An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 220

220 #39 – Memories with Her (5)

Rummage, rummage.

Creak—.

Darkness before my eyes.

A sound wakes me from a deep sleep.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Barely lifting my heavy eyelids, I looked at the white wall close to the ceiling. The time was still 6:20 AM.

It was a bit early, so I closed my eyes again.

Rummage, rummage—.

But the repeated sound eventually made me open my eyes.

“What’s that sound…”

Turning my head, I saw Song Yoona cautiously moving at the edge of my vision.

“Oh, Yoona-ssi!”

She looked at me with a startled face.

“You’re already awake?”

“Ah… I heard a sound.”

She hurriedly smoothed her sleep-worn face with her palms and said to me.

“No, I couldn’t sleep a wink all night.”

“Pardon?”

At her words, I sat up and leaned against the headboard.

“It’s a cot, so the mattress is hard, and I thought it would be nice and spacious since it’s a single room. But it’s so uncomfortable… Anyway, I don’t think I even slept for a full minute.”

I chuckled at Song Yoona’s words.

Last night, she fell asleep before I did.

She was breathing softly and deeply, so engrossed in sleep that she couldn’t even respond to my words.

And now she says she didn’t sleep a wink.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her grumbling.

Seeing me laugh, Song Yoona quickly turned to me with a sulky face.

“What’s with that laugh?”

“Ah… no, it’s nothing. I thought you slept well, but you said you didn’t.”

Song Yoona crossed her arms and glared at the bed, not at me.

“Of course. Ugh, really. I didn’t get enough sleep, so I’m going to get dark circles.”

“Thank you for coming, and I’m sorry. I’m being discharged this morning, so go back to the hotel and get some sleep.”

She nodded at my words and packed the blanket she had brought.

“I should.”

After Song Yoona left.

Since I was already awake, I washed up and started packing my belongings at the hospital.

And not long after, Manager Kim appeared in the hospital room.

“Hee-sung!”

“Oh, hyung [older brother/male friend]. You’re here?”

“Yeah, how’s your body?”

I shrugged and replied.

“I’m completely fine. I’m getting discharged right away, right?”

“That’s a relief. Oh, you should get discharged when you’re ready.”

At his words, I pointed to the door with my chin and replied.

“I prepared in advance.”

Manager Kim tilted his head, looking at his watch.

“Already?”

“Yeah, thanks to someone, I prepared quickly.”

“Someone…?”

He raised his eyebrows and asked me.

I quickly changed the subject, opening my mouth as if to distract Manager Kim.

“Hyung, so is the discharge process finished?”

“That’s right. Ah, I’ll go do it quickly now.”

“Okay.”

Manager Kim hurried out to complete the discharge process.

I looked around the hospital room one last time, checked everything, and then left the room.

We got into the car.

Before leaving, Manager Kim looked at me wistfully and opened his mouth.

“You need to work while taking good rest now. The filming is past the halfway point, but if it’s ever too hard, you have to tell me.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

I nodded at Manager Kim’s words of concern.

As soon as I confirmed that the car was starting, I clapped my hands at Manager Kim and asked.

“Right, hyung. What about my filming schedule today?”

It suddenly occurred to me that there was additional filming on Sunday.

At my words, Manager Kim smiled and replied.

“I’ve already talked to the director.”

“Ah… I’m okay, I can go to the set.”

He glared at me through the rearview mirror and said.

“No. The hospital said to rest until today.”

“Still, filming….”

I had seen and felt that they ignored or talked a lot about Asians in Hollywood.

I didn’t want to cause any damage to the filming site as much as possible.

It’s not like I came here representing Asians.

But in their eyes, I might look like a specimen of Asians.

A Korean actor who is not lazy, an actor who does not fake illness.

I wanted to instill in them the image of a Korean actor who is good at acting, diligent, and full of passion.

Manager Kim, who knew what my concerns meant, smiled and opened his mouth as if to persuade me.

“The director suggested you take a break first. We switched the schedule with tomorrow. It’s just a schedule switch, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the director told me. I know what you’re worried about, but you don’t have to worry at all.”

At his words, I nodded.

“Okay. But my body feels so light, I feel sorry for nothing.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s just that we’re switching to another date. It doesn’t hurt the set at all.”

“Yeah, then I should take a good rest since I don’t have a schedule anyway.”

“Do that.”

***

I returned to the accommodation and threw myself on the bed to rest.

I rolled around on the bed and closed my eyes.

But far from falling asleep, I stared blankly at the ceiling with my eyes wide open.

Perhaps because I had been resting and sleeping in the hospital for two days, I couldn’t fall asleep again.

“Ugh, I’ve been lying down for too long, my whole body is about to ache.”

Eventually, I jumped up and headed to the study, looking at the script.

“Let’s work.”

So I didn’t move for several hours, concentrating on the script and practicing acting in the same spot.

The sun, which had been in the mid-sky, was now slowly descending.

“Haaam….”

I stretched my stiff body and got up from my seat.

All I do on holidays is look at Korean issues on my cell phone.

And rolling around on the bed.

That was all I did besides practicing the next act.

Having finished all this, I sat blankly on the sofa.

Then a person suddenly came to mind.

It was Song Yoona.

I realized once again that I hadn’t made her LA trip, which she had taken a vacation for, feel like a trip.

Moreover, considering that she had been in the hospital for two days because of me, I still felt sorry and grateful.

I was going to contact her during the day to say thank you.

But due to her claim that she had been tossing and turning, I postponed contacting her, thinking she would be sleeping at the hotel.

After checking that a lot of time had passed.

I called Song Yoona.

She must have been awake, as she answered the phone after only a few rings.

