I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 294

Kang Woo-jin didn’t actually need to visit the children’s center. He had originally come to Jinju for a break, and adding unscheduled activities would complicate things in many ways. If he caught the eye of the Jinju mayor or anyone else, there was a chance of unnecessary gossip.

However, Woo-jin went to the children’s center anyway.

‘Oh, it’s bigger than I expected.’

It wasn’t just about doing a good deed; his younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, and his fan club, ‘Strong Heart,’ were also on his mind. Anyway, it was the last day of his break, so he planned to make a brief appearance and leave.

Initially, his mood was fine.

That was until he saw his younger sister as soon as he arrived at the children’s center.

‘There she is. Hehe, what’s with the awkwardness?’

He found Kang Hyun-ah near the entrance of the hall, talking with the ‘Strong Heart’ staff, which made him chuckle. Woo-jin, already deep into his public persona, almost burst out laughing.

Why is she so serious?

Kang Woo-jin, who knew everything about Kang Hyun-ah’s life, being her brother, found her current appearance comical. At this point, Kang Woo-jin was filled with the urge to tease Kang Hyun-ah. But he held back.

‘Still, she’s the president of Strong Heart.’

She also has a social position. She’s a president, after all, isn’t she? More than anything, if he acted normal with Kang Hyun-ah, Woo-jin’s current poker face would crumble. Therefore, Woo-jin stopped walking while watching Kang Hyun-ah from about ten steps away in the hallway. He planned to enter the hall once his sister left.

However, that thought.

“Geez, that’s too much.”

Was shattered by a middle-aged man who suddenly appeared from the hall. Had he been drinking? That’s certainly how it looked from Kang Woo-jin’s perspective. A chubby man in his sixties with a flushed face. He suddenly started picking a fight with Kang Hyun-ah, and Kang Woo-jin, who was watching from a slight distance, frowned. It wasn’t an act. It was genuine.

Still, he watched for a moment.

There was no need.

The flushed man, or rather, the guy who claimed to be the representative of the children’s center’s sponsor, was crossing the line as he spoke to Kang Hyun-ah.

What is this crazy guy?

At this point, Woo-jin’s feelings were close to anger. He was getting pissed off.

‘She’s only allowed to be mean to me.’

There’s a saying that brothers might nag their sisters at home, but they can’t stand it when someone else messes with their family. Kang Woo-jin was exactly like that right now.

Woo-jin’s ‘no-backing-down’ spirit was ignited.

Before he had his subspace [a personal pocket dimension], Kang Woo-jin’s personality wasn’t easygoing. Well, if you didn’t bother him, there wouldn’t be any problems, but if you touched him for no reason, he wouldn’t stand for it.

Straight ahead.

The timing was when the sponsor representative was delivering his closing remarks.

“Make sure to tell that Kang Woo-jin. Next year, do a bit more than just ten million.”

“You can tell him yourself.”

Kang Woo-jin strode towards where his sister and the sponsor representative were standing, and as soon as he reached them, he looked down at the flushed man. Woo-jin was full of annoyance, but he hid his emotions as much as possible. Nevertheless, his eyes were cold.

The sponsor representative was clearly flustered by Woo-jin’s sudden appearance.

Why should I care?

“100 million.”

Kang Woo-jin easily offered a huge sum of 100 million won. And that wasn’t all. He also replaced the sponsor of this children’s center on the spot.

Things took a strange turn.

Kang Hyun-ah was surprised, but she didn’t expect her brother to go this far. She looked back and forth between Woo-jin and the sponsor representative, looking bewildered, and the ‘Strong Heart’ staff had the same expression. The flushed sponsor representative opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came out. He just looked up at Kang Woo-jin’s indifferent face.

On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin.

“Yes, CEO. Thank you.”

He thanked Choi Sung-gun, who was on the other end of the phone, while holding the phone to his ear. He didn’t explain the current situation. Nevertheless, Choi Sung-gun didn’t think much of it.

“That children’s center? Uh, connect me with them.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll take care of the rest. Do you have time to explain?”

“I’ll call you back later.”

“Okay. Sort it out well.”

A call involving hundreds of millions of won ended in just a few tens of seconds. Even though the amount of money was in the hundreds of millions, Choi Sung-gun didn’t ask Woo-jin for a reason. It was because he knew Kang Woo-jin well. If he made a move, there must be a reason.

Whatever it was.

-Swish.

Woo-jin, who had put down his phone, looked at the sponsor representative, who was frozen in shock, and said in a low voice.

“The sponsor of this children’s center has also been changed.”

“…H, hey.”

“You’re still using informal language.”

“That’s not it.”

“Apologize first.”

Woo-jin calmly pointed to Kang Hyun-ah, who was standing on his left.

“I’m used to hearing informal language, so it doesn’t matter to me, but this person here is the president of my fan club.”

“……”

“She’s not someone you can speak informally to.”

