I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

On the early morning of November 1st, the van carrying Kang Woojin was speeding toward ‘SPT Studio’, the filming site of ‘Beast and the Beauty’. Inside that van.

“……”

Woojin could be seen looking at his phone screen with a solemn expression. It was the same for the rest of the team, including the stylists. Everyone was looking at their phones. Choi Sung-gun was nowhere to be seen. In any case, Woojin and his team members were all watching the same video.

-【‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’】1st Teaser｜Columbia Studios

The first teaser for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was uploaded to the official Youtube channel of ‘Columbia Studios’. This was the first thing, other than the poster, to be released to the world, Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’ face and movements were unveiled for the first time.

What was unusual was that it had been uploaded suddenly without any prior build-up.

Of course, Kang Woojin already knew about it from Director Ahn Ga-bok. Though he appeared calm and serious as he looked down at his phone, internally, he was quite nervous. He had lived every day on the ‘Pierrot’ set as ‘Joker’, but this was his first time seeing the content after it had been edited for media.

Even more.

‘This means people all over the world are watching this, right?’

Though fragmented, this was the unveiling of ‘Joker’ and his first encounter with the global audience. No matter how deeply immersed in the concept he had been, it was only natural for Woojin to feel tense. Soon, Kang Woojin tapped the uploaded teaser video.

The runtime was about 30 seconds.

And it began with.

-[♬♪]

A solemn yet calm OST, and suddenly, on the black screen, the face of ‘Henry Gordon’ appeared. Droplets of water dripped from his wet hair. With a dry expression, his shoulders and back were severely hunched. ‘Henry Gordon’, who had been staring closely at himself in the mirror, let out a deep sigh.

His low, subdued voice came in.

-[“This is right. You have to endure it.”]

As the camera zoomed in on Henry Gordon’s face, the angle shifted. On an ordinary street, ‘Henry Gordon’ was walking through a crowd. Then, the scene showed him watching a TV installed in a store. On the TV, a woman in a suit was speaking.

-[“Control your anger. Uncontrollable rage is a disease. It needs to be treated. Anger is the root of many problems.”]

The calm OST suddenly sped up. The intense rhythm felt almost like a heartbeat. Again, the screen went black. The powerful music abruptly cut off, and a man’s laughter erupted.

-[“Kuhuhuhuh!”]

With the laughter, a new figure appeared on the dim screen. It was the ‘Joker’ running through the same street ‘Henry Gordon’ had been walking. Multiple versions of him flashed across the screen rapidly, ending with the ‘Joker’ in front of a mirror. More precisely, he was looking at himself in the mirror. He smiled as he stared at his reflection.

-[“Kuhuhu! Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”]

Then came a quietly murmured line.

-[“Being called crazy is quite the compliment.”]

The screen turned black again, and loud gunshots rang out. About three shots were heard, and in a blood-soaked pizza place, ‘Henry Gordon’ was seen picking up a ‘Joker’ card. He even added more flour to his face.

Soon, as the music reached its peak, the Joker’s voice returned.

-[“I just thought of another prank.”]

Bold white letters with a rough texture appeared at the center of the screen.

-‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’

That was the end of the roughly 30-second teaser. Woojin, who had watched it mesmerized, clapped. Of course, only internally.

‘This is sick! I acted it, but man, this is stylish. Overflowing with coolness.’

An evaluation close to self-praise. Even within that brief 30 seconds, he got chills several times. Acting aside, the editing was phenomenal. The music, characters, placement of lines, the rising tension, everything was spot-on. Though he wanted to fuss about it and ask the team members what they thought, Kang Woojin held it in. Well, it was partly because his team was already going crazy.

“Wow!! This is something else! I got goosebumps from the teaser!!!”

“Isn’t it incredibly well-done??!”

“The music and visuals are perfect together! Especially when Woojin oppa appears, it totally grabs your attention!”

“This is insane! There are so many comments already!!”

The teaser video for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ had not even been uploaded for thirty minutes. However, its views had already surpassed tens of thousands, and the comments were increasing explosively. The languages, naturally, included Korean, English, and several others.

-What is this? Is the villain really the main character??

-The visuals are overwhelming?! Exactly like the released poster!

-Now I’m starting to get excited. Please, don’t try to cater to public opinion and show us a real villain…

-As expected, Kang Woojin’s “watch it or don’t” was marketing. How can anyone not watch after seeing a teaser like this?

