I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

A heavy silence filled the main conference room of Columbia Studios. Although many people were gathered, no one opened their mouth. That was because the bald executive had just asked, “Are you all prepared to give up Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’?”

They were already people who had experienced Woojin’s ‘Joker’.

‘…We can’t, no matter what else, we have to keep Kang Woojin.’

‘Who could possibly surpass the current ‘Joker’? It’d be hard.’

If they had never seen it, that would be different, but now that they had been thoroughly immersed, they had become people who couldn’t accept anything but Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’. It wasn’t strange. If the ‘real’ Kang Woojin was gone, no matter which actor they cast later, it would be just an ‘imitation’ in the end.

Looking at everyone gripped with fear, the bald executive thought,

‘Good, it worked.’

With a faint smile, he continued speaking.

“Why is it that everyone is afraid of other failures but can’t bring themselves to consider Kang Woojin’s case? Honestly, is there any failure bigger than him not doing the sequel? Losing him would be an irrecoverable failure.”

“……”

“Maybe if it were just this one film, but how many more times does ‘Joker’ need to appear? One thing’s for sure, Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’ will be passionately loved. Whether it’s a good or evil character, when they’re loved, there’s always backlash when the actor is replaced, as you all know, the power of a beloved villain is greater than any other character.”

That was true. Usually, villains are roles meant to be hated, but if an actor’s skills are extraordinary, they receive both hatred and recognition. That can even serve as the pillar holding up the entire work.

“Let’s trust our ‘Joker’. Surely, the stakes are high to bet on something unclear, but now that the dice of the cinematic universe has been cast, we have to see the forest, not just the trees.”

At that moment, a few people began to reveal what they had been hiding inside.

“Yeah, I think so too. To be honest, I don’t think ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ will fail at the Academy Awards.”

“There’s no way the Academy Awards won’t recognize such phenomenal acting.”

“The more risk we take, the bigger the reward.”

The bald executive, slowly nodding, regained the lead.

“Kang Woojin has been mentioning the Academy Awards ever since Cannes and the Emmys. Thanks to that, his ripple effect and influence are beyond words. And even now, they’re growing daily. I agree with Director Ahn Ga-bok. At this timing, we have to push with the flow for the fire to even catch. If it blows up, it will be more than a nuclear explosion.”

After finishing his words, the bald executive paused briefly to align his breathing. It was a moment to give everyone time to think. Then, he opened his mouth again.

“If Kang Woojin lifts the trophy at the Academy Awards, following Cannes and the Emmys-”

Even as he spoke, the bald executive got goosebumps.

“Can you even imagine how much power ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ would gain? At the same time, the greatest actor in the world would be born.”

It was imaginable but still unimaginable. Kang Woojin’s prestige was still growing even now, and no one knew just how much more he would grow by then.

“The world will cry out for ‘Joker’. Don’t you all want to see that scene?”

Two days later, on the 20th, late morning.

Among the massive set complexes inside Columbia Studios, the team for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was moving busily. They were scheduled to change locations twice today. Half a day for set filming, half a day for outdoor location filming. So there couldn’t be any disruptions to the day’s schedule.

“Actors standby!!”

“I’ll relay it right away!!!”

More than a hundred foreign staff members moved in perfect sync, hand and foot. To the point that the entire scene looked like a single machine. This was Hollywood’s strength and system. In Hollywood, they usually take a long and detailed approach to pre-production, which makes the actual filming period shorter than expected.

There were many works shorter than those in Korea, and ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was no exception.

Kang Woojin, having finished the poster shoot for ‘Beast and the Beauty’, returned to filming two days ago. Accordingly, today’s first scene was also Woojin’s cut, and Director Ahn Ga-bok was in a discussion with the key staff about the shooting storyboard.

Among all of them, someone was watching with arms crossed.

“……”

It was Nora Foster, the executive producer of the site, with a stern impression. After observing the site for a moment, she exhaled and brushed back her slightly longer-than-bob-length hair. A gesture of relief. Though filming had already entered the mid-to-late phase, neither the director, the staff, nor the actors looked rushed.

At that moment.

-♬♪

Nora’s phone rang. She stepped about two paces away and checked her phone, slightly surprised. The caller was Columbia Studios. It was clearly the result regarding Director Ahn Ga-bok’s proposal. Soon, Nora held the phone to her ear.

“Yes, it’s me.”

From the other end came a man’s voice.

“Nora.”

Hearing the voice, it seemed to be the bald executive from Columbia Studios. As his voice came through again, Nora’s eyes widened slightly.

“Wait, really?”

After a brief call, Nora lowered her phone. But her surprised expression remained. It was hard to tell what it meant just from her face. She stood there blankly for several dozen seconds.

‘What is going on??’

Her internal reaction was one of disbelief. Then suddenly, Nora spun around.

-Swish.

She strode swiftly toward the filming site. Judging by the direction, it was toward the very busy Director Ahn Ga-bok. Soon reaching him, Nora grabbed Director Ahn’s forearm.

“Director.”

With a surprised expression, Director Ahn asked back.

“Nora? What’s going on?”

“It worked.”

“Sorry? What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t think this would actually work either.”

“……Could it be.”

“Yes.”

Nora, her surprise now mixed with a smile, replied to Director Ahn Ga-bok.

“Your proposal worked. Columbia Studios contacted me to say they’ll proceed according to the schedule you suggested.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok looked at Nora for a moment, then quietly clenched his fist. It was his version of a fighting pose. Nora, unaware of this, added an explanation. Her excitement slowly rising.

“They even said they wouldn’t hold back on supporting the additional funding! That the production company will take care of the support, so the director, staff, and actors should just focus on the shoot. That’s the message.”

Likewise, Director Ahn Ga-bok smiled a wrinkled smile.

