Chapter 92

< Threat (2) >

Who do you like? Hwarin, who was suddenly flustered, stammered.

“What? What are you talking about? Be reasonable. Why would I like that person? I haven’t even become close to him yet!”

“Really?”

“Hey! I told you, I really liked the drama. And I got the offer for this variety show before Woojin did.”

“...”

“Really, truly, for real. This sister is serious.”

Their whispering was cut off by Hwarin’s plump manager.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Hwarin, we need to go soon.”

“Ah! Yeah, yeah! I’ll go out first, sis.”

“Okay. Text me.”

“Yeah, sis, let me know the result too!”

Hwarin waved her hand and quickly got into the elevator, and Hong Hyeon smiled slightly as she saw her off. Then, Hong Hyeon walked calmly down the corridor with her team. However, inside her, an indescribable emotion was surging. She wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or what.

‘I didn’t expect Hwarin to be here.’

Hong Hyeon felt a faint sense of unease. A short while later, Hong Hyeon met PD Yoon Byung-seon in the meeting room. PD Yoon Byung-seon and the writers were speechless at the unexpected appearance of a top actress.

“Haha, Hyeon, I was really surprised to get your call.”

“I scheduled the meeting quite suddenly, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine, even if you scheduled it more suddenly, we’d have to run out in our socks. It’s you, Hyeon.”

Hong Hyeon smiled.

“You’re exaggerating, PD. I’m still the same.”

“The entertainment world always needs a bit of exaggeration. Haha. Anyway, are you really interested in my show?”

“Yes, I am. But on the way here, I met Hwarin. She said it’s confirmed?”

“Ah, you saw her? Yes, Hwarin is confirmed.”

He finished speaking and received a transparent file from the writer.

“Let me show you who’s confirmed so far. Just keep it a secret. Hwarin, Kang Woojin, Ahn Jong-hak, and Ha Kang-soo. One is still being negotiated, and here’s Hong Hyeon.”

“Hwarin was the first to be confirmed, right?”

“Yes, the offer was sent to her first. She’s from the same agency as Woojin, right? Due to the trend, we only announced Woojin first.”

PD Yoon Byung-seon laughed mischievously.

“By the way, Hyeon, you’re close to Hwarin, right? And you’re from the same agency as Woojin. If you join, it would be a great addition, both in terms of chemistry and connections with other cast members.”

“Yes, I’m on good terms with them. But is it okay for me and Woojin to be from the same agency?”

PD Yoon Byung-seon’s smile deepened as he covered the transparent file.

“I don’t think so. As long as it’s entertaining, the audience won’t care about such details. The media might pick it up, though.”

Hong Hyeon nodded slowly. Her resolve had hardened after meeting Hwarin. Soon, she asked PD Yoon Byung-seon.

“What’s the format like?”

“Do you like cooking at all?”

“Cooking? I can make a good bowl of ramen.”

“That’s enough.”

PD Yoon Byung-seon unfolded the confirmed proposal.

“Then, how is your schedule for the second half of this year?”

About an hour later.

A message arrived at Hwarin, who had arrived at a shop in Cheongdam-dong. The sender was Hong Hyeon.

-My love: Hwarin! I’ve decided to do the variety show too.

Hwarin immediately replied.

-Really?! That’s great! ㅠㅠㅠ I can’t wait to film it, and I want to have fun with you!

She was sincere. Hwarin was genuinely looking forward to filming the show with Hong Hyeon. However, she felt a bit conflicted.

‘Ah, I should have just told her I’m a fan of Woojin from the start.’

She regretted not making a good first impression.

Later that night.

It was past 11 PM. Time for everyone to go home and rest. However, the roads in Seoul were still bustling with traffic.

A sleek black luxury car caught the eye. It looked like it cost several billion won. The luxury car drove and drove, heading towards the area near Sinsa Station. There were many cars around the station, but as it entered the alley, the number of people and cars gradually decreased.

After a few minutes.

The luxury car, which had been driving back and forth on the same route, stopped in front of a building. It then started again, repeating this process. It was clearly suspicious. The luxury car kept stopping and starting in front of the building.

Eventually.

-Swish.

