I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 30
I Will Live as an Actor Episode 30
The effects of ginger tea are revealed within a short period of time. Like a mother’s touch, it blocks the cold wind, leaves a lingering deep taste, and warms the body, helping to banish colds and minor illnesses. Even more so, how much did you eat on a movie set when you couldn’t eat well?
“Brother’s tea is so sweet and bitter that it has a savory taste.”
The sound of putting down a teacup is pure.
“When I come to my brother’s place in the winter like this and drink ginger tea, I think back to the old days. It’s been decades, when I first filmed with my brother in Mt. Jiri. Back then, how much he scolded me for not being able to act. Do you remember how I confronted him back then? “Otherwise, I acted the way I learned in school and the way I felt on set, but people asked me why I kept filming again.”
“Why are we talking about it when England is talking about it?”
“In the end, didn’t you come all the way home and let me sleep? It’s been decades since I’ve ever seen a director do that to try to fix the bad acting of a rookie. I remember the taste of the ginger tea my brother used to make me back then.”
Baek Jang-hoon shows a faint smile at the corner of his wrinkled mouth.
“Is the child actor Jang Young-guk also that kind of actor?”
“what?”
“Are you an actor worthy of your affection?”
Baek Jang-hoon is just sipping tea in silence.
“Seeing as you haven’t said anything, I guess it’s true.”
“Why do I feel jealous at that age?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Was there any other actor in Korea other than me whom you took in and personally taught you about movies? Let’s just ask one question: the young Ahn Jung-hyun or the child actor Jang Yeong-guk, who do you like more?”
Baek Jang-hoon looks at the middle-aged man sitting across from him. Although they are about the same age as each other in terms of age, they are like close friends who have been through hardships together on movie sets for a long time. Isn’t a new actor who was a snob a few decades ago now being called a proper national actor?
“Didn’t you also see the independent film that was screened at the international film festival in which that child was the lead?”
“I saw it. That’s why I’m asking. I’m curious about what Ahn Jung-hyun was like when he was young.”
“If you were a sprout that sprouted in the moderately fertile land of a movie studio, then that child is a sprout that sprouted in a place like a dry wasteland. How much more, you have already blossomed into a flower bud. But how will that child grow in the future? No one knows that. It may dry out before it even sprouts, the petals may fall off, or it may break in the middle, but that’s just me.”
Baek Jang-hoon puts down his teacup and answers.
“Wildflowers are better.”
* * *
Palace.
This is a word that describes director Baek Jang-hoon’s mansion in one word. Frost piled up on the hanging crock pots, as if visiting a family home. The old pine trees in winter are spreading out their winding branches as if showing off their majestic appearance. It truly feels like you have entered an oriental painting. Cute stone steps lead the way through the yellow ripened lawn. The housekeeper greets me with a bright smile.
“Does tea suit your taste? Would you like me to prepare something else?”
In my last life, I drank ginger tea constantly out of fear of catching a cold and drowning my throat.
“Yes, it’s very delicious.”
“I was worried that it would suit the taste of a young child, but seeing that he drinks it so well turns out to be wrong.”
I lifted my teacup and quenched my thirst as I looked at director Baek Jang-hoon and another man. I never thought he would be here.
‘Ahn Jung-hyun!’
In the past, middle-aged Song Jeong-seok made a name for himself as a national actor, but in the current era, there is Ahn Jung-hyun. It is no exaggeration to say that his status is superior to that of Song Jeong-seok in his last life. He was also one of the pioneers of Korean film acting and was so famous that even famous actors used his acting videos as teaching materials. Truly a living legendary actor.
‘It turns out the rumor that you had a close relationship with director Baek Jang-hoon was true.’
Directors Ahn Jung-hyun and Baek Jang-hoon seem to have great potential despite their age difference. Past Life After director Baek Jang-hoon passed away, Ahn Jung-hyun suddenly announced his retirement as an actor. There were a lot of rumors that followed, but people thought. I wonder if the death of director Baek Jang-hoon, whom I trusted and followed so much, had an impact in some way.
“England, do you know anything about him?”
How could you not know!
“Of course. Is there anyone in Korea who doesn’t know Mr. Ahn Jung-hyun? It’s too late to say hello. My name is Jang Young-guk.”
“As for your story, I’ve already heard it from my brother. Of course, I’ve also heard it from other places. England, feel free to call me uncle when you’re in private like this. He’s not old enough for you to even call him teacher, man.”
different place?
“So, do you know anything about your work?”
It’s funny that they always call you teacher or senior when they provide you with such a comfortable seat. If you only look at my appearance, I was just a middle school student.
“I was very impressed by Jiri Mountain among Mr. Junghyeon’s movies!”
“If it’s Jiri Mountain, it’s the first film I did with my brother, but you saw a classic movie that was made decades ago? It’s hard to find a videotape of it. And it must have been off-limits to teenagers…?”
Oops.
“I saw it on a videotape in a used bookstore alley in Yeongdo. Hehe.”
In my past life, I really liked classic movies. In particular, I watched all of the classic movies in which Ahn Jung-hyun appeared. Because I was as fascinated by his acting as I was about acting when I was younger.
“You saw it, brother. This Ahn Jung-hyun is not dead yet! By the way, I never thought I would get to see the kid PD Yu was talking about in person like this.”
