Payback

t/n: happy new years in advance! wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2022 *^^*

When I returned to Dream Entertainment after the night shift, the time was almost 12:50 a.m. Still wearing the hat on my head and the sweaty old clothes that I had been wearing since dawn, I entered the shiny corporate lobby. Fortunately, the soda uncle informed me in advance, the security guard checked the business card and gave me an access card so I could enter. 

“He said to wait in conference room 312.”

The security guard spat out lazily. I nodded and got into the elevator and pressed the button on the elevator to the 5th floor. The lights came on and the elevator room started to move. Myeongshin was on the 5th floor when I delivered the parcel. So if he came back, he would most likely be on this floor. Fortunately, it was late at this time so on the 5th floor there was almost no one left and most of the lights were turned off, and I could move freely.

I walked slowly and looked at each room. My old sneakers with worn-out soles barely made any sounds. The lights were on in the hallway, but a light leaked out from under the door, so I could tell which room was in use. I stopped at that place to listen. I could hear voices coming from the inside, but it was so low that I couldn’t tell what they were talking about. I put the gum I had prepared in my mouth, chewed it, turned around, and walked along the hallway. Soon, I found the light switch near the elevator and turned it off.

Click. 

The lights in the hallway went out with a small sound. I paused for a moment to get used to the darkness and then headed to the front of the room that was still lit. I hid the gum in my left hand and knocked on the door with my right hand. As I turned the handle, the inner chatter stopped. The bright light inside poured out to the point where it was dazzling.

“What was that?”

A man in the suit asked with a frown, he must have been a little startled because he was talking about something secretive. Myeongshin and the guy looked at me, but thanks to the hood, they couldn’t see my face clearly.

“I’m sorry. I must have entered the wrong room.”

I politely bowed and closed the door immediately. Of course, I didn’t forget to glue the gum to the door frame before closing it. When the door latch was stuck with candy, the door would not close completely. A small gap was enough to be able to hear their voices.

I leaned against the wall beside the door and tried to listen to the voices inside. The main topic of conversation between the two was the drama that will start filming next year. Myeongshin believed that he would be able to make it to the top if he was the main character of the drama. The drama seemed to be in the early stages of planning. Only the director had been decided, investors had not yet been recruited. But both believe people would invest in the piece. The topic of their conversation continued to be boring. Then, they started gossiping about the actors who were currently taking up the lead roles, and the topic then came to the person named Director Yoon, who was talked about earlier.

“Did you look into it? About that Director Yoon.”

“Ah, Jihwaja.” 

When the man in the suit nodded and said the name, Myeongshin laughed.

“What a funny name. Is it because of this name that Director Yoon still remembers and is searching for him?”

“No. I heard a little from Chief Park, this person named Jihwaja…”

The man suddenly lowered his voice as if he was telling a secret. 

“5 years ago, he slept with Director Yoon for one night and then ran away with the money.”

“Oh my god, he stole the money from Director Yoon and ran away?”

“No, he left it.”

“…What?” 

Myeongshin asked back, dumbfounded.

“W-what do you mean? He left the money behind?”

“Indeed.”

Perhaps because I finally heard something interesting in the middle of their boring conversation, I subconsciously tilted my head to the side. Director Yoon was the person who captures enemies with a smile on his face, wasn’t he? But the reason that person became an enemy was because he left money behind. 

“He left his money in return for sleeping once. That’s also…”

Then he said something about the amount, but the sound was too soft for me to hear. But, even if it’s 200 won, there’s no reason to become an enemy. If I received it, I would be grateful, but there’s such a crazy person. As I was feeling that there are so many people in the world who need to be open-minded, the topic of conversation suddenly changed.

“If he is caught, he’ll be crushed to death by Director Yoon’s hands.”

“Mhm, that’s right. Right, by the way, didn’t you say you were almost stabbed to death?” 

When the story I was waiting for came out, I straightened up my body that had been leaning against the wall. Just like before, a voice filled with pride came out of Myeongshin’s mouth.

“Yeah, about 5 years ago, someone suddenly broke into my house with a knife… Haven’t I told you? At that time, I lived with an asshole who was worse than any other dog.”

