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Chapter 3
"Hey! Are you seriously leaving? You saved my number, right? Huh?"
Director Ryu clung to the taxi window shamelessly.
Even an ex-lover wouldn't be this pathetic.
I merely nodded through the narrow gap in the window.
"I saved it. I'll be going now."
"If you don't answer my calls, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth! Got it? Pick up the phone!"
The driver glanced at us through the rearview mirror before pulling away.
Even as Director Ryu gradually shrank into a dot in the rearview mirror, he continued waving.
I sank deep into the seat.
"Fuuu..."
A long sigh escaped me.
At the same time, my head spun.
Thud.
It felt as though someone had unplugged my power cord.
All strength drained from my body.
"...Ugh."
A groan slipped out without me realizing it.
My muscles felt like they were melting.
Was it the remnants of emotion?
The serial killer's killing intent?
No.
There was none of that.
My mind had returned completely, perfectly, to Kang Seojun.
What remained was overwhelming physical exhaustion.
It felt as though I had spent three consecutive nights working overtime before stumbling out of a sauna.
My eyelids became unbearably heavy.
'So it isn't free.'
Which made sense.
A normal human body shouldn't be able to sustain that level of immersion and intensity without consequences.
[Willpower has been consumed.]
[Rest is required.]
The helpful system message diagnosed my condition.
Rubbing my tired eyes, I leaned back.
At least there were no emotional side effects.
If playing a serial killer made me want to murder people afterward, or left me depressed, this ability would be a curse
rather than a blessing.
It was clean.
Acting was acting.
I was me.
A perfect separation.
I liked that dry, mechanical system.
"Sir, where are we headed?"
"...Sillim-dong."
I slipped a hand into my pocket.
A thick envelope brushed against my fingertips.
One million won in cash.
The feeling of those bills was the only thing grounding me in reality.
Somehow, my fatigue eased a little.
The very first thing I did after arriving home was open a delivery app.
Normally, I would've checked the discount coupons first.
I would've ordered takeout to save on delivery fees or settled for a convenience store lunchbox.
But today was different.
Without hesitation, I added crispy fried chicken to my cart.
Not just any chicken.
A drumstick combo.
Extra cheese balls.
And a liter of draft beer.
My finger pressed the payment button without a trace of hesitation.
"This is what life is all about."
After showering, the doorbell rang at the perfect moment.
The instant I opened the chicken box, the savory aroma of fried oil filled the cramped studio apartment.
I bit into the crispy coating and washed it down with an icy gulp of beer.
"Kyaaa..."
A satisfied sound escaped me.
The sensation of cold beer freezing its way from my throat down to my stomach was exhilarating.
It tasted nothing like the cheap soju I drank after being chewed out by Manager Kim.
Shaking my damp hair, I picked up the envelope lying on the floor.
Twenty crisp fifty-thousand-won bills.
I counted them one by one.
One.
Two.
...
Twenty.
Exactly one million won.
Chewing on a piece of chicken, I started doing the math.
My monthly salary at my previous company had been around 2.8 million won after taxes.
Five days a week.
Nine hours a day.
Including overtime, my hourly wage had been pitiful.
Yet today, I had earned one-third of that monthly salary in just thirty minutes.
And it was untaxed cash.
'That's an insane level of efficiency.'
Of course, I had been lucky.
An actor had bailed.
The director had been desperate.
And I happened to be there.
That kind of luck wouldn't happen every time.
But one thing was certain.
This ability.
This switch.
It could make money.
I took another sip of beer.
"Acting? Artistic passion? Self-fulfillment?"
I didn't care about any of that.
What mattered was efficiency.
Working less and earning more.
The dream of every office worker.
The lifestyle I had longed for when I quit my job.
And thanks to this strange ability, it might actually be possible.
Crushing the empty can, I tossed it into the trash.
'Let's sleep.'
Tomorrow's problems could be handled by tomorrow's Kang Seojun.
Today's Kang Seojun had already earned his keep.
#
When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.
11:00 AM.
Instinctively, I checked my phone and nearly shot upright.
'I'm late!'
The familiar terror shot up my spine.
Half a second later, I buried my face back into the pillow.
Ah.
Right.
I'm unemployed.
I lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.
The quietness of a morning without work.
Even the sound of the upstairs neighbor vacuuming felt peaceful.
Slowly, I sat up and grabbed my phone.
The moment I turned on the screen, notifications flooded in.
