A Genius Actor Appears Out of Nowhere - chapter 7

“Hyung! Your acting today was seriously no joke! If I film a few monologues later and send them over, could you give me some feedback?”

“Sure. I’ll take a look when I have time and give you some feedback.”

“If you ever need feedback on monologue acting too, Hyung, just say the word. Ah, but someone like you probably doesn’t need stuff like that.”

“I’ll send you some later too if I ever do a monologue.”

“I’m really so happy to meet someone like you, Hyung. To have a Hyung with so much to learn from…”

The second day of filming for Cutting Edge (尖端) ended. And around the time the shoot wrapped up, Choi Yeong-sik was sticking right by Bong Seong-hwa, calling him ‘Hyung, Hyung’.

Clearly, up until the first take, Choi Yeong-sik’s purpose had been to break his spirit by overwhelming him with acting. Yet the moment the first cut finished, he immediately flipped his stance—considering him a remarkable person he needed to cling to.

It wasn’t just Choi Yeong-sik’s attitude that had changed, either.

The second day of filming included a great deal of Park Hyeong-won’s emotional acting:

Going from rage to laughter, And from tears back to rage.

Bong Seong-hwa had pulled off that emotional rollercoaster without a single mistake.

There was no one who could look at such an actor without respect—at least not among these film students.

“Actor Bong. Could I perhaps get your phone number?”

“Ah, yes. That’s no problem. But why do you want it?”

“I was wondering if maybe… juuust maybe you could star in my project later.”

“If the project is good, there’s no issue.”

“I’ll prepare it really well!”

Second- and third-year students participating as staff members scrambled to get Bong Seong-hwa’s number.

It was not easy to cast an actor with this level of acting skill in a student film. They had to get as close to him as possible while the connection lasted.

However, Park Sang-hyun was not one to just watch his juniors hitting on his actor.

“What do you think you’re doing when Actor Bong needs to maintain his condition?”

“Ah.”

“We’re sorry.”

“Hurry up and shrink back to your spots.”

While he was as cold as a cutting winter wind toward his juniors, he became as cozy as springtime sunshine toward Bong Seong-hwa.

“Actor Bong! Could I perhaps drive you home?”

“Ah, I came in my own car, so it’s fine.”

“Should I at least drive for you?”

“I’m alright.”

“Haha, understood. For now, you’ve roughly familiarized yourself with tomorrow’s shooting details, right?”

“Yes. The director of photography came over and explained them to me.”

“Here, this is a book script combining the daily shoot schedule, storyboard, and script. The script is the pre-revision version, so you only need to refer to the storyboard and daily schedule.”

Bong Seong-hwa received the bound book script handed to him by Park Sang-hyun.

“For the remaining week of shooting, please treat me well.”

“Not at all. I should be the one asking you to treat me well.”

“Let’s see each other for a long time. A really long time. I’ll make ceaseless efforts.”

Park Sang-hyun had already deeply accepted Bong Seong-hwa in his heart—as a persona he would definitely feature in all his future works. However, he intuitively sensed that he would have to work harder himself if he wanted to use Bong Seong-hwa as his persona. It seemed like Bong Seong-hwa achieving great success as an actor would be faster than him succeeding as a film director.

‘Still, I can’t just hand over a person who acts like a monster to someone else.’

To do that, he had to climb higher. And with Bong Seong-hwa, that didn’t seem entirely impossible.

Afterward, the set transitioned into an atmosphere where people cleared out one by one.

The camera director packed up high-priced camera equipment and departed first. The lighting director quickly moved after dismantling the heavy lighting equipment.

With the large equipment departing first, small cleanups were finished in no time.

Bong Seong-hwa squeezed in among those staff members and helped clean up the set until the very end.

Although Park Sang-hyun repeatedly tried to stop him, he didn’t pretend to hear and merely helped out with the work.

“…I’ve become a fan, Actor Bong.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said I’ve become a fan. It’s truly an honor to work with you.”

In the middle of it, he even ended up hearing a confession of fandom from Assistant Director Lee Yu-jun of the Cutting Edge team.

Just as the cleanup was roughly finishing and everyone was about to leave for the day—

Screeeech—!

Suddenly, a luxury foreign car intruded onto the set. Right behind it, a van used by celebrities also entered in a rush.

“Huh?”

“What’s that?”

“Uh, uh?”

Everyone wore dazed expressions at the two vehicles that had abruptly barged in. However, among them, there was no one who did not know who the owner of these vehicles was.

“That’s…”

“Isn’t that Woo-joo Senior’s vehicle?”

“Isn’t the car behind it the agency corporate car?”

