Chapter 79: At Hadong Theater
Knock knock-
Muyoung pressed his ear against the door of the main room and knocked.
He hadn’t set foot in this area at all, so there was a thick layer of dust.
When there was no sign of anyone inside, he knocked again. Knock knock. It felt like living under one roof with two families.
“Ghost lady. Are you there?”
Creak.
As he opened the door, bright sunlight poured in. No matter how you look at it, the lighting here is truly amazing. Standing before him was the ghost lady.
“Why don’t you answer when I call you?”
She just turned around quietly. The sun was so bright, yet there was a ghost standing on two feet. Who said that? Creatures only come out at night.
“It’s time to go.”
Muyoung tapped his wristwatch and said. As promised, it was the day he was going to put her on the Holly stage.
And that meant it was also the day she would find peace.
“Are you ready?”
She quietly walked past Muyoung and headed for the front door. She seemed prepared. Urged by Junho’s text message to come downstairs quickly, Muyoung hastily put on his shoes.
“Here you go.”
Muyoung offered his back to the ghost lady, as if asking her to hop on. She naturally jumped up and got on.
Squeak- Thud!
“What? What’s with that posture?”
Junho, who was waiting with Bora in the parking lot, asked in bewilderment. A guy who was perfectly fine was bending his waist like that while walking… Isn’t that strange?
“Did you hurt your back?”
“It’s not like that, so let’s just go. Quickly.”
Bora, who was sitting in the front seat, was fixing her lips in the rearview mirror.
“You’re here?”
Yuchan had sent invitations not only to Muyoung but also to the academy director, Bora, and Hyungju.
It was probably an important moment in his acting career, so he wanted to show his shining moment to as many people as possible.
‘The moment when a flame is brightest is just before it goes out, or when it reaches its peak.’
I don’t know what decision Yuchan will make after this play. But whatever it is, this is definitely the brightest moment of his life.
“He didn’t answer my calls, and then out of the blue…”
Bora muttered in a strangely troubled voice.
Muyoung guessed that there was a special bond between Bora and Yuchan that went beyond friendship. Whether it was a colleague or a lover, he didn’t know.
“He said he needed time to think alone.”
Now that Junho is here, everything is a memory of the past.
Bora pouted and responded to Junho’s words.
“It doesn’t make sense to worry people and then send them tickets to the premiere out of the blue. Anyway. He’s still as selfish as ever.”
They said they’d known each other since middle school, so their bond must be incredibly deep. Junho chuckled and rubbed his arm.
“But maybe it’s because of the parking lot. Brr, it’s chilly.”
Yeah. Sorry. It’s because of the ghost lady sitting in the back seat.
By the way, she’s got a good sense too.
Unlike Muyoung himself, who saw things with his eyes, she could definitely sense things through energy or temperature.
“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”
Muyoung glanced at the ghost lady staring out the window and urged Junho. It was like he was going to die. Well, he was already dead, but now he really had to say goodbye to this world.
“Are these flowers?”
“Yeah. Pretty color, right?”
A bouquet of red roses lay at their feet. It swayed slowly with the movement of the car.
In front of Hadong Theater, it was bustling unlike before. The empty parking lot was filled with cars, and people who came to watch the performance formed a crowd.
“Yuchan!”
The three of them found the waiting room. Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, only Yuchan sat alone, his face stiff and tense.
“What? Why are you so nervous?”
“Oh. You’re here?”
It had been a while since they’d seen each other, but they skipped the small talk. Bora grumbled, and Yuchan just smiled silently. He must be really nervous.
“You’ll do great.”
“Thanks for coming. Director, you can go sit down first. The seats are right next to each other, so it’ll be comfortable.”
“Okay! Outsiders, please exit now and return to your seats. The performance is about to begin!”
They hadn’t even exchanged a few words, yet it was already time to say goodbye. Muyoung put the ghost lady down and sent her words of encouragement.
“Good luck. I’ll be watching you.”
Yuchan smiled faintly. The ghost lady also stood solemnly and looked at Muyoung. The door to the waiting room closed, and they found their seats.
“Director!”
“It’s been a long time, everyone!”
Oh Seok, who was dressed to impress, waved his hand happily.
For Muyoung, the last time was when he signed with the agency, and for Bora, it was when she graduated. It had truly been a long time since they’d seen each other.
“You guys, no contact at all.”
“Sorry. We’ve been too busy.”
“If it weren’t for the saying ‘no news is good news,’ I would’ve been upset and cried. You guys~”
He playfully pinched Muyoung’s arm, who was sitting right next to him. People were greeting each other noisily. The director suddenly seemed to remember something and whispered to Muyoung.
“I heard you’re doing a drama with Romin this time?”
“Oh. Yes. That’s right.”
“Hehehe. Good boy! Well done!”
Not only did he introduce Romin, but they ended up working together. Probably by this month, a new phrase will be added to the BV Academy flyer.
‘Cast in S Company’s miniseries - Muyoung!’
“How’s Romin doing?”
“I’ve scheduled some classes, but he’s so busy. If I see him once a week, that’s a lot. You should guide him well instead of me. The guy has no talent but a lot of passion.”
At his words, Muyoung smiled and nodded. Once filming starts, they’ll be able to help each other a lot anyway. Amidst the chatter, the lights slowly dimmed.
“Oh? It’s starting.”
Muyoung straightened his posture and watched the stage. The curtain fell, and a bright yellow light descended from the sky, like an angel descending. The sacred music was the same.
Boom!
“Do you know Elisha Village?”
‘Oh. It’s Yuchan.’
Yuchan’s line opened the play. He muttered, staring into the void. Under the heavy makeup, a man’s calm eyes sparkled.
