Chapter 162: A Madman Needs Another Madman
Change came.
After that day—the day Muyoung fed nonsense to Eun-seong, to be precise.
-You don’t have to drink alcohol, you know?
Even Muyoung knew it was a ridiculous thing to say.
But what could he do?
He couldn’t exactly talk about the smog.
As he droned on about the downsides of drinking to a baffled Eun-seong, Muyoung couldn’t even keep himself straight, and Eun-seong just stared at him, dumbfounded.
-Are… are you crazy?
-No, it’s not that…
-What the hell’s wrong with you?
But in that moment, Muyoung saw it.
The smog that had been creeping around Eun-seong grew faint once more.
It was a small incident, but enough to shift the balance between the two.
“What about Cha senior?”
“He was here earlier? Don’t see him in the waiting room.”
“Oh. He must’ve gone somewhere else.”
Before, when Eun-seong openly snapped at Muyoung, he would gently let it slide.
But now, it was the opposite.
Muyoung pestered Eun-seong, while Eun-seong avoided him like the plague.
“Leave him be. He’s probably smoking somewhere.”
Gyeongmin straightened Muyoung’s collar, muttering.
It was kind of funny.
They say a madman needs another madman, and wasn’t this exactly the case?
Eun-seong clearly thought Muyoung was some kind of weirdo.
Thanks to that, Gyeongmin, who stuck by his side, could travel to and from the set with ease, body and mind.
Even the staff seemed to think this relationship was better.
They’d rather see Eun-seong suffer than Muyoung, after all.
“Oh! Senior!”
At the end of the hallway, Eun-seong was walking with his manager.
The moment he saw Muyoung, he turned around and changed direction, as natural as could be.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was just going about his business.
“Senior~!”
He fled, asking his manager for something.
The manager stood in Muyoung’s way as he approached.
“Uh, Muyoung. Eun-seong’s not feeling well.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. So he doesn’t want to see anyone before filming. Sorry.”
Muyoung was just as perplexed.
He could feel the smog around Eun-seong growing thicker.
It only grew faint when they were together, or when they were filming.
That’s weird. Seriously.
Blade’s Path was set to air in a few days—if something happened before then, it’d be disastrous.
If it was going to blow up, it might as well blow up after the airing! Muyoung sighed, asking the manager,
“But is Director Lim close with Senior Cha?”
He didn’t actually know who Director Lim was.
He was just throwing out a line. The manager, wondering how to stop Muyoung, was relieved when the subject changed.
“Of course. He’s a debut director.”
“Oh. I see.”
If it was his debut, then it was the movie Defensive Attack. He was talking about Director Lim Gu-yong.
Oh. I see. The manager shifted uncomfortably under Muyoung’s gaze.
The guy looked normal, but his actions were downright bizarre. The fact that he didn’t even flinch when Eun-seong cursed him out was suspicious in itself.
“So…”
“Yeah?”
“…Never mind. Got it.”
Muyoung trailed off, turning around with a smile and disappearing.
He was going to ask if he really had to go to that dinner, but… it was pointless. The manager couldn’t do anything about it.
“Muyoung! Makeup!”
“Yes! Coming!”
At Gyeongmin’s call, Muyoung hurried over, fiddling with his phone.
Director Lim Gu-yong… Director Lim…
And so, time passed.
Eun-seong arrived at a bar in Gangnam, dressed casually.
The place was sectioned off with layer upon layer of partitions—very private.
He preferred livelier places, but ever since his debut, he hadn’t eaten anywhere like that.
Or rather, he couldn’t.
“This way, please.”
When he arrived, a waiter guided him in. In the room at the very end sat a familiar face.
Creak—
“I’m here.”
“Oh, Eun-seong.”
“Ugh. Gangnam’s so annoying. Traffic’s terrible.”
“You’re already drunk. Hah. Sit down.”
There sat his debut director, the production company’s CEO, and a few members of the directing team he’d been close with back then.
They were like family to Eun-seong.
Maybe it was because he’d met them before the grime of the entertainment industry could stain him. Or was it because it was his debut? Or maybe they were just good people? He wasn’t sure.
