I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 280

The first episode of ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ was roughly under 20 minutes. The content included the appearance of the male lead, ‘Sengoku Tooru,’ and the female lead, Enma Kyoko, an explanation of ‘Sengoku Tooru’s’ personality and a brief high school background, the moderate appearance of supporting characters, and the beginning of a full-fledged incident.

In the final version, ‘Sengoku Tooru’s’ past and piano performance would be added.

In other words, most of the content of the first episode of ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ focused on the male lead, ‘Sengoku Tooru.’ That meant there were a lot of lines. There were also quite a few of the male lead’s monologues, like stage directions, in between.

But Kang Woo-jin was different.

‘Oh, the anime quality is awesome? The art is amazing. This anime production company is huge for a reason.’

He was so relaxed that he could admire the anime displayed on the monitor while voicing the male lead. It was easier than he thought. Maybe it was because he didn’t have to move his body like in acting. Of course, he had to put his heart and soul into his voice, but it was no problem for Woo-jin, who already embodied ‘Sengoku Tooru.’

When Sengoku Tooru was brought to life, Woo-jin’s surroundings transformed into an animation.

The scenery of the reading room disappeared.

The cheat item, the subspace, was just as effective in the voice acting world. No, in terms of difficulty, voice acting was several times easier. So, how far would Kang Woo-jin soar?

The shocked eyes of the voice actors and the director watching Woo-jin, who was speaking fluently, were not surprising at all.

‘How can he match his mouth movements so perfectly?! Is he really a beginner in voice acting?’

‘Even if the script has a time sheet written on it… it’s natural to make mistakes. Why doesn’t he ever make a single mistake? Even veterans can’t do that, right?’

Even.

‘He’s not just matching the lines. He’s also expressing enough emotion, and in the meantime, he’s adjusting the tone, pitch, and emphasis…’

Kang Woo-jin, who was doing voice acting for the first time, was precise with his rich emotions and tone control. Even Asami Saya’s eyes widened.

‘Practice? No, that’s not a level that can be achieved just by practicing.’

The Japanese voice actors made more mistakes.

The atmosphere of the reading room quickly became heated. Among the more than 50 people, exclamations and questions were overflowing. Regardless, Kang Woo-jin calmly did what he had to do.

And then.

“…Cut. Okay, let’s take a short break.”

After finishing the reading of the second episode, the director called for a break. But all the voice actors remained motionless. They were too surprised to move. This was the same for the executives and staff of ‘A10 Studio.’ Only the female team leader of the planning department, who was in charge of the proceedings, was thinking clearly.

‘Oh my god. I thought he could manage to some extent because he was good at acting… but he doesn’t make any mistakes at all?’

Then, she heard about the commotion that had happened earlier from a staff member.

“What? That happened?”

She made a troubled expression. Well, similar cases were common in the entertainment industry, but it seemed she didn’t expect such a blatant incident to occur. Therefore, the female team leader, accompanied by staff members, approached the silent Kang Woo-jin and bowed.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kang Woo-jin.”

Frankly, she didn’t care about losing a few of the cast voice actors.

“I should have paid more attention. I will give a separate warning to the voice actors. I apologize again.”

However, if Kang Woo-jin dropped out, it would be a huge problem that would halt the production of ‘My Best Friend: Remake.’ No, it was close to a disaster. From the beginning, the male lead character, ‘Sengoku Tooru,’ was modeled after Kang Woo-jin, and Kang Woo-jin was the core of the project due to promotion, marketing, and numerous other factors.

In other words, he was the main draw in terms of viewership ratings.

Therefore, ‘A10 Studio’ could not afford to upset Kang Woo-jin.

On the other hand, Woo-jin.

“It’s okay, I’ve already forgotten about it.”

He shook his head nonchalantly.

‘I’m getting so many apologies today, ugh—I’m actually feeling more burdened?’

In fact, the earlier incident was almost forgotten. At this point, the female team leader stared at the indifferent Woo-jin for a moment and then suddenly whispered.

“But Mr. Woo-jin, you would have easily won that bet, wouldn’t you?”

“Is that so?”

It was an obvious outcome.

“How… how are you even capable of voice acting? No, how are you so perfect?”

Later.

The script reading for ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ ended in the early afternoon. As the voice actors left, they looked at Woo-jin and clearly realized.

If we mess up, we might get eaten alive.

Indeed, it was a skill worthy of a no-backing declaration. Why that Korean actor had perfect voice acting skills or how it was possible was not the issue. Professionals who made a living as voice actors were about to be pushed out. Anyway, the voice actors quickly left the reading room, and Kang Woo-jin remained.

Because the piano and OST [Original Sound Track] recordings were left.

It was almost midnight when Kang Woo-jin finished his schedule for the day and returned to the hotel. The first person to meet Kang Woo-jin, who had endured the tight schedule all day thanks to the subspace, was Choi Seong-geon with his ponytail.

