The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 1



Only Krnovel

Episode 1

“Mr. Kim Hyun-soo, is that really all you can do?”

“Sorry! I’ll try again… … ”

Before I could even bend my back to a 90 degree angle, the PD started swearing and started yelling.

“Who brought that kid here!”

A cold silence flows through the entire filming set for a moment.

Everyone has an expression on their face as if what was coming had come.

“That’s not acting, that’s a basic attitude issue, right? Okay, let’s say you’re human and you might stumble while walking. But… … Before the director can even give you an order, you’re going to go again first? You have your limits, you punk, F**k!”

The reason he came to dream of becoming an actor was very simple.

The first role I took on at a kindergarten art festival was ‘Tree 2’.

He just stood there without moving, but all the adults around him, including his parents, patted little Hyun-soo on the head and praised him.

A barrage of camera shutters going off before your eyes.

Thunderous applause.

The bright smiles of my parents and the cheers of those around me.

All of these things were a first for me.

Since then, Hyunsoo has stubbornly pursued his path as an actor, just like his first role, ‘Tree 2’.

The result is what you see now.

Yes, that’s right.

The role Hyun-soo takes on in the work is ‘Pierrot 3’.

Contrary to his insincere role title of Pierrot 3, he was a minor character with some weight(?) who gave the main character some meaningful clues…

Kim Hyun-soo fell forward before he could show off his acting skills in front of PD Jang, who is quite well-known in the drama industry.

Given the mood, excuses like the fact that the long pole between his legs was loose won’t work.

“I’m already so annoyed because the filming has been delayed, and now a minor role and not even a lead actor is giving me the cold shoulder?”

I know very well why PD Jang was angry.

It’s because of the lead actress and idol Choi Joo-mi’s cuteness.

Frequent lateness, insincere communication, and even frequent conflicts with staff.

If it weren’t for the influence of her agency, which has a drama production studio as its subsidiary, she would never have worked with PD Jang.

So I understand.

I’m already so angry.

“Blow up all the balloons again, reset the rides! Put all the rides back in place!”

The whole scene had to be re-set because of one ridiculous clown who stumbled and fell.

And every single moment on the scene was all about money.

No matter how difficult and sad it may be, PD is like a god to an unknown actor like Hyun-soo.

“I’m sorry, but if you could give me one more chance… … .”

In order not to miss this barely given opportunity, I can bow my head a thousand or ten thousand times.

“You haven’t gone yet?”

“… … .”

“I’m getting up? Should I just give it all up for today?”

The cold glares of the on-site staff poured out onto Hyun-soo.

For a while, I couldn’t move from my spot because of the shame, embarrassment, and emptiness that was washing over me.

Just like ‘Tree 2’.

* * *

It’s pathetic.

It’s really so pathetic.

“I should have at least grabbed the director’s trouser leg.”

Hyun-soo, who was kicked out of the filming set, went to his regular noodle restaurant near his house in broad daylight to vent his frustrations.

Because I hadn’t eaten anything while waiting for the long shoot, I was hungry, and more than anything, I desperately needed a glass of soju.

I didn’t even feel like having a drink with anyone, so I didn’t call a single friend.

Nowadays, even someone’s comfort is a luxury.

“Damn, I should go out there and die. Yeah? Why would you fall down there? Even if the pole was so tall that it broke, you should have stayed in the air, you little shit… … .”

“Mom, that guy is weird.”

At the front table, a child’s tiny hand points to the suspension bridge.

Looking around, I see customers glancing at Hyun-soo with strange eyes.

Oh, by the way, you came out without even removing your clown makeup.

“Is it because I have no talent?”

Kim Hyun-soo.

Twenty-eight.

Aspiring actor… … is written as such and read as ‘no different from an unemployed person.’

After graduating from a local theater and film department, I wandered around the theater world for a while, mobilizing my connections with senior actors.

But no matter what role he took on, no one noticed his acting.

Neither praise nor criticism, just complete silence.

His acting was too ordinary to blame it on the mask, which lacked any trace of individuality.

Yes, that’s right.

It’s ordinary.

He has average talent.

He may not have the potential to become a huge star actor, but if he continues to challenge himself, he has enough talent to make a living in this industry.

So, in fact, Hyunsoo himself knows the answer best.

