I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 383

Inside the theater, the commercials were still playing. The man in the black long padded coat, Kang Woo-jin, was looking at Choi Sung-gun’s message on his phone, muttering to himself.

‘The ‘Pierrot’ audition and screen test are on January 25th. But my departure is on the 20th. It’s in a few weeks, seems faster than I thought?’

It was currently the end of December. Considering the end of December, there were about three weeks left until January 20th.

‘Going a few days early must be for the time difference and adjustment.’

That was correct. It was to account for the time difference between Korea and LA, as well as Kang Woo-jin’s condition during the audition and screen test. It would take at least a day to adjust. Although Woo-jin had been to LA often, this was the first time he was going with such a purpose. Moreover, since the film company was ‘Columbia Studios,’ one of the ‘Big Five’ [the five major film studios in Hollywood], it was a natural decision for CEO Choi Sung-gun to have him go a few days early.

Kang Woo-jin nodded slowly, understanding the situation.

Then, he checked the next message.

-CEO: And we got an email from Disney. The candidate actors for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ have been confirmed.

At this, Woo-jin felt a sense of relief. After the pre-meeting with ‘World Disney Pictures’ following ‘Pierrot,’ ‘Columbia Studios’ announced the official candidate actors for ‘Pierrot.’ Of course, Kang Woo-jin was included in that list.

‘I heard that if there’s competition, Disney might drop out—but it seems to have worked out somehow?’

Choi Sung-gun had mentioned that Woo-jin might be dropped from ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Although the atmosphere during the pre-meeting with Disney wasn’t bad, the fact that Woo-jin was included as a candidate for ‘Pierrot’ meant that Disney might change their minds. Thinking about it, it wasn’t wrong. In fact, ‘World Disney Pictures’ had delayed their response after the pre-meeting.

Although he didn’t show it due to his ‘concept’ [his carefully crafted public persona], Kang Woo-jin was a little anxious.

‘Beauty and the Beast’ also seemed interesting.

It was also a work filled with memories. If it didn’t work out, there was no need to cling to it, but it would be better if he could get it, right?

‘It’s also a high-profile project.’

Whatever the case, ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ which had been slightly delayed, also confirmed Kang Woo-jin as a candidate actor. Although the official announcement hadn’t been made public yet, it was only a matter of time. With this, Kang Woo-jin.

‘Two out of the Big Five? That’s amazing.’

He had been marked as a candidate actor for major projects by ‘Columbia Studios’ and ‘World Disney Pictures,’ the giant film companies that dominated Hollywood. Although he was only a candidate, Woo-jin’s mindset was already that he had secured the roles.

‘Both are mine.’

He was confident. Of course, with the subspace too. So, when would ‘World Disney Pictures’ announce the candidate actors? A brief question flashed through his mind, but Woo-jin quickly dismissed it.

He considered it a happy wait.

He could imagine it. ‘Pierrot’ alone had caused such a stir both domestically and internationally, but if ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ which had a huge global fan base outside of Korea and Japan, also blew up, it would be more than just a frenzy. Even just thinking about it sent a tingling sensation through Kang Woo-jin.

There might be controversies or negative comments, but.

‘It doesn’t matter to me.’

It wouldn’t really affect Woo-jin.

That’s when it happened.

-♬♪

A subtle yet slightly melancholic music echoed throughout the theater. The lights dimmed. Looking at the screen, ‘Strange Sacrifice’ was starting in earnest after the commercials. Woo-jin switched his phone to silent mode and shoved it into his long padded coat pocket.

‘It’s been a while.’

He was talking about watching a movie as an audience member in a theater. The last time he had done that was probably—was it ‘The Fixer’?

Suddenly, Kang Woo-jin chuckled, remembering his buddies’ faces filled with shock and horror back then. Then.

-Swish.

Woo-jin crossed his legs and focused on the screen. Although there were some empty seats, more than half of the audience seats around him were filled. It was a considerable number for an early morning showing. They were all focused on ‘Strange Sacrifice,’ just like Kang Woo-jin.

On the screen, ‘Iyota Kiyoshi,’ that is, Kang Woo-jin, made his first appearance.

An emotionless face, a bland expression, a soulless gesture, a withered feeling. Woo-jin felt a little embarrassed seeing his face filling the large screen.

