Chapter 30

# Chapter 030

They say that if something happens three times by chance, it's bound to happen by fate.

‘What?’

Could it be that Jang Hae-yang from the other day?

At this point, it can only be seen as Seong Yun-soo trying to pitch to Seong Pil.

How vast is Seoul?

It has a population of ten million.

But what are the chances of running into the same person so soon?

It must be fate or someone's doing.

Seong Pil stepped out for a moment and called Seong Yun-soo to talk about Jang Hae-yang.

[Who is Jang Hae-yang?]

“Huh? Isn't she the one you introduced me to?”

[Her name is Jang Hae-yang, huh?]

“Ah, I see. No wonder you didn’t tell me her name when you gave me her number… You didn’t even ask for her name when you got it, right? You didn’t write it down either?”

[There was a stain on the name part when I spilled coffee.]

“Does that make sense?”

[What’s so impossible about that? But I feel a bit wronged. Do I look so idle that I would set you two up?]

That’s true.

[Even if I look that bad, still. Hey, you’re overthinking this, man.]

“It’s just that everything fits too perfectly.”

[But it feels like fate. It’s like heaven is helping you. Don’t let Jeong Heo-yeong slip away.]

“It’s Jang Hae-yang.”

[Whatever.]

“Got it. I’ll hang up.”

[Buy me a drink if it works out.]

I don’t know how many times he plans to take advantage of me.

Seong Pil went back into the theater.

The play started quickly.

It seemed they tried to fit as many students as possible. There were quite a few characters.

Especially a lot of minor roles.

They were trying to give everyone a part and some motivation.

Unfortunately, for Seong Pil, only the main characters left an impression.

Except for one.

‘Really, Hae-yang.’

Her lines were only three.

And they didn’t have much impact.

Her acting…

‘She has a long way to go.’

She’s not bad.

She has the ability to blend into the background and the atmosphere.

But she lacks the presence and atmosphere to captivate people.

Professional actors have a different aura when they act.

Jang Hae-yang was still lacking.

“Miaaaan!”

The scene where the male lead apologizes for his behavior ended, and the curtain fell.

Seong Pil was about to clap but stopped.

It was because the surroundings were quiet.

There was only a small round of applause when the actors came out to greet the audience.

‘Are they all taking themselves too seriously? The students might cry.’

Seong Pil deliberately clapped loudly.

People in the front row turned to look at him. He continued clapping without hesitation.

Then, Jang Hae-yang, who was on stage, recognized Seong Pil. She froze in surprise, and her timing to go backstage was a beat late.

As the actors finished their greetings, the audience started to leave.

‘…Is it over?’

Seong Pil followed the crowd out, somewhat dazed.

“There’s no one who stood out.”

“Really? I thought the uncle role was quite good. He might do well in historical dramas. He has a beard and all. Although, traditional historical dramas are mostly dead these days.”

A few people who seemed to be from an actor management company were chatting.

Seong Pil perked up his ears.

He had his own expertise when it came to actors.

“I see. I don’t know much about it.”

“Well, the promising ones will be prepared for auditions at the academy.”

Hoping to hear something about Jang Hae-yang, he only heard a bitter reality.

In a corner of the lounge where the ticket booth was, the theater owner was talking to people who had come to see the performance.

He was saying things like, “Thank you so much,” and “I’ll definitely repay you next time.”

Feeling there was no need to stay, Seong Pil left the theater.

‘Jang Hae-yang… I can’t remember her at all.’

She either gave up on becoming an actor in the future or was struggling as an unknown actor.

‘She’s only twenty, so she must have been trying to find her path.’

Seong Pil knew nothing about Jang Hae-yang.

He had no material to judge her future.

Sympathy is an overstepping emotion.

He simply concluded, ‘I can’t remember her in the future,’ and that was the end of his evaluation.

“Manager!”

Jang Hae-yang’s voice came from behind.

Turning around, he saw her standing there, breathing heavily as if she had rushed out.

She was still in her stage costume.

“Did you come to see me?”

Jang Hae-yang answered with a happy face.

Seong Pil’s chest felt heavy.

It was hard to say no to such a face.

‘Besides, Hae-yang knows I’m with an idol agency. I’m not supposed to be here as an observer for the acting school…’

If rumors spread that the acting school invites random people to sit in, it could harm the school.

If he boasted that he came at Seong Yun-soo’s request, it could also harm him.

Seong Pil dislikes lying.

But this time, it was unavoidable.

A well-intentioned lie!

“Yes. You said you want to be an actor, so I came to see you.”

“Thank you!”

She didn’t ask how he found her.

