Payback - Chapter 8

After a sudden change in the atmosphere, the two started looking for all kinds of restaurants with the momentum to eat all the food on the planet. After 20 minutes of just finding a restaurant, I quietly left the room and went into the empty room next door. The third floor was packed with small rooms like conference rooms, and it seemed like a room that could be used by celebrities and managers at any time for meetings.

I stood against the wall next to the slightly open door, staring blankly at the empty room. I wasn’t thinking about anything much. I was just waiting for the two to go out when they finished searching the restaurant, and find me. The door was half open, so I could tell right away when the manager or Hansoo came out of the next room. However, instead of seeing the two people I was waiting for, I heard someone else’s voice.

“What is this? Why are you two here?”

Following Myeongshin’s bright voice, Hansoo’s voice rang out.

“It’s my right to be here. What does it matter to hyung?”

I turned my head to look out the door. Myeongshin was standing with his back half turned to me, coldly spitting each word at Hansoo who was standing opposite.

“You haven’t been fired yet? You can’t even stand in front of the camera because of your phobia like a dumbass, but you’ve managed to stick around for quite some time?”

The manager came out to stop Hansoo, was ticked off by that statement and frowned.

“Yoohan, what kind of words are those? Hansoo is…”

“The same goes for you. Now that you’re out of my league, I don’t know why you’re still clinging onto this company when there’s no celebrity to be in charge of anymore. I have the worst luck.”

Hansoo’s face turned red as if offended by Myeongshin’s outburst.

“We’re the ones who are unlucky! Ah, do you think the manager doesn’t have any celebrity to take care of when hyung isn’t here? Our manager-nim discovered a new person today and he’s already passed the interview and got a contract! What’s wrong with you!”

I was quietly listening to what he was saying, but I couldn’t listen to Hansoo’s next words so calmly.

“He’s so good at acting that Chief Park who interviewed him even cried! He’s an acting genius, an acting genius!”

Are you sure you’re talking about me?

“Don’t worry about our work anymore, because if the company pushes him hard, he’ll become a great actor that hyung won’t even stand a chance. Hm?”

Hansoo, who finished talking while raising his chin, grabbed the embarrassed manager’s arm, ran into the room and closed the door with a “Bang!” sound. I turned my gaze away from the closed door, stared at the door quietly, and looked at the standing Myeongshin. I couldn’t look closely at his expression because I could only see about half of his face, but I could tell he was annoyed. Looking at him, a laugh almost came out. Nothing has changed.

Myeongshin was like that in the past too. It’s something that others can ignore, but he keeps being concerned about it and developing problems within himself. Even if he had changed his image to appear more masculine and become a popular actor who drives a cool sports car, inside he was still the same Myeongshin as before. Just like now, he could have ignored the CEO and fellow actor of the former agency he had ruined, but he couldn’t.

Standing staring at the door for a long time, he began to walk fast somewhere with his cell phone in his hand. I left the room and quietly followed him. He entered an empty elevator and stopped at the top floor. After confirming, I also went to the top floor and headed toward the rooftop without hesitation. On the top floor, when I got off the elevator, there was only a door that could be entered only when I opened it from the inside.

I had heard that behind this door was the executive room, so I didn’t think Myeongshin would be inside. Then only the terrace remained. I went up the stairs that I had been to once that night. After looking inside the open door, I walked silently and headed toward the sound of Myeongshin’s voice. As I heard Myeongshin angrily shouting at someone on the phone, I hid behind a tree in the centre.

“…Ah, it’s because I’m annoyed! How do you know if they’ve purposely come into the place where I am and curse me behind my back? They’re sticking to me like a tick… Ah, it feels so icky, I’m telling you… I know. I know but still go find out. I’m telling you he passed the interview today… Yeah, that’s right. Just take a certain amount out. Then I’ll take care of the rest. What? Ha, maybe. I’ll have to trample him. If he works with CEO Choi, then I’ll let him how it feels like to fail.”

I wasn’t worried despite knowing that I was the object of his spiteful words. On the contrary, it was funny how he’s concerned about me on his own even before I have done anything. Of course, he didn’t know who I was yet. Thanks to him, there would be no such thing that would be too easy and boring. I was even grateful, but Myeongshin, who was talking on the phone, suddenly turned his head.

“Who’s there?!”

I lowered my body subconsciously. Next to the tree, I bowed my upper body as if I were lying on the floor and listened. I didn’t want to let him know about my existence already. I wanted to save the revelation my identity, but I still needed to prepare. Because I was just a beginner in the field.

No matter how much I wanted revenge, I was practically nothing more than a humble deliveryman. If I went out in front of a popular celebrity who drives a foreign car worth hundreds of millions of won, I would get nothing but ridicule. So I bowed down in a ridiculous position and stayed silent so that I wouldn’t be caught.