[15 Missed Calls]
[32 KokoaTalk Messages]
Every missed call came from the same person.
[Director Ryu Myunghoon]
"...Does this man ever sleep?"
He had been calling every thirty minutes since seven in the morning.
Scrolling down with an exhausted expression, I checked the messages.
Most were from friends and former university classmates.
[Kim Minsu: Dude, is this you?]
[Kim Minsu: (Link) Holy crap lol when did you debut?]
[Assistant Manager Park: Assistant Manager Kang, is this edited? The group chat is going crazy.]
[Lee Jinho: You lunatic LOL why are you in that drama? LOL]
Every single one included a link.
Frowning, I tapped the top one.
The YouTube app opened.
[Drama "Pursuit" Episode 5 Preview – A Legendary Villain Appears? The Story of Park Juyeon's Mental Breakdown (feat.
Rookie Actor)]
The thumbnail itself was provocative.
My face and Park Juyeon's terrified expression were edited together dramatically.
'It's already up?'
The shoot had ended around seven in the evening.
It was only eleven the next morning.
They must have worked through the night to edit and upload the teaser.
The production team's desperation practically leaked through the screen.
I hit play.
A creepy soundtrack accompanied a dark alleyway.
["W-Who are you? Why are you following me?"]
Park Juyeon's trembling voice echoed.
Then the screen switched to a close-up of my face.
Expressionless.
Yet my eyes carried an unsettling intensity.
["Think of it as bad luck."]
The version of me in the video spoke.
The voice sounded unnaturally low and dry.
Even hearing it through my phone speaker gave me chills.
["Of all days. Of all places... you had to run into me."]
Park Juyeon's scream followed.
The footage showed her crawling across the ground and begging for her life.
The preview ended with a caption:
[Broadcast Tonight at 10 PM]
Views: 1.5 million.
And it had only been six hours since upload.
I scrolled down to the comments.
[Top Comments]
ChickenLover:
Holy crap. Who's that actor? Look at those eyes. That's the gaze of a man who's killed people.
ParkJuyeonFan:
Was unnie actually acting? She looked genuinely terrified. This method acting is insane.
LivingRoomCritic:
The original male lead got dropped because he couldn't act, but now I'm watching tonight because of this villain. Is he
a rookie? His face is fresh.
Anonymous:
That smile at the end gave me goosebumps. Guess I'm not sleeping tonight.
The response was explosive.
Most people were curious about my identity or praising the fear-inducing realism of my performance.
'Not bad.'
I calmly continued reading.
I wasn't excited.
I wasn't overwhelmed.
I was simply confirming that my product had market value.
Opening a portal site, I checked the trending searches.
1. Drama Pursuit
2. Pursuit Serial Killer
3. Park Juyeon Crying
The rankings were completely dominated by the drama.
Just then, my phone vibrated again.
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
[Director Ryu Myunghoon]
Persistent old man.
After a brief hesitation, I answered.
"Hello."
"KANG SEOJUN!!!"
The roar nearly ruptured my eardrums.
I pulled the phone away from my ear.
"Why are you only answering now?! Do you know how many times I called?!"
"I was sleeping."
"How can you sleep right now?! Have you seen the internet? Have you seen YouTube?! Everything's exploding!"
His voice was practically shrieking.
He continued talking without taking a breath.
"You saw the comments, right? The reaction is insane! The broadcasting station's promotion team has been calling
nonstop! Where are you right now?"
"At home."
"Come out immediately! Get over to the station!"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?! The writer wants to meet you! The head writer is rewriting the script because of you, so get
over here and introduce yourself!"
Script revisions.
Which meant my screen time could increase.
This might become a proper contract rather than a one-time part-time job.
Leaning back against my bed, I thought it over.
Director Ryu was excited.
The opportunity had arrived, and naturally he wanted to capitalize on it.
Pursuit.
A drama that had been criticized for weak writing and rushed scripts.
And now my performance had completely changed the conversation.
There was no way they wanted to lose me.
In other words, they were the desperate side.
"Director."
"Yeah! Just grab a taxi and come to Yeouido—"
"I'm unemployed."
"...What?"
"I don't have money for a taxi."
Silence.
The director was probably questioning his hearing.
The terrifying rookie who had dominated search rankings and made a top star cry...
was complaining about taxi fare.
But I was serious.
One million won was precious.
There was no way I was spending my own money to go work.
