An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 157

Clang-!

The cold soju [a Korean distilled beverage, similar to vodka] went down my esophagus.

Because my stomach was empty, I fully felt the alcohol spreading through my body.

“Ah, this soju tastes great.”

Choi Seo-bin grinned widely and slammed his glass down.

I followed suit, putting down my glass and nodding.

“It’s really amazing.”

At my words, Choi Seo-bin bit his lip, his voice slightly excited, as he refilled his glass.

“See, I told you I had a feeling about this project.”

“Yes, that’s why I followed you, Senior [a respectful term for someone older or more experienced], into this project without asking any questions. Haha.”

He raised his eyebrows proudly, pouring soju into my glass.

“Wow, how did we get over 5 million? It’s really amazing, amazing.”

The movie ‘Fence’ came to an end.

The final score exceeded 5 million, reaching a whopping 5.37 million, an incredible record.

Director Kang always produced good results, but.

The movie ‘Fence’ became his highest-grossing film to date.

In addition, Choi Seo-bin, Kim Hana, and I, all from the same agency,

easily overcame the concerns of many and became actors of 5 million [actors whose movies have reached 5 million viewers, a mark of success].

WG Entertainment’s CEO Park was able to prove once again that his company was a major player in the entertainment industry thanks to this project.

WG Entertainment was already a top-tier company in Korea, but this solidified its position even further.

Because the three lead actors in the 5.37 million-grossing film were all from WG Entertainment.

I heard that CEO Park’s shoulders were raised high because of this movie [meaning he was very proud].

“This movie had a lot of twists and turns…….”

Choi Seo-bin and I clinked glasses, reminiscing about the time we filmed the movie.

Before we knew it, an hour had passed, and two empty soju bottles had piled up.

“Hee-sung, your value will go up now too.”

Choi Seo-bin said to me, smiling with a proud look on his face.

“Is that so? It’s all thanks to you, Senior.”

“It’s not because of me. It’s all because you did well.”

“Oh, no.”

He flicked his fingers and said to me.

“That’s right. Your lines were a sensation, weren’t they?”

Choi Seo-bin instantly put on a cheesy expression and recited the lines as if imitating me.

“I want to steal your heart too. Make it all mine. Haha.”

“Ah, Senior!”

I shook my head and shouted.

We burst into laughter, reveling in happiness.

After taking a sip of alcohol, Choi Seo-bin asked me a question.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

It had been a while since the movie filming ended, but.

I hadn’t been able to take a long break yet, as I was busy with promotional events, stage greetings, and interviews.

“Well… I haven’t decided yet. I should look for my next project, right?”

At my words, Choi Seo-bin looked surprised and asked me back.

“What? You’re not going to rest and go straight to work again?”

I shrugged my shoulders at his surprised question and replied.

“It’s not like I have anything I want to do if I rest right away. I want to look for a project and do what I want to do if I find something.”

“Amazing. Are you going to sweep up the entire acting industry?”

“Hey, I still have a long way to go to catch up with you, Senior. Haha.”

Choi Seo-bin poured me a drink and offered advice.

“It’s good to keep working, but take it easy. If you keep running without rest, you might get tired. We’re not going to act for just 10 years, but for 20 or 30 years.”

At his words, I smiled and nodded.

Acting as long as I can.

I only have 9 years left in this life…….

I didn’t have time to rest.

A long, long life of 10,000 years.

Only 9 years were left, so I could just play and spend time, but.

Still, I wanted to do my best in the work given to me now.

When I think about it, me as an actor.

And me in the past, I don’t think I’ve ever not done my best in those long years.

Of course, I want to live the remaining 9 years so that I don’t have any regrets when I look back.

Because it will be the last of my long life.

***

Clap clap-.

Team Leader Kim clapped his hands repeatedly as he saw me entering the conference room.

“Wow, isn’t that our 5 million actor? Haha.”

At his words, I laughed with an embarrassed face.

“Hey, Hyung [an honorific term used by males to address older brothers or close male friends], stop it.”

Even at my words, Team Leader Kim raised his eyebrows and raised his voice.

“Why, do you think just anyone can become a 5 million actor?”

As soon as Team Leader Kim finished speaking, I approached him, raised the corners of my lips, and murmured.

“Hyung, it’s 5.37 million. Include the last digits too.”

“Haha, yes. 5.37 million. That’s a really huge number.”

We sat down and talked about the number of moviegoers for a long time.

I bit my lip and replied.

“‘Fence’ is the most successful movie I’ve ever done.”

“Who knows? The movies you’ll do in the future might reach 6 million or 10 million.”

I smiled at his words.

But somehow, a bitter feeling was settling in my heart.

It was a movie that recorded a truly enormous number of viewers, but.

I wasn’t 100% satisfied with this project.

Throughout the filming, I felt like I wasn’t doing a project, but rather just reading the script like a puppet and acting according to Director Kang’s direction.

“Hyung, for my next project, I want to do something where I can communicate more with the director.”

Without needing to add any further explanation, Team Leader Kim seemed to understand right away.

Team Leader Kim was the person who had seen me the closest and for the longest time.

“Yeah, Director Kang has a strong tendency to create works according to what he has in mind. But the results are always good like this…….”

“That’s true.”

