How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 111

Chapter 111

 

When I first opened my eyes in Yoo Seulho’s body, I obtained every document I could get my hands on.

Naturally, I checked the family registry as well, but there was nothing unusual.

‘Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean Yoo Taeho’s illegitimate child would appear on official documents.’

What were the chances that Yoo Taeho had cheated?

I remembered that the actor playing Jaehyun was twenty-three this year.

‘Two years younger than Yoo Seulho.’

If he really was Yoo Taeho’s son, that meant he’d cheated not long after Yoo Seulho was born.

‘Hmm.’

Even though it wasn’t an impossible scenario, I couldn’t stop tilting my head in doubt.

Had Yoo Taeho really committed adultery?

‘He didn’t seem like the type.’

Whenever I’d met Yoo Taeho at Seulho’s family home, he was always glued to Lee Seulmyeong.

And the way he’d immediately pulled his wife behind him to protect her whenever danger appeared had left an impression.

‘Though the funny part is that the “danger” was his own son.’

In many ways, they seemed like soulmates.

Neither of them had easy personalities, yet they’d somehow managed to live together all these years.

Anyway, based on the data I’d gathered over the past few months…

No, more than anything, based on ‘my instincts’, I couldn’t picture Yoo Taeho cheating.

‘Of course, plenty of people are good at hiding affairs.’

Nobody walks around with “I’m cheating” written on their forehead, so it wouldn’t exactly be shocking if Yoo Taeho turned out to be having an affair.

Still, it really didn’t feel right…

‘Let’s not decide yet.’

What I needed right now wasn’t speculation, but evidence.

Fortunately, I had someone who could handle that for me.

 

***

 

[Mr. Yoo Seulho, is this a good time to talk?]

The call from the private investigator came a few days later.

I was busy preparing for an important shoot, but I was too curious about whether Yoo Taeho had cheated, so I called him back immediately.

More than anything, I wanted to know whether my instincts had been wrong.

[This is Joo Gyeongbeom.]

“Hello.”

[Good thing I reached you right away. I considered compiling another report like before, but I thought it would be faster to explain over the phone.]

“I prefer calls too.”

I told him that unless it was something that needed to be submitted to court, it’d be easier if he just called me from now on.

“So? Did he cheat?”

I got straight to the point.

Joo Gyeongbeom answered without hesitation.

[No.]

“Oh…”

[To be precise, I’ve confirmed that Yoo Taeho does not have an illegitimate child. He has no such relationship with that actor either.]

 Joo Gyeongbeom continued smoothly.

[As soon as I received your request, I first checked Yoo Taeho’s recent activities. He’s been cast in a drama, and it seems to be a pretty big production.]

“A drama?”

[Yes. Apparently, casting negotiations alone took several months, and Yoo Taeho’s participation is still confidential.]

And among the actors finally cast in the drama was Jaehyun.

To be exact, Yoo Taeho would be playing the father, and Jaehyun the son.

“…That’s all?”

[That’s all.]

Hah.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

‘That was anticlimactic.’

I’d heard before that actors who played parent and child often continued using those titles even after filming ended.

Though it was a little strange for him to already be calling him “Father” before filming had even started…

‘Well, it’s not impossible.’

I’d expected something like this, but the answer was even more boring than I’d thought.

‘What a shame.’

Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if he really had an illegitimate child.

It would’ve been enough to drive a wedge into that annoyingly close couple.

Separating Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong alone would’ve prevented all sorts of future incidents.

It was disappointing in many ways, but there was nothing to be done.

At the same time, I felt a little guilty.

‘No matter what, they’re still Yoo Seulho’s parents…’

Was I being too cruel?

They were already troublesome enough for Yoo Seulho, and finding out there was an illegitimate child would only make things harder for him.

‘Guess I should just be glad.’

While I was lost in thought,  Joo Gyeongbeom spoke again.

[Back when I planted bugs on Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong several months ago.]

“Yes.”

[At least during that period, he wasn’t cheating. Even when he talked to himself, it was obvious how much he cared for Ms. Lee Seulmyeong. He often said things like, “I miss Seulmyeong.”]

“Could you stop? I feel like washing my ears.”

When I reacted in disgust, a quiet laugh came from the other end.

[If you’d like absolute confirmation, give me a few more weeks. I’ll have someone tail Mr. Yoo Taeho.]

He said that while he’d confirmed Jaehyun wasn’t related by blood, it would take several more days to determine whether Yoo Taeho was currently having an affair.

I told him that wouldn’t be necessary.

“Thanks for checking so quickly.”

[You’re welcome.]

 Joo Gyeongbeom ended the call politely.

‘Hmm.’

So the two of them were in the same drama.

