I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 39

Kang Woo-jin, having received the script, nodded indifferently.

“Ah, thank you for getting this for me.”

But inwardly, he was doing a shoulder dance.

‘Nice, got the Japanese script.’

He was practically beaming. If he showed it outwardly, his whole concept would be shattered in an instant. Anyway, the reason Woo-jin requested the Japanese script was simple. He was thinking of learning Japanese after English.

‘It’s better to go in order of familiarity.’

As Kang Woo-jin checked the cover of the script, Han Ye-jung, the stylist next to him, asked somewhat coldly. It wasn’t that she had a bad personality; her tone was just naturally like that.

“Oppa, do you also speak Japanese? This doesn’t seem like a translated version.”

“A little.”

“Oh, really? But why a Japanese script?”

“Just to take a look.”

The conversation, being a mix of coldness and solemnity, was generally low-toned, and it was when Kang Woo-jin was turning a page of the script that Choi Sung-gun in the passenger seat spoke, looking at Woo-jin in the rearview mirror.

“It took a while to get the original Japanese script instead of a translation, is that all you need?”

“Yes, that’s all I need. Thank you.”

It was at this moment that road manager Jang Su-hwan chimed in.

“Wow! Representative! How did you get a Japanese script??”

“Hey, hey, watch the road! How did I get it? I just have some connections in Japan.”

Choi Sung-gun, having answered vaguely, scratched the back of his head while glancing at the rearview mirror again. He was looking at Kang Woo-jin. At the same time, he clicked his tongue. He was a bit frustrated.

‘Ugh, damn it. It’s clearly written in the contract that I can’t dig into his past, so I can’t even ask. I’m dying of curiosity.’

He was incredibly curious about the monster’s past.

‘Is it true that he was overseas? …Maybe he was in Japan? Seeing him suddenly ask for a Japanese script, maybe that’s it.’

Choi Sung-gun, who was internally making assumptions, glanced at Woo-jin again through the rearview mirror.

‘So, is he thinking of expanding into Japan? Japan is good. Just being able to speak Japanese gives you a huge advantage over other actors. The possibilities and the world expand greatly.’

Language is key for an actor. It’s related to lines, but to grow globally as an actor, you first need to be fluent in a foreign language. Once you can speak another language, your growth rate increases tenfold. Choi Sung-gun knew this very well.

‘Japanese, huh? It’s good, but for an actor, English is the first and best. Is it possible that Woo-jin can’t speak English at all, only Japanese?’

Around this time, Kang Woo-jin was pretending to look at the script.

-Swish.

He subtly moved his index finger. To poke the black rectangle that had appeared next to the script.

-Poke.

Just like that, Woo-jin entered the endlessly dark sub-space, and naturally turned his body to check the listed white rectangles. As expected, one had been added.

-[1/Scenario (Title: Detective Agency), Grade A]

-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), Grade S]

-[3/Scenario (Title: Tokyo Station), Grade C]

The Japanese was hard to read right now. Regardless, Kang Woo-jin smiled.

“Time for Japanese.”

He was about to acquire Japanese after English. It was instantaneous. In about two weeks, he would have two foreign languages.

Then.

-Swish.

Kang Woo-jin selected the white rectangle with Japanese written on it. At the same time.

[“A new language other than the basic language has been detected. ‘日本語 (Japanese)’ will be acquired first.”]

A robotic female voice was heard.

[“Preparing to read ‘日本語’……”]

[“……Preparation complete. Starting to read ‘日本語’.”]

A huge gray mass covered Kang Woo-jin.

Some time later. When Kang Woo-jin returned to the real world in the van, he murmured softly, looking at the script in his hand.

“いいね, すごくいい. (It’s good, very good.)”

The Japanese in the script was reading very smoothly. As expected, there was no need for a translator.

‘Japanese get.’

Japanese was additionally imprinted on Kang Woo-jin.

After that.

‘Profiler Hanryang,’ which started filming on March 25th, the day before, was progressing smoothly with the schedule, with both staff and actors. Thanks to this, Kang Woo-jin had to film like crazy.

