An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 226

226. Their Intentions (4)

* * *

Clang.

The bar door swung open, and a woman walked in.

A woman with long, black hair and snow-white skin entered the bar.

Large eyes framed by deep double eyelids.

A sharp nose and a captivating smile.

I recognized her instantly, even after all this time.

The woman smiling at me was Shin Da-young, my first love.

“Oh, Da-young’s here?”

“Wow, Shin Da-young, long time no see.”

Lee Myung-jin and Park Ji-on waved enthusiastically.

Shin Da-young returned their greetings with a smile.

Then, she turned her head and met my gaze.

“Hee-sung, how have you been?”

I looked up at her standing before me and offered an awkward smile.

“…Oh, it has been a while.”

She hesitated for a moment.

Shin Da-young glanced at Lee Myung-jin, who quickly slid over to the next seat.

She settled in next to me.

Park Ji-on immediately placed a glass in front of Shin Da-young and said,

“Hey, we’ve been calling you, but you never came. What brings you out today?”

Shin Da-young shrugged and replied,

“I had plans the last time you called. I just happened to be free today… and I heard Hee-sung was back after a long time….”

She stole a glance at me.

I smiled and raised my glass in acknowledgment.

Shin Da-young was what you’d call a ‘goddess’ back in college.

Every department seemed to have one – in the theater and film department, she was the most beautiful freshman.

The handsome guys were dubbed the ‘male gods’ of the theater and film department.

It’s a bit silly now, but we were young and prone to such nicknames back then.

The theater and film department produced a lot of actors and celebrities.

So, naturally, there were many attractive people.

Among them, Shin Da-young was so strikingly beautiful that even the upperclassmen and her peers acknowledged it.

The person sitting next to me, beautiful enough to be called a ‘goddess,’ was Shin Da-young.

She was quite famous around campus.

Students from other departments would even attend her liberal arts classes just to catch a glimpse of her.

She was practically everyone’s first love.

Of course, Shin Da-young held that kind of significance for me back then, too.

Shin Da-young raised her glass and clinked it against mine.

“Hee-sung, this is the first time I’ve seen you since graduation. It’s really great to see you like this.”

I nodded and took a drink.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time.”

Shin Hyun-soo, sitting across from us, looked back and forth between us and said,

“Come to think of it, the first love of the theater and film department is sitting together?”

I chuckled.

“Hey, Da-young was, but I wasn’t.”

Shin Hyun-soo frowned.

“No way. You were popular, too, you know.”

Park Ji-on nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, how many girls from the piano department and fashion design department asked me for your number back then!”

Park Ji-on shook his head, lost in memories.

We laughed at his exaggerated reaction.

“Ji-on, you got that, too? I also heard that I looked like an squid [ugly] while hanging out with Jin Hee-sung. Damn it.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“Okay, isn’t everyone just embellishing their memories? Haha.”

We drank and reminisced about the past.

As the empty bottles accumulated, the conversation naturally stayed focused on our college days.

“Hee-sung, didn’t you have a crush on Da-young back then?”

Shin Hyun-soo raised his eyebrows suggestively.

I didn’t feel uncomfortable by his question.

It was so long ago.

A past that was now just a memory.

“That’s…”

Park Ji-on, sitting next to me, cut me off with a smirk.

“Hyun-soo, who *wouldn’t* have liked Da-young? I liked her too, and maybe that guy liked Da-young too?”

Park Ji-on gestured past me, pointing to Lee Myung-jin.

He laughed heartily, and Lee Myung-jin nodded.

“That’s right. Honestly, we all had a crush on Da-young as soon as we started college, right?”

Park Ji-on laughed and nodded at Lee Myung-jin’s words.

“That’s right. Da-young was so pretty, kind, and friendly.”

Shin Da-young covered her mouth and giggled.

“What, you guys liked me?”

Shin Da-young smiled brightly, clearly enjoying the reminiscing.

“Well… what’s the point? It’s ancient history.”

We nodded, watching her shrug.

“Remember how no one confessed to me when I was a freshman?”

I rolled my eyes playfully.

Come to think of it, Shin Da-young, despite her popularity, never had a boyfriend.

“Really? Weren’t you getting confessions every day?”

She frowned and shook her head at Lee Myung-jin’s words.

“No. A lot of people wanted me to introduce them to someone, but no one actually confessed? It’s strange….”

Lee Myung-jin and Park Ji-on spoke almost simultaneously.

“It must have been because you seemed unattainable.”

“Yeah, I think so too. You were practically a goddess at school, so it wasn’t easy to approach you and confess.”

Shin Da-young pouted and shrugged.

Clink.

Another round of clinking glasses.

One by one, our cheeks flushed from the continuous drinking.

Shin Da-young looked at me, her face slightly red, and asked,

“Hee-sung, you haven’t changed a bit.”

“Really?”

I rubbed my face self-consciously.

“Yeah, seeing you reminds me of college.”

I chuckled and nodded.

“We had so much fun back then, staying up all night practicing acting… doing homework.”

