I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 410

In fact, the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ had been sending invitations to Kang Woo-jin every year. It was Woo-jin who received the award in the first year the Mise-en-scène Film Festival established the ‘Acting Grand Prize,’ and it was a natural course of events given Kang Woo-jin’s immense influence afterward. Moreover, his momentum was so great that the ‘Acting Grand Prize’ was even referred to as the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’.

However, Kang Woo-jin had been declining the Mise-en-scène Film Festival’s invitations. There wasn’t a big reason. It was simply because Kang Woo-jin was too busy.

The same was true this year.

An invitation came around the time Woo-jin left for LA, but he politely declined again because he didn’t know how his Hollywood schedule would turn out. But then, Kang Woo-jin suddenly appeared at the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’. No one knew. Or rather, to be precise, no one knew that Woo-jin was even in Korea right now.

This included the domestic media and public opinion. It was natural. Kang Woo-jin had entered Korea in secret, very discreetly. There were several reasons, but the biggest concern was the potential chaos with reporters and fans flocking to the airport. Whatever the case, no one knew that Kang Woo-jin had returned to Korea.

A surprise appearance.

Although he had declined beforehand, fortunately, it coincided well with his schedule to return to Korea. When Kang Woo-jin arrived at the back of the hall of the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’,

“······”

He had a rather cynical expression, but inwardly, he was deeply moved. A bit of a stir was a bonus.

‘Wow, it’s been a while, Mise-en-scène! It feels like yesterday that I received my first acting award here, but it’s already been several years.’

Unaware of this, Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, who was standing behind Kang Woo-jin, put his hand on Woo-jin’s shoulder and said,

“Feeling nostalgic? You received the ‘Acting Grand Prize’ here and had a connection with Director Kyotaro, right? Remember?”

“Yes, CEO.”

How could he forget that? Come to think of it, it was also the day he first showcased his Japanese. Moreover, top actress Hong Hye-yeon received the Best Actress Award, and Kang Woo-jin received the Grand Prize, causing a sensation in the country.

“Hehe, you heard, right? That the ‘Acting Grand Prize’ here is now called the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’?”

‘Kang Woo-jin Award.’ Woo-jin also knew about this. All the rookie actors were eager to receive it. The more Kang Woo-jin’s fame grew, the higher the value of the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ became.

“It’s a trickle-down effect. Your name’s influence has spread, so the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ continues to grow in impact. Mise-en-scène is actually a film festival famous for discovering new directors, but since the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ appeared, it has strongly established an image as a gateway for new actors.”

The rookie actor who received the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ last year also became a hot topic, and now, thanks to that momentum, they are doing better than other rookie actors. Of course, that rookie actor must also be working hard not to tarnish the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’.

A virtuous cycle, one might say?

Soon, Choi Sung-gun moved closer to Kang Woo-jin and said again,

“But this year’s rookie actor receiving the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ is a huge deal. It’s already a hot topic in the entertainment industry, including the media, but today, Kang Woo-jin is giving the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ himself? And it’s his first schedule after returning to Korea from Hollywood. If I were an actor, I’d cry, I’d cry.”

It was an accurate assessment. With the current situation, the level of attention would probably be several times higher than usual. For a rookie actor who had been living in obscurity, it was an unprecedented level of interest. Woo-jin was skeptical.

‘Would they really cry? More than that—it’s so amazing that there’s an award with my name on it.’

Then.

-Swish.

Woo-jin, dressed in a suit, went up on stage. It wasn’t a large stage, but the hundreds of people gathered in front were quite a number. The host, who suddenly saw Woo-jin up close, opened his mouth slightly and involuntarily exclaimed.

“Wow, it’s really Kang Woo-jin.”

It wasn’t the feeling of seeing a celebrity, but rather the feeling of witnessing a legendary figure that surpassed that. It was proof of how formidable Kang Woo-jin’s global influence was. Regardless, Kang Woo-jin.

“······”

Casually made eye contact with the host. He was asking for the microphone. Only then did the host, who had been out of it, stammer and hand him the microphone. Kang Woo-jin, holding the microphone, turned his gaze to the front. The audience was filled with numerous big shots, top actors, and rookie directors and actors.

‘Ah, Director Kwon Ki-taek. It’s been a while. Square jaw. Oh, and Director Shin Dong-chun too.’

The big shots were mostly people who had close ties with Kang Woo-jin. But all of them had their eyes wide open. They didn’t expect Woo-jin to appear. More than anything, the rookie directors and actors were showing extreme reactions. They showed a variety of responses as if they had seen a ghost.