A cold voice. Kang Woo-jin’s aura was overwhelming. Kang Hyun-ah felt like she had just drunk a soda, but she was also puzzled. It was completely different from her brother’s usual character. She felt like she had thought this before? But given the situation, she kept her mouth shut for now.

Kang Woo-jin’s firm voice spread again.

“Apologize.”

Soon, the sponsor representative, whose face was already flushed, became even redder as he looked around.

‘Damn it.’

He was just trying to give those fan club kids a hard time and leave. But Kang Woo-jin suddenly appeared. However, the situation had become too big to just brush it off. More than anything, the sponsor representative’s pride wouldn’t allow him to apologize.

Therefore, he.

“Ahem!”

He tried to act tough, which was different from Kang Woo-jin’s approach.

“I, I didn’t say anything wrong.”

It was at this moment.

“What’s going on?”

An old man’s voice cut in from the hall. When they turned around, the bald mayor of Jinju was standing there. Around him were local dignitaries and staff from the children’s center. The sponsor representative was visibly flustered.

“…Ah, no! We were just talking for a moment. Right! Mr. Kang Woo-jin came here!”

The sponsor representative’s pride quickly subsided in front of the Jinju mayor. Regardless, the Jinju mayor.

“Hmm.”

He glanced at the solemn Kang Woo-jin and assessed the situation. Then he turned his gaze to the flushed sponsor representative.

‘This guy has done something again.’

The sponsor representative seemed to be a troublemaker even on normal days. Anyway, the Jinju mayor turned his head and spoke to the children’s center staff.

“Close the doors.”

“Yes? Ah- yes!”

On the Jinju mayor’s orders, the entrance to the hall was closed. In other words, the onlookers’ gazes were blocked, and the Jinju mayor walked straight towards where Kang Woo-jin and Kang Hyun-ah were standing. In the meantime, the sponsor representative tried to intervene.

“Hey, Mayor!”

The Jinju mayor raised one hand and stopped him from speaking. Instead, he asked Woo-jin and Kang Hyun-ah.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kang Woo-jin. Before that, can I hear what happened?”

Woo-jin remained silent. It was Kang Hyun-ah who started explaining. She told everything that had happened to her. While listening, the Jinju mayor sighed several times.

Finally.

“Hoo-”

After hearing the explanation, the Jinju mayor stroked his bald head and looked at the sponsor representative next to him.

“Mr. Park.”

“…Y, yes. Mayor.”

The Jinju mayor’s voice was gentle but not light at all.

“I’ve told you several times before, don’t cause unnecessary trouble. I don’t know why you keep doing this.”

“……”

“It’s getting hard for me to tolerate it now. First, apologize to the ‘Strong Heart’ members here.”

The sponsor representative, who had been looking around, cleared his throat and slightly bowed his head.

“I- I’m sorry.”

“Again with the informal language.”

“Ah! No, Mayor. I’m sorry.”

“Hoo, and as of today, let’s have you step down as the sponsor representative.”

“Yes, Mayor. Ah! Yes?!”

“How can we have someone who is supposed to be the representative of the children’s center’s sponsor cause so much trouble?”

“…Ah, no, that’s.”

“Let’s do that and not make things bigger.”

“……”

The sponsor representative, or rather, the man who used to be the representative, was dumbfounded. But the Jinju mayor, unconcerned, looked at the calm Woo-jin and spoke again.

“You came to your hometown to rest, but I’m sorry for causing you inconvenience. I apologize as the mayor.”

Kang Woo-jin, with his even tone, replied.

“It’s okay.”

“More than that, you don’t have to take over the sponsorship of this children’s center. I can take care of the situation myself. The ‘Strong Heart’ members have already made donations.”

“No, it was my sincere intention to donate and take over the sponsorship.”

Woo-jin replied casually.

“I’ll take care of it from now on.”

After that.

Thanks to the Jinju mayor’s intervention, peace returned to the children’s center. First, the flushed representative apologized several times to the Jinju mayor and Kang Woo-jin before leaving. His initial momentum had disappeared. He looked like a defeated soldier.

He probably knew that it wasn’t good to be on the wrong side of the Jinju mayor.

Afterwards, the Jinju mayor returned to the hall, and Kang Woo-jin and the ‘Strong Heart’ staff had a few words.

“You’ve worked hard today. I should have come a bit earlier.”

“…Ah, no! More than that, Oppa! No, Mr. Woo-jin! Can I get an autograph?!” [Oppa is a Korean term used by females to address older brothers or close male friends.]

“Me too!”

They were active in the fan club and had seen Woo-jin in person, but it was the first time they had seen him this close. Woo-jin, who had calmed down a bit.

‘Hoo- let’s calm down first.’

He put on his persona and made his voice a little softer.

“Of course.”

He gave them hugs instead of handshakes. He even signed their phone cases and papers. They jumped around and left the children’s center, and Kang Hyun-ah had been staring at her brother’s face quietly since earlier.

“Oppa.”

