An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 102

102. Episode 20 – In a Strange Place (5)

The next day.

Filming in the desert, still plagued by sandstorms, resumed.

“Still, it’s not as bad as yesterday, so let’s shoot this quickly!” Director Kang announced, glancing at the sky.

As the protagonist of the very first scene, I nodded and headed toward the camera.

Then, I spoke to Director Kang.

“Director, could I run around a bit before we start?”

He looked puzzled.

I quickly elaborated, “This scene is about collapsing while running, so I thought it would be more realistic if I actually ran a bit beforehand.”

Director Kang smirked and nodded in agreement.

After receiving his approval, I started sprinting around the set.

After a while, I was gasping for breath and signaled to Director Kang.

“Okay, let’s get straight to the shot.”

Director Kang, understanding my signal, immediately shouted, “Ready, action!”

At his cue, I quickly immersed myself in the role.

The intensely shining sun reflected off the sand, assaulting my eyes.

Even so, I forced myself to keep them open.

The slight furrow of my brow added to the realism.

Having actually been running, I was genuinely out of breath, making my lines sound more authentic.

“Haa, haa… I can’t go any further…”

My legs wobbled as if all my strength had been depleted.

Eventually, I collapsed onto the ground.

“I have to get out of here, quickly…”

With that, sweat dripped down my face, and I slowly closed my eyes.

“Cut! Okay!” Director Kang shouted.

I immediately got up. Lying on the hot sand was far from comfortable.

“Ouch, hot.”

I brushed the sand off my body as Director Kang’s voice boomed from the megaphone. “Hee-sung, take a short break, and then we’ll move straight to the next scene.”

“Yes, sir.”

I walked past the camera at Director Kang’s instruction. Behind it, the staff and some of the other actors were standing, apparently having watched my performance.

I gave them a quick nod.

As I stepped back, I noticed Song Yoona standing next to me.

Normally, Song Yoona wouldn’t bother watching other actors perform.

*What’s she doing here?* I wondered. Moreover, I knew her filming wasn’t scheduled until much later.

I was even more puzzled.

Just as I was pondering this, she took a step toward me.

Song Yoona’s eyes seemed different from yesterday. Usually, her gaze was cold, even carrying a hint of menace.

But today, for some reason, the atmosphere around her was softer.

Intrigued, I lowered my chin slightly and looked at her.

The distance between us gradually closed.

*Could it be… is she actually coming to me?*

Contrary to my expectation that she would simply pass by, Song Yoona continued to approach until she stopped right in front of me.

Then, without a word, she extended her arm.

I lowered my head, my gaze fixed on her hand.

She was holding a drink.

“What’s this?” I asked, looking up at her. She replied in a blunt tone, “What else could it be? It’s a drink.”

“I mean, why are you giving *me* a drink?”

Having never received anything from her since meeting her, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

At my question, she averted her eyes and mumbled, “I was drinking it, and… it tasted bad, but it seemed a waste to throw it away…”

Her voice trailed off at the end.

Holding back a laugh, I replied playfully, “Then I can throw it away for you, right?”

She knew I was joking and immediately frowned.

Then, she reverted to the Song Yoona I knew, with her usual sharp voice and piercing gaze.

“Ah, just take this and drink it!” She practically threw the drink into my hand.

She shrugged and quickly turned away, disappearing.

Only then did I open the drink and take a sip.

*Song Yoona, the more I get to know you, the more interesting you become,* I thought, smirking as I watched her walk away quickly, her shoulders high.

***

“You really worked hard today,” General Manager Kim said, greeting me as I left the set.

I stretched my arms and loosened my body, replying, “I know. There was so much filming today. I need to go wash up quickly.”

“Yeah, you’re covered in sand,” he said, patting me down.

I smiled at his touch. “You worked hard too, *hyung* [older brother or close male friend].”

As we walked to our *sukso* [lodging] together, I looked up at the sky.

It was now pitch black, and countless stars shone through the darkness.

“Wow, there are so many stars.”

“I know, right? So many stars, and I haven’t even noticed them until now,” General Manager Kim said, lowering his head.

“It’s been over a month since we came to Australia. Is it tough?”

“Well… it’s hard, but it’s still fun.”

My lips naturally curled up as I thought about filming, and General Manager Kim chuckled.

“You’re really a born actor.”

“Haha, is that so?”

He clapped his hands and said, “It’s been hard adjusting to the food here, but if it weren’t for the *gochujang* [Korean chili paste] your mother gave us, it would have been really tough.”

I nodded.

Before coming overseas, I had visited my *bonga* [family home]. My mother had tried to pack all sorts of things in my luggage, and I had to stop her.

But somehow, she had managed to sneak tubes of *gochujang* into the depths of my bag.

I had initially shaken my head and pushed them aside.

But as the overseas filming dragged on, I gradually began to miss the taste of Korea.

Before I knew it, I was taking out and eating the *gochujang* my mother had secretly packed.

Perhaps she had foreseen my future homesickness?

I smiled at the thought and quickened my pace.

“I miss my parents. I wonder how things are in Korea these days. It’s only been a month, but it feels like I’ve been here forever.”

General Manager Kim nodded in agreement.

“Ah, that Seo In-woo, you know.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, I saw an article that he got a supporting role in a movie this time.”

I was as happy as if it were my own success, remembering how close we had become during filming.

“Wow, In-woo always only had minor roles. He finally got a supporting role! That’s great.”

