I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 432

Mountains are mountains, and water is water. Me, Kang Woo-jin, when was the last time I received a confession from a woman? I can’t quite remember. I’ve just been living a pretty normal life. That’s why the current world with ‘subspaces’ is so unbelievably shocking.

But wait a minute, why am I even thinking about this?

Kang Woo-jin’s hazy vision, where his brain’s processing was all jumbled up, gradually cleared. No, actually, his vision had been clear all along, but his mind hadn’t been.

“······”

Woo-jin barely managed to grab hold of the fluttering strings of his consciousness. Thanks to that, he recalled the idiotic answer he had just blurted out.

‘···Huh? Was it ‘Huh?’ No, I said ‘Huuuh?’.’

Why? Why? Why did I give such an absurd answer? Eventually, Kang Woo-jin once again recognized that Miley Cara, with her attractive blonde hair and blue eyes, was staring intently at him. He also remembered her soft murmur.

‘I think I like you.’

Right, just now, this global superstar, Miley Cara, said she liked me? Ahaha, right. Thanks to that, my mind went flying. I remember everything now. Woo-jin’s brain was processing as if an hour had passed, even though it had only been a few seconds.

And then.

“!!!”

His eyes were filled with a million exclamation marks. In an instant, as if his brain had rebooted, a myriad of emotions exploded.

‘Woah- shit, wait a minute. Wait, wait!’

But his malfunctioning mind didn’t easily return to normal. At this point, Kang Woo-jin had no room to maintain any kind of persona or anything like that. He was just continuously rebooting. It was like a computer with a broken part going haywire and trying to reboot.

It was a blank slate. All Kang Woo-jin could do right now was.

“······”

Stare at Cara, the global superstar right in front of him, with a frozen face. Even in this moment, the rebooting continued non-stop. His thoughts kept drifting in and out.

Miley Cara, whose noticeably blue eyes were shaking, felt similarly. She, too, was in a state of panic inside, even though her expression hadn’t changed much after the words she had just blurted out. No, after the confession.

‘Crazy!! Crazy!!! What did I just say!!’

It was a confession she had blurted out as if she were possessed. There’s a saying that people get intoxicated by the atmosphere. Humans sometimes surrender to their instincts rather than reason when they are caught up in a mood. Cara was exactly like that right now.

‘Ah!! Ah!!!’

Her heart was pounding as if it would burst from the brief touch of her hand against Kang Woo-jin’s, so she instinctively said she liked him. Of course, it was more truth than a lie. It was true, but it wasn’t a confession that should have come out so recklessly. It shouldn’t have been. She had just clearly realized her feelings, but to launch a confession attack without any build-up?

‘No! No!!! Turn it back! Turn back time!!’

This was also the first and only confession in Miley Cara’s life. In her heart, she wanted to kick the ground a hundred times in regret, but Cara, who was somehow still standing on her two feet,

-Swish.

Quietly focused her shaking eyes on Kang Woo-jin in front of her. His expression hadn’t changed. He was still indifferent, even cold. Cara’s regret soared several times higher, and she felt a little resentful towards Woo-jin.

‘Still! Even if it was a mistake, I confessed, but isn’t he being too nonchalant!’

Wrong. Kang Woo-jin wasn’t being nonchalant right now; he was just broken. His persona was completely stripped away. Maybe if Cara poked him even slightly, he might flinch and collapse. Cara, who had no way of knowing this,

‘B-but, I think he gave some weird answer just now- or did I mishear?’

Sensed a crisis in Kang Woo-jin’s deep blank expression.

‘That face with no hint of change. I’m going to get rejected. I’m definitely going to get rejected.’

Then, rather, Cara’s heart felt a little relieved. ‘I don’t know, the water’s already spilled, and I’m Miley Cara. It’s not like me to back down.’ That was about the extent of her mindset.

It was at this moment.

“···Miley.”

Kang Woo-jin, who had been silent all along, moved first. He threw a question back in a low tone.

“Did you just say you like me?”

“······”

Cara, who was looking at Woo-jin with a face that said ‘it’s coming,’ swept her blonde hair behind her ear and let out a small breath. Then, with a somewhat awkward smile, she nodded. It was half self-abandonment.

“I guess I said that.”

“Is this a joke?”

“I may be acting on my own, but I’m not some crazy woman who jokes around with genuine feelings.”

Soon, she slightly raised the hand that had brushed against Kang Woo-jin.

“Just the touch of your hand made my heart flutter, which means it’s definitely not a joke.”

