An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 185

185. Episode 33 – The Hit-Story Maker (3)

As the awards ceremony venue was nearing full capacity, another round of cheers erupted.

Soon, Choi Seo-bin appeared. He exchanged greetings with many actors as he entered.

I quickly got up from my seat and headed towards Choi Seo-bin.

“Sunbae-nim!” [Sunbae-nim is a Korean honorific term for a senior colleague or mentor.]

Choi Seo-bin, who had been greeting everyone with a faint smile, seemed surprised by my call.

He beamed and quickly walked towards me.

“Hee-sung, you’re here?”

“Yes, Sunbae-nim. You look amazing as always.”

At my words, he smirked and raised his eyebrows.

“Well, I’m always amazing. Haha.”

We laughed at his playful remark and started walking.

“Your seat is in the row in front of me, Sunbae-nim.”

“Oh, you even checked my seat?”

“Of course. As soon as I sat down, I checked Sunbae-nim’s seat first.”

He put his hand on my shoulder, and we headed to our seats.

Before long, the red carpet event came to an end.

A short break followed.

Actors comfortably went to the restroom or moved around before the ceremony began.

And some, like Choi Seo-bin and I, gathered with close colleagues to chat.

“Hee-sung, I heard you’re nominated for the Top Excellence Award?”

At his words, I gave a sheepish smile and chuckled.

“Ah, I’m just nominated, but everyone’s mentioning it, so I’m embarrassed. Haha.”

“Did you prepare an acceptance speech?”

“Come on, I received the Best New Actor and Popularity Award last year. Honestly, just being nominated for the Top Excellence Award is a huge honor.”

Choi Seo-bin raised an eyebrow and replied.

“Still, the viewership rating was a whopping 27%. You should prepare.”

I waved my hands and said.

“Sunbae-nim, please stop flattering me. I’ll work hard next year and win an award. Haha.”

Choi Seo-bin chuckled, patting my shoulder.

“You worked hard this year too, you rascal.”

I massaged his shoulders as he sat in front of me and spoke affectionately.

“I still have a long way to go to catch up with Sunbae-nim.”

“You’re naturally good at making people feel good, aren’t you? Haha.”

Choi Seo-bin smiled and asked me.

“So, have you decided on your next project?”

I shook my head.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“What’s wrong?”

Choi Seo-bin asked with a genuinely surprised expression.

“You always chose your next project as soon as one ended.”

As he said, I was always busy choosing my next project without rest after one ended.

So much so that Choi Seo-bin would call me every day to advise me to rest.

It was Choi Seo-bin’s sincere advice, worrying that I might get exhausted.

But this time, I also wanted to rest a little.

More than anything, the biggest reason was that I couldn’t find a project that felt right.

I worked hard to lose the weight I had gained for the previous project.

Even so, I reviewed projects every day and focused on practicing acting.

Because the previous project had such a huge viewership rating, I couldn’t easily choose the next one.

If the next project didn’t have as much impact as ‘Doctor,’ the viewership ratings shown in ‘Doctor’ would be re-evaluated as just the project being good.

People’s evaluation of Jin Hee-sung’s acting skills, my efforts, etc., would obviously be re-examined.

So, I had to be more careful in choosing the next project.

To prove that it wasn’t luck, but my efforts.

So, this time, it had to be a project that wasn’t just okay but a project that anyone could see was amazing.

I sighed briefly at Choi Seo-bin’s words and replied.

“It’s not easy to choose the next project.”

Choi Seo-bin seemed to grasp the meaning of my words at once and replied with a tsk.

“That’s right. How big is 27%? It’s not easy to choose another project of that magnitude.”

“That’s right. There are many good projects, but I haven’t found a project that I can’t do without.”

Choi Seo-bin nodded with a sympathetic expression.

“Don’t be too impatient and take your time. Choose a project calmly.”

“Yes, thank you, Sunbae-nim.”

I pursed my lips and shook my head. Raising my eyebrows, I asked him a question.

