5
Chapter 5
Creak.
The taxi had carried me all the way from Seoul to Paju.
The fare came out to a whopping fifty thousand won.
The old me would've trembled while paying that amount.
But things were different now.
'That's cheap.'
I'm now earning three million won per episode.
If I appear in all ten episodes, that's a total of thirty million won.
And I'm supposed to worry about fifty thousand won?
Not a chance.
'Though I can't keep doing this forever.'
Of course, I had no intention of taking taxis indefinitely.
For now, I could freely accept roles and travel however I wanted.
But eventually I'd join an agency and ride around in a vehicle driven by a manager.
That was a problem for future Kang Seojun.
As I entered the filming site, the assistant director hurried over to greet me.
"Oh, Mr. Seojun! You're here?"
The set had been built inside a renovated abandoned factory.
Staff members rushed around busily while rows of shipping containers served as temporary dressing rooms for the actors.
A noisy filming set.
Step.
"..."
The moment I entered, the noise abruptly stopped.
For a second, it felt as though time itself had frozen.
But that wasn't it.
Just as I was about to put my earbuds in, voices drifted into my ears.
Three men stood together talking.
"Hey, is that him? The guy from the preview?"
"Yeah. The one who got picked up because the director liked him after he filled in during filming."
"What, how good can some random civilian actor be? The director must've lost his mind."
They were speaking loudly on purpose.
As if they wanted me to hear.
"I heard he caused a scene during the script reading too. Wonder what kind of guy he is."
"They said Dojin got overshadowed. His condition must've been bad that day."
"I heard the writer's obsessed with him. Something about him feels weird."
Pathetic people.
The kind who loved talking about others and gossiping whenever possible.
I didn't even feel like responding.
There was a saying for people like that.
'Don't feed the trolls.'
Why waste energy on strange people?
"Hey, are we really going to lose to a guy like that? We've got seniority."
"Heh. Exactly. Let's crush him with our acting today. Then he won't be able to say a word."
Come to think of it, according to the script, I shared a scene with those three nobodies.
Their fragile pride.
Maybe I should break it with acting.
#
"Alright! Stand by!"
Director Ryu's voice boomed through the loudspeaker.
The inside of the abandoned factory was gloomy.
A single hanging bulb swayed from the ceiling, barely illuminating the space.
Hong Jinsu.
My character had originally been a one-off role.
Just a serial killer who appeared briefly.
But after my performance attracted attention, the writers expanded his story.
'Turns out he's the boss of the organization.'
And today's scene involved Hong Jinsu disciplining three subordinates who had botched a job.
The three subordinates were—
Naturally, those guys.
I sat on a red velvet sofa with one leg crossed over the other.
Soon, the three men lined up before me.
"We're skipping rehearsal and going straight into filming! Let's wrap this up before sunset!"
Despite filming indoors, Director Ryu kept repeating his obsession with finishing before sunset.
A man of consistency.
I was pretty sure he'd said the same thing when we first met.
Meanwhile, the apparent leader among the three twisted his lips into a smirk.
A look that clearly said:
Let's see what you've got.
I smiled back.
"Cue!"
The slate clapped.
The actors immediately began performing.
And it was time for me to do the same.
Click.
[Switch: ON]
The switch activated.
The colors of the world changed instantly.
The three worthless men before me seemed even more worthless now.
Originally, they were just three gossip-loving supporting actors.
Now, they looked like incompetent underlings wasting space in Hong Jinsu's organization.
Annoyance rose inside me.
How should I punish these idiots?
One of the men delivered his line.
"S-Sorry, boss! We caught the scent of cops, so we couldn't help it!"
His voice was loud.
Booming.
Far louder than necessary.
The script clearly said:
"Frantically making excuses."
He was trying to intimidate me.
Trying to make me flinch.
'So that's how you want to play it.'
I rolled the Zippo lighter in my hand.
Click.
Click.
The sharp metallic sounds echoed across the set.
I didn't say my line immediately.
Instead, I allowed silence to settle.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
The man's eyes began to waver.
The longer I remained silent, the faster his breathing became.
Perhaps he thought I had forgotten my line.
A mocking smile started forming at the corner of his mouth.
Then—
I suddenly leaned forward.
"..."
The distance between us vanished instantly.
The man tried to retreat, but I grabbed his collar.
Slowly.
Irresistibly.
I pulled him closer.
"You smelled cops?"
I whispered directly into his ear.
A voice as foul and sticky as rotten blood.
"You bastard. Looks like your nose works just fine..."
My grip tightened.
The man's collar twisted in my fist.
"You can smell danger."
I tilted my head.
"But you can't bite?"
He began coughing.
Because I was genuinely restricting his breathing.
Not enough to hurt him.
More than enough to terrify him.
The mockery vanished from his eyes.
Only primal fear remained.
'W-What the hell is this guy?'
His pupils shook violently.
My eyes, meanwhile, were smiling.
As if I was having the time of my life.
"Then I should cut your tongue out."
I flicked open the lighter.
Fwoosh.
A blue flame danced to life.
The flame hovered directly in front of his eyes.
The heat threatened to singe his eyelashes.
"Or maybe you don't need that nose either."
I slowly moved the flame toward the tip of his nose.
Not touching.
Just close enough.
"AAAH!"
The man screamed and fell backward onto the floor.
That wasn't in the script.
Originally, Hong Jinsu was only supposed to lightly slap his cheek and say:
"Do better next time."
But survival instinct had taken over.
The man scrambled backward in terror.
The other two actors standing beside him had gone pale.
