After Story 73

After Story 73

“Mother.”

“Why have you been using humble speech for a while now? That’s not like you.”

“I can’t help it since I want to tell you my honest feelings. Also, this is easier for me. I know you’re worried. I’m sure you are. Your unfilial son suddenly quit college and wants to become an actor, so it would be strange if you aren’t worried. But I didn’t choose to become an actor as a backup option. I’m not doing it as a form of escapism either. I’m doing it because it’s a much better path for me, and it is a field where I can display my skills to the fullest.”

“Is being an actor easy? Is it easy to become a celebrity? Singing and acting are much harder than studying. What’s easier than studying in this world?”

“I know that acting is hard. But you see, I have a bit of talent. You heard I shot a film, right?”

“Well, only that you shot a short film or something. I didn’t even want to listen to the rest.”

“I got an award for it. Not a participation award, but the grand prize. Not only that, it was for the single biggest short film festival in the country.”

His mother’s eyebrows flinched. She asked if the prize was easy to get.

“There’s no way they’d hand it out to just anyone. You know the Thintech mall in Seoul, right?”

“I do. It’s that huge shopping mall.”

“Our film was screened in the theater there. The seats were full.”

He searched ‘The Form of Love’ on his phone. Underneath the introduction that it won the grand prize of the Short Film Festival, the face of Yoonseok, the director, could be seen alongside his.

“This is just the start. The results are very good considering that I’m just starting out. I didn’t become an actor to live my life sucking on my thumb. I’m going to be well-off, doing the kind of acts I want.”

His mother did not say anything. She must be feeling dizzy and frustrated because her son, who she thought she had a full grasp of, was suddenly talking about something she couldn’t understand.

“Mother, I’m going to live a good life. So don’t worry about me. I won’t ask you for money, so don’t worry about the financial side either.”

“Do you think I’m talking to you because of money?”

“I know that money is only secondary. But you must also know that it can’t be ignored. A good college and a good job are all a process to get a good salary afterward. It might be different from the form of success that you saw in me, but please believe me. I won’t disappoint you.”

His mother looked at the phone for a long time. Maru waited until his mother spoke again. He knew the result. There was no parent that could win against their child after all. It was just his duty as her child to display himself properly so that she felt less saddened or upset about it.

“I will tell dad about it later. Considering his personality, he’ll just give the okay without saying anything, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Father is like that.”

“Tell us if you meet any difficulties. I watched a documentary before about becoming an actor, and it was not easy. They would work part-time and practice by night. If they don’t make it through an audition, it’ll be the same thing all over again. I can provide you support since there is no tuition, so don’t worry about that.”

“Mother, I’m earning money.”

“How much could you possibly earn? What part-time job are you doing?”

“Nothing for the moment. I still have some sources of money. We decided to split the grand prize money too. They gave me quite a lot because I’m the actor, so I won’t have any problems with living expenses for a while.”

“You aren’t lying, are you?”

“I’m not. Look at me. Do I look like I’m frequently skipping meals? I can do anything to earn money, so don’t worry about that.”

“Still, take the monthly rent and living expenses, just like when you were a student. Mom can do that much for you.”

Maru nodded to the offer that came a second time. He was going to accept it for now, even if he didn’t need it. After all, a parent’s mind would only feel relieved by putting something in the hands of their child.

“First there was Bada, and now there’s you. It makes my head dizzy because you both said you’re going to become actors like you’re possessed.”

“I’m sure Bada will do well too. She’ll keep trying without getting sick of it this time.”

“That will put me at ease.” His mother crossed her arms and looked at Maru. “What else?”

“Eh?”

“What else do you have to tell me? If you’re hiding anything, you better tell me now. If you don’t want to see your mother pass out that is.”

“I don’t have anything. What kind of amazing person do you take me to be to have two secrets?”

“You mean that, right? You really don’t have anything other than that you changed your career path? If I find something about you later, I’ll crush your legs and lock you in the house.”

“If you lock up a guy who should be working, it’ll be you who’ll be on the losing end.”

Now, it seemed a little okay to throw jokes. If he declared that he would become an actor recklessly, the conversation would have lasted a lot longer. He easily managed to bring the conversation to a conclusion thanks to the two achievements he had with the public service advertisement and winning the grand prize in the film festival.

“Wait just a few more years. I’ll be famous so you can brag about it.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, boy. You have to take it slow so that you don’t fall over. If you’ve decided to do it, then do it properly. You were always a problem when you were young because you slipped up while you were doing well.”

“I won’t slip up this time, I promise.”

“Of course, you will. You’re dropping out of the college you tried so hard to get into.”

After sighing, his mother stood up from her seat. She opened the fridge and took out some side dishes.

“Have some lunch before you go.”

“I will.”

“You are eating well, right? I think you lost too much weight.”

“I’m taking care of my diet. It’ll vary depending on the role, but generally, the thinner you are, the better you look,” Maru said to his mother as she cooked some beansprouts, “I have a movie audition coming up. I just finished a drama audition, and I’m waiting for the results.”

“A drama? You mean the one on TV?”

“There’s a mini-series that RBS is doing, and I auditioned for that. The director seems to have a pretty good assessment of me, but I don’t know what the results will be. Minor roles can change on a whim depending on the director, so I can’t say anything for sure before writing the contract.”

