I Was Mistaken As A Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 424

The ‘JOKER’ face was complete, crafted with flour and blood. His pale skin was stark against the deep red of his eyebrows, the area around his eyes, the tip of his nose, and his thick, smiling lips. It was a crude, amateurish application, the flour and blood smeared haphazardly.

Yet, this very imperfection amplified the tension of the scene tenfold.

And Kang Woo-jin was facing directly forward.

‘Damn it.’

A foreigner with a large camera on his shoulder. It was Adam Dickens, the director of photography. His face was broad, with brown hair obscuring his nose and chin, and his hat was pushed back. Goosebumps prickled his arms and neck.

‘…What the hell is this?’

The scene was far beyond what he had anticipated. In the original script, Kang Woo-jin was simply supposed to pick up the ‘JOKER’ card, and the scene would end. But this Korean actor had casually created a new, unscripted moment.

‘Does he not feel any pressure?’

Kang Woo-jin had been making waves since his arrival in Hollywood. He had captured the world’s attention. This scene was no different. Hundreds of foreigners were staring at him, their gazes not entirely friendly. Yet, Kang Woo-jin seemed unfazed, delivering a creative performance without any apparent pressure.

‘Damn it, to complete the ‘JOKER’ face with blood….’

Adam Dickens felt that the ‘JOKER’ Kang Woo-jin embodied was like a child—a playful, young child who had been suppressed for too long and was now liberated. His curiosity had exploded, and he was dancing to his own tune, fully expressing his character. This place was his playground.

The problem was.

‘A playground where slaughter took place.’

In stark contrast to the liberated child, the backdrop of his playground was littered with corpses. This juxtaposition created an indescribable, bizarre eeriness. That eeriness amplified the presence of the ‘JOKER’ smiling into the camera.

Additionally.

‘That tear from one eye is the highlight.’

The sudden, unexpected tear that flowed from Woo-jin’s eye, now awakened as the ‘JOKER,’ seemed like a silent scream to Adam. He was free as the ‘JOKER,’ but this child had been forced to change. The situation, the society, had shaped ‘Henry Gordon’ into this.

This sentiment was shared by Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was watching Kang Woo-jin on the monitor.

‘That tear is the last cry of reason from ‘Henry Gordon,’ who has been holding back until now.’

And by dozens of Hollywood actors, and even Chris Hartnett, who was laughing in disbelief.

‘The incongruous sadness of the mad ‘JOKER.’ A dual performance with tears full of emotion or despair. On the other hand, expectations are also growing, thinking that the ‘JOKER’ will now run wild. His acting is truly insane.’

It simultaneously shocked and amazed hundreds of foreigners, including the staff and those involved on set.

The problem was.

‘That level of acting was ad-libbed?’

Woo-jin’s performance, which had left everyone speechless, was not in the script.

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woo-jin, who had been staring at the camera, moved his feet without wiping away the tear. One step, two steps. Slowly backing away. Adam filmed him without moving, and it was when Woo-jin took his third step back.

-Squeak!

His foot slipped, and he lost his balance. It was so natural that Adam subtly adjusted the camera. He captured the flour and blood scattered on the floor before refocusing on Kang Woo-jin, who had fallen. Woo-jin struggled for a moment before finally collapsing. His wet hair swayed. His face slammed into a meaty backside.

The sound was muffled by the classical music, but Kang Woo-jin clearly heard a *thwack*! in his ear.

Was it because it was so heavy? It was soft. The smell wasn’t very good.

Kang Woo-jin, with his face buried in the meaty buttocks, paused. Adam, filming from right behind, was impressed.

‘There was more.’

The pacing was incredible.

‘He reminded us of the ‘Joker’s’ quirkiness to catch his breath. A continuous performance of tension, chills, and everyday life.’

It was a misunderstanding.

Kang Woo-jin, with his face buried in the meaty buttocks, was lamenting.

‘Ah, damn it, this wasn’t in my plan.’

He had planned everything up until just now, but he hadn’t expected to slip and have his face slammed into this heavy actor’s backside. And what was this smell? Did he just fart? For a moment, Woo-jin involuntarily.

“Ugh.”

He gagged. At the same time, he knew instinctively. Ah, this is an NG [No Good, meaning a take that needs to be reshot]. And he also felt a bit sorry for the heavy actor. It wasn’t intentional, but it was a scent he had never encountered before.

