The Heart of An Actor
“…It seems like this role will require quite a bit of time.”
Kim Hyeok-jung, who had come to celebrate the drama’s finale, let out a deep sigh.
After living as Han Seo-won for several months, Deok-su’s expression was tightly set.
“I’ll be fine after plenty of rest. Slowly... Ah. Sensei, just a moment—”
Deok-su straightened the slightly crooked hat on Kim Hyeok-jung’s head.
It hadn’t been badly crooked at all, but to Deok-su it looked severely askew.
Just like the neat-and-tidy Han Seo-won character in the drama.
“Ah...”
Deok-su suddenly realized something was off and froze.
Just like the last time with Jin Dong-ho, escaping the character this time seemed difficult.
After seeing Deok-su off, Kim Hyeok-jung told the waiting Lee Hui-yeong.
“Deok-su, does he need counseling?”
“Counseling? My brother... is it that serious?”
Lee Hui-yeong’s worried face made Kim Hyeok-jung shake his head with a smile.
“Many actors take mental-health counseling to fully shake off a role. I’m just suggesting it. Especially with so many emotional scenes in this drama. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Ugh... Suddenly it feels like there’s a strong negative stigma around seeing a psychiatrist.”
Deok-su asked Kim Hyeok-jung if he knew of a good one, but he too declined.
He couldn’t just walk into any hospital either.
The thought of running into some weird article made him tired.
—*I often come by. If you need anything, feel free to talk.*
As she mulled it over, Lee Hui-yeong’s mind drifted to Min Du-jin, the Investment and Production Team Leader at DH Entertainment.
From a single manager’s viewpoint he was an unreachable giant, but Hui-yeong gathered her courage and picked up her phone.
“Hello, Team Leader. This is Lee Hui-yeong.”
After scheduling the meeting, she headed to the team leader’s office.
Despite the sudden invitation, Min Du-jin welcomed her warmly.
“...I know the company has a contracted counselor... Is there some other reason you came to me?”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to have a trainee counselor handle my brother’s sessions. I thought the team leader would know a high-quality person.”
Min Du-jin chuckled.
“Well, the teacher I know handles Jung-gyeong and Shin-i. Pretty good at it.”
“Could I trouble you?”
“That’s easy... but”
The moment the word “but” appeared, Min Du-jin paused and Lee Hui-yeong tensed.
She had expected conditions.
Nothing in the world is free.
“I don’t know how much a small manager like me can offer the team leader, but if you help me, I’ll do my absolute best no matter what you want.”
“Hearing that makes me feel like a villain. Relax. I’m only asking one thing.”
“If it’s something I know, I’ll answer.”
Min Du-jin’s smile deepened.
“Lately there’s been a lot of talk inside the company about Deok-su’s contract renewal.”
“Ah. That’s... I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that.”
“Hahaha. I’m not that shameless that I’d ask for introductions just for that. I only want to know which agencies have contacted Deok-su so far.”
Watching the team leader maintain a poker face with a smile, Hui-yeong struggled.
As the head of an acting department it made sense he would be interested in Deok-su, but the exact reason eluded her.
‘They say Chairman Kang is the team leader who clashes the most with him...’
Unlike the yes-men of other departments, Min Du-jin was known for his strong opinions.
That had earned him enemies...
After careful thought, Hui-yeong spoke.
“I don’t know everything, but I believe about three agencies have contacted him recently.”
“Any big names like Kkum or Dassun?”
“The four major agencies that contacted him... It’s mostly Dassun. I don’t know anything more.”
Min Du-jin nodded.
As it was, he had already secured a doctor’s introduction, so guilt weighed on him.
He pulled out one of his business cards from the drawer and handed it over.
“It’s a place my friend runs. He specializes in counseling celebrities, especially actors. If you’re worried about your brother’s situation leaking to the company, don’t worry. I have a friend who won’t even tell the president—let alone the president’s grandfather—about sensitive matters.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
After receiving the farewell from Min Du-jin, Hui-yeong left the office and headed to the hospital on the card with Deok-su in tow.
The moment she said “hospital,” Deok-su began grumbling the whole way.
“…You didn’t have to come.”
“Nope. I know you’re healthy. But you said you’d be doing a lightning-fast schedule from now on, right? You need to recover quickly, don’t you?”
Hui-yeong’s firm push left Deok-su speechless.
When she dug in, there was no arguing with him.
At the hospital, a female nurse who could slap any idol’s cheek welcomed them.
“Welcome. Did you make an appointment?”
“I made it under the name Kim Deok-su.”
“Kim Deok-su... Ah, confirmed. Please wait a moment.”
Even with a celebrity’s arrival, the nurse guided them to the exam room without a flicker of worry.
Inside, a man in his forties—Dr. Yang Sung-jun—sat in a white coat.
“...Whether there’s a need to hold back or not... Is that Han Seo-won’s thought or Kim Deok-su’s?”
“Han Seo-won’s.”
Deok-su took the examination while Hui-yeong waited outside for it to end.
She checked her phone: a flood of missed calls and messages from industry contacts.
Starting from the Pasdelly ad she had promised to wait for, many requests had come in.
“My brother really became amazing.”
Radio shows, TV programs, and CFs all wanted him.
But time was short.
Her choice of schedules was more cautious than ever.
While she was deep in negotiations with contacts, Deok-su emerged from the exam room.
The irritated expression from when they arrived had mostly vanished.
Of course, it wouldn’t disappear in one visit.
Multiple follow-up appointments were already scheduled for him.
The next day, Deok-su became truly busy.
His first stop was Jong-ro, home of the advertising agency Hero.
