10
Chapter 10
The place Seo Eunbyeol introduced him to was Ace Entertainment.
Its headquarters stood in the heart of glamorous Gangnam. Posters of the agency's actors lined the entrance. Many of
them were leading stars whose names were recognized by anyone.
'A major agency, huh.'
The door to the CEO's office opened.
"Welcome, Kang Seojun. I've heard a lot about you."
The CEO was a straightforward man.
He already knew that Seojun had been selected as the lead for Kim Heeseon's upcoming drama. There was no unnecessary
probing or attempts to undervalue him. The contract laid out on the table already reflected his requirements quite
generously.
Seojun carefully reviewed every clause.
The signing bonus and profit-sharing ratio were better than what he'd heard from fellow actors.
"What kind of person is the manager?"
"We assigned an experienced one. He's capable and knows how to keep his mouth shut."
The CEO answered without hesitation.
Seojun picked up the pen.
There was no reason to hesitate.
He needed a partner who could eliminate the inefficiencies and exhaustion that came with handling transportation and
schedules alone.
"The conditions are satisfactory."
He signed his name.
Kang Seojun.
"Please take good care of me, CEO."
"The pleasure is ours. We have high expectations for Writer Kim's project."
After shaking hands with the CEO, Seojun left the office.
As he walked down the hallway, his shoulders felt lighter.
An environment where all he had to do was act.
For the first time, he truly felt like a professional actor.
#
The next morning.
A black Carnival was waiting in the underground parking garage of his officetel.
Beside the polished vehicle stood a neatly dressed man.
"Hello! I-I mean, Actor Kang Seojun... no, Actor-nim. My name is Kim Hyuntae. I'll be managing you from now on."
He looked two or three years older than Seojun, but he bowed deeply with utmost respect.
He had a friendly face and sharp, reliable eyes.
"Nice to meet you. You can speak comfortably."
"No, sir! It's still our first day together. I'll serve you properly. Please, get in."
Kim Hyuntae opened the sliding door for him.
A spacious interior.
Soft leather seats.
Even when stretching out his legs completely, they didn't reach the front row.
"Today's schedule is a full script reading for Doctor Criminal in the broadcasting station's conference hall. Travel
time is estimated at forty minutes."
Hyuntae began briefing him as he sat in the driver's seat.
The vehicle glided smoothly onto the road.
No shaking.
No sudden braking.
No abrupt acceleration.
Seojun leaned back and opened his script.
The words flowed effortlessly into his mind.
Without motion sickness distracting him, his concentration remained intact.
'Nice.'
When the body was comfortable, the mind naturally relaxed as well.
Looking out at the passing scenery beyond the window, he thought:
With an environment like this, doing better was inevitable.
#
Broadcasting Station Conference Hall.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Doctor Criminal was considered the most anticipated drama of the second half of the year.
As expected, the table was filled with famous actors.
A veteran actor playing the hospital director.
A renowned supporting actor cast as the head nurse.
And Park Sungwon, who would oppose Seojun's character as the chief of thoracic surgery.
Park Sungwon was a veteran with over twenty years of acting experience.
With his arms crossed, he stared directly at Seojun.
"..."
The skepticism in his gaze was obvious.
'That kid is the lead?'
He didn't say it aloud, but his eyes did.
A rookie had landed the lead role simply because Kim Heeseon had personally chosen him.
Of course he wouldn't be pleased.
Seojun gave a small nod and took his seat.
Right in the center of the table.
Beside the writer and director.
The most noticeable seat.
And the most burdensome one.
"Everyone's here, so let's begin."
At the director's signal, the script reading started.
The opening scenes featured conversations between the hospital director and management.
The veteran actors' deep, commanding voices filled the room.
Their performances were flawless.
Then came the middle portion.
The atmosphere shifted when the operating room scene began.
Park Sungwon made his move.
"Stabilize the vitals! Pump on! What are you doing? Suction, now!"
His diction was impeccable.
His delivery was fast.
He rattled off complicated medical terminology as naturally as everyday conversation.
It was a clear attempt to seize control of the room.
The attendees were overwhelmed.
Several rookie actors even stumbled over their lines under the pressure.
Park Sungwon glanced at Seojun.
A look that said:
'Let's see what you've got.'
It was Seojun's turn.
He lowered his gaze to the script.
The surgical directions were packed with technical terminology.
The kind of material that would easily tie an ordinary actor's tongue into knots.
Unless someone was deeply familiar with medicine or had already worked on medical dramas, that was only natural.
Seojun took a deep breath.
Simply memorizing lines wouldn't be enough to surpass Park Sungwon.
He couldn't imitate a doctor.
He had to become one.
Fortunately, he could.
With a single action.
He located the Switch in his mind.
Click.
[Switch: ON]
[Loading role data: Han Jaei]
[Occupation: Thoracic Surgeon]
[Knowledge Synchronization: 100%]
His senses transformed instantly.
The fluorescent lights in the conference room became operating-room lamps.
The scent of blood and disinfectant seemed to fill his nose.
What lay before him...
Was a patient with an open chest.
He opened his mouth.
"Scalpel."
His voice was calm and cold.
"Aortic dissection confirmed. Beginning vascular graft replacement."
Unlike Park Sungwon's passionate doctor, Han Jaei was a sociopathic genius physician.
At this moment, Seojun was Han Jaei himself.
His delivery wasn't particularly fast.
