INTM Ch2

“How is his name even ‘Yichae’? They must have looked at his face as soon as he was born and thought that he would become a celebrity when he grew up. Isn’t it a name that was completely made for him to be a celebrity?”

“Wasn’t it a stage name?”

“Why would a male actor make up a name like that? It’s his real name.”

Bongwon let out an ambiguous exclamation, “Heh,” and turned his gaze to the TV. Yoon Yichae, sitting in a slightly more relaxed posture, was nodding even before the emcee finished speaking. He smiled shyly at compliments but didn’t show any unsightly humility. He expressed pride in his career but didn’t act arrogant. Yet, he wasn’t overly flawless either. He occasionally mixed in cute mistakes, slightly confusing words, giving the impression that he was nervous in the variety show format of a talk show.

“Still, it doesn’t feel bad… He seems like a straightforward guy.”

Watching Bongwon’s profile, already captivated, Soogyeom recalled something a senior from the theater group had once told him. There’s no need to envy star actors. Actors only have to act in front of the camera, but stars have to act all day long, so wouldn’t they be exhausted?

Was that also acting? The timing of humanity that naturally emanates from an unapproachable atmosphere, so naturally that no one can doubt it. If so, Yoon Yichae was truly a great actor.

[…But I heard that there’s another reason why you’re appearing on Yirm’s Good Night today?]

There was a hint of playfulness at the end of the emcee’s question. Yoon Yichae also squinted one eyebrow with a childlike expression.

[Could you have heard wrong? I have no ulterior motives.]

[Come on, why are you being like this? The rumors have already spread.]

What is it, a dating scandal? Unable to contain his curiosity, Soogyeom picked up his phone. Already, ‘Yoon Yichae’ and ‘Yirim’s Good Night’ were ranked side by side at the top of the portal search rankings. He clicked on ‘Yoon Yichae’ but only saw articles previewing his talk show appearance and real-time SNS reactions, with no other news.

[Actually, the viewers were probably a bit puzzled too. ‘Yoon Yichae is appearing on a variety show? Why? Is a movie being released or something?’]

[Oh, are you allowed to say things like that?]

[Of course. What era is this? The viewers know everything.]

Yoon Yichae spoke. Then he laughed. Soogyeom recalled his eyes, which he had met very briefly. The reason he said ‘unpleasant bastard’ was because there was really no other way to express it. While looking at people with an almost frosty coldness, his pupils were moist. Even when the shadow of his brow bone cast a long shadow when he lowered his head, the gleam in his upturned eyes was clear.

There are humans with eyes like that. They are generally dark inside, depressed, manipulative, and overflowing with talent. Soogyeom slowly lowered his chin and slightly raised his gaze. He naturally closed his lips and relaxed the corners of his mouth. Bongwon, who was turning to grab a bottle of soju, discovered Soogyeom like that and looked bewildered.

“What are you doing?”

“Yoon Yichae’s expression.”

Soogyeom, who answered seriously, soon chuckled.

“I’m always doing this. I have a signature face.”

“Whatever…”

“‘Rather, give me nothing at all. If you’re going to take it away anyway.'”

The line, spoken in a low voice, had the regular breathing unique to actors who have undergone thorough vocal training. In particular, Yoon Yichae was an actor who clearly showed that everything was trained in the orthodox way, making it easy to imitate. Bongwon, holding a pair of chopsticks, applauded Soogyeom, who was convincingly delivering Yoon Yichae’s famous lines from a drama.

“Didn’t they used to have a lot of impersonation contests on TV when we were kids? If you went on one of those, you’d win instantly and become famous.”

“There are still singing imitation programs now, aren’t there?”

“Really? Why don’t you go on one of those?”

“I auditioned. They said my singing skills were ambiguous, so it wouldn’t work. If a celebrity appears in a format for ordinary people, they have to be really, really good. Otherwise, viewers complain that they were plugged in for money.”

“Seriously, people watch variety shows while analyzing even that…”

That’s what I’m saying. Soogyeom, snatching the chopsticks from Bongwon, tapped the soju glass and began humming a trot song. I~ I’m tired now, ttaengbael… As he raised his voice, putting a quavering tone to the cheerful rhythm, Bongwon quickly took the chopsticks back from Soogyeom’s hand.

“Don’t do that. You’ll break the glass and get hurt again.”

Soogyeom chuckled without answering. On TV, Yoon Yichae was still in the midst of a tedious push-and-pull with the emcee. In the blurred vision, the small, square screen seemed like a dream. Soogyeom slowly blinked his eyes.

He doesn’t want to become Yoon Yichae. He doesn’t dream of becoming such a great actor or star. He realized long ago that a life where every work he appears in becomes a hit, where everything he wears and even the takeout coffee he holds becomes a topic of conversation, and where billions of won change hands for a single advertisement is not his.

He just wanted to work. He wanted to appear anywhere and earn money. To do that, he had to make his face known. He had to have some kind of career. To get a role with a salary that would allow him to make a living, he had to become a face familiar to the public. He had to create a level of recognition where people knew his face even if they didn’t know his name.

“This movie was perfect for that. It’s a supporting role, but they said there’s a pretty intense scene at the beginning. The role and scenario were confidential, but all the cast roles were detectives, lawyers, so… I guess it’s a role where I die with some impact.”

