Chapter 8

Chapter 8

[Anger management disorder...?]

[※Actual Situation※]

“You fucking bastard!”

He reflexively grabbed his phone and pulled up the live comments.

At least they were flying by quickly.

-LMAO he’s actually funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Never thought I’d hear Park Songhu say something like that

-I’m dyingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Isn’t this scripted too?

-No, even if it IS scripted, the fact that Park Songhu agreed to say that is crazierㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-For reference, you can’t script shit like that

└Then that means it was pure Park Songhu ad-lib?

The crease between Park Songhu’s brows slowly began to smooth out.

‘...What?’

Unexpectedly, the comments weren’t flowing in a bad direction.

[I know exactly how to cure that illness. It’ll disappear the moment this hyung stands in front of you.]

[Want to test it?]

[I-I can manage my anger just fine! Very well, sir!]

Along with that desperate answer, Park Songmin assumed the most defensive posture he could.

Just like he had done in front of Park Songhu.

Park Songhu flared up again.

“Knock it off already, you fucking bastard!”

Why are you acting like such a loser while pretending to be me?!

He had asked him to go on a variety show in his place, not destroy his image.

Park Songhu’s neck flushed bright red with anger, the color rising all the way to his face.

Then the screen cut to the panelists clutching their stomachs in laughter.

‘...What?’

The comment section became even more active.

-Wow this episode is legendaryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-What’s with Park Songhu’s variety sense?

-And him covering his face with both arms was cute as hellㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Fr crazy cute

-Never imagined Park Songhu could play along like that

-I came in to complain that he only took a one-year hiatus and what the hell is happening right now?

‘...Why do they like this so much?’

Confused, Park Songhu picked up his phone.

He called Park Songmin, but...

[The phone you have called is turned off. After the beep, you may leave a voicemail...]

All he got was an electronic female voice.

He already turned the damn phone off.

It wasn’t like Park Songhu was going to yell at him. He just wanted to ask what the hell he had been thinking when he did that.

‘Ah, so this is why he ran away.’

Only then did he realize.

-Didn’t Park Songhu normally do nothing but reactions when he went on variety shows?

-Is this actually the same person?

-Did he decide to change during his hiatus?

-His mental is strong

-You can really tell Park Songhu decided to change during his hiatusㅠㅠ maybe that’s why I kind of feel bad for himㅠㅠㅠ

-Considering his old image, imagine how hard he must’ve worked to go this far...

-He came prepared fr

-Wasn’t he always just a face merchant?

[Pfft!]

The scene of Park Songmin covering his mouth as he laughed.

That surprised Park Songhu again.

The smile in his eyes when he covered his mouth, even the shape of his hand—it was completely identical to him.

So identical that even Park Songhu himself couldn’t tell the difference.

Twins weren’t identical in every respect.

Which meant he had been acting as Park Songhu.

‘Does this guy actually have talent for acting?’

At first, Park Songhu had dismissed it as luck, but now he genuinely wasn’t sure.

Evidence was piling up one piece at a time.

-What’s with that eye-smile

-Insanely handsome

-Hate the sin, not the face...

-Park Songhu’s smile has always been stupidly pretty

“...”

Weren’t you bastards saying his smile looked fake before?

The chat kept pouring in.

-Maybe it’s because he’s handsome but every word he says lands

-Tbf when you’re handsome anything you say is funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Park Songhu hard-carrying 인정ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-The banter is fucking hilarious

-He’s acting innocent like that on purpose. Don’t you guys know his personality is actually trash?

└Yeah our Songhu can’t act^^

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Am I the only one disgusted by him shamelessly trying to come back like this?

└Yep just you

└It’s actually funnier because he’s owning it like this?

And then.

-Wow what is this live viewer count? insane

It was the highest live-streaming number among recent episodes of <​Our Hospital>.

[Ah, right. Songhu. We ran into each other once before, remember?]

Ah, that day.

He remembered.

The MC had been energetic in front of the cameras, but once they were in the waiting room, he had seemed drained.

So Park Songhu had told Yonggi to bring him the doughnuts he supposedly liked...

[...I’m sorry about that day.]

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

[...I should’ve given you a bigger doughnut.]

“Is he insane, seriously.”

Park Songhu hurriedly looked at the screen.

-He’s insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-A bigger doughnutㅋㅋㅋ큐ㅠ

-His sense is fucking crazy

-Wow but Park Songhu is unexpected. He even gives people doughnuts

-Right? Guess there’s another side of him we don’t see on TV

-Tsundere

-Stop the bullshit and go watch the video of Park Songhu cursing again

-Maybe even that had some story behind it we don’t know?

“...”

It turns into this too?

***

Paju, Gyeonggi Province, filming set for the drama <​Hwain>.

A crime thriller airing Fridays and Saturdays.

Number one in its time slot for five consecutive weeks.

These days, practically everyone was talking about <​Hwain>.

