I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 411

Around noon on the 13th, Korean time. Kang Woo-jin, who had woken up in the early morning but fallen back asleep, groggily got up. His hair a mess, Woo-jin grabbed his phone first.

“Ugh, seriously, 12 PM? That’s insane. How long has it been since I slept in this late?”

Sleeping until noon was a first for him since becoming an actor. It was partly due to accumulated fatigue, but also because he was so relaxed at home that he ended up sleeping in. However, Kang Woo-jin had no regrets.

“Whatever. It’s a day off anyway.”

Woo-jin, who had a three-day break starting today, moved to the living room and gulped down some bottled water. After a light stretch to clear his head, he picked up his phone from the bed again to check the accumulated messages. There were countless messages, starting with Choi Sung-gun, but one in particular caught Kang Woo-jin’s eye.

“Huh?”

It was a DM from Hollywood top actor Chris Hartnett. The message was short, something along the lines of ‘Let’s work well together’ or ‘Let’s make ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ great together.’ Seeing this, Kang Woo-jin tilted his head.

“This handsome dude, didn’t he give up on the audition?”

Then why is he talking about working together? Woo-jin, scratching his chin, understood Chris’s message after reading a rather long text from Choi Sung-gun. The message included information about Chris—the news that he had joined ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain.’ Slightly surprised, Woo-jin checked foreign news articles on the internet. There were already quite a few articles about Chris.

『LA TIME/Columbia Confirms Chris Hartnett’s Joining ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’』

『ABY/Chris Hartnett Confirmed for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, Wasn’t He Auditioning for the Lead Role?』

The buzz had started a few hours ago while Woo-jin was sleeping. After ‘Columbia Studios’ announced Chris’s joining, foreign news outlets were frantically spreading the news. Chris’s appearance was confirmed in the early afternoon LA time.

“Oh, wow.”

Woo-jin, who was reading some foreign news articles, was genuinely surprised. Director Ahn Ga-bok hadn’t told him, and honestly, he hadn’t even expected it.

‘I thought my connection with that handsome guy ended with the audition.’

Whatever the case, Chris’s joining ‘Pierrot’ was a juicy piece of news for foreign media. Chris Hartnett had fought a lead role audition war with Woo-jin and lost. Or rather, he had given up, but to the foreign media, he was seen as a defeated opponent. But despite losing to Kang Woo-jin, he was confirmed for a different role in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain,’ so it was inevitable that curiosity would explode.

『NT/Chris Hartnett, Who Was a Candidate for the Lead Role and Lost to Kang Woo-jin, Joins ‘Pierrot’ in a Different Role?』

Why did Chris Hartnett join ‘Pierrot’ despite losing? And even in a role other than the lead?

Resentment? Determination? Revenge?

Foreign news articles were filled with numerous rumors. After reading foreign news articles for a while, Kang Woo-jin lost interest.

“I don’t know, man. I’ll find out when I meet him.”

He then sent a casual DM reply to Chris and got ready to go out. The place he decided to go today was Jinju, where his parents lived. He had been busy lately, so he decided to visit for a day since he had a break.

After that.

The world was in an uproar about Kang Woo-jin, but Kang Woo-jin had a peaceful holiday. He met his parents after a long time, had long conversations, and ate delicious food.

‘It’s so relaxing.’

He had shed all the pretense and work-related things, just being himself. Woo-jin’s parents were initially amazed by his transformation into a ‘world star,’ but they quickly treated him like their usual son. Of course, Kang Hyun-ah was still going crazy.

“Oppa!! Are you really going to film ‘Pierrot’ with Chris Hartnett??!!”

They talked about many things until late at night—stories about Hollywood, the big shots he met, his works, and so on. It was late at night when Kang Woo-jin was finally able to lie down in his room. Woo-jin, who was looking at various things on his phone for a while.

-Swish.

Accessed social media. Specifically, the official social media of ‘World Disney Pictures.’ Naturally, the most recent post was the official announcement a few days ago that Kara had been confirmed for ‘Beauty Bella,’ and hundreds of thousands of fans had already flocked to this post.

-Miley!! Miley!!!

