Chapter 132
“Director, this bastard is calling people and causing a ruckus from the crack of dawn.”
Seol Seung-joon scratched his head with an annoyed expression.
His manager, who had been working with him for nearly a year, responded calmly.
“Maybe he’s suddenly gone senile. He might be bothered because you’re doing so well. You’re the good-natured hyung, so please bear with it.”
As expected of his longest-standing manager, his skill at appeasing Seol Seung-joon was excellent.
“Ugh, fine. I’ll bear with it. I’ll just go listen to some nagging.”
The car carrying Seol Seung-joon entered the agency’s parking lot.
It took him three minutes to reach the CEO’s office.
His bored expression changed in less than thirty seconds after entering the office.
“You bastard! Didn’t I tell you to take care of yourself and not get photographed?”
“……”
“Damn it, I raised you into a great actor, and this is how you repay me? You’re worse than a magpie!”
The CEO’s eyes were blazing as he looked at Seol Seung-joon.
He didn’t even have the mental space to grumble about why the CEO was suddenly acting like this.
Seol Seung-joon could only stare at the photos scattered on the table with a pale face.
“Who, who sent these?”
“I don’t know. It came anonymously by mail this morning.”
“Shouldn’t we put someone on it to find out who sent—.”
“Are you crazy? Why would I willingly feed the paparazzi?!”
The CEO screamed like a madman, throwing things around.
A few minutes later, he collapsed onto the sofa with a tired face.
As his legs went up on the table, many photos fell to the floor.
All the photos were filled with Seol Seung-joon’s face. To be precise, his face intoxicated by something.
Photos of him driving under the influence could somehow be managed.
After all, there were quite a few celebrities who still did well even after being caught drunk driving.
But ‘this photo’ was a fatal blow.
“Hey. This is really bad. You know that, right?”
The CEO’s voice was faint.
Seol Seung-joon blankly stared at the photo of himself receiving something from a drug dealer.
“Were there any demands? Money or anything?”
“There was just a note.”
The CEO, looking troubled, threw a piece of paper.
Focus on your duty. As long as you do that, I won’t have to send the second photo.
Seol Seung-joon’s hands trembled as he held the paper.
“It would have been better if they demanded money, damn it.”
“Damn it. Hyung, this—.”
“For now, be careful. Don’t do anything that might offend someone.”
“No—.”
“You have a drama you’re shooting, right? Once it’s over, take some time off.”
“Hyung. Damn it! Listen to me!”
“Why are you shouting, you bastard?”
When Seol Seung-joon yelled with a face full of frustration, the CEO flinched.
Finally, the office quieted down, and Seol Seung-joon’s scared voice echoed.
“This… this handwriting looks just like mine.”
“Ha. We’ve got a real crazy person on our hands. Have you made any enemies recently?”
“I don’t know, damn it….”
There were too many suspects to narrow down based on that.
Watching Seol Seung-joon clutch his head, the CEO spoke calmly.
“Seung-joon. Just follow what’s written on the paper for now.”
“What…”
“Focus on your duty, it says. What’s your duty? Acting.”
Seol Seung-joon stared blankly at the paper.
“I heard you’ve been showing up to shoots drunk lately. Constantly missing shoots and hitting rookie actors. I’m not deaf. I’ve been covering for you because I can.”
“……”
“The person who sent this must be someone around you. Finish the drama smoothly first. Got it?”
Unable to hold back any longer, the CEO lit a cigarette.
The cigarette smoke filled the office, mixing with Seol Seung-joon’s deep sigh.
* * *
‘Who is it? I’ll get you.’
Seol Seung-joon looked around the set with bloodshot eyes.
It had been a week since he received the threatening letter.
He felt the staff sneaking glances at him, surprised to see him outside the waiting room, which was unusual.
He wanted to yell, “What are you looking at?” but gritted his teeth and held back.
At that moment, a soft voice flowed beside him.
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
It was Lee Yeon-jae. What a nuisance.
“Yeah.”
He didn’t even have the luxury to manage his image right now. Not that he did it well before either.
The main writer had visited Seol Seung-joon’s house three days ago, begging him to film with Lee Yeon-jae just once, which made him even more displeased.
‘Who does he think he is, damn it.’
The writer emphasized that it would be the highlight of the first episode, which annoyed him.
He could say anything with the lead actor in front of him.
But because he had just received the blackmail photos, he reluctantly agreed.
‘Could the person who threatened me be related to him?’
He had been busy for a week trying to figure out who sent the photos. He should have bullied a few people in the meantime.
But thinking about the timing, the photos came the day after he asked for Lee Yeon-jae to be replaced.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
When he called out in frustration, a clear face turned to him.
Seeing the innocent face without any impurities, he decided not to say anything more.
“Ha, forget it.”
“……”
Lee Yeon-jae quietly closed his mouth.
‘At least he doesn’t talk much.’
Because of the blackmail photos, Seol Seung-joon immersed himself in acting silently until all the filming was over.
The staff looked at him as if he had taken some kind of drug.
But as if not wanting to miss the opportunity, they hurriedly moved the equipment.
It was on the third day that Lee Yeon-jae came to the set that a scene finally ended.
“Yeon-jae, you worked hard…!”
“Great job. Will you come out again if we call you next time?”
“Could you sign this for me?”