“······”

Woo-jin, who somehow maintained his indifference, lowered his eyes to look at Cara’s two hands. They were trembling slightly. At this moment, if Kang Woo-jin wasn’t maintaining his persona, he would have smacked his forehead hard!

‘I’m going crazy, is this real? This nuclear-level global superstar is confessing to me???!’

Kang Woo-jin’s past flashed by like a panorama. Confessions, yeah, I guess there were some. Was it in middle school? But after that, from his military discharge until now, there had been none. So, all emotions related to confessions had vanished. But here, in this distant Hollywood, a world-class top actress and pop star says she likes him.

Kang Woo-jin, who was so shocked he felt like throwing up, gave up on restoring his broken brain function.

“Um.”

He dragged out the time with a pointless hum. He had no idea what to say here. On the other hand, Cara, as if she had attained enlightenment, swept her blonde hair again.

“You’re so calm. I guess it makes sense.”

She thought of Maria Armas. More precisely, she recalled the line where she was going to seduce Kang Woo-jin.

“I guess you’ve experienced this kind of situation a lot, actually, my colleagues around me say you’re very popular.”

“······”

What kind of novel delusion is this?

‘Even if I’m not a eunuch, it’s a serious overstatement to say I’m popular?’

It was news to him, but Kang Woo-jin kept his mouth shut, and Miley Cara, who had lowered her raised hand, moved a little closer to Woo-jin.

“But you’re not reacting at all, say something. It’s okay if it’s a rejection.”

The scent she gave off calmed Woo-jin’s brain a little, but it got twisted again. Ah, damn it, I don’t know. Kang Woo-jin realized that struggling was pointless.

“···Thank you.”

So, he decided to be honest.

‘What’s the point of acting tough or maintaining a persona now? If a woman is coming at me this confidently, it’s too pathetic for me to be indecisive. Let’s not panic and just be myself.’

He just said what was on his mind, as it was.

“I was genuinely surprised.”

“Were you?”

“Yes. By your courage, by your straightforwardness.”

“Honestly, the words just came out without me realizing it, no one could stop it. But it’s true that I mean it.”

“······”

“I’m a little scared to hear your answer- but still, what are your feelings, Woo-jin?”

What are my feelings? Of course, Kang Woo-jin also had feelings for Cara. How could he not, when she was Miley Cara? Not just Woo-jin, but anyone in the world would have feelings. It’s just that he hadn’t thought much about it because there was no possibility. Well, it’s not like he was madly in love, but Kang Woo-jin did have feelings.

But there was something that bothered him.

‘Hoo- is dating the problem?’

Right now, Cara doesn’t know the real Kang Woo-jin, the ordinary citizen at heart. Then, Woo-jin let out a small sigh.

“Hoo- Miley.”

Without hesitation, he dropped his persona. He presented his true self to Cara without any pretense. Well, isn’t that right? When a woman is being this sincere, it’s kind of lame to put on a persona in response to her feelings. So, Kang Woo-jin responded to her confession as if reciprocating it. The atmosphere was softer than usual.

“How should I put this? You confessed, and I kind of messed up my answer? Saying ‘Huuuh?’ That’s the real me.”

“···Huh?”

“So, I have a different core. You know, a persona? In Korea, we call it ‘acting a persona.’ Anyway, there’s a real me, and I’ve been like this since my acting debut. It just happened.”

Miley Cara narrowed her brows. But Kang Woo-jin scratched his black hair and continued honestly.

“Outwardly, I have this image of being cool, cynical, and crazy, but my actual personality isn’t like that. It’s not like I’m a split personality, it’s just that I’ve adopted a persona- Miley, you might be liking Kang Woo-jin with that persona.”

He blurted it out. Maybe the first confession was to Choi Sung-gun? Then, it was the ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ audition. He did it on purpose back then. And this was the third time. Kang Woo-jin added an explanation, just in case.

“I’ve confessed this a few times, and it’s gotten to the point where people don’t believe me, but it’s true? Anyway, it’s hard to explain everything.”

“Kang Woo-jin.”

Blonde Cara interrupted Woo-jin’s explanation. There was a slightly bitter smile on her face.

“If you don’t like it, just say you don’t like it, like you usually do. Why are you talking so strangely and long-windedly, unlike yourself?”

No, no, no, no. Please don’t misunderstand. Kang Woo-jin answered urgently.

“No, it’s because it’s true. It’s not that I don’t like you.”

