[Anger management disorder……?]
[※Actual situation※]
“You f*cking bastard!”
Park Song-hu grabbed his phone by reflex and opened the live comments.
At least something was coming in fast.
-This is hilarious lololol
-Wow, I never expected Park Song-hu to say something like that.
-Oh, he really doesn't give a damn lolololol
-Isn't this scripted too?
-No, f*ck, even if it's scripted, Park Song-hu saying it is the bigger surprise lolololol
-For the record, you could never write that into a script.
└So that was pure Park Song-hu ad-libbing?
The furrow between Park Song-hu's brows slowly began to smooth out.
‘……What's going on?’
Against his expectations, the comments weren't taking it badly.
[I know exactly how to cure that illness. It'll vanish the moment this big brother stands in front of you, won't it?]
[Want to give it a try?]
[I-I can manage my anger just fine, sir! I can!]
Park Song-min answered in a panic and put everything he had into a defensive stance.
Just as he had done with Park Song-hu.
Park Song-hu bristled again.
“Would you knock it off, you f*cker!”
Why was he acting like such a loser while pretending to be him?!
He'd asked Park Song-min to appear on the variety show in his place, not to ruin his image.
Park Song-hu's neck flushed bright red with agitation, and the color was climbing into his face when the screen cut to the panelists clutching their stomachs with laughter.
‘……What?’
The comments picked up even more.
-Wow, this episode is legendary lololol
-What's with Park Song-hu's sense for variety shows?
-And the way he covered his face with both arms is f*cking adorable lololol
-Agreed, so damn cute.
-Wow, I never imagined Park Song-hu would answer back like that.
-I came here to complain that he only spent a year lying low. What is even happening now?
‘……Why do they like this so much?’
Puzzled, Park Song-hu picked up his phone.
He called Park Song-min, but…….
[The phone you have called is turned off. After the beep, you will be connected to voicemail……]
All he got was an electronic woman's voice.
The kid had wasted no time turning off his phone.
It wasn't as if Park Song-hu was going to scold him. He just wanted to ask what on earth he'd been thinking when he did that.
‘Oh, that's why he ran off.’
Only then did it dawn on him.
-Didn't Park Song-hu usually just react when he went on variety shows?
-Is this really the same person?
-Did he decide to change while he was lying low?
-He's got a strong mind.
-You can see Park Song-hu made up his mind to change while he was away T_T And maybe that's why I feel a little sorry for him T_T T_T T_T
-Considering his old image, how hard must he have worked to do all this…….
-He came well prepared, for real.
-Wasn't he just a pretty face before?
[Pfft!]
Park Song-min covered his mouth and laughed on screen.
That surprised Park Song-hu too.
The way his eyes crinkled when he laughed behind his hand, even the shape of his hand, was exactly like Park Song-hu's.
Even he couldn't tell them apart.
Being twins didn't mean everything about them was identical.
Which meant Park Song-min was acting like him.
‘Could he actually have a talent for acting?’
At first, Park Song-hu had written it off as luck, but now he really wasn't sure.
The evidence was piling up, piece by piece.
-What's with that smile in his eyes?
-F*cking handsome.
-Hate the sin, but I can't hate that face…….
-Park Song-hu's smile has always been f*cking pretty, though.
“…….”
Weren't you bastards calling my smile fake before?
The comments kept pouring in.
-Maybe it's because he's handsome, but every single thing he says gets a laugh.
-Well, when someone's that good-looking, anything they say is funny lololol
-Park Song-hu is carrying this whole show, agreed lololol
-Their back-and-forth is fucking hilarious.
-He's only pretending to be innocent. Don't you know what his personality's really like?
└Yeah, well, our Song-hu can't act ^^
└lololol
-Am I the only one disgusted that he's coming back so shamelessly?
└Yep, just you.
└It's actually more fun because he's laughing it off.
And before long…….
-Wow, what's with the live viewer count right now? Holy shit.
It was the highest live streaming figure for a recent episode of <Our Hospital>.
[Oh, right, Song-hu. We ran into each other once before, remember?]
Ah, that day.
Park Song-hu remembered.
The host had been lively in front of the cameras, but had looked drained in the waiting room.
So Park Song-hu had asked Yong-gi to give him the doughnuts he supposedly liked…….
[……I'm sorry about that day.]
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
[……I should've given you a bigger doughnut.]
“Has he lost his mind?”
Park Song-hu hurriedly stared at the screen.
-Has he lost his mind lolololol
-A bigger doughnut, he says lol T_T
-Oh, his timing is incredible.
-Wow, I didn't expect that from Park Song-hu. He even gave someone doughnuts.
-Right? Maybe there's another side to him we don't see on TV.
-He acts cold, but he cares.
-Bullshit, no. Go watch that video of Park Song-hu cursing people out again.
-Maybe there's more to that story too, when you think about it?
“…….”
How had it turned out like this too?
***
A filming location for the drama <Hwain> in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
A crime thriller airing on Fridays and Saturdays.
