I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 285

Ryu Jung-min’s smile deepened as he met Kang Woo-jin’s eyes and continued,

“You’re assuming you’ll definitely be on stage at the Cannes Film Festival, right?”

At the question, Kang Woo-jin’s face became even more resolute.

“······”

He was more serious than ever. Though he didn’t say it out loud, he was answering Ryu Jung-min internally.

‘What nonsense is this handsome guy spouting?!’

Why are you thinking so far ahead? Can’t you just take it as it is? Woo-jin was frustrated, but the handsome guy, no, top actor Ryu Jung-min, wore a refreshed expression.

Because his curiosity was satisfied.

“Haha, that’s so like you, Woo-jin. I didn’t expect you to be preparing your acceptance speech, including greetings—in French, no less. You wouldn’t go to such lengths unless you were sure you’d win.”

Kang Woo-jin caught a whiff of intense delusion. But this situation was indeed a flex. Whatever, it’s funny to take it back now.

“…I plan to speak in Korean after the first line.”

Ryu Jung-min, shaking his head as if he was either fed up or impressed, added,

“You really don’t think there’s even a 1% chance of not winning? Winning is the default?”

Default, my ass. All I said in French was that I wanted to eat meat. Ryu Jung-min, who had no idea about this, suddenly crossed his arms and turned serious.

“Hmm—but a speech in French.”

“······”

“I’ve never won an award at Cannes. But if you give even a short acceptance speech in French at Cannes… everyone would probably be shocked and give you a standing ovation.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course. In the first place, only a handful of Korean actors have won awards at the massive Cannes Film Festival. Plus, while Hollywood actors, directors, and famous figures attend, there are also many French officials. After all, Cannes is primarily a French event. So, if a Korean actor speaks in French, it would be incredibly moving, at the very least.”

Well, I guess it would be. Kang Woo-jin immediately understood Ryu Jung-min’s point. If a foreign actor who speaks a completely different language speaks in their native language, their favorability would skyrocket. It was the same reason why Hollywood actors who visit Korea speak Korean.

Here, Ryu Jung-min suddenly seemed to remember something and continued,

“Ah, but Woo-jin, your English is also at a native level, right?”

Later.

After finishing a meeting at Oullim Film Company regarding the second half of the promotional work, which included Kang Woo-jin’s support, Woo-jin, now on his way to the ‘Stranger’ set, was being briefed by Choi Sung-gun.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll be doing surprise, impromptu visits mostly in Seoul. You heard about it at the meeting, right?”

For reference, several topics were discussed at the Oullim Film Company meeting. These were about how to utilize Kang Woo-jin’s promotional support after his return. Many ideas came up. One of them was Kang Woo-jin’s idea. It was the one that included the words ‘surprise, impromptu.’

“It’ll be a bit more hectic, but let’s push through. We need to make up for the promotional schedule we missed due to our circumstances.”

Of course, Kang Woo-jin agreed to most of it.

‘Island of the Lost’ was regaining momentum thanks to Kang Woo-jin’s triumphant return, but it was also true that the wind was slowly dying down as the release date passed. If they didn’t give it a shock at this point, there was a possibility that it would stop just short of ‘Naval Battle’s’ performance.

Soon.

-Swish.

Woo-jin, who had been listening to Choi Sung-gun’s briefing with an indifferent face, secretly took out his phone. Then, he checked the current performance of ‘Island of the Lost.’ Today was the 7th, so it was the performance up to yesterday.

[June 6, 2021, Audience Count]

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Island of the Lost / Release Date: May 19 / Audience: 497,558 / Screens: 1159 / Cumulative Audience: 13,932,969

14 million viewers. ‘Island of the Lost’ had entered the top 10 movies of all time, and it was true that it had already achieved tremendous success. However, compared to the early days of its release, the number of viewers had clearly decreased, and it still needed about 3 million more viewers to clearly surpass the number one movie, ‘Naval Battle.’

Kang Woo-jin looked down at his phone and muttered internally,

‘3 million—3 million.’

