Chapter 2

### The Recent News of a Million-Dollar Child Actor (1)

It was a refreshing morning.

It felt as if the time bomb inside me had disappeared.

Moreover, today was the only day of the week I had off from my delivery job.

I got up lightly and took a walk around the neighborhood. Even though I ran 5 km more than usual, my body felt lighter.

Nothing had changed, but I felt free.

Only then did I realize that, unconsciously, my father's presence had been steadily weighing me down.

Am I too heartless, not even acknowledging the grace of being born?

Drenched in sweat, I returned home and washed my body with lukewarm water.

"I'm hungry."

I took out a small bowl but then switched to a larger one, pouring milk and cereal.

I grabbed a spoon and went into my room, turning on the TV.

Click, click. The faded screen flickered irregularly.

I need to replace it...

With a mouth full of cereal, I fumbled with my phone to search for TVs.

"A slightly larger screen would be nice."

It took some time to find the product I wanted. I had only recently changed my smartphone, and I was quite a tech novice.

Anyway, adding a personal touch made the price skyrocket.

My heart raced. Wow, this is too expensive.

"But this really wouldn't make me envious of the movie theater."

I swallowed hard and lowered the price.

It was a time for compromise. As I read the product description of a TV that seemed appropriate, something caught my attention.

—Now, let's welcome the best actor in Korea, Mr. Cheon Gwang-yun, to talk about his upcoming film, 'Silent Moon'...

Naturally, the hand holding the phone lowered, while my eyes rose to the TV screen, which was still popping like popcorn.

Not very large, but deep eyes, wrinkles that elegantly revealed the passage of time, a wild mid-length hairstyle, and an ironically neat white shirt.

Cheon Gwang-yun.

An actor known to every Korean.

And to me...

"Seung-kyul, who did you learn acting from? You're amazing, really. Your acting makes me feel inferior. Ha-ha!"

A fragment of a glorious memory, captured in a single frame.

He had already risen to the ranks of a major actor when he played a villain in 'Haebi's House.'

I vividly remember the moment he laughed heartily at me.

Of course, that's now an old story, swept away by time.

I took another spoonful while listening to the introduction of the new movie Cheon Gwang-yun was starring in.

"It sounds interesting."

I should go see it.

During the early morning show, when the theater is quiet and I can enjoy it alone.

For me, who rarely opens the front door except for running in the morning and going to work, the movie theater is one of the few places I go out.

Of course, it took quite a long time to get to this point.

After ending my short career as a child actor, I didn't even look at TV, let alone movies.

But now it's fine. Even if there's some regret, I decided not to regret my choice.

—Oh, by the way, Mr. Cheon Gwang-yun, was there a scene that was particularly difficult to shoot in this movie?

—Yes, there was. We shot a chase scene on an ice rink last winter. It was tough, not just for me but for the staff as well.

—I hate the cold. Just thinking about it is exhausting. But it must have made for some great scenes.

—Ha-ha, yes.

—Oh, this makes me curious. Out of all the acting you've done, which was the most difficult?

Oh, that's a good question. I'm curious too.

Cheon Gwang-yun, running his hand through his stylish hair, pondered. Then, as if something came to mind, he leaned forward.

—Many roles and scenes come to mind, but if I have to pick one, it would be this: acting like you can't act.

The host was puzzled.

—What? Have you ever done that?

—When I was in the theater. It was a kind of initiation ritual. Since it's so difficult, seniors used to make newbies do it to discourage them.

—I'm not familiar with acting, so I can't really grasp how difficult it is.

—Think of it this way: we can walk naturally and run if necessary, but we have to go back to the way we walked when we were just learning to walk.

The host opened his mouth in surprise.

—Oh... Thinking about it that way, it really is...

—It's difficult, really. It has to be. Being able to do it means...

He paused, then continued.

—That you can completely control yourself.

I took a deep breath.

The cereal was getting soggy, but I couldn't bring myself to take another spoonful.

Listening to his words, my throat felt dry.

Something seemed about to burst from deep within me.

Was there another bomb inside me?

#

Im Hyun-tae's face was etched with fatigue, like a landslide.

The other employees in the meeting room were no different.

The schedule was disrupted due to an accident involving one of the actors scheduled to shoot this week.

