Episode 443 Emi (5)

Throughout the Emmy Awards ceremony, the live broadcast chat was filled with discussions about Kang Woo-jin.

-What?! Kang Woo-jin is back to normal!

-Normal? Honestly, I'm starting to get confused about which side of him is actually normal.

-Anyway, the villain he played earlier was a total lunatic, right?! Now I'm really looking forward to his next role!

-That line he said was so arrogant—it's bothering me whether he meant it or not.

-I need to see just how great he really is.

-Why does he seem so calm? It's strange.

-Even if he acts crazy, he's still an actor. He needs to have that kind of presence.

-He's just a psychopath.

The attention on Joker was massive, and naturally, in Korea and Japan, the media was buzzing:

[Kang Woo-jin Appears as a Villain! The Emmy Awards Open in Grand Style!]

[Kang Woo-jin, Korea's Treasure, Stuns the World at the Emmy Awards with the Pierrot Teaser!]

News outlets across the globe, including in the U.S., were extensively reporting on the Emmy Awards. With the red carpet and live broadcast in full swing for over an hour, the ceremony was making headlines everywhere.

[LA Times: [Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain' Teaser Premieres on the Emmy Awards Red Carpet—Kang Woo-jin Becomes His Own Character.]

Up until this point, the Emmy Awards had followed the same pattern as every year—a heated competition in reporting.

However, there was one major difference this time: every article and report from media outlets worldwide was saying the same thing.

[Korean actor Kang Woo-jin, who shocked the Emmys red carpet, was caught on camera looking completely different. But his performance was enough to turn the Emmys upside down...]

It was as if only Kang Woo-jin existed. His presence and performance had captured the world's attention.

And then—

["The Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series goes to... Beneficial Evil! Kang! Woo! Jin!!"]

Woo-jin's name resonated across the globe. He had just won the Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series. No Korean actor—no Asian actor, for that matter—had ever accomplished this. He had beaten some of Hollywood's most renowned actors.

With Beneficial Evil already securing two awards, this Best Actor win marked their third. But beyond numbers, this victory carried something even greater:

Symbolism. And a milestone.

Not as a supporting actor, but as a lead. It was a groundbreaking achievement. Winning both Best Actor at Cannes and the Emmys—two prestigious awards known for their tradition and selectiveness—meant that Kang Woo-jin was now at the forefront of a global shift in entertainment. It was no surprise that both Korea and the rest of the world were in awe.

—

As his name echoed through the grand hall, Kang Woo-jin walked toward the wide stage, maintaining his usual composed expression.

'...???'

His mind was flooded with questions. 'Me? Really? Me?!'

Even as he stepped onto the glamorous stage, it didn't feel real. But the firm pats on his back and shoulders from foreign actors reassured him—it was real.

'Are you sure this is happening??! Wow—I'm losing my mind!!'

Truthfully, he would be lying if he said he hadn't hoped for this. Even with his carefully maintained persona, ambition still lingered within him. However, compared to Cannes, the Emmys had felt like a long shot. Cannes is one of the world's top film festivals, but it has a different nature than the Emmys, which are more deeply rooted in the television industry. From a probability standpoint, Cannes had always seemed like the more likely win.

Kang Woo-jin had looked forward to the Emmys, but deep down, he had almost given up on the idea of winning.

'But they called my name?! I actually won Best Actor at the Emmys??!'

Although Beneficial Evil wasn't his only major work, the Emmys were on par with the Academy Awards. This stage was filled with Hollywood's biggest stars. The nominees for Best Actor were industry legends. Many of the shows in competition were massive global hits.

And in the middle of this overwhelming scene—Kang Woo-jin had won.

More than excited, Kang Woo-jin was stunned.

Somehow, he made it to the stage. He was immediately handed the golden trophy. His first impression?

'It's heavy.'

The trophy—depicting a winged woman holding a sphere—was really heavy. Bigger than his head, even. It felt more concentrated than any award he had ever received. Of course, this was just Kang Woo-jin's personal judgment.

Was it the weight of the award's global prestige and authority?

