16
### Chapter 16
When I ended the call and lowered my phone, a heavy silence settled inside the van.
“...Director Heo Hoetaek wants to see me?”
It felt as though the echo of my words still lingered in the air.
Kim Hyuntae's hands trembled on the steering wheel. Through the rearview mirror, his eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.
“H-Hyungnim... did I hear that correctly? Director Heo Hoetaek? The Heo Hoetaek of Chungmuro?”
“Yeah.”
“This is insane... wow, this is really insane! Hyungnim, this isn't a jackpot—it's winning the lottery! No, it's even bigger than that! Actors line up just for a chance to audition for him, and you're getting a direct offer?!”
Kim Hyuntae looked ready to stop the car and start dancing.
“Hyungnim, you have to do it. Absolutely. You don't even need to read the script. If it's a Director Heo movie, you should take the role even if you're playing a guy who spends the whole film taking a dump!”
His excitement wasn't exaggerated.
The brand power carried by the three words "Heo Hoetaek" was beyond imagination.
But I calmly settled him down.
“Relax first. Get me the script.”
“Huh? Ah, yes! Of course! I'll track it down the moment we get back to the company!”
I gazed out the window.
My heart was beating quickly.
Not because of excitement.
It was the instinctive tension one feels when standing before a massive opportunity.
#
That night.
My officetel.
True to his word, Kim Hyuntae obtained the script at the speed of light.
[Film: Night of the Beasts (Working Title)]
[Written and Directed by: Heo Hoetaek]
Even the cover radiated a heavy presence.
Under the desk lamp, I began flipping through the pages.
The genre was pure noir.
The setting was Busan in the 1990s.
A story about corrupt police officers, gangsters, and a cunning broker navigating the space between them.
The role offered to me was the protagonist, Choi Doyoung.
A vile, cowardly man who would stab even his friends in the back if it meant surviving.
'The complete opposite of Han Jaei.'
It was a role that would completely shatter my intellectual and sophisticated image.
As an actor, it was impossible not to be tempted.
This was a chance to prove I could handle a wide range of characters.
The script was excellent.
Every line of dialogue felt alive.
The plot was tightly woven.
I finally understood why people constantly praised Heo Hoetaek.
“Good.”
I closed the script and shut my eyes.
Now it was time to activate the switch and experience the role.
I steadied my breathing.
My hand reached for the switch inside my mind.
Click.
[Loading data for role 'Choi Doyoung'.]
...
Nothing happened.
I frowned.
Then focused again.
[Switch: ON]
[Loading data...]
Bzzzt.
An unpleasant noise crackled through my head.
Normally, my senses would have changed instantly.
My vision would shift.
Choi Doyoung's sneering smile and foul presence should have enveloped me.
But nothing happened.
I was still Kang Seojun, sitting in my officetel.
[Error.]
[Unable to load data.]
“...Huh?”
A bewildered sound escaped my lips.
It was the first time.
The switch had never failed before.
Whether it was a minor role, a supporting role, or a lead role.
As long as I had a script, I could become that person.
It had even worked perfectly when I loaded the investment expert's data to trade stocks.
But now...
It was completely dead.
Why?
Was my ability lacking?
Had I misunderstood the character?
I reopened the script.
I read it carefully again.
There was no emotional arc I couldn't understand.
No aspect of the character seemed impossible to portray.
Then why was the switch refusing to let me become him?
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Maybe...
The switch itself was rejecting this project.
'That's possible.'
My gaze fell upon the name printed on the cover.
Heo Hoetaek.
A legendary director.
A guaranteed box-office success.
But my instincts—
No.
My ability—
Was telling me to stop.
I closed the script.
Then shoved it into the far corner of a drawer.
'Something feels wrong.'
For now, I needed to think about it.
#
The next morning.
Ace Entertainment CEO's office.
“What? Say that again.”
CEO Choi asked as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Beside him, Kim Hyuntae stood with his mouth hanging open.
Leaning back on the sofa, I spoke calmly.
“I'll decline. I'm not doing it.”
Silence fell.
A moment later, CEO Choi grabbed the back of his neck and jumped to his feet.
“HEY!! KANG SEOJUN!!”
The windows rattled from the force of his shout.
“Have you lost your mind?! Do you even know what kind of project this is?! It's Heo Hoetaek! The emperor of Chungmuro! If you're the lead in one of his films, you're basically guaranteed a Blue Dragon Best New Actor award! And you're throwing that away?!”
His face turned red and blue.
His blood pressure seemed visibly rising.
“Please calm down, CEO.”
“Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down?! Kim Hyuntae! Didn't you explain to him what kind of opportunity this is?!”
Kim Hyuntae looked back and forth nervously.
“Hyungnim... the CEO is right. This is the kind of opportunity people regret missing for the rest of their lives. You said yourself the script is incredible. The character is perfect for showing a new side of you. So why exactly are you refusing?”
The reason.
I couldn't exactly say,
'Because the switch won't activate.'
They'd drag me to a psychiatric hospital immediately.
Picking up my teacup, I answered calmly.
“I just have a bad feeling about it.”
“A... bad feeling?”
“Yeah. My instincts aren't responding. The script is good, but if I join the project, I feel like it'll fail.”
CEO Choi let out a laugh of disbelief.
“Ha... instincts? Feelings? Kang Seojun, do actors choose projects based on feelings? You choose based on data! Look at Director Heo's previous films. Has he ever failed? No! This is the safest blue-chip stock imaginable, and you're going to throw it away because of your lousy instincts?”
“My instincts aren't lousy.”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“When I chose Doctor Criminal, everyone opposed me. What was the result?”
