I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 55

The drama ‘Profiler Han Ryang,’ set in 2010, was reaching its mid-to-late point. After a body was found in the mountains, the method of killing matched that of a past unsolved serial killer, and then Park Dae-ri appeared.

The world seemed to turn upside down, but Park Dae-ri remained calm.

The directing was also exceptional. While the previous 45 minutes or so had a fast-paced rhythm, the scene transition to Park Dae-ri had a slow and comfortable feel.

A quiet park.

Park Dae-ri’s first scene was a close-up, his face very near the camera. Because of this, his face filled the TV screen. If you knew this unknown actor’s face, it would be impossible not to recognize his true identity.

Because of that.

“…That crazy bastard.”

Kim Dae-young’s reaction, as if his eyes were about to pop out, wasn’t strange. Why would it be? Because his close friend, who had been at a short film festival a few days ago, was now appearing on the mega-hit drama ‘Profiler Han Ryang.’

Kim Dae-young’s eyes widened even more as he recalled the day he chased after Kang Woo-jin.

“Th-this was the next project?!”

The drama he was supposed to film was this fast, and there was no mention of it being the most anticipated drama of the first half of the year?! Kim Dae-young’s outburst startled his colleagues again.

“What! What’s wrong, really! You scared me.”

“Oh my gosh, Dae-young! What is it? What’s wrong??”

Slightly dazed by his colleagues’ worried and bewildered questions, Kim Dae-young said,

“No… that’s my frie-.”

He stopped mid-sentence. The complete sentence was ‘That’s my friend,’ but he remembered that his close friend Kang Woo-jin had told him to keep his mouth shut for a while. But the shock was still there.

‘Ha—you son of a bitch! Pulling it all at once. What is this, a delayed attack!’

Kim Dae-young was already surprised enough that Kang Woo-jin was appearing in ‘The Fixer.’ But now, his damn close friend, who had become an actor overnight, was on a drama.

Moreover.

‘The amount of screen time and the camera angles are definitely for a supporting role? He got a supporting role in his first drama?’

Park Dae-ri didn’t seem to be a minor character.

Because of that, he.

“……”

Without answering his colleagues’ questions, he just stared blankly at the TV, and his colleagues, who were tilting their heads, also turned their attention to the TV.

Park Dae-ri’s angles were shown from various perspectives.

From a smile to a blank expression. Those short moments were quickly intercut with front and side views. The depth became more profound. Anyone could tell. His face wore a false expression.

[“……”]

There were no lines. Park Dae-ri in the quiet park was just looking ahead. Park Dae-ri’s face filled the entire TV screen. Then, the corner of Park Dae-ri’s mouth, which had been expressionless, twitched and then returned to a blank expression. The change in expression was incredibly bizarre. Soon, Park Dae-ri slightly raised the corner of his mouth again. But it didn’t last long. He became expressionless again.

At this, Kim Dae-young’s colleagues exclaimed in admiration.

“Oh my, this is crazy. He’s practicing his smile, right?”

“He’s a psychopath, for sure. So creepy. That actor is really good at acting? Well, he must be good to have been cast in that drama, right?”

“What’s really amazing is, look at that. Doesn’t his smile feel a little different each time? And his expressions are all different.”

“He seems like a psychopath without any emotions.”

His colleagues rubbed their arms. Some even had goosebumps. However, Kim Dae-young, watching his close friend on TV, was just appreciating Park Dae-ri’s acting.

‘He can even do that kind of acting? It’s a completely different character from ‘The Fixer,’ and there are no similar parts at all.’

In his eyes, ‘Kim Ryu-jin’ and ‘Park Dae-ri’ seemed like they were being played by completely different actors.

[“Stepped in dog poop.”]

That’s how different each character was in his close friend’s acting.

[“Ah, there it is. You son of a bitch.”]

Before they knew it, Kim Dae-young and his colleagues were completely immersed in ‘Profiler Han Ryang.’ More precisely, in Park Dae-ri, who was giving a passionate performance.

