Translator: Dreamscribe
At the Grand Bell Awards, when the name of this year’s best actor was called.
“Best Actor Award!! Congratulations! Kang Woojin from ‘Leech’!!”
As he stood up from his seat, with countless cameras focusing on him, Kang Woojin had an exceptionally calm expression. Even when surrounded by fellow actors and industry people offering handshakes and congratulations, he maintained the same demeanor. Woojin walked calmly onto the stage with an indifferent expression.
“……”
His mind was in chaos. The lights were blinding. His ears were ringing. His throat was dry. Adrenaline was exploding. His limbs were tingling. His heart rate increased. His vision narrowed.
However, his poker face remained solid.
At this point, as he walked toward the stage, Kang Woojin realized.
‘Two years- no, almost three years now. Who would’ve thought someone as clueless as me would make it this far? Best Actor? It still hasn’t quite sunk in… but standing here isn’t difficult anymore.’
He had grown accustomed to the jungle-like entertainment industry. It felt like just yesterday he was living as an ordinary citizen who had never even opened a script, yet now, this grand stage, the dazzling lights, and the overwhelming praise of remarkable actors no longer felt out of place. It was likely because he had adjusted, having navigated and overcome so much along the way.
But Woojin hadn’t lost his original mindset.
He was someone with his own genuine core, which made it possible.
“But still! Ugh- all these ridiculously successful actors staring at me so intensely, it’s super embarrassing, wonder how many more years until I get used to this??’
In a way, for Kang Woojin, domestic major film awards felt more awkward than Cannes. Overseas, there were world stars and global super top actors whose faces weren’t familiar to Woojin, but here, he was surrounded by actors he knew all too well. Stars he used to only see on TV or in movies were now giving him thunderous applause.
But that made Woojin strengthen his resolve even more.
Up until he stepped onto the stage, and even after he stood on it, Kang Woojin’s poker face did not falter in the slightest. Hundreds of actors watching him were impressed.
“There’s not a hint of a smile on Woojin-ssi. He was like this at the Blue Dragon Awards too, right?”
“Is he not satisfied?”
“Wow- after being the first to win Best Actor at Cannes, not to mention starring in two 20-million-viewer films, and sweeping all the domestic Best Actor awards in a single year??”
“I guess his mindset is just completely different from ours. Even when he won Best Actor at Cannes, Woojin-ssi had the same demeanor.”
The alien-like aura in front of them once again left them in awe. Even though he had achieved what seemed impossible in just two years.
“It kind of feels…… like this is what they mean by a different league.”
“It’s like a fantasy. Honestly, even seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t believe it.”
“Would domestic trophies even mean anything to someone who’s already in talks about going to Hollywood?”
To them, Kang Woojin seemed to be aiming even higher.
But this was a misconception.
After receiving the trophy and bouquet, as Kang Woojin stood in front of the standing microphone,
‘Ah- winning Best Actor is nice and all, but I’m really craving something sweet. After this ends, I’m just gonna sneak away.’
He wasn’t thinking about aiming higher. His mind was completely preoccupied with running straight home.
Several hours later.
Kang Woojin arrived home just before midnight. As expected after the Grand Bell Awards, hundreds of reporters’ spotlights were focused on Woojin. The barrage of questions and flashes was overwhelming. Having dealt with it appropriately, Woojin skipped both the Grand Bell Awards and bw Entertainment’s afterparties, heading straight home.
As soon as he stepped into the living room, he stretched his arms wide.
“Ahhh!!”
The concept he had been carrying all day was casually discarded. Before long, a smile spread across his face as he looked at the trophies arranged on the living room shelf. With the addition of the Best Actor trophy from the Grand Bell Awards, the display was quite a sight.
“How many are there now?”
It felt like a collection of medals. Kang Woojin had been accumulating awards since his debut. Last year alone, he won over eight awards, including Rookie of the Year and Best Supporting Actor, even from the broadcasting industry. This year, though fewer in number, all of them were Best Actor awards. Among them, the Cannes Film Festival trophy shone brightest.
Soon, Woojin crossed his arms as he gazed at the increased number of trophies. The deepening smile was a bonus.
“I’ve conquered both domestic awards and Cannes- is Hollywood really all that’s left?”
Although Woojin had already achieved unbelievable results, he wasn’t at the very top yet. There’s always someone higher up, as they say. The world’s most prestigious awards ceremonies were still remaining. Where real monsters gather. Though he couldn’t guarantee the future yet, the current Woojin felt like he could do anything.
“Just stick to what I’ve been doing, yeah. Keep it simple.”