“I know. I saw the article and thought I should tell you.”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Thanks, *hyung*. I should call In-woo later.”

“You’re welcome.”

Curious about news of other Korean actors, I raised my eyebrows and said, “I need to go wash up quickly and see what everyone else is up to.”

“Let’s do that.”

After washing off all the sand that had been clinging to my body all day, I finally felt alive again.

With a lighter feeling, I climbed into bed and leaned back.

“Oh, this is comfortable.”

General Manager Kim was in the same position next to me.

We made eye contact and burst into laughter.

“We’ve been together so much that even our resting posture is the same. Haha.”

“I know. Oh, right, Hee-sung!” General Manager Kim exclaimed, sitting up.

“What is it?”

“That commercial you filmed, you know.”

“Power Balance?”

He nodded and leaned closer. “They said sales increased after that commercial.”

I sat up as well.

“Really?”

General Manager Kim shook his head vigorously.

I smiled and said, “If things go well, the commercial contract might be extended, right?”

“Of course. You filmed it with Yoona, so I think it probably will be extended together.”

I exclaimed and gulped down water instead of alcohol.

“Kuh, this is so good.”

“If this happens, other advertisers might see it positively.”

My eyes widened.

Extending the advertising contract wasn’t a done deal yet.

But I was excited by the possibility that other advertisers might take notice.

But high expectations can lead to great disappointment, so I quickly cooled my enthusiasm.

“Well… it would be great if it happens, but I shouldn’t get my hopes up.”

I leaned back against the bed frame.

I opened my phone and clicked on the internet browser.

My fingers naturally navigated to entertainment news.

Choi Seo-bin’s face appeared on the main screen.

I immediately clicked on the article, drawn to the familiar face, and quickly scanned it.

[Choi Seo-bin. Top actor chooses movie comeback… Returns with ‘Edge of the Blade.’]

The lead role in the movie ‘Edge of the Blade,’ which is already in full swing, was Choi Seo-bin.

I read the article with interest, having not seen Choi Seo-bin in a long time.

General Manager Kim, noticing my expression, tilted his head and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Seo-bin *sunbae* [senior/respected colleague] is filming a movie, and I was reading the article about it.”

General Manager Kim clicked his tongue and replied, “That movie is ‘Edge of the Blade,’ right?”

I widened my eyes. “Oh, that’s right. You know it too, *hyung*?”

“Yeah, I heard that it might overlap with our movie’s release date…”

A sigh escaped me.

Unlike dramas, movies often compete for viewers if released around the same time.

“Of all people… it overlaps with Seo-bin *sunbae*.”

Choi Seo-bin was always a guaranteed box office draw.

It wasn’t that I was worried our movie would have a smaller audience because of him.

But the fact that we were competing with him wasn’t very pleasant.

I immediately scanned the article.

General Manager Kim also searched for Choi Seo-bin’s movie ‘Edge of the Blade’ and said, “I heard that Im Ha-joon also made a comeback this time.”

I frowned. “Isn’t he the one who was addicted to propofol and took time to reflect?”

“That’s right. But he made a comeback with a movie this time. I heard he’s filming with Choi Seo-bin.”

I shook my head. “I don’t really like people who cause trouble like that…”

General Manager Kim turned to me. “But the roles they play are similar to your image, Hee-sung, so you’ll probably run into them often. That’s why I’m telling you, just so you know.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

After reading about Im Ha-joon, I immediately turned the page.

Below that, a small picture of Park Min-joon appeared.

“Huh?”

I immediately clicked on the article about Park Min-joon, who had been quiet since the drama’s historical distortion controversy.

It was news of his comeback.

His comeback role, after being a lead, was a supporting role in a cable channel drama.

Park Min-joon was starting over from the bottom, as if he had returned to his old self.

The corners of my mouth turned up.

***

The overseas location shoot was nearing the two-month mark.

Now, it was hard to eat a meal without bringing the *gochujang* my mother had packed.

It wasn’t that the food wasn’t delicious, but I missed Korean food so much that I even dreamed about it.

“I’m going to endure today with this *gochujang* too,” General Manager Kim said, squeezing some onto his food.

I smiled and took out my own tube.

“If you eat it like this, it’s basically *bibimbap* [mixed rice dish], right? Haha.”

General Manager Kim shoved a mouthful of food into his mouth.

*Swallow.*

I heard a swallowing sound from behind, not from General Manager Kim.

Surprised, I turned to see Song Yoona standing there with her mouth slightly open.

“You scared me.”

She blinked as if nothing was wrong.

I asked, “Do you want to eat this?”

Her gaze was fixed on the *gochujang*, not me or General Manager Kim.

She shrugged. “No, I don’t.”

But her feet didn’t move.

I asked again, “…Should I give you a bite?”

She glared at me. “I don’t want it!”

Even so, she didn’t return to her seat, standing there as if glued to the floor.

“…I’ll give you a little.”

“Ah, I said I’m not eating it.”

*Swallow.*

The sound of her swallowing echoed loudly as she shouted at me.

I barely held back my laughter.

Then, I took out another tube of *gochujang* and put it in her hand.

“…Just eat this.”

Only then did her gaze shift from my rice to her hand.

She quickly averted her eyes and murmured, “…Thank you.”

Then she quickly moved to her room.

*That personality… usually, she’s a real horangi [tiger] with her claws out, but at times like this, she’s like a sunhan yang [gentle sheep].*

I shook my head with a smile, watching her go.