“…Is it because he’s good at acting? The immersion is incredible?”

“I know, right? Who is that actor? Will he come up if I search?”

Soon, Kim Dae-young quietly answered his colleagues, who were becoming interested in the actor playing Park Dae-ri.

“Kang Woo-jin. That actor’s name is Kang Woo-jin.”

“Huh?? Dae-young, you knew him?”

At that moment.

“Wow! Look at that!”

One of his colleagues pointed at the TV with her index finger. The reason was simple.

“Wow—look at how natural the CG is, is it expressing the character’s perspective? Amazing!”

The current screen showed a distorted fairy tale through Park Dae-ri’s eyes. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. But unnatural colors. Some gradation was also added. The ordinary world had turned into a bizarre fairy tale book, and this special effect made Park Dae-ri’s character even more intense.

And Park Dae-ri picked up the dog that had pooped, which was painted yellow.

[“Cute. So fluffy. Makes me want to pop it.”]

His colleagues swallowed hard.

“No way. Is he going to kill that puppy??”

“Ah, it’s too cruel, so maybe they colored it to make it less graphic.”

“Oh my, that red firework must be expressing blood splattering.”

“Aaaah—he’s taking it away, don’t do it!”

But Park Dae-ri on TV disappeared with a fabricated smile while holding the puppy, and Kim Dae-young, who had watched up to this point, chuckled and picked up his phone.

He accessed the group chat where his close friends gathered.

-Dae-young: Kang Woo-jin, you son of a bitch! If I meet you, you’re dead.

The funny thing was that Kang Woo-jin, who never replied, was the fastest to respond.

-Woo-jin: Are you watching SBC, my friend?

-Dae-young: Yeah, you son of a bitch. Hey, guys, Kang Woo-jin is on a drama on SBC right now.

-Woo-jin: Please watch SBC’s Profiler Han Ryang a lot.

-Kyung-sung: ???What is it now???

-Dae-young: The next project of the son of a bitch, actor Kang Woo-jin, is airing.

-Kyung-sung: ???Kang Woo-jin, that bastard, again??

-Hyung-gu: What next project? That short film was released a few days ago, right?

-Dae-young: Check it out with your own eyes. It’s on SBC.

Soon, the close friends who heard the news turned on SBC in their respective locations. The chubby Lee Kyung-sung even threw away the ramen he was eating at home and turned on the TV. He immediately cursed.

“…Shit, it’s real?”

Na Hyung-gu was meeting a woman. He had a blind date. He was having a simple drink, and he also turned on SBC on his phone. Na Hyung-gu also cursed quietly. Even with the blind date in front of him.

“That son of a bitch—he’s really on a drama?”

Meanwhile.

Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Park Dae-ri’ was spreading across the country through the airwaves. Anyone watching SBC on TV at the current time could see Park Dae-ri. For example, a design company that was having a late-night snack while watching the TV in the conference room due to overtime.

“Huh? Isn’t that actor… Woo-jin?”

“Huh? No, it can’t be? I thought Woo-jin was going on a working holiday?”

“…No. It is him, right? What is it, a drama?”

“Yeah. I was changing channels and stopped when I saw it—no, isn’t that Woo-jin? It is, right?”

“That’s right. It’s Woo-jin. It is! Huh?!! Why?”

“No, what is Woo-jin doing there?!”

Or, a group of girls gathered in front of a laptop in a university dormitory. No, it was Kang Woo-jin’s younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, and her friends.

“Wow!! Hey, Kang Hyun-ah! Isn’t that your brother??”

“Yeah! It’s the same as the picture where he received the award, right?”

“What, you said you would watch this drama no matter what, was it because your brother was in it??”

“But wow! Hey, Hyun-ah! Your brother is doing so well! He’s already appearing in a drama??”

The friends were excitedly hitting Kang Hyun-ah’s shoulders and back, but Kang Hyun-ah herself was dazed while watching her brother on the drama. Regardless, her friends were even more excited.

