An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 40

#10 – Not One or the Other (2)

The dream was so vivid it wouldn’t leave my head.

It had been several days since I dreamed of being a singer.

But since that day, I hadn’t had any dreams at all.

And even the role of the salesperson in the movie didn’t appear.

I was hoping that since I had a dream about being a singer in the drama, I would also have a dream about being a salesperson, which was my movie role.

But for days, even when I took a nap, I didn’t dream for even a minute.

I read the script for days to have that dream, and I held the script in my hand right before going to sleep.

I closed my eyes while imagining it, but not even a similar dream appeared.

Why am I having these dreams?

It feels like I’m dreaming because I’m imagining while reading the script and being consumed by that thought all day long.

If that’s the case, shouldn’t I also be dreaming about being a salesperson?

For what reason am I able to dream?

Is there even a rule?

Besides, what kind of power does this dream give me….

What kind of effect does it have that makes my immersion so strong?

While I was deep in thought,

“Hee-sung?”

“Oh, hyung [older brother or close male friend].”

Kim Director tilted his head, wondering how many times he had called my name.

“Are you okay?”

Kim Director asked again with a worried look.

“What were you thinking about so much that you’re only answering now?”

“I just had something else on my mind for a moment.”

He leaned in with interest and asked.

“What is it?”

Instead of the dream I was actually thinking about, I asked a different question.

“Hyung, about our drama.”

“‘Entertainment Industry Extra’?”

I nodded at his words.

“Do you know who the model is for the singer role I’m playing in that drama?”

Kim Director frowned at my words.

“Model….”

After thinking for a while, he started flipping through his diary.

Kim Director, who was constantly turning pages, suddenly raised his head as if he had found something.

“Did you find it?”

“Yeah.”

“Who is it?”

Contrary to my expectations, Kim Director shook his head.

“There isn’t one.”

“What?”

“There isn’t one. It’s just a role created from scratch.”

That can’t be….

I clearly saw and heard the name ‘Kwon Chan’ in my dream.

Then what was the singer dream I had?

As my face contorted and I was lost in thought, Kim Director spoke again.

“But there is someone who was used as a model for the actor role.”

My eyes widened at his words.

“Who is it?”

“The writer said they initially used actor Im Hoon as the motif.”

I opened my mouth and nodded.

“So I heard they’re actually trying to cast actor Im Hoon in that role and are in the process of contacting him.”

“Ah, so there really wasn’t a model for the singer role.”

He shook his head at my words.

“That’s right. It’s clear there was one for the actor role, but if there was one for the singer role, they would have told me.”

“Well, if that were the case, they might have asked that singer to take on the role.”

I stuck out my lower lip and nodded.

There’s no way they wouldn’t have told me about the model for the singer role.

So that really means it’s a character created from scratch….

I flipped through the script again.

Even though I had already read the script to the end several times, it was to check again.

As expected, there was no scene where my character ends up dying.

That means it’s not the actual Kwon Chan role.

Even more questions arose about the dream.

What on earth does it mean?

***

A private Korean restaurant.

Every place is made up of rooms, so you could never know who came.

In the room I entered with the guidance of the staff, Choi Seo-bin was sitting alone.

“Senior!”

“Oh, Hee-sung. You’re here?”

I arrived 15 minutes earlier than the appointment time, but he was already inside.

I bent over and said.

“I came early, but you were already here.”

“The filming ended sooner than I thought, so I came a little early.”

He pointed to the chair with his chin, and I sat down and replied.

“Then I should have come even earlier. Did you wait long?”

“No, I haven’t been here long either.”

As soon as he confirmed that I was seated, food began to come out as if he had been waiting.

“Senior, is the filming all done?”

“Not yet. But if I film for a few more days, it’ll be finished, so I have plenty of time.”

He took a bite of the food and asked me.

“Shall we have a drink too?”

I smiled as I pressed the bell next to me.

“Sure!”

We lightly exchanged drinks, and our topic of conversation shifted to acting.

“Yeah, last year’s film festival was fun.”

“Really?”

Film festivals held in Korea.

I had never attended one.

I had never filmed a famous commercial film enough to attend.

Even if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to play a supporting role that would take up a significant portion.

I focused my eyes and ears on the interesting topic.

“Yeah, a lot of movies by master directors were released last year, right?”

“That’s right. So I remember the actor lineup was also very solid.”

The movies that were shown at last year’s film festival were outstanding works that could be counted on one hand.

The directors were so famous, and the leading actors were also well-known figures.

That’s why the impact was greater than expected.

Even supporting actors who were not known were basically rising to the top actor line.

There were even actors who had advanced to Hollywood.

In addition, the advertising industry last year was swept away by movie actors due to the movies.

Choi Seo-bin poured me a drink and opened his mouth.

