I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 52

Around 10 AM, Kang Woo-jin’s studio apartment.

A figure lay still on the neatly made bed in the center of the studio. It was Kang Woo-jin, sound asleep, oblivious to the world, even if it were ending.

The reason he was still asleep at this hour was simple.

CEO Choi Sung-gun had told him that today, Saturday the 9th, was his day off.

It was after completing the hectic schedule of the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival.’ He deserved a day off. It was clear he would soon be busy again. Of course, Woo-jin’s agency, BW Entertainment, was a battlefield even at this hour. ‘The Fixer’ had swept up awards for both the film and acting.

As investors, Hong Hye-yeon, Kang Woo-jin, and others were riding a wave of good news.

Whether he knew it or not, ‘The Fixer’ director Shin Dong-chun would be busy with film company meetings and interviews, and Hong Hye-yeon was also in chaos, with the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’ issues adding to her already packed schedule.

‘······Kuh-‘

The now-sleeping Kang Woo-jin was also receiving a flood of inquiries from various production companies and film studios. There were also quite a few interview requests from various film industry media and magazines. Although his public recognition was still low, he was being treated as a blue-chip [a highly valued asset] in the film industry.

All of this went through BW Entertainment.

However, Choi Sung-gun had asked Kang Woo-jin to wait for now.

‘Woo-jin, we’re riding a fast current right now, but let’s observe the situation for a bit.’

Hong Hye-yeon was already a top star, so it was understandable, but Kang Woo-jin was in a very sensitive and cautious period. First, the company needed to organize the flood of meetings and interviews.

Well, Kang Woo-jin just nodded silently.

Anyway, Kang Woo-jin was enjoying a rare, sweet sleep. But his sweet sleep didn’t last long.

-Vvvvvvv, vvvvvvv.

The phone by his head vibrated loudly. It was a call. However, Woo-jin only groggily opened his eyes and didn’t answer the phone. Why?

‘···Why does she call whenever she’s bored?’

The caller was his younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah. The reason for the call was obviously going to be annoying questions.

‘What—did she see the articles?’

Soon, Kang Woo-jin, who had casually ignored the call, got up and stretched.

‘I can contact Mom, Dad, and Kang Hyun-ah after visiting the subspace—’

Kang Woo-jin muttered to himself and lowered his gaze to the small table. There were quite a few scripts and screenplays piled up. Among them, Kang Woo-jin picked up the ‘Island of the Missing’ screenplay.

Kang Woo-jin had already finished the first reading of ‘Island of the Missing’.

‘Should I start with small roles step by step?’

He needed to read it a few more times for a clearer understanding, but since the casting for the work was almost confirmed, he intended to gradually experience all the roles from now on.

‘I used to go often when I was resting, but it’s been a while since I’ve gone for a reading.’

Whatever.

-Thud!

Woo-jin poked the black square next to the ‘Island of the Missing’ screenplay. He entered the subspace. The subspace was still endlessly empty and dark. Kang Woo-jin, who wasn’t nervous at all, yawned again and turned around.

Three familiar white squares were floating.

-[1/Screenplay (Title: The Fixer), Grade A]

-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), Grade S]

-[3/Screenplay (Title: Island of the Missing), Grade A+]

Among them, Kang Woo-jin stroked his chin while looking at the white square of ‘The Fixer’.

‘Grade A······Hmm. It was definitely Grade A for a short film, right? It swept up the grand prize for the work and the acting award, and the best award.’

He was assessing the grade A. The good news for director Shin Dong-chun, Hong Hye-yeon, and Kang Woo-jin was just beginning, but Woo-jin, who lacked knowledge, just brushed it off with ‘Well, this side is like that’.

Next, Kang Woo-jin chose ‘Island of the Missing’.

Among the roles listed, Woo-jin decided on ‘Private Kim’ at the very end. It was a role with some weight even among the minor roles. He appeared in the very first scene of the screenplay and was responsible for the theme, stimulation, and tension of the play.

His screen time was less than 5 minutes, but it was a very important role.

Kang Woo-jin took a small deep breath just before choosing Private Kim. It was a small role, but the experience was extraordinary.

