I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 293

Writer Choi Na-na had actually already finished writing the script for episode 12 of ‘Beneficial Evil.’ Therefore, she had recently been spending her time reviewing the production meetings for ‘Beneficial Evil’ and the updates shared by the ‘My Best Friend: Remake’ animation team.

Of course, she also attended meetings requested by various production companies.

No matter what anyone said, writer Choi Na-na had made her debut work, ‘My Best Friend,’ a huge hit, and her next project, ‘Beneficial Evil,’ was also a massive production. Therefore, it was only natural that many production companies were eager to work with her.

However.

“Hmm-”

Currently, Choi Na-na, who was watching various combat technique YouTube videos, had recently locked herself in her studio again. The overseas location for ‘Beneficial Evil,’ which had been up in the air, was confirmed, and due to Song Man-woo PD’s [PD stands for Production Director, a role similar to a director in television] suggestion, she had to add back the protagonist’s setting that had been initially deleted.

Therefore.

“Yes, this scene is good. I can adapt it for use.”

The revisions to episodes 1 and 2 of ‘Beneficial Evil’ were also confirmed. Or rather, it wasn’t exactly a revision, but an addition. Song Man-woo PD had mentioned that the expected running time of about an hour for each episode would be increased by about 20 minutes for both episodes 1 and 2.

It wasn’t a complete overhaul of the entire work, but an addition to make the beginning of ‘Beneficial Evil’ more spectacular.

So, Choi Na-na had to stop all the minor tasks and focus again on ‘Beneficial Evil.’ It wasn’t like she was starting from scratch. It was a setting she had considered adopting in the early stages of writing the ‘Beneficial Evil’ script. However, it had been dropped after several production meetings.

And now, it was revived.

In drama or film production, the word ‘reversal’ is quite common. In other words, there was a vast amount of necessary material. There were even parts written to the point of being used as storyboards. What Choi Na-na was focusing on now was to make what had already been written more intense and spectacular.

‘It’s a filming in Bangkok, no less. Overseas location. It can’t be bland.’

Although there was the power of the renowned director Song Man-woo PD and the veteran martial arts director, the foundation was still the script written by the writer. Therefore, Choi Na-na studied and studied again. She needed a vast amount of material in her head to write scenes freely.

And then, she.

-Swish.

Turned her gaze from the video. It was the memo pad placed right next to her. She reviewed the settings she had written there.

-CQC/Close Quarters Combat, System

It was a technique to be given to the male lead of ‘Beneficial Evil,’ ‘Jang Yeon-woo.’

Sunday, the 27th, late morning. Jinju.

Kang Woo-jin woke up at his parents’ house. As usual, his black hair was disheveled on the mattress.

“Ugh-”

With a faint groan, Kang Woo-jin checked the time. It was past 11 a.m. He had overslept. It had been a while since he had slept in so late. Stretching out languidly, Kang Woo-jin went to the living room. Of course, he was in a comfortable state, having completely abandoned any pretense.

The house was quiet.

His parents had already gone to work, and his younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah- I think Kang Hyun-ah said she was attending some donation event today?”

Woo-jin muttered to himself as he headed to the kitchen. He saw a cover on the table. When he lifted it, he found several side dishes set out. His parents must have prepared them. All he needed to do was add rice and soup, and breakfast would be ready.

Woo-jin smiled faintly and sat down at the table to start his breakfast. At the same time, he checked his phone.

“I’ve got a lot of messages.”

There were many places that had contacted him. Texts, messages, DMs. Of course, these were messages that had arrived for the monster actor Kang Woo-jin, not the real Kang Woo-jin.

Then.

“Ah- is today the end?”

Checking the date, Woo-jin sighed softly. His sweet rest was ending today. Tomorrow, he would have to throw himself back into the hell of schedules. Still, he had rested well.

‘My body is starting to feel restless.’