“All right, that’s a wrap for today! Great work, everyone!”

As filming for the last scene ended, applause broke out all across the set.

Actors dropped into chairs one after another and gulped down bottled water.

“Hold on, everyone stay a little longer.”

Since filming was over, the atmosphere was relaxed.

Three or four lead actors, the assistant director, and the script supervisor gathered in a semicircle around the monitor.

“As you all know, we’re about to film the final episode.”

The PD pulled a memo sheet tucked between the pages of his script.

“There’s an interrogation-room scene right before the ending of the final episode. You all remember the corpse found in a hood on that rainy day in episode one, right?”

The actors nodded.

That incident was the central axis running through the entire story.

“The person everyone thought was dead is sitting right there in the interrogation room. Only two or three lines of dialogue.”

The PD tapped the memo sheet with his pen.

“We need a face with overwhelming presence.”

The actors murmured.

“Visual impact?”

“Then, well... obviously.”

One supporting actor spoke first.

“If we’re talking purely about the face, isn’t Park Songhu the obvious choice?”

The atmosphere around them turned slightly strange.

Everyone had been thinking of that name, but no one had wanted to be the first to say it.

“Honestly, purely in terms of visuals, there’s no argument.”

Another actor chimed in.

“He definitely has the kind of face where just sitting in an interrogation room would blow up the screen, but...”

His words trailed off.

Everyone knew what came next.

“But still...”

The assistant director carefully cut in.

“His image. <​Hwain> is doing so well right now. If we bring in a controversial actor for the last episode and it becomes a blemish...”

The PD crossed his arms too.

“That’s the problem. If viewer reactions turn into ‘Why did they put that guy in?’ it’ll muddy the ending of the whole drama.”

“And his acting is a little...”

Someone added quietly.

The part everyone knew but no one wanted to say outright.

Park Songhu’s terrible acting was already infamous in the industry.

Even if he only had two or three lines, Park Songhu had a talent for making even those two or three lines stick out awkwardly.

“...Tch, I guess so.”

The PD nodded and was about to draw an X over the name on the memo.

“Pfft.”

A low laugh slipped out from somewhere.

“...?”

Everyone looked over.

A person sat in a folding chair in one corner of the set.

Yoo Yeonjae, the lead actor of <​Hwain>.

One earbud was still in his ear, and the corner of his mouth was raised.

“Yeonjae, what are you watching?”

Yoo Yeonjae removed the earbud and looked up.

“Ah, this.”

He tilted up his phone screen.

It was a clip from <​Our Hospital>.

“Yesterday’s episode aired, and clips just keep getting uploaded.”

The assistant director pulled out his own phone and checked.

“...Oh, seriously. ‘Park Songhu Our Hospital,’ ‘Park Songhu self-deprecating humor,’ ‘Park Songhu variety sense’—they’re all up.”

“I heard the ratings hit twelve percent.”

Another actor joined in.

“Highest this quarter, apparently.”

The PD uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin.

“...Twelve percent?”

“Yeah, there are even articles calling it the Park Songhu effect.”

Yoo Yeonjae stepped over and played another clip.

[I-I can manage my anger just fine! Very well, sir!]

[Puhahah, see? His illness was cured instantly!]

“Pfft!”

The assistant director cracked first.

One actor followed with a snicker.

Even the PD bit his lip, but laughter eventually escaped through his nose.

“Hey, is that seriously Park Songhu?”

“Guess this is what people mean when they say he’s really changed.”

Yoo Yeonjae picked up his phone and scrolled through the reactions.

“People are responding pretty well too.”

The script supervisor cautiously added.

“By the way, that interview video is getting attention too. The one from <​Scene & Cut>. The clip where he tears up at the end is circulating.”

The PD turned his head.

“...Tears?”

“Yes. People are saying that considering Park Songhu’s acting ability, there’s no way he could produce tears that naturally, so it must’ve been sincere...”

Someone snickered.

The irony that his terrible acting had become proof of his sincerity.

The PD pulled out his own phone and began searching.

For a while, he scrolled through articles and reactions.

“...”

The silence stretched.

The actors waited, watching his expression.

“The buzz is definitely there.”

He rubbed his chin once more.

“There’s obviously risk. But honestly, it’s one cameo scene. Right before the final ending, one overwhelmingly striking face could completely determine the aftertaste of the drama. And at this particular timing...”

The PD looked toward the monitor.

He seemed to be mentally calculating how much time remained before filming the final episode of <​Hwain>.

“I think he might be worth trying.”

Yoo Yeonjae casually added.

The PD looked at him.

If the lead actor was positive about it, there was a good chance the mood on set would follow.

“If that face is sitting in the interrogation room, viewers are going to stop breathing.”

Yoo Yeonjae said it calmly.

As someone himself considered one of the top visuals in the industry, Yoo Yeonjae understood better than anyone the destructive power Park Songhu’s face possessed.

“Good.”

