An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 201

201. Turning Crisis into Opportunity (4)

LA Airport.

It was the same airport I had visited just a few weeks ago.

But the feelings and mindset I had then and now were completely different.

‘What kind of role will I get? Am I finally making my debut in Hollywood?’

I came to LA last time with thoughts like, ‘The day I set foot in Hollywood has finally come.’

But now, I have the authority to act in Hollywood with confidence and have come here.

And I felt more nervous and tense than before.

Seeing my frozen face, Manager Kim put his hand on my shoulder and said,

“Hee-sung, what’s with that expression?”

“I’m a little… nervous.”

At my words, he tilted his head.

“What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve already signed the contract, all you have to do is go and act?”

I nodded at his words.

“Yeah, that’s why I think I’m more nervous.”

“What do you mean?”

“Now everyone is really expecting something from me. Director Jeffrey will also be expecting a lot from my acting. Moreover, Korean fans and the public will be watching to see how great Jin Hee-sung’s acting is, now that he’s been chosen by Hollywood.”

Manager Kim erased his smile as if he understood my words at once.

He looked at me with a worried expression.

“I think I’m more nervous because of the pressure to meet those expectations.”

Manager Kim wrinkled his nose and said to me.

“Just do what you used to do in Korea. If you act without trembling and without losing confidence, no actor can follow you, Hee-sung.”

His short consolation gave me great courage and strength.

I took a long sigh and shook my head.

“Yeah, I have to. I’m going to think I’m the best and work hard with all my might!”

Only then did Manager Kim smile.

He pointed to the car prepared in front of the airport and replied.

“Now, let’s go to a good accommodation to practice hard.”

“Okay.”

We took the car prepared by Jeffrey and moved to the accommodation.

In the car, after driving for a while.

Manager Kim looked at me and opened his mouth.

“Do you remember they said they would provide a car to drive there?”

“Yeah, is this it by any chance?”

At my words, Manager Kim smiled and shook his head.

“No, this car and driver are just prepared for us to get to the accommodation.”

“Then?”

“They said they parked it in front of the accommodation.”

I smiled, realizing more and more that I had come to Hollywood.

“I want to see the accommodation and the car soon.”

“Me too.”

Several tens of minutes passed.

Soon, the car stopped in front of a house.

“Here we are. I’ll bring down the luggage right away.”

The driver turned around and said to Manager Kim, then opened the car door.

“Thank you.”

We stood in front of the house with our luggage.

Before even opening the door, exclamations poured out.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], what is this? Why is the entrance so big?”

“I know, right? The address is right here…….”

I peeked my head out and looked at the entrance, saying.

“Is this a place where actors sleep in separate spaces inside the house?”

“No, I heard they were giving us the whole house. But this is too big, isn’t it?”

We tilted our heads and opened the door.

The moment we opened the door, Manager Kim and I couldn’t say a word.

“…….”

“…Crazy.”

The sight that unfolded before our eyes.

This was a house I had never seen before in my life.

No, it was a house I had only seen in American movies or dramas, but it was the first time I had actually seen it.

The moment we opened the door, there was a lush lawn, flowers, and trees.

And even a private swimming pool in the front yard.

“Wow… this is really crazy.”

“Are we two really using this?”

I opened my mouth wide at the scale, which was bigger than expected.

Manager Kim’s eyes widened and he replied to me.

“Hee-sung.”

“Yeah?”

“This isn’t a place for just the two of us.”

At his words, I tilted my head.

“What do you mean?”

Then, he snapped his fingers and continued to speak to him.

“No wonder, the house is too big. Are other actors coming too?”

At my words, he shook his head violently.

“No. This is a space for you alone.”

“What?”

“I got a separate hotel.”

At Manager Kim’s words, I frowned with an unbelievable face.

“No way.”

“Shall we look around the house first?”

I blankly opened the door with Manager Kim.

