The Fall of a National Actor

So Yul-hee smothered her fury, barely, and let the breath out slowly.

"Director. Do I seriously need to find out from a news article that I was cut from an audition at this stage of my career?"

This was beyond the pale. Did he have any idea how long she had waited!

"I'm sorry, Yul-hee. I was going to call you..."

Director Park strung together excuse after excuse — the article had broken ahead of schedule, or something to that effect.

Fine. This sort of thing happened every day in the industry. That didn't make it acceptable.

"Whatever your circumstances, this crosses a line!"

If he had simply told her when the casting was decided, she never would have taken a hit like this!

"You know I auditioned for Writer Yang's new drama, right? My competition? Some Jung Ga-yoon, or so I heard."

She had let that much slip to a handful of close actor friends. She'd been anxious, and she'd wanted to hear it wasn't just her.

"Jung Ga-yoon? Who's that?"

"No idea. I assumed she was a rookie, but apparently she's an unknown. About seven years?"

She had flinched — just a little — at the sheer nerve of Jung Ga-yoon whistling her way into the audition room, and that was precisely why she had needed to hear it confirmed all the more.

"Oh, please. Aren't there plenty of unknowns who can act well enough?"

"Sure, but unknown is unknown."

"We've put in years in this industry. If she'd made a name for herself even as a supporting actress, you think we wouldn't know her?"

"Exactly! Our Yul-hee's going into Writer Yang's drama this time!"

That she would be just fine, and that the girl was nothing special — that was all she had wanted to hear.

Perhaps the only mercy was that she hadn't gone crowing about it ahead of time.

"You really think that Jung Ga-yoon girl can fill the frame the way you envision it better than I can?! There's a reason every unknown is an unknown!"

Acquaintances who had seen the articles about Whistle were already reaching out.

Ugh, her head ached. What excuse could she possibly offer?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. In exchange, I'll recommend you for a different project. Director Jang Moon-seok is starting a new one, you see?"

Director Jang Moon-seok's new project? Just a moment—! So Yul-hee's eyes went round.

"Director Jang has a new project? Is there a role in it for me? What kind of role?"

Now that changed everything. The sting of losing Whistle evaporated on the spot. This was Director Jang — the man who hadn't put out a single work since Doll eight years ago!

"It's a role with exactly your sort of image. I hear Jin-ung got offered an audition as well."

Jin-ung? As in Seong Jin-ung? The lead of Whistle this time around?

"Then... do I have to audition for it too?"

Ideally he would simply hand her the part — but when it came to a Director Jang Moon-seok production, the people who could skip an audition could be counted on one hand in all of South Korea.

"Oh, come on. If I put in a word for you, Director Jang will take proper notice. Right? You're good, Yul-hee."

Tch. He cuts me from his own drama, then hands out the sweet talk.

She wanted to toss the jab right back at him, but So Yul-hee swallowed it down.

"You'll be sure to do it, then. Do put in that word for me properly."

"Ah, yes, yes, of course!"

Still — with Director Park Hae-gang's recommendation behind it, Director Jang was certain to sit up and take notice.

And this time, she would not breathe a word about her audition to anyone.

"Thank you. Let's have a meal together sometime, Director."

"Of course. I'll have the audition script sent over to your agency. I'm sorry about this one. Next time I'll treat you to a proper meal — let's meet up soon!"

"Yes. I'll let you go, Director."

The call ended, and So Yul-hee hesitated a moment before digging through the contact list on her phone.

She was fairly certain she still had Seong Jin-ung's number saved.

He'd been offered an audition by Director Jang himself, so surely he knew more about the man's project than she did.

"Uh, Jin-ung sunbae?"

Fortunately, the number was still there.

"Well, if it isn't our little Yu-ri! How longsh it been, huh?!"

Seong Jin-ung's voice through the receiver was steeped in alcohol.

Ugh, damn it. She never should have called. Who knew he'd be pouring liquor down his throat in broad daylight.

"Sunbae. What time do you think it is, and you're already drinking?"

The mere image of that face, flushed scarlet, knotted her brow.

"Gotta drink my fill before a project shtarts! Why, whash up?"

"Ah..."

Would she get a single coherent answer if she brought up the audition now?

While she wavered, Seong Jin-ung carried right on.

"Shee, itsh really been ages! Come out, Yu-ri, Yu-ri — Oppa will buy you shomething tasty!"

"Ha — no, thank you. I was going to ask you something, but forget it."

Seong Jin-ung was still rambling on about who knows what when So Yul-hee cut the call without an ounce of mercy.

He was too far gone to remember any of it anyway.

"Good grief. This sunbae is headed straight for rock bottom over the bottle. And soon."

Shaking her head, she switched the still-buzzing phone to silent and flipped it face-down.

