An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 181

181. Episode 32 – Eating from the Same Pot (4)

My phone rang just as I leaned back on the bed and put on a face mask.

Vibration.

[Caller: Manager Kim Ji-hoon]

I quickly pressed the answer button when I saw it was Manager Kim.

“Hello?”

– Hey, Hee-sung. Are you sleeping?

“No, I was just about to. I’m doing a face mask. What’s up? Is something wrong?”

– Nothing’s wrong. I was just checking if you remembered what time I’m picking you up tomorrow.

“Come on, I didn’t forget. It’s my first schedule in months.”

Manager Kim laughed at my words.

– It’s been almost three months since our drama filming ended, so I was worried you might have forgotten.

“Haha, no way. It’s finally the press conference, how could I forget?”

– So, you’re doing a face mask and going to sleep now?

“Yeah, it’s my first time appearing in public in a while, so I need to look good.”

– Okay. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, so get some rest and see you tomorrow.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

My first schedule in a long time.

It was the press conference for the pre-produced drama ‘Doctor’ that we filmed diligently in Namwon [a city in South Korea].

After filming ended, I didn’t choose another project and enjoyed a good rest.

I lost the weight I gained because of the drama and spent time practicing my acting.

Time flew by, and three months passed quickly.

I looked forward to tomorrow, when I would stand in front of the camera again, and I hurried to bed.

***

As soon as I got out of the car, I saw the actors already gathered in the parking lot, talking.

“Hello.”

I quickly approached them and greeted them.

We had become close while eating, sleeping, and filming together in the countryside for several months.

But we hadn’t met separately during those long three months.

So, there was a slightly awkward and unfamiliar atmosphere.

“Oh my, Hee-sung!”

“Wow, Senior Hee-sung?”

But the awkwardness didn’t last long.

When I appeared among them, who had been exuding an awkward vibe, they quickly scanned me with surprised eyes.

“How have you been?”

“Yes, what happened to you in the meantime?”

Park Ha-sol, who played a supporting role, asked me.

I smiled and answered her and everyone else.

“I worked hard to get back the weight I gained during filming. Haha.”

Jo Choong-min, another supporting actor next to her, came up to me and massaged my shoulder.

“Senior, how many kilograms have you lost now?”

I tilted my head and opened my mouth at his words.

“Um… when I checked a few days ago, was it 85kg [approximately 187 pounds]?”

“Wow, Senior, you’re about 185cm [approximately 6 feet 1 inch] tall, right?”

“No, I’m 183cm [approximately 6 feet].”

Jo Choong-min frowned and scanned me up and down.

“You look much slimmer than someone who’s 183cm and 85kg.”

I smirked and replied.

“Actually, I haven’t lost that much weight in terms of numbers. I’ve been working out, and I think the weight hasn’t decreased much because I’ve been burning fat and gaining muscle.”

“Wow, so is this all muscle? Can I touch your arm, Senior?”

He joked and approached me.

I burst out laughing.

“Oh, I’m embarrassed? Haha.”

He quickly grabbed my arm and rubbed it.

Soon, he exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, Senior, your arm is like a rock!”

“Oh, stop it.”

“I’m serious.”

Jo Choong-min shook his head and gave me a thumbs up.

At his words, Park Ha-sol bit her lip and asked me.

“How did you lose weight? Please tell me.”

I raised my eyebrows at her words and said.

“Um… I ate less and exercised a lot.”

“I see. I guess you have to not eat to not gain weight, right?”

Park Ha-sol drooped her eyebrows.

“You don’t even have any weight to lose, Ha-sol.”

At my words, she shook her head with a sullen expression.

“I gained so much weight while resting after the project. I need to lose some before the next project, but dieting is so hard, no matter how much I do it.”

“That’s right. Why is it so hard to lose weight?”

The actors complained to me.

At that moment.

The last actor got out of the car and approached the entrance.

It was Song Yu-na.

Park Ha-sol, who was in front of me, saw her first and bowed to her.

“Senior Yu-na, you’re here?”

I turned my head at her words.

Then, Song Yu-na, who quickly approached, was standing right in front of me.

“Yu-na, it’s been a while.”

Song Yu-na stared blankly at me at my greeting.

“…….”

She blinked her eyes repeatedly as she stared intently at my body.

“Yu-na?”

At my call, she looked up at me with a startled face.

The last time I saw her was at the company gym.

The day Song Yu-na came to WG Entertainment to join the company.

I saw her when I had just started working out.

And now, after three months, I was standing in front of her with a very different body.

She seemed surprised by my changed appearance.

“Um… Yu-na?”

I called her name, looking into Song Yu-na’s eyes.

Song Yu-na’s face was already flushed red.

At my call, she suddenly erased her dazed expression.

After quickly shaking her head, she shouted at me.

“Ah, why are you blocking the way?”

Song Yu-na, with her shaking eyes, hurried past me and moved quickly into the building.

***

“Hello, I’m Park Jin-haeng, and I’ll be hosting today’s press conference for the drama ‘Doctor.’ Without further ado, let’s invite the director and actors of ‘Doctor’ to share their stories.”

At the words of the host, Park Jin-haeng, we moved our feet.

“Now, let’s welcome the director of ‘Doctor,’ Director Hong In-hyuk, and the lead actors, Jin Hee-sung and Song Yu-na. And actors Park Ha-sol, Jo Choong-min, and Jang Tae-joon!”

As we appeared on stage, the reporters’ flashes went off.

We went up on stage and bowed together.

The camera shutters went off at the same time as the greeting.

Park Jin-haeng opened his mouth towards us.

“Microphones are prepared behind the chairs. First, let’s hear from Director Hong In-hyuk, who directed ‘Doctor.'”

