“Huh? The acting academy I…… attended?”
Acting academy?
What does that mean?
I’ve never attended anything like that.
“Yes! I’m really working hard, so next time we meet, let’s definitely meet on a filming set.”
He bowed 90 degrees to me like to a senior and tried to continue on his way.
“Wait a second!”
I hurriedly grabbed him.
“Yes?”
“What’s the name of that acting academy?”
“The academy name?”
He looked at me strangely, as if wondering if I didn’t even know the name of the academy I attended.
“Yes, the academy name.”
“The Pro Actor Academy.”
It was a completely unfamiliar name I’d never heard before, even by chance.
“It’s the one at Apgujeong-dong Exit 7!”
Even though I was saying this much, he didn’t doubt the academy at all.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never attended an acting academy.”
“Huh?”
“Did it really say I attended that academy?”
I asked in case he mistook me for another celebrity, but he was strongly convinced.
“Of course! There’s even a photo hanging in the academy?”
I thought it might be one of those places using a celebrity’s face for advertising.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never attended such an academy. It could be exaggerated advertising, so get a refund—”
“Hahat, no. It’s a place connected to our agency, so nothing like that.”
“Agency?”
Hearing the word agency gave me a chilling feeling.
“I’m an aspiring actor, but I already have an agency.”
He said it proudly, but something felt off. There are plenty of successful celebrities, so why use a rookie like me? It must be someone related to me.
“Agency…… agency? Agency? Ah!”
Pondering it, I suddenly recalled Yongmin, whom I met at the broadcasting station.
“By any chance, have you been to the broadcasting station recently?”
“Uh! How did you know?”
I asked just in case, but sure enough. The people who met Yongmin at the broadcasting station were all aspiring actors like this person.
“Yeah, people don’t change easily.”
I already knew he was that kind of person, but I didn’t expect him to be this unchanged.
“Ah…… no.”
Seeing that I seemed to know, he happily brought up Yongmin’s story.
“Actually, our agency CEO said he was Hyunjae ssi’s manager!”
“Uh……”
What should I say to this person?
Anyway, it’s true Yongmin was my manager, and hanging my face without permission is annoying if for promotion, but I could understand the reason.
But one question arose.
“Yongmin scouts talent without prejudice and brings them into the agency?”
Even if age isn’t important, having people of that age group in front of Yongmin twice didn’t seem like coincidence.
“Be careful.”
“Yes?”
“There might be better agencies, so it would be good to look into it well.”
The only thing I could say to him now was to be careful.
Hearing my words, he made a puzzled expression, but I couldn’t add more and had no choice but to turn away.
***
-Hyunjae, did you attend an acting academy by any chance?
However, the acting academy story grew bigger, and the next day, I got a call from a company employee.
“I’ve never attended an acting academy. You know that. There isn’t even a piano academy in our neighborhood.”
-Right? No, someone commented that you attended an acting academy.
I tried to ignore it, but Yongmin kept bothering me.
“Ah……”
-We don’t care?
“Yes, that’s right, but……”
-But?
When I dragged my words, the employee got serious.
“I think I know who spread that rumor.”
-What? You know who did it?
“Yes.”
-Who? Who is it? What jerk is spreading such a rumor!
“My ex-manager.”
-Ex…… manager? You had an agency before our company?
It was awkward to say I was there, so I hadn’t told the company.
“The CEO got involved in a crime and fled. I wasn’t there long anyway.”
-Whaaat?!
She screamed at the crime story, and my ear hurt, so I pulled the smartphone away.
“Ah, that startled me!”
-Committed a crime and ran away?
“Yes, anyway, that manager seems to be using my name to promote the academy.”
-Haa~ I thought it was probably someone who knows. Do you know the academy name by any chance?
“I do.”
I told the employee the academy name I heard then.
-Got it. For now, the company will first talk about portrait rights infringement, so don’t worry.
“Yes, understood.”
If the tail is long, it gets stepped on; since the company knows, it should be resolved soon, I thought. Up to this point.
***
“Are my eyes wrong?”
“That person…… is he living at this broadcasting station?”
He didn’t show up last week, so I thought I wouldn’t see him, but Yongmin appeared again without fail. And sure enough, in front was a man who looked about 40s.
“What on earth?”
I couldn’t help but be curious why he specifically brings people of that age group.
“Hyung, I’ll go to the waiting room alone. That man in front of that person. Can you watch him?”
There are fans outside, and my face is known, so I might stand out, so I asked Hayoon instead.
“Huh? Me, me?”
“Is it hard?”
“No! I can do it.”
“Something feels off. Thanks, hyung.”
“Don’t worry! Leave this to me and focus on the broadcast!”
Hayoon confidently said to trust him, and I went to the waiting room first.
“Kuaang!”
“Puheup! Hey, stop it.”
This time the concept was vampire, so I got equipped with sharp fangs.
“I really like this.”
It was similar to the teeth I had before, so I liked it a lot.
