Chapter 377: Overwhelmed (6)

Translator: Santos

 

The female producer of *The Pierrot*, with long hair and a strong presence, remarked,

“...You don’t seem bothered at all.”

In response to her words, which came from across the table from Kang Woo-jin, she added, “As you know, this preliminary meeting could exclude you as a candidate. Are you sure you have no regrets?”

For a brief moment, Kang Woo-jin’s mind flashed with thoughts.

“...”

The rating of the movie *The Pierrot* crossed his mind.

- [11/Screenplay (Title: The Pierrot), EX+ Grade]

It was a remarkable EX+ grade—top-tier, even in that immense space. Although outwardly solid, Woo-jin’s soft inner feelings screamed in earnest.

‘No regrets??! If I miss this, I’ll regret it terribly! How could that even be a question?!’

Honestly, he wanted to blurt out exactly what he was thinking. But he couldn’t afford to show any frivolity at this moment. Above all, he had just had a significant encounter with top Hollywood actor Chris Hartnett. With a “my way or the highway” image now built, he had to maintain a strong front.

‘Phew, I don’t know. Just push forward. Even if I get dropped, who knows, an EX+ opportunity might come again.’

It might not come again. But Kang Woo-jin had strongholds. He had EX-level opportunities like *Beauty and the Beast*, and although he hadn’t received the script yet, there was also Joseph Pelton's interest. Plus, he was only in his second year. Although his third year was just around the corner, he still had plenty of time and limitless possibilities.

‘Grandfather—no, Director Ahn—might find it a bit strange.’

Maintaining a strong front was crucial for Kang Woo-jin. He looked coldly at the seven members of the *Pierrot* team, clearly fixated on him, and responded in English regarding the question about regrets.

“I don’t mind, but *The Pierrot* will regret it.”

No backing down, no detours—just straight to the point. Beside him, Choi Sung-geon’s pupils flickered slightly. He glanced at Kang Woo-jin.

‘Hey, are you going too far??!!’

It was completely understandable from Sung-geon’s perspective. His English wasn’t perfect, but even he could tell that Woo-jin's current response had far exceeded expectations. This was a preliminary meeting before the audition, and he had just thrown it out there.

Sung-geon, who knew Woo-jin's personality, thought,

‘There are rumors about the incident with Chris Hartnett, and if this gets amplified with the meeting… is this image good for Woo-jin in Hollywood?!’

Worrying was inevitable. The people in the meeting room, all with their mouths agape, felt the same.

‘Is *The Pierrot* going to regret?? Is he talking about us?’

‘If we miss him, we’ll be the ones regretting? Ha—’

Both the female producer and the male casting member felt the same, but especially the executives from *Columbia Pictures* reacted intensely. They had spent decades in the vastness of Hollywood and encountered numerous actors, but...

‘Regretting would be us? What kind of absurd character is this!’

The “arrogant monster” standing before them was something they had never seen before.

A short while later.

After about an hour of the preliminary meeting, Kang Woo-jin and Choi Sung-geon exited the conference room. After Woo-jin’s bold statement, there had been a steady exchange of questions and answers. As a note, Kang Woo-jin had dominated the meeting, and the strange expressions on the faces of the *Columbia Pictures* executives hadn’t faded until the end.

It was likely that the fresh shock Woo-jin had given them lingered on.

Maintaining his strong front throughout the meeting, Kang Woo-jin felt more at ease as soon as he stepped out.

‘Yeah, I think I messed up. Tsk! I’ll just keep my mind at ease.’

He felt strangely calm. How should he put it? It was like he had reached a state of enlightenment. As he walked down the corridor, foreigners passing by glanced at him. They looked like 100% *Columbia Pictures* employees, probably having witnessed the incident with Chris Hartnett or heard the rumors. Woo-jin, completely ignoring them, was closely followed by Choi Sung-geon.

“Uh, Woo-jin.”

Standing in front of the elevator, Kang Woo-jin lowered his voice.

“Yes, Representative.”

“What’s up?”

As Sung-geon pressed the elevator button, he spoke in a hushed tone.

