Chapter 56

Villain Only Acting 056

For the Muse (1)

- Wait, I'll go get the van right away.

"Bro, we can just take a taxi."

-No, this is what a manager does. I get paid to do this. I have nothing to do compared to an idol's schedule, so I have to do something like this to feel like I'm doing my job.

"Then I'll wait."

When the manager called to check the actor's schedule, Ha Tae-sung quickly drove the van over.

"I'll park nearby and wait in the van, so let me know when you're done."

"Bro, why don't you just come in?"

"Hey, hey. Do you know how much you're worth now? If you get a scratch after drinking and taking a taxi alone, how am I supposed to make a living? I came here to be your personal road manager, you know."

"Then let me buy you something. You're the one working, not Byung-chul."

"Then buy it for both of us."

At the now-familiar Cheongdam-dong bar, Ha Tae-sung parked the van and said, "Have a good time," before disappearing.

Does this place even intend to make a profit?

Jeong Se-hoon, who had just entered the hall, found Kim Sang-hee sitting on a high bar stool, sipping her drink and giggling with her phone in one hand and a drink in the other.

"Actor Jeong Se-hoon, come in quickly."

Bartender and salaryman Kim Min-seok greeted him warmly, and Kim Sang-hee, who had been giggling, turned around.

"Are you here? Come sit down."

"Would you like your usual drink?"

"Yes, give me my usual."

"But you have more than one usual, don't you?"

"That depends on the bartender's sense, Mr. Writer."

Kim Min-seok smoothly brushed it off and prepared the drink.

Kim Sang-hee asked,

"Do you not use SNS?"

"Yes."

"It's fine. Mysteriousness isn't bad. You should stick with that concept. Don't make promises about audience numbers or anything like that."

"But my sister suggested I try it."

"I think it's better to wait a bit longer? Right now, Se-hoon, the mystery around you is perfect. Fans want to know more and dig deeper, but there's so little information that they're just frustrated."

Kim Sang-hee showed him the fan cafe reactions on her phone.

Sure enough, the main text and comments were filled with fans' cries of frustration, eager to know more about him.

"If the writer says it's good, I'll follow it. I've never been wrong following the writer's advice."

"Oh, you're so cute."

Kim Sang-hee's smile was full of sincerity.

It was not the look of someone sizing up a potential romantic interest but more like a fan looking at their favorite character, or a sculptor admiring a beautiful stone.

"How do you feel? You just hit a grand slam with your first movie."

"It's better than I could have hoped for."

"Liar."

"Does it look that way to you?"

"Se-hoon, you're so calm right now. Anyone would think it's not your movie that's doing well. Come to think of it, you were the same when you were in *Illicit*."

"What was I like?"

"You weren't really interested in the box office success. You were completely focused on acting. How to portray the character more naturally, how to delve deeper into the role. Isn't that right?"

"I'll have a penalty drink."

Jeong Se-hoon chuckled and took a light sip of his drink.

He now knew how to liven up the mood with such banter.

"The sequel to *Storage Room* will take at least two years, even if we start pre-production as soon as possible. We need to get the script, do the adaptation, and Director Hwang needs to plan it out. Not to mention, securing investment."

"Two years? That's a long time."

"It's actually pretty fast. Normally, it would take at least three years. Besides, *Storage Room 2* wasn't even planned initially."

*Storage Room* was originally a one-off project.

However, when Jeong Se-hoon replaced the cheating actor Yoon Hyung-sik, Hwang In-joon got the inspiration to expand the story at the end.

"Two years... "

Jeong Se-hoon murmured, almost groaning.

It was far too long a break.

How long has it been since the movie ended, and he already feels like he's going crazy, wanting to stand in front of the camera again?

Kim Sang-hee showed a meaningful smile, as if she understood his feelings.

"I know, I know. That feeling."

"It is a long time. I want to get back into a movie as soon as possible."

"That's one of the good things about being a writer. You can create your world anytime, as long as you have a pen, phone, or laptop."

"That's true."

"By the way, this is a secret, but I'm actually serializing a novel."

"Really? You must be popular."