Woo-jin thought he might take it easy today and look at the additional scripts for ‘Beneficial Evil.’ For reference, the scripts for episodes 8 to 12 of ‘Beneficial Evil’ had been delivered around the time Woo-jin returned to Korea from Japan. Of course, he had finished reading the scripts, and the readings (experience) were also done.

However, the analysis was still in progress.

The current Kang Woo-jin was different from the past. There were many things to consider, from ‘role synthesis’ to ‘freedom of the role.’ Above all, it had the most action of any of his works so far, so it was even more so.

Then.

-Swish.

After finishing his meal, Woo-jin threw himself onto the living room sofa and checked the issues of the past few days, which had now become part of his daily routine. After reading a few articles, it seemed that there were more banners and billboards related to Kang Woo-jin in downtown Jinju. Woo-jin let out a sigh mixed with embarrassment.

“Hoo- take them down.”

Of course, there was more that Kang Woo-jin saw besides Jinju. The current situation in Japan, ‘Leech,’ and the sudden increase in articles about ‘Beneficial Evil.’

And.

[Korea’s All-Time Box Office]

[All-Time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Island of the Missing / Cumulative Audience: 19,395,119

Even ‘Island of the Missing,’ which had officially surpassed 19 million viewers. Kang Woo-jin, lying on the sofa, applauded. However, it seemed realistically difficult for ‘Island of the Missing’ to surpass 20 million viewers. It was a shame, but its momentum had greatly decreased, and many new blockbuster movies were being added.

Furthermore.

“Ah- the number of theater screens is decreasing.”

The number of screens in domestic movie theaters was limited, and naturally, the number of screens for ‘Island of the Missing,’ which had lost its momentum, was also rapidly decreasing. The decrease in the number of viewers was a natural phenomenon.

“Well, it’s already a mega-hit anyway.”

‘Island of the Missing’ had surpassed the level of a mega-hit. Perhaps the record for the all-time number one would not be broken in the future.

Whatever the case.

“Should I go wash up?”

Woo-jin, who had just yawned, was about to move to the bathroom when he stopped. He remembered his younger sister, who was supposed to attend an event as the head of ‘Strong Heart.’ He had told her not to go, but he seemed concerned.

“Ah, whatever, I’ll wash up first.”

Past noon.

A fairly large children’s center near Jinju City Hall. Today, a large-scale event was scheduled at this children’s center. It was a donation event for underprivileged children in Jinju. Various organizations and individuals with good intentions gathered to proceed with the agenda or to eat the prepared meals and refreshments.

Of course, the main event was the photo time.

Taking pictures while holding up signs that showed who was donating how much, or which organization was donating how much. Those photos were naturally published in articles with the name of Jinju City.

Therefore.

“We thank everyone who participated in today’s event, and finally, we would like to introduce the Mayor of Jinju, who has joined us.”

The event was in full swing in a hall similar to the auditorium of the children’s center. There were over 30 people sitting in the chairs, and on the stage, there was a large banner and the staff of the children’s center. The bald mayor of Jinju appeared on the stage.

“Ahem, uh- nice to meet you all. I am truly moved that so many people have attended this meaningful event.”

While the mayor of Jinju was giving his speech, some of the children’s center staff members standing below the stage were whispering to each other.

“Was the mayor supposed to come today?”

“Yeah. He was originally supposed to come, but I heard he was just going to show his face and leave? I didn’t know he would give a speech.”

“I heard that he was going to stay a bit longer because Kang Woo-jin might come.”

“Really? It’s not Kang Woo-jin who came today, but the members of Kang Woo-jin’s fan club, right?”

“I guess the report was wrong.”

“Shhh, shhh, they’ll hear you.”

After about 10 minutes, the mayor of Jinju’s speech ended, and the next was the photo time. The mayor of Jinju, the staff of the children’s center, and the donating organizations and individuals took turns coming out to take pictures.

In the third turn.

“Next is- the ‘Strong Heart’ group!”

A familiar-looking woman came up. It was Kang Woo-jin’s younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah. She attended as the representative of the official fan club ‘Strong Heart,’ and some of the Jinju branch’s management team accompanied her. Kang Hyun-ah, who was dressed in a shirt and had light makeup, looked rather solemn.

