Luck is supposed to appear rather sudden, but he didn’t expect it to be this sudden. When he was asked ‘are you free right now?’ through the phone, he replied that he was free, and he was told to come to the café in the lobby of the YBS building. He complied without asking back any questions. He only became curious about the purpose after he hung up, but his hesitation didn’t last long. He put his clothes on and drove over to YBS.

“Over here.”

Maru was sitting inside the café at the TV station.

“Why’d you call me all the way here?”

“Why else? I’m here to give you your present.”

“Present?”

“There she comes.”

Maru waved his hand at someone. Hyungseok looked behind him. A woman wearing ripped jeans was walking over. The slightly angled short haircut went nicely with her intellectual-looking eyes. If he met her at a nightclub, he might have tried to hit on her.

The woman entered the café, and before she sat down, she asked Maru ‘is this him?’ Maru just nodded in response.

“Hello. I’m Yoo Jayeon.”

The woman put her hand out suddenly. He looked at her in a daze as he grabbed her hand. Unlike how fair she looked, her hands were pretty rough. If he grabbed her hand without looking at her face, he would be convinced that he was grabbing a man’s hand.

“I’m Yoon Hyungseok, but please excuse me, who might you be?”

He hadn’t heard anything, and he didn’t want to wait around for an introduction either.

“It seems you haven’t heard. Well, I’m sure you must have been in a hurry since I told him to tell you to come right away. I produce dramas for a living.”

Present and producing dramas - those two terms combined in his head. He instantly understood what this was about. He straightened up and looked back at Jayeon. This stylish-looking woman was the producer who would decide whether or not he appeared in a drama.

“Is your dream to become an actor?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t act so stiff, and don’t act nervous. Actually, it might be better if you look at me like you’re appraising me like you were doing before. Though, my husband might get angry if he saw you doing that.”

“I apologize. You were just my type. But you were married? You don’t look like it.”

“You’re good at flattering people, huh? I don’t like such people.”

“I’ll stay silent.”

Just exchanging a few words made him realize that he would not get anything in return if he tried to probe her out. He drank some water and waited for her judgment. Her round eyes centered in the middle of her eyes as though she was done appraising him.

“Your face is definitely the kind type. You must be popular with the ladies.”

“I don’t lose out wherever I go.”

“Since when did you start receiving acting lessons? High school? Middle school?”

“After I got discharged from the military. It’s been a little over a year now. Recently, I’ve stopped going to acting school and instead started looking for part-time jobs as a background actor. I thought I’d learn more at the scene.”

“Whether it’s your clothes or your watch, they look pretty expensive.”

“I ran my own business in the past.”

“You must have earned a lot of money then?”

“I’ve earned enough to be able to challenge myself in other fields without hesitation. But that doesn’t mean that I lack desperation.”

“I didn’t say anything. I’m just trying to find out what kind of person you are. I was wondering just who you were that Maru brought you to me.”

“I’ll do anything if you order me to do it.”

“You sound confident. You haven’t done anything particular, have you?”

“No, not yet.”

“Can I ask you to do a personal request?”

“Sure.”

“Can you stand up right now and shout hurray three times?”

Hyungseok saw Maru stroke down his face with his palm and nod. That meant one thing: do it right now.

He immediately got up from his seat and raised his hands above his head. Hurray, hurray, hurray - the people inside and outside the café all started looking at him. The gazes of the ones looking at him prickled him a little, but Hyungseok acted indifferent. Jayeon, who was looking at him with interest, gestured for him to sit down.

“Why did you do it?”

“Because you told me to.”

“Are you going to die if I tell you to die?”

“That’d be difficult since I only have one life, but I’ll gladly do something else.”

“You look smart, but you’re pure in some areas. Or maybe, there was a silent helper.”

She looked at Maru. Maru went over to the counter, saying that he’d order some coffee.

“I’ll say this beforehand, but I don’t use just anyone just because someone I know introduced them to me.”

“Of course, I would have it no other way.”

“You belong to that ‘just anyone’, Mr. Hyungseok.”

“If you would give me an opportunity, I’ll show you who I am.”

“Can you explain to me what I should see from a person who has never worked in this area before?”

“My potential of course. That’s the only thing I can hold out in front of you. Honestly speaking, I felt confident until a while ago. I thought that I was good at acting. I have both the face and the skills, so I had the confidence that I would do well, even if it’s not in the immediate future.”

“It’s been a while since I last saw someone who thinks so highly of himself.”

“I was just born that way; pride is all I have. But I realized that it’s not that easy. It dawned on me that my acting is just decent-looking counterfeit. That’s why I’m saying that the only thing I can show you is my potential.”

“Even if you tell me something so serious, there’s not much I can do for you. I’m not sure what Maru told you, but minor actors are still actors. If I give a call to Daehak-ro, there will be actors with several years of experience willing to come to play a minor role. Those people are proven actors that I can trust. When it comes to payment, I’ll pay a similar amount to them as I will do to you. Now then, who should I use?”

“I’d love it if you used me, but if that’s not possible, I hope you can watch me at least once. I believe that a current producer’s opinion should be enough for me to decide the direction of my acting career.”

“I hate grand requests like that. Why do I need to become a guidepost to you, Mr. Hyungseok? That’s so much pressure on me.”

“If you don’t like pressure, then you can just use me.”

Maru returned with the coffee. Hyungseok sipped some of the coffee that he was given. Although he was acting calm right now, he was inwardly feeling as nervous as when he was just assigned to his station in the military. Should he have given her a better greeting at first? Should he have talked more gently? Should he have acted more humble? The lucky chance came to him quite easily, but that didn’t mean he wanted to let go of it easily as well.