“His acting is so good!”

“Ah! Hyun-ah! Call your brother, call him!”

“He seems to be appearing a lot?? What is it? Ah! A supporting role! He must be a supporting role!”

At this moment, after seeing Park Dae-ri’s smile in the drama, Kang Hyun-ah suddenly realized something.

“Ah… that smile from the teaser.”

The smile of the man with his face covered in the ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ teaser. That was her own brother.

‘No—is that even possible? He started acting two months ago??! But is it realistically possible to get a supporting role???!’

It didn’t make sense. But her brother was definitely on the drama. Here, Kang Hyun-ah pushed away her clinging friends.

“Let go!”

She called her mother. The ringing tone wasn’t long.

“Mom! My brother is on a drama right now!”

Her mother, Seo Hyun-mi’s, answer on the other end of the phone was quick.

“…I know, hang up for now.”

In fact, ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ was also playing at Jinju’s porridge shop. The porridge shop was currently occupied by regular middle-aged women. It was a common sight. Because they were regulars who were close to Seo Hyun-mi.

Those regular middle-aged women clicked their tongues while watching Park Dae-ri on TV.

“Oh my—look at that guy’s eyes, his eyes.”

“He’s creepy. He’s the one who killed them, he is.”

“Whose child is he that his eyes are so cruel?”

Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-cheol, who were standing side by side at the counter watching TV with their eyes wide open, answered at the same time.

“My… child.”

“He’s our son.”

Meanwhile, at the same time. Other drama teams were also monitoring ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ due to the drama war. Both MBS and TVM.

Both dramas were also premiering at the current time.

Like the Han Ryang team, there were teams having dinner together and teams checking the situation on set. Anyway, both sides were watching the actor playing Park Dae-ri.

The funny thing was that both teams looked grim.

“…Damn, his acting is good.”

“It’s not just good. Look at how he expresses himself with his facial muscles without any lines. It’s crazy, it’s crazy.”

“It’s not that crazy. His acting is just restrained, but the immersion is good. How should I say it, it’s full of life, but rather than making his acting seem difficult, it’s like he’s throwing it out easily and casually?”

Of course, it was all because of Park Dae-ri, who appeared at the very end.

“Ugh—he just popped out at the end and is running wild on his own? He’s single-handedly controlling the tension of the drama?”

“He’s definitely a villain. Then it’s 100%, right? He’s the scene-stealer that writer Park talked about in the interview.”

“Definitely. He’s worth writer Park’s praise. Hmm, but who is he? It’s definitely a face I’ve never seen before, but it’s strangely familiar.”

“Me too. He’s definitely a rookie, but I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere. Where did they pick up this gem?”

“Is he a used rookie? Anyway, his acting is decent. Tsk, writer Park would be in trouble if he messed up.”

Somehow, the other drama teams felt jealous from the moment Park Dae-ri appeared. The reason was simple.

“Ah, damn it, he has a good impact. Hey, hey, that’s enough! Let’s watch our drama!”

Their dramas didn’t have an impact that could hook the audience like Park Dae-ri. Around this time, ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ was heading towards the latter half of the drama, and Park Dae-ri, who had just made his first appearance, left a short but strong impression with about 10 minutes of screen time.

No, rather than a strong impression, Park Dae-ri was definitely the core of the first episode.

He brought a hidden incident to the surface and shocked viewers with numerous question marks. Catharsis is properly released when there is a solid villain. In other words, Park Dae-ri was real, not fake. The declaration that writer Park Eun-mi made at the production presentation was not a problem.

The ones who were most disappointed by this were the reporters who had been waiting for it.

“Tsk, his acting is decent. This is a bust.”

Including the 200 or so reporters who attended the production presentation, various entertainment media reporters who were involved in the drama war.

“Hey, reporter Kim, how is it? Is that scene-stealer actor in Han Ryang the real deal?”

“Yes, editor-in-chief. His acting is divine—the production team had a reason to be so confident.”