Based on simple calculations, it seemed like it could be surpassed in about ten days, but from the meeting at Oullim Film Company today and Choi Sung-gun’s words, it didn’t seem so easy.

‘Did they say that the number of moviegoers drops sharply towards the end of the release period?’

At a certain point, the drop in the number of viewers was severe. In the early days of release, it mobilized 500,000 viewers a day, but after a few weeks, it dropped to even 100,000 viewers. No, there were many movies that only got 50,000.

‘Come to think of it, it was like that with the drug dealer movie too.’

There were movies that climbed up the charts fiercely, reached about 3 million, and then collapsed overnight, finishing at 3.5 million. What if ‘Island of the Lost’ also approached 16 million and then just stopped? It would be one thing if it were completely impossible, but it would be really disappointing to lose after getting so close.

‘Ugh—damn, just imagining it pisses me off?’

At least, that’s how Kang Woo-jin felt.

To miss the throne right in front of your eyes? Second place would be a great achievement, but it doesn’t have the same impact as first place. ‘Island of the Lost’ that threatened first place is obviously less cool than ‘Island of the Lost’ that took first place, right?

Moreover, ‘Island of the Lost’ had one more task.

Choi Sung-gun, who was sitting in the passenger seat, muttered the task as he let out a small breath.

“Hoo—if we could just get to the late 17 million range, it would be a beautiful picture. And it would help us maintain the top spot later.”

Taking the throne as the number one Korean movie was important, but it was also necessary to set a unique record for the future. An overwhelming number of viewers that other movies chasing after it couldn’t even dream of surpassing.

If that happened, Kang Woo-jin would get another ‘first’ title. His first leading role movie would achieve an overwhelming number of viewers that had never existed in the Korean film industry.

It was strange not to be drooling over it.

It was Kang Woo-jin’s pure desire and greed, rather than a concept. Or maybe it was his competitive spirit. He had come so far, and it would be more than just disappointing if he collapsed at the summit. For some reason, it felt like it would be something he would remember for the rest of his life.

‘If I’ve come this far, I have to turn it around, even if my body breaks. No matter what.’

The next day, around noon.

The location was a large multiplex movie theater near Dogok Station. It was the largest movie theater in the area, and despite it being a weekday afternoon, the lobby was crowded with people.

“Wow—is that line for the concession stand for real?”

“Why are there so many people? Ugh, I told you to go to a smaller theater.”

“You idiot, how was I supposed to know there would be this many people??”

There were groups of college students, couples, and quite a few students in school uniforms. It was indeed the peak season for theaters. In addition, the quality of the recently released movies was high. The syndrome of ‘Island of the Lost,’ as well as the new movies that continued to be released, were drawing audiences to the theaters.

So, there was a separate promotional war going on everywhere in the movie theater.

On the several large monitors installed, trailers for movies that were about to be released or had already been released were playing like crazy, and numerous billboards and standees were placed in areas that were easily visible to people. Posters were also everywhere. On the monitors above the ticket counters and concession stands, the showtimes for various movies were displayed.

‘Island of the Lost’ was there, and so were countless other movies.

Anyway.

-Ding!

A woman who had just gotten off the elevator caught the eye. She had a white mask on and her long hair was rolled up. Perhaps because of the warmer weather, she was wearing a tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt and shorts. She was holding a phone in her hand and was also surprised by the crowd in the movie theater.

“Wow.”

Then, she whispered softly,

“I should have just come for the early morning show.”

Anyway, she took a picture of the entire movie theater lobby with her phone. But the way she was taking pictures was unusual. Meanwhile, several men around her glanced at her. Some were even whispering. Regardless, the woman took a few pictures of the ‘Island of the Lost’ poster and billboard and then moved to the restroom.

Then, she took a picture of herself in the mirror.

“Oh—the mirror here is nice.”

Satisfied with the dozens of photos she had taken, the woman raised the corners of her mouth hidden behind her mask. Then, she touched her phone’s gallery. Soon, a huge number of saved photos were displayed.

