I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 345

Kang Woo-jin, who had gotten up groggily, let out a hollow laugh. Was this what they called being in a daze? Just a few hours ago, in the early morning, he thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep no matter what, but ridiculously, it was now past 9 AM.

‘My mood is strange.’

Kang Woo-jin, having shed his persona, felt a peculiar emotion. Peaceful yet anxious? He wanted to lie still, but his heart rate gradually increased.

Whatever.

-Swish.

He had to get up and move. Kang Woo-jin got out of bed. He was in comfortable clothes, and his hair was a mess. But for some reason, Woo-jin immediately picked up one of the scripts for ‘Leech’ piled on the table.

“First, let’s conquer the sub-space.”

It was to rest beforehand. The grace of the sub-space [a term referring to a state of deep focus or immersion]. He had to go to the battlefield in the afternoon, didn’t he? Today, he especially needed to replenish his stamina several times more.

How much time had passed?

Kang Woo-jin, who had come out of the sub-space into reality, stared blankly at the white tuxedo hanging on the wall. A tuxedo that could be considered his battle uniform for today.

Just as Woo-jin picked up the tuxedo.

-Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the room door. It was instantaneous for Woo-jin to pull up the persona he had shed. In an instant, Kang Woo-jin, whose cynicism had deepened, opened the door. Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, was smiling and giving a thumbs up.

“Let’s eat, Woo-jin. Koreans need to eat to have strength, right?”

“Yes, CEO.”

Kang Woo-jin also agreed vehemently, of course, internally.

Several hours later.

The time in Cannes, France, which was filled with a festive atmosphere, was pointing to the afternoon. 5 PM to be exact. At this time, the area around the ‘Palais des Festivals,’ the main venue of the Cannes Film Festival, was more than packed.

The red carpet was laid out again.

It was the same as the opening ceremony, but the red carpet, which was wide and stretched from the entrance to the end, was surrounded by thousands of reporters. All of them in tuxedos, they were even more crowded than at the opening ceremony.

The filming equipment also stood out.

Small cranes and drones were flying in the sky. There were thousands of cameras of various sizes. Vans with broadcasting station logos on the sides and broadcasting teams from various countries were lined up, and the number of onlookers surrounding the ‘Palais des Festivals’ exceeded tens of thousands. Tens of thousands of people also gathered at the large screens installed on the nearby beach.

The procession had already started.

-Flash! Flash!

-Flash! Flash! Flash!

Stars other than top actors and directors from various countries headed towards the closing and awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, and thousands of tuxedo-clad reporters clicked their shutters every second. Of course, live broadcasts from dozens of broadcasting teams were also underway.

Familiar faces flashed by.

Directors and actors from Japan who had two works in the ‘Competition’ section, Hollywood figures such as Joseph and Megan, director Danny Landis, Miley Cara, and so on. World-renowned figures from the film industry marched proudly, and as time went on, the heat of the red carpet intensified.

It was then.

-Thud!

Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his short white hair, and Shim Han-ho got out of a limousine at the end of the red carpet. That is, the ‘Leech’ team had arrived. They had been quite a hot topic at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, so as soon as the ‘Leech’ team got out, hundreds of reporters around them showered them with flashes.

Then.

-Swish.

A black-haired man in a white tuxedo got out of the limousine.

‘Hoo- Don’t be scared, you bastard. Just go for it.’

It was Kang Woo-jin.

About an hour later, around 6:50 PM.

The location was the largest hall inside the ‘Palais des Festivals.’ It was a hall that could easily accommodate 5,000 people, and it was currently showing off its magnificent appearance, decorated for the closing and awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival.

-♬♪

Soft classical music flowed, the ceiling was high, there were numerous lights hanging from it, and the more than 5,000 seats were divided into the first and second floors. The seats were filled with distinguished figures from various countries. Thousands of spectators who had graced the Cannes Film Festival, among the world’s best, were all dressed in tuxedos and dresses. Hollywood top actors, who were usually as rare as stars in the sky, were also present.

A festival for overseas filmmakers itself.

The front view of these thousands of spectators was even more dazzling.

A large stage, a black floor, and a large monitor installed on the left side of the stage.

Broadcasting teams were busy right in front of the stage. It was prepared by the Cannes side, and the Cannes Film Festival was being broadcast live on French television through their hands. Of course, the same was true on YouTube. Behind the stage, pillars more than five times the height of a person were erected from the left to the right end of the stage. The large pillars were golden.

