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Seeing Suyeon smiling, Okseon calmed down her expression. She felt displeased
since she saw the true face of the person who was once her idol, but she wasn’t going
to do something pathetic like expressing her displeasure

“Unni, you’re too nice, taking care of others and not just me. That’s why we like you a
lot.”

“Nah. I don’t like kids that much. Have you ever seen me go out of my way to talk to
them? Probably not.”

“Th-that’s true.”

She was about to finish up the conversation with some formalities, but she got an
absurd reply. Wouldn’t people normally reply with a smile here? Okseon made a
vague smile. She wanted to finish this conversation smoothly, but it seemed that
wasn’t going to happen.

“You don’t seem to be close to the others, huh?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I see you by yourself all the time during breaks.”

“I guess it does look like that. I’m not good with words, so I’m still quite awkward
with them. But it’s fine since they’re all good people.”

“That’s strange. Yeseul seems to hate you though.”

“R-really?”

She didn’t think that Suyeon would bring up such a sensitive topic so openly. Just
then, she met eyes with Yeseul, who was walking towards the school gates. Yeseul
smiled brightly and waved at her as though to tell her to come quickly. She probably
acted like that because Suyeon was nearby.
“No way. We aren’t that close, but we aren’t on bad terms. Yeseul is looking after me a
lot now too.”

“Really? That’s strange. I think you’re being ostracized. No, to be precise, you don’t
have any plans on getting close to the others.”

“Maybe it looks like that because I’m shy. I heard that I got embarrassed a lot when I
was young. I guess that’s something I should try to fix. If I try to talk to them more
proactively, they’ll treat me kindly soon enough.”

“Is that how it works?” Suyeon wondered out loud as she swept her hair backwards.

Okseon felt a bad taste in her mouth. Suyeon was being oddly persistent today. She
wasn’t like this usually. When Okseon approached her and greeted her, Suyeon would
usually return the greeting in kind and encourage her before going on her way.
Okseon thought that Suyeon was a refreshing, cool woman, but that didn’t seem to be
the case from what she saw today. This senior disappointed her a lot.

“Well, if you say so, then you must be right. Anyway, try to do your best to get along.
You’ll have to see each other for months, so it’d be strange to not talk to them even
once. Don’t you think?”

“I’ll try my best.”

She was cautious with her words because Suyeon might talk to the others about it,
though that was very unlikely. Since she realized that Suyeon was someone who
liked to meddle in other people’s matters, she had to watch her words from now on.

“Try, huh. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Those words sounded quite suspicious. Okseon looked at the hands that came to
pinch her cheeks before subconsciously taking a step back. Suyeon’s hands stopped
in mid air.

“Is the coquetry over now?”

Okseon widened her eyes at the sudden words. Coquetry, she said? Suyeon faintly
smiled before turning around.

“Nothing. Do your best for the rest of the shoot. I’ll be watching from the side, so you
can ask me if you’re stuck on something. I’m an unni after all.”

Okseon somehow felt chilled by Suyeon’s last words. She said goodbye to Suyeon,
who walked over to a car before walking towards the school gates.

“I wonder what you talked about with senior Suyeon. Even though you don’t say a
word usually,” Yeseul said after approaching her quietly.

Okseon maintained her expressionless face. Yeseul was feeling jealous right now. She
was green with envy because she saw her talking closely with a senior. What a
childish reaction. She was like a child who would cry when her toys got taken away.
Okseon honestly didn’t feel the need to confront her. At the same time, she was
surprised at herself for being calm and rational even after receiving such a gaze. I
really am different from these kids - she thought.

‘I thought Kim Suyeon could be my conversation partner, but she was an idiotic
woman like the others.’

Though, she still decided to maintain a good relationship with her. Bad rumors
would start floating around if a senior saw her in a bad light after all.

“Can you hear me?”

“I can.”

“Then why aren’t you answering me?” Yeseul spoke in a small voice.

She was even glaring at her. Yeseul was under a misconception. She was riding on the
bandwagon of popularity driven by Giwoo, but she thought that she was gaining
popularity with her own skills. She was really pathetic and foolish. Once the main
driving force, Giwoo, left, she would be stuck in that bandwagon without being able
to do anything. Yet she still acted arrogantly as though she was the princess of the
shoot. If it was a battle of words, Okseon had the confidence to make her start crying
in an instant. However, going along with such a childish play would lower her status
as an intellectual, so she decided to react appropriately.

“The shoot is going to begin soon.”

“I know.”
“So unless it’s something critical, please leave it for later. We aren’t close enough to
talk to each other during shooting hours, right?”

“What was that?”

“Also, it was senior Suyeon who talked to me first, what can I do about that? Is
talking to a senior such a big fault? Do I have to get your permission or something? If
that’s the case, I’ll immediately go up to her now and say that Yeseul said such
things.”

“Wh-when did I say that? I’m asking because I was just curious. You’re overreacting,
geez.”

Yeseul walked over to Giwoo while grumbling. She tapped Giwoo’s shoulders as she
glared at Okseon. She was like a little child going to her mom to tell her what others
did wrong. Giwoo consoled Yeseul with a smile and just greeted Okseon with his
eyes.

As expected - Okseon smiled in satisfaction at Giwoo’s reaction. Giwoo was the only
one worth talking to here. It would be great if she was the female lead. Thanks to
Yeseul, who had zero skill in acting being the female lead, she had to bring Giwoo
down. This was a perfect occasion for the saying ‘one loach could muddy an entire
creek’.

There seemed to be some problems with the lighting as the shoot was delayed a
little. During this time, Okseon approached Maru, who was taking a phone call in a
remote place. She watched him until he finished his call before calling out to him.

“You seem to be on close terms with Suyeon-unni, huh?”

“Rather than close, we’re in a cooperative? No wait, enemies that have to be kept at
bay? It’s a complex relationship.”

“If you’re trying to sound funny, it wasn’t.”

“That’s why I’m not aspiring to be a comedian. Because I’m not funny.”

“You turned out to be a really boring type huh. I didn’t think that would be the case.”

“You know, it really makes me wonder whenever I talk to you. Just what kind of
person is Han Maru in your head to be disappointing you all the time? Did you
perhaps mistake me as a perfect person? I’d be rather embarrassed if you did.”

“Me? No way.”

“Right? Then don’t be disappointed in the future. Why get disappointed about
someone you didn’t have any expectations for, to begin with? It makes me sorry for
disappointing you.”

Okseon felt her toes tensing. She felt this yesterday, this boy’s speech could really
make people uncomfortable. She decided to endure since it wouldn’t be mature of
her if she got upset over some wordplay like this.

“Suyeon-unni says she’s close to you though.”

“So you’re investigating the relationship between Suyeon-noona and me after the
one between Giwoo and me? Man, I feel like I’m leading a fulfilling life because of
you.”

“You have a talent to put words in a funny way, huh.”

“Now I have a talent to say funny words after not sounding funny? Okseon, should I
be aspiring to become an average comedian then?”

Okseon frowned. This guy was really frivolous. He had no weight to his words just
like how boys would play pranks on girls when they were toddlers. He was beyond
idiotic and had no wits. This was why talking to dumb people was excruciating.

“Suyeon-unni is quite a good person, isn’t she? Looking after you and all,” she said
with a smile.

She was being sarcastic, but as Maru didn’t have a brain, he would probably interpret
those words as-is.

“Of course, she is,” Maru replied with a smile.

There. The boy in front of her did not know the concept of sarcasm. This was why he
was not able to predict what kind of consequences there would be if Giwoo
continued to improve. He was done for. It would be much easier if he just went to
Giwoo and told him to stop as she said, but he couldn’t even do that. He just kept
saying unfunny words.

‘Suyeon-unni is close to a guy like this? I guess JA Production isn’t as great as the
rumors say.’

It seemed that president Lee Junmin has gotten on in years if he decided to take
Maru under the wing of his company. Although he was called the maestro of digging
up new talent, he didn’t have much activity recently, did he not? Even a master
craftsman would return to being ordinary if they did not continue to polish their
skill. She could already imagine what the future of JA Production was going to be like.

“So why were you waiting for me when I was on a call? If it’s about Suyeon-noona,
I’m willing to talk about her more.”

“Forget it. I just asked to confirm.”

“Did the matter with Giwoo go well?”

“Why? You worried now? I said go tell him if you’re so worried about it. I’m giving
you this advice for your sake.”

“I said I don’t plan to. I just asked out of curiosity. It doesn’t seem that important
though, huh?”

“Not important?”

This time, she couldn’t hold back her vexation. They were away from other people, so
there was no one to hear. It wouldn’t be a problem even if she snapped out a little.

“You really are clueless, huh. Even after the lengths I went to explain to you in kind.
Just how much more do I have to explain so that you can understand that you are in a
bad situation?”

Her lips were trembling due to the frustration.

Maru spoke with a smile.

“Okseon. I really like people like you. You keep taking action to do something. It’s
really good to see that you’re trying to do something rather than sighing about it
while doing nothing. But you know? You really don’t take other people’s words
seriously, do you? Or is it that you forgot in such a short time? You take pride in
yourself for being smart. So act like it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you that the matter with Giwoo is for you to solve, right?”

“I told you several times that it’s for your sak…”

“Second, if you really don’t want to do it, I told you to prepare a form of
compensation if you want me to take action. Did I not?”

“The whole premise is wrong! This is for your sake! Why do I need to do something
like that?”

“They say the thirsty will dig the well, but you just look thirsty. If you are thirsty, you
should be the one to dig the well. That’s what desperation is, and if you aren’t, then
just let it go.”

“You really are dumb, aren’t you? You just can’t understand a single thing I say. You
should just listen to me, go to Giwoo and tell him to stop copying you. I told you that
your life will become much better if you do, didn’t I?”

“Oh, it was about my life? I didn’t know that. If it’s like that…”

At that moment, Maru retracted his smile and put on an expressionless face. Okseon
was a little surprised at this new side of him. When hanging out with Dongho and
Joomin, he was always smiling like a fool. Maru moved to the side before turning his
back to everyone else. Now, Okseon was the only one who could see Maru’s
expression.

“Okseon.”

“Wh-what?”

“I’ll say this again, but I really like that you’re trying to take action. Your thoughts are
reasonable, and your actions have a reason behind each one. You probably thought
that the attention you receive will rise once Giwoo falters and Yeseul’s acting skills
fall in tandem. It’s reasonable. But why are your thoughts the only things that are
reasonable? If you want to attain something, you need to give up just as much in
order to attain it. Do you want to take it? Then you should go get it. Do you want to
have someone else do it? Then you should compensate that person. This is the
second time I’m telling you this. I quite like you and I respect your thinking, but if
you keep treating me like your personal property and try to order me around
regardless of the time, then I can only change my opinion of you.”

Maru took a step closer to her. Okseon stepped back just as much. She felt scared for
some reason. Maru’s slow moving hand grasped Okseon’s arm softly.

“Just like how you want to stay quiet among us, I want to smile. I do not want my
workplace to have a stiff environment. Dongho has adjusted himself to the current
atmosphere, and the same can be said for Joomin-noona as well. I painstakingly
made this atmosphere, so it would be quite troublesome for me if you keep acting
like this. The two of us will just keep our businesses separate and to ourselves,
okay?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Good, that’s good. But you know? I hope you don’t talk about other people’s lives so
easily like that. I’m quite desperate, you know? And desperate people don’t see
anything other than their objective. If I think I can only survive by stepping on
someone else, I really will do it. So be careful when you approach me. Stepping on a
friend isn’t really pleasant. You know that, right?”

Maru returned to his smile. It seemed as though the childish character from when he
was with Dongho had come back to him. However, Maru’s eyes just now were
nothing like the frivolous boy’s in front of her. They were incredibly ferocious. He
was like a wild dog that growled at other animals that tried to invade its territory.

“Haha, I just tried being heavy, because you seemed to like this sort of stuff. You’re
quite mature, you know? You like this kind of thing better than talking with a smile,
right? How was it? Was my acting okay?”

“…Yeah.”

Maru tapped on her arm before turning around. Okseon couldn’t say anything
besides that ‘yeah’. This was the first time a man felt scary to her. She couldn’t even
budge her lips.

“Talk to me from time to time, okay?”

Maru waved his hand before walking away. At that moment, she heard that the shoot
was ready as the lights turned on. Okseon was about to follow Maru, but waited until
Maru disappeared into the crowd.

She slowly breathed out before taking her first step. She felt a little dizzy.
I think it would be better if we did this part this way - Dongho thought about such
things as he watched producer Park Hoon give instructions around the set. If the
shoot kept getting delayed and the actors started complaining, he would go up to the
producer and say such. The producer would become touched and would compliment
him, but he would say it was nothing much and credit the producer instead, all the
while with a slight smile on his face.

‘Man, so cool.’

He coughed awkwardly in order to dismiss the smile sneaking onto his face.

‘The girls will see me in a new light when they see that. What if they confess? A
popular man has a hard life.’

What should he do if Yeseul decided to confess? Accept smoothly? Or pretend to

reject her mercilessly before hugging her from behind. He heard that ‘bad boys’ were
the trend these days, so he would act disinterested, and then hand her some ice
cream with a ring in it. With a nonchalant face, too. Then, Yeseul would eat that ice
cream and say ‘oh’ after discovering that ring which would cause her to look at him
with adoration and embarrassment.

‘Perfect.’

It was a flawless plan. Just as he turned his head around with a satisfied smile on his
face, he saw Joomin stamping her feet to chase away the cold. Her heart would
definitely start racing if he handed her a blanket right now. There was also the
possibility of her confessing, so he had to get ready for that. Joomin-noona was a
really decent woman after all.

“But where the heck did that guy go?”

He crossed his arms and breathed out. He didn’t bring a coat since he heard that it
was supposed to be ‘Spring weather’, but it was really cold at night.

“Dongho, take this. It’s cold, isn’t it?”

Joomin offered him a blanket. Dongho watched her do so in a daze before hurriedly
accepting the blanket. He felt rather embarrassed because of the thoughts he had
just moments ago.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. Noona, do you know where Maru is?”

“Maru? There he is.”

Dongho turned his head around to where Joomin was pointing. Maru and Okseon
were standing in front of the school’s west entrance. Their business seemed to be
over as Maru had turned around and was walking towards them. Just then, the lights
turned back on again. The shoot would resume soon.

“But Okseon is a little no-no.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself.”

“You really are funny at times, Dongho. You talk to yourself a lot, too.”

“It’s none of your business whether I talk to myself or not.”

“You mad?”

“Noona, I’m not a man who gets mad over something like this!”

However, his voice had become a little louder. Joomin smiled before reaching out her
palm. He didn’t know what she was trying to do so he stared at her hand before
putting his hand on Joomin’s.

“Pfft, what are you doing?”

“A-ah! The blanket! You mean the blanket, right?”

“Yeah. Give me the blanket, I’ll put it back.”

“You should’ve just told me to give you the blanket.”

“Don’t most people understand that gesture? Rather than that, why did you suddenly
give me your hand? You were like the puppy at my house.”

“I’m not a dog, you know?”

“Did I say something? You really are funny.”

Funny? Wasn’t ‘funny’ a softer way of saying ‘I like you’? So he was a popular man
after all, huh. Dongho laughed to himself before shaking his head. That delusion just
now went too far. He had recently thought that fantasizing by himself like this was
quite foolish. He was now in his 3rd year of high school, so he was a pseudo-adult
already. He wanted to act more maturely. A serious Seong Dongho. Hm, cool.

‘I might actually be a little scared if she’s the one who tells me she likes me though,’
Dongho thought as he looked at Okseon walking towards them.

He had no idea what she was thinking all the time. Han Maru liked childish pranks,
but he was a decent guy, while Joomin-noona was a kind person. Giwoo, Yeseul, and
Jichan were just lucky people. It was Okseon he didn’t know anything about.

Well, he never talked to her after all.

“Did you talk to her about something?” He asked Maru, who just returned, while
hanging his arm over his shoulders.

“Nothing much. I was just on a phone call and Okseon was next to me, so I just told
her that the shoot was delayed.”

“What did she say to that?”

“She said she understood, duh.”

“That’s it?”

“What else would she say?”

“Well, that’s actually probably it considering Okseon’s personality. She never says a
word with us. Well, just like what Joomin-noona said, she seems perfectly capable of
speech from the way she talks with senior Suyeon.”
Okseon walked up to him before walking past him. At that moment, Dongho spotted
something strange. Okseon glanced their way, albeit for a brief instant, before
walking past. She seemed somewhat hesitant and cautious.

‘Don’t tell me she’s… ’

Dongho felt his heart race a little. Okseon, who was like a cold wind this whole time,
walked past him like a feeble girl. What could that possibly mean? Wasn’t this the
stereotypical pattern of a girl in love?

‘If I look at her closely, she’s quite cute too.’

The slightly tanned skin made her look cute. Was the reason she didn’t talk to them
this whole time because of embarrassment? Now that he thought about it, she talked
to Maru just now and even talked to Joomin a couple of times too. Just not him.

It felt like the pieces of the puzzle were all here. Dongho felt nervous. There were a
lot of girls at his school who flattered him for being an actor, but none of them
approached him with romantic interest. Was a warm breeze finally coming to his
youth that felt like an ice age this whole time?

‘Don’t get excited. I might be misunderstanding.’

He liked fantasizing by himself, but he wasn’t stupid to the point that he couldn’t
differentiate reality from fantasy. He had to make sure without getting excited. At
that moment, Okseon looked their way again. Her eyes shaking; her lips sealed; her
body shrunk back. Was Okseon always so cute?

“M-M-Maru.”

“What?”

“I think Okseon likes me.”

“…Ah, okay. Congrats, I guess.”

“You noticed it too, right? Look at her. She can’t look at me properly. I found it strange
this whole time. Okseon talks to you from time to time, but she never talked to me
even once. I finally know the reason now. I was such a fool, why didn’t I notice
sooner?”
He felt like his feet were getting sweaty. She was looking at him nervously. Okseon
was a really decent girl from up close. How nervous must she have been this whole
time? She was someone who talked to the seniors with so much vitality. If she was
hesitating that much, she must have been extremely nervous.

This wasn’t a delusion. This was reality.

‘There’s really someone who likes me.’

Thinking about it, Okseon was much better than Yeseul, who implicitly boasted from
time to time. How feminine was that? She felt very mature. Joomin-noona was really
good as a person, but dating was better between two people of the same age, no?

“…Probably not.”

Dongho toppled the tower of thoughts with a small laugh.

“What’s not?” Maru asked from the side.

“It’s about Okseon. It doesn’t make sense for her to fall in love out of nowhere.”

“You’re quite realistic when it comes to that.”

“I’ve always been a realistic person. I’m just a slight romanticist.”

“Like hell you are.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Why don’t you go talk to her, just in case?”

“Should I?”

“Weren’t you supposed to be a realistic person?”

“You never know.”

Dongho calmed down his breathing before approaching Okseon. Why was it that his
heart was racing even though he knew that it shouldn’t be the case? If it turned out
that she liked him…
‘At that time, it’s ring in ice cream.’

Dongho calmed down his face before standing in front of Okseon.

***

“Well done. We have to keep this up just until next week, so please hold on,”
producer Park Hoon said.

Next week was filled with weekday shoots as well. Monday and Tuesday. Thankfully,
Wednesday and Thursday were empty. This would allow Maru to focus on the acting
club and the film shoot during those two days.

“Maru.”

Joomin approached him and tapped him on the shoulder before pointing at Dongho.
Dongho was getting ready to go home with a depressed face.

“What happened to him?”

“It’s the pain of loss.”

Seeing Joomin’s confused expression, he said that it was just a joke.

“The shoot ended early today.”

“That’s true. We don’t have any remaining shoots either. Looks like everyone gets to
go home together for once.”

Joomin stretched her arms out.

“I’ll only return to a normal schedule once the additional parts for episode 13 are
shot.”

“Sounds like you’re busy.”

“I’m a college student after all. I have a mountain load of assignments.”

“The theater and film department should learn stuff like acting theory, right?”
“I don’t know. I’m not in it.”

“Didn’t you say that you helped out with the graduation piece of the seniors from
theater and film during the first meeting?”

“Since I was working in this area, I got to know a lot of them. That’s how I helped
them out. I actually major in advanced materials engineering.”

“You’re doing this work on top of your studies?”

“I guess it turned out like that. I might apply for leave soon though. No, I might even
quit altogether. It’s curious. I never knew I’d become an actress. I somehow became
the female lead of an indie movie through some connections and ended up joining an
agency. The head manager in charge of me told me that I’d become successful, and
honestly, I didn’t believe it, but it ended up coming true. It fits me and I’m having fun
as well.”

“Good for you. But don’t you find it a little wasteful that you aren’t going to finish
your studies?”

“I do. In my 1st year, I had nothing to do so I just went to college earnestly, but right
now, I’m doing this drama on top of a few other things. I think that it would be a bit
greedy of me to try to do both things at once. I do want to graduate, but I don’t want
to be half-assed with both of them.”

“If it’s graduation, you can always do that later.”

“Right?”

Just then, Dongho, who was walking ahead, shouted at the two to come quickly.

“Ah, right. We’re going to eat out to celebrate the fact that we finished early today.
You are coming, right?”

“Sorry, I have a prior engagement.”

“Really? Then I guess it’ll be just Dongho and me, huh.”

“I’ll definitely attend next time. Or, why don’t you ask them to come?”
Maru asked that as he looked at the three main characters walking to their
respective cars. Giwoo was going to his agency’s van, while the other two were being
picked up by their parents.

“Those people are busy. I asked them last time, but was refused.”

“Why don’t you take Okseon then?”

“Okseon? Would she?”

“Who knows?”

“Alright, I’ll try talking to her. It’d be bland to eat with just Dongho.”

After smiling, Joomin suddenly widened her eyes before greeting politely. Senior -
that word made Maru turn around as well.

“Hi.”

Suyeon was standing there, waving her hand. Joomin told her goodbye before
leaving.

“Did I interrupt you?”

“With what?”

“You trying to woo her.”

“Should I call Geunsoo-hyung and tell him to cancel this meeting?”

“No, no! You’re acting all stuck-up again. Sorry, sorry.”

“But didn’t you two make an appointment without me?”

Suyeon sighed.

“For me, it’d be much better if we just met by ourselves. But that guy isn’t someone
who would do that. That’s why I used you as an excuse.”

“You’re using me again?”

“Let’s help each other out, yeah?”

“Why don’t you give up at this point? I don’t think Geunsoo-hyung has an ounce of
interest in you.”

Suyeon shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter even if he doesn’t have any interest in me. It’s me who likes him.”

“Financially?”

“It’s pure love.”

“I thought you were fed up with men.”

“Don’t you know the saying that you should heal wounds gained from people with
other people? And you know, it’s fun. I’ve known him for years, but I still haven’t
closed the gap at all. He’s like a flower growing on the top of a cliff. It’ll be very fun to
snap it.”

“I think I should cancel this appointment after all.”

“I’m just joking.”

She then said ‘also, it doesn’t hurt me to one-sidedly like him’. Maru stared at her.

“What?”

“I was wondering what would have happened if the man who was your first love was
actually a decent man. You actually sound quite pure when it comes to that.”

“Well, like you said, if that man was a kind man, I might have become a faithful wife
by now.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“…What the. It’s slightly unpleasant when you say it like that.”

“You got me. I was trying to make you feel displeased.”

“You really are the despicable type huh.”

“Not as much as you.”

“Well, I guess there isn’t someone like me either. I should be proud of it.”

He walked towards the parking lot behind the school with Suyeon. There was a van
that was going towards the school gates at that time, and it stopped in front of
Suyeon. The door opened and Giwoo came out.

“Senior. Thank you for your work today.”

“Oh my, my dear Giwoo. You’re good with your greetings. I really like you.”

“Haha, this is nothing.”

“Thank you for your work today too. I hear that it’s thanks to you that our viewing
rates are going up.”

“Of course not. It’s all thanks to your beauty.”

“So you’re good with words too.”

“Are you going somewhere with Maru?”

“I have an appointment. Why? Want to join us?”

“Really?”

“No, I’m just joking. I don’t take anyone to places where I’m at ease.”

After pinching Giwoo’s cheeks once, Suyeon walked ahead. Maru waved at Giwoo.

“See you next time.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“Maru.”

“Yeah?”
“Can I see you separately some time? I want to become close to you.”

“It would be an honor. I’m willing to go anywhere if it’s the lead actor calling me out.
Call me any time, I’ll leave my schedule empty.”

“You mean it, right?”

“Probably?”

Maru yawned before following Suyeon. He walked over to the car with the headlights
on and got in the passenger seat.

“He’s like a snake.”

“Oh no, not as much as a certain someone.”

“I’m more of a doe.”

“You’re trying to be funny, right?”

“Was it funny?”

“Just a little.”

“I guess I succeeded then. Also, are you on good terms with Giwoo?”

“I’m not that close with a snake.”

“What was that earlier then?”

“I’m not denying it. I just found it a little strange that a thousand-year-old viper was
calling someone a snake.”

“Am I that old? I don’t have any wrinkles, you know?”

“How long are we going to keep going with this conversation?”

“Until we meet Geunsoo-oppa?”

“Then let’s get going. I’m tired already.”

“Hey, hang out with me. I’m bored because I haven’t been meeting any men these
days.”

Suyeon started driving with a small smile.

Giwoo had a pleasant smile on his face as he got on the van. However, manager Kim
did not get deceived by that smile. He even nervously checked whether he made any
mistakes when he saw that smile through the rearview mirror.

“Shall we go?” he asked carefully.

Giwoo was looking outside the window. Eventually, a car passed by in front of them.
Manager Kim knew that that car belonged to actress Kim Suyeon. The car became
distant and Giwoo’s gaze fell from the car to his phone. Manager Kim stayed quiet.
This was a sign for him to wait.

He took out a mint candy. The plastic wrapping didn’t come off easily. Tschk, a violent
ripping sound could be heard. He felt all of his senses tingle and immediately looked
at the rearview mirror. Giwoo was looking at him with a bored expression.

“Manager-hyung.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Can you be quiet for a moment? I have to send a text.”

“Sorry, should I get off and come back later?”

“You don’t have to, but I’d be thankful if you did.”

Manager Kim nodded before quickly getting out of the van. He felt much better now
that he escaped that stifling atmosphere. If he didn’t have the ambition to succeed in
this field of work, he would have long since given up on being Giwoo’s manager.
Whenever his eyes met Giwoo’s, which felt frosty despite the smile on his face, he
was reminded of manager Cha, who was fired without a single word.

‘I wonder who he’s texting all the time though.’

Giwoo did not care who was around when he made or received calls, but he was
strangely wary of his surroundings whenever he texted. He once approached Giwoo
from behind when he was writing a text, and Giwoo looked at him as though he
would kill. Ever since then, he looked away as much as possible whenever Giwoo was
texting.

“Hyung, get back on.”

“Alright.”

He got back in the van. Giwoo thanked him for his work today. He knew that those
were just empty words, but manager Kim smiled as brightly as he could as he
nodded.

“Let’s go then.”

“Yes.”

He ignored Giwoo’s phone that was reflected on the rearview mirror as much as
possible before starting the car.

***

“How’s the acting club going?”

“Going pretty well. Let me open the window a little.”

“You feeling hot?”

“I’m just a little stifled.”

Maru opened the window about halfway. A wind strong enough to hurt his eyes
rushed in through the window. Listening to the loud noise of the wind, he felt as
though his head had cleared a little.

“I’m cold though.”

The window closed. Suyeon was the one who did it. He got some fresh air, so he
wasn’t dissatisfied.

“Miso-unni is quite strict, isn’t she?”

“She is. She’s going to be even stricter starting next week. The actors have been
decided after all.”

“Are you in it as well?”

“No, I decided not to since I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

“Daemyung must be disappointed then.”

“It’s not like that.”

“I guess I should come over some time to have a look.”

“Come when Miso-noonim isn’t here so that you don’t get into a fight.”

“We’re pretty close now.”

“No way. A dog will never get close to a monkey.”

“Who’s the dog and who’s the monkey?”

“Which one do you like?”

“Me? Monkey.”

“Then you can be the dog.”

“That’s good, I actually like dogs better. I thought you’d tell me that I was the dog
when I say I like monkeys.”

Maru stared at Suyeon in a daze before laughing.

“Where’s Geunsoo-hyung?”

“He’s nearby. You know the plan, right?”

“The plan?”

“When we get there, you leave after you eat a little. I’ll spend the rest of the time
enjoying sweet moments with Geunsoo-oppa.”
“I happened to have a lot of time today. Tomorrow is Saturday as well.”

“You’re going to school though.”

“I just have to go to school after staying up all night. Don’t look down on the stamina
of a teen.”

“Let’s form an alliance.”

“As a man like Geunsoo-hyung, I want to protect Geunsoo-hyung instead.”

“Why did I even try?”

Suyeon turned the wheel. As it was Friday night, there were a lot of people on the
streets. The restaurants and various stores were busy with the golden time sales.
The energy of drinking in the air felt like it could make any sane man drunk.

“It’s over there.”

Amidst the hazy lights, there was a building that gave off a calming purple light. The
word Izakaya entered his eyes.

“There’s a lot of standing bars these days, huh.”

“It seems to be a trend. They keep popping up. But this place is pretty decent. On the
first floor, you can play around with a bit of energy, while the 2nd floor is for talking
quietly.”

Suyeon walked through the automatic door that opened by itself. Maru looked at
Suyeon on the spot.

“What are you doing? Come in.”

“This place will have to stop doing business if patrols show up. In the first place, I
probably won’t even be allowed in here.”

“Only the restaurants that high schoolers target have that sort of problem. Excuse
me, it’s fine if I take this guy in, right?” Suyeon asked an employee.

The female employee nodded with a smile.

“Sheesh, you’re worried about strange things. Let’s go.”

Maru walked into the restaurant, thinking that it should be fine since they asked. He
walked past the 1st floor, which was a wide open space, and went up to the 2nd floor.
Seeing Suyeon’s confident steps, it seemed that she was a regular here. After walking
past a few rooms, Suyeon greeted in kind before turning around.

“Oh, Geunsoo-oppa. You aren’t alone,” Suyeon said.

Maru followed her into the room. Just as Suyeon said, there was another person in
front of Geunsoo. Maru greeted him since he knew the person.

“Sungjae-hyung is here too, huh.”

“Hi, Maru. It’s been a long time.”

Ahn Sungjae, who was sitting opposite Geunsoo, greeted him.

“It’s good to see two handsome men together. Didn’t you guys order anything?
There’s nothing here.”

Suyeon naturally smoothly sat next to Geunsoo, which left Maru to sit next to
Sungjae.

“I called you to see you after all this time. Are you doing well?”

“I’m doing fine.”

Maru lightly shook Geunsoo’s hand. This was the first time they had met up since
New Years at the elder’s house.

“But it was rather unexpected to see you two together.”

Maru looked at Geunsoo and Sungjae alternately. Although both of them did appear
in Twilight Struggles together, as far as he knew, the two never met each other.

“Oh, Maru shouldn’t know about it yet, huh.”

“Know what?”
“That I’m doing a movie with Sungjae,” Geunsoo said with a smile.

Maru looked at Sungjae. He never met up with Sungjae after Miso’s classes at Film,
but he did text him from time to time. They exchanged texts a while ago, and he
didn’t mention anything back then.

“It hasn’t been that long since it was confirmed. I can’t exactly go around telling
people about it when it’s not even set in stone,” Sungjae said as he stroked his chin.

“Are you two really going to be starring in the same movie?”

“Yeah. I got to shoot with Geunsoo-hyung.”

Congratulations - Maru said with a smile. The two of them were in the same movie,
huh. Geunsoo’s acting skills went without saying. His skills, consolidated in the
independent movie, were well-known throughout Chungmuro. In his distant
memories, he remembered the middle-aged Geunsoo in a talk show, but he couldn’t
remember the contents. From how he appeared in talk shows though, it should
signify that he had gained some popularity.

‘I think there was something with Ganghwan too.’

Geunsoo and Ganghwan. He thought that these two, as a pair, had something about
them, but it felt stifling because he couldn’t remember it properly. Were they known
for their deep friendship in the industry? He thought that there was a much larger
impact than just that, though.

“What are you thinking about?”

Suyeon asked from in front of him. Maru shook his head and said that it was nothing.

‘It’s becoming fainter and fainter, huh.’

Until just a while ago, he thought that he remembered what the future held in store
for Ganghwan and Geunsoo, but right now, his memories were fuzzy like a tangled up
lump of thread. The one thing he was sure about was that the two were friends even
30 years later. He somewhat remembered that young people were going to the
national theaters to see plays, but he didn’t know what they were about.

Just as it was about to feel like ants were crawling around his head, causing him pain,
the door opened and an employee came in. It seemed that Geunsoo had called for
one. When he heard Geunsoo’s voice and the employee’s reply, the stifling feeling in
his head disappeared. At that moment, Maru realized that the remnant of memories
that caused his headache had disappeared completely.

He still had a vague feeling about it because memories weren’t independent, but
Maru could feel that it was going to disappear completely when he woke up
tomorrow.

Maru decided not to mind it so much. There was no need to try and cling onto that
memory. This was something about the future that didn’t happen yet. He had his
share of explanations when he got this life, so there was no need to feel uneasy about
it.

‘If I can write it down, it would be good, but I can’t do that.’

It was only natural. He had to be thankful that he got to live a second time. If he was
too greedy, he might receive divine retribution. Didn’t he check already? He had just
thought about investing in real estate when the price of the land that he thought
about buying fell to rock bottom. God was very fair.

‘My family. It’s fine as long as I remember just that.’

He had the confidence to not forget about his love towards her, even if all of his
memories disappeared. Just then, he had this thought.

‘But… why did I get this life again?’

He thought that he had someone’s help, but did even that disappear now? He still
remembered the woman in a white suit clearly. That was probably thanks to the fact
that she was a spiritual being.

‘Now that I think about it, that woman is as pretty as her.’

He smiled faintly as he thought about the woman in a white suit. It seemed that he
was quite love-struck. He was thinking that a woman who could be described as a
heavenly beauty was around the same as his wife.

“Maru, what are you going to eat?”

“Anything that can fill me up.”

Geunsoo smiled and ordered the rest. The employee checked the orders before
quietly leaving.

“Anyway, what’s it about?” Maru asked Sungjae.

Sungjae pointed at his own face and said ‘new detective who’s passionate.’

“And Geunsoo-hyung is a corrupt detective.”

“What?”

Maru looked at Geunsoo. A corrupt detective, huh. Geunsoo looked pretty gentle on
the surface. He was far from the ‘lunatic’ nickname he got when he was in school. If
he wore some neat-looking glasses and asked other people what job he looked like
he had, most people would probably reply with lawyer or doctor.

That was precisely why the title of a corrupt detective quite suited him.

“I’m pretty good when it comes to being corrupt,” Geunsoo said as he crossed his
legs.

“Then I’m the tragic woman in love with the corrupt detective?” Suyeon softly placed
a hand on Geunsoo’s shoulder.

Geunsoo replied with a ‘I’m not so sure’ and a smile. Geunsoo would have refused
her touch before, so it seemed that the two had gotten closer.

“When does it start?”

“The crank-in is set to be in August.”

“There’s quite a lot of time until then, huh.”

“I should gain some muscle until then. I’ll have to quit drinking and start learning
action acting again.”

Hearing Geunsoo’s words, Sungjae breathed out heavily as well. Rather than a sigh, it
looked like he was getting resolved.
“That’s why today’s the last day for drinking.”

“Looks like you should drink a lot then,” Maru said with a smile.

As they were talking about recent matters, the door opened and the food came.

“Let’s talk further after we drink a little. I’ll tell you a few of Sungjae’s episodes. That
will be very interesting.”

“Hyung, stop it.”

“I’m going to bring this up for the rest of my life while drinking. Ahn Sungjae, the
actor burning with passion!”

Hearing that, Sungjae leaned back against the door as though he had given up. It
seemed that a lot of interesting events happened between the two. Maru received
just a bit of alcohol in his glass before picking up his chopsticks. He wanted to eat
first.
“When I first met Sir Yoon, I actually didn’t feel anything. Naturally, I knew that he
was a famous actor, but I’ve never seen his work after all. A kindly smiling senior was
my first impression of him.”

Sungjae drank the rest of his glass before continuing to speak,

“Then I met him again at the shoot. Now that I think about it, I met Maru for the first
time back then as well. He asked me for an autograph which was quite peculiar. He
was really calm about it after all.”

“It’d be strange for a high school boy to fanboy over a male idol group,” Maru
remarked.

Suyeon added ‘that’s true.’

“Anyway, the first day I met him at the shoot, he told me a lot of really important
things. Actually, back then, I had somewhat of a victim mentality.”

“Victim mentality?” Geunsoo asked.

“One of the senior actors coughed when he saw me. Do you know what I thought
back then? I thought that was his way of expressing his displeasure. I thought that
that was his way of saying that an idol shouldn’t be here. Actually though, it turned
out that he just had a cold.”

“You were being way too shy for a grown-up.”

“I was lacking confidence back then. I had a guilty conscience too. I felt sorry that I
received an actor’s work after being successful as an idol, and when I looked at the
actors with that kind of mindset, I thought they were all ostracizing me. It’s
embarrassing to talk about it like this, but it was really bad back then. I even had the
thought that that was what I got for being a traitor.”

“Maru, Sungjae’s quite innocent, you know?”

“I actually felt that quite a while ago.”

Maru smiled as he ate some food.

“Well, ever since I got a good scolding from Sir Yoon, I came to myself though.”

“What a kid.”

Suyeon pointed at Sungjae and giggled.”

“If he’s a kid, then so are you. You guys are the same age after all.”

“Hey, even though we’re both 27, there’s a huge gap between our mental ages, you
know? I’m a mature lady, and you’re a kid.”

Sungjae was about to retort but did not in the end. It seemed that he had learned
that he couldn’t win against Suyeon in a battle of words. Maru picked up the drink
bottle and held it in front of Sungjae.

“You should drink when you feel bad.”

“Right?”

After pouring a drink for Sungjae, he poured one for the other two as well. Since this
drink cost 60 thousand won per bottle, it tasted really good. He could drink
something like this only when other people were buying.

“Idols or whatever. It’s laughable to put up an entry barrier to keep our plates safe.
Who the hell cares about what people used to do? All that matters is acting skills,”
Geunsoo said.

Suyeon, who was next to him, slightly frowned before he continued.

“I oppose the notion of acting being treated like some sanctuary. Of course, those
that have half-assed acting can get insulted for all I care. However, I find it pathetic
that people insult each other based on what the other party’s background is. No, it’s
beyond pathetic. I’m angered by it. Actors need to be evaluated on acting skills alone.
Good acting will definitely receive the light after all.”

“That only applies to people like you, Geunsoo-oppa, who have the acting skills to
back it up.”

Suyeon rested her chin on her hands. Both of them looked slightly drunk.

“I think we’re past the age where we can become successful through acting alone. Of
course, someone as good as you might be able to do it, oppa. These days though, the
system relies on agencies most of the time. What good is being good at acting? There
are fewer stages to show it off.”

“If it’s stages, it has increased compared to before. There’s cable TV as well. Since the
number of people watching movies is increasing every year, the pie has increased.”

“But the difference between having someone behind you and not having someone is
too big. You know how many actors disappear every year without being able to
knock on the door of commercial media after having debuted in indie movies.”

Phew - Suyeon sighed before falling towards Geunsoo. Geunsoo used his left hand to
receive Suyeon’s head before carefully pushing sideways. Suyeon tried her best to
lean against Geunsoo’s shoulder, but Geunsoo’s left hand mercilessly and perfectly
defended it.

“Are those two always like that?” Sungjae asked quietly.

Maru nodded.

“Even that’s considered close. A year ago, they were still using polite speech to
address each other. No, I guess Geunsoo-hyung was the only one who did that.”

“That’s somewhat incredible, both of them.”

“The two of them aren’t exactly normal. Rather than that though, a movie, huh. Are
you going to quit being an idol completely?”

“We’re doing well in our respective fields, so I don’t think we’ll have any activities for
a while. President Park promised as well.”

“You belong to NL Company, right?”

“Yeah, why?”
“I met president Park Narim once. I got some tickets to your concert from her as
well. Thanks to that, I scored some points with my sister.”

“The president did that? She usually doesn’t do something like that though.”

“Our president was with me back then.”

“President Lee Junmin? That makes sense. He’s one of the people she has a hard time
dealing with. Perhaps she wanted him to see her in a good light. So, how was your
first impression of her?”

“She felt like a politician. She was good with words as well.”

“That’s how she is.”

Maru ate a piece of sushi with fish eggs on it. The texture was pretty interesting.

“Who’s the director?”

“It’s director Lee Jincheol, and he’s known Geunsoo-hyung for a long time. I met him
for the first time not too long ago, so I don’t know what he’s like. Well, I did get that
he was a quiet person.”

“An acquaintance of Geunsoo-hyung, so that means he’s the director of the indie
movie?”

“Yeah. It’s his first try at a commercial movie.”

“Can I ask which places invested in it?”

“I thought you’d be interested. It’s SC. SC Cinema.”

“The same place that invested in the production of Twilight Struggles, huh. It belongs
to the SC Group[1], right?”

“Yeah. Thanks to them, we get to procure hundreds of cinemas to air the movie in as
long as we finish producing the film. When I see situations like this, I can sort of
sympathize with Suyeon. The investor even has its own cinema branch. How many
film actors can survive after going against their wishes? No matter how good the
final piece is, it’s not good for anything if there isn’t a place to air it.”
“The dream of all film actors is to shoot a movie that can surpass all of those
conditions. A film that everyone wants to see will have to go up in cinemas.”

“You’re right. This is a bit different, but in the case of music, there are some people
who rise with skills alone. Even in Hongdae, there are many indie bands with large
fanbases.”

At that moment, Suyeon, who had been struggling to get herself on Geunsoo’s
shoulders, said something.

“But every one of them wants to become major. Why do you think that is? It’s
obviously for the exposure. Indie bands, they’re good. I have a lot of teams I like as
well. But they disappear quite easily. There’s no music without food in your stomach
after all. With that being the case, Geunsoo-oppa!”

Suyeon, getting encouraged by her drunkenness, latched onto Geunsoo. Geunsoo

wrestled with Suyeon before standing up.

“Looks like I’ll have to get some fresh air.”

“Wait for me.”

Suyeon followed Geunsoo, who sighed as he walked out of the room.

Maru looked at them as he chewed on some pineapple. At this point, Geunsoo was
practically enjoying it.

“How did you get to know Geunsoo-hyung? A get-together?”

“The first time we met was back when we had a get-together for Twilight Struggles.
Back then, we didn’t even talk much. We just greeted each other out of formality. We
never meet during shoots, either. Then, I went to the get-together after the film was
released because I wanted to see Sir Yoon, and we introduced ourselves properly at
that time. Though, we got properly close when Miso-noona held a drinking occasion
with the two of us.”

“I thought it’d be like that. You must have had a hard time drinking with the two
then, huh? Miso-noonim usually drinks until her limit once she starts, doesn’t she?”

“So you know about it.”

“I had to massage her back several times. A woman who’s over thirty was… geez. She
doesn’t know how scary the world is.”

“It’s strange when you put it like that. What’s even more strange though, is that it
suits you.”

“I do look a little old. With the right hair style, I think I’ll be able to pass off as thirty,”
Maru said as he combed his bangs backwards with his hand.

Sungjae laughed.

“Anyway, that was really unexpected of Miso-noona. She couldn’t be scarier during
her lecture, but she’s kinda cute when she drinks. She was crying and sniffing, and I
really had the urge to shoot a video of her.”

“Hyung, did you take videos?”

“No, I didn’t. I don’t want to die early after all. Geunsoo-hyung said that she’d kill
me.”

“Well done. You’ll really get killed, and you won’t even know why.”

“She’s getting married in May, right?”

“Yeah. There’s not long left. Man, I already feel sad for the teacher who’s going to live
with her for a lifetime.”

“I was also surprised when I heard about it for the first time. A school teacher, huh.
Doesn’t that only appear in movies?”

“Teacher Taesik is a winner in life.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Both of them laughed. Miso-noonim in a wedding dress, huh. He couldn’t imagine it

that easily. It would fit her more if she ripped that dress and abduct Taesik during
the wedding instead.

“Rather than that, I’m kinda envious. You get to be a lead actor.”
“It still doesn’t feel real to me either. Well, it also doesn’t feel like I didn’t get the role
with my skills.”

“If you don’t like it, you can always give it to me.”

“I’m going to cling onto it like my life depends on it. I spent all this time as an idol in
order to grab opportunities like this after all. For now, I’ll start with getting the title
of a ‘skilled idol actor’.”

“Sheesh, I wonder what my president is doing.”

“Should I tell that to president Lee Junmin?”

“Hyung-nim, here, receive a glass from me and forget about it.”

He poured a glass before pushing it over to Sungjae. It was pleasant to drink since
the alcohol content wasn’t that high. Maru looked at the door. It had been around five
minutes, but the two of them did not return.

“Were we interrupting?” Sungjae asked.

“No, we’re the guardian angels.”

“Guardian angels?”

Maru just smiled back at Sungjae who looked at him in curiosity.

“Oh yeah, I’m watching the drama.”

“Really?”

“I’m watching it in the van while travelling. The character seems to be similar to you,
right?”

“I was lucky.”

“You should really wear your glasses. I think people will recognize you more that
way.”

“Are you serious?”

“When I first made my debut, I went around in my stage outfit. It’s quite fun, you
know? Now, I can’t even reveal my face in public, but back then, it was really
enjoyable to see people looking at me half with doubt from afar.”

“I was forced to change my name to ‘Lee Chan’ at school for a few days, and from
that, I don’t think I enjoy someone recognizing me like that.”

“Is it annoying?”

“Rather than annoying, it’s embarrassing. I didn’t show anything much, nor did I do
anything much, but they still kept calling me by the character’s name, so it felt rather
strange.”

“Maru, you’re quite strict with yourself, aren’t you?”

“Personally, I don’t think that’s true, but what do you think?”

“I do feel like you’re lashing out at yourself from time to time. You’re doing plenty
well now, but you seem quite urgent too. Though, maybe that was just during the
acting classes.”

“Urgent, you say… I guess you’re correct about that. I’m actually quite eager to
become successful right now too.”

“I think that’s good. For me, such obsession was what motivated me. It’s similar
when I look around. There are kids who are fixated on success among the aspiring
idols around me. And most of the time, it’s kids like them who succeed. After all,
they’ll do anything to get it.”

“Did you do anything you can as well?”

“I spent my time passionately as an idol, and that’s how I got this opportunity to
become a lead actor.”

“…I know that it might be rude and foolish of me to ask this, but should I try being an
idol as well? I’ll rise to the top ranks first and then get the roles.”

“Hm.”

Sungjae looked at him with a piercing gaze. Maru looked back at him in a serious
manner.

“From the perspective of a company, you won’t make the cut because of your face.”

“I knew it.”

“Right now, the softer-looking ones are the ones that work against people. Some
places seem to be preparing idols that focus on masculinity, but it’s unknown
whether the market is ready to accept that or not.”

“Do you also look at the trainees applying to NL Company from time to time?”

“It’s one of my important schedules.”

“Suddenly, you look like a big-shot now. Please take care of me later.”

“Likewise. Oh right. I heard that it’s going to be released next Wednesday.”

“What’s going to be released?”

“Director Park Joongjin’s movie. Didn’t you participate in that?”

“I did. But I didn’t know that it was going to be released.”

“I thought Miso-noona would have told you about it.”

“Looks like she’s quite busy with the wedding. Is it getting released next
Wednesday?”

“Yeah. That makes it your 2nd film, right?”

“Yes. Though, I didn’t have many lines and just rolled around in the dirt in the
mountains.”

“Go watch it and see if the action scene came out well.”

Maru rested his chin on his hand and sighed.

“I wonder when I will be able to stand in the same line as a director during movie
previews.”
“Once you become a lead actor, of course.”

“I guess there’s a far and rocky road ahead of me.”

“It won’t take that long. Here, have a drink and cheer up.”

Maru faintly smiled at Sungjae who picked up the drink bottle.

[1] Group as in a group of companies/conglomerate.

“What a dirty life. Aah, I wish a meteorite fell right on top of my head.”

Suyeon, who had been chuckling until just now, finally fell over. Just before she hit
her head on the table, Geunsoo reached out and caught her head.

“I did think that she was overdrinking a little, and it really came to this, huh.”

“I think it’s about time we get up,” Maru said as he looked at Suyeon who had licked
her lips.

Although she was strong with alcohol, it was natural that she got drunk since she
drank without rest. Maru didn’t know if this was a part of her plan or not, but in any
case, she was completely drunk.

“I want to cry.”

“Suyeon-noona. Get yourself together.”

“I don’t want to. Life’s too hard.”

“This woman turns pessimistic once she’s drunk huh. Woman, you should watch
your mouth. Aren’t you trying to look pretty? Geunsoo-hyung is right next to you.”

“Ah right, Geunsoo-oppa’s here. I know, I know. I’m the bad bitch. I’m the bad girl.”

Suyeon lept into Geunsoo’s embrace with a grin on her face. Maru paid his
condolences to Geunsoo.

“I’m in charge of her?”

“Consider it as punishment for a popular man. Suyeon-noona, get on Geunsoo-

hyung’s back.”

Geunsoo sighed before piggybacking Suyeon. At that moment, Maru saw Suyeon’s
lips curve into a big smile. He didn’t say anything since she looked really happy.
“Sungjae-hyung. Let’s leave.”

Sungjae put on his baseball cap so that other people couldn’t see his face before
putting on his hoodie as well. It would be incredibly hard to recognize him without
getting up close.

“Maru. There’s a wallet in my pocket. Use the credit card in the wallet to pay.”

“Yes, sir.”

After paying the bill, Maru came out of the restaurant with the receipt. He saw the
three sitting down under the parasol by the convenience store. They each held a
hangover drink.

“You should call a chauffeur service and go home.”

“No. Sungjae and I are going to sleep there,” Geunsoo said as he pointed at an alley
with motels in it.

“What do we do with Suyeon-noona?”

“Get her a taxi home.”

“No!”

Suyeon, who had her face buried in her arms on the table, suddenly woke up and
shouted. She grabbed onto Geunsoo’s arm and said something in a weird voice. To
sum it up, she said she couldn’t go home because her car was right in front of the
restaurant. Maru didn’t know what the car being here had to do with not being able
to go home, but the stubborn Suyeon looked like she was about to lie down on the
street if they called for a chauffeur service.

“Fine, fine. I’ll grab a room for you as well, so go sleep there.”

“Yes! I’m sleeping here!”

She became docile after that. It took around two minutes for her to start snoring.

“There’s Miso-noona too, and there’s this girl. Do the women at JA all act like this
when they’re drunk?”
“Don’t ask. I’m beginning to get suspicious myself.”

Sungjae laughed before pressing on Suyeon’s forehead. Suyeon seemed to be in deep

sleep as she didn’t even budge.

“Geunsoo-hyung. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll grab two rooms, one for this embarrassment of a woman and one for me and
Sungjae. Maru, do me a favor.”

Maru grabbed Suyeon’s left arm and Geunsoo grabbed her right.

“Sungjae-hyung, let me borrow your cap for a moment.”

He put the cap he got from Sungjae on Suyeon. Her long, disheveled hair covered
most of her face, but they couldn’t go wrong with too much caution.

“Sungjae, you should wait here. We don’t want people catching you with us.”

Sungjae nodded at Geunsoo’s words. Sungjae was the most well-known out of the
four of them here. There would be disastrous consequences if a photo of him going
into a motel leaked out. First up, Bada would bawl her eyes out. That was disastrous
enough. Since it was such a horrible matter, they had to be prepared.

He and Geunsoo threw Suyeon into a motel room before leaving. It wasn’t just an
expression. They literally threw her on the bed.

“I’m sweating.”

“Me too.”

“She’s such a hassle to deal with.”

“So you’ll put her next to you?”

“No.”

“You’re quite firm with that stance.”

“I’m trying to think of an excuse to get far away from her, but I can’t because of the
alcohol. Leaving JA is one method.”

“Suyeon-noona might follow you out.”

“That sounds more scary than the horror movie I watched a few days ago.”

Maru had to stop as he was walking back to the convenience store from the motel.
Geunsoo sighed.

“I think he got caught.”

“He got caught indeed.”

The convenience store was flocked with people. The women standing on the
perimeters were raising their phones up high to take photos. Maru climbed the stairs
next to the building and looked down at the convenience store. Sungjae was in the
middle of everyone as though he was a gladiator in the middle of an arena. He
professionally signed autographs and took photos. It was probably very hard for him
to do that because he was drunk, but he looked immaculate.

“Should I try calling him?”

“Can he even pick up?”

“I’ll try anyway.”

He grabbed onto the rails as he tried calling. He saw Sungjae take out his phone in
the middle of the crowd.

“Can you take the call right now?”

-Ah, yes. Please speak. Uhm, can you be quiet for a second? This is an important call.

The whole alley turned quiet in an instant with a word from him. Maru saw Sungjae
leave the crowd before speaking,

“Can you escape?”

-No. Even if I can, I won’t be able to go to the motel. It seems like I’ll have to take the
taxi back for today.
“Okay. Popularity has its demerits, huh.”

-I can’t help it. Oh, tell Geunsoo-hyung I said sorry. I’ll be going back first. I think I
won’t be able to go home at all if I stay any longer.

“Alright. Have a safe trip home.”

He saw Sungjae wave from afar. He probably waved towards Maru’s general
direction.

“Sungjae-hyung says he’ll take the taxi home. Also, he wanted to apologize to you.”

“That’s a pity. I wanted to talk with him in a quiet room. He was too famous to be
hidden with a single hoodie, huh.”

“Taking his cap off wasn’t the best idea, it seems. But it’s quite curious to see so many
people gather in such a short time. He feels like a true celebrity.”

“You envious?”

“No. I can’t get envious after seeing him getting almost squished to death. Wouldn’t
people recognize you as well?”

“Probably not.”

“Twilight Struggles became so controversial though.”

“Hey, you make me sad by saying that even though you know what happened.”

Maru smiled and nodded. Geunsoo, the third son in the movie, had his head smashed
by the elder’s hammer. As that scene was filled with blood and insults, it was
switched to the next scene quickly, so it was hard to recognize any actors in the
scene. When the camera showed Geunsoo from up close, his face was already
covered in blood, so he was far from his normal immaculate self.

“Won’t you get a lot of female fans like Sungjae-hyung if this movie goes well?”

“That sounds good. It’s about time I buy my own house too, so I have to earn a lot of
money.”
“Do you have some money saved up?”

“Actually, quite a lot.”

Geunsoo made a suspicious smile.

“You should get going too. I’ll get a taxi for you so take that.”

Geunsoo took out a few ten thousand won bills and gave them to him. Maru accepted
the money without refusing. They walked through the alley, which was now devoid
of people after they all left, and went to the main street. They waved at the taxi
across the street, but it just drove past as though it had a passenger already.

“Do you regret continuing acting?” Geunsoo asked from the side.

“Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, I’ve never regretted it for now. Now that I
think about it, it was you who planted the fear of acting in me.”

“Did I?”

“Are you going to pretend that you forgot? You called me all the way to the rooftop to
lecture me.”

“So, did you not like that?”

“No, it was good. There aren’t many people who listen to other people so seriously
and then advise them. Did I tell you? You’re on my list of the people I respect, you’re
at the top ranks too.”

“I’m sorry. You are not in my list of cherished juniors though.”

“Well, I’ll strike your name off then.”

“I just put your name on it, so don’t strike me off. We’re family, you know?”

Geunsoo looked at his watch.

“Please go home and rest. I just have to take the taxi home.”

“Nah. Since I’m out here, I’ll sober up a little. It’s about time she woke up and started
causing a fuss.”

As soon as he said those words, Geunsoo’s phone started ringing.

“You got a call?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“It keeps ringing.”

“You must be hearing things.”

A moment later, Geunsoo’s phone became quiet. Maru took out his own phone just in
case. As he had expected, he immediately got a call. The caller was of course, Suyeon.

“You’re hallucinating. Don’t take that call.”

“How are you going to face the consequences?”

“I’ve changed my mind. Sungjae isn’t here, so I’ll just take the taxi home.”

“You’re running away? After throwing a woman in a motel room by herself?”

“As an accomplice, you should be on my side. Also, being with her just by myself is a
little scary.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Maru pressed the decline button and then asked.

“Is Geunseok doing well recently?”

“He’s much more docile now. He’s always been good at studying, and these days, he
talks to me quite often. He’s much better than the sensitive brat from before.”

“That’s good. A friend of mine is worried sick about him, so it made me a little
worried as well.”

“The kid named Jiseok, right?”

“You know him?”

“He comes around from time to time. We talked about the sitcom Jiseok was in until
just a while ago. It’s good that such a bad kid has a good friend.”

“Yes, so fortunate.”

“Geunseok talks about you from time to time, too.”

“What does he say?”

“That you’re hateful.”

Maru smiled. Hearing that he was hateful put him at ease instead. If Geunseok said
something like ‘sorry’, he would’ve doubted that.

“Tell me if something happens to you. I’m definitely willing to help you out,” Geunsoo
said with a pat on his back. Maru nodded.

“Oh yeah, are you busy these days?”

“Me? Just moderately busy.”

“If you have the time, let’s go visit director Lee together. We need a delinquent role,
and you seem fit for the job.”

“In the movie you’re shooting?”

“Yes. Actually, it was him who talked about it first. He had dibs on you when he saw
Twilight Struggles.”

“Me?”

Geunsoo put on a thick smile and spoke,

“He wants to know who that cocky delinquent was. He said that the delinquent was
cocky to the point that he wanted to meet the guy.”

***
“Why aren’t you picking up, dammit!”

Suyeon shouted at her phone, but there was no reply. She swayed as she walked
towards the door and grabbed the knob, but at that moment, she felt like she
couldn’t be bothered with anything. She just lied back down on bed before heavily
breathing.

“I know, I know, okay? A bitch like me and love? That’s laughable.”

It was all a game. She would live like this until she became a grandma. One dog and
one cat. She would eventually pass away like that. Aah, a beautiful life.

Suyeon clutched her aching head and closed her eyes. She faintly saw the door slowly
open amidst her fading consciousness. No, was it even opening?

‘I don’t know. My head aches.’

Suyeon closed her eyes just like that.

***

Her mouth felt bitter. She reached out while still lying down, but the bottle of water
that was always within reach, could not be reached. Only after waving her hand in
empty air for a while did she realize that she was in a motel. She buried her face in
the thick duvet and sighed. Why did she always get drunk first when she drank with
Geunsoo? It was like that at the villa before, and this time as well. She couldn’t
understand.

“But still, he really left me here, huh.”

Of course, she didn’t actually feel disappointed. She had expected it after all. She
smiled senselessly and sat up. She yawned and started getting ready to leave when
she saw a paper bag on the dresser. Suyeon tilted her head and looked at the
contents.

-What made you feel so bad that it made you cry throughout the night? I couldn’t get
any sleep because I was worried.

It was Geunsoo’s writing. Suyeon took out the contents of the bag. It was a bowl of
porridge, and it was still warm.
“You really… make me unable to give up on you.”

She rubbed her nose. Her nose strangely tingled.

“Dammit, really. Really…”

It seemed that she couldn’t eat right away.

Suyeon reached out to the tissue box on the dresser.

Her nose still tingled.

He had gained momentum. It now felt natural for him to go to the shooting set after
school instead of going home. The change in his everyday life had now become so
smooth that going home after normal classes felt weird to him.

And today, he finally threw his body into awkwardness. Maru was waiting for
Bangjoo in front of the ticketing office. They originally planned to come together
after school, but Bangjoo had said that he had something to do so he had Maru go
ahead. It was Wednesday afternoon. Usually, he would be at the acting club, the
shooting set, or at school to shoot the short film with the film production club, but
today, he left all that behind and came to the cinema.

Maru picked up a pamphlet before sitting down in the lounge. Lee Hyuk, Yoo
Joongang, and Kwon Dayoon were drawn on it in black and white, standing side by
side under the title ‘Those Guys’. They were grabbing each other’s hands, but the
enraged expressions seemed to explain the relationship between the three. On the
top left hand corner, it said ‘Return of director Park Joongjin from Spring Calendar’.
The director of this film was more well-renowned than the actors. The pamphlet
advertised the director quite blatantly.

Maru looked at the people lined up outside the ticketing office. It was a pretty busy
hour and there were a lot of couples. Most of them seemed to be wondering what
they were going to watch. Among the titles airing right now, there was no ‘big’ movie.
No foreign Blockbusters, nor any domestic ones with famous actors.

It was a night before the storm. The release lineup for May, which was next month,
was crazy. Whether the publishers were confident, or they just screwed up the
release timing, he did not know, but the titles that many people looked forward to
would start airing in about 2 weeks time. ‘Those Guys’ hit this blank spot. Whether
or not it would do well, Maru did not know.

‘He’s late.’

There was no need to hurry since ‘Those Guys’ was airing on screens 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7
at different times, but Maru started getting worried since Bangjoo did not show up
even after 30 minutes. He should have told him if his business took a long time, so
Maru wondered what was going on.

At that moment, he got a phone call from Bangjoo. When he picked up the call,
Bangjoo was saying that he had just arrived at the cinema while heavily breathing.
Just then, Maru heard a not-so-unfamiliar voice amidst the heavy panting.

“Who did you br…”

Just as he said up to that point, he saw two boys opening the door for the emergency
staircase. One was Bangjoo, who was on the phone, and the other, who stood next to
him, was Chihwan.

“Seonbae-nim!”

“I’m here!”

Bangjoo’s greeting was as loud as always, while Chihwan’s greeting was a little less
loud but still enough to attract attention. Maru groaned and ended the call.

“Why are you here?” Maru asked Chihwan.

“I wanted to watch it as well. Bangjoo seonbae-nim is the senior I like the most after
you, Maru seonbae-nim.”

“I was just about to go, but Chihwan said he wanted to watch. I helped him finish the
props so that he could come. Of course, we got permission from Daemyung-seonbae.”

Miso wasn’t here today, so Daemyung was in charge of everyone. As Daemyung was
pretty lenient, he would have a hard time holding Chihwan back if he asked
earnestly.

“No wonder you were late. Are you sure you finished your job?”

“Daemyung seonbae-nim double-checked mine. I seem to be quite talented at

sewing,” Chihwan said proudly.

Bangjoo looked at Chihwan as though he was proud of him.

“Were you two always close?”

Since he rarely spent any time in the acting club, he did not know the relationship
between the juniors. The two were similar in regards to the point that both of them
were overflowing with energy, but just because they had similar personalities didn’t
necessarily mean that they were close.

“At first, I thought he was someone with no bone in him, having only his height, but
he turned out to have quite a refreshing side to him.”

“I thought that Bangjoo-seonbae was weak too at first because he was short, but I
liked him after I found out that he’s full of energy.”

Both of them remarked similarly. It seemed that they were close enough to joke
around with each other.

“Seonbae-nim. Let me watch it with you. I want to see you two acting.”

Chihwan jumped around like an excited puppy on a snowy day. Bangjoo also got
swept up by Chihwan’s mood and jumped around.

Maru had a headache. He felt like he brought some toddlers to a theme park. What if
I lose them, what if they cause trouble, what if there’s an accident - he hadn’t done
anything, yet he felt tired already. Maru sighed in a small voice before walking
towards the ticketing office.

“Bangjoo-seonbae, what kind of movie is this?”

“An acting movie. I had to roll around in the dirt in the mountains.”

“Wow, did you use wires and things like that too?”

“For this one, I had to use my body instead of relying on contraptions. I was like
Jackie Chan. There was total chaos when fighting in the mountains. It was summer
too, so we were sweating throughout the whole shoot.”

“Sweat and fists. A movie for a man, huh.”

“An awesome one for sure.”

“Will I get to see you in it?”

“Probably.”

“Wow, you’re a film actor.”

“Stop that, you’re making me embarrassed.”

The people lined up outside the ticketing office looked back and giggled. Maru did
not look back. He pretended that he didn’t even know them. His head was filled with
the thought that he should choose a different screen from theirs to watch.
Unfortunately, the thoughtless duo called out to him with ‘Maru-seonbae’ and caught
up to him.

“Seonbae-nim. I will buy the popcorn.”

“Then I’ll buy the coke!”

“Good. Let’s go, Chihwan.”

“Yes, seonbae.”

Maru stroked down his face with his hand. The lady at the counter, who was asking
him which seats he wanted, chuckled. She calmed her expression and asked him to
assign the seats, but there was still a smile around her eyes.

“I don’t know them.”

An awkward excuse subconsciously escaped his mouth. Maru nodded towards the
lady who gave him the tickets while saying ‘yes’ with a smile, before turning around.

“A man should have onion-flavored popcorn!”

“Good! Onion!”

He heard voices from the convenience store far away.

How should he put this… It felt like Bangjoo was let loose. Maru realized how scary
friends who clicked together could become. Chihwan was way more cheerful than
normal as well. No, he was beyond cheerful. He looked mentally ill.

“The two of you, you really shouldn’t walk around together.”

“Why?”

“Why is that?”

Do you really have to ask? - these words came up to his throat, but Maru suppressed
them. It would be fine as long as he wasn’t involved. It would be much more relaxing
for him if he thought that he was just taking a couple of ponies for a walk.

“Don’t shout inside the theater.”

“Seonbae-nim. That’s obvious.”

“Seonbae. That’s called etiquette. We aren’t kids.”

Maru quietly calmed himself down as he watched the two enter the theater while
laughing.

“It’s my bad for asking to watch it together.”

He shook his head and walked into the theater. After looking around the theater for a
bit, he sat down on his assigned seat. Bangjoo gave him a cup of coke and put a bag
of popcorn on his knees saying that it was his. After about 10 minutes of ads, the
lights dimmed.

Maru looked at Bagjoo’s facial expression. Even though he was so excited, he was
now looking at the screen very nervously. That sense of nervousness seemed to be
contagious as Chihwan, who sat next to Bangjoo, also looked at the screen without
saying anything.

The shoot for this movie was done without a script and everything was done on the
fly with instructions from the director. Maru did not know how the movie went, nor
how it ended. He looked forward to - and on one hand, was uneasy about - how
complete the film would be, when literally everything was planned out.

One hit wonder. This term was often used in the music industry to refer to
composers or lyricists who left behind just one, incredibly good, song. The movie
industry wasn’t that different. The reason the word ‘genius’ wasn’t used was because
the directors who created incredibly good pieces disappeared after leaving behind
just one work. Director Park Joongjin was also dubbed a genius with ‘Spring
Calendar’, but ever since that, he created experimental works, turning away from the
masses and capital.

This was an era where money controlled everything. Even the purity of the title of
genius would turn cloudy if there wasn’t enough money to back it up. Director Park
Joongjin had returned to the commercial movie industry. For Twilight Struggles,
Maru could say with confidence that it was the combined work of the director, staff,
and the actors, but ‘Those Guys’ was different. Bluntly put, the success or failure
rested on the director’s shoulders alone. It was a one-man show from him after all.

If the movie succeeded, it was thanks to the director, and if it failed, the director
would take the blame. This directing style was just that extreme.

Maru was curious. He wondered if the director dubbed a genius, albeit not willingly,
would continue his reputation as a genius. Also, what kind of direction he would
show in the final outcome.

The shoot was quite short, but during that time, Joongjin had never shown any
hesitation. He looked like he was just bringing the perfectly clear picture from his
head to reality. He shouted ‘action’ and ‘cut’ without any hesitation.

Eventually, light returned to the darkened screen.

Maru crossed his arms and focused on the film.

The start was the sound of a wave.

***

“I’ll be off to the toilet!”

Chihwan went to the bathroom as soon as he left the theater. Maru looked back
inside the theater, which was giving off faint light inside.

“It’s really well-made. Really, really well-made.”

Maru understood just a little how direction can overwhelm acting. The story of the
film was stereotypical. Some might even say that it was on the level of a B-movie.
This film did not contain character reflections, philosophical content, or satire. It just
started and ran towards the end.
Friendship, betrayal, and revenge. This was something that was talked about for
thousands of years, and they were still being used as main plots nowadays as well.
The recent trend was to give a twist to boring cliches to make them look new, but
director Park Joongjin seemed to be laughing at that notion as he directly showed
everything. There was no foreshadowing, nor any kind of props that represented a
character’s current state of mind. In fact, he even added narration to prevent any
misunderstandings. To be precise, he did not give the audience any time to think.

Being drunk on watching.

Maru wanted to judge the movie as such. An absurdly close friendship between two
men, an understandable betrayal, then revenge. Plus the love story of a woman who
was stuck in between the two of them. Joongjin seemed to be telling the audience to
not think about anything as he just mercilessly dragged the plot from beginning to
end before putting it in the goal.

“It feels a little… vain.”

Bangjoo suddenly said. Maru knew what he meant by that. They ran around the
harbor like their life depended on it, and they rolled around in the dirt in the
mountain for half a day. The scenes they had to get injured to shoot, were mostly
edited.

Even that edited part was muted the whole scene, so the voices of the actors could
not be heard. About 10 seconds. That was how much their effort amounted to in the
final work.

“But it was still good. It was really cool. The scenes just flashed past without any
sound. I even forgot that I was in that scene and just kept watching.”

“It’s about 10 seconds, but I’m good with that. The people watching this movie will
definitely remember those 10 seconds.”

“But it still feels off. I understood when I watched the movie. That director should be
able to shoot this kind of movie regardless of who was there. I lose my energy when I
think about how the director does not need actors.”

Bangjoo dazed out as he looked at the theater. The lights were coming back on in the
darkened room.
In a state of deep immersion, muting the whole movie for about 10 seconds should
have been a big gamble. The silence increased momentary concentration, but it
would break the mood if it was too long. In that sense, Joongjin distributed the time
perfectly. He used the muting to make the audience tense up even more and just
progressed on with the story without any room for rest. The calm music just before
the silent part should have been intentional as well. The silence, which he thought
was just a rest, actually made him tense up even more after all.