The highest ratings in its time slot for five consecutive weeks.
These days, everyone seemed to be talking about <Hwain>.
“All right, that's a wrap for today! Good work, everyone!”
As filming of the final scene ended, applause broke out across the set.
The actors sank into chairs one by one and gulped down bottled water.
“Hold on, everyone, stay a little longer.”
With filming done, the mood was relaxed.
Three or four lead actors, the assistant director, and the script supervisor gathered in a semicircle around the monitor.
“As you know, we're filming the final episode soon.”
The producer pulled a note from between the pages of the script.
“There's an interrogation room scene right before the final episode's ending. Remember the body found wearing a hood in the rain in Episode One?”
The actors nodded.
That case was the axis around which the entire story turned.
“The person everyone thought had died is sitting right there in the interrogation room. Two or three lines, that's all.”
The producer tapped the note with a pen.
“We need a face whose presence bursts off the screen.”
The actors murmured among themselves.
“A face with impact?”
“Well…… naturally.”
One of the supporting actors spoke first.
“If we're talking about looks alone, wouldn't Park Song-hu be the one?”
The air around them shifted slightly.
They had all thought of that name, but no one had wanted to be the first to say it.
“Honestly, there's no arguing with his looks.”
Another actor joined in.
“He's got a face that would light up the screen just sitting in an interrogation room, but…….”
The actor trailed off.
Everyone knew what came next.
“But still…….”
The assistant director cautiously cut in.
“His image is the problem. <Hwain> is doing so well right now. If we put a controversial actor in the final episode and it becomes a blemish…….”
The producer folded their arms too.
“That's the issue. If viewers start asking why we put him in, it'll muddy the ending of the whole drama.”
“And his acting, too…….”
Someone added it quietly.
Everyone knew, but no one had said it outright.
Park Song-hu's terrible acting was already notorious in the industry.
Even if he had only two or three lines, he was the sort of actor who could make those lines stick out awkwardly from everything around them.
“……Tsk. I suppose so.”
The producer nodded and was about to mark an X on the note when…….
“Pfft.”
A soft laugh escaped from somewhere.
“……?”
Everyone looked toward it.
In a corner of the set, someone sat in a folding chair.
It was Yoo Yeon-jae, the star of <Hwain>.
One earbud was in place, and the corners of Yoo Yeon-jae's mouth were raised.
“Yeon-jae, what are you watching?”
Yoo Yeon-jae pulled out the earbud and looked up.
“Oh, this.”
Yoo Yeon-jae lifted the phone to show them.
It was a clip from <Our Hospital>.
“It aired yesterday, but clips keep getting posted now.”
The assistant director took out a phone and checked.
“……Oh, you're right. ‘Park Song-hu Our Hospital,’ ‘Park Song-hu self-deprecating joke,’ ‘Park Song-hu variety show talent’—they're all up.”
“I heard it hit twelve percent in the ratings.”
Another actor chimed in.
“The highest this quarter, apparently.”
The producer unfolded their arms and rubbed their chin.
“……Twelve percent?”
“Yes. There's even an article calling it the Park Song-hu effect.”
Yoo Yeon-jae joined them and played another clip.
[I-I can manage my anger just fine, sir! I can!]
[Ha-ha-ha! See? Your illness was cured in an instant!]
“Pfft!”
The assistant director cracked first.
One actor giggled right after.
Even the producer, who had been biting their lip, let out a laugh through their nose.
“Hey, is that really Park Song-hu?”
“I guess this is what people mean when they say he's really changed.”
Yoo Yeon-jae picked up the phone and scrolled through the comments.
“People are responding pretty well right now, too.”
The script supervisor added cautiously:
“Oh, his interview video is getting attention too, isn't it? The one from <Scene & Cut>. The clip of him tearing up at the end is going around.”
The producer turned to look.
“……Tears?”
“Yes. People are saying that, given Park Song-hu's acting, he couldn't possibly produce tears that naturally, so they must be genuine…….”
Someone snickered.
The irony of his terrible acting becoming proof of his sincerity.
The producer took out their own phone and began searching.
For a while, the producer scrolled through articles and reactions.
“…….”
The silence stretched on.
The actors waited, watching the producer’s expression.
“The buzz is certainly there.”
The producer rubbed their chin once more.
“There's definitely a risk. But honestly, it's one cameo scene. Put a face with real presence right before the final episode ends, and it can decide the aftertaste of the whole drama. And at this particular moment…….”
The producer looked toward the monitor.
The producer seemed to be calculating how much time remained before they shot <Hwain>'s final episode.
“I think he's worth considering.”
Yoo Yeon-jae weighed in casually.
The producer looked over.
If the lead actor was positive about it, the atmosphere on set would likely follow.
“If that face is sitting in the interrogation room, viewers will hold their breath.”
Yoo Yeon-jae spoke evenly.
As someone also called one of the best-looking people in the industry, Yoo Yeon-jae knew better than anyone how much power that face had.
