I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 296

Kang Woo-jin, who had stopped in the shoe closet, looking down at the record-breaking numbers on his phone, was speechless.

“Wow, seriously.”

Instead of dancing with joy, he couldn’t react at all. He was frozen, as if time had stopped. It was understandable. As of today, the movie ‘Island of the Missing’ had not only become the number one movie in South Korea but had also created a new legend.

20 million viewers.

[Korea’s All-Time Box Office]

[All-Time Movie Ranking (Integrated)]

-1. Island of the Missing / Cumulative Audience: 20,013,889

For Woo-jin, it was an unprecedented number. No, not just for him, but for everyone in Korea. In fact, when ‘Island of the Missing’ surpassed 19 million, the country was already in an uproar. It had already far exceeded expectations. Even at 19 million, it would be difficult for another movie to catch up. No, it was virtually impossible to surpass this number in the future.

And yet, it had surpassed 19 million and reached 20 million.

“Crazy… goosebumps.”

Woo-jin brought his phone closer to his eyes, feeling a sudden chill. Initially, the momentum of ‘Island of the Missing’s’ final run had waned significantly, and the entertainment industry as a whole had deemed 20 million impossible. But that was all nonsense. A hasty judgment.

Whatever the case, Kang Woo-jin was now.

“Not a ten-million actor, but…”

A twenty-million actor. And that too, in his first leading role. With this, ‘Island of the Missing’ not only left many legends in the Korean film industry but also sent several messages. First, the value of director Kwon Ki-taek and lead actors like Ryu Jung-min would skyrocket.

Of course, Kang Woo-jin’s impact would increase exponentially.

Naturally, there would be a financial windfall later.

In addition, the film industry had a tremendous start during the peak season, and it sent a message that if you shoot and make it well, it’s entirely possible, so stop complaining. For the past few years, there had been a lot of grumbling about how difficult things were in the film industry.

Naturally, the film industry would pay close attention to Kang Woo-jin.

Although the country was as quiet as the calm before a storm, it was clear that a typhoon with wind and rain would hit in just a few hours. It was obvious that congratulatory messages would flood Kang Woo-jin’s phone.

At this point.

-Swish.

With a sly smile, Kang Woo-jin started to do a shoulder dance. It was a silent rhythm. But his body, moving to the rhythm, looked like a veteran dance singer. It was closer to a freestyle dance, but the energy was there.

‘20 million!!’

Kang Woo-jin, who had to leave soon, forcibly suppressed his overflowing excitement. He shoved his phone into his back pocket and let out a long sigh. He needed to calm his pounding heart. Woo-jin, who had managed to put on his usual persona, left the house.

The place he arrived at was the underground parking lot.

A large van was parked in its usual spot. What was unusual was.

“Oh my.”

Around the van, not only was Choi Sung-gun with his ponytail, but also team members like Han Ye-jung were present. Then, Choi Sung-gun opened the back door and gestured into the car with a smile.

“The twenty-million actor is entering.”

Behind Choi Sung-gun, who announced with a flourish as he watched Woo-jin approach, the team members clapped softly. It was a rather embarrassing performance, but they were enjoying it, and Kang Woo-jin, with his indifferent face, got into the van without much fuss, but inwardly greeted them with a light heart.

‘Hehe, thank you. I am grateful.’

The atmosphere in the van, which started as soon as Woo-jin got in, was reminiscent of a club. Only Kang Woo-jin, the main character, was composed, while the others chattered non-stop.

“Amazing! Seriously amazing!! No, I really can’t believe it even after seeing it!!”

“What are you going to do if you can’t believe it?”

“Woo-jin oppa! The articles are exploding, exploding! The main pages are all about you!”

“It’s 20 million, of course!”

On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin was casually answering while secretly checking the articles. The media was churning out articles as if they had been waiting for this moment.

