An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 43

43. #11 – There are no eternal superiors, nor eternal inferiors. (1)

Kang Chan-sung, you rude bastard.

What kind of thoughts does he have in his head to say something like that to my face?

My face contorted, and I froze on the spot.

He didn’t seem to care about my mood or expression, casually turning his gaze away.

Even though Kim had warned me that Kang Chan-sung had a prickly personality.

His attitude and manners were beyond my imagination.

I was extremely upset, but I couldn’t lash out at him in that place.

There were too many people, and it was everyone’s first meeting today.

I didn’t want to cause a scene there.

My heart was boiling, but I cooled it down as if pouring cold water on it, whatever it was.

“Ah, yes.”

Unlike my words, barely suppressing my anger.

Kang Chan-sung fiddled with his cell phone and opened his mouth in a tone that suggested he was in a bad mood.

“What, are you still here?”

He glanced at me sideways and muttered to himself.

“I need to practice the script reading, so please leave.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a long breath through my nose.

It felt like a very hot steam was coming out of my head.

Feeling a sudden rush of blood to my head, I massaged my stiff neck and left the script reading room.

“Hee-sung.”

As I opened the door, Kim, who greeted me with a bright face, was standing there.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], were you here?”

“No, I was outside and just came in for a bit.”

He widened his eyes and asked me.

“Why, do you need something?”

I shook my head.

Kim asked me with a serious face.

“Why the long face? Did something happen?”

Of course.

Kim, who is with me all day, seemed to know right away that I was in a bad mood just by looking at my expression.

At his question, I sighed as if the ground was sinking.

“Hyung, Kang Chan-sung….”

We walked to a corner, careful not to be overheard by anyone nearby, and continued our conversation.

“Don’t tell me you had a problem with Kang Chan-sung?”

Kim frowned.

“I warned you that he’s prickly and has a bit of a temper.”

When I told Kim about what happened in the script reading room earlier.

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes tightly.

He wasn’t there, but he must have been angry at my story.

“What kind of thoughts does he have to say something like that?”

“I know, I was so dumbfounded.”

Kim patted me on the shoulder and replied.

“Try not to get involved with him if you can. He seems worse than the rumors.”

“I will.”

He and I shook our heads at the same time.

Soon, looking at his wristwatch, I said to Kim.

“Hyung, I should go in.”

“Okay, I’ll wait in front. Do well.”

I turned my back on Kim, who sent me off with a smile, and headed back to the script reading room.

***

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard!”

The long script reading that didn’t seem to end was finally over.

Everyone stretched out their hands, yawned, and moved their bodies.

They were folding up the spread-out scripts one by one and preparing to leave.

Then, Director Lim clapped his hands loudly once and shouted.

“You’ve all worked hard today, and don’t lose the feeling you had during the script reading. Let’s rest and meet again on the first day of filming.”

“Yes!”

At Director Lim’s words, everyone bowed their heads in their seats.

They had finished preparing to leave, but no one got up from their seat first.

Like a battle of wits in a company, waiting for the boss to get up first even though it’s time to leave work.

At that time.

Kang Chan-sung stood up abruptly, creaking his chair.

Everyone’s eyes were on him.

Kang Chan-sung walked straight to Director Lim without hesitation.

“Director, I’ll go first.”

“Okay, Chan-sung, you’ve worked hard. See you on the day of filming.”

He bowed to Director Lim and left the script reading room without looking back.

Without greeting any of the other actors.

Even though he’s a top actor, it seems like he ate his manners for breakfast.

Well, that’s why he treated me like that earlier.

After he left in a hurry.

One by one, they got up from their seats, exchanged greetings, and left.

“Hee-sung.”

At that time, Han So-jung approached me.

“Yes, So-jung. You’ve worked hard today.”

“No, I’m okay.”

She looked around and leaned towards me.

Then, she began to whisper in a small voice.

“You were embarrassed because of Kang Chan-sung earlier, right?”

Han So-jung seemed concerned about me because she saw everything there.

Forcibly smiling, I opened my mouth.

“I was, but I’m okay.”

She seemed to have more to say, pulling out the chair next to me and continuing.

“When you went out earlier, he took my number.”

“Really?”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

“So, I was wondering what it was….”

He told me that I was too immersed in reality, but….

He bothered to get Han So-jung’s number….

I think I know what kind of guy he is….

A nasty chuckle came out at the fact that he only saved the number of a woman, Han So-jung.

“Well, Kang Chan-sung is Kang Chan-sung.”

I relaxed my distorted expression and put on a smile.

“Let’s do well in this drama without any problems.”

Han So-jung smiled at my words, clenched both fists towards her face, and shouted.

“Yes, fighting!” [A Korean expression of encouragement, like ‘Go for it!’]

***

Whoosh.

A strong wind blowing in my face.

Looking around, this place is surrounded by dirt and sand.

What, where is this….

Before I could think deeply, I took a long breath at the blowing wind.

Wait.

There is no air coming out of my nose in the exhale.

This is… certain.

I’m in a dream now.

I realized it was a dream, but I had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut at the strong sandstorm.

Nevertheless, my feet, which were walking hard, had no intention of stopping.

“Meseus, the tower has been built quite high now.”

Even at the voice shouting from behind, I didn’t care and opened my mouth while looking ahead.

“No, it’s not enough yet.”

I headed to the tower, overcoming the strong wind.