At the right end, a total of 10 seats were prepared.

It was the seat for the official jury members of the Cannes Film Festival, and a large model was also erected right behind the jury seats. It was the official logo of Cannes, a palm leaf painted in gold.

If you were to look at all of this from above, you would naturally say this.

It was truly magnificent and grand.

Because the people who attended were so formidable, this huge hall looked even more impressive. At this time, tens of thousands of people were also gathered on the beach outside the ‘Palais des Festivals.’ Tourists and thousands of reporters. They were watching the closing and awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival through the installed large screens.

And our Kang Woo-jin could be found somewhere in the middle of the first floor seats of the hall.

“······”

He had a silent face in his white tuxedo. Director Ahn Ga-bok and Shim Han-ho were sitting to Woo-jin’s right, and Jin Jae-jun and Han So-jin were sitting to his left. Everyone clearly looked nervous, but Woo-jin was calm. He had been doing extreme mind control since he entered this ridiculously large hall.

‘Hoo- Crap, it’s nothing. Just think of it as watching a slightly big event. Yeah, that’s it.’

He had to concentrate to maintain his persona.

The more he did, the deeper Woo-jin’s indifference became.

Around this time, it was 3 AM in Korea. Of course, it was a time when most people were asleep. Nevertheless, there were quite a few viewers on the YouTube live broadcast provided by the Cannes side. The fact that Korean was quite visible among English and other foreign languages was proof of that.

-Ah!!!! I’ve been waiting!!!!

-Wtf, the awards ceremony is huge lololol

-Finally!! Doki doki doki doki [onomatopoeia for a heart beating fast]

-Why do they keep showing only the stage?? Show us the actors or something!

-Where is Kang Woo-jin!!!

-Oh, I’m excited

-What lololol it hasn’t even started yet??

-Anyway, the Leech guys are just going to be extras or leave, why are you guys overreacting lololol

-Wow… how much is the total worth of the people who attended….

-No lololol Leech was just thrown in by Cannes to make up for last year’s mistake lololol

-We don’t even expect 1st or 2nd place!! Just getting the screenplay award would be a huge hit!!

-Can’t Shim Han-ho or Oh Hee-ryung get the acting award?

At that moment.

-♬♪

There was a slight change in the angle of the YouTube live broadcast. The soft music that had been playing also changed. It meant that the closing and awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival was about to begin.

Soon, an old foreign man in a tuxedo entered from the left side of the large stage.

He was the representative of the Cannes Film Festival. That is, the chairman.

“Hello, thank you for joining us for the hot schedule of Cannes.”

The spotlight was shone on the center of the stage, and the chairman announced the start of the closing and awards ceremony in French. Of course, English interpretation could be heard by using the headphones provided to the audience.

“I think everyone enjoyed it, please join us until the end of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.”

After giving a short comment, he raised a cue card and called out the person who would be the master of ceremonies for this closing and awards ceremony. It was a Belgian actress. As she stepped onto the stage in a green dress, the grand applause of more than 5,000 spectators echoed.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

The Belgian actress stood in the center of the stage and gave a brief greeting. Soon, applause broke out again, and she, looking at the cue card in her hand, proceeded with the closing and awards ceremony.

“First, shall we call these people? The jury members of this year’s Cannes Film Festival!”

Another thunderous applause. Ten official jury members in tuxedos and dresses came up from one side of the stage. Their seats were on the right side of the stage, in front of the golden palm leaf model. After they sat down, they introduced themselves one by one, and after all the introductions were over, they exchanged appropriate jokes with the host.

The heavy atmosphere was relieved.

In the meantime, the Cannes broadcasting team captured some of the 5,000 spectators on camera. Hollywood actors, French directors, Japanese actors, etc. Miley Cara, with her blonde hair neatly tied up, also flashed by for a moment.

Then.

-Swish.

The Belgian actress on stage gave a comment for the first award.

“Oh, it’s time to proceed with the awards. The start of the awards is the ‘Screenplay Award.’ I heard that the selection was very difficult because the 20 works in this ‘Competition’ section were so great. How was it?”

The microphone was passed to the 10 jury members. About two of them gave playful answers.

“It was hell, I don’t want to be a jury member again.”

“It was a very difficult task. All the works were good to me.”

