An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 302

302. #55 – A True Friend (2)

Knock, knock.

The knocking came early Monday morning.

I rubbed my eyes, got out of bed, and called out, “Yes, who is it?”

A sleepy voice.

From outside the door, I heard, “Mr. Hee-sung, it’s me, Manager Park.”

I quickly opened the door.

“Yes, Manager? What brings you here so early?”

He looked like he’d just woken up too, smoothing his messy hair as he said, “About the dawn shoot today.”

“Huh?” I checked the time, surprised. “It’s not time for the shoot yet… Am I late?”

I thought he was waking me up because I was late, so I spoke quickly. But since it wasn’t time yet, I tilted my head.

“No, the dawn shoot has been postponed. The prop truck had an accident on the way, so all the morning shoots have been pushed back to the afternoon.”

I clicked my tongue. “Was the accident serious?”

“No, something was wrong with the car, so it stopped. Not a big accident… Anyway, I came to tell you that you can rest well this morning and prepare slowly.”

“Oh, you could have just called…”

Manager Park smiled. “I heard the news as soon as I woke up and rushed over in case you were preparing.”

“Ah, thank you. Then, Manager Park, please rest well this morning too. I’ll see you later at the scheduled time.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After Manager Park left my room, *ding-dong*—the alarm finally rang.

I turned it off and lay back down, but sleep had already fled.

Eventually, I got out of bed and slightly opened the curtains, staring blankly out the window as I fumbled for my cell phone.

A text message from Song Yu-na had arrived while I was sleeping.

-I’m done with my shoot now, and I’m going to wash up and sleep. Is it okay to stay at the pension? After staying for a few weeks, isn’t a hotel more comfortable?

I smiled faintly at her message.

I didn’t want to call her while she was probably asleep, so I sent a text back:

-It’s okay so far. It must have been hard to shoot until dawn. My morning shoot has been delayed, so I have plenty of time. Get a good night’s sleep and contact me when you wake up.

After that day with Song Yu-na, a slightly awkward feeling lingered.

If we met and talked, the misunderstanding would be resolved quickly, but our busy schedules kept us from meeting or contacting each other often.

Still, our feelings for each other remained the same, so our relationship hadn’t changed much, just a little awkwardness.

“Okay, let’s resolve things with Yu-na first… Let’s focus on the shoot for now. Starting with what’s in front of me…”

Then, the immediate task caught my eye.

“Wow… Did the laundry pile up this much?”

The laundry basket was overflowing.

I sighed. “When I was at the hotel, the laundry service was so convenient. At the pension, I have to go to the laundry room myself?”

I packed the clothes and underwear I’d changed into over the past few weeks into the basket and headed to the communal laundry room.

A few hours later, I spent a leisurely morning and started getting ready to go to the set.

I put on my coat and was about to leave when—”That’s right, the laundry!”

Seeing the empty basket standing alone in front of the door, I remembered the laundry in the dryer.

“It’s rude to leave it in there. I have to take it out quickly and go to the set.”

I grabbed the empty basket and ran to the communal laundry room.

The dryer had already finished.

“Phew, at least the dryer next to it is empty.”

I was relieved that I wasn’t being a nuisance.

With the upcoming shoot in mind, I hurriedly opened the dryer and shoved the laundry into the basket.

“Hee-sung, Senior!”

As I was putting in the laundry, I turned to the voice calling me.

“Oh? Jun-woo.”

Jang Jun-woo was approaching with a load of laundry, just like I had earlier.

“Did you do your laundry?”

I nodded. “Yes, Jun-woo, you’re just coming now?”

“Yes, I’m going to put this in and then go to the set. You have an afternoon shoot too, right, Senior?”

“That’s right.”

“I have a scene with you later, Senior.”

I smiled. “That’s right. I’ll see you at the set later. I have the first scene in the afternoon, so I’ll quickly put this in my room and go.”

“Okay, see you later, Senior.”

I turned and hurried out of the laundry room with the pile of laundry.

* * *

“Cut, okay!”

Director Park shouted, smiling. “Good job, everyone.”

I greeted him, and he got up and clapped. “Wow… Hee-sung’s acting was great. How does your acting keep getting better?”

“Thank you, Director.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful. Let’s have Hee-sung change clothes for the next scene and take a short break.”

The staff moved efficiently.

“Yes, I understand.”

I bowed and walked out of the camera’s view.

As I walked to change, I noticed the staff gathered, buzzing.

“Seriously?”

“Haa… Yes, I’m sure. It’s totally creepy.”

“Since it happened this morning, we should be able to catch them right away, right?”

