Episode 454: Speed of Light (6)



November 1st – Early Morning

A black van sped toward SPT Studio, the filming location for Beast and the Beauty. Inside, the atmosphere was unusually quiet.

Kang Woo-jin sat in the backseat, his eyes locked on his phone screen. His expression was calm, almost indifferent, but the tension in his grip betrayed him.

The rest of the team, including the stylist crew, were just as absorbed in their devices.

Everyone was watching the same thing.

—

【Perriot: The Birth of a Villain】1st Teaser｜Columbia Studios

—

The first official teaser for Perriot had been released.

Until now, only a poster had been revealed. But this? This was the first time the world would see Kang Woo-jin's Joker—his face, his movements.

The strangest part?

The teaser had dropped without warning. No promotional build-up. No announcements. Just boom.

Woo-jin already knew about the sudden release, thanks to Director Ahn Ga-bok. But even knowing in advance, he still felt the weight of the moment.

'The whole world is watching this right now...?'

Despite spending months on set embodying the Joker, this was the first time Woo-jin was seeing his performance through the lens of post-production.

His thumb hovered over the play button.

30 seconds.

That's all it took.

—

-[♬♪]

A slow, haunting score. The screen fades from black, revealing a close-up of Henry Gordon. His wet hair clings to his forehead, water droplets trailing down his face. His shoulders are slumped, his eyes dull.

A long sigh escapes him.

His voice, soft but firm.

-["This is right. I have to endure it."]

The scene shifts.

Henry Gordon walks through a crowded street, lost in his own world. He pauses in front of a store, watching a news broadcast on the TV display.

A woman in a suit speaks.

-["Hold on to your anger. Anger that explodes indiscriminately is a disease. It needs to be treated. Anger is the root of many problems."]

The score quickens. A heartbeat-like rhythm pulses through the scene.

Suddenly—

Black screen. Silence.

And then—

-["Kekekekeke!"]

A manic laugh pierces through the darkness.

The screen bursts back to life, revealing Joker.

He's running—down the same street Henry Gordon had walked. His movements are erratic, his presence electric. Quick cuts flash between different moments—his grin widening, his eyes wild, chaos trailing behind him.

Finally, Joker stops in front of a mirror.

He stares at his own reflection.

And then—he laughs.

-["Kekekeke! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"]

His voice lowers to a whisper.

-[" I'm crazy? That's high praise."]

—

Another black screen.

Three deafening gunshots.

The scene returns, showing Henry Gordon in a bloodstained pizzeria, picking up a Joker card. A light dusting of flour clings to his cheek.

As the music reaches its climax, Joker's voice returns, teasing.

-["I just thought of another prank."]

Bold white letters fill the screen.

—『Perriot: Birth of a Villain』—

And then—

Cut to black.

—

The moment the teaser ended, Woo-jin blinked.

Then, internally—

'Holy sh*t. This is insane.'

Even though he had filmed the scenes himself, even though he had lived in Joker's skin for months, seeing it edited together like this?

It sent chills down his spine.

The cinematography. The pacing. The sound design.

'It's... stylish. Cool as hell. Almost hip.'

He wanted to scream about how incredible it was, but—

"WOW!!"

The van erupted before he could.

"This is insane! I got goosebumps!!"

"The editing! The music!!"

"Woo-jin oppa's presence is insane!!"

"This is crazy—there are already thousands of comments!!"

—

The teaser had been online for less than 30 minutes.

Yet, views had already surged past tens of thousands, and the comment section was on fire.

Languages flooded in—Korean, English, Japanese, Spanish.

—What? Is this really the villain??

—The visuals are insane. It's exactly like the poster!

—I wasn't sure before, but now? I NEED to see this.

—Damn. I thought Kang Woo-jin's 'Watch it or Not' was a marketing stunt. Who wouldn't watch this?

Of course, there were skeptics too.

—The teaser is cool, but I still don't like Kang Woo-jin. Wish Chris had played the villain instead.

—The idea of a villain-led movie is fresh. I'll check it out.

