PAYBACK BOOK 2.

Chapter 1.2

Today is the weekend, and there are no classes, but I still went to the company as usual, even though I left because my manager wanted me to check the daily filming schedule. We were discussing the performance, but I felt that if I stayed alone, my thoughts would become so chaotic and confusing that I would lose my mind. 

 

The main thing cluttering my head was the matter of Myungshin's sponsor, whom I had only briefly encountered. Just seeing his face gave me a bad feeling, like a nightmare seeing Myungshin, the one I intend to get revenge on, entangled like vines behind me. A whole bunch of Myungshin followed, and as I tried to shake off these thoughts and opened the office door, a familiar scene I hadn't seen in a long time awaited me.

 

"Ah, manager, what if I'm shaking in front of the camera? Or, like, what if I'm perfectly fine, and it still comes out looking like the director doesn't want?"

 

He was rambling on about the most pointless anxieties in the world, and when someone started listening, it just got out of hand.

 

"It's alright! You look so much like an idiot in front of the camera! If anyone in the world can act more like you, tell them to come out!" The manager gave a thumbs-up, completely turning his actor into an idiot. Han-Soo then grinned widely, as if accepting the greatest compliment he'd ever received.

 

"See? I'm the best at acting like an idiot in front of the camera! Haha, that's it, I can do it!" Han-Soo clenched both fists before his manager patted him on the shoulder as if pleased.

 

"Then no idiot can compare to you."

 

The manager was right. While deciding that no idiot could compare to those two, a thought suddenly crossed my mind: what if it were the photographer and the boss? It would be difficult for me to rank these two, to decide who is superior or inferior. But as soon as I realised I was acting like an idiot for thinking like that, I stopped thinking about it. I was afraid of picking up that boisterous habit, so I sat down opposite him. I don't know if it was by coincidence, but I suddenly thought of the photographer, a tough competitor to rank. That's why the call went in, and it happened to be the manager's. The manager, who was busy greeting me, answered the phone cheerfully without checking the caller ID first.

 

"Yes, this is Choi Deuk-pal from Dream Entertainment...Gasp! Photographer P!"

 

The manager took a deep breath, his face turning pale with fear. Then he quickly lowered his voice to a low whisper.

 

"...What's the matter? My Taemin, huh?" The manager glanced at me briefly before getting up from his seat and whispering something to someone further away.

 

"Ahem, didn't I tell you before that Taemin isn't in Korea?... Ah, right, he went to the Amazon. Amazon, a place with all sorts of insects."

 

The kind of thing that would make any photographer cringe. Like, the world's biggest snake teaming up with a crocodile for a walk in the forest. So forget about it... Hmm, when did he arrive?" The manager glanced at me again, then walked to the corner of the room, burying his head against the wall before muttering softly.

 

"I didn't know. I heard your friend was sick... What? You're asking if I'm telling the truth, right? Of course I am! If I were lying, I'd change my name from Choi Deuk-pal to...Woosung... Ah, seriously? But why do they keep using the same one?"

 

He wasn't just making things up because he wanted to change his name, was he? I stared at the manager in surprise before his eyes suddenly widened.

 

"...What?! You said you were going to shoot for an Amazon magazine?! And since you're going anyway, you're going to find Taemin and take nude photos there?!" The manager, who had been yelling in the corner of the room, fell silent for a while before making a firm decision.

 

"Shoot me! I'll take my clothes off myself! I'll show everything, no holding back! Take me there, don't be shy... Hmm, Photographer P... Photographer P!" The other person seemed to have hung up, so the manager, who was shouting for Photographer P, turned around and said something to us, who had fallen silent.

 

"Haha, that's a trivial matter."

 

He turned around, standing perfectly straight, his face filled with unwavering determination that he had to take a nude photograph. And for sure, I'm still here in the Amazon. There was nothing to say to him. By the way, where is that country called Amazon? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before. 

 

Before the manager could change the subject, he asked, "By the way, you must have been really tired yesterday. Aren't you feeling exhausted?" When I replied, "It's alright," Han-Soo, who was sitting next to me, chimed in.

 

"Oh, have you heard the news? Apparently, the company will also support our allowance. It seems like we won't have to camp overnight anymore! Hehe."

 

"Allowance and dental fees?" I looked at the manager, wondering what he meant.

 

"Ah, about that... I'm sorry, I should have told you beforehand, but I decided on a whim."

 

"So what's the matter, sir?"

 

Even though I asked the question, the boisterous manager just started rambling about something else instead.