Then there was his way of handling people. He turned the idol singer Kwon Dayoon
into an adorable lady. It was to the point that Maru couldn’t think of any other
actress that fit the role. However, it wasn’t that Dayoon’s acting was good. He knew
because he saw her at the shoot. She was bad at acting. Only when Miso coached her
for dozens of minutes before every shoot could she barely get a cut done. She was
just that bad at it.

Yet the lady on the screen looked adorable. The plot and the direction of the movie
made her perfect. To be honest, it felt like a scam. According to what he saw from her
during the shoot, Dayoon was definitely not an adorable lady.

“You two, why do you look so dark?” Chihwan returned from the bathroom and had
asked.

Maru shrugged and started walking.

Joongjin denied that he was a genius and disliked being called such, but this movie
seemed like it would give him the genius title once again.

It was quite ironic.

His cheeks felt cold. Junmin stroked down his cheeks with his palms. Something
slippery could be felt. Amidst his hazy vision, he saw Mint sticking out its short
tongue as much as possible.

“I feel like you’re gaining wrinkles by the day.”

He grabbed the bulldog’s - Mint’s - cheeks and stretched them apart. He was
suddenly reminded of the fact that this innocent dog’s breed was born because of
humans’ selfish desires.

“Today, I’ll give you your favorite as a special service.”

After stretching his jaw once, he got up from the bed. He pulled open the blinds to
chase away the darkness. A slight green colored light seeped through the blades of
the blind. It was a color that couldn’t be seen in Seoul. He brought Mint, Pansy, and
Rose to the front yard. This place was a villa in Gyeongju where no engine noises
could be heard. It was a quiet place where the number of cars and people passing by
for an entire day combined would not go past 10.

“Someone might think that I’ve been starving you for days.”

After watching the dogs bury their noses into their plates to eat ravenously, he went
to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He had prepared breakfast for his dogs before
his own. Junmin wondered what the life of a dog owner was supposed to be like
before deciding to stop thinking about it. A salad with a pinch of almonds, one slice
of baguette, a boiled egg, half a slice of chicken breasts, and lastly, a banana. He felt
his stamina was depleting rapidly ever since he reached fifty, so around that time, he
started looking after his health more. He had to drink because of business and he
considered smoking to be the food of his soul. Those two were his companions for a
lifetime, so he could not abandon them. Perhaps the reason he started eating healthy
was to compensate because he wasn’t able to give up those two. I am eating such
healthy food so drinking and smoking should be fine - something like that.

After eating breakfast, he left the house. He put the three dogs that were looking at
him in leashes and took a trip around the neighborhood. Though, while he called it a
‘neighborhood’, it was just some villas positioned far apart.

He relied on the dogs climbing up the hills to move. They moved quite quickly
despite having short legs. They were very restless. Halfway up the mound, which was
too small to be called a mountain and too tall to be called a hill, Jumin looked down
at his villa.

“This should be considered a successful life.”

Some dogs and a house under his name in a relaxing place. There were also friends -
or perhaps enemies at times - who would come at a moment’s notice. According to
the views of society, he had a pretty decent life. Junmin sat down for about ten
minutes before standing up.

It was about time to go.

To the person who was supposed to enjoy all this luxury.

He unleashed the dogs inside the house before opening the closet. It was a large
closet, but there was only a set of yellow suits. He got them on clearance, twenty
years ago. The necktie was grey and had kimchi stains on it. He also took out the flat
cap next to the necktie. He took out the shoes which had their soles all worn out
before heading towards the door. He opened the cabinet which had one of its handles
missing and took out a stick which was about an arm’s length. Inside was a small
sickle.

“Dad will be going out for a moment.”

He said goodbye to the dogs who came all the way to the door and sat down before
opening the door. The 23rd of April. After rolling the date in his mouth once, he
started walking. He walked away from the villa and towards the bus stop. He then
got on the village bus, which only came once every hour.

He smelled something nostalgic inside the rattling bus. He rested his head on the
window and took deep breaths. Riding this bus made him feel like time was going
backwards.

“If only that was true.”

The destination entered his eyes. Junmin pressed the bell and stood in front of the
back door. An elderly lady sitting next to the back door smiled at him. Junmin
couldn’t reply to that smile. He just nodded before getting off the bus. He smelled
cow dung from afar. The moos of the cows could be heard as well.

He went to the small shop next to the bus stop. The elderly man who was dozing off
flinched and woke up before looking at him. Maybe he didn’t like customers at this
hour? Junmin apologized for waking him up before buying a bottle of soju, two
drinking glasses, a bag of shrimp crackers, and a packet of Anseongtang-myun[1].

“Did you perhaps come here last year as well?”

“I come here every year.”

“I knew it. My memory isn’t that bad.”

Unlike the rather cold first meeting, the elderly man in charge of the shop saw him
off warmly. It seemed that he was celebrating that his memory hadn’t gone bad.
Junmin left the shop after saying that he would visit next year as well.

He moved along the paved paths. A red sedan drove past him. It looked like a car
someone young would drive.

He turned right after the big tree that everyone in the village called the ‘Big Elder’.
From now on, it would really be just mountains. All the buildings that could be
glimpsed in the left corner of his eyes disappeared leaving only trees, tall grass, as
well as a signpost that the villagers placed in his view. The signpost said one thing:
watch out for boars.

Indeed, there were boars in this area. Junmin faintly smiled before walking onto the
path with tall grass surrounding it. Junmin kept walking deeper and deeper. The flat
terrain eventually turned into a gradient, and Junmin started sweating as well.

“It’s about time the Earth is wiped out.”

He saw during the morning news that it would climb up to 28°C during the day. 28
degrees in the middle of April? The Earth might explode soon. He used his
handkerchief to wipe his sweat as he walked. That continued for twenty minutes
until the trees that covered the sky cracked apart and he arrived at a wide open
space. In the middle of the basin-like ground, there was one mound, a grave to be
exact.
Junmin walked towards the burial mound. In front of the mound, he sighed a little.
The tall grass seemed like they were going to poke his eyes. He reached inside his
pocket. The cotton work gloves he put inside last year were still there. He put them
on before pulling out the tall grass first. As for the thick ones, he used the sickle to
cut them. It didn’t take that long. Not to boast, but he was quite proficient when it
came to cleaning graves.

“The weather has gotten quite hot.”

He took off his gloves and sat in front of the grave. He used a handkerchief to wipe
the marble tombstone. His gaze lingered on the cleaned tombstone for a long while.

Jung Haejoo - he ran his finger across the engraved name.

“Hope it’s a little cool over there.”

He leaned against the mound and looked up at the sky. The sky was depressingly
blue.

“Don’t you feel thankful that I come every year?”

He stretched his legs out and got some rest. A pleasant wave of wind blew, cooling
his sweat. After regaining some of his stamina, Junmin took out the shrimp crackers
and the Anseongtang-myun. He opened the shrimp crackers and laid them out, and
then crushed the ramyun before mixing it with the powder. These were the snacks
that Haejoo liked to eat while drinking. Despite being young, her taste in snacks was
pretty old.

Junmin poured a glass of soju and poured it over the burial mound before drinking
one himself. The alcohol that went down his throat felt bitter like a grass root.
Junmin frowned because of the bitter taste.

“For some strange reason, drinking here makes it taste really bad. Is it because of
you? Or is it because of my guilty conscience?”

He poured another glass before scattering it.

“I say this every time, but what would you be like right now if the traffic accident
didn’t happen that day? I really can’t imagine it. Would you have gone to Hollywood?
No, well, you didn’t like studying, so I guess English was a little hard for you. Perhaps
you might have become one of the numerous actors who disappeared without
making a name for themself.”

He emptied the glass in his mouth. It tasted way too bitter.

“I really don’t like ‘what if’s. Haejoo, you should know that as well, about how much I
despise uncertain things. Despite that, you know, I keep thinking about those ‘what
if’s. What if I went to the hospital quickly, what if the traffic accident didn’t happen,
what if you stayed at home that day, and what if… you didn’t meet me in the first
place.”

Perhaps you might have lived - Junmin reminded himself of Haejoo’s laugh. It had
been 16 years, but her laugh was still vivid to him. The twenty-two-year-old girl was
more beautiful than anyone, making him desire her. That was Haejoo, who was
eternally a little girl to Junmin no matter how much time passed.

He took a portion of the snacks in front of the grave. He then poured a glass of soju
and put it next to them.

“These days, your juniors are doing their best. Thanks to them, the company’s
getting bigger. I’ll bring them here once. You’ve never seen them before, but I hope
you can take care of them. They are the people that work in the company that’s
named after you. I really wanted to go with AJ, but that was already registered as a
company. Actress Jung Haejoo or Jung Haejoo Actress doesn’t really make a
difference, so please understand. I know you must be getting fed up listening to all
this since I tell you this every time I come here, but please listen to me anyway. I
really don’t have anything else to talk about.”

After looking at the grave without a word for a while, Junmin took out his phone
from his pocket. It didn’t feel like a lot of time had passed, but it was already past 4 in
the afternoon.

“I’ll get going now. Have a good rest.”

After cleaning around the grave one more time, he dusted the mud off his pants and
turned around. Just then, he saw someone walking up the mountain. That path
wasn’t a hiking route. There was only one reason for its existence - to lead to this
place. Junmin pressed down on the flat cap that he had taken off before. He
wondered who it was. It couldn’t be Haejoo’s parents, because she didn’t have any
family members. The figure kept coming closer.

There was a reaction from the other party as well. Junmin narrowed his eyes. The
moment his aged eyes discerned who that person was, he exclaimed.

“I always thought it was strange. The grave was way too clean. It didn’t take that long
for me to realize that someone’s been cleaning this place right before the date of her
death. The 23rd. That was the day of the accident. I did think it would be you, so I
didn’t bother coming. But I did come today, just in case. So it turns out I was right
after all.”

“It’s been a long time since we met in private.”

“Yes, president. It really has.”

Junmin shook hands with Ahn Joohyun.

“What’s that?” Joohyun asked as she looked at the plastic bag in his hand.

Junmin said that they were shrimp crackers and Anseongtang-myun. When he did,
Joohyun shrugged and opened her own plastic bag. There was a bag of shrimp
crackers and Anseongtang-myun as well. What was different was that there was rice
wine instead of soju.

“I’ll get going first.”

Junmin walked past her.

“You’re going already?”

“I did what I came here to do. Also, you probably don’t like me being here.”

Joohyun had treated Haejoo like a real sister. Junmin still couldn’t forget Joohyun’s
eyes that looked at him at the hospital on that day - the day Haejoo died. It’s all
because of you - the high school girl’s eyes that just witnessed the death of her elder
sister seemed to be saying those words.

“It’s been quite a long time,” Joohyun said.

Junmin did not stop.

“Back then, I needed someone to resent. I was too young to endure if I didn’t do that.
No, perhaps being young might just be an excuse. Maybe I just didn’t want to admit
that very situation was real.”

Hearing those words, Junmin stopped and quietly turned around.

“Come. So that unni doesn’t feel lonely. Or do you still find me hard to deal with?”

Joohyun took out the bottle of rice wine.

“Haven’t we aged quite a lot to be shy? I’m thirty four and you are…”

Junmin quietly replied ‘fifty-one’ when he saw her eyes staring at him.

“How about it? We’re old enough now, so shouldn’t it be fine? It’s not like we’re at an
age where we would get hurt just because we reveal what we’re thinking. Well, if you
still don’t want to, I can’t stop you.”

Her faint smile overlapped with Haejoo’s. Junmin nodded before turning around
fully.

“Unni, I’m here. Moreover, there’s one more person today. What? He came here just
now? It’s fine. You always liked it rowdy,” Joohyun said as she raised the rice wine
above her head.

[1] A specific brand of ramyun.

“Have you come every year?”

“I have.”

“Unni must have liked it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“No, unni should have liked it. She liked it every time you came to the theater after
all.”

“I see.”

Junmin quietly looked at the grave. Joohyun poured a glass of rice wine and gave it to
him.

“Do you still not contact director Park Joongjin?”

“I don’t think I will ever do that. I did see him because of business before, but he’s
still hard to deal with.”

“Still in a cold war?”

“Rather than a cold war, it’s me who’s being one-sidedly hated.”

“Of course. Unni liked you, after all. Director Park can only hate you. Even I would.”

“It’s all in the past.”

Joohyun checked that Junmin empty his glass before drinking a sip herself. She
usually did not drink any rice wine. She only drank this bittersweet drink when she
came to visit her unni.

“Did you know that director Park’s movie was released?”

“I watched it already.”

“If you did, give me your impression.”

“It’s well-made. I’m sure that that fellow’s talent has reached the skies. I can’t think
of him as a director who hasn’t been working in film for years. Being trendy is one
thing, but his techniques really show why he’s called a genius.”

“You couldn’t think about anything else, right?”

“That’s the most suitable expression, I guess.”

Joohyun thought back to the movie ‘Those Guys’ which she watched a few days ago.
It seemed to be the textbook version of a refreshing revenge story. Actually, the
movie itself was very boring when looked at in parts. There were many cliches that
were outdated to the point that they weren’t even used in children’s comics. When
compared to a man, this movie was wearing a stereotypical suit and shoes, and a
fedora to top it off. It was fated to be butchered by critics. There would be no one
who would be willing to call it a masterpiece of the ages. It was a repetition of cliches
and stereotypes and contained nothing new. The conclusion was very ordinary as
well. Critics would use their words to dismantle the movie into pieces before
throwing them in the trash.

However, what if it was viewed from the commercial and popularity perspective?
Being typical was instead a sign that it was proven to work. No gourmet could deny
basic condiments. Even the most intricate of sauces were likely to be just a different
ratio of existing additives. Taste was a matter of a suitable combination, and this
movie created a splendid taste using a fantastic combination. Another word for that
taste was ‘fun’.

“Shooting a movie with director Park wasn’t something so fun. The result was good,
but I didn’t feel like I was the one who produced that result.”

“At least you can complain about it. I know what happened during the shoot for
‘Spring Calendar’.”

“Back then, director Park was quite desperate. He was laughing like he always did,
but he didn’t look like he had any leisure. Well, it wasn’t surprising since that movie
was probably created in memory of Haejoo-unni.”
Joohyun looked at the flowers blooming at the foot of the mound.

A flower that held up its wide petals proudly among the tenacious grass. Yes, unni
had such an atmosphere as well.

‘Spring Calendar’. To Joohyun, that movie was a precious one that changed her life.
The event where she proved her skills as an actor was a short play, but she was loved
by the public thanks to Spring Calendar.

She had known director Park Joongjin since she was pretty young. When she was in
high school, she always visited the theater Haejoo was in. Joohyun liked plays, but
she liked Haejoo more than that. She liked the Haejoo since she always welcomed
her whenever she went there and respected her since she shone more brightly than
anyone else on stage.

Haejoo loved that small theater troupe that borrowed a small underground room in
the corner of Daehak-ro to operate. Of course, Joohyun cherished them as well. The
people working there were like family to her.

One of the people that supported the theater troupe was director Park Joongjin. He
did not show up a lot. The director showed up very rarely to the point that even
Joohyun, who went there every day, barely had any recollection. The time she
realized that the reason such a small-scale theater troupe without a lot of customers
could last so long was because of Joongjin was not long after she found out his name.
What she also realized at that time was that Joongjin, who worked in the financial
district and drove an expensive-looking car, liked Haejoo. She realized that with one
look when she found Joongjin quietly looking at Haejoo from the dark spot in the
audience seats. However, Joohyun knew very well that his feelings could not reach
Haejoo. The straightforward Haejoo-unni was straightforward when it came to love
as well. Her love was directed not at the financial man with a solid background, but
at the man wearing a yellow suit who visited their troupe quite a lot.

Joohyun looked at Junmin as she ate a shrimp cracker. The yellow suit. It was the
same suit she saw 17 years ago. The person that always came to Haejoo-unni and
told her that she had to become a bigger actress.

“So you still have that suit, huh?”

“It’s rather embarrassing that you know about it.”

“Whether then or now, I really don’t like that color. Unni really didn’t have a good
eye.”

“For what?”

“Nothing, talking to myself.”

When Joohyun found out that the sweet girl, aged twenty-two, was in love with a
man over thirty years old, she turned pale in fright and bombarded Haejoo with
questions. It was probably back then that she started disliking president Lee Junmin.
Back then, the Junmin in Joohyun’s eyes was a total scammer. Someone who had
lived as a nameless actor until his thirties had given up on becoming successful as an
actor and switched to management, suddenly went up to Haejoo saying that she
could become a star, so there was no way she could look at him in a good way.

The man wasn’t even funny. However, Joohyun’s thoughts changed a few months
later. As Haejoo spent more time with Junmin, her acting skills rose drastically. She
knew that Haejoo was good before, but even Joohyun back then, who was a beginner
in acting, could tell that she was improving to the point that it couldn’t be called an
improvement anymore; it was more like she was leapfrogging.

Energy returned to the theater troupe. Everyone waited expectantly for Haejoo’s
debut. What put an end to the days that felt like everything was going to go well, was
an unexpected accident. 23rd of April. It was today. After talking with Haejoo over
the phone about how her debut was decided, Joohyun returned to studying but was
called back not long later. She got a call from a woman she didn’t know, and she was
told that she was called from the hospital. Joohyun’s memories were a little blank
after that. When she came to herself, she was sitting in front of the surgery room.
Haejoo did not have any family members. The members of the theater troupe, who
had hurried to the hospital, signed as her guardian, and Joongjin came after that.
Junmin was the last one to arrive. He was holding a bouquet.

Joohyun knew that the cause of the traffic accident wasn’t that man. However, her
thoughts and emotions played separately. On that day, she glared at Junmin as
though she would kill.

When her unni died without lasting a single day, Joohyun resolved - though she
didn’t know why - that she would do acting. In retrospect, perhaps she wanted to
continue Haejoo’s incomplete dream.
After that, she heard the news that the theater troupe was going to close down. It
was around that time that Joongjin quit his work and started a restaurant. Joohyun
visited Joongjin’s restaurant once. Since he was someone who cheered for and loved
Haejoo from afar, she felt worried. Joongjin, who she hadn’t met in a long time, was
watching the counter with a bored expression. The sparkly eyes he showed when he
visited the theater were all but gone. She had talked to him as well, but Joongjin only
said that life was boring. He had changed into someone who had lost all interest in
life.

On the other hand, Junmin became incredibly famous. All the actors he came into
contact with had become superstars and could be seen on TV every day. He even
earned the title ‘maestro’ of digging up new talent. Joohyun was reminded of Haejoo-
unni whenever she saw the name Lee Junmin on TV. Perhaps because of that, she felt
angry. When she became an adult, she understood that Haejoo-unni’s death was not
Junmin’s fault, but she felt so sad when she looked at the man who led a brilliant life
even without her.

It was around that time that she started becoming obsessed with becoming
successful as an actress. Simultaneously, she was cast in a short play. Then after that,
Joongjin, who suddenly showed up saying that he would become a director, asked
her to appear in his film as a supporting character. Joohyun accepted. She liked the
scenario, and she did not want to reject the request of an old acquaintance.

From a financial man to a restaurant owner. Joongjin had no affiliation with directing
films and treated actors like machine parts in the shoot. You just have to follow my
instructions - he wanted living and moving props. The lead actress was dissatisfied
at first but became more obedient as the shoot progressed. Joohyun also listened to
him obediently during the beginning, however, the moment she realized that the
acting method he wanted to see looked very similar to a certain person, she opposed
him. Joongjin aimed for the ideal; by recreating the dead unni’s image through
another actress.

A movie in remembrance of Haejoo - Joongjin mentioned those words at a private

occasion. Hearing those words made Joohyun even more unable to act like a
machine. It wasn't that she didn’t like Joongjin’s ways. It was just that she wanted to
honor her with the greatest acting possible. The unni that Joongjin saw was
definitely different from the one she remembered, and Joohyun acted the unni that
she saw.
As a result of that, she got the nickname ‘the supporting actress that gobbled up the
main actress’, which wasn’t even funny. Something terrible happened right after that,
but she managed to overcome it.

“Spring Calendar should’ve been a commemorative piece,” Junmin said.

“Did director Park tell you that?”

“No, we aren’t close enough to talk about such things. I just realized while I was
watching. When I looked at the actors in the movie, I could only think of one person.
If you think about it, the title was a dead giveaway. Spring Calendar. In the last scene,
the calendar wasn’t flipped over from April. The film should have been created solely
to show that one cut.”

“If she watched that movie in heaven, would she have liked it?”

“Probably. Haejoo was someone who liked everything after all.”

“That’s true.”

The conversation stopped there. Junmin spoke after a long period of silence.

“Sorry. For making you lose someone you loved.”

“That’s a really late apology. Plus, you know that it wasn’t necessary. Also, everyone
was sad that we lost her.”

Joohyun looked at Junmin. Junmin slowly nodded.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is it because of her that you aren’t getting married?”

“Probably.”

Joohyun laughed. She felt that the last bits of bitter feelings she had towards Junmin
had dissolved away. At that moment, Junmin’s phone rang. Seeing him trying to
reject the call, Joohyun quickly spoke,
“Take it. It might be something important. You are the president of a company after
all.”

Junmin took the call. After a few minutes of talking over the phone, he hung up.

“I wish I could talk to you more, but I need to get going.”

“It’s fine. It was me who held you back in the first place.”

Junmin turned around and walked away.

Just as Joohyun faintly smiled while looking at the drinking glass placed in front of
Haejoo’s tombstone, she was suddenly reminded of the name of the boy related to
Haejoo-unni’s acting.

“Uhm, president.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember what Haejoo-unni said about her acting?”

“About her acting?”

“That there are two separate egos inside her - one focuses on instinctive acting, and
one focuses on watching over the other.”

Hearing that, Junmin made a longing face.

“I do. It was a rather curious story.”

“I know someone who said the same thing as well. He works for you too. Han Maru,
you should keep watching him. If he wasn’t lying, he might shine like her one day.”

After finishing those words, Joohyun looked at the white flower at the foot of the
mound.

She longed for her unni’s laughter even more than usual today.
“Come in,” Sora said as she walked inside.

Maru took his shoes off as he looked around the inside. This apartment complex,
which was located around 20 minutes away from the school by bus, belonging to the
more expensive real estate in Suwon, was Sora’s home. He did expect that she was
well-off from how she bought the items necessary for the shoot with her own money,
as well as paying for some of the snacks.

“It’s wide.”

“This looks good.”

The people from the film production club remarked.

“We’ll take a bit of a break before starting the shoot immediately. We don’t have
much time, so we have to start shooting as quickly as possible.”

Sora took out some drinks from the fridge and put them on the table. Maru wanted
to have a leisurely time drinking, but he drank it in one gulp when Sora looked at him
as though to make him hurry. This little director loved labor, to the point that it was a
little cruel.

“You done?”

The film production club told her to wait, but Sora took away the drinks.

“Looks like you’re done drinking. Let’s start the shoot immediately.”

“Right now?” Maru asked.

He wanted to rest for at least 10 minutes.

“You didn’t forget who was responsible for us running out of time, right?”

“Looks like I said the wrong thing. Well then, let’s get started.”
Due to the additional shoot for episode 13 of the drama, the film production club’s
schedule was delayed a little. Although it was only an extracurricular activity at
school, he was in the film as the main character, so he couldn’t make excuses. Since
they were running out of time, he had no choice but to decrease the overall time by
increasing the density. If they shoot without any NGs, they should be able to make it
in time without worries.

“Which room are we using?”

“This one.”

They walked into a small room located between the kitchen and the living room. An
empty room with minimal furniture greeted them.

“It was originally used as a storage room, but I cleaned it up a little. I had to visit
around five to six furniture stores to get those pointy clothes hangers. I fell in love
with them at first sight because they looked so dry.”

Sora put a set of school uniforms on the clothes hangers before stepping back. From
the smile on her face, it seemed that she was satisfied with it.

“This is the alarm clock. It looked too new, so I rubbed it against the floor. Pretty
good, huh?”

Maru picked up the crude-looking alarm clock. There were minor scratches and
dents on the face of the black alarm clock. It looked used.

“Did you prepare these all by yourself?”

“Well, it is my house after all. I couldn’t really get any help from the seniors, so I had
to do it by myself.”

Hearing her words, the people from the film production club praised her. Sora said
that it was nothing, but she clearly looked pleased.

Maru looked at the electric heater mat on the floor as well as the waist-height
drawers. The electric heater mat also looked quite old.

“I got that from the next house over since they were going to throw it out.
Apparently, the lights turn on, but it doesn’t become warm. It looks pretty decent as a
prop for a main character who’s not well-off, right?”

“If the director likes it, that’s that. What about these drawers?”

“I walked around the neighborhood and brought one from someone who was moving
away. I got it for free when I said that I’ll put on the stickers and throw it out.”

“Terrific.”

Maru tried lying down. He thought that it might smell bad, but it actually smelled
quite good. It seemed that it had been washed. He turned his head up. There were
some stained newspapers on the ceiling.

“I tried to make it look moldy, so I stacked some newspapers and tried painting it. I
quite liked it when I first put them up there,” Sora said as she lied down next to him.

Maru told the people from the film production club to try lying down.

“What do you think everyone? Looks like the director wants to shoot that,” Maru
asked.

“Isn’t that a little too exaggerated?”

“The newspaper does make it look a little off.”

Ando spoke last,

“Let’s take them off.”

Maru looked at Sora who was next to him. She, who was looking at the ceiling while
lying down, just sighed before sitting up.

“Alright. I’ll take them off.”

“If you really want to try expressing mold, buy a new sheet of wallpaper and try it on
top of that. It doesn’t take that long if you just make a part of it and stick it on the
wall. If it’s too hard by yourself, there are always others to help you,” Maru said.

“No. I’ll just paint directly. We’re going to shoot all the main character’s home scenes
today, so I don’t have any time to decorate them right now. I want to focus on
producing the film.”

Sora bit on her thumb before leaving the room. Maru looked at Ando. Ando just
shrugged before saying “You know that she’s a reckless girl.“

“I think we should apply some of this and rub it.”

What Sora brought were some cosmetics. She brought a chair from the kitchen and
climbed on top of it before opening the mascara.

“You’re going to do it directly?” Maru asked while narrowing his eyes.

Even if this room was used as storage, Sora’s parents probably would not want the
wallpapers to get dirty.

“It’s fine. I won’t get scolded over something like this,” Sora said with confidence.

She probably meant that her usual actions were proper and that her parents would
overlook this kind of thing, but to Maru, it sounded like she caused so much trouble
that this wasn’t anything much.

“Sora’s parents must be having a hard time,” Ando said in a small voice.

Maru nodded.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything. Also, don’t paint it too thick. It will be obvious.”

“Okay. Ando-seonbae, how does it look?”

Sora used her fingers to apply the mascara. After turning off the lights, it looked like
mold.

“That’s pretty good,” Ando said.

Sora climbed down from the chair before wiping her hands on some tissue. There
was still some black stuff left, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Then shall we start right away? Maru-seonbae. Are you okay with that?”
“What about the clothes?”

“I’ll give you a t-shirt and some pants. They should fit you just fine.”

He received the clothes from Sora before going to the bathroom to get changed. The
grey t-shirt with its neck slightly stretched out, as well as some brown shoes that
looked like they could have been bought for cheap at the marketplace. As for the size,
they fit him perfectly. Sora was very awkward and everything she had was
incomplete during the planning stage, but now that the shoot had started, she really
knew her stuff. Without any help from the film production club, she managed to get
the props and the background done. Her passion had to be acknowledged.

“I just woke up, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do I just go with my current hair?”

“No, I already have that ready.”

Sora brought some hair wax and a hairdryer.

“Maru-seonbae. How do you sleep usually?”

Maru did not reply and just lied down. He used the pillow to support his neck and
laid upright.

“Aren’t you sleeping a little too much like a log?”

“This posture is good for the waist.”

“The waist?”

“Let’s not mind the minor details. Anyway, if you don’t like the posture, just say it.
Should I curl up on my side?”

“I think that’ll be better to express the main character’s introverted personality. Try
curling up like a pill bug.”

Maru did as Sora said. Sora, who was staring at him from above him, said that he was
okay now.

“I think I should touch up this side and this side. Press this side and ruffle that side.”

Whiiiiii - the hairdryer spat out hot air. Ando came up to him and pressed down on
the left side of his head. Meanwhile, Sora used the wax to ruthlessly roughen up the
hair on his right.

“I think that should do.”

Maru looked in the mirror to check his hair. Even if he did a headspin in his sleep, his
hair would look better than this.

“It’ll die down a little once you lie down, so it doesn’t matter. Let’s start the shoot. As
for the lights, I’ll use this flashlight instead. Let’s try shooting for now, and I’ll adjust
the lights if there’s too much shadow. As for the camera, it will open the door, enter
the room and scan the whole room from the ceiling to the floor before looking at you.
Maru-seonbae, just move a little while you’re asleep. That is one cut, and in the next
cut, we’ll place the camera on the floor and have a close-up of Maru-seonbae’s
sleeping face.”

Sora clapped before shouting standby.

***

He held up the camera with his left hand and covered the body with his right. He put
his left arm right against his side and positioned his elbow like he was putting it
between his ribs. His left arm started aching immediately, but the shaking of the
camera should stop with this. When he first got into this position, he couldn’t last for
five minutes, but now, he was able to maintain this posture for a pretty long time.

Ando walked into the room upon Sora’s gesture. Sora was not standing in front of the
monitor but was right next to him. A girl’s breath could be felt on his cheeks, but his
heart did not race at all. He had gotten used to this reckless girl’s actions. He
reminded himself of Sora’s instructions and quietly scanned the ceiling. During the
past few days, when Maru was busy shooting the drama, Sora just showed up at the
club before heading straight home. He thought that she would be resting at home,
but it turned out that she had gotten everything ready to shoot at her house. Had she
told the club about it, everyone else would’ve been willing to help out. Ando felt a
mix of disappointment and pride as he slowly moved the camera angle down.
Maru, who was lying down like it was his own house, was on the screen. The club
members had tried shooting this scene to play around while looking at the scenario.
They thought that they should be able to get a pretty good picture since lying down
didn’t really require any technique, but the video they saw after they shot it was
incredibly shabby and awkward. It was then that they realized that even lying down
required acting skills.

‘He’s an actor alright.’

He didn’t show up on TV for nothing. Maru rolled over naturally. He did not mutter to
himself or frown exaggeratedly. Those were things that naturally came to the mind
when thinking about ‘acting sleeping’, but Maru did not do any of them. Just sleep -
he seemed to be focusing his whole attention on that.

“Cut,” Sora said in a small voice.

“I didn’t look at the monitor because of the movement line, but I don’t think we need
to take another shot for this.”

Ando looked at the monitor placed in front of the door with Sora. The video started
with some white noise, and like what Sora said, was very clean. The video that Ando
shot and the recorded footage on the laptop did not have many differences.

“Looks like I was right to get things ready beforehand. If we prepared it after Maru-
seonbae’s shoot, we might have lost some time.”

“True. If it’s Maru’s acting, we’ll be able to procure good footage quickly and edit it.”

Maru asked if they were doing it again. Sora replied that they were going to the next
scene.

“One cut to turn off the alarm. After that is the long take. That one lasts until Maru-
seonbae stands up and comes to the kitchen and eats breakfast.”

They shot the alarm clock scene right away. Only Maru’s hand and the alarm clock
showed up on the screen. They shot it around three times, and that was because of
Sora’s pickiness in hand acting. Ando felt like there were no differences though.

“This is the most important scene among the starting scenes. Well, then. Maru-
seonbae will stand up and head to the kitchen. He’ll sit at this table and start eating.
Ando-seonbae, don’t shoot the fridge. That one’s an expensive model which doesn’t
suit the picture.”

“Alright.”

Sora looked at Maru again.

“I want to see a glimpse of the main character not wanting to go to school while
doing everything, from the walking to the eating.”

“Tell me if you want me to do anything specific.”

“Try doing it your way for now. I really like most of your acting. If there’s anything I
want to see after I look at it, I’ll tell you then.”

“Okay then.”

“Well, then. Go back to sleep. Ando-seonbae! We’re continuing.”

Ando massaged his left arm before picking up the camera again. It really was quite
agonizing to maintain a single posture for a long time. He put the camera on his hand
before getting into posture again when he felt a hand massaging his left arm. Ando
looked at Sora.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Not that much.”

“I’ll give you some medical patches later. Please hold out until then.”

“Today’s not the first day I’m having a hard time because of you. Don’t worry, it
doesn’t hurt that much.”

Ando took a short breath before sitting in front of Maru. The camera director - it
wasn’t a position filled with glory or any authority, but Ando actually liked his job. He
liked how he got to shoot Maru, who was actually an actor, and he felt proud
whenever the film production club was happy as they watched the video that he
shot. He could endure an aching arm like it was nothing.

A better picture than before - he had gotten ambitious, and Ando wanted to stay true
to that desire.

“Well then. Let’s start.”

The member with the slate stood in front of the camera.

“Scene 2-dash-3-dash-1.”

Clack - Ando looked at the world beyond the lens as though he was going to capture
everything in it.
When eating, one acted before the will to ‘pick up the spoon’. Drinking water was
similar. There was no one who put thought into the movement of the shoulders, the
angle of the elbow, the gap between the fingers, and the gripping strength. Action
occurred before the will to ‘grab the cup’. There should probably be no one who
worries about every minor detail when taking actions that happen in everyday life.
However, actors had to get used to seeing the obvious as not so obvious.

Maru had his eyes closed. He was acting sleeping. If he was actually asleep, there
would be no need to worry about his action. The height of the pillow might be a
point of consideration, but the angle of his face, the curling of his body, and the
number of breaths per minute would not be something to worry about. However,
since he was acting, he had to put thought into everything.

‘Maybe it’s better if I move a little?’

He slightly twisted his right arm, which was between his body and the floor. He
pictured what an organic movement would look like in his head and opened his
chest as naturally as possible. Being conscious of his every action was an incredibly
tiring thing, but as his bodily actions were what transmitted the message to the
audience in this scene, he had to concentrate on everything.

Sometimes, actors would get told to ‘relax’ when they’re shooting. This was usually
said because the stiff movements looked unnatural and that the actor should loosen
the tension and act naturally. The director might say it as though it was something
simple, but the actor who receives those instructions would probably have their
head go blank. Just relax which part and how?

Maru also did not know what a completely ‘relaxed’ acting was like yet. He just had a
vague grasp of it as he watched the elder and other senior actors do their work. They
made up his thoughts of was what a ‘relaxed’ acting was like. How do those seniors
act naturally? Was there a formula for ‘being natural’ and he just had to follow those
guidelines? Or did he have to immerse himself to the point that he forgot that he was
acting?
There was probably no correct answer for this. He had never heard someone say that
there was an answer to acting theory. The people that say that one path was the true
way were probably fraudsters.

The actors who looked natural when acting probably gained that naturalness
through hard effort and/or the accumulation of time. Just listening to them describe
what being natural was would not let a new actor gain that naturalness. It might help
out somewhat, but in order to truly make it their own, they would have to find their
own unique ways.

This was a topic thrown to all those that aspired to be actors: imitate being natural.

Acting and being natural. These were two contrasting concepts. Acting was an
artificial art of becoming a certain target with a specific purpose. The moment
‘acting’ was added into the mix, it would move further away from being natural. How
could there be any naturalness in abandoning oneself and becoming someone else?
The life of actors was perhaps the path to resolving the contradiction that ‘natural
acting’ contained.

“Okay. Maru-seonbae. We’re done,” Sora said.

Maru slowly opened his eyes. His body, consciously drained of energy, was telling
him that he was tired. He felt that he might actually fall asleep if he kept lying down.

“Come and check it out.”

Maru stood up and walked over to Sora and Ando. The video that was shot just now
was being replayed on the laptop.

“Ando had it hard, huh.”

Ando controlled the camera for a long time while crouching down in order to shoot a
person lying down. He was holding a heavy camera in a fixed posture for a long time,
so the pain in his arms had to be substantial.

“Are we going with this?” Ando asked.

Maru looked at Sora and said that he liked it. Sora also didn’t have any complaints. It
seemed that she quite liked it as well.
“Let’s do the long-take now. Please get ready.”

Maru sat down on the electric heater mat and read through his script again. As they
did a rehearsal, he knew what to do. What was left was to express the emotions
requested by the director in detail and as naturally as possible.

He slowly closed his eyes and controlled his breathing. He felt his thought processes
separating. He had the funny thought that he might be able to hold a discussion with
himself later.

‘2nd year of high school. Ordinary family, both parents working, cheap house, the
damp and moldy smell of a semi-basement, mold strewed throughout the home. The
home might not be much, but to me, it’s my only shelter. Once I leave this 40 or so
square meter area, I would start breathing heavily. This place is my shelter. Leaving it
is worse than death for me.’

Powerlessness overwhelmed him. He also felt like he had a stomachache. He could

hear a mocking laugh from somewhere. His instinctive self, which was thrown into
the role of the main character, was dissolving into the character quite well. While the
grey-colored inner state of the main character surfaced, Maru’s other self took a step
back and watched and evaluated the other one in a rational sense.

A tired high school boy. A student who found no joy in life and was afraid of the
school. He was pained with diarrhea and stomach aches every Monday morning, yet
could not tell his parents that he was being bullied at school. It was a depressing
character background, but this place was his shelter. It would be better if the unease
inside him slowly leaked throughout in a progressive manner. It would keep
increasing as he opens his eyes and goes to the kitchen to eat breakfast then reach its
peak when he leaves through the front door.

A self that was trying to understand the psychology of a cornered student and a self
that had turned into that student. The important point was to pick out just the
advantages of each.

Maru did not know how other actors did their acting. To be exact, he did not want to.
Having another, recognizable self was probably not a typical case. It was clear that no
one’s acting theory could explain his current situation. Maru intuitively realized that
this gift was from god. As the woman in white said, it wasn’t a superhuman power or
anything, but it was definitely useful.
Before, when he did the audience-participation act in Daehak-ro with Ganghwan, he
saw an illusion that came alongside extreme pain. He had witnessed many instances
of what could not be possible: the man and himself standing as though they were
close friends. Back then, he wondered if there was a problem with his nervous
system and visited the hospital, but there were no anomalies found. Such an accident
probably happened because the rational self and the instinctive self were not as
distinct as they were now.

“We’re starting the shoot. Please get ready. The camera will keep moving, so bear in
mind the camera angle when you take action.”

Hearing Sora’s voice, Maru got his emotions ready. He lied on the mat and watched
himself as a 3rd person.

“Ready, action!”

He pushed back Han Maru’s consciousness and put forth the ego that had turned
into the main character of the film. Unpleasant emotions stormed inside his body. He
extracted the negative emotions from the numerous events in his life. The depressing
consciousness soon took over his body.

He then slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the alarm clock placed next to his head.
7:30 a.m. What a painful number.

Being conscious of the camera was the job of the rational self. The instinctive self,
which had practically become the main character with method acting, probably
could not recognize the camera even if it was within his vision. The instinctive self
was really thrown into another world. This was why the directing part had to be
done by the self that was aware of everything going on around him.

“Haa.”

He sighed as he stood up. The fact that he had to go to school tightly wrapped around
his heart. His body became heavy regardless of his will, and an unpleasant burp kept
escaping his mouth. He blankly stared at the clock before standing up. He didn’t want
to go, but he had to. He didn’t have the courage to pick the choice of not going.

‘Think about the distance between the camera when walking outside.’

What was for breakfast? This was the only moment he could have any expectations
in his day. After breakfast, hell would unfold. He went to the kitchen and lifted the
tablecloth[1]. Stir-fried anchovies, cooked beans, and fried fishcakes. At that moment,
egg-fried sausages entered his eyes. That little bit of happiness made him smile. At
the same time, he was reminded that this might be the last smile of the day.

‘Don’t do any exaggerated actions. Eating is what’s important, not showing that I’m
eating. Seeing is the worth of the audience. I just have to eat.’

He scooped out a bit of the cooled rice and put it in his mouth. He looked at the
family photo placed at the tip of the table as he stuffed his mouth. He was suddenly
reminded of his middle school days. Back then, he got along well with his friends.
But what led him to his current state? Once he finished eating, he had to get washed,
change his clothes and go to school. Ah, twenty thousand won. He just remembered
that he had to bring twenty thousand won today.

“…Fuck.”

Maru calmed his agitated emotions down. The main character of the film was
someone who had never expressed any distress in his life. Swearing at the table was
the only relief he was allowed. He couldn’t get emotional and smack on the table
with the spoon or anything like that. An extremely shy boy - that was the impression
he had to show the audience.

‘I guess it’s not that bad until this part.’

The absorbed self ate slowly as though this was the last meal of his life. He felt that it
was too artificial and sped up a little. Until last year, he had the tendency to break the
immersion when the rational self directly interfered with the instinctive self, but he
had now gotten used to it so his emotions did not waver.

As planned, he ate around a third of the rice before putting down his chopsticks. He
covered the food with the tablecloth again before slowly standing up. There was a
camera right in front of him. At this moment, he had to leave everything to the self
immersed in the main character.

I don’t want to go. I don’t want to get washed. I want to stay here. This is bad. I feel
like what I just ate is coming back up. What can I do?

“I need to go. I need to go.”

If he had the courage to run away, he might as well have talked to the bullies to stop.
He knew that he couldn’t do anything; other than just going to school.

***

Ando clenched his teeth. He even held his breath. He instinctively realized that his
scene was the best one. Even if they took another shot at this, Maru might not be
able to produce this level of quality.

Looking at Maru’s face through the LCD screen of the camera, Ando swallowed his
groan. There was no dark makeup on his face, and it wasn’t like the lights were off
either. There were fluorescent lights on the ceiling, and Maru’s face had a good color
thanks to the light from them. His complexion looked good. However, his expression
- those eyes - looked devastatingly depressing. Ando could feel with his body why
they called the eyes the window into the soul. It did look a little over the top, but he
didn’t think that it was a flaw.

Maru acted as though there was no camera in front of him. But it wasn’t that he
wasn’t entirely unaware of it. He moved his head and body slightly so that the
contours of his face could be captured on the camera. It was curious. Actors were
really different. Ando was realizing the wonders of someone who got paid for acting.

‘That’s right, come slowly. Just a little more, just one more.’

He matched his steps with Maru backwards to the bathroom. His left wrist was
screaming at him to rest for quite a while now, but this wasn’t the time for that. He
had to capture this fellow. He closed up on the face so that it was at the center, and
slowed his breathing down so that the camera did not shake when he was trying to
capture Maru, who was looking at the lens with disinterest.

This was one of the things that Sora requested. Maru was not looking at the camera
right now. He was looking at the audience that would see this film. Sora intended to
throw a question at the audience with this scene by having a similar one right at the
end.

As this was the most important cut, he didn’t want to make mistakes. He stepped
backwards so slowly that his feet had cramps. When Maru’s feet finally touched the
doorsill of the bathroom, Sora said ‘cut’ in an extremely small voice, so small that he
would not have heard it if he didn’t focus, even in this silent situation.
Ando definitely heard her voice, but he did not put the camera down.

The main character was still in front of him.

When he breathed about two times, Maru, standing in front of him, suddenly
frowned and violently breathed out. From that moment, various noises could be
heard as though the silence was broken with a hammer. Ando also spat out his
breath as he put down the camera.

No one spoke for quite a while. Even Ando did not. Only after about 10 seconds of
silence did Sora say something.

“Hm, I think we finished the shoot, right? Haha.”

Hearing her laugh, Ando finally loosened up his tension. Maru was faintly smiling as
well.

“That was awesome! Let’s check the footage for now!” Sora shouted excitedly.

One used to cover the food, not the table itself. Korean people used to do this a lot
[1]

when leaving food on the table.

Sora bit on her thumb as she looked at the screen.

A whistleblower-style movie. This movie handled the bullying problem which was
present throughout all of society. It was a problem where everyone kept shifting the
blame onto others without any proper countermeasures. The objective of this film
was to throw a question to the audience who turned a blind eye to such events. It
was a common topic, but she thought that it wasn’t good to be greedy so she wasn’t
dissatisfied.

Since she decided on a topic, the next course of action was to decide how to play this
out. A character-centric film or a story-centric film? Show the entire story or hide
some bits of it? As she came to decisions regarding those things, she was set on one
rule which had to be prioritized above all else.

It had to be not boring.

Even the best quotes would fall on deaf ears if it was boring. The reason the line
‘slow and steady wins the race’ was formulated into the story of the tortoise and the
hare was because a line would never reach other people’s ears no matter how good
it was if it was not interesting. The numerous masterpieces that existed in this world
could be summed up into a few lines. Love is mighty. Greed calls for misfortune.
Effort is the greatest talent. They were words that would be very useful to keep in
mind, but those lines were not interesting at all. Without interest, it wouldn’t be eye-
catching, and it would not get the chance to leave its mark behind in the heart.

Film was the same. In order to transmit the message that the film was trying to say, it
had to be ‘shown’ first. To be shown, it had to attract interest, and interest came from
something that wasn’t boring. In the end, even film, which was considered a
composite art, had to be ‘interesting’ at the bottom level.

‘This… this is not boring.’

Sora’s eyes followed the video. Maru was sighing as he ate breakfast. This was the
beginning of the stage. The audience would get to see Maru waking up and eating at
the table without any prior information. There was no background music, nor any
loud events. She allocated two minutes to portray Maru before he commuted to
school. In a short film that was about 20 to 30 minutes long, 2 minutes was an
incredibly long time. No, even in full commercial movies, 2 minutes was long enough
to finish a whole action scene or to reveal a plot twist beyond imagination.

She decided to spend such precious two minutes as a long take. There were no
gimmicks in the direction, and there was no dramatic plot progress. It could be
considered a boring part, but Sora was confident that the people who watched this
would never think that it was boring.

After finishing breakfast, Maru put the plates in the kitchen sink[1] and started
walking towards the camera. The distance became smaller while Maru’s face became
bigger. It was eventually big enough to fit the whole screen. Then, those two eyes that
looked like they were looking beyond the screen. Sora could not stop biting the
fingernail on her thumb despite the fact that she should stop. She could feel the
tension. The quiet swear word uttered at the table inserted a sense of tension in the
simple series of actions. Why did he swear? Was there a problem? Why are his eyes
like that? It threw such questions, and those curiosities would steal the audience’s
attention.

“I’ll watch it just one more time.”

Sora rewinded the video with the mouse and watched it again. The cut that was
edited crudely on the spot and the long take were played back in series.

Splitting up cuts and connecting them required editing. A complete piece would only
be made after collecting the best cuts for each scene among the hundreds of takes.
This was why the skills of the video editor could be considered important.

In that sense, a long take removed any room for interference from editing. Of course,
a long take was in itself, just a cut with a long duration, and were targets of editing in
the sense that they had to be joined with other cuts, but it was definitely different
from the short, chopped-up cuts. Perhaps it would be fitting to call it a ‘lump’. If a
scene with a series of short cuts felt light, long takes felt much heavier. A long cut
without any switches in the scene. It would feel like the scene was drawing the
viewer in.

As such, the actor’s skill was very important when it came to long takes.
Actors had to show flawless acting in front of the camera that kept rolling without
end. It might not sound so difficult when considering that it was simply just a longer
take than usual, but that extra time became an incredible pressure for the actors.
Shooting short cuts were very lenient when it came to NGs. It was a short scene that
was about a few seconds long anyway. They just had to keep taking the shots and
then try to pick a good one out of many. The overall shooting time wouldn’t be that
long after all. This long take was 2 minutes and 36 seconds in its entirety. A small
mistake in the middle of the shoot would mean that they had to start over from the
beginning.

Sora found out what an incredible pressure that was to the actors as she studied
directing. Long takes were about the tension that grabbed and drew the viewers in. A
scene that continued without any switch in the perspective gave the sense that the
viewers were spending the exact same amount of time as the character in the film.
For that scene, one second in the film would mean one second in reality. The tension
that came from that part was what would catch the audience’s eyes. In other words,
not being able to grab the audience’s interest with that tension would mean that the
audience’s expectations would plummet.

Footage that kept going on without any edits had to be ‘crazily’ reliant on the actor’s
acting. The skills of the actor would solely decide the quality of the final product.

Actually, Sora was worried a lot before the shoot. It wasn’t a scene where Maru kept
sitting down but one where he had to constantly move. Moreover, there were no
lines or any other actors in the scene.

One actor had to fill the screen for two minutes without a voice and had to make it
not look boring. She started off the shoot thinking that the whole premise was a joke.
She originally planned to take a shot at it a few times and then split up the scenes if
the progress was too slow. Time was one thing, but she had to keep the actor from
getting exhausted.

Contrary to her expectations though, a single take was all that was needed. It wasn’t
a scene that just scraped by without making mistakes. It was the ideal picture.
Honestly, she didn’t expect Maru to do so well. She did have expectations, and
although trivial mistakes were unacceptable in long takes, she decided to make
compromises and go to the next.

“Here.”
Sora pressed the spacebar. This part was when Maru was quietly eating, taken
diagonally from the back. Sora almost cheered out loud when she saw this part,
where she could see a part of Maru’s face from the side.

Sora requested one thing from Maru: to express the main character who doesn’t
want to go to school with his whole body. It was easy to say, but expressing that with
just a single swear word and a few actions was definitely not simple. Even someone
clueless about film would know that. She asked him to do that because she had a lot
of expectations of him, despite knowing the fact that it might be impossible. Yet Maru
answered her with the greatest result possible.

Maru’s gaze into the lens at the last part of the long take was good, but she could say
with confidence that the part where he quietly chewed and swallowed food was
clearly the best. It portrayed the depressing current state of the main character. Once
the audience sees the bullying at the school, the audience would see an overlap with
Maru who was eating very unpleasantly. This was the ideal prelude that planted a
mysterious unease in the viewer.

“Now we just have to shoot you changing clothes and leaving the house.”

“Is that it for today?”

Sora nodded at Maru’s question. She originally expected several hours for the shoot,
but it ended just 30 minutes after they came to her house. If the end result was not
up to par, she would retake it over and over again, but since the first shoot was this
good, she did not get the desire to shoot it again. But even so, she did ask just in case.

“Maru-seonbae. What do you think about doing it again? Do you think you can do
better?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like I have perfect control over myself. I think that one just now
was pretty good though. I was pretty absorbed in it.”

“Then that’s fine.”

“Are you really fine with just one take?”

“Yes. Retaking doesn’t necessarily guarantee that I’ll get something good, and I really
like this cut. I can feel your breath from the screen.”
“Don’t put me on a pedestal. You won’t get anything.”

“I really don’t do things like that. However, I do have to say what’s good is good. Don’t
you think so too, Ando-seonbae?” Sora asked as she looked at Ando.

Ando would probably agree since he got to watch Maru from up close through the
camera.

“It might be somewhat off for me to say this, but I don’t think we’ll get anything
better than it. I just feel like that. When I was shooting you from the front, I felt
stifled, and that was the first time I felt something like that. It felt like everything just
fell into place. Anyway, I’m not Maru, so I can’t say anything about the acting, but I
think this is the best we can do. If you tell me to do that again, I don’t think we’ll get
the same thing.”

Sora was slightly surprised by Ando saying something so serious. The seonbae that
was so opposed to shooting a film at first was talking about the shoot with such a
serious face. She felt proud and touched. At that moment, she saw Ando-seonbae
massaging his left arm.

“Ah! Wait. I’ll give you some plasters. Let’s take a 10-minute break! Maru-seonbae are
you okay with that?”

“I don’t mind. Rather than that, look after his wrist. It’d be a big problem if the
camera director is ill,” Maru said.

Sora agreed with him and went to the bedroom to find a plaster.

***

The shoot was very short, but the immersion was definitely different; Maru thought
that as he looked at the script.

Dramas required long shoots. The shortest was around three hours, and sometimes a
shoot would take a whole day. However, to be specific, the combined time of the
shoots wasn’t that long. That was because he didn’t appear that much since he was a
supporting character. He spent most of his time waiting. A short burst of a shoot
followed by a long blank. The time he was absorbed into his character was extremely
short. Also, the duration of that immersion was short as well. There were many cases
where he just had one line or a short exclamation.
However, the film was different. He was the main character. The camera solely
focused on him. That tension and pressure; as well as the black body of the camera
and the transparent lens made him feel like he was on stage. It felt like the
atmospheric pressure increased, his five senses became more sensitive. During
Twilight Struggles, he got absorbed to the point that he lost himself, but back then, it
felt more like he was being dragged along. He couldn’t fully control his acting back
then and had to have Jiseok step in and help him out.

It wasn’t that he was perfect now. However, he definitely had a better and more
precise understanding of how a shoot progressed. He now had the room to think
about the camera, the director, the staff, as well as the position of the props naturally
on top of being absorbed in acting. It seemed that shooting with other people around
his physical age did give him some mental stability. Above all, this shoot didn’t have
money on the stakes. This allowed him to focus on acting more than he expected.

“Maru-seonbae. I’m thinking that you should walk out like this. What do you think?”

Sora asked for his opinion as she walked out the door. Being able to consult and tune
the film with the director. It was a different experience, and also a good opportunity
to learn about how a director sees the film. He realized just how much it helped him
study directing when he directly interfered with the directing of the film itself. Miso
probably had him help out the film production club for this experience.

Of course, everyone here was an amateur so there was a tendency for everyone to
get stuck on the same, unfamiliar problem, but discussing with the others in order to
solve that problem helped him expand his thought processes as well.

Actors had to get absorbed in acting and portray someone else through acting, but a
director would have to think about how to portray that acting. It seemed that it was
good to consider the perspective of the director for a more varied style of acting.

“Why don’t I crumple the back of my shoes?”

“Let’s try both. One where you are wearing them properly and the other with the
heels crumpled. I feel that crumpling it might feel better, but you never know
without seeing it for yourself.”

Maru nodded. You never know without seeing it for yourself - she was right about
that.
“Once we do this, we’ll be done with the beginning parts! Let’s go get something nice
to eat after this,” Sora said with a smile.

An error here. He’s supposed to have covered the table cloth without finishing the
[1]

food.
“What do you think a good film is about?”

“A good film is a good film.”

“That’s too generic.”

“The question is too abstract, so I can’t help it.”

“That’s why you’re no fun, Maru-seonbae. What do you think, Ando-seonbae? What
do you think a good film is?”

“A good film? I guess it is something that a lot of people watch, I guess? If many
people watch it that would mean there’s a good message and is entertaining, so that
would mean that a good film is something that is watched a lot?”

“No way. Then are all the films in this world that aren't ‘major’ bad films? Because no
one watches them?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“If you ask that specifically, I guess I have nothing to say.”

“What the heck.”

Maru quietly ate the fried dumplings during Sora and Ando’s discussion. Sora
praised this place for its dumplings in this neighborhood, and indeed, they were
really good. It lived up to its reputation. The other members of the film production
club, who sat around the table in the living room, didn’t care whether or not their
club president and this rookie director were discussing or not and just kept eating.
Thinking that they were wise to do so, Maru also moved his hand.

“Maru-seonbae, don’t just keep eating and tell me something.”

“Now what?”

“A good film. Who else would discuss film philosophy in depth if we don’t when
we’re the ones making one? All of you, please stop eating and participate in the
discussion. The dumplings won’t run away.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I think they will run away.”

Maru looked at Sora’s face and put some dumplings in his mouth. Crunch - just as he
was feeling bliss from the sound of crumbs breaking apart in his mouth, he saw Sora
bring the tablecloth. It was placed on top of the fried dumplings which were still
giving off some steam.

“Eat after we talk.”

“Aren’t you overusing your authority?”

“I’m worried because you’re all eating like you’re possessed.”

“Let’s rest when we can. Looking after the health of the staff is one of the director’s
jobs. Isn’t that true?”

Maru looked at everyone else in the film club. Everyone nodded as though they were
waiting. Sora twitched her cheeks before removing the tablecloth again. The 9
seconds of the forced barrier was over.

“Why don’t you talk about it first? About what a good film is,” Maru said to Sora.

“I asked because I’m not sure.”

“You’re saying that you are not sure, so you must be thinking about something, right?
Tell us about that. A film follows the ideals of the director, not the actors or the staff.
Tell us what you think a good film is. We’ll come up with something after we hear
from you.”

“Maru’s really good at talking.”

Ando gave a thumbs up to Maru. Maru did the same back. A treaty made under the
shade of the fried dumplings was formed. While Sora organized her words, the men
reached out to the fried dumplings in a busy fashion. Eating was the best course of
action here.

“To me, I think a good film is… something that makes you watch twice.”

She made a proud smile after saying those words. It seemed that she quite liked her
own answer. Maru briefly counted the number of remaining dumplings. There were
still quite a lot left. If he wanted to eat in peace, he had to seal this little director’s
mouth shut.

“What if the film is not kind to the audience? What if it’s riddled with trivial
foreshadows and tricks that only the director can see, making the audience unable to
understand if they don’t watch it two or more times?”

“Hm, I guess you can’t call that a good film.”

Sora licked her lips and fell into thought again. Meanwhile, Maru reached out to the
kimchi dumplings. The fried dumplings were good, but the moderately sour kimchi
dumplings were incredible as well.

“A film with a lesson… is too obvious. Maybe a good movie is a fun movie after all?”

“We want answers, not questions. Also, pass me that pickled radish over there.”

“Hey, everyone’s thinking about this right? You’re going to have to talk after I finish
my part; about what makes a good film.”

Sora passed over the pickled radish with a suspicious gaze.

The members of the film production club started looking at each other worriedly.

Maru also sped up his thought process. This picky director probably won’t let
everyone off easy. She indirectly mentioned this topic back when they were buying
the dumplings from the restaurant. It was as though she was declaring that these
dumplings were the fuel for the discussion. If he actually didn’t say anything after
eating the dumplings, she might actually start pecking him like a bird. Maru could
always run away with the excuse of going to the acting club, but the next shoot was a
problem, so he had to end this somehow.

“I’ll be off to the toilet. It’s a small one.”

Maru looked at Sora, who stood up with a smile on her face just as he was about to
put a piece of pickled radish in his mouth. Everyone else looked at her like they
chewed on something bitter as well.

“Did she really have to say that?”

“I’m sure she was born as a girl because of a mistake when she was supposed to be
born as a boy. Minji, do something about your friend.”

Minji, who was in charge of writing everything down, nodded her head without
saying anything. This girl was really shy and did not speak a lot. She was the polar
opposite of Sora.

“Maru-seonbae, Ando-seonbae, what are you going to do? From the way she’s
talking, it looks like she’s going to talk about it for the whole day.”

“True. She held me back for three hours during editing last time. It still gives me the
chills when I think about it.”

The members of the film production club, including Ando, all frowned. Maru did not
ask what that was about. He could imagine from just their expressions.

“Should we just decide on an answer ourselves and put an end to the conversation?”
One of the juniors from the film production club said.

It was a nice idea. Since this was a discussion, Sora should probably stay quiet if the
majority of people said the same thing. She might not like that answer and would
keep asking more questions about it, but that shouldn’t last that long.

“So, what is a good film in the end?”

And now, the topic, without its owner, was thrown onto the table again. The only
thing left now was to come up with an answer that could satisfy Sora.

“Hm.”

“A good film, huh.”

While Maru washed his mouth with some water, the film production club did not say
anything. Somehow, the atmosphere turned strange.
“A good film is an interesting film.”

Maru quickly suggested something since he felt that a whole other discussion was
about to take place. According to their original plan, everyone had to accept this
answer, but everyone tilted their heads in a serious fashion.

“Then what makes something interesting?”

“Interesting is about being interesting, isn’t it? Like laughing. You don’t say it’s
interesting when it’s sad.”

“Does that mean that sad films aren’t good films then?”

“Hm, that’s not right. What do you think, Ando-seonbae?”

“Isn’t ‘being interesting’ a combination of many things? You can say that the four
major emotions: happiness, wrath, sadness, and pleasure are all interesting things.”

“Then is a good film something that contains a variety of different emotions?”

“If you think of it like that, every film in this world becomes a good one, you know?
There aren’t movies that have no emotions in them. There’s no way there’s a movie
about a rock as a protagonist or something.”

“That’s true.”

“What do you think, Maru-seonbae?”

The gazes gathered on him. Maru stroked down his face and sighed in a small voice.
They had forgotten about their original objective and walked right into the swamp of
discussion.

“Hello, people? If we keep doing this, we might have to do this the whole d…”

“What’s this? You’re talking about something interesting while I wasn’t here?”

Sora’s voice could be heard from behind him. Only then did the film production club
widened their eyes in surprise, realizing the seriousness of the situation. Maru shook
his head in resignation. Sora sat back down.
“I thought about it in the bathroom… Oh, the bathroom is a really good place to think
of ideas. If you can’t think of anything, try going to the bathroom. Anyway, I had an
idea about what makes a good film the moment I sat down on the toilet.”

Toilet - Maru scratched his eyebrows as he looked at Sora and Minji who sat next to
her. Sora was the one who said those words, but it was Minji whose face turned red.
He was reminded of Aram and Jiyoon. Perhaps there were a lot of cases where
friends had opposite personalities? Though, compared to these two, Aram and Jiyoon
could be considered to have similar personalities. Sora and Minji were actually polar
opposites.

“Ehem, listen carefully. A good film is a touching one. It’s a bit obvious, but don’t you
think this is the definition of a good movie?”

“That’s right. It’s a clear answer without a better alternative. Our director is really
amazing.”

Maru struck first. At the same time, he signalled everyone else with his eyes.
Everyone started agreeing and said that Sora was right.

“Right? A good film has to be a touching one, right?”

“Of course. Well, then. We now know what a good film is about. Let’s strive to
produce a touching film in the future.” Maru said as he cleaned up.

Since the shoot was over, he just had to go home now. By agreeing with Sora’s
conclusion, the discussion came to an end.

“Do you think that way too, Ando-seonbae? That a good film is a touching one?”

“Well, I do.”

“That’s a rather lukewarm answer.”

Maru signalled Ando. This was a trap. An endless, inescapable battlefield of

discussion lay ahead of this road. Treading lightly would delay his golden time to go
home. He wanted to prevent that at all costs. Of course, he was all for getting
inspiration about the film with constructive discussions. That is, under the condition
that he wasn’t here.
“It’s just that it’s not like the film we’re shooting is touching.”

“Hm, isn’t it rather dramatic and touching when the main character stops being
bullied?”

“For the main character, probably. But at that point, the audience would probably be
focusing their attention on the transfer student. A character they were sympathizing
with is getting abandoned by the main character, so getting touched from that is a
little…”

Ando just had to tread on the taboo area. Sora’s eyes shone. They shone to the point
that it was unpleasant and it seemed that Maru wasn’t going home during sunset.

What a group of inconsiderate young people. Maru looked towards the other
members of the film production for help, but they had joined the discussion instead.
Having finished preparations for battle, the film production started the unending
war.

Maru scratched his eyebrows and looked at the others who were gaining energy. He
had forgotten for just a moment. These people refused to shoot a film but did not
hate film at all. In fact, their main activities before the shoot began were to watch
movies and discuss them. They were given a splendid topic of ‘what makes a film
good’, so it was obvious that they fell for the trap.

They were all talking about it with joy. Was this youth? It was so brilliant that it was
hard to look at. This old man, who was nearing fifty, felt faint because of their clear
eyes. His heart was too weak to endure the heat of youth.

“Then I’ll just take my leave…”

He tried to stand up and leave but was immediately caught. It seemed that they
didn’t have any intentions of letting him go. A warm shower, a light dinner with some
cold beer, and a soft sofa to finish it off. Wasn’t the best rest for a modern man
tapping buttons on the remote control before eventually falling asleep? That dream
was being blocked by these passionate youths. Maru felt like his soul was escaping
his body.

“A good film is a good film.”

“That’s too abstract!”

“There’s no sincerity in that!”

“That’s right, Maru-seonbae. You are an actor, so you have to give me something
better than that!”

Urgh, he felt his head aching. He wanted to run away to the acting club. He wanted to
run to the boring shooting location.

“Everyone, a good film is one that makes a lot of profit,” Maru said in a small voice.

“What the heck? I will not accept an answer that’s too tainted by money,” Sora
remarked.

“She’s right, that’s going a bit too far. Art isn’t about money.”

Ando shook his head.

“Right. Art is truly art when it’s independent of money. Oh! What about this? A good
film is something that’s independent of capital. In that sense, independent movies
are good films.”

“No way. There are lots of good commercial films as well. Does that mean that The
Godfather is a bad movie? No, right?”

The members of the club spoke one after another.

After listening to the film theory coming out of everyone’s mouths, Maru quietly
spoke,

“Uhm, got some soju??”

Everyone looked at him once before continuing their discussion as though nothing
had happened.

Maru lied on his side like a pill bug and curled his body.

Man in his forties, dried out by the heat of youth, sleeps here.

“Seonbae! Say something for our film.”

“I think this is an important problem.”

Maru blocked his ears and shook his head.

These were scary people.

Geunsoo opened the door to the shabby-looking Soondae-gukbap restaurant, the
place of his appointment. Two flies buzzed past his ears. The electric fans installed
on the two walls of the restaurant made pitiful noises as the fans rotated around.
There didn’t seem to be any air conditioning. An alleyway split this part of the area
into a forest of buildings and a shanty town. Perhaps Seoul was built to show what
the gap between the rich and poor was like?

“Over here!”

He saw someone wave from one of the seats inside. Geunsoo smiled and walked over.

“I’m honored that journalist Kim Dongwook has called for me, but isn’t this too
shabby for an interview?”

“Should we meet in a high-class restaurant next time then?”

“I was just joking, hyung. So this is the restaurant you come to a lot, huh.”

“You won’t know when this place will disappear.”

The lady chopping up spring onions at the table in front of the TV said ‘bullshit’ in a
loud voice as though she had heard what Dongwook just said.

“See that? I’m one of the main sources of income here, and yet that’s the treatment I
get.”

“Your job is to get sworn at though.”

“Right. Journalists get sworn at by others. Only then can they live a plentiful life.
Journalist Awards and things like that aren’t that good since most people that get
them are probably injured. Receiving back-hand money and treats to meals while
writing is the splendid standard of a journalist. Oh, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Dongwook shouted ‘one gukbap please!’ in a loud voice. A reply came from the
kitchen, saying ‘shur’. It seemed that the owner here was quite old.
“I heard you’re doing a movie?”

“There was no official announcement, so I’m surprised that you know about it
already.”

“Of course I do. Your president told me everything so that I can release articles at the
right time.”

“Oh, my president? What does your president do?”

“My boss? I’m guessing he must be looking at some papers while drinking some tea
for his health?”

“What a coincidence. My president should be doing business while drinking tea now
too. Is that tea perhaps red ginseng tea?”

“What a coincidence indeed. My boss likes red ginseng tea too. He likes to smoke and
drink but drinks red ginseng tea for his health. How romantic is that? Moreover, he is
so patriotic that he likes to buy alcohol and cigarettes, the two most taxed items in
the country. He’s the taxpayer of the year.”

Geunsoo laughed silently. Junmin did say things like that from time to time; that he
looked after his health in order to drink and smoke.

“I haven’t seen you lately at the company. Where have you been?”

“Our president Lee Junmin is quite picky, you know? He instructed me to do so many
things that I haven’t had time to come to the company. I wonder why I joined JA in
the first place. I should’ve just stuck to internet writing.”

“Who was it that liked it when he got a fat paycheck and even an office-tel to live in?”

“That, I must agree. Though, I don’t like how I have to leave the house to smoke.”

“Why don’t you take this opportunity to quit?”

“Why don’t you tell me to die instead? It’s too cruel to tell me to quit smoking when
even the strong president Lee can’t do that.”

Just as Dongwook grabbed the cigarette he placed on his ear, the soondae-gukbap
came out. Just looking at that steaming food made Geunsoo sweat.

“Try eating it without the additional condiments. It’s really good. Even Maru, who
has childish tastes, emptied it in one go, so don’t worry about the smell.”

“Maru might be a kid, but I’m not sure about him having childish tastes.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess that’s true. I subconsciously end up ordering a bottle of rice
wine if I eat gukbap with him. If I do, he puts out his glass so boldly. It’s
flabbergasting. But what’s even more absurd is that I end up pouring one for him. I
want to see him drunk once, but I’ve never gotten the chance.”

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Maru drunk. I had a chance to
drink with him a few days ago, but his facial color didn’t change at all.”

“Hey, you leaving me out like that? Are actors bullying journalists or what?”

“Suyeon was there too. Should I have called you?”

“She was there too? Then forget it. I’m a bit scared of her.”

“Isn’t ‘scared’ going a little too far even though we belong to the same company?”

“Like you haven’t said the same thing until a while ago. How’s it these days?”

“How’s what these days?”

“What do you mean what? I’m talking about your progress. If you’re going to date
someone in the company, then tell me beforehand. Oh, also the marriage
announcement.”

“If you keep doing this, I’ll just leave, okay?”

“There you go again. It’s not like you are completely opposed to it.”

“Family members shouldn’t do that.”

“Tell me honestly. Do you really have no thoughts about it at all?”

“At this current state, well, I just got an uncute little sister.”
“You never know what might happen between a man and a woman. Little sister this,
little sister that might eventually become honey this, honey that.”

“Why are you doing this to me? Hey, you seemed to be meeting that other journalist
frequently these days.”

“That other journalist? Who?”

“Miss Choi Miyeon from Sharon, was it? The pretty journalist who’s wasted on you.”

“Her? Don’t make me laugh. She’s a junior of mine, and I’m hanging out with her only
because of some headaching matters. After that’s done, I’m not going to meet her
again.”

“A certain someone said that junior this, junior that will become honey this, honey
that.”

“Sheesh. Do the people at JA drink olive oil for breakfast? Why are they so good with
their tongues?”

“You aren’t better off. I mean, you belong to JA too.”

They stopped talking and Geunsoo focused on eating for a while. He didn’t add any
additional condiments, but the savory taste filled his mouth.

“How about some drinks to go with it?”

“I brought my car, so I can’t. Didn’t you bring your car as well?”

“I’ll be the only one drinking then, so take me home later.”

“What about the opposite?”

“What a cruel guy.”

“I can say the same thing to you. Also, drinking when the sun is still high up in the
sky is a bit, you know. Plus, looking for alcohol when you aren’t supposed to be
drinking is negligence of duty.”

