I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 333

A violent roar echoed across the entire filming set. The car had exploded, bursting into flames and soaring into the air before crashing back to the ground, flipping over on impact. The camera continued to film the burning, overturned car.

Then, a moment of silence descended. The only sound was the crackling of the burning vehicle. After about thirty seconds, Song Man-woo PD’s loud signal cut through the air.

“Cut!! OKAY!!!”

The first ‘OK’ for the long take scene, after multiple attempts, was finally given. It was complete. As soon as he heard Song Man-woo PD’s signal, the cameraman holding the camera let out a long sigh and sat down on the ground.

“Whew-”

He had probably moved the most after Kang Woo-jin during the long take. At the same time, dozens of staff members rushed towards the burning car, all carrying fire extinguishers.

-Fssshhh!!

The fire on the car was quickly extinguished by several fire extinguishers. But even after the flames were out, they sprayed water to ensure it was completely safe. While the vehicle crew worked, others checked the abandoned building, making sure the Thai actors and props were okay. The bearded Song Man-woo PD approached the exhausted cameraman and patted him on the shoulder.

“You worked hard.”

The cameraman, panting, asked.

“What did I do besides run around with the camera? Woo-jin did everything. Did the shot come out well?”

“Of course, thanks to you.”

Kang Woo-jin was surrounded by the makeup team, who were removing the blood and soot. Woo-jin, with his eyes closed, was calm. Despite the destructive gunfight and explosion moments ago, he was incredibly composed. Of course, that was only on the surface.

His inner self was currently surging with adrenaline.

‘Wow, my heart is still pounding.’

He had already experienced ‘Jang Yeon-woo’s’ world through the subspace [a virtual or alternate reality], but the quality of the ‘beneficial evil’ that was realized as acting or fiction was quite impressive.

Around this time.

“Woo-jin!”

Several people approached Kang Woo-jin, who was getting his makeup touched up. The first to arrive was Choi Sung-gun, his ponytail bouncing. From the beginning of the filming, he had been worried about Woo-jin getting hurt, and his face finally showed a smile.

“Amazing, just amazing! I really thought I was watching a Hollywood movie.”

Behind him, Kang Woo-jin’s team members, including Han Ye-jeong, appeared. They were almost as excited as their leader, Choi Sung-gun. Writer Choi Na-na and general director Kim So-hyang also gave him a thumbs up.

“Woo-jin-nim!! That was incredible! I seriously held my breath while watching!! Thank you so much! It turned out dozens of times better than I imagined!”

“That’s right, it’s not just flattery, it was really amazing.”

Kang Woo-jin replied in a low voice.

“Is that so?”

Soon, applause broke out among the gathered staff. It was understandable. There were some staff members who had experience with long takes, but they were a minority. The first long take scene they had witnessed was truly incredible.

At that moment.

-Swish.

A blonde woman approached. It was Miley Cara. Her appearance caused those around Kang Woo-jin to step back slightly. Cara spoke to Woo-jin, in English, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“That was fantastic, you know? I felt like I was in Hollywood.”

Woo-jin, with his usual indifference, replied in English.

“Thank you.”

“It’s a lie that it’s your first time doing action or a long take, right?”

“It’s my first time.”

“No way. Who would believe that your tension is this good for a first-timer? No matter how perfect the pre-practice was, it’s a miracle that a long take shot like this can be pulled off in less than half a day.”

‘Is that so?’ If the global superstar Cara said so, it must be true, but Kang Woo-jin, who didn’t have a particular sense of Hollywood, didn’t think much of it. There was only one thing to do here, as always.

Act tough.

“It wasn’t that difficult.”

“That’s absurd.”

Then, Song Man-woo PD, who was organizing the set, joined in. The martial arts director and Ethan Smith were also with him.

“Woo-jin-ssi! That was amazing!!”

Amid the excited group, Song Man-woo PD led Kang Woo-jin to the monitor. He wanted him to quickly check the shot since it had been filmed. The long take that was filmed on the camera monitor began to play. Many people gathered around Woo-jin, and although Kang Woo-jin’s face was stiff, he was internally marveling.

‘Oh- seeing it filmed like this feels completely different??’

His own actions and the shot that was filmed were surprisingly different. It was somewhat, how should he put it, flashy and extravagant. And it was rough and violent. But it was also stylish. Woo-jin suddenly felt the urge to see it on a large TV instead of a small monitor.

