Blank slate in Bora's mind, one sentence floating up.
First minor role... f*cked.
The busy staff coming and going froze too. Everyone had clearly heard it. The electronic chime had rung out, and their eyes were practically bulging.
"Pfft—"
Amid it all, Jun-ho's laugh burst out. Bora shot him a death glare, eyes blazing.
Laughing right now? These two-timing bastards?
'Sorry.' He got it, closing his eyes tight like he was trying hard to hold it in.
But the more she chewed on it, the crazier it seemed. She knew that guy was nuts, but she hadn't expected this.
"Puhh, puhahaha!"
"Hey!"
Jun-ho collapsed in hysterics, and Bora yelled at the same time. The main culprit, Park Sang-il, seemed too flustered to react. His mouth just flapped open and shut like a fish. He couldn't grasp the situation.
"Hey... Jun-ho. I'm in the middle of talking to a pig right now."
"Ahh. Sorry. Sorry."
Moo-young turned his head and chuckled. The acting wasn't over yet. They'd barely gotten one line out.
He slicked back his mussed hair and eyed the AD again. Unlike with Jun-ho, the temperature drop was stark. His gaze felt dangerously cold.
"Sang-il."
Calling his name made the guy's face flush beet red. Shame hit him. Right in his workplace, in front of colleagues and staff, he'd been called a piglet.
"Don't mess around."
But Moo-young warned him anyway, unperturbed. To him, the AD in front of him wasn't just staff. He was a plaything wrapped in the guise of a friend. Prey in the unspoken power dynamic of the classroom. And Moo-young was the predator.
"Or you'll be the one who suffers. Yeah?"
Moo-young murmured lazily. It carried a silent promise: With the right mindset, I can wreck your life however I want.
"Th-this, th-this—"
For a split second, Park Sang-il flinched. In vulgar terms, he'd been spooked. An instinctive animal sense of the energy gap.
But he was the AD. This was a set. The punk in front of him was some no-name rookie.
"You little sh*thead—!"
He shot to his feet! If not for the staff and set in his vision, he might've stayed lost in the act longer. He kicked his chair back and jabbed a finger at Moo-young.
"You psycho f*ck, who the hell are you calling a pig, pig, piglet?"
"Ugh, hold on, AD! Calm down!"
"Let go! Let me go, you f*ck!"
But Moo-young just blinked innocently from his chair. What a pure, "what did I do wrong?" expression.
"You told me to act like a thug, so I did?"
"No— you bastard! What's that got to do with piglet, let go!"
"Gasp. That really hurt your feelings? Sorry. I thought about 'anchovy' instead, but no matter how I looked, that didn't fit—"
"Puhahaha!"
"Im Jun-ho! Stop laughing and hold him back!"
Crash! He thrashed his bulky body, trying to shake off the staff. All show, exaggerated to the max. He bellowed, but no intent to actually touch anyone. He knew it'd only hurt him if he did.
"It's fine. It's fine."
Jun-ho grinned and tugged Bora's arm. At a glance, it was pure Hollywood action. See? The nearby staff were barely holding him either.
"Aigoo, enough. Why get so heated over acting?"
Then a man approached and lightly smacked Park Sang-il's head with his rolled-up script. It was PD Lee Kyung-rok.
"I step out to the editing room for a bit, and this is the chaos?"
He'd walked in right as Moo-young delivered that line. The pull was insane.
"PD!"
"Kids are watching on set—what's this?"
Smack again! He tapped the AD's head once more, then looked at Moo-young. Then Jun-ho, then Bora. Bora kept a straight face, but inside she was a mess.
We've already shot half— he won't kick us off, right? F*ck. God, Buddha, Allah, anyone—please let this slide. Calling a piglet a piglet—what's so wrong? Right? For those two carefree idiots Moo-young and Jun-ho too. If she were alone, she'd be praying hands clasped.
"You're Ha Moo-young, right?"
"Hello."
"Nice to meet you. Your YouTube stuff was impressive, but you're even more so in person."
Acting or looks? Hard to tell. But that slight smile seemed like solid praise.
"Thank you."
"But for a minor role like this, you can't stand out that much. I want someone who just banters smoothly on the side. The protagonist in that group is the sub-lead."
Huh. Guess not.
Moo-young had shown the top dog in the pack. Especially the elite kind from a wealthy family—smart, great at networking... the total package thug Jun-ho had mentioned. The type who could take down most adults.
Moo-young answered confidently.
"I can do that too."
"Of course you can."
The PD eyed him appraisingly, nodding. Sure, he could act like that. But damn, he was too striking-looking. The tall, handsome vibe was a real issue. The sub-lead might get overshadowed.
But—
Wasn't he shooting a Jin Kyung-moon film right now? He met dozens, hundreds of rookies a year, but promising ones always stood out.
Like a volcano—you see the signs before it erupts.
YouTube smash, debut with Jin Kyung-moon, SNS model but Bonturi blowing up too. A skyrocketing rookie like this naturally piqued curiosity.
"Glasses, nerdy vibe?"
"Glasses? My vision's 2.0."
"Non-prescription. Dummy."
Bora poked Moo-young's side. Ah, right! He chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
"No problem."
