I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 423

When did Kang Woo-jin become ‘Henry Gordon’? In the vast set where hundreds of foreign staff and Hollywood actors were gathered, along with executives and officials from ‘Columbia Studios.’

-Clap!

The first slate.

“Action.”

From the moment director Ahn Ga-bok’s first signal, announcing the official start of filming, rang out, Kang Woo-jin was ‘Henry Gordon.’ The first shoot of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain,’ the prelude, had begun. Hundreds of eyes and ears focused on one place. All of them were watching Kang Woo-jin, who had fully immersed himself in the role.

Their thoughts were all different.

‘If he shows just as much intensity as he did during the audition and screen test, there’s nothing to worry about.’

‘I wonder if his performance during the script reading was genuine or just a bluff?’

‘Even though it’s the first shoot, he’s as calm as ever. By the way, a lot of people have gathered. They must all be here to gauge Kang Woo-jin’s acting. How will he impress them?’

‘Let’s see if what we saw during the reading was ‘adequate’ or his absolute best.’

Their positions were all different, so their words were completely different, but their inner thoughts were all aligned.

Show us your acting.

Then, Kang Woo-jin walked into the artificially created rain. Dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, he was already exuding ‘Henry Gordon.’ He had unleashed ‘Henry Gordon’ into reality. ‘Henry Gordon,’ coursing through his veins, was mixed with ‘Private First Class Jin Seon-cheol.’ Both the vulnerable and the rough.

“······”

However, the restraints that had been holding back the current Kang Woo-jin were now released. Without the emotional build-up of the early part of the scenario, he was on the verge of ‘Henry Gordon’s’ awakening. It was a ‘tragic’ misalignment, but for him, it was a bubbling joy, like a ‘comedy.’

He was already ‘Henry Gordon’ himself.

In Kang Woo-jin’s eyes, the hundreds of onlookers, the numerous cameras, the boom mics above his head, and the lighting equipment were invisible. Even the artificial downpour felt real. The scenario was also real, and this was no different. Therefore, Woo-jin was just doing what ‘Henry Gordon’ had to do.

His shoulders were hunched, and his posture was grotesque.

It was the edge of a cliff.

If he fell from here, something would be born. Woo-jin was feeling it himself. If he opened the door of this pizza place, the person he had been until now would disappear.

So what?

-Bang, bang, bang!

Kang Woo-jin carried out his first slaughter without a second thought, a sticky smile on his face. A few more gunshots rang out. Then, the camera slowly moved from the front to Woo-jin’s side. Kang Woo-jin, with a gun in one hand.

“Phew-”

He let out a subtle breath and raised his head to the ceiling. He closed his eyes. It sounded like classical music was playing somewhere. No, it was actually playing. It was coming from a TV that hadn’t been turned off. It was urging Woo-jin on.

The ‘Joker’ was about to awaken.

As the sound of classical music grew stronger, the madness echoing in Kang Woo-jin’s heart grew in size.

-Swoosh.

He lowered his face from the ceiling. His smile was several times deeper. He rolled his eyes. The heavy lump of meat sprawled at his feet, the floor covered in blood and flour, the interior cluttered with various objects.

At that moment.

-Rumble!

Another thunderclap sounded with the downpour. Even lightning struck, and the dark pizza place flashed. Kang Woo-jin suddenly coughed.

“Achoo!”

It was because of the flour all over his face. He sniffed and casually tossed the gun in his hand onto a nearby table. It was the only table that was still standing, though everything else had been knocked over. Woo-jin’s expression was indifferent. Just a normal face existing in this space.

-Swoosh.

He moved his foot. Then.

“Heup!”

He slipped slightly. It was because of the blood that had soaked the floor. Kang Woo-jin barely regained his balance, grabbing the arm of the heavy lump of meat. The camera captured his face in a close-up. His eyes were slightly widened. It was a minor emotion, like a ‘mistake.’

Some light movements made the form of ‘Henry Gordon’ even clearer.

However, this was not in the scenario.

‘······Wait, was there such a movement? Like coughing or slipping? There wasn’t.’

‘Damn, he’s flexible. He’s capturing those details while also taking care of the expression.’

The dozens of actors from ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ who had come to the set to observe.

‘Those lifelike actions enhance the picture of madness several times over. It’s smooth and realistic. No, I’ve only seen him for a few minutes, but all I see is ‘Henry Gordon.’

They were barely catching their breath. Their concentration was high. The observers were no longer just gauging Kang Woo-jin’s acting. It was closer to purely enjoying it, being drawn into his control, and not being able to think of anything else.

Among those actors, a Hollywood actor with wide eyes, watching the monitor, stood out.

‘The ‘Henry Gordon’ from the audition wasn’t the end.’

It was Chris Hartnett. With his charming brown eyes, he had an ambiguous face between laughter and seriousness.

‘He had something more than that? What the hell is that crazy expression? Every little movement is full of impact, and the tension doesn’t break. Damn it, what kind of human is he?’

Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his short white hair and wrinkled face, wearing headphones, had been watching the monitors without saying a word since he shouted ‘Action.’

“······”

He was not blinking, and he was deadly serious. He was determined not to miss a single moment. He was different from the Hollywood actors who were slowly getting excited. No, he was the only one among hundreds of foreigners. Everyone had experienced Kang Woo-jin through the audition and script reading, but only director Ahn Ga-bok had experienced Kang Woo-jin’s true nature.

He knew better than anyone how absurd his acting was.

Therefore, there was no time to be shocked.

‘Not with the eyes of the audience, but with the eyes of the director.’

Kang Woo-jin’s acting would devour you if you looked away for even a moment. A type that swallows directors, writers, etc. Director Ahn Ga-bok had experienced that several times in ‘Leech.’

‘Anyone would be mesmerized if they saw the character they created running wild in reality.’

Even though it was based on the scenario, the character that Kang Woo-jin was embodying was free-spirited. It far exceeded the director’s imagination, so he sometimes felt frustrated.

‘That’s the case with Kang Woo-jin’s madness-filled, lifelike movements right now. Those have increased the scene’s impact several times over.’

The general producer, standing next to Ahn Ga-bok with her arms crossed, also felt this as she watched Woo-jin’s acting on the monitor. She, with her strong impression, chuckled.

‘If the writer of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ saw this acting, they would be in tears. But are those movements improvised? Or did he plan them? Anyway, it was the right decision to cast him as the ‘Joker.’

Soon.

“Cut.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had risen from his seat, gave the signal. It wasn’t an NG [No Good, meaning a retake]. It was to change the composition. At this time, among the hundreds of foreigners gathered behind Ahn Ga-bok.

“Phew-”

“Huh······”

Breaths could be heard. The murmuring also grew louder. The executives of ‘Columbia Studios’ were busy having serious conversations, and the dozens of actors and their staff were staring blankly at the monitor. From the production team of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain,’ exclamations flowed out from various places.

Director Ahn Ga-bok, glancing at the foreigners behind him, felt a mix of wonder and rising momentum.

‘Yeah—Kang Woo-jin’s acting creates the same situation whether it’s in Korea or here.’

Because ‘Leech’ overlapped.

Meanwhile, inside the pizza place set, Kang Woo-jin.

-Swoosh.

With a poker-faced expression, he was reaching out his hand to the heavy actor who had fallen to the floor.

“Grab it.”

The heavy actor, covered in blood and flour, grabbed Woo-jin’s hand while saying.

“Ah, thank you.”

“No problem. Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

He was slightly dumbfounded.

‘The speed of his return······Isn’t the switch too fast? That’s abnormal.’

Because his emotional recovery was so instantaneous.

A little later.

Dozens of foreign staff rushed into the pizza place set. They had to return it to its original state. However, because there were so many people involved, it didn’t take long.

“Action.”

Filming quickly resumed. The downpour started again, and Kang Woo-jin entered the pizza place. The same scene was repeated at least five times.

“Cut, let’s make the rain a little stronger.”

There were also changes in camera angles, the positions of the actors, and props and equipment. Perhaps because it was the first shoot and the first cut, director Ahn Ga-bok’s passion was overflowing. However, none of the actors, including Kang Woo-jin, objected, and neither did the hundreds of foreign production staff. They were all professionals.

About an hour passed like that.

The filming of the first cut on the storyboard was barely finished. However, it seemed they wouldn’t be moving locations. It was natural. The next scene was also taking place in this pizza place set. Although they had been fixed in the same place for over an hour, not a single one of the many foreigners, including dozens of Hollywood actors, had left.

“The ‘adequate’ from the script reading was actually true.”

“Yeah, honestly, I didn’t expect there to be such a difference—”

“But Kang Woo-jin’s acting is kind of… it’s weird to say, but it doesn’t feel like acting. It feels like I’m watching the real ‘Henry Gordon’ in real life.”

“Me too. Even though it’s method acting, when I saw him earlier, his emotional recovery was unbelievable. How many times did he have to repeat it to show that level?”

Around this time, Kang Woo-jin was talking to director Ahn Ga-bok inside the pizza place. It was about the next scene, and the heavy Hollywood actor was also there.

“Woo-jin, it’s okay for you to keep acting as comfortably as you want. Is there anything you need?”

To the question, Kang Woo-jin looked down at the floor and answered calmly.

“I wish there was a little more flour on the floor.”

“Flour?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

After more flour was sprinkled on the floor, director Ahn Ga-bok and the staff left. Soon, only Kang Woo-jin, the heavy actor, and the cameras remained inside the pizza place. A few minutes later, director Ahn Ga-bok, sitting among the hundreds of foreigners, gave the signal again.

“Action.”

The heavy actor, or rather, the pizza place owner, had already turned into a lump of meat sprawled on the floor. Kang Woo-jin, or ‘Henry Gordon,’ stepped over the lump of meat. The camera followed. He turned up the volume of the TV on the table in front of the kitchen.

