It had only been a few days since I had a run-in with the guards, yet I had already completely forgotten about it.
The fact that the guards had known Heavenly Yuah for a long time.
And the revelation that their true purpose for being in this company was to protect Heavenly Yuah was so shocking that it left no room for any other thoughts.
But it seems that sparring with one of the guards was not such a trivial matter.
Especially since Heavenly Yuah came to see me personally to apologize.
“Oh, right. There was the racial discrimination too.”
Truthfully, I’m rather insensitive to issues like racial discrimination.
Living in a world where the followers of the New Religion are always ready to draw their swords, verbal assaults don’t leave much of an impression on me.
Especially in my case, since I have a mindset that if someone discriminates against me, I can dish it right back, it had even less effect.
I indeed gave that guy a taste of his own medicine.
But upon reflection, what that person did was indeed ridiculous.
To discriminate against an Asian while on a business trip in Korea?
That’s the kind of situation where, even if the kettle’s cracked, you can’t go around complaining.
The head guard, Rick, also came to see me to offer a personal apology.
He admitted that while he had realized there might be issues with what happened, protecting Heavenly Yuah was the top priority, which is why he didn’t stop the sparring.
It seems they wanted that guard to defeat me so I couldn’t access the gym at dawn, but I agree with that, so I accepted the apology right away.
After all, if you think of Rick as being half-connected to the New Religion, it’s only natural that they wouldn’t hesitate to employ any means to achieve their purpose.
“Perhaps I should just stop working out in the morning?”
“Don’t worry, that doesn’t seem necessary. We’ve already been warned not to interfere.”
“Ah, so that happened?”
“Also, that guy you sparred with is probably going to be suspended.”
“Feels like he’s getting what he deserves.”
“He may have good skills, but if he can’t control himself, there’s nothing I can do.”
And it seems that the guy has now been sent back to headquarters and has received a suspension. I hope he can use this opportunity to get his act together.
Regardless of what he might think privately, discriminating against Asians while in Asia damages the dignity of the organization he belongs to, and it is foolish.
“But aside from that incident, Siwoo, it seems you have no awareness that you’re an actor.”
“Ah, well…”
“I won’t listen to any excuses.”
“Yes, I admit I was a bit reckless.”
Still, due to the sparring incident, I ended up getting quite a long lecture from Heavenly Yuah.
I deserved it, though.
As an actor, one must take care of one’s body. It’s all you have.
Ironically, I didn’t argue with her even though Heavenly Yuah herself probably caused far more trouble in her time.
I simply didn’t want to create unnecessary conflict with her over something as trivial as this.
Interestingly enough, after this sparring incident, my relationship with the guards drastically improved.
Guards who used to just pretend to acknowledge my presence began actively greeting me, and when we’d meet at the gym or the pool, they would even ask to work out together.
When I asked them why, they said they liked my approach to sparring.
The image of an actor fearlessly entering the ring and incapacitating a guard was a thrilling event for those tough and seasoned macho men.
“Aah, Johnson? That guy’s a moron. He disgraces the guards.”
“Really?”
“Everyone was unsettled at the time, puzzled by his crazy actions, wondering why he’d pull something like that. We kept silent because of our mission, but he ended up getting exactly what he deserved.”
“Thinking that way, it is a relief.”
“Therefore, do not call me ‘God Damn Nigger.’”
“…Um, I apologize for that too.”
“Ah, it was just a joke.”
And they mentioned that the guy who got hit by me usually had poor behavior, which boosted my score in their eyes.
Men grow through fighting, and in this case, it feels like everything was settled quite cleanly without any leftover resentment.
Frankly, I didn’t have any bad feelings towards the guards in the first place.
As I’ve mentioned before, seeing the guards naturally evokes a sense of sympathy in me.
If, as I suspect, S&M is some kind of entity akin to the New Religion, then these guards are essentially like the combat unit of that religion.
It’s clear how they’re treated, isn’t it?
Even though the funds they provide are enormous, they pile up crazily because they don’t even give the guards the leisure to spend their money.
And looking at the current situation, it’s obvious.
They’ve pulled the guards together to secure Heavenly Yuah, confining them to Flame Entertainment.
This is the period where people in their late 20s to early 30s would typically need to start or grow a family. It’s hard seeing them stuck in this position.
