Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 017
Chapter Title: Manager or Actor? (2)
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“……!”
Like a light bulb flickering on in an instant.
Like a flower bud unfurling its petals in full bloom.
Kwon Seonghyeon’s face lit up brightly.
“Thanks, Yeonwoo-ssi.”
“It might not be much help. That ‘feeling’ you’re talking about is just everyday life for me, so I don’t even know how it differs from others.”
“That’s fine. It’s up to me to figure that out. Just showing me a perfect example like this is a huge help.”
“Yeah, well…… Got it. Oh, and it’d be better if you stayed a bit farther away.”
“Yes……?”
‘With you here, the trivial ghosts and obsessions can’t even approach.’
He swallowed those words.
“Anyway, you just need to walk around like you normally do, right?”
“Yeah. That’ll be enough. Oh, wait! Why don’t we skip this and have you walk around right here on set instead?”
“Yes?”
“That’d be even more helpful.”
[Yeonwoo. Bundle. Remember the bundle. Got it?!]
The hamster squeaked on about how he’d pulled him out of the water and now had to grab the bundle too.
“…….”
Somehow, he ended up being led by Kwon Seonghyeon onto the set.
Watching from afar as a spectator felt completely different from standing right in the middle of it.
‘This is intriguing.’
He never imagined he’d end up standing in a place like this in such a way.
The pouring lights.
Countless gazes sparkling even brighter, directed right at him.
Just standing in the center of the set, he could feel the multitude of eyes hidden in the shadows.
“Yeonwoo-ssi, the director gave permission, so feel free to move around.”
Glancing back, the director and writer were watching him with curiosity. Kwon Seonghyeon had placed someone there himself, and they looked puzzled.
“Have you read the script by any chance?”
“Yeah, I skimmed it when I was bored.”
“Perfect. Then, could you try acting like ‘Kim Taehoon’ just once?”
With that, Kwon Seonghyeon stepped out toward the edge of the light.
Yeonwoo slowly approached the desk in the center of the set.
The background was green-screened, to be filled in with CG later.
In other words, the set where Yeonwoo stood was the interior of an office in a towering skyscraper.
‘It’s…… not bad, actually.’
An unfamiliar space, but not an unpleasant one.
The awkwardness of the set vanished quickly.
He’d spent over twenty years pretending not to see the ghosts that were right in front of him, so fooling his brain into seeing the invisible as visible was a piece of cake.
Maybe that’s why.
Yeonwoo’s steps began to move naturally.
***
“Is that kid an actor by any chance?”
Director Heo blinked in surprise at Kwon Seonghyeon’s sudden request.
“No, I don’t think so? Seonghyeon-ssi said he’s a manager. Right, Seonghyeon-ssi?”
Min Writer turned to ask.
Instead of answering, Kwon Seonghyeon just wore a faint smile.
His eyes had long been fixed on Yeonwoo’s every move.
“There’s no way a guy like that is just a manager……? How does a regular person create that kind of presence? When normal people stand there, their gaze handling feels awkward from the start, but there’s none of that. Not even a hint of being intimidated. Doesn’t it look that way to you too, Writer Min? He doesn’t seem shrunken at all.”
“Exactly. It looks just like his own room? Or is he making it look that way? How can his presence be like that? My god. He doesn’t even look like the same person from earlier. He’s exactly like Kim Taehoon…… Oh, of course, Seonghyeon-ssi is way more……”
Min Writer fumbled to correct her slip-up.
But Kwon Seonghyeon ignored it, his eyes still tracking Yeonwoo.
The first scene was the protagonist Kim Taehoon gazing out the window at the ghosts still swarming outside.
Boredom.
Yeonwoo’s expression as he stared out the window perfectly captured that mood.
Soon, he rose from his seat, frowning slightly, then strode forward purposefully.
[This is getting tiresome.]
The original line was omitted, but every subtle shift in expression and the slightly rough gestures conveyed the emotion perfectly.
He seemed to stare at something, then indifferently turned his gaze away. He clicked his tongue in faint annoyance, then reverted to a blank face.
The changes were fleeting.
If you weren’t paying close attention, you wouldn’t even notice they’d happened.
“Extremely nuanced.”
Min Writer murmured.
“Not forced at all. Completely natural. It really feels like something’s there……”
She shuddered.
Yeonwoo’s movements were highly restrained.
The flick of his eyes.
His brows furrowing slightly before returning to place.
His lips curling in sarcasm before pressing shut.
Even his footsteps carried the exact emotion Kwon Seonghyeon had hoped for.
“He seems better than most actors…… At that level, it’s like he was born for it, right?”
“Hmm. Should’ve rolled the camera if I knew. Too bad to just let it pass.”
“You should’ve. You’re making a making-of film anyway. Just shoot it outright. Ugh, what a waste.”
“No…… I didn’t expect him to be that good. If I had, I’d have grabbed the camera myself……”
“No excuses.”
A hint of excitement colored the director and writer’s voices.
These were people who’d rolled around in this industry plenty.
Plenty of people tried to break into entertainment, but true raw gems were rare.
But this manager they were watching now?
Could they have just discovered a new gem?
That excitement began to bubble up slowly.
And then.
Yeonwoo, having followed the script and exited the set, approached them.
