Chapter 13

Villain Only Acting 013

Is This Guy the Culprit? (1)

Jae Dojin arrived at the scene early.

Although he could have arrived later, he felt like he was throwing away a few hours by arriving early on the first day of filming.

He wanted to leisurely watch the preparations for the pig head ritual, and it had become a routine that had turned into a superstition, as well as a way to impress the PD and the writer.

The atmosphere was bustling with staff members decorating the stage and preparing for the ritual.

Whenever he met female staff members, he gave them a wink, and their faces would instantly turn red, flustered and unsure of what to do.

‘That’s right, that’s right. Get used to it. This is the face of the best-looking actor in Korea.’

Of course, he never expressed such thoughts outwardly.

At that moment, a strange scene caught his eye.

Yoo Jeong-a, who was supposed to act alongside him, was sitting next to the unknown rookie who had parachuted in with PD Song.

‘She’s not the type to do that, is she?’

Who is Yoo Jeong-a? She’s known for being prickly and haughty.

If she had devoted even half of that prickliness to her looks, she would have been the most beautiful actress in Asia, not just Korea, according to Jae Dojin.

“Jeong-a.”

“Ah, senior. You’re here?”

Look at this.

They’ve known each other for years, yet she still calls him senior, maintaining a distance.

In the entertainment industry, a man who hears "oppa" from Yoo Jeong-a is a unicorn, a mythical creature.

“What were you doing?”

Jae Dojin looked only at Yoo Jeong-a, not even greeting Jung Seohoon.

He wasn’t particularly ignoring Jung Seohoon.

It’s like not paying special attention to a pebble you step on while walking.

“Just analyzing the character together.”

“Analyzing the character? What do you two have to sync? There’s no scene where you two appear together in the script.”

According to the script, Yoo Jeong-a doesn’t have any direct dialogue with Private Lee Jin-wook.

“It’s almost irrelevant to my role. But he can give me an objective view of my character, right?”

“Do you really have to...”

Ask such a rookie unknown? Fortunately, Jae Dojin quickly swallowed those words.

‘No, no. You’re always the polite Jae Dojin.’

Shaking his head, Jae Dojin finally gave Jung Seohoon a glance.

“Nice to see you. Let’s do well today.”

“Thank you.”

That was the end of their conversation.

Yoo Jeong-a stood up, looking deflated, and Jae Dojin followed her.

“What were you really talking about?”

“Why, are you worried that he might have approached me?”

“If he did, I wouldn’t let it slide. Where does a green rookie unknown get the nerve to have such thoughts about our actress Yoo Jeong-a?”

“I just thought it looked odd for him to be sitting alone without a manager. It reminded me of when I was a rookie.”

“You were a star rookie from the start. On your first day of filming, your team leader manager was on set, fussing over you like a crocodile handler with an alligator...”

“Let’s go. The PD is coming.”

Yoo Jeong-a casually cut off the conversation.

***

“But really, are you really going to die in the second episode? You’re not going to keep appearing, right?”

It wasn’t hard to act nonchalant.

It was much easier than secretly infiltrating an enemy base to blow up an ammunition depot.

“I die in the second episode. The script says so.”

“But I keep getting the feeling that it’s not true.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t want it to be true?”

She’s a woman whose smile is as deadly as her small, pretty face.

Jung Seohoon, who has only seen her in commercials, imagines she must be popular among male fans.

Jung Seohoon recalled the situations of the later scenes that Kim Sang-hee had given him to help him get into character.

The scene where he chases a female prosecutor, and the scene where he kidnaps Yoo Jeong-a and threatens her by choking her.

Would such a small, delicate neck break before he even applied full force?

“What were you doing?”

At that moment, Jae Dojin appeared, and their conversation ended there.

Jung Seohoon naturally closed his sketchbook, hiding the drawing, and Yoo Jeong-a, looking somewhat disappointed, stood up.

The pig head ritual for good luck began, and the PD, writer, and actors took turns putting money in envelopes and making wishes.