“There’s still *Walt Disney Pictures*, and there’s Joseph’s *Universal Movies* as well, but—did you go too far?”

“Was it too much?”

“Man, to be honest, I was a bit nervous. With rumors about Chris Hartnett already spreading, this meeting will only escalate things. Starting with such a strong image… it might be risky for you in Hollywood. There are plenty of alternatives, and the overall atmosphere seems easygoing.”

Kang Woo-jin nodded at Sung-geon’s words. Of course, he did this inwardly. But what could he do? The deed was done. As he got into the elevator, he remarked casually.

“I don’t really care. I have nothing to regret.”

“That’s true, but...”

“It’s better for them to know me clearly from the start.”

“Hmm—”

“Hollywood is vast.”

“Conversely, there will be plenty of alternatives for us too?”

“Yes, so I won’t be obsessed with *The Pierrot*.”

Sung-geon chuckled, seemingly impressed.

“Yeah, that’s you. I was too worried. But honestly, couldn’t you have conducted the meeting a bit more calmly? Was there a specific reason for being so harsh?”

Kang Woo-jin simply replied.

“The condescending tone from above was bothersome.”

After that.

Once outside the building, Kang Woo-jin boarded the van again. Whether he had succeeded or failed, the preliminary meeting was over, and all that was left was to wait for contact from *Columbia Pictures*.

Naturally, he could still be rejected.

But what could he do? With a strong poker face, Kang Woo-jin picked up his phone. He had many messages piled up. However, he connected to the internet first instead of checking the messages.

At the same time.

“Hey, Woo-jin.”

Choi Sung-geon, sitting to his right, spoke up.

“About what happened with Chris Hartnett earlier. Rumors might circulate. You may not have known his name, but he’s quite famous around here.”

Kang Woo-jin replied nonchalantly.

“It’s no problem.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that. Just keep that in mind.”

Nodding, Woo-jin thought,

‘Why would that be such a big deal?’

He returned his gaze to his phone.

While it was afternoon in LA on the 6th, it was already morning on the 7th in Korea. With December already underway, the domestic entertainment industry was filled with the scent of year-end festivities.

Amidst various issues flooding the scene...

『[Film Festival] ‘Blue Dragon Film Awards’ approaching, two films surpassing 20 million this year, *The Island of Disappearance* and *Leech*... Difficult choices.』

Naturally, Kang Woo-jin's news was included.

『Kang Woo-jin goes silent after arriving in LA... SNS also temporarily paused.』

Meanwhile, the film *Evil Benefactor*, which had just wrapped two days ago, was gaining traction.

『[Issue Talk] ‘Kang Woo-jin’, ‘Miley Cara’, starring in *Evil Benefactor*, Part 1 filming completed!』

Around the time Kang Woo-jin flew to LA, the team of *Evil Benefactor*, which had finished shooting Part 1, announced through various channels that the filming was complete.

Having already stirred up a lot of excitement, news of the wrap quickly spread across the internet. The first project aiming for global reach backed by Netflix. Additionally, various articles featured an interview with the main director of *Evil Benefactor*, PD Song Man-woo.

『Wrap of *Evil Benefactor*, PD Song Man-woo: “To speed things up, we’re filming and editing simultaneously, aiming for launch early next year.”』

『[Star Issue] Will we see a two-shot of ‘Kang Woo-jin’ and ‘Miley Cara’ early next year? Public anticipation explodes.』

This only added to the buzz.

Thus, mentions of *Evil Benefactor* surged rapidly on social media and community sites. With the stir caused by Cara's involvement, it was said to have multiplied several times, and in the late morning, news of Kang Woo-jin was being widely consumed.

At this moment, as if timed perfectly...

『Netflix Korea announces: Teaser for *Evil Benefactor* to be released soon, with a schedule set for January-February.』

Netflix made its entrance. Moreover, they gradually released information about *Evil Benefactor* to the world. The first released was a character introduction video featuring Kang Woo-jin as the main character. Of course, Miley Cara was included, and this video, uploaded on YouTube and social media, recorded astonishing view counts in no time. Within just over three hours, it exceeded hundreds of views.

