episode_0020

It was that dark room at that time.

I sat at the piano and waited for the ghost to appear.

A faint light shimmers before my eyes and forms a human shape.

It was the ghost who said he would come in two days.

[I thought you wouldn’t come.]

“You told me to come.”

[Kids who are scared like you won’t come next time. Humans are scared.]

I’m scared too.

My legs are still shaking.

But how can you not come when I’m dying?

“Now that you’re here, tell me why I’m dying.”

The ghost stroked the air silently.

From the spot where I had stroked it, something like a thin thread emerged and spread out in front of me.

They started increasing one by one and now there are so many that I can’t count them.

“What is this?”

[Your fate line. It is the flow of countless times that change depending on your choices.]

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

[If you hadn’t come today, time would have passed along this line. Since you came today, this is your timeline.]

The ominous, undulating lines seemed to foretell my fate.

[See the broken parts here and there? These are the sections where you will most likely pass through death.]

A part of the thread was visible, hanging limply, having broken.

That’s where I could die.

“There are too many. Am I supposed to live avoiding all of these things?”

[Of course, you can’t avoid everything. There are a lot of coincidences, so don’t be too scared. You can see the probability that you’ll go there by chance and die in a car accident. Most of them don’t happen.]

Tell me that in advance.

[Still, you have more sections where you can pass through death than others. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this, but there’s nothing I can do about it. That’s your fate.]

I swallowed without realizing it.

I thought my talent was a curse, but it turns out life itself was a curse.

[I can’t eliminate fate, but I can help you avoid it. I’ll help you when you’re really close to death.]

“Why?”

[I thought you’d like it.]

“Why are you helping me? My death has nothing to do with you.”

[I’ll help you because we’re related.]

“What’s the relationship?”

[It’s a secret now. This is also something like fate, so I can’t talk about it carelessly.]

I gave up for now because it didn’t seem like he would answer even if I asked.

[I’ll tell you later how to help you. In your timeline, you don’t get close to death until you’re 19 anyway. But… .]

Take a break.

[From then on, you must be prepared. Death can only be avoided by covering it with death.]

“What does it mean?”

[It means you have to kill someone else.]

A chill ran up my spine.

The ghost’s pale, smiling face was distorted in a grotesque way.

I feel like throwing up.

My legs are shaking so much I can’t stand.

“Sigh, ugh… .”

My eyes brightened and light enveloped my whole body.

*****

“Haa… Haa… .”

“Okay, slow down… If you rest all at once, it’ll get more blocked. Minho, rub your arm.”

It’s a little better than when I auditioned, but I still have trouble moving my body.

The ghost’s distorted smile still lingers before my eyes.

“Director Kim. I’ve never once told you to do this or that about casting, right? But this time, I have to talk to you. The kid is having a hard time.”

The veteran actress who played the mother also has a sad expression.

How much more so would it be if I were given a role that required me to abuse it.

“… … .”

Director Kim Si-woon also has a face full of worries.

Because I witnessed another incident where I failed to get a role after an audition.

“Director Kim may not be satisfied, but Ji-hoon and Jung-woo’s acting is good enough. Jung-woo in particular plays the piano quite well.”

This is something that actor Jeong Dong-ho, who taught Hong Jeong-woo, said, so it must be certain.

My mind went blank at the thought of losing the role.

This must never be taken away from you.

Why is that?

Because it is a performance that shows foresight of the future.

After returning, the future predictions always created precious connections through acting.

I met producer Jo Seung-hyun through the Waggle Waggle Kindergarten performance.

Actress Han So-ra and girl group member Oh Yu-jin also met at that time.

After seeing the Oseong Techwin advertisement, I met Director Lee Ju-young.

When I saw the TTN advertisement, I met director Park Myeong-cheol.

When the Magic Palace performance scene came out, I met director Kim Si-woon.

You came all the way here and you’re giving up because you’re tired?

I haven’t even seen what kind of relationship this movie will bring?

I couldn’t do acting in my past life, so I decided to do it properly this time!

“Director.”

I opened my mouth, mustering up all my remaining strength.

“Yes, Hajin.”

“I want to continue this role. Don’t give it to someone else.”

The pitiful stares coming from all directions were burdensome.

It was an atmosphere where no one was willing to open their mouths.

