The arthritis man who replaced the manager was rather reserved. He dozed off while flipping his hair, revealing strands of white, at the place where Hansoo and I went to take the screen test for the advertisement. As the manager had mentioned, our task was to film a small flyer advertisement, and it was quickly approved. I changed into my outfit on the spot and posed for a few shots.
By the time we finished our afternoon work, I was exhausted and famished. Hansoo, despite looking more at ease in front of the camera, seemed to have aged ten years due to the tension during filming. He turned to look at the arthritis-stricken man who was now comfortably sleeping in a chair.
"If our manager were here, he would have already bought us some kimbap. That old man is drooling."
Upon closer inspection, I noticed dried saliva marks on the arthritic man's half-open mouth.
"Our manager would have made me forget how tired I am with a hundred compliments after we finished. The more I look at that man, the more exhausted I become."
Hearing Hansoo's words only added to my weariness.
"Go and remove your makeup," I urged with my eyes, and Hansoo weakly nodded, his curiosity piqued.
"By the way, who are you waiting for?"
"Huh?"
"Your cell phone."
Hansoo pointed at my hand, and only then did I realize I had been holding the phone and absentmindedly fiddling with it. There wasn't anyone specific I was waiting for. I muttered this, and Hansoo hurried off to wash up, promising to return soon. However, even when he came back, I found myself unable to look away from my phone.
I was eagerly anticipating a contact from the madman. I could initiate it myself, but for some reason, I wanted him to reach out first. I was somewhat bewildered by my own actions. I deliberately stowed my phone in my pocket, but out of curiosity, I retrieved it, wondering if I had missed a call.
It was just that Chief Park's mention of the company in the morning had sparked my curiosity about its current situation. But even as I repeated this explanation to myself, the real reason for my actions remained unclear. I wasn't accustomed to waiting, especially when it was filled with impatience and irritation. So, when I finally decided to send a text message, I felt a brief vibration in my hand. It signaled the arrival of a text message, but I didn't immediately check its content.
Strangely, my breath quickened, and a sense of eager anticipation enveloped my thoughts. Could it be him? Just before I checked the text message, all my impatience, irritation, and waiting transmuted into palpable tension. But as I gazed at the screen, it was as though a magical spell had been cast, dissolving all those emotions. The message was concise, just as it always was, but it brought an inexplicable sense of relief.
— Come to Alice.
*****
Before heading to Alice, I handed the screenplay to Hansoo. It had taken me some time to read, but the content was one of the finest screenplays I had ever come across. The storyline was, in essence, quite ordinary – the protagonist becomes entangled in an incident while on the trail of his long-lost father.
Yet, there were unexpected twists and turns throughout, accompanied by thought-provoking elements. It seemed plausible that the novel had gained immense popularity, thanks to its script format with simple dialogues. Even for someone like me, who generally didn't enjoy reading, it had been absorbing.
What was remarkable about the novel was the recurring pop song. It was portrayed as the protagonist's father's favorite tune, but the main character listened to it incessantly because his father had concealed a password within the lyrics of the song. This song held significant importance, initially providing hints when the lyrics were interpreted in Korean. However, as the story unfolded, a definitive solution could be discerned by combining words from the original English lyrics.
