I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

Sold out? Every time slot? Seriously? Kang Woojin’s expression, with his phone pressed to his ear, appeared indifferent, but inside he was quite shocked.

‘What does that mean? Everything sold out on the first day??’

Woojin didn’t answer right away and checked the time. It was just past noon. Around 12:10 PM. As far as Kang Woojin knew, the advance reservation for ‘Pierrot’ opened today at 12 o’clock. Not sequentially, but all time slots for all 33 theaters opened at once at 12. Which meant.

‘Wait, so the first day’s reservations were sold out in 10 minutes? That’s insane.’

Ten minutes. Ten. Even though it was an early release and only screening at 33 theaters in LA and New York, the fact that all the first-day tickets were sold out in just 10 minutes didn’t quite feel real to Woojin. It was something he had never experienced before.

‘If it was just one time slot, maybe. But the whole day being sold out-’

Assuming each theater showing ‘Pierrot’ had between 5 to 8 time slots from morning to night. Though the number of seats would vary by theater, it was roughly 300 to 400 seats each. At maximum, that’s 3,200 viewers. With 33 theaters, that would exceed 100,000, and if more theaters joined after the release, the numbers could easily reach several hundred thousand per day.

And those hundreds of thousands of tickets sold out in just 10 minutes?

‘Is that even possible??’

Of course, this wasn’t Korea but the United States, and the difference was like night and day. As Kang Woojin stayed silent, Chris Hartnett spoke from the other end of the phone.

“Did you hear me? The opening day is sold out.”

“…Yes, I heard you.”

“Unbelievable. It ended in ten minutes, you know? Even I’ve rarely seen anything like this.”

A rare occurrence. Almost unheard of.

“Even more! I heard the second day is almost sold out too?!”

The second day as well? What the heck was going on right now? Woojin had expected some degree of popularity, but honestly, he had never imagined this level of fervor. Perhaps because it all felt so unreal, Kang Woojin’s response remained lukewarm, while on the other end of the phone, Chris’s excitement was practically tangible.

“It feels like not just Korea but the whole world is flocking here??”

Then Chris speculated on the bright future of ‘Pierrot’.

“At this rate, by the time the premiere happens on the 9th, all the tickets for the two-week early release might be sold out already.”

Though Woojin was dazed inside, he appeared calm on the outside. As he returned to his photo shoot, international media had already begun reporting swiftly on the news of ‘Pierrot’.

First, that the entire advance screening schedule had opened for reservation.

『LA TIME/’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ aiming for the Academy Awards, two-week early reservation now open!』

Second, that tickets for the first day had sold out just 10 minutes after reservations opened.

『BBX/Incredible! ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ first day of early release sold out in 10 minutes after reservations opened!』

『CNM/Sold out in 10 minutes, explosive interest in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ as reservations open』

And while Woojin was caught up in the photo shoot, the second day had sold out too.

Currently, tickets for the third day were selling at a rapid pace. Naturally, tickets for other days were also going fast. The rapid spread of news about ‘Pierrot’ was partly thanks to international media moving quickly, but also due to the swift and aggressive promotional efforts of ‘Columbia Studios’.

As night fell, and Kang Woojin finished his full-day schedule including the photo shoot, he didn’t head straight home.

“Hello, Woojin.”

“Yes, hello.”

Because he had a meeting with Executive Producer Nora Foster. The location, of course, was ‘Columbia Studios’.

The meeting with Nora, who was accompanied by several production staff, was straightforward. They were checking the promotion schedule for the upcoming early release of ‘Pierrot’, and although it was still down the line, they also discussed the next film following ‘Pierrot’, which would be ‘Bat: The Birth of a Hero’. Why was she involved even in the next film of the ‘Cinematic Universe’? Because, once again, Nora was taking on the role of producer.

Anyway, with her strong presence, Nora brought up a different topic before getting to the main agenda with Kang Woojin.

“The situation is turning out to be quite strange. I expected a good start, but I didn’t think ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ would be on fire like this from the beginning.”

“Yes, I was surprised too.”

“Hm? For someone who says that, your expression is extremely calm.”

“That’s just because some time has passed.”

Not knowing Kang Woojin’s concept act, Nora handed him a tablet. The screen was displaying information related to the early release of ‘Pierrot’, and as they both looked at the same tablet, Nora began the briefing.

