Chapter 98: A Myriad of Emotions Fleeting Across His Mind
A whirlwind of emotions—absurdity, injustice, rage, and more—brushed past his mind in an instant, etching themselves onto his face alongside the thought, I got played. Just like that, Hwang Hyeong-tak, who had been about to unleash his fury...
"What the hell is this...!"
He suddenly felt a chill. Tap, tap-tap! Lee Tae-gyu, who had been casually tap-dancing in the bathroom without a care, let out a sigh and slowly stopped his feet.
·····Click.
The moment their eyes met—Hwang Hyeong-tak staring blankly at the expressionless Tae-gyu, who was smiling faintly.
Creak.
Hwang Hyeong-tak sensed it. Thick madness. An insane aura, like facing an unfathomable abyss he could never predict or read.
Drip.
Cold sweat trickled down Hwang Hyeong-tak's forehead. In that state, how long had they been staring at each other?
"············"
"············"
A silence that felt like hours passed before Tae-gyu's lips slowly parted.
"······This is what you were planning, right?"
"W-What!?"
"You were gonna come at me first, weren't you?"
"W-What are you—"
Hwang Hyeong-tak looked flustered to anyone watching. But he was an actor too. Knowing he couldn't admit it here, he exploded in anger instead, turning to flee the bathroom while shouting.
"No, this guy's seriously trouble! So that crap earlier was all lies too? Wow, I'm so shocked and pissed off, for real. Just wait a sec, I'll drag this out in front of everyone...!"
Click.
His body froze at the sound of his own voice echoing from somewhere.
- ······My neck feels so stiff, maybe 'cause I got up early.
Hwang Hyeong-tak's head turned slowly. His eyes, undergoing a pupil earthquake, caught sight of the phone in Tae-gyu's hand.
More precisely, the phone playing back the conversation he'd had with Seon U-hui before filming.
"·········Huh?"
"I couldn't record everything from the start. Didn't expect two seasoned actors like you to pull something like this."
"W-Wait a sec."
"But I got the latter part crystal clear. Listen for yourself."
As Tae-gyu's eyes blazed unlike before, Hwang Hyeong-tak faltered.
- Someone needs to fix this.
The recorded conversation played.
- Otherwise, we'll ruin the whole set's vibe all the way to the end.
100% their exact words. When did it start? How? Thoughts like that flashed through his mind, but Hwang Hyeong-tak didn't have the guts to ask.
- That Lee Tae-gyu punk's got a rep for over-immersing in shoots anyway.
- Then we can ham it up a bit.
- But don't collapse too obviously.
- Think I don't know after doing this a few times?
Hwang Hyeong-tak's face turned beet red. He had no choice. His cowardly plot to bury someone was being replayed vividly right in front of the target. Anyone would feel shame and shock.
Unable to endure it.
Crunch.
·····Hwang Hyeong-tak suddenly jerked his head up, gritting his teeth and lunging for Tae-gyu's phone.
"You little—!"
"Freeze!"
Flash!
A sharp command and piercing glare made Hwang Hyeong-tak's legs give out.
Thud.
He collapsed onto the bathroom floor. As a dazed, blank expression mixed with deep terror spread across his face...
Click.
Tae-gyu paused the recording and slowly spoke.
"You admit that's all you saying it, right?"
"·········"
"I can kinda guess why you'd pull something like this."
Hwang Hyeong-tak looked up abruptly, as if to protest, but the moment their eyes met, he involuntarily bowed his head.
"·········!!!"
Flaring wrath. He couldn't withstand that suffocating gaze.
·······What the hell. He's a completely different person?
Tae-gyu had transformed from moments ago—no, from when people were around.
Yeah. Truth be told, he'd underestimated Tae-gyu. The polite guy who'd bowed repeatedly to industry seniors after script reading, apologizing for being late. The one who bowed to fellow veteran actors and even staff after arriving early on set.
Just a newbie good at acting. Vulnerable to set politics and industry dirt—perfect prey.
Ah.
But now he realized.
·······I'm screwed.
The actor glaring at him now wasn't prey, but a tiger. Unlike them, who fawned over the successful and ignored the flops, dividing people for politics—this guy was so strong he was always at ease. A true powerhouse.
Total defeat— in acting, in humanity. As despair over his future hit Hwang Hyeong-tak...
"Don't worry. For now, I have no plans to release this recording to anyone."
"·········!"
A voice of salvation.
A file that could bury him not just in the industry but with the public if leaked to reporters. And he wasn't going to?
"Th-Thank... you..."
"Of course, that's!"
Tae-gyu's tone showed no softening.