“It’s already well-known in the industry that drinking one glass increases business
efficiency. Even a renowned medical journal talked about it.”

“Which medical journal?”

“Kim Dongwook medical journal.”

“What a quack medical journal.”

After finishing off the food, Geunsoo made two cups of stick coffee before coming
back to the table. After giving one to Dongwook, he drank a sip.

“But hey, what are you really doing these days? I feel like it’s even harder to see you
than when you weren’t in JA.”

“I told you. The president has me do a lot of things.”

“Junmin-seonbae told me the opposite though.”

“What did he say?”

“That he’s not telling you to do anything because you look busy. Apparently, he’s not
interfering with your work because of the freelancer-like contract. What do you
think about that?”

Dongwook drank the coffee without saying a word. Geunsoo noticed that something
was going on.

“Are you still chasing that president of the production company?”

“That’s my normal schedule. It’s still one of the big topics for journalists who have
set foot into the film industry.”

“The police still haven't announced anything, have they?”

“There are a few, but they’re all useless. The individual investors who got ripped off
by that company have been nagging the involved department for nearly a year now,
so the police must be having a hard time too.”

“Maybe he fled the country?”

“That’s a big possibility, but one of the rumors floating around says that it’s likely
that he’s still in the country. That he’s not getting caught because some bigshot is
looking after him.”

“Looking after a scammer like that?”

“The investment funds from the forgone movie are mostly from individual investors,
right? It’s almost 10 billion won too. 10 billion isn’t a small amount to hide a
criminal. We live in a world where murders happen because of a million won.”

“The people that shot like mad didn’t get anything out of it too. How sad.”

“You and Sooil were just unlucky. But at least you got a commercial movie again,
right? Ahn Sungjae from TTO will mean that it’ll go past the break-even point at
least. Just take the number of his fans and multiply it by two. How many views is
that?”

“That’s why I’m going to rely on Sungjae this time.”

“Yeah right. You and Yang Ganghwan are both lunatics crazy for acting, aren’t you?”

“Journalist, your selection of words is too beautiful.”

“I know a lunatic when I see one. Are you surprised by my precise choice of words?”

“Fine, I lost. I shouldn’t have tried.”

Geunsoo smiled and put down the paper cup.

“But that’s not what you’re busy with. The journalist from Sharon shouldn’t be
chasing the 10 billion won scam incident, so, what are you two up to?”

“All I can say is that I’m trying to help out a junior with a just mindset. That girl is
reducing my lifespan by the second. It’s a vague problem to release to the public, but
she keeps going at it like mad. Thanks to her, only I’m having a hard time.”

“Is it something I shouldn’t know about?”

“It’s not like that, but it’s not something good to hear as you’re working in the same
pool.”
“So it’s about actors, huh? Some scandal?”

“Scandals look cute in comparison. Once dear journalist Choi Miyeon procures
evidence and witnesses, it’ll become really noisy. Well, actually, it’s likely that it’ll be
put under the bus like before. Some actors will have to leave the industry for good.”

“Sounds like a problem with sexual service?”

“Good intuition.”

“The only things of issue in this field are either sex tapes or sexual services. A female
journalist is digging into this?”

“She’s a fearless kid, that’s for sure. She doesn’t get at all that things will go really
bad if she takes the wrong step. You should know that many actor agencies also have
ties with mafia groups. There was one a while ago right? An actor who was
threatened regarding switching agencies.”

“There was.”

“The world sure has gotten scary. Before, when you talked about the mafia, they
were mostly just big burly guys who let their fists do the talking. Of course, there
were some who went around swinging sashimi knives. Anyway, it was visible
violence, right? Usually, there was no need to go as far as swinging around sharp
objects. That was why it was usually a matter of getting beaten up a couple of times.
If you get beaten, you can go to the police. Of course, there would be a few problems
after that, but at least it didn’t threaten your life.”

Dongwook smiled bitterly.

“But what about now? The thing in the mafia’s hands is not a sashimi knife but
money. You are at least better off if they have sashimi knives. At least you can try to
dodge it if you see it coming. With money, you can’t do that. You can’t see it, yet it
strangles your neck. Legally, too.”

“Do you think that actor can return to the TV media?”

“Probably not. The opposing agency is pretty big. If that agency declares that
programs would not have access to the actors in their agency if that actor showed up
on TV, who would the producer of that program listen to? People use money fairly, as
well as underhandedly. How can an individual win against that? Anyone other than a
top star wouldn’t last.”

“I’m not sure about the TV media, but it’s quite a dirty place, isn’t it?”

“It is. Advertisers are businesses while the mafia are the ones who decide which
actors go where. Actors are powerless to do anything about it. In that sense, perhaps
people like Suyeon are wise instead. At least she’s created her own net of safety.”

“Maybe. But is this different to the sexual service accident from before?”

“Take what I’m going to tell you from now on as all lies. Don’t talk about it anywhere
either.”

Geunsoo nodded.

“You know Lee Miyoon right?”

“Of course I do.”

“We’re acting under the assumption that that woman is the broker. There’s nothing I
can say for sure since all I have is circumstantial evidence, but if the things we found
out until now turn out to be true, it’ll become interesting.”

“Doesn’t sound that interesting to me.”

Geunsoo finished the remaining coffee in one go before standing up.

“Where are you going?”

“To pick up my uncute junior.”

“Junior who?”

“Maru. The director wanted to meet him.”

“The director of the film you’re about to shoot?”

“Yes.”
“Maru was cast in it as well?”

“No. He just wants to see the boy personally. Are you going to stay here longer?”

“I also have an appointment in a while. I’m going to loiter around here before I go
there though.”

“Then I’ll take my leave first. Also, if it’s dangerous, be careful out there.”

“Don’t worry about that. Unlike missy junior with a just mindset, I’m very worried
about myself. I’ll go find you for an interview not too long from now, so try to come
up with some things to talk about. I’ll write you up a good one.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be the interviewer’s job?”

“Let’s not mind that when we’re the same family. Oh yeah. What’s your relationship
with Mr. Hong Janghae?”

“Legally, I’m his son.”

“I see.”

“If that dude went around doing something, please tell me about it. I’ll tell you all I
know.”

“That escalated quickly. I’m asking because I was reminded of an interview I did with
him. You have a splendid father, eh?”

“He’s splendid, in many ways. Let me take my leave now.”

Geunsoo made a bitter smile before leaving the restaurant.

It was 2 p.m. on a Sunday. According to the schedule, Maru’s shoot should have
finished by now. Geunsoo got in his car and started it up. It should take around 30
minutes to get to the middle school where the shoot takes place.
“Are you a person from the school?”

“No. I’m here to meet producer Park Hoon who’s shooting here.”

“Ah, I see.”

The youth nodded before making way while gesturing to someone. Geunsoo parked
his car before getting off. The school parking lot had a few vans, presumably
belonging to some of the actors.

There was no one on the school field, so they were probably all shooting inside. He
walked inside the school building through the right entrance. The 1st floor was very
quiet, so he took the stairs to the 2nd floor. He started hearing voices halfway up the
stairs. It was someone’s bold voice. It seemed that the shoot was still going on.
Geunsoo walked close to the wall worried that he might interrupt them. He saw
some staff members surrounding the monitor in the corridor and in the middle of
them was producer Park Hoon. He got to know Park Hoon through director Choi
Joonggeun not too long ago. The guy who lives a tiring life and refuses all ‘requests’
from agencies - that was Joonggeun’s introduction of Park Hoon. After that, they
rarely met because they worked in different parts of the industry, but still
maintained contact.

He leaned against the wall and watched the shoot for a long time. He saw some
students absorbed in acting through the classroom window. He also saw Maru,
sitting in the corner of the classroom. It was actually quite weird to see him in
glasses.

“Okay, let’s take a break,” Park Hoon said.

The quiet corridor became noisy in an instant. The staff, who were crammed in the
narrow corridor, sighed in relief and scattered around. Geunsoo smiled at the staff
members who glanced at him as they walked past before approaching Park Hoon.

“Director.”
“Oh, you’re here. Looks like you have lost some weight since the last time I saw you.”

“I have to reduce my weight.”

“Working on something?”

“Just one.”

“A film?”

“Yes.”

“Joonggeun, that fella, always said that you’d become big one day. Do you think this
will be the piece that will make it happen?”

“Actually, I’m not that interested in popularity. If it goes well, it’s good, and if it
doesn’t, I’ll be satisfied as long as I can enjoy acting.”

“Investors wouldn’t want to hear that.”

“That’s why I’m telling you about it in a small voice.”

Park Hoon laughed in a small voice as well.

“So? What brings you here? Doesn’t look like you’re here to see me.”

“I am here to see you, on the side anyway.”

“Well, thanks for that. Coming here to see me on the side. So, why are you here?”

“To take him.”

Geunsoo pointed at Maru, who was looking at the script in his seat.

“Han Maru, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“You two know each other?”

“We belong to the same agency. He’s a junior at school before that though.”

“Gimme a sec. Where did Maru belong again?”

“JA. Of course, that makes me a JA person too.”

“Right. The kid under Lee Junmin. Is the president doing well?”

“He’s doing a little too well that it’s making us tired.”

“The people who live busily are mostly healthy. Folks like me, who move busily once
in a blue moon due to work usually die from over exhaustion. Is the president still
finding new talent?”

“I’m not so sure. He likes working by himself, but I think he meets them at least once
or twice a year. He met Maru like that too.”

“His eyes for actors are incredible. He keeps picking up gems in this vast land like
picking up rocks. If he sets his mind to it, he’ll probably take all the gems for himself.”

Geunsoo stayed quiet while Park Hoon gave out orders and just looked around. The
shooting location was filled with vitality. Lots of equipment and even more
numerous people. This was hard to see at indie movie shoots where they had a
limited budget.

Young people, who seemed to be actors, walked in front of the director. They glanced
at him, curious about who the new guy next to the director was. Geunsoo smiled and
looked at them. The people that met eyes with him greeted him awkwardly before
walking away.

“Looks like you aren’t popular at all.”

“I have no ties with dramas after all.”

“Why don’t you ask the president to get you one? With his connections, you’ll be cast
in a mini-series from the three main stations in an instant.”

“I like films for now. Before, I was a die-hard fan of plays, but ever since I shot a
movie, I fell in love with it.”
“You’re in a different league, you’re saying?”

“Don’t people value drama actors more highly these days?”

“If it is about the money, it does look like dramas will surpass film soon, but there’s a
difference in mindset that will never be overcome. Especially among actors.”

“Fortunately, I don’t have anything like that.”

“That, I know. If you were that kind of person, you’d have probably splashed drinks
at me on the day you met me with Joongjin.”

“Looks like I’ll have to be careful with my words in front of you next time. When’s
Maru’s scene going to finish?”

“I think it’ll take about an hour, give or take. Since you’re here, why don’t you take a
look around? Even if you decided to rot in the film industry for life, you won’t know
what will happen. You might end up working with me.”

“If that happens, please take care of me.”

“If it’s JA Production, I’m the one who’s thankful.”

Geunsoo accepted a cold drink from Park Hoon.

“How’s Maru?”

“He’s good. He’s a pro.”

“In what sense?”

“In the sense that he does just enough for the money he gets.”

“Hahaha.”

“I’m not saying it in a bad sense. He knows what kind of role he has. It’s not like he
doesn’t have any desires, but he doesn’t think about overdoing things so that he can
rise up. Also, it’s quite fun to see him from time to time. He’s the boss at acting.”

“Boss? What do you mean?”

Park Hoon pointed at the three people in the corner of the classroom. Maru, a boy
with a sharp-looking face, and a girl in her early twenties were sitting in a group.
Maru seemed to be at the center.

“If you keep watching them, Maru really knows how to match the others. At first, I
thought that was just his personality, but whaddya know? I found out that he’s acting
excited on purpose after I talked to him.”

Just then, laughter could be heard from the three of them. The boy with the sharp-
looking face grabbed Maru by the collar and shook him. Maru, who was grabbed,
laughed like a little prankster.

“He knows that that’s what’s good for him. To be precise, he knows that it benefits
him,” Geunsoo said.

Two years ago, Miso called him excitedly about being an acting instructor at
Woosung High and then one day called him again in an angry voice. The situation
was quite simple. A conflict occurred in the acting club, and Maru just solved it in
one go. Geunsoo asked her why it wasn’t a good thing since it was solved. When he
heard his method though, it wasn’t something to laugh about.

Maru’s ways were quite extreme. There was a quite commonly used expression that
went ‘you need an external enemy to put down internal conflict’. Maru literally
became that external enemy to extinguish the conflict within the acting club. The
people that growled at each other became of one mind and turned their hostility to
him. A boy in his 1st year of high school did not hesitate at all when breaking apart
his own personal relationships. Even adults had a hard time making right of wrong
relationships. His lack of hesitation, his choice, and his actions - Maru decided to be
the devil’s advocate, and as a result of that, the relationship between everyone else,
except him, became sturdier.

When he heard that, Geunsoo thought that it was quite like him. On the day he first
met Maru, on that rooftop, and during that get-together, he had a brief glimpse at
what was inside him. A kid who was realistically worried about an unrealistically far
future. Someone who was strangely fixed on efficiency. The fighting spirit or
recklessness usually possessed by boys around his age did not exist inside him, and
he was only thinking about how to stably gather income.

He had definitely changed a lot now compared to two years ago, but he still did not
hesitate to put himself down for the environment. Some might call it a sacrifice, but
in Geunsoo’s mind, that was definitely not it. During the acting club incident two
years ago, if Maru received practical damages as a result of his actions, Maru would
not have played the devil’s advocate. It might be a cold evaluation of him, but back
then, the acting club was perhaps just one of the ants on the road, which he could
give up at any moment without any consequences to his feelings. Of course, while the
individuals that were a part of that club might be important, the frame that was
known as the acting club was probably useless to him.

“He’s an interesting kid. He doesn’t try to look cool. He’s not doing that in order to
look good. Should I call him a natural? He’s just naturally used to doing things like
that. It's like how I smile at my president even if I don’t want to.”

“He’s a realistic kid after all. Wasn’t there a problem at the beginning of the shoot?”

“There was. The boy next to Maru is called Dongho. He has decent skills, but we
couldn’t make progress with the shoot because he froze up. I watched him and
thought about calling him out separately to talk to him about it, but Maru struck
first.”

“What did he do?”

“He shouted a bunch of swear words out the window, saying that it was vocal
exercise.”

“Oh my lord.”

“Back then, I thought he was a little weird in the head. But when I watched him, it
turned out that he’s really smart, eh? Should I say that he thinks deeply? Or that he
uses his brain in a sneaky way. Thanks to that, I grab him from time to time to talk.”

“You found a good conversation partner huh.”

“But it really feels quite weird to talk to him. Maybe I’m an idiot for complaining in
front of a high school kid when I’m over forty.”

“He’s someone who even talks to sir Yoon Moonjoong over a drink.”

“Seriously?”
“He’s one of the drinking friends that he cherishes.”

“Now I feel even more that I should get closer to him. One of my wishes was to shoot
a drama with senior Yoon too. Maybe I’ll get to talk to him if I ask him?”

“Sure, you can try. I’m not sure it’ll work on him though.”

Park Hoon laughed silently before waving his hand. Geunsoo also knew that he was
joking. He was someone who detested ‘requests’. Of course, he’d probably welcome a
light meeting to get close.

“Can I watch while you shoot?”

“Sure. It’d be even better if you can teach them. There are many cases where hidden
experts teach young disciples.”

Geunsoo shrugged before stepping back. Park Hoon looked at his watch before
telling everyone that they should start getting ready. When the staff members
around him talked into the walkie-talkie a few times, the scattered staff members
and actors all returned to the classroom.

Geunsoo found the face of someone who he wanted to avoid and quickly turned
away. However, it seemed that he couldn’t escape that woman’s field of vision.

“Geunsoo-oppa. What brings you here?”

‘She was the teacher-in-training, right.’ Seeing Suyeon wearing formal attire,
Geunsoo made an awkward smile.

“Are you here to see me?”

“You know that I’m not.”

“Acting embarrassed, are you? How cute.”

“Why don’t you trust me?”

Suyeon smiled before leaning forward towards his face. Geunsoo became slightly
flustered and took a step back. He could get back at her if she used words, but he was
defenseless if she attacked him physically like this.
“What a pity. If there weren’t any eyes around, I would’ve left a hickey.”

"Phew……”

"I’m happy that I'm getting to know your weaknesses, Geunsoo-oppa. But what really
brings you here? Are you here for me? Or is it for him?"

Suyeon pointed at Maru. Geunsoo nodded.

"How cruel. You came to meet a boy instead of a cute girl like me."

“I get it so get going already. The shoot must be starting soon."

"They're still getting ready."

"Then go check your script or something."

“I can recite everything, including other people’s lines without a single mistake.”

Geunsoo sighed in a small voice. It was easier to deal with her when he completely
ignored her before, but now that they had gotten a little closer, he felt like she was
leading him by the nose. Not to make excuses, but at times like these, he regretted
not dating because he was busy. He honestly didn’t know how to deal with women
like her.

“You’ll hate me if I tease you too much, so I’ll let you off here. Then, see you later.”

Suyeon waved her hand and walked into the classroom. Geunsoo tried to put on a
poker face in order to endure the gazes of the staff who looked at him with weird
gazes. He then met eyes with Maru inside the classroom, and Maru smiled as though
he understood everything.

‘I suddenly feel exhausted.’

Geunsoo crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

It was time to remind himself of the scariness of creatures known as women.

“Who’s the person next to the director? They seem close,” Joomin tilted her head as
she said that.

“A person from the TV station, probably. Rather than that, noona, let’s try the lines
over here,” Dongho said while picking up the script.

Joomin, who was looking at the director, turned her attention to the script.

“You two can do it by yourself for now. I need to send a text.”

Maru leaned back in the chair and started typing. After sending the text, he got a
reply soon. It was from Geunsoo.

-Don’t worry about me and just focus on the shoot.

Maru put his phone in his pocket and joined in the read-through. In the middle of
their practice, Joomin suddenly interrupted.

“To think that the episode after the one about first love is about bullying, huh. That
changed quickly.”

“Maybe it’s to show that it’s not a sweet youth love story. But noona, who’s going to
be the bullied kid?”

“I’m not sure. Apparently, they’re a one-off character for episode 15.”

“I wonder who it is.”

“Don’t you think it’s likely that they’re going to bring someone from an academy?”

Maru listened to the conversation between Dongho and Joomin as he scanned his
script. As the scene wasn’t that long, there was no room for mistakes. If the shoot
progressed without a hitch, it would end in around 30 minutes.

“Maru, don’t you know something?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

Joomin looked at him expectantly. Dongho was the same.

“I don’t know anything either.”

“Really? I thought you of all people would know something.”

“How would I know anything about the drama’s production schedule?”

“You talk to the director from time to time, don’t you? Weren’t you talking about the
drama?”

“No, it’d be tiring to talk about work during breaks. The director is human too.”

“Then what do you talk about? From what I saw last time, you talked for quite a long
time over a cup of coffee.”

“Just about this and that. Fishing, real estate, hidden good restaurants, and stuff like
that. We just talk about what’s going on in the world.”

“Really?”

“Don’t think that the director is hard to handle. He only acted scary in order to scold
us a bit. He’s a soft man at heart.”

At that moment, they saw director Park Hoon shout at the assistant director. Joomin
and Dongho narrowed their eyes and looked at Maru.

“He’s only like that to the assistant director. You know the saying that goes: a lion
pushes its cubs off the cliff to raise them strong.”

“I still find it hard to talk to him. Of course, I’m sure that he’s a good person since he
listens to us a lot.”

“He’s a superior in terms of work after all. It can’t be helped. It’s not like he’s
someone who would push you away just because you approach him though, so if you
want to talk to him, try buying him a cup of coffee. He’ll ask what’s up.”
Maru looked at Joomin after saying those words. Joomin nodded in understanding.

“Hey, hey. There they are,” Dongho said as he tapped on Maru’s shoulder.

Maru turned his gaze to where Dongho was pointing. While the shoot was on a small
break, some people came from YBS. It was the reporter and shooting team of the
main program for YBS’s entertainment channel ‘The Entertainment Show.’

“It’s Nam Joongyeon,” Dongho said.

Maru remembered that man as well. When he was shooting ‘The Witness’ a while
back, he came to the set. He found out then that he was one of the crucial reporters
in ‘The Entertainment Show’. Joongyeon, wearing a casual suit, was interviewing the
3 main characters of New Semester.

To the left was Ahn Yeseul, the main-main character, and next to her was Kang
Giwoo, followed by Park Jichan. The shooting staff for New Semester had left the
scene temporarily so as to not disrupt them.

“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Joomin said, resting her chin on her hands.

“They’re probably being asked why the drama is performing well and stuff like that.
Ah, I wonder why we don’t have any interviews. Those three look like they’re doing a
lot,” Dongho complained.

It had been nearly two months since New Semester went on air. It showed a steady
increase in viewing rate until the 4th episode, which was aired on the last week of
March, and at the start of April, the viewing rate surpassed ‘Youth Generation’ which
was aired by RBS. These two dramas were similar in the sense that they centered
around a girl, but Youth Generation focused on looking into the girl’s heart, while
New Semester focused on provoking sympathy by talking about many different
topics.

To resolve the conflict between generations. These were the words from writer Lee
Hanmi, who was in charge of the script for New Semester. Her starting point seemed
to have been finding something the two generations could sympathize on. Perhaps
thanks to that, New Semester received good reviews from both the student
demographic as well as the parent demographic.

‘There are many people who state that they’re parents on the forums after all.’
It was natural for a TV company to promote their own drama when it was doing well.
The fact that Nam Joongyeon was here proved that those three were popular.

“I want to do the interview too.”

“Go and ask if you can join,” Maru said.

Dongho snorted.

“Don’t you think they would call us?”

Joomin looked at the shooting team for The Entertainment Show, slightly expectant.
Maru thought that there was a possibility. It wasn’t anything special, but they would
definitely go on the program as a ‘no-name actor’ who shouts ‘Fighting!’[1] at the end
with a group photo. Whether that could be called an interview was a different
question.

“I think it’s almost over now.”

Maru saw Joongyeon stand next to the three actors. It seemed that he was about to
finish the shoot with a closing comment. Some people from The Entertainment Show
team talked with Park Hoon. Something along the lines of a ‘thank you for your
cooperation’ conversation was probably going on between them.

“Actors, please come here.”

A staff member from The Entertainment Show team called the rest of the actors.
Joomin and Dongho stood up excitedly. Even Okseon, who had been sitting down
quietly this whole time, combed her hair before walking over to the main actors.
Maru put on the glasses that he had taken off. From the way they were called as a
group, it was definitely not an interview.

“Stand here, here and here. Can you bend your knees just a little? Yes, yes. That looks
good.”

The three main characters stood at the front while the four supporting characters
stood behind them. Maru looked at Dongho and Joomin through the corner of his
eyes. They looked slightly disappointed, but they soon smiled and raised their fists in
the air.
“Well, then. Once I give you the signal, shout ‘New Semester, fighting!’. Follow that
with ‘Give us lots of love!’ with Energy, okay?”

They shouted fighting at the cameraman’s signal.

“That was good. Thank you all.”

That was it. Maru yawned slightly before returning to the classroom.

“They should’ve let us talk a bit as well.”

“I looked forward to it too. What a pity.”

The two lied down on the desk as they spoke. Maru patted both of them on the back.

“Looks like Suyeon-seonbae gets an interview of her own.”

Maru saw the team from The Entertainment Show switch places, taking Suyeon with
them since she didn’t appear in the next part. It seemed that her interview was going
to be on the show to show a contrast between her and the child actors. The noisy
shooting location became quiet again. The staff, who were resting, returned to their
places and started preparing for the shoot.

“It would’ve been good if everyone could do it. Now, I’m feeling sorry.”

Giwoo said that as he approached. Joomin waved her hand and said that that wasn’t
true.

“Noona, I’ll try telling them next time. That they should interview us together.”

“Don’t push it. They have their own circumstances. It’s only right that the main
characters do the interview,” Joomin said as she looked at Giwoo.

Giwoo made an apologetic expression.

“Dongho, when they come for an interview next time, I’ll try to sneak you in there.”

“Hey, hey. You’ll get scolded.”

“You never know. They might let us go thinking that we’re cute. You have a good
sense of humor after all. Once people find out, they would definitely approach you
for an interview first.”

“Well, I do have a good sense of humor.”

“I hope that we can do the interview together next time.”

“True.”

Giwoo’s eyes headed towards Maru. Maru smiled and just looked back. Giwoo faintly
smiled without saying anything before turning around.

“Giwoo has good eyes.”

Maru just smiled at Dongho, who shrugged. Just when they were planning to prepare
for the shoot after talking, Maru met eyes with Okseon, who was sitting at a table far
away. Okseon flinched before turning her head around.

“Did you two get into a fight?” Joomin asked worriedly.

It seemed that she saw that just now.

“I kinda let my tongue slip in front of her.”

“You should get that resolved quickly.”

“Yes, noona, I will do that. Okseon is a good girl so she should accept my apology.”

“Yeah, she probably would. Oh, yeah. I didn’t talk about it last time, right? I asked
Okseon if she would eat dinner with us like you told me, and she accepted for the
first time.”

“Thanks to that, I had an unpleasant time eating. Okseon, that kid doesn’t say a word,
and Joomin-noona had to keep talking.”

Dongho sighed.

“But it was quite unexpected, you know?”

“What was?”
“Okseon didn’t say much back then, but everything she did talk about was related to
you. I thought that she might be interested in you or something, but from the looks of
it, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Maybe she has a hard time dealing with you.”

Maru nodded before giving Okseon a glance. He couldn’t see her expression since she
had her head turned away, but Maru could imagine what she felt. She probably asked
how Maru acted normally. She probably tried to find out what kind of person Maru
was, and the replies that Dongho and Joomin gave her probably made her feel even
more chaotic.

“Actors, please get ready.”

They returned to their seats when a staff member made the announcement. Maru
put the script inside the desk drawers before walking over to Okseon.

“Let’s not concern ourselves with each other so much. I didn’t do anything wrong to
you, did I?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“So, did you decide to talk to Giwoo about it?”

“No, I thought it would be better if I improved myself.”

“If you did, then I guess that’s that taken care of. Let’s get along together in the
future, okay? As coworkers.”

He lightly waved at Okseon before sitting down. He felt Okseon’s gaze but did not
bother looking back. She was a smart kid, so she should have understood the
meaning behind his words. She probably wouldn’t see him again with a stiff
expression again.

“Did you apologize?” Joomin asked with a bright smile.

“Yes, noona,” Maru replied.

***

“If it’s about JA Production, I guess I can’t leave out talking about president Lee
Junmin.”
“This is why being a part of JA is sometimes quite pressuring. They always talk about
the president.”

“Haha, we can’t help it. He’s one of the few agency CEOs who is getting a lot of
attention from the public. Everyone that went through his hands became high class
actors, so we can’t help it.”

“Hm, does that make me one of the high class actors as well?”

“You always were, Miss Suyeon.”

“Really? Looks like I should thank the president.”

Nam Joongyeon flipped over a page.

“Mr. Yoo Sooil, who’s been getting a lot of attention recently, also belongs to JA,
doesn’t he?”

“Yes. You can look forward to his future.”

“That same person recently revealed that you acted incredibly badly when drunk in
an interview with another media. There’s even a rumor that you cry in a cute way.”

“I do? Oh, how embarrassing. I’m not good at drinking. I just drink to go with the
flow, and I believed that I didn’t have any bad drunk habits until now. I wonder why
no one told me about it.”

“Maybe it was because you were cute.”

Suyeon covered her mouth and laughed before slapping Joongyeon’s arm lightly.

“But that might be Sooil’s lie. Sooil still can’t drink because he’s a minor.”

“He testified that he heard about it from another senior actor.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Actually, we have a voice recording of Miss Suyoen’s cute drunk speech. I will play
this for a brief moment during the broadcast.”
“Please don’t. It’s really embarrassing.”

“Misters, pay attention. It will only last a brief moment.”

Joongyeon flipped over the page after that. Suyeon raised her hand slightly.

“Please wait.”

“Ah, yes. Miss Suyeon.”

“I’m a bit thirsty.”

Suyeon drank some water. Forcefully smiling was definitely taxing. She knew that
only a few seconds of this long interview would show up in the actual program, but
she had to act as a cheerful and bright actress since she wanted that brief moment to
last as long as possible.

“Sorry about that. Please continue.”

“Okay, then I’ll start where we left off.”

Obvious questions came after that. She barely held herself back from yawning, and
the interview eventually ended. It was an interview in name only. Since they
interviewed a bunch of kids who weren’t good with words, they probably lacked
content for editing and seemed to have decided to fill up the rest with this interview.

“Thank you for the interview.”

“Thank you too.”

She felt tired. Suyeon stood up before walking over to the classroom next door,
where the shoot was in progress. It was a short scene, so it should have finished by
now. Just as she had expected, they were cleaning up and getting ready to move.

“I wonder where my darling Mr. Geunsoo has gone.”

He was definitely someone who would leave without saying his goodbyes. She
yawned slightly and leaned against the wall. Just then, Nam Joongyeon, who followed
her out of the classroom, looked inside before walking in. She wondered who he was
going to. Breaking her expectation that he would go to one of the main actors, the
person Joongyeon stopped in front of was Maru, who was getting ready to go home
after the shoot. With her curiosity piqued, Suyeon quietly walked inside the
classroom.

“I was right. I was a little confused because you were wearing glasses, but you saw
me in The Witness, didn’t you?”

Those were Nam Joongyeon’s words.

[1] The Korean shout. It’s to wish good luck to the team and the work in this case.
Nam Joongyeon had a good memory. His colleagues even called him the
memorization king. There were a lot of cases where he benefited from his good
memory, and many of the people around him said that they were envious of his
innate talent, but in actuality, this memory wasn’t something he was born with.
When he was young, he was very forgetful to the point that he was nicknamed a
traffic light[1].

The event that triggered his memory to become good was when he started his work
as a reporter. He worked in a limited ecosystem known as the entertainment
industry, but there were still an uncountable amount of people who worked in that
industry. After trial and error, Joongyeon realized that a good memory was the most
important thing when it came to living as a reporter.

There wasn’t a more incompetent interview than one where the same question was
repeated. The important questions had to be repeated, but the interviewer’s job was
to include other questions so that the interviewee stayed interested in the interview.

Joongyeon studied other people when he started working at this job. At the same
time, he always looked at the previous interviews of the person he was about to
interview and summarized them. He memorized the things he summarized in the car
so that he wouldn’t have to look at the interview sheet during the interview as much
as possible, and after repeatedly doing that, he reached a level where he could
clearly remember things with a single glance.

As a result of his efforts, he became the main reporter for ‘The Entertainment Show’,
one of the most popular programs on YBS, for 13 years.

However, he started losing passion for his work and fell into mannerism lately. The
entertainment industry, which he thought to be a wide world, felt like a cramped
aquarium after spending 13 years in it. The faces he saw did not change. His corner
of the program ‘Star On The Field’, was about showing the figure of professional
actors during work, so he rarely had any opportunities to meet a new face. He
regained some of his energy when the industry was swept by a ‘wave of change’ and
a bunch of child actors became popular, but most of the time, he was talking to close
acquaintances about obvious things, so he didn’t feel energetic at all.

He could go about interviewing new actors when they were just gaining popularity
with pleasure, but once that repeated itself, the new actors would avoid interviews
as well. Interviews did take place during programs so the actors could promote their
work, but otherwise, interviews did not happen that much.

Of course, ‘Star On The Field’ was one of the main sub-programs of a program that
was really popular, and thanks to that, Joongyeon was able to meet with many of the
popular actors and actresses in the country.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons he lost interest.

The so-called ‘high-class actors’ would become experts at interviews whether they
liked it or not. When they were asked difficult questions, they would pause the
interview on the spot and openly ask that it be edited out. To prevent such events,
the interviewer would tell the interviewee beforehand about the questions being
asked, and as a result of that, the interview would become bland. Obvious questions
and obvious answers. As a reporter, he would try all sorts of things to make the
atmosphere more friendly, but the interview itself would feel dry since the questions
had zero nutrition. The memorization skills he had painstakingly acquired had
recently become useless as well. What good was extra information when the
interview questions were known beforehand? He actually had more fun working
with fresh actors who made all sorts of mistakes during the interview. Back then, he
had a reason to put an effort in, as well as an objective he wanted to achieve, but
none of that existed nowadays.

Moreover, actors had gained a lot of power lately, surpassing industry people. This
was thanks to the internet. Before, it would mean the end for an actor’s life if an
industry personnel cut them off. As the entire TV industry was in cahoots with each
other, being abandoned by one place meant being abandoned by all. The TV stations
ruled with supreme power over actors and agencies with their right to cast, but the
game had changed recently. The moment they tried to control an actor to make them
abide by their will, the mass media would rise up. This could be seen from the slave
contract incident that happened not too long ago. The celebrity had gained power
from the masses through the internet and won against his agency, which was
considered impossible until now. We want to watch this person, who are you to stop
them? - That was what the masses said.
Actors were the same. On top of that, a whole new market, known as Japan, had
appeared, further solidifying the position of the actors. Now, it had become
commonplace to delay the entire schedule for a drama in order to scout one actor.
There were actors that the director and the writer would have to look good in front
of. That was enough to see how high actors’ statuses have become.

He had to do interviews with such actors. If he was acquainted with the interviewee,
it would be a lot easier, but in the case of actors who couldn’t be bothered with
interviews, his whole day would become a nightmare. The more arrogant actors
would sometimes overhaul the whole question sheet before the interview. At first,
his pride fell rock bottom when such a thing happened, but now, he felt nothing. This
was why mannerism was scary. It made his emotions dull.

His interview with Suyeon was like that as well. Since he worked at his job for a long
time, he could faintly tell what the actor was thinking about. He had gotten tired of
imbuing vitality into actors who just did the interview out of duty. If the opponent
was smiling out of formality, Joongyeon did not ask sudden unexpected questions.
He just did the interview like a play with a plot that was already set in stone.

However, he sometimes met actors who reminded him of his old days when he just
joined the industry. The interesting people who gave interesting, and sometimes
unexpected, answers to his questions.

Joongyeon looked at Han Maru, who sat in front of him. He remembered the
conversation he had with this boy when they first met. It was on the shooting set for
the drama ‘The Witness’, and back then, Joongyeon was exhausted thanks to
Joohyun, who acted cold throughout the whole interview. When he heard the
production team suggest that they should take an interview from another person to
finish things off, Joongyeon held up the microphone to one of the waiting minor
actors who happened to be Maru. The question he asked back then was still vivid in
his mind. Why are you trying to become an actor? Without hesitation, Maru replied
‘to earn money’ to that question.

It was incredibly fresh. New actors these days made their debuts after undergoing
meticulous teaching. It had become incredibly rare to be casted from the streets,
debut through some magazine and somehow end up on TV.

The new people that entered the industry after being taught everything had terrible
answers. Their answers were so boring that it made him wonder if they were new to
the industry or veterans of several wars. This was thanks to the education on how to
act during an interview, taught by many academies and agencies. Joongyeon felt
bitter whenever he heard answers that talked about half-assed acting theories, and
answers that started with ‘I respect this person and that person’. He reached a point
where he could discern the agency of the actor he was interviewing based on the
answers. Each agency had fixed answers to fixed questions.

He admitted that it was hard for half-assed new people to survive since the eyes of
the masses had become much more picky. He understood that agencies prepared
their actors meticulously before their debut for the purpose of stability. However,
since ‘ordinariness’ was everywhere, the fun disappeared. The unease and
nervousness that new people showed in interviews, as well as some smart answers
and fresh ideas had become a thing of the past.

In such a situation, a simple answer like ‘to earn money’ had the power to make him
laugh. Yes. Rather than boring, being blatant was much better. He finished the
interview thinking that the boy was an interesting fellow.

Of course, if Maru’s impression on him was just that, even his good memory would
not remember the three syllables Han Maru. What engraved that name into his
memory was when he watched the shoot after the interview.

Even until the moment the boy who did the interesting interview with him sat in
front of Joohyun, all Joongyeon was thinking about was to go home and rest after the
shoot. However, the acting that unfolded after the director’s cue sign was enough to
stop his thoughts there.

Ahn Joohyun. Her acting skills were well-known, along with her cold - or perhaps
even offensive - attitude towards the people from the media. An actress who did
short plays, films, and even mini-series dramas. Another step forward, and she
would join the ranks of top-tier actresses. Her acting skills didn’t need mentioning. A
detective act that made his heart race despite knowing that she was acting. The
reason she was loved by the media despite her hatred for it, was probably thanks to
her fantastic acting skills.

Now that was understandable. After all, her acting was being praised to the point
that she was solely responsible for the drama’s popularity.

What surprised him was Han Maru’s acting. Maybe that’s what it would look like to
set free a wild dog that had been starving for days. When he heard from the director
that Maru’s role was a young assassin raised solely to kill, Joongyeon subconsciously
nodded. It was just as he said. The Maru inside that interrogation room looked like a
beast who had nothing left but primal instincts. It even made him worried that he
was being epileptic when the boy kept convulsing while growling. The shooting
location fell into deep silence. Many of the staff members watched the two acting to
the point that they looked like they forgot to breathe.

A wild, violent act.

It eventually reached the peak, and chaos ensued. Maru treated his body roughly to
the point that it made Joongyeon worry that Maru might get a cerebral hemorrhage.
The fact that his two arms were tied didn’t look like it was for show; it looked like it
was truly there to restrain a lunatic. Joohyun was incredible as well. She treated
Maru like how a hunter would treat prey.

If either one of them was awkward, that kind of act would not have formed. A
rampaging beast without a hunter, and a hunter without a prey. Both scenarios
would look awkward after all. It was an act that charmed him. Seeing the incredible
act from the two, Joongyeon almost forgot that they were in a shoot and almost
ended up clapping.

A rather crazy child actor who does not treat his body with care.

The fresh new actor gave him such an impression.

“Do you remember me?”

“Yes, I do,” Maru replied, standing in front of him.

“I don’t remember you wearing glasses.”

“These don’t have any strength.”

“Are you wearing it because of your role?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, still, I never knew I’d see you like this. A lot of people end up quitting early, so
it’s hard to see new people more than once.”
“I haven’t earned enough money to be satisfied yet. I will cling to it like my life
depends on it until my wallet becomes thick enough.”

“Haha, yes. You should. Cling to it like your life depends on it.”

Joongyeon reached out to Maru.

“I hope we meet as interview partners next time. I feel like I will get a lot of
interesting answers from you.”

“I don’t mind even if you do it right now.”

“Right now, you aren’t at the right level.”

“It’s like that after all, huh.”

“If your acting that I saw back then is truly your skill, I feel like I’d see you again
quite soon, but I guess it’d be hard for you to display your skills in a drama like this.”

Joongyeon grabbed Maru’s hand tightly before letting go.

“See you next time. I hope all of you grow up quickly and get to do an interview with
me.”

Joongyeon waved at the child actors before turning around. He wondered how many
of them would survive in this field and receive love from the masses. Actually, he
wasn’t that interested in who survived and who didn’t, but if there was something he
did want, it was that the ones that survived weren’t the ones who feel ‘mass-
produced’. This was due to the fact that all the people he worked with had zero
personality during his work.

“Hyung-nim, let’s go to the next location.”

Joongyeon went down the stairs while putting his arm over the producer’s
shoulders.

[1] Because ‘flash, and it’s gone’.

“Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye to Suyeon-noona? She’ll definitely put it
in her heart, you know?”

Maru said that as he put his seatbelt on. Geunsoo replied that he said goodbye to her
in his heart.

“I saw that you seemed to be acquainted with Mr. Nam Joongyeon.”

“I was surprised as well. I only saw him once before, but he remembered me.”

“It’s a good thing that a reporter remembers you.”

Geunsoo started driving. The pile of papers on top of the dashboard started shaking.
It seemed to be a script.

“You can have a look. It won’t be a problem as long as you don’t talk about it
elsewhere,” Geunsoo said.

Maru nodded and opened the script. On the cover was the word ‘Detective’ in a
simple font.

“The title of the movie is ‘Detective’?”

“No, that’s the project name. The title hasn’t been decided yet.”

“So sometimes you shoot before the title is even decided, huh.”

“In the pre-production stage, usually a project name or a tentative title is used. It’s
mostly like that for security. That’s why there are times when actors show up to an
audition not knowing what the title is.”

“Doesn’t it help with promotion to reveal it early?”

“They’re being cautious because the project might not see through to the end.”
The car entered an 8 lane road. Considering that it was Sunday, there was little
traffic. Getting caught by a single traffic light might make them as slow as a snail
though.

Maru flipped over the cover and had a look at the contents. Traces of editing and
some notes left by Geunsoo could be seen. The story was about corrupt policemen
just like he heard at the restaurant last time. A policeman who was acknowledged for
his skills at a young age and was promoted quickly, one day witnesses the corruption
of his superior. A detective filled with righteousness would persuade his superior or
report the crime, but the character Geunsoo played used that event to threaten his
superior to go up even further. Another policeman, played by Sungjae, also witnesses
it and tries to get his respected senior back on the right path, but in the end, he too
becomes a corrupt policeman and puts all the events under the rug.

“Hyung-nim, you die in the last part, huh?”

“It’s a simple case of evil being punished.”

“But the remaining Sungjae-hyung is also evil.”

“Without a witness, a villain is a hero.”

“I wonder what real policemen would think when they watch this movie. They must
think that it’s absurd, right?”

“That’s actually based on a real event.”

“A real event?”

“There are some changes, but apparently, it’s almost all real. It should be interesting.
I’ve always wanted to play a charming man with a hint of lunacy.”

“If you think about it, you died in Twilight Struggles as well so perhaps you are quite
fated with dying characters.”

“Now that you mention it, it's true.”

Maru closed the script and put it back on top of the dashboard. The trend in film
these days was plot twists. There probably wasn’t a movie pamphlet that did not
include the word ‘twist’ among the ones displayed in cinemas. Even family movies
contained plot twists these days. Perhaps thanks to that, plot twists, which were a
sign of fresh things, had become rather old-fashioned recently. In that sense, he
thought that this script was pretty interesting. The story progressed without any
sudden reversals. The story ended with the smaller evil being engulfed by the bigger
evil, and there wasn’t anything that was hidden in that process. He didn’t know how
the director was going to play this out, but according to the script at least, it was a
pretty simple movie where the audience could just follow the characters on the
surface. He was reminded of director Park Joongjin’s ‘Those Guys’ that he watched
before. Perhaps the film industry was moving on from the boring plot twists trend.

“I’ll say this beforehand, the director for this film is quite peculiar.”

“I kinda noticed when he wanted to see a badass delinquent.”

Geunsoo then said that he wasn’t as peculiar as Maru. Maru stared at Geunsoo.

“What?”

“I believed myself to be an extremely normal person living a normal life.”

“What you believe and what actually is might be different.”

“I’m not peculiar.”

“Sure you aren’t.”

Geunsoo turned the wheel. The car entered a residential area. Going past the
dominos of buildings on either side, they were met by a rather weak-looking bridge,
as well as a 3-story building that towered above the others. Geunsoo stopped the car
in front of that building.

Getting out of the car, the first thing Maru saw was a standing sign that said ‘Coffee of
the day’. A pastel drawing of coffee, bread, and cats looked quite cute. He raised his
head to look at the signboard above the sunshade. ‘Cat & Coffee’. It couldn’t be
simpler.

He saw some people sitting down with laptops through the glass window. Next to
them were some cats. Tired-looking cats and coffee-drinking people. It was literally
just ‘cat & coffee’.
He followed Geunsoo inside. A woman in her thirties faintly smiled and welcomed
them.

“You’re here.”

“Ah, ma’am. Where’s hyung-nim?”

Geunsoo seemed to know her. The lady, who was reading a book behind the counter,
pointed above. Geunsoo nodded and walked towards the stairs.

“She’s the wife of the director you’re about to see.”

“Ah, I see.”

There were photo frames along the wall of the staircase. They were small - about two
hand-widths wide - and they were all focused on cats. There were standalone photos
of cats and some photos where a person was hugging them. Just as he thought that
this was a cafe where cats were the alpha and the omega, there was one photo that
caught his eyes.

A lady was hugging three puppies. Maru wasn’t knowledgeable about breeds of dogs,
but he did know the breed of those dogs with vicious-looking faces - bulldogs. The
lady, who was hugging three little bulldogs in her arms, had the happiest smile in the
world. Perhaps because he saw some dogs in a world of cats, Maru stood there and
appreciated that photo for a while.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Going past the photo with the lady, Maru arrived on the 2nd floor and could see a cat
that had come right by his feet. It was a spotty one and it didn’t seem to be wary
around strangers. Although he didn’t have any experience raising pets before, he
wanted to touch this docile-looking cat.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Just then, he heard a voice. It was from the table by the window. At the same time, he
felt something prick his hand. The spotty cat scratched him with its claws. He looked
at the cat which turned around in a haughty manner. It seemed that he wouldn’t be
able to get close to that one.

“That one’s pretty sensitive. He always attacks when a stranger reaches out to him.
So you need to suck up to him a little.”

The man that approached him gave him a square object. It was some kind of item
packed in a plastic bag with a picture of a cat on it.

“If you give it that snack, you can touch it once.”

Maru followed the man’s words. He ripped open the packaging and took out the
snack. It was some kind of squishy jelly, and it smelled pretty good. It was similar to a
strawberry smell. He put it on his palm and approached the spotty cat. The one that
peeked out from the corner raised its tail and ran towards him. Maru flinched at first
since he thought he was going to get attacked again, but the cat just quickly snatched
away the snack from his hand.

“Now you can touch it.”

Hearing the man’s words, Maru reached out. He couldn’t believe that this was the
same cat as the one that scratched him.

“They’re pretty sneaky.”

“It won’t attack me again, right?”

“It’s fine while he’s still eating. Well, after that, you’ll become a stranger to him again,
so watch out.”

Maru stroked the cat’s hair and turned around to see the man. The round silver
glasses entered his eyes first, and after that, he saw the rough-looking beard. As for
his age, he seemed to be in his late thirties. Unlike his messy beard, his hair was
quite neat. As for his stature, he was neither big nor small. He seemed to be around
the Korean average.

“Han Maru, right? I told Geunsoo to bring you here because I wanted to see you
once.”

The man reached out to him. Maru shook hands with him.
“Han Maru, sir.”

“Have you heard about my name?”

“I heard that you were director Lee Jincheol.”

Geunsoo, who was listening from the side, blinked his eyes in confusion.

“Did I tell you that?”

“Sungjae-hyung did.”

Geunsoo smiled in understanding.

“Now that I look at you like this, you look like a normal man. I thought you’d have
some more… mad elements in you.”

“I’m an ordinary student.”

He sat down when Lee Jincheol offered him a seat. Just then, Jincheol’s wife, who was
watching the counter on the first floor, came up with some drinks.

“Thanks.”

“The three of you aren’t going out or anything, right?”

“My wife, I’ll obediently stay at home today so don’t worry.”

“You always say that.”

The married couple lightly kissed after that. Maru was rather taken aback by the
events that unfolded out in front of him as he was drinking.

“We’re still newlyweds,” Jincheol said.

“Hyung-nim. I never knew you could be a newlywed when you have three kids.”

Geunsoo shook his head in resignation.

He was definitely peculiar, alright. Maru put down his cup on the table.
“Well then. Shall I hear your opinion about this store?”

“It’s an interesting store.”

“In what sense?”

“That there are cats mixed amongst the people.”

“Looks like this is your first time at a cat cafe, huh.”

“Yes. It is.”

“Good, then one more thing. Do you like cats or dogs better?”

“I don’t particularly like either of them.”

“Then try to like cats. Cats are definitely better than dogs.”

Just then, he was reminded of Junmin, who was a dog-lover. He thought about what
would happen if he put those two together.

“The president of your company would be a better man if he raised some cats.”

Maru felt like this man knew what he was thinking. Maru smiled awkwardly before
drinking a sip.

“Honey, come here for a moment.”

He heard a voice from downstairs. Jincheol told them to wait before going down the
stairs.

“Is he acquainted with the president?”

“Yeah. Though, Junmin-seonbae is trying to avoid him since he tells him to raise cats
every time they meet.”

“So even the almighty president has someone who he has a hard time dealing with.”

“I told you he was peculiar.”

“Does he direct films on top of managing this store?”

Hearing that question, Geunsoo shook his head.

“He doesn’t manage the store. This building belongs to him. So ‘manage’ doesn’t
really fit the situation. He doesn’t care whether it’s profitable or not.”

“…The building belongs to the director?”

“Why? You thought the director of an indie movie would be poor?”

Maru subconsciously nodded. A director of an indie film that Geunsoo had known for
a long time. Since indie movies were called such because of their independence from
capital, the profits would be low, so he thought that the director wouldn’t be that
wealthy. But it turned out that he owned a building.

“Director Lee… sorry, I’m kinda used to calling him that. Anyway, that hyung-nim’s
passion for film is not ordinary. He never took it as a hobby. He’s always serious as
though his life is on the line. It’s just that his wallet is pretty thick.”

“I’m starting to get confused by the definition of indie films.”

“It can be called an indie film in the sense that one hundred percent of the creator’s
wishes are reflected in it. Also, that hyung-nim always uses the budget tightly. Just
because he has a lot of money doesn’t mean that the shooting environment is good.
He’s quite meticulous when it comes to things like that.”

“For now, I get that he’s not shooting a film because he’s short on money. Oh, but I
heard that this film was a commercial one.”

“Because we got investors. Both that hyung-nim and I are charmed by indie films,
but that doesn’t mean we despise commercial movies. Who would hate movies with
lots of airing cinemas?”

Geunsoo smiled and picked up his cup.

Maru turned around to look at the cafe. Arts activities when he was well-off, huh.
Considering that art historically used to be something unique to the high-class, it
wasn’t so strange that the director was wealthy. Perhaps he had a bias towards indie
films for being ‘minor’.
“Why would he want to see me?”

“I don’t know. There might not be a big reason for it, so don’t think about it so
deeply.”

Just then, the spotty cat walked over from the corner and sat down on Maru’s thighs.
Maru laughed in vain when he saw the cat boldly claim his thighs as his.

“Ooh, Picky approached you first, how rare. Looks like he’s taken a liking to you.”

Jincheol said those words when he returned.

“So his name is Picky, huh.”

Maru reached out and tried to touch the cat. However, just as his hand was about to
touch its head, Maru had to pull his hand back quickly. The cat was glaring at him
and was clearly telling him that it would scratch him if he tried to do what he was
about to do.

“Congratulations on becoming his exclusive chair,” Jincheol said while laughing.

“Have you two eaten yet? I haven’t had my lunch yet. Why don’t we eat some
lunch/dinner?”

“I’m good with that.”

“I’m hungry, so let’s eat.”

Jincheol made a circle with his fingers.

“Good. I’ll go buy some things to eat, so play around with the others here.”

Maru looked at Jincehol who went off before looking at the cat on his thighs while
sighing. The cat was yawning.

“You have it good.”

Meow - the cat meowed in a low voice.

“It has only been two years since you started acting?”

“It’s my third year, but if you only count the time I’ve properly gotten into acting, I
don’t think it has even been a year.”

“Yet you can put on a delinquent act of that level. Are you good at punching at school
or something? Did it feel that realistic because it was based on reality?”

“I’m on the side of getting hit, not the one doing the hitting.”

“Hey, hey. Guys like that scare me the most. You know, in movies, they’re always the
ones that stab you in the back in the end.”

“No way.”

Jincheol giggled.

Maru took a bite out of the sandwich. Jincheol had brought back some sandwiches
when he went to get some food. He made a joke that went like ‘I bought it from my
wife’ or something, but Maru stayed expressionless thinking that there wouldn’t be
an end to his jokes if he reacted. Of course, it was completely ineffective. Jincheol’s
awful jokes continued regardless.

“Did you know? Cats live in cat-hedrals.”

The pun came out of nowhere, but Maru did not bat an eyelid. Jincheol kept
signalling him to laugh.

“The sandwich is good.”

“And a cat’s favorite movie is The Sound of Mew-sic.”

“The madam’s cooking skills are really good. I would come here more often if this
place wasn’t so far from where I live. What a pity.”
“Plus, looking at a cat makes you feel purr-fect.”

“I should buy some for myself when I leave. This bread with the black sesame seeds
especially. I have similar tastes as my family, so I’m sure everyone will like it if I take
some home. It’s really a pity that it’s so far away.”

He munched on the sandwich as he looked at Jincheol. After groaning while stroking

his beard, he took off his glasses and stroked his face.

“Geunsoo. This guy is way too dry. He could laugh at least once.”

“Don’t you like him because he’s the lunatic you thought he is?”

“There are different levels to lunatics, and this one is on the higher side. Normally,
people would laugh out of courtesy at least, but this kid is way too cold even though
it hasn’t even been an hour since we have met.”

“Rather than cold, it looks like he understood how he should handle you.”

“He won’t talk about cats with me. What a disappointment.”

After grumbling, Jincheol picked up a cat that was rolling around on the floor. The cat
purred for a while before falling asleep.

How interesting - Maru thought as he wiped his hands with some napkins. The cat in
Jincheol’s arms looked extremely sensitive. It acted even more violently than the
spotty one, so he didn’t even think about touching it, but that cat was sleeping like a
baby in Jincheol’s arms. Do cats know their owners as well?

“It’s because cats are territorial animals. They are pretty generous to the things they
got used to seeing in their territory. To this guy, I’m probably something like ‘human
1 that feeds me’. That’s why it doesn’t put up its guard around me. It doesn’t act cute,
but that’s one of a cat’s charms. Bad kitty.”

After tickling the sleeping cat’s head, Jincheol said ouch before grimacing. The cat
had woke up and bit him. The cat then jumped down from his arms before walking
around the 2nd floor. Maru was reminded of a stereotypical businesswoman from
how it acted.

Maru looked down at his knees. The spotty cat was sleeping in a weird posture. At
first, he was sleeping docilely with his front paws together, but after twisting around
for a while, he was now sleeping in a weird position that made Maru wonder if such
a posture was possible. He wanted to tickle the cat’s belly since it was widely
exposed, but he held back since it might cause some bad things to happen.

“Why don’t you take this opportunity to raise a companion cat?”

Companion cat[1]. Maru thought that he should not use the word pet in front of this
person.

“I don’t think I can.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like them to the point that I want to take responsibility for one.”

“Just take it easy and raise one. A lot of people raise one these days.”

Maru raised his head when he heard Jincheol’s words. Was he serious? Maru looked
around at the cats walking around the 2nd floor before speaking,

“I don’t think you can take anything easy when it comes to taking responsibility and
raising something. Even raising a plant requires you to change out the soil and even
the vase sometimes. On top of that, there is watering them and cutting off dead
leaves. There’s no need to talk about animals like cats when they need so much
freedom on top of that. They say babies grow up by themselves, but you know it isn’t
like that. Seeing them born is a miracle, and it’s wonderful when they start talking.
But it all ends there, doesn’t it? After that, you’re filled with worries. A little creature,
who can’t even walk, crawls around everywhere, including dangerous places, and
puts sharp objects near their mouth all the time. The day they have diarrhea or
something, you won’t be getting any sleep. Furthermore, even when they fall asleep,
you feel like your world is collapsing if you hear their breaths going faint.”

Maru subconsciously stroked the spotty cat’s chin.

“When they reach an age where they can bow to others, that’s when the real troubles
start. Even if you tell them not to run, they will never listen to you, and even if you
tell them not to go to high places because it’s dangerous, they always end up there,
making you feel worried sick. If you want to feed them a carrot, you gotta suck up to
them with all sorts of actions. And once they get sick or something, you hope that
you were the one sick instead.”

The spotty cat turned around. Maru smiled bitterly. There was no memory of
anything. He just ‘knew’ that ‘something’ had happened, but anything other than that
was pitch black. There was definitely something between him and her, which he
poured all of his love into, and sometimes treated more preciously than his own life,
but he couldn’t remember what that was. It was probably a child. Maru could only
guess. Perhaps there was never a baby between him and her. Perhaps they lived with
some cute dogs or some cats.

However, that small voice which was his motivation in life, as well as the reason he
appreciated life, was definitely similar to his. That, no, that child’s trace definitely
remained inside him despite his memories becoming fuzzy like a burned up ash. Was
it a boy? Or was it a girl? Perhaps he had twins.

He tried not to forget. He thought that there was no way he would be able to forget.
He thought that it would be engraved in his soul as something eternal and that he
would be able to see that child’s smile in the flashbacks even if he died once again.
However, the pitch black memories cruelly painted over the figure of his child as
well. His own figure, uneasily trembling outside the delivery room, no longer felt
realistic as it felt like it was a scene from a movie. What happened after that? What
was the child’s face like? What was his or her favorite clothes? Or food? Or name,
even?

“Raising a baby requires an unspeakable amount of responsibility.”

Meow - the spotty cat cried. Maru looked down at his hand. His hand was shaking
endlessly as though he was someone who drenched his life with alcohol. That
trembling seemed to have affected the cat. He tensed his hand before sighing.

“…is what I heard from my mom before. Looks like I caused her a lot of trouble. I
went to places she precisely told me not to, I was picky with food, I had a weak body,
and… you know. Things like that.”

Maru said that as he looked at the two men who were staring holes into him.

“That’s why I don’t think I can raise something like this one. Moreover, these ones
can’t even talk. It means that I would have to pay that much more attention to them,
and for now, at least, I’m not prepared to do such a thing.”
The spotty one stretched its front paws out and did a body stretch. Maru looked into
the cat’s two eyes. When he focused, some speech bubbles appeared on top of the
cat. Meow, meow, meow. It was filled with incomprehensible cries. After stretching,
the spotty cat jumped down. He licked his paws as he looked at him, and he seemed
to be saying ‘you did well for looking after me’, or something. He felt proud because
he felt like he fulfilled his role as a chair(?). Leaving aside the dignity of humans or
the superiority between species, Maru decided to obediently get praised by the
spotty cat. Maru smiled as he looked at the cat that rubbed his legs.

“Geunsoo, what do I do?”

“What?”

“I think I really like this guy?”

Geunsoo laughed. Maru looked at Jincheol.

“Do you know what one of the best ways to find out what people are thinking is?”

Maru replied that he didn’t. Jincheol pointed at the cats.

“You just have to see how that person treats animals. It’s been proven many times
that there aren’t bad people among the ones that like cats.”

He told his bad jokes about cats whenever he had the opportunity. Jincheol took a
breath before continuing to speak. It looked like he felt quite depressed because
Maru didn’t laugh.

“There are a lot of people who want to raise dogs or cats. That’s especially the case
when I ask people around your age. Animals are cute and adorable. Even on TV,
they’re described as creatures that only look at you.”

When Jincheol tapped on the table, some cats approached him.

“But when they’re given the opportunity to, most of them refuse. The reason is
simple. It’s because they treated animals as accessories. Looking at them through
pictures or videos makes them look endlessly adorable. They speak as though they
are ready to do anything if they could raise one. However, when dreams become a
reality, people start seeing what they couldn’t see before. They make noise, bite,
scratch… and there’s the matter with fur too. Plus, once you mistrain them when
potty training, there’s nothing worse than that. You have to feed them, play with
them, take them to the hospital if they become sick, and… that's when they find out.
Oh hey, this is actually much more bothersome than I expected. And boom.”

When Jincheol shouted, the cats jumped before running away.

“They end up abandoning them. Of course, they might feel sorry. I don’t think
humans are that evil. There shouldn’t be anyone who abandons animals with a smile
on their face.”

For a while after that, Jincheol was unable to speak because all the cats tried to bite
him. Maru thought that he was really a peculiar person after all. After begging for
forgiveness from them, Jincheol spoke again.

“In that sense, I’ve taken a liking to you. People like you, who are much more
cautious towards them from the beginning, end up loving animals to the end. They
aren’t like the ones that say they love animals and start raising them recklessly. They
start things knowing the difficulties, so they take responsibility and look after them
until the end. In that sense…”

Jincheol picked up a small cat before pushing it onto him.

“You need to raise a cat. If you don’t become a cat lover now, your president might
come up to you one day giving you a puppy to raise. I can’t miss such a talented
candidate like you. Here, take it. That one’s called Han Maru II from now on.”

Meow - the little kitten cried sadly. It definitely did not like the name. Maru shook his
head and refused.

“Are you telling me that you’re going to pick dogs over c…”

“Animals are forbidden where I live.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

“What a pity. If you ever have the opportunity to raise one, definitely come to me. I’ll
make you a cat person.”
This person, if he didn’t become a film director, might have become a cat’s rights
activist instead of a human rights activist. Just then, Maru was reminded of the only
dogs in this store.

“It looks like you like bulldogs though.”

“Bulldogs? Why do you say that?”

“Because I saw a photo with three bulldogs on my way up. Some lady was holding
three bulldog pups.”

“Oh, that photo. That’s not there because of the dogs. It’s there because of the fella
that’s smiling like an idiot.”

Jincheol’s smile disappeared. The cats in his arms looked at him.

“She was someone who really liked dogs. She always tried to spread her love for dogs
to other people. It was pretty much a religion for her at that point.”

“Sounds like she’s similar to you.”

Jincheol faintly smiled. Only then did the cats become calm.

“Your president was one of them.”

“What?”

“He’s one of the people who the dog evangelist managed to persuade. I’m pretty sure
your president still raises them now. Those ugly bulldogs in the photos. Their names
should match their faces too.”

Jincheol had a rather vague expression as he said those words. Maru didn’t know
whether he was feeling happy or sad.

[1]There are two terms in Korea that refer to ‘animals that live with people at home’,
and both of them are usually translated to ‘pets’, but while one fits perfectly with that
term, there isn’t a preferred translation of the other one, which puts accompanying
animals to a higher level. Hence a companion animal, in this case a cat, was used
here.
“Was she, perhaps, an actress?”

For some reason, he had a feeling that that might be the case. The lady with the three
puppies. The time her figure was reflected in his eyes was a brief moment at best,
but he had gotten a deep impression. It wasn’t just because she was holding dogs,
which didn’t suit this place. If he had to give a reason, it had to be her smile. Her
smile was so fresh that it felt like it was going to poke out of the frame.

“She was. She was our Madonna, and she was really pretty. There probably wasn’t a
single one of us there that didn’t get their heart stolen by her.”

Of course, you need to keep this a secret from my honey - Jincheol added as he
pointed downwards.

“Regardless of male or female, everyone loved her. She was someone who you
couldn’t help but love.”

“I see, but by ‘there’ you mean…”

“Yecheon[1]. It was the small theater that she belonged to. I worked there for a while
too.”

Yecheon, he had never heard that name before. Jineheol spoke as though he read
Maru’s mind.

“It’s not there anymore. They went out of business and had to hand over their spot to
someone else.”

“Small theaters go out of business quite frequently after all,” Geunsoo added from the
side.

“Hey, I feel rather sad to hear you say that. It’s your juniors who are working in that
small theater right now.”

“My juniors?”
Geunsoo looked at Jincheol in confusion.

“Blue Sky. Daehak-ro, Aram[2] Building. Isn’t Blue Sky on the 2nd floor of that
building?” Jincheol asked.

“Yes, we are there. It’s the place Junmin-seonbae prepared to train some of his talent
pool. Wait, that place used to belong to Yecheon?”

“Looks like your president didn’t tell you anything, huh. Well, I guess it’s not
surprising since he’s not the type of person who would talk about old events. Then I
guess you don’t know about the person named Jung Haejoo either, huh?”

An unexpected name came out of Jincheol’s mouth. Maru definitely had heard that
name somewhere before. It was when he talked to Junmin about working with
director Park Joongjin. Back then, Junmin said this:

-Also, one last question.

-Yes.

-… Have you heard him mentioning the name Jung Haejoo?

-Jung Haejoo? No, this is the first time I’ve heard of that name.

-I see, I see. Alright.

-Is she someone you know?

-She was one of the geniuses I knew of.

Back then, he also felt a sense of deja vu when he heard that name. It was a name
that he felt like he had heard in passing somewhere before. He combed through his
memories and searched for past events. He then remembered the name of the
person who mentioned that name to him.

-Hey, do you know who Jung Haejoo is?

-Who’s that?

-It’s fine if you don’t know.

Ahn Joohyun. That name was mentioned when he talked to her regarding Bangjoo’s
matters. A woman mentioned by both Lee Junmin and Ahn Joohyun. Not only that,
Junmin had described her as a genius. Junmin was a very picky person when it came
to judging people. He definitely wasn’t someone who would let his personal
emotions like sympathy or friendship interfere with his judgement of other people’s
acting skills. If he of all people said someone was a genius, then that person had to be
a genius.

“But he seems like he knows?”

Maru looked at Jincheol who was staring at him before faintly nodding.

“I heard the name from the president.”

“The president mentioned that name to you?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

Had his wound healed now? - Jincheol said in a small voice as he stroked his chin.

“What did he say when he talked about her?”

“He said she was a genius.”

“Ah, a genius. I guess that’s one way of putting it. Nothing else?”

“Yes. That was it.”

“Well, I’m not surprised since going into any more than that will make things
complicated. That was unexpected though. Why would he mention that name to you
when he hasn’t even mentioned it to Geunsoo?”

“We were talking about how I met director Park Joongjin, and somehow that came
up.”

“Aha! So Joongjin-hyun was involved. If that guy was the middleman, I guess it’s not
that surprising that Haejoo’s name was mentioned. How was the mood back then?
Did your president look like he was going to cry?”
“You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m completely serious.”

Jincheol laughed as he tickled a cat’s chin. Geunsoo, who had been listening this
whole time, sighed because he didn’t understand a thing before making a phone call.

“Hey, Ganghwan. Do you know someone called Jung Haejoo? You do? Now I feel like
I’m being bullied. Okay, have a good rest. Actually no, you should stop resting. How
long are you going to rest?”

Ganghwan’s angry voice could be heard through the closing phone. Tap - Geunsoo
closed his phone and put it in his pocket. The phone started ringing again soon, but
Geunsoo smiled and gestured at them to continue talking.

“Even if I want to talk about it some more, I think I should stop here in order to keep
a man’s privacy. He might end up calling for me if I tell you everything.”

Jincheol stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go down and drink some coffee. My wife’s coffee is the best in the world after
all.”

Maru waved at the cats that stared at him before walking towards the stairs. He
looked at Jincheol who walked downstairs with large strides before looking at the
photo on the wall. A lady was smiling happily while holding puppies inside the
frame.

‘This lady is Jung Haejoo.’

From the way things looked, it seemed like this person was no longer working as an
actress. Perhaps she looked for a new job when the theater went out of business.
Maru looked at the corner of the photo. 19th February 1989. Now that he knew that
the photo was from 16 years ago, the colors did seem to be a little washed out.

“She’s an attractive person,” Geunsoo said.

Maru faintly replied ‘for sure’.

“Junmin-seonbae is raising three bulldogs. Mint, Pansy, and Rose.”

“They’re all names of flowers, huh.”

“They sure suit those vicious-looking dogs for sure.”

What was Junmin’s relationship with the person in the photo? That day, Junmin’s
expression when he mentioned Jung Haejoo looked considerably complicated. A
Madonna that everyone couldn’t help but love. Perhaps the two were lovers. Or
perhaps Junmin had a one-sided crush.

“She must be working on something else now, right?”

“Well, I get the feeling that she passed away.”

“You mean this person?”

Maru looked at the Jung Haejoo in the photo as he spoke.

“Junmin-seonbae described her as a genius, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Would he have missed a person like that? There’s no way. He’s someone who
definitely gets what he desires, yet all he does now is reminisce about her. I might be
wrong, but my senses are telling me that she has passed away.”

“I guess that might be true.”

“If she’s completely fine, I’ll apologize to her later for having her funeral without
knowing.”

At that moment, they heard a call for them to come down quickly. Maru moved away
from the photo and climbed down the stairs. He saw some cats running around
among some people on their laptops. Jincheol was waving at them from the bar. On
the bar were three mugs.

“Were you looking at the photo?”

“Yes. Uhm, excuse me for asking this, but did the person called Jung Haejoo pass
away?” Maru asked cautiously.
“She did. 16 years ago.”

“16 years ago.”

Maru was reminded of the date in the photo. So Haejoo died the year she took that
photo, huh.

“I wonder what you’re talking about?” Jincheol’s wife leaned against the bar and
asked.

Maru greeted her once again. He realized that he hadn’t given her a proper greeting.

“Han Maru.”

“Hello. I guess I showed you us kissing before we even said hi. The beautiful noona in
front of you is called Yoo Jinjoo. You can call me Pretty Jinjoo-noona.”

Jinjoo reached out to him first. Maru grabbed that hand. She laughed as she shook
his hand, and her gripping strength was quite considerable. Whether it was her
personality or actions, these two seemed to be a match made in heaven.

“You mean a beautiful ahjumma.”

“My dear Geunsoo. Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you can say
anything you want. I might sew it up.”

Geunsoo covered his mouth in a prankful manner.

“Where are the kids?”

“Two of them are at nursery, and the other one should be coming soon,” Jincheol said
as he looked at the clock.

Just then, the door opened with the jingle of a bell. A small child wearing a yellow
backpack had opened the door.

“I’m home!”

She was a girl around 10, who put her hands around her belly button and did a 90-
degree bow. The people at the store waved at the child as though they were used to
seeing this scene. After greeting all the customers, the girl arrived at the bar with
light steps. Maru looked down at the child grinning in front of him.

“Hello!”

“Oh, hello?”

“Hello, Geunsoo-ahjussi.”

“Please call me uncle Geunsoo. That sounds younger than ahjussi.”

“Yes, ahjussi!”

She was a stubborn kid. Maru didn’t know who did it, but she had a hairstyle that
looked like it would take ages to do. The girl approached Jincheol and jumped into
his arms.

“My girl, you’re good at greeting.”

Jincheol raised the girl into the air. When he tried to rub his face against the girl with
an unshaven beard, the girl firmly rejected him.

“Daddy, I don’t like prickly.”

Maru laughed out loud. The girl’s expression when she crossed her arms and got
angry at him was way too cute. With a daughter like that, any father would be
lovestruck. Jincheol also didn’t let go of his daughter either.