“What do you mean PD?”
“There is a famous producer at KBC Broadcasting Station. I became friends with this friend who was an assistant director when I was filming a historical drama in the past. But a few days ago, while I was having a drink with the famous producer at a bar, he suddenly started doing this.”
“what?”
“I saw a young Ahn Jung-hyun at the script reading.”
I never thought a famous producer would say something like that. As Ahn Jung-hyun continues, a smile appears in Baek Jang-hoon’s eyes.
“Yeong-Kuk, did you contact the representative of your agency separately? I’m sorry that I couldn’t go to the train station myself. If it weren’t for this friend who suddenly showed up, I would have gone out myself.”
“No, I came here comfortably in the car that my grandfather sent me. And I contacted the CEO of the agency in advance. He was very worried that I might make a mistake with my grandfather.”
“What a mistake! I feel energized because I have such a cute friend!”
Ahn Jung-hyun’s eyes widen and he looks at Baek Jang-hoon and me alternately.
“Brother, have you seen any of your grandchildren without me knowing?”
* * *
Is this what grandfather feels like? He even bought underwear for fear of catching a cold in the harsh winter. It is noticeable that they prepared new bedding in case it was uncomfortable to sleep in. The floor of the room was so hot that I felt like I was taking a steam bath rather than catching a cold. As I step out into the main hall wearing gray underclothes, a pleasant smell tickles the tip of my nose.
“grandfather?”
Even director Baek Jang-hoon is sitting on the main floor wearing underwear. When I look at myself, my face resembles that of a white tiger and I smile.
“These are the underwear that Haldaebi chose after much consideration. Do you like them?”
“Your lining is so nice, I don’t think I’ll catch a cold this winter.”
“Is that so? It’s cold standing there, so come here.”
It’s a bonfire. There is a saying that a winter fire is better than any leather. Warm warmth spreads out from a small fire pit that can only be found in an antique store and lingers around the main hall. No matter how you look at it, not only the exterior of the mansion but also the antique furniture seems to clearly convey director Baek Jang-hoon’s taste.
Knock knock knock.
Ginkgo nuts that were collected in the fall are jumping and roasting on a heated pan, with their green grains clearly exposed. I ate a lot of it when I was young. At some point, it was forgotten as ginkgo trees became widespread all over the roads.
“Grandpa, you can eat too.”
Prick the golden roasted ginkgo with a toothpick and give it to director Baek Jang-hoon. Like a really kind grandfather, he takes it in one bite and smiles. Just then, small snowflakes fall one by one in the large garden.
“England, would you like to take a look at this?”
It is a thick screenplay, filled with handwriting without going through a typing machine. Because it was written and erased so many times, it felt like a diary soaked in time, not a script. As I turned each page of the script, my neck started shaking and my eyes opened as big as flower lanterns.
‘This?’
It’s definitely a script I’ve encountered in my past life. Isn’t this the last script released under director Baek Jang-hoon’s name? Unfortunately, he no longer had the energy left to film the video, so it was not made into a video. Did this script already exist in the world? Moreover, the traces of hand stains are not enough to explain the time period of one year or two. How much time has passed?
“It’s a script I’ve cherished for a long time. But I couldn’t find the right actor. That’s why it hurts. I have a script, but I can’t make it into a video. England, you put conditions on me, right?”
“Grandfather, but I can’t appear in this script…”
“Yes, the age range doesn’t match. The main character in the script is a young man. That’s why I’m saying this. If you continue to pursue an actor’s path, try becoming the main character in this script. Of course, if the acting doesn’t follow at that time, it can’t be helped. How can you find it appealing?”
gulp.
Mokuldae suddenly shakes. It would be a lie if I said it didn’t appeal to me. How much have you longed for director Baek Jang-hoon’s work in your past life? But since he had already passed away, what could he do? Moreover, this is a screenplay that director Baek Jang-hoon poured his passion into. If I could put my name in the script even just one line, even a passing minor role would be good. It may be a story from a distant future, but Director Baek Jang-hoon is smiling as if he has already heard the answer.
“England, what do you think about acting?”
“Acting?”
“Okay, I’d like to hear your thoughts. I’ve spent my whole life watching movies, but it’s still difficult to define what movies are. You’re on your way to becoming an actor, so I’m curious about your perspective on acting.”
There can be no end to acting. This is because the actor’s desire exists. These are the values of Jang Young-guk, who was passionate about acting in his past life. But wouldn’t it be different if the value of desire was placed somewhere else? Is there anything more enjoyable than a journey without finding a result? Like a stranger seeking paradise. There is one word that expresses all of this implicitly.
“It’s a trip.”
“travel?”
“I think of the path to becoming an actor as a journey. I am a traveler who constantly explores a never-ending path. I think the same goes for actors. The moment you speak a line, the moment is precious. So much so that you don’t want to see the end.”
Isn’t the path of an actor not to find the end of acting, but to capture the joys and sorrows of life in a single line of dialogue? The corners of the grandfather’s eyes are strangely bent. As if I had heard an unexpected answer. The first snow is falling under the warmth of the fireplace. The grandfather says quietly to the first snow.
“Then this winter will be very happy for England to be able to travel with you.”