An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 315

315. #57 – Ten Million Actor (3)

“Hee-sung, I’ve scheduled a meeting with WOM.”

Kim, the CEO, informed me and immediately checked his schedule.

“WOM will come to Korea for the meeting, so let’s start vocal practice quickly before that.”

“Okay. Then, from when…”

As I was about to ask him about the schedule, CEO Kim looked at Manager Park next to him and said,

“Hee-sung has a vocal trainer scheduled for today, so go check that first.”

“Yes, I will head to the location you mentioned.”

I widened my eyes at their conversation and asked,

“Now?”

“Yeah. The meeting is soon, so let’s just check today, not practice.”

“Yes, it’s good to check quickly and then practice.”

CEO Kim got up from his seat and said to me,

“Since it’s a vocal check today, let’s go together.”

So, the three of us arrived at the vocal practice room together.

Standing in front of the trainer, my heart started to flutter for no reason.

It was my first time singing in front of a vocal expert, so it was natural to be nervous.

The trainer calmly calmed me down and opened his mouth.

“Today, we’ll only check the basics and then proceed with practice accordingly. Please sing any song you want comfortably.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll check your singing and vocalization.”

I nodded at his words and immediately started singing.

“Ahem, ahem…”

Three minutes later.

As soon as the song ended, CEO Kim, Manager Park, and even the trainer looked at me with surprised faces.

“Wow, Hee-sung sings really well.”

CEO Kim shook his head in admiration, and Manager Park next to him clapped his hands.

And the most important response from the trainer.

He also raised his eyebrows with a surprised look.

“Oh, oh… that’s good?”

“That’s a relief. I didn’t warm up my voice, and I was a bit nervous, so I don’t think I did it properly.”

At my words, he pursed his lips and replied to me.

“I was going to check your vocals and help you… but I don’t think you need to practice separately?”

At the trainer’s words, CEO Kim approached and said,

“Really?”

“Yes, let me tell you more about Hee-sung’s vocals.”

He frowned and started talking about me.

“First of all, people who have acted have very good diction. Especially Hee-sung, you use abdominal breathing for vocalization, so your abdominal breathing is complete.”

CEO Kim nodded and asked him,

“So, you’re saying there’s no need to practice abdominal breathing separately?”

“That’s right. So, when Hee-sung sings, it’s very clean.”

The trainer, who was speaking while looking at CEO Kim, turned his head and looked at me and asked.

“Hee-sung, have you ever learned to sing separately?”

At his words, I shook my hand and replied.

“No. I haven’t.”

Of course, I hadn’t learned in Jin Hee-sung’s body.

“That’s even better. You haven’t learned to sing separately, so you don’t have any quirks, any unique habits or mannerisms. Nevertheless, your vocal range is incredibly wide. Your volume is perfect too….”

The trainer continued to list the stories about my skills as if he was constantly admiring them.

CEO Kim, who was smiling contentedly, was barely suppressing the corners of his mouth that kept rising.

In fact, how much had I sung during the 10,000 years of my past?

Not just singing, but having a job as a singer… it was countless.

From talented singers famous for their vocals to dance singers, hip-hop singers, and ballad singers.

I even had a history as a pop singer.

Not only singers on TV, but even a job as a trainer teaching singing.

My past of 10,000 years was very colorful, and thanks to that, everything was absorbed and ultimately refined… that was me, Jin Hee-sung.

So, how could I not be able to sing?

I reminisced about the times when I sang in the past, and I burst into laughter at those memories that came to mind so clearly.

There is no experience that is not helpful, and that was exactly right.

10,000 years of experience that ordinary people cannot even imagine.

The trainer looked at me and continued.

“I don’t think I need to teach you anything separately about singing. If you just warm up your voice before the meeting, you should be able to get good results.”

“Thank you.”

CEO Kim, as if he had heard a satisfactory answer, patted me on the shoulder and said,

“Our Hee-sung really can’t do anything wrong.”

“I’ve lived diligently. Haha.”

10,000 years… I did my best in every life given and lived fiercely, so it must be thanks to that.

While recalling those memories.

“Ugh….”

Suddenly, a throbbing headache.

I grabbed my head with both hands as the headache rushed in.

