Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Why Are You Here?
After seeing a few more applicants, Yu Yeon-seo stepped outside during a short break. Even after all that, quite a few people were still waiting for their turn to audition.
Accustomed to their gazes turning toward him, Yu Yeon-seo turned his head at a voice from behind.
“Yeon-seo.”
“Min-ah. You haven’t left yet?”
“No. I wanted to say goodbye before I left.”
How did she know when I’d come out? Perfect timing.
“Let me ask you one thing. What do you think about when you’re acting?”
“Let’s see… In that moment, I try to become the character I’m playing.”
“And is that working out for you?”
“I’m still inexperienced. I feel like I become the character about… half the time?”
“Then what are you thinking about the other half of the time?”
“I don’t think about anything else.”
Hong Min-a said it as if it were the most obvious thing. While Yu Yeon-seo was generally good at immersing himself, he did sometimes have other thoughts while acting. Rather than becoming the character and thinking their thoughts, most of his thoughts were just mundane.
Perhaps that was why he could snap out of his immersion almost immediately after the director yelled “cut.” Being able to switch on and off so clearly was an advantage, but it also felt like he hadn’t achieved a perfect performance.
[Sometimes it’s better to focus solely on the role itself, without any other thoughts.]
And then there was Director Cheon’s advice…
“I don’t think I’m like that…”
“Really? Don’t tell me you’re thinking things like, ‘I should go this way here,’ or ‘Maybe I’ll flip my hair around this point?’”
“Um… sometimes?”
Hong Min-a stared at the pondering Yu Yeon-seo as if he were a curiosity.
“Everyone has their own method, but… wow, if I did that, my immersion would break instantly. To be able to act that well while calculating everything? That’s a real talent.”
“Then if you act like you do, immersing yourself in the character, it must not be easy to break out of it, right?”
“It can be a little difficult. It took me a few days to get out of the Park Su-a role.”
“Hmm…”
Is this how most actors are? Should I ask every actor whose contact information I have? Yu Yeon-seo briefly considered it.
“Oh… isn’t that your secretary, Yeon-seo? I saw him before, but he’s really big.”
Following Hong Min-a’s gaze, he turned to see a middle-aged man talking with Im Seung-hyeon. He exchanged a brief farewell with Hong Min-a and approached them.
“Greetings, Young Master Yeon-seo.”
“Did my grandmother send you?”
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man, his hair peppered with white, bowed respectfully. The attention of those nearby was drawn to them.
“Let’s go this way for now.”
Following Im Seung-hyeon’s lead, they sat down at a café on the first floor of the building.
“My name is Park Jeong-ho.”
“I’m Yu Yeon-seo.”
Yu Yeon-seo tucked Park Jeong-ho’s business card, which had only black text on a white background, into his pocket and frowned at the people taking pictures nearby.
“Did my grandmother tell you anything specific before you came?”
“She instructed me to assist you to the best of my ability.”
“Until when?”
“Until you are satisfied, Young Master.”
“And are you satisfied with that, Mr. Park?”
He had been taken aback at first, being suddenly told to go and help his employer’s grandson, but the rumors surrounding Yu Yeon-seo had already faded considerably.
“Yes, it’s fine.”
In fact, being by Park Geum-ju’s side was more uncomfortable. Something had happened recently that put her in a terrible mood, forcing her attendants to constantly walk on eggshells.
“Did she say anything else?”
“She told me not to ask questions, not to argue, and to just do as I’m told.”
“Did she also happen to mention not to report to her, no matter what I ask you to do?”
“Yes.”
Did she not want to know anymore, or was she trying to provide unconditional support out of guilt? In any case, as long as the investigation made progress, that was all that mattered.
“What I want is a list of everyone who was at my grandfather’s mansion on May 12, 1999. If possible, with information that can be used for a background check.”
“Yes. I will look into it.”
It was a long time ago, and due to privacy laws, he wasn’t sure if any records remained, but Park Jeong-ho replied promptly without a change in his expression. His job was to make the impossible possible.
