Chapter 57….
Remembering the Past in India (2)
I was troubled.
Even the moment I unknowingly started hustling, even the moment money slipped into my hand—
‘Wait, is it okay to make money here without a work visa?’
Since this was abroad, shouldn’t I need a work visa? The thought gnawed at me.
But my instinctive hustling just kept going.
And even as time passed, my dazzling sales skills hadn’t faded in the least.
‘As I thought… I haven’t lost it.’
I was feeling an odd sense of pride when, once again, someone took the bait.
The moment I turned my head casually—
‘Huh? They’re already here? Did they catch me?’
It was Do-in81 and his crew, right in front of me.
They were even pressing money into my hand, their eyes brimming with emotion as they looked at me.
I was shocked.
I hadn’t even put much effort into disguise today.
And yet—they didn’t recognize me?
At that moment, I realized I still had a long way to go.
My arrogance, inflated from thinking I’d become famous, was instantly crushed.
Then Do-in81 encouraged me warmly.
“Stay strong.”
“…Thank you.”
Ah, crap.
I should have gone Ta-da! It’s me, Woo Soo-han!
But instead, reflexively, I blurted—
“I’m Korean!”
Out of nowhere?
Well, yes, I am Korean, but still… what was that?
“The embassy! Shouldn’t we contact the embassy? Writer-nim, wait a moment!”
“Uh…”
Even though I should’ve revealed my identity right there, I couldn’t get the words out.
What was I supposed to do about this situation…?
And then, salvation came.
“W-wait! That’s Mr. Woo Soo-han! He’s not a beggar! Don’t call the embassy!”
“Uh… surprise? I’m Woo Soo-han…”
I revealed myself with a “hidden guest” twist.
But then—
Why were they crying?
Do-in81-nim, why that relieved expression?!
We moved to a nearby lodging, washed up, and changed clothes.
Then, with a pounding heart, I entered the room.
“Hello! Let me introduce myself again! I’m rookie actor Woo Soo-han!”
I threw myself into the greeting with rookie spirit.
“Hello, I’m Do-in81.”
“Hello, I’m Dennis.”
“I’m Piny.”
I settled among the group already seated.
But something felt awkward.
Was it because of the money earlier?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t given it back yet.
“About what you gave me earlier—”
“Oh!”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
I handed the money back.
The awkwardness deepened.
Although we’d greeted each other earlier on the street, the shock must not have worn off yet.
I needed to change the mood quickly.
“Hahaha, I guess you didn’t recognize me because I’m still a rookie.”
“No, I’m a fan. I watched your drama and variety shows.”
Dennis surprised me by saying he was a fan. It warmed my heart.
“Me too. I even joined the undercover beggar event. I almost got all the answers right, but…”
Even Piny said he knew me.
And Do-in81…
“You were that person earlier, right?”
Does he have face blindness or something?
Or am I just that unrecognizable?
I quickly changed the subject.
“You three seem close already.”
Thankfully, the atmosphere shifted.
“We often do other variety shows together,” Dennis explained with a smile.
I mustn’t fall for that smile.
That guy—he’s ex-special forces.
Then Piny asked knowingly:
“Do you know me?”
“Yes, I studied up. You’re a travel YouTuber.”
“Oh! So you do know!”
“You thought I wouldn’t because I was a beggar, huh?”
Hack!
Someone coughed.
I’d just made a joke, but suddenly everyone avoided my gaze.
“It was a joke… why are you all avoiding me?”
“Because after that show, Gura-hyung got beaten up so badly…”
“Uh… well, that was teamkill! Not my fault!”
“Puhuhuh.”
“Right, teamkill!”
They all laughed together.
Nice—the mood lightened quickly.
“But why India?” I asked.
“Well, watching documentaries about Indian life, I wanted to experience it myself. Escape the city a bit, feel free,” Do-in81 said.
“You like that sort of thing.”
I nodded eagerly.
After all, Do-in81 was the main star of this show, and older than me too. I needed to respect him.
“To be honest, in modern cities you can’t really enjoy that freedom. Walk when you want, lie down when you want.”
“If that’s what you want, I can set you up with an experience course. Totally doable in Korea too.”
“……”
“That’s my specialty, after all.”
Suddenly everyone’s faces turned red.
Why? What? Why were they all avoiding my eyes?
“This is bad.”
“They didn’t invite a guest—they invited an assassin.”
“Those damn broadcasters!”
Hey, I haven’t killed anyone!
Still, after exchanging more words, I began to feel comfortable.
From the middle, we dropped the formalities, and I was grouped into the “maknae line” with Dennis.
Funny enough, Dennis was born in 1995—three years younger than me—yet I was still lumped in as maknae.
Two of the four of us being “maknae line” was hilarious.
“Earlier… really, it broke my heart.”
“Same here. But why didn’t we recognize you?”
In hindsight, it wasn’t a big deal.
We grew closer, and soon time had flown by.
Could we really make a show like this?
To my surprise, this was already the 4th season of the program.
And every single one had been a hit.
Manager Park really knew his stuff.
No wonder Joo-hwan was so jealous when he heard I’d be on it.