But for some reason.

-Swoosh.

Adam slowly zoomed in on Kang Woo-jin, who was slowly lifting his face from the buttocks, with a serious expression.

‘Meticulous.’

The unexpected error had become part of the performance.

‘He relieved the tension with wit and secured the character’s personality.’

Kang Woo-jin, with his ‘Joker’ face, maintained his composure as the camera moved beside him. In this situation, the calm one wins. Besides, he had gained experience from acting so far.

‘This- the atmosphere feels familiar?’

Unless the director calls NG, filming doesn’t stop. Then, Kang Woo-jin ran his hands through his wet hair and slowly stood up. His expression was nonchalant, but inside, he was swirling with thoughts. What should I say? I could end it here, but it’s a bit boring.

He brought back the ‘Joker’ and finally.

“This damn lump. Your butt smells disgustingly awful.”

He decided to be honest.

“Did you shit before you died?”

And he apologized to the heavy actor lying on the floor in his mind. Soon, he turned his head and stared at the camera beside him. This time, he gave a leeway cut [a moment where the scene can be cut]. Director Ahn Ga-bok, who understood this, didn’t miss it.

“…Cut.”

His signal echoed across the set.

“OK.”

Only then did the camera move away slightly. Adam said one word.

“That was amazing.”

Kang Woo-jin, who had already returned to his composed self.

‘What was? The poop smell?’

He answered simply with a solemn face.

“Thank you.”

The heavy actor slowly got up and looked at Woo-jin’s face. He had no idea why his face had been used as a landing pad. And even a poop smell? Woo-jin wanted to ask him sincerely. Did you poop? he wanted to ask.

But instead of asking, he maintained a poker face.

“Were you surprised? I apologize.”

“…No, it’s alright. If it makes the scene better, I’m fine with anything.”

Then, Director Ahn Ga-bok and the foreign staff entered the pizza shop set, and Director Ahn Ga-bok, who approached Woo-jin, smiled with wrinkles and gave him a thumbs up.

“That was the best, even the last line.”

A little later.

Kang Woo-jin was looking at the monitor set up near the director’s seat. The ‘JOKER’ face covered in flour and blood was still there, as per Director Ahn Ga-bok’s order. The makeup team had already taken pictures of Woo-jin’s face. Woo-jin was monitoring the scene with the heavy foreign actor.

Director Ahn Ga-bok was also there. Around them, there were dozens of actors, including Chris, and many foreigners were watching.

Everyone was contemplating Kang Woo-jin’s acting.

Finally.

-[“Did you shit before you died?”]

Kang Woo-jin’s performance ended with the poop smell line, and the heavy actor, who had been watching intently, slowly nodded. He realized that was why his face had been used as a cushion. Then, he turned his gaze to Woo-jin, who was standing next to him.

“That was amazing.”

Yes, your poop smell was amazing. Woo-jin wanted to say, but due to his concept, his voice was low and calm.

“I hope you’re not offended.”

“Not at all. As I said before, I’m fine with anything if it enhances the scene.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok joined the conversation in fluent English.

“As Roger said, the scene looks much richer. I’d like to go with this, what do you think?”

Kang Woo-jin nodded.

“No problem.”

“Good, then let’s have a meeting with each team for a bit. Let’s adjust the storyboard on the spot, including camera movement and composition. You can rest for a bit.”

After speaking, Director Ahn Ga-bok gathered the key staff, starting with the director of photography, and the entire team.

Depending on the director’s style and situation, it was quite common in Hollywood for the shooting storyboard to be modified on the spot. It wasn’t unheard of in Korea, but it was more common in Hollywood. There were even Hollywood directors who would let actors improvise, and if they liked the scene, they would completely scrap the original storyboard and use the improvised scene.

Of course, there were also directors and producers who emphasized the basics, but Hollywood was generally more flexible. That’s why the key staff followed Director Ahn Ga-bok’s instructions without much resistance.

Except for one person.

“…Hmm.”

A woman with slightly longer than bobbed hair and a sharp look, Nora Foster, the general producer with the most influence on set, did not look pleased. She watched the key staff gathering around Director Ahn Ga-bok with her arms crossed. After a few seconds, Nora’s eyes turned to the back of Kang Woo-jin as he walked away.

