The Stranger at the Theater
Mist stayed quiet for a long while after that.
That wasn't why I'd brought it up.
'Mist, don't worry about it. Just forget it.'
'How am I supposed to forget that? It was such a sad thing to say...'
'I'm fine. I'm not sad at all.'
'...So that's why I'm twice as sad on your behalf.'
Strangely enough, hearing that actually cheered me up. I wondered what kind of face you'd make if I told you so.
I stared at Mist for a moment, then pulled them into a tight hug. Now that they'd taken on Jinbae's form, they couldn't slip lightly into my arms the way they had before, but it didn't matter.
'Having someone who grieves in your place—it's a happier thing than I realized.'
My heart turned soft and warm, like a freshly steamed rice cake. Wasn't this, by any measure, a pretty decent life?
A laugh almost slipped out, so I pressed my lips together. As a thank-you, I reached up to pat Mist's head—and they abruptly sprang to their feet.
'Yeonjae! Let's run an experiment!'
'What kind of experiment?'
'An experiment where you don't act as anyone at the fan signing tomorrow!'
Do we have to? The doubt must have shown on my face, because Mist launched into an impassioned speech.
'No matter which character you imitate, you can't satisfy every human anyway! Some humans will love Yu Hyeon, and some will love Kim Hoyun!'
'That's true. But wouldn't it be more reasonable to satisfy at least someone, rather than satisfy no one by not acting at all?'
'That's exactly why we should test whether anyone would actually be dissatisfied if you didn't act! What you said is just an assumption, Yeonjae. It's not a proven result!'
Had this kid always been this good at arguing?
I gave them a dubious look, but they had a point. Data-backed results were more reliable than vague assumptions.
'Still, even granting that—what's the point?'
I still couldn't understand the purpose of the test. But this was the first time Mist had ever asked me for anything, so I agreed.
'You've granted my requests before, after all.'
When I'd asked them to touch the Black Stone, Mist had all but vanished. So what kind of outcome would your request bring this time? What would disappear now—my popularity? My life? Jinbae?
I'd worried myself over all of that, and what I actually got in return was a day that felt like a dream.
'See! I was right?! You didn't act as anyone separate, and look how many humans were satisfied today!'
'Did it look to you like people were satisfied?'
'Totally! Humans are talking about you on the internet right this second!!'
Excited as a kid on a sugar rush, Mist relayed the community reactions to me. They recited them fluently, like they'd memorized a script—which told me everything.
You've been nothing but searching for people's reactions this whole time, haven't you.
'Mist.'
'Yeah?'
'...Thank you.'
'Hehe! Oh, it was nothing! It was a satisfying, satisfying experiment!'
When they added that I shouldn't have such thoughts in the future, I just smiled.
Thanks to Mist, I'd been able to meet my fans without performing anyone. I was grateful.
But honestly, there was something I was even more grateful for.
Just—you being with me. That was what I was most grateful for.
'I want to see Mist soon.'
But school wasn't even out yet. I was letting Noh Bihyeok's chatter wash over me from the front of the classroom.
"So what's your next project gonna be?"
"Where'd that come from?"
"What do you mean, where'd it come from? All you've done this whole time is work. Honestly, the fact that you're resting right now is more surprising to me than anything."
That was a bit of an exaggeration, wasn't it? And yet...
"Actually, there is a script I'm interested in."
"Well, there it is~"
Feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my neck.
"So? Which one's got you the most interested?"
"Can't do it anyway. The company's telling me to rest until next year. Do absolutely nothing."
"Huh? Why?"
"Something about how 'now is a time for waiting.'"
Noh Bihyeok still looked completely baffled. But he didn't press further. Why? Because I didn't understand it either.
Right in the middle of my conversation with Team Leader Woo, some other crisis had happened to blow up, and I'd been more or less banished back home.
Fine, I'll just go to the office tomorrow and ask.
I'd planned to wait obediently until they called for me, but the not-knowing was driving me up the wall. Well—I'd waited plenty long enough.
***
"So exactly how much longer am I supposed to wait?"
The words came out more crooked than I'd intended. I knew it wasn't a polite tone, but there was nothing to be done about it.
"May of next year? Only six months left now."
How was anyone supposed to stay calm after hearing that?
"Six months? You're telling me to do nothing at all and just rest for half a year?"
"It's not nothing. If a good ad comes in, you'll shoot it, and we're starting photoshoots from now on too."
"Then can't I do acting work alongside that?"
"Rest while you can rest, Yeonjae. You ran nonstop for the past year. It's not like you're resting from work entirely."
"An actor's work is acting. If I'm not acting, I'm resting."
"...Say, would you ever give a lecture to all our agency actors sometime? Say that exact thing in my place. Please."
Team Leader Woo was deflecting with a joke, and I bit my lip. My words kept trying to speed up, so I consciously let out a breath.
"Do other actors really rest that long?"
"Six months is long? Some kids drag it out for years whether they want to or not. Once you're in a production, it drains you emotionally."
Team Leader Woo shook her head like she couldn't understand me at all.
"Strange. I thought you'd be happy about this. Take a trip with Jung Hyun while you're at it, go hang out with your friends. You don't want to rest?"
"It's not that I don't want to rest. It's just..."
As far as the acting I did before dawn to strip away my misfortune factors, resting honestly posed no problem. The scripts lying around the company were more than enough for that. But I...
Once I'd finished sorting out my thoughts, I lifted my head.
Looking at Team Leader Woo and Jinbae, who were both watching me, I said it plainly.
"Yes. I don't want to rest. I want to act."
"......"
