I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 361

Put on a mask. Smile. But why should I smile? I’ve forgotten where the real me is. Who am I, and is the expression I’m wearing now real or fake?

It’s fake.

But it’s also real. Because I change masks hundreds of times a day. It’s an illusion, a phantom I’ve created. I have to utter lies that have lost their original meaning to belong. Not to be turned away. That’s how the world is. A society crushed by order isn’t fantastic, but it’s not desolate either. However, if you look closely, it’s enough to make you laugh in disbelief.

There’s no romance, only chaos.

Ah, it’s tiresome. But why do you keep poking at me? This moment of condoning myself is maddeningly desolate. Is this my true feeling? Where does my true heart exist? It’s so far away that it has lost its shape and scent.

Subtle contempt is upsetting, but I ignore it.

Quiet oppression is rampant, but I accept it.

Static discrimination goes too far, but I close my ears.

Excessive prejudice is repeated, but I adapt.

Sharp disdain hurts, but I endure it.

······Ah, what is this?

Go eat shit.

This is why the terrible clown was born.

Yes, that’s me.

·

·

·

·

Director Ahn Ga-bok had already devoured the ‘Pierrot’ screenplay for several hours. Perhaps due to the lingering aftershocks of the thrill, he let out a hollow laugh as he put down the synopsis of ‘Pierrot’ he had just read.

“······It’s absurd. No, should I say it’s amazing?”

It was so interesting that Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had intended to just skim through it, ended up reading the entire screenplay in one sitting. He was captivated. Throughout reading ‘Pierrot,’ Director Ahn Ga-bok couldn’t calm his excitement.

‘Is it true that what looks like a comedy from afar is a tragedy up close?’

The clown protagonist in the screenplay ‘Pierrot’ transforms into a monster beyond ‘ordinary,’ but to society or the world, he was not a monster but a bug. It was the birth of a hero in a chaotic world disguised as a villain’s awakening.

Inflection and variation.

Right now, Director Ahn Ga-bok is thinking.

‘How many emotions do I have to show and hide? And what about the countless masks? If Kang Woo-jin does this—’

After reading the ‘Pierrot’ screenplay, he desperately needed Kang Woo-jin’s opinion, but conversely, even if Woo-jin rejected it, his greed and desire wouldn’t change. That’s how much Director Ahn Ga-bok liked ‘Pierrot.’ Especially the darkness mixed with laughter in this work.

It was a unique contrast of light and shadow, and the harsh reality was poignant.

However.

“······Can I handle this work?”

Being captivated by the screenplay and directing it were two completely different things. Director Ahn Ga-bok was suddenly overcome with anxiety. He wondered if he could handle this weighty work. Even as a seasoned veteran, it was something he couldn’t easily predict.

Then, Director Ahn Ga-bok, unlike himself who won the ‘Palme d’Or’ [the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival] with his 100th film, recalled.

“Kang Woo-jin, that kid, would scoff at it.”

He remembered Woo-jin, who had won the ‘Best Actor Award’ at Cannes in just two years. Yes, if I can’t do it, I can find another great director. But this is something that monster Kang Woo-jin has to do to shine. Let’s not hastily decide whether I’ll just be the messenger of this work or the director.

-Flip.

Director Ahn Ga-bok opened the first page of the ‘Pierrot’ screenplay again. He was about to start analyzing it, including a reading.

For reference.

-Flip.

Starting today, Director Ahn Ga-bok would be staying in LA for a few days.

A few days later, November 4th. LA.

Around afternoon. An enormous amusement park in the heart of Hollywood. No, it was ‘Columbia Studios,’ a distribution and film company known as one of Hollywood’s ‘Big Five’ [the five largest film studios in Hollywood]. There were over 30 sets marked ‘Stage,’ and various concept filming locations were set up. Even now, tourists were overflowing in areas where there was no filming.

Inside the main building of ‘Columbia Studios,’ various film production and planning discussions were taking place at this very moment.

It was natural, as it was such a massive distribution and film company in Hollywood.

Of course, the same was true for ‘Pierrot.’

