Once you become an adult, you have to learn to live on your own.
Even if you find yourself dropped into a strange place, you must adapt and fight for survival. Being an adult means paving your own path in life.
That’s the way of humanity.
Military service can be seen as a rehearsal for that.
“You’re discharged, so get out.”
So, when my aunt called me and brought that up, I was able to say what I had been preparing for a long time without hesitation.
“No, aunt! Please don’t let me go! I don’t even have a deposit; how can I leave?!”
“I’ll give it to you, so just go.”
“Yes.”
Well, I guess I have to leave.
“From now on, take care of yourself. I’ve done my duty. Don’t contact me. You and I are no longer related.”
I knew all too well that my aunt, who was burdened with a kid she didn’t plan on having, disliked me.
Still, my aunt raised me.
For that, I truly felt grateful. Raising someone’s kid isn’t an easy task. It’s tough enough raising your own flesh and blood; doing it for someone else’s is unimaginably harder.
Moreover, she sacrificed her youth for it.
I respect my aunt.
If it were me, I would have launched the troublemaker into a giant swing without hesitation.
“Thank you so much!!!”
I bowed deeply to my aunt twice.
“Why twice…?”
Of course, it means respect.
“Since you don’t have any kids! You raised a troublemaker like me! Honestly, I’m way more grateful than I could ever be for my birth mother! I really have only you, Aunt! You are my mother!”
“I get it, just go…”
“Then, I wish you all the best! You must stay healthy for a long, long time while I’m away! I mean it; I’ve never seen anyone as pretty and kind as you, Aunt! Truly a blessing of an aunt! I’m so thankful I’m about to cry!”
“Just get lost, you annoying brat…”
And so, I was thrown into society.
“My name is Kim Geunhyeop.”
I just used my aunt’s deposit, which was only ten years more than my age, to rent a room and settle down.
“I’ve forgotten my parents’ names. From today, I will live alone as an adult.”
From today, I must survive in this cruel society alone. Having forgotten my parents’ names, I had nothing to fear. Isn’t that what being an adult is?
Those without parents have nothing to fear.
The only fear is that my aunt gets sick or has an accident.
—Papat!
I sought short-term jobs.
—Bungzubungzu!
I repeated the cycle of working and quitting.
“Ah, was this job also ‘rejected’?”
Having not even gone to university, I lacked the time for ‘experience’ in many ways. My survival strategy was to explore various jobs and find my aptitude.
“The buffet job is no longer available.”
To live long, I needed to find a job that suits me.
I wasn’t even in my mid-twenties yet. I must use this time wisely to build my future. Gaining diverse experience from many jobs would nourish my spirit. I need to discover my skills while I’m still young.
This was my thought as I tried out various jobs.
“Hmm.”
Of course, even with my plans, sometimes work unexpectedly stops.
This usually happens when I end up in conflicts with coworkers, but I truly don’t understand why there are so many fights in social life.
“What should I do next?”
Lying in my room full of my personal color, while searching through job apps for my next gig, I stumbled upon a decent-paying job.
[Historical Drama Extra]
It was a gig as an extra in a historical drama!
“The dream of an actor.”
I imagined for a moment what it would be like to be an actor.
“Sounds good.”
Perhaps being an actor could be a good job. A new challenge. A new opportunity. Something I haven’t tried before. These thoughts moved my fingers, and I decided to take on my first role as a historical drama extra.
“Alright, alright! Put this on! Just do as you’re told!”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
I moved around in clothes that looked like the attire worn by ordinary folk in the historical drama, alongside others in similar circumstances.
The tasks were a bit sweaty but not hard.
Running here and there, cheering, or pretending to cry while creating a ruckus in the market.
“I like it.”
Overall, I was enjoying it.
The filming seemed to be going smoothly.
Maybe I really have a knack for acting. If I hit it big and found my way back to my aunt, it would be a moving reunion.
“Hey! Over here!”
As I was lost in imagining my future as a star, a staff member called for me.
“Yes. What’s next?”
“Just sit here with your back to us and pretend to drink.”
“Oh, pretending to drink at the tavern?”
“Yes.”
“Got it. Is this good?”
I sat at the tavern, pretending to drink. My divine acting skills earned me an immediate “Okay,” and I followed the instructions to pretend to drink.
“Action!”
While I was doing that, the main actors came over to greet and start their performances. I followed my cues and continued to pretend to drink, when suddenly…
“What the fuck! Why is that bastard there?! Hurry and get him out?!”
A guy suddenly shouted profanities.
“What’s going on?”
I turned to look and saw that it was someone who looked like a director.
“Hey, you! What the fuck are you doing! Get out, you bastard!”
“Me?”
Is he talking to me right now?
“Get out, you asshole! Are you deaf or what?!”
Is this punk seriously throwing insults at me?
“Who the hell are you calling names, you bastard?!”
“What?”
“You, get out, you piece of shit! Who do you think you are to mess around here?!”
You may think I’m an orphan, but I can’t just take that lying down!
“You bastard, just try me! Hey! Get out! Now!”
“Uh, uh-oh!”
I rushed right at the director, surprising the staff who tried to stop me. But of course, in this unexpected situation, their words fell on deaf ears.
I grabbed the director’s hair and shook him wildly.
“You little shit!”
“Ahhhhh!!”
I came to make money, not to get insulted!
“Ah! Ahhh! This crazy bastard! Somebody get him off me!”
