I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 395

“The Joker of ‘Pierrot’ is mine?” Kang Woo-jin, phone pressed to his ear, was momentarily stunned. What was he hearing?

Then, it clicked.

‘Ah.’

He understood what Director Ahn Ga-bok meant. ‘The Joker’ of ‘Pierrot’ meant that the role of ‘Henry Gordon’ was his.

In other words.

‘Mine? So, I got the role of ‘Henry Gordon’?’

It meant he’d passed the final audition and screen test. Otherwise, Director Ahn Ga-bok wouldn’t have called him out of the blue this morning. Unless he was joking. But the shrewd Ahn Ga-bok wasn’t one for jokes.

In that instant, Kang Woo-jin thought,

‘Damn! I passed!!’

He cheered inwardly, raising a fist in the air. He would have done a full-on victory pose, but his other hand was holding the phone. Whatever, Woo-jin started a silent victory dance, jumping up and down without making a sound. He was buzzing with the news that he had landed the role of ‘Joker.’ It felt like that excitement would soon turn into a frenzy.

At that moment.

“Um?”

Director Ahn Ga-bok spoke again over the phone, perhaps because there was no response.

“I said ‘The Joker’ of ‘Pierrot’ is yours. Did you hear me?”

Woo-jin barely managed to stop his frenzy and forced himself to calm down. He wanted to go wild, but it was time to play it cool. Soon, with a grin plastered on his face, Kang Woo-jin lowered his voice as much as he could.

“Yes, Director. I heard you.”

“…Do you understand what that means?”

Of course, I do, grandpa. Kang Woo-jin’s smile widened.

“Doesn’t it mean that I passed the final audition for ‘Henry Gordon’ in ‘Pierrot’?”

“That’s right. It’s yours. No, there’s no one else who can do it. You brought ‘Henry Gordon’ himself to the set.”

“……”

“But aren’t you happy? You’re so calm, it’s making me nervous.”

“I am happy.”

“You don’t sound like it. I know your personality, but I thought you’d be a bit louder this time.”

Kang Woo-jin turned up the intensity of his cool act.

“I was waiting for it. I’m just a little surprised the call came so quickly.”

“Haha. You were waiting for it? Well, I guess you were sure you’d get ‘Henry Gordon.’ And you were right. Your ‘Henry Gordon’ made a strong impression on everyone here. Unforgettable.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been speaking with a gentle smile, continued.

“They said it’s the first time.”

“What is?”

“The casting. Even for a lead role where many prominent Hollywood actors were in the running—to decide in just a few days. ‘It’s never happened before,’ that’s what the executives at ‘Columbia Studios’ said.”

Well, it was a bit fast. It had only been a week since the audition. Kang Woo-jin had thought it would take at least two weeks. But whether it was fast or slow didn’t matter; what mattered was that he had the role. Woo-jin chuckled and replied casually.

“Is that so?”

“Hmm.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok on the other end of the phone hummed and changed the subject.

“’Columbia Studios’ will contact your CEO, Choi, today. But I wanted to tell you the good news first.”

“Thank you, Director.”

“And.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok paused, took a small breath, and lowered his voice.

“The fact that you’ve landed a lead role in ‘Pierrot’ will shock the world, including Korea. But that’s not the end of it. There’s something bigger. I can’t tell you now, but you’ll find out soon.”

It was 100% about the ‘Cinematic Universe’ project that ‘Columbia Studios’ was betting everything on. However, Woo-jin, who had no idea about this, tilted his head but nodded anyway.

“Yes.”

“Me and Kang Woo-jin. The first Koreans to cause a real stir in Hollywood. I’m so excited, from the filming of ‘Pierrot’ to that big something.”

It was understandable that he was excited, since a Korean director and actor were at the forefront of ‘Columbia Studios’ ‘Cinematic Universe’ project. Director Ahn Ga-bok then wrapped up the call.

“See you soon, as director and actor.”

“Understood, Director.”

-Click.

As soon as the call ended, Woo-jin threw his phone onto the bed.

“Kuh- that’s awesome!”

He danced again. His shoulders and hips swayed with joy. His smile was genuine. It was as if, even though Woo-jin had won many roles before, this new challenge in Hollywood made the thrill several times stronger.

What stopped Kang Woo-jin from his frenzy after a few minutes was.

-Knock knock.

A short knock. Woo-jin flinched and pulled himself back into his cool persona. When he opened the door, Choi Sung-gun, with his hair tied back in a ponytail and dressed casually, was waving his hand.