“Out of the two-week early release schedule, two days are sold out, and there’s a high chance that the third day will sell out tomorrow. Even the fourth day is already half gone.”

Though Woojin internally gasped at the organized data, he maintained a cold demeanor on the outside.

“I see.”

Soon, Nora Foster brushed her shoulder-length hair back a couple of times, trying to hide her excitement.

“To be honest, the early release of ‘Pierrot’ is more about the Academy Awards than box office success. That’s why we limited it to just 33 theaters. But if we had known it would be like this, we should’ve expanded it as much as possible.”

“If you had done that, this kind of impact wouldn’t have happened.”

Nora nodded as if she agreed and tapped the tablet with her index finger.

“At this rate, the first week might be sold out, or rather, the entire two-week early release could be sold out. It’s a bit absurd but also a happy situation. In my view, a lot of things are coming together here.”

She began folding her fingers one by one.

“First of all, ‘Pierrot’ has taken an unusual path ever since pre-production, including aiming for the Academy Awards. And it’s the first film in the ‘Cinematic Universe’ that ‘Columbia Studios’ has staked everything on. For such a film, the director is Director Ahn Ga-bok, and the male lead is you. Your talent and skills are tremendous, but from the public’s perspective, it might seem odd.”

“I understand.”

“And then there’s the Academy Awards. ‘Pierrot’ is taking a very unusual route toward the Academy, so it’s naturally attracting public attention. Add to that all the issues that have erupted until now. ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ already had an abnormally high level of recognition even before release. And now it’s getting a two-week early screening before heading to the Academy. To the public, this is a chance to see ‘Pierrot’ before the prestigious Academy does.”

Listening quietly, Kang Woojin responded in a low voice.

“A limited sale, with a defined time period.”

“Exactly. Think of it like a luxury item with a limited edition. I think people were drawn to that uniqueness.”

For a moment, Woojin recalled cases where people paid premiums just to buy limited-quantity products.

‘I’ve seen it. Like a store opening rush when the luxury shop doors open.’

Valuable luxury goods sell out quickly even at high prices. In other words, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ also held high value to the public. Its trajectory had been so rare, and for the audience, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Nora then pointed to Kang Woojin and continued.

“On top of all this, your influence, Kang Woojin, amplified the buzz several times over.”

“……”

“You and the Academy Awards are inseparable topics. From the past until now, you’ve stirred up the media and public opinion. Whether positive or negative. Probably more negative. People were already waiting, and now with the early release, they’re flocking in. Add to that the recent dating rumors and all the other headlines, they all fueled the fire.”

Now that he thought about it, Kang Woojin started to understand the ticket frenzy. Nora Foster’s expression grew slightly more serious.

“It’s great that the two-week early release is starting completely sold out, but Woojin, among those hundreds of thousands of viewers, there are many who bought tickets just to criticize you.”

Without changing his expression in the slightest, Woojin calmly replied.

“It doesn’t matter. Criticism means nothing to me.”

Meanwhile.

While keeping up with the developments related to the early release of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, Kang Woojin continued handling his schedule. Not that there was much to monitor, mostly it was hearing reports or checking things on his phone, but even so, it was enough to enjoy brief moments of joy in between.

‘Oh! Sold out up to the fourth day!’

This, too, was immediately announced to the world by ‘Columbia Studios’.

It was about creating momentum. With everyone scrambling so fiercely to get tickets, the message to anyone reading these articles was clear, hurry up and act fast. In the midst of that, the dating rumor between Kang Woojin and Cara continued to grow in scale even after several days had passed.

『LA TIME / Kang Woojin and Miley Cara in love, their silence speaks volumes』

Across communities and social media, global audiences were split down the middle over whether the two were actually dating or not. In truth, opposition seemed more dominant. That was largely because Miley Cara had fans scattered across the world.

Extreme fans said things like:

-How could someone like Kang Woojin be dating Miley?

-Just go back to Korea, Kang Woojin!

-Kang Woojin’s just clinging to Miley and ruining her image!

The level of passionate slander directed at Kang Woojin went beyond mere complaints. Regardless, Woojin was entirely unfazed. Meanwhile, other matters involving him proceeded smoothly without any signs of fluster.

The film ‘Guest’, featuring Miley Cara and Chris Hartnett, was.

“This scene here.”

“Yes, Director.”