‘Yeah—it’s still a bit embarrassing to see myself in a work.’

On the other hand, the hundreds of audience members around him were watching the screen with bated breath. The intense atmosphere grew thicker as the film progressed. Beyond Woo-jin’s early multiple personality acting and emotionless piano performance, the first ‘task’ he undertook. And the first ‘design.’

[“One person is okay, but nine is too much. I lack the strength. The brains too. And the experience.”]

The unexpected content widened the eyes of hundreds of audience members. But ‘Strange Sacrifice’ didn’t give them a break. The second ‘task’ on the ship and someone’s suicide to cause confusion. Then, the appearance of a detective chasing ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.’ The running time of ‘Strange Sacrifice’ was not short, but the hundreds of audience members in the theater.

“······”

“······”

They were engrossed, forgetting even to go to the bathroom. Soon, the screen showed Kang Woo-jin’s weeping after completing the final ‘task.’ It was the first scene where he, who had been dry throughout, showed emotion. Here, most of the audience members gasped.

Then, the ending.

Kang Woo-jin, as a stranger, looked at the audience among many citizens. He was calm and quiet, but unlike the beginning, his eyes were lively. The camera zoomed in, and just as Woo-jin’s face filled the screen, it turned black, and majestic music played.

‘Strange Sacrifice’ ended, and the end credits began to roll.

At the same time.

“Wow—that was seriously insane.”

“Totally awesome.”

“No, seriously, what is up with Kang Woo-jin? His acting is…divine.”

The audience members, unable to leave their seats even after the movie ended, expressed their sincere admiration.

“Chills! This is completely a Kang Woo-jin one-man show!”

“I agree, he carries it all by himself, and there wasn’t a single boring part, right?”

Almost everyone felt that way.

“Kang Woo-jin’s acting was crazy! I almost peed myself in the middle.”

“More than that, I was confused because he spoke Japanese so well, Kang Woo-jin is Korean.”

“It’s totally understandable why it made 23 million in Japan.”

The audience members were sitting in their seats, enthusiastically sharing their reviews. A man in a long padded coat walked past them leisurely. None of them knew that he was Kang Woo-jin.

“This is definitely going to hit 10 million too.”

Although it was hidden by his mask, Woo-jin was smiling.

Meanwhile, in LA.

Unlike the morning in Korea, it was afternoon in LA. The ‘Beauty and the Beast’ team at ‘World Disney Pictures,’ one of the giant film companies, was busy moving.

“We’ve received confirmation from all the actresses for the role of ‘Belle.’”

“Miley Cara was a close call, but thankfully, she’s joined us.”

“I thought she was going to refuse since she didn’t reply, but did she suddenly change her mind?”

“Well, either way, it’s good for us.”

Various foreigners were gathered, speeding up the progress of the work.

“Now that all the male actors for ‘Beast’ and the female actors for ‘Belle’ have been confirmed, we need to set the dates.”

“Should we proceed together? Or separately?”

“There’s no rush, I think it’s better to go in separate weeks.”

“Hmm—we also need to check their duet. There’s a duet song, and the scene where ‘Belle’ dances to ‘Beast’s’ piano is important.”

“We’ll have to match the actors’ voices later.”

While various agendas were rapidly being discussed, one of the executives muttered.

“More than that, we need to make the official announcement for the live-action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ first. As you all know, the rumors are getting loud.”

“Hmm—that’s right. If we delay too much, the momentum might fade.”

Then, the first decision was made.

“Let’s handle that matter within a few days.”

Back in Korea, where there were many issues besides Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Best Actor Award’ sweep.

『[Movie Talk] Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Strange Sacrifice of a Stranger’ to be released in Korea!』

The news of the first Korean release of ‘Strange Sacrifice’ was added. It had been quite noisy since the day before, but on the morning of the release date, the 21st, it was several times more chaotic.

『‘Strange Sacrifice,’ which made 23 million in Japan, has an ominous start in Korea! No. 1 in overall ticket sales』

It was clearly the Kang Woo-jin effect. Of course, it was also because it was a blockbuster movie that made 23 million in Japan, but it was also largely due to the fact that it was Woo-jin’s first Japanese lead role, which was currently shaking up the domestic scene. Since Kang Woo-jin had achieved many milestones this year, the public’s expectations were quite high.

