I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 59

After the Monday buzz surrounding ‘Profiler Han-ryang,’ time flew by, perhaps because the world was so noisy. Of course, the popularity of ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ didn’t wane; it actually exploded.

The media was in a frenzy, and so was public opinion.

Even with a few days left until the third episode aired, the 23% viewership rating was a massive talking point. The internet was constantly generating content. On social media, the word ‘Han-ryang’ was everywhere, and most of the popular posts on various blogs and online communities were also about Han-ryang.

Especially on YouTube, a flood of content erupted.

-!Intensive Analysis of ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ Episode 1! What kind of foreshadowing is hidden in the drama??!!｜DramaManTV

Drama reviews, analyses, and a huge number of YouTubers covered ‘Profiler Han-ryang.’

This was what a trend looked like.

Once a super-popular drama opens the floodgates, everything else gradually follows. It’s no different in fashion or broadcasting. Only the content changes. The public always craves new stimulation.

This time, the stimulation was ‘Profiler Han-ryang.’

Therefore, Park Dae-ri’s popularity was bound to skyrocket. Recently, the public had become very discerning. Now, actors couldn’t win just by having a pretty face. They needed acting talent, presence, and a compelling story. They only received attention when all of those elements were present. If they also had good looks, it was the cherry on top.

Kang Woo-jin possessed all of those qualities.

Although his circumstances weren’t all top-tier, he managed to satisfy every requirement.

More than anything.

-Even when watching the drama live and then on YouTube… Park Dae-ri’s acting is so immersive….

Acting. Rookie Kang Woo-jin, who embodied Park Dae-ri, was exceptional in his performance. He had earned the recognition of the demanding public.

-Honestly, lol, I’m a bit tired of Park Eun-mi’s dramas, but Park Dae-ri is a godsend, lol.

Surprisingly, it was the people around Kang Woo-jin, who knew his true self, who were enjoying this situation more than Kang Woo-jin himself. For example, Kim Dae-young, whose work attendance at the company was nearing its end.

“Look at this jerk? What? Someone thinks Kang Woo-jin’s acting looks awkward? Is he crazy? How dare he leave a bad comment. Take a downvote.”

The first thing he did every day was search for ‘Kang Woo-jin’ in the search bar. Of course, all three of his best friends, including Kim Dae-young, did the same.

“These damn reporters again. Spreading ridiculous rumors. What? Kang Woo-jin is Korean-Japanese? That’s insane. He’s a pure-blooded Korean, you moron. It’s ‘Oh, Pilseung Korea’ [a patriotic slogan meaning ‘Victory Korea’].”

The trio seemed to be enjoying it more than Kang Woo-jin. Then, Kim Dae-young accessed the website of Woo-jin’s agency, BW Entertainment. He was hoping for new news. Since Kang Woo-jin was slow to respond, this was faster.

And there.

“Huh?”

Kim Dae-young found something.

“…Job posting?”

BW Entertainment had posted a notice that they were hiring staff.

Meanwhile, there was another person who was spending their day similarly to Kim Dae-young. It was Kang Woo-jin’s younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah.

“Wow! There are so many search results!”

She also immediately connected to the internet as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning. Of course, she was searching for her brother.

“What, did he even create a social media account, something he never did before??”

It was understandable. Until a few days ago, there was no news about her brother, but suddenly, the internet was overflowing with it. Countless people were shouting Kang Woo-jin’s name on YouTube and various online communities. Kang Hyun-ah felt a strange emotion rising.

It was subtly thrilling, yet it didn’t feel real.

“Ugh! What’s with the photos! Look at that serious gaze, stop trying to look cool!”

For reference, Kang Hyun-ah’s friends had also fallen for Kang Woo-jin. Of course, it was after watching ‘Profiler Han-ryang.’ Therefore, the four of them, including Kang Hyun-ah, would start talking about Kang Woo-jin as soon as they met.

“Hyun-ah! Woo-jin oppa [an honorific term for older brother used by females] updated his social media!”

“I know, I saw it. Ugh, it’s so cringey.”

“Why? He’s so handsome? But is Woo-jin oppa not doing another project? There’s no news on the official website or social media.”

“I don’t know either. He doesn’t reply to my messages.”

