I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 90

In fact, when Kang Woo-jin arrived at the private VIP room, his heart was pounding.

‘This is crazy! There must be a ton of top actors in this room, right?’

Kang Woo-jin found himself among the top names. Standing in front of the room’s door, he took a deep breath.

‘Hoo-‘

He focused his mind. He needed to embody his persona. This was an unfamiliar battlefield. He needed to be several times more composed than usual.

Kang Woo-jin’s face became more aloof than ever.

And then.

-Swish.

He slid open the door. Immediately, the large crowd inside came into view.

‘Wow—seriously, how many people are there?’

Probably over 20? Moreover, all eyes were immediately on him. The gazes were varied. Woo-jin tried to ignore his pounding heart and stepped into the room. Then, he gave a formal greeting.

At that moment, a welcoming voice called out.

“Woo-jin, over here.”

It was Ryu Jung-min with his baby perm, sitting about halfway down the table. Kang Woo-jin almost wanted to hug him. He was that relieved. Then, his gaze widened. He saw the top actors sitting around Ryu Jung-min. Wow, amazing. Woo-jin wanted to shake hands with each of them, but.

‘No, I can’t.’

Kang Woo-jin acted with a serious demeanor, without a hint of playfulness.

-Swish.

With an air of, ‘You guys are just ordinary people,’ Woo-jin greeted them in a low voice.

“Hello, nice to meet you all. I’m Kang Woo-jin.”

Okay. Just as Kang Woo-jin was praising himself.

“You’re a bit late. Shouldn’t a rookie be the first to arrive? It’s a bit early to be getting a big head—”

The female actor sitting next to him spoke. Her tone was quite sarcastic. Woo-jin turned his head. He immediately recognized who it was.

‘Seo Chae-eun. She’s gorgeous. No, that’s not the point.’

Top actress Seo Chae-eun. In the media, she had a kind and elegant image, but the way she was talking to Kang Woo-jin now was somewhat venomous. Therefore, Woo-jin tilted his head in confusion.

‘What’s with this person? Is she openly picking a fight? Is this the hazing I’ve heard about?’

Hazing existed everywhere. Even at the design company Kang Woo-jin used to work at. Of course, it was even worse in the entertainment industry. Whatever it was, Kang Woo-jin sensed that this actress was trying to provoke him.

‘Or does she just dislike me? Whether it’s picking a fight or disliking me, neither feels good.’

Seo Chae-eun was a bit different from Hwa-rin. This one was openly showing her dislike. Okay? Then I’ll go all out too. Kang Woo-jin made a decision in a brief moment.

‘Just ask back a bit coldly—within a reasonable limit.’

It was the most appropriate action given his current persona.

“Do you perhaps not like me?”

Since he was a rookie, he maintained his manners. Of course. But there was no reason to be submissive when the other person wasn’t being polite. Kang Woo-jin was currently a conceited monster actor. On top of that, he was full of bravado and didn’t care about what others thought, going straight ahead without backing down.

Even.

‘So what? I don’t care. I’m openly a special case.’

Kang Woo-jin had no connections, no favors, no strings. So, he had nothing to fear even if he did something absurd. Then, Seo Chae-eun, with a face that seemed to ask if she heard correctly, blinked her eyes.

“…What did you say?”

Was she pretending not to hear? Woo-jin repeated in a low voice.

“Do you perhaps not like me?”

Ryu Jung-min, who already knew this eccentric’s personality, chuckled and tried to hold back his laughter.

‘As expected, a total maverick.’

Kim Yi-won, nearby, thought:

‘Wow, he’s going straight at Seo Chae-eun? What a man!’

Jeon Woo-chang was slightly impressed by Woo-jin’s directness.

‘His character is so unique. The atmosphere is kind of cold, but he’s fearless. Still, how can he not be nervous with so many people here?’

And Seo Chae-eun, with a frown, expressed her bewilderment.

“No… excuse me? It’s not about whether I like you or not, but I’m pointing out that you came late when all the seniors were already here.”

Ryu Jung-min mediated the slightly tense atmosphere.

“Hey, hey, Seo Chae-eun. Enough is enough.”

“What? Oppa [older brother/male friend], you should be scolding this person, not me.”

