Translator: Dreamscribe
The moment a Hollywood actress on TV called out his name.
– [“And Kang Woojin.”]
Kang Woojin, letting out his true feelings without realizing it, almost let out a scream. Something like, ‘Wuaaaaah!!’ The thrill and excitement boiling up from the depths of Woojin’s core were indescribable. How should he put it? If that actress on TV were in front of him right now, though he didn’t even know who she was, he wouldn’t hesitate to hug her and dance wildly with her.
It wasn’t strange.
After all, Woojin had.
‘Me, I’m a Best Actor nominee??! For the Academy Awards, no less???!’
He had secured a ticket, a confirmed nomination for Best Actor at the ‘Academy Awards’, the dream of filmmakers around the world. Of course, he had acted like crazy. He had worked tirelessly going back and forth through the Void space, throwing himself into each project. Even when the public criticism and cursed him, he brushed it off and poured himself in.
‘……But I never thought something like this would really happen.’
But this was the ‘Academy Awards’. An unimaginable place where actors from all over the world, including Hollywood, put in their lifeblood of effort without guarantee of ever getting there. Even being nominated was an enormous honor, and a spot among the five nominees meant instant, explosive recognition as a powerhouse actor. And Kang Woojin’s name had been called.
Kang Woojin couldn’t do anything at the moment.
He just stared blankly at the TV.
It wasn’t some fake composure or affected solemnity. It was a genuine blankness. Briefly, memories from his past flickered through his mind like a panorama. Right, the Cannes Film Festival. That’s where the road to the ‘Academy Awards’ began. He had merely filmed ‘Leech’, yet people around him had started to imagine Cannes as a stepping stone to the ‘Academy Awards.’
But it all became reality.
‘Wow- fuck, this actually happened??’
Now, it really felt like Cannes was the stepping stone, and the ‘Emmy Awards’ were just a side dish.
The reason the misunderstandings and assumptions surrounding Woojin grew to such a massive scale was because he had a habit of turning all those misconceptions into reality. This time was no different. Kang Woojin turned all the misunderstandings, which began as mere misconceptions, into a miracle through ‘Joker.’
At that moment.
-Swish.
Woojin’s dulled senses started to return. The first thing he noticed was someone else’s breath. More precisely, it was Miley Cara. Her hair swishing, she had jumped up and wrapped her arms around Woojin, bouncing with joy. Her face was full of laughter.
“Woojin!! Congratulations!! Really, really congratulations!! Oh my god!”
“……”
Still unable to feel the reality of it, Kang Woojin stared vacantly at Cara. As he thought about how close her face was, his hearing began to come back as well. Into his previously muffled ears, ear-shattering screams and cheers crashed in.
“Wuaaaaaaah!!! It happened!! It really happened!! Woojin! You did it!!!”
“Kyaaaa!! Oh my god!!”
“Huuhuhuhung! Woojin oppa!! Congratulations, so so so much!!”
“Ahh!! Goosebumps! This is crazy! Totally crazy!! Oppa! Oppa!!”
“Woojinssi! Congratulations!!”
Choi Sung-gun, the team members, and the overseas branch employees of bw Entertainment gathered at Woojin’s house had all lost their minds. If the word ‘frenzy’ had a visual form, this would be it. The howls of excitement that felt like they’d tear the house apart didn’t cease, and Choi Sung-gun and the team clung to Woojin and Cara. Hugs overlapped. It was like a massive cluster of bodies.
Fueled by a surge of adrenaline.
“#(*&%*(#%#*%(#(*!!!”
“@*$&%(@&%*&@$&@&!)!!!”
“(#(#%(*#%(%^&!@*$^!”
Voices shouting something continued to burst out, but they were all jumbled and hard to understand. In the middle of it all, only Kang Woojin, who was crushed at the center, remained quiet, and a faint sentence from nearby Choi Sung-gun reached his ears.
“Across all of Asia, including Korea! And even in the entire history of Hollywood, you’re the first, Woojin!!”
It was true. Never before had a Korean actor been nominated for Best Actor, and this rapid entry into the ‘Academy Awards’ was unprecedented. Of course, the unfamiliar route leading up to this point was also worth noting.
