Chapter 298
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 298
“…What the hell are you even…?”
Unlike the first time we met in the Unknown Idol Tycoon audition, this seemed to be our first encounter in this world.
I flashed an even more oily smile as I greeted him.
“Ahaha, I’m sorry. I see you on TV so often that I guess I felt a bit too familiar. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Senior Lee Kang-seok. I’m Seo Ho-yun.”
“Ah, right.”
The tension in Lee Kang-seok’s face relaxed, only to be replaced by a sneer.
“I suppose that happens. You must have the temperament of one of those neighborhood mothers who runs into an actor on the street and thinks they’re best friends just because they watch their dramas. I guess I did feel familiar to you. After all, Seo Ho-yun-ssi…”
He waved his hand up and down right in front of my face, then lowered the corners of his eyes as if he felt sorry for me.
“This… this isn’t very well-known yet, so I guess you can’t help it. Right, Senior Min Ji-heon?”
Min Ji-heon, whose name was suddenly called, took another step back as if he didn’t want to get involved, offering nothing but a stiff smile.
“Sigh, it’s such a shame. I’m so disappointed that I couldn’t work with Senior Min Ji-heon this time due to such an unexpected turn of events.”
But Lee Kang-seok didn’t care at all and just kept rambling.
That ‘unexpected turn of events’ obviously referred to me snatching the role.
“I really should have transferred my agency to WH instead, hahaha!”
And that was clearly a jab at me for moving from Daepasung to WH Entertainment. It carried the implication that while his acting was far superior, he lost the role simply because WH Entertainment was a bigger agency.
The intent was so transparent that I glanced over at Min Ji-heon, who was also stealing a look at me.
Min Ji-heon seemed to find the situation quite thrilling.
‘This is fun.’
I, too, felt the corners of my mouth twitching upward from the sheer amusement.
“Seo Ho-yun-ssi, your acting is still a bit… unrefined, isn’t it?”
“Mhm~, it is unrefined.”
“You did audition, right?”
“I wonder?”
When I brushed everything off with a beaming face, Lee Kang-seok’s lips began to tremble.
“Haha, well, must be nice. Getting a role through sheer luck instead of skill.”
“Oh, of course it’s nice.”
“……”
“Who would turn down something given for free?”
“……”
Beside us, I heard Min Ji-heon stifle a laugh with a pfft. I raised my voice a little more.
“Wait, Senior Min Ji-heon.”
“Yes, yes?”
“You didn’t audition either, did you, Senior?”
I tilted my head slightly and asked the question with the most innocent expression I could muster.
“I thought I was cast as Kim Woo-ho because they recognized my unique charms, but listening to Senior Lee Kang-seok, it sounds like that might not be the case….”
It wasn’t just that it ‘might not be the case’; it definitely wasn’t. According to the setting, I was a total shoe-in.
And I was currently devouring the opportunity with gratitude.
“—If we follow Senior Lee Kang-seok’s logic, since you’re a WH Entertainment actor and you didn’t audition either—”
Seeing Lee Kang-seok’s face gradually turn pale, my eyes naturally crinkled into crescents.
“—Is he saying that you’re a parachute hire too, Senior?”
“Wait, wait a minute! Seo Ho-yun-ssi! When did I ever say that?!”
Flustered, the guy’s face turned beet red as he waved his hands frantically.
“Senior Min Ji-heon was a direct casting!”
“Eh? Then what about me?”
“……”
Having accidentally insulted Min Ji-heon in his attempt to bash me, Lee Kang-seok stood there with his mouth agape, unable to say another word as if he’d been struck.
“Wow….”
An exclamation escaped Min Ji-heon, who had witnessed the whole thing. Lee Kang-seok let out a sharp, frustrated breath and immediately turned to Min Ji-heon.
“Ah, uh, Senior Min Ji-heon, that’s not what I meant.”
Just then.
“Excuse me, but this area is off-limits to unauthorized personnel.”
As the commotion grew, the assistant director came over to check on things.
Lee Kang-seok’s expression shifted instantly. He radiated an aura of pure irritation.
“…What? I’m part of the production. Don’t you recognize my face?”
“Lee Kang-seok-ssi, are you currently appearing in Dead after Hope?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Then we would appreciate it if you would leave.”
“…Wow, even the staff here are acting all high and mighty.”
The atmosphere on set chilled instantly.
“What, is this place a palace or something? I can’t even drop by for a second? Do you even know who I am?”
As Lee Kang-seok’s voice rose, all the staff members’ attention shifted toward him. Their fierce glares were filled with the annoyance of: ‘We’re busy enough as it is, and now this asshole!’ Even so, they seemed to be holding back, clearly not wanting to make an enemy out of Lee Kang-seok, who was currently a rising star.
The assistant director also looked troubled by Lee Kang-seok’s endless nonsense, not knowing what to do. I stepped forward slightly, blocking Lee Kang-seok’s view, and spoke.
“Really, Senior Lee Kang-seok, please stop now. I’m very, very grateful that you came to see me, but—”
“Whaaat??”
“—I told you it’s a bit overwhelming for me. It’s really difficult if you keep acting like this!”
I lowered my long eyelashes to look as distressed as possible and let out a small, soft sigh.
I might as well use my recently peaked acting skills for something like this.
“Wha—what?”
Lee Kang-seok’s expression shattered.
