I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 373

Kang Woo-jin emerged from the arrival hall. As he moved through the airport lobby, dozens of foreigners began to gather around him. It was a sudden situation. It had been quiet when Woo-jin first appeared.

“Hello! You’re that Korean actor, right? I saw you in an article!”

“That’s him! The actor from Miley Cara’s music video!”

“I loved your piano playing!”

“Who is he? Who is that?”

“He’s that Korean actor who’s been in the news a lot lately!”

“Oh? Really?”

“Sign! Please give me your autograph!”

It wasn’t a huge crowd, but it was enough to draw the attention of many people in the LA airport. Dozens of foreigners held up their phones to take pictures of Woo-jin. Thanks to this, the burly guards were kept busy.

“Excuse me, we need to get through.”

The strange phenomenon quickly spread through the airport lobby, and foreigners, whether they knew Kang Woo-jin or not, joined in out of curiosity. Woo-jin, with a cynical look on his face, remained calm.

‘What, what is this??! What’s going on all of a sudden!’

Inside, he was a little surprised. He could understand one or two people, but suddenly there were too many onlookers.

It wasn’t that strange of a scene. Miley Cara’s new album, which Kang Woo-jin had participated in, was a huge hit, and the title track’s music video had already easily surpassed hundreds of millions of views. On top of that, his acceptance speech at the Cannes Film Festival and the ‘Beneficial Evil’ related articles with Miley Cara had spread quite widely in Hollywood. He wasn’t a famous actor, but he was certainly a hot topic.

There might even be fans of ‘Kang Woo-jin’s alter ego’.

Anyway.

“Quickly, to the car!”

Following Choi Sung-gun’s shout, Kang Woo-jin and his team barely managed to get into the waiting van. Even though the car doors were closed, the foreigners gathered in the airport lobby were busy taking pictures of Woo-jin. Kang Woo-jin watched this with fascination. Of course, his expression didn’t change, but inwardly he was impressed.

‘They suddenly rushed at me, I was surprised—wow, that was a shock.’

The vans then departed. It had been noisy for a short while, so Choi Sung-gun, who was sitting to Woo-jin’s right, let out a small sigh of relief.

“Whew—it was a bit of a rush from the start. It was quiet and then they suddenly swarmed in, I was taken aback. Are you okay, Woo-jin?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Well, if this is the reaction to a few news stories… it’ll be something to see when you really make your Hollywood debut, huh?”

Woo-jin’s staff around him made a fuss as if they agreed. Kang Woo-jin was surprised internally, so how much more surprised would they be? They had been to LA since ‘Our Table’ days, but this was the first time this had happened, so they were even more excited. This atmosphere calmed down after several tens of minutes.

The vans carrying Woo-jin were now driving on a road slightly outside the city center.

-Vroom!

The number of buildings, cars on the road, and even people walking on the sidewalks gradually decreased. The scenery outside the window felt peaceful.

And then.

-Screech!

The vans that had been driving stopped one after another on the side of the road. Soon, Choi Sung-gun got out of the first car, followed by the staff, and finally Kang Woo-jin. A few foreigners jogging glanced at Woo-jin’s group. Regardless, Kang Woo-jin, with a firm expression,

“……”

was staring straight ahead. Where he was looking, there was a two-story house with a decent yard, a parking lot, and a swimming pool in the back, showing off its grand appearance. It was clear at a glance that it was quite large. Woo-jin just silently stared at the rather magnificent house. His inner thoughts weren’t much different from his outward appearance.

‘…Crazy. It really exists.’

About 10 seconds passed.

“Alright, alright, Woo-jin.”

Choi Sung-gun, who had been talking to the staff, put his hand on Kang Woo-jin’s shoulder.

“You should go into your house, right? You need to get acquainted with it?”

The magnificent house was Kang Woo-jin’s LA home.

Meanwhile, in Korea.

Unlike the early morning in LA, it was past midnight in Korea. Although it was late, the news of Kang Woo-jin’s arrival in LA quickly spread through the domestic media.

