2
Chapter 2
"Kyyaaaaah!"
A scream tore through the set.
It wasn't acting.
The woman who had collapsed onto the ground let out a shrill cry and stumbled backward. She was Park Juyeon, a top star
whose face appeared on television practically every time someone turned it on.
Her shoulders trembled like leaves in the wind.
Her fear-filled eyes locked onto me before gradually flushing red with humiliation. She had realized the shameful
truth—that she had collapsed in terror before a complete nobody.
"W-What is wrong with this guy?!"
Pointing at me, Park Juyeon shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Director! Are you insane? If you're going to cast someone, at least bring a proper actor! Where did you find someone
who looks like a real serial killer? I almost had a heart attack!"
The audacity was unbelievable.
I stared at her expressionlessly.
The terrified woman who had been backing away moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Fear had seamlessly transformed into
anger.
'She's exactly like Manager Kim.'
The type of people who were used to dumping their emotions onto others because their status protected them.
They didn't rely on logic.
They relied on force.
I had dealt with people like that for five years in the corporate world.
"Juyeon, calm down. Okay? It was only a rehearsal."
"Who rehearses like that?! I thought he was actually going to stab me! I'm not doing this! Get him out of here!"
Fuming, Park Juyeon stormed toward the makeup room.
"Noona, please calm down."
"Get her some water!"
Her managers fussed around her as if serving royalty.
What a life.
Once the storm passed, only Director Ryu and I remained.
Straightening my tie, I looked at him.
"Then I'll be going."
"H-Huh? Hey, wait!"
Director Ryu hurriedly grabbed my arm.
His sweat-soaked palm felt unpleasantly damp.
"Where are you going? We're not done yet!"
"I read the lines, didn't I? And that lady doesn't seem too fond of me."
"No, no. I'll handle her. You stay and shoot this scene."
His eyes burned intensely.
Like a predator that had discovered prey.
"You saw the actor bail out, right? We need a replacement anyway. If we bring in someone else and redo the setup and
readings, the sun will be gone before we're ready. Just do it."
"No thanks."
I rejected him immediately.
I had quit my job today.
Was I supposed to become someone else's errand boy before even enjoying my freedom?
And for an actress who threw hysterical tantrums like that?
Absolutely not.
"Hey, hey! Listen! I'm not asking you to do it for free!"
The director blocked my path and held up three fingers.
"It's only one scene. Five lines. Thirty minutes, tops. I'll pay you three hundred thousand won in cash."
₩300,000.
My footsteps stopped.
A calculator instantly started running in my head.
'A convenience store lunchbox costs about five thousand won... that's sixty meals. Two meals a day means a month's worth
of food.'
Not a bad offer.
I needed to conserve my severance pay, and starting next month my income would be zero.
Earning a month's food expenses in thirty minutes sounded pretty good.
Internally, I had already accepted the offer.
I was merely waiting for the right timing.
If I agreed too quickly, I'd look desperate.
"..."
When I remained silent, the director's eyes shook.
Apparently, he interpreted my silence as dissatisfaction.
To be fair, I was dressed in a neat business suit.
To him, I probably didn't look like someone who would move for a mere three hundred thousand won.
Biting his lip, the director spread all five fingers.
"...Too little? Fine. Considering what happened earlier, I'll add compensation. Five hundred thousand. How about it?"
₩500,000.
My eyebrow twitched.
'Wow. This is actually working?'
That would cover utilities and phone bills with money left over.
I was celebrating internally.
Unfortunately, I was so surprised that my response came a second too late.
"Well..."
"Okay! Fine! That's enough! I can't go any higher!"
The director screamed while clutching his hair.
Glancing anxiously at the setting sun, he finally made up his mind and grabbed my hand.
"One million! One million won! Final offer! Don't ask for more!"
₩1,000,000.
The moment I heard the number, the calculator in my head exploded.
Forget convenience store meals.
This was fried chicken money.
Enough branded fried chicken to eat for a month.
For reading five lines, this was absurdly generous.
The director had clearly mistaken me for some hidden acting genius.
Misunderstandings could be profitable.
I quietly engraved this valuable lesson into my heart while maintaining a composed expression.