Muttering to himself, Kang Woojin, who had now firmly established himself as the best actor in Korea today, turned around. Then, with a relaxed gesture, he pulled something out.
“First, let’s prepare one bowl.”
It was instant ramen in a bowl.
Afterward.
As his late-night snack, Kang Woojin chose instant ramen. After pouring hot water into the bowl, he picked up his phone.
“Let’s see, how’s it looking-“
He was curious about the state of the media. Though he had experienced it last year, wasn’t this year a completely different situation? As expected, the internet was in an uproar with year-end and film festival news.
『Winning Best Actor at Cannes, Blue Dragon, and Grand Bell Awards in his second year… Kang Woojin’s unprecedented journey』
『[Star Photo] ‘Grand Bell Awards’ Best Actor Kang Woojin, calmly walking to stage/ Photo』
More precisely, it was Kang Woojin’s solo stage?
『Last year, Rookie of the Year and Best Supporting Actor; this year, a clean sweep of Best Actor Awards… Will Kang Woojin really get a Academy Awards next year?』
Woojin had set absurd records, creating a legend. From Cannes to monopolizing Best Actor Awards at domestic major film festivals. On top of that, there were the unprecedented achievements he had accomplished along the way. Doing all of this within just one year, it was no wonder the media was in a frenzy.
『From setting ‘Korean film history’ records to achieving ‘Korean actor’ firsts, monster actor Kang Woojin who deserves the word ‘unprecedented’… didn’t forget his bombshell declaration in acceptance speech this year too』
Public opinion was no different. On YouTube, SNS, community forums, and everywhere else, Woojin was the main topic. From the moment he received his awards, to his calm acceptance speech, to walking the red carpet nonchalantly, and even his unexpected announcements again this year, anything Kang Woojin did, even just breathing, was making headlines.
For reference.
『This year’s end is a celebration party for the ‘double 20-million’ movies ‘Island of the Missing’ and ‘Leech’!』
As everyone had expected, this year’s film awards were swept by the ‘Island of the Missing’ and ‘Leech’. The two films monopolized categories like Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Yet no one raised any objections. These films had achieved results that more than justified it, rewriting the history of the Korean film industry.
Of course, at the center of it all was Kang Woojin, now entering his third year.
Meanwhile.
While the entire country was buzzing with year-end events and film festivals, a major film-related online community was in turmoil over something else.
-[If they’re really making a live-action ‘Beast and the Beauty’, how are they gonna create the Beast ㅋㅋㅋㅋ CG maybe??]
-[If it’s Hollywood, they might actually train a real beast to act]
-[This could just be a rumor, but if they do make a live-action version, I hope they don’t change too much]
-[Totally agree with the post above, just look at how Disney’s live-action adaptations flopped cuz they changed too much]
A few days ago, a bombshell rumor about ‘Beast and the Beauty’ had suddenly been dropped.
The starting point was a post by a netizen living in LA. The post simply stated something along the lines of, ‘I heard a rumor that ‘Beast and the Beauty’ is currently being prepared as a live-action adaptation.’ Though it was brief, the post had, as the saying goes, stirred up an enormous amount of hype. Over the course of a few days, the result was a flood of posts, most of which were now related to the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’.
-[Please… can we at least get actors for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ that match the characters perfectly?]
-[I mean, it’s not even confirmed yet, just speculation ㅋㅋㅋwhy is everyone acting like it’s official???]
Of course, there was always the possibility it was baseless gossip or nonsense. However, the netizen living in LA raised credibility by uploading verification photos. It was a business card. It confirmed that they worked in the Hollywood film industry.
-[They posted proof that there’s a rumor circulating in Hollywoodㅇㅇ]
-[Come on, this wouldn’t be the first time something like this turned out to be BS? ㅋㅋㅋ]
The highly buzzed topic of the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’, which initially flared up with debates over its validity, was now heading in an entirely different direction.
-[Here’s my own fantasy casting for Beast and the Beauty.JPG]
Fantasy casting related to the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ began circulating within communities. Given the fame of ‘Beast and the Beauty’, people started attaching their favorite Hollywood and international actors to the roles as they pleased. While some actors were entirely different, there were also many overlaps.
-[I saw a fantasy casting and ㅋㅋㅋ, I thought Miley Cara would be perfect for Belle.]
-[Honestly, Miley Cara is spot on, yeah. For the Beast, Jack Pettyfer would be a good match.]
-[Miley Cara’s good, but Natalie Theron would be better.]
-[Nah, the Beast could be played by anyone without much issue, but Belle absolutely must be blonde.]