“All right.”
The producer struck through the X on the note with a pen, erasing it.
The producer drew a circle in its place.
“Let's offer Mr. Park Song-hu a cameo appearance.”
***
I feel my life is in danger right now.
I mean it.
It had been three hours since I moved into Park Song-hu's place, and my phone was still turned off.
Prince syndrome.
I was supposed to say prince syndrome.
How could I forget just three syllables?!
“Meow.”
“Louie, please save me.”
“Mew…….”
‘Ah, what am I going to do?’
I stood up to get something to drink from the kitchen.
When I opened the refrigerator, I found it crammed with food.
Bottled water, organic juice, fruit, salad packs, and small containers of side dishes.
The freezer was stacked with all sorts of meal kits too.
“…….”
I'd nearly thrown all this away.
Park Song-hu was terminally ill, so he wasn't going to come back here.
‘That's right. He won't come back here.’
Without realizing it, I stood there for a while with the refrigerator door open, staring into space.
Only after some time did I take out a meal kit.
Marinated Korean beef.
My eyes nearly popped out when I saw the price on the back of the package.
‘Thirty thousand won for one pack?! And damn, it expires today?!’
I started cooking at once.
A little later, the moment I picked up a piece of marinated Korean beef and put it in my mouth……!
“This is insane…….”
A thrill ran through me.
It felt as though my taste buds, pickled in cheap, miserable food, were coming back to life.
I put some marinated beef over rice, then took a piece of diced radish kimchi from a side-dish container and added it on top.
Even the kimchi was crunchy and tasted like something from a great restaurant.
“Meooow.”
Louie had appeared at my feet.
Louie rested their front paws on my knee and stretched their neck to peer over the table.
Their nostrils flared.
“You eat your cat food.”
“Meoooow.”
The pitch rose.
Protest, Level 2.
At Level 3, the hind-leg kicks would start flying.
I quickly took out a treat reserved for Louie and set it on the floor.
Louie shot me one disgruntled look, then turned toward the treat.
Crunch, crunch. We chewed side by side.
After I finished eating, I was about to do the dishes…… but instead I flopped down on the living room sofa.
‘It's my place now anyway. Who cares?’
I opened my laptop.
Now it was time to write.
I needed to work out the characters' emotional arcs, plan the plot, polish the dialogue…….
‘And quietly slip in Park Song-hu's idea.’
Hey, it really was a good idea.
Maybe my brother had an unexpected talent for web novels.
‘Nah, no way.’
It wasn't that easy.
He'd just thrown out an idea and happened to land one good hit.
“Phew.”
I had a long, satisfying stretch.
Louie was curled up asleep on a cushion at the other end of the sofa.
With their front paws covering their nose, they looked soft and round as a little loaf of bread.
‘……Peaceful.’
In the middle of writing, I checked my serialization page on Soseol Joa.
There was a comment I hadn't seen before.
A fresh one, posted just now.
I clicked it with a flutter of anticipation.
[Turn on your phone while I'm still asking nicely]
“Aaargh!”
‘I-it's my brother!’
He'd gone so far as to threaten me in the comments because I wasn't checking my phone!
I swallowed hard and turned it on.
While it booted up, I decided to check the reaction to <Our Hospital> on my laptop.
I was only now looking at it properly for the first time.
[Park Song-hu's Self-Deprecating “I Can Manage My Anger” Joke in Comeback Broadcast Has Viewers in Stitches]
[The Park Song-hu Effect on <Our Hospital>? Ratings Hit Twelve Percent, Highest This Quarter]
I rubbed my eyes and read it again.
Of course there was plenty of criticism, but considering how far he'd fallen, the response wasn't bad at all.
‘But…….’
Regardless of the response, my brother would probably be furious that I'd ruined his image like this.
‘He's definitely going to kill me.’
I pictured Park Song-hu springing up from his hospital bed with a vein throbbing at his temple.
‘I just won't turn my phone on.’
I'd changed my mind.
As long as my phone stayed off, my brother's anger would remain in a Schrödinger state.
I held down the power button again.
RATTLE-RATTLE- My legs shook.
While their cat butler was in this state, Louie was sprawled on the sofa, yawning without a care.
“Louie, what am I supposed to say to my brother?”
“Miaow.”
Louie jumped down from the sofa with their tail held high.
They padded across the hardwood floor and climbed to the top of their cat tower.
I looked at the clock. It was already ten at night.
‘I'll turn my phone on tomorrow. I can't do it today.’
I could just say I'd been asleep and hadn't seen it.
……Classic avoidant behavior!
CLICK—
Suddenly, I heard the lock on the front door open.
“……?!?”
My heart dropped with a thud.
A thief? A robber?
No, not with this place's security system.
Then who?
I ducked behind the cat tower by reflex and watched the front door.
A figure appeared at the end of the hallway.
The face caught by the living room's indirect lighting.
It was my face.
No. It was Park Song-hu.
“I've been discharged.”
“?”