“What did you order?”
“Your favourite jjamppong.”
“Oh, right. CEO. What was it that just came out? Burning Love? It’s doing well, right? Congrats.”
“Yeah. Not bad. And you’re doing well with the drama, even when you’re so busy~ I’m so moved~ Your Highness~”
“I’m Gwangjo. What the hell.”
“Oh, right? Hah! So, how’s it going?”
It had been a while since they’d last met, and they eagerly caught up.
Even though it was a drama, it was getting quite a bit of attention in the film industry, too.
Of course—the actors were Eun-seong and Muyoung, after all.
“It’s going all right.”
“When’s the first airing?”
“Tonight at 10. Watch the rerun and post about it on SNS.”
“I can’t. I’m busy. Hah. But people seem really excited. All over the community and entertainment news, all anyone talks about is Blade’s Path. How’s Muyoung?”
“Muyoung?”
The moment that name left his lips, Eun-seong’s expression hardened.
“What a psycho.”
“Hah! When a psycho says someone’s a psycho, they must really be one!”
“Don’t compare us. He… never mind. He’s ruining the taste of my drink.”
Eun-seong waved his hand, as if to say enough.
Since it had been so long since they’d last met, hours flew by as they caught up.
And as they did, Eun-seong’s face grew redder and redder.
“Oh? You’ve finished already.”
“Order another one.”
Empty soju bottles lined the table.
He was tipsy, and feeling pretty good. It was nice to meet up with people and talk like this after being cooped up at work…
“Oh, right. Remember that—”
The men, drunk, were saying the same things over and over again.
Then, the door opened. Another drunk man slowly blinked, staring at them.
“…What?”
“Oh. Wrong room.”
He’d come into the wrong room.
He turned to leave without so much as an apology, then stopped short when he saw Eun-seong.
“Oh?”
“Close the door on your way out.”
“Eun-seong?”
Fuck, he’s really pushing my buttons.
Everyone smiled politely, but they were all watching Eun-seong closely.
The guy had a short temper…
“Oh. I’m a fan.”
“Thank you. Now get out.”
“A celebrity drinking at a place like this? No way. Even if you’re rich, you still live like the rest of us? Huh?”
The man gawked at Eun-seong, utterly fascinated.
He was pretty drunk himself, and didn’t seem like he’d leave any time soon.
The director called a waiter with the buzzer.
“Yes? Did you call?”
“A customer came into the wrong room, and won’t leave.”
“Oh. Yes. Sir. Which room are you in?”
“No, it’s him. He keeps saying he saw Eun-seong or whatever. Can you get his autograph for me?”
“What’s going on?”
“A customer came into the wrong room…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Creak! Slam!
Even the CEO came out to apologise, escorting the man out.
The door closed, but the mood was ruined.
Eun-seong downed his soju, and the director refilled his glass.
“It’s tough, huh?”
“The world’s full of assholes.”
“Take it easy. That guy was wasted.”
The lively atmosphere faded, replaced by commiseration over the struggles of their profession.
It seemed like just a small incident.
They focused on emptying their soju bottles, and the door opened again about an hour later.
Creak—
“Fu—”
This time, he was ready to curse them out.
But standing at the door was not a drunk man, but Muyoung.
“What the hell’s with you?”
Eun-seong was so baffled the drunkenness faded.
He’d just showered—his hair was still wet, and he was wearing a hoodie.
Director Lim burst into laughter, clapping.
“How did you even know we were here, Muyoung?”
“Director?”
Eun-seong turned to Lim, as if to demand an explanation right then and there.
“He called yesterday or the day before. Asked if he could join our dinner, but when he checked your schedule, he said you had a late ad shoot?”
“So?”
“He said you were drinking in Gangnam, and that was the last I heard from him. I figured he wouldn’t come, but here you are. You came straight from the shoot?”
Muyoung sat down without being told to.
“Yeah. Hello, Director. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard a lot about you from Director Jin.”
He was talking about Director Jin Gyeongmun from The Plague.
In the film industry, especially among veteran directors, everyone knew each other, so it was easy to exchange numbers.