“Hee-sung, are you okay?”

CEO Kim grabbed me with a surprised face.

CEO Kim, who grabbed me as I staggered from the painful headache, sat me down on a chair next to him.

“…Yeah, I’m okay.”

Manager Park hurriedly handed me water and said.

“Hee-sung, you did that last time too. Aren’t you overdoing it these days?”

CEO Kim swallowed a sigh and muttered.

“There are a lot of interviews these days, and I told him to prepare for the musical, so he must have been suffering mentally….”

At their conversation, I forced a smile and replied.

“No, I’m just a little dizzy. I’m okay now.”

CEO Kim opened his mouth with a worried look.

“Let’s go in and rest a bit. Manager Park, can you get the car ready?”

“Yes, I understand.”

A few minutes later.

We got in the car.

CEO Kim sat next to me and sighed repeatedly.

“Hee-sung, you need to take care of your body. You must have been overdoing it these days.”

“No. I told you, I’m just a little dizzy.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell him.

That 10,000 years of memories rushed in at once and made me dizzy….

But CEO Kim, who had no way of knowing my inner thoughts, checked the schedule with a serious face.

“The musical isn’t the problem right now. Since there’s no schedule this week before the meeting, let’s get a health checkup first.”

“Health checkup?”

“Yeah. The company will pay for it, so let’s get a thorough health checkup this time.”

“…….”

In fact, getting a health checkup wasn’t a problem for me.

Checking my health is a good thing.

I wanted to live a long life as Jin Hee-sung as well.

However, what’s important now was… the headache that CEO Kim was worried about.

This nagging headache that has been bothering me for a long time.

This wasn’t simply a phenomenon caused by physical pain.

I couldn’t get a health checkup rashly because I was the only one who knew that the headache was caused by 10,000 years of memories.

What if the results of the health checkup, that is, my physical condition, came back normal?

But if the headache didn’t go away and continued, it would be strange.

Then CEO Kim would worry about my condition even more.

I was the only one who knew and understood the situation I was in.

“Huh? Should I make a reservation?”

At CEO Kim’s repeated question, I shook my head.

“No, I’ll get it separately later.”

“Haa… then make sure to get it. Tell me if you need help, whether it’s with the cost or an escort.”

“I will, hyung [older brother/close friend].”

***

“Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for coming all the way here.”

Two employees from WOM.

An American man and a Korean woman.

“No, thanks to you, I’m back in Korea for the first time in a while, and it’s great.”

Baek Min-young, the Korean employee.

She answered me, then sat down in the conference room, and CEO Kim, me, and the two WOM employees sat facing each other and continued the conversation.

After a few minutes of small talk, they immediately brought up the main point.

“Our WOM CEO is very interested in actor Jin Hee-sung.”

Baek Min-young smiled and looked at me.

“I’m grateful just knowing that you know me in America.”

“The CEO is always sensitive to trends. That’s why she’s in that position at the young age of early 30s.”

Matthew, a WOM employee next to her, said to us in short English.

“WOM CEO is also Korean.”

CEO Kim and I, surprised by his words, widened our eyes and asked back.

“Really?”

It was a fact we didn’t know because there was no information about the CEO even though it was a famous company.

“Yes, she’s Korean-American.”

Baek Min-young changed the subject and said to us.

“But I heard that IBH, the company that invests in Hee-sung’s agency, is close to How Company, so I thought you would sign with How Company instead of WOM.”

CEO Kim nodded and replied after hearing everything through IBH.

“I guess there’s a separate connection, so we met with WOM like this. Haha.”

At that time, Baek Min-young’s cell phone rang.

“I’m sorry, just a moment.”

“Yes, please feel free to talk.”

While she was on the phone, CEO Kim lowered his voice and opened his mouth to me.

“Actually… IBH was a little disappointed when we said we wouldn’t sign with How Company.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But they said they wouldn’t interfere with the detailed operations of our company. Besides, WOM’s CEO and IBH also have a connection.”

At his words, I clicked my tongue and replied.

“WOM’s CEO is Korean, so she has a wide network.”

After sharing stories about the company, they took out documents regarding the contract.

“What we are proposing for the contract today is… not just the musical.”

