An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 78

#16 – The Person Riding the Wave and the Person Swept Away by the Wave (6)

“Okay!”

Director Yoo’s voice echoed, and then applause erupted for me.

“Wow~ Heeseong’s acting was so good today.”

“Haha, thank you. It’s all thanks to the director for filming so well.”

I smiled, looking at Director Yoo.

The assistant director, who approached us, opened his mouth as if agreeing with Director Yoo.

“Heeseong, your eyes were no joke today. I was sucked in at some point and watched like a viewer.”

“Exactly. Let’s rest and film the afternoon scenes well.”

Their praise made the corners of my lips naturally lift.

I bowed, bending at the waist.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best in the next scene as well.”

With a constant stream of laughter and a heart full of emotion, I hurried to find Manager Kim.

He always watched my acting up close, so I looked around the staff on set.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

I approached a staff member who was close to Manager Kim.

“Have you seen Manager Kim?”

“Ah, he got a call and left in a hurry.”

I thought it was just another business call and nodded casually.

“Thank you.”

And I headed straight to the parked car.

As soon as I got in the car, Manager Kim was indeed on the phone.

He held the phone to his ear and continued the call.

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

Manager Kim held a pen in one hand and was scribbling something on the diary spread on his thigh.

“Yes, we should proceed that way. Yes, I’ll contact you. Thank you for your hard work.”

The call soon ended.

“Heeseong, you worked hard.”

He turned to look at me.

“The next scene starts much later.”

“Yeah, so I’m going to practice in the car and then go.”

I asked Manager Kim, who was nodding.

“But what’s wrong?”

When I pointed to his diary with my chin, Manager Kim made a ‘tss’ sound and leaned towards me.

“Heeseong, we have to go on a variety show.”

A few days ago, Director Yoo had talked about appearing on a variety show.

He asked me to go on a variety show to promote the drama, and I agreed.

And it seemed Manager Kim had been looking into programs through the company.

“It looks like you’ll have to appear with Younghoon.”

“Baek Younghoon from our company?”

The moment I frowned and asked back, he slowly nodded.

“Yeah, the company wants you to appear with Younghoon, how about it? Is it okay?”

Well, I wasn’t on bad terms with Baek Younghoon, actually.

I didn’t have any major discomfort.

“I don’t mind.”

Only then did he let out a sigh of relief, as if he was relieved.

He seemed to have expected me to refuse.

“Then I’ll talk to the company and let you know when the variety show is decided.”

“Okay.”

After finishing the conversation, I leaned back in my seat again.

I immediately opened the script.

Then, with a sudden thought, I leaned forward and called Manager Kim.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], but what happened to that drama?”

“What drama?”

“The Red….”

Before I could finish speaking, he opened his mouth first.

“The one with Park Minjoon?”

When I raised my eyebrows, he sighed deeply.

“It completely flopped.”

“So, the drama was canceled and the production company must have suffered a huge loss.”

Manager Kim shook his head.

“More than the drama, it’s Park Minjoon. He completely fell from grace.”

“Well, that was Park Minjoon’s first leading role.”

At my words, Manager Kim turned his body to look at me and began to elaborate.

“Yeah, since his first leading role turned out like that, he won’t be able to take on a leading role for a while… no, at least 2 or 3 years, right?”

“Wow, that long?”

“This industry is originally sensitive to jinxes and superstitions.”

I nodded at his words.

The movie ‘I Became a Genius Salesman’ that I appeared in was like that too.

When it failed at the box office, the blame fell entirely on Kang Chanseong, not the lead actor Choi Seobin.

The jinx of Kang Chanseong, who had failed to make any of his movies a hit, had resurfaced.

So, if Park Minjoon were to take on a leading role again, a jinx would arise that the drama would be suspended from broadcasting.

It wasn’t Park Minjoon’s fault, but that was the reality.

If there is any unsettling jinx, the producer would want to avoid it.

No drama would want to take on the risk of using Park Minjoon as the lead actor.

“I see. Kang Chanseong won’t be getting any movie offers now, will he?”

“Of course not. I don’t think Kang Chanseong will be able to film any movies for the next few years.”

Manager Kim raised his chin and continued.

“After Park Minjoon takes a break and returns, he’ll only be doing supporting roles day and night. For a long time.”

After he finished speaking, I thought of Park Minjoon’s face.

He, who had always flaunted in front of me, was now stuck in a supporting role.

And I was constantly rising from minor roles to supporting roles, and then to leading roles.

Before I knew it, Park Minjoon had fallen below me.

I remembered Park Minjoon’s attitude and tone that had always ignored me.

Naturally, one corner of my lips twisted into a smirk.

‘When is the alumni reunion… again?’

***

“Heeseong sunbae [senior]!”

As I got out of the car to head to the set, Seo Inwoo reached out and called me.

“Oh, Inwoo.”

He ran up happily as if he had been waiting.

We started walking to the set side by side.

“Are you done filming?”

“No, I have one more scene after filming with sunbae.”

Seo Inwoo looked at the script and continued.

“But isn’t this scene also being filmed with us and Minyoung?”

