An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 70

70. #15 – Between Lead and Supporting Roles (3)

The after-party commenced immediately following the script reading.

The after-party was brief.

Its purpose was to replenish the energy expended during the script reading.

And to alleviate any awkwardness among the actors and staff who would be collaborating.

The light drinking sufficed to ease the tension.

Consequently, the after-party concluded successfully.

Empty house.

After Manager Kim dropped me off and departed.

I sat alone in the empty house, leaning against the wall.

I had left the house as soon as I woke up.

And since then, there hadn’t been a single moment of peace.

From the numerous people I encountered to those I conversed with.

Today was another busy and hectic day, which perhaps explains why the house felt so quiet now that I was alone.

It wasn’t that I felt lonely or depressed.

I found a certain charm in the stillness.

I savored the quietness for a considerable time, simply doing nothing.

How much time had elapsed?

A deeper darkness had enveloped the outside world.

I turned my head to observe the darkness when Choi Seo-bin suddenly entered my thoughts.

The movie slated for release this week.

I shifted my gaze to the round clock on the wall.

It was still too early to sleep.

I was certain that Choi Seo-bin would also be awake.

I promptly retrieved my phone and initiated a call to Choi Seo-bin.

Before it even rang a few times, his cheerful voice resonated through the receiver.

-Hello?

“Senior!”

-Oh, Hee-sung.

“Is this a convenient time to talk?”

I couldn’t detect any background noise.

It seemed he was in a secluded location.

-Of course. What’s the matter?

He inquired with a surprised tone, perhaps due to the late hour of the call.

“No, I just suddenly thought of you and called to check in. How are you doing?”

I could hear Choi Seo-bin’s delighted laughter.

-Wow, Hee-sung, thank you.

“Pardon?”

-To call and check in simply because you suddenly thought of me, there aren’t many junior actors like you.

“Come on, Senior, you’re so popular. I’m just one of many junior actors, aren’t I? Haha.”

-No, no. Even if they laugh and joke in front of me, there aren’t many junior actors who actually call. Thank you.

“I’m the one who’s grateful. What have you been up to?”

He took a deep breath, as if loosening his stiff body, and replied.

-Just resting at home. What about you?

“I came home a little while ago and was just resting when I thought of you and called.”

Choi Seo-bin made a ‘tss’ sound and asked.

-What time is it to be just getting home? Do you have a schedule these days?

“Ah, yes. I’m going to be in a drama.”

-Oh, what drama are you doing?

“This time, it’s on KTS….”

I proceeded to tell him all about it.

He listened to my story as if it were his own.

-Oh, I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that the one that’s going to be eight episodes this time?

“As expected, there’s nothing you don’t know, Senior. That’s right, that drama.”

He inhaled regretfully and said.

-Ah… that might be a little difficult. You should have consulted me beforehand.

It wasn’t that the drama was bad.

It was simply that the limited eight-episode run was a shame.

Understanding Choi Seo-bin’s meaning, I smiled and responded.

“But it’s my first lead role. I liked the script, and the lead character was good too. I took it on to gain experience.”

-Well done. Anyway, congratulations on your first lead role, Hee-sung.

“Haha, thank you, Senior.”

-And if you have any concerns in the future, don’t hesitate to ask me anytime.

Even if it was just words, a word from Choi Seo-bin, a top actor in the entertainment industry, resonated deeply with me.

It was a sufficiently reassuring statement.

Even though I was talking to him on the phone, I bowed my head as if he were in front of me.

“Thank you so much for taking care of me, Senior.”

-Hey, taking care of you is just natural.

“And our movie is being released this week, isn’t it?”

-That’s right, time flies.

“It does. It feels like it was just yesterday that we had our last dinner together.”

-We’ll see each other after the movie is released, but let’s have a drink sometime.

“I’m always up for it, Senior.”

-Okay, I’ll contact you soon.

“Yes!”

After hanging up with him, I looked out the window again.

The moon, shining brightly through the black darkness, caught my eye.

I got up from my seat and walked to the window, taking a long breath in and out.

Things are falling into place one by one.

Of course, there are still so many positions I have to and want to reach.

My position as an actor, my relationships with other actors.

I looked at the moon with satisfaction.

And clenched both fists.

Now… all that’s left is for the movie to do well.

***

“Hee-sung, are you all ready?”

Manager Kim asked, glancing at the script in my hand.

“Yeah, I’ve checked everything in advance.”

I fastened my seatbelt and continued, turning to him.

“Being a lead is different after all.”

“Why?”

He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, asking.

“You even get separate check-ups like this before starting the drama production. Leads definitely have a lot more to do even before the drama starts.”

Manager Kim smiled slightly at my words.

“That’s right. But doing directing like this today isn’t something that’s automatically done just because you’re the lead.”

“Then?”

“The director of this drama, Director Yoo, is just incredibly passionate.”

“Really?”

My eyes widened at his words.

I heard from Manager Kim that he had been contacted after the script reading.