Kang Woo-joo. The moment the name of that actor who had been arrested over drug use was heard—

Flap—

The door of the luxury foreign car burst open, and a man popped out.

“What is this? What!? You really filmed? You really just shot without me?”

A man with his face covered by a mask and a hat pulled deep over his head.

Although the only visible part of his face was his eyes, everyone could tell who it was.

“Gasp. It’s Woo-joo.”

“It’s Woo-joo Senior.”

“It’s Kang Woo-joo.”

The original actor for the lead role Bong Seong-hwa had taken over. It was Kang Woo-joo.

Whether he couldn’t believe that filming had actually taken place without him, he was looking around wildly. The manager who got out of the van hurriedly caught up and tried to stop Kang Woo-joo, but he was unstoppable.

“Woo-joo-ya. Just a second, first get in the car—”

“Shut up! Get your hands off my body!”

“Hey. Kang Woo-joo. You punk, is that any way to speak to your Hyung—”

“Hyung? Bullshit, you fucker making barely 3 million won a month. I can earn your salary in 5 minutes! Just because you and I hang out together, do you think we’re in the same tier?!”

“You punk! Kang Woo-joo!”

Seeing his bloodshot eyes, it seemed he hadn’t slept a wink over the past two days or so.

It seemed his emotions were out of control because of that. Or perhaps it was simply withdrawal symptoms from stopping the drugs.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t a good state.

After flailing around the set for a long time, Kang Woo-joo charged at Park Sang-hyun.

“Hey! Park Sang-hyuuun!”

“Look at this guy. Does this punk think that just because we’re in the same 4th year, our class years have become the same too? Aren’t you going to attach ‘Senior’? A punk who hasn’t even been to the military is trying to act like an equal?”

“Fucking replacing an actor just because I missed two days on set? If you work like this, you’ll be buried right out of this industry! You know that?!”

“Bailing on filming over drugs is what gets you buried even more, you drug addict punk.”

“What? You son of a bitch!”

“Oh dear, please. Please!”

Park Sang-hyun easily subdued Kang Woo-joo, who raised his fist first while throwing a fit.

It was the weight class difference between someone who was honorably discharged as an Army Sergeant and someone exempted for unidentified reasons.

“You’re only able to do a work with me because I attend the same school! Do you think you’d even get to hear me call you ‘Director’ if you went out into the field?!”

“I have no intention of hearing you call me ‘Director’ anyway. Do you think I’d cast you again after seeing a spectacle like this?!”

“Didn’t you say before that my acting was good?! That it was the best?!”

“I meant it was good within Donghan University! Honestly, it’s a bit trashy. And I never said it was the best.”

“Trashy? It’s trashy?! Hey, you son of a bitch!”

“Oh dear.”

“Aaargh! Stop twisting my arm!”

Even amidst this chaotic mess, Bong Seong-hwa was silently preparing to leave for the day. Because he was putting his book script into his bag while saying goodbye to other staff members.

“You, you guys. It’s you! The fucker who took my place!”

“You punk, aren’t you going to filter your words to our Actor Bong?!”

“Gwaaak! Stop twisting my arm! I’m suing you?!”

Park Sang-hyun hastily released Kang Woo-joo at the mention of a lawsuit. It was because a realistic judgment told him that if Kang Woo-joo said he would sue, he might actually sue.

Having gained his freedom, Kang Woo-joo went straight toward Bong Seong-hwa. Of course, Park Sang-hyun immediately blocked his path.

“I’m really suing. Move.”

“Can you sue someone for blocking the way?”

“Aagh! Please!”

Bong Seong-hwa merely stared blankly at such a Kang Woo-joo.

‘He’s still too young and thriving for dementia to set in.’

The aggressive tendencies of elderly people with dementia were gentler than that.

‘The side effects of the drugs must be severe.’

No matter how eccentric a person usually was, it was difficult to rage without rhyme or reason to that extent. Such an unreasonable level of emotion had to be a side effect caused by artificial external influences.

“It seems you urgently need addiction treatment.”

Those were Bong Seong-hwa’s first words toward Kang Woo-joo.

“What? Are you done talking right now?”

“I know because I worked at a nursing home before. Don’t forget that you have to live for another 60, maybe 70 years with that body you used recklessly in your youth.”

“Are you provoking me?”

“It’s a concern from the bottom of my heart.”

He was a young, talented person. Although he didn’t know what had ruined him like that, Bong Seong-hwa hoped he would live well, if possible.

“You think you can survive in this industry acting like this?! Fuck, every single person one step away is someone I know! All those directors and actors you guys like are people I followed around calling Uncle, Uncle!”