“Get off you? You’ve got it wrong! I’m the one who’s going to get an apology! When else have you seen a jerk like you in my face?!”
“Uaaaaaargh!”
What do you mean “scream”? You’re the one who needs to be apologizing!
I didn’t know if he was playing dumb or genuinely didn’t understand me, but I couldn’t let go until his hair started receding from this stress.
Seriously, these days, kids think that just because they yell loudly, they can get what they want.
“Calm down!”
“Ooh, calm down? This bastard just insulted me!”
“Hey! Do you know where you are making a scene?! Get out now!”
What is with this guy?!
“The one causing a scene is your director, you dumbass!”
“Uh, uh-huh?!”
“Why are you raising your voice? Apologize immediately or I’ll make you eat dirt, bastard!”
—Swoosh!
At that moment, a clump of the director’s hair came out.
“Oh.”
Just a fistful’s worth, came out like I was pulling weeds.
“Ahhhhh!”
The director grabbed his head and let out a scream that pierced the air, and at that moment, several others rushed in and I lost my grip.
“Please calm down!”
“Ah, ugh…! My hair! That crazy bastard!”
“Stop talking crazy. Is this guy still going on? No way. Not happening.”
With how much hair I pulled, you think I’ll get an apology after being insulted?
It was clear that I wouldn’t let go until he agreed to apologize.
Look, nowadays, if you put up a fight when something unfair happens, it leads to something.
“Please, just calm down!”
“Calm down about what? This bastard just insulted me!”
“Listen! You shouldn’t be acting up here! You need to go now!”
What kind of nonsense is this?!
“You’re the one who started acting like a jerk, you bastard!”
“Uh, uh-huh?!”
“What’s with your big mouth? Apologize and let’s get this moving, asshole!”
—Wham!
In a split second, the director’s hair came out, and he was screaming for the stars.
“Ahhhh! What a lunatic!”
“Help me!”
“Somebody save me!”
After my roaring shout cleared everyone from around, I went back to the director.
“Hey! You’re going to apologize! Can’t you see you’re stalling the whole shoot! The set isn’t running because of you! Are you responsible for today’s shoot failing, you bastard?!”
“Uh…!”
—Dash!
But suddenly, the director started to run away!
“You bastard! Where do you think you’re going?!”
I was going to chase him down, but then the staff surrounded me and caught me.
“Sorry, sorry!”
“Please calm down! We’re sorry!”
“We’ll take the blame! Please, calm down!”
In Korea, when you face something unreasonable, you have to make a scene to get results.
As I saw countless people bowing their heads and begging, I started to feel more forgiving.
“No, I didn’t want an apology from you. The person who needs to apologize is someone else, right?”
“Well…”
“I’m telling you I have the person who needs to apologize! How much do you think we’re losing because the shoot has stopped? Bring that director here, fast! I need to go act! I’ll accept the apology if they come back! Come on! The set isn’t moving because the director is flaking out!”
“Ah, what is this…?”
What matters right now is the filming.
“Hey! Tell the director to stop! Please just get back!”
“Yes?”
Just then, a staff member rushed toward me with a white envelope.
“This is… my pay?”
“Sorry for the trouble. Here’s your full pay for today. Please take it and go.”
I checked the amount, and it was my entire day’s wage.
“Hm.”
Seeing the money, I felt a bit better.
When you look at it, isn’t it a win?
“Guess so.”
I was pretty annoyed, but if I got paid for half a day without doing all the work, then that’s just fine.
Let’s call it even.
“This is a piece of your hair, director. I’ll return this.”
“Ugh!”
“Tell them to replant it.”
I handed the staff a handful of hair and returned to the dressing room.
Lord knows there’s no end to such controversies. At my last job, I got fired for cursing out someone for being an idiot when they didn’t tell me something crucial.
This kind of thing happens so often.
—Swish.
I took off the historical drama extra costume and stuffed it into my bag.
“You bastards. I’ll take this with me.”
It wasn’t like the director apologized, so taking this much is completely reasonable. It looks warm, and I can wear it at home like a long john in winter.
Grabbing this little item on my journey lightened my mood a bit.
If you toss out insults at someone, you should expect to pay a price. Behaving like a nobody and then ending up beaten is just the way it goes.
Yet, what I felt a bit sad about was not being able to fulfill my role today. There’s also the fact that the shooting didn’t get wrapped up. Nonetheless, this feeling stems from my strong sense of professionalism and responsibility.
Even if I want to shake it off, it lingers in my mind.
Without me, the set won’t run.
“It can’t be helped.”
—Vroom.
And thus, I returned home.
It wasn’t too late.
To cheer myself up, I ordered chicken and took a shower.
—Ding.
I turned on the TV and had a beer while watching a historical drama.
If it weren’t for that jerk of a director, maybe I could have become an actor too… or not. My acting skills were shown today, so if I keep going down this path, I might get cast one day. It seems only natural.
Actor Kim Geunhyeop? The events of today will become a humorous tale that proves my sense of responsibility in the future.
“Oh, right.”
While watching the historical drama, I remembered the thing I brought from the set.
Time to show off a bit.
Let’s try it on.
“Not bad.”
I felt glad I brought it along.
—Ding dong.
“Yes, coming!”
I received the chicken and settled back down to enjoy my meal.
“Yay! It’s delicious!”
That was my last memory on Earth.
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