“Honey, let go of her already. You see her every day yet you still act like that.”

“My wife, are you being jealous right now?”

“I am being jealous right now.”

“Popular men have it hard. Isn’t that right, Gaeul?”

Jincheol called the girl in his arms ‘Gaeul’.

The name ‘Gaeul’, the girl smiling brightly, then Jincheol.

Maru had a slight headache. It came from nowhere. He pressed firmly between his
eyebrows. For some reason, he had a hard time looking straight at the father-and-
daughter duo. Looking at them gave him a mysterious feeling aside from the pain.
Whether it was happiness, sadness, or rage, he did not know, but a complex ball of
emotions was thumping against his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel a little dizzy.”

“Did you not get enough sleep?” Geunsoo asked worriedly.

Maru tried to smile back and said that he was okay. The headache lasted for 10
seconds before going away. It didn’t leave any traces, which caused Maru to have a
hard time believing that he had a headache at all.

‘Am I tired?’

Now that he thought about it, he never got to rest during rest days. He had his entire
week jam packed with schedules, so he didn’t remember the last time he had a
proper rest. Youth was nothing without energy, so perhaps taking breaks were
necessary after all?

“Are you hurt?”

Gaeul had left Jincheol’s arms and was in front of him. Maru subconsciously reached
out and patted her head.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt. Thank you for worrying about me.”

“My daughter is such a kind girl, isn’t she?”

Jincheol said after he sat down.

“Gaeul, you can go home. Mom will be there soon.”

Gaeul cheerfully replied ‘yes’ before turning around. Maru couldn’t take his eyes off
her. The small body, the chubby face, the cute bag, and the colorful shoes. He met
eyes with Gaeul just as she was leaving through the door. Maru waved at her. Gaeul
bowed to him before running off.
“Geunsoo.”

“Yes.”

“You should definitely get married.”

“I guess.”

“Also, give birth to a daughter. Daughters are the best. My sons treat me as nothing
more than a toy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Just as Maru was blankly staring outside while listening to the conversation between
the other two, he saw a car slowly approaching the store. It slowed down before
stopping in front of the store. It was a red sedan. The color was rather showy for the
older generation to ride, so he thought that a younger person should be riding it.

“Oh, we have another guest,” Jincheol said as he looked outside at the car.

At that moment, the door of the car opened. The man that got out of the car was
wearing a flower-patterned shirt, cotton pants, and slippers. Also, Maru knew this
man very well.

“Director Park Joongjin?” He said to himself in confusion.

Geunsoo shouted ‘aha’ in realization while Jincheol stood up after dusting his knees
and walked towards the door.

“Haven’t you been coming over too frequently these days?”

“If you don’t welcome me, I guess I can’t help it. But there are a few interesting
guests with you today, huh?”

Joongjin smiled as he walked over. Maru stood up and stood in front of Joongjin.

“Long time no see, Mr. Han Maru.”

“Yes, director.”
“Why don’t we shake hands since it’s been a long time?”

Joongjin reached out to him. Maru grabbed his hand.

[1]I am not given the Hanja form of this word, so I can’t really translate it. The acting
club ‘Blue Sky’ is ‘Cheongcheon’ in Korean, but ‘Ye’ isn’t a color.

[2]It has the same spelling as Aram, the character, but has no relations to her. In fact,
this is the only mention of the building’s name in the entire story.
“I told you to wait at home.”

“I’m going to stay here. Mom, should I wash the dishes?”

“Can you do it, Gaeul?”

“I can.”

“Then do you want to do it for mommy?”

Behind the bar, the mother and daughter were standing there, creating a warming
scene. Gaeul, who was standing on a chair, was using her little twig-like hands to
touch the cups. As the ones she was washing were plastic cups that could not shatter,
her mother seems to be at ease letting her do it. It was a very heartwarming scene to
see, but when Maru looked at them, or to be precise, at Gaeul, he could only smile
dryly because of some mysterious longing in his heart.

“A wholesome mother and daughter, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they really are.”

Maru looked at director Park Joongjin, who sat next to him. In front of him was the
espresso that Jinjoo had given him while saying that it was her best work. The bitter
fragrance of coffee could be smelled from a small cup that looked like it was made for
playing house.

“Gaeul. The ahjussi in the flowery shirt over there isn’t drinking mommy’s coffee
which is making mommy feel sad. Go punish him for me.”

“Okay.”

Jinjoo made a prankful smile as she wiped her hands on a towel. With orders from
her mother, Gaeul put her hands on top of the bar and stared at Joongjin.

“Director. I think you’ll have to drink that.”

“I really like how I’m welcomed every time I’m here. Why don’t you try some at this
opportunity as well, Mr. Maru? I always feel like I’m stepping into heaven when I
drink Mrs. Jinjoo’s coffee.”

“I happen to be allergic to coffee.”

“Yet you seem to be great with cappuccinos.”

“Milk just so happens to make the allergy bearable.”

Just looking at the espresso was enough to make him salivate. It would be very bitter.
Just as Joongjin said, it might be sufficient to make him step into heaven. Joongjin,
who had always maintained his composure, was looking at the coffee with
nervousness. If Gaeul wasn’t in front of him, he might have left the coffee right there.

“Is mommy’s drink not good?”

Gaeul asked with her squirrel-like eyes. It was an irresistible attack. She looked like
she was going to cry if he did not drink it. Maru looked at Jinjoo who was putting a
suspicious smile on her face behind Gaeul. From the way she greeted Joongjin when
he came to the store, they didn’t seem to be on bad terms. In fact, they seemed pretty
close.

“Becoming close to someone is similar to stepping into an affectionate

maliciousness.”

Joongjin picked up the small cup and drank it in one gulp. He made a fragile smile
before handing the cup back to Gaeul.

“Can you give it back to mommy?”

“Yes!”

As soon as Gaeul turned around, Joongjin quickly opened up a sugar cube and put it
in his mouth. Joongjin was unable to speak for a while. The coffee must have been
that bitter.

“I’ve seen the movie.”

Maru spoke first. Joongjin spoke, as though he had been liberated from the bitter
taste.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes. I was absorbed in it. It really was eye catching.”

“That was my intention after all. Hm, there’s still the taste of coffee in my mouth.”

“Why don’t you ask for some milk?”

“If I did that, she’ll give me another one of those devilish black liquids. Mrs. Jinjoo is
more than capable of doing that.”

“Hey, I can hear you.”

“Oops, she has good ears too.”

Jinjoo had replied while she made some sandwiches, Joongjin rolled his eyes. He was
a really interesting person. He used his meticulous directions to pressure everyone
during shoots, but he made the atmosphere soft with his words during private
occasions. He sometimes made people flustered with his words, but that was also
one of his charms if you got used to him.

“Did you always know director Lee Jincheol?”

Maru asked that as he looked at Jincheol and Geunsoo, who were talking by the
window. They were looking at some documents on a laptop, and it seemed to be the
scenario for the movie they were going to shoot.

“We’ve known each other for quite a long time. He’s one of the members of my short
list of acquaintances. Mrs. Jinjoo over there is included as well.”

“Director Park. Going by year, it’s been seventeen years since we’ve known each
other. Why don’t you stop using those awkward honorifics?” Jinjoo asked as she put
down the sandwich in front of Joongjin.

“I don’t think I can do that. The only ones I don’t use honorifics for are very unique
people.”

“I really want to see what’s inside your head, oppa. Just what’s in there?”
“Morals that ordinary people have?”

“Tsk. You really won’t get married at that rate.”

“I’ll take Gaeul once she grows up.”

“Oh my word. Would you like some more coffee?”

“I retract my words,” Joongjin said before he bit into the sandwich.

“What brings you here, then, Mr. Maru?”

“Director Jincheol wanted to see me.”

“Ooh, doing a shoot then?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“He really just called me because he wanted to see me.”

“If that is the case, get him to pay for your fares to go back home. That man’s rich.”

“I was planning to.”

“What a pity though. I think it would have been really interesting if you appeared in
the movie that Jincheol directs. The way he directs has some interesting points. Do
you know what kind of movie he’s shooting?”

“I had a look at the script before I came here. It was about some detectives.”

“It looked fun, didn’t it?”

“Yes. I liked how it didn’t have any plot twists. Actually, I was reminded of your work
when I looked at it. I can’t comment anything about the directing methods, but the
way you two unfold your stories is…”

After saying that, Maru stopped and did not finish his words. Telling a creator that he
or she had a ‘similar’ style to someone was not that respectful. If a mere actor who
had just started acting talked about things like that, he might touch Jincheol’s pride.
He knew that Joongjin wasn’t someone who would talk about it anywhere, but it was
better for him to be careful with his words considering the relationship between the
two.

“Similar?”

Joongjin said that word. Maru took a deep breath before acknowledging it. He tried
to be roundabout about it, but he could only admit it since the other party said it
outright.

“Jincheol and I have some similarities. After Spring Calendar, I stopped doing
commercial movies and dazed out, trying out many things with Jincheol. Those were
probably the days where I was the most experimental. It was the first time I tried
things that didn’t make money. It was fun. Though, the people around me were
shocked.”

“Did you shoot indie movies?”

“A couple. There were times when Jincheol did the directing, while I did the script,
and sometimes it would be the other way round. However, it didn’t last long as I got
fed up with that quite quickly after all. Ever since my dreams had been deflated,
nothing I did was fun.”

“Dream…”

The word Joongjin used was a little sad for some reason.

“Since we’re talking, shall we chat a little? What is your dream, Mr. Maru?”

“To live a long life without being sick with the people I love. A bit of money sounds
good to me as well.”

“Sounds like a simple dream.”

“It might be simple, but it’s strangely really hard to achieve.”

“You’re right. I was like that too.”

“What was your dream?”

“My dream? When I was your age, it was to earn a lot of money. Money itself was my
dream. Even when I think about it now, I lived a diligent life. I did my best in studies
for money, went to a good university for money, and became successful in the end.
Do you know what I used to do?”

“From what I heard, you ran a restaurant.”

“That happened after I lost my dream. Oh, the dream I’m talking about here is my
second dream.”

“Your second dream?”

Joongjin faintly smiled.

“Let’s talk about that later. Anyway, I went to the financial district in order to realize
my first dream. Do you know how high KOSPI is right now?”

“Around 900[1] as far as I know.”

“When I was working, it was around 100. It was back in 1984. Back then, everyone
put their money in the bank. The interest rate wasn’t as hopeless as it is now.
Moreover, it was prior to the Asian Games and the Olympics, so back then, people
working in the financial district had very high expectations. I realized my first dream
somewhat. After I got my hands on so much money, I had some cultural desires. Well,
I call it desires, but I actually just wanted to show off. I wanted to take a beautiful girl
to an opera.”

Joongjin smiled.

“But operas weren’t really to my tastes. That was how I stumbled on Daehak-ro. The
place where people my age are burning with passions. It was really fun. I think it was
called the Art Plaza. There were a huge number of people that gathered on that
cramped road. That was when I found her.”

Joongjin rested his chin on his hands and tapped on his cheeks with his index fingers.
That rhythmic tap was similar to that of a hand of a clock. The clock that was going
to the past. He wondered what point in the past Joongjin was looking at. Just then,
Maru uttered out a name that came to his mind.

“Are you perhaps talking about Miss Jung Haejoo?”

Joongjin looked at Maru without saying a word. After a long while, he started talking
again.

“Have you seen the photo on the stairs?”

“Yes, not too long ago.”

“A charming girl, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know anything about her, but I did think that the smile in the photo looked
very pretty. It looked like she had the power to make people around her look at her.”

“You’re right about that. That was her essence. The power that attracted people’s
eyes. However, that wasn’t all. She had the ability to make the people around her
smile. She was like the protagonist of a children’s movie. Do you know about
Hani[2]?”

“I do.”

“Her personality was different, but she was like that. Looking at her made you want
to cheer her on, and the passion she gave off infected everyone around her. She was a
little stubborn like Hani as well, but in her heart, she was a really gentle girl. Hm,
now that I said those words, she’s not that similar to Hani. Hani is a scary tomboy
after all. Anyway, she was a cool girl.”

“Someone you couldn’t help but like?”

Maru borrowed Jincheol’s words. Joongjin nodded.

“From that day onwards, I went to the place where she worked. It was a rather worn-
out building. The theater didn’t have that many guests either. That girl was charming,
but back then, she couldn’t be said to be good at acting. Customers pay money to
consume an actor’s acting, but no matter how charming she was, the theater troupe
she belonged to lacked something to open the wallets of customers. That was when I
had the thought. Ah! The reason I earned all this money is for this moment!”

“Did you support them?”

“Yes. That was the start of my second dream. Yecheon, the theater troupe. I wanted to
see that troupe succeed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as honest as I am now back then. I
was focused on earning money, so I didn’t know what kind creatures women were
nor did I know that the emotion I had back then was love. But isn’t it kind of boring
to hear a middle aged man like me talk about love?”

“I think it’s suitable as a coffee time talk. Also, I have some personal curiosities about
Miss Jung Haejoo.”

“Then I guess I can talk a little more about some old memories then.”

Joongjin looked around before putting three sugar cubes in front of him.

“This is me, and this is Haejoo. Lastly, I need to add this cocky-looking sugar cube in
order to progress the story.”

“Is it president Lee Junmin?”

“It’s a bit scary to see you know so much. Did you investigate or something?”

Joongjin laughed and tapped on the sugar cubed he named Lee Junmin.

“One girl, two men. It’s a rather obvious love triangle. It’s too cliche these days but
back then, it was good. Being cliche means that it was once loved by people.”

Joongjin put one sugar cube in his mouth.

“Hear me out while you eat.”

Maru picked up the sugar cube given to him. The name of that sugar cube was Lee
Junmin.

Sorry, president - Maru put the sugar cube in his mouth.

[1] The stock market. Currently, KOSPI is around 3000 won.

This is not referring to the singer belonging to the idol group EXID, but from the
[2]

program Boni Hani that aired in 2003. EXID debuted in 2012, and Hani was born in
1992, which makes her younger than Maru.
“My first impressions of the theater were literally the worst. The seats were
cramped, the air was damp, and there were even some cracks on the wall, making me
feel uneasy. But what could I do? I had no choice but to go there since that girl was
there.”

Joongjin faintly smiled.

“On my first day in Daehak-ro, I met Haejoo, and after that, I followed her to Yecheon.
The small theater that I thought I would never get used to made me realize that
smaller theaters had their own charms after I went there a few times. Going to that
building where Yecheon was after work and filling an empty seat - this became my
schedule every weekend. I watched the same play over and over again, and I
naturally got to know the people of the troupe as well. I wasn’t that social, though, so
most of the time I went back home after watching. Of course, the reason I went there
is also because of Haejoo. But as I said earlier, I wasn’t honest with my emotions.
That’s why I made up an excuse. I told them that I wanted to help them because I
liked the theater troupe so much.”

“How romantic.”

“It might sound like that, but I was actually just afraid. I sort of realized that I would
get hurt if I approached that girl and got rejected. The reason I probably didn’t
choose to take the straightforward path was perhaps because I was afraid of getting
hurt. Back then, I didn’t know what it meant to clash head on and get kicked. I told
you before, right? That I hate the word genius. However, in terms of earning money, I
actually accept that term. Back then, I was receiving more benefits than I was putting
in. I was quite timely with my work as well. I only knew that the vague thing known
as failures existed, as I never actually experienced one for myself. Perhaps that’s
what made me even more afraid. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to return to my
ordinary life once I fell over.”

“Is that why you kept circling around us?”

Jinjoo had joined in on the conversation as well. Her daughter Gaeul had left the
store just a while ago. It seemed that she went back home.

“That’s how it was. Also, why does it feel like I’m in a confession session at a church?
Do I need to keep going?”

“I want to keep listening,” Maru quickly said.

Junmin and Joongjin, while he had some interest in the events that occurred between
these two, he was more interested in the lady named Jung Haejoo. Junmin, Joongjin,
and also Joohyun. He was curious about the identity of the person, who these three
people who were known to be top-rate in their respective fields, kept reminiscing
about to this day.

“Keep going. When else would I be able to get you to talk about something like this?”

Some light snacks were placed on the bar. Joongjin made a sour expression before
continuing the story after putting a piece of jelly in his mouth.

“Circling around, the expression you used is the perfect fit, Mrs. Jinjoo. It was true
that I was attracted to Haejoo, but it was a bit vague, and I didn’t have the courage to
resolve that vagueness. When I got closer to the other members of the troupe, I kinda
started feeling that that kind of situation wasn’t so bad. It was around that time that I
started helping the operation of the theater troupe financially after hearing that they
were having a hard time.”

“I heard that it was several months’ worth of rent. Your help was really big.”

“It’s not like I had anything else to use it on.”

Maru exclaimed. It was unimaginable for him to pay several months’ worth of rent
out of goodwill alone.

“Unfortunately, some problems appeared after that. There was a sense of distance.
The way the theater troupe treated me changed and it reminded me of how I treated
my clients. I really gave that money without thinking, but they seemed to think that
the money contained a lot of meaning.”

“Well, I guess it did feel like that a little,” Jinjoo said.

Maru asked Jinjoo about it.

“Were you perhaps at Yecheon as well?”

“I wasn’t affiliated with the troupe. I went there a lot because my husband over there
had been working there for a while. I was still in college back then. Daehak-ro is
filled with romance, right? I practically lived there during holidays, and I helped out
when I could. That’s when I met our director Park over here and talked to him. Ah,
this makes me think of Joohyun.”

“Was senior Ahn Joohyun also a member of Yecheon?”

“No, she was a student back then. She was a peculiar girl who came around every
day. Though she strangely didn’t meet Joongjin-oppa that much, I think? Joohyun
usually didn’t visit on weekends, when Joongjin-oppa came the most. Well, the two
were close though. Isn’t that right, oppa?”

“I’m not entirely sure about that.”

Joongjin shrugged.

Jinjoo crossed her arms after saying hm.

“Anyway, back then, we talked about a lot of things internally. Someone who was no
different from a complete stranger suddenly gave us a lot of money. Honestly
speaking, Yecheon back then wasn’t some great theater troupe that was worth
investing in. When my husband was working there for a brief moment, he was saying
that it was finally going to go out of business that year. After all, the members were
doing part time jobs and collected what money they had to pay for the rent. They
only lasted because they loved Yecheon. Otherwise, we would have been thrown out
a long time ago.”

“So smaller theaters weren’t that good back then either.”

“I didn’t major in acting, so I can’t comment about other theaters, but with Yecheon,
they were in a really bad situation financially. My husband also just went there to
help because someone asked him to. He didn’t get any payment besides food
expenses. In that sense, he’s quite cool.”

Jinjoo waved at Jincehol who was sitting by the window. Jincheol stared at her for a
while before waving back. Maru looked at the two and thought that they were a
couple that suited each other.
“Then something happened. I think that was when you started coming less and less,
right?”

Joongjin silently nodded when Jinjoo said those words.

“What happened?” Maru asked.

“Someone ran off with the money. I think it was around 1 million won back then.”

1 million won during the mid 80s was a considerably large sum. Some money
suddenly appeared for the theater troupe who were in a bad financial situation, and
a member ran off with that money. Joongjin would feel very awkward about it. After
all, the money he gave them out of goodwill caused problems.

“That kind of thing happened, but the members didn’t make a big deal about it. In
fact, they apologized to me, saying that they lost some of the money I gave them. Of
course, I found out not too long later that it was stolen, not lost, but they did not
resent or report the member that ran off with the money. It was pretty amazing.”

“Everyone had similar feelings after all, and everyone had it hard,” Jinjoo said.

“Even though it was called the 3-low era[1], not everyone had the benefit of that after
all. Whether then or now, people who do acting have glass wallets. It’s because I
knew that that I didn’t feel that bad about it. In fact, I came to like them even more
because they were honest with me about it and because they just forgot about the
member that left them to focus on their work. However, from that moment onwards,
I never handed them my money directly. It would be quite troublesome if the same
thing happened again after all. Instead, I only gave them money on the day they had
to pay rent to the landowner. The people of Yecheon refused my money after that,
but I wanted to give them the money. That place was my resting place after all.”

Joongjin quenched his thirst with some water. He looked past the window when he
talked about the past.

“However, that incident did make me feel a little cautious. It was just as Mrs. Jinjoo
said. I didn’t go there for a month, thinking about our future relationships. When I
went back after that, that person was there. I’m talking about president Lee Junmin
who was wearing that worn-out yellow suit. Oh, of course, back then, he was just the
president of a small agency without any achievements at all.”
“So the president got to know about Yecheon back then, huh.”

“He came to the theater for Haejoo, just like me. A man, who quit his life as a
nameless actor and started a management business suddenly came up to Haejoo and
told her that she couldn’t act in a place like this.”

Joongjin laughed self-loathingly.

“It was incredibly rude. Even I was angry and I didn’t even belong to Yecheon. What
would the other people of Yecheon think? There was total chaos. The place they’ve
tried so hard to maintain, even going as far as giving up their ordinary life became ‘a
place like this’ due to a few words from a man wearing a worn-out suit.”

“The president had a sharp tongue back then too, huh.”

“That’s his nature. He was chased out of the theater, but he kept knocking on the
doors persistently after that. When he paid for the ticket and came as a customer, the
troupe couldn’t say anything to him either. Lee Junmin, that man, kept talking to
Haejoo. That she could improve further, and that she had to go to a bigger stage.”

Joongjin looked a little angry as he said those words. As for who he was angry at,
Maru didn’t know.

“They say sincerity is the way of heaven, right? It was the theater troupe that started
saying that they should listen to that man even though they’ve been giving him the
cold shoulder this whole time. When I saw that, and I’m being honest here, I didn’t
think anything of it. That was because I didn’t know anything about acting back then
after all. I did get the impression that the acting displayed in Yecheon lacked
something to attract more audience, but I didn’t have a solution to that. Supporting
them financially was the only thing I could do.”

No, that’s actually not it - Joongjin smiled with a sigh.

“I felt that they couldn’t improve further. To be precise, I never thought that Haejoo’s
acting was anything special. She was definitely an attractive girl, but if you asked me
if she was charming as an actress, I would hesitate to answer. Yet in that situation,
Lee Junmin, that man had such confidence in himself when he said that she can do
better. Now that I think about it, I was perhaps just jealous of that man who could
talk to Haejoo with such confidence. After that, Haejoo changed, surprisingly. On top
of the charm she gave off as a human being, she gained the charm of an actress. I
even felt weirded out by her. I wondered if it was really possible for someone’s skill
level to rise so dramatically. It wasn’t just Haejoo. The entire theater troupe
improved. Of course, they didn’t have that many customers so their skills weren’t
really known by others, but I had a feeling back then. Ah, a star will be born here in
Daehak-ro.”

The first actress that president Lee Junmin nurtured. Maru thought back to the
figure of the lady in the photo again. What kind of acting did a woman, who the
president did not hesitate to use the word genius for, do?

“I stayed close with the theater troupe back then. President Lee Junmin was always
with us as well. However, he and I didn’t talk that much. That was the case even
while drinking. The reason I didn’t talk to him was because Haejoo was next to him.
The reason he didn’t talk to me was probably because he noticed my feelings
towards her. When I saw with my own two eyes that president Lee Junmin was the
one next to Haejoo, and realized that the relationship between the two wasn’t that
ordinary, I finally became honest with my own feelings. Ah, I am in love with this
woman.”

Joongjin gulped down some water.

“Not too long later, Haejoo’s debut piece was set. President Lee Junmin was good at
running a business back then too, so he actually managed to snatch a pretty good
piece considering that his business had just taken off. We held a party in the theater
troupe. I congratulated her as well. I could no longer like her, but a pretty close
acquaintance was making her debut after all. Furthermore, on that day, I was
confessed to.”

“Confessed to?” Maru asked.

Joongjin, who had a heavy smile on his face this whole time, looked like he had
shaken everything off for the first time.

“By Haejoo, that is. She actually liked me. I felt like I was smashed on the head with a
hammer. It meant that I would be the one standing next to her had I had the courage.
However, human nature was devious and I also had this thought - why did she not
tell me before? When I asked her that, Haejoo told me this: that confession was not a
challenge but a confirmation. I understood after hearing her words. It was me who
just funded them from afar while not expressing my feelings towards her even once.
In a time I didn’t know, her one-sided love had reached its end, and president Lee
appeared in front of her. Moreover, president Lee was someone who knew her true
worth. It was clear who she would choose.”

Joongjin stopped and checked the time. He said ‘it’s dinner time’ in a small voice.

“I’ve talked a long time about such an old love story, huh. To wrap things up, it’s
simple. I dislike president Lee. I dislike him because he was the man who received
Haejoo’s love, and I dislike him because he couldn’t take responsibility for her until
the end. Ever since Haejoo passed away, he had become a cold businessman who
never experienced failure. However, it was already too late for him. He had to be a
businessman who did not fail before Haejoo passed away. I hate it so much that the
first ever failure he made was Haejoo.”

Joongjin stood up from his seat, saying that he wanted to go to the bathroom. Maru
looked at Jinjoo, who was sitting in front of him.

“May I ask how she passed away?”

“Hm, it was a traffic accident. When the accident happened, my husband and I had
left Yecheon and were focusing on college, so I didn’t hear specifically what
happened, but that I can be sure of. On the day of the accident, Haejoo met president
Lee Junmin. That’s why back then, we even talked about how she might have lived if
she did not meet the president that day.”

Maru groaned. If it was like that, he could understand Joongjin’s hostility. ‘What if’
was a really useless assumption, but people couldn’t help but think about such
things after all. Had she not met Junmin that day - everyone who loved the woman
named Jung Haejoo should have thought about the same thing that day.

He was then reminded of president Lee Junmin’s strict expression.

Perhaps that was a mask he put on?

Perhaps, there was a man who still struggled in the agonizing sadness beneath that
mask?

“Phew, it’s time for dinner, huh,” Jinjoo said.

 A period in South Korea in the mid 1980s when: 1. The dollar was low; 2. Oil
[1]

prices were low; and 3. Interests were low.

Jincheol brought the standing sign inside and flipped the status sign on the window.
The hand-written ‘open’ sign now could be seen from the inside. Just as Jincheol was
reaching up the glass door to lock it, two women, who seemed to be customers, came
around. Jincheol poked his head out of the door and talked to them with a smile. He
seemed to be apologizing for closing early.

“Give us some freebies next time.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll give you some buns the next time you’re here.”

“Have a good day.”

The women turned around after saying goodbye. They didn’t seem to feel unpleasant
at all as though this happened frequently. It probably meant that the cafe was just
that comfortable for the customers.

“Don’t your sales take a hit if you close so early?” Maru asked Jinjoo who was busy
inside the kitchen. It was 6 p.m. It was the golden hour when they could attract
people going home from work and school, yet they had closed the store and were
preparing to eat dinner. He was a little envious seeing them being leisurely, but he
was slightly worried as well.

“We don’t need to be in a hurry since we don’t have to pay rent. Well, normally, we
stay open from 9 till 8, but we should close early on a day like this when we have
some people around.”

He had forgotten. Forgotten that this place was run by the landowner as a hobby.
Maru realized that there was nothing more meaningless than worrying about these
two so he decided to mind his own problems.

“Don’t pull too much,” he said as he looked down.

Two children were sticking to a leg each. They were Jincheol’s children who had
come back from nursery. The one quietly grabbing his left leg was a boy, while the
one mercilessly shaking his right leg was a girl. It seemed that the girl inherited
traits from her mother. This little one had a very strong gripping strength.

Maru walked around the store with the two children in his arms. The kids giggled
when they were lifted in the air.

“I was always worried because those two didn’t like strangers, but I’m glad to see
that they’re obedient in your arms,” Jincheol said.

Joongjin, and Geunsoo, who were drinking beer next to him, were also looking at
Maru with interest.

“Perhaps I was a childcare worker in my previous life.”

He lifted the children up high and ran around the store. He was soon surrounded by
cats, and the ones that were playing around on the 2nd floor were around him as
well. There was a total of 11. It seemed that the ones from the 2nd floor were the
bosses as they were on the sofas meant for customers. The spotty one was one of
them.

“Dinner’s ready.”

A savory fragrance could be smelled from the counter. He brought the two children
over. A large bowl of red-colored bibimbap, miyeok-guk[1], and stir-fried potatoes
were there.

“Bada, Haneul. Come to mommy and get ready to eat.”

The two children that left Maru’s side walked to the counter. Gaeul sat next to
Jincheol.

“She has the same name as my sister.”

“Who?”

“Bada.”

“Really? Is your sister a tomboy like our dear Bada?” Jinjoo asked as she pinched
Bada’s cheeks.

“She’s a tough one alright. Father named her such intending for her to become like
the calm sea[2], but she grew up like a storm.”

“I hope our Bada becomes a little more obedient. She always causes trouble at the
nursery. I heard she goes around beating up the boys or something.”

“I don’t!” Bada denied it in a loud voice.

Maru quietly laughed. Girls were bigger than boys when they were very young. It
wouldn’t be strange if a girl like her made boys around her cry. Compared to her,
Haneul was very calm for a boy. He could tell at a glance that he didn’t make his
parents worry.

“Bon appetit, everyone. Don’t leave any behind.”

Maru looked at the two children who were using their little hands to use a spoon to
scoop up food before picking up his chopsticks. He thought that he wouldn’t have
any appetite since he ate a lot of things, but it came back to him when he ate a
spoonful of bibimbap. The spiciness of the gochujang[3] was just right.

They talked about a lot of things over dinner, and most of it was about children. They
look the cutest around that age - he thought that as he looked at the children and
time passed by in a flash.

“Honey. I’m going to go back first with the kids so come home after you clean up.
Don’t be too late.”

“Alright.”

Jinjoo took the three kids out of the store. While Jincheol and Geunsoo cleaned up
the store, Maru washed the bowls. After putting the bowls in the cupboard, he shook
off the water from his hand. He suddenly had the thought that it was not a bad idea
to open a store like this. Of course, he knew that running a business was akin to war,
so it was very unlikely that he would do so. Though, he might consider it if he earned
an uncontrollable amount of money as an actor.

“Looks like you wash your dishes a lot at home, yes?” Joongjin, who was watching
him from the counter, asked.

There was a strangely large number of cats around him. Perhaps he had a smell that
attracted cats.
“If there’s a pro license, I would get one.”

Jincheol and Geunsoo also finished cleaning the store and came back to the 1st floor.

“I wish I was born a cat.”

Geunsoo said that as he looked at the corner of the store. A large cat was sleeping.
Maru smiled and left the counter.

“Sorry to make you work when I called you here as a guest,” Jincheol apologized.

“I ate for free, so I should at least do this much. Is it all done now?”

“We don’t have any more things to do. Oh, wait.”

Jincheol, who went behind the counter, took out a bag of coffee from the display. He
then put the coffee bag in a paper bag along with some other things.

“Take this home with you. You just have to put one scoop on a filter and brew it with
some hot water. Do you want one too, hyung?”

“I don’t.”

Joongjin shook his hand.

“Hyung-nim, why aren’t you asking me?”

“You can drink here. You’re gonna have to be here every day once the shoot starts.”

“Now that makes me feel tired already.”

Geunsoo laughed. Joongjin looked at his watch.

“Looks like I’ve been held up here for longer than I expected. Jincheol, thanks for the
food and drinks today. Mr. Geunsoo, Mr. Maru. See you later.”

“Have a safe trip back home.”

Joongjin left while dragging his slippers. Some of the cats followed him to the door
and meow-ed at him.
“We should get going too.”

Geunsoo picked up his jacket. Maru looked at the store once more. He liked this
place. He decided that he should visit this place, if he had the time, and enjoy some
coffee. His gaze moved along the wall and stopped on the staircase that led to the
2nd floor. He was reminded of Jung Haejoo, who wasn’t here but was mentioned
more than anyone.

“It would’ve been good if I could see her.”

He talked to himself in a small voice. The actress that stole the hearts of geniuses. He
wondered what her acting was like. However, it was impossible to see the acting of
an actress who died 16 years ago. Hearing about it from someone else wouldn’t give
him first hand experience, so it would be meaningless.

“If you’re talking about Haejoo’s acting, there’s a way you can see her.”

He heard a voice right next to him. It was Jincheol, who was holding a cat.

“I can?”

“We have some videotapes we recorded while I worked at Yecheon. I can’t guarantee
the quality, but there shouldn’t be a problem with just watching it. I was feeling a
little sorry since I only gave you coffee after you came all the way here, so I guess this
is good now.”

Jincheol told him to follow him and left the store. He locked up the store and went
around the building. He opened a glass door and went in. An iron door leading to the
store and a staircase appeared. On the iron door was a sign that said ‘no entry’.

“The 3rd floor is my house.”

TV sounds could be heard from above. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, a
door with a heart-shaped sign that said ‘Jinjoo’s’ on it could be seen.

“Wait a bit.”

Jincheol went inside first. After a while, the commotion died down and the door
opened.
“Come in.”

Maru carefully walked inside. There was a soft mat at the entrance. In the living
room were two toy slides that were shaped like an elephant. It was clearly a home
that had children in it.

“The kids just fell asleep. There would be big trouble if they wake up, so be careful,”
Jincheol said.

He walked across the living room with cat-like steps. Jinjoo and the three children
could be seen inside the room that seemed to be the baby’s room. Jinjoo was gently
stroking the stomachs of the children who were sleeping. Meeting eyes with her,
Maru silently greeted her. Jinjoo smiled and nodded.

Jincheol opened the door to a room and went inside. This room seemed to be used
for storage as there were a lot of boxes and items piled on top of one another.

“It should be inside this box.There’s quite a lot, so you need to check the label.”

Jincheol dragged out five blue plastic boxes and placed them in the middle of the
room. Maru cleaned off the dust with some wet wipes and slowly opened the cover.
Inside were a bunch of videotapes.

“It looks like there’s around three hundred in total.”

Geunsoo said as he sat down.

“It’s over a decade’s worth after all. These days, they don’t take up much space
because you can put them all on CDs, but those didn’t exist back then.”

Listening to Jincheol’s words, Maru took out the videotape at the very top. A tape
that was slightly longer than his handspan. It had been a really long time since he
had seen one. CDs had replaced all storage media when he entered middle school,
and ever since then, videotapes became a relic. There probably wasn’t a household
these days that still used videotapes to watch movies.

“There’s a treasure here,” Geunsoo said as he took out one of the tapes.

‘Secret sister-in-law.’ - that was the label on the tape.

“It’s one of the relics from cheonggyecheon[4]. Do you want it?”

“Nah. This seems to be filled with wedding videos and celebratory occasions. Maru,
how is it on your side?”

“I’ll have a look at what’s below.”

Maru took out some of the tapes at the top and looked below. Unlike the top, which
just had tapes, the lower tapes were stored in casings. Jincheol exclaimed when he
saw them.

“It’s those. I remember now that I see it.”

Jincheol took out the blue casings. The yellowed-out paper labels on them said
‘Yecheon’.

“Let’s take them all out for now.”

The three of them took out all of the tapes in the big box.

“Man, we took a lot of videos.”

There was a total of 57 videotapes encased in blue casings. All of them had a label
that said ‘Yecheon’.

“One VHS is around 220g each, so they should be about 13kg if you count the
casings. If I could, I’d love to have you watch them at my house, but we have children,
and more importantly, don’t have a VCR.”

“Of course. I’ll take them and watch them by myself. I’m thankful that you’re lending
me these at all. I would hate to disturb you even more.”

Maru placed the tapes in a cardboard box that Jincheol gave him. After wrapping the
box with tape, he tried lifting it. It was quite awkward to lift it up since the volume
was big, but it wasn’t like he couldn't move.

“I want to watch them too since he told me that the president fell in love with her as
well.”

“You aren’t taking a step out from this place today, you know that, right?”
Geunsoo licked his lips in pity as he looked at the box.

“I’ll give them to you once I finish. I’ll take notes on them too.”

“I’ll be thankful if you do. Uhm, hyung-nim. I’ll take Maru home.”

“It’s okay. I can take the taxi home. It looks like you have work to do. You don’t need
to mind me.”

Maru picked up the box. He quietly left the room, trying to not make any sound. He
met Jinjoo in front of the door and she told him to visit again. Maru nodded before
going towards the door.

“I hope the next time we see each other, we do it because of work. I feel like working
with you will be fun.”

“I’ll gladly take you up on any offer.”

Maru shook hands with Jincheol.

“Are you sure you don’t need a ride home? You look pretty uncomfortable.”

“I can load it on the taxi.”

“I feel sorry about it.”

“Why would you be? Thanks to you, I got to meet the director and got precious
things too,” Maru said as he thought about the videotapes and the coffee. Geunsoo
took a step back, saying okay.

“I’m off then.”

“You’ll probably have to go to the high street to get a taxi. You don’t see them around
here that much.”

“Okay.”

He picked up the box and left the house. His steps were light thanks to the
unexpected gifts. He looked forward to watching them already. What kind of acting
did she do? He was excited like a child.
Just as he started walking, he remembered something important.

“Did we have a VCR at home again?”

Maru frowned.

[1] Seaweed soup.

[2] Bada means sea

[3] Red pepper paste. It’s the reason why bibimbap looks red.

[4] A popular electronics district in Seoul that no longer exists today.

“Why don’t you try expressing a little more? They say restraint is good, but it might
make you look like a shy actor. It’s fine if you did that intentionally, but if you didn’t,
then you should try making your actions look a little bigger.”

“Like this?”

The junior shook off her hands and stepped back.

“I think that looks better.”

“Ah, okay.”

“What do you think?”

“I’m not sure. It feels a little exaggerated.”

“Then let’s research it together. If you can’t accept your own acting, no one will.”

I’ll think about it some more - her junior stood in front of the mirror with a
contemplating expression. She looked at the back of her junior before sighing. The
first year students that joined this year had strong colors. On top of that, their
natural senses in bringing those colors into their own acting were good as well. The
reason why the audition, which would usually end in a week, took two weeks this
time was because there were a lot of competent first year students. The first year
students that were picked were filled with the passion to learn, and thanks to that,
the 2nd and 3rd year students had become a lot busier than before. Her friends were
already saying that Myunghwa High had won the nationals.

“The first year students are scary,” said Kim Seol as she wiped her sweat with the
towel around her neck.

She was someone who had joined the acting club in her first year, and was now
currently the club president. She originally had long hair that reached beneath her
shoulders, but she showed up two months ago in February, after having cut her hair
short. That day was the graduation day of the senior who was the club president
until last year. The former club president laughed big time when she saw Seol’s short
hair. It was probably her way of showing her resolve as she succeeded the title of the
president, but the graduating seniors and her friends chuckled until the end.

“In a few years, I feel like kids who have been studying acting since elementary
school might enter. It’s good to see Myunghwa High’s fame rising, but it does put a lot
of pressure on me as a senior,” Kim Seol said as she looked at the juniors.

“I have so many worries since I’m graduating this year,” she replied.

“Should I repeat a year? I like this acting club too much.”

“I feel like you’re someone who would really do that so don’t say that.”

She blocked Kim Seol’s mouth. Just then, she was startled by the sticky sensation that
she felt from her palm and immediately lifted her hand. Kim Seol was reaching out
her tongue.

“Bunbun, your palm is too salty.”

“Who told you to lick it?”

She pouted and wiped her hand on Kim Seol’s towel. This girl was really
unpredictable.

“Who do you think is going to win the individual prize this year?” Kim Seol asked as
she looked at the practicing first year students.

The first year students took most of the important roles for the summer competition.
Although the 2nd year students applied for the audition as well, they were
unfortunately pushed back to being supporting characters since the new members
were so good.

“I don’t know. Everyone’s so good.”

“Don’t say that. There are two that have already caught your eyes, no?”

“You don’t say that in front of everyone, right?” she asked as she narrowed her eyes.

“Of course not. I’m only saying it because it’s just between us.”
Kim Seol pointed at two of the first year students.

“Park Hoyoung, Kim Yuna. I guarantee that one of those two will win the individual
prize. Bunbun, you think so too, right?”

She nodded unwillingly. The two that Kim Seol just talked about had top skills even
among the new members.

“They both learned acting after all,” she said as she did some stretches.

Unlike the other first year members, who had started learning acting after joining
the club, those two have already been studying acting and were seriously
considering taking that path in the future. Those two possessed acting skills that got
the unanimous approval to join when they applied for the club.

If someone did get a prize, it would be one of those two, just as Seol had said. She
looked at the two juniors who were reading their scripts as she thought about it.

“So look after them, will ya?”

Hearing her words, she, who was stretching her legs, raised her head.

“Me?”

“Yes. Honestly, ever since the seniors graduated, there’s no one in the club who’s as
good as you when it comes to acting. Above all, you have experience appearing on TV.
On the days when the instructor is here, we’ll follow the instructor, but otherwise, I
hope you can be the one to take care of those two. That will help them out as well.”

“I don’t think there’s a need to go that far though.”

Kim Seol shook her head.

“They are people who can bring out more of their skills if there’s someone to guide
them. I hope you can be the one to do that.”

She quietly looked at Kim Seol. She was an unpredictable girl, but she wasn’t
someone who would speak out of line. The reason she succeeded the title of club
president was because she had sufficient talent and leadership skills.
“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. I think they want that as well.”

“But is there anything I can even help with? They probably know everything from
acting schools.”

“Acting schools don’t teach you everything. Plus you have first-hand experience in
shooting the real thing, meaning, you got to act with real actors. I hope you can use
your experiences and guide them. They aren’t treating acting as a mere hobby, so I
want to help them out as much as I can.”

She sighed and stood up. She approached the smiling Kim Seol and pinched her
waist.

“Don’t blame me if something goes wrong.”

“If someone says something to you, bring that person to me. I’ll punish that person
for daring to tease our Bunbun.”

How could she win against that? She smiled and approached the two juniors.
Because they were so absorbed, they didn’t realize that she was standing behind
them. Their concentration was really something.

She tapped on the two people’s shoulders.

“Oh, seonbae-nim.”

Hoyoung closed the script and looked at her. Yuna, who stood next to him, seemed a
little startled as she dazed out for a while before standing up straight.

“How is it? Did you learn your lines?”

“Yes. I can probably recite them in my sleep.”

“You sound confident. How about you, Yuna?”

“Me too,” Yuna replied in a small voice.

She really found Yuna cute. Her soft skin and her facial features that were so delicate
that they made her look like a doll. From what she heard, there were at least five
boys among the first year students who had an interest in her. She was really polite
as well, so she was doted on a lot by the older students. Furthermore, unlike her
cheerful-looking appearance, she was actually really calm, making her think that she
was a shy girl at first, but now she knew that the girl was filled with passion. There
were times when she looked quite dull, but that was because her actions were
streamlined without any wasted movements. Yuna showed really clean movement
when one observed her.

“Do you want to go through the lines? I’ll fill the other roles.”

“Really?”

Yuna became visibly happier. She smiled awkwardly because of the pressuring gaze.

“I would love to have you check on us.”

Hoyoung urged Yuna, saying that they should begin quickly. Yuna also quickly got
ready.

“We aren’t just going over the lines. Put your emotions into the lines as well. We’re
going to exchange what we felt from each other’s lines and think about how we can
change them after.”

She no longer spoke and just looked at the other two. Since these two were really
good, she might actually distract them if she wasn’t serious. She would have to watch
them while maintaining the tension she was in during shoots.

“Begin once you’re ready,” she said as she opened the script.

***

“…That is my opinion. These are purely my opinions so if you don’t think one is right,
then just ignore it. I know that both of you are learning in acting schools.”

“I think I like your teachings better. In acting schools, it’s not personal guidance. It’s
more like checking homework when we prepare some acting. We rarely get the
chance to have someone comment on our every action,” Hoyoung said.

“What you taught me is the same as what I learned in acting schools. No, I found it a
lot easier to understand so it was very helpful.”

Yuna nodded after saying those words. It was as though she was trying to cheer her
up. She inwardly felt relieved. She was worried since she had never taught junior like
this one-on-one, but it seemed that they were satisfied.

“I’ll do this in the future as well. If you want to practice with me, talk to me any time.
I’m an extra in the play this time, so I have a lot of time. Don’t feel too bad and just
talk to me whenever you’d like.”

“Right, seonbae-nim. I find that strange. Why did you not take up any roles this
time?” Hoyoung expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Because I’m in my 3rd year. Myunghwa High has always been like this. In our 3rd
years, we either take insignificant roles or don’t participate at all and help out as
staff instead. Only then do the juniors get a chance. Of course, if the juniors are not
worth looking at, all of us 3rd years would have to participate……”

She looked at the other first year students who were practicing on the other side of
the clubroom.

“But as you see, we have a splendid new batch of members this year. We need to be
the ones to support you since we have stage experience, because who else will?”

“Wouldn’t we get the grand prize if the seniors go on stage though?”

“You can’t say that for sure. Even if we do, we won’t feel that happy about it. After all,
there will be a gap once we graduate. If the alumni happened to hear about that,
they’ll immediately barge in and scold us, you know?”

“Well, the seniors were a little scary back then.”

“They’re all working in society after all. You’ll realize what I mean once you become
2nd and then 3rd years. Going on stage might be fun, but it's even more fun helping
out the juniors. I think that’s the driving force behind Myunghwa High getting the
grand prize every year.”

She smiled and closed the script.

“Well done, both of you. It’s time to go home.”

Hearing her words, the two juniors looked at the clock simultaneously.

“Oh, it’s gotten so late already.”

“I didn’t realize.”

“Sorry for holding you up so late on a Sunday. Get your things. Let’s leave together.”

Hoyoung replied ‘yes’ in a big voice before running over to the other first year
students. She turned around after putting her script between her arm and her body.
She had to get changed and then get ready to go home.

“Uhm, seonbae-nim.”

“Yeah?”

She turned around. She saw Yuna hesitant to do something.

“What is it?”

“Uhm… can I ask you about one thing?”

“Do you have something to ask already? What is it?”

“Uhm… there’s this thing I coincidentally overheard.”

“Yeah, go on.”

“I heard that you know Han Maru-seonbae who appears in ‘New Semester’.”

“Han Maru? Uh, yeah. What about him?”

“Do you really know him?”

“Yeah.”

Hearing that, Yuna became even more hesitant to say something. She tilted her head
and took a step closer.

“What’s this about? Don’t be too stiff. I won’t eat you.”

“…Uhm, seonbae-nim. Can I meet Han Maru-seonbae?”

“Meet Maru?”

“Yes! I mean, it’s not me who wants to meet him. My sister says she wants to meet
him.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes. She’s called Kim Bitna. She just entered elementary school this year.”

“Really? She must be cute if she’s anything like you.”

“Yes, she’s really cute.”

“But she wants to see Maru?”

“…Yes.”

Yuna turned her head away slightly. She tilted her head in confusion but still replied.

“I’ll ask him for you. It sounds like your sister really likes New Semester.”

“No, she doesn’t watch New Semester that much.”

“But she knows Maru?”

“I heard that she got to act together in the same drama before.”

“Drama?”

“Yes. My sister is a child actress.”

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“Heheh, my sister’s good at acting.”

Seeing Yuna smiling happily made her realize just how much Yuna cherished her
sister. She took out her phone on the spot.
“I’ll try calling him.”

“Thank you.”

She checked the time. 9 p.m. He probably had a shoot today since it was Sunday, but
he also said that it might end early, so he should probably be home by now.

She long-pressed the shortcut number: 2.

The taxi drove off. Maru took a deep breath before lifting up the box with the
videotapes. It wasn’t that heavy, but it was hard to walk because of the sheer volume.
Just as he barely managed to carry the box, that got caught on his thighs every time
he walked, to his house, his phone rang.

“Yeah, what?”

-Were you exercising? You’re out of breath.

“I was moving some stuff.”

-Stuff?

“I received some presents. Anyway, what’s up at this hour? Didn’t you say you were
going to practice late into the night?”

Maru pushed the box in front of his house and sat down on the stairs. 9:10 p.m was
the time when he checked his watch.

-I just finished.

“You have it hard.”

-Nah.

Her small laugh could be heard over the phone.

“If you just finished should I go pick you up? I think I have time to see you for around
an hour.”

-You must be tired because of the shoot, so get some rest. Oh, I called you because a
junior of mine wanted to see you.

“Junior? Junior who?”

-Junior at our school’s acting club. To be exact, it’s her sister who wants to see you.
Do you know someone called Kim Bitna?

“Kim Bitna?”

He contemplated when he heard the rather familiar-sounding name. He remembered

the small pretty girl who played the role of a beggar with him during the shoot for
Apgu last summer. That girl’s name was Bitna. At the same time, he was reminded of
Bitna’s mother, who wore sunglasses and drove with one hand. Even though he had
only seen her once during the audition, she left a deep impression on him.

“I know her. I met her when I shot Apgu last year. She was a really polite kid, so the
adults doted on her a lot.”

-Then that must be her. A junior of mine is her sister, and I heard from her that Bitna
wants to meet you.

“Bitna wants to meet me?”

-Yeah. Looks like you two were close?

Maru thought about what happened last year. He couldn’t say that they were on
really good terms. Unlike the other boys who he had gotten close to by living
together with them for a while, Bitna always disappeared with her mother after the
shoot.

“It wasn’t bad, I guess.”

-Really?

“I did treat her to some snacks from time to time, so maybe that’s how I scored in her
heart?”

Maru reminded himself of the young Bitna who did the shoot without any
complaints. Even adults found the weather hot, yet Bitna continued acting without
crying even once. Her clear eyes left a deep impression on him.

Just then, he could hear her start talking to someone over the phone. He had waited
for a while when the door to his house opened.
“Oppa, what are you doing here?”

It was Bada. Maru pointed at the phone.

“Oh, it’s unni. What’s this? It’s in the way here, so I’ll take it inside for now.”

Bada struggled to put the box inside. Maru thanked her in a small voice.

-What’s this thank you?

“I said thank you for being born.”

-What the hell was that so suddenly?

“This wasn’t the first time I’ve said that. Anyway, I thought you were talking to
someone.”

-It’s the junior I was talking about. She’s next to me. How’s your schedule? Bitna
apparently really looks forward to meeting you.

“No way. I’m fine with Tuesday. I wonder if Bitna is okay with that?”

-Wait a sec.

Her voice became smaller again. She seemed to be talking with her junior.

-She’s okay with Tuesday.

“Really? I’m fine with meeting her, but I don’t know what she wants to do. If it’s just
saying hello, I can go over to your school. Bitna can do that too.”

-That sounds good. Then you should come on Tuesday, and I will send you the time
by text.

“Okay.”

-I’m going to hang up then.

“You are?”
-What else?

“How disappointing. It’s the perfect time for a call, yet you want to just hang up after
doing business?”

-If you don’t have anything to do, just sleep!

“How heartless.”

She hung up after wishing him good night. Maru smiled and closed his phone.

“Rather than that, Bitna, huh.”

That was unexpected. Just as they talked about, they weren’t on bad terms, but they
weren’t close enough that they would meet up like this in person. At most, they
would greet each other if they met each other on the streets. If it was one of the boys
that rolled around the floor with him to act like a beggar, he might gladly meet them,
but for Bitna, he felt more confused than happy.

What were they supposed to do when they meet? - he thought about it as he opened
the door. He couldn’t think of anything to say to her when they met. There weren’t
many things he could do with an elementary school kid. Maybe he should buy some
food for her at a restaurant?

“Oppa, what’s all this?” Bada asked after opening up the box.

She opened one of the casings for the videotape.

“Are these movies?”

“No, some recordings of acting practices.”

“All of this? No, wait, 1988? These are super old!”

“They were taken a long time ago after all.”

“How many are there?”

“About sixty.”
“You’re going to watch all of this? How long is each one?”

“Probably at least an hour?”

“Then that means at least sixty hours, huh.”

“Do you want to watch it with me?”

“Forget about it. I need to study. But why’s there so many? Who’s in it?”

“An amazing actress.”

“An amazing actress?”

Bada tilted her head. When she asked who they were, he just replied to her that they
were a nameless actress.

“An amazing, yet nameless actress? I don’t get it. But how are you going to watch it?”

“Don’t we have a videotape player at home?”

“We threw it out a while ago. No one was using it, and it was taking up space in the
living room, so mom gave it away to a junk dealer if I remember correctly.”

“So it’s like that after all. Do we have to buy one then?”

Maru put the videotapes back in the box and took them to his room. It seemed that
he had to look for a VCR first. Maybe he should visit Yongsan[1]?

“Ah, right, promise.”

Tuesday was his only day off but he had already made an appointment. The only
other day he could take off was Thursday when he had acting club practice. However,
he hadn’t been to practice a lot lately thanks to shooting the film and the drama.
Although practice was lower on his priority list, he had talked to Daemyung about it,
and considering what he had to do as a senior, he probably shouldn’t miss out on any
more practice sessions.

Should he try to borrow one at school? Maru thought about Taesik. The school
probably had a VCR, and it was probably in some storage room somewhere because
it wasn’t in use. He might be able to get this resolved quite easily if he asked.

‘Let’s leave that at that.’

Let's wash up for now - he was drenched in sweat after moving some heavy stuff. He
decided that he should think about other methods after having a shower.

Maru looked at the box with the videotapes pleasantly before opening the door.

***

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I can do this much. Here, drink this.”

Yuna accepted the strawberry milk while bowing. Her seonbae also went with
strawberry milk. They were in the convenience store in front of the school. They
naturally came here as they talked to each other.

“The seonbae who graduated used to take me to this place a lot,” her seonbae spoke.

She had a bright smile on her face.

“You’re talking about the one who came for the welcome ceremony for the club
right? The one with the short hair.”

“Yes. That’s her. You didn’t know that Seol cut her hair short following her, did you?”

“Oh, did she?”

“Yeah. Seol really liked the former president. Well, you can say the same thing about
me. She always asked if we were okay when we were having a hard time. She was
really scary when it came to practice, but she was kinder than anyone once practice
was over. This is the place I used to talk to her a lot. I think everyone in the acting
club drank with her here at least once.”

“She must be a good person.”

Yuna said as she grabbed the strawberry milk with both of her hands. Just from her
seonbae’s words, she could tell just what a warm person the former president was.
Likewise, the seonbae that brought her here like the former president had to be a
good person.

Yuna bit her lower lip and looked at her seonbae. Actually, she had told her a lie. It
wasn’t her sister who wanted to see Han Maru-seonbae. Well, she did say it from
time to time, but she never desperately wanted to. At most, it was just ‘there was this
interesting oppa’. It was her who fanned the flames. When she heard that her
seonbae knew Han Maru-seonbae, Yuna thought about it for a long while before
talking to her about it.

“Yuna, you said that you wanted to become an actress, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is your sister the same?”

“My sister’s popular. She showed up quite a lot in dramas, as a child actress.”

“Really? It wasn’t just Apgu?”

“She was actually a child model, but she started acting because mom said she should
try. She’s really good at acting. I started practicing acting ever since I entered middle
school, but my sister debut when she was five. She’s a senior in that regard.”

“Yuna, you’ll become a splendid actress too one day. I managed to, you know? You’re
much better than me, so there will come a day when you will be able to display your
skills.”

Yuna couldn’t lift her head due to embarrassment after hearing that. She felt
extremely happy that the number one seonbae she liked in the club was
complimenting her. She felt like the fatigue she got from practice was melting away.

“Ah, do you like strawberry milk? I forgot to ask and ended up buying what I like.”

“I really like strawberry milk.”

Yuna gulped down the strawberry milk.

“Take it slow. You’ll choke.”

As soon as she said those words, Yuna choked on her drink. She coughed and wiped
her mouth with her sleeve. She felt embarrassed.

“See, I told you to be careful.”

“Sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. Do you want some tissues?”

“Oh, I have some with me.”

Yuna took out some tissues from her bag and wiped her mouth. She then carefully
looked at her seonbae. She was leaning against the chair and looking at the sky as
she drank.

‘Wow.’

Yuna subconsciously gasped because her seonbae looked nothing like the character
she played on television. She was good at acting, kind, gentle, and… Yuna thought
that it was the best choice she ever made to come to Myunghwa High, purely because
of the acting club alone.

In Suwon, Myunghwa High was well-known for two things.

One, a school where celebrities attended, and two, a school with a great acting club.
Most people who had an interest in this field knew that the alumni of the acting club
at Myunghwa High were powerful in the entertainment industry. Yuna also chose
Myunghwa High because she wanted to become an actress.

“If you’re having a hard time, then tell me or Seol about it. Or you can go to the other
seonbaes about it. They’ll all help you like it’s their own matter. The acting club is no
different from family after all.”

“Yes, seonbae-nim.”

“Then shall we get up? Oh! You can meet Maru at 6 on Tuesday. We don’t have
practice that day, so that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Thank you.”
“What are you going to do for your sister? Can she come to the school by herself?”

“I’ll go pick her up. We live nearby, so it’s fine.”

“Then I guess there are no problems. I’ll tell him to treat Bitna well. He’s not
someone who would play pranks on children, but he’s quite weird.”

“Weird?”

Yuna blinked her eyes and asked. However, her seonbae didn’t seem to have heard as
she kept tapping away on her phone. Yuna smiled and no longer spoke. She couldn’t
care less about the trivial stuff. What was important was that she got to meet Han
Maru-seonbae in person.

“Let’s go, Yuna.”

“Yes!”

Yuna walked right next to her seonbae.

[1] Popular electronics district in Korea.

“I’m home.”

“You’re late. How about dinner?”

“I ate already with a seonbae of mine.”

“What did you eat?”

“Strawberry milk.”

You should eat properly - seeing her mother worried about her, Yuna smiled and said
that she was okay.

“I’m fine since I ate a lot for lunch. Where’s Bitna?”

“She should be sleeping right now. She said she was tired after we came back from
the studio.”

Her mother pointed at the bedroom. Yuna quietly opened the door to the room. She
could hear regular breathing. She tiptoed so she wouldn’t make any noise with her
feet and approached Bitna who was sleeping on the bed.

“Bitna, your unni’s here.”

She whispered and waved her hand, and just then, Bitna opened her eyes. As Yuna
didn’t have any intentions of waking her up, she quickly apologized.

“Unni, you’re here.”

“Sorry. Looks like I woke you up. Go back to sleep.”

Bitna, who sat up while rubbing her eyes, yawned before standing up.

“I’m going to watch TV.”

“Do you want me to carry you?”

After thinking for a while, Bitna nodded. Yuna quickly piggybacked Bitna and went to
the living room. Some metal sounds could be heard from the kitchen. It seemed that
her mother was putting some fruits in a bowl.

“Bitna, did you wake up?”

“I think I woke her up.”

After replying, she put Bitna down on the sofa. Bitna, who was still sleepy, looked at
the powered off TV in a daze before looking for the remote.

“Bitna, what do you want to watch?”

“A drama.”

Yuna turned to a Sunday drama channel. Bitna got herself together and started
watching TV.

“Have some fruits.”

Her mother put down a large bowl on the living room table. Yuna forked a chopped
banana before giving it to Bitna. She subconsciously smiled when she looked at
Bitna, who ate the banana with her small hands.

“You’re going to cry even more than I will when Bitna gets married in the future,
aren’t you?”

“Of course. Bitna, even if you get married, you must come and see your sister, okay?”

Bitna’s small head nodded.

“You should eat as well, mom.”

“You should eat first. Also, are you going to keep coming home around this time in
the future?”

“We’re in our busiest period right now. The characters have been decided, and we’re
also making the props. It won’t always end this late though. I find myself lacking no
matter how much I practice, so I want to do about an hour more, but the seonbaes
told me that it’s important to rest as well.”

“They’re right. Staying in your top condition is also important.”

Yuna looked at Bitna who was watching TV before turning around to look at her
mother.

“What did Bitna shoot today?”

“An acquaintance of mine opened a studio. It was really well-decorated too. She said
she needed a photo to display at the counter, so I had Bitna do that.”

“Are the photos good?”

“Of course they are. Who do you think the model is?”

“Did you take photos of them with your phone?”

“I thought you’d ask that, so I did.”

Her mother went to the room and came back out with her phone.

“Here. Don’t they look good?”

Bitna was standing in a beige-colored background. She was wearing a light blue one-
piece dress and was sitting on a chair that was larger than herself. It was way too
cute.

“She’s even prettier if you see the actual photos.”

“Bitna, these look so good,” Yuna said as she showed Bitna the photos.

Bitna smiled faintly before looking at the TV again.

“If this place does well, it’ll be all thanks to Bitna.”

Yuna looked at the photos in satisfaction before giving the phone back to her mother.

“What happened to the audition she took last time?”

“We didn’t hear anything back, so I don’t think she made it.”

“Where can you find a girl prettier than Bitna, huh? They just don’t know their stuff.”

“There are many girls who are just as pretty as Bitna.”

Her mother waved her hand and stood up. Yuna followed her to the kitchen.

“Did you decide on what to do about the acting school?”

Her mother sat down in the kitchen and crossed her arms. When she made a posture
like that, the manager side of hers would surface. Yuna organized her thoughts
before speaking,

“I want to focus on the acting club for the first year.”

“Is that because the acting club is fun for you? Or because it’s helpful to you.”

“It is both fun and helpful.”

“Yuna.”

“Yes, mom.”

“As you know, we live in an era where only those that have been preparing steadily
since youth can grab the opportunity. Mom thinks that both you and Bitna are very
pretty and talented, to the point that I can’t believe you two are my daughters. That’s
also why I think you’re at a very important moment right now. Think about it
carefully. There is a right time for learning. Hanging out with your friends at your age
is very important, yes. It’s not like mom doesn’t understand that. Also Yuna, you
must remember that the successful actors and actresses all gave up some things to
reach their level. It’s not just actors. You can apply that logic to every other job.
Achieving something is the same as giving up just as much. Yuna is smart, so you
know what mom is saying, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And you still want to reduce the number of acting school lessons that you took
during middle school and focus on the acting club?”
“Yes, I do.”

Her mother closed her eyes. Yuna waited patiently. Her mother was making her
decision right now. If she said no, Yuna was planning to act stubborn, which she
hadn’t done in a long time.

“Are you doing the acting club in order to play around?” she asked.

Yuna immediately shook her head.

“No. If the acting club really just played around, I wouldn’t have joined in the first
place. Mom, I want to become an actress. I’m not lying about that. And, just as you
said, I know that there are things I have to give up in order to become one. That’s
why I want to take a break from acting school for a while. Actually, the acting I do at
the club is much harder than what I do at the academy. At the academy, I do exactly
what the instructor tells me to do, but in the acting club, I have to be more proactive.
I liked that feeling. It’s unlike anything I have done until now.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. Honestly speaking, acting with my friends is fun. I have friends at the acting
school, but we don’t strive to put on a play with all of us. Mom, you said that actors
need to have a variety of experiences, right? The acting club is a really new place for
me. Oh, there’s also a special instructor who comes every week, so it’s not like the
education level loses out to acting schools.”

Yuna then thought about one person.

“Also, I have a seonbae I admire at the acting club, and I could learn a lot of things
while looking at her acting.”

“A seonbae you admire?”

“The one I talked about last time.”

“Oh, the one that appeared in the sitcom?”

“Yes. The one who bought me strawberry milk today was also her.”

“You admire her?”

“Yes!”

Hearing that answer, her mother’s lips softened. There was a smile on her face, and
the tightly locked arms loosened up as well.

“If there’s a seonbae like her, I guess there’s no need to go to an acting school.”

“Are you really giving me permission?”

“Have I ever not give you permission after I talked to you seriously about it? Yuna, if
you are really sure that what you feel is right, I am going to try to understand you
and allow you to do what you want. You’re my daughter after all.”

“Thank you, mom.”

“Here. Give mommy a hug.”

Her mother opened her arms wide. Yuna smiled and gave her a hug. Just then, Bitna,
who was watching TV in the living room, came up to them and got in between the
two. Yuna gave her sister a big hug.

“Mom, I want to sleep.”

“Bitna must be tired. You must brush your teeth first, right?”

Her mother patted Bitna’s buttocks. After brushing her teeth, Bitna went to the
bedroom.

“If you ever change your mind later, tell me. I’ll try to contact someone who can get
you into Film.”

“Isn’t that place expensive?”

“It is, but when I think about your future, it’s absolutely worth it. Mom will do
everything I can for your sake. So, if you ever want something, then tell mom about
it.”

“Okay, mom.”

Her mother picked up the vase placed on the dining table. As Yuna was watching the
water level rise in her mug, she heard her mother’s voice.

“Also Yuna, who is Maru-oppa?”

“Wh-what?”

“Bitna said in the studio today. That you seem to want to meet Maru-oppa.”

“Bitna said that?”

Her mother did not reply and just stared at her. Yuna did not know where to look, so
she stared at the mug.

“If it’s something you need to keep secret from mom, then you don’t have to tell me.
But if it’s about dating someone, you must be very careful. Liking and loving
someone is a natural thing, but sometimes, that natural thing can put people in pain.
You must understand that. Of course, mom believes that my daughter knows about
such things already.”

Yuna hesitated before speaking,

“Mom, you know the drama called The Witness, right?”

“I do. I liked it to the point that I kept up to date with all the episodes.”

“Then do you remember one of the extras who was a murderer? The one that
appeared in the interrogation room.”

“Do you mean the scene where Ahn Joohyun was shouting?”

“Yes.”

“I remember that scene. I was really nervous when I watched that scene. It was quite
scary after all. Why do you ask?”

“The one that played the role of the murderer in that scene is Han Maru-oppa. Right
now, he’s in New Semester.”

“Oh really? He’s an actor?”

Her mother smiled as though she was interested and leaned forward. Yuna slightly
leaned backwards after seeing her mother so close to her.

“Do you know him?”

“No, I’ve never met him. But Bitna seems quite close to him. They both used to be
beggars in Apgu.”

“Apgu? Oh! I remember. There was this mature boy who was always taking care of
Bitna when I went there to pick her up and… right. His name was Han Maru. Your
mom’s memory is still good.”

Her mother clapped and rejoiced. Yuna smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, I was really surprised when I saw him acting in The Witness. How can he
do such a thing… Then, I found out that Bitna knew Maru-oppa so I asked her.
Because I wanted to meet him once…”

She said that last part in a really small voice.

She had a lot of actors she admired. However, most of those actors were much older
than her.

The only one that managed to show impressive acting and was around her age was
Maru, so Yuna became curious about him. Just like her friends who liked idols, she
investigated the actor named Han Maru, but she couldn’t find anything worth noting.
Then, she found a short interview with Maru on a magazine website known as
Sharon. While reading that interview, Yuna nodded several times. There were many
things she could sympathize with.

Through that interview, Yuna found out that Maru appeared in a movie called
Twilight Struggles and managed to find a short clip of when Maru appeared on a
video website. In that clip, Maru left a short, but deep impression. He gave her a
sense of chill that was different from the violent struggle he showed in The Witness.
Yuna replayed that clip several times. The moment she realized he enraptured her
with just one line, Yuna wanted to know more about that actor.

“Wait a sec.”

Her mom picked up her phone and stood up while talking. It seemed to be a work-
related call. Yuna saw her mother go to the veranda before sighing.

“So Bitna knew about it.”

She was so embarrassed because she wanted to meet a man who she never met
before, so she very indirectly asked Bitna if she wanted to meet Maru, but it seemed
that her quick-witted sister had seen through everything.

The reason she wasn’t able to tell her seonbae that it was her who wanted to meet
Maru was also because she felt very embarrassed about meeting him one on one. It
was also because she felt that Maru-seonbae might be weirded out since someone he
didn’t know wanted to meet him. That was why she tried so hard to come up with
that lie, and yet…

‘If Bitna knows about it, seonbae must have noticed as well. She must have
pretended not to know about it because she was being considerate, right?’

She really thanked her seonbae now. Yuna slapped her cheeks lightly. She decided
that she shouldn’t have lied no matter how embarrassed she was. She resolved that
she should definitely apologize to her seonbae later.

“But at least I get to meet him now.”

Yuna calmed down her breathing as she thought about Maru’s face. She looked
forward to meeting him as an actor. Just what kind of thoughts did he have? What
kind of practice did he do that allowed him to act like that? She had a mountain of
questions. She decided that she would ask everything when they meet the day after
tomorrow.

‘I can do it, right?’

She could picture herself not being able to ask anything in embarrassment, but it
should be fine since Bitna would be next to her. Yuna nodded her head.

‘It’s fine, I can do it!’

***

“Did something good happen to Yuna? She seemed really happy about something.”
She, who was taking a shower, thought back to the smile her junior had before
focusing on washing her hair.

‘Well, something good probably happened to her.’

“Ah, the warm water is so good.”

A pleasant sense of relaxation filled her body

“I don’t think I am allowed to let you take it home. I did look for one, but all the VCRs
registered as school items are integrated into the TV, so I can’t really let you take it
home.”

“I see. Sorry for asking you something absurd.”

“No, no. Sorry for not being able to help. But why are you looking for a VCR? Most
people use CDs these days.”

“I have some videotapes I got from someone.”

“Don’t tell me they are red tapes[1]?” Taesik teased.

“We’re past the era of watching such things on videotapes. It’s just a video recording
of a real play and a real stage. They are precious resources, so I wanted to watch
them quickly, but things just aren’t going well.”

“If it’s like that, you can bring it to school and watch it here.”

“There’s about sixty of them…”

“Oh, I guess you need to look for a VCR and watch it at home then.”

“I was counting on the school to have one, but I guess it didn’t go that well. I’ll try
visiting Yongsan next week.”

“If I had one at home, I’d love to lend it to you, but we threw it out a few years ago as
well.”

“Most households don’t have one these days. I guess they’ll soon be treated like
record players, while videotapes become vinyl records.”

“Probably.”

Just as he was about to say goodbye and leave, Taesik’s laptop made a noise. When
Maru had a look at the screen, he saw a messenger window pop up. Taesik sighed
after checking the message.

“You seem busy, so I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for looking into it.”

“Oh, okay. But this isn’t work. This is something worse.”

“Worse? Is it…”

Taesik pointed at the laptop screen as though it was fine for Maru to read. Maru
narrowed his eyes. He could see the text on the screen. The first thing he looked for
was the name of the one who sent the message. He realized then what was worse
than work.

“So you still haven’t finished preparing for the wedding yet.”

“The important things have been dealt with.”

“Then I guess it must be about the honeymoon huh.”

