Episode 465: Encroachment (1)

Foreign audiences swallowed nervously as they watched Kang Woo-jin, or rather, Henry Gordon, in Perriot: Birth of a Villain.

'What is that? His expression is creepy.'

'It's surprising... The atmosphere from the very beginning is...'

'Is that how he becomes the first Joker? But— isn't Kang Woo-jin's acting actually good?'

'Well, it's not bad. It's worthy of an Emmy for Best Actor.'

The reasons varied, but the common denominator was admiration. In other words, Kang Woo-jin had captivated hundreds of viewers—within just five minutes of appearing on screen. However, there were still those who tried hard to deny it. After all, it was only the beginning.

Kang Woo-chul, Seo Hyun-mi, and Kang Hyun-ah couldn't take their eyes off the screen.

'That's my son? Really?'

'Wow, Woo-jin... You've worked so hard.'

'Wow!! Visual shock!!! Crazy!'

At that moment—

-♬♪

The loud classical music faded, and the screen that had been showing Kang Woo-jin went black. Then, the title appeared in the center of the screen.

– Perriot: The Birth of a Villain

After a moment, the title disappeared, and 'Henry Gordon' reappeared on the massive screen. This time, he was in color, and the grotesque appearance from before was gone. 'Henry Gordon,' hunched over with slumped shoulders, walked down the street wearing a worn-out hoodie. Kang Woo-jin's English narration played underneath.

["No one is looking at me, and I am not looking at the world either."]

The camera focused on his back. Many people passed by him, but not a single one looked at 'Henry Gordon.' Occasionally, someone who met his gaze would frown or turn away. It was as if 'Henry Gordon' were a virus.

For about 20 minutes, 'Henry Gordon's' life unfolded.

It was unbearably bleak.

In some ways, it could be seen as an ordinary life, but the atmosphere, coupled with Kang Woo-jin's performance, left the audience suffocated. Countless emotions were conveyed on screen—neglect, disdain, persecution, discrimination, prejudice, scorn, violence. 'Henry Gordon,' who had endured all of this, began to change. However, it wasn't obvious. The first to notice was Director Kwon Ki-taek.

'The character's tone has shifted slightly. The emphasis? The rhythm? I can't pinpoint it exactly, but he's simmering with anger. He's holding it in—holding it in with all his might.'

Of course, Hong Hye-yeon and Ryu Jeong-min also sensed that something about 'Henry Gordon'—his words, his actions—had taken on a slightly extreme edge. His gaze toward the people around him carried something excessive.

'Henry Gordon' was a man with weak willpower and low self-esteem, but he wore a mask.'

Because only by doing so could he belong to the world. Only then could he survive.

That was what made it even more striking. His suppressed frustration and rage. Because he had endured it all silently until now, the slightest cracks in his composure struck the audience with a powerful impact. Of course, portraying this wasn't easy. He had to walk a delicate, mysterious line—just enough for the audience to feel it.

'I'm so frustrated. I want him to snap already.'

'That damn pizza shop owner's son! Who the hell is he looking down on when he's the fat one? He deserves to be dealt with.'

'Is this going to continue? No... The protagonist is getting angrier and angrier. If we wait, something will shift.'

A tension built, a blend of frustration and anticipation. And before they knew it, the hundreds of viewers found themselves rooting for Kang Woo-jin's character.

The moment had arrived.

*Kugugugugugu!*

On a thunderous, rain-drenched night, a hooded figure appeared in a closed pizza shop. His face was obscured, but the audience instinctively knew—it was Kang Woo-jin.

'Yes! Let it explode!'

Their anticipation for catharsis multiplied. Then, the shouts of the heavyset pizza shop owner echoed through the theater.

["You— Henry? You're Henry Gordon, right?! Why did you come here, you punk!"]

Suddenly, the pizza shop owner's movements slowed. A dramatic slow-motion effect was applied. The camera revealed Woo-jin's expressionless face beneath the hood. His narration played over the scene.

["Ah— I don't know, I don't know, just eat some shit."]