“Cut! OK!! This time, Woo-jin’s solo! Let’s start with the bust shot!”

Switching between Park Dae-ri and Kang Woo-jin dozens of times, a day would pass. Acting, acting, acting, eating, acting, acting. Except for a few short breaks, Woo-jin just acted. He was like a machine for acting.

“OK! Next is Woo-jin’s turn! Huh? Where’s Woo-jin?!!”

“He’s waiting in the car! I’ll bring him right away!”

For the fledgling actor Kang Woo-jin.

“Woo-jin! Stand by!!”

The pace was so fast it wouldn’t be strange if he felt nauseous.

‘Please, someone save me.’

Therefore, Kang Woo-jin further reduced his words except for acting. It was already too much to maintain filming and his concept. But it wasn’t just Kang Woo-jin who was working hard. The staff and actors were all having a hard time.

Solo shots, full shots, group shots, and so on.

“Call the extras! Let’s go for the next group shot!”

Regardless, PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo was filming like he was possessed. However, he didn’t do it carelessly or haphazardly.

“Cut! Jung-min! Your expression is great, but let’s try again with a slight smile added!”

Being a veteran, he proceeded with filming quickly, but he controlled each cut and scene with great depth. Sometimes, he would spend more than two hours on just one or two scenes.

That’s how a week passed.

March ended and April began. Wednesday, April 1st. But filming was speeding up even more. It was like being on a high-speed train. Kang Woo-jin at the scene couldn’t help but stick out his tongue.

‘No, this is really not it, is it??’

The world was different from ‘Detective Agency.’

“Okay!! Okay, Woo-jin, go fix your makeup!”

The filming was a continuous cycle of filming, filming, and filming. Moreover, this huge team moved frequently. From the set to the outdoors. Back to the set. Back to the outdoors. What was absurd was that this schedule was made with the best possible routes.

“Woo-jin, stand by! Ah, someone fix Woo-jin’s makeup here!!”

“Yes, yes! Coming!”

Kang Woo-jin poured all the energy he had into acting.

He only looked calm and solemn on the outside. There was no need to maintain the concept. If he just adjusted his tone a bit, his poker face was naturally maintained. For Woo-jin, who had started acting just two months ago, this schedule, which was being thrown at him without consideration, was violence. But he couldn’t whine. He couldn’t show weakness.

To everyone, Kang Woo-jin was a crazy monster actor. Full of self-esteem. So, Kang Woo-jin used a cheat code. The sub-space.

‘No, I’m really going to die like this.’

-Poke!

Since it was a filming site, the script was always nearby. Kang Woo-jin poked the black rectangle whenever it felt like hell. On the first day of filming, he was too busy and had some resolve, so he didn’t use it, but it wasn’t something he could endure with bravado. Anyway, unlike the chaotic scene, the sub-space was as quiet as a mouse.

The endlessly dark space, the sub-space, was heaven.

“Ha- I feel a bit better now.”

But.

“It’s a shame I can’t sleep.”

You couldn’t sleep in the sub-space. Woo-jin had tried a few times, but failed every time. The reason was unclear. Whether it was a psychological problem for Kang Woo-jin or a characteristic of the sub-space.

“Or maybe it’s a kind of penalty?”

Well, the sub-space was so bizarre that it was impossible for a human like Woo-jin to understand. What doesn’t work, doesn’t work. Kang Woo-jin thought positively. So what if he couldn’t sleep? The sub-space was already a cheat code.

‘But at least I can rest like this, right?’

He couldn’t completely relieve his fatigue, but he could melt it away to some extent. That was enough for now. Nothing, including his phone, could come in, so it was boring, but that was a luxury compared to the hellish scene.

“I’m more than satisfied with being able to use rest freely.”

After roughly recharging, when he shouted ‘Exit!’, Kang Woo-jin would calmly put on his concept mask again. However, in this process, some misunderstandings spread among the staff.

“Why is Woo-jin so fine? How good is his stamina? With this kind of forced march, anyone would be dying.”

