An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 263

263. #47 – Following Instinct (6)

“Haa…”

I stretched as I greeted the morning.

I felt more refreshed than usual.

My head didn’t even throb.

I hadn’t dreamed, and I didn’t wake up even for a second after falling asleep.

I stretched my arms out and got up from where I was lying.

I slightly opened the tightly closed curtains and looked out the window at the bright sunlight.

Numerous cars moved busily below.

The sparkling Han River made the surroundings look beautiful.

I stared blankly at the scenery for a moment.

“This house has a really great view.”

Song Yoona’s house had a view that could rival any observatory.

I admired the view for a moment before turning around.

I tiptoed carefully toward her bedroom, worried that she might wake up.

I crept along, checking for any sign of her stirring.

Fortunately, Song Yoona seemed to be in a deep sleep, as I couldn’t hear any sound from inside.

I gently closed the slightly open bedroom door.

The night I spent with Song Yoona…

Actually, it wasn’t the first time I had spent the night at her house.

When I came to Song Yoona’s house last time,

I had to hide to avoid being caught by paparazzi.

So, I spent the night at her house and left.

But the difference was that now, my relationship with her was more than just ‘colleagues.’

Perhaps this felt like our first real night together.

But even though we held hands and watched a movie together last night, nothing particularly special happened.

Song Yoona slept in her bed in her bedroom.

I slept on the wide living room sofa.

The relationship between her and me, or at least the relationship between Song Yoona and me as I felt it, was by no means a short and easily formed one.

In the 10,000 years I have lived, Song Yoona was the only person I have truly loved.

So, she was even more special to me.

People often say that they give up something to gain the person they love.

But no one would have given up something as desperately as I did.

I gave up returning to ‘nothingness’ from this life of repeated suffering and chose reincarnation [rebirth into a new life].

In other words, I had to live for another 10,000 years to be with Song Yoona.

So, my meeting with her was so precious to me.

Talking to Song Yoona, making eye contact with her.

Everything, no matter how trivial, was precious and valuable.

So, I wanted to get closer to her slowly, one step at a time, without rushing.

Because I have so many days to live in the future.

“I don’t know if I can touch someone else’s kitchen…”

I stood in the kitchen, scratching my head, wondering if she might feel uncomfortable with me using it.

“I want to make her breakfast, even if it’s simple.”

I quickly scanned the ingredients.

I had to find a dish that I could make without rummaging through her kitchen ingredients too much.

Then I saw the pantry where she had brought the bread last night.

I carefully went inside and took out a few things.

Tak-

I cracked an egg into a bowl and whisked it.

Then, I soaked the bread in the milk.

Cheek-

I put the bread on the heated frying pan and started preparing breakfast for her.

Several minutes later.

A small breakfast was prepared, with attention paid to the plating.

I was about to go wake up Song Yoona when…

“…What is this?”

She looked at the table with a bewildered expression.

I sat down in the chair in front of her and replied.

“Sit down quickly.”

“Did you make all this yourself?”

I smiled at her, who asked with wide, surprised eyes.

“Of course. Oh, I used some eggs and bread from the pantry.”

“Yeah, you can use them.”

At her words, I raised my eyebrows and began to list the ingredients I had used.

“And… I used some butter and fruit, and salad…”

She burst out laughing at my playful answer.

“Okay, so you’re saying you raided the house to make this, or something?”

I shrugged, trying to hold back my laughter.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“You plated it so beautifully; I’ll have to see if it tastes as good.”

She smiled, cut the French toast into small pieces with a knife, and took a bite.

She dabbed the corners of her mouth with her hand as she smiled and took a sip of coffee.

Then she looked up at me and said.

“But you know.”

“Yeah?”

“You said you wanted to retire.”

Her sudden mention of retirement surprised me.

I hadn’t told her that I had put the decision on hold, so I tilted my head and asked.

“Why all of a sudden?”

Song Yoona’s gaze was fixed on the coffee, not me.

“Even if you retire… it doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean…”

She had been trying to persuade me not to retire for so long.

I expressed my bewilderment at her sudden statement that I could retire.

Then, she scratched her neck, looking embarrassed, and muttered.

“Even if I have to support one more person, I can make enough money.”

Song Yoona finished speaking and began to eat her toast with her head bowed.

I couldn’t help but smile at her words and attitude.

I had no intention of living off the money she earned.

But the fact that she was saying these things to me made me smile.

I grinned and nudged her arm.

“Do you have any schedules today or tomorrow?”

She shook her head with her mouth full of toast.

I raised my chin and said.

“Then let’s go on a trip.”

* * *

“Wow, this is so exciting!”

Inside the car speeding down the open road,

the music was blasting, and the wind was blowing coolly through the open windows.

Song Yoona was moving her body with a very excited expression.

I couldn’t help but smile at her.

And it had been a long time since I had taken such a spontaneous trip.

A trip without any thoughts or plans.

I was going to go wherever my feet took me, wherever I wanted to go right now.

However, the most important thing for us was that we needed a place with few people.

If we wanted to go on a date in downtown Seoul, or even just go out for some fresh air,

a mask, hat, and clothes or a scarf to cover our faces were essential.

The only place where we could shake off all these things and relax was a place where no one would recognize Song Yoona and me.

Overseas or a remote rural area.

“If we go deep into the mountains of Gangwon-do [province in South Korea], there won’t be any people, right?”

