An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 61

61. #13 – People Don’t Change Easily (4)

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Let’s wrap it up with applause!”

The set erupted in cheers and clapping.

The final scene had received the ‘okay’ sign.

The actors stayed until the end of the filming, even after their parts were done. They wanted to finish together.

And a large cake was brought to Director Jang.

“Director, thank you for your hard work.”

Director Jang’s mouth smiled, but his eyes didn’t quite match.

The final shoot was over, and a sense of relief washed over everyone.

But it was only halfway done. Important editing remained before the release.

Of course, the editing could only be good if the filming was done well. Even if the filming was good, it would be difficult to succeed if the editing wasn’t done properly.

Moreover, the real test begins on the day of the movie’s release: whether it becomes a success through enthusiastic promotion and word-of-mouth, or a disappointing failure.

His expression seemed to show a mix of worry, relief from finishing the filming, and regret. But Director Jang soon smiled brightly and blew out the candles in one breath.

“Everyone worked hard.”

Then, looking at the camera director, he said, “Let’s take a group photo.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the camera was set up, we all gathered around Director Jang, a crowd of people.

Some hugged each other and cried as if they would never see each other again. Some laughed heartily and said goodbye.

“Okay, taking the picture. One, two….”

Click-!

With the loud shutter sound, we smiled brightly and shouted, “Became a genius salesman, fighting!”

***

The time until the release was still far away. After the final shoot, the crank-up date [the end of filming] approached.

Today’s crank-up dinner was held in a larger venue with more people than any other dinner we’d had before, including the director, writer, staff, actors, and their managers.

There were so many people that it took a few words to coordinate a toast together.

“The director will give a toast.”

That’s how the message was delivered to our table. After the chatter in the restaurant subsided, everyone focused on Director Jang.

“You’ve all worked hard, but it’s not over yet,” he said, standing up and receiving everyone’s attention.

“The footage we worked hard on at the set – in order for it to shine in the world, we must edit it diligently to create good results.”

At Director Jang’s words, people at the editing team’s table nodded.

“I know that everyone has worked hard in their respective positions. I am always grateful and thankful.”

People, including me, holding glasses, listened to his words without moving.

“I hope we can have a good relationship and see each other for a long time. It was a long journey… Anyway, wishing our movie a big hit, cheers!”

As soon as Director Jang finished speaking, everyone in the restaurant raised their glasses and shouted so loud that the restaurant shook.

“Cheers!”

And no one put down their glass, immediately bringing it to their mouths and emptying it.

“Kuh.”

As soon as the glasses were put down, the restaurant became noisy again.

I looked at Choi Seo-bin and Park Na-yeon sitting in front of me and said, “Our leading actors, you’ve worked hard.”

It wasn’t that we sat in any particular order; it was just that I entered the restaurant with Choi Seo-bin, so the seating arrangement turned out like this. And next to our table, Kang Chan-sung, Park Min-joon, and two more supporting actors were seated.

Choi Seo-bin shook his head at my words and replied, “No. Hee-sung worked hard.”

He raised his thumb above the table.

Park Na-yeon agreed with his words and added, “That’s right. It was my first time working with Hee-sung, and it was so great.”

“Pardon?”

When I tilted my head and asked again, she smiled and replied, “You know, the scene we filmed together last time.”

“In front of that building?”

“That’s right. It was the first time I filmed a two-shot with Hee-sung there, and when I saw us together, the atmosphere was really cool.”

Choi Seo-bin nodded with a pleased smile at Park Na-yeon’s words.

I waved my hand and replied, “Haha, no. Anyway, thank you for the compliment.”

“I’m serious. The atmosphere that comes out when you act… I think you’ll become more and more famous in the future.”

Park Na-yeon raised both hands and then picked up her glass.

“Shall we toast then?”

“Okay.”

Starting with her compliment, we continued to talk about each other while the three of us were drinking.

Then Director Jang came to the empty seat next to me and sat down. He gestured to Kang Chan-sung and Park Min-joon at the next table, and they started drinking together.

“Our movie’s leading actors, you’ve worked hard,” Director Jang said.

“Director, you’ve worked hard,” Kang Chan-sung replied.

Director Jang drank the full glass with a proud face. Somehow, Kang Chan-sung and I ended up sitting on either side of Director Jang.