In short.
“You’ve made a mark in Hollywood history!!”
It wouldn’t be wrong to say Kang Woojin had made history in Hollywood, or even in the global acting scene.
At that moment.
– [“Now it’s time for the ‘Best Director’ Award.”]
On the giant TV screen, another nominee for the ‘Academy Awards’ was being announced. What was interesting was.
– [“Director Ahn Ga-bok of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain.’”]
The film ‘Pierrot’ had been called once again, this time as the first nominee in the ‘Best Director’ category. Everyone who had been going wild hugging Kang Woojin abruptly froze.
“Huh?? Did they just say Director Ahn Ga-bok?”
“No way!! Director Ahn Ga-bok got nominated for ‘Best Director’!”
“This is seriously insane! It’s a double celebration!”
The excitement returned instantly. Even Kang Woojin, who had regained his composure, was surprised on the inside.
‘Oh!! Even director-nim too!’
In other words, ‘Pierrot’ had now been nominated not only for ‘Best Costume Design’ but also for ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Director’. It was a jackpot. Of course, that indicated just how high the quality of ‘Pierrot’ was, but considering that the entire process of its challenge had been anything but ordinary, this held great meaning. Not just one, but three categories. Honestly, even getting nominated in one would have been a huge success for ‘Pierrot’, so this was nothing short of a feast.
“This is!! This is the best scenario possible!!”
Choi Sung-gun and the dozens of others were genuinely happy, as if it were their own accomplishment. Miley Cara, who was clinging to Woojin, felt the same.
But that wasn’t the end.
– [“We’re already at the final announcement. I’m getting nervous myself. As everyone knows, the final category is the ‘Best Picture’, which determines the greatest work at the Academy Awards.”]
The grand finale, the most prestigious category of the ‘Academy Awards’, ‘Best Picture’. After several films were named, once again.
[“Wow, this film has truly become the hottest of this year’s Academy Awards. Congratulations, the final nominee is ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’!”]
‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was called.
Kang Woojin screamed internally.
‘Seriously??!!!’
Because ‘Pierrot’ had now been confirmed as a nominee in four categories.
At that same moment.
The official Academy Awards nomination announcement, broadcast live worldwide, sent countless places into frenzy, not just Kang Woojin’s home. First and foremost among them was ‘Columbia Studios’, who had wished more than anyone for the success of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain.’
“It happened!! It really happened!!!”
“Is this even real?! Four categories?! Seriously, four?!”
“Hahaha! Haven’t you seen how far we’ve come?! Yes! It’s true! We’ve been nominated in four categories!!”
“Director, congratulations!!”
“We all deserve congratulations!!!”
“……Even ‘Best Actor’ was surprising, but to be nominated for both ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’ on top of that. This is a miracle.”
“What are you saying?! Of course it was worth it, that’s why it happened!”
Their cheers, which had started the moment they heard about the ‘Best Costume Design’ nomination, grew to roars during Woojin’s ‘Best Actor’ call, and now, they were practically losing their minds. Executives and staff from Columbia Studios, and even Nora Foster, couldn’t contain their explosive excitement.
The only one who remained relatively composed was.
“……I’m… nominated for ‘Best Director’ at the Oscars?”
It was Director Ahn Ga-bok, his wrinkled face showing disbelief, but also a strong sense of wonder that things he once imagined had become reality.
‘If I hadn’t given ‘Pierrot’ to Kang Woojin back then, if that guy hadn’t played ‘Joker’, this scene wouldn’t be happening right now.’
The moment Director Ahn Ga-bok first saw the character ‘Joker’, the face that came to mind was Kang Woojin. On top of that, he factored in Woojin’s relentless ambition toward the ‘Academy Awards’. There had been many stages to reach this point, but in the end.
‘Heh, I should say Kang Woojin made it all happen.’
It felt like Kang Woojin had “Kang Woojin-ed” again.
His ‘Joker’ performance had illuminated the direction, completing ‘Pierrot’. Then, Director Ahn Ga-bok looked around. He saw a bunch of half-crazed foreigners. These were all Hollywood powerhouses, but right now, they were celebrating like children.
