An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 275

275. Episode 50 – Responsibility (3)

After repeated delays to the movie ‘Turntable’s’ schedule, the blame fell squarely on Executive Director Choi and CEO Park.

My faith in WG Entertainment was crumbling. I’d never had much faith in Executive Director Choi to begin with.

But I *had* trusted CEO Park. That day, after the script reading, I’d raised my voice in his office, but ultimately deferred to him because I trusted him completely.

But in the end, nearly half of the actors who were forced upon the production remained cast in ‘Turntable.’

The disastrous script reading kept replaying in my mind, making my head throb.

Actors who were fundamentally wrong for their roles.

Awkward performances, like watching them wear ill-fitting clothes.

Of course, some of them were excellent actors in their own right.

However, regardless of their individual skills, it was painfully obvious that the casting choices were a mismatch.

It’s an actor’s job to try and overcome such challenges, but there are limits.

There was a clear ceiling that even the best acting couldn’t break through.

No matter how talented an actor is, a heavy-set person simply can’t convincingly play a character described as skinny. Similarly, someone with a naturally deep voice can’t convincingly portray a character with a high-pitched, thin voice.

In that regard, I was deeply dissatisfied with the miscasting.

The reasons why miscasting should be avoided were obvious.

If an actor who is wrong for the role acts alongside me, it will make the audience uncomfortable and pull them out of the story.

The company had only cut half of the unwanted roles as a compromise between me and Executive Director Choi, but I wasn’t satisfied.

That’s why I ended up heading to the company.

I wanted to move to another agency immediately.

“I really shouldn’t have renewed my contract back then….”

It wasn’t just this single issue, either.

Once something like this happens, there’s no guarantee it won’t happen again on the next project.

I’d heard from Director Cheon that half of WG Entertainment’s actors had been cut, but I wanted to hear directly from the company *why* they hadn’t cut *all* of them.

The clause in my contract that stipulated I wanted to act under my desired conditions… and the fact that the first project under that contract had already gone wrong.

I wanted to move to another company right away, but I wanted to confirm things directly, considering the minimum ‘professional courtesy’ I owed the company.

It wasn’t that I was planning to live my entertainment life recklessly.

I simply wanted to perform in good projects, under good conditions, as an actor.

Even though I didn’t think that was such a difficult request.

This whole situation, which had been messed up from the very beginning, was incredibly stressful.

Executive Director Choi was the one who caused all of this.

I headed straight to his office.

“Hee-sung, what’s going on? Why are you here without any notice?”

Executive Director Choi greeted me with a distinctly unpleasant expression.

He glanced around the room and then asked, “Where’s Manager Kim?”

“I came alone. There’s something I need to confirm.”

At my words, he gestured towards a chair and replied, “What do you want to confirm…? First, sit down.”

“Yes.”

We sat facing each other.

I didn’t want to waste time on trivial conversations, so I immediately got to the point.

“‘Turntable.’ I heard you only removed half of the actors who were brought in from WG Entertainment.”

At my words, he raised his eyebrows and nodded.

“Yeah.”

I frowned at his nonchalant attitude, which didn’t even offer a hint of an excuse.

“I told you before. I told you to remove *all* the actors who were brought in after I joined this project.”

Executive Director Choi smirked and said, “Oh, I *did* remove them all. The actors who are left were cast based purely on their skills.”

Actors who were cast based on their skills, huh?

I couldn’t believe his words, and frankly, I didn’t *want* to believe them.

I had already heard the full story from Director Cheon, so it was immediately clear that his words were a lie.

I sighed briefly and asked him, thinking this would be the last time I bothered.

“Do you have any intention of returning everything to its original state?”

That one sentence contained everything I wanted to say.

‘Executive Director Choi, I know you’re lying.’

‘Immediately restore the original casting of the actors.’

‘Don’t interfere with the projects I’m involved in anymore.’

There was no way Executive Director Choi couldn’t understand all of those hidden meanings.

