An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 14

#14 #4 – Rivalry (2)

Squeak.

A car waited in front of the audition venue.

As soon as I got into the car, the tension melted away, and I leaned back in the seat.

“Hee-sung, did you do well?”

It wasn’t a voice filled with worry about whether I had made a mistake, but a confident tone.

Manager Kim didn’t seem to have any worries that I might have made a mistake in the audition or misjudged something.

I smiled at him and replied.

“I did as I prepared, but….”

“Then you must have done well! Good job, let’s get going first.”

“Okay.”

The car immediately left the audition venue, and as soon as we entered the road, I opened my mouth.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend] saw him too, right? Park Min-joon.”

“Yeah, I saw him getting in the car before you came out. Why?”

“I’m a little worried because of Park Min-joon.”

Manager Kim exclaimed in response to my words.

“Because of Park Min-joon?”

He shook his head.

“Hee-sung, your acting is much better than Park Min-joon’s, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Hey, hyung didn’t see me acting.”

“I saw it all, you rascal.”

Manager Kim said, looking at my eyes in the rearview mirror.

I tilted my head at his words and asked back.

“How?”

“I didn’t see today’s audition, but I watched all your works before I came to be your manager.”

“My works?”

“Yeah, the works you appeared in as a minor role.”

“Ah….”

“Is that all? I even watched all the camera test videos when you auditioned.”

I was speechless at his words.

I thought he would have watched some of my acting when he was assigned as my manager.

Since I only appeared in minor roles, I thought he would have only seen my recent work, ‘Yellow Flower’.

But he watched all the audition videos.

As expected, large agencies take care of their actors differently.

“Anyway, I was impressed with your acting. You act really well, so there’s no need to compare yourself to other actors.”

Whether his words were true or just meant to make me feel good,

the worrying feeling had subsided.

“Thanks, hyung.”

“There’s a lot to be thankful for.”

Manager Kim muttered lowly, raising the corners of his lips.

“That’s right!”

He snapped his fingers as if he had thought of something and continued.

“And they said the audition results will be out next week or so.”

“Really? The notification is a bit late.”

Usually, the results for casting minor roles or short dramas come out quickly.

In some cases, the role is decided on the same day the audition ends.

Considering this, the decision might have already been made.

Manager Kim raised one corner of his lip and replied.

“Even if the role is decided early, the higher-ups like to hold the cards.”

I nodded in response to his words instead of answering.

“It’ll be out by next week at the latest. I’ll share it with you as soon as it comes out, so start practicing the script from tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Thanks to Manager Kim, who was confident that I would be cast, I gained confidence.

Yeah, let’s not be discouraged by comparing myself to others.

If I believe in myself, I can do anything.

***

“Hee-sung, you’re here?”

“Yes, hyung.”

A white cotton t-shirt and black shorts.

The PT [Personal Training] trainer, whose bulging muscles were visible even in ordinary workout clothes, greeted me.

“I like that you come every day without fail, Hee-sung.”

The gym inside the company.

The gym, created to manage affiliated celebrities separately, is not used by as many people as I thought.

That’s probably because they can’t come to the gym due to their non-stop schedules.

I didn’t have any particular schedule yet, so I came to the gym whenever I had time.

I wouldn’t have time to get PT either once I get busy.

I have to take advantage of the opportunity and do it while I can.

As I went every day without fail, muscles began to build on my body, and I naturally became close to the trainer.

“Haha, I have to work hard until I get a role.”

He smiled contentedly at my words and replied.

“I get a kick out of building your body when you come as diligently as you do. Are you going to the cafeteria for food instead of salad today too?”

“Yes, I think it’s okay since I don’t have any other schedules.”

Salad and chicken breast that I eat when I’m on a diet to build my body.

I can get that diet if I want, but I wasn’t necessarily dieting that much since I didn’t have a drama lined up yet.

The trainer raised his eyebrows with a meaningful expression and asked me.

“I heard from the PR team that you’re going to be in a drama soon, Hee-sung?”

It wasn’t even decided yet, but the PR team seemed to have told the trainer with certainty.

I smiled and shook my head.

“Not yet. I only auditioned, but I guess the PR team thought so and said that.”

“Hey, if the PR team is saying that much, you’ll be in it soon, right? If Hee-sung is going to be in a drama, I should make a diet plan.”

“Haha, I wish that would happen. Can I start with cardio today too?”

“Yeah, run on the treadmill for a bit first. I’ll be there soon.”

“Yes, sir.”

A drama was playing on the monitor in front of the treadmill.

Monitoring and exercising, isn’t this killing two birds with one stone?

“Haa, haa.”

I was breathing heavily and focusing on the drama when.

Click.

The drama suddenly stopped, and a shadow fell over me.

I frowned at the stopped screen and turned my head to look next to me, and the person who paused the drama was none other than my manager, Kim.

He was panting, with his hands on his knees.

“Hoo….”

I don’t know what happened, but he seemed to have run very urgently.

I quickly slowed down the speed of the treadmill I was running on.

“What’s wrong?”

And I slowly walked on the treadmill and asked him casually.