 

"I really never imagined the company would support this. When I was suddenly contacted in the early hours of the morning, I was completely bewildered. My eyes are popping out! This means the company must have overvalued you and Han-Soo, right? Wahahaha!"

 

“…"

 

"Hmm, what did you ask?"

 

After silently pressuring him with a disapproving look, the manager finally explained everything in detail.

 

"Actually, I casually mentioned to my boss, Park, after I got selected for the film shoot, asking if I could still be on set even though I had small roles, since I didn't have any other schedules – basically, I could take over my classes. But I didn't expect it to be resolved so quickly. I actually thought even if it were approved, it would take about three or four days. Of course, I didn't expect anything, but then he suddenly contacted me in the early hours of this morning, saying the company would provide the allowance, so I could participate in the film shoot as much as I wanted!

 

I asked the boisterous manager again, this time with composure.

 

"You know, our scene was only three or four minutes long, right?"

 

".."

 

Seeing the manager biting his lip tightly, one could roughly guess the situation. Perhaps he'd boasted a lot to get approval, and probably exaggerated it so. But no matter how much he bragged, the company wasn't stupid and wouldn't believe everything he said, unless someone ordered him to support it—whether that person was Director Yoon or another Director Yoon.

 

I remember the day I put on the mascot mask to expose that guy's identity. Did that lunatic really do that to help me? I still don't understand. His promise, the look of delight in his eyes when he heard my voice, and that unceasing smile, as if he'd just caught his prey- even if he said he'd show me kindness a hundred times and pay me back for deceiving me, it still wouldn't suit him. Because he didn't seem like the type of person who would let personal feelings interfere with group work, or perhaps he was so in love with me that he would do that. But it didn't make sense.

 

It makes sense. There's no way he'd fallen in love with me at first sight during an argument over a single cigarette, only to settle it on the rooftop later. After thinking for a while, I heard the manager explain, sounding a little dejected.

 

"First of all, even though it's a short scene, if you really help out on set, you might get in, right? If the actor doesn't show up when the time comes, you might get forced into it. The script goes in, and then you get a little more screen time. Movies are different from TV dramas in that the range of variations during filming is much wider..."

 

The manager spoke in a low voice, then glanced at me briefly. Beside him was Han-Soo, watching with an equally tense expression. The atmosphere was as if he were asking for my permission, so I didn't dare tell him to go back and report the matter properly to Chief Park.

 

"...Let's go."

 

As soon as that one sentence was spoken, both of them clenched their fists and fidgeted like children, wondering whether it would be best to leave now. I then recalled the manager's words that had bothered him.

 

"You said you were going to help out on the film set, seriously, right?"

 

"Uh... um... about that..."

 

I watched the manager, who turned back to speaking in a hushed tone, his eyes fixed on me, before he finally spoke frankly and openly.

 

"Did you hear what PD Song said? This movie is practically an indie film, so it'll probably need a lot of help and props. Of course, we have people to help, but we'll probably need more workers. So..."

 

After that, he said a few more things, but they were hard to understand and didn't really register with me. He said that if I helped, I might get more lines. There was something like that… Is that happening often? For someone who doesn't know anything about filmmaking, the manager's words sound like nothing more than bragging. They've probably already cast everything and are filming according to the script. Even though I don't entirely believe it, my manager is pushing this project so hard that I had to pretend.

 

He nodded innocently. I don't mind the hardship, because even I, who don't know much, think that if I want to get more familiar with this industry, the experience of carrying equipment on a film set might be just as useful as an acting class. I didn't expect filming to start soon.

 

"Did he say they're going to start filming right now?" Han-Soo asked in surprise when he heard that filming would begin immediately.

 

"Well, actually, we've shot about a third of this film, but we ran out of budget, so we stopped for about a month and just recently started shooting again. That's why we had to hurry and join them because we didn't know when they would stop filming again."

 

After demonstrating his managerial calculations for the first time, he added another point to support his claim.

 

"Then Chief Park told us to start filming immediately, according to the company's sponsorship terms."

 

"You mean Chief Park?"

 

When I asked him about it, the manager tilted his head as if he didn't understand.

 

"Hmm, and he specifically emphasised that I must take you with me, Taemin."

 

Suddenly, several scenes flashed through my mind at once: the chairman I met yesterday and the advice from the maze club manager. Lich told me not to go there for a while. Ah, so that's why. Director Yoon, or that lunatic, must have intended for me to hide. Knowing this makes me feel strangely uneasy. He really did help me, didn't he?

 

Then I thought again about the problem that had been nagging me all night. Chairman Kim, Myungshin's sponsor, might be the real danger. Even that crazy guy was trying not to reveal my identity, which only made me more curious. Luckily, someone nearby seemed to know a little about Chairman Kim. 