“I heard Miso vented her stress on you, and it seems that she told you about that
after all.”

“I heard it a while back. But did you really invite your parents and mother-in-law to
the honeymoon?”

“Things happened that way.”

“You were too generous. She’s going to use this to nag you for a lifetime.”

“I know, right? I’ve never dated anyone until now, and I’m suddenly getting married,
so people around me are like… you know. There’s the age gap between me and Miso
too. We met each other’s parents amidst the confusion, and thanks to that, we found
out about each other’s family history. I know just how hard a single parent’s life is
since I’m a teacher. I thought that it was good to take mother-in-law since she must
have had a hard time until now, but when I got myself together, I felt like I made a
mistake.”

“It would’ve been perfect if it wasn’t the honeymoon. Such a pity.”

“You’re entirely right. Plus, it’s not like I can suddenly go up to mother-in-law and tell
her the disappointing news. If I go through like this though, I’m afraid of the
consequences.”

“…Congratulations on your marriage. I guess that’s the only thing I can tell you.”

“Don’t you have a way out?”

“My mother said this once: A wife is above the national leader before marriage.
Anyway, Miso-noonim does really love you, so perhaps you’ll be able to gloss over it
if you act cute?”

“Act cute at this age?”

“Teach, acting cute works if someone who never does it does it. Rather than
regretting it later, even the young me thinks that you should look for peace right now
by getting her to forgive you.”

Good luck - Maru cheered in a small voice. Taesik made an awkward smile and put
his hands on the keyboard. When Maru glanced back, he was creating an emoticon
on the keyboard. Bless the latecomer husband. Of course, it was likely that she would
nag him about it their whole lives, but what could he do about it? He should have
been prepared for what’s coming since he got a young wife.

“Hey, Han Maru! Where do you think you’re going without cleaning!”

A broom was thrown at his face as soon as he returned to the classroom.

“How heartless. Can’t you fill in for a friend?”

“Stop yapping and do it quickly. You’re in charge of the corridor!”

Maru smiled bitterly when he felt the kindness of a friend who would not accept
other people’s happiness. He was sweeping the floor with the broom in the corner of
the corridor when he heard a pair of deep voices from the floor beneath him. Maru
grabbed onto the banister and looked down. A skinny tall guy and a small but well
built guy were talking to each other.

“Did you guys eat steam engines or something? Quieten down a little,” Maru said as
he looked at Bangjoo and Chihwan, who were climbing the stairs.
These days, they always walked around together like a duo from a comedy movie. Of
course, it was rather rude of him to compare those two to renowned actors, but he
couldn’t help but be reminded of such a pair when looking at the two.

“Hello, seonbae-nim!”

“Maru-seonbae!”

Bangjoo greeted him politely while Chihwan waved his hand. Bangjoo scolded
Chihwan saying that he was rude. Maru sighed.

“Both of you are just as bad so stop. Also, lower your voices. Leaving aside Chihwan,
Bangjoo, isn’t it about time you got that fixed?”

“I am trying to, but I always end up raising my voice when I’m next to this guy. He’s
too loud so I can’t hear anything whenever I say something.”

As soon as Bangjoo’s words ended, Chihwan countered.

“Bangjoo-seonbae. You can’t just say that. I’m raising my voice because your voice is
loud.”

“That’s not true.”

“That’s what I want to say.”

Maru quietly approached them from the back and pulled both of them by one ear.

“Go up to the hall already. No one will say anything about your voice there.”

The two juniors grabbed their ears and walked up the stairs. Usually, the meeting of
two people gave rise to a synergistic effect, but with these two, that effect took place
in a weird direction.

“Good to see that they’re lively. I had them do the same things since I thought they
would become close to each other, and it seems I was right.”

When he turned around, he saw Daemyung. Maru slapped Daemyung’s chest without
saying a word.
“So you are the cause.”

“Wh-what?”

“That’s not called lively. That’s called being loud.”

“At least it’s nice to look at them. They’re filled with vitality.”

“As expected of the club president who loves the juniors. Are you going up right
now?”

“No, I’m going to buy some drinks from the cafeteria. You’re coming to practice today,
right?”

“I will. I’ve been missing practice for quite a while now.”

“If you’re too busy, don’t push yourself.”

“Hey, the word is that you work until late into the night. Do you think I can rest like
that? I’m going to go and do some practice and check on the props as well so don’t
worry about it. Also, sorry. I feel like I’m pushing everything onto you.”

“Oh, don’t mention it.”

“Dowook isn’t coming either these days, right?”

“Yeah. He went home early today as well.”

“Looks like they’re having a hard time looking for a part timer.”

“They did find one, but apparently, that person didn’t show up without notice after a
few days. Is a petrol station job that hard?”

“It’s a bit hard because of washing the larger vehicles. Although the machine does
the brunt of it, it still requires a person to help.”

“Maybe that’s why Dowook said he wanted to have you do the work. His father is also
apparently looking for you all the time.”

“The auntie there made some really nice food, so it was really good working there.
Though, I can’t do it now because I’m busy.”

“Everyone’s busy.”

“You are doing the club on top of your studies too, aren’t you? If it’s really that hard,
tell the 2nd years about it. It’d be better if I or Dowook could show up from time to
time, but that’s hard for both of us.”

“I’m starting to realize why the 3rd year seniors never came to practice last year. You
really get that pressure that you have to study huh.”

“Tell me once something happens. I’ll try whatever I can to help.”

Daemyung smiled and climbed down the stairs. It was really satisfying to see the
increasing number of club members at the beginning of March, but problems started
occurring when they started practicing for real. There were over thirty juniors to
guide, yet two out of the three third year members were absent all the time, so there
had to be problems. Daemyung was trying his best, but he probably had it hard, both
psychologically and physically.

‘I don’t think it’s a bad idea to pick a club president from the 2nd year members
quickly.’

Once Daemyung retired from being president, he should get more time to focus on
his schoolwork. The acting club was an important place, yes, but compared to
Daemyung’s future, not as important. Rather than achieving something as an acting
club, Daemyung’s stable entry into college was much more important from Maru’s
perspective.

“Seonbae, are you cleaning?”

“Hello, seonbae-nim.”

Aram and Jiyoon appeared in front of him. They seemed to be going up. Maru stroked
his chin as he looked at Aram. Among the 2nd year students, Aram was probably the
best-suited to be the club president. Bangjoo wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t capable of
being harsh. If they were given some work, he would cheerfully solve everything by
himself. Compared to him, Aram was someone who could distribute the work
suitably. She would also be moderately strict as well. The club president had to be
able to become strict and snap out. In that sense, Aram was a decent candidate. Of
course, Jiyoon was a really decent person as well, but…

“Seonbae-nim. Do you need help?” Jiyoon offered.

Jiyoon did not suit the position after all. She was a docile sheep, so she would get
swung around by the wolves if she was given armor to wear. It was better to give the
position to someone who knew how to bare their fangs.

“You shouldn’t do that. Seonbae, we’ll be off first.”

“Alright. Daemyung said he’s going to buy drinks before going up, so go up and have
everyone start practice. Bangjoo is up there as well, but he’s probably fooling around
with the others.”

“Okay.”

Aram led Jiyoon up. Hm, she was really reliable. He decided that he should talk to
Daemyung about stepping down from the role of president.

After sweeping the floor, he went to the classroom and got his bag. Although he
usually only carried around a script and a novel, there was a videotape inside today.
He couldn’t hold back his curiosity and ended up bringing one. There was a VCR in
the classroom opposite of the hall, so he could watch it there.

“7th of August, 1987.”

Maru looked at the videotape he took out from his bag. This was the oldest record
among the videotapes that director Lee Jincheol gave him. The sixty videos were
recorded a few days apart at the shortest and months apart at the longest. The last
video was taken in January of 1989, a month before Jung Haejoo passed away.
According to the timeline, the Jung Haejoo of 1987 had not met president Lee Junmin
yet. He would find out what kind of acting she did through this video.

After putting the videotape back in his bag, he started walking up the stairs. When he
arrived at the hall and opened the door, he saw the juniors who were stretching
under the guidance of Aram.

“Hello.”

“Hello, seonbae.”
He nodded at the juniors before going to a corner. He planned to watch the video
leisurely after doing everything he needed to do.

“For now, let’s start with sewing.”

Maru put some clothing on his lap as well as some cloth to patch it up.

[1] A.k.a porn.

“Let’s take a 10 minute break! Those of you who want to go to the bathroom should
go now, and those of you who want to drink something, there are drinks right there
so drink as much as you want. Let’s start again after we take a break.”

As soon as Daemyun’s words ended, Chihwan sat down on the ground. The others
also sat down on the floor as though they were falling.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this even after a year.”

Chihwan wiped his sweat. Even though they had finished only their streches, his
whole body was aching. ‘Stretching’ was supposed to be something done lightly
before an actual sport or other activities, but it had a completely different meaning
within the acting club. Extreme exercise, that was another name for stretching in the
acting club.

“That seonbae is sewing again today.”

“You’re right.”

Chihwan’s colleagues were whispering to each other. Maru had shown up to practice
after a long time, but what he did was always the same: making props. Most of the
props that were piling up inside the container had been created by Maru’s hands.

“I wonder why he’s not doing acting.”

“He must be busy.”

“Really? He doesn’t even show up on TV that much though.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. In last week’s episode, we only got a brief
glimpse of him from the side.”

“Did he get edited out because his acting was bad?”

“No way.”
“I saw on TV last time that there are people who only show up for a minute after
shooting for five hours. Dramas must be the same, right? If they aren’t good, they just
won’t show up.”

“I guess that’s plausible. I only watch New Semester for Giwoo-oppa.”

“Isn’t Kang Giwoo so handsome?”

“You can say that again. A friend of mine sneaked out of her house and went to
Daejeon to see him last weekend.”

“I also chased after TTO oppas a lot once. Though, I stopped doing any fan activities
since they haven’t been active recently.”

“Have you seen TTO in real life?”

“I did. Man, they’re no joke. Do you know what a halo is? Those oppas had halos so
bright that I couldn’t see them properly.”

“Giwoo-oppa must be even cooler from up close then, right?”

“Of course. I’ve been chasing after media people for 2 years. Even the best idols can’t
hold a candle to handsome actors. You know Lee Hyuk, right?”

“I do!”

Chihwan looked at the two girls when they raised their voices. The girls lowered
their voices after looking at him. However, they still looked excited. Was the guy
named Lee Hyuk that good?

“I saw Lee Hyuk-oppa from up close, and I almost fainted. His eyes, nose, and mouth
are like they have been sculpted. I thought he was a foreigner at first.”

“I also saw the movie. I was really surprised when I watched it, you know? Lee Hyuk-
oppa looked so handsome.”

“I almost dazed out as well. His looks are just, whew. Also, you know that there were
bad rumors about him, right? There were talks about how he is an actor with a
pretty face but terrible acting because all the pieces he shot produced bad results,
but those allegations faded away with this movie. He’s too good at acting. I even
watched it twice.”

“Really? That’s awesome.”

“At first, I watched it without thinking, but when I watched it again, I saw things I
didn’t the first time. Especially Kwon Dayoon’s acting. Honestly, I haven't looked at
her in a good light ever since Blue split up, but Kwon Dayoon was different.”

“I know right? I didn’t realize it was her at first.”

“She was an idol, but her acting was so good. I saw from a fan cafe that the reason
Blue split up was to let Kwon Dayoon debut as an actress. Being dubbed an idol
actress does sound a little cheap after all.”

“Didn’t they split up because they had a bad relationship? I heard that someone got
pregnant.”

“Maybe that happened, but Kwon Dayoon’s acting is so good that it wouldn’t be
strange for her agency to give her their full support, right? Seeing as how Kwon
Dayoon didn’t leave the company even though the group split up, I think they
terminated Blue because they wanted to turn her into an actress. Was it Lee
Chaerim? She switched to acting as well, didn’t she? I’m sure that acting makes more
money than being an idol.”

“Right. I heard that actors earn a huge amount of money through commercials. If I
was the president, I would let someone as good as Kwon Dayoon be an actress and
not an idol.”

“My words exactly.”

“I guess the reason she doesn’t show up recently is because she’s practicing acting. I
almost fell in love with her when she snapped out in the movie. I originally didn’t like
her that much, but I feel like becoming a fan is okay after looking at her acting.”

“Me too. I shivered when I saw her.”

The girls started talking about the movie ‘Those Guys’. Rather than talking about Lee
Hyuk being cool, they were talking about how Kwon Dayoon’s acting was good.

“It’s not that her acting was good, it’s that the direction was good. You don’t know
your stuff,” Chihwan said after listening for a while.

“What direction?”

The girls looked at him. Chihwan made the biggest smile he could. Maru and
Bangjoo, with who he watched the movie, definitely said that the movie was good
because of the direction.

“The direction of the director. It’s not the actors who were good at acting, it’s the
editing that made them look awesome.”

“No it isn’t. Their acting was good. Did you even watch the movie?”

“I did.”

“And you can still say that? What direction. Dayoon-unni just had awesome acting.”

“You really don’t know your stuff. Listen up. Maru-seonbae said that it’s a victory for
directing after seeing the movie.”

“So what?”

“Do you want me to explain in detail? Who is Maru-seonbae? He’s an actor who has
acted in dramas and movies, right? Who do you think knows more about movies?
Him, an actor? Or us, an audience? Of course it’s h…”

“That’s not right! I get that Maru-seonbae is on TV, but whether he is good at acting
is another story,” the girl said after giving a glance in Maru’s direction.

Chihwan raised his eyebrows. She dared to say something that was disrespectful.

“Maru-seonbae’s acting is awesome!”

“It’s not in New Semester.”

“Can you still say that after seeing Maru-seonbae in Those Guys?”

The girls widened their eyes.

“Maru-seonbae was in Those Guys? I watched it twice and I don’t remember seeing
him.”

“Me neither. He wasn’t in it.”

“When did he appear?”

The girls glared at him and asked. Chihwan did not step down before their fierce
gazes.

“You know, the fighting scene at the beginning.”

“The fighting scene? Oh! The scene where there was no sound? Maru-seonbae
appeared there?”

“Yes! He shot together with the Kwon Dayoon that you’ve been praising.”

He thought that they would look at Maru differently now, but the girls’ reactions
were lukewarm at best.

“What the heck? He’s just an extra then. He barely showed up as well. I actually
expected something because you said he was in it, but it turns out it was nothing
much.”

“See? That seonbae isn’t anything much.”

“If he was really popular, why would he come to the acting club? He should be busy
shooting. He just got lucky to show his face here and there.”

Chihwan felt like he was going to become angry. The girls were respectful to the
other seniors, but it was easy to see that they were disrespectful to Maru.

‘Fine, I get it. I get that seonbae doesn’t show up that much and is always by himself,
so it’s not surprising that they don’t know about him. But this isn’t right.’

Chihwan was deeply impressed by Maru during the audition the film production club
held. Although they had the same role, Maru showed him a completely different side
to acting and made him realize what acting was about. If the girls watched him
properly that day, they wouldn’t say such things.

Chihwan stood up and walked over to Maru. The girls were frightened and grabbed
him, but he shook them off and stood in front of Maru.

“Seonbae-nim!”

“What?”

“Show us your acting. Those girls are looking down on you.”

Chihwan pointed at the girls. The five people who were sitting in a circle stiffened up
like concrete. They didn’t dare say what they said directly to his face. Chihwan boldly
looked at the girls like they deserved it.

“Chihwan.”

“Yes, seonbae-nim!”

“If you have energy left over, go run a lap.”

“What?”

Chihwan looked at Maru with a dazed expression. He had told him that the juniors
were being disrespectful to their senior, yet this was his reaction.

“Seonbae, I said they are looking down on you.”

“Three laps.”

“No, but, seonbae!”

“Four laps.”

“Fine, I won’t say anything.”

Maru hinted at him to walk away. Chihwan sighed and turned around. The girls
seemed to have realized what had happened and started to laugh about it.

“See? Maru-seonbae doesn’t have anything to say about it either.”

“Also, did you actually just tell him? Are you really a man?”
“Stop overreacting to jokes. Maru-seonbae must feel that it was absurd as well.”

The girls chuckled. Chihwan glared at them and sat in front of them. The girls who
met eyes with him fiercely looked at him for a while before turning away.

“Are you trying to pick a fight or what?”

“He’s so ridiculous.”

“What a cocky guy.”

Cocky? Chihwan tried to go up to the girls to nitpick them, but he couldn’t do

anything thanks to the other boys coming up to him and holding him back.

“Why don’t you calm down a little, dammit.”

“I’m going to kill you if our relationship with the girls goes bad.”

“Did you forget that we were going to hang out together? Why are you fighting?”

His friends smiled like idiots while looking at the girls. Chihwan was boiling inside.
At first, he was angry at the boys, but it soon turned into disappointment towards
Maru. Wasn’t he supposed to protect his pride as a senior? Maru treated Chihwan
like that, yet he didn’t say anything to the girls. He simply couldn’t understand. It
would’ve been great if he showed them his acting and had them shut up about his
skills.

Chihwan walked to Maru again.

“Seonbae.”

“Yeah, what.”

Maru was focusing on sewing and didn’t raise his head. Chihwan pouted.

“Isn’t hierarchical order important in group activities?”

“That’s right, it is. In that sense, what am I supposed to do with you when you keep
interrupting me while I’m making props?”
“No, seonbae. I’m on your side. I’m Ahn Chihwan, the man who knows honor. I am
taking your side with the resolve to fight against the girls.”

“Good for you.”

“That’s it?”

“Why are you being so naggy when you’re so big?”

“I’m not being naggy. I like you. That’s why I can’t stand you being disrespected.”

“Why can’t you do that?”

“Because a senior shouldn’t be ignored.”

“Is this the military or something?”

“Are you fine with being ignored?”

“I am, so please be quiet while I sew this. Or you can help out. Daemyung, that guy, he
gave me a mountain load of work with a smiling face, so I don’t have any time to
rest.”

“What? Here I was prepared to fight the others because of you.”

“No, no, not because of me, but because of you.”

“Because of me? Of course not! I said because of you.”

Maru raised his head. He yawned before starting to speak.

“I’m fine with it though.”

“Even if you are, I’m not.”

“See? It’s because of you. You aren’t my manager. Why do you care about my
reputation? If you have time to think about that, then go read the script one more
time. You have a role, don’t you? Is your acting perfect? Can you say that your acting
is perfect?”
“It is perfect!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Then do it.”

“What?”

“I said do it. Think of this place as the stage and do it.”

“…Fine. But you have to do it too. It’d be weird for only me to do it.”

“You really know how to annoy a person, huh. Fine, instead, you have to do this as
well,” Maru said as he pointed at the pile of clothes next to him.

“Okay! But it would be no fun to just do it, so let’s make a bet. If you win, then I’ll
help you out until you finish.”

“You really won’t stop until you have everything done your way, huh. Fine, a bet or
whatever. Do what you want.”

“Since it’s a bet, I should get something if I win as well.”

“How meticulous. What do you want?”

“Teach me acting.”

“The others are teaching you already. Instructor Miso comes here too.”

“I want to learn from you. Your acting is really good.”

Chihwan looked at Maru. Maru palmed his face.

“Just where did a guy like this come from…”

“You should be prepared to accept me as your disciple. I’m not sure about anything
else, but I really did memorize everything about this play perfectly.”
Chihwan turned around and shouted at everyone else.

“Everyone! Listen up!”

“You want me to be the club president?”

Aram looked at Daemyung with a startled expression.

After stretching, Daemyung called for the 2nd year students. She followed him to the
cafeteria while slightly confused since they had never been called out separately like
this before, but it was happening now. Aram looked at Jiyoon and Bangjoo, who were
standing next to her.

“Seonbae, what do you mean by that so suddenly?” Jiyoon spoke first.

Following that, Bangjoo also asked for an explanation. It seemed that it was the first
time they heard about this as well.

“You were talking to Maru-seonbae just a while ago. Was it about this?” Aram asked.

“I have actually been thinking about it for a few weeks now, but after talking to Maru,
I felt that it’d be better for both you three and the first year students if I decided
quickly.”

“Why are you doing this so suddenly? Did someone say something to you? Are the
first year students looking down on you? Who is it? I will trample on them.”

“A-Aram, calm down. It’s not like that.”

Aram panted and looked at Daemyung. If it wasn’t like that, then why was he
suddenly quitting? Daemyung had led the club very well until now. Thanks to his
gentle guidance, the first year students managed to adapt to the club quickly. On
days where Miso treated them harshly, Daemyung encouraged everyone after
practice and eased the atmosphere so that they didn’t hold any grudges.

Whenever she watched him, Aram felt that Daemyung was a really good senior.
When she first met him during her first year, she didn’t like him. She was thinking
that he was just an oversized guy who had a shy personality, but after finding out
about his actual personality, she felt like he was a reliable senior. That was why she
congratulated Jiyoon and Daemyung when they started going out. He would never
hurt Jiyoon after all.

Yet right now, such a reliable senior was saying that he wanted to step down from his
position, so she was very confused. Why was he stepping down when he had no
trouble guiding her and her crazy antics even when he was in his 2nd year? No
matter how she thought about it, the only thing that changed was the addition of the
1st year students, so she wondered if some of the juniors were looking down on him.

She quietly looked at Daemyung. Bangjoo and Jiyoon seemed worried as well.

“It’s not a problem with the first year students. It’s my own problem.”

“Your own problem?”

“Hm, honestly speaking, I’m a bit tired recently. As you know, Dowook and Maru
haven’t been able to come to the club recently, right? It’s probably going to stay that
way in the future. I tried to do my best by myself, but it seems like I was just too
greedy.”

Daemyung smiled awkwardly.

“Thanks to your help, I managed to get through the two busiest months, March and
April, but once May starts and the national competition comes around, I don’t think
I’ll be able to handle it.”

“Seonbae, you are preparing for college entrance exams, right?” Jiyoon asked.

After hearing that, Daemyung indeed looked considerably exhausted. When Aram
thought about it, the other 3rd year students in the club were all busy with their own
work and rarely showed up to club activities, yet Daemyung consistently came to the
club and looked after the others.

‘It was always him who stayed behind until the end to clean up and turn the lights off
too.’

Now that she looked back, all the trivial things were done by Daemyung. It was him
who had everyone practice after talking with Miso, and it was him who came up with
ideas for props. Maru helped out from time to time, but since he rarely showed up to
practice in the first place, he didn’t contribute that much. Moreover, the first year
students went to Daemyung with their questions since he treated them nicely and
rarely went to Maru, whom they still felt distant to.

‘Leaving aside Dowook-seonbae and his violent tendencies, Daemyung-seonbae

really did do everything.’

Now that she looked back in retrospect at the things that she took for granted, she
could see just how much effort Daemyung had put in to lead the club. Bangjoo and
Jiyoon seemed to have realized something as well as they were both making bitter
expressions.

“I don’t plan to just push my burdens on to you. I’m still going to do what I have to do
in the future, but I want you to succeed the role of the club president, Aram. We need
a person who can handle the others even without me, and I think you, Aram, is the
best fit for it. Maru has the same opinion as me in this regard. Dowook said he
doesn’t care who does it, but mentioned your name in a text. The 3rd year students
are all thinking that you are the right person for the job.”

“You aren’t going to just not show up like the other seonbaes, right?” Aram said
jokingly.

“If I did, I’m sure you guys would come and grab me.”

Daemyung smiled faintly.

“Of course, I’m not forcing this on you. It’s a request in the end.”

“I’m good with things like that. Pestering everyone. The elementary school kids
always freeze up when they see me at the dojo.”

“Maru said that that’s what’s good about you.”

“Then what is it that you see in me?”

“Your sense of responsibility.”

“I don’t have any of that, you know?”

“I think you do. You can do this. I feel like the others are relying on you a lot as well.
I’m not saying that Bangjoo and Jiyoon are bad. If we had small numbers like before, I
would instead have picked Bangjoo or Jiyoon. Bangjoo maintains a close relationship
with the juniors, and Jiyoon is someone who looks after others a lot from behind, so
they’re well-suited to lead the club when there are not many people. However, there
are more than 30 people now. If we assume that a similar number of people apply
next year and that some of the current recruits quit next year, we will still have over
thirty people. With more people, there’s bound to be more conflict, and I felt like the
new president needs to be able to maintain order at times like that.”

“If it’s like that, it’s not like I can’t accept…”

“Is it too hard after all?”

“Being hard doesn’t really matter. If it’s something I like, I’d do it even if it’s hard. But,
you know, it’s just a bit of a pity. You were doing great until now.”

“It’s thanks to everyone being good kids and following my words.”

“I tried handling some children in place of the master at the dojo, but they don’t just
follow someone because they’re gentle. It’s because you were doing well that they
would rely on you and follow you.”

Aram turned his head sideways.

“What about you two? Are you two fine with me doing it?”

Bangjoo and Jiyoon both nodded their heads.

“If you stop showing up to the club like the others just because you stepped down
from being president, I’m going to find you and drag you here.”

“O-okay.”

“Fine. I’ll do it. Also since I’m doing it, you should understand that I’m going to do
things my way.”

“Of course. But what are you going to do?”

“You probably don’t know, but groups have formed among the 1st years recently.
Well, you can’t really stop groups from forming since there’s a lot of them, but there
are some that slightly look down on others. I have my sight set on a few that got roles
this time. I haven’t said anything until now, but I am going to interfere starting now.”

Hearing that, Daemyung just quietly nodded. He seemed to know something.

“Seonbae, don’t you have something to say?”

“For now, I’ll just listen to what you have to say first.”

“Hm, okay. Firstly, I can say with confidence that you are perceived very highly even
among the 1st year students. You get along with them without getting angry, right?
That’s why everyone likes you. The problem is Maru-seonbae.”

Aram thought about Maru’s face before continuing to speak.

“You know, some people have the tendency to either talk bad or suck up to people
who seem to be doing better than them, right? It was fine when Maru-seonbae
showed up to practice frequently, but recently, there are people that are starting to
look down on Maru-seonbae. They only judge what’s shown on the surface since
they don’t get to spend a lot of time with him. You know the things unique to girls
right? Where they express their disdain for others without actually doing it directly.
If I was in the same class as them, I would have grabbed them by the hair and just…!”

“Aram, calm down,” Jiyoon said as she grabbed her sleeves.

Aram sighed.

“I tried to talk to them nicely about it, but they said they didn’t do it. Even though it
was as clear as day. Those devious bitches……”

“Aram, watch your mouth!”

Jiyoon looked at her with a sour expression. Aram smiled awkwardly. She promised
one thing with Jiyoon and it was that she wouldn’t use bad words in front of her.
Jiyoon said something about how girls shouldn’t use such words or something.

Aram started talking again.

“They acted ignorant and I didn’t have concrete evidence, so I just told Maru-seonbae
about it, but Maru-seonbae just told me to let them be. When I asked why he just said
that I shouldn’t be the one to be in that position. That’s why I let them be. Recently,
though, I think they became more obedient since Maru-seonbae hasn’t been showing
up at all.”

Aram sometimes couldn’t understand Maru’s actions. He could just give them a
sharp scolding, but he didn’t do so and didn’t let her do it either.

“That problem does exist,” Daemyung said.

Aram twitched her eyebrows.

“You knew that?”

“I was with you every day, how could I not?”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I felt like it would be better not to do anything for the time being. In one
way, that’s one of the reasons I’m giving the title of the president to you.”

Daemyung made a soft smile.

“I think it was at the end of March? When I started seeing signs of that. Especially
after Maru started taking time off because of the film production club, bad opinions
of him started popping up. Unlike the drama, the film production club is just another
club that’s like us, right? They probably got the notion that he’s placing more
importance on the film production club than the acting club. Of course, I know that
most of them don’t think like that. A lot more people treated Maru like a senior even
though he didn’t show up that much. That’s when I talked to Maru about that, and
asked what he thought.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that the method is important.”

“What does that mean?”

“The fundamental problem is that Maru was negligent about the acting club. This is
the undeniable truth. The first year students are different from you three. You know
what kind of person Maru is since you got to spend a year with him. The first year
students, on the other hand, only saw Maru for a month, no, even less if you actually
calculate the time. What do you think when Maru misses practice?”

Aram replied without hesitation.

“Nothing. Maru-seonbae isn’t taking the day off to rest.”

“I think so too.”

“I always think that he has his reasons.”

Aram looked at Jiyoon and Bangjoo. Both of them were thinking the same thing as
her.

“Exactly. You know Maru’s circumstances, so you understand him. That’s not the case
with the first year students. They know nothing about him. At most, it’s that he
shows up on TV. That’s why Maru, during the beginning of the semester, mentioned
that he doesn’t plan to get the senior treatment in the club. You know how clear
Maru is when it comes to drawing the line.”

“He’s not just clear, he’s kinda merciless about it.”

“Maru is thinking that it’s natural for him to be hearing things like that since he is
unable to do the things he has to do as a senior. However, he simultaneously knows
that it would negatively impact the whole club if it continues.”

“That’s why he should have scolded them at that time. Even if he doesn’t want to get
the senior treatment, there’s a minimum amount of courtesy towards other people
in the club, isn’t there? Take this as something coming from a former athlete, but I
hate hierarchy becoming messy. I’m not going as far as to say that we should
maintain order, but I think we should keep everyone in line.”

“Yes, what we have to set straight, we have to set straight. It’s just like how school
rules exist for a reason - the club has its own rules. Since the acting club isn’t
something we made but received from our seniors, we should take care that it
doesn’t become a mess. That’s why I’m going to give you the role of the president.
This was what I was talking about with Maru in the hall earlier. Maru was talking
about the method, and I was talking about the order.”

“So me becoming the president comes first in this order?”

Daemyung nodded.

“Maru compared it to this: If a fresh employee insulted the president and the
manager scolded him about that, that company would definitely not see a good end.
Of course, I think that’s taking it a little too far. Maru’s serious when it comes to
things like that, but he wasn’t entirely wrong, so I thought about it. We will graduate
and leave the school after this year anyway. The ones remaining behind will be you
guys and the first year students. In such a situation, is it a good thing for a crack to
appear between the first and second years? Maru and I don’t think that’s the case.”

Aram’s lips twitched.

“But once I become the president, I’m not going to let the backtalkers be, you know?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s after you become the president.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the club president who makes the mood of a club. When you interfere
with the first year students while I’m still the president, they might start thinking
‘who are you to say something when even the president isn’t saying anything’ or
something like that. Though, it’s a different story if you’re the president.”

“Some of them will start hating me, are you okay with that?”

“That’s why you’re the president. The ones scolded by you will probably go to Jiyoon
and complain to her about it. I guess you’re the dad and she’s the mom in that sense.”

Bangjoo, who had been staying still until now, asked what he was.

“The unemployed uncle who freeloads in their house. I feel like playing with the kids
suits you the best.”

“No way, unemployed is a little…”

Bangjoo chuckled.

“Does Dowook-seonbae know about this as well?”

“Dowook is barely conscious at school because of his family matters. He’s not going
to college as he is going to succeed the family business. Even when I try to talk to him
about the club, he just says ‘I don’t care!’ in a loud voice.”

“That’s just like him.”

Aram sighed.

“Sheesh, Maru-seonbae makes things way too complicated. We should’ve just

scolded them at once. Sometimes, I feel like he’s some stuck-up geezer.”

“Well, his style is to do everything meticulously.”

“There’s you too. You never said a word to us.”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to make you guys worry.”

“That’s the problem. You are tired because you are trying to do everything by
yourself. Fine! I’ll take that president role. Unlike you though, I’m going to be strict
from the beginning. You can’t say anything about that, okay?”

“I will absolutely not say anything about it.”

Aram nodded.

“Then that’s that, right? Let’s go up. We’ve been talking for more than 10 minutes.
They must be waiting,” she said as she looked at the time.
“So when are we telling the others about it?”

“I’d like it to be before the competition.”

“Since we’re at it, let’s just do it today. Bring it up after practice, seonbae. I don’t like
delaying things.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Daemyung thought that it was just like Aram to think that way. She did not hesitate
with her actions once she decided on something. Once Aram became the president,
the acting club would probably become more cheerful. He looked forward to seeing
how the acting club would change after this.

“Seonbae, did you have a hard time?”

Daemyung smiled awkwardly when he heard the soft voice from beside him. Jiyoon
was looking at him with a worried face.

“It’s not like there’s a big problem. I’m just a bit tired so there’s no need to worry
about me.”

“…In the future, tell me about it, even if it’s just once in a while. There’s nothing I can
do, but I can listen to you. Like you were to me, I want to be of help to you.”

“O-okay, I’ll consult you from time to time.”

He looked at Jiyoon, who smiled back at him.

“Maybe I should get a boyfriend too.”

“Seonbae, aren’t you being too cruel in front of the singles here?”

Aram and Bangjoo commented as they walked up the stairs. Daemyung immediately
turned his face forward. Although he was going out with Jiyoon, he didn’t know how
to react whenever he heard something like that. He looked away in awkwardness
before looking at Jiyoon. She was making a pouty face for some reason.

After looking at the grinning juniors, he closed his mouth and reached out behind
him to grab Jiyoon’s hand. Jiyoon flinched and curled her shoulders upwards a little
before making a smile. He grabbed her hand tightly before loosening his hand.
Jiyoon’s expression was calm unlike before.

‘I feel like I just overcame a big hurdle.’

He grabbed her hand out of instinct, and it seemed to be the right answer. Had he
pretended not to know anything, he would probably have received a gaze filled with
disappointment. He had grown so he felt proud about it.

When they went up to the 5th floor, Daemyung saw the door to the hall closing. They
usually left it open during breaks for ventilation, but it seemed that the juniors
closed it.

“Maybe they’re starting to practice?”

Aram twitched her eyebrows and pulled the door open.

“What are you doing?” Aram asked after looking inside.

Daemyung also walked inside and looked inside the hall. The first year students
were all looking in one direction. Daemyung then moved his gaze to the right end of
the hall. Maru and Chihwan were standing on top of a wooden platform raised 10cm
above the marble floor. The barbells and dumbbells were moved to one side.

“Seonbae-nim is here.”

“Do we continue?”

The juniors murmured amongst themselves. Daemyung walked up to Maru for now.

“What’s happening?” he asked as he glanced at Maru and Chihwan.

The script in Maru’s hand was a little odd. Did Chihwan ask him to look at his acting
or something?
“You’re just in time. Daemyung, before we resume practice, can we do a short act?”

“Act? You mean from the play?”

“Yeah.”

Maru flapped the script in his hand.

“If you’re trying to teach the others, it’s more than welcome. What made you want to
do this though? I thought you weren’t going to act as much as possible.”

“Why don’t you ask that proud-looking junior over there? He’s a pain in the butt.”

Maru sighed.

“Chihwan, what’s happening?”

“An acting battle.”

“Wh-what? What battle?”

“Acting battle!”

That term reverberated in Daemyung’s ears. It felt like his brain had shut down.
After looking at him in a daze for a while, he turned around to look at Maru.

“What does he mean by that?”

“It’s a little complicated to explain so just give us scores after you watch. We’re going
to act the same scene, so you guys should help out as well,” Maru said as he looked at
the 2nd year students.

Daemyung brought a chair and sat in front of the platform, despite still being
confused. Meanwhile, Aram had the first year students sit near the platform as well.

“Daemyung-seonbae, I can start now, right?”

Chihwan looked excited. Daemyung permitted him for now. He still couldn’t get a
grasp on the situation, but from how Maru was staying still, it seemed that he had his
plans.
‘But an acting battle all of a sudden?’

Daemyung calmed down his heart and grabbed the script. He didn’t know the
circumstances, but it was pretty clear that the two were going to act the same
character.

‘Now that I think about it, Maru has never shown off his proper skills, huh.’

Maru had drawn the line and said that he would just be a staff member this year.
Even after they finalized the characters and started practicing, Maru had never
shown off his script acting. He did demonstrate some of the technical elements like
pronunciation and voicing, but he never showed anything that combined everything.

Perhaps this was a good thing. Seeing Maru’s stage acting would probably be a fresh
shock for the juniors. Watching an actor on a TV screen was qualitatively different
from seeing the acting firsthand. Even a CD recorded with the greatest recording
equipment couldn’t be compared to listening to a live orchestra. Acting was the
same. Unlike watching a tiny bit that was edited to go on TV, an actor’s real
performance could only be seen in whole from up close.

Daemyung told the juniors to come as close as possible.

“If there’s not enough space, you can sit on the platform as well. Maru, is that okay?”

“It’s fine even if they come on stage.”

Daemyung told the first year students who had important roles in the play to go up
on the stage and watch Maru from up close.

“…Isn’t that too close?” Chihwan asked as he looked at the others who were less than
10cm away from him.

They were within an arm’s reach.

“It doesn’t matter who’s there.”

“That’s true, but… A-alright. You and I are under the same conditions. But seonbae,
you know what the saying ‘a man’s word is heavier than gold’ right?”

“Heavier than gold or whatever, do as you wish.”

“Fine.”

It seemed that there was some sort of agreement between those two.

‘It doesn’t matter what kind of agreement those two came to. It’s fine as long as he
can show others good acting.’

Daemyung took out his pen. He would probably find out more about Chihwan
through this stage. It would help him with his growth if he wrote down his bad
habits and told him later.

‘There’s probably nothing to write about Maru anyway.’

Maru would definitely show good acting. Maru was always serious when it came to
the stage. He wasn’t someone who would accept showing a ‘practice’ that he didn’t
prepare for fully instead of a ‘performance’. While he never participated in acting
practice, Maru probably had a better understanding of the characters than anyone
here.

‘Maru’s script. There’s a lot of signs that it’s been written on.’

Daemyung looked closely at the script in Maru’s right hand. The cover was tattered
and from what he could glimpse of the inside, it was filled with pen writings.
Although he did not take up a role, he probably analyzed and researched the script.
That was because it would allow him to study which would help him improve his
acting. Perhaps he might have delved into it thinking that he might be able to give a
solution to the juniors when they were stuck on something.

Maru volunteered to be an outsider during his first year, but didn’t he care about the
harmony of the acting club above everyone else?

Maru couldn’t be more disinterested in the things that weren’t related to him, but
when it concerned the people around him, he looked after them to the point that it
could be described as ‘meticulous’.

‘Though, he’s so clear cut when it comes to setting his priorities straight.’

Daemyung sometimes wondered to himself when Maru was with his girlfriend.
Other than his family, was there anything or anyone that had as much value to Maru
as her? Despite the fact that it was just a romance between students, Daemyung had
the feeling that Maru was willing to give up anything for her. Even if it was something
very important.

It sometimes gave him the chills.

It made him feel that perhaps real love was not as beautiful as people made it out to
be. As ironic as that might be, looking at Maru made him think that. He couldn’t
explain exactly why he had such an impression, but it sometimes made him uneasy
when looking at the couple.

‘I must be mistaken, right?’

Daemyung shook off his thoughts and looked at the makeshift stage.

Chihwan seemed to have finished his preparations as he was calming down his
breathing.

“It won’t be easy, you know?” he said in a small voice as he spun around his pen.

This would be completely different from practice. The colleagues who were
practicing with him had now become the audience.

Audience, was there a word that made an actor experience such excitement and
worry as that word? Chihwan had nearly non-existent stage experience. He might be
able to gain confidence while practicing, but acting in front of an audience was
something completely different.

“Phew, I’m nervous.”

His shoulders were stiff and the distance between his legs was awkward. His gaze
was at a loss as well. He was pretending to be okay, but his nervousness was clear for
Daemyung to see. As for Maru…

‘If he too is excited, Chihwan is a bit pitiful… ’

It was clear that he was excited. Not the agitated kind that came from unease, but a
sense of heightening that came from a situation where he had full control. He was
reminded of Maru’s acting which he saw from behind the side curtains when he was
in first year. Maru, who went up to the stage and talked to the audience, ended up
devouring everything on stage like a predator who found fresh meat.
Daemyung remembered that moment. The curious feeling where he could feel
Maru’s emotions and a sense of tension that was qualitatively different circulating
inside his body. When he stood on the same stage as Maru, he felt that every one of
his cells was reacting to Maru’s actions. Even when he didn’t have any confidence in
his acting usually, he was filled with confidence when he was next to Maru.

A power that led other people forward.

Daemyung believed that the Maru on stage had such power.

“If Maru-seonbae was feeling bored, he should have done it with us. Ah, that looks
fun,” Aram said next to him.

Bangjoo and Jiyoon were all looking excited as they looked at the stage that Maru
was on.

“Before we start, I hope you can be fair in your judgment. The first years shouldn’t
give me a good score just because we’re friends, and you shouldn’t take Maru-
seonbae’s side, seonbae-nims. It’s a competition of pure acting after all.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll clearly see who’s better once we get a look,”
Daemyung said.

Acting was the act of giving a form to something abstract. That was why there
couldn’t be a real ‘scoreboard’. However, for some curious reason, it was possible to
clearly distinguish acting that people liked and disliked. That was why acting was
fun. It was as if there was an answer that existed since they were born. Good acting
was good acting to anyone’s eyes. Conversely, awkward acting made even the
audience feel embarrassed.

“Fine. I’ll go first. I’m a bit nervous, but I can do it. I practiced more than Maru-
seonbae when it comes to this role at least.”

“Do everything you can.”

“I like Maru-seonbae, but I will win this time. It’s a fair battle between two men.”

“I wish you luck.”

Maru sat on the ground. He rested his chin on his hands and looked at Chihwan.
Chihwan licked his lips before slapping his own cheeks.

“You can begin as soon as you’re ready,” Daemyung said to the two people.

Although they were consuming practice time, an event like this was perfectly fine.
Daemyung hoped the first year students would show more interest in acting through
this opportunity.

‘Oh, it’s different from my acting’. Once the juniors started thinking that, they would
definitely start thinking about what better acting is, and that question, which there
was no answer to, will make them grow.

Was Chihwan able to receive the gazes of the audience around him without letting
them affect him? If he was not, he wouldn’t be able to start. A stage was where an
actor was evaluated. Chihwan would be able to show a decent act if he didn’t get
nervous and just showed what he practiced, but as long as this wasn’t a practice but
a place for evaluation, his attitude when acting would be different, and that
difference would show up in his acting.

Whether that difference would produce a good result or a bad one, he was about to
find out.

“I’ll start after drinking some water.”

Chihwan stepped down from the stage for a moment.

Daemyung felt like he could see the results already.

Shit, shit, shit - that word kept reverberating in his head. Why was this happening?
His heart was racing without his consent. It was good that it was pumping out blood,
but it was clearly overdoing it. He could feel his blood wildly circulating around his
body. Thunderous noises echoed inside his body. He could hear loud thumping
noises as though his heart was beating right next to his eardrums.

He emptied a whole 500ml bottle of water to suppress his nervousness, but his
mouth became dryer instead. Did he even drink any at all? Chihwan looked at the
empty water bottle in his hands in vexation. Was there only half of it left?

“Hey, when are you going to start?”

“Let’s get started already.”

His colleagues jokingly commented. Although they were just acting like usual, their
words made him even more chaotic today. Their words were stretched out like an
audio clip from a stretched videotape. After that, the noise slowly died down. The
voices of his friends became smaller and conversely, the noise of his heart became
louder to the point that he thought it was about to jump out of his mouth.

Chihwan bit on the flesh inside his cheeks and went back to the platform. The hall he
thought he had gotten used to felt so unfamiliar as though this was the first time he
came here. The reason was probably those ‘eyes’. Dozens of pupils looked right at
him; the biological organs mixed with black and brown felt like they were sticking all
over his body. He was suddenly reminded of when he saw a cockroach at home while
he was alone. He was well aware that the small insect wasn’t a big threat to him, but
when the glossy back shell twitched, it made him startled nonetheless. He felt sorry
towards his seniors and colleagues, but he felt like he was standing amongst dozens
of cockroaches right now while being barefoot.

‘It wasn’t like this before.’

When he took the club entry audition as well as the film production club’s audition,
he was shaking as well, but he didn’t feel ‘afraid’. He knew that everyone was human
and like him, just students, so he felt ‘embarrassed’ at best, but he never felt like he
was afraid or wanted to run away. If he disliked standing in front of people, he
would’ve never opted to enter the acting club in the first place.

‘Then why?’

Fear? That wasn’t the right word. Disgust. The emotion he felt at the center of dozens
of gazes was something unfamiliar and horrific. Nothing had changed from the times
he was practicing, so what was making this so hard? He looked at the faces of his
friends. They weren’t monsters with disgusting faces, nor did they provoke any kind
of negative emotions in him. They were just colleagues he liked. However, why was it
that when he looked at his colleagues, who had taken a step back and became the
audience, his stomach started to ache and his vision became dark?

Let’s try standing for now - Chihwan stood at the center of the stage while trying his
best not to be conscious of those gazes. Maru stepped back.

Various gym equipment, such as dumbbells, barbells, and benches were taking up
one corner, so the platform should have seemed small, yet it looked endlessly wide
today. It was as though space itself had some sort of life energy and expanded itself
causing Maru to look so distant. However, regardless of the wideness of the stage, the
distance between him and the audience looked strangely close no matter where he
was. Was there a need to watch from up close like this? - he had this question.

Chihwan looked down at his palms. They were wet with sweat. He wiped his hands
on his pants and took a deep breath. He tried fooling himself to think that this
nervousness was only temporary, and that he would soon adapt to it once he started
speaking. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

The gazes had become even closer to him. Their pupils were even clearer to his eyes.
They were chatting amongst themselves, and it ticked him off so much. Shut up - he
wanted to say.

It was all messy. The noise was bad enough that he couldn’t concentrate. His heart
was messing up his focus from the inside, while the chatter from the others was
disturbing his heart even more. At that moment, Chihwan realized that he had
forgotten his line. The lines that filled his mind until just 10 seconds ago had
disappeared in the blink of an eye. He felt as though his mind was refusing to think
and was just meaninglessly processing the information gotten from his eyes. I must
remember - he tried to get himself together, but his blank mind did not give him his
lines.

“Aren’t you going to start?”

Aram’s voice could be heard.

“I am. I am going to do it.”

“It’s been a minute already. If we need to wait, we can always see Maru-seonbae’s
acting first.”

“No! I can do it.”

He quickly opened the script he was holding in his left hand and checked the lines.
The moment he flipped over the page and found the first line, nay, the colon after the
name of the character that he was playing, he suddenly remembered all the lines
afterwards. He didn’t know why he forgot such a simple line. He sighed in relief and
looked forward again.

‘No way.’

Was there a problem with his brain or something? The moment he became conscious
of the gazes again, the lines he remembered literally 0.5 seconds ago with confidence
disappeared from his mind again. He hurriedly opened the script again. He chased
the lines with his eyes and memorized them. He remembered all the lines again. He
could probably sing them as well.

“Are you going to do it while looking at the script?”

One of his colleagues spoke out. Chihwan said ‘no way’ and closed the script with
confidence. A black curtain enveloped his mind again. He felt ashamed. He even felt
relieved that this wasn’t an actual stage.

‘I can’t do it.’

He realized just how pathetic he was. He thought that he had done plenty of practice
over the past two weeks after his role was decided. Even with tests, he would score
above 80 points if he studied the night before, but he had practiced the lines for two
weeks, so he felt that it would be stupid to not be able to do them.
Yet, he was the stupid one.

He realized that gazes were heavy. He felt firsthand the dangers of going on stage. In
his current state, even if he read the lines out loud while looking at the script, his
voice would probably be shaky.

He was about to apologize and stop, when,

“Mr. Hwang? There’s no man with that name here. I don’t dare lie to you, officer.
Dangerous people, no, miscreants like independence[1], I stop them from coming to
this area in the first place.”

Maru read the line without any fluctuations in his voice.

“If you can’t remember your lines, say them out loud. If you really have practiced
properly, your body will take over once you start. That is, ‘if’ you have practiced to
the point that your body remembers it.”

“Maru-seonbae, I’ll just…”

“Do it. Try reading them out loud.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

“So you did it so many times that you know whether you can or not before you even
try? I still don’t know until I try, you know?”

Chihwan looked into Maru’s eyes. He wasn’t speaking in a scolding voice. He was
talking as though he was stating the obvious.

Chihwan clenched his teeth until his teeth started aching before saying his lines out
loud. He just said his first line, but his lips and tongue had followed up by
themselves. His mind was still dark, but his tongue and vocal cords were saying the
right words as though they knew what they were supposed to do.

When he finished one line, Chihwan felt that something had changed. It was the
gazes. The gazes that looked at him no longer disgusted him anymore. Even though
all he did was finish just one line, his heart became calm. The nervousness he felt
until now seemed like a lie and his body relaxed. He felt light as though he had lost
some weight, and the endlessly wide stage became narrow again.
I can do it - an endless stream of confidence filled the parts where nervousness left.
His mind started working. He could remember all the lines clearly as though he had
scanned them into his brain. He could practically read the lines off the script in his
head.

“Seonbae-nim.”

“What?”

“C-can I do it now?”

“We never stopped you. Take a deep breath like you usually do.”

He breathed in deeply just like Maru said.

“Breathe out lightly.”

He breathed out with the thought that he was leaving half of his breath inside his
lungs.

“Your lines?”

“They’re perfect.”

“Then I guess there’s no problem.”

“Watch me. I’m going to do really well.”

“Just start already.”

Chihwan stomped one foot and stood at the center of the stage.

***

“He’s the type to do great in front of other people,” Daemyung said after watching
Chihwan’s performance.

He seemed nervous at first, but the atmosphere around him changed after Maru’s
short advice. Chihwan did well to express ‘Mr. Baek’ who secretly helped out the
independence fighters. During practice, his character felt lacking since his unique
cheerfulness kept showing in his performance, but he showed a heavy act that made
the audience feel just how dire the situation the character was in.

“He has power,” Bangjoo said.

That was a really suitable expression. Chihwan had a power that ruled over the
stage. Thanks to his loud voice, his lines were refreshing and clear. On stage,
pronunciation and voicing were the two most important things. As acting was a way
of transferring information to others, a solid foundation gave a sense of depth to
acting.

“Yeah! Wasn’t I great just now?”

“Ahn Chihwan, not half-bad, eh?”

“You were much better than during practice.”

“You were good!”

His colleagues applauded him. Even they, who had seen Chihwan’s acting before this,
acknowledged his performance. Chihwan definitely shone on stage.

Daemyung put down his pen. He originally picked the pen up thinking that he should
write down some things that he should point out, but he really didn’t have much to
write. Chihwan’s acting just now was ideal and it felt like Chihwan had shown
everything he could. The word ‘perfect’ could be carefully attached to him here.

“It’s your turn now, seonbae-nim,” Chihwan said.

Maru nodded and stood at the center of the stage.

Daemyung lifted his head and looked at the faces of his juniors. They seemed to be
deeply impressed by Chihwan, who had unexpectedly put on a good performance.
Moreover, they were personally much closer to Chihwan than Maru, so it was likely
that they might give him a higher score. Some of them might even think that they
should give Chihwan a higher score purely to one-up the seniors.

Daemyung sighed.

‘It’s always like that.’

Without Maru’s advice, Chihwan wouldn’t have been able to do anything. If Maru
acted after that, he would have finished things while propping up his pride as a
senior and put an end to things there.

Yet he did not. Maru probably wouldn’t care even if he was ridiculed by the others
here. In fact, he might want that instead. After all, that would result in the first year
students gaining more confidence and Chihwan improving further.

Maru was probably thinking that being ridiculed was just temporary.

“I’m starting.”

Daemyung nodded and crouched down to pick up his water bottle.

Chihwan had put on a good performance and Maru was next. Since he had achieved
what he wanted to do, he would probably come down after putting on a decent show.
Although it was only for two weeks, Chihwan had practiced properly. On top of that,
he was in his best condition when he acted. Even if it was Maru, it would be difficult
for him to show a better stage than Chihwan since he had never actually practiced.

He thought as such and sat back up again when he saw the faces of his juniors, who
looked very serious. They seemed like they were faced with a serious problem.
Daemyung hurriedly looked at the stage.

‘Ah.’

He subconsciously clenched the water bottle tightly. The plastic bottle made a loud
noise as it crumpled. However, no one reacted to that.

All eyes were on Maru.

“Mr. Hwang? There’s no man with that name here. I don’t dare lie to you, officer.
Dangerous people, no, miscreants like independence, I stop them from coming to
this area in the first place.”

A man with an insinuating voice was rubbing his hands as he spoke. His voice was
thin, and his waist was bent. He looked like he was willing to give the patrolling
officer everything. The man who bowed his head towards an invisible Japanese
police officer looked really pathetic.
“My good sir, I will report to you as soon as I find them. No, no, I will capture them
with this body and soul of mine that I dedicated to His Imperial Highness and drag
them to you. Why, yes, of course.”

The man who was looking ahead of him with a fishy smile slowly looked around him.
His clasped hands twitched. His chin shook slightly and his healthy chin could be
glimpsed at. Like a rat living with a cat, he walked around the stage while looking
around everywhere.

It was tense. Daemyung wetted his dry lips with water again. The others also picked
up their water bottles and drank.

“My word, my word, my word. I must be going crazy for sure.”

The man who was scurrying around the stage looked forward. His fear-stricken eyes
could be seen by the audience. No one made any noise. Even Daemyung just watched
the stage in a daze.

The moment his gaze intertwined with the actor’s, Daemyung felt the distance
between him and the stage shrinking rapidly. It felt like Maru was standing right next
to him. The nervousness that was contained in his every breath and action dissolved
into his own body without filtering. Daemyung looked for his water bottle again, but
sadly, it was empty.

“I find this horrific! I despise these days where I can be killed any day.”

He looked desperate. The man who rolled his back like a hunchback and opened his
eyes in an afraid manner, didn't have any strength at all.

Chihwan’s acting of this part could be called reverent. He was grandiose and heroic.
The man acted out by Chihwan was someone who could calmly accept death for the
sake of independence. He felt like he would accept his fate while saying his lines in a
calm manner. He had power, and the stage had vitality.

On the other hand, Maru was, well, unsightly. The man on the stage was pathetic,
ugly, and sometimes even disgusting. Heroic traits were all but missing. Despite that,
the man still fought. Bowing to the Japanese authority was his battle, and selling his
smile to the Japanese was his way of fighting. He always desperately survived, and
helped out the independence fighters despite extreme fear. Even while helping, he
despised the independence fighters. He cursed himself for not being able to live with
the status quo. He resented himself for not being able to become a Japanese citizen.

“I may die without seeing independence, but I have faith; I have faith that there will
be rest after this.”

When Chihwan said those words, Daemyung was reminded of the independence. He
thought that it was the bright death of a hero who had brilliantly fooled the Japanese
authorities.

And now, Daemyung was met with another scene where the man met his death that
he so looked forward to. To him, independence might have been a cloud in the sky. It
was just the death of a small, weak civilian man who could smile due to the fact that
he no longer had to be afraid of the Japanese authorities.

The act ended.

Maru dusted off his pants as though nothing had happened and stepped down from
the stage.

There was only one thing that Daemyung could do.

The simplest reason why mankind was given two hands: that is, to applaud.

As strange as this might sound, the original doesn't make sense either… Replace it
[1]

with ‘independence activist’.

For a brief moment, he felt like he forgot to breathe. His breathing, which was
supposed to be occurring outside the realm of consciousness, had briefly stopped for
a while. He took a deep breath afterwards as though he had just become conscious of
it. Following that, applause could be heard. Chihwan applauded as well. He
subconsciously started clapping harder and harder. The moment he realized what he
had just seen, Chihwan even cheered out loud and clapped to the point that his
hands felt numb.

This was it, this was Maru-seonbae’s acting. Chihwan turned around and looked at
the girls who were looking down on Maru earlier. When he met eyes with them, the
girls made an awkward smile and applauded Maru louder than everyone else.
Chihwan felt proud as though he was the one being complimented.

“Are we done now?” Maru said.

Chihwan nodded without a word.

“So how do we decide who wi-”

“You won, seonbae. I totally lost. You really are the best after all.”

Chihwan interrupted Maru’s words. Was evaluation even necessary at this point?
When he first challenged him, Chihwan thought that he would be able to win. Maru-
seonbae was definitely a splendid actor, but Chihwan believed in the hours he put
into practice. That confidence continued until his act ended. No, the moment he
finished his acting, his mind was filled with the word ‘victory’. After all, he had never
done better than this during practice.

However, after Maru’s acting began, Chihwan put aside the matter of victory and
defeat. He focused on engraving Maru’s performance into his eyes. Although they
were given the same script and the same role, the ‘character’ was completely
different.

Maru amazed him. Just how could he have interpreted the script like that? The
character had turned from a lively independence fighter who used his wits and spirit
to drive the Japanese authorities into a corner, into a mere civilian who felt fear from
the very era itself and was struggling to survive. Considering the overall atmosphere
and the relationship between the characters, the lively independence fighter was the
more accurate one, but this stage wasn’t a display of the whole play but just one
character, so there were no problems there.

Chihwan realized that even the same roles become extremely different characters
according to the actor playing it by watching Maru’s acting.

‘No! Perhaps this was what seonbae wanted to show me! I knew it!’

The text was definitely important. However, it was in the end, the actor’s job to turn
text into an actual performance. Polishing the source stone that the scriptwriter
wrote into a beautiful gem - Chihwan felt that that was the essence of what being an
actor was.

“But when did you practice?”

This was what he wanted to know the most. Maru never participated in practice. On
days where he showed up in the hall, he was always caught up with making props.
Chihwan had never seen him reading the script nor practicing, yet he was able to put
on such a good performance. It couldn’t be considered his talent either, as Maru had
utilized a personality completely opposite to that of the original character but still
managed to create a suitable character that was completely different. It meant that
his character would never have been made without prior analysis.

Just when did he create such a cool character like this? Chihwan wanted to know.

Maru lifted his finger. Chihwan looked at the pieces of cloth right beneath the
platform.

“While you guys practiced acting while looking at the script, I kept following you
from over there. After all, my hands are what’s needed to connect pieces of cloth
together, not my brain. With the part of my brain that was playing around, I imitated
your words, imagined actions, and tried changing things up a little too.”

Ah - Chihwan exclaimed and nodded. He remembered how Maru always worked on

making props in the corner. He probably watched everything that was going on in
the hall from that space. He wasn’t simply creating props, he was studying acting
even while creating them, and the result was the character he just showed.
“Seonbae-nim, can I have a look at that script?”

“This one?”

Chihwan received the script that Maru was holding. The cover was in tatters. He then
looked at his own script which he had placed on the platform. Although the corners
were slightly worn out, it was still clean.

The paper which was smudged in finger oil said everything. He thought that his
practice was not lagging behind, yet that didn’t seem to be the case. Chihwan felt his
cheeks turn hot and his body turn cool. He slowly lifted his head and looked at
Maru’s face before flipping over the page.

“Ah.”

He subconsciously exclaimed. It was filled with text everywhere. The script, which
was printed on A4 pages, actually had a lot of gaps. Not to mention the left and right
margins, plus top and bottom, there were sometimes gaps as wide as two fingers-
width in places where the lines were short. Chihwan went up to the platform and
placed Maru’s script next to his own. Then he started comparing the two.

‘This one, and this one. And even this one?’

Chihwan turned around. He saw Maru talking to Daemyung. For a brief moment,
something more than simple ‘amazement’ popped up in his heart. He started
probing around the feeling that started from his heart and went to his head.

Terrified. Rather than being amazed by the wall of text that did not allow for a single
gap, he felt terrified.

Was there a need to go this far? Chihwan quickly flipped over the script and looked
at it.

‘It’s not just the character he played. He had a general analysis of all the characters.’

He went beyond the characters and even went on to make notes about the era. Just
as he felt dizzy following all the text with his eyes, a line written in red in the corner
entered his view.

-Is this enough?

It seemed to be a question he was asking himself, but Chihwan was flabbergasted the
moment he saw that text. There was this much analysis. It looked as though the gaps
were screaming for help, yet he wrote a line that suggested that he hadn’t done
enough in the corner.

He looked at his colleagues who were talking about Maru’s acting below the
platform. Did we ever practice at all? Were we just fooling around under the premise
of practicing? The hints of contemplation continued all the way to the last page.

Chihwan closed the script. He looked at the corner seat where Maru always sat. He
went there and tried sitting down.

“I can see everything.”

He said that with a laugh. Maru didn’t come here because he thought that he might
be a nuisance to everyone. Maru-seonbae just chose a place where he could see
everyone. He observed everyone and broadened his expression range and recreated
it for himself.

“I will call this place the sanctuary now,” Chihwan said as he looked at everyone
around him.

His friends were looking at him like looking at a lunatic, but Chihwan didn’t care. He
realized the deep meaning behind Maru’s choice of seat here. He was incredible after
all. Every one of his actions contained deep intent. He realized once again that Maru
wasn’t someone who would do something for nothing.

‘He’s so cool.’

Chihwan grinned and looked at Maru. Although Maru was only 2 years older than
him, there was an insurmountable gap between him and Maru whether it was
character, skill, or personality.

If he was a narrow-minded person, he would have stayed still when Chihwan was
shaking. He would then take victory and show the skills of a senior.

‘Seonbae was worried about me becoming a laughing stock and advised me because
of that. His consideration, acting skills, and even his effort are incredible!’

He was the literal definition of a mentor, no master!

‘I will treat you as a big brother for a lifetime.’

Chihwan thought about Maru’s gentle advice on the stage and smiled in satisfaction.

***

“What the heck is with him this time?”

Maru wondered after he finished drinking some water.

Daemyung looked at the corner of the hall. Chihwan was looking at Maru with an
indecent gaze.

“He seems to be in love with you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Anyways, that was unexpected.”

“What was?”

“I thought you’d lose to Chihwan.”

“Huh? Why would I do that?”

“Hm, because that’s a simple way out?”

Maru closed his mouth before laughing.

“No matter how much I like efficiency, I can’t really be concerned about that when
I’m being chased by a weird pervert.”

“P-pervert?”

“What else do you call that then? He’s a splendid pervert,” Maru said as he pointed at
Chihwan with his chin.

Chihwan stood up like a soldier and saluted him.

“See that? His mental world is strange. I tried my best to put him down a little, but
it’s not working at all.”

“Then what was with that advice you gave him?”

“According to his personality, he would have nagged me later to hold another round
of this ridiculous ‘battle’ if it ended awkwardly. I set him up so he could act in the
best condition so that he can’t come crying to me later. However, why does that guy
look like he likes it instead of being disappointed?”

“…Did you put on a different act from the script in order to one-up him as well?”

“There won’t be a clear difference if we acted the same thing after all. He’s been
practicing, and he did pretty well, so I couldn’t exactly do the same performance. I
tried twisting it up a little. It wasn’t strange, was it?”

“It wasn’t strange, but…”

“But?”

“I thought you helped him out on stage as a senior being concerned about a junior.”

“You’ve gotten a lot more creative with your imagination ever since you started
studying directing.”

“Hm, but I think he’s thinking the same thing as I am though?”

Daemyung pointed at Chihwan.

Maru blinked several times, scratched his eyebrows, frowned, and sighed in
lamentation.

“No, no. Humans aren’t single-celled organisms. How could he accept everything
positively? Right? Chihwan has his pride. I broke his pride on stage, so he should no
longer talk to me because of…”

Just as Maru was justifying himself, Chihwan came up to him like a puppy. He then
looked at Maru with a loyal look in his eyes.

“Seonbae-nim. I will help you with sewing starting today.”

“I just said that so that you won’t bother me any m…”

“No! Seonbae, I mean, seonbae-nim! I finally realized today why you always sewed in
that corner.”

“It’s because it’s comfortable if you lean agains…”

“It’s to watch and analyze everything that’s happening in the hall before sublimating
it into your acting, right? It dawned on me the moment I sat there. Ah! Maru-seonbae
had his reasons when he sat there!”

“That’s because the sun doesn’t shine on me so……”

“On top of that! You kindly reached out to me when I wasn’t able to do anything
because of nervousness. Your noble personality is just… I am ashamed that I tried
something senseless like asking you for a battle. You empowered me and even
showed a different interpretation of the character. Honestly, I felt afraid when I
looked at your character. I don’t have the confidence to do something like that after
all. As such! I will try to learn as much as I can from you starting today. I will sew
next to you, look at the same things as you, and become a good actor based on that!”

Wow, what a good choice of words. Daemyung looked at Chihwan who cheered after
giving his sermon. He was such an interesting kid. Next to him, he saw Maru who
was pressing his fingers down between his eyebrows.

This was the first time he saw Maru make such an expression. He was unresponsive
even when he was hospitalized for a month after being hit on by burning wood, yet
he was frowning while looking at Chihwan, who was running wild in excitement.

Daemyung took out his phone and captured Maru’s face. As for the file name, he
saved it as ‘The Scream’. Looking at this photo would cheer him up whenever he felt
depressed.

“Daemyung.”

“Hm?”

“Does teacher Taesik have the secession form for the acting club?”

Maru asked him with a serious face.

Daemyung smiled and asked Maru.

“It doesn’t feel that bad though, does it?”

He looked at the members of the acting club.

Maru turned his head and said in a small voice.

“He’s a pain in the butt.”

“Guide him well in the future.”

“That’s the president’s job.”

“Unfortunately, I’m no longer the president.”

“Oh, you guys talked about it already?”

“Yeah. Aram will be the next one.”

“Sounds like it will be a fantastic acting club then. Looks like things are about to
become noisy.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Maru threw the empty plastic bottle into the trash can next to the entrance. The
bottle drew a parabola in the air and hit the wall before falling into the trash.

“You had it hard until now. From now on, look after yourself more than the others.”

“I will.”

“Don’t just say that. Try actually living a bit more selfishly. Do more things for
yourself and let the others be for a while.”

“I’m plenty selfish, you know?”

Just then, the first year juniors all came up to them. They all said that they should
resume practice. Daemyung looked at Maru as he was surrounded by the others.
Maru, who was standing outside the wall of people, was making a faint smile.
Plenty selfish, my ass - Maru seemed like he wanted to say those words.
“Bitna, can you lift the product upwards a little more?”

Bitna slightly raised the cereal box at the request.

“That’s a good girl.”

The photographer, who was taking photos from multiple angles, eventually stepped
back, saying that they should take a bit of rest. Bitna, who was sitting on a wooden
chair in front of a white background, sighed slightly as she came down from the
chair.

“Bitna, wait a moment.”

The coordinators came up to her and fixed her makeup. Bitna raised her head as she
drank some water. The lights installed on either side were quite hot.

“It’s hot, isn’t it?”

“I’m okay.”

“Bitna is such a good girl. I wish I’ll have a daughter like you in the future.”

Bitna faintly smiled at the coordinator’s words. She stared at the coordinator who
walked away with the empty cup before turning around to look at the table, where
the big monitor was.

“This looks good.”

“I like this one too. How about this one?”

“That’s good too.”

“Why aren’t you nitpicking today?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Of course not. If you don’t have any complaints, it’s better for me.”

She saw her mother, who was talking to the photographer.

Bitna sat down on the chair again. She took her time swinging her legs around, when,

“Bitna, we’re done for today. Thanks to you, this ahjussi had a really easy time today.”

The photographer smiled and approached her. Bitna jumped down from the chair
and bowed.

“You have it good, having a daughter like Bitna. I wish I had a girl like her too.”

“Why don’t you say that after you get married first? I thought you went on a blind
date last time.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to get married. Plus, that only works if the other party
likes me. But what are you saying in front of a kid?”

“Bitna is smart and ignores what she doesn’t need, you know?”

Her mom smacked the photographer on the back. Bitna was more familiar with this
photographer’s face than even her school teacher’s.

“Bitna, you must say goodbye to everyone here, right?”

Bitna said goodbye to everyone, who were cleaning up, after hearing her mother’s
words. Everyone smiled back at her and said goodbye as well.

“Hope you can take care of us again next time.”

“That’s what I want to ask. You’re the one giving me work to do after all. Bitna, this
ahjussi will treat you to something good, okay?”

She left the studio and returned to the car. Her mother, who had disappeared for a
bit, returned with some sandwiches in hand.

“My dear, sorry mom couldn’t even give you proper food.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t care since this is tastier.”

Her mother looked inside the sandwich.

“I forgot to ask them to leave out the olives. It smells a little, are you okay with that?
If you aren’t, I can go and change it.”

“I can eat it. I’m hungry.”

“Oh, dear. You were hungry, weren’t you?”

She picked up the sandwich which has been sliced into halves and took a bite. Her
mother was also eating a sandwich, and that one had a spicy smell.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to marry that ahjussi?”

Pfft - her mother spat out chunks of her sandwich from her mouth. A spicy smell
spread around. Bitna pinched her nose with one hand and pulled out some tissue
with the other to give to her mother.

“Here.”

Her mother wiped the food that got on the dashboard.

“Bitna, what do you mean by that?”

“You aren’t marrying that ahjussi?”

“Do you want mommy to get married?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that mom looks happy when you’re with that ahjussi, so I don’t
think it’s bad.”

“Mom looks happy?”

Bitna put her sandwich on her knees and pulled up the corners of her mouth.

“Mom is smiling like this when you work with that ahjussi.”
“I do? Really?”

“Yeah.”

Her mother did not speak for a long time. Bitna focused on the sandwich again.
Although it wasn’t tasty because of the olives, she ate it regardless since she was
hungry.

“Do you want to see daddy, Bitna?”

“No.”

“You don’t want to see daddy?”

“Do you want to see him, mom?”

“Mom wants to see him sometimes. You look really like him after all. That’s why
looking at you reminds me of him from time to time.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know daddy after all.”

“Do you want a daddy, Bitna?”

“I don’t know about that either. I just need mom. But if mom likes him, I think it’s
okay for you to marry him. I don’t think ahjussi is a bad man.”

Bitna looked at her mother. Her mother made an incomprehensible smile and patted
her head.

“Mom isn’t getting married. Mom just needs you two.”

The patting hand felt good. Bitna nodded. If her mother said that she was okay, then
she was okay.

“Let’s stop talking about mommy and talk about your school, okay? Have you gotten
close with your friends?”

“I have. There’s one guy who keeps bullying me, but I like everyone else.”

“Who dares to bully our Bitna? Mom will scold that person for you.”
“He’s a boy, and he keeps playing pranks on me. I told him to stop, but he keeps
cutting up erasers and throwing the pieces at me.”

