How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 142

Chapter 142

 

First the gym, then the awards ceremony, and now the dentist?

‘There’s no way this can all be a coincidence.’

I hadn’t thought much of it until the awards ceremony, but today felt suspicious.

Maybe my unease showed on my face, because Noh Hamrak immediately jumped up to defend his innocence.

“I’m seriously being framed here!!”

The frustration in his voice when he asked why on earth he’d be following a celebrity around sounded genuine.

Still, I had every reason to be suspicious.

“I can understand the gym since we live in the same neighborhood, but this dental clinic isn’t anywhere near there.”

The clinic I’d come to today was one I’d found while looking for a quiet dentist.

It was seven subway stops away from my place.

And we just happened to run into each other here?

“My company’s right around here!”

Hamrak explained that he’d gotten off work early and had simply stopped by to see if they accepted walk-in appointments.

When he even pulled out his business card to prove it really was a coincidence, I started feeling a little guilty.

‘Well… it’s not like I’m anyone special.’

When I apologized, saying I’d become too suspicious to trust people, Hamrak actually comforted me instead, saying being a celebrity must be a difficult job.

“Well then… I’ll get going.”

“Right. Sorry for all the trouble.”

Leaving behind a thoroughly exhausted-looking Hamrak after such a short conversation, I turned away.

I was about to head down to the underground parking garage when he suddenly called out again.

“Mr. Yoo Seulho! Um… I know this is probably none of my business.”

“Yes?”

Even as he spoke, Hamrak still looked hesitant.

He said my mention of stalkers had reminded him of someone strange he’d seen at the awards ceremony.

“That person knew about the gym we go to?”

“Yeah. Besides me, have you talked to anyone at the gym? Maybe a woman in her mid-forties?”

“No.”

“Something just felt… off. I can’t really explain it, but her eyes…”

Hamrak scratched his head halfway through the sentence.

Even he seemed frustrated that he didn’t have anything concrete.

‘A stalker…’

It wasn’t impossible.

The face I’d inherited from Yoo Seulho was admittedly quite attractive.

More importantly, celebrities and stalkers unfortunately tended to go hand in hand.

The idea of a woman in her forties being a stalker didn’t immediately come to mind, but that was probably just prejudice.

‘Crime doesn’t have an age limit.’

Still, there wasn’t much I could do to prepare right now.

I thanked him for worrying about me and told him I’d already been planning to change gyms anyway.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. More and more people keep asking for pictures, so I’m thinking of moving somewhere else.”

“That’s probably for the best. A lot of local residents go there.”

Hamrak smiled awkwardly.

It suddenly occurred to me that this might be the last time we’d run into each other.

Of course, another coincidence might happen.

But once filming officially started, the chances would drop dramatically.

‘Hmm.’

After hesitating for a moment, I spoke.

“Could I get your number?”

“Huh?”

Hamrak tilted his head.

“Which number? The gym’s?”

This time I was the one tilting my head.

“No. Yours.”

“What?”

Was the question really that hard?

I wondered if he was just politely trying to say he felt uncomfortable, so I bluntly asked if it bothered him.

“No, that’s not it… Why do you need my number?”

“Why? Because I think we’ll probably see each other again.”

“Me… and you?”

“Yeah. We keep running into each other. It’s more convenient if we’ve got each other’s contact information.”

Hamrak looked like a malfunctioning robot, creaking with every movement, but obediently exchanged numbers with me.

Maybe it was pointless, but it felt better than regretting it later.

‘It’s not like knowing him will benefit me.’

Since entering Yoo Seulho’s body, Hamrak was the only person I’d met who wasn’t connected to work.

Which meant that even if we became friends, there was nothing professionally for me to gain.

Still…

‘He reminds me of Gyeongbeom when I first met him.’

Hamrak gave off the same kind of feeling Jooo Gyeongbeom had.

Carefully observing me with his eyes while being incredibly gentle in the way he acted.

Gyeongbeom had only developed that cold, professional mask after years of getting chewed out under me.

At first, he’d been nothing but an awkward fool.

‘When I put it like that, it sounds like I’m looking for a replacement for Joo Gyeongbeom.’

To be fair, there hadn’t been anyone in my previous life as comfortable to be around as Joo Gyeongbeom.

 

But wasn’t it greedy to hope I’d find someone like that again in this life?

Even I didn’t really understand myself, and the thought left me feeling awkward.

‘Forget it.’

Why overthink it?

Having a friend wasn’t a bad thing.

And I could even brag about it to Choo Seomok later.

Two birds with one stone.

“I’m calling you now.”

“Okay…”

When I called the number he’d entered, Hamrak’s phone buzzed.

Looking at his face, which still seemed unable to process the situation, another impulsive question escaped me.

“Do you drink?”

Hamrak hesitated briefly before nodding.

“Perfect. Do you have time right now?”

“R-right now?”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be focusing entirely on practice. Today’s my only free day.”

If he couldn’t make it today, then so be it.

I wasn’t interested in arranging schedules just to meet, so I didn’t press the matter.

Hamrak thought for a few seconds before making up his mind.

“Sure. Let’s go!”

“Did you drive?”

“No. I commute by subway.”

“Then ride with us. My manager’s waiting downstairs.”

Come to think of it, Choo Seomok hadn’t called me.

Checking my phone, I realized thirty minutes had already passed.

‘With his personality, there’s no way he wouldn’t have called.’

Did he think I’d been sightseeing in the waiting room for half an hour?

Maybe he was trying not to disturb me.

I pressed the elevator button.

“Hold on. I’ll call my manager and tell him someone else is coming–”

“I’m right here.”

Damn, that startled me.

I flinched as a voice suddenly rang out from the emergency stairwell.

“Weren’t you waiting in the parking garage?”