She probably thought she heard it from Seong Yun-soo.

So innocent, he worried she might get scammed someday.

“How was it?”

“It was a bit disappointing.”

“Huh?”

A crack appeared in Jang Hae-yang’s smile.

It was obvious she was forcing a smile.

“I was disappointed that you had so few lines. I wanted to see more of your acting.”

“Oh… Oh, oh! I thought—”

Jang Hae-yang covered her mouth and laughed heartily.

“Well, I’ve only been at the academy for a few months. There are seniors, and there are so many people better than me. Of course, it’s short!”

“How long have you been learning acting?”

“Oh, not that long. Anyway, anyway! In the future, whether it’s a play or a drama, I’ll be in it for much longer. When that happens, you’ll have to watch me for a long time, right?”

This is a big deal.

Jang Hae-yang seemed to think Seong Pil would keep coming here.

Her bright smile made it clear.

She treated him like a fan.

“Yes, I hope to see you on media. No, I really hope so.”

“Thank you!”

Even as he said it, his heart ached.

Jang Hae-yang wasn’t in his memory of the future.

Knowing someone’s dream will fail before it happens is never pleasant.

Jang Hae-yang bowed her head and was about to go back into the theater.

“Hey.”

Seong Pil called her.

“Yes?”

“This might be a bit rude to ask, but how long do you plan to pursue acting?”

“How long?”

“Do you have a specific age in mind?”

“Um, ahaha. I don’t know. Forever? Continuously? I’ve never really thought about it. Why?”

Forever. Continuously.

Many actors work hard for a long time.

They suffer and agonize for months or years without getting a role.

Only a few receive attention.

Jang Hae-yang would likely be one of them, and eventually, she would tire and drop out.

Seong Pil knew the future.

Having managed actor management, he had many actors’ names in his head.

Jang Hae-yang wasn’t among them.

“Wait a moment.”

Seong Pil went to the flower shop he had noticed earlier and bought a purple tulip, which he then handed to Jang Hae-yang.

Flowers are the only appropriate gift to give an actor who has been on stage.

“This is a gift from a fan.”

Jang Hae-yang would fail. But he couldn’t say, “You won’t succeed, so quit.”

Seong Pil wasn’t in a position to do that, and even if he knew the future, he couldn’t casually tell someone to give up their dream.

But what if…

Maybe today’s encouragement and support from Seong Pil could change her future.

She might study acting more diligently and happily and eventually become a famous actor.

Even if she eventually drops out of the acting world, he hoped she would have a support system along the way.

When she felt tired and discouraged, he hoped today’s memory would give her strength.

“Wow, wow.”

Jang Hae-yang stared at the tulip in amazement and then took it with a slight tremble in her hand.

“Do you have any ulterior motives?”

“Actually, it would be awkward if you thought that.”

“Aha, just kidding. Wow. I’ve never received a gift before. Ah, of course? Wow, wow.”

She kept admiring the tulip.

It was just a single flower, after all.

“It’s like a manga. There’s an old manga I read when I was young, and the main character is an actor. There was a scene where the first fan gave her a flower. I don’t remember what kind, but it was purple. It’s amazing.”

She turned the tulip around and sniffed its fragrance, then suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”

“I have to go and help clean up the stage! I’ll go now! Thank you for the gift!”

Jang Hae-yang held the small flower in both hands and went back into the theater.

‘A bit disappointing, though.’

If she were like Rika, who aimed to be an entertainer, he would have continued to persuade her to take the test.

He even considered asking her again just now.

But it would be rude to keep suggesting she try being an idol to someone who aspired to be an actor, so he decided to stop.

Seong Pil turned away without any lingering thoughts.

At that moment, his vision turned black.

* * *

Seong Pil arrived at an outdoor stage in front of a square, a common meeting spot.

Despite the winter, there were many people.

“Manager.”

His meeting partner found him first.

It was Jang Hae-yang, fully dressed in a coat and scarf.

Seong Pil wiped the fatigue from his face and smiled warmly.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“You look tired, Manager. I didn’t call you for nothing, did I?”

“No, I’m fine.”

They started walking.

Christmas was approaching.

The streets were decorated with colorful lights and ornaments to create a festive atmosphere.

“Shall we go here?”

They entered a cozy street food stall.

After ordering drinks and snacks, Seong Pil and Jang Hae-yang just looked at each other.

The endless staring contest ended with Seong Pil’s smile.

“Did I lose again?”

“Yes! The snacks are on you!”

“It’s been a while since we talked.”

“You already said that. It’s been a while.”

“…Right.”