“Do you happen to remember that day?”
“I visited briefly for a matter related to the art museum.”
“You have a good memory.”
“It’s impossible to forget.”
The incident had occurred right after he had left the mansion. Yu Yeon-seo gave a bitter smile at the reply, laden with meaning.
“Ah, and…”
After a moment of silence, Yu Yeon-seo spoke again.
“Could you possibly investigate what my relatives were up to around that time?”
“What sort of things are you referring to?”
“Things like whether they were involved in any complicated business dealings, or if they were ever in financial trouble.”
If Yu Eun-ho and Baek Seo-jun’s suspicions were true, there had to be a motive. Even the smallest clue would be helpful.
“Understood. I will deliver the results of the investigation through Secretary Im.”
“I’d like to get the basic personal details of the staff from that day as soon as possible.”
“That should take about two days. I will contact you in advance if there are any changes.”
“There’s one thing that’s most important.”
Yu Yeon-seo lowered his voice.
“It’s imperative that you keep the fact that I ordered an investigation into this incident a secret from the rest of the family. And don’t get caught.”
“Yes, understood.”
Don’t leave a trail… Difficult. With that thought, Park Jeong-ho stood up, bowed politely, and went outside. Glancing back for a moment, he watched the back of Yu Yeon-seo as he returned to the audition hall.
‘Something seems to have happened…’
He guessed that Park Geum-ju’s recent bad mood was related to Yu Yeon-seo. Just then, his phone rang.
“Yes, Director.”
(Did you meet the boy?)
“Yes, I just saw him and am on my way out.”
(How… does he seem now?)
“He was more polite than I expected. I believe I can acquire the materials he requested without much difficulty.”
Park Geum-ju didn’t answer. Was that the wrong answer? Park Jeong-ho hastily added.
“He didn’t look well. He was coughing a bit and scratching his ear frequently…”
(…I see. Alright.)
Park Geum-ju audibly gasped at the mention of him scratching his ear, but Park Jeong-ho pretended not to notice and ended the call.
Come to think of it, Park Geum-ju seemed quite concerned about her grandson’s well-being…
‘He didn’t ask about the Director.’
He must not be very curious about her… Did something happen? A question briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He had to get moving if he wanted to handle the tasks Yu Yeon-seo had given him.
(I don’t think about anything.)
“You too? Why?”
(If you ask me why, I don’t really have a specific answer…)
Jin Su-ho, who had just finished filming and was on his way home, received a sudden, out-of-the-blue call from Yu Yeon-seo. What do you think about when you act? It was a topic he had never really questioned himself.
“Are you a method actor, too?”
(I’m not the type to get extremely absorbed in a character, but… it’s probably similar.)
“Really?”
(But why are you asking?)
“Because I’m not sure.”
He could hear Jin Su-ho let out a dry laugh. What, what is it?
(You’re only now curious about that? How have you been acting all this time?)
“I just… did it. Sometimes I’d think about other things.”
(Huh… You do understand the character, right?)
“I understand it. I analyze everything before the script reading. But if you ask if the character became the focus, I don’t think so.”
Jin Su-ho replied that he thought he vaguely understood, then asked another question.
(When you were playing Chunbaek, what percentage was it? On a scale of 100%.)
“Um… about 70% Chunbaek and 20% me?”
And maybe 10% Kang Jin-hu? In any case, it wasn’t 100% immersion. Since everyone has their own methods, Jin Su-ho couldn’t really say anything and spoke again.
(It’s not like you aren’t immersing yourself… Then you must be quick to snap out of character too?)
“It just happens.”
(That’s something I’d like to learn.)
With that, Jin Su-ho shared a short anecdote of his own. While filming an antagonist role, someone had said something negative to him, and he found himself flaring up in anger without thinking.
For the famously good-natured Jin Su-ho to react like that meant he had become so immersed in his role that it was affecting his daily life.
“That’s never happened to me.”
