I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 9

“······M-My fee?”

The production manager, sitting across from the bearded Song Man-woo PD, frowned deeply at his response.

“No, what kind of fee is a guy with an unclear filmography from the past to now even thinking about? Talking about a fee from the start is absurd!”

The production manager suddenly became agitated. Of course, his current reaction was natural. He was even affiliated with CBlue Studio, a major domestic production company. From his perspective, Kang Woo-jin was no different from an ordinary person.

With a very secretive past.

For such a guy to talk about a fee before even starting? It was an absurd act to the production manager, who had been involved in numerous projects. He had never seen such an actor. That’s why the production manager’s voice rose.

“No matter how unique this Kang Woo-jin guy is, that’s not right. It shouldn’t be. It should just end as the PD’s speculation.”

“Well, that’s true, but-”

Even the big shot Song Man-woo PD had similar thoughts. The idea of him trying to raise his fee was just his speculation. However, that Kang Woo-jin was a unique character he had never seen before. And what about his acting skills?

He easily surpassed even veterans who had been at the top for over 10 years.

Moreover, the heavy atmosphere, the tenacity, and the aura he had shown so far. A ‘super actor’ who came out for fun. Could such a guy really not have the guts to negotiate his fee from the start?

‘Even Writer Park openly hinted that she was smitten.’

It wasn’t just Writer Park Eun-mi. Song Man-woo PD, Hong Hye-yeon, and everyone else who had seen Kang Woo-jin in the meeting room today were captivated by him. If they were aware of that, it seemed like negotiating a fee was a possibility.

In other words.

‘It’s a bit awkward since this is the first time we’re so desperate from the start.’

Looking at the situation, Kang Woo-jin was currently the one in control, and they were the ones being led. At this point, Song Man-woo PD, who had been lost in thought with his arms crossed,

-Swish.

Turned his head towards Writer Park Eun-mi, who was sitting on his left. She was already looking at Song Man-woo PD, wearing a hairband. Her expression was firm. Writer Park Eun-mi’s determination was unwavering.

And she.

“I don’t know about speculations or whatever.”

She declared, short and to the point.

“I’ll just say one thing. Don’t skimp on the money.”

It was so heavy, it felt chilling. Her short sentence held a lot of meaning. Something like, ‘If you lose him by being stingy with money, I won’t let it slide.’

Soon, Song Man-woo PD, shrugging his shoulders, turned his gaze to the production manager.

“Manager Lee, I want to live a long life. Anyway, whether it’s a speculation or not, it’s right to take care of Kang Woo-jin’s fee, don’t you think?”

The production manager let out a long sigh.

“Ha- PD-nim, Writer-nim. We also have the production company’s position to consider, right? And there’s also the industry standard. No matter how much of a special case Kang Woo-jin is… If word gets out, rumors could spread throughout the industry.”

“I know, I know. Yeah, it’s a bit of a headache.”

Here, Song Man-woo PD recalled Kang Woo-jin’s face.

“But- isn’t it also a bit strange to treat that gem like just another rookie or unknown?”

“Th-That’s.”

“Ordinary unknowns or rookies can’t charm a director or writer to get a supporting or minor role. And he came here all alone without an agency.”

A moment of silence passed. It was Song Man-woo PD who broke the silence first.

“Let’s do this. Considering the rumors and the messy public perception, let’s break the average for his fee, but include a confidentiality clause in the contract.”

“…I’m asking out of concern, but PD-nim, how much do you think Kang Woo-jin’s fee should be?”

“Hmm- well. But you felt it today, right? He’s very sharp. He’s a smart guy. I don’t think he’ll overdo it. Since he’s that kind of guy, he would have set his value at a reasonable level.”

Song Man-woo PD, muttering to himself, picked up a nearby piece of paper and started writing a number.

“I see this as the maximum, what do you think?”

At that time, in Kang Woo-jin’s studio apartment.

Unaware that his fee was being determined, Kang Woo-jin was lying comfortably. He wasn’t sleeping. He was lying on his side, watching a drama on his phone.

