Rookie but One-in-a-Million Actor

Chapter 17

A Response Comes

A sedan pulls into the front gate of the Yongsan Police Station.

Screech!

As soon as the car halts, Enbin dashes out, barely giving the vehicle time to stop. With his face hidden under a cap, sunglasses, and a mask, his suspicious appearance catches the attention of the police officers standing at the entrance.

“Enbin! Wait for me!”

“Mooyoung, catch up to him! He’s about to do something reckless!”

“Hey! I told you not to run!”

The manager parks the car deeper inside while Mooyoung chases after Enbin.

“Where’s the detectives’ division?”

“Up on the second floor.”

“Ugh, I’m out of breath!”

Clearly, there’s a difference between someone who sings and dances daily—Enbin sprinted upstairs without breaking a sweat.

The culprit has been caught.

Only two days after filing the report, good news had arrived.

Enbin had asked the blackmailer to send the video. But there was no reply. Two hours later, the same photos were sent again.

Bang!

“Where’s Detective Kim Mincheol?”

The past two hours had felt like an eternity for Enbin.

With no response, his anxiety had boiled into anger, and when the photos came again, it was like adding fuel to the fire.

There’s only the photos.

The pictures were so blurry that it was hard to tell who was in them. Even his most devoted fans wouldn’t be able to recognize him. The only option left was to file a report.

“Over here.”

A bald-headed detective raised his hand from a corner of the room. Sitting in front of him, wearing a hoodie, was a woman. Enbin’s expression hardened.

“You’re the victim, Jung Woonbin, right?”

Enbin’s real name. He simply nodded while staring down at the woman. That familiar silhouette—he knew her well because she had stalked him for so long.

“…Raise your head.”

At his low voice, the suspect lifted her face.

It was her, the stalker! Enbin couldn’t hold back and grabbed her by the collar.

“You f—!”

“Hey! No! You can’t do that!”

“Sir, you need to stop this!”

Mooyoung wrapped his arms around Enbin’s waist, pulling him back. Despite the commotion, the police station remained surprisingly calm, as if they had seen such scenes many times before.

“I’m sorry, oppa. Hic…”

The stalker, still in Enbin’s grasp, burst into tears. The detective muttered awkwardly.

“‘Oppa,’ huh? She’s twenty-nine years old.”

“When someone’s handsome, they’re always ‘oppa.’”

The detective’s lighthearted comment didn’t fit the serious situation. Mooyoung looked at Enbin’s face. He was clearly seconds away from losing his mind.

“Oppa, I’m sorry. I needed the money, that’s why I did it. Please, just this once, forgive me. Please, oppa.”

The stalker clasped her hands together and cried harder. Enbin’s expression, however, went from hardened to pale. ‘All the time we spent together’? What the hell!

“I didn’t really mean anything by it. I was just curious about what oppa was doing at home. I thought he’d be seeing someone…”

She hadn’t expected to capture something like that.

Shock and betrayal swept over Enbin, but only for a moment. After all, she was someone who “loved” him, wasn’t she? He had planned to let it slide… if only the fire hadn’t happened.

“…Why did you take screenshots?”

“I couldn’t see the woman’s face. I adjusted the brightness, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

Hearing this, Enbin secretly let out a sigh of relief. Good. She didn’t know. He had tried so hard to keep his relationships secret, staying low-key as much as possible.

The detective gestured for the woman to sit down as he continued.

“So, you claim that the original video was stored on a USB, but it was destroyed in the fire, and the screenshots were automatically saved to the cloud. You said you were… what do they call it?”

‘Jjiktteok.’

Mooyoung silently mouthed the word to the detective, who scratched his head with a chuckle.

“Right. She says she stored the photos automatically because videos took up too much space. We’ll confirm that during the investigation. As for the footage, as expected, it was filmed by a drone.”

“And what about the money?”

At Mooyoung’s question, the woman flinched.

“She says she used about 600,000 won on living expenses. She spent another 150,000 won on the hotel where we apprehended her.”

“You—”

“I’m sorry! Oppa, I’m really sorry!”

“Stop calling me oppa!”

As Enbin picked up a nearby chair, the woman once again fell to her knees, pleading. Fortunately, only a fraction of the 100 million won had been spent. Mooyoung grabbed Enbin’s arm and tried to calm him down.

“Hey, this isn’t too bad. Let’s think positively, okay?”

“I’m going to get every single cent back.”

“Oppa…”

“Shut up! It’s disgusting!”

Had the manager not walked in at that moment, Enbin’s fist might have flown. Mooyoung clung to his waist once again, trying to hold him back.

“Mooyoung, get him out of here!”

“Come here, you b—!”

“Do you know how many reporters are outside this police station? Calm down! I’ll take care of things here. Just wait outside!”

Bam!

The door slammed shut, and Enbin finally caught his breath. He was still seething, but it seemed he had regained a bit of self-control.

“Enbin, do you want something to drink?”

“Haa… What should I do? I feel like I need to rip her apart for this anger to go away.”

“Just let the law handle it. The more you push, the more it’ll hurt you. She’ll pay for what she did.”

