I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 98

Im Sang-moon, glued to his seat, clicked his mouse like a madman. The frantic movements of his hands alone were enough to show how desperate he was.

-Click! Click! Click!

He moved the mouse incessantly. His face was still dark, but his eyes and expression were full of irritation and anxiety.

“This is a mess! Seriously, where did it leak from?”

He grumbled, but his hands didn’t stop. He didn’t have time for that. His original plan was to drop the story sometime in July, so he hadn’t even drafted a proper article yet. The collected evidence photos were also just roughly categorized and all over the place.

“Damn it—just the core, the core.”

Im Sang-moon sifted through hundreds of photos. A huge scoop, an exclusive article. He had to select the most sensational photos to match it. Even so, Im Sang-moon kept grumbling. No, he was cursing up a storm.

“This isn’t something I should be releasing in such a rush, damn it.”

It was like he was doing a fancy interior design and then just throwing things together at the last minute. It was a shame, a maddening shame for Im Sang-moon. Of course, even if it broke now, the country would be turned upside down, but the more seeds he had sown, such as the works Seo Chae-eun had participated in, the greater the impact would be.

‘There was a rumor that she met with Director Kwon Ki-taek, if that was true, this would be a truly epic scoop! Ugh!’

The timing wasn’t ripe yet. But that timing was only relevant when Im Sang-moon was the only one who knew, and if it had reached the editor-in-chief and even Choi Sung-geon’s ears, then the cloth was already getting wet [meaning the situation was becoming public]. Whether it was a scoop or not, if it was too bland or too soggy, it wouldn’t even catch fire.

-Click! Click!

If a tabloid or something were to drop the Seo Chae-eun story first, everything he had spent time doing, following her, would be for nothing. Therefore, Im Sang-moon.

“Damn it—I don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t know.”

He decided to stop overthinking. He would just focus on getting the article out in the shortest time possible. Select the materials, write the article.

‘Even if I postpone the revisions.’

It would take at least three hours. Im Sang-moon checked the time. It was past late lunch. It was past 1:40 PM. That meant the time attack was at 4 PM. Thanks to that, his clicking became even faster.

“Hey, hurry up, you bastard. Faster! Huh? I can see your fingers moving.”

The editor-in-chief, with his wide face, had come over and was now adding to the pressure. Im Sang-moon was already in a hurry, and being poked from the side made his irritation explode.

“Ah! Get away from me! Just stay still! I can’t concentrate!!”

Im Sang-moon, having burst out in anger, quickly moved his fingers again. They say to go slow when you’re in a hurry, but Im Sang-moon’s vision was very narrow right now.

Unaware that it was intentional prodding.

“Okay, the title! How’s this title?!”

“Yeah, yeah, good, good. Just do it quickly!”

He started pounding on the keyboard as if he would break it.

Meanwhile, in the Yeonnam-dong area.

A living room in a spacious apartment that was obviously large. The interior, mostly in black tones, stood out. The furniture also all looked luxurious. Most of all, a large poster hung on the wall in the center of the living room.

A photo shoot of Ha Yu-ra holding cosmetics.

The reason was simple. This was the home of top actress Ha Yu-ra. At that moment, a woman wearing blue pajamas came out of the bathroom. Her slightly wavy long hair was held back with a hairband, and she had a white face mask on. It was, of course, Ha Yu-ra.

“Ah—I drank too much yesterday. My skin is all messed up.”

She whined and sat down on the plush sofa. Then, she immediately picked up a stack of papers on the table. It was the ‘Island of the Lost’ script she had received from Director Kwon Ki-taek a few days ago, and she had already read more than half of it.

-Flip.

Ha Yu-ra crossed her legs and focused on reading the script. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. Then she paused. Ha Yu-ra, who was turning the page, let out a long sigh.

“Ha—it’s a shame. It’s annoyingly a shame. It’s too well-written?”

The more she read, the more her desire grew. It wasn’t just that the work was interesting, but the scale was also quite large, and each of the characters felt alive.

