I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 32

Day 20, in front of Kang Woo-jin’s studio apartment.

Late morning, Kang Woo-jin, wearing a gray sweatshirt, stepped out of his studio apartment building into the slightly warm weather. A familiar black van was parked out front.

At the same time.

“Woo-jin!”

Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, spotted the poker-faced Kang Woo-jin and got out of the van, laughing heartily.

“Good morning! Get in!”

He opened the passenger door himself with a genuinely happy expression. Kang Woo-jin mirrored his mood, though only inwardly. The English phrase he’d picked up a few days ago popped into his head.

‘Yeah, it’s a killer morning.’

Woo-jin greeted Choi Sung-gun with a cool voice that didn’t match his thoughts.

“Hello, CEO.”

As Woo-jin got into the van, Choi Sung-gun slid into the driver’s seat, and the car started. As Choi Sung-gun drove out of the alley, he glanced at Kang Woo-jin in the passenger seat.

‘Why does he seem cooler today? Did something bad happen yesterday?’

No, it wasn’t that. At that moment, the expressionless Kang Woo-jin was lost in his own thoughts.

‘I’m hungry. Will I get breakfast? Ah, I suddenly crave spicy cold noodles. And tonkatsu [Japanese pork cutlet] too.’

Choi Sung-gun, unaware of this, sighed softly. Hong Hye-yeon, whom he had managed for a long time, was not an ordinary character, but Kang Woo-jin was on another level. This guy was a madman who was either praising or trashing the master director Woo Hyun-gu.

‘Why are only crazy bitches and bastards attracted to me?’

But those crazy people were also exceptionally talented. Choi Sung-gun, having accepted his life anew, chuckled and started a conversation.

“Woo-jin, you got the call for the first shoot of ‘Profiler Han-ryang,’ right? It’s on the 25th?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I’m moving accordingly, and according to PD [Production Director] Song, it’s not confirmed, but it seems like they’ll shoot Ryu Jung-min and Manager Park’s scenes first.”

At this, Woo-jin’s heart began to beat softly.

After the warm-up, ‘Errand Agency,’ it was now the real deal. It wouldn’t be a short shoot like ‘Errand Agency.’ In other words, he needed to maintain the concept throughout the shoot. ‘I’m so nervous.’ Regardless, Choi Sung-gun continued casually.

“Woo-jin, you’re not the type to get nervous. Just prepare thoroughly for the shoot for the remaining five days. Do you need anything?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. And today, we’ll start by taking your profile photos.”

Ah, profile photos. The kind where you pose and take pictures? Kang Woo-jin had seen it somewhere. At the same time, a slight sense of shame washed over him. No, it was closer to embarrassment.

‘I’ve never done anything like that. How do you even do it?’

He was awkward even when taking ID photos.

‘Still, it’s probably similar to acting, right? I’ll just do it and see what happens.’ Woo-jin tried to hide his slight embarrassment and spoke softly to Choi Sung-gun, who had just turned the steering wheel to the right.

“CEO, you can speak casually to me.”

It’s because I’m uncomfortable with honorifics. As if he heard Woo-jin’s thoughts, Choi Sung-gun, who was smiling slightly, nodded and spoke casually.

“Really? Then, Woo-jin, I’ll speak casually to you?”

Choi Sung-gun explained today’s schedule in a tone that mixed honorifics and casual speech.

First, Kang Woo-jin’s official profile had to be created. Now that he had an agency, it was needed immediately for external use and the website. Before that, he had to take profile photos and go to a salon to get styled.

Here, the salon was for celebrities only.

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin’s expectations rose slightly.

‘Finally, I get to get my hair waxed properly at a salon where celebrities go.’

The only thing the ordinary citizen Kang Woo-jin knew how to say at a hair salon was:

“Please trim it.”

Any man would be like that, but especially for Kang Woo-jin, who maintained short hair, the salon was an awkward place. But a salon where actors go.

At this moment.

“Woo-jin.”

Choi Sung-gun, who had braked at a red light, suddenly spoke seriously.

“I’ve expressed our refusal to audition for Box Movie. Chief Choi Do-min went ballistic, but anyway, I refused.”

Ah, that? I forgot about it. Honestly, Woo-jin had forgotten about the master or whatever. Because acquiring English was too huge.

“Is that so? Thank you.”

Choi Sung-gun, scratching his ponytail, chuckled softly.

“Honestly, I still don’t understand it. I don’t like troublesome things either, but this case… sigh. Ah, of course, I didn’t tell Chief Choi Do-min about your ‘feeling’ or whatever?”

“Yes.”

“If he heard that, that bastard would go even more crazy. Anyway, Box Movie won’t look kindly on you now. It’s like they offered a role to an unknown and got rejected.”

How petty. You can say no. Well, that’s how the entertainment jungle is, so what can you do? Kang Woo-jin reacted more calmly than he thought.

“But it’s better than rejecting after the audition.”

“That’s right, not starting is less impactful. But it’ll be hard to get into Woo Hyun-gu’s works in the future. You know that, right? That guy is also a bit of a jerk, and he has a lot of pride.”

