An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 34

#9 – Unpredictable (2)

After finishing my hair and makeup, I got into the car, where Manager Kim greeted me.

“Shall we get going?”

“Yeah.”

Manager Kim stepped on the gas, and my heart started racing, as fast as the bumpy car ride felt.

Taking a deep breath, I stared out the window with a stiff expression. Manager Kim asked,

“Are you okay?”

His worried expression was visible in the rearview mirror.

I forced a smile and nodded.

“Hee-sung, today’s blind mission is a rising star special.”

“Who else is coming out?”

I straightened up, leaning into his words.

“Park Sun-hoo and Min Woo-hyun.”

I wasn’t close to them, but they were rising stars appearing in dramas, mini-series, and movies as supporting roles these days.

The fact that I was on a rising star special with them made me secretly pleased.

I had often seen them online and in the media.

Manager Kim snapped his fingers and continued,

“Oh, Han So-jung is coming too.”

“Han So-jung, who I filmed a one-act play with?”

He nodded in response to my question.

“It’s the first time you’ve seen her since ‘Don’t Look at the Stars,’ huh?”

“…Right.”

“Han So-jung hasn’t had any special activities since then, but she’s on the rising star special.”

“I know. Still, it’s good that Han So-jung is coming, too.”

Manager Kim raised his eyebrows at my words.

I had a brief phone call with Han So-jung after the one-act play.

It was a conversation about how she was also interested in ‘The Clockmaker and the Dancer’ and auditioned but didn’t get the part.

Since then, we hadn’t contacted or met each other separately.

Just supporting each other.

I was impressed by her acting, which didn’t seem like that of a rookie, while working with Han So-jung in the one-act play.

So, I thought she would become famous quickly.

I was glad that we were finally together on the rising star special, and the corners of my mouth turned up without me realizing it.

Manager Kim glanced at me in the rearview mirror and said,

“Can I explain the format now?”

“Sure.”

I leaned towards the driver’s seat and focused on his words.

“Hee-sung, you probably already know, but I’ll tell you one more time anyway.”

“Okay.”

He waved one hand in the air and said,

“The format is simple. They’ll give you random missions, and you’ll get rewards for completing them.”

“We don’t know what the missions are at all?”

Manager Kim wrinkled his nose.

“Yeah, they said they wouldn’t even tell the managers.”

“Well, that’s how you get the reality [referring to ‘reality TV’].”

“I don’t think there will be anything too difficult or challenging.”

I nodded and leaned back in my seat.

As I looked out the window, Manager Kim said to me,

“Hee-sung, it’s going to take a while to get there. Take a nap.”

I nodded at his words and slowly closed my eyes.

The car was running non-stop towards the filming location.

It was quiet in the car, but I couldn’t fall asleep.

I wanted to close my eyes even a little bit to recharge, but I ended up opening them because of my nervous heart.

At that time, I made eye contact with Manager Kim in the rearview mirror.

“Hee-sung, you don’t look good. Are you okay?”

I bit my lip.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

It had been a long time since I felt like this, as I usually don’t even get motion sickness.

Dizziness and a frantically racing heart.

It definitely wasn’t because of the shaking car.

Camera shyness I experienced during a previous drama shoot.

It was exactly that feeling.

Camera shyness that I thought had disappeared was appearing in the car on the way to film my first variety show.

I think I’m getting variety show shyness…

I took a long breath in and out.

For some reason, I don’t know what rules it has.

I always had dreams related to the drama script after reading it.

And after having that dream, my camera shyness disappeared like a lie.

Immersion was also strangely good, as if I had become that person in the role.

Of course, I practiced like crazy, but I definitely thought the dream helped.

A few days ago, the day I received the variety show filming outline and script from Manager Kim.

I read them all and took a nap.

I was hoping I might have a dream.

But nothing came out in my dream.

So, before going to bed at night, I read and read the script so much that I memorized it.

I went to sleep with a desperate heart.

But nothing came out in my dream that night either.

I didn’t get anything through my dreams, but I had monitored it so much that the variety show scenes were engraved in my head.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Since it’s my first variety show, am I nervous and might make a mistake?

Will the little bit of recognition I’ve gained disappear because I’m portrayed badly on the show?

All sorts of thoughts filled my head.

I shook my head violently to shake off those thoughts.

Can I do well?

-Arrived at the destination.

Silence flowed in the car.

I straightened up, leaning on the navigation’s voice.

Manager Kim turned his stiff neck from the long drive and said,

“Hee-sung, we’re here.”

“Thanks for the hard work, *hyung* [older brother/male friend].”

He turned around and looked at me.

“Are you ready?”

I raised the corners of my mouth and nodded slowly.

“Okay, let’s get off.”

When I opened the door and got out, the world was all white.

Today’s filming location was none other than a snow sledding park.

Covered with white snow, this place was filled with dozens of cameras and staff.

And my heart started beating like crazy again.

Damn it.

Am I getting shyness?

I turned around, closed my eyes tightly, and took several short breaths.

After calming my mind, I slowly started walking towards the set.

***

“Thank you for your hard work in the cold!”

“Everyone, change your clothes and we’ll go straight into the first mission.”

The staff rushed over and removed the microphone attached to my body.

The opening was so hectic that I didn’t even know how it went.

I filmed the opening with a white snowfield in the background, so it was below freezing.

But a bucket of sweat poured down my back.

Thanks to my hard work, the opening greetings came out smoothly as if reciting lines.