“I think I’ve heard about it.” When the man replied, a smirk appeared on Myeongshin’s face.

“Anyway, some guy who had lost his mind, held the knife and asked me if I had any relation with that thug. If so then he would kill me.” 

“He really does seem like a thug.”

“Don’t get me started. He is not much taller than me, but he is very strong. Even when he fights guys bigger than him, he’ll bite and scratch until he could die, and eventually win. He’s the kind of guy who just likes to go out and do bad things… I couldn’t even talk to him properly when we lived together.”

“Then why were you living with him?”

“If I didn’t say anything and just got along well, I could get quite a bit of money. I didn’t have anything in my head, if I just acted a little teary, the dumbass would be deceived and pay for everything.” 

My story came out in the open, but I was still as bored as I was when I had been listening to them talk about the drama that was coming out next year. Fortunately, Myeongshin finally adjusted the focus of the story in the direction I wanted.

“Anyway, because of that jerk, I was scared to death. I could see that he was trying to take me hostage, but before my eyes there was only darkness.”

“And then?” The man who was listening matched the beat with a voice full of curiosity.

“But fortunately, that bastard’s little brother was hanging around outside. He came once in the morning, but he was standing there in the evening too. So I told him. I wasn’t even a family member, so if he killed me, he wouldn’t even blink an eye. So I told him to kill his brother.” 

“Did you really tell him to kill his brother?”

“Then what else was I supposed to do? I didn’t know what to say in that situation. I checked several times if the man was serious, so I searched the house and found a picture of that bastard and his brother and showed it to him. Ah, then he put away the knife and left. I really thought I was going to die back then.”

“Then what happened to the brother?”

“P vbc’a xcbk. Qtfatfg tf’r vfjv bg cba. Pa’r jii atja ateu’r ojeia.” 

“St, kts vlvc’a sbe gfqbga la ab atf qbilmf?”

Eluta joafg atja, j uluuif mjwf bea bo Zsfbcurtlc’r wbeat obg j ibcu alwf.

“Jbeut, kfii atja’r…”

Llr ijeutafg gfjmtfv ws fjgr jr mifjgis jr lo tf kjr gluta cfza ab wf. Pa gfrbecvfv delmxis atgbeutbea atf gbbw . 

“I was going to run away with all the money, how can I call the police? Hahaha~”

Turning over a new leaf is a good saying, take me as an example. I threw away my ugly nature and at least lived like a normal person. But, have I really changed? I live with guilt and without forgetting that I was a sinner. Yes, I might have changed. But the laughter of a certain someone who filled me told me, I haven’t changed yet.

“Turning over a new leaf” has ended. At the moment rage overwhelmed the sound of the laughter.

I went down to the 3rd floor, which was not initially part of my plan. At first I had no intention of going to see the soda uncle and the thought of being a celebrity had never been a part of my life. But now the situation has changed. 

Squeak.

When I opened the door and entered, the soda uncle who was sitting on a chair talking to a young man suddenly jumped up.

“Ah, you’re finally here! I heard from the security guard downstairs, but when I arrived, no one was here, so I was afraid you’d left. Where have you been?”

I looked at the clock on the wall, it was half an hour past the appointed time. 

“I went to the 5th floor.”

“5th floor? Why? Ah, you must have misheard the floor number? Oh no, then you must have been waiting there and cursing that I didn’t come. Hahaha~”

“Were you cursing at me?”

“…” 

“…”

“Cough cough, I think it’s getting chilly in the evening.”

Finishing with nonsense, he gestured at me to sit in a chair. Then he gestured to the boy in his 20s who was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

“Say hello. This is the kid I’m in charge of.” 

As he sat down and turned his head, he opened his mouth.

“Hello. Wah, it’s really nice to meet you! This is CEO Choi… no, he’s just a manager now, but he’s still a member of our family. Actually, there is still another celebrity that CEO Choi is in charge of, but only temporarily, plus… he’s a bad person… um anyway, it’s really nice to meet you!”

He bowed his head, and greeted so loudly that his voice echoed throughout the room. Halfway through, the soda uncle smiled bitterly when he heard the title of CEO, but immediately turned around and smiled brightly like a youth. In his hand was a sheet of paper that read ‘Letter of Intent’.

