Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 169

I realized I had made a mistake, but my inner thoughts had already slipped out. I prayed he was too drunk to notice, but it seemed he wasn’t quite that far gone. 

 

He clearly heard the words that escaped my lips. His eyes fixed on me with an expression I couldn’t quite describe. Of course, that only lasted a moment. As he replayed the situation in his head, a very distinct rage settled on his face.

 

“What? What did you just say? Huh? F*ck… what?”

 

‘Oh, so you’ve finally found something to latch onto? You’re thrilled, aren’t you?’

 

“Say it again. F*ck… I said say it again.”

 

I debated for a split second whether to play innocent or just confront him. But I already knew the answer. Words that had already left my mouth couldn’t be taken back. And frankly, I didn’t want to take them back.

 

‘Fine. Let’s just butt heads.’

 

There were no CCTVs in the bathroom, and a drunkard like him couldn’t have set up a trap like recording with a phone. At least, the Seo Dongkwon I’d seen didn’t have the intelligence to orchestrate something like that just to trap Lee Unha. If he were smart, he wouldn’t have followed me into the bathroom to spout nonsense in the first place.

 

‘I really can’t stand this guy.’

 

Naturally, I stared him straight in the eye. Even though I hadn’t summoned Joy from the laboratory who was always on the verge of exploding from stress, Seo Dongkwon seemed to sense something unsettling in my gaze.

 

“I asked… if you were sane.”

 

“…….”

 

“That’s what I said.”

 

“Wh—what?”

 

“Should I say it again? I asked if you were in your right mind.”

 

“What…?”

 

“Because no one in their right mind would say something like this. Seriously, what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

 

“…….”

 

“Honestly, I’m speechless… Sigh… You don’t like me, do you?”

 

“…….”

 

“I don’t know what you’re so unhappy about, but you don’t like me, so you followed me all the way here to pull this, didn’t you? If you were a nuisance during the script reading, you should at least have the decency to be ashamed. Did you really have to do this and ruin the mood of the after-party too? And what’s this about ‘senior treatment’? Am I here to act, or am I here to follow you around and cater to you? Why do I have to babysit your ego while I’m working?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“We’d never even met before. We introduced ourselves properly, said we’d work well together, and that was the end of it. What else exactly was I supposed to do?”

 

“N-no… you… you…!”

 

I could see him looking at me with a dazed expression. He clearly never imagined a situation like this would occur. Maybe it was because he was drunk, but he looked completely unable to process what was happening or how he was supposed to react.

 

“What, do I have to follow you around saying ‘Sunbaenim, you’re the best,’ ‘Sunbaenim, your acting was great’? Can’t you read the room? If someone is obviously keeping their distance, you should take the hint. What the hell is this? Why do you always have to make everything so exhausting?”

 

“Uh….”

 

“If you’re going to get drunk, at least do it with some dignity. If you’re jealous, then keep it to yourself or work harder instead.  How does causing trouble outside of the project help you at all? What are you trying to do?”

 

“You son of a bitch… are you crazy?!”

 

“Do I look crazy? From where I’m standing, you’re the one who looks insane. Go ask anyone in the world who’s crazier. Use this time to read one more line of the script instead of being a nuisance to everyone else.”

 

“You son of a bitch, you… at Byeon Yongseok’s house…!”

 

“What? What about it? So you heard we practiced the script at Byeon sunbaenim’s house? So what? Is it a crime for an actor to study and read the script? I don’t know what your problem is, but just go. I’ll pretend today didn’t happen.”

 

“This son of a bitch! Seriously! Are you out of your mind?! How old are you?! F*ck! How dare you talk to your senior…”

 

“Oh, shut the f*ck up with the swearing! I’ve heard enough for a lifetime. F*ck.”

 

“You think you can keep working in this industry after this?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“What?”

 

“I think I’ll be able to work just fine.”

 

“Wh—what?”

 

“Who do you think you are?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Are you Benok sunbaenim or something? Who are you? Are you going to stop me from working? How? Gonna tell the agency? What are you going to say? ‘I tried to lecture Lee Unha while I was drunk and he went crazy and attacked me’? Good luck getting them to believe that. It’s obvious how the company will treat you.”

 

“You f*cking psycho!!!! Seriously!!!!!”

 

His voice grew louder as he got more agitated.

 

‘He’s really stupid. Wow.’

 

He seemed to have lost control of his volume because of the alcohol. He didn’t even seem to consider that someone might walk in. Whether he was holding onto his last shred of reason or just lacked the guts, he didn’t raise a hand or physically attack me, but he continued to scream.

 

‘Go ahead, advertise to the whole neighborhood that we’re fighting. Seriously.’

 

Considering the location of this bathroom, screaming like that was practically self-harm. Did he not know that people heading out to smoke pass right by here?

 

Naturally…

 

“What’s this? What are you guys doing in here?”

 

The bathroom door swung open, and voices flooded in.

 

“What… what is this? Unha? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

 

“Unha, are you okay?”