It was understandable.

The woman was an influencer with 500,000 followers on Instagram and a YouTube channel with 150,000 subscribers. Her name was Joo Ah-rang. She was a well-known model and YouTuber. Especially on Instagram, she had many fans.

In other words, all the photos she took at the movie theater were for uploading.

“Today is everyday life, everyday life—”

She hummed a little and checked the time before moving to the entrance of the theater. After being guided by a staff member, she arrived in front of Theater 3. In front of Theater 3, there was a poster of the movie that was about to be shown.

-‘Island of the Lost’

Influencer Joo Ah-rang also took a picture of this poster and began to carefully scan the actors in the poster. Although other moviegoers continued to enter the adjacent theater, Joo Ah-rang only had eyes for one person.

‘Hoo—Kang Woo-jin is so damn handsome.’

It was Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol in the poster. No, it was Kang Woo-jin. Joo Ah-rang was a huge fan of Woo-jin. Plus, he was close to her ideal type? Whatever it was, she entered the theater with a satisfied face. The interior was moderately bright.

Even though it was a weekday afternoon, over 70% of the seats were taken.

Joo Ah-rang, slightly surprised inside, moved to find the seat she had reserved. It was in the middle of row H. The seat was in a prime location, but for some reason, she grumbled internally.

‘Ugh, why does it have to be between couples?’

Because there were couples with their arms linked on both sides of her. It wasn’t a pleasant sight for her, who was single. Still, Joo Ah-rang sat down. She regretted not coming for the early morning show.

At the same time.

“Honey, can we really watch ‘Island of the Lost’ again?”

“Yeah, we can. I’d watch it ten times if it’s with you.”

“Aww, whatever.”

The couple’s conversation echoed in Joo Ah-rang’s ears.

“You better not say it’s boring.”

“What if it is? No, the kids said it was super fun, okay?”

“But I’m scared of thrillers like this.”

“We can hold hands while watching.”

“Don’t let go, okay?”

At that moment, just as Joo Ah-rang was about to wonder if she should just go home and was taking a deep breath to force herself to endure it.

-Swoosh.

Suddenly, the interior lights of the theater dimmed slightly. Thanks to that, hundreds of audience members murmured.

“What’s going on?”

“Are they testing something?”

“It suddenly got a bit dark.”

“I guess the staff made a mistake.”

Influencer Joo Ah-rang, who was looking around, was the same. It was when she tilted her head in confusion.

“Ah!”

The man from the couple sitting next to Joo Ah-rang pointed at the screen with his index finger, and that became the starting point for hundreds of audience members to turn their gaze to the front. On the large screen in front, for some reason, a different version of the ‘Island of the Lost’ poster was being displayed along with large letters.

-‘Island of the Lost’ Surprise Stage Greeting Before Screening

-Attending Actors: Ryu Jung-min, Kang Woo-jin, Ha Yu-ra, Kim Yi-won

Hundreds of audience members who were looking at the screen blinked their eyes. Joo Ah-rang, who had been spacing out, had the same expression.

Then.

“······Wow, amazing. Seriously?”

“That’s, that’s not a mistake, right?”

“Those actors are coming?”

“Was there any talk about a stage greeting??!”

The murmuring among the audience grew louder. It was natural. A surprise stage greeting event like this? The trend gradually spread throughout the theater.

“This is crazy!! Wait, my phone! My phone!”

“If they say it’s a mistake after this, I’m really going to cry?!”

“Where? Where are they coming out from??”

“No, suddenly a stage greeting out of the blue… oh? Oh! There!!”

Just as the murmuring turned into cheers, the emergency exit next to the front screen opened and someone entered.

It was five burly guards.

Behind them, figures with an aura appeared one by one. They were the actors from ‘Island of the Lost.’ It started with Ryu Jung-min, followed by Ha Yu-ra and Kim Yi-won.

At their surprise appearance, the audience screamed and yelled.

“Kyaaaaaaah!!”

