An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 273

273. #50 – Responsibility (1)

After discussing the casting for the movie ‘Turntable’ with CEO Park,

A week had passed.

During that time, the actors within WG Entertainment who had been freeloading on ‘Turntable’ were reportedly stepping down one by one.

I personally witnessed at least five WG Entertainment actors during the script reading.

I heard that, in addition to these five, several more actors were appearing in supporting and minor roles.

The company was re-coordinating with all of these actors, which took some time.

However, they couldn’t remove all the actors WG Entertainment had pushed in.

They reached a compromise with Director Cheon, confirming about a third of those actors’ appearances.

Only then did I receive a call.

[Caller: Director Cheon Ji-ho]

I answered the call from Director Cheon with mixed feelings of joy and apology.

It wasn’t as if I had forced WG Entertainment’s actors into this project.

Nevertheless, the issue originated within my agency.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“Hello?”

– Heeseong, how have you been?

“I’m fine. How have you been, Director?”

– I’m always the same. The thing is, our filming schedule has been pushed back a bit, so I’m calling to let you know.

“Yes, I heard about it from my manager a few hours ago.”

– I figured. But I wanted to tell our lead actor myself.

“Thank you. Haha.”

– As you know, Heeseong, we need to recast the actors, so it might take some time.

“Yes, I know. I’m sorry, Director.”

Director Cheon quickly responded, sounding surprised by my words.

– Oh, why are you sorry? It’s not like you knew about it.

“Still, it happened within my company… I’m sorry.”

– No, it’s thanks to you telling the company that we’re recasting.

“I heard that not all of the originally cast actors were removed…”

– Yes, not all of them, but a little over half have been removed.

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped me at Director Cheon’s words.

Even though I had informed the company, some of those actors were still remaining in the project.

However, he spoke with a smile, as if to comfort me.

– I’m okay with this much. Even if it’s not all of them, I can still cast the characters I initially envisioned… Thank you so much.

“It’s nothing. That’s how it should have been from the start.”

– Hey, that’s just how this industry is. If you want to bring in good actors, it’s a common occurrence [referring to the practice of including less-talented actors due to connections].

I simply nodded at Director Cheon’s words, unable to respond.

He continued to speak in a bright voice.

– I’ll set the future schedule quickly, and I’ll contact you again as soon as it’s decided.

“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Director.”

– Let’s film even better, as much as it’s been delayed.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

After ending the call with Director Cheon,

I sighed in anger and frustration towards the company.

“Haa…”

10,000 years of memories.

As everything was revived, an unimaginable amount of vast experience accumulated.

Thanks to that, even at the young age of Jin Heeseong, I could clearly see everyone’s mental calculations and dark intentions.

In particular, Executive Director Choi’s intentions to obstruct were completely obvious to me.

However, I couldn’t blame only Executive Director Choi.

No matter how high his position as an executive director was, this wouldn’t have happened without CEO Park’s approval.

And CEO Park above him.

He was no different.

“WG Entertainment… I thought it would be different since it’s a leading company in this industry. But it’s no different from other places.”

Whether it’s the top 3 or top 5 entertainment companies.

Entertainment agencies that only care about their own interests were no better than any other place.

No, perhaps WG Entertainment, called a large corporation, might be even worse.

CEO Park, who told me to trust him and go forward.

In the end, he wasn’t acting for the company’s benefit, but only taking a step back.

* * *

After the ‘Turntable’ schedule was delayed,

I was filled with even more desire for the project and devoted myself to practice.

As I was immersed in practice every day,

My rest day overlapped with Song Yuna’s, so I headed to her house for the first time in a while.

A typical afternoon, taking a break like office workers on the weekend.

We were enjoying a date that was no different from other couples.

Except that the date location was her ‘house’ or our ‘house.’

Our date locations were very limited, as we couldn’t go out on dates publicly.

The place she and I enjoyed visiting the most.

We sprawled out on the sofa, watching movies together.

And spending time talking.

Although it was inconvenient to have limited locations,

Nevertheless, just being with her was a very peaceful and happy date for me.

Of all my daily life, this time with Song Yuna seemed to be the most like myself.

In the midst of this, she suddenly got up and asked me.

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Sure.”

Song Yuna smiled and brought the coffee.

We sat side by side, looking at the Han River.

“Oh, right, when does the movie start?”

“Not yet. They’re recasting now, so I think it’ll take some time.”

She nodded at my words and took a sip of coffee.

“Seriously, that new executive director is the problem.”

“Yeah. I didn’t know I’d have a headache because of something like this.”

At my words, Song Yuna shrugged and said to me.

“But this kind of thing happens often.”

“Have you experienced it a lot, Yuna?”

At my words, she nodded with an indifferent expression.

“Of course, I’ve experienced it in so many projects…”

She sighed and clicked her tongue as she continued.

“It’s common to have actors who aren’t well-known being forced in by the main actor’s influence.”

I frowned and asked her.

“What did you do each time?”

Song Yuna pouted and shrugged.

“I just pretended not to know, even though I knew. To be honest… I’m not even interested in the actors who come in like that.”

“Still… they didn’t get in because of their acting skills or abilities.”

Song Yuna raised her eyebrows with an uninterested look.

“That’s for them to figure out. If they can’t act, they’ll get criticized by the director and the viewers. I just think it’s fine as long as it doesn’t affect my role.”

I didn’t intend to argue with her.

This wasn’t a matter of right or wrong.

It was just a difference in thoughts and perspectives.

Having risen from a very small role, I couldn’t just ignore these things.

It was the tyranny of a large corporation that was taking away the opportunities of many other actors.

