BIE 06

Chapter 6… From Beggar to NEET

My lips forced a smile, but my eyes betrayed me with a tearful look.

“I’m thirty.”
“Thirty by international age?”
“No.”

I blew the joke. “Thirty by international age?” What a terrible line! My quick wit had failed me. This was going to throw off my plan. I should’ve shaved off a year or two like a cheat in a card game.

Director Jo awkwardly smiled and said,

“Maybe I just look old. On the contrary, Mr. Woo-soo-han, you look young. I would’ve guessed mid-twenties. So… should I call you ‘hyung-nim’?”

No! Don’t! Please!

“Uh, well…”
“Should I call you ‘hyung-nim’?”
“No! We barely know each other. How dare I!”

Still, those friendly eyes seemed to carry a bit of influence over me. Fine. Consider him my benefactor and let him feed me. Red Sun!

Director Jo secretly chuckled at Woo-soo-han’s flustered expression. At first, it was annoying. Still, there was nothing he could do.

Although the role had been recast, the cameo actor had recently made headlines for drunk driving. Everyone involved in the film knew about it. The replacement happened quickly, and since it was just a cameo, it didn’t attract much attention.

But then the lead actor caused trouble. Of course, the beggar… no, Woo-soo-han was the cause, but the reaction was over the top. That’s why Director Jo instructed him to handle it personally. Absolutely no one else was to know.

The situation could’ve been solved with money, but the problem was that the other party was a beggar. A homeless person, a being whose unpredictability made them dangerous. So the director tasked Jo with keeping him under control.

Then, when his grandmother suddenly passed, it escalated to this. You might not believe it, but the beggar had actually predicted her death. Exhausted from rushing over, he brought food along with her favorite song. The presentation, taste, everything—it mirrored what his grandmother had prepared for him while alive.

It all felt unreal.

The red thermal underwear he had bought for me. Most of all, I clearly saw her for the last time—the departing image of my grandmother. Like a dream. Yet vivid enough to confirm reality.

In just a few days, the beggar no longer looked like a beggar. Without him, I wouldn’t have had my grandmother’s final meal.

A beggar who sees ghosts? Unbelievable as it seemed, everything that had unfolded made me unable to deny it.

Now, having seen my grandmother off, even if the director hadn’t asked, I felt I had to repay him—at least until he settled down. A few days, but he wasn’t a bad person. I figured my grandmother wouldn’t have introduced him to me otherwise.

“…Red Sun.”
“……”

Of course, it was a bit strange.

The car sped down the highway. On the way to Seoul, we chatted casually. Talking more easily now, and having fulfilled my grandmother’s last wish, I felt closer to him.

“So you were a beggar until now?”
“Well, yeah.”
“There are a lot of jerks in this world… Ah, sorry. I got a little mad there.”

Jo cursed in frustration upon hearing about the man who had swindled me.

“Yeah, cursing isn’t very productive. Might as well compliment him instead.”
“Huh?”

Jo looked at me as if I were saying something absurd. Calling me a benefactor, yet he couldn’t comprehend my words? Oh well, I was told to speak freely, so I did.

“They say the one who gets cursed lives long. Who knows? If you do something praiseworthy while taking curses, maybe you’ll die young.”
“Ha… hahaha!”

Jo laughed at my words. How hardened by society must he be to react automatically to dad jokes like that?

“But, Mr. Woo-soo-han…”

Hearing “Mr.” frequently felt strangely fitting. Sure, just talk—I’ll stick around like your older brother.

“Why?”
“Do you see ghosts often?”
“Sometimes.”
“How does it feel?”

Feelings, huh… At first, it was terrifying. Then it was maddening. Now, it’s indifferent.

“From a beggar’s perspective, it was pretty… beggarly.”
“Puhahaha!”

Such a dad-joke kind of guy. What a perfect reaction! Somehow it even made me feel smug about my own comedic talent.

Then, suddenly, he tensed up and asked:

“But… they’re not here now, right?”
“Now?”
“Yes.”

Jo was curious about everything.

“Yeah. In the backseat with us.”

Screeeech!

“Huff, huff!”
“Huff, huff, huff!”

We almost became ghosts ourselves. The car shook on the highway before stopping on the shoulder. Of course, passing drivers shouted profanities, but I didn’t hear a thing.

“Why say that all of a sudden!”
“You asked!”
“Still!”

Jo suddenly got short with his words. Don’t do that—I’m more scared of you this way. He grabbed the door handle, looking ready to bolt.

“Will they… hurt us?”
“Shall we ask?”

At that, he turned pale like a horror movie protagonist.

[I’m going to Seoul. Jo, I’m going to succeed in Seoul.]
“Huh? Looks like your guest is talking to you.”
“Eh?”
“They say you’re going to succeed in Seoul.”

Jo’s face froze.

“Who… who is it?”

I looked back.

“Who’s there?”
[I’m Yeong-cheol.]
“Yeong-cheol?”
“Hiii!”

