Assistant Manager Park's eyes as he stared at Yoo Jihyung were as calm as a mist-covered lake at dawn.
There wasn't the slightest tremor in them. Quiet, almost warm, yet impossible to define.
And still—
they were intense.
Dangerous.
They weren't openly aggressive, but they were more than enough to instill fear. The moment someone stepped into those deep eyes, it felt as if they would be dragged in forever.
The more they struggled, the deeper they seemed to sink.
Assistant Manager Park's gaze changed the atmosphere of the interrogation room.
A hundred words were unnecessary. One unadorned look was enough to expose his nature.
Yoo Jihyung—and even Ryu Jungmin, sitting across from him—unconsciously drew in a breath.
'You really have no end to you.'
He even found himself admiring the monster seated in front of him.
How could someone create a gaze that intense in such a short amount of time? Seriously… just how long had he been honing himself alone?
Whether as a top actor or as Yoo Jihyung, the current Assistant Manager Park was someone worthy of respect.
Whether he was an enemy or simply an actor to challenge, he was extraordinary.
And because his opponent was Kang Woojin, Ryu Jungmin knew that well.
No—
he had no choice but to know it.
'That has to be a special talent that belongs to Kang Woojin alone.'
He had seen that acting even at the script reading.
Delicate acting that seemed to swallow the entire cast whole. Something beyond mere realism, as if he were breathing life directly into the character.
Versatility beyond method acting.
But unfortunately, Ryu Jungmin did not possess that kind of gift.
So—
'Focus. Look straight into his eyes.'
Ryu Jungmin steadied himself.
He was standing in the middle of a silent war.
There was no backing down now.
Especially as Yoo Jihyung—
because this entire situation was the picture he himself had painted.
'Come on. Show me.'
Looking straight into Assistant Manager Park's eerie eyes, Yoo Jihyung spoke.
As if saying, 'I don't care about your hollow eyes. Get as angry as you want.'
"Ah."
Yoo Jihyung let out the short sound, then smiled crookedly.
"Sorry, but this isn't something I can treat lightly. I made a mistake."
"..."
His tone hovered somewhere between mockery and sincerity, but Assistant Manager Park showed no particular reaction.
For the first time, he recognized Yoo Jihyung sitting across from him as an enemy.
'Yeah, better. At least now you don't feel like a puppet.'
The corners of Assistant Manager Park's lips curled upward.
"No, I'm talking about my younger sister, who killed herself. Right. Such a trivial matter."
About ten seconds of silence followed.
Yoo Jihyung and Assistant Manager Park did nothing but stare at each other.
Then Song Manwoo PD suddenly sprang to his feet and shattered the silence with a shout.
"Cut!! Good!!"
That nearly made Kang Woojin jump.
'I was so startled I almost shouted, "Mom!"'
Thankfully, he managed to keep his face under control.
Unaware of that, Song Manwoo PD shouted again.
"Excellent, that was amazing! You were both incredible!"
He tossed aside the megaphone and immediately ran toward the interrogation room set.
"What was that? Were the two of you grinding your teeth from the very first take?!"
Song Manwoo PD gave both actors an enthusiastic thumbs-up, his face full of satisfaction.
It was deserved.
Even compared to scenes with veteran actors in the drama, what they had just shown ranked among the best.
It wasn't something a Director got to witness often.
"Hahaha! Is this why I can't quit being a Director?!"
The dozens of staff gathered on the filming set felt exactly the same.
"...Are those two insane?"
"Seriously. I almost suffocated watching that."
"Why is the acting level this high from the very first scene of the shoot?"
The directing team, the camera team—everyone covered their mouths or cursed under their breath in shock.
No one could believe what they had just seen.
"Did you see Woojin's eye acting just now? That was seriously chilling. If they shoot that in close-up, won't viewers be genuinely terrified?"
"Jungmin was incredible too. Both of them were caught in a psychological clash, and wow—the emotional flow came through so vividly."
The staff's excitement was only natural.
It was the first scene on the first day of filming, and all the pain they had gone through preparing for that one scene seemed to disappear in an instant.
Why?
'If we felt this much just watching it, what are viewers going to think? Won't they be completely sucked in?'
It was the expectation that something special was about to happen.
The dozens of staff on the filming set had all been working toward that exact result.
Meanwhile, the actors' waiting room was just as busy.
Ryu Jungmin's side was praising Kang Woojin, and Kang Woojin's side was doing the same.
Choi Sunggeon stood there with his arms folded, grinning.
'Kang Woojin might climb to the top in the shortest time in history. And I'll make that climb even faster.'
The recently joined road manager Jang Suhwan and stylist Han Yejung couldn't keep their mouths shut.
"Wow! Unbelievable! Woojin's acting is absolutely insane!! He's the best."
"...Yeah, that's right. I've seen plenty of amazing actors while working with Hyeyeon unni's team, but this is the first time I've seen someone at this level. Woojin is seriously good."
At that moment, Song Manwoo PD was quickly giving instructions to the two actors on set.
He wanted to preserve that emotional tension.
"Let's do it the same way one more time. We got the scene, but I want something even better. After that, let's do solo coverage of the same part."