Perhaps feeling the same way as Kang Woo-jin, the people around him applauded and exclaimed in admiration.

At this moment.

“Woo-jin-ssi.”

Satisfied, Song Man-woo PD asked Kang Woo-jin.

“How does it look to you? Do you think it’s good?”

Woo-jin, with his eyes on the monitor, replied briefly.

“Do you feel it’s lacking?”

“No, no, no. Not at all. But I do want to try it one more time. The shot came out great, but directors are creatures who never know satisfaction. How about it, if it’s okay with you, one more time? Of course, it’s entirely up to you, Woo-jin-ssi.”

Kang Woo-jin said cynically.

“No problem, as many times as you want.”

That same night, in the mountains.

Darkness began to settle in the mountains. The sound of animals crying could be heard from somewhere. In the eerie mountains, a small warehouse stood out. It looked like it was built a long time ago and could collapse at any moment.

The inside was about 5 pyeong [approximately 180 square feet]. The only things visible were darkness and a human figure, small and lying on the floor.

And.

“······”

In the forest behind the warehouse, a human figure could be seen between the trees. It was Kang Woo-jin, hidden in the darkness.

Around this time.

-Rustle!

The sound of someone approaching could be heard from somewhere. Kang Woo-jin crouched down further. Soon, several human figures appeared in front of the warehouse. About four. As he carefully scanned them.

“J.”

A woman’s voice echoed softly in front of the warehouse. At that moment, Kang Woo-jin, who had been lying down, got up and moved. A camera was attached to his side. As Woo-jin got closer to the woman, he shined the light he was holding at them. Three burly men and a blonde woman wearing a bulletproof vest.

‘L’. No, it was Miley Cara.

As Woo-jin approached, L, who had put the pistol she was holding back into her waist, asked.

“The kid.”

Woo-jin pointed to the inside of the warehouse with his index finger.

“Inside.”

The men and L entered the warehouse. They shined their lights on the girl lying on the floor. L, who had tied her blonde hair back, nodded.

“Right, is she dead?”

Woo-jin, who was the last to enter the warehouse, replied in a low voice.

“No.”

“Still in this state?”

“It’s probably drugs. She’ll die if we leave her like this.”

“We can’t leave her like that. She’s worth a lot.”

“What’s the situation?”

L approached Woo-jin and said.

“The guys are all over the place. They’ve blocked the bridges and roads out of the village. The key is to get out of here first. A helicopter will be waiting once we get out.”

L, or Cara, who was muttering, pulled on Woo-jin’s blood-soaked gray shirt.

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Going alone was reckless.”

“It’s easier that way.”

She sighed and gave instructions to everyone as the leader.

“Two of you provide sniper support from the designated positions, Jack, you wait at the rendezvous point.”

“Got it.”

The burly men picked up the girl and left the warehouse. Then, L said to Kang Woo-jin.

“J, you move with me.”

“I told you I’m a burden.”

L growled.

“Shut up. I can’t stand to see you get hurt.”

The next day, Wednesday the 22nd. Tokyo, Japan.

The location was a medium-sized editing room at ‘Toega’ Film Company near Tokyo Station. This was where the editing of the movie ‘Nakkisaeng’ had taken place, and now, for some reason, director Kyotaro, with his gray hair, and the original author, Akari, were there.

“······”

“······”

The president and executives of ‘Toega’ Film Company, employees of the distribution company, and the actors of ‘Nakkisaeng’ except for Mana Kosaku were gathered. All the actors except Kang Woo-jin were present. There were well over 30 people. They were all staring at the largest monitor among the many monitors in front of them.

Loud sound echoed throughout the editing room.

-♬♪

The monitor displayed scenes of Kang Woo-jin, as well as the Japanese actors gathered in the editing room. The faces of everyone, including director Kyotaro and author Akari, were serious and determined.

The reason was simple.

They were currently conducting a test screening of the finished product of ‘Nakkisaeng’. The problem was that as the content of ‘Nakkisaeng’ progressed, the expressions of everyone except director Kyotaro became shocked. At this point, the original author, Takikawa Akari, glanced at director Kyotaro next to her.

‘The quality is the best. It’s the number one among the live-action adaptations of my work. But… isn’t the editing a bit too bold??’

The Japanese actors couldn’t take their eyes off the monitor.

‘They really went all out.’

‘Is it okay? The media and public opinion are already noisy – if it’s released like this… ha- I don’t know.’

