I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

In truth, Kang Woojin, waiting in the hall of the ‘Columbia Studios’ press conference, was steeped in tension. From the moment he entered the hotel until the time his name was called.

“……”

His face was stoic, radiating a heavy aura, but inside, he was soft and trembling.

‘Ah- damn, I’m nervous. Even though I’ve already experienced this before, it’s still like this.’

He’d experienced press conferences swarmed with over a hundred reporters before, but this was his first time in Hollywood. Moreover, today was about showcasing his presence to the world and exploding his existence into recognition, which made it all the more nerve-wracking.

Kang Woojin raised his concept to its highest level ever.

He doused his pounding heart with ice water again and again.

As he was about to introduce himself to the world, he couldn’t allow himself to appear light. Woojin’s demeanor became even more indifferent. The intensity deepened. He exhaled softly without making it obvious. Finally, he felt somewhat calmer. Meanwhile, the team around Woojin, including Choi Sung-gun and the stylists, were buzzing with nervous excitement.

“What do I do! Why am I the one shaking??!”

“Exactly! I’m losing my mind! Woojin oppa is soooo calm, so we need to be too, but it’s not working!!”

“So, so when oppa steps out, the whole world is going to find out, right??!”

“Of course! I peeked earlier, and there were over 100 reporters!”

“……If this blows up, it’s going to be insane.”

But none of this reached Kang Woojin’s ears. He was wholly focused on his concept. Since this was a press conference, there was no prearranged script. No matter what questions were thrown at him or what situations arose, Woojin had to handle it all on his own.

At that moment.

-Knock, knock.

A foreign staff member knocked on the waiting room door and gave Kang Woojin the standby signal. His team’s panic escalated. Choi Sung-gun gripped Kang Woojin’s shoulder and said.

“Do well out there.”

The composed Kang Woojin replied.

“Yes, CEO-nim.”

He slowly followed the staff member out of the waiting room. The closer he got to the hall filled with over a hundred reporters, the louder the murmurs grew. Soon, the solemn voice of the executive producer of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ could be heard.

“Please come up.”

It was the cue to enter. Kang Woojin checked his concept once more before passing through the front door of the hall. The scene unfolded instantly before his eyes. The vast hall, the production team and Director Ahn Ga-bok seated at the podium up front, and the dense crowd of foreign reporters.

Most notably, the reporters’ expressions as they spotted Kang Woojin were priceless.

‘They’re all stunned, huh? They didn’t expect me to show up.’

Surprisingly, seeing the dumbfounded faces of over a hundred foreign reporters put Woojin at ease. Every step he took carried an arrogant confidence. That’s right, as always, it’s full-on ‘My Way or the Highway’. Kang Woojin took his seat. Then, addressing the reporters whose eyes wide as saucers, he made his opening statement.

“Nice to meet you all. I am Kang Woojin, the actor who will be playing the role of ‘Henry Gordon’ in ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’.”

He declared it to the world. Not some high-profile Hollywood top actor, but him. He was the protagonist of the film ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.

Surprised?

It was a composed yet firm introduction. However, all the foreign reporters staring at Kang Woojin on the podium were silent.

“……”

“……”

“……”

They didn’t react immediately. Their movements stopped. They blinked their eyes. The appearance of someone completely unexpected had thrown them off. The hall, packed with over 100 reporters, went silent. For at least five seconds, the entire room was frozen.

Kang Woojin, calmly observing the reporters in front of him for a brief moment, thought to himself.

‘Their souls have left them, all of them.’

Then, he spoke into the microphone once more.

“Are you surprised?”

This comment wasn’t out of concern. It was closer to mockery. Like, how’s that for a twist? Regardless, once Woojin’s question of surprise was tossed out, the reporters began to stir.

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

One by one, the over 100 foreign reporters began snapping out of it. Still, they couldn’t quite believe that the person before them was Kang Woojin. Yet instinctively, they raised their cameras. Soon, all the reporters, without exception.

-Pabababababak!

-Pababababababab!

The reporters began snapping away at Kang Woojin on the podium. The previously halted flashes now burst forth in a blinding barrage. Staring for too long could have left someone blinded, and the foreign reporters were shouting excitedly with a mix of astonishment.

“Kang Woojin?? It really happened?!”

“T-this! I didn’t see this coming at all!!”

“Who could’ve known!”

