Rookie but One-in-a-Million Actor

Chapter 16

“There’s nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“Are you talking about the video?”

“I’ve never experienced something like this either, so I don’t have much to say. Anyway, I’m sorry things turned out this way. Let’s just say it was a good experience, and when we plan the next project…”

At that moment, an incoming call interrupted from an unfamiliar number, likely from Enbin’s agency. Mooyoung cut the conversation short and responded.

“Sorry, Team Leader. I’ve got a call coming in.”

“Ah! Sure, sure. I’ll be in touch.”

“Alright, take care.”

As he ended the call, his friends stood in the hallway, waiting for him. Mooyoung waved his hand awkwardly.

“Sorry, guys. Something urgent came up. You go on ahead!”

“Alright, we’ll catch up next time!”

Watching them leave, Mooyoung pressed the call button. A hurried voice introduced itself right away.

“Hello, is this Ha Mooyoung? I’m the head of SN Entertainment. I’m calling because of what Enbin told us. Is there any chance you can meet with us now?”

…?

Mooyoung blinked in confusion.

“I can, but I’m at Seoyeon University right now.”

“I’ll cover the taxi fare. Please come to the address I just sent you. I’m begging you.”

After agreeing, Mooyoung hung up the phone. He tried to call Enbin while heading out of the campus gates, but…

‘His phone’s off?’

A video… He had some idea of what this might be, but he couldn’t jump to conclusions. Showing the taxi driver the address in the text, he made his request.

“Driver, could you please take me to this address in Hannam-dong quickly?”

“Sure.”

As the city’s skyscrapers rushed by through the window, Mooyoung thought about the beautiful day it was — though for someone else, it was likely a nightmare. He grimaced, recalling Enbin’s bright smile from the filming set.

***

In a luxurious apartment in Hannam-dong, the view of the Han River was stunning, but the interior of the home was in complete disarray, as if a thief had ransacked the place. Nothing was left intact; everything was either broken or shattered.

Crash!

Boom!

“Ahhh!”

“Enbin! Please stop! You’re going to hurt your hands!”

“Let me go! I said, let go!”

Enbin was in a frenzy, almost like a madman. His swollen, tear-filled eyes were brimming with anger. He felt wronged, furious, and powerless all at once.

“…Hyung, what did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why the hell is this happening to me?!”

It had all started with a text message that came in the middle of the night.

In the dark, a picture of a naked man and woman engaged in an intimate act. Anyone else might have dismissed it as just pornography, but Enbin recognized it immediately.

It was his own house. His own room.

And his girlfriend.

“…I can’t do this anymore, hyung.”

“Enbin, listen to me. Let’s contact the police, okay?”

“I told you, we can’t! It’s not just about me, it’s about Jiyeon too!”

The text had come with a demand: pay 100 million won, or the video would be leaked online. And with it, his girlfriend’s personal information. The same would happen if they involved the police.

The problem was—

“She’s an ordinary person.”

His girlfriend, the one who had lived next door since they were kids, wasn’t part of this world. Even their parents knew each other. But if her personal details were exposed in such a way? Not even Enbin, as a celebrity, could bear the consequences.

“It’s all over.”

His career, his life, and his relationship with his girlfriend — everything would be ruined. Enbin clutched his head and collapsed onto the sofa.

“How much are they asking for this time?”

“…A billion won.”

Enbin had sent the initial 100 million.

Apparently, the ease with which they received the money made the blackmailer bold enough to send more photos. This time, along with proof of the existence of a video, they demanded an additional billion won. Only then did Enbin finally report the situation to his agency.

“Crazy bastard.”

Shhhk—

The manager swore as he pulled the curtains shut. The angle of the photos suggested they had been taken from outside the window. Since they lived on the fifth floor, it was likely a drone had been used.

“I’m going to terminate my contract. Just settle everything for me. I don’t want the team to be affected.”

The only way he could gather 1 billion won was to break his contract. Enbin barely managed to mutter the words in a voice that was completely drained.

Tears flowed freely. He had spent nearly half of his 21-year life dedicated to singing and dancing, and now, it was all ending like this.

“Enbin, calm down for now.”

The police were the answer.

Although Enbin kept resisting, fearing the worst, the company had no other option. They wrapped his bleeding hands in a towel.

“The company will do everything we can to help.”

“Don’t you understand?”

“What?”

“I think it’s them.”

Even though Enbin referred to “them” vaguely, the manager immediately knew who he meant: the crazy stalker who had once tormented Enbin to the point of self-harm. But hadn’t things quieted down lately?

“They haven’t shown up for a while now.”

“I can feel it. That bastard’s going to haunt me even after death…”

Instinctively, Enbin knew. There was no hard evidence, but the thought lingered relentlessly in his mind. To the manager, however, it seemed like a case of severe mental exhaustion. He was about to offer some words of comfort when—

Click.

