‘It feels like it’s been a long time since I watched Han act too.’
More than two weeks had passed since Han Seongtae had gone back to Korea.
So saying it had been a long time was not exactly wrong.
Rogers sat in the chair a staff member had brought him and crossed his arms.
He had roughly heard what kind of role Han Seongtae had taken on here.
A mean-spirited police officer who would stab the main character in the back.
The character’s name was Yoo Yeongjun, if he remembered correctly.
Honestly, when Rogers had only heard the explanation, he had not been able to picture Han Seongtae in it.
Rogers had seen “Yu.”
That figure, which had captured the gazes of the actors and production crew of Rampage, had left such a strong impression that he still could not forget it.
Han Seongtae had been “Yu,” and Yu was none other than “Han Seongtae.”
Because he had once tried imagining Han Seongtae as someone other than Yu, he could not imagine how Han Seongtae would act as Yoo Yeongjun, a role that contrasted with Yu’s character.
When an existing image was strong, erasing that image was not easy.
What kind of acting would Han Seongtae be able to show?
No, putting everything else aside, could he even erase Yu’s image?
‘That will be hard.’
He quietly looked around.
The staff and the other people did not show any doubt about Han Seongtae’s acting.
Because it was Han Seongtae, he could glimpse their faith that his acting would definitely be good.
Had they ever seen “Yu”?
They probably had not.
That was why they could accept “Yoo Yeongjun,” as acted by Han Seongtae, just as he was.
But Rogers wondered whether he himself could do the same.
“Action!”
And so the acting began.
The moment Han Seongtae’s acting began, Rogers’s posture, which had remained with his arms crossed the whole time, slowly loosened.
His body, which had been leaning against the backrest, was pulled forward, and before he knew it, his eyes were staring directly at “Yoo Yeongjun.”
“Ha…”
Looking at Han Seongtae, at Yoo Yeongjun, Rogers let out a hollow laugh.
He could not imagine him in any role other than “Yu”?
The self who had been thinking that just a moment ago felt foolish.
Before he knew it, he was no longer thinking of Yu.
The intense Yu disappeared far away, and the new character, Yoo Yeongjun, was strongly embedded in his mind.
‘So this is… Han Seongtae.’
Rogers looked at Han Seongtae and made a strange smile.
The role was not what mattered. The actor was what mattered.
If it was Han Seongtae, he could turn any role into his own form.
As Rogers felt that fact for himself, he found himself clenching his fist without realizing it.
Tap, tap.
While he was deeply focused, his manager tapped his shoulder and called him out.
“What is it?”
Rogers followed his manager, leaving his regret behind.
“The production company contacted us. I think I need to pass along the contents right away.”
At his words that International Film had contacted them, Rogers paused.
What could have suddenly happened there?
Somehow, he had a feeling it would not be an ordinary matter.
Dominic had taken a seat with David, and they were talking.
The tea placed before them had gone cold at some point, and a tablet PC was turned on in front of the two of them, containing articles that had gone up in Korea.
“I knew Rogers had an impatient personality, but I didn’t know he would cause such a proper incident like this.”
“It can’t be helped. Didn’t we expect it to some degree? It’s not like Rogers’s love for his colleagues is going anywhere.”
At Dominic’s words, David laughed as if sighing and nodded.
Rogers was famous as someone who often did eccentric things for his “friends.”
This time was the same.
The fact that he would go down to the Republic of Korea to meet Han Seongtae could be seen as something that had been decided to some extent.
“What’s already happened can’t be helped, so we need to decide what to do going forward.”
“Yes. Now that articles have come out like this, it’s only a matter of time before information about Rampage gets released.”
“David.”
“Yes, Dominic. Please speak.”
“I think this may actually be for the best. We had to do marketing anyway. Since things turned out this way, let’s properly market it.”
At Dominic’s words, David went, “Ah,” and nodded.
He could understand what Dominic was trying to say.
“We’ve received contact from The Light Show. They said they wanted to bring our actors on and do a talk show.”
“If it’s The Light Show, that’s definitely good. It’s one of the top one or two talk shows in America. The publicity will be solid.”
“Yes. I think it would be good to send Han and Rogers there. The two of them work well together, and more than anything, Han a certain vibe. At least the publicity will be done properly.”
At Dominic’s words, David looked as if he was thinking it over.
The Light Show was one of the famous talk shows in America.
It is a position that inevitably carries a lot of weight.
And Dominic was recommending Han Seongtae for a place like that.
“If it’s Han, he’ll be able to do well. He’s done well until now.”
“…All right. Then I’ll contact them.”
The deliberation did not last long.
David took out his smartphone, and the meeting between the two of them grew longer.
Han Seongtae was sitting at a dining table.
There were two glasses of water and various dishes placed before them.
And in front of him, Jin Gyujeong, who played Junchao, was smiling with a sly, unpleasant grin.
Beside them, several cameras were filming the two of them.
Tap, tap.
Han Seongtae’s fingers tapped the table.
“Detective Yoo.”
“Yes.”
At Junchao’s words, Yoo Yeongjun answered immediately.
Looking at him, Junchao took a sip of water and continued speaking.
“How long are you going to keep eating only the food you’re given? Aren’t you tired of eating crumbs?”
