I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor-Chapter 360: Chain (9) - Edited
Chapter 360: Chain (9)
Translator: Santos
“Miley Cara is starring in a Korean project?” The female reporter, with her curly hair, immediately replied to the man in the hat.
“Are you joking?”
The male reporter shrugged his shoulders. After staring at him for a moment, the female reporter squinted and then burst into laughter.
“If you were trying to make me laugh, you succeeded; that’s the most ridiculous joke I’ve heard all year.”
She dismissed it as a joke, and rightly so. Miley Cara was already among the top five ultra-stars worldwide, excelling as both an actress and a singer. Her recently released album was dominating the Billboard charts. Who would believe that such an influential superstar would suddenly star in a Korean project?
Yet the man in the hat repeated the claim.
“Unfortunately, Peggy, I’m not trying to make you laugh.”
“Then what is it? Why would you say something so nonsensical? I’m busy.”
He raised the tablet in one hand and handed it to her.
“I think it’s absurd too, but for some reason, rumors about Miley Cara are spreading rapidly on Korean social media.”
“...”
The smile vanished from the female reporter's face, and her brow furrowed again. She looked down at the tablet she received. It contained translated Korean articles and posts from social media that the male reporter had gathered. Most were from Cara’s fans. The title of the Korean article read:
**‘Sudden Photos from the Filming of "The Beneficial Evil" Featuring Miley Cara! Is She Confirmed to Appear Thanks to Her Connection with Kang Woo-jin?’**
Most of the articles the male reporter collected had similar headlines. Furthermore, the fan posts on social media added similar content. The core message was clear:
Is our Miley Cara participating in a Korean project?
As she scanned through the content, the female reporter brushed her curly hair back again, this time with a serious demeanor. The male reporter then added an explanation.
“I haven’t checked everything, but it’s causing a stir on Korean social media and communities. However, it’s only just started, so Hollywood is still quiet about it.”
“...I’m puzzled. Why is this rumor suddenly spreading?”
In response, the male reporter pointed to the tablet screen, turning the page. A photo from what appeared to be the filming set was displayed.
“This is from the filming of ‘The Beneficial Evil,’ which took place on an overseas location in Bangkok. It seems it’s being produced as a Netflix original. Anyway, this male actor here is Kang Woo-jin.”
“Kang Woo-jin—the one who won Best Actor at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.”
“Exactly, and you were shocked by his acceptance speech when he declared he would aim for an Academy Award next year.”
“I know. After Cannes, there were a lot of articles related to him, and Hollywood has been buzzing.”
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The male reporter nodded knowingly as he continued.
“The reason the rumors spread is because of this blonde woman.”
“...She certainly looks like Miley Cara.”
“It seems this cut was leaked and brought it to the surface. You know, Kang Woo-jin participated in Miley Cara’s album, and when she visited Korea in the past, she appeared on his YouTube channel.”
“They’ve been seen together frequently at Cannes as well.”
“Isn’t it intriguing? I owe you one from before, so I’ll pass this info on to you.”
The female reporter looked down at the photo of the blonde woman again. Miley Cara was currently a hot topic globally. Her recent appearance at Cannes was noteworthy, but her new album’s explosive response had made her even more prominent.
In other words, it meant that news about Miley Cara was selling very well right now.
The standing female reporter then pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened her laptop. She then turned to the male reporter sitting next to her and asked again, “Kang Woo-jin and Miley Cara—oh, the title of that Korean project is ‘The Beneficial Evil,’ right?”
It seemed that ‘The Beneficial Evil’ was on the verge of becoming a global phenomenon.
---
At the filming set of ‘The Beneficial Evil,’ Kang Woo-jin was in standby mode with ten minutes to go. Around him, his team members were all glued to their phones. Specifically, they were checking the simultaneous reactions from Korea and Japan.
“Hyung! ‘The Leech’ has 780,000 viewers! 780,000!!”
“No way! How much did ‘The Island of the Missing’ have on its first day?”
“About 700,000!”
“Whoa!! That’s 80,000 more?!”
“Is ‘The Leech’ going to break another record?!”
“Wow—no matter how much the Cannes Film Festival promotes it, 780,000 on a weekday is... insane.”
“What about ‘The Strange Parasite’? Have the results come in for that?”