Ah, a familiar ghost. He cautiously asked:

“Really the Yeong-cheol who lived next door?”
[Yes. Remember, I lent you a lot of red magazines.]
“He lent a lot of red magazines? Did you ever get them back?”
“Ah, uh! Yeong-cheol!”

Somehow the dialogue was deliberately avoided. I’d question it later.

[Long time no see. I’m going to Seoul. I’ll succeed.]
“They say it’s been a while… and keep saying you’ll succeed in Seoul.”

I felt like a simultaneous translator. …Kinda cool.

“Sigh.”

Once the car started again, Jo exhaled and began talking. He explained what kind of person Yeong-cheol was. He had aspired to be an actor, which influenced Jo to follow a similar path.

Actor? That face? Ridiculous. Brave kid. Anyway, he reportedly died the night before going to Seoul, eating rice cakes. Poor guy.

“Do they follow you around in these cases?”

Even though it’s a familiar ghost, a ghost is still a ghost. Jo asked worriedly. At that moment, we entered Seoul. Yeong-cheol faded.

“They disappear when we enter Seoul.”
[I’ll succeed…]
“Gone. He succeeded, I guess. Found peace.”

Of course, I assumed he found peace, disappearing in a form similar to my grandmother. He probably lingered until someone could take him along, needing someone to listen to him.

“I see…”

Jo had a bittersweet expression. From then on, we didn’t talk much. I started feeling uneasy—would I be kicked out because I was haunted?

Next to the rooftop room was a small adjoining structure. It looked like a storage space.

“This was my studio. It’s small, but I’ll clear the room for you.”
“No, it’s good. At least it has a roof.”

Still, it had the essentials. Despite some clutter, there was a folding bed and even a TV. Honestly, what more could I ask for?

Jo quickly gathered his bag and prepared to leave.

“Stay here. Watch TV if you get bored.”
“Okay.”

He dashed off. I saw him out. Take care~!

“Wow! Busy!”

As Jo hurried down, a woman near the apartment entrance spoke apologetically.

“Did you handle your grandmother’s funeral properly?”
“Ah! Ma’am.”
“Sorry. I should’ve come by.”
“It’s okay. Bo-reum came, so it’s fine.”
“Still…”

The owner was Jo’s friend Bo-reum’s mother, someone who had supported him like a son.

“By the way, who’s that?”
“Huh?”
“The man. Handsome, isn’t he?”
“Oh, uh, well.”

Jo awkwardly smiled. The woman continued with a knowing smile:

“Was he an actor?”
“Well…”

Jo was at a loss. A beggar? Or a ghost-possessed beggar? Hard to explain.

“He… was an actor in our film. The director asked me to watch over him for a bit.”
“Really? Then he’ll become famous? What did he do before?”

The woman’s eyes sparkled. Like someone who found joy in fandom post-retirement. Jo chatted casually:

“Oh, famous? No. He’s a beginner.”

He swallowed the words about him being a beggar and continued:

“He helped with my grandmother’s funeral and had a connection, that’s all. Since he was staying briefly, I cleared my studio-storage for him.”
“Got it. Then go ahead!”

Being on the rooftop, we’d likely see each other often, so it was convenient to explain.

Finally, I got a chance to live like a normal person. Jo left, and I explored the storage space.

But despite my excitement, something nagged at me. The events of a few days ago.

“Now I don’t just see ghosts—I can get possessed too?”

It felt like my situation had worsened. The auditory hallucinations from that day lingered.

“What’s with this possession thing?”

I needed to find the cause. Likely that shaman guy was involved.

“Okay, then.”

I turned on the TV, laid on the sofa, and prepared to relax. It felt amazing. The jjajangmyeon ordered before Jo left arrived—delicious. Finally, I had upgraded from beggar to NEET. A step up in status.

It felt great. I rubbed my belly and looked at the empty jjajangmyeon bowl. Spotless.
Did I wash it? No, I licked it clean with my tongue.

“Hmm.”

Seeing the clean bowl made me uneasy. I added the leftover black bean sauce for dipping.

“Now there won’t be confusion. If someone thinks I washed it and uses it again, it’d be a problem.”

The brief pride in saving some unknown victim faded, and my stomach full, new worries crept in.

“Even if my life’s abnormal, I want to live properly now, but this just complicates things.”

Seeing ghosts had become normal. Now I could be possessed too.

“This definitely never happened before.”

I hadn’t told Jo, but on the way here, the ghost Yeong-cheol had been persistently following me, asking to use my body to speak. Creepy. During my grandmother’s funeral, I had unknowingly nodded, but this felt different.

I suddenly remembered something important:

“What if I completely lose control of my body?”

Exactly. If I lose my body entirely, there’s no solution. Sure, my life is already messed up, but this was too much.

“Probably… because of that hanbok guy.”

When the shaman-like man grabbed me, I heard something about ‘possession’ or whatever. He hadn’t explained further.

“I thought it was just a curse…”

At first, I assumed it was just swearing, but now it seemed linked to my current situation.

“Better check it out.”

Nearby, an incident had occurred. Maybe the police station could provide clues.

“Yes! First, confirm what’s happening!”

I stormed out the front door.