BIE 01

Prologue

Homeless—or rather, a beggar.

That’s me.

I’m thirty-two.

I’ve reached the point where I can just laugh off people asking why I’m doing this at a perfectly normal age.

Do you think I wanted to be a beggar from the start?

Of course not.

I wanted to live comfortably too.

But the family I had left me when I was a child.

Where did they go? To the sky.

There wasn’t much I could do about it back then, but the real problem was something else entirely.

[“Whoa! Amazing dribble!”]

In front of me, an old man is doing flashy dribbles.

The problem? He’s dribbling with his head, not a ball.

My mouth automatically opened in amazement.

“Wow, is that a Cruyff turn?”

Using his head for a dribble, it looked incredibly fancy.

He rolled his head sideways, executed a stylish turn, and—getting carried away—took a strong shot.

His head flew gracefully through the air.

It’s impressive, but I know what happens next.

[“Ugh! My head!”]

His body, realizing its mistake, flailed as if hugging the headless shoulders and ran after the direction the head was flying.

He’ll probably spend some time searching for it.

I guess he lost his head and his mind.

Now, what’s all this nonsense?

This is exactly why I’m homeless.

I can see ghosts.

[“What are you staring at?”]

“Hey, that’s my spot.”

Last year, a homeless man froze to death and now is scolding me.

Yes. I can communicate with them.

[“You little brat! Watch your eyes!”]

By the way, this old man follows you around if you lower your gaze and keeps saying the same thing.

It’s annoying.

Where are the grim reapers anyway?

Does King Yama know his underlings aren’t doing their job?

Then, someone who wasn’t a ghost spoke up.

“Hey, you’re really a mess.”

I looked up at this compliment-disguised-as-insult.

Who is this guy, throwing something fresh at me after a long while?

For the first time in ages, I felt a spark of hope—maybe I could even earn some cash by taking a few hits.

I lifted my head and stared, putting intensity into my eyes.

With a look that practically dared him to hit me.

Please be someone weak in punches.

Please have enough money to pay after hitting me.

Please have the conscience not to run away.

I prayed again and again.

This jerk said:

“Director, what do you think of this guy? Total mess.”

Oh, damn.

Please. Just hit me before I do.

---

Chapter 1 – The Beggar, Cast on the Street

“Wow… he really is a beggar.”

Yes. That’s my job. I’m a beggar.

“Nowadays you see homeless people, but a really messed-up one like this is rare.”

I know. I’m top-tier trash.

“Isn’t he perfect? At this level?”

I’m not happy about it.

Right in front of me, a few people had gathered, evaluating my hideous, beggar-like appearance.

Any hope I had of taking a hit, collecting some cash, and giving myself a holiday from this exhausting beggar work was already gone.

Sadly, they were all burly men.

If I get hit by a few of these burly guys in rotation…

I worried I might end up a ghost like the old man chasing after his head earlier.

Then a middle-aged man asked me:

“Hey, want to be in a movie?”

“Excuse me?”

Is this what street casting looks like? Or sidewalk casting?

---

I agreed to the casting.

From now on, I’d be a star… yeah, right.

“Damn.”

Looking around, I saw people walking around saying things like:

“Want to be in a movie? We’ll pay you.”
“Sir! Why are you pouring water on his face? This is a scene with homeless people!”

Ah… so these men were filmmakers.

They were gathering the most beggar-like people for the beggar slum scene.

The sadder part? I was apparently the main.

The “top beggar.”

The director asked me a question, his gaze lingering on me.

“Can you say lines?”

“Will I get paid more?”

“Huh?”

I got the director to widen his eyes.

Wait, don’t lines usually come with extra pay?

What, trying to cheat a beggar!

“Director! That’s not right! Anyone can say lines!”

But before the director could exploit me, someone came and jumped in.

“Assistant director, this is reality. Let him try; if it works, great. If not, whatever.”
“Ah, true, artistic people do have a unique perspective.”

I quickly sided with the director.

Better to pick the right side now.

“See? He speaks well. Diction’s clear too.”
“If you want to earn even a penny in a moment, every word has to hit ears sharply. That’s the life in this job.”
“Oh! So that’s the deep meaning behind it!”

The banter was heartwarming.

I felt like I might get paid more.

Praise can make even whales dance.

---

“Good! Another 20,000 won for you. Hahaha!”
“I’ll give a method acting performance, even selling my soul if needed!”
“Hahaha!”

Good job!

I sold my soul for 20,000 won.

---

The assistant director sighed watching the wandering homeless people.

The head director was eccentric, even by movie standards.

Yet he knew how to turn a profit, even if not a blockbuster.

Today, because of the bus accident, many actors couldn’t appear, so stopping filming would’ve made sense.

But he boldly recruited nearby homeless people.

Better than canceling the shoot, and no need to request new location permits.

The issue was, he sometimes acted impulsively.

---

“Acting, huh…”

He had a sense for casting, but giving lines to a beggar was extreme.

Even though the cameo was brief, it was key.

The bus accident that caused many absences involved his judgment.

The driver of the first car, a cameo actor, had been drinking and dozing. Luckily, it wasn’t fully drunk.

---

“Ha… well, at least he’s getting yelled at.”

I considered it fortunate.

The director tended to act first to solve problems rather than vent anger.

“Will he do well?”

He saw the homeless guy looking slightly excited.

I hoped it would go smoothly.

