An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 338

“Haa…”

The morning began with a stretch.

Today, I wasn’t awakened by a phone call from anyone.

A large house.

Eyes opened in silence.

I threw off the covers and headed to the living room.

Song Yoona had also returned to her house the day before for filming.

I was spending the day alone in the empty house.

“It’s already 11 o’clock.”

Because sleep deprivation was a daily occurrence due to filming, I tended to sleep for a long time when I rested.

It was like paying back the debt of missed sleep, or rather, like pulling sleep forward in anticipation of future filming.

That didn’t mean I became lazy.

Readjusting my sleep schedule was also hard work.

I made an iced Americano with lots of ice.

I twirled the glass and headed to the terrace.

As always, cars were moving busily on the road, and everyone except me seemed to be living busy lives.

“…Relaxing.”

It wasn’t a long break, but I seemed to have lived peacefully enough to enjoy these short few weeks.

That way, I could endure even when busy days started.

“Now that it’s really going to get busy, let’s rest well this week.”

I was spending time making resolutions about ‘rest’.

How many hours had passed?

The sky, which had been bright with sunshine, was now covered in darkness.

Sitting in the living room watching TV, I looked at my cell phone with a sudden thought.

“…….”

As soon as I saw my cell phone, I couldn’t say anything.

Like the empty house, it was silent.

Not a single notification had gone off on my cell phone all day.

“How can it be so quiet?”

It had been a long time since Song Yoona and I had an unspoken rule of not contacting each other when we were busy with our schedules.

When I was busy filming, I didn’t receive calls from Song Yoona either.

We knew that we couldn’t answer because we were busy, so we were considerate of each other.

So it was natural that I didn’t hear from Song Yoona. I was just waiting for her call, not urging her to call first.

And I hadn’t received any calls from CEO Kim or Manager Park today either.

They probably didn’t call because they knew I was resting.

“How can there be no calls from anywhere all day long….”

In the old days… when I was moderately successful.

There was a time when I played supporting roles, not leading roles, in dramas and movies.

I think it was from then.

At that time, so many calls poured in that my phone would turn off if I didn’t have it plugged into the charger.

Classmates asking to borrow money.

Classmates from so long ago that I didn’t even remember their names.

Guys who pretended to be my best friends in front of their girlfriends.

Guys who showed off their friendship, saying they remembered me when they saw me on TV.

Even acquaintances from such short encounters that I wondered if I had any connection with them.

But…

As I went beyond simply doing well in the acting profession and reached a realm beyond the heavens, those calls and people who clung to me completely disappeared.

Of course, it was nice not to receive unwanted calls.

On the other hand, the fact that no one could easily approach me anymore made me feel lonely.

“Still, it’s much better than when my cell phone was ringing off the hook.”

A person who comes to mind at the same time.

I hurriedly opened my cell phone without hesitation.

Then, as if waiting for my call, a voice was heard before the signal rang a few times.

-Son!

It was my mother.

“Mom, are you busy?”

To my question, my mother answered me in a bright voice.

-No. No matter how busy I am, I have time to hear my son’s voice. Have you eaten?

“Mom, you always ask about food whenever you call.”

-Of course. I’m most curious about whether my son has eaten and slept well, right?

“I ate. Have you had your meal, Mom?”

-Yes, I ate with your dad too. What are you doing?

“Just resting at home. Is Dad there too?”

-Yes. This is speakerphone.

I quickly raised my voice.

“Dad!”

-Yes, my son.

The words ‘my son’ coming from my parents’ mouths.

That word was filled with happiness.

“Yes, are you doing well?”

-Of course. You’re going back to America soon, right?

“Yeah, I’m going next week. Are you guys busy with work these days?”

-We’re always the same.

“How can you always be the same? You have to live happily every day. I told you to stop working and travel around.”

Even to my words, my parents expressed their refusal.

-No way. What kind of travel would we do with the money our son earned?

“Isn’t that why I work so hard to earn money?”

-That’s right. You have to save and save that hard-earned money well. That way, you can live comfortably when you start a family.”

My nose tingled at my father’s words.

“I can live comfortably then too. So, Mom and Dad, just live comfortably with the allowance I gave you. I’ll give you more if you need it.”

But my father didn’t seem to want to listen to me.

-We’re comfortable and like this. You know, have you ever seen your mom and dad not working?

“That’s true… You’ve been working your whole lives to raise me. Now I’m being filial [showing respect and duty to parents], so don’t work so hard.”

-Hey, we’re comfortable and resting with this.

“How is working resting? You two should travel around now….”

My mother, who had been listening to me quietly, also opened her mouth.

-Son, thank you so much for saying that, even if it’s just words.

“I’m not just saying it, I really….”

-But son, I think we live to work. This is happiness.

“…….”

-So don’t overwork yourself, and don’t worry about your mom and dad. Take care of yourself while you work. Do you know what I mean?

“…Yes.”

-Thank you for growing up so well, my son.

