Prologue

〚Translator - FableWarder〛


When you become an adult, you have to live on your own.

Even if you fall somewhere, you have to adapt and fight for survival. Being an adult means carving out your own life.

That is the essence of human life.

You could say that military life was a rehearsal for that.

"You're discharged now, so get out."

So when my aunt called me over and said that, I could say the words I had prepared for a long time without hesitation.

"No, auntie! Please, save me! I don't even have a security deposit, how can I leave?"

"I'll give you the money, so get out."

"Okay."

Then I had to go.

"From now on, take care of yourself. I've done my duty. Don't contact me. You and I are no longer related."

I knew very well that my aunt didn't like me, having taken in a kid she didn't have to.

Regardless, my aunt raised me.

Just for that, I felt truly grateful. Afterall, l raising a kid wasn't an easy job. Raising your own child was hard enough, let alone raising someone else's child, even if they were your sister's kid. It was an unimaginable burden.

And she did it while sacrificing her youth.

I respect my aunt.

If it were me, I would have immediately thrown the kid out.

"Thank you so much!!!"

I bowed deeply to my aunt twice for the last time.

"Why twice..."

Of course, it was a sign of respect.

"Even though you don't have children! Thank you so much for raising a guy like me! I appreciate it more than I can say! You are my mother!"

"Alright, just get out..."

"Goodbye! Stay healthy even when I'm not around! I'm not just saying this, but I've never seen someone as kind and beautiful as you, Auntie! You're truly a blessing! I'm so grateful that I'm about to cry!"

"Just go, you annoying kid..."

And so, I was thrown into society.

"Name: Kim Geun-hyeop."

I used the security deposit given by my aunt, who was only ten years older than me, to get a room and set up my life.

"I've forgotten my parents' names. From today on, I will live alone as an adult."

From today, I have to live alone in this cruel society. With no memory of my parents' names, I have nothing to fear. Isn't that what being an adult is about?

Someone without parents has nothing to fear.

The only thing I was afraid of was my aunt getting sick or having an accident.

ㅡBang!

I found a short-term job.

ㅡBuzz!

I repeated the cycle of working and quitting.

"Ah, another rejection."

Not having gone to college, I lacked 'experience' in many ways. Trying out different jobs to find my aptitude was my survival strategy.

"Buffet job is over."

I need to find a job that suits me to live a long life.

I'm not even in my mid-twenties yet. I need to use this time wisely to build my future. Various job experiences will nourish my mind. I need to find my aptitude using my youth.

I thought that way and tried all sorts of jobs.

"Hmm."

Of course, even I have moments when jobs unexpectedly end.

It mostly happens when I get into fights with coworkers. I don't know why there were so many fights in social life.

"What should I do next?"

Lying in my one-room filled with my stuff, I was searching for the next job on an app when I found one that paid well.

[Historical Drama Extra Part-time Job]

It was a job as an extra in a historical drama.

"A dream of being an actor."

I briefly imagined myself as an actor.

"Not bad."

Maybe being an actor could be a good job. A new challenge. A new opportunity. Something I haven't tried before. Those conditions moved my fingers, and for the first time, I decided to be an extra in a historical drama.

"Okay, wear this! Just do as you're told!"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Dressed like other people in similar situations, we wore clothes of extras in a historical drama.

The tasks, though a bit sweaty, were not difficult.

Running somewhere, cheering, making crying sounds, or noisily chatting in a market.

"I like it."

Overall, I liked it.

The filming seemed to be going smoothly.

Maybe I have the talent to be an actor. If I become a successful actor and visit my aunt, it would be very touching.

"Hey, you there! Come over here!"

While imagining myself as an actor, a staff member called me.

"Yes, what do I do this time?"

"Sit here, facing away, and pretend to drink."

"Oh, pretending to drink at a tavern."

"Yes."

"Got it. Like this?"

I sat at the tavern set and pretended to drink. My divine acting skills got an immediate okay, and I did as I was told, pretending to drink.

"Enter the main actors!"

While I was doing that, the main actors came in, greeted, and started acting. I didn't pay attention to them and continued pretending to drink as instructed.

"What the hell! Why is that bastard there! Get him out!"

Suddenly, a man started yelling profanities loudly.

"What?"

Not an actor.

Wondering what was going on, I turned around to see a man who looked like a director.

"Yeah, you! What the hell are you doing! Get out, you bastard!"

"Me?"

Was he talking to me?

"Hurry up and get out, you son of a bitch! Are you deaf!"

Is this bastard really yelling at me?

"Who are you cursing at, you son of a bitch!"

"What?"

"Come out, you bastard! How dare you curse at me!"

This man named Kim Geun-hyeop can't stand being cursed at without parents!

"You bastard, come here! Come here!"

Immediately, I rushed at the director, and the startled staff tried to stop me. But, of course, it didn't work in an unexpected situation.

I grabbed the director's hair and shook him violently.

"You bastard!"

"Aaaaah!"

Did I come here to work or to be cursed at?

"Ah! Aaaaah! This crazy bastard! Someone stop this crazy bastard!"

"Stop? Why stop! Bow your head and apologize, you son of a bitch!"

"Ugh!"

I told him to apologize, but he just screamed.

Is he pretending not to understand or really doesn't get it? Either way, I can't let him go until he voluntarily becomes bald.

Nowadays, kids think just screaming solves everything.

"Please, calm down!"

"Calm down? He cursed at me first!"