At my words, Executive Director Choi burst into laughter without even a moment’s hesitation.

“Oh my, Hee-sung is suspecting me? They got in with their own skills, so how can I overturn the casting? Isn’t that right? Haha.”

A sly, forced smile.

Eyes full of naked ambition.

I saw no further point in talking to him.

I got up from my seat and smiled brightly.

“Yes, I understand your intentions, Executive Director Choi.”

Then, without looking back, I left the company.

* * *

Knock knock.

“Oh, come in.”

Executive Director Choi, having decided to visit CEO Park’s office, opened the door and bowed deeply.

“CEO.”

“What’s wrong?”

Executive Director Choi took a deep breath and approached him.

“Jin Hee-sung, that bastard, came by a little while ago.”

“What? To *your* office?”

“Yes.”

CEO Park’s face immediately turned serious, and he shifted in his seat. The two sat facing each other on the sofa.

He turned to Executive Director Choi and said, “What did Jin Hee-sung say when he came? Tell me everything, without leaving anything out.”

“That’s….”

Executive Director Choi recounted everything that had happened in his office.

When the story ended, CEO Park sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“Haa… and he just left like that?”

“Yes.”

“Executive Director Choi, I understand your feelings, but don’t provoke Jin Hee-sung too much.”

At his words, Executive Director Choi twitched his lips and shook his head.

“No, to be honest, if we want to get Jin Hee-sung under control, now is the only chance we’ll get.”

Executive Director Choi raised his index finger and waved it in the air, saying to CEO Park, “Jin Hee-sung, he’s been seeing Song Yu-na, and it’s gone to his head. He’s acting like he’s something special, all high and mighty.”

“So?”

“So we have to rein him in before he gets even more out of control. Honestly, what’s wrong with the company giving a little push to our junior actors?”

At Executive Director Choi’s words, CEO Park nodded slowly.

“That’s true, but we couldn’t really avoid it, since Jin Hee-sung insisted on those conditions in the first place. And it’s not like we didn’t remove half of the actors. We tried to find a compromise that worked for everyone.”

“No, CEO… you can’t just give the affiliated celebrities everything they want like this.”

At Executive Director Choi’s continued outburst, CEO Park squeezed his eyes shut, a clear sign of his displeasure.

Seeing his face, Executive Director Choi hurriedly closed his mouth.

“Executive Director Choi.”

“…Yes, CEO.”

“I know you want to prove yourself since you came to Korea. But regardless, Hee-sung is an extremely influential actor in this film industry right now. We renewed his contract with considerable difficulty.”

“Yes, I know.”

He stared intently at Executive Director Choi and continued, his tone laced with warning, “Hee-sung is our company’s biggest draw right now. Don’t unnecessarily provoke him or try to push him around too much. I share some of your concerns, Executive Director Choi, but now is simply not the time to act on them.”

Executive Director Choi stood up from his seat and bowed deeply as soon as CEO Park finished speaking.

“Yes, I understand what you mean. I will handle things carefully, so you don’t have to worry.”

* * *

Ding-dong-

She smiled brightly and waved her hand towards the intercom.

As soon as I confirmed it was Song Yu-na, I quickly opened the door.

“Yu-na, you’re here?”

“Yeah, you said you didn’t have any schedules yesterday or today, so why are you just staying cooped up at home?”

She seemed genuinely worried that I might be sick.

As soon as the door opened, she quickly scanned me from head to toe.

“Just… I have something to think about.”

Remembering the time I couldn’t be reached in LA and had stayed at the hotel, a wave of concern washed over her.

Song Yu-na grabbed my arms and said, “Tell me right away if you’re sick or if something happens.”

“Okay.”

“I’m… in a public relationship, and if something happens to you, causing rumors of discord… I’ll die of embarrassment.”

She clenched her small fist and held it out to me in a playful threat.

I burst into laughter at the adorable sight.