“That’s right, even the lead actors are nodding off. It seems like Woo-jin has amazing endurance. I haven’t seen him look weak. And his acting quality is always good without wavering.”

“Did he even have stamina from birth? He’s really too perfect, isn’t he? Every time I see Woo-jin, I wonder why he started acting so late.”

Whatever the reason, the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ team was speeding up filming even more. They even added a B team, putting on a booster. With a B filming team, they could shoot 20 cuts a day instead of 10.

It was like having two PD Song Man-woos.

Of course, the B team would shoot more of the minor cuts than the important ones, but that alone was a great help. The actors, including Kang Woo-jin, went back and forth between the main and B teams, continuing filming.

Time was like a bullet.

The weekend quickly ended, and the second weekday of April began. Around April 6th, Director Woo Hyun-gu, who had been getting criticized every day, admitted to all his wrongdoings.

『[Exclusive] Director Woo Hyun-gu, from ‘Master’ to ‘Leech,’ “Will live in repentance for the rest of my life”』

In the afternoon of the same day, Director Woo Hyun-gu, with a sorrowful expression, even held a press conference.

“I am truly sorry to the victims and the public, and I feel heavy-hearted for causing great concern to the film industry. I am sorry.”

At this point, Director Woo Hyun-gu’s illustrious career was considered over.

And the next day.

The ‘Profiler Hanryang’ side officially released one confirmed piece of news.

『[Official] The most anticipated work of the first half of the year, ‘Profiler Hanryang,’ will premiere on May 15th, scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays at 10 PM』

The premiere date was confirmed.

A few days later, Friday, April 10th.

In the morning. Many people were gathered in a large conference room. The number of people sitting at the U-shaped table seemed to be over 20. They were all members of the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ committee.

In other words, this was the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ committee meeting room.

As befitting the long tradition of the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival,’ there were many older people on the committee. Among them, a man with a lot of gray hair, sitting at the head of the table, opened his mouth.

“Okay. Then, let’s confirm the opening date as April 30th, and the schedule for a week after the opening like this. Submissions will start two days from now.”

He was the chairman of the executive committee, the highest position on the committee.

“The preparations are roughly 70% complete, right?”

“Yes.”

“How is the venue situation?”

The answer came from the vice-chairman sitting next to the chairman. He also looked old.

“Seoul Cinema Art Hall, CCV Coex, and the headquarters of the sponsor company, and there are still one or two unconfirmed theaters.”

“Settle it quickly. Once the submissions start pouring in, there won’t be time to worry about that.”

“Understood.”

“How about the invitation of the judging directors?”

This time, the answer came from a young woman sitting in the middle of the table.

“We’ve sent invitations to about ten people, a mix of directors who worked last year and newly selected directors. Of course, we’ve sent them to master-level directors.”

“Did you include Director Kwon Ki-taek?”

“Yes. However, with the incident involving Director Woo Hyun-gu, there is one vacancy.”

“Hmm. Instead of just master-level directors, let’s increase it to 15, including directors who are doing variety shows these days or directors with high recognition. It’s better to have too many than too few.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

The chairman continued, looking down at the transparent file in front of him.

“Also, increase the list of honorary judging actors and actors to invite, it must be more than last year, no matter what.”

Suddenly, something flashed in the chairman’s mind, and he called the vice-chairman next to him.

“Vice-chairman, how is the special invitation going? The Japanese directors I mentioned.”

“Ah- As you said, we’ve sent it to a total of five people. We haven’t received a reply yet.”

“Send it to anyone, regardless of whether they are artistic or commercial. Hmm- It would be great if at least two master-level directors could come, but if that’s not possible, directors with just enough recognition are fine.”

The chairman, who had been giving instructions, suddenly put his hands together and drew everyone’s attention.

“Okay, everyone, as you all know, we plan to put in a lot of effort this year. The promotional power must be different from last year. Let’s also entrust advertising to those YouTubers and BJs [Broadcast Jockeys], and invite those who are good. We need to attract as many people as possible.”

Judging by the atmosphere, the chairman seemed to be aiming for a significant change in atmosphere this year, unlike last year.