 

After Han-Soo packed up and went home, I was able to speak to the manager, who was now the only one left.

 

"Manager"

 

I took advantage of the moment when he finished his phone calls and fell silent for a moment. He, who had just finished arranging the model reservation, looked up in a good mood.

 

"Hmm."

 

"Didn't you say before that if you're looking for a sponsor, you have to be prepared and not overthink the possibility of a seventy-year-old man performing oral sex on you?" 

 

The manager's hand, which was jotting down model information in his notebook, froze in mid-air.

 

"...But why?"

 

"Are you talking about Myungshin?"

 

He placed the free ballpoint pen he'd gotten from the street on the table with a click.

 

"Why are you asking about that?"

 

"Do you happen to know Chairman Kim, the one who sponsors Myungshin?" As soon as Chairman Kim's name was mentioned, his eyes became serious.

 

"Don't you dare mess with that old man!"

 

I responded to his firm warning jokingly. "Didn't you tell Director Yoon not to get involved?"

 

"No, Director Yoon is a different matter. I said that because Director Yoon is very decisive. If you get on his nerves, you can expect to be kicked out of the company."

 

He shook his head and added quickly, "But with Chairman Kim, it's not for that reason. That old man is a completely different story..."  He cut short the conversation, bit his lower lip once, and looked straight at me.

 

"That old man isn't human. He's not a man."

 

I know because Chairman Kim didn't look human from the moment I first saw him. He's the kind of person who, the older he gets, becomes a venomous snake filled with greed and selfishness.

 

"No, Taemin. If you want revenge on Myungshin, deal with Myungshin alone. Just focus on being a good actor, act confident, and that's it. Isn't it enough to trample Myungshin into the ground? Hmph. But not Chairman Kim. Don't get yourself into trouble with that old man."

 

His last words were laced with fear. "It's like the manager must have caught Chairman Kim's eye and gotten into trouble because of it."

 

"..."

 

A long silence passed, but the manager's mouth remained tightly shut. I grinned and couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

 

"Am I right?"

 

"Taemin"

 

"I'm asking, am I right?"

 

Seeing that he still wouldn't answer, I became suspicious that there was something more to it. I gradually brought up a topic that I would have blurted out in the past. I went without hesitation.

 

"Did he actually come to your house?"

 

I gazed at the other person's wide eyes, the corner of my mouth curving even more.

 

"He probably walked into the house wearing shoes, grabbed your wife and child, and then pulled out a knife in front of the manager, right? Then you saw your child. Tears streamed down her face, and she kept calling out for her father in terror. I would probably tell her that I would do anything..."

 

"...That's enough."

 

The manager stammered out a word, his face pale. An image of someone flashed through his mind for a moment, but I quickly dismissed it. In fact, that method has always been very effective.

 

"Is that why you didn't try to get revenge even though Myungshin manipulated you like that?" 

 

Although I didn't hear the answer, I knew it immediately from the manager's trembling eyes. Why was Myungshin so brazen and free to act as he pleased? I didn't understand. Myungshin had experienced failure and been an unknown before, far too much for him to act so naively. But perhaps the reason was that he relied on the power of someone so terrifying that no matter how despicable his actions, those targeted wouldn't dare object. 

 

Suddenly, my curiosity arose. How did Myungshin manage to capture Chairman Kim? He couldn't have approached him in a normal way. I looked at the manager and asked sharply.

 

"Myungshin didn't just use his mouth on the seventy-year-old man's penis, did he? What did he do? Wasn't he doing something to please Chairman Kim?"

 

I urged the manager, who swallowed hard and looked wide-eyed with alarm.

 

"Did he play a perverted role with that old man?"

 

"Taemin"

 

"I need to know just how ruthless he is to know how to avoid him," I said. The manager frowned, seemingly pondering my words for a moment, before speaking with difficulty.

 

"Chairman Kim...wasn't originally well-known in the entertainment industry. He had never sponsored any celebrities before, but Myungshin met him at a gathering...A secret one."

 

"What kind of gathering is this?"

 

He hesitated again before uttering a short English word with a sigh, but it was a word I didn't recognise. When I asked what it meant, this time...Even though I heard words I knew.

 

"Chill out"

 

"...."

 

"Chairman Kim's preference... is to be a spectator. The more he sees people being beaten to death, bleeding, and then raped, the happier he becomes. He enjoys watching it."

 

"In that case... Dagan's cock' will be hard."