“A dying role? What’s that, unlucky.”

“The more brutally I die, the better. There are clips on the internet with titles like ‘The most shocking scene in a movie,’ and then people ask in the comments, ‘Who is this actor?'”

“You’ve been drawing a really big picture…”

Bongwon clicked his tongue. This time, instead of laughing, Soogyeom deeply lowered his eyebrows.

“I think I’ll just go to Senior Jungwoo.”

It started when he accidentally joined a theater club in college. He joined the club at the recommendation of his girlfriend at the time, and at first, he was in charge of making props and lighting, but eventually, he ended up on stage. Memorizing the script wasn’t difficult, and if he imitated an actor he had seen somewhere, he could act plausibly. He also received a business card from an entertainment agency after working a minor role. It was a time when everything seemed to be going well.

“Are you crazy? What that senior did to you back then…”

“That’s because he misunderstood that I was gay… He apologized too.”

“Hey, does being gay excuse that kind of behavior? That’s nonsense. He’s just a piece of trash.”

Kim Jungwoo, who was a senior in the club, currently runs a practical acting academy for middle and high school students. ‘How long are you going to keep going to hopeless auditions? I’ll give you a lecturer position, so come to me.’ He never thought there would come a moment when he would miss those greasy words of invitation.

“And honestly, you didn’t graduate from acting school, and you don’t have any notable works, so how are you going to be an acting academy instructor? How picky are the kids and parents these days? That’s all that guy’s sweet talk to lure you in. I bet he still has ulterior motives for you.”

“Hey, that’s a bit funny. What would he do by luring me in like that? Isn’t it more likely that he’ll say he’ll make me a lecturer and then use me as a handyman?”

“Oh my god, in the world!”

Soogyeom and Bongwon’s words stopped at the same time. They blinked at each other, then turned their heads to see the store owner staring intently at the TV with his mouth wide open. Ah, come to think of it, it felt like Yoon Yichae was going to make some kind of major announcement. Looking up at the TV belatedly, an entirely unexpected scene was being broadcast.

“Oh, that…”

Bongwon was the first to speak.

“Isn’t that him? That… bad actor.”

A familiar actor was sitting next to Yoon Yichae. They were sitting uncomfortably close. He was a rookie actor who had been appearing non-stop in all sorts of dramas and variety shows recently.

“Why is he here? Are they close?”

Bongwon asked the store owner with a friendly tone. The owner, with a face that showed he was overjoyed to be spoken to, quickly raised his voice. He seemed desperate to share the surprising news he had just heard with someone.

“No, those two are brothers!”

The chopsticks fell from Bongwon’s hand with a thud.

[When I debuted as an actor, there was one rule I set for myself. Never rely on my brother’s fame.]

‘Yoon Yichae Yoon Sookyung’ showed no signs of disappearing from the portal search rankings. Yoon Sookyung in the screen looked decent enough when viewed separately, but next to Yoon Yichae, he looked surprisingly ordinary and shabby. Soogyeom put on his earphones and turned up the speaker volume.

[But now I can walk on my own two feet, and I can’t keep saying I don’t have a brother forever. So, I’m using this great opportunity to let the public know.]

Yoon Yichae was constantly wearing a gentle smile. He looked at his younger brother so lovingly that the MC had to warn him and tease him several times. Each time, Yoon Yichae gave an embarrassed smile but couldn’t take his eyes off Yoon Sookyung.

[There’s a big age difference. I raised my brother almost like he was my son.]

After that, it was a predictable story. He actually opposed his younger brother’s debut in the entertainment industry, but his brother, who didn’t give up, eventually won the lead role in a primetime drama on his own, and at this point, he couldn’t help but surrender and cheer him on… What brought Soogyeom’s thoughts back to reality, almost being persuaded, were the comments attached to the talk show clip video.

The reactions weren’t incomprehensible. Soogyeom had the same thoughts. People who were puzzled by the news that an actor whose face and name were completely unfamiliar had been cast as the male lead in a primetime weekend drama had reached a reasonable conclusion: ‘He must be a rookie actor who showed amazing acting at the audition.’ He wasn’t a great beauty, but he had a decent appearance and somehow gave the impression that he could act well.

However, when the lid was opened, the result was disastrous. The same expression from beginning to end, leaky pronunciation, and exaggerated actions that made the viewer embarrassed threw everyone into confusion.

Naturally, protests and criticisms poured in, and he became the target of ridicule and mockery, but Yoon Sookyung did not give in. More precisely, the drama production companies did not give in. Yoon Sookyung continued to shove his face into all sorts of dramas and variety shows even after Heeyeong’s Man endlessly renewed its lowest viewership ratings and faced a humiliating early termination. It wasn’t like he was good at variety shows either. He would sit there blankly, make mistakes, and get into trouble, and he would quickly get serious at the MC’s jokes or give absurd answers, ruining the atmosphere.

I agree. Soogyeom searched for the three letters ‘Yoon Sookyung’ with an indifferent face. ‘Yoon Yichae’ appeared at the top of the related search terms. Even when he opened past interview articles one by one, there were no questions or answers about family relationships. Even if he had been asked, he could have just said he had a brother and moved on, so why would he bother denying it?