After Story 126

He introduced himself as Park Yeonjin. He was twenty-seven years old, and it had been four years since he started working as a road manager. He had only joined JA recently.

“I will send you the weekly schedule through both messenger and email. If there are any changes, I’ll call you and notify you,” Yeonjin said as he told him his number.

“Okay. Also, you don’t have to be so formal with me,” Maru said.

“I will do that later. Right now, I’m still on probation, so I need to be on the edge. Are you uncomfortable with it?”

“Not at all. Let’s clear up how we call each other when you’re okay with it. I’ll just call you manager until then.”

“Thank you. Also, you have a schedule tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It’s a clothing brand, and they wanted to sponsor you. They said it would be great if you could wear their clothes to your shoots but also that it wouldn’t matter if you didn’t. Instead, they will have your picture on a website. There’s also the matter of receiving clothes once every season and modeling for them, but this is up to you to decide.”

“I should naturally do it without complaints. What’s the brand called?”

“It’s street fashion and the label is ‘POP.’ They’re entering Myungdong and Yoohan Department Store soon too. It’s a decent brand.”

“That sounds like a brand that could make use of popular celebrities.”

“I looked into it a little, and the CEO seems to like taking up a challenge. Promising talent, people often say, right? They contract such actors early on. They can take advantage of the lower contract conditions if the ones they’re contracting are still new.”

“I’m thankful that I’m viewed as a promising talent. What time is the shoot?”

“I’ll be at your house by one. Your hair will be done at a hair shop, while the makeup is supposed to be done on-site. As for the clothes, you’ll be wearing those provided by the brand, so you can wear casual clothes when you leave the house.”

“Then see you tomorrow at one.”

Yeonjin left the café after saying that they should get along from now on. It seemed he was in charge of a few actors other than him.

Maru emptied the coffee and got in his car. He drove to Anyang. When he arrived at Hanbyuk Arts University, he saw a banner on the right.

May, Starlight Theater.

He parked his car and went to the theater. As the play began right as classes were ending, there were quite a lot of people. He went past the crowded entrance and went inside. There was not a single empty seat in the theater. In the end, he waited while leaning against the wall.

“Okay then. We’ll start the play now. Please sit down, and turn your phones on silent.”

Jungah clapped to attract everyone’s attention. The murmuring audience died down and focused.

“We’ll be really thankful if you could respond throughout the play, and there will be a small event afterward, so please watch until the end. Then now, we’ll begin.”

Jungah came down from the stage and walked right through the audience seats. She was heading to the control room at the back of the audience seats.

Maru waved his hand at Jungah while she was on her way.

“Senior! When did you come?”

“Just now.”

“I thought you weren’t coming because you didn’t say anything.”

“My earlier appointment ended early, so I managed to come here just in time. Rather than that, you should go inside. You should turn the lights off.”

“Yes. You should wait around after the end to meet everyone else. Don’t just leave.”

“Okay.”

After Jungah went inside the control room, all the lights inside the theater including the stage lights, were turned off. Only the safety lights on the floor faintly glowed in the dark before the stage lights were turned on alongside some sound of rain.

Maru watched the theater with the mind of a teacher watching his students. Although it was only for a day, he did teach them. There was a hint of him in that stage. If they did well, he would feel proud, and if they made a mistake, he would inwardly flinch.

“I killed the village chief? You got proof of that? People. What era do you think you’re living in? How dare you suspect people first? Besides, what are you guys? Cops? You aren’t cops.”

The stiff actions became rather smooth. There was also power in the voice that spread to the audience seats. Maru could see hints that they practiced hard during this short time.

Even amidst the students who had improved themselves, Park Joohwan was special. His boar-like recklessness that flipped the stage upside down had disappeared and now he was harmonizing with his partnering actors. He was someone who realized three to four things if he was taught one.

Maru had a look at the expressions of the members of the audience. They were all watching the stage in a daze. Their eyes indicated to him that they had forgotten about reality for a moment and were sucked into the world inside the stage. It was a good performance. Neither the audience nor the actors would have any regrets.

Amidst the play, Joohwan came down the stage. He asked the audience, who had become villages for a moment, who the real culprit was. Thanks to the proactive response from the crowd, the play became better.

Soon, the play was near its end. The real culprit had been revealed, and the case was resolved as well.

Although taking care of the aftermath of the emotions raised by the characters left room for improvement, it wasn’t bad to the point that he could call it a flaw. It was really good considering that it was a stage performed by a bunch of students. This was a splendid performance considering that it was free of charge.

The curtain call began. The characters came out from the two side curtains and met on the stage. They grabbed hands and bowed towards the audience.

Joohwan and Sinhye came out last.

The audience also gave them a big round of applause. Maru also clapped from the edge of the audience seats.

The event Jungah mentioned before began. There was an easy quiz about the play and the ones who got it right were given a small present.

“No one got this question right even in our previous performance, and I’d like to see if any of you can answer it! Well then! You saw this person throughout the play, right?”

Sinhye brought a girl who appeared in the play for a brief moment.

“Who knows the name of the character that she played?”

The passionate audience became quiet for the first time. Sinhye and the girl looked like this was only natural and smiled.

“Okay, I’ll give you ten seconds!”

Sinhye counted down, and when it was one, Maru raised his hand slightly. Sinhye narrowed her eyes and looked at him before pointing at him.

“The one standing at the very back! I think you might know the answer. What’s our answer?”

“Chaewon.”

“That’s correct.”

He went on stage alongside the other people who got the questions right. The actors on stage were looking at him while holding back their laughter.

