An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 290

290. #52 – When True Worth Shines (3)

“Hee-sung, you’re here?”

“Yeah, hyung.”

As soon as I arrived at the company, Chief Kim called me into the conference room.

“What brings me to the company today of all days?”

“Just wanted to talk about your schedule. Got any plans besides working out today?”

Without hesitation, I shook my head.

“Nope. Just action school, the gym, and home these days.”

Chief Kim raised his eyebrows.

“What about Yuna?”

I wrinkled my nose at the mention of her.

“Yuna’s starting a new project. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, feels like it’s been ages.”

“Didn’t you meet up with Director Park last time? Haven’t seen her since then?”

I rolled my eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded.

“That’s right. Haven’t seen her since then. No, couldn’t see her. Yuna’s busy with project prep, ad shoots… Our schedules just don’t match up.”

“I guess dating as celebrities is different, huh?”

I chuckled.

“Didn’t you barely see your wife when you were dating, just like a celebrity?”

“That’s true. My schedule is just as packed as yours, a celebrity. Haha.”

“True. But you still made it to marriage.”

“That’s my charm, Hee-sung. Haha.”

“Alright, alright. Got it. So, about work?”

Chief Kim smiled, pulling his planner and desk calendar closer.

“Things have been noisy lately because of WG Entertainment. I was wondering if taking a break from projects might distance you from your fans.”

“That’s true. Actors, especially, have fewer chances to meet fans. We only see them at stage greetings, but it’s been a while…”

Chief Kim nodded.

“So, how about we do a small fan meeting? What do you think?”

“Fan meeting?”

“Yeah, the chaotic situation has been sorted out. The company is back to normal operations, so I think we can do one now. What do you think, Hee-sung?”

There was no way I could refuse.

Fans who like and support me unconditionally, without even seeing me in person.

What celebrity would turn down the chance to meet them?

Singers perform on stage several times a week and attend events.

They have many opportunities to interact with fans.

But actors have significantly fewer opportunities to meet fans directly compared to singers.

During dramas or movies, there are no opportunities to meet fans.

Even when a project is released, it’s not directly presented to fans.

Instead, it’s promoted through interviews and TV entertainment programs.

So, the most reliable way for actors to communicate directly with fans is through a ‘fan meeting.’

“I’d love to. I want to express my gratitude and say hello to them.”

Chief Kim smiled, flipping through the calendar.

“Okay. Let’s check the schedule then…”

I cut him off.

“Hyung, I have one condition.”

He tilted his head.

“Condition?”

“Yeah, sometimes idols have those album events, where they draw lots from hundreds of albums bought [fans enter a raffle to win access to a special event by purchasing multiple albums].”

“Ah… yeah, they do that a lot. It’s a way to boost album sales.”

“I don’t like that kind of money spending.”

Chief Kim listened.

“I just want it to be simple, so any fan who likes me can come without any conditions.”

Chief Kim smiled.

“You really think a lot about your fans, huh?”

“Of course. I’m in this position thanks to them. No matter how much an actor acts and struggles, there will be limits without fans.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m so grateful to them. It’s such a blessing that they like and support me, even though they don’t know me personally.”

Chief Kim nodded, checking the fan meeting details in his planner.

“I’ll follow that. But I hope you’ll agree with the seat pricing.”

“What kind of seat pricing…”

“We’ll have to sell seats with different prices, with the front rows being more expensive. We have venue rental fees, numerous staff, time, and preparation costs. It’s a huge expense, so we can’t afford to lose money.”

“Does it have to be profitable?”

“We do it to make a profit, but at the very least, we can’t afford to lose money.”

I hesitated.

I thought holding a fan meeting was a meeting between fans and me, so I could pay for it myself.

But I had to drop my concerns at Chief Kim’s words.

“It’s not just about losing money, but we can’t do this alone in the industry. It could affect other fan meetings.”

“I see, it could harm other celebrities.”

“Yeah, I know you care about your fans, Hee-sung, but if we proceed like this, other celebrities will have to do it at a loss from now on.”

I nodded.

“That’s true. I can’t just think about myself.”

“Yeah, I think it’s better to set it at this level, considering the industry.”

“Alright. Then don’t make the fans spend money elsewhere. Let anyone participate. Just have different seat prices.”

“Okay, we’ll proceed that way.”

* * *

“So, are we fixing the trip for this date?”

Park Soon-hee asked, showing the dates to her friends.

“Yeah, Soon-hee, are you definitely available that day?”

“Of course. If it’s the weekend, I’m totally available. Are you guys all good too?”

“Yeah, I’m available the following week too… Whatever works for you.”

Park Soon-hee nodded, picking up her phone.

“Then I’ll pick the cheapest hotel room within the next three weeks…”

At that moment.

Vibration-

The phone in Park Soon-hee’s hand vibrated, and a new notification popped up.

“Oh my god, what’s this!”

She quickly closed the hotel booking screen and clicked on Jin Hee-sung’s fan cafe, ‘JinHeeSungPeak.’