‘A monster who turned giants into kids. Me included.’
It was the tale of a monstrous genius actor.
After that.
The miracle created by ‘Pierrot’ quickly spread from Hollywood to the entire world. Many were thrilled. Not only ‘Columbia Studios’ but also ‘World Disney Pictures’, ‘Universal Movies’, the five major studios of Hollywood, and even Guest’s ‘A8 Media’ and every other production company in Hollywood were abuzz.
And that wasn’t all.
Including Chris Hartnett.
“Goodness!! What the hell……what’s happening right now??!”
Countless actors, too, couldn’t help but be stunned by the miracle that had just exploded.
The official announcement of the ‘Academy Awards’ nominees quickly dominated media outlets across the globe.
『CNM / A miracle! ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ nominated in 4 categories at the Academy Awards』
『ABY / The most shocking announcement in Academy Awards history! Kang Woojin nominated for Best Actor, ‘Pierrot’ lands 4 nominations!』
『BBX / Kang Woojin becomes the first Korean actor ever nominated for the Oscar’s Best Actor award』
『LA TIME / Incredible results! ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ nominated for Costume Design, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture!』
And how did the global public react?
-Did I see that right?? ‘Pierrot’ is nominated in 4 categories?
-Oh my god! No way!
-This must be proof that Hollywood is changing. As someone who watched ‘Pierrot’, the results make total sense to me.
-Kang Woojin!! He’s done it now!!!
-I honestly think it’s more than fair that Kang Woojin was nominated. His Joker was spine-chillingly good.
-This year’s Academy Awards feels like it’s about to flip the world on its head???
-Does this mean Columbia’s cinematic universe is a huge success?
-Lies!!! There must be some mistake with the voting! Kang Woojin being nominated for Best Actor is just absurd?!
-Get a grip. The only thing absurd is your brain!
-Congratulations Kang Woojin!! I’ve been cheering for you since ‘Beneficial Evil’!!!
-Wait… is Kang Woojin really going to lift the Best Actor trophy?
.
.
.
It was blowing up. The world’s biggest online communities were overflowing with posts about the Academy Awards, ‘Pierrot’, and Kang Woojin. Social media and YouTube were likewise flooded with related content. And in Korea, hometown of Pierrot’s lead Kang Woojin and director Ahn Ga-bok.
『[Breaking News] ‘Pierrot’ secures 4 final nominations at the Academy Awards』
『Kang Woojin and Director Ahn Ga-bok headed to the Oscars… celebrate 4-category nomination feat!』
『‘Pierrot’ CRAZY… Kang Woojin nominated for Oscar’s Best Actor award』
The entire nation was shaking.
『‘Pierrot’ lands 4 Academy Awards nominations! Kang Woojin and Director Ahn Ga-bok to make history as first Koreans at the Oscars!』
『[Star Talk] “Next Target: the Academy Awards”, Kang Woojin makes it happen; public calls him “Korea’s treasure” for keeping his promise』
Kang Woojin had pulled off yet another miracle. Of course, all he had done was secure a ticket so far, but it was more than enough to send the entire country into a frenzy.
-I’m screaming and peeing my pants!!!!!!!!!!!!
What made the national excitement look tame was the insane level of hype from Woojin’s family and everyone who had ever crossed paths with him.
The emotional explosion was like a nuclear bomb and lasted for at least a week.
Not only in Korea, but across the U.S. and the entire world, including Hollywood. The media poured out daily reports about the Academy Awards and Kang Woojin, while public anticipation grew higher with each passing day. It was, probably- no, almost certainly, the highest level of global enthusiasm in Academy Awards history. And as April 24, the opening day, drew nearer, the atmosphere intensified even further. The tremors in Woojin’s chest, though he played it cool while filming ‘John Persona’, grew stronger by the minute.
‘Ugh, fuck. Time’s flying so fast. Only 5 days left till the opening??!’
And just like that, April 20 arrived.
From early morning, crowds were already forming in front of the massive venue in LA. Reporters, broadcasting crews, and camera teams swarmed the area, capturing the entrance of the grand venue. Judging by the variety of languages, it was clear they had come from all over the world. Naturally, there were also plenty of Korean reporters.
