How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 70

Chapter 70

 

[You’ve Held It In Long Enough. Refresh Yourself with ARCO! (Feat. Yoo Seulho)]

ARCO, one of Korea’s leading beer brands, released its latest commercial.

It was also Yoo Seulho’s first advertisement since completely overturning his image through the drama ‘Our Space’.

Broadcast across TV and numerous other media platforms, the commercial became an enormous topic of discussion from day one.

 

➝ ‘I was on my way home after a company dinner, but the moment I saw the commercial I went straight to the convenience store and bought beerkekkekkek They made it really well.’

➝ ‘My department head sent this video to the company group chat, saying Thank goodness we don’t have villains like this at our company. Sir… YOU are the villain…….’

 

The first installment to be released, the “Company” version, received an especially hot response.

People said company dinners weren’t as common these days, but plenty of workplaces still had them.

The ad had perfectly captured something that resonated with every generation.

 

➝ Did Yoo Seulho secretly work in an office or something? How does a guy who’s only been an actor his whole life nail the role of a boss you desperately want to punch?

➝ First time getting PTSD from a commercial,,, but when the protagonist drank the beer, I felt refreshed too.

↳ Wait, isn’t Yoo Seulho the protagonist? kekkekkek First time seeing a commercial where the model doesn’t drink the beer kekkekkekkek

↳ Huh? You’re right kekkekkek. I didn’t even realize until reading this comment.

 

The realism made it feel as if actual office workers had been brought in.

The story felt authentic, without forced sentimentality.

And the refreshing satisfaction of drinking beer after a frustrating situation was conveyed perfectly.

One of the biggest talking points was Yoo Seulho playing another villain after gaining recognition for villain roles in his previous work.

 

➝ Yoo Seulho’s personal color is probably evil roles.

↳ Seriously, just play villains forever.

➝ kekkekkekkek I wanted to beat Yoo Seulho up the whole time I watched the ad; why is he so good at acting?!

➝ He doesn’t exaggerate and keeps it just right, which makes it easy to watch.

↳ Yeah, hurry and film your next project~~~

↳ I’ll bet my right arm that it’ll be another villain role.

 

The story matched the slogan, ‘You’ve held it in long enough!’, and the fresh direction certainly helped.

But nothing became more talked about than Yoo Seulho’s acting.

Though all three episodes featured villains, each one embodied a different kind of villainy.

 

In the ”Company” version, he portrayed the obnoxious senior employee who got promoted early and lectured others as if he’d figured out all the truths of life.

In the “Friends” version, he played the tactless friend who attended reunions just to brag about his money and house.

And in the “Lovers” version, he became the boyfriend with no sense of boundaries, gaslighting his girlfriend and trying to mold her into his ideal.

Though they looked similar at first glance, Yoo Seulho expressed the subtle differences through meticulous acting.

Among them, the “Lovers” version received the most explosive response.

 

➝ Who’s the female lead? She’s pretty.

↳ Seriously, I’ve never seen her before, but her face is so uniquely Korean…. There are too many beauties ㅠ

➝ Ha… I’m so jealous of Yoo Seulho. Starting with Choi Ran, all the pretty girls are ending up with him these days.

 

Many comments mentioned Bae Dain, who played the girlfriend.

Even though Yoo Seulho portrayed an unsettling boyfriend, many viewers found the sight of the two sitting together in the café genuinely romantic.

 

➝ Every time Yoo Seulho says something awful, I lose affection for him, but damn, when he deliberately does a lovers concept, it’s so romantic kekkekkek

↳ Watch it muted.

↳ You’re a genius. (TL Note: Indeed)

 

➝ I want Yoo Seulho to do a romance next ㅠㅠ Not those cold eyes, just a gentle giant-puppy typeㅠㅠ’

↳ Then shouldn’t Choi Ran be his partner? I can’t be the only one who saw the chemistry in the last drama, too.

↳ kekkekkekkek Then I’m pairing him with Lee Seulgi. I got butterflies during that hidden-camera segment on the variety show

 

As more people commented that Bae Dain and Yoo Seulho looked surprisingly good together, some began hoping for romance projects.

Meanwhile, the ending of the “Lovers” episode, where the girlfriend immediately breaks up with her boyfriend, also received praise.

In the previous installments, the protagonists simply drank refreshing beer after listening to the villain’s unpleasant remarks.

But in the “Lovers” version, the beer ended up being poured over the villain himself.

 

➝ That’s how it should be~ In work, you have to put up with stuff to earn money, but there’s absolutely no reason to tolerate that kind of thing in a relationship!

➝ I like how they made it clear that these aren’t little things you can overlook… they’re all breakup-worthy offenses.

↳ Every single thing Yoo Seulho said was grounds for breaking up, kekekkek. Who does he think he is, commenting on what I wear? And bringing up his ex-girlfriend was pathetic

↳ Whether male or female, anyone trying to control me gets cut off.

 

Unlike generic beer commercials where celebrities just act cool while drinking beer, this one let actors work as actors.

People who appreciated that searched for the full version.

The response became even stronger because the full version included scenes of Yoo Seulho drinking beer while staying in character.