Then, Manager Kim barely caught his breath and opened his mouth.

“You…!”

I couldn’t hear his voice clearly because the earphones were tightly plugged in, even though no sound was coming out of them, so I frowned.

“Huh?”

I took out the earphones with one hand and asked him again, and Manager Kim took a breath and shouted.

“You got the role! You got the lead role, you rascal!”

“What?”

I was so surprised that I almost fell off the treadmill onto the flat ground.

“Are you okay?”

Manager Kim looked even more surprised as he saw me almost fall and came over to lift me up.

“No, that’s not important. Did I really get it?”

“Yeah, you really got it. It’s your first lead role.”

“Wow!”

I shouted so loud that the gym echoed.

Manager Kim raised the decibel as if it were his own business.

“See, what did I tell you? I told you that you would get it because you’re good at acting. It’s Jin Hee-sung, not Park Min-joon, who got it.”

It was electrifying.

My whole body was swept away by a thrill at that moment.

I got the role, not Park Min-joon.

I, a minor actor with no filmography, beat the famous Park Min-joon.

No, more importantly, I got my first lead role.

My heart was beating faster at this moment than when I was running on the treadmill.

***

“Astronomically, that’s an impossible story. All of this, I mean.”

Park Min-joon held the script for ‘Don’t Look at the Stars’ and stood in place, reciting his lines.

He didn’t like his tone, so he gulped down water and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, ah, astronomically, that’s an impossible….”

Bang.

Park Min-joon’s acting flow was cut off by the door opening without a knock.

“Min-joon!”

“Hyung, I’m practicing right now. Knock before you come in!”

His manager looked embarrassed at his sensitive reaction.

And he quickly looked at the script Park Min-joon was holding.

“Sorry, I was in a hurry. Are you looking at the ‘Don’t Look at the Stars’ script?”

“Yeah, can’t you tell? The announcement is this week. The filming will start soon since it’s a one-act play.”

The manager carefully opened his mouth, closing the slightly open door behind him.

“Um… Min-joon, how about we prepare for another drama?”

“What are you talking about?”

Park Min-joon’s face contorted for a moment.

“I told you. I have to do this work because Director Park moved to Gen Studio.”

He sighed and continued.

“Hyung, one-act plays aren’t important right now. It’s an investment for the future. Please don’t just look at the trees, look at the forest!”

The manager avoided his eyes and replied to Park Min-joon’s loud voice.

“That’s true, but… we didn’t get the lead role in that drama.”

“What?”

“We didn’t get it.”

Park Min-joon asked back in a rather calm voice.

“Then who got it?”

“…Jin Hee-sung.”

The practice room froze as if everything had stopped.

Park Min-joon’s face contorted in an instant.

“This f***ing….”

His eyes rolled back.

“Does this make sense?”

“…….”

Park Min-joon opened his mouth lowly.

“What am I worse than that bastard? How can he be a thorn in my side without missing a single time since college?”

The manager smiled awkwardly and said to Park Min-joon.

“Min-joon, let’s think positively. Jin Hee-sung, who has no filmography, got it because it’s a one-act play. And there are many good works in Gen Studio even if it’s not Director Park….”

Park Min-joon shouted and threw the script before he could finish speaking.

“Stop talking about that Jin Hee-sung!”

***

“According to what Steven Kim was trying to say when he published this paper, as the student said….”

Manager Kim opened his mouth, interrupting my line.

“Um… I think it would be better if you were a little more angry here.”

“Really? I’ll try again.”

The script reading for ‘Don’t Look at the Stars’ was just around the corner.

My first lead role in my life.

There was one thing I wanted to hear the least, more than what I wanted to hear at the script reading.

Words of regret about casting, such as ‘Why did they pick him?’ and ‘Wasn’t there anyone better?’

I wanted to show them because they believed in my acting and picked me without any filmography.

That their choice was not wrong.

To do that, practice was the only way to live.

I was practicing until one line became perfect when.

“Hee-sung, shall we take a break?”

Manager Kim said, turning his stiff neck from side to side.

I nodded at his words.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Huh?”

“I’m talking about the script reading. I’ve only played minor roles, so I’ve never been there before.”

Manager Kim raised the corners of his lips and replied to my words.

“You’re not worried, you’re looking forward to it. No, I’m rather relieved?”

“Is that so? Haha.”

“Yeah, you’ll do well.”

“By the way, hyung, I heard something at the cafeteria today. Our company invested a lot in something this time, right?”

“Yeah, an OTT [Over-The-Top] platform. It’s a new company called Citizen, which is run by a large corporation, and it seems like they’re launching a new one. They invested in it.”

I raised my eyebrows and nodded.

“Then can we benefit from it a little?”

“Maybe. But to do that… you know?”

“Yeah, acting is a given, and my recognition has to go up too.”

“That’s right. If you do well in this one-act play, your recognition will naturally increase.”

I answered as soon as Manager Kim finished speaking.

“Hyung, let’s practice again.”

I stretched out my hand and immediately picked up the script.

“There are other parts that the paper focuses on. For example….”