How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 106

Chapter 106

 

The scene that followed immediately after Junho’s group arrived at the villa was the one where they received the keys from the owner.

It was also the scene I’d performed during the audition.

“Moving right on to Scene 23-1!”

“Yes~!”

However, the actor playing the villa owner had another schedule today, so we decided to shoot other scenes first.

There were plenty to film… the scene where everyone entered the villa and split into the girls’ and boys’ rooms, scenes of them drinking and fooling around in broad daylight, and so on.

But as Director Seo had mentioned earlier, we needed to shoot as many outdoor scenes as possible before the weather got colder.

So the next scene we filmed was…

“Wow, it’s already scary.”

“How are we supposed to shoot this…?”

The scene where everyone wandered through the mountains searching for Hyewoo after she disappeared.

There were quite a few people around, including staff members, but being deep in the mountains naturally created an eerie atmosphere that was hard to shake.

We hadn’t even started filming in earnest yet, but some of the actors were already thoroughly frightened.

“Ah~ what a shame.”

Meanwhile, the actress playing Hyewoo looked genuinely disappointed.

“We only just started, and I’m already getting written out.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle when she muttered that she wanted to act more.

If I’d heard that a few days ago, I probably would’ve thought she was complaining with her stomach full.

I might’ve secretly been annoyed, thinking, What’s she doing saying that in front of people who have dawn shoots?

But now…

‘I’d be disappointed too.’

I understood her feelings perfectly.

Acting with people my age, tossing lines back and forth, was much more fun than I’d expected.

I’d already felt this during the audition, but Junho, the protagonist, wasn’t a difficult character for me to immerse myself in.

Because of that, I could fully enjoy filming without feeling burdened.

“Hyewoo, want to use my blanket?”

“Huh? Really? Thank you!”

Since I’d have to start filming soon anyway, I handed her my blanket.

I could feel Choo Seomok glaring at me as if saying, Why are you giving away the blanket I wrapped you in?, but I ignored him.

‘Taking it on and off over and over is just annoying.’

Besides, it wasn’t even that cold.

‘Maybe it’s thanks to the energy of young people?’

…Wow, I really sounded like an old man just now.

“Let’s hurry up and finish before the sun sets!”

At Director Seo’s shout, everyone quickly moved.

After a light rehearsal along their assigned routes, we prepared to start filming.

‘Twenty minutes into the movie, one person disappears.’

Hyewoo disappeared on the first night, and everyone realized she was missing at dawn the next day.

Among the group of four guys and three girls, there was one couple… and Hyewoo was part of it.

Naturally, everyone questioned her boyfriend, Jaehyun.

“You two went out last night, right?”

“Uh, w-well…”

“What the hell? This is exactly why I didn’t want to come with couples! So you two snuck out together?”

At that point, nobody had realized how serious the situation was.

Instead, they teased Jaehyun for being horny and urged him to contact Hyewoo.

“Huh? Hyewoo’s phone is here.”

Only after discovering her phone inside the villa did everyone’s expressions harden.

“What the hell, Woo Jaehyun? Where’s your girlfriend? Don’t tell me you left her in the mountains and came back alone?”

“It’s just… my memory…”

Everyone shook their heads in disbelief when Jaehyun said he’d drunk too much and couldn’t remember clearly.

“Are you insane?! What kind of lunatic leaves his girlfriend alone out there?!”

Ajin’s character, overflowing with righteousness, shouted angrily.

Junho pressed his temples in frustration, while Jaehyun yelled back, flustered by everyone’s looks of disgust.

“I’m pissed off too! Hyewoo’s the one who woke me up!”

“But Hyewoo slept with me last night. Did she go to your room at dawn?”

“No, I was drunk and asleep too, but someone kept calling my name outside. It sounded like Hyewoo, so I went out!”

Junho froze for a moment.

He remembered the villa owner who’d handed him the keys saying:

Don’t go outside after sunset, and no matter who calls your name at night, don’t answer.

Unaware of what Junho was thinking, the others kept questioning Jaehyun.

“So what? Was Hyewoo outside when you went out?”

“I told you, I don’t remember. I remember opening the front door, but when I came to my senses, it was morning!”

It was exactly the kind of irresponsible answer you’d expect from a twenty-year-old.

The oldest among them was only twenty-one, including Jaehyun and two others.

“Let’s hurry and find her! Imagine how scared Hyewoo must be!”

Ajin and the other girls stamped their feet anxiously, and the guys became agitated as well.

It was time for Junho to snap at someone’s suggestion that they split up and search separately.

“Just focus on the feeling first, so even if you fumble your lines, don’t stop. Let’s do the whole thing from start to finish!”

