I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 358

Director Danny Landis, often hailed as a leading figure in Hollywood, was in his office, surrounded by stacks of scripts and papers. He was engrossed in something intriguing before calling the famous producer Joseph Felton.

-Swish.

He alternated his gaze between a tablet and thin stacks of paper. The man, with a half-bald head and round glasses perched on his nose, was studying data. The tablet displayed information sent by Joseph, while the papers contained Danny’s own research. The content detailed the journey of one actor.

“…Kang Woo-jin—how absurd.”

It was information about the Korean actor Kang Woo-jin, the man who had made history at Cannes and won Best Actor, the only actor Danny had ever praised for his acting. Since returning to Hollywood from Cannes, Danny Landis had been preoccupied with thoughts of Kang Woo-jin.

His presence, his acting, his aura—they wouldn’t leave his mind.

And yet.

“His filmography is truly ridiculous.”

Looking at Kang Woo-jin’s data, his strange fascination only grew. Danny had been in Hollywood for decades. He had encountered countless actors, but in Danny’s eyes, Woo-jin’s path was utterly unique.

“He’s only been in the industry for two years—and what are all these abilities?”

Compared to the past, much had been added to Kang Woo-jin’s profile.

He had debuted just two years ago, yet he hadn’t failed in a single project. Moreover, within a year, he had secured leading roles alongside Korea’s masters and swept the Best New Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards in his first year. From his entry into Japan to his YouTube channel and social media, and the various language skills Kang Woo-jin displayed in articles and countless videos.

“…French, English, and even Japanese and sign language.”

His vocal and piano skills, as well as his cooking abilities, were also notable. Kang Woo-jin was a prodigy, with too many talents to list. He had even recently swept through Cannes. Even this was extraordinary, but what Danny valued most in Kang Woo-jin was his acting.

A director’s dream—a character created by a writer breaking free from the mold and acting as if they were real.

‘A step beyond method acting.’

Danny, having seen enough of the data, recalled the past.

When he was in Cannes.

During a dinner with executives from ‘Universal Movies’ before the closing ceremony and awards, a pot-bellied man among the ‘Universal Movies’ executives started the conversation.

“The movie we just saw was high-quality, but ‘Leech’ is still stuck in my head.”

Other executives agreed.

“It was a film that far exceeded expectations. And the actors’ performances were great; in my opinion, it’s the best of the ‘Competition’ films so far.”

“There are still many films to see, but I also think ‘Leech’ is the frontrunner. Joseph was right. Kang Woo-jin’s main strength is method acting, and ‘action’ is just one of his secondary abilities.”

“Kang Woo-jin’s ‘action’ was also amazing.”

Danny reacted to the words ‘Kang Woo-jin’ and ‘action’.

“‘Action’? From your conversation… it sounds like you’ve seen Kang Woo-jin filming?”

“Ah, yes. We visited Kang Woo-jin’s filming location before coming to Cannes.”

“…Is that actor Kang Woo-jin capable of action?”

“It’s not just capable; he’s practically a veteran.”

The pot-bellied executive continued.

“If he’s from a special forces background, it’s quite possible.”

Danny Landis frowned, his face bewildered.

‘Wait. Special forces? What is all this?’

Special forces? That Kang Woo-jin?

Danny Landis brought his thoughts back to his office. After pondering for several minutes, he called Joseph Felton. A look of certainty was on Danny’s face.

“Hello, Director. I was just about to call you.”

Danny immediately got to the point with Joseph on the other end of the phone.

“Joseph, I’ll take the director’s job for that project. But there’s a condition.”

“…A condition?”

The condition was very simple.

“It’s on the premise that Kang Woo-jin is in the project. If you can’t bring him, I’ll refuse.”

Later.

Kang Woo-jin, who had been busy filming ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ on the set of ‘Beneficial Evil,’ took a break. It was lunchtime. For about an hour, Woo-jin and the hundred or so staff members would eat. It had been a few hours since ‘Leech,’ which had premiered this morning, was released in theaters nationwide.

Kang Woo-jin sat on an actor’s chair on the outskirts of the chaotic set.

-Swish.

‘Eat, rest a bit in the subspace, and then get back to filming.’

Then, the burly Jang Soo-hwan approached him.

“Hyung-nim! You’ve worked hard!” [Hyung-nim is a Korean term used by males to address an older male friend or brother.]

He handed over a water bottle and a tablet. The tablet was something Kang Woo-jin had requested. Why? To check the reactions to ‘Leech,’ which premiered today, and ‘Strange Geisha,’ which premiered yesterday. He could have used his phone, but the screen was too small.