The luxury car entered the underground parking lot of the building. The building had a plastic surgery clinic on the third floor. The car parked silently in the parking lot.

-Click!

A woman with short hair got out of the driver’s seat. What was unusual was that she covered her entire face. She wore a mask that only covered her face, a black hat pulled down low, and even glasses. She looked around the parking lot for a moment.

“...”

She moved silently. She entered the building and took the elevator. Then,

-Beep.

She pressed the button for the floor where the plastic surgery clinic was located. This was a bit strange. It was already past 11:30 PM, and the clinic should have been closed. Nevertheless, the woman headed to the clinic as if she were familiar with it. She opened the glass door of the clinic, which was locked and dark.

The interesting part was that the glass door of the clinic was already open.

Therefore, the woman with the covered face entered the clinic smoothly. About 30 minutes later, she left the clinic and got into the luxury car in the underground parking lot. In her hand was a small paper bag.

The woman with the paper bag got into the luxury car and

-Vroom!

smoothly left the parking lot. The parking lot became quiet again. After a while, the quiet parking lot was filled with the sound of a car engine, and a small car that had been waiting followed the luxury car out of the parking lot.

About an hour later.

The luxury car, which had been at the plastic surgery clinic, entered a high-end apartment in Cheongdam-dong. After parking the car, the woman got out and unlocked the door to what seemed to be her home. At the same time,

“Phew.”

she sighed and took off the items covering her face, including the mask and hat. Soon, her face was revealed. A striking beauty with short hair and a refined look.

She was the top actress who had been cast in ‘The Missing Island’ and had clashed with Kang Woojin the day before.

“Already this late. Tsk.”

She was top actress Seo Chae-eun.

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

The small car that had been following the luxury car was parked on the side of the road near the apartment entrance. It couldn’t enter due to the apartment’s strict security.

Regardless, inside the small car.

“Check the dashcam first.”

“Yeah.”

There were three people in the car. Two men in the front seats and one woman in the back. What was unusual was their appearance. They didn’t look like police, but they certainly weren’t ordinary. The woman in the back even held a camera as big as a cannon.

The man in the driver’s seat, who had dark skin, asked her.

“Did you get everything? Check it.”

“I got it. From when she arrived at the plastic surgery clinic to when she left and entered her home.”

“Did you get Seo Chae-eun clearly?”

“Yes, but her face was covered, so she can’t be identified.”

The man in the driver’s seat laughed sardonically.

“Man, that’s the point. The image needs to show her face covered to create the right atmosphere. If it’s not covered, it’s not interesting.”

The man in the driver’s seat shifted his gaze to the man in the passenger seat.

“Did you get Seo Chae-eun’s car clearly in the dashcam?”

“Yes.”

“Did you take photos too?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Even if her face is covered, it’s her car, so it doesn’t matter. Take a wide shot of the entire apartment complex just in case.”

The woman nodded and took photos of the apartment complex. Who were these people? Why were they recording Seo Chae-eun’s movements?

The man in the driver’s seat murmured.

“Don’t tell the editor-in-chief yet. That pig will immediately demand an article if he finds out. For now, only we know. Absolutely don’t tell anyone else.”

They were entertainment reporters. They belonged to the large media company ‘Power Patch,’ and the man in the passenger seat, who had been checking the dashcam footage, tilted his head.

“But are you sure?”

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

“Man, are you doubting my information? Think about it. Why would she go to a plastic surgery clinic at midnight, and alone, secretly? It’s 100% propofol.”

“She might deny it at the clinic.”

“It’s fine. I checked my sources, and she’s not the only one who goes there. There are a few others, and there are habitual visitors and clear witnesses, so don’t worry. We just need to gather more seasoning to go with it.”

In other words, they were going to collect evidence. The man in the driver’s seat, who had started the car, continued.

“The big one is Seo Chae-eun, and we need to take down the others in one go.”

The woman in the back seat asked.

“When do you plan to break the story?”

“If we gather the others, it should be next month. Once the bomb drops and the chaos begins, the investigation will proceed on its own. Then, Seo Chae-eun and the others will be doomed.”

The man in the driver’s seat, with a wide grin, laughed.