She had expected that the two figures would stand out on set from the beginning.

‘Kang Woo-jin’s acting was absurd, but this flow- I don’t particularly like it.’

But what she upheld as a famous Hollywood producer was ‘principle.’ A small deviation could cause big problems later. Moreover, if things that had been decided changed quickly, it could create unnecessary dissatisfaction among the key staff on set.

It was a sensitive situation for a producer who was managing the entire set.

Still, Nora Foster decided to.

‘I should watch a little more.’

She didn’t move.

Kang Woo-jin, who didn’t notice Nora’s gaze, talked with the makeup team for a while and then moved to a makeshift chair inside a tent set up on one side of the set, not the trailer. It was a space that everyone could use when taking short breaks. Choi Sung-gun and the team members were waiting for Woo-jin. Choi Sung-gun, with a big smile, handed Kang Woo-jin a water bottle.

“Your acting was amazing, you should have seen the expressions on the faces of the people outside.”

The stylist and other team members were also excited. Then, Choi Sung-gun moved closer to Kang Woo-jin and admired the ‘Joker’ face.

“It’s chilling, drawing the ‘Joker’ face with the blood of the first person you killed- how did you come up with that idea? I kept getting goosebumps while watching it earlier.”

I admit, I thought it was awesome myself. Woo-jin, who praised himself internally, put on a facade of arrogance on the outside.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing! Look at Director Ahn and the key staff over there! They’re all flipped out and in a frenzy.”

“I guess so.”

“Falling and having your face slammed into the butt was good too, and so was the poop smell line.”

Han Ye-jeong, with her characteristic blunt tone and blue bobbed hair tied up, chimed in.

“But after the ‘Joker’ character exploded, I didn’t find it funny. I was scared, actually, by that line.”

“……”

Kang Woo-jin, who had been looking at her intently, shouted inwardly.

‘The poop smell was scary enough.’

That’s how scary a misunderstanding can be. However, Choi Sung-gun simply agreed with Han Ye-jeong’s words.

“That’s right. Seeing a corpse and talking about poop smell. You nailed it, Woo-jin.”

Something was working out on its own again. Kang Woo-jin, who was already used to this situation, suddenly thought of a dangerous prank.

“No, that was a real fall. And the line was just something I blurted out.”

A gap confession [a confession that reveals a hidden truth].

Soon, Choi Sung-gun and Han Ye-jeong, and the entire team, stared at Woo-jin’s stiff face. Among them, Choi Sung-gun chuckled and shook his head.

“That kind of humility doesn’t suit you, you rascal.”

The next day, the 12th, late morning, New York.

Numerous foreign reporters gathered in front of a large hotel in New York City. They were all frantically pressing the shutter at the photo zone set up at the hotel entrance. Standing in that photo zone was.

“Miley!! Miley Cara!!”

Miley Cara, a top-tier Hollywood actress and recently confirmed for the role of ‘Beauty Bella’ in ‘The Beast and the Beauty.’ The reason she came to this hotel was simple: to attend a large charity event. It was also for image management, but she had always attended charity events a few times a year.

-Flash! Flash! Flash!

She was being photographed, wearing wide jeans and a half-sleeved shirt that showed her belly button. Cara, who had been waving to the cameras for a while, moved at the gestures of her managers.

The inside of the hotel was even more crowded.

There were many celebrities, including Cara’s fellow actors. From behind Cara, who was greeting acquaintances for a while.

“Miley.”

A woman’s voice penetrated. Cara turned her head, and her brow.

“Ah.”

Slightly narrowed. A woman she didn’t like had appeared. Unlike Cara, the woman wearing high heels had striking brown eyes, and the area of her eyes was quite large on her face. Maria Armas, the Hollywood actress who was the first to audition for the role of ‘Beauty Bella’ in ‘The Beast and the Beauty.’

She had also had a verbal sparring match with Kang Woo-jin in Spanish.

She approached Cara and greeted her.

“Hello, I knew you would come too.”

Cara, with her emotionless voice, responded coldly.

“You can ignore me, you know?”

“Hey- we’re going to be in the same project soon, so that’s a bit much, right?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Maria shrugged her shoulders.

“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but.”

She whispered to Cara.

“I’ve also decided to join ‘The Beast and the Beauty.’”

Cara, who was slightly surprised, put on a relaxed smile.