As soon as we did, the enormous size of the house overwhelmed us.

“This is really crazy.”

Manager Kim shouted, covering his mouth.

“Hee-sung, I’ve never seen a house like this in my life!”

At his words, I also burst into laughter and replied.

“Hyung, it’s my first time too. How many rooms are there here?”

We entered the entrance and started exploring the house, each scattering in different directions.

I moved my feet according to the flow of consciousness and poured out admiration.

“This is the living room, then this is the kitchen… is this door the master bedroom?”

Bang-.

Opening the door, I widened my eyes and looked around.

“What, this is the dressing room… is the closet this big?”

At my words, Manager Kim ran to me and said.

“Hee-sung, this is amazing.”

Manager Kim came to the dressing room where I was standing and grabbed the back of his neck once again.

“Wow, the dressing room seems bigger than my house?”

We looked around the house for a long time.

This house was a house with a swimming pool.

Moreover, it was a two-story house.

Excluding the living room, there were only 8 rooms.

There were a total of 4 bathrooms.

This house is full of admiration.

“Will I ever be able to live in a house like this in Korea?”

Manager Kim shook his head and said.

I looked at Manager Kim and asked.

“Hyung, so I’m using this house alone?”

At my words, he raised the corners of his mouth and replied.

“Yeah, I got a good hotel nearby. Relax here and enjoy your Hollywood life.”

I shook my head and asked him.

“Hyung, can’t you just stay here with me?”

“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to live alone?”

“This house is so big that it won’t be uncomfortable at all even if you’re here. Isn’t it better for you to live in this house than in a hotel?”

Manager Kim seemed more excited about this house than I was.

My suggestion seemed good.

But his tone seemed to worry about me.

“Well, that’s true… but they gave me a separate hotel so you can relax alone. I’m worried that I might interfere with your rest.”

“Hey, it’s uneasy to leave an actor alone in such a big house. How about staying here for the safety of the actor in charge?”

At my words, Manager Kim’s eyes shook.

I quickly continued.

“It’s more convenient for you to pick me up from the hotel every time and go to the set, rather than living here together. And the hotel won’t be canceled even if you don’t go.”

“Well, that’s true?”

“Yeah, let’s live together here. We can let our acquaintances stay there if they come to America.”

Manager Kim smiled and looked around the house.

“Instead of a hotel, there will be rooms left even if we call them here? Haha.”

“That’s true.”

Manager Kim quickly scanned the house again and smiled.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I get to live in a house like this.”

“It’s my first time in a house like this. Let’s live hard here together, Hyung.”

***

White desks stretched out endlessly here.

“Yes, I answered the phone.”

Tring.

Tring tring.

Phone bells were ringing loudly on desks everywhere.

People were frantically focusing on their work.

“I’ll take a note and pass it on to the person in charge. Yes, yes….”

I stared blankly at them and moved my gaze quickly.

This place was somehow familiar.

The scenery of the office and the employees sitting next to me were not unfamiliar.

I looked up at my desk and saw a small nameplate.

‘Trade (Korea) Alex’

“Oh, this is…?”

I could tell at once.

This is my dream.

No wonder this space and people are familiar.

And the name that calls me here is ‘Alex.’

This is the scene I dreamed of before coming to Hollywood.

Then… the terror is happening here today, right?

I quickly looked around with tension.

The employee next to me spoke to me.

“Alex, shall we have a drink after work today?”

At his words, I burst into laughter and replied.

“Oh, again?”

“What do you mean again? Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today. How about going to that place near our company that we always go to?”

He was a close friend of the same age as me.

He was neither married nor had a girlfriend.

He was a friend and colleague who always wanted to hang out with me instead of going home after work.

Tring.

Then, his phone rang.

He raised his eyebrows at me and focused on his work again.

Wait a minute.

Come to think of it….

This employee who spoke to me.

This person, who is the same age as me and a close colleague.