Ignoring them, Kang Woo-jin solemnly chimed in.
“880,000.”
The excitement of the stylist and other team members turned into frenzy.
“880,000!!! That’s even more than the first day! Huh?? But how did you know?”
“I received a call.”
“Wow! 880,000! I’ve never seen numbers like that before! The Japanese media said ‘The Strange Parasite’ was going to fail! Serves them right!”
“Hey, even so, don’t say ‘fail’ like that.”
“No, I was a bit irritated reading the articles!”
Both ‘The Strange Parasite’ and ‘The Leech’ were achieving extraordinary results. Until yesterday, only ‘The Strange Parasite’ had broken records, but today both films were soaring. The numbers of 880,000 and 780,000 viewers surpassed records in both countries.
At that moment...
“Woo-jin-ssi!! Congratulations!!”
“Wow— the audience numbers are incredible, aren’t they??!”
Numerous crew members from ‘The Beneficial Evil’ surrounded the typically stoic Kang Woo-jin, showering him with congratulations and praise. Among them, a few made sure to point out something significant.
“I’ve never heard of something like this! It’s completely unprecedented! Not only starring in works in Korea and Japan simultaneously but both films also breaking audience records!”
The common thread between the two projects was that Kang Woo-jin was the lead actor.
It had never happened before that one actor had films released in two countries with both performing phenomenally. Naturally, this situation was a first in both Korea and Japan. Woo-jin had created an unprecedented event.
The entire crew began to speculate about the enormous future ahead.
“If both movies really surpass 10 million viewers, that would be beyond epic, right?”
“Even more than that! Woo-jin-ssi will become a legend!!”
Quickly, everyone was bouncing with excitement, except for Kang Woo-jin.
“But seriously, Woo-jin-ssi! Why are you so calm after detonating such a massive bomb?? It’s too quiet!!”
But that wasn’t true. Kang Woo-jin had been dancing with excitement internally for quite some time now. Of course, that excitement had been kept to himself. Even now, he was bursting with joy on the inside.
‘Hehe, my smile keeps creeping up. Calm down, Kang Woo-jin. Just calm down.’
While he was trying to keep his heart in check, domestic media was not so restrained.
**『[Issue Pick] ‘The Leech,’ winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or, attracts 780,000 viewers on its opening day... Dominating the box office at No. 1!』**
**『‘The Leech’ draws 780,000 on a weekday, surpassing the first day’s performance of ‘The Island of the Missing’ with 20 million viewers!』**
**『‘The Man from Cannes’ Kang Woo-jin succeeded again; ‘The Leech’ attracted 780,000 viewers on its opening day!』**
As soon as the results of ‘The Leech’ were announced, a flood of articles poured in.
**『“If it continues like this, it might surpass 20 million” ‘The Leech’ breaks records with 780,000 viewers, shaking Cannes』**
Even on the second day of its release, ‘The Leech’ had the highest booking rate. Therefore, the flurry of articles was filled with various anticipations that multiplied.
**『[Movie Talk] Opening day 780,000 viewers, box office No. 1, and audiences showering it with praise; is ‘The Leech’ causing a stir in Korea after sweeping Cannes?』**
The media atmosphere was at its peak, but public sentiment was equally intense. Clearly, the public had tremendous expectations for ‘The Leech.’ After all, it had swept Cannes, and the world’s top stars praised the film. When expectations for a movie are high, disappointment tends to be equally profound.
However, the audiences who saw ‘The Leech’ were not disappointed.
“Ah— it was seriously so fun. I have to see it again.”
“The genre switch in the middle was insane, right? When Kang Woo-jin completely changed his expression.”
“I looked it up, and that’s called the Ripley Syndrome. People these days believe fiction to be truth because of Instagram? Anyway, Kang Woo-jin’s acting was just divine.”
“Honestly, he didn’t look like Shin Myeong-ho at all.”
“I agree; I believe there’s no one who can outact Kang Woo-jin.”
They tasted joy that exceeded their expectations.