To be precise, I wanted to act on set.
Not the acting I did out of necessity to peel off my misfortune factors—real acting.
The practice I did alone every morning in a dark room before dawn was nothing more than an obligation. But a set that fell into total silence the instant the action call rang out, a camera focused only on my face, my movements, my lines, Jinbae always within my sight—
Rest, in exchange for all of that? Of course I didn't want it.
"Haah..."
I watched Team Leader Woo sigh like this was giving her a headache.
"Team Leader. I told you before, didn't I? If the company tells me not to do something, I won't do it. It'll be the same this time."
"......"
"But in exchange, I'd like you to give me a reason I can accept. Honestly, I don't understand why you're telling me to rest when I'm telling you I'm fine."
Team Leader Woo avoided my eyes. Pressing her temple, she muttered to herself.
"Why is the villain role always mine..."
Villain role?
She yanked loose the necktie she'd had neatly knotted.
"Haah, fine. You're that curious, so I'll tell you."
"......"
"Raising your market value to its absolute peak—that's the purpose of this rest. It's a directive from the CEO himself."
It took me a moment to parse the words.
"...If I rest, my value goes up?"
"Yes. May of next year is the benchmark. By then, we'll know exactly how high we can push it."
What was so special about next May?
Before I could ask, Team Leader Woo was already talking faster.
"Let me put it simply. The surest way to raise an actor's value is to raise their tier."
"My tier?"
"It's true for every celebrity, but doubly so for actors. A mysterious image sells better than a friendly one. The harder you are to approach, the more careful people are about even speaking to you—the higher you climb, the higher your price climbs with you."
Team Leader Woo tossed her necktie carelessly onto the desk. Falling short of its destination, it slid softly to the floor.
"Climbing up is hard. Coming down, on the other hand, happens in an instant."
"......"
"Right now, you're doing incredibly well. You want to act, and believe me, we don't want to stop you. But I'd like you to rest until May of next year."
"What's happening next May? Why would my value change by then?"
Team Leader Woo let out a hollow laugh. The sheer disbelief came through, loud and clear.
"You really don't care about anything except acting, do you?"
"Sorry?"
"I told you already. The film you shot with Director Yoon—it's being entered into competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Cannes opens in May."
The Cannes Film Festival, one of the world's three great film festivals. Just last year, Director Yoon Kangyeon had taken home the Palme d'Or with Cassette.
"The best-case scenario is you winning an award there... but honestly, even if you don't, it doesn't matter."
"Because just going to Cannes raises my tier?"
"Exactly."
Team Leader Woo smiled warmly, the way you'd look at a bright student.
"From The Butterfly Flower on the Zelkova Tree to Goodbye, My Summer to the Lukke commercial—you've built up beautifully so far. Our thinking is that we can't afford to gamble it on some unknown risk here. So I'd appreciate your cooperation."
"...I understand."
I nodded quietly. It was a reason I could fully accept.
"Thank you for understanding. When that time comes, both the volume and the quality of the scripts coming your way will be on a completely different level. Your range of choices will widen enormously too. It'll be a good opportunity for you—I'm certain of it."
Team Leader Woo gave my shoulder a pat.
***
On the way home, Jinbae spoke up carefully.
"Actor-nim. Are you all right?"
"It's disappointing. But knowing the reason makes it easier."
"You really liked that script, though. I read it myself and thought it was good—if I said something to Team Leader Woo on your behalf..."
"I already asked."
"Sorry? When?"
"When you went to the bathroom earlier."
I answered sheepishly.
Even after agreeing to the decision, I couldn't shake the lingering attachment. Nothing ventured, nothing gained—so while Jinbae had been briefly out of the room, I'd shown the script to Team Leader Woo.
'Oh, so this was the script you wanted to do? Good eye. As it happens, this drama is already the talk of the industry.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. The writer's a rookie, but she worked on Kang Yoonmi's team for five years. There's no question about her skill.'
Since Team Leader Woo had looked favorably on the script, I asked whether doing it, at this level, might be okay.
And I got thoroughly shot down.
'Yeonjae. That's exactly what a gamble is.'
'......'
'Even if you brought me a project I thought was ninety-nine percent going to be a smash hit, I'd still have to say no. I've seen far too many cases where someone ignored the one percent and everything collapsed. And this one, at best, is a moderate success.'
Her face as she said it was so firm that I couldn't bring myself to argue any further.
"What a shame, Actor-nim..."
"It's already decided. There's nothing more I can do about it."
I'd pushed back about as hard as pushing back could go. But maybe because I'd tried everything I could try, my hand felt relatively light as I set the script down.
"Then how about taking a trip this time?"
"Sounds good. The three of us can go somewhere with Jung Hyun-hyung."
"Wonderful! Where would you like to go? I'll look into everything."
"Anywhere's fine. Except the mountains."
"......"
The offhand remark left Jinbae sulking, and the sight of such a gloomy expression on that huge frame made me laugh.
And with that, I genuinely felt better.
Right—I should do this rest properly.
Going back to the ranch Jung Hyun-hyung and I visited before sounded nice. I'd bring Jinbae along this time too. Before winter break, I'd catch a movie with Baek Seojin, and see Park Haeun for the first time in ages.
I had to visit the orphanage. Oh—and I'd promised singer Choi Injun a proper meal together, too.
Counting it up like this, there's more to do than I thought.
Six months might not even be enough. Since it had come to this, I decided I'd make my rest as rich and full as possible.
That was truly what I thought.
That is, if I hadn't run into a strange person at the movie theater.
"Want to write a scenario with me?"