“All their ads and projects will be canceled too.”

At that moment, near Samsung Station.

The location was Kang Woojin’s apartment. His apartment door opened past midnight, and Woojin, looking tired, entered. He took off his shoes, didn’t even change his clothes, and dove straight into bed.

“...I’m done. I’m going to sleep until noon tomorrow.”

He made a strong resolution, lying face down. His actual work start time the next day was around noon.

Soon, he recalled his schedule for the day. There were many things, but he couldn’t remember them clearly. He had a meeting for a new ad, an interview with a popular YouTube channel, an event, and even an SNS photo shoot at night.

This tight schedule was ongoing.

“If I didn’t have the alternate space, I would have died a long time ago.”

Woojin had somehow survived thanks to the rest in the alternate space. Indeed, the entertainment industry was a level too high for an ordinary person like Kang Woojin. However, he was growing, albeit slowly.

“Ah.”

Woojin, who almost fell asleep, struggled to get up. He couldn’t just sleep like he used to. Basic hygiene was a must.

“What to do, let’s start with a mask—”

He also needed to take care of his skin. As a result, Woojin sighed and went to the living room. There, he noticed a script carelessly thrown on the kitchen table.

‘Ah, that’s it.’

It was the second part of ‘Frozen Love’ by writer Lee Wol-seon, which he had received from the production team.

‘Let’s at least list it out.’

Kang Woojin, muttering to himself, picked up the script. More accurately, he touched the black square that appeared next to the script. Soon, Kang Woojin

“Let’s see—”

entered the completely dark alternate space. He quickly arrived at the white squares lined up. The second part of ‘Frozen Love’ was registered without any issues. Woojin nodded slowly.

“Alright, let’s go back.”

Just as he was about to say the ‘exit’ spell to return to reality,

“Exi...huh?”

Kang Woojin, who had paused, furrowed his brow.

“Huh?”

Then, he carefully examined one of the white squares, sensing something was off.

“...Why is it like this?”

The white square Kang Woojin was looking at was ‘The Missing Island.’ There was a clear change from before.

-[3/Scenario (Title: The Missing Island), D-grade]

The grade of ‘The Missing Island’ had dropped to D. It was originally A+. When Woojin had checked it briefly while taking a break, it was still A+ at lunchtime. But now it was D. Confused, Woojin muttered in disbelief.

“Crazy, what’s going on? Why did it suddenly drop to D?”

Something must have happened, 100%. But he had no idea what.

“Ah, damn it, what is it?”

Kang Woojin, while scratching his head, started to think. The first thing that came to mind was Director Oh Hyun-gu. He was branded as a criminal, and his work was F-grade.

Then, could it be Director Kwon Gi-taek’s problem?

‘No, that’s unlikely, isn’t it?’

If there was a problem with Director Kwon Gi-taek, ‘The Missing Island’ should have had a low grade from the beginning. But it was fine until this morning. He had even seen Director Oh Hyun-gu, a close friend, in a bad state.

Moreover,

‘Given his usual character, he’s not the type to cause a scandal.’

Then, the staff. The staff? Could they have caused a problem that would drop the work’s grade so drastically? Even if it dropped, it would only be by one level. So, the staff can be ruled out.

“...It must be the actors, then.”

If the investment in a film is the money, the actors are the heart. ‘The Missing Island’ had a lineup of top actors, excluding Kang Woojin. Woojin first thought of Ryu Jeong-min, who he was relatively close to.

“That guy—no, I don’t think so.”

Ryu Jeong-min was the second to join. If there was a problem with him, the grade would have dropped immediately, or the grade of ‘Profiler Hanryang,’ which he was currently filming, would have dropped. However, ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was still S-grade.

This narrows it down to three.

‘The top actors who recently joined.’

Jung Woo-chang, Kim Eui-won, and Seo Chae-eun. Then, Kang Woojin firmly stated.

“One of these three. Definitely.”

For some reason, Seo Chae-eun’s face kept coming to mind. It might be due to the bad first impression at the dinner.

“Just a feeling—Seo Chae-eun.”

He had hit the mark, almost getting the right answer.

< Threat (2) > End