"But the views aren't that high. I'm doing it to relieve stress, hiding my identity. And the genre is pretty niche."

"Can you at least tell me the genre?"

Kim Sang-hee giggled, drained her glass, and looked at him with slightly glazed eyes.

"What do you think? Guess."

"Since you said you're a bit eccentric, maybe a thriller?"

"Wrong. It's a space opera. A space war story."

"Wow."

Jeong Se-hoon genuinely exclaimed in surprise.

It was an unexpected twist.

"If your fans found out, they'd be shocked."

"It won't happen. I'll never reveal it. Maybe I'll surprise them if I ever make it to Hollywood?"

"You're thinking about Hollywood?"

"Is there a writer who hasn't dreamed of Hollywood at least once? What about you, Se-hoon? Have you ever imagined yourself breaking into Hollywood?"

"No."

It wasn't out of modesty; he had never thought about it once.

His purpose in acting was not for box office success, fame, or money.

His main goal was to capture the world of Rashid, as shown through the camera.

"Start preparing your mind. You're already in the sights."

"I don't know. I want to build more acting experience in Korea first."

"Even if you don't, you should at least start preparing mentally. Who knows? If *Storage Room* sells well overseas, they might request you for a supporting role in a Hollywood mega-blockbuster to target the Korean market."

It wasn't an unrealistic scenario.

The Korean film market is a crucial indicator for global box office success in Hollywood.

If a movie does well in Korea, it's likely to do well worldwide.

They might cast Jeong Se-hoon in a minor supporting role to target the Korean market.

"The script for the next project is all set."

"······!"

At that moment, Jeong Se-hoon felt his heart pounding wildly.

A kitten with its favorite snack in front of it wouldn't be more excited.

"It's just a revised version of an existing one, though."

"Congratulations. Producer Song will be happy too."

"Maybe not."

"Huh?"

"I think we'll have to part ways with Producer Song for a while."

Jeong Se-hoon looked at her in shock, and Kim Sang-hee giggled, finding it amusing.

"Don't look at me like that. We didn't fight. We're still on good terms."

"But part ways...?"

"Just this once."

Jeong Se-hoon recalled how Song Jeong-woo had confidently shown off, assuming he would work with Kim Sang-hee on the next project.

"Producer Song doesn't know yet?"

"I should tell him, but I feel a bit guilty."

"It must be a big shock."

"What can I do? I gave him plenty of hints, but he didn't catch on. Maybe he thought I was just joking?"

"Oh."

Only then did Jeong Se-hoon remember Kim Sang-hee's indifferent attitude whenever Song Jeong-woo brought up the next project.

At the time, he thought she was just teasing him because they were close.

But now, hearing Kim Sang-hee's words, he realized there were deeper implications.

'Writer Kim, why "my next project"? It should be "our next project."'

'Yeah, yeah. Kim Sang-hee's script.'

'What? Why are you dodging the question? Are you seeing another PD behind my back?'

'There's a chance the PD won't get the slot.'

It wasn't just once.

Kim Sang-hee had clearly planned from the beginning not to work with Song Jeong-woo.

"It must be a big shock."

"Who knows? He's not clueless. He might have known all along and was just hoping I'd change my mind."

"Why don't you want to work with Producer Song?"

They didn't fight, and they were still on good terms.

So it wasn't a personal issue.

Was it a scheduling problem?

"Do you remember what I said before? 25 billion won per episode."

"Ah, I remember. You said you'd only work on projects that pay that much."

"But Producer Song can definitely secure that kind of budget."

"He might be able to get the budget, but the production company won't want to use him."

"Why not?"

"This project isn't a good fit for Producer Song. He can't direct this genre. He's never touched it before. Neither have I."

"It's a challenging project for both of you."

"I have to minimize the risk. I have confidence in my script, but I can't fully trust the PD. The network will probably say the same thing. Let's go without Producer Song."

Jeong Se-hoon cooled his rising curiosity with a cold drink.

Bartender Kim Min-seok, sensing his thoughts, quietly filled his glass with a smile.

Kim Sang-hee was now dangling the bait right in front of him.