At that moment.

“If you’re talking about being late.”

Kang Woo-jin, looking directly at Seo Chae-eun, murmured calmly.

“I was probably the first one to arrive.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I arrived 45 minutes ago, and I was talking to Director Kwon Ki-taek in the parking lot. The director will be here soon too.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then, you should have said that first.”

With a cynical face, Woo-jin continued.

“You didn’t give me time to explain. You were aggressive as soon as I sat down.”

Seo Chae-eun, speechless, bit her lip slightly.

‘…Look at this guy?’

The rookie wasn’t backing down. Rather, Seo Chae-eun was the one who seemed to be overwhelmed. In her decades in the entertainment industry, Kang Woo-jin was a type of person she had never seen before. The atmosphere was heavy. The nuance was calm yet cold.

‘What kind of guy is this? How can he already exude such a heavy aura?’

On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin was staring into Seo Chae-eun’s eyes, diligently hypnotizing himself.

‘Eye contact, if I lose this, it’s all for nothing. This persona is really tough.’

At that moment.

-Slide.

The door of the room opened again, and a gentle voice was heard.

“Oh my—I’m a bit late. The call went on for too long.”

It was the affable Director Kwon Ki-taek who appeared. The actors and everyone else stood up from their seats.

-Swish.

With difficulty, the eye contact between Seo Chae-eun and Kang Woo-jin ended. However, starting with Ryu Jung-min, Woo-jin’s presence was firmly etched in the minds of Kim Yi-won and Jeon Woo-chang.

‘He’s a bit of a crazy guy?’

‘He’s like a weirdo, but I like him.’

Of course, Seo Chae-eun was the most affected.

‘Ugh—annoying. What’s with that guy?’

And Kang Woo-jin.

‘Yeah, I nailed the persona, passed.’

He praised himself greatly.

Several tens of minutes later.

With Director Kwon Ki-taek’s entrance, everyone who was supposed to be in the VIP room had arrived. So, Director Kwon Ki-taek, sitting at the head of the long table.

“Alright, everyone—”

After chatting with the staff around him, he focused everyone’s attention, and more than 20 pairs of eyes were on him.

“There will be familiar and unfamiliar faces among you all. But now that we’re all in the same boat, let’s try to work smoothly until the release without any problems.”

It was a hopeful statement. Even if the production team and the lineup of actors were incredibly impressive, it didn’t mean that the project would have a smooth journey until the movie’s release. The entertainment industry was a place where trouble could arise at any time. There were many movies that failed each year due to minor or major problems.

Anyway, Director Kwon Ki-taek pointed towards the actors and continued in a gentle voice.

“First of all, our pillars of the cast. Please take good care of us. And there are many people who are meeting Kang Woo-jin for the first time, right?”

Instantly, the gazes of the people in the room turned to Kang Woo-jin at the actors’ table. He still had a calm face, and Director Kwon Ki-taek smiled.

“Well, he’s so popular these days that there’s no need to explain much. He’s a rookie, but he’s not like a rookie at all, and he’s a very good actor, so everyone should be on their toes, hahaha.”

It sounded like a joke, but there was a barb in his words. It was like instilling a sense of alertness in the top actors. The affable charisma of the good-natured Director Kwon Ki-taek was superb.

“Woo-jin, please give a brief greeting to everyone.”

At the request, Kang Woo-jin calmly stood up and greeted everyone.

“Nice to meet you all, I’m Kang Woo-jin.”

The key staff were slightly taken aback, wondering if he was going to give a longer greeting. But Director Kwon Ki-taek, who already knew Woo-jin’s personality, laughed again.

“Haha, he’s a bit indifferent, but that’s just how he is, so don’t think it’s strange.”

After the introductions of the other top actors and the key staff, the conversation returned to Director Kwon Ki-taek.

“Hmm, well, we’ve already revealed Woo-jin and Jung-min to the media, and the rest will be revealed gradually. We’re going slowly and steadily, so please be mindful not to leak any secrets. To give you a brief overview of the pre-schedule, the set is currently under construction, and we’ll probably be able to start the reading as early as next month…”

The explanation of the pre-related schedule took about 30 minutes. After that, it was free meal time. A feast was laid out on the table, and everyone started eating while chatting with those nearby.

