Chapter 19….A Life of Giving
“Here. The revised script.”
When I received the script from Gamdong, I felt only one thing.
“What the… the lines are multiplying.”
Something kept increasing. Unlike before, the requirements seemed to be piling up more and more.
“Does the pay go up too?”
“Do you think it’s like a per-line wage? The pay increases with the lines?”
“Ah…”
When I frowned, Gamdong let out a voice of disbelief.
“Ha, people risk their lives for a single extra line. Don’t ever do that anywhere, or you’ll get cursed at.”
“Well…”
I was momentarily speechless at his words. And I was shocked.
“Gasp!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’ve lost my initial resolve!”
“……”
“What do I do?”
To already feel discontented from this comfort—it seemed like that saying was true: when you stand, you want to sit; when you sit, you want to lie down.
“Then remember your starting point.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“The lines…”
“Uh… uh-huh?”
O Joo-hwan muttered, looking at the revised script with a pale expression.
“The lines feel like my stocks.”
“……”
“They’re tanking.”
“Not that bad.”
“It’s all that damn…”
Joo-hwan, about to curse, stopped mid-sentence. The shining eyes from before flashed in his mind again. Startled, he looked closer at the script. What mattered wasn’t just the reduced lines, but…
“Why am I paired with this guy so much!”
“Well, during the last shoot, the chemistry was really good…”
“Ugh!”
Joo-hwan clutched his head in despair. His manager had also wanted to complain about this part, but couldn’t. Watching the rehearsal and the main shoot, it was clear Joo-hwan had deliberately flubbed lines to sabotage the other actor.
Director Kim had shown it to him directly—not forcing, just letting him hear it in passing.
‘This… this is a crime… I wonder what Writer Choi will say about it.’
So he had no choice but to stay low. At the time, he had thought: “This guy is clumsy at acting and now even messes up deliberately? Ridiculous!”
Then Director Kim subtly guided him and showed the scene directly, prescribing a solution.
“But didn’t this scene turn out well? Mr. O Joo-hwan acted really well.”
“Y-Yes… ha, hahaha!”
“Sometimes, actors just click, and their acting improves. Maybe Mr. O has that with Usuhan? If you highlight a few more scenes like this, viewers will say, ‘Wow, their acting really improved!’”
Eventually, he was convinced. And it wasn’t entirely false. However… at that time, it wasn’t just acting. Even he thought the eyes on screen looked eerie. Imagine what Joo-hwan felt. But he had no choice—it was part of the role. If he couldn’t handle this role properly, future roles might not even be offered to him.
“Joo-hwan, the director praised you a lot. The writer was satisfied too. So let’s push a bit more.”
“Ugh… what do I do….”
For now, comforting Joo-hwan, who was biting his nails, was the best I could do.
Like a cow dragged to slaughter, Joo-hwan stepped off the van and immediately flinched.
“Hello?”
“Ahh!”
Usuhan was standing there with a bright smile. Instinctively, Joo-hwan stepped back. His manager stepped out and blocked his path.
“What the heck!”
“Uh? Who said I’m going to eat you? Ah! Ouch! My cheekbone hurts!”
“Whoa!”
During the previous shoot, Suhan had injured Joo-hwan. Neither he nor his manager had apologized; they hadn’t even had the time or mindset for it. From the manager’s perspective, why apologize to someone who had already caused mental trauma to his client?
Hearing Suhan’s voice, nearby staff quickly focused on them.
“Are you… okay? Our company knows a good plastic surgeon; I could introduce you!”
The manager raised his voice, seemingly for everyone to hear. But before his brilliant quick-thinking could take effect, Suhan brushed past him.
“W-Wait!”
“Hello? Should I call you senior?”
“N-No, let’s talk…”
Su-han had already wrapped his arm around Joo-hwan’s shoulder. Before the manager could intervene, he raised his voice.
“It’s fine! It’s fine! Things happen! Eh, call me brother! Let’s just relax!”
“Wh-what….”
Stammering, Joo-hwan was subjected to Suhan’s ventriloquism and playful eye gestures.
“Hey, smile. Show me the corn—uh, those white teeth. Are they laminates? Should I switch them to dentures? Or what’s it called… implants? Shall we do that?”
“Hi-hic!”
Suddenly, Joo-hwan hiccupped.
“Hey! Why the hiccups? Come here! I’ll stop them!”
Su-han shouted while dragging Joo-hwan along. It didn’t feel like hiccups—it felt like his heart might stop. The manager quickly followed, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
It was cold.
“Here, eat this.”
“……”
“Go ahead. Eat a lot; I won’t say anything.”
Joo-hwan eyed the iced Americano in Usuhan’s hand, wondering if it might be poisoned.
“There are snacks too.”
“Now? To eat… this?”
Joo-hwan’s indignation quickly turned into humility. He had glimpsed the way Suhan’s eyes twisted momentarily. Not only that, Suhan spoke with a light smile but scanned him with his gaze—creepy.
“Eat. Even ghosts that die after eating look good. I confirmed it myself.”