Sinhye started handing out presents starting from the left. The presents were mostly chocolate and snacks.

“That concludes our play. Thank you for visiting, and thank you for watching till the end. The way out is quite narrow, so please be careful. We hope we see you next time!”

The audience left. Jungah, who was in the control room, could be seen leaving.

Maru looked at the snacks in his hands before looking at Sinhye who was right in front of him.

“When did you come?”

“Around the time you started. I see you’ve practiced a lot.”

“We were rebuked, so we had to do our best. But you know that it’s illegal to get presents like this, right? It’s practically inside trading.”

Maru shrugged and opened the packaging. He took out a stick-shaped snack and gave it to Sinhye.

“This is a return payment.”

“For what?”

“Thanks to you, I got to do the commentary for the documentary.”

“You’re going to write it off with just this?”

Sinhye put the snack in her mouth, saying that it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Can you get fried chicken delivered here? I’ll pay for it,” Maru said as he took out his phone.

Sinhye said that it was absolutely possible and added that she liked the sauce version better.

“You can clean up after eating. Well done, everyone.”

The delivery came in no time. They laid out some newspaper on the stage and put fried chicken and beer on it.

“Aren’t you spending too much for a return payment? Twenty chickens and this much beer and fries should cost hundreds of thousands of won,” Sinhye said while looking at the food.

Jungah, who was listening, said that she’d pay for some of it.

“Actually, this is the only time where I can act like a senior. My juniors have shown a great performance, so as the senior, I should congratulate you by opening my wallet. I enjoyed your performance today. It was so good that I felt embarrassed saying something to you before. I can see how much you’ve practiced.”

“I practiced the hardest, more than anyone else,” Joohwan said while picking up a drumstick.

Maru smiled and didn’t respond.

“There’s nothing worse than speaking in front of food. Let’s eat and drink and get drunk, then we clean up the stage and go home, okay?”

“You should sit down as well,” Jungah said.

“I have work tomorrow, so I think I need to get going. I also get bloated easily when I eat, so I can’t eat right now.”

“You’re leaving now? No way.”

When Jungah hinted at everyone, students flocked and grabbed him. They only let him go after forcefully making him sit down.

Joohwan sat right next to him. Whenever Maru tried to stand up, he would put down the chicken he was eating and grab him.

“Where har you ghoing?”

“I’m not going anywhere, so eat before you speak. You’re spraying food everywhere.”

Maru pushed Joohwan’s chin to move him away. It had been a long time since he was in a rowdy atmosphere like this. He felt like he was back in the days at the theater troupe. It was distant, yet still warm.

He really wished to drink with them to the end, but he had a schedule for tomorrow. He did not empty his glass of beer until the end.

Although he drank the first glass out of courtesy, he didn’t touch it after that.

“I told everyone around me to watch the documentary.”

“Me too.”

The students all chimed in. As the documentary showed unprecedented levels of viewing rate, everyone said that they watched it.

“Dad told me that he wants to use you as the narrator next time as well.”

“Tell him to call me any time. I’ll definitely make the time for it.”

“I’m going to tell him word-for-word, okay? You can’t make excuses later.”

Sinhye took out her phone. She wrote a text message on the spot and showed him.

“People around you look for you, right? I heard people would reach out to you if you become controversial,” Jungah asked. She was an aspiring producer, so she seemed interested in how things worked in the industry.

“Not that much. Compared to the times I got nothing, it did increase quite a lot, but many places are giving me absurd contract conditions, so there’s not much left once you filter all those out.”

“Did you get any work to do? Someone on your level must get a lot. It’s been some time since the drama ended too.”

“I’ll be in a film that’s released in July as a minor character. Other than that, there’s nothing. I also want to work, but there aren’t many places that call for me.”

“They all can’t see you properly or they don’t have eyes,” Joohwan said, his face beet red.

He still wasn’t good with alcohol.

“You’re the best among your peers. No, you have to be the best. If you aren’t the best, it just means that I don’t amount to much either. So go and work quickly.”

“Do you think I can shoot a film or a drama by myself? I can only shoot one if people need me.”

Joohwan, who talked by himself about how Maru should shoot something, eventually curled up and fell to the side. Someone next to him covered him up with a newspaper. This seemed commonplace as no one seemed to be bothered.

The one that acted as his shackles had fallen down. It was about time he got up.

“I’ll get going first then. You should drink some more before going home.”

“Hey! The senior’s leaving!” Sinhye shouted.

He ended up having everyone see him out of the theater.

“Uhm, senior,” Jungah called out to him at the entrance.

“You shouldn’t be so formal with us the next time we meet. We want to be treated like juniors too.”

“I will.”

“Also, we also want to have our debut and work with you. Senior, don’t be too successful and wait for us. We’ll catch up soon,” one of the others said, and the others chimed in as well.

“Let us all do our best to become good actors.”

He nodded to the juniors who waved their hands before turning around. When he was some distance away from the theater, he turned around. He saw the juniors chatting under the night wind.

They were in good times. They were at an age where having friends to prepare a play together would excite them just by itself.

That was why he was also worried. How many of them would enter the entertainment industry in three years? Perhaps the performance they did today might be the last one in their lives. That was just reality: although everyone dreamed of becoming an actor, not everyone could become one.

He drove his car home. This wasn’t actually the time to worry about his juniors. He was also placed in the middle of reality.

“I’m calling for the schedule tomorrow.”

Maru got out of his car and made a phone call. He had to make various efforts in order to not get kicked around by reality.

It was such a frustrating word, but he couldn’t let go of it either.

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