Cumulative (3)
Leaving Management Team 4’s office and stepping into the hallway, Kang Jaeha called Lee Chanhoo’s name over the phone.
“Lee Chanhoo.”
He was giving instructions with unusual seriousness. A few minutes later, after he finished the call, Jaeha lowered the phone at once.
He checked the time. He had no reason to see Yoon Dayeon today. She had no schedule. By now, she was probably at home reading the Gyeollo script or, as Jaeha had told her, preparing free-form acting for auditions.
Hmm.
After turning it over in his head for a moment, Jaeha murmured softly, “If I’m going to see whether she changes, it’s better to leave her alone for now instead of trying to stop it in advance.”
He was talking about Yoon Dayeon. He also ran through the contents of her Déjà vu again, and with it, Kim Cheoljung’s face. Jaeha lifted his chin slightly and looked upward.
Kim Cheoljung, go ahead and make as much of a fool of yourself as you want.
By lunchtime, Director Kim Cheoljung could be found at a fairly upscale Japanese restaurant near Leon Entertainment. It was a place made up of a main hall and private rooms, and he was in one of those rooms having lunch with several men in suits. He had originally planned to meet them at night, but because their schedules overlapped, they had moved it to noon.
As Kim Cheoljung picked up a piece of sushi, one of the men asked, “Haha, but honestly, I was really surprised. Yoon Dayeon, out of nowhere.”
Kim Cheoljung lowered the sushi onto a side plate and stroked his long chin.
“So? What do you think of Yoon Dayeon?”
The men across from him exchanged a look, then grinned.
“What’s there to say? She’s long past her prime in the mainstream, but in our line, she’s A-class.”
Kim Cheoljung, chewing on another piece of sushi, smiled as well.
“Right? A tiger’s still a tiger, even when it rots. If Yoon Dayeon goes over to the adult market, she’ll fly. She’s got name recognition.”
“Exactly. Haha, but—”
The man answering him looked a little concerned.
“Have you actually talked things over with Yoon Dayeon?”
“No. But she won’t be hard to reel in. Things aren’t good for her right now. I’m sure her finances are tight too.”
“Is that so?”
“I’ll set the rough scenario. If you follow it, this’ll go smoothly.”
Kim Cheoljung’s eyes were full of greed as he began sketching out the story for the men opposite him. How they were supposed to draw Yoon Dayeon out, and what offer they were to throw at her once she came. The men listened carefully. They were people from the adult-film side, and someone at Yoon Dayeon’s level was a catch.
The meal went on for about two hours.
After they finished eating, Director Kim Cheoljung and the men exchanged farewells in the parking lot.
“Thank you, Director.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s stay in touch.”
“Of course. I’ll call you with the result.”
They had no idea that one of the cars in the lot contained a man watching them.
“Look at them cracking up. Bastards.”
Lee Chanhoo had been watching the whole time.
About an hour later, Yoon Dayeon’s officetel.
Yoon Dayeon was seated in the living room. Her long straight hair was tied back, a headband holding it in place. Sitting amid a fairly messy room, she was muttering to herself.
She was reciting the free-form lines she had written herself.
She was preparing for the audition for the short film Gyeollo, and her focus was razor sharp.
“Ah- no, that’s wrong. Why the hell won’t this stick? Is it because I haven’t auditioned in ages??”
She smacked her own head a few times. For some reason, Kang Jaeha’s blank face flashed through her mind in that moment. So did the line he would have said.
Your skills have dropped a lot. As expected of a washed-up has-been.
It wasn’t something Jaeha had actually said, but he was absolutely the kind of person who could have said it. Yoon Dayeon clicked her tongue and shivered, then dove back into practice.
That was when it happened.
A melody rang from the phone beside her. A call. The caller ID showed an unknown number. Yoon Dayeon didn’t save numbers very often, so she cleared her throat and answered.
“Yes, this is Yoon Dayeon.”
The other side was a man with a rather deep voice.
“Hello, Ms. Yoon Dayeon. My name is Nam Cheoljin. We met once at a film festival before.”
Nam Cheoljin? Yoon Dayeon felt like she might remember, but maybe she didn’t. She answered honestly.
“No, sorry. I’m not very good at remembering faces.”
“Haha, no problem. It was only a brief greeting anyway.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Actually, I’d like to propose a script to you, Dayeon.”
“What??”
Yoon Dayeon’s eyes widened.
“A script proposal?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of—”
“It’s a little hard to explain over the phone. I’d rather meet in person and go over the script and the details with you.”
A script? Yoon Dayeon’s interest was instantly piqued. The process didn’t matter much. It was a market where actors recommended work to each other all the time. And Yoon Dayeon wasn’t in a position to be choosy anyway. Of course, she wasn’t going to abandon Gyeollo. Still, the word “script” was too sweet to ignore. She swallowed lightly and answered.
“Go on.”
“Are you free today?”
A few hours passed after that. In the late afternoon, Yoon Dayeon arrived at an expensive private room bar near Gangnam Station. A bar in name only; in practice, it was more of a meeting place for people with money.