『[Official] ‘Island of the Missing’ Surpasses 20 Million Viewers! Elevates the Korean Film Industry to New Heights』

『‘20 Million Viewers’ Island of the Missing, and Kang Woo-jin Who Created the Miracle / Photo』

『[MovieIS] “Was This Even Possible?!” The Public is Excited as ‘Island of the Missing’ Surpasses 20 Million Viewers!』

It was even more intense than when ‘Island of the Missing’ became the number one movie of all time.

『As Expected, ‘Midas Touch’ Kang Woo-jin Magic, Not Only Korea’s No. 1 of All Time but Also Sets a New Record of 20 Million Viewers』

It spread to all corners of the internet, including various domestic portal sites and online communities.

『Achieving 20 Million in a Time When Even 10 Million is Difficult! ‘Island of the Missing’ Did a Great Job, High Expectations for Secondary Distribution』

The article titles and content all included ‘Island of the Missing,’ 20 million viewers, and Kang Woo-jin as essential elements. It was natural. In fact, it was Kang Woo-jin who had fueled the final push of ‘Island of the Missing.’ His presence and impact had grabbed ‘Island of the Missing’ by the collar and dragged it to the top.

『[Analysis] ‘Island of the Missing’ Achieves a Miraculous 20 Million Viewers, How Much Money Will Actors Like Kang Woo-jin Receive? Varies Depending on Conditions』

Two hours passed.

Around the time Kang Woo-jin was about to start his packed schedule, most of the morning news on public channels reported the legend of ‘Island of the Missing.’

[“It seems that nothing is impossible. ‘Island of the Missing,’ which recently became the number one movie of all time, has achieved 20 million viewers for the first time in South Korea today. Film industry experts are praising it as a record that will likely never be achieved again in the future. This is reporter Go Min-joo.”]

This news, as expected, excited the public. Whether they had seen ‘Island of the Missing’ or not, wasn’t it amazing?

“Hey, did you see? They say ‘Island of the Missing’ surpassed 20 million viewers?”

“Wow, seriously? That’s insane?”

“The articles are exploding right now.”

“It was fun, but I really didn’t expect it to surpass 20 million.”

“So jealous… They’re going to make a ton of money. Kang Woo-jin and the actors.”

‘Island of the Missing’ was constantly on the lips of many people. Of course, the entertainment industry was the same. Among them, Oullim Film, which produced ‘Island of the Missing,’ was in a festive mood.

“Oh, my goodness!!! 20 million??!! Is this real?!!”

In a conference room where a dozen people, including the jovial director Kwon Ki-taek, had gathered. They had gathered today because they had seen signs of 20 million yesterday, and as soon as the results were announced in the morning, they had been making a huge racket. It was Kwon Ki-taek who calmly calmed them down.

“This is… thanks to Woo-jin, of course. It would have been difficult without the promotion in the latter half and the recent buzz.”

“That’s right! Of course!! Hahaha!”

Everyone vehemently agreed. And the master director Kwon Ki-taek stroked his chin with a subtle smile.

“That guy, he ended up raising a movie to 20 million all by himself.”

After that.

Kang Woo-jin’s huge donation, ‘Island of the Missing’ achieving 20 million viewers, and many other issues exploded in Korea as time passed.

『Kang Woo-jin, the Main Character of ‘20 Million Viewers Breakthrough,’ Posts a Thank You Message to Fans on SNS “I Love You”』

Woo-jin, who had gained nicknames such as ‘Donation King’ and ‘Twenty Million Actor,’ had no time to enjoy it. Although filming for quite a few projects had ended, new projects were waiting, and he was going through a hellish schedule of commercials, photoshoots, and YouTube filming.

-Beep beep! Click!

“Niiice!! Woo-jin! How about taking off your coat for this shot??”

“Yes.”

The next day, in Japan, where two of Woo-jin’s projects were being prepared, his achievements were being reported.

『「Kang Woo-jin」Achieves a Miracle in Korea, His Leading Role ‘Island of the Missing’ Surpasses 20 Million Viewers』

Above all, ‘Our Table’ had recently been officially launched in Japan. Of course, it was through Netflix Japan, and ‘Our Table’ hit number one as soon as it premiered in Japan.

『Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Gimjaban Makguksu’ Craze’s Pro 「Our Table」, Rises to Number One with Netflix Launch』

Kang Woo-jin was the driving force behind this terrifying momentum. Also, ‘Gimjaban Makguksu’ [a type of cold buckwheat noodle dish], which had swept Japan like a trend, also contributed. The success of ‘Our Table’ in Japan had many results. Kang Woo-jin’s existing Japanese fans became more devoted, and new Japanese fans also increased.

As a result.

-Kang Woo-jin cooking… it’s so cool no matter how many times I watch it….

-Ah! So, Gimjaban Makguksu was made by Kang Woo-jin??!

-Our Table is so fun, why can’t Japan make this kind of entertainment?

-Because Japan doesn’t have Kang Woo-jin

-I was just going to watch it for a bit before bed, but I ended up watching Our Table all night… I’m tired….

-wwwww The scene where Kang Woo-jin is mistaken for a chef is so cute!!

-Suddenly mistaken for a monster chef!!!

-Isn’t Kang Woo-jin an actor? Why is he so good at cooking too?

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As Kang Woo-jin’s recognition exploded even more, the momentum naturally carried over to the two projects. ‘Boyfriend: Remake’ and ‘Strange Gisaeng’ [a historical drama], which were scheduled to be officially aired in July. They were ranked at the top of the trending topics on famous Japanese social media for several days.

Then, on July 2nd, in Korea.

“Ugh! Done! It’s all done!!”

Choi Na-na, the writer who had been holed up in her studio, suddenly shouted, raising both hands. It was because the additional scene work for the ‘Beneficial Evil’ script had just finished.

Upon hearing the news, PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo visited Choi Na-na’s studio around lunchtime.

-Flap, flap.

There was no need to look at the entire script for episodes 1 and 2. He just needed to check the additional scenes. Therefore, it didn’t take long for PD Song Man-woo, with his stubble, to finish reading.

-Thud!

PD Song Man-woo, who had finished reading all of Choi Na-na’s carefully crafted additional scenes, looked up. Choi Na-na, wearing round glasses, swallowed hard.

“I-is it okay?”

PD Song Man-woo didn’t answer, but.

“……”

He was wearing a deep smile.

And in the late afternoon of that day, a call arrived for Woo-jin, who was in the recording studio for filming backup videos for the ‘Kang Woo-jin Sub-Character’ channel. Or rather, it was Choi Sung-gun’s phone that rang as he was watching over him.

“Yes, yes. Ah, I understand, PD-nim.”

The caller was PD Song Man-woo, and after finishing the call, Choi Sung-gun wrote something in his diary. When Kang Woo-jin, who had a break, came out of the recording booth, Choi Sung-gun approached him.

“Woo-jin.”

Kang Woo-jin, who had maintained his persona even during the long recording session.

“Yes, CEO.”

Choi Sung-gun conveyed the contents of the call to him.

“The character filming for ‘Beneficial Evil’ has been confirmed. PD Song will probably finish this up and then go scout overseas locations.”

It was the first time that all the actors of ‘Beneficial Evil’ would gather.

Saturday, the 3rd, morning.

A large set filming location in Ilsan. It was a studio complex that looked like several logistics center warehouses, and the size of each warehouse or studio was enormous. Roughly larger than a school auditorium.

One filming team had set up in Studio 1.

“Let’s turn on the ceiling lights!!”

“I think the middle light is a bit weak?!”

“I’ll check it right away!”

“Where are the extra waiting chairs?!”

“They’re outside! How many do you need??”

“Bring them all for now!”

About a hundred people were busy preparing for filming. Some were gathering props, some were working on the lights, some were busy setting up cameras, and some were checking audio equipment. Besides this, everyone was immersed in their respective tasks.

The interior of the warehouse studio was simple.

There were several lights on the high ceiling, and half of the floor and walls were covered with white cloth, with the middle as the dividing line. The other half was the original studio as it was. About a hundred staff members were distributed there. Most of them were familiar faces.

The staff from ‘Beneficial Evil’ and Netflix.

