Chapter 139: Nothing Money Can’t Do
Chapter 139 < Nothing Money Can’t Do >
“Mr. Yoo Yeon Seo, I heard you have a personality disorder?”
Yoo Yeon Seo glanced around. He could feel the eyes of some people on him, probably because he was a popular actor and had a decent title. He couldn’t push him too hard.
‘Why is he showing me this?’
Did he think I would be scared by this?
Yoo Yeon Seo decided to play along. He acted as if he was ashamed of his secret being exposed.
“That’s too much. How can you be fine after your mother died like that? Tell me your secret.”
Oh, that pissed him off. Yoo Yeon Seo clenched his fist. Sodong-hyun, who thought he had hit a nerve, smirked.
“Where did you get this?”
“Where? Someone gave it to me.”
Sodong-hyun, who thought he had succeeded in provoking him, happily blabbered about how he got this record.
Did that happen? Yoo Yeon Seo maintained a serious expression while listening to Sodong-hyun’s taunts with amusement.
“So, who did you piss off that they gave you this record and told you to stay out of the entertainment industry?”
“…”
“You know your reputation got worse after that, right? I’m telling you this out of kindness.”
He got this record too? ‘Head’ must be behind this. It was an unexpected harvest. His relatives thought he had lost his memory because of that incident. Did he do this because he was afraid he would regain his memory by following Lee Hee Seo’s footsteps?
Yoo Yeon Seo smiled broadly, not feeling bad about Sodong-hyun’s arrogance.
“Really? Thanks anyway.”
“What?”
He must have wanted to make me angry, but he was too afraid to reveal it publicly because he might get in trouble with the reporter. So he met me like this and taunted me. It was rather good. Sodong-hyun was flustered by the sudden change of atmosphere.
“I needed this information anyway. This is my record, so I’ll take it, okay?”
“…”
“Oh, and you know that director’s work is being pitched today, right? Watch carefully.”
How far did you get with the script you tried to steal? Yoo Yeon Seo patted Sodong-hyun’s shoulder as if to encourage him and passed by him.
“Ah… really.”
He shouldn’t have mentioned his mother. That made him see that. Yoo Yeon Seo was annoyed and said with a handkerchief over his mouth.
“Mr. Lim Seunghyun. I don’t want to see that guy after today…”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”
Lim Seunghyun, who had followed him closely, nodded. But he couldn’t leave him without a payback.
“Mr. Yoo Yeon Seo! Hello!”
“I’m running a new film production company…”
‘The Night of the Film People’ was an event held at the film festival, so it wasn’t a stiff atmosphere. It was similar to ‘The Night of the Film’ held by JSENM.
“I’ll be rich with business cards at this rate.”
“Give them to me.”
Yoo Yeon Seo handed the business cards to Cha Yoon-ho and sat down. Soon after, JSENM’s pitching started and Lee Jung-hoon’s directorial debut, ‘Only’, was pitched. It wasn’t a pitching that had investment or production companies in mind. It was just a presentation that said we made this much of our movie and we hope for your support.
“Wow, what? It’s already out?”
“Didn’t they start filming this year? They could release it right away.”
The people who were watching the presentation murmured. They had started filming hastily this year and it hadn’t been long since they finished, but it felt like the final product was already out.
“Our ‘Only’ is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2022, not the second half.”
And the release date was even earlier than planned.
‘Was it a losing game from the start?’
Sodong-hyun, who was watching this, sneered. It was a godsend that he didn’t force the filming of ‘Appeal’.
“Watch carefully. There’s nothing money can’t do. If there is, it’s because you don’t have enough money.”
Yoo Yeon Seo said that as he enjoyed watching the scene. And Sodong-hyun struggled until the end.
“Oh Jin-sung, you know he’s got a bad temper, right? If this gets out, can you release it as planned?”
Now he’s going to trip over the lead actor’s character controversy? Yoo Yeon Seo chuckled.
“I know it won’t.”
“You think I can’t do it?”
Yoo Yeon Seo recited someone’s name. The name of the supporting actor of the movie produced by the film company, and even the name of the director and the representative of the film company.
“You don’t think I don’t know their weaknesses, do you?”
“…”
“Do you think you can survive in this industry if I blow this up and blame it on you?”
He left the scene, leaving behind the frozen Sodonghyun. He prayed that he would behave well.
***
After leaving the ‘Night of the Movie People’ scene, Yeon Seo headed to a pocha where Park Seunghwan was. As he entered, the eyes of the people in the pocha gathered on him.
“Are you here? Is this your first time here?”
“Yes.”
Park Seunghwan muttered, “Bourgeoisie…” He looked around and set the mood, then handed Yeon Seo a tablet pad. Yeon Seo, who was playful, snorted.
“Is this it?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“People would think we’re doing some illegal deal, wouldn’t they?”
“Did you come, sis?”
At Yeon Seo’s request, Park Seunghwan canceled the pitching of the synopsis he was holding. Instead, they decided to vent their frustrations at the pocha with the members of ‘Welcome to the Guest House’.
“Our uncle’s glass is empty.”
“When are you going to stop calling me uncle?”
While Yeon Seo was looking at the synopsis, Park Seunghwan and Lee Yoonjung poured each other’s drinks. Then Jin Suho and Choi Junyoung arrived. They heard the shutter sound of people taking pictures of them.
‘Is this a family movie?’
But the title of the work itself was ‘Profane Murder’. It was ominous from the title. Yeon Seo scratched his eyebrows as he skimmed the synopsis.
‘It’s dark…’
[Profane Murder]
Synopsis
Daesik, who had been caring for his son who suffered from schizophrenia for several years, planned to commit suicide together because of his financial difficulties.
