I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kang Woojin was walking down a hallway in one of the buildings within ‘World Disney Pictures’ alongside Choi Sung-gun. The other team members were waiting in the van. Anyway, Woojin, who was deep in his concept act, moved his gaze forward. A foreign female employee was leading the way, and Kang Woojin, with his usual indifferent expression, let out an exclamation while looking at her back. Of course, inwardly.

‘Wow, she’s insanely tall. Is she about the same height as me? No, maybe taller?’

The woman’s physical stature was astounding. She was almost the same height as Woojin, who was over 180 cm tall. As expected of America? Once again, Kang Woojin found himself marveling at how everything in America seemed so big. But the female employee ahead wasn’t the only thing to catch his attention. The hallway they were walking through was filled with plenty to see. Various Disney posters adorned the walls, life-sized character statues appeared here and there, and countless foreigners passed by frequently.

What was interesting was.

‘Hmm??’

The foreigners passing by were all either staring intently at Kang Woojin or whispering among themselves about him. The answer to this came from Choi Sung-gun, who was retying his ponytail neatly. He whispered into Kang Woojin’s ear.

“They probably find you fascinating.”

“……”

“Don’t let it bother you. To them, you probably seem like an alien. Think about it, out of nowhere, you suddenly showed up, got involved with Miley Cara, made waves with ‘Beneficial Evil’, and even snagged the lead role in ‘Pierrot’. On top of that, you’re a candidate for the role of the ‘Beast’ in ‘Beast and the Beauty’ here. You’re doing things even Hollywood actors find difficult, so it’s no wonder they find you strange, a completely unfamiliar Korean actor achieving all this.”

Was that it? Thinking it over, Woojin found it understandable. For example, it might feel similar to a foreigner from a completely unfamiliar country suddenly showing up in Korea and causing a stir.

‘I guess I’d be bewildered too.’

Being treated like an alien felt natural. He had been making waves with major issues without any warning, after all. Woojin quickly ignored their stares. This kind of treatment as an oddball had been a constant since he gained the void space. It wasn’t something that bothered him anymore.

Soon.

-Swish.

The towering female employee leading the way stopped walking. She smiled lightly and gestured to the right.

“You can go in.”

Beyond the glass door, the inside was visible. Judging by the long table, it appeared to be a conference room. Choi Sung-gun opened the glass door first, and Kang Woojin followed him in. Inside the conference room, several foreigners were already seated. There were roughly more than a dozen. As soon as Kang Woojin entered, he scanned the room.

‘Hmm- are these the people from the preliminary meeting before? There seem to be some foreigners I’m seeing for the first time. But what is this? Is this where the audition is? What the heck.’

The higher-ups of the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ team – that is, World Disney Pictures executives, producers, key staff, and the director – all stood up to greet Woojin as soon as they saw him. Most of them offered congratulations.

“Congratulations on ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.”

“We were surprised, didn’t expect such a loud announcement.”

“Congratulations, hahaha. Your popularity is growing so quickly.”

“It’s been a while. I’ve been enjoying ‘Beneficial Evil’. It’s amazing to see it reach No. 1 on Netflix U.S., I hope it continues to do well.”

Kang Woojin received their congratulations while shaking hands with several foreigners. Though responding to each of them was a bit of a hassle.

‘Why does everyone have to come and talk to me? Couldn’t just one person do it on behalf of the rest?’

But he had to endure it. After all, there was an audition to attend, and he had to maintain his concept act. Thus, Woojin kept his stoic expression intact. About 10 minutes passed like that. Kang Woojin and the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ team finally sat across from each other at the long table. The first to speak was an older man sitting in the middle. He was half-bald, and he wore black horn-rimmed glasses.

He appeared to be in his 60s.

“‘Beneficial Evil’ was really entertaining. Especially, the action scenes were spectacular and incredible. I didn’t know Mr. Woojin was good at action too.”

Kang Woojin replied in his calm English.

“Thank you, director.”

The elderly man wearing black horn-rimmed glasses was the director of the live-action film ‘Beast and the Beauty’. His name was Bill Rotner. He was a director of such caliber that he could be called a master in Hollywood. Though he didn’t have many trophies due to bad luck with awards, he had many hit works and had worked quite often with World Disney Pictures.

Director Bill Rotner, with a serious expression, continued speaking.

“Today’s ‘Beast and the Beauty’ audition and screen test will be conducted privately.”

In other words, unlike ‘Pierrot’, there would be no other actors present.

“And the audition won’t take place here. We will move to a different location. The reason we called you here first is that you’re the first to audition, so we wanted to move together.”

He then explained how the audition for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ would proceed.

