How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 154

Chapter 154

 

“Of course I thought about them.”

I answered brightly, as though I hadn’t noticed the true intention behind the question at all.

“But I’ve found that when an actor starts pulling from their own memories, it becomes difficult to portray the character completely.”

In an innocent tone, I gently steered the conversation away from my personal life… To an actor’s approach to acting.

“So while I was playing Dogeon, I tried to forget myself. Whenever I was Dogeon, I was too busy thinking about Yeonhee instead of my family.”

I looked over at Bae Dain beside me.

She immediately made an embarrassed face.

“It’s kind of sad that I have to let Yeonhee go. I’ve never been this popular in my life.”

“Hahaha!”

Nice one, Noona.

Bae Dain’s shameless joke drew laughter from all around the room.

Thanks to that… The point of the original question was buried.

‘Whew.’

To think he’d throw a curveball like that.

I’d prepared myself, yet that unexpected attack still caught me off guard.

‘Jung Raewon from Cheongram Daily…’

I’d already found it strange the moment I’d seen the reporters’ attendance list.

Cheongram Daily wasn’t the kind of outlet that belonged at an event like this.

Its entertainment section existed more as a formality.

It was famous for its political desk carrying the entire newspaper.

‘There shouldn’t be as much pressure there to chase clicks as there is elsewhere.’

So why would someone from there be the first to volunteer?

It was odd.

But there was no point trying to understand how reporters thought.

‘He could be connected to Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong.’

I decided I’d look into that reporter after the press conference ended.

Once Jung Raewon broke the ice, the other reporters cautiously began asking questions.

“How did your parents react after watching this film?”

“Who was the person you relied on the most during your hardest times?”

There were no direct fastballs.

Only questions where mentioning parents felt natural.

After all… No one working in this industry could possibly be unaware of the rumors about Yoo Seulho being estranged from his parents.

I noticed the MC subtly signaling toward me.

If I felt uncomfortable, he was prepared to cut the questions off.

I smiled back to reassure him that I was fine.

‘This isn’t something I can avoid forever.’

At least, the reporters weren’t openly using the words “family discord rumors.”

That alone was fortunate.

From that point onward… No matter how I answered, it would work against me.

If I denied it, then I’d become a liar when the truth came out later.

If I admitted it, I’d immediately be branded an unfilial son.

‘I can’t lie.’

I couldn’t simply claim everything was fine with my parents just to get through today’s crisis.

‘I don’t know when Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong might break the truce.’

If things devolved into a dirty public opinion war, I’d have to use everything Yoo Seulho had left behind… His diary.

The recordings he’d made.

Anything available.

I’d need every advantage possible.

Which meant… The words I spoke today mattered.

‘The only thing I can say right now is…’

I slowly began speaking.

“It’s absolutely true that I was able to debut and continue acting thanks to my parents. But… I’m almost thirty now.”

I smiled awkwardly.

“I think it’s a little embarrassing to keep standing beside my parents’ names after reaching this age… so I find myself choosing my words carefully.”

The most effective way to deal with rumors of family discord was not to argue against them.

If I made a fuss… Headlines like, ‘Contrary to speculation, Yoo Seulho still has a close relationship with his parents…’ might spread.

Even people who’d never heard the rumors before would suddenly learn about them.

‘Don’t give them bait.’

If you wanted to extinguish a fire… You cut off the oxygen.

In other words, remove the dopamine.

Turn the story into something as boring as possible.

“I’m trying to become someone who can stand confidently before all of you without relying on anyone else’s help. Someone who can become a true adult.”

I hadn’t cut ties with my parents.

I’d simply become independent and matured, something every adult was supposed to do.

After I’d reframed the narrative, another reporter asked,

“So are you saying you’re trying to stand on your own, not as the son of Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong, but as the actor Yoo Seulho?”

“I wouldn’t describe it in such grand terms. Hmm… I think it’s simply a path every actor walks eventually. It just happens to be my turn now.”

A privileged heir setting aside the halo of their family name to prove themselves through ability.

That was one of the Korean public’s favorite kinds of stories.

Of course… The very fact that I could choose to “compete on my own” at this stage was only possible because I’d already benefited from my parents’ privileges.

But I didn’t deny that.

I acknowledged that Yoo Seulho had long enjoyed the advantages of being a prince, while declaring that he was now putting down the crown he’d worn all this time.

“Last year was the first time I’d ever experienced being evaluated solely through a role. I wanted to keep being judged that way. I’m happy that I think this film will give me that opportunity again.”

At the same time, I made sure to thank the people around me.

“Whenever things got difficult during filming, Duho Hyung and Dain Noona were tremendous sources of strength for me. Director Baek as well. Whenever one of us became exhausted, the others encouraged us to keep going.”

It was the perfect warm ending.

The people on stage smiled at me.

The people below the stage… Were completely different.

 

***

 

Clackclackclackclackclack!

The reporters’ hands flew across their keyboards.

They didn’t seem interested in the heartfelt conclusion I’d just given.

I couldn’t see their laptop screens.