—Ugh, watching this will just feed Woo-jin's ego.

—...I mean, now I have to see what the hype is about.

Overall? The response was overwhelmingly positive.

—

But soon, curiosity overtook excitement.

—Wait... why was this teaser released so early?

—It's only November. Shouldn't this be dropping closer to release?

—Okay but... WHEN is this movie actually coming out??

The teaser had no date. No hints.

Woo-jin smirked to himself.

'They'll announce it next month.'

If things went as planned, Columbia Studios would reveal that Perriot was being submitted for the Academy Awards by the end of the year.

Which meant—

His first Hollywood New Year's Eve was going to be one hell of a moment.

—

Meanwhile, The Industry is Losing It.

Back in Korea, news outlets scrambled to cover the teaser drop.

『[ABY] Surprise release of Perriot teaser—Kang Woo-jin's shocking transformation!』

『[Star Talk] "It's here!" Kang Woo-jin's Hollywood debut stuns the industry!』

And inside the entertainment world—actors, directors, industry figures—Chaos.

"What the hell?! THAT'S Kang Woo-jin?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Hollywood had just met its new villain.

And they were terrified.

From Hong Hye-yeon, who gasped in admiration while watching the teaser on the go, to actors who had worked with Kang Woo-jin, and even those who only knew him through news headlines—everyone was talking about him.

There was a shared sense of awe. And for many, a hint of vicarious satisfaction.

Because Kang Woo-jin was living the dream they had once chased.

The impact of Perriot: The Birth of a Villain's teaser wasn't limited to just one country—it became a global sensation, dominating discussions across various industries and social circles for days.

But as excitement soared, so did curiosity.

Foreign outlets, captivated by the sudden surge in Perriot's popularity, began questioning the timing of the teaser drop.

『LA TIME』 – "Perriot: The Birth of a Villain is still in post-production—so why release a teaser now?"]

It was a valid point.

Why now?

And more importantly—Why was there no release date?

The lack of information only fueled speculation.

The result? An explosion in views.

The teaser, which had already crossed 1 million in record time, was now speeding towards 10 million views.

【Perriot: The Birth of a Villain】 1st Teaser｜Columbia Studios 📌 🔹 9.89 million views

The internet was flooded.

YouTube was overflowing with reaction videos, breakdowns, and fan theories. Social media platforms were dominated by discussions about Woo-jin and the Joker. Every entertainment forum, from Korea to Hollywood, was buzzing with excitement.

At this point, the teaser had done more than just make waves—

It had started a storm.



Sensing the perfect moment, Columbia Studios doubled down.

They dropped an additional character featurette—a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Perriot—along with the official poster.

It was a strategic move.

With the teaser already blowing up, these new materials only intensified the hype, spreading like wildfire across the internet.

But still—no release date.

Not a single word from Columbia Studios.

Not a single word from Kang Woo-jin.

Instead, the studio silently continued its marketing campaign, letting the mystery build.

And as for Kang Woo-jin?

He stayed laser-focused—pouring himself into filming Beast and the Beauty, completely unfazed by the storm he had unleashed.

Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin received even more good news.

'Oh—once again, I've held the world's No. 1 spot for a month!'

Part 2 of Beneficial Evil had maintained its position as the world's top-ranked show for over a month—just like Part 1.

Simultaneously, Hollywood actors set to co-star with Woo-jin in John Persona were being confirmed one by one. Directed by Danny Landis, the film was gradually coming together, with script readings now underway.

November—a month packed with major milestones—flew by in the blink of an eye.



As Woo-jin wrapped up filming Beast and the Beauty, he headed toward Columbia Studios.

On his way, he noticed the towering Christmas trees that had been set up across downtown LA.

'December had arrived. Christmas was just around the corner.'

Department stores overflowed with shoppers buying gifts, and top singers—including Miley Cara—were dropping festive holiday singles.

It was Woo-jin's first Christmas abroad, but his schedule remained unchanged. Probably the busiest man in Hollywood.

