Episode 476: Monster (4)



Kang Woo-jin was named Best Actor at the 95th Academy Awards.

As he stepped onto the grand stage, the world watched—celebrities, industry titans, and millions of viewers across the globe. It was a moment so monumental that anyone's heart might have burst from the sheer pressure.

But Woo-jin?

He was completely No-Fuck-Care Attitude.

Because tonight, for the first time, he was shedding the concept. Letting go of the carefully curated image. He had no need for a mask anymore. Not here. Not now.

Everything had led to this moment.

'For once, I just want to show the real me. I don't care if it gets criticized. I don't care if it sparks controversy. I'll deal with all of that later. Right now—this is my moment.'

Truthfully, the result had exceeded all his expectations. This was his first Academy Awards experience, and his mind was still playing catch-up. There was no room for cool-headed calculations or predictions.

So Kang Woo-jin chose to do the only thing he could—be completely honest.

Standing tall under the dazzling lights, he let out a breath, his lips curling into a smile. Then, he spoke.

["I don't know. I really didn't prepare anything."]

His voice, smooth yet unguarded, resonated through the grand hall.

["You know that feeling? When you don't even know where to start?"]

A pause. He exhaled lightly, shaking his head in disbelief.

["Oh, my heart feels like it's going to explode."]

A low chuckle rippled through the audience. Woo-jin glanced at the trophy in his hand, then back at the countless faces watching him.

["First of all—this is me."]

His gaze swept across the room, a quiet intensity in his eyes.

["And I'm just going to tell you exactly how I feel."]

["Well, I guess I should start with 'Thank you.' Thank you so much. All of the actors who were also nominated were amazing, so I'd like to thank them as well."]

Thousands of foreigners sitting in the audience began to feel slightly embarrassed.

"Kang Woo-jin... isn't there something different about him?"

"That's right. The usual quiet or blunt demeanor has disappeared."

It was a complete 180-degree shift from the heavy tension that Woo-jin had displayed throughout his time in Hollywood. To everyone, Kang Woo-jin had always projected an image of being heartless, callous, and cold. There was even a hint of arrogance there. He was blunt and crude. But now...

"He seems a little lighter. What happened to the man I just saw?"

"That's right, I heard it too. What does he mean by this?"

That once weighty presence had disappeared. Gradually, the murmurs in the audience grew louder. On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin, still smiling, continued to express his thoughts.

["Oh, the 'Academy Awards' promotion I've been doing so far..."]

["Uh, you know about the declarations of war and challenges I've been making about the 'Academy Awards'? I'm just putting it all out there. I hope there are no misunderstandings. Hmm, I think I really enjoyed filming 'Perriot' quite a bit. The main artificial character was a lot of fun. The costumes and makeup were quite shocking, so I think the tension was even better than usual. Anyway, it's dazzling, and I'd like to thank the entire 'Perriot' team..."]

No. These were nothing more than random remarks that came to mind rather than carefully formulated thoughts, and the murmurs in the audience grew noticeably louder as they witnessed Kang Woo-jin's unexpectedly relaxed demeanor.

"What... what is he doing?"

"What is this? What's happening right now?"

The situation gradually escalated. There was no way that Kang Woo-jin, standing on stage, would be unaware of this. However, he chose instead to take the 'screw it, I'll do it my way' approach. Once he started, he decided to go with the flow.

["A lot of people are surprised, right? But I thought I'd regret it later if I came here and hid my true self. Please stay calm and listen to me until the end."]

Straight to the point. Kang Woo-jin spoke firmly. However, just like the thousands of audience members present, the global audience watching live began to go wild with speculation. But this was something Woo-jin had to endure. Even as the audience's confusion spread, he stood his ground.

"This is strange... it's like he's not himself."

"Is this an accident? He seems a little out of it. Should someone step in?"

"Hey, even the Academy staff look bewildered."

What were they going to do? Kang Woo-jin had no intention of stopping. This time, he completely abandoned English and started speaking in Korean.

["To my dad, mom, and younger sister in Korea—I love you all. To my friends, thank you. CEO Seong-geon Choi and the BW Entertainment family, I want to thank you as well... haha, my mind is completely blank right now."]

