4
Chapter 4
Scratch.
The fountain pen glided smoothly across the paper.
After finishing the final stroke, I set the pen down.
Writer Seo Eunbyeol had been watching the entire process with her chin resting on her hand.
"Hmm. Looks like you know your own worth."
Her gaze lingered on my face.
Interest.
Curiosity.
And a hint of caution.
It was the distinctive gaze of a writer observing a subject.
Director Ryu laughed heartily and lightened the atmosphere.
"Hey, Seojun. Our writer likes you. This isn't the kind of money a rookie actor gets. She's making a special exception."
"Thank you."
"But! You'd better act properly, got it? You're the main villain now."
A contract sat on the table.
[Appearance Contract]
[Role: Hong Jinsu]
[Appearance Fee Per Episode: 3,000,000 Won]
'Three million won per episode.'
The moment I saw the number, my mouth went dry.
Ten episodes total.
Simple math.
Thirty million won.
An amount that would've required me to sacrifice an entire year at my previous company.
Yet now it was written on a single sheet of paper.
No overtime.
No weekend shifts.
Just money earned through my own ability.
My grip tightened around the pen.
Scribble.
I signed immediately.
There was no reason to hesitate.
"The contract is finalized."
Writer Seo Eunbyeol gathered the documents and spoke.
"Mr. Kang Seojun. I have one request."
"Please go ahead."
"Don't change those eyes."
She pushed up her glasses and smiled mysteriously.
"Whether you get a taste of money or fame, stay as dry as you are now. Those empty eyes of yours are what make our drama
believable."
I gave a slight nod.
"I'll do my best."
#
Three days later.
The broadcasting station's large conference room.
The day of the script reading.
As I walked down the hallway, the staff's gazes followed me.
Some looked curious.
Most looked doubtful.
A newcomer who had landed a major role because of a single viral YouTube clip.
That was how they saw me.
The moment I opened the conference room door, cool air brushed against my skin.
A giant U-shaped table filled the room.
Actors sat around it.
"..."
Dozens of eyes turned toward me at once.
Veteran actors I saw on television regularly.
Reliable supporting actors.
And seated in the center, the male and female leads.
As someone who occasionally watched dramas, there wasn't a single face I didn't recognize.
I took a short breath and walked forward.
Step.
Step.
My footsteps sounded unusually loud.
The room was carpeted, but in silence, even a pin drop sounded like thunder.
"Hello. I'm Kang Seojun. I'll be playing the role of Hong Jinsu."
I bowed as politely as possible.
The response was lukewarm.
"Ah, yes."
"Hello."
Aside from a few people nodding absentmindedly, most treated me as if I were invisible.
Their eyes openly displayed disdain and irritation.
'Where did this nobody come from?'
'Got lucky once and now he's acting important.'
I could almost hear their thoughts.
For actors who had clawed their way up from the bottom, there was no way they'd welcome someone who suddenly stole a
major role overnight.
The entertainment industry was a jungle.
Status was law.
And I was an outsider who existed beyond that law.
I found my assigned seat and sat down.
Coincidentally, it was directly beside Park Juyeon and across from Nam Dojin.
"..."
Park Juyeon flinched and subtly moved her chair farther away.
She couldn't even meet my eyes.
Instead, she buried her face in the script.
I noticed her fingertips trembling slightly.
'She's still like that.'
Apparently, the trauma ran deep.
I felt a little sorry for her.
But at the same time, it served as proof of my ability.
At least she couldn't ignore me.
The real problem sat across from me.
Thud.
Nam Dojin tossed his script onto the table.
One of the most sought-after actors in Korea.
A top star loved for his gentlemanly image.
Yet the man sitting before me was nothing like the gentleman audiences saw on television.
He lounged carelessly in his chair while examining me.
Luxury watch.
Perfectly styled hair.
And eyes overflowing with arrogance.
He hadn't even nodded when I introduced myself.
"Director."
Without taking his eyes off me, Nam Dojin called out to Director Ryu.
"Is this really okay?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"He's an unproven rookie. Just because he got some attention on YouTube, you're making him the main villain? If the
quality of the drama drops, who's taking responsibility?"
There was no attempt at politeness.
The room instantly froze.
The other actors quietly watched Director Ryu's reaction.
Director Ryu forced an awkward laugh.
"Come on, Dojin. You think I'd bring in just anyone? You've seen Seojun's acting yourself."
"Videos can be edited."
Nam Dojin scoffed.
"I don't believe anything until I see it with my own eyes."
He crossed his arms.
"If he keeps causing NGs while we're acting together, I won't tolerate it. My schedule is packed. I don't have time to
give acting lessons to amateurs."
He gestured toward me with his chin.
"You heard that, right? Let's not inconvenience each other."
It was obvious hazing.
A warning shot.
If I backed down now, I'd be pushed around throughout the entire production.
Someone like me, with no agency and no manager, was easy prey.
But I wasn't angry.
If anything, I felt sorry for him.
'He's wasting a lot of energy.'
All that emotional expenditure was labor too.
Why bother creating enemies?
I simply looked at him calmly.
Like an employee staring at a defective document.
"I'll keep that in mind."
My dry response caused Nam Dojin's brow to twitch.
He had probably expected me to become nervous or angry.
Instead, my detached attitude felt like he was talking to a wall.
Apparently, that irritated him even more.
"Tch."
Clicking his tongue, he looked away.
"Alright, alright! Let's begin! We're short on time!"
At the assistant director's announcement, the script reading began.
#
The early scenes went smoothly.
The veteran actors delivered stable performances.
Park Juyeon quickly shook off her nerves and immersed herself in her role like a true professional.