What can you do? I can’t do an F-grade movie just to suck up to that master or whatever. It’s a bit of a waste that he’s a master director, but if it’s going to fail, it’s just a waste of time.

‘Anyway, I’ll just add some bluff here.’

Kang Woo-jin answered in a low voice with a firm expression.

“I don’t care.”

Choi Sung-gun, who was staring at Woo-jin, muttered to himself.

‘Is he really that indifferent to the title of master director? The more I see him, the more unique he is.’

Misunderstandings were piling up in real-time, but Choi Sung-gun didn’t know, and as he started the car at the changed signal, he heard Kang Woo-jin’s calm voice.

“CEO, I need a suit.”

“A suit? Why all of a sudden?”

Why else? Director Shin Dong-chun told me to buy one. It’s not confirmed yet whether we’ll be in the main competition, but even if not, I’ll probably need a suit in the future.

At least, that’s what Woo-jin thought.

But the answer couldn’t be boring. Saying ‘just in case’ seemed a bit flimsy. Kang Woo-jin thought it would be better to add a bit of arrogance.

“I plan to wear it to the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.'”

“…The ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’?”

“Yes.”

Choi Sung-gun, hearing Woo-jin’s weighty answer, was genuinely impressed.

‘If we don’t get into the main competition, there’s no reason to go to the film festival, but does he not have the premise that it’s impossible? His self-esteem is insane.’

It was such a firm conviction. Choi Sung-gun added his own interpretation to the misunderstanding.

“Haha, yeah, ‘Errand Agency’ will definitely win the grand prize, right? Even if not, you need to prepare a suit. You probably have a suit, but you need to separate personal and public use now. You have to be mindful of how you look.”

Then, Choi Sung-gun thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

“Of course, the company will take care of the suit. It’s necessary for work. It’s going to be a busy day. Let’s get the suit done today too. Hmm, Hye-yeon is a partner with a luxury brand, so getting a men’s suit is no big deal. Since we’re talking about suits, let’s add a suit look to the profile photos too.”

Kang Woo-jin’s ears perked up at the word ‘luxury.’

‘Amazing. They’re just giving me a luxury suit?’

Then, something clicked in Kang Woo-jin’s head. It was a line he had prepared yesterday.

“And could I possibly get a Japanese script?”

“…Japanese? That’s a novel request. Why a Japanese script all of a sudden?”

At the question, Kang Woo-jin answered solemnly.

“I just want to take a look. There’s no big reason.”

Two hours later, a large salon in Cheongdam-dong [affluent neighborhood in Seoul].

Around lunchtime. The three-story standalone salon looked quite luxurious at a glance. The interior was a bit like a palace, and Kang Woo-jin could be found on the third floor of such a salon. Choi Sung-gun was nowhere to be seen, probably on the first floor. Anyway, Woo-jin, sitting in the middle of several seats, was currently.

“……”

He was dozing off. He must have been tired from being at the salon since he arrived in the morning until lunchtime. Moreover, the seat he was sitting on was quite comfortable.

At this moment.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woo-jin, who was dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes. Fortunately, his movements weren’t too noticeable, and Woo-jin had an expression like he had woken up from dozing off in class.

‘Did I doze off? Ugh, is it because the seat is so comfortable that my eyes keep closing?’

At this moment.

“Oh my.”

The female designer standing behind Kang Woo-jin smiled gently.

“You must have been tired.”

She was wearing a white shirt and had long blonde hair. At this, Kang Woo-jin tried to hide his embarrassment and lowered his voice.

“I was thinking about the script.”

No, he was dozing off mindlessly. It was insane audacity. But fortunately, the designer understood Woo-jin’s attempt to act cool without thinking much of it.

“Is that so? It’s the time when you’re only thinking about the script. You’re a rookie actor, right? You definitely have the look of an actor. Have you decided on your stage name?”

“Just Kang Woo-jin.”

“Ah, Woo-jin! Come here often, this is Hye-yeon’s designated salon.”

“Okay.”

“It’s all done, take a look. CEO Choi told me to go all out, so I was completely serious.”

Soon, Kang Woo-jin focused his gaze on the mirror in front of him. Then, he checked himself in the mirror. The funny thing here was.

“?!!”

Kang Woo-jin’s eyes widened quite a bit when he saw his own face. The reason was simple.

The Kang Woo-jin in the mirror was.

‘Wow… Who are you? Is that me?’

Unlike in the morning, he was exploding with coolness. Of course, it wasn’t just in Kang Woo-jin’s eyes. The blonde designer’s murmur was proof of that.

“CEO Choi will be surprised by this transformation, right?”

At that time, the set of the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ team.

With the first day of shooting confirmed, the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ team was extremely busy. Even now, they were going over the final checks again and again. Of course, the general manager was the bearded PD Song Man-woo.

He was busy giving instructions to the directing team.

“As soon as the checks here are finished, tell the shooting staff to wait. I’ll talk to the camera director separately.”

“Yes, PD.”

“Five days left until the first shoot! Let’s hang in there a little longer!”

