Chapter 1

Chapter 1

[This station is Seongsu, Seongsu Station. The door to get off is...]

“Whoa...”

I sighed softly and got off the subway.

Wooooow.

At that time, I received a text message on my cell phone, which usually doesn’t ring. It was the audition results text I had been waiting for so desperately.

——

Hello. This is the casting team for <The Possessing Actor>.

Thank you for applying to this audition.

Unfortunately, Jinseok Kang...

——

‘I failed again this time. ‘When will the audition take place?’

I’ve already failed dozens of auditions. But I couldn’t get used to that feeling of loss.

[Door opens]

I got off the subway among office workers leaving work.

As I was going down the stairs as weak as usual, I saw the old woman with her back bent.

An old woman sitting on the stairs and gesturing to people.

Do you need help?

The grandmother beckoned to people passing by, but no one tried to help her.

As if the grandmother was invisible.

‘Should I help the grandmother...?’

But I didn’t feel like it right now. Maybe it was because I failed the audition, and I was so mentally and physically exhausted.

While I was thinking about that, I was suddenly passing by the grandmother.

By the time I came down the stairs like that.

“ha···.”

I couldn’t bear to pretend not to know.

It was because of my earnest desire to get at least a one-line part in the grandmother’s hand gestures as she anxiously called out to people passing by overlapped.

I went up the stairs again and asked the grandmother.

“Grandma, may I help you?”

He asked cautiously and the grandmother lifted her head.

The wrinkles on her face were full of worry.

In contrast, the white clothes she was wearing were surprisingly wrinkle-free and clean.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

As I stared at her, the grandmother held out her hand to me.

“Hey, I’m sorry, but can you help me?”

“Yes. “How can I help you?”

“I have to go home, but I can’t go alone... “I’m sorry, but can you take me with you?”

What should you usually do in this situation?

Perhaps the best way would be to report it to a station employee.

But for some reason, I wanted to help in person today.

“Yes. “Hold my hand and stand up.”

“Thank you. thank you so much.”

I slowly helped the grandmother.

***

After passing through alleys and alleys, I crossed the main street and arrived at the grandmother’s house.

Even I, a Seongsu-dong native, had no idea a place like this existed.

“After···. “Is it over there?”

“We’re almost there.”

I carried the grandmother all the way to her house. He didn’t really know because it was his first time carrying an old person, but the grandmother was quite heavy.

He says these days he only reads scripts and maybe it’s because he doesn’t exercise.

‘Even if I have to cut back on my part-time job, I have to set aside time to exercise...’

While I was thinking about this and that, I arrived in front of the house that the grandmother pointed to. It was a fairly old villa.

When he opened the old, rusty iron door at the entrance to the villa, there was a scraping sound of metal that he hated to hear.

When I opened the front door, I saw an old staircase that was suitable for an old villa.

The grandmother pointed to the stairs.

“I have to go to the second floor.”

“Yes. “You have family at home, right?”

“Then. “I came to see my son...”

Carried the grandmother up the stairs.

His legs were shaking, but he held on as best as he could, knowing that they would arrive soon.

He went up to the second floor and the grandmother pointed somewhere with her hand.

“There’s a big crock pot over there. “Please open that.”

“Yes···.”

To be honest, I wanted to open it quickly.

Every day, I worked part-time, practiced acting, and even auditioned. I was extremely tired.

‘But now that I’ve started... I have to see the end of this.’

“This one?”

I stood in front of a particularly large crock pot and asked. Then the grandmother came down from my back.

“That... I’m sorry about earlier. “I’m a bit impatient.”

“No. it’s okay. The bankbook is in the jar. “Then I’ll just leave...”

Since he wasn’t particularly angry at the man, he spoke lightly and tried to leave.

He slowly turned around and was about to go down the stairs when the man stopped him.

“Hey, let’s go and eat at least.”

“···.”

“It was fate that we met like this.”

***

“After···.”

After returning home tired, I took a quick shower and lay down on the bed.

Then, suddenly, I remembered the story I had with the man when we were eating.

The man was originally studying for a doctorate in the United States, but his mother was in critical condition, so he gave up everything and came back.

In a hurry, he borrowed money from various sources to pay for his mother’s surgery, but his mother stubbornly refused the surgery.

He said, ‘he tried to get surgery and life-sustaining treatment for her mom, but she refused to the end and even hid her bank account.’

He briefly recalled his conversation with the man and then quickly went to sleep.

He had to sleep in a little longer to go to his part-time job early in the morning and then audition for a small role.

‘I hope I go to the audition tomorrow.’

I fell asleep not long after I closed my eyes.

However.

‘···Why am I coming to my senses?’

Obviously, I fell asleep. But my memory was fine.

When I looked around, I found myself floating in some white space.

‘Are you saying this is a lucid dream where you can move at will in your dream?’

At that time, a familiar voice was heard from behind. When he looked behind him, he saw the same old lady he had seen during the day.

“Thank you so much earlier. Did the meal suit your taste? “These are the side dishes I taught Jinsu.”

Although he was a little startled by the grandmother suddenly appearing behind him, he quickly calmed down.

“Ah···. yes. It was really delicious. “Your son cried a lot.”

“I guess so. Even though Jinsu looks strong on the outside, he is really a soft kid. “I know everything.”

“Yes···.”

“Anyway, I really owe the young man a lot. So it’s not a big deal, but I’d like to help. “Is it okay?”

‘I’m in debt...’

I didn’t do anything great to deserve these words.

I don’t know what kind of help she was trying to give me, but I shook my head because I had no intention of receiving excessive compensation.

“It’s okay. “I just did what I could.”

“Not many people do what they can. “I really want to help such a young man, so why not just accept my compensation?”

It was difficult for me to refuse when she said it that way. When I slightly nodded my head, the grandmother smiled.

“Yes. If grandmother says so, I will gratefully accept it.”

“Thank you. “There’s nothing I can give you, but it looks like the young man wants to become an actor, so I’ll help him with that.”

“···Helps me become an actor? Are you saying you teach acting?”

“Okay. But that doesn’t mean I’m teaching you how to act. “I can’t do that.”

“······.”

“I can introduce you to my friends instead. First of all... is that your friend?”

The grandmother looked behind her as she spoke.

Then she waved her hand as if telling someone to come.

A little while later, a boy who appeared to be around middle school appeared.

As I quietly looked at the child, the child greeted me first.

“Hello. I heard a lot from grandmother. “My name is Minsu Kim.”

“Oh yeah. No, yes.”

He looked younger than me, but I treated him with respect because he was deceased.

Minsu smiled brightly, probably because he found my reaction funny.

“It’s okay to speak comfortably. “When I was alive, I was younger than you brother.”

The phrase ‘when I was alive’ was really sad.

How could such a young child die so young?

While I was lost in thought, the grandmother said.

“The audition you’re seeing tomorrow, ‘The younger sister who was supposed to receive a kidney transplant from her mother gives the kidney to his older brother who suffers from the same disease,’ right?”

“Yes. however... ”

After blurting out her words, he asked cautiously.

“How did you know that?”

“Dead people know everything. Rather, it’s Minsu. Don’t you have something to say to that brother too?”

“Ah yes! “I heard from grandmother that my brother has a very kind heart!”

“Not nice, just ordinary.”

“No way! Among all the people at the subway station, my older brother was the only one who helped grandmother, and he was very kind! So please help me too. “In return, I will help my brother.”

I asked back, a little hesitant at Minsu’s words.

“You’re helping me with my acting...?”

“Yes!”

Minsu smiled confidently at my question.