I’ve been here before.
Yoon Dayeon seemed to remember coming here once in the past. But it had been so long ago that the memory was fuzzy. In any case, she opened the private room she had been told to go to. Two men in suits were waiting inside, and when they saw her, they sprang to their feet and bowed.
“Hahaha, Ms. Yoon Dayeon. We’ve been waiting.”
“Hello. I’m Nam Cheoljin, the one you spoke with.”
“Yes, hello.”
After the greetings were done, Yoon Dayeon sat on the sofa. The room was dimly lit. The liquor on the table was all expensive, and even the glasses looked refined at a glance. The scent in the room was pleasant too, and Yoon Dayeon, in her loose jeans, crossed one leg over the other and got straight to the point.
“I don’t have a lot of time, so I’d appreciate it if you could get to the point.”
She was being polite, but the edge in her voice showed through. The man who had introduced himself as Nam Cheoljin handed her a business card.
“Of course.”
Yoon Dayeon looked at it first. It said he was the representative of some film company she had never heard of. As she glanced down at the card, Nam Cheoljin composed himself and said, “The script we’d like to propose to you, Ms. Yoon Dayeon, is an adult film.”
She froze. Yoon Dayeon’s hand stopped mid-motion as she lowered the business card. An adult film? Did I hear that wrong? Her gaze wavered as she looked at the two men across from her and asked again, “...What did you just say? An adult film?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Whether shock had rattled her brain or what, Yoon Dayeon spoke with a slightly dazed expression.
“...An adult film? No, I thought you said it was a regular movie script.”
Nam Cheoljin shook his head. Silence settled for a moment. During that pause, Yoon Dayeon remained in a state of utter disbelief, and Nam Cheoljin delivered the prepared line. It was exactly what Director Kim Cheoljung had told him to say.
“Dayeon, look at reality. We’re making this proposal after serious consideration. Things have been tough for you lately, haven’t they? I heard your younger sibling isn’t in good health.”
“······”
“We’ll make sure the fee isn’t disappointing.”
It sounded oddly familiar. Of course, Yoon Dayeon was hearing this for the first time. But someone had already seen these lines before. Kang Jaeha. It was the same situation he had glimpsed in her Déjà vu.
When Yoon Dayeon still didn’t answer and the silence dragged on, the man who had come with Nam Cheoljin spoke up instead.
“An adult-film company taking interest in you? That’s only possible while you still have some pull.”
The unspoken meaning was clear enough. I know your situation already, so don’t act above it and just take the offer. To the men, Yoon Dayeon’s face looked like that of someone wrestling with indecision.
Looks like it worked.
That was what Director Kim Cheoljung had told them. That Yoon Dayeon’s circumstances were so barren they had become hell, so in the end she would take the offer. She probably would have. Pushed to the absolute edge, Yoon Dayeon was very likely to accept. The expression Jaeha had seen in his own Déjà vu of her had been the same.
But now, Yoon Dayeon’s temper had been sharpened raw by Kang Jaeha. In other words, something major had changed.
She rose and grabbed the bucket full of ice beside her. Then she threw the ice hard at the men across from her.
The two men jerked in shock.
“W-what the hell?!”
“What are you doing, Ms. Yoon Dayeon!!”
With an air that practically said, So what?, Yoon Dayeon snatched up the empty bucket and flung it at them.
“An adult film? What the hell kind of bullshit is that! You bastards.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Why don’t you strip and make fools of yourselves if that’s your thing. Ugh, I’m pissed off!”
She glared at the two men like she wanted to tear them apart with her eyes. She might still have been a has-been, but her resolve and her mindset were no longer the same as they had been in the past. Without hesitation, she stormed out of the room. Nam Cheoljin and the other man were still brushing ice off themselves, looking utterly baffled. It was a result that had gone so far off the expected path they didn’t even know where to start.
As the two men spent several minutes cleaning up the ice, one of them muttered in disbelief, “What the hell was that?”
“...That’s not what Director Kim Cheoljung told us.”
“I-I’ll call him.”
At that moment, the private room door suddenly swung open. The two men, thinking Yoon Dayeon had come back, snapped their heads toward the doorway. But it wasn’t Yoon Dayeon who appeared. It was a man wearing a cap pulled low and a mask over his face.
“Stay... right where you are.”
It was Lee Chanhoo. Though his face was hidden, his trademark roguish tone came through as he muttered again at the two men.
“I’ve got someone who needs to see you.”
“W-who are you?”
“I said wait.”
Lee Chanhoo cast a subtle warning and glanced to the side. Footsteps sounded outside the door. A moment later, Chanhoo stepped back, and another man who had been standing just beyond him slipped into the room.
“······”
The man looked quietly at Nam Cheoljin and the other man. His expression was blank.
It was Kang Jaeha.
Yoon Dayeon probably had no idea in her dreams that Jaeha would come here. Jaeha sat down on the sofa she had occupied a moment ago and, with that same indifferent face, spoke low across to the two men.
“I came knowing everything. Kim Cheoljung, right?”
