How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 155

Chapter 155

 

“Wow~. You all must’ve been really shocked.”

At one reporter’s comment, Byeon Duho let out a hearty laugh.

“Actually, Dain and I were the ones who froze up. Seulho was the only one who stayed completely calm.”

“Really?”

“Seulho may have a pretty face, but he’s manly to the core. It was the first time I’d ever wanted to rely on a younger guy, haha.”

Inside the warm and lively interview room… I smiled bashfully at Byeon Duho’s praise.

“That’s what I should be saying. I relied on Duho Hyung so much during filming…”

“Wait a second, what’s this?”

Bae Dain cut in with a playful grin.

“Shouldn’t you two be fighting over me? Why are two rivals getting along so well?”

“Dain… we’ve… become like this.”

“Oppa…!”

“Hahaha!”

Bae Dain put on the face of someone who’d just been betrayed by the whole world, and everyone burst into laughter.

Smiling, one of the reporters remarked,

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a cast this close.”

‘Nice.’

Ever since earlier, Byeon Duho had been volunteering to take every difficult question himself, acting as our shield.

He had the most experience as a lead actor among us.

But that alone wasn’t a reason for him to look after us.

‘That’s just the kind of person he is.’

I’d felt it from the very first time we’d met.

If nothing else… He was someone with unwavering loyalty.

Thanks to him, unless a question was directed at me personally, I didn’t have to think too hard.

‘…If not for that stare, I probably would’ve zoned out ages ago.’

The side of my face prickled.

Because of Jung Raewon’s relentless gaze.

‘You’re going to bore a hole through me at this rate.’

From the moment he’d entered the room until now… Jung Raewon had been scrutinizing me from head to toe.

He clearly couldn’t care less whether anyone thought he was acting strangely.

‘Hmm.’

If you wanted to make someone your ally, the first thing you had to understand was exactly what kind of person they were.

In that sense, Jung Raewon…

‘…isn’t the type to worry about what other people think.’

He wasn’t someone who read the room and let things slide.

It wasn’t easy to find someone stubborn enough to keep digging for information even if it completely ruined the atmosphere.

‘Of course, as a reporter, you should also know how to put people at ease.’

Ironically… People might like reporters like that, but they didn’t trust them.

Because they knew those reporters didn’t only say pleasant things to them.

From that perspective, the reporter I genuinely found trustworthy was Jung Raewon.

‘He would’ve fit perfectly in the political desk.’

His blog had said he’d originally wanted to work in the social affairs department, but no matter how I looked at it, he belonged in politics.

More than anything… The entertainment desk simply wasn’t suited to him.

‘Because in politics, reporters are the weaker party.’

No member of the National Assembly carefully chose their words out of fear of an ordinary reporter.

At that level… One article wasn’t enough to shake them.

Celebrities were different.

Even the biggest stars could take a serious hit from just a few careless lines written by a young reporter.

There was a reason agencies treated reporters to meals and welcomed them like honored guests.

Watching Jung Raewon charge ahead in his own way… Made me wonder, “Why bother?”

‘The agencies hand over information themselves, so why work so hard?’

Unlike politics or social affairs, there was no need to painstakingly separate fabricated information from facts.

And even if you did uncover the truth through all that effort… Would the information really be worth it?

After all, the biggest scoops in entertainment journalism ultimately boiled down to gossip like, “Who’s dating whom?”

It felt like a waste of someone like Jung Raewon.

He probably knew that himself.

‘…Wait.’

Could I use that?

A good idea suddenly crossed my mind.

“Next is Cheongram Daily.”

At the PR staff member’s announcement… Everyone turned toward Jung Raewon.

As though he’d been waiting for it, he immediately addressed me.

“I have a question for Yoo Seulho.”

“Yes.”

Although both Jung Raewon and I remained perfectly calm, everyone else looked at us uneasily.

Byeon Duho, in particular, looked as anxious as though he’d been the one who raised me.

‘So what?’

Meanwhile… I remained completely at ease.

The reason I hadn’t changed my expression despite Jung Raewon staring holes into me was simple.

‘What can he actually do to me?’

That wasn’t me putting on a brave face.

It was simply the truth.

At worst… The world would learn that Yoo Seulho really wasn’t on good terms with his parents.

Of course, if the rumors became news articles, it’d be troublesome.

But it wasn’t something worth trembling over or nervously watching Jung Raewon’s every move.

‘If he had a strong ego, my lukewarm reaction would’ve annoyed him.’

Instead, Jung Raewon wore the exact same expression I did.

As though nothing else mattered… So long as he uncovered the truth.

“Earlier, you said you were embarrassed to keep standing beside your parents’ names.”

“Yes.”

“Exactly when did you first begin feeling that embarrassment?”

The tactless question instantly chilled the atmosphere.

The other reporters awkwardly looked away.

The production company’s staff all stiffened.

‘I see.’

Even now… I found it fascinating that I could tell exactly what Jung Raewon wanted to know.

He wasn’t interested in whether the rumors about Yoo Seulho and his parents were true.

He wanted to know when those feelings had begun.

What had happened at the turning point.

‘Hmm.’

How should I answer?

I could always pretend not to hear him… Or say it was too difficult to answer.

After all, it was a rather cruel question to ask an actor who had just publicly declared he wanted to become independent from his parents.

