An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 276

276. Responsibility (4)

As soon as Secretary Kim heard my proposal, he rushed to my house.

For someone working at a company, the suggestion of ‘independence’ is bound to be surprising.

We chose coffee over alcohol for this important conversation.

Secretary Kim seemed to have a lot of questions on the tip of his tongue.

But first, he moistened his throat with coffee and looked at me.

“Hee-sung, tell me more about what you said on the phone. What exactly are you talking about?”

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], it’s true that even if you work here as a manager, it’s hard to become a team leader, right? It’s not about your skills or experience, but because of WG Entertainment’s structure.”

He nodded at my words.

“That’s right. It’s not easy to get promoted.”

I raised my eyebrows, looking into his eyes.

“That’s why I’m saying this. Let’s quit the company and start our own entertainment company. I think going independent is the best option.”

Secretary Kim looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“I feel like you’re not the Hee-sung I used to know?”

“Really?”

Well, if it were me before, I wouldn’t have considered moving to another company or suggesting we leave the company.

I would have just endured until I couldn’t bear it anymore.

Only then would I have voiced my complaints to the company, found a compromise, and settled things amicably.

But I was now very different from before.

My position or situation didn’t affect this changed attitude.

The only reason I could change was.

That I had to live as Jin Hee-sung until I died.

That was the only reason.

Unlike before, I wouldn’t naturally disappear after 10 years in Jin Hee-sung’s body.

So, I had to protect my place myself.

I thought about the future and started taking care of things for myself and the people around me.

There was no need for me to endure and put up with everything, always at a disadvantage.

“Yeah, how should I put it… it’s not that you’ve become more assertive, but more resolute?”

At his words, I chuckled and replied playfully.

“Did I seem indecisive before?”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant.”

Secretary Kim nudged my arm, pulling the conversation back on track.

“As you said, starting a company independently is great. It’s the ultimate dream of every road manager.”

“Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s make your dream come true.”

He wrinkled his nose and raised his chin.

“If I start a company, will you come over and be an actor under my company? Haha.”

He asked me in a joking tone.

Even at Secretary Kim’s words, I nodded with a serious face, without even a smile.

“Of course, I’ll come over.”

Secretary Kim’s eyes widened in surprise.

I raised my index finger and spoke again.

“Ah, to be exact, together!”

“What do you mean?”

“If you start an entertainment company, I should naturally join it. It’s where you are, hyung.”

He smiled, but then made a ‘tss’ sound and opened his mouth with a worried tone.

“It sounds good, but I just got married recently… and I don’t have enough funds to start a company right now. You know that, Hee-sung.”

“I have that.”

“…Huh?”

Secretary Kim widened his eyes and asked me.

“I have the funds to start an entertainment company right away.”

“Then you’re the one starting it.”

“No, we’re doing it together. It’s not just me, you’re the boss. I’ll invest the money in you.”

Secretary Kim’s lips trembled at my words.

He hadn’t expected it at all.

Seemingly quite surprised, Secretary Kim couldn’t give an immediate answer.

I started pouring out my plans to him.

“You know, hyung. The movie ‘Turntable’ that I’m going to be in this time. WG Entertainment actors still make up half of the cast, and I want to talk to Executive Director Choi about the reason for that…”

I told Secretary Kim about my current situation.

I explained in detail how I would like him to lead the company if he were to start an entertainment company.

Secretary Kim focused on me without blinking an eye.

Our conversation went on for a while.

When I finished my story, he nodded with a determined expression.

“…Sounds good.”

“Right?”

“Yeah, honestly, it’s a very tempting story, and I’m grateful for the offer.”

At his words, I tilted my head and asked.

“But?”

“Actually… this great offer itself is too sudden for me.”

I could understand Secretary Kim’s feelings.

My proposal for independence was obviously for his benefit.

But it would be a huge change for the person receiving it.

Even if Secretary Kim was dissatisfied with the current situation, quitting the company and starting his own company, rather than moving to another company, was not a simple matter.

I fully understood his feelings and nodded.

“I understand your position. Then think about it thoroughly and let me know.”

Secretary Kim smiled faintly and replied as I finished speaking.

“I will. And thank you for making such a valuable offer to me, Hee-sung.”

“Hey, did you think I would leave you behind and go alone?”

He raised the coffee in front of him instead of a glass of alcohol.

Clink-

We reaffirmed our solid hearts and clinked our coffee cups.

* * *

After talking with Secretary Kim.

As soon as I got home, I headed to the study instead of the bedroom.

I hadn’t received an answer from Secretary Kim yet.

But I couldn’t just relax and wait for his answer.

I had to make a plan.

Until now, I had joined well-established companies.

And I just had to be faithful to my role as an actor there.

But now that I was starting my own entertainment company, there would be countless things to do.

I had to find an office to operate like a company right away.

From the computers to the small fixtures that would go inside.

I was the only celebrity, so there was no need to create separate materials for me.

Nevertheless, there would be expenses everywhere.

I opened my cell phone and checked my bank balance.

Then, I gathered the spare funds that were scattered here and there.

“Hmm… I have about 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD] in spare funds right now.”

The reason I had about 1 billion won in spare funds was largely due to the income I earned in the United States.

Of course, even in Korea, I had never splurged on anything other than housing, car, and living expenses.

I had been steadily accumulating money, and then I made a lot of money at once when I went to Hollywood.