But the trembling heart still didn’t disappear.

I ran to Manager Kim, who was waiting in the distance with a blanket.

“*Hyung*, was I okay?”

He smiled brightly.

“You seemed a little frozen. Maybe because it’s a rising star special, everyone was nervous.”

“I’m so out of it.”

“It’s always like that at first. Once you play games, you’ll get used to it quickly.”

I nodded, warming my hands with the blanket and hot pack he handed me.

“Are we going up to sled right away next?”

“No, they said they’re going to film briefly indoors and then sled next.”

Manager Kim took out clothes from the car and opened his mouth again.

“Let’s change clothes first.”

“Okay.”

A short break given after changing clothes.

But instead of resting in the car, I walked to the set.

A person standing blankly in the distance.

It was Han So-jung.

She was alone in the corner again today, just like when we were filming the drama.

I carefully approached her standing alone.

“So-jung, what are you doing here?”

“Ah… I’ve changed all my clothes, so I’m waiting for the filming to start.”

A training set distributed on set.

She was only wearing a thin sweatshirt, so her hands, which came out of the end of her clothes, were bright red.

“Are you cold?”

I quickly took out a hot pack from my pants pocket and handed it to her.

“Use this, at least.”

Han So-jung opened her mouth while fixing her gaze on my hand.

“Ah… thank you.”

Perhaps because she was cold, Han So-jung barely answered with her frozen mouth, then quickly picked up the hot pack.

“So-jung, is this your first time filming a variety show too?”

She nodded silently.

“It’s my first time too, so I was so nervous that I don’t know how the opening went.”

“Me too.”

Han So-jung’s voice was trembling, whether she was nervous or the situation was awkward.

“But I think So-jung will be good at variety shows?”

Han So-jung finally showed a faint smile at my joke.

“Hee-sung too.”

“Haha, thank you. It’s a rising star special, so let’s do well today.”

Han So-jung shyly pursed her lips and nodded.

She was warming her face and hands with the hot pack in both hands, then said to me in a low voice.

“Um… how about we help each other today?”

“Yes?”

When I asked back at her small voice, Han So-jung took a step closer to me.

“Let’s help each other in today’s filming.”

When we filmed the one-act play together, Han So-jung always disappeared quickly or liked to be alone after filming, so I thought she didn’t like being with people.

So, her suggestion was surprising.

That she reached out to someone first.

I was also full of nervous feelings because it was my first variety show filming, so her words felt grateful and reassuring.

“Okay.”

I smiled brightly and answered her words.

“Then let’s do well today by receiving each other’s comments and helping each other.”

“We’re going to start filming!”

At the staff’s shout from afar, we rushed to the set.

***

“Next, everyone will hold an object and come down on a sled.”

Min Woo-hyun asked at the MC’s words.

“What kind of object?”

“That’s random, decided by drawing lots!”

He shook a lottery box full of paper and said.

“I don’t know what’s inside, but you have to protect it well so that you don’t break or drop it while sledding, right?”

The MC walked over to me with the lottery box and asked him.

“Then I’ll have to come down slowly and carefully.”

He stretched out his index finger at my words.

“No. It’s first come, first served, so hurry. And you have to come safely.”

I clenched my fist tightly and nodded.

“Yes, I’m confident!”

One of the things I got from monitoring was reaction.

Reaction in variety shows is not an option but a must.

I put my hands together and looked at the lottery box earnestly.

And slowly drew a piece of paper.

“Okay, Hee-sung. Spread it out and show it to the camera!”

“What I drew is…”

I unfolded the paper at once.

“Quail eggs?”

Han So-jung, who was next to me, burst into laughter as she looked at my paper.

“Haha, isn’t quail eggs too difficult?”

“That’s right. It breaks if you put a little force on it.”

The MC burst into a burst of laughter and answered.

“It’s weaker than eggs, so it’s expected to be very difficult.”

My embarrassed face and shaking pupils were captured on camera.

After everyone finished drawing lots, they held the objects.

The MC put a whistle in his mouth.

“Get ready.”

Beep-

The sound of the whistle echoed in the snow sledding park.

I carefully held the quail eggs in my hand and started jumping up.

I wanted to show that I was doing my best, not just going through the motions.

I ran hard, looking only ahead, without hearing the shouts from behind.

Thanks to that, I got to the top first.

I was about to get on the sled after taking a breath.

I froze on the spot at that moment.

…No way!

Before running, I was in such a hurry that I ran without a sled.

The camera director filming me and the MC who came to the top couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“Hee-sung, I’ve been shouting from below to bring the sled since earlier, but you couldn’t hear it because you were running, right? Haha.”

“Ah… yes.”

I scratched my head and started preparing to go down again.

At that time, a person dragging a sled while panting.

It was Han So-jung.

She was holding a piece of tissue that was likely to fly away or tear.

But compared to others, the mission difficulty was low.

Whether it was thanks to that or because we decided to help each other.

She was holding one sled in each hand.

“Hee-sung… ha, here you go.”

Han So-jung handed me a sled.

The cameras rushed over to film the scene.

“Wow, maybe because the two of you filmed a drama together, it’s so nice to see you taking care of each other!”

The MC smiled slyly and said.

“Then Hee-sung will be able to get on the sled and go down thanks to So-jung. Hurry up!”

“Thank you.”

I accepted the sled she handed me.

She looked at me and smiled.

So, she and I put our bodies on the sled at the same time and ran down the snowy road.