“Anyway, it’s a big scoop!”

The chaos was a result of the sheer shock that hit them like a ton of bricks. It was a scenario no one could have anticipated. Of course, amidst the frenzied hundred or so reporters, there were still many who couldn’t fully believe it.

“Seriously?? Columbia Studios actually gave the role to Kang Woojin?”

“Unbelievable… Planning a massive ‘Cinematic Universe’ project, and they’re entrusting its first step to Kang Woojin!”

“So, does this mean that ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ is being led by a Korean director and a Korean actor?”

“Wait a minute, if Kang Woojin is confirmed, does that mean he beat out even Chris Hartnett and all those other top-tier actors?”

“What the hell exactly happened during the audition?!”

Before long, the foreign reporters were running wild. But Kang Woojin remained calm, observing the situation. Meanwhile, Director Ahn Ga-bok, seated to Woojin’s left, allowed a faint smile to emerge.

‘This is worth watching.’

It was the reaction he had both anticipated and intended.

Including Kang Woojin in this press conference had been a calculated event. An event paired with a nuclear bomb. From Cannes to discussions of ‘Pierrot’, ‘Beast and the Beauty’, and ‘Beneficial Evil’, Kang Woojin had been making waves even in Hollywood with a myriad of issues. ‘Columbia Studios’ had no intention of making his entrance boring. Judging by the reactions of the reporters now, the bombshell event was undeniably a success.

Of course, the mastermind behind the plan was the female producer of Pierrot.

Such being the case, she.

“’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, the opening act of the ‘Cinematic Universe’, will start with its first villain, actor Kang Woojin.”

This was the beginning of the scheduled briefing. With Kang Woojin present, she had to explain the production status of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, the grand project of the ‘Cinematic Universe’, and the plans for the future.

However, the hundred or so reporters barely paid attention to her words.

-Tap, tap, tap, tap!

-Tap, tap, tap, tap!

They were all too busy hammering away at their laptops.

At this exact moment, at ‘World Disney Pictures’.

The production team of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was gathered in a conference room.

“Alright, so we’ll conduct the auditions and screen tests in five days.”

This was because they had recently sent audition and screen test materials to the candidate actors, and there were still many decisions to finalize.

“Hmm. I’ll notify the actors right away.”

“By the way, which role should we focus on first, ‘Beast’ or Beauty ‘Belle’?”

“Wouldn’t it make sense to decide on the actor for the ‘Beast’ role first?”

“I agree. After selecting the actor for the ‘Beast’ role, how about having them attend the auditions for the Beauty ‘Belle’ role?”

“To check the chemistry between the ‘Beast’ and ‘Belle’? That’s not a bad idea.”

“Not just their acting, but also matching their vocal tones.”

“It would definitely help in finalizing the actress for ‘Belle’ role.”

At that moment.

“Ah!”

Among the dozens of team members, a man with thick mustache from the production department, who had been habitually holding his phone, suddenly widened his eyes in shock.

“Th-this!”

Because of him, everyone in the conference room turned their attention toward him. The man with the thick mustache waved his phone, exclaiming. On his phone screen was an article that had just been released.

“’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’! Kang Woojin has been confirmed as the male lead?!”

The conference room instantly buzzed.

However, similar scenes of commotion were unfolding all across LA.

Inside a van speeding down the road, Hollywood top actor Chris Hartnett spoke up.

“Chris, take a look at this. The actor for the role of ‘Henry Gordon’ has been announced. As expected, it’s Kang Woojin. Looks like the stage for the announcement was a press conference.”

“Haha. There’s nothing surprising about the ‘Joker’ playing the ‘Joker’. Of course, instead of a boring article release, they orchestrated a whole stage for this. The ripple effect is going to be huge.”

“It’s still regrettable. ‘Columbia Studios’ should have revealed the ‘Cinematic Universe’ concept from the start.”

“Does it matter? I’ll be participating in a different role, not the ‘Joker’, so there’s no problem, right?”

“Hmm- so how are you feeling about tomorrow’s audition?”

“I won’t hold back. I’m going to give it my all. I want to be a part of this no matter what.”

Meanwhile, Miley Cara, who was preparing for the role of Beauty ‘Belle’, reacted as well.

“As expected- he got it.”

“Huh? What did he get?”

“Kang Woojin. He landed the male lead in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.”

