An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 138

138 #25 – A Crisis for Some, An Opportunity for Others (7)

“Cut, okay!”

Director Cha’s voice echoed across the set.

As soon as he spoke, the actors and staff bustled forward, carrying a large, custom-made cake.

“You’ve all worked so hard.”

Clap clap clap-.

The sound of applause from dozens of staff and actors filled the air.

And in the center of it all, a large three-tiered cake was presented.

Covered in deep navy blue frosting, it had the phrase ‘Goodbye Blackman’ written in bright yellow letters.

The actor holding a party hat approached Director Cha and playfully plopped it on his head.

Uncharacteristically, Director Cha laughed heartily and humbly accepted the hat, causing everyone on set to erupt in laughter.

“Director, you’ve worked so hard!”

“No, it’s our amazing staff and actors who have worked hard.”

“Hurry up and blow out the candles, Director!”

The cake was placed directly in front of Director Cha.

“Whoosh….”

With a puff of air, he extinguished the many candles.

The flames flickering above were completely put out.

Clap clap clap-.

At the same moment, the sound of applause reverberated through the set once more.

Led by Director Cha, we arranged ourselves for a group photo.

“Seo-bin and Hee-sung, get to the front quickly!”

Director Cha urgently called out to Choi Seo-bin and me, who were standing near the back.

“Yes.”

At his summons, we each took a spot on either side of Director Cha.

“Okay, picture time! One, two….”

Click-.

The eventful drama, Blackman.

Before we knew it, the final shoot for the drama’s 16th episode had wrapped.

Because of the particularly challenging environment and filming schedule, many staff members and actors were wiping away tears.

“We really went through a lot together.”

Although I hadn’t been there from the very beginning.

My feelings were no different from theirs.

Especially since I joined when the once-popular Blackman was plummeting in ratings.

Perhaps I had even more mental stress than they did.

As if sensing this, Director Cha gestured toward me and began to speak.

“Our Hee-sung worked the hardest. Of course, all the other actors worked hard too, but Hee-sung filmed with the urgency of a live broadcast from episode 6 onward, without even a moment’s rest.”

At his words, I waved my hand dismissively and replied.

“No, Director. Everyone worked incredibly hard.”

The assistant director next to him agreed with Director Cha, adding.

“Yes, Hee-sung was the most exhausted, having to act and worry about the ratings at the same time.”

Adding to their praise, Choi Seo-bin and other staff members chimed in.

“Hee-sung appeared in a drama that was on the verge of collapse, and I think we were able to finish it successfully because of him. Thank you so much, Hee-sung.”

“That’s right. Thanks to Hee-sung, the chemistry with Seo-bin really stood out, and we even managed to take first place in our time slot.”

It hadn’t taken long to reclaim the top spot in the same time slot.

The ratings had initially dropped from episode 6 after I joined.

But from episode 8 onwards, the ratings slowly began to climb again.

Then, as we approached episode 13, we proudly took first place in our time slot.

Since we were filming almost live, the scene we filmed today was episode 16.

Episode 15 will be broadcast tomorrow.

We were eagerly awaiting episode 15 and the final episode 16, buoyed by the rising ratings.

“If we keep this up, won’t our last episode’s ratings be a massive hit?”

At the assistant director’s words, Director Cha’s lips curled into a smile as he replied.

“We’ve already taken first place in our time slot, so that’s enough. We’ve exceeded 20%, and if I’m being a little greedy… I wouldn’t have any regrets if we finished with 23%. Haha.”

A subtle tension was visible on Director Cha’s face as he voiced his hopes.

I spoke up, addressing him directly.

“We all filmed with everything we had, so it will definitely happen, Director.”

At my words, Director Cha smiled contentedly and replied.

“Oh my, if our Hee-sung says so, I think it really will happen! Haha.”

In a friendly atmosphere, the set exchanged long farewells, not even realizing how late the night had become.

***

Pop-!

The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was check my cell phone.

I wanted to quickly check the ratings for the final 16th episode online.

But there was no need to even go online.

My phone was already flooded with messages.

Director Cha and some of the actors who had woken up earlier than me were discussing the ratings in the ‘Blackman’ group chat.

Only a few seconds had passed since I opened my eyes.

My heart pounded at the thought of the ratings.

At that moment.

Vibrate.

[Sender: Manager Kim Ji-hoon]

“Hello?”

-Hee-sung, are you awake?

Manager Kim asked in a somewhat excited voice.

“Yeah, why are you calling so early?”

-Hee-sung, the ratings are a huge success!

At his words, I jumped out of bed.

“What percentage did it get?”

-Yesterday’s last episode got 24.9%.

“Crazy…!”

It was an incredible number.

I exclaimed at the percentage.

Manager Kim also raised his voice.

-It’s one of the top 3 mini-series ratings this year.

“Wow, that’s really amazing.”

-You’ve worked so hard, Hee-sung.

“You’ve worked hard too, hyung [older brother/male friend]. Thank you.”

-I can’t believe the ratings would be this high.

“I know. That’s why the drama group chat has been going crazy since this morning.”

Manager Kim urgently called me in a serious voice.

-Hee-sung.

“Yeah, hyung.”

-I’m sorry for telling you not to take the substitute role back then. You were right.

“Don’t be sorry, hyung was saying that for my sake. I’m just glad the result is good.”

-Well, the good result is because you worked hard. Anyway, I have to acknowledge your insight.”

“Haha, I’m grateful if you think so.”

-You know there’s a company dinner tonight, right?

