An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 227

227. #40 – Her Intentions (5)

I had been filming overseas for several months, and with the premiere coming up,

I hadn’t been looking at scripts to find another project.

My first Hollywood film with Director Jeffrey.

It would be the stepping stone, and I didn’t know what the next project would be.

And the company also thought it was too early to decide on the next project.

They just told me to rest.

But I went to the company every day to keep my edge.

I didn’t have a script to practice at the company, but.

I worked out to build my body and practiced by reading scripts for various roles.

Because no one knows what role I’ll get in the next project.

It wouldn’t hurt to prepare in advance.

As usual, I went to the company to practice when.

Knock knock.

Manager Kim knocked on the door of the practice room with a smile.

“Oh, hyung [older brother or close male friend].”

“Heesung, were you practicing again?”

He stared at the pile of scripts in front of me, his mouth wide open.

“Yeah, I’m trying to practice with roles I haven’t done before.”

Manager Kim looked at me with a pleased smile.

I tilted my head, looking at Manager Kim.

“But hyung, why are you here all of a sudden?”

“Ah, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

He pulled up a chair and sat down, saying to me.

“The variety show I mentioned last time. We got one.”

“Really?”

I closed the script I was looking at and sat down in front of him.

“Yeah, we’ll be filming within this month, and the broadcast date is….”

He explained the variety show to me.

I frowned and focused on what Manager Kim was saying.

Because the movie’s release date hadn’t been set yet, so we couldn’t get the dates exactly right.

The broadcast date was the key.

“Hmm… that’s good. I wish the release date would be set soon.”

“Right. But everyone already knows that you filmed with Director Jeffrey in Hollywood through the articles. I think it would be good to gradually imprint you on the public from now on.”

I nodded at his words.

“That’s true. If I go on a few famous variety shows and then do more around the time of the premiere, that should be enough.”

“Yeah. Actually, even if you don’t do variety shows, you have a lot of fans, and Director Jeffrey has a lot of fans, so it’s enough.”

Manager Kim said with a smile.

I smiled at his words and asked.

“Still, I have to promote it hard. It has to do better than James’s movie. But hyung, what’s the variety show we got this time?”

He snapped his fingers at my words.

“That’s right. The variety show we got this time is ‘Saturday Chat’.”

I exclaimed at Manager Kim’s words.

“Oh, ‘Saturday Chat’. Isn’t that one with incredibly high ratings these days?”

He smiled at my answer.

“Yeah. You know how after that show ends, there are always memes circulating on social media, and a lot of edited versions come out, right?”

‘Saturday Chat’, a variety show that airs at 7 PM on Saturday, the golden time.

It is the number one variety show in terms of viewership ratings across all three major broadcasting stations.

The show consists of one MC [Master of Ceremonies, host] and one guest.

It’s not easy to appear on the show because it only features one guest per week.

“I know. Hyung, only huge celebrities appear on that show.”

He nodded and replied to my words.

“That’s right. These days, new dramas and movies come out and go in quickly. So there are a lot of celebrities who have to come out to promote, but the competition is fierce because there’s only one guest.”

“Wow, but you got that show?”

I gave Manager Kim a thumbs up.

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“Who do you think I am? I have to work hard for your sake. Haha.”

“Wow, if I go on there, the promotion will be really good. Hyung, thank you.”

Manager Kim shook his head at my words and replied.

“No need to thank me. I only do well if you do well. Actually, it’s only natural for me to do this.”

I looked at him, bit my lip, and said.

“I’ll go out there and promote it properly.”

***

Weekend morning when I don’t go to work.

I went to work every day to work out and practice acting, but it was the only day off of the week.

As I was sipping coffee, looking at the warm sunlight, when.

“That’s right!”

I quickly grabbed my cell phone, remembering something that suddenly came to mind.

And after checking the date, it was the week I was supposed to contact Song Yoona to meet.

I called Song Yoona to make a dinner appointment.

Because if the date was delayed any further, I didn’t know what I would hear from her.

The signal rang a few times, and then I heard her voice.

-Hello?

“Yoona-ssi [term of polite address], can you talk?”

She let out a short sigh at my cautious question.

-Haa… what is it? You said you’d contact me this week, but it was almost next week.

I jokingly opened my mouth at her words.

“I’m sorry. Were you waiting for my call a lot?”

As soon as I finished speaking, she shouted into the phone in a flustered voice.

-No, I wasn’t! I was just worried that the appointment would overlap. Geez, who was waiting for who….

“So Yoona-ssi, what are you doing today?”

She seemed to pause for a moment at my words.

-Um… I’m busy today….

“Shall we postpone it to next week then?”

-No, it’s okay. Let’s just meet today. I’m going to be busy all next week too.

“Ah, are you okay today?”

-I’m busy today too, but I can spare some time. Buy me something delicious instead.

“Okay. Let’s have dinner together then.”

-Yes, let’s do that.

I listed several restaurants in Gangnam [affluent district in Seoul] that I had found in advance to go with Song Yoona.

“The ones I found are that restaurant in Gangnam that I talked about with Yoona-ssi, or the restaurant on the top floor of the BH Building….”

Before I could finish speaking, she opened her mouth as if to stop me.

-No, both of those places are so crowded!

“It’s crowded because they’re famous, but I chose them because they’re both private.”

-What if people see us? Are you trying to cause another scandal?

I smiled and replied to her words.

“That’s why we should go to a famous and crowded restaurant. If we go to a secluded place, there will be another scandal.”

-Huh? What do you mean….

“Have you ever seen a couple secretly dating go to a crowded place to avoid a scandal? I’ll meet you and take the lead so that there won’t be a scandal.”

-How?