“Oh, thanks,” Woo-jin replied quietly.

A familiar female voice cut in from the side.

“Woo-jin-ssi.”

It was Hwa-rin, with a mole under her eye, approaching. Her usual long hair, reaching her chest, was gone, replaced by a short cut that barely reached her ears. It was even a messy, frizzy style, as if she had been struck by lightning. It was a wig, but it looked so natural that it was hard to tell.

Woo-jin, maintaining a strong poker face, replied politely.

“Yes, Hwa-rin-ssi.”

Internally, he was in a state of excited chaos.

‘Wow—damn, I saw her earlier, but it’s still shocking. Her face can pull off even that hairstyle. How is that possible?’

Hwa-rin had even blatantly shattered her image as a top-tier girl group member. Her current makeup made her skin look dark, and her jacket was worn out. She looked almost like a recluse. A radical transformation, one might say? Yet, because of her inherent beauty, she still looked beautiful.

Hwa-rin, sitting next to Kang Woo-jin, asked.

“Have you seen how the released movies are doing?”

Woo-jin, maintaining his concept without letting his guard down, held up the tablet slightly.

“I was just about to look.”

“Hmm—can I watch with you? There’s still some time before the food is ready anyway.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Okay.”

Hwa-rin tried to reply calmly, but her heart raced whenever she was near Kang Woo-jin. It had been similar in the past, but recently, Woo-jin’s popularity had skyrocketed, making it several times worse.

‘Is it okay if I ask to eat together? That was natural enough. Yes, good job.’

Hwa-rin, internally praising herself, pulled up a chair and sat next to Kang Woo-jin. She focused on the tablet he was holding, but casually asked.

“Oh, by the way, Woo-jin-ssi. Are you—are you close with Miley Cara?”

Suddenly? Kang Woo-jin tilted his head internally but replied vaguely.

“Moderately. Why do you ask?”

“…Huh? No, it’s just that you’ve been involved a lot recently. Do you DM each other often?”

“We do.”

“That’s interesting.”

“What is?”

“Oh, nothing. Let’s look at the movie reactions.”

Though he felt uneasy, Kang Woo-jin brushed it off and tapped the tablet a few times. ‘Strange Geisha,’ which had premiered a day earlier, was first, rather than ‘Leech.’ It had drawn 850,000 viewers on its opening day. The Japanese media was in a frenzy.

『’Strange Geisha’ Draws 850,000 Viewers on Opening Day』

『When was the last time a non-animated film achieved this? ‘Strange Geisha’ Starts with 850,000 on Day One』

『’Kang Woo-jin’s’ Influence, ‘A Stranger’s Bizarre Sacrifice’ Sets Record with 850,000 Viewers on Opening Day!』

『Despite Numerous Controversies, ‘Strange Geisha’ Opens Confidently, Exploding with 850,000 Viewers, Contrary to Industry Concerns』

Hwa-rin, the leader of the girl group ‘Elani,’ which often worked in Japan, was quite fluent in Japanese. She comfortably read the articles, which were all in Japanese, and then spoke.

“Wow, it’s a huge uproar, isn’t it?”

However, not all the articles praised ‘Strange Geisha’s’ first-day record. Many were harshly critical.

『The Character ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ in the Movie ‘Strange Geisha’ is Destroyed, the Original Protagonist is Almost Gone… Novel Fans Full of Complaints』

『Is Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro Sending a Sharp Message to the Japanese Content Market? Audience Baffled by the Shocking Ending of the Movie ‘Strange Geisha’』

Hwa-rin glanced at Kang Woo-jin’s expression as she read the negative articles. His face was stiff. Completely unperturbed. Hwa-rin always felt a sense of relief and stability when she saw Kang Woo-jin’s unwavering demeanor.

‘He doesn’t seem affected. Well, Woo-jin-nim wouldn’t get worked up over something so trivial.’ [Woo-jin-nim is a Korean honorific title.]

She was wrong; Kang Woo-jin was quite furious inside.

‘These bastards are talking nonsense. What the hell, did my acting ruin the movie? You crazy bastards! Go eat shit!’

But that was it. Kang Woo-jin quickly changed his mindset, as if it was none of his business, and moved his fingers again. He opened a page on a search site where Japanese evaluations of ‘Strange Geisha’ were being posted. At a glance, it was clear that praise and criticism were battling it out.

-I shouldn’t have watched it! I didn’t like that Kiyoshi was a Korean-Japanese from the start!!

-Right, the director killed off the original Kiyoshi to cast Kang Woo-jin.

-I’ve seen both the original and the movie, and I enjoyed it? Kang Woo-jin’s acting was chilling.