“Do you think he hates you?”

Bitna thought for a moment. Then she shook her head.

“I don’t think so. He stops when I’m about to get angry. Though, he goes back to
doing it again the next day.”

“That boy, does he look straight at you?”

“I don’t think he does.”

“Mom might be misunderstanding, but that boy might like you.”

“Me? Why?”

“I wonder why. Maybe because you’re cute?”

“He likes me but bullies me?”

“At your age, Bitna, it’s more important for boys to play with other boys. He shouldn’t
hate you. He wants to stay close to you, but is playing pranks on you because other
boys might tease him for it.”

“Mom, didn’t you say liking someone is the same as becoming honest with yourself?”

“I did.”

“Then why do you say that he likes me even though he keeps bullying me? Isn’t that
not liking me?”

“Hm, you’ll understand once you grow up a little, Bitna.”

“I will understand once I become bigger?”

“Of course.”

“How big?”
“Hm, high school maybe?”

“Then unni knows all about it?”

“That’s not entirely true.”

“Then what about mom? Do you know everything at your age?”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s right either.”

“Mom, you are strange sometimes.”

“…Sorry for being a weird mom.”

Bitna looked at her dejected mother before saying that she was just joking.

“My dear Bitna, you know how to make jokes, huh. You got me there.”

“I learned from that oppa.”

“That oppa?”

Bitna thought back to last summer. The shooting location was incredibly hot, and
there was one oppa who encouraged the other oppas during the shoot. Bitna called
that oppa the big oppa.

“Is it the Maru-oppa that you talked about last time?”

“Yeah.”

“Bitna seems to have taken a liking to that oppa, huh?”

“He was a fun oppa.”

“Do you like that oppa?”

Bitna shook her head.

“He’s just a fun oppa.”

“You’re quite picky, my girl.”

“But unni seems to like him, I think.”

“Unni does?”

Bitna thought about her sister’s - Yuna’s - expression. Ever since Bitna said that she
knew who Maru was when he appeared on TV, she kept asking her about him. She
asked when they played together and asked when they watched TV together. Her
unni looked really happy when they talked about oppa.

“You said you were meeting him tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, after school.”

“Bitna is letting her meet him, right?”

“Unni wants to meet him after all. But I am going to have to lie. Is that okay?”

“Lie?”

“I don’t really want to see big oppa that much. However, unni said that I wanted to
see big oppa. If I become honest, unni will have become a liar, so I think it will be
better if I lie instead.”

“Bitna is going to lie for your big sister’s sake?”

“Yeah. Otherwise, unni will be a liar.”

“But lying is a bad thing.”

“Isn’t it fine if you do it once a year?”

“Santa might not come to you.”

“Do you believe in Santa, mom?”

“…You can lie from time to time.”

Bitna lifted one finger.

“I will lie just this once. I don’t want unni to become a liar.”

“It’s fine because it’s a good lie for your big sister.”

“What’s a good lie? Weren’t lies bad things?”

“Hm, Bitna.”

“Yeah?”

“Try asking Maru-oppa that tomorrow.”

“Can’t you tell me, mom?”

“Mom needs to rest from time to time. Also, it’s no fun if mom tells you everything.”

“Is that how it is?”

“Of course.”

Her mother turned the car key. The car started vibrating with a low rattling noise.
Bitna moved her little hands to put her seatbelt on.

“But mom.”

“Yes?”

“Do you get married if you like someone?”

Her mother didn’t reply.

“Will I understand when I become big?”

“Mom wants to explain, but I think it needs a lot of time. To put it very simply though,
if you like someone, you get married, I think?”

“Then will unni marry big oppa?”

“That won’t necessarily be the case… but you can’t really say that it definitely won’t
happen, it’s a complicated thing…”
Bitna crossed her arms.

“How hard.”

Her mom agreed.

“It is.”

The car left the parking lot.

***

“Yuna.”

“Yeah?”

“I think he fancies you.”

“What do you mean?”

Yuna turned around, unable to resist the pull on her uniform vest. The boy sitting at
the end of the 3rd column was smiling at her.

“Girlie, you have it good, being popular and all.”

“It’s not like that.”

“What’s not? He’s completely in love with you. What do you think? I don’t think he’s
that bad. Yuna, I heard you have never gone out with someone, right? Try going out
with him at this chance.”

“What are you saying?”

Yuna shook her hand before taking out her textbook. Her friends covered their
mouths and laughed. They always teased her when it was related to boys.

“Think about it seriously. I thought you wanted to become an actress. You won’t be
able to date as you wish once you become one, so when else will you get the
opportunity to date someone?”
“Right. You should do away with it while you still can.”

Do away with what? - Yuna pushed her friends away. Her friends giggled and went
back to their seats. After hearing that, she felt a gaze on the back of her head. When
she turned around, the boy that the girls talked about was still looking at her.

Haha - she smiled awkwardly before looking forward again.

‘I don’t necessarily hate it, but.’

It didn’t make her heart race. Actually, this might be because she was concerned
about something else. She raised her head to look at the clock on the wall. She would
get to meet him in just five more hours.

‘I wonder what kind of person he is.’

Just what kind of lessons did he receive and what kind of things did he learn to put
on an act like that? Yuna had a lot of things to ask Maru.
“Han Maru.”

When he lifted his head after hearing the voice, he saw a piece of chalk flying right
towards his face. Maru slapped the chalk with his left hand. The smashed chalk fell to
the floor. He wondered why such a thing flew at him.

“Huh, you managed to stop that?”

Only when he heard the voice again did he remember that he was in class. His
classmates sitting on either side of him chuckled.

“Where did you leave your soul behind?” asked the teacher who taught electric
circuits as he rolled his right sleeve up.

“You’re a smart guy in the drama too. If you’re sleepy, go wash your face.”

He slightly bowed to the teacher before standing up. As this teacher liked to be quite
authoritative, he always nitpicked students if they did not follow his words no matter
how trivial they were. He walked across the corridor and went to the bathroom.
Smelling a rather foul stench, he felt his sensitive mind calming down a little.

He wasn’t sleeping because he was tired. He was thinking about something else to
the point that nothing in the class entered his mind. Maru turned the tap. He looked
at the mirror as he put his hands under the chilly running water.

“1989. No, if I expect a year of delay, there should be a change in 1988 maybe?”

He was reminded of last night’s matters as he looked in the mirror.

After acting practice, which was rather fussy thanks to Chihwan, Maru went to the
classroom on the opposite side of the hall. He sent his juniors home first before
taking out the videotape he brought in his bag.

“I was told that you were here. What are you doing?”
When he was about to start playing the videotape, Daemyung entered the classroom.
Maru told him that they should watch the video together if he had the time. Watching
good actors should be helpful for directors after all. As it was an old videotape, the
sound and video were stretched out at the beginning, but it wasn’t unbearable.

The video started off with some chatter between men he had never seen before. The
background seemed to be a corridor in a building.

-Are you sure this is filming right now?

-That’s curious.

-Hey, this is really small. Aren’t video cameras things that people put on their
shoulders?

-That’s because this is the latest product from Japan. You don’t even know that? But
Jincheol, are you sure this is working?

-You bumpkins, it is working.

A long-haired man appeared in the video. It was director Lee Jincheol in his younger
days. The immaturity and daringness of a man in his 20s showed from his face and
fashion.

“Maru, what’s this? It looks like an old video. 1987?”

Daemyung looked at the corner of the screen while narrowing his eyes.

“It’s a video about one actress.”

“Actress? Who?”

“I don’t know yet. We’re about to find out.”

Maru crossed his arms and leaned back against the door. 3 minutes passed in the
video without any content. During that time, the only things that appeared were
some men putting their faces right up against the lens to play around and Jincheol,
who was moving around here and there. A man with a shaved head showed some
different facial actions in front of the camera.
-Are we shooting now?

A girl’s voice sounded from the video. Maru focused on the screen. The man with the
shaved head waved outside the frame at someone and asked her to come. A while
later, a girl with bangs peeked into the frame.

-Am I on right now?

The girl waved at people outside the frame. Maru faintly smiled.

-Hey, Jung Haejoo. What are you doing, acting like a bumpkin? Is this the first time
you’ve seen a camcorder?

-Yeah, it’s my first time.

-What a bumpkin. What about Joohyun? She always follows you around every
weekend.

-She’s not here today.

-She should really stop coming. A high school student should be studying. No wait,
was she in middle school?

The world inside the screen became noisy. Jung Haejoo - she looked the same as the
photo where she was holding the three puppies. She looked like an adult lady, yet
still somewhat immature. Her reddish cheeks, rather large cheekbones, as well as
the curiosity-filled eyes and hands that endlessly touched her hair when she looked
at the lens were indicative of what kind of personality this Jung Haejoo had.

“She’s an interesting person,” Daemyung spoke next to him.

Interesting person - it was a fitting description.

“That’s her. The actress I was talking about.”

“She’s an actress?”

“Everyone on the screen now is an actor, probably.”

Just then, the people on the screen stood in one line.

-Hey, shouldn’t we stand in order of height?

-Are we kids? Just stand wherever you want.

-Let’s go with age. When someone watches later, we can just say that the one at the
end is the oldest

-That sounds good.

The people on the screen switched places. Jung Haejoo was in the middle.

-Well then, if you are done standing in a line, introduce yourselves. I will see how
cool you can make it.

Jincheol spoke from outside the frame. The people on the screen coughed and looked
at each other in the face before shouting the line in unison.

-Youth to the stage! We are the play-loving Yecheon!

The people, who shouted in unison, looked at the lens blankly for a while before
twisting up in embarrassment.

-Gosh that was embarrassing.

-I got goosebumps.

-Do we have to do this? Shouldn’t we just go with ‘We are Yecheon’ or something? We
aren’t kids.

Jung Haejoo, who was staring at the lens amidst the others, started speaking.

-Why? I like it though. Don’t you? It’ll be fun when we watch it later. It’s definitely
better to be funny than to be stiff.

She then tapped on the lens with her finger. When Jincheol told her not to do that,
she stepped back with a dejected expression.

-It is embarrassing, but it’s not that bad if you think about it.

-I might die of embarrassment when I watch it at an old age.

-That’s good. Let’s all die together!

The men and women hung their arms around each other and stood in a line.

-Youth to the stage! We are the play-loving Yecheon!

The screen then snapped off. A noisy grey screen filled the TV for a while.

“So they are people who used to do plays, huh. Yecheon. That sounds similar to our
Blue Sky[1],” Daemyung said.

Maru faintly smiled. Daemyung would be surprised if he knew the place in the video
was currently where Blue Sky stood in Daehak-ro right now, but he decided to tell
him that later. He wanted to focus on the video for now.

-I’m starting the shoot.

A voice sounded again. It was Jincheol. The background changed to the stage from
the corridor. It seemed that the camcorder was moved. On top of a worn-out stage
that definitely couldn’t be considered good stood the people who just did the
embarrassing greeting. Their clothing had changed. They were wearing jeans and
white t-shirts now.

Haejoo, who was looking around from the center of the stage, walked in front of the
camcorder.

-We are going to start the play now. The main characters are Yoonsung-oppa,
Chasoo-oppa, and Mijin-unni. I hope you have a good time.

She whispered that in a small voice. People gathered around Haejoo, who had gone
to the back of the stage with a smile. After shouting to get fired up, the members of
the troupe went to their places.

The play that followed was about college students who were activists[2]. It seemed to
reflect the environment of that era. The story itself wasn’t that boring. The flow was
cut off during some parts due to opting to go with the boring route, but the story did
not miss the big events, so it wasn’t that disturbing to the immersion. The members
of the troupe didn’t have bad skills either. As a man who seemed to be in his early
thirties held the ground, the overall balance did not shift.
-Well done!

The play ended while the remaining members were mourning the death of one such
activist student. The actors on stage applauded each other and gathered in front of
the camcorder. They looked agitated and excited. They were truly enjoying acting.

But that was it.

“They’re good.”

“They are for sure. But Daemyung, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“That lady.”

Maru pointed at Jung Haejoo, who was smiling brightly in the middle of the screen.

“Do you think there’s anything to learn from her?”

“Hm.”

“Just tell me what you think. Don’t evaluate her, just tell me what you think about
her.”

“Honestly speaking, they all seemed to be good actors generally, but I think that’s
about it. They aren’t eye-openingly good. That lady is the same. In fact, I feel like
she’s worse than the others.”

“In what aspect?”

“She seems a bit… lighter? The topic of the play is quite heavy, isn’t it? However, she
seems too bright. Rather than saying that she’s bad at acting, it feels like her
personality is way too positive that it’s influencing her acting or something like that.”

Maru nodded. Daemyung was definitely sharp. Maru was thinking about the same
thing. It wasn’t that the people on the screen were bad at acting. They definitely
fulfilled their role of imbuing truth into an imaginary world very splendidly. If he
watched their stage without any prior knowledge, he would have praised them,
saying that a group of youths had done a splendid job.
‘But that shouldn’t be all of it.’

She was the one who had stolen the hearts of two geniuses. He refused to believe
that Junmin was surprised and charmed by that level of acting. 1987. Although this
was before Haejoo and Junmin encountered each other, her first appearance in the
video definitely left room for a lot to be desired.

“Who are you watching this video for, though? That lady?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“It doesn’t look like you’re trying to study by doing this…”

“Why do you think that?”

Daemyung couldn’t reply immediately and hesitated for a while before carefully
speaking.

“Because honestly speaking, I feel like you’re better at acting than that lady.”

“You’re putting me on a pedestal all of a sudden.”

“I’m serious. Don’t you think so too?”

“I’m not that into self-flattery, you know?”

“But aren’t you thinking the same? You look pretty disappointed.”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

Maru took out the videotape that finished playing.

“There’s around 50 more of these in order of time.”

“There are so many?”

“I really want to see the last one right now, but I feel like I wouldn’t be able to catch
the hint like that. I want to know what kind of acting that lady did, and how her
changes made people unable to forget about her to this day.”
“Just who is she?”

“Jung Haejoo.”

“Jung Haejoo?”

Splash, Maru bowled some water with his hands and washed his face. Daemyung’s
confused expression disappeared along with the cold water that hit his face.

“Two years. No, one year. Just how much did she change after meeting Junmin?”

He thought about the piles of video tapes at home. He brought one today as well. A
video from 1987. This one was taken a month after the video he watched yesterday.
Maru was curious. He wanted to know how the lady’s acting would change since she
was called a genius by two other geniuses. He couldn’t imagine anything right now.
Junmin definitely had good eyes for talent, but Maru had never heard that he was a
good acting teacher. Just what kind of magic did he cast on Haejoo?

Maru shook his hands before walking back to his classroom. The teacher, who was
teaching the class, gave him a glance before continuing on with the class. Maru sat
down quietly so that he didn’t make any noise. He touched the videotape he put
inside his drawer while looking forward to watching it after school, when he
remembered an appointment he had forgotten about.

‘Today’s Tuesday… ’

It was 3 p.m. He would have to meet Bitna in just two hours. Although it was a rather
sudden appointment, he had to keep the appointment since he promised. It seemed
that he wasn’t going to get to watch the video today.

‘Is there really no one around me who has a VCR?’

It seemed that he would have to make a visit to Yongsan after the shoot this
weekend.

“Han Maru, have you gotten yourself together?”

“Yes. I feel much better after washing my face.”

Maru replied as he took his hands out of the drawers.

[1]The Korean for Blue Sky is Cheongcheon and they share the same character
‘cheon’

[2]In this specific case, ‘college activists’ refer to left-wing supporters who went
against the right-wing government rule in South Korea during the 1980s (hence the
following line).
“Help me out at the petrol station, will you?”

“Is it that bad?”

“The guy that said he was going to work ran again. We pay more than everyone else
around, but we still can’t get anyone.”

“You must be having a hard time, but what can you do about it? You’re going to
succeed the business, so you have no choice but to do it.”

Dowook climbed down the stairs after complaining.

“I’m leaving as well. See you around, you two.”

“Have fun making gukbap.”

“Why don’t you visit and eat some? Missus hasn't been looking good recently since
sales are dropping.”

“You’ve totally married into their family now, huh. You just have to deal with it. Have
fun too, Iseul.”

Maru waved his hand at the two people that left.

“They’re like workers,” Daemyung said, standing next to him.

“They are workers, and also students. Both Dojin and Dowook that is.”

“Sometimes, I envy them. I feel like they’ve grown up already.”

“That’s nothing to be envious about. It’s best to delay jumping into the working force
as long as possible. The best scenario is to not have a job forever and just live off rent
if you’ve inherited a building from your family or something. We have sad lives
because we can’t do that.”
“Did you have to make it that depressing?”

Maru shrugged before looking at the staircase to the 3rd floor.

“You’re going up, right?”

“Yeah, what about you?”

“I can’t do today.”

“Do you have a shoot for the film?”

“No, that’s on Wednesdays. Today’s a personal thing.”

“Everyone should be waiting for you though.”

“Waiting for me?”

“When we scattered last night, all the first year students were talking about you. It
seems like you left a deep impression on them.”

“What an honor. Oh, for Chihwan, it’d be better if you have him do practice runs
rather than read-throughs. Putting him on stage will benefit him more.”

“The plan was to rehearse as a whole starting today anyway.”

“Really? Instructor Miso is coming, right?”

“Yeah. Everyone seems to be happy that basic practice is over and they’re going to do
a play, so I feel kinda sorry for them.”

“They’ll find out today that their happy times are now over and hell is about to start.
After all, what awaits them when they make a single mistake is a 1-to-1 meeting with
the grim reaper after all.”

The first year students would find out today how the word ‘again’ can drive a person
crazy. Miso would no longer be lenient once practice runs started. If they made a
mistake, they would receive near-traumatizing additional instructions and would
have to sweat even in winter. After a few rounds of that, they would start to think
that they should stop making mistakes because they would drive them crazy.
“I’ll go up then. See you tomorrow.”

“Keep up the good work. No wait, I guess I should tell that to Aram now, huh?”

“She’s just as tough as instructor Miso, so she should be fine. Probably.”

“Nah, she can’t match up to Miso-noonim.”

“So you think so too, huh?”

Daemyung, who climbed the stairs with an awkward smile on his face, suddenly
stopped.

“Did you bring a videotape again today?”

“I forgot that I had an appointment, so I brought one. I won’t have any time to watch
it though.”

“Can I watch it with you if the time is right? If that lady is someone amazing like you
said she is, I definitely do want to watch them.”

“I’ll go through them and show them to you once I feel like I saw something
important. The videos taken in 1987 probably won’t be that helpful.”

“Alright, then.”

“Good luck with practice.”

Just as Daemyung was about to climb the stairs again, he stopped and took out his
phone before sending a text with a difficult expression.

“What’s making you so serious?”

“I-it’s not that serious. It’s just that I’ve been asked to eat out together… but I’m a bit
scared.”

“You’re scared of eating out together?”

Daemyung smiled wryly before turning around. From the way he acted, it didn’t
seem to be that serious. It seemed that he just got a text from someone who he has a
hard time dealing with.

Maru hung one of his bag straps on his shoulder and looked at his watch. It was 5:16
p.m. The students that chose to stay behind after school for self-study sessions all
rushed out of the building to play soccer on the school field. Maru mixed in with the
group and left the school.

“Hey, you should just go study at home.”

“Shut up. Han Maru, you should hang out with us as well.”

Maru waved his hand. These people had gathered together with the aim to enter
Seoul National University through special college entrance requirements, but their
objective seemed to have been kicked into the horizon with the ball they were
kicking around as they seemed to have turned into a soccer group instead.

“Dreams are the best when they are still dreams. Have fun.”

He left the school after watching his friends running towards the ball for a while.
After getting on the bus, he called her.

-Hello?

“You’re about to receive a human parcel.”

-Can I reject it?

“I’m sorry, customer. This product cannot be returned. You’re at school, right?”

-I’m packing up to go home. There’s no practice today after all.

“Should we hang out after I meet Bitna?”

-Unfortunately, I have a prior appointment, Mr. Han Maru.

“Prior appointment?”

-I promised I’d eat with mom. Oh, and Hanmi-ahjumma as well. It seems like she has
taken a liking to Daemyung. She said we should invite him as well.
“So that’s what it was.”

-What are you on about?

“Daemyung received a text just now and froze up when he read it. I heard that writer
Lee Hanmi is quite picky, so it’s not like I don’t understand.”

-She does talk a lot about work even when she eats. She probably told Daemyung a
lot of things as well. Heck, even I got nagged at the last time we met. She told me that
I’m bad at bringing out emotions.

She laughed awkwardly. Being able to eat with a big-shot writer was definitely a
good opportunity, but for a sensitive guy like Daemyung, he should have his troubles.

“But Daemyung probably won’t make it today because of practice.”

-I know. That’s why she seemed a little disappointed. From what I think, Hanmi-
ahjumma seems to consider Daemyung as a disciple she’s going to raise in a strict
fashion.

“I feel like he’s gained a lot of recognition without me knowing.”

Maru spoke as he looked at the students who were getting off the bus.

“Where should I go after I get there?”

-She should be waiting for you at the school gates.

“You’re going to be there too, right? Let’s meet up.”

-I don’t want to.

“Why are you being so cruel? You don’t want to see me?”

-We’re going to meet tomorrow anyway. You’ll see me as much as you want when I go
to your school tomorrow, so hold it for today. I need to go right now.

“Alright, alright. I guess I have no choice but to play with Bitna. I should tell her about
how I got thrown away by my girlfriend.”
-I’ll kill you if you tell a kid something like that.

“Violence isn’t good. Anyway, wouldn’t it be strange if a small girl is standing in front
of a high school by herself?”

-Bitna’s big sister will be there as well. She’s a junior of mine named Yuna. She’s a
good kid. Plus, she’s really cute too.

“I guess I’ll just have to play around with two cute girls then. My girlfriend isn’t here
for me after all.”

-Be prepared to get hit tomorrow.

“Please come over to hit me. And shoot the movie while you’re at it.”

He could hear a laugh over the phone. Maru focused on his hearing. Her happy
laughter was always pleasant to hear.

-Anyway, take good care of my junior. She’ll be with you since she can’t leave Bitna
alone. Oh, right. She also said that there are some things she wanted to ask you. She’s
an aspiring actress too.

“How do you feel having a popular guy as your boyfriend? Don’t you feel uneasy at
all?”

-Should I switch at this opportunity?

“I might start crying in despair if you dump me. In front of your house, that is.”

-That sounds horrific. I won’t dump you. I’m going to hang up now. I need to go.

“Watch out for cars, only cross the road when the light is green, and raise your hand.”

-Yes, yes, Mr. Han Maru. I’m a good girl, so I’ll do everything you just said.

“What do you do when a bad mister is asking to go with you while giving you candy?”

-I take the candy and kick his butt!

“Correct. See you tomorrow. Also, text me the number for this Yuna just in case. It
will be a pain if we miss each other.”

-Hey, you’re trying to pick up a girl’s phone number like that?

“I’m quite good at things like that, you know?”

-Fine. Anyway, treat her well. She’s a really good kid.

After hanging up, Maru looked outside the window. He started seeing a familiar road.
He would arrive at Myunghwa High after ten minutes or so.

He had a look at the number she texted before pressing the stop bell. He saw
students wearing Myunghwa High uniforms lined up at the bus stop.

After getting off the bus, he walked along the road until he saw Myunghwa High
across the two-lane road. The black vans parked near the school were something like
a signature for Myunghwa High.

“Good luck with the shoot!”

“Good luck!”

A girl who came out of the school amidst the cheers of the students got in one of the
vans. She seemed to be an idol of sorts. As this school was known for having many
young people who worked in the entertainment industry attend, this was not a rare
scene. Maru crossed the street and walked over to the school gates. When Maru, who
wasn’t wearing any uniform, stood in front of the school gates, people wearing
uniforms glanced at him before going past.

“Are they not here yet?”

He heard that they would be waiting for him in front of the school, so he took out his
phone. Just as he inputted the number he was texted and was about to press the call
button, he saw a girl holding the hand of a little girl. Maru smiled and put his phone
back inside his pocket.

“Hello.”

Bitna politely greeted him while putting her hands, which were holding a drink can,
by her belly button. Her politeness left nothing to be desired. She seemed to have
grown a lot over the past year. Well, they did say kids grow up quickly.

“Hello.”

Another girl, a student, greeted him as well from next to Bitna. She seemed quite
excited for some reason.

“You must be Yuna then.”

“Ah, yes. Have you heard from unni?”

“Yeah. You’re Bitna’s sister?”

“Yes.”

“You’re better than me, listening to your sister’s request like this.”

“O-oh, no, not at all.”

Maru then looked at Bitna who was staring at him.

“I wonder what Bitna wanted to see me for.”

“Uhm, you know…”

Bitna, who was usually clear-cut about everything, seemed hesitant. Did she feel
awkward after not seeing him for a long time? He thought that it might be better to
put some distance, when,

“Uhm, there’s something I need to apologize to you about.”

The one that spoke was not Bitna but Yuna. An apology all of a sudden? Maru asked
what it was about.

“Actually, it wasn’t Bitna who wanted to see you.”

“Then?”

“It was me who wanted to see you, seonbae-nim… may I call you that?”
“Call me whatever you want. Han Maru, Maru, hey, you, et cetera.”

Yuna seemed taken aback. Maru scratched his eyebrows when he saw that her
thought process seemed to be stuck. It seemed that he should refrain from making
jokes.

“Just call me seonbae.”

“Ah, okay.”

“I don’t think I need to listen to the rest. You asked Bitna to meet me because you
have business with me?”

“Yes! You found out pretty quickly.”

“Anyone would know that if you’re making an expression like that. I did find it a bit
strange when Bitna suddenly said that she wants to meet me. I guess Bitna helped
out her big sister, huh?” Maru said as he looked at Bitna’s eyes.

She was a calm child who did not complain even under the scorching sun, but she
was still a child. He couldn’t let her mind about what her sister and this brother were
thinking about. Bitna should probably be at ease just by notifying her that there was
nothing wrong with this situation.

“Sorry, oppa. I lied.”

“This isn’t even considered lying. People like me know best since I lie all the time.”

“Do you lie a lot, oppa?”

“I do.”

“Then does that make you a bad person?”

“Does Bitna see me as a bad person?”

Bitna stared at him for a while before shaking her head.

“If Bitna says I’m not, then I shouldn’t be. Uhm, Yuna, was it? Shall we switch places?
This place is a little crowded.”
“Shall we?”

Bitna naturally grabbed Yuna’s hand. They seemed to be sisters who got along well.

“Yuna, why are you looking around like that?”

“What? Oh, I was worried that someone might recognize you and come, seonbae. I
heard that image management was important for actors…”

“You’re clearly overly worried. There’s no one who recognizes me.”

“Not at all. You’re famous, seonbae-nim.”

“I’m famous?”

“…You’re probably famous.”

Maru then grabbed a random person who was walking by.

“Uhm, excuse me, but do you happen to know who I am?”

“What? No, I don’t seem to know you.”

“Sorry about that. I seem to have been mistaken.”

That student scanned him from top to bottom before leaving. Maru looked at Yuna,
who was blinking her eyes.

“See? No one knows me.”

“A… ah! It’s because you aren’t wearing glasses. You’ll definitely be recognized if you
wear glasses.”

Yuna then suddenly started rummaging through her bag.

“What are you doing?”

“I have a pair of glasses I wear when I’m studying. If you wear that, people will
recognize you.”
“Isn’t it supposed to be problematic if they do?”

Hearing that, Yuna’s actions suddenly froze. She stiffly raised her head, not knowing
what to do.

“You have a peculiar character, huh.”

“Sorry.”

“Not at all. I meant to say that I quite like you. Bitna, your sister seems to be an
interesting person, isn’t she?”

Bitna faintly smiled while nodding.

“Where shall we go? I don’t know the area that well. Preferably, we should go to a
place where we can eat.”

Whenever he came here, it was his girlfriend who always guided him around. Most of
the time, she took him to restaurants that were gaining popularity.

“There’s a place I visit a lot with my friends. Can we go there?”

“Sure.”

Yuna nodded. Maru took a step back and looked at the sisters who were holding
hands.

‘Now that’s the kind of daughter I want.’

The word ‘daughter’ gave him a sense of nostalgia, but he didn’t know what that was
about.

Maru smiled and followed the two.

“Nice place.”

“A friend of mine told me about it.”

Maru looked around the cafe. There were shelves with books on them, ranging from
liberal arts books to comic books. There was a faint smell of coffee in the air, as well
as the smell of something sweet. It seemed to be milk tea. The music playing inside
the cafe was very faint, and one would miss it if they didn’t focus on it. As for the
interior design, there was no sense of uniformity other than the color. Square tables,
round tables, and even triangular tables that they got from god-knows-where. There
were many different kinds of spots where people could sit down and enjoy reading a
book.

“Don’t girls around your age prefer louder places? Or a board game cafe where you
can enjoy yourselves?”

“It’s not always like that. Maybe it’s because of the atmosphere here, but we end up
talking about what we usually wouldn't. I like that sense of unfamiliarity here,” Yuna
replied.

Bitna took out a book as soon as she came to the cafe. It was a thin essay. It was
about travelling on a bike. Although half of the book was filled with photos, Maru
thought that a child wouldn’t enjoy something like that due to the nature of the
writing, but Bitna kept reading calmly. She had a higher concentration than most
others of her age. Usually, children like her would get fed up with any kind of reading
after ten minutes and would look for dolls or something.

‘Dolls?’

Maru tapped on his arm and focused on his thoughts. Why dolls of all things? He was
reminded of a teddy bear as though he had experienced it for himself. Just as he was
entrapped in a strange sense of deja vu,

“Seonbae-nim?”
“Ah, what is it?”

“Nothing. You seemed to be engrossed in something. I interrupted you, didn’t I?”

“Nah. I was just distracted. Shall we eat something for now? They seem to sell some
simple meals here.”

“Actually, the bagels here are one of the reasons I come here all the time. They’re
really good.”

“What would you like to eat, Bitna?”

Bitna took her eyes off the book and said ‘anything that doesn’t have olives’.

“Do you not like olives?”

“They don’t smell good.”

“It’s not good to be picky with food.”

“Mom tells me that too, but isn’t it worse to force myself to eat something I don’t
like? I become happy when I eat what I want, but it makes me feel bad if I eat
something I don’t like,” Bitna replied clearly.

Her way of expressing her thoughts was really refined for a girl of her age.

“Looks like I wasn’t thinking far. Then I’ll order something without olives for you.
What about you, Yuna?”

“I’ll go with you to order. I need to pay too,” Yuna said as she took out her wallet from
her bag.

“I’ll treat you.”

“Oh, no. You came all the way here for me.”

“It’s just a few bus stops away. Let’s go for now. I’m a bit hungry since I haven’t had
dinner yet.”

They walked over to the counter.

“I’d like an onion bagel and a cup of black coffee. Yuna, you can order yours.”

“I’d like a cream cheese bagel and a blueberry bagel. As for drinks, a grapefruit juice
and a chocolate latte.”

Upon order, Yuna quickly took out a 10,000 won bill. Maru said that it was okay, but
Yuna just shook her head and did not take back the bill.

“I’ll pay with this card.”

He gave the store owner his credit card and took the bill from Yuna.

“Does this satisfy you?”

“Yes.”

“Also, if an adult says they’ll treat you, just accept it. It’s one of the privileges you
have when you’re young.”

“An adult?”

Yuna stared at him strangely before nodding in acceptance. I guess you’re an adult,
too, seonbae-nim - she said to herself. Maru smiled awkwardly. After waiting for a
while, they got the food they ordered and returned to their original table with the
tray. Bitna was still focused on the book she had chosen.

“How’s the book?”

“It’s fun.”

Bitna closed the book and quietly placed it in the corner of the table.

“Isn’t the bagel too big for Bitna to finish by herself?”

Maru looked at his own bagel as well as his palm. The owner here seemed to be very
generous, as the bagel was pretty massive. Since it was bigger than what would
suffice for a meal, it would probably be hard for Bitna to eat it all.

“It’s fine. She has a good appetite. Bitna, you can eat all of that, right?”
Bitna did not speak and just started eating the bagel with her two hands. Maru was
reminded of a hamster nibbling away at some pumpkin seeds.

“Should we talk while we eat? I feel hungry after seeing Bitna eat.”

“Yes.”

He split the bagel in half before taking a bite. A smile appeared on his face, since the
taste wasn’t too stimulative.

“It’s good.”

“Right?”

Yuna replied almost at the same time as he spoke. Maru smiled and looked at Yuna.

“So you are an aspiring actress?”

He asked a question first. Since he was looking for a question that wouldn’t make her
feel uncomfortable, he naturally had to talk about acting.

“Yes. Bitna is my senior in that regard. I wanted to act after seeing Bitna acting.”

“Bitna is pretty good too. You are in the acting club at Myunghwa High, right?”

“Yes.”

“Myunghwa High is known for being pretty strict. How is it?”

“It’s harder than going to an acting school, but it’s just as much fun. The seniors treat
me well, and it’s fun to try and put on an act together with my friends. You are…”

“I’m also in the acting club. At the school that’s always 2nd place thanks to
Myunghwa High, that is.”

“Oh, you mean Woosung High?”

“Yes.”

“The seniors told me a lot. That we should just watch out for Woosung High in
Suwon. As for the nationals, it’s Hwasoo High and Jinwon High.”

“Tell your seniors to go easy on us. I want to touch the trophy at least once before I
graduate.”

“…Uhm, I’m not exactly in a position where I can say something like that.”

Yuna became stiff. She really couldn’t take a joke.

“I was just joking. We got a bunch of new kids this year, so we won’t slip before the
nationals like last year.”

“Are you going on stage as well?”

Yuna’s voice clearly went up a pitch.

Maru shook his head.

“I’m just a staff. The performance will be done by the 1st and 2nd year students.”

“Why aren’t you in it?”

“Because I don’t exactly have enough time. I don’t want to do things half-assedly
when everyone else is trying their best.”

“Oh, I see.”

“How about you? Are you going on stage?”

“Yes. I was lucky.”

“I don’t think there’s luck involved when it comes to performance.”

Yuna stared at him in a daze for a while before smiling, however, she soon covered
her mouth and calmed down her expression. While the conversation was stopped,
Maru reached out to his bagel. As he was enjoying the faint smell of onion from the
bread, he saw a pair of clear eyes staring at the bagel.

“It’s onion-flavored. Do you want to try it?”

Bitna immediately replied yes. When Maru had a look at her plate, the large bagel
was nowhere to be seen. Did she finish it off while they were talking? He did just
hear that she had a big appetite, but he didn’t know she would eat this much.

‘Well, she did finish a lunchbox made for adults by herself during shoots.’

He ripped a chunk off the bagel and gave it to Bitna. She started eating it as though
everything that didn’t contain olives was okay. Maru thought that parents weren’t
lying when they said that they were full just watching their children eat. As Maru
didn’t feel hungry anymore, he gave Bitna the rest of the bagel as well. Bitna
accepted it and immediately started eating it. The little glutton only seemed satisfied
after that.

“You got some on your mouth.”

Yuna wiped Bitna’s mouth with some tissue. While siblings close in age fought each
other all the time before getting close in their later years, there were many cases
where the older sibling would become a secondary parent for the younger sibling
with siblings who were far apart in age like these two. Maru thought about Bada
before snorting. If Bada treated him nicely now, he would doubt her instead,
wondering what she wanted from him this time.

“Bitna has it good, having a sister like her.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The honesty of children made him emotional from time to time. Everyone had a time
when they were honest with their feelings without calculating what others would
think about. Only after enduring the hardships of life did they realize that being
honest was a weakness, not an advantage. That would be the moment when a child
grew up and became an adult.

“You’re different from how I imagined, seonbae-nim,” Yuna said in a daze.

After saying that, she got startled by herself and no longer spoke.

“If you say that, I can only ask what is so different.”

“Uhm…”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

“It’s not like that.”

Yuna started fidgeting with her fingers on the table.

“I watched your acting in The Witness. To me, it came as a shock. You seemed to be
around my age, so how can you act so well? I really thought a lot about it.”

“That only looked so good since Joohyun-noonim was there to back me up. It’s
because the receiver was so good that such freaky acting looked good.”

“…I also watched your scene in Twilight Struggles.”

Maru then replied while sipping on his coffee.

“That shouldn’t be available to minors though.”

“I only watched a short clip on the internet.”

“You mean, my scene?”

“Yes. After I saw that, I became sure that your acting wasn’t due to a coincidence.
Unlike that rough, violent acting you showed in The Witness which even contained a
hint of craze, you looked very cynical and evil in the film. It might sound similar since
the words I used are all used negatively, but you understand the slight difference
when you’re acting, right?”

She seems passionate - Maru thought as he looked at Yuna, who spoke clearly. He
could see her mindset towards acting from this conversation alone.

“Oh, sorry about that. I guess I sounded quite strange since I said that all of a sudden.
It’s a bit rude too.”

“It’s not rude at all. It’s not like you did anything wrong.”

Maru put down his cup before continuing to speak,

“So you thought that I’d be cold and stiff since all my roles are like that, and were
disappointed to see that I’m actually quite ordinary?”
“Of course not! Of course I’m not disappointed. I know well that people acting an evil
role aren’t evil at heart, so I wouldn’t think like that.”

Yuna grabbed her cup with both of her hands.

“I was just curious about how you could show such a performance.”

“You’re doing pretty well in your acting club though, aren’t you? You managed to win
a role too. I think you’re doing plenty well.”

“No. I have never had confidence in my acting skills. I was told reasons for that at the
academy as well - that my expressions are boring. Of course, I have never thought
that acting was hard. It’s always enjoyable and fun. I think that I’ll never get fed up
with it.”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

“What?”

“Should we ask Bitna about it then?”

Maru turned around to see Bitna. She was reading the travel essay after finishing her
food and raised her head when Maru looked at her.

“Bitna. Did you always find acting fun? Did you ever think that it was not fun?”

“I can’t lie, right?”

“If you want to, you can, but I hope you can be honest right now. Your sister is
listening as well,” Maru said as he pointed at Yuna.

Bitna licked her lips before looking at Yuna and speaking.

“It’s not always that fun. There are times when I want to stop because it’s hard.”

“Do you hate acting?”

“No, I don’t hate it.”

“But it’s not always fun, right?”

“That’s right.”

Maru then looked at Yuna again.

“Have you really never ever hated acting even once? No, let me change that question.
Have you never felt afraid of acting?”

Yuna’s expression stiffened after hearing that question. She rested her lips on her
right hand, unable to speak.

“In my case, I had fun when I first got on the stage. I was excited. So this is what
acting is about! I felt like I was going to get addicted. However, from some time
onwards, I found out that I can’t control myself. Actually, no, I only found out because
someone else told me about it. That’s when I realized. Oh! I was showing a
performance without proper control over myself. When that realization popped up
inside me, I thought of a question that should come before that. Is the acting I’m
showing really satisfying the standards that I’ve set?”

“The standards that you’ve set…”

“I was originally someone who was generous to myself. Whether it’s studying or
sports, I always found a suitable middle point. That’s the only way I can receive less
stress. If I lower the standards even further, I wouldn’t receive any stress at all.”

Yuna’s gaze lowered even more. Maru tapped on the table. Yuna, who lowered her
head with a low groan, raised her head again.

“I’m not telling you this to be mean to you. You might actually be right. I mean to say
that you might be in love with acting at every single moment. I wish I was like that.
That would be a blessing after all. Unfortunately, it’s generally not like that, so I can
only think my way.”

“Am I wrong?”

She looked like she did something wrong. Maru grabbed the handle of the coffee mug
and spoke,

“When you say that you like every facet of something unconditionally, is that really
liking that something? What do you think?”
“Unconditionally liking…”

Yuna thought back to yesterday. She went to her clubroom after school and
passionately practiced. She did some stretches, then did some vocal exercises, and
then did some acting. She physically felt tired, but while she was acting, she forgot
about the sweat on her forehead and enjoyed it. Becoming someone other than
herself was something exciting. It was like going on an adventure.

She rewinded the clock some more. She was in her 3rd year of middle school. She
saw herself, who was acting at the acting school. The lessons were a bit hard to
follow, but it did not change the fact that the very act of acting itself gave her
excitement. To her, acting wasn’t the sweet fruit that she could get at the end of a
harsh class, but the sports drink that enabled her to last the harsh class.

She went back even further to when she just entered middle school. Bitna, who was a
child model back then, tried her hand at a drama for the first time, and successfully
won a role. Yuna became interested in acting after seeing her very young sister
acting on TV. Her mother happily enrolled her in an acting school, telling her that she
should try it out. When she first went to the academy, she felt rather overwhelmed
since everyone around her was already good at acting. The people that received the
so-called ‘camera massage’ were different on a fundamental level. She felt like an
ugly duckling amidst a group of elegant cranes. Did acting not suit her after all? - she
had such negative thoughts when she received her first lesson. Indeed, she was
overwhelmed and couldn’t do anything. She was the only one who lacked basic
voicing and pronunciation skills and had to receive personal lessons from the
instructor. Her first lesson was terrible. She even had the feeling that she couldn’t do
anything there. When she had almost given up, the instructor told her to try some
simple acting. As she hadn’t learned anything yet back then, the word ‘acting’
seemed like a big wall to her. Her peers next to her all displayed good acting one
after the other. They became angry, smiled, and cried. Just when she felt deeply
impressed by them, it became her turn. Her head turned blank since she didn’t know
what to do. As she stood there frozen like a statue, the instructor told her that it was
okay and told her to express anything she wanted. At that moment, a clothes hanger
entered her eyes and Yuna imitated that clothes hanger without thinking. She stood
upright, bent her arms into an L shape and pressed her fingers together. She saw her
own figure reflected on the wall and she found herself really freaky. She thought that
she was going to get laughed at, but no one laughed at her. In fact, what she received
was a compliment. Yuna was curious. The performance she had just shown was too
different from the acting that her peers had shown. It was nothing more than an
infantile form of imitation, so she couldn’t understand why other people would say
that she was good. The instructor smiled gently at her and replied to her:

That. That is what acting was about.

The moment she heard those words, Yuna’s body shook, without knowing why.
Acting, which existed in another world and was something that she could only watch
from afar, felt like it was right in front of her now. Ever since that day, Yuna became
engrossed in acting. Expressing something other than herself - that kind of
excitement was what she liked.

Until now, Yuna had never once felt afraid of acting nor felt that it was hard to do. She
may have thought that a technical aspect of acting might be difficult, but she never
felt burdened by acting itself. To her, acting was a refuge, a playground always filled
with new and fun things. Being afraid of going to such a place? She couldn’t imagine
such a thing.

“Learning to act is definitely a difficult thing. There were many times when it was
hard, but I’ve never felt afraid or like I was afraid of acting even once.”

“If you think that, then there’s no problem. You don’t need to hesitate and can just
keep doing things the way you’ve been doing until now. The path you’ve been
treading on is very solid and must be heading in the right direction,” said Maru, who
sat in front of her.

They were words of encouragement, but the same words were echoing inside Yuna’s
head. Is unconditionally liking something really liking something? When she thought
about it simply, there was no need to hesitate. She unconditionally liked it because
there was nothing to hate about it, right?

Yuna shook her head. With years of practice and effort, her skills had definitely
improved. She knew that she had improved dramatically when she thought back to
how she was during her 1st year of middle school.
However, as the years passed by, her technical skills may have improved, but the
instructor became even more strict. The instructor that used to compliment her for
her improvement now started pointing out the dullness in her emotional expression.
The way you express it is not bad, but the appeal is lacking - that was what the
instructor said about her.

It was around that time that she saw Maru’s acting. That was the first time Yuna felt
dazed by an act from someone around her age. The words that she lacked appeal
became a mallet and smacked her head. The moment she saw Maru’s acting, she
realized that what he was showing her was the ‘appeal’ that she lacked. She thought
that she wanted to be like that as she continued with her acting. Acting was still
enjoyable and she felt happy whenever she acted, but what increased was only her
technical skill, while the emotional expression that couldn’t be formally verified did
not improve at all.

If she was doing nothing wrong, then shouldn’t she be improving? As time passed,
the instructor’s opinion of her became worse by the day, and recently, she even felt
hopeless.

She wanted to know how this person named Han Maru could act like that. The
explanation from the adults didn’t feel real to her, and always felt distant, making it
hard for her to accept. She also felt like she would have an easier time understanding
if someone around her age told her about his own experiences.

However, the result of the conversation made Yuna feel more confused than ever.

‘Afraid of acting?’

Yuna had a look at Maru’ s face. He was talking to Bitna with a smile on his face.
When she looked at his face, she was reminded of his acting. The person that
displayed such chill-inducing acts was afraid of acting? They say a genius cannot win
against one that puts in the effort, and that one that puts in effort cannot win against
one that enjoys. Isn’t enjoying something the same as liking it? Yuna couldn’t
understand how it was possible to like something and be good at it when he was
afraid of it.

“Is unconditionally liking something a bad thing after all?”

“I told you it’s not. It’s more likely that I’m wrong. If you think of something as
infinitely good, that’s an incredible thing. If you truly never felt afraid of acting, then
there are no problems at all. In fact, it would be me who would be envious of you.”

“But my performances don’t have the attraction that yours does.”

“That’s probably because the roles I played were impactful ones. I don’t have any
presence in the drama, right? My acting is nothing special, so there’s no need to
worry about it.”

“In the drama, you’re so natural that you feel flawless. When I perform an ordinary
life act, I always get told that I’m bland. You really are different from me.”

“I’m happy that you see me so highly, but I wonder if that’s what’s troubling you
instead. You acted until now without any worries at all, didn’t you?”

“I did have my worries. I just didn’t mind them that much since I enjoy myself a lot
while I’m acting. Now, however, I have a dream to debut as a proper actress. There
won’t be a problem if I’m just acting as a hobby, but I think I need to change if I want
to become a pro.”

At that moment, Maru sighed and turned his eyes towards the counter. Maru spoke
for the first time without looking her in the eyes.

“I do not know a lot about you. That’s why I can only tell you basic and fundamental
things. I think I have a vague grasp of what you’re worried about, but I can’t answer
you precisely because I only have a vague grasp.”

“I’m fine with anything. I just want to hear your story.”

“Will my advice have a chance to change you?”

“Yes. I want to act just like you.”

“Then that’s all the more reason I can’t tell you anything.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s because I don’t want you to resent me. If my words influence you, and you end
up failing later on in life, you will remember this moment. You might swear at me. I
don’t want to get sworn at in a place I don’t know.”
Yuna widened her eyes.

“I won’t do something like that.”

“You might.”

“I’m not someone who would do that.”

“I can’t be sure that you aren’t someone who would do that.”

“I just wanted to hear your opinions though…”

“Why don’t you look for someone that’s much better than me? Someone who can
take responsibility for their words, that is. You said you go to an acting school right?
Asking the teacher there is also one way.”

“The instructor’s advice doesn’t really feel that real.”

“How about your seniors at school then?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Yuna bit her lower lip before speaking,

“You were the only one. You were the only one I was deeply impressed by. Of course,
I am deeply impressed by some adults acting on TV, but you were the first high
school student who impressed me that much. That’s why I tried to meet you even
when I had to end up lying to a senior I really liked. I thought that you would tell me
something different.”

“I have to apologize, but I’m no one special. I just happened to grab some lucky
chances, and I managed to make use of them.”

Yuna felt her chest tightening. Maru’s words were right. Someone he had seen for the
first time was asking him for an answer with a serious face, so it would be even
stranger if he replied properly. However, she felt frustrated and sad when she
thought about how she wouldn’t be able to get any hints from the meeting she
looked forward to so much.
This is not right - Yuna forced herself to smile. She couldn’t inconvenience him here.
After all, she had to thank him for meeting her in the first place.

“I’ll keep doing my best like this then. Since it’s what I like to do, I will definitely
change if I keep doing it. I learned a lot from meeting you today, seonbae-nim. Thank
you.”

She decided to let him go and hoped that Maru didn’t feel bad for coming today. She
didn’t want to be hated by Maru. It would be horrible if the actor who made her
excited looked at her with contempt.

Just as she was about to stand up,

“Oppa, don’t hate unni,” Bitna said.

Yuna looked at Bitna in surprise.

“I don’t hate your big sister.”

“Then why aren’t you answering her?”

“Because it’s not something I can solve.”

“Can’t you just tell her something? Unni really looked forward to meeting you today,
like, thiiiis much.”

Bitna created a big circle with her arms. Yuna grabbed Bitna’s hands.

“Bitna, unni is fine. I’m completely fine.”

“You’re lying. You’re about to cry.”

“No, I’m not.”

“No, you look sad.”

Large teardrops appeared on Bitna’s face before she started crying. Yuna quickly
embraced Bitna.

“Sorry, Bitna, your sister was in the wrong.”

When she patted Bitna’s back, Bitna stopped crying. She never thought that the
docile girl would cry all of a sudden. Yuna felt her heart aching. It felt like everything
was her fault. Just as she was wiping Bitna’s tears with her palms, she heard a voice.

“If I assume that you’re in a similar situation as me, I can tell you a few things.”

“Seonbae-nim?”

“I feel bad now since I feel like Bitna will hate me if I go just like this. I’m weak
against children. Especially against good girls like Bitna.”

Maru brushed his hair upwards with his hands before speaking,

“If you’re okay with regretting after hearing my story, I can talk to you for another
hour or so. However, there’s no customer service after that. Even if what I tell you
sets you off-track, the only thing I can do is to hear you swear at me.”

“I don’t care. I want to listen to you.”

Yuna had a look at Btina. Bitna was smiling brightly as she looked at Maru. Maru also
looked at Bitna as though he had lost.

“But seonbae-nim. What changed your mind so suddenly?”

“I told you. I don’t want to be hated by Bitna.”

“Is that really it?”

“That’s really it. I find it strange too. I usually never step into other people’s business
when they aren’t related to me. For some reason though, I can’t win against Bitna’s
eyes. Perhaps this is what a father with a daughter feels like.”

After saying those words, Maru frowned and didn’t speak for a while for some
reason. He seemed to be in deep thought as he though he was going through his
memories before he eventually sighed.

“Not that I would know what a father with a daughter would feel like.”
“What I’m about to tell you uses me as the basis. None of it might apply to you. If you
can’t sympathize with something I say, then just ignore it. That’ll be better for you.”

“Okay.”

“First up, let’s have a look at what the problem is. Before that though, is Bitna going
to be okay? She looks tired.”

Yuna looked at Bitna, who was dozing off.

“Bitna, are you sleepy?”

“No.”

“I think you are.”

“I’m not.”

Bitna then stood up, saying that she wanted to go to the bathroom.

“I think she’s being considerate for her sister.”

“She thinks deeply. Sometimes, I can’t believe that she’s my sister. That’s why I like
her.”

Yuna looked at Bitna until she entered the bathroom before turning around to see
Maru again.

“This isn’t something worth talking a lot about, so let’s finish it quickly. Both you and
Bitna need to go home.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what you’re troubled with in detail. While you’re turning your troubles into
words, you’ll realize that most of the things you are thinking about aren’t actually
that problematic at all. If there’s still something that remains in your heart at the
end, that’s something you must think about.”

Yuna thought about Maru’s words and tried summarizing the events she experienced
starting from when she started acting to now. While they were talking, Bitna
returned. Yuna’s heart tingled when she saw Bitna trying to stay awake and felt
thankful.

Like what Maru said, unlike when her thoughts were running wild everywhere,
when she put it into words, she could clearly differentiate between the important
things and the not important things. To be precise, she found something she couldn’t
say easily, and that seemed to be her biggest problem. However, she did not know
what it was exactly. Only a strange sense of rejection towards talking about it
remained in her heart. She felt like she might catch a clue to resolving her current
situation if she managed to put it into words.

“Give me some time to think. If there are things you couldn’t tell me, then think about
those really carefully. Why couldn’t you tell me about them and how are they
troubling you?”

Maru started writing something. Seeing Maru write, Yuna looked inside her.

‘I lack too much skill to enter the ranks of pros. That’s what made me worried and
hasty. My technical skills are definitely improving, but the instructor told me that I
have a problem transmitting my emotions to the audience. I wanted to seek Maru-
seonbae’s help because of that.’

After thinking about that, Yuna sighed. Was that it? She felt like there was an even
more fundamental problem. She still felt like there was something inexpressible with
words cluttered up inside her. She felt stuffy. Even though it stemmed from herself,
she couldn’t tell exactly what it was. This was the first time she felt like this. It felt
like something completely different existed inside of her. A sense of displeasure
spread out inside her.

“I’ve summed up what I heard so far somewhat, so hear me out.”

Maru started talking. Yuna exclaimed from time to time and nodded. Just listening to
her own problems from an objective point of view cleared her head up a little. She
found Maru amazing for summarizing and narrowing down the problem in such a
short time.

“In the end, you feel uneasy because your emotional expressions in acting aren't
improving even though you’re enjoying acting, right?”

“Yes. I think that’s what it is.”

“Good, then let’s start here. Before that, though, did you try doing what I told you to
do? Organizing things that you couldn’t tell me?”

“Uhm… it might sound strange, but I can’t express what I’m feeling right now. I know
there’s something important, but I can’t put it into words.”

“You can’t explain something that you don’t have a full grasp on, however, you
instinctively know that you have a problem, so keep thinking about it for now. Also,
listen to me while you think. I don’t want to drag this out, so I’m going to be as
extreme as possible. First, why acting?”

“Because I like it.”

“Aren’t there other things that you like?”

“I like acting the most.”

“More than anything else?”

“Yes.”

“Then second, why are you worried that you can’t become a pro?”

“That… I think, is a realistic problem. No matter how much I like something, I can’t
help but think about the future. Just because someone likes playing around doesn’t
mean that they can play around forever, right?”

“So it has to be a means of economics, you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you earn money through something else and do acting as a hobby then?
These days, there are a lot of civil theater troupes and there are acting clubs in
district centers too.”

“I want to become an actress.”

“So you want to live off your acting?”

Yuna replied ‘yes’ in a small voice.

“Third, what is the baseline of ‘living off your acting’?”

“Baseline?”

“I mean how much profit you want.”

“I just have to be able to live off it. I think it’ll be fine even if I’m poor as long as I can
continue acting.”

“Do you really think so?”

Yuna nodded without hesitation. At the same time, Maru put down his pen. He
locked his fingers and stretched his arms upwards as though everything was
finished.

“Then we have a solution.”

“What?”

“Regardless of the occupation, as long as you do it steadily, you’ll be able to live off it.
This society isn’t that bad. You might not be able to eat things you want, nor have a
house under your name, nor possess a car, and you might live in a semi-basement
apartment without any hopes of getting married, but you will be able to live off your
work. That was your baseline, wasn’t it? That you want to live off your acting; that
you don’t care how poor you are as long as you can continue acting. If that’s your
baseline, then there’s no need to worry. Congratulations, you can live off acting.”

Yuna became speechless for a moment. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t say
anything. Living off her acting. Yuna believed that she would feel happy as long as
she could continue what she wanted to do even if she was poor. Nothing shook her
faith in that until just now. The moment she heard a detailed explanation of what
such a life would be like, she felt something twitching inside her.
“What about getting cast in a good work and…”

“I told you. I am going to be extreme here. If that’s what you want, this conversation
was unnecessary in the first place. You have the potential to display good acting, you
have the potential to solve this problem easily, and going further, you have the
potential to become a huge star. Everything in the world is your potential. When you
want to know about the essence of a matter, you should exclude abstract things. You
should think about the extreme case scenario. If you wanted to hear a hopeful story,
then I guess I shouldn’t have said any of this. I thought you looked a little desperate. I
know that vague hope is essentially the same as poison to people who are desperate.
That’s why I started off with the extreme, but if you aren’t ready for that, then I think
we should stop talking about it here because no matter what I tell you, you will
dream of the moment the sun shines in your little rat hole. There’s only one thing I
can say to someone like that.”

I’m sure you’ll do well in the future - Maru said with a smile.

He then grabbed his bag and stood up. He tucked his chair in and slowly turned
around. Yuna watched him turn around in a daze. Was this what she wanted? Did she
need someone to console her to make her feel better?

‘What I wanted… ’

Yuna abruptly stood up and grabbed Maru’s sleeve. She felt like she would regret this
moment forever if she sent him off right now.

“Mark Twain once said: ‘It isn’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s
what you know for sure that just isn’t so.’ Sometimes, you should doubt things that
you’ve never doubted before. You’ll get unexpected answers from unexpected
places.”

The moment she heard those words, Yuna felt like the lump of indescribable
emotions inside her dissolved away. What she had blind faith in, what she never
thought was wrong, what she thought that there was no way could be true.

She thought about herself acting. That self was smiling and enjoying herself. She felt
like she was able to overcome any kinds of trials and pains as long as she hopped
into the pond known as acting.

That was why to her, acting was a sanctuary. It was a perfect place that could not be
tainted or become imperfect. She put a barrier around it so that sadness and pain
couldn’t enter the realm of acting. Acting was always something enjoyable and happy
- that was her faith when she did acting.

But what if acting was painful?

That couldn’t be. Acting had to remain an eternal oasis. The source of the pain lay in
something else, not acting. The instructor’s words, her lack of skill in emotional
expression, the pressure that she had to become a professional. Those were the
problems while acting itself was something pure and clean without any malice. No, it
was ‘supposed to be’.

“…I’m fed up with acting.”

The moment she said those words, Yuna could no longer control her emotions. Her
head felt chaotic. She felt like the only way she could quell the chaos in her heart was
by letting the boiling emotions inside her out. When she came to herself, she found
herself crying. The tears she had such a hard time seeing when she tried to cry while
acting, flowed out uncontrollably right now. She wanted to cry out loud as well. She
didn’t want to cry ‘prettily’. She wanted to bawl her eyes out, with her snot dripping
everywhere and drool flying everywhere while crying in a disgusting fashion.
However, there were too many people around her for that. Even amidst the world-
turning shock, her pride still raised its head up high.

Yuna needed somewhere to lean on, and Maru happened to be right in front of her.
She took a step forward and reached out to Maru, who was making a difficult
expression right now. She thought that it couldn’t be helped even if she wasn’t
accepted, but she couldn’t stop there. Her body was just that uncontrollable right
now.

“How young.”

A warm hand gently patted her back. Yuna buried her face into the chest right in
front of her until she felt suffocated, and cried while clenching her teeth. She felt like
she would be embarrassed to death after this, but she couldn’t help herself right
now.

“Just cry without minding about others. You just have to come here wearing a mask
next time, isn’t that right?”
“Even if I wear a mask… people will… recognize…”

“Forget it. Let’s not go there. Are you done crying?”

“No…”

Yuna grabbed Maru’s sleeves again and cried until she felt her throat go numb. She
saw Bitna looking at her worriedly amidst her hazy vision. In her hand was a piece of
tissue.

“Mom said that you’ll become sick if you can’t cry when you want.”

Yuna sniffed and nodded.

“Why don’t you be the big sister starting tomorrow, Bitna?” Maru asked.
“Go back to the past?” She asked as she put some salmon salad in her bowl.

“Yes, what do you think you’ll feel if you go back to the past?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

She couldn’t reply immediately. There were a few times in life when she wanted to go
back to the day before. She had wished to go back one day after tests or when her
acting performance was terrible or when she made a mistake. However, she had
never thought about going back even further in the past so she couldn’t answer
easily.

“Unni. Being young is the best. They don’t think about such things.”

“Hanmi, you’re plenty young too. So you should get mar…”

“Haesoo-unni! You always talk about marriage this, marriage that. I get it, you have a
pretty daughter, okay?”

“I’m sure that there must be a lot of men who like you, so I wonder why you say
something like that. Get married. You’ll start nagging an old woman like me less with
your life stories.”

“We have only met a few times after several years, but you’re fed up with me
already?”

“Hanmi, three times a week is more than enough. What you need is a man who will
listen to your stories.”

“What are you talking about in front of a kid?”

“My daughter is doing fine. She knows what she needs to know. Since we’re at it,
shall we ask how far she went with Maru?”

She immediately picked up her cup and started drinking. She drank as slowly as
possible and looked alternately at her mother and writer Lee Hanmi, who both
stared at her. She should have secretly put back the soju bottle when she saw it at the
supermarket. She didn’t know that she’d be handling two drunk adults.

“Unni, stop teasing her. She’s going to get mad.”

“My daughter is not that petty. You don’t know because you are not mar…”

“Ah! Just drink! Stop talking about getting married and just drink. Here, here. Unni,
pick up a glass. Would you like to drink as well?”

“I’m okay.”

She shook her head with a smile. The two women snapped their heads back with
their drinks before putting down their beer glasses.

“Oh, right. We should keep talking about that.”

“About what?”

“I mean the past. What would you do if you return to the past, unni?”

“We’re still talking about that?”

“Give me some ideas.”

“Is this for your next work?”

“No, I just wanted to write down a few ideas. I went to the cinema a while ago, and
there was a movie about a military soldier who went back to the Japanese invasion
of Korea in 1592[1]. Watching it made me wonder what kinds of things would happen
if I went back to the past. I’ve never written anything in the sci-fi genre, so it looks
fun as well. No, wait, is time travel a fantasy? Anyway, since we’re both writers, I
wanted to hear your stories. Don’t think about it deeply and just tell me whatever’s
on your mind.”

“How are you going to take care of my intellectual property if it gets adapted to a
video format? What are you going to give me for my source?”

“Fine, fine. If I sell this, I’ll buy you a fur coat.”

“I don’t want things like that, just give my daughter an entrance gift.”

“Unni, there’s still a lot of time left this year. College is still far away for her.”

“Time flies, you know? April is ending and then it’ll be May soon. After the flower
season, it’ll get hot, and then chilly and once it snows, that’ll be the end of the year.
So that’s why you should get married before it’s too la…”

“Why does it always end with my marriage? That’s a serious condition, you know?”

Hanmi clapped once.

“Well then, you start, unni. What are you going to do if you end up in the past? You
can think about it starting now, you’re up next.”

A finger with a purple manicure pointed at her face. She nodded. Hanmi wasn’t
someone who would accept an improper answer, so she decided to think about it.
When her mother, who was staring at the clock on the wall, was about to speak,
Hanmi half-stood up, saying that they needed more beer.

“I’d have him take a medical test,” her mother said.

She understood what her mother meant immediately. Her mother omitted a lot of
words, but her expression said everything that she didn’t say out loud.

Hanmi, who was about to stand up, sat back down again.

“Is this about your husband?”

“You’re knowledgeable.”

“I had a hunch. It was heart disease, right?”

“He was healthy. He told me that he was just a little tired, but then he went just like
that. If I can go back to the past, I’ll put everything aside and drag him to the hospital
first.”

Her mother picked up a bottle of water instead of the beer glass. She gulped down
water in large amounts and looked like she was suppressing something with cold
water.
“Hanmi, what about you? What do you want to do?”

“I want to go traveling with my mother. And be a filial daughter. You know, things like
that.”

“That’s not that much different from mine. This is no fun.”

“Perhaps that indicates that what everyone desperately wishes for is similar? Being
able to stay longer with loved ones. It’s quite cliche, but that’s human nature after all.
When my mother closed her eyes, I regretted so much. I never showed up in front of
her because I wanted to write, and then when I heard that she had terminal stage
cancer, I just lost it. It was so absurd. Why did it have to be my mom of all people?
Just when I thought that I could repay her, she left this bad daughter here as though
she was in a hurry.”

“Both you and I need to visit the hospital, huh. Going back to the past doesn’t sound
that fun.”

“At least we get an opportunity that way; an opportunity to live our lives once again.”

After saying those words, Hanmi looked at her.

“Have you thought about it?”

“I want to see dad as well. I want to hold his hands and go to Daehak-ro together, and
if possible, I want to show him my acting. Dad will love it if I can show him how
much I can do. I want to show him that his daughter became so big.”

“Then you should go back with your current body, huh. But that causes a time
paradox. If you go back to the past, only your mind should go back to your younger
self. If there are two of you in one era, it will cause an endless amount of trouble,”
Hanmi said with a smile.

She could tell that Hanmi had intentionally switched the topic. Talking about people
that weren't here anymore and falling into sadness didn’t suit an occasion like this
after all.

“So only my mind flies into the past and enters my younger body? That sounds good,
becoming young again. I thought I was going back to the past with my body.”
Her mother joined the conversation as well. The atmosphere became brighter in an
instant.

“Unni, would you meet another man if you’re younger?”

“No. I wouldn’t be able to meet my daughter if I did that.”

“Geez, you’re too silly.”

“You’ll understand once you give birth to a child like me.”

“I already had indirect experience through writing. How many moms do you think
I’ve written about that are obsessed with their children? You wouldn’t know how
many emotional babies I’ve given birth to.”

“Fine, you’re popular, okay? What would a third-rate romance author like me tell a
big-shot writer?”

“Now you see the difference?”

“I think you need some slapping.”

Seeing the two giggling, she was reminded of something she wanted to think about.

“Ahjumma, what if you have to throw away your memories in order to go back to the
past?”

“Throw away my memories?”

“Yes. If some god or alien tells you that you can’t bring your memories back to the
past with you, are you still going to go?”

“Now that, I’m going to have to think about it. If I can go back to the past with my
intact memories, I think I can go without hesitation, but if I can’t then there’s no
merit, is there? If I have the same ego in the same era, I’ll probably end up living a
similar life. Is there a reason to go back to the past then?”

Just then, her mother interrupted.

“There’s no charm in that story. Why is the main character a main character? It’s
because he or she has something that other people look up to. Let’s just assume that
the character goes back with all of their memories.”

“Unni, the trend in dramas these days isn’t like that. Where’s the fun in a character
who knows everything? They need to go through a trial. Just like your romance
novels, there needs to be a love rival to be more interesting.”

The conversation started burning brightly again. She felt like she had stepped on a
landmine, but the two women were already deeply immersed in talking about the
topic. She could only listen to them. Ah, one more thing. She had to be ready for
Hanmi’s sudden questions.

“What if you slowly lose your memories? At first, you passionately fall in love with
your loved one, but the memories become faint, and then time-transcending love
turns into just an ordinary love for a youth in that era,” Hanmi said.

She listened with interest as she ate some salmon salad.

“But there’s no problem with that right? They love each other already.”

“That’s why we should change it up a little. You’re going to meet your husband even
if you go back to the past, right?”

“Am I supposed to give you a serious answer?”

“Of course.”

“Like I said before, I am going to meet him again. And I’ll meet my daughter again
too. As long as I have my memories and affections of this life, I don’t think I’ll be able
to easily meet someone else.”

“That’s precisely it. That’s what a time-transcending love is. The person you
unwillingly departed with in the future is still alive and well in the past. If you really
liked that person, you would grab him thinking that this is a once in a lifetime
opportunity.”

“Right.”

“Even if that person in the past does not like me, I’ll still like him, right? Because I’ve
been in love with that man in the ‘future’.”
“My husband will probably confess to me on our first meeting, you know? He
couldn’t live without me after all.”

“Fine, stop boasting, sheesh. Anyway, it’s all good until you go back and meet the
person you love and live a happy life. That’s when the trial starts. You slowly start
losing memories. The personality, impressions, and preferences you knew about that
person slowly disappear.”

“I think I’ll still love him though? Memory is just information after all. I believe that a
person possesses something that is superior to memories formed by the brain’s
electrical and chemical signals.”

“Like a soul you mean?”

“Maybe it’s something like that, or maybe it’s called a heart.”

“Unni, you know what amnesia is, right?”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but I still believe that there’s something that
transcends information. Otherwise, it’s just too cruel, you know? I’m sure that love is
something special that does not rely on memories.”

“Do you really think so? In our heads, there’s something called the frontal lobe, and
damage to that part causes a lot of disabilities, one of the significant ones being the
loss of emotions. That’s why that might cause someone to become antisocial, and
such a person doesn’t have something called altruism. They would justify themselves
with anything they do without realizing what they’ve done wrong even if they make
a mistake. That’s just a result of a part of the brain not functioning properly. And
here, we’re talking about losing memories as a whole, which make up the foundation
of a human. In some sense, that’s the same as becoming dull to emotions. You know
that even the most passionate love is bound to cool down, right? If your warm
moments get erased, don’t you think you’ll fall in love with a new person just like
everyone else?”

“So you want to say that memories are everything?”

“Reasonably speaking, one’s personality is the amalgamation of experience, right?

And experience becomes systemized into a mechanism that reacts to external
stimulation. Doesn’t that mean that everything is caused by memories?”
“Despite that, we can’t even be sure of the existence of god, right? As long as
agnosticism exists, the theory that the mind comes before memories will always
exist as well.”

“That’s too unscientific.”

“Is going back to the past scientific? Einstein would love to have a word with you.”

“But this is an agreement.”

“I’ve never agreed to it.”

“I can’t get anything through to you, can I?”

“Hah, that’s funny.”

She looked at the two women who glared at each other and sighed. She thought
about the topic while she did so. Memories versus the soul. Which was on a deeper
level?

‘I wished it was the soul.’

If the disappearance of memories meant the disappearance of emotions, that would

be too sad.

“Forget it, just drink!”

“Right, let’s drink!”

It seemed that the two adults reached the conclusion that they should get drunk. She
shook her head. These two adults were really hopeless.

‘Rather than that, I wonder if he went back home properly after meeting her.’

She looked at the clock on the wall. It was 7:40 p.m. She felt that it was still quite
early. She wondered if she should text him or something, when,

“Unni, you should’ve been careful.”

Her mother spilled some water. She put her phone down and went to the kitchen.
She wanted to die - Yuna raised her head before sighing. Maru was wiping his clothes
with some tissue. The tears from heroines crying in movies looked pretty like flower
petals, but hers were far from it and in fact, were rather ugly instead. The moment
she saw that other forms of secretions(?) were on Maru’s clothes, Yuna wanted to
run into the window of the book cafe.

‘But that’s still okay.’

There was an even bigger problem. Yuna barely managed to turn around and looked
at some girls in the corner of the cafe. They were students that entered while she
was crying, and unfortunately for her, they were her classmates. The classmate that
sat next to her and told her about this place was also among them. They walked past
while she was busy crying, so they should have seen everything. Her head turned
blank when she realized that her friends had seen her crying in Maru-seonbae’s
arms.

“Are you feeling okay now?”