“Why, is the hotel super cheap?”

Her friends asked at her reaction.

“No, there’s something more urgent. Just a sec.”

“What is it?”

Park Soon-hee frowned, quickly checking the post on the fan cafe.

The post was about Jin Hee-sung’s fan meeting.

The fan cafe that Jin Hee-sung’s manager and agency were also members of.

It was a post from his agency.

The date and details of the fan meeting filled the page.

“Wow… insane!”

Park Soon-hee quickly read through the post.

As soon as she checked everything, her face flushed with excitement.

Her friends asked.

“Why, what is it?”

“Guys, our *oppa* [term of endearment for an older brother or male celebrity] is having a fan meeting!”

At those words, her friends immediately understood.

“Jin Hee-sung’s fan meeting?”

“Yeah, we need to make sure our trip doesn’t overlap with the fan meeting date, so I’ll look for the hotel again.”

“Seriously… Is the fan meeting more important than the date we set?”

Park Soon-hee nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. It’s our *oppa’s* first fan meeting. How can I miss this?”

“Ugh, but if it’s Jin Hee-sung’s fan meeting, I understand. We’re available the following week too, so let’s go on the trip then.”

“Thanks, guys.”

Park Soon-hee couldn’t hide her joy, her lips almost reaching her ears.

She stared at the fan meeting announcement several times, biting her lip.

“…Daebak [amazing/incredible]! I’m finally seeing our *oppa* at a fan meeting… I’m really gonna cry, gonna cry.”

* * *

WG Medical, CEO Park Joo-sung’s office.

He sat on the sofa, speaking to Director Han.

“Jin Hee-sung is going straight into filming like this?”

Director Han nodded.

“Yes, they say they’ve even finished the script reading.”

“I worked so hard to shut down the black comedy project, and he’s taking on a project right away like this?”

CEO Park slammed his fist on the sofa armrest, displeased that Jin Hee-sung was entering a project.

Director Han lowered his gaze.

“Should we look into that project a bit more?”

“No, if we shut it down with the same tactics this time, Song Yuna might come and throw a fit.”

CEO Park raised his eyebrows.

“But what about the investment company there?”

“The investment company this time is too big… It seems difficult to touch easily.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s IBH.”

CEO Park widened his eyes in surprise.

“IBH… Isn’t that the place that invested the most in movies last year?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Haa… It has to be IBH.”

“Yes, this time…”

Director Han listed the information about the investment company IBH for the movie ‘Undercover’.

CEO Park couldn’t continue speaking.

“That’s too dangerous to touch.”

The scale of the investment company was so large and solid that it couldn’t be swayed by the agency’s words.

Song Yuna was also well aware of that.

That’s why Song Yuna wanted to put Jin Hee-sung in that project even more.

It was a project that WG Entertainment’s power couldn’t ruin Jin Hee-sung with.

“But CEO, Song Yuna’s contract period isn’t long. Don’t you think she’ll try to leave when the contract ends?”

CEO Park sighed and shook his head.

“Probably.”

“If Song Yuna transfers to another company, shouldn’t we devise a way to keep her?”

CEO Park twisted his mouth slyly.

“We need to use that to the fullest, so that it benefits our company…”

“How do you mean?”

“Song Yuna has made a lot of money for the company, but we gave her a lot of contract money, so we need to get our money’s worth, right?”

Director Han’s eyes sparkled.

CEO Park looked at him.

“Pick out some promising rising stars in the company.”

“Are you talking about actors?”

“No, it doesn’t matter. Pure actors are good, and so are kids who are transitioning from idols to acting.”

Director Han scribbled notes on his notepad.

“Ah, if there’s nothing good internally, it’s okay to bring them in from outside. Pick out reliable ones.”

CEO Park stared into space, twisting the corners of his mouth.

Director Han nodded.

“Yes, I’ll prepare thoroughly.”

* * *

“Alright, let’s take a break and try the wire action again.”

“Yes.”

I bowed to the coach and walked towards the休息室 [resting room], wiping away the sweat.

I leaned my tired body after an hour of action practice.

Just as I was closing my eyes for a moment, I quickly picked up my phone at the call from Chief Kim.

“Hello?”

-Hee-sung!

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Chief Kim usually checked my workout schedule.

He wouldn’t call at this time.

Knowing that, Chief Kim calling meant something urgent.

“What’s up?” I asked, and Chief Kim responded with heavy breathing.

-I just got a call from an investment company.

“Are they calling to invest in our company?”

Chief Kim seemed excited, as we were looking for an investment company anyway.

It seemed he was calling to tell me the good news.

-Yeah, they want to invest in our management.

“That’s great. Thanks for your hard work, hyung.”

-But the investment company is….

“Yeah, which investment company is it?”

Chief Kim made a ‘tss’ sound.

-IBH Investment.

“What? That IBH that’s investing in our movie?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised.

IBH was the place that opposed me as the lead actor.

-Yeah, they called and said they want to invest in our company.