At the Cannes Film Festival, the ‘Screenplay Award’ was the fourth-highest award if you had to rank them, excluding the acting awards. But the ranking didn’t matter. Winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival was an honor for the work itself.

Soon, the host in front of the standing microphone spoke.

“Please announce the ‘Screenplay Award.’”

Among the jury members in the back, an Iranian film director picked up a handheld microphone. A cue card for the announcement was handed to him, and he smiled and announced it.

“‘Screenplay Award,’ ‘Sacred House’! Congratulations!”

Among the 20 works in the competition section, ‘Sacred House’ was a French film. Of course, it was the French director who stood up from the audience, and the camera in front of the stage immediately filmed him. The huge hall was quickly filled with tremendous applause.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap!

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

Sitting or standing. 5,000 spectators clapping their hands non-stop. Kang Woo-jin was also participating.

‘Goosebumps, is it possible to go on that stage in this situation??’

The French director had already gone up on the stage. The award was presented to him. The trophy was in the form of a palm leaf, the mascot of the Cannes Film Festival, in a case. The French director, who received the award, seemed moved and couldn’t speak for a while.

-Swish.

“I really didn’t expect it.”

He barely started his comment. He paused because his eyes were getting red, but he somehow managed to finish it. As if to praise him, applause broke out again, and the host, the Belgian actress, returned to the stage. A brief interview with the French director. As the French director was about to leave the stage, the host announced the next award.

“This time, it’s an award for the actors. Best Actor, Best Actress. Let’s start with Best Actor first.”

It was the actors’ turn. Soon, the expressions of the many actors from various countries distributed in the 5,000-seat audience changed. Tension, trembling, spirit, greed, etc. On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin had the same indifferent face as in the beginning. At this point, the sharp-looking Jin Jae-jun glanced at Kang Woo-jin and Shim Han-ho.

‘Neither of them- do they have any expectations? I think I have a good chance.’

Then he scanned the vast array of overseas top actors around him.

‘Well, getting an award here is really… damn difficult.’

The host, the Belgian actress, asked the jury members in the back.

“Jury members, how was the selection of actors?”

The answer was first given by a Swedish actress in a gray, off-the-shoulder dress, with her legs crossed.

“We couldn’t finalize it until the day before the final decision. I strongly agree with what Jeff said earlier about ‘hell.’ In the end, we made a choice, but all the actors were the best.”

Next was the Italian director next to her. His mustache was impressive.

“Unlike her, my choice was quick. The actor’s performance lingered in my mind throughout the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first time in my directing career that I was so captivated.”

Soon, the broadcasting team cameras installed throughout the hall captured the actors. Of course, they filmed the faces of the lead actors who had advanced to the ‘Competition’ section.

Buzzing. The sound of the audience in front of the stage.

Whispers spread here and there in the audience. Everyone would have had actors they expected or guessed.

“I think the Iranian actors will get it? Their acting was impressive.”

“Well, I think France was good. There were a lot of works.”

“Wasn’t Japan good too?”

“I didn’t watch the Japanese movies.”

The evaluations were varied.

“Was the US a bit disappointing this time?”

“Not at all. I think the US will get the Best Actor award, Kelly’s acting was amazing.”

“Really?”

“How about Korea? There was quite a buzz.”

“Ah- there was Korea too.”

It was inevitable. In the first place, all the movies they had seen were completely different. In the first place, there were cases where they couldn’t watch the movie if it was full. As a result, only the 10 jury members watched all the movies.

It was that moment.

“Please announce it.”

The eyes of the 5,000 spectators in the hall, including tens of thousands of tourists on the outside beach, and all the broadcasting team cameras were focused on the jury seats on the stage. The cue card was in the hand of the mustachioed Italian director who had been interviewed. That is, he was in charge of announcing the Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

-Swish.

The Italian director looked down at the cue card. At the same time, he picked up the handheld microphone in his right hand. Then he smiled.

“My eyes were not wrong.”

He announced the ‘monster’ in a low voice to the 5,000 spectators where ‘big shots’ from all over the world had gathered.

“The 74th Cannes Film Festival ‘Best Actor,’ Kang Woo-jin of ‘Leech.’”

In an instant, thousands of eyes and cameras in the hall moved busily. They were looking at the black-haired Korean actor who was sitting calmly, with no change in his indifferent expression.

Kang Woo-jin in his white tuxedo.

“······”

He was silent and didn’t move. However, he was internally cursing vehemently.

‘…No, shit. Is it me?’

End