Chapter 22

Villain Only Acting 022

Where's the next episode? (2)

- Lee Jin-wook is back!

The viewer board exploded again.

- Writer, PD, I am a lowly mortal who has sinned. Please forgive us and show us more of Private Jeong in the next episode.

- Writer-ment, PD-ment

- Eun-hye unnie lolololol How could you stab us in the back like this lololol

- I always welcome such stabs in the back :')

- I trusted you!

The PR team fanned the flames by continuously feeding more bait.

They released a behind-the-scenes video, showing angles of Go Je-man and Lee Jin-wook that weren’t in the main episode.

The fish that eagerly came to the bait didn’t even realize they were being hooked, biting and swallowing with gusto.

- This is weird. Something felt off from this moment on.

- Despite his aggrieved expression, something felt subtly unsettling. I thought it was just due to his inexperience, but it turns out it was all intentional.

- To be able to pull off such a high-level performance at his age? This is talent overload;;;

- I knew from the start. No one who acts aggrieved is truly aggrieved.

- Yeah, everyone knew this would happen.

- His acting skills are really something. He’s going to be a great actor. And he’s going to be huge.

Not only Jeong Seo-hoon was in the spotlight.

Cha Do-jin also received a reevaluation.

- Our Ji-nyeong hyung, his facial acting has really improved.

- He stood out a bit when he delivered his monologue;;; When did our Ji-nyeong hyung grow so much?

- With this momentum, let’s go all the way to Cannes.

- The ending was creepy. It doesn’t feel like the Private Jeong I know, which makes me like it even more :D

- New actors are killing it with both their looks and acting skills, so other actors are really stepping up their game.

- How can I wait until next week? :(

Just as the viewers were boiling over with excitement, a new piece of bait was thrown onto YouTube.

It was a video of Jeong Seo-hoon drawing with a sharp gaze.

In the edited video, which combined various angles, the vivid images of the soldiers seemed almost alive.

- Holy crap. He can draw too?

- At a professional artist’s level? What can’t he do?

- He’s capturing the emotions by drawing the scenes he’s going to act in;;; That’s why he can pull off such delicate performances;;;

- Isn’t Private Jeong in his early twenties? Is he originally an art student?

- The official profile only lists his name and height. There’s no age.

- He might be older than he looks. He’s definitely a young-looking adult. There’s no way he could deliver such nuanced performances at his age.

No matter how the bait was played, the viewers’ hearts were all the same.

- Can’t you just pretend this week’s episode doesn’t exist and delete it?

- How can I wait another week? :(

***

The production team was in a celebratory mood.

The twist of Lee Jin-wook’s return was well-received by the audience.

The viewers who had been lying low were now burning with excitement, sweeping and cleaning up.

During a production meeting, Song Jeong-woo said with satisfaction,

“Lately, I live for the fun of watching the audience’s reactions.”

“I live for the fun of imagining the actors’ performances while writing.”

“So? Are you not going to listen to the ratings?”

“Tell me quickly. What did they come in at?”

“14.7% at the final scene with Lee Jin-wook.”

“Another record broken. If this keeps up, we’ll hit the 20% mark by episodes 8 or 9.”

As Kim Sang-hee muttered to himself, the other staff members felt their hearts sink.

You don’t usually make such bold predictions. It could backfire.

“Episodes 8 or 9? I think he’ll hit 20% before then.”

“Come on, that’s too early.”

But the PD and writer paid no attention, calmly drinking their kimchi broth.

“PD, there’s a PPL offer for Lee Jin-wook, or rather, Jeong Seo-hoon.”

“What PPL? When did we start bowing to such things? How much?”

“Twice the standard rate. They specifically want Jeong Seo-hoon. They must have been impressed by the reaction to episode 4.”

“What about Kim?”

Song Jeong-woo turned to Kim Sang-hee for his opinion.

“What’s the product? Snacks, drinks, kimchi? We’re not interested.”

“Luckily, it’s clothing.”

“Better. What exactly? A shirt? Pants? An outerwear?”

“It’s a suit.”

“What? Why would Lee Jin-wook need a suit... No, never mind, just a moment.”

Kim Sang-hee frowned, thinking hard, then brightened and nodded.

“Sure. Let’s take it.”

***

Jeong Seo-hoon was receiving hundreds of messages a day.

Somehow, broadcasting industry insiders had found out and were sending long messages to congratulate him and build connections.

Jeong Su-yeon, checking each message, said with a smirk,

“Everyone’s like this. In this industry, contact information is a public resource. You should get a personal phone soon.”

“That’s my personal phone.”

“This is now your work phone. Oh, and don’t give your personal number to any broadcasting staff, not even Song PD or Kim writer.”

“Are you saying I’ll keep acting?”

