I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

The music video for Miley Cara's new song proudly ranked #1 on YouTube's trending live list.

-【alcoholism(feat. WooJin)】｜Miley Cara

-60,012,802 views / 22 hours ago

Woojin's widened eyes didn’t shrink as he looked down at his phone. No, 60 million views in less than 24 hours? Well, with Miley Cara's level of star power, it's not impossible, but still, in Kang Woojin's world, it was a rather unfamiliar and astonishing sight.

Even though Woojin’s ‘Kang Woojin's Alter Ego’ channel was enormously popular domestically.

‘Mine’s like a baby, a baby. Wow- insane.’

He’d never hit 60 million views in a single day. Is this the power of a global superstar? Kang Woojin once again felt Cara’s power.

“If it’s like this, isn’t this going to be a massive hit??”

With his eyes wide, Woojin tapped on the video. Although he already knew quite a bit about the song and the music video shoot, it was his first time seeing the finished product. The runtime was around 4 minutes.

-♬♪

As the song played, Kang Woojin checked out the overwhelming flood of comments. English, as well as various other languages, filled the section.

<TL: All of the comments below are originally in English.>

-Why is everything she releases a masterpiece? How is this possible? Genius. I'm out of words.

-This is one of the best songs she’s ever written and released, I’m fully obsessed!!

-I need a 10 minute version of this song!

-I’ve literally been hooked on this song since I first heard it!

-I love this song so much it’s still my favorite I can’t stop listening to it wonderful job Cara!!!!

·

·

·

The interesting part was,

“Oh- my name.”

Among tens of thousands of comments, words like Kang Woojin’s name and the Cannes Film Festival appeared.

Despite being a Korean actor, questions like why his vocals were so amazing, whether he had some connection with Cara, whether he had really won the Best Actor award at Cannes, whether he was truly an actor and not a singer, and comments suggesting to visit his YouTube channel for more songs or questioning if he was indeed that Korean actor currently causing a global sensation.

There were quite a few international fans who already knew Woojin, but many fans had also become aware of Kang Woojin due to this recent Cannes Film Festival.

At that moment.

-♬♪

A piano melody began flowing from the music video. It was Kang Woojin’s solo. The camera angle focused solely on Woojin. Then, appearing next was Miley Cara with heavily smudged makeup as if she’d been crying, her blonde hair disheveled. Her hand traced along Woojin's neck, shoulder, and down to his waist as he played the piano.

However, Woojin’s composure remained unshaken within the music video.

As he watched Miley Cara's new song’s title music video, Kang Woojin murmured softly.

“The quality’s good. No, it’s sick. But at this rate, it’s going to surpass 100 million views easily.”

Miley Cara’s new album included a total of 14 tracks. Among them, there were 3 title tracks, with the main title being ‘alcoholism’, which Woojin had participated in. Currently, the music video for ‘alcoholism’ alone had reached 60 million views. And this was in less than 24 hours. At this pace, 100 million views seemed effortless, and even a few hundred million views were well within reach.

This was record-breaking.

Although Kang Woojin wasn’t exactly aware, the current highest record on YouTube for views within 24 hours was 58 million. A record that had held for several years, broken today by Miley Cara.

New YouTube 24-hour view record.

A new record.

And this new record included Kang Woojin’s contribution and presence. He hadn’t specifically looked it up, but having 60 million views on a music video meant it was becoming a tremendous global sensation. Which meant,

“100 million views- 100 million views? This is nuts.”

The global recognition of Kang Woojin was skyrocketing even further. Although it had already soared vertically with the Cannes Film Festival, Miley Cara's new album was like pouring gasoline on the fire. And let’s not forget that it hadn’t even been a full 24 hours yet.

This meant there were still plenty of explosive moments to come.

Meanwhile...

The internet was flooded with news about ‘Leech’ and Kang Woojin.

『'Cannes' Man' Kang Woojin, returns to cheers… “Thanks to Korean film fans” / Photo』

『[Photo] Kang Woojin, Best Actor at Cannes, returns with the cast of ‘Leech’』

『When will ‘Leech’, the film that shook the world, be released domestically?』

『‘Kang Woojin Goes Global’, Press and fans crowd the arrival hall at Incheon Airport』

『Kang Woojin returns in triumph… From ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ to ‘Beneficial Evil’, many bombs yet to go off』

The buzz around Miley Cara’s new album was gaining momentum.

『[Issue Pick] Kang Woojin featured in Miley Cara’s new song music video… New record for most views in 24 hours on YouTube!』

『As soon as he wins Best Actor at Cannes, another hit? Kang Woojin poised for even higher success with Miley Cara’s new album』

As time passed, a torrent of articles continued to pour out. If Miley Cara had been alone, it would have been a massive hit overseas, but domestically, it wouldn’t have caused this much of a stir. However, since Kang Woojin was involved in Cara’s new album, and Woojin was currently the talk of all of Korea.

