“Focus, now!”
The director’s sharp words drew everyone’s attention to Jewook.
“If you’re just standing there daydreaming because you’re not in the shot, why are you even here?”
The director, usually all smiles and easygoing, finally snapped, unable to hold back any longer.
“I… I’m sorry.”
Jewook, who had always been the least likely to cause an NG, was now on a streak, practically stealing the title of NG King from Taewoon.
“Is something going on? What’s with you lately?”
The director asked, but Jewook only mumbled apologies.
“Hyung, seriously, what’s wrong?” I pressed.
“It’s nothing.”
Jewook denied it, but his visibly haggard and darkened expression made it clear something was up.
“Let’s take a break.”
The director, calming himself, called for a short break, and everyone scattered.
“Something’s definitely up with him, right?” I whispered.
“100%,” Jibin agreed.
“Maybe some family trouble?” Taewoon wondered.
During the break, Jewook disappeared to a quiet corner, staring at his phone. The three of us huddled together.
“Should we ask him after filming’s done?” I suggested.
“You think he’ll tell us?” Taewoon sounded skeptical.
“You never know. Maybe over drinks, he’ll open up,” Jibin chimed in.
“Yeah, yeah, good idea.”
Taewoon seemed reluctant but nodded at our insistence.
“Lucky we’re shooting a fight scene today. If it was a friendly one, it’d be obvious something’s off.”
I didn’t want to pry into someone’s personal life, but how could I ignore it when he was racking up NGs with that gloomy face?
“Fine,” Taewoon relented.
Thankfully, filming wrapped up somehow, and we immediately approached Jewook with an afterparty plan.
“Jewook hyung~ How about a drink together tonight?”
“We’re almost done with filming, and we’ve barely hung out.”
Despite Jibin and my enthusiasm, Jewook’s shoulders slumped as he declined.
“Nah, I’m good…”
How could someone get so down so fast? With the filming tension gone, he looked like a zombie.
“You shouldn’t be alone when you’re like this! Let’s have a drink!” I insisted.
“Yeah! Taewoon hyung’s treating us to crab. You know it’s crab season, right?”
“I don’t have an appetite…”
Jewook tried to refuse again, but Jibin and I dragged him along with sheer persistence.
“Hyung! Who eats for appetite? You eat when it’s time. Let’s go!”
“Exactly. Gotta take advantage of a superstar’s wallet.”
“I already reserved a spot for four, so you’re coming.”
Taewoon had booked a private room at a Japanese restaurant, and the food was served as soon as we sat down.
“Mmm~ This melts in your mouth!” Jibin exclaimed.
“I’ve never had crab this good,” I added.
Gotta bring Uncle here next time.
It was so delicious it reminded me of Kyungho back home.
“This place is impossible to get into this season without a reservation,” Taewoon said.
Exhausted and hungry from filming, we dove into the food with minimal reactions, devouring everything.
Even Jewook, who’d claimed no appetite, ate heartily once he started.
“Hyung, can we order another bottle of sake?” Jibin asked.
“Go ahead,” Taewoon replied.
With food and drinks flowing, we finally broached the real topic as the second bottle was opened.
“So, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Yeah, just tell us,” Jibin urged.
“Haa…” Jewook let out a deep sigh at the question.
“What’s the matter?” I pressed.
“You’ve been so down lately, it’s like you’re a different person,” Jibin added.
“Well…”
With the alcohol loosening him up and the quiet room of just the four of us, Jewook slowly opened up.
“I… got scammed.”
Scammed?
Jewook, the smartest among us, got scammed?
“Scammed?” I echoed.
“Like, voice phishing or something?” Jibin asked.
None of us could hide our shock at the unexpected revelation.
“If it was just voice phishing, I wouldn’t feel this wronged.”
“Then what was it?” Taewoon asked.
Jewook downed his sake in one shot and began to spill the story.
“You know I do study groups, right?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
He’d occasionally shared insights or audition tips from his study group, so we knew about it.
“This guy I met there… that bastard said he’d get me an audition for a Hollywood movie, took my money, and disappeared. Damn him.”
“Oh…”
A classic scam. I thought his study group didn’t have big-name celebrities, so how could someone pull this off?
“How do people even scam guys like us who don’t have much?” Jibin fumed.
Jewook clearly shared the same anger.
“Right? Where do they find people like that?” I added.
“How’d that guy even join the study group?” Taewoon asked.
“He was an actor from reenactment shows.”
Since he was a familiar face, Jewook had handed over the money without suspicion.
“Really? Who?” Jibin asked.
“You’d probably recognize him if you saw his face.”
Jewook pulled out his phone, searched, and showed us the scammer’s face.
“He was well-known and spoke English fluently, so I trusted him…”
Jewook lowered his head, swallowing back tears.
“Did you report it?” I asked.
“I… haven’t.”