PD Song Jeong-woo declared with a cheerful laugh.

“Alright! Let’s aim for a 20% rating this time too!”

***

“Action!”

The filming started, and all movement on set came to a halt.

Except for the actors on stage.

The first story was about Jae Dojin’s past as a young and handsome judge who was once a rising star.

-Judge Go. About the lawsuit you’re handling this time.

-Yes, what about it?

-Don’t be surprised. The defendant committed suicide. He left a will with your name on it.

-What? Suicide?

-Take some leave for a while and don’t even show up at the court. Don’t worry. This kind of thing happens all the time. Besides, who would make a principled judgment if a debtor, unable to pay ten million won to a creditor, blames the judge and commits suicide?

A defendant who left a curse and committed suicide over a ten million won judgment.

‘Seriously, is there no ten million won in the world? To commit suicide over just that?’

Judge Go Je-man reviewed the judgment several times, but found no errors.

However, the weight of his heavy heart didn’t lessen.

As usual, the news made a brief fuss and then forgot about it, and he returned to his duties.

Later, he found out.

The defendant, who was poor, had a debt that could have been dismissed due to the statute of limitations, but it was left unaddressed due to the incompetence of the court-appointed lawyer.

Ten million won was a life-or-death amount to the defendant, but to the loan company, it was just enough for a staff dinner.

‘It’s not my fault. If it weren’t for the statute of limitations, it would have been a legitimate debt anyway...’

Judge Go Je-man was shocked by this aspect of the world he thought he knew.

He was shocked that his judgment had indirectly led to a death.

‘Why didn’t the court-appointed lawyer do his job? How could he not know this much?’

Unable to bear the confusion and guilt, Go Je-man eventually took off his judicial robe.

He opened a law firm with the dream of helping those without money or knowledge, so that no one else would end up like that defendant.

And he became the most successful divorce lawyer in Seocho, driving a Bentley.

His main clients were Gangnam housewives trying to catch their cheating husbands.

***

“Good. Let’s take a short break and then continue.”

After PD Song Jeong-woo gave the okay sign, he discussed with the director.

Jae Dojin, sipping the drink his manager handed him, glanced at Jung Seohoon sitting to the side.

The manager asked.

“Who are you looking at? Ah, Jung Seohoon? Now that I think about it, you’ll be meeting Jung Seohoon in the next scene, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, you should be aware of him. If he just does the basics, he’ll grow quickly.”

“Bro, what the hell are you talking about? When did I ever pay attention to that guy? Why should I?”

“He’s good-looking.”

“...”

“During the reading, he was quite impressive and stable, and PD Song really has an eye for talent.”

“Good-looking? Where did you get that face to show me?”

“Hey, to be honest, that’s not a face you can confidently criticize.”

“Who? Me?”

“No, that guy. He’s good-looking. He has the face of a born actor.”

“I don’t like it.”

Slightly annoyed, the break was already over.

Jae Dojin, getting up from the folding chair, moved to the stage and took his position.

Scene 15 started.

Go Je-man, a ten-year veteran lawyer who had lost his初心, was now spending two hours deliberating where to have dinner in Gangnam.

He listened to the complaints and consultations of middle-aged housewives wrapped in outrageously expensive luxury items, soullessly but well-masked, and chose and chose again from the list of restaurants.

Just as he finished all the reservation consultations and was about to stand up, a light knock sounded, and the door opened.

‘Damn it, I said not to take in unbooked customers! What the hell!’

-Please come in. What brings you here?

The young man in shabby clothes, Go Je-man’s eyes quickly scanned him.

-I was recently discharged from the military.

-Army?

-Yes.

-I see. Are you suing the Ministry of National Defense?

-Not that. I’ve been sued.

-Sued?

While chatting and laughing, Go Je-man, or rather Jae Dojin, suddenly felt a chill run through his skin.

He couldn’t hear the sounds around him.

Everything in the studio seemed to be swallowed by a mirror, leaving only him and Lee Jin-wook.

Despite the cameras and staff surrounding them, Jung Se