-The teaser looks well-made, but I still don’t like Kang Woojin. It would’ve been better if Chris played the villain instead.

-The idea of starting the universe with the villain is refreshing. I’m planning to watch it once it’s released.

-Come on, people! Watching the movie only fuels Kang Woojin’s arrogance!

-Arrogant or not, I have to watch it.

.

.

.

At the moment, the response was mostly positive. Of course, there were a few negative comments here and there, but they were in the minority. Kang Woojin, with his strong poker face, showed no change in his expression, but inside, he was quite pleased as he read through the reactions.

Some of the comments carried question marks, filled with curiosity.

-But why was the teaser for this movie released so early?

It was already November. Over three months had passed since editing had begun, but even so, the release of Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’s teaser felt too soon. It was a move that deviated from the usual standard.

On top of that.

-The release date? There’s no information about the release date at all??

-Exactly. So when is this movie coming out? If you’re going to release a teaser, there should be a release date too!

Other than the teaser, no information had been provided. As a result, reactions filled with curiosity and questions began to grow. Kang Woojin knew why Columbia Studios had made such a choice.

‘They said the official announcement would be sometime next month?’

It was planned that ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ would aim for this year’s ‘Academy Awards’, and that announcement was scheduled for around the end of the year. Come to think of it, it was already year-end. Kang Woojin silently looked out the window and murmured internally.

‘Already in my fourth year.’

It was his first year-end in Hollywood.

Meanwhile.

The teaser video of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ that had been released to the world hit one million views in an instant. This was due to Kang Woojin’s powerful influence, not only in Korea and Japan, but also in the United States, including Hollywood. It sparked massive buzz, and the teaser’s unexpected release drew the attention of foreign media.

『ABY / ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Drops Teaser Unexpectedly, Kang Woojin’s Shocking Visuals!』

Korean media were even more boisterous.

『[StarTalk] “It’s Here!” 1st Teaser for Kang Woojin’s Hollywood Debut ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Released!』

Public opinion wasn’t much different, and figures in the Korean entertainment industry who knew Kang Woojin also went wild. The reaction from fellow actors, in particular, stood out.

“What’s with the quality? Is that really Kang Woojin? Has he gone crazy?? That’s absolutely killer!”

From Hong Hye-yeon, who gasped while watching the teaser on the move, to actors who had worked with Woojin before or only knew him through articles and updates, there was a hint of vicarious satisfaction.

Because Kang Woojin was living out the dream they all had.

Like that, the teaser for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ caused a stir in every country for several days. Amidst the buzz, foreign media both reported on the rising popularity of ‘Pierrot’ and raised questions.

『LA TIME / ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, Still in Post-Production. Why the Sudden Teaser Release?』

Why had ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ released its teaser at this particular timing? And why was there no information about the release date?

It did feel quite strange.

The more the questions deepened, the more explosively the teaser’s view count increased. Before long, it easily surpassed one million and was now heading toward ten million.

-【‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’】1st Teaser｜Columbia Studios

-Views: 9.89 million

Naturally, Youtube was overflowing with other videos related to the teaser for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, and both SNS and various global communities were abuzz with talk of Kang Woojin and ‘Pierrot’.

The momentum was more than just a strong gust, it was a storm.

Seizing the moment, Columbia Studios released a character video similar to a making-of, along with the official poster. Since the teaser had already taken the world by storm, the additional content quickly spread among the public.

The more that was revealed, the more interest and curiosity surged.

Once again, no release information was included.

However, neither Columbia Studios nor Kang Woojin made any announcements. Columbia Studios simply maintained its silent promotional marketing, and Kang Woojin quietly but steadily focused on filming ‘Beast and the Beauty’.

In the meantime, a few more pieces of good news reached Kang Woojin.

‘Oh- another global No.1 maintained for a full month!’

‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2, like Part 1, had remained at the top globally for over a month, and Hollywood actors set to join Kang Woojin in ‘John Persona’ were being confirmed one after another. Furthermore, ‘John Persona’, directed by Danny Landis, was gradually moving toward script reading.

Many things were intertwined as November passed at the speed of light.

After finishing the shoot for ‘Beast and the Beauty’, Kang Woojin headed to Columbia Studios. He noticed large Christmas trees set up throughout downtown LA. December had arrived, and with it, Christmas.

‘Only a month left this year? Time flies like crazy.’