-I knew Miley would be perfect for Beauty Bella, Maria Armas would also be a good fit, but Miley is a step above.

-Finally, the actors for the Beast and Beauty Bella have been confirmed! Are you looking forward to it, Disney?

-Why look forward to it? It’s already ruined since Kang Woo-jin was confirmed!

-I think so too, Miley is okay, but I wish they would reverse Kang Woo-jin’s casting.

-Stop it, everyone. It’s not good to just criticize because it doesn’t suit your taste.

-Disney! Are you making a mistake again??

-Kang Woo-jin and Miley… hmm, I can’t imagine it yet, but I think it’s okay, seeing Kang Woo-jin in ‘Beneficial Evil’ makes me look forward to it a bit.

-What criteria did you use to choose the Beast actor, Disney!!!

-Kang Woo-jin has worked with Miley often, so I think they will do well together.

-Hey, Disney! Are you going to keep ignoring the complaints of fans around the world!

A mess. Various languages were mixed in a colorful and chaotic state. Kang Woo-jin smiled as he watched this scene. Of course, internally.

‘Wow, the fire is getting more explosive.’

If it’s this bad here, wouldn’t other places be a nuclear bomb? It was. Communities around the world, social media, YouTube, etc., were already on fire.

What about Korea?

-I’m so looking forward to seeing Kang Woo-jin, Miley Kara, and the Beauty and the Beast two-shot lolololol

It was no different from the earthquake in the US.

Currently, the Korean media and public opinion are going crazy whenever a ‘Kang Woo-jin’ topic appears. It might not feel like much to Kang Woo-jin, but for Korea, everything was a miracle, a first, and like a miracle.

『‘Beauty and the Beast’ Receiving Both Recognition and Criticism Worldwide, When Will the First Filming Be?』

After a few days, Kang Woo-jin finished his holiday. The schedule that piled up for him upon his return was enormous, and the first thing Woo-jin started was.

“Oh my, the world star has arrived!”

“Alright, let’s clap!”

“I told you through the contact, but congratulations, Woo-jin! For everything that happened in Hollywood!”

“Hahaha! It was good timing that our ‘Beneficial Evil’ also blew up, so you must have been busy in Hollywood??”

It was a pre-meeting related to ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2. The location was Netflix Korea. In the spacious meeting room, several key staff members, including the bearded PD [Production Director] Song Man-woo, Kim So-hyang, the general director, Netflix executives, and writer Choi Na-na, gave Kang Woo-jin an excessive fanfare as soon as they saw him.

It was more than a wild party.

Kang Woo-jin’s rise in Hollywood was like that, but ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 1 was still receiving global love, so it was a natural scene. Kang Woo-jin had a nonchalant expression on his face, but inside, he was just as excited as they were.

Around that time.

“I’m sorry to interrupt everyone’s joy, but Woo-jin, we should start talking about work.”

PD Song Man-woo, who barely managed to get back on topic, said to Kang Woo-jin.

“Filming for ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 will start next week.”

After that.

Before the full-scale filming of ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2, Kang Woo-jin had to go through a hellish schedule again. Things that had piled up while he was in LA came crashing down like a wave. Various interviews, commercials, various shoots, photoshoots, numerous events, and fan signings and fan meetings were also held.

Kang Woo-jin was running like crazy, going back and forth between Korea and Japan.

However, unlike the relaxed LA, Woo-jin, who had boarded the train to hell again after a long time, was not greatly shaken. In the past, he would have been overwhelmed just by maintaining his persona, but now he had some leeway. It wasn’t a bluff.

‘What should I say, it’s not that hard? Did I grow without realizing it? I feel like I could handle several times more than this.’

Of course, he was also using the subspace appropriately, but the frequency had decreased dramatically.

Meanwhile.

The YouTube video of Kang Woo-jin and Miley Kara related to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ had an enormous number of views. It had surpassed 70 million views.

It was truly a global power.

However, around this time, the real global power related to Kang Woo-jin was.

『[Issue Pick] ‘Beneficial Evil’ Maintaining World No. 1 for 6 Weeks, Viewing Time Increased Further Due to the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Issue』

It was ‘Beneficial Evil’ that was setting new records for both Korea and Netflix.

『Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Beneficial Evil’ Holding the ‘World No. 1’ Title for Over a Month, PD Song Man-woo “Dumbfounded by the Global Hit”』

『Netflix CEO “Beneficial Evil Could Be the Greatest Work Ever”』

‘Beneficial Evil’ had already reached the top of the world and was active, but as Kang Woo-jin’s influence in Hollywood exploded, word of mouth spread several times more. Kang Woo-jin was frequently appearing on ‘Nedit,’ the largest overseas community.

『[Overseas Topic] ‘Beneficial Evil,’ No. 1 in 80 Countries Including the US and Europe, ‘Global Phenomenon’… Gaining More Power Thanks to Kang Woo-jin』

And the ‘Emmy Award’ tag of ‘Beneficial Evil,’ which had been circulating as a prediction in the beginning, was now openly attached. There was no Korean drama that had produced such a global hit, and Kang Woo-jin’s momentum had added to the power.

『Netflix’s ‘Beneficial Evil,’ Rumors of Being Nominated for the ‘Emmy Award,’ the World’s Best TV Program, Are Circulating』

However, externally, it was still just a rumor. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), which organizes the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards,’ had not yet made any announcements.

But very secretly, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was in the candidate selection vote for the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards.’

『Netflix CEO “’Beneficial Evil’ Will Aim for the US Emmy Award” Confident』

It was already on the list.

Following that.

『[Issue Pick] ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2, Which Has a High Possibility of Being Korea’s First ‘Emmy Award,’ Soon to Start Filming, Overseas Fans Who Fell for Kang Woo-jin Are Excited About the News of Part 2 Filming!』

The news of ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 filming spread around the world.

March 22nd, late morning. Incheon Airport.

Around 11:30 AM. For some reason, crowds gathered at the arrival hall of Incheon Airport. There were dozens of reporters stuck to the fence, and fans with phones or large cameras numbered well over 200.

The reason was simple.

It was because of the news that a popular domestic girl group was returning after finishing their schedule in Japan. It was a common sight when a top-tier idol appeared at the airport.

Around this time.

-Swish.

The arrival gate opened, and people began to appear one by one. The general public was slightly surprised to see the gathered reporters and fans. Some seemed to know why they had gathered. As the girl group they were waiting for seemed to be about to appear, the reporters quickly raised their cameras.

At that moment, a group of foreigners appeared at the arrival gate.

About six people.

However, most of the reporters did not pay attention to the foreigners. They just thought they were tourists visiting Korea. But a few of the dozens of reporters.

“Hmm?”

Fixed their gaze on the foreigners who had just arrived. Specifically, they stared at a tall black man who was like a giant in the group of foreigners. Because it was a familiar face. Among those reporters, a plump male reporter who was well-versed in Hollywood information and also covered overseas entertainment news.

“That… giant.”

He muttered softly, looking at the tall black man.

“What was his name, Joseph Felton? Isn’t he a famous producer in Hollywood?”

But he wasn’t sure. So, the plump reporter took a picture of the giant black man and the group of foreigners, and while watching the group of foreigners walk away, he sent the picture with a question to a reporter he knew. The content was ‘Is this tall black guy Joseph Felton?’

The reply was quick. The conclusion was that it was Joseph Felton.

But the plump reporter’s question was not resolved. As far as he knew, this producer named Joseph Felton was very famous in Hollywood.

‘Don’t even Hollywood’s giant film companies line up to work with him? But why did he suddenly come to Korea?’

The reporter instinctively sensed that something was unusual. Then, another message arrived for him. The plump reporter’s eyes widened slightly as he read the message sent by his acquaintance.

‘Joseph Felton is working with ‘Universal Movies’ right now?’

‘Universal Movies’ was one of Hollywood’s ‘Big Five’ film companies. The same level as ‘Columbia Studios’ or ‘World Disney Pictures.’ A big-shot producer working with such a mega-sized film company had just arrived in Korea. At this moment, something flashed in the reporter’s mind.

“‘Columbia Studios,’ ‘World Disney Pictures,’ and… ‘Universal Movies’? Could it be Kang Woo-jin?”

It was Kang Woo-jin.