At her words, Director Hong opened his mouth with a somewhat frozen face.

“Hello, I’m Hong In-hyuk, the director who carefully filmed the drama ‘Doctor.’ Our drama ‘Doctor’ is….”

He recited the prepared remarks from under the stage as if memorizing lines.

Before long, the attention shifted to me.

“Hello. I’m Jin Hee-sung.”

Clap clap clap.

With applause, I smiled and continued.

“I played the lead role in this drama ‘Doctor.’ This pre-produced drama was filmed with all of us living together in the countryside. I think our friendship and teamwork are reflected in the drama….”

I spoke briefly about the drama and continued.

The reporters captured me truthfully, and the press conference began.

For several tens of minutes, the story was mainly about the drama.

After that, the reporters began to ask questions that were different from the content of the drama.

“Yes, the reporter in the second row holding the microphone!”

Park Jin-haeng pointed to a reporter.

The reporter looked at me and asked.

“Actor Jin Hee-sung, I remember you having a chubby image during filming. You look very different today. What kind of changes have you had?”

At the reporter’s question, Park Jin-haeng nodded and continued.

“Yes, even on the poster, the Jin Hee-sung actor and the Jin Hee-sung actor I’m seeing now have quite different images.”

A large poster behind me.

There was a poster with my chubby appearance, that is, my appearance at the time of filming, very large.

I picked up the microphone with an awkward smile.

“Ah, I’ve lost a lot of weight, right?”

Instead of laughter, the reporters started pressing the camera shutters.

“I made my body to match the drama role and filmed it. And as you know, after finishing three months of filming with pre-production, I immediately did some exercise.”

Park Jin-haeng looked back and forth between me and the poster and exclaimed.

“Wow, so you made this body after filming?”

“Yes.”

“Wow! That’s amazing.”

I smiled and scratched my head.

“Haha, I worked out pretty hard.”

Then, Song Yu-na, who was sitting next to me, glanced at me sideways.

As soon as I put down the microphone, the reporters were busy typing away.

***

“For the successful start of the drama ‘Doctor’!”

“Cheers!”

We shouted loudly so that the restaurant echoed, and raised our glasses high into the air.

Clink.

The glasses collided with each other’s glasses.

The cold alcohol went straight down the esophagus.

After the press conference, we arrived at the dinner venue right away.

Only Director Hong, the lead actors me and Song Yu-na, and three supporting actors attended the press conference.

But we hadn’t had a proper dinner after filming in Namwon, so we all attended for today.

Including the staff and minor actors who filmed together.

We were busy greeting and asking about the long-awaited faces.

“How have you all been?”

I approached the table of minor actors I had talked to a lot during filming and asked them how they were doing.

They also welcomed me more than anyone else and talked to me.

“Senior, I missed you.”

“Me too.”

We clinked glasses in a row and exchanged stories that we hadn’t been able to share for several months.

Already 5 hours had passed since the dinner started.

At the dinner that continued to the 2nd and 3rd rounds, the many people were now only a few left.

The tables caught at the 3rd pub were only 3.

Everyone went home, and only 11 people were left.

I sat down and looked around at the remaining people and doubted my eyes.

It wasn’t that I was surprised by the small number of 11 people at all.

However, I was startled that Song Yu-na was among those 11 people.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at her again.

I’m not drunk, am I seeing things?

It was so surprising that Song Yu-na was left at the 3rd round that I thought so.

Always the 1st round, no, Song Yu-na had hardly attended the dinners so far.

Even if she came occasionally, she always went home before the 1st round was over.

Such Song Yu-na is now remaining in this 3rd round!

I couldn’t help but be unbelievable.

It wasn’t that she drank a lot and accidentally followed.

Song Yu-na’s face was not red, and she didn’t look drunk at all.

Does she want to get along with people now?

I nodded at Song Yu-na’s attitude and took a seat.

As soon as I sat down, minor actor Jung Ah-ri, who was sitting in front of me, asked me.

“Senior, you went to the Maldives after filming last time, right?”

“Oh, right. How did you know?”

When I asked with wide eyes, she smiled shyly and replied.

“I saw it on Senior’s SNS [Social Networking Service].”

“Ah, I took that post down, did you see it?”

“Yes, I was wondering why you suddenly took it down. The picture was really pretty, why did you delete the post?”

At her words, I made a sound of “ss”, and erased the smile from my face.

I took down the post in a day because of the malicious comments at the time, and it seems she checked it.

“Actually… there were malicious comments on it, and I was so bothered by it that I just deleted it.”

At my words, Kim Min-gyu frowned and said to me.

“Are there people who leave malicious comments on Senior?”

“Oh, of course. Well, I try not to pay much attention to malicious comments. But I posted pictures of my parents on that post. Then, there was a malicious commenter who wrote insults to my parents.”

As soon as Kim Min-gyu finished speaking, he slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

“Insults to your parents?”

“Yes, those malicious commenters are really too much. I can’t stand how a person can live with such thoughts and write insults to my parents.”

The actors who heard my story got angry like it was their own business and said.

“Those guys really need to be sued, you know?”

“I really can’t stand people who insult parents!”

“That’s right. They need to come to their senses. Senior, did you sue the malicious commenters?”

At their words, I nodded and replied.

“I had been holding back on the malicious comments that the malicious commenter was leaving, but I finally sued him because I lost my mind at the insults to my parents.”

“You did well. Those guys really need to taste the law.”

“That’s right. We need to see the malicious commenters in person and give them a lesson!”

“Malicious commenters really need a hammer…!”

The actors were immersed in my malicious comments and had a long discussion with their faces frowned.