I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 91

‘Who do you like?’ Hwa-rin, visibly flustered, stammered.

‘W-What are you talking about?? That doesn’t make any sense. Why would I like him? I mean, Woo-jin. We haven’t even gotten close yet!’

‘Really?’

‘Yes! I told you, I really liked the script for the one-act play. And I got the offer for this variety show before Woo-jin did, you know?’

‘······’

‘Oh, seriously, really, truly. This unnie [older sister or close female friend], really.’

What cut off their whispering was Hwa-rin’s chubby manager.

‘Excuse me—sorry to interrupt. Hwa-rin, we should probably get going?’

‘Ah! Okay, okay! Unnie, I’ll head out first.’

‘Okay. Text me.’

‘Yeah, yeah, let me know your results too, unnie!’

Hwa-rin waved her hand enthusiastically and quickly got on the elevator, and Hong Hye-yeon smiled faintly as she saw her off. Then, Hong Hye-yeon walked calmly down the hallway with her team. However, she felt an unknown emotion surging within her. She wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or something else.

‘I really didn’t expect Hwa-rin to be there.’

Hong Hye-yeon felt a slight unease. A little while later, Hong Hye-yeon met Yoon Byung-sun PD [Production Director], who wore glasses, in the meeting room. Yoon Byung-sun PD and the writers were grinning from ear to ear at the unexpected appearance of the top actress.

‘Haha, Hye-yeon-ssi. I was surprised when I got your call, really.’

‘Did I schedule the meeting too suddenly?’

‘It’s fine, you could schedule it even more abruptly and I’d come running. It’s Hye-yeon-ssi, after all.’

Hong Hye-yeon smiled.

‘You’re exaggerating, PD-nim. You haven’t changed.’

‘The variety show world always has to be a bit exaggerated. Haha. But seriously, are you really interested in my variety show?’

‘Yes, that’s right. But I ran into Hwa-rin on the way here, and I heard she’s confirmed?’

‘Ah—did you see her? That’s right. Hwa-rin-ssi is confirmed.’

After finishing his words, he received a transparent file from the writer.

‘I’ll show you the people who are confirmed so far. Please keep it a secret. Including Hwa-rin-ssi, Kang Woo-jin, Ahn Jong-hak, and Ha Kang-soo-nim. One person is still being negotiated, and that includes Hong Hye-yeon-nim here.’

‘I heard Hwa-rin was the first one they talked to.’

‘That’s right. We sent her the offer the fastest. You heard that she’s in the same agency as Woo-jin-ssi, right? We only released Woo-jin-ssi’s name quickly because of the media buzz.’

Yoon Byung-sun PD smiled mischievously.

‘Come to think of it, Hye-yeon-ssi, you’re close with Hwa-rin-ssi, right? And you’re in the same agency as Woo-jin-ssi. If Hye-yeon-ssi joins, it would be great, wouldn’t it? The chemistry and all. You’re also friendly with the other people, right?’

‘Yes, somewhat. But is it okay that Woo-jin-ssi and I are in the same agency?’

Yoon Byung-sun PD’s smile deepened as he closed the transparent file.

‘Not at all. As long as it’s fun, viewers don’t care about those things. Only the media will nitpick.’

Hong Hye-yeon nodded slowly. Her resolve had become quite firm after meeting Hwa-rin. Soon, Hong Hye-yeon asked Yoon Byung-sun PD.

‘What’s the format?’

‘First of all, do you like cooking, Hye-yeon-ssi?’

‘Cooking? I’m just good at making ramen.’

‘That’s enough.’

Yoon Byung-sun PD unfolded the confirmed proposal.

‘Then, what’s your schedule like for the second half of this year, Hye-yeon-ssi?’

About an hour later.

A text arrived for Hwa-rin, who had arrived at a salon in Cheongdam-dong [a wealthy neighborhood in Seoul]. The sender was Hong Hye-yeon.

-My love: Hwa-rin! I decided to do the variety show too.

After checking the message, Hwa-rin immediately sent a reply.

-Really?! That’s so great! ㅠㅠㅠ I want to film quickly, I’m going to have so much fun with you, unnie!

It was sincere. Hwa-rin was really looking forward to filming the variety show with Hong Hye-yeon. However, Hwa-rin also felt a bit complicated.

‘Ha—I should have just said from the beginning that I was fangirling over Woo-jin-nim [a respectful title].’

She regretted that she had gotten off on the wrong foot.

Late at night on the same day.

The time was past 11 o’clock. It was time for everyone to go home and rest. However, the roads of Seoul were still bright. There were still many cars on the road.

Among them, a sleek black foreign car stood out.

It was a car that looked like it would easily cost several hundred million won [Korean currency]. The foreign car drove and drove, moving towards the Sinsa Station area. There were many cars near the station, but as it entered the alley, the number of people and cars gradually decreased.

After a few tens of minutes.

