It was two months since our first meeting when I saw Ji Han-ho again.
Specifically, it was the day of the script reading for *The Killing Recipe*.
I was in a rather sensitive state, as there was less than one month left until the premiere of *The Exorcist*. However, I was a professional actor. I couldn’t enter the set with such a gloomy expression.
Perhaps Brother Gido was more worried about my condition than I was, because as soon as he parked the car, he turned around to check on me.
“Yeo-hu, how are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“You’ve had a fever since this morning. I’ll go buy some medicine during the break, so take another dose then.”
“Yes, will do.”
I walked onto the set with a face that looked perfectly fine to anyone watching. As soon as I entered, So Si-in welcomed me with open arms.
“Yeo-hu! Welcome!”
In fact, So Si-in had every reason to be this welcoming. *The Exorcist* was one of the most anticipated projects of the summer, and the response to my acting in the trailers was already quite positive. From her perspective, if *The Exorcist* became a hit, she would have successfully cast an actor with a rookie’s paycheck but the recognition of a star.
Not long after I sat down, Ji Han-ho arrived. As expected, he looked exactly like his usual self, wearing a broad, gentle smile and greeting everyone politely. It could have been awkward, but he had a talent for loosening up the atmosphere by mixing in jokes as soon as he sat down.
Only after finishing his greeting tour of the seniors and juniors did Ji Han-ho come to his seat. He tilted his head slightly toward me and whispered.
“I saw it. The trailer for *The Exorcist*.”
‘He saw that?’
“There was even a solo trailer for the character Jeong Chan-yul.”
“I think they just edited it well.”
“No, they included it because you’re a good actor.”
Even though Ji Han-ho had an affectionate personality, we had never shared a warm conversation. There were usually three types of people he took care of on set: the youngest staff members, supporting actors, and rookie actors.
The way he picked a fight with my acting during the audition could be seen as him failing while trying to act like a senior to a rookie actor.
‘Tsk, tsk. You self-righteous fossil.’
Before my regression, I used to think Ji Han-ho was an actor who was incredibly good at image management. He was as rude as could be to me, a fellow lead actor, but the way he treated people who could generate good rumors about him was so seasoned — !
Regardless, I never once believed his actions came from the heart.
“I’m sorry about the audition.”
“The audition…?”
I asked back with the most innocent expression I could muster. ‘Are you talking about that audition where all I received was your precious guidance?’ — that was the look on my face.
“Since you’re a rookie, I wanted to teach you a bit about acting, so I picked a fight. But what do you know? You were better than me. I realized I had nothing to teach you. It was actually a bit annoying. Please, be a little worse at acting. Let your senior save some face.”
Is this déjà vu? Although the nuance was different, I felt like Choi Geon-hyeong had said something similar. Then again, if I were in their shoes, I would have been suspicious of a guy who had just debuted but was landing roles in every potentially hit drama or movie. Whether to show that suspicion outwardly was a personal choice, though.
“Anyway, I was the one who suspected you for no reason and started trouble, so I felt bad. Do you want to hit me? You can if you want.”
“Pardon?”
“Since I was in the wrong. I’m asking for your forgiveness. I have a reputation as a ‘wholesome rumor generator,’ so I can’t have bad rumors spreading about me.”
Ji Han-ho gave a playful wink. Since I was a rookie, was he trying to be extra nice to me? He was definitely more affectionate than before my regression.
“No, it’s fine. I learned a lot that day as well.”
“Yeo-hu, you really have a great personality. If I were you, I would have smacked a senior like me on the head. Well then, feel free to curse at me behind my back. I’ll let it slide once.”
“Hahaha.”
‘I’m actually going to do that. You old fossil.’
I quickly escaped to the restroom, fearing that if I talked to Ji Han-ho any longer, my internal thoughts might leak out into my speech.
Walking around, I noticed that most of the actors I remembered from the movie had changed. Since the investors and the investment amount had shifted, it seemed the casting for other roles had changed significantly as well. About 90% of the actors were people I was seeing for the first time in this movie, which showed just how much influence Park Min-tae had exerted.