Then, as if the instructions were finished, PD Song Man-woo moved to the van parked in the parking lot. It was to take a short break. He had only slept for three hours yesterday. There was almost no time to rest except for these gaps.

Then.

“Ah.”

PD Song Man-woo, who had gotten into the car, suddenly remembered Kang Woo-jin. He remembered that he had conveyed the meeting with Box Movie a few days ago. But he hadn’t heard the results. It was understandable that he was curious. Would Kang Woo-jin really join the master director Woo Hyun-gu’s work?

Soon, PD Song Man-woo took out his phone. But the person he called was not Kang Woo-jin but CEO Choi Sung-gun.

“Oh, CEO Choi.”

As if Choi Sung-gun had answered quickly, PD Song Man-woo spoke directly into the phone.

“Are you busy? Is it okay to talk?”

Choi Sung-gun on the other end of the phone answered readily.

“Of course. If it’s our PD Song calling, I’d answer even in my sleep, hahaha. What’s the matter?”

At the same time, a woman’s voice was heard.

“PD, hellooo-”

PD Song Man-woo chuckled at the familiar tone.

“Ah, is Hong Star there too?”

“Yes. Sorry, Hye-yeon is here too. I’m waiting for Woo-jin at the salon, and I met her too. Ah, did you call me because Woo-jin didn’t answer his phone? He’s on the third floor of the salon right now.”

“No, no, it’s not that.”

As soon as Kang Woo-jin’s name came up, PD Song Man-woo got to the point.

“I was just wondering how Woo-jin’s meeting with Box Movie went. I’m a bit curious. Did he meet Director Woo Hyun-gu?”

“Ah, he refused that offer.”

“Huh? Refused what?”

“Woo Hyun-gu’s next project. It was an audition, but Chief Choi Do-min was ready to push him hard, but our Woo-jin turned it down coolly.”

“…Really? What was the reason?”

At the question, Choi Sung-gun on the other end of the phone answered as if he had given up.

“He said it was his ‘feeling’ or something. He skimmed through a few pages of the script and suddenly said he didn’t have a good feeling. That was it.”

“Ah?”

It was a very familiar word. He didn’t have a good feeling? PD Song Man-woo stroked his beard for a moment.

‘…Kang Woo-jin’s feeling again? Did the totem activate?’

Of course, nothing was certain yet. The results of ‘Errand Agency’ and ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ hadn’t come out yet. But for some reason, PD Song Man-woo took Kang Woo-jin’s ‘feeling’ seriously. The eye for a good project. Was Woo-jin’s true instinct activated again?

‘Was Woo Hyun-gu’s script that bad?’

Otherwise, the situation was strange.

It was Woo Hyun-gu, after all. Even if the project was a bit mediocre, it would be a big issue for an unknown to join that team. The increased recognition and interview requests would be quite significant.

‘But he rejected it without looking back? It’s something you can’t do unless you’re crazy. Ah, of course, Woo-jin does have a bit of a crazy vibe.’

Then, PD Song Man-woo muttered into the phone as if he was about to hang up.

“Well, what can you do? If the actor doesn’t want to do it.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Anyway, thank you for your concern, PD.”

PD Song Man-woo, who had hung up the phone, looked out the window. At the same time, he felt a strange sense of anticipation.

“He’s fun to watch, that guy.”

It was at this moment.

-♬♪

The phone in PD Song Man-woo’s hand urgently rang. Thanks to that, PD Song Man-woo, who thought it was CEO Choi Sung-gun, tilted his head. It was an unsaved number. However, since he had been getting these kinds of calls frequently recently, PD Song Man-woo answered the phone without much thought.

“Yes, this is Song Man-woo.”

A man’s voice answered from the other end of the phone. The tone was gentle.

“PD Song, it’s been a while. This is Director Kwon Ki-taek.”

Soon, PD Song Man-woo, slightly widening his eyes, put strength into his voice.

“Yes? Ah! Yes, yes, Director! It’s been a while.”

“Haha, how have you been? Let’s see, we greeted each other at the Baeksang Awards [prestigious South Korean awards ceremony] two years ago.”

“I know, I know. How could I forget that?”

“I had something I was curious about, so I got PD Song’s number. Sorry for calling you so suddenly.”

“Yes?? No! It’s okay.”

PD Song Man-woo was very polite. The reason was simple. Director Kwon Ki-taek was a big shot similar to Director Woo Hyun-gu. If you were to name the top master directors in the country, he would always be included. If you had to rank them, Director Kwon Ki-taek was above Director Woo Hyun-gu.

In terms of total audience numbers and achievements.

Director Kwon Ki-taek asked PD Song Man-woo.

“I heard you’re preparing a drama? I’m looking forward to it. Have you set the first day of shooting?”

“Oh, thank you. The first shoot is confirmed for next week. But why are you asking that?”

“Hmm, I heard rumors that the actors in your drama are raising the quality of their acting like crazy. I was wondering if I could secretly go and watch the shooting on the first day.”

“Watch?”

At the question, Director Kwon Ki-taek on the other end of the phone answered immediately.

“That’s right, I want to see Ryu Jung-min’s form. Please.”