I Was Mistaken As A Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 356

Miley Cara’s new album title track, featuring Kang Woo-jin, proudly topped the Billboard charts—specifically, the Hot 100 chart. For context, Billboard has two main charts: the Hot 100, which ranks individual songs (similar to domestic music charts), and the Billboard 200, which ranks albums.

Both charts are influential, but the Hot 100 carries more weight.

However, the Billboard 200 is also significant, and Miley Cara’s new album currently holds the top spot there as well. In other words, Cara was dominating both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, with Kang Woo-jin’s name prominently featured.

The Billboard charts are highly coveted by pop stars and fans worldwide.

This was the first time a Korean actor had reached the top of the Billboard charts, and it was unlikely to happen again. Miley Cara was well aware of this. After showing her phone to her manager, Jonathan, Cara crossed her legs and smiled.

“After winning Best Actor at Cannes, everyone knows Kang Woo-jin now. It’s great my album is doing well, but his promising future is also interesting.”

Jonathan, noticing her smile, which often had a cold edge, scratched his chin.

“Miley, have you noticed you’ve been smiling whenever Kang Woo-jin is mentioned lately?”

Cara instantly wiped the smile off her face, cleared her throat, and shrugged.

“What are you talking about? I smile often, not just about him.”

“…I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.”

“Whatever.”

She cut off the conversation and quickly changed the subject, looking at her phone again.

“It’s a bit disappointing that only five songs are in the top 10.”

Cara’s song was number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and five of the top ten songs were hers. The momentum of Cara, a global superstar, was truly something else. Even more impressive, the music video featuring Woo-jin had already surpassed 300 million views.

“Well, it’s okay, there’s still plenty of time.”

This was just the beginning. Cara needed to focus on her new album schedule for a while. Jonathan, who had taken out his tablet, asked as if something had come to mind.

“I heard ‘Beneficial Evil’ is slowly trying to reveal your appearance. I don’t think it’s the right time for the agency or me. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until after your album schedule?”

Cara tucked her blonde hair behind her ear.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s early or late. Kang Woo-jin said they’re not making an official announcement right away.”

“Hmm—that’s true. But I’ve never heard of this approach before.”

She replied nonchalantly.

“Isn’t it interesting? It’s fun to watch how things unfold.”

Back in Korea, at the editor’s office of the major news outlet ‘Power Patch.’

The editor, with his wide face, was looking at photos on his phone of the overseas location shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ in Bangkok. There were dozens of staff, filming equipment, and Kang Woo-jin. However, the reporter with the square glasses focused on Miley Cara.

It was because of the slightly blurry blonde woman in the photo.

“Is that—Miley Cara?”

The editor lowered his voice, having the same thought, at the reporter’s wide-eyed response.

“Right? It’s a bit ambiguous, but it looks like her. And you, seeing it for the first time, think so too.”

“Anyone could see it as Miley Cara.”

The reporter with the square glasses frowned and rubbed his forehead, as if he couldn’t understand.

“No—but…it doesn’t make sense? Miley Cara? There’s no way she’d be in ‘Beneficial Evil.'”

“Logically, that’s right.”

“Isn’t that blonde woman just a local staff member or an extra, not Miley Cara?”

“That could be the case.”

“Besides, Miley Cara wouldn’t appear in a Korean production—she has tons of Hollywood offers. There’s no reason for her to do a Korean project. What would she gain from it?”

The editor chuckled.

“Even so, it looks like Miley Cara.”

“…”

“Plus, she’s close to Kang Woo-jin. Miley Cara is a global star, but Kang Woo-jin’s global power is also considerable now, right?”

The reporter, understanding the editor’s angle, replied as if he were possessed.

“Are you saying we should try to link them together, whether it’s true or not?”

“The scenario is good, isn’t it? We’re not slandering Kang Woo-jin. And this photo is already causing a stir in Bangkok. You can only know if something is real by breaking it.”

The reporter’s mind started racing.

“…It’s not bad. There’s no reason to complain about throwing out a question. It’s good for ‘Beneficial Evil’ if it becomes an issue. It’ll be a hot topic.”

“Issue? Dude, it’s Miley Cara. If she filmed a Korean project, it’s not just a domestic issue, it could explode with interest in Hollywood too.”