“I have a plan. Let’s go to the place where Yoona-ssi wants to eat.”

She made a ‘tss’ sound and chose a restaurant.

-Then let’s go to the BH Building.

“Okay. I’ll see you later, Yoona-ssi.”

-Okay.

***

As soon as I hung up with Song Yoona, I contacted and made a reservation at the BH Building restaurant.

I arrived on time and headed into the restaurant.

“Hello, I have a reservation under the name Jin Heesung.”

The employee looked up, recognized me, covered her mouth, and looked around.

“Oh my, you’re actor Jin Heesung, right?”

I smiled and nodded at her words.

I came to the restaurant without wearing a mask or even a common hat.

Rather, covering my face completely and meeting Song Yoona would be more of a scandal.

There were no celebrities who dated openly.

I came to meet Song Yoona, revealing myself to prove that we were not in a relationship.

The employee looked at me with sparkling eyes and said.

“I’m a big fan.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“That’s right, I’ll guide you to your seat quickly.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Just as I arrived at my seat and took a sip of water.

“Heesung-ssi.”

Song Yoona approached me, hiding her face with glasses, a hat, and a mask.

I stared at her with wide eyes.

“Yoo… Yoona-ssi?”

“Yes, what’s wrong? How can you come without covering up at all? You even made the reservation under the name Jin Heesung.”

She quickly turned her head to see if there were any reporters or paparazzi around.

I waved my hand at her.

“Yoona-ssi, first take off that hat, mask, and glasses.”

“No. I really can’t have another scandal, okay?”

I quickly opened the camera on my cell phone and showed my face on the screen.

Then, I turned my body and included Song Yoona’s face on the cell phone screen and opened my mouth.

“Yoona-ssi, look here. Let’s take a picture together.”

“Huh? A picture?”

She naturally posed when she saw the camera.

I smiled as I looked at the picture that was taken.

“I’ll post this picture on social media first. I have to take the lead before the reporters make a scandal.”

She tilted her head.

“Before they say we’re lovers like last time, I’m going to post on social media first that we’re friends.”

Only then did she nod her head and take off her hat.

-‘Eating with a ‘friend’^^.

A short sentence written with a selfie taken with Song Yoona just now.

And I tagged Song Yoona’s social media account in the photo.

Then, I held out the screen to her and said.

“I’m going to post it like this, how is it?”

Song Yoona burst into laughter at my words.

“Okay. I was wondering what you meant by taking the lead, but this is it.”

I registered the post at the same time as she spoke.

“Now let’s eat comfortably, us.”

Song Yoona nodded, letting out a sigh of relief at my words.

After a long meal.

I looked at the cell phone I had placed on the table.

The screen was ringing with countless social media notifications.

I quickly opened social media, and countless comments were posted on the photo I took with Song Yoona.

I burst out laughing at the comments and said to Song Yoona.

“Yoona-ssi, there are so many comments on the post we uploaded earlier.”

“What are they saying?”

“Do you want to see them together?”

I asked her, fixing my gaze on my cell phone.

Song Yoona nodded and replied with a smile.

“Yes, let’s see them together.”

I pulled my body towards the table and held out my cell phone.

She also came closer to me and looked at the same screen together.

-LOL. See, they were just friends.

-The combination of their faces is crazy.

-If they dated, it would have been a visual coupleㅠㅠ [crying emoji, meaning sadness or disappointment].

-I knew it, he wasn’t dating Song Yoona! Thank goodness.

-I approve of the Jin Heesung and Song Yoona friend combination!

-May your friendship last forever~!

-They’re eating with a ‘friend’, so there won’t be any reporters writing articles again, right? LOL.

Song Yoona smiled as she looked at the comments.

She glanced at me and said.

“It’s quiet, just like Heesung-ssi said.”

“See? What did I tell you? I told you there wouldn’t be another scandal, right?”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

At that time.

Ting-.

The cell phone rang.

Our gazes, which had been looking at each other, naturally turned to my cell phone.

The notification that appeared at the top of the screen.

It was a message on social media.

‘evelyn: I miss you….’

It was a message from Evelyn, who I had worked with.

She sent the message with a wistful tone.

I raised my eyebrows with a puzzled look on my face.

Song Yoona, who had been smiling, instantly erased her smile.

Her expression was close to serious.

“What… is this?”

“Yes?”

Song Yoona held up the cell phone and handed it to me, asking with a serious expression.

“Evelyn, that actress I saw in Hollywood last time.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

When Song Yoona came to visit the set, she exchanged greetings with Evelyn.

She frowned and opened her mouth to me in a cautious tone.

“By any chance… are you two like that?”

I ended up bursting into laughter at her serious question.

“Haha, no.”

She shrugged her shoulders and swallowed hard.

“What is it? Don’t answer with a laugh, tell me seriously. What are you two?”

I scratched my head and replied to her continued serious questions.

“We’re nothing… I think she just sent it because she remembered me after seeing my post?”

“Still, saying she misses you and even putting ellipses after it….”

I quickly waved my hand in the air.

“And if I was going to have something going on with Evelyn, it would have happened when I was in America. We’re nothing.”

Song Yoona bit her lip and muttered.

“Still, you were working then….”

I quickly took the cell phone and turned the screen face down.

“It’s going to get cold. Yoona-ssi, eat quickly.”

She raised her eyebrows and said at my words.

“Aren’t you going to reply to Evelyn?”

Song Yoona’s gaze was fixed on my cell phone, not me.

I picked up the cell phone with my hand and put it in my pocket.

Then, I looked at Song Yoona and shook my head.

“It’s not urgent to reply to Evelyn, and I’m eating with Yoona-ssi right now.”

“…….”

The corners of her lips were faintly curving at my words.