At that moment, one of her friends clapped her hands.

“Oh, right! Fan club! Woo-jin oppa doesn’t have an official fan club yet, right? Should we create one?? Hyun-ah, you can be the leader.”

Kang Hyun-ah was momentarily stunned, then for some reason, she stroked her chin.

“That’s not bad?”

It was around this time that, in various unspecified places on the internet, little by little.

-Wow, lol, I was really surprised, lol. Kang Woo-jin acting? There was no talk of him acting when he was in high school, lol.

Forgotten acquaintances of Kang Woo-jin began to surface.

Two days later, on Wednesday the 20th.

Around lunchtime. Kang Woo-jin could be found at a high-end Korean traditional restaurant near Sinsa Station. It was a VIP room, and there were quite a few people around a long table with water glasses. Kang Woo-jin, wearing a black fleece, was with Choi Sung-gun, and on the opposite side were.

“Thank you for making time, Woo-jin-ssi. You must be very busy.”

Four people, including the plump woman who had just spoken to Woo-jin. The plump woman was a director. Her name was Kim Do-hee. She had tousled hair and a strong presence. She looked to be in her mid-40s? And the other three were from the production company that was making the movie ‘Drug Dealer’ together.

In other words, this meeting was related to the movie ‘Drug Dealer.’

“Hello, Director. It’s nice to meet you.”

Kim Do-hee, the director across from him, was slightly surprised by Woo-jin’s greeting, which was particularly expressionless today.

“No, I’ve seen you a lot at the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival,’ Woo-jin-ssi. Of course, only I saw you. But you’re… much calmer than I thought?”

“I tend to be like that.”

“Your voice is also very low. I thought you were a bit indifferent at the film festival, but it feels even quieter than that.”

At this, Choi Sung-gun put on a business smile.

“Our Woo-jin is usually very calm. But he transforms completely when he acts.”

“I know, CEO Choi. I saw ‘The Fixer.’ It’s even more amazing to meet Woo-jin-ssi in person? Kim Ryu-jin was very clumsy and a bit frivolous, and the recent Park Dae-ri is a psychopath and sociopath. But the real Kang Woo-jin is the epitome of seriousness. There aren’t many actors with so many different colors.”

“Haha, right? He even looks good in any role you put him in. And his acting too.”

“……”

Director Kim Do-hee slowly nodded her head and stared at Kang Woo-jin’s face across from her.

‘Looking at him up close, he’s deep and intense. It must be the charm he exudes.’

Kang Woo-jin, with his indifferent face, was wondering inwardly.

‘Why is she staring at me? It’s not a staring contest….’

As soon as she saw Kang Woo-jin, Director Kim Do-hee was certain and let out a small sigh.

“Hoo—seeing you in person, the synchronization rate is even better. That’s why I want you even more, Woo-jin-ssi.”

It was Kang Woo-jin who asked back.

“What kind of synchronization rate are you talking about?”

“…First, let me be honest about the situation of our movie ‘Drug Dealer.’ As you already know, the movie is in the middle of filming. Of course, all the roles were cast, and there were no major problems. However, Oh Jun-woo recently.”

“It was a car accident, right?”

At this, Choi Sung-gun answered instead.

“It seems you saw the news. Oh Jun-woo’s car accident.”

Director Kim Do-hee nodded.

“That’s right. He fractured his right arm in the accident. Just thinking about it makes my head want to explode.”

“So, Oh Jun-woo had to drop out due to the accident. The role Jun-woo was supposed to play was that cameo role.”

“It’s called a cameo, but it’s a very important role, so honestly, the production company and I were in a panic. Then, I happened to go to the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’ and saw Woo-jin-ssi. Specifically, I saw Woo-jin-ssi speaking fluent Japanese. I saw a light.”

When his name was mentioned, Kang Woo-jin spoke in a low voice.

“There were quite a few Japanese lines in that cameo role.”

Director Kim Do-hee smiled slightly bitterly.

“Did you read the script? Thank you. The cameo role has connections in both Korea and Japan, and since he needs to be fluent in both Korean and Japanese, Japanese is essential.”

At this point, Kang Woo-jin roughly understood the situation.

“I understand the situation.”

