I Spent a Night with a Top Star Actress Chapter 45 - Mindset.

When the weekend came, I always went to the bathhouse.

For working off the stress that piled up during the week, nothing beat a sauna.

-Splash!

I sank into the hot bath first.

Once the heat had built up enough, I moved to the sauna and sweated it all out.

Along with the sweat dripping down my jawline, the stress that had built up all week melted away too.

Right when I started feeling short of breath, I stepped out of the sauna, showered quickly, and sank into the cold bath.

The cold, sharp enough to make my teeth chatter on their own, snapped me wide awake!

“… Heh, this is the stuff.”

Seeing myself do this, I guess it’s no wonder my friends call me an old man.

A twenty-eight-year-old guy whose weekend hobby is the sauna.

Even I have to admit, it’s a bit…

an old-fashioned hobby, sure.

But well, what can you do.

This is just my taste.

I have no intention of living by other people’s standards.

It’s already a tight enough world just to live doing what you want.

I got out of the cold bath, washed every inch of myself clean, and finished up my bath.

I bought a 1,500-won banana milk from the bathhouse’s little shop and gulped it down.

“…!”

I felt the last of my fatigue burn off in a rush, and my mind snapped awake.

I dried my hair and opened the locker room door.

Even though it was the weekend, my phone was on fire.

I skimmed through, quick, and only checked the messages I actually needed, then headed straight home.

I ordered braised kimchi for dinner and cracked open a can of beer.

For the first time in a while, I took my time over food and drink, watched a backlog of dramas, and fell asleep.

I slept deep, without a single dream.

When I opened my eyes, it was Monday.

I stretched and turned my head.

The sunlight coming in through the window was bright enough to sting.

Shaking off the last of my drowsiness, I muttered.

“Let’s give this week our best shot too.”

All right, time to get back to work.

Leaving the weekend’s ease behind, I headed off to work.

---

Sitting on the bench in the rooftop smoking area, I opened up the message I’d saved for later.

-[International][Sender](attached file: image)]

Two days ago, a new text from the future had arrived.

This time, too, there were two future texts in all.

The first of the two had to do with a variety show.

-[HOT Issue] Massive Buzz as It Hits 15% Ratings! “K-Singer-Songwriter” Blows New Life Into a Fading Competition Show Genre!

“A singer-songwriter competition?”

I scratched my chin, slow.

A competition show, huh…

Up until about three years ago, this format had swept across the networks.

But with competition shows springing up like mushrooms after rain to chase the trend, the format had lost a lot of its edge by now.

In the middle of all that, a competition show pulling 15% ratings…

From where I stood, I couldn’t help licking my lips over it.

“This is basically a variety show built for Ga-eul.”

“Youth Journey,” which had taken No. 1 on the charts.

Thanks to it, a rising star named Park Ga-eul was slowly burning herself into the public’s mind.

-[Idols! Star Rankings!] Twenty’s Ga-eul, Genius Lyricist and Composer! Drawing Eyes as the Next Big Singer-Songwriter–!

Park Ga-eul, riding an unexpected wave of popularity along with the title of genius composer.

In the middle of all that, if she went on this competition show and won…

“She might end up a real superstar, not just a rising star.”

The corner of my mouth rose.

If everything went to plan, a singer-songwriter competition pulling 15% ratings was as good an opportunity as Park Ga-eul could ask for.

Even an ordinary civilian winning a competition show draws attention. If a rookie girl group member won a competition pulling 15% ratings, it would set off a massive wave of buzz.

‘The problem is… a competition show like this has downsides just as clear as its upsides.’

If Park Ga-eul went on the show and failed to prove she could compete, the “genius lyricist and composer” title she’d built up would take a hit.

And if she had the bad luck to get hit with devil’s editing, it wouldn’t just hurt Ga-eul’s own image, it could seriously damage the whole group’s image too.

I clicked my tongue, short.

“Looking at it this way, it’s a bit of a toss-up, isn’t it?”

It was tempting, but if the plan went sideways, what I’d lose was way too certain.

I turned my attention and checked the article in the future text.