In fact, Kang Woo-joo was an actor who had already made his mark as a next-generation Hallyu star. He had received the affection of many people due to his natural acting talent since his child actor days, and with a wonderful face that grew without turning bad, everyone felt that a star had been born.

Afterward, the first romantic-comedy drama he filmed as an adult achieved decent results, putting him on the verge of taking a leap forward as a next-generation S-grade actor.

If it hadn’t been for this drug incident, that was.

“How far would those great directors and actors listen to an actor who fell into the abyss after doing drugs?”

“Shut up, Park Sang-hyun!”

“Take a good rest for a few years and only then hang around. But seeing how you’re causing a scene already, taking a quiet rest for a few years is out of the question.”

“I told you to shut up!”

Because he was screaming at the top of his lungs, the gazes of passersby were now gathering on them. Kang Woo-joo pulled his mask up higher and glared at Park Sang-hyun and Bong Seong-hwa.

“Ruining a trashy short film like this is nothing to me. Montage? Fuck, don’t make me laugh. I’ll mess it all up so you can’t even submit—”

The moment he spat out those cursed words regarding Cutting Edge—

—Hey, you puuunk!

Out of nowhere, an unfamiliar voice echoed across the set. And through a phone’s speakerphone, no less.

People’s gazes turned toward the place where that unfamiliar call audio flowed out.

There stood Kang Woo-joo’s manager, holding a Bluetooth speaker connected to his phone. As if a situation like this hadn’t happened just once or twice.

—Deputy Jeong! Change this to a video call! Quickly!

“Yes, CEO.”

—Uh, uh, now I see him. Hey! Kang Woo-joo! What do you think you’re doing right now!

“…Aunt.”

—Aunt, my foot! A punk who just came out of a holding cell comes to the set and throws a tantrum right now? Did you forget you promised the police you’d reflect on yourself until the verdict instead of going to detention? Did you go crazy because you really want to go to jail?!

“…”

—Get a grip and crawl back into the house, please! How many times do I have to tell you the trial isn’t over yet?!

On the screen of the manager called Deputy Jeong’s phone, a face familiar to aspiring actors appeared. It was CEO Cha Yun-jin of Cha Entertainment.

Perhaps whenever Kang Woo-joo’s tantrums couldn’t be controlled, Deputy Jeong had used this method.

Kang Woo-joo froze completely like a toad in front of a snake, unable to do a thing. Even though CEO Cha hadn’t come to the set in person, but was merely connected through a video call.

—Deputy Jeong. Put Woo-joo in the car. Quickly.

“Yes.”

—Put him in the company car, not his own. As for Woo-joo’s car, I’ll send someone to collect it later.

“Understood.”

After the call was connected, Kang Woo-joo became a person who listened very well. He obediently got into the manager’s van. Extremely politely.

Afterward, he even handed over the keys to the vehicle he had driven to the manager.

The chaotic set was quickly cleaned up.

Just when everyone thought it was wrapped up—

Deputy Jeong, who had loaded Kang Woo-joo into the van, returned to the set again.

“First, I offer a deep apology to the directors and staff members. I am truly sorry.”

Deputy Jeong bowed his head deeply in greeting, and CEO Cha Yun-jin inside the screen bowed her head deeply as well.

At the simultaneous 2D and 3D apology received for the first time in their lives, everyone wore bewildered expressions.

‘The entertainment industry is… truly a bizarre place.’

To the point where someone among the staff members genuinely had such a thought. It was a stormy ten minutes or so.

Just when they thought he was really going to leave—

Deputy Jeong walked with heavy steps toward a different destination.

“Hello, Actor Bong Seong-hwa. Pardon me, but our CEO wants to have a brief conversation with you. Would that be alright?”

“With me?”

—Yes. Actor Bong. I would really like to have a conversation with Actor Bong. Ah, right, my introduction is late. I am CEO Cha Yun-jin of Cha Entertainment. Nice to meet you.

A gentle voice, 180 degrees different from the voice that had subdued Kang Woo-joo, flowed out.

They said the CEO of an actor agency makes every effort to recruit and support actors under any circumstances. Everyone’s jaws dropped at that thorough professional spirit.

However, Cha Yun-jin’s following words were somewhat different from what they had expected.

—The car Woo-joo drove here. It’s worth about 150 million won brand new. Would you like to have it?

“…?”

“…Uh?”

“…S-Suddenly giving a car…?”

It was a statement different from ordinary people’s way of conversing. However, her counterpart was no ordinary person either.

“No.”

After cutting her off firmly, Bong Seong-hwa even finished his farewells and turned away.