An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 145

145. Episode 27 – Year-End Temperature (3)

“PBC, MBS… both.”

My eyes widened at Chief Kim’s words, and I stared at him.

“No way. Really both?”

My voice trembled as I asked him again.

The award ceremonies of PBC and MBS, which I hadn’t even imagined.

Of course, people around me had been saying that I could look forward to this year-end, but.

I was trying not to get too excited, thinking I might be as disappointed as I was hopeful.

Like I always had.

Repeating that award ceremonies were not my business.

But at Chief Kim’s words, my heart started beating like crazy.

Before I knew it, I was out of breath because of my pounding heart.

Noticing my excitement, Chief Kim bit his lip and reassured me with his eyes.

“Yeah, no lie, both broadcasting stations contacted us.”

“Haa… so this day has come….”

I was so happy and overwhelmed.

I couldn’t express this feeling in words.

The stage of the award ceremony that I had always dreamed of since I started acting.

The fact that I was invited there made it hard for me to calm down.

My lips kept drying up.

Chief Kim took out bottled water from one side of the practice room and handed it to me.

“You’ve always worked hard, but you’ve worked especially hard this year. It’s the result of that.”

After gulping down the water he handed me.

I calmed my excited heart and took a long, deep breath before speaking to Chief Kim.

“I thought it would be nice if I could go to any broadcasting station’s award ceremony at the end of the year, but I didn’t know I would be invited by two places.”

Only then did Chief Kim raise the corners of his mouth and answer me.

“Should I tell you something even bigger?”

“What is it? What else is there?”

I leaned closer to Chief Kim, eager to hear what he had to say.

“MBS has nominated you for the Best New Actor award, and PBC has nominated you for the Popularity Award.”

“…Crazy.”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

I quickly covered my mouth and shook my head.

“See? I told you this year-end would be warm.”

Chief Kim smiled brightly and looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if I were admirable.

It was the perfect nomination I had dreamed of.

Nominated for the Best New Actor award for the MBS drama ‘Temptation of the Mistress,’ where I played the lead role.

Nominated for the Popularity Award for the PBC drama ‘Blackman,’ which almost didn’t happen [referring to the drama almost being cancelled].

Of course, I don’t think I’ll receive both awards.

No, I don’t even have the confidence to receive a single one.

But just the fact that I was nominated was already such an honor.

Being able to go to the award ceremony, the fact that I was invited, was happiness to me.

I can’t even remember how many years it’s been since I dreamed of the year-end award ceremony after becoming an actor.

Chief Kim reached out his hand as if asking for a handshake and said to me.

“Congratulations on winning the award.”

I tapped his hand and replied.

“Hey, what congratulations? I’m just a nominee.”

“You never know. You might receive both?”

At his words, I waved my hand dismissively.

“Oh, please don’t, hyung [older brother/male friend].”

Unlike my words, the corners of my lips turned up.

I chuckled and muttered softly.

“But it would be nice just to imagine it….”

“Me too. I’m nervous just thinking about you receiving an award, Hee-sung.”

At that moment, as I was indulging in happiness, imagining the day of the award ceremony.

I quickly opened the calendar on my cell phone.

“Hyung, so when is the award ceremony?”

“The 28th and the 31st.”

“Which broadcasting station is on the 28th?”

“MBS is on the 28th. PBC is on the 31st.”

I checked the schedule and said.

“I’ll be welcoming the new year at the PBC broadcasting station on the 31st. I’m excited.”

***

The streets were at their peak, just before Christmas.

The whole street was decorated with sparkling lights.

Not to mention the carols.

It was freezing, but the streets were crowded with people.

I was walking in the park, wearing a hat pulled down low and a large mask.

Wrapped tightly in a long padded coat, no one recognized me.

“Honey, I’m cold.”

“Put your hand in my pocket here.”

A couple passing by me.

They were walking so close together, as if they were one body.

The floor was frozen solid from the snow that fell all night, what are they going to do if they slip walking so close together?

I clicked my tongue, glancing at them.

And when I turned my gaze, another couple came into view.

“Christmas is coming up soon, should we go to the Christmas tree festival?”

“I’d love to. Anywhere is good as long as I go with you. Hehe.”

…….

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head.

But at the end of that gaze, there was another couple in love.

Even when I turned my eyes to that side, another couple came into view.

Why are they all out here doing this when it’s so cold?

Whirr-.

At that moment, a cold wind blew, and I put both hands in my pockets.

It was definitely cold and lonely because it was winter.

“This winter feels especially cold….”

This feeling of a chill in my side.

I didn’t know if this feeling was because of the cold winter or because I was single.

Then, I smiled to myself as I recalled thinking about having a girlfriend.

‘Am I thinking about love right now?’

Before I established myself as an actor, it was money, auditions, roles, etc.

It was so hard to even make a living that I had never thought about anything other than livelihood and acting.

I was just thinking, how do I get a role?

What money should I use to live on this month?

Other thoughts were a luxury and didn’t even linger in my head.

But now that I’m thinking about other things besides that, and I’m starting to want things.

I chuckled, feeling like I had some 余裕 [leeway/room to breathe] in this life of maintaining my job and livelihood as an actor.

It must mean that I’m establishing myself as an actor.

I’ll just end it with that sense of pride.

That doesn’t mean I want to be in a relationship yet.

It’s just that these days, the feeling of love is just slightly blooming.