“You’re interested in this place, right? I have to explain a lot first, but I’ll check again first. You want to do this job right?” 

“Yes.”

“Then the hat… Hmm, can you take it off?”

He asked me cautiously as he recalled my blunt refusal in the elevator. I took off the hat I wore all day long under the pressure of the two. Perhaps the appearance of my hair under the hat was ridiculous, but the two managed to look at my face with serious eyes without smiling.

“…” 

“…”

A long while passed. Just as I started to feel bored, the young man began to talk.

“Just like Manager-nim said.”

“Right?” 

I don’t know what he was talking about, but the soda man nodded at me without taking his eyes off.

“Definitely not the flashy handsome type.”

“…”

“But I really like his eyes.” 

As I stared at him, he looked at me a little more and opened his mouth.

“Actors don’t just have to have a handsome face. Of course, they have to act well, but before that, how should I say it…” He titled his head to the side as if trying to choose the exact words.

“They have to have the charm to attract people?” I know because I’ve been in this industry for a long time. To be successful, you have to have something special that attracts people’s attention. Especially the eyes… So someone like you.”

“Of course, that’s a good thing. And looking closely like this, I really want to scout you.” 

He added as if he were in a hurry to say that it was a compliment, but to be honest, I didn’t care what my eyes look like. No, I had absolutely no interest in this whole thing. But the soda uncle and the young man seemed to be very interested in me. Both of them excitedly picked up a polaroid camera and a spherical camcorder on the table. The soda uncle took up the polaroid camera and opened his mouth first.

“However, there may be a difference between the actual appearance and that on screen. It’s called being photogenic, right? I want to confirm that so I will need to take some pictures.”

I nodded, the uncle quickly pointed the camera at me and muttered.

“But there’s a scar on your forehead. If you want to be an actor, your face is your life. If you’re going to do it, you can’t hurt your face from now on.” 

Nagging like an old lady, he pressed the shutter. After a while, a small picture came out. Perhaps because he was in a hurry, before it was completely finished, the soda uncle grabbed it and pulled it out. But the moment the uncle looked at the picture, the expression on his face froze.

“Huh!”

“What’s wrong?”

When the boy was startled and asked, the soda uncle showed the picture with a stiff expression. 

“The picture is all black.”

“Eh? Is it because the film is too old?”

“It can’t be… Ah! The picture is coming out!”

“Oh? It’s true. Ah, right. CEO-nim, polaroids are originally black at first, but then pictures appear. Haha~” 

“That’s right. That’s right. We’re idiots, haha~”

It was something a real fool would sue for if he heard it. I was skeptical as I watched the boring gags between the two of them. Was that a show to lighten up the mood? If not, then I really needed to consider carefully. The condition of these two was a bit serious. While I was evaluating them, the two of them were also evaluating me.

“Oh~ the sharp impression looks a little soft in the picture!”

“I know right. You look a little rude in reality. Haha~” 

“That’s right. It’s because your expression is stiff. Haha~ Hey, you should take a look too…”

“…”

“…Are you angry?”

“Yes.” 

At this honest answer, the two laughed and became normal people for a while, but after a while they were back to being like mental patients when they looked at the camcorder. After barely suppressing my desire to call 119 while enduring receiving compliments, they finally came back to the main point. It was only then that I could ask what I needed.

“You’re better than I thought? It looks regular at first glance, but the more I look, the more attractive it is, right? That’s your appearance. Of course, it’s hard to evaluate only based on appearance, but appearance is still important. Besides , you don’t seem uncomfortable or scared in front of the camera… Okay, so do you have any questions?”

I did. Just one.

“Do I have commercial value?” 

Perhaps because he did not expect I would use such a word, the soda uncle froze for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes. That’s why we’re facing each other like this. But calling yourself commercial value is…”

“How high up do you think I can go?”

When I asked expressionlessly, he opened his mouth, looking perplexed. 

“Um… You know, if you want to be a star right away…”

“It’s not like that. I’m simply curious.”

Is that really so? His eyes were filled with suspicion, but the uncle soon shrugged his shoulders and looked at me seriously. After a long time, he opened his mouth.

“If my senses are right, you can go up to the top.” 