"Hey! Do you know where you are and what you're doing? Get out!"

Who is this bastard?

"He cursed at me first, you bastard!"

"Oh, oh?!"

"Why are you yelling at me? Hurry up and bow your head and apologize, you bastard!"

ㅡRip!

At that moment, a handful of the director's hair was ripped out.

"Oh."

A handful in one go.

It felt like pulling out a bunch of weeds.

"Kyaaaaah!"

The director clutched his head and screamed as if he was going to tear it apart, and at the same time, I lost my grip on the director because people were pushing in from all sides.

"Please, calm down!"

"Ugh, aaaaah! My hair! This crazy bastard!"

"You're the one who sounds like a crazy bastard. Are you going to keep cursing at me? I'm not going to let you do that."

Even after pulling out his hair like that, he kept cursing instead of apologizing.

Should I just beat him to death?

One of us was going to be turned into chicken nuggets today.

"Hurry! We need to shoot, so get him out...!"

"Shoot? Apologize quickly!"

He kept babbling, so I yelled at him.

He needs to apologize so we can resume shooting.

Even though I was here as an extra, I had professional pride and responsibility. And a dream of being an actor. If the shooting stopped, how much money would be lost? The director needed to apologize quickly to minimize the loss. But this bastard, who seemed to have eaten something bad, refused to apologize to me.

I need to resume shooting quickly; what's all this nonsense?

I have to perform my role and prove my acting talent.

"Please, calm down! Why are you causing trouble like this! Are you crazy?"

A female staff member shouted urgently as I was about to grab the director by the hair again.

Unbelievable.

"No, damn it! I was just sitting there doing what I was told to do, and who was the first one to curse at me? And why are you telling me to calm down? Don't yell at me, yell at the director!"

"But...!"

"Why? You can't yell at the director? Then why are you yelling at me? Do you want to get beaten up? Huh?"

"I'm sorry..."

"If you're sorry, shut your mouth! Can't you tell where you should be yelling at?"

"Ugh!"

After making the staff cry,

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"

A powerful roar.

"Ah! He's crazy!"

"Save me!"

"Mom!"

After scattering the people around me with my roar, I approached the director again.

"Hey! Apologize! Can't you see that we can't shoot because of you right now? The set isn't running! Are you going to be responsible if we don't finish shooting today, you bastard!"

"Uh...!"

ㅡRush!

Suddenly, the director started running away!

"This bastard! Where are you running to!"

So I try to chase after him, but this time the staff members all rush in and held me down.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"We're sorry! Please calm down!"

"It's our fault! Please calm down!"

Indeed, in Korea, if you suffer an injustice, you have to make a big fuss to get anything done. So, as a human being, I felt like I should just do what they said since so many people were bowing their heads and begging me.

"No, I'm not asking for an apology from you guys. Isn't there someone else who should apologize?"

"That's..."

"I told you there's someone else I need an apology from! How much money are we losing on the set because the shooting is all stopped right now! Get the director over here right now! I need to go act too! So go get him and bring him over here! Now! The set isn't running right now and the director is just running off!"

"Oh, but what is this...?"

What's important now was shooting.

"Hey, over there! The director told you to take this and go away!"

"Yes?"

Just then, a staff member came running over holding a white envelope.

"Is this... my pay?"

"S, sorry about what happened. We put all your pay in there, so please take it and go."

I checked the amount and saw that it was all my pay for the day.

"Hmm."

Seeing the money made me feel a little better.

I guess this was a profit if I think about it in terms of time, right?

"Whatever."

I was still feeling pretty bad, but I guess it's okay if I got paid a full day's wage for working half a day.

I'll just let this one slide.

"This is the director's hair, by the way. I'm going to give it back to him."

"Ugh!"

"Tell him to plant it."

I handed the clump of hair to the staff member and went back to the dressing room.

I just can't seem to catch a break. At my last job, I got fired for cursing at someone who was suddenly yelling at me about something I didn't even know about.

This happens too much.

ㅡRustle.

I took off my historical drama extra costume and put it in my backpack.

"Damn bastards. I'm taking this."

The director didn't even apologize, so I guess it's okay for me to take this much. It looks warm, so I can wear it as underwear at home in the winter.

After a satisfying farming session, I felt a little better.

It seems that whenever I curse at someone, I am prepared to lose everything. It's like I act like a bully and then get hit from behind and fall down.

However, there was one thing I regret — I was not able to do my assigned acting properly today. And I also could not finish filming. Anyway, these were the emotions that arise because I have a strong sense of duty and responsibility for my job.

I want to get rid of them, but I keep thinking about them.

What would happen to the set if I wasn't there?

"It can't be helped."

ㅡSigh.

And so I went home.

It was not too late.

I ordered chicken and washed up to change my mood.

ㅡSplash.

I turned on the TV and watched a historical drama while drinking beer.

If it wasn't for that damn director, I could have been an actor too... No, that's not true. My acting skills have been proven to be outstanding, so if I continue on this path, I might get cast someday. That would be the natural flow of things.

Actor Kim Geon-hyeop? What happened today will be a funny anecdote that proves my sense of responsibility in the future.

"That's right."

As I watched the historical drama, I thought about the item I picked up from the set.

Let me cheer myself up.

Let me try it on.

"Not bad."

I'm glad I brought it.

ㅡDing-dong.

"Yes, coming."

And so I received the chicken and sat back down to eat.

"Ah, delicious!"

That was my last memory on Earth.

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