Department stores in LA bustled with people buying gifts, and pop singers, including Cara, were busy releasing Christmas-themed songs. Though it was Woojin’s first Christmas spent abroad, his schedule remained largely unchanged. He might have been the busiest person in all of Hollywood.

‘Come to think of it, I have no award shows to attend this year.’

In Korea, where the year-end atmosphere was already strong, preparations for various award shows and film festivals were in their final stages, and Kang Woojin had received invitations too. But he had no time to go. At best, he would attend a few award ceremonies held locally in LA as a guest.

Thus began the final month of the year, December.

At Columbia Studios, in the editing room where he had now been stationed for over four months, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was leading the edit of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, was confident.

“……It’s definitely possible by January.”

He meant that he could push ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ forward just as he had planned and proposed to Columbia Studios. Director Ahn Ga-bok confidently told this to Producer Nora and Columbia Studios executives.

“Our initial plan can proceed without issue. The edit is in its final stage. If things go smoothly, it will be finished by early January.”

Nora and the executives at Columbia Studios were pleased but also tense. It was time to reveal their long-held intentions to the world.

“In that case, then we should announce it within this month.”

According to the plan, the film would have a limited release in LA theaters in February of next year. That meant less than three months remained. ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, which had been sharpened like a blade, was now entering its final inspection.

『ABY / Academy Awards Committee Confirms April for This Year’s Ceremony』

While Hollywood was full of year-end and Christmas spirit, news about this year’s ‘Academy Awards’, scheduled for April, began trickling out. Films that had been hits this year, films that lacked box office success but were praised for artistic merit, films that had performed well at international film festivals, all sorts of works, actors, and directors were gradually building up.

The organization behind the ‘Academy Awards’ was also getting busy.

They had to manage construction at the ceremony venue, select the invited guests, and handle numerous matters outside of promotional marketing. In fact, they had already started the process of selecting candidate films.

Then, a few days into December.

The location was A8 Media in LA.

With a main investor secured, the film company A8 Media, responsible for ‘Guest’, was extremely busy. CEO Jennifer Thurman, along with the entire A8 Media staff, was wholly immersed in ‘Guest’.

“Did you deliver the first production meeting schedule to the director and key staff?”

“Yes! Both the time and location were communicated, and we received confirmation that all staff members would attend without any absences.”

“Good. What about the bw Entertainment side?”

“They said attendance might be difficult, and asked that we just send a summary of the production meeting.”

“Hm-”

Jennifer Thurman nodded slowly. Even though everything was going smoothly, one matter was beginning to weigh on her mind, casting the actors. Per Choi Sung-gun’s suggestion, she had been holding off for a bit, but now that the director and key staff were confirmed, it was time to begin recruiting actors.

‘……How long am I supposed to wait? I think I’ll have to reach out again myself.’

It was then.

-♬♪

The phone in her hand rang, and as she stepped into her office, Jennifer pressed the phone to her ear.

“Yes, this is Jennifer Thurman from A8 Media.”

After listening to the caller for a moment, Jennifer’s eyes widened dramatically. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise as well. Her face looked as if she had just received a major shock. She then softly repeated into the phone.

“…What? Mi-Miley Cara is interested in our project?”

Meanwhile, in front of a five-star hotel in downtown LA.

A luxury brand’s event was being held at the hotel. As a result, the venue was teeming with actors, influencers, and other celebrities, and more than a hundred reporters had taken position at the entrance, wildly clicking their shutters. A few Hollywood actors could be seen conversing with the reporters.

It was a brief interview before entering the photo zone.

What was interesting was that among those actors stood Kang Woojin, wearing an indifferent expression. He was dressed in a luxury suit with neatly slicked-back black hair, and the flashes exploding around him were like bombs. Numerous questions from reporters filled the hotel entrance.

Kang Woojin did not answer every single question thrown at him, but picked and chose what to respond to.

Then one male reporter shouted out.

“Mr. Woojin, the film you performed in, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, has released a teaser, multiple posters, and other related videos! It seems a bit early, doesn’t it? Why hasn’t any release information been announced yet?? Is there a specific reason? Or is this part of pre-marketing??”

Making eye contact with the reporter, Kang Woojin responded briefly and simply.

“It’s because we’re aiming for this year’s ‘Academy Awards’.”

It was a statement explosive enough to turn all of Hollywood upside down.

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