An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 24

#7 – If It’s a Hindrance (1)

The smile had vanished from Director Bae’s face, a face that had been perpetually smiling since the script reading began.

It was the first time his expression had hardened since the start of the day.

Was he trying to diffuse the tension?

Or did he want to salvage the atmosphere and regain control, hoping for praise?

Park Min-joon smiled awkwardly and unfolded his script to the page filled with annotations.

Then, with a forced bright smile, he presented the page to Director Bae.

“I thought it would be better if these lines were included, so I prepared this!”

A few seconds of silence hung in the air.

Director Bae stared coldly at Park Min-joon, who was holding the script open.

Park Min-joon blinked, taken aback by the director’s gaze.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he slowly lowered the script onto the table.

The opened script closed with a powerless thud.

Director Bae frowned, his expression fierce.

“If you’re going to ad-lib like that, let’s just not do it at all.”

The slight smile that had lingered on Park Min-joon’s lips vanished instantly.

He immediately lowered his eyes and mumbled.

“…I’m sorry.”

Director Bae’s glare sharpened.

“Let’s go again.”

Park Min-joon slowly raised his head to repeat his lines.

His eyes met mine as he looked in my direction.

I stared intently into Park Min-joon’s eyes and subtly twisted the corners of my lips into a smirk.

There was no way he didn’t know that his ad-lib was an unnecessary attempt to provoke me.

He saw my expression, and his face immediately flushed red.

He couldn’t lash out here, so he was seething with suppressed rage.

A ㄷ-shaped table with an open space in the middle.

Thanks to the design, Park Min-joon’s hands were visible beneath the table.

Both hands were clenched into tight fists on his thighs.

On a day when so many actors were gathered.

Moreover, he had received harsh words from the director during the first script reading.

And all of it in front of me, the person he wanted to impress so much.

It was satisfying, to say the least.

However, I quickly suppressed my emotions, ensuring the feeling didn’t show, and continued with my lines.

***

“Good job, everyone!”

“Everyone worked hard today. Let’s see each other on set.”

Director Bae and the writer were the first to rise from their seats.

As they opened the door and left, the actors’ managers began to enter the script reading room, as if they had been waiting for the signal.

“Yuna, you worked hard today.”

Song Yuna gave a curt nod to Chief Choi’s words and handed him her bag.

Chief Choi accepted it naturally and guided Song Yuna.

“Are you tired? Let’s get to the car quickly.”

Song Yuna and Chief Choi got into the car parked at the entrance of the parking lot.

As soon as Song Yuna settled into the back seat, she leaned back, reclining the seat.

Chief Choi looked at her through the rearview mirror and began to speak.

“Yuna, how was the script reading today?”

She frowned, as if annoyed by Chief Choi’s question, and replied.

“Of course, I did well.”

Chief Choi smiled, making an effort despite seeing Song Yuna’s displeased expression.

“I know our Yuna always does well without me having to say it.”

Soon, the car stopped at a red light.

Chief Choi turned to her and asked cautiously.

“How were the others?”

At his question, Song Yuna sighed and straightened her seat.

“Well… it was okay.”

At the short answer, Chief Choi nodded and shifted his gaze forward.

“Okay. Rest up.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Yuna made a small noise, as if to get Chief Choi’s attention.

“Ah, but.”

Chief Choi quickly turned around and asked, as if pleased to hear her speak.

“What is it?”

“That annoying guy came again, didn’t he?”

“Annoying guy?”

Chief Choi tilted his head, feigning ignorance.

Song Yuna frowned and elaborated.

“You know, that chestnut-like kid.”

“Who is the chestnut…”

Chief Choi’s eyes darted around, then he snapped his fingers as if he had remembered.

“Ah, the one who appeared in ‘Yellow Flower’ together…!”

She interrupted before Chief Choi could finish.

“Yeah, that’s right. That chestnut.”

“Jin Hee-sung?”

She said in a dismissive tone.

“Well, I’m not interested in the name. Anyway, he got a supporting role, right?”

Song Yuna raised her eyebrows, as if a thought had struck her.

“Don’t tell me… you didn’t sneak that chestnut in as a supporting role after seeing that I was going to be the lead, did you?”

Chief Choi shook his head vehemently and replied.

“Hey, absolutely not. I know you hate that kind of thing the most, would I ever do that?”

“Then how did that chestnut get into a mini-series as a supporting role so quickly?”

Song Yuna glared at Chief Choi with suspicious eyes.

“Hee-sung must have passed a public audition and won the role.”

Song Yuna flinched at the answer, then crossed her arms and nodded.

“That’s a relief.”

Chief Choi smiled and replied.

“Well, you know I would never do anything you hate.”

At his words, Song Yuna pouted and turned her head towards the window.

Chief Choi glanced at Song Yuna through the rearview mirror and spoke.

“But Hee-sung’s story is the first to come up?”

Song Yuna replied in an annoyed voice.

“It’s because I’m worried he might have snuck in using my name. Don’t you know I hate people causing trouble for others the most?”

“I know.”

Chief Choi laughed awkwardly and tried to smooth things over.

“I was just curious.”

“Humph.”

“But did anything impressive happen with that friend today?”

At the persistent questions, she turned her head sharply and looked at Chief Choi, who was watching her through the rearview mirror.

“No. What’s impressive about someone like that?”

“Is that so? I was just asking in case.”

Chief Choi looked ahead and replied lightly.

“Just in case, you don’t have to worry about Hee-sung… I mean, that chestnut. A top actress like you doesn’t need to worry about a minor supporting role at all.”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

“Well, I guess so.”