Taking advantage of the gap, I gave a small hand signal behind my back for the assistant director to clear out.
“What kind of bullshit is this when today is the first time we’ve actually met?!”
“Next time, if you really want to see me that badly, at least give me a heads-up. Okay?”
“……!!”
I leaned down slightly to match the eye level of Lee Kang-seok, who was clutching the back of his neck as if his blood pressure was skyrocketing.
“Shall we go now, Kang-seok?”
I said it specifically to piss him off.
While he sputtered and turned various shades of red and purple, I hooked my arm around his neck and practically dragged him out of the set.
“You… you just spoke informally to me….”
“Ah, right! I’m in today’s episode of Dead after Hope, so make sure to catch the live broadcast.”
“Are you crazy? Why would I watch that!”
Why else?
I brushed off my arm where it had touched him and gave him a kind answer.
“Well, shouldn’t you know exactly how I snatched the role so you won’t feel so wronged?”
“…The reason?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Kang-seok, who was massaging his neck, narrowed his eyes.
I shrugged and added nonchalantly.
“Because I’m a better actor than you.”
If the opponent were someone with innate genius like Min Ji-heon, it might be a different story.
But at the very least, I could understand and express a character who desperately clings to life while taking care of his younger brother better than Lee Kang-seok could.
Just like the role of ‘Lee Jeong-hun’ in Please Take Care of the Camera.
“…You—you bastard! Do you really want to die? Get back here!”
“Nope, not gonna~.”
Ignoring Lee Kang-seok’s shouting behind me, I walked away.
Ding!
[……You seem to be doing well.]
[You’re like a fish in water.]
Of course. It felt refreshing to act however I wanted for once without worrying about my surroundings.
As I entered the set entrance, I saw Min Ji-heon leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, having apparently followed me.
“……I guess no one can beat a crazy person. He was no match for you at all.”
“That’s why I’m hanging out with you.”
I replied with a bright smile, murmuring as I waved to a staff member who was bowing to me from a distance.
I had to return to the dressing room to change and touch up my makeup for the next shoot, but Min Ji-heon kept lingering around me, stealing glances.
“Hey.”
Seeing him like that was pathetic, so I decided to show some elder’s mercy and open the conversation first.
“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t just mope around.”
“…No, it’s just unexpected. Being so kind to the staff… I heard you’re getting rave reviews from them.”
So, what about it?
Min Ji-heon watched as the corners of my eyes quirked up mockingly.
“…Looking at how you treated Lee Kang-seok just now, or how you act with me, it doesn’t seem like you have a particularly good personality.”
“Why? Am I not allowed to be nice to the staff?”
“I said it’s just unexpected. You’re quite suspicious, Seo Ho-yun-ssi.”
“Honorifics.”
“……-yo.”
Min Ji-heon pouted slightly before turning his gaze back to the busy set.
“I’m a person who pursues peace, so Seo Ho-yun-ssi, who radiates such an ominous energy, is a bit uncomfortable for me.”
“Ominous?”
He pointed his finger at the air around me.
“That dark, sticky mass clinging to you… it doesn’t look like anything good.”
I suppose so. It must be the accumulated Notoriety Points.
“You’re not wrong.”
Since he was being annoying by acting all bothered after following me around, I decided to kindly inform him of a fact he didn’t know yet.
“Ah, Min Ji-heon-ssi, you have an interview scheduled soon, right?”
“…I heard so. I wonder who I’m doing it with… maybe the director?”
“I think you’re doing it with me. I heard the director pushed for it. Said it would create a buzz.”
I smiled broadly, and Min Ji-heon’s face froze.
“…Do I… really have to go with Seo Ho-yun-ssi? Is that absolutely necessary?”
“If you hate it that much, go on Nutube or somewhere and film a mukbang to create your own buzz.”
“……Should I?”
Should you what, you pig?
* * *
Meanwhile, Lee Kang-seok paced around his house, gnawing on his fingernails.
“That son of a bitch, seriously…”
He had been a fan of Min Ji-heon since his days in the theater scene, long before he established himself as a major actor. He had been incredibly excited at the thought of filming a drama with him this time. But then some nobody had come along and snatched that opportunity away.
“Whatever, he’s just that ‘Seo Ho-yun’ anyway.”
In his rage over losing the role, he had looked up the web dramas and independent films the guy had appeared in to see what kind of hack he was.
Sure enough, his delivery was like reading from a textbook, his gaze was awkward, and his emotional expression was lacking.
Lee Kang-seok was certain that the public would drop Seo Ho-yun on their own without him having to do anything.
Even that handsome face of his would be criticized—people would say he doesn’t even use his facial muscles properly, or ask if he thinks he’s still an idol. He had dismissed it with such complacent judgment.
“……Shit.”
However, after the third episode of Dead after Hope aired…
《Passionate Acting in ‘Dead after Hope’… The Miraculous Appearance of Kim Woo-ho》
《The Highlight Scene Where Kim Woo-ho Saves Min Han-jun!》
《Seo Ho-yun and Min Ji-heon’s ‘Extreme Chemistry’ Wins Over Viewers.》
A flood of glowing articles about Seo Ho-yun poured out. Far too many to have been bought with money.
[Holy shit]
The viewer reactions he hurriedly checked were also unusual.
[Seo Ho-yun’s acting is soooooo fucking good;;;;]
To the point where Lee Kang-seok felt extremely anxious.