“Hee-sung, shouldn’t you go to a film festival too?”

My desire was ignited by his words.

Film festival.

I always thought it was a place far away from me.

Actors wearing fancy clothes.

Numerous cameras and their fans.

I had seen countless photos and articles of them walking leisurely through them and standing on the photo wall.

I didn’t feel jealous or envious.

No, I had never even thought that far.

Because I thought I could go someday.

It’s just that the opportunity hadn’t come yet.

I answered with sparkling eyes.

“Yes, I should.”

After clinking glasses with him.

I drank the alcohol in one gulp.

And instead of snacks, I made a pledge.

“Senior, I want to act hard.”

Choi Seo-bin raised the corners of his mouth at my words.

Then he shifted his gaze and picked up the food in front of him.

“You’re a good actor, you.”

“Yes?”

“Your style of acting is the first time I’ve seen it.”

Choi Seo-bin put down his chopsticks and frowned.

“What should I say… it feels like I’m being sucked in for some reason?”

I focused all my attention on his acting evaluation as a top star.

Because every word will be helpful to me.

“It’s a captivating acting ability.”

I don’t know what to do with his praise.

I feel my face burning hot.

“Thank you for seeing it so positively.”

“But….”

The latter part of the story is always important.

His voice and eyes seemed to be telling me the key point.

“I don’t know why.”

“Yes?”

I tilted my head.

He was also busy rolling his eyes, looking at the air.

“You’re good at acting, but it’s not an acting ability that’s so outstanding that it’ll turn the world upside down.”

I nodded and listened carefully.

I wanted to open my cell phone and take notes.

It was like receiving a one-on-one acting lesson from a top actor.

This level of class would cost tens, no, hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“All aspects are not yet refined, but among the actors I’ve worked with, you have the most immersive power.”

He drank soju [Korean distilled spirit] alone and continued.

“It’s not just that you’re immersed, but you have the ability to make even the other actor get caught up in that immersion?”

I had never accurately recognized that as my acting ability.

But after hearing Choi Seo-bin’s words, I felt a thrilling catharsis.

That the immersion is the best for the viewer means that there is ‘something’ more than just the perfection of the acting.

“It’s the same when I watch you act. I wonder what’s so different about that person that I’m being sucked in.”

“I will try harder.”

It was thanks, and more than that.

Choi Seo-bin smiled as if he was satisfied with my answer and said.

“If you want to do a little better acting….”

I cooled down my heart, which was so full that it was hot with his praise, and listened calmly.

“You don’t need to learn by watching other people’s acting. Just watch what you’ve practiced and filmed….”

Choi Seo-bin and I forgot that it was a drinking party.

We had an in-depth conversation about acting.

Until the food got cold.

By the time the additional bottle of alcohol was emptied.

Choi Seo-bin poured me a drink and said.

“Let’s do Director Jang’s movie together this time.”

His eyes were so full of sincerity that it was about to overflow.

What am I that Choi Seo-bin is saying this much?

Of course, I liked the work too.

But at the same time, I was worried about having to do two works.

As I hesitated to answer because I hadn’t made a decision yet, he spoke again.

“I really want you to come in.”

His eyes for seeing works have never been wrong.

Not all works were a hit.

But the drama was always an issue, and the movie always exceeded the break-even point.

So that’s why he became a top actor loved by the whole nation.

If I work with Choi Seo-bin, I won’t lose anything either.

Besides, if I work with him, I’ll have more to learn than to lose.

***

“I told you several times….”

My mouth was dry from repeated practice.

I held water in my mouth and slowly calmed my breathing.

The script was already perfectly memorized.

But memorizing the lines and practicing acting are different issues.

“Ahem!”

I cleared my throat and immersed myself in an instant.

Furrowed brows.

I shouted in a sharp voice.

“Didn’t I tell you several times!”

Knock knock.

I took a breath that I had been holding back at the sound of knocking on the practice room.

“Yes.”

The door opened at the same time as the answer.

“Hee-sung, sorry to interrupt while you’re practicing.”

Kim Director wrinkled his nose and carefully entered.

He doesn’t usually come in when I’m practicing alone, but it seems like there’s something urgent.

Knowing that, I shook my head and said.

“It’s okay. What’s wrong?”

He shrugged and handed over two scripts.

“Now we have to make a decision.”

The choice Kim Director is talking about is the drama and the movie.

The day to choose between the two works is approaching.

With my lips pressed tightly, I looked at the script, not Kim Director.

He knew very well that it was an important decision, so he waited patiently for my answer without urging me.

And my answer didn’t take long.

I raised my head, looked at Kim Director, and opened my mouth in a low voice.

“I think it’s right to strike while the iron is hot.”

“Huh?”

Kim Director’s eyes widened, and I replied with a face full of determination.

“I’ll do both works!”