Director Jang put his hands on Kang Chan-sung’s and my shoulders and said, “I heard that Chan-sung and Hee-sung have great chemistry.”

At his words, Kang Chan-sung and I made eye contact. We shifted our gaze without either of us saying anything.

“Should we edit to bring out their chemistry a bit?”

As soon as Director Jang finished speaking, Kang Chan-sung smiled awkwardly and said, “Haha, it’s good, but if we continue with our chemistry right after the drama, wouldn’t it be a bit of a dull picture?”

“Would it?”

Director Jang nodded at Kang Chan-sung’s words. He wanted to change the subject and threw out a random topic.

“Ah, Director. Do you perhaps invest in stocks…?”

An abrupt change of topic in the middle of a movie discussion. For a moment, Director Jang’s expression distorted, but he soon relaxed his face and nodded. But he didn’t respond to Kang Chan-sung’s story at all.

No, he must be holding back. Even if he’s the director, it’s not easy to speak bluntly to a successful actor.

Choi Seo-bin opened his mouth to match his tone with a forced smile. “Director, let me pour you a drink.”

“Oh my, I have to accept if Seo-bin pours it for me. Haha.”

Director Jang soon received Choi Seo-bin’s drink with a bright face. Before he knew it, he had his back to Kang Chan-sung sitting next to him.

Director Jang left for another table. The seats were changed several times, and our conversation topics also changed.

The managers who had been gathered together were scattered, and Manager Kim and Choi Seo-bin’s manager, Manager Bae, approached us. Their conversation topic was, of course, the entertainment industry and the actor industry.

Manager Kim asked about WG Entertainment’s recent situation. After answering for a while, Manager Bae asked Manager Kim this time, “Then what about HS Entertainment?”

“Well, we’re always the same.”

“I heard Yuna is taking a break, is that right?”

At his words, Choi Seo-bin also turned his gaze because they filmed the drama ‘The Clockmaker and the Dancer’ together. I was also with them. Song Yuna is currently under our HS Entertainment company.

At his question, Manager Kim nodded and replied, “Yes, she said she wanted to rest a bit.”

I wasn’t particularly curious about Song Yuna’s news, but I nodded along with Manager Kim and Manager Bae’s words.

Yeah, she’s been running non-stop, so she deserves a rest.

Then Manager Bae raised his eyebrows and asked again, “Ah, I heard that a new friend is rising in HS Entertainment these days?”

At his words, Manager Kim tilted his head, and Manager Bae frowned as if trying to recall the name.

“Who was it…?”

Soon he remembered and snapped his fingers. “Baek Young-hoon!”

“Ah, Young-hoon?”

“Yes, he joined HS Entertainment a while ago.”

Choi Seo-bin and I didn’t say anything and listened to their conversation.

“What is that friend doing these days?”

The gaze naturally shifted to me, an actor from the same agency. I, who had no idea about his news, looked at Manager Kim.

“Young-hoon is doing a drama right now.”

“How are the results?”

It’s a common conversation between managers. Rather than how well the drama filming is going or if there are any problems, they must be curious about the success of the drama and movie.

Manager Kim turned his eyes to the air and opened his mouth. “It’s a cable drama, but I know it’s getting about… 5%.”

There was no need to inflate or lower the drama’s viewership ratings because the ratings can be found just by searching the internet.

As soon as Manager Kim finished speaking, Choi Seo-bin looked at me and opened his mouth. “He seems like an actor with a similar vibe to Hee-sung….”

At his words, I nodded. It wasn’t wrong. He was an actor of similar age, playing the same type of roles, and of the same level as me. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t 신경 쓰이다 [concerned/bothered].

Choi Seo-bin opened his mouth again. “Hee-sung, what are you going to do now?”

“Pardon?”

When I asked him back, he poured me a drink and asked, “I mean work. What do you want to do? I’m going to take a break now.”

I filled his empty glass and replied, “Of course, I’ll do whatever is available first. Haha.”

I didn’t think I was in a position to choose works and only do what I wanted to do yet. This drama and movie were the first time I was cast. Until then, I had been entering works through auditions.

At my words, Choi Seo-bin shook his head. Then, with a face without a smile, he looked straight at me and said, “No. Someone like you can do whatever you want now.”

His words gave me courage, but I couldn’t fully believe it. Just because I received two castings, can I now choose my works?

Anyway, I smiled at his words that encouraged me. “Really?”

