An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 347

347. Episode 63 – The Actor Who Lived for 10,000 Years (2)

Brain tumor.

10,000 years, an immense amount of time.

Having lived through a thousand lives, I had never faced death due to illness.

After spending ten years, I would naturally meet my end and begin a new life.

So, I thought the term ‘terminal’ would never apply to my life.

The life of living as Jin Hee-sung.

This life wasn’t just for ten years, but until death.

This was also a life I had never experienced before, so I had new expectations and worries.

How would I face death?

How many years would I live before meeting my end?

Whatever it was, I was sure it would be longer than the ten years I had lived so far.

Because that’s how ordinary human lives were.

Like ordinary humans, I would live my life diligently, meet someone I love.

I would live with someone I love more than my own life, someone I would give up everything for.

Becoming life partners, we would watch the setting sun and close our eyes when our hair turned gray.

A future everyone dreams of.

A life that is not so difficult to achieve.

But it seems that I won’t be able to experience this even once in a total of 20,000 years.

Brain tumor, terminal illness….

The thought of spending only a short moment, not even ten years, in Jin Hee-sung’s body made me feel lost.

A person who is happy when acting.

A person with the job of an actor.

All of this was actually the dream of a person named ‘Jin Hee-sung.’

I was just a body called Jin Hee-sung that passed by in the life that changes every 10 years, as always.

So, it wasn’t a big deal, but I had always done my best, as always.

But now I am Jin Hee-sung.

And the ‘actor’ he dreamed of.

That became my dream.

I am Jin Hee-sung… I couldn’t give up my dream like this.

No, I didn’t want to give up.

Even if I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, even if I only had six months left.

I couldn’t let go of the stage of my dreams right in front of my eyes.

“Then what are you going to do….”

Song Yu-na asked me with tears filling her big eyes.

I stared at her face and opened my mouth.

“I… I want to die on stage, not in a hospital.”

“What?”

She widened her eyes as if it was an unexpected answer and frowned as she asked me.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to do the musical no matter what?”

“Yeah.”

“No, I mean… are you saying you’re not going to get surgery!”

Song Yu-na dropped the tears that were barely holding back onto her cheeks.

I bit my lip and slowly nodded.

“Are you crazy?”

“Even if I get surgery, there’s only a 30% chance of survival. And even if the surgery is successful with a 70% chance… I can only live in the hospital for a few years.”

“So… so you should definitely get surgery.”

“Yu-na, I don’t think that’s meaningful.”

Song Yu-na grabbed my arms tightly and started persuading me.

“Why is it not meaningful? You can live for 4 years instead of 6 months. And miracles exist….”

I let out a faint laugh before she could finish her words.

“Miracles… are just miracles. Miracles won’t happen to me.”

If there was such a thing as a miracle, I wouldn’t have been punished with 10,000 years of hell.

The punishment God gave me.

There’s no way that God would give me a miracle. I didn’t want to give up my dream while hoping for that miracle.

Because I knew too well that it wouldn’t happen.

“Yu-na, I don’t want to let go of acting, no matter when I die.”

“…….”

She lowered her gaze and just kept crying.

All I could do for her was to hold her in my arms.

Song Yu-na cried in my arms for a long time.

I patted her back and murmured.

“I’ll spend all my time with you except for the moments I’m acting.”

At my words, Song Yu-na looked up at me and bit her lip.

“…Of course, you should.”

***

Spending time in the hospital room was meaningless to me.

I didn’t have enough time left to put my dreams aside and have surgery, hoping for a small chance.

After persuading Song Yu-na, Park Manager, and even CEO Kim.

I left the hospital right away.

And headed to the musical practice room instead of the hospital.

The closer I got to the practice room, the more I heard the buzzing sounds.

Through the slightly opened door, I could hear the passionate practice sounds.

At their buzzing, my heart started pounding again.

Feeling alive, I opened the door with a bursting heart.

“Everyone, I’m here!”

The director, Cali, Robert, and all the actors stopped all their actions as if it were a lie at my greeting.

They looked at me and shouted with surprised faces.

“Hee-sung!”

“Are you okay?”

Everyone ran to me with worried eyes, and Robert and Cali lifted me up.

“Hee-sung, what are you doing here?”

“Jin Hee-sung, did you leave the hospital?”

At their questions, I smiled with a bright face and answered.

“Yeah, I’m not going to lie in the hospital anymore.”

Then he shouted to the director and other actors.

“I’m sorry for missing practice. I’ll work harder from now on!”

For a moment, the practice room was silent, but soon cheers and applause erupted.

Clap clap-

“We’ve been waiting.”

“Let’s work hard together.”

The actors and staff greeted me happily.

But Cali and Robert, who knew me so well, didn’t have bright expressions.

Barely averting their eyes, I looked at the practice room and shouted.

“Then let’s start practicing.”

Practice continued for several hours.

My head ached in the middle, but I couldn’t express the pain because I chose this path.

Clenching my teeth and enduring the pain, my body was soon covered in sweat.

“Let’s take a break and go to the next scene.”

At Ronaldo’s words, I immediately moved to a chair where I could rest.

I released the eyes that had been immersed in the role and slowly closed my eyes.