In both dramas and films, scenes were shot from multiple angles.
A shot of two people talking together. Individual shots of each character. Distant shots.
A scene shifted from the two-person exchange to one character alone, then back again.
It was all done to reduce monotony for the viewer by showing the characters' expressions—or to heighten tension.
In any case, filming moved quickly.
"Hi—Action!"
A solo shot of Ryu Jungmin.
"Cut! Good! Alright, Woojin!"
A solo shot of Kang Woojin.
They also shot from slightly above the characters, or from behind them.
Because of Song Manwoo PD's ambition, even shots that weren't in the storyboard were added, naturally improving the quality of the footage.
'Wow, they shoot this much?'
For Kang Woojin, who was experiencing a large-scale drama filming set for the first time, everything was overwhelming.
'Am I going to die when this drama shoot ends?'
And they had only just begun.
An hour later, inside the interrogation room, Assistant Manager Park and Yoo Jihyung were facing each other.
The corner of Assistant Manager Park's mouth was slightly raised, but his face was full of dissatisfaction.
He was staring at Yoo Jihyung—
but not simply looking at him.
He was taking in everything, including Yoo Jihyung himself.
Assistant Manager Park's dark eyes shifted subtly.
'Yoo Jihyung is holding a pen. It's fairly long. Should I stab him in the neck with that? My hands are free now too. Should I smash his head in with the chair?'
Assistant Manager Park's heart turned colder by the second, but his mind moved quickly.
He revealed his twisted conscience calmly and rationally.
"..."
Assistant Manager Park's fingers twitched slightly.
Impulse. Desire. Lust. Greed.
Those sensations spread through his entire body and reached even lower.
Assistant Manager Park felt aroused.
Physical arousal.
'Ah—what kind of expression would that man make if death were right in front of his eyes?'
At that moment, various colors floated into Assistant Manager Park's vision.
Of course, only in his own eyes.
Everything else was gray.
A black line was drawn over people's silhouettes, and every expression was filled with gray.
But Assistant Manager Park had to endure it.
He had to hide it.
He simply kept looking at Yoo Jihyung.
Then Yoo Jihyung smiled and extended a hand.
"No, no, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's all trivial anyway. My younger sister too. But isn't minced meat all the same? Whether it's a hamburger patty or a person, there's not much difference."
"Ah, that's scary."
"I'm joking."
As if he had been waiting for that exact moment, Yoo Jihyung leaned forward.
Assistant Manager Park had changed a little now.
So Yoo Jihyung took control again.
"You seem comfortable in the interrogation room. Are you comfortable?"
"I'm polite to detectives. I respect them. I think they understand me too. So there's no discomfort."
"Was killing comfortable too?"
In response, Assistant Manager Park clasped his hands together.
It was the kind of posture that gave legitimacy to his words, a way of expressing seriousness.
"Killing a person is difficult. Creating a proper work of art isn't easy either. People who know nothing just run their mouths however they please. Evil, trashy people should die. Execution is the answer."
"Generally speaking, that sounds right."
"But even after all that, they lose interest in two days at most. What should we eat for lunch today? That becomes more important. So the act of murder itself is difficult, but repetition becomes comfortable. Does that answer your question?"
Assistant Manager Park smiled and tapped the thick file folder in front of Yoo Jihyung with his index finger.
"Is my information in that file? What's inside it?"
He changed the subject.
Yoo Jihyung knew exactly what Assistant Manager Park was trying to do, so he naturally accepted the shift and had no choice but to shock him again.
"Hmm, everything's in here. Of course, there's also the story of your younger sister."
"Will things like that help you understand the person I am now? If you want to catch the real culprit, you need to understand me."
Seeing Assistant Manager Park regain his composure, Yoo Jihyung let out a deep sigh and opened the file as if handling a tedious chore.
Even so, his eyes remained fixed on Assistant Manager Park's gaze and posture.
"Psychopath. At first glance, someone might judge you to be one. But in my opinion, you're someone who also shows a complex combination of sociopathic traits. You're impulsive, yet calm. You can regulate your impulses systematically depending on the person and the situation. That's exactly why you're skilled at murder."
"I see."
"Generally, unlike psychopaths, people with antisocial personality disorder often develop those tendencies because of their environment. That's why I thoroughly investigated your life. It was difficult, since it's not something I usually do."
"…"
Yoo Jihyung slowly turned the page.
"Your father was addicted to gambling and alcohol and was violent every day, right? That kind of thing is common. His targets weren't you, but your mother and older sister. I assume those two desperately tried to protect you."
"No, attacking the weak is common sense."
"But your older sister couldn't endure it. She killed herself in high school."
He turned another page.
"Your mother died instantly when your drunken father crashed into a utility pole. It was a deserted road late at night with no pedestrians or other cars. Judging from the circumstances, it's likely your mother had no choice but to get into the car. Your father didn't die instantly, but he died at the scene. As a result, the case was closed as a traffic accident."
His life was being torn apart in front of him, yet a faint smile still remained on Assistant Manager Park's face.
