A Genius Actor Appears Out of Nowhere - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Shalom. How are you feeling today, elder?”
“Shalom. Are you hurting anywhere?”
“Shalom. Good morning.”
Midway up a gentle mountain, looking out over the sea, sat Shalom Nursing Home.
The morning started earlier here than in most places. To match the schedule of the elderly residents who woke up early, the daily routine began at seven in the morning. This required the care workers to arrive at six before dawn.
The care workers went from room to room to greet the elders, and the residents staying in the facility tried their best to answer with a bright face.
Of course, there were plenty of times when that proved impossible.
“Food! Bring me food! Food! Food! Are you trying to starve me to death?!”
Elder Kim Nam-chun in Room 201 was one such case.
Was he naturally ill-tempered?
No.
Were they actually starving him?
No.
Did he have dementia?
Yes.
Among the symptoms of dementia, Kim Nam-chun exhibited delusional and aggressive behavior especially strongly, making him an elder who frequently gave the caregivers a hard time.
“We’ll bring your food right away, elder. Please wait just a moment…”
“You! You bitch! You stole my money! You took fifty thousand won from my wallet!”
“Elder.”
“Give me back my money! Give me back my money!”
Elder Kim Nam-chun did not always struggle in the depths of delusion and aggression. But there were days when it was exceptionally severe.
How should one act in such a situation?
Naturally, there was a manual:
Induce calm through emotional empathy.
Secure a safe distance and remove dangerous objects.
And identify any physical discomfort that might be triggering this aggressive tendency.
However, Shalom Nursing Home possessed a solution that surpassed medical manuals.
“Did Seong-hwa come to work yet?”
“Seong-hwa? He’s probably washing up in the shower room after his morning run. There’s still an hour left before the regular staff comes in.”
“Elder Nam-chun is like this early today. Do you think we could ask him to come up just a bit early?”
“I’ll go check on him first.”
One of the youngest caregivers ran down the stairs.
He soon arrived at the living quarters set aside for the staff and volunteers. Knocking on the shower room door, he called out.
“Seong-hwa! Seong-hwa!”
At the caregiver’s urgent shout, the sound of running water inside abruptly cut off.
“Sorry, but could you come up a bit early today?”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. Elder Nam-chun started his delusions again.”
“Hold on a second.”
A brief silence followed. It sounded like things were moving busily inside the shower room.
Rattle—
Soon, the sliding door opened, and a man appeared.
He was tall with pale skin—a young man with a strong, sophisticated urban look. Looking to be in his mid-twenties, he walked out while drying his wet hair with a towel.
His name was Bong Seong-hwa.
His age, twenty-seven.
He was a man who had been living and eating at Shalom Nursing Home for several years.
“Elder Nam-chun is showing aggressive behavior right now?”
“Yeah. You know how it is. Once he starts, he goes on like that all day.”
“Just a moment.”
The man tossed the towel he was using to dry his hair into the laundry basket. Then, he walked up to the residential wing where the elders stayed alongside the caregiver.
“Bring my money! Bring my food quickly, too! Hurry!”
“Elder, please wait a moment.”
“Give me back my money!”
Elder Kim Nam-chun’s outbursts were still making a scene in the hallway. If this went on any longer, it could negatively affect the other elders as well.
“Elder.”
A gentle voice smoothly cut through the chaotic living space.
With just a single short word, Bong Seong-hwa succeeded in stopping Kim Nam-chun’s ranting.
The caregivers who had been trying to restrain Kim Nam-chun exchanged glances and quietly backed away. Now, only Elder Kim Nam-chun and Bong Seong-hwa stood facing each other.
Bong Seong-hwa slightly bent his knees, matching his eye level with Elder Kim Nam-chun.
“Elder.”
His voice softly echoed through the living quarters once more.
He didn’t put much force behind it, nor did he raise his voice. Though it was a single word spoken in a completely nonchalant tone, it carried a power that grabbed people’s attention.
“Nam-chun.”
Next, he performed the bizarre act of addressing Kim Nam-chun—a man old enough to be his grandfather—by his first name.
At that, Kim Nam-chun collapsed onto the spot and wiped his face with his hands. The aggression he had displayed just moments ago vanished into thin air. He simply slumped onto the bed, staring blankly at Bong Seong-hwa.
