THE GUY FROM THAT ONE MOVIE.
The doorbell rung inside the small comfy retro themed café. Nobody spared him a glance as he slowly closed his umbrella and shook off the small raindrops around his coat. He placed the umbrella into the umbrella bin beside the door, his hands shaking slightly. He let out a sigh, trying to remove the anxiety that was building up in his stomach. He looked around the cafe, trying to spot a figure. He bit his inner cheek as he slowly removed his coat. He could feel his chest beat so rapidly that he could almost hear it in his ear.
Finally, in the corner, he spotted a woman wearing a dark grey suit. Her hair held in an elegant and neat bun. She was looking outside the window at the rain drops and the rushing people hurrying to get back home. She had her hands wrapped around a cut of hot coffee as she tapped slowly onto it.
Despite her calm demeanour, she was far from it. This was her once in a lifetime opportunity. Everything was hanging on the balance. This is why she stopped her life and decided to make a complete 180. If she didn't succeed, she didn't know how she could revive her life. Everyone told her she was being reckless and should instead opt for the regular paying job despite its very evident flaws and the suffocating room in which she spent her youth.
She went into that room one day, and tears rolled do her eyes at the prospect of that being her future. Then and there, she decided to quit. She had searched for the perfect opportunity, and now it was presented to her that all she needed was the perfect key.
As soon as she heard footsteps approach her, she looked up as soon as she caught sight of him she stood up and extended her hand for a handshake. She calmed her nerves and took his hand into hers. As soon as they made eye contact, she knew this was the right choice.
****
The doorbell rung for the second time in one of the apartment complexes. No one answered. He decided to ring it once more before leaving.
Just then, he heard heavy footsteps rushing towards the door before the door opened. A girl in school uniform with headphones wrapped on her neck appeared with a smile on her lips.
"I am so sorry I didn't hear the doorbell." She said her expression flushed as she gave him some money. He exchanged it with the food and was just about to leave after replying with a short thank you.
"Hey." The girl called out her eyes, narrowing a bit as she studied him.
He looked back at her in question. He had gotten used to it. The customers would often chastise that there may be something missing so much that he didn't care anymore.
"You look like that guy from that one movie." She said, her voice wondering slightly.
He didn't have time. He thought she would state her mind peacefully before piles of complaints were reported for late delivery. He didn't want to have another headache to deal with. He already had too much on his plate.
"Wait. " she squeaked in excitement before closing the door. He let out a frustrated sigh as he looked down at his watch. He was already past his time frame. Just as he decided to turn around and return to his work, the door opened once again. The girl rushed towards him while holding a tablet.
"It's you, right?" she said, a big smile etched on her lips as her eyes shone with anticipation..
He looked down, and sure enough, it was him.
He hadn't met anyone who could recognise him despite his numerous roles as an extra, so it fuelled a wave of unexpected feelings inside him.
"yah." He said briefly. Not to be rude but in a state of shock. He didn't believe he had met an actual fan.
She screamed in excitement and started jumping around. She fished a small notebook out of her jackets pocket and gave it to him as well as a pen.
"please may I have your autograph?" she asked, her eyes pleading. He nodded his head slightly and gave her a signature.
"thank you so much!" she said, looking at the signature like she found treasure before hugging the notebook.
"I am sorry but I have to go." Before she could protest, he ran down the stairs.
"they are going to be so jealous when they find out!" she said happily, looking at the signature once again before heading back inside the house.
****
He let out a sigh as he fell onto the old mattress in his old rooftop room. He looked up at the old ceiling as he tried to catch some sleep. Since that day, every time he closed his eyes, all he could dream about was that man's dreadful hands and touch, but he couldn't take any drugs. Since he was small, he had promised himself never to take them. Being surrounded by them seeing the people around him suffer for it had made him resent it so much.
He just fought through them. He worked himself like a dog to the point his body was too tired to even comprehend what happened before. Now he should be asleep, but all he could think of was that girl that asked him for his autograph simply because he recognised him from his work.
The day he met that pink suit lady ,Mae-rin, he had thought the universe was finally smiling at him. He had met her on occasion when he went to audition for roles and was playing as an extra. She was always typing. People referred to her as a script genius. Most of her scripts had great growth and were involved actively in the making of so many popular shows. However, the problem was no one knew her name. They knew her boss, though, but not hers.
He had met her boss once she was wearing designer brands from head to toe. She was quite snortish too she didn't look like she could pull off a good script. But deciding not to judge Sung-hoon didn't think much of it and minded his won business.
It came as a surprise when he had a phone call one night from Mae-rin. She was offering him a role. They met up and discussed what would happen the script and overall synopsis. He was quite intrigued by it.
She told him, however, that the budget was not so grand and they would work with what they had.