“Excuse me, Reporter… perhaps another question…”

Just as expected, a production company employee stepped in.

Wearing the practiced smile of someone navigating office politics, trying desperately to smooth things over.

I smiled and raised a hand to indicate I was fine.

Jung Raewon lowered his head toward me.

“If I offended you, I apologize.”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of apology on his face.

The moment I realized how to pull Jung Raewon to my side… I smiled.

“How interesting.”

“What is?”

“The fact that you ask the questions no one else asks.”

Jung Raewon paused.

To everyone else… It probably sounded like an elegant way of saying, “You were incredibly rude just now.”

But I knew he’d take it as a compliment.

“Then how about this?”

I slowly swept my eyes across all the reporters in the room.

“Let’s make what I’m about to say off the record. If every reporter here agrees, then I’ll answer.”

The way I spoke made it sound as though I were about to reveal an enormous secret.

The reporters immediately switched off their cameras.

After hesitating briefly… Jung Raewon also turned off his recorder.

‘Off the record.’

Exactly as the phrase implied, it meant a conversation that stayed strictly within this room.

Of course, there was no legal punishment for leaking it.

But it was an unspoken rule of the industry.

A reporter who violated it and published the information anyway would lose the trust of their peers.

‘He won’t be able to turn today’s story into an article.’

Which actually made things better for Jung Raewon.

Sure… Simply transcribing what people said was easy.

But it didn’t give a reporter any pride in their work.

I needed him to feel that he had uncovered the truth through his own reporting.

‘Appeal to the thing he’s lacking.’

When neither his colleagues nor the people around him truly respected him as a journalist… I’d become the one person who did.

That was my card.

“Reporter… when do you realize something has gone wrong? The moment the incident happens?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Some people probably are that sharp. But if you’ve been trapped inside a situation for a very long time… it’s surprisingly difficult to notice it immediately.”

As though recalling a distant memory… I stared off into space for a moment.

“Sometimes… only much later… after a very, very long time… it suddenly–”

Snap.

I snapped my fingers.

Everyone listening to me flinched.

“I’m the latter type.”

Smiling… I continued gently.

“There’s an astonishing gap between when something happens… and when I finally realize something was wrong.”

“Exactly when did it begin?”

“Aren’t you more curious why it took so long… than when it began?”

Like an obedient child, Jung Raewon nodded.

I smiled.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“…”

“Next time, don’t request an interview about the movie. Request an exclusive interview with me instead. Whether I agree… well, I’ll decide when the time comes.”

Jung Raewon stared at me with a strange expression.

‘Got him.’

His face alone told me… My strategy had worked perfectly.

I hadn’t tried to make him like me.

Instead, I’d provoked his competitive spirit.

I’d confirmed his suspicion that something had happened, yet deliberately withheld exactly what had happened, or when.

The only breadcrumb I’d offered… Was that it had all begun a very long time ago.

The others looked deflated.

As if thinking, “He made such a big deal out of… that?”

One by one… They switched their cameras back on.

Only Jung Raewon understood perfectly.

His eyes said it clearly.

If he simply followed the breadcrumb I’d scattered… He’d eventually find the gingerbread house waiting at the end.

 

***

 

“Thank you for your hard work. We’d appreciate it if you could write a nice article.”

The production company employee smiled politely as he spoke to each reporter in turn.

Jung Raewon gave only a perfunctory reply… Before glancing off to the side.

“Seulho, want to grab a drink?”

Delighted that today’s schedule was finally over, Byeon Duho suggested they have a team dinner.

“How about after all the interviews are finished? Two more days.”

“Right… that’s true. Two more days…”

Byeon Duho sighed, admitting he’d gotten so excited he’d completely forgotten.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes. Get home safely.”

Yoo Seulho politely saw him off… Then began walking straight toward someone.

Toward Jung Raewon.

‘Huh?’

Seeing Yoo Seulho clearly approaching him, Jung Raewon, unusually, became flustered.

‘Is he going to warn me again about the off-the-record conversation?’

All kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind.

Then…

“Reporter. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“…Pardon?”

“Your article. I’m curious what kind of article you’ll write.”

“…”

“I don’t think you’re talking about the promotional article for the movie. So… those hints earlier were intentional after all?”

‘What’s your objective?’

Despite the caution in Jung Raewon’s eyes… Yoo Seulho only smiled.

“Write whatever you want about me. I’m hardly in a position to tell a reporter what to write or what not to write.”

“True.”

“That said… I can give you hints. We work in the same industry, after all. That’s much is allowed, isn’t it?”

It was strange.

Jung Raewon had never owed Yoo Seulho anything, yet somehow… It felt as though he’d just been handed a debt.

Yoo Seulho clearly respected him as a journalist.

Yet… That only made him feel less at ease.

The sparkle in Yoo Seulho’s eyes seemed to say,

‘I’ll give you something worth investigating.’

“…”

Jung Raewon frowned uncomfortably.

“Then why give me those hints?”

“Ah. Hmm… But…”

Yoo Seulho smiled brightly.

“Does that really matter? I’d think whether it’s true or not would matter much more to a reporter.”

“…”

The meaning behind those words was ultimately simple.

‘My information is genuine.’

At that very moment… Jung Raewon realized something instinctively.

Whether he wanted to or not, from now on, he would no longer be able to ignore Yoo Seulho’s words.

It was a reporter’s instinct.