How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 

By the eighth filming session of Our Space, Director Jang said this to me:

“Actor Seulho.”

“Yes?”

“From now on, only play villains. I think that’s your destiny.”

“Huh?”

When I made a dumbfounded expression, Director Jang hurriedly waved his hands.

“No, think about it. It hasn’t even been that long since we worked together on the last project. There’s no way someone’s acting skills could improve this much in that time. It’s not like you became a different person. So what I’m saying is that this role is simply the perfect fit for you.”

According to him, the problem was that I had only played good characters until now.

If I only played villains going forward, there would never be another controversy about my acting.

Although I found it absurd, I decided this was my chance to ask.

“Then do you think I might be able to play more meaningful characters next time?”

“Of course! If I’d known you had this level of ability, I wouldn’t have cast you in a role this small. I increased your screen time, sure, but you’re still a supporting character. What a waste. People are going to be shocked.”

“We can always work together again next time. While you’re taking a break after this drama ends, I’ll work even harder and level up my stats.”

After deliberately downplaying myself as if I were being humble, I smoothly steered the conversation where I wanted it to go.

“But honestly, I don’t know what kind of offers I’ll get after this drama ends.”

“Huh? You worry about things like that? Why? Until now, your parents always–”

Speaking casually, Director Jang suddenly stopped himself.

If it had been Choi Ran, she would have casually continued with, “Your parents always get roles for you anyway.”

But Director Jang wasn’t Choi Ran.

I smiled as if I understood what he had left unsaid.

“I can’t keep burdening my parents forever. Ever since I changed agencies, I haven’t gotten into any projects through their help.”

“Really? Ah, right. Now that you mention it. You have been relatively inactive over the last year.”

Director Jang widened his eyes as though he genuinely hadn’t known.

It worked because it wasn’t a lie.

After changing agencies, Yoo Seulho had genuinely been in conflict with his parents.

And those parents weren’t generous enough to continue handing projects to a son who had even switched agencies.

Every project Yoo Seulho had appeared in during the past year had already been contracted before the agency change and merely finished filming afterward.

Which meant that if not for Woo Junseo, I wouldn’t even have gotten the chance to escape being useless through this drama.

‘According to the detective agency report, rumors are already spreading through the industry.’

The rumor was simple:

Yoo Seulho’s parents had finally given up on him.

Without those parents, there was absolutely no reason to cast Yoo Seulho.

Would producers really cast me when they obviously knew that?

“I do worry a lot, but rather than worrying about the future, I’m trying to focus on doing my best right now. You believed in me, PD-nim. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“Come on, I already told you! Forget disappointment… I want to give you an even bigger role.”

“Haha, thank you.”

I lowered my voice slightly and put on an expression of someone pretending to stay cheerful despite secretly feeling hurt.

To maximize the pitiful effect, I even let my eyelashes tremble.

“I hope I get another opportunity to act after this drama ends. That way… someday I might get to work with you again on another project.”

“Seulho, don’t worry. Viewers have eyes too. Once this drama airs, the reaction is going to be crazy. Sure, people will curse you because of the character, but that just means buzz! And actors who can make a villain role come alive? Do you know how many PDs around me are looking for people like that?”

There it was.

The exact thing I had been waiting to hear.

Internally, I was celebrating.

Outwardly, I showed nothing.

“Really? There are PDs like that?”

“Oh, tons of them. Everybody wants to play the cool, popular characters. Nobody wants the roles that get absolutely hated. Actors like you who actually ask to be written as someone viewers will despise? They practically don’t exist. I’ll spread the word around! They’ll definitely be interested.”

Director Jang immediately started rattling off the names of PDs who actively searched for actors like that.

I stuffed the unfamiliar three-syllable names into my head as fast as possible while smiling innocently on the outside.

“Then I’ll shamelessly put my trust in you, PD-nim.”

“Good. Don’t worry. I’ll introduce you to all of them. Let’s all meet before the drama wraps up.”

At some point, Director Jang had gone as far as promising to introduce me to other directors.

Of course, whether he would actually keep that promise remained to be seen.

But for today, this was more than enough.

After wrapping up our conversation in a warm atmosphere, I returned to the car.

“What were you talking about with Director Jang?”

Hyun Jingae, sitting in the driver’s seat, casually asked.

Without even looking at him, I answered lazily.

“We were talking behind your back.”

“Come on.”

Hyun Jingae clicked his tongue softly, but he didn’t give up.

Even while talking about other things, he kept asking,

“Seriously, what did you talk about with Director Jang?”

The persistence felt excessive enough that I finally looked up.

“Why are you so curious?”

I stared directly into his eyes through the rearview mirror.

Caught off guard by the sudden eye contact, Hyun Jingae awkwardly looked away.

“Hey, of course I’m curious. I’m your manager. I need to know what’s going on so I can handle things properly and, uh, take care of anything you need and–right?”

He’s talking a lot today.

When I continued staring without saying anything, Hyun Jingae kept piling on excuses.