“Ah, but it’s not just your Japanese that caught my eye, Woo-jin-ssi. Your acting was amazing—no, it was the best. The cameo role has a high level of acting difficulty, with drug addiction and the charisma of a boss. There are also some things to practice if you look at the detailed settings.”

“……”

“But, I don’t know, even as I’m making the offer, it feels like it’s becoming less and less likely. The acting difficulty is high, including the Japanese, and it also feels like a bit of a fill-in role. The time is also a bit tight.”

“When are you planning to film the cameo role?”

“…If we put it at the very end, it would be over a month, but since there are quite a few people involved, we need to start filming within about three weeks.”

As soon as he heard the answer, Choi Sung-gun shook his head slightly, as if it were impossible.

“Three weeks—that seems a bit difficult. Even if we ignore the fact that he’s suddenly being thrown onto the set.”

Director Kim Do-hee’s bitter smile deepened, as if she knew it too.

“That’s right, so I was thinking of removing the Japanese or excluding other settings, but then the energy of the cameo role would die completely. It can’t be helped. Moreover, Woo-jin-ssi is rapidly rising as Han-ryang.”

Soon, the production manager sitting next to her let out a long sigh.

“Director. It seems the answer is to remove that role.”

“Yeah, we have to. We’ll have to temporarily stop filming and start revising the script.”

“Director.”

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin’s solemn voice rang out.

“I think it’s possible.”

Then, everyone except Kang Woo-jin’s eyes widened. But Woo-jin was calm. That was because.

‘Three weeks? That’s long. I could do it in three days.’

Three weeks was more than enough. He could handle it even if he had to start today. Because he had the subspace [a fictional space where he can practice]. And a fill-in? Did that matter? While typical actors might see it negatively, Kang Woo-jin, who had seen the dirty side of things at the design company, didn’t care at all.

‘So what if it’s a fill-in? If I act, it’s mine.’

Remove all the complicated and annoying relationships? Kang Woo-jin thought it would be stupid not to do ‘Drug Dealer.’ It was a decent B+ grade, and he could easily handle the Japanese. The short filming period as a cameo was also good.

‘It’s not like A-grade or S-grade roles come out every day. Then, let’s go.’

The possibility of the B+ grade rising further couldn’t be ignored. In short, Kang Woo-jin.

“I will do that cameo role, Director.”

He had decided to do ‘Drug Dealer.’ At this, Director Kim Do-hee and the production company staff were surprised with their mouths open. On the other hand, Choi Sung-gun, who had become accustomed to Woo-jin’s eccentric behavior, was.

‘Woo-jin must have smelled something in ‘Drug Dealer.’ That crazy sense of his has been activated again.’

He smirked and suddenly said to Director Kim Do-hee across from him.

“Director, how much did you have in mind for Woo-jin’s appearance fee? Of course, there will be an additional fee for joining in such a difficult situation, right?”

The negotiation for his fee had begun.

The next morning, at BW Entertainment.

On the 21st, the day before the YouTube ‘Sports Day’ variety show filming related to the ‘Profiler Han-ryang’ promotion schedule, Choi Sung-gun and Kang Woo-jin’s team entered the office where all the employees were working frantically. Then, Jang Soo-hwan and Han Ye-jung immediately approached the promotion team staff, and Choi Sung-gun, whose face was etched with fatigue, said.

“Hoo—I’m so tired I could die.”

He headed straight to the CEO’s office. Kang Woo-jin was nowhere to be seen, as if he had gone to the bathroom. Anyway, when Choi Sung-gun opened the door to the CEO’s office.

“CEO!”

The big-faced operations team leader rushed to Choi Sung-gun.

“There are a few issues, I’ve already submitted the report, but I’ll tell you the urgent ones. First, about the staff recruitment.”

“Okay, okay, go ahead.”

“We’re getting quite a few applicants. When should we schedule the interviews?”

“Hmm, I’d like to see them if possible. How about we finalize the announcement next week and do the interviews then? I’ll let you know the exact schedule after checking Woo-jin-ssi’s schedule.”

“Yes, yes, and Hye-yeon-ssi’s contract with the clothing brand is expiring, so they’ve requested a renewal.”

“Since Hye-yeon-ssi said she’s okay with extending it, let’s keep the conditions the same but get a bit more for the contract fee.”