Clack clack.

I heard footsteps walking towards me. I glanced around to see if there was another place to hide, but there was no place to hide behind me. The exit door was on the opposite side.

“I said who’s there?”

The raised voice came closer.

“You’re hiding there aren’t you?”

What should I do? At this rate, if I stand up…

“Who’s hiding?”

Huh?

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I couldn’t see the man’s face because his tall frame was obscured by Myeongshin, but I could clearly see Myeongshin’s face who was looking at him. He seemed surprised, at least more than me. To the point where I could clearly see him inhaling. But what made me even more puzzled than his surprised expression was the words that came out of Myeongshin’s mouth.

“Gasp! I’m s-sorry.”

As soon as he recognised the other party, Myeongshin apologised immediately. He faced the other who was slowly approaching, with a bewildered expression, as if he had just made a big mistake.

“I heard a noise so I thought someone was eavesdropping on my call. I didn’t know it was Director Yoon…”

“Where is this?”

A gentle voice interrupted Myeongshin. A familiar, friendly way of talking. I forgot that I was hiding and poked my head out again.

“Is this your personal space?”

“No, I mean…”

“Besides, it wasn’t an interesting call to eavesdrop.”

So you’re saying you overheard it too. Having brought it up shamelessly, he added.

“Just some trivial story about trampling on a rookie.”

A sweet voice flowed as if it was paying a compliment, but Myeongshin’s expression completely hardened. With a smile on his face, I visually identified the person who made the other party speechless. The person with a smile during the day was the madman whom I met two nights ago. He smiled with his eyes and pulled out a cigarette.

“I want to smoke alone.”

Myeongshin, who was frozen at his words, opened his mouth as if he had come to his senses.

“Well, you misunderstood the phone call a while ago. I’m just playing a joke on someone I know.”

A smile appeared on Myeongshin’s face who was stiff.

“You didn’t really hear it right?”

“Cigarettes.”

“Yes? Ah, you said you wanted to smoke a cigarette alone.”

As Myeongshin stepped back with an expression that implied he was forced to, he lifted his lips.

“Next time please let me smoke with you.”

When Myeongshin talked with sparkling eyes, the other party also replied with a smile with his eyes curved.

“I don’t want to.”

“…”

Can’t he tell from the other person’s smile? With the laughter in Myeongshin disappearing, he pointed to the door with a cigarette in his hand. Myeongshin looked at him as if he was disappointed, and eventually left a silent greeting and disappeared out the door. Soon, Myeongshin’s footsteps moving down the stairs became distant, but I still couldn’t raise my body that was pressed onto the floor. Myeongshin was gone, but there was still someone whom I didn’t want to be found out from. No matter how potent I was, a human whom I didn’t want to associate with again. But my wish did not come true.

“Hey, 200 won. Not coming out, what are you doing?”

Damn it. I had no choice but to curse in my heart. As I slowly got up and walked around the hidden flower bed, I saw him holding a cigarette in his mouth. Looking under the bright light, for some reason, the smile around my mouth looked chilling. I knew he was the kind of guy who could provoke someone with that relaxed look on his face.

Moreover, the problem was Myeongshin’s attitude towards him. He must be a more powerful person than Myeongshin at the very least. Perhaps because I met him for the second time, I felt more familiar.

“Is it Song Yoohan? The object of your revenge?”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the face that looked familiar because it was the second time. His straightforward tone also felt familiar.

“I’m asking if it’s Song Yoohan, 200 won.”

The nickname ‘200 won’ was more annoying than the fact that he knew Myeongshin was the object of my revenge.

And that smile. I was about to swear ‘fuck’, but found it too tame and not enough to express my anger. A stronger curse, ah, there was that. At that moment, I thought of it; the English curse that Hansoo said earlier.

“You don’t have to know. Psychopath.”

Since ‘psycho’ was a curse, the ‘path’ behind must have been an intensifier. I had no doubt that this was on the same level as ‘son of a bitch’, so I spat it out in a low voice. The other party immediately reacted. Even if it was only for an instant, his eyes narrowed slightly. Well, it was obvious that he was surprised by my curse, even though he was back to normal. Though I felt dirtier after hearing the words that followed.

“Well, I hear that from time to time.”

How can you say that you occasionally get cursed at with such a relaxed face? I frowned, wondering if this was a guy I couldn’t get along with more than I thought, but he repeated the same question again.

“Is it Song Yoohan?”

“…”

“That’s why you came up here after chasing him.”

“How did you know that?”

“Because I followed you.”

He shamelessly muttered with his cigarette in his lips and tilted his head to the side.

“I heard you passed the interview? Rumours have already spread that you put a knife in front of Chief Park during the interview and made him cry.”