“Were you sleeping?”

“No.”

Choi Sung-gun entered Woo-jin’s room and shook his phone.

“I sent you some killer news in a text, but you didn’t see it, so I came over.”

A text? Ah—he had a lot of messages piled up. He had forgotten about them because of Director Ahn Ga-bok’s call. Soon, Woo-jin picked up his phone from the bed. Among the many messages, Kang Woo-jin checked Choi Sung-gun’s first.

-CEO: Check it when you wake up, love you.

-CEO: (Link)

Choi Sung-gun, making eye contact with Woo-jin, gestured for him to check it quickly. Kang Woo-jin tapped the link. Soon, several movie titles and long numbers appeared on his phone.

[Korea’s All-Time Box Office]

[All-Time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Leech/ Total Audience: 20,483,558

-2. Island of the Missing/ Total Audience: 20,321,451

-3. A Stranger’s Bizarre Sacrifice/ Total Audience: 16,833,712

-4. Naval Battle/ Total Audience: 16,715,955

-5. Irresistible Force/ Total Audience: 15,557,118

·

·

·

As soon as he saw it, Kang Woo-jin almost stretched out his arms again. This was another amazing picture. Kang Woo-jin had dominated the top three spots in the Korean all-time movie rankings. Choi Sung-gun then grabbed Woo-jin’s shoulder tightly as he looked at his phone and said.

“Amazing, right? I danced for a few minutes as soon as I saw it.”

“…Yes, I’m happy.”

“Hahaha, you can be happier, man. What actor can achieve this? Korea is going crazy, saying you’ve taken over the top three spots in the all-time movie rankings. Japan is the same.”

“What about ‘Leech’ in Japan?”

“Huh? Ah—that one also set a record. It surpassed 17 million. It’s the first Korean movie to do that.”

How many firsts were there today? Kang Woo-jin desperately suppressed his rising excitement. On the other hand, Choi Sung-gun didn’t need to do that at all.

“With these kinds of records, it’s going to be written in history forever.”

“CEO.”

At this point, Kang Woo-jin interrupted Choi Sung-gun.

“Director Ahn Ga-bok just called me, and I’ve been confirmed for the role of ‘Henry Gordon’ in ‘Pierrot.’”

“Ah, really? Of course, that’s how it should be… Huh? Wait a minute.”

Choi Sung-gun, who had been listening casually, suddenly changed his expression to a serious one and asked again.

“What? What did you just say?”

“I’ve been confirmed for the role of ‘Henry Gordon’ in ‘Pierrot.’”

“……”

Choi Sung-gun stared at Woo-jin with a blank face for a moment, then blinked.

“…You, you got it?”

“Yes.”

“Director Ahn Ga-bok called?”

“Yes.”

“So—you’re ‘Henry Gordon’ in ‘Pierrot’? Your Hollywood debut is confirmed? Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

It took exactly five seconds. That was the time it took for Choi Sung-gun, who had been spacing out, to burst into a scream.

“Waaaaah!! Crazy!!!”

After that.

It took more than ten minutes for Choi Sung-gun, who was screaming like a madman, to calm down. Fortunately, he managed to regain his composure, and his face was filled with something more than just joy.

“You did great—you really did great, Woo-jin. Ah, I’m getting emotional, seriously.”

But they couldn’t just release this news right away.

“Since Director Ahn Ga-bok called separately, I guess we still have to keep quiet, right?”

“Probably. ‘Columbia Studios’ said they’d contact us soon.”

‘Columbia Studios’ contacted Choi Sung-gun exactly two hours later. To cut a long story short, it was like this: Kang Woo-jin was confirmed for ‘Henry Gordon’ in ‘Pierrot,’ and they would schedule the first meeting as soon as possible. Probably in the first week of February. They also asked him to keep it a secret since the official announcement was yet to come.

The first meeting here meant a negotiation table for signing the official contract.

There were many things to decide from now on. The most important was Kang Woo-jin’s fee. And there would be future schedules and other important matters to discuss. Of course, Woo-jin didn’t have to be at the forefront.

“Leave it to me, Woo-jin. You’ve done your job well. Now it’s my turn.”

From here on, Choi Sung-gun had to handle everything.

The next day.

With the addition of the ‘Pierrot’ project, Woo-jin’s stay in LA was extended. In the meantime, Kang Woo-jin received something from another ‘Big Five’ film company. It was ‘Walt Disney Pictures.’ The date for the screen test hadn’t been confirmed yet, but things that Kang Woo-jin needed to practice for it had arrived.