“…Looks like we’re going to get busy, but it’ll be a passionate kind of busy.”

A little while later.

Having received the news, Director Ahn Ga-bok first gathered the key staff members. Producer Nora would proceed with the formal process later, but as the director, he felt he needed to give the staff a heads-up and share what was to come.

“First- our ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ is aiming for the Academy Awards.”

“Ooh!”

“Yeah! It’s totally possible!”

Several key staff members ignited their fighting spirit at the mention of the Academy Awards. After all, it’s the dream stage for anyone in Hollywood. But most of them were caught off guard by Director Ahn Ga-bok’s next words.

“But the one we’re aiming for isn’t the year after next. It’s this coming Academy Awards to be held next year.”

“……What?”

Their confusion was natural. All the key staff here were veterans and knew that next year’s Academy Awards would be held in April, and they understood the entire process. At first, everyone thought Director Ahn Ga-bok was joking.

But.

“Here’s the proposal I made to the film company.”

As Director Ahn Ga-bok sincerely began his briefing, everyone’s expressions hardened immediately. Half of them were awed, the other half filled with doubt. Regardless, the veteran director firmly said everything he had to. The core was to meet the qualification by premiering first in Los Angeles, USA, and then to challenge the April Academy Awards.

The issue, of course, was.

“I-Is that even possible?”

The timeline was absurdly tight. But Director Ahn Ga-bok calmly reassured them, as if soothing everyone.

“We can do it. I already saw the potential with ‘Leech’. Of course, I’ll need help from everyone.”

Slowly, Director Ahn Ga-bok explained why he had made such a proposal and the ripple effects if it went well. Fortunately, the reactions of the key staff gradually shifted to understanding and fighting spirit.

“Yeah, screw it, let’s give it a shot!”

“Sounds fun? If it’s the Academy Awards, this level of effort is totally worth it!”

“Hahaha, if this goes well, then the ‘Joker’ who walked the red carpet at the Emmys will make it to the Academy Awards too??”

“First, we have to get nominated!”

“If it’s ‘Joker’, don’t you think he’ll just force his way in?”

“That’s true, haha.”

It seemed everyone was on board. Director Ahn Ga-bok glanced at Nora. She nodded. The “realistic” discussions that followed would be her responsibility. Soon after, the surrounding area became loud and bustling, and Director Ahn quietly exhaled.

‘From now on, it’s a race against time.’

To make things run according to the plan he proposed to Columbia Studios, there wasn’t even a second to rest from this moment forward. At that moment, the actors began entering the set. Among them, Nora spotted Kang Woojin, now in full makeup as “Henry Gordon”, his expression indifferent.

‘Kang Woojin-’

Nora murmured inwardly with a deep smile.

‘For that massive Columbia Studios to bet everything on this actor’s ‘Joker’?’

It came from the heart.

‘No, at this point, it’s not just a bet. It’s all-in.’

Afterwards.

With the Academy Awards path now confirmed for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, the pace naturally picked up. The filming schedule was sure to change. Though the crank-up was already set for sometime in September, even saving a single day would be helpful.

This was only possible thanks to the agreement of the key staff and the actors, including Kang Woojin.

Of course, the one fighting hardest, practically putting his life on the line, would be Director Ahn Ga-bok, but without help from others, that struggle would be in vain. Surprisingly, the actors’ responses were full of excitement. Chris, who had grown quite close to Woojin, grabbed Kang Woojin’s shoulder and said,

“Woojin! So you’re finally conquering the Academy Awards too? Hold up, then I need to win something too, right??”

The other actors reacted similarly.

Naturally, this move was designated as top secret. They would maintain strict confidentiality until the release. And with something of this scale, even a minor rumor could ruin everything.

Kang Woojin felt a bit nervous, but he didn’t show it.

Part of it was him putting on a tough front, but he also figured it was better not to have high expectations at times like this.

‘Still, aiming for the Academy Awards next April… that’s crazy fast.’

Whatever the case, Woojin had to focus on his scenes and performance several times more than usual. The first shoot for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was coming up soon.

He had to finish as many of his own scenes as possible beforehand.

And so, Kang Woojin pushed forward with filming for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. One day passed, then two. Everyone’s motivation was so high that minutes, hours, and entire days flew by without anyone realizing it.

Meanwhile, the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ side, which had now arrived at its first filming day, was also busy.

『CNM / The controversial and much-talked-about live-action project ‘Beast and the Beauty’ confirms first shoot on September 1!』

『LA TIME / Only one week left until the first shoot of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ by World Disney Pictures. What kind of synergy will Kang Woojin and Miley Cara bring?』

As the first filming news and promotions spread beyond Hollywood, the production entered its final preparation stage.

Meanwhile, in Korea, another project was on the verge of sharing good news.

『[IssueTalk] A miracle of 6 Emmy Awards! ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 confirmed to open on Monday, September 19』

The release date was confirmed for ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2, whose editing had recently been completed, a project that showed miracles to the world, including Hollywood.

『News of ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 launch excites international fans, the power of the Emmy Awards!』

『Best Actor at the Emmy Awards, Kang Woojin, will he move global fans again in ‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2?』

Netflix was already running major promotions. Additionally, promotional videos were posted on Kang Woojin’s SNS and his “Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego” channel. The firepower now was on a completely different level from the past.

It seemed that everything was packed into September.

And Kang Woojin thought to himself.

‘Wow- come to think of it, it’s already September? The year’s almost over?’

Time really was flying.

Woojin truly felt the passage of time when he opened his eyes in bed at dawn.

“Ugh- so bright.”

Still groggy, Kang Woojin checked the time.

-September 1 / AM 5:11

The dawn of the first day of September had arrived in the blink of an eye.

**

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