The foreign car, which seemed to be going back and forth on the same road, briefly stopped in front of a building. Then it started again. It repeated this. It was obvious that something was strange. Regardless, the foreign car kept stopping and starting in front of the building.

Finally.

-Swish.

Whether satisfied or not, the foreign car entered the building’s underground parking lot. Looking at the building, there was a plastic surgery clinic on the third floor. Anyway, the foreign car that entered the parking lot parked silently.

-Thump!

A woman with a bobbed haircut got out of the driver’s seat. What was unusual was that her face was completely covered. She wore a mask that covered half her face, and a black hat was pulled down low. Even glasses. After looking around the parking lot for a moment, she.

‘······’

She moved silently. The woman entered the entrance and took the elevator. And.

-Ding.

She pressed the floor where the plastic surgery clinic was located. This was a bit strange. The time was already past 11:30 PM. It was long past the closing time for the plastic surgery clinic. Nevertheless, the woman headed to the plastic surgery clinic as if she was very familiar with it. She opened the glass door of the plastic surgery clinic, which was locked and had its lights off.

What was interesting was that the glass door of the plastic surgery clinic was open.

Therefore, the woman with her face covered entered the plastic surgery clinic leisurely. It was 30 minutes later that she came out of the plastic surgery clinic and took the elevator. The difference was that she was holding a small paper bag in her hand.

The woman with the paper bag got into the foreign car in the underground parking lot.

-Vroom!

She smoothly exited the parking lot. The parking lot became quiet again. It was only for a moment. The sound of a car engine echoed in the quiet parking lot, and a small compact car, which seemed to have been waiting, followed the foreign car out of the parking lot.

About an hour later?

The foreign car that had been at the plastic surgery clinic entered a luxury apartment in Cheongdam-dong, and after parking the car appropriately, the woman got out of the foreign car. She unlocked the door in front of what appeared to be her house. At the same time.

‘Hoo-‘

She let out a short sigh in the shoe closet and took off the things that had covered her face. Mask, hat, etc. Soon, her face was revealed. A beauty that would catch anyone’s eye, a bobbed haircut, a refined feeling.

She was Seo Chae-eun, the top actress who was cast in ‘Island of the Missing’ and had bickered with Kang Woo-jin just yesterday.

‘It’s already this late. Tsk.’

Meanwhile, in front of Seo Chae-eun’s apartment.

The small compact car that had been following the foreign car was parked on the side of the road near the entrance of the apartment. It couldn’t enter because the apartment’s security was so tight.

Whatever the case, inside the compact car.

‘Check the dashcam first.’

‘Okay, okay.’

There were a total of three people inside. Two men in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, and one woman in the back seat. What was strange was their appearance. It was like they weren’t police, but their atmosphere wasn’t normal. Moreover, the woman in the back seat was even holding a camera as big as a cannon.

The man in the driver’s seat asked her. His skin tone was dark.

‘Did you get everything? Check it.’

‘I got it. From when she arrived at the plastic surgery clinic to when she came out and went home.’

‘Did you get a good shot of Seo Chae-eun too?’

‘Yes. Only the part where she got out of the plastic surgery clinic. But her face is completely covered, so it’s hard to identify her.’

The man in the driver’s seat smiled wryly.

‘That’s the point, you idiot. There needs to be a picture of her all bundled up like that to really bring out the nuance. If she’s not covered, it’s not fun.’

The man who muttered this turned his gaze to the man in the passenger seat.

‘The dashcam definitely got a shot of Seo Chae-eun’s car, right?’

‘Yep.’

‘And you took pictures too?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good. Even if her face is covered, it doesn’t matter at all since the car is Seo Chae-eun’s. First, take a full shot of Seo Chae-eun’s apartment, just in case.’

The woman nodded and started snapping pictures of the apartment. Who on earth were these people? Why were they recording Seo Chae-eun’s movements?

The man in the driver’s seat muttered the answer.

‘Don’t tell the editor-in-chief yet. That pig will go crazy and tell us to publish the article right away if he finds out about this. For now, it’s just between us. Don’t tell anyone, ever?’

They were entertainment reporters. They belonged to the major media outlet ‘Power Patch,’ and the man in the passenger seat, who was constantly checking the black box footage, tilted his head.

‘But are you sure about this?’

The man in the driver’s seat immediately tapped him on the head.

‘You little punk. Do you underestimate my information network? Think about it, you idiot. Why would she go to a plastic surgery clinic at this hour? And alone, secretly. This is 100% propofol [a sedative drug].’

‘The plastic surgery clinic will deny it.’

‘It’s okay. I checked my channel, and it’s not just Seo Chae-eun who goes there. There are a few more. They’re all habitual, and we have reliable witnesses, so don’t worry. We just need to gather a little more seasoning to add to it.’

In other words, they were going to gather circumstantial evidence. Then, the man in the driver’s seat, who had started the car, continued his explanation.

‘The big one is Seo Chae-eun, and we need to take down the others with her in one go.’

The woman in the back seat asked the next question.