“If it works out, you’re going to be on TV?”

“Sure.”

“Pray, then, so that you will.”

“I don’t think praying will do anything, so I won’t. The one I know is quite petty so praying is no good.”

Maru stood up from his seat and opened the electric rice cooker.

“I guess I should wash the rice then.”

“Sit down. Mom’s doing it.”

“I’ll do it. It’s not like I haven’t made rice before.”

His mother stared at him and faintly smiled as she said yes.

* * *

“Did oppa come by?”

“He came in the morning and had some food. That rice was done by him.”

Bada looked at the rice which looked darker than usual. It was mixed with all sorts of other grains.

“He always liked white rice; I wonder what got into him.”

“Your brother seems to have changed a lot. I talked to him today, and I even wondered if he was the same immature boy I knew. It felt strange.”

“He did change a lot.”

Bada wrapped some rice in seaweed and put it in her mouth. The rice grains were quite rough. She heard that mixed grain rice was better for losing weight, so she endured it and chewed it.

“Maru won an award, apparently.”

“An award? What award?”

“The grand prize. It was from the Short Film Festival or something?”

“Really? The Short Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the country.”

“You know about it too?”

“Mom, I’m an aspiring actress too. I pay attention to that, you know?”

Bada looked it up on her phone. Just as her mother said, her brother’s photo could be seen in the information regarding the grand prize.

She was surprised, but at the same time, felt bitter. The brother she always found insufficient, the brother she always wondered what he would do in life, was far ahead of her right now.

She chewed on the rice in her mouth forcefully, thinking that she had to do it too.

“If things go well, he’ll shoot a drama too, apparently.”

“Did he say that? That he’s shooting a drama?”

“He said he took an audition and the director took him in a good light or something. It’s not set in stone, but a director is someone in charge of producing the drama right? If such a person took a good look at Maru, I’m sure he’ll be on TV.” Her mother smiled saying that the rice was done well.

Bada put down her spoon. “Mom, how can you be like this in just one day?”

“What?”

“Yesterday, you were glaring at me and wanted me to spit out everything. Why are you all smiles today?”

“Who’s all smiles? I’m feeling very baffled.”

“That’s how you look when you’re baffled? You look like you’re totally overjoyed.”

“I’m not overjoyed. I just thought he dropped out of school without any plans, but he shot an advert and even got a prize, so I’m feeling a little relieved.”

“You’re totally on his side. No one’s on mine.”

“Why are we taking sides here? Also, when have I not taken your side? I was supportive of you when you said you wanted to quit cram school.”

Those words were true, so she had no retort to that.

Even so, how could her attitude towards her brother change so dramatically in just one day? She felt like she was losing. She stayed quiet until the very end to keep his secret and only barely managed to say the matter about college, but after having talked with him, her mother was smiling like she had something to boast about.

Just where was the mother who was dead set on rebuking him?

Bada’s lips twitched, but then she eventually smiled.

“Anyway, you decided to understand him, right? That’s good then.”

Just as she was about to go to her room after finishing her meal, her mother gave her a plate of fruits.

“Your brother said that you’ll do well too, that you’ll stay persistent this time, and that I shouldn’t worry.”

“Of course. Whose daughter do you think I am?”

She received the plate and went to her room. She sat down on the bed and took out a book. It was a book related to acting.

Ever since she resolved to become an actress, every single day became extremely short. Time, which didn’t pass no matter what when she was memorizing English vocabulary, passed by in a flash whenever she was immersed in acting.

“So he got the grand prize, huh.”

She never thought that she would feel inferior to her brother out of all people in her life. She also became motivated to catch up to him.

She flipped over a few pages before turning her head around. She got a notification from her messenger. It was a message from a friend of hers. She was inviting her out to an eating tour in Garosu-gil on the weekend.

Bada sent a reply: maybe next time.

She responded that she had to practice when her friends kept asking her why she wasn’t coming before leaving the chatroom.

It would definitely be fun if she went. It would relieve her stress too. However, she would definitely regret it on her way home. She didn’t want to do something that she would regret doing. Also, she enjoyed practicing much more right now.

She was about to turn off the messenger, but her mother’s new profile picture caught her eye.

She, who always had a single flower as her profile picture, had the face of a person this time. It was her brother.

“Who can stop her….”

When she touched it and zoomed in, she saw that it was the photo on the web portal. Bada smiled and put down her phone.

* * *

“Yes. Okay. Yes, I’ll see you then.”

Maru took his phone off his ear. He took a deep breath before breathing out slowly. He was quite expectant but had semi-given up after seeing that there was no news.

He stood up from the sofa and jumped up high. He could see the cat crouched down like a loaf of bread getting startled and jumping out and running to the dining table.

He rushed over to the cat. He raised her high and pushed his thumbs into the cat’s cheeks.

“Ricebun. I got a minor role. Daddy’s shooting a drama. I’ll give you even better cat food than when I got the model fee.”

The docile cat screeched and jumped up high. Landing softly, the cat glared at him not to approach before walking away.

Maru could stay happy even with his roommate’s bad treatment of him today. Although it was a role that would die in the beginning, it was still a role with a name. There was no better promotion method than this.

He looked at the calendar he hung up on the wall: December 24th. His Christmas present came a day earlier.