“So, what do you think of this drama?”

“It doesn’t seem bad.”

Song Yuna closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, signaling that she didn’t want to talk anymore.

***

The car drove for a long time and arrived at a set in a remote location.

As soon as I got out of the car, my eyes widened as I took in the surroundings.

I expected the set to depict the Japanese colonial era [period in Korean history from 1910-1945] because it was a historical drama.

But I didn’t expect it to be such a detailed recreation of that time.

I’ve never lived through it, but it felt like I had been transported to the middle of the Japanese colonial era.

Buildings made of gray bricks.

Old wallpaper and posters.

Even the Japanese signs that were visible everywhere.

It was the backdrop of that era that I had always seen in movies and dramas.

After getting out of the car, I remained rooted to the spot, captivated by the set.

I had only heard about sets, but this was the first time I had been cast in a related role, so the location felt incredibly immersive.

As I slowly walked forward, taking in the details, I spotted a streetcar.

I felt like I had seen this small green streetcar with Japanese writing on it somewhere before.

This space where Kim Doo-han and Gu Majok always fought.

The place I saw in the drama ‘Age of Ambition’ [Korean historical drama], that’s where it was.

I had watched the drama with interest when I was young, so I chuckled as I looked at the streetcar and the open space.

Turning around, I saw a building with flickering lights that seemed precariously maintained.

This is the space where Song Yuna, who plays the role of a dancer, mainly appears.

As soon as I saw the building, the scene I had witnessed in my dream suddenly flashed in my mind.

The bar I used to frequent as a clockmaker.

It was very similar to that building.

The scene and situation I had experienced at that time resurfaced, and at the same time, Song Yuna’s face overlapped with the memory.

Song Yuna and the dancer.

What’s the connection?

Lost in thought as I stared at the building, Shin Sung-hyun approached.

A supporting actor I had first greeted at the script reading.

“Hee-sung!”

“Ah, Sung-hyun. It’s been a while.”

“I know. Have you seen the set, Hee-sung?”

He seemed to have just arrived on site.

He looked around, his mouth agape.

“This is my first time seeing a set like this, it’s amazing.”

Shin Sung-hyun’s lips curled into a smile.

“By the way, I was impressed at the last script reading.”

“Yes?”

When I asked him to clarify, he leaned closer and replied.

“On the way back after the script reading, I kept thinking about Hee-sung’s acting. What should I say… I was drawn to it without realizing it?”

He frowned deeply, his face serious.

I waved my hand dismissively.

“No way.”

Then, I gave him a thumbs up and said.

“And Sung-hyun’s acting was great too! I’m looking forward to today as well.”

“Haha, okay. I’m going to go change my clothes. See you later.”

“Yes.”

As soon as he left, I headed straight for the staff.

“Hello!”

Whether I’m a minor actor or playing a supporting role in a mini-series, nothing changes.

I made my way to greet the staff one by one.

I never even considered that the treatment would be different just because I was playing a supporting role.

“Yes, hello.”

“Have you arrived?”

The staff’s reaction to my greeting was noticeably different from when I was a minor actor.

I definitely felt a shift in the atmosphere towards me, even though I was only a supporting role.

I wondered what it would be like when I finally became the lead.

When I was a minor actor, I was grateful if they simply ignored my greeting without responding.

More often than not, they would shout and scold me.

‘You’re in the way, don’t come here.’

‘You’re messing up the flow, get out of the way.’

Director Bae was engaged in a serious conversation with the assistant director far away, so I didn’t want to interrupt.

Unlike the script reading, the set was a real battleground, and I didn’t want to disrupt their focus by approaching them when they were so sensitive and concentrated.

At that moment.

A large vehicle entered the set.

A black, luxurious van.

Black vehicles are notoriously difficult to maintain, but this one gleamed with a pristine shine.

If it’s such a luxurious large van and the maintenance is so meticulous…

It must belong to a lead actor.

Supporting actors or those below that level usually don’t have many individual schedules, so they share vehicles with other actors in the agency.

As a result, the vehicle maintenance is often more neglected compared to top actors who have exclusive use of a car.

Maybe Choi Seo-bin or Song Yuna will emerge from that car?

As I pondered, watching the door.

The van door slid open smoothly.

The person stepping out of the car.

It was Choi Seo-bin after all.

He emerged from the car with a sharp, cool demeanor and began to walk in my direction.

He didn’t seem to be heading towards anyone in particular, but simply approaching the set.

His towering height and striking features.

Were enough to capture everyone’s attention.

As Choi Seo-bin drew closer, some of the staff around me paused what they were doing and looked up.

“Have you arrived?”

“Hello, Seo-bin.”

Unlike my experience a little while ago, the staff greeted Choi Seo-bin first.

Moreover, some of the staff even bowed deeply.

The attitude towards famous actors was definitely different.

However, I didn’t feel angry or jealous.

It’s rare to encounter famous actors like Choi Seo-bin, so everyone must have wanted to greet him.

I considered it a natural reaction.

Rather, it fueled my desire to work harder and reach the top.

Choi Seo-bin continued to approach.

I bowed my head towards him.

“Hello.”

After greeting him, I raised my head, and Choi Seo-bin acknowledged my greeting with a relaxed expression.

“Yes, hello.”

He maintained his smile and suddenly stared at me intently.

“Oh, wait a minute…”

“Yes?”

He frowned, scrutinizing my face, then cautiously asked.

“Have we… met before?”

“…Yes?”