Her chat windows had been lighting up nonstop.

"Ugh! No. Just, no."

She had neither the time nor the patience to sit through fellow actors dressing up mockery as concern over her Whistle audition.

"Stress management, Yul-hee. Stress management. Whooo—!"

With a deep breath, she pulled out her yoga mat, spread it flat, and settled into a pose. Stress management to keep the wrinkles at bay — and body management while she was at it.

Vowing that if she had let Writer Yang Bo-hyeon's project slip through her fingers, she would absolutely not let Director Jang Moon-seok's do the same.

A few days later.

Seong Jin-ung — who had been drinking until mere hours before — sat up, raking his fingers through his throbbing head.

Once the production began he would have to abstain, which meant he had to drink his fill while he still could.

"Ugh, hell. I'm queasy enough to die."

Zzziiing— Zzziiing—

The phone rang and rang before falling silent. What kind of bastard spams calls at the crack of dawn, seriously.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

The moment the calls stopped, the front door buzzer took over, ringing with zero patience.

"What lunatic is carrying on out there?"

He tried to ignore it, but the texts he finally bothered to check told him that the lunatic outside was none other than his own manager.

"Oh, for— hell."

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.

Now the man was hammering on the door with total disregard for the hour. Seong Jin-ung scrambled over and yanked it open.

"Hyung! Why aren't you answering your phone! And why did you change the door code again!"

"Tch, did you drink yourself stupid or what! I changed the code because you barge in here like you own the place, you punk."

Still, a manager was a manager, and Seong Jin-ung answered each question in turn, scratching his bare belly as he looked the kid over.

But why was he acting like this? It wasn't his first or second time seeing him like this.

"What. What happened?"

"Hyung, I'm serious! How many times have I told you to quit the drinking! No — to not drive after you drink! Call me! You're supposed to call me!"

The manager shouted like a man about to be sick, and thrust out the phone in his hand.

"Look at this."

"Wh-what is it...?"

It felt as if his heart had dropped straight through the floor.

Seong Jin-ung checked the article, grinding his lips between his teeth, and the color drained from his face.

The photographs left no room for denial whatsoever.

"Ah, hell. I'm fucked."

They hadn't even gone into the first script reading yet, and already he could see it — coughing up penalty fees and appearing before the prosecution.

Early that morning, her agency called.

"Yes, Minji unni."

"Oh, Ga-yoon. Did you see the article?"

Actor Seong Jin-ung's drunk driving had been exposed to the world.

Speaking only of the outcome — this was her doing.

If it had detonated at the moment Baek Ga-yoon had ordered, there would have been no coming back from it.

Better this way. Better now — while the lead actor could still be swapped out.

"Impressive—! And here I never expected you to get moving yourself!"

She had certainly worked her evil spirit to the bone these past days.

To pin down exactly when Seong Jin-ung was drinking, she had kept peeking in on him even in the middle of script analysis.

By daylight, mindful of the eyes on him, he at least refrained from driving after drinking.

In the small hours before dawn, she had caught him red-handed.

Ga-yoon hadn't hesitated to stake the place out herself.

Cap and mask on, she had driven out to the scene and committed it all to photographs — the moment Seong Jin-ung took the wheel with drink in him, and every stop along his route, down to the spot where he finally stepped out of the car.

Seong Jin-ung had to fall. Now.

It made no difference what his character was like, or how illustrious his career. Even if the entire nation were his fans.

Evidence secured, Ga-yoon released it to a major online community first — so that Hitop would have no chance to get its hands on the story.

And just like that, her lifespan had grown.

So why, with more days to live, did she feel this vague weight of discomfort in her chest?

She could see the drama's situation laid out plain as day, but Ga-yoon played innocent and asked.

"Yes, unni. What are they saying about the drama?"

She had kept watch over the production company and the platform alike, over Writer Yang and Director Park, following the pre-production progress as though reading her own open palm.

Not only the storyboards and reference materials — the staff were fully confirmed, call sheets already being drawn up.

They would find a way to begin filming no matter what, even if it meant replacing the actor.

"I don't think the drama will fall apart. But..."

She knew the Whistle production team was gathered at this very moment for an emergency meeting.

After all, she had been watching through the evil spirit until moments ago.

"Apparently there's been a problem."

A problem? What other problem could there be, beyond the Seong Jin-ung situation? Apparently she had missed something while she was on the phone.

"I see. Understood, unni. Let me know once things settle down."

Ga-yoon wrapped up the call quickly, then —

"Monkey. You're still in the meeting room, aren't you?"

"What? Mon...? Are you serious right now?! You're really going to keep calling me that?!"

She summoned her evil spirit, and in an instant, the scene inside the meeting room spread out before her eyes.