"Good. Got an agency?"
"Yes, Big Win Enter."
"Assistant director, get his contact. Everyone, tidy up! What're you all doing? No work?"
Staff scrambled at the PD's words. They'd been dazed, spectating.
The AD wiped sweat, glaring daggers at Moo-young.
"Thank you! PD! I'll do my best!"
But Moo-young was too thrilled, unintentionally ignoring him. He bowed repeatedly to the PD.
"Whatever. Whatever. Any caveats?"
"Shooting a movie, so don't change your hair."
"Yeah, that. Jin Kyung-moon?"
"O! How'd you know?"
"Word travels in this biz."
They chatted fluidly, like flowing water. The PD had his eye on Moo-young from the start, curious.
In the warm vibe, Bora sighed in relief.
"Haa. For real."
"Told you. I said block Ha Moo-young's mouth, not mine. He's the psycho."
"He's your friend!"
Thwack—Bora playfully smacked Jun-ho's shoulder. They couldn't hide their grins either.
Only Park Sang-il, standing alone like a lost duck egg on the Nakdong River, felt worse.
F*cking punk. Just you wait.
Getting owned in front of everyone! By a rookie, no less.
The assistant director ground his teeth and stormed off set. Staff who'd eyed his retreat slyly smirked in satisfaction.
Serves you right, piglet!
Live nicer, tsk tsk.
"What's up? Why the vibe?"
Meanwhile, Daryeong entered with the stylist, tilting her head at the odd atmosphere. Unfamiliar faces in view.
"Oho? Who's that?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Dunno. Newbies, I guess."
The coordinator caught Daryeong's peculiar gaze on them. Both handsome, but who? The uniform guy or the one next to Bora?
"Like 'em?"
"What, sis? Whatever, fix my makeup."
"Who you eyeing? Want me to get a name?"
Daryeong stuck out her tongue in refusal. Nothing killed the fun like a third wheel in romance. If she wanted to know, she'd ask herself.
"Nah. I'll handle it."
She headed to the waiting room.
The set buzzed with the trio's energy. Mostly Moo-young and Jun-ho's presence.
"Shooting resumes in 5!"
"Ah. Guess I gotta go."
Bora startled and patted their backs. Be careful.
Jun-ho pouted, wanting more time with Bora, but Moo-young dragged him by the arm.
"Thanks for today, Bora. See you next shoot."
"You'll see him next, but me? When?"
Outsiders on set were a hindrance just standing around. Moo-young zipped his lips firmly: no.
Bora glanced at pouty Jun-ho and smiled.
"We'll see."
"When? Exactly?"
"Ugh, Bora. About Yu-chan."
Bora started to speak, but Moo-young cut in. Jun-ho's eyes nearly rolled back! Why interfere?
"Not picking up? You try?"
"Me? Haven't talked in ages."
"Bora! Hurry in! Need touch-ups!"
"Ah, yes! Sorry. Guys, I really gotta go. Be safe. See you."
She waved her phone and dashed to makeup.
The two watched blankly. They snapped to, bowing to the PD and staff.
Slam—the set door shut tight. The hallway was quiet now, unlike before.
Walking together, Moo-young glanced back. Jun-ho was hunched over his phone screen, nose practically touching it.
"What's up? Whatcha looking at?"
"Huh? Oh! Nothing! Totally nothing!"
"...Suspicious."
His face a mess? Red as a tomato about to pop.
Moo-young poked suspiciously, and Jun-ho bolted ahead.
"Where to? Dorm?"
"Gotta hit the agency. Manager hyung should be back by now. Said he was heading to Jeonju for Tae-seok hyung's shoot."
"Dorm stuff? Gotta clear out next week, right?"
"...Yeah."
Moo-young's gloomy reply got a shoulder hug from Jun-ho. Like, it had to happen.
"Buddy. No place else. Come to my house."
"Your house? It's your parents'."
"Quit dodging? You punk?"
True. He was dodging. Drama gig secured, but pay would take time. Still homeless.
Jun-ho, knowing his plight, kept prodding.
"Agency first, then dorm."
"Man. Such a pain."
"Grab all your stuff before I do. Or you'll drag roommates into it."
"Yes, yes... Got it."
Ding!
He checked the text half-heartedly. From the Doctor Martel rep.
Doctor Martel RepYou mentioned needing a place last time. Dunno the details, but you seemed urgent. Got an empty officetel in Yonggang-dong. Can use it for two months. How about that as thanks...? But there's a catch..."Hey, hold up."
"What now?"
Moo-young startled, shaking off Jun-ho's arm. This wasn't spam, right? Officetel? For two months? Insane! Perfect! Too perfect!
Ding!
Doctor Martel RepPrevious tenant suicided, so bad vibes. No facility issues. Anyway, that's it. Cool? Or I'd rather give cash as thanks."Real estate over cash?"
"Duh. Real estate's best! Dad says."
"Then we're going."
"Yeah. Agency—"
"No. Yonggang-dong."
Moo-young texted back.
Can I check it out? Can head out now.Bad vibes? How bad could it be? After a lifetime in that hellish basement, it'd be fine. Whatever... Sink or swim! Get a roommate. Done.
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Read 125 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
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