I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

In a spacious living room somewhere in LA. A handsome man was sitting cross-legged on a luxurious five-seater sofa that clearly screamed high-end. It was Chris Hartnett, who had casually swept his hair back with a headband. Although he had been busy lately with preparations for the film ‘Guest’ and schedules related to ‘Pierrot’, today must have been a day off, as he was at home in comfortable clothes.

“Hehehe, wow- Kang Woojin is so straightforward, as expected.”

He chuckled with interest while looking at his phone. What he was watching was a just-released YouTube video.

More specifically.

-[“No, we are dating.”]

It was the scene at the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ event where Kang Woojin publicly revealed that he was in a relationship with Cara. Judging by the footage, it seemed to have been filmed by a reporter at the scene. Of course, several similar videos had already been uploaded on YouTube. All of those videos were getting explosive views.

“He really knows how to attract people’s attention, I need to use this trick someday too. Ahem, first I should congratulate him.”

He smirked crookedly, turned off the video he was watching, and called Kang Woojin. Woojin answered quickly.

“Busy.”

-Click.

And just as quickly, hung up. However, Chris, as if he had been through this more than once, didn’t lose his smile and muttered while slowly putting down his phone.

“Damn that enviable guy. Anyway, this is going to be a frenzy for a while.”

And it wasn’t just Chris. Director Ahn Ga-bok also chimed in.

“Hoho, this is worth congratulating. Still, to confirm the first dating rumor right away, that’s just like Woojin.”

The cast of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, executives at ‘Columbia Studios’, and others also received the news. That wasn’t all. Danny Landis, who was going to meet Kang Woojin tomorrow for the first shoot of ‘John Persona’, as well as Joseph Felton and others, had also heard. Even people from ‘A8 Media’ working on the film ‘Guest’ were in an uproar.

Reactions from CEO Jennifer Thurman and her employees were varied.

“Wow- I’ve never seen anyone acknowledge a relationship like that before!”

“I was shocked too. But thinking about Kang Woojin, it doesn’t seem all that strange?”

“……Right. If we asked him, he’d probably answer with something like ‘It wasn’t that hard’.”

“Anyway, like the reporters said, they really are the ‘couple of the century’. Miley Cara goes without saying, and Kang Woojin is now a full-fledged world star too.”

“Obviously! The two of them are the hottest in Hollywood right now! Of course, Kang Woojin’s a bit louder though.”

To put it plainly, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that everyone in Hollywood had seen this news. That’s how much noise it made. With other hot issues already turning the place into a melting pot, now that “love” was thrown in the mix, foreign reporters were halfway to losing their minds. Kang Woojin, checking the atmosphere while on the move.

‘Whew- damn, they’ve gone mad. Is this even real?? How many articles are breaking per second??’

It was like a monstrous tidal wave sweeping over Hollywood.

『CNM/Kang Woojin openly declares relationship with Miley Cara at ‘Beast and the Beauty’ event!』

『BBX/Kang Woojin and Miley Cara confirm their real-life relationship, shaking Hollywood, Photo』

『LA TIME/[Breaking News] Kang Woojin and Miley Cara, the couple of the century brought together by ‘Beast and the Beauty’!』

Since Kang Woojin’s confession at the event, articles had literally been pouring out every second. Most of the foreign news outlets were using the same photos of Kang Woojin and Cara, either whispering to each other at the table on stage or holding hands while exiting.

With the international media going wild, there was no way public opinion would stay quiet.

-Oh my god!!! They’re really dating?!

-I can’t believe it! No! This has to be a dream!!

-Just look at the photos! Accept reality, you idiots

-Surprisingly, they look good together in the two-shot?

-I saw the scene where Kang Woojin acknowledged the relationship, and it reminded me of the movie ‘Rotting Hill’

-Damn it!! Miley is gone too!

Major overseas communities were on fire. Rage and frenzy surged across SNS and YouTube. Kang Woojin swept first place in every imaginable ranking in an instant, top keyword, top search term, top trending video, top trending issue, and many more.

By lunchtime, radio stations and broadcasters across the United States, including Hollywood, were already covering this scoop.

-[“Kang Woojin has admitted to dating Miley Cara at the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ event. The media is thrilled, calling it the birth of the ‘Couple of the Century’.”]

With ‘Pierrot’, ‘Beast and the Beauty’, and the fame of Kang Woojin and Miley Cara being globally recognized, and with the United States shaking like this, their relationship spread worldwide in no time.

Among all the countries, Korea was, as expected, the fastest to react.

Unlike LA, it was dawn in Korea, but every major portal site’s homepage was already flooded with articles about Kang Woojin and Cara.