CEO Choi fell silent.
“And everyone opposed the W Investment Securities commercial too. What was the reaction?”
He couldn't answer.
“This is the same thing.”
I spoke firmly.
“Trust my instincts. There's something suspicious about this project.”
“Suspicious my ass! The name Heo Hoetaek alone is a guarantee!”
CEO Choi looked close to tears.
He stopped trying to persuade me and practically began begging.
“Seojun, please. Do it as a favor to me. Just meet the director. Have a meal together. Maybe you'll change your mind.”
“I'm sorry.”
I stood up.
“My decision is final. Please decline the offer.”
Without looking back, I walked out of the office.
Behind me, I could hear CEO Choi's sighs and Kim Hyuntae's confused voice.
#
After the office door closed, only CEO Choi and Kim Hyuntae remained.
CEO Choi collapsed onto the sofa and rubbed his face.
“Haah... this is driving me crazy. What's gotten into him all of a sudden? Did fame go to his head? Or did he go see a fortune teller?”
“No way. Hyungnim doesn't believe in that kind of thing.”
Kim Hyuntae answered cautiously.
“Hyuntae. Try talking some sense into him. Director Heo's side even said they'd treat him generously financially. How does it make sense to reject this?”
“I kept talking to him in the car too, but Hyungnim is incredibly stubborn...”
Kim Hyuntae trailed off.
His mind was in turmoil.
Logically speaking, CEO Choi was absolutely right.
No rookie actor in the world would reject the lead role in Heo Hoetaek's new film.
But...
'Has Hyungnim ever been wrong?'
Kim Hyuntae thought back over the past few months.
When Seojun accepted the role of Hong Jinsu in Tracking, everyone warned him that the role was too intense and would permanently define his image.
Yet he insisted.
And it became a huge success.
The same thing happened with Doctor Criminal.
Everyone worried a drama without romance would fail.
Instead, it became a nationwide phenomenon.
Even the stock investment.
Out of nowhere, he'd studied a financial drama script and then claimed his investments had gone well.
There was always something in Kang Seojun's choices.
Something other people couldn't see.
“CEO.”
“Hm?”
“But... if Hyungnim is being this stubborn, maybe there's a reason?”
CEO Choi shot him a glare.
“What reason? Stop talking nonsense.”
“No, I mean... none of Hyungnim's decisions have been wrong so far. Maybe there's some hidden risk we don't know about...”
“Hey! What hidden risk could there possibly be with Heo Hoetaek? The man is cleaner than clean. Perfect artistic reputation. Strong investors and distributors. The best staff in the industry. There isn't a single weakness!”
CEO Choi slammed the desk.
“This is just Kang Seojun acting spoiled because he's become successful. Give him a few days and he'll come around. For now, tell Director Heo's side that we're adjusting schedules and buy us some time.”
“...Understood.”
Kim Hyuntae answered.
But he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in the corner of his heart.
The determination in Kang Seojun's eyes.
It hadn't looked like stubbornness.
It had looked like certainty.
#
At the same time.
A luxury Japanese restaurant in Gangnam.
At the end of a maze-like corridor, the sliding door to the most secluded private room remained tightly shut.
A sealed room completely isolated from outside noise.
An oppressive silence filled the space.
Two people sat across from one another.
One was a sharp-featured man in his forties.
The business card on the table clearly identified him as:
Lee Jinhyuk, Reporter, Gangcheon Daily.
Across from him sat a woman in her thirties wearing a hat pulled low over her face.
The hand holding her teacup trembled slightly.
Her makeup-free face was pale.
Dark shadows hung beneath her eyes as though she hadn't slept in days.
Reporter Lee Jinhyuk broke the silence first.
“I've reviewed the information you provided.”
His voice was calm.
But behind his glasses, his eyes gleamed like a predator staring at prey.
“However, as you know, the target is a powerful figure. Testimony alone won't be enough to publish an article. We need concrete evidence. Otherwise, you could end up facing a defamation lawsuit instead.”
The woman swallowed nervously.
With trembling hands, she rummaged through her bag.
A moment later, she placed an old portable recorder on the table.
Clack.
The sound echoed loudly in the silent room.
“...Everything is in here.”
Her voice cracked.
“The things that happened during the filming of Red Night three years ago... and the abusive remarks and threatening phone calls the director made after I refused him. I didn't delete any of it.”
Reporter Lee picked up the recorder.
It was heavy.
Its impact would be just as heavy.
“The person you're referring to is Director Heo Hoetaek. Correct?”
The reporter asked again to confirm.
The woman bit her lip tightly.
Fear and anger mixed in her eyes.
Finally, she nodded.
“...Yes.”
“You understand his position within Chungmuro, right? If this article gets published, the entire film industry will be turned upside down. His upcoming project, Night of the Beasts, will probably collapse as well. Can you handle that?”
“I don't care.”
The woman lifted her head.
Tears filled her eyes.
But her gaze never wavered.
“The world deserves to know what he did.”
Her voice trembled with conviction.
“I won't let crimes be justified anymore under excuses like artistic passion or realism. I can't stand by and watch more victims suffer what I did.”
Reporter Lee slipped the recorder deep into his suit pocket.
A sinister smile spread across his lips.
An exclusive.
A nuclear bomb-level exclusive capable of shaking the entire Korean entertainment industry.
“Understood. Gangcheon Daily will investigate this to the very end.”
The reporter opened his notebook and picked up a pen.
“Let's begin.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What exactly happened that day?”
Inside the secret room, the gears of a clock began turning.
A clock counting down to the downfall of a legend.