I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

Around noon on the 12th.

Kang Woojin, who had wrapped up the audition for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ earlier in the morning, was now inside a van speeding down the road. He was wearing a rather thick gray blazer, full makeup, with his hair styled neatly. This was because he had just finished an interview with a famous Hollywood media outlet.

-Vroooom!

After completing the approximately one-hour interview, Kang Woojin’s team was on their way to grab a meal. The menu was pizza. This was based on a recommendation from Han Ye-jung, who said there was a famous restaurant nearby.

Meanwhile, Woojin, sporting an intense concept look, crossed his legs and turned his gaze to the window as he mused to himself.

‘Hmm- Has the audition for the role of the ‘Beast’ wrapped up by now? Or is it still ongoing?’

The thought suddenly crossed his mind. Unlike ‘Pierrot’, which had been an open audition and allowed him to see the end of it, the audition for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was held privately, which only made his curiosity grow.

Soon, Choi Sung-gun, who was seated on the right, glanced at the clock on his phone and muttered, seemingly sharing the same thought.

“Woojin, there are four more people after you. Hmm, time-wise, I think the audition and screen test for the ‘Beast’ role must be done. Unless it’s the very last person now. I wonder what the director and production team are thinking, what their final reactions are.”

The stylists and other team members joined in, talking about how they also wanted to see it and how the scale of the set for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was supposedly insane. Although Kang Woojin was curious as well, he acted otherwise and put on a confident front.

“We’ll hear back soon enough.”

“Haha, a call about your acceptance?”

“Yes.”

“Man, is there no reverse gear in that brain of yours?”

“Probably not.”

At that moment.

-Bzzzz, bzzzz.

Kang Woojin’s phone vibrated for an extended time. Seeing the caller ID, it was Miley Cara. He raised the phone to his ear and spoke in fluent, low English.

“Yes, hello.”

On the other end, Cara’s slightly excited voice came through.

“Hi. I just thought of you, so I called. You did the audition for the ‘Beast’ role, right?”

“Yes.”

“How was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just, how did it feel? Do you think you did well?”

“Probably.”

“…I don’t know what to make of that. Anyway, I heard from a colleague, he said he saw you? Didn’t you see him?”

Cara explained about her colleague. Woojin recalled the Hollywood actor with permed hair he had seen earlier.

“I saw him. Though we didn’t greet each other.”

“He was probably conscious of you as a competitor because you got under his skin. Hmm- I really hope you get the ‘Beast’ role, sincerely. You know this would be a first in Hollywood, right?”

“That’s what I heard.”

Cara, who had been chuckling softly, one of the candidates for the role of Beauty ‘Bella’, changed the subject.

“I heard that the auditions and screen tests for the Beauty ‘Bella’ role will only take place after the actor for the ‘Beast’ role has been decided.”

Oh really? I didn’t know that. Woojin replied nonchalantly.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The ‘Beast’ role actor will probably attend the auditions for the Beauty ‘Bella’ role. They’ll match the ‘Beast’ with the ‘Bella’ candidates. So, Woojin, you’ll probably get to see all the ‘Bella’ candidates, including me.”

“…Nothing’s been decided yet, though.”

“Oh, right, my bad. That’s true.”

After a light-hearted response mixed with laughter, Cara spoke again.

“Personally, I’d love to sing while you play the piano, as Beauty ‘Bella’.”

Meanwhile.

At the ‘SPT Studio’ complex, where the live-action ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was set to be filmed. Inside one of the massive warehouse-like stages, the audition for the ‘Beast’ role had been underway since morning. Hundreds of foreign staff members were busily moving about.

Currently, they were in the middle of cleanup.

The audition and screen tests for the ‘Beast’ role had concluded, so the lights, cameras, audio equipment, and other setup in the grand ballroom set were being loaded back into trucks.

In the midst of this, near the piano with golden patterns in the set’s grand ballroom, stood Director Bill Rotner, whose head was half-bald.

“……”

Unlike the bustling hundred or so staff members, he stared at the piano with a thoughtful expression. It seemed as though he was recalling the audition scenes he had witnessed since morning. Standing next to him was the executive producer.

“Director, what are you thinking about?”

Director Bill removed his black-rimmed glasses and let out a faint laugh.

“It’s not that I’m thinking, it’s that thoughts are forcing their way out on their own. Violently.”

“……Kang Woojin?”

