I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 364

‘Pierrot’ was graded EX+, one level higher than ‘The Righteous Evil,’ which was EX. Kang Woo-jin, looking at it, honestly couldn’t quite grasp it.

‘Wow, damn it, EX+ grade?? Just how crazy is this going to blow up?’

It was impossible to gauge. The only thing he could guess was that it would definitely surpass ‘Leech,’ which was SSS-grade and had turned the Cannes Film Festival upside down, and that ‘Pierrot’ would be even more amazing than that.

‘No, ‘Leech’ won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Best Actor award. Plus, the number of viewers after its release was enormous, right?’

That was as far as his understanding went. If it were Choi Sung-gun, who was full of knowledge, he would have been able to come up with an answer to some extent, but Kang Woo-jin hadn’t reached that level yet. Therefore, Woo-jin could only smile.

‘Whatever, I just need to do my part well.’

There was no point in overthinking it here anyway. If he just kept acting like a madman, that day would come eventually. So, what was certain now was filming ‘The Righteous Evil’ and landing the lead role in the still-unclear ‘Pierrot.’

-Swish.

Woo-jin, who had been looking at the white rectangles, suddenly lay down. Then, looking at the dark void of the subspace, he murmured.

‘Landing a role, huh? Well, back then. What was the title? Ah, was it similar to ‘Last Kill 3′?’

The system would surely be the same. ‘Last Kill 3’ and ‘Pierrot’ were both Hollywood movies. However, there was a difference in the roles. Moreover, the scale of the film companies was like heaven and earth. In other words, it wouldn’t be as easy as ‘Last Kill 3.’

Woo-jin felt it instinctively, though it was hard to imagine clearly. But soon, he became nonchalant.

‘I’m planning to fight for the role, but even if it doesn’t work out, there’s no need to be hung up on it. It’s not like there’s only one movie.’

An EX+ grade was a pity, but as Kang Woo-jin thought, Hollywood, the world, was vast. Another work of the same grade would come out somewhere. With that thought, Kang Woo-jin took a rest in the subspace. Then, after lying down as much as he wanted, he shouted ‘Exit’ and returned to reality.

A van sped down the highway.

Kang Woo-jin, who had recovered his stamina, looked down at the ‘Pierrot’ script on his lap with a calm face. He flipped through the pages.

-Flip.

It was to finish reading it before the reading (experience) in the subspace.

About two hours later.

Kang Woo-jin, who had arrived in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, was now in the middle of filming as ‘Jang Yeon-woo.’

‘Hi- Action!!’

Over a hundred staff members and actors, along with PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo, moved as one. In the midst of the bustling scene, a man with a ponytail stood with his arms crossed and a serious face where the actors’ staff were gathered. It was Choi Sung-gun. He was intently watching Kang Woo-jin, who was giving a passionate performance as ‘Jang Yeon-woo.’

‘……I think I need to plan this out well.’

He was racking his brain. Of course, it was about ‘Pierrot.’ Soon, Choi Sung-gun recalled the conversation he had with Director Ahn Ga-bok this morning.

It started with Director Ahn Ga-bok, sitting across from Woo-jin, explaining the situation.

‘First of all, this ‘Pierrot’ project is still top secret.’

Choi Sung-gun, who was quick on the uptake, immediately replied.

‘Of course. It’s obviously a huge project. Only Woo-jin and I will know about it.’

‘It won’t take long. Since Woo-jin has decided to jump into this project, I’ll contact you soon about when to reveal it to the world.’

‘…Understood. But, Director.’

‘Hmm?’

‘How did you end up bringing this project…’

Why did you suddenly go to Hollywood and, as soon as you came to Korea, offer ‘Pierrot’ to Kang Woo-jin? Even scheduling an appointment so urgently. Choi Sung-gun’s curiosity was quickly resolved by Director Ahn Ga-bok’s one sentence.

‘Because I’m going to be the director of this project.’

Choi Sung-gun was startled. Of course, Kang Woo-jin remained calm.

‘Ehh?!! Really?? Oh, wow! Congratulations, Director!!’

Choi Sung-gun immediately realized that Director Ahn Ga-bok was the first Korean director to take on a Hollywood film. He knew that there would be offers after winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. On the other hand, Director Ahn Ga-bok was relaxed.