He said that they had arranged a meeting for additional directing before filming began.

Of course, I thought this kind of meeting was because I was the lead.

Director Yoo had shared his story on the day of the script reading.

That this work was his debut.

Perhaps that’s why his passion seemed stronger than any of the directors I had worked with so far.

Of course, all directors approach their work with that mindset.

But Director Yoo’s determination felt a little more special.

Just as I always feel excited, expectant, and worried about taking on my first lead role.

He too must have many emotions going back and forth about his debut work.

As Director Yoo’s feelings were clearly conveyed, I reaffirmed my commitment.

That I would also approach this work with a special determination.

Manager Kim looked at me through the rearview mirror and spoke.

“Director Yoo and the writer are all rookies. That’s why everyone is so incredibly motivated for this drama.”

“I guess so. It’s my first lead role too.”

He smiled at my words and replied.

“It’s really everyone’s first time. It feels good for some reason.”

I took a long breath at his words, which made me feel more at ease, and smiled.

Then, suddenly remembering something, I opened my phone and checked the date.

“That’s right!”

Manager Kim turned his head, startled by my words, and asked.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you say that today is the production presentation for the movie ‘I Became a Genius Salesman’?”

He checked the date on the navigation system and nodded.

“That’s right. It’s today.”

Although I participated in the filming, I won’t be attending the movie’s production presentation.

It’s sufficient for only the director and the leads to appear at the production presentation.

“The movie is about to be released.”

I uttered the word ‘release’ out loud.

And at that moment, my heart started to pound.

My first movie in my life.

Of course, I had appeared as a minor actor or extra before.

But this was the first time I was appearing as a supporting role in so many scenes.

Moreover, the fact that you can immediately check my name in the end credits without having to try hard to find it.

That fact alone made my heart swell.

“Don’t worry too much. It’ll be fine.”

Perhaps Manager Kim noticed that I was trembling.

He spoke in a gentle tone, as if patting me on the back.

Even with Manager Kim’s words, my heart was still pounding.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

Then, I stared blankly out the window and fell into thought.

‘I hope it goes well… still, it’s the first movie I’ve done with a supporting role at stake.’

***

One day, in despair….

The voice of the other person’s mind is clearly heard in my ear.

At this rate, becoming the king of sales is just a matter of time!

The story of Min Ji-hoon, who aims to become a genius salesman, and his intense life as a salesman begins!

‘I Became a Genius Salesman’

Now playing.

I can easily see movie advertisement videos that I hear today on TV or the Internet, everywhere.

It’s already been a week since the movie was released.

“Wow, the ads are really coming out a lot.”

Manager Kim commented, looking at the TV in the company lounge.

“Yeah.”

“Well, Choi Seo-bin and Kang Chan….”

He cut himself off, as if he didn’t want to say Kang Chan-sung’s name.

“That’s right. Still, top actors are involved, so they’re probably advertising a lot because it can’t fail.”

He nodded at my words.

Soon, Manager Kim opened his phone and seemed to be searching for something.

Then, after a while, he made a ‘tss’ sound and began to recite.

“But the start is a bit more sluggish than I thought.”

I knew even before hearing Manager Kim’s report.

That the number of moviegoers was small.

Because there was Choi Seo-bin, who had always achieved successful results in movies.

Most of the officials, staff, and even the actors were relieved.

You can check the popularity of a drama with the viewership ratings of each episode.

It’s like a report card.

But movies are different from dramas.

From the time it is released until the curtain falls in the theater.

All those audiences are added up and graded.

Therefore, that grade check could be predicted to some extent without having to watch it all the way through.

The number of viewers on the first day was 150,000.

It was a number that deviated slightly from the trend expected by the production company.

And the cumulative number of viewers in the first week was 800,000.

It’s a number that could be said to be large.

In fact, this number of 800,000 was nothing short of insufficient.

Of course, it’s good to have a large number of viewers.

The most important thing is the ‘break-even point’ [the point at which total revenue equals total cost or expenses].

You have to exceed that break-even point.

You can’t say it’s successful just because you’ve exceeded it.

Exceeding that break-even point is the basics.

All of the works that Choi Seo-bin has participated in so far have exceeded the break-even point.

That’s why he has been well-regarded as an actor.

I sighed deeply and asked Manager Kim.

“Hyung [term used to address an older brother or male friend], the break-even point was 3.5 million, right?”

He bit his lower lip at my words.

“That’s right.”

We both sighed deeply at the same time.

“800,000 in the first week, and the break-even point is 3.5 million….”

As the initial market performance was sluggish, I was worried.

Manager Kim smiled and said, as if shaking off his worries.

“Still, since they’re continuing to run ads like this, the number of viewers will increase little by little.”

“I hope so.”

“If Choi Seo-bin is there, it’s a guaranteed box office hit, so let’s wait a little longer.”

I felt an uneasy feeling creeping in.

I shook my head violently to shake off that energy.

But the big number of 3.5 million flickered before my eyes.

I don’t think I can get over it….