An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 154

154 #28 – The Punishment of 10,000 Years (5)

“You… you have some regrets, don’t you?”

At Choi Seo-bin’s words, I was startled and looked at him.

What is this? It’s not like he read my mind…

I hadn’t said a word.

Moreover, I hadn’t talked about it at all since the first shoot to avoid showing it.

Choi Seo-bin, seeing my surprised face, chuckled and continued,

“Tell me. What are you regretting?”

“…How did you know?”

As I asked with a bewildered expression, he pulled the hand he had on my shoulder up to my neck and embraced me, saying,

“Is this the first time I’m working with you?”

“Pardon?”

“Now I know exactly what kind of expression you’re making. Besides, I can tell just by looking at your eyes or listening to your tone when you’re acting.”

At Choi Seo-bin’s words, my pupils involuntarily shook rapidly.

Did my regret show in my acting?

My acting and my feelings afterward are separate, but I was so embarrassed at the thought that it showed.

Choi Seo-bin tapped my shoulder and spoke again.

“Just kidding. It’s just that your expression always looks bad right after the cut sign.”

“Ah… I thought it really showed in my acting and was surprised.”

“Hey, you wouldn’t show it that much. Haha.”

Choi Seo-bin and I walked towards the vehicle, continuing our conversation.

“What are you regretting? Is it because of the ad-libs?”

As expected.

Choi Seo-bin, who immediately recognized my feelings, I nodded at him.

“…Yes.”

“Is it just the first shooting script that day?”

At his words, I looked around and lowered my voice.

“It’s not every scene, but there are some scenes like that sometimes.”

“Right. There are times like that.”

Choi Seo-bin agreed, showing sympathy for my words.

“It’s not that the work is bad or that I don’t like it, but in that scene earlier, we added a word at the end…”

I began to explain to Choi Seo-bin the ad-libs I wanted, lines that would be a little better, as if trying to persuade him.

Choi Seo-bin listened attentively, nodding continuously at my words.

“…So I think there could be a better direction, but it’s a shame that the director doesn’t even let us try.”

“Yeah, Director Kang doesn’t even listen.”

“Yes, but if I just do ad-libs without permission, the atmosphere gets clouded.”

Choi Seo-bin furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“That’s right. If you do ad-libs after the director has refused, it means you’re ignoring the director’s authority.”

“Haa…”

I looked at Director Kang in the distance and let out a sigh full of regret.

Choi Seo-bin pondered for a moment and said to me,

“Then, instead of simply saying ad-lib, how about making a suggestion?”

“How?”

He stopped walking, turned to me, and opened his mouth.

“Instead of saying, ‘Can we try this ad-lib here?'”

Choi Seo-bin extended his finger, reenacting how to speak to Director Kang, and continued.

“How about saying, ‘Can we try saying the line by transforming it like this?'”

At his words, I twitched my lips and tilted my head.

It was a good suggestion.

But the word ‘ad-lib’ was just missing from that sentence.

I wondered if that would really work with Director Kang.

“Is it possible?”

At my question, Choi Seo-bin raised the corners of his mouth and replied with a confident expression.

“I’ll back you up from the side.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

I put my hand on Choi Seo-bin’s arm and said,

“Thank you, senior [a respectful term for someone older or more experienced].”

Then, Choi Seo-bin put on a sulky expression, turned forward again, and blurted out,

“Of course, only if I like it too.”

***

After talking with Choi Seo-bin.

We continued filming several scenes, and there wasn’t a scene that I thought needed ad-libs for a while.

Not every scene was regrettable.

As I was immersed in filming for several days.

“We’ll prepare for the next scene.”

A staff member approached me and gave me filming instructions.

I quickly checked the script.

The next scene to be filmed was a scene that I had checked several times in advance in the script.

It was the scene with the most regrets in the script.

In this movie where the characters’ characteristics stand out.

It was a scene that could strongly show their characteristics, but it felt like the last line cut them off.

So, I wrote down my thoughts in red pen on a line after the last line of the script.

This is the time to make a suggestion to Director Kang.

Holding the script tightly in my hand, I headed to the set.

Choi Seo-bin was on set, standing in place, reviewing his lines.

And this time, as always, Director Kang approached us to give directions.

“This scene is important, so Seo-bin, pay attention to your expression when you fall.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“You’re smiling as you fall from the railing, but you have to shed about a drop of tear. You know?”

At Director Kang’s words, Choi Seo-bin nodded and caught his emotions.

Soon, Director Kang looked at me and opened his mouth.

“Hee-sung, this is the scene where you have no choice but to let go of Choi Seo-bin’s hand. You’re on the same team, but Hee-sung is letting go to survive, so show an expression that reveals as much sadness and apology as possible.”

At his words, I nodded vigorously.

Carefully, I opened my mouth.

“Um… Director.”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“This scene is an important part, so I read it a lot and thought about the characters.”

He raised his eyebrows and listened to my words.

“Even if there are enemies below the building. If it were the character I’m playing, I think I would have grabbed Seo-bin’s hand tightly again at least once.”

As I spoke, Director Kang’s expression gradually hardened.

Since I started speaking with courage, I quickly appealed my opinion.

