Chapter 423: Joker (1)

Translator: Santos

 

As he stood in the center of the set, dressed as the Joker—no, dressed as Henry Gordon, Woo-jin hadn’t yet fully transformed into the character for the final scene. Although wearing the Joker’s iconic costume, his makeup and hair weren’t yet complete. This was just a test for the main poster shoot.

Yet, even in this state, the veteran director, An Gabok, found himself transfixed by Woo-jin’s presence on set, as did the entire crew of *Piero: Birth of a Villain*, all watching with bated breath.

An Gabok felt a chill run down his spine.  
*“At my age, I didn’t think anything could give me goosebumps like this. And we haven’t even started.”*

It was a thrill that combined awe, excitement, and a deep, almost reverential admiration. Though he had seen Woo-jin wear this costume in earlier auditions, seeing him now, fully suited as the Joker, felt completely different. The rough sketches of the character had crystallized into something mesmerizing.

*“The guy who once used me as a stepping stone is now standing here, at the center of Hollywood.”*

After countless trials, Woo-jin now stood at the heart of Hollywood’s attention, as the leading man in a film that had everyone’s eyes on him. Though An Gabok had imagined this moment, witnessing it firsthand made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

The foreign crew members shared a similar sentiment, though with a different shade. For An Gabok, it was a moment of pride and awe; for the crew, it was one of pure astonishment.

Most of the crew hadn’t seen Woo-jin’s earlier screen tests, so this was their first time witnessing him embodying the Joker. Their eyes widened as they took in the actor’s calm, unruffled demeanor.

*“He seems so relaxed, almost as if he’s been in Hollywood for years.”*

To them, he was utterly at ease, radiating a stillness as profound as a calm ocean.

However, they were mistaken.

Woo-jin’s inner thoughts were racing.

*“Wow, what is that camera?!”*

The scale of the Hollywood set had him brimming with excitement.

*“That camera attached to that truck is massive! It looks like a tank!”*

While his face betrayed nothing, he was secretly awestruck. Ever since stepping onto the Columbia Studios set, Woo-jin had been internally shouting with excitement, especially over the mind-boggling equipment and trailer he’d been assigned.

*“This trailer is insane. It’s practically a small hotel!”*

Everything here was extravagant and on a scale he had never seen before. Fascinated, he barely noticed the time passing as he continued taking in the sights until An Gabok’s voice called him back to reality.

“Let’s start with the test shots.”

An Gabok’s voice came through a loudspeaker. Woo-jin nodded, taking his position. Though he’d done countless poster shoots before, standing here, surrounded by hundreds of crew members in a foreign land, felt slightly surreal.

*“Alright, let’s go,”* he told himself, shaking off any awkwardness.

“Alright—cue!”  

The moment the shoot began, Woo-jin discarded his inhibitions. He moved freely on the crosswalk, effortlessly switching between poses—running, walking, tousling his hair, spreading his arms, jumping, flipping the bird, even doing a bit of tap dance.

The poster for *Piero: Birth of a Villain* would exclusively feature Woo-jin. All promotional posters would highlight him, with other cast members only appearing in supporting roles on the full release poster.

After several rounds of test shots, An Gabok seemed satisfied.

“Alright, let’s do makeup.”

Woo-jin stepped off the set, and the makeup team began their work in earnest. It was time for him to fully become the Joker.

An hour passed. While An Gabok continued with insert shots, a voice crackled over the radio, announcing that Woo-jin’s makeup was complete. Nodding, An Gabok ordered the main poster shoot to begin, and the entire set stirred with activity.

Finally—

- *Click, click.*

Woo-jin emerged from the crowd of foreign crew members, his footsteps echoing. The red jacket and pants, blue shirt, yellow vest, and scuffed brown shoes were the same.

But his face had transformed.

His hair, now a wet, crimson shade, hung longer than before, reaching his jaw. Yet, it was his face that stunned everyone.

His expression was blank and cold, with his skin painted a ghostly white. His eyes were rimmed in sharp black triangles, red dots marked his brows and the tip of his nose. But the most striking feature was his mouth.

His lips were drawn into a blood-red smile, grotesquely wide and deep, as if painted with blood. It looked disturbingly natural, thanks to the expertise of the Hollywood makeup team.

Even An Gabok gasped in awe, unable to tear his eyes away.

“······Wow—”

The entire crew’s attention was on Woo-jin, but he remained indifferent, simply running his wet, crimson hair through his fingers. He pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket, took a deep drag, and blew the smoke into the air.

Then, he smiled—a smile that split his face.

In that instant, every movement on set stopped.

Why?

The chilling menace of this Joker’s smile had paralyzed them.

“······”

“······”

They were frozen.

The insert shots, test shots, and main poster shoot for *Piero: Birth of a Villain* continued late into the afternoon. Once the shoot wrapped, Woo-jin left the set, while An Gabok and his key staff gathered for one last meeting at Columbia Studios.

Tomorrow would be the official first day of filming.

Meanwhile, on the ride back to the hotel, Woo-jin reviewed the photos from the poster shoot, shared with him by the stylists. As he scrolled through the images of himself as the Joker, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

*“This is… this is insane. Epic, even.”*

The rest of the team felt the same way.