“Ah, yes.”

Yuna looked at Maru before taking a slight glance at her friends sitting behind her.
They were chuckling and whispering among themselves. She felt even more gloomy
because she was close to them.

‘I don’t want to go to school anymore.’

She vowed to never cry again. When she cried, she felt like she was liberated from
something incomprehensible, but the embarrassment that came afterwards made
her feel heavy as though there was a lump of lead inside her.

“Sorry, seonbae. I really wasn’t planning to do that.”

“Sometimes in life, you just can’t hold yourself back. I understand what it’s like.”

“I’ll wash your clothes and give them ba…”

“This is the only thing I’m wearing though?”

“Like I said, I’ll get them washed an… no. Oh, it’s nothing!”

She was so flustered that she did not realize what she was even saying. He would be
half-naked if he took off his t-shirt. Yuna violently shook her head.

“If you’re calm now, let’s go home. While I don’t really mind that much, you look like
your face is going to burst at any moment. Bitna, wait for just a bit longer, you’re
going to go home soon.”

Maru reached out and patted Bitna’s head and stroked her hair. She didn’t realize
since she was so flustered, but Bitna was dozing off. The sleepiness she had been
holding back since coming to the cafe seemed uncontrollable now.

As she stroked Bitna’s cheeks and told her to sleep, she heard a noise from her bag.
She took out her phone, which was vibrating, and received a call from her mother.

“Mom.”

-Bitna’s next to you, right?

“Yes, she is.”

-I suddenly got some work, and I think I’ll need to bring Bitna to Seoul for a bit.
Where are you right now? I’ll be there immediately.

“We are at the book cafe near the school.”

Her mother seemed to know about this place as well and hung up after saying okay.

“I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but is your mother coming to pick up Bitna?”

“Yes. She should probably be here in less than 15 minutes.”

“That’s good. I’ll get going first.”

“You’re going?”

“If you want, I can stay and say hello, but are you okay with that?”
Maru smiled and scanned her from top to bottom. Yuna came to herself and told him
to go first.

“You should wash your face a little. Also, your makeup is a bit smudged. Though, it
doesn’t look terrible.”

“…Okay.”

Only then did she remember that she wore faint makeup around her eyes. She
carefully looked at Maru’s shirt. There was a faint trace of black around the part that
was wet with her tears.

“Sorry.”

“You should get yourself together if you have the time to apologize. Also, don’t make
your mother worried.”

“Okay.”

“How do you feel now? A bit refreshed?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“I’m sure that’s the case. If you keep leaving behind that vagueness in your heart
though, you’ll definitely end up regretting it sooner or later. It’s a painful thing to dig
deeper into your worries, but I feel like this is the right time for that. Think carefully
about what made you say that you are fed up with acting, and once you come to a
conclusion yourself, you should be able to improve your acting a lot. I believe that
you will.”

Maru patted her shoulder. Yuna sighed silently. They were words of encouragement,
but she couldn’t smile when she saw the stains on his t-shirt. She wanted to find a
hole to hide in when she thought that she caused a massive inconvenience to a boy
she had never met before.

“I’m leaving then. Thanks for telling me about this good place.”

Maru faintly smiled and left the cafe.

Yuna stood still and watched him as he left. The door swung past the entrance and
the bell that was hung on the door rang. At that moment, Yuna subconsciously
started walking. She pushed against the door that was still swaying. A loud bell noise
pierced her ears. She grabbed the banisters on the stairs and looked down. She saw
Maru walking downstairs while checking his watch.

“S-seonbae-nim!”

Maru wordlessly looked at her. Yuna shouted at him.

“Next time, contact me next time!”

As she was driven by emotions, she blurted out her thoughts without thinking.

“I mean! Can I contact you next time? As an apology, I’ll…”

“As long as you don’t cry, I’m okay with it.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Take good care of Bitna and I hope you can get your emotions together.”

Maru waved at her from the bottom of the staircase. Yuna waved back. Maru then
disappeared from her sight along with the low sound of his footsteps. Her hands
holding the banisters lost energy. At the same time, she lost power in her legs as
well. She sat down on the spot and blankly stared at the wall. The events that
happened during the past dozen seconds flashed past her mind.

“C-c-contact him ne-next time!?”

Yuna banged her head against the wall. She wanted to fly to somewhere unknown
right now. Why did she do that? What she should’ve said was goodbye, but why did
she say that she wanted to meet him again? It had to be that her embarrassment had
caused her brain to malfunction. See Maru-seonbae a second time? That was just
crazy.

She barely got a hold of herself and stood up. When she went back into the cafe, she
could feel other people looking at her. Well, it wasn’t surprising since she cried the
heck out.

Bitna had fallen asleep at the table. She wanted to wake Bitna up and leave, but she
couldn’t after seeing that her sister was sleeping so soundly. Truth be told, it was
Bitna who had it the hardest today. After all, she created this opportunity for her big
sister and stayed with them until she tired herself out to sleep.

“Unni will buy you something nice later.”

This girl was totally an angel. As she was looking at Bitna,

“Ohmigosh, what was that? Yuna, what was that just now?”

“Boyfriend? That was your boyfriend right? Why did you cry? Did that fucker two-
time you? Is that what it is?”

“If he two-timed you, you should kill him!”

She had forgotten. Her friends all came up to her and demanded an explanation with
all sorts of expressions on their faces. The friend that sat next to her in class even
grabbed her hands worriedly.

“It’s not like that. He’s not my boyfriend either.”

“Really? I’d be sad if you’re lying to us.”

“I’m not. I saw him for the first time today. He’s a seonbae I really appreciate.”

“You appreciate him even though it’s your first time seeing him? Then why did you
cry?”

“That’s… a bit complicated.”

“What was it? What was it?”

Her friends changed their expressions. They asked her questions with bright smiles
on their faces. Just then, Bitna moved a little. Yuna pressed her index finger against
her lips and switched places.

“Tell us quickly. So first, who is he?”

“…A seonbae I got to know.”

“Oh, my. Look at you, girlie. A seonbae you got to know? That sounds suspicious.”

“I said it’s not like that.”

“Then why did you cry? We were really surprised, you know? I thought he did
something wrong to you. I almost went up to him and was about to ask what he was
doing to you. When I had a closer look though, he was consoling you. You two looked
like lovers.”

“What lovers! I’m not in that kind of a relationship with him. He just listened to my
story.”

“What story?”

“…About acting.”

“Does he belong to our school’s acting club? Why is he not wearing a uniform?”

“He goes to a different school.”

“Really? That sounds suspicious.”

“There’s nothing to be suspicious about.”

She didn’t realize that explaining would be this hard and felt her energy draining
away from her. However, these girls were sure to start rumors if she didn’t explain
properly now, and that might affect Maru in a bad way, so she had to set things
straight now.

Yuna took a deep breath and explained to them what happened. They were good
girls, so they wouldn’t start rumors as long as she told them honestly what happened
and asked them not to.

“So while you were talking, you suddenly had the urge to cry and jumped into his
arms?”

“…Yeah.”

“So you like him then.”

“It’s not like that. I feel really sorry for him right now, and I would be really
embarrassed to see him again.”

Just thinking about Maru’s face made her face turn hot. It wasn’t because she liked
him, but because she felt apologetic and embarrassed. After looking at Yuna’s face,
her friends eventually nodded and said,

“Well, I guess even I would be creeped out if a girl I’ve never seen before suddenly
cries the heck out in front of me.”

“Yuna has a pretty face so he shouldn’t be totally creeped out.”

“But hey, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

“You too? I thought the same. I feel like I’ve seen him.”

“He looked pretty decent.”

“I don’t like his sharp eyes. He looks scary.”

They started evaluating him for some reason. Yuna waved her hand and stood up.

“Anyway, he’s a good person, and is not anyone strange, so don’t let your
imaginations run wild.”

“Alright, girlie. And here I was thinking that you ran into trouble while dating in
secret.”

“It really isn’t like that…”

“You know that you’re kinda suspicious for denying it so strongly, right? Maybe
you’ve taken a liking to him? I mean, isn’t it plausible? Someone you’ve never seen
before gave you consultation and even lent you his shoulder. I think he has good
manners.”

Her friends grinned in an evil fashion.

“Do you really not feel anything towards him?”

“I don’t. It’s the first time I saw him today, so there’s no way such a thing would
happen. I just… found him amazing.”

“You said he’s someone doing acting, right?”

Yuna slightly turned around and said yes. Even though she found it unfortunate that
no one recognized Maru until they came to the cafe, she kinda wished no one would
recognize him right now, for some reason.

‘He’s a celebrity after all.’

Just as she made an answer for herself and accepted it,

“Yuna.”

She turned her head around when she heard the voice from the entrance. Her
mother was waving at her with a smile. She felt better now. Since her mother was
here, her friends wouldn’t be able to nag her anymore.

Her friends ran up to her and greeted her. Her mother returned their greetings
before looking for Bitna.

“She’s asleep right now. I’ll go get her.”

She carefully picked up Bitna, who was sleeping at the table and passed her to her
mother.

“Are you going to be late?”

“Probably. Mom will give you some money so you should go eat out with your
friends.”

“Okay.”

“But Yuna.”

“Yes?”

“Did you cry?”

She forgot to wash her face. As she was at a loss what to say, her friends came in.
“We asked her to show us some tear jerking action. Yuna’s really good at acting, so
she ended up crying.”

The girl that sat next to her in class stepped up.

“You should redo your makeup around your eyes. It’s smudged. Yuna, your mother
has to get going, so have fun with your friends.”

“Okay mom. Have a safe trip.”

“Okay.”

Yuna sighed and turned around.

“I saved you this time.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Yuna smiled and looked at her friend, who managed to get her through this situation.

“But do you really not have any interest in him at all?”

She retracted her thanks.

Yuna pouted.
“Have a good day.”

Maru smiled bitterly as he left. He visited a local electronics store after parting with
Yuna just in case, but unfortunately, all he heard was that they weren’t selling VCRs.
The once must-have item for marriage had disappeared into the annals of history
ever since it abdicated its throne to the CD player. As electronics stores usually
handled the latest devices, it would indeed be quite strange for them to have
something that was past its popularity.

It seemed that the answer was to go to Yongsan after all. While Maru was thinking
about the maze-like dungeon of Yongsan, he got a call.

-How was the meeting?

It was her.

“If you ask that all of a sudden, then I guess I can only say that it went pretty well.”

-You did treat her nicely right? Yuna, that girl, might seem spirited at a first glance,
but she’s quite feeble at heart.

Feeble, huh. Definitely. Maru replied as he rubbed the makeup stain on his chest.

“I did treat her nicely, so don’t worry about that.”

-Somehow, that makes me even more worried.

“Why can’t you trust me? Rather than that, how’s dinner going?”

-Don’t even start. Those two are hugging each other and laughing. Alcohol clearly got
the better of them.

“Looks like you must be having a hard time then. Don’t worry, I won’t make you
worried over something like alcohol.”
-We’ll see about that.

“Oh? So you’re saying that you’re going to continue watching me in the future? Why
don’t we set an engagement date right now?”

-Hell no.

Low laughter tickled his ears. He felt like it was yesterday when she became all
embarrassed and snapped back at him due to it, so he felt really pleased when he
heard the smooth reaction.

“You know, you should really listen to what Yuna has to say. I feel like she’s at a loss
on what to do, and it’s a lot easier to have someone to talk to at times like that.”

-Did something happen?

“Ask her yourself. If she doesn’t answer, then don’t pry her. Actually, she should’ve
looked for you instead of me. She made the wrong choice.”

-She said she had something to ask you as an actor. So you… are better than me.

The voice from the phone became smaller as though it was coming from afar. Maru
stopped walking and spoke.

“You don’t sound energetic.”

-It’s not like that.

“It clearly is. What’s wrong?”

-There’s nothing like that.

“I just opened up a consultation business that is free of charge, and I’m worried
because I’m not getting any customers. I wonder if there’s one nearby?”

-When did you open a consultation business?

“Just now. Don’t make me start imagining what’s happening and just tell me. If it’s
really not anything much, tell me anyway.”
She didn’t answer for quite a while. Maru went into the nearby convenience store
and bought a packet of soy milk. He sat under the parasol[1] and waited for her to
speak. After a while, her voice could be heard again.

-These days, I sometimes think that maybe I don’t have any talent as an actress.

“Did someone tell you that you were bad? If it’s the producer of the sitcom you did
last time, then…”

-It’s you.

He momentarily couldn’t understand what she was saying. He even wondered if ‘It’s
you’ had any other meaning.

“Me? Did I ever say something like that to you?”

-You didn’t. You wouldn’t dare.

“Can I ask what you mean then?”

-I don’t want to say since I might sound like I’m complaining.

“One way of using a man is to complain to them. Moreover, it’s 8:40, the perfect time
to listen to complaints.”

-Do you always prepare commentary like that?

“You didn’t know? I have multiple scripts when I’m talking to you. Just consider how
far this man goes to entertain you… and just tell me about it; what I did to you. You
know that I’m kinda stupid and won’t understand if you don’t say it properly, right?
Consider it as talking to a bear and tell me in detail.”

-What are you going to do if I say that we should just forget about this?

“I’ll just let you be. I don’t plan on forcing you to tell me something you don’t want.”

-You know what?

“What?”
-If you say something like that, it makes it even harder for me to hide things from
you.

“I know that. That’s why I said it.”

-How sneaky.

“Why don’t you call me a splendid businessman instead?”

-Fine. You’re the type of guy who would pick up a rock in the middle of nowhere and
then sell it to a complete stranger saying that it’s a gem with special powers. At an
expensive price too.

Maru smiled and perked up his ears. He could hear her coughing to calm down her
voice.

-When I just watched you, I didn’t feel it that much. You’re rather good at acting -
that’s the only impression I had of you after all. It was the same when we were a part
of the amateur acting class in first year. No, honestly back then, I thought I was better
than you.

“In acting?”

-Yeah.

Maru nodded as he looked at a couple that entered the convenience store.

“And?”

-It came to me when I shot the film with you. We only did it three times, but it is clear
that there’s a big gap between us.

“So you feel hasty now?”

-A little? I told you, didn’t I? I want to go to Joonga[2] university.

“Yeah. Thanks to that, I also decided to go there.”

-I’m not sure if I can pass the practical exams. It’s not like I don’t have the confidence,
but when I watch your acting, I honestly feel really uneasy. How far can I go with my
current skills? Jiseok seems a lot better than me too. So… I just don’t know.

“You’re doing plenty well.”

-Thanks.

“I can tell that you’re down just from your voice. You know? There’s one thing I can
say for sure. You aren’t lacking. You are definitely improving. How would I know
that? Just like you have been watching me, I’ve been watching you. I understand that
you’re hasty. When you look back, the path you’ve walked on until now seems really
short, while the path that other people have taken looks really long. Everyone has
experienced something like that. You entered puberty just like everyone else once
did. Congratulations. All that’s left for you is to be true to your desires and push
forward.”

-This is why I didn’t want to tell you about it. It puts me at ease. It’s like I was stupid
for being worried in the first place.

“That’s why I’m here. So use me anytime you want.”

-No. I’m going to do things my way.

“Being stubborn as always, huh.”

-Today though, it doesn’t make me refreshed from the bottom of my heart. This is all
because of you. Why did you make me jealous?

She spoke as though she had shaken her worries off somewhat. However, the
moment he heard her words, he realized that her worries weren’t something so
simple that they could be resolved with a simple talk. There was a thick shadow
behind her words.

“Should we meet up?”

-Right now?

“Why? You can’t?”

-Sorry. I can’t exactly leave the house right now.

“Then I’ll go there instead.”

-What?

“Oh, and since we’re at it, do you have a VCR at your house?”

-VCR? You mean the thing you use to watch videotapes?

“Yeah.”

-We do. Though, it hasn’t been in use recently.

“That’s one more reason for me to go to your house then. I want to borrow it from
you. Meeting you is only secondary, so don’t stop me.”

-You’re coming right now?

“Don’t worry. I’m really not going there to meet you. I’m just going there for the VCR.
I can take it home with me for about a month, right? Oh wait, I think I should talk to
your mother about this. I’ll buy some hangover drinks then.”

-You’re really coming?

“Yes, I’m really going.”

-Don’t.

“Usually, I would listen to you, no wait, I would listen to you for the rest of my life,
but for today, I think I’m going to have my way. You don’t have to put on makeup just
because I’m going. You look cute without it.”

-You must be crazy, geez.

“So you aren’t telling me not to come?”

-You’re going to come even if I tell you not to, aren’t you?

“Probably?”

-That’s why I didn’t say it.

“It’s too late already. Anyway, since I’m in front of your school right now, I should be
there soon. It’s only a few stops away. Should I buy some strawberries? Your mother
likes them, doesn’t she?”

-I don’t know!

“Okay, then. I’ll take that as a yes and go right now.”

-… Come slowly.

“I told you, you are pretty no matter what you do.”

-My hair is in a mess!

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

She then hung up. Maru looked at her name, which was on his phone screen, for a
while. Forced smile. When she really felt pained, she would smile. Something like this
happened before as well. She acted like usual and smiled as she always did without
saying that she was okay. Compared to back then, it was much easier to find out from
the younger her if he probed her out just a little, but the adult her hid her pains so
deeply that it was hard for him to tell how she was feeling without watching her for a
long time. That was her way of being considerate. She tried to digest her pains
herself without sharing them with others.

‘I got really angry back then too.’

When he found out that she was trying to endure the pain by herself as though it was
her own matter, Maru felt like he was betrayed. Remembering that moment still
ached his heart to this day. The tragedy he felt when ‘your problem’ could not
become ‘our problem’ was beyond imagination.

He entered a supermarket nearby. He picked up a basket and made rounds. He

bought some fruits that his mother-in-law liked, some hangover drinks, and also
some dry snacks just in case. A lot of people had come just before closing hours, so
the line at the counter was pretty long. While he was waiting for the line to become
shorter, the stand next to the counter entered his eyes. The chocolate on it boasted
their aura as though tempting him to buy them. Maru looked at his basket. He was
only thinking about his mother-in-law and had almost forgotten presents for her.
He picked up a bar of chocolate with almonds in it. It was her favorite.

‘She ate a lot after we got married too.’

It was to the point that Maru had to hide the chocolates high up in the cupboard. It
was so cute to see her bring a heavy chair to climb on to try to reach the cupboard
that was close to the ceiling…

“…Climb a chair?”

The moment he realized something strange, he got a call from her. He looked at the
almond chocolates as he put his phone against his ears. What was that just now?

“Yeah, what is it?”

-Are you really coming right now?

“How many times do you have to ask? I’m buying some fruits and dry snacks right
now.”

-Wait, did mom call you already?

“What do you mean?”

-When I said that you were coming, she told me to tell you to buy some snacks. She
also said that she’d pay you.

“She and I click together. Should I start calling her mother-in-law officially now?”

-Don’t say anything strange. Seriously, I mean it.

“Fine. Oh, I’m bringing something for you as well.”

-For me?

“Yeah. You’ll jump in joy if you see it.”

-What did you buy to make you feel so confident?

Of course, he was confident, Maru smiled and spoke,

“Almond chocolate.”

-Almond chocolate?

“It’s your favorite.”

-It is? Since when?

“Why are you doing this to me? I know everything.”

-What?

This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe she didn’t like them when she was
young? It was possible that her tastes changed as she grew up since some people
picked up an urge for desserts as they grew up.

“I tried to guess, but I guess I guessed wrong then. Try it anyway though, you might
end up liking it later.”

She couldn’t live without chocolates. He definitely remembered that. She might
sound oblivious right now, but it was very likely that she was going to be a fan
sooner or later. No, she will become such. Her obsession with chocolate was just that
strong.

-Uhm, I’m really thankful that you’re thinking about me.

She clearly sounded reluctant. No, it was more like she was apologetic.

“What is it?”

-Did you buy them already?

“No. I’m still in the line.”

-That’s good. Actually, I can’t eat almonds. Well, I can eat them, but they give me
slight rashes afterwards. So I avoid them whenever I can.

“…You can’t eat almonds?”

-It’s not like I can’t eat them. I just feel itchy afterwards, so I tend to avoid them. I
probably won’t seek them out of my own accord in my lifetime. I went to the hospital
just in case, and I was told that it was only a mild allergy, so there’s no need for me to
be super careful. Oh, I was told not to eat too much. Hello, Maru? You still there?

Maru blankly stared at his phone. Her voice cut off after echoing around the phone
for a while.

“Uhm, excuse me. Are you going to pay for your items?”

Maru nodded when he heard the voice of the lady at the counter. He took out the
items from his basket and gave her his credit card, all the while thinking about her
words.

‘Allergic?’

No way. Didn’t she like almond chocolates above anyone else? That’s why he
sometimes did evil pranks like hiding them on the top shelf or on top of the fridge.
When he did, she would get flustered and cry…

“Cry?”

“Would you like your receipt?”

The moment he heard the voice again, a sharp pain pierced his head. He clutched his
head as he accepted his credit card and the receipt from the lady.

“Uhm, excuse me. Are you okay?”

“What?”

“You don’t look good right now.”

“Oh, I was just feeling a bit dizzy. Thanks for being worried about me.”

He put the card inside his wallet and picked up the plastic bag. Just as he was about
to turn around, the lady stopped him again.

“Sir, you should take this with you.”

It was almond chocolate. Maru thanked her as he accepted it.

“…Why did I buy this again?”

It wasn’t like anyone liked it. Maru stared at the packaging for a while before putting
it in the plastic bag.

“Rather than that, allergic, huh. I guess there are things even I don’t know about.”

Finding out more about her was always fun. Maru smiled and started walking.

Some convenience stores have places outside them where people can sit and eat
[1]

what they’ve bought.

Was formerly translated to Chung-ang university, which is a real university in

[2]

Korea. This has been changed to Joonga university.

“Sheesh, I really can’t stop you, can I?” She asked as she looked at Maru standing in
front of the door.

This man, who was smiling as he lifted the plastic bag he was holding slightly, was
way too whimsical. The problem was that she didn’t dislike that daring part of him.
Thanks to him, she had to use a hair straightener to straighten out her messy hair
and even get clothed properly. She sighed, thinking that she was doing so much at 9
p.m. in the evening, but she also found herself slightly despicable for smiling as she
looked at herself in the mirror.

“I haven’t seen that t-shirt before.”

“I bought it a while ago. Come on in. It’s a bit like a war zone though.”

She took the plastic bag from Maru and turned around. Maru came in and whistled
when he looked at the scenery in the living room.

“Looks like they got drunk pretty bad.”

“Not really.”

“Where are the two who caused this mess?”

She put the plastic bag on the table and slightly opened the door to the bedroom. She
saw her mother and Hanmi lying on the bed. They were sleeping while still hugging
each other. She closed the door quietly so that it didn’t make any noise before
turning around to Maru again.

“They’re asleep.”

“Really? Then tell them I was here when they wake up.”

She nodded before taking out the things that Maru bought. Dry snacks, some fruits,
and hangover drinks. She put away the drinks and the snacks and then put the fruits
on a tray before taking them to the living room.
“Eat some before you go.”

“Give me the knife. I’ll peel it.”

“I’m going to do it. If you’re so bored, you can clean this place up a little.”

“Is this how you treat your guests?”

“I did tell you not to come, you know?”

“Fine, it’s my fault for barging in.”

While Maru cleaned the living room, she peeled the fruits and put them on a dish. As
she was peeling an apple, she suddenly found this situation pretty funny. This guy
came to her house late at night and was cleaning, while she herself was peeling some
fruits for him. There were also two people sleeping in the bedroom. It all felt like
some weird messed up orchestra.

“Want some?” Maru asked as he picked up a can of beer after finishing cleaning.

She shook her head when Hanmi offered her a drink, but she was quite tempted
when Maru was the one offering her a drink instead.

“Isn’t this situation quite funny?”

“It’s good if it’s funny. It’s better than being sad. You’re going to drink, right?”

“Just one glass.”

“Where did you put the dried squid I brought?”

“Drink with some fruits. Or with this.”

She pushed the almond chocolates to him. She thought that he wouldn’t buy them
since he said that he hadn’t paid for them yet when she called him, but they were in
the bag regardless.

“These are nuts, too, I guess.”

Tss, along with a refreshing sound, the can of beer opened. Maru, who tilted the glass
about halfway down to pour the beer, smiled in satisfaction when he saw the beer
filling up the glass with a suitable amount of foam.

“It always makes me feel good when the ratio is just right.”

“You look experienced.”

“Don’t take me for an alcoholic. I’m not even close to being one.”

“Lies.”

She got the chilly glass. Perhaps due to the warm house, moisture formed droplets
outside the beer glass. She drank the beer with the foam. The first taste was a bit
bitter, and the aftertaste was bitter as well. She really didn’t understand why people
drank alcohol.

“Serious talk is always the way to go when drinking.”

Maru held up his glass. She grinned and clanged the glass against his. Along with a
clanging sound, the droplets on the outer surface of the glass fell off.

“Today, I’m a persistent man. Thus, I’m going to act quite stubborn.”

“I thought you were here for the VCR.”

“Promises are meant to be broken.”

“Wow, what a bad guy.”

She looked downwards. Maru was probably waiting for a continuation of the
conversation they had on the phone. She felt complex right now. Half of her wanted
to spit everything out, while the other half wanted to hold everything in. She found
out from Maru that relying on someone wasn’t something wrong. People relied on
others when they were in a difficult situation. She also realized the joy of relying on
others thanks to Maru.

“I got an offer,” she said as she looked at the beer glass.

“An offer?”
“I mean an agency.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“But I don’t know, I mean, whether this is a good thing or not.”

She fiddled with a slice of apple with her fork.

“Looks like it’s related to the acting problem you said before,” Maru said.

She didn’t say anything. She needed some time to think. She turned on the TV with a
remote. Currently, a drama was airing. She fixed her eyes on the female lead acting
inside the box TV.

“Hanmi-ahjumma, I mean, the writer told me that she can establish a bridge between
me and an agency. She knows an agency that’s looking for a new actor or an actress
to nurture and said that I would have an easier time if I work with them. The agency
has Han Mijeong, Yoo Jihoon, and Park Jungho, as their main lineup.”

“Sounds like a good place.”

Like what Maru said, the agency was more than suitable for her to choose as her first
agency. The actors there also had solid careers. She felt good since she might get to
be in the same agency as actors and actresses that she looked up to, but then an
unavoidable problem found its way to her.

“Will my acting really be good enough? In the first place, is it even right for me to join
an agency like this?”

“So acting aside, you’re more concerned about using your connections to join an
agency, huh?”

She slowly nodded. She wanted to be evaluated based on her skill. That part of her
was definitely there. However, it was also likely that she would not receive good
gazes from the people around her if she joined an agency through Hanmi. What
troubled her even more was that there might be some people who would lose their
opportunity just because she took their spot through her connections. How terrible
was that? If a trainee who had prepared for an audition for a long time saw her, who
had managed to easily pass with her connections, the shame and apologetic feelings
she would have would be unimaginable.
“Man, I have a really kind girlfriend.”

“This is not about being kind. It’s natural.”

“You’re thinking about other people who might fail to make it because of you, right?”

“Is it on my face?”

“It was easy enough to read.”

“I wish I could do that. I really have too many worries. What you said aside, I’m more
worried if it’s really okay for me to join an agency with my lacking skills.”

She heard that her acting lacked personality. She did well, but there was nothing
more than that. She felt this clearly when she shot the sitcom. Actors who received
the love of the masses possessed a different aura from the ordinary folk. It was hard
to explain in words, but when she looked at such people standing in front of the
camera, it was pretty easy to see that they were people who were standing on a
completely different level.

And that applied to Maru as well. When she went to Woosung High and shot the film
with him, she found out what kind of face Maru made during shoots. He showed
incredible concentration and analyzed the script to extreme depths. He would look
at her with a smile if she tried talking to him, but when they finished talking, he
would give off an aura like a wild beast about to hunt, making him unapproachable.
She had a hunch that Maru would definitely become a respectable actor. At the same
time, she felt afraid. Would she ever be able to stand next to him as someone doing
the same job?

Acting was the link that connected her to her father. The only memories of her
childhood, Daehak-ro, had now become a stage where she had to make her dreams
come true. I will become an actress - this resolution she had never wavered even
once. However, the drama scene that she had experienced for herself was nothing
like the small stage at her acting club, and her acting did not work there. She felt like
she was just one of many people who finished their lives in the entertainment
industry after showing their face once on TV.

“It will be great if everyone can become happy, but that’s an impossibility.”

Maru emptied the beer in one go.

“Also, there’s nothing more stupid than being worried about something that didn’t
happen yet. Though, I find that part of you lovely as well.”

“But it’s a bad thing to use connections to join an agency, isn’t it?”

“Most of the time, yes. People usually don’t see them in a good light since most of
them don’t have any skill and just ruin everything.”

“I really feel like I should take a proper audition.”

“Well, I think that you should accept that offer instead.”

“Even if I take an easy way in, I will get left behind in the end. That will be even more
tragic.”

“You don’t have any confidence in your skill?”

“For now, I don’t. I’m sure you’re different though.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you’re good.”

“You see me in a good way.”

“I’m not seeing you in a good way. It’s just the truth.”

“Your acting is not lacking either.”

“Don’t lie.”

“Why are my words lies when yours aren’t?”

“Because you are not me. You don’t know everything about me.”

“So you can’t trust my judgement?”

“N-no, it’s not like that.”

“Then what are you so afraid of? You really were someone with a lot of worries
before, but it wasn’t to the point that you would worry about something that didn’t
even happen, right”

“…Maybe it’s because the opportunity came to me all of a sudden. Moreover, it’s the
opportunity that I’ve always wanted. I want to grab it, but I’m afraid because I might
regret it later. I should improve my skill and challenge it by myself, as I will fail if I
use someone else’s influence to succeed - that kind of thinking will definitely haunt
me later.”

“You really are overly worried, huh.”

“That’s not a bad thing though.”

“It’s not. It definitely reduces the chances of failure. However, it doesn’t make sense
to doubt the opportunity right in front of you and miss it. You must grab this. It might
become the foundation for you to leap as an actress.”

“I don’t think my acting skills are on that level yet.”

“Then don’t believe in yourself.”

“How can I not believe in myself?”

Maru walked towards her on his knees. She stared at Maru’s face, which was right in
front of her nose.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“What?”

“Who do you think has a better eye for actors, you, or writer Lee Hanmi?”

She was momentarily at a loss on what to say. She realized what Maru wanted to say.

“I don’t know what kind of personality writer Lee Hanmi has, however, I believe that
a person of her status won’t just recommend a random person to an agency. After all,
her name value is at stake here. If you really think that she’s introducing you to an
agency purely because you’re the daughter of a close friend of hers, then yes, it’d be
better for you to give this opportunity up. But if it’s not like that, then grab onto it.
Ignoring a shortcut and choosing a path filled with hardships is something only a
monk does.”

“I don’t want to be disappointed. If I challenge something and fail, it would be me

who would be in pain, but if I use connections…”

“Can I tell you something really ordinary? You just need to prove yourself. You should
go in there and show everyone else that you have the skill.”

“I’m worried because I might not be able to.”

“You just have to make it happen like your life depends on it. There’s no one who
pursues failure. If you have time to be worried about failure, then think about how
you can do better instead. Your acting is definitely not lacking. No, you might even be
cocky by thinking that you’re lacking. You showed up in a sitcom that airs during
golden hours. You already have experience going on a TV program that countless
people want to be on. If you are lacking, then you just have to improve yourself.”

His eyes were clear. Maybe this was too fundamental. If it was Maru, he would make
it happen. The problem was with herself - can I really do it?

“I’m not a third-rate writer who uses anyone at random!”

She suddenly heard a loud shout behind her and saw that Maru had a big grin on his
face. She turned around thinking ‘no way’. Hanmi was standing there, glaring at her.

“There you have it.”

She got played really well this time. Maru grinned and stood up.

“You must be writer Lee Hanmi, right? My name is Han Maru.”

“Ah, I see. Han Maru, I know you.”

“I really like the character Lee Chan that you created.”

“Of course you do. Who do you think made him? Rather than that, I’m really glad that
this is the only drama I didn’t have any influence over the casting for the characters.
If I did, I wouldn’t have picked you. I don’t like your eyes.”

“I do get that I look quite cold quite a lot.”

Hanmi burst out into laughter.

“Hey! I’ve taken a liking to you! Unni! Your son-in-law-to-be is here!”

Hanmi staggered her way back into the bedroom again.

She fell into a panic as she watched as all of this happened.

“Phew, is it time to meet mother-in-law now?”

Maru’s shameless face could be seen. She frowned and threw a cushion from the sofa
at him.
“How can friends be so different?”

“It’s because we’re different that we became friends. There’s nothing more boring
than two similar people getting together, you know?”

“I am always surprised because that naïve-looking Daemyung throws sharp

questions at me from time to time, and that seems to be your influence, huh.”

“I think you’re wrong about that. He might look dense at first glance, but his thought
process is thorough. He’s a smart guy.”

She looked at Maru and Hanmi alternately, as they talked to each other. 10 p.m. It
was around the time when the lights on the tall buildings started turning off one by
one, but the fire of conversation that was lit up in this space was burning brightly.
Maru was on his third can of beer, while Hanmi was sipping on her first can.

“Hm? You finished that? You’re drinking more right?”

“If you’re giving me more, I will have to.”

“You’ll be in big trouble if you keep accepting drinks like this, you know?”

“If this much was enough to put me into trouble, I would’ve encountered it already.”

“Are you trying to score points with me? You’re a smooth talker.”

“I’ve been trying to do that since the beginning.”

“I didn’t feel good since it felt like you were trying to use me, but well, I’ll let you be
since it was for her. Though, you still are despicable.”

She quietly looked at Hanmi, who was patting her head. Hanmi smiled pleasantly
when she met eyes with her.

“I told you before, right? I’m not thick-faced enough to introduce a half-assed actor to
an agency. Well, yes, my work has been horrible recently since I’ve hit a block. I will
admit that, however, I’m doing that under my own name. Even if it goes horribly
wrong, it’s me who ruins it, so I can endure that. Lending my own name to someone
else is a different story. I will be much more meticulous when it comes to that.
Recommending you to an agency simply out of pity or friendship or just because
you’re unni’s daughter? Don’t joke with me. I’m not that cheap. Well, I might write
cheap writing, but the author definitely isn’t!”

She still seemed slightly drunk. She poured a cup of cold water and gave it to Hanmi.
Hanmi smiled.

“You’re so gentle. Hey, can you be my daughter? I’ll treat you nicely.”

“My mom will probably say no.”

Hanmi nodded and drank the water. Then, she sighed before semi-lying on the floor.
She got a cushion from the sofa and pushed it beneath Hanmi’s waist.

“How did a picky woman like unni give birth to a pretty daughter like you? It’s such a
mystery.”

After giggling, Hanmi abruptly sat up.

“This isn’t the time for this. Hey, Han Maru. I was about to give a touching speech to
this girl. How dare you take that away from me?”

“I’m sorry. It looks like I was out of my place.”

“Yes, you were out of your place. This old woman was about to tell this girl that I am
recommending her because I trust her, and then give her a touching hug, but you
took that away from me.”

“Should I give you a hug now?”

She interrupted since Maru looked like he was in a pinch. Hanmi spread her arms
wide immediately. She gave Hanmi a light hug.

“Pat my back, will you?”

“Yes, yes.”
“This ahjumma will never get married, right? There’s no man in this world who
would like a mischievous woman like me, right?”

“Of course not. Mom was joking with you. I’m sure you’ll get married to a splendid
man.”

“If I grow old without getting married, you have to play with me, okay?”

“I’ll be your conversation partner.”

“Thanks. I feel much better after your consolation.”

Stepping back, Hanmi looked for some water. This time, Maru gave her a cup.

“But hey, you’re not normal, coming to this place at this hour.”

“There was something I needed to borrow, and I wanted to see her. So, I came here.”

“How daring. That’s right, a man should be like that. Though, I don’t know what ‘like
that’ is since I never got married.”

It seemed that she really felt sullen. Although she acted like she wasn’t interested in
marriage when talking to her mother, maybe she wanted to get married after all? She
looked at Hanmi for a while before turning around to look at Maru. This boy talked
about marriage whenever he had the chance. She knew that he was joking, but
sometimes it did sound like he was serious. Was he really thinking about marrying
her? Despite the fact that they were still too young to talk about marriage, she felt
strange whenever she heard him talk about it. She still dreamed about such a
scenario from time to time even though she treated it as a joke. The house the two
would live in, the scenery outside, their neighbors, and a new member of the family.
They would quarrel with each other from time to time, but then make up and
confirm their love towards each other again. Even though she had never experienced
a married life before, she could imagine one in detail as though she had experienced
it before. There were times when she was surprised at how much detail she could
imagine. She would also feel rather absurd since that made her seem like she was
looking forward to their marriage.

“Since you’re here, let’s hear your opinions as well.”

Hanmi, who jerked her head backwards to flip her hair, took a big gulp of cold water
before speaking.

“Opinion about what?” Maru asked back.

She could predict what Hanmi was about to say next.

“About going to the past.”

Yes, that. She nodded. The discussion between her mother and Hanmi never reached
a conclusion and just ended in a drinking fest, so Hanmi brought this topic up again
when there was a new person to talk to.

She looked at Maru. She felt a bit curious as well as to what kind of an answer Maru
would give.

“You’re still young, so let’s imagine that you grew up a little. You’re going to the past
in that state.”

“Do I have to go?”

“Why, you don’t want to?”

“If I am living a satisfying life, I want to keep that going. Going to the past is definitely
a tempting thing, but tempting opportunities like that are bound to have
consequences.”

“You know your stuff. We were quarreling about that as well. Well, then. How about
this? You have to go back. You have all the memories of when you were an adult.
What are you going to do first when a fifty-year-old you returns to your current
age?”

“Earn money of course. Then I’ll buy stocks for major companies like SC, DK, and YM.
Otherwise, I’ll buy a bunch of new entries that will become big later. I’ll sell them
when they become big and buy a building.”

“These days, kids have a frightening sense of economics. It’s all about money.”

“I heard a saying that goes: You can’t buy happiness with money, but it’s much more
comfortable to cry in a Benz than on a bicycle.”
Maru shrugged. Hanmi seemed to like that answer as she faintly smiled.

“I’m sure it won’t be that easy though.”

“Why?”

“Going back to the past means that some supernatural power has intervened, right?
For example, a transcendental being. Usually in movies, it’s the god who pities the
protagonist and sends them back to the past, right? They tell them to right their life
again. However, god fundamentally pursues equality. They have already given the
protagonist a special right to return to the past, but giving knowledge that might
shake the economy as a whole, albeit by little, is being a bit greedy, I think.”

“Sending you to the past but not allowing you to do things that will make you easy
money? That’s funny. It’s not like people working in the financial world aren’t doing
labor. We’re long past the age where sweating is the only form of labor. In an era
where white-collar jobs earn plenty of money, is taking interest in the stock market
and real estate and studying about them not considered labor? Above all, stock
trading is the ultimate capitalism, isn’t it? Wouldn’t the god be biased for preventing
that?”

“I feel that god can be biased. No, maybe it doesn’t matter that much. After all, it’s
about getting another chance at life. It’s about getting a beginning at a life that was
supposed to end, so I don’t think anyone would be dissatisfied just because they
can’t use some financial tricks. They have the knowledge, so they should use it to do
something else. The important thing is that you’re still breathing after all.”

She agreed with Maru’s words. Money was important, yes. People could not live
apart from economics after all. However, as Maru had just mentioned, living was
more important. Having another chance at fulfilling what they couldn’t do would
make them feel endlessly thankful for just that.

“I like your answer. Good. We reached that point as well. The problem is this. It
involves the person you like, say, this girl, since you like her now anyway.”

Hanmi hung her arm around her. She ended up looking at Maru face-to-face, but she
moved her gaze up to the ceiling, feeling embarrassed for some reason.

“Let’s say that things went well and you got married to her in the future.”
“That’s how it will be.”

Hanmi was at a loss for words momentarily.

“Hm, well, that’s for you two to sort out. Anyway, you were living a happy married
life, but then returned to the past. Are you going to like her again?”

“That’s what I’m doing right now,” Maru replied with a smile.

“Fine, Mr. Han Maru-from-the-future. That’s all fine and good. However, the god we
talked about just now is a petty person and gives you a trial.”

“Like, slowly losing your memories, for example?”

“You’re quick. How did you know that?”

“I’m actually from the future, so I know most of this stuff already.”

“I’m sure you get called out for being crazy. Though, I like such people. Fine, like you
said, you slowly lose your memories. In the future, you might have been deeply in
love and couldn’t live without this girl. Furthermore, now that you returned to the
present, you still have your memories and still love her. But as time passes, your
memories of her, your memories with her, slowly fade away. Now here’s the problem.
Will your love still continue to be? Or will she turn into just one of your
acquaintances like everyone else?”

“Losing my memories will definitely change things. But that won’t include my
feelings of love towards her.”

“How can you be so sure about that?”

“Because memories are like this.”

Maru showed her his hands interlocked with each other.

“I think that an event doesn’t exist independently. I think that events are intertwined
with each other in countless ways. Losing memories does not equate to losing all the
imagery, momentary feelings, and impressions disappearing as well. Maybe, yes,
some memorable events might disappear. Things like going out on a picnic, having a
quarrel, or crying together. The events themselves might disappear, but other
memories linked to those events will still remain behind. Even if it’s a really small
memory that’s trivial at best, as long as they remain inside me, I will continue to like
her.”

Her face felt hot. Maru said words that made her feel embarrassed without batting
an eyelid. If Hanmi wasn’t holding her, she might have punched him on the chest
already.

‘But still, it doesn’t feel bad.’

Even if memories disappear, I will keep loving you as long as there’s still a speck of
memories within me - those intentions entered her heart.

At that moment, Hanmi spoke again.

“But a god is an omnipotent being. That was the assumption after all. Without
omnipotence, a god wouldn’t be a god either.”

“That’s true.”

“If god is omnipotent, it should be possible to snap all the connections between
those memories and take only them out, right? You’ll perfectly return to your past
self. Right now, at this moment, you might like this girl as a girl, however, it is not as
someone you promised your life to. It is now as a change-up to boring school life, and
as a fresh experience. It might change into that. Why? Because if your memories of
the future cleanly disappear, the fact that you loved her at all will disappear with
them.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Do you also believe that there’s a storage media that goes beyond memories like the
soul?”

“Even without such a thing, my feelings will not change.”

“You’re being illogical at this point, huh. That’s no fun.”

“Well, talking about impossibilities is no fun in the first place. Isn’t going back to the
past outdated in the first place?”
“Why? It sounds fun as long as you can get the balance right.”

“Maybe.”

“Come to a conclusion anyway. I’m on the side that your very being will change if all
your memories of the future disappear. The woman sleeping over there says that
there’s something more powerful than the brain, with which information can be
exchanged.”

“If I have to take a side, I also believe that memories don’t control everything. I
believe that there’s something more than just the physical body.”

“I thought you were a realistic kid, but you’re an occultist when it comes to that,
huh.”

“I’m well-rounded.”

After speaking, Maru looked at her as though he was telling her to feel at ease. I
won’t forget about you - he seemed to be saying. At that moment, she felt uneasy.
That was because Maru, who always looked to be at leisure, seemed like he was
being chased by something.

“Even if memories disappear, people don’t change. I believe so.”

Maru said that as though he was making a resolution.

-One, two, three - Hello, everyone! We are Redday. I’m Hana, the leader, and this is
Jiyoung, the main vocalist. Then this…

“Hey! Move your head out of the way. I can’t see my Hana!”

“Hey, honestly speaking, Jiyoung is much better than Hana.”

“Shut up. Seul-i is the best. Man just look at her volume.”

“Quit yapping and just watch.”

It was lunch time. The boys gathered in front of the TV in the classroom and sang
along to the idol music. They shouted the names of some members when there was a
break with a perfect sense of rhythm.

“This place is chaotic too, huh.”

Maru closed the book he was reading and turned around. Daemyung was standing
there with some drinks in his hand.

“Are you guys watching that as well?”

“Yeah. Apparently, they’re quite popular these days.”

Maru had a glance at the screen. Unlike the girl idols he had seen until now, the girls
on the screen had very powerful moves. Breakdancing, back tumbling - they were
better than most boy bands out there.

“They do look different from the rest.”

The boys in front of the screen suddenly crouched down. The girls’ skirts were
waving around on top of their thighs. Their inner trousers could be glimpsed at.

“Just a little more!”

“Camera, go down a little more!”

Perhaps this was proof that people gained not collective intelligence but collective
stupidity. Maru shouted at the boys that wouldn’t be able to see what they wanted
before turning back around to Daemyung.

“Man, they’re devoted.”

“That’s just how they are. I guess they must have startled you from time to time,
huh?”

Maru could not understand what Daemyung was saying. At that moment, the others
shouted the names of the idols in unison. Maru smiled faintly when he heard the
names hitting his ears.

“So that was what was bothering me this whole time while I was reading.”

“Oh, take this. I met Aram on the first floor and she bought it for me.”

“What’s gotten into her?”

“Apparently, it’s natural for the club president to look after the aged members.”

“I guess aging has its merits then?”

“Thanks to her, it has gotten a lot easier for me. The others follow Aram well too. In
fact, I think we’re doing even better than when I was the president.”

“Aram is the type to gain full control after all. Even the ones that were secretly
defiant should have changed their attitudes now.”

“True.”

After taking a sip, Maru spoke,

“I met writer Lee Hanmi yesterday.”

“Really?”

He briefly explained what happened yesterday. Daemyung trembled when he heard

that Hanmi asked him all sorts of questions while drunk.

“Once she starts, there’s just no end. Teacher Ahn Pilhyun also bombards me with
questions when he drinks strong alcohol, but he doesn’t really expect an answer
from me, right? But Miss Lee Hanmi wants an answer from me until the very end. If I
give her a vague answer, she will nag at me for that too. If I think of a decent one, she
will say it’s boring. I mean, I’m sure she’s a good person, but I get stomach pains
whenever she asks me something.”

“So that’s why you didn’t go yesterday.”

“I-it’s not like I didn’t go. I had no choice because of practice.”

“Same thing. She was looking for you yesterday too. She said something about how
she was disappointed since she has fun teasing you.”

“You didn’t tell her anything, right?”

“Who do you think I am? I told her that you like her very much. She’ll give you a call
soon enough, so try your best to look good in front of her.”

“Looks like I might have to turn my phone off for a while…”

“It’s a good opportunity, isn’t it? Have her teach you.”

“The mental damage is too much. I want to train my mind for it before I go to her.”

Daemyung sighed. It seemed that he had a hard time handling Hanmi.

Maru also talked about how she might join an agency.

“That’s good. She’s coming today for the film shoot, right?”

“No, not today.”

“There’s no shoot?”

“There is, but she won’t be coming. She’s meeting the president of the agency today.
Writer Lee Hanmi is incredibly quick when she sets her mind on it.”
“Reckless, you mean. But an agency huh. I hope it goes well.”

“Yeah. When I heard about it, it sounded like a really solid place. Since it’s her first
workplace, I hope they can lead a new actress like her well.”

Maru turned around to look at the TV again. The new idol group was introducing
themselves. Their stiff smiles and shaky voices were followed by their performance.

“I wonder how many idols can make a living off their work.”

“I heard that it’s only a handful of groups out of hundreds of thousands. I saw it on
TV before.”

“We aren’t that different either. Joining an agency is merely the first step, and I guess
only a handful will become able to start running by themselves, just like idols.”

“I’m sure it will go well for the both of you.”

“Thanks. Call us when we don’t get any jobs in the future. What good are friends for?
That’s when friends come to save the day.”

“Hey, I don’t know if I will ever get to direct a film either. You two both appeared on
TV, so it’s me who should be asking you instead. If I ever do become a director, I will
have to ask you two to join me without any guarantees.”

“Park Daemyung, you’ve become quite shameless, eh?”

“Who do you think I’ve been learning from?”

Daemyung looked at the clock before saying that he would leave. Maru waved at him
before turning around to look at the TV again. The artists who just finished their
performance took a bow before leaving the stage. Despite the fact that the stage was
open to the public, no one applauded. When the idol group left the stage amidst
silence and the camera switched to the show host, the TV turned off.

“HR is coming.”

The one with the remote control shouted. Maru looked at the screen which had
turned black, for quite a while, before picking up his book. Would I be able to leave
amidst applause? - he suddenly had that thought.
 ***

She drank a sip from the teacup in front of her. She saw people walking around busily
through the whole-glass wall that had a hint of blue. Some of them were people she
recognized. Though, they wouldn’t know her.

‘It’s the actor Lee Seokcheon.’

She met eyes with Lee Seokcheon who was walking on the other side of the glass
wall. He faintly smiled at her and waved. She quickly took a bow. She felt quite weird,
having a famous actor like him greet her first. She had seen numerous professional
actors in shoots until just a while ago, but this felt different. She felt rather excited
when she thought that she might be working in the same agency as such people.

“Did you wait a long time?”

The door opened before a woman came in. She was wearing a dark brown office suit
and a fedora. She blankly stared at the woman for a brief moment after seeing that
the woman looked very stylish.

“Why? Is it strange?”

“No, it really suits you.”

“That’s a compliment that doesn’t feel too rushed. I like that.”

The woman took off her fedora and sat down on the president’s seat. Her eyes
landed on the glossy black nameplate. Yoo Ahyoung[1]. She was the president of the
entertainment agency ‘Hwan’.

“Not many people get a recommendation from writer Lee Hanmi.”

Ahyoung faintly smiled. She made an uncomfortable smile back. There were thorns
in the president’s words.

“I really like writer Lee Hanmi, because she’s an interesting person. She has skills
too. If she ever wants me to recommend to her a person for a character she wants to
use in her work, I am willing to give her the best actors I have. However, this matter
is completely unrelated to my friendship with her. This is about choosing someone
who would be working with me after all. So, even if you end up not being able to
work with us, I hope you don’t resent writer Lee. A recommendation is, after all, just
a recommendation, right?”

She nodded. In fact, it would make her much more comfortable if she was given a
strict examination. If she was told to join without a second thought just because of
the recommendation, she might have thought a second time about this contract
instead.

“Good then, shall I have a look? I’m not sure if you know this, but our company really
gives a lot of support for new actors. Do you know Ahn Yeseul?”

“Sorry. I don’t.”

“That’s disappointing. Oh, I don’t mean that I’m disappointed with you. I’m
disappointed in myself. It’s me who failed to raise the name value of my own actress.
Do you know about ‘New Semester’ then? She’s the heroine there.”

“Oh! Ahn Yeseul from New Semester? I know her.”

“You do? That’s good. I almost got dejected. I was about to boast about my company,
but it’s no good if the start isn’t good.”

“Is she in this company as well?”

“Yeah. She’s the same age as you, 3rd year of high school. Also, ‘supporting’ you
naturally doesn’t mean I’ll use underhanded means to get you into something. I don’t
have such tendencies. By support, I mean things like auditions. In this industry, even
opportunities for auditions are given differently to different people. Think of yourself
as a producer of a movie. Would you notify a third-rate agency that there’s an
audition?”

“I think I will,” she replied honestly.

“Hm, why?”

“Because just because the agency is third-rate doesn’t mean that the people there are
third-rate too.”

Ahyoung clapped.
“You’re right. That’s true. A dragon might be born from a small stream. But you
know? Dragons usually arise from the cleanest waters. Yes, a dragon might live in
muddy waters. There are people like that from time to time. There are people who
stay in a place that’s not on their level, but stay there because of a contract gone
wrong, or because they don’t know what they’re capable of. But that’s also a form of
skill. Do you know why the top businesses in this country take importance in the
college their applicants are from? Because the ones from those colleges are capable?
Maybe, but the main reason is different. It’s efficiency and connections.”

Ahyoung stood up.

“This field is not that different. A good agency doesn’t necessarily have good actors.
There might be some half-assed people who have a high name value but no skill. But
on average, there are better people in better agencies. It’s natural. The fact that an
agency is popular means that they manage their business well with decent actors.
That’s why when the producers create a good scenario, they either directly give a
copy to an A-grade actor or distribute them to agencies that are classified as A-grade.
Of course, the majority goes to the former. There are producers who do all sorts of
things to sneak a script into the hands of top actors. After those scripts make rounds
but do not fill up the cast, they will get distributed to companies like us. That’s when
the first round of auditions happens. Hey, you’ve seen a lot of what’s called ‘open
auditions’ right?”

“Yes. I saw a lot of leaflets looking for actors.”

“Have you ever seen one that was looking for lead or supporting actors?”

She shook her head. She had never seen one before.

“Very rarely, film producers who are reckless might pick supporting actors through
such auditions. However, even for such films, the lead characters are decided with an
internal audition. An open audition is the same as an audition picking dregs.
Anyways, if the producers hand out their scripts to every single agency, they’ll get
calls from everywhere, right? Going through every one of them will take a lot of time,
and precisely because of that inefficiency, A-grade films are usually given to A-grade
agencies. B-grade to B-grade, C-grade to C-grade. Now then, what grade do you think
we are?”

“…A-grade?”
“A plus-grade I would say. We’re pretty well-known. Well then, through that
efficiency, we got a script and managed to successfully shoot that film. What does
that create?”

“New connections.”

“Right, connections. Backers, influence, or whatever you want to call it. You’ve heard
of the term ‘director brigade’, right? In this field, there are teams where actors or
directors have a team they frequently work with. This means that there are
outsourcing teams for lighting, arts, costumes, music, and sound effects who always
work with some director. And companies like us stand in between them. Movies
aren’t shot by just one person, right?”

“Yes.”

“The places left after the lead and supporting characters - where do these teams find
people to fill up those roles? It naturally is likely that the agency the director feels
comfortable working with will get those roles. The lead and supporting roles might
differ according to the director’s preferences, but below that level, most of them are
at a similar level, so most of the time, they just make do with just one agency. Lee
Hoseok, Choi Joonggeun, Park Joongjin, Yang Woonjoong. Park Changyung. Baek
Joonyeol. Don’t you find it quite tempting to get an opportunity to work with such
people even as a minor actor?”

They were famous directors with famous works under their names. She felt her lips
go dry but still nodded.

“You have a basic understanding of why actors seek good agencies, and why agencies
seek good actors, right?”

“I do.”

“Well, then. What I’m about to do now is similar. First up, I will show you the reason
you have to join us. After that, you have to be the one to show me what level you are
on as an actress. Stand up for now. Let’s take a tour around the company. I’ll be the
one guiding you because writer Lee brought you to me.”

Think of it as an honor - Ahyoung added with a smile.

[1] Pronounced “Ah-young”
“At heart, we aren’t a company that focuses on actors. If we only had actors, we
wouldn’t need a building this big in the first place.”

She followed Ahyoung down to the lobby on the first floor. Although she had walked
past this place when she was heading to the president’s office on the 4th floor, she
didn’t take a closer look because of her nervousness.

“The lobby is the face of a company. It’s a place where artists play around, so you
know, it’d be somewhat iffy if it looks boring, right?”

The people walking past the lobby greeted Ahyoung. Among them, one even
approached her and gave her a hi-five. She was slightly impressed by the fact that the
atmosphere wasn’t overbearing here. Some people that she encountered while
visiting shooting locations were filled with authoritative pride, but none of that
could be seen here. The employees didn’t have any difficulties greeting the president.
She was given a fresh shock.

“Our building has separate facilities from the 1st floor to the 5th floor. The first floor
is, as you can see, a space for guests. The restaurant is also on this floor. We have
great food, you know? Let’s go eat together later.”

“Yes.”

“The 2nd floor is filled with practice rooms. There are large ones and small ones. The
3rd floor has musical equipment, and it’s where most of the mixing and recording
happens at our company. Though, the ones with their personal studios use their
own. People who can’t afford them come here to do it. The 4th floor is the general
office. It’s quiet and cozy. It might sound strange coming from me, but our company
has really good welfare you know? If you feel like it’ll be hard to succeed as an
actress, then come back as an office worker. I’ll accept you at that time. Oh, the 5th
floor is the terrace. It’s a place to rest. Honestly speaking, most of the building is set
aside for musicians. The actors usually come to the 4th floor whenever they have
business here, or hold small parties on the roof. Most of the actors and actresses
usually stay at home. After all, you know how hard their work is, despite how fancy
they look. That’s why most of them rest at home or carry themselves out of the
country. Wait, is that expression usually with bad connotations?”

She looked at Ahyoung in a daze. Her pronunciation was perfect throughout the
whole time. All of her lines were catchy and her gestures were eye-catching.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Your pronunciation is really good.”

“Are you flattering me?”

“No. I’m just telling you my honest opinion. I even want to learn from you.”

“Really? That makes me feel good. I also aspired to be an actress once. You know
what this is, right?”

Ahyoung took out a pen from her chest pocket and put it in her mouth. She jokingly
said a few lines.

“Yes, I do that all the time.”

“I did that to death too. Thanks to that, I got something out of it. An attractive voice is
necessary for a businesswoman, you know?”

Ahyoung put the pen back into her pocket.

“But unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any talent in acting, so I quit after a few
years of being nameless. I hope you don’t become like me. I mean, if you’re going to
do it, being a star is better than being dirt poor, isn’t it? A shining star.”

Ahyoung raised her hands above her head and spun around her wrist with a smile.
She subconsciously imitated her. It was as though she was infected by Ahyoung’s
cheerfulness.

After that, she took a tour throughout the building with Ahyoung. Just as she had
said, the majority of the facilities here were tailored towards musicians and singers.
Sometimes, people that looked like singers greeted Ahyoung. There were some that
she felt like she had seen somewhere before.
After the tour, she was brought to the 5th floor terrace as the last course. There was
a field of grass on top of the building. It was quite refreshing to see greenery in the
forest of buildings.

“I told you about how our agency is A plus-grade, right?”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunately, that is only when we consider actors. If we include actors and singers
alike, I guess we’re B-grade? We don’t have any power in the singer department. And
here I thought I invested quite a lot too. Well then, sit down here for a moment.”

She sat down on a colorful beach chair. She put her feet together on the ground and
sat down in a proper manner, but when Ahyoung told her to lie down, she just gave
up and lay down on her back. She saw the clear skies. The wind she couldn’t feel
until just now started blowing.

“When you rest, you gotta rest lying down. Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does.”

“This space is always open, so many of our workers come up here. Freedom is the
motto of the company after all. If we try to roll a stiff rock, we’ll only get stiff ideas,
right? We can’t have that when we’re supposed to be working with entertainment.”

She thought about the things she saw after coming here. The neat-looking interior,
the self-proclaimed but still good-sounding welfare, a recording space that was filled
with equipment she had never seen before, as well as the overwhelmingly large
practice room. However, what she liked the most was the smile from the employee
who gave Ahyoung a hi-five. She might have just seen the good side of things, but she
really liked the vibes that this company gave off. It flashed in her mind that she
wanted to work here.

“It might be impossible, but my dream is to create a company where I can quit
working with a smile.”

“You sound incredible, president. Also, I feel like you’ve achieved your dream to a
certain extent.”

“I’m still far from it. If I want people to quit the job with smiles on their faces, the
severance pay should be more. If I want to do that, I have to dig deeper into the
pockets of the investors. And to do that, we must become an A-grade agency in both
aspects. We have really good actors. I wish that I could do something about the
singers, but I can’t do anything about that. In that aspect, Yellow Star acted really
quickly. You know what Yellow Star is, right?”

“Yes, I do. One of the three major agencies.”

“If we went against them with actors alone, we won’t lose that easily. However, once
you count the singers, I’d have a hard time showing them my business card. Honestly
speaking, I didn’t know that idols would become so big. I thought that traditional
singers would never step down from the music market. But what do you know? Who
would’ve thought that those brats could have so much power? NL Company, Jewel -
They all have two to three idol teams that represent their companies, but we don’t
have that. We can’t bring in existing groups either since their ties with their current
companies are too sturdy. I wish someone like that fell right in front of my eyes. On
that note, do you want to try being an idol?”

“I want to become an actress.”

“It might be better for you to raise your popularity as an idol and switch to acting
later. I heard that you appeared in a sitcom before, right? Your face is known already,
so it should be easier for you to enter the market. You’ll be an actress as your main
image and have being an idol as your sub-image. It will be a fresh change of things.”

Ahyoung stood up and started dancing lightly. It looked like some kind of idol dance,
and her movements were very snappy as though she had been practicing for a long
time.

“Pretty good, aren’t I?”

“You are. Did you practice?”

“I do it in secret when everyone else is practicing. Rather than that, what do you
think? I was planning on releasing a girl idol group, and honestly speaking, you don’t
look that bad. You might be able to stand in the center if you change your character
to be more daring.”

Ahyoung came closer to her. She ruffled her hair and nodded.
“Looks like a short haircut should suit you too.”

“Uhm, president.”

“What?”

“I have no intentions of becoming an idol. I want to start as an actress and end as

one.”

“Is it because you don’t want the idol tag on you for life?”

“No, it’s not like that. I know how hard idols have their lives, and how hard they
practice. There’s one around me.”

“An idol? Who?”

“A member of Blue. Though, they disbanded.”

“Blue, huh. They were pretty good. It was good to see them because they all had
unique characters. You know someone from that team?”

“She went to the same school as me. Though, she has graduated now.”

“You’re from Myunghwa High, right? Let’s see Myunghwa High, that means… Oh! Lee
Chaerim, am I right?”

“You’re quite knowledgeable.”

“I have basic info on all the people that became big at least once. I should try to buy
their goodwill whenever I meet them after all. I’m the president for a reason.”

Ahyoung sat down at the edge of the beach chair.

“Since we’re at it, let’s talk about her. She started off as an idol, but she’s growing as
an actress too. Before, idols received a lot of hate for shooting movies with their
popularity alone instead of with their skill, but how is it now? We’re in an era where
idols aren’t sinning by acting. Of course, people around them might not look at them
in a good light. Some foreign fish are trying to play in their own waters after all, so
the lofty ones don’t like that. Do you know why they don’t like it? It’s because those
idol actors do better than them. They’re snatching away the food from all the
traditional bigshots. Now, they can’t really blame the popularity of idols, since their
acting skills are improving really fast. Once, the realm of actors was really solid and
impenetrable. Actors who do not have experience in theater troupes and did not
work in Daehak-ro were practically unable to gain the title of ‘actor’, especially in
Chungmuro[1]. But it’s not like that anymore. It’s showing signs of reversal. People
are saying that the quickest route to becoming an actor is to become an idol first.”

She listened to Ahyoung until the end. She really had an urge to interrupt mid-way,
but she couldn’t do so when she thought about writer Lee Hanmi who introduced
her to this place.

“Wow, speak of the devil,” Ahyoung said as she looked at the entrance to the 5th floor.

She also turned her head around. A woman wearing slim-fit white pants, a semi-
transparent sky-blue blouse, and a necklace with black beads on it came in, carrying
a clutch bag.

“Unni, wait a bit. I’m in an interview right now.”

“Well, I’ll just sit here for the time being then. Continue with whatever you were
doing. I’m here to get some sun.”

The woman put on the glasses she put in her pocket and smoothly took a beach chair
for herself before lying down. Ahyoung laughed when she saw that woman.

“Unni, can you come to places like this when you have your own company to deal
with?”

“It’s between you and me. Go on, continue with your interview. Hear out my
frustrations after that.”

“Are the kids bothering you again?”

“Don’t even start. Those TTO brats, guh, they were cute when they followed me like
puppies. Anyways, she has a good face. Do you want to come to my company if you
get rejected here? My company’s much better than this place, you know?”

The woman lying down faintly smiled. She stared at the woman for a while before
turning around to look at Ahyoung. She needed an explanation of who this woman
was.
“She’s the president of NL Company, which has been gaining rapid popularity as of
late. Her hobby is to come to a competing company and cause havoc on their rooftop.
Geez, and you are so calm when you go over to JA.”

NL Company. She widened her eyes and looked at the woman lying down in front of
her. She had a hunch when she heard the words ‘those TTO brats’, but she didn’t think
that she was the president of their agency. Park Narim - even she, who had little
knowledge about management agencies, knew her name. She was just that famous.
She was the lady who was at the top of one of the three major agencies in the
country and appeared frequently as a model in women’s magazines. She also saw her
name in the chart of ‘50 most influential people in Korea’.

“Ignore the rude lady. Let’s finish what we were talking about before.”

“You’re talking about being an idol, right?”

“Yes. It’s not a bad idea for you. It’ll be quite hard for you if you want to sign a
contract with me as an actress. I told you right? We’re an A plus grade when it comes
to actors. However, if you wish to join the company as an idol I’m willing to write a
contract right now.”

“But you have never heard me singing before.”

“The main vocalist is the only one that needs to sing well. Plus, once a singing
instructor teaches you, you’ll be able to sing the basic harmony without trouble. As
for the album, machines will do most of the work, so don’t worry about it. What era
do you think this is? There’s no one who relies solely on their vocal cords to do the
recording. Even if you read it like a book, we’ll get decent results as long as you get
the pitch about right and we touch up the rest.”

“I want to join as an actress.”

“Hm.”

Ahyoung crossed her arms and sat down.

“Honestly speaking, I think it will be hard for you.”

“How can you be so sure without watching me act?”

“Acting, huh. Yeah, that’s important. But the media these days isn’t all about acting.”

“Then what is it about?”

“It’s about image, and image consumption. If you want to get treated well based on
your acting skill alone, you have to reach the level of those that you think are ‘famous
actors’. That’s what it means to live off your acting. However, living off your image is
a different story. Even if your acting is terrible, you’ll still sell if you look cute and
pretty. If you gain a fandom, then you’ll be able to go on TV even if you lack acting
skills. When you do that, you’ll gain skill. In that sense, you look a little lackluster. I’m
not saying that you aren’t pretty. It’s just that you’re ‘just’ pretty which isn’t anything
special.”

“I… want to become an actress. I want to continue acting.”

“Why do you want to walk down the hard path? I’ll let you act all you want. Just
allocate some of that time to learn singing. You can act all you want in the remaining
time. Support? I’ll give you everything you want. I can tell from your figure. I’m sure
you’re strictly controlling your diet and I’m sure you’re doing gymnastics or dancing.
I can tell from your thighs and calves alone. You aren’t simply skinny. With a figure
like that, you’ll be able to learn to dance in no time. Isn’t that good?”

She looked at Ahyoung’s eyes. Ahyoung seemed to be serious here. Her hands tensed.
She wanted to shout and stand up. At that moment, Maru’s face appeared in her
mind. She calmed down her breathing and started talking.

“Do I not have an opportunity as an actress then?”

“Hm, probably?”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Really? You’re going just like that? Don’t you feel pity about the recommendation?
Do you know how many people knock on our doors to just talk to me?”

“I can guess. This place is a really good company. You’re a splendid person as well,
president. I really wanted to act in a place like this, but it won’t do for me if it’s not
acting. I’m not saying that becoming an idol is a bad thing. It’s just, I don’t want to
awkwardly do both of them. Actually, I’m quite lacking, and you might be correct
about me. I know that I’m lacking. I’m really thankful for your offer. But I want to
continue acting. If I can’t do that, there’s no reason for me to stay here.”

“Writer Lee will be disappointed.”

“I will tell the writer about this myself. I’ll tell her that I was stupid and rejected a
really good proposal.”

She bit her lower lip. She wanted to leave this place this instant, but when she
thought about the nonchalant smile Maru would have on his face, she thought that it
wasn’t the right course of action. It was unknown when she would be able to meet
such people again. She had to leave behind a good image of her. You’ve gotten better -
she felt like she could hear Maru’s words.

“You’re quite young. In this world, you need to take shortcuts when you can. Only
fools choose the hard path.”

“Then I’ll choose to be a fool.”

“Why are you so hung up on acting like that? I told you I’ll let you do it to your heart’s
content later.”

“…It’s because I feel like I will run away again later if I run away now. Also, there’s a
person I want to stand next to on stage. If I want to chase that person, I have to try
my best starting now. I have no time to be singing.”

“What a pity.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

Ahyoung reached her hand out. She closed her eyes and opened them again before
grabbing her hand. She didn’t know how she should apologize to writer Lee Hanmi.
Perhaps this was her last opportunity? Should she just take up that offer instead? -
she had such thoughts even as she shook Ahyoung’s hands. It was a charming offer
after all.

“Are you really not going to regret it?”

“I will come back later once I feel confident in my skills as an actress. I will try my
best to reach your standards.”

“So you like this company?”

“Yes! I especially like this chair.”

She forcefully joked around. She felt a lot better now. When she tried to let go of
Ahyoung’s hand after a light handshake, Ahyoung did not let go.

“President?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Can you let go of my h…”

“No.”

“What?”

“I have to start explaining to you about the contract, so I can’t let go. I have a bad
feeling that the bad woman over there is going to take you away from me,” Ahyoung
said as she looked at Park Narim next to her.

She stared at Ahyoung in a daze.

“Now, then. Let’s get down to the real stuff, shall we?”

Ahyoung’s smile became a bit thicker.

A place that was considered to be the ‘mecca’ of acting in Korea in the late 20th
[1]

century to early 21st century. It’s no longer the case. Replacing it with ‘Hollywood’
might make it easier to understand.
“About work?”

Ahyoung replied with only a nod to her question.

“Unni, have you had lunch yet?”

“No. I was planning to eat here.”

“Then shall we all go down?”

Ahyoung led the way. She thought about what was happening right now as she
walked. They came down to the first floor and entered the corridor to their right.
There was a glass door at the end of the corridor, and in front of the door was a
hand-written menu. The Korean menu item was Ugeoji gukbap(Cabbage rice soup),
and the Western menu item was pork cutlets. Ahyoung entered the cafeteria and
took out her ID from her pocket.

“What are you going to eat?”

“Korean for me.”

“How about you?”

“I’ll take Korean as well.”

“So I’m the only one getting pork cutlets huh. Don’t you like fried food better?”

Ahyoung bought the food tickets from the ticketing machine. She thought that
Ahyoung would just show her face and ask for food since she was the president, but
she just bought the tickets like everyone else did and lined up. The employees who
were lining up in front of her talked to her from time to time. They didn’t look like
they were uncomfortable with talking to her. They seemed to be having fun talking
about trivial things.

