How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 120

Chapter 120

 

‘This won’t do.’

The moment I realized Daon had disappeared, the first thing I did was call the police.

Perhaps because of the bizarre sound we’d just heard, my heart pounded violently.

“What the hell? Why isn’t it working?”

The call kept cutting off just when it seemed like it would connect.

As I frowned at my phone, Ajin cautiously approached.

“Can’t get through?”

“Yeah. Guess we came in too deep.”

I let out a long sigh.

My heart was still racing so hard it felt like it might leap out of my chest, but I forced myself to breathe calmly.

“Let’s go back to the villa first.”

“What? What about Kim Daon?”

Ajin’s eyes widened.

But before I could answer, she rubbed her face with both hands.

“No. Sorry. Let’s go back quickly…”

Normally, Ajin would’ve insisted on finding Daon first.

But the strange cry we’d heard moments ago seemed to have terrified her too much.

I looked at her arm, which was trembling slightly.

“…Yeah. Let’s hurry.”

After calming Ajin down, I immediately approached the others lying around.

Seorae had been sobbing ever since we heard that eerie sound, and even though Ajin tried to comfort her, she couldn’t stop crying.

‘If we waste any more time, we’re all screwed.’

With that thought, I knelt down.

“Ajin, help me carry Seorae.”

“Huh? Oppa, even if we hurry, it’ll take at least thirty minutes to get back to the villa.”

“I know. Let’s move first. She’s not in her right mind. You’re the only one who can help.”

Ajin looked scared out of her mind too, but she was still better off than Seorae.

With Ajin’s help, I hoisted Seorae onto my back and glared at the others.

“Woo Jaehyun. Choi Seungmin.”

“…Ah, sorry, Junho. We should’ve helped too.”

Seungmin finally snapped out of it and apologized.

Standing beside Jaehyun, he hesitated and muttered,

“Should we switch carrying her every ten minutes?”

“No. Forget it. If any of you disappear, we’re dead.”

“Huh?”

“Stay close. We might hear that weird sound again before we reach the villa. No matter how scared you are, don’t run off. Stay together.”

Daon had probably fled the moment the strange noise started.

He was fast enough to vanish in an instant.

“Even if you disappear, I won’t come looking. So don’t disappear in the first place. Got it?”

Seungmin and Jaehyun immediately nodded.

Even so, I still felt uneasy, so I suggested we hold hands as we walked.

“Uh, wouldn’t that make it harder to go down the mountain…”

“Better than getting lost.”

“…”

At that, Seungmin quickly grabbed Ajin’s hand.

Jaehyun had already grabbed one before anyone else.

‘Is it really right to scare them when they’re already terrified?’

But in situations like this, you had to lead with an even bigger fear.

More than ghosts, monsters, or whatever unknown thing was out there, I needed them to fear being alone.

Only then could I prevent anyone from acting rashly.

“Let’s go.”

Leaving Hyewoo and Daon behind, we headed back toward the villa.

To conserve our strength, we spoke as little as possible and simply kept moving.

“I’m picking up the pace. Tell me if it gets too hard.”

“Okay.”

Even for a woman, carrying an adult down a mountain wasn’t easy.

Sweat poured down my body, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

To hand Seorae over to someone else, we’d have to stop.

And I was too scared to tolerate even a moment’s delay.

‘Ha…’

I’m scared. I’m scared. Fuck, I’m so scared.

‘Get it together.’

At least I have to keep it together.

Forget everyone else… my own chances of surviving go up if I do.

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw creaked.

I kept my expression under control so nobody would see my fear, making it seem as though carrying Seorae was simply exhausting.

“Oh! I can see the villa!”

Ajin pointed ahead.

Sure enough, the villa was right there.

‘Thank God.’

I’d been worried we’d lose our way.

Thankfully, that hadn’t happened.

“Nobody let your guard down. We don’t know anything until we’re inside. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t get impatient and trip running downhill. The moment you fall behind, I’m leaving you.”

“Okay, Junho. Let’s hurry, please?”

Once they saw the villa, everyone’s expressions brightened.

Seungmin’s eyes were teary with relief.

Ajin sighed tiredly.

I couldn’t tell what condition Seorae was in since she was on my back, but at least she was breathing properly.

And Jaehyun…

“Woo Jaehyun. You okay?”

Without slowing down, I asked.

Pale-faced, Jaehyun glanced at me and nodded weakly.

“I’m just tired.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

No exaggeration… the villa was right in front of us.

I’d told everyone not to speed up, but even my own pace naturally quickened.

‘Just past this tree…!’

With legs that felt ready to give out, I took one more step.

Past the tree, I finally saw the villa we’d left this morning.

But…

“What?! Where’s our car?!”

Ajin let go and ran ahead.

Seungmin and Jaehyun followed.

“This can’t be real. It has to be a dream…”

“Hey, pull yourself together! We need to figure out what happened!”

“And then what?! The car’s gone! How are we supposed to get home without a car?!”

Everyone panicked and started shouting.

I desperately wanted to join the screaming competition, but I still had someone on my back.

Ugh.

‘My shoulders are about to fall off.’

Grinding my teeth, I carefully set Seorae down in front of the pension.

‘No wonder she wasn’t responding.’

She’d passed out.

After confirming she was breathing normally, I sighed.

I’m exhausted.

“Guys. Stop yelling.”

When I asked what we’d do if that strange sound came back, everyone immediately shut up.

“Oppa, what do we do?”

Once again, Ajin recovered her composure first.

Holding back tears, she asked me.

I replied in the calmest voice I could manage.

“Call the police first.”

“R-right!”

Ajin hurriedly pulled out her phone.

Having used up so much energy carrying Seorae down the mountain, I closed my eyes for a moment.