As a rule, one should never approach a dementia patient showing aggressive behavior.
Yet Bong Seong-hwa casually stepped inside the safe distance recommended by the manual.
One step.
Two steps.
As Bong Seong-hwa closed the distance with Kim Nam-chun…
Whoosh—
He gently embraced Kim Nam-chun. Then, he simply patted his back.
“…Ah…”
“…Yeah.”
A quiet whisper passed between the two, unheard by anyone else.
Though the full conversation couldn’t be heard clearly, everyone could tell they were continuously whispering to each other.
Kim Nam-chun’s expression relaxed completely, softened, became innocent, and then seemed to fall into a deep peace.
At Bong Seong-hwa’s magic, which played out almost like a daily routine, the caregivers swallowed their admiration in silence.
After the hectic morning passed, lunchtime arrived for the caregivers.
The caregiver closest in age to Bong Seong-hwa was Choi Ji-hoon, who was thirty-nine this year. He was also the caregiver who had gone to fetch Bong Seong-hwa that morning.
“Let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat.”
In the staff dining room located next to the nursing home’s kitchen, Choi Ji-hoon and Bong Seong-hwa began their meal together.
“Seong-hwa, how many years has it been since you came here?”
“This is my sixth year now. It’s been about five full years since I came when I was twenty-two.”
“You came right after getting discharged from the military, right?”
“Yes.”
Choi Ji-hoon looked at Bong Seong-hwa as if observing a fascinating creature.
“You’re honestly the most bizarre person I’ve ever met.”
“Me?”
“Calling you an eccentric isn’t even enough… Are you a saint?”
“No way.”
“Right. A saint is going too far. Let’s stick with eccentric.”
“Honestly.”
Bong Seong-hwa chuckled softly and kept shoveling food into his mouth.
There was a reason Choi Ji-hoon said such things.
When Seong-hwa first entered this facility, he was twenty-two—a young age brimming with potential. Having just been discharged from the military, even his hair was cut in a short crew cut.
At first, people thought he was the grandson of one of the elders staying at the facility, but he simply asked to be given work without further explanation.
He started as a volunteer, and after about two months, the nursing home hired him as an administrative worker.
Of course, although his title was administrative worker, he was a staff member who did almost everything needed. If driving was needed, he drove. If the kitchen was short-handed, he helped out. He even handled office tasks like Excel spreadsheets.
However, there was a specific area where Bong Seong-hwa truly showed his worth beyond all these duties: calming down the aggressive tendencies of elders suffering from dementia.
It wasn’t just aggressive tendencies, either. He personally took charge of resolving most abnormal behaviors that the elderly suffered due to the progression of their illness. Yet no one knew his secret. Whenever Bong Seong-hwa approached them and shared a few words, every single one of them regained their peace.
“Are you really not going to prepare to become a social worker?”
“Yes.”
“No one is as good at this job as you are. If you opened a nursing home, I think you’d take incredible care of the elders.”
“That’s true. But I’m not going to prepare for social work.”
“Why?”
“I’m going up to Seoul in two weeks.”
“…?”
An out-of-the-blue announcement of his resignation. Choi Ji-hoon had no choice but to be shocked.
“W-Were you scouted? Is a big nursing home in Seoul taking you?”
“No. What kind of imagination do you have?”
“Then what is it? Why so suddenly?”
“I’ve… made up my mind.”
Made up my mind. At those words, a piece of the puzzle seemed to fall into place for Choi Ji-hoon.
“So the six years you spent here were a time to find an answer to something.”
“That’s right.”
He had expected as much from the beginning. There was no way a young man with a bright future would waste time in a rural nursing home for no reason.
He must have wanted to gain something here. He was likely confronting some unresolved question about life head-on.
“What were you looking for?”
“The answer to a question inside me.”
“What’s the question?”
“That’s a secret.”
“Ha, unbelievable. Then what’s the answer?”
“You’ll find out in due time.”
“In due time? You said you’re going to Seoul in two weeks.”
“Yes.”
“What, are you going to come down every week to give us a status update?”
“No. Watch me on TV, or in movies, at the theater… Or maybe read about me in newspaper articles.”
“…?”