Hui-yeong watched Deok-su rubbing his stomach and shook her head side to side.
“...I told you not to eat too much junk food. Even if you want to taste the maker’s stuff, you don’t have to try the whole Pasdelly menu.”
Deok-su’s face was unusually swollen.
He had never been close to fast food before, yet he had bought and eaten every menu in the agency just to understand its taste.
The price was a noticeably bloated face.
To shrink it a little, he pressed an ice pack to his face and lay down.
“Even if you don’t know the product, you can’t go to a meeting.”
“We still have a long time until principal photography. You didn’t have to be so forceful...”
Hui-yeong shook her head, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
‘...Still, I believe in him.’
At Hero’s office, advertising executive Im Young-hye AE was waiting for them.
After brief greetings, the meeting began immediately.
“...The burgers weren’t going down my throat. What I liked most was the huge portions.”
“That’s Pasdelly’s strength. The main consumers are 10- and 20-somethings who care about value, college students.”
“I haven’t received the storyboard yet, but... the visuals seem important. For younger audiences, looks matter... The feel is different from past Pasdelly ads.”
Deok-su already knew the constipation-comedy ad he had filmed had been well-received.
He had also heard he had been thorough in preparation.
But the conversation felt different.
“R-right. Have you seen any of Director Seo Yun-bin’s previous ads?”
“Yes. They made the food look so delicious. I learned a lot. Oh, and... could I ask you one favor?”
“Go ahead. If it’s a contract issue...?”
Im Young-hye AE smiled while hiding her tension.
As much as celebrities’ personalities varied, so did the troubles they caused.
Especially for an artist like L’Vyu, who had once been a troublemaker, her nerves were on edge.
“If possible, I’d like to taste the new menu first...”
Im Young-hye blinked in surprise.
It wasn’t difficult, but absurd.
The new menu Deok-su would be shooting for would launch on schedule.
Worried about him bringing up a contract, she picked up the phone immediately.
“Of course! I’ll contact Pasdelly for you.”
The very next day, Deok-su received an invitation to the Pasdelly headquarters.
It wasn’t far from Jong-ro.
Pasdelly’s Seoul branch manager, Lee Seok-han, welcomed Deok-su and led him to the menu development room.
Inside, Deok-su bit into the new Mocha Strong Burger.
“The cheese flavor is really strong. There’s plenty of veggies too...”
Only an awkward smile appeared on Lee Seok-han’s face.
A model tasting a new product himself and even drawing pictures to describe the taste...
A drawing he had never seen in twenty years of company service.
‘...Still, compared to those sloppy ads, it’s a hundred times better.’
As thorough as the preparation had been, the aftermath was no joke.
“...Brother, should I give you more digestive medicine?”
“No, I’m fine.”
For days Deok-su had eaten nothing but hamburgers, leaving his stomach empty.
His stomach rumbled loudly and he rushed to the bathroom.
“…You should eat something more moderate.”
As Ryu Min-hye prepared to start PT, she glanced at the men’s bathroom and shook her head.
Hui-yeong was taking a brief break when her phone rang.
—The chairman wants to see you for a moment.
Startled, Hui-yeong headed to the chairman’s office.
Inside, Chairman Kang Sang-mi rose to greet her.
“Our Deok-su’s little clingy thing, you’ve come?”
The words were unpleasant, but Hui-yeong sat without showing it.
She simply stared at the chairman sitting across from her.
“What did you call me for?”
“You’re acting like merchandise again. Are you pretending not to know, or just ignoring me?”
“...”
“Well, fine. You might have mistaken me for someone easy to order around. I’ll kindly tell you why I called. You wiped out all of Deok-su’s Signature schedules without thinking, why?”
Hui-yeong closed her eyes.
The call had come.
She had trouble saying it to Deok-su’s face, but pressuring a mere manager like her was out of the question.
“Deok-su oppa wants to focus on acting.”
“The excuses are the same as always. Whatever. Past is past. Deok-su is settled now. I’ve watched him closely; I’ve been kind. How about letting him return?”
“That’s something I need to discuss with Deok-su oppa first—”
Bang.
Chairman Kang slammed the table as she stood.
“Hey. You keep agreeing with me, so where did this attitude come from? Do you forget who pays your salary?”
“...”
“It won’t take long. I’ll put Deok-su into the Signature schedule after this ad shoot. Remember that. If you refuse... you—”
“I’ll talk to Deok-su oppa first and let you know.”
“Hey. You don’t want your salary? Paying you isn’t Deok-su’s job— it’s mine—”
Thud.
The door burst open and a man entered with a woman.
It was Deok-su. He shrugged his shoulders and glared at Chairman Kang.
Her secretary tried to stop him.
“P-please don’t, Mr. L’Vyu.”
“...Hui-yeong. What are you doing here? Stand up.”
Hui-yeong cautiously rose as Chairman Kang smirked.
“Tteok-su. It’s been a while. Not even a proper greeting? Do you think the chairman is invisible?”
“Honestly, yes.”
Even under Deok-su’s provocation, Chairman Kang smiled.
“Tteok-su’s wit... Never mind. Since you’re here, let’s get to the point?”
“The point? Suddenly...?”
“Sign with Signature. In return, I’ll definitely guarantee you your next project. Seven thousand won per episode. It’s the lead role in the drama we’re producing this time.”
Nine thousand won—Hui-yeong’s eyes widened.
It couldn’t be nine thousand won. She meant seven thousand won per episode.
Even top stars didn’t always get that much.
But Deok-su let out a chuckle.
“Signing with Signature for seven thousand... Not particularly tempting. I decline.”