An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 68

#15 – Between Lead and Supporting Role (1)

Seo In-woo didn’t avoid my gaze. His eyes were filled with a murderous intent.

If I had to pick the person with the most overwhelming performance among the actors I’d seen in auditions recently, I would definitely choose Seo In-woo.

I frowned and shouted,

“A bottom-of-the-barrel life…”

I scoffed and continued,

“It’s a shame you’re aware of that yourself.”

Seo In-woo soon began to tremble.

I knew it was acting, but the realistic trembling made the director and writer on the judging panel gape.

“Do you think you can still climb up with that?” Seo In-woo asked in a trembling voice, and I twisted the corners of my lips a little more.

Then, I raised my chin and scanned him with lowered eyes.

“Yeah, because I’m different from you.”

A face full of conviction.

I opened my mouth as if pouring out emotions overflowing with confidence.

“In the end, I’m the one who will reach the top.”

At my words, Seo In-woo let out a rough breath, and towards such Seo In-woo,

“Go ahead and struggle as much as you want.”

I retorted skillfully.

We exchanged glances without either of us giving way, and the tense atmosphere felt like we were in the middle of a cutthroat society, not an audition room.

Sparks flew between our eyes clashing in the air, and a moment of silence followed.

Neither Seo In-woo nor I looked away first.

Clap, clap.

How many seconds had passed?

With the sound of clapping, he and I withdrew our burning gazes.

The person clapping vigorously was Yoo Joon-ho, the director of the drama.

The director Yoo raised the corners of his mouth as if satisfied and kept clapping. The writer, Um Ji-in, sitting next to him, also nodded and smiled.

The sound of applause subsided.

Director Yoo tilted his head and opened his mouth.

“Are you two perhaps acquainted?”

At his words, we simultaneously turned our heads to look at each other. At the same time, we waved our hands.

“No, we’re not.”

At my words, Seo In-woo nodded and added,

“That’s right. We’re meeting for the first time today.”

Hearing the answer, Director Yoo pursed his lower lip and nodded. Then, he wrote something on the paper with the pen he was holding.

“But Jin Hee-sung’s acting… is really good.”

Director Yoo, who put down the pen he was scribbling with, looked at me and smiled brightly. I quickly lowered my head.

“Thank you, Director.”

He exclaimed and slightly raised his right thumb.

“I saw you in the last project. Now I know why you’re in HS Entertainment.”

Director Yoo shifted his gaze to Seo In-woo, and once again, his head flinched.

“And… Seo In-woo, according to your profile, you haven’t even appeared in any supporting roles?”

“Yes, but if you trust me and give me a chance, I’m confident I can do well!”

A confident ambition.

I couldn’t help but cheer him on in my heart. He seemed like someone who was worth it.

His appearance of not being intimidated in the audition room despite being a rookie, and the acting skills to back it up, there seemed to be nothing to criticize.

At Seo In-woo’s words, Director Yoo showed a faint smile, and then began to ask questions about the drama.

“Then, we will contact you later with the results.”

Director Yoo gave his closing remarks, and the writer Um, sitting next to him, said with a soft smile.

“I enjoyed both of your performances today. I’ll be rooting for you in the future.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Seo In-woo and I bowed to them and then left the audition room.

Click.

As soon as the door closed, Seo In-woo widened his eyes and shouted at me.

“Wow! I can’t believe I got to work with you, senior… It’s an honor.”

He shook his head and clapped his hands. I quickly waved my hands at him.

“No, it’s Seo In-woo who is really good at acting, right?”

Then he laughed heartily and scratched his head.

“That’s very kind of you to say.”

“You worked hard today.”

“It was a good experience thanks to you, senior.”

He added the title ‘senior’ to every word. It wasn’t wrong to hear the word ‘senior’ from someone my age, but it felt a little awkward. Moreover, he was bowing down as if he was serving a very important senior.

“We’re the same age, you don’t have to keep bowing like that.”

“Haha, still… anyway, I think you’ll definitely get the part, senior. Your acting is very…”

He raised his thumb, and his image, which had felt cold as he was immersed in the role in the audition room, completely disappeared.

It felt like he had returned to the cheerful Seo In-woo before entering the audition room. I could realize it once again through his appearance that Seo In-woo is really good at acting.

And I was reminded of my appearance just a few months ago. During my first audition, and before I got a supporting role, was I similar to Seo In-woo?

For some reason, my heart was full of wanting to support his journey.

Seo In-woo and I left the audition room together and started talking.

“I hope we can see each other often in the future,” I said, smiling at him, and Seo In-woo’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth.

“Thank you for saying that. I really want to act with you, senior.”

I don’t know exactly if I will have another connection with him in the future. Even if it’s not this drama, I hoped to meet Seo In-woo in another project someday.

As I walked and talked with him about trivial things, the timing to part ways soon approached.

Seo In-woo hesitated and took out his cell phone from his pocket.

“Um, excuse me…”

When I squinted at his small voice, Seo In-woo held out his cell phone towards me.

“Can I get your phone number?”

Unlike the confidently extended cell phone, his pupils were shaking.

In fact, I had never given my number to unknown actors. It was enough to exchange numbers after building some rapport.

But I felt a strange intuition about Seo In-woo – a feeling that I would see him in a high place in the acting world before long.