As the conversation between the two began, the slow motion lifted. Kang Woo-jin pulled something out of his pocket with a strange smile. A silver gun.

The scene briefly cut away.

Outside, the rain poured relentlessly. A loud crashing sound erupted, followed by a gunshot that blended into the roar of thunder.

Then, the camera returned inside.

Chunks of meat lay scattered across the floor, and Woo-jin, staring down at them, had his face dusted in white flour. He fired a few more shots into the pile of flesh. A faint smile spread across his lips.

At that moment, the hundreds of spectators let out silent screams.

'At last!!'

'Yes! Took you long enough! Fire a few more shots!'

'Oh, that was insane. But what happens next?'

Lost in the rush of heightened pleasure, the audience forgot they were watching a film. They were simply mesmerized by Kang Woo-jin's madness on screen. Even as classical music swelled in the background, even as Woo-jin slipped on the bloodied floor, even as he buried his face into the remains of the man he'd just shot—even as he laughed and danced amidst the carnage—

The audience couldn't take their eyes off Kang Woo-jin.

No, they wouldn't take their eyes off him.

Hundreds of foreigners had already fallen into the abyss—entranced by Kang Woo-jin. Or rather, by 'Joker.'

["Kekekeke! Hahahahaha!"]

His face was pale, but on the screen, Kang Woo-jin was already wide awake. He picked up a card from the scattered objects on the floor. The camera zoomed in, focusing on the card he had grabbed. His voice resonated through the theater.

["'JOKER'... is it good?"]

At that moment, the image of 'Joker' was burned into the minds of every audience member. On the screen, Kang Woo-jin stood in front of a mirror.

'Oh, I see.'

This was that scene. The one from the beginning. As the realization hit, the original black-and-white sequence returned, now playing out in vivid color.

This was the moment.

The moment he became the 'Joker.'

Covered in flour, Kang Woo-jin dragged his fingers through a pool of blood, drawing his eyebrows. Then his nose. Then the torn edges of his lips. His eyes followed. He swept his bloodied hands through his dark brown hair, streaking it crimson.

It was the same.

The exact image from the card.

He raised the corners of his mouth with both index fingers—

And at that moment, a single teardrop fell down his cheek.

What was it for?

The audience was stunned. Some gaped in shock. Others simply sat frozen, unable to process the impact of 'Joker's' emergence.

'Why is he crying?'

'He was just moving so coolly, transforming into 'Joker'... and now he's crying?'

'Tears at a moment like this? But... for some reason, I feel for him.'

'I don't know why, but those tears... they feel like the only real thing in all this grotesqueness.'

Seo Hyun-mi's eyes grew moist as she watched her son on the screen.

'Don't cry, son.'

There was something strangely resonant about it.

Kang Woo-jin.

The single tear that 'Joker' shed was the last remaining piece of reason. The last remnant of 'Henry Gordon.'

Everything he had endured, everything he had held in—

'And maybe... It's fear. Fear of all the terrible things that will happen from now on.'

Shim Han-ho mumbled to himself, struck by the weight of that moment. It was 'Henry Gordon's' final emotion, his last goodbye before he disappeared completely.

And for just a brief moment, the theater was steeped in silence.

It felt like something unspoken had passed between the audience and the screen.

Like Henry Gordon had looked them in the eye and said, "I've had enough."

As if, in that fleeting instant, the audience was reaching out to pat him on the back.

But it didn't last long.

Because—

-♬♪

The stillness was shattered by an explosion of cheerful music.

The screen changed.

And there he was.

The Joker.

Kang Woo-jin, transformed completely, strutted down the street. The suffocating, miserable 'Henry Gordon' was gone—replaced by something extravagant, something outrageous.

The screen displayed a grand, almost theatrical image:

Kang Woo-jin, now with bright red hair and a ghostly pale face, just like the 'Joker.'

A red jacket and matching pants. A blue shirt, a yellow vest. Worn-out brown shoes. Mismatched red and blue socks.

The same world that had ignored 'Henry Gordon' now noticed 'Joker.'