Of course, Kang Woo-jin too.

‘Oh! This bulgogi [Korean marinated beef] is so delicious? It has a kind of luxurious taste.’

He was genuinely impressed by the taste, but his expressions didn’t show it. Around this time, Seo Chae-eun, who was sitting next to Woo-jin, was glancing at Kang Woo-jin. There was a hint of discomfort in her eyes.

“Just in case, I’m asking, but you’re not going to be late or have any filming power struggles after the filming starts, right?”

Filming power struggles refer to when a successful actor, in slang, ‘camps out’ in their van. It’s a way of expressing dissatisfaction. Whether it’s towards the director on set or the other actors.

Of course, Kang Woo-jin didn’t know this.

‘What is this woman saying? She’s uglier than Hong Hye-yeon. I don’t care, leave me alone while I’m eating bulgogi.’

Woo-jin, picking up kimchi [Korean fermented cabbage] with his chopsticks, answered her vaguely.

“I don’t. Do you, senior?”

“…Excuse me?”

“No. I was just asking in case.”

Ryu Jung-min across from him almost spat out the soup he had put in his mouth, and Jeon Woo-chang and Kim Yi-won were just watching the situation, not intending to stop it. It seemed to be a fairly common occurrence.

Then, Seo Chae-eun, with a bewildered look, snorted at Woo-jin.

“You know, are you really related to Director Kwon? Or do you have some kind of backing?”

Kang Woo-jin immediately murmured.

“I don’t.”

Seo Chae-eun, speechless, just blinked her eyes. She seemed to see Kang Woo-jin as a weirdo. At this point, Ryu Jung-min stepped in.

“Enough, let’s eat? By the way, Woo-jin, tell us about the ‘drug dealer’ story, how was Jae-joon’s acting?”

Soon, the topic of conversation at the actors’ table changed. About an hour passed like that.

-Swish.

Ryu Jung-min asked Kang Woo-jin, who got up silently.

“Where are you going?”

“To the restroom.”

Woo-jin left the room as he was. At the same time, Seo Chae-eun rushed over. Her target was Ryu Jung-min on the opposite side.

“Oppa! Does he really not have any backing?”

“What backing?”

“Like a son of a chaebol [Korean conglomerate].”

The muscular Jeon Woo-chang chuckled.

“Noona [older sister/female friend]. You should be filming a drama, not living in one—”

“Do you want to die? No, seriously, I’ve never seen anyone like him in all my years of acting. He’s so clueless, there’s no way he could be like that without backing, right?”

As if understanding to some extent, Ryu Jung-min with his baby perm picked up his water glass.

“Woo-jin isn’t a common type. If you’re not interested in success, you’re clueless, you know.”

“What?”

At the question, Ryu Jung-min met Seo Chae-eun’s eyes and crossed his arms. Then, he spoke about what he had felt about Kang Woo-jin so far.

“It feels like he’s just acting casually. Like he could do it or not. You’ll find out eventually. But look at the results he’s getting even though he’s like that, would he really need connections or backing?”

“What is that? Is acting just a hobby for him?”

“I don’t know about that. But it doesn’t seem like acting is everything to him. He’s an international student, Woo-jin, his English and Japanese are top-notch. Oh—and he’s good at design too, I think?”

“…What’s that about?”

Ryu Jung-min infects his fellow top actors with misunderstandings.

“Anyway, when you look at Woo-jin, it seems like he’s acting casually, but even if you grit your teeth and try your best, you can barely keep up with his level of acting.”

He chuckled and, with his chin resting on his hand, met Seo Chae-eun’s gaze.

“He does have backing, Woo-jin’s skill is his backing.”

The next day, late morning. HTBS, a general programming broadcasting station.

A woman with long hair wearing a mask appeared in the bustling lobby. It was Hong Hye-yeon. She had stopped by briefly before the filming of ‘Hanryang’. As expected of a top actress, she received the full attention of dozens of people. There were also reporters taking pictures.

What was interesting here was.

“Dae-young, is this your first time at a broadcasting station?”

