Chapter 26

Villain Only Acting 026

What They Hid (4)

“Oh my, that suit fits Jinwook perfectly. Don’t you think so, Seohoon?”

“Mom, who are you talking to? Just tell me one thing.”

“Look. The fit is just perfect, isn’t it? I didn’t know Jinwook looked so good in a suit. Su-ryeon, where can I buy that?”

Jeong Su-ryeon grumbled slightly as she took out her phone and started searching.

“Mom, it’s hard to get used to when you’re so nice to me. It’s embarrassing.”

“You, I’m such a caring mother. That’s why you married into the Jeong family, didn’t you?”

“But Mom, you’re not a Jeong. Ah, I found it. The suit and shirt worn by Private Jeong Il-Byeong cost about 40 million won.”

“That’s expensive. Who would buy something like that?”

“Mom, really expensive luxury brands don’t even get sponsorships. What should we do? Should we go buy one?”

“40 million is still too expensive.”

The mother pondered, recalling her bank balance, and then lightly clapped her hands.

“Oh! By the way, what happens in the next episode? When will Prosecutor Hwang Seon-hye meet him?”

“I don’t know. Even if I did, I couldn’t tell you. If I told you, the whole nation would know within three hours.”

“What does this girl think of me? I won’t tell anyone, so just give me a hint.”

“Ah, I don’t know. Ask Seohoon.”

Jeong Su-ryeon abruptly stood up from her seat.

***

The appearance of Lee Jin-wook, who usually dressed like a wanted criminal, in a well-tailored suit caused quite a stir.

The combination of the meticulously tailored fit and the tension in the scene created a strong magnetic synergy, and the brand’s search numbers on the shopping mall skyrocketed.

More customers began visiting the brand’s stores with their boyfriends, husbands, or grown sons.

“The PPL effect is great. Sales have increased more than five times the usual.”

Kim Sang-hee shrugged.

“It was something anyone could fit into. Lee Jin-wook just looks good in clothes. What did I do?”

Song Jeong-woo also chimed in with a laugh.

“I thought you’d put in a scene where Prosecutor Hwang Seon-hye visits the store to choose a suit as a gift for her father.”

“Who does that these days? It would just invite criticism. Do you know what ‘gwan-gwan’ is? You have to subtly insert PPL, like you’re not trying to promote it.”

The atmosphere at the production meeting was bright because the drama was running smoothly.

“What about the selection of the next location for the on-location shooting?”

“We’ve narrowed it down to three places. Once we finish the preliminary survey of the last one, we can confirm and start the pre-production setup.”

“Are there any actors who are injured or have physical issues?”

“No, not yet. Yoo Jeong-a is also doing fine now.”

“Still, just in case, keep in touch with the manager and check on them. She even fainted. We should have stopped the shooting then and there.”

“Yoo Jeong-a insisted on continuing because she was fine. What could we do? The scenes turned out well, didn’t they?”

“PD, Mr. Yoon Min-ki’s side keeps asking when the shooting will end because of an overseas CF. Shouldn’t we finalize the date soon?”

“Sure? Let me see... It will be completely finished in four days.”

“He’s going overseas, so he absolutely can’t do a reshoot. He’s been warned.”

“Then five days. After that, he can do as he pleases. There’s nothing more to look for.”

“I’ll let him know.”

After making sure nothing was missed, the long production meeting finally ended.

Song Jeong-woo clapped his hands to lighten the mood.

“Now, the 7th episode will be airing soon. They say a good start is half the battle, but since we’ve already aired half, we’re practically at the finish line.”

Everyone listened while gathering their documents and items.

“The shooting is almost at the eight-tenths mark, so there’s not much left. Let’s all keep our focus until the end.”

Kim Sang-hee muttered quietly.

“If someone heard us, they’d think we’re ending next week.”

***

On the day of the 7th episode, viewers who had been eagerly waiting gathered in their living rooms to watch the live broadcast.