She avoided looking at me while reading her lines.
Nam Dojin's reputation as a top actor wasn't just for show either.
"Captain, doesn't something about this smell suspicious? The guy is still at the crime scene."
Playing a detective, his voice alone was impressive.
Perfect diction.
Strong emotional control.
Throughout the reading, he occasionally glanced at me as if saying:
"See that? That's what real acting looks like."
He was confident.
Desperate to establish himself as the king of the room.
I quietly waited for my turn.
Rustle.
Rustle.
The only sound in the conference room was pages turning.
The tension stretched through the room like a drawn bowstring.
Finally, the highlight scene of Episode 6 arrived.
The interrogation room scene.
Detective Nam Dojin's character cornering Hong Jinsu—my character—as the prime suspect.
"Next. Scene 15. Interrogation Room."
The writer's voice signaled the start.
Every eye in the room focused on Nam Dojin and me.
Nam Dojin struck first.
"Mr. Hong Jinsu. Where were you that night?"
His voice was sharp.
The persistence of a detective mixed with the determination of an actor trying to crush a rookie.
Without looking at the script, he stared directly at me while delivering his line.
The pressure radiating from across the table was considerable.
I set my script down.
Then I leaned comfortably against my chair.
Closing my eyes.
I entered the darkness inside my mind.
There, floating in the center, was the familiar crude switch.
Without hesitation, I flipped it upward.
Click.
The switch turned on.
The moment I opened my eyes, the fluorescent lights of the conference room felt different.
The background noise vanished.
The air became thick and sticky.
Sitting across from me was a conceited detective.
Slowly, I smiled.
"Who knows."
Just three words.
Yet my voice changed.
Dry.
But carrying an unmistakable trace of mockery.
Nam Dojin's eyebrow twitched.
The unexpected tone caught him off guard.
Still, he pushed forward.
"Are you playing games? I asked for your alibi. We even have a witness."
He tapped the table with his finger.
An improvised gesture not written in the script.
An intentional attempt to intimidate me.
I didn't react.
I simply stared at him.
Without blinking.
Without even breathing loudly.
Like a scientist observing a laboratory mouse.
Or a chef examining a fish on a cutting board.
"A witness..."
I tilted my head slightly.
"Is that true?"
"...What?"
"Your eyes are shaking, Detective. You're not very good at lying."
My gaze bored into his pupils.
At this moment, I wasn't Kang Seojun.
I was Hong Jinsu.
A sociopath who treated human psychology like a toy.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
I could hear actors swallowing nervously.
Writer Seo Eunbyeol had stopped moving her pen.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
Nam Dojin's expression gradually stiffened.
His lips moved.
Trying to respond.
But he missed the timing.
Because my silence.
My gaze.
Had stolen his rhythm.
Overwhelming pressure.
Strength wasn't about shouting or getting angry.
True fear came from incomprehensible calmness.
I absorbed his momentum like a sponge.
Then returned it as something colder.
Something poisonous.
Tap.
Tap.
I lightly tapped the armrest.
"Bring me evidence."
My voice came out low.
A metallic resonance hidden beneath it.
"Instead of accusing innocent people."
Then I smiled.
Only my mouth moved.
My eyes remained dead.
"Detective, you seem rather incompetent."
Boom.
An invisible shockwave slammed into Nam Dojin.
"Y-You bastard..."
He delivered the line.
But it wasn't acting.
It was genuine panic.
His voice trembled.
His pronunciation faltered.
"W-Wait. This guy..."
He forgot his next line.
His eyes dropped toward the script.
His hands shook so badly he couldn't turn the page.
I had gotten to him.
I could practically see his mind turning blank.
His status.
His career.
His pride as a top star.
None of it mattered before something that felt real.
He was no longer a detective interrogating a criminal.
He was a human being being crushed by the gaze of a serial killer.
Silence.
The only sound in the room was Nam Dojin's uneven breathing.
His face had turned bright red.
He didn't know what to do.
"Cut."
Director Ryu spoke quietly.
"...Good."
That single word ended the scene.
I searched for the switch in my mind.
[Situation complete.]
[Switching OFF.]
Click.
The cold shell surrounding me vanished.
The killing intent.
The mockery.
The arrogance.
All of it receded like a tide.
At the same time, familiar exhaustion settled onto my shoulders.
'Ah, I'm tired.'
Suppressing a yawn, I rolled my neck.
My body felt incredibly heavy.
Then I noticed something strange.
"..."
Nobody was speaking.
No pens scratching.
No pages turning.
Only silence.
A heavy silence filled the conference room.
Blinking, I looked around.
Veteran actors sat frozen with their mouths hanging open.
Park Juyeon had turned pale and was avoiding my gaze.
Even Writer Seo Eunbyeol was staring blankly at me over her glasses.
And directly across from me—
Nam Dojin was trembling violently, his face bright red.
Instinctively, I replayed what had just happened.
A moment ago, I had been immersed in Hong Jinsu.
I had pressured the detective sitting across from me.
And now?
Nam Dojin had forgotten his lines and frozen up.
Hmm.
The atmosphere felt strange.
"Sorry. Did I overdo it?"
I spoke.
But because the room was so quiet, my voice came out lower than intended.
"...!"
I noticed Nam Dojin clenching his fist beneath the table.
Then Writer Seo Eunbyeol suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Seojun."
"Yes?"
"Do you really not know?"
Adjusting her glasses, she stared at me.
"Know what?"
"...Never mind."
She shook her head and laughed softly.
"Interesting. Truly interesting."
Her smile widened.
"So this is how terrifying it is when a genius doesn't realize they're a genius."