Chapter 400: Full Bloom (6)

Translator: Santos

 

In reality, Kang Woo-jin was filled with tension while waiting in the holding room of the hotel where Columbia Studio's press conference was to take place. From the moment he arrived at the hotel until his name was finally called.

“...”

His serious and intense expression masked the nerves underneath.

‘Damn—why am I so nervous? I've experienced this before.’

He had been to press conferences crowded with over a hundred reporters, but this was his first in Hollywood. Moreover, today’s event was meant to showcase his power and make his presence known to the world, which only added to the pressure.

Kang Woo-jin pushed himself to elevate his persona more than ever.

He doused his racing heart with imaginary ice water multiple times.

He needed to project strength and couldn’t afford to seem weak. The weight of his detached demeanor grew heavier. He took a silent breath to steady himself, regaining composure. Meanwhile, those around him—Choi Sung-geon, the stylist team, and others—buzzed with a mix of excitement and nervous energy.

“What do we do! Why am I so nervous?!” 

“Exactly! This is intense! Woo-jin looks so calm, so we should be too, but it’s impossible!!”

“So, once he steps out there, the whole world will know, right?!”

“Of course! I peeked earlier and there were over 100 reporters!”

“This is going to be huge.”

But Kang Woo-jin wasn’t listening. He was focusing on maintaining his demeanor. Since it was a press conference, there was no fixed script. He had to handle any question thrown at him or any situation that arose on his own.

At that moment—

*Knock, knock.*

An international staff member knocked on the door and signaled that it was time. The team's energy spiked. Choi Sung-geon grabbed Kang Woo-jin's shoulder and said:

“Go and do great.”

Woo-jin nodded calmly.

“Yes, sir.”

He slowly followed the staff member out of the room. The noise of the press conference grew louder as he approached the hall, followed by the serious voice of the *Piero: Birth of a Villain* producer.

“Come on up.”

It was the cue. Kang Woo-jin checked his composed expression one last time before stepping through the door into the hall. The scene immediately unfolded before him: the expansive hall, the stage where Director An Ga-bok and the production team were seated, and the sea of international reporters.

The expressions on the reporters' faces were priceless when they saw him.

‘Everyone looks shocked. Guess they didn’t expect me.’

Oddly, seeing the dumbfounded faces of the international reporters put Kang Woo-jin at ease, and with each confident step, he imbued his walk with arrogance. Just like always, he was going to do this *his way*. Woo-jin took his seat. Facing the wide-eyed reporters, he spoke his first words.

“Nice to meet you. I am Kang Woo-jin, playing the role of Henry Gordon in *Piero: Birth of a Villain*.”

He announced it to the world. Not one of the celebrated Hollywood A-listers, but himself—the star of *Piero: Birth of a Villain*.

Surprised?

It was a simple but assertive introduction. But the international reporters in the hall didn’t react immediately.

“...”

“...”

“...”

They just stared. Eyes blinked in disbelief. An unexpected figure had appeared, and for at least five seconds, the entire hall was silent.

Watching the reporters’ stunned faces, Woo-jin thought:

‘They’re completely floored.’

He leaned into the microphone and spoke again.

“Are you surprised?”

The question wasn’t one of concern—it was almost a taunt. Like, *What? Surprised, aren’t you?* Regardless, after his question, the reporters finally came back to life.

“Oh.”

“Huh.”

Soon, the international reporters started snapping out of their daze. But they still couldn’t fully grasp what they were seeing. Even so, instinct took over, and cameras were lifted. Within moments, a flurry of flashes erupted.

*Click-click-click-click-click!*

*Click-click-click-click-click!*

The deluge of flashbulbs was blinding, and the reporters began shouting with excitement.

“Kang Woo-jin?! Is it really Kang Woo-jin?!”

“This—this is unbelievable!”

“Who could have guessed this?!”

“Regardless, this is a scoop!”

They were thrown into a frenzy by the unexpected revelation. The kind of surprise no one had seen coming.

“Is it true? Did Columbia Studios really cast Kang Woo-jin for the role?”

“This means they’re kicking off their massive *Cinematic Universe* project with him!”

“So, does this mean the project will be led by a Korean director and actor?”

“Wait, if Kang Woo-jin got the part, that means he beat out Chris Hartnett and all those other big names. What happened during the audition?!”

The international reporters were now losing it. Kang Woo-jin, however, remained composed. Director An Ga-bok, seated to Woo-jin’s left, flashed a subtle smile.

‘This is quite the spectacle.’

It was the reaction he had hoped for and anticipated.

Including Kang Woo-jin at this press conference had been strategic. A planned event with a twist. Hollywood had been buzzing about Woo-jin since Cannes, *Piero*, *Beauty and the Beast*, and *Benevolent Evil* among other projects. Columbia Studios had no intention of making Woo-jin's debut a bland affair. Judging by the reporters' reactions, the plan was a resounding success.

And the mastermind behind it? The female producer of *Piero*.

She now began the formal briefing.

“*Piero: Birth of a Villain*, the opening of the *Cinematic Universe*, will be led by actor Kang Woo-jin.”

It was the start of the explanation outlining the project, including the status of the movie’s production and future plans for the *Cinematic Universe*.

But most reporters were only half listening.

*Taptaptap!*

*Taptaptaptap!*

They were too busy typing furiously on their laptops.

Meanwhile, at *World Disney Pictures*:

The meeting room was filled with the production team for *Beauty and the Beast*.

“Good, then let’s proceed with the auditions and screen tests in five days.”