“What?” Jibin exclaimed.
Scammed, and he didn’t report it? That’s the first thing you do.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Some reported it, but others… they didn’t, worried about their image. I’m still debating.”
You have to worry about your image even as a victim?
Being a celebrity wasn’t all glamour. Even as a victim, he couldn’t report it freely.
“But if his face is known, can’t they catch him?” Jibin asked.
“No idea where he fled to. Probably overseas…”
Jewook had tried tracking the scammer but came up empty.
“How much did you lose?” Jibin asked.
Jewook fell silent. Taewoon, sitting across from him, poured him another sake. Jewook downed it before speaking.
“50 million won.”
“What?!” I gasped.
“Hyung!” Jibin exclaimed.
The amount was staggering. 50 million won for a Hollywood audition?
“It was my recent earnings plus my apartment deposit…”
Jewook finally let the tears he’d been holding back fall. All I could do was pat his shoulder.
“It’s okay. You can work hard and earn it back…”
“My lease is up next month. I need to renew the deposit or move out, but I’ve got nowhere to go.”
I’d never dealt with something like this, and no words of comfort came to mind.
“Scammers deserve to die. Damn bastards,” Jewook cursed, clenching his fists through his tears.
“How about asking your family or agency for help?” Jibin suggested.
“Family? I don’t have that.”
Jewook’s face hardened at the mention of family, drawing a clear line.
Didn’t he say he was a child actor? Don’t parents usually manage child actors?
“My story was kind of a big deal in the industry back then. You guys don’t know?” Jewook asked.
“What story?” I asked.
None of us knew the details, so Jewook began to explain slowly.
“They had me act for fun, but I was good at it and started getting commercials. That’s when they realized, ‘Oh, this makes money.’”
“Oh…”
“From then on, they fought over who raised me better, escalating to a custody battle and lawsuits. It was chaos. It only stopped when I said I wouldn’t act anymore, exhausted. Then they fought over who wouldn’t take me. It was a big news story.”
Jewook spoke calmly, as if used to it, but the story was heavy.
“You were probably too young to know,” he added.
“I had no idea. So that’s why you stopped acting for so long,” Jibin said.
“Yeah.”
Now I understood why Jewook, a former child actor, had quit and only recently returned.
“That’s why I didn’t like you when you started acting,” Jewook said, looking at Taewoon.
Taewoon met his gaze.
“I was jealous. I had to claw my way back after all that, but you started with so much support.”
“It’s fine. I deserved some hate back then,” Taewoon replied.
Taewoon accepted the sincere apology, and the awkward tension between them, which had lingered through filming, began to ease.
“Then what about asking your agency for help? They’d support their actor, right?” I suggested.
“Yeah! They wouldn’t just sit back,” Jibin added.
“The deposit was covered by the agency.”
The mood sank again. Now I understood why Jewook had been so depressed.
“I haven’t told anyone about the scam yet. You guys are the first.”
I felt for Jewook, bottling up all that pain alone.
“What do I do? I might have to look for a goshiwon soon.”
“How much is the deposit?” I asked.
“What, you gonna lend it to me?” Jewook asked half-jokingly.
“Yeah,” Taewoon replied seriously.
Everyone blinked in shock.
“Send me your account number. I’ll transfer it now.”
“…Really?” Jewook asked.
“Hyung, I’m BIP Taewoon.”
Oh, right. This guy’s a superstar.
I’d forgotten after spending so much time together on set.
“But 30 million won is a lot…” Jewook hesitated.
“I thought it’d be in the hundreds of millions. I’ll cover it,” Taewoon said casually.
“Account number,” he repeated.
Jewook, still stunned, sent it.
“Even for you, 30 million is huge…”
“What do you take me for? Pay me back when you get your next paycheck. Interest in drinks.”
Was this why capable guys were so popular? Taewoon’s cool demeanor was impressive.
“Thanks,” Jewook said sincerely.
Taewoon looked away, embarrassed.
“And don’t beat yourself up over the scam. I know enough scammed people to fill a truck,” Taewoon added.
“Yeah, someone I know bought ‘Italian luxury goods’ cheap, only to find out they were fakes,” Jibin chimed in.
As we shared stories, the atmosphere warmed, and we talked comfortably for the first time in a while.
A few days later, on a rare day off from filming, Jewook called me urgently.
“Where is this place?” he asked.
“You good at working out?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden…?”
He’d called me to an unfamiliar neighborhood and was asking about my fitness.
“That bastard who stole my money… he’s here.”
“What?”
Aww, they started at the wrong foot, or maybe awkward foot- but now they were quite close, I like the friendship 🤭
Even Jibin? Jiwon? The one who likes to talk behind their back also become good friends haha.
The last panel is kinda out of the blue tho. Why did he called only our puppy?
Thanks for the chapter!🍀