I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor-Chapter 365: Prestige (2) - Edited
Chapter 365: Prestige (2)
Translator: Santos
*Pierrot* was rated EX+, one level higher than *The Beneficial Evil*, which was rated EX. As Kang Woo-jin looked at it, he honestly couldn't fathom what that meant.
“Wow— EX+?? How insane is that level?!”
It was impossible to gauge. The only thing he could guess was that it had to be higher than *Symbiotic Leech*, which had been rated SSS and turned Cannes upside down, and that *Pierrot* would be even more extraordinary.
“No way— *Symbiotic Leech* won the Palme d'Or and Best Actor. Plus, it’s had a massive audience count since its release, right?”
That was as far as he could think. If Choi Seong-geon, knowledgeable as he was, might have some answers, Woo-jin hadn’t yet reached that level. Thus, he simply smiled.
‘Who knows? I just need to focus on doing my job well.’
In any case, it was pointless to overthink it at this point. If he kept acting his heart out, that day would come eventually. For now, the clear priorities were filming *The Beneficial Evil* and landing the ambiguous lead role in *Pierrot*.
- Swish.
While staring at the white square, Woo-jin suddenly lay down. Gazing into the dark void of the pocket dimension, he murmured.
“Landing a role— well, back then, what was the title? Ah, maybe it’ll be similar to *Last Kill 3*?”
The system would surely be the same. Both *Last Kill 3* and *Pierrot* were Hollywood films. However, there was a difference in the roles. Moreover, the scale of the film companies was like heaven and earth. In other words, it wouldn’t be as easy as with *Last Kill 3*.
Though it was hard to imagine clearly, Woo-jin instinctively felt the weight of the situation. Yet, he soon shrugged it off.
‘While I do intend to seize the role aggressively, there's no need to stress if it doesn’t work out. It’s not like that’s the only movie out there.’
Though it would be a shame to miss out on an EX+ project, Hollywood was vast, and there would surely be another project of the same caliber somewhere else. With those thoughts sorted out, Kang Woo-jin relaxed in the pocket dimension. After enjoying his time lying down as he wished, he shouted, “Exit!” and returned to reality.
In the van speeding down the highway.
Rejuvenated, Kang Woo-jin glanced down at the *Pierrot* script resting on his knees, flipping through the pages.
- Flap.
He intended to finish reading it entirely, drawing from his experience in the pocket dimension.
Approximately two hours later.
Having arrived in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, Kang Woo-jin was currently filming as Jang Yeon-woo.
“Hi— Action!!”
Over a hundred staff members, actors, and PD Song Man-woo moved as one. Amidst the bustling set, a man with a ponytail stood with his arms crossed and a serious expression. It was Choi Seong-geon. Watching Kang Woo-jin pour his heart into his performance as Jang Yeon-woo, he thought,
‘...I think I need to strategize this well.’
He was, of course, thinking about *Pierrot*. Soon, Choi Seong-geon recalled his conversation with Director Ahn Gabok from that morning.
It began with Director Ahn Gabok explaining the situation while seated opposite Woo-jin.
“First of all, the details about *Pierrot* are still top secret.”
Quick to catch on, Choi Seong-geon immediately responded.
“Of course. It’s clearly a major project. Only Woo-jin and I will know about it.”
“It won’t take long. Since Woo-jin has decided to dive into this project, I’ll contact you soon to discuss the timing for revealing it to the world.”
“...Understood. But Director.”
“Hmm?”
“Why exactly did this project come to you... what’s the reason behind it?”
Why had he gone to Hollywood, and upon returning to Korea, was he pushing *Pierrot* onto Kang Woo-jin? And why was he in such a rush to set things up? Choi Seong-geon's curiosity was quickly satisfied with one phrase from Director Ahn Gabok.
“I’m set to direct this project.”
Choi Seong-geon was taken aback. Of course, Kang Woo-jin remained silent.
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“Really?!! Is that true?? Oh, wow! Congratulations, Director!!”
In that instant, Choi Seong-geon realized that Director Ahn Gabok was taking on the first Hollywood directing role of his career. He had won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, so it was understandable that he would attract interest, but Choi Seong-geon hadn’t expected things to come together so quickly. In contrast, Director Ahn Gabok was calm.
“Thank you. Hmm— yes, I suppose I should share what I can.”
“...”
“I’ve decided to direct *Pierrot*, and the Hollywood film company handling it is Columbia Studio.”
“!!!”
Choi Seong-geon’s eyes widened once again. Naturally. Columbia Studio was one of the most prominent and major film distribution companies in Hollywood. This meant that *Pierrot* was an extraordinary project. With his mouth slightly agape, Choi Seong-geon turned his gaze to Kang Woo-jin, who had been listening quietly without showing any change in expression.
It was only Choi Seong-geon who was surprised.
As he restrained his excitement, Choi Seong-geon whispered to Director Ahn Gabok.
“I’m sorry; please continue.”
“I apologize, but I can only share those two details for now. Oh, I should mention that Columbia Studio is fine with this, so I’ll let you know.”
Director Ahn Gabok’s gaze turned to Kang Woo-jin.
“Your name was also on the casting board at Columbia Studio. Even if it wasn’t me, they would have reached out to you; however, I insisted on giving you the script directly.”
“Our Woo-jin?”
“Hmm. The Best Actor award at Cannes probably had a significant impact.”
“...”
“Of course, besides you, their casting board has many top Hollywood actors listed as well.”
As Director Ahn Gabok replied, he began to elaborate further.
