Chapter 160
Chapter 160
You’ve Improved a Lot
Han Yu-jun
Team 3, Narcotics Investigation Unit, Violent Crimes Division, Inpo Police Station, Western Gyeonggi.
“Yu-jun. You must always live a good and upright life.”
Whenever he thought of his childhood, he always heard his father’s voice. Be good and upright. Be grateful to the patriotic martyrs and guardian spirits who made this life possible for you. Always live with patriotism and don’t be a burden to others. The teachings were almost like brainwashing.
Despite receiving such instruction, he grew up upright without straying, but he harbored a twistedness in his heart.
After losing his mother early, his father’s oppressive behavior worsened. It was akin to an obsession. So, upon graduating high school, he enlisted in the military as if running away.
Having excelled and been recognized for his abilities, he was on leave after hearing of the passing of his father, who had always hovered like a shadow, when he was in a car accident.
Crash!
With a loud noise, the standing punching bag toppled over and rolled far away. The eyes of everyone at the action school gathered in one spot. Only then did Yu Yeon-seo, snapping back to his senses, clench and unclench his fist.
“Ah, shoot.”
He’d forgotten to control his strength while thinking about the character he would play in his next project. He stared blankly at the trainees who had gathered around the punching bag.
“Whoa, that’s insane!”
“Isn’t this thing super heavy?”
“How did you do that?”
The cloth scraps filling the punching bag were spilling out like entrails. Yu Yeon-seo shook his hand, pretending his fist was sore, and put on a bewildered expression.
“I’m not sure myself. Wasn’t it always a bit weak?”
“No way… this one is pretty new.”
“Director, don’t you have a schedule? Shouldn’t you be going?”
“I still have some time.”
The martial arts director, Park Seong-jin, also pressed the punching bag with his hand. It took two people grunting and straining to set the bag upright again. It was that heavy, and Yu Yeon-seo had knocked it over?
“Wow, this is unusable.”
“How did it tear like this?”
The directors and trainees, murmuring amongst themselves about the punching bag, turned their heads to look at Yu Yeon-seo. The target of their gazes, he simply shrugged.
“Actually, I kicked it.”
“Even with a kick, it’s not light enough to fall over that easily.”
“You didn’t rig it with some weird device to surprise me, did you?”
“Of course not. That would be a waste.”
“Then why did it happen?”
As Yu Yeon-seo played it cool, Park Seong-jin found it awkward to question him further and just scratched the back of his head, nodding. What really happened? Even I would have a hard time knocking that over.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“It does hurt a bit.”
“...You should go to the hospital, just in case.”
He tilted his head as he watched Yu Yeon-seo nod. For someone who claimed to be in pain, his face was far too serene.
“Anyway, I’ll pay for the damages.”
“It’s fine. You’re the one who replaced everything for us.”
“...I should probably get going.”
It was clear that staying longer would only lead to more suspicion, so it was better to leave quickly. Yu Yeon-seo gave a light nod to the cheering trainees who were telling him to come again and headed for the van. Lee Tae-gyeom, who was waiting in the driver’s seat playing a game, looked at him with surprise.
“You’re out early today?”
“Something came up.”
“Heading home?”
“Yeah.”
Sinking into the car seat, he opened the synopsis for ‘Snake.’ He searched for what happened to his character, Han Yu-jun, after the car accident.
And that’s when it all began.
After waking up in the hospital following the accident, he is overwhelmed by a sudden amplification of sounds. He could hear not only the inner thoughts of patients, nurses, and doctors, but even the sounds of pebbles rolling on the street. Even after being discharged, the auditory hallucinations didn’t disappear, and though he sought treatment, it was ineffective.
Judging that he couldn’t properly perform his duties due to his inability to filter the sounds, he left the military and began to drift.
The constant flood of sounds gave him unending headaches.
Are these voices I’m hearing really their inner thoughts? Or am I going crazy?
“Yu-jun. Use your abilities to help those in need. Don’t just pass by the weak.”