“Yes!”

Everyone answered loudly.

Since I had the first line, I took a deep breath.

“Ready…”

Whew. Let’s do this.

“Action!”

 

***

 

“There are six of us, so let’s split into pairs and search separately. It’ll be faster.”

“Yeah! Let’s hurry and find Hyewoo. She must be terrified.”

Ajin eagerly agreed with Seungmin.

She looked ready to throw herself into the mountains at any moment.

Seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Hey, Choi Seungmin. Are you stupid?”

“Huh?”

Everyone turned to me at the irritation in my voice.

They all looked confused, wondering why I was angry.

Except Ajin.

Her deeply furrowed brows clearly read:

Is this bastard really picking a fight at a time like this?

‘Ha.’

I had plenty to say to this clueless junior, but I started with the most important thing.

“Do you seriously think splitting up while we’re looking for a missing person is a good idea? Sounds like the perfect way for all of us to go missing.”

Faced with my contemptuous stare, Seungmin awkwardly scratched his neck.

“No, I just thought… it’s urgent.”

“No matter how urgent it is, let’s use our heads. We all know this is playing out like the beginning of a horror movie, right? Let’s not act like idiots.”

I did my best to calmly take charge.

“Hyewoo couldn’t have gone far. She probably got drunk and fell asleep nearby.”

“R-right?”

“Yeah. Besides, if it were winter, it’d be different, but it’s summer. She didn’t freeze to death overnight. Once we find her, this’ll just be an incident we laugh about.”

I told them not to make things worse by panicking and that all six of us should stick together.

Everyone seemed convinced and obediently nodded.

Ajin was no exception.

My reassurance that Hyewoo would be fine seemed to bring her back to reality.

‘…She really better be okay.’

Unlike the confidence I’d shown everyone, I was honestly anxious.

‘A girl disappeared in the mountains overnight?’

That wasn’t something to take lightly.

I had no idea what kind of wild animals lived in these mountains… or what kinds of people might be nearby.

‘If the professor found out about this…’

Ha. Calm down.

Panicking wouldn’t help anyone.

I calmly laid out our next move.

“We booked this place for one night, so we have to leave before noon. If we don’t find Hyewoo within three hours, we’ll call the police.”

“The police? Uh… Junho, do we really need to go that far?”

At Seorae’s question, I shrugged.

“So what? It’s not like we did anything to Hyewoo. We didn’t force her out or kill her.”

“Oppa! Why would you say that?!”

“That’s exactly why we should call them. We’ve got nothing to hide, so why shouldn’t we? They collect paychecks from our parents’ taxes.”

Ajin frowned slightly.

Maybe she disliked how dismissively I talked about the police, but I didn’t care.

My usual calm voice seemed to help the guys regain their composure.

“Let’s do what Junho said. If we don’t find her by eleven, we’ll call the police.”

“But I think we’ll find her before then. I have a good feeling~.”

“Let’s find her quickly and have ramen for breakfast. My stomach’s killing me.”

Everyone relaxed.

Meanwhile, I emptied my backpack and filled it with several water bottles and a flashlight.

I stuffed another bag with water bottles and tossed it to Choi Seungmin, who was my age.

“Let’s go.”

With me leading the way, the three guys and three girls moved in a line.

The sound of our footsteps echoed strangely loudly through the mountains.

 

***

 

“Cut!”

Just before we entered deeper into the forest, Director Seo shouted.

The actors, half-synchronized with their characters, snapped back to reality like they’d been struck by lightning.

“…Wow, the immersion is insane.”

The actor playing Daon shivered.

Maybe because everyone was young, their reactions were lively and exaggerated.

“I’m really scared. What do I do?”

“Can we even shoot here tonight? I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

Several actors made miserable faces.

Only Ajin was grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow~! It doesn’t even feel like we’re filming a movie! It feels like something that could really happen!”

“Exactly!”

One actor nodded and whispered.

“At first I was upset when they said the script changed, but… this version is way better.”

“Right? All the unnatural parts are gone. It’s so much easier to immerse yourself.”

Ajin smiled and agreed.

Standing beside them, I nodded as if it had nothing to do with me.

‘Thank goodness.’

Every scene they’d just praised was something I’d persuaded Director Seo to change.

‘The stupidity of splitting up during a crisis.’

‘The frustration of acting like police don’t exist.’

Those were horror movie clichés I’d seen countless times.

Audiences were bound to be tired of them, so I’d strongly insisted that those parts absolutely had to be fixed.

‘It’s definitely better than before.’

A smile naturally spread across my face.

And then…

“…?”

What?

Without thinking, I looked down at the strange sensation brushing against my leg.

There… something was there.