An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 26

#7 – Getting in the Way (3)

Filming continued non-stop for several weeks.

Since the broadcast was scheduled to begin immediately after the pre-production of episode 8, they ramped up production as quickly as possible.

Because of that, sleeping at home became a rare treat.

Of course, I could go home on days when filming wrapped early.

But since the set was a bit far from Seoul, I usually ended up catching naps in the car.

As soon as I heard that filming was about to start, I hurried out of the car.

Then, I immediately went to where the staff were and watched the scene.

Actually, it wasn’t my scene to film.

The reason I came out in such a hurry was to see Choi Seo-bin’s acting.

Well, it wasn’t *just* to see Choi Seo-bin in particular.

I had been observing the overall atmosphere of the set and the actors’ performances for the past few weeks.

Because of that, I was able to quickly grasp the dynamics on set.

And I was able to identify and learn from the strengths of various actors.

Director Bae looked disheveled, sporting a beard he hadn’t shaved for weeks.

Hiding his face under a hat, he held the megaphone and shouted again today.

“Ready, action!”

Choi Seo-bin, the main actor, must have been sleep-deprived due to the heavy filming schedule.

Yet, as always, he stood in front of the camera with a radiant complexion.

And soon, with a sharp look in his eyes, he began the scene.

“How is the progress going?”

The other actor lowered his head and replied.

“If you give me a little more time…”

“Haa, time?”

His face turned sharply cold.

The change in expression in an instant made even the staff next to me, including myself, furrow our brows.

“I don’t know why I have to wait for that time.”

He spoke sharply in a low tone without raising his voice.

The actor acting opposite him was trembling.

He kept blinking his eyes as if he had actually done something wrong to Choi Seo-bin, unsure of what to do.

His face flushed red, and he quickly bowed deeply.

“I’m really sorry. If you give me four more days, I’ll take care of it right away…”

Choi Seo-bin reached out without saying a word.

Then, his words stopped, and Choi Seo-bin closed his eyes tightly.

The expression of suppressing anger was clearly visible.

And soon, Choi Seo-bin opened his eyes again.

After glancing at the script held by the staff next to him, I saw that the script ended with Choi Seo-bin closing his eyes.

However, I tilted my head, puzzled by Choi Seo-bin’s action of opening his eyes before the ‘cut’ sign was given.

Choi Seo-bin took off the fedora he was wearing and placed it on the desk.

Then, he bent down and stared intently at the other actor, opening his mouth.

“Two days. If you don’t solve it within that time, you will be responsible for everything.”

Choi Seo-bin’s expression and tone sent chills down my spine.

I looked at the script again, but it was definitely not in the script.

Director Bae’s voice rang out immediately.

“Cut, okay!”

Director Bae’s expression was satisfied.

He laughed heartily and nodded.

“Seo-bin, that last ad-lib [improvised line] was so good.”

Choi Seo-bin, who instantly relaxed his cold expression, smiled and opened his mouth.

“Was it okay, Director?”

“Of course. It was a perfect fit, I loved it.”

“Haha, thank you.”

During the script reading a few weeks ago, Director Bae had reacted coldly to Park Min-joon’s ad-libs.

Because of that, I thought Director Bae hated ad-libs.

However, Choi Seo-bin added ad-libs most of the time, except for scenes where the emotional intensity was maximized or scenes that the writer considered very important.

Of course, there were ad-libs that were agreed upon in advance before the shoot, but there were also many cases where that was not the case.

Nevertheless, whether it was because he and Director Bae were on the same wavelength, his ad-libs always received the okay sign.

So, Director Bae looked at Choi Seo-bin with even more affectionate eyes.

I hadn’t done any ad-libs so far.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do any ad-libs.

But I judged that it was right for me to show a performance that was perfectly restrained and most faithful to the script.

Park Min-joon, who had been severely scolded at the script reading, also had no ad-libs after that.

The next scene started right away, and I continued to stay and watch.

It’s beneficial if the actor is good at acting.

But if you only practice acting alone in a room, your skills will inevitably improve more slowly.

I think it’s very important to see what kind of acting other actors do, how they immerse themselves, their acting style, and the atmosphere on set.

Unlike my previous roles as a minor actor, there was a lot to learn on this set.

When I played a minor role without any setup, I had to film one scene at a time and leave.

But now, starting with understanding the emotional arc of the role I’m currently playing.

There was so much to study, such as understanding the relationship with other roles, the overall flow of the set, and the inner workings of this place.

I liked the set because there were so many things to learn besides just acting.

That there are many things to learn means that I can develop.

I immediately focused and fixed my gaze on the filming set.

***

A place filled with white smoke.

In the middle of it, two chairs with tall backs.

The chairs were made of red velvet fabric.

The edges were dyed gold so dazzlingly.

And a large screen placed in front of the two chairs.

Two people sitting in those chairs.

People called gods by humans.

They looked at the video on the screen and began to speak.

“Isn’t this friend’s last reincarnation this time?”

The man in the fedora asked.

“That’s right. He’ll live exactly 10 years this last time and then die.”

The man in the black cloak raised one corner of his mouth and replied.

“10,000 years… Isn’t that a very short time as a human?”

The protagonist of the video on the monitor was moving busily.

“A short time…”

The man next to him crossed his legs and replied to his words.