They stared at Woo-jin with blank faces, called out Kang Woo-jin’s name in confusion, or were busy exclaiming ‘Wow-‘ or ‘Whoa-‘.

One thing was certain.

“Hello, I’m Kang Woo-jin.”

Everyone was looking up at Woo-jin, who had just given a greeting with a voice that was as low as it could go. At this point, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was sitting in the front row of the audience and had been flustered, chuckled.

‘So he entered Korea without a peep, and his first move after returning to Korea is this Mise-en-scène—even though he seems cold on the outside, does he still cherish memories in his own way? I can never figure him out.’

Director Shin Dong-chun, with his square jaw, even waved at Kang Woo-jin out of delight.

And.

“Wh-what the heck!! Kang Woo-jin???!”

The dozen or so reporters stationed at the back of the hall went into a frenzy.

“Why is Kang Woo-jin here??!! Wasn’t he in Hollywood?!”

“That’s not the issue right now!! Move! If you don’t want to take pictures, don’t take up space!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t push!!”

“Wow, he’s giving the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ himself right after returning to Korea from Hollywood??! The actor receiving the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ this year is so lucky?!”

It was understandable since the ‘world star’ Kang Woo-jin, whom they had never even imagined seeing, had suddenly appeared.

-Flash! Flash! Flash!

-Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!

The flash of cameras, which had been somewhat quiet until just before, suddenly became so frequent that it was dizzying.

In the midst of that.

“…Since many of you are waiting, I’ll announce it right away.”

On stage, Kang Woo-jin, with his signature cool demeanor, spoke into the microphone and called out the name of this year’s ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ rookie actor. He added a bit of playfulness to make it less boring.

“’Kang Woo-jin Award’. No, ‘Acting Grand Prize’. Congratulations, actress Seo Ji-won.”

He deliberately mentioned the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ in the announcement, and as soon as her name was called, a female actress sitting in the middle of the audience jumped up and screamed.

“Kyaa!! How! Me?!! Really?!”

She was jumping around as if she couldn’t believe it, and as if she was about to faint. She received many congratulations and rushed onto the stage. She wasn’t very tall, but she was an actress with a charming face. What was interesting was the change in the female actress’s demeanor when she got on stage. She had been so high-spirited just before, but as soon as she stood next to Kang Woo-jin on stage, she froze.

“······Ah, uh. Wow, senior. This is so amazing right now…no, thank you so much.”

Woo-jin was looking at her calmly, but inside, he was trying to keep his composure.

‘She’s too nervous, should I calm her down a bit?’

Woo-jin, thinking this, offered her a handshake before giving her the trophy and said a simple phrase.

“Let’s meet on set.”

A very simple and nonchalant tone. It was a hidden encouragement to work hard and meet someday, but the rookie actress named Seo Ji-won.

“······Huh?? Me, on set with you- *sniff*! *Sob*!”

Suddenly, she started to cry uncontrollably on stage. Kang Woo-jin maintained his poker face, but.

“······”

Inside, he was openly flustered.

‘Why?! Why is she crying??! Did I say something wrong??’

After that.

The rookie actress, who had been shedding tears, barely calmed down, and the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ trophy was handed to her. But her eyes seemed to see Kang Woo-jin in front of her as more of an honor than the trophy.

After many awards were given, this year’s ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ came to an end.

However, Kang Woo-jin did not leave immediately and fulfilled his scheduled photo time.

“Kang Woo-jin-ssi!! Kang Woo-jin-ssi!”

“Over here! Please look over here!!”

“Please do a finger heart!!!”

From group shots to individual shots, Kang Woo-jin took pictures at least 20 times. He also had a brief conversation with the rookie actress who received the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ today, who was awkwardly approaching him.

“I! I! I’ll work really hard, senior! I’ll make sure to act with you on set someday!”

“Yes, let’s meet then.”

“Thank you!”

He also had short catch-up talks with domestic big-shot directors such as Director Kwon Ki-taek, Director Shin Dong-chun, and Director Kim Do-hee. Even during that time, the flash of cameras pouring onto Woo-jin was endless, and hundreds of rookie directors and actors were also busy taking pictures of Woo-jin with their phones. Of course, there were also many requests for autographs.

According to his original schedule, he should have left immediately, but Kang Woo-jin stayed there for about an hour.

