Crime Society?
It was a movie I knew.
The nation's biggest blockbuster of the year, premiering soon.
On top of that, Hansung Lee was one of Chungmuro's most sought-after directors, having already made two movies that surpassed ten million viewers.
It was supposed to be a ray of hope and a much-needed rain for the domestic film industry during its longest drought, and at the same time—
It's the movie where that bitch Ina is the lead…
I tilted my head.
This wasn't the kind of movie an actress like Hyunah Lim, whom no one sought out anymore, could just casually approach.
Furthermore, the premiere was just around the corner.
Not only was the casting completely finished, but they were already in the middle of filming.
I knew this well because I had been to the Crime Society set several times as Ina's road manager.
…Did one of the actors bail or something?
Between getting exiled to Team 5 and suddenly inheriting a building, so much had happened lately that I hadn't kept up with industry news.
"Do you happen to have any auditions coming up soon?"
"Eh? I audition every single day. I just always fail, that's all."
It was a self-deprecating remark that was hard to respond to, but Hyunah smiled as if to tell me it was fine and not to worry.
"An urgent casting call for Crime Society went up recently, so I'm thinking of applying. It's a supporting role that's closer to an extra, but it's still director Hansung Lee's work. Of course, there's no way a washed-up actress like me would actually get the part…"
I gulped.
Even though she spoke like that, I could see the anticipation in her eyes.
After all, this was director Hansung Lee.
If things went well, reviving her acting career wouldn't just be a pipe dream.
Going in with such high hopes only to be met with verbal abuse must have left her utterly devastated.
The director wasn't a bad person by any means. However, his standards were just ridiculously high. He had absolutely zero compromises when it came to acting.
He was the kind of person who wouldn't hesitate to say whatever he wanted, even to a top-tier actress like Ina.
"By any chance… would you reconsider going to this audition?"
I knew it was rude to say, but I spoke carefully.
I couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Because you think I'll fail?"
"T-that's not it, but… they might already have someone in mind for the role."
"Knowing the director's personality, there's no way he pre-selected anyone."
"…I-I suppose that's true."
Hyunah giggled softly.
"I know you're just worried about me. You think I won't get the part and I'll just end up hearing awful things, right?"
"…To be completely honest, yes."
"Hearing awful things is the same no matter which audition I go to. Verbal abuse, mockery, being ignored… I'm used to it all."
"…"
"Do you know why I can't leave the acting scene even when I can't land a single role?"
She was still smiling, but her eyes looked different from before.
"It's because I'm an absolute idiot. I can't give up even when I know it's hopeless. I know you're saying this because you care about me, and I'm sorry I can't listen to you."
With that, Hyunah left.
Returning to my seat, I fell deep into thought for a moment.
What else is there to do? I have to stop her.
This wasn't me just being nosy.
Hyunah was an artist under Team 5.
And since I was a manager for Team 5, resolving my artists' issues was naturally part of my job.
I only said I wanted to slack off a bit, not that I'd do nothing for five whole years.
Honestly, other than dealing with Hyunah, I didn't have much else to do anyway.
The problem was how to go about it…
Judging by her tone, talking her out of the audition is going to be impossible. If that's the case, there's only one way. I have to level up her acting skills.
According to 'Inspect', her acting potential was a staggering A.
And it even said it could be upgraded to S-rank.
Even if I can't push it all the way to an A-rank, raising her acting skills to just a B-rank should be enough to save her from severe verbal abuse.
I used my computer to look up her past acting clips.
Since she didn't have many roles, it didn't take long.
Hmm… Her acting really is a C-rank.
Pure and pitiful.
That was the consistent theme of Hyunah's acting.
Sure, pure and pitiful was a real style. If done right, it could cement an actress as the icon of her generation.
But Hyunah's version of it just wasn't good.
Because of that, the roles she landed became increasingly insignificant.
It doesn't seem like trying harder will make it any better. And it's not like she hasn't been putting in the effort.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
Could it be that these roles just don't suit her?
That was when it happened.
[You are striving to improve actress Hyunah Lim's acting skills!]
[A 'Special Inspection' regarding actress Hyunah Lim's acting skills is available! Would you like to proceed?]
Surprised, I answered yes on reflex.
[Actress Hyunah Lim]
[Acting Skills: Takes on roles that naturally do not suit her, preventing her from properly unleashing her true potential.]
I knew it!
My hunch was right.
Then, what kind of role actually suits her?
Just because she was 'Actress Hyunah Lim' didn't mean she'd never tried other roles.
But then—
[Recommended Role for Actress Hyunah Lim: Villainess]
"…What?"
* * *
The tenth floor of the Rowoon Building in Cheongdam, home to Star Entertainment.
This was the domain of Star Entertainment's highest authorities, a place ordinary employees couldn't easily set foot in.
More specifically, it was the office of head director Soohyuk Kim, a core figure who ranked among the top five most powerful people in the company.
"What should we do about Manager Chanwoo Lim…?"
"Is there a problem?"
"There are many problems."
The Team 2 leader, who was originally Chanwoo's superior, held back a sigh and continued.
"Ina in particular is throwing a fit. She's demanding we bring Chanwoo back immediately."
"But wasn't this her request?"
