Chapter 53: The Unveiling of a Troubled Past

Baek Hwi-kyung jutted his chin out, a sneer twisting his features like a low-life thug. The way his eyes, fixed on Yeon-ho, reminded Yeon-ho of the men Yoon Won-han, the CEO of Cherry Picker, used to call his ‘brothers.’

‘The rumors about his past involvement in shady entertainment businesses weren’t unfounded, then.’

Such a gaze could only belong to someone whose life was steeped in drink and debauchery.

“Hey, watch your step.”

Baek Hwi-kyung poked at Yeon-ho’s forehead, as if to push him back. Yeon-ho braced his neck, refusing to budge. Though his instincts screamed to grab Baek Hwi-kyung’s wrist and throw him, he held back, sensing that such an action would inevitably lead to a fight.

“I’m not sure what you mean. What exactly do you think I’ve overstepped?”

All Yeon-ho had done at the set today was attend to Tae-young’s needs. If even that was an annoyance, he had no other response than to ask what Baek Hwi-kyung expected him to do.

Infuriated that Yeon-ho’s head hadn’t budged, a vein throbbed in Baek Hwi-kyung’s forehead.

“Don’t try to deny it. I heard all about you standing in for me yesterday!”

Ah, so that was it.

Only then did Yeon-ho understand why Baek Hwi-kyung was acting this way. It seemed Baek Hwi-kyung resented anyone who cleaned up his mistakes, regardless of whether Yeon-ho was Tae-young’s manager or not.

“Let’s put yesterday aside. But today, you even did a script reading in front of Choo Gi-hoon, didn’t you?”

How had he known that? Even if he was widely disliked, it seemed there were still crew members willing to feed him information.

“It wasn’t a script reading; I merely read the lines. Like a text-to-speech function on a phone.”

Yeon-ho tried to explain that it wasn’t what Baek Hwi-kyung thought, but Baek Hwi-kyung seemed unwilling to listen.

“It’s obvious what you’re trying to do, constantly getting on people’s nerves. You must be hoping I’ll self-destruct by focusing on your acting, but that will never happen. I will protect my acting style!”

Yeon-ho smoothed out his shirt, which had been stretched from Baek Hwi-kyung’s grip.

‘He’s even stranger than I thought.’

He had always known Baek Hwi-kyung was irresponsible and reckless. Yet, it seemed Baek Hwi-kyung also suffered from a histrionic personality disorder, in addition to his recklessness. His assessment of his own abilities also seemed far from objective.

Throughout his appearance on *Cold Reading*, Baek Hwi-kyung’s acting had been criticized as bland and uninspired. However, he hadn’t been called a terrible actor, largely thanks to his aura perfectly aligning with Cha Moon-gyu’s character. It was almost as if the writer had based Cha Moon-gyu on Baek Hwi-kyung.

A slick, host-like face, boorish and frivolous behavior, and strong self-pity.

However, Cha Moon-gyu was the son and heir of a nationwide gang boss. He couldn’t be merely frivolous. Moreover, while his emotionally fragile side was emphasized early on, his brutality and violence became prominent later. In that regard, Baek Hwi-kyung failed to capture even half of Cha Moon-gyu’s appeal. The violence he portrayed merely brought to mind a small, ill-tempered dog barking incessantly, rather than a mad dog losing control and seeing nothing but red.

“Did Han Tae-young promise you something? Is he going to give you a supporting role if you interfere with me?”

Yeon-ho sighed. He was already exhausted by everyone on set mistaking him for an actor or aspiring actor. Now, with Baek Hwi-kyung saying the same thing, his patience was wearing thin.

This was all Kim Jin-woo’s fault.

Yeon-ho resented Kim Jin-woo. Because Kim Jin-woo had misled him into being an extra, Yeon-ho kept finding himself in situations where he had to explain himself.

“I haven’t been offered anything. Why would anyone ask an ordinary person to act?”

“An ordinary person? Trying to clean up your image in such a laughable way.”

Baek Hwi-kyung snorted dismissively.

“You’re that punk who caused trouble and got kicked out of Cherry Picker, aren’t you?”

Yeon-ho, who had been contemplating how to quickly escape the situation, stiffened. It wasn’t him who had caused the trouble; it was another member. But that wasn’t the important part. The fact that Baek Hwi-kyung, who seemed to have no connection to idols, knew about his past sent a chill down his spine.

“Oh, look at that face. You’ve gone pale. Embarrassed to be exposed as a failed idol?”

Did he think he had found a weakness? Baek Hwi-kyung smirked viciously, like a villain in a drama.

‘If only he showed that side when the cameras were rolling.’

If he had, a few viewers might have felt some regret when Baek Hwi-kyung left the show. However, the actual audience reaction had been cold. There were those who said it was for the best, as they could replace him with a better actor, but no one regretted his departure.

“Listen, no matter how embarrassing your past is, you shouldn’t turn away from it like that. It’s not like it stays hidden just because you try to conceal it.”

Baek Hwi-kyung pretended to see right through Yeon-ho’s psychology. However, Yeon-ho didn’t want to hide his past as an idol because he was ashamed of his failure.