The competition show K-Singer-Songwriter was set to air next February.

There was still plenty of time.

“I’ll keep this one. Let’s think it over a bit more.”

My attention turned to the second future text.

The corner of my mouth slowly curled up.

“Honestly, this is the main event.”

I couldn’t see my own face without a mirror, but I’d bet a nasty, sneering grin was on it.

I let out a hollow laugh and muttered.

“So a rat’s crept its way in, has it?”

-Exclusive) This Quarter’s Buzz Title “The Priest in Black” Rocked by Actor Drug Scandal!? The Film Industry Swept Up in Controversy! And The Priest in Black Is Right at the Center!

With casting all wrapped up, The Priest in Black was set for its reading sometime this week.

But a druggie had slipped in somewhere among it.

---

It had been a good while since Korea lost its title as a country clean of drugs.

Centered around Gangnam’s nightlife district, anyone using social media could get drugs easily enough.

The entertainment industry was no exception.

Being an industry so close to the shadows, people in it could actually get their hands on drugs more easily than ordinary civilians.

Just a few days ago, there’d even been an article about a famous idol member dabbling in propofol.

So honestly… the article the future text had sent wasn’t all that surprising.

-Exclusive) This Quarter’s Buzz Title “The Priest in Black” Rocked by Actor Drug Scandal!? The Film Industry Swept Up in Controversy! And The Priest in Black Is Right at the Center!

Among the actors cast in The Priest in Black, there could easily be a druggie.

There’s more than one or two actors out there getting propofol shots on the quiet.

The problem was that this druggie was about to smear filth all over my project.

Feeling my blood run cold, I muttered.

“Interesting.”

Hm.

Yeah.

Things had been going a little too smoothly lately, hadn’t they?

Maybe that was why.

This unexpected obstacle didn’t irritate me. Instead, it handed me a good kind of tension.

That cool, sharp sensation, one I hadn’t felt in a while, set my head spinning fast.

All right, Kwon Chan, time to reason this through objectively.

A druggie was mixed in among a project whose casting was already done.

Was the golden window already gone, then?

‘No, there’s still a chance left.’

It was a shame I hadn’t known this before casting, but not so bad it couldn’t be cleaned up.

‘I just need to weed this rat out before the actual shoot starts.’

If I could catch this rat before then…

I might even be able to turn it into a decent bit of publicity.

A drug story is one of the most sensational headlines the public loves to jump on.

Used right, it could give The Priest in Black a huge promotional boost.

“The problem is, other than knowing there’s a druggie in there, I’ve got no other information…”

Who could this druggie actually be?

I opened up The Priest in Black’s actor profile files.

The lead actors’ files, Lee Ha-eun’s and Seo Tae-jun’s, caught my eye first.

My eyes narrowed.

‘Could Lee Ha-eun or Seo Tae-jun be the druggie?’

I shook my head.

‘I can vouch for Lee Ha-eun myself as her former manager, and Seo Tae-jun, well… thinking back to the Choi Su-hyeon affair case, the odds he’s the druggie are pretty low too.’

It’s not like I was making this call just because they’re my people.

Looking at it as objectively as I could, the odds of either of them being the druggie were low.

Of course, I left at least some room for the possibility.

‘You never really know with people.’

A corner of my heart ached a little at that, but it couldn’t be helped.

It was only right to include the two of them in the range of suspects, even if just barely.

I set aside their profile files and crossed my arms.

“This is where it forks, huh?”

Judging by the future text’s article alone…

this incident’s ripple effect looked pretty big.

‘Is it big because it’s drugs, or is it going to be a big controversy because of how big a name the actor who did drugs is?’

Among entertainment industry scandals, the ones easiest to blow up the biggest are affairs, drunk driving, and drugs.

With drugs especially, it often blows up into a huge issue regardless of how well-known the celebrity is.

‘Even a bit-part actor with barely any screen time doing drugs could still blow the story up big.’

Did that mean I had to go through the profiles of all fifty-odd bit-part actors?

I shook my head, slow.

“This is way too much of a time sink.”