With such high expectations, disappointment usually follows, but ‘Strange Sacrifice’ received reviews that exceeded those expectations.

[「Strange Sacrifice of a Stranger」/ Released on December 21, 2021]

[Rating 9.6]

[Audience and Netizen Reviews/ 289 Participants]

-No need for other words, Kang Woo-jin did Kang Woo-jin/ g****

-The movie itself is fun, but the ending is especially impressive, a well-made movie/ 2****

-Wow…I watched a Japanese movie for the first time because of Kang Woo-jin, and it was so fun lol/ d****

-Honestly, it’s just okay/ q****

-He’s emotionless at the beginning, and then the emotions he’s been hiding explode at the end…the way he expressed that through acting is amazing…Kang Woo-jin’s acting is incredible…/ 2****

-A Korean-Japanese person is killing Japanese people lol, and 23 million people watched it in Japan lol, is there any reason not to watch it??/ r****

-I understand why Kang Woo-jin won the Best Actor Award at Cannes…../ s****

-When I watch Japanese works, I get a strong feeling of ‘I’m acting!’, but this movie doesn’t have any of that, and I didn’t even notice the time passing/ v****

-I found it a bit boring~~not as good as ‘Leech’/ 9****

-I was amazed by Kang Woo-jin’s Japanese and sign language skills…this movie really shows the pinnacle of Kang Woo-jin’s acting ㄷㄷㄷ [a Korean onomatopoeia for ‘amazing’]/ o****

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As soon as the first showing ended, the audience members who had watched ‘Strange Sacrifice’ rushed in like crazy. It was as if ‘Strange Sacrifice’ had taken the baton before the power of ‘Leech’ had even cooled down. This meant that Kang Woo-jin’s influence in the theater world was growing even more immense without interruption.

On the 22nd, after a day of rest.

Kang Woo-jin, who had equipped himself with an even stronger ‘concept,’ got into the waiting van. His team members greeted him, and Choi Sung-gun in the passenger seat immediately showed him the tablet screen. He was grinning.

“Woo-jin, ‘Strange Sacrifice’ is doing great!”

The tablet screen showed the first-day performance of ‘Strange Sacrifice’ in Korea.

[Audience Count on December 21, 2021]

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Strange Sacrifice of a Stranger/ Release Date: December 21st/ Audience: 608,893/ Number of Screens: 1123/ Cumulative Audience: 608,893

It might seem weaker than ‘Leech’ at first glance, but that was not the case at all.

“‘Leech’ was just on a crazy level, and also, it’s a Japanese movie, so it’s unfamiliar even if you’re the lead.”

Kang Woo-jin replied quietly.

“Yes, I know.”

“Right, right. But there are many special occasions coming up, like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the end of the year, so we can definitely expect a lot!”

Another day passed, and on the 23rd, the second performance of ‘Strange Sacrifice’ was announced.

『‘Strange Sacrifice’ surpasses 1.2 million viewers on its second day of release!』

Surpassing 1 million in two days, the year-end theater scene began to be filled with Kang Woo-jin again. But it wasn’t just about the theater scene in Korea.

『[Issue Talk] ‘Leech,’ which shook Cannes and Korea, is released in Japan today, the 23rd! What are the ticket sales?』

Because ‘Leech’ was also released in Japan today, the 23rd.

A few days later, in New York.

A foreign woman who had finished recording a famous talk show appeared in the parking lot. It was Miley Cara, with her navy coat and blonde hair flowing down. Thanks to the recording, she was in full makeup, and she moved with a dozen staff members, getting into the first of several large vans waiting in the parking lot.

-Swish.

As soon as she got in, she swept her blonde hair back, and a female team member handed her a water bottle. Cara thanked her quietly and took a few sips of water, then crossed her legs and took out her phone. Several messages had arrived. Among them, she noticed a message from a talkative Hollywood actor she had met at a recent fashion show, and she moved her thumb.

His message included a simple one-line comment and a link.

Cara lightly ignored the comment and tapped the link. Her phone screen changed. It displayed an article from a major news outlet. Soon, Miley Cara read the headline.

『BBX/‘World Disney Pictures’ Officially Announces “Live-Action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Movie to be Produced”』

She smiled faintly.

“They’ve officially announced the live-action movie.”