Chapter 104…
John Smith?
[Oh, Jesus! I’m Christian too!]
“He says he’s a Christian. Guess even foreigners try to find some kind of connection — by blood, school, or religion.”
What a hypocritical old man.
So his own mother’s ghost doesn’t scare him, but other ghosts do?
“Ahem.”
Embarrassed, the old man cleared his throat and quietly put down the cross he’d picked up.
“There are thousands of churches in Korea. You think that’ll work here?”
“Who cares?”
[Amazing grace~ how sweet the sound~]
“Hey, stop singing hymns. You’re getting on my nerves.”
“……”
The old man smacked his lips awkwardly and turned his head away.
“Well, anyway, please take care of this. And… could I ask one more favor?”
“Hmm, speak.”
“Can I leave him here for a while? Your company building’s huge. My place is a bit small.”
“…Get out.”
So this is what rejection feels like.
For the first time, the old man kicked me out of his office.
Ah, there’s Director Yoo coming out from the chairman’s room.
Did he change his mind?
“Sorry about that.”
“No, it’s fine—”
Ssshh—! Ssshh—!
“……”
[Oh! I’ve seen that! Sprinkling salt! So cooool!]
Director Yoo, in a suit, politely sprinkled salt around… somehow it just didn’t fit him.
Also, why does the chairman have salt in his office?
Didn’t take him for the superstitious type.
Anyway, I headed home.
[Oh, man, I feel bad now. Should’ve brought champagne or something. Oh my heart’s pounding! Haven’t been invited anywhere in ages!]
“Of course. When else would someone invite a ghost, if not for a memorial service?”
I sighed and opened the door.
[You’re here? Oh! John!]
[No no no! Not John mister, call me John oppa!]
“Shut up. You’re clearly a middle-aged man.”
[Ka ka ka ka!]
Thinking I was joking, John burst into weird laughter, clutching his stomach.
[Welcome, welcome to our home~!]
“Since when was this our home?”
[Want a house tour?]
“What house tour?! Who asked you to—”
Unbelievable.
Huh? Why’s that apple rolling to the front door?
“…Hyung?”
“Oh, you’re home?”
“That conversation just now… was weird.”
Gamdong stood pale, like a soap opera lead, dropping the bag of apples he was holding.
“…I was talking to Yeonju.”
[Hey man! Your roommate, bro?]
“Eh… come on. Having a ghost around isn’t new.”
Ah… Gamdong forced a laugh.
Yeah, makes sense. He’s lived with me long enough.
“Say hi. This is John Smith.”
“Get out!”
“……”
My ears are ringing. The door slammed so hard I think I took damage.
My own house, and I got kicked out.
“Gamdong! You said you’re used to this!”
“You son of a—!”
…Yeah, roughly “You crazy bastard!” but that wasn’t the main point.
“Wait… John’s still in there though?”
BANG!
The door burst open and a hand shot out, grabbing my collar.
“Exorcise him. Now!”
“I was thinking about it. Can we talk after you let go?”
“Yeonju’s one thing, but why the hell did you invite another ghost?!”
“Well, he’s a lost foreigner. You can’t just leave him wandering the streets.”
“He’s a ghost!”
“Yeah. A lost, dead foreign ghost.”
I quickly corrected myself with my nicest face.
Gamdong didn’t look pleased.
Best not to argue in this state.
“Haah… you’re hopeless.”
“Sorry.”
I really was sorry.
Should’ve given him a heads-up before bringing home another guest.
Meanwhile, Yeonju and John were happily chatting away like old friends.
* * *
“Oh, good! Hawaiian pizza! Delicious!”
I knew it — with a name like John Smith, he definitely wasn’t Italian.
“Hey, Gamdong! Eat! Guests gotta eat too!”
“…Yes, Mr. Smith.”
“Oh! Just call me John!”
“Maybe later. I don’t really want to get close.”
Wow, Gamdong’s putting up walls. Totally different from how he acts with Yeonju.
[Ugh, switch places! I want pizza too! Me too, me too!]
[Shut up. You’re the one who brought this ghost here in the first place!]
[Sorryyy… he said he was sad he died in Korea without seeing his family…]
[…Can’t argue with that.]
Yeah, family trumps all.
At least this ghost wasn’t gluttonous.
“Hey! Yeonju, come on!”
[Hehe! Thanks!]
Stop passing my body around like a couch!
At least they knew when to stop — after eating, the two of them started chatting again.
“Hyung, seriously, what’s going on?”
“Eh, he kinda tagged along after the five-million-view busking video.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the downside of you making such a good movie.”
Gamdong sighed and rubbed his forehead — but his mouth was smiling.
He was actually happy.
So he liked that kind of flattery, huh?
Thinking about it, Gamdong’s emotions were always pretty straightforward.
“Well, since it was near Hongdae, I stopped by Mansu’s shrine and the chairman’s place to get rid of him, but… yeah. I’ll make sure he passes on soon. It’s only temporary anyway — you can’t even see him.”
