An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 124

124. #24 – The Two-Faced Woman (1)

The atmosphere was buzzing with activity as everyone prepared for the first day of filming.

‘Temptation of the Other Woman’ was finally underway.

I took a deep breath, clutching the script tightly.

Then, I opened the car door and walked towards the staff and Director Song.

“Heesung-ssi!”

People with cameras approached me.

It was the documentary team.

“Hello.”

“Yes, how have you been?”

“Great. You’re starting filming today, right?”

PD [Production Director] Park smiled brightly and nodded.

“Yes, we arrived a little while ago and already spoke with Director Song.”

“I see. So, what do I need to do…?”

PD Park waved his hand, replying.

“There’s nothing special Heesung-ssi needs to do. We’ll just capture your natural self, so please don’t mind the camera and act as you normally would.”

Having a camera film me all day without being conscious of it seemed difficult.

I nodded, thinking I would have to try my best to ignore it.

“Yes, I’ll try to act as naturally as possible. Haha.”

“It might be uncomfortable at first, but we’re not just filming for a day or two. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

He reassured me with a smile.

I smiled back brightly at PD Park.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then we’ll start filming now, so you can proceed with the drama shoot.”

“Okay.”

Manager Kim immediately came to me, and we walked together toward the filming site.

The chaotic atmosphere of the first shoot began to settle.

Finally, the first scene was ready to begin.

“Since it’s the first scene of our drama, let’s give it our best shot.”

At Director Song’s words, everyone shouted in unison.

“Yes!”

“Ready, action!”

Instantly, the surroundings became as quiet as a mouse.

All eyes and cameras focused on my face.

“Haa… I’m so tired of living like this…”

My face and tone conveyed that I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I clutched at my hair with both hands, shaking my head.

“Work, home, work, home… Repeating the same thing, and you just staying like this…”

I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to finish the sentence.

Thump.

I let out a series of sighs and slammed my fist hard on the table.

We tried the same scene three times in a row.

“Cut, okay!”

Director Song finally gave the okay on the third try.

It was progressing faster than expected.

Whether it’s a drama or a movie, the first scene is crucial.

There are many things to establish, such as the atmosphere, tone, and character expressions.

If you don’t set it right from the first scene, it becomes difficult to fix later on.

That’s why you have to be prepared for more than 10 NGs [No Good takes], but I was pleasantly surprised that we got the okay in just three tries.

Contrary to expectations, it proceeded smoothly and quickly.

The atmosphere on set was relaxed, and the first scene wrapped up in a positive mood.

It would be perfect if it continued like this.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I bowed to the staff and immediately prepared for the next scene.

***

“Cut, okay!”

Director Song’s booming voice echoed through the set.

I smiled brightly and bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Heesung-ssi, you worked hard too.”

The Assistant Director approached me and continued.

“Oh, wait. Heesung-ssi, you have one more night scene left, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That… will probably start in a few hours?”

He glanced at his watch, rolling his eyes.

I smiled and replied.

“Yes, I’m used to waiting. Haha.”

“Okay. Then rest up and see you later.”

“Yes.”

He immediately ran back to the set.

As I straightened my clothes and walked out of the camera’s view.

“Minyoung-ssi.”

I spotted Shin Minyoung standing in a corner and waved my hand.

“Heesung-ssi!”

She smiled brightly and gestured to me. As I approached her, I saw another person greeting me.

It was Seo Inwoo.

“Heesung-sunbae [senior], is filming over?”

“Oh, Inwoo was here too?”

I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, sunbae. How was filming?”

“I have a shoot tonight, so I’m waiting for a few hours.”

Seo Inwoo raised his eyebrows and pointed to a chair.

“That’s good. We’ve been waiting too, let’s rest together.”

“Sounds good.”

We sat down together as always.

“Heesung-ssi, have some of this.”

Shin Minyoung handed me a coffee, saying.

“Thank you.”

“My manager just bought it.”

She smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

“Yes.”

Just then, the assistant director passed by us and added a comment.

“Oh my, the Three Musketeers are gathered again? Haha.”

“Assistant Director, would you like to join us?”

At our invitation, he shook his head.

“No, thank you. You guys chat and wait. I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.”

He smiled and passed by us.

The atmosphere on set was always bright.

The three of us, called the Three Musketeers, were always busy chatting after filming.

Many staff members often commented on it.

How do you always have something to say while chattering like that?

But we laughed and talked every day like friends who hadn’t seen each other in months.

“So, your mother is taking care of the cat?”

Seo Inwoo asked Shin Minyoung while drinking his coffee.

“Yes, my mom goes to my house and takes care of it when I’m filming.”

At their words, I widened my eyes and asked her.

“Minyoung-ssi, you’re a cat butler? [A person who serves their cat]”

At my words, she smiled brightly and replied.

“Yes, I was a little bored staying at home after the last movie. That’s when I started raising a cat.”

“You must have always liked cats.”

“Well… cats are cute.”

She looked up, thinking of the cat at home, and smiled brightly.

“Oh, should I show you?”

She quickly opened her phone and clicked on a cat photo.

“Wow! It’s so cute!”

“Wow… so cute.”

Seo Inwoo and I admired the cat photos.

Her gallery was full of cat pictures.

Seo Inwoo took her phone and scrolled through the photos one by one.

Then a video started playing.

“Our Dubu, oh, you’re eating so well.”