『[Breaking News] Kang Woojin♥Miley Cara, at the ‘Beast and the Beauty’ press conference, declares straight to hundreds of foreign reporters: “We’re dating.”』

『Distance between Korea and Hollywood is no problem! Kang Woojin and Miley Cara officially acknowledge relationship, foreign media: “Couple of the Century!”』

『[StarTalk] Kang Woojin calmly reveals he’s in relationship with Miley Cara / photo』

Korea had already been buzzing over ‘Pierrot’ and the ‘Academy Awards’, and given that Kang Woojin was a “world star” contributing to national prestige, new articles were being published by the second.

『Kang Woojin♥Miley Cara leaving the event holding hands / photo』

Even saying “articles pouring out” wasn’t enough, and as some time passed, by early morning this news had completely engulfed Korea.

Online and.

-No way…….wow………was this real??!

-My heart is swelling… feels like just yesterday I left a comment saying Park Dae-ri was amazing… oppa… I’m so happy for you… ㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠ

-Kang Woojin is so real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’ve felt it before, but his backing down is epic ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Just slams it down like “We’re dating, so what are you gonna do about it?”ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-If it’s Miley Cara, then seriously she’s top of the top in Hollywood and the worldㅋㅋㅋ But Kang Woojin’s vibe is insane too, so they actually suit each other

-?????????!!!?????This is crazy!!!!

-Reading an article about a Korean actor dating a Hollywood top starㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is wild

-Honestly, when Miley Cara was in ‘Beneficial Evil’ I just knewㅋㅋㅋㅋ Wedding soon please

-Kang Woojin will now probably be ranked among world-class thieves

.

.

.

Offline too.

“Manager Kim!! Did you see the article?! Kang Woojin is really dating Miley Cara!!”

“……Yeah, I saw it. Kang Woojin responded so coolly.”

“You even saw the video??!”

“I did… I don’t know, it feels complicated.”

“Kang Woojin’s fans are going crazy right now!!”

Domestic public opinion had already been noisy with Woojin’s extraordinary issues, but the acknowledgment of this relationship stirred things up even more intensely.

It was like a battlefield of blessings and curses.

Kang Woojin’s family, having returned from LA not long ago, was especially thrilled.

“Ohoho! Didn’t I say it?! That he’d bring home a blonde daughter-in-law!”

“……That’s why I said you’re getting ahead of yourself. They just started dating, why talk about a daughter-in-law.”

“Even a hundred-step staircase starts with the first step!”

“Oh my god- Oh my god!!! My oppa is with THAT Miley Cara!!!”

The group chat of his best friends was on fire. The response was so overwhelming that it couldn’t even be listed one by one. Roughly speaking, questions like “Is this for real?” “Is this even possible?” “I’m so jealous”, etc.

Unfortunately, Hwalin, who had just wrapped up a concert and entered her break period.

“……Ah-”

Had a devastated expression after reading the article at home, and Hong Hye-yeon was no different.

“Eh……really??”

However, except for a few, most of Kang Woojin’s colleagues in Korea were in a congratulatory mood. Whatever the case, this was once again a first-of-its-kind situation, and although Japan was a bit slower than Korea, it too joined the frenzy.

『[Exclusive] “Kang Woojin, Miley Cara” We’re dating now, Korea is now buzzing』

Following that, various other countries joined the issue, blowing up the snowball even more. The speed was already at maximum. Along with it, keywords like Kang Woojin, Miley Cara, ‘Pierrot’, and ‘Beast and the Beauty’ were selling like hotcakes.

Because once an issue starts, it always leads to another.

It was late at night when Kang Woojin, after a chaotic day, finally arrived home.

“Ha- schedule itself wasn’t too bad, but it was kind of rough. Was it because I got so many calls?”

Kang Woojin threw himself onto the bed in his room on the second floor, and at that moment, his phone rang. He was about to ignore it since it had been ringing all day, but suddenly.

“Ah.”

He shot up and grabbed the phone. It was Miley Cara. No, it was a call from his girlfriend. Kang Woojin smiled faintly and brought the phone to his ear, and on the other end, Miley Cara’s affectionate voice could be heard.

“Did you get home?”

With a ticklish feeling, Woojin shouted inside.

‘This is dating!’

The call went on for about an hour.

The next day, Monday the 27th. Early morning.

The location was a place quite far from downtown LA. After about a two-hour drive, there was nothing but an open plain. The only things visible around were paved roads, mountains, and dirt. The only building in sight was a dilapidated gas station. While there were a few passing cars, it was rare, and it was in this remote place that a film crew, with hundreds of staff members, had set up camp.

Small cranes, drones, and various filming equipment had been unloaded, and waiting areas other than tents were set up around the abandoned gas station.

It seemed a shoot was about to begin.

Among the staff, a familiar figure could be seen. It was the famous producer Joseph Felton, a tall Black man. Beside him stood an elderly man, the Hollywood veteran director Danny Landis. Director Danny, pushing up his round glasses, was busy inspecting the cars positioned along the road.

