novelburst
Chapter 444
Chapter 444
Chapter 444: Villain (1)
Translator: NovelBin
In the dimly lit, isolated space of his pocket dimension, Kang Woo-jin stood, a smile creeping across his face.
“Heh, yes… this is great.”
He gazed at the elevated ranks of his Hollywood projects, feeling a thrill as he focused on *Piero: Birth of a Villain*.
-[11/Scenario (Title: *Piero: Birth of a Villain*), EX+++ Grade]
It had been EX+ before, but it had jumped two levels to an EX+++ grade. The jump was massive; the EX+ grade had been outstanding, but EX+++ was unheard of. Woo-jin's heart raced as he considered the implications.
“Guess that Red Carpet performance really hit the mark?”
Woo-jin’s “Joker” performance had caused a sensation, shocking not only the thousands present at the Emmys but also viewers around the world. His parting line—“Watch if you want; I don’t care”—had stirred even more intrigue. With his rising influence in Hollywood, his audacious red-carpet antics had left audiences worldwide desperate to see more.
“No one would be able to resist… not even me.”
His performance, coupled with his Emmy win, had become a triple threat—fame, performance, and the prestigious Lead Actor award, all in one explosive package.
The result?
“A massive boost in rank.”
EX+++ grade was absurdly high.
‘Is EX+++ the maximum, or could it go even higher?’
Either way, Woo-jin was content. He didn’t mind if this was the limit or if it could still rise. He was determined to enjoy the moment. His eyes roamed over the other projects in his mental archive.
“*Beauty and the Beast* is now EX+, and *John Persona* is SSS+.”
Both had increased by one level. The Emmy win and the attention from *Piero* were clearly having a spillover effect. The rating jump for *John Persona* was particularly impressive, having started at S rank and now climbing to SSS+. But nothing was guaranteed—any sudden setback could knock the projects down as quickly as they’d risen.
Still…
“Well, that’s a problem for future me. Right now, I’ll enjoy this.”
Woo-jin danced in place, feeling elated at the unprecedented achievements. After a few moments, he settled down, lying back to conserve energy for the busy days ahead.
When he felt well-rested, Woo-jin exited his pocket dimension and returned to the real world.
Back in reality, Woo-jin resumed his remaining Emmy duties. Although mostly celebratory events, he still had to engage in interviews with media crews and journalists. On top of that…
“Congratulations, Woo-jin! I’d love to chat more sometime.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Do you have an agency representative here?”
Directors, producers, and representatives of production companies crowded around him for conversations, handshakes, photos, and social media exchanges. Even though it was past 2 a.m., the energy was still high.
Meanwhile, although the Emmy live broadcast had ended, the chat rooms were still ablaze with chatter from fans worldwide.
-“Hahaha, Woo-jin really won Best Actor! Unbelievable!”
-“I can’t believe *Beneficial Evil* won six awards too!”
-“This has got to be some inside deal! No way Woo-jin had the highest odds of winning!”
-“Stop it. He deserved it; that’s why he got the Emmy.”
-“Whoa… Woo-jin crushed it. Six Emmys for *Beneficial Evil*! Congrats, Woo-jin!”
-“Koreans must be ecstatic tonight… or should I say morning?”
-“He totally owned those Hollywood actors, didn’t he?”
The comments reflected the global astonishment at the results.
Finally, Woo-jin finished his Emmy duties and arrived back at his home in L.A. at around 4 a.m. He discarded his tuxedo jacket and threw himself onto the bed.
“Ahh!”
Although he wasn’t particularly sleepy, his body felt heavy. Thankfully, Director Ahn had arranged for Woo-jin to have a full day of rest, so he picked up his phone and quickly scanned the flood of congratulatory messages from friends, fans, and industry colleagues before putting it aside.
Browsing Korean news, Woo-jin smirked as he saw the headlines.
“Phew, this high never gets old.”
He scrolled through the endless news articles and online communities, all celebrating his success and *Beneficial Evil*’s Emmy sweep. Before long, his eyes grew heavy, and he drifted into a peaceful sleep, oblivious to the chaos his win continued to create worldwide.
As Woo-jin slept, Korea and the world buzzed with his victory. Media outlets, YouTube channels, and social media platforms were flooded with content celebrating his Emmy win.
Meanwhile, in the days that followed, as Woo-jin returned to the set of *Piero: Birth of a Villain*, the congratulations continued.
“Woo-jin! Congrats on the Emmy win!”
“Best Actor! Hollywood is talking about you nonstop! Well done!”
“Your Joker red-carpet performance was killer!”
“Haha, was this year’s Emmys practically made for you?”
Woo-jin’s Emmy win had boosted his Hollywood reputation, and his *Joker* performance had left a lasting impression on his colleagues and fans. During a break, Director Ahn and producer Nora approached Woo-jin, followed by a few executives from Columbia Studios.
“Congratulations on the Emmy, Woo-jin, and that *Joker* performance was outstanding. Columbia’s social media nearly crashed from all the activity that night.”
The Columbia executives expressed their gratitude, aware that such exposure was priceless. Each shook Woo-jin’s hand, thanking him for lending such powerful promotion to their “cinematic universe.”
One of the executives commented as they left the set, “We’ll have to re-evaluate his contract.”
August 8th arrived, marking a week since the Emmys. Media buzz around the awards continued, with behind-the-scenes footage circulating on YouTube and other social platforms. Any post mentioning Woo-jin easily racked up millions of views.
Ignoring the frenzy, Woo-jin focused on filming. Though he was inundated with offers, interviews, and event invites, he postponed them all to prioritize his filming schedule. *Piero: Birth of a Villain* was in its latter stages, and *Beauty and the Beast* was also about to begin.
Meanwhile, the *Beneficial Evil* team, having completed their Hollywood events, was returning to Korea, where fans and press eagerly awaited their arrival.
“Director Song, you’re heading straight to the editing room? You could take a break first.”
“No way. If we don’t finish this right, all this praise will turn into backlash.”
On August 15th, in a large editing suite at DM Productions, Director Song stretched with a sigh of relief.
“It’s done.”
The editing for *Beneficial Evil* Part 2 was complete. Smiling, he looked at Woo-jin’s face on the screen and chuckled.
“Feels like yesterday when he was just an up-and-comer… and now he’s a Hollywood Best Actor.”
His phone vibrated, signaling a message from Executive Director Kim So-hyang.
- Kim So-hyang: Director, did you see the Hollywood *Piero* poster featuring Woo-jin? It just dropped!
- Kim So-hyang: (Photo)
- Kim So-hyang: The vibe is insane.
Opening the photo, Director Song’s eyes widened slightly.
“Wow… this is incredible.”
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, actress Miley Cara, also viewing the poster for *Piero: Birth of a Villain*, chuckled in admiration.
“So, that’s the villain? The look is absolutely killer.”
The world had just gotten its first glimpse of Woo-jin as the “Joker.”