An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 28

Episode 28 #7 – If It’s a Hindrance (5)

“Instead of just standing there, why don’t you tell them? What did they say behind my back!”

Choi Seo-bin shouted, looking at Jin Hee-sung, not Park Min-joon.

His sudden ad-lib.

Director Bae, who had been leaning back in his chair, straightened up.

He shifted his gaze to the script in his hand.

‘That’s not in the script, is it?’

Director Bae tilted his head and gripped his megaphone.

He was about to open his mouth to call “NG” [No Good, meaning to stop and reshoot the scene] when…

“What is your relationship with Mu-hee?”

Jin Hee-sung showed no sign of surprise, even though it wasn’t his line.

He even perfectly furrowed his brow as if it were the line he was supposed to say.

Director Bae squinted at his sharp line.

‘Not bad?’

Director Bae carefully placed the megaphone he was holding on his lap.

Then, he stared intently at the monitor screen.

Park Min-joon was the only one flustered by Jin Hee-sung’s line.

He couldn’t say anything, staring wide-eyed at Choi Seo-bin.

It was as if he was begging her to look at him with his sparkling eyes, not glaring.

However, Choi Seo-bin didn’t care.

Choi Seo-bin was fully aware of Park Min-joon’s gaze but had no intention of responding.

He turned his body completely and opened his mouth, looking at Jin Hee-sung.

“…If I am someone who has a relationship with Mu-hee, what will you do?”

It was as if lasers were pouring out of Choi Seo-bin’s eyes.

His face reminded one of Mu-hee, Song Yu-na.

And a firm voice shouting to prevent others from approaching.

However, Jin Hee-sung answered without yielding.

“If I can’t… what then?”

A tense battle of wills unfolded between him and Choi Seo-bin at his words.

The gazes they exchanged were hot enough to burn.

Before they knew it, the camera was showing a two-shot of Choi Seo-bin and Jin Hee-sung.

“Cut!”

Director Bae jumped up from his seat, grabbed his megaphone, and shouted.

“Okay!”

He nodded repeatedly with a satisfied expression.

Then, he headed straight to the set with quick steps.

“Seo-bin, Hee-sung.”

At Director Bae’s call, not only the two of them but also Park Min-joon looked at him.

“Yes, Director.”

“Wow….”

Director Bae shook his head as if he was impressed.

“How can you two match your lines so perfectly?”

The assistant director, who was approaching, also nodded at Director Bae’s words.

Director Bae looked back and forth between Choi Seo-bin and Jin Hee-sung and asked.

“Did you two prepare this in advance?”

At his words, Choi Seo-bin opened his mouth.

“No. I just came up with the line, and this friend received it well.”

All eyes turned to Jin Hee-sung at Choi Seo-bin’s words.

“Really?”

Director Bae asked Jin Hee-sung, looking surprised.

“Hee-sung, how did you know and say the next line?”

“I thought, if I heard those words while fully immersed in the role, I would say it like this, so I said it.”

Director Bae raised the corners of his mouth at Jin Hee-sung’s cautious words.

“Seo-bin threw it, and Hee-sung caught it very well.”

Hee-sung smiled shyly.

“Thank you, Director.”

Director Bae gave Jin Hee-sung a look and clapped his hands.

“Okay, let’s wrap it up for today and call it a day!”

Then, he turned around and walked towards the staff.

The staff began to move in an orderly manner at Director Bae’s words.

Choi Seo-bin looked at Jin Hee-sung and said.

“You’re good at acting.”

At his words, Jin Hee-sung bowed his head.

“Ah… Thank you, Senior.”

Choi Seo-bin approached Jin Hee-sung and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Good job today.”

Tap.

He tapped Jin Hee-sung’s shoulder once and walked out of the set.

“You worked hard!”

Jin Hee-sung shouted at Choi Seo-bin.

Park Min-joon, who was watching this scene, was clenching his teeth so hard that his cheeks were twitching.

