An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 233

233 #41 – Fruition (3)

Over ten billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD].

I wanted to show my gratitude to Manager Kim for everything he had done and give him the best wedding gift possible.

So, I gifted him the dream car he had always wanted.

In that moment, I felt like I was someone special, and it was an incredibly happy and exhilarating moment.

Is spending money on someone and giving them a gift such a happy thing?

And still, the remaining balance in my account was over 10 billion won.

I stared blankly at my bank balance, my face still reflecting disbelief.

“I want to use it meaningfully for something….”

A splurge for myself.

I wanted to give myself a gift for working so hard, but…

There was nothing I particularly wanted.

“I’ve lived for 10,000 years… there’s no way I’d have any materialistic desires….”

I chuckled as I thought about the life I had lived.

The things I had splurged on for 10,000 years.

I had bought countless necessary items and expensive things for myself.

Beyond those necessities, I had bought everything I wanted, even if it was pure luxury.

Living for 10,000 years, I had done everything I wanted to do, everything I didn’t want to do, things I had to do, and things I shouldn’t do.

Perhaps that’s why, even with this much money, I didn’t feel a strong urge to do something for myself.

“I’ve already done too much.”

And then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind, and I snapped my fingers, getting up from my seat.

***

After contemplating how to use the ten billion won meaningfully and effectively,

I spent very busy days.

The first thing I did was to buy a house for my parents.

I spent weeks looking at houses in my parents’ area alone.

Now, it was time to bring my parents to that house.

“So, where are we going to eat?”

My parents, who were in the car, looked around, unaware of anything, and asked.

“I’m going to stop somewhere before we eat.”

“Okay, Dad isn’t too hungry either, right?”

At my mother’s words, my father smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s okay if Heesung has somewhere to go.”

“Okay, just a moment.”

The car, which had been driving, soon stopped at the apartment I had contracted for.

I barely swallowed the smile mixed with pride that was about to burst out and opened the car door.

“Mom, Dad. You can get off here.”

“Isn’t this an apartment?”

“Yes, I have something to do here for a moment.”

“Alright.”

My parents were bewildered, but they still got out of the car at my words.

I quickly moved towards the unit I had contracted for.

A pounding heart.

A house I worked hard to find for my parents.

A series of moments I was so excited for, wondering if they would like it and how they would react with joy.

Ding-dong.

The elevator stopped.

I stood in front of unit 3001, smiling as I looked at my parents tilting their heads.

“Mom, Dad. This is where I said I was stopping.”

“What’s going on suddenly in such a nice apartment?”

My mother looked around and asked me.

My father also said to me.

“Yeah, this is a really nice apartment. I know that this apartment has only one unit per floor. Especially this Building 101 is known to be incredibly large, but it doesn’t seem like a unit for commercial use here?”

Since this was naturally my parents’ neighborhood, there was no way they wouldn’t know about this apartment.

I raised the corners of my mouth and opened the door as if opening my own house, clicking the password.

My parents, frowning and following with a bewildered look as if asking what was going on.

I immediately opened the door and shouted.

“This is Mom and Dad’s house now!”

“What?”

The spacious living room.

The view was needless to say, as it was on the 30th floor.

My parents followed me with wide eyes.

My mother still asked me as if she couldn’t believe it.

“What is this place?”

“This is Mom and Dad’s house now.”

“No… it doesn’t seem like a new house? All the appliances and furniture are already in here. What is this….”

At her words, I smiled brightly.

“Mom, I bought all of this. How is it? I tried my best to choose according to Mom and Dad’s tastes, do you like it?”

My father looked around the house with a flustered face and asked me as if he couldn’t believe it.

“What, is this a joke? Don’t mess with your old parents.”

“Haha, Dad, it’s real. Do you like it?”

As soon as I finished speaking, my parents’ eyes turned red.

My father bit his lip and held back tears.

“Heesung… no, how can you use the money you worked so hard to earn on us….”

My mother finally shed tears on both cheeks as if she was sobbing.

At their appearance, my vision gradually blurred.

I quickly hid the tears in my eyes, sat down, looked at my parents, and continued to speak.

“I earn a lot of money now. It means I’m a son who is capable of being filial [showing respect and devotion to one’s parents] to his parents to this extent.”

“Still….”

“Mom, Dad. And I want you to retire from work now. I can send you enough allowance every month. Mom, Dad, you’ve had a hard time….”

My father swallowed his tears and cut me off.

“Heesung, I’m really grateful for your heart, but we can’t stop working. Rather, it’s harder for us to rest.”

