An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 153

153 #28 – The 10,000 Year Punishment (4)

“Just stick to the script, don’t do anything else.”

I couldn’t really respond to Director Kang’s words.

He didn’t even seem interested in hearing what kind of ad-libs I had in mind or what kind of situations I wanted to create.

I knew about Director Kang’s tendencies from my conversations with Manager Kim.

I had heard that he was stubborn and filmed exactly as he wanted.

Barely hiding my surprise at his more severe-than-expected attitude, I nodded.

“…Understood.”

Director Kang acknowledged my words with a nod.

Then, he returned to his seat and shouted.

“Ready, action!”

As soon as Director Kang gave the signal, I immersed myself in the role as if nothing had happened.

A scene with a small argument with Choi Seo-bin.

He and I faced each other, exchanging glances that suggested either of us could throw a punch at any moment.

Thwack.

“Are you going to take responsibility if we get caught doing this?”

Choi Seo-bin shouted, pushing my shoulder with the luggage he was holding.

I knocked his arm away and yelled.

“Why should I take responsibility? You’re the boss, you should.”

“Why are you telling me to take responsibility when you’re the one who messed up?”

“Do I need to spell it out for you?”

The tension between Choi Seo-bin and me was palpable.

We stared into each other’s eyes without saying a word.

For a few seconds, the camera captured our faces.

Then, I took a step forward towards Choi Seo-bin.

Looking at his face, I said.

“You take more than us. Did you think we wouldn’t notice?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Choi Seo-bin immediately grabbed my collar tightly.

I glared at him, shooting fire from my eyes.

Just then.

“Hey, stop it. What are you doing here instead of working!”

Kim Ha-na shouted, stepping between Choi Seo-bin and me.

Choi Seo-bin pushed her away, saying.

“Get out of here. Were you thinking the same thing as this bastard?”

At his words, I shook off Choi Seo-bin’s hand, which was gripping my collar, and shouted.

“Are we wrong?”

Choi Seo-bin’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

I pushed his shoulder and continued.

“You’re only getting angry now because you’ve been caught. That time you fenced the stolen goods [sold them illegally], the numbers didn’t add up… You took the extra, didn’t you?”

“That’s…”

I grabbed Choi Seo-bin, who was slurring his words, by the collar and shoved him to the ground.

Thud.

Choi Seo-bin collapsed powerlessly onto the floor.

I glared at him, panting.

“Both of you, stop it. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if you got caught fighting like this while stealing?”

Kim Ha-na sighed, looking back and forth between Choi Seo-bin and me.

At her words, we avoided each other’s eyes and suppressed our anger.

“Cut, okay!”

Director Kang shouted, getting up from his seat, seemingly satisfied.

I reached out my hand and helped Choi Seo-bin, who was sitting on the floor, up.

Choi Seo-bin took my hand and smiled as he stood up.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Senior, did I push you too hard? I’m sorry.”

“No, if you push too gently, it doesn’t look realistic, and it’s an NG [no good, meaning a retake is needed]. You did well.”

I nodded at his words.

We bowed to the staff and Director Kang without either of us saying anything.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The first scene of the movie ‘Fence’ was completed without any major issues.

But I still felt uneasy.

Clearly, there was nothing wrong with the script, and the development wasn’t strange.

But there was an unerasable feeling of regret.

The overall flow of the work was good, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it could be even better.

What I felt while reading and practicing the script.

I wanted to add to it, not change it, after discussing it with Director Kang.

But I couldn’t even voice my opinion because of Director Kang’s perfect iron wall, and that left me feeling unsatisfied.

That feeling of being just 2% short.

After finishing the scene, I forced a smile and left the set.

***

“It’s already been a week since we started filming.”

I said, looking at Manager Kim in the driver’s seat.

He nodded and replied.

“Yeah, time flies. Has it already been that long since we started filming?”

“Yeah, it started last Monday.”

“That’s right. But the shoot is so early today. Aren’t you tired?”

Manager Kim looked at me through the rearview mirror and asked.

I shrugged.

“I’m okay. I slept, so it’s not like a dawn shoot is that hard.”

“If you get tired while filming later, take a nap. We have a night shoot today.”

“Okay, I will.”

I picked up the script again and started practicing.

Before long, the car arrived at the set.

“Hee-sung, we’re here.”

“Okay.”

Just then, Manager Kim’s cell phone rang.

“Wait a minute, I need to take this call.”

At his words, I pointed outside with my finger and replied.

“Take your time. I’ll go to the set first.”

I went straight to the set.

Kim Ha-na, who was waiting to film at the entrance, greeted me.

“Oh, Hee-sung, you’re here?”

“Yes, Ha-na, you’re here early.”

She smiled at me.

Holding the script, she tilted her head and asked me.

“But Hee-sung, isn’t your shoot supposed to start in the afternoon?”

At her words, I looked at Kim Ha-na with a surprised expression and asked back.

“As far as I know, there’s a group scene with you, Seo-bin senior, and me early this morning?”

The most frequently filmed scenes in this movie were the ones with the three of us.

It was a scene that we filmed together as much as individual shots.

Therefore, most of the filming time was bound to overlap between Kim Ha-na and me.

