What He and She Concealed (3)
“Yoo Jeong-ah is a no-go.”
The moment they got home, Jeong Su-ryeon launched into her nagging.
“Her fandom is no joke. No matter how hot you're blowing up right now, you can't compete. It's a whole different league in name value.”
“What's your point?”
“Scandal, scandal.”
“Why would that happen? It was a setup by Teacher Lee Min-soo from the start. We were together the whole time, all three of us.”
“Dude. Lee Min-soo and Yoo Jeong-ah are super tight. If she goes, 'Teacher, I wanna have a secret date but I'm scared of paparazzi. Can you tag along?' he'd say yes in a heartbeat.”
“Didn't feel like that at all.”
“If a scandal breaks, you're the only one who gets burned. You'll be the one buried. You're right in the middle of jacking up your price, so let's be careful, okay?”
“I said it wasn't like that.”
“Actor Jeong Seo-hoon, the public doesn't care about the truth. They care about what they want to see. What if Dispatch is lurking and snaps a pic when Teacher steps away to the bathroom and you're alone? You're done for that day.”
Jeong Su-ryeon had been trailing him the whole time, nagging nonstop.
“What's that quote? Rommel or Romvel or whatever? 'One word is enough for agitation, but clarification needs hundreds of pieces of evidence, and by the time you have it...'
“The public is already swayed. And it's Goebbels, not Rommel.”
“Ah! Right, yeah. Something like that. Oh, now I remember.”
“But Goebbels never actually said that.”
“Whoa, really? See? That's how scary agitation is. When did I get played? Dispatch is pros at this stuff. They were probably staking out our dinner today too.”
Jeong Seo-hoon, towel draped over his shoulder, shot her an annoyed glare.
“Get out.”
“Whoa, scary for a sec. Thought you were Lee Jin-wook.”
“Out.”
“Sleep tight. For real.”
The chimpanzee cackle finally faded into the distance.
S#23.
Prosecutor Hwang Sun-hye (Yoo Jeong-ah) senses the stench of crime in the surge of missing persons cases around Gangnam.
While investigating the victims' identities, she uncovers a common thread.
Traces leading to the underworld cartel that rules Gangnam's nights.
—Drugs, sex trafficking, gambling dens, underground toto, virtual currency... nothing's off-limits. Their underground economy is worth billions... maybe even trillions.
—No specific ringleader identified?
—This guy's it. Hwang Hak-jin, chairman of Jeongjin Trading.
Hwang Sun-hye stared piercingly at the impeccably suited Hwang Hak-jin, as if committing him to memory.
—The missing are ones discarded after use in his businesses, betrayed during deals, customers who ran off with girls, or anyone who got in the way of his operations.
—Motive's solid.
—Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa police stations might as well be his siblings. Probably has lines into the Southern District Prosecutors' Office too.
—Not easy.
Burning with a sense of justice, Prosecutor Hwang Sun-hye presses on with the investigation undeterred.
Politicians tied to Hwang Hak-jin apply invisible pressure from the shadows, but she pushes through steadfastly.
The team gets intel on Hwang Hak-jin heading to a gambling den, assembles a SWAT unit to raid, and Hwang Sun-hye rushes to the scene for evidence after arrest.
But as they cut through a quiet alley for a quick approach, a dull impact slams the vehicle.
Amid crushing pain and blurring vision, a familiar face appears.
One she could never encounter here—one already dead.
—Prosecutor, long time no see?
The murderer soldier she had indicted herself.
Yoo Jeong-ah, smeared with fake blood, settled into the driver's seat of the wrecked car.
As she waited for the PD's cue, she spotted Jeong Seo-hoon in position.
Black pants, dark striped shirt, wide-brim hat shadowing his face.
Less serial killer, more college kid rushing to class after oversleeping.
She suddenly recalled Lee Min-soo's words from yesterday.
'He'll bite.'
She bit her lip lightly.
What had her senior seen, matching breaths with him, to say that?
She knew he was a good actor from watching.
But both Cha Do-jin and Lee Min-soo spoke of him like a kid in the audience beyond the stage.
“Standby, cue!”
Cameras rolled, and Yoo Jeong-ah erased herself to immerse as the accident-stricken Hwang Sun-hye.
Her hazy, half-lidded eyes fixed dimly on Lee Jin-wook approaching from afar.
······!
For a split second, Yoo Jeong-ah nearly broke character, eyes widening.
Lee Jin-wook's approach—slow, eerily unsettling steps—grew grotesquely larger.
Cameras encircling, lights, everything vanished.
Like a pitch-black silhouette devouring light in a tunnel of pure white.
All senses—sight, hearing—locked solely on him.
The fake blood on her face felt like real body heat; her shoulders shivered.
Now at the window, he leaned in close.
The usually neutral skin lotion scent turned nauseatingly repulsive today.
Not the fragrance... maybe...
“Prosecutor, long time no see?”
Yoo Jeong-ah fainted for real.
Not in the script.
The outdoor set erupted in chaos.
Yoo Jeong-ah's manager and styling team rushed over, checking her.
Laid flat to breathe, limbs massaged, she came to quickly.
Her flickering pupils, like a shorted bulb, regained focus.
“Jeong-ah, you okay? Back with us?”
“······Ah. Manager.”
Recalling, her face flashed shock as she scanned around.
Spotting Jeong Seo-hoon watching awkwardly, confusion clouded her expression.
What?
The pre-faint revulsion was gone.
Like a cheap mask clumsily worn, ridiculous now.
Catching her breath, Song Jeong-woo arrived hearing she'd woken.
“Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi, you good? If you're not feeling well, just say so. We can wrap today.”
“No, I'm really fine.”
“If something happens to you, the national fan clubs will roast me alive. My rice bowl's gone. If you're not up to it, let's call it.”
“I'm really fine.”
Song Jeong-woo double-checked before retracting the wrap.
Jeong Seo-hoon.
As things calmed, him casually returning to his sketchbook irked her.
I won't lose.
“PD-nim. I can do it right. This time, no NG...”
“Huh? No NG.”
“Pardon?”
Script had more lines before he knocks her out with chloroform and cuts to next scene.
“No NG? But that's not in the script...”
“We're keeping it as is. Better than the script. Kim Sang-hee agreed. Revisions underway.”
“······.”
“Just tweaks to the next scene opener, no biggie. If you're beat, say the word. Your health first, Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi.”
Yoo Jeong-ah, pupils dilated looking up, burst into laughter.
Amid bustling setup, art director Jang Chun-sik sidled up to Jeong Seo-hoon.
“Seo-hoon, got a favor.”
“Yes, Director. Shoot.”
“Those sketches you drew getting into character. Mind if I borrow them?”
Jeong Seo-hoon stared blankly; Jang waved hands hastily.
“No funny business. Great ref for the battlefield set later. Credit you in art assists, of course. Good fan service too—prime otaku content.”
“Amateur stuff, embarrassing.”
“Not amateur at all. Killer vibe. Really wanna use 'em.”
“······I'll bring them tomorrow.”
“Thanks, man.”
Jang Chun-sik beamed off.
Episode 6 aired.
Ratings peaked at Lee Jin-wook's first scene with Hwang Hak-jin.
Hardcore film fans hyped it as a generational acting shift.
Media core fans fiercely debated when this rookie would hit films and what splash he'd make.
But pro debates drowned in shallow waters.
What He and She Concealed (4)