“I’m going to be an actor.”
“…What?”
At the news that he was going to become an actor, Choi Ji-hoon accidentally dropped his spoon with a clatter.
“Whoa, brother, you shouldn’t be having motor function issues already. You’re still in your prime.”
He placed the spoon back into Choi Ji-hoon’s hand, just as one would hand a spoon back to an elder with motor impairments.
Clang—
However, Choi Ji-hoon’s spoon simply fell straight down once more.
Bong Seong-hwa’s resignation proceeded smoothly.
From twenty-two to twenty-seven.
Counting by calendar years, it was his sixth year; in full years, it was five. It was his first job, where he had stayed for a long time.
Because there were many people he had grown attached to, a rather grand farewell party was held for him.
The news that Bong Seong-hwa was going to Seoul to pursue acting had already spread among the caregivers, social workers, and nurses.
However, none of them thought Bong Seong-hwa would fail.
“Seong-hwa will do well.”
“Of course Seong-hwa will do great.”
“I feel like Seong-hwa will become famous in no time.”
They all shared a strange conviction, simply because they couldn’t picture a scenario where Bong Seong-hwa failed.
Choi Ji-hoon, who had gotten thoroughly drunk at the farewell party, grabbed onto the hem of Bong Seong-hwa’s pants.
“Seeeeong-hwaaaaa… Can’t you just not go?”
“I’ll call you often.”
“If you leave… who’s gonna handle the elders’ tantrums…?”
At Choi Ji-hoon’s complaint, Bong Seong-hwa revealed his secret for how he had managed to calm the elders’ abnormal behaviors.
Since it was an important secret that could sustain Shalom Nursing Home, all the caregivers and nurses listened intently alongside Choi Ji-hoon.
“First, listen silently to the dementia elders’ stories of the past…”
“Yeah.”
“Listen, and then?”
“You just have to imitate them.”
“…?”
“…Imitate what?”
“…Imitate who?”
“The precious people remaining in their memories who can bring them peace.”
When Bong Seong-hwa finished speaking, the staff of Shalom Nursing Home tilted their heads in confusion.
“…You mean you act?”
“Yes.”
“Through acting… that actually works?”
“Yes. It works.”
“Can we do it too…?”
“Ah… I’m not so sure about that.”
Though he had shared it as a secret tip, it wasn’t something easily replicated. To think he had been caring for dementia patients through acting—it was a story hard to believe even after hearing it.
However, since it solved the lingering mysteries, the caregivers all nodded in understanding.
“Then who were you acting as for Elder Kim Nam-chun?”
“Elder Nam-chun’s father.”
“What about Elder Jeong-hwa?”
“Elder Jeong-hwa’s younger sister.”
“What about Elder Gi-beom?”
“I played his maternal uncle.”
“And Elder Chan-jong?”
“I acted as his mother or grandmother.”
As they recalled each person Bong Seong-hwa named, the images clicked into place.
To Kim Nam-chun, he was like a father more gentle than anyone else.
To Park Jeong-hwa, he was like a lovely younger sister.
To Jang Gi-beom, he was like a cheerful maternal uncle.
To Yoo Chan-jong, he was like a merciful mother or a warm grandmother.
“Wow, goosebumps.”
“Crazy. Now that I think about it, it’s all true!”
“You did all that through acting?”
“You revived their memories through acting?”
“If we tell Dr. Park about this when he comes for his rounds, he’s going to get so excited and say it’s a thesis topic.”
“You’re amazing, Seong-hwa. Seriously amazing.”
The caregivers and nurses clicked their tongues in awe, praising Bong Seong-hwa’s acting skills.
After all, Bong Seong-hwa had cared for the elders using acting skills precise enough to fool the parties involved.
“Seeeeeong-hwaaaaa… Don’t gooooo…”
“Haha…”
Choi Ji-hoon, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, grabbed the hem of his pants once more.
“How are… we supposed to do that…?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“Seong-hwa, can’t you really just stay?”
“We’re in trouble now.”
Hearing the truth made the task sound even more daunting to the caregivers and nurses.
And so, surrounded by people holding onto his pants and pleading with him not to leave, Bong Seong-hwa ended his farewell party amidst a pleasant sort of ordeal.