“Hajin-ah. Your acting is beyond reproach. I’ve taught acting to many people. But I’ve never seen an actor who can immerse himself better than you. The acting you just showed me is really enviable.”

Actor Jeong Dong-ho said with a serious face.

“But if you keep acting like that, it will wear away at your body and mind. It would be fortunate if you could just quit acting, but if it gets worse, you might not be able to live a normal life. You’re only 6 years old. I understand that you like acting, but you shouldn’t ruin your life because of this.”

He told the story of a disciple who became so absorbed in his role that he failed not only in acting but also in life.

I could see that he was genuinely concerned about me and was trying to stop me.

Could actor Jeong Dong-ho be your new love interest?

“Then, teacher, please teach me. Even if you act emotionally, how to get out of it. I have never learned acting properly, so teacher, please teach me one by one.”

Of course it’s a lie.

If you add up all the time I spent going to school and working on set in my previous life, it comes to a whopping 8 years.

But the reason I lied is because I expected that what actor Jeong Dong-ho taught would be different.

“Hmm… .”

I kept wondering if it was difficult to ignore my desperate voice.

After a while, I looked for my mother with a determined look on my face.

“Who did you come with?”

“With mom. She’s outside now.”

“After the script reading, I’ll talk to my mom. And, Director Kim.”

“Yes, senior.”

“I think you have something to talk about with Director Kim.”

“Of course. After reading, let’s have dinner together.”

I sat in the corner and watched the adult actors read their scripts.

After the reading, my mom and actor Jeong Dong-ho came to pick me up and said hello.

“Your mother is also beautiful. I wondered why Hajin is so handsome, hahaha.”

“That’s not it… Thank you. And, I’m watching the song of fire so well!”

It is a fusion historical drama that is popular these days.

Actor Jeong Dong-ho appears as the Prime Minister, the real power behind the throne.

I said I would wait there because I thought I had something to talk to my mom about.

My emotions were tangled like a thread and it was hard to control myself, but I tried to act calm because it seemed like an important story.

The expression on the mother’s face after coming out of the conversation with actor Jeong Dong-ho was not very bright.

We didn’t say anything on the car ride home.

I also sat quietly in the car seat and looked out at the scenery, as if I was thinking about something.

.

.

.

When I got home, my mom made me my favorite banana smoothie.

“My son, isn’t acting hard?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult at all.”

“Lies. You’re having a hard time these days.”

I think I heard it from actor Jeong Dong-ho.

“That’s not hard. It’s just that I get so immersed in the role while acting, but when it’s over, I go back to how I was before.”

“You don’t say you’re back to normal when you can’t breathe or walk. You didn’t even eat dinner during the last audition and slept the whole time.”

“That’s….”

There was no excuse, because it was true.

“Even though it’s so hard… you want to act?”

How great would it be if I could say that I had been immersed in acting for eight years and that the accident happened just when I was getting proper recognition?

I think he knew right away that his son was so serious about acting.

“I want to… This is the first time I’ve wanted to do this.”

He sighs softly with a pitiful expression.

It’s definitely a good thing that my son has something he wants to do.

But I heard from other people that the child was having a hard time.

Which parent wouldn’t worry?

“Actor Jeong Dong-ho asked me to bring him to the acting academy.”

“Acting Academy?”

Actor Jeong Dong-ho is talented not only in acting but also in teaching, and has run an acting academy for quite some time.

Now, it is at the level of teaching a few promising actors upon recommendation from fellow actors, but later it will grow into a famous academy where you have to pass an interview to enroll.

“Yeah. He said he’d teach me since I said I’d never learned acting before. He said if I learned it properly, it would help me control my emotions.”

In fact, I wasn’t caught up in my emotions, but rather the script was eating up reality, so actor Jeong Dong-ho’s direction might not have been of much help.

But now we have to try even the 1% chance.

If you don’t learn how to break free from emotional acting, the hard-earned regression privilege will be useless.

‘What a chance I got, I absolutely must not do that.’

*****

It was an acting academy on the fourth floor of a shabby building.

My mother wondered why there was an academy in a place like this, but knowing how great it would become later, I found it interesting to see its humble beginnings.

After talking to actor Jeong Dong-ho, I went up to the 4th floor.

When I opened the door and went inside, I was surprised.

‘It was here.’

Because I saw a small, sunlit practice room in my vision of the future.

The person who stroked my head and suggested that we find a solution together was actor Jeong Dong-ho.