I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kang Woojin, watching the back of the bald-headed Matthew, maintained a stiff expression, but inwardly, he let out a breath of relief.

‘What’s with that guy? His presence is quite intimidating.’

Then he turned his head toward the blonde Cara.

“Let’s go.”

Cara, with a slight smile, followed him while speaking.

“That was bold. Matthew has quite a bit of influence around here, so even I tend to avoid him a bit.”

Oh, really? I had no idea. Woojin roughly wondered if Matthew had a level of influence in Hollywood comparable to Sim Han-ho. Soon, Woojin, who was about to naturally respond in character, changed his words. Since he had already confessed to her, he figured he could start showing bits of his true self. Kang Woojin whispered to Cara.

“Honestly, I was a bit scared.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t look like it at all.”

Cara stared at Woojin with her blue eyes, then her smile deepened.

“You’re just saying that to reassure me, aren’t you? You don’t have to. I’m not that close with Matthew anyway.”

“……”

Why does every conclusion end up like this? Kang Woojin had a fleeting thought that it would take quite some time to untangle all these grand misunderstandings.

At that moment.

“Oh! Mr. Kang Woojin!!”

A man with permed hair and high energy waved his hand wildly at Woojin. His age was roughly around the same as Kang Woojin.

“Hahaha, I really wanted to meet you!”

“…Hello.”

“Your red carpet performance was amazing! Let’s be friends on Instagram!”

Who are you? The man looked vaguely familiar. Again, Cara leaned in to whisper the answer.

“Billy Brown. You probably know, but he’s also a nominee like you.”

Apparently, he was also a nominee for Best Actor, just like Matthew. However, the difference in attitude toward Woojin was striking. If Matthew had been an ice-cold glacier, this guy was a blazing fire.

Later, Kang Woojin had to encounter several other actors. In particular, he met all the nominees for Best Actor in the drama category.

‘They’re more welcoming than I expected.’

Except for Matthew and one other person, the remaining two treated Kang Woojin quite warmly.

Anyway.

“Woojin! Miley! Over here!!”

“Haha, Woojin. You finally appeared as ‘Jang Yeon-woo’, huh?”

“I really enjoyed your red carpet performance!”

“Wow- Miley, your dress is absolutely gorgeous!”

The ‘Beneficial Evil’ team warmly welcomed Kang Woojin and Cara as they arrived at their seats. PD Song Man-woo, writer Choi Na-na, Hwalin, Ha Gang-su, other actors, nominated key staff members, and Netflix Korea employees, including Executive Director Kim So-hyang, all of them were dressed in tuxedos, suits, and dresses.

After brief exchanges of greetings, Hwalin, who was wearing a beige dress, momentarily glanced at Kang Woojin standing close to Cara and furrowed her brow slightly. Naturally, no one noticed.

‘Why are they standing so close together?’

Clearing her throat, Hwalin moved closer to Kang Woojin and whispered, her fangirling energy surging.

“Woojin, it feels like it’s been forever. But what was that thing you did on the red carpet?”

“You’ll find out when the movie comes out later.”

Miley Cara, seeing this, maintained her smile as if she didn’t care, but inwardly, she couldn’t stop thinking about Hwalin.

‘……So, this actress is the one- the one Kang Woojin saved first. What’s this, she’s so cute? And subtly sexy too.’

One way or another, the entire ‘Beneficial Evil’ team had gathered. Their seats were slightly toward the front, near the center when viewed from the stage.

Among the broadcast team, a foreign PD pointed at the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team with his index finger.

“Start with them for the camera angles.”

Multiple cameras focused on the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team. The live broadcast crew did the same. After all, the hottest thing at this year’s ‘Emmy Awards’ was undoubtedly ‘Beneficial Evil’. It had held the No. 1 spot worldwide on Netflix for over two months for the first time in history.

Of course.

“The main focus is Kang Woojin. Shoot with him at the center.”

The protagonist was Kang Woojin.

A little later.

