After Story 194

“This unni is ouchie ouchie, okay?”

Despite Sinhye speaking with her eyes wide open, the child grabbing her hair was all smiles. In the end, it was she who gave up when she saw the innocent smile.

“Fine, pull all you want. I’m sure it’ll grow again.”

Maru looked at Sinhye, who had given up, before picking up the boy in front of him. His name was Jinho, and considering that he just turned one, he was very docile.

“Adults say that kids don’t know anything, but as you work here, you realize how wrong that is,” said an orphanage teacher next to him.

Apparently, Jinho was placed right in front of the orphanage, along with a note that mentioned his name.

“Sometimes, they surprise me to no end. They tell me to not throw them away. It’s not that the kids don’t know. They know painfully well.”

Hearing that, Maru tickled Jinho’s cheeks. Jinho stared at him with his innocent eyes before closing his eyes. He seemed to be tired.

“He seems to be sleepy.”

Maru stabilized the back of Jinho’s neck, which was drooping down.

“Wait a second. I’ll lay him down in the room.”

The teacher from the orphanage took Jinho inside the room.

Maru looked at the children running around the living room. Parents gave up on raising their children, and the children were being nurtured in the hands of complete strangers. Heavenly ties were light, while man-made ties were heavy.

“Senior,” Joohwan called out.

He was shaking his body while holding two boys on each arm.

“You’re a human attraction, huh,” Maru said.

Joohwan put down the children and lay down on the ground. He seemed to be out of energy.

“You finished your drama shoot, right?”

“That ended last year.”

“Then when are you starting your next work?”

“I’m not sure. Nothing’s really decided yet.”

“If you do anything, please call me. I told you over the phone too, right? I don’t care what role it is, so just give me something.”

“That’s not up to me, is it? Casting is up to the producer.”

“I don’t care even if it’s just a pa.s.serby. I just want to work with you. I can get to see you work on set too.”

“What good is that gonna be?”

“If you wanna steal something, you have to keep watching. You have a lot of things that I don’t have, so I’m going to watch closely and steal from you.”

“That’s quite a blatant declaration of war.”

“There’s no one else I can say this to. You’re the only mystery right now. I thought a lot while watching Case Number 0; what if I played the role in his stead? I did have the confidence to do it, but not as good as you. Moreover, I can’t think of myself acting alongside actor Yang Ganghwan. I still have a lot to learn.”

“Learn from others, not me. Anything I have doesn’t have any nutritional value.”

His style of acting wasn’t something that could be imitated in a short time. Maru’s acting was a result of pure experience.

“You have the talent, so try making the most of that. I’m sure you’ll become a better actor than me.”

“That might happen someday, but that sounds like a distant future, so it makes me feel bitter.”

Maru slapped Joohwan’s back.

“Go and play with them. They’ve been looking at you for a while.”

“If I do, you’ll have to call me to your next work, okay?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Joohwan walked over to the kids on his knees. He put a girl on his back like he was a horse and crawled around the living room.

Girls followed him more than boys, but a lot of children flocked to Joohwan, perhaps having seen a glimpse of the innocent mental world that he had.

“I’m sure he’ll make a great elementary school teacher,” said the elder as he sat down next to Maru.

“He’s a kind guy. The children here seem to follow him a lot too.” Maru looked around himself before continuing, “Looks like they won’t come to me because I’m black-hearted.”

“Rather than black-hearted, I think it’s a matter of appearance.”

“You mean I have a black heart and a scary face?”

The elder laughed and waved his hand in dismissal.

“I heard they’re going to grill meat in the evening.”

“I’ll go buy it if they need anything.”

“You’re quick to catch on. I’m sure the teachers here must be tired, so the two of us should go. We’ll go in my car.”

“Yes.”

Maru told Jungah that he was going to buy groceries.

“Should I go with you?”

“The kids won’t let you go, you know? I’ll go with Sir Yoon, so please take care of the kids here. Sinhye and Joohwan are uncontrollable without you.”

“It’s not about control, the two of them just drain my energy. Can you buy me some ice cream on the way back? I’m fuming inside even though it’s winter.”

“I can buy you a whole lot.”

When he left the orphanage, he saw Moonjoong waiting for him in front of the car.

He got in the car and turned on the heater. The car had become a fridge in the span of a few hours. Winter sure was cold.

“Should we go with duck meat? I’m sure the kids will like it if we remove the skin, and it’ll be a good dish to have a drink with.”

“That sounds good.”

Maru had come here once last year, so he didn’t lose his way. He drove to a large-scale supermarket in the middle of the city. The housewives who had come grocery shopping for dinner all gave the elder a glance. They showed some hesitation before some of them approached him. That triggered a whole flock of people rus.h.i.+ng over to him.

“Sir, I really liked you before I got married.”

“You still look so handsome.”

“Please take a photo with me.”

A lady around the age of the elder became joyful to the point of clapping.

Maru watched the elder from some distance away, ready to body tackle anyone taking extreme action.

“Hey hey, I think that’s him.”

“The elderly beside that guy is also an actor who frequently appears in dramas.”

“Right, right.”

He heard a voice behind him. The gazes on the elder were now distributed to him. The younger generation recognized him in no time. They did not flock like the older people did and just took out their phones on the spot to take photos.

Maru smiled and greeted them.

“You’re not doing a shoot here, are you?” asked a man wearing a staff vest.

He seemed fully willing to cooperate if this was a shoot.

“We’re not. We’re just here to buy groceries.”

“Oh, really?”

“Sorry for making things noisy.”

