How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 36

Chapter 36

 

“Since you’ve already heard a lot about the detective agency from the boss, I’ll speak frankly. The investigation into Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong, Yoo Seulho’s parents, has already been completed.”

When he said that only the report remained to be written and that I could review it sometime next week, I shook my head.

“No. There’s no need to finish it in document form. I didn’t commission it for submission anywhere anyway. Just tell me now.”

“Hmm…”

For some reason, Joo Gyeongbeom didn’t speak.

Wondering what was wrong with him, I stayed silent. Then Joo Gyeongbeom brought over a thick stack of papers from somewhere and handed them to me.

“This is data recording the couple’s recent conversations. You probably know how the conversation contents were collected, and every conversation in which they mentioned Yoo Seulho is included here.”

“Is it too long to explain?”

“No, it’s not that, but… just read it first.”

Joo Gyeongbeom trailed off with an awkward expression.

I didn’t understand his reaction, but I obediently began reading.

And within seconds, I understood his hesitation.

‘…I see.’

Strong.

Very strong.

Every single sentence written on the paper was shockingly harsh.

It was chilling to think that these were conversations between a married couple discussing their only son.

 

[20XX. X. X.]

—Did you see that interview the kid did this time? Honestly, it was disgusting.

—What about it?

—That act where he talked about being a nepo baby and pretended to be mature. And he conveniently left our names out of it too. What does that make us look like? It’ll make all the support we’ve given him look strange. We’ll be the only bad guys.

—He’s always been like that since he was little. Always acting like he’s the victim. Even when he got scolded, he’d put on that pitiful act. I told you there was something wrong with him. He has no sense of empathy.

—I really don’t know who he takes after.

—At least he’s making a living thanks to our genes. And we’re helping him use them properly. He’s the one only thinking about himself. We just…

—Got used.

 

[20XX. X. X.]

—Taeho, even if Seulho comes back again, let’s not help him.

—Do you think he’ll come back? He seems to be lasting longer this time.

—Of course he’ll come back. Humans can’t live alone. Who does he have besides us? Anyway, what if we pretend to help him when he asks for it and then suddenly abandon him? I wonder what his expression would look like.

—You’re quite frightening yourself.

—Our son did it first. Without us, he would’ve been… nothing. We created him, and you shouldn’t treat the people who made you like this.

—That’s true. A dog that doesn’t recognize its owner is better off not existing.

 

I hadn’t even turned that many pages before my head started spinning.

To them, I must have looked like the real Yoo Seulho despite supposedly having lost my memories, so they were probably being extra careful with what they said.

They likely thought that someone who distrusted his family enough to spend a large sum of money investigating his own parents would be deeply hurt upon learning that his parents had spoken about him this way.

‘I’m not even the real Yoo Seulho, and this still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.’

I found myself thinking it was fortunate Yoo Seulho wasn’t the one reading these papers right now.

Then I suddenly wondered whether he had really been unaware of it.

If he had gone as far as preparing a petition to limit parental authority, and if these two casually spoke like this despite being alone together, there was a high chance they hadn’t filtered themselves in front of their son either.

‘Even if I were Yoo Seulho, enduring this would’ve been difficult.’

The more pages I turned, the more pitiful he seemed.

Everyone has hardships in life, but few things are as painful as being hated by your own parents.

‘At that point, having no parents at all might actually be better.’

After finishing the final page, I remained silent.

Joo Gyeongbeom, who had been watching my expression, carefully added:

“This information wasn’t obtained through bugs. It came from someone who used to be in the same child actor group as Yoo Seulho. Apparently, there was a time when Yoo Seulho apologized for making a mistake on set, and the person we interviewed happened to witness what happened afterward.”

“To me?”

“Yes. Lee Seulmyeong, Yoo Seulho’s mother, became furious. She told him never to apologize to other people. It’s been a long time, so the wording isn’t exact, but it was something like, ‘The moment you apologize and admit fault, it becomes your fault for real. That’s an insult to us, your parents.’ They said the way she yelled at a little child was so terrifying that they still remember it vividly nearly twenty years later.”

Hah.

A laugh escaped me from sheer disbelief.

At the same time, I remembered my first day after entering Yoo Seulho’s body.

Back then, when I asked what had happened between Director Jang and Yoo Seulho, my manager Hyun Jingae had replied like this:

“Your acting was so terrible that filming got delayed like crazy. And even then, you just stood there stiffly without saying a single word of apology. Of course, Director Jang got angry. If you inconvenience people around you, you should know how to apologize. If I were Director Jang, I would’ve beaten you up long ago. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Even then, I had thought something felt off.

But I never imagined it was also the result of influence from Yoo Seulho’s parents.

‘Parents who get angry at a child not even ten years old over something like that…’

Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong were definitely not good parents.

Yet they were astonishingly well-liked celebrities.

That had been true in the past and remained true even now.

Both had been so successful in their youth that they were considered icons of an entire generation.

Even now, having entered middle age, they were still regarded as top-tier stars.

Working in the same profession as parents like that, dreaming of freedom must have been difficult.

And even the desperate attempt he made to survive… finding another agency… had been ruined because of their interference.

No wonder his mental state had collapsed.

‘Hmm.’

They’re far worse than I expected.

Since they were of no benefit to Yoo Seulho’s life, they needed to be removed.

‘The problem is that they’re his parents.’

