An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 247

247. #45 – A 10,000-Year Life (2)

The fact that I was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor felt surreal.

Even after talking to Manager Kim, I was still lost in thought.

“Just being nominated for Best Actor is enough for me… I’ve done everything I wanted to do…”

The thing I wanted to do most as an actor.

What I wanted to be was at the pinnacle of acting.

Even though I can’t say I’m the best actor in Korea, considering all actors.

Still, I was proud to have been recognized with awards for my acting.

From the Rookie Award to the Popularity Award, to the Best Actor Award.

After that, I advanced into Hollywood, which every Korean actor dreams of.

Furthermore, I solidified my position in Hollywood by taking on leading roles.

I thought that was enough.

I didn’t have much time left in this life.

And I had accomplished so much as an actor while living as Jin Hee-sung.

But suddenly, at the very end, the Academy Awards came to me, and my head was filled with complex thoughts.

“The awards ceremony… would it mean anything to me to go…?”

In fact, meaning is up to the individual.

Winning an award would be helpful for my future acting career.

But now that I’m ending my life as an actor.

No, now that I’m ending my long life of 10,000 years, is it important to experience the Academy Awards?

I sighed deeply and shook my head.

The awards ceremony was one thing, but the reason I kept sighing wasn’t just because of my job as an actor.

It was my life that would disappear now.

And when I thought of those who would be left behind, I couldn’t help but feel upset.

I hadn’t given Manager Kim a definite answer yet.

I was still just worrying as time went by.

How much time had passed?

After taking a nap—or maybe it was a night’s sleep—in the darkness of the hotel.

“Haa… haa….”

I woke up in bed, sweating from the nightmare I had without fail today.

“This is really hard….”

Now, as soon as I woke up, I would immediately take a shower without a moment’s rest.

Even if I slept, it didn’t feel like sleeping; rather, I would wake up exhausted, my whole body covered in sweat.

As I barely came to my senses while showering, a sad smile spread across my face.

“But still, these hellish nightmares… if I just hold on a little longer, I won’t have to dream them, right?”

Now, instead of finding a way not to dream.

I thought that if I returned to nothingness, I wouldn’t have to experience such hardships.

I had been living in pain for a long time.

I worried that those left behind would be sad when I left, and I was heartbroken because I thought I would miss them too.

Perhaps I, too, was eagerly hoping that my 10,000-year life would end soon.

Me disappearing from this world.

I was convinced that was the only way for me to be happy, or rather, just escape from pain.

Now, I was counting down the days, waiting for the end as if waiting for that day.

I wanted to stop writhing in agony… now.

Even though I wasn’t getting enough sleep and was living with my eyes open, the fatigue was accumulating more and more.

It was obvious.

People need to replenish their energy by sleeping, but I hadn’t just ‘slept’ for months; I couldn’t even count how many.

At that moment, as I stared blankly into the air with hollow eyes.

Ziiing.

The alarm on my cell phone rang.

I raised my eyebrows and frowned as I looked at the screen.

A phone number I’d never seen before.

After getting a new cell phone in LA, I had never received a call from an unknown number.

In the first place, the only people who knew this number were Manager Kim, my parents, and Director David.

So, it was a cell phone that only received calls from those four people, and not even once had a call come from a new number by mistake.

“Who is it?”

I thought about answering the phone.

But since I was deliberately avoiding Manager Kim’s calls, I didn’t feel like answering a call from an unknown number.

I was just curious about who the call was from.

Soon, the vibration faded into the air, and the empty cell phone revealed a black screen again.

A little later, the cell phone started ringing again.

Another call from an unknown number.

The same number that had just called.

I stared intently at the last digits of the number and tilted my head.

“This number… why does it seem a little familiar? Do I know this person?”

Nevertheless, I still didn’t feel like answering.

Again, the call was disconnected.

I nonchalantly turned the cell phone over and changed my thoughts.

At that moment.

Ding-dong-.

The doorbell rang at the hotel entrance.

“…….”

A room where I hadn’t ordered room service or asked for cleaning.

I got out of bed at the sudden ringing of the doorbell.

And I looked at the calendar and made a *tsk* sound.

“The check-out date is still far away, what’s going on?”

Unlike the phone, I couldn’t ignore this doorbell.

Something might have happened to the room.

I carefully approached the door and opened it.

Sreureuk-.

As soon as the door opened, a person was looking at me with eyes widened as if they had been waiting eagerly.

“Hee-sung!”

“Huh?”

I was startled by the Korean words calling my name and threw the door wide open.

“Jin Hee-sung, you rascal. Why aren’t you answering your phone!”

“Seo-bin *Senior* [In Korean culture, a ‘senior’ (sunbae) is someone with more experience or seniority in a school, company, or field], why are you here….”

The person who had been calling me all this time.

The person who came to find me at the door of the LA hotel was Choi Seo-bin.

I shouted with wide eyes at his unexpected appearance.

“Senior, why are you here?”

At my words, he sighed deeply and replied.

“That’s what I want to say. Why are you here like this?”

“I… just wanted to rest alone…. By the way, how did you come here, Senior? How did you know I was here?”

The fact that I was staying in LA without returning to Korea was now known to most people.

Even though the movie had ended so successfully, I wasn’t active in Korea.

