Chapter 303
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 303
[Title: I think I know why Seo Ho-yun totally ignores Lee Kang-seok LOL
I’m a film and drama major, so I’ve worked a hell of a lot of part-time jobs as a broadcast staffer.
I’ve seen Lee Kang-seok on set a few times, and the guy is a total psycho.
Don’t believe the image Lee Kang-seok shows on TV.
Seriously, whenever I see him pushing that "intelligent, gentlemanly, perfect son-in-law" image, I feel like puking mid-meal.
Back then, I was just a lowly part-timer, so I had to keep my mouth shut, but I saw him go absolutely ballistic on his manager so many times.
Even from my perspective, it was way over the line.
The manager was at least old enough to be his uncle, but he was always bowing his head, apologizing and begging for forgiveness.
All the staff nearby would be walking on eggshells.
I’d be in the corner, eyes darting around while my triangle kimbap wrapper crinkled.
I still remember every single word that bastard said back then.
He said, "Aren't I the one suffering because you're lazy and stupid?"
To be honest, it’s not just his manager.
Lee Kang-seok is famous in this industry for treating anyone he thinks is beneath him like crap.
He doesn't even treat junior staff or part-timers like human beings, lol.
On the flip side, he sucks up big time to famous directors, PDs, and actors... basically, anyone he considers "worthy" by his standards.
I figured he’d get his comeuppance eventually, but seeing him play the victim on Starstagram after this whole thing broke made me so pissed that I’m posting this.
I got so disillusioned with this industry that I didn't even look for a job in the field. Of course, it’s also because there are plenty of other psychos besides Lee Kang-seok ^^ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
On the other hand, Seo Ho-yun... I actually found this surprising, but I heard he’s got his head on straight.
Everyone praises him because he’s never late, never throws tantrums, and rarely makes mistakes, so filming ends early (that last part is the most important, holy shit lol).
I heard he’s even nice to the junior staff and part-timers.
I heard this from a junior at my uni who’s working on Dead at Hope, so take it for what it’s worth.
└ Where’s the TL;DR? lol
└└ TL;DR: Doesn't this just mean anyone sane hates Lee Kang-seok?
└└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I think they just wanted to bash Kang-seok.
└ Hey, what are you doing? You’re gonna get sued by Kang-seok, holy shit ㅋㅋㅋ
└└ It’s anonymous anyway, what do you mean "sued"...]
[Title: Finally, it’s all coming out.
I was debating whether to post this or not, but Lee Kang-seok is seriously the worst.
If I even accidentally see his face on TV, I want to reach into the screen and beat him with the remote.
I think I might have run into the original poster.
Whenever Lee Kang-seok’s voice started getting loud, the staff would all lock eyes.
Like, "Here goes that piece of shit again..."
└ I was just a camera assistant, and my blood pressure spiked when I heard Lee Kang-seok tell me to go buy coffee that suited his taste.
└ It’s amazing how many people start creative writing the moment an opportunity arises.
└└ Post proof, you asshole.
Lee_Kang-seok_fucking_drama_set.jpg
If you don't believe me, then screw off~]
[Title: Huh? So that means Seo Ho-yun isn't bad??
Title says it all.
Yeah??]
[Title: About Actor A, who’s currently the talk of the town.
I worked briefly as a makeup staffer.
I agree with the sentiment that this actor is a psycho...
Honestly, it’s strange that people are only speaking up now after staying quiet for so long...
I already knew there were plenty of assholes in the broadcast world, but I was holding it in. Now that posts are going up, I’m jumping on the bandwagon.
└ Gasp, really? What was he like?
└└ His power-tripping is insane... I actually liked that actor, but as soon as the job was over, I told everyone around me never, ever to like him.
He acts like he’s some kind of royalty...;
└└ Wow... that’s shocking...]
[Title: No, but seriously, between Lee Kang-seok and Seo Ho-yun, who’s the good one?
Who?
Lee Kang-seok? Seo Ho-yun?
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Holy shit, judge for yourself ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
* * *
I handed my phone back to my manager and stretched my arms out wide.
Since we had been doing outdoor shoots for several days straight, it felt like a while since we’d been back on the studio set.
During the brief break, the actors were resting in their own ways, but Min Ji-heon sat alone in a corner, still shedding tears. He hadn't been able to snap out of the scene we had just filmed.
He really is something else.
He was trying to quietly suppress his emotions while holding an ice pack to his red, swollen under-eyes.
Unlike me, who was more than just dry—practically parched—Min Ji-heon’s eyes hadn't had a day to dry as the drama reached its climax.