Kang Woo-jin lowered his voice, looking around.

“Hey, you go home first.”

“No, Oppa.”

“Go. I’ll take care of things here. Listen to me before I cut off your allowance.”

Kang Hyun-ah suddenly bowed 90 degrees.

“Have a good day, Oppa!”

Woo-jin, watching Kang Hyun-ah’s back as she ran away, sighed softly and then entered the hall, which was full of people waiting for him.

As expected.

“Oh my!! Mr. Kang Woo-jin! It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hehe, you’re very handsome in person?? I heard you’re taking over the sponsorship of the children’s center from today?”

“And he’s even donating more!”

All the people who participated in today’s event, including local dignitaries and staff from the children’s center, flocked to Kang Woo-jin. Of course, the bald Jinju mayor, whose face had changed to a slightly proud one, was the same.

From here, Kang Woo-jin was overwhelmed.

“How about it, can we take a picture with our Woo-jin? Ah- it’s okay if you’re uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay to take pictures.”

He had to fulfill his schedule as a donor of 100 million won and the official representative of the children’s center’s sponsor. He took several group photos with the Jinju mayor and local dignitaries. There was also an interview request from the Jinju City Hall YouTube team, but Woo-jin declined.

As a result, Woo-jin stayed there for about an hour.

The last person Kang Woo-jin talked to was the Jinju mayor. His expression was very bright, unlike at the beginning.

“Hehehe, Mr. Kang Woo-jin. Thank you so much today. There were so many unexpected things.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Uh- but about the ambassador position.”

“I think it will be difficult. Due to my schedule.”

“Is that so? I understand. Then, is it okay if the news about your visit today is released?”

“Yes.”

After finishing his conversation with the mayor, Woo-jin spoke briefly to the children’s center staff.

“I’ll connect you with our company.”

It was to change the sponsor. Then, after finishing his farewells, Kang Woo-jin left the hall. What was unusual was.

“……”

“……”

Silence spread in the hall for a moment. Then, a few seconds later, something like a scream exploded at the same time.

“Wow!!! Kang Woo-jin is seriously insane in real life!!”

“No, he seemed a bit cold at first, but he’s so polite??!”

“His aura is real… completely insane.”

“An actor is really an actor. His aura was definitely not ordinary, right?!”

At this point, Kang Woo-jin was in his beloved car parked in the outside parking lot.

“Ha- things have gotten a bit bigger.”

He clicked his tongue and started the engine. His destination was, of course, home. When he arrived home, Kang Hyun-ah rushed at him, but Kang Woo-jin was the clear victor. That night, Kang Woo-jin, Kang Hyun-ah, and Woo-jin’s parents gathered for dinner.

It was Kang Woo-jin’s last day off.

“Woo-jin, you’ll be busy again now, right?”

“Oppa! Give me some information about ‘The Beneficial Evil’! I want to post it on the fan cafe!”

It was a noisy dinner, but Kang Woo-jin felt quite at ease.

‘It’s been a while, this kind of thing. How long has it been, really?’

It had been a long time since the whole family had gathered. This kind of time wasn’t bad either.

However.

‘I’m starting to get a little restless.’

As comfortable as it was, he also had a strong desire to return as ‘Actor Kang Woo-jin.’ Had he become a workaholic in the meantime? He didn’t know the clear answer, but after finishing his meal, Kang Woo-jin said goodbye to Kang Woo-chul and Seo Hyun-mi and lay down.

Then.

-Thump!

He poked the black square attached to the script he had brought. Soon, Woo-jin’s vision was filled with the pitch-black subspace.

“Let’s see-”

He began to pull up actor Kang Woo-jin.

Monday, the 28th, around noon.

The time Kang Woo-jin arrived at his officetel [a studio apartment] in Samseong-dong from Jinju was around 12:10 PM. In the parking lot, a familiar van was waiting on time. Of course, it was the van to pick up Woo-jin.

“Hyungnim!!” [Hyungnim is a Korean term used by males to address older brothers or close male friends.]

Jang Soo-hwan, who was the biggest, greeted Woo-jin first. He was more energetic than usual. Since Woo-jin’s team was also on vacation when he was resting.

Soon, Kang Woo-jin got into the van and headed to BW Entertainment.

BW Entertainment was a battlefield. It was hard to find any trace of its startup days. The dozens of employees had become hundreds, and many top actors had joined. Anyway, Woo-jin entered the quite spacious CEO’s office.

Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, who had been buried in work, smiled and approached.

“Did you rest well?”

Kang Woo-jin put on his proper persona for the first time in a while.

“Yes, CEO.”

“There’s a lot to tell you about the Jinju incident, the articles, and other things. First.”

Then, Choi Sung-gun picked up a transparent file from his desk and handed it to Woo-jin.

“I heard that scenes are being added to episodes 1 and 2 of ‘The Beneficial Evil.’ That means the running time is increasing.”

In other words, there were changes to the script.

End