I vaguely heard their story as I walked, then a conversation stopped me in my tracks.

“Then the culprit must be someone who used the communal laundry room today!”

“That’s right, but the culprit won’t admit it. As soon as the shoot ends, let’s search the bags of all the staff and actors.”

“We have to be sure. What kind of pervert steals someone else’s underwear in this space? Disgusting.”

“Let’s check the trash cans in each room and the laundry baskets first.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

I could tell from their conversation that a female staff member’s underwear was missing, stolen from the communal laundry room.

And that the incident involved someone who used the laundry room this morning…

I shook my head and started walking back to Manager Park.

Then, a chilling feeling ran down my spine.

‘Could it be…?’

Not many people went to the laundry room this morning.

I knew this because of the two washing machines and dryers.

When I went to the laundry room, no one else was using the machines.

Even when I took out the finished laundry, the machines next to me weren’t running.

In other words… besides the staff member who lost her underwear, I was the only one who went into the laundry room.

* * *

As the shoot started, the 잡생각 [jap-saenggak, idle thoughts] disappeared, but as soon as it ended, the thought of the “underwear thief” made my lips dry.

“Could it be… when I put the laundry in the dryer without looking, did the underwear get caught in it?”

Of course, I didn’t steal the underwear.

But the thought that it might be in my laundry made me anxious.

“How do I solve this… If it’s in my laundry, I have to clear up the misunderstanding.”

I kept sighing, my legs shaking.

“If I mess up in this kind of world, it’ll be a really big deal….”

Before heading to the car where Manager Park was, I saw the staff member who had lost her underwear.

As soon as I saw her running to the other staff members, I followed her as if possessed.

“You’re here!”

The staff member clapped and shouted. “Come quickly. Did you hear about it?”

“Yes?”

“They found the underwear thief you mentioned earlier.”

“Seriously… How, who is it?”

They frowned and continued, and I swallowed hard and perked up my ears.

Could it be… Did they find out it was mixed in with my laundry?

I took a step closer, sighing.

“It’s… Actor Jang Jun-woo.”

“…Yes?”

Both the staff member and I were startled and our eyes widened.

“Jun-woo went to do laundry this morning….”

The culprit was Jang Jun-woo?

As I listened and panicked, Jang Jun-woo suddenly appeared and handed me something.

“Hee-sung, Senior, this.”

Then, he immediately approached the staff members.

I took the paper he gave me and unfolded it.

The words made me doubt my eyes.

-Senior, as soon as you get to the dorm, hand that over to me.

* * *

Knock, knock.

I opened the door without hesitation, sure that it was Jang Jun-woo.

He looked around and came straight in.

I poured out the questions I had been holding back. “Jun-woo, what’s going on?”

“Ah, Senior. That’s….”

“That wasn’t you, Jun-woo. And I didn’t try to steal the underwear either….”

I checked the laundry as soon as I got to the room.

My prediction was right: there was women’s underwear in my basket.

And I was waiting for Jang Jun-woo.

He said calmly, “I apologized to the staff, and it went well. I said I accidentally took it out of the dryer in a hurry without checking. She said it was a misunderstanding and let it go.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not that Jun-woo made the mistake, I did.”

“I’m often told that I’m clumsy anyway, and I’m a supporting actor, so my image won’t be greatly damaged. But you’re a great actor, Senior. It’s dangerous to get involved in strange rumors for no reason.”

He said he made a mistake out of consideration for me.

I couldn’t understand his actions, so I frowned. “Still… no, it’s a mistake. How did you know I brought the underwear?”

“When I ran into you in the laundry room, I saw women’s underwear in the basket.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me then?”

He chuckled. “Ah, that’s… I pretended not to know because I thought you might have a hidden preference.”

I waved my hands, mouth wide open. “No, why would I… No, I don’t have that kind of preference!”

“When I heard the staff talking about the underwear thief and looked at the situation, I realized that you accidentally took it. I thought I should step in.”

I looked into his eyes. “Why though?”

He smiled. “You said you’d be my friend… back then, at the 회식 [hoesik, company dinner].”

“…….”

I couldn’t say anything.

I was convinced that this wasn’t just an act to look good to me.

It was too dangerous for him to say he was acting for me, or that he was trying to get a role by looking good to me.

If he was a woman, it would be different, but he was a male actor. What if he was mistaken for an underwear thief, a pervert?

It would have been instantaneous for him to be buried in the industry.

His sincerity made my heart beat fast.

I thought that he just wanted to use me and asked me to be friends without knowing his heart.

Regret and gratitude rushed in at the same time.

He looked at me carefully. “Um… Senior?”