The corners of his eyes were curved up, and I wondered how he knew as he looked towards my back pocket.

“I heard you startled him by acting like a thug from the old times, and then recited lines no worse than a five-year-old. You made good use of it by reversing the situation but if it weren’t for the head of the department Park, being too cowardly. Then you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

That soft voice cut me like a knife. He had a smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold as ice. I looked at him and slowly opened my mouth.

“You’re right. I didn’t stand a chance.”

It seemed for a moment his smile disappeared. However, as if it was a habit, the corners of her lips were raised again.

“You don’t have an outstanding appearance, and you’re not naturally talented in acting but you will get revenge?”

“It’s none of your business.”

I spat out coarsely, but the other party didn’t mind me and there was a smile in his eyes. Now it seemed like he was actually enjoying the situation as there was laughter mixed in his voice.

“If you want to climb up to Song Yoohan’s current position with such skills, you will have to struggle in this field for decades, unless there is a sponsor to support you. Ah, you said that you are aiming for Director Yoon.”

At the same time, he scanned my body from top to bottom.

“At your level?”

Strangely, I didn’t feel angry at all. Maybe it’s because of that dry way of speaking. It was like he was talking about facts.

“I know. What my level is.”

When I responded calmly, he responded right away.

“Yes, that’s it.”

He bit a red burning cigarette in his mouth, inhaled, and blew out a puff of white smoke.

“Really seems like you know that. That it’s all impossible. From what I see, you’re not easily agitated and you’re a pretty realistic type. But right now, isn’t it interesting that you want to go out and get revenge, as an actor who doesn’t have high prospects?”

No, it’s not interesting. I have a feeling I can’t get along with him, and it’s not just because he only says words that provoke people. There was a chilling gap between his smiling face and cold words that I instinctively seemed to have recognised the horrors of that person. He was revealing my inner thoughts that were hidden deep inside of me without hesitation. While smiling as always.

“As you said, actually…”

———

I made a mistake. This was the only thought I had in my head the whole time I came down from the rooftop. How did I meet the worst person? I made the mistake of unfortunately asking for a cigarette the first time I met him. Damn it. There are people who could see through the other as if they were a ghost. If you make enemies out of them, you will have a hard time for the rest of your life.

“If you’re going to stick to this company, you’ll have to keep seeing my face, And like I said, I think you’re interesting that I want to interfere with everything you’re trying to do? Then, what are you going to give me?”

I can’t believe I have to be threatened by someone I don’t even know. He was kind enough to give me his phone number, and gave me a week. I wanted to ignore his words but Myeongshin’s attitude towards him made me hesitate. Just how much power does he have?

“…Taemin ah?”

I turned my head at the hand shaking my shoulder, the manager and Hansoo were staring at me.

“What’s the matter? You suddenly look grave after coming back from somewhere.”

“Manager-nim.”

“Hm?”

“An artist in this company, he’s always smiling and about 30 years old… Never mind. What were you saying?”

What’s the point of finding out his name? I’m sure it’ll be the wrong one anyway.

“Ah, do you have time to take a profile picture next week? I should have taken a picture right away, but I pushed it back a week to let the wound on your face heal. That’ll be your first photo for now but Chief Park will see the photo and decide on your future schedules. So you have to be very attentive. Right, I have to tell you first, the person taking the photo is really important. Just anyone who knows how to use a camera can do it, but not everyone can capture the characteristics and colour grade them. Fortunately, the studio affiliated with the company is known to be good, so there’s no need to be so nervous. Haha~”

I wasn’t nervous anyway.

“In addition, I need to write your resume, like your school or past activities… and stuff like that.”

Endling the sentence quietly, the manager glanced at my back pocket with a knife with concerned eyes.

“Hmm, I’m just asking just in case, Taemin, have you done something bad in the past…”

“Don’t worry. I don’t have a red line in my family register.”

“Haha, right?”

“But I’ve had to go to the police station a few times.”

The expressions of the two suddenly hardened. I wondered why, so I asked lightly, looking at the two alternately.

“Haven’t the two of you ever been taken to the police station in your life?”

“…”

“…”

I couldn’t understand the silence between the two, so I looked at them, but Hansoo opened his mouth with difficulty on behalf of the manager.

“Um, I’m just asking, high school… Did you graduate?”

“No. I was expelled in my first year.”

The manager’s eyebrows twitched.

“So you worked hard to earn money to buy medicine for your sick mother after being expelled from school…”

“I rode my motorbike and took money from others.”

The two looked somewhat pale. Did they have low blood glucose levels because they were hungry? I thought about it and told them my only weakness.

“So I’m a bit ignorant. Especially in English.”

The manager’s mouth opened when the two turned white enough that their complexions were worrying.

“…Let’s go with a mysterious persona, no matter what.”