Choi Seo-bin nodded with a serious expression at my words. “Yeah, you’re a ‘rising star’ building a career now.”

A rising star… That one word filled my heart.

***

After the crank-up, I caught up on the sleep I couldn’t get due to filming for a few days, ending the short break.

I started stamping my attendance at the company again. Top actors such as Choi Seo-bin and Song Yuna take a break after finishing a work. Even if they do, they are not forgotten by the public and the industry.

But I couldn’t do that because I was a rising rookie actor. If I took a break from activities even for a short time, I would soon be forgotten in their memories.

Human relationships are the same, but the entertainment industry is particularly severe because entertainers are a job that quickly disappears from memory if their faces are not seen on TV media.

I couldn’t rest for long because I had to start practicing and win roles as soon as possible. Today, I took a seat in the pile of scripts stacked high because I had to find a role that suits me and audition.

At that time, Manager Kim burst into the practice room, opening the door wide.

“Hee-sung.”

He was holding a script in his hand. Manager Kim’s eyes, with red cheeks, looked like they would pop out. I could tell intuitively that I had received an offer.

I jumped up from my seat and looked at him. Then Manager Kim swallowed his dry saliva and opened his mouth. “I got an offer for a cable drama!”

I couldn’t hide my joy at the fact that my prediction was correct and that I had been offered a role. I rolled my eyes and asked him, “Is it really casting?”

“Yeah, but more importantly, it’s a leading role.”

Crazy.

I couldn’t say anything at his words. A leading role! Not a small leading role like a one-act play, but a leading role in a drama!

Is this even possible?

I blinked in surprise and opened my mouth wide. He also pulled up a chair in front of me with an excited voice.

“But it’s the least important of the leading roles.”

“But it’s still a leading role.”

“That’s right.”

I barely suppressed my somewhat excited heart and sat down. The least important leading role among the leading roles, but the level of supporting roles and leading roles is very different.

Supporting roles are roles that support the leading actor to stand out. On the other hand, leading roles, whether small or large, have meaning in the ‘leading role’ itself – the main character who leads the drama, literally the protagonist. It means the person who represents that drama.

A leading role in a drama mini-series in my life! The sound of my heart beating seemed to be heard in my ears. The excited heart did not calm down easily.

Manager Kim looked at my reddened face and opened his mouth. “But I think I need to give an answer quickly.”

“Why, is it filming right away?”

“No. It’s still far away, but it seems like there are a lot of people who want to come into this role.”

Only then did I look at the script. Manager Kim looked at me and continued to speak. “This is Director Baek Hyun-sung and Writer Choi Na-hyun’s work.”

I opened my mouth wide at his words. Already famous writers and directors with guaranteed viewership ratings in the drama industry. With these writers and directors, most dramas don’t fail.

I bit my lower lip. A drama that can’t help but be 탐이 나다 [desirable/coveted].

“I’ll read it once.”

I immediately opened the first page of the script. Manager Kim raised his eyebrows and said, “But I heard that WG Entertainment is eyeing this.”

“Really?”

A drama set in the 1980s, not light at all. After answering briefly to his words, I shifted my gaze to the script and focused.

After reading the script for a long time, I closed the last page. As if he had been waiting for this moment, Manager Kim asked in an excited voice, “How’s the script?”

Unlike his excited reaction, I replied in a calm voice. “Um… I don’t know yet.”

“Huh?”

“The character seems attractive, and the story is pretty good….”

Manager Kim nodded repeatedly.

“But something is missing.”

“What aspect?”

“I don’t know. What’s missing…”

At my words, Manager Kim made a tsk sound and tilted his head. I stared intently at the script with a serious face.

I was excited about the leading role, but when I read the script, I shook off all those emotions. No matter how much of a leading role it is, I can’t just read the contents of the script roughly.

I put in emotional things and read it as if analyzing it as rationally as possible, but I felt a strange sense of incongruity that I couldn’t express clearly. But I couldn’t pinpoint what it was because I couldn’t find out exactly in which aspect I felt that emotion.

Manager Kim rolled his lips in and exhaled, and he said, 맛을 다시다 [tasted it again/seemed disappointed] as if he was disappointed.

“I thought it was good. First of all, would you like to go home and think about it more calmly?”

I quickly nodded at Manager Kim’s face, which was full of disappointment.

“Yeah, I will.”