 

Even after the manager gave me the explanations with difficulty, I still didn't understand some things. Myungshin is a star; he has to avoid facial scars, and besides, you can't just get a tattoo without permission because your body is property, but if you're beaten to a pulp and covered in blood, it will definitely leave a scar.

 

Suddenly, everything became clear to me, and I realised that what the manager had said was true from the beginning. Myungshin had used his mouth on the old man's genitals. Not only was he seventy years old, but he also acted as a pimp, finding men to be raped and providing the stimulants that the old man desired to make his genitals erect. The faces of the blond-haired person and the kind-faced person flashed through my mind. So that's it. I mistakenly thought it was a childish, elementary school-level fantasy.

 

Creating subordinates under one's command is one thing, but it's not like that at all. Finding someone to play the role of the victim is already difficult. Even if you paid a prostitute and ordered them to do it, it probably wouldn't be as exciting, because anything that's a performance will eventually be revealed. What if there were a group of men who were willing to offer their bodies to satisfy men without hesitation, even going so far as to satisfy them in terms of physical appearance? If that were the role. The reward would leave no lingering feelings, and it would be a world so breathtaking that Chairman Kim wouldn't be able to put it down. 

 

Myungshin, who provided new forms of entertainment, was like a priceless treasure, incomparable to anything else. Treasure, huh... Myungshin, you're a bastard. In the end, you're just a filthy pimp, aren't you?

 

"Myungshin wasn't like that before."

 

I rolled my cold eyes at the faint sigh of my manager before he met my gaze and made excuses for Myungshin.

 

"He's not the kind of kid who would do something that violent... but he keeps getting his role stolen, and false rumours are spreading from the actor's agency. It showed rivals trying to sabotage him, and he was then shunned by the media a few times. As that situation dragged on, the kid began to harbour resentment. It was my fault for not being there for him."

 

"People don't change."

 

As I interrupted, the manager glanced up at my absentminded gaze. I gave him another wry smile, and, strangely, I kept smiling.

 

"That was his true nature from the start."

 

Because of his selfishness in telling the perpetrator to use a knife to kill someone in his place, and because of his heart lacking the conscience to report to the police from the start, Myungshin hasn't changed at all. He's still self-centred, indifferent to who gets stabbed or who truly rises to prominence. Just like I haven't changed either. But guilt still shines in the manager's eyes. People are truly amazing. The size of the vessel that holds guilt varies from person to person, doesn't it…?

 

"Can you tell me if all celebrities have sponsors?"

 

"That's not it..."

 

"Or do you need money to be successful?" I asked the silent manager one last question. "Are there any other sponsors like Chairman Kim?"

 

"...do not have"

 

"Then just let it go. Myungshin chose the fastest but worst path himself. He did it because he wanted to," I said, feeling awkward warning someone much older than me, especially when he didn't get angry at all. The manager was Someone who knows how to listen to others and then reflect on themselves. Wouldn't Myungshin ever feel uncomfortable with his manager in the same way I do?

 

"The reason the manager didn't warn me about Chairman Kim is that he suspects I'm planning revenge, right?"

 

I must have guessed correctly, because he nodded, maintaining a heavy silence.

 

"Yes, and I believe that as you continue working, your goals will change, because most people choose to develop and improve themselves to a higher level."

 

Instead of seeking revenge, he automatically postponed it. Sigh. But now I'm starting to get a little scared. I feel like you're so obsessed with revenge that you're neglecting yourself."

 

A look of sadness appeared in the manager's eyes.

 

"That's probably what you're thinking now, isn't it? But anything can happen; who knows? Don't jump to conclusions about the future. And also..."

 

The manager paused before emphasising again.

 

"Don't you dare mess with that old man. Never, ever confront him."

 

"It's too late."

 

Suddenly, the manager's eyes widened as if they were about to bulge out. He looked like he had stopped breathing, and then he stammered out to me,

 

"So...you've met already? You've met Chairman Kim?" I was worried that if this continued, the manager would have a heart attack, so I replied softly. "I've only passed by him briefly."

 

Moreover, I wasn't someone he should have threatened. I swallowed the last sentence, but the manager's anxiety didn't lessen.

 

"Don't tell me you accidentally made eye contact. You didn't hear anything strange, did you?" When I lied and said "No," the manager sighed.

 

"Chairman Kim dislikes being stared at directly, considering it inappropriate. Even if he slightly offends or displeases someone, it's not a big deal. Whatever it is, he'll do anything to make that person kneel and beg him. He's a very difficult person to please. Come to think of it, Myungshin is..."

 

The manager shook his head.

 

"How can he be so comfortable sitting next to that old man?"