『Kang Woo-jin Secretly Departs, Arrives in LA Early Morning!』

『‘Kang Woo-jin’ Arrives at LA International Airport Early Morning, Foreigners Gather, Looking Perplexed/Photo』

The unexpected gathering of foreign onlookers was a bonus. Most of the articles used photos uploaded on social media, but it was enough to inform the domestic public about Kang Woo-jin’s appearance in LA.

Meanwhile, in Yeoncheon, a huge set complex was brightly lit.

It was the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team. As filming was nearing its end, Song Man-woo PD [PD stands for Production Director, a common term in Korean film and television] and the hundred or so staff members were showing a near-frenzied level of energy.

“Next set!! Move to the next set immediately!!”

“Let’s hurry with the cleanup!”

“PD-nim!! Please check this set!”

“Okay, okay! I’m coming!”

The ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming set became more and more heated as time went on.

“Cut!!! OK!! Prepare for the next scene right away!”

“Yes!! Standby in 10 minutes!”

Not only the general manager Song Man-woo PD, but all the staff members moved in perfect order. What about the actors? They even seemed to have a fighting spirit on their faces. It wasn’t because they were nervous. It was determination.

“Just a little more! We’re almost there!!”

“Let’s put in some effort!!”

“Standby in 5 minutes!!”

Even though it was dawn, the actors’ performances, Song Man-woo PD’s OKs, and cut signals were repeated on set. Normally, they would have stopped filming and prepared for tomorrow, but the current ‘Beneficial Evil’ team didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

Time melted away.

1 hour, 2 hours.

It was exactly around 2 AM.

Half of the hundred or so staff members were looking at the set, and the other half were staring at the back of Song Man-woo PD’s head. Song Man-woo PD, with his stubble, was motionless.

“……”

He was quietly staring at the monitor. His face was almost completely buried in it. Below the boom mic hanging in the air, there were many actors in their filming costumes and makeup. Around them were lights and cameras. One of the cameras slowly moved.

-Swoosh.

From the front to the side. The actors exchanged short lines. Cut there. Action again. The same cut, but with a different angle, and they went again.

The actors’ same lines echoed again. Because the set was so quiet, the actors’ voices were clearly heard by Song Man-woo PD and the hundred or so staff members.

About 30 seconds passed.

“……Hoo.”

Song Man-woo PD, who had let out a small sigh, turned his gaze away from the monitor. He looked at the actors on set, then raised his head to look at the ceiling. For a moment, the image of the monster actor, who was not present on set but whose influence was still there, flashed in his mind. It was Kang Woo-jin.

Then, he slowly turned his face back.

-Swish.

He slowly stood up and shouted into the megaphone.

“Cut!! OOOK!!”

And then.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard! It’s not over yet, but thank you for your hard work! Please take care of Part 2 as well!”

Song Man-woo PD put down the megaphone and clapped.

-Clap clap clap clap clap!

The actors on set bowed to Song Man-woo PD.

“You’ve worked hard, PD-nim!”

“Thank you for your hard work!!”

Soon, as if they had been waiting for it, the hundred or so staff members rushed onto the set.

“Woooaaaah!”

It was the moment when the filming of ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 1 ended.

LA, 6th day. Late morning.

In a large agency in LA. In a medium-sized meeting room of an agency that used an entire tall building, a familiar female face was visible. It was Miley Cara, with her long blonde hair tied up and dressed in a simple black zip-up hoodie. She was looking down at her phone with her characteristic cold expression.

“……”

On either side of Cara, there were about four people, including her main manager Jonathan and agency staff. They were all looking at tablets or organizing transparent files, as if they were waiting for someone.

Then.

“Hmm-”

Miley Cara, who had crossed her legs, lowered her phone and murmured.

“I wonder if Kang Woo-jin liked the house?”

The answer came quickly from Jonathan, who was sitting right next to her, with a buzz cut and a large build.

“He contacted you, didn’t he?”

“I did get a call, but his voice didn’t sound that good.”

“Kang Woo-jin is originally like that. He must have liked it; I took care of the entire management of the house until he arrived.”

“Should I have added some more basic furniture?”

“Kang Woo-jin will take care of that.”

Jonathan shrugged as he watched Cara let out a faint sigh as if she was disappointed.