Enbin frowned at Mooyoung’s words. He sounded like some kind of monk, speaking as though he had achieved enlightenment: Water is water, and a mountain is just a mountain.

“You’re so annoying.”

“Mhm. But I’m right.”

Mooyoung responded confidently.

The thick, dark smog that lingered around her was much darker and more intense than what he had seen during his reading. It was so vast that even the ghost of her mother, who had once clung to her, had been completely swallowed up.

“…By the way.”

With that, Enbin headed to the break room.

Sitting across from each other with cans of coffee in hand, they sat in silence for a while. The soft noise of police officers moving in and out and the distant hum of the station were oddly soothing.

“Thanks.”

After a long pause, Enbin finally spoke.

It was something he hadn’t had the chance to say earlier. Mooyoung just smiled in response.

“Well, I did miss all my classes for this.”

After that day, Mooyoung didn’t return to school. Instead, he stayed at Enbin’s place.

It was supposed to be the house all the members shared, but everyone had moved out. Given how urgent things were, there wasn’t much choice.

“You said you go to Seoyeon University? You must be a good student.”

“Not really. More like forced to be.”

“…Seriously, thank you. For helping me at the reading and for coming today. I really appreciate it.”

Despite having colleagues, Enbin had no real friends. Maybe he was unique, but having started his professional life so young, it wasn’t easy for him to open up to anyone.

“What can I do for you?”

“What do you mean, ‘do’? Just buy me a meal or something.”

“Should I give you that 100 million won once I get it back?”

Mooyoung’s eyes widened at Enbin’s words.

The shock nearly made the coffee Mooyoung was sipping shoot out of his nose. He thought it was a joke, but Enbin’s expression was dead serious.

“Are you crazy? Why would I take that?”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d have lost that money, my career, my girlfriend, and my privacy. Everything important to me.”

Without friends, Enbin had grown up believing every action came with a price. The concept of pure kindness was something he didn’t trust anymore. Mooyoung scratched his cheek awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

“Hey, that’s not how it works between friends…”

Enbin blinked, surprised.

Friends? You’re my friend?

“I’m older than you, you know.”

“You’ve already dropped honorifics, and you’re technically born early in the year. If you want, I can go back to being formal.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, it is. Anyway, what’s with the 100 million? That’s crazy! Save that money for your retirement. Just don’t quit working.”

Since he had announced his contract termination, all of his activities had been halted—from album releases to concert rehearsals. Even the web drama production had stopped, leaving Square Films and the Seoul city officials in a tight spot, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

“It was supposed to be uploaded on Friday, but it got delayed. Today’s Saturday, so everyone at the company is probably off.”

“Are you serious? That’s what you’re worried about right now?”

“I told you, it’s my first project.”

Enbin chuckled at Mooyoung’s response. He really was an odd guy, Mooyoung thought. Enbin seemed to have such a clear sense of where he wanted to go, and he worked tirelessly to get there. At that moment, the manager called out to them.

“Enbin, Mooyoung!”

“We’re over here.”

“Oh, good. Did you guys have something to drink? Are you feeling better now?”

Enbin finished off his coffee and asked the important question.

“How did it go?”

“We made it clear that we’re not going to offer any leniency. The company’s legal team will handle everything from here on out. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. And luckily, no rumors or leaks made it to the tabloids.”

The manager wiped the sweat from his brow, clearly relieved. After all, Enbin had been adamant about seeing the blackmailer face-to-face, causing quite a commotion earlier.

“So, from now on—”

“Let’s get back to work.”

Ping!

Enbin tossed the empty can into the trash with perfect accuracy, then stood up abruptly, walking past the manager.

“Sorry for all the trouble, hyung. I’ll handle things with the company myself. But please reschedule everything I missed.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

The manager’s face lit up with joy. Enbin then gestured for Mooyoung to follow him. With a round smile, Mooyoung quickly cleaned up the empty coffee cans.

“I’m going to work even harder to make up for the lost time.”

“That’s the spirit, Enbin. I’m glad you’ve come around!”

“Just don’t tell my parents about any of this.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t!”

Before stepping out of the police station, Mooyoung checked Enbin’s cap, sunglasses, and mask, making sure they were in place. With only his ears visible, it would be impossible for anyone to recognize him.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Ha Mooyoung.”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need that 100 million, just say the word.”

“Oh, come on. Will you shut up already?”

“Fine, fine. But if you need anything else, let me know. I’m pretty well-connected in this industry, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure, whatever. Now can we go?”

Mooyoung shrugged off the offer, walking down the stairs. Even if Enbin was serious about paying him back, what could Mooyoung possibly need? After all, his focus was solely on acting.

Vroom—

Enbin’s car sped smoothly out of the police station.

***

That evening, news spread quickly about Enbin’s return to his activities. Square Films, who had been anxiously waiting, sent the video files to Seoul City’s MTube team, shedding tears of relief and joy.

Ding!

[Seoul City Promotional Web Drama: “Midnight Snack at the Pocha – But the Owner Is Enbin? Episode 1: Late-Night Pocha”]

Mooyoung’s first project was finally uploaded.