"Wow, Senior Min Ji-heon must be having a really hard time."
Shin Hee-chan, who had approached me at some point, muttered softly.
"I'm sure. Well, it's the final stretch."
Actors generally suffer from extreme emotional exhaustion, but since Min Ji-heon acted as if he were being reborn as the character, he seemed to struggle even more when playing a role like this—someone righteous who feels agonizing grief over someone's death.
"Come to think of it, Ho-yun hyung, your filming is almost over, right? How much is left?"
"Two sessions."
Coincidentally, the system window had informed me last time that the error corrections were almost finished.
"Whoa! That’s such a shame. The role of Kim Woo-ho is super popular. Oh! Right, right, did you hear? They say our viewership ratings are probably going to break 16% soon."
"Oh, really?"
"...Look at how indifferent you are. Hyung, you’re really... what can I say? The more I see you, the more it’s amazing how much you’re the spitting image of Kim Woo-ho."
It’s not that I resemble Kim Woo-ho; it’s that Kim Woo-ho resembles me.
As I kept that unutterable answer to myself while listening to Shin Hee-chan’s chatter,
"......Whoa!"
Lee Kang-seok marched onto the set with large, confident strides.
"Wow, that person is seriously shameless. How can he even think of coming here again?"
I gave Shin Hee-chan’s shoulder a reassuring pat as he huffed and grumbled under his breath, then I kept an eye on the situation.
Even though he must have felt the sharp glares of all the staff members, Lee Kang-seok nonchalantly approached Min Ji-heon and clung to him once again.
"Senior. Are you alright?"
"......."
"What on earth is the staff here doing? You look so exhausted, Senior."
Min Ji-heon, who had his face buried in the ice pack, finally looked up. His brow was slightly furrowed as if he had a headache.
"Ah..."
"Senior, does your head hurt? Should I tell them to go buy medicine? Or..."
Min Ji-heon raised a hand to cut off Lee Kang-seok’s fussing.
"Lee Kang-seok."
Then, moving only his eyes, he looked at Lee Kang-seok.
"Read the room."
It was a clear command to get lost.
Between the peak stress of his role and his throbbing headache, Min Ji-heon had failed to hide his true temperament and let it show completely.
Lee Kang-seok, who was visibly biting his lower lip to hold back his reaction, soon bowed to Min Ji-heon and began walking toward me.
"Wait, why is he coming this way?"
Shin Hee-chan was flustered and didn't know what to do, even though it wasn't his business.
Thinking that his reaction really did resemble our maknae, a shadow fell over my vision, blocking my view.
"We have something to discuss privately. If you're not here to watch the show, why don't you move?"
Lee Kang-seok said to Shin Hee-chan.
Shin Hee-chan glanced back and forth between me and the other man as if checking the atmosphere, then reluctantly moved away at Lee Kang-seok’s annoyed shooing gesture.
Once he judged that Shin Hee-chan was far enough away, Lee Kang-seok looked down at me and spoke.
"Mr. Seo Ho-yun, you didn't check my texts."
"Ah. No, I saw them."
"...You saw them?"
"Yep. But I blocked you."
"......."
"......."
He let out a sigh as if he were dumbfounded.
"...Mr. Seo Ho-yun, I suppose you don't know much because it hasn't been long since you entered the entertainment industry. If you act that arrogantly toward a senior, you'll hit rock bottom in no time."
"Oh..."
"Do you still not have a sense of how the situation is unfolding?"
When I simply shrugged without responding, Lee Kang-seok clicked his tongue openly.
"I wonder if our Mr. Seo Ho-yun is naive, or just plain stupid."
A never-ending stream of delusional remarks followed.
Lee Kang-seok was the same, whether in that world or this one.
It wasn't that he lacked looks, nor was his acting particularly deficient.
Perhaps if he had been just a little humble, he might have become a huge success later on.
However, the problem was his unchanging mindset—his inability to reflect on himself, his failure to recognize even his own strengths, and his desire to find the cause of every negative thing in the outside world.
"Mr. Seo Ho-yun, you know the rumors about you are getting worse, right? I'll help you."
Taking my expressionless face however he wanted, Lee Kang-seok stepped closer and whispered.
"You'll help me?"
"Yes. I can at least clarify that the 'Newbie Actor B' isn't you. That is, if you show me some proper respect as a junior?"
I bypassed Lee Kang-seok, who had twisted one corner of his mouth into a smirk, and let my gaze drift behind him. Sure enough, I saw Min Ji-heon watching the scene with interest, his chin resting on his hand.