Neither Nam Cheoljin nor the other man knew how to react. Shock and tension lined both their faces. The one who answered was Nam Cheoljin.
“...Excuse me?”
Jaeha tilted his head slightly and answered with only one short line.
“I said I came knowing everything.”
“······”
The truth was, Jaeha had been thinking about this ever since he saw Yoon Dayeon’s Déjà vu. Fine, he knew the contents. But who had pushed Yoon Dayeon into that situation in the first place? Team Leader Jang Hyeongsu? No, even Chief Manager Kim Daeyong had been a suspect. In fact, Kim Daeyong had seemed the most likely at first.
But as time passed, Jaeha decided that he wasn’t the one.
By then, the newly added suspect was Director Kim Cheoljung. No matter how washed up Yoon Dayeon might be, someone proposing an adult film to an agency actress had to be at least team-leader level or above. It wasn’t easy to pull off a scheme this large without someone backing it.
One way or another, Jaeha’s guess had been right.
Of course, he already had quite a bit of evidence regarding Director Kim Cheoljung: taking bribes, having a mistress, and so on. But evidence was like money. More was always better.
Rather than stop Yoon Dayeon from showing up here, it’s better to use this situation as the spark that lights her up.
Sometimes people only wake up after falling into the pit. Sometimes the resolve they already forged becomes even harder. That was why Kang Jaeha hadn’t stopped Yoon Dayeon in advance.
And then.
“W-who the hell are you?”
Nam Cheoljin was rattled. Jaeha gave him a cold look.
“You offer an adult film to an actress under Leon’s name? And do it without even clearing it with the company?”
“N-no, that’s not it! Are you with Leon?”
Jaeha had invoked the name of Leon Entertainment’s head. In this industry, that usually worked very well.
“If President Han Taeseong hears about this, you’ll be in deep shit.”
“!!!”
“So, what exactly did Director Kim Cheoljung say?”
Jaeha leaned forward. Inside the padding pocket of his jacket was a phone with the recording already running.
“T-there! Director Kim Cheoljung called us first!”
“Right! We were just doing what Director Kim Cheoljung told us to do!”
The two men began spilling everything. After gathering every scrap of evidence he could, Kang Jaeha got to his feet from the sofa. Then he threw down a warning at them, his voice carrying a trace of killing intent.
“Go into hiding. And act like you don’t know anything. From now on, keep doing that.”
At the same time, inside Leon Entertainment.
The place was Director Kim Cheoljung’s office. The workday had ended long ago, but he was still there, having tried calling someone several times over the last few minutes. He had been dialing Nam Cheoljin. For some reason, the call kept going unanswered.
Kim Cheoljung clicked his tongue.
“What the hell are those bastards doing. Did they meet Yoon Dayeon or what.”
As his frustration and curiosity mounted, his phone finally rang. About damn time. But the number on the screen was not Nam Cheoljin’s. It was an unknown number. What the hell is this now? Still, he lowered his voice and answered.
“This is Kim Cheoljung.”
A man’s voice came over the phone.
“Director?”
Since it might have been some money source not saved in his contacts, Kim Cheoljung at least kept up appearances.
“Where are you?”
The reply on the other end was as indifferent as could be.
“You must be eating well, considering how much bribe money you’ve been swallowing.”
“...What?”
“Let’s meet for a minute.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“You’ll know when you see me.”
“······”
“If you don’t want to see me, then don’t. I don’t care. So what’ll it be?”
Kim Cheoljung’s eyes darted around nervously. For some reason, he had a feeling this was not something he could ignore. Especially the word “bribes.” Grinding his back teeth, Kim Cheoljung answered as calmly as he could.
“Time. Place.”
That same night.
Just before midnight, Kim Cheoljung parked his car. It was a quiet park with a view of the Han River. Few people were around. He had both hands shoved into the coat he was wearing when he muttered, “Damn it... who the hell is this bastard?”
That was when he sensed someone behind him. Kim Cheoljung turned sharply. A man in a black padded jacket was walking toward him. Only when he came close did his face become visible. Black hair. Blank expression. Kim Cheoljung immediately narrowed his brow.
I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.
He looked familiar. But the memory was hazy. He couldn’t quite place where he had seen him before. In contrast, the man who had approached him, no, Kang Jaeha, smiled at Kim Cheoljung. It was a distinctly sneering smile. Kim Cheoljung’s face twisted, and he barked, “You... who are you? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”
Jaeha pointed at Kim Cheoljung’s throat.
“Who else? I’m the one who’s going to put a leash on you.”
“What bullshit are you talking about?”
Jaeha casually dropped something in front of Kim Cheoljung. Kim Cheoljung looked down. His face instantly went ashen. It was understandable. What Jaeha had thrown down was a photograph, and every person in it was Kim Cheoljung himself. The bribe meetings.
“Y-you bastard. What is this!”
Slowly lifting the corners of his mouth, Kang Jaeha answered with complete calm.
“Why’re you getting worked up already? I’ve only shown you episode one.”
After all, episodes two and three were still waiting.