**[‘The Leech’ / Released October 27, 2021]**
**[Rating: 9.5]**
**[Viewer & Netizen Reactions / 1988 Participants]**
- The script, direction, and acting were all great... spine
-chilling... / r****
- The moment Kang Woo-jin entered the mansion and changed his expression, the genre switched / t****
- Ripley Syndrome. People almost all have it nowadays because of Instagram; believing fiction to be reality? Anyway, Kang Woo-jin acted really well / f****
- I fully understand why Cannes awarded this film the Palme d'Or and why Kang Woo-jin received the Best Actor award / h****
- It’s an oddly unsettling movie... / 4****
- A movie that needs no words; everyone should watch it at least once in this day and age, and Kang Woo-jin is undoubtedly the best actor in Korea / a****
- It left an impact, gave me chills, and I deleted my Instagram / d****
- This movie critiques societal issues through Ripley Syndrome; director Ahn Gabok is a genius / 6****
- LOL, is Kang Woo-jin really suffering from Ripley Syndrome? LOL / b****
- Why is there so much praise?? To me, it just looks like a fool destroying his home / c****
- I changed my underwear multiple times because of Kang Woo-jin’s acting... he carried it all on his own / 1****
...
The local reactions to ‘The Leech’ and ‘The Strange Parasite’ starkly contrasted. While ‘The Leech’ was being embraced from the beginning and through its release, ‘The Strange Parasite’ was facing backlash from production to the present.
However, as the outcry surrounding ‘The Strange Parasite’ grew louder, the film’s box office performance also surged.
**『850,000 + 880,000! ‘The Strange Parasite’ surpassed 1.73 million viewers in just two days, maintaining the No. 1 booking rate on its third day of release!』**
**『Could controversy and complaints actually be boosting its performance? ‘The Strange Parasite’ is filled with harsh reviews but quietly breaking records』**
As the buzz intensified, mentions of Kang Woo-jin skyrocketed. Actors, directors, the public, and the media from both countries were all discussing him. The situation had turned both countries upside down, but that was not the end.
**『New York Major Media Headline: “Kang Woo-jin Declares War on the Academy Awards; Miley Cara Is Expected to Join His Upcoming Project ‘The Beneficial Evil’”』**
Perhaps he was influencing the entire world.
A few days later, on Sunday, October 31, in LA.
While the film industry in Korea and Japan was in chaos, LA remained relatively calm. Within LA, among the numerous large and small film and distribution companies, an older man familiar to many sat in a medium-sized meeting room of one of the top five companies. He sat at a U-shaped desk, exuding an aura of experience.
“...”
Without a word, he gazed out at the LA skyline, his short white hair and wrinkled face still portraying an essence of vitality. Of course, he wasn’t alone. Along with director Ahn Gabok, representatives and executives from the management company, as well as an interpreter, were present. There were five in total, all waiting for someone.
So why was director Ahn Gabok in LA instead of Korea?
Especially now, after ‘The Leech’ had premiered in Korea. It was a peculiar timing. Normally, with ‘The Leech’ released in Korea, Ahn Gabok should be promoting and marketing, showing his face around. But he was currently in Hollywood.
At that moment...
“Director.”
A slightly chubby representative of the management company spoke softly to director Ahn Gabok. His expression showed excitement, but he was trying to suppress it.
“Just yesterday, the results for ‘The Leech’ came in. It garnered 1.21 million viewers, surpassing 4 million cumulative audience count on the fourth day of release. That’s faster than ‘The Island of the Missing.’”
“Hmm.”
Ahn Gabok replied briefly, then asked, “What about ‘The Strange Parasite’?”
“That one is gaining momentum even faster than ours.”
At that moment...
*Thud!*
The door to the meeting room swung open, interrupting the representative’s words. Soon, a group of four foreigners with varying appearances entered. As soon as they walked in, everyone, including director Ahn Gabok, stood up to shake hands and exchange greetings.
“It’s an honor, Director Ahn Gabok. Congratulations once again on your Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.”
“Defeating the establishment at Cannes, your win was truly impressive.”
“Thank you.”
Approximately ten minutes later...
*Swipe.*
After exchanging polite greetings and conversations, everyone took their seats. Among the foreigners sitting across from director Ahn Gabok, an older man in his sixties, bald and wearing glasses, spoke to him in English with a genuinely earnest tone.
“Director, we would like to entrust you with the megaphone for our film.”
It was an offer to direct a Hollywood film.