‘I can’t let Seo Chae-eun take this from me. Ha, I should have come in a little earlier. This is a movie worth fighting for, even with my acting.’

Ha Yu-ra didn’t like Seo Chae-eun, but she acknowledged her acting skills. Still, she thought that if she had gritted her teeth and pushed, the situation might have been different. But it was already too late.

Anyway.

-Flip.

Ha Yu-ra, biting her lip in disappointment, turned the page again, and stopped again when she saw one of the characters.

“This role—is being played by that rookie, Kang Woo-jin.”

She was reminded of the rookie Kang Woo-jin, who had recently turned the country upside down. The role he was going to play was clearly not an easy one.

“Just by looking at it, you’d need months of character analysis. How is he going to pull this off?”

Suddenly, Ha Yu-ra recalled the words Director Kwon Ki-taek had said to her. That he was a method actor like her, that he was wild, that his acting was overwhelming even though he seemed laid-back, and so on.

“No way. This role won’t come out well if you do it half-heartedly. I bet he’s working his ass off right now.”

At that moment.

-Vroom, vroom.

Ha Yu-ra’s phone, with several cubic zirconia embedded in its case, rang on the table. Thanks to that, she picked up the phone while keeping her eyes on the script. The caller was her agency’s CEO.

“Yes, CEO.”

A slightly husky female voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

“Yu-ra, are you having fun?”

“Having fun? Can you call it a break?”

“Whatever. About meeting Director Kwon Ki-taek.”

“It went well. I also received the script.”

“Really? Do you think you can get a role? Well, timing-wise, I don’t have high expectations.”

“That’s right. The casting is almost complete. More than that, CEO, Kang Woo-jin, right? The rookie. If he’s in the same agency as Hong Hye-yeon, then it’s CEO Choi’s BW Entertainment, right?”

“That’s right. Ah—right? You worked with CEO Choi for about a year when you were young, right?”

“Yes.”

Ha Yu-ra, who had changed the direction of her crossed legs, asked back.

“How is Kang Woo-jin doing in the market?”

“You just came back to Korea, so you might not know the details, but he’s hot these days. Not just hot, but like a nuclear bomb. Did you see the articles? Star writers, Director Kwon Ki-taek, PD Yoon Byung-sun [PD is a common abbreviation for a TV or film producer]. I don’t know where he suddenly came from?”

“But with that kind of form, there must have been some buzz about him before his debut.”

“That’s what’s strange to me, he just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Maybe CEO Choi was secretly raising him. That guy’s radar is amazing.”

“He’s a method actor like me.”

“Really? Did Director Kwon Ki-taek say that? Well, looking at Kang Woo-jin’s acting, he does have that vibe. His expressions and eyes.”

“What does it mean to have rolled around in the wild? In the end, acting is something that needs to be refined through education.”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Ha Yu-ra, shaking her head slightly, quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, and I’m thinking of doing a cameo.”

“‘Island of the Lost’? Oh—that’s good? You were planning to take a break for about half a year anyway.”

“There’s a barb in your words.”

“Not at all? Either way, joining Director Kwon Ki-taek’s set for even a few days is a huge deal. And you can see that rookie too.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Ha Yu-ra murmured to herself.

“I don’t know what ‘wild’ is, but my fighting spirit is rising a bit.”

Early afternoon on the same day. A salon in Cheongdam-dong.

It was past 3:30 PM. Because of the time, the large salon was packed. Regular customers were on the first floor, and celebrities were mainly seen on the second and third floors. Therefore, there were two entrances. Hong Hye-yeon was sitting in the center of the third floor of such a salon.

“Hmm—”

She was looking down at her phone with her legs crossed. She had long straight hair, and whatever she had put on it, a beauty device was warming her hair. She also had full makeup on. It seemed like she had finished her morning schedule and was getting a touch-up for her afternoon one.

She occasionally greeted celebrities she knew.

“Looks like the fan signing went well.”