“Nothing special, so not sure if it helped. Is this good enough?”
He shrugged as he spoke.
The Yeonwoo who had exuded weary, parched boredom like dry leaves cracking underfoot had reverted to the person Kwon Seonghyeon always saw.
Somehow cynical, coolly detached as usual.
The subtle difference stood out starkly.
“He changes completely once he steps off the set……?”
“Director, just ask him. Nothing to lose.”
Their whispers carried.
He could feel curiosity and greed flickering in the eyes of the director and writer right beside them.
A golden shimmer rippled in his vision.
Still just a raw gem, but anyone with eyes would spot it quickly.
“Yes. It was a big help.”
Kwon Seonghyeon smiled.
“Perfectly so.”
***
Yeonwoo was a bit troubled.
“Excuse me. Could you tell me your name……?”
It was because people kept approaching him.
The director and writer were prime examples, and he had no idea why.
‘Weren’t they the busiest people on set? Especially writers—they usually don’t even show up here.’
That’s what Kwon Seonghyeon’s manager had told him.
Min Suji Writer at least checked in on set sometimes, so he figured that was it.
‘Then look at the set, not me?’
Min Suji Writer’s gaze—sharp and sensitive in that writerly way—pierced right through him.
“You really won’t tell me your name?”
“I thought we’d already been introduced.”
“Come on. We haven’t properly exchanged names, have we?”
“……?”
What business did a lowly assistant manager have exchanging formal names with the queen of the script?
Maybe if he were officially hired staff.
But Yeonwoo was just a temp. One who’d only lent his name for a free pass, at that.
“I’m Min Suji. And your name, Manager……?”
This was weird. Min Writer was known as one of the more down-to-earth star writers……
‘She wouldn’t waste time on a nobody from the boonies, would she……?’
But ignoring her outright felt off now.
‘Penalty. Gotta watch out for penalties.’
Yeonwoo’s penalty rule #1: Anything harming Kwon Seonghyeon carried a high risk of penalty.
It was lifted now, but looking back at how, twice-wary wasn’t enough.
“Kang Yeonwoo.”
“Ah, Yeonwoo-ssi. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
“So young and fresh. Ah, perfect.”
Perfect for what?
“You seem close with Kwon Seonghyeon-ssi. Planning to keep managing?”
“Well, that’s still……”
“Not set in stone? Why not stick with it? It’s not like anyone can manage Kwon Seonghyeon-ssi.”
“Who knows what the future holds?”
“True. Future’s unpredictable. But managing means you’re interested in entertainment, right?”
“Yeah, well……”
Of course he was interested.
Lifespans blindly littering the ground everywhere—who wouldn’t be?
It was only natural his eyes kept drifting to a field he’d once ignored.
But something felt off.
‘Why does this feel like a job interview?’
Just his imagination?
“Even if you quit managing, you could still enter the industry, right?”
“Maybe?”
“Plenty of managers build recognition on shows and debut on screen. That famous comedian Jeong started as a manager.”
“……Is that so?”
“Now there are programs where managers and stars appear together. Some managers even get more famous than their talents and land CFs.”
“Ah, yeah……”
“Rookies grinding acting classes often adapt slower than manager veterans. They’ve got direct or indirect set experience, know the industry inside out, and have connections.”
“Makes sense.”
It sounded reasonable the more he heard.
‘Me, acting for real?’
He’d never considered it.
Just tried it once at Kwon Seonghyeon’s request.
‘Not a bad feeling, though.’
But right now, it felt like grasping at clouds.
[Yeonwoo. I think Min Writer’s into you. No matter how I look at it, she’s tossing bait to hook you.]
The Child Spirit was convinced, but Yeonwoo wasn’t.
‘Why would a famous star writer want anything from me?’
More believable she was just bored and chatting.
“But Writer.”
“Some managers even rehearse lines with their actors, building acting skills too…… Yes?”
Min Writer, mid-pitch on manager-turned-celebs’ perks, paused at his call.
“Your shoulders and neck been stiff lately?”
“Shoulders and neck?”
“Yeah. And headaches getting worse.”
“Oh. Yeah, a bit. I’ve always had them somewhat.”
“But last week, they were better, right?”
“Gasp. How’d you know? The press conference went smooth, first script read-through too, so I relaxed a bit.”
Min Suji’s eyes widened in shock.
‘How?’
Yeonwoo’s lips twitched upward.
He was the one who’d fixed her headaches, after all.
“Legs hurting lately too?”
“Gasp! How?!”
“Feels like your feet drag every time you stand and walk.”
“Exactly. Ever since filming started, days and nights flipped. Haven’t slept right, so I got an IV……”
“No effect?”
“Yeah. None. Been taking supplements lately.”
But her complexion said they weren’t working.
Of course not.
‘Chugging supplements with those obsession leeches hanging off—won’t do much.’
Supplements might boost vitality temporarily, but those leech-like obsessions would suck it dry.
‘Tsk……’
Yeonwoo’s gaze fixed on one spot.
Just like before, a small child was struggling there.
Pitiful, pushing at obsessions bigger than itself.
“……How do you know all this? Medical background? Or health care?”
“Something like that.”
Fixing bodies or souls—it was all fixing.
Fields seemed different, but just his imagination. Bodies and souls were inseparable anyway!