The hall, which held tens of thousands of seats, was now completely filled with no empty spots visible. The place was packed with an overwhelming number of prominent figures, and the entire hall buzzed with conversation as everyone engaged in their own discussions.

At that moment.

-♬♪

A rather lively melody resonated through the hall, and the lights grew several times brighter, taking on a slightly bluish hue. At the same time, powerful spotlights shone down on the massive stage, including the large ‘Emmy Awards’ trophy statue. The monitors flanking the statue displayed the word ‘EMMYS’, which began spinning in a loop.

Then.

-Swoosh.

A tall, lanky Black man, dressed in a sharp suit, stepped onto the stage. At first glance, he resembled Joseph Felton, but he wasn’t. He was Bradley Morgan, an actor and comedian known for his sharp wit. Morgan had been chosen as the host for this year’s Emmy Awards.

Standing alone on the grand stage, despite the presence of tens of thousands of spectators before him, he confidently began.

“Good evening. Whew, I’m already exhausted.”

Without a hint of nervousness, he launched into his opening with a joke.

“I’ve been given the honor of hosting the grand Emmy Awards. Hmm- to be honest, I was a bit reluctant. The Emmys are famous for being long, aren’t they? I just wanted to watch from home with a beer in hand!”

Laughter spread throughout the massive audience. Then, host Bradley Morgan suddenly shifted the topic.

“What can I do, since I’m here, I have to do it, let’s get started. Let’s see- this year’s Emmy Awards had some incredible moments, didn’t they? Among them, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was the most outstanding. I personally enjoyed it a lot. And Kang Woojin! Your red carpet performance was phenomenal!”

In that instant, every camera in the broadcast team zoomed in on the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team, capturing Kang Woojin’s stoic expression. Naturally, the live broadcast cameras followed suit. Bradley started with ‘Beneficial Evil’, then proceeded to mention other projects and actors, heating up the atmosphere.

Finally.

“Now, let’s begin this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards!”

With his declaration.

-♬♪

A lively tune filled the hall once again. The lights alternated between bright and dim. Applause from tens of thousands of audience members blended into the scene. Meanwhile, the live chat for the broadcast was going wild. Soon, host Bradley announced the first award category.

“The first award! Outstanding Production Design for a Drama Series!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the massive monitors on either side of the trophy statue displayed the nominated works. A total of five projects appeared, among them.

-[Netflix / Beneficial Evil S1]

‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 1 was included. It was the only Korean project among the five nominees. Soon, a male and female Hollywood actor walked onto the grand stage. The female actor held a cue card labeled ‘EMMYS’ in her hand.

“Hello, it’s an honor to present the first award of the Emmys.”

After a brief greeting, the female actor opened the enclosed cue card. The Emmy Awards hall, filled with tens of thousands of spectators, fell into silence. Then, after glancing at the card, the female actor grinned and excitedly announced into the standing microphone.

“The Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design for a Drama Series! Congratulations! ‘Beneficial Evil’!!”

Right from the first award, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was called. Once again, every camera turned toward the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team.

-♬♪

With the music playing, the hall erupted in applause from tens of thousands of audience members. Two members from the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team stood up, they were the key staff members responsible for the production design. PD Song Man-woo, writer Choi Na-na, and the rest of the team all stood up to give a standing ovation. Kang Woojin did the same.

The two production designers, wide-eyed, exchanged looks.

“W-We won?! Is this real??!”

With faces filled with disbelief, they ascended the massive stage. Amidst the roaring applause, the Emmy trophy was handed to them. The female staff member stepped up to the standing microphone first.

“……Ahh- thank you so much. Ah, um. First of all, I love my parents so much. And our entire team worked incredibly hard. Also- ugh, what do I do? I can’t remember what I was supposed to say!”

Her nervousness was evident. But she was still better off compared to the male staff member who followed, he was on the verge of tears. Regardless, this was a historic moment, as it marked the first time a Korean project had ever won at the Emmys. With the hall’s excitement still running high, the ceremony swiftly moved on to the next award.