“Not at all. Rather than that, I’m really enjoying the drama, Mr. Maru.”

Thank you — Maru said as he shook hands with the employee. Starting with that, the people who stayed away from him started flocking over. Everyone came over and took photos with him.

“I didn’t watch the drama because it was too scary, but I do see it from time to time when I switch channels. You’re so good at acting that it just makes me watch you.”

“Please take your time and watch it slowly later. It’s not that scary.”

It wasn’t just the younger generation. The housewives recognized him as well. He really felt the change in recognition. It seemed that some of the older generation recognized him because the channel content, other than the drama, was mainly targeting the silver generation.

They could only continue grocery shopping after the commotion died down.

They put a whole lot of food and desserts for dinner into the cart. He also bought some alcohol to enjoy with the elder. He might not be able to drink until he got drunk since he had to look after the children, but a gla.s.s or two should be fine.

They went back to the car with the groceries. On the way back to the orphanage, the elder spoke,

“There’s something I say to all my juniors. It’s to always appreciate the people who like you. You cannot take it as a given that the public likes you. I’m sure you’ll do well, but I still wanted to tell you.”

“I always bear your words in mind. If you have anything to tell me, please tell me any time.”

Having returned to the orphanage, Maru immediately started preparing dinner. He fed the juniors a lot of meat since they had a hard time playing around with the kids. By the time the sun set and the children started sleeping, the adults had a light drinking session.

The teachers who commuted to work drank a whole lot, while the teachers who slept with the children stopped after taking a sip.

“We’ll take our leave now. I’ll come again next time.”

“We’ll come again next time.”

Maru grabbed the wheel. As he was the only one who could drive, he didn’t drink a single sip.

He put the drunk juniors in the back seat and the elder sat in the pa.s.senger seat.

“Tell me if you’re tired. I can drive.”

“Don’t worry and get some sleep.”

He started the car. The juniors soon fell asleep as though they were tired. Playing around with the kids wasn’t something that ordinary stamina could handle.

“What book are you reading?”

The elder showed him the cover. He saw the words ‘Big letter Bible.’

“Didn’t you go to the temple?”

“I go to temples, Catholic churches, and Christian churches.”

“You believe in multiple, then, huh?”

The elder shook his head, “I don’t really believe in any. There was a time I did, but rather than for faith, I just read because I want to know. I want to know what the merciful yet cruel G.o.d is thinking.”

“If you ever find out, please tell me too,” Maru said, recalling the G.o.d that toyed with him and his wife.

The car entered Seoul. Maru dropped off the juniors in front of a train station. He also thanked them and said that he’d treat them out to a drink properly next time.

“Rather than drinking, I want to work with you.”

Joohwan insisted on his request until the end.

The next destination was the elder’s residence. He drove the car to the place the elder told him. He lived in the same place as his previous life, so he didn’t find any difficulty getting there.

“People who don’t live around this area usually get lost the first time.”

“I’ve been to all sorts of places in Seoul.”

“Really?”

He arrived at the elder’s residence. Maru stared at the elder going inside his house full of intent.

“I’m sure you’re tired. Would you like to drink something before you go?”

“I was going to feel sad if you didn’t say that.”

When he opened the door and went inside, two white dogs greeted him. One looked handsome, while the other looked foolish.

“Sir, what are their names?”

“Taeng-chil and Taeng-pal[1].”

The elder laughed and went inside. He explained that the dogs were a gift from president Lee Junmin, and apparently, it had been over a decade since they started living with him.

While taking his shoes off, Maru had a look inside the house. The faint smell of doenjang and the crude furniture… many things had changed from the previous life, but the elder’s house was the same, even down to the unique smell. He felt like he was back in his hometown.

“Make yourself feel at home. You’re the guest now, so I should give you the proper treatment.”

“I’ll do it.”

“I said sit down.”

Maru stood up awkwardly before sitting down again.

For the other items, he could feel the age, but the TV and the laptop were latest-generation models.

After seeing the two items that looked rather alien, the elder gave him some tea. It was warm green plum tea.

“I made it myself. I give it to the folks at the TV station every year.”

“So it’s something precious. Thank you.”

Just as he was drinking, he saw a photo in front of the TV. It was a photo of the elder and his wife, as well as the two white dogs when they were puppies.

The elder’s gaze also headed to the photo.

“If she was around, she would’ve brought out some rice crackers.”

There was a thick sense of disappointment contained in his words. So it seemed she had parted in this life. He lowered his gaze, feeling sorry.

“When did your wife…”

He asked carefully, but the elder stayed silent. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. He looked at the elder with a sense of guilt.

Just then, the door suddenly opened. Maru blinked and looked at the door. An elderly lady was coming in alongside the two white dogs.

He looked at the face of the woman coming in and the face of the elder’s wife in the photo. They were the same.

“You’re here?”

The elder said with a smile. When Maru froze stiff with a dazed face, the elder’s wife twitch her eye and spoke,

“Looks like you teased an innocent young man again. Honey, stop teasing the younger ones. I can still remember Ganghwan and Suyeon looking at me like they saw a ghost. Also, stop making me dead.”

“That sounds terrible. I didn’t say anything, and he’s the one who misunderstood on his own.”

“Same thing. Also, I told you to give some snacks if you bring a guest over. Don’t just stop at tea every time.”

The mistress opened the cupboard before taking out some rice crackers. Seeing that, the elder spoke in a small voice,

“See? If she’s around, you get rice crackers, right?”

[1] Chil means seven, pal means eight.