‘Thank you. Hmm- well, I guess it’s right to tell you as much as I can.’

‘…’

‘I’ve decided to direct this ‘Pierrot,’ and the Hollywood film company producing it is ‘Columbia Studios.’

‘!!!’

Choi Sung-gun’s eyes widened again. It was natural. ‘Columbia Studios’ was one of the top-tier, super-large distribution and film companies in Hollywood. In other words, this ‘Pierrot’ was an incredible script. Choi Sung-gun, with his mouth slightly open, turned his gaze to Kang Woo-jin next to him. Woo-jin had been listening silently without any change in expression since earlier.

Only Choi Sung-gun was surprised.

Soon, Choi Sung-gun, suppressing his excitement as much as possible, murmured to Director Ahn Ga-bok.

‘Sorry, please continue.’

‘I’m sorry, but I can only give you those two pieces of information for now. Oh, this is something ‘Columbia Studios’ said was okay to share, so I should tell you.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok’s eyes met Kang Woo-jin’s.

‘Your name, Woo-jin, was also on ‘Columbia Studios’ casting board. Even if it wasn’t me, they would have contacted you, but I insisted on giving you the script directly.’

‘O-Our Woo-jin?’

‘Yes. I think the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival was the biggest factor.’

‘…’

‘Of course, besides Woo-jin, their casting board is full of top Hollywood stars.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had answered, began to explain again.

‘It’s not like I gave Woo-jin the ‘Pierrot’ script first. ‘Columbia Studios’ is also moving now. They’re probably passing the script to several Hollywood actors on the casting board, emphasizing equal time.’

‘…Equal time?’

‘Yes. They’ll give the script to almost everyone at the same time and call them in for tests around the same time. They’ll choose the actor who fits ‘Pierrot’ the most.’

‘Ah.’

‘They’re trying to see which actor has the most intensity, or.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok stared at Kang Woo-jin.

‘Who can bring the terrifying clown to life the fastest.’

Here, Choi Sung-gun returned to reality. Back to the filming set of ‘The Righteous Evil.’ Then, looking at Kang Woo-jin on set, he murmured softly.

‘A terrifying clown-‘

And soon.

‘That movie from ‘Columbia Studios.’ The director in charge is Director Ahn Ga-bok, a legend in the Korean film industry. If Woo-jin joins them.’

He switched to his role as the CEO of an entertainment company.

‘The first Korean to win the Palme d’Or and the Best Actor award, going to Hollywood one after another.’

It was a huge scoop.

On the 8th, after the weekend, in LA.

While it was morning in Korea, it was afternoon in LA, the center of the American and global film industry. Therefore, a huge number of related companies were gathered there. Distribution companies, film companies, as well as agencies and various production companies, and so on.

In other words, many movies are produced at the same time.

In a large conference room of one of those film companies in LA, a meeting related to film production was in full swing. Foreigners were sitting at a U-shaped table, and laptops were placed in front of them. The overall lighting in the conference room was slightly dim. A video was being displayed on the screen in front.

-♬♪

It was the music video for Miley Cara’s new album title track, which had garnered hundreds of millions of views and was shaking up the Billboard charts.

-【alcoholism(feat. WooJin)】｜Miley Cara

All the foreigners sitting in the conference room were watching the music video in front of them in their own ways. What was unusual was that they were focusing on a different person in the music video, not Miley Cara. To be precise, only the parts of the Korean actor, not Cara, were being replayed.

It was Kang Woo-jin in the music video.

When the foreign woman sitting in the front, who was in charge of the presentation at this meeting, moved the mouse, the music video stopped. But it didn’t end there. The foreign woman now played another video she had prepared.

-♬♪

This time, a song and animation in Japanese were played. It was the opening song of ‘My Best Friend: Remake,’ which had once topped the Japanese Oricon chart. So why were these foreigners listening to songs and vocals focused on Kang Woo-jin?

Moreover, all the foreigners’ expressions were serious.

Following the opening song of the anime ‘My Best Friend: Remake,’ now another song. The OSTs [Original Sound Tracks] of the Netflix series ‘My Best Friend.’ All of them were songs that had dominated the Korean music charts, and the dozen or so foreigners sitting around the U-shaped table were listening quietly.