“Not uncomfortable?”
“A bit uncomfortable, but it reminds me of old times and I like it.”
“Old times?”
“Hahaha, it’s cool.”
I laughed and changed the subject, and fortunately, Yerin didn’t care much and brought up another topic.
“But Hayoon oppa hasn’t been seen since earlier?”
“Ah~ I asked him for something briefly, so he’s away.”
“Really?”
“Noona, I’ll go check the script briefly.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
Even though same MC, waiting rooms are divided by gender, so to check script, I have to move waiting rooms.
“Excuse me~”
“Ah, hello.”
I knocked and entered, and Aina was looking at the script.
“Came to check the script.”
“I was waiting. Shall we start from here?”
Having broadcast together a few times, our chemistry was spot on now. Mostly thanks to Aina’s skill, who has been MC for over a year.
“Good work~”
“Good work. But…… today’s concept is vampire?”
“Uh? How did you know?”
I hadn’t done makeup yet, but Aina guessed my concept right away.
“Fangs……”
“Ah.”
I forgot to remove the fake fangs I tried on earlier.
“Th-this, I tried it once, but the reading time came……”
“It suits you well.”
“Ah, thank you.”
It was so embarrassing. No wonder she kept looking at my face earlier; it was because of this.
“Ah, and this, I made it at home, eat it.”
She took out prettily wrapped cookies from her bag.
“Uh? For me?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! I’ll eat well!”
I received cookies from Aina and left her waiting room.
“Oh~ Cookies.”
I was craving sweet snacks, so perfect. Couldn’t resist and opened the cookie bag, and inside with pretty cookies was a small note.
“Huh? Note?”
Afraid someone might see the extra gift, I quickly repackaged the cookies and put them in my pocket.
With many sensitive people about male-female relations, I had to be careful not to cause unnecessary talk.
“Hyunjae, you didn’t take your phone?”
As soon as I returned to the waiting room, Yerin called me.
“I left it in the bag. Why? Did Hayoon hyung call?”
Worried something happened while I was away briefly, I hurriedly took out the phone from the bag.
“No, not oppa, but the company wants you to call once?”
“The company?”
“Yes.”
The company rarely looks for me, wondering what it is, I hurriedly called.
-Oh, Hyunjae.
“Yes, you called?”
-Hey, that acting academy you mentioned is a bit weird?
“Weird?”
Wondering what that means, I went to the corner and focused on the call.
-There’s no information at all.
“Huh?”
What does no information mean?
-We’re an actor agency, so we know most acting academies in Seoul? But that one, no matter how much I look, nothing comes up.
“Nothing comes up?”
-Yeah, no matter how much I shake it, not even a phone number comes out, it’s weird.
“Haa……”
Sure enough, that acting academy was fake too.
-This doesn’t seem like something to just pass.
“My ex-manager wasn’t a normal manager.”
-I’ll tell the CEO anyway, and we might have to report it.
It might be better to report to the police. If police investigate, it’ll reveal it’s not a normal acting academy.
-For now, the company will handle this, so don’t worry.
It was hard not to worry with Yongmin bothering me.
“Yes, got it.”
-Anyway, know that.
Right after ending the call with the employee, a call came from Hayoon.
-Hyunjae, this seems like a scam.
And he said what I expected.
“Hyung, where are you?”
-Here at the broadcasting station smoking area, don’t come. I’ll go to the waiting room.
“Got it.”
Hayoon came running breathlessly after hanging up.
“Oppa, why run like that?”
“Ah, no.”
“What on earth did he ask that your expression is like that and you run? Did you ask something weird?”
“Weird what.”
“Hyunjae, wait a sec.”
Hayoon called me to the broadcasting station stairs. He thoroughly checked up and down for anyone.
“That manager you mentioned…… seems like a scammer.”
“I already expected.”
“Expected?”
“Yes, the person in front is an aspiring actor?”
“Yeah! How did you know?”
When I said what he was supposed to say first, Hayoon couldn’t close his mouth.
“Tell me in detail.”
“The two were talking, then your ex-manager left first, and the aspiring actor went to the smoking area and made a call.”
“What did he say?”
“Something about his dream and getting angry why can’t invest even that much?”
He set up a sham agency and was sucking money from aspiring actors.
Not smart ones with other options, but desperate ones with nowhere to go.
“In the end, money again.”
I learned about capitalism living as a human, but this still doesn’t make sense.
Framing, betraying…… even killing people because of money.
“Seemed like asking to register for some acting academy, and the academy fee was quite expensive.”
“How much?”
“6 million won per month.”
“6 million won? Not 600 thousand, 6 million?”
“Yeah.”
I doubted my ears briefly, but it was 6 million won.
“This, just three months is 18 million won.”
Complete thief.
Not even properly registered academy, charging 6 million per month, clear scam.
“Wow~ Really trying to squeeze it out.”
“Should we report to police?”
“People who use others’ dreams should be punished.”
So he can’t scam again, give proper punishment.