It’s genuinely hard not to feel sorry for them.
So, what’s the point of standing on ceremony with the guards we’re supposed to be having meals with for a long time?
Let’s just get along, let loose, and exchange playful banter.
Of course, the racial jokes from that black guy aren’t particularly funny.
*
“It’s about time for the actor to prepare for real activities.”
“Yes, it is. Acting practice has also progressed satisfactorily.”
“So, we’ve formed a dedicated team. It’s nothing too grand—a manager and a coordinator will assist the actor, and I’ll handle the business aspects.”
“Ah, I see.”
Around the time when the commotion was settling down, Team Leader Seo informed me that we’d start preparing for the next activity, and introduced two individuals as part of my team.
Coincidentally, both were people I had met before.
“Gang Cheol-nam, who will be acting as the actor’s manager.”
“Yes. I know, Mr. Cheolnam. Aren’t you part of the S&M guard team?”
“I’ve been told that Flame Entertainment also offers an additional salary.”
“Ah… Is this like a dual job?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
The man appointed as my manager was one of the guards from S&M who was temporarily assigned to Flame.
When I asked why an S&M guard was selected as my manager, he explained that because Flame had a surplus of manpower, and they were also separately paying a manager’s salary, he accepted without hesitation.
Since Team Leader Seo would manage the business aspects anyway, the manager’s role would mostly involve driving and security—essentially nothing.
Apparently, the job was so desirable among the guards that there was fierce competition, but because of the “Korean premium,” Gang Cheol-nam was able to secure the position.
When Heavenly Yuah goes on trips, guards will accompany her and also undertake managerial tasks, but working for me with a salary seemed slightly better since it was similar work.
“Coordinator Joo Seo-jin, joining the team.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. But I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before…”
“Yes. I helped with the actor’s makeup once before. Prior to that, I handled a young lady’s for five years.”
“The young lady… Senior Yoo-a?”
“Yes. With her recommendation, please feel free to trust me.”
The 20-something brunette woman who joined the team as a coordinator was also someone I recognized.
When I asked, she turned out to be the same coordinator who had been brought by Heavenly Yuah for the camera test during my acting practice.
The test was to see how well I appeared on camera, and since I didn’t have a coordinator at the time, Heavenly Yuah had temporarily provided someone.
That person who handled my makeup back then was this woman.
“…So, I’ll be counting on you.”
Thus, my team consists of a guard from S&M and this coordinator who calls Heavenly Yuah “young lady” in a manner that clearly smells of connections with the New Religion.
Do I feel like the density of the New Religion around me is increasing in real-time?
Of course, considering the company belongs to Heavenly Yuah, this was an anticipated problem, but I didn’t expect such high-density personnel to be employed outright.
While it had a peculiar vibe, I figured this was a special favor due to the still limited number of actors we have.
Also, it gave me some peace of mind that whatever happened, they wouldn’t disclose any of our internal affairs.
“And here’s the script.”
“Wow, more than I thought.”
“Yes, precisely fourteen volumes. However, these projects weren’t specifically seeking you so, if you want a role, you’ll need to go through auditions.”
“I understand that. But does that mean I get to audition for any of these projects?”
“Yes, to that extent, it’s possible.”
“Great. I’ll start reading it slowly.”
After introducing the team members, I immediately received the scripts.
Even though they filtered the ones the company could connect me to from recent projects, there were still 14 of them.
Each script neatly categorized the roles I can challenge, along with deadlines, making it easy to review.
At first glance, it seems quite serious about pushing me since there are underlines on all sorts of roles from supporting to lead ones.
For someone like me in an ambiguous position, landing a major role audition isn’t straightforward.
The auditions they talked about weren’t just for show; if they liked it, they genuinely intended to cast me for the role.
This implied that if necessary, they’d even inject investment to secure opportunities.
“Considering how much wealth this company likely holds, they must be considering such strategies as well.”
Looking at the pile of scripts, I felt compelled to commend my past self for choosing Flame Entertainment.
Whether it’s the New Religion or something similar, it matters not.
If this company provides good opportunities and can even resort to investment when times are tough, then such matters don’t particularly concern me.
With that thought in mind and still reflecting on the wisdom of financial treatment, I began to slowly flip through the scripts.