Suddenly, laughter broke out, and his speech in Korean added another layer of confusion. The entire audience exchanged glances. Was this really okay? If this continued, it could disrupt the flow of the awards ceremony.

It was at that moment.

Amid the loud murmurs of thousands of audience members, a blonde woman with a serious expression spoke softly.

"... 'Joker,' yes."

It was Miley Kara. Soon, a faint smile appeared on her lips. A confident assertion.

"'Joker.' Woo-jin is currently receiving the Best Actor award for 'Perriot,' so he is giving his acceptance speech in character as 'Joker'—for everyone watching."

Or perhaps it was a confident illusion.

However, that illusion, disguised as confidence, quickly spread around Miley Cara.

"'Joker'? Miley, are you saying he's acting right now?"

"... Oh my god, is he actually giving his acceptance speech as 'Joker'?"

"Yeah, that must be it. He's a strange guy, but that would make sense."

People who resonated with Miley Kara's illusion began to appear one after another.

"No, she's right. Kang Woo-jin has completely transformed into 'Joker' right now. I watched 'Perriot,' and that playful attitude and mischievous behavior are exactly what make 'Joker' shine."

"Hmm. I had a feeling. I also saw 'Perriot' when it was first released. As soon as he smiled, I could see the resemblance to 'Joker.'"

Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin, completely unaware of this perception, continued sharing his thoughts—still in Korean, of course.

["And to everyone around the world and in Korea—did I keep my promise? Thank you for watching, and I love you all."]

The entire audience held their breath.

The name 'Joker' began to fill the room.

"Oh? 'Joker'? Was he just expressing his feelings about that character? Haha, that's surprising."

The term 'Joker' began to spread.

"That must be it. He's embodying 'Joker.' He suddenly seemed so much lighter."

"Huh? That's 'Joker'? Is this really happening?"

"Hmm, by the way, Kang Woo-jin is really unpredictable. I never thought he'd give such a performance at the 'Academy Awards,' especially on the historic night he won 'Best Actor.'"

"At the Emmy Awards, he hardly did anything beyond walking the red carpet, right? Wow, he's a total enigma."

It was a surreal sight.

Kang Woo-jin was simply being sincere, yet the audience filtered his words through their own perceptions, twisting them into something else entirely. A separate narrative was unfolding before him.

It had already spread across 70% of the audience.

The 'Perriot' team, however, was already relaxed and smiling, starting with director Ahn Ga-Bok, who stood with his arms crossed.

"Haha, this guy really has no limits. I never expected him to be acting on this grand stage."

Chris Hartnett shook his head as if exhausted.

"He's a monster. But 'Joker' speaking Korean is hilarious. I'm sure this unconventional acceptance speech will be talked about for as long as the 'Academy Awards' exist."

Other key staff members and actors murmured similar thoughts.

"He really started as 'Joker' and is finishing as 'Joker.' What a remarkable actor."

"It's giving me goosebumps."

"He's a true performer, making an impact as 'Joker' while simultaneously promoting the film."

Soon enough, the illusion and misunderstanding consumed the grand hall. Naturally, global audiences watching the live broadcast had their own reactions.

-??? What on earth is he doing right now?=

-Is this really the Joker?-

-Joker?-

People who saw 'Perriot' would immediately recognize that he's channeling his character for this speech.

-Joker? The villain protagonist from Perriot?-

-Oh my god, if this is true, then he just dedicated his historic Best Actor speech to his character?!-

-Joker! Joker!! JOKER!!!-

-Wow! Kang Woo-jin is even crazier than I thought! But I love it!

The 'Joker' narrative had completely taken over. It was clear that if left unchecked, it would soon spread across the entire world.

An illusion had gone global.

The host also has seen 'Perriot'.

Fortunately, the 'Academy Awards' staff also heard this rumor and were no longer embarrassed. The noisy hall quieted down in an instant, and Kang Woo-jin, who was watching this on stage, was truly moved.

'It's amazing, it was sorted out so quickly. Hollywood, after all.'

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he began to conclude his acceptance speech, which was almost gibberish. This time, it was in English.

["Miley Cara, I know I'm not very good with words, but I always thank you. I can't think of anything else. If there's someone I didn't mention, I thank them too."]

