Chapter 88
He slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at me.
"That man is involved in illegal gambling. On top of that, he runs an illegal lending business with exorbitant interest and is involved with gangsters. At this rate, he'll hit rock bottom soon. He won't be getting out easily, either."
"Huh... Hahaha... Is that really true?"
"Yes. Mr. Kim Hyun-woo can't get away from there because of his contract problems with his agency, can he?"
I could see a future in which the agency's president was arrested for illegal gambling, assault, extortion, fraudulent contracts, and various other crimes.
"So don't worry too much and focus on filming. Everyone else is worried about Mr. Kim Hyun-woo."
Only then did he seem to realize that he was making the people on set worry.
He wiped his face once, then stood up.
"Thank you."
"Think nothing of it."
He politely greeted me, then apologized to the director, the staff, and the other actors.
Only then did the mood on set improve.
"Wow... Thank you, Mr. Kang Noah."
The director approached and greeted me.
He said he had been planning to say something himself if Kim Hyun-woo's mood got any worse.
"Still, from the director's perspective, there was also the issue of my relationship with the actor, so I was wondering what to do. But you solved everything in one go like this. As expected, you're amazing."
"Haha. You said I had to match his timing. And he seems like a pretty decent person too..."
"Ah. Mr. Kim Hyun-woo? Oh, he's a wonderful person. He debuted in high school and hasn't had a single scandal since."
He even donated regularly, and during his breaks, he volunteered his time to teach acting to other unknown actors.
The director spoke casually, saying that someone like him was definitely a genuinely good person.
Right. That was why I had reached out to him.
And there was one more reason I had reached out to him.
It wasn't because of Dunsa...
Kim Hyun-woo had been adopted.
It was because, like me, he had grown up as an orphan.
Unlike me, of course, he had been adopted when he was in elementary school.
In any case, he was a man with not even the slightest problem.
"He's a devoted son to his parents, too... And he took care of his military service as well."
"I see."
"He really has no problems. Except for the agency issue, that is. Tsk. Anyway, please take good care of the acting."
"Yes, sir."
Then filming began.
Honestly, it was fun.
He had a different side from the one he showed in dramas, too.
"Mr. Kang Noah! Are you ready?!"
"Yes, sir!"
What they had given me on set was a look with a hood pulled down so deeply that it covered half my face.
All I had to do was recite my lines from the script and slowly raise my head to reveal my face.
That was all.
"Ready... Action!!"
When the director gave the signal, Kim Hyun-woo spoke in a trembling voice.
"You mean... you mean I can't meet Su-jeong?!!"
Wow... He really was an actor.
Once his mental issues had recovered, he was showing his skill properly.
The man who had been smiling as he spoke to people only moments ago was staring straight at me with bloodshot eyes.
Agitated as if he might flip the table in front of me at any moment, he slammed the table I was sitting at.
"Don't make me laugh...!! Don't make me laugh!! You fraud!!"
His rough hand grabbed me by the collar.
In the process, the hood that had been covering half my face came off.
It felt strange to be subjected to something I hadn't even experienced when I was in school.
Even if this was only acting.
But that didn't mean I could neglect what I had to do.
"You came because you'd heard about me too, didn't you?"
I slowly pointed to the cards laid out in front of me.
Kim Hyun-woo's eyes, filled with hatred, anger, and madness toward me, slowly turned toward the cards on the table.
The Death card, upright.
His eyes trembled.
I slowly raised my head.
Facing the camera behind Kim Hyun-woo as it filmed me straight on, I calmly said,
"This is your destiny."
"Cut!!"
"Wow!! That felt incredibly real!!"
"Noah! That atmosphere was amazing!!"
"You're incredible...! Is this really your first time acting?!"
"Haha. It's nothing. I just said my lines the way I usually do."
To begin with, I didn't have many lines.
In any case, my work here was finished.
"Don't just leave! At least stay for a meal!! Our food-truck owner's cooking is incredible!!"
"Yes! And we're having spicy pork today!"
The director and staff shouted confidently.
There was no resisting spicy pork stir-fry.
While I watched the filming, the food truck arrived.
The spicy pork stir-fry was delicious enough to justify everyone's confidence.
The owner here was a good cook.
Why didn't he open a restaurant?
I glanced at the owner's future, but he wasn't going to open a restaurant.
What a shame.
"Mr. Kang."
"Yes?"
"If it isn't too much trouble, could you read my fortune after you finish eating?"
She was an actress named Ha Hee-ra.
She asked with an awkward smile.
"Sure. I was almost done eating anyway, so please wait a moment. Oh, and anyone who's curious about having their fortune told, come on over!"
I shoved the rest of my spicy pork rice bowl into my mouth and picked up the cards.
As she happily sat down in front of me, other people began quietly lining up as well.
The director was among them.
"What are you curious about?"
"Um... Is our movie going to do well?"
"I can tell you, but wouldn't that put pressure on the filming?"
"Ah. You're right. Then, instead... My contract with that agency is about to end. Would it be better to move to another agency, or should I stay where I am?"
She asked while turning over a card.
"Stay where you are. Going to another agency would actually put you at a disadvantage. You'll have a huge fight with the head of the agency. They'll even try to put you in movies and dramas with a lot of revealing scenes."