Three more awards were presented, including Outstanding Costumes and Outstanding Casting.

-♬♪

Once again, thunderous applause erupted for the winning teams, but this time, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was not among them.

Next up.

“Outstanding Music Composition for a Drama Series!”

It was the Music Composition award, and the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team was among the nominees.

However.

“The Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Drama Series! ‘White Man’!!”

Unfortunately, they didn’t win.

But in the next award.

“Outstanding Stunt Performance! ‘Beneficial Evil’!! Congratulations!!”

‘Beneficial Evil’ was called once again. The Stunt Performance award was essentially an action award. PD Song Man-woo and the entire team clenched their fists in triumph. If nothing else, they had been hopeful about their chances in the action category.

“We did it!!”

Kang Woojin’s action sequences had shocked the world. And now, ‘Beneficial Evil’ had already claimed two Emmy Awards. The usual sentiment was that even winning just one was a huge achievement, but they had shattered that expectation.

However, the next category in which ‘Beneficial Evil’ was nominated, Outstanding Visual Effects, ended in another loss.

At this point.

-Swoosh.

Host Bradley, standing at one side of the massive stage, spoke into the microphone.

“Now, it’s time for the actors. We begin with the Supporting Actor categories in the Drama Series category.”

The focus had now shifted from the staff to the actors who brought the works to life. The first category was Best Supporting Actor. Unfortunately, ‘Beneficial Evil’ had no nominees in this category. The stage was instead filled with Hollywood actors from other productions, shows from American Netflix and international channels like HOB.

Once each actor had given their acceptance speech, host Bradley returned to the stage with a bright smile.

“The energy is heating up, and it’s about to get even hotter. Next up is the Lead Acting category in Drama Series. As always, we begin with Best Actor.”

From this moment, the Emmy broadcast crew and the live broadcast team suddenly became incredibly busy. The murmur among the tens of thousands of attendees grew exponentially.

“Finally. This is one of the biggest moments of the Emmys, right?”

“Ah, Kang Woojin? Hmm- his momentum is terrifying, but… winning Best Actor outright? That’s tough. If he had worked his way up through a Supporting Actor win first, maybe.”

“I feel the same. He made history at Cannes, but the Emmys are much more rigid than Cannes.”

“That’s true, but more than that, he just doesn’t have enough experience yet. They already won two awards, and that alone is an incredible feat.”

Directors, actors, producers, and various industry insiders all kept bringing up Kang Woojin’s name.

“To be honest, Kang Woojin has an insane intensity. I really enjoyed ‘Beneficial Evil’. But if we’re talking pure acting quality, isn’t Matthew Majors on another level?”

“That’s what it seems like, but I don’t know. Lately, I find Matthew’s performances a bit dull.”

“Dull?”

“At his level of experience, his acting should go beyond simply being ‘good’, it should be mesmerizing, something that completely pulls you in. But instead, his performances always have the same tone.”

“And Kang Woojin is different?”

“When I watch him act… I don’t know. It just feels like the character itself is alive and running free.”

“So, are you saying Kang Woojin will win Best Actor?”

“I’d like to believe that, but considering how the Emmys weigh many factors, the chances are low.”

Before anyone realized it, the live broadcast camera had zoomed in on Kang Woojin. He sat with his legs crossed, his face unreadable, showing little change in expression. In the live chat, comments like, ‘Why is he so calm?’ started popping up.

But in reality, Kang Woojin’s heart was pounding like crazy.

‘Holy- shit, wait. Why does this feel so different from Cannes??!’

There were many reasons, but the biggest was that this was Hollywood, the grand stage of Hollywood’s Emmy Awards.

His racing heartbeat was interrupted as two actresses stepped onto the stage. One wore a yellow dress, the other a pink dress. The actress in pink held the cue card.

“I’m so nervous to be presenting the award for Best Actor.”

