Chapter 217 (2/2)

Joohyun smiled oddly.

“If you understood me right, you should know that this is a critical moment for you.”

“You are right. There are many people that have their eyes on me on this audition. I know that if I get a role here, I can advance very quickly into the industry. That’s why I should be more careful. I need to prepare and hone my skills instead of taking a risk.”

“There are rumors all over the place about this movie already. How many people do you think are going to come to the auditions? Do you think you can beat veterans with decades of experience under their belt? With just a single year of experience?”

“In some ways, yes. I might even be better than them if what you said about life experiences was correct.”

“...Are you sure you heard me right?”

“Loud and clear.”

Joohyun shrugged after a brief moment of confusion.

“That’s odd. I can tell you’re not being confident for no reason. You really think you have something here.”

She tapped her lips for a second before shaking her head.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do well. But don’t you dare regret your decision later down the line. The chance you missed won’t come back no matter how much you regret.”

“No need to worry. I’m very good at handling regret. I make it so that I wouldn’t have any in the first place, all thanks to the fact that I’m a calculating person. I take what I’m confident of being able to get. It might not be fun, but so what? I was just born like this. I’ve taken many risks so far already, with acting and relationships alike. I’d like solid results at this point in life.”

“I don’t think you’re at an age where you should worry about that yet.”

“You might be surprised, but I’m a lot older than I actually look.”

“Hah, funny joke. Anyway, I’m of the opinion that you should break your shell before you become another cog in the machine. The younger you are when you do it, the better.”

“But if your sense of self is already well-established, there is no need to breakthrough. I’m not brave enough to stake all of my worth in a single bet, I love playing it safe. Even when crossing a stone bridge, I have to smack each brick in front of me at least three times.”

“What if you fall behind everyone else?”

“That’s completely fine, life isn’t a short track race. I’ll catch up eventually, so long as I don’t trip and fall along the way. I might find my own tricks and start moving ahead. More so than that, I’m me and you’re you. We all have our own ways of doing things.”

Maru moved solely based on evidence and proven methods, he never broke this rule even when he took risks. That was the method he came up with after his forty-five years of living. He no longer had the passion and courage of youth left inside him, but he had the maturity at the very least.

More so than that, he’s had an incredible experience that no one else had. The fact that he looked death in the eye and came back alive. That moment, Han Maru as a person became someone ‘more’. He could look at himself objectively. And because of it, he looked a lot colder to people he didn’t really care about. He was fine with that because that was yet another aspect that characterized him as “Han Maru”.

“You… you’re an interesting kid.”

“Not really.”

“Fine. If you’re that confident, prove it to me. Good luck.”

Joohyun stepped back down coolly as if she had finished business here. After a few seconds though, she ran back upstairs to Maru with a grin.

“Take good care of Bangjoo!”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ll kill you if you bully him.”

“Uh, right.”

“Take care of that Jiyoon kid quickly as well.”

“I understand.”

“See you next time! Buh-bye!”

Joohyun ran down with a whistle. What an odd woman.

‘45 years. That would surely become a great weapon for me.’

If one’s ability in acting directly correlated with their life experiences… Fine. He’s experienced all life had to offer so far. Sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter. He’s tasted it all. Meaning, there was no need for him to change his acting style. While others gathered experience, he only needed to hone himself.

‘I suppose there is a need to empty my emotions though. Take myself to the limits of my emotions, as she put it.’