 

➝ Why is it so funny that Yoo Seulho drinks beer differently in each episode kekkekkek

➝ In the company version, he drinks bitterly while looking at the seat left behind by the employee who ran away.

➝ In the friends version, he ends up paying the entire bill after listening to his own bragging and drinks with trembling hands.

➝ And in the lovers version, after tasting the beer dripping down his own face, he runs desperately to the convenience store

➝ Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve watched a commercial without feeling annoyed! Love it!!

 

This was Yoo Seulho’s first official activity since joining Wooyeon Entertainment.

And yet the buzz was much bigger than expected, causing countless brands to send love calls.

For a single commercial, everyone involved gained a lot.

Yoo Seulho showed the public, in a way that wasn’t burdensome but was impossible to ignore, that his acting had truly changed.

The production team earned praise for creating an ad that wasn’t stale.

And previously unknown actors like Kang Hyunggu and Bae Dain unexpectedly found themselves in the spotlight.

While everyone smiled happily, one person alone screamed in despair.

“FUCK!!!”

It was Woo Junseo, monitoring the comments more obsessively than even Yoo Seulho or the production team.

“WHY ARE THE REACTIONS SO GOOD?!”

The endless praise over the past few days had stressed him out so much that he could no longer function normally.

Unable even to shave, he scratched his scruffy jaw and snapped.

“Why is everyone so crazy about Yoo Seulho? Did everyone forget how much they used to curse him? Why are they so obsessed with that nobody…?”

Unable to bear the stress any longer, Woo Junseo opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer.

Even then, his pride remained intact.

He had deliberately bought a different brand in bulk rather than the beer Yoo Seulho had advertised.

Days of poor sleep combined with alcohol pushed his judgment to rock bottom.

And the result of sleep deprivation and excessive drinking was an Instagram post that read:

 

<(Photo)

Congrats on the beer commercial, Seulho

You’re not answering your phone, so I’m posting here

Call me ㅠ Big bro is sad >

 

It was a selfie taken during the very brief period early in ‘Our Space’ when he and Yoo Seulho had gotten along.

Even if he had intended to undermine Yoo Seulho, anyone in their right mind would’ve avoided writing something that made themselves look this pitiful.

Unfortunately, Woo Junseo wasn’t in his right mind.

And so, the post went up successfully.

 

***

 

The next day…

Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong.

Woo Junseo woke up to the incessant ringing of the doorbell.

“Ah… what….”

It was obvious who it was.

Probably the new manager assigned by his agency.

He hadn’t given him the passcode because he didn’t want him coming and going like his previous manager.

And now the guy was causing a scene.

Bang! Bang bang!!

“Mr. Junseo! Open the door! I know you’re in there!!”

Apparently the doorbell wasn’t enough, because the manager sounded ready to break down the door.

‘What’s his problem?’

No matter how angry he was about an Instagram post going up without permission, this seemed excessive.

Confused by the manager’s strange behavior, Woo Junseo scratched his back and got up.

‘I’d better open the door first.’

Before the manager made an even bigger scene, he picked up his phone.

He just wanted to check if something had happened.

But something was wrong.

“…?”

The screen was completely black.

Normally, a dead battery wouldn’t be surprising.

But this didn’t make sense.

‘What?’

He had recently upgraded to a new phone, and the battery usually lasted well.

‘I’m pretty sure it still had plenty of charge before I went to bed.’

Perplexed, he waited for it to power on.

After the loading screen finished, his wallpaper appeared.

 

[147 missed calls (36 Catch Call notifications)]

[99+ unread messages]

[999+ Instagram comment notifications]

[Mom: Call me when you wake up.]

[Underling5: ‘Junseo, everyone’s worried, please answer….’]

 

“……”

No celebrity could stay calm after seeing that.

Instinctively sensing that something had gone terribly wrong, Woo Junseo began trembling.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

A name appeared on the screen.

[That Bastard CEO]

It was a call from the head of his agency.

Suppressing the urge to avoid it, Woo Junseo answered.

“Hello–”

“Where are you?”

“…I just woke up. Did something happen?”

Hearing the anxiety in his voice, the CEO let out a bitter laugh.

“What happened? ‘What happened?’ Hey, you’re finished. Fuck… and so am I.”

“Huh?”

“You made the news.”

The CEO sighed deeply.

‘The news?’

Woo Junseo had no idea what article he meant.

“What article? Did my former manager do another interview?”

“If it was that kind of thing, do you think I’d say we’re finished? Just avoid the reporters and get to the company. They’re all gathered outside your house, so be careful.”

“No, tell me what article came out!”

But the CEO hung up, as if he couldn’t bear speaking another word.

Frowning, Woo Junseo swallowed hard and opened the news portal.

The headlines on the main page were shocking.

 

<[Breaking News] Rising Star Woo Junseo Suspected of Investing Tens of Billions of Won in Illegal Overseas Gambling Sites>

<[Exclusive] Woo Junseo Suspected of Owning Shares in Illegal Gambling Website… Internal Investor Documents Obtained>

 

“Huh….”

The moment he read the word ‘gambling’, his breath caught.

No.

No…

‘…This has to be a dream.’

Woo Junseo’s steep downfall had finally begun.