Ironically, what held his sanity together were his father’s brainwashing-like teachings. If I’m not crazy and I can truly read the sounds of all things, and if I can just harness this ability… Getting back on his feet, he applied for the police exam to make use of his power.
“You, what do you hear?”
And he meets a superior, Son Jin-ho, who is somewhat similar to his father.
“It’s… really strange.”
“What is?”
Yu Yeon-seo didn’t answer. Lee Tae-gyeom, thinking, There he goes again, focused back on driving.
‘He’s vaguely similar to me.’
Han Yu-jun was in a car accident and coincidentally gained the peculiar ability to hear the sounds of all things. It was like an auditory hallucination, driving him half-mad.
His previous works, and now ‘Snake’… they were strangely similar to him. Was it a coincidence, or was he unconsciously choosing only these types of characters because they were easy to act?
“Do I have anything today?”
“Nope. Ah! The Korean Film Awards are on today.”
“Ah.”
He definitely had to watch that. After a light workout at the action school, Yu Yeon-seo returned home, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV. The commercials were just ending, and the awards ceremony was beginning.
‘Director Lee will obviously win.’
‘However’ had done well enough to be in the top 10 box office hits of the year. Due to his limited experience, he wasn’t nominated for Best Director, but the Best New Director award was a sure thing.
After the Popularity Award and a special award named after a sponsor were given out, Yu Yeon-seo watched the staff awards with a bored expression. But when a familiar face appeared among the nominees, he turned up the TV volume.
(…The Korean Film Award for Best New Director goes to…)
(Director Lee Jeong-hun of ‘However’! Congratulations.)
Lee Jeong-hun, dressed in a sharp suit, stood up awkwardly. Overwhelmed by the applause, he covered his mouth with his hand. By the time he went on stage, received the award, and stood at the microphone, he was already shedding tears.
(Uh…)
(The director seems so overjoyed, he’s taking a moment to catch his breath.)
(A round of applause for the director, please.)
Seeing Lee Jeong-hun hesitate, unsure of what to say first, the actor who had hosted the Korean Film Awards for years helped ease his tension. The audience and fellow nominees clapped, encouraging him.
On the verge of crying again, Lee Jeong-hun knew he couldn’t delay any longer. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the camera.
(Uh… thank you so much. To the audience who enjoyed ‘However,’ and to the hardworking staff and actors… thank you.)
Taking a short, deep breath, Lee Jeong-hun caressed the golden trophy in his hand with affection.
(To Yu Yeon-seo, who believed in me and supported me, even handling the investment and production. If it weren’t for you, Yeon-seo, ‘However’ would never have been made. Thank you.)
Yu Yeon-seo smirked. Right, I did do quite a lot. If that acknowledgment had come any later, he might have been a little disappointed. After that, Lee Jeong-hun thanked Yu Yeon-seo twice more before stepping back.
Because he had hesitated at the beginning, he didn’t have much time left for his acceptance speech. As he was about to head offstage, he exclaimed, “Oh!” and rushed back.
(Ah! And thank you to Director Cheon Seong-min, who helped me so much.)
There were many directors who would volunteer as assistant directors for their cherished protégés. Director Cheon had also been a great help during the filming of ‘However.’ He had adamantly refused credit, but they had eventually put his name in the ending credits.
‘He’s going to be sulking when he sees this.’
At first, he had been intimidating because of his reputation as a master director, but now he had been reduced to just a director obsessed with fine wine. Lee Jeong-hun’s actions drew laughter from the audience.
‘Well, good for him.’
Lee Jeong-hun had made a spectacular directorial debut, and Director Cheon’s film was also being prepared for submission to international film festivals. He had heard that ‘Filicide’ was also deep in post-production for next year’s festival circuit, so if things went well, he might be able to stand on the stage of an overseas film festival with two films.
Once Lee Jeong-hun left the stage and a celebratory performance began, Yu Yeon-seo turned off the TV without a second thought.
‘Now, shall I get to my own work?’
Just as he opened the synopsis again, his phone vibrated.
(Jeong Hyeon-sik) Yeon-seo, you got time?