But Daesik’s plan to kill his son and commit suicide failed, and Daesik, who survived, faced his son’s cold corpse.
The court sentenced him to a relatively low sentence for his pitiful situation, and in front of Daesik, who had served his sentence and was released, his grandson, Minjae, whom he had never known, appeared.
“So, what do you think?”
“······Aren’t I too old to act as a student?”
“Is that all you have to say?”
Park Seunghwan frowned, expecting Yeon Seo’s reaction. He would be acting as a high school student at the age of thirty next year.
“What’s wrong with you? I’m playing the role of an old man over seventy.”
“Besides, Yeon Seo, you look like you can play a high school role without any discomfort if you take good care of yourself.”
Is that so? Yeon Seo tapped the screen. There was one more thing that bothered him.
The high school student in this synopsis had to have a gloomy atmosphere as if he had lived through everything in the world. Would the gloomy emotion of the work have no effect on me in reality?
“So, where do you go for skin care?”
“I don’t really take care of it…”
“Really? Is it natural? I envy you…”
Lee Yoonjung gently pressed Yeon Seo’s cheek. He had clear and clean skin without applying anything, and his elasticity was no joke. She observed Yeon Seo for a while.
“If you change your eyebrows a little, and trim your hair. It’s no problem to use adult actors for the same student role.”
“Besides, Yeon Seo, you always look young.”
Jin Suho and Choi Junyoung also chimed in.
“So, is that all you have to say?”
“The subject is heavy. I wonder why you want to do it, bro. There’s a lot to think about…”
Lately, Park Seunghwan’s acting ambition had increased, and it was a synopsis that he would be interested in. Likewise, he was also ambitious in acting, and it was a content that appealed to his taste. But…
‘It’s because the atmosphere is gloomy.’
He wanted to do a bright-themed work for his next work. ‘Gukse’ was a relatively bright romantic comedy, but when he faced a similar situation at the end, he felt like he was swallowed by that emotion. And he didn’t like that feeling.
The hallucinations and delusions that had tormented him were mental problems. He wondered if his body would be okay if he filmed a heavy-themed movie, especially one that dealt with family.
‘But… I’m tempted.’
It was a synopsis that Park Seunghwan would pay attention to. The role itself was a character he had never played before.
“I’ll do it.”
“Good. Let’s go meet the director tomorrow.”
“Are you close?”
“He was a low-level staff when I filmed my debut work.”
Moreover, ‘Filial Murder’ was a tempting synopsis that he had discussed with the director and kept hidden. It also fit the schedule of Yoo Yeon Seo, a junior actor he had been eyeing. With this, the production company, as well as the investment and distribution, and the lead actors were all set.
“Can I read it too?”
He handed the tablet pad to Jin Su-ho, who was sitting next to him. The guest house members were trustworthy people, so Park Seung-hwan didn’t stop him. The members who quickly skimmed through it let out a small sigh.
“It’s dark…”
“Are you depressed these days, Seung-hwan hyung?”
“No, I’m not.”
The topic itself was gloomy and slightly distant from the public’s taste. But as an actor, they all agreed that it was tempting.
It was Park Seung-hwan’s first time trying to act as an old man, and he had to deal with the conflict of how to face his grandson, whom he had never seen before, after killing his son with schizophrenia and getting out of prison.
“By the way, there’s been a lot of news about this kind of thing lately, right?”
“Yeah. It’s a pity. The director said that too.”
Park Seung-hwan drank his alcohol and continued. ‘Filial Murder’ started with a question about the media packaging the act of killing one’s child and then committing suicide for various reasons such as financial difficulties, leaving a mentally ill child alone, etc. as a joint suicide.
“I didn’t know, but filial murder is different from parental murder in that there is no aggravated punishment.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, so only murder is established.”
That’s too much. Lee Yoon-jung slammed her glass down. Choi Joon-young calmed her down and filled her glass with alcohol.
“Then, at the end of this movie, does it mean…”
“You’ll have to check it out when the movie is released.”
Everyone booed at Park Seung-hwan’s answer. Their faces were red from drinking a glass each.
“I understand that the situation is tough, but does the guardian have the right to decide the child’s life?”
“But when you’re pushed to the edge like that, you might think, ‘What will happen to this child if I’m gone?’ and do it in a fit of anger.”
“But if you really can’t live, you can’t help but say, ‘Should I die instead?’”
“Shouldn’t the welfare system be good enough to prevent this situation from happening in the first place?”
As people with rich emotions, they bloomed a conversation flower on the topic of ‘Filial Murder’.
“Yeon Seo, what about you?”
Yoo Yeon Seo answered blankly to Lee Yoon-jung’s question.
“I think I would still want to live with him.”
“Really?”
“Yes. No matter what the situation is…”
Yoo Yeon Seo gulped down the alcohol that was filled in his glass. Because of that, he said with a sour face.
“That’s selfish to die like that. Especially taking your own life.”
He didn’t mean much by saying that, but they remembered Yoo Yeon Seo’s situation belatedly and naturally changed the topic.
“We haven’t seen each other for a long time, but we’re only talking about depressing things, aren’t we?”
“That’s right. Oh, by the way, Joon-young, you said you’re having a concert?”
“Yes! I am! Please come as guests!”
Yoo Yeon Seo lifted his head from the arm that was around my shoulder.
“Especially Yeon Seo, you have to come and sing a song.”
“Well, if I have time.”
“Huh? You said you would?”
Choi Joon-young, who caught him, kept begging him to come as a guest, and Yoo Yeon Seo, who was suffering from it, finally smiled.