In a large meeting room in the main building, familiar and unfamiliar foreigners were gathered. They were sitting around a U-shaped table. There were probably about a dozen of them. Among them, four foreigners were familiar. A bald man with glasses, etc., were the executives of ‘Columbia Studios’ who had recently met with Director Ahn Ga-bok.

The overall meeting seemed to be winding down, and the people gathered were having light conversations rather than serious discussions.

“By the way, has there been any contact from Director Ahn Ga-bok yet?”

A man with a bulging belly among the executives brought up Director Ahn Ga-bok. A nearby employee shook his head.

“Not yet.”

The man with the bulging belly crossed his arms and snorted.

“Hmm, it’s taking longer than I thought to make a decision.”

Another foreign executive added.

“I guess he’d be worried. Not only the language but also the film production systems of Hollywood and Korea are completely different. It’s definitely not an easy decision. And it hasn’t been long since ‘Leech’ won the ‘Palme d’Or’.”

“But if it takes too long, we need to discuss alternatives. Time is precious.”

“Of course. But let’s wait a little longer since we have a set deadline.”

“I wonder if he’s read the entire ‘Pierrot’ screenplay?”

“He said he’d read it right away, so probably.”

At this point, the bald foreigner who had talked the most with Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was sitting near them, stroked his chin.

“I really hope Director Ahn Ga-bok takes this project. It would be quite disappointing if he refuses.”

In fact, the decision to hire a director for the movie ‘Pierrot’ had been discussed with the film company and the executive producer. No one had any objections to Director Ahn Ga-bok taking the megaphone. Well, even if someone had a complaint, it wouldn’t matter much. From the start, Hollywood’s production system was thoroughly divided.

Once the distribution and film company decided on a director, that was it.

They would consult with the producer, but the rest of the team didn’t express much dissatisfaction with the director’s appointment. Or maybe they just didn’t care? Anyway, while they were talking about Director Ahn Ga-bok, the man with the bulging belly changed the subject.

“Director Ahn Ga-bok mentioned Kang Woo-jin, didn’t he? It seemed like he wanted to include him in the movie.”

“It makes sense. Director Ahn Ga-bok and Kang Woo-jin collaborated to create this year’s issue at Cannes. And above all, Kang Woo-jin was the key in ‘Leech’.”

“Hmm, Kang Woo-jin’s acting in ‘Leech’ was… absurdly realistic and fantastic.”

“We saw his acting on screen, but Director Ahn Ga-bok saw it up close. It’s strange if he didn’t fall for it.”

The topic changed to Kang Woo-jin, and the bald foreigner chimed in.

“To achieve such monstrous acting, he must have gone through unimaginable pain. He must have invested an enormous amount of time and analyzed it until he was about to die. Otherwise, such acting that transcends method, as if the character came to life, is impossible.”

“I agree. I can’t even guess how much time he poured into ‘Leech.’ He probably spent all his time except for eating and going to the bathroom. No, he might have poured everything into it.”

“However, this time it’s different from ‘Leech.’ I don’t know if Director Ahn Ga-bok chose Kang Woo-jin and how much time he gave him, but our ‘Pierrot’ has to create and show the character within a limited time. The same goes for all the actors on the casting board.”

They were talking about auditions or screen tests.

“All actors are given equal time, and within that time, they have to do their best. That’s the difference between ‘Leech’ and ‘Pierrot.’ Of course, Kang Woo-jin’s value is high, but that difference is also a concern.”

“He’s already on our casting board, but there’s a bit of risk. It’s also his first time in Hollywood.”

“There’s already going to be a war among the actors, and if tension is added to the limited time, unlike ‘Leech,’ he might falter.”

Kang Woo-jin’s evaluation was neither harsh nor excessive. His recognition had increased due to the Cannes Film Festival ‘Best Actor Award’ and the Miley Cara incident, but it was true that Hollywood was unfamiliar to Woo-jin. Conversely, Hollywood had never experienced Kang Woo-jin. Moreover, Hollywood was already quite strict when it came to hiring actors.

Still, one thing was certain.

“Even so, Kang Woo-jin is definitely an interesting actor.”