He walked quickly to the front and stopped me.

Then, he bowed his head and asked.

“I have a question.”

“You may ask.”

At my words, he nodded and said.

“How high are you going to build the tower?”

“Hmm… Let me ask you. Do you know why we are building the tower?”

He quickly rolled his eyes towards the floor.

As I frowned and looked at him, he soon opened his mouth.

“I thought it was… because of God.”

“God, you say….”

“Yes, even if God unleashes water again like the last great flood, if we are in a high tower, we will not be submerged in the world again.”

I nodded.

The Great Flood of Noah.

God caused the Great Flood to judge mankind.

As a result, the whole world was submerged in water.

But I couldn’t say that I was building the tower only for that reason.

“Again?”

At my question, he shook his head.

“Is there another reason?”

“It’s not just because of God’s judgment.”

“Then….”

He lowered his head deeply.

I lifted his chin with my hand and said.

“The city and heaven.”

He looked at me with his mouth shut tightly, like a mute who had eaten honey, at my words.

“We will build the tower high and get closer to heaven.”

At my words, his eyes widened and blinked repeatedly.

“And even if God’s judgment is opened again, we will make sure that we do not scatter again.”

As soon as I finished speaking, he hurriedly bowed his head.

I passed him by and started walking again towards the tower that was being built.

The work of building the tower.

I was convinced that only by building the tower high into the sky could we survive even if God judged us again.

That tower must reach God.

When I reached the tower, all the vassals were busy raising the tower.

I stood in place and looked up at the towering tower.

“It really feels like it will reach the sky.”

“Yes, I think it’s really close now.”

I slightly raised the corners of my lips.

“We must speed up even more. The road to God… is not far away now.”

“Yes, we will gather all our strength to finish it quickly.”

He left my side and ran to the place where the tower was being built.

The tower that I had decided on after a long deliberation.

The end was approaching.

How much had I been waiting for the day to reach heaven?

My heart was already starting to swell.

The moment the top of the tower touches heaven.

Only then can I stand on the same line as God.

I slowly turned around the tower and recalled my determination.

The sun was slowly disappearing.

This place where I am left alone.

For some reason, a bleak feeling enveloped my whole body.

Saaah-

Is it another sandstorm?

I turned my head, but there was no sandstorm anywhere.

What is that sound?

Looking around with a chilly feeling, the tower that had disappeared without a trace.

And a pure white floor instead of sand.

Wait a minute.

When I looked up, the sky was gone too.

A place where all sides are just pure white.

What, what is this….

“I cannot have mercy on humans.”

A low voice.

I looked at the air and shouted.

“Who is it!”

There was no reply to my words.

I cried out as if wailing.

“Are you afraid? Show yourself now!”

At that moment.

A god wearing pure white clothes appeared before my eyes, emitting such a dazzling aura that I couldn’t open my eyes.

I had never seen a god, but I could tell intuitively.

That he is ‘God’.

“Meseus, did you dare to build a tower and try to reach God?”

God’s low voice struck my ears.

I held my head up and looked into his eyes.

Then, looking down at me from above, he opened his mouth again.

“To want to be equal to God, you are extremely arrogant.”

I saw his angry face, but I had no intention of surrendering.

Even if he is ‘God’.

I puffed out my chest and shouted.

“You are no different from humans.”

Even at my words, his stern expression did not budge.

Rather, that face that despises me.

With a face full of anger, I shouted even louder.

“Gods are just chosen beings, aren’t they?”

The color of the aura emanating from him gradually began to change.

From an unknown mysterious color, a dark red light slowly emanated.

God shouted.

“For the sin of daring to arrogantly try to reach God. I will punish you.”

His eyes moved slightly.

At the same time, my body did not listen.

Something overwhelmingly strong.

My legs were forced to kneel against my will.

I poured all my strength to avoid bowing to him.

My body was trembling as I struggled to resist God’s power.

As he looked at me and raised his chin once, my head immediately bowed towards the floor.

Damn it.

No matter how hard I tried to lift my head, even if I wanted to straighten my kneeling knees.

My body didn’t listen.

Nevertheless, I cried out to God.

“No matter what you do to me, I will never give in….”

At that moment, my words were cut off.

“Ugh…!”

My lips were closed as if someone had sewn them tightly.

I wanted to open my mouth, but no sound came out.

I was just shouting inside my tightly closed mouth.

No reply was conveyed.

“Do you want to live?”

God asked me.

I drew out even the strength I used to suckle to loosen my frozen body and closed mouth.

But my body did not follow my heart.

God shouted, seeing me twitching slightly.

“I will make you feel that living is more painful than dying.”

His unknown words.

How can living be more painful than dying?

“Ten years, a thousand lives.”

A thousand lives?

I frowned with my eyebrows furrowed without saying a word.

What is that?

Before I could interpret his words, God opened his mouth again.

“That way, you will live for ten thousand years.”

God, who was raising the corners of his lips in contrast to his eyebrows, which were set in a reverse eight shape, uttered meaningful words.

“I will make you feel that living is more painful than dying.”

With those words, God disappeared like a mirage before my eyes.

I waved my hands, but the God in front of me was nowhere to be found.

Like a lie, my mouth opened again.

I shouted at the top of my lungs, but God did not appear in front of me again.

Only the words ‘ten years, a thousand lives, ten thousand years of life’ that he had given as punishment were spinning around in my head.