“Mr. Hyungseok, follow me.”

Jayeon stood up. He received a tag that said ‘visitor’ from the front desk and followed her inside. He took the elevator with her to the 3rd floor and entered an empty office.

“Well then, shall I have a look?”

Hyungseok opened the script that Jayeon gave him. He quickly found where Jayeon was referring and started reading. His armpits were on fire. He said the lines out loud thinking that he must not make a mistake.

“It doesn’t matter even if you do it while looking at the script.”

“I’ll memorize it.”

“As you wish.”

He might only have one opportunity to show himself. Only after he memorized it to the point that he could say the lines out loud with his eyes closed did he let go of the script. The role he was going to play was that of a thug. In this act, he would go rampant in the emergency room and get cornered by a doctor who didn’t get frightened by a fist right in front of his eyes. The doctor would talk back while looking straight at him and he would become docile. He had seen many scenes like this in dramas. Hyungseok decided to put his own colors on top of the base that he knew about. It would be impossible to create a completely original piece, but it should be enough to engrave his own initials on the counterfeit product.

“Where d’you think you’re lookin’at, huh?”

The next line was said by Jayeon.

“This is not a place where you can run rampant. If you’re injured, then show me the injury, and if you aren’t, then leave. This is a place that saves people’s lives.”

“How dare you tell me what’o do! This is the problem with educated people. They need a bea’in’ to get their shit t’gether.”

“If you feel like you’ll feel better after hitting me once, then go ahead. Hit me and then leave. Don’t make this place more chaotic than it already is.”

“You damn punk!”

When he raised his hand in the air, Jayeon told him to stop. Hyungseok stuck his tongue out and wet his lips. His lips had shriveled up in that short amount of time. The amount of tension was different from acting in front of an instructor to get advice. She stopped midway. Did this mean that she was dissatisfied with his act? He had a lot to show her, so he felt that it was a pity.

“This doesn’t suit you. You’ve never done acts like this, have you?”

“No, this is my first time.”

“That’s why experience is important for actors. You need to observe well and take what you learned out whenever you need to.”

“Then can I try another role?”

“You’re quite shameless.”

“There’s one thing I’ve learned during my sales business. It’s that putting up a thick face doesn’t cost money.”

“Anything else you learned?”

“That you can’t go wrong with trying.”

Jayeon looked towards Maru.

“Where did you find a guy like this?”

“If I was going to introduce anyone to you, producer, I can’t bring someone ordinary since you’d shower me with curses. So, how is he?”

“I like that he’s obedient. But he’s definitely not thug material. He has the guts, but he doesn’t look like he has a bad nature.”

“You make the decision. If you can make use of him, then use him. If not, then oh well.”

“You’re quite merciless for someone who brought him here.”

“You’re not someone who would use someone you can’t use.”

The two people’s words felt like the final verdict for him: you’re no good, leave. Hyungseok looked at the script on the table. Would he have done better if he was asked to do something else? When she said it didn’t suit him, that hurt him more than he thought.

“You seemed to have practiced your pronunciation a lot.”

He was given a question. Hyungseok got himself together and responded,

“I heard that my pronunciation becomes blurry if the lines are long, so I practiced.”

“What did you bite on to practice?”

“A chopstick. A wooden chopstick.”

“Didn’t that hurt?”

“I have to do it even if it hurts. I can’t become an actor who can’t speak.”

“But what a pity. The role you’re going to play barely has any lines.”

“The role I’m going to play?”

“The thug was already assigned to someone else, so I never planned on giving it to you in the first place. Not anyone can play thugs. The face is important. Someone with your face can only play a thug with an incredible level of acting skill.”

Jayeon stood up with the script.

“If you’re okay with being an image actor, then let’s work together. You may or may not have lines. You’ll be an actor hired to fill the background. If you do it, you’ll be wearing a doctor gown as an intern.”

“Then I’ll be appearing in the drama?”

“Were you planning not to? How else are you going to show up? Are you going to do it?”

“I will.”

“Try polishing that shameless tone of yours. I might use it depending on the situation.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me already. You never know what will happen on a drama set. I might be saying this now, but don’t come crying to me later if I don’t call you in the future. You come if the assistant director calls you, and if not, then you just have to wait for the next opportunity. Don’t resent me just because you didn’t make it.”

“I won’t.”

“If you do, I’ll kill you. As for your pay, you’ll be paid according to the rules of the TV station, so I’ll tell you the details once it’s decided that you’ll be in it. But you’re in a low grade, so you won’t get much. Don’t expect anything.”

“I don’t care about the money.”

“Oh, you said you earned enough money, huh. That’s good. I’ll call for you if we ever run out of budget, so wait for it.”

Jayeon left the office while picking up a call.

“Good for you.”

“This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Just as the producer said, don’t have too high hopes. It might not work out.”

“But still, it means that I passed, didn’t I? I was worried that she might reject me instantly.”

Hyungseok opened his arms and rushed towards Maru. He never expected him to actually introduce him to a producer at a real TV station. Did he like Han Gaeul’s autograph that much? Maru turned around, dodged his arms, and then opened the door.

“If you make it, just treat me to food with the money you get.”

The author won't just take a 180-degree turn and change this novel into a bromance between Maru x Hyungseok, right? lol.Editor's Note:I think that would break Gael more than not finding out the reason Maru broke up with her.