“······”

In fact, Kang Woo-jin had been in this state for quite a while. He had arrived home around 6 PM after the meeting earlier. It was now 11:30 PM. In terms of time, about 5 hours had passed, but for Kang Woo-jin, it felt like more than 15 hours.

Why?

As soon as he got home, Kang Woo-jin had entered the subspace several times. He had read almost all the characters in the first part of ‘Elegant Eldest Daughter,’ except for the ‘Cafe Male Clerk,’ among the works updated in the subspace.

Of course, these actions included experiments.

And the drama that Kang Woo-jin was watching now, after finishing reading the characters, was the first part of ‘Elegant Eldest Daughter.’ He was watching it repeatedly. How was the acting of the actors in each role, the differences between the script and the direction, the gap between the background experienced in the subspace and reality, and so on.

Thanks to that, Woo-jin could tell.

“I can definitely see why this drama failed, now that I’m watching it like this.”

Leaving aside the direction, the actors were just terrible at acting.

“Isn’t this actor quite famous?”

Because it was Kang Woo-jin now, having read all the characters in the script directly in the subspace, he could evaluate it clearly. It was as if, how should he put it, the actors in the drama were imitating Kang Woo-jin.

Woo-jin already had all the roles in the script.

In other words, from Woo-jin’s perspective, it looked like the actors were playing him. And to him, the actors’ performances were quite poor.

“The lines are a bit… empty, should I say?”

The lines the actors were uttering didn’t carry any emotion. It just felt like they were forcing themselves to say them according to the situation.

“It’s a shame, it would be good if it was a bit more intense.”

Is this how someone feels when they check their impersonation? Anyway, Kang Woo-jin was unaware. He was unknowingly accumulating knowledge related to acting little by little. That various emotions and expressions were overlapping by repeatedly reading various roles.

A training method that others couldn’t even imagine.

It was at this moment.

-Bzzzt, bzzzt.

Kang Woo-jin’s phone, which was playing the drama, vibrated loudly. It was obviously a call, and the caller was.

“Who’s calling at this hour?”

It was his friend, Kim Dae-young. Soon, Woo-jin, still lying on his side, put the phone to his ear.

“What.”

Then, Kim Dae-young said from the other end of the phone.

“Hey, hey, let’s meet after I get off work tomorrow. And there’s also that promise to buy me meat from last time.”

He said, yawning.

“Give me back the script and scenario I lent you.”

The next day, Friday the 14th, late afternoon.

The time was past 8 PM. At that time, Kang Woo-jin was walking near Jeongja Station. His attire was similar. A padded jacket and jeans. However, he was wearing a hat today.

There was no reason to style his hair to meet his friend Kim Dae-young.

“It should be around here.”

Soon, Kang Woo-jin looked around. He seemed to be looking for the pork belly restaurant that Kim Dae-young had told him about. It was at this moment that Woo-jin’s phone rang.

“Huh?”

Kang Woo-jin tilted his head slightly, checking the caller. It was Song Man-woo PD. What was it? Anyway, Woo-jin cleared his throat and answered the phone.

“Yes, hello.”

Song Man-woo PD greeted him from the other end of the phone. His tone was bright.

“Woo-jin-ssi. How are you doing with your thoughts?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“By any chance, are you considering your appearance fee? I’m not asking to pry, just curious.”

Appearance fee? Why was he suddenly calling about an appearance fee? It was a question that Kang Woo-jin had never even considered, and thanks to that, he was a bit dazed.

“······”

Then, Song Man-woo PD on the other end of the phone started proceeding with things on his own again.

“It’s not everything, but I’m sure your thoughts include your fee. Okay, then let’s talk about something more realistic.”

“…Realistic.”

“That’s right, realistic. Thinking about it, our Writer Park made a casting offer too recklessly. So did I. We need to hear about the conditions.”

“······”

“Let’s do this. We don’t have much time either. We need to finalize the ‘Manager Park’ role quickly. Think about it until today, and then let’s meet tomorrow, hear about the realistic conditions, and make a decision on the spot.”

The realistic conditions weren’t clear, but Kang Woo-jin didn’t mind. He was more inclined to do it anyway.

