Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Three sheets of A4 paper lay on the table.

[Park Songhu Character Sheet — Latest Version]

“...What is this.”

“You.”

“What?”

“You as you are now. So, the version of you I’ve been acting as for the past few months.”

Park Songhu picked up the papers.

[1. Seo Dain (8). Sat next to me at the reading. Shared bear gummies. I pushed a bottle of water over to her. She was scared of me at first but is a little less scared now (probably). Please be nice to her.]

[2. Director Jung Jaeseung. If he asks you to show him Taesik, absolutely, absolutely do not. If hyung acts, we’re finished.]

‘...This lunatic.’

[3. Script supervisor. Cried during Scene 34. Don’t know her name. Sorry.]

[4. If they ask why you passed the audition, say, “I analyzed the script thoroughly.”]

[5. Taesik’s hometown: Jeongeup. Ten minutes on foot from the town center. Shack beside a cattle shed. Right knee. Smokes half a cigarette.]

The list kept going underneath.

He had organized nearly every person he had met so far like this.

...Was this another occupational disease from being a writer?

“Why is Dain’s section so long?”

“Because she’s important. Dain thinks I’m scary. So could you... be nice to her.”

“Ah, damn it. I don’t really like noisy kids...”

“Our Dain isn’t noisy!”

“...Since when is she our Dain?”

Park Songhu folded the papers in half and slipped them into his inner pocket.

The dressing-room door opened.

And when Park Songhu came back out... Park Songmin couldn’t hide his admiration.

‘Wow...’

He dressed really well.

It looked like he had styled his own hair too, yet there was no difference from walking straight out of a salon.

Park Songmin found himself staring blankly.

Even the way he stood was different.

His shoulders were open, chin lowered, gaze unwavering.

‘...He really is a celebrity.’

That was what Park Songmin had been imitating for the past few months.

Only now did he realize all he had done was imitate it.

“You’re... not going to get angry, right?”

“I’ll try.”

Park Songmin looked horrified.

“You can’t get into another scandal! And now I’m the one who has to deal with the consequences too!”

Park Songhu grinned and walked toward the entrance.

Halfway through putting on his shoes, he spoke without turning around.

“I know what you’re worried about.”

He hooked a finger behind the heel of his shoe and pulled it into place.

“I’m not going to go there and ruin what you’ve done so far.”

Park Songmin blinked.

Louis followed behind his brother.

“I’ll be back, Louis.”

“...I’m here too?”

Bang!

“...”

Park Songmin stared at the closed door.

Louis came back and sat by his feet.

He said he wouldn’t ruin it.

But I wasn’t sure whether what hyung considered “not ruining it” was the same thing I did.

Hyung didn’t know last week’s Park Songhu.

The Park Songhu who lowered his head in the meeting room, the Park Songhu who couldn’t say a word in front of the water dispenser.

The Park Songhu people knew these days was entirely that person.

‘And I... don’t know hyung either.’

Even after living together for months.

I still didn’t know what kind of person he was outside.

‘If he acts the way he does with me, we’re finished...’

Meanwhile, in the underground parking garage.

Jo Yonggi was waiting in the driver’s seat when he heard the van’s rear door open.

“Hyung, you’re here?”

“Yeah. Where is it today?”

“A Korean beef place in Sangam. Thirty minutes away.”

“Turn down the AC.”

“...What?”

“I’m cold.”

His hand moved on its own.

‘...?’

A sudden chill ran down his spine.

That voice.

The voice that stabbed into the back of his skull.

He hadn’t felt it from Songhu hyung lately, but today was different.

Meaning it had returned.

‘...Well, I have gotten a little lax lately.’

“I’ll do better from now on!”

“Ah, fuck, you startled me.”

Even that interjection had been a long time coming.

Jo Yonggi drove more carefully than usual.

He nearly brought the car to a complete stop over every speed bump.

“...”

Thanks to that, Park Songhu was able to comfortably read the papers Park Songmin had made.

A little later.

A private annex of a Korean beef restaurant in Sangam-dong.

Park Songhu slowed in the hallway outside the room.

Laughter leaked from inside.

Glasses clinking, meat sizzling, laughter.

‘The real me is the one going in.’

So why did it feel this awkward?

In a way, this would be the first time the real Park Songhu appeared in public after his period of reflection.

Was that why?

Or had it simply been too long since he’d been at a gathering like this?

Slide—

The door opened.

Two long tables had been pushed together, with nearly twenty people seated around them.

Park Songhu lowered his head.

Exactly as much as necessary.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Late? You came exactly on time.”

Jung Jaeseung spoke from the head of the table with a soju glass in hand.

Then paused.

‘...Huh?’

Park Songhu stood at the door.

His clothes looked completely different from the shabby outfit he had worn at last week’s reading.

