An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 225

225. Episode 40 – Their Intentions (3)

“Wow… what is all this?”

A table overflowing with food.

Fragrant soybean paste stew, japchae [stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables and meat], bulgogi [thinly sliced marinated beef], braised short ribs, rolled omelets….

So many side dishes that they were impossible to count, packed tightly together.

There were so many dishes that they overlapped, barely fitting on the table.

As I exclaimed in amazement, my mother said to me with a slightly sullen expression,

“I should have prepared more, but I couldn’t go to the market yesterday….”

“Mom, if you had gone to the market properly, would you have thrown a neighborhood feast?”

I hurriedly sat down and clapped my hands.

“How can we eat all this without wasting it?”

My father laughed heartily at my words and picked up his spoon.

“If you don’t want to waste it, don’t leave any, son. Eat it all.”

“Oh, I wanted home-cooked meals so badly, but if I eat all this, won’t I die of a burst stomach? Haha.”

And so, we began our meal in a kitchen filled with laughter.

“Wow, this is really good, Mom.”

I exclaimed in admiration with every bite.

My mother held her chopsticks, not putting any food in her own mouth, and kept filling my plate.

“Mom, you eat too.”

“I tasted while making the food, so I’m not very hungry.”

Turning my head, my father was also busy removing fish bones and placing them on my rice.

“Dad, you eat too. Why are you only taking care of me?”

“I’m full just watching my son eat. Foreign life must be hard, and you’ve been suffering for months. Eat a lot.”

My father didn’t even make eye contact with me, focusing on the fish and speaking in a worried tone.

A smile spread across my face at my father’s words.

Because now he supports my path more than anyone else.

Thinking about it, he had always been supportive.

It’s just that his worries were greater than his support.

And so, I filled my stomach as if I were eating not food, but my parents’ love.

As always, after the meal, the cleanup was my father’s responsibility.

My father was moving the empty dishes to the sink.

I also followed my father and cleared the table.

And my mother was busily setting out fruit and tea.

“I’ll be in my room for a bit!”

Leaving my parents behind, I went into my room.

I took out the bag I had brought in advance and headed back to the living room.

In the meantime, my mother had placed fruit and tea on the living room table.

“Hee-sung, come quickly and have some fruit and tea.”

“Yes.”

I quickly sat down and took a bite of the fruit my mother offered.

And hurriedly placed the bag I had brought on the table.

“Mom, Dad. This….”

My parents’ eyes widened as they saw the large bag and asked me.

“What is this?”

“I told you to come empty-handed, did you buy something from abroad?”

At their words, I raised the corners of my lips and replied.

“No, I didn’t buy any gifts this time.”

“Then what is this?”

My father raised his eyebrows as if curious.

I smirked and said.

“I’m giving you both an allowance to use.”

At my words, my parents simultaneously waved their hands in the air.

“Oh, what allowance.”

“Yes. You worked hard to earn that money acting, you don’t need to take care of us.”

I pushed the bag towards my parents and said.

“I wanted to give you a generous allowance anyway. I worked hard acting overseas and earned money.”

But my father pushed the bag back towards me.

“That’s why. Why give the money you worked so hard for to us? You should spend it on yourself.”

At his words, I wrinkled my nose.

“If it weren’t for Mom and Dad, I wouldn’t have grown up like this. I wouldn’t be able to earn money acting like this now. So, take it.”

I opened the bag and showed my parents the allowance.

My parents’ eyes widened as if they were about to pop out, and their mouths dropped open.

They weren’t happy to see the money.

They were just surprised by the amount.

“Oh my, what is all this?”

My mother covered her mouth with both hands.

My father frowned and looked at me.

“You said it was an allowance, what is this?”

I looked back and forth between my mother and father and smiled brightly.

“It’s 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD].”

“What?”

“I want you both to buy whatever you want and use it comfortably.”

At my words, my parents opened their mouths as if scolding me.

“No. How can you give us such a large sum of money?”

“Yes, we don’t need this much money. Hee-sung, you do what you want to do….”

I spoke before my mother could even finish her sentence.

“That’s why. Don’t just do what I want to do, Mom and Dad should also do what you want to do. You must have given up on things you wanted to do while raising me and earning money.”

At my words, my mother’s eyes turned red.

“Mom and Dad have only had happy things happen while raising you.”

“Still, Mom and Dad must have wanted nice clothes, delicious food, and to travel too…. You gave up everything and lived while raising me. From now on, I’ll work hard and repay you.”

Eventually, tears streamed down both of my mother’s cheeks.

My father swallowed hard, seeming to hold back his tears.

Then, looking into my eyes, he murmured in a trembling voice.

“Hee-sung… thank you so much for growing up so well.”

“I got paid a lot in Hollywood. I’ll give you even better things in the future.”

At my words, my father replied with a faint smile.

“You don’t have to spend it on us, you can spend it on yourself. We feel happy when you’re happy.”

At my father’s words, I rubbed my stinging nose with my hand and endured it,

And immediately pushed the bag containing 100 million won to my parents and said.

“Mom and Dad being happy is also happiness for me.”

And to ease this atmosphere, I continued speaking to my parents in a playful voice.

“I’m good at acting, so I earn a lot of money, so I’ll give you even more in the future. Haha.”

***

An afternoon spent lying on the bed without any worries.

I was so happy right now.

