How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 143

Chapter 143

 

“Seulho.”

An unbelievably warm voice settled over the hallway.

Just moments ago, Yoo Taeho had been looking at me like I was a cockroach.

Now, in an instant, he’d swapped out his entire expression.

“Did you come here for a drink too? I had no idea.”

“Hah.”

The unexpected situation made a laugh escape me before I realized it.

What was truly funny came next.

The moment I laughed, Yoo Taeho immediately put on a wounded expression, as if he’d been waiting for the opportunity.

Then the man standing beside him changed his gaze.

‘Well, well.’

The guy who’d frozen like a guilty man the instant he saw me now began glaring at me.

It was Seon Jaeyoung, the actor who had played Jaehyun in the horror film The Sixth Night.

‘He’s a complete lapdog.’

Smiling, I met Seon Jaeyoung’s glare without looking away.

Back when I’d hired a private investigator to look into Yoo Taeho and Seon Jaeyoung’s relationship, I’d also heard a brief summary about Jaeyoung himself.

‘He graduated from HanX University, didn’t he?’

A year younger than Yoo Seulho, he’d reportedly been called a genius even among a school full of geniuses.

Even accounting for the fact that he hadn’t completed his military service yet, the fact that he’d graduated straight through without taking a single leave of absence spoke volumes about his diligence.

‘And on top of that, his next project is with Yoo Taeho?’

Yoo Taeho was the most popular male actor currently in his fifties.

He was famous for having an exceptional eye for choosing projects, and in reality, nearly everything he appeared in performed at least reasonably well.

Which meant the drama he was making with Seon Jaeyoung would most likely be a success too.

‘Excellent grades, professors singing his praises, starring alongside a legendary actor immediately after graduation…’

And yet that model student was glaring at me without making any effort to hide his hostility.

‘Hmm.’

How exactly had Yoo Taeho won him over?

Although I hadn’t become close to Seon Jaeyoung while filming the horror movie, he’d never once openly looked at me with hostility.

Meaning that up until now, my feeling that he disliked me had been nothing more than intuition.

He’d never actually shown it on the surface.

More importantly, Seon Jaeyoung barely interacted with anyone besides me either.

He was simply always quiet and completely devoted to his role.

That attitude made everyone on the staff think, ‘He’s only here to add another title to his filmography.’

As a result, they hadn’t particularly liked him.

So seeing someone like that bare his teeth like a dog protecting its master naturally made me think: ‘He’s definitely not someone to underestimate.’

I shouldn’t treat Yoo Taeho the way I’d treated Lee Seulmyeong.

That much was certain.

“Come inside, Seulho.”

Perhaps realizing I wasn’t going to back down easily, Yoo Taeho invited me to drink with them.

Just then, my eyes met Choo Seomok’s as he stepped into the hallway.

‘Fifteen minutes.’

I mouthed the words to him before following the two men inside.

I had no intention of staying any longer than that anyway.

“We’re only here for a second round, so we’ll just have a light drink. What about you, Seulho? Have you eaten?”

Yoo Taeho spoke to me kindly.

Even though there was no one else around besides us, he kept acting.

It really did seem like this mask was for Seon Jaeyoung’s benefit.

‘Unbelievable.’

Putting my feelings toward Yoo Taeho aside, he truly was an incredible actor.

It wasn’t simply the fake sweetness of someone pretending to be kind.

Just from hearing his voice, I could instantly tell what kind of picture he was painting.

A father who could no longer control his arrogant, garbage son.

A father who nevertheless still loved that son.

A father who continued reaching out despite being hurt by countless incidents.

That entire backstory was being conveyed through nothing more than his tone of voice.

It was an ability I needed to learn.

“…”

Seon Jaeyoung kept his mouth tightly shut, looking as though it was difficult just to watch Yoo Taeho.

Displeasure practically radiated from him.

I couldn’t have cared less.

‘Like I actually wanted to be here.’

The only reason I’d followed them in was that I couldn’t very well start a fight in the hallway.

I wasn’t about to give complete strangers something juicy to gossip about.

“Jaeyoung.”

I spoke immediately.

“Relax your face. I’m not going to steal your father.”

“…”

Seon Jaeyoung blinked in surprise.

Apparently he’d never expected me to address him directly.

“What are you talking about, Seulho?”

Yoo Taeho also looked startled…

No.

He merely pretended to look startled as he tried to calm me down.

But I wasn’t worked up enough to need calming down.

Nor had I spoken to Seon Jaeyoung in an accusing tone.

It sounded more like I couldn’t be bothered.

A completely indifferent, bored voice.

“Come to think of it, Seulho probably doesn’t know.”

Yoo Taeho awkwardly continued.

“I’m actually going to be working on the same project as Jaeyoung.”

“I know.”

“Oh? You do? How? Did you look it up because it involved your father?”

Even now, Yoo Taeho wore a faint smile as though he were pleased.

But I neither got goosebumps from his mask nor allowed myself to be shaken.

Getting angry here would mean admitting I was still trapped by him.

‘Not happening.’

I had no intention of forcibly ripping off his mask.

Nor did I have any desire to reveal the truth to Seon Jaeyoung.

And I certainly wasn’t going to walk straight into the carefully woven spider web of schemes he’d laid out.

‘Besides, Yoo Taeho and Seon Jaeyoung aren’t necessary for Yoo Seulho to succeed as an actor anyway.’

All I needed to do was show that Yoo Seulho, not Yoo Taeho, held control over Yoo Seulho’s life.

His ridiculous little games weren’t even worth responding to.

‘But…’

Since he’d already wasted my time… Maybe I could irritate him a little.

That much was allowed, wasn’t it?

The moment I finished calculating everything, I flashed a bright smile.