“There was a village built with light but ultimately destroyed by blood. I was the village chief there. Even now that the people are gone, I don’t know if it’s right for me to still call myself the village chief.”
‘Good pronunciation. His delivery is good too.’
The director smiled happily as he watched his student’s growth over the past six months. With Yuchan’s first line, the story of Elisha Village unfolded at Hadong Theater.
“The moment a woman named Mari arrived in the village. That very moment, it began. A bloody whirlwind.”
Thud.
The lights went out and then illuminated a corner. There stood a woman. It was Mari, with long, red, curly hair flowing down.
‘Huh?’
And above her, a faintly overlapping phantom. It was the ghost lady. She stood right on top of the female lead, adding to her performance.
“Hello. Is anyone here?”
A surprisingly clear voice. Other people might not know, but to Muyoung’s ears, the ghost lady’s voice and the female lead’s voice overlapped, creating a mysterious resonance.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I came following the scent of holly. Could I have a glass of water if it’s okay?”
Thud!
The play progressed, starting with Mari’s arrival in the village. Yuchan, the village chief, had a significant amount of dialogue as he also provided narration throughout.
‘That’s good.’
He really wanted to play an important role. Muyoung gradually became engrossed in the performance of the two people on stage—or rather, Yuchan and the ghost lady.
“You’re going to cut down the tree? Then this village will have blood as thick as holly berries flowing through it! Ah! Now I understand. That’s why God sent me here.”
“What is this crazy woman saying?”
“She’s saying not to cut down the tree?”
“Who doesn’t know that and is asking? Shut her up before you cut off the woman’s neck instead of the tree! Idiot!”
It’s fun to do it yourself, but watching it has its own charm. Muyoung continued to watch the ghost lady’s final flame.
“Cut off my neck instead! Then the flowing blood will stop tomorrow. But if you cut down the tree, you will live in blood for decades.”
There were some differences from the female lead’s lines, but Muyoung’s gaze and attention were focused on the ghost lady’s voice. It was the grudge of someone who wanted to be on stage even after death.
“Kill her-!”
Squeal!
With the red lighting, lights flickered from all directions. The flickering lights turned Mari, the spear piercing her stomach, and the village chief into shadows.
“Aaaaaah!”
A high-pitched scream that seemed like it would tear eardrums. Surely the actor’s voice was underlying, but what reached Muyoung was the ghost lady’s desperate cry. It was as if she was about to be dragged to hell, and chaos reigned everywhere.
Gulp.
Did ordinary people feel that energy too?
The audience instinctively swallowed at the actor’s sudden scream and death. A chill and an inexplicable, strange energy. It felt like they were being drawn in. The climax of the play was reaching its end-
Click-
When the lights came on, Yuchan, covered in red blood, continued his monologue. Does God really exist? And if he does, why should they receive such a great punishment for just one tree?
“If you were testing faith by cutting down one tree, then I deserve to go to hell. Everything is futile. Rather than living as an experimental rat under God’s feet, I’d go to hell and spit in his face!”
The mad monologue echoed loudly through the audience.
The phrase ‘a little giant’ came to mind naturally. How could one person standing alone fill the stage so completely?
“Kill me! Kill me and crush me!”
As the screaming village chief cried out, a half-cut tree fell on top of his head. With a thud, silence fell. No sound was heard until the lights came back on. Everyone was silent, as if they had swallowed holly.
Click-
Boom. Boom boom. Boom!
Soon, the background music played, and the curtain call began. The actors lined up and waved their hands. Bright smiles. They were smiles of relief and pride that the play had ended well.
“That was awesome! Yuchan!”
“Whoa-!”
“Jinseo! Kim Jinseo!”
Clap clap clap!
Only then did the acquaintances of each actor stand up and cheer. Muyoung also stood up and gave a round of hearty applause. The female lead came forward.
“Kim Jinseo!”
The actor’s name must be Kim Jinseo. Muyoung confirmed that the ghost lady was flickering behind her. She, too, was waving her hand like the other actors.
Only Muyoung could see her, so she was waving at him.
“Yuchan! You were awesome!”
When it was Yuchan’s turn, the director also added his voice. Yuchan looked at the audience and smiled, a very wide smile.
“Let’s go!”
After the curtain call ended, Bora urged Muyoung and held up a bouquet of flowers. She put her arm around Yuchan, who was standing on stage, and handed him the bouquet.
“Man! You were so good!”
“Haha. Thanks.”
Muyoung watched the two of them and hesitated for a moment before turning around. He had made eye contact with the ghost lady standing behind the female lead. He went over to the actress who played Mari and handed her the bouquet.
“You were really awesome. Great performance.”
“Huh? Oh. Thank you.”
The actress was puzzled as she received the bouquet from a man she didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. Muyoung knew it was from the ghost lady for him.
Whoosh-
She hugged the bouquet and waved at Muyoung. At that moment, the lights flickered.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
As the lights turned on and off, Muyoung also waved his hand. And when the lights came on fully, the ghost lady was nowhere to be seen.
“Muyoung. What are you doing over there?”
“Yeah. Nothing.”
She was gone.
With a light heart, having settled an old wish.
Feeling a mix of relief and sadness, Muyoung tilted his head and walked toward his companions.
‘That’s weird.’
And Kim Jinseo, who was staring intently at his back, looked at the red roses in her arms and then back at Muyoung’s back.
“Jinseo, what’s wrong?”
At her friends’ words, she just smiled and shook her head. It felt like she had seen him somewhere before and would see him again, a strange feeling.
“It’s nothing.”
She just decided it was an illusion caused by the heat of the performance that had just ended.