Various audio tracks and piano pieces related to the role of ‘Beast.’

Unlike ‘Pierrot,’ where acting was the main focus, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ would also assess acting, vocals, and piano skills. The acting part was a designated scene from the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ script.

Meanwhile, in Korea, there were many issues going on.

First of all, the main focus was Kang Woo-jin.

『Kang Woo-jin Did It Again, ‘A Stranger’s Bizarre Sacrifice’ Rises to 3rd Place in Korean All-Time Movie Rankings, Dominating 1st to 3rd Place!』

『[Issue Talk] ‘A Stranger’s Bizarre Sacrifice’ Ranks 3rd in Korean All-Time Movie Rankings, ‘Leech’ Released in Japan Surpasses 17 Million Viewers』

He was currently in LA, but it was as if he was in Korea, with news constantly breaking. In particular, the news about ‘The Benevolent Evil,’ which was about to be officially launched in a few days, was hot.

『’The Benevolent Evil’ on the Verge of Global Launch, 3rd Trailer Released… Comments from Overseas Netizens Exploding』

Thus, January ended and February 1st dawned. On this day, there was a production presentation for ‘The Benevolent Evil.’ Although the lead actor, Kang Woo-jin, was not present, it was still a major event that had to be held. The hundred or so reporters who attended the production presentation bombarded them with questions. About Kang Woo-jin, Miley Cara, the content of ‘The Benevolent Evil,’ whether they expected it to be a hit, when Part 2 would start filming, and so on.

But more than half of the questions were about Kang Woo-jin and Miley Cara.

『’Song Man-woo PD’ Reveals During ‘The Benevolent Evil’ Production Presentation, “You’ll See a New Side of Kang Woo-jin in This Project, Miley Cara’s Role is Quite Significant”』

Currently, ‘The Benevolent Evil’ was attracting explosive interest not only in Korea but also overseas. Miley Cara played a part, but the power of Kang Woo-jin, who had shaken the world with ‘Pierrot’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ since Cannes, was immense. The great curiosity of the overseas public was directed towards Woo-jin.

In Korea and Japan, there was generally a huge anticipation for ‘The Benevolent Evil.’

–<>｜Issue Talker TV

Overseas, however, there was a lot of criticism. It was like they were saying they would see how great an actor he was.

『Overseas Public’s Reaction to ‘The Benevolent Evil’ Trailer is Cold, “It Looks Like an Action Movie, We’ll See”』

Regardless, ‘The Benevolent Evil’ team, including Song Man-woo PD and Kim So-hyang, the general director, were pushing their PR and marketing like crazy. Both domestically and overseas.

Now, there were only a few days left until the official launch date.

『The Globally Hot ‘The Benevolent Evil’ is Two Days Away From Launching! Officially Opens on February 3rd at Noon Korean Time!』

『’The Benevolent Evil’ to be Serviced in 80 Countries Worldwide Through Netflix on February 3rd at 12 PM / Photo』

Because there were only two days left.

Two days later, February 3rd. LA.

It was close to noon in Korea, but it was past 7 PM in LA. In a house a little away from the bustling city of LA, in a rather quiet area with scattered houses, things were hectic.

It was Kang Woo-jin’s two-story house in LA.

The spacious living room on the first floor, still a bit desolate with not much furniture.

At least 20 people were gathered around the sofa in front of the large TV. Choi Sung-gun with his hair tied back, holding a beer, the stylist team, team members, and even employees from BW Entertainment’s overseas branch. Everyone was sitting or standing, watching the large TV in front. They were holding beers, pizzas, or chicken in their hands.

The excitement was at its peak.

Because everyone, more than 20 people, was talking non-stop.

Among them, a man was sitting indifferently on the sofa across from Choi Sung-gun, watching TV.

“……”

It was Kang Woo-jin.

‘Wow—damn, why am I nervous?’

It was at this moment.

“It’s open!!”

One of the employees shouted and operated the remote control. Soon, the Netflix main screen appeared on the TV. After a few more operations, the poster of a familiar work that had just been officially launched appeared. Then.

-♬♪

The famous Netflix logo appeared on the TV, and the sound effect echoed in the living room.

Then, the title appeared in the center of the black TV screen.

-‘The Benevolent Evil’ Part 1

-‘Episode 1’

The EX-class ‘The Benevolent Evil’ was thrown to the entire world.