Kang Woo-jin lifted the Best Actor trophy.

["I have no intention of being satisfied with this award. I will continue to challenge myself next year, and I hope all the films I worked on in the future will have good results. Can I end this?, thank you very much."]

At the same time, as if they had never been embarrassed, the entire audience once again gave a standing ovation.

*– clap clap clap clap* *– clap clap clap*

It was more intense than the first time. It was natural—recognizing actor Kang Woo-jin.

"That actor's mind is something to be admired."

Because they had fallen in love. Strong whistles and exclamations erupted from various places. Kang Woo-jin smiled comfortably and raised the trophy to the ceiling a couple of times before going down from the stage. The camera was immediately on him. People passing by Woo-jin, who was returning to his seat, offered to shake his hand.

"I'll definitely see your next work."

"I was impressed. I will support you actor Kang Woo-jin."

"You deserve to be praised. May you always be an actor purely for the sake of acting."

Although the praise was somewhat excessive, Kang Woo-jin, with a smile, expressed his gratitude to them. Only after shaking the hands of hundreds of people did Woo-jin return to a place full of the 'Perriot' team. As expected, everyone was standing up and clapping. Chris hugged Woo-jin, and other key staff members also offered generous congratulations.

However, when Director Ga-bok Ahn came into sight—

'Ah.'

Kang Woo-jin had no choice but to stop. His relationship with him was quite long. What should he say? Woo-jin thought that, no matter what, the first thing he should say was an apology.

"... ... ... ... ... ... Director. That's..."

"Woo-jin."

However, Director Ga-bok Ahn stopped Kang Woo-jin from apologizing in Korean, and he let out a wrinkled smile.

"I really can't stop you. How can you do such extraordinary things with such an indifferent face? I saw the 'Joker' wearing Kang Woo-jin's mask. It's as if the 'Joker' has taken possession of your body. That's what it seemed like."

Kang Woo-jin blinked. He was speechless. Now, he had to interpret what Director Gabok Ang had said. 'Uh? What is 'Joker'? What does this mean?'

At this moment, Chris, holding Kang Woo-jin's shoulder, intervened.

"... ... ... ... ... ."

"The entire time you were giving your speech, there were gasps from the audience. It makes sense because they probably didn't expect the real 'Joker' to appear. Your 'Joker' acceptance speech will be featured prominently tomorrow."

The team members around him—front, back, left, and right—joined in and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I haven't seen 'Perriot' yet, but after hearing your thoughts on 'Joker,' I feel like I have to watch it."

"It was an exciting and special acceptance speech, truly like that of a real actor. Your performance will be remembered by everyone."

Blah, blah, blah, and so on. At this point, Kang Woo-jin noticed. No, how could he not notice? Yes, this feeling and atmosphere were familiar.

'Haha, I'm really going crazy. I was wondering what was going on, but—'

Woo-jin sighed inwardly and raised his head. A short distance away, he could see blonde-haired Miley Cara. She had both thumbs up and was smiling. He understood even without having a conversation. She, too, was 100% convinced about 'Joker.'

"Ah—"

Kang Woo-jin sighed softly and looked around at the thousands of focused gazes. There was admiration in everyone's eyes. Woo-jin laughed again.

'Fuck, you delusional bastards.'

As if he had given up.

Meanwhile, across Korea—

『[Breaking News] Kang Woo-jin lifts the Academy Award for Best Actor trophy... Acceptance speech as 'Joker'』

『Great achievement! The winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor is Kang Woo-jin! He delivers his acceptance speech as 'Joker'』

Kang Woo-jin's influence was booming worldwide, including Japan and Hollywood. No, it was undeniable.

『CNM/Starting with 'Joker' and ending with 'Joker'! Kang Woo-jin wins the Oscar for Best Actor! / Photo』

It became a nuclear bomb and was being broadcast all over the Earth. Just as Kang Woo-jin had thought—

『LA TIMES/95th Academy Awards: Best Actor goes to Kang Woo-jin! His acceptance speech was once again unique! In the live chat: "I never thought Joker would actually show up!"』





'Fuck you, mistaken bastards.'