“······”

Her face was quite tense. It was natural. After all, it was her first time at such an event. Even with her fan club colleagues, it was natural to be nervous. A sign was handed to Kang Hyun-ah. It was something that was usually seen at donation events.

-Donation for Underprivileged Children in Jinju

-Amount: 10,000,000 won

-From all members of actor Kang Woo-jin’s fan club ‘Strong Heart’

Among the many people, Kang Hyun-ah, standing in the center, held up the sign and posed. A forced smile. The photo shoot was repeated about three times, and when it was over, the mayor of Jinju, who was standing to Kang Hyun-ah’s right, spoke to her in a gentle tone.

“You’re doing a truly wonderful thing.”

“…Yes? Ah- yes. Thank you.”

“Haha, but… is Mr. Kang Woo-jin not coming? As the official fan club, you should be able to contact him.”

Tense, Kang Hyun-ah stiffly shook her head.

“I don’t know for sure, but I think it will be difficult for him to attend.”

The mayor of Jinju smiled faintly at her answer.

“Is that so? He must be busy, so it can’t be helped.”

Although he said this, the bald mayor of Jinju’s eyes were full of disappointment. He wanted to at least say hello. Of course, it would be even better if he could take a picture with him. Of course, it wasn’t just the mayor of Jinju who was disappointed, but also the staff of the children’s center and the various organizations or individuals who attended today’s event.

“It seems like Mr. Kang Woo-jin isn’t coming today after all.”

“Honestly, I was a little, just a little, hopeful.”

“Well, he’s not working and he came to his hometown to rest, so it’s understandable that he would find this kind of event burdensome.”

“Still, the mayor looks a bit disappointed.”

The photo time ended exactly 30 minutes later.

The remaining order was free. People could have a meal or refreshments and talk to each other. Of course, they could also just leave.

Looking at the number of people, about 80% of those who attended the event remained.

Among them, Kang Hyun-ah of ‘Strong Heart’ and some of the management team were seated near the entrance of the hall. They were sitting at a square table. In fact, they were planning to leave right after the event, but they agreed to stay a little longer since the mayor of Jinju was there.

Kang Hyun-ah and the management team were chatting while having refreshments and coffee.

“Everyone’s looking around, they must have been really hoping Woo-jin would come.”

“They jumped the gun, or they were confused. They said the fan club would attend, but there was no mention of Woo-jin himself coming.”

“Doesn’t that old man keep staring at us?”

“Ah- he’s the representative of some official sponsor of this children’s center.”

There were quite a few people glancing at them as they talked. The mayor of Jinju, who was with some local dignitaries, was one of them.

“It seems like Mr. Kang Woo-jin isn’t coming after all.”

“Hmm- I guess we won’t get to see his face after all.”

“Well, what can we do? He wasn’t officially invited.”

Although he was full of disappointment, the mayor of Jinju let out a long sigh and was somewhat satisfied.

“Still, Kang Woo-jin came to his hometown to rest, and Jinju has been mentioned a lot. In the media and in public opinion. We should be satisfied with that.”

About 30 minutes passed.

The ‘Strong Heart’ members, including Kang Hyun-ah, who had been keeping their seats, left the hall. Kang Hyun-ah, who had come out into the hallway, brushed her brown hair and greeted the management team. She looked like she had relaxed a bit.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Oh, we just came along.”

It was then.

“That’s- that’s too much.”

A man’s voice, along with the smell of cigarettes, cut in from the right. When they turned around, they saw a middle-aged man with a small stature, slightly plump, and a reddish complexion, looking at Kang Hyun-ah’s group. He looked to be in his 60s? Kang Hyun-ah intuitively knew that he was the representative of the official sponsor of this children’s center. One of the management team members had told her.

Thanks to that, Kang Hyun-ah also showed courtesy.

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

The sponsor representative frowned and said.

