Chapter 391: Overwhelm (20)

Translator: Dreamscribe

As soon as Kang Woojin arrived in LA, the first official teaser of ‘Beneficial Evil’ was released.

- 【Worldwide release on February 3rd!】 'Beneficial Evil' Official 1st Teaser Trailer ｜Netflix Korea

Woojin, who looked at Han Ye-jung’s phone screen with a calm expression, was slightly surprised internally.

‘Oh? Awesome.’

The first teaser, uploaded to Netflix Korea's official YouTube channel, had reached a surprising milestone in just 10 minutes.

‘110,000 views??’

The number of viewers had already surpassed 110,000. It was undoubtedly an unusual and overwhelming feat. Woojin calmed his excitement and, nodding slowly, spoke to Han Ye-jung.

“Yeah, I’ll watch it on mine.”

Han Ye-jung, with her short blue bob hair, took back her phone. Soon, everyone in the van began playing the first teaser of 'Beneficial Evil'. Woojin did the same.

-Swish.

Kang Woojin immediately started playing the teaser. The runtime was approximately 30 seconds. It began with a black screen accompanied by majestic music. Gradually, Kang Woojin, dressed in a military uniform, appeared, followed by his voice. Miley Cara's dialogue came right after. The teaser didn’t spend much time on individual shots.

'The teaser is incredibly intense.'

Scenes shifted rapidly, yet the teaser clearly conveyed the theme of 'Beneficial Evil'. The faces of the main characters, gunfight scenes, explosion scenes, action scenes, and more flashed by. The teaser exuded a strong feeling of attacking its viewers, with Kang Woojin, the male lead of ‘Beneficial Evil’, taking the central spotlight. His English lines also added to the teaser’s appeal.

By the time they entered the heart of downtown LA, the team members in the van began expressing their amazement one by one.

“Wow- look at how the visuals turned out! This is incredible!”

“Goosebumps when oppa appears and Miley Cara’s voice comes in!”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“The quality is insane?! Oppa, what do you think?”

“Uh, it’s good.”

“Eh? Is it really good, or are you just saying that??”

Of course, the overall reception was very positive. Even Choi Sung-gun in the front passenger seat, nodded in satisfaction. At the end of the teaser, rough gray lettering and information appeared.

-Beneficial Evil

-Worldwide Release on February 3rd

With that, the teaser for ‘Beneficial Evil’ ended. Though Woojin watched it with an indifferent expression, internally, he gave it a thumbs-up.

‘Yeah, this is incredible.’

He felt the same as his team members. Moreover, Woojin had already watched the first episode of ‘Beneficial Evil’, so his feelings were even stronger.

‘But if it’s already hit 110,000 views in just 10 minutes- damn, won’t this easily reach millions of views?’

He was inwardly astonished. This might have seemed extraordinary, but it was a natural phenomenon. Currently, Kang Woojin’s recognition was skyrocketing not only in Korea but globally, including Japan. People from various countries were likely searching for Woojin out of curiosity, and YouTube had just served them the freshly released official teaser for 'Beneficial Evil'. Even at this moment, many global audiences were watching the video.

In fact,

‘The comments are insane.’

The teaser’s comment section was already saturated. There were Korean comments, of course, as well as Japanese, English, French, and countless other languages. A few English comments caught Woojin’s eye.

-Is this Korean actor Kang Woojin, who’s rumored to be a candidate for the 'Beast' role?

-You don’t suit the Beast role.

-Oh, I searched for Kang Woojin, and his new project came up? Is it a Korean production? I’ll watch it on Netflix and judge.

-I looked him up, and it turns out Kang Woojin, a Korean actor, won the Best Actor award at Cannes last year? He must be good at acting. I’m curious.

-Miley Cara? Why is Miley Cara appearing in a Korean production?

-I liked Kang Woojin collaborating on Miley Cara’s last album, but Disney made a mistake with 'Beast and the Beauty'

-Why are people making premature judgments? He hasn’t even been confirmed yet.

There were positive, negative, and neutral comments. Thousands of comments were chaotic, with no consensus. Korean and Japanese comments mainly expressed anticipation and high praise. There were also quite a few Miley Cara fans who mentioned they had been waiting for ‘Beneficial Evil’, but the majority of people were still discussing Kang Woojin in relation to ‘Beast and the Beauty’.

It was a mix of criticisms, questions, and a sense of waiting.

The team members, who had been checking the explosive comment situation, glanced at Kang Woojin, whose expression remained stern. However, he didn’t seem fazed at all.

‘They’re overreacting, seriously. The auditions haven’t even started yet.’

From the beginning, Woojin was unaffected by such chaos.