“What do I need to do for that?”

Seeing me ask directly, the soda uncle and the boy looked at each other, then back at me.

“Hey, you’re getting ahead of yourself, the contract hasn’t been signed yet, and if it’s your first time… It’s your first time doing this, isn’t it?”

I nodded. 

“If it’s your first time, there’s a lot to learn first. Then improve your skills, build the foundation, experience this and that in small roles first, after a few years, you can become a supporting actor, then gradually get the leading roles…”

“Other than that, tell me the fastest way.”

The two once again looked at each other with bewildered eyes. The uncle opened his mouth with a stiff expression, probably thinking he might have found the wrong person.

“I’m sorry, but if you just want to make a lot of money and become famous…” 

“I don’t need money or fame. I just want to get ahead quickly.”

“You said you don’t want money or fame, but just want to take a quick route? What do you want to be an actor for?”

I stared at the boy who said that. He blinked his big eyes a few times at the sudden glance.

“Is Song Yoohan the bad guy that Manager Choi is temporarily in charge of?” 

He glanced at the uncle and replied.

“Ah… yes.”

“Why is he a bad person?”

“…” 

The boy didn’t answer, so I told him my guess.

“He was a member of the same agency where your manager was the CEO of. Then he betrayed you, isn’t that right?”

The young man’s eyes widened.

“H-how do you know that? Yoohan hyung took the down payment and ran off to another company…” 

“Don’t.” The uncle interrupted the boy, looked at me and asked quickly.

“Hey, do you know something about Yoohan?”

I looked at him and answered with another question.

“When you first met him, did you think he would make it to the top?” 

“… What?”

“Did you sense that he would make it as much as I could?”

By that time, he abandoned the amicable expression and began to look at me warily. Just when I thought he was going to complain about that question, he just sighed and answered my question.

“No. Not as much as you.” 

“Then there’s a chance of winning.”

“What chance of winning?”

Ignoring that question, I answered the question he asked a while ago.

“I don’t know Song Yoohan.” 

“But how…”

“I only know Song Myeongshin.”

Judging from that stiff expression, he probably realised that it was Song Yoohan’s real name. The boy next to us looked at us alternately with a curious face, but he didn’t open his mouth, noticing that the atmosphere had become solemn.

“Then did you meet me on purpose? Because of Myeongshin who changed his name to Yoohan?” 

The reason I couldn’t answer right away was because of the anger in his voice. Although we haven’t talked much, I got a rough idea of what kind of person he is. He was probably a man who only does his work sincerely and foolishly. Maybe he really believed in his work. Then it would be difficult to deal with him. If I told him my true intentions, there was a high possibility that he would just let me go back. Well, even without his help, I could enter the entertainment industry. Or I could lie to escape this situation, cheat him, and get my revenge.

Thinking of various options, suddenly my eyes fell on his hand on the table. There is a white patch of skin on the ring finger of the left hand. Like a circle around a finger. I lowered my gaze a little, and noticed that the sleeves were worn out. Old clothes and a finger without a wedding ring.

“I want to ask you, Manager… What is the most important thing to you?”

He raised his eyes and looked at me as if there was a question mark in his mind. 

“Is work the most important thing? To make the actor you’ve raised become the best?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“I just want to know. If you say yes, I will leave without regrets.”

He blinked at me as if he still did not understand. 

“Of course work is the most important thing to me…”

“It’s not family?”

“…”

“Aren’t you doing this so your kids can go to school?” 

“Hey, what are you trying to say…”

“Now you have to live for your family. I don’t know what happened before, but in such dire circumstances that you had to sell your wedding ring, you had to put your family first.”

I looked down at his empty left hand and continued to talk calmly.

“Betrayed by an actor you trusted, having the company collapse. You know, right? You can’t live like a dream because the world is unfair. To get what you want, you have no choice but to adapt to an unfair world. So, please use me. Even if I’m a person who goes against the manager’s beliefs, please accept it if you think I have commercial value.” 

“…”

“Unless you don’t want to take revenge and get back what was lost.”

“…I never had any thoughts of wanting revenge.”

“But I do.” 

I told him my true thoughts.

“I’m thinking about getting revenge.”