Qualifications for the Award (3)
Kang Min had played many roles up to now.
Whether by chance or necessity, they were all extraordinary characters.
The warrior Hui-yul had been the starting point, and the recent William White marked the pinnacle.
That was why people had developed a sort of unspoken convention about roles that suited him.
'In that sense, they all must feel like they've been slapped across the face.'
Lloyd Gonzalez shrugged his shoulders.
The acting unfolding before his eyes was utterly unlike anything else.
[Detective, you have kids yourself, right? You understand, don't you?]
[That kid's a good one. Looks just like her mom. If she's gone a little astray lately, it's 'cause her dad's a worthless piece of shit.]
[I couldn't even move my body. 'Cause I'm such a worthless shit. That's all it was... and now even that's gone, leaving just that kid...]
His voice wasn't bold—it was a pathetic crawl.
His tone wasn't confident—it was sniveling and petty.
A dry, withered stump.
Stagnant, rotting water's edge.
An overgrown field of weeds.
And there, a rusted farm tool, abandoned and crumbling in the twilight—
Images of breakage and decay that no one had ever imagined coming from Kang Min left the audience flustered.
It was almost a reversal.
'Damn it, I have no idea what he's thinking!'
But that was it.
Harry Gordon only frowned deeper.
'Sure, the acting's brutal. Emotions are spot-on. He's got everyone's eyes glued.'
'But so what? Acting that strays from the theme is zero points, no matter how good. What the hell does drugs have to do with any of this?'
'He fought with his junkie son? That's some convoluted setup. It meant nothing until it came up.'
'And the detective knew he was a junkie and let it slide anyway? That's a stretch too far!'
The producers, snapping out of it late, couldn't help but think the same.
Setting aside the acting's polish, that story had no value. Just mentioning a son who never even appears as a junkie or whatever didn't make it real.
Everyone thought Kang Min had taken a wrong turn this time.
...Until that gaze whipped around.
[D-Detective... no!]
'?'
[It wasn't that kid. Look! If I was the perp, why would I come here?!]
'...?'
[Look at him. That face says he has no clue what's going on! That guy's innocent! It's all a misunderstanding!]
'...???'
And then,
Harry Gordon finally realized who was meant to play the "junkie son" Kang Min had mentioned—only after every eye in the room locked on him.
It was such a groundbreaking answer that Gordon blinked in a daze.
'...Me?'
#
The shoot was being broadcast live through broadcasting equipment.
It aired on other channels too, but as always, YouTube streaming drew the biggest crowd for its accessibility.
Chat was disabled, sparking viewer backlash, but it didn't matter soon enough.
Refreshing now just pushed comments back pages at a time, filling that role.
Harry Gordon had been yelling desperately for 30 minutes straight.
[Hey, I don't know that old man! He's not my dad!]
[...You're right, detective. How could I claim to be that punk's father? What have I ever done for him?]
[Damn it, that's bullshit! I don't have parents! They died when I was five!]
[That's how it'll end for you too... it'll happen... maybe that's for the best.]
'What the hell is this nonsense...!'
Gordon wanted to lose his mind watching Kang Min nod mournfully.
Having caught on to Kang Min's intent, Gordon flailed wildly to avoid getting dragged in, spitting whatever came to mind and piling on absurd details.
He ground his teeth.
'Turning my acting from earlier against me? You think that's easy?!'
[I don't know what kind of con you're pulling, but shut your trap!]
[Chun-sik...]
[?]
Unfortunately, it was easy.
The raw pathos Kang Min had laid down had already seized the room's atmosphere completely. Just the sight of the father(?) reddening his eyes in dazed despair turned the blabbering unfilial son(?) into public enemy number one.
And a master actor's performance pulls in even those who know it's acting.
Every time the crew made faces like "Whoa..." or "How can anyone be such garbage?", Gordon felt like he was going insane.
'And what's with Chun-sik anyway?! Is that even a modern name?!'
But even those reactions were mild.
The internet, already swept up in the aggrieved father's pathos, spewed vitriol like it was watching a trashy drama.
'What the hell are they saying, damn it!!!'
There was nothing to be done about it, whether the actor's guts twisted or not. To viewers, the father's denied paternal love was heartbreaking, and the son was trash of the trashiest kind.
And even as he lay dying, the father was still trying to shield such a son!
[That kid isn't like that. I know him best...!]
There was a sliver of truth in those words. Maybe it had been that way once.
But anyone who touches drugs inevitably ends up the same, innate evil aside.
Unfortunately, in the story, the unfilial junkie Chun-sik never came to his senses...