Honestly, even if a bit-part actor did drugs, it wouldn’t be that big a deal.

I could just lean on Baekhak’s PR team and bury it under other articles.

“Then that leaves the supporting cast.”

Yeah.

Honestly, this was the most likely spot anyway.

If a lead actor had done drugs, the project wouldn’t just wobble, it would collapse entirely.

But if only the project wobbled and got caught up in unexpected controversy… it had to be a supporting actor with real screen time.

It’s probably right to figure the culprit’s one of them.

I picked up the profiles of the four actors who counted as substantial supporting roles in The Priest in Black.

“Veteran actor Park Tae-sik.”

Go Ju-eun, known as Chungmuro’s Cinderella.

Kim Nam-seong, famous as a top-tier supporting actor.

Kwon Ho-jun, an idol actor whose acting skill had actually earned him recognition.

I tapped my finger against these four actors’ profiles.

“For now, I’ll have to treat these four as suspects.”

All right, the range of the investigation had narrowed.

All that was left now was ferreting out the culprit.

I picked up my phone and called Reporter Seo for the first time in a while.

“How about dinner tonight, Reporter Seo?”

There was no time to waste.

Starting today, I had to throw everything I had into finding the druggie trying to smear filth on The Priest in Black.

---

I drove to the cocktail bar where I’d arranged to meet Reporter Seo.

The decor, antique wooden furniture and marble tables, caught the eye.

It was clearly an upscale bar, at a glance.

Half-listening to the jazz playing through the speakers, I looked around for Reporter Seo, and a nickname, both familiar and foreign, hit my ears.

“Star Manager! Over here, over here!”

…Dammit?

This cringeworthy nickname had spread even among entertainment reporters?

I let out a heavy sigh and waved my hand.

“I’m not a ‘star manager,’ Reporter Seo.”

“Huh? Weren’t you the Superman who saved an idol in crisis with split-second wits?”

“No, I’m not. Quit teasing me.”

“Heh heh heh… no, it’s a good nickname! It’s not even a mean one, is it?”

“My face isn’t thick enough to actually enjoy that nickname.”

Reporter Seo burst out laughing.

“Wow… our Chief Kwon? First time I’ve seen you look this disgusted.”

“You could tell I meant it?”

“Oh, I could tell, all right, but that just makes me want to tease you more.”

“I’m getting up now, you know?”

I actually got up from my seat.

Reporter Seo grabbed my wrist and pleaded.

“Aw, come on, a person’s gotta be allowed a little joke. Sorry, sorry.”

Playing like I couldn’t say no, I sat back down.

Reporter Seo handed over the menu and said.

“What’ll you drink?”

“You called this a dinner and then booked us a bar? That make sense?”

“Order some food to go with the drinks. The seasoned chicken here’s good.”

If it’s supposed to be good, might as well order it.

I ordered one seasoned chicken and the bar’s signature cocktail.

Reporter Seo, knocking back liquor that clearly had a high proof at a glance like it was water, spoke.

“All right, let’s hear it. Why’d you want to see me?”

I glanced sideways to read Reporter Seo’s mood.

Playing it cool, sure, but interest was dripping off Reporter Seo’s eyes over this sudden meeting.

‘I think I’ve laid enough groundwork.’

Still, just in case, I decided to test the waters a little.

I opened my mouth and got the preamble started.

“So, I heard this weird rumor.”

Reporter Seo’s head tilted.

“What rumor?”

“That there’s a druggie over at HB Entertainment?”

“!”

Reporter Seo’s eyes went wide.

“HB? Isn’t that the agency with veteran actor Park Tae-sik?”

I nodded.

It was indeed the agency of Park Tae-sik, the veteran actor with a lead-to-supporting role in The Priest in Black this time.

The other supporting actor, Go Ju-eun, Chungmuro’s Cinderella, was also at the same HB Entertainment.

Meanwhile, Reporter Seo licked dry lips and whispered.

“Hmm. Throwing out more bait, aren’t you, our Chief Kwon?”

“I wouldn’t call it bait, exactly.”