Living as a celebrity, there weren’t as many places to spend money as I thought.

Of course, if I were to buy things and splurge, there would be many ways for money to go out.

Otherwise, I didn’t spend much money on myself.

From the cost of grooming myself to clothing and food, all of this was paid for by the company during my activities.

Well, these funds were not simply favors for me.

It was an investment for my acting career, and it was money that I had to repay.

The place where actors spend the most money was on ‘hobbies’.

Actors who have relatively long breaks receive indefinite vacations after filming a project until the next project is scheduled.

In the meantime, they spend money on hobbies they haven’t been able to do.

They also spend money on trips just for themselves or things they wanted to do.

Such a lifestyle is common, but I was different.

I was an actor with so few breaks that I didn’t have time to spend money.

As soon as one project ended, I looked for the next project.

With luck and the fruits of my efforts, I continued acting without a break.

So, money naturally accumulated in my bank account.

As a reward for living diligently, there was so much money in my bank account now that even I was surprised.

But I couldn’t invest all of this money in the new company I was creating.

I was confident in making it a success, but it was obviously unreasonable to pour in all of my assets.

I was trying to start with 1 billion won of these spare funds.

I tapped on my laptop to calculate office market prices and incidental expenses.

“At this rate, I should have enough money to last for several years as a small entertainment company.”

I wasn’t going to buy a building right away, and it was enough to get a suitable office and start.

However, even as a small entertainment company, it wasn’t an amount that could last for a long time.

“Hmm… it’s not enough to cover the contract fees or the value of bringing in new celebrities…”

I chewed my lip and burned with determination.

“Yeah, but I’ll automatically cover the financial aspects while working. So, I don’t have to worry too much about the funds.”

The plan for independence was gradually taking shape in my head.

I couldn’t leave the study for a long time, thinking of numerous plans.

* * *

I worked hard to draw out the plan in my head for several days.

And when the plan became firm.

I made an appointment with Director Chun of the movie ‘Turntable’.

I judged that it was time to have a sincere conversation with him.

“Director!”

As I entered the building where we had the script reading, I saw Director Chun waving at me.

I spotted him and ran to him.

“Oh, Hee-sung. Long time no see.”

He reached out his hand for a handshake.

I smiled as I saw him reaching out to me again.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Thanks to you. Was it hard coming here?”

We shook hands.

“No, how could it be hard for me to come by car? Haha.”

Director Chun smiled and led me to the meeting room.

A little later.

We arrived at the meeting room.

“What have you been up to these days?”

“I’ve been studying the Turntable script diligently.”

Director Chun and I opened the conversation by asking about each other’s recent activities and well-being.

As the short conversation went back and forth.

Director Chun looked at me and brought up the main point.

“But what brings you here…”

“I have something to ask you in person, rather than on the phone.”

He nodded and pulled out a chair.

I carefully asked Director Chun.

“About the WG Entertainment actors who are currently cast in Turntable.”

“Yes.”

“I was wondering if you would want to remove those actors if you could.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Director Chun’s pupils shook.

As if he had been worried about this.

But unlike his expression, he smiled faintly and shook his head.

“No. Thanks to Hee-sung helping me last time, about half of them are gone.”

Even at Director Chun’s words, I demanded the truth from him.

“You can be honest with me. No, I would like you to tell me your thoughts without hiding anything.”

Silence fell in the meeting room for a moment at my words.

He didn’t expect me to come to him and talk about this.

Director Chun took a deep breath and exhaled, as if organizing his thoughts.

Soon, he asked me.

“But isn’t it that Hee-sung will only join as the lead if the casting of WG Entertainment actors remains the same?”

Director Chun frowned and continued to speak to me.

“I definitely need Jin Hee-sung. The investors who have invested in Turntable are all saying the same thing.”

At his words, I looked straight into Director Chun’s eyes and said.

“WG Entertainment actors and WG Entertainment are separate from me. Please think of it that way and speak comfortably.”

“…Then, I want to remove all of those actors from our project. I want to cast actors who are better suited for the roles.”

After hearing Director Chun’s true feelings, I immediately nodded.

“Then is it okay to proceed that way?”

As soon as I finished speaking, he widened his eyes and asked with a worried tone.

“I’d be happy to, but are you okay with it, Hee-sung? Still, WG Entertainment has influence, and if we remove all of those actors…”

“This project comes first for me. That’s why I wanted to see Director Chun in the first place.”

I had confidence in the project.

And I was desperate to do the project I wanted to do.

That’s why I had more affection for this project.

“Even if we remove the WG Entertainment actors, I can unconditionally appear in this project, unlike the company’s opinion. However, I may not be able to protect the director.”

At my words, he smiled and nodded.

“Of course, I will try my best within the limits of my power. But I can’t guarantee that you won’t be contacted by them.”

“I’m okay. The Film Association is behind me, isn’t it? Haha.”

He said to me as if joking.

He pointed to the Film Association data behind the meeting room.

“The Film Association has seen this kind of thing once or twice, and they will definitely help me.”

I breathed a sigh of relief at Director Chun’s confident words.

“That’s good. Then let’s remove the WG Entertainment actors who came in unfairly. Let’s come up with a good strategy.”

“Yes, I will prepare in advance.”

Director Chun got up from his seat and reached out his hand to me again.

I grabbed his hand tightly and exchanged glances in the air.