Kang Woo-jin’s recognition in Hollywood had soared to the point where he was being mentioned alongside many Hollywood actors, unlike in the past. After continuing the conversation for several tens of minutes, they slowly got up from their seats. It seemed like they were about to wrap up the rather long meeting.

That’s when it happened.

“Hmm?”

The bald, bespectacled executive paused. His phone had rung. After a brief phone call, he suddenly smiled, and the bald executive put down his phone and said definitively to the people around him.

“Director Ahn Ga-bok has agreed to take on ‘Pierrot’.”

Meanwhile, in Korea.

Unlike the afternoon in LA, it was morning in Korea. Around 9 AM. Kang Woo-jin could be found in a large filming studio in Seoul. Surrounded by several cameras, dozens of lights, and staff, Kang Woo-jin was sitting alone in front of a wall with the Netflix logo and the title ‘The Benevolent Evil’ on it.

He was wearing a navy suit, and his hair and makeup were fully done.

All the cameras and staff were moving for Kang Woo-jin alone. The reason was simple. Woo-jin was about to film an introduction video for the promotion and marketing of ‘The Benevolent Evil.’ It was right to film the videos that would be released before the teasers or trailers in advance. The scheduled shoots were one with Kang Woo-jin solo and one with all the main and supporting actors of ‘The Benevolent Evil.’

There were two concepts like this.

Seeing that only Kang Woo-jin was visible in this studio, it seemed like it was a shoot for the solo cut. Several staff members were around Woo-jin, who was sitting on a prop chair in the center of the filming zone, fixing his makeup.

“······”

Of course, Kang Woo-jin was closing his eyes with a solemn face, but internally, thoughts far removed from the concept were rampant.

‘Damn, I suddenly want tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes]. And sundae [Korean blood sausage] too. If I dip sundae in tteokbokki sauce and have a shot of soju [Korean rice liquor], ah—’

As expected, due to his killer schedule, Kang Woo-jin was skipping meals more often. The staff tried their best to take care of him, but they often forgot when they were out of their minds. Still, on days like this when he suddenly had a craving, he had to eat it no matter what.

At that moment, a man with a beard approached.

-Swish.

It was Song Man-woo PD, who was wearing a hat pulled low and was handling the entire studio. As he approached, the staff who were fixing Woo-jin’s makeup stepped back. Then, Song Man-woo PD showed the filming storyboard to Woo-jin and explained it briefly.

“We have to move on to filming ‘The Benevolent Evil’ right after lunch, so you don’t need to put too much effort into this shoot. Just say the lines that are set. I’ll take care of the rest with editing.”

“Understood, PD-nim. I’ll do it as usual.”

Song Man-woo PD suddenly lowered his voice.

“More importantly, Woo-jin-ssi. When are you planning to open up about the Miley Cara thing? I saw this morning that rumors are rampant among foreign media and public opinion, and in Korea, there are already a flood of abusive articles. It’s really heated up. If we fuel the fire any more, the pot will burn.”

He was saying that if they hyped it up any more, it would damage his image. Soon, Kang Woo-jin replied with an indifferent face.

“It was about time to open up anyway.”

Several hours later.

Kang Woo-jin had already moved from Seoul to Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. It was the massive set complex for ‘The Benevolent Evil.’ Of course, it was right before filming, and Kang Woo-jin was holding a sharp knife in his hand.

-Swoosh.

He raised ‘Jang Yeon-woo.’ The staff were surprised again.

“Isn’t Woo-jin-ssi’s appearance right before filming a bit creepy every time?”

“Yeah. He’s usually calm, but as soon as the camera is on, he changes like a lightning bolt.”

“It feels like he’s become more intense than during ‘Profiler Han-ryang.’ His emotional switch is faster too. He was absurd back then, but these days, when I see Woo-jin-ssi, it’s like… ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ is living in reality.”

Even the word ‘instantaneously’ was not enough. The process of assimilation had become shorter than before, but the intensity had deepened. Moreover, with the addition of ‘freedom of the role,’ it became several times more flexible.

“Hi- Action!!”

It wouldn’t be any different with ‘Pierrot.’

End