“Are you going to quit after this? Your value will skyrocket dozens of times for the next project.”

“I want to graduate as soon as possible.”

“You’re already faster than most. Take a break for now. Who is it? Professor Park keeps nagging you to go to grad school, which is annoying.”

Of course, he planned to continue acting.

When the camera was on, he could fully enjoy the nostalgic scenery.

But this was just rehabilitation training.

The real Jeong Seo-hoon would never have missed the chance to toy with his blood brother.

He had to maintain normal behavior here.

“Look at this. Three major agencies have already invited you for dinner. Team leaders only. If you keep this up, you’ll be commanding millions in appearance fees by your thirties.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to finish the last semester quickly?”

“Since it’s only one semester, you can do it anytime. Hey, you should meet these agencies and get some free meals. I’ll set up the schedule later.”

Jeong Su-yeon got up, brushing off her seat.

Jeong Seo-hoon suddenly wanted confirmation that he was still acting normally.

“Sister, do I look any different on the outside? Anything strange?”

“You do. It’s been about five years since I last heard you call me sister? You must be shocked to suddenly become famous. Your stomach must be churning, right?”

***

The long-awaited fifth episode aired.

From the start, Go Je-man and Lee Jin-wook engaged in a tense eye battle, exuding palpable tension.

- Why did you kill them? Was it out of hatred?

- Why did you think I wouldn’t die?

- Is it true, as Captain Kim Shi-ho testified, that you shot and killed your own comrades?

- I thought you would. You didn’t seem to believe me. I even felt like you were investigating me.

- Surely their war crimes weren’t a lie?

- Were you not interested in my defense? Were you just curious about the truth?

A thoroughly mismatched conversation.

Each was speaking their own words, asking only the questions they wanted to ask.

Yet the viewers didn’t find the conversation awkward at all. It flowed as naturally as water from a stream to a river.

- Why did you entrust your defense to me?

- Finally, a proper question.

Lee Jin-wook smiled slightly, as if he had been waiting for this.

- I happened to observe your trial once. It was very impressive.

- An observer? What trial? No, if it was during your time as a judge, you were still a student.

- It was a regular school group activity. Do you remember?

Of course, he wouldn’t remember.

He had seen student observers countless times.

- I remember clearly. The look of contempt and superiority you had that day.

In the brief silence, Lee Jin-wook’s smile deepened, and Go Je-man’s eyes flickered slightly.

- I asked you to defend me because I wanted to show you the path I’ve chosen. I wanted to test whether you would notice. I’m still inexperienced and not very skilled.

- You were testing whether I would notice your decision to kill again? I don’t understand.

- You see through the essence of things. I wanted to test myself against such eyes. That way, I can gauge the risk of being exposed in the future.

Go Je-man felt a chill run down his spine.

Was killing Kim Shi-ho just the beginning, a rehearsal?

- The defendant doesn’t even have ten million won?

At that moment, Go Je-man’s entire body was filled with shock.

A painful blemish he wanted to erase from his judicial history.

He started his own practice to protect the weak after that incident, but now he’s a divorce lawyer representing wealthy women in Gangnam, driving a Bentley.

- So, you were in the audience that day...!

- The defendant’s poverty. Yes, that was the essence of the conflict. If he had money, there would have been no conflict, and the defendant wouldn’t have committed suicide.

Lee Jin-wook’s eyes, filled with joy, were like a devil’s verdict.

- You simply pointed out the essence of the matter.

- ...!

- I wanted to show you and confirm the path I’ve chosen.

- How many more do you plan to kill?

He doesn’t ask who he will kill, only how many more.

Look at this.

This man, then and now, still easily sees through the essence of things.

- As many as possible. Until my last breath, as much as I can.

After the fifth episode ended, the viewers once again threw flames onto the board.

- Release the next episode while we’re still in a good mood.

- Broadcast them consecutively before we set the station on fire.

***

Gloomy music plays softly.

The soldier stared blankly at his own calm confession of murder on TV.

Then, a message from the writer arrived.

[How did you manage to capture those emotions? I wish I had been on set to see it.]

The soldier recalled the moment the camera was rolling.

In the pit, engulfed in a horrific explosion, his long-time junior, drenched in blood, lay dead.

The junior, no longer bleeding or moving, lay behind Go Je-man, his eyes fixed on him, motionless.

Until the camera turned off.

In the isolated trench, his cries to help his comrades escape still rang clearly in his ears.

- Go! I’ll hold them off here! I’ll kill as many as possible until the end!

Jeong Seo-hoon replied.

[A dear friend helped me.]

[You have a good friend. Since the drama is doing well, you should buy him a drink.]

[Sure.]

Jeong Seo-hoon, after sending this reply, no longer looked at his phone.

What they were hiding was (1)