“The location for the audition and screen test is the actual filming set for ‘Beast and the Beauty’. Although the set construction is still ongoing, the area where the audition will be held has been completed. There, Mr. Woojin, you will need to show us the performance we’re looking for. You’ll also change into the costume.”

The actual filming set? Woojin, while listening indifferently, couldn’t help but feel a bit of excitement internally. After all, it meant he would be the first actor to step onto the filming set of ‘Beast and the Beauty’. Afterward, Woojin received questions from the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ team, including executives and producers, and it wasn’t until about 30 minutes later that he could leave the meeting room.

The ‘Beast and the Beauty’ team seemed to be moving as a group.

In terms of size, there were roughly over 100 people.

And that was less than half of the total staff. Anyway, various vehicles, vans, trucks, buses, began leaving ‘World Disney Pictures’ one by one. Woojin’s van was no exception. Soon, Choi Sung-gun, sitting inside the van, searched for the destination he had been given and spoke to Kang Woojin.

“‘SPT Studio’. Apparently, it’s a famous set filming location around here. The size is a whopping 50,000 pyeong. 50,000 pyeong! Whew- what is this size even……” (TL Note: Roughly around 165,000 square metres)

50,000 pyeong? To be honest, Kang Woojin couldn’t quite grasp it. He figured he’d understand once they arrived. Choi Sung-gun’s briefing continued after that. For instance, the filming plan for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ involved 8 indoor sets and 2 outdoor locations.

“Out of those, 80% of the set filming will take place at the ‘SPT Studio’ we’re heading to. They said they couldn’t use World Disney Pictures’ internal stages because another movie is already using them. Probably due to scheduling conflicts, they must’ve contracted an external studio.”

As they listened to various bits of information, Woojin’s van traveled for about an hour. Before long, the densely packed buildings had thinned out, replaced by open spaces, and ahead, they could see an enormous gray warehouse. That was the entrance to the 50,000-pyeong ‘SPT Studio’.

-Vroom!

Numerous vehicles belonging to the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ team entered the ‘SPT Studio’. Kang Woojin’s vehicle was no different. Around this point, Woojin.

“……”

Equipped himself with his trademark cynicism, though internally, his mouth was wide open in astonishment.

‘Wow- shit!! This is insane!! This place is huge! Is this really a film set?!’

He was utterly shocked at the size of ‘SPT Studio’. Though he had been impressed by large-scale set complexes in Korea, this place was on an entirely different level. It was several times larger and more expansive than any massive apartment complex. The warehouse-style stages they passed were twice as big as logistics warehouses, and there were dozens of them. Moreover, in front of every warehouse-like stage, teams of set construction workers were busy.

The scene itself was incredible.

But the part that truly made Kang Woojin internally scream in amazement was elsewhere. It happened when Woojin’s vehicle stopped in front of an enormous warehouse, and he stepped inside.

‘……Holy shit, this is insane. Is this even real?!’

As soon as he stepped into the set, Kang Woojin forgot all about his concept act and halted in his tracks. Then, he took in the breathtaking sight before him. A towering ceiling, countless lights hanging from it, dozens of luxurious chandeliers just below, elegant and antique furniture, intricately patterned pillars scattered throughout, and a marble floor inlaid with large paintings.

If there were nobles dressed in gowns and formal attire, the place would instantly transform into a palace ballroom.

How to put it, looking at the beige and brown mixed set ballroom, Woojin.

‘This is absolutely insane.’

Was under the illusion that he had entered a fairy tale or fantasy world. But this was reality. The grand banquet hall set was bustling with over a hundred foreign staff members, and various cameras and equipment were being installed all around.

‘…Magnificent.’

It was a moment that could only be described as “magnificent”. At that moment, Choi Sung-gun brought Kang Woojin, who had been lost in thought, back to reality. Unlike Woojin, he was openly exclaiming in amazement.

“Wow- this is incredible. I want to say more, but I can’t think of anything. It’s just amazing.”

Then, suddenly, he tapped Kang Woojin on the shoulder and said.

“Woojin, over there.”

Woojin, barely managing to maintain his concept act, turned his gaze in the direction Choi Sung-gun was pointing.

‘Ah, the piano.’

A piano had been placed on one side of the banquet hall set.

Of course.

‘Even that looks ridiculously fancy.’

It was the piano that Kang Woojin would play.

Not long after.

The setup for the audition and screen test in the future ‘Beast and the Beauty’ filming banquet hall set was complete. The lights on the vast and luxurious banquet hall ceiling turned on, causing the dozens of chandeliers hanging there to sparkle. Several cameras attached to small jibs or installed separately were in place. The audio equipment was also set up.

With the gathered staff, including the director and other related personnel, the total exceeded a hundred people.