Whenever people mentioned Cherry Picker or Glitch, Yeon-ho felt uncomfortable, reminded of all the things he had to give up to debut. At a young age, he had to live away from his family in a cramped dormitory and couldn’t fully participate in school life. His father couldn’t afford to send him living expenses, so he had to work part-time after practice.

He couldn’t remember anything he did at school. He was usually exhausted and slept as soon as he arrived. His phone contact list didn’t contain a single name of a classmate. The only times his classmates sought him out were for pickup soccer or basketball games, or on the day of an inter-class competition.

When Yeon-ho first debuted with Glitch, some kids reached out to him. But as Glitch failed to gain popularity, the messages asking to meet up or hang out eventually stopped.

It wasn’t just his school days he wanted to forget. The process of the team disbanding and the series of events he experienced being cast out by his agency had left scars on Yeon-ho. Though he wasn’t particularly close with his members, they were the people he had spent the most time with after his family, and he still hadn’t overcome the sense of loss.

“Shall I give you some advice?”

Baek Hwi-kyung wore a sly expression, like a broker offering easy money.

“Playing Han Tae-young’s lackey won’t get you anything. The real power behind casting is Writer Sung.”

“And?”

“You’re completely clueless. Look, I’m graciously extending a hand for you to switch sides. Grab the opportunity while you can, huh?”

Baek Hwi-kyung glared, like a cell phone sales clerk pushing an expensive plan. However, his strong-arming didn’t feel threatening to Yeon-ho. Yeon-ho had the advantage in both height and physique over Baek Hwi-kyung.

Yeon-ho, wondering how far this man would go, asked, “Are you telling me to quit being his manager?”

“What are you talking about! Why would you quit being Han Tae-young’s manager?”

Baek Hwi-kyung jumped in surprise.

“You said to switch sides. If I don’t quit being his manager, how am I supposed to get on your side?”

“Ugh, seriously, why are you so dense? Try to think more flexibly.”

Baek Hwi-kyung jingled his expensive watch like a bracelet. It was a gesture that seemed to entice, *You want this too, don’t you? Then come under my wing.*

“I completely understand if you’re sick of Han Tae-young and want to escape quickly. But then you and I wouldn’t have a win-win situation. To be mutually beneficial, there has to be some give and take, right?”

Yeon-ho let out a hollow laugh. Baek Hwi-kyung had beaten around the bush, but ultimately, he was asking Yeon-ho to be a spy.

‘He’s even more trash than I thought. I feel no human empathy for him.’

Yeon-ho had considered warning Baek Hwi-kyung to be careful with driving and alcohol. This man was like a cancerous cell: irresponsible, a terrible actor, and consumed by inferiority toward the lead, Tae-young. But thinking of the trouble the *Cold Reading* production team would face, preventing an accident had seemed like the best option. However, seeing him scheme so deviously behind the scenes, any desire to help him vanished completely.

“So, what’s it going to be? Are you joining my side or not? If not now, I won’t accept you later, so think carefully. Begging won’t help then. I’ve made myself clear, haven’t I?”

Baek Hwi-kyung bluffed, as if refusing the deal would only hurt Yeon-ho. But his words and actions contradicted each other. He stood with his arms spread, blocking the bathroom door to prevent Yeon-ho from leaving.

‘How pathetic.’

From the atmosphere, it seemed Baek Hwi-kyung wouldn’t easily back down even if Yeon-ho refused. He might even bring up Glitch again to provoke Yeon-ho’s inferiority complex. Yeon-ho was no saint; if he heard another slight about being an unknown or a failed idol, he might actually throw a punch this time.

“I’ll consider your offer as positively as possible, so please move aside for now.”

Yeon-ho gave Baek Hwi-kyung the answer he wanted, simply to get him out of his sight quickly. This man would be leaving the drama soon anyway, so even if Yeon-ho didn’t keep his word, Baek Hwi-kyung wouldn’t be able to come after him. Even if the future changed and Baek Hwi-kyung didn’t cause an accident, it wouldn’t matter. Today was Yeon-ho’s last day working as Tae-young’s manager.

“You’ve made a wise choice. Let’s get along well from now on, my little bug.”

Baek Hwi-kyung pounded Yeon-ho’s shoulder with his fist. It wasn’t out of joy or excitement that his hand held such force. He had clearly struck with the intention of hurting someone. Since he had hit with his knuckles, his deliberate intent was undeniable.

“…Ugh.”

*Click. Bang!*

As Yeon-ho stumbled briefly from the pain, Baek Hwi-kyung vanished from the bathroom like the wind. He had clearly run away, afraid of Yeon-ho retaliating. Left alone in the bathroom, Yeon-ho stood dumbfounded, too bewildered and incredulous to move.

“Why did he hit me?”

Was it to establish dominance? Or had he held a grudge because Yeon-ho hadn’t budged when he poked his forehead earlier? Whatever the reason, his actions were utterly sinister and base.

Moreover, people like him didn’t just ruin themselves; they had a tendency to drag those around them down into the abyss. He wasn’t frightening, but he was certainly dangerous.

Yeon-ho returned to the set, wishing Baek Hwi-kyung would be separated from the *Cold Reading* production team as soon as possible.