『“60 million views in less than 24 hours”, find Kang Woojin in Miley Cara’s music video!』

It was a moment when journalists would have been called fools if they didn’t cover this story.

『[Star Issue] Kang Woojin, astonishing the world as both an actor and a vocalist! From Cannes to Billboard』

For now, since it had only just been released, the results for Cara’s Billboard ranking would come out next week. However, it had already broken massive records on YouTube, and on major domestic music platforms, Cara’s song had already claimed the #1 spot in real-time rankings.

-[1(new!)] alcoholism(feat. WooJin)/ Miley Cara

It wasn’t unheard of for foreign songs to chart domestically, but taking the #1 spot so quickly was rare. Naturally, Kang Woojin’s impact was the biggest factor.

-Wow… the song is freaking good…

-Congratulations to World Star Kang Woojin on his Billboard debut!

-No wayㅋㅋㅋ Isn't Kang Woojin’s voice seriously insane??

-He’s just featuring, but his presence… is insane…

-This music video is seriously mind-blowing!! Cara is so sexy and Kang Woojin is incredibly cool!!

-Did Kang Woojin actually practice the piano for this? Holy shit he plays so well!! What can't he do!!!!!!

-Alien: Hey, Kang Woojin, come back now.

-Just Kang Woojin's voice alone is pop star materialㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Kang Woojin-nim who gave us happiness with Cannes Best Actor....now giving us eargasms....I love you....

-This guy is seriously the real deal

-Kang Woojin’s vocals were always amazing.

-Swept to #1 on domestic charts right after release!!! Now just need to dominate Billboardㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The next morning.

Before it even reached 48 hours,

-【alcoholism(feat. WooJin)】｜Miley Cara

- 110 million views / 1 day ago

it had easily surpassed 100 million views.

Meanwhile, perhaps due to the explosive impact of Kang Woojin, the distributor of ‘Leech’ started releasing numerous videos. Not only trailers and teasers of ‘Leech’, but also edited clips related to the Cannes Film Festival.

『Exclusive footage of the legendary Cannes Film Festival after-party from ‘Leech’』

『In response to the public’s demand for a release, trailers and teasers of ‘Leech’ were released all at once!』

Naturally, this was all for promotion and marketing purposes.

Korea was already deeply immersed in the accolades of ‘Leech’, with its Palme d’Or and Best Actor awards. And it was still ongoing. An explosion of interest was only natural. Furthermore, the official poster for ‘Leech’ had also been updated. Although the shot of Woojin looking at a family photo remained, several new taglines had been added.

-[Cannes Film Festival In Competition Section Entry]

-[Director Ahn Ga-bok's Palme d'Or Winning Film]

-[Kang Woojin, Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award]

And that night, the team behind 'Leech' made an announcement.

『[Official] 'Leech', the film that turned the Cannes Film Festival upside down, confirmed for domestic release on October 27!』

『The world-favorite 'Leech' confirmed for October 27 release, two weeks left until it hits theaters, sparking excitement among the public』

They revealed the official release date to the world.

October 15, early morning. Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.

It was around 8 o’clock. This was at a massive film set spanning over 6,660 square meters. There were more than six enormous studios resembling warehouses, each with different sets constructed inside. Additionally, there were eight medium-sized studios, creating the feel of an entire village.

In front of the third studio, filled with various sets, a familiar filming crew was gathered.

“Let’s start setting up the cameras and props!!”

“Which set should we bring the props to first?!”

“#2! Set #2!!”

“Director of Photography! Could you check the camera setup area?!”

“Where are the extras?!”

“Out to the left!”

It was the 'Beneficial Evil' team, recently returned from an overseas shoot in Bangkok. There were still over a hundred crew members, and since quite a few extras were scheduled for today’s shoot, dozens of extras were waiting in the open area in front of the studio. Some of the main actors from 'Beneficial Evil' were also present, including Hwalin.

“......”

Hwalin, sitting in an actor’s chair, had recently changed her hairstyle to a short black bob. She was watching a video on her phone with earphones in.

-♬♪

It was the music video for Miley Cara’s new song, which Kang Woojin had participated in. As she watched the music video, which had already easily surpassed 100 million views, Hwalin kept a blank face outwardly, but inside, she was bouncing with excitement.

‘The song is sooo good!’

Recently, she had often found herself on the verge of fainting, or actually fainting. Her favorite celebrity had won the Best Actor award at Cannes, the ultimate celebration of global cinema, and now, Miley Cara’s album featuring him was climbing the charts at an insane pace.