This was the ‘Dolby Theatre’, the venue where the ‘Academy Awards’ are held every year.
What the press was capturing was everything in preparation for the Academy Awards.
From the trophy statues being set up, to banners and billboards, and more.
Given that this year’s Academy Awards were receiving more attention than any year before, it was an expected scene.
At that moment.
“Hey! They’ve started laying it down over there?!”
“No way!! Let’s go!!”
A few reporters, having spotted something near the entrance of the ‘Dolby Theatre’, began to run. That rush quickly spread to other journalists and broadcast crews. Soon, the entire media crowd was gathered in front of the ‘Dolby Theatre’, shoving their cameras forward.
The reason was simple.
-Swish.
Dozens of Academy Awards officials had begun laying out the symbol of the ceremony, starting from the entrance steps.
『[World Topic] The Academy rolls out the red carpet… “Come in, Pierrot”』
It was the very red carpet of the Academy Awards that Kang Woojin would soon walk on.
Monday morning, April 24, LA.
As always, Monday marked the start of the workweek. But today, Hollywood was different. The entire industry, broadcasting, film studios, production companies, was unusually stirred.
Major media outlets were frantically blasting out similar headlines.
Why?
『LA TIME / Oscar opening day, Hollywood burns hotter than ever before』
『BBX / All hotels near Dolby Theatre fully booked! Airports experiencing extreme congestion』
『ABY / Top actors from around the world arriving in Hollywood for the Academy Awards / Photos』
Because this afternoon, the much-anticipated ‘Academy Awards’ would finally open.
『NT / Today’s Academy Awards ceremony to be streamed live at New York’s iconic Times Square Plaza』
Everyone was bustling. Especially ‘Columbia Studios’, one of Hollywood’s five major film companies.
“Did you confirm the schedule with the actors?!”
“Yes! We checked more than twice!”
“Why can’t we reach the on-site team?!”
“What’s the situation at the Dolby Theatre?!”
Since ‘Pierrot’, the miracle film, was involved, there were endless things to handle and confirm. Honestly, all of Hollywood was in a state of chaos. News agencies and broadcast stations were flocking to Dolby Theatre to secure the best spots, while invited actors, directors, and officials checked and rechecked their outfits. At the LA airport, media personnel and celebrities from all over the world were arriving non-stop.
Online spaces were just as loud as reality.
-When does the Academy Awards livestream actually start??
-I heard it’s 6 o’clock.
-Are you sure? Because the red carpet event starts at 6?
-Where can we watch the live stream? YouTube?
-YouTube and the network that signed a deal with the Academy.
-Which broadcaster is it???
-If you’ve got time, go to Times Square. The Oscars announced it’ll be live there too.
And Kang Woojin?
“Hoo- Is it really today?? Wait, shit, I’m seriously nervous.”
Surprisingly, he was still at home. Lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Judging by his messy hair, it hadn’t been long since he woke up. In this unfiltered, raw state, he was trying to calm his pounding heart.
But it wasn’t working.
Just a few hours remained until the opening of the Academy Awards. Who in their right mind could stay calm? This was his first time experiencing such an event, and more importantly, the world’s spotlight was focused on him. So it wasn’t strange at all that Woojin’s heart was racing uncontrollably.
Regardless.
-Swish.
Kang Woojin, hair still a mess, slowly got out of bed. Then he stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He washed his face. The trembling persisted. With no other choice, Kang Woojin decided to pause time.
-Poke.
He entered the Void space.
Standing in the endlessly dark Void, Kang Woojin let out a long breath. Oddly enough, breathing in this space, detached from reality, seemed to calm him down a little.
“……Well, whatever. All I need to do is walk the red carpet, sit there for a while, and come back. Let’s not expect anything.”
With that, Kang Woojin quickly exited the Void space. He picked up his phone. An overwhelming number of missed messages and calls had piled up, enough to make checking them terrifying. Without hesitation, Woojin dialed a number. It was his family.
“Son!!! Are you okay?”
Kang Woojin gave a short laugh and answered briefly to his parents on the other end of the line.
“No, just… I’ll do well and come back.”
***
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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