"…She's causing a scene, saying that wasn't what she meant. She claims she only said it in a drunken fit of anger and is furious that we handled the situation this way."
Soohyuk scoffed.
He already knew Ina hadn't been serious.
But while Ina was ghosting Chanwoo after their fight, Soohyuk had gone ahead and processed the transfer himself.
"It's not good for an actress to catch feelings for her manager."
Becoming close was fine.
After all, plenty of actors and managers treated each other like family.
However, sparking a romance was a huge headache.
Especially since Ina wasn't just any actress.
Last year, the company had barely managed to re-sign her after spending an astronomical amount—meaning they still had a long way to go before they could stop marketing her like a product.
The product couldn't afford any defects.
"…The morale among the Team 2 members is also pretty bad."
"How was Manager Lim's reputation?"
"Haven't you seen the performance review I submitted? Aside from putting up with Ina's temper, he's just a genuinely great guy, so everyone liked him. The artists who worked with him are especially bummed out about it."
Although Chanwoo was exclusively assigned to Ina, a bottom-rung road manager rarely handled just one actor.
Whenever he had free time, he was running in circles supporting various other artists, and he received stellar reviews from all of them.
Was I a little too hasty?
Soohyuk frowned.
He recalled the day Ina had called him.
"Hic, head director! Send Manager Chanwoo Lim somewhere else! I can't live like this! That jerk, how could he do this to me! Me! Does he hate ME that much?!"
The moment he heard her drunken rambling, he concluded that he couldn't just leave things as they were.
However, blindly sending him to Team 5 might have been a mistake.
Seeing how he managed to oust that lowlife Donghyuk Kim, it means he isn't just hardworking, but he also has the guts and competence to back it up.
Chief Manager Donghyuk Kim of Team 5.
He had been a long-time headache for Soohyuk.
Because of their blood ties, he'd been keeping a close eye on him. But when he started crossing the line recently, Chanwoo stepped in and handled it instead. So he didn't hold any real grudge against Chanwoo.
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to groom him properly.
"Tell Manager Lim to come see me for a moment."
"Right now, sir?"
"Yeah."
A short while after telling his secretary, the door opened.
However, the person who walked in wasn't Chanwoo.
Only the secretary returned, sporting an awkward expression.
"…I can't reach him."
"You can't reach him? Is he in the middle of a schedule?"
"I doubt it. As far as I know, he doesn't have any tasks assigned to him at the moment."
"Then why can't you reach him?"
"Well… I went down to the Team 5 office myself, and they said he already got off work."
"What? Already?"
It was currently 5:45 PM.
Even clocking out exactly at 6:00 PM would have been considered fast, yet there were still fifteen minutes left.
"…He supposedly came in thirty minutes early today, so he applied the flexible working hours policy and left early."
"Flexible working hours…?"
"It's a policy the company introduced this year that allows employees to freely set their commuting hours…"
"I know what it is! I'm asking who actually uses a policy like that!!"
There might be industries where flexible working hours were respected, but the entertainment industry was certainly not one of them.
To Soohyuk, the flexible working hours policy was nothing more than an excuse to freely enforce overtime.
"…I'll try calling him myself."
Since we've occasionally spoken directly because of Ina, Chanwoo will surely know my number. There was no way he would dare to ignore the—
—The customer you are trying to reach is currently unavailable…
"…"
He dialed the number again, but—
—The mobile device is turned off…
"…"
Soohyuk fell silent for a moment before speaking up.
"…Who the hell is this punk?!"
Up until that point, the head director had absolutely no idea just what kind of nightmare Chanwoo was going to be for him.
And just how deeply he would regret transferring him to Team 5.
* * *
So annoying. Why do they keep calling me?
Honestly, when Soohyuk's name popped up on my phone screen, my stomach tied itself in knots.
Because back in my road manager days, the head director was more terrifying than the grim reaper himself.
But.
"The monthly rent is twenty million won…?"
"Does it not meet your expectations? Should I look for a more spacious, high-end penthouse?"
Because managing an inheritance was no simple matter, I had been continuously meeting with my lawyer.
Amidst all that, I had asked him to help me look for a house, and the place he found turned out to be a penthouse.
"O-oh, no. I really like the place. But still, twenty million won a month…?"
"It is quite on the cheaper side, actually. If you lease it through a rental corporation, you can even get tax deductions."
He recommended renting rather than buying it outright, citing tax benefits.
Well… it's not exactly a burdensome amount. I do have nearly four hundred million won rolling in every month from my building's rent.
Suddenly, it truly hit me that I was a rich man.
Then my phone rang.
It was another call from the head director.
Still riding that realization, all my earlier anxiety vanished—and I turned off my phone without a second thought.
To hell with the company. To hell with the head director.
I signed the contract with trembling hands, and since it was vacant, the Han River-view penthouse instantly became my new sweet home.
I bought some beer and cracked one open.
I didn't even bother looking for those "four cans for ten thousand won" promotions!
This is the sweet life of the rich…!
I spent a heart-fluttering, thrilling night and went back to work the next day.
It was still "to hell with the company" and "to hell with the head director," but since I had clocked in, I still had to do my job.
"…You want me to apply for the villainess role?"
Hyunah asked me, her face full of absolute shock.
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