Was the Academy Award even heavier?

Random thoughts swirled in his mind in those few short moments.

And before he knew it—

—

He was standing alone on the wide stage.

The two actresses who had handed him the award had already stepped away. The triumphant background music had faded. The thunderous applause from tens of thousands of people had died down.

'Ugh... I don't know. I can't think of anything.'

His mind went blank.

He hadn't prepared a speech—he hadn't thought he would win. Even if he had written one, there was no way he could remember it at this moment.

At that moment, Kang Woo-jin instinctively lifted the trophy and stared at it.

"..."

Cameras surrounded him from all angles—front, left, right, even the far end of the venue. His head felt hot under the blinding stage lights fixed onto the dark ceiling. Tens of thousands of foreigners filled the audience. There was nothing quite like this sight.

Then—deep in his core—a sensation surged up.

Something like joy.

Something like pride.

Anyone standing here would feel the same.

Kang Woo-jin's heart, however, began to grow cold. He lifted his signature arrogance, embracing his persona. He fueled it with the ferocity that had brought him this far.

He had no prepared speech, but his first words came to him effortlessly.

["Now, all that remains... is the Academy Award."]

Kang Woo-jin stared into the camera before shifting his gaze to the audience. Their eyes were wide with surprise. He slightly raised the trophy in his hand so that everyone could see it.

["Only the Academy Award remains."]

Repeating the same phrase, Woo-jin turned his head slightly to the left. His heart was pounding. 'I want to run away right now'. But that wasn't an option. Instead, he decided to say something random, keeping up his composed persona.

["I don't have much to say. First of all, thank you. It's a great honor to hold this Emmy trophy. I also want to thank the entire Beneficial Evil team."]

After those first words, he continued with a series of thank-yous. His English was steady and calm, without a hint of nervousness. The foreign actors watching him up close whispered to each other.

"How can he be so calm? Does he realize he just made history at the Emmys, a ceremony over 70 years old?"

"Look at how composed he is. He must have been confident that he would win."

In reality, Kang Woo-jin's heart was about to burst. But, out of habit, he maintained his tough exterior and kept speaking.

["Thank you to my family, friends, colleagues, and fans around the world. And—"]

At this moment, he suddenly switched from fluent English to Korean.

["To the Korean people and fans watching the Emmy Awards right now—I believe that keeping my promises is the best fan service I can give."]

He then turned his gaze directly to the live broadcast camera.

["You'll also be able to watch the live broadcast of the Academy Awards. Thank you."]

With that, Kang Woo-jin finished his speech and left the stage. A brief silence followed, then the large hall erupted in applause.

-Clap clap clap clap clap!*

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap!*

All cameras followed Kang Woo-jin as he walked back to his seat. The audience's reactions were mixed.

"He's openly declaring it. In a way, it's impressive."

Some admired him.

Others didn't.

"There he goes again. What an arrogant jerk."

Either way, Kang Woo-jin returned to his seat, trophy in hand. The Beneficial Evil team—PD Song Man-woo, Miley Cara, and others—were still giving him a standing ovation. Most of the actors, except for Hwa-rin, smiled and gave him double thumbs-ups.

When the excitement died down, PD Song Man-woo, stroking his beard, patted Woo-jin's shoulder and asked,

"How does it feel? You're the first Asian actor to win an Emmy Award!"

Kang Woo-jin's response was short.

"It's just like that."

Meanwhile, in Korea, the news of Beneficial Evil's Emmy wins was spreading like wildfire.

『Beneficial Evil Wins Two Emmy Awards... "A New Chapter in History!"』

The news broke in real time.

『[Breaking News] Kang Woo-jin of Beneficial Evil wins the U.S. Emmy Award for Best Actor!』

Meanwhile, the Emmy Awards continued after Kang Woo-jin's historic win. Following the Best Actor Award, the Best Actress Award was announced, and then awards for the drama staff were presented one after another.

["The Emmy Award for Best Cinematography in a Drama Series goes to... Beneficial Evil!"]

