Lee Young-bin is a crazy bastard.
– Come on, we’re just grabbing a simple meal.
– Hyung, should we have just a little drink?
– Ah, just one bottle. Let’s order just one.
He acted like he wouldn’t drink, but then he downed it all like a madman.
He’s young, so his liver’s strong.
“Hyung, are you really going to be okay alone?”
“It’s nearby, so I’ll get there quick. If you leave, I’ll be more comfortable.”
“Alright. Let me know when you get home!”
After putting Lee Young-bin in a taxi and sending him off, I trudged home.
That’s when a text came in.
[ …… ]
There was something written, but I was drunk and thought I was dreaming, so I ignored it.
When I woke up, it wasn’t a dream.
‘Ha, Joo Tae-gang. Please…….’
***
I woke up and checked the message I’d ignored last night.
Apparently, the news of my audition passing had reached Director Park Min-tae, and he sent me a congratulatory message.
And then there was the message I ignored yesterday… from Joo Tae-gang.
Several of them.
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Hey, I heard you got cast in Director Woo Hyun-sik’s drama? You’re really on the fast track now…]
Not just that.
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: By the way, are you free? Let’s grab a meal. With Park Yi-won.]
I replied just to confirm.
[Park Yi-won?]
As if he’d been waiting, a reply came right away.
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Yeah, you know. The one who almost took my place if I dropped out, Park Yi-won.]
Am I still drunk?
No, that’s not it.
…….
So if Joo Tae-gang had actually dropped out, that Park Yi-won would’ve joined ?
……?
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Hey, I saw you read my message. Why are you ignoring me?]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Junior~]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Anyway, the two of us already agreed to meet]
[You two can just meet.]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Hey, you should come too. We both worked on Prosecutor of Vengeance]
[I wasn’t even the lead. Why should I go? Meet with Jung Yun-woo.]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Hey, there’s a reason. A reason.]
That’s your problem.
So I ignored him for another couple days.
While I was busy with my schedule, I figured the simple-minded Joo Tae-gang would just hang out fine with the other guy.
Isn’t it weird? Why would a singer, criticized for bad acting, and an actor who caused controversy because he was outshined in the reading by that same singer, go eat together?
And besides.
‘Why would I join? Were they even friends? I don’t think so.’
But unfortunately,
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Hyung will explain everything]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Please]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: Yeohu, I’m only saying this because I know you saved my life……]
Joo Tae-gang was more persistent than I thought.
[You pay for everything, sunbae.]
[Joo Tae-gang sunbae: haha okay]
***
‘Is it here…….’
The Korean restaurant Joo Tae-gang picked was quite famous for its beef, and the place where the two were waiting was a room on the second floor. I let out a deep sigh and stepped inside.
“Hey, junior!”
“Hello.”
Park Yi-won, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, stood up to greet me.
“Ah… hello.”
As a rookie actor, I greeted them even more politely.
I took the seat next to Joo Tae-gang, across from Park Yi-won, and settled onto the multi-colored cushion.
Joo Tae-gang ordered beef like he was used to it. I glanced back and forth between Park Yi-won and Joo Tae-gang and asked,
“So, how did you two… end up like this?”
“Yi-won contacted me first.”
“Yes, I did.”
Park Yi-won gave an embarrassed smile.
No.
‘For someone who’s embarrassed, you’ve got some nerve….’
Singer-songwriter, Park Yi-won.
An idol trainee who got eliminated just before debut on an audition program.
After that, he spent a long, obscure period at his agency, but then one of the drama OSTs he wrote and composed blew up, and now, whenever he works on an OST, it’s a guaranteed first place.
His core fanbase is strong too.
Maybe that’s why, whenever he does an ad, the sales increase gets reported in the news. Building on that, he entered dramas, but immediately got swept up in acting controversy.
He must know himself that his acting is a disaster, yet he keeps appearing in dramas and movies, and before my regression, I always thought he was really tenacious.
Back then, I used to regularly check out videos of him.
Not for the acting, but because the comments were funny.
– This is my first time seeing a non-acting actor. Wishing Park Yi-won success as a singer.
â”” ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹
– What is the agency thinking? Why push someone like that?
â”” Just let him sing ã… ã… ã… ã… ã… ã…
└ He probably wanted to do it himself lol. Doesn’t know his place.
└ Yi-won even said on his live that he can’t act and isn’t confident….
└ Then why appear? If he doesn’t want to, he should say so. Is he at the level to do whatever the agency says? Not anymore. If you’re an adult, you should accept the consequences of your choices. Trying acting without even thinking about that is probably just embarrassing for real actors.
And I thought,
‘Glad it’s not my problem.’
Anyway, most of the comments were just wondering why Park Yi-won even bothered with acting.
I wondered the same.
What does the agency gain from Park Yi-won acting?
His agency was weird from the start. They had a famous singer-songwriter, but every other celebrity was just actors—it was a huge company.
“Yi-won said he thinks his connection to will continue, and wanted to meet and apologize to me. Yeohu, you know I have a good personality, right?”