“Amazing! It’s really amazing!!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Hundreds of audience members, as if they had planned it, raised their phones above their heads. Almost all of them did. Of course, influencer Joo Ah-rang was the same.

“Crazy!! Kyaaa!!!”

Her mask was slightly pulled off, but she was taking pictures as if there was no time to fix it.

It was at this moment.

Among the actors, the last one to appear was a black-haired actor wearing a tone-downed beige blazer over a white t-shirt.

It was Kang Woo-jin with an indifferent face.

-Swish.

Hundreds of audience members, whose eyes had widened, started.

“H-Heol!! K-Kang Woo-jin!”

They started taking pictures of Kang Woo-jin like crazy.

A few days later, on the 11th. Night.

It was a late Friday night. The location was the ‘Leech’ set. Because the second half of the filming was in full swing, director Ahn Ga-bok, the hundred or so staff members, and the actors all had sensitive expressions. Of course, so did Kang Woo-jin, or rather, ‘Park Ha-sung,’ in front of the camera.

In between, director Ahn Ga-bok’s low signal spread.

“Cut. OK.”

Then, director Ahn Ga-bok approached Kang Woo-jin, who had quickly shed the ‘Park Ha-sung’ persona.

“You worked hard today. We’ll be on standby a bit earlier tomorrow, so get some rest as soon as possible.”

“Understood, director.”

It was close to midnight, but the filming for the ‘Leech’ team was not completely finished. Only Kang Woo-jin’s scenes were finished, and the filming schedule still had a bit more to go. Whatever the case, only Woo-jin and his team moved to the van. For reference, Kang Woo-jin was not going home today but to a nearby hotel.

-Clunk!

Soon, Kang Woo-jin got into the van. While his outward appearance was a poker face, the real Woo-jin was naturally tired. Thanks to the recent promotional support for ‘Island of the Lost,’ he felt like he needed ten bodies.

‘I might have died if I hadn’t used the subspace [a fictional space for storing items].’

As Woo-jin muttered internally, the van left the set’s outdoor parking lot. Kang Woo-jin was looking out the window, where all he could see was the dark night, when.

‘Ah.’

He realized something and picked up his phone. First, on his phone screen, which had reduced the dazzling brightness, the numbers he had seen during the filming break were still displayed.

[All-Time Korean Box Office]

[All-Time Movie Rankings (Integrated)]

-1. Naval Battle / Cumulative Audience: 16,715,955

-2. Island of the Lost / Cumulative Audience: 16,281,337

-3. Unstoppable / Cumulative Audience: 15,557,118

·

·

·

·

It was the all-time Korean box office ranking. It was like the history of the Korean film industry. In the picture, ‘Island of the Lost’ had reached the cusp of ‘Naval Battle,’ but it was still in second place. Of course, the performance for today, Friday, was not included. Well, thanks to Kang Woo-jin’s promotional support, ‘Island of the Lost’ had regained momentum.

The media was also in an uproar. Because it was a matter of unprecedented interest.

Kang Woo-jin put down his phone. The more he looked at it, the more anxious he felt.

‘Tomorrow, tomorrow.’

Then, the next morning. Kang Woo-jin, who had woken up in his hotel bed with his hair a mess,

“Phone.”

Immediately picked up the phone that was placed on his bedside table. He could see that there were messages and texts that had arrived, but Kang Woo-jin had no time to check anything else.

-Swish.

He had to refresh the page he had been looking at yesterday first. Soon, the updated picture began to be displayed on his phone.

Kang Woo-jin, upon seeing it, muttered without realizing it.

“Wow—damn, it actually happened?”

His eyes widened slightly. It was understandable.

[All-Time Korean Box Office]

[All-Time Movie Rankings (Integrated)]

-1. Island of the Lost / Cumulative Audience: 16,752,991

-2. Naval Battle / Cumulative Audience: 16,715,955

-3. Unstoppable / Cumulative Audience: 15,557,118

·

·

·

·

It was the moment when the history of Korean cinema changed.

End