‘Hoo-oop- Hoo-‘

Then, Woo-jin selected Private Kim with his index finger.

[‘Preparing for ‘P: Private Kim’ reading······’]

Soon, a friendly female voice was heard.

[‘······Preparation complete. It is a very high-quality script or screenplay. The implementation rate is 100%. Starting the reading.’]

A large gray mass covered Kang Woo-jin.

A hot wind blew.

-Saaah

It was summer. The stickiness and suffocating temperature. Then, Kang Woo-jin’s gray vision gradually cleared.

It was probably afternoon, but the surroundings were dark.

The dense forest was blocking the light. The surroundings were all trees and rocks. No, there was something else.

‘Graves?’

Dozens of round graves with straight wooden planks stuck in front of him were visible to Woo-jin. There were also strange sculptures. Stones were piled up haphazardly, and a bizarre doll was stuck on top.

A grotesque and subtle air permeated the area.

From here, everything about ‘Private Kim’ began to be hammered into Kang Woo-jin. His thoughts, emotions, senses, and current psychological state. Kang Woo-jin had taken on Private Kim.

‘Shit—shit!’

He didn’t know when it had accumulated, but Kang Woo-jin was now filled with tremendous fear. His breaths were uneven. He was breathing in and out, holding his breath, and then exhaling. He was breathing in and out like crazy.

‘Hiss! Hhhiss, hoo-‘

Kang Woo-jin was alone.

Woo-jin stood alone in this crazy forest where he didn’t know where he was. He felt dampness. He looked down. He was wearing a military uniform. He also saw military boots covered in mud, and there was a dark stain in the center of his military pants.

Private Kim. No, Woo-jin had peed himself.

The trembling of his whole body didn’t stop. He felt goosebumps on his back, and the hairs on his forearms, which were exposed by the rolled-up sleeves of his military uniform, stood on end.

And.

-Click.

He was holding a rifle in his hand. The rifle slung over his shoulder, ready to fire at any moment, was loaded. Come out, you bastards, come out. I’ll shoot you all dead. Kang Woo-jin cursed inwardly.

But it was just a bluff to reduce his fear.

His whole body felt heavy like a wet towel. That’s how it felt. He was sore everywhere from how much he had run and rolled around, and hardened mud was stuck all over his forearms and face. His thigh was stinging as if something had pierced it. But that was not a problem right now.

Ha, the helmet is heavy.

Kang Woo-jin, who wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead, took a ragged breath and took off his helmet. He felt a brief moment of coolness. The helmet he took off fell to the ground.

-Thud!

At that moment.

-Rustle!

He heard a sound behind him. At the same time, Kang Woo-jin, who suddenly turned his body, shook his gun barrel anxiously here and there.

‘Huk, huk-‘

There was something. There was something, so he had run away and hid. But there was nothing visible now. Kang Woo-jin sobbed, shaking his gun barrel repeatedly. He wanted to find his comrades.

‘S-Sergeant Kim! Corporal Park!!’

‘······’

But there was no answer. The more that happened, the more desperately Private Kim called for his comrades.

‘Th-there! Is that Corporal Park?! You’re there, right?? Or is it Sergeant Jang??! Are you there! Answer if you’re there!!’

The sticky fear exploded. Kang Woo-jin started firing his rifle as he felt.

-Bang bang bang! Bang bang!

Five shots. He didn’t know who he was aiming at or where they hit. It wasn’t a warning either. He just wanted to reduce the rising fear.

‘······Shit—where did everyone go?’

At that moment.

‘Gurgle—Private Kim.’

A bizarre voice was heard right behind Kang Woo-jin. No, was it even a voice? Woo-jin sensed something and peed himself again.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woo-jin slowly turned his body. A person was standing behind him. It was Corporal Park, whom he had been looking for. A smile quickly spread across Kang Woo-jin’s face.

‘Corporal······Park?’

That was only for a moment. He realized that only Corporal Park’s upper body was standing in front of him. His lower body was torn and not visible. At this time, the strange sound was heard again.

‘Gurgle-‘

Something was holding Corporal Park’s upper body. Kang Woo-jin fired his gun at whatever it was.