-[My childhood number one animation getting a live-action adaptation… my heart’s pounding… come out quickly…]
-[It’s not confirmed yet, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Opinions were flying about who suited the role of the Beast or Belle better. Hollywood’s top actors, known for their acting skills and singing ability, were frequently mentioned. Among them, Miley Cara’s name came up often. Naturally, though, not a single person brought up the name of a Korean actor, including Kang Woojin.
-[Will an Asian actor even make it into the cast??]
-[ㅋㅋㅋㅋ maybe as a random village person 1 or somethingㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Who could possibly predict that Kang Woojin had already been secretly included for the role of the Beast in ‘Beast and the Beauty’? It wasn’t something that could be speculated or guessed. After all, in the history of live-action films produced by ‘World Disney Pictures’, there had been supporting or minor roles for Asian actors, but never had an Asian actor been cast as the lead.
The interesting thing here is.
-[I heard the rumor about the live-action adaptation of Beast and the Beauty is spreading in Korean film communities?]
-[Ehhh? Really??!]
-[OMG OMG I love Beast and the Beauty so much! Is the live-action adaptation rumor true??!]
-[There’s no information in Hollywood articles, though? Seems like it’s just a baseless rumor.]
The rumor about the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ had spread beyond Korea to Japan. Similarly, it was mostly circulating on communities and social media. While these were less mainstream platforms, ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was incredibly popular in Japan as well. Given the nature of the work, it quickly drew attention.
However, Korea and Japan were only the tip of the iceberg.
Hollywood. In other words, the United States, including LA. If rumors had already reached Korea and Japan, it meant that the buzz in the US had been roaring for some time. Naturally, the scale of the chatter in America was several times larger. In countless American communities, the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was already taken as a fact, with fantasy casting discussions thriving.
-The role of the Beast absolutely has to go to Brad Depp, and Belle must be Miley Cara. It can’t be anyone else.
Of course, there was no mention of any Korean actor.
December 21st, early morning.
At a movie theater in Seoul, a man in a long padded coat with a deeply pulled-down hat entered. He also wore a mask. All in black. After stepping out of the elevator, the man checked the time on his phone.
-Swoosh.
He scanned the theater lobby. Despite it being a weekday morning, there were quite a few people. Roughly dozens of people could be seen in the lobby, munching on popcorn or watching the ads playing on the large TV.
“Wow- this is my first time watching a Japanese movie.”
“But doesn’t this movie kind of not feel like a Japanese movie? Is it because of Kang Woojin?”
“Will Kang Woojin act in Japanese?”
“Of course, you idiot. He was speaking Japanese in the trailer clear as day.”
“It’s definitely unique. A Korean actor who’s killing it appearing as the lead in a Japanese movie.”
Everyone was busy expressing their thoughts while waiting for the movie they were about to watch.
“This hit over 20 million viewers in Japan, didn’t it?”
“Yeah yeah, 23 million or something?”
“That’s crazy. Japanese people’s reviews are good too, seems like there was lots of hate at first- but ended up crushing it.”
“Oppa, did you see Kang Woojin’s acceptance speech for Best Actor yesterday?”
“I think I saw it in an article.”
“Ha- I can’t wait to see Kang Woojin in a Hollywood movie.”
Meanwhile, a few people glanced briefly at the man in the black long padded coat, but they didn’t pay much attention. There were others who had also come alone, and since it was the middle of winter, wearing a mask was common.
Several minutes passed like that.
The monitor near the entrance to the screening room displayed the title of the movie that was about to start.
-‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ / Theater 7.
It was an early morning screening, the first showing of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Naturally so, today, the 21st, marked the official release date of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ in Korea. Around this time, the man in the black long padded coat entered the screening room alone. He glanced at the audience seats, which prompted a small exclamation.
“Oh-”
Despite it being an early morning screening, more than half of the seats were filled. Slightly surprised, he quickly located his assigned seat. It was on the far end, a bit closer to the front than the middle. As soon as the man sat down, advertisements started playing on the large screen. This meant that ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was about to begin its screening in Korea.
At that moment.
-Bzzzzz.
The phone in the man’s long padded coat vibrated. He took it out to put it on silent mode and glanced at the screen to check the notification. It was a message.
-CEO: Woojin, are you resting well? Wasn’t sure if you were sleeping so leaving a message first. Just got confirmation from Columbia Studios.
-CEO: The audition and screen test are on January 25th, and it seems we’ll need to depart around the 20th.
The sender was CEO Choi Sung-gun.
-CEO: Also, we received an email from Disney. You’ve been officially confirmed as a candidate for the role in ‘Beast and the Beauty’.