‘Well, I’ll end up getting it anyway.’

After arriving in LA, Kang Woojin began to settle in. At the same time, he prepared for the ‘Pierrot’ audition and screen test. Time passed quickly. Hollywood was bustling. Just like in Korea, countless issues were popping up everywhere. The ‘Pierrot’ auditions nearing, the still-quiet ‘Beast and the Beauty’ after the casting announcement, the buzz around Kang Woojin and Miley Cara’s ‘Beneficial Evil’, and various other news.

Meanwhile, ‘World Disney Pictures’ was closely monitoring global public opinion during the production of ‘Beast and the Beauty’.

“Hmm- Kang Woojin’s name is still causing a stir.”

“Well, we expected this, didn’t we?”

“That’s true, but it’s too noisy.”

“It’s a bold decision, but all we can do is push forward.”

“Hmm.”

“The actor hasn’t been confirmed yet, and even if Kang Woojin is chosen- ultimately, the final product and his talent will provide the answers.”

Though the global buzz was chaotic, ‘World Disney Pictures’ handled it with composure, as they had been through such situations countless times. On the other hand, ‘Columbia Studios’ was slightly flustered. They hadn’t anticipated the news about ‘Beast and the Beauty’. Their reaction was somewhat similar to ‘World Disney Pictures’ when they first learned that Kang Woojin was included in ‘Pierrot’.

However, with the auditions just around the corner and ‘Pierrot’ being the starting point for a massive project, the ‘Cinematic Universe’, the stakes were incredibly high. Within ‘Columbia Studios,’ opinions among the higher-ups were slightly divided.

“Did no one know that Kang Woojin was in talks with ‘World Disney Pictures?’”

“Even if we had known, it wouldn’t change anything. We’ve already announced it. The auditions are just a few days away.”

“Isn’t it still possible to retract? We’ve never shared an actor with ‘World Disney Pictures’ in our history.”

“If the timing of the releases is different, it shouldn’t be a major issue. Retracting now would be a blow to our pride.”

Concerns about Kang Woojin’s physical condition also arose.

“If he ends up working on both projects simultaneously, it could harm both sides.”

But this concern was promptly shut down by Director Ahn Ga-bok.

“That won’t happen.”

“Hmm?”

“When Kang Woojin was filming ‘Leech’, he managed multiple projects at the same time. He handled that hellish schedule perfectly. I vouch for him.”

As a result,

“For now, we agree to proceed with the audition.”

The decision to go ahead with the audition was dominant.

A few days later, on the 25th, in LA.

Around 10 a.m., inside ‘Columbia Studios’, which resembled an amusement park or even a small city, a medium-sized hall was prepared for several tests. The hall had a screen-equipped stage, over a hundred seats, ceiling lights, and so on. It had the feel of a small theater.

The hall was bustling with foreigners.

“Table! Move the table over here!”

“Is the camera setup not done yet?!”

“The table’s too small! Get a bigger one!”

“Here!! The floor over here is making a weird noise, are you sure it’s okay?!”

At least 20 or more foreigners were scurrying around, shouting in noisy English. Some were cleaning or inspecting the stage, others were setting up a long table and monitor on one side, while various cameras were being installed all around the stage. The dozens of foreigners moved busily and frantically.

They were, of course, personnel from ‘Columbia Studios’. More specifically, they were staff members working on ‘Pierrot’.

Everyone was highly sensitive and passionate.

And understandably so.

“Get it together! Don’t forget that today is the ‘Pierrot’ audition and screen test!”

This was the venue where the ‘Pierrot’ audition and screen test would begin. Today, they were scheduled to evaluate the male actors auditioning for lead roles.

About 30 minutes passed like that.

As the stage setup neared completion, non-staff foreigners began entering the hall one by one. First to appear was a woman with slightly longer-than-shoulder-length hair and sharp features. She was the executive producer of ‘Pierrot’. She glanced around the audition hall and nodded her head.

“It’s good. You all worked hard.”

This signified that the setup was satisfactory. Following her, Pierrot’s key staff, including the casting director, entered the hall, along with the executives from ‘Columbia Studios’. However, this time, the number of executives was larger than usual, with some unfamiliar faces among them. There appeared to be about eight of them.

Next to appear was.

-Swish.

Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his wrinkled face. The Korean director who would direct ‘Pierrot’ and fire the opening shot of the 'Cinematic Universe'. Director Ahn Ga-bok scanned the spacious hall and exhaled lightly.

“Phew - this is just the beginning.”

For a brief moment, a thought of Kang Woojin, whom he would soon meet, flashed through his mind.