-Bang bang bang bang!!

‘Shit! Shit, die! Die!!’

At that moment.

-Thud!

‘Guh-‘

A long object that had pierced through Corporal Park’s upper body pierced through Kang Woo-jin’s stomach. It was full of wrinkles. He felt the excruciating pain of all the organs in his body being severed at once. When Kang Woo-jin, who had lowered his head, looked forward again.

-Whoosh!

For some reason, Kang Woo-jin’s vision turned upside down.

‘······Huh?’

And Woo-jin’s head fell to the ground with a thud.

‘Gurgle!’

Because his neck was cut off and separated from his body.

Early afternoon on the same day, Jinju, Gyeongnam [a province in South Korea].

Kang Woo-jin’s parents, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol, were in their porridge shop, stuck to the counter. To be precise.

‘Yes, Woo-jin.’

They were on the phone with their son, Woo-jin. It was their first call since receiving a text message a few days ago. Kang Woo-cheol put the phone down after turning on the speakerphone.

‘You rascal. What the heck happened?’

‘Yeah, yeah, do you know how curious Mom and Dad were??’

Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol excitedly spoke into the phone. Their son, who was acting, had won some kind of award after two months, so what parents wouldn’t be like that? Anyway, Kang Woo-jin on the other end of the phone explained calmly.

‘Ah—I’m sorry. But it wasn’t that big of a film festival.’

‘What kind of film festival was it? Mom tried to look it up, but I couldn’t find it exactly.’

‘Um, it’s a short film festival that only judges short films, not commercial films that are shown in theaters. Of course, it’s a big film festival for a newbie like me, but overall, it’s small.’

‘Anyway, you won the acting award there, right?’

‘That’s right. I was lucky. It seems like my next project will be coming out soon. A drama.’

‘Is that possible? Is it normal for an actor to have things go so smoothly?’

‘No, that’s not the case. I guess I’m just naturally good at acting. It’s going well since I started doing it.’

‘······Huh?’

‘What did you say?’

The call with their son continued for several tens of minutes. However, they had to end it regretfully as customers came in. Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol had heard their son’s explanation, but they didn’t understand any of it.

Still, they had to acknowledge that he had received an award.

Even while preparing the ordered porridge, the two kept talking about their son. It started with Seo Hyun-mi.

‘Was my son actually a genius at acting? Woo-jin was introverted when he was young.’

‘Those kinds of kids suddenly change. Woo-jin was handsome like me, even when he was young.’

‘What are you talking about? His nose and eyes are exactly like mine.’

While talking, Seo Hyun-mi suddenly clapped her hands.

‘Ah! Come to think of it, one of Woo-jin’s friends, what was his name? Anyway, there was a kid who liked acting, right?’

‘Oh yeah, the one who looked a bit like a gorilla? Big and bulky. Was his name Kim Dae-myung? Dae-young?’

‘Is he working with him?’

Soon, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol, who were preparing the porridge, danced with their shoulders.

‘He said it’s a drama??! Does this mean we can see our Woo-jin on TV, even if it’s short?’

Meanwhile, at a university dormitory in Seoul.

The university was deserted because it was a Saturday weekend. However, there were many university students in the dormitory. Among them, Kang Hyun-ah, who was lying face down on the right bed in a double room, was.

‘Wow—amazing. ‘The Fixer’ also won the grand prize for the work.’

She was doing a full-scale search on her laptop. What else could it be? It was related to ‘The Fixer,’ which her brother had appeared in. Unfortunately, she couldn’t watch the movie, but just typing Kang Woo-jin in the search bar brought up quite a few articles.

It was her first time experiencing such a strange thing in her life.

Yesterday, she had been talking about Kang Woo-jin with her friends all the time. Her friends were begging her to let them talk to him once, but her brother, Kang Woo-jin, the main character, had not answered the phone even once. So, Kang Hyun-ah was just searching for information about her brother.

‘Wow, the community is also quite a mess? Which agency is he with?’

At this time.