It was very similar to the character in Jeffrey’s work.

And even the actor who played the role had already been cast.

I looked at him and felt happy.

Looking at the people around me, I began to compare them with the roles in the actual work.

After a long time, the scene I saw in the last dream.

And the scene that also appears in the work.

Bang-!

The terror began.

A tremendous roar.

The shaking building and the smoky smoke covered this place.

People were in a state of panic and didn’t know what to do.

“Kyaa!”

“Please save me!”

“Where is the exit?”

People pushed each other and ran towards the exit.

I also covered my mouth and ran towards the light that was seeping in.

At that time.

That’s right, is that child William?

It was the son who came to bring his mother Laura’s clothes to change into today.

In the last dream, I carried William on my back and escaped the building.

And again today.

I couldn’t ignore that child.

I quickly picked up William on my back and before the building collapsed.

And before the terror was repeated, I started moving my legs with all my might.

“Haa… haa….”

Only rough breathing echoed in my ears.

Taat-!

In the end, I was able to safely escape the building with William tightly on my back.

William, who was on my back, grabbed my hand tightly and whispered.

“Thank you for saving me. My guardian uncle.”

The moment I smiled back at him.

Pat-!

I faced the white ceiling in front of me.

Even now, after waking up from the dream, I was panting and recalling the time.

Then suddenly a thought came to my mind.

“Huh? Come to think of it, this is different from the script?”

Clearly, in the script, when the building collapsed, I survived for a while inside.

My role was to save a child and die heroically instead.

I was determined to be a supporting actor because the proportion was small because I died in the middle.

But in the dream, I clearly came out with the child.

Both the child and I survived.

“What is it? I don’t think the ending of the dream and the script have ever been so different….”

***

Finally, the full-fledged schedule in Hollywood began.

Script reading was also essential here.

Manager Kim and I moved quickly to the set.

As soon as I got out of the car, I opened my mouth wide at the enormous scale I saw.

“Wow, this is no joke.”

In Korean filming locations, the space where actors rest is their car.

Or, they just sit in the lounge or on the chairs on the set.

But here, there was a trailer, a personal caravan.

Of course, not all minor actors had personal trailers.

These trailers were prepared for the main and supporting actors.

As Jeffrey said in the contract, I also had my personal trailer on one side.

“Wow… they gave me a great car to use during the filming period, and even a trailer. That’s amazing?”

The car I used to ride in Korea was a comfortable van.

The car prepared here was close to a top-class limousine.

And even such a big trailer.

“Hollywood scale is amazing… I want to film soon. I’m so curious and excited about the trailer and the filming scale.”

Manager Kim and I looked around the set with eyes full of anticipation.

At that time.

Actors were arriving at the set one by one.

Watching the actors entering the set, I looked at them with a curious face as if I was watching a movie.

Because they were actors I had only seen in Hollywood movies or overseas awards ceremonies.

I approached Jeffrey, who was far away, and greeted him.

“Director, hello.”

“Hee-sung, you came?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to adjust my condition well.”

He smiled and replied to me.

“I hope you enjoy your life comfortably and make a great work.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best, Director.”

At that time.

Several actors were approaching Jeffrey.

I quickly greeted the actors.

“Hello, I’m Jin Hee-sung. Nice to meet you.”

The actors replied briefly to my greeting.

“Hello.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

And Liam, an actor in his 40s with a dignified charm, was walking from the back.

I approached Liam, who was standing at the end.

The moment I made eye contact with him, I shouted again.

“Hello, I’m Jin Hee-sung.”

At that moment.

Liam quickly shifted his gaze and looked at another actor.

“Oh, when did you come?”

He walked towards the actor and passed me by.

What, didn’t he see me?

No….

I clearly made eye contact with him, and I greeted him the moment I saw his eyes.

It was certain.

That his eyes collided with mine in the air.

I frowned, looking at Liam’s back.

Something… feels strange?