“You rascal, I heard you turned the reading room upside down again? I heard it from the kids.”

Choi Seong-geon, who met Woo-jin in the hotel lobby, was grinning.

“Too bad, if I wasn’t busy with work! I missed such a scene.”

“It wasn’t anything important.”

“Wasn’t it difficult? It was your first time doing it.”

“It wasn’t that difficult.”

“Yeah, that’s like you. That’s Kang Woo-jin.”

Soon, Choi Seong-geon leaned in and whispered to Woo-jin.

“Today, I was busy looking into various things related to our bw Entertainment’s overseas branch in Hollywood. That will be your base when you go to Hollywood.”

Choi Seong-geon, who was smiling meaningfully, suddenly changed the subject.

“Oh, by the way, when is the official recording date for that anime, ‘My Best Friend: Remake’? I heard it’s roughly a few days away.”

Kang Woo-jin recalled the director’s comment in the reading room.

‘We will finish the reading today, the 29th, and start the official recording two days later, on the 31st. The entire recording schedule will take 3 to 5 days.’

The official recording of ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ was on May 31st, the last day of May.

In other words, it was two days later.

31st, Monday. Around 10 a.m.

It was the day of the official dubbing recording for ‘My Best Friend: Remake.’ For reference, the gathering time was around noon. And today, director Kyotaro and all the staff of ‘Strange Geisha’ received a call from Chairman Hideki. It was to have a company dinner in the hall of the ‘Kashihi Tokyo Hotel.’ On the round tables in the spacious hall, splendid food and various drinks and liquors were set up.

A gathering prepared by Chairman Hideki to commemorate the wrap-up. It was a wrap-up party. In fact, the main investor didn’t have to go this far, but Chairman Hideki, who had visited the wrap-up site, was quite moved and voluntarily called the staff together.

Anyway.

“Wow! It’s so delicious!!”

“Eat a lot! Where else would you get to eat this kind of food!”

“There’s no time to talk!”

The hundred or so staff members of ‘Strange Geisha’ were enjoying the company dinner without a care. Of course, actors and other related people were also mixed in. But for some reason, director Kyotaro, writer Akari, and Kang Woo-jin were not seen.

It was natural.

They were all gathered in a reception room near the hall. To be precise, the people gathered in the spacious room were Chairman Hideki at the head of the table, director Kyotaro and writer Akari on either side of him, then Kang Woo-jin and Choi Seong-geon. At the end, there were also representatives of the film company and executives of the distribution company.

Roughly a dozen people.

The atmosphere was a bit serious. Kang Woo-jin’s expression was also serious. However, his inner thoughts were grumbling.

‘Ugh—damn it, if it’s something important, the higher-ups should handle it themselves. I’m starving to death.’

He was craving the luxurious food lined up in the hall. But he didn’t show it on the outside.

Soon, Chairman Hideki, who was sitting at the head of the table and had taken off his suit jacket, spoke in a rough voice.

“First of all, everyone worked hard. But about that—the changed ending. We said we would proceed without hesitation, but I called you all together to make sure everyone is mentally prepared. I wanted to hear your thoughts.”

He was the head of the ‘Kashihi Group.’ He had more experience than anyone else in this place, and the future of ‘Strange Geisha’ was clear to him. Chairman Hideki turned his gaze to writer Akari on his right and spoke in Japanese again.

“Once ‘Strange Geisha’ is released, the first shots will probably be fired by the original fans of ‘Strange Geisha.’ That earthquake-like flow will quickly be diluted, and it will seep into the entertainment industry and the public. Whether it’s controversy or resentment.”

It was a picture that everyone gathered here, including Chairman Hideki, had anticipated.

“I know we’re going ahead with it, and I agreed to it. But shouldn’t we prepare in advance?”

“That’s right.”

Starting with director Kyotaro, the representatives and executives of the film company and distribution company nodded. It was something they were going to talk about after the filming anyway. Then, Chairman Hideki, who was stroking his chin, asked director Kyotaro.

“I’m not doubting you, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But the director’s eye is different. How is it? Are you confident in the quality of ‘Strange Geisha’?”

“…Although editing is left.”

Director Kyotaro, with his gray hair, spoke with conviction.

“I think the best movie of my entire career will come out.”

If a movie’s quality is trash when a huge controversy breaks out, the situation becomes very bad. But ‘Strange Geisha’ was okay to exclude that part. It wasn’t 100% certain, but the master director Kyotaro had guaranteed it.

Soon, Chairman Hideki slowly nodded.

“Hmm, so there’s no problem with the work.”

An executive from the distribution company chimed in.

“Well—‘Strange Geisha’ has been noisy since the beginning of production, and it already has a fairly high level of awareness compared to other competing works. I need to do a clear investigation, but just looking at social media, there’s probably no one who doesn’t know about ‘Strange Geisha.’”