I sighed and took a sip of coffee, thinking of them.

Song Yuna stared blankly at me, and then something seemed to come to her mind, and she snapped her fingers.

“Oh, right!”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“It’s the day the settlement money [payment for work done] comes in.”

At her words, I checked the date and time.

“That’s right. It’s almost time for it to come in.”

“Since we work at the same company, our paydays and times are the same.”

Although all companies are the same.

Still, the settlement money was transparent because it was a large corporation.

There were no lies about the amount of appearance fees, the deduction rates, and the settlement details.

At that moment.

Ding-dong-

An alarm rang on Song Yuna’s cell phone.

Ding-dong-

At the same time, a deposit alarm rang on the cell phone in my hand.

At the sound, Song Yuna burst into laughter.

“We got paid at the same time.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, looking at the deposit amount on my cell phone screen.

I already knew the settlement amount through Manager Kim.

I was just checking if the amount that came in was correct.

Although I hadn’t filmed any movies or dramas since my last project in Hollywood,

Nevertheless, my income was quite satisfactory because there were still settlements for advertisements and appearance fees.

I nodded and turned off my cell phone screen.

Only then did Song Yuna pull the cell phone on the table towards her.

She didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding her income from me.

Or maybe she just opened the screen without thinking.

She opened her cell phone screen while it was on the table.

“Hmm… I wonder how much came in this month…”

She didn’t seem to know her settlement amount, and she checked the deposit amount with sparkling eyes as if she was curious.

Even if I didn’t try to secretly look at her income, I could see the amount together through her cell phone in front of me.

Nevertheless, I glanced at her phone, trying not to make it obvious.

……?

As soon as I saw the screen, I hurriedly covered my wide-open mouth.

“Uh… uh…?”

The sound that naturally came out with admiration.

It was a number with one more digit than the deposit amount that was deposited into me.

Song Yuna burst into laughter at my eyes, which had grown wide.

“What, did you see my amount, Oppa [term used by younger women to address older men] ?”

“No… I wasn’t trying to peek, but you were looking at it so openly, how could I not see it…”

I pointed to her cell phone and exclaimed.

“But how can the amount be so… much bigger than mine…”

At my words, she swept her hair behind her ear and said with a playful expression.

“Oppa, you must have forgotten. I’m Song Yuna.”

At her words, I clapped my hands and shook my head.

“That’s right. My girlfriend is Song Yuna.”

Song Yuna wrinkled her nose and patted my shoulder.

“Oppa, you have to work a little harder. It’s not easy to get as high as me.”

I sighed as if to respond to her playful tone.

“Haa… I worked so hard, but it’s still far away, it’s unfair.”

Song Yuna smiled and hugged me.

* * *

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink with you alone, Hyung [term used to address older brother or male friend] .”

At our favorite bar with Manager Kim.

We raised our glasses high and clinked them together.

Clink-

Manager Kim drank the alcohol in one gulp before even eating the snacks and asked me.

“That’s right. It’s been a really long time since we drank together.”

“Yeah. We’ve drank a lot with other people, but it’s been a while since it was just the two of us, right?”

He nodded and said.

“But why did you suddenly ask to have a drink? Is something wrong?”

Manager Kim asked me, sounding worried.

I shook my head and replied.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to drink with you, Hyung, after a long time, so I contacted you.”

“Good.”

Manager Kim smiled and filled my empty glass.

We continued a conversation between people, not about work, after a long time.

“How are you doing these days, Hyung? Is married life good?”

At my words, Manager Kim nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

“It’s so good. The Hyungs I know say that it’s better to get married late, or not at all. But I really like it.”

“Well, you look much better since you got married, Hyung.”

Manager Kim took a sip of alcohol and asked me.

“Heeseong, don’t you have any thoughts about marriage?”

“Hey, I have to act.”

“It’s not like you can’t act after you get married.”

I chuckled at his words and replied.

“That’s true, but… I don’t have any thoughts yet.”

Since I had lived a new life every 10 years,

I had never thought about ‘marriage.’

Apart from marriage, I had suppressed the emotion of ‘love’ itself.

Manager Kim looked into my eyes and opened his mouth as if giving sincere advice.

“Heeseong, whether it’s Yuna or anyone else. If you think this is the one, get married. Having someone who is always on your side, your person, someone you want to protect and cherish… I can’t express it all in words.”

At his words, Song Yuna’s face suddenly came to mind.

Someone I want to protect and cherish….

Even if I lived for another 10,000 years, it seemed like Song Yuna would be the only one.

“Heeseong?”

As I was lost in thought, thinking of her, Manager Kim tilted his head and called me.

Only then did I look at him and playfully open my mouth.

“Hyung, you’ve become a complete lover after getting married.”

As soon as my words were finished, he smiled and said to me.

“Heeseong, actually…”

I swallowed hard, looking at him hesitating to speak.

Manager Kim took a deep breath as if his chest was full and said to me.

“I’m… going to be a dad.”

At his words, I opened my eyes wide and shouted.

“Wow, really?”

Only then did Manager Kim smile brightly and nod vigorously.

“Wow… congratulations. It feels like it was just yesterday that you had your wedding, and now you’re going to be a dad.”

Clink-

We immediately raised a toast.

As soon as I swallowed the bitter alcohol, Manager Kim let out a deep sigh.

“What, why are you sighing as soon as you talk about good news?”

At my words, he made a sound and said.

“I have a lot of worries.”

“What do you have to worry about right now, as someone who’s going to be a dad?”

He sighed and looked at my face, murmuring softly.

“Whether I can continue to do this job as a manager….”