They weren't looking at actor Kang Seojun.
They were looking at Hong Jinsu.
A genuine madman.
A criminal boss.
I slowly rose from the sofa.
Step.
Step.
The sound of my dress shoes echoed loudly.
"Don't run."
I grabbed the fallen man's hair.
"It's boring."
The man trembled violently as he grabbed my pant leg.
"I-I'm sorry... Please spare me..."
He meant it.
There wasn't a trace of acting in his voice.
He was genuinely begging for his life.
Looking down at him, I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
"Get lost."
A short sentence.
Then I turned away.
"Cut! Okay!"
Director Ryu's shout exploded across the set.
[Scene Complete.]
[Switching OFF.]
Click.
[Switch: OFF]
I let out a long breath and shook my head.
I felt dizzy.
The immersion had been particularly deep this time.
My fingertips tingled.
"Fuuu..."
A deep breath escaped me.
The world spun briefly.
The sadistic pleasure of crushing someone beneath my feet had reached deeper than usual.
The backlash struck my brain.
My fingers trembled faintly.
I clenched and unclenched my fist.
The unpleasant aftertaste had vanished.
But heavy fatigue settled onto my shoulders.
'I'm tired.'
I raised my head.
The actors who had been rolling around on the floor were still sitting there blankly.
The apparent leader clutched his chest while gasping for air.
Fear filled his eyes.
He still hadn't fully recovered.
"...Are you alright?"
I walked over and extended my hand.
The moment he saw it, he nearly jumped backward.
"Ah... uh..."
He avoided my eyes.
The confidence he had shown earlier in the waiting room had disappeared completely.
Instead of taking my hand, he staggered awkwardly to his feet.
His trembling legs were almost pitiful.
"T-Thank you for your hard work."
After stammering out the greeting, he practically fled the set.
The other two immediately bowed ninety degrees and followed after him.
The hierarchy had been established.
"Wow, Seojun!"
Director Ryu ran over from the monitor.
"You... are you absolutely sure you've never acted before? Seriously, the tension you create is unbelievable! Was the
lighter improvisation?"
"Yes. It was just there."
"You're insane. Did you see how scared those actors were? That's real acting!"
The director spoke excitedly, practically spraying spit.
Beside him, Writer Seo Eunbyeol adjusted her glasses and nodded.
"It was much better than the script. That line about his nose—did you change it yourself?"
"It sounded more natural."
"Good choice. It fits Hong Jinsu much better."
The writer replayed the footage on the monitor.
"Those actors were genuinely scared. They said they've been acting for ten years, yet they couldn't even stand up to a
rookie."
There was hidden meaning in her joke.
I answered calmly.
"The senior actors supported the scene well."
"So humble."
She lightly smacked my arm and laughed.
The shoot had been a success.
The seniors who had tried to bully me had been dealt with.
The director and writer were becoming increasingly friendly.
But I couldn't celebrate yet.
'How am I getting home?'
A realistic problem appeared.
I checked the time.
It was already past nine at night.
We were in the outskirts of Paju.
The kind of place where even finding a taxi was questionable.
And even if I found one, another problem remained.
The long ride back to Seoul.
My body was already exhausted from the switch's backlash.
Massaging my stiff neck, I headed toward the set exit.
Step.
Step.
My legs felt heavy.
As I crossed the dusty parking lot—
Honk!
A horn sounded behind me.
A large white van stopped beside me.
The window rolled down.
A familiar face appeared.
Park Juyeon.
"Mr. Seojun, are you heading home?"
"Yes. Good work today."
I gave a polite nod and tried to continue walking.
Then she called out again.
"Get in."
"...Pardon?"
"You won't find a taxi out here. If you're heading to Seoul, I'll give you a ride."
I glanced inside the van.
Soft limousine seats.
Cool air conditioning.
A comfortable interior.
My first impression of Park Juyeon hadn't exactly been positive.
For a moment, I felt reluctant.
"..."
But she seemed different now.
Gone was the proud woman who had looked down on me.
Instead, she bit her lip and looked strangely nervous.
'Has her attitude changed?'
Maybe she was simply the type who respected strength.
If so, that wasn't a problem.
It meant she now acknowledged me and wouldn't treat me carelessly.
"Thank you."
I opened the passenger door.
"Come sit in the back with me. No need to sit up front."
Without arguing, I sat beside her.
Her manager took the wheel.
The van pulled away smoothly.
"I watched your scene earlier."
Park Juyeon looked at me as she spoke.
"Director Ryu told me to watch."
"Ah..."
"It was really scary. Those senior actors looked completely terrified."
"I was just lucky."
I answered dryly and closed my eyes.
Fatigue washed over me.
I didn't have the energy to continue a conversation.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Perfect. I haven't eaten yet either. Let's grab dinner in Seoul before we part ways."
I opened my eyes.
Dinner?
Honestly, it sounded bothersome.
I wanted nothing more than to go home, shower, and sleep.
But refusing felt awkward after accepting a ride.
More importantly, my stomach was beginning to growl.
After expending that much energy, my body demanded fuel.
"What are we eating?"
"I'm not sure. What do you like?"
"Anything that comes out quickly."
My answer made Park Juyeon laugh in disbelief.
"Wow. You're unbelievably dry. How can someone be like that?"
"I'm tired."
"Fine. I know a decent restaurant on the way. We'll go there."
She gave the manager a new destination.
I leaned my head against the seat.
Streetlights flashed past outside the window.
My eyelids grew heavier.
This time, I didn't resist.
I simply surrendered myself to sleep.