-♬♪

Kang Hyun-ah’s phone rang. The caller was Kang Woo-jin, whom she had been waiting for. That is, her brother. Kang Hyun-ah immediately put the phone to her ear.

‘Ah!! Are you kidding me?!’

Woo-jin’s sigh was immediately heard over the phone.

‘Ha—my ears are going to fall off. Why do you keep missing my calls? Study a little.’

‘I am! Oppa, why are you ignoring my calls??’

‘Tell me ten reasons why I should answer.’

‘Because you’re my oppa! And······I don’t know! Is Oppa really becoming a celebrity??’

‘I’m planning to, and you should just focus on your studies.’

‘Wow······This is crazy. No, how?? How is that possible? How did you win an award in two months? Which agency are you with? Are you close to Hong Hye-yeon? What’s your next project? Did you film something else?’

A barrage of crazy questions. At this, Kang Woo-jin sighed again.

‘Even if I answer all of that, more questions will keep popping up. Hey, I’ll tell you everything when the time comes, so study. If your grades are good this time, I’ll give you an allowance.’

‘······Wow. From Oppa?’

‘You don’t want it?’

‘No?’

‘So, you take care of yourself. I’m hanging up.’

‘Aaaah, Oppa, just one! Just one! What are you filming now??’

‘A drama.’

-Click!

The call ended just like that, and Kang Hyun-ah, who slowly lowered her phone, covered her mouth with both hands, whether it was from goosebumps or not.

‘Sh······But a drama? Wow. Is it just going to be a brief appearance?’

At that time, at GGO Entertainment in Nonhyeon-dong [a neighborhood in Seoul].

CEO Seo Gu-seop, a bulldog, was sitting in the head seat of the wide 5-person sofa in the CEO’s office. His face was stiff, and he looked very unhappy. Next to him sat Park Jung-hyuk, who had not attended the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival,’ and there were about four or five employees around them.

At this time, an employee sitting on the left cautiously spoke.

‘As a result, it was the right decision for Jung-hyuk to not attend the closing and awards ceremony. Currently, the focus is on ‘The Fixer,’ Hong Hye-yeon, and the unknown actor who won the grand prize······’

CEO Seo Gu-seop, who had heard the report, rubbed his forehead and spoke in a cold voice.

‘Regarding Jung-hyuk.’

‘There is no particular mention of him except for the day of the awards ceremony. If he had attended the awards ceremony… he would have been ridiculed even more than now.’

-Bang!!

CEO Seo Gu-seop slammed his fist on the armrest of the sofa.

‘Shit! Why is everything so messed up!!’

Thanks to that, the employees and Park Jung-hyuk, who had a noble appearance, were startled, and Seo Gu-seop, who barely calmed down, glared at Park Jung-hyuk on the left.

‘Hey, that’s why I told you to put your life on the line here, right?’

‘······I’m sorry.’

‘How badly did you act that you lost to that unknown trash?’

In fact, Park Jung-hyuk had not attended, but CEO Seo Gu-seop had attended the closing and awards ceremony of the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival,’ and he had been busy glaring at ‘The Fixer’ team, including Kang Woo-jin, the whole time.

‘Hong Hye-yeon, okay, I was also betrayed, and I understand if it’s her. But an unknown? You lost to an unknown?’

‘B-but, CEO. Hong Hye-yeon also lost the Best Actress award to that unknown.’

‘Shut up?! You should have crushed them both!!’

CEO Seo Gu-seop, a bulldog, sighed as if his head was throbbing, and gave instructions to the employees on the right.

‘Hoo—First, that unknown bastard who won the grand prize. Kang Woo-jin? Dig into his background. His crazy acting is also strange, and it’s weird that he suddenly appeared. Find out exactly what kind of guy he is from the beginning.’

‘Understood. We’ll start with the domestic theater scene right away.’

‘No.’

CEO Seo Gu-seop, who suddenly interrupted the employee’s words, shook his head.

‘It’s not domestic, he’s probably from Japan. He seemed to be close to that director Kyoshiro and spoke Japanese like it was his mother tongue.’

He murmured seriously to the employees.

‘So, dig into the Japanese side.’

CEO Seo Gu-seop was also infected.

End