After all the ‘Columbia Studios’ personnel had arrived, it was time for the Hollywood actors. These were the Hollywood superstars confirmed as candidates for the male lead in ‘Pierrot’.

“Hello-”

A Hollywood actor, recognizable just by his face, entered the hall. The first actor arrived with a team of four staff members. After exchanging casual greetings, likely with people he knew among the staff, he took a seat. Subsequently, more Hollywood actors began arriving. Each actor exchanged brief pleasantries before filling the empty seats among the hundred-plus available. Most of the actors were accompanied by their teams.

Before long, the number of people gathered in the hall exceeded fifty.

The reason was simple.

Today’s audition and screen test were being conducted openly. In other words, everyone present in the hall would be able to see the actors in action.

It was at this moment.

-Swish.

The fourth candidate entered the hall. A black-haired Korean actor. The moment he appeared, all eyes in the hall, from the ‘Pierrot’ production team to the ‘Columbia Studios’ executives, were fixed on him. Even the Hollywood actors turned their heads, quietly murmuring to themselves.

‘That guy is the one-’

‘Hmm, is he taller than he looked in the photos? He has an unique aura.’

‘The only Korean actor. I guess my curiosity will be answered today.’

It was Kang Woojin. Receiving everyone’s gaze, Woojin had not brought a large team with him. He was accompanied by just one person, Choi Sung-gun. Woojin’s expression was solemn, but inwardly, he was slightly overwhelmed.

‘Oh wow! What is this? This place is insanely big?? Whoa- aren’t all those actors ones I’ve seen somewhere before? This is crazy cool!’

Then, Woojin noticed something.

‘Ah- of course.’

The clothes he was wearing were similar to those of the various Hollywood actors seated ahead. Kang Woojin was currently dressed in a red jacket and pants, a yellow vest, and worn-out brown shoes. The overall look was ragged, as if the clothes were old and tattered. It was the same outfit as Pierrot’s character Henry Gordon. The Hollywood actors, who were his competitors, had the same idea.

‘They’re all dressed similarly, though with slight differences.’

One of the actors had even styled his hair to match Henry Gordon’s appearance in the latter half of the story, with long hair slicked back. The sheer presence of such formidable Hollywood stars made Kang Woojin’s heartbeat quicken. But it was fine. He had his concept and his Beastification technique to rely on.

As Woojin scanned the atmosphere for a moment, Choi Sung-gun leaned in and whispered to him.

“Let’s go.”

Just as Woojin nodded, suddenly a male voice speaking English cut in from behind.

“How have you been?”

Turning around, Woojin saw a handsome man with captivating brown eyes standing there. It was none other than Chris Hartnett, a top Hollywood actor and someone who had a past incident with Kang Woojin. Smiling, Chris extended his hand toward Woojin.

“Mr. Kang Woojin, you remember my name, right?"

Woojin, with a silent expression, shook Chris’s hand.

“Hello, Chris.”

“I’m looking forward to your performance.”

"Likewise."

“Hahaha, as expected, you’re interesting. Let’s head in.”

Chris Hartnett let go of Woojin’s hand and entered the hall first. Woojin also began to move. Soon, all five candidates for Pierrot’s lead role, including Woojin, were seated. The overall arrangement of the hall was as follows:

At the table on the stage, equipped with monitors, sat the executive producer, Director Ahn Ga-bok, the casting director, and other key staff. In the first row of seats directly in front of the stage, the ‘Columbia Studios’ executives were seated. On the far right side, about a dozen key staff members from ‘Pierrot’ had taken their places.

Behind them sat Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun.

The remaining Hollywood actors and their teams were scattered throughout the hall, filling some of the seats here and there. The medium-sized hall, where the open audition and screen test were about to begin, carried a slightly heavy atmosphere. It was both serious and quiet. Around this point, all eight ‘Columbia Studios’ executives glanced at the executive producer seated on the stage, giving her a signal.

It was time to begin.

The sharp-featured female producer nodded and opened her mouth to speak. Naturally, it was in English.

“Shall we begin?”

Staff members positioned themselves around each camera installed on the stage, and the monitors on the judges’ table lit up. The lighting was adjusted accordingly. Director Ahn Ga-bok and the other judges opened the transparent files that had been provided to them. Inside were the profiles of the actors. The female producer looked toward the seats where the candidate actors were gathered and spoke again.

“Previously, we mentioned that both assigned and free acting performances would be assessed, but we’ve made some changes. You will only need to perform a free acting piece. However, the foundation must be Henry Gordon.”

Some of the Hollywood actors murmured among themselves. Regardless, the producer continued speaking nonchalantly.

“In other words, show us any kind of performance you want, as long as it’s as Henry Gordon.”