An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 159

159. #29 – What I Didn’t Know (2)

Swish, swish.

A drizzling afternoon in New York.

I sat in a yellow taxi, gazing out the window as we headed toward Manhattan.

The rainy streets were beautiful.

People walked with colorful umbrellas.

Some, enjoying the light rain, walked without umbrellas.

Everyone seemed so free.

I was so happy to be in this charming place.

Screech-.

The car stopped in front of the hotel I had booked.

“Thank you.”

I thanked him in English, took my luggage out of the car, and stepped out.

The magnificent hotel building stood before me.

As soon as I saw a picture of its exterior in Korea, I booked it without looking at anything else.

I didn’t think there could be a more wonderful place.

I stood in front of the hotel, blankly staring at the building for a few minutes.

Then, with a satisfied look, I walked towards the lobby.

“Hello, how may I help you?”

The employee standing in the lobby asked me.

I immediately approached her.

“Hello, I’d like to check in.”

At my words, she handed me some documents.

I picked up a pen and began to fill in the blanks.

My English wasn’t fluent.

I hadn’t taken any special classes or studied specifically for the trip.

But I had watched American dramas while practicing acting.

I was greatly inspired by their emotional expressions and gestures.

As I practiced acting through American dramas, I naturally became familiar with English.

Later, my goal was to watch American dramas without subtitles.

To achieve that goal, I memorized English words whenever I had the chance.

Memorizing five English words a day wasn’t as difficult as I thought.

One when I woke up, another around lunchtime.

Then one during break time, and one in the evening.

If you do it like this, memorizing five English words a day isn’t difficult at all.

However, repeating this every day.

Doing it consistently is the hard part.

But even that becomes familiar, and sometimes it’s harder *not* to have English words in your daily life.

For the moment I memorize a word, all my random thoughts and worries disappear.

After a few days, months, and several months pass.

Before I know it, the number of English words I’ve memorized is countless.

Then, you start to get an ear for American dramas.

And now.

I can naturally say what I want and understand what’s being said in front of Americans.

“Yes, the reservation is confirmed under the name Jin Hee-sung.”

The blonde employee took out my hotel card key and handed it to me.

My suitcase, which had been pushed to the side, was already in the hands of a bellboy.

“This way, please.”

The bellboy’s uniform, which I had only seen in movies, the employee, who seemed to have recreated that look, nodded at me and headed to the elevator.

“Yes.”

I followed him and got into the old elevator.

This hotel wasn’t a new building.

It was a hotel with a long history.

So everything, everywhere, showed traces of that time.

The lobby, with its high ceilings, exuded a dignified and classic atmosphere rather than a sleek one.

The elevator also lacked a clean and shiny feel.

It felt like something out of an old American movie, as if the long years were revealed.

Red carpet covered the floor.

The elevators without mirrors, which are hard to find in Korea.

The handle was also painted gold, but even that was worn out in places from people’s hands.

Yet, there was only one reason I chose this hotel.

Because of these traces of time.

The fact that a hotel that has been around for so long is still popular.

That means it’s worth it.

Of course, it was well-maintained, so the condition of the hotel room was quite good.

The bellboy opened the door and gestured for me to enter the room.

I followed his guidance into the room.

A ‘New York City view’ that overlooked New York at a glance.

“Wow….”

I forgot that the bellboy was there and exclaimed in admiration.

He was waiting in front of the door with my luggage.

“Oh, right.”

I quickly rummaged through my wallet in my pocket.

“Thank you. Here.”

“Oh, thank you very much. Welcome to New York. I hope you have a wonderful trip to New York. I’ll cheer for your happiness.”

He thanked me with wide eyes as he received what I gave him.

The reason he was so happy was because of the tip I gave him.

The United States is one of the countries where tipping culture is very developed.

So giving tips when they bring your luggage, even when you eat at a restaurant, giving a tip is not unusual, it’s natural.

But the amount of the tip is important.

For employees who bring luggage like now, it’s usually around 1 to 2 dollars.

Of course, this is not specified by law.

It’s up to the person giving the tip.

But if you have a small suitcase like me, it’s usually reasonable to give 1 or 2 dollars.

But I gave him 10 dollars.

I had plenty of change, 1 dollar bills, in my wallet from the exchange.

But I wanted to give the first tip to the employee I met on the first day of my trip, 10 dollars.

A trip I left on with a good feeling.

And spending 10 dollars on the employee who brought my luggage on the first day of that trip was not a waste at all.

He would be happy with the tip I gave him.

And I would be happy with the greeting I received from him at the beginning of my trip.

I spread out my suitcase on one side and looked around the room.

I didn’t book a huge room because I was traveling alone.

Luxuriously having several rooms, several bathrooms, alone, a room with a study was just a waste for me.

I would have booked that kind of room if it would have helped me, but I might not have been able to enjoy all the rooms and would have returned to Korea.