I don’t.
If you had a good personality, would you randomly call your junior here?
“So I just said yes, and we had a meal and got close right away.”
You don’t seem close.
But Park Yi-won nodded enthusiastically when he said they got closer.
“I can’t say much since it’s confidential, but I wanted to apologize to Joo Tae-gang for causing trouble over that incident and clear up any misunderstandings… and I wanted to become friends, so I reached out first. This was the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“Ah….”
Just then, the beef arrived. Joo Tae-gang grabbed the tongs and, seeing my expression, said as if he understood something.
“Yi-won, explain it better. He’s not following what you’re saying.”
He’s right.
Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on.
So Park Yi-won is going to do something with and wants to apologize to Joo Tae-gang because of his bad acting?
Park Yi-won, as if he was waiting for his chance, spoke.
“I was really sorry about the casting issue. Separate from Joo Tae-gang’s situation, I know my acting isn’t good, so lately I haven’t even auditioned or considered any roles. But suddenly, my agency told me I had to appear in .”
He didn’t even consider it?
“Ah, the agency wants me to act. I think they just believe it’s better for celebrities to do as many things as possible.”
Companies might think like that. With Park Yi-won’s fame, he probably gets a good appearance fee per episode.
“Isn’t it… hard to turn down those acting offers? Sorry, I’m a rookie, so I don’t really know how the industry works.”
Actually, I know all too well.
But in this industry, it all depends on which company you’re in and where you stand. If Park Yi-won were still unknown, or if his agency had something on him, he’d have plenty of reasons not to refuse.
If not, it’s his own problem if he can’t turn down a role in a drama he hasn’t even reviewed.
“Honestly, I failed about four albums after debut. Even during those tough times, my agency believed in me and invested, and finally, a few years ago, I succeeded. So I always felt a bit sorry toward the company. At first, I actually wanted to try acting too. It’s not like I hated acting….”
Park Yi-won gave a bitter smile.
“But after about two projects, I realized the stage for acting wasn’t for me. So I tried to let go. Taking a role from someone better would just be wrong. Then suddenly, I was told to replace Joo Tae-gang.”
…….
So there wasn’t a particular reason.
“I’m just bad at refusing. But now, I’m determined to say no when I need to. Otherwise, I’ll just keep causing trouble for everyone around me. I made my feelings clear to the agency. If this kind of thing keeps happening, I’ll really have to think about renewing my contract.”
He’s just too nice to say no.
Well, whatever.
So, he didn’t want to act anymore, but his agency made him, and now he’s going to be involved in somehow, so he reached out to Joo Tae-gang to avoid awkwardness.
Got it.
But why am I here?
Does he know I helped Joo Tae-gang with the script reading incident?
‘Joo Tae-gang doesn’t seem like the type to blab about that.’
Joo Tae-gang, putting a piece of grilled meat on my plate, said,
“After hearing everything, I realized Yi-won is a really nice guy. That wishy-washy personality—unable to refuse acting even when he can’t act—that’s a flaw, though.”
Park Yi-won gave another embarrassed smile.
“Haha…….”
That’s not exactly a compliment, is it?
“Then we got to talking, and it turns out Yi-won already knew about you.”
“Me?”
How?
“Actually, I’ve been a fan of Jeon Yeohu since way back.”
But there’s nothing I’ve done to be a fan of. What kind of fan?
“Don’t tell me you became a fan after seeing the TAM commercial…?”
Park Yi-won quickly waved his hands.
“Ah, no. I knew Jeon Yeohu from way before that. I graduated from Korea Arts High, so I know a lot of people at Korea National University of Arts.”
So?
“I was busy with audition programs so I didn’t go to university, but my friends and juniors went to K-Arts and I watched their performances a lot. Whenever I watched, there was this actor who always caught my eye, but his name was never in the program. When I asked, they said his name was Jeon Yeohu. I still remember the first performance I saw.”
Park Yi-won smiled happily.
“You played the gossipy storyteller who spread tales of the lead couple’s romance to the villagers.”
I remember.
That role—did I even spend five minutes on stage altogether?
I was wearing a baker’s cap pulled down so low, my face wasn’t even visible.
‘He remembers that?’
I never imagined someone would remember my acting from that show.
“So, while drinking with Joo Tae-gang, I got a little tipsy and said I wanted to meet Jeon Yeohu, and that’s how… this happened.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to be friends? I never understood making friends in the entertainment world either.”
Joo Tae-gang stuffed a piece of beef in his mouth and said,
“This one’s alright. He’s a good kid.”
…….
It was a compliment, but I wished he’d say it after swallowing.
Anyway, from that moment on, Park Yi-won kept showing off his fan spirit for me, sent me a follow request on social media, and even got my phone number.
All of this happened in just one day.
And then.
“One million won?”
“Yes, if you check the bill….”
I also ate a clean one million won’s worth of beef.
And thanks to a call I got a few days later—
“So this is why you wanted to meet?”
It was then I finally understood why Park Yi-won wanted to meet with Joo Tae-gang.