An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 156

156 #28 – The Punishment of 10,000 Years (7)

“Oh, your makeup looks great today.”

Manager Kim smiled contentedly as he watched me get into the car.

“Haha, I’m glad to hear that. Since there’s outdoor filming today, the makeup artist really went all out.”

I said, looking at my face in the mirror.

Manager Kim nodded in response.

“Yes, today’s variety show filming will be both outdoors and indoors. They’ve rented a large [vacation] pension for all the filming.”

“I’m a bit nervous since this is the first time promoting this movie on a variety show.”

I took a deep breath, calming my nerves with a bottle of water.

Manager Kim looked at me through the rearview mirror with a worried expression.

“You haven’t had a proper rest since the movie filming ended, and now you have this schedule. Are you feeling alright?”

Seeing his worried face, I smiled reassuringly.

“Of course. I’ve been sleeping well for the past few days, so I feel great today.”

“That’s good. Did you watch any of the variety show episodes?”

“Yes, I watched a few episodes at home.”

Manager Kim snapped his fingers and asked me.

“Oh, right. You know Song Yuna is the guest appearing with you today, right?”

“I know. Hyung [older brother/male friend] told me.”

I leaned forward and asked Manager Kim.

“I understand why Seobin sunbae [senior colleague/mentor] isn’t on the show, but shouldn’t Hana be appearing with me?”

“That’s true, but it seems Hana’s schedule didn’t work out. And Yuna also needs to promote her work on a variety show, so they probably just grouped you together. The two of you are close anyway.”

I chuckled at his words.

“Was I close with Yuna…”

After a long drive, the car stopped at the variety show filming location.

I quickly got out of the car and greeted the staff and other celebrities.

“Hello, I’m Jin Heeseong. Please take care of me today.”

As I was greeting everyone,

I spotted Song Yuna getting out of a car in the distance and immediately walked towards her.

“Yuna-ssi [Ms. Yuna], hello.”

It was the first time I had seen her in months, since the Acting Awards last year.

When I greeted her, she widened her eyes and mouth as she looked at me.

Wasn’t that a welcoming expression?

……?

I was surprised by her reaction.

Song Yuna had always been aloof and cold towards me.

But I wasn’t the only one surprised by her welcoming demeanor.

Song Yuna also seemed surprised by her own expression.

She quickly wiped the smile off her face and nodded with a stiff expression.

“Ah… yes, it’s been a while.”

I smiled and bowed slightly at her greeting.

Song Yuna hurriedly passed by me.

I tilted my head and turned to look at Song Yuna.

At that moment,

She also turned her head to look at me, and our eyes met.

Our gazes collided in the air, and she quickly turned her head away and walked further away from me.

“…What was that?”

Something felt strange, but I turned back and greeted the staff again.

***

“Now, this segment is our program’s signature. ‘Trust No One’ begins!”

At MC [Master of Ceremonies] Jang Seokhoon’s words, we applauded without hesitation.

“In ‘Trust No One,’ you choose one member from the opposing team and have them put on a lie detector. Then, they must answer a question from the opposing team truthfully.”

We listened attentively to his words.

Jang Seokhoon continued.

“If they lie, a light electric shock will flow from the lie detector, right?”

As soon as he finished speaking, comedian Park Gwangmyeong raised his hand and asked.

“If we endure the electric shock after lying, we succeed again today, right?”

We burst into laughter at Park Gwangmyeong’s words.

Jang Seokhoon smiled and nodded.

“Gwangmyeong-ssi, you always say that, but you can never endure the electric shock. Haha.”

“I’ll try to win for the team today. Heeseong-ssi, just trust me!”

I, who was on the same team as him, laughed heartily and clenched my fist.

“I’ll trust only Gwangmyeong-ssi today.”

Jang Seokhoon laughed at our conversation and asked me.

“Heeseong-ssi, are you usually good at lying?”

I shook my head and replied.