I’m still more thirsty for success than love.

It’s because I’ve established myself as an actor, but I haven’t reached the stage I want yet.

It’s not too late to date after I reach the position I want later.

To get to the position of Choi Seo-bin, love and dating would be a luxury for me right now.

***

As I fastened the last button of my suit, Chief Kim said to me with a stiff face.

“Hee-sung, let’s go now.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Oh, get in the car quickly.”

I burst out laughing at Chief Kim’s appearance, who seemed more nervous than me.

“Hyung, are you nervous?”

“Hoo… I’m a little nervous.”

Chief Kim had been taking deep breaths whenever he had time since morning.

I hadn’t slept a wink all night because I was nervous too, but the nervousness had disappeared long ago looking at Chief Kim.

“I think you’re taking all the nervousness for me, so I’m not nervous anymore. Haha.”

“Okay, I’ll be nervous, so you go in confidently.”

Chief Kim turned his head, checked that I had fastened my seat belt, and stepped on the accelerator.

“Hee-sung, did you practice your speech?”

He asked me, holding the steering wheel tightly with both hands.

“What speech?”

“If you win the Best New Actor award, you have to say your acceptance speech.”

At Chief Kim’s words, I scratched my head and answered.

“Ah… it’s not like it’s confirmed that I’m winning the award, so what.”

“But what if you suddenly receive it and go up, and your head goes blank?”

Chief Kim asked me through the rearview mirror, worriedly.

I smiled and said.

“Actually… I did prepare.”

Then he nodded vigorously.

“Good job. You might forget it when you go up, so keep practicing like you’re memorizing a script.”

He was convinced that I would receive the Best New Actor award.

At Chief Kim’s words, I was increasingly caught up in anticipation.

Of course, I wouldn’t be disappointed even if I didn’t win the award.

After Chief Kim’s words, a strange tension lingered in the car, and a quiet silence flowed.

Several tens of minutes later.

The car arrived in front of the MBS broadcasting station.

But the entrance was not visible unless I leaned out and looked.

“Hyung, why are you stopping here?”

I tilted my head and asked him.

Chief Kim turned on a live broadcast on his phone and showed it to me.

“The MBS Drama Awards red carpet will be broadcast live. So, we’re entering in order, so we’ll wait here and move to the entrance after receiving a signal.”

“Ah… then we’ll move by car then?”

“Yeah, there are so many cars, so we’ll get a call and move to the entrance, and then you can enter alone right away. There will be photos and a short interview on the red carpet.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he finished speaking, I looked at the cell phone screen with a pounding heart.

The red carpet entrance ceremony hadn’t started yet.

I swallowed hard, just looking at the words ‘MBS Drama Awards Red Carpet’.

I hadn’t gotten out of the car yet, but the atmosphere outside was already buzzing with excitement for the Drama Awards.

The reporters were on the red carpet side.

Numerous fans at the MBS entrance were buzzing and waiting for admission.

Although I couldn’t see them, the cheers were so loud that I could hear them all the way here.

The cheers I heard from time to time were enough to make my heart flutter.

At that time.

The screen of the cell phone switched, and a man holding a microphone opened his mouth.

“Hello. I’m Yoo Hyun-woo, who will be hosting the live broadcast of the MBS Drama Awards red carpet this year.”

He was a host who had established himself as a sincere MC in many programs.

“This year, MBS dramas have received a lot of love. Who will receive the Grand Prize for Acting following last year, and which actors have filled this year? I’ll meet them one by one!”

I leaned forward in the parked car and looked at the screen with Chief Kim.

“Hyung, it started. Let’s watch together.”

“Yeah, I’m so nervous.”

Chief Kim patted his chest and said.

I chuckled and handed him water.

“Are you still nervous?”

“Of course. It must be a singer opening. Let’s watch quickly.”

We watched the live broadcast without a word.

While I was focusing on the broadcast, a staff member signaled to Chief Kim.

I leaned back in my chair again.

“Hee-sung, I’m going now.”

“Haa… okay.”

The car started moving forward slowly.

At the same time, my heart was pounding again.

The car that was moving slowly stopped again.

Knock knock.

Looking at the staff knocking on the window, I quickly opened the window.

“Actor Jin Hee-sung, please get ready.”

“Yes.”

Chief Kim looked at me and nodded.

I also looked straight into his eyes and shook my head.

I could feel that it contained the words to relax and the encouragement that I could do well, even though we didn’t exchange any words.

I squeezed my eyes shut and slowly breathed in and out.

The staff was approaching the door where I was sitting.

Chief Kim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, turned his body and looked at me and said.

“Hee-sung, open the door.”

“…Okay.”

In an instant, camera flashes struck my eyes without even giving me time to adjust.

Pop-!

Click, click.

“Wow!”

The cheers of the fans that I heard.

The sound of the camera shutter that I heard through that sound.

The flash kept popping.

“Kyaa, it’s Jin Hee-sung!”

“Hee-sung oppa [term used by younger women to address older male friends/idols]!”

In an instant, my heart rate started to rise to the point where I wondered if this was okay.

The bright red carpet that continued from right below the car.

Before I knew it, my mouth was as dry as a desert to the point where I couldn’t even swallow.

“Hoo….”

After exhaling a long breath, I looked outside and smiled.

And I turned my body and took a step out of the car.

…Let’s go!