CEO Kim and I perked up our ears at the first time we heard the story.

“Then, are you saying there’s something else?”

“Yes, WOM is preparing for a huge scale this time.”

Baek Min-young took out a document and handed it to us.

“We are planning to produce a musical film.”

CEO Kim tilted his head and asked her back.

“We heard that you were going to do a musical on Broadway….”

“That’s right. We plan to produce a musical film and then turn that film into a musical. Of course, we’ll do the musical on Broadway.”

CEO Kim and I nodded at the fact that we could sign a contract not only for the musical but also for the film and the musical.

Of course, it was a better opportunity.

Baek Min-young continued with a confident face.

“The musical is not just a simple musical, but we are planning a musical closer to a concert.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“We plan to perform the musical at Madison Square Garden in New York, where basketball games are held.”

At her words, I opened my eyes wide and asked.

“Isn’t that a huge stadium?”

At my words, she nodded and replied.

“Yes, it has 20,000 seats. We are planning to perform it for a short time only in the summer, which is the basketball off-season.”

CEO Kim clicked his tongue and muttered.

“Wow… 20,000 seats….”

She turned the document over and pointed to the contract, continuing.

“If you sign a contract with us, these are the contract terms we can offer.”

CEO Kim and I leaned forward at the most important story.

“When you stay in New York, we will provide you with a luxury house in the Upper East Side, a wealthy neighborhood in New York, so that you can live comfortably.”

“Until the musical performance ends?”

“No. Even after the musical performance ends. WOM will permanently provide Hee-sung with a house where he can stay anytime.”

CEO Kim and I looked at each other with our mouths open at the enormous scale.

Not stopping there, Baek Min-young continued.

“We will also provide you with a house in Beverly Hills, LA, where you will stay when you film in Hollywood.”

“Wow….”

She smiled and said, then made a sound and pointed to the next clause.

“However, Hee-sung is performing in the musical for the first time, and there is a limit to the number of audiences because the musical is only for one summer season, so I don’t think we can give you a lot of contract money.”

At her words, I nodded.

I had never thought about the contract money separately, and I didn’t think they would give me a huge contract money since it was my first musical.

“So, I think we can give you 20 billion won [approximately $15 million USD] for the movie and 30 billion won [approximately $22.5 million USD] for the musical as a contract fee.”

“…….”

CEO Kim frowned at the huge amount and asked.

“So, are you saying that you’re doing a movie and a musical now, so it’s a total of 50 billion won? [approximately $37.5 million USD]”

In contrast to him stuttering in embarrassment, Baek Min-young blinked and replied.

“Yes, that’s right. Since the musical is for a short period, it has been set at this level.”

She spoke in a polite tone, thinking it was a small amount, but CEO Kim and I were the opposite.

We were surprised by the unexpected huge amount, but we tried to swallow that feeling as much as possible and replied.

“Um… is that the end now?”

Baek Min-young frowned at CEO Kim’s words and replied.

“We will provide as much support as possible for anything special or necessary other than that.”

Then she looked at me and asked.

“Hee-sung, if you tell us….”

“Ah, what kind of support do you usually provide?”

At my words, she rolled her eyes and continued calmly.

“To tell you a few things that other actors have requested… unlimited caviar in the waiting room, and requesting a few air conditioners is a simple matter.”

I couldn’t help but be amazed at the incredible scale of the United States. Is this a simple matter….

“There are also unlimited first-class airline tickets, a personal chef or a chef dedicated to pets, and champagne showers. Everyone wants something different. Hee-sung, please feel free to tell us.”

“Um….”

Just as I was thinking that the conditions that actors usually request from WOM were very different from mine, the request I had always wanted came to mind.

“Ah, I have one.”

At my words, Baek Min-young smiled and replied.

“Yes, what should we prepare for you?”

“Two bottles of water for me.”

“Pardon?”

At my words, she seemed embarrassed and her pupils shook.

“And the staff who are with me.”

“If you tell us the staff you want, we will try to match them as much as possible.”

“No. Anyone who is with me, I want them to receive the best treatment.”

It was one thing I felt sorry for during the last Hollywood filming.

Unlike the treatment given to actors, the treatment given to the staff was poor itself.

“Ah… is that the condition you want?”