He said the lead cast hadn’t even been finalized yet.

Yet Jaehyun was already calling him Father.

‘Could it be…’

Was the reason Jaehyun disliked me somehow related to Yoo Taeho?

Maybe he’d heard bad things about me from him.

But for that to happen, Yoo Taeho would have to break his “perfect father” mask.

‘Forget it.’

There was nothing I could do.

I couldn’t exactly confront either Yoo Taeho or Jaehyun.

And honestly, I didn’t want to.

If they wanted to play father and son, they could knock themselves out.

‘Let’s forget about it.’

Learning that Jaehyun wasn’t Yoo Taeho’s illegitimate child was enough.

If he stared at me weirdly again or picked a fight, I’d deal with it then.

For now, I had more immediate concerns.

Like…

“Mr. Seulho, are you practicing properly for tomorrow’s shoot?”

“…How exactly am I supposed to practice a kissing scene?”

Right.

Tomorrow’s kissing scene.

“If there’s anything I can help with, please let me know.” (TL Note: HUMMMM)

“Hah…”

Already troubled enough, I watched Choo Seomok stroll over beside the couch.

‘What exactly can you help with?’

Finding it ridiculous and a little funny, I joked.

“What? You going to find me someone to practice with?”

“Huh?”

Seomok, who’d been about to sit beside me, shot upright.

Then he stared at me with an expression that seemed to say, ‘How could you even say something like that?’

“I was asking whether you’ve prepared mouthwash and lip balm. Finding a practice partner is your responsibility.”

The look in his eyes bordered on contempt.

Even if he ran into a streaker in an alley, I doubted he’d look that disgusted.

“Forget it. My manager will take care of it tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to take care of perverts.”

“Hey! Can’t you tell when someone’s joking?”

Who the hell practices kissing scenes with actual partners?

Even after my dumbfounded reaction, Seomok quietly distanced himself before retreating to his room.

Seriously unbelievable.

‘Hah.’

But seriously, what was I supposed to do?

It was funny, worrying at my age about how to kiss.

But kissing someone and acting out a kiss in front of cameras were entirely different things.

‘It’s not like I can do it the way real couples do.’

A kiss between lovers was meant to affirm their feelings.

Faces got squished.

Things could even get a little messy.

But kisses on screen always had to look beautiful.

Always elegant.

Sigh.

No use worrying by myself.

My one and only manager had already fled to his room.

That meant I had no choice but to consult the internet.

I turned on the TV and searched:

“Greatest Kissing Scenes Compilation.”

Then I clicked every video that appeared.

‘Oh?’

There were far more variations than I’d expected.

‘So cameras can move like that too.’

Some scenes didn’t even focus on lips meeting.

Instead, they used backlighting or silhouettes.

“Why are they blasting music so loud during kissing scenes?”

Was that the current trend?

Personally, the songs ruined the mood.

‘Guess they added it to cover up the actual sounds.’

Thinking that way made sense.

A family-friendly show couldn’t exactly include awkward noises.

Still, for someone like me who needed practical tips for tomorrow, it was only getting in the way.

‘Maybe I should turn up the volume.’

I increased the sound and searched for quieter scenes.

Thankfully, I found something useful.

I replayed the same clip dozens of times, wondering how I should approach tomorrow.

Then…

Bang!!!

The door to the room in the corner flew open.

Turning around, I found Choo Seomok standing there with a bright red face.

“What? Weren’t you sleeping?”

“…Just how many times are you planning to watch the same scene?”

“Huh?”

Right then, the actors on TV started kissing.

Without any background music, realistic kissing noises began playing.

The moment the sound reached his ears, Seomok sprinted over like a madman and snatched the remote.

Then he immediately turned off the TV.

I stared at him in disbelief.

“What are you doing?”

“What are ‘you’ doing, Mr. Seulho?!”

Seomok raised his voice.

“Can’t you tell? I’m preparing for tomorrow’s kissing scene.”

“Then quietly watch it alone in your room! What kind of creepy old man watches this in the living room with the volume turned up?!”

“It’s not like I was watching something dirty…”

Being treated like some old pervert just for watching kissing scenes felt unfair.

But honestly, this was the first time I’d seen him yelling with veins popping out.

I wasn’t even angry.

Just confused.

And that’s when I noticed his ears.

Bright red.

“Hey, don’t tell me…”

“That’s enough.”

“No, hey. You’re twenty-five–”

“I’m going to bed first.”

Without even letting me finish, Choo Seomok marched back into his room.

SLAM!!!

The door shut so hard that for a moment I wondered if I was raising a teenage son.

‘No…’

I sat there blankly, feeling like a storm had just blown through.

“…He could’ve at least left the remote behind.”