 

“Seo Dongkwon, what are you doing? Did you do this?”

 

“What’s going on? Actor Lee… huh?”

 

Before the returning forces from the smoking break had even fully arrived, I had already let the tears flow. And quite sorrowfully, at that. 

 

Coincidentally, the lineup of the people who opened the door was perfect: Director Choi Donghoon, Actor Kim Jonghoo, whom I met at the Diner, and the veteran actor Yooil. Several others crowded into the small bathroom, separating me from Seo Dongkwon.

 

“Mr. Unha, what happened?”

 

“Huh? N-No… it’s nothing…”

 

“Mr. Dongkwon what happened here? Huh? What did you do?”

 

They even started interrogating Seo Dongkwon. It was a perfectly natural reaction. It wasn’t strange for things to be interpreted this way. In a cramped bathroom, a relatively large Seo Dongkwon looked like he was intimidating a young Lee Unha. The fact that I had tears in my eyes like a frightened herbivore made it look even more so.

 

“You… you…!”

 

“Let’s step outside and talk. Come on.”

 

Of course, the guy felt wronged. Considering he had brought all of this on himself, feeling wronged was ridiculous in itself, but from his perspective the current situation—where only Lee Unha looked like the victim—must have been maddening. Seeing as I had tears welling in my eyes, it was understandable he was dumbfounded. Sure enough, he desperately began trying to explain himself.

 

“N-no, wait. Sunbaenim, it’s not like that. Lee Unha told me… Hey, you say something too! Didn’t you just ask me if I was sane? Huh? Do exactly what you did to me a second ago!”

 

‘What are you talking about? When did I do that?’

 

“Seriously. Sunbaenim, please, just listen to me. I just… Lee Unha did all of this to me….”

 

‘What did I do? Why are you being like this?’

 

“Let’s go outside first. Seriously, what are you doing? There are other customers here. Do you want to be the talk of the town for screaming in a bathroom before we even start filming?”

 

‘Exactly.’

 

“No, but Lee Unha…”

 

‘Seriously, why do you keep dragging me into this?’

 

It was a total mess.

 

“Unha, what happened?”

 

“No… it’s nothing. It’s really nothing.”

 

“You can tell us. Just explain exactly what happened…”

 

“No, I think I was the one at fault… please don’t worry. It was just a small misunderstanding.”

 

What a spectacle.

 

“Phew… Mr. Dongkwon, let’s go out and talk, just the two of us.”

 

“No, wait, sunbaenim. I know how this looks right now, but….”

 

His face had gone completely pale. He was trying to explain the situation, but his brain didn’t seem to be working well enough to figure out how to handle it or how to clean up the mess. In the meantime, the staff felt they had to settle the situation in their own way, making things feel even more chaotic. 

 

Director Choi Donghoon was continuously talking to several staff members.

 

“Hey, Cheol.”

 

“Yes? Director.”

 

“Keep the other actors out of here. And, although I’m sure everyone knows better, keep a tight lid on the actors’ and staff’s mouths about this….”

 

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

 

“Actually, let’s just end the party here. We’ll wrap up after the first round… it’s late anyway.”

 

“Yes, Director. I’ll tell everyone to wrap up and move on.”

 

Immediately after, he approached me.

 

“Mr. Unha, it’s very late. Let’s call it a night. No one’s going to blame you, so don’t worry. Pull yourself together.”

 

“Ah… okay.”

 

“I’ll call your manager, so go head home.”

 

“Ah, but I have to say goodbye to the seniors.”

 

“I’ll explain everything. Just head home for now.”

 

“Ah… yes. Yes. I’m sorry. Sniff….”

 

“Why are you apologizing, Mr. Unha? It’s no big deal. I’m not just saying that; it’s really fine. Compose yourself and get some rest. I’ll be in touch soon.”

 

“Yes.”

 

After exchanging greetings with actors like Byeon Yongseok and Yoo Aran, who had arrived at some point, I headed straight for the waiting car. In the background, I could see Seo Dongkwon still desperately trying to vent his frustration to the other actors and snitch on my behavior.

 

‘Go ahead. Defend yourself and blame me all you want.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Do you think they’ll believe you?’

 

“…….”

 

I could guarantee his image would only get worse. If he’d been smarter—or genuinely intimidating—I might have felt uneasy about leaving him behind and returning to the dorm. I didn’t know how this would end, but….

 

It was an undeniable fact that a great trial had come for him. My pupils caught Grandpa Byeon staring at the guy with bloodshot eyes.

 

‘I mean, he’s not even my biological grandfather… why act like that?’

 

It wasn’t just the grandfather. The glares that Director Choi, the writer, and the other famous actors were sending his way were far from friendly. Every single one of them was a person of influence in this industry.

 

‘That’s why you should’ve been more careful about picking your target.’

 

As I was getting into the car, our eyes met by chance. I gave a slight smile with downcast eyes, and I saw him trembling with rage.