“I can never get used to this place.”

She looked at Narim, who had whispered in her ears. This person was also the CEO of
a company. Did NL Company have a strict hierarchy? She followed Ahyoung to an
empty table with her food tray.

“I went to a lot of places to find the best food service company. I can proudly say that
this food service company is top class when it comes to food.”

“Yeah, I have to admit,” Narim said.

She first smelled the savory smell from the gukbap before putting a bit of her rice in
it.

“You put your rice in the soup?”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

“You know your stuff. Hey, why don’t you come to our company instead? If you work
with this girl, who keeps probing other people out like she did to you before, you’ll
have a hard time, you know? I’m quite direct so there’s nothing like that. Yes is yes,
and no is no. I tell people clearly.”

Narim said that with a smile. She couldn’t tell whether Narim was joking or not.

“She’s going to join me so don’t even think about it. Also, writer Lee recommended
her to me.”

“Writer Lee? Writer Lee who?”

“Writer Lee Hanmi.”

Narim abruptly turned around when she heard the name Lee Hanmi. She flinched
and leaned away from Narim. Narim’s eyes were a bit scary when she looked straight
at her.

“I am Park Narim, the president of NL Company. I should have introduced myself

properly before. Oh, would you like my business card?”

She took out a business card from her clutch bag. She looked at Ahyoung and Narim
alternately while fidgeting nervously. She felt sorry towards Ahyoung if she receive
it, but she felt like it wouldn’t be polite of her to not accept it. As she was hesitating,
Ahyoung told her to take it.

“Take it and ask her to treat you to a meal later. Don’t go over to that company
though. Big companies are big for a reason. Our company is much better than a
stuck-up place like that.”

“Excuse me? What part of my company is stuck-up?”

“The fact that you’re the president says everything that needs to be said. Well then.
Let’s get some food. I’m hungry.”

“There’s no company that’s better than mine, you know?”

“Oh, there’s one here.”

“I won’t accept it.”

“Should I ask my employees which one they like better?”

“After you reveal the base pay for both companies, sure.”

“That’s cheating. A company listed in the KOSDAQ shouldn’t do that.”

“Having a higher base pay isn’t a bad thing, though.”

“Fine, you pay a lot, okay? I admit that. But your terrace is on the 5th floor. How
about that?”

“I guess I’ve lost when it comes to that. Should I expand the resting area in the
company? Or should I just modify the rooftop to a grassland like you did?”

“It’s expensive, you know?”

“Oh, you want to talk about money in front of me?”

“Forget it. Goddamned money. Is money all you care about?”

“Who was the one who said things about being an A-grade agency or whatever?”

She lowered her head slightly and picked up her spoon. Bullets made of words were
flying right above her head. She couldn’t follow what these two CEOs were talking
about. If they were ordinary people, she might have thought that they were joking,
but they looked very serious because of their titles.

“The food here is really good though. I really wanted this company to sign a contract
with our company too.”

“The president doesn’t plan to expand though. I got the golden egg-laying goose. As
long as we have this good food, the welfare at our company will be top class. Don’t
you think so too?” Ahyoung asked around her.

The employees, who were eating, all said ‘yes’ in a cheerful manner while raising
their spoons in the air. The president was cheerful, and the employees were cheerful
as well. She looked at herself, who had also raised her spoon. Being next to Ahyoung,
she subconsciously imitated how she acted. What was funny was that Narim was also
shouting the same thing.

After that, they didn’t talk for a while. Everyone focused on eating. She also tied up
her hair and focused on eating. Just like how Ahyoung praised it, the food here was
really nice. After finishing their food, she drank some coffee that Ahyoung brought. It
was from a small vending machine that worked by inserting coins, but the coin
entrance was blocked off. She tried to go get coffee with her, but she had to wait
awkwardly since Ahyoung told her to sit.

“You’re still a guest for now, so I have to treat you like one. You should take one too,
unni.”

She accepted the paper cup. Ahyoung crossed her legs as she drank the coffee and
looked like she was about to get to the serious stuff. She felt slightly nervous and
straightened her posture.

“I’m going to ask some personal questions, but you don’t have to answer them if you
think they’re too sensitive. People are sensitive to different things, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then let me get to know you better. When did you first start acting?”

“I first started acting in my first year of middle school.”

“When did you take interest in it then?”

“Since I was very young.”

“What made you interested? TV? Or is a member of your family a celebrity and you
wanted to be like them?”

“I watched a play with my father and it was just too fun. When I was young, that was
the only impression I had, but when I entered middle school, I thought that I wanted
to do more than that. That’s when I started practicing by myself while watching my
favorite dramas and movies.”

“Did you ever go to an acting school?”

“No.”

“Then you mostly practiced by yourself?”

“When I started off, yes. Eventually, I met a few friends that I got along with and
practiced together with them.”

“May I ask why you chose not to go to an acting school? You could have had an easier
time learning the basics if you did.”

“When I was in middle school. I had plenty of fun with my friends practicing by
ourselves with the scripts we found. That’s why I didn’t think about applying for
one.”

“So you didn’t want to do it that much, huh?”

“Maybe you can see it that way. I only thought that I should start learning properly
when I got to high school. I joined the acting club after all. There were seniors who
were fundamentally different from me with their movements and pronunciations. A
lot of people at my school wanted to be celebrities or work in that area, so everyone
had solid foundations. That’s when I started getting taught by my seniors and the
instructor.”

“I don’t mean to look down on your acting, but if you join my company, you’ll have to
start getting basic training first. You understand why, right?”
“Yes, in fact, I was going to ask for an instructor if you didn’t.”

“I like your attitude. Well, I guess that’s enough questions.”

Ahyoung finished her coffee in one go.

“From now on, I am going to talk one-sidedly. Even if you think I’m wrong about
something, just hear me out.”

“Okay.”

“You said that you wanted to be an actress no matter what, right? You don’t want to
take a detour by being an idol. For now, I’ll talk about the reality of things first. There
are actually quite a lot of kids who join an agency and make their debuts in dramas
and movies. There’s a trend where they get their first, or even second piece
smoothly. The problem occurs after that. Let me be clear with you. Actors who don’t
have recognition earn less money than part timers at cafes. There are loads of people
like that in this field. If there’s a list of people who do part time jobs even though
they are actors, I can probably read off that list for days without rest. And that’s only
among the people I know.”

She nodded heavily. She was prepared for this when she came here. She knew how
hard it was to receive the love of the masses.

“You have to remind yourself that you might be throwing the most important
moments of your life away by doing this. A trainee’s practice is worthless by itself.
The worth of their practice is only shown when they catch the eyes of the public and
become a product. Before that happens, everything is just a waste of time. You might
want to retort, however, I’m not talking about acting here. I’m strictly talking about
business. As cruel as it might sound, actors who don’t become big are not actors.
That’s because no one calls them that. This applies to you as well. There’s no
guarantee that you will become successful. What I’m doing is just giving you support
to increase the probability of that happening. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, I do.”

“As for the details of the contract, I’m going to go through it with your parents. It’s an
important step after all. But the most important thing is your willpower. I’ve seen
numerous people who gave up after years of circling around the industry. Do you
think they were bad at acting? No, at least I don’t think so. There were many that had
much better skills than the child actors that show up on TV. However, they never
became big. This is what I mean by image business. The public looks at a person’s
image before they evaluate their acting skills. As long as an actor has an image that
they’re good at acting, that actor’s acting skills will be evaluated higher than it
actually is. It doesn’t sound like it makes any sense, does it? You might ask: shouldn’t
you be good at acting to have an image that you’re good at acting? To tell you the
answer, those two are completely separate things. Of course, if a person is
stupefyingly good at acting and can enchant anyone that looks at them, then movie
companies will treat them like a VIP. What I’m saying though, is that it usually isn’t
like that. Most actors are around the same level. Then how do you make that image?
The answer is character.”

Ahyoung sighed.

“If we officially sign a contract, I will definitely include this clause. Your first piece
will be decided by the company. Before that, you are not allowed to do any work.”

“Nothing?”

“I’m not going to allow you to participate in auditions either. I’m going to reduce
your exposure as much as possible. Right now, there’s the unnecessary image you
got from the sitcom. I’m going to remove that first.”

“Was my acting bad in the sitcom?”

“It’s not about being good or bad. The problem is that it sticks to you. Especially for
people like you, who caused quite a stir by appearing intermittently.”

“I caused a stir?”

“A miserly girl who’s quite cute. There were rumors in the industry that quite a
decent rookie has joined. But that’s quite troublesome. If you really want to succeed
as an actress, we need to reset that image.”

“I don’t specifically want pretty and feminine characters. It’s fine if I’m funny. Isn’t
that what acting is about?”

Ahyoung slowly shook her head.

“I told you, didn't I? What I’m talking about is business. You still don’t know how
terrifying an ‘image’ is for an actress. Later, you can act like a madwoman all you
want. But you can’t do that now. I told you, didn’t I? A daring character should suit
you.”

Ahyoung approached her and grabbed her hair. She then pulled out her hairband and
lifted her hair to look at her nape.

“Cinderella heroines are past their time now. You need to ride a different line. I got a
few ideas when I looked at you. If we get a piece that has a suitable character, that’s
when I will put you in front of the public. Image is consumable. You can’t look cheap
from the get go.”

“If I sign the contract, will I really not be able to do anything until a suitable piece
comes in?”

“At least not within my sight, no. I’ll allow school club activities though, but no more
than that. That’s the strongest condition and my final condition.”

“…Did you do that with Ahn Yeseul as well?”

“I told you, didn’t I? That being good at acting and having the image of being good at
acting are separate things. Yeseul, that girl’s acting skill is about B-tier? No, perhaps
she’s even below that. But the public likes her. She has already had two heroine roles
in two dramas. There was a slight controversy about her acting skills, but that soon
died down. You probably know about it since you have experience shooting, but
under an atmosphere like that, anyone can reach a decent level, or other people will
make you look like you are at one. Of course, I’m not sure if Yeseul can become a top
star in the future. The funny thing is, what puts people at the top of the ranks comes
down to acting skill again.”

“Can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course. It’d be strange instead if you decided right now. I am going to do some
image-making for you. I can’t have you be a doll that’s thrown away without being
able to stand in front of an audience even once. I will put you on the stage, but you
will have to put your full trust in me. After you get on the stage, you’re the main
character, so you can do whatever you want. That’s my condition.”

She clasped her hands. It was just one condition, but she couldn’t take it lightly. She
wanted to focus on acting without being worried about anything else, but society
wasn’t that easy.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“You need to use a stage name. Your name is really good, but it’s kinda common.”

“A stage name…”

“Think about it for now. I really like you. How can I hate you when you’re willing to
run forward even if you break your legs? Think about it carefully and call me back.
Talk to your parents or other people around you who are related to this line of work.”

She smiled heavily and replied that she would.

“Aren’t you going to go?”

“I don’t know, don’t ask.”

“I thought you came here just to make a visit, but you actually have some problems,
huh.”

“I told you I was here to complain. Rather than that, I need some water. You have
carbonated water, don’t you? Give me some with lemon extracts.”

Ahyoung blankly stared at Narim, who boldly asked her for a drink while lying on the
beach chair. She could tell that Narim was giving her glances through the sunglasses.

“Why don’t you get it yourself?”

“How cold-hearted. Unni is asking you for a favor, but you’re glaring back at me
instead.”

“Why don’t I make you feel cool by spraying you with some water instead?”

Ahyoung walked up to a hose. Only then did Narim stand up in a hurry and enter the
building. She came back with two bottles of carbonated water in her hands while
grumbling before sitting down on the beach chair again. She gracefully stretched out
her legs.

"You keep posturing like that, but it doesn't look good you know? Sometimes, you get
all hung up on putting on a front."

"Front? Please, just call it a facade."

"That's a bit harsh."

"Good on you for being so nice. Also, who else could I even be this open with? Out
there, I’m the definition of charisma, so I can't put it down around other people."
“Why don’t you take it easy a little? Don’t try to look too heavy.”

“If I put those weights down, those weights will all go to the people below me. Do
you think I can accept that?”

“And you’re acting like the good guy again.”

Ahyoung stretched her arms out and lay down on one of the beach chairs. A parasol
was shielding her face from direct sunlight. As for her body and arms, they were
being scorched.

“Is that how you usually do your interviews?” Narim asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Telling her every little detail.”

“I have to. It’d be too pitiful if she challenged the industry without knowing anything
and then got horribly burnt from it.”

“I thought you were talking from a business perspective. Don’t you have to lure her
in no matter the cost? From what I saw, I thought you were trying to stop her at all
costs.”

“It’d be too pitiful if she challenged the industry without knowing anything and then
got horribly burnt from it, wouldn’t it?”[1]

“It’s her who has to bear the risks, isn’t it? If you’re going to take her in, you should
urge her to be energetic. You’re supposed to be the president, yet you show her the
shithole reality of things first. Don’t you think she’s gonna be scared and not come?”

“Maybe not coming will be better for her.”

“She has a pretty decent face though, and she seems resolved. I’m not sure about her
qualities as an actress, but that’s not something you can find out in a short time. The
person herself isn’t lacking by any means, so it’d be good to accept her. Why did you
make her turn around by telling her all those things?”

“She said she likes acting. It’s been a long time since I met someone who didn’t have
any ulterior motives. She is uneasy about becoming successful, but she has values
she prioritizes above that. For girls like her, it would be for the best if acting stayed a
hobby.”

Just as Ahyoung was about to take a drink,

“Aha, I was wondering why you were treating her so emotionally. You found your
younger self in her.”

“Unni, why don’t you stop being a CEO and open a fortune telling business? I think
you’ll earn a lot of money that way.”

“Maybe I will once I get old. Rather than that, are you going to accept her if she wants
to sign a contract?”

“I will. As long as I’m doing business, I can’t keep acting like that. I definitely did tell
her though. That countless people disappear from the industry while practicing.”

Ahyoung had a look at the empty bottle. As pretty as it was, it no longer had any
value. A bottle was only fulfilling its job when it contained something inside.

“So, what’s the real reason?”

“For what?”

“For scaring her like that.”

“You were the one who told me. I was emotional because I saw my younger self in
her, and because I pitied her.”

“How many years do you think we’ve known each other? You’ve never even done
acting properly. Why don’t you tell me the real reason now?”

“Hey, I was praised by her for good pronunciation, you know?”

“That wasn’t because you were practicing acting. You only practiced like that for your
career as a businesswoman. Hey, did you lie to her and say that you were acting
when you were young?”

“That’s good for the flow of the conversation. There’s no need to break that
misunderstanding, is there? It’s something that both of us can talk about.”
“What did you tell her?”

“I told her that I was a nameless actress for a few years before I quit. I wasn’t entirely
lying. I’ve seen so many people doing that, so I know what it’s like. I just never
experienced it for myself.”

“She looked like a good girl though. You shouldn’t tease her like that.”

“I never did. I only gave her a reason to accept. Rather than as a woman who had a
fantasy about neckties since young, don’t I give off a much better image when I say
that I used to pursue the same thing as her?”

“What are you going to do if she finds out later?”

“If that happens, it happens.”

“Sometimes, you’re a really bad girl.”

“Deceiving someone isn’t a bad thing. Illegally doing things is obviously not good, but
deceit of that level is just some condiments to spice things up. In fact, it’d be weird if
I showed her everything about myself. Don’t you think so? Miss Charisma?”

“I don’t dare retort.”

Ahyoung threw away the empty bottle into a trash can next to her beach chair. The
plastic bottle made a low bumping noise.

“And I wasn’t entirely lying. Like what you said, I did find a nostalgic figure in her. It’s
just that it’s not me.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone who belonged to the theater troupe I used to be in.”

“Was that person an actor too?”

“No, she was more like the manager. She was the one who managed the funds so that
we could buy the props we need to perform plays. Man, it feels like yesterday when
we were quarreling with the owner of that building all the time, and now, here I am,
lying on top of a rooftop of a building.”
“That was unexpected, I mean, you belonging to a theater troupe.”

“Unni, I’m running an agency here. It doesn’t make sense to not have worked in a
related field even once. I even went up on stage a couple of times. Though, I was a
passerby.”

“So there was someone who’s similar to that girl in that theater troupe?”

“They were both similar in the way they were honest about acting. She was four
years younger than me, and she loved dogs. Though she had a weird preference
when it came to dogs and liked the vicious-looking ones. No matter how hard I look
at them, they’re ugly, but she found them so cute. When I think about it now, maybe
the reason I stayed in that shabby theater troupe that didn’t have a future was
because of her. When I looked at her putting in so much effort, I wanted to give her a
share of my own time.”

“The lofty Yoo Ahyoung even thought about doing that? Is this the same Yoo Ahyoung
I know of, who has a special attachment to her own time?”

“Why do you keep making me out to be some heartless person? Unni, I’m also a
woman who has a warm heart.”

“I acknowledge that you’re a woman, but I’ll pretend that I never heard anything
about the warm heart.”

“You just listen to the parts you want, huh.”

As Narim put down the bottle on the floor, she spoke.

“But this is a bit disappointing. I don’t know the person you seem to cherish so much.
Why don’t you introduce me to her?”

“If you want her greeting, you gotta go pretty far away, you know?”

“Where? Does she live overseas?”

Ahyoung pointed up at the sky. Narim blankly stared at the sky before looking down
again.

“She died?”
“A long time ago. After I left the troupe to start my own business, there was an
accident. When I first heard about it, I thought it was a terrible joke. Unfortunately, it
turned out to be real. Back then, I went home and threw the bible into the trash. I
had been a faithful person since I was born thanks to my parents, but after I visited
her ashes, I couldn’t find it any more disgusting. The people that deserve to die are
alive and well, yet that pitiful girl went ahead just as she was about to unfold her
dreams. If God exists, he shouldn’t do his work like that.”

“Didn’t you introduce yourself as a faithful Christian in a private meeting? I thought

you were one too.”

“I told you, didn’t I? I choose whatever has a good image for business. There’s
nothing better than the Church when it comes to that. If God wants to test my
faithfulness, then he’s gotta come himself. But he probably won’t. Because. God.
Doesn’t. Exist.”

“My Lord. What this little lamb just said has nothing to do with me. I have dire faith
in you, so please bring me salvation.”

“I am going to say that I believe in him just before I’m about to die. I mean, if I believe
in him he’ll give me a ticket to heaven, won’t he? As God, he shouldn’t retract his
promises.”

“Sheesh, I really can’t stop you.”

Narim shrugged.

“So what, you were strict with her because she has the same air about her as the one
you cherished?”

“There are lots of things you can do other than acting to keep living.”

“Who knows? She might become a superstar one day.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“Why? Does your intuition tell you otherwise?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Also, if I had an intuition that can tell who’s going to be
successful, do you think my company will be so small? I would have put up a building
in the most expensive place in Cheongdam, and then put my nameplate on it. I just
wanted to stop her because she felt similar.”

“Girlie. I get that you pity the dead girl, but you shouldn’t force your emotions onto a
girl who has a bright future.”

“Do you think I told her everything because of a horrible reason like that?”

“Then what?”

“It’s just, I subconsciously ended up comparing the two.”

“Comparing the two?”

“Those eyes that seemed to be in love with acting itself… Both of them had similar
eyes. When I looked at those eyes, I couldn’t help but compare the two.”

“Compare their skills, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t know much about the girl that just came though, do you?”

“Of course I do. I looked into her the moment I got a call from writer Lee. I’ve read
about what she was doing until now, what kind of pieces she participated in, and
everything. There wasn’t much, so it didn’t take that long.”

“You sounded like you didn’t know anything about her when you were talking to her.
You were probing her about that as well then? So that you can interrogate her when
she says something different to what you know?”

“I’m not that evil, you know?”

“There’s ‘evil’ written on your face. So, what is it in the end? Who’s better?
Personally, I think that someone who has debuted on public TV would be better. You
know the difference between street acting and TV acting. The fact that she made a
debut at all is huge.”

“Unfortunately, you’re wrong. This is extremely subjective, but if I have to invest all
of my money into one of them, I will invest all of it into Haejoo. She was really
different after all.”

“The person that died was called Haejoo? She must have been really good, if you’re
the one saying that.”

Ahyoung reminded herself of Haejoo, who quietly remained on stage and looked up
at the lights. If there was one person that was receiving the love of the monster
known as the stage, then it was probably her - that was what she thought back then.

“Sometimes, I wonder, maybe the reason I’m doing this work is because of her. There
are actors like that hidden in the world. Maybe those people are just unable to find
the stage they need to be on and end up leaving. I’m just providing a stage for such
people. I’m just letting them be where they should be, while I get a small fee for
doing so.”

“Small? Smaaaaall, you say?”

“What’s up with you? You’re in the same line of work, so you should be consoling me
instead.”

“Fine, who else could understand you but me?”

“Oh, didn’t you say you were here to complain? I think I’m about done, you know?”

As soon as she said those words, Narim abruptly stood up. She, who didn’t look like
she was in her forties thanks to her skin care, turned into a vicious old woman in an
instant.

“Unni, you look scary. Calm down.”

“When I just think about that man, I just…”

“That man?”

“I’m talking about Lee Junmin! Sungjae, who I painstakingly nurtured, is meeting him
more frequently than he meets me these days!”

“I thought he was going to be in a film, no? JA is one of the investors, and they are
putting their own actors in it as well. Hong Geunsoo, was it? In such a scenario, it’s
not strange for him to be meeting president Lee Junmin. He’s kinda well known for
meeting many people in private, isn’t he?”

“That’s exactly what I don’t like about him. At this rate, once Sungjae’s contract is
over and he switches over to JA, I might end up fainting because of anger.”

“You should console him well so that he doesn’t.”

“If he does, I’m going to make an announcement to all the producers in the TV
industry. That they’d better get prepared to become enemies with me if they use Ahn
Sungjae.”

“There you go again. Calm down a little.”

“How much effort do you think I’ve put in to nurture him?”

“He didn’t even go yet, so why are you so worried? Even though you’re like this now,
aren’t you going to tell everyone else that you’d let him go without any trouble?”

“That’s why it’s a problem. I really hate myself.”

“Why don’t you call him out in private and ask yourself? Or you can call him here, so
that I can see him after a long time.”

“Should I?”

“No, wait. Forget I said anything.”

“No, I’ll try calling him here now. I have to get a concrete answer from him so that I
can be at ease.”

Narim coughed a few times to clear her throat before taking out her phone. Ahyoung
clicked her tongue when she watched the process of a whiny voice turning elegant.

“Mm, is this Sungjae? Why don’t we eat out together today since it’s been a while?”

“I bet ten thousand won that she’ll get hospitalized for mental illnesses later in life.”

Ahyoung faintly smiled and thought about the girl she talked to today.

‘She’ll probably say she’ll do it. Girls like her don’t know how to give up.’
What was left was how to package and decorate her.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to be a bit unconventional.”

Ahyoung started planning out the future.

[1] It’s the exact same sentence as the one above.

A notebook, an old pen, and a cup of thick coffee with two sticks of coffee in it. After
setting up everything, he turned on the VCR. He heard the tape turning inside the
device before he saw a grey screen appear on the TV. He took a sip of the coffee while
listening to the noisy tape. The videotape should start playing soon.

-Get into position.

-Jincheol, you’re going to shoot today as well?

-Records are only meaningful if you leave them behind frequently.

Yecheon was as bustling as always. Maru felt a sense of intimacy with the people on
the screen as though he had known them for a long time. He saw the members of the
theater troupe acting awkward and standing dazedly in front of the camera in the
videos that were shot in early 1987, but they seemed to have gotten used to it since
they were just doing their own thing regardless of whether Jincheol was shooting or
not.

-Miss Ahyoung, can you have a look at this for a sec?

-Sure, but you gotta pay me extra.

-No way, you’re joking, right?

-I never joke around when it comes to money.

-Can I just give you some snacks instead?

-Well, fine.

A woman’s voice could be heard from outside of the frame. She seemed proficient in
handling the camera. The screen shook for a moment as it was lifted off the tripod
and then the camera angle was elevated a little.

-Should we do an interview or something?

-Nah. But Ahyoung. What happened to the monthly rent thing you were talking
about?

-I managed to get 80 thousand won off after negotiation. I even had to cry to do it.

-What? 80 thousand won? You aren’t kidding, right? Did you really manage to shave
off 80 thousand won from our rent?

-Who do you think I am? I’m someone who does not goes back on my words.

-No way. Wow! Everyone, Ahyoung managed to shave off 80 thousand won from the
rent!

-What? Are you serious? 80 thousand won?

-Let’s open some soju today. Let’s fry some bulgogi too!

There was a ruckus for a while. The woman, who was dragged in front of the camera,
smiled in confidence before the rest lifted her into the sky. The process was all
captured in the video.

-What is this? What’s happening?

Another voice came in late into the video. It was Jung Haejoo. After hearing about the
circumstances, Haejoo also rejoiced while grabbing Ahyoung’s arm.

-If it’s 80 thousand won, I think I can take a breather.

-It’s the four of us’ turn this month, so we practically earned 20 thousand won each.
20 thousand, huh. Thanks to you, Ahyoung, I managed to earn this month’s rent for
my room.

-Everyone, stand in front of the camera! Miss Ahyoung, you stand in the center. If we
don’t take a celebratory photo on a day like this, this camera wouldn’t have a point
being here.

Jincheol held the camera. Every member of the troupe gathered in front of the
camera.

-Wait! What’s that? Let me in too!

There was a girl who jumped into the frame as though she was about to fall over. She
was someone Maru hadn’t seen before, and she looked quite young. She was also
wearing a school uniform. Maru raised his cup as he focused on the video.

-Fine, you can join the photo as well. It’s a good thing after all.

-But hey, don’t you have any friends you hang out with? You come here all the time.

-I do have friends, you know? Plus, I’m not here to see you oppas, I’m here to see
Haejoo-unni!

-There she goes again. Look at her talk. She has a bad temper.

-I have a bad temper? No, I don’t!

-Stop! Both of you, stop. Jincheol-oppa, what do we say?

Haejoo said that as she hung her arms around the girl who seemed to be a student.
The girl, who glared at the man standing to the left of her, smiled brightly.

“Are they sisters or something?”

Maru took a sip of the cooled coffee, when.

-Haejoo, you move a little to the right, and Taewook, you too. Ahyoung, you should
say something for all of us. And you over there, yes, whichever-schooler you are.

-Ahn Joohyun! How many times do I have to tell you that I’m Ahn Joohyun, ahjussi!

-Ahjussi? I’m not even thirty yet!

-If you look like an ahjussi, then you are an ahjussi! Hmph.

Maru almost spat out what was in his mouth. He coughed dryly and paused the
video. He had a closer look at the girl on the screen. Her clear eyes, thick eyebrows,
and well-balanced nose. Indeed, it was Ahn Joohyun’s face, albeit a little younger.

“How refreshing.”

He already knew from Jincheol’s wife, Jinjoo, that Joohyun frequented Yecheon. So
she was quite frivolous back then. When he thought about how she acted now and
compared it to the girl on the screen, he ended up laughing. Would the people there
at that time have known that the little girl they were talking to would go on to cause
several big issues in the entertainment industry?

“Though, she still had a potty mouth back then, huh.”

He resumed the video. After a few more mentions about the 80 thousand won
saving, the scene switched. On one side of the stage were three women wearing long
skirts. On the other side were two men wearing drill uniforms, looking at the three
women sitting opposite them. Coquettish smiles and behavior - it seemed that the
background was the red light district.

Maru focused on looking at Haejoo. She sat down on a chair and crossed her legs. She
seemed to be acting like a sexy woman, but it looked awkward as though she was
wearing clothes that didn’t suit her. After a series of unstable acts continued,
Jincheol’s voice eventually resounded.

-This isn’t good, is it? I don’t think Haejoo fits this kind of role.

-Is it like that after all?

-Let’s have a talk again after we see what we recorded later. We should change the
roles or reduce them, I think.

-Well, Jincheol has good eyes. If you think that way, then I guess it’s really not good. I
do like the story, so I want to go with it.

Their lines and movements were perfect, but Haejoo couldn’t get herself into the
mood of the play. Maru repeatedly played back Haejoo’s acting part and wrote things
down in his notebook. Her walking motions, hand gestures, the changes in her facial
expressions when she said her lines. As the videotapes were old, he sometimes
wasn’t able to observe her expression due to the low resolution, but he could get a
close look most of the time.

He had watched eleven videotapes until now. Although he hadn’t watched a lot of
them, he could come to an understanding of Haejoo’s acting. Her acting gave off a
‘clean’ feeling. It was different from a ‘neat’ image. Her acting skill was lacking, but he
kept watching her because of the clean vibes that the person herself gave off. If
someone hateful made a mistake, it would increase the urge of wanting to scold that
person, but if it was someone likable that made a mistake, it would instead be the
opposite - one would want to encourage and care for that person. If it was Haejoo
who made a mistake on stage, not to mention the members of the troupe, even the
audience might let her go. Of course, that was under the assumption that they knew
what Haejoo was usually like.

If someone who knew about the usual Haejoo looked at her acting on the stage, they
might just accept it and move on. That was the kind of person she was after all. That
was just her character. However, an audience who had never seen her before might
find her strange. What the heck is up with that actress who pops out from everyone
else?

Haejoo maintained her unique character a little too much causing her to be unable to
blend herself with the rest of the characters in the play, making her always a ‘Jung
Haejoo’ on the stage. In the ten videotapes Maru had watched during the past few
days while reducing his sleep, Haejoo always managed to overlay the characters of a
prostitute, a parent of a student, and even a woman in immoral love over herself.
While the other actors jumped into that character or brought out some of their own
characteristics within them that were similar to the characters they were acting,
Haejoo consistently acted a ‘Jung Haejoo’.

That kind of phenomenon didn’t just occur because her efforts were lacking, or
because her understanding of the characters she was acting was shallow. Haejoo was
the one who practiced the most while they were shooting. While everyone had gone
off to rest, Haejoo quietly remained behind and checked her own pronunciation with
the camera. She changed her expressions, checked her gestures, and even
exaggeratedly put emotions into some of her acts, but the character that stuck with
her on stage was Jung Haejoo herself.

The ‘clean’ vibe she gave off seemed to stem from that characteristic of hers. His
senses that discerned acting skill wasn’t able to find anything artificial-feeling from
Haejoo’s acting, which ended up giving him that ‘clean’ vibe from her.

Maru wondered what it would’ve been like if Haejoo chose to do a form of art that
wasn’t acting. Her character was unique and strong. The character that seemed to
poke through no matter what you covered her with seemed like it would be a strong
point in music. Like a violinist, for example. He subconsciously smiled when he
imagined her showing off her might during a recital stage.
Acting was the act of revealing oneself, yet simultaneously hiding oneself and
changing oneself. Haejoo, whose character revealed herself no matter whose figure
she tried to borrow, didn’t look like she was suited for acting. That was the case at
least from the videos he had watched until now.

Many people would remember the actress Jung Haejoo, but the characters she acted
wouldn’t remain in anyone’s memories. Currently, Haejoo’s face was zoomed in on
just as she heard that they should consider changing up the characters.

“Haaam, oppa, you’re watching those videos again?” Bada came out of her room and
said.

“Wanna watch too?”

“Nah, it was boring. Is that really going to help you learn though? I really don’t get it.”

“Maybe I’ll see something if I keep on watching.”

“Okay, good luck with that. I’m going to go to sleep. Have fun.”

“Good night.”

Maru stretched his arms out. It was just past midnight. He picked up his notebook
again and had a look at the things he wrote down until now. He had summed up
some of the things he liked, such as some movements, lines, speech tones, and facial
expressions. One thing he realized while learning acting was that people don’t
actually use their facial muscles that much. When he imitated other people’s
expressions, some of his facial muscles would flinch at times, and he found out that
focusing on moving those muscles would make his expressions look a lot smoother.
They say the depth of emotions comes from a person’s inner self, but it would
probably be impossible to transmit those emotions without minute muscular
movements.

“The charm coming from the person herself is incredible.”

The moment this person receives Junmin’s influence, the charm unique to her
character would turn into a trait for acting and would charm many people, giving
birth to the Jung Haejoo that enchanted many. He could imagine what kind of acting
Haejoo would show at that time. She probably acted in a way that didn’t overwhelm
others with an explosion of emotions and focused more on calm acting. Calm wasn’t
the same as boring. She probably acted in such a way that people would end up
falling for the character she acted without even realizing it.

He looked at the empty coffee cup for a while before standing up. It seemed that he
was going to need another cup. Just as he turned the kettle on, his phone in the living
room started ringing. He slowly walked over and picked up the call.

“What’s up? Calling at this hour.”

-Can you take the call right now?

“Sure.”

Maru put his phone between his ear and shoulder before picking up the kettle that
finished boiling the water.

“So, how was your visit to the agency? Did it go well?

-For now, I think so.

“You sound quite listless despite what you’re saying.”

Maru said that as he smiled. He would subconsciously smile whenever he talked to

her. He listened to her, who seemed like she was about to start complaining to him at
any second while picking up his coffee cup.

-I just heard a bunch of things.

“That’s good. I just made some coffee. Tell me some of those bunch of things, so that I
can drink while listening to you.”

-I’ll be a bit long, though.

“It’s only midnight. We have plenty of time. But aren’t you tired? You usually tire
yourself out to sleep by 11.”

-I just had a lot to think about.

“What a coincidence, I’m also worried because I’m thinking too much.”
-What happened?

“I was researching someone. I almost feel like I can get a grasp, so I end up thinking
quite a lot.”

-I’m not sure what it is, but take it easy. Don’t push yourself.

“I am going to. Now tell me. What happened at the place you were recommended to.”

Maru sat down on the sofa and played the video. As he muted it, the video
progressed without any sound. The person on the other side of the phone did not
speak either for a while.

Feeling that the silence before the conversation was especially long today, Maru took
a sip of his coffee.
-Do you think it’s right for me to do it?

She spoke with very little confidence, which he had never heard her frequently do
before. The voice even sounded a little tragic, which made Maru cautious with saying
his words.

“I want to hear your decision first.”

-I want to continue acting. I also want to stand on the same stage as you.

“I’m with you on that. There would be nothing more enjoyable than working on the
same piece as you. In that sense, I’m in favor of you joining an agency. That president,
while she said those words, I think she’s a good person. No, leaving aside whether
she’s a good person or not, I’m sure that she doesn’t treat other people lightly.
Business skills are important, but sometimes, their character is important as well.
The fact that she tried to scare you might be for your sake, or maybe she had a
completely different motive, but I like the fact that she didn’t try to lure you into
joining with sugar coated words.”

-I feel the same. She definitely looked like someone who makes her intentions clear. I
also liked how she didn’t just push a contract in my face because of the
recommendation. It’s just that…

“You’re concerned about the image making that she’s talking about?”

-It’s a bit iffy. I know in my mind. This is business after all. I know that I can’t act
immaturely and demand that everything is done the way I want. But I get cautious
since it’s related to acting. If, and I’m just assuming here, I don’t get any of the roles
that the president has picked for me, I wouldn’t be able to act at all while I’m in the
agency.

“If the president is like how I think she is, then I guess it would definitely be like
that.”

-That’s what I’m a little concerned about. I will hear about the details of the contract
on my next visit, but I got the general content through text. Wait a sec.

She hung up for a while before calling again.

-It will be an exclusive contract, and the contract period will be 7 years. During that
period, everything related to the entertainment industry has to be done through the
industry, and if I make a mistake during the contract period which damages the
reputation of the company, I will have to pay the contract penalty that was agreed
upon at the time of the contract. She told me that that’s the most important part.

“It’s usually around 7 to 10 years. How was the atmosphere at the company?”

-It was really good. It looked like there was no barrier between the president and the
employees.

“Did they not look like they were on too close terms?”

-They looked like they respected each other. It was only for a brief moment, but I felt
that they were treating everyone else like coworkers.

“If you felt so, then I guess the company itself must be very good. Honestly speaking,
I don’t think a ranking system is always just good or bad. If there’s a clear hierarchy,
it might not bring out the proactivity of the members, but it will definitely be more
efficient. If it felt like there was no order because everyone treated each other like
friends, it would be a bad thing, but if you felt that they had respect for each other as
colleagues, it might really be a good place.”

-If I do sign a contract, I do want to do it with this agency. I will have to know more to
be sure, but I think the president is a good person as well.

“When are you signing the contract? Did you get a specific date?”

-No, but I think I should do it as early as I can.

“You talked to your mother about it, right?”

-Mom told me that I should do what I want. She’ll just go with me to the company for
the contract as long as I’ve made a decision.

“She raises her child strongly. So it comes down to your decision in the end. From
what I’m hearing, I think you’ve already made up your mind though?”

-Like you said, this is an opportunity after all. I won’t know when I’ll get the chance
again. If I do join, I will have to start over from the basics, but that puts me at ease
instead. I’m quite lacking right now after all.

“Then sign the contract. The people there are decent, and there wasn’t any bad news
about that place, was there?”

-I did look it up, but I didn’t find anything.

“Hm, can you wait for a little? You said the agency was named Hwan, right?”

-Yeah.

“I’ll call you back. Give me 10 minutes.”

After hanging up, Maru sent a text message to Joohyun. What he said was pretty
simple - can I ask you for the favor you promised last time?. Instead of a reply, he got
a call back. It didn’t even take 10 seconds.

-It’s midnight right now.

“Sorry, I usually would have never called you at this hour, but I had no choice.”

-I was a little surprised when I got your text. You’re quite sensitive when it comes to
etiquette, yet you sent a text at this hour. So, what is it that you want help with?
Considering what you did for Bangjoo, I am willing to do quite a lot.

“It’s just that the information I need is hard to access as an ordinary person, so you
were the only one that came to mind.”

-What is it?

“Do you know about an entertainment agency named Hwan?”

-Hwan? I do. Ahyoung-unni is there after all.

“Ahyoung?”
Maru rewinded the videotape with the remote control in front of him. He then
played it back again. He looked at the woman with the confident smile and spoke
again,

“Is it perhaps the Ahyoung who used to be in the theater troupe Yechoen? I don’t
know her surname, sorry.”

-She is, but how do you know Yecheon?

“I met director Lee Jincheol a little while ago. I got some videotape recordings of
Yecheon from him.”

-Director Lee Jincheol?

“Yes.”

-That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I did call him a couple of times, but
after something happened, we never contacted each other. Is he doing well?

“He got married and is doing well.”

-Ah, right. I heard that he got married to Jinjoo-unni. How nostalgic. It’s a place that
contains my studenthood after all. But wait, videotapes? Am I in them as well?

“Yep, you’re here alright.”

-That doesn’t feel that good. Wasn’t I like… a little cocky when I was young?

“Not really. You’re completely the same as you are now.”

-That doesn’t sound like a compliment to me. Why did you get those videos?

“You know the person called Jung Haejoo, right? I wanted to have a look at her
acting.”

-… Haejoo-unni, huh. Do you perhaps remember what I asked you before?

Maru leaned on the sofa as he replied,

“Yes. You asked me if I know Jung Haejoo. Well, things happened and it reached this
point. Can I ask why you asked me such a question back then?”

-Because you’re similar.

“Similar?

-Yes, you and Haejoo-unni.

“In what aspect?”

-Your acting methods. You told me back then right? That when you act, there’s
another self that looks at you from an objective perspective. Unni said a similar
thing. She said that if she took a step back, she would see another one of herself and
that acting with that girl was too much fun. This is interesting. So you ended up
finding out after all.

“That’s quite surprising.”

-Speaking of videotapes, when were they taken? I remember taking quite a lot of
recordings.

“I’m watching the ones taken in 1987 right now, and I received up to January 1989.
There’s about sixty of them.”

-1987, huh. That’s a long time ago. How is she? The Haejoo-unni on the screen, I
mean.

“She looks like a charming person.”

-What about from the perspective of acting?

“I don’t know yet. I see some things that I can learn, but nothing that amazing. Once I
get to 1988, I guess I will be able to see her polished acting skills that our president
fell in love with.”

-You can look forward to it. She was incredible back then.

After that, Joohyun didn’t speak for a while. Maru waited patiently. He didn’t want to
interrupt Joohyun as she was reminiscing about the past.
-Hm, let’s leave the old stories here for now. You said you wanted to know something
after all. Hwan, huh. It’s a good company. I’ve talked to a couple of actors who belong
to that agency, and they all have high opinions about it. I’m not sure about new
actors, but as far as I know, the treatment there for veteran actors is very good. Also,
I heard that they weren’t nurturing new actors because they are stressing the music
side. Is someone you know going to join?

“She said she might sign a contract, so I thought I’d look into it.”

-Looks like she must be important to you. If you’re messaging me at this hour.

Maru replaced his answer with a small laugh.

-For now, they have a good reputation here. I haven’t heard of them having any
discord, and above all, Ahyoung-unni is someone worth trusting. She’s a little overly
sensitive when it comes to money, but she doesn’t let money direct her ways. In fact,
she’s the type who controls the money. Hm, her strong point is that she doesn’t fear
losses. Though, that’s pretty obvious from the fact that she’s investing in singers
even though it’s not going well. As long as that person doesn’t make a mistake, she
will keep holding onto that person’s hands. I’m planning to switch to that place once
my exclusive contract with Yellow Star is over.

“You just said something that puts my mind at ease. If it’s a place you can trust, I
guess I can rest assured.”

-Don’t trust me too much. I might be slightly biased since Ahyoung-unni is someone I
know. I can tell you for sure though, that it’s not one of those trashy companies who
run off with the money, so tell the person signing the contract that Hwan can be
trusted.

“Alright. I’ll tell her that.”

-Is your business over now then?

“Yes. Sorry for calling you late at night.”

-It’s fine. I was watching TV anyway. Just keep watching over Bangjoo so that he
doesn’t cause trouble. I’ll hang up now then.

“Have a good night.”

Maru sighed in relief as he hung up. The reason he called Joohyun was because she
had once been wounded by the entertainment industry. She was still active in the
entertainment industry, but her despise towards trashy companies shouldn’t have
disappeared. Yet such a person said that the agency was trustable. From the
impression she got from looking around the company, Joohyun’s evaluation, as well
as the articles about Hwan in the news, it seemed to be sufficient to be her first
company.

He called her back again. As soon as the signal sounded, she picked up the call.

“I asked someone I know, and she said it's a reliable company.”

-Can I ask who you asked?

“Senior Ahn Joohyun.”

-Really?

“Yeah. She seems acquainted with the president there as well. She’s not someone
who would be biased because of personal connections, so I think it’s worth trusting.
The only thing on my mind is her opinions about your first work, but honestly
speaking, I agree with the president.”

-Why?

“Since you’re doing it, don’t you want to become an actress that sells well?”

Maru continued speaking after picking up his coffee cup.

“I definitely want to. Art is good, but to me, acting is a form of labor that I enjoy, and
it would be troublesome if it doesn’t become a splendid means of income. I would
one day have to feed my family with it, so I wouldn’t want to become an actor who
doesn’t have value.”

-I’m the same. I mean, everyone would be like that. No one wants to stay being a
nameless actor.

“That’s why the president suggested such a thing to you. It might be bias or even
discrimination against women, but the reality is that image still matters a lot to
actresses. Not just anyone can be like senior Joohyun. I believe that she managed to
make a splendid comeback only because she had proven her acting skills by the time
she got caught up in something bad. Without popularity, you can’t even prove
yourself in the industry. That’s just the way it works, and you should know that.”

-What if I never get to do anything decent for seven years?

“You aren’t going to be doing nothing for those seven years. In seven years, you’ll be
26. Don’t you think you’ll be in your prime as an actress? It’s the age where mature
charm coexists with the purity of youth. Even if you end up not doing any activity for
the next seven years due to a series of absurd coincidences, it doesn’t mean that it’s
over for you. Also, if the agency is intentionally not letting you do anything, you can
sue them as well. Once you start worrying, it will never end. You have to start
something one day. What do you think? I think you’re plenty ready to start things
off.”

-Do you think I can do it?

“You can do it.”

-Good, I’ll do it then. I’ll try.

“You actually made your decision before you called me, didn’t you?”

-Not entirely, but I was leaning towards it. I wanted to hear your opinion for some
reason though.

“Would you not have done it if I told you not to?”

-I’m not sure. But I think that I might not have done it.

“That makes me happy, and a little awkward.”

-Why? You don’t like me relying on you?

“No. It’s awkward because I feel way too happy. I feel like it’s the first time you told
me your worries of your own accord. Now I feel like you’ve opened up to me. I guess
the only thing left now is to open up when farting, huh.”

-You always stray off to weird directions, you know?

“That’s what’s good about me.”

-Right, that’s your charm. Oh, one more thing. Actually, I’m gathering some opinions
about this since it’s a pretty important thing.

“What is it?”

-A stage name.

“A stage name?”

-I heard that a lot of people use the same name as mine. Apparently, there’s also an
actor who used the same name as me before.

“Ah, right. I guess it is pretty common. So? What did you decide on?”

-Nothing yet. I thought about it, but nothing really came to mind. Mom’s the same.
Actually, my mom might be good at writing novels, but she has a terrible naming
sense.

“Don’t say that. Your name is really cool. I really like it because it feels similar to
mine.”

-Dad named me.

“Did he?”

He felt like he heard this once before. Maru felt like there was a vague error in his
memory, but he didn’t think deeply about it.

-Did anything come to your mind? I’m going to come up with a few and talk about
them when I write the contract.

“Now that you say it, I don’t think anything comes to mind.”

-Right?

“Are you going to change your surname as well?”

-No, I’m going to leave it be. Just my given name.

“So I guess, it’s still Han, huh.”

-Yep.

“I think about this sometimes, but if I met you ten-or-so years ago, we wouldn’t have
been able to get married because we have the same surname and lineage[1].”

-You’re always on about marriage. I forbid you from talking about it from now on.

“It’s one of my only joys in life though.”

-Quit joking. Anyway, don’t you have anything good? Just tell me one. I’ll go to sleep
afterwards.

“Well, then.”

He faintly smiled and looked at the ceiling. A name popped up in his mind. He was
surprised by the two characters that filled up his head. He was even given the feeling
that this has to be the one.

“I got one. It’s the commonality of our two names.”

-I wonder what it is?

“Gaeul[2]. Han Gaeul. It’s a pure Korean[3] name. Don’t you think it’s pretty?”

-Han… Gaeul. It’s pretty. It sticks to the mouth too.

“It’s just one option, so think about other options as well. There must be many good
names out there.”

-Okay. But I quite like Gaeul, you know?

“I’d be honored if you use it.”

Then good night - Maru whispered before closing his phone. The night winds slightly
blew into his house from the slightly open window. Perhaps due to the fresh air, he
felt a slight pain in one corner of his heart. It was quite weird.

“They say you become emotional with time.”

Maru sipped some of his cooled coffee before picking up the remote.

The night was still young.

[1]Here, ‘lineage’ refers to your family descent. Most commonly noted by ‘region’
then ‘surname’. For example, “I am a Choi from XX region”. Marriage between those of
the same ‘lineage’ was forbidden until it was officially changed by law officially in
2005 (same year in the novel) but people have been ignoring it for quite a long time,
since this ancestry/lineage was never a rigorous concept in terms of genetics (A
child would blindly follow the father’s lineage; it was possible to ‘buy’ lineage with
money; and many records were lost in the 20th century due to war.). In this case,
Maru and his GF must be a Han surname from the same region. If they are two
different Hans from two different regions, the law wouldn’t have applied to them.

[2] Means autumn

[3] Meaning it doesn’t have a Hanja representation.

“This is a neat-looking company.”

She grabbed onto her mother’s arm, as her mother looked around all over the place.
Somehow, they were gathering a lot of attention. After waiting for a while in the
lobby on the 1st floor, they were guided to the president’s office on the 4th floor.

“Welcome. I am Yoo Ahyoung, the one managing this company.”

“Oh, yes. I am this kid’s mother. The interior design is really good.”

“I put a lot of effort into it. Also, nice to see you again. And thank you for contacting
me back so early.”

Ahyoung offered for them to take a seat. She sat down on the sofa with her mother.

“You have heard about the general gist of things, yes?”

“Yes. But are you really okay with accepting my girl?”

“Of course I am. In fact, I’m looking forward to it. I am sure that she will raise the
value of our company. Would you like some tea first?”

“Sure.”

Ahyoung left the room after telling them to wait for a while.

As they waited, her mother looked around the president’s office. For a brief moment,
she saw her mother smiling faintly. She looked as though she met a friend of hers.
She wondered what her mother saw.

Not long later, Ahyoung returned with some pretty-looking pottery.

“It’s a hobby of mine. I hope you like it.”

“I like tea too. Is it red tea?”

“Yes. If you want, there’s milk too.”

“No thanks. I like tea by itself.”

“You have similar preferences to mine.”

Red tea was poured into the transparent cup. She took in a sniff of the fragrance that
wafted into the room and felt her tense body relaxing a little. She met eyes with
Ahyoung who asked if it was good. She curtly replied ‘yes’.

“If she was an adult, I would have asked her to sign a contract on the spot, but in the
case of minors, a parent or guardian needs to be present. There are cases where this
isn’t the case, but it is the tradition, so please understand.”

“In any case, doing everything neatly is good. Like this tea.”

Her mother and Ahyoung smiled at each other.

She found the eyes of sharp observers between the two warm smiles. The two
people seemed to have started probing each other out. Whether it was in an official
place or not, she never saw her mother lose in a battle of wits. Even when the editor
sometimes comes to their house to beg her mother for a manuscript, her mother
would always put on her neat smile and maintain her usual calmness. Her editor
would become more and more fatigued as time went by, and it was to the point that
she would sometimes give her a drink in secret and cheer her on.

“For now, this is the contract form.”

“May I read it?”

“Of course. Let’s talk again once you’re done reading.”

There were two copies of the contract. While her mother carefully went over the
contract, Ahyoung pushed the other copy to her side.

“You should read it as well.”

“Yes.”

When she read the words 'exclusive contract’ at the top, it finally came to her that
she was stepping into the entertainment industry. She took a deep breath before
reading the form below. The wall of text that filled the entirety of the page made her
feel suffocated. There were many difficult words and terminology that made it hard
to understand if she did not read it in detail.

“You don’t write standard contracts, huh?”

“That’s because we include intangible assets. Also, to be clear, she is not in a state
where she can bring us profit. It’s not like she’ll be working at our company either.
Most of her time will be spent on education, so standard contracts are meaningless.”

“That’s true. Then what happens to the deposit?”

“The exclusive contract deposit is 14 million won. It’s paid in one go, but will be
taxed over 7 years, 2 million won each time. It will be amortized under activity fees
after her debut.”

“What’s this clause about development expenses?”

“It’s money we invest in her. This money will also be amortized after the debut. Of
course, most of the time, we just ignore it when we extend the contract. She’ll get
treated according to her name value.”

“So it’s a conditional debt in a sense?”

“Yes. It’s a debt for us. Even if she does not produce any profit in the 7 years after she
signs the contract, there will be no monetary losses for her. However, that’s not in the
best interests of either of us. Gaining as much as the investment, if not more, is how
people feel after all. Since we’re doing it, isn’t it better to earn a lot?”

“Money is not always right, but it’s right most of the time. Now that I actually see it,
the entertainment business is pretty risky, huh. There must be cases where you don’t
make money off your investment.”

“That’s why over a dozen agencies appear and disappear every year. Perhaps an
entertainment agency is similar to gambling. Doing things little by little doesn’t
guarantee that you’ll make it, but if you do make it, it’s a huge jackpot.”

These two looked like they were at each other’s throats. She put down the contract
after reading it until the end. The contract was just like what she had heard, and
there were no major differences. Her mother, who had stamped several contracts,
said that there were no problems, so it was definitely a normal contract.

“Hey, you seem to like that book, huh?”

Her mother pointed at the one book that was placed on the display case next to the
president’s desk. The moment she had a look at the cover of that book, she
understood the meaning behind her mother’s smile from before.

“That book? It’s a new work from a favorite writer of mine. It’s a romance novel, and
I end up reading it without noticing the passage of time once I start.”

Ahyoung said that while brightening up. Her good feelings towards the book could
be felt from her words. She could see her mother’s smile becoming thicker. It wasn’t
surprising, since it was her own writing that was being complimented.

“As awkward as it is for me to say it in a place like this, I wrote that book.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes.”

“You are writer Choi Haesoo? Oh my god, wait a sec.”

Ahyoung stood up before hurriedly moving somewhere. After a while, Ahyoung

returned with her hands full of books. They were all her mother’s novels. There was
even an essay.

“You bought all of them?”

“Of course. You won’t know how much I advertised these books to my friends.”

“Thank you for that. Perhaps the slowly increasing income of mine might have been
thanks to you, president.”

“Uhm, can you give me an autograph right here? I really enjoyed this book. I was
thinking that it would be really good as a drama.”

“Hm, actually, there are already talks about publication rights on adaptations. This is
not set in stone though, so don’t go talking about it to others.”
“Really? Tell me once the adaptation is decided. I will put any actor you want in the
drama.”

“Thank you for that. Oh, I saw Mr. Yoo Jihoon’s photo just now.”

“He’s with us.”

“If it ever does happen, I’d like to ask for him. I really like him.”

“Don’t worry about that. As long as the script is good, I will definitely make him do it.
But oh man, I would have never imagined that you were my favorite author. Uhm,
shall we eat out somewhere? There are so many things I want to ask. The contract
matter is done after all.”

“Rather than eating out, I’d like a light drink.”

“A light drink, huh. I’d love to do that. But your daughter…”

“Let’s just finish up with her first and have a get-together with just us adult women,
shall we?”

“I think I’m about to become a passionate fan of yours.”

Ahyoung smiled and put the two contracts side by side.

“If you don’t have any objections, shall we stamp the contract for now?”

Her mother looked at her, as though the final decision was up to her. She took out the
stamp that she brought with her.

“If it’s someone who has signed multiple contracts, I or the head manager would be
the one to do it, but since it’s your first contract, you should try stamping it yourself.
It feels different after all. Oh, you can use this stamp ink.”

She put her stamp on the red stamp ink. She pressed deeply before placing her hands
above the contracts. Her hands shook. She took a deep breath before stamping in the
middle of the two contracts placed side by side. She stamped deeply to the point that
her hands were shaking before lifting it up again. The moment she saw her name
stamped between the two copies of the contract, she sighed out in relief.
“Hey, there’s more to go, you know?”

Ahyoung smiled and flipped over to the next page. She smiled awkwardly before
stamping all the pages. After stamping everything, Ahyoung put one copy in an
envelope before handing it over to her. She looked at Ahyoung’s hand for a moment
before grabbing it.

“I will definitely make sure that you won’t regret coming to us.”

“Please take care of me.”

After shaking hands once, she let go. Only then did she realize that her palms were
sweaty.

“Oh, and about your stage name. Did you think about it? It’s not that you have to
decide on it now, but the quicker the better. There’s a superstition that calling people
by their stage names will make them lucky.”

“Uhm, there’s one.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“It’s Han Gaeul.”

“Han Gaeul?”

Ahyoung contemplated for a while before smiling.

“That’s decent. If it was something strange, I was going to go to a naming center and
get one from there. Han Gaeul, Han Gaeul, huh. There’s no one who uses the same
name, and it’s easy enough to pronounce. Above all, it’s an actress-like name. What
do you think, writer?”

“If my girl’s okay with it, I’m okay with it too.”

“Then I guess I should call you Han Gaeul from now on. Also, tell the people around
you to call you that from time to time. If you get famous, you’ll get called by that
name more often than your real name. It’s also to get more luck.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

“I guess that’s done now then. Well then, shall we go out to have a drink, writer?”

“Sure.”

The two looked like long-time friends. She blinked a few times before standing up
with the contract in hand.

“Han… I mean, dear Miss Han Gaeul should go back first. Mom will talk with the
president here before going home.”

“Gaeul, take a look around the company. If you put this around your neck, you won’t
be stopped from going anywhere, so you can visit anywhere you like.”

Ahyoung gave her the company ID card she was wearing.

She - Gaeul - looked at the company ID card in her hands. The two women had
already left the room. Alone in the president’s office, Gaeul looked around and took
in the scenery into her eyes.

“So I really signed the contract.”

Her heart raced. She lifted the contract in her arms up high. It’s not a dream, right? -
she tried pinching her cheeks. The pain told her that it was indeed not a dream. She
stared at the contract for a while before coming to herself. She left the president’s
room. As the 4th floor was an office space, the entire floor was quiet. She looked at
the people standing at their desks drinking coffee, and happily chatting to other
people before heading to the staircase.

“It was this place, right?”

She used this staircase to go to the 5th floor with Ahyoung last time. She looked at
the colorful stairs before climbing up step by step. Eventually, she was greeted by a
door painted blue. She pressed down on the doorknob before pushing it. A cool wind
brushed past her body. The green grass, the beach chairs… There were quite a lot of
people resting on the grass. Some of them were even eating. No one seemed to mind
who came up here. There was a sense of liberty, so Gaeul boldly stepped outside.

She walked up to the banister and looked around the scenery. To the left were
towering buildings, and to the right were houses and shopping complexes. She never
knew before this moment that standing in the middle of Seoul was such an exciting
thing. Ah, so this place is my agency now - she thought.

She embraced the strange feeling that was mixed with expectation and unease. Just
then, she heard a voice behind her.

“Hyung, get up.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“This is why I never let you come here. The president also said that you were
forbidden from using the beach chair, didn’t she?”

“I can’t help it. It’s so warm up here. I might as well live here. This place is better
than our house.”

“It’s true that this place is better than our house, but you’re being a disturbance by
being here. Other people should rest too. Now, get up!”

The boy that seemed to be the little brother dragged the big brother onto the grass.
The people around looked at them and giggled. They seemed used to seeing it.

“My little brother, you should lie down as well. This place is heavenly. Ah, I really
want to live here.”

“You’re almost late for practice.”

“It’s fine. It will be fine. Time is generous, isn’t it?”

“Who said that? Stop being lazy and move!”

When the little brother glared at the big brother, the big brother, who was lying
down on the ground like a sloth, finally stood up slowly. It was a little funny to see
that the big brother was submissive to the little brother. Just then, Gaeul
subconsciously bowed to them to greet them. The two greeted back, and the little
brother’s greeting was the very definition of politeness, in contrast to the big brother
that greeted while almost leaning sideways like a deflated balloon. He looked very
tired.

“Hyung, this isn’t good. You should wash your face first.”
“Can I not get washed?”

“Really? You should wash your hair as well.”

“I just washed my hair yesterday.”

“If you’re human, you should wash it once a day, or even twice.”

“You know what? You’re being too cruel to me lately.”

“I can’t help it since I’m your manager. Just accept it. Now, stand up.”

The big brother was dragged by the little brother. Gaeul giggled and looked at them
until the door closed behind them. This company seemed to have some very
interesting people.
“Why are there so many people who are good at acting these days?”

Joomin sat down while sighing. Dongho also nodded.

“Apparently, he’s training to be an idol.”

“An idol?”

“You didn’t know that, noona?”

“I didn’t.”

“I asked and apparently he’s going to make his debut soon.”

“An idol, huh. Is that why he looks polished?”

The two people looked at the boy they were talking about. Maru also followed their
eyes. Ever since New Semester started its school bullying arc, they got a new
character, which was played by him. He had joined them a while ago and was
shooting with them.

“Are idols equivalent to general entertainers these days?” Joomin wondered as she
rested her chin on her hands.

“They do everything. Don’t you think he’ll gain quite a bit of popularity when he
makes his debut? What do you think, noona? Does his face work on girls?”

“Well, he does have a pretty face. It’s not a face that I like that much, but I don’t hate
it either. It’s just moderately good, I guess?”

“Looks like he’ll definitely make it big then. I should’ve tried to be an idol too.”

“With a face like that?”

“What’s so bad about my face?”

“Nothing, I mean that you’ll do well. You should definitely make your debut later. Oh,
yeah. You remember the last time we went to the noraebang together, right?”

Hearing Joomin’s comment, Dongho shut himself up.

If it was about the noraebang, Maru remembered that as well. The always confident
and proud Dongho was strangely quiet at the noraebang and thinking that it was
strange, Joomin forced him to take the microphone. Following that, a song that
completely ignored pitch and rhythm could be heard. Ever since that day, Dongho
wouldn’t give a glance to such places.

“Maru, what do you think? Don’t you think he’s pretty good at acting?”

“He is. Producer Park Hoon didn’t make comment about him either.”

“That’s true, he scolded all of us once.”

Joomin seemed a little dejected when she thought about how all of them were
scolded before.

“A friend of mine is also preparing to become an idol, and it’s really no joke. Noona,
you haven’t seen aspiring idols during training, have you? They learn something
every single hour like squirrels on squirrel wheels. There are those that only prepare
their singing and dancing, but these days, the trend is for them to compose and write
their own songs or even do acting.”

Dongho locked his fingers and put them behind his head.

“That makes me worried. Do you think we need to learn some specialties too?”

“I thought you majored in chemical engineering. Why don’t you go with a smart
image? You should go to Seoul University then.”

“Seoul University isn’t the name of someone’s dog’s house. It’s not a place you can
get into just because you want to. Anyways, Dongho, why don’t you go with an actor
who’s terrible at singing?”

“Stop teasing. There are only four verses in the national anthem, yet you were trying
to sing a fifth. I’m never going to a noraebang again.”
“Let’s go again. I think that was the biggest laughing moment in my life. Where would
I see something like that again?”

While Joomin and Dongho quarrelled with each other, Maru read the text he got from
her yesterday.

-I signed the contract. I guess this is the beginning for me now, too. I feel uneasy, but
I’m more excited than uneasy. I feel like I’m getting a sense of belonging here already.
Since I’m doing this, my aim is to be an actress with 10 million views!

He could imagine her jumping around while making that text. Everything had
changed now. While they might have started off on the same line, her life had
definitely taken a different path now. The steering wheel of the car that was driving
down the road of life had been turned. It turned onto a new road, and ahead was the
unknown. Her life of entering a theater troupe had been erased. What was left was a
blank diary that would be written over.

“What is it? Did something good happen?” Joomin asked.

“A friend of mine signed a contract with an agency. Her dream was to become an
actress, so I’m relieved. I was actually quite worried.”

“Which agency?”

“Hwan.”

“That’s a good place. I’ve never been there, but there are many good rumors about
them.”

Joomin’s words put him at ease one more time. He checked over and over again, but
since this was related to her, he couldn’t help but be concerned about it. Whenever
people around him said that Hwan was a good agency, he felt relieved, and at those
times, he realized just how much he loved her.

He was about to put his phone away after checking the text when his phone vibrated.
He got another text from her.

-There’s something I didn’t tell you yesterday. You probably won’t be seeing this right
away since you’re in a shoot, right? It’s about the stage name. It’s been decided that
I’ll go with Han Gaeul. The president likes it so call me Han Gaeul a lot in the future.
Apparently, being called by my stage name will make me lucky. While I don’t believe
in things like that, now that I’m in such a situation myself, I end up believing it.
You’re the first one to know that my stage name is Han Gaeul. Of course, except mom
and the president. Work hard during the shooting. Also, thanks.

“Han Gaeul.”

Maru rolled that name several times in his mouth. It was a name that made him
smile warmly. Han Gaeul. He decided to call her that loudly the next time they met.

“Uhm, Han Maru, right?”

Maru raised his head when he heard a voice interrupt his thoughts. The actor that
was participating in the drama as the bullied kid for three episodes was standing in
front of him.

“Uh, yeah.”

While they were introduced to each other as a group, he never got to know this
person personally. Other than the fact that his name was Song Siwoo and that he was
an aspiring idol, he knew nothing about him. The fact that he was an aspiring idol
was also something he just found out thanks to Dongho.

“Do you perhaps know Heewon and Haewon?”

“Heewon and Haewon?”

Just as he was thinking that they were unfamiliar names, the name Hwasoo High
flashed past his mind. He was reminded of the faces of the brothers he met last year.
The lazy-looking big brother and the very quick-witted little brother. The big brother
was Lee Heewon and the little brother was Lee Haewon.

“I do.”

“I knew it. A couple of peculiar kids entered our agency last year. Lee Heewon and
Lee Haewon. It was pretty peculiar since the little brother is the manager of the big
brother. I talked to them out of curiosity and we ended up talking about you.”

“Really? So he got into an agency too, huh. Why would you talk about me though?”
“Haewon said that it was thanks to you that they could join the agency.”

“I didn’t do anything. I just told them the location of Film, the academy. The fact that
he managed to join an agency probably means that he stood out even at Film.”

Lee Heewon. He was a peculiar guy. He didn’t have a clear image of the guy since he
only met the guy a couple of times, but the acting he showed was deeply engraved in
his mind. Perhaps that was what it would look like at the epitome of instinctive
acting. His acting did not use any of the standard methods or gestures of acting and
yet still managed to pop out. It was something that only he could do. If another
young actor tried to imitate the way he acted, it would either be overly exaggerated
or look strange.

“Do you know Heewon well?”

“No, I only met him a couple of times.”

“Really? From what Haewon said, it sounded like you were close.”

“I talked to Haewon for a bit, so I guess I’m closer to him than I am to Heewon. But I
still can’t call it ‘close’. We’ve never contacted each other since last year. Oh, I guess I
did receive a message of thanks. Anyways, why would you come to me to ask about
Lee Heewon?”

“Because he’s pretty strange. We get the same acting lessons, and what should I call
it… it feels like he’s living in a world of his own. The instructor doesn’t touch him
either and just gives him assignments.”

“Why didn’t you try talking to him?”

“He couldn’t be bothered with anything in life, so I don’t get a satisfying answer even
if I ask him something. Having Haewon next to him makes it a little better, but
Heewon is the only one there during practice. Oh, yeah. Did you hear this from him
as well? That he can see colors from emotions?”

“I did. He said it himself.”

“Do you think that makes sense?”

“I don’t see why it would not.”

In a world where a dead man comes back to life, what wouldn’t make sense? Maru
smiled as he looked at Siwoo.

“Acting is something hard to describe, isn’t it? Heewon should feel like that too.”

“Is that how it is?”

Siwoo scratched his head before flinching and taking a step back. He seemed to have
realized that Dongho and Joomin were staring at him. Siwoo, who probably had no
idea that he was the topic of conversation until just now, looked at the two people
alternately, clearly clueless.

“Uhm, can I ask you one thing?” Joomin asked.

“Ah, yes.”

“I heard that you were an aspiring idol, am I right?”

“Yes. We formed a team and we’re getting ready. I think we’ll be able to make our
debut soon.”

“Idols usually sing and dance, don’t they? Do you have to learn acting too?”

“Hm, these days, the boundary between the two has thinned quite a lot. It’s thanks to
the seniors of TTO. Before, everyone glared at idols when they were trying to do
acting, but it’s not like that these days. In fact, I believe that making a debut as an idol
has its advantages.”

“That’s true.”

Joomin nodded. Her expression wasn’t that bright. Rather than being dissatisfied
with idols, it seemed that she was worried about the fact that the position of actors
was being narrowed.

“Isn’t it hard to act while being an idol?” Dongho asked.

His words contained thorns. Siwoo also seemed to have noticed the dissatisfaction in
his gaze and smiled awkwardly.

“I’ve never taken acting lightly. I’m putting in just as much effort as the others, if not
more. I can’t have people swearing at all idols because of me.”

“No, well. It’s a world where focusing on one thing is hard enough, and focusing on
two things is a bit…”

Just as Dongho got up to that point, Maru covered Dongho’s mouth. Dongho flinched
before moving his head backwards.

“You were good. I’m sure you’ll become a good actor.”

“Ah, uh. Thanks. I’m also watching your acting a lot. I think I have a lot to learn from
you. It’d be good to talk again later. We’re friends who are both learning acting, aren’t
we?”

Siwoo slightly bowed before returning to Yeseul and Giwoo. Yeseul, who was glaring
at this side, probably because of Siwoo, turned her eyes away. Giwoo was
maintaining his polite smile.

“You should’ve been harsh on him at this opportunity!”

“You know well that that’s no different from embarrassing yourself. He’s good at
acting. Isn’t that good enough? Not only that, he can dance and sing as well. You said
it yourself, didn’t you? That idols have a huge amount of practice to do. If you look
down on something he’s practiced so hard to gain, what does that make us, who are
on a similar level to him?”

“I know, but it’s annoying. You know it too, don’t you? That acting is only a form of
insurance for them. If it doesn’t work out for him, he’ll just change lanes to singing
and dancing and come back later. I don’t like that.”

“Do you think he’s going to beat you at acting?”

“Me? Hell no!”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about, right?”

“That’s true, but still.”

“Now then. Let’s have a look at the script one more time. Being harsh on him when
he came here to greet us with a smile is something you shouldn’t do. If you want to
tell him that acting is not something you do on the side, you should prove that during
the shoot. You should just get the producer to tell you that you’re on a different level.
Of course, I can’t do that, but what about you, noona?”

“I think Dongho’s going to do something big today. I’ll be cheering for you. Should I
tell the director that Dongho’s resolve is different today?”

“F-forget it! I just tried saying it. Do you have to go this far?”

Dongho turned his head away violently like a horse. He was really easy to handle.
Maru exchanged gazes with Joomin and smiled.

“Ah! Hwan!”

Dongho suddenly shouted when he just started reading the script.

“What the heck was that all of a sudden?”

“It’s Hwan.”

“What?”

“He’s also in Hwan.”

Dongho pointed at Siwoo who was sitting behind Maru.

“His agency is Hwan?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you say that a friend of yours joined Hwan? That person is not going to
start off as an idol and switch to being an actor later, right?”

“You’re being too worried. It’s not like that, so don’t worry about it.”

Rather than that, if she was in Hwan, she might have met the brothers already. Maru
texted with one hand to her, Gaeul, about the two brothers.

-Is there someone named Heewon there? If there is, try to stay close to him. You
should be able to learn a lot of things from him. You won’t understand him since his
acting is peculiar, but it will still help to broaden your horizons.
He hit the confirm button. A winged-envelope special character appeared on the
screen before it disappeared.

“Shall we go through our lines?”

That was Giwoo’s voice. Maru looked at the two next to him before standing up.
Gathering at Giwoo’s signal before the shoot began had become a routine for them.
Giwoo was now clearly at the center of the young actors.

“Let’s go,” Maru said