the other hand, CEO Choi Sung-gun wasn’t thinking about morning dramas at all. He was just constantly calculating in his head.

‘It’s okay, he’s different. He’s already in two projects, and one of them is ‘Profiler Hanryang.’ After that, he’ll definitely skyrocket. Recovering the contract fee is nothing. The key is to catch him first.’

CEO Choi Sung-gun had been through a lot in the entertainment industry. He would never do a deal that would lose him money.

Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin had made up his mind.

‘Calmly. Just say 20 million won, short and clear. Let’s go for it. What if I get some coffee splashed on me? I’ll just say I washed my face.’

Soon, just as Woo-jin was about to say the 20 million won he had decided on in his head.

“Woo-jin-ssi.”

CEO Choi Sung-gun, with a serious expression, stopped Kang Woo-jin’s 20 million won. He had opened the door first.

“How about 30 million?”

What? Why? Kang Woo-jin was flustered by the unexpected amount. Thanks to the concept he had adopted, there was no change in his expression, but his pupils shook briefly. However, Kang Woo-jin couldn’t stop his mouth from opening due to the shock.

“Thir…”

‘Thirty million won??!’ was the complete sentence, but Kang Woo-jin barely stopped his mouth before the ‘ty’ sound came out. He almost asked stupidly in a situation where he should have been calm and composed. He was too stunned. So, Kang Woo-jin praised himself first.

‘Good job, I almost gave it away. But, 30 million?! What’s going on all of a sudden.’

Kang Woo-jin started choosing his words. At this point, CEO Choi Sung-gun, who had been staring at Woo-jin, said in a voice with sudden strength.

‘……Thir?’

“Okay. Forty million. It’s possible.”

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