Calling It Quits
I woke up from a sound sleep to find a dragon right in front of me.
Right in my face.
"......"
[Grrrrr...]
We stared at each other for a while.
Let me say it again: it was a dragon.
A massive, crimson body.
Sulfurous yellow eyes.
Tremendous wings that vibrated with enough force to shake the air—
To add a bit more vividness, you could throw in a tongue flicking out to savor the moment and drool dripping in thick globs.
Well,
No matter how you sliced it, this thing wasn't about to politely introduce itself and hand over a business card.
Hoo.
I let out a long sigh and blankly gazed up at the sky.
Is this for real?
Now they're straight-up throwing me in front of a starving lizard?
But there was no time to complain. Our dragon seemed to prefer its meat well-done, because it suddenly filled its maw with fire.
Damn it—
I didn't even finish cursing before the flames poured out.
I died.
—As usual, anyway.
#001. Calling It Quits
"Hey, you really quitting acting?"
Hong Ji-ho, the director of Jiho Acting Academy, asked in a tone of utter disbelief one Friday evening.
More precisely, right after I'd handed in my withdrawal application.
His shock was even greater than I'd expected, so I couldn't help shrugging.
"What, sad to lose a promising talent?"
"Bullshit."
He let out a hollow laugh.
For a joke, the comeback was ice-cold.
"Listen, Kang Min. In all my years, I've never seen anyone as utterly talentless at acting as you. And yet you grind away like your life depends on it."
"Mm."
"Wanna hear the truth? Lately, I've been racking my brain every damn day on how to nicely tell you to pack your bags. Hell, I'm still not sure if this is a dream or reality."
"Well, since I'm quitting anyway, couldn't you at least soften your words a bit?"
Even faced with that brutal response, all I could do was grumble.
I had nothing else to say.
What defense does a guy who's spent nearly seven years in this industry without landing a single decent role have?
No one knew better than I did how talentless I was. Hell, it was a miracle I could even think about quitting now.
But while I was just smacking my lips, Hong Ji-ho kept eyeing me intently.
His face said he was completely baffled.
"...This is weird."
"What is?"
"Normally, if I said anything about your acting, you'd flip your lid."
"...Not that bad."
"What're you talking about? Just a few months ago, you were screaming that you'd sooner die homeless clutching a script than quit acting. Forgot already?"
"Mm."
Unfortunately, that was an irrefutable part of my past.
Until just recently, acting was my whole life. Quitting would've meant the end of everything.
Since hitting puberty, I'd lived for nothing else, so maybe it was a natural delusion.
I'd snapped back at friends giving me well-meaning advice, clashed endlessly with countless people.
But now, just a few months later, here I was, withdrawal form in hand, standing before Director Hong.
Even I found the change pretty astonishing.
"What wind blew through a stubborn ass like you? Thought you'd charge straight ahead till you dropped dead."
To the utterly perplexed Hong Ji-ho, I answered honestly.
"After dying about three hundred times, even I got fed up."
"...?"
His face screamed what the hell?, and inwardly, I sighed.
Well,
If only it were nonsense.
Day after shitty day
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