Yet every word carried immense confidence.
The air around him turned cold.
The actors held their breath and stared only at him.
The reading continued smoothly.
Then—
"Patient's blood pressure is dropping! Sixty over forty!"
The actress playing the nurse shouted.
The next line belonged to him.
The script read:
[Han Jaei: Administer one ampule of epinephrine immediately!]
But the words wouldn't leave his mouth.
Because something felt wrong.
It wasn't merely that the line was incorrect.
The synchronized Han Jaei inside his mind was objecting.
'Administering a vasopressor to a patient with aortic dissection could rupture the vessel.'
His body reacted.
His fingertips tingled.
If epinephrine were used here, the patient would die instantly.
He couldn't kill the patient.
His mouth remained shut.
Silence.
The reading stopped.
"...Seojun?"
The director called out in confusion.
Apparently, he thought Seojun had forgotten his line.
A smirk began to form on Park Sungwon's lips.
Then—
Seojun raised his hand.
"I'm sorry. One moment."
He turned toward the consulting professor sitting in the audience.
The man was an actual thoracic surgery professor from a university hospital, invited to supervise the reading.
"Professor."
"Yes? Is there a problem?"
"This patient has a Type A aortic dissection, correct?"
"That's right."
Seojun pointed to the script.
"The vessel wall is already weakened by the dissection. If epinephrine is used here to forcibly raise blood pressure..."
His gaze sharpened.
"Wouldn't the vessel rupture?"
The professor's eyes widened.
"In this situation, lowering the heart rate and controlling blood pressure with a beta blocker should take priority."
The knowledge wasn't his own.
It was Han Jaei's judgment flowing through the Switch.
Completely synchronized with Han Jaei, Seojun confidently explained the medical reasoning.
The professor hurriedly checked his script.
Adjusting his glasses, he reread the scene.
Then his expression changed.
"Oh!"
He slapped his knee.
"You're right! Writer Kim made a mistake here."
The professor looked at Seojun with astonishment.
The expression of someone wondering how an actor who had never practiced medicine could know this.
"He's absolutely correct. If epinephrine is used here, the patient would die during surgery. A beta blocker is the right
choice. Something like Esmolol."
The room erupted into murmurs.
Kim Heeseon's face reddened as she quickly scribbled notes.
"Ah, what was I thinking? I did the research and still mixed it up. Sorry."
But that wasn't what shocked everyone.
What stunned them was the fact that this rookie actor hadn't merely memorized his lines.
He completely understood the medical mechanism behind them.
Park Sungwon's eyes wavered.
'Is he actually a doctor? No, that's impossible. Then... just how much studying did he do?'
He could no longer dismiss Seojun.
This wasn't about diction or vocal projection.
It was a difference in mastery over the role itself.
Calmly, Seojun asked:
"Then shall we revise the line to Esmolol and continue?"
"Let's do that."
The director nodded.
"Seojun is right."
The reading resumed.
But the atmosphere had completely changed.
The doubtful gazes directed toward him had vanished.
In their place were admiration and tension.
Seojun focused on the Switch once more.
[Surgery Resumed.]
The medical terminology pouring from his lips no longer sounded like acting.
It sounded like actual surgical orders.
#
"Great work, everyone!"
The reading finally ended.
Four grueling hours had passed.
Actors stretched and rose from their seats.
Seojun gathered his script.
Just then, Park Sungwon approached him.
"You."
"Yes, sunbae-nim."
Seojun greeted him respectfully.
After clearing his throat several times, Park Sungwon spoke awkwardly.
"You studied quite a bit, didn't you? That beta-whatever thing earlier... I didn't even notice it while reading."
"I was lucky. I happened to come across it in a book I was reading."
"You're too humble."
Park Sungwon chuckled.
"And your acting's pretty good too. Let's work well together on set. I'd like to properly match performances with you."
He patted Seojun's shoulder before walking away.
Recognition.
The picky veteran had accepted him as a colleague.
Kim Heeseon passed by and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Doctor Han Jaei, you looked pretty cool back there. Thanks to you, we caught a research error."
"Thank you."
Everything was going smoothly.
Seojun slung his bag over his shoulder and left the conference room.
Kim Hyuntae was already waiting in the hallway.
"Hyung-nim! Great work today!"
Hyuntae took his bag.
"How was the atmosphere? Did it go well?"
"Yeah. Not bad."
"That's a relief. I turned on the car's air conditioner beforehand. Let's go."
They took the elevator down to the underground parking lot.
The sliding door opened.
Seojun naturally sank into the rear seat.
Click.
[Switch: OFF]
The moment he turned off the Switch, exhaustion crashed over him like a collapsing dam.
His head throbbed from overload.
Borrowing the mind of a genius doctor for four straight hours had its price.
As the tension disappeared, his entire body felt as limp as a water-soaked sponge.
"Straight home?"
Kim Hyuntae asked through the rearview mirror.
Closing his eyes, Seojun replied:
"Yeah. Good work today, Hyuntae."
"Yes, sir! Get some rest."
The car moved off smoothly.
The cabin was so quiet he couldn't even hear the engine.
No vibrations.
No discomfort.
This was the life.
The comfort of knowing that the money he'd earned was now protecting him.
Leaning his head deeply into the seat, he relaxed.
Today's reading had proven everything.
All that remained now was to show it on set.
'Let's get some sleep.'