"Contingent on what you and Seon U-hui do from here on out."
Hwang Hyeong-tak knew that recording was now their leash, preventing reckless moves.
"Got it?"
"·········Yes."
With no choice, he squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.
Click.
Tae-gyu, having secured the promise, headed out of the bathroom.
***
Lee Tae-gyu emerged from the commercial building.
Limp.
Right after leaving Hwang Hyeong-tak behind, he started limping immediately. Jang Team Leader, waiting by the first-floor building side, hurried over to support him.
"·········Everything okay?"
"Huh."
A faintly anxious yet angry expression.
"Talk go well? What'd you say?"
"Oh, it was just shoot-related stuff, told him not to worry too much... Kinda embarrassing to bring up in front of everyone."
"Tae-gyu."
"Yes."
Sighing and nodding, Jang Team Leader spoke up.
"You know you're in a really crucial period right now, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"Your health matters to you, obviously, but it's hugely important to us at DK too. You just re-signed—full contract, not short-term. We're dying to promote you right now."
It was obvious.
After today's shoot, SBC variety show Your Heart Speaks to Me recording was soon. Once that aired on terrestrial TV...
Gradually.
Model Detective 3's filming would overlap with Yoon Chang-ho's movie, depending on his condition.
·······Might get delayed more if injured today.
Jang Team Leader's brow furrowed deeply.
Anything but that action-heavy movie couldn't proceed on actor willpower alone. Stunt scenes to pros, obviously, but big physical scenes needed condition checks first.
Those bastards.
Grinding his teeth, Jang Team Leader naturally resented Seon U-hui and Hwang Hyeong-tak for harming his actor's condition.
Calming his excitement barely.
He pleaded with Tae-gyu, arm over his shoulder.
"Since you said not to escalate, I won't chew them out more for now. Get a full checkup after shooting, then we'll talk."
"Got it."
"Tomorrow's variety shoot—think you can manage?"
"Yeah, seems like it got startled since it's the injured spot. Already feeling better, so don't worry."
"······Tae-gyu."
"Yes?"
Limp... limp...
"Sure, you can handle stuff alone, but if something comes up, come to us first. We'd appreciate it. Sometimes... it feels like you don't need DK's support, makes us wonder if we're useless."
"That's not—"
Tae-gyu stopped abruptly. Bowing to Jang Team Leader, who subtly expressed hurt.
"Didn't think of that. Sorry."
"Aigoo, wasn't fishing for that... I was short-sighted."
"No."
"And thanks, sincerely. I think I can shoot such a great movie thanks to DK Entertainment."
"W-We appreciate you saying that."
Jang Team Leader looked embarrassed instead, gesturing to hurry toward the set where staff waited ahead.
Thud.
Tae-gyu's arm on his shoulder felt light. His body weight seemed much less than before...
Hm?
······Just his imagination.
His mood buoyed by the overt thanks from an appreciative actor.
This feels pretty good, actually.
For some reason proud, Jang Team Leader thought.
Limp······ limp······
Maybe he and this actor walking three-legged race-style were syncing well, like DK founders Kim Kwang-woo and Do Yoon-seop.
Should push for Tae-gyu's independent team properly.
Maybe someday he and this actor could start a company rivaling DK.
And so.
"······Take it slow!"
"······Tae-gyu's health first!"
"······You okay, right?!"
Heading to the set lined with waving staff along Ikseon-dong alleys, Jang Team Leader nodded at Tae-gyu.
"Then, take it easy on the remaining scenes. Thanks."
"Same here."
Rebuilding trust with DK before the rest of the shoot, Tae-gyu nodded slowly too.
"·········Looking forward to working together more."
***
After a short break.
Remaining shots proceeded smoothly.
The commotion's aftermath vanished cleanly, prep for next scenes clicking along. Nothing else mattered.
"Hyeong-tak? Why so late?"
Hwang Hyeong-tak returned from the bathroom looking utterly terrified.
"What now?!"
Seon U-hui, who'd screamed mid-talk and drawn staff glares.
- Tae-gyu, you okay? Tell me if it's tough.
Even Yoon Chang-ho, overly watching the injured Tae-gyu's grit.
- Alright, prep next scene around Tae-gyu!
Yeah.
- Everyone standby.
Nothing mattered to everyone. To Seol A-yoon, finally reconfirming the truth she'd suspected.
Everything else was irrelevant.
- Action!
Locking eyes with Tae-gyu again as the next scene started, Seol A-yoon knew her suspicions weren't wrong.
"You know who I am, right?"
"Pfft."
See?
"I-I-I love you, you bastard!"
·········He does like me.
Thump!