The PD scratched out the X he had started drawing on the memo.

Then he drew a circle in its place.

“Let’s send Park Songhu an offer for the cameo.”

***

I currently fear for my life.

I’m serious.

It had already been three hours since I came into Park Songhu’s apartment, and my phone was still turned off.

Prince syndrome.

I was supposed to say prince syndrome.

How did I forget three lousy syllables?!

“Meow.”

“Louis, save me.”

“Meh...”

‘Ah, seriously, what do I do?’

I got up to grab something to drink from the kitchen.

When I opened the refrigerator, it was packed full.

Bottled water, organic juice, fruit, salad packs, containers of portioned side dishes.

The freezer even had every kind of meal kit stacked inside.

“...”

I almost let all of this go to waste.

Terminally ill Park Songhu would never come back here again.

‘Right. He’ll never come back here.’

Without realizing it, I stood staring blankly with the refrigerator door open for a while.

Eventually, I snapped out of it and pulled out a meal kit.

Korean beef bulgogi.

My eyes nearly popped out when I saw the price printed on the back.

‘Thirty thousand won for one pack?! And what the hell, it expires today?!’

I started cooking immediately.

A little later, the moment I picked up a piece of beef and put it in my mouth!

“This is insane...”

I shuddered.

It felt like my taste buds, pickled from years of cheap and miserable food, were coming back to life.

I piled bulgogi over the rice, then took out a piece of kkakdugi from one of the side-dish containers.

Even the kkakdugi was crunchy, restaurant-quality stuff.

“Meoooow.”

At some point, Louis had appeared at my feet.

He planted his front paws on my knee and stretched his neck toward the table.

His nostrils twitched.

“You eat cat food.”

“Meeeeooow.”

His pitch rose.

Protest level two.

At level three, the hind-leg kick would come out.

I quickly took out one of Louis’s special treats and set it on the floor.

Louis shot me one resentful glare before turning toward the treat.

The sounds of crunching echoed side by side.

After finishing the meal, I was about to wash the dishes... then flopped down onto the living-room sofa.

‘It’s basically my house now anyway, so who cares.’

I opened my laptop.

Now it was time to write.

Figure out the characters’ emotional arcs, plan the plot, polish the dialogue...

‘And sneak in that idea Park Songhu gave me.’

Damn, it was actually good.

Maybe my brother secretly had a talent for web novels.

‘Nah, no way.’

This wasn’t that easy.

He had just thrown out a random idea and happened to hit on one good thing.

“Hoo.”

I stretched deeply.

Louis was curled into a ball on the cushion at the opposite end of the sofa.

He had one paw over his nose as he slept, all soft and round like a loaf of bread.

‘...Peaceful.’

In the middle of writing, I checked my NovelJoA serialization page.

There was a new comment I hadn’t seen before.

Freshly posted.

Excited, I clicked it.

[Turn your damn phone on while I’m asking nicely.]

“Aaaagh!”

‘H-Hyung!’

He was threatening me through the comments because I wasn’t looking at my phone!

I swallowed hard and turned my phone on.

While it was booting up, I figured I might as well check reactions to the <​Our Hospital> episode on my laptop.

This was actually the first time I was properly looking at them.

[Park Songhu Returns With ‘I Manage My Anger Fine’ Self-Deprecating Joke... Viewers Burst Out Laughing]

[The Park Songhu Effect on <​Our Hospital>? Ratings Hit 12%, Highest This Quarter]

I rubbed my eyes and read them again.

Of course, there were plenty of critical reactions too, but considering how far his reputation had fallen, the overall response wasn’t that bad.

‘But...’

Regardless of the reactions, I had a feeling my brother would be furious that I had ruined his image like this.

‘He’s definitely going to kill me.’

I could practically see Park Songhu’s ghostly image rising from the hospital bed with veins bulging at his temples.

‘I’m not turning my phone on after all.’

I changed my mind.

As long as my phone stayed off, my brother’s rage remained in a Schrödinger state.

I pressed and held the power button again.

Rattle, rattle—my leg trembled.

His owner was in this state, while Louis was calmly yawning on the sofa.

“Louis, what am I supposed to say to hyung?”

“Meooow.”

Louis hopped down from the sofa with his tail raised.

He padded across the wooden floor and climbed to the top of the cat tower.

When I checked the clock, it was already ten at night.

‘I’ll turn my phone on tomorrow. I just can’t do it today.’

I could just say I was asleep and didn’t see it.

...Avoidant personality trait!

Click—

Suddenly, I heard the front door lock open.

“...?!?”

My heart dropped.

A thief? A robber?

No, this place had insane security.

Then who?

I instinctively hid behind the cat tower and watched the entrance.

A figure appeared at the end of the hallway.

The face illuminated by the indirect lighting from the living room.

It was my face.

No.

It was Park Songhu.

“I got discharged.”

“?”

The Genius Actor Is Hiding Twins