“I understand.”

Upon hearing Woo-jin’s solemn reply, Song Man-woo PD made a promise.

“Tomorrow at 10 AM. The location is CBlue Studio, where we had the meeting.”

A little later.

Kang Woo-jin and the burly Kim Dae-young were sitting across from each other, enjoying pork belly. The sizzling meat quickly disappeared into their mouths, and the soju to wet their throats was poured into their glasses several times.

And the current topic of conversation was.

“Hey, hey, I told my colleagues at work that I saw Hong Hye-yeon in person, you know? They’re all dying of envy.”

It was about the top actress Hong Hye-yeon. Of course, Kim Dae-young, her devoted fan, had started the conversation.

“I even made eye contact with Hong Hye-yeon that day, you know? Hehe, ah, it’s a lifelong regret that I couldn’t take a picture with her, a regret.”

Looking at Kim Dae-young, Kang Woo-jin snorted inwardly.

‘For something like that. Hah, I even had Hong Hye-yeon-nim call me by my name. Kang Woo-jin-ssi! And.’

If he told Kim Dae-young this, he would probably fall over. However, Woo-jin didn’t say anything, as if he intended to hide it for now.

Around this time.

“Hey, Kang Woo-jin.”

Kim Dae-young, who had stuffed a lettuce wrap with three pieces of pork belly into his mouth, changed the subject.

“But what are you going to do about your job change? You’ve already quit and been resting for about two weeks, right?”

Kim Dae-young suddenly brought up reality.

“Rest for a bit and start looking, right? You’ll end up resting forever if you keep this up. Should I ask the design team at our company for you?”

“Would a mid-sized company hire me?”

“No, I’m saying I’ll look for a place to introduce you to, even if it’s a contract position. Even if it’s a contract position, a portfolio is important in the design field, right?”

“······”

Here, Kang Woo-jin suddenly looked at Kim Dae-young and asked.

“Hey. If, just if. Let’s say you’re a completely unknown actor, and you get cast in a work by a big-shot PD [Production Director] or an amazing writer, what would you do?”

Instantly, Kim Dae-young’s expression hardened.

“Is the female lead?”

“I don’t know about the male lead, but let’s say the female lead is Hong Hye-yeon?”

“I don’t need the male lead. If the female lead is Hong Hye-yeon, you crazy bastard, the time you’re wasting asking that question is a waste.”

“So, you’d just go for it?”

“Yeah. No hesitation, straight ahead. The female lead is Hong Hye-yeon, after all.”

Kim Dae-young downed a shot of soju and continued.

“Do you think a big-shot PD or an amazing writer would care about a complete unknown in the first place? They’d be like a plankton. And if a top actress like Hong Hye-yeon is the female lead? It’s a miracle for a complete unknown to even get into such a project.”

“Is it that much?”

“Yeah. It’s not just a miracle, it’s practically impossible. If it’s such a blockbuster drama, there’s no need to use a complete unknown. There are tons of actors who want to do it. It’s incredibly hard to even get a spot as an extra, let alone a minor role. Introductions through family, friends, and school connections will explode.”

“Family, friends, and school connections.”

“The entertainment industry is like that. A place where family, friends, school connections, and even bad relationships are intertwined as business. Anyway, for a complete unknown to take a spot there? You’d have to do it no matter what. But that kind of thing will never happen anyway.”

“Hmm.”

Sorry, but what if that kind of thing is happening right in front of you? Kang Woo-jin, who had been muttering at Kim Dae-young’s flamboyant explanation, asked another question.

“Then, let’s say that complete unknown who took that spot is you. How much would you get paid?”

“Appearance fee? What’s that? You’re talking nonsense. It’s not about how much you’d get paid, but you’d be extremely grateful for whatever they give you.”

“Is it that much?”

“Ha- my friend. I just said, it’s a miracle for a complete unknown to even get into that scene. A miracle has already happened, so how can you ask about the appearance fee? Well, they would give you something, but usually, a rookie would get about 30 per episode? That’s a lot.”

“300,000 won?”