Hwalin’s heart was racing.

‘I’m nervous! What do I do! I feel like I won’t be able to look him in the eye!’

Sometimes, when expectations run too high, you can feel yourself shrinking without realizing it. That was exactly Hwalin’s state right now. Like the feeling you get just before meeting a Hollywood superstar you’ve idolized? Naturally, all the cast of 'Beneficial Evil', not just Hwalin, were waiting for the same person.

Meanwhile, the hundred-plus crew members of 'Beneficial Evil' were bustling around but couldn’t stop talking about one person.

Who else could it be?

“Did you see the articles about Woojin-nim overseas?? They were insane.”

“This time, it’s even crazier because of Miley Cara.”

“Honestly, Woojin-ssi was a huge deal when we started production on 'Beneficial Evil', but now it feels like he’s just on a completely different level. Beyond comparison? Or, like, a celebrity’s celebrity?”

“At this point, calling him a global top actor isn’t an exaggeration.”

“It feels strange, honestly, like Bangkok was just yesterday.”

It was Kang Woojin. The presence of Beneficial Evil’s main male lead was skyrocketing day by day, so it was no surprise. Even the dozens of extras gathered outside the enormous studio were all buzzing about Kang Woojin.

“Ugh- I’m nervous. But they said Kang Woojin is really coming today, right?”

“I don’t know. The staff wouldn’t tell us for sure.”

“Ah, it’d be such a letdown if he doesn’t come today!”

“But seriously, Kang Woojin is on fire. What he’s achieved in just his second year since debut—ha, I really hope he shows up today.”

"I got this extra role through connections, and I heard everyone here is from theater groups and acting academies. There's a rumor going around that Kang Woojin returns to filming starting today."

Everyone, without exception, was talking about Kang Woojin.

“They say Leech is releasing at the end of this month?”

“I’m definitely going to watch it, no question.”

“He just won Best Actor at Cannes, and now there’s another bombshell with the Miley Cara news.”

“He seriously seems like someone born to be a celebrity, doesn’t he?”

“But I heard he doesn’t have the best personality.”

“Huh? Really?”

“No—just rumors. But if I were him, I’d be the same. He’s got insane talent, and he won Best Actor at Cannes in just two years since debut… at that level, it'd be acceptable even if he was a bit arrogant.”

“Well, even without the Cannes Best Actor award, he’s already had some massive hits.”

The dozens of extras, while glancing over at the massive studio in the back and the hundred or so crew members, were chattering nonstop about Kang Woojin as they waited for their cue to go on set.

At that moment,

-Thud.

“Ah.”

A woman standing at the end of the group of extras dropped the partial script she had just received from the staff onto the floor. She bent down casually to pick it up, but then froze.

The reason was simple.

-Swish.

Someone else’s hand reached out before she could. A man with black hair, dressed in a black hoodie, accompanied by several team members.

“Here you go.”

The moment she saw the man offering her the script with a calm demeanor, she froze in place. Her gaze drifted up to his face, and before she knew it, she muttered under her breath, almost in a daze.

“...Oh my g. K-Kang Woojin.”

The man was none other than Beneficial Evil’s male lead, Kang Woojin. Seeing that the woman still hadn’t moved, Woojin, with a nonchalant expression, took a step closer to her.

“Please, take it.”

It was only then that the woman snapped out of it and took the script from him in a daze. At that moment, the eyes of all the extras turned toward Kang Woojin.

An awed silence fell over them, though soft gasps could be heard here and there.

"Wow-"

"......Insane."

“It’s… really Kang Woojin.”

“Whoa… seeing him in person.”

“What an aura…”

All of them were staring at Kang Woojin, but he simply gave a slight nod to the extras with a calm expression. His voice was low and steady.

“Please take care of me today.”

But no one could respond.

“......”

“......”

They were simply too stunned. An indescribable aura radiated from Kang Woojin as he stood before the extras.

At that moment,

“Woojin-ssi!!”

A bearded man rushed over from the front, accompanied by about a dozen staff members. It was PD Song Man-woo. PD Song Man-woo quickly closed the distance and came up to Kang Woojin.

"So you're here, our ultra-level star has arrived."

“Hello, PD-nim.”

“Yeah, yeah! First, let’s go inside. We can talk more there.”

An excited PD Song Man-woo pulled Woojin along. Soon, Kang Woojin captured the full attention of the extras and 'Beneficial Evil' crew members as he walked side by side with PD Song Man-woo.

“PD-nim, about Miley Cara's role in 'Beneficial Evil'.”

With a serious expression, Woojin leaned over and whispered quietly to PD Song Man-woo.

“I think it’s about time we start dropping it.”