Naturally, this wasn’t achieved solely with domestic power. It was a lot of international audiences coming

 in and out. The numerous comments in various languages were proof of that.

Even in Korea, despite Kang Woo-jin’s absence, his influence remained formidable.

[Channel Name: Kang Woo-jin's Sub-character]

[Subscribers: 38.53 million]

[Videos: 104]

His power continued to grow beyond imagination.

- @Wooji_n

Posts: 312

Followers: 48.11 million

Following: 114

Meanwhile, in Japanese theaters across the nation, posters for the Korean film *Leech* and the Japanese film *The Parasitic Mate* prominently hung in all cinemas in Korea.

『Korea and Japan's respective pre-sales open for *The Parasitic Mate* and *Leech*, both topping the pre-sale rates!』

This indicated that pre-sales had commenced.

On the morning of the 7th. LA.

In a mid-level office of a towering building among the numerous high-rises, a meeting was in full swing.

Six foreigners sat around a U-shaped table.

Among them, a familiar large black man occupied the main seat. It was Joseph Pelton, the giant handling the current meeting. Dressed in a neat suit, as he likely had other commitments later that afternoon, he said,

“Hmm, good. I’ll be able to talk to *Universal Movies* with this feeling.”

He was currently organizing details regarding the works he was producing. Notably, a producer of Joseph Pelton’s caliber in Hollywood does not manage just one project. Whenever production begins on a project, he assembles a team and delegates work, creating inevitable gaps.

During those gaps, he selects projects he likes and continues to produce them simultaneously.

Of course, Joseph was doing just that now.

However, what was particularly occupying Joseph’s mind was a project being developed alongside *Universal Movies*, one of the Hollywood “Big Five,” and casting agent Megan Stone. Even if the contracts with the Hollywood giant director Danny Landis and Kang Woo-jin were undecided, he couldn’t stop what he was doing.

Though, securing Kang Woo-jin remained the top priority.

Currently, they had confirmed a screenwriter and were speeding through the scriptwriting process.

“It should be about time for something to come out. Since the writer is quick, even if the first draft is tough, he should have created treatment and overall story materials.”

“Yes, I’ll check right away.”

“Even if it’s just the treatment, go pick it up.”

At that moment...

- *Swish.*

Another foreigner entered the spacious office. A bald man with a quite familiar face. It was Robert, Joseph’s right-hand man. As soon as Joseph saw him, he immediately asked,

“Robert, was the matter you passed along handled well?”

“Yes. I conveyed it well to the staff. But more importantly, Joseph...”

With a very serious expression, Robert sat beside Joseph and lowered his voice slightly.

“There are interesting rumors circulating from *Columbia Pictures*.”

“Ah—*Columbia Pictures*? It’s been noisy lately regarding new film productions. Hiring Director Ahn Ga-bok was fresh, too. What’s the rumor?”

“It seems distorted, but Chris Hartnett got into a bit of a conflict with an Asian actor in front of *Columbia Pictures* headquarters.”

As Joseph lowered his gaze to his tablet, he narrowed his brows but lifted his head.

“Hmm? Chris? He can be a bit strong-willed, but he’s not one to create unnecessary fuss—this seems pretty distorted.”

“There was some sort of verbal exchange, and that Asian actor reportedly asked for Chris’s name.”

“Haha, interesting. He asked for Chris’s name? That must have been intentional. Chris got properly hit there. But Chris went to *Columbia Pictures* at this timing—did he become a candidate for the male lead in the project that Director Ahn Ga-bok is involved with?”

“Seems like it.”

“I need to update my information. By the way, if the rumor is true, that Asian actor must be pretty strong, right? For him to boldly pull off something like that in front of *Columbia Pictures*? Which actor is it? Chinese?”

Robert shook his head and lowered his voice further.

“It seems to be Kang Woo-jin.”

In an instant, Joseph froze, his eyes widening.

“What?”

He shot up, questioning fiercely.

“What? Kang Woo-jin??!”

The rumor had spread faster than expected.