I just chose this room with a living room, a bedroom, and a large bathroom.

As I looked around the room, I once again felt satisfied with booking this place.

“Haa.”

I threw myself onto the bed.

A soft mattress that felt like my body was sinking.

There, luxurious hotel bedding that rustled but felt heavy enough wrapped around my body.

“This is so good?”

A smile unknowingly appeared on my face, and I was happy enough to want to cheer.

“This is what travel is all about!”

This feeling of rolling around in a travel destination, not at home.

Now, I have no worries, no stress, and no anxiety about the future.

I’m just worried about how to have more fun and be happier here.

As I lay there, I unknowingly picked up my cell phone.

I naturally clicked on the internet and searched for my name.

This action has become a long-standing habit.

“Ah, no.”

I quickly turned off my cell phone screen as I came to my senses.

There were many positive comments about me, but of course, negative comments followed me as well.

I was suffering from the stress I received from them, and I came all the way here and turned on the internet again.

“I shouldn’t search for my name or go on the internet while traveling.”

I quickly jumped out of bed and looked out the window.

The rain had stopped.

And the sky had cleared up as if it had never rained.

I quickly packed my bags and left the hotel.

“Where should I go first?”

***

I came out near the hotel and headed to a famous steak restaurant in New York.

The door seemed to exude an aura of renown from the entrance.

A door several times larger than my body dominated the atmosphere.

The employee standing in front of the door greeted me and opened it.

As I entered, many people were enjoying the atmosphere and food.

They all looked happy.

“How many people are in your party?”

Then an employee in a white shirt and black bow tie approached me and asked.

“I’m alone.”

“Yes, I’ll show you to your seat. This way, please.”

He smiled and guided me.

I sat at the table and ordered a famous steak and a glass of wine.

It didn’t take long for the food to be set in front of me.

The employee who first guided me to the table showed me the steak and asked.

“Would you like me to take a picture for you as a souvenir?”

At his words, I opened my eyes wide and hesitated for a moment.

*Why* would I take a picture with a steak?

But soon I nodded.

Well, I’m on a trip, so I’ll do things like this.

I handed him my cell phone.

He took pictures of me, the steak, and the atmosphere with a serious expression.

“Haha, thank you.”

“Yes, I’ll soak the steak in butter for you.”

The employee used a spoon to pour hot melted butter over the sliced steak as if soaking it.

The steak was cooked even more deliciously at the temperature of the butter.

At the sight of it, my mouth naturally opened.

My mouth was full of saliva.

“Wow, that looks delicious.”

“Enjoy your meal, and please call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

After he left, I eagerly picked up a large piece of steak and put it in my mouth.

The burst of juice in my mouth and the flavor of the steak filling my mouth were indescribable.

“Yeah, this is steak. Now I know why this place is famous in the world.”

I quickly swallowed the steak, cut the meat in front of me again, and filled my mouth again.

I enjoyed the meal alone for a long time.

***

Due to the huge time difference of 13 hours between New York and Korea, I collapsed and fell asleep as soon as I came to the hotel after dinner.

And now I woke up late.

I left the hotel without further delay.

Before heading to Central Park, I headed to a nearby hamburger joint.

“Let’s just grab a local hamburger.”

I didn’t want to go to luxurious restaurants all the time in New York.

A restaurant near my house that I saw in American dramas, and hamburger joints, bagel shops, etc. full of locals.

I just wanted to enjoy the food I felt like eating that day.

After filling up with a hamburger for breakfast and lunch, I leisurely took out a cup of coffee and headed to Central Park.

Green trees.

There were horses pulling carts at the entrance.

Even squirrels could be easily found in the woods.

A park in the middle of this New York city full of cars and people.

I was amazed at the sight.

I also walked into Central Park with them.

Many people seemed to be taking a walk while holding coffee or drinks like me and talking with the people they came with.

Although I’ve only been in New York for two days, being with them makes me feel like I’m a New Yorker?

I smiled and leisurely moved my steps inside.

At that time.

♪♬.

Music and a loud voice were heard.

I unknowingly followed the sound and hurried my steps.

A small performance area located in Central Park.

It wasn’t a large performance hall that you pay to enjoy, but it felt like a street performance.

Many people were freely watching this performance.

I walked to the front and sat in the front row to hear their performance in more detail.

Despite being a street performance, their acting was enough to captivate me.

I was soon immersed in their acting.

After a few tens of minutes of performance, I jumped up from my seat and clapped loudly.

How can you show such good quality and such acting in a free performance on the street?

I kept applauding.

Then, the actor I was watching carefully walked towards me.

“Thank you for enjoying it.”

“No, it was the best performance.”

He smiled at my words and handed me a piece of paper.

“We’re going to have a more wonderful performance tonight, so come and see it if you’re interested.”

And I stared intently at the paper he handed me.