“What have you been up to, Sunbae-nim?”

Then Choi Seo-bin smiled and said.

“I’ve decided to start a movie this time.”

At Choi Seo-bin’s words, I clapped my hands and exclaimed.

“Oh! Congratulations, Sunbae-nim.”

“Congratulations for what? Haha.”

“What kind of project did you choose?”

At my question, Choi Seo-bin looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

“This time, it’s not a Korean project.”

I opened my mouth wide and asked with wide eyes.

“Then?”

Choi Seo-bin looked around and brought his mouth close to me, whispering softly.

“…Japan.”

As soon as he finished speaking, I covered my gaping mouth.

“Gasp, Sunbae-nim!”

Startled by my unknowingly loud voice, Choi Seo-bin and I simultaneously put our index fingers to our lips.

“Shh!”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Then, leaning towards Choi Seo-bin’s face, I asked.

“Sunbae-nim, are you finally going global?”

Choi Seo-bin chuckled and asked me.

“Do you know Director Ryunosuke?”

At his words, I quickly nodded.

“Of course, I know him. He recently won an award at a film festival.”

Director Ryunosuke was a famous film director in Japan.

Not all of his films were huge hits, but apart from the box office success, most of his films have won awards at international film festivals, making his name known.

So, rather than all of his works being famous, his name is widely known.

“Yeah, well, not all of Director Ryunosuke’s movies have been successful. But the fact is, he’s a director who always gets awards as soon as a movie comes out, right?”

“That’s right. That means his works are that much more outstanding.”

Choi Seo-bin nodded in agreement.

“So, I’m going to try to target the global market with that artistic quality.”

I quietly gave Choi Seo-bin a thumbs up for his ambition.

Choi Seo-bin smiled when he saw my thumb.

“You’re still the best, Sunbae-nim. I’ll cheer you on from Korea.”

“Thanks.”

At the signal from the staff on stage, the actors began to sit down.

Choi Seo-bin looked at me and gave me his last comment.

“Hee-sung, trust your choice too.”

***

The first part of the Drama Awards quickly came to an end.

Watching the Drama Awards, starting with the Best New Actor Award, I felt a renewed sense of emotion more than anyone else because I received the Best New Actor Award at last year’s Drama Awards, and I even won the Popularity Award at another broadcasting station.

Only a year has passed.

I skipped the Excellence Award and was nominated for the Top Excellence Award, a huge award.

Of course, this time the feeling was completely different from last year.

I was embarrassed last year as I am now, but at that time, I desperately wanted to win an award.

I felt happy just being invited to the awards ceremony.

But deep down, I was filled with the thought of what it would be like to receive an award.

But this year, rather than that feeling, the fact that I was nominated for the Top Excellence Award itself was enough to make my heart swell.

It wasn’t in the order of Best New Actor, Popularity Award, Excellence Award, and then Top Excellence Award.

The timing was also too short, so winning the Top Excellence Award was unimaginable.

“Then, shall we meet the nominees for this year’s Top Excellence Award?”

Actor Kim Min-hyun, who won the Top Excellence Award last year, said with a smile.

At his words, Baek So-jung, who won the Top Excellence Award with him, opened her mouth.

“Yes, the nominees for the Top Excellence Award are….”

With her words, my face appeared on the VCR [Video Cassette Recorder, now commonly understood as video footage].

“It was a miraculous drama that achieved a viewership rating of a whopping 27%. Actor Jin Hee-sung, who played the leading role in ‘Doctor,’ was the first nominee.”

At the same time, my face was shown live on the screen.

I, who had been frozen, sent an awkward smile and waved my hand.

“Wow!”

My fans in the audience cheered and waved their placards [signs].

“Jin Hee-sung! Jin Hee-sung!”

As the fans’ voices subsided, Kim Min-hyun continued, watching the next VCR being played.

“The next actor nominated for the Top Excellence Award is….”

Following that, four nominees, including me, were named.

And the final announcement was about to be made.

♪♬.

