After Story 196

“h.e.l.lo. I’m from Channel S’ Deep In the Night.”

Maru looked back and forth between the reporter and the cameraman in front of him. He had been notified beforehand that there would be an interview from a program being made by Channel S.

“Yes, h.e.l.lo.”

The one who greeted her as their representative was Ganghwan.

“From how the four of you came together, did you perhaps match your schedules on purpose?”

“No, we were playing tennis together before we came to the afterparty. We’re kinda crazy for it right now.”

“I see.”

“You see, tennis is quite the stuff. When I first held the racquet, I wondered how much fun it could even be, but when I tried it, all I could think of at night was a yellow ball.”

“You seem really pa.s.sionate about it.”

“I feel uneasy if I don’t hold the racquet for even a single day. You see, at first, even if you try to hit the ball, you miss a lot, and even if you do hit it, it’ll either fly so high or so low that it hits the net. But as you receive instructions and improve your posture, the ball curiously starts going past the net towards the opponent.”

“Aha, I see.”

The reporter’s smiling face became slightly gloomy when Ganghwan started talking about the aspects of tennis. It seemed this kind of interview was a first for her, where she couldn’t get in the lead at all and had to keep listening to whatever Ganghwan said.

“This guy really likes tennis that much. I’m sure he’ll debut as a player sooner or later.”

Maru interjected between Ganghwan and the reporter. If he let them keep going, they might as well continue the interview throughout the whole afterparty.

Hojoon pulled back Ganghwan with his thick arms and Seokhoon blocked Ganghwan, who looked like he could keep going on for hours, from the interviewer’s line of sight.

“If you have any questions for us, please go ahead and ask.”

“Th-thank you.”

The reporter looked at Ganghwan who was back in a daze before getting herself together and asking questions, directing them to Maru,

“This is your first time playing a protagonist, but the responses are very hot. How do you feel about this?”

“I’m rather taken aback because I didn’t know I’d receive so much attention. Before we began the shoot, I heard on multiple occasions that it was going to be hard. I’m very grateful that many people have watched me and encouraged me like this.”

The reporter nodded before continuing her questions,

“Tomorrow, the final episode will be airing. Many people are rather disappointed that it’s a short, 10-episode drama.”

“I find it a pity too. I really got attached to it while shooting it. But I’ll have to let it go after tomorrow.”

“There are talks about seasonal dreams. If there is another season, would you appear in it? The fans sure seem to want it.”

“Personally, I plan to shoot if they ever call me. I believe that seasonal dramas were being talked about from the planning stage. I expect things to proceed smoothly thanks to all the interest from the fans. After all, I’m also an avid fan of Case Number 0 before I’m an actor. Whether it’s Changsik or someone else’s story, I’d like to see some form of story that follows up.”

The questions were rather easy to answer. Following him, Hojoon was asked questions as well. Seokhoon, a minor actor, could also express his opinion.

“Thank you for your interview. Please come to our program once next time.”

“Sure, call us any time.”

The interview ended with a promise for an appointment that may or may not ever happen.

When they walked past the photo zone and into the store, Ganghwan spoke,

“Hey, I feel like I didn’t say anything about the drama.”

“You just realized?” Maru smiled.

As they walked deep inside they said h.e.l.lo to the production crew they hadn’t met in a while. Maru saw producer Cha, the writer, and the other actors sitting at the end.

“You were playing tennis again, weren’t you?” said producer Cha.

“Don’t even start. We were almost late because Ganghwan-hyung wanted to play one more game,” Maru said, sitting down slightly away from producer Cha.

The important seats were taken by the senior actors and the directors.

“Our actor Han is here, so we should toast, shouldn’t we?” said the camera director, waving a bottle in the air.

Maru took off his jacket and stood up.

“Please stay seated. I’ll go around making everyone a gla.s.s. We’re just starting off, so let me make one lightly.”

A row of soju gla.s.ses inside beer gla.s.ses was set up. Mixing drinks was something he could do easily with his eyes closed. If there was vodka, he could even display a fire performance.

He put a soju bottle against the row of gla.s.ses. Some of the actors sitting around him took out their phones.

“You’re taking a video of it again?”

“No matter how many times I see it, your skills are extraordinary. I’m going to shoot it and put it up on Instagram.”

“If you do that, people will see me as an alcoholic.”

As he said that, Maru moved the soju bottle. He poured soju into all gla.s.ses while moving in a straight line like a single, smooth stroke of a brush. Following that, he opened a bottle of beer and shook it slightly. He poured the beer that rose alongside air bubbles without spilling it into the gla.s.ses.

“It’s skillful no matter how many times I see it. Just where did you practice this?” asked a senior actor.

“What do you think I was doing when I was young? I obviously went drinking with my friends. Then, I saw a TV show where they made c.o.c.ktails. That looked so cool to me, so I tried all sorts of things when I hung out with others. This is the result of that.”

“How peculiar.”

The people gathered around and raised their gla.s.ses.

“The shoot was over a long time ago, but still, thank you for your work once again. Thank you for listening to this insufficient director’s words. At the start, I just prayed that we didn’t fail, but now, I’m praying for the viewing rates to rise even more. Life really is unpredictable, isn’t it?”

“It’d be great if we could hit 20% for the last episode.”

“20 seems far-fetched. 15 is more like it.”

After listening to the others, producer Cha spoke again,

“Anyway, thanks to everyone here, the drama managed to reach this point. I hope we can meet like this again and drink to our heart’s content. Good work, everyone! To success!”

Cheers!