“……”
Joo-hwan’s mind was spinning. Was Suhan saying he had checked ghosts that die after eating? Or the corpses themselves?
Slurp!
He obediently drank the Americano through the straw. He had succumbed to the subtle threat.
“Let’s do well. Chemistry, got it?”
“Yes.”
“No ad-libs during action. I’ll want to do them too.”
“Absolutely not.”
Seeing Suhan smile broadly, Joo-hwan swore without realizing it.
“I’ll watch you later~.”
Watching Suhan walk away, Joo-hwan only wished this shoot would end quickly.
“……This is pretty novel, huh?”
Looking at the coffee truck, Kim Daesung had a hollow laugh. Everyone else just stared at the truck in disbelief.
“Come on, everyone! Have a cup! Unlimited!”
In front of the colorful truck, Usuhan was energetically promoting.
“Ah! Lead actor! Here, have some!”
“Ah, thanks. Suhan… did a fan send this?”
“Hehe, something like that.”
“Seems like a devoted fan.”
Daesung awkwardly smiled and commented. The truck had a banner: “Supporting Actor Usuhan!” along with selfies of Suhan. On the vehicle, a loud print read:
-Yonghwa Master-
It looked like an advertisement for a shaman at first glance.
“Master? He’s a quack, a quack. Hehe.”
Director Kim Hyun-chul approached, eyes wide.
“What? A coffee truck for Suhan too? Already a fan?”
“A personal fan!”
Su-han proudly declared, astonishing Hyun-chul.
“Yonghwa Master?”
What’s this? The director seemed to recognize him.
“Why?”
“How do you know him?”
I responded with a puzzled look.
“Uh… kind of like a connection?”
“Connection?”
I couldn’t say “police colleague.”
“Just bumped into each other occasionally. Sometimes he even treats me to meals.”
Let’s stick to the facts.
“Wow! I saw him with a documentary director before, carrying money from politicians to conglomerates! He’s famous over there.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Ah, he really was famous. Then using him freely carries no guilt.
“Hmm. So you had connections!”
“My network is a bit unusual.”
“Anyway, I’ll enjoy it!”
“Yes! Have at it!”
After giving so much, I felt proud sending the coffee truck. This must be what it feels like to give. Yes, live a life of giving.
“Hello.”
-Thanks for the coffee truck today!
“Well… it was nothing.”
-Tomorrow, tteokbokki!
“Huh?”
-And sundae and odeng too!
“Uh… but…”
Beep~.
The call ended. Park Mansoo blushed as he looked at his phone. Then it rang again. The name showed:
-You Beggar-
“You gave the coffee truck today!”
-It’s… pretty nice living a life of giving. I never knew this new world existed while just receiving.
“Why are you spending my money on that?”
-It’s the cost of my life, isn’t it?
“…What?”
-Why? Wrong?
“……”
Mansoo was outwitted by Suhan’s advance. Best to stay silent here.
-Tomorrow, you come too. The fan club came personally. It looks odd if I’m alone.
“Why would I go!”
-Come and read some palms. Should be fun.
“No, I mean why would I…”
-I’ll help. You’re still under investigation for that lawsuit, right? You said you needed me because of that?
“Oh… yeah. We need to help each other. Where? What time tomorrow?”
Mansoo was diligently taking notes as if nothing happened.
Kim Daesung felt bad for Usuhan.
“Could the beggar be a problem?”
“Well, the company was a bit uneasy.”
Director Park Yucheon licked his lips and answered. Then Daesung looked at Usuhan acting and spoke again.
“There used to be flower beggars too. Why not now?”
“That was more of a viral meme issue.”
“Former occupation, right? Not a criminal.”
“Not a criminal, but he did go to jail occasionally.”
Daesung asked, bewildered.
“Jail? For what crime?”
“Urinating on the police station wall.”
“Why?”
“It was cold.”
“……”
The conversation seemed to float out of consciousness. Daesung asked again, letting it go.
“But do police really lock someone up just for peeing? These days?”
“He peed until they locked him up. They kept lecturing him.”
Technically, they just scolded him instead of official punishment.
“Pft!”
Coffee came out of Daesung’s mouth. Truly unexpected.
“Ha ha ha!”
“Funny?”
Park’s voice was blunt, but Daesung kept laughing.
“Not funny?”
“Funny, but scary because you never know what he’ll do.”
“I understand, but some of that craziness is good for an actor. Right?”
“I know, but this is the first time for me. Confusing.”
“Oh! You have thoughts?”
“Yeah. As you said, some craziness is valuable. Seen him do action well too.”
Yet Park still looked disappointed. Daesung pressed him.
“What’s missing?”
“Not missing, but… there’s something between him and Joo-hwan. The air between them is tense.”
“Tense? Nah, Joo-hwan just got outperformed.”
“You know what I mean?”
“Just as it appears. Acting exposed him. This is the business; acting says it all.”
“Hmm.”
“Next week, the drama airs. This role will attract attention over time. Then it won’t be easy. And we’re not the only ones on set. Everyone’s watching.”
Park sighed but couldn’t hide his desire for Usuhan.