At his words, my mother opened her mouth with a tearful voice.

“That’s right. You have to prepare for your future now, and we can take care of our own retirement.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more.

Do I have a future?

At this point where 10,000 years of life is coming to an end….

I shook my head vigorously and said with a smile.

“No. I can definitely do this much for my parents who raised me so well. I’ll keep working and earning money, too.”

There was a moment of silence.

But my father broke the silence and said to me.

“Son, then how about this?”

“Yes?”

“Instead of giving us an allowance every month, let’s buy a building with that money. The prices will be expensive in Seoul, so I think it’s better to buy a building here and steadily increase your assets by receiving rent. What do you think, son?”

At my father’s words, I stroked my chin and pondered.

But soon, I had no choice but to nod.

Because this was not Seoul, I was able to buy such a large and scenic house.

And if I were to leave this world….

I wouldn’t be able to give my parents an allowance every month.

I thought it would be better to leave this building and return it to my parents.

“Okay. Then Dad knows more about real estate, and Dad knows this neighborhood much better. Mom, Dad, look for a building and manage it.”

At my words, my father nodded contentedly.

“Okay, we’ll work hard to find out for our son’s future.”

The sight of my father still with tears in his eyes and my mother continuing to wipe away tears.

I barely swallowed my tears as I looked at such parents.

And the money that was used most meaningfully.

Even thinking about the drastically reduced bank account, I was so proud and smiled involuntarily.

It must have been to feel this kind of feeling that I have lived so hard.

***

One month later.

I thought I had rested enough now.

A long rest spent with my parents, having let go of work.

And thanks to that, Manager Kim also spent the final stages of wedding preparation fruitfully.

Now it was time to find a project again.

Sitting in the practice room, waiting for Manager Kim, when.

A KakaoTalk [Korean messaging app] notification from my father.

I raised my eyebrows and picked up my cell phone.

-Son, we signed the contract today for those buildings we saw together last week. Three buildings. The building names are ‘Jin’, ‘Hee’, and ‘Sung’ in order.^^

The buildings I had been looking at with my parents for nearly a month at my parents’ house.

In the end, it seemed they had signed contracts for the three buildings they liked.

I burst out laughing at the building names my father had made.

“Really… even naming the buildings. He only knows his son. Haha.”

At that time.

Manager Kim burst into the practice room.

He was holding two large bags in his hands.

“Hyung [term for older brother or close male friend], what’s all that?”

“These are scripts.”

“That’s all?”

He smiled and nodded, then dumped the scripts in front of me.

“I’ll go meet the head of the headquarters for a bit. Look at these.”

“Okay.”

Scripts left behind after Manager Kim left.

“Wow….”

I stared at the scripts piled up in front of me with my mouth open.

This was an enormous amount compared to the scripts I had received so far.

The number of scripts itself was incomparable to before.

No, beyond the quantity, the projects and the roles I would play had changed drastically.

Hollywood projects were noticeably visible.

And projects from countries other than the United States were also frequently seen.

The dream I had always hoped and wished for.

I looked at the script and murmured with a full heart.

“There are really only a few steps left to achieve my dream….”

And I hurriedly began to flip through the piled-up scripts one by one.

The scripts each captivated my heart.

Before, no matter how many scripts were piled up, it was not easy to find a project that attracted my heart.

Just scripts of such projects.

There were many scripts that made me wonder if they had come to me.

If it was a matter of finding a gem among many scripts.

Now, all the scripts were like gems.

That meant my position had risen that much, and I shouldn’t choose a project that was like a gem as before.

Now, it’s not just a project that can appeal to me.

I have to choose a project that can prove me.

***

This crowded place.

I quickly took out the prepared envelope and handed it over.

Eyes widening in surprise at the sight of my envelope.

“…Wow.”

Yellow bills packed so thickly that the four corners of the white envelope were torn.

I smiled and held out the envelope.

The man, regaining his senses at the sight, said to me.

“Ah… right. How many meal tickets should I give you?”

I smiled brightly at his flustered words and stretched out my index finger.

“Please, one ticket.”

“Yes, here….”

“Thank you.”

I turned to Manager Kim, who was right next to me.

Looking at him, I opened my mouth.

“Wow, groom. You look like a completely different person when Hyung [term for older brother or close male friend] dresses up like this?”

“Really? Haha, that’s a relief.”

“Yeah. Today, Hyung [term for older brother or close male friend] is the celebrity, and I’m the manager. I’ll do my best as the emcee, so don’t be nervous and enter 멋있게 [meot-issge, meaning ‘coolly’ or ‘impressively’].