But I could practically imagine the headlines they were writing.

—[On Site] Yoo Seulho: “It’s undeniable I debuted thanks to my parents… but from now on, I want to stand on my own.”

—Asked about independence, Yoo Seulho calmly responds: “It’s a natural process every actor goes through.”

—Yoo Seulho reveals this was the first time he’d experienced being judged solely by a role.

That should satisfy everyone.

It wasn’t the same level of dopamine as a family scandal… But it was enough that they wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong would probably be irritated after reading these articles, but they wouldn’t overturn the table.

‘I didn’t blame anyone.’

If I’d made vaguely provocative remarks here, I might’ve unnecessarily provoked them.

With multiple projects about to premiere… Drawing attention away from them toward Yoo Seulho’s private life would’ve been disrespectful.

“Thank you, everyone! Great work today!”

Fortunately… The press conference ended without incident.

Of course, that didn’t mean the day was over.

“We’ll take a short break before beginning the interviews.”

Leaving the conference hall, we headed to another building.

Over the next three days… We’d conduct roundtable interviews, grouping four or five media outlets at a time.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Roundtable interviews were an exhausting marathon that continued almost nonstop for three days.

The questions media outlets asked generally followed similar patterns.

Which meant… I’d have to give the exact same answers to the exact same questions I’d just answered.

“I’m going outside for a smoke.”

“Have a good one.”

Byeon Duho stepped outside.

Bae Dain collapsed face-down onto the desk, looking completely drained.

In the silence… My fingers moved rapidly across my phone.

— Jung Raewon, Cheongram Daily

I quickly entered the words into the search bar.

The break wasn’t long.

I couldn’t afford to waste time.

Asking the private investigators to look into him was one option, but I needed a clue I could obtain immediately.

‘…Found it.’

After wandering through the internet for a while… I got lucky and found the reporter’s personal blog.

Starting with the very first post, I quickly worked my way toward the latest entries.

There wasn’t enough time to read everything carefully.

Fortunately, his writing was smooth enough that the important points stood out immediately.

‘So he originally wanted to work in the social affairs department.’

His posts revealed all sorts of things, including his dissatisfaction at ending up in entertainment reporting.

What kind of person Jung Raewon was.

A reporter who covered entertainment using investigative methods from the social affairs desk.

Someone who wanted to write proper journalism… Yet kept getting forced by his editors into churning out dictated articles.

Even so, someone who still hadn’t abandoned his principles.

‘He’s the principled type.’

Which also made him… The most troublesome type.

As I skimmed through the titles, a familiar name suddenly caught my eye.

—What I Took Away from Yoo Seulho’s Recent Acceptance Speech

Almost hypnotically… I clicked it.

The article discussed how Yoo Seulho, who had always appeared to have a close relationship with his parents, had clearly changed.

At the bottom… One additional sentence had been added.

“Writing based only on speculation without proper reporting is dangerous. Therefore, I intend to investigate further.”

The fact that he’d bothered adding that disclaimer even on his personal blog said a lot about his personality.

‘I see.’

The reason he’d attacked me earlier became perfectly clear.

‘So he isn’t one of Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong’s lackeys.’

He hadn’t even attacked me simply for clicks.

No… Questioning people was simply part of his professional ethics.

‘That’s troublesome.’

People driven not by personal gain, but by devotion to their profession… Were difficult to handle.

You couldn’t easily sway them with money or flattery.

‘Hmm.’

But looking at it another way, that also meant… He wasn’t easily swayed by anyone else either.

A reporter who remained proudly independent.

‘Maybe I should work on him a little.’

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to make him my ally while I had the chance.

‘How should I approach someone like him?’

Simple bluffing wouldn’t work.

Pleasant-sounding flattery wouldn’t either.

“We’ll begin the interviews now.”

Just as I was thinking that… The break ended.

Byeon Duho returned after completely getting rid of the smell of cigarettes.

Bae Dain was already sitting upright, as though she’d never collapsed onto the desk in exhaustion.

Soon afterward… Reporters from four different media outlets filed into the room.

“Hello.”

Compared to the crowd of over three hundred people earlier, this small setting felt far more relaxed.

Which only made it easier to let your guard down and accidentally misspeak.

I forced myself to stay even more alert.

‘They’re going to continue asking about what I said earlier regarding standing on my own.’

Depending on how I answered, the direction of the follow-up articles could change completely.

If I avoided mentioning my parents too much, people would think, “See? There really is something going on.”

So I had to respond naturally, without losing my composure.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Fortunately, the interviews, which continued for several hours, passed without any major difficulties.

The only problem was… Sitting in the same position the entire time made me restless.

“Ugh.”

“Hang in there just a little longer. This is today’s last interview.”

The production company staff encouraged everyone with a smile.

Then, the waiting reporters entered one after another.

“Hello.”

Among them… Was the person I’d been waiting for.

“I’m Jung Raewon from Cheongram Daily.”

I resisted the urge to let my eyes light up.

Instead… I simply smiled.

“Nice to meet you.”

‘How should I win you over… and make you my ally?’