He Only Plays Villains - Chapter 005: No One Goes This Far (2)
Song Jeong-woo PD was unexpectedly there for Jeong Seo-hoon.
His face was slightly flushed, as if he'd rushed over in quite a hurry.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? Ah, that expression you flashed when we brushed past each other—that was pure gold. It's been stuck in my head ever since. Haha."
Song Jeong-woo kept talking without pause.
"I heard you came for the audition, but you never even showed your face. I was in a real bind. I'd bragged to the writer that I'd found the perfect fit, and then you no-show? I was totally dazed. What happened? Some emergency?"
"Oh my, PD-nim. Is that for real? Was our Seo-hoon such a perfect match?"
"I had no idea our production team's rookie knew you. Heh heh, the world's so small. So, what's the connection between you two?"
"He's my little brother."
"Whoa, that explains it. I saw those two siblings and thought, 'Bloodlines don't lie'—the actor vibe is right there in the bone structure."
"······You used to say I was hopeless on camera back in the day."
"Hey, that's not what we're talking about here. Ahem."
Song Jeong-woo cleared his throat awkwardly before asking in a more subdued tone.
"So, what's the name of our rookie's little brother? Oh, right—I'm Song Jeong-woo, the director. I did Prince Sky, Winter Cabin, and Faded Lake."
"Ah, yes. Jeong Seo-hoon."
"······?"
"PD-nim, my little brother doesn't watch dramas or movies at all······ Oh! I must be crazy! Even if he doesn't, in this industry, you have to lie and say you're a drama fanatic······ Oops, sorry."
"Ah, well. If you don't watch dramas or movies at all, it's possible you wouldn't know."
The works Song Jeong-woo rattled off were his biggest hits.
Ones that had left a solid mark in Korean drama history.
Deep down, he'd been smug, thinking, Any actor worth their salt would know them all, right?
But now he felt like a total fool for worrying about how to let the guy down easy if he overreacted.
'And he says he knows nothing about dramas or movies?'
Then what the hell was that acting I saw?
Song Jeong-woo calmly studied Jeong Seo-hoon's face.
The mask suited him well. He could already picture exactly how it'd look shoved right up against a camera.
But that feral savagery from before? Not a trace.
A perfect picture of the well-mannered young master.
'The kind of emotional immersion that shatters preconceptions about visual image······'
He wanted to see it properly.
Not with the naked eye—with a camera monitor.
"Got a minute? I'd like to see you act."
"Sorry, but I gave up on that day. I figured I wouldn't make the cut anyway, so I bailed at the end."
"Wouldn't make it? Who told you that?"
Why he hadn't shown up for the audition didn't matter anymore.
"Well, my sister said celebrity fever's a serious illness and I should quit while I'm ahead······."
"For real? Did Su-ryeon say that?"
"Hey! When did I say that?!"
In truth, those were words Jeong Seo-hoon had said to Jeong Su-ryeon.
"She said if a guy with no height, no looks, no talent gets hit on a few times by some ugly opposite-sex type and gets all puffed up, that's already terminal-stage celebrity fever—you gotta cut it off cold and treat it first······."
"You little punk! Slandering your big sis like that? Those were your words!"
"······Haha, you two get along great."
"I'll head out first then. My shift's over."
"······Shift?"
Don't people usually leave because of a shift?
Shift's over, so you're leaving early?
"Ah, my little brother helps me out with physical stuff sometimes. Carrying gear, driving. Mom banned me from driving at home."
"Still, just once······."
"Nice to meet you. I'm off."
Jeong Seo-hoon gave a polite nod and turned away without hesitation.
Song Jeong-woo watched those perfectly measured steps with regret, then turned to Jeong Su-ryeon.
"Our rookie has a brother like that?"
"Not a brother—a mortal enemy. He keeps up appearances in front of you, PD-nim, for my sake. Now he'll lord it over me with interest."
"Talk him into it. Just one camera test. Come on?"