It was natural. Because the first promotional shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was being held in this warehouse studio today. It was a character shoot. To be clear, it was more of an introduction of the actors. An event-like shoot for early promotion.

In other words, many actors from ‘Beneficial Evil’ were participating today.

Of course, not all of them were coming. Only the main actors who were central to the whole story and the actors who would participate in the first episode. These actors could be found in the temporary chairs set up on one side of the vast warehouse studio. It wasn’t full yet, perhaps because there was still some time left, but a dozen or so male and female actors were sitting among the dozens of chairs.

All of their faces were unfamiliar.

“Oh, ah, hello.”

“……Yes, hello.”

“It’s kind of awkward just sitting here.”

“Me too.”

“Are you nervous? This is my first time doing this kind of shoot.”

“Yeah, my heart feels like it’s going to explode.”

They were all unknown or rookie actors. They were rookies, but most of them were actors who were filming for the first time. They were all selected through large-scale auditions or by PD Song Man-woo, who had scouted them from the theater scene.

“B-but if all the actors are coming today, does that mean the lead actors are coming too? Like Kang Woo-jin. Or are we the only ones filming?”

“I’m not sure either, but I asked earlier, and they said Kang Woo-jin is coming.”

“……Wow. Wow, honestly, I didn’t think I’d get to see Woo-jin. You know how it is, even if you’re in the same project, if you don’t film with the lead actors, you don’t even get to see their faces.”

“That’s right. That’s why I’m so, so excited.”

It was at this moment.

-Swish.

Actors began to arrive at the waiting chairs one after another. A female actor with short black-brown hair, small height, and a cute, lovely vibe. No, Im Hae-eun. Or a handsome male actor with a kind image. That is, Jo Mu-chan. And other unknown actors.

They exchanged awkward greetings as they were all unfamiliar faces.

Gradually, the dozens of chairs began to fill up.

Meanwhile, the topic of conversation among the actors who had managed to strike up a conversation was naturally the top actors of ‘Beneficial Evil.’

“Isn’t it amazing that Kang Woo-jin hit 20 million?”

“I hope ours becomes a huge hit too.”

“But this is my first time seeing Kang Woo-jin in person… I guess it’s not okay to get an autograph, right?”

“Ah, I was thinking of asking for a photo if it’s okay.”

Im Hae-eun, whose mother was a shaman, had been looking straight ahead without saying a word since earlier, with a stiff expression.

“……”

Jo Mu-chan, the direct disciple of the top veteran actor Jo Mu-chan and a fan of Kang Woo-jin, with a refreshing look on his face that was in contrast to Woo-jin’s image, was.

‘Wow! Finally! Am I finally going to see Kang Woo-jin??! What should I do? I think I’m just going to freeze!’

He was fidgeting.

Well, overall, the dozens of unknown and rookie actors had the same tension as Jo Mu-chan. They were anxious or fidgeting. Their nervousness was evident.

At this moment, a loud shout echoed through the vast warehouse studio where about a hundred staff members were scattered.

“Kang Woo-jin has arrived!!!”

In an instant, most of the staff turned their heads towards the entrance. Through the open entrance, Kang Woo-jin, with a deep poker face and wearing a black-blue jacket, was entering.

-Swish.

And the eyes of all the dozens of unknown and rookie actors were fixed on Kang Woo-jin. The aura surrounding him was relaxed and calm, but his energy was intense. The atmosphere of the set changed 180 degrees just by the appearance of the monster Kang Woo-jin.

About a hundred staff members either fixed their gaze on him or rushed towards him.

Was that the aura of a male lead? The unknown and rookie actors were simply mesmerized as they watched the solemn Kang Woo-jin. On the other hand, the indifferent Kang Woo-jin was muttering inwardly.

‘Ah, I want some bossam [boiled pork belly] and soju [Korean rice wine].’

It was an overwhelming hunger. He was a bit sensitive.

That was perceived differently by the unknown and rookie actors.

“……His presence is amazing.”

“Wow……”

“Awesome.”

“……His aura is insane.”

It was an overwhelming presence.

End