“No. It’s too obvious, so I get caught right away.”

“Still, Heeseong-ssi and Yuna-ssi are actors, so you’re both good at acting, which will make for a competitive game, right?”

As he finished speaking, the staff set up tables and chairs.

And on top of them was the familiar lie detector game machine.

The lie detector I often saw on TV.

It was also a game machine that was always in board game cafes.

But since I had never tried it, I waited for my turn with worry and anticipation.

“Then, Heeseong-ssi’s team, please choose an opponent first.”

At Jang Seokhoon’s words, I scanned Song Yuna’s team with a troubled look.

Then, Park Gwangmyeong approached me and whispered in my ear.

“Heeseong-ssi, let’s go with Yuna-ssi first!”

Before he could finish speaking, Jang Seokhoon playfully pushed Park Gwangmyeong and shouted.

“Who whispers that loudly? Haha.”

Then, he pointed at Song Yuna and shouted.

“Then, the first runner, Song Yuna-ssi! Please come forward!”

We burst into laughter.

Song Yuna sat down with a faint smile.

After placing her hand on the lie detector, she blinked with a nervous expression.

“Now, here’s the first question. Heeseong-ssi?”

At Jang Seokhoon’s words, I bit my lip and rolled my eyes.

Then, I looked at Song Yuna and asked.

“I… I’m confident that this drama will be number one in viewership ratings in its time slot!”

“Oh, what will Yuna-ssi’s answer be?”

Everyone looked at Song Yuna with great interest.

But Song Yuna shrugged as if it were nothing and easily opened her mouth.

“Yes, of course.”

A solemn BGM [background music] flowed from the lie detector she was touching.

…….

Everyone held their breath and focused on her face.

Buzz-!

The lie detector showed a green light.

So, the light indicating truth was on.

“Wow, Yuna-ssi is confident in her drama.”

Seo Cheolwoo, who was on the same team as her, gave her a thumbs up.

Song Yuna raised the corners of her mouth and said to me.

“The question is too easy, isn’t it?”

I made a tsk sound and passed the turn to Park Gwangmyeong, who was on my team.

He took a step forward with a playful expression.

Then, he raised his eyebrows at Song Yuna and asked.

“Here’s my question.”

At his words, Song Yuna swallowed hard.

“I want to film a romance genre work with actor Jin Heeseong. As the romantic lead, of course!”

Park Gwangmyeong smiled at me with a satisfied expression, as if he was pleased with his own question.

Then, Song Yuna shrugged again with an expression that it wouldn’t be difficult at all.

“No.”

Song Yuna’s answer was without a moment’s hesitation.

I was the one who was embarrassed by her cutting off so decisively.

‘Did she have to dislike it that much?’

I scratched my head with an awkward smile.

Park Gwangmyeong patted me on the shoulder with a dejected expression.

When that scene was captured by the camera, Jang Seokhoon smiled.

At that moment.

Buzz-!

“Oh my!”

Song Yuna jumped up from her seat as if she had been shocked, and took her hand off the lie detector.

The lie detector showed a red light.

So, it was determined to be a lie, and her hand seemed to have been strongly shocked.

Of course, it wasn’t strong enough to worry about since it was a game machine.

The set burst into laughter at Song Yuna’s reaction.

Park Gwangmyeong was the most excited, holding his stomach and laughing.

“See, you want to film a romance with Heeseong-ssi, Yuna-ssi.”

At his words, Song Yuna glared at Park Gwangmyeong and said.

“I don’t!”

Park Gwangmyeong teased Song Yuna, who had her arms crossed, again.

“Hey, the lie detector said it was a lie?”

Then, Song Yuna pouted her lower lip and muttered softly.

“It’s not…”

I glanced at Song Yuna.

She avoided my eyes and turned her gaze to the side, returning to her seat.

The game continued for about an hour.

“Now, let’s take a break and start filming outdoors!”