“Miley Cara only appeared on Kang Woo-jin’s YouTube channel when she visited Korea, and then he suddenly participated in her album. And they walked together at the Cannes Film Festival opening. They’re definitely close. If we create a story with this and throw it out there, the public and other media will jump on it.”

Both the reporter and the editor had deep smiles. The editor spoke.

“If it’s not Miley Cara, we can just wrap it up as a happening.”

He lowered his voice even more.

“But if it turns out to be true, we’ll have the exclusive on a nuclear-level scoop.”

However, the reporter still didn’t believe it.

“Nah—there’s no way it’s Miley Cara. Let’s just think of it as a happening.”

After that.

Kang Woo-jin, having wrapped up his ‘Strange Geisha’ schedule in Japan, returned to Korea on a private jet, unlike usual. Jang Su-hwan, Han Ye-jeong, and about a dozen others were in a frenzy.

“This is crazy! It’s really crazy!!”

“Wow—I never thought I’d ride a private jet…”

“Seriously, same here!! I’ve seen it in articles! Awesome! Totally awesome!!”

“Oppa!! Woo-jin oppa! Aren’t you amazed?!”

Compared to the excited team members, Kang Woo-jin walked calmly with a solemn face.

“Not really.”

“That’s it??! No, oppa! It’s a private jet! A! PRIVATE! JET!!”

Of course, it was for his image. Kang Woo-jin was probably the most excited one. He had been desperately holding back his amazement since boarding the private jet.

‘Damn, I want to take pictures too! I want to tell my dad, mom, and my buddies! But wow—a private jet for me??! Is this a dream???’

In his heart, Woo-jin wanted to touch every corner of the private jet and take hundreds of photos. But he held back. He even ignored his twitching lips. Fortunately, the team members were taking pictures like crazy, so he could just get them shared.

It was a historic day.

‘Does this mean I’ll be taking this private jet whenever I go abroad?’

It was the day Kang Woo-jin got a private jet. He was amazed by Chairman Hideki’s generosity. Giving away a plane as a gift. Truly, a conglomerate chairman. The news of Woo-jin’s private jet spread as he was moving to the set of ‘Beneficial Evil.’

Han Ye-jeong, having checked it, informed Kang Woo-jin.

“Oppa, the article is already out. About the private jet.”

Many articles had been released.

『[Star Photo] Kang Woo-jin Returns on a ‘Private Jet,’ But His Expression Remains Calm / Photo』

『Already a Private Jet? Is He Aiming for Overseas Activities After Cannes Film Festival… Kang Woo-jin with a Private Jet』

They were likely from the reporters who had greeted Woo-jin at the airport.

『’Two Years Since Debut,’ Kang Woo-jin Not Only Wins Best Actor at Cannes but Also Gets a Private Jet / Photo』

Kang Woo-jin couldn’t help but feel proud.

‘My parents and the kids will know about this too.’

Han Ye-jeong was in charge of posting the private jet photos on Woo-jin’s social media. About an hour later, when Woo-jin arrived at the massive set of ‘Beneficial Evil,’ the staff rushed over.

“Wow!! Woo-jin-ssi! You got a private jet??!”

“Is it true you went to Japan on a private jet?!!”

They also seemed amazed. Song Man-woo PD, with his stubble, also joined in. He was a big name in the drama industry, but he hadn’t seen many actors riding private jets.

“Did CEO Choi prepare this? A private jet? Is this just for this one time?”

“No. It seems like we’ll be using the private jet from now on.”

“Huh—”

The rumor spread among the hundred or so staff members. Song Man-woo PD quickly calmed down. He approached Kang Woo-jin, who was preparing for filming, and whispered.

“About ‘her’ that Woo-jin-ssi mentioned. We’ve leaked it, so we’ll get a bite soon.”

After that, Kang Woo-jin focused on filming ‘Beneficial Evil.’

Filming continued late into the night, and standby was early in the morning. Outdoor filming wasn’t on the schedule, so most of the filming for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was currently taking place on the set.

Around this time.

『[Issue Talk] ‘Miley Cara’s’ New Song Featuring ‘Kang Woo-jin’ Dominates the Billboard Charts!』

The news that Miley Cara’s new album was dominating Billboard spread domestically.

『Kang Woo-jin, Who Made His Name on ‘Billboard Charts’ After Cannes, Sees His Global Recognition Soar Endlessly』

It was already a widespread issue due to the hundreds of millions of views on the music video, but the reaction from the media and the public skyrocketed when the clear results became a reality.