Naturally, the road was under control.

The reason was simple.

In about an hour, the first shoot for ‘John Persona’ was scheduled. As could be seen, the crank-in for ‘John Persona’ was an outdoor shoot, and judging by the number of cars and the variety of special equipment, the opening scene was a car chase.

After inspecting vehicles with key staff for several minutes, Director Danny Landis nodded.

“Alright. Let’s set everything up according to the storyboard for the driving, shooting, and the vehicles that’ll be exploded.”

There were three cars of the same model. Each would be used for different shots, one for normal driving, one for being shot at or impacted, and one for being flipped, rolled, and blown up. In the movie, they would appear as the same vehicle, but in filming, they were treated separately. Of course, CGI would be used and stunts would help, but since car chase scenes were inherently dangerous, the atmosphere on set was tense.

At that moment.

“Kang Woojin is entering!!”

The lead actor of ‘John Persona’, Kang Woojin, who had finished his makeup, stepped onto the set. His hair and face were already covered in wounds and dust, and his jeans and black knitwear were ripped in several places. Though it was the first shoot, the scene was from a part of the story that had progressed quite a bit.

Cynical due to his concept, Kang Woojin.

-Swoosh.

Cast his gaze upon the set. On the outside, he looked calm, but inside, his mouth was agape.

‘The scale is insane!! They shut down an entire road, how many cars are they going through?!’

Truthfully, Woojin had previous experience with car chase scenes. He had filmed one during the Bangkok location shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’. Plus, he had experienced the world of ‘John Persona’ dozens of times through script readings. Though there was nothing particularly worrying, he was still amazed by the massive scale of the set.

‘Just judging by outdoor location shoot quality, I don’t think ‘Pierrot’ or ‘Beast and the Beauty’ can even compare to ‘John Persona’??’

Just then, a familiar face with a large nose approached Kang Woojin.

“Woojin, let’s go over the scene rehearsal with the director.”

It was Ethan Smith, the stunt coordinator for ‘John Persona’, and someone who had previously worked with Kang Woojin on ‘Beneficial Evil’. Kang Woojin nodded and gathered with Director Danny Landis and the key staff to begin a verbal rehearsal of the storyboard.

These were considerably intense scenes involving explosions and more.

At first, the set had been lively with congratulatory chatter about Woojin and Cara’s relationship, but as filming drew near, it swiftly transformed into a serious atmosphere. That same seriousness could be seen in Choi Sung-gun and his team, observing from a few steps away. The towering Joseph Felton approached him and spoke.

“Are you worried?”

Choi Sung-gun, now quite comfortable with English, shrugged his shoulders.

“No matter how well Woojin handles things on his own, a set is always a place where accidents can happen.”

“True. But we’ve gone through multiple rounds of checks and are taking every precaution to avoid dangerous elements, so it should be fine.”

“Hmm- still, I wonder if Woojin will be satisfied after seeing the footage…”

Soon, Joseph Felton, who had been watching the scene where Kang Woojin blended in with the hundreds of crew members, smiled with satisfaction. To be exact, seeing Woojin in that scene gave him chills.

“At last, this day has come.”

For him, it had taken far too long. About forty minutes later, Kang Woojin got into a gray suv for the driving scene, and three black vans that looked obviously expensive were lined up behind him. Extras dressed in suits took their positions. Elements fitting for the secret agent, espionage, and spy-filled world of ‘John Persona’, loaded with crime and action, were falling into place one by one.

-Thump!

Kang Woojin, playing the role of ‘John Owen’, a character with dissociative identity disorder and partial memory loss, gave the ready signal.

Soon after.

“Clear-”

Hundreds of crew members exited the shooting zone, and Director Danny Landis, seated in front of several monitors, gave the first cue.

“Action!!”

At that exact moment.

-Vrooooom!

The suv Woojin was in let out a growl. A drone flew overhead, and a filming vehicle followed from behind. Inside the pickup, Kang Woojin was already.

“……”

Completely immersed in the character of ‘John Owen’. With a roaring engine sound, the suv Kang Woojin was driving surged forward, kicking up a thick cloud of dust around it.

-VRUUUUUUUM!!!

The crank-in of ‘John Persona’ was explosive.

A few days later.

The nearly ten thousand members of the Academy Awards scattered across the globe, those acting in roles close to judges, who had already watched countless films during the nomination stage and begun evaluating, started to mention a familiar name.

“……Kang Woojin.”

Gradually, the frequency with which the Korean actor’s name, Kang Woojin, was mentioned.

“This level of performance goes beyond any method-”

Was rapidly escalating.

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TL Note: Hi, this novel is now complete on Patreon. I will post new chapters daily for free readers, but if you wish, you can read all of it on my Patreon.

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