Seeing the script, Sung-hoon thought it would definitely be a hit, and he could not pass up the opportunity to play such a complex role as Ardwin, a man standing at the edge of life. Relieving his childhood as he stood at the doors of the laws of death, all he had to do was make one decision.
It reminded him a lot of himself.
It reminded him where he stood two years ago. When he stood at the edge of the han River after fleeing from the hospital.
But he was a coward he couldn't do it, not when he had so much he wanted to live for. So he evened his breath and got down from the rails.
He couldn't give up.
There had to be something, something that would brighten his dreams and bring them to light.
She was quite a talented woman.
While working with her, he learned she was a single mother raising her daughter who would start middle school soon. She was the bane of her happiness. Whenever she talked about her daughter, her smile would be so bright.
He was the only actor, so he had to bring as much emotion as possible. He had to master complex emotions he had not tried before he channelled his pain to the character and the desire to live along with the trenches life had thrown the character into.
He did so well that some of the crew cried with him.
The movie was to be released on a small platform. He had thought it would pick up, and more people would like it. However, months passed, and hardly anyone talked about it.
But it was fate that had different plans that Sung-hoon had no idea about. Plans that would create a chain reaction to his destined path.
****
It was a week before on a cold night. Hae-rin was eating from some cup noodles as she tried reading the comments from her live steam. She read a few out loud as she continued eating.
"I have been practising for our upcoming comeback. Please look forward to it. " she said, taking another bit.
"I am glad you enjoyed your time with me yesterday!" she said. The day before, she attended an event and met some of her fans afterwards.
"The magazine has reached a hundred thousand preorders!" she asked, her expression shocked before smiling. " Thank you so much for the support " she said smiling as she threw the empty cup in the bin close to her desk. She had finished practising when she decided to have a livestream, seeing as it had been a whole since she did it.
She leaned in to read another comment.
'Are you interested in anything as of late?'
She thought for a while before her face lit up.
"there is this movie I watched. I don't think a lot of you know it, though. I found it quite enjoyable. The emerald. The character was so well done that I could feel all the emotions of dread and pain as well as the happiness. I don't know if you would enjoy it. I personally recommend it."
And that's when the chain reaction started.
People pooled to see the movie that had been recommended by their rising star.
She hardly ever recommended anything, so her fans thought it must have left quite an impression.
Videos soon started spreading on different platforms. Viewers praise the wonderful execution and the amazing direction. They tried looking for him but they couldn't find him. It was like he had disappeared like a ghost.
That was until a girl claimed to have his autograph posted and people went crazy.
Without his knowledge, Sung-hoon had already amassed thousands of fans.
***
It was 11 pm in the evening when Sung-hoon finished his deliveries his scooter stopped in front of the small restaurant before getting off and removing his helmet .just as he was about to enter the restaurant, his phone buzzed. He had a new message, and he removed his phone and looked at their ID it was Maerin asking him to come for dinner her at home.
Ever since they got acquainted while producing the movie, they had become close with someone having dinner on most occasions in marines house. He pocketed his phone and walked towards the restaurant an hour of the bus that was waiting for him inside as soon as he walked in all eyes were on him he walked towards there cashier stand and started removing his reflector after placing his helmet on the stand.
The restaurant was called crab for grabs it was a family owned business and despite his reservations he had formed a bond with the owners so much so that they offered the rooftop room at a lower price than other places. In return, he tried to be as social to them as he could and had even started talking more over the past year. Most of the jobs he worked in the boss would complain if he talked too much, which resulted in him changing his mannerisms according to the environment he was in.
The cashier, the daughter of the owner , looked at him suspiciously as she took the helmet and placed it in a large bin. He looked at her, his face questioning her expression. Before he could say anything, she voiced.
"I didn't know you stared in a movie?"
His face crunched in confusion.
"You could have at least told me. Now i can brag all i want to my friends at school." she said with a wide smile as she dumped the reflector in the bin before placing it down.
"How to do you know?"
"Know what?" she asked clueless to his question.
"About the movie." He asked as he took a can of soda from a nearby fridge and opened it.
"it's trending for like the past week. How did you not know."
He looked at her slightly before his phone started going off. It was Mae-rin.
"I have to go." He said as he quickly gulped down the coke and threw the can in the right trash outside the restaurant, not leaving time for her to say another word.
He quickly hailed a cab and instructed it where to go. It was on the weekend, so there were more students walking about some from nights chook and others just having fun.
He watched as people faded behind him. He never had the chance to have fun or make friends all his life his priority was always how to make money. Sometimes, he wished he could do those things even if he was late.
People around him thought of him as a cheerful person, and he had become complacent to their demands and needs, but his words were always so empty.
He had been so disappointed so many times that when he woke up in the morning he convinced himself not to fall into a state where he would be left vulnerable for disappointment it had worked well in the previous years so despite his happiness of the movie starting to pick up pace he didn't have any high expectations.