They were finalizing details for the upcoming auditions after sending out relevant materials to the candidate actors.

“Yes, let’s inform them right away.”

“By the way, which role do we test first, ‘Beast’ or ‘Bella’?”

“Shouldn’t we start with ‘Beast’? We can decide ‘Bella’ after.”

“I agree. Deciding on ‘Beast’ first and having him present during ‘Bella’s’ audition to check their chemistry sounds good.”

“Not only for acting but to test their vocal harmony too.”

“It would definitely help in choosing the actress for ‘Bella.’”

At that moment:

“Ah!”

One staff member, who had been idly checking his phone, suddenly widened his eyes.

“This—this is big!”

Everyone’s attention snapped to him as he waved his phone, displaying the headline of a newly released article.

“Kang Woo-jin has been confirmed as the lead for *Piero: Birth of a Villain*! He’s going to play Henry Gordon!”

The room buzzed with commotion.

This reaction was mirrored all over LA.

In a van speeding down a road, Hollywood top actor Chris Hartnett reacted to the news.

“Chris, look at this. The actor for Henry Gordon has been announced. It’s Kang Woo-jin, and it was revealed at a press conference.”

“Haha. No surprise there. I knew they wouldn’t just announce it in a simple article. They went all out with a staged reveal. This will make waves.”

“I’m still bummed. Columbia Studios should have disclosed the *Cinematic Universe* plans earlier.”

“What’s the difference? I’ll be involved in another role. No problem, right?”

“Yeah, true. But how are you feeling about tomorrow’s audition?”

“No holding back. I’ll give it my all. I need to be part of this.”

Meanwhile, Miley Cara, preparing for her *Bella* role:

“So, he got it, huh?”

“Huh? What?”

“Kang Woo-jin. He’s been cast as the lead for *Piero: Birth of a Villain*.”

“Oh—yeah? Oh, really?!”

“Yes. The news is spreading fast. I should send him a congratulatory message.”

“Wait, does that mean the *Cinematic Universe* starts with Kang Woo-jin? That’s incredible!”

“Surprised? Not really. I didn’t see the auditions, but I’m sure Woo-jin brought something no one else could. He’s an intriguing man. It’s amazing how he keeps his momentum going. Things are going to be noisy for a while.”

Cara’s eyes shone with excitement.

“This will give *Benevolent Evil* another boost too.”

Naturally, this news reached the ears of Joseph Felton, a renowned Hollywood producer.

“Haha! This is brilliant! Just brilliant!”

In fact, the entirety of Hollywood witnessed the moment Kang Woo-jin’s debut was cemented. Even while the press conference was ongoing, articles were being published nonstop, sparking varied reactions from actors all over Hollywood—amazement, curiosity, disbelief, intrigue.

Kang Woo-jin was creating a storm.

What about the numerous film studios, distributors, and production companies in LA?

“Kang Woo-jin’s confirmed?!”

“What are you talking about?”

“*Piero*! Columbia Studios has decided on Kang Woo-jin!”

“What?! Are you serious?!”

“If Kang Woo-jin gets the lead in *Beauty

 and the Beast* too, wouldn’t this be unprecedented?!”

“No way.”

Most reactions were filled with shock and confusion. The situation was rolling in an unexpected direction, something unprecedented even in the history of Hollywood.

At this point, trying to predict what would happen next was almost absurd.

Even though this was just the beginning—even though the only news so far was that Kang Woo-jin had been cast as Henry Gordon—Hollywood was already shaking like an earthquake.

The excitement quickly spread to audiences around the world.

It was going viral.

As articles appeared in real-time, the fingers of international audiences raced across their keyboards and screens. Undoubtedly, within hours, this news would be known globally.

And back in Korea, now approaching 4 a.m.:

『Breaking News: Kang Woo-jin confirmed as the lead in *Piero: Birth of a Villain*, officially starting his Hollywood career as the lead actor』

The speed of the news was staggering.

An hour later, back at the press conference hall:

Over an hour and a few minutes had passed since Kang Woo-jin’s dramatic entry. The press conference, which included Columbia Studios representatives, Director An Ga-bok, Kang Woo-jin, and over a hundred reporters, was nearing its end. During that time, the main producer had shared many details and explanations with the journalists: the direction of the *Cinematic Universe*, the reasons behind the project, the status of *Piero: Birth of a Villain*, and more.

Finally, she turned to the still-busy reporters and spoke:

“That concludes our explanation. We’ll now take questions.”

The journalists, who had been holding back their eagerness, all raised their hands at once, their faces practically shouting *Pick me!*. And, of course, their focus was on Kang Woo-jin. He was the prime target.

“Over there, please.”

The first chosen was a red-haired female reporter, who directed her question to Kang Woo-jin.

“First of all, congratulations on your successful debut in Hollywood. I have so many questions it’s hard to choose just one. Hmm—do you have anything to say to your growing international fanbase as your recognition rises with *Benevolent Evil*, *Beauty and the Beast*, and now *Piero: Birth of a Villain*?”

Normally, an actor would pause to think, but Kang Woo-jin spoke immediately, still and steady.

“In my Best Actor acceptance speech at Cannes, I said, ‘I recently got a home in LA, so I’m aiming for this side.’ I also mentioned that people should keep an eye on me. I know that became a hot topic, and some people weren’t happy about it, right?”

With no hesitation and seemingly indifferent to global scrutiny, he continued:

“I don’t break my promises. As you can see, I’ve taken the first step of that promise.”

It was pure *My Way*.

“See you at the Oscars.”