As calmly as possible.
As if this amount was perfectly normal.
"Cash, please."
#
The deal was made.
I was guided into a temporary dressing tent.
The inside was cramped and humid.
As a makeup artist patted powder onto my face, I felt a piercing stare from behind.
Through the mirror, my eyes met Park Juyeon's.
She stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me as if she wanted me dead.
Anger.
Irritation.
And a trace of fear that still hadn't completely disappeared.
"Hey."
Park Juyeon spoke.
Apparently, using informal speech was her default setting.
"How much did they pay you?"
Keeping my eyes closed while the makeup artist worked, I answered.
"What are you going to do with that information?"
"Ha. Unbelievable. The director must've bribed you with money, but don't get the wrong idea. I was only surprised
because I let my guard down. Not because your acting was amazing."
She was desperate to recover her pride.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you? Trying to impress the director and get a role. You planned this to embarrass me."
Her delusions were impressive.
I swallowed a sigh.
"I just did what I was told."
"What?"
"I only read what was written in the script. Whether you got scared or not isn't my problem."
My dry response turned her face bright red.
"Hey! Are you serious right now? Not your problem? Do you even know who I am?"
"I do. Park Juyeon."
"Then what's with that attitude? Aren't you going to apologize? Are you going to compensate me for ruining my
rehearsal?"
The makeup artist awkwardly stopped working.
The atmosphere had become hostile.
Slowly opening my eyes, I looked at myself in the mirror.
The face of an ordinary office worker.
But deep inside my mind existed a switch ready to be flipped at any moment.
Turning around, I looked directly at Park Juyeon.
"I should at least earn my pay."
"...What?"
"I agreed to one million won. If I'm getting paid that much, I should do my job properly. Apologies are for when I fail
to do my job."
Park Juyeon's mouth fell open.
It looked like she had never been treated this way in her life.
Indifference.
Disinterest.
And a strictly professional mindset.
It was almost possible to hear a scratch forming on her pride.
"Ha. One million won? Just for that..."
She laughed in disbelief.
Her eyes gleamed maliciously.
"Fine. Let's see if you're really worth the money. I won't go easy on you this time. If you come at me half-heartedly
like before, I'll humiliate you in front of the camera."
She kicked her chair back and stood.
"Finish the makeup already! The sun's setting!"
Then she stormed out of the tent.
I calmly looked back at the mirror.
'What a pain.'
Making money wasn't easy.
Still, it was a million won.
Compared to listening to Manager Kim nag me for an entire year, putting up with thirty minutes of complaints was a
bargain.
"Um..."
The makeup artist spoke carefully.
"Actor-nim... are you and Park Juyeon acquainted?"
"No. Today was the first time we've met."
"Then you're... surprisingly fearless."
She smiled strangely.
I shrugged.
It wasn't courage.
I was simply an unemployed man with nothing left to lose.
#
Preparations finished.
The sun was nearly gone, and darkness was beginning to settle.
"Alright! We're rolling! No time left! No NGs—let's finish this in one take!"
Director Ryu's voice thundered across the set.
I stood at my designated mark.
Park Juyeon stood opposite me.
She took a deep breath.
Her eyes were different now.
The irritated expression from earlier was gone.
She was fully immersing herself in the role.
Apparently, becoming a top star required more than just a pretty face.
'She's trying to crush me.'
Her intention was obvious.
She wanted to overwhelm me with acting ability and reclaim the dignity she had lost earlier.
It was a cute fighting spirit.
Unfortunately, she had picked the wrong opponent.
I wasn't acting.
I was simply flipping a switch.
"Scene 14, Take 1! Ready!"
The slate clapped.
"Action!"
The moment the signal came, Park Juyeon moved.
"W-Who are you? Why are you following me?"
Much better than during rehearsal.
The trembling voice.
The anxious gaze.
The pacing of her retreating steps.
She poured all her energy into controlling the frame, determined to make me look like an amateur.
Most rookie actors would have been crushed by that pressure.
But—
I closed my eyes.
In the darkness, the familiar switch appeared.
The crude switch.
Without hesitation, I flipped it upward.
Click.
The moment I opened my eyes, color disappeared from the world.