A tense BGM [background music] was playing, and the four nominees, including me, were shown on a split screen on the large screen above the stage.

Of the four nominees, including me, no actor seemed as nervous as I was.

An actor who had already won the Top Excellence Award once, and an actor with a relaxed expression, as if he expected to win the award.

An actor who was enjoying this awards ceremony, shaking his head as if he could never win, and finally, me, swallowing hard.

The actors around me were looking at me with sparkling eyes.

I clasped my hands together, ready to congratulate whoever won.

As soon as it was announced, I would immediately get up from my seat and applaud the winning actor.

On the awards ceremony stage, the two actors didn’t say anything.

Only music that heightened the tension was flowing.

Just when I felt like my lips were drying up, Kim Min-hyun took out an envelope in his hand.

“The name of the actor who will win this year’s Top Excellence Award is written here. Who will it be…!”

He smirked and looked down at the stage. Then, trembling, he turned to Baek So-jung.

“Oh, I’m so nervous. Would you announce it, So-jung?”

“Ah….”

“Hurry!”

The audience, including the actors, sent playful jeers to Kim Min-hyun.

Baek So-jung burst out laughing at the sight.

“Okay. I’ll announce it.”

She received the envelope from Kim Min-hyun. Smiling, she brought her mouth to the microphone.

“The actor who will win this year’s Top Excellence Award is….”

Watching her pause as befitting an awards ceremony, I smiled leisurely.

The reason I was so relaxed was that I already knew I wouldn’t win.

I was nervous just being nominated, but since I came expecting not to win, I gradually began to enjoy this atmosphere.

That scene was vividly captured on camera.

Baek So-jung smiled brightly and raised her voice.

“Congratulations. Actor Jin Hee-sung of ‘Doctor,’ the drama that recorded the highest viewership ratings this year!”

Clap clap clap-.

Applause echoed throughout the awards ceremony hall.

I also clapped my hands at the sound. Then, I frowned and looked ahead.

“Congratulations, Actor Jin Hee-sung.”

All the actors stood up and applauded me.

Only then did I realize that they had called my name.

“Huh?”

Then, with surprised eyes, I sat down and looked around.

“Hee-sung, congratulations.”

Choi Seo-bin, who was sitting in front of me, came to me and hugged me tightly.

Hugging Choi Seo-bin with a dazed expression, my heart gradually began to beat faster.

Biting my lip and receiving the cheers of the people as I walked onto the stage.

“Haa….”

I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the unexpected award, and moved my feet.

Kim Min-hyun handed me the Top Excellence Award trophy and said.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

And Baek So-jung handed me a bouquet of flowers.

Holding the trophy and bouquet in one hand, I took a deep breath and approached the microphone.

“Hello, this is actor Jin Hee-sung.”

“Kyaa!”

“Jin Hee-sung, Jin Hee-sung!”

The cheers of the fans towards me made a smile naturally appear on my face.

Pressing down on my trembling heart, I opened my mouth.

“First of all, I’m so honored just to be nominated for the Top Excellence Award, so I never dreamed I would win. So, I didn’t even prepare an acceptance speech. If I had known this would happen, I should have practiced last night. Haha.”

The actors burst out laughing at my words.

I erased my smile and continued.

“To Director Hong In-hyuk of the drama ‘Doctor,’ who allowed me to receive such a big award and spread my name widely….”

I named the people I was grateful to while working on the project.

“And above all, the reason I can be here is thanks to you, the ‘Jin Hee-sung Prime’ fans.”

The fans’ shouts erupted at my words.

“Wow!”

“Thank you for always cherishing and loving me, who is always lacking. I will always do my best and work hard to be an actor that you are not ashamed to be a fan of Jin Hee-sung.”

I bowed deeply and shouted.

“And to my parents, who are always worried about me, are you watching the broadcast? Your son won an award.”

I shook the trophy towards the camera and smiled.

“I will not settle for where I am and will continue to run forward. I will become a good actor so that I am not ashamed of this valuable award. Thank you!”