Along with a lot of clanging, gla.s.ses. .h.i.t each other. Everyone emptied their gla.s.ses and started eating. People who hadn’t met in a long time talked about their recent matters as they spent their time.

“Maru, look over here for a sec.”

An actor two years older than him raised his phone as he spoke. He seemed to be taking a photo. Actors who liked to take commemorative photos started taking out their phones.

Maru put his face here and there.

“Uhm, I’ll be over there for a bit.”

He left the place with the main actors and went to where the minor actors and the production crew were. He also poured drinks and drank and talked to them.

“Mr. Maru! Can I take a photo?”

“Don’t ask. I don’t have any portrait rights. Shoot away.”

“Then, can I take one with an arm around your shoulder?”

“Sure.”

He took photos with the production staff that had worked hard for the past months.

Although there were actors who stayed distant from the staff because of various incidents, Maru tried to maintain a good relations.h.i.+p with the staff as much as possible. It was advice from the elder, and the atmosphere at the set would be better if he did as well.

“It’s starting!”

Channel S’ logo started coming up on the TVs installed throughout the restaurant. In places that were far from any TVs, people took out their phones.

“Maru’s right there just in time. Before it starts, say a word or two for all of us,” producer Cha shouted from the distance.

“You do it, producer!”

“No, you do it. The drama’s starting now.”

Maru smiled awkwardly while holding a gla.s.s. The minor actors next to him clapped and pushed a chair to the front, as though to tell him to go up on it.

“I was put in this position, so I guess I have to do it, right?”

He looked around before going up on the chair.

“I was pushed to do this against my own will, so don’t think of me too badly even if I screw up.”

People laughed next to him. Maru raised the gla.s.s to his eye level.

“Okay, then. Since we’re doing this, everyone raise your gla.s.ses.”

He checked to make sure everyone raised their gla.s.ses.

“Hojoon hyung-nim! Raise your gla.s.s.”

“Wait, we need to pour him some.”

Maru smiled. “Okay, everyone’s raised their gla.s.ses now. Thank you all for your hard work for the three months, whether it’s the writer, the director, the actors, or everyone on the production staff. I hope your future is filled with good things. I’ll say a phrase. I hope you can follow up after me so that I don’t feel awkward.”

Just as Maru was about to shout, the TV, which had its volume turned up, spat out a line from a drama.

-Ahn Changsik, you crazy! Just get out!

Everyone was focusing with their gla.s.ses raised, so as the voice rang out, people started laughing at the weird timing. Maru raised his gla.s.s above his head and spoke,

“Ahn Changsik, you crazy! Just get out!”

“Just get out!”

People laughed and followed along.

Maru said one last thing as he stepped down,

“The drama’s begun. Please enjoy your meal as you watch comfortably.”

* * *

“You should drink some more.”

Changsik put on his shoes. He felt like he would lose his reason and rush to the kitchen to get a knife, so he intentionally looked at the floor.

“Mom called me. Hyung, I’m sorry, but I think I need to get going.”

“At this hour? Did something big happen?”

“I’m not sure, but she wants me there.”

“Really? Then I guess I can’t help it. I don’t know what it is, but be careful on your way home. Tell me if there’s anything you need.”

“Okay.”

It was not an easy thing to suppress his rage as he answered. Changsik grabbed the door handle with shaky hands. He opened the door and left. After climbing down the stairs, he went to the playground in front of the apartment complex.

He looked at the cross in his hands. He ended up bringing it out from Hojung’s desk. He couldn’t bear to leave it there. He stared at the cross that dug into his palms. The last thread of hope was tragically snapped apart. His sister had become a cold corpse and was abandoned somewhere on this land.

His phone rang. It was detective Lee Daecheol.

-Where are you right now?

“I left.”

-From Yoon Hojung’s place, I a.s.sume?

“Yes.”

-Well done. You’ve done well to hold back.

“I’m not sure. I keep thinking that it might be better to just kill him there and then.”

-You p.r.i.c.k! Get yourself together. You won’t solve anything by killing him. Above all, he’s a veteran. He’s not someone you can handle in a fight.

“Wouldn’t it work out if I stab him?”

-You… geez. Stop uttering nonsense. I’m on my way there right now, so don’t do anything rash and wait for me. If you have physical evidence then it’ll take no time to put him in prison.

“You can really, really get him, right?”

-I’ve been a detective for years, so why would I lie to you? Getting him and putting him in prison is the right way to go. Only then will the family of the deceased be put in relief. If you kill him right now, you’ll prove nothing.

“Okay.”

He hung up and sat on the swing.

His hands and feet started trembling again. It wasn’t because of rage. It was because of fear. Although he had conviction, the moment he saw clear, physical evidence with his eyes, it felt real to him that he was in the same place as a murderer. That made him afraid.

He let out deep breaths. Then he looked back at the apartment where Hojung would be.

* * *

It disappeared. This was why trusting his instincts was important.

Hojung opened the drawer again and checked once more. The trophy he had put in there recently had disappeared.

The silver cross. Where could it have gone?

Hojung thought about Changsik, who was here until just moments ago.

His body was minutely nervous, and his lips were tense. And above all, he tried to avoid making eye contact.

“I see, that’s how it is.”

He did expect this to a certain extent. He put on a smile. No one had pursued him to this extent. This exciting nervousness felt rather welcome.

He took out all the trophies in the bag, as well as all the tools he used.

It was easy to clean up traces of his work. He had always kept a scenario like this in mind.

He got his stuff and left his house for a bit. He had to say goodbye to his memories for a brief moment.