The woman before me was no longer actress Park Juyeon.
There was only a dead-end alley.
A trembling living creature.
And the scent of blood.
Something inside me swelled enormously.
A primal desire to tear into that fragile neck and hear desperate screams.
A hot breath escaped my lips.
"Hooo..."
That single breath made the air on set sink heavily.
Park Juyeon flinched.
She tried to continue acting.
But the moment our eyes met, her lips froze.
There was no light in my eyes.
It wasn't the gaze of a human looking at another human.
It was the gaze of a butcher looking at hanging meat.
Slowly, I stepped forward.
Step.
Step.
Each footstep echoed rhythmically like a heartbeat.
Park Juyeon retreated.
Not acting.
Instinct.
Every survival instinct in her body was screaming at her to run.
"Don't come closer... please don't..."
Those weren't lines from the script.
Her voice cracked.
I kept walking.
Until her back hit the wall and she had nowhere left to run.
I stopped directly in front of her.
My shadow engulfed her entire body.
Looking up at me, her pupils were stretched wide.
Tears streamed down her face.
"P-Please... spare me..."
She begged.
Slowly, I lowered my head.
Then whispered near her ear.
"Think of it as bad luck."
My voice scraped low and cold.
"Of all days."
My hand slowly rose and slammed against the wall beside her.
Bang.
Trapping her completely.
Park Juyeon gasped.
I could feel her legs giving out.
"Of all places... you had to run into me."
The corners of my lips stretched upward.
A smile.
Yet my eyes remained completely cold.
At that moment, Park Juyeon's mental defenses collapsed.
"AAAAAAAH! AAAAH!"
Screaming, she crumpled to the ground.
Clutching her head, she curled into a ball and trembled violently.
"I'm sorry! Please spare me! Sob..."
The alleyway set filled with desperate cries.
It wasn't acting.
It was a genuine struggle for survival.
Unable even to grab my pant leg, she crawled across the ground trying to escape.
I looked down at her expressionlessly.
The prey had completely lost the will to resist.
The hunt was over.
[Role execution complete.]
The notification rang inside my head.
The switch automatically flipped down.
Click.
The killing intent vanished instantly.
Warm blood began flowing through my body once more.
I had become Kang Seojun again.
"..."
Silence.
An even heavier silence than during rehearsal settled over the set.
The staff covered their mouths, unable to breathe.
The cameraman remained frozen behind the viewfinder.
Director Ryu stared blankly at the monitor.
On the ground, Park Juyeon sobbed helplessly.
"Hic... sob..."
She was hyperventilating from genuine terror.
Awkwardly scratching the back of my head, I thought:
'Maybe I overdid it.'
I was only trying to earn my one million won.
The results ended up being a little extreme.
"Cut..."
Someone whispered.
"C-Cut! Okay! Okay!"
Director Ryu jumped to his feet.
His voice cracked with excitement.
"This is it! This is exactly it! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
The director ran over while clapping enthusiastically.
"Wow..."
"That gave me goosebumps."
The staff finally began murmuring among themselves.
But Park Juyeon couldn't stand.
Even after her managers rushed over, her legs were too weak to support her.
The moment our eyes met, she let out a frightened squeak and looked away.
A perfect trauma.
Smacking my lips awkwardly, I looked at the director.
"It's finished, right?"
The director grabbed my hand with both of his and shook it wildly.
"Kid! You're unbelievable! How do you make an expression like that? I've never seen acting this real in my life!"
Spittle flew as he shouted excitedly.
I quietly withdrew my hand.
The praise was nice.
But I wanted something else.
Holding out my palm, I said:
"Good work."
The director blinked.
"Huh? Ah, yeah. Good work. Seriously, that was amazing."
I kept my hand extended and wiggled my fingers.
"One million won."
"...Huh?"
"You said cash. Right now."
The director's face went blank.
A moment ago he had been lost in artistic euphoria.
I ruthlessly dragged him back into reality.
"Ah... right. Money."
"I'm heading home. Please pay me."
Behind him, Park Juyeon was being carried away on her manager's back.
Her quiet sobs served as background music.
I simply waited for the director to open his wallet.
Tonight's dinner was going to be fried chicken.