The cab finally stopped outside an apartment complex. He paid the driver and quickly ran up the stairs after putting in the code.
As soon as he arrived at the floor, he headed the door open. A smile made its way into his face as he felt a small figure run up to him and hug him. He was still breathing heavily, but he picked her up and turned around with her, making a bust of laughter ring through the hall.
"did you miss me!" He cooed as he walked into the house.
Mae-rin peaked at the doorway as she wiped her hands on her apron.
"you finally arrived. We were about to eat without you." She complained as she got back to the kitchen.
"Don't worry, I would have saved you some." Ji-hye whispered as she stood in front of Sung-hoon waiting for him to wear some slippers.
While they were filming for the movie, ji-hye had gotten attached to Sung-hoon, who never had experienced having any siblings quickly fell for her charms and would treat her to many treats, and they soon became close. Sometimes, when Mae-rin was too busy, she would leave Sung-hoon with Ji-hye, and over time, their bond became even stronger.
Ji-hye would make sure to call Sung-hoon every day, and they would have play dates. He would even pick her up and drop her off school on occasion that the teachers had become acquainted with him..
"we are having chicken today." She said happily, bouncing as she held his hand and pulled her towards the dining table in the open set house.
She sat across from him as Mae-rin finished setting the table.
Dinner was filled with laughter and joy. After they played a few games before, ji-hye became tired.
Sung-hoon had tucked her in and had come to the sitting area as Mae-rin removed her apron.
"I wanted to talk to you." Mae-rin said her voice more serious than usual.
Sung-hoon sat down and faced her as did she.
"The movie...its doing well now.!" She said, her face brightening up as she took the wine of glass she had earlier put on the table and poured some for her and Sung-hoon.
"yes !" His voice a bit nonchalant which left Mae-rin a bit taken aback. She had expected him to be happy or at least show a better reaction.
"is that not good?" she asked, placing her glass down as her voice turned to a worried one.
"It is .It's great." He said his voice, although still low, was filed with faked happiness.
She didn't understand. This was what he wanted. She had seen him work on different sets but only as an extra. Every actors dream is to make it big to have that one chance.
"is something wrong?" she asked, getting a bit closer to him. "If you are worried about how you will manage. Although my company is small, I can manage to get you roles and manage your schedule. Alice can do a great job."
Before the finished shooting for the movie. Sung-hoon had agreed to join Maerins company. Although there were only four people so far, including the staff.
There was Alice who was to assist Sung-hoon but had been currently helping Maerin. There was also Jong suk, a talented man who was also helping Mae-rin. They couldn't afford to have more staff, and Mae-rin had only been working on small-scale scripts and productions that had received favourable reviews. There was no doubt in her talent.
"It's not that." He said his voice distant as he took the cup and drowned the wine.
"My life... I had already decided to give up hope. Who would accept a high school dropout. Let alone my life..." Before he could finish, Mae-rin suddenly embraced him..
He was taken aback slightly but didn't protest. He felt her warm embrace give him comfort.
"You are scared." She said, letting him go and looking into his eyes.
"It's okay to be scared." She added." Every major step in our lives is filled with uncertainty and fear. If we let it take over our lives, how will we live. When I went to deliver my resignation letter, every part of my body was shaking. Mt breath was uneven, and I was lightheaded, but I did it because I didn't it fear to control my life. You can't either."
She said, adding some more wine for him.
Sung-hoon looked at her for a moment as she picked up her wine glass and clicked it against his before taking a sip.
"do you want to do this? Just one try." She asked her voice soft and pleading.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt." He said, shrugging his shoulders before also taking a sip.
"good because Alice already booked you for a show tomorrow. " She said, avoiding eye contact as she took another sip of the wine.
"what!" Sunghoon almost chocked on his wine as he recklessly placed the wine glass on the table.
"when !! Where!!! Why??!" He tried to get words out of his mouth but couldn't.
"you know how determined and hard-headed she is. I couldn't say no."
"is that why you invited me to dinner!" He asked, his voice holding a hint of betrayal. She looked away while taking another gulp of the wine.
"I am not going."
"You literally just said you would try it!" she gasped in shock as she placed the glass down.
"That was before I knew you were throwing me directly into it so soon!" He protested.
"As if you can say no. She will literally drag you out of bed tomorrow!" she added, swishing her hair as she poured more wine for herself.
"She is very persistent. " Sunghoon added thoughtfully as his face resigned to the lack of another outcome.
"Plus she tried really hard to get this spot for you! "
"where is it going to be?"
"The golden quiz."
Sung-hoon further resigned to his fate as guilt started eating him up. The golden quiz is a popular show for one to get a spot on it it would take a long process. She must have gone through a lot to secure it for him.
Plus, that being his first major appearance would make a major statement.
"fine!" He said with a sigh as he sunk into the coach.
"Maybe you might find a few surprises. " Mae-rin added with a smile.