“That’s a shame. It would have been more fruitful for tomorrow’s articles if it had completely flopped. How high do you think the viewership ratings will be?”

“From what I’ve seen, Han Ryang will probably be the highest~”

The enormous number of reporters were all watching each drama. They had to pounce on any drama that smelled like prey. Of course, the focus was on ‘Profiler Han Ryang.’

However, Han Ryang’s quality was perfect.

Around this time, some reporters felt something from the unknown actor playing Park Dae-ri.

“Ah, this is disappointing… wait? But I feel like I’ve seen this actor somewhere?”

He was definitely a rookie, but there was a familiar taste. Where had they seen him? Then, the reporters suddenly remembered the short film festival that had taken place a few days ago.

“Ah!! Isn’t he the one who won the Best Actor award at the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’ [a prestigious South Korean short film festival]??!”

An unknown actor who had won the Best Actor award at this year’s hot ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival,’ but had not received proper attention due to various issues. Park Dae-ri was that very person.

Okay. This is a good catch, isn’t it?

Some reporters who noticed this immediately lit up.

“Then he’s worked with Hong Hye-yeon in two projects, right? Ah, what was the name of the guy who won the award?”

And not long after.

『[Drama Pick] ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ First Episode… Scene-Stealer Park Dae-ri is Actor Kang Woo-jin, Who Won Best Actor at the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’』

The first article was fired. It was the starting shot.

Around 11:30 PM.

The large barbecue restaurant where the Han Ryang team had gathered was bustling. The first episode of the drama had already ended, and everyone from the production team to the actors was very satisfied with the quality of the first episode.

“Wow—the drama turned out so well!”

“PD-nim [PD is a common abbreviation for Producer-Director], what kind of editing did you do while high??”

“Hahaha, I know, right! Song PD! The scene where Park Dae-ri’s world changes color was amazing, right??”

In particular, the second floor, where the actors and key production staff such as Song Man-woo PD had gathered, was a wild party. Actors and staff were all busy praising each other.

In the midst of this, Kang Woo-jin.

‘It’s fun, it’s really fun.’

He was purely happy. Of course, only in his mind. His face was more stoic than ever, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the TV where the drama had ended.

‘I looked so awkward when I appeared, but the more I watch it, the more I seem to be getting used to it.’

Whatever the case, unlike ‘The Fixer,’ ‘Profiler Han Ryang’ was broadcast nationwide. Who watched it? How many people watched it? What did everyone think of my acting?

Here, Kang Woo-jin picked up his phone.

‘I expected these guys to go crazy.’

His close friends were constantly chatting in the group chat. Dozens of messages had also arrived from his younger sister, and several messages had come from Woo-jin’s parents. On top of that.

‘I didn’t expect the people from the design company to have watched it.’

The people from the design company, who were his former colleagues, had also sent messages. Perhaps, without knowing it, even more people had watched the drama.

At that moment.

-♬♪

The phone of Song Man-woo PD, who had a beard and was clinking soju [a popular Korean distilled beverage] glasses with the actors and staff, rang. A message had arrived. Song Man-woo PD quickly snatched the phone on the table.

It seemed like he was waiting for something.

The unusual thing was.

“Did it come??”

“How much did it come out to?”

“PD-nim, hurry, hurry!”

All the dozens of staff and actors were focused on Song Man-woo PD. Writer Park Eun-mi even swallowed hard with a serious expression. Woo-jin tilted his head slightly. Why are they all looking at the PD-nim instead of drinking?

Regardless.

-Swish.

As soon as Song Man-woo PD, who was the focus of everyone’s attention, looked at his phone screen, his eyes widened. Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“…Real-time interim viewership ratings. MBS 5.9%.”

A moment of silence fell over the entire space. Perhaps because of that, Song Man-woo PD’s voice was loud.

“TVM 2.7%.”

Song Man-woo PD, who slowly raised his head, scanned everyone and then smiled wryly.

“Ours, 20.3%.”