“I and the local dignitaries, and even the mayor of Jinju, came, but it doesn’t make sense that Kang Woo-jin isn’t coming? Does anyone have time to spare?”

“…But why are you speaking informally?”

The sponsor representative, with a blank expression, glanced at the hall. He seemed to be conscious of the mayor of Jinju and the dignitaries, and then he looked back at Kang Hyun-ah and lowered his voice slightly.

“You guys are Kang Woo-jin’s official fan club, right? Then you should be able to contact him. No matter how well-known and successful he is, how can he stand people up like this?”

“Why are you telling us this?”

Kang Hyun-ah was starting to get annoyed.

“We’re just Kang Woo-jin’s fan club. Please tell that to Kang Woo-jin’s agency.”

“What?”

“And don’t speak informally to me.”

“Ha- well, that’s ridiculous. I’m the official sponsor here.”

“So what?”

In fact, he was the representative of the sponsor. For reference, a small but strong company related to kimchi in this area. He had been a sponsor for quite a long time.

“Tell that to your famous Kang Woo-jin. Everyone was waiting, even the mayor of Jinju.”

The sponsor representative, with a drunken tone, showed off and sneered at the same time.

“And what is that measly 10 million won from that famous Kang Woo-jin fan club? We donate 30 to 50 million every year. If I stop donating, this place won’t be able to operate.”

“Oh, really.”

Kang Hyun-ah was about to explode. It was the management team of ‘Strong Heart’ who stopped her. The reality was that it wouldn’t be good to fight with the local dignitaries here. It was like avoiding poop because it was dirty. Soon, the sponsor representative seemed to be wrapping things up and muttered to Kang Hyun-ah.

“Make sure to tell that to Kang Woo-jin. And next year, donate more than just 10 million.”

It was when Kang Hyun-ah bit her lower lip.

“You can say it directly.”

A low male voice penetrated from behind. At this, Kang Hyun-ah, the management team, and the sponsor representative turned their heads at the same time. A black-haired man, without a jacket, wearing a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, and a face full of indifference, was approaching.

-Step, step.

The man, who quickly approached, looked down at the sponsor representative and spoke coldly.

“To me.”

The sponsor representative, with his eyes wide, looked up at the man and stammered without realizing it.

“Uh- K, Kang Woo-jin?”

Because the man who had suddenly appeared was Kang Woo-jin. On the other hand, Woo-jin, who was calm and cold, looked at the sponsor representative without emotion and repeated the same words.

“Say it, to me.”

“…Ah, no.”

“Say it.”

The sponsor representative was overwhelmed by Kang Woo-jin’s calm pressure.

‘This guy’s aura is, what is it?’

Kang Hyun-ah and the ‘Strong Heart’ management team were also startled. Especially Kang Hyun-ah. She was so surprised that she covered her mouth with both hands. But Woo-jin’s gaze remained fixed on the sponsor representative.

“100 million.”

“Wh- what?”

“To the 10 million, I’ll add 100 million. Then it won’t be measly.”

“······”

“And you were talking about being the official sponsor of the children’s center.”

Woo-jin’s voice became even lower.

“You also said that if you stop sponsoring, this children’s center won’t be able to operate. How much is it per year?”

The answer came from Kang Hyun-ah, who was standing next to him.

“30 to 50 million won.”

Kang Woo-jin’s gaze returned to the sponsor representative.

“Ah- just.”

“H, hey.”

“Stop being the official sponsor.”

The sponsor representative was about to say something to Kang Woo-jin, who had muttered so casually, but he couldn’t. Because Kang Woo-jin had taken out his phone and put it to his ear. Woo-jin had called Choi Sung-gun, and he answered quickly.

Kang Woo-jin’s low voice spread.

“CEO, I’m currently at the children’s center in Jinju. I want our BW Entertainment to be the official sponsor from today. I’m thinking about 100 million won per year.”

Choi Sung-gun on the other end of the phone didn’t ask why, and answered without a single second of hesitation.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

End