At my words, she nodded vigorously and replied.

“Of course. Besides, we’re just going to be in the pension [rental cabin or resort], so why would we meet anyone?”

“Well, we did book a secluded pension.”

We set off on a thrilling journey, just being together.

Holding hands tightly.

A few hours later, we arrived at a pension in Gangwon-do.

As expected, there was no one in sight.

Just in case, I went down alone to check in to the pension.

Fortunately, the owner of the pension was an elderly couple.

Thanks to the sunglasses and mask that covered my face, they didn’t seem to recognize who I was.

“Yoona, you can come in.”

I gestured to her, who was sitting in the car, hiding.

We entered a secluded rural village pension far from the city center.

“Wow…”

She entered the pension and immediately looked around with her mouth open.

“I thought it would be big because it’s a private house. It’s even better than I saw in the pictures.”

Song Yoona took pictures like a person seeing a full villa pension for the first time and liked it like a child.

I watched her with a happy smile and filled my eyes with her.

“You like traveling to the countryside during your breaks, right? Have you never been this way?”

Song Yoona nodded at my question.

“Yeah, no matter how much I like coming to the countryside to enjoy myself, I’m staying alone, so I haven’t come this deep.”

“Well, it would be boring to come here alone to rest. It’s also dangerous to be alone.”

She looked at the barbecue equipment visible through the window and raised the corners of her mouth.

“Let’s do that later. I want to do some ‘bulmung’ [staring blankly at a fire] too!”

“Let’s do it. Let’s play for a while and then go grocery shopping. Let’s buy some meat and stuff and eat and play.”

“Okay!”

Song Yoona looked around the pension with a very excited face, and I could see from her expression

that she usually didn’t enjoy these little things.

Somehow, I had known about her hobbies for a long time.

Her hobbies during her breaks, which I had heard through Manager Kim.

Hiking or traveling alone to a small pension in a rural village.

She had started her acting career at a young age.

Unlike others, she had a lot of special experiences.

But she didn’t seem to have enjoyed the small and trivial daily life that ordinary people enjoy.

Even though I also had the job of an actor and my face was known,

I had no regrets because I had more experiences than anyone else in 10,000 years.

But Song Yoona seemed to feel that this daily life was special and amazing.

She enjoyed the pension with a constantly excited face.

She seemed to be enjoying this place comfortably without wearing anything to cover her face.

How much time had passed?

The brightly shining sunlight had already begun to disappear.

We checked the time and jumped up from our seats.

“It’s already this time.”

“I know. I’m getting hungry.”

I picked up my coat from the sofa and said.

“I’m going out to do some grocery shopping. Rest here.”

“No, I’m going too!”

“I can go alone. You might run into people.”

“I can stay in the car. I’m going too!”

She followed me, grinning as if everything was just exciting.

Because it was in a remote mountain village, we moved by car.

After driving for several minutes, we arrived at a small downtown area.

We parked in a small supermarket parking lot.

We couldn’t get out easily and looked around,

quickly checking to see if there were any people who would recognize us.

The dark rural village was so deserted that it was even more difficult to find people passing by.

At the sight, we made eye contact and nodded.

“I’m glad we came here.”

“I know. But just in case, I’ll go in and do the grocery shopping alone.”

At my words, she drooped her eyebrows as if she was disappointed.

“Ah… I want to go too.”

“But just in case.”

Song Yoona nodded gloomily.

No matter how she felt, I couldn’t move according to her wishes.

You never know when and where you might run into people.

I’m okay, but a scandal might not be a ‘benefit’ to her, who is an actress.

“Stay here. I’ll do the grocery shopping quickly and come out.”

“…Okay.”

I left Song Yoona in the car and entered the supermarket.

For her sake, I started grocery shopping more quickly than ever.

I had written down what I needed to buy in advance, so grocery shopping didn’t take long.

A little later,

I headed to the car with a box full of luggage.

As soon as I put the luggage in the trunk, I quickly approached the driver’s seat.

“…Huh?”

But the passenger seat was empty.

“What is it? Where did she go?”

I was startled by Song Yoona’s empty seat and quickly got out of the car.

I called her.

But I couldn’t just stand there, so I walked around looking for her while continuing to call.

And my steps stopped before I had moved far.

A familiar silhouette in the distance.

It was definitely Song Yoona.

“I told her to just stay in the car, but she got bored and went out.”

I chuckled at her attitude and let out a sigh of relief.

I stopped calling and put my cell phone in my pocket.

And as I took one step, one step closer to her, I saw other people.

The men surrounding Song Yoona were not alone.

The people surrounding her were blocking her from going anywhere, front and back.

The corner was hidden from my view.

I couldn’t know how many people were inside.

However, she seemed to feel uneasy as she looked in the direction I couldn’t see.

“…Damn it, I should have come out alone.”

But it was no use regretting it now.

I quickly moved my slowly walking steps and approached her.

Then, she turned her gaze and made eye contact with me.

Song Yoona kept her mouth shut, but she seemed to be saying something to me by rolling her eyes to the side.

It was like telling me to run away.

It was certain.

Because she kept moving her eyes towards the car.

I shook my head at her.

There was no way I could run away alone in this situation.

And now I couldn’t see anything else.

Only Song Yoona, who was caught by those thugs.

I looked at Song Yoona with rough breaths.

“These bastards…!”

Then, I rolled up my sleeves and started running towards her.