Sung Lee-jun, the main PD, and other staff rushed to Lee Yeon-jae.
Seol Seung-joon saw them making eye contact and having friendly conversations one by one.
It irritated him.
That’s why Seol Seung-joon approached Lee Yeon-jae.
“You’re a polite junior. Can I get your number?”
“…Sure, sunbae-nim.”
Lee Yeon-jae smiled brightly and handed over his phone with neat hands.
Without hesitation, Seol Seung-joon entered his phone number, making the staff and Sung Lee-jun look uneasy.
“Make some time when I call you next.”
“Yes, sunbae-nim.”
Lee Yeon-jae smiled brightly.
Seeing those clear eyes made Seol Seung-joon feel nauseous.
‘I need to see that face crumble.’
Only then did he feel like this dirty feeling would go away.
‘It’s not a problem to meet a close junior privately, right?’
He had already immersed himself in acting enough. This should count as focusing on his duty.
‘I’ll be careful not to get photographed this time.’
Thinking of a place unknown to the public, Seol Seung-joon smiled sinisterly.
* * *
[Seol Seung-joon sunbae-nim: Come to this address by 7 PM today. I’ll buy you something delicious.]
[Seol Seung-joon sunbae-nim: Take a taxi when you come. Don’t bring your manager^^]
Staring at the message, I checked the time.
‘It’s 4 PM now.’
Three hours notice, not very polite.
I searched the address Seol Seung-joon sent.
It looked like a regular house with no specific information, so I opened the street view.
As soon as I saw the screen, words slipped out before I could stop them.
“He’s something else.”
The red building on my phone screen was familiar from my memory of several encounters with it.
I naturally remembered what he did there.
Pressing my furrowed brow with my hand, I swallowed a sigh.
‘He surely knows I’m a minor.’
Why would he invite me to this place?
What kind of thinking leads to such reckless behavior?
It had only been a week since I sent the photos obtained through Mist to Seol Seung-joon’s agency. A week!
‘I thought he’d be more cautious.’
They say there’s no cure for stupidity, and in a way, it was almost admirable.
‘He must have fans too.’
Does he ever think about his fans? The shock they’d get seeing these photos?
It was my first time threatening someone, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it, but now I felt I had been too soft.
‘It doesn’t make sense to me.’
I sighed deeply.
If it doesn’t make sense, the answer is simple. Give up trying to understand.
“What should I do about this?”
For now, I had finished my filming for ‘Dog’s Leash’.
That said, I couldn’t just block his number without responding.
As long as I continued acting, I’d inevitably run into Seol Seung-joon again.
‘I need to prevent myself from entering that building.’
In case photos were taken, it would be troublesome.
If Seol Seung-joon’s actions got exposed,
any association with him would do me no good.
The problem was, I had to refuse an invitation from a senior with 26 years of experience.
‘What’s a good excuse?’
Using a schedule excuse could easily be caught.
If I said I had a prior engagement, he might ask who I was meeting that was so important.
Turning openly hostile with Seol Seung-joon was premature.
Who around me had enough clout and credibility to make Seol Seung-joon accept a refusal?
As soon as I thought of someone, I made a call.
—Hello.
“Hi, this is Lee Yeon-jae. Do you have time now?”
* * *
[Seol Seung-joon sunbae-nim: I forgot you’re working with Director Yoon Kang-yeon^^ Got it~. Talk to you later^^]
I sighed deeply as soon as I got a text right after arriving at Director Yoon’s studio.
‘At least that’s one thing off my mind.’
But it was only temporary. Refusing a second time would be harder.
I needed to figure out a proper solution before then.
As I racked my brain on how to deal with this troublemaker, Director Yoon placed an orange juice in front of me.
“You said you wanted to come to the studio suddenly, but you’re just using your phone?”
“Ah, sorry. I got a message from Seol Seung-joon sunbae-nim.”
“Seol Seung-joon?”
Director Yoon frowned.
“Don’t get involved with him if you can help it. From what I’ve heard, he’s quite a mess.”
I honestly wanted to do just that. Someone please tell me how.
It wasn’t something I could easily share with anyone, making me feel cornered.
And the continuous vibration of my phone added to my frustration.
[Seol Seung-joon sunbae-nim: It’ll only take about three hours to finish talking, right? Come over as soon as you’re done~ I’ll be waiting.]
[Seol Seung-joon sunbae-nim: We’re planning to hang out till dawn anyway. Don’t feel pressured.^^]
“Haa.”
I sighed deeply as soon as I saw the text.
What should I do with this guy?
“Why is a young person sighing so much? What’s going on?”
“What do you think?”
“Why? What happened?”
I looked up. Director Yoon looked at me with a curious face like a child discovering something interesting.
‘Come to think of it….’
My mind started to work quickly.
As I hesitated, he urged me impatiently.
“Why? Is it something interesting? Let me in on it.”
“Are you that curious?”
“Yeah. What is it?”
“You’d better not know.”
I finished my words with a meaningful smile.
Then Director Yoon, as if more desperate, clung to me.
“If you’re that curious, I can tell you. But know that it might bother you.”
“……”
Director Yoon hesitated for a moment.
But only for a moment, as he sprang up like a curious child who couldn’t resist.
“Okay. Ready. Tell me.”
I grinned widely at his answer.
Found it.
My pawn.