[Hey, old man! Cut the crap! If you're scamming for cash, do it somewhere else!]
[Cough, cough... hack!]
[?]
But even that outburst was futile. Soon, Kang Min's signature specialty kicked in.
The lab doctor's death in the experiment episode had been majestic.
The Ecuadorian priest's death had been terrifying.
William White's death had been inevitable.
But this death was different from all of them.
Heart-wrenching.
Brutal.
And almost groveling—
He reached out desperately.
[Detective, promise me. Please say you'll rule it an accident.]
[I'm the victim here. It happened to me, not someone else. The culprit's begging like this—can't you just look the other way...?]
[Detective...!]
The inhuman son.
For the sake of that child who drove his father to death and still spewed filial impiety while watching, the father was endlessly pleading.
Dr. Han had pondered what it meant to be human before dying.
The priest had reflected on his ambitions before dying.
But this ordinary father, breaths fading, had no time for such thoughts.
[Chun-sik......]
Slowly, death approached.
The detective's guess was right on both counts. Blood spilling to its limit chilled the body; blood flooding the lungs choked off even the faintest breath.
Yet even as his cooling body convulsed, even as he gurgled out his last sighs, the father forced his mouth open. Desperate not to burden his son.
But it was no use—vital signs faded. Pronunciation slurred, movements sank, pupils emptied.
Had there ever been a more wretched death—
Viewers held their breath, watching. It was that kind of scene.
...Of course, to Harry Gordon, it was all utter bullshit.
In that moment, he spat out his rage in English.
[Not my father!]
And—
"?"
"...?"
"Huh."
"My God...!"
'Ah.'
Amid the audience's admiring gasps, that trashy line cemented Kim Chun-sik's image perfectly, delivering the final flourish.
The polished version aired two weeks later.
#
[Not my father!]
[Drugs are the opposite of your entire life.]
(Drugs are something you trade your whole life for.)
[...Of course, including your parents.]
(Even your parents.)
The finished product outshone the raw footage.
Everyone did their part, but Shim Yoo-hyeon—who was moved by Harry Gordon's "fervent performance"(?)—deserved special credit.
"Acting that's this perfectly garbage...! Even trying to do it on purpose would be tough...!"
As always, he was profoundly moved by something inexplicable.
With Kang Min's okay, he went straight to the head director.
"Director Gonzalez. I could make this performance even more garbage! Why not let me handle the cut?"
"Oh, I already know your skills well, Director Shim. Gladly!"
Lloyd Gonzalez had no reason to refuse. He'd even acknowledged Shim Yoo-hyeon's talent back when he'd arrogantly dismissed Han Ye-seul.
The results of the mighty Lloyd and one of the Public Service Ad Quartet's leads teaming up were inevitable.
As soon as the anti-drug PSA aired in the US, screams erupted everywhere.
It didn't match the gun PSA's colossal impact, but the drug episode's ripple was massive too.
Especially Chun-sik—the character was too distinct. People loathed a vile unfilial son even more than a cat-stroking mafia boss.
Articles poured in immediately, mostly "favorable"(?).
"Kuh, damn it...!"
...Of course, to Harry Gordon, it was all just a nightmare.
No, to him, the whole situation felt like a dream.
"How, how can a 9-month rookie be this insane and monstrous at the same time...!"
A debut actor of just 9 months took up the challenge.
They even called in a broadcast van for live streaming.
And in 30 minutes, turned him into Kim Chun-sik.
...Anyone overhearing would have no clue where to even start criticizing.
"Kuh, I'm not Chun-sik! I never okayed that name!"
Gordon's outburst, spat in frustration, yielded the exact same result as old President Nixon's.
He started getting called Chun-sik Gordon, and "Chun-sik" wouldn't leave trending searches for over a week.
It was a horrific stretch of days he never could have foreseen.
'Damn it, I was crazy! Why did I poke that lunatic! I should've just stayed quiet...!'
Chun-sik Gordon regretted it now, but regret always comes too late.
The Chun-sik fever showed no signs of dying down. And Gordon now had a neurosis at the mere sound of the "Chun" syllable.
...But even that horror wasn't the end.
"H-Harry. Chun-si—"
"My God, Jesse! I told you not to say it! Please—"
"...Sorry, but we have to talk about this."
"What?!"
"Chun-sik got a Golden Globe nomination."
"......."
"......."
A long silence fell.
Year-end arrived on the calendar hanging between the jaw-dropped actor and his downcast manager.
It was awards season.
"Hm?"
And for Kang Min, two invitations arrived from overseas.
Qualifications for the Award (3) End