Chapter 547: Park Sang-Gyu (1)
The last remaining member of Faithful was Park Sang-Gyu.
At 38 years old, he had spent over a decade acting solely in Daehak-ro, recognized as a highly skilled actor. Because of his wide acting range, his peers often called him 'a man of a thousand faces.'
Ironically, that very talent became a poison in his life. Since he could handle any role at a consistently high level, Go Dong-Hyuk, the director of his theater troupe 'Once-in-a-Lifetime,' began assigning him multiple roles in a single play. As a result, Park Sang-Gyu drifted away from leading roles and gradually became identified as a supporting actor.
Then, two years ago, when he was 36, light finally came into his life. While scouting college-area stages, Han Yoo-Joon, the PD of KBC's daily drama East Sea and West Sea, happened to see Park Sang-Gyu perform and offered him a role.
-Mr. Sang-Gyu, your acting's great. We actually need a supporting actor for our drama. Let's work together. And while you're at it, find yourself a proper agency and move into television.
Park Sang-Gyu eagerly accepted the offer and, through Go Dong-Hyuk's introduction, signed a contract with Ace Entertainment. Although he gave half of his signing bonus to Go Dong-Hyuk as a referral fee, he gladly agreed since it would go toward running the theater troupe. After all, the troupe's operating budget also helped pay junior actors' salaries.
Leaving the theater troupe behind, Park Sang-Gyu saw an opportunity and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Lee Sa-Yeon. She happily accepted, and the two became husband and wife through a simple marriage registration while skipping a ceremony. Though they weren't financially well-off, they were full of hope with the drama appearance ahead.
Just one week before the drama aired, Park Sang-Gyu won a round-trip ticket to Jeju Island for two days and one night while grocery shopping. Since the ticket was only valid for a week, he persuaded his wife, who wanted to wait until after the drama to take a honeymoon, and they headed to the airport.
But on the way to the airport, a wrong-way driver caused an accident. While Park Sang-Gyu wasn't seriously injured, Lee Sa-Yeon was severely hurt and became comatose. Since then, Park Sang-Gyu quit everything and spent two years at Hope Hospital located in Guro, nursing his wife.
Convincing someone like Park Sang-Gyu to join Hoop Entertainment required a lot of preparation. So, I honestly shared Park Sang-Gyu's story with Kang Gam-Chan and the team, expressing my intent to recruit him.
"...So I'm thinking of heading to Hope Hospital to try and scout Mr. Park Sang-Gyu. Until recently, he's been caring for his wife, but I heard he's finally ready to work again."