Those two were completely different from Woo Junseo or Director Shin.

They’re not relationships that can be severed easily by exposing weaknesses and destroying reputations.

‘In Korean society, it’s called a bond ordained by heaven.’

A relationship considered greater than simple family ties.

Something humans don’t choose and aren’t supposed to sever first.

A relationship patched together with empty phrases like ‘blood is thicker than water,’ no matter how much pain and damage it causes.

‘When you think about it, it’s ridiculous.’

So what if blood is thicker than water?

There are plenty of things thicker than water.

‘Hell, even coffee is thicker than water.’

But Yoo Seulho didn’t have a delicious iced Americano.

He had parents who were psychopaths wearing masks.

Even if I uncovered weaknesses severe enough to strip Yoo Taeho and Lee Seulmyeong of all social standing and exposed them to the world, Yoo Seulho would still be attacked alongside them simply because he was their son.

Because children are expected to endure whatever wounds their parents inflict.

Claiming, ‘My parents and I are different people,’ was considered greater unfilial conduct than many actual crimes.

At least in Korea.

‘This isn’t an easy problem.’

How should I deal with this?

While I quietly organized my thoughts, Joo Gyeongbeom continued calmly.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but judging by their conversations, the Yoo Seulho from before losing his memories seemed fairly obedient toward his parents.”

“I think so too.”

“We’ll need more time to consider your partnership proposal, but… assuming we actually proceed with it, it would benefit us if Yoo Seulho lives as an independent individual in the entertainment industry. If you act the same way you did before losing your memories, we’d be hesitant to invest as well.”

“You don’t need to worry about that…”

“That’s why we’ll help you with this part.”

Unlike usual, Joo Gyeongbeom cut me off and spoke firmly.

“We’ll help you prepare countermeasures whenever we detect attempts by those two to interfere with your activities in the future.”

“Why?”

“Calling it a partnership investment would be an exaggeration. Think of it as a small favor. We’re offering it out of consideration for the special relationship you had with our boss.”

His tone was gentle, but my question remained unanswered.

No matter how much of a softhearted guy Joo Gyeongbeom was, wasn’t this too personal?

I hesitated, wondering whether there was some ulterior motive I hadn’t noticed.

Then Hwang Taejun, standing beside him, scratched the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly.

“I think hyung is too embarrassed to say it directly, but… we’re especially sensitive about issues like this.”

“Huh?”

“Well… you’ve probably heard it from the boss already, but none of us grew up with parents. The boss picked us up off the streets and raised us after we were sleeping and eating out there, so–”

“Taejun.”

At a single quiet word from Joo Gyeongbeom, the youngest hurriedly shut his mouth.

But I’d already gotten all the information I needed.

‘…These idiots.’

I’d heard their honest reason, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

If anything, it made me feel worse.

I too had grown up without ever seeing my biological parents’ faces.

Yet I had never once spent my life feeling sorrow over it.

I had simply been too busy making money to dwell on such emotions.

I had assumed my subordinates were the same.

But hearing a slightly sad story and immediately letting their guard down…

Seriously.

I thought I’d raised them well, but apparently they still had a long way to go.

‘Hoo.’

I had thought that once I received the report on Yoo Seulho’s parents, I’d at least have a rough idea of how to deal with them.

Yet everything was still dark before my eyes.

It was disappointing that I still didn’t have a concrete solution.

‘Still, I gained allies.’

At least when dealing with Yoo Seulho’s parents in the future, I’d be able to receive help from the detective agency even without funding.

Today I had obtained Director Shin’s weaknesses, learned the condition of my original body, and gained the trust of my former subordinates.

‘It was a pretty good day.’

For the first time, I didn’t feel overwhelmed despite the fact that nothing had actually been resolved.

Feeling strangely lighthearted, I headed toward the parking lot.

“If anything happens to the boss, we’ll contact you immediately through the number you gave us today. Please drive safely.”

“Yes.”

I bowed my head toward Joo Gyeongbeom, who politely saw me off.

Then I was about to get into my car when the youngest suddenly stopped me.

“Um, Seulho-ssi.”

“…?”

“I’m sorry about grabbing your collar earlier. I got too worked up and…”

Seeing him apologize for something I’d already completely forgotten about made me suppress a sigh.

‘Good grief.’

I had no choice but to pick him up and raise him, but the youngest had always been far too innocent for this line of work.

Joo Gyeongbeom, standing behind him, seemed to have the exact same thought and openly sighed.

“Taejun-ssi, don’t go around apologizing like that everywhere. Being rude is a hundred times better than looking easy to push around.”

“Ah, yes! That’s right. The boss used to tell me that all the time, but I haven’t really fixed the habit–”

“I’ll get going.”

“Yes, sir! See you next time!!”

Leaving his energetic farewell behind, I got into the car.

As I drove out of the building and headed back toward the hotel, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Would I end up traumatized if I met Yoo Seulho’s parents myself?’

How horrible did they have to be for someone to reject even a second chance at life and sink into unconsciousness?

If I faced the parents who had tormented Yoo Seulho that much, would I… wearing Yoo Seulho’s body, really remain unaffected?

Then again, considering how little reaction I’d had after drinking that disgusting beverage, maybe I’d be fine.

‘Whatever happens, don’t worry, Yoo Seulho.’

From now on, I’ll put an end to this vicious cycle.

Making that vow, I pressed down on the accelerator.