How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 

Even at the beginning of the production press conference, the atmosphere wasn’t bad.

No, if anything, I had actually helped lighten the mood considerably.

“Please look to the right and do a cheek heart!”

“Both of you, biting hearts!”

The press conference began with a photo session featuring the lead actors.

At first, only Woo Junseo, the male lead, and Choi Ran, the female lead, came out and posed. But the chemistry between them wasn’t exactly shining through thanks to their awkward expressions.

Unable to watch any longer, PD Jang threw me into the middle halfway through.

Even the reporters who had initially looked at me as if to say, ‘Why is this bastard trying so hard?’ started calling only my name before long.

“Please do a ribbon heart! No, not that–just copy what Seulho is doing beside you!”

“Yoo Seulho! Look over here!!”

Woo Junseo and Choi Ran were the type of celebrities who weren’t naturally good at acting cute.

Meanwhile, I had already done extensive research by watching countless videos, so I effortlessly performed every K-heart pose the reporters requested.

‘I thought it’d feel awkward.’

Naturally, it was my first time posing in front of more cameras than I could count.

But surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult.

For one thing, it was the first time since entering Yoo Seulho’s body that I had been properly dressed up like an actual celebrity.

Kang Minwoo, the character I’d been playing in the drama, always dressed like a bum, so wearing a suit again felt strangely refreshing.

“Whew, thank goodness Seulho’s here.”

PD Jang sighed beside me and muttered quietly.

Even that was drowned out by reporters loudly calling my name.

“All right, for the final shot, let’s do a group heart. Starting from the right side…”

Following the MC’s instructions, I slowly shifted my gaze from one direction to another while the photos were taken.

After what felt like an hour, everyone sat down to watch the video presentation.

Following a one-minute teaser trailer, they played a highlight reel featuring the major scenes, and finally showed footage from the cast’s first script reading session.

It was all footage I’d never seen before, but I could still predict that my screen time wouldn’t be very high.

‘They probably focused on Woo Junseo and Choi Ran.’

Unlike most dramas these days (something Choi Ran had also taught me) ‘Our Space’ had no second male lead and no side-couple romance.

It was a drama completely devoted to the romance between the male and female leads.

Which actually made things easier for me.

‘It’s not just me with little screen time.’

Because the drama focused solely on the two leads, the supporting actors, including me, had very little screen time as well.

That was the one thing different from Yoo Seulho’s previous projects.

‘In all those productions where only Yoo Seulho had no screen time…’

Yoo Seulho had always smiled brightly during the press conferences.

‘Amazing.’

In every video I’d watched, Yoo Seulho was smiling.

How would it feel to sit on stage alongside the other actors while barely appearing in the trailer compared to them?

Obviously, it couldn’t have felt good.

Yet Yoo Seulho never showed any sign of it and kept smiling cheerfully.

The comment sections were filled with people mocking him for being clueless and immature.

‘If I knew nothing about Yoo Seulho, I probably would’ve thought the same.’

But after everything I’d heard from Choi Ran, and after reading the report confirming that Yoo Seulho’s life had been far from carefree, I found it difficult to judge him so easily.

‘Maybe he was just desperately hanging on…’

Yoo Seulho had spent his entire life unable to live according to his own will.

Perhaps smiling brightly… the one thing he was good at was simply the best he could do.

‘I should do the same.’

Like Yoo Seulho had done all those years, I decided I’d keep smiling even if the video barely showed me at all.

But then…

‘What?’

As the videos continued, my face kept appearing over and over again.

My screen time was so much greater than expected that I became genuinely surprised.

‘This is basically right behind the leads.’

Turning my head in shock, I found PD Jang grinning at me.

So he had really meant it when he said he’d push me.

‘Thanks.’

As someone who wanted to shed the nickname “deadweight” as quickly as possible, I was grateful.

To be fair, my role in this drama wasn’t exactly useless anymore.

After my character’s backstory had been expanded, several intense emotional scenes with the male lead were added, along with scenes where Kang Minwoo unsuccessfully flirted with the female lead.

Even if Kang Minwoo were removed from the drama entirely, the overall plot would still function.

But it would definitely feel like a completely different drama.

Wasn’t that useful enough?

‘Ah.’

I became so absorbed in seeing my performance on a huge screen for the first time that I completely forgot to check the reactions of everyone else.

‘I should’ve paid attention to them too.’

What I wanted to know most was whether people besides PD Jang and Choi Ran were satisfied with Yoo Seulho’s acting.

But this was the first time I’d ever watched myself act on such a large screen, so I got distracted.

 

***

 

Tap tap tap tap.

While the host continued speaking after the video ended, the reporters were furiously typing away on laptops resting on their knees.