Director Bill Rotner did not immediately respond to the question and instead scanned the ballroom set that had been constructed. It was an incredibly detailed and well-crafted set. In fact, it was so well-made that it could easily pass as a real ballroom.

As a director, it was impossible to forget Kang Woojin, no, the ‘Beast’ who had run wild here. At least that’s what Director Bill Rotner thought.

“Just through his piano performance, he conveyed the appearance, personality, and life of the ‘Beast’. I’ve never seen such an absurdly expressive performance in my life. On top of that, his vocals and acting were…”

Trailing off, he locked eyes with the executive producer standing next to him.

“Now I understand why he suddenly appeared at Cannes and snatched the Best Actor Award, why he casually bring up the ‘Academy Awards’, and why he was confirmed as the lead for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. I understand why he’s shaking up Hollywood right now.”

“…Hmm, I feel the same way. Even Disney executives refer to him as a ‘monster’.”

“I’m dying to see him in full makeup.”

“Pardon?”

Bill Rotner, thinking about Kang Woojin, who was no longer present, clarified.

“I mean I want to see Kang Woojin in the true form of the ‘Beast’. Honestly, the other actors who came today weren’t bad either. We’ll have to gather later and conduct a deep review of today’s auditions. I also understand that Disney has to be mindful of the controversies surrounding Kang Woojin and the eyes of the global public.”

“……”

“But I’ll be upfront with you about my feelings.”

Director Bill Rotner expressed his honest thoughts to the executive producer of ‘Beast and the Beauty’.

“Right now, I can’t think of anyone but Kang Woojin for the role of the ‘Beast’.”

Later.

The news that the audition and screen tests for the ‘Beast’ role had concluded spread across Hollywood on the following day, the 13th. Being a globally popular project, it was only natural that international media would pick up on the story.

『LA TIMES / Live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ by ‘World Disney Pictures’, auditions for the ‘Beast’ role appear to have concluded yesterday』

This issue quickly went viral, and soon various online communities across the globe were buzzing with speculation. Naturally, Kang Woojin’s name was prominently featured. The fact that he had even been considered as a candidate for the ‘Beast’ role was already a hot topic, but after securing the lead role in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, the attention on him had only intensified.

What on earth made Hollywood fall for him so completely?

However, there was something slightly different compared to the initial reactions. The response from the international audience had softened a little.

– It’s not like Kang Woojin being cast as the ‘Beast’ is totally absurd. Seriously, just watch ‘Beneficial Evil’.

– I agree. He’s handsome and a great actor. I actually think Kang Woojin would fit the role of the ‘Beast’ quite well.

This was the power of ‘Beneficial Evil’, which had suddenly taken the world by storm. For reference, it had been about ten days since the show launched, and ‘Beneficial Evil’ was currently making waves.

『“I planned to watch just one episode, but I ended up binging it all night”…The world is now obsessed with ‘Beneficial Evil’』

It was truly unstoppable.

『[Video] ‘Beneficial Evil’ creates a sensation amid divided opinions….. A whirlwind between freshness and familiarity, paired with spectacular action. Still ranked #1 in the U.S.!』

『Due to Beneficial Evil’s global popularity… Kang Woojin and other actors like Hwalin see explosive growth in SNS followers!』

What many had expected to die down after just a few days was, instead, continuing its momentum. Ten days after its release, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was still holding the #1 spot not only in the U.S. and South Korea but also in several other countries.

Moreover.

『’Beneficial Evil’ sweeps the globe, maintaining its #1 position in about 22 countries, including the U.S., ten days after release』

It had reached #1 on Netflix in over 20 countries.

Around the world, people were talking about ‘Beneficial Evil’.

– I didn’t know much about Korea before, but after watching ‘Beneficial Evil’, I want to visit!

– When is part 2 coming out? Netflix, do your job already!

– I’ve been looking for other Korean dramas on Netflix because of ‘Beneficial Evil’, but nothing compares to it.

– The action is decent, but the story is weak. I don’t get why it’s such a big deal.

– I couldn’t stay focused on it either.

– For the first time, I’m interested in a Korean actor…Kang Woojin is so cool.

It was like a global syndrome.

『’Beneficial Evil’ captivates the world, breaking records in Korea… Kang Woojin’s global recognition skyrocketing exponentially!』

Then a day later, on the 14th.