He was probably observing how I would act in this situation. Trying his best to confirm what kind of person 'Seo Ho-yun' really was.
"But, Senior Lee Kang-seok. I have something I'm curious about."
I tilted my head slightly with a smile on my lips.
"Senior, didn't you say you like people who are good at acting?"
"...What? Yes?"
"Then why aren't you praising me?"
"Excuse me??"
"I think I'm pretty good."
Lee Kang-seok’s face contorted before immediately smoothing out. He seemed to be conscious of his surroundings in his own way.
"What are you... You're certainly generous with your self-evaluation."
"Am I?"
"Ha, Mr. Seo Ho-yun, you're truly selfish. How can you let such jokes slide after causing trouble for everyone with your foul mouth and reckless behavior?"
Finally, Lee Kang-seok’s suppressed voice rose slightly. I had already felt the staff stealing glances, but now they were looking directly at us.
"Well, even if everything you say is right, Senior... how can anyone live while worrying about every little thing like that? You have to let things slide sometimes."
I patted Lee Kang-seok on the back as if comforting him.
I could feel his body trembling slightly through my fingertips.
"Senior Lee Kang-seok, you were just harshly rejected by Senior Min Ji-heon, but don't get too stressed. Just think, 'It's because I'm too amazing,' and you'll feel much better."
Veins popped out on Lee Kang-seok’s clenched fists.
I smiled even more brightly, thinking that the situation would resolve itself quite interestingly even if he punched me right now.
"The world is too busy for us to see anything but pretty and good things, so let's live our lives positively and wisely."
Those were words Seong Ji-won had said once.
I’m sure he didn't mean for them to be used at a time like this, though.
Lee Kang-seok, whose face had turned from red to a dark purple, ground his teeth and stepped even closer to me.
"...Are you crazy? Do you really want to end your acting career?"
This was the disappointing thing about Lee Kang-seok.
He had a talent for pestering and infuriating people, but he lacked the brains to think about the aftermath.
He seemed to be conscious of people's eyes, yet he ultimately couldn't suppress his true nature.
Spreading rumors.
Posting emotional appeals on his Starstagram account.
Throwing tantrums on set.
Mistreating staff and his manager.
His own actions had provoked the public and piqued their curiosity. He didn't even realize that all of this would return to him as a self-inflicted wound.
Vrrr, vrrr.
And at the very moment the controversy was reaching its peak.
"Shit..."
Lee Kang-seok saw the name on his phone and hung up irritably. It seemed to be his manager.
"So annoying..."
But the ringing that started again immediately didn't stop easily. It was because Lee Kang-seok had frozen and couldn't take any action.
Glancing at the screen, I saw the word 'CEO' displayed.
"Kang-seok."
I spoke with deliberate leisure.
"Why don't you answer the phone?"
Lee Kang-seok, who was nibbling on his thumb nail, hesitated before turning his back and pressing the call button.
"......Hello."
Through the small voice of Lee Kang-seok as he cautiously spoke, a loud shout erupted.
[Hey!! Lee Kang-seok!!]
In less than a minute, Lee Kang-seok’s face turned deathly pale.
In Unknown Idol Tycoon, I had been disappointed that I couldn't see his reaction in real-time when the articles about him broke... but it seems the end of a villain is the same for everyone.
It reminded me of Today’s Yoo Hyuk during Shining Star Season 1.
"How tragic."
He should have just minded his own business.
"What, what is it? Why is he acting like that?"
Commotion spread through the staff in an instant.
Shin Hee-chan, who had been creeping toward me while watching Lee Kang-seok, looked around at the murmuring staff and hurriedly turned on his own phone.
《Shocking! Lee Kang-seok’s Power-Tripping Incident Re-examined》
《Dispatch Obtains Lee Kang-seok’s Phone Text Messages... The True Face of a Star》
《Rumors of Lee Kang-seok’s Abuse of Power Proven True》
Amidst the chaotic filming set, only Min Ji-heon sent a lingering gaze my way.
I also looked directly at him and smiled back.
Yes, I’m not exactly a good person.
Just as you laughed when you heard those words.
"Hee-chan, by any chance."
I walked slowly over to Shin Hee-chan and whispered in his ear with my arm around his shoulder.
"...Yes, hyung."
"Do you know how to do judo?"
"......Huh?"
Shin Hee-chan looked at me with a bewildered expression.
It was a real shame that Jeong Da-jun wasn't here to flip Lee Kang-seok over with a judo throw.