 

Myungshin is also eyeing Director Yoon. I thought to myself, and suddenly a question arose in my mind: Does Chairman Kim know that Myungshin is plotting to capture Director Yoon? Because he considers Myungshin more of a partner than a lover, and a crucial partner at that, who is willing to use his mouth and provide offerings to intimidate him. Therefore, he might think that if Myungshin expands his power with Director Yoon's support, it would be easier to provide offerings.

 

Did that lunatic know all of this already? If he did, Director Yoon would hate Chairman Kim to the core, wouldn't he? Because for that lunatic, the sacrifices that satisfy Chairman Kim’s lust are the actors who are the company's assets. That's why he's trying to overthrow Chairman Kim and destroy Myungshin at the same time. Isn't that why he willingly helped me when we first met?

 

I feel like the situation is starting to resolve itself and I'm beginning to understand things better, but the strange thing is Myungshin... he thinks Director Yoon, or that lunatic, won't find out. Is he trying to seduce him or something? From the company board's perspective, they'd definitely refuse. Even so, Myungshin is still trying to tempt him. What a foolish thing to do, so unlike him.

 

"Why is Myungshin so determined to get close to Director Yoon?"

 

"Hmm, it's because of that drama I mentioned earlier. Our company holds the copyright, so he's determined to get the role...To Director Yoon, there's no way he wouldn't know who Myungshin's sponsor is. And he should also know that Myungshin is manipulating the trainees." 

 

The manager's face tensed when he heard the words 'what he's manipulating.' It was clear now. The matter of Myungshin handing over aspiring stars as tools, victims of rape.

 

"Myungshin probably thinks that Director Yoon definitely knows something about him. If that's the case, isn't it even stranger that he would stubbornly approach Director Yoon, who hates him? What's the point of doing it so openly? There's no hope anyway."

 

"He didn't see it as... hopeless."

 

I stared at him, my eyes pleading for further explanation. The manager paused reluctantly before speaking with difficulty.

 

"I don't know the details, but I heard from rumours that the president of Dream is considering Director Yoon as the next president because Director Yoon is someone who got on the company board purely through his own abilities. It's rumoured that the chairman is very fond of him, ever since he was at the branch in America. As soon as he returned to Korea, he was appointed Director. Even though Director Yoon is ambitious, the problem is that the chairman's power alone isn't enough to propel him forward. Moreover, some shareholders vehemently oppose the chairman, and recently, another person even sided with them." I felt like I didn't even need to be told who it was. That person is Chairman Kim, who recently opened up the world of entertainment.

 

"I heard that Chairman Kim bought up a huge amount of shares. As for Director Yoon, even though he's not thinking about taking the chairmanship right now, he will one day."

 

"Is it Chairman Kim's power? Anyway, besides the Dream chairman, no one else is pushing Director Yoon. A few shareholders hate Director Yoon. That's why Myungshin is targeting Director Yoon. Because even if he rejects Myungshin now, one day he'll realise the truth and accept Myungshin anyway. And soon, that acceptance will move from Myungshin to accepting Chairman Kim."

 

Shareholder? Suddenly, I remembered the time that the crazy guy first introduced himself as a shareholder of Dream.

 

"With just the shares Director Yoon owns, it seems there's no hope at all."

 

"Hmm, I think so. I don't seem to see Director Yoon on the list of major shareholders either." 

 

Oh, I felt like something was strange. I squinted and tried to think, almost remembering something, but then an idea flashed through my mind. That guy- he first introduced himself as a major shareholder, and then there was what Alice's boss said...

 

"Sigh, Song Yoo-han's sponsor is Chairman Kim Hyeong-chul, but yours is even better... Oh, right! Jay! Jay's here!" 

 

If even the boss of Alice is recommending him so openly, it means he's a contender who can hold his own against Chairman Kim to some extent, right? But he's not here. What does this list of major shareholders mean? I probably frowned in confusion when the manager asked, "Why are you like that?" I glanced up, bewildered.

 

"The most powerful person in the cream industry- no, should I call them shareholders? Who holds the most shares in the cream industry?" However, the manager's answer was rather strange.

 

"Ah, it's not a person, but a fraudulent company."

 

"A company, you mean?"

 

"Hmm, so if we consider individuals, the major shareholder of that company would also be the major shareholder of Cream." 

 

How complicated and convoluted this is! While I was muttering to myself, I heard the manager casually add something.

 

"Wait a minute, if that's the major shareholder of the company, then it must be the chairman who stepped down from his current position, right? I heard that not too long ago."

 

He's already arranged the inheritance... well, even if he did that, the Han family, as the direct heirs, would still inherit it anyway."

 

Huh...the Han family, huh?