-Cara’s new song is good lololol

-I’m not a Kang Woo-jin fan but lololol I was shocked after listening to the song lololol It’s so good

-No, Cara was always amazing, but… what can’t Kang Woo-jin do??

-Wow… Kang Woo-jin… his tone is amazing… please release a solo song oppa…

-Did Kang Woo-jin play the piano in the middle??

-This song is crazy popular overseas lololol Kang Woo-jin will really become a legend

-The music video has over 300 million views on YouTube lololololol

-Infinite streaming!!!

-Is Kang Woo-jin going to release an album and dominate Billboard lololololol

Kang Woo-jin, watching this, remained relatively calm.

‘It’s amazing, but it’s not as big as the dinosaur [referring to a previous event].’

He had already received a DM from Miley Cara. Also, he didn’t really know much about the Billboard charts, so his reaction was muted. Regardless, the domestic media and public went even more wild.

Several days later.

-♬♪

Kang Woo-jin’s phone rang. It was around 5 AM. He was at his home in Samseong-dong. He groggily opened his eyes in the dark bedroom.

“…Ugh-”

He groaned. Yesterday, filming for ‘Beneficial Evil’ had ended around midnight, and he had arrived home at 1 AM. He had fallen asleep at 2 AM. Having slept for only about three hours, it was no wonder he was like a zombie. His schedule was full today as well. He had to arrive at the salon at 7 AM, two interviews with overseas media, a photoshoot, filming for ‘Beneficial Evil’ after noon, and a meeting for his YouTube channel ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Sub-Character’ at night.

“I might really die at this rate.”

He muttered while curled up in bed and struggled to get up. He took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator and gulped down half of it before grabbing the script on the living room table. The script for ‘Beneficial Evil.’ He intended to enter the subspace [a personal mental space].

“Let’s take a break first.”

It was a choice for survival. Then, Kang Woo-jin, who had been loafing around in the subspace for a while, returned to reality. His complexion had recovered somewhat. After a quick wash, he put on a hat and left the house.

-Swoosh.

He took out his phone while waiting for the elevator. There were a tremendous number of unread messages. He couldn’t check them all, so he would only check the urgent ones. Among the piled-up messages, Kang Woo-jin moved his thumb to check Choi Seong-geon’s.

The message was short.

-(Link)

-The article is out.

Kang Woo-jin tilted his head slightly and tapped the link that Choi Seong-geon had sent. At the same time, the elevator doors opened, and his phone screen changed. It was displaying an article. A fresh article that had been released just a few minutes ago. As soon as Kang Woo-jin saw the title, he opened his mouth slightly.

“Oh-”

It was natural. It wasn’t something he had been eagerly waiting for, but it was an article he had been anticipating.

『[Exclusive] ‘Kang Woo-jin’ Spreads to the World, ‘Miley Cara’ Seen at His ‘Beneficial Evil’ Overseas Location Shoot in Bangkok… Is Miley Cara Appearing in ‘Beneficial Evil’?』-Power Patch

The article contained a familiar photo. A blonde woman with an ambiguous feel and Kang Woo-jin. It was an article that had been uploaded just a few minutes ago, but there were already over 100 comments.

‘The snowball is starting.’

Kang Woo-jin smiled inwardly, thinking of the media that would soon rush in. He was proud. At this point, the elevator doors opened again, and Kang Woo-jin put on a serious poker face. A black van was waiting in the underground parking lot. As Woo-jin approached, the side door of the van opened, and the large Jang Su-hwan got out. He had recently been promoted from road manager to a higher position.

“Hyungnim!! You’ve arrived!”

Kang Woo-jin replied in a low voice to his high-tension greeting.

“Yeah, did you eat breakfast?”

“Hyungnim should eat when you’re at the salon!”

As Woo-jin approached, Jang Su-hwan suddenly gave a thumbs up.

“Isn’t it finally happening?!!”

Kang Woo-jin nodded dryly, as if he understood what he meant.

“That’s right.”

“I’ve started monitoring the Japanese side!!”

Jang Su-hwan shook his work phone. Today was Tuesday, October 26th.

“How does it feel?”

“The articles are already out and it’s a mess! ‘Strange Geisha’ is number one in ticket sales, of course!”