“Yeah.”

-I’ll pick you up on time later. See you later.

***

The car pulled up in front of the dinner venue.

I checked the time and quickly got out of the car.

When I opened the door, many people had already arrived.

“Hello.”

I bowed politely and went inside.

“Oh, the main character of our Blackman is here!”

Director Cha greeted me with the brightest smile I had ever seen on his face.

“Haha, you’ve already arrived, Director?”

“Wow, it’s the star of our drama. Come over here quickly.”

He seemed to be in high spirits thanks to the drama’s successful ending.

He took me by both hands and led me to a seat next to him.

And Choi Seo-bin, who was sitting across from him, smiled at me, noticing Director Cha’s excitement.

“Hee-sung, you’re here?”

“Yes, sunbae-nim [senior colleague]. Have you been here long?”

She raised her eyebrows playfully and replied.

“The director is in his peak mood right now. I’ve never seen him this excited.”

After seating me, Director Cha got up again to greet the actors who were arriving.

I glanced at him and said to Choi Seo-bin.

“Yes, it seems that way. Haha.”

“The ratings ended up even higher than what the director was hoping for.”

Choi Seo-bin looked at Director Cha and smiled.

After a while.

Everyone had gathered in their seats.

Director Cha stood up from his seat.

“Okay, we’ve had such a successful ending, shall we have a grand toast?”

“Yes!”

At his words, we shouted in unison.

Director Cha smiled contentedly and shouted.

“Our drama Blackman, everyone worked hard and had a tough time this year. Let’s have a warm end to the year. Fighting!”

“Fighting!”

With Director Cha leading the charge, we downed the cold alcohol.

Not to be outdone, he immediately refilled the glasses and shouted again.

“And shall we have a drink for actor Jin Hee-sung, who revived Blackman, which had faltered, and made it so successful?”

At his words, my eyes widened in surprise.

Choi Seo-bin, who was sitting across from me, shouted enthusiastically.

“Good!”

“Haha, then fill your glasses….”

Director Cha raised his glass high, unable to contain his excitement.

“Everyone knows that Blackman was able to finish without a hitch thanks to our actor Jin Hee-sung, right?”

“Of course!”

“Yes!”

Actors and staff looked at me from all around and answered.

Director Cha nodded and shouted, looking directly into my eyes.

“For actor Jin Hee-sung!”

“Cheers!”

The glasses were emptied one after another.

Cold winter.

Unlike the outside, which darkened early due to the cold, the dinner venue was filled with bright energy.

Director Cha laughed heartily and sat down.

He filled my and Choi Seo-bin’s glasses and said.

“Our main actors, you’ve worked so hard.”

“No. Director, you’ve worked the hardest.”

Director Cha turned his head with a serious expression and looked at me.

“Our Hee-sung.”

“Yes, Director.”

His face was slightly flushed from the alcohol he had been drinking heavily since the start of the dinner.

He bit his lip and said.

“Thank you so much.”

“No. I’m the one who’s grateful.”

He shook his head.

“Honestly, who would be the actor who would come into that situation? But you came, and it was like a ray of light shining down.”

Director Cha took a sip of his alcohol and continued.

“Whenever, whether it’s now or later. If there’s anything I can help with, whatever it is, I’ll help.”

“Thank you, Director.”

“I really mean it. I’m not just saying it, I’m really grateful. If you need my help, contact me anytime.”

“I understand.”

Choi Seo-bin, who had been listening to our conversation, smiled and said.

“Wow, Director Cha isn’t someone who would listen to just anyone’s request, is he?”

“That’s right. I don’t listen to other people’s requests, but I’ll listen to Hee-sung’s request. Haha.”

Director Cha’s eyes were filled with affection as he looked at me.

I bowed my head towards him.

“I’ll always support you in the future, Director. Please accept a drink from me.”

“Good.”

***

Before we knew it, the calendar showed November.

Waking up late, I looked out the window.

Not a single leaf remained on the trees, and people were bundled up in warm clothes due to the cold.

How long had it been since I had this kind of leisure?

I made a cup of coffee and sat down, watching the people and the many cars outside.

“Good.”

Today, there were no calls or schedules.

‘Blackman’ had started just as I was about to take a break after finishing ‘Temptation of the Other Woman’.

The busy second half of the year was finally coming to an end.

“Haa… I really went through a lot.”

I praised myself without reservation.

I deserved it.

I hadn’t rested from work even once since joining WG Entertainment.

Of course, I took a short break when one project ended.

But that period had never exceeded a month.

I worked so hard, without much sleep.

It felt like I was catching up on all the sleep I had missed during that time.

After carrying out such a demanding schedule and forced march.

I had missed this short break so much.

Sleeping at night and waking up in the morning was not my usual daily routine.

“Now I want to rest a little too.”

I stretched my arms out and looked out the window.

“It’s okay to laze around for a day, right?”

Then I went back into the room and threw myself onto the bed.

I didn’t fall asleep again, but I just wanted to relax on the bed.

Because these were things I couldn’t usually do.

“What should I do while resting to make the most of it?”

I picked up my cell phone and opened the notepad.

And I started writing down the things I could do for myself, who hadn’t been able to rest for weeks, no, months.

“…Travel?”

I repeatedly wrote and erased the letters.

Because I hadn’t rested for so long, it was like I had become a workaholic.

I couldn’t figure out what to do while resting.

I bit my lip, looking at the empty notepad.

“…I just want to rest well. Doing what I like.”