“It was supposed to be an outdoor location shoot, but I think we’d better switch to a set.”

“I’ll check on that.”

Now speeding through pre-production. Jennifer Thurman, CEO of ‘A8 Media’, along with all her staff, was swamped with work, and Jennifer herself took on the role of producer and executive production lead.

Additionally, ‘A8 Media’ had announced to Hollywood that Kang Woojin would make a special appearance in ‘Guest’.

Around the 7th.

『ABY / Crowds flocking to LA and New York from all over the world! One week of tickets sold out in 2-week early release of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’!』

News that one out of the two weeks of early release tickets for ‘Pierrot’ had sold out was now spreading through Hollywood.

“Looking forward to working with you again, Kang Woojin.”

“Likewise.”

The contract between Kang Woojin and ‘Bat: The Birth of a Hero’ had been finalized. It had taken about a week to coordinate, but fortunately, everything wrapped up without issue.

And Kang Woojin’s appearance fee had.

‘Wow- shit!! My rate is freaking insane!! How many houses could I buy with this?!’

Naturally more than doubled from before.

Next up was Director Ahn Ga-bok, and his contract was also finalized without any complications. With that, the blueprint for ‘Bat: The Birth of a Hero’ was complete.

On the morning of the 8th, Kang Woojin received news about returning to filming. It came from Choi Sung-gun.

“Woojin, the first shooting day for ‘John Persona’ is set. February 27th.”

It was a few days after the ‘Pierrot’ early screening schedule ended.

Morning of February 9, downtown LA.

It was just past 9 a.m. Being the time that it was, downtown LA was completely packed with people and vehicles. Pedestrians hurried along the sidewalks, while loud honking echoed from every corner of the congested roads.

At the center of this bustling city was a multiplex cinema.

It belonged to the biggest movie theater brand in the U.S., and was known as the largest in LA as well. Soon, a black van came to a stop in front of the cinema building.

-Thunk!

Several familiar figures got out of the vehicle. Korean could be heard immediately.

“Wow- this theater’s huge. Are they using the whole building?”

“Of course, I heard they are.”

“Hm, it’s beyond expectations.”

“Director-nim, please watch your step getting out.”

There was Hong Hye-yeon, her long straight hair tied back; Ryu Jung-min, who had grown his hair out during his current break; and Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had grown even more affable-looking. These people, who should have been in Korea, had appeared at a cinema in downtown LA. Including a few staff, the group now totaled five or six. Led by Ryu Jung-min, they all headed toward the cinema. Ryu Jung-min and Hong Hye-yeon were top-tier celebrities in Korea, but here in LA, few people recognized them.

A few glanced at them, but there weren’t any big reactions.

As they approached the entrance of the cinema building.

“Wow- Woojin looks amazing.”

“No way!”

Ryu Jung-min and Hong Hye-yeon exclaimed almost simultaneously, with Director Kwon Ki-taek joining in.

“Hoho, yes. Seeing that really makes me realize just how incredible Woojin-ssi is.”

What they had discovered was a massive billboard standing right in front of the theater entrance. It was more than five times the height of a person, and on that billboard was a grotesque man with red hair and a pale white face. It was the ‘Joker’.

In other words, Kang Woojin.

The theater, located in the heart of downtown LA, had this billboard at its entrance, which was basically the face of the theater. And on that huge billboard, only Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’ from ‘Pierrot’ was displayed. What’s more, countless foreigners were busy taking photos in front of the ‘Pierrot’ billboard. Naturally, Hong Hye-yeon and Ryu Jung-min also joined in the flow of taking proof shots.

After about ten minutes of photo time, they passed through the entrance of the theater and entered the lobby.

Soon, a shriek came from Hong Hye-yeon.

“W-What?! Why are there so many people?! Is this for real?!”

The vast theater lobby was packed with a diverse crowd, leaving not even a step of space to stand. Saying it was crowded didn’t even begin to describe it. The buzz of chatter was so intense, it almost felt like they had stepped into a cave.

There were easily hundreds of people, and with eyes wide as saucers, Hong Hye-yeon muttered unconsciously.

“All of these people… came to see ‘Pierrot’?”

Ryu Jung-min, whose pupils were also dilated, responded.

“…Since ‘Pierrot’ rented out the entire theater today, so probably.”

“……In other words, they all came to see Kang Woojin?”

Less than an hour remained until the first screening of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.

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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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