'I don't even have any award shows to attend this year.'

Back in Korea, end-of-year film festivals and award ceremonies were already in full swing. Woo-jin had received multiple invitations but had no time to attend. The most he could do was appear as a guest at a few LA-based award events.

And just like that—December had begun.

Inside Columbia Studios, Director Ahn Ga-bok had spent over four months leading the editing process for Perriot: Birth of a Villain.

And now—

"It's definitely possible within January."

Confident in his work, Ahn Ga-bok assured Columbia's executives, including producer Nora, that the film was progressing exactly as planned.

"Editing is already in its final stages. We'll be finished by early January at the latest."

The Columbia team was thrilled—but also a bit nervous.

Because now?--Now was the moment to unveil their master plan.

"Then it's best to make the official announcement this month."

The timeline was set:

📌 February – Theatrical pre-release in LA. 📌 April – The Academy Awards.

With less than three months left, Perriot: Birth of a Villain was entering its final phase—sharpening its blade for a grand debut.

In a city wrapped in holiday cheer, early whispers of the Academy Awards began circulating.



『ABY』 – "Academy Awards confirmed to take place this April."]

The industry was buzzing.

Films that dominated the box office, artistic masterpieces, and critically acclaimed festival hits—all were being analyzed for potential nominations.

Behind the scenes, the Academy's organizers were hard at work:

✔ Preparing the venue. ✔ Finalizing guest lists. ✔ Launching promotional campaigns.

And most importantly—

✔ Selecting the nominees.

December had arrived, and the race for the biggest night in cinema had officially begun.

Meanwhile, across town at A8 Media, things were getting serious.

With the arrival of a major investor, CEO Jennifer Thurman and her entire team were laser-focused on bringing 'Guest' to life.

"Did you confirm the first production meeting with the director and staff?"

"Yes! The location and time have been sent. Everyone confirmed their attendance."

With that, production was officially underway.

And so—December rolled forward, inching closer to a new year filled with unstoppable momentum.

"Okay, what about BW Entertainment?"

"He said it would be difficult for him to attend, so he asked me to just organize the production meeting details and send them to him."

"Hmm—"

Jennifer Thurman nodded slowly. Although everything was progressing smoothly, one concern lingered in her mind—casting.

She had been waiting, as per Sung-geon Choi's suggestion, but now that the director and key staff had been confirmed, it was time to start recruiting actors.

'How much longer...? I guess I'll have to reach out again.'

Just then—📱 ♬♪

Her phone rang. Holding it up to her ear, Jennifer stepped into her office.

"Yes—this is Jennifer Thurman from A8 Media."

After listening for a moment, her eyes suddenly widened. Her lips parted slightly, her face a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Then, she quietly repeated the words she had just heard.

"...Huh? M-Miley Cara is interested in our project?"

Meanwhile, in front of a five-star hotel in downtown LA—



A major luxury brand event was being held at the venue, attracting numerous celebrities, including actors and influencers.

Outside the hotel entrance, nearly a hundred reporters were lined up, their camera shutters clicking furiously. Among the glitz and glamour, a handful of Hollywood actors engaged in brief interviews before stepping onto the photo zone.

Interestingly, one of those actors was Kang Woo-jin.

Dressed in a sleek luxury suit, his neatly slicked-back black hair added to his polished appearance. As he walked toward the entrance, the flashes exploded like a blinding bomb of lights.

Reporters bombarded him with questions, their voices overlapping in the chaos.

Woo-jin didn't respond to every question, instead picking and choosing which ones to answer.

Then, suddenly, a male reporter's voice cut through the noise—

"The teaser, posters, and various videos for Perriot: The Birth of a Villain have been released! It all seems a bit rushed! Why hasn't any information about the release date been announced yet?! Is there a reason? Or is this all part of the pre-promotion?"

Woo-jin locked eyes with the reporter and gave a short but impactful response.

"Because I'm going to challenge for this year's Academy Awards."

With that single statement, he sent shockwaves through Hollywood.