“That’s right. You were always so enthusiastic. You practiced more than anyone else, so I guess that’s why you became such a good actor.”

“I appreciate you saying that. Haha.”

She stared at me intently, picked up her glass, leaned closer, and clinked it against mine.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Let’s.”

Clink.

Shin Da-young held my gaze as she drank.

Her eyes seemed filled with nostalgia.

“I’ve watched all your dramas and movies.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“I saw the article about you doing a project in Hollywood, and I bragged about it to everyone. ‘That Hee-sung is my friend,’ I told them.”

Shin Da-young said with a smile.

Park Ji-on and Shin Hyun-soo, sitting across from her, nodded in agreement.

“Me too. I bragged that Jin Hee-sung is my friend.”

“That’s right. It’s nice to brag about having a famous friend. A lot of people don’t believe me, so can we video call next time?”

I smiled.

“Haha, sure.”

Just then, Shin Da-young pressed her head with her hands and muttered,

“Ah… I have a headache.”

Her face was flushed with alcohol.

I turned to her and said quietly,

“Da-young, maybe you should stop drinking if you’re getting a headache.”

She leaned close to my ear and whispered,

“Do you want to go out for some air with me?”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Now?”

“Yeah, I have a headache… please come out with me for a bit.”

Shin Da-young tugged at my arm.

Before I could answer, she called out to the others,

“I’m going to the convenience store with Hee-sung for a bit. Anyone want ice cream?”

Park Ji-on flinched and said,

“Let’s go together.”

Shin Da-young waved her hand dismissively.

“No. Then Hyun-soo and Myung-jin will be bored, right? It’s right across the street, we’ll be back quickly.”

“Still…”

Shin Da-young grabbed my arm and stood up.

“Hee-sung makes a lot of money, so I’ll buy ice cream with Hee-sung’s money.”

She smiled brightly and pulled me along.

We left the bar and headed to a nearby convenience store.

“Hee-sung, shall we sit here for a bit and get some air?”

She pointed to a bench on the street within sight of the convenience store.

I nodded.

“Let’s.”

Sitting side by side, watching the cars go by, Shin Da-young took a deep breath.

“Haa… seeing you like this makes me think about the old days.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I liked you back then, too.”

“…….”

I bit my lip.

Like everyone else in college, I had feelings for her.

But I suppressed those feelings to focus on acting.

She was always a classmate, a fellow actor, and a close friend.

But it seemed she knew about my feelings.

“So… what about you?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

She turned to face me directly.

I frowned.

“No… nothing like that.”

I avoided her gaze.

She moved closer, leaning into my space.

“Then what are you doing tomorrow? How about just the two of us meeting up?”

Shin Da-young stared at me with moist eyes.

She was my first love, a feeling I had buried deep inside.

The Shin Da-young I had feelings for back then didn’t feel like this.

That pure time, and my heart.

Time had passed, and that feeling was no longer the same.

And Shin Da-young had changed, too.

As friends, we could meet for coffee or a drink.

But her intentions now didn’t seem so innocent.

I didn’t want to give her an ambiguous answer.

I turned to face her, looked into her eyes, and said,

“Da-young.”

“Huh?”

She looked at me expectantly.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can tomorrow.”

“Then another day? Together…”

“No, I don’t think I can another day either.”

She bit her lip.

“I want to try to reconnect with you. Seeing you after so long, my old feelings are coming back…”

I cut her off.

“Let’s remain good alumni, good memories, and good times.”

“…What?”

“Memories are most beautiful when they remain memories. The me in those memories might have had feelings for you, but the me now doesn’t.”

“…….”

She avoided my gaze.

I slowly stood up.

“Let’s pretend this conversation didn’t happen. The others are waiting, let’s quickly buy ice cream and go back.”

* * *

Seoul, where I returned after a week-long vacation.

I headed to the company as soon as I arrived.

“Hee-sung, did you have a good rest?”

“Yeah, did you have a good rest, too, hyung [older brother/male friend]?”

He smiled.

“Of course. I only ate Korean food for a week? Haha.”

“Me too.”

I glanced at the schedule calendar on his desk.

“Hyung, is Jeffrey’s movie being released simultaneously in Korea?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, it’s a simultaneous release, but the date hasn’t been set yet.”

“Really?”

Manager Kim rummaged through his diary.

“But it looks like the release will be earlier than we discussed. The editing is going quickly, and I think he wants to release it before James’s movie.”

“Well, I guess so. They must be playing a game of wits.”

He nodded.

I raised my eyebrows, looking at Manager Kim.

“Hyung, should I start working now?”

“What kind of work?”

“I’ve rested enough, so I thought it would be good to do some promotional appearances.”

Manager Kim seemed to have been waiting for me to say that.

“I was just about to ask if you wanted to do any entertainment or other programs for promotion.”

“That’s great. Let’s do it. The release date hasn’t been set, but it’ll be out in a few months. If I do some entertainment shows, it’ll naturally promote the movie.”

He blinked.

“Okay. I’ll look for some programs and let you know.”