So I readily nodded and took Seo In-woo’s cell phone.

“Haha, sure. See you again.”

“Yes!”

While I was typing the number,

“Hee-sung!”

From afar, Manager Kim was stretching out his hand and waving.

“Oh, hyung [older brother/male friend]. I’ll go now.”

After shouting towards Manager Kim, I quickly typed the number into Seo In-woo’s cell phone.

“See you again next time, actor Seo In-woo.”

“Yes, please go in carefully.”

After bowing to each other, we each turned around.

I stopped walking towards Manager Kim and turned my head. Seo In-woo was also looking at me, our eyes met, and we exchanged eye greetings again.

And the feeling in his eyes… It felt like he was very envious that my manager, Kim, was waiting in front.

I could tell that at once, because I was like that when I was in that position.

It’s not just the feeling of transportation, just the fact that I belong to a company, and that there is someone to take care of me.

That there is a company behind me to support me. That’s what I’m envious of.

As soon as I got in the car, Manager Kim handed me a coffee and said.

“Hee-sung, how was it?”

“Well… I think I did as I practiced.”

“Hey – then it’s guaranteed.”

Manager Kim looked at me through the rearview mirror and smiled brightly.

“I wish it were…”

Manager Kim raised his chin and replied to me, who was trailing off.

“I was in the waiting room earlier, too, you know?”

At his words, I perked up and listened.

“But after watching all the time, it seems like you’re the only one who’s going to make it, Hee-sung.”

His words, spoken seriously, were sincere. Even if it was just to reassure me, it was good enough to hear, because that one word calmed the trembling in the audition.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really, not just saying it. You were the best.”

Only then did Manager Kim raise the corners of his mouth.

I let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in my chair.

“But who was the person you were with earlier?”

“Oh, the actor Seo In-woo who went in with me as a pair. He’s the same age as me.”

He raised his eyebrows and asked.

“I’ve never seen his face before?”

“That’s right. He’s a rookie actor. But hyung, he’s good at acting.”

“Really?”

Manager Kim nodded with interest, and I looked out the window and recalled his acting in the audition room.

***

Several days passed after the audition. I was still stationed in the practice room.

I couldn’t just sit idly by until the audition results came out. I had to practice in case I got cast in the drama I auditioned for.

Even if I didn’t get cast, I had to go through the process of preparing for the next project so that I wouldn’t be discouraged for too long.

I was reading the script when suddenly…

Thump, thump, thump.

A loud footstep approaching the practice room. It seemed like someone was running hard.

The silhouette in the distance looked like Manager Kim. Sure enough, Manager Kim was running with his eyebrows fluttering.

Surprised by the sight, I jumped up from my seat.

“Hyung!”

When I opened the door wide to greet him, he was busy gasping for breath.

“Haa… haa.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You… that drama…”

Manager Kim’s words were cut off, and rough breaths escaped. At that tempo, my heart began to pound.

Drama…?

I frowned and looked at him to hear the rest of the story.

“Hyung, slowly, tell me calmly. What about the drama?”

At my words, Manager Kim straightened his back and swallowed hard.

“The drama, you got it!”

As soon as he finished speaking, my eyes widened.

“What?”

“You’ve been cast, Hee-sung, you’re the lead!”

“Aah!”

I let out a cry of joy. Only then did Manager Kim look at me with a calmer breath and curved the corners of his mouth.

“You’ve got the lead in the KTS [Korean Television System] mini-series. Congratulations.”

I grabbed my heart, which was pounding like crazy.

I… I’ve landed the lead role in a public broadcast.

The first lead role in a mini-series in my life.

I felt like my whole body was getting lighter and I could fly. The overwhelming feeling in my chest was hard to contain in a small body.

I barely swallowed the roar that was about to burst out.

“Thank you, hyung.”

“Once you start riding the lead line, you’ll be getting casting offers for lead roles from now on,” Manager Kim continued with a confident face.

“If it’s a big drama or movie, you’ll be getting supporting roles that are lead-level. Now, let’s just work hard.”

“I will.”

Now everything depends on me.

It’s not like I haven’t been working hard before, or less hard, but now that I’ve taken on the lead role, it means I have to carry the drama.

That is, even if the drama fails, the arrows will be directed at me, the lead.

The joy of being the lead enveloped my whole body, but the burden was also heavily placed on my shoulders.

The lead role in an actor’s life. Now I’ve climbed the stairs to that floor.

The number of floors to climb is still enormous. I have to climb and climb more, because my acting life is just beginning.

Manager Kim calmed down and sat down.

“Hee-sung, but there’s one problem.”

“A problem?”

At his words, my hot chest cooled down as if cold water had been poured on it. I tilted my head and took a seat in front of him.

“Yeah, the drama we’re going into and the drama we auditioned for last time…”

Before he could finish speaking, I opened my mouth.

“The one Baek Young-hoon is in?”

“Yeah, the drama Young-hoon is in is MBS [Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation] broadcasting station.”

“So?”

Manager Kim pouted his lips and replied.

“It’s in the same time slot as us.”

“…….”

At Manager Kim’s words, I was speechless. Of all the days and times, how could they overlap like this?

I frowned and muttered in a small voice.

“I have to compete with Baek Young-hoon for viewership ratings?”

At my words, Manager Kim sighed and nodded.