“10,000 years… That’s the thousandth life.”

“But even if you end your thousandth life, you don’t necessarily die, do you?”

The man in the fedora leaned back in his chair and asked.

Right next to him, the man in the black cloak was shaking his head and sighing.

“That’s right. But how painful it is to live a life where you can’t die and live forever, don’t you know better?”

“That’s right…”

He lowered his head and continued.

“I’ve only lived 300 years, but even that was too painful for me.”

“The thousandth life in the human world.”

He threw his cloak back and said.

“After living like that for a while, the moment of choice comes with all the memories of his past lives.”

“That’s right. With all those memories, it’s an important moment to decide whether to live a thousand more lives or ascend [reach enlightenment and leave the cycle of reincarnation].”

The man in the black cloak burst into hearty laughter.

“It’s also fun to watch this decision.”

The man in the fedora next to him tilted his head.

“But how can you endure that pain again? I think everyone will choose to ascend.”

He stopped laughing and said.

“That’s right. The humans I’ve seen, even those who have lived for hundreds of years, have all chosen to ascend.”

“But what crime did that guy commit?”

***

Choi Seo-bin watched the filming set from next to the staff with his arms crossed.

A scene where the tension between Jin Hee-sung and Park Min-joon was palpable.

Ice-cold, suffocating lines.

“Don’t ever do it like this again.”

Park Min-joon’s cold voice.

He glared at Jin Hee-sung with sharp eyes.

“Cut! Okay.”

Director Bae nodded and shouted.

“Let’s go to a full shot right away.”

The acting continued again, and Choi Seo-bin frowned and tilted his head.

‘Jin Hee-sung… It’s not that he can’t act, but why does it suddenly feel like he can’t fully immerse himself in the role?’

He stared intently at Jin Hee-sung’s acting once again.

Then, Choi Seo-bin’s manager approached him and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Seo-bin, what are you looking at so intently?”

“Acting.”

At his words, the manager asked with a worried face.

“You have so many scenes to shoot today, why don’t you take a break? How can you not rest because you’re always watching other actors’ acting like this?”

“I still have to see what I need to see.”

The manager nodded and asked.

“Who’s filming now?”

Then he turned his head and looked at the place where filming was in progress.

“Ah… you’re watching because Min-joon is over there?”

“Who?”

“Weren’t you watching Min-joon over there?”

“That shaggy-haired guy on the left?”

Choi Seo-bin reached out and pointed to Park Min-joon.

“Oh, right. He’s in the same company as us.”

“I heard.”

The manager asked back with surprised eyes.

“You knew?”

Choi Seo-bin scratched his head and said.

“He came to greet me after my acting was over.”

At his words, the manager smiled with a satisfied expression.

“He’s polite.”

“He came and said he was my direct junior [someone who joined the company after you], and asked me to take care of him. So I just thought, okay.”

Choi Seo-bin looked at Park Min-joon and asked the manager.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], but how is he? Is he okay?”

He looked at the air at Choi Seo-bin’s question and answered.

“Well, I don’t think his acting is bad.”

Choi Seo-bin shook his head with a dissatisfied face.

“But he’s not the style that Director Bae would like.”

The manager leaned towards Choi Seo-bin and said.

“That’s right. He’s the kid our company plugged in this time.”

At his words, Choi Seo-bin’s expression suddenly hardened.

“…Really?”

“Yeah, why? Is he not good?”

“No, it’s a big role. He’s a supporting character at the lead level, so I wondered why Director Bae would pick him.”

The manager watched Choi Seo-bin’s expression and answered.

“Our WG Entertainment arranged the casting from the beginning.”

“What?”

“Since you’re going as the lead, they said they’d give WG Entertainment a good role.”

Choi Seo-bin stroked his chin as if he was uncomfortable.

“Since they’re using you as the lead, it’s natural for the company to put one of WG Entertainment’s kids in that role.”

“…So I’m the one who brought him in?”

At his words, the manager nodded instead of answering.

“Hyung, then what about the kid next to him?”

“He’s from HS Entertainment.”

“I know that. Is he a rookie?”

“That’s right. He’s a rookie who doesn’t know anything.”

At his words, Choi Seo-bin nodded slowly.

“Then that means he got in through an audition?”

“That’s right. Come to think of it, didn’t he exchange a few words with you?”

Choi Seo-bin raised his eyebrows at Jin Hee-sung’s story.

“Yeah, we filmed a scene together two days ago.”

“How was it?”

“The lines were definitely ordinary?”

Choi Seo-bin frowned as he recalled that time.

“But strangely, I was able to immerse myself so well when I was saying lines with him.”

The manager stared intently at Jin Hee-sung at Choi Seo-bin’s words.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he was a bit unique.”

The manager made a tsk sound and asked.

“Jin Hee-sung… should we find out about him?”

Choi Seo-bin smiled and shook his head.

“It’s okay, it’s nothing.”

“Okay, tell me if you’re curious. The managers have gotten closer.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s go to the car to rest until the next scene.”

When the manager pointed to the van in front, Choi Seo-bin blinked as if he understood.

They turned around and walked to the car.

Before taking a few steps, Choi Seo-bin slightly turned his head and looked at Jin Hee-sung acting.

‘There’s something strange about him…?’