While tracking the missing persons connected to Hwang Hak-jin, Prosecutor Hwang Seon-hye is suddenly ambushed by a vehicle in an alley.

Injured, she sees a face that should not exist in the world before losing consciousness.

It’s Lee Jin-wook, whom she had prosecuted, who claimed his innocence and then committed suicide.

Unable to withstand the shock, Hwang Seon-hye loses consciousness and wakes up in an eerie abandoned building.

- The fainting act was so natural.

- Yoo Jeong-a’s facial expressions were especially good today?

- Haha, it really looked like she saw a ghost and fainted.

When Hwang Seon-hye regains consciousness and sees Lee Jin-wook in front of her, she realizes she wasn’t hallucinating.

- He was... alive?

- You haven’t changed. That enthusiasm.

- How?

- You should ask why, not how.

A sinister smirk appears, and Hwang Seon-hye realizes she isn’t tied up.

As she looks around, hoping for an opportunity, Lee Jin-wook chuckles.

- Why, do you want a metal pipe or something?

- ...

- Would that even help?

Lee Jin-wook, as if he had been waiting for it, throws a metal pipe in front of her.

Hwang Seon-hye gauges the distance between the metal pipe, Lee Jin-wook, and herself.

Should I grab it, or will he attack me faster...?

- Just grab it. I’ll stay still.

- ...

- Hurry up. Hurry.

He takes a few steps back, as if to show her.

The distance to the metal pipe is now more than doubled.

It seems she can grab it and counterattack.

But as she is about to move, Hwang Seon-hye meets Lee Jin-wook’s eyes.

His eyes, filled with a strange hunger, send a chill down her spine.

It’s as if he expects her to grab the metal pipe and attack him with all her might.

She ultimately gives up, and Lee Jin-wook licks his lips, seemingly disappointed.

- Just close your eyes and show some courage. You’re not that spineless, are you?

- What are you thinking?

- I have my own rules. To avoid being devoured. Even though I don’t have a reason to kill you now, I can justify it to my conscience if it’s self-defense.

- Devoured by what?

- Hunger. Once you’re consumed by it, you won’t see or hear anything. You’ll eat until your stomach bursts, and you’ll die.

Hwang Seon-hye took on the Lee Jin-wook case simply because it was assigned to her.

A senior prosecutor who had been assigned the case first suddenly backed out.

She felt a strange unease from his eyes, filled with hunger, as if she had become his prey.

Perhaps the senior prosecutor also felt this discomfort...

- Why do you work under Chairman Hwang?

- He provides me with an identity, money, and a place to stay.

- Do you kill people for money?

That’s impossible.

Numbers alone wouldn’t be enough compensation for that man.

- How much does that metal pipe cost? How much to rent this building? How much for the car that brought you here? And the fuel?

- ...

- Everything in this world is about money, money. I don’t particularly like money, but I know how important it is. Even shooting someone costs money for the bullets.

Hwang Seon-hye realized the man was truly insane.

The fact that their conversation somehow made sense, yet they were on parallel lines, was proof.

From the beginning, his strangely welcoming attitude towards her was subtly unsettling.

His eyes seemed to say he had been waiting for this day.

- Jeong Isun, Choi Pan-woo, Im Sung-hoon, Lee Min-a, Lee Young-sil, Kang Seok-jung. Did you kill them all?

- Yes. Aren’t you grateful?

- Grateful? What do you mean...?

- They would have been executed by law. You’re a prosecutor. You must have found it disgusting to see murderers get life sentences and those who deserve life sentences get probation.

- When did I...?

Hwang Seon-hye’s lips trembled.

She couldn’t bear the faint acknowledgment of the twisted killer’s madness.

- I know how much you value justice.

- That’s not true. I...

- We might have more in common than you think.

Extreme duality can converge into the same evolution.

- Don’t chase me. Just watch.

- ...

- Then you’ll get what you want.

Lee Jin-wook, holding a chloroform-soaked handkerchief, slowly approaches.