“Oh my god! We have to post this on Woo-jin’s Instagram right now!”

“I know, it would go viral immediately! It’s killing me that we can’t post it because of spoilers!”

“Right? The makeup is phenomenal. Woo-jin oppa doesn’t even look like himself. It’s like the Joker stepped out of the screen and into reality.”

“Totally agree. When he came out in full makeup, I got chills.”

“And soon, this image is going to be everywhere. Can you imagine?”

Even his manager, Choi Sung-gon, grinned as he looked at the photos. Woo-jin himself had been startled when he first saw himself in full makeup.

*“I wonder what Mom and Dad will say if they see this…”*

It wasn’t just his parents who would be shocked—anyone who knew Woo-jin would be speechless.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, industry insiders were abuzz with anticipation for the next day. Executives from Columbia Studios, who had invested astronomical amounts in the film, were preparing to see Woo-jin in action.

“Tomorrow, we’ll all be on set for *Piero: Birth of a Villain*.”

“It’s an early call time, right? We need to be there. Seeing Woo-jin’s Joker will give us a sense of what’s in store.”

“Absolutely. This movie has to succeed. I’m on edge.”

“I agree. The start of our cinematic universe is something I want to witness firsthand.”

Other Hollywood actors who had attended the script reading and seen Woo-jin’s “restrained” performance were talking among themselves, debating whether they should visit the set.

“You’re going to the set tomorrow? It’s the first day, but there’s no actual filming scheduled. Is it necessary?”

“I’m not the only one going. Several others are coming too. Don’t you want to see if Woo-jin’s reading performance was just hype?”

“Honestly, I still think it was a bit of a show for the start. Yes, his reading was impressive, but I can’t imagine he’ll surpass that.”

“Many think the same. But Chris and the director’s reaction left an impression on me. Woo-jin’s actions were undeniably bold, yet they seemed genuinely taken by it.”

Even Miley Cara and the cast of *Beauty and the Beast*, as well as the *John Persona* crew led by Joseph Felton, were swept up in the excitement.

All of Hollywood was buzzing about Kang Woo-jin.

Whether their reactions were negative or positive, everyone was talking.

And by now, Woo-jin himself—

- *Thunk.*

—had entered his mental training space.

-[Scenario 11 (Title: *Piero: Birth of a Villain*), EX+ Grade]

“Time to run through a few practice readings before bed.”

He was focused on bringing Henry Gordon into sharp clarity.

The next day, June 11th.

It was pouring rain. The downpour was so intense that the streets were empty. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing through the city.

- *Boom!*

A figure moved down the sidewalk, clad in a black hoodie and jeans, his face obscured beneath the hood.

His gait was strange—shuffling, hunched, and unsteady. His very presence was eerie, as he trudged through the downpour at a glacial pace.

The man stopped in front of a dilapidated pizza shop.

“······”

He glanced up at the rundown sign, hesitating before pushing his hands deeper into his hoodie’s pockets. He took a step forward, then paused, turning back as though second-guessing himself,

 before turning back to the sign.

What was he doing?

His every motion radiated unease and conflict.

But in the end, he pushed open the rusty metal door with a loud creak. Inside, the only sound was a TV blaring in the background. A fat man sat at the counter, laughing to himself, a beer in hand. When he turned and saw the man in the hoodie, he frowned.

“What the hell? We’re closed. Get lost!”

Another clap of thunder shook the room.

- *Boom!*

The fat man’s face softened as he recognized the stranger.

“Wait… Henry? Henry Gordon, right? Why the hell are you here?”

Recognizing Henry Gordon, the man’s tension faded, and he relaxed. But Henry—no, Woo-jin—stood completely still.

“······”

Inside, his mind was roiling with emotions: disdain, scorn, prejudice, hatred.

His hunched shoulders tensed, fingers twitching inside his pocket.

The fat man cocked his head, confused.

“What’s that you got there?”

A strange laugh escaped from Henry.

“Heh… heh…”

“???”

“What’s a tragedy for you… is a comedy for me.”

“What? You’re crazy!”

As the man shouted, Henry’s shoulders shook. Not in fear, but from a surge of liberation that seemed to rise from deep within. He pulled something from his pocket.

A silver object—a gun.

Suddenly, the pizza shop erupted into chaos. The sound of shattering glass, falling chairs, spilled items, something breaking, and a gunshot mingled with the thunder outside.

- *Bang! Bang!*

The fat man’s hefty body crashed to the floor.

- *Thud!*

Henry Gordon stood alone, panting, his face dusted with white powder. He glanced down at the heap on the floor.

Unfazed.

- *Bang! Bang! Bang!*

He fired a few more rounds into the body, a grin stretching across his lips.

“…Heh heh…”

At that moment, a camera slowly moved in on Henry Gordon—on Kang Woo-jin’s twisted expression.

Multiple monitors displayed his face in stark detail, and over 200 foreign crew members and Hollywood actors watched, entranced.

“…Insane…”

Every one of them held their breath.