Once again, Beneficial Evil was called to the stage. It had now won four awards—an unprecedented achievement for a Korean and Asian production. The history of Hollywood's Emmy Awards was being rewritten.

After that, the show was only nominated for Best Editing and no other categories.

But it had already won four awards, including Best Actor. That alone was an extraordinary feat.

Then, another announcement came.

["The Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Drama Series goes to... Beneficial Evil! Congratulations!"]

-♬♪

The streak wasn't over yet. Beneficial Evil was being called to the stage again, this time for Best Writing.

"Huh?! Me? Me?! Really me?!"

Writer Choi Na-na, eyes wide in disbelief, suddenly stood up. Barely making it onto the stage, she clutched the trophy as tears welled up in her eyes. Overwhelmed with emotion, she broke down in sobs, unable to deliver her acceptance speech. The Hollywood presenter who had announced her name gently comforted her, creating an unexpectedly heartwarming moment.

With this, Beneficial Evil made history, becoming the first Asian production to win five Emmy Awards.

It had been nominated in ten categories and won half of them.

The energy in the Emmy Awards hall, packed with tens of thousands of people, was electric. The air buzzed with excitement and frenzy. As the drama category neared its conclusion, all eyes, including Kang Woo-jin's, turned to the stage.

A well-known Hollywood actor took his place at the microphone to announce the final drama category award. The muscular actor opened the cue card, smiled, and spoke into the microphone.

["The Emmy Award for Best Directing in a Drama Series goes to...]

A brief pause.

["Beneficial Evil! Congratulations, Song Man-woo!!"]

Among the five nominees, the award for Best Directing went to PD Song Man-woo.

"...Crazy! Did I really win this?!"

With that, Beneficial Evil had secured six Emmy Awards.

A few hours later.

The Emmy Awards had officially ended.

Wearing a navy tuxedo, Kang Woo-jin climbed into a large van.

-Click!*

As soon as he got inside, he loosened his tie and let out a deep sigh.

"Hoo—"

No one else had entered the car yet. It seemed Choi Sung-geon and the rest of the team were still wrapping things up. Staring blankly into space, Woo-jin checked the time.

It was already past midnight.

"How many hours has it been?"

The ceremony had started in the afternoon, meaning it had lasted at least five hours—the longest awards show Kang Woo-jin had ever attended.

He thought back to the Emmy Awards that had just wrapped up.

Beneficial Evil had won six awards, though it had missed out on Best Drama. Still, Woo-jin felt satisfied—it had swept most of the key categories.

"Best Director, Best Writer, and Best Male Lead... plus Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Stunt Performance. I lost Best Drama, but still..."

Woo-jin ran a hand through his black hair, feeling the weight of what had just happened. He knew Korea—no, the entire world, including Japan—would be buzzing with this news.

Fatigue hit him all at once.

Attending the Emmy Awards, dealing with thousands of reporters, and making an appearance at the after-party had drained him completely. The media frenzy around him had been overwhelming.

He let out another deep sigh.

—haaa.*

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the golden trophy in his hands.

"Why is this in my hand?"

The realization made him chuckle. Then, reaching for his phone, he noticed an overwhelming number of messages. His phone had been on silent mode, so he hadn't realized just how many had come in. Deciding to check them later, he grabbed a nearby script instead.

"Let's take a break first—"

He needed to enter his subspace. The Emmy Awards schedule wasn't over yet, and he had to recharge.

—Phuk!*

The next moment, he stepped into the infinite darkness of subspace.

Now, stripped of all concepts and expectations, Woo-jin stretched and walked slowly. Soon, he arrived at a place where white squares lined up in perfect order. Lying down, he yawned—but sleep wouldn't come.

Then—

"Huh?"

Something had changed.

Still lying down, he noticed a shift in the white squares. He quickly sat up, his eyes scanning the letters displayed before him.

[11/Scenario (Title: Pierrot: Birth of a Villain), EX +++ Grade]

[12/Scenario (Title: The Beast and the Beauty), EX+ Grade]

[13/Scenario (Title: John Persona), SSS+ Grade]

The ratings of all the Hollywood scripts had gone up.