“That doesn’t mean I specially gave you the *Pierrot* script first. Columbia Studio is likely moving as well. They’ll be handing out the script to various Hollywood actors on their casting board, emphasizing equal opportunity.”
“Equal opportunity?”
“Exactly. They’ll probably send the script to several actors at the same time and call them in for tests around the same time. From there, they’ll choose the actor who fits *Pierrot* best.”
“Ah.”
“Even though the timing is the same, they’ll be watching to see which actor can bring the terrifying clown to life more quickly.”
At this point, Choi Seong-geon returned to the reality of the filming set for *The Beneficial Evil*. Watching Kang Woo-jin on set, he murmured quietly.
“A terrifying clown—”
And soon thought,
‘That *Columbia Studio* film. The director handling it is the legendary Ahn Gabok in the Korean film industry. If Woo-jin gets attached to that...’
He transformed into the representative of the agency.
‘The first consecutive *Palme d'Or* and *Best Actor* in Korea making their way to Hollywood.’
It was a huge scoop.
On the 8th, after the weekend, in LA.
As the sun rose in Korea, it was afternoon in LA, the center of the American and global film industry. Countless related companies were gathered in droves, from distribution and film companies to agencies and various production firms.
In other words, numerous films were being produced simultaneously.
The genres were diverse. In one of those LA film companies, a massive conference room was in the midst of a production meeting. Foreigners were seated tightly at a U-shaped table, each with laptops in front of them. The overall lighting in the conference room was somewhat dim. A video was projected onto the screen at the front.
- ♬♪
It was the music video for Miley Cara’s new album title track, which had garnered hundreds of millions of views and recently shaken up the Billboard charts.
- [alcoholism (feat. WooJin)] | Miley Cara
All the foreigners seated in the conference room were intently watching the video. Interestingly, they weren’t focusing on Miley Cara in the video but on another figure. Specifically, only the parts featuring Kang Woo-jin were being repeatedly played.
As the foreign woman seated at the front, who was in charge of the presentation for the meeting, moved her mouse, the music video paused. But that wasn’t the end. This time, she played another prepared video.
- ♬♪
Now, a song in Japanese along with an animated sequence began to play. It was the opening song for *Friend Zone: Remake*, which had once topped the Oricon charts in Japan. So why were these foreigners listening to songs and vocals centered around Kang Woo-jin?
Moreover, the expressions of all the foreigners appeared quite serious.
Then,
“Next up is from YouTube.”
The foreign woman at the front handling various videos and audio clicked her mouse. Soon, a Japanese restaurant appeared on the screen, followed by Kang Woo-jin sitting at a piano. He began to play the piano. Yes, this video showcased a past performance of Woo-jin playing “Carrousel of Life.”
- ♬♪
The piano melody filled the conference room. Subtle changes appeared in the
expressions of the gathered foreigners. Their eyes widened, or their mouths dropped slightly.
“...”
“...”
Some closed their eyes to savor it, while others busily jotted down notes in their diaries. Each person was focusing in their own way. Although the videos and songs changed, the posture of the foreign attendees in the spacious conference room remained largely unchanged. The commonality was that they were all perked up to listen to Woo-jin’s vocals.
Then,
“Up to this point.”
The lights in the conference room brightened, indicating that the appreciation time was over, and the gathered foreigners began to speak up one by one.
“Kang Woo-jin— his vocal skills are remarkable, but his timbre is unique. It’s not common.”
“With that level, wouldn’t it be perfectly fine to consider him a singer?”
“Of course. Honestly, if you don’t mention he’s an actor, who would think he’s not a singer?”
“But he is an actor, and he even won the first Best Actor award for a Korean actor at Cannes.”
“He’s only been debuting for two years, is that true?”
Every foreigner had a transparent file with Kang Woo-jin's photo on their desks. This meant that the focus of the meeting was Kang Woo-jin. The videos and songs presented up to now served as proof of that.
“His vocal talent goes without saying. Especially, his piano skills stood out significantly.”
“Perhaps our interest is piqued more because he has the abilities we’re looking for.”
“But his main job is... an actor. Am I the only one surprised?”
“His acting is indeed the main focus. He possesses the acting skills to turn Cannes upside down.”
“It was stated in the channel introduction that everything besides acting is just a hobby.”
Amid the buzzing discussions, a coherent conclusion emerged.
“Anyway, his skills have definitely been validated. While actually meeting him might be different, judging from all the materials presented, there’s more than enough evidence.”
Someone chimed in.
“What about language skills?”
The answer came quickly.
“According to our research, he’s proficient in English, Japanese, French, and even sign language. All at a native level.”
“Have you heard the pop songs he covered? It’s hard to believe he’s Korean when you listen with your eyes closed.”
As the meeting continued, the presence of a long-faced man exuding an aura of authority spoke up.
“Vocal, language, acting, image. And piano skills. Not to mention the recent buzz. I judge there’s absolutely nothing lacking.”
Soon, all the foreigners nodded in agreement.
“We absolutely need to put him on the casting board.”
“We want the abilities that are core to this project: acting, vocals, and piano skills. He possesses all of them. Even if his language skills were lacking, he’s worth offering a role to, and he’s even exceptional in that area.”
As their conversation included terms like “vocals” and “piano,” they emphasized,
“Kang Woo-jin— he’s a definite.”
Then, one rather chubby foreigner sitting near the middle of the U-shaped table suddenly stood up. It looked like he received a phone call. Trying not to disrupt the meeting, he quietly slipped out into the hallway.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m in a meeting about production, so keep it brief.”
Behind the man on the phone, the logo and name of the film company were stuck to the glass door of the conference room. It was very familiar.
- *Walt Disney Pictures*
