Chapter 100

Villain Only Acting 100

Who's the Best? (2)

220kg.

It was the weight that her brother had deadlifted right in front of Jung So-yeon. As far as she knew, lifting 170kg was already considered an elite weight for Jung Seo-hoon. Yet, her brother, who hardly exercised, had lifted 50kg more than that, easily performing 12 reps before setting it down.

‘Did I just see a mirage?’

When filming *Illegible*, there was a minor accident on the Han River bridge where the rope winch malfunctioned. At that time, her brother had climbed up by kicking the wall lightly with just his arm strength. She had thought he must have done a lot of rappelling in the military and let it go at that. But lifting 220kg?

"Did you, by any chance, tutor the children of generals or something in the military, other than studying?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That doesn't make sense. How can someone who hardly exercises and only studies lift 220kg?"

"Maybe he's just naturally strong."

"Your face color hasn't changed at all, and you're not even sweating. Can you lift something heavier than this?"

Jung So-yeon had already taken out her phone and was ready to film.

"Hey, try it once. Add more weight and see how far you can go. I'm going to be the top of the V-Lab community today."

"Enough. I'm tired and don't want to do more."

"Hey, why not? If this goes viral, fans will go crazy and won't be able to sleep all night."

"I don't want to get attention this way. I want to be recognized for my acting."

"But you're trying to use the graduate school card to boost ratings?"

"Being known as a muscle man isn't appealing."

"Oh, so you're worried it might ruin your brainy man image?"

Jung So-yeon put her phone down, looking disappointed.

"Then there's nothing I can do. But it's a bit of a waste. This could have been great content to sell..."

"If you really want to sell it later, you can do it then. But why are you here? You don't need to exercise."

The exercise room on the first floor was set up by their father for the children's health, but it had been used mostly by their mother. She focused on flexibility rather than weightlifting, so the barbells and dumbbells were covered in dust.

"I was looking for you because I didn't see you when you came home earlier."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"What did you talk about with Lee Seo-hyun at the outdoor table?"

"Just acting, colleagues, and future projects. Why?"

"Someone secretly filmed it and posted it on SNS. I don't know who, but the reporters who were waiting for a scoop picked it up and started spreading rumors."

"Another scandal?"

Jung So-yeon showed her the scandal article on her phone.

"It was shared across various communities, but the reaction wasn't great. Maybe because the fake scandal on V-Lab last time deflated the hype. People are saying it's strange that the actress killer, Jung Seo-hoon, isn't involved in any scandals, whether they're real or fake."

At first, there was a big fuss every time a scandal broke, but now it's become a routine where people get bored if nothing happens.

"What's the fan reaction?"

"They're already enjoying it. But this is important. A photo was posted with you and Lee Seo-hyun at the outdoor table, but it was quickly deleted. The fans managed to capture it."

Jung So-yeon showed a photo of the general and his wife kissing.

"Hey, do you understand what this means?"

"That the initial leaker was an insider?"

"Exactly!"

Jung So-yeon, excited, continued quickly.

"Park Sang-oh from the lighting team! It was him! After you left today, the production team was in an uproar!"

"How did they find out?"

"They downloaded the deleted photo, but the EXIF data wasn't erased. The PD saw it and suddenly conducted a surprise phone check with the entire production team."

"Is that allowed? It sounds like a privacy violation."

"No, they just asked to see the model number of the devices. They compared it with the model number embedded in the photo's EXIF data."

Since they only had to show the model number, everyone felt comfortable showing it.

"Park Sang-oh from the lighting team kept claiming he lost his phone. But the assistant director had a photo from a recent dinner that Park Sang-oh had taken and sent using his own phone. When they checked the EXIF data..."

"The model numbers matched."

"So he couldn't deny it and had to admit it."

"Then during *Illegible*..."

"Yeah, you and I were the ones who provided the sibling scandal source."

Jung Seo-hoon remembered Park Sang-oh's face clearly. He was in his early 30s, quiet but diligent and hardworking.

"Why did he do it?"

"He never said, but it seems he was paid to leak inside information."

"If he's been doing this since *Illegible*, it doesn't seem like he was targeting the PD. Maybe the writer?"

"Do you not see it? Given that he provided the sibling scandal source, it's you, you."

"Why me?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone, because of you, has been causing trouble since *Illegible*."

Jung So-yeon felt relieved, like a toothache that had finally been treated.

"I've been feeling uneasy about who the mole was, but it's good to have it cleared up. Park Sang-oh will be immediately removed from the production team."

"Are there any other measures?"

"To avoid suspicion, we won't take any. If you want to take personal action, I won't stop you, but it won't do your image any good."

In this industry, rumors spread quickly, and Park Sang-oh would have to leave the field.

His career, built on the dream of becoming a lighting director, would be ruined, leaving him without a job.

"What's the big deal? Just because of that one thing?"

"Today, the studio was in chaos because of this. The PD was so suspicious that he wouldn't even show the model number, it was that serious."

"Even you?"

"I'm your older sister, so I was let off."

"Fortunately, the culprit was found, or it would have been a different story."

"Actually, it was because of the Pixel phone that it was overlooked."

"Even that you can figure out? Impressive."

Jung So-yeon, having said everything she wanted, left the gym feeling relieved. She would now pretend to be an anonymous insider and post a well-crafted story on the V-Lab community.

Just then, a call came from Yoo Jeong-a.

- I also heard about the lighting team. It's a relief that it's finally resolved.

"Yes, I don't know why he did it."

- This industry is like that. Since *Illegible*, Seo-hoon has been making enemies all around.

"I understand, but I don't get why someone would harbor such pointless resentment."

- Don't let your guard down just because one person was caught. There are many others like Park Sang-oh who just haven't revealed their true intentions yet. Being a top star is a tiring job.

"I'll keep that in mind."

- But about the photo that caused the leak. It was posted and quickly deleted.

"Yes."

I had a feeling what she was going to say next.

- You kissed Seo-hyun, and it was very affectionate.

"The PD and the writer suggested it to boost ratings to 40%. They said this would definitely hit 40%."

-Sigh. Why has Kim Sang-hee, who never included kiss scenes, started doing this since meeting Seo-hoon?

"..."

- She's famous for not including kiss scenes or love scenes, but this is the second time for Seo-hoon. If she had done this for *Illegible*, it would have been much better.

Hwang Sun-hye and Lee Jin-wook were in a chase relationship, not a romantic one...

-Did you enjoy it? Be honest.

"I acted the affectionate emotions of a married couple well, and it was a satisfying scene."

-You're like an eel, slipping away. Just be honest, I won't tell anyone.

This was the real reason she was pushing.

After trying to pry for a while, Yoo Jeong-a finally gave up.

-Next time, let's definitely do a romantic couple.

"Yes, I look forward to it."

-Don't just look forward to it. When the new script comes out, send it to me too.

"I see."

-If an actor in this industry doesn't know this news, it's