He couldn't help but laugh at her obvious intentions.

'This level of pandering, it's nothing special...'

In a situation where they had already agreed he would be the lead, this kind of game was unexpected.

As an actor, he was willing to fulfill the writer's artistic sensibilities.

"Producer Song will really be disappointed."

"I can't lower the quality of my work just to be loyal. Of course, he can produce a certain level of quality, but you know my personality, right?"

"You always aim for the best."

"Exactly. I want the best person to bring out the best in my script, whether it's a PD or an actor."

"······."

Even though he wasn't drunk, Kim Sang-hee's voice sounded incredibly sweet.

If this emotion were love, it would be the hottest romance of the century.

Of course, it wasn't love, and Kim Sang-hee wasn't trying to seduce him as a romantic interest.

"Mr. Kim, can I have the one I ordered now?"

"Sure, Ms. Writer."

As if he had been waiting, Kim Min-seok brought out a new bottle.

An expensive whiskey with an unfamiliar name, it looked incredibly expensive at first glance.

"Is this the very expensive drink you mentioned?"

"How much do you think it costs?"

"I have no idea."

Instead of giving the price, Kim Sang-hee smiled and poured the drink into a new glass.

Jeong Se-hoon tried to pour a toast, but she gently refused and poured it herself.

He didn't ask why she was doing this.

There must be a reason.

"Shall we share a glass each? Then how many glasses will we each have?"

"We'll have to see."

"It's delicious. Not too strong."

Clink, they toasted and downed their glasses in one go.

The claim that it wasn't too strong was a lie.

A warm, fiery sensation rose pleasantly from his throat.

But his body, which had been getting stronger day by day, had long lost the sensation of getting drunk.

He was never a light drinker, but his current body refused to get drunk no matter how much he drank.

The remnants left by Hye-seong clearly affected not just his mind but also his body.

One glass, two glasses, three glasses, four glasses...

The drinks kept coming, and at some point, they stopped talking.

Jeong Se-hoon read the burning ambition of an artist in Kim Sang-hee's eyes.

His reflection in her clear retina was like a musician's prized violin or a sculptor's coveted marble.

"Hey, your value has gone up a lot, hasn't it?"

The natural shift to informal speech.

Both knew that once this meeting was over or the alcohol wore off, they would revert to their usual formality.

"Thanks to you, Writer."

"Good, good. As your number one fan, I'm so proud. Well done, well done. Have another drink, quickly."

"Let me pour for you."

More drinks flowed...

"Mr. Kim, how many glasses have we had?"

"Each of us has had 15 glasses. This will be the last one, I think."

"Ha! Then 16 glasses? I'm not sure I can handle more. Let's try, though."

Kim Sang-hee was already drunk, her words and movements slurred.

Jeong Se-hoon held his glass steadily.

Before clinking glasses, he repeated her earlier question.

"Do you know how much this drink costs?"

"Maybe about 1 million won per glass?"

"Does it only cost that much?"

"Is it more expensive?"

"One glass costs 150 million won."

"······."

He didn't know much about drinks, but he knew that price was absurd.

It wasn't really 150 million won per glass; it was probably symbolic or metaphorical.

"One glass costs 150 million won, and you've had 16 glasses, so you've drunk 2.4 billion won, right?"

"We still have one glass left. We need to finish it to make it 16 glasses."

"Drink it, quickly. Cheers."

Just as he was about to clink glasses and down the drink, Kim Sang-hee grabbed his elbow to stop him.

Jeong Se-hoon, with the glass near his mouth, looked at her steadily.

"If you finish this, you'll be in my drama."

Jeong Se-hoon's breathing quickened.

Even if it was a gift whose contents he already knew, the moment of unwrapping was still thrilling.

"You wrap your gifts in such a unique way, Writer."

"Maybe a bit twisted?"

"As an actor, it's actually good. That's how you created a great role like Lee Jin-wook."

After finishing the last drink, Kim Sang-hee, who had been staring at her favorite muse, grinned.

"150 million won per episode, I'll make it happen."

"Of course, with a sister who has a lot of money and writing talent, the price tag is different."