"And I think we should renegotiate my appearance fee. Yesterday's payment was for a one-time extra role. If you're
hiring me officially, the rates should be different, shouldn't they?"
"..."
"If you don't pay, I'm not coming."
A moment later, the director let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Ha... Seriously. You're a real piece of work, aren't you? Most people would be running over here shouting thank you."
"I'm not most people."
"Hahahaha! Good! I like that! I really like that confidence!"
The director burst into hearty laughter.
"Taxi fare? I'll cover it! Round trip! Take a luxury taxi if you want! And the appearance fee? Don't worry. You'll get
more than you can imagine. Just get over here! The writer's already working herself to death building a backstory for
your character!"
A backstory.
Meaning a more developed character.
And more screen time.
A slight smile appeared on my lips.
"Alright. Send me the address."
The moment the call ended, a text arrived.
The address of the broadcasting station in Yeouido.
I climbed out of bed.
The face in the mirror looked messy from sleep.
But my eyes were clear.
Yesterday, I was an office worker dragging himself to work because he had no choice.
Today, I was an actor being summoned by a broadcasting station.
Opening my closet, I selected the cleanest suit I owned.
As I tied my necktie, a thought crossed my mind.
'How much should I ask for today?'
The switch remained off.
But the calculator inside my head never stopped running.
#
The broadcasting station lobby was grand.
The assistant director sent by Director Ryu was waiting near the security gates.
"Oh! Over here, Mr. Seojun!"
It was the same assistant director who had discovered me yesterday.
The moment he saw me, he bowed ninety degrees.
"Hello! Thank you so much for yesterday! You saved us!"
"Ah. Hello."
"Director Ryu has been waiting desperately. This way, please!"
He escorted me like a VIP guest.
The security guards glanced my way.
I could hear whispers.
"Who's that?"
"Isn't that the guy from yesterday's preview?"
We entered the elevator and headed toward the drama department conference room.
As we walked through the halls, I saw people rushing around through open office doors.
Ringing phones.
Shouting voices.
Typing sounds.
The scenery resembled an ordinary office.
Yet the energy was completely different.
"We're here."
The assistant director opened the conference room door.
Inside sat Director Ryu and a sharp-looking middle-aged woman wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
Revised scripts were scattered across the table.
"Oh! You're here!"
Director Ryu immediately jumped to his feet.
"Let me introduce you. This is the head writer of our drama, Writer Seo Eunbyeol."
"Hello. I'm Kang Seojun."
I bowed politely.
Writer Seo Eunbyeol stared at me through her glasses.
It felt as though she were scanning my bones and muscles with an X-ray machine.
"...You're cleaner-looking than I expected."
She muttered to herself.
"On screen, your eyes looked completely insane. But in person, you're this dry? Interesting."
Spinning her pen, she glanced toward Director Ryu.
"The director was right. Your face is peculiar. It's not that good and evil coexist in it."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're just... empty. Like a blank sheet of paper."
I wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or an insult.
"Sit down."
She pointed at a chair with her chin.
The moment I sat, Director Ryu slid a script toward me.
The cover read:
[Pursuit Episode 6 – Revised Draft]
"Listen carefully, Seojun. Writer Seo stayed up all night rewriting the script. Originally, your role was just Random
Psychopath #1. You were supposed to get caught by the protagonist and disappear after one episode."
I already knew that.
Yesterday's scene made it obvious.
"But we changed it."
Director Ryu spoke dramatically.
"You're the main villain now."
"...What?"
"Not a one-off extra. The central villain for the rest of the series. A major supporting role. You might even get more
screen time than the second male lead."
It was an astonishing offer.
Promoting an untested rookie to the main antagonist in the middle of a broadcast.
It showed just how desperate the drama industry could be.
"What do you think? Can you do it?"
The director and writer stared intently at my lips.
I placed my hand on the script.
The texture of the paper pressed against my palm.
I had to take this opportunity.
But accepting immediately would make me easy to exploit.
Slowly, I opened my mouth.
"I have a condition."
"A condition?"
The writer raised an eyebrow.
The expression on her face clearly said:
A rookie is making demands?
"Let's hear it. What? Do you want a personal makeup artist or something?"
"No. I don't need anything like that."
I tapped the table twice with my finger.
"As for the appearance fee... I think it should be fairly generous."
I looked at Director Ryu and smiled.
"You said I'm the main villain, didn't you?"