They had been in touch occasionally since their first meeting.

Actually, at first, they communicated quite frequently.

Seong Pil shared various information about the acting industry with Jang Hae-yang.

Audition schedules, the personalities of judges, or how already cast actors interpreted the script, and so on.

There was a lot of valuable information.

But the frequency of their communication decreased over time.

This was because Jang Hae-yang avoided talking to Seong Pil. She was embarrassed by her lack of success.

‘Are you doing better these days?’

Seong Pil was about to ask but quickly closed his mouth.

It had been four months since their last contact, so it wasn’t just a casual check-in. Perhaps she had landed a supporting role in a drama or had some other good news.

But seeing her quietly eating a snack, it didn’t seem like that.

“You know.”

“Yeah.”

“I want to quit acting.”

Seong Pil wasn’t particularly surprised.

He had already anticipated this.

The question was when she would quit.

Five years had passed since they met.

Jang Hae-yang had worked hard to become an actor.

But the results were nowhere to be seen.

Was it due to a lack of talent, or just bad luck?

Seong Pil thought it was both.

“I felt I should tell you in person. Ah, anyway, you’re the only one I can tell. Hehe.”

Jang Hae-yang laughed.

It wasn’t as cheerful as before.

It sounded like she was laughing through her drink.

“Thanks to you, I was able to do this for five years. Thank you.”

Jang Hae-yang had left home five years ago.

He knew her family situation was complicated, but the details were unknown to him.

She earned her own money, attended the acting school occasionally, and went to auditions whenever she had the chance.

Yet, she remained unknown.

Many actors become stars after a long time.

Five years might not seem like much.

But for Jang Hae-yang, it was an incredibly tough time.

It was so hard that she couldn’t bear to continue.

“Can I complain a bit?”

“Sure. You’ve been putting on a brave face every time you saw me for years.”

“Did you notice?”

“Of course. Go ahead and complain today.”

“…It was hard.”

Her family situation didn’t support her.

In fact, her parents were upset that they couldn’t take the money she earned.

It was a harsh treatment for someone who only made a few hundred thousand won a month.

“It was hard to schedule auditions, and I couldn’t get a part-time job because I might have to quit if I got cast. I was starving and freezing, and it was so hard, even with a dream.”

Seong Pil listened.

On the outside, he remained calm, but inside, guilt was bubbling up.

He didn’t know she had been living in such difficult conditions.

Jang Hae-yang never mentioned how hard it was. Even if it slipped out, it was always mixed with a joke.

“No, no, being hungry, cold, and hot was actually better. What was harder was that no one recognized me. I was just an unknown. I was seen as a naive dreamer, and I understand that.”

Jang Hae-yang stared at the table.

She was deliberately avoiding Seong Pil’s eyes.

“I wasn’t an aspiring actor but just a jobless person. Even to my family… No one tried to understand my dream. It was harder than being poor.”

After her short complaint, Jang Hae-yang looked up at Seong Pil.

“But you were the only one who saw me. I was happy. Of course, I was. That’s why I worked harder, but no matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work. I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry to me for?”

“…I, I.”

Jang Hae-yang stuttered.

It wasn’t the confident and cheerful person he knew.

She had something to say, but it wouldn’t come out of her throat.

After a long wait, Jang Hae-yang finally spoke, as if forcing out a bone stuck in her throat.

“Can I quit acting?”

Jang Hae-yang was seeking permission.

This marked the end of their relationship.

Jang Hae-yang had dreamed of being an actor.

She had thought about quitting many times, dozens of times.

But she couldn’t because of Seong Pil.

“I can’t do it anymore.”

She wanted to repay his encouragement and help, so she had held on, even though she should have given up long ago.

“You can quit.”

Seong Pil answered with relief.

He had tried to tell her many times.

“You don’t seem like an actor.”

“It’s better to give up now.”

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it to Jang Hae-yang.

She had willingly endured hardships and clung to her dream of being an actor.

Seong Pil couldn’t give practical advice to someone who always hid her struggles and only spoke positively.

He believed that even if a dream seemed impossible, it wasn’t his place to tell someone to give up.

They had both deceived each other for each other’s sake.

It was a relationship that only brought pain to both.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Five years ago, Seong Pil had given Jang Hae-yang courage.

He had volunteered to be her first fan.

Now, as he said, “You can quit,” without trying to stop her, Jang Hae-yang didn’t feel a new sadness.

Instead, she felt sorry for Seong Pil.

It wasn’t easy to tell the only person who supported her dream that she was giving up.

“Thank you.”

And so, Jang Hae-yang gave up on being an actor.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have