-They butchered the original! There were too many adaptations and changes! And it was more brutal and cruel than I expected.

-Well? Actually, the original Strange Geisha has some ordinary parts, but the movie Strange Geisha feels like it’s bringing Japan’s social issues to the surface.

It was a mess.

-The movie Strange Geisha is trash!!!

-Has Director Kyotaro gone senile! He denied all of Japan’s content! Even so, the protagonist should have paid the price!

-Honestly, if you’re just looking at the acting, wasn’t it just Kang Woo-jin you saw in the movie Strange Geisha? The early multiple personality acting and the piano scene were really amazing.

-Why… why did they use a Korean actor in Strange Geisha… I still don’t understand after watching the movie…

-The movie Strange Geisha will probably do better in Korea than in Japan.

-Wasn’t the ending crazy? It’s completely different from the original!!

-The ending of the movie Strange Geisha was really… scary… It was a justified murder, but the fact that they lived without any consequences…

·

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It was like an explosion. It was nothing short of an online disaster. There was a lot of praise, but the complaints, backlash, and extreme insults were more noticeable. This wasn’t just on Japanese portal sites; it was the same on famous social media platforms and numerous communities. If it was this bad here, it was obvious that the original ‘Strange Geisha’ hardcore fans were going ballistic, probably dozens of times worse.

As a result, many Japanese media outlets and.

『’Strange Geisha’ Sets Record with 850,000 Viewers, but Intense Outcry from Moviegoers Soars… Speculation of a Gradual Decline in Viewership』

More than half of the public opinion was similar.

-The start is getting a lot of attention due to various controversies, including Kang Woo-jin, but the movie Strange Geisha will fail soon!

The movie ‘Strange Geisha’ was said to be falling apart day by day.

At this point, Hwa-rin once again checked Kang Woo-jin’s reaction. It was because of the harsh Japanese media and public opinion. But Kang Woo-jin was calm this time as well. His eyes even seemed relaxed.

This time, it was genuine.

‘Hmph, whatever. Bark all you want.’

He thought the Japanese reaction was stronger than expected. But it didn’t have a big impact on Kang Woo-jin. Then, Kang Woo-jin lowered the tablet he was looking at and said quietly to Hwa-rin.

“Let’s eat.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s eat.”

After all, ‘Strange Geisha’ was higher than ‘Island of the Missing,’ which had broken all Korean records.

-[7/Scenario (Title: A Stranger’s Bizarre Sacrifice), SSS-Grade]

It was SSS-grade.

Thursday, October 28th, morning.

Director Ahn Ga-bok was in a van, heading somewhere. His face, full of wrinkles, was serious as he gazed calmly out the window.

“…”

At that moment, the film company’s representative sitting next to him spoke politely.

“Director, the numbers have just been released.”

“Is that so? Let’s see.”

The representative handed Ahn Ga-bok his phone. Soon, Ahn Ga-bok saw the numbers for the film that had won him the Palme d’Or.

[October 27, 2021, Viewership Inquiry]

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Leech / Release Date: October 27 / Viewers: 780,521 / Screens: 1354 / Cumulative Viewers: 780,521

‘Leech’ had also surpassed ‘Island of the Missing’s’ first-day viewership.

At the same time.

As if the Korean ‘Leech’ had passed the baton, an official announcement was made in Japan, which was in an uproar as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped.

『’Strange Geisha’s’ Total Viewership on the 27th Increased to 880,000, More Than Yesterday!』

Strangely, as if ignoring the complaints and concerns of many Japanese media outlets and the public.

『’Strange Geisha’s’ Hot Second Day: 880,000 Viewers, Up from 850,000, Surpassing 1.73 Million in Two Days』

‘Strange Geisha’ had increased its viewership from its opening day.

Meanwhile, in New York.

Unlike Korea, which was in the morning, it was afternoon in New York. It was rush hour, and the streets of downtown New York were packed with people and cars heading home. Among the many buildings towering in the city, a massive New York media company that occupied an entire skyscraper was brightly lit. Many foreigners were seen leaving the entrance, but inside the media company’s offices, many reporters were still working.

Among them, in an office with numerous desks, a female reporter in charge of culture and entertainment was tidying her desk, seemingly about to leave.

-Swish.

Just as the female reporter with long, permed hair was about to leave her cluttered desk.

“Peggy.”

A male voice cut in from the side. Turning, she saw a man with a sharp jaw and a hat approaching. He suddenly sat on the edge of the female reporter’s desk and said.

“I heard Miley Cara is appearing in a Korean project, do you know about it?”