In that instant, Miley Cara’s blue eyes sparkled.

“You don’t dislike me?”

Woo-jin, sensing that things were slightly off, answered for now.

“···Yes.”

“Then you’re interested in me.”

“Of course. But as I said, what you like is.”

“Okay, that persona or whatever. I’ll believe it.”

You don’t believe it! Kang Woo-jin wanted to grab Cara’s shoulders and shake her. Believe me! Believe me!

“Miley, if you look at me now, isn’t it clearly different from usual?”

“It’s different. But it doesn’t matter. Whether your words are sincere or an excuse. Let’s do this.”

Cara, looking at Kang Woo-jin, glanced towards the hallway and said.

“We have to film ‘Beast and Beauty’ soon, and even though I accidentally revealed my feelings, we’re professionals, and I don’t want to create a situation that harms the production. You feel the same, right?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s talk again after the filming of ‘Beast and Beauty’ is over.”

Miley Cara lowered her voice even more.

“I’m sure you’ll be more on my mind.”

Afterward.

Miley Cara, having finished speaking, suddenly moved. Kang Woo-jin tried to grab her. But he couldn’t.

“Miley, haven’t we finished talking yet?”

Cara’s team members were approaching from a few steps away.

Kang Woo-jin.

‘Aish- shit.’

He judged that pushing any further would be reckless. So, he greeted Cara, who was now mixed in with her team members. He had already put on his persona.

“···Miley, see you at the script reading.”

Cara, sweeping her blonde hair back, nodded.

“Yeah. See you then, I’ll contact you.”

At Miley Cara’s simple greeting, ‘I’ll contact you,’ Woo-jin’s emotions were slightly, no, severely stirred. If no one was around, the corners of his mouth would have already stretched up. But he had to maintain a firm expression.

“Woo-jin.”

Following Cara’s team members, Choi Sung-gun and Kang Woo-jin’s team also approached. Cara, glancing at Woo-jin mixed in with them, walked down the hallway with her team members. Then, her burly, buzz-cut manager, Jonathan, asked.

“Miley, what were you talking about with Kang Woo-jin for so long?”

Cara, shrugging her shoulders, casually brushed it off.

“Just talking about the production.”

“···Really?”

“Yeah. What else would we have to talk about?”

Jonathan looked at Cara with a slightly suspicious gaze. On the other hand, Miley Cara wore a relaxed smile. But her heart was still pounding hard. Of course. She had been desperately pretending to be composed since earlier. Soon, she thought of Kang Woo-jin behind her.

‘Okay, I bought some time somehow.’

Soon, Cara and her team got on the elevator. What broke the silence was Miley Cara.

“Jonathan, isn’t Kang Woo-jin’s image getting too bad right now?”

“Yeah. It’s getting more noisy than I thought.”

She was talking about the ‘Tonight Show.’ The issue of other Best Actor nominees for the ‘Emmy Awards’ being out of the picture. Even though it had been over a week, Woo-jin’s image was being tarnished by the global media and public opinion, including Hollywood. However, this time, it was unusually worse than usual.

It was understandable.

It was the result of a combination of numerous rumors and gossip, Woo-jin’s Cannes acceptance speech mentioning the ‘Academy Awards,’ the press conference for ‘Pierrot,’ and the malicious comments that had been gaining momentum since the moment he was confirmed for the cast of ‘Beast.’ This didn’t sit well with Cara.

“If we leave it like this, it seems like it’ll affect my album, ‘Beneficial Evil,’ and even ‘Beast and Beauty.’ They’re all related to me, right?”

“······Hmm.”

“We need to neutralize it a bit, how about this?”

Cara whispered something to her manager.

Meanwhile, Choi Sung-gun asked Kang Woo-jin, who had moved later than Miley Cara.

“What kind of secret talk were you two whispering about?”

Kang Woo-jin, with an indifferent face, maintained silence for a moment before answering.

“I don’t remember well.”

He was serious.

The next morning.

Despite the shocking events of the previous day, there were no major changes in Kang Woo-jin’s schedule. Woo-jin woke up early in the morning and hurried to prepare for work, to go to the filming set of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain.’ However, his mind was full of Cara as he washed his hair in the bathroom.

“······I still can’t believe it.”

Around the time Kang Woo-jin was washing up, one of the major Hollywood media outlets was breaking an exclusive scoop.

『LA TIME/Last year, Miley Cara almost died on a music video set, and it was Kang Woo-jin, the center of attention, who saved her life』