-Hello?

“Yoona-ssi, are you awake?”

-Of course. Have you been discharged?

“Yes, I came home this morning.”

-That’s a relief.

“I was wondering what Yoona-ssi was doing at the hotel, so I contacted you.”

She asked me in a puzzled tone at my question.

-I’m just here, why?

“Well, it’s almost dinner, so if you don’t have any plans, would you like to have dinner together?”

At my words, Song Yoona clicked her tongue.

-Are you going to collapse again? Ugh, I can’t clean up Hee-sung-ssi twice.

“Haha, no.”

-Hee-sung-ssi is so heavy that I really couldn’t handle it.”

At her words, I showed an awkward smile with apology.

“I was so sorry at that time. I’ll buy you a delicious dinner.”

-Are you sure you won’t collapse on the street? I’m worried that you’ll do that in the middle of the street again….

She opened her mouth again as soon as she finished speaking.

-Not Hee-sung-ssi, but my worry about cleaning up Hee-sung-ssi!

“Haha, then would you like to come to my accommodation? Then even if I collapse, it’ll be my house.”

-Pardon? Your house?

“Yes, the film company provided me with a house, and it’s spacious and nice. Don’t worry, it’s not like we’ll be alone in a narrow space.”

At my words, Song Yoona replied to me without a moment’s hesitation.

-No. How can I go to a man’s house? You just come to my hotel.”

“Okay. Then I’ll pack up and go there right away.”

-Yes.

***

“We could have gone to a more delicious place….”

Looking at the pasta and steak that came out with the staff’s serving, I said to Song Yoona.

Then Song Yoona stared intently at the food that came out and swallowed her saliva.

“Why, I like it here?”

“Still, I wanted to show you around LA and take you to the restaurants I’ve been to. I’m sorry and grateful for everything.”

At my words, she waved her hand in the air and replied.

“This hotel restaurant is famous for being delicious. Well, this place is also expensive?”

She said to me in a playful tone.

“Then eat as much as you want here.”

Only then did she and I pick up our forks and knives.

As we ate a few bites of food with wine.

Song Yoona looked at me and asked.

“Hee-sung-ssi, are you going to start filming right away from tomorrow?”

“Yes, I was originally supposed to start filming today, but Director Jeffrey was considerate and I think I’ll start filming from tomorrow.”

“Rest a little more.”

“Hey, it’s enough to rest for two days until the weekend.”

I shrugged and ate a bite of steak.

She fixed her gaze on me and let out a short sigh.

“But aren’t you overdoing it too much coming to Hollywood?”

“Pardon?”

“That’s right. It’s your first time filming a movie in Hollywood, and you’re even filming a sitcom. Besides, you’ve done so many interviews here and there in Korea.”

At her words, I raised the corners of my mouth and replied.

“You saw all the interviews I did?”

At my words, she frowned deeply.

“What are you talking about? Is it because we’re in the same company, I keep hearing stories?”

Then she twirled the pasta with a fork and muttered.

“Geez, I’m worried about you, but you’re like that.”

I tilted my head and asked back at her small voice.

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing.”

Song Yoona looked at me again and opened her mouth.

“So, take it easy. I suffered because of your overwork.”

She raised and lowered her shoulders, expressing to me how difficult it was at the time.

“I was really sorry about that time.”

“What’s overwork when you come all the way to Hollywood, really….”

I just nodded at Song Yoona’s words.

In fact, the reason I collapsed was not overwork.

Of course, I didn’t always act with plenty of time and fully replenished energy.

But I didn’t have the stamina to collapse.

The sitcom filming had been over for a long time.

I was only focusing on the movie.

The reason I collapsed must have been because of the ‘dream’.

Recently, I had been living with a throbbing headache every day due to dreams.

Moreover, at the moment when her touch reached me decisively.

Past memories came to mind and I lost consciousness.

But it was difficult to explain these things, and it was even an impossible story to explain.

I just decided to conclude that I collapsed due to overwork.

A moment of silence flows.

I quickly changed the subject of the conversation.

“Yoona-ssi, are you preparing for any work these days?”

She nodded at my words.

“Yes, I’m going to enter a movie. I think I’ll start working on a project right after this trip.”

“As expected, Yoona-ssi doesn’t take a long time to rest after finishing a project.”

At my words, she let out a short breath.

“That’s right. It’s not like I have anything to rest from.”

“Meeting friends… But, Yoona-ssi, don’t you have a boyfriend?”

Song Yoona raised her eyebrows at my question and asked.

“Why, are you going to introduce me if you have a good man?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“How can I date? Even if I’m just close to someone, there will be articles and chaos.”

I nodded at her words.

She was an actress who had established herself as a top star in Korea.

Even if she only mentioned someone on the show, articles would pour out.

Even more so, there were many cases where reporters would stick to her to dig up her boyfriend.

“I see… the internet will be buzzing if Yoona-ssi dates.”

“What about Hee-sung-ssi?”

She asked with sparkling eyes.

I shrugged and quickly replied.

“I’m not interested in women.”

As soon as I finished speaking, she opened her mouth wide and covered it with her hand.

Then she carefully asked me in a small voice.

“Do you… like men?”

“…Pardon?”

“No… well, I respect it. But I didn’t know you’d be so blunt… and casually spit it out….”

She barely continued her words with a very embarrassed face.

I chuckled at her attitude and replied.

“It’s not like that, I’m not a man or a woman right now. I mean that work is the best. Haha.”

“Ah… I thought what.”

She looked at me as if she was stroking her surprised heart and nodded repeatedly.

And she was drinking the wine in front of her, slightly raising the corners of her mouth.