Yoo Jihyung sighed quietly and placed a cigarette between his lips.
"But when I looked closely at the case records from back then, something strange stood out. Your mother died instantly inside the car, but your father crawled out before he died. There were traces of very slight resistance."
"…"
"Hmm. It was an old case, and there was no evidence, so it was closed that way. But it's strange. In that chaotic moment, what exactly was he resisting?"
Suddenly, Yoo Jihyung leaned toward Assistant Manager Park across from him.
"You were a psychopath from the start, and after living through hell, you developed antisocial tendencies. So what were you doing back then?"
He pointed at Assistant Manager Park with his index finger.
"The one who awakened your taste for serial murder was your father, wasn't it? It wasn't five murders. It was six."
In an instant, Assistant Manager Park's expression hardened.
His eyes froze like stone, unmoving, staring blankly at Yoo Jihyung's face now so close to his own.
His emotions grew more and more violent.
Soon, Assistant Manager Park's gaze dropped downward.
He saw the pen tucked between the file papers in front of Yoo Jihyung.
Assistant Manager Park stared at it for a moment, then smiled again and whispered to Yoo Jihyung.
"All of my works are already known to the world, aren't they? Do you think that's all there is?"
His voice grew softer.
"Don't you think there are still things that haven't been uncovered?"
Then, with a vicious grin, he grabbed Yoo Jihyung by the collar and exploded.
It was deliberate.
"You son of a bitch!!!"
He could no longer stand being in the interrogation room.
He had to get out.
The detectives rushed in, subdued Assistant Manager Park, and cuffed him again.
After violently resisting, he was eventually dragged out of the room.
What was interesting was—
Whoosh.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, his resistance suddenly stopped.
More than that, Assistant Manager Park even apologized to the detectives restraining him.
His voice was calm.
"I'm sorry for causing a disturbance."
"...What??"
At that moment, the main camera moved in for a close-up of Assistant Manager Park's face.
Then Assistant Manager Park lowered his head slightly with a faint grin and muttered to himself as he thought of Yoo Jihyung.
In his mind flashed the image of his father, who had struggled pathetically through life.
"He's thorough. How did he figure it out?"
Meanwhile—
watching Assistant Manager Park's performance from somewhere on the filming set, one man could not hide his astonishment.
'That… actor. Isn't he the rookie actor who showed up this morning?'
It was the master Director Kwon Gitaek, hidden behind a mask.
He had already been bewildered from the moment the actor playing Assistant Manager Park stepped into the interrogation room set.
That rookie actor, who had looked stunned by the enormous set that morning, was now preparing to act in a scene with Ryu Jungmin as if he were a major supporting actor.
Why?
Why was an unknown rookie actor cast in the same scene as Ryu Jungmin?
Director Kwon Gitaek found it hard to understand.
The rookie actor had perfect makeup, a complete costume, and was already standing in front of the camera.
But regardless of appearances, he was a face Kwon Gitaek had never seen before.
'No way… is he backed by some massively powerful organization?'
In this industry, it wasn't uncommon for unknown actors to be placed alongside top stars.
So Director Kwon Gitaek had initially assumed something along those lines.
But that thought flipped completely in an instant.
'Ryu Jungmin is struggling not to get overshadowed. What on earth is with this rookie?'
He was not just some background filler actor.
He was a monster capable of overwhelming a top star.
That rookie actor was now single-handedly dominating this huge scene with nothing but his acting.
The very fact that even a heavyweight Director like Kwon Gitaek couldn't take his eyes off him proved it.
'...A rookie? No, that acting didn't come from a rookie. Who the hell is he? Someone who spent years in theater?'
After closely watching Assistant Manager Park's acting, Director Kwon Gitaek called over the production company PD.
"Find out that kid's name for me."
"What? Ah, yes. I was actually thinking of checking him out too. His acting is absolutely crazy."
The production PD quietly stepped away and asked the production staff something.
A few minutes later, he came back.
"Director."
Lowering his voice, the production PD whispered to Kwon Gitaek.
"That actor's name is Kang Woojin."
"Kang Woojin?"
"Yes."
"Wait, Kang Woojin? Kang… Woojin."
For some reason, Director Kwon Gitaek kept repeating the name Kang Woojin.
The reason was simple.
"I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before."
It was familiar.
Then suddenly, it clicked.
At once, the fallen Director Woo Hyungoo came to mind.
More specifically—
it was the curse Woo Hyungoo had spat out when they met at an upscale Chinese restaurant.
'Some bastard who doesn't even know the name Kang Woojin rejected my audition. That damn punk. His name was Kang Woojin…'
Suddenly, Director Kwon Gitaek's eyes widened.
"Right. That rude bastard."
That was it.
The rude nobody had been right here on set all along.
Everything had become strangely tangled together.
Naturally, the actor Kang Woojin probably had no idea who Director Kwon Gitaek even was.
Then Director Kwon Gitaek smiled faintly and turned his gaze back toward Kang Woojin on the set.
"That audition was worth rejecting."
Then, thinking of Director Woo Hyungoo, he muttered quietly,
"If he forced an audition on a monster like that, of course he was going to get rejected."