“Anyway, you’ll meet him tomorrow for the YouTube shoot or talk show, so you can ask him then.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that anyway.”

It was at this moment.

-Swoosh.

The glass door of the medium-sized meeting room opened, and several foreigners entered. Their appearances and ages ranged from their 30s to 50s, and there were five of them. As they appeared, Miley Cara and her entire team stood up and extended their hands.

Simple handshakes and greetings were exchanged.

It was only after about 10 minutes that everyone sat down. On the opposite side of Cara, who was sitting in the center, a foreign man with a small stature but a handsome face smiled and started the conversation.

“Miley, it’s been a year since we last met, right?”

Cara replied in a business-like tone.

“I think so.”

“Haha, I was disappointed about the last project. I really wanted to work with you, Miley.”

“But we met again sooner than I thought? Did you take on a new project?”

“That’s right. This time it’s with ‘World Disney Pictures’.”

At the mention of ‘World Disney Pictures’, Cara flinched slightly. It wasn’t obvious, but her ears perked up. ‘World Disney Pictures’ was a place with influence that any Hollywood actor would pay attention to.

‘‘World Disney Pictures’? They’re working on a project there? I haven’t heard anything about it. Not even rumors.’

On the other hand, the man seemed relaxed.

“Thankfully, ‘World Disney Pictures’ gave me a job, so I’ve been working on it quite seriously recently.”

From the nuance of his words, he seemed to be a producer. Then, he talked briefly with the people around him and placed a stack of papers he had brought onto the table.

“Since you’re busy, let’s get straight to the point. The project I’m producing this time is a live-action film by ‘World Disney Pictures’.”

“……Live-action. That means.”

“Yes, it’s one of ‘World Disney Pictures’ representative animations, and the title is ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Of course, it’s still being kept top secret.”

Cara’s blue eyes, sitting across from the male producer, trembled slightly.

“‘Beauty and the Beast’?”

“Yes.”

“You’re… making a live-action version of that?”

“Yes, you mentioned in an interview in the past that you liked ‘Beauty and the Beast’, right?”

“……That’s right.”

“Probably, many people around the world besides you like the animated ‘Beauty and the Beast’, so I expect the news of this live-action film production to be quite noisy.”

The male producer, who had been murmuring, pushed the stack of papers he had placed on the table towards Cara.

“Miley, I’m offering you the role of ‘Belle’ in ‘Beauty and the Beast’.”

“……”

“Of course, there will be auditions and screen tests related to casting, but please know that you are the first person I’ve offered the role of ‘Belle’ to.”

In short, the people across from Cara were the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ team, and they had just offered Miley Cara the lead female role in ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Cara, who had been looking down at the script in front of her for a moment, raised her head and quietly asked the male producer.

“How many other candidates are there for the lead female role besides me?”

The male producer smiled slightly and replied.

“Four.”

That meant there were a total of five candidates, including Cara. Among them, Cara was the first to receive the script. At this moment, the male producer leaned forward slightly and said to Miley Cara.

“However, I want you the most. Because you’re almost identical to ‘Belle’.”

At this moment, a whirlwind of thoughts was swirling in Cara’s mind.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

Around the time Miley Cara was meeting with the ‘World Disney Pictures’ team, Kang Woo-jin had just arrived not far away. Inside the van, Kang Woo-jin was wearing a blazer, looking quite formal.

‘Wow… it’s freaking huge??!’

Unlike his inner thoughts, his outward appearance was still taciturn. It was because of the scale of the film studio, which was jaw-dropping at first glance. Even the entrance his car had just passed was like that. It resembled the entrance to a huge castle. On the tall building that rose with the iron gate, the film studio’s name was boldly engraved in English.

-‘Columbia Studio’

But the entrance was just the beginning. The vast scenery that unfolded in front of him was captured in Woo-jin’s eyes. A city? Well, the internal scale of ‘Columbia Studio’ was like a city. It was indeed worthy of being called one of Hollywood’s ‘Big Five’ film studios.

Kang Woo-jin took his first step into ‘Columbia Studio’.

‘Damn, it’s really freaking huge! This is a film studio? It’s just a city, how is this a film studio??’

Of course, it was for ‘Pierrot’.

End