What you lack before talent.

It is the confidence in this very path.

Regardless of your looks or talent, it’s the confidence in your own path that you will stick with it until the end and eventually succeed.

There are great actors who have lived in obscurity for 10, 20, or even 30 years before finally gaining the world’s recognition.

Can he really become that kind of actor?

On days when I make ridiculous mistakes like this, I feel a sense of emptiness as if the future I envisioned is slipping away from my grasp like a sand castle.

What would the great senior actors who have overcome their own battles say if they saw themselves like this now?

Maybe he put a candy in my mouth because I was cute.

Back then, I used to fill up a glass of bitter soju instead of sweet candy.

“Don’t you think he’s been acting a bit lately?”

Hyunsoo’s hand, which was raising his glass, stops at the word ‘acting’.

On the TV on the shelf, which was in the sight of the customers of the noodle restaurant, a currently popular drama was being broadcast.

“Honestly, I watch this drama because of him.”

“That’s right, every time I shout at my mother-in-law, I feel so relieved.”

The actors in the daily dramas that the guests were watching were not all great actors or actors with millions of stars.

Just an ordinary actress of similar age to me.

Hyunsoo was crazy jealous of her.

‘I want to be like that too.’

Just like back then, when my father’s hearty laughter and my mother’s joyful applause filled the stage.

I like acting, and I can make people like it.

I want to become that kind of actor.

“Yeah, am I drinking right now?”

Hyunsoo put down the glass of soju he was holding and quietly stood up from his seat.

He is still young.

There’s still too much time left in life to be lamenting over one fall today.

So, we have to spend our time more intensely.

At a time like this, it would be better to go home and look over the script one more time.

match!

Hyunsoo slapped both of his cheeks vigorously and left the noodle restaurant.

From tomorrow onwards, I will become a better actor.

If you keep moving forward like that, one day, there will come a day when you too can act like the actor on the TV shelf.

With that thought in mind, I took another step forward.

Kkeeeeeeek! Kwung! Chwiik!

The suspension body flew off with the sound of tires rubbing against the ground, the roar of a metal engine, and the loud sound of a steel body hitting something.

The last thing he saw was the large Churela knight running towards him with a thoughtful face.

“Uh… … I have to go home and look at the script… … .”

Hyunsoo’s vision went dark.

* * *

I had a dream.

The Hyunsoo in the dream was a different person from the one he knew.

Look around quietly.

“Where is this?”

Dark alley.

Hyunsoo is usually afraid of walking alone at night, but fortunately this time he wasn’t alone.

In the foreground, a scantily clad woman is seen limping desperately as she walks.

Whether walking or crawling.

As I look at that sight, I find myself laughing without even realizing it.

“Foot.”

Hyunsoo muttered softly as he looked at her back.

“Oh, you shouldn’t go there.”

What doesn’t work?

“Even if I go there anyway… … .”

In that moment, Hyun-soo’s mouth was split open in a long line, revealing yellow teeth like a crescent moon.

“It’s a dead end.”

There is no need to rush.

He walked leisurely towards his prey at a slow pace.

Her trembling eyes turned to Hyun-soo as she reached the dead-end alley.

Heavy makeup that doesn’t suit her young face.

It makes me sick to see that bitch with barely any blood on her forehead walking around with makeup on her face.

Soon she put her hands together and prayed desperately, pleading in a small voice that was hard to tell whether it was a breath or a murmur.

“Please save me. I will… … I will really do well. I won’t even take extra money. Okay? So please… … .”

As soon as he heard her words, Hyunsoo’s face instantly hardened.

“What are you doing?”

“……yes?”

“Is this the time for you to beg for your life? Wouldn’t it be better to scream?”

“… … Uh, no. I’ll just stay quiet! For the rest of my life. So… … .”

“No, just scream once. You know what? You might survive.”

Even after another friendly urging, she was shaking with fear and could not even breathe properly.

“Please, sir… … I won’t tell anyone… … .”

It’s hard to hold back laughter as I watch her rubbing her hands and pleading.

Kick.

This girl is smarter than she looks.

Maybe you know it instinctively.

The moment a single scream escapes from this dark alley, the hammer in my hand will come crashing down on your head.

“Kick! Kick!”