“Chairman Yang’s company is huge, huh.”
“Right? That stingy old man even sprinkled salt everywhere.”
“That’s too much.”
“Please. He already has an earthbound spirit stuck there — one more won’t make a difference.”
“……”
At that, Gamdong quietly looked to the side — not at Yeonju, but at the photo frame beside ours.
Yeonju’s picture. A memorial photo, basically.
She asked for one after seeing ours, saying she wanted to be part of the family.
At first, it felt nice — like we really were a family.
But now, whenever Gamdong looks at her, it feels like he’s staring at an altar.
Makes even our photos look like memorials.
“Anyway… let’s try to think with normal human logic, yeah?”
“Sorry. I actually tried to sneak him in.”
“Don’t. If I catch you again, I’ll be angrier.”
“Got it. I’ll ask before bringing anyone.”
“Don’t bring anyone!”
Whoa. Gamdong’s really mad.
“But he’s a five-million-view actor…”
“Haah…”
“I’ll shoot your next film for free. Profit share model.”
“Huh?”
“If you want, that is.”
“Hmph… well, no need to go that far…”
What a sellout.
He was already calculating whether to take the offer.
Trying not to laugh was hard.
* * *
Even after surpassing five million viewers, the movie’s success didn’t stop.
A blockbuster opened and briefly knocked it down to second place, but the next day it reclaimed first.
Thanks to that, Gamdong was glowing these days.
As for me…
“…A modeling job?”
Requests were pouring in.
This time, someone wanted me to walk in a fashion show.
Not to mention, I was flooded with advertising offers — including one from BS Corp.
Yeah, the chairman’s company.
Sneaky old man pretended it was out of kindness, but clearly his son put him up to it.
Still, I agreed.
The pay was generous, and he was one of the film’s investors.
Might as well let him save face.
I also did a poster shoot for the Cheongsan Foundation.
That director’s son — the one who used to interfere with me — shamelessly asked, “You’ll do it, right?”
Whatever. I did it. We’re on good terms now.
“Stars get these kinds of offers all the time,” said Manager Park.
“What about me?” asked Daesung-hyung, staring blankly.
“…Only stars with visuals fit for modeling.”
“……”
That one hurt.
Well, Daesung-hyung is a serious actor.
“I should’ve asked for a real role instead of just a cameo.”
“Come on, that film was for the newbies.”
“Those ‘newbies’ hit six million now.”
“You’ve starred in multiple ten-million films!”
“Yeah, but not this year.”
Sometimes the rich really are the greediest.
“Well, I’ll do it. Sounds fun. But don’t I have any other offers?”
“Tons of scripts came in. I’m just sorting through them.”
“Why?”
“The roles are… well.”
What’s with that face? Like he’s holding in a fart.
“What roles?”
“Pfft—!”
Daesung-hyung burst out laughing like he knew something.
I felt like I was being left out of an inside joke.
“Come on, tell me!”
After I pressed, Manager Park hesitated and finally said:
“Homeless man possessed by a chaebol heir. Homeless man swapped with a movie star who looks exactly like him. Homeless man who—”
“Wow… all homeless roles. Guess one movie isn’t enough to wash that image off, huh?”
Turns out there were ten scripts with “homeless guy” plots.
Apparently all inspired by me.
Honestly? Felt kinda miserable.
“These stories existed before. But since you appeared, everyone’s jumping on the trend. Some did base it on you, but others just happened to have similar scripts lying around.”
Manager Park clicked his tongue.
Yeah, homeless dramas and movies were always around — even I knew that.
“But there are other scripts too. Still, we can’t just pick anything right now.”
“Why not?”
What, are the scripts cursed or something?
Instead of answering, Manager Park sighed and looked at me.
“What’s with that face?”
“It’s just… Some people get arrogant after one hit, but others don’t realize where they stand. Both are problems.”
“…Huh?”
Didn’t get it.
Then Daesung-hyung chuckled and said:
“You’re a star now. The runway gigs? Only stars get those — unless they started as models.”
“Wait… I’m a star?”
“You are. Obviously.”
Now that he mentioned it, people do keep stopping me for photos.
“I only did one movie…”
“That’s how it happens. One hit and boom — instant star.”
Daesung-hyung spoke calmly, but his next words carried weight.
“But you know, people who rise that fast… rarely stay up there.”
“Yeah… makes sense.”
That’s just how this world works.
Then Manager Park continued:
“That’s why your next project’s important. Some of those ‘homeless’ scripts are fine, but if you take another one now, your image could get stuck.”
“Come on. Being typecast won’t erase my past as an actual homeless guy.”
“True, but you’ll lose the chance to show people you can play other roles — like you did in this movie.”
When he said it like that… it did make sense.
“You’re not planning to play ‘Homeless Guy #3’ forever, right?”
“Of course not.”
I didn’t get into this business just to be a cliché.
Back on the streets, lying under the stars, I used to imagine living different lives — even just pretending.
That dream is what led me here.
And for now… that was enough.