At that moment.

“Wah!”

Shin Minyoung suddenly appeared!

Surprised by her voice, I opened my eyes wide and shouted.

“You scared me.”

“Minyoung, when did you get here?”

She looked at our surprised faces and burst into laughter.

“I just got here. Were you surprised?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe, let’s go film quickly.”

So, not just the two of us, but the three of us walked to the set side by side.

The set was busy preparing for filming.

Then the assistant director hurriedly approached me.

“We’ll start as soon as the set is ready, so please wait a moment.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After nodding to him, we began to catch up on the stories we hadn’t shared.

A few minutes passed like that.

The props were still being set up on set.

“So, I burst out laughing at Heeseong sunbae’s words back then, you know?”

At Seo Inwoo’s words, Shin Minyoung laughed out loud as if holding her stomach.

“Hey, but it was more funny what Inwoo did.”

Shin Minyoung opened her mouth, recalling what happened on the deserted island.

“Anyway, everything on the deserted island seemed fun, right?”

“That’s right. That’s why we’re having these kinds of conversations… when else would we build such memories?”

“It was cold and hard, but I had fun too.”

Before I knew it, Director Yoo slipped in.

“What kind of stories are our actors having so much fun with?”

He came between me and Seo Inwoo, extending his arms and placing his hands as if putting his arms around our shoulders.

“Director, you’re here?”

At my words, he raised his eyebrows.

“With such great chemistry between the actors, the drama can’t help but be successful. Haha.”

“Of course. We’ll incorporate it into the drama as is.”

Seo Inwoo confidently said to Director Yoo with a sly face.

Director Yoo looked at us alternately and replied with a satisfied face.

“Yeah, the three of you are like old friends.”

“Haha, are we?”

The three of us simultaneously met eyes in the air.

Director Yoo, who saw our 모습 [appearance/ 모습], raised the corners of his lips and shouted.

“The Three Musketeers, let’s go film.”

Smiling at the words ‘The Three Musketeers,’ we shouted as if in unison.

“Yes!”

***

“They got it!”

Manager Kim approached me and opened his mouth urgently.

“Got what?”

“The variety show appearance.”

At his words, my heart began to pound.

Half worried, half excited.

I felt this way when I filmed my first variety show too.

But I still hadn’t fully adapted to variety shows.

It wasn’t like I was filming every week, and I was going on different programs with new 출연진 [cast members] every time, so I couldn’t get used to it.

Moreover, since articles about my 활약 [performance] in variety shows had been published, the pressure had increased.

Variety shows are broadcasts that you can’t practice for like dramas.

Even though variety shows have scripts, these days, if you don’t capture the reality, the fun factor decreases and viewers turn away.

The program proceeds with only a part of the script.

Therefore, unlike dramas or movies, it doesn’t go as expected.

In other words, you can’t practice, and even if you do, it won’t be shown on camera as is.

I opened my eyes wide and asked Manager Kim.

“So, what program is it?”

All I could do was monitor that variety show a lot.

That was all.

“You know ‘Mystery Family’ that airs on Sunday evenings, right?”

“Of course.”

Mystery Family.

It is a broadcast program in the golden evening time slot on weekends.

Even I, who don’t watch variety shows every week, know about it.

There are fixed celebrity panelists, and guests participate each time.

Every week, mysterious events are given, and everyone except the MC solves the problem together.

The guests who appear always dominate the internet the next day.

It is one of the programs with high viewership and influence.

The moment I heard the name of such a program, my heart started pounding.

Just the fact that I was appearing on such a big program made me nervous.

At the same time, I could feel the power of the company once again.

After requesting a variety show appearance, the program they got was enormous.

Manager Kim showed me the date in his diary and said.

“Next Thursday is the filming date.”

“That’s not much time left. I need to do some monitoring quickly.”

He handed me a tablet PC and opened his mouth.

“Here. Watch it from time to time while practicing the script.”

“I will. Thank you, hyung.”

He smiled and shook his head.

I asked Manager Kim.

“But usually three or four guests appear on that program, right?”

“That’s right. So Baek Younghoon is also coming out….”

The moment a thought came to mind, I cut off Manager Kim’s words.

“Ah, hyung. Baek Younghoon is also coming out to promote his drama, right?”

At my words, Manager Kim soon raised the corners of his lips.

“That’s true, but you can assume that Younghoon’s drama story won’t come out.”

“…Why?”

“Mystery Family is on KTS broadcasting station.”

KTS.

It is the broadcasting station of the variety show and the broadcasting station of the drama ‘You Cook Too Well’ that is currently being filmed.

So, Baek Younghoon’s drama promotion from another broadcasting station cannot be mentioned.

Of course, these days, they do promote dramas from other broadcasting stations.

But it is a competing drama in the same time slot as the KTS drama.

It would be insufficient to promote the same KTS broadcasting station drama.

I let out a sigh of relief and raised the corners of my lips.

“That’s a relief.”

“And you asked something earlier.”

When I tilted my head, Manager Kim continued.

“There’s one more guest.”

I frowned and concentrated to hear his words in detail.

“Who is it….”