If it were just that, it would be manageable, but unfortunately, it wasn't a simple accident.

The actor had hit a pedestrian jaywalking due to a traffic violation. This was a controversy that couldn't be easily brushed aside.

In the end, they had to replace the actor.

"Should we... just do a poll like we discussed at the last meeting? See who the subscribers want to see?"

Im Hyun-tae tapped the table at the employee's suggestion.

It was a last resort to avoid looking like they were out of ideas.

He didn't like it.

"Ugh, our subscribers are already dwindling, and now this!"

"We need to row when the tide is in, but we don't have a proper oar. A proper oar."

"Maybe the previous actors were too strong. Even now, there are over 500,000 subscribers for a grandfather who became famous for his quirky speech in a variety show, a first-generation idol who maintains a mysterious image. We need at least this level to keep people interested..."

As the worried comments piled up, Im Hyun-tae's focus blurred.

The employees, who had been chattering, fell silent and turned their attention to him.

"PD, PD?"

"Uh, uh."

"What are you thinking so deeply about all of a sudden?"

Im Hyun-tae rubbed his eyes and chuckled.

"I was thinking... I'm a lot more of a waste than I thought."

"PD, even if you can't come up with ideas, you don't have to beat yourself up like that."

"Right. We still have time. Relax~."

Im Hyun-tae corrected the misunderstanding, seeing the employees who had just been pouring out their worries now pretending to be positive.

"I had an idea. That's the problem."

"..."

The employees, who had been staring at him with puzzled looks, were now even more confused.

After a moment, Im Hyun-tae finally spoke.

"I went to a funeral of a friend recently."

"You did? You've known each other for a long time."

"Right. He... He was actually..."

From then on, it was a story he had never told anyone since entering the industry.

The story of the child prodigy, Baek Seung-kyul, who now makes a living as a delivery man.

As expected, the employees' eyes widened and they buzzed with excitement.

"So, PD, you're close to that Haebi... I mean, Baek Seung-kyul? Why didn't you tell us about this big item before?"

"I was afraid it would seem like an item."

"Ah..."

Im Hyun-tae, who had been answering calmly, smiled at the employee who covered his mouth.

"But now that I'm in a hurry, I want to invite him. I even thought about it at the funeral. But how do I say it? I know how hard it was for him as a child actor."

"True, he was heavily criticized for his poor acting after 'Haebi's House.' Even a decent adult actor would have a hard time getting over that. Was he... around that age?"

"Early teens. He was in elementary school."

"Wow. And you're thinking about inviting him? PD, that's... that's right."

"What, man?"

The employee, taken aback, leaned back in his chair.

Another employee said to Im Hyun-tae, who looked incredulous.

"Still, why don't you ask him once?"

"Would that be okay?"

"Of course, don't assume he'll say no. And who knows, this might be another opportunity for him."

Im Hyun-tae, who hadn't been home for days, scratched his stubbly chin, rolled his eyes, and tapped his foot.

Then, as if making a decision, he stood up.

"I'll be back after a quick call."

#

"That means... you can completely control yourself."

Swoosh—.

Thin streams of water poured down.

It was only after a while that I realized I had been standing there with the bowl in my hand for a long time.

I snapped out of it and placed the clean bowl on the drying rack.

"Now, what should I do?"

I had just finished cleaning up after eating and was pondering how to spend the rest of my day off when my phone rang.

Who could it be?

It's sadly rare for my phone to ring, even when I'm not working.

Looking at my contact list, 90% are employees from the printing factory in Jongno.

Curiously, I checked the phone on my bed.

It was a call from Hyun-tae, whom I hadn't seen in a long time at the funeral.

I was planning to thank him for coming anyway...

"Hello?"

—Hey, Seung-kyul. It's me. How did the funeral go?

I sat on the bed and adjusted the phone.

"Thanks to you. How about you? There seemed to be some issues that day, did you resolve them?"

—Oh, that? Well, not yet... Anyway, what time do you finish work today?

"I'm off today."

—Oh, really? Then...

Im Hyun-tae drew out his words and paused. I waited without prompting, and he continued.

—We agreed to meet after the funeral to catch up.

"Right."

Before I could finish my answer, he asked.

—How about today?