Of course, when I was in Hollywood, I would rest in my accommodation on weekends after filming.

But the situation was quite different from then.

The sound of my mother and father’s laughter in the living room could be heard in my room.

The ceiling I was looking at also had the warmth that the space of a home gives.

Enjoying the comfort I felt after a long time, I lay on the bed and took out my cell phone.

After the article that I had arrived in Korea was published.

Numerous comments were posted on SNS [Social Networking Service].

Among them were many comments from fans who had been waiting for me.

I decided to post an update for them.

A few hours ago, I uploaded a picture of the home-cooked meal I had eaten at home.

As soon as the picture and a short post were uploaded to my SNS account, fans started commenting as if they had been waiting.

And a person who contacted me after a long time.

Seo In-woo left a comment on SNS.

-Hee-sung sunbae [senior/older colleague], you ate something delicious? Let’s see each other soon!

We were close friends after working on a project together.

But we became less in touch as we each got busy with our schedules.

It wasn’t just Seo In-woo who had been out of touch.

Many projects that I had done without rest.

And acquaintances I hadn’t been able to meet for months while advancing to Hollywood.

I was so busy adapting to Hollywood and acting that I didn’t exchange contact with them often.

But now that I have more free time.

I started contacting the acquaintances I had been putting off.

I didn’t want to make an appointment to meet or do anything in particular.

I just wanted to ask how they were doing.

After sending a text message to Seo In-woo.

I rummaged through the phone numbers of other actors I hadn’t been in contact with for a while.

I wanted to ask how they were doing and contact them comfortably, but I couldn’t easily press the send button as I wanted.

Would these people be happy to receive my call?

What if they’re filming and I’m calling them?

We were closer than anyone else when we were filming together.

But as time passed, I couldn’t easily make a call.

“Still, I should contact them after a long time and ask how they’re doing. I’m happy, so wouldn’t they be happy too?”

Just as I was about to carefully press the call button, adjusting my throat due to the nervousness that came over me.

Beep beep.

Suddenly, a call came from an unexpected person.

[Caller: Lee Myung-jin, Department of Theater and Film]

“Huh? What’s wrong with Myung-jin?”

Tilting my head, I answered the phone in a hurry with a happy heart.

“Hello?”

-Hey, Jin Hee-sung!

“Oh, Myung-jin.”

As soon as he heard my voice, he shouted.

-Man, if you come to Korea, you have to report your survival to your hyung [older brother/male friend] right away. Do I have to see that you came to Korea through SNS?

“Haha, hyung my ass.”

-You even came home. What are you doing?

“Now?”

-No, never mind. Come out right now. Let’s have a drink!

Even at Lee Myung-jin’s urging, the smile did not leave my face.

“Okay. Where should we go?”

When I contacted other actors a little while ago, I hesitated to even press a button to make a call.

But there was no hesitation in talking to an old classmate.

There was nothing to be careful about, and there was no need to be polite.

I could be the same as before with these friends.

And it was okay to show my true self.

So they were comfortable friends.

I quickly jumped out of bed and started getting ready to go out.

***

“Hey, Jin Hee-sung. Here!”

The person who shouted at me as soon as I opened the door of the bar.

It was Park Ji-on.

“Wow, Ji-on, it’s been a while.”

I quickly approached him.

Shin Hyun-soo was standing up from his seat next to him and shouting at me.

“Our great actor who has advanced to Hollywood!”

“Stop it, you. Haha.”

I tilted my head, looking at Park Ji-on and Shin Hyun-soo.

“But where’s Myung-jin?”

“Myung-jin went out for a while.”

“Why?”

Park Ji-on pointed to the chair and replied to my question.

“Sit down first.”

“Okay.”

Park Ji-on poured alcohol into the glass that was set up in front of me and said.

“Myung-jin went out to make a phone call.”

“Who with?”

Shin Hyun-soo glanced at me and said.

“Min-joon. We’re gathering, and you’re coming too. I think he went out to call Min-joon to come too.”

I nodded at his words.

Park Min-joon, it was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time.

He was still stuck in a supporting role after falling once.

Park Min-joon, who wanted to bring me down so much, was now too busy taking care of himself, so he no longer kept me in check.

No, the difference between him and me was already too great to keep in check.

At that time.

Lee Myung-jin came into the bar, putting his hand on my shoulder, as if he had finished the call.

“Star-nim [term of endearment for a star]!”

We burst into laughter at his words.

“What star. Haha.”

I looked at Lee Myung-jin, who was sitting next to me, and opened my mouth again.

“So, is Park Min-joon coming?”

At my question, he wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“No, he can’t come.”

Park Ji-on muttered softly at his words.

“He won’t come.”

I heard those words, but I didn’t want to mention Park Min-joon again.

It didn’t really matter whether he came or not.

Now he was no longer someone who could be called my rival like before.

He was an existence that I had neither good nor bad feelings for.

I picked up my glass and changed the subject.

“Let’s drink!”

“Okay.”

Clink-.

Just as the glasses clinked and I was pouring alcohol into my mouth.

Lee Myung-jin snapped his fingers and said.

“Oh right, Da-young said she’s coming today too?”

At his words, I asked him back with wide eyes.

“…Da-young?”

Shin Da-young… my first love.

“Yeah, she’ll probably be here by now….”

Dling.

At that moment, the closed door of the bar opened.

Long black hair.

A woman with fair skin entered the bar.