Chairman Hideki, who slightly raised one of his white-haired eyebrows, glanced at the silently sitting Kang Woo-jin.

“Hmm, Woo-jin’s recent power has been significant.”

“Yes. That’s right. So, how about reducing the firepower a bit when the full-scale promotion and marketing starts about two months before the movie’s release?”

“Reduce?”

“Yes. We’ll do basic promotion, but we’ll skip the production presentation and marketing schedule appropriately. We’ll also reduce the number of various previews.”

“Are you saying you want to minimize the expected noise?”

“That’s the intention.”

Normally, they would go all out with promotion and marketing, but ‘Strange Geisha’ was already a hot topic. So, the idea was to minimize the predicted controversy and resentment. Frankly, no one could guarantee how big the fire would get, but the film company and distribution company predicted it would be quite large.

At this, the main investor, Chairman Hideki, who had his arms crossed, let out a sigh.

“Hmm—”

The atmosphere became quite heavy. Then, Chairman Hideki’s gaze suddenly turned to Kang Woo-jin, who was sitting in the middle.

“What do you think, Mr. Woo-jin?”

A question suddenly thrown at Kang Woo-jin. Of course, Woo-jin was maintaining a poker face. But inside, he was a little startled.

‘What’s with this old man all of a sudden? Why is he asking me that? The higher-ups should handle that themselves.’

He wanted them to handle it themselves, but he couldn’t back down with his strong persona. He had to make a dignified statement here.

More than anything.

‘But reducing the promotion is a bit—lame, isn’t it? Is it just me? It feels like we’re running away.’

Woo-jin’s true feelings were completely different from the current situation. It was a judgment that was possible because he could ‘just run away to Korea.’ His mindset was completely different from everyone here. Such Woo-jin.

—Swish.

He scanned Chairman Hideki, who was looking at him, then director Kyotaro, writer Akari, Choi Seong-geon, and the representatives of the distribution and film companies. All eyes were on him.

Ugh—damn, this is so burdensome.

But Kang Woo-jin spoke in a very calm voice, unlike his inner thoughts. It was a low and concise Japanese.

“I think it’s better to expand the situation even more.”

Most were surprised. Among them, Chairman Hideki at the head of the table answered.

“…Expand the situation more?”

Kang Woo-jin was as calm as ever.

“Yes. If we take a step back, people will see us as even more foolish, and the flow of criticism will become stronger.”

A smile spread across Chairman Hideki’s wrinkled mouth.

“So, the more we do this, the more upright we should be, and rather amplify the situation—we should take the lead and expand all the situations, including promotion, marketing, production presentations, and events, more than before. We should invite more reporters and related people than usual.”

“Yes.”

In other words, don’t be intimidated and sow the seeds of chaos even more. Chairman Hideki, whose smile had deepened, spoke to Kang Woo-jin.

“We’ll face the situation head-on with a situation that we’ve expanded several times over.”

Kang Woo-jin replied in an indifferent tone.

“That’s what I think.”

Meanwhile, at the same time. In Korea.

The Korean film industry media was pouring out quite a few articles related to the weekend that had just passed.

『Theaters are packed on the weekend, movie theaters are overflowing with crowds of people who came to watch movies/Photo』Movie theaters are full

『[Movie Talk] Car theaters are full of cars that came to see the syndrome ‘Island of the Missing’』

And in a porridge shop in Jinju, Gyeongnam, Kang Woo-jin’s parents, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol, were looking up at the large TV on the wall while preparing to open.

“……”

“……”

Both of them were just staring blankly at the TV. Currently, the morning news was playing on TV. It was the cultural segment. The clear voice of a female anchor echoed.

[“The movie ‘Island of the Missing,’ which is setting new records and creating a phenomenon every day, has surpassed 10 million viewers for the first time this year, becoming the 19th movie in Korean film history to reach 10 million viewers. It is a record in just 12 days after its release, which is 3 days faster than the record of 15 days set by the number one movie of all time, ‘Naval Battle.’ It is overwhelmingly breaking new records. It remains to be seen whether the throne of the Korean film industry will change, this is reporter Yoo Hyun-tae.”]

Soon, the news showed a movie theater packed with people. At the same time, with the voice of a male reporter.

[“The box office success of ‘Island of the Missing,’ directed by Kwon Ki-taek and starring famous domestic actors such as Ryu Jung-min, Ha Yu-ra, Kim Yi-won, Kang Woo-jin, and Jeon Woo-chang, is fierce.”]

A picture was displayed in the center of the TV. It was ‘Island of the Missing.’

[Number of viewers for ‘Island of the Missing’ as of May 30, 2021]

[Island of the Missing/Release date: May 19/Cumulative number of viewers in 12 days: 10,178,755]

Soon, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol, who had been staring blankly at the TV, slowly looked at each other. Then, as if they had planned it, they recited in unison.

“Our son is a, a ten million actor?”

End