“Let’s also ask the top actors who are coming as honorary judges for their opinions and propose them as promotional ambassadors. The ultimate goal is to get the public to watch short films a lot, whether online or offline.”

The chairman explained the reason.

“This year, the sponsor has changed, and that sponsor is really putting in the effort. The requirement is to make the scale as large as possible. That way, the sponsor can also get a promotional effect.”

The reason why large corporations become sponsors for sports teams or film festivals is largely for brand promotion. It’s to imprint an image of contributing to cultural development.

“So, this year must have more explosive power than last year, no matter what. Understood? Everyone, let’s stay sharp.”

The chairman, who had given firm instructions, covered the transparent file and changed the topic.

“And the sponsor side is asking if we should add an award for actors this year, what do you all think?”

The answer came quickly from a male staff member at the team leader level.

“I think it’s not bad. Due to the nature of our film festival, there are years when the grand prize for the work doesn’t come out. In that case, the explosive power you mentioned tends to become a bit weak.”

“That’s right.”

“If we create two or three new awards for actors, considering that the grand prize for the work might not come out, it will become richer. Without feeling empty. The reporters will also have something to write about. Best actor and grand prize in the acting category would be appropriate.”

“Hmm. But I’m a bit worried, in the end, the short film actors are all going to be unknowns, right? I’m worried that a situation might arise where we’re forced to give an award to someone who lacks acting skills.”

“Well, we’ll give it to the best one among them. Even if the acting was a bit lacking and awkward, it’s in the nuance of encouraging them to do better in the future. Anyway, the participation of top actors or actors with decent status will increase.”

At his statement, most of the committee members in the conference room nodded. The executive chairman also seemed to think it was okay, as he slowly nodded and added instructions.

“Then, let’s prepare in the direction of adding an award for actors.”

At the same time, in the editing room of ‘Detective Agency.’

In the editing room, a musty smell was faintly lingering. Moreover, there were three beggars sitting there.

Director Shin Dong-chun with a square jaw and the editing staff.

Their appearances were not good. They had dark circles under their eyes from staying up all night for several days, and their faces were full of blemishes. Their hair was also disheveled. Yes, they looked like zombies. Those zombies were only looking at the monitors in front of them.

-Tap tap!

They occasionally operated the editing equipment, but most of their gazes were directed at the monitors. On the various monitors, the short film ‘Detective Agency’ was being displayed, as expected.

It was playing, rewinding, fast-forwarding, and pausing.

Therefore, the appearance of the male lead, Kang Woo-jin, in the monitor looked comical. But on Director Shin Dong-chun’s face, there was only seriousness. His appearance was that of a beggar, but his eyes were vivid.

“Make the sound a bit longer there.”

“Yes.”

The editing staff was the same. Led by Director Shin Dong-chun, the three of them moved in unison. Thanks to that, the completion of ‘Detective Agency’ being displayed on the monitor was high.

How long had it been like this?

About an hour later, one of the editing staff tapped a key on the editing equipment.

-Tap!

The sound that was heard was reminiscent of a period. At the same time, behind the editing staff sitting side by side, Director Shin Dong-chun.

“Hoo, ha-”

He raised his head to the ceiling and covered his face with both hands. The long breath coming out of his mouth was mixed with relief.

“Finally.”

The editing staff who were sitting down took over this last word. They suddenly jumped up from their seats and shouted.

“It’s over!!!”

“Wow- damn it! It’s over, it’s over!”

“Haha! Director, you’ve worked hard!!”

“Yes! Director! You’ve really worked hard!”

That’s right. The editing of ‘Detective Agency,’ which started in mid-March, ended today, April 10th. A journey of about a month.

“No, you two have really worked hard. Thank you so much. Really.”

In other words, at this moment, the short film ‘Detective Agency’ was completed. The work that Kang Woo-jin had affection and attachment for. Of course, it was just a faint delusion of Director Shin Dong-chun. Not knowing this, he picked up his phone.

‘I should tell him right away, he’ll be happy since he had so much affection for it.’

Because he had to inform Kang Woo-jin of the completion of his first leading role.