“Are you really going to keep looking at me like that? Can’t a manager ask something this basic?”

“You never ask questions like this normally. You’re usually off playing golf after dumping me at the set. Why are you suddenly so interested?”

“Hey, are you really going to say something that hurtful? Do you know why I’m sucking up to Director Shin? It’s because of you! If I don’t keep Director Shin happy, it’ll affect you too! Do you even know that?”

“Nope.”

“You little punk!”

Responding with the Choi Ran-style conversational method I’d recently learned made Hyun Jingae grind his teeth.

“As if today wasn’t already exhausting enough. Director Shin’s fucking ass was asking why your reputation in the industry suddenly changed, and I had to deal with that the whole time–”

“Ah.”

I interrupted him.

“So you were asking because you wanted to report back to Director Shin?”

“……”

Hyun Jingae suddenly shut his mouth.

Watching sweat bead on his face in panic, I let out a dry laugh.

“Why are you so flustered? Talking about work with someone from the company is perfectly normal.”

“Y-Yeah! Right. That’s it. A work report. Director Shin has been, ahem, very interested in you lately.”

His voice cracked repeatedly.

After that, he desperately tried to change the subject by throwing random topics at me.

Then he dropped me off at the hotel and hurried away.

For a moment, I considered grabbing him and beating answers out of him until he told me what he was hiding.

But I held back.

I wasn’t Kang Minwoo.

More importantly, I didn’t expect that approach would actually get me the answers I wanted.

‘Right now, the person Hyun Jingae fears isn’t Yoo Seulho. It’s Director Shin.’

Director Shin Seungim of Star Actors.

I first learned about him through Hyun Jingae’s complaints about regularly attending golf outings to suck up to him.

After that, the man kept appearing in Hyun Jingae’s stories.

His personality is complete trash.

New managers can’t handle him.

He has a worse celebrity complex than actual celebrities.

Back then, I had only half-listened.

‘I’m leaving this company anyway.’

I needed to deliver the most impactful performance possible in this drama and secure an offer for my next project.

I needed to stand out enough that another company would approach me with a scouting offer.

…

Of course, I wasn’t relying solely on that conventional method.

‘That would take too long.’

Waiting for a chance to change agencies wasn’t satisfying.

‘I’ll change it myself.’

A company that wasn’t controlled by Yoo Seulho’s parents.

A company that wasn’t a complete disaster like my current agency.

A company large enough to buy out the remainder of my contract and take me in.

There weren’t many companies that met those conditions.

That was why I had already begun compiling a list and investigating ways to secretly contact executives from those companies.

The names Director Jang had given me today were one of those avenues.

Not merely for securing another acting role, but for naturally establishing connections with another entertainment company.

‘I thought all I had to do was keep it hidden from Hyun Jingae.’

But if someone was taking such a keen interest in my movements, ignoring it would be foolish.

I needed information about Director Shin besides the fact that he was obsessed with golf.

Unfortunately, I still lacked connections in the entertainment industry.

Which meant there was ultimately only one option.

 

***

 

[Hello. Mindo Detective Agency.]

There was no other way.

[Calling about the second report, right? Sorry it’s been delayed. We should have it ready soon–]

“No. That’s not why I’m calling.”

“Ah? Then what is it?”

To the somewhat clueless voice on the other end, I calmly replied,

“I need you to investigate one more person.”

I requested basic information about Shin Seungim of Star Actors.

And I asked them to uncover a fatal weakness.

I added that it was urgent and should take priority over the second report on Yoo Seulho.

[Understood. If you send the payment to the same account as before, the cost will be–]

“I have a proposal.”

[Huh? A proposal?]

I swallowed a deep sigh.

I knew the cleanest solution was simply paying immediately and taking what I needed.

But…

‘What am I supposed to do when I’m broke?’

The money in Yoo Seulho’s personal account had been pitiful from the start.

And the investigation into Yoo Seulho had already drained a significant amount.

At the same time, I couldn’t just sit around because I was broke when I had no idea how Director Shin might try to corner me.

In the end, I had only one weapon left.

“You’re trying to figure out who I am, aren’t you?”

[……]

The moment I threw that out, silence filled the line.

Imagining the expression on the youngest member of the organization, Hwang Taejun, I continued calmly.

“You probably wondered why someone accessed the files without entering a password. You’re investigating my identity to determine whether there’s some kind of trap and to prepare a response if necessary.”

If I hadn’t raised those kids for nothing, that was exactly what they would have done.

Maybe not the youngest.

But Kyungbeom, the clever one, would definitely have suggested digging into the client’s identity.

‘Which means it’s only a matter of time before they discover who I am.’

I had accepted that possibility the moment I contacted the detective agency.

Of course, they’d only discover that I was Yoo Seulho.

They’d never imagine I was their former boss.

And I had no intention of making such a crazy claim.

“If you provide the report on Shin Seungim…”

If I was going to be found out eventually…

It was better to make an offer while my information still had value.

“In exchange, I’ll tell you who I am.”