People passing by turned to look—shocked, amused, disturbed. Some recoiled. Others laughed nervously. But everyone noticed him.

And 'Joker' walked with a bounce in his step, a newfound freedom in his stride.

Every now and then—

He broke into a tap dance.

The audience's hearts stirred. The weight of the earlier gloom had lifted, replaced by an electrifying anticipation.

They wanted more.

And 'Joker' delivered.

["Hehehe!"]

— Tang tang tang!!*

Gunshots rang out. Explosions erupted. Assaults unfolded. The killings continued.

For 'Joker,' it was all a joke.

For society, it was chaos.

But the audience?

They loved it.

From the moment reporter Robert Franklin, played by Chris, appeared—

["Hey—what's your name?"]

["I, I am Robert. Robert Franklin."]

The audience was fully with 'Joker' now. They weren't just watching him—they were rooting for him.

'Crush them harder! Tear this fucked-up society apart!'

It was a strange phenomenon.

'Joker' was a villain.

Yet, hundreds of foreign viewers—who should have recoiled—were instead enthralled. Even those who had initially criticized Kang Woo-jin, who had dismissed him, had long forgotten their skepticism. They weren't thinking about him anymore. They were simply immersed.

["Hehehehe, hahahaha."]

By the latter half of Perriot: Birth of a Villain, there wasn't a single detached spectator left.

["I thought of another prank."]

No one doubted Kang Woo-jin now.

Then, an hour later—

The screen faded to black.

The credits rolled.

The pulsing, rhythmic beat of the ending music filled the theater.

But something was different.

"······"

"······"

"······"

No one moved.

Hundreds of audience members sat frozen in their seats. Some murmured softly, sharing words, but not a single person stood up.

Neither is Kang Woo-jin's family.

Nor Hong Hye-yeon, Ryu Jeong-min's group.

Nor Sim Han-ho's side.

No one.

Then, the silence broke—

"Whoa—what the hell, that was insane!"

"This is the best movie I've seen in ten years."

The film had left them breathless.

Thrills, chills, an intoxicating aftertaste of 'Joker'—it lingered. Even the final scene had teased the possibility of something more. The audience wasn't ready to let go. They remained in their seats, as if stepping out of the theater would break the spell.

Then—*Thunk.*

The heavy doors of the theater swung open.

Two staff members entered, moving toward the front of the screen.

At first, it seemed like they had come to guide the audience out.

But that wasn't it.

Instead, they carried two microphones, setting them up at the front of the theater.

Then, they turned toward the entrance—

And nodded.

Something was about to happen.

"huh??"

"Wow."

The murmurs among the foreign audience grew louder. It was understandable—familiar actors were entering through the same door the staff had passed through. It started with the supporting actors, all 100% Hollywood stars seen in Perriot: Birth of a Villain. After about three people had entered, a man with a wrinkled face appeared.

Sim Ha-ho and the 'Leech' team in the audience chuckled.

"You showed up."

The reason was simple—it was Director Ahn Ga-bok. The presence of Hollywood supporting actors and Director Ahn Ga-bok signified one thing: this was the theater where Columbia Studios had announced a surprise stage greeting during the pre-release screenings.

Thanks to this, the excitement among the hundreds of audience members soared.

And as if to match that excitement—

"Hahaha, it's been a while since I've done something like this."

Chris Hartnett, one of Hollywood's top stars, appeared behind Director Ahn Ga-bok, smiling as he casually waved to the crowd.

And finally—

A man in a colorful costume caught the eyes of hundreds of spectators. He was dressed exactly like the 'Joker' in the movie—red jacket and pants, worn-out brown shoes, and mismatched red and blue socks.

The male protagonist of Perriot: Birth of a Villain—Kang Woo-jin.

"······"

The moment Kang Woo-jin, wearing an indifferent expression, turned his gaze toward the audience—

*Clap clap clap clap clap!*

Without exception, every single person in the audience stood up, erupting into a thunderous standing ovation.

*Clap clap clap clap clap clap!*

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin had completely captivated them all.