“Yeah. But you should be saying thank you even if they give you 3,000 won per episode. Getting cast is like a life-changing event.”

Honestly, Kang Woo-jin thought it was very low pay. Well, actors are freelancers, so it wasn’t incomprehensible. But still, 3,000 won was a bit much.

At this moment.

“Ah, hey.”

Kim Dae-young, who was filling Woo-jin’s empty soju glass, suddenly reached out his hand.

“Since we’re talking about work, did you bring it? The script and scenario.”

Kang Woo-jin handed Kim Dae-young the paper bag he had brought. Of course, he had copied the ‘Detective Agency’ scenario, except for the scripts. Just in case? Then, Kim Dae-young, rummaging through the paper bag with his burly arm, continued.

“But did you even read this? I just gave it to you because you suddenly asked to borrow it. Did you just use it as a ramen coaster?”

“I read it. But that short film, ‘Detective Agency,’ are they not making it at all?”

“Ah, I heard from an acquaintance that they are making it. I thought it would be canceled, but I guess an investor came along or something.”

“Oh? Then they’ll be holding auditions for actors?”

“I don’t know? Maybe? My acquaintance also mentioned auditions, so it seems like there are some spots. But usually, the lead and supporting roles are already decided in these short films.”

Listening to the story, Kang Woo-jin suddenly crossed his arms. He seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to Kim Dae-young.

“That movie. ‘Detective Agency,’ do you know which production company is making it? Or the film company? Something like that.”

Kim Dae-young, who was flipping the meat, narrowed his eyes.

“…You’re acting strange? Why are you so interested in this field these days? You didn’t care at all before?”

“No, it’s just that it was interesting when I read it. So, I was thinking of watching it when it’s released? Or when the movie comes out.”

“······”

Kim Dae-young, looking at Kang Woo-jin across from him with a slightly suspicious gaze, shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, okay. I don’t know the production company, but I’ll ask my acquaintance.”

A few minutes later, Kim Dae-young, who had been talking on the phone outside, sat in front of Kang Woo-jin.

“I sent you a link in a text, okay?”

He shook his phone.

“It’s a movie community, and there’s information about ‘Detective Agency’ if you go to the link. Look it up yourself.”

10 AM, CBlue Studio.

Two familiar figures were visible in a meeting room at CBlue Studio. Song Man-woo PD with a light padded jacket and a beard, and a bespectacled caddie. Writer Park Eun-mi was not visible.

Anyway, both of their expressions were quite firm.

-Swish.

In front of them, several transparent files were scattered.

At this moment.

-Creak.

The glass door of the closed meeting room opened, and the production manager of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ entered. And behind him.

“Hello.”

Kang Woo-jin, greeting them in a low voice, was also there. At his appearance, Song Man-woo PD, who had a serious face, smiled slightly.

“Welcome, please sit here.”

Song Man-woo PD pointed to the seat across from him. He quietly scanned Kang Woo-jin as he moved slowly. No, to be precise, he was trying to gauge his mood.

‘He’s as cynical as ever today.’

But it was in vain. It was hard to gauge anything from Kang Woo-jin’s poker face. From the first time he saw him, Woo-jin had always been like that.

‘A skill to hide his inner thoughts- well, it’s interesting how it changes completely when he’s acting.’

Anyway, Song Man-woo PD pushed a transparent file towards Woo-jin, who was sitting in front of him.

“Take a look. This is Kang Woo-jin’s contract, a draft.”

“I understand.”

Soon, Song Man-woo PD smiled as he opened the same transparent file as Woo-jin.

“Well, there are a lot of complicated words here and there. But what I want to tell you right away is the appearance fee we’ve set for Woo-jin-ssi.”

Kang Woo-jin across from him looked at Song Man-woo PD with a cold gaze. Then, Song Man-woo PD pointed to a spot on the contract with his index finger and opened his mouth.

“Woo-jin-ssi’s appearance fee is 250 per episode.”

It was a bit more than 3,000 won. About 900 times more.

“How is it? 250 per episode.”

At that moment, Woo-jin’s poker face twitched slightly.