- Don’t the evils that don’t help the world need to be eliminated? That’s what you want, right? I’ll do it for you. Don’t complain.

***

The viewer board was overheating with interpretations of the plot twists.

- What’s the hint in today’s content?

- It seems like he’s telling Chairman Hwang to leave him alone. Prosecutor Hwang was swayed by it.

- Are you saying the prosecutor believes the killer? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?

- But the acting gives it credibility. I was convinced too.

- Is Private Jeong trying to confuse Prosecutor Hwang? Or does he have a different purpose?

- I think Lee Min-su should be the one to get rid of the traitors first.

- What brand was the chloroform handkerchief Private Jeong used today?

- Here it is (enlarged image of the handkerchief).

- Really? This is PPL?

- Kim Sang-hee’s works need to be scrutinized like a hawk. Otherwise, you might miss the PPL.

***

After the episode ended, an advertisement for the clothing brand worn by the characters appeared on the TV.

Jeong Seohoon recalled the moment he wore the suit and rehearsed with Lee Min-su.

- Good. Now we need to get to work.

The face of his superior, who had given him an unjust order for military service, overlapped in his mind.

‘Lee Jin-wook is a stray dog who doesn’t serve his master. Don’t forget that.’

Following the PD’s direction wasn’t difficult.

It was just a matter of showing the appropriate level of hatred, something he had done many times before.

At that moment, a transparent lens visible only to him, disrupting his reality, focused on Lee Min-su.

He flinched, as if also caught in the mysterious aura visible only to Jeong Seohoon.

‘Yoo Jeong-a too.’

When she fainted, the transparent camera had captured both of them, and she had also reacted to it.

Chae Do-jin had also reacted similarly.

‘The three of them showing different reactions.’

Could it be due to their different attitudes, experience, and depth in acting?

Jeong Seohoon remembered how satisfied the PD had been with Lee Min-su’s performance.

“This is interesting.”

For the first time, he felt not nostalgia but genuine interest in acting. He buried that feeling.

***

The location for the on-location shooting was decided.

The schedule was for a three-day, two-night shoot at a mountain a few hours away from Seoul.

“The scenery perfectly matches the script’s concept, and there are no nearby houses, making it ideal for shooting. We’ve also received permission from the local government. Best of all, there’s a nearby condo.”

“There will be a large-scale action scene, so everyone be careful of injuries. You can leave whenever it’s convenient, but please arrive at the condo by the time I mentioned.”

“Most things are available at the condo, so think of it as a hotel and pack your personal items accordingly. Depending on the situation, we might stay an extra day.”

“What about the martial arts team?”

“They’ve already left on a chartered bus. The stage team is setting up the scene. We just need to go and finish the shooting.”

Although it was not an overseas shoot but a local one, it was a large-scale expedition, so everyone was busy all day.

***

Jeong Seohoon parked the car near the studio, and Jeong Su-ryeon got out with a sad face.

“To have a perfectly good car and still have to take a chartered bus to such a distant place.”

“Then you should come out as the second lead.”

“It’s embarrassing to come out now. It would seem like I’m just riding on my brother’s success. I’ll let it be known naturally later. Drive carefully.”

“For what? For me? Or for the car?”

“Obviously for the car. Mom said she’d give it to me if I become an assistant director, so treat it like it’s your brother-in-law’s. Got it?”

***

While reading the additional script, Yoo Jeong-a was startled.

A word that should never have appeared in Kim Sang-hee’s script was there.

She quickly sent a message to Kim Sang-hee.

- Writer, there seems to be a mistake in the script.

- That’s impossible. Why do you say that?

- There’s a kissing scene! Did the assistant writer put it in by mistake?

- I don’t have an assistant writer. I wrote it myself.

After reading the kissing scene part in detail, Yoo Jeong-a chuckled.

She sent another message.

- Writer, you have this kind of taste?

The “1” remained all night.

It was too bitter to leave it at just (1).