Receiving the call from Jeong Hyeon-sik, Yu Yeon-seo headed to the meeting place and paused for a moment at the entrance.
‘He’s not the type to push things so recklessly.’
When they made plans, it was usually weeks in advance. That was because Yu Yeon-seo was such a busy man. But for him to suddenly call him out, insisting it had to be today, felt unusual.
Furthermore, the meeting place was a culinary pub known for its private spaces, a popular spot for celebrities. Normally, Jeong Hyeon-sik preferred bustling pubs or raw fish restaurants. He liked them because they felt more down-to-earth.
“Hyung, it’s been a while.”
Guided by a waiter to a room in a secluded corner, he slid open the door and greeted him cheerfully.
“You’re ear…”
Yu Yeon-seo trailed off, his body stiffening. From Jeong Hyeon-sik’s atmosphere and expression, he instantly read what the man was trying to do.
“Sit.”
“…Yes.”
At his gesture, Yu Yeon-seo cautiously sat across from him. It felt like a superior and a subordinate; Jeong Hyeon-sik was currently playing Son Jin-ho from ‘Snake.’ If so, he had to respond as Han Yu-jun.
“So, you’re from the special forces?”
Jeong Hyeon-sik gestured in the air. He opened an imaginary file folder and flipped a page, as if reading a personnel record. Yu Yeon-seo answered in a disciplined tone.
“Yes, sir.”
“Why a cop, of all things?”
Yu Yeon-seo swallowed hard. This was an interview. An interview to get into Team 3 of the Narcotics Investigation Unit, where Son Jin-ho was being assigned as team leader.
“To make use of my abilities.”
“If you wanted to make use of your abilities, wouldn’t the police SWAT team be a better fit?”
He hadn’t received the final version of the script yet. But he had read the character synopses until they were worn. Not just for Han Yu-jun, whom he would be playing, but for all the supporting characters as well. So he had to respond as the character himself.
“I believe I use my head well, too.”
“Right, you passed the exam in one go, didn’t you? Smart. I couldn’t have done that.”
Leaning back in his chair, Jeong Hyeon-sik exhaled comfortably. Yu Yeon-seo also relaxed a bit and let out a small breath.
“Thank you.”
“But I hear you’re called a weirdo at the station.”
But then Jeong Hyeon-sik held his breath again and looked at Yu Yeon-seo. It was an acting technique to heighten tension by controlling one’s breathing.
Son Jin-ho, the character Jeong Hyeon-sik would play in ‘Snake,’ was a veteran detective in the violent crimes division. He was called an ace with a 100% arrest rate, fully utilizing his ability to read the inner thoughts of all things. And he was also a victim of the same car accident that Han Yu-jun was involved in.
In other words, after the accident they were both in, the ability to read the sounds of all things had transferred from Son Jin-ho to Han Yu-jun. And Son Jin-ho vaguely suspected this fact due to Han Yu-jun’s peculiar history and the rumors about him.
“You’ve apprehended suspects with nothing but a hunch, yet somehow, you’re always right?”
“…I have good instincts.”
“Do you really think good instincts can solve everything?”
Jeong Hyeon-sik leaned forward from the backrest, placed both elbows on the table, and clasped his hands. He stared at Yu Yeon-seo with an intense gaze. It resembled his oppressive father, causing Yu Yeon-seo to avert his eyes.
“You, what do you hear?”
And Jeong Hyeon-sik screamed in his mind, wanting Han Yu-jun, who could read his thoughts, to suffer.
Seeing the veins pop on Jeong Hyeon-sik’s neck, Yu Yeon-seo instinctively furrowed his brow and brought his hands to his ears, as if pained by the silent scream.
“Ugh…!”
Han Yu-jun was still inexperienced in using his ability. Yu Yeon-seo, his face turning red with pain, bowed his head low.
After a moment, Jeong Hyeon-sik’s soft laughter could be heard.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
Look who’s talking, Yu Yeon-seo thought, letting out a dry laugh as he looked at the man who had returned to his normal self.