Among them, Mana Kosaku, who played the role of detective ‘Yoshizawa Mochio’ who directly confronted Woo-jin’s ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ in ‘Nakkisaeng’, was smiling faintly. It was a smile of satisfaction.

‘Detective Mochio is a detective, but- they really nailed the Kiyoshi character.’

From the perspective of Mana Kosaku, a top Japanese actor, it was the best ever.

Meanwhile.

The Cannes Film Festival, a global film festival, was about a week away. As it had been before, the world was in an uproar. Everyone involved with the Cannes Film Festival was like that. The Cannes Film Festival was just around the corner.

Foreign media often covered the Cannes Film Festival.

『The Cannes Film Festival, which opens on the 30th! This year is more competitive than any other year, with a plethora of star directors heading to Cannes!』

The Cannes Film Festival was frequently mentioned even in Hollywood, which is considered the pinnacle of the global film industry.

“This year’s Cannes is quite noisy.”

“I heard there are more entries than last year, and many renowned directors are participating. Also, it seems like Cannes has put a lot of effort into the invitees. They’ve listed star actors from all over the world, as well as influential directors and officials?”

“Haha, I guess they’re trying to make up for last year’s mistakes. There were a lot of controversies.”

“They wouldn’t want to lose their top spot among the world’s three major international film festivals.”

“Is that why they chose such a diverse ‘Competition Section’? There’s even a Korean film.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. It’s a film by director Ahn Ga-bok. He’s a director who has often achieved results at Cannes.”

Of course, the film industries of countries nominated for this year’s Cannes, from France, the home of the Cannes Film Festival, to Germany and the UK, were almost as prominent as Hollywood.

“You have to book a hotel in advance. Last year, I was careless and all the accommodations near Cannes were full, so I had to sleep in the car for a day.”

“That’s right. This time, we have to be there two days before the opening, so we need to be more careful.”

“Especially since more countries are participating in this year’s Cannes than last year, the number of participants will definitely explode compared to last year or the year before. There will be many from Asia, including India, Japan, and Korea.”

“Korea has a film in the ‘Competition Section’ this year, right? I was surprised. They’ve been quiet for the past few years.”

“There’s a lot of talk, like Cannes forced a Korean film in for the sake of diversity.”

“Well, Korea has always achieved results at the Cannes Film Festival every year, so we’ll see when the lid is opened. Whether it was just for show or real skill.”

The Japanese directors, who had two films nominated in the ‘Competition Section’, were more wary of director Ahn Ga-bok than anyone else. In this way, the eyes and ears of film industry figures from Korea and around the world were focused on the city of Cannes in southern France. Hundreds of people, including global star actors, directors, and famous figures outside of sports, were scheduled to flock to Cannes. At this point, the Nice Airport around the Cannes Film Festival would be overflowing with the private jets of numerous stars.

In other words, the economic impact of the Cannes Film Festival was enormous.

That’s why France itself puts a lot of effort into the Cannes Film Festival. There are over 4,000 journalists from around the world attending, and the number of official invitees exceeds 20,000. But the real draw was the tourists who were highly interested in the Cannes Film Festival. Although it’s difficult to make an accurate estimate, if you include the spectators from all over the world who come to the Cannes Film Festival every year, hundreds of thousands of people converge on Cannes.

It was truly a grand global festival.

Therefore, the competition among global corporations to participate as official sponsors of Cannes was also incredibly fierce. Just being on the official sponsor list had a nuclear bomb-level global promotional effect.

What if there was even a small issue at Cannes?

Whether it was a director, a movie, or an actor, the impact would be beyond imagination. As such, many official invitees had already begun to settle in at the Cannes Film Festival, a festival for filmmakers around the world. Especially top Hollywood actors and world-renowned figures were quick to arrive. The reason was that they were using the Cannes Film Festival as an excuse to take a vacation in Cannes, France.

And two days later, on the morning of the 24th, director Ahn Ga-bok of ‘Leech’, the only Korean film ranked in the ‘Competition Section’, appeared at Incheon Airport.

『Director Ahn Ga-bok, who put ‘Leech’ in the ‘Competition Section’ of the Cannes Film Festival, appears at Incheon Airport to go to Cannes before the opening/Photo』

It was to board a flight to France, to be more precise.

“Hoo- let’s go, to Cannes.”

“Yes, director.”

They were heading to the global battlefield that was the Cannes Film Festival.

End