At my words, Kim Ha-na looked even more surprised than I was and said to me.

“That was pushed back to tonight’s shoot. So, I heard that the scene being filmed early this morning is just with Choi Seo-bin senior and me.”

At Kim Ha-na’s words, I tilted my head and frowned.

Just then.

“Oh, Hee-sung, you’re already here?”

Director Kang greeted me with a surprised expression.

Looking at his face.

It seemed that the filming schedule Kim Ha-na mentioned was correct.

I bowed to him with a flustered expression.

“Yes, Director. I heard I had a dawn shoot today, but has the schedule changed?”

At my question, Director Kang’s face instantly turned sour, and he called a staff member.

A staff member ran to Director Kang’s call.

“Hee-sung, I’m sorry. Just a moment.”

He stepped aside with the staff member and talked.

The two of them weren’t having a conversation, but rather one side was unilaterally scolding the other.

I could tell right away from the snippets of voices I heard.

It was the staff member’s fault.

It seemed that the staff member who was supposed to inform everyone about the changed schedule had accidentally missed me, or rather, Manager Kim.

To be honest, I didn’t feel good.

My shoot was supposed to start late in the afternoon.

Which meant I didn’t have to rush to the set at this hour.

I was angry that a single phone call was missed and that I had come with Manager Kim since dawn.

But I didn’t want to scold or get angry.

It was dawn, the start of the day.

Even if I raised my voice and got angry at the staff member from now on.

No one would feel better.

Moreover, the fact that I came to the set at this hour wouldn’t change anything.

The staff member rushed to me and bowed.

“I’m so sorry. I was going to contact your manager, but I got distracted by something else and forgot.”

At his words, I swallowed a sigh and opened my mouth.

“It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry. What should I do…”

The staff member kept bowing and couldn’t continue speaking.

Kim Ha-na seemed worried about me, biting her lip next to me.

I raised the staff member, who was bowing deeply, and threw out a joke.

“You didn’t intentionally leave me out of the contact list, did you? Haha.”

At my words, he was startled and waved his hands.

“Of course not.”

“I know, right? Then it’s really okay. Now that I’m here, I can practice more and not make any NGs during the shoot.”

The staff member bowed again at my words.

But I looked at him and continued.

“If you keep doing this, it’ll make me more uncomfortable. It’s really okay, so you can go and do your work.”

At my words, Director Kang gestured to the staff member.

He bowed to me once more and ran to the set.

Then, Director Kang came to me and patted me on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry about the staff’s mistake. Instead, we’ll finish the morning scene quickly and start Hee-sung’s shoot.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I replied to him with a smile.

After exchanging eye contact with Kim Ha-na, I headed back to the car to tell Manager Kim about the situation.

***

Kim Ha-na watched Jin Hee-sung’s retreating figure as he returned to the car.

Then, she opened her mouth to her stylist, Park Hyun-ji, who was next to her.

“Unnie [older sister or female friend], isn’t Hee-sung amazing?”

At Kim Ha-na’s question, Park Hyun-ji also opened her mouth and shook her head.

“Yeah, I know. He doesn’t get angry at all.”

“Remember when Hee-sung got a snack truck during the last shoot?”

“Of course. I ate two churros then. Haha.”

At Park Hyun-ji’s words, Kim Ha-na smiled and continued.

“That’s right. He even brought snacks directly to the extras who came as minor roles, you know?”

“Really?”

Kim Ha-na raised her eyebrows and replied to Park Hyun-ji, who asked in surprise.

“Yeah, it’s amazing. I thought he might be a tsundere [a character who is initially cold but gradually becomes warmer], but he’s just kind and mature.”

“Well, there are a lot of not-so-great actors around. No, even without comparing, Hee-sung seems like a really good person.”

They moved towards the set, continuing their conversation.

“You know I’m a fan of Hee-sung, right, Unnie?”

“Yeah, you even promoted Hee-sung’s drama to me. Haha.”

“He’s a good actor. Anyway, but I think I’m going to become an even bigger fan…”

Kim Ha-na turned her head and looked at Jin Hee-sung’s car, biting her lip.

With a wistful look in her eyes, the corners of Kim Ha-na’s lips turned up.

***

“Cut, okay!”

At Director Kang’s shout, I bowed my head.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I brushed the dirt off my pants and walked out of the camera’s view.

But I still had a lingering feeling of regret in one corner of my heart.

But I didn’t ask Director Kang again about ad-libbing lines or the actions I wanted to take.

Director Kang insisted on filming only in the direction he wanted.

And I didn’t dislike the direction of his work either.

I just wanted to add one or two lines.

Moreover, there was nothing wrong with the atmosphere on the set.

There were no parts of the script I wanted to revise, so I just had to swallow my regret.

Just then.

A hand gently came up on my shoulder.

I was startled by the touch and looked to the side.

“Senior!”

The person who put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me towards him was Choi Seo-bin.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced sideways, asking with a meaningful expression.

“Tell me honestly.”

At his words, I widened my eyes and replied.

“Yes? I don’t have anything to hide. What are you talking about?”

At my words, Choi Seo-bin made a ‘tss’ sound and muttered softly.

In a tone as if he already knew everything.

“You… you have regrets, don’t you?”