His hair was different too.

But none of that mattered.

Jung Jaeseung was looking at his posture.

The confident stride of someone saying, This is who I am.

‘He left Taesik at home.’

Across the table.

Im Seongjin’s chopsticks stopped in midair.

The person he had seen in the hallway last week had kept his head lowered.

He couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, couldn’t answer properly.

That was why Im Seongjin had kept talking.

Because he had seemed like someone he could.

The Park Songhu standing here now swept his gaze around the room.

Almost like a silent battle of nerves.

And his gaze lingered on Im Seongjin.

‘...What the hell.’

Im Seongjin unconsciously drank some water.

***

“Songhu.”

A voice came from around the middle of the table.

Hwang Jeongbae.

A senior actor who had worked with Park Songhu on a drama several years earlier.

“Ah, sunbae. You look healthier than the last time I saw you.”

“...We saw each other last week.”

‘Fuck.’

Why was this so hard?

“...I mean, even better than then.”

“Haha. Maybe because I haven’t had a drink all week. And you...”

Hwang Jeongbae chose his words, then raised his glass.

“Look good too.”

The eyes he remembered from the old drama set were now sitting across from him.

Eyes that looked directly at people.

Eyes that didn’t move away until the other person did first.

‘That’s back.’

Hwang Jeongbae couldn’t tell whether he was pleased or worried.

“Um, Actor Songhu.”

The script supervisor leaned forward.

“Scene 34 last week... it was seriously so good.”

“...”

Park Songhu did not know Scene 34.

He wasn’t even appearing in this production himself, so there was no chance he had memorized the script.

He had no idea what exactly had been so good that day either.

So he simply said.

“It was nothing.”

“!”

Soft exclamations of admiration escaped around the table.

A few faces practically had As expected of Park Songhu written across them.

“Your acting really did improve.”

“I was genuinely shocked at the reading too.”

“The emotional density in every line...”

‘...What the hell did that bastard do?’

“Since we’re on the subject, may I ask something too?”

It was the adaptation writer.

“Your first line at the reading. ‘Yes.’ I’ve kept wondering how you found that tone. When I wrote that ‘yes,’ I never imagined it sounding like that.”

Everyone turned toward Park Songhu.

Jung Jaeseung was watching him meaningfully too.

Park Songhu thought of the paper inside his jacket and spoke.

“Jeongeup.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Taesik’s hometown. A shack beside a cattle shed, ten minutes on foot from the town center.”

The adaptation writer’s eyes widened.

“The script... doesn’t give him a hometown.”

“So I made one.”

“...”

“If he doesn’t have a hometown, you don’t know why that person is in Seoul.”

Jung Jaeseung asked.

“Why doesn’t Taesik go back home?”

A few days ago in the living room, Park Songhu had asked Park Songmin the exact same question.

His younger brother had answered like it wasn’t even difficult.

“Because if you have somewhere to run to, then you’re not really poor.”

Silence.

The adaptation writer hurriedly began scribbling something on a piece of paper.

“Can you show us once?”

Jung Jaeseung suddenly proposed.

“Taesik. I’m curious how that setting you just described comes out in your acting.”

The production company representative’s expression stiffened.

An eccentric director making his lead actor perform at a cast dinner.

That was Jung Jaeseung.

Park Songhu looked directly at the director.

“I don’t bring Taesik out here.”

“Why not.”

“Because I need to keep the role and myself completely separate. That’s the only way I can act him for a long time.”

Jung Jaeseung’s eyes narrowed.

The assistant director looked back and forth between the director and Park Songhu.

“Hah.”

Jung Jaeseung leaned his head back.

“Right. That’s right. That’s exactly right.”

“...”

“Yes, now this is Park Songhu. How am I supposed to break that stubborn streak?”

Laughter burst out.

The production company representative laughed louder than anyone on purpose, though inwardly he was relieved.

Slide—

The door opened, and a face with twin pigtails peeked inside.

“Hello!”

It was Seo Dain.

Apparently she had come with her mother after finishing academy.

“Hmm...”

Where should she sit?

She was looking around the room from the doorway.

“Dain, come here. Sit next to me.”

Im Seongjin patted the empty spot beside him.

Seo Dain took one step in that direction.

At that moment, Park Songhu slipped a hand into his jacket pocket.

Bear gummies.

He had stopped by a convenience store on the way.

He had no idea what an eight-year-old liked, so he bought exactly what was written on the character sheet.

“Dain.”

Seo Dain stopped and looked over.

“I’m paying you back for what you gave me last time.”

“Wow!”

Seo Dain beamed and ran over.

Her mother hurried after her, bowing and saying, “Oh my, oh my.”

Meanwhile, Im Seongjin wet his lips in disbelief.