Please.

Please let me hear her talking to the police.

I prayed desperately.

But all I heard was an uneasy,

“Huh?”

“Uh… the call won’t go through.”

…Fuck. I knew it.

“What?!”

Seungmin rushed over.

He snatched Ajin’s phone and pressed a few things, then finally came to his senses and took out his own phone.

“It really doesn’t work…”

Jaehyun’s phone and mine were the same.

They turned on, but calls, texts, and internet… all dead.

At that point, I started wondering:

‘Could this really be a dream?’

I’m not usually this vague-minded.

But one impossible thing after another kept happening, and I was so exhausted I couldn’t think straight.

“Everything worked perfectly yesterday! Why?! Am I the only one who doesn’t understand?!”

“Calm down…”

I weakly tried to stop Seungmin, who was yelling in fear.

Then…

“Ugh!”

Jaehyun suddenly collapsed.

He twisted violently on the ground.

White foam streamed from his mouth.

Ajin screamed.

“Aaaah! W-what–”

“He’s having a seizure.”

“Huh?”

Quickly taking off my T-shirt, I rolled it up and placed it under his head.

I wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and it was soaked in sweat, but it was better than the floor.

“W-what should I do? Hold his legs?”

“No. That’s dangerous. Leave him.”

The seizure lasted about two minutes.

Once his stiff body relaxed completely, he slumped down.

I immediately turned him on his side so his airway wouldn’t be blocked.

“Whew…”

I’m so damn tired.

Suppressing the urge to collapse, I asked:

“Does anyone know if Woo Jaehyun has any medical conditions?”

“Uh, no. I don’t think he takes any medicine…”

Ajin, who debuted with him, answered.

‘Even if they’re the same age, they can’t know everything.’

And seizures could happen suddenly without any previous condition.

Low blood sugar, lack of sleep… There were plenty of causes.

“For now… let’s go inside.”

 

***

 

We struggled to carry Jaehyun to a bed inside.

Thankfully, just as I was running out of strength, Seorae regained consciousness.

Though unsteady, she managed to walk on her own.

“Ha…”

Without thinking, I locked the door tightly.

I didn’t understand anything that was happening, but I needed to secure whatever safety I could.

“Junho, this is just a thought, but…”

Seungmin whispered, looking mentally shattered after discovering the missing car.

“What if Daon or Hyewoo drove off with the car?”

“What?”

“I mean, Hyewoo’s boyfriend is here, so maybe not, but Daon doesn’t have anyone. What if that bastard abandoned us and ran?”

It was baseless speculation, but his voice trembled with anger.

‘The car keys… Daon had them.’

That made more sense than the car simply vanishing.

But whether it was true or not, calming Seungmin down mattered more.

“Hey, get a grip. Think before you speak.”

“R-right?”

“You’re just scared. I get it, but hold on. Even if Daon really took the car, that bastard would at least call the police for us.”

I forced myself to laugh, though nothing was funny.

Seungmin let out an awkward laugh too.

“Yeah. I hope so…”

“Get it together. You’re just hungry. We climbed mountains all day without eating, remember?”

Looking at the clock, it was already 3 p.m.

We’d spent eight hours in those mountains.

‘Nothing’s been solved.’

No, things had gotten worse.

‘We went to find Hyewoo and lost Daon too.’

I sighed, but deliberately raised my voice cheerfully.

“Let’s make ramen!”

“Huh?”

“Will starving solve anything? Whether it’s ghosts or monsters, we need energy before we can fight anything.”

Ajin stood awkwardly.

Judging by her expression, she wanted to scream that our friends were missing and it wasn’t right to eat ramen.

But she was only human.

“There are four of us… me, Oppa Junho, Oppa Seungmin, and Seorae. Should we cook five packs?”

“Make six. We don’t know when Jaehyun will wake up. It’s just ramen anyway.”

The moment I finished speaking, Seungmin ripped open the packages.

Ajin filled a pot with water.

Seorae, who’d been sitting blankly since entering the villa, slowly stood up and got the utensils.

‘Let’s fill our stomachs first.’

I quickly surveyed the food we’d bought yesterday.

Since we’d spent the night drinking, there were plenty of frozen side dishes left.

‘And we’ve got all kinds of ramen.’

If the water kept running, we’d survive at least a week.

‘Not that I plan on staying here a week…’

Still, I needed a plan for the worst-case scenario.

‘If this isn’t a dream, the villa owner will contact us.’

Pension owners these days were ruthless.

Calling guests to kick them out after checkout time was practically standard.

‘If calls don’t work, he’ll come in person.’

I told myself that no one in their right mind would let guests stay indefinitely.

“Slurp.”

Even now, the ramen tasted amazing.

The four of us devoured all six packs.

“Wow, we finished six packs.”

“Don’t girls usually eat less?”

“What are you talking about, Oppa?! You guys ate more!”

Ajin glared at Seungmin.

When I said,

“Sorry, we’re pigs,”

Seorae chuckled.

“But Oppa Junho, why are you shirtless?”

“Oh, right. I needed it earlier… Sorry, I’ll put it on.”

“Do you girls know how rare it is to see Junho shirtless? Everyone fights to touch his body when he’s showering.”

“…What kind of perverted statement is that?”

“Hahaha!”

Everyone laughed softly.

With full stomachs, warmth spread through our bodies, and the tension in our shoulders slowly eased.

‘Maybe things will somehow work out?’

Hope slowly rose inside me.

And then…

BANG! BANG! BANG!!

“Ahh!!”

The deafening sound nearly stopped our hearts.

Everyone turned toward the left window.

Hyewoo was standing there.

 

(TL Note: Huh, must have translated the wrong series or something)