She was reading an article about Kang Woo-jin’s fan signing that had taken place a few days ago. It was then.

“What is it.”

A female voice intruded from Hong Hye-yeon’s right. It was a slightly aggressive tone.

“Hong Hye-yeon, you come here too?”

Thanks to that, Hong Hye-yeon turned her gaze away from her phone. Her expression immediately hardened. Why? Because the one who spoke was Seo Chae-eun, with her short hair. Seeing that she was wearing a hat, it seemed like Seo Chae-eun was starting her schedule now, and Hong Hye-yeon let out a long sigh as if she had stepped in dog poop.

“Ha—I was in a good mood, but it’s gone now.”

“What are you talking about? I feel worse. Why do you come here?”

“That’s a weird question. I’ve been coming here from the start?”

“Tsk, I just changed to this place, I should change again.”

“Please do.”

Of the two who were bickering, Seo Chae-eun took off her hat and sat next to Hong Hye-yeon. Then, with a contrary attitude, she replied.

“No, why should I change? If it bothers you, you move. I’m going to keep coming here. It’s nice, it’s bigger than the place I used to go to.”

“Whatever.”

No matter how you looked at it, the two didn’t seem to be on good terms, and Seo Chae-eun glanced at Hong Hye-yeon’s face and bit her lower lip.

‘Why does her skin seem to get better every time I see her? Does she get more intense treatments than me? Which hospital does she go to?’

Seo Chae-eun, who was internally inflating with jealousy, took out her phone, just like Hong Hye-yeon.

“But what are you doing now? I heard the ‘Hanryang’ filming is over, but there’s no news about your next project?”

“You’re so nosy.”

“Ha, that’s ridiculous. No—I was just wondering if you got pushed out by that Kang Woo-jin guy from your company? Why? Can’t you compete within the company? If it were before, directors and producers would have rushed to you after your project ended.”

“They are rushing to me.”

“But it’s too quiet, isn’t it? I’m preparing for Director Kwon Ki-taek’s project now.”

At that moment, Hong Hye-yeon’s hand paused.

“…You’re doing Director Kwon Ki-taek’s project?”

“Yeah.”

Seo Chae-eun, who was smiling smugly, suddenly slapped her own mouth.

“Oops. Right, I shouldn’t have said that yet. Sorry, can you keep it a secret?”

Her smile was becoming more and more like a victor’s. On the other hand, Hong Hye-yeon’s brow furrowed slightly. It was quite shocking news. So, she and Kang Woo-jin were filming the same movie? However, Hong Hye-yeon had always shown a composed appearance in front of Seo Chae-eun, so she had to be calm.

“Okay, I’ll keep it a secret. I’m busy because of ‘Hanryang,’ which got a 25% viewership rating. Ah—oops. Sorry, you wouldn’t know that feeling. What was your last drama’s rating? 5%? Was it 4?”

Seo Chae-eun twitched.

“It was 5.9%??”

“That’s the same thing. It’s still a single digit.”

“Ha—unbelievable. Anyway, those BW Entertainment people. Hey, while we’re at it, teach that Kang Woo-jin some manners. He’s been acting too cocky lately because he’s popular. I thought he learned to talk back from somewhere? He answers back every single thing. He thinks he’s some kind of superstar.”

This time, Hong Hye-yeon flinched.

“You should mind your own business. Compared to your rudeness, Woo-jin is nice?”

“Woo-jin, my ass. What? Is there something between you two?”

“What could there be? You should get rid of the Botox on your face.”

“…Really? Okay. Then I’ll teach Kang Woo-jin some manners myself. Slowly—throughout the movie filming.”

Hong Hye-yeon laughed dismissively at Seo Chae-eun, who was sneering. She didn’t know Kang Woo-jin at all.

“You teach Woo-jin? Yeah, go ahead and try. It’ll be like throwing an egg at a rock. Why don’t you focus on your acting?”

“I don’t need to?”