After exchanging brief remarks, the two actresses began announcing the nominees. The giant screen on stage displayed each actor, not their real-life images, but clips of them in their roles.

First was the bald-headed Matthew Majors, whom Woojin had encountered earlier, followed by the permed-haired Billy Brown.

And finally.

-[Netflix / Beneficial Evil S1 / Kang Woojin]

Kang Woojin, who played ‘Jang Yeon-woo’, appeared on the screen. He was the first-ever Korean or Asian actor to be nominated for Best Actor at the Emmys.

Then, the actress in the pink dress opened the cue card.

“And the Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series goes to-”

At that moment, the cameras captured each of the nominated actors. The final shot landed on Kang Woojin. Around this time, Miley Cara, seated behind Woojin, glanced at the back of his head.

‘‘Beneficial Evil’ has great momentum. It’s already won two awards. The impact it has made must have factored into the evaluation. There’s a real chance. But, the Emmys have a long tradition, and they’re not fond of change. What will happen…?’

Meanwhile, around the world, countless people watching the live broadcast of the Emmys were praying. Especially in Korea.

“Please! Please!! Please!!!”

“Our Woojin! Let it be Woojin!”

“Oppa is going to win! He will! He has to! Right?!”

Kang Woojin’s family, Hong Hye-yeon, Ryu Jung-min, and everyone who knew him held their breath in anticipation.

“I hope Woojin-ssi wins- No, he has to win. Ugh! Why am I the one shaking?!”

“Be quiet! Everyone’s praying, and you’re startling them!”

Perhaps- no, without a doubt, all of Korea was wishing for the same thing. That the foreign actress on stage would call Kang Woojin’s name.

Then.

-Swoosh.

The actress in the live broadcast raised the cue card.

“Oh!”

She smiled.

“The Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series goes to-”

And then, in a voice that shook the entire venue, she called out the name.

“Beneficial Evil!!! Kang! Woo! Jin!!”

The two actresses on stage clapped enthusiastically.

“Wow!!”

“Congratulations!!”

-♬♪

Music erupted.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!!

Thunderous applause filled the venue packed with tens of thousands of people. Many rose from their seats, clapping as they looked at Kang Woojin. The ‘Beneficial Evil’ team also rose in a standing ovation.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!!

Miley Cara, Hwalin, and the other actors couldn’t contain their joyful smiles.

“Woojin!! Woojin!! Congratulations, truly!!”

“Amazing!!! You did it!!!”

“Wow!! No way! Woojin, congratulations!!”

PD Song Man-woo jumped up and hugged Kang Woojin.

“Hahaha! Yes!! This is it!! This is how it should be!! Congratulations, Woojin!!”

Writer Choi Na-na, clapping behind them, had tears welling in her eyes. The entire ‘Beneficial Evil’ team was practically bouncing with excitement. The surrounding audience members also gave a standing ovation for Woojin. The broadcast crew and live cameras focused entirely on Kang Woojin, the man at the center of the celebration.

“……”

Dressed in a navy tuxedo, Kang Woojin maintained a composed expression as he.

-Swoosh.

Began walking toward the grand stage where the actresses stood. Since his seat was close, the walk to the stage was brief. Soon, he stepped onto the stage and received the trophy from the actress in the yellow dress.

At that moment, one of the broadcast cameras panned to the other nominated actors.

Matthew Majors, bald-headed and expressionless, clapped stiffly. The forced nature of his applause was obvious.

Regardless, on stage, Kang Woojin.

“……”

Stood in front of the central standing microphone. The booming music stopped. The thunderous applause also subsided. Tens of thousands of audience members stared at him. Woojin looked down at the golden trophy in his hand. The image of a winged woman supporting a sphere. After briefly looking down at the trophy indifferently, Kang Woojin raised his head. Then he opened his mouth towards the tens of thousands of foreign audience members.

It was the first words of the Korean actor who had won the Best Actor award for the first time in Emmy history, raising the golden trophy. Of course, it was in English.

“Now, only the Academy Awards remain.”