In the video, Shin Minyoung was feeding something to the cat.

Thanks to the close-up video, I could tell that the food was grapes.

“Oh, so pretty. Want some more?”

Shin Minyoung kept feeding the cat grapes in the video.

I couldn’t help but frown.

As soon as the video stopped, I asked her.

“Did you… feed the cat grapes?”

At my question, Shin Minyoung nodded vigorously.

“Yes, isn’t it cute how it eats?”

At her words, it was Seo Inwoo, not Shin Minyoung, who was surprised.

Shin Minyoung shrugged, replying to me with an indifferent face.

“Oh, really?”

I was more taken aback by her attitude.

She didn’t even seem surprised that it was a food she shouldn’t feed her cat, and instead, she turned her gaze away.

I looked straight at her and spoke again.

“A close friend raises cats, so I heard about these things. I thought I should tell you that grapes are deadly to cats.”

Shin Minyoung cut me off.

“Oh, it’s okay.”

“…….”

Her reaction made my eyes lose focus.

How could she be so calm when it’s dangerous for her companion animal?

Then, she showed me another photo, opening her mouth brightly.

“I just give our Dubu whatever it likes!”

Her face was pure, without malice.

I opened my mouth and shook my head.

“Still, if you’re going to raise a companion animal, you should know the basics of what not to feed it. My friend cleans up even if the cat just comes near grapes. So she doesn’t even eat grapes at home.”

It was Seo Inwoo, not Shin Minyoung, who nodded at my words.

“And dried grapes are really bad, so be careful.”

At my warning-like advice, Shin Minyoung tilted her head and replied.

“When I eat mocha bread, the cat rushes at me, so I take out the raisins and feed them to it. It’s okay to eat that much if our Dubu likes it.”

“Yes?”

At her words, I ended up distorting my face.

“Minyoung-ssi, something really bad could happen. You know now, so please be careful. I think you should know that if you’re going to raise one.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Shin Minyoung’s expression darkened rapidly.

She put down her coffee as if she was in a bad mood and replied.

“But Heesung-ssi.”

Shin Minyoung glared at me, rolling her eyes.

“I can do whatever I want with my cat, right? It’s my cat.”

I was speechless at her words.

Her tone made it seem like she thought of it as just an object, not a companion animal.

Unable to bear it any longer, I opened my mouth.

“No. Even if it’s a companion animal, you’re raising a living creature. So you need to know how to raise it well. If you don’t, it could be considered animal abuse.”

“What, are you saying I’m abusing animals?”

Shin Minyoung jumped up from her seat and shouted at me.

I also stood up from my seat, replying in a calm voice.

“I’m not saying Minyoung-ssi is abusing animals, but if you keep feeding it food that it shouldn’t eat…”

She didn’t seem to want to listen to me.

Cutting me off, Shin Minyoung said, breathing heavily.

“What do you know, Heesung-ssi? I’ll raise my animal as I please. I’m just raising it because I’m bored at home, do I have to study and raise it meticulously?”

Shin Minyoung… I was taken aback by her much scarier and more aggressive appearance than I had imagined.

“And what if it eats something a little bad?”

She continued to speak as if she didn’t understand.

I sighed, thinking that I couldn’t have a conversation with her anymore, and Seo Inwoo quickly got up from his seat.

“Hey, let’s talk nicely, nicely.”

He tried to calm the agitated Shin Minyoung and make her sit down.

But she turned around and left, her face full of anger.

Was it something to get so angry about for saying something for her companion animal?

Moreover, I stared blankly at her walking away, frowning at her reaction that she didn’t care even when I said it could be dangerous.

***

“There’s a dawn shoot today, so sleep in the car. I’ll wake you up later.”

Manager Kim said to me, stifling a yawn.

I shook my head and replied to him.

“I slept in the car yesterday, and it was a bit stuffy. I heard from Inwoo that they set up tents at the set so you can sleep there?”

At my words, Manager Kim nodded and reached out.

“Yeah, I heard they set up temporary tents over there. Would it be okay to sleep there?”

“Of course. Isn’t it made for resting?”

Manager Kim smiled and moved his feet.

“Let’s go together. If there’s no one inside, take a nap there.”

So we headed to the tent.

Many actors had returned home late at night, so the tents were empty.

“Oh, this is nice?”

I lay down on the wide topper spread out on the floor.

Manager Kim nodded and replied to me.

“Yeah, you can stretch your legs here, so it’s good to take a nap here.”

“I can come to this tent to rest from now on.”

“Let’s do that. Heesung-ah, then sleep for about two hours. I’ll come to wake you up.”

“What about hyung [older brother/male friend]?”

Manager Kim wrinkled his nose and said.

“I have something to send by morning, so I’ll be working in the car.”

“Okay.”

So I comfortably closed my eyes alone in the large tent.

How many hours, or even minutes, had passed?

My eyes slowly opened.

I groped for my phone and looked at it, it was still an hour before the shoot.

I closed my eyes again to fall asleep.

I couldn’t fall back asleep because I was already awake.

“I should wake up, practice, and go into the shoot.”

The moment I stretched and got up from my seat.

“Ouch.”

A sound came out of my stiff body.

I raised my upper body and looked at my leg.

Why does my leg hurt, not just my whole body feeling stiff?

I tilted my head and rolled up my pants.

The bare leg came into view.

What?

A blue mark I hadn’t seen during the day.

…Why is there a bruise on my leg?