Jin Hee-sung glared at Park Min-joon and reached out to his manager, approaching him.

“Haa….”

Park Min-joon, left alone, kicked the innocent dirt on the ground.

***

“Min-joon, did you fasten your seatbelt?”

The manager turned around and asked, looking at Park Min-joon.

However, Park Min-joon was only looking out the window.

Instead of him answering, the manager visually confirmed the seatbelt.

“If you did, I’ll leave right away.”

As the manager stepped on the accelerator and the car started, Park Min-joon closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth.

“Hyung [Older brother or close male friend].”

At his call, the manager looked at Park Min-joon through the rearview mirror.

“What is it? Do you need anything?”

“No.”

Park Min-joon raised his body, which he had been leaning on, and said.

“Choi Seo-bin, I mean.”

“Why, what about Seo-bin?”

He sighed deeply.

“Did you see Choi Seo-bin taking care of that bastard’s lines?”

“That bastard?”

The manager tilted his head.

“Jin Hee-sung, that bastard.”

“Seo-bin took care of Jin Hee-sung?”

At the manager’s words, Park Min-joon blushed and said.

“Totally. He took care of Jin Hee-sung’s lines.”

“Hey, how can he take care of the lines?”

The manager replied as if he didn’t believe him at his words.

“He just ad-libbed; it must have been luck.”

“No, I’m telling you!”

Park Min-joon shouted as if he was pouring out his anger.

“He threw the lines to that guy so I couldn’t say my lines, you know?”

His face turned red, and he continued to speak as if shouting.

“He completely ignored me!”

Even at Park Min-joon’s words, the manager maintained his composure and replied.

“Isn’t it just in your head, Min-joon?”

“No, it’s because hyung wasn’t on set.”

The manager, who had been seeing Choi Seo-bin on set every day, raised his eyebrows as if he couldn’t believe Park Min-joon’s words.

“I don’t think so….”

At his words, Park Min-joon even shrugged his shoulders and shouted strongly.

“I’m telling you, no. That’s why hyung wasn’t on set at that time!”

The manager made a gesture of holding a phone with his hand.

“I was on the phone with the team leader from the company earlier.”

Park Min-joon didn’t respond to the manager’s words and leaned back in his chair.

Then, he shifted his gaze out the window.

As if his excitement hadn’t subsided, Park Min-joon was breathing heavily and even shaking his body.

Soon, his eyes turned back to the manager.

“Hyung, to be honest, Choi Seo-bin is our agency’s senior, isn’t he? Isn’t he going too far?”

Park Min-joon opened his mouth again before even hearing the manager’s answer.

“The company should be helping me, who is below him, right?”

The manager nodded instead of answering.

“Hyung, please talk to the team leader. Then the story will go up to the higher-ups.”

Before he knew it, Park Min-joon’s body was next to the manager sitting in the driver’s seat.

He made a troubled expression at Park Min-joon’s words and replied.

“Not even the team leader can touch Seo-bin, let alone our head of department. You know that.”

Park Min-joon distorted his face.

“Can’t hyung do anything, even to the CEO?”

“Seo-bin and the CEO are like brothers, you know.”

“Haa.”

At his words, Park Min-joon let out a long sigh.

The manager opened his mouth with a frown on his face.

“From the beginning, even the CEO is trying to please Seo-bin….”

Park Min-joon moved his body back to his seat at the manager’s words.

Then, the manager checked him in the rearview mirror and said again.

“In this industry, the well-known celebrities are overwhelmingly powerful. Even the higher-ups can’t do anything.”

At his words, Park Min-joon closed his eyes tightly without answering.

“Min-joon, if we mess up, we’ll both get chewed out by the head of department.”

Park Min-joon pretended not to hear his words.

Eventually, the manager turned his head and focused on driving.

Soon, Park Min-joon bit his lip and suppressed his anger.

***

“You worked hard!”

“You worked hard today too, Hee-sung.”