‘…’

‘…’

Some were listening with their eyes closed, while others were busily writing something in their diaries. All were focused in their own ways. Although the videos and songs changed, the foreigners’ postures in the large conference room remained largely unchanged. The common point was that they were all listening intently to Woo-jin’s vocals.

Then.

‘Next is YouTube.’

The foreign woman sitting in the front, who was handling various videos and music, clicked the mouse. Soon, a restaurant in Japan appeared on the screen, followed by Kang Woo-jin sitting at a piano. He was playing the piano. That’s right, the current video was when Woo-jin played ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ in the past.

-♬♪

The piano melody filled the conference room. There was a slight change in the expressions of the foreigners gathered. Their eyes widened, or their mouths opened slightly.

‘…His skills are amazing.’

‘Is he properly trained since he was young?’

‘His piano skills are comparable to a professional, both in Miley Cara’s music video and this video.’

‘Right? Did he give up on pursuing music?’

‘It’s not impossible, there are a few actors like that in Hollywood.’

Their exclamations, which they had been holding back from the beginning, spread softly. But as if this wasn’t the end, the foreign woman in the front seat moved the mouse again. This time, a familiar YouTube channel appeared on the screen.

-[Channel Name: Kang Woo-jin’s Alt]

Kang Woo-jin’s YouTube channel.

Various videos and songs from ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Alt’ were played here. Of course, all of them were cover songs done by Woo-jin. Japanese songs or pop songs sung in Korean, or Korean songs sung in English, and many others. Among them were covers of Miley Cara’s hit songs. The songs with the highest views were played one after another. There was no end.

The ‘Kang Woo-jin’s Alt’ channel had countless songs that had captivated tens of millions of subscribers, and even Miley Cara herself was fascinated by Woo-jin’s vocals.

-♬♪

Finally.

‘That’s all.’

The lights in the conference room, where various videos and songs had been playing, brightened. It was a sign that the listening time was over, and the foreigners gathered soon began to speak one by one.

‘Kang Woo-jin- his vocal skills are great, but his tone is unique. It’s not common.’

‘At this level, wouldn’t it be okay to consider him a singer?’

‘Of course. If you didn’t say he was an actor, honestly, anyone would think he was a singer.’

‘But he’s an actor, and he even won the Best Actor award at Cannes, the first Korean actor to do so.’

‘Is it true that he’s only been in the industry for two years?’

On each of the foreigners’ seats, there was a transparent file with Kang Woo-jin’s picture on it. In other words, this meeting was about Kang Woo-jin. Well, the videos and songs that had been shown so far were proof of that.

‘His vocals are a given. Especially, his piano skills are definitely noticeable.’

‘We’re more interested because it’s the ability we’re looking for.’

‘But his main job is… acting. Am I the only one who finds that absurd?’

‘Actually, acting is his main focus. He also has the acting skills to turn Cannes upside down.’

‘It was written in the introduction of his YouTube channel, everything except acting is a hobby.’

Amid the murmuring, a unanimous conclusion was reached.

‘Anyway, his skills are definitely verified. It might be different if we actually meet him, but if we look at all this data, there’s more than enough evidence.’

Someone interjected.

‘What about languages?’

The answer came quickly.

‘According to our research, English, Japanese, French, and even sign language. All at a native level.’

‘Have you heard the pop songs Kang Woo-jin covered? If you listen with your eyes closed, it’s hard to believe he’s Korean.’

During the ongoing meeting, a tall man with an aura of authority, who seemed to be the decision-maker, spoke.

‘Vocals, languages, acting, image. And piano. Even his recent popularity. I don’t think there’s anything lacking.’

Soon, all the dozen or so foreigners agreed.

‘We definitely need to put him on the casting board.’

‘The key abilities we want for this project are acting, vocals, and piano. He has all of them. Even if his language skills were lacking, we would still make an offer, but Kang Woo-jin even has excellent language skills.’

In their conversation, ‘vocals’ and ‘piano’ were included and emphasized.

‘Kang Woo-jin- it’s a done deal.’

Then, a chubby foreigner sitting in the middle of the U-shaped table stood up. He was holding his phone, so it seemed like he had received a call. He went out into the hallway as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the meeting.

‘Yeah, it’s me. I’m in the middle of a production meeting, so make it quick.’

Behind him, on the glass of the conference room door, the logo and name of this film company were attached. It was very familiar.

-‘Walt Disney Pictures’

End