"Agh!! No wonder I never liked the look of that agency head...!!"
Ha Hee-ra politely bowed and stepped away.
Next came the director.
"I have to go seek investment next. I don't know where I should go..."
"You're thinking of SG and Saseong, right? Go with Saseong."
If he went to SG, they would turn him away at the door.
But Saseong would be fine.
They were preparing to expand into cultural content at just the right time.
"Wow...!! Thank you!!'"
After that, other people came over to have their fortunes told as well.
Some were satisfied.
Some became anxious,
but nothing serious happened.
.
.
.
After I finished filming my cameo, several days passed.
I was at home relaxing when I received a call.
It was Gu Nam-cheol.
-Are you doing well?!
"I'm doing fine, as always. But what is it?"
-Actually, I wanted to ask for your help. We caught some people running an illegal gambling operation this time... One of them is a complicated case, so if possible, I'd like to meet with you. Would that be all right?
"Of course."
It was Gu Nam-cheol's request, after all.
He had helped me countless times before. Why would I refuse when he was asking for help?
I immediately headed to the Uijeongbu Prosecutors' Office with Mr. Cheolhon.
"Welcome, Teacher!"
"You seem busy these days too, don't you?"
"Yes. It's been hectic. We recently busted an illegal gambling den, in particular, and an unexpected big shot was caught there."
"Twin Enter, right?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
Because I had seen it in Kim Hyun-woo's future.
Gu Nam-cheol was the one who arrested his agency's president.
"I wanted to meet you anyway. Let's go."
Following his guidance, we arrived at a place where several people were gathered.
Among them, a large man with a nasty-looking face was tied up with rope and snorting angrily.
That man was Jo Sang-jin.
He was the president of Twin Enter, Kim Hyun-woo's agency.
The moment I saw him, I laughed.
What the hell? Look at this bastard.
"I! Someone I know is wearing a gold badge! A gold badge!!"
He was acting that boldly even in a prosecutor's office.
I couldn't tell whether he had no fear or simply no sense.
"I'm Jo Sang-jin, president of Twin Enter. During our investigation, we found a lot of incriminating things, but he hasn't been cooperating willingly."
"Is that so? Let's go in for now."
I sat down in front of him.
He glared angrily at me, who had come with Gu Nam-cheol.
"Hello, Mr. Jo Sang-jin. My name is Kang Noah."
"Kang Noah...? That fortune-teller? Ha. The Korean prosecution service must be completely dead. To think it would join hands with a fraud and a third-rate fortune-teller like you."
"That's how it turned out. Anyway, would you turn this over?"
"Ha! Why should I?"
"You want something sweet right now, don't you? Judging by how angry you are, your blood sugar seems to be low."
"......"
I asked Gu Nam-cheol to bring some sweet snacks from the break room.
A short while later, he returned with two Choco Pies.
I unwrapped one and put it in my mouth, letting the sweetness spread across my tongue.
Then I placed the remaining one in Jo Sang-jin's hand.
"Have one. And..."
I held out the cards.
Fear began to creep into Jo Sang-jin's eyes at the sight of them.
He must have heard the rumors about me, too.
So naturally, he wouldn't want to turn one over.
"...I-I don't want to."
"You think I'm a fraud, don't you? If that's the case, there shouldn't be any problem with turning this over, should there?"
"......"
"Why? Are you afraid?"
Chicken.
That was a word that worked especially well on people like him.
"H-hah!! You think I'd be afraid of a fraud like you?! Me, Jo Sang-jin?!"
He moved his hand, still locked in handcuffs, and turned over the card.
All right, then. Shall we begin?
"Mr. Jo Sang-jin. Kim Hyun-woo isn't the only one you've forced into an unfair contract."
"....!!"
His eyes trembled.
Facing the fear in his eyes, I read his past.
"You lent people money and used it to force them into contracts, tricked inexperienced actors into signing slave contracts... Beating aspiring actors was standard practice for you..."
He had committed countless other crimes as well.
"You're no ordinary piece of trash."
I hadn't seen trash like this in a long time.
I couldn't just leave someone like him alone.
"You... You, y-you can't scam me...!! Don't make me laugh!! I-I didn't do anything...!!"
He knew.
At least, he knew that I was the real deal.
I calmly spoke of secrets that only he knew, so he was gradually beginning to grasp the reality of the situation.
He was beginning to understand that his ending would not be a pleasant one.
Then let's tell him.
Let's tell him the greatest disgrace Jo Sang-jin wanted to keep hidden.
"Prosecutor Gu Nam-cheol."
"Yes."
"There is a secret device beneath the drawer of that man's desk. Press it, and a secret safe will appear."
"No!! No!!"
"The password is 881932. The key is at the very back of the drawer. There are ledgers related to tax evasion inside. There is also evidence of his other illegal activities."
"...N-no! No...!!"
"If you meet Oh Ji-hee, Jo Se-won, Han Ji-eun, and Go Eun-seong, you can add assault charges as well."
"I see."
I told him about his other crimes and earnestly named the victims connected to them as well.
Gu Nam-cheol was satisfied.
I smiled,
and Jo Sang-jin lowered his head in despair.