An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 211

211. Episode 38 – Same Person (1)

Noisy and bustling.

People thronged the streets, chattering as they enjoyed the night.

Darkness blanketed the area.

But the fervor of the crowd filled the space, as if the darkness held no sway.

Amidst it all, I quickly scanned my surroundings, looking around.

Where am I…?

I was just another face in the countless crowds.

And then it dawned on me.

This was a dream.

Just then, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Leo!”

Hearing my name, I immediately turned to see who it was.

“Oh, Raphael. Why are you so late?”

Raphael, my old friend.

I glanced at my wristwatch, feigning annoyance at his tardiness.

He clasped his hands together, gesturing an apology.

“Sorry, man. You know, it’s Friday.”

“I know. Knowing how crowded it gets on Fridays, you should have left earlier.”

Raphael nudged me, raised his eyebrows, and replied with a knowing smirk.

“It’s not just any Friday.”

“What do you mean?”

“Today is Friday the 13th!”

He glanced around with mock spookiness and said to me.

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Friday the 13th? Are you saying a ghost is going to pop out or something?”

“Hey, it’s not just any Friday, it’s Friday the 13th, so it was so crowded that I was late. Haha.”

Friday the 13th.

A concept popularized by a famous horror movie, where murders occur on Friday the 13th.

Now, it was more of a proper noun than a movie title, a date synonymous with bad luck.

Because of that, Paris, already a crowded city, was even more packed due to the notoriety of the 13th, welcoming a fiery Friday.

“Ugh, I’ve been standing here for over ten minutes waiting for you.”

He said, wrinkling his nose.

“I’m really sorry. Let’s get going. We’ll be late for the show.”

I sighed and replied.

“You know, I even skipped the soccer game tonight to see this show with you.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Of course. A soccer fanatic said he would come to a music performance because he was meeting a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.”

I put my arm around his shoulder and exclaimed.

“So, treat me like your older brother tonight!”

Raphael and I laughed, as if we had returned to our carefree childhood.

“Yes, I will treat you like my older brother.”

“Yeah, I was really looking forward to watching the soccer game, but I made a big sacrifice because I was meeting you after so long.”

Raphael and I hurried to the concert hall.

As soon as we entered, we were met with the thumping music.

Even the drums, where my heart seemed to beat with the low guitar bass sound.

It was enough to get us pumped up.

♪♬.

The stage was clearly visible in the dimly lit concert hall.

“Wow, the atmosphere here is amazing.”

At my words, Raphael replied with an excited expression.

“Right? That’s why I wanted to come here. I really wanted to come.”

“Okay, let’s have fun, enjoy the music, and drink tonight!”

“Sounds good.”

We were so engrossed that we focused on the stage.

“Wow!”

Colorful lights flashed in sync with the powerful beat of the music.

The air was thick with energy.

Raphael and I surrendered to the music, dancing and jumping with abandon, not caring who was watching.

The music, with a BPM [beats per minute] faster than my own heartbeat.

It was enough to electrify everyone in the concert hall.

Standing on the second floor, we looked down at the performers on the stage below.

“Those guys are seriously passionate, aren’t they?”

Raphael nodded vigorously.

“I know. But the people on the first floor are going wild too. Look at that.”

I looked down at the crowd jumping and dancing on the first floor.

“Is there anyone who isn’t dancing?”

Everyone was one with the music, celebrating the vibrant Friday.

Seeing them, we started jumping again.

“Jump!”

As we were dancing to the music, I grabbed my dry throat and asked Raphael, having danced too enthusiastically.

“Raphael, what time is it?”

“It’s almost ten. 9:50. We still have plenty of time before we need to leave.”

At that moment.

Bang-!

A gunshot rang out from somewhere.

We tilted our heads, looking around.

I was sure I heard a gunshot….

The sound was almost drowned out by the loud music and the cheering crowd.

“What was that?”

Our confusion was short-lived.

Once again, the sound of a gun being fired echoed through the hall.

Bang-!

Bang bang-.

With the continuous gunshots, the place descended into utter chaos.

“Aah!”

“Aagh…!”

Bang-.

Bang bang-.

Ceaseless gunshots.

What on earth is going on….

Confused by the sudden shooting, we instinctively ducked down to avoid being hit.

But there was nowhere to hide, not even a table.

“Please save me!”

“Aagh…!”

Everyone had been standing, facing the stage.

Now, in this place where everyone had gathered to have fun.

All we could do was bump into each other and huddle on the floor.

That’s how the continuous shooting began.

Who was firing the gun?

I couldn’t understand why they were suddenly pointing guns at innocent people.

But figuring it out wasn’t the priority.

The singer, the bassist, the drummer, the audience—

Everyone was scrambling to hide and avoid the gunfire.

But people were bleeding and collapsing from the indiscriminate shooting.