The reading for *The Killing Recipe* proceeded smoothly. Ji Han-ho didn’t try to engage in any unnecessary power struggles, and I didn’t do anything bothersome either. So Si-in kept a smile on her face throughout the entire session.
After the reading, while I was moving to film a promotional video for *The Exorcist*, I received a call from Jeong Yun-woo. Jeong Yun-woo had already started filming the drama *Happy World*, which might air around the same time as the release of *The Killing Recipe*. Unlike *The Killing Recipe*, which took quite some time for casting, *Happy World* finished its casting quickly and proceeded with filming without a hitch.
“Hello.”
[Yeo-hu… Hey, can you talk right now?]
“I can. Aren’t you in the middle of filming? Why the sudden call?”
[Sigh, right. Sorry. I’ll just call you later.]
That’s strange. This wasn’t the usual Jeong Yun-woo.
“What’s wrong with your voice?”
[It’s… nothing. I was just tired and called to get some energy. Hey, I have to go back to filming now. I’ll call you again later.]
Jeong Yun-woo hung up immediately after saying that. Had he ever called me like this during filming before?
After that, Jeong Yun-woo didn’t contact me again. I tried sending him a text, but he ignored it, and he didn’t pick up my calls either.
‘Is this brat serious?’
A few days later, I learned the reason why Jeong Yun-woo had contacted me through a news article.
***
[Rookie Actor A Caught in Verbal Abuse Controversy toward a Civilian, Audio Recording Included…]
[Who Is Rookie Actor A Involved in Profanity Controversy? Currently Filming as a Lead in a Drama…]
[Celebrity Abuse of Power Again? Rookie Actor A’s Drunken Rant at a Bar]
This is driving me crazy.
“Why did this blow up already?”
To be honest, since I had changed my choices this time, I had harbored a tiny bit of hope — maybe 1% — that the controversy might not happen. After all, there’s that thing called the butterfly effect. I thought my actions might lead to a completely unexpected result.
But that hope was crushed all too quickly.
Rookie Actor A, profanity controversy, bar. Considering the phone call I had with Jeong Yun-woo a few days ago, the only actor this controversy could involve at this point was that one person.
Cheong Hwan, a rookie actor appearing as a lead alongside Jeong Yun-woo in *Happy World*. Cheong Hwan was in his early 20s and had gained popularity for his refreshing, angelic image since his debut. For someone like him, a profanity controversy was inevitably fatal.
‘His image was built on being that kind of person, after all.’
Before the regression, I had cut ties with Cheong Hwan as soon as I heard the recording. I wondered if things would be different this time.
After seeing the article, the algorithm immediately showed me news related to Cheong Hwan. It already had 200,000 views… Since there was an audio recording, I figured various broadcasting stations would happily jump on the news. It was the same way before my regression.
“Is that why Jeong Yun-woo called me?”
He probably did it because I was the only friend around he could talk to about the situation. Then he changed his mind, fearing he might make things worse.
By now, filming would have been suspended for quite a while, and Cheong Hwan’s agency would be preparing some kind of response. This controversy originally happened when the drama was nearly finished, so even I was a bit flustered.
When a drama has only recently started filming, the common choice is usually to have the controversial actor drop out of the show entirely. Since the filming for *Happy World* hadn’t even been going on for one month, they would likely hold some meetings, and if the situation grew… it would end with him being kicked off.
“Even so.”
I remembered the stupid response Cheong Hwan’s agency had made.
“Surely they won’t repeat that same mistake, right?”
***
“Claiming the rumors are groundless, threatening to sue… it’s a total mess.”
As soon as the news broke, Cheong Hwan’s agency released a response as if they had been waiting. The problem was that instead of an apology or explanation, it was an official statement saying they would sue anyone posting malicious comments.
They had responded exactly like this before my regression and were torn to shreds with every insult imaginable. Back then, it was near the end of the project, so the set felt like walking on thin ice. Ah, of course, I was the one who made it that way.
“But is this agency seriously insane? How can they respond by saying it’s groundless when there’s an actual audio recording?”
It might be different if there were no recording. Responding like this meant they had no intention of posting an apology letter.