“No, Director, you must have been tired.”

As I greeted Director Bae and the staff, Director Bae smiled contentedly and patted my shoulder.

“Okay, see you at the next shoot.”

“Yes!”

I bent over towards him.

“Hee-sung, let’s go.”

At that time, Manager Kim waved his hand from afar and called me.

I found him and hurried over to get in the car.

“You worked hard today.”

Manager Kim didn’t start the car as if he had something to say.

Then, he turned around from the driver’s seat and looked at me and asked.

“Hee-sung, I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“The scene we shot at the end, you know.”

If it’s the last scene, he must be asking about the one we shot with Choi Seo-bin and Park Min-joon.

“Yeah.”

“That ad-lib, you really didn’t plan it?”

He asked with a serious face, widening his eyes.

He really seemed curious.

“Of course not.”

Manager Kim opened his mouth and exclaimed.

“Wow….”

I burst out laughing at his reaction.

“But how did you know and jump right in?”

At Manager Kim’s words, I rolled my eyes and thought.

“What should I say… It’s not like we said it in advance, but it felt like he was tossing me the lines.”

He tilted his head.

“Really?”

I nodded my head.

“Hyung was watching too, right?”

“Of course, I’m watching all of your scenes without missing any.”

He slowly shook his head and said.

“But even when I watch Choi Seo-bin say his lines, I couldn’t immediately tell if he was tossing them to you, Hee-sung.”

I raised my eyebrows and replied.

“Maybe it’s because I was standing in front of the camera on set, but I could feel it.”

“Oh, really?”

“It felt like, ‘You try it once,’ you know?”

Manager Kim gave a proud smile.

“That’s good.”

“I felt like it would be a little awkward to say thank you, so I didn’t say hello separately.”

He frowned and replied.

“Yeah, if you give that kind of greeting, he’ll feel more burdened.”

Then, Manager Kim snapped his fingers.

“Instead, take care of him thoroughly next week.”

“Next week?”

“Yeah, it’s the rural filming, you know.”

“That’s right.”

He checked the schedule.

“It’ll be about a week. We’ll only be in the mountain lodge, you know?”

I listened carefully to his words.

“With that kind of period, it’s 100% a company dinner.”

“Really?”

“Drinking and doing this and that. Even if Song Yu-na doesn’t, Choi Seo-bin doesn’t skip company dinners well.”

Manager Kim raised the corners of his mouth and continued to speak.

“Take good care of Choi Seo-bin thoroughly at that time, and that’s it.”

Even though there was no one in the car, Manager Kim lowered his voice.

“And Choi Seo-bin is very sensitive to this kind of thing.”

I nodded my head and leaned towards Manager Kim.

“Be thorough and take good care of him at the drinking party, and keep your mind straight.”

“Everyone likes polite people, after all.”

He nodded his head at my words.

“But if you make a mistake after drinking, he won’t even treat you like a person after that.”

“I guess he hates people with bad drinking habits.”

“Yeah, you probably won’t make a mistake, but still be careful.”

I twitched my lips and nodded my head.

“I have to keep my mind straight.”

Choi Seo-bin usually likes to hang out with people.

It wasn’t that he liked everyone.

Well, who would like someone who isn’t polite and acts like a jerk at a drinking party?

It wouldn’t hurt for me to be careful too.

“But hyung, where are we going for the rural filming?”

“Haenam, Jeollanam-do, Hawolsan.”

I frowned and tilted my head.

“I’ve never heard of it before?”

“It’s a complete backwoods.”

He smiled and said.

“You can make calls, but the data doesn’t work.”

“Wow… that’s going to be crazy?”

“Instead, once you go to a place like that, you’ll quickly become close with the actors.”

“Since there’s nothing else to do, that’s the only way it can be.”

I imagined the place and raised the corners of my mouth.

An opportunity to become close with several actors.

I looked out the window, maintaining a smile with a thrilled heart.

Rural filming, I’m quite looking forward to it?