I didn’t have the energy to joke around with the actors during the break anymore.

I didn’t have enough energy to pour into acting.

Cali and Robert, who came to my side, handed me water and started talking.

“Hee-sung, are you really okay?”

At Cali’s words, I smiled and nodded.

“Of course.”

“The surgery… you decided not to do it?”

Robert asked me with his eyebrows drooping.

I shrugged and avoided answering.

They will definitely recommend surgery to me.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Did you guys practice a lot while I was gone?”

As if they noticed my heart, Robert and Cali put aside their worries and playfully opened their mouths to my answer.

“Hee-sung, now that you’re gone, Robert’s bad acting is even more noticeable, you know?”

At Cali’s playful tone, Robert wrapped his arm around his neck.

“You… no. Cali, this guy, Hee-sung, coveted your leading role.”

“Do you want to talk about things you didn’t have?”

“Who did it first? Haha.”

I burst out laughing at their usual bickering.

And I recalled the smile that came out of my mouth.

How long has it been since I laughed like this….

Since the day I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

I was just smiling for people.

As if I was okay.

As if nothing was wrong.

All I could show was my forced smile.

But with the laughter that burst out with Cali and Robert, I felt like my stuffy heart was relieved.

Cali, who saw my smile, put his hand on my shoulder and said.

“Jin Hee-sung, you’ve been having a hard time… are you finally smiling?”

At his words, Robert wiggled his eyes and answered.

“Hee-sung is getting energy because he sees me. Right?”

I shook my head at his words.

“No, I’m laughing because I love acting so much!”

***

Another musical practice continued today.

One person standing in the middle of the practice room.

It was Jin Hee-sung.

-The moment my life ends… I finally look back on my life, my past-♬

He was singing with all his might.

Coincidentally, the lyrics seemed to be comparing his life.

-If I die like this… if I’m going to die like this-♬

And soon tears filled both cheeks.

Jin Hee-sung knelt in the middle of the stage and wept.

His sincere acting touched the hearts of the actors, and tears burst out from everywhere.

“What, is that acting right?”

“Was that scene so sad?”

The actors watching Jin Hee-sung’s practice shed tears.

They started buzzing about his acting.

“Isn’t it really amazing?”

“That’s right, it’s really dangerous if he doesn’t get surgery because of a brain tumor… but he’s acting.”

“I know. I would never be able to do that.”

“I feel so sorry and pitiful.”

The actors agreed on Jin Hee-sung’s situation, and that worry was soon turning into respect.

“But it’s so amazing. How can he do that?”

“I know. I think I would have given up on living in the world.”

“He’s really a person I can admire.”

“Yeah, he’s an actor I respect, whether it’s acting or life.”

Fellow actors sincerely supported Jin Hee-sung.

Jin Hee-sung, they could see how sincere he was about acting.

-I’ll struggle to live. I’ll struggle-♬

Director Ronaldo also burst into tears at the sight of him desperately acting.

“Okay!”

But he swallowed his tears and sent a sign to Jin Hee-sung’s acting.

Jin Hee-sung collapsed as soon as the sign fell.

He couldn’t get out of the immersion for a long time with the lyrics that were like his heart.

Director Ronaldo approached him and sent a comforting hug.

“Whee-!”

Clap clap-

“You’re really cool!”

“Jin Hee-sung! Jin Hee-sung!”

And for a long time, the practice room was filled with voices of support for actor Jin Hee-sung and human Jin Hee-sung.

Several hours later.

As the practice was coming to an end.

Robert and Cali approached Jin Hee-sung as usual.

“Hee-sung, you worked hard today.”

“Oh, Robert and Cali’s acting has improved a lot too? Haha.”

Jin Hee-sung replied to them playfully as before.

Now Robert and Cali no longer revealed that Jin Hee-sung was suffering from an illness and that they were worried about him.

Rather, it seemed that they knew that it was for Jin Hee-sung.

They thought that treating Jin Hee-sung as before without any problems was for him.

Jin Hee-sung also knew that.

“Hee-sung, if you practice a little more, it seems like it would be perfect?”

At Cali’s words, Jin Hee-sung smiled.

“Wow… Cali is evaluating my acting?”

At their conversation, Robert waved his hand and opened his mouth.

“You’re all not as good as me.”

Then Cali and Jin Hee-sung shouted at the same time.

“You’re the biggest problem!”

They burst out laughing and left the practice room.

“Hee-sung, let’s go for a drink today… no, coffee!”

Cali and Robert put their hands on Jin Hee-sung’s shoulders on both sides, and Hee-sung bent down and got out of their arms.

“No. I have an appointment.”

At his words, Robert tilted his head and asked.

“Again today?”

“Yeah, I’m busy these days.”

Cali carefully opened his mouth to Jin Hee-sung.

“Are you… getting hospital treatment again?”

At his question, Hee-sung raised the corners of his mouth and answered.

“No, not the hospital. I have a more important appointment than that.”

“So what is it?”

“That’s right. Why are you going somewhere every day after practice?”

They raised their eyebrows as if they were curious, and Jin Hee-sung smiled brightly and said.

“The most important appointment in the world!”