"But is he really perfect for the role? You got that vibe the second you saw him?"
"Oh, totally! I'm killer at spotting those flashes of inspiration. I saw that expression—bam, exactly the character I had in mind."
"So, what role?"
"Private Lee Jin-wook."
"······Ah, Private Lee Jin-wook."
Jeong Su-ryeon's face fell just a bit.
But Song Jeong-woo, lost in his own imaginings, didn't notice.
"It's a one-episode supporting role, but the character's so good—if you nail it, it'll stick, maybe even steal the show······."
"Hey."
"What."
"Don't you dare do it."
"Do what?"
"That drama audition."
"Why?"
"Why? You wanna do it? Catch celebrity fever all of a sudden?"
"I wasn't gonna, but now you're telling me not to, so suddenly I want to."
Wasn't that the most Jeong Seo-hoon-like response to this situation?
Jeong Su-ryeon sighed heavily.
"I figured it was something big since you were making such a fuss. Turns out it's just a one-episode bit part. Supporting role, basically extra."
"Weren't you the one who kept bombing even those kinds of roles?"
"I'm seriously trying to talk you out of it here, so show some respect and call me 'sis' properly."
"Never cheated anyway."
Jeong Su-ryeon scratched her tangled hair furiously and continued.
"Street casting miracles? Ancient history. Unless the director's obsessed and bumps you to lead. Don't let Song PD's hype get to you."
"Not interested."
"Yeah, but false hope's scary dangerous. I was deluded for years."
"I know. Watched it up close."
"This is serious!"
A bit pissed, Jeong Su-ryeon slicked back her hair irritably.
"Song PD's silver tongue is no joke. Hooks people like that. Kids like you? Easy prey. Listening to him, you'd think he was grinding beans into meju paste."
"He is grinding beans into meju."
"See? Couldn't resist. I'm done for."
The 'soldier' facade Jeong Seo-hoon had been maintaining nearly cracked.
"If he calls, say no. Stonewall any meetups. You're good at that, right? Wait, you haven't tried it on guys—might not work? Anyway, be ruthless."
"Why would he call?"
"Sorry. Gave him your number."
"Why'd you give him my number? While telling me not to do it?"
"Boss-man holding my rice bowl says your bro's got potential, asks for a chat—I gonna say no?"
"······."
"Big corp exec tells part-timer rookie, 'Hook your bro up with a sweet internship, lemme talk'—show me the employee who says, 'Nah, bro skips internships.'"
"Whatever, hand it over."
Jeong Seo-hoon held out his palm; Jeong Su-ryeon placed two 50,000-won bills on it.
"Ignore Song PD's calls and hit a club with this."
"Too cheap for a get-out-of-jail-free card. Covers cab and cover, then nada?"
"My salary's peanuts, can't help it. Don't end up like me. Don't even glance that way."
"At least not with a water ghost."
"Wasn't using you as a chauffeur from the start. Hey, talk to Mom for me this time······."
"Wanna trash another bumper?"
"Hey! That was an accident! I drive fine now!"
"Snuck the car out again?"
"······I'm hungry."
Jeong Seo-hoon had no room to dwell on Song Jeong-woo's words.
He was busy sorting through his dual layered memories, rehabbing to adapt to this life.
He still overreacted to external stimuli, but his outward behavior was now perfectly controlled.
He still hated crowded places with lots of strangers.
Surrounded by people, his heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Hello? Is this Jeong Seo-hoon?
And then the call from Song Jeong-woo PD came.
Less than an hour after Jeong Su-ryeon's warning.
This is Song Jeong-woo PD. Your sister's station. Remember?
"I've given up acting. No talent for it."
Since he'd passed it off as acting practice to dodge that crisis, this felt natural.
Aw, siblings never see each other's strengths. Everyone's like that. Third parties see it objectively. Just one camera test?
"Sorry."
Half a day. Interview fee—no, gas money—2 million won. Think of it as day labor.
"······Does it usually go that far?"
Usually? No one goes this far.