(If that’s your acting style, I don’t think you necessarily need to change it. It’s not like you’re a bad actor.)
“Well… there’s something I want to try.”
How does one achieve 100% immersion? As he pondered this, he frowned at Jin Su-ho’s next words.
(By the way, I heard you were hospitalized. Is this because of that?)
“Hey, why are you so nosy? It was nothing. I’m hanging up.”
(Wait…)
He wasn’t interested in what Jin Su-ho had to say. He might be a little pouty, but if Yeon-seo thanked him later for his concern, he would get over it quickly.
The important thing was something else.
‘What is Yu Yeon-seo?’
The first thing he did when he got a script was character analysis.
He began to analyze his original self based on the synchronized memories and what he had heard from those around him.
His reputation as an adult was garbage, but as a child, he had been kind and considerate. Traces of that nature remained, which was why he became so deeply invested in something he wasn’t even responsible for, eventually leading to him hearing voices.
‘He had a pretty strong attachment to Lee Hui-seo. I still don’t quite understand that part…’
It was only because he had synchronized with the original’s memories that he could almost understand; before, he wouldn’t have been able to comprehend it at all.
‘And the guilt from letting the culprit go.’
This, he could understand a little. He, too, had lived with the guilt of those he couldn’t save.
As he went through the commonalities between Yu Yeon-seo and Kang Jin-hu one by one, he felt exhausted and leaned back against the backrest.
‘This is endless.’
Then, what about the reverse? What about erasing Kang Jin-hu? He closed his eyes and concentrated. Erasing himself was a familiar task.
“Ugh!”
As he was concentrating, he suddenly bent over and coughed up blood. He felt dizzy, likely from the large amount he had thrown up.
‘Beta.’
<You don’t have to try so hard. Things will stabilize once memory synchronization reaches 100%.>
He roughly wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. When he tried to erase Kang Jin-hu, he couldn’t withstand the tidal wave of emotions that rushed in, only coming to his senses later. It was the exact same feeling he had experienced in the situation Beta had warned him about a few days ago.
‘I can’t use this method.’
Should he just live like this? The people who would find out already have.
“…Yeon-seo.”
“Huh?”
Just like now.
He was flustered to see Yu Eun-ho standing dumbfounded at the living room entrance, but he spoke calmly.
“Why are you here?”
“You collapsed like that, and you thought I wouldn’t come?”
“But you can’t just show up like this.”
“I called. You didn’t answer, so I came in, worried something like last time had happened… Haa…”
Looking at his phone screen, he saw three missed calls. Yu Eun-ho sighed deeply and walked over to his younger brother. He first pulled out a tissue and held it to Yu Yeon-seo’s mouth. The pool of blood on the floor was gruesome.
“Do you really think it makes sense for the test results to be clean when you’re in this state?”
“I know, right?”
Seeing his brother speak of his own condition as if it were someone else’s, Yu Eun-ho pressed the tissue harder. Yu Yeon-seo complained softly that it hurt.
“What’s with the bag? Don’t tell me you’re planning on living here?”
“For the time being. There are plenty of empty rooms, right?”
“Hey, what is this, without my permission…”
“Why don’t you finish wiping up the blood before you talk?”
Yu Yeon-seo grumbled as he wiped the blood off his body. Yu Eun-ho frowned at the sight. Should I take him back to the hospital?
“I was worried about you being home alone after what happened. If not, then have your secretary and manager move in with you.”
“No, that’s a bit much.”
Family was still better than strangers. Besides, they had been trying to dote on him too much lately, which was getting a little annoying.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Not long.”
“It doesn’t look like ‘not long.’”
Yu Yeon-seo scowled at his brother’s nitpicking.
“The test results were clean, you said. I’m not sick.”
“Hey, how can you not be sick when there’s all this red?”
“Damn it, why do you keep picking a fight!”
The two brothers bickered for a long time. And that night, he was able to sleep peacefully, without any hallucinations or auditory illusions.