The sight was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh.

Well, I think I’ve had some fun so far.

Crunch.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, instead of a dark alley, I saw a white ceiling.

It didn’t take long to realize where this was.

“Patient! Come to your senses!”

When I opened my eyes again, it seemed like I was in a hospital.

Soon, fragments of the process of how I got here began to appear in my head.

‘Yeah, that’s right. I got hit by a car, right? A really big truck at that.’

But… … how are you alive?

My physical condition is better than I thought.

“I think I got hit by that truck… … .”

“A truck? Oh, you said the driver was coming anyway. You didn’t get hit by the truck. You fell over in surprise and hit the back of your head on the pavement.”

“Yes? Then… … .”

“Patient Kim Hyun-soo came to the emergency room the afternoon of the day before yesterday. He was in a coma due to a concussion… … Fortunately, he recovered in two days. However, that doesn’t mean it was a minor accident, so please remain absolutely rested.”

After hearing the nurse’s explanation, I was able to vaguely recall the process of how I ended up here.

Oh, so you didn’t get hit by the truck, but rather fell over and hit your head on the sidewalk.

And then… … .

“Follow that girl and have some fun for the first time in a while… … .”

“yes?”

“Huh? What did I just say?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not in my right mind right now so I didn’t hear you very well. Anyway, the professor will be here soon so please rest for a while.”

“Oh, yes.”

I nodded with a blank expression, and soon, strange memories began to creep into my head.

Dark alley.

A woman limping away.

A smile in the darkness drawing a line.

I could soon recall where this unpleasant memory had come from.

“No matter what I dream about, it’s always this fucking dream… … .”

Dreaming of becoming a serial killer? It was a strange thing for Hyun-soo, who was usually scared and couldn’t even enjoy the thriller genre.

“Anyway, I was unconscious for two days. I almost died and came back to life… Huh? Two days?”

Hyunsoo, who had remembered something, spoke to the nurse with an urgent face.

“My phone! Where is my phone?”

“If you open the cabinet next to it, you’ll find it.”

Hyunsoo jumped up from his seat and searched through the cabinet to check the messages that appeared on his smartphone.

“Patient child, you shouldn’t wake up so suddenly.”

The nurse’s worried mutterings fell on deaf ears.

Soon, numerous missed calls will appear on your smartphone screen.

And the messages.

Missed calls (62)

[Hey, Kim Hyun-soo, are you coming safely?]

[Hyunsoo, where are you?]

[Hyunsoo? The shot is about to go in.]

[Kim Hyun-soo.]

[Kim Hyun-soo… … This crazy kid.]

[Hey, you little shit, are you totally crazy?!]

[Oh, I see. So you’re going to give up and completely abandon this fucking shithole? Plus, you’re going to feed that senior you used to tease me about in college? Huh?]

Hyunsoo called the owner of the text with a thoughtful face.

It was not someone else, but a senior from college who thought of him and put him on set, even if it was as a supporting role.

Hyun-soo, who had a puncture at the scene, was Hyun-soo, but his senior must have been suffering just as much.

“Ah, sir! I’m sorry! Last night… … ”

-You, you son of a bitch, Kim Hyun-soo!

“A, an accident… … ”

– Accident? You’re dead now. You understand? Shut up and come here right now, you punk! Come here and think of it as your last act, give it your all, and then get off this floor cleanly, you understand?

“… … Yes? Yes?”

―I haven’t found a replacement yet, so come rushing to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station set within 30 minutes, no, within 20 minutes!!!

Hyunsoo, who realized what his senior was talking about, immediately bowed his head repeatedly to the air and greeted him.

“Thank you, senior… … .”

-What are you doing? Haven’t you left yet?

As soon as the phone call ended, I hastily put on my outerwear and hurriedly went outside.

“Huh, huh? Patient? Where are you going!”

The nurse’s urgent voice could be heard from outside, but this was more urgent.

If you fail this too, you will be permanently banned from this world.

“Police station set… … Yeongdeungpo… … Damn it, over here! Taxi!”

I opened the taxi door and shouted out my destination urgently, thinking:

Come to think of it… …what was the role I played today?

Oh, right.

‘I was a murder suspect 2 being interrogated by the main character detective.’

Continued in the next episode