‘What is he trying to do? Is he deliberately picking a fight because I told him not to treat Dain that way last time?’

“Um, Songhu oppa.”

Seo Dain stopped struggling with the gummy bag and looked up.

“Your voice is different from last time.”

The soju glass in Park Songhu’s hand tilted slightly.

Because he was caught off guard.

“Last time was Taesik.”

Park Songhu opened the gummy bag for her and continued.

“Right now, I’m me.”

“Ah! Acting!”

“Yeah.”

“But wow...”

Seo Dain’s eyes began sparkling.

“What?”

“You know, you’re really, really handsome. The most handsome person I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“My mom always emphasized inner beauty, but I just realized how insignificant that is...”

Seo Dain’s mother shouted.

“Dain!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

Laughter rose loudly around the room.

Strange.

The atmosphere kept revolving around Park Songhu.

Even though he was an actor with a personality scandal.

Im Seongjin couldn’t understand it at all.

“All right, everyone filled your glasses?”

So he stood.

Holding up his glass, he looked around the room once before fixing his gaze across the table.

“It’s been three years. Let’s get through this one without any incidents.”

His glass rose.

Park Songhu silently raised his as well.

A little later, Im Seongjin leaned toward Dain’s mother.

“Ma’am, when you come to set, make sure you stay close to Dain.”

“Oh, why...?”

“Sets can be rough. Some actors can be pretty harsh.”

He didn’t name anyone.

But Park Songhu tightened his grip around his glass.

Hwang Jeongbae saw that hand and immediately sensed it.

‘Something’s about to happen.’

But Park Songhu drank some water.

Then accepted one of the gummies Dain offered and put it in his mouth.

‘...He’s holding back?’

Hwang Jeongbae’s eyebrows rose.

‘Park Songhu?’

A little after nine, Seo Dain stood up.

She was eight, so it was time for her to head home.

“Goodbye!”

The door closed.

After that, the number of soju bottles gradually grew and the voices became louder.

The production company representative laughed while talking about investors, and the assistant director told a story about being chased by a dog while location scouting.

“Actor Park.”

Im Seongjin called across the table.

Loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“You remember what I told you last week, right?”

Park Songhu raised his head.

“Watching you today, you’re doing well. Taking good care of Dain too.”

“...”

“Just keep doing that.”

The production company representative smiled nervously.

An awkward smile, of course.

Then, clack!

Park Songhu set his glass down loudly.

***

“Sunbae. You said it’s been three years, right?”

“Yes. So?”

“For those three years, the ones who kept this project from collapsing were the director and the production company representative.”

The representative flinched.

“If waiting gives you ownership, then everyone in this room has a stake.”

Im Seongjin opened his mouth, then closed it.

“You interrupted my line during the reading.”

“...”

“And the director told us to keep it as it was.”

Color rose in Im Seongjin’s face.

“Setting an actor’s tone is the director’s job. You say you’re worried about the set, yet you were the first person on this production to do the director’s job for him.”

Jung Jaeseung slowly rolled the glass in his hand.

For now, he didn’t intervene.

“And you told Dain not to search me because she might get shocked.”

“...”

“What do you think a kid who hears that does?”

Im Seongjin couldn’t answer.

“What adult gives an eight-year-old homework like that?”

“...”

“Whatever kind of bastard I am doesn’t matter. But making a kid listen to adults trash another adult is wrong no matter what kind of bastard I am.”

Someone in the room inhaled sharply.

“And what you said to her mother earlier. If you have something to say, say it to me. Don’t use the kid’s mother to talk around me.”

Im Seongjin swallowed.

‘What is this.’

The man from last week and the man sitting here now were completely different.

His speech, expression, and most of all... that sharp atmosphere.

Had last week been acting?

Or was this acting now?

“If you’re worried about the set.”

Park Songhu added one last thing.

“Go tell the director who cast me. If you come to me, that’s backseat directing. I didn’t come here to listen to that.”

Then he raised his glass.

The production company representative reflexively poured soju into the empty cup.

Park Songhu drained it in one shot.

‘Hah. That’s Park Songhu all right.’

‘...That temper’s still exactly the same.’

‘Wow, he really came at him head-on.’

Im Seongjin alone seemed to be breathing different air from everyone else in the room.

Sweat gathered on his back.

If he lowered his head here, it was over.

He drew his final card.

“...Still.”

His voice cracked.

He covered it with a cough and started again.

“What happened last year is still true, isn’t it.”

“...”

“The whole country saw that video. It’s not like I invented something that didn’t happen.”

Park Songhu stayed motionless for a long time.

Then he opened his mouth.

For the first time, the end of his voice fractured.

“That incident back then... do you actually know what the hell happened?”

The Genius Actor Is Hiding Twins