I glanced at them as they hammered their keyboards almost like musicians performing a piece.

‘What are they writing?’

I was genuinely curious, though I’d find out by this afternoon anyway.

“Now then, for our final segment, we’ll move on to the Q&A session.”

As soon as the host announced it, the staff moved quickly.

Everyone on stage was handed a microphone.

The seating arrangement was PD Jang, Woo Junseo, Choi Ran, and then me, and the questions followed that order.

“PD Jang, what do you think makes this drama unique?”

“Choi Ran, was there any scene during filming where you actually felt your heart flutter because of your co-star?”

“Woo Junseo, is your real-life dating style similar to your character’s?”

They were all the standard questions one would expect at a production press conference.

The atmosphere was almost boringly peaceful.

Meanwhile, I carefully managed my posture and expression to appear fully attentive, just as Yoo Seulho had always done.

Then it was my turn.

‘What kind of question will it be?’

The host had provided us with a list of likely questions beforehand.

Things like how I felt when I met Wooju somewhere other than an abandoned dog shelter, or how it felt to finally act alongside Choi Ran, who had been a child actress for years.

But reporters didn’t always stick to the list.

That’s why we’d been told to signal the host if a question became difficult to answer.

“Hello. I’m reporter Kim Dongwoo from OO Korea. My question is for Yoo Seulho.”

After a brief introduction, the reporter began.

“When news broke that Yoo Seulho would be appearing in this drama, various reactions emerged online. Many posts brought up the acting controversies from your previous projects, and overall the public response was fairly negative. From an actor’s perspective, that must have been quite burdensome. How do you plan to convince viewers who are opposed to your casting?”

The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere inside the venue turned icy.

I’d already prepared myself mentally to maintain my expression even if someone hurled insults at me, so I was confident no surprise showed on my face.

I was probably the only person on stage who still looked calm.

“Haha.”

Before I could even respond, the host quickly stepped in and smoothed things over.

“It sounds like the reporter wants to hear about Seulho’s determination~.”

There was a reason experienced hosts were experienced.

The way he gently guided me toward the type of answer I should give made me smile.

“Yes. This project made me realize more clearly than ever that a drama requires an incredible number of people to come together before it can be shown to the world. The fact that I was allowed to participate in this project and stand on this stage is an honor in itself.”

The hand holding the microphone didn’t shake.

Neither did my voice.

The words came out steadily, filling the room without hesitation.

“Rather than simply being grateful for that opportunity, I resolved to repay viewers with a performance they’ll be satisfied with. Fortunately, the wonderful actors beside me helped me tremendously, and thanks to Junseo and Ran, I think it’s fair to cautiously say that you can look forward to seeing a different side of me.”

As I answered, I saw the reporter’s expression gradually stiffen.

At that moment, it became obvious that his attack had been intentional.

‘Interesting.’

He had probably expected me to panic.

But honestly, I wasn’t nervous at all.

Posing with finger hearts and cheek hearts in front of the cameras had been much harder.

Facing eyes filled with dislike and hearing a voice laced with hostility was almost nostalgic.

‘Still, it’s unexpected.’

In every video I’d watched, not a single reporter had attacked Yoo Seulho this directly.

Even the comment sections had been full of people complaining about that.

They constantly asked why reporters never confronted him.

People insisted that was exactly why Yoo Seulho kept shamelessly showing up everywhere.

‘I thought it’d be the same this time.’

The sudden change in attitude surprised me.

But the surprises weren’t over.

“I also have a question for Actor Yoo Seulho.”

The reporters who followed were equally aggressive.

“Despite repeated acting controversies, you’ve consistently been cast in major productions. What do you think your competitive advantage is?”

“You’re working alongside several highly acclaimed actors. Did you ever feel burdened acting opposite them?”

It was so relentless that I almost wondered if production press conferences normally felt like parliamentary hearings.

‘Well, they’re not exactly wrong.’

It was true that Yoo Seulho had appeared in numerous major projects despite constant criticism of his acting.

It was also true that he had enjoyed advantages in the entertainment industry thanks to his parents.

If something deserved criticism, then criticism was deserved.

And I had no intention of stepping in on Yoo Seulho’s behalf with some ‘Do you know how hard our boy had it?’ excuse.

‘Still, there’s such a thing as an appropriate question for the occasion.’

This wasn’t an event organized to tear me apart.

The actual stars of the show were sitting right here.

Yet the reporters kept directing one hostile question after another at me.

I wasn’t nervous, but constantly answering with confidence didn’t seem like the best approach either.

Just as I was carefully considering my next response…

“I’ll answer that question instead.”

The person beside me picked up their microphone.