“Yes, yes. I understand. Don’t worry.”

I reached out and stroked her hair, smiling.

A little later, we were sitting on the sofa in the living room.

I told her about the worries that had been plaguing me for days.

I didn’t necessarily intend to relieve my stress by sharing my concerns with her.

However, I wanted to let her know before I finalized my decision.

“Yu-na.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m… thinking of leaving the company.”

I expected her to be startled by my words, but she had a surprisingly calm reaction.

“Where are you going?”

She nodded nonchalantly and asked which company I was planning to move to.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Yeah, what’s there to be surprised about? Just because you move companies doesn’t mean your acting will suddenly change.”

At her words, I smiled and replied, “That’s right. Because my acting will always be the same.”

“Wherever you go, I support your choices and decisions. If there’s anything I can help with, tell me anytime. Your girlfriend has plenty of connections and abilities, right?”

Song Yu-na shrugged one shoulder and smiled confidently.

I smiled back at the sight.

“Thank you just for saying that.”

“Although I won’t follow you to move companies, I can still help you plenty, even if I stay at WG Entertainment.”

I nodded at her words.

“I don’t expect you to leave, and I’m not at all disappointed if you stay there. Even if we’re lovers, we each have our own career paths.”

Song Yu-na clearly understood my work situation with the company.

She didn’t seem to want me to stay at WG Entertainment any longer.

Rather, she seemed to support me leaving even more.

“In the first place, we hardly ever even run into each other at the company.”

She crossed her arms, pouted her lips, and sighed dramatically.

“Ugh, so Executive Director Choi is the problem. Why does he always do things that the actors dislike so much….”

Song Yu-na clicked her tongue and shook her head in exasperation.

I had finished worrying about moving companies, but I sighed as I thought of Executive Director Choi, who would remain at WG Entertainment.

“Executive Director Choi is definitely the problem…. After I leave, he’ll definitely try to badmouth me and undermine my reputation.”

At my words, Song Yu-na took a long breath through her nose and shook her head.

“Our entertainment company *does* have a reputation for being vindictive.”

“He’s going to try to retaliate, so I think I should prepare an alternative plan in advance.”

Song Yu-na smirked and waved her hand dismissively.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Huh?”

“I’m here, remember?”

She tilted her head and pointed to her face.

“I’m staying at WG Entertainment, and I’m your girlfriend. If they even *try* to mess with you? Then I won’t be able to stay still, either.”

Even if Song Yu-na didn’t actively do anything, the mere fact that she was a major star holding her ground in that company would make it difficult for them to target me.

I knew what she meant, but the person my worries were directed at was someone else.

“Even though CEO Park is a bit cold, he’s a smart and calculating person, so I think he’ll stay quiet. The real problem is Executive Director Choi.”

“Ugh, Executive Director Choi…!”

“That guy is so impulsive, and he’s not nearly as cold-blooded and rational as CEO Park.”

But I couldn’t stay at the company, constantly worrying about what petty actions Executive Director Choi might take.

That was why I had already decided to leave WG Entertainment.

Would I refuse to make soy sauce just because I was afraid of maggots [a Korean proverb meaning one shouldn’t avoid something worthwhile due to minor unpleasantness]?

Even if Executive Director Choi took some retaliatory action against me, it was still better to move companies and deal with him from a distance than to stay at WG Entertainment and be constantly subjected to his interference.

“I should start preparing immediately.”

Several hours later, Song Yu-na returned to her house, and I was left alone at home.

I thought there was no need to delay any longer.

Before the ‘Turntable’ project started in earnest, I had to execute my plan as soon as possible.

And I immediately called Manager Kim.

After a few rings, I heard his familiar voice.

-Hello?

“Hyung [term used to address an older brother or close male friend], I have something to say.”

-Yeah, what’s wrong?

I swallowed hard and spoke clearly into the receiver, making sure Manager Kim could hear me.

“Hyung, do you want to go independent with me?”