『[Issue Pick] Korean drama rewriting history, ‘Beneficial Evil’ maintains #1 in the U.S. and others. Global rankings announced, ‘Beneficial Evil’ achieves Korea’s first global #1!』

『’Beneficial Evil’ causes a major sensation… Surges to #1 worldwide on Netflix!』

Beneficial Evil’s first overall ranking was released.

『Kang Woojin conquers the world, Netflix global #1 drama ‘Beneficial Evil’… A new record for Korean dramas』

『[Comprehensive] ‘Beneficial Evil’ ranks #1 in 22 countries including Korea, the U.S., and Japan, while maintaining top positions or #2 in 50 other countries… A global triumph as ‘Beneficial Evil’ hits #1 overall』

『In just 10 days since its release, ‘Beneficial Evil’ achieves global #1. If this momentum continues, it will result in unprecedented success!』

This was the first time a Korean drama had ever achieved global #1.

At this time, slightly away from downtown LA.

A fairly large two-story building came into view. It was mostly gray, surrounded by transparent windows, and encircled by a spacious garden filled with trees. While such a scale wasn’t particularly surprising in the vast expanse of LA, something about this building stood out.

It was the massive statue in front of it.

The statue, over three times the size of a person, depicted a winged woman holding a globe and gazing toward the sky. At a glance, it resembled a trophy.

In fact, it was a trophy.

It was simply an enlarged version of the original.

The statue of the winged woman holding a globe and looking skyward was an immensely famous symbol, not just in the United States but worldwide. In the film industry, there was the ‘Academy Awards’, and in theater and musicals, there was the ‘Tony Awards’. For the television industry, there was the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards’, or simply the ‘Emmy Awards’. The winged woman statue was the trophy for the ‘Emmys’.

The ‘Emmy Awards’ were as prestigious to the television industry as the ‘Academy Awards’ were to film, making them the most respected awards show in global television.

Naturally, the world’s television industry was fiercely competitive to be part of this ceremony. The ‘Emmy Awards’ included not only global broadcast networks but also cable channels and various OTT platforms. Similar to Cannes, the ‘Emmys’ had several sections, with the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards’ serving as the main event, often referred to simply as the ‘Emmys’. Of course, there was also a Best Actor Award.

In any case, the reason this massive ‘Emmy Awards’ trophy statue was proudly displayed in front of this building was simple.

This was the headquarters of the ‘Emmy Awards’.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), which annually hosts the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards’, was based here.

Interestingly, in one of the meeting rooms inside this building, a diverse group of foreigners of various ages had gathered.

“’Beneficial Evil’, huh, its momentum is extraordinary.”

The words coming out of their mouths were about the Korean drama ‘Beneficial Evil’.

“I agree. It hit #1 in the U.S. on Netflix just one day after its release. That’s a first for a Korean production.”

“And that’s not all. It’s now ranked #1 in over 20 countries, with the remaining 50 countries showing it in either the #2 spot or somewhere in the top rankings.”

“It’s beyond just an unusual trend. It’s setting new records daily.”

Well, the conversation among these dozens of gathered people was quite serious.

“It’s currently Netflix’s #1 show globally. Not many American dramas have even achieved that.”

“While we’d need exact data, it’s probably countable on one hand.”

“The production itself is both entertaining and well-executed. The direction is excellent, and the action scenes are particularly outstanding.”

“Kang Woojin – he’s certainly worthy of causing a storm. Following Cannes, he’s involved in both ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ and ‘Beast and the Beauty’, and now ‘Beneficial Evil’ has exploded globally. Is this even possible?”

“It must be possible since it’s happening in reality.”

“Anyway, it’s clear that this ‘Beneficial Evil’ and Kang Woojin have created a miracle.”

“Kang Woojin’s miracle is still ongoing.”

For reference, the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards’ collect candidate works from April of the previous year to April of the current year. After passing through the votes and processes of numerous judging members, the ceremony is grandly held in August. Since it was currently February, this was the period during which candidate works were being actively collected.

At this moment, a foreigner with a thick mustache spoke up.

“‘Beneficial Evil’ – would it be okay to put it up as a candidate?”

A pot-bellied foreigner crossed his arms and answered.

“We need to watch it a bit more. But if its momentum continues, I think it will be more than sufficient.”

As a result, most of the gathered foreigners nodded in agreement. Soon, the foreigner with the pot-belly spoke again.

“If ‘Beneficial Evil’ gets officially nominated, it would be the first non-English work to do so.”

The Emmy Awards had taken notice of ‘Beneficial Evil’.