The front door opened, and the head of SN Entertainment stepped in, followed awkwardly by Mooyoung.

“Wow…”

Mooyoung was first amazed by the floor-to-ceiling windows and then shocked by the chaos inside the apartment. Enbin shot up from the sofa and rushed over.

“Ha Mooyoung!”

“Enbin, are you alright? The Director told me a bit of the situation—”

Enbin’s face, swollen and tear-streaked, was far from its usual radiant, handsome self. Now, he looked like nothing more than a haggard boy his age. Without any preamble, Enbin grabbed Mooyoung’s shoulders.

“That person… how did you get rid of them back then?”

Enbin believed Mooyoung would have the answer. After all, hadn’t Mooyoung managed to drive her away with just a few minutes of conversation?

Clinging to the hope that Mooyoung had a solution, Enbin pleaded with him.

“Please, tell me. Please, Mooyoung.”

“Whoa, calm down, what’s going on?”

The conversation they had when episode one was uploaded… Of course, Mooyoung had intended to keep his promise.

However, since what they discussed involved seeing ghosts and strange smog, it was too far-fetched. Surely, Enbin wouldn’t believe such absurdities, so Mooyoung had planned to bring it up lightly, as a joke.

But now, faced with a person shaking in sheer terror, how could he even joke about it? Mooyoung stayed silent for a moment, gently patting Enbin’s back.

“Please convince him to report this to the police.”

That was what the director had asked Mooyoung to do on their way up. Enbin, who had threatened to take his own life if they informed the police or his parents, had only been asking for Mooyoung.

“Do you think the stalker is behind this?”

“I’m sure of it. That psycho is the only bad blood I’ve ever had.”

“…Then you should report it to the police. They’ll catch them right away; the stalker already has a record.”

“They said they’d post the video if I did!”

Enbin was on the verge of losing his mind, trapped in a dilemma where no option seemed right. Meanwhile, Mooyoung tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“That’s strange. I remember the USB burned up.”

“…What?”

Both the manager and the director widened their eyes in surprise. A USB? What USB? Sensing their confusion, Mooyoung explained.

“Back then, their house caught fire.”

“A fire?”

“It was in Sangdong, I think? I don’t remember exactly, but everything was lost in the fire—”

He stopped short, not wanting to make assumptions out loud.

That dark smog… whether it symbolized financial ruin or something else, Mooyoung wasn’t entirely sure. Then the manager mumbled under his breath.

“So that’s why they need money?”

It was a plausible guess. If the stalker had lost their home and money, they might have fallen into debt. Mooyoung reached out his hand.

“Where’s your phone?”

Enbin scrambled, searching the floor until he found his phone with a cracked screen discarded in a corner. That explained why it had been off.

“Are you sure the photo is really you?”

“Yeah. The house, everything matches.”

“Can you make out the face?”

“…It’s hard to see because it’s so dark.”

Mooyoung studied the image on the cracked screen. Taken in the dark without any lighting, the quality was poor. Even Mooyoung couldn’t tell for sure if the person in the photo was Enbin.

“If you didn’t say it was you, no one would know. Ask them to send the video. When blackmailing someone, they usually send the video, not just a photo, right?”

At Mooyoung’s suggestion, Enbin felt like he’d been hit with a hammer. That made sense. Typically, blackmailers would send a video and then demand money, promising to delete the original file in exchange.

“I don’t think they have the video.”

Mooyoung handed the phone back to Enbin. The black smog and the spirits’ hints — one way or another, the stalker was trapped in their own spiral of misfortune.

“Are you serious?”

“No.”

Enbin’s hands trembled as he took the phone. Each of Mooyoung’s words seemed to shine a light into his darkened world.

“These days, everything is backed up to the cloud. Just ask them to prove the video exists before you panic.”

As he said this, Enbin’s lips quivered, and his eyes welled with tears. If the video truly existed… that would be the end of him. There would be no escape.

“What do I do…? Hh-hh…”

Unable to hold it back any longer, Enbin broke down in tears. His tears fell like drops of rain. But Mooyoung’s expression brightened as he watched.

Enbin, lost in his tears, and the others standing behind him didn’t notice this change.

“Don’t cry. Just do it.”

Sparkles, like glitter, scattered across Enbin’s face as his tears fell. Mooyoung could see it clearly — signs that the video probably didn’t exist.

‘Yeah, there’s no video.’

Mooyoung patted Enbin’s shoulder and wiped away his tears, his hand catching a shimmering sparkle. With trembling fingers, Enbin began to type a message.

“You’re really going to send it?”

“Mhm. It’ll be fine. Everything’s going to work out.”

Everything’s going to work out. Those simple words from Mooyoung felt like a magic spell, calming Enbin’s frantic heart. After taking a deep breath, Enbin hit send.