“I waited, but when you didn’t come down for a long time, I came up earlier. But…”

Choo Seomok glanced at Hamrak standing beside me.

He studied his face before looking back at me.

“These days, people become friends without even knowing each other’s phone numbers?”

“…”

How much had this bastard overheard?

After hesitating for a second, I shamelessly replied,

“Of course. Since when do friends have to know each other’s numbers? What do you think, Mr. Hamrak?”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t have someone’s number, does that mean you’re not friends? Don’t you think that’s a rather narrow-minded way to live?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess…”

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the perfect moment.

I quickly shoved both of them inside.

Choo Seomok shot me a disgruntled look that practically said, “Why were you pretending to have lots of friends?”

I cleanly ignored him.

Seriously, he wasn’t an easy guy to deal with.

 

***

 

“Is soju okay?”

“Anything’s fine.”

“Then let’s start with three bottles.”

“Um… but didn’t both of you just come from the dentist?”

Hamrak cautiously asked.

I smiled.

“Yeah. That’s why we’re disinfecting.”

“…”

He laughed awkwardly.

“That’s a pretty old-man thing to say for someone your age.”

“Really? How old are you?”

“I’m thirty-one this year.”

“Oh, then I’m…”

Wait…

How old was Yoo Seulho again?

I suddenly couldn’t remember, and as I hesitated, Hamrak answered for me.

“You’re twenty-six now. Five years younger than me.”

“Ah, right. My memory’s been a little fuzzy lately.”

“You’re young, so why on earth…”

Hamrak muttered as though the thought alone gave him a headache.

Ignoring him, I ordered three bottles of soju along with several dishes.

This was a private room-style bar famous for being frequented by celebrities.

‘It’s been a while.’

Since entering Yoo Seulho’s body, this was my first time drinking outside of company dinners.

Remembering the ‘Director Seo, Four Shots Disaster,’ I checked Hamrak’s alcohol tolerance one more time before pouring drinks.

Then I emptied my own glass in one gulp.

“Hah…”

Hamrak let out a breath.

Only after the bitter taste settled in did he seem to come to his senses, his eyes becoming noticeably clearer.

“Man… life really is full of surprises. Never thought I’d be drinking with Yoo Seulho.”

“Let’s speak casually.”

“…Then you’ll do the same?”

Hamrak asked hesitantly.

I grinned.

“Sure, hyung.”

I could feel Choo Seomok staring at me in confusion.

Just then, Hamrak excused himself to wash his hands, so I lowered my voice.

“Why are you staring?”

“Is he someone important?”

“No. Just an ordinary guy.”

“You seem unusually nice to him. I thought maybe there was some reason you needed to stay on good terms with him.”

I answered casually.

“The way you make it sound, do I only make friends when there’s something to gain?”

“That’s not what I meant. I just wondered if there was anything I should know–”

“There’s nothing. Drink.”

I poured more soju into Choo Seomok’s glass.

It was a secret that his comment had hit closer to home than I’d expected.

‘He’s right.’

What exactly was I doing here?

It wasn’t strange to have a drink with someone, but what surprised me was how excited I felt.

Maybe it was the sense of freedom from work combined with the novelty of doing something different from my usual routine.

‘What do I actually want?’

It wasn’t that I genuinely wanted to make friends.

I wasn’t an elementary school kid.

That would be a little childish.

It was more like… Sitting here drinking with them made me feel like a normal person.

Not a loan shark.

Not a celebrity.

Just an ordinary man having drinks with acquaintances.

‘…Get a grip.’

Nothing ruined work faster than getting carried away.

I resolved not to act like some excited kid.

“Let’s have another.”

“Don’t just drink. Eat something too.”

“Worry about yourself.”

Once I calmed down, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Since I treated him casually, Hamrak gradually relaxed as well, and before long we were talking like real older and younger brothers.

“So it’s been ten years since you last acted.”

“Hey, being in a high school drama club doesn’t count.”

“Acting is acting. Isn’t it?”

“…You know what I mean.”

As we talked, I realized Hamrak genuinely loved acting.

He tried to hide it, but the affection that slipped into his words wasn’t ordinary.

‘Feels almost like a love-hate relationship.’

And just like that, we started discussing acting.

After finally escaping work, I’d somehow brought the conversation right back to acting with my own hands.

“Wow… I never would’ve thought of looking at it that way.”

Every answer Hamrak gave to my questions surprised me.

They were perspectives I’d never heard from the people around me before.

“Oh. We’re out of soju.”

“Let’s order another bottle. I’m going to the restroom.”

Five bottles of soju had somehow disappeared.

After confirming that both Choo Seomok and Hamrak still looked perfectly fine, I stood up.

‘He’s a decent guy.’

What I liked most was that he didn’t treat me too much like a celebrity.

Thinking that I wouldn’t mind staying in touch with him, I stepped into the hallway.

Then…

“I never knew drinking with my son could be this enjoyable.”

“Haha, I’m happy too.”

Two men had just entered the bar.

Judging by how lively they sounded, they’d clearly already finished their first round somewhere else.

I recognized both voices before even seeing their faces.

‘Seriously… what kind of day is today?’

This wasn’t some hidden-camera prank?

Could this many coincidences actually happen?

The absurdity made me laugh under my breath.

“Ah…”

Just then, the younger of the two men looked up and met my eyes.

He stopped dead in his tracks in shock.

The older man beside him also came to a halt.

“The two of you seem to get along well.”

The moment I said that, the older man’s face twisted into a scowl.

I let out a faint smile as I looked at the man who resembled Yoo Seulho so closely.

“It’s been a while… Father.”

“…”

The look he gave me was filled with contempt.

As though he were staring at an insect he’d failed to crush underfoot.