Chapter 454 (1/2)

The man tightened and loosened his fists several times to show that he was nervous. The audience stopped chatting after seeing a new actor on stage.

“It might be a bit old-fashioned to say this, but our night is very long. Take your time.”

When Ganghwan’s calm voice reverberated outwards, the people who were gathered around the stage took a step back. A strange sense of tension spread around, making the audience breathe out carefully as they watched the man.

Maru crouched in a spot where he could see the man’s face from upfront. Some of the people next to him crouched down as well. Whether it was thanks to the heaters doing their job, or because people were flocking together, they weren’t shivering in the cold even though the night wind was pretty chilly.

“I….”

After saying his first word with much difficulty, the man breathed out in nervousness before raising his head.

“I am a person who once wanted to become an actor.”

How much hesitation and worry he had leading up to the point when he said those words could be felt from his low voice and his twitching eyelids.

“When you say that, it sounds like you aren’t an actor now,” Ganghwan said in a calm voice.

The man looked at Ganghwan’s face once, then at the sky above the crowd before speaking.

“I’d call myself a half-actor. No, at this point I’m confused whether there was a time I was even an actor at all. Oh, before I tell you this, it’s an honor to meet you. I enjoyed your plays.”

After seeing the man’s extended hand, Ganghwan shook his head before replying.

“I am a doctor. I might be a quack doctor, but I’m a doctor that can listen to other people, and can only listen to other people.”

“Ah, right. I see. Sorry about that.”

“How old do I look?”

The man slowly raised his hand as he asked.

“There’s only a wall in front of us, but peculiarly, the wall is speaking.”

Hearing Ganghwan’s words, the people smiled and voiced their opinions.

“Thirty-seven?”

“Forty-two?”

“Maybe unexpectedly thirty-three?”

The man quietly answered that he was forty-one after listening to a few replies. Ganghwan clapped after pointing towards the member of the audience who got it right.

“I was really nervous when I just came up on stage, but I feel okay now. Maybe it’s because there aren’t any cameras here,” said the man as though he was talking to himself.

After a moment of silence, a member of the audience spoke. He looked to be of similar age as the man on the stage.

“I think that it’s the age where you must look after your family,” that member of the audience spoke while looking at a small child in his arms.

There was a girl in his arms, dozing off.

“An age where you must act like you look!” Said a youth who seemed to be a college student.

“An age where you must see results from your work, whether it’s big or small,” said a middle-aged woman wearing a tiger-striped scarf.

The watch on her wrist seemed to be of considerable value.

The majority of the audience seemed to agree with that as they nodded. Maru thought similarly. Forty - it had a different feeling to thirty.