From the equipment to the number of people, it resembled an actual filming site at a glance. However, in reality, this was relatively simple. A table with monitors had been set up, and many foreigners were gathered around it. Among them were Bill Rotner, the black horn-rimmed glasses-wearing director, producers, key staff, ‘World Disney Pictures’ executives, and others.

Soon, the monitors began displaying different angles.

The main focus was the piano.

In any case, it meant the camera setup was complete. Shortly after, ‘Beast and the Beauty’ director Bill Rotner looked around. He was searching for Kang Woojin. Woojin was at one side of the set, checking his costume, and since he seemed nearly done, it looked like he would step onto the stage soon. At that moment, the executive producer quietly spoke to Bill Rotner.

“In such a short time, he’s gained the most attention among the candidate actors. When we selected him as a candidate, or even during the preliminary meeting, we didn’t expect it to be to this extent. What do you think?”

The half-bald Director Bill Rotner shrugged his shoulders.

“About what?”

“Unlike the preliminary meeting, today Kang Woojin has to show what we’re looking for. Do you think he’ll handle it well?”

“Well, you know we’ve already seen his skills. He’s been vetted, and we observed him during the preliminary meeting. I’m looking forward to his acting, too. If he weren’t up to the task, ‘Columbia Studios’ wouldn’t have entrusted him with the beginning of that major project.”

At that moment.

“Hm-”

One of the foreign executives, who hadn’t been present during Kang Woojin’s preliminary meeting, chimed in.

“Still, regardless of his existing skills, today’s audition and screen test will determine how well he immerses himself in the role of the ‘Beast’. That’s the key point. We know Kang Woojin’s vocal, piano, and acting skills are impressive, but the question is how convincingly he can portray the ‘Beast’.”

It wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was a universal truth often heard anywhere. Moreover, ‘Beast and the Beauty’ already had an original work that was beloved worldwide. So instead of jaw-dropping creativity, a breathtaking level of synchronization would obviously score higher.

In short, it meant he had to completely abandon his own style and dedicate everything to becoming the ‘Beast’.

“You know how sometimes there are actors who, engrossed in their own stubbornness, arbitrarily alter and ‘fix’ a character however they like?”

Some of the executives nodded, as if they had seen similar cases before.

“Well, skilled actors do tend to exhibit such behavior occasionally. And isn’t Kang Woojin known to have a strong will? While that can be an advantage, it’s also something to worry about.”

“Sure, having some persistence as an actor is good, but… ultimately, the basics are to approach the character as closely as possible. The appearance, physique, speech, expressions, habits, everything. Especially for live-action adaptations like ‘Beast and the Beauty’. I just hope Kang Woojin doesn’t get confused by his meteoric rise and make mistakes.”

In the end, both the producer and director Bill Rotner nodded in agreement. Based on the flow of the conversation, it seemed that ‘World Disney Pictures’ preferred a ‘Beast’ faithful to the original work rather than a creatively reimagined version. They acknowledged that Kang Woojin’s skills were outstanding. Even in the preliminary meeting, his energy had been the closest to that of the ‘Beast’.

However, Kang Woojin’s standing in Hollywood had changed significantly in the meantime.

Buoyed by his growing influence, there was a possibility that he might deviate from the basics during this audition. This was what the ‘World Disney Pictures’ team was concerned about.

At that moment.

“We’re ready!!”

Following the staff’s shout, Kang Woojin stepped onto the set banquet hall.

“……”

His face was expressionless. His attire was a banquet outfit with a harmonious mix of blue and beige. Silver patterns were intricately etched throughout, making it quite lavish. As Woojin approached the piano, the attention of the hundred or so foreign staff members gathered in the hall focused entirely on him. Director Bill Rotner, seated among the monitors, spoke.

“You can start whenever you’re ready.”

Kang Woojin sat down at the piano, which was decorated with colorful golden patterns against a white base. On every monitor, Woojin appeared from different angles. Placing one hand on the keys, he began.

-Swish.

After briefly running his hand over the white and black keys, he finally positioned both hands on the piano.

And then.

-♬♪

The melody of the piano began to resonate throughout the vast banquet hall set. Woojin’s performance had started. The tempo gradually picked up.

And in just 10 seconds.

“Amaz…ing.”

“……Wow.”

“In- incredible. Is he really an actor?”

“The sheet music was only passed over recently- yet at such a high level-“

Every single foreigner gathered in the banquet hall was left with their mouths agape. Kang Woojin’s piano performance deserved such a reaction. Meanwhile, director Bill Rotner checked the monitor displaying Kang Woojin.

‘…He’s smiling.’

Woojin was smiling with a mix of thrill and delight. It was only natural. At this moment, Kang Woojin was not the ‘Beast.’

‘He’s just someone so overwhelmed with joy from playing the piano that he’s losing his mind.’

He was the ‘Prince’ before he became the monster.