Bang bang-.

“Save me… Ugh!”

“No!”

“Run away.”

“Aah.”

Raphael and I ducked down and tried to escape the carnage.

The situation was hopeless.

The scene before me was beyond words.

On the first floor, countless people had fallen, bleeding profusely.

There was no time to be shocked.

No time to mourn, no time to find the shooter.

It was a desperate situation, and I had to save myself first.

People who couldn’t run, crying and embracing their loved ones.

Seeing them, I wiped away the tears streaming down my cheeks.

This concert hall, where everyone had come to enjoy a happy Friday.

Just moments ago, we were hugging each other and dancing together.

Now, a terrorist had stormed in.

Everything was collapsing because of them.

There was nothing anyone could do.

We couldn’t fight back, we couldn’t stand up to them.

Helpless, people ran and cowered.

The place became a sea of blood and tears, filled only with fear and despair.

Flash-!

I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling, taking a deep breath.

“Haa… Haa.”

The scenes from the dream were so vivid.

I lay there for a moment, checking my face and body with my hands.

Then I jumped up and wiped away the sweat.

I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure.

“The scene I saw in my dream….”

I replayed the dream in my mind.

I snapped my fingers.

“The terrorist attack in Paris, France!”

It was then that I remembered.

Back then, in 2015, I had been there.

Of course, I wasn’t in Jin Hee-sung’s body at the time.

It was one of the most terrible moments.

I squeezed my eyes shut, a chill running down my spine as I recalled that day.

I tilted my head and muttered.

“But why did I suddenly dream about the Paris attacks?”

My dreams were usually related to my work.

And the film I was currently working on was about the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

It had nothing to do with the Paris attacks.

What was it?

The Paris attacks were a tragic event that claimed the lives of innocent people, just like 9/11, but…

Why would I dream about it?

I bit my lip and tried to recall the details of the dream.

I focused on the scene of the Paris attacks.

The memories were so vivid that my head throbbed.

The fear and shock of that day were playing out before my eyes.

“Wait a minute….”

Suddenly, a memory surfaced.

The back of a woman I had seen at the time.

It was definitely the scene I saw just before waking up.

I had been staring blankly at the back of a woman.

Thinking about that scene and that woman made my heart ache.

“Aagh….”

A throbbing head.

A heavy heart.

I couldn’t remember exactly who she was.

But just thinking about the back of that woman filled me with longing, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

“Who on earth is that woman?”

***

“Haaam….”

Dragging my tired body, I yawned and asked Manager Kim.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], are we almost there?”

He perked up, as if excited, and replied.

“Yeah, we’ll be there soon.”

The filming location for Director Jeffrey’s film.

I usually went to the same location every day.

But this time, we were headed to Nevada for outdoor scenes.

We weren’t working in downtown LA anymore, but even so.

It was almost a nine-hour drive from the previous location to Nevada.

So, instead of commuting, they were providing accommodation.

Soon, the car pulled up to a hotel.

Not just our car, but dozens of others began to park in a row.

Filming buses, buses carrying staff.

I got out of the car and stared at the line of vehicles, my mouth agape.

Then I looked at the hotel and my eyes widened again.

“Wow, are we all staying here?”

Manager Kim nodded quickly.

“Yeah, they booked everything here.”

“Wow! That must have cost a fortune.”

Manager Kim looked around and quietly muttered to me.

“I heard they didn’t just rent rooms, they rented the entire hotel.”

I nodded again, my jaw dropping at the scale of Hollywood.

“As expected… Hollywood is different. Renting an entire luxury five-star hotel.”

Then my gaze shifted from the hotel to the sky.

The weather was gloomy.

Looking at the gray sky, I made a “ssup” sound [a sound of inhaling air, often expressing concern or discomfort].

“The weather is… unusual?”

Just then, someone approached me.

“Hee-sung, you made it.”

It was actor Charles.

“Charles, it must have been tough for you too, right?”

“Yeah, Nevada is too far.”

He also looked up at the sky.

“But the weather is strange.”

A soft voice joined our conversation.

It was Evelyn, the actress in our movie.

“I think it’s going to rain throughout the filming. I checked the weather forecast on the way here.”

Charles and I nodded.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like it’s just going to be a brief shower.”

Charles checked the weather on his phone and stroked his chin.

“Raining after coming all this way. I have to dress warmly so I don’t catch a cold.”

He shivered, rubbing his arm, and headed towards his manager.

Evelyn glanced at me and raised her eyebrows.

“Hee-sung, take care of yourself too. It’s going to be tough if it rains during an outdoor shoot.”

“Yes, thank you, Evelyn.”

She smiled and left.

It wasn’t just gloomy.

The sky felt like something was about to happen.

And this chilling feeling.

“Nevada… I feel like something is going to happen here….”