“……”
Looking at Junchao’s sly smile, Yoo Yeongjun’s fist, hidden beneath the table, clenched tightly.
How could he not know what he meant by eating crumbs?
As a police officer, Yoo Yeongjun had been doing all sorts of things to make money somehow, and to avoid being caught.
Starting from street thugs to powerful gangsters.
While wiping up after them and taking money from them to scrape out a living, he had come to form a connection with Junchao.
Junchao was a Korean-Chinese man who had come over from China.
Not just any Korean-Chinese man, but the boss of an organization that had dominated an entire region in China.
Someone like that had come to Korea, and he had already swallowed up half of the forces in Busan.
There was nothing they would not do if it made money.
Human trafficking, prostitution, organ trafficking, drugs, and so on…
The money Junchao was bringing in was astronomical.
Yoo Yeongjun, who knew that fact very well, could not act indifferent in front of Junchao.
Because he might be someone who would give his life one huge payday.
He was someone who would bring a huge amount of money into his life, so treating him politely was only natural.
“I’m saying this. Detective Yoo doesn’t look bad to me. You are a detective, but you’ve been cleaning up behind us well, haven’t you?”
“…”
“We’ve benefited a lot too. Especially when the drugs came in this time, you were a great help.”
However, that mocking tone was truly hard to accept.
His words and behavior seemed to look down on Koreans.
And within that, he looked down even on the Korean police.
It was the same now.
Junchao did not see Yoo Yeongjun as a detective, but as some lowly existence who would wipe away his dirty parts for him.
That fact did not sit well with him.
“…”
Junchao stared at him.
Had he seen Yoo Yeongjun’s stiff expression?
After being quiet for a moment, he soon laughed and gestured to one side.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t given you compensation for this matter.”
“…!”
“It’s two hundred million won in cash. This should be enough, right?”
“It’s more than enough. Thank you!”
Looking at the bag of money Junchao handed him, Yoo Yeongjun sprang up from his seat and bowed his head.
What did being looked down on matter?
He was someone giving him such an enormous sum of money.
Yoo Yeongjun could sell his pride as much as necessary if it was for earning money.
In the first place, if he was going to suffer over things like this, he would not have dealt with Korean-Chinese gangs.
“Ah, by the way, Kang Moobae. When are you going to deal with that man?”
Flinch.
At Junchao’s words, Yoo Yeongjun, who had been greatly pleased, froze.
Kang Moobae.
Yoo Yeongjun’s senior, and the hyung he had thought he would trust and follow for the rest of his life.
An object of fear, and a reliable pillar of support.
When he thought of him, his face naturally darkened.
“…I’ll deal with him soon.”
“Yes. I believe Detective Yoo will do well. Haven’t you done well until now?”
“However, lately, he’s been getting a little bothersome. He keeps getting closer and closer to where I am, and it’s extremely annoying. So I’d like you to deal with him a bit faster.”
“…”
“If necessary, I can help directly as well. If there is anything you need, say so as much as you like. For the grand plan, that much is nothing.”
“…Yes. I’ll contact you when I need help.”
At Yoo Yeongjun’s words, Junchao nodded as if telling him to do that.
The meal with Junchao tasted bad.
Yoo Yeongjun left the restaurant and loaded the bag of money into his car.
He had earned a lot of money, but strangely, his heart felt uncomfortable.
Bzzzz.
The reason for that discomfort was…
—‘Bull Hyungnim.’
It was because of Kang Moobae.
The fact that he had to kill him made him uncomfortable even at the very moment he was making money.
“Yes, hyungnim. Yes, yes. I’ll go there right away.”
Yoo Yeongjun ended the call, let out a sigh, and got into the car.
Vrooom.
The place he drove to was a bar he often went to with Kang Moobae.
It was cheap, so they had come there once every two days.
But strangely, a place that should have made him feel at ease made his heart even heavier.
“You’re here.”
“Yes, hyungnim. What brings you here today? I heard you had work.”
“It ended early. Come sit.”
“Yes…”
Yoo Yeongjun could notice that Kang Moobae’s mood was different from usual.
It felt dark somehow.
An unknown unease wrapped around his throat.
“Yeongjun.”
“Yes.”
“Yeongjun, you’re my little brother, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Do you believe in me?”
“Yes, I believe in you.”
“Then, can I believe in you?”
Yoo Yeongjun froze.
Could he believe in him?
Why was he suddenly asking something like this?
Could he have noticed that he had been dealing with Junchao?
There was no way.
He had not left any evidence.
Then why was he asking this?
“Yeongjun, I believe in you. Because you’re my one and only little brother.”
“Yes…”
“Are you hiding anything from me?”
“…No.”
As Yoo Yeongjun answered, he clenched his fist tightly where it could not be seen.
Kang Moobae stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
“Good. I’m glad you’re not hiding anything. I believe you. Because you’re my little brother.”
“…”
“Let’s drink.”
“Yes, hyungnim.”
The two of them tilted their glasses.
Yoo Yeongjun reached out and received liquor from Kang Moobae.
With his head lowered, he did not see it.
That Kang Moobae’s gaze, as he looked at him, was fierce.
That it looked somehow sad.
Yoo Yeongjun at that time did not know.
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