“You should be careful. If you keep acting like that, you’ll fall into the abyss in one go.”

“Who are you to talk about falling into the abyss? I’m going to be an actress for the rest of my life—”

Right at that moment.

“Hey, hey!! Seo Chae-eun!!!”

A commotion was heard from the entrance on the second floor, along with a scream. A man with a smart impression came running in a hurry. It was Seo Chae-eun’s manager team leader. But his face and demeanor were overly eccentric. What was interesting was.

“You bitch, what is this!!”

Behind him, Seo Chae-eun’s manager team followed in a rush. Soon, Seo Chae-eun got up from her seat as if to ask what the fuss was about.

“Ah, my ears hurt. What is it, oppa [a term used by women to address an older brother or male friend], Why are you making such a fuss?”

The manager team leader grabbed Seo Chae-eun’s arm, panting.

“Ah! It hurts!”

“Shut up. Look at this. What is this!!”

Then, the team leader handed his phone to Seo Chae-eun. Thanks to that, Seo Chae-eun, who had a crumpled face, checked the phone screen.

“It hurts. Let go and talk… huh?”

What was displayed on the screen was an article. Seo Chae-eun’s expression changed in an instant. The irritation disappeared, and a deep bewilderment settled in. Of course, it was because of the article she had just seen.

『[Exclusive] ‘Habitual Propofol Use,’ Seo Chae-eun’s Addicted Diary Hidden Behind the Mask of a Top Actress/Photos』Power Patch – Reporter Im Sang-moon

What was this? Seo Chae-eun couldn’t say anything even while looking at the article. Her mind had stopped. On the other hand, the manager team leader grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.

“Don’t keep your mouth shut!! What is it, this!! Get a grip. Answer me. Is this real? Huh? Hey, Seo Chae-eun!!”

But Seo Chae-eun was just losing her mind.

“…Ah—no. This isn’t me. Huh? No, uh?”

It was fair to say she was going crazy. Her hands holding the phone were trembling slightly. Around this time, Hong Hye-yeon, who had noticed the strange atmosphere, moved closer to Seo Chae-eun. Then, she checked the phone screen with Seo Chae-eun.

Hong Hye-yeon snorted and laughed at the rather bizarre article content.

-Swish.

She called out to Seo Chae-eun, whose trembling had spread throughout her body.

“Hey, Seo Chae-eun.”

“……”

Hong Hye-yeon whispered softly in her ear.

“See, I told you you’d fall into the abyss. Looks like it’s today?”

Several tens of minutes later, in the CEO’s office at BW Entertainment.

Choi Sung-geon, who had been busy with his schedule today, didn’t stick to Kang Woo-jin and stayed at the company. If there was any reaction, he had to act immediately. Therefore, Choi Sung-geon, sitting by the window, had been.

-Click, click.

He was monitoring while exchanging various messages related to the bait he had spread. And about 30 minutes ago.

“It was ‘Power Patch’ after all.”

The conclusion had been reached. It was ‘Power Patch’ that had picked up the breadcrumbs he had scattered.

“Habitual propofol use—I don’t know if I should say it’s familiar or unexpected.”

It was by no means a small matter. Of course, ‘Power Patch’ would have a second and third hit prepared. The same went for evidence and witnesses. With this size, Seo Chae-eun would be sufficiently annihilated.

“If this happens, she’ll definitely be investigated, and if other drugs come out of it… Seo Chae-eun’s acting career is over.”

At the same time.

-♬♪

Choi Sung-geon’s phone on the desk rang. Looking at the caller, it was Director Kwon Ki-taek. It was a call that Choi Sung-geon had also been waiting for. He didn’t need to do it himself. The position had changed now.

Anyway.

“Yes, Director.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek’s gentle yet serious voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

“I saw the article. I was surprised, this kind of thing—this is CEO Choi’s work, right?”

Choi Sung-geon shook his head slightly.

“No. If you think about it, it’s Woo-jin’s work.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before asking back.

“…Woo-jin’s work?”