After hanging up the phone.

I swallowed hard with my mouth tightly closed.

A sudden memory that comes to mind.

Back then when I decided to die.

At the time, I thought that family itself was very meaningless.

After all, I wasn’t someone who had grown up under my parents since I was born as ‘Jin Hee-sung’.

The word family itself didn’t suit me.

But at that time, if I had cut ties with my current parents… I felt like I would have regretted it until I died.

No, I was sure I would have regretted it.

***

At the same time.

Parents who finished talking with Jin Hee-sung.

After hanging up the phone, they were looking at each other for a while without any conversation.

How many minutes had passed blankly?

Hee-sung’s mother opened her mouth to her father.

“Hee-sung’s father, do you remember what the shaman said back then?”

As soon as he heard his mother’s words, he immediately recalled the memory of that day.

“Of course. How can I forget that.”

20 years ago.

Tak-!

“Tsk tsk… How unfortunate, how unfortunate.”

Long makeup drawn on the eyes.

A person clicking her tongue at Jin Hee-sung’s parents with fierce eyes.

She was a famous shaman in the neighborhood.

She stared at Jin Hee-sung’s mother and opened her mouth again.

“You had a hard time having that son, didn’t you?”

The mother nodded with anxiety.

“…Yes.”

“But what to do… He’s going to leave the world first.”

At the shaman’s words, Jin Hee-sung’s father frowned and shouted.

“No, what are you saying to a child? We haven’t said anything here yet!”

Even to his words, the shaman shook her head and answered.

“There’s nothing to see. He’s destined to die in his early 20s.”

At the shaman’s words, tears filled Jin Hee-sung’s mother’s eyes, and she asked in a trembling voice.

“What is that… What should I do? What can I do….”

“This is not something you can stop by blocking it. It’s fate. In his early 20s….”

The shaman trembled and chanted with her eyes rolling.

“The soul… dies….”

“Yes? The soul dies?”

At the shaman’s incomprehensible words, Jin Hee-sung’s father jumped up from his seat.

“What kind of X are you talking about!”

Then, grabbing the hand of the mother who was sobbing next to him, he shouted.

“Hee-sung’s mother, get up. Are you going to listen to nonsense here?”

The mother recalled 20 years ago and sobbed again.

“The shaman got everything right except for that story about Hee-sung back then. When and how we met. And even the year my mother passed away.”

At her words, the father nodded at the undeniable fact.

“That’s true, but the shaman said that back then too. That our Hee-sung’s soul would die in his early 20s. What kind of nonsense is that.”

“His life was also said to be cut off in his early 20s….”

The mother wiped away tears while looking at the cell phone she had talked to Jin Hee-sung with.

“Still, we’re so grateful that our Hee-sung… has lived so well like this.”

***

A quiet day.

I was lying in bed, fiddling with my cell phone in the darkened room.

“Wow… this is really a memory.”

Photos of the filming site saved in the gallery.

And fellow actors who are also in those photos.

“Are they doing well?”

There are countless actors who became close while filming together.

Their whereabouts could be seen in articles, dramas, or movies.

Because we couldn’t see each other often due to being busy, we naturally drifted apart.

But while there are actors whose news is heard even like that.

There were countless actors who couldn’t be cast afterwards or who didn’t become famous and couldn’t be seen in the media.

As I also lived a life of bit parts, I was curious about the well-being of the bit part actors I acted with.

“Should I contact them after a long time….”

I looked at the phone number and put my hand on the send button, but I couldn’t easily press the button.

“Yeah… I called because I was happy, but what would I talk about….”

Just as I couldn’t easily make a call and was about to turn my heart away.

Jieeing-

An alarm rang on the cell phone that had been quiet all day.

Surprised, I clicked, and Carlin and Robert were contacting me.

[Carlin: Hee-sung!]

[Robert: Jin Hee-sung, answer. Jin Hee-sung!]

Even seeing it in text, they were noisy.

I burst into laughter and sent a reply.

[Jin Hee-sung: Why?]

[Robert: Can we go to Korea to play?]

[Jin Hee-sung: Of course. You said that yesterday too; you only say you’re coming every day.]

[Robert: Okay. We’ll go play.]

[Jin Hee-sung: Yeah, be sure to come^^.]

The group chat room that had been hesitant for a while.

Not even a few minutes passed before the alarm rang again in the group chat room.

[Callie: Hee-sung, we’re going to Korea.]

[Jin Hee-sung: How many times are you going to say it lol [laughing out loud]. I told you to come for sure?]

[Callie: Yeah, we’re arriving tomorrow.]

[Jin Hee-sung: What?]

[Callie: I booked a flight arriving in Korea tomorrow.]

[Robert: See you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the Seoul full course!]

No way… it can’t be?

I tilted my head while looking at the talk.

At that time.

Once again, an alarm rang, and a photo of a plane ticket was sent from Robert.

“Plane ticket… what, are you really coming?”