The red light on the camera went off with the staff’s comment.

Some went to the bathroom, and some freely chatted and took a break in a comfortable atmosphere.

Song Yuna left the set as soon as the break started.

I chatted with Park Gwangmyeong and Jang Seokhoon.

“Heeseong-ssi, are you having a hard time?”

At Jang Seokhoon’s words, I nodded and replied.

“Not at all. It’s fun to do a variety show after a long time. Haha.”

“As expected, Heeseong-ssi is a natural at variety shows.”

“But Heeseong-ssi, are you close to Yuna-ssi?”

Park Gwangmyeong looked at Song Yuna walking far away and asked me.

I shook my head vigorously and opened my mouth.

“Oh, no. We filmed a project together in the past, and we were in the same company before I came to this company. But we don’t have any personal relationship…”

Then, Park Gwangmyeong said to me with a surprised face.

“Ah, I thought you two were close. I guess actors aren’t all close just because they work together.”

“Yes, there are so many people working together that it’s not easy to maintain friendships even after it’s over.”

We spent time chatting about trivial things like that.

After a long conversation, I got up from my seat.

“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

I walked towards the bathroom.

Then, I saw the back of the PD [Production Director] standing next to the door.

‘Is the PD going to the bathroom too?’

I was about to pass him and go to the bathroom when.

“So, if you could just edit me out, would that be possible?”

I heard Song Yuna’s voice.

I stopped in my tracks at the voice.

What is it?

I wondered what scene it was that Song Yuna would come to the PD herself to request editing.

“But that scene is fun, and it doesn’t seem like it would damage Yuna-ssi’s image.”

The PD seemed to be persuading Song Yuna, making a tsk sound.

“Then, the lie detector scene can be shown. But please edit out the part where I said I wanted to do a romance genre.”

At her words, the PD widened his eyes, tilted his head, and asked.

“Did you really want to film a romance with Heeseong-ssi?”

“Ah… no, that’s not it!”

I chuckled at Song Yuna’s mumbling.

I thought she would be embarrassed if she saw me, so I hurried towards the side door.

***

Around the time the variety show I filmed with Song Yuna was broadcast.

The movie ‘Fence’ that I had been waiting for was finally released.

Contrary to my worries, the number of viewers was explosive from the first day.

“Wow! Heeseong-ah [Heeseong, affectionate], this work is going to be a hit!”

Manager Kim exclaimed, looking at the rising number of viewers whenever he had a chance.

“It’s just been released, so we have to wait patiently.”

I was trying to hide my excitement as much as possible, thinking that if I had high expectations, I would be disappointed.

Nevertheless, my hands and eyes kept going to my cell phone.

Because reviews from people who watched the movie in the morning were constantly being uploaded.

Now that darkness has fallen.

If you search for ‘Fence’ on the internet, quite a few reviews are dominating the internet.

I looked at all the reviews in detail without missing a single one.

What excited me more than the rising number of viewers or the newly uploaded reviews was something else.

It was the story of my lines that they were all shouting.

-I watched the movie in the morning, and Jin Heeseong’s lines are still ringing in my ears, lol [laughing out loud].

-Honestly, Jin Heeseong’s lines in Fence were so perfect! It seems like people will be imitating them.

-‘I want to steal your heart too. I’ll make it all mine.’ I bet my hand that I tried to follow this after the movie ended!

└I agree, lol. I said that line to my crush as soon as I came out of the theater, lol.

└I thought I was the only one who followed it. Isn’t it the best line of the year? lol.

└That’s right. That’s all I remember. Jin Heeseong is definitely good at acting.

└Guys, isn’t that only possible with Jin Heeseong’s face?

└It’s only possible because it’s Jin Heeseong. You have to raise the corners of your mouth with loving eyes to get the taste!

└If you follow the lines wrong, you’re just a thief, lol.

I raised the corners of my mouth long as I read all the dozens of comments.