“But good job finding us. All you said was Sinabro.”
Sinabro was a chain with three locations in Gangnam alone. Muyoung just shrugged.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah? What?”
How’d you find us? Did a fire break out? I could smell smoke all the way down the stairs.
The smoke grew faint as I walked through it, but still. Tonight was definitely the night.
The night something would happen to Eun-seong.
Eun-seong rummaged through his coat, standing up.
Muyoung grabbed him, asking,
“Where are you going?”
“…Smoke. Don’t follow me if you’re not up for it.”
When people were too absurd, he didn’t even get mad.
Eun-seong stumbled out of the room.
He was looking for the smoking room when someone grabbed his shoulder hard.
“Ah.”
“It’s Eun-seong, right?”
It was the drunk man from before.
And he was dragging Eun-seong’s arm, as if to confirm something with his friends.
Like monkeys in a zoo, the drunk men gawked at Eun-seong.
“It really is him? I thought you were bullshitting.”
“Fuck, why would I?“
“You bullshit every time you open your mouth. Your dad saw him on set, blah blah blah, and you go around spreading rumours.”
“Wow, this is so cool. Can I get your autograph? No, let’s take a picture.”
Flash!
Eun-seong wrenched the man’s hand off him.
His anger was reaching its boiling point.
“No.”
Would you take a picture if someone grabbed you, spoke casually to you, and yanked on your clothes?
At his response, the atmosphere turned sour.
“Fuck, he’s so full of himself.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”
“He’s nothing like he is on TV. What an asshole.”
“What’d you just say?”
One of the men was particularly aggressive, needling him.
It was the man who’d come into the wrong room.
“What’d I say? Wow, celebrities really will attack people. Look at him glare.”
He mocked Eun-seong.
Eun-seong’s tenuous grip on his temper, soaked in alcohol, snapped.
And the man kept pushing him.
“I mean, how could someone who sells their body for money be normal?”
He was referring to the bed scene Eun-seong had filmed a few times.
The moment those words left his mouth, Eun-seong punched him in the face.
Pow!
Crash!
“Ahhh!”
“You crazy bastard!”
“What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Manager! They’re fighting!”
Boom!
Eun-seong grabbed the man by the collar, slamming him into the wall.
And he beat him mercilessly.
Blood trickled from the man’s nose, and when he fell, his friends pulled Eun-seong off him.
“Hey! You okay?”
“Ah… fuck… Call the cops! Eun-seong just beat the shit out of him! Call the reporters, everyone! You crazy bastard, just you wait. You’re dead, I… Ah, fuck, that hurts…”
The man whimpered, tears in his eyes.
Eun-seong’s anger wasn’t satisfied, and he gritted his teeth.
Then.
“Uh? What’s going on?”
Muyoung, who’d followed him out, saw them.
The moment he saw Muyoung’s face, Eun-seong was oddly relieved.
Of all people, Muyoung would understand, right?
“Oh? Muyoung’s here too? You’re both fucked! You’re dead!”
“Oh, wow. Did you boil your anger? What’s going on?”
“Ask your friend! Fuck! Why’d he suddenly start beating people up? If you’re gonna drink, drink properly!”
Muyoung calmly looked between Eun-seong and the man.
“Whatever it is, Eun-seong’s pissed. He’s not usually violent, but he’s got a temper. What’d you do?”
“What? He’s got no respect, this one. Were you raised without parents? Huh?”
“Oh my God… I’m starting to get it.”
This was the smog around Eun-seong.
He really caused a big scene.
Muyoung took out his phone to call the manager.
Then he heard the men.
“Just take Unmin-soo to the hospital.”
“The hospital? He’s not that bad. Shouldn’t we call the cops first?”
Unmin-soo?
The name Un wasn’t common. If it was the Un I knew… Muyoung asked,
“Do you know Un Jeongil?”
“Un Jeongil?”
And the moment Muyoung said that name, the smog that had clouded his vision swirled and vanished.
Whoosh—
His vision cleared, and he saw the man’s shocked expression.
“…He’s my dad.”