“So, how about letting go and then grabbing his hand tightly again, and then letting go because I have no choice? I thought that would be a scene that appeals to the feeling that it’s not my will.”

“…….”

Director Kang made a *tsk* sound and didn’t answer.

Seeing that, Choi Seo-bin quickly opened his mouth.

“Oh, I think that’s good?”

At Choi Seo-bin’s words, Director Kang turned his head.

He nodded and began to support my opinion.

“If you just let go of his hand, Hee-sung might really think I abandoned him.”

Choi Seo-bin continued, watching Director Kang’s reaction.

“But showing a gesture of grabbing his hand again before letting go. That way, it makes you think there might have been some intention. I think Hee-sung’s opinion is good too.”

As Choi Seo-bin’s words ended, Director Kang raised and lowered his shoulders and bit his lip.

A few seconds of silence passed.

The silence could be broken soon by Director Kang’s motion of shaking his head.

“But I don’t think there’s a need to put that scene in.”

“Ah…”

Director Kang’s thoughts were still firm.

When the opinion I had mustered the courage to say again was rejected once more, I could only nod.

At that time.

“…But how about shooting it once?”

Choi Seo-bin looked at Director Kang and opened his mouth.

At his words, I looked at Director Kang, not Choi Seo-bin, with surprised eyes.

Director Kang seemed to be in *gomin* [Korean for ‘deep thought’ or ‘worry’] for a moment at his words.

Soon, he shook his head with a distorted face.

“Okay, let’s shoot it once.”

It looked like he was reluctantly accepting it, but.

The fact that he finally accepted it made a smile spread across my face.

Director Kang immediately turned around and returned to his seat.

Choi Seo-bin tapped my shoulder and raised the corners of his mouth.

That way, we quickly immersed ourselves in our roles.

“Ready, action!”

After acting for a while.

“Cut, okay!”

Director Kang’s cut sign fell.

He got up from his seat and shouted, looking at me and Choi Seo-bin alternately.

“Good. This time, I’ll shoot one according to the original script too.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Although the okay sign had fallen.

At Director Kang’s words to shoot again according to the original script, Choi Seo-bin and I exchanged awkward smiles, making eye contact.

He had taken my opinion and shot it, so we had no choice but to follow his actions to shoot it again according to his thoughts.

I didn’t know which scene would actually be included in the movie later.

Anyway, after deciding to be satisfied with the fact that he had listened to my opinion, I immersed myself in the role again.

***

After accepting one ad-lib.

Director Kang hadn’t listened to my opinion even once for several days since that day.

Even if I gave a very minor opinion.

He never even listened, as always.

‘I like the classics. I don’t think there’s a need to add or modify lines, or add actions.’

Because he was Director Kang with these thoughts.

None of my opinions had ever been accepted by him.

There were some regrettable scenes sometimes.

Now I just decided to trust and follow Director Kang.

This was the only way.

But he had believed in my opinion and filmed it once.

And I decided to follow his direction for all the remaining scripts and filming.

Even if he didn’t listen to my opinion, Director Kang’s direction and script itself were good.

We were running smoothly without any major problems.

“Cut, okay!”

With Director Kang’s okay sign, Choi Seo-bin and I bowed at the same time.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

And we came out of the front of the camera together and started talking.

“Hee-sung, are you waiting for a long time now too?”

“Yes, I’m filming the next scene with you, senior.”

Choi Seo-bin rolled his eyes at my words and replied.

“Ah, the next scene is the scene where the three of us are filming with Hana?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He pointed to the resting area set up on one side of the set and said to me.

“What are you going to do? If you have nothing to do, should we rest there together?”

At Choi Seo-bin’s words, I shook my head and replied.

“While waiting, what else would I have to do? Let’s go together. Haha.”

We arrived at the resting area, sat side by side on chairs, and leaned back.

Without saying anything.

We spent time just staring blankly into the air.

We said we’d rest together, but we weren’t sticking together to do something with him.

It was just resting in the same space, that’s all.

Naturally, we each took out our cell phones.

We were spending time doing our own things in the same space.

I looked at SNS [Social Networking Services], internet articles, and various posts alternately.

I fixed my gaze on the newly uploaded posts about me.

After winning the Rookie Award and the Popularity Award at the Drama Awards.

The number of fans in the fan cafe ‘Jin Hee-sung Season’ increased exponentially.

As much as that, there were noticeably more articles about me and people’s interest in me.

What kind of clothes I usually wear.

What hobbies I have, what I do on days off.

The number of followers on SNS has also increased so much that it cannot be compared to the past.

Those were the days when I was grateful and happy for the excessive love.

As much as I received love.

I realized once again that I had no choice but to receive hate.

And I also realized that not everyone can like me.

As I was reading the latest article about me.

I could feel my smiling face hardening in an instant.

Frowning and biting my lip.

Choi Seo-bin, with a surprised face, widened his eyes and asked me.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Choi Seo-bin asked with a worried voice.

I sighed deeply at his words.

Then, Choi Seo-bin raised his body, which he had been leaning on, and said.

“What is it? Why is your complexion suddenly so bad? Tell me.”

“That’s…”

I held out the cell phone screen I was looking at to him and murmured softly.

“Lately, strangely, the number of haters has suddenly increased.”