Even if they tried to keep it quiet, the story seemed to spread quickly.

But the fact that I was staying at this hotel was only known to my family and Manager Kim.

Manager Kim wouldn’t have been spreading the hotel address where I was staying all over the neighborhood.

“I wanted to see you, so I found you.”

Choi Seo-bin must have found out my hotel address and room number through Manager Kim.

At his words, I nodded and replied.

“I see. Did you really come just to see me, Senior?”

“Of course. I wanted to see your face after a long time and have a drink together.”

I chuckled at Choi Seo-bin’s scale and replied.

“Yes, shall we go out then? I haven’t been able to drink much near here, so I don’t know it well….”

We left the hotel like that.

I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since I had come to downtown LA.

Not far away.

We arrived at a small bar near the hotel, put a drink in front of each of us, and started talking.

“So, when are you going to come back to Korea?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Your work was a complete hit this time. Your value in Korea must be no joke right now, Hee-sung. Why aren’t you coming back?”

At his words, I nodded.

Value….

As I started my acting career, or perhaps in my 10,000 years of life, I might have the most expensive value right now.

But I didn’t want to move for that value.

It wasn’t the time to do that.

“Well… that’s true, but I wanted to rest a little.”

“That’s understandable. Since I’ve known you, Hee-sung, you’ve never rested.”

Chaeng- [Sound of clinking glasses].

We clinked glasses.

Choi Seo-bin started talking frankly.

“Hee-sung.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“To be honest, I was jealous of your talent.”

I couldn’t say anything at his words.

Sincerity was welling up from Choi Seo-bin’s words, and I was troubled about what kind of answer I should give to his words.

It was his inner thoughts that I couldn’t acknowledge or deny.

“So maybe the day we met when you said you were going to Hollywood. I think I was jealous of you then.”

“…….”

His words that he was jealous of me didn’t sound bad.

It’s only natural for people to feel envy and jealousy, no matter how close they are.

It’s not just a bad action or psychology.

As long as you don’t put down others while envying and envying them.

So, if you look at him and try to improve yourself, it will rather act as a positive element for you.

Choi Seo-bin and I couldn’t make eye contact.

At that moment when we were avoiding each other’s eyes, our eyes suddenly met in the air.

Choi Seo-bin raised one corner of his mouth and continued.

“But I’m not like that at all now.”

“Yes?”

“Now you’ve crossed the line to be jealous of, you.”

“Ah… no.”

Choi Seo-bin picked up his glass, clinked it with mine, and took a sip of his drink.

Then he smiled and replied.

“I heard you were nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards this time. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart. Now I just support you wholeheartedly.”

“…Thank you.”

“I’m proud and amazed by you. That’s why I’m proud of you.”

I could feel a gaze looking at me with satisfaction in Choi Seo-bin’s smile.

“Just by you, Hee-sung, going to the Academy Awards this time, you’ll be paving the way for Korean actors.”

At his words, I nodded instead of answering.

Choi Seo-bin raised his eyebrows and continued.

“Fly higher. So that Korean actors can also move forward. You’re becoming the leader.”

I could only close my mouth at his words.

Because I can’t say yes to him.

Because I can’t continue to lead Korean actors as the leader.

“Hee-sung?”

He urged me to answer.

I just moved my lips suspiciously and replied.

“Well….”

***

Chief Han looked at Manager Kim walking far away and shouted.

“Manager Kim!”

At his call, Manager Kim was startled and ran to him.

“Yes, Chief. Did you call me?”

“Oh, I was just about to contact you.”

“What’s going on?”

He moved his steps to one side of the company and said.

“Hee-sung, there’s still no news of him coming to Korea, right?”

“Yes, it doesn’t seem like it yet.”

At Manager Kim’s words, Chief Han nodded and sighed.

“Haa… that Hee-sung, if he was in Korea right now, he and the company would be raking in money.”

At Chief Han’s words, Manager Kim could only put his hands together and shake his head.

“By the way, sort out Hee-sung’s documents.”

“What kind of documents are you talking about?”

“There was talk about tax documents earlier, so go and check.”

“Ah… yes.”

Property tax and resident tax due to the house Jin Hee-sung has.

The taxes in his name were full of things to sort out.

And it was the agency’s responsibility to handle that task instead.

In other words, Manager Kim, Jin Hee-sung’s manager, had to talk to the company and resolve things.

Jin Hee-sung usually took care of the documents.

But since he was staying in LA for a long time, Manager Kim had to handle the work instead.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Okay. Do your job well, and tell me if there are any special circumstances.”

“Yes.”

Manager Kim quickly returned to his seat.

And he started sorting out the documents related to Jin Hee-sung.

Data received from Jin Hee-sung and numerous documents delivered through his lawyer.

Manager Kim examined them one by one and processed the work.

At that moment.

“…What is this?”

One document that made Manager Kim frown.

“Lawyer notarization?”

He hurriedly looked at the data, and the more he read, the more Manager Kim’s face began to distort.

“Will notarization? Crazy… what the hell is this….”

As soon as Manager Kim checked the documents, he jumped up from his seat and hurriedly called Jin Hee-sung.

The phone rings, but he doesn’t answer.

He stomped his feet and swallowed hard.

Then he continued to connect the phone to Jin Hee-sung without rest.