I promised to bring him back a souvenir.
That night, even after turning off the lights, we kept talking.
“Wow… Piny-hyung, you’ve been to India a few times before, right?”
“Yeah, stayed here for months.”
“But Do-in-hyung, why did you look so relieved when I revealed myself?”
At my question, Do-in81 fell silent, then carefully spoke.
“I thought I might be assassinated.”
“Eh, no way.”
“Well… when you said you were Korean, I was shocked. I wondered what story had brought you here. But…”
“But?”
“Just because someone’s Korean doesn’t mean I can help them all.”
“True.”
Dennis chimed in:
“Yeah, you don’t know their story, so you can’t fix it for them. Felt sad, but since it was you, we were relieved.”
“Ahh.”
So he thought about it that deeply.
What a good guy.
“Anyway, tomorrow should be fun.”
“Definitely.”
Finally, I felt at ease.
From tomorrow, we’d be together.
Honestly… earlier I was lonely by myself, even with the writer and VJ around.
The next day, Do-in81 tilted his head at me as I shuffled along behind them.
“Young man, why do you walk like that?”
Maybe because we’d gotten close overnight—or maybe that’s just his nature—he treated me with ease.
I’d heard his charm was how easily he approached people.
“You’ve gotta pace yourself. Otherwise, you’ll get called a panda.”
“Pfft!”
“You saw that article, huh?”
Dennis burst out laughing, and since Do-in81 hadn’t seen it, Piny showed him the meme.
Ah, so that’s why it’s called a dark history.
“I think it’s fine.”
“……”
“Looks fun.”
What?!
He wasn’t joking—he sounded serious.
“But how did you even do it? Just put sunscreen around your eyes?”
Hearing his words, I suddenly felt like I was seeing another version of myself.
Judging by their looks, Dennis and Piny felt the same.
And so, our journey truly began.
“Grand beginning, my ass.”
My legs were throbbing.
All we did was walk around all day.
Sure, it was fascinating being abroad.
Plenty of strange foods too.
Indian curry, though… I think it’s for Indians.
I still prefer Korean curry.
But what really struck me was walking by the Indus River.
I could truly feel India’s vast population.
There were so many people that I even apologized a few times after brushing shoulders with ghosts.
And what happened then?
Well, like the Pied Piper, I ended up leading a trail of ghosts behind me.
Apparently, there wasn’t anyone like me around here, so they just followed in droves.
“Hyung, aren’t you going to wash up?”
Dennis, fresh from the shower, nagged at me sprawled on the top bunk.
“Man… this is inconvenient.”
“What is?”
“Being a civilian means I have to wash every day.”
“…Hyung, I’m sorry.”
“Why do you always react like that?!”
In the end, I went to wash.
For the record, I’d chosen the top bunk on purpose. It was on my bucket list.
I never had siblings, but I always thought the view from the top bunk would be nice.
Of course, I’d worried about falling off.
But I quickly realized that wouldn’t happen.
Why?
Have you ever seen a beggar roll all over while sleeping?
There’s a reason they curl up under newspapers in dramas and movies.
They just quietly stay in one fixed spot.
Luckily, my body was conditioned so that as long as I could close my eyes, I could sleep anywhere—even on a hard floor.
But maybe the brief comfort I’d experienced recently had spoiled me.
I started to feel discomforts I hadn’t in years.
The food didn’t always sit right.
That never used to happen.
Of course, when I was little I was picky. But hunger always overpowered that, so those memories had faded.
Now, realizing food could feel “uncomfortable” shocked me.
I’d become spoiled.
“I feel like I won’t be able to go back to being a beggar.”
“Why would you go back?”
As I zoned out after my shower, Do-in-hyung sat beside me and started talking.
“I just thought, I’ve gotten too comfortable.”
When I shared my thoughts, he scratched his head before replying.
“Isn’t it natural? People get used to comfort faster than hardship. That’s why there’s a saying: if you’re standing, you want to sit; if you’re sitting, you want to lie down.”
“True.”
“But for me, living boxed in is suffocating. That’s why I dream of freedom and escape like this.”
With that, he lay flat on the floor.
“……”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Was it obvious?
My expression was basically saying: That’s it? That’s all?
“Well, everyone’s standard of freedom and escape is different.”
“…That’s comforting.”
“If you want a real escape, I can teach you anytime.”
If that was freedom, I had more than enough to teach.
Hearing my sincerity, Do-in-hyung sat up properly.
It felt like he was drawing a line, saying my version of escape was too much for him.
“Why? Once you get used to it, it’s liveable.”
“No… if I got used to it, that might become a problem too.”
“Ah… yeah, I get that.”
I understood what he was afraid of.
Homelessness isn’t something you do lightly.
For many people who can’t escape that hardship, it’s because life without pressure feels easier.
Aside from unique cases like me, most were people who’d chosen emotional escape.
Those avoiding responsibility.
Those broken by relentless expectations.
Those exhausted from endless comparisons.
Many clung to homelessness because returning to “normal” life was too terrifying.
But for me now…
Escaping beggar life felt good.
It felt more like truly living.
And so, this journey made me reflect on myself once again.