“Yes!”

The team leader answered confidently and pointed to the stack of papers he had placed on the desk in the CEO’s office.

“This is related to Woo-jin-ssi. We received another script yesterday. There’s a web drama and all sorts of fantastic genres.”

“Well, I guess so.”

“But.”

At that moment, the operations team leader made a meaningful expression and picked up two of the stacks of papers.

“These two are quite big.”

“Big? What do you mean? Let’s see, who’s the writer?”

“One is a script by the famous writer Lee Wol-sun.”

Choi Sung-gun, who was about to unfold the stack of papers, stopped and his eyes widened.

“Lee Wol-sun? That writer sent a script?”

“Yes, yes, the broadcasting station is KBC. You know Seo CP [Chief Producer] there, right?”

“Seo CP? Ah, the guy who looks like a weasel.”

“That’s right. Seo CP called, and his voice was overflowing with excitement. He said they had secured Lee Wol-sun.”

“…Lee Wol-sun is eyeing Woo-jin—that’s a huge deal? If he goes straight to Lee Wol-sun after Park Eun-mi, what kind of impact will that have?”

“The media will go crazy. Especially since Woo-jin-ssi is growing rapidly as Park Dae-ri.”

Choi Sung-gun, whose smile was deepening, stroked his chin.

‘Yeah, that jealous Lee Wol-sun would definitely be interested in Woo-jin. She must be conscious of Park Eun-mi. Still, it’s unexpected. Lee Wol-sun is known for not using rookies.’

Whatever it was, it was good news. No, it was close to a celebration. Therefore, Choi Sung-gun set aside Lee Wol-sun’s script and pointed to the other stack of papers.

“What’s next?”

“Ah, the rest are weaker than Lee Wol-sun. It’s a script from Park Eun-mi’s assistant writer.”

“Ah—that’s ambiguous.”

“It is, right? Since there’s a relationship, we can’t openly ignore it. It’s even a one-act [a short drama].”

“A one-act? Tsk. A one-act by an assistant writer is definitely a no-go for the current Woo-jin, but Park Eun-mi is involved, so it’s annoying.”

“But what’s good is that this script was sent by the Netflix creative team.”

“Netflix? Why is the story suddenly jumping there?”

“It’s an award-winning entry from a contest.”

“Huh—is that so? Ah, I think I heard about it. Netflix is doing a one-act project this time.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Choi Sung-gun, who was retying his ponytail, let out a small sigh.

“Hmm—still, a one-act is a bit… Considering Woo-jin-ssi’s schedule, we have to either drop both or go with one… Looking at it, both genres are the same? Rom-com [romantic comedy]. Why do they have to be the same genre?”

“In my opinion, Lee Wol-sun’s is far superior. In terms of the buzz and Woo-jin-ssi’s future.”

“Of course, it is.”

At that moment.

-Swish.

Kang Woo-jin, who had come back from the bathroom, entered the CEO’s office. He was wearing a hat and a zip-up hoodie. As soon as Woo-jin entered, the team leader left the CEO’s office, and Choi Sung-gun handed two scripts to Woo-jin, who was sitting at the desk in front.

“Woo-jin, it might be a bit chaotic all of a sudden, but you need to check this. We received two more rom-com scripts.”

“Yes, are these the two?”

“Yeah. ‘Drug Dealer’ is confirmed, so don’t look at other scripts and just look at those two.”

-Flip.

With an indifferent expression, Woo-jin immediately opened Lee Wol-sun’s script. At the same time, Choi Sung-gun poured out the information he had received from the operations team leader. Explanations of the two writers, the situation, and so on. Kang Woo-jin seemed to be concentrating on listening, although he paused slightly while listening.

Then.

“Sigh—there are some relationships involved. They’re both rom-coms. Anyone can see that going with Lee Wol-sun is the right choice, but it’s a bit difficult to ignore Park Eun-mi. It’s a bit difficult to choose, but still.”

“No, it’s not that difficult.”

“…Huh?”

Kang Woo-jin simply pointed at one of the two scripts with his index finger and spoke in a cynical tone.

“I’ll do this one.”

It was the one-act script from Park Eun-mi’s assistant writer.