-♬♪

The classical music that was playing became twice as loud. It was enough to drown out the downpour and thunder outside. Kang Woo-jin raised both hands. He swept back his wet hair that reached his chin. Flour was all over his face, making it pale. Blood was also splattered everywhere. The camera captured Woo-jin from the front. He took a deep breath.

“Sss- Paha.”

He was smiling. The corners of his mouth, hooked on his ears, wouldn’t go down.

Soon, Kang Woo-jin.

-Swoosh.

Started dancing. He entrusted his body to the classical music. It was a freestyle dance. He would smoothly wave, suddenly leap up and slide forward, or spin in place. In the middle, he jumped over the heavy lump of meat on the floor several times.

He accidentally kicked the lump of meat.

It could happen while dancing, right?

Kang Woo-jin, who was gradually turning into a clown, looked down at the lump of meat and apologized simply.

“Sorry.”

He fell back into the classical music.

At the same time, joy burst out of his mouth.

“Hehehe! Hahahahaha!”

This was it. This feeling. A sense of liberation spread throughout Kang Woo-jin’s body. The sight of the pale-faced, gruesome clown dancing to classical music was.

-♬♪

Extremely bizarre. All of it was being vividly captured by the camera. Regardless, Woo-jin, who was busy shaking his body, suddenly stopped dancing. It was because he had found something he had just stepped on.

“Oh-”

Broken beer bottles and cards scattered everywhere. Among them, Kang Woo-jin picked up a card with blood smeared all over it. A mischievous-looking ‘Clown’ was drawn on the card.

There was also writing.

-‘JOKER’

Kang Woo-jin, who had been looking down at the card for a moment, smiled crookedly and said.

“‘JOKER,’ I like it?”

The scene in the scenario ended here. Therefore, Chris and the dozens of actors watching the monitor were about to exhale the breath they had been holding, and director Ahn Ga-bok was also about to give the ‘cut’ signal after watching for a moment.

However.

“Hmm?”

Even though the scene was over, Kang Woo-jin in the monitor didn’t stop. At this, Chris Hartnett and the actors narrowed their brows or tilted their heads.

‘What is it?’

‘Was there another movement? No, there wasn’t. What is it?’

‘What the hell is he trying to do?’

Director Ahn Ga-bok had the same thought, but.

“······”

He watched. Kang Woo-jin in the monitor roughly wiped the blood off the card with his hand. The ‘Clown’ on the card became clearer. Then, he moved his remaining hand. He touched his cheek. Flour. Something flashed in Kang Woo-jin’s mind, and he raised his head. He found a small, square mirror attached to the wall.

It wasn’t in good condition. It was half-broken.

But it was clearly reflecting Kang Woo-jin’s face. He slowly approached the mirror. The camera followed from the side. Woo-jin, who was right in front of the mirror, looked at the card in his hand.

“Hmm.”

He looked at his face in the mirror again. It was similar. The ‘Clown’ in the ‘JOKER’ card and his current self. However, it was a little lacking. Kang Woo-jin grabbed a handful of flour scattered on a nearby table and rubbed it on his face. It became several times paler.

Then.

-Swoosh.

He looked around the floor again.

“That’ll do.”

He approached the heavy lump of meat lying on the floor. He smeared his hand with the blood that had flowed out of the lump of meat. Then, he returned to the mirror. Woo-jin, who was looking at the mirror, paused for a few seconds and suddenly turned his face to the camera right next to him. From here, he used the camera as a mirror.

The pause in front of the mirror was to give an editing point.

“Starting with the eyebrows—”

Woo-jin, full of smiles, used the ‘Clown’ on the ‘JOKER’ card as a model and drew eyebrows with the blood on his remaining hand. Red eyebrows were created on his pale face. Next, he filled in the areas around both eyes and put a rather large red dot on the tip of his nose.

“Not enough.”

There wasn’t enough blood. Kang Woo-jin, who had replenished the blood from the floor, stood in front of the camera again.

-Swoosh.

He put his blood-soaked palm on his mouth. Red was smeared all over his mouth area. It wasn’t complete. Kang Woo-jin drew a shape with his index fingers. A grotesque, thick mouth shape, smiling brightly, was completed.

His pale face, with his eyes, nose, and mouth covered in blood.

Kang Woo-jin checked the ‘Clown’ on the card in his hand.

“Hehe, it’s the same.”

Woo-jin, who had completed the ‘JOKER’ face with blood, raised his head and stared at the camera in front of him. He shoved the card in his hoodie pocket. Soon, he put his index fingers on the ends of the drawn red lips.

Then, he smiled brightly.

“Fantastic.”

A single tear flowed from his eye.

Among the numerous foreigners who were watching all of this live on the monitor, Chris Hartnett, with his mouth slightly open, had this thought in his head.

“······The trophy is his.”

The ‘Academy Award’ was shimmering in his mind.