“Of course! I’m always curious about what my father’s doing.”

“Huh?”

“Did you hear my phone call with Mom the other day? She was saying you’ve been incredibly busy lately.”

“Ah… Haha. Is that so?”

“Honestly, you two really are the perfect married couple. Every time Mom calls, all she does is praise you. Makes single people jealous.”

Keeping the corners of my eyes crinkled, I cheerfully continued talking.

After smiling at the slightly flustered Yoo Taeho, I turned to Seon Jaeyoung.

“Jaeyoung, have you ever met my mother?”

“…No. Not yet.”

“Ah, then you’d better prepare yourself.”

Something in my words made Seon Jaeyoung look at me strangely.

After an intentionally brief pause, I beamed.

“My parents are ridiculously in love!”

“Ah… right…”

“The way they torment their only son! Their lovey-dovey atmosphere is so overwhelming I feel like I’m suffocating! Haha!”

Since I never stopped talking, both Yoo Taeho and Seon Jaeyoung were left speechless.

Seon Jaeyoung looked at me as though I’d gone insane.

But Yoo Taeho’s eyes were different.

Within their slight wavering, I caught a trace of anger.

‘Loss of control.’

He was growing anxious because he was no longer controlling the situation.

The instant he saw me, he’d undoubtedly envisioned how this encounter would go.

He’d expected me to keep my mouth shut like the real Yoo Seulho.

Or perhaps he’d imagined I’d behave rudely toward him, just as Yoo Seulho had the last time they’d met at the family home.

Then Yoo Taeho would graciously pretend to give in while painting me as the aggressor.

‘Sorry, but I’m not interested.’

The real way to beat him was to show that I had absolutely no intention of participating in the game he’d created.

Nothing irritated Yoo Taeho more than that.

“Haha, our Seulho–”

“Oh my, it’s gotten so late already.”

I cut him off while he forced himself to laugh naturally.

Putting on the most sincerely apologetic face I could manage, I jumped to my feet.

“I’m sorry, Father. I came with my friends, so I can’t keep them waiting.”

“…Right. Of course you should go back to your friends.”

“It’s been so long since I saw you. I really wanted to talk with you more, Father.”

At my words, I saw Yoo Taeho clench his teeth ever so slightly.

Suppressing my disappointment that I couldn’t openly laugh in his face, I turned away.

“Jaeyoung, take good care of our father.”

“…”

Seon Jaeyoung looked up at me with confused eyes.

The eyes of someone who had absolutely no idea what I meant.

‘I meant exactly what I said.’

I sincerely hoped Seon Jaeyoung would continue taking very good care of Yoo Taeho for a long, long time.

Whether he got manipulated by Yoo Taeho or not was none of my concern.

‘Do I have some obligation to save him?’

I saw no reason to stop someone so desperate to wear the title of “son.”

After giving Seon Jaeyoung a heartfelt smile, I left the room without another word.

When I returned to the room I’d originally been in, two more bottles of soju had appeared.

“You said you ran into your father?”

Hamrak asked, his face slightly flushed.

I apologized for suddenly disappearing.

“No worries. By the way, I wonder what Yoo Taeho’s next project is. His last one didn’t get the greatest reception, so I’m guessing he’ll be putting a lot into this one.”

“True. Hyung, do you like Actor Yoo Taeho?”

“…I think he’s a great actor!”

Hamrak smiled strangely.

I caught the fleeting emotions that crossed his face and immediately asked,

“What about besides his acting?”

“Haha, why are you asking me that? He’s your father.”

Like any reasonable person, he gave the sort of answer one was supposed to give in front of someone’s son.

Even so, I pretended not to notice and asked again.

Only after I admitted that my relationship with my father wasn’t very good did Hamrak finally speak.

“How should I put it… To me… Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong feel like a perfectly crafted artificial gemstone. They sparkle brilliantly, but the shine feels fake somehow, so I just can’t grow attached to them.”

Oh?

When I looked at him with interest, Hamrak hurriedly shook his head.

“Ah, sorry! I really must be drunk. I’m saying all kinds of pointless nonsense!! Forget it. Shall we head out?”

He definitely seemed drunk.

As he stood up, he staggered slightly.

I caught him before he could lose his balance and smiled.

‘He’s really a good guy.’

After putting Hamrrak into a taxi, Choo Seomok and I headed home.

Even though we’d each drunk over two bottles of soju, we were absurdly sober.

“I’m actually a little disappointed… Would you like to drink some more?”

“I was wondering when you’d ask.”

Choo Seomok snorted with amusement.

“Then I’ll go to the convenience store.”

Like the perfect underling, Choo Seomok immediately put on his shoes.

Acting as though I were truly his superior, I handed him my card.

“Grab some snacks too.”

Once Choo Seomok left, I was alone in the apartment.

I had just taken a deep breath, enjoying the silence that had finally arrived.

Bzzz.

My phone vibrated.

For a moment I wondered if Choo Seomok had forgotten his wallet.

Then I saw the name on the screen and raised an eyebrow.

‘Actor Seon Jaeyoung (Jaehyun)’

It was the contact I’d saved when all the actors had been required to exchange phone numbers during the script reading.

I stared at the screen for a moment before answering.

“Hello?”

— “Sunbae…”

“…How much have you had to drink?”

Seon Jaeyoung’s voice wavered as though he were about to collapse at any second.

For a moment, it almost felt as though I could smell alcohol through the phone.

Then his slurred voice suddenly sharpened with irritation once more.

— “D-don’t… hic… be disrespectful… to Father.”

The moment I heard that, the corners of my mouth curled upward.

‘Well, well?’

I’d been planning to let him go peacefully.

Instead, he’d crawled right back to me on his own.

I gladly opened my mouth toward my new toy.