He did have a good voice and diction.

---

Everything was bustling.

It was my first time watching filming.

Wow! A celebrity!

Actually, half their brain might be missing.

Well, at least they were pretty.

My own head isn’t much bigger either.

Beggar faces should be large and pitiful.

Otherwise, people think you’re not allowed to beg and complain.

---

“Wow, the beggar looks good on camera.”

Why? Shouldn’t beggars look good if they can?

Annoyed, I shouted:

“Will I get more money if I look good?”

The occupational hazard.

The crew ignored me.

Women doing makeup approached me.

Will they do my makeup too?

---

“Ugh!”

I had overdone it yesterday?

They checked what I’d eaten yesterday.

Better to vomit than hold it in.

But I need money.

Time for makeup on the main beggar.

---

I couldn’t help cursing.

The crew left.

Instead of makeup, they just smeared dirt on me.

I already looked like a beggar; now I felt even worse.

---

“Let’s see.”

Looking in the mirror, I realized this might help my begging work.

Ridiculous.

“Ha. Just smearing dirt makes you think you’re a beggar? Amateur.”

Damn. Professional instinct kicking in.

I adjusted my hair myself.

Yeah, gotta look like a true beggar.

Then the director came.

“Short scene. Want to try?”

I instinctively bowed my head and placed my hands neatly above my head.

Damn… occupational habit.

“Ha ha…”

I knew what he was about to say: “Really a mess.”

I awkwardly opened the script.

“Can you read Hangul…?”
“Don’t underestimate me just because I’m a beggar!”
“Hmm.”
“To beg from foreign buyers, you need multiple languages!”
“Fine.”
“Okay.”

I realized… I’m still a beggar.

I studied the script with a sheepish face.

Finished the character analysis in one glance.

My honest feedback escaped:

“This isn’t just a beggar.”
“Huh?”
“Insane beggar!”
“Hahaha!”

The director laughed like a madman.

Do I have a talent for comedy?

---

“Listen carefully.”

The assistant director, who had tried to cut in before, sighed and explained.

Short explanation: The main character meets a mysterious man disguised as a beggar, receives a magical elixir, and awakens a new ability. Even a skeptical person wouldn’t scoff.

This movie might fail.

---

“Will we get paid immediately?”
“Yes. Right away.”

Better take it while we can.

I memorized my lines quickly.

Even enough to surprise the assistant director.

Why? I can memorize well.

I studied decently. Not a perfect life, but enough to dream of a tolerable future.

Then the accident happened.

---

Middle school.

The day my family disappeared.

Sometimes I think, maybe it would’ve been better to die with them.

A dump truck was coming toward our car; my mother and grandmother shielded me.

I remember my grandmother looking at me saying, “Oh my child…”

I survived.

From that day, I could see ghosts.

---

Imagine a 14-year-old in a hospital seeing ghosts.

It nearly drove me insane.

When I tried to tell someone, they called me crazy.

My insurance was stolen by my uncle.

I only found out when I got kicked out of the psychiatric hospital for unpaid bills.

Losing my family all at once, ghosts prevented me from living normally.

By the time I got used to it, I was a complete wreck.

No one could deny it.

---

“Rehearsal, please!”

The rehearsal was nothing special.

We just went through our motions.

This was flexing. Paid flexing.

My turn came.

“Thank you.”

I respectfully accepted the bread and milk from the main actor.

“Cut! Too beggar-like!”
“Ah!”

My head was down, hands neatly above it.

Apparently, I took it too seriously.

I am a mysterious beggar.

Not too beggar-like. Must accept like a confident mysterious beggar.

---

Reality check: most beggars like me starve or get beaten.

Damn. The author doesn’t understand realism.

I blamed the author for a moment and resumed acting.

Received the bread and milk and delivered my line:

“Phew… thank you.”
“Ah!”
“Cut! Why are you breathing in? Like before!”

The director was angry.

“Hey, he told you not to breathe in!”

---

The assistant director sighed, clearly frustrated.

“Come on. Just stick with it, Kwon Soo-hyun!”
“Ah, sorry.”

Kwon Soo-hyun was a rising star, but he couldn’t openly complain to a veteran director.

“This brat!”

He lost his temper.

The beggar kid wasn’t going to cooperate so easily.

“Beggar kid, just wait and see.”

He gritted his teeth, forced a smile.

“Sorry!”
“Let’s go again! Hi… cue!”

---

Justice!

Seeing him bow his tail in one shot was satisfying.

Even smiled nicely… huh?

Not a real smile. Smiling at others, but gave me creepy eyes.

Be careful.

But my acting? Method acting!

“Haah! Thank you!”

Oral breath attack!

This scent I live with. Concentrated years of flavor!

“Ha!”

He covered his mouth. Did he overdo it yesterday too?

“Cut! Again!”
“Haah! Thank you!”
“Ugh!”
“Cut, again!”

Ah, so satisfying.

Third take got the okay.

I could’ve gone further, but the first take’s intensity was gone.

---

At that moment, I felt a prickly gaze.

My beggar instincts warned me.

“Whoosh!”

I turned my head and regretted it.

Damn. That Kwon Soo-hyun guy’s eyes could kill.

Still, no big deal. Just do the scene.

Then the assistant director came running.

“You need to wash up now.”
“Excuse me?”
“Next scene, change clothes too.”

 

Oh no… what is this guy saying?