As soon as Kang Woo-jin, who had finally finished organizing, got into the black van.

‘Whew, that was quite intense.’

He let out a long sigh inwardly. The van started to move. Choi Sung-gun and the team members were noisy. It had been a really long time since they had been in Korea, and their first move after returning was quite novel, so they were like that. The destination of the van carrying Kang Woo-jin was his house in Samseong-dong. In fact, Woo-jin had arrived in Korea this morning, so he needed to rest. To be exact, he was given about 3 days of vacation.

His schedule was packed with Hollywood, Korea, and Japan, but Kang Woo-jin needed to rest a bit.

Choi Sung-gun recommended a week, but Kang Woo-jin reduced it to 3 days.

He arrived home in the late afternoon.

“Ha, damn, it’s been so long since I’ve been home.”

Kang Woo-jin immediately dropped his cool persona. Rather than organizing his luggage, he threw himself onto the bed first.

“Phew!!”

Even though it was a private jet and comfortable, Woo-jin immediately fell into.

“······”

Sleep, perhaps due to accumulated fatigue. But the domestic scene was not as quiet as Kang Woo-jin.

『[Star Photo] ‘World Star’ Kang Woo-jin Suddenly Appears at ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ / Photo』

『Wasn’t he in Hollywood? Kang Woo-jin Appears at Mise-en-scène Film Festival, Directly Presents the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’』

『Kang Woo-jin Secretly Returns to Korea, ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ Overturned!』

Kang Woo-jin’s unannounced return to Korea was being splashed all over the news.

『Rookie Actress Seo Ji-won, Who Received the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’ Directly from ‘Surprise Appearance’ Kang Woo-jin, “Achieved a Lifelong Dream” Tears Flowing / Photo』

Because his achievements in Hollywood were so great, articles were pouring out every minute. Of course, the articles also included the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ and the ‘Kang Woo-jin Award’. Just the fact that Kang Woo-jin had returned to Korea was causing a huge stir. This news even quickly spread to Japan.

『Japan Covers Kang Woo-jin’s Return to Korea as Main News, ‘The Prince Has Returned’』

1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours. Naturally, even in the early morning when Kang Woo-jin was sound asleep, this explosive atmosphere continued.

-OMG!!! Is Kang Woo-jin back??? Suddenly??

-Wow~~ Kang Woo-jin is so romantic lololol He went to the place where he first received an award as soon as he returned

-Honestly, Kang Woo-jin is a world star now ㅇㅇㅇ

-This guy is seriously lolololol He never does anything quietly lololololol

-His form is insane….Two lead roles in major Hollywood film company productions….

-Ahhhhh but can’t Kang Woo-jin give up the beast role? It really doesn’t suit him….

-A moron appeared again, ignore the troll

-Kang Woo-jin is seriously something else. That’s what you call a star, his aura is definitely different

-A Hollywood lead is a Korean actor…it’s magnificent…

·

·

·

Around dawn on the 13th, when Kang Woo-jin instinctively opened his eyes.

“Ugh, why are there so many messages?”

Kang Woo-jin was everywhere in Korea.

Meanwhile, in LA.

Unlike Korea, which was in the early morning, LA, where Kang Woo-jin had left, was just past 1 PM. The entire United States, including LA, was still buzzing about the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ incident that had broken out a few days ago, and in the meantime, the issue of ‘The Benevolent Evil,’ which had gained even more momentum, was also attracting attention.

There was so much interest that foreign media were openly covering Woo-jin’s secret return to Korea.

Around this time, in a meeting room at the huge ‘Columbia Studio’ in LA, several foreigners and an old Korean man were concluding a conversation. The old Korean man was Director Ahn Ga-bok of the movie ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.

“Then, I look forward to working with you, Chris.”

A handsome Hollywood top actor with deep brown eyes, who had just shaken hands with Director Ahn Ga-bok, smiled.

“The pleasure is all mine. I will do my best to contribute to the work and the ‘Cinematic Universe’, Director.”

It was Chris Hartnett. Chris and his team left the meeting room after saying their goodbyes. As soon as he left, the female producer of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ let out a small breath.

“Whew, Chris Hartnett is confirmed too. Still, I didn’t expect Chris to be greedy for a role other than the lead.”

The other foreigners nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, unlike the foreigners, Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his wrinkled face deep in thought.

-Swish.

Looking at the expected schedule table on his tablet, he muttered quietly. It was in Korean.

“We need to have the script reading by at least May.”