‘When are you planning to release it?’

‘If we gather the others’ stuff too, it’ll probably be next month. Once the bomb goes off and it’s a mess, the investigation and all that will take care of itself. Then Seo Chae-eun and the others will fall straight to hell.’

The man in the driver’s seat, grinning from ear to ear, chuckled.

‘All the ads and projects they’re doing will be gone too.’

At that time, near Samsung Station.

The location was Kang Woo-jin’s officetel [a studio apartment]. It was past midnight when the door to his officetel opened, and Woo-jin, with fatigue written all over his face, entered. As soon as he took off his shoes, he dove straight onto the bed without even taking off his clothes.

‘······I’m dead. I’m just going to sleep until noon tomorrow.’

Woo-jin, who had fallen face down, made a strong resolution. In reality, Kang Woo-jin’s work start time tomorrow was around noon.

Soon, he recalled his schedule for the day. There was a lot, but he couldn’t remember it well. There was a meeting related to a new advertisement, an interview with a popular YouTube channel. He also went to some event, and in the evening, there was filming for social media.

This kind of tight schedule was continuing.

‘If it weren’t for the subspace, I would have died a long time ago.’

Thanks to the rest in the subspace, Woo-jin had somehow managed to survive. Indeed, the life of a celebrity was quite a high level for Kang Woo-jin, who was a commoner at heart. But he was slowly growing, in his own way.

‘Ah.’

Woo-jin, who was about to fall asleep, barely managed to get up. He couldn’t just sleep carelessly like he used to. Washing up was the most basic thing.

‘What was it, first, starting with a face mask—’

He also had to take care of his skin. Thanks to that, Woo-jin let out a long sigh and went to the living room. Then, he noticed the script that was carelessly thrown on the kitchen table.

‘Ah, that.’

It was the second part of Lee Wol-sun’s script for ‘Freezing Romance.’ It was an additional one he had received from the production team.

‘I’ll just list it up for now.’

Kang Woo-jin, who muttered to himself, picked up the script. Or rather, he poked the black rectangle that appeared next to the script. Soon, Kang Woo-jin.

‘Let’s see—’

Entered the pitch-black subspace. Kang Woo-jin immediately arrived at the white rectangles that were lined up. The second part of ‘Freezing Romance’ was successfully registered. Woo-jin nodded slowly.

‘Okay, let’s go out.’

He was about to say the ‘exit’ command to return to reality.

‘Exi······Huh?’

Kang Woo-jin, who had paused, suddenly frowned.

‘Huuuuh?’

Then, Kang Woo-jin stared intently at one of the white rectangles. He had sensed something strange.

‘···Why did it become like this?’

The white rectangle that Kang Woo-jin was looking at was ‘Island of the Missing.’ There was definitely a change from before.

-[3/Scenario (Title: Island of the Missing), Grade D]

The grade of ‘Island of the Missing’ had dropped to D. It was originally A+, but when Woo-jin had come in for a short rest, it was A+ grade until noon. But now it was D grade. Flustered, Woo-jin muttered in disbelief.

‘Crazy, what is it? Why did it suddenly drop all the way to D?’

100% something had happened. But there was no way to know what it was.

‘Ah—damn it, what is it?’

Kang Woo-jin started to think while running his hand through his hair. The first thing that came to mind was director Woo Hyun-gu. He had been branded a criminal, and his work was F grade.

Then, could it be a problem with director Kwon Ki-taek?

‘No, that’s a bit unlikely, isn’t it?’

If there was a problem with director Kwon Ki-taek, ‘Island of the Missing’ should have been graded low a long time ago. But it was definitely fine until this morning. He had openly seen the end of his acquaintance, director Woo Hyun-gu.

Moreover.

‘Looking at that director’s personality, he’s not the type to cause a scandal.’

Then the staff. The staff? How could the work grade drop so drastically because of some problem with the staff? Even if it did, it would only drop by one grade or so. In other words, the staff were also excluded.

‘······Is it the actors, then?’

If the movie’s hands and feet were the investment, the actors were the heart. ‘Island of the Missing’ was full of top actors except for Kang Woo-jin. Woo-jin first thought of Ryu Jung-min, who was relatively close to him.

‘That handsome guy—I don’t think it’s him.’

It was Ryu Jung-min, who had joined after Woo-jin. If it was his problem, the grade would have dropped right then, or the grade of ‘Profiler Hanryang,’ which was still being filmed, would also have dropped. But Hanryang’s grade was still S grade.

This narrowed it down to three.

‘Those top actors who joined recently.’

Jeon Woo-chang, Kim Yi-won, and Seo Chae-eun. Then, Kang Woo-jin muttered definitively.

‘It’s one of the three. Definitely.’

For some reason, Seo Chae-eun’s face kept coming to Woo-jin’s mind. It might be because of the unpleasant first impression at the dinner.

‘I have a feeling it’s—Seo Chae-eun.’

For now, his guess was roughly close to the answer.

End