IWMMGA

Chapter 383: Overwhelmed (12)

When the name of the Best Actor was called at the Grand Bell Awards...

"Best Actor!! Congratulations! To Mr. Kang Woojin from 'Leech'!!"

Kang Woojin, who stood up from his seat and drew the attention of countless cameras, had a remarkably calm expression. Even when fellow actors and industry figures flooded him with handshakes and congratulations, his face remained composed. Woojin walked up to the stage with an air of serenity, unaffected by the commotion around him.

"······"

He was in a daze. The lights were blinding. His ears rang. His throat was parched. Adrenaline surged through him. His hands and feet tingled. His heartbeat quickened. His vision narrowed.

Yet, his poker face was unwavering.

As he walked towards the stage, Woojin realized,

"Two years—no, almost three years now. I've come this far, from knowing nothing. Best Actor? It still feels unreal... but standing here doesn't feel so daunting."

He had grown accustomed to the jungle that is the entertainment industry. It felt like just yesterday that he was an ordinary person who had never even opened a script, but now, this grand stage, the dazzling lights, and the overwhelming praise from great actors no longer felt out of place. It was an adaptation born from navigating countless challenges and pushing forward relentlessly.

But Woojin hadn't lost his initial resolve.

It was his grounded nature that made this possible.

'Still! Ugh—it's so embarrassing having all these top actors staring at me. Will it take a few more years to get used to this?'

In a way, domestic major film awards were more uncomfortable for Kang Woojin than Cannes. Overseas, he might be a world star or a global super top actor, but the faces were unfamiliar to him. Here, though, he was surrounded by actors he knew all too well. The stars he used to watch on TV or in theaters were now giving him raucous applause.

The more this happened, the more resolute Woojin became.

Until he stepped onto the stage, and even after he did, Kang Woojin's poker face didn't waver. The hundreds of actors watching him were impressed.

"He's not smiling at all, Woojin-ssi. He was like this at the Blue Dragon Awards too, right?"

"Is he not satisfied?"

"Wow—he swept all the major domestic Best Actor awards this year after winning Best Actor at Cannes, and that's still not enough??"

"He must have a completely different mindset from us. Even when he won Best Actor at Cannes, Woojin-ssi was like this."

The aura of an otherworldly being before them was awe-inspiring. Even though he achieved what seemed impossible in just two years.

"Is this what it means to be on another level?"

"It's like a fantasy. Honestly, even though I'm seeing it with my own eyes, I can't believe it."

"He's already in talks to go to Hollywood; would domestic trophies even mean much to him?"

It seemed like Kang Woojin was looking for something beyond this moment.

But that was a misunderstanding.

After receiving the trophy and bouquet, Kang Woojin stood in front of the standing microphone and thought,

'Ha—winning Best Actor is nice, but I'm seriously craving something sweet. I'm just going to sneak out of the after-party.'