Actually, before my regression, Jeong Yun-woo had tried to persuade Cheong Hwan several times. He told him it would be better to write an apology and ask for forgiveness. Back then, Cheong Hwan had completely ignored Jeong Yun-woo’s advice.
— I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I apologize? And if apologizing would have solved everything, I would have done it already.
I was there at the scene too, but I didn’t try to persuade Cheong Hwan like Jeong Yun-woo did. I didn’t even feel the need to. What was I supposed to say to someone who spoke like that? I didn’t want to waste my energy on someone I’d never have to see in the entertainment industry again, nor did I see any reason to give him helpful advice.
I suppose Jeong Yun-woo and I just had different perspectives back then. The entertainment industry is a business of images, so why try to drag along someone who had already ruined theirs?
“Tsk.”
But the frustrating part now was that I was in a situation where I had to drag that guy along.
‘So, this incident right now… was one of the events that became a fatal cause of my death. Right?’
**[……]**
“Say something. You always run away when I need you. I’m right, aren’t I? This is one of the memories I recovered after losing them when I took that black pill. You said back then that I lost those memories because the shock was too great. Then if I solve this, won’t the probability of my death decrease significantly?”
**[…… It is not an incorrect statement.]**
**[However! Regressor! Even without going through such difficulties, if you just proceed with the Main Quest—!]**
“Yeah, yeah, you can go now.”
Just as the System said, to be honest, it wasn’t that I trusted Cheong Hwan. I was just going to give him a chance. Because back then, on that set, Cheong Hwan definitely wasn’t that much of a rude brat. There was something fishy about how a guy who always greeted the staff so politely became the world’s worst villain in an instant.
‘Well, maybe his true personality just came out because he was drunk.’
But what stuck in my mind was…
— Senior, do you also think I was in the wrong?
That was what Cheong Hwan had said. To Jeong Yun-woo, before the regression.
‘I’m just going to verify the facts. I’m not trying to save some demon. If I do that… I won’t have any regrets. And Jeong Yun-woo will be able to accept it.’
After that, I handled the necessary tasks using the Reverse Shop and the items within it. And then, I was certain. This could be solved.
When I called Jeong Yun-woo, he answered with a gloomy voice as if he had been waiting for my call. It became clearer that the reason he hadn’t replied until now was that it was hard to hide Cheong Hwan’s situation.
[Yeah, Yeo-hu…. Did you see?]
“Where are you right now?”
***
“Welcome, Yeo-hu.”
Since filming had been suspended, it seemed Jeong Yun-woo was locking himself at home except for his scheduled activities.
“What’s with your appearance?”
It looked like a living corpse was opening the door for me. It wasn’t even his own problem, so why was he looking so haggard?
“This guy, then and now…”
“That… Yeo-hu.”
“Hey. It’s not even your fault, so why are you acting so miserable?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Jeong Yun-woo scratched his sunken cheek and laughed awkwardly. I could roughly tell how he felt. Jeong Yun-woo was also a rookie who had just debuted, so he must have been quite shocked that the project he was looking forward to was about to fall apart…
No, dammit. Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t understand it at all. Why are you in this state when it’s not even your controversy? Dammit. Nothing but curses come to my mind. And how do you know if Cheong Hwan is good or bad? At least get sick after verifying it like I did. Seeing him moping around alone makes me even angrier.
“Hey. Pull yourself together. You’ll have to act once filming resumes.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“What. Are you worried that Cheong Hwan might get fired?”
“……”
“Hey, look at yourself. Who are you to worry so much about him? Honestly, who do you think you are? Do you have any power? Are you going to cover up his controversy for him? You can’t even do anything.”
“…… I’m sorry.”
“Forget it. What about Cheong Hwan? Can you reach him?”
At the mention of Cheong Hwan’s name, Jeong Yun-woo shook his head.
“He causes that much trouble and won’t even pick up the phone? He’s a crazy one, too.”
“I heard that it wasn’t like Cheong Hwan did it on purpose.”
Right. I know that too. I already used my items and heard everything. I even have evidence.
So.
This time, I’ll save both you and him.