“Ah- really? Oh, oh! What?! Really??!”

“Yes. Articles about it are popping up everywhere right now. I should send him a congratulatory message.”

“So, does that mean ‘Columbia Studios’ is kicking off their ‘Cinematic Universe’ with Kang Woojin??! That’s shocking!”

“Shocking? Hmm. I didn’t see the auditions myself, but Kang Woojin must have presented something only he could deliver. He’s a fascinating man. I’ve never seen someone with such unstoppable momentum. Things are going to be noisy for a while again.”

Cara looked quite pleased.

“This is going to give Beneficial Evil another boost, isn’t it?”

Of course, this news also reached the ears of the famous Hollywood producer, Joseph Felton.

“Hahaha! Amazing! Simply amazing!”

No, in fact, all of Hollywood was witnessing it. This was the moment Kang Woojin officially cemented his debut in Hollywood. Even as the press conference was ongoing, articles were being published one after another, and countless Hollywood actors who saw the news reacted differently. Some were astonished, others intrigued, some couldn’t believe it, some thought it was fake, and others found it refreshing.

Kang Woojin was a whirlwind.

And what about the countless film studios, distributors, and production companies in LA?

“K-Kang Woojin has been confirmed?!”

“For what?”

“For Pierrot! Pierrot! ‘Columbia Studios’ decided on Kang Woojin!”

“W-what?!! Really?!”

“This- if Kang Woojin also gets confirmed for ‘Beast and the Beauty’… isn’t that going to create an unbelievable situation??”

“N-no way.”

Most reactions were a mix of shock and confusion. The situation was rolling out in a direction no one could have predicted, and this moment was unprecedented in Hollywood history.

At this point, it seemed almost extravagant to try to guess what might happen next.

Even though this was only the beginning, even though the only thing known was that Kang Woojin had been cast as ‘Henry Gordon’, all of Hollywood was trembling like an earthquake.

And this wave quickly began to spread to audiences around the world.

It was expanding.

The fingers of the international audience who saw the real-time articles began moving rapidly. Probably. No, 100% for sure, the rumors spreading through their fingertips would circulate worldwide in an instant.

Even in Korea, where it was past 4 a.m., unlike the morning in LA.

『[Breaking News] Kang Woojin confirmed as the male lead of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, debuting as the sole lead in his Hollywood entry.』

The news was delivered so swiftly it was astonishing.

About an hour later, back at the press conference.

It had been roughly an hour and some minutes since Kang Woojin’s shocking appearance. The press conference in the hall, where the members of ‘Columbia Studios’, Director Ahn Ga-bok, Kang Woojin, and over a hundred foreign reporters had gathered, was nearing its conclusion. During this time, the executive producer had conveyed and explained a lot to the reporters. The direction and rationale behind the ‘Cinematic Universe’, the production progress of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, and so on.

Soon, she addressed the reporters, who were still busy clicking their shutters.

“That concludes our explanation. We will now take questions.”

The countless reporters, who had been desperately holding back until now, simultaneously shot their hands up. Their faces all screamed, ‘Pick me!!’ Of course, all the reporters’ gazes were fixed on Kang Woojin, who sat with an indifferent expression. Naturally, Woojin was their prey.

Thus.

“Yes, you there.”

The executive producer pointed to the first reporter, a woman with short red hair, who immediately directed her question to Kang Woojin.

“First of all, congratulations on your successful Hollywood debut. I have so many things I’d like to ask, it’s hard to pick just one. Umm- Mr. Kang Woojin you’ve been cast in ‘Beneficial Evil’, ‘Beast and the Beauty’, and now ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, and your international recognition seems to be skyrocketing. Do you have any words for your growing international fanbase who are watching you?”

Normally, one would take a moment to think here, but Kang Woojin, sitting calmly, opened his mouth immediately.

“During my Best Actor acceptance speech at Cannes, I said, ‘Recently, I got a house in LA, so next year, I’ll set my sights there.’ I also said to keep watching, didn’t I? I understand that became quite the buzz. I heard there were plenty of people who criticized me, right?”

Without a hint of hesitation, as if he couldn’t care less about the eyes of the world.

“I don’t break my promises. As you can see, I’ve just taken the first step in fulfilling the promise I made.”

It was pure ‘My Way or the Highway’.

“I’ll see you at the ‘Academy Awards’.”