“Next time, let’s choose something that’s good and that allows you to express your opinions fully.”

I felt grateful to Team Leader Kim for respecting and understanding my choices, and at the same time.

The thought that I had a reliable ally by my side made me smile.

And I soon sparkled my eyes and said to Team Leader Kim.

“Hyung, let’s look at some scripts.”

He looked surprised and asked me back.

“Are you already trying to choose your next project?”

“Yeah, show me some scripts.”

“This project turned out well, so it’s okay to rest for a while.”

Even at his words, I shook my head and replied.

“I’ll just skim through the scripts first.”

At my insistence, Team Leader Kim got up as if he couldn’t win.

“Who can stop you, Hee-sung? Wait, I’ll bring the scripts.”

“Haha, thanks, Hyung.”

After Team Leader Kim left the conference room.

I leaned back in my chair in the empty conference room and opened my cell phone.

The movie had ended, but interest in the movie ‘Fence’ was still strong.

It was always on the hot keywords such as Movie of the Year and Trend Word of the Year.

I searched for ‘Jin Hee-sung’ on the internet to see if there were any new articles or posts about me.

-I’ve seen Fence 3 times now and I want to see it again.

└Oh, I saw it 4 times lol. Jin Hee-sung’s acting was crazy.

-I can’t forget Jin Hee-sung’s wistful expression when he delivered his famous lines. Please come to my dreams ㅠㅠ.

-Choi Seo-bin and Jin Hee-sung’s combination is all you need to say.

└I agree. I hope they always act together.

└Since they’re in the same agency, won’t they work together on the next project too?

└I support the Choi Seo-bin X Jin Hee-sung couple!

I smiled as I looked at the comments.

I scrolled down to see other comments, and then.

The smile on my face disappeared in an instant.

-But wasn’t Jin Hee-sung’s acting a bit strange this time? What should I say… He always had a charm that seemed to suck you in, but it didn’t seem to be there this time…….

-Didn’t the agency want to include Jin Hee-sung and Kim Hana, so they put Choi Seo-bin in the lead role?

└That’s right. All three of them are from WG Entertainment.

└Would the movie have been successful even if Jin Hee-sung was the sole lead?

-Isn’t Jin Hee-sung’s popularity just a bubble?

-Jin Hee-sung suddenly became popular at some point, is the agency pushing him?

-Honestly, I don’t understand why Fence exceeded 5 million lol. Didn’t the company buy the tickets?

Hate comments…….

I know in my head that there are bound to be many hate comments as there are many positive comments, but.

I still couldn’t get used to these hate comments.

I had no intention of responding to each and every hate comment.

I just thought that the only thing I could show them was acting.

To silence the words like bubble and the agency is pushing him.

Proving it with my acting, that was the only thing.

At that time.

“Hee-sung, here.”

Team Leader Kim came into the conference room with a pile of scripts.

I immediately took the scripts he handed me and started looking through them one by one.

“This is a drama script, and this is a movie.”

Team Leader Kim sat across from me and opened the scripts together.

We concentrated on the scripts for a long time without even talking to each other.

“Hyung, did you see this?”

I handed the script to Team Leader Kim and said.

“Yeah, I saw it, and it was good.”

He raised his eyebrows and opened the script.

“I think this is good. It’s a bit rough, but the content is fresh.”

Team Leader Kim opened his mouth at my words.

He looked at the script and said.

“But the director and writer are all rookies.”

Even if rookie directors and rookie writers release a work, they can be successful enough.

I bit my lip and replied to Team Leader Kim.

“Still, I think the script could be incredibly good if we touched it up a bit?”

He turned the script over one page at a time and murmured.

“Yeah, the script is good. This project is a historical drama, so…….”

***

A quiet place without hustle and bustle.

The emerald-colored, calm sea stretched endlessly before my eyes.

Many people of different nationalities were busy enjoying their leisure time, not paying any attention to each other.

The gently swaying breeze pleasantly brushed past my cheeks.

Soft music in my ears.

‘Happiness’.

I felt like this one word could express my heart as it is.

If there is a heaven, wouldn’t this be it?

I closed my eyes tightly, raised the corners of my lips, and took a deep breath.

Wait a minute…….

What is it?

This is a dream?

A clear blue sky that I couldn’t even grasp how high it was.

I lay on a sunbed, propped my head up with my arm, and looked at the sky where the sun was shining brightly.

“Wow, this is so good…….”

At this moment, there were no worries, no concerns, and nothing to be concerned about.

It wasn’t that I liked this wide sea and sky, this quiet place.

I was just so happy that I didn’t have to worry about anything right now.

“This is happiness…….”

There were many people around me, but.

No one was glancing at me.

How long has it been since I felt this relaxed?

After lying down for a few hours, I got up and boarded a white yacht floating on the sea.

A pure white yacht and a white cloth fluttering freely in the wind.

I had a glass of sparkling cocktail in my hand.

I took a sip of the cocktail and looked at the sparkling sea.

“…Good.”

I tried my best not to close my eyes.

Even when the wind blew, I looked at the sea with my eyes wide open.

I was worried that I might wake up from this heavenly place if I closed my eyes tightly.

To fully enjoy this moment, I entrusted myself to the music flowing in my ears.