“Heh heh… you said the same thing last time, and it landed dead-on with the Choi Su-hyeon case, didn’t it?”

I smiled gently.

Reporter Seo muttered, looking a little impatient.

“Let’s see… HB Entertainment, and if it’s Park Tae-sik…”

A glint flashed in Reporter Seo’s eyes.

“Actor Park Tae-sik’s going into The Priest in Black in a lead-to-supporting role this time, so that’s why you’re dropping me the bait?”

Sharp as ever, our Reporter Seo.

Thanks to that, I didn’t need to explain the situation any further.

My body leaned forward.

“Want to make a deal, Reporter Seo?”

“A deal? What kind of deal, all of a sudden?”

“If you dig into this and a real druggie turns up, I’ll hand the whole thing over to you.”

“!”

“But that’s not enough on its own, is it? Even if no druggie turns up, I’ll make sure you get material on The Priest in Black too.”

I threw out the bait and the carrot at the same time.

Reporter Seo smacked lips and looked me over steadily.

“That’s so sweet my teeth might rot.”

“That’s exactly why I’m giving it to you.”

“Hmm, but you know…”

Reporter Seo trailed off and smiled, wide.

“What’ll you do if I turn down the offer, Chief Kwon?”

My eyes went as round as a hamburg steak.

---

A joke.

A light joke from Reporter Seo, who’s usually full of mischief.

But had my expression failed to take the joke and frozen up instead?

“Whoa… Chief Kwon, your face is priceless. It’s a joke, a joke! I’ve got loyalty! How could I take the material and gobble it all up alone?”

A cold tension climbed up my spine.

I felt a stinging pain along with it, like I’d been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

“I was just testing the waters! So relax your face!”

At Reporter Seo’s shout, my hazy mind came back, and PD Park crossed it.

‘Right. I trusted PD Park too, and got stabbed in the back for it.’

That controversial clip from before, PD Park had deliberately edited it that way, no question.

Park Ga-eul’s expression, strangely flushed from being sick.

For a variety PD obsessed with ratings, letting a shot that provocative go to waste would’ve felt like a real waste.

But rather than getting angry at PD Park, who’d made that controversial clip happen…

I got angry at myself.

‘If I’d paid a little more attention, I could’ve stopped this whole thing from happening.’

But I’d trusted PD Park, and that trust was exactly why I hadn’t stayed on guard.

‘I’d forgotten, just for a moment, that there’s no such thing as a permanent ally or a permanent enemy in this business.’

So… isn’t it the same right now, with Reporter Seo?

If, while hunting for the druggie hiding in The Priest in Black, drugs turned up on Seo Tae-jun’s or Lee Ha-eun’s side instead, wouldn’t Reporter Seo get greedy then too?

‘No, of course. Greed would win out.’

Of course, the odds of that were low.

It was a worry my own excessive caution had cooked up.

But what if a situation like that actually happened?

Would Reporter Seo really not betray me then?

Even setting that aside, was there really zero chance that Reporter Seo, sitting on a huge story, would go it alone?

Even if Reporter Seo and I were on close terms, we were, in the end, people who’d met through business.

Anything could happen.

In that instant, my expression went cold.

‘Right…’

I’d made one mistake already.

So this… was tapping the stone bridge before I crossed it.

Checking whether the stone bridge named Reporter Seo was really safe.

I let out a short breath and raised my head.

Reporter Seo was still going on, playing it up.

“Huh? What’s with that face? I’m telling you it’s a joke! Look at you, threatening me with a smile in your eyes, our Chief Kwon.”

What expression would CEO Baek Ji-won make, in a situation like this?

Right…

Probably that signature faint smile of hers, the kind that shakes a person’s heart.

I raised the corner of my mouth and imitated that smile.

“Reporter Seo. I want to keep doing business with you for a long time.”

One mistake is enough.

Make the same mistake twice, and it’s not a mistake anymore, it’s a skill.

With that mindset, I whispered to Reporter Seo.

“But if you say something like that, even as a joke… it makes me want to threaten you for real instead of doing business.”

Reporter Seo, who’d been laughing it off, went wide-eyed.