Kim Dae-young, the burly man from Hong Hye-yeon’s team, was included. The reason was simple. He had recently joined Hong Hye-yeon’s team for training purposes.

“Ah… yes, yes, it’s my first time.”

Unlike his bulky physique, Kim Dae-young’s face was full of tension, and the skinny manager team leader patted his shoulder.

“Get used to it quickly. Well, there’s nothing to be nervous about. Just think of it as a company, and you’ll be comfortable.”

“Yes, yes, I understand. Whew—but people are staring a lot.”

This time, Hong Hye-yeon, who was at the front, turned her head and answered.

“Is it because of me? But Dae-young, did you contact your friend? That you’ve started work?”

She was talking about Kang Woo-jin.

“Yes, I did.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to work hard…”

“That’s ordinary.”

It wasn’t. In fact, what Kim Dae-young had heard from Kang Woo-jin was, ‘So what? Don’t drool over Hong Hye-yeon.’ Whatever it was, Hong Hye-yeon and her team got on the elevator.

“We’re a bit early. I’ll contact PD Yoon first.”

“Okay—”

Their destination was the variety department.

-Ding!

When the elevator arrived at the floor and the doors slid open.

“Huh??”

A woman with a mole under her eye among the group waiting was surprised to see Hong Hye-yeon in the elevator.

“Hye, Hye-yeon unnie [older sister/female friend]?”

It was Hwa-rin. Hong Hye-yeon in the elevator and Hwa-rin looking at her with surprised eyes. The style of clothes they were wearing was completely different. Hong Hye-yeon was wearing a loose shirt, while Hwa-rin was wearing a tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt.

However.

“Unnie??”

“Hwa-rin??”

Their surprised expressions were the same. Of course, Kim Dae-young was the same.

‘Wow—it’s Hwa-rin. As expected of a broadcasting station!’

Regardless, Hong Hye-yeon, who got off the elevator, stood in front of Hwa-rin.

“Hwa-rin? Why are you here? And so early in the morning.”

Hwa-rin, with slightly widened eyes, answered the question with a question.

“Ah—what about you, unnie?”

“I came to meet PD Yoon.”

“…PD Yoon? So, you mean PD Yoon Byung-sun?”

“Is there another PD Yoon at HTBS besides him?”

At this point, Hong Hye-yeon, sensing something, asked back.

“Don’t tell me—Hwa-rin, did you come to meet PD Yoon too?? No way?”

“No… I’m on my way back from meeting PD Yoon.”

“You’ve already met him?”

Suddenly, Hwa-rin blurted out what had flashed in her mind.

“Oh, unnie, did you come because of PD Yoon Byung-sun’s new variety show?? No, right?”

Hong Hye-yeon, while sweeping back her long hair, answered simply.

“I did?”

Instantly, Hwa-rin’s pupils dilated.

“Wow! Really? Why?? Suddenly??”

“No, you too.”

“Huh? Ah… I am.”

Hwa-rin, who was trailing off, suddenly lowered her voice.

“I’m confirmed for it.”

“Confirmed? You’re confirmed to join PD Yoon’s new variety show?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t know. I had no idea. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“No, it’s not that I didn’t, but I couldn’t. PD Yoon told me it was top secret.”

“But externally, only Woo-jin was confirmed, right?”

“They only released Woo-jin for now. There are a few more confirmed besides me.”

Upon hearing the answer, Hong Hye-yeon bit her lip slightly.

‘What is this? So, Hwa-rin is going to be with Kang Woo-jin in both the drama and the variety show?’

The woman’s intuition grew stronger.

‘A coincidence… is it? But even if the drama is one thing, to be attached to the variety show right away is a bit hard to see as a coincidence—’

It was Hwa-rin who broke Hong Hye-yeon’s deep thoughts.

“Are you confirmed for the variety show too, unnie?”

“…No, I’m just having a meeting for now.”

“Wow—you don’t usually do variety shows, unnie?”

“Well, that’s true. I was just thinking of taking a break from acting. I’m just going to listen to what PD Yoon has to say first.”

After explaining, Hong Hye-yeon suddenly put her hand on Hwa-rin’s shoulder and pulled her closer. And then, she whispered.

“Hwa-rin, do you perhaps like Kang Woo-jin?”