I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 100

When a drama airs versus when you’re being evaluated – which moment makes you more nervous?

This was a question Seon-woo had received during an interview.

To that question, Seon-woo answered without hesitation.

The drama.

He said the live broadcast was when he felt most nervous.

For Seon-woo, the live broadcast was essentially no different from an evaluation.

In some ways, it felt even more frightening than actual evaluations.

The inadequate parts that weren’t visible during acting became so vividly clear during the broadcast that they were impossible to ignore.

But today, Seon-woo had a relatively confident look in his eyes compared to before.

‘Still, today should be a bit better.’

This wasn’t baseless confidence.

Thanks to Lee Mu-beom’s advice, Seon-woo had been able to become closer to Kim Seon-woo.

He came to better understand what kind of painting Kim Seon-woo created, and what meaning the stains colored by him held.

His acting had definitely grown compared to the previous episodes.

That was an undeniable fact.

But even so,

“Why are you so nervous?”

To Yeon-woo’s eyes, Seon-woo still seemed tense.

Seon-woo smiled bitterly.

“Does it show?”

“Yes. It’s fascinating how bad you are at hiding your emotions, Seon-woo. Actors are usually skilled at concealing their feelings in daily life.”

“…I haven’t been friends with emotions for very long.”

“Oh ho.”

Yeon-woo looked at Seon-woo with a smile.

Seon-woo’s expression became uncomfortable.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s just that I still can’t properly analyze you, Seon-woo. You’re more intuitive about emotions than anyone, and you immediately noticed that I was acting… but you say you’re not close with emotions. And that doesn’t seem like a lie. You really can’t hide your emotions. What exactly is this person? Don’t you think it’s natural to wonder?”

“…Please don’t think about it that deeply.”

Her gaze was frightening.

When Seon-woo subtly avoided her eyes, Yeon-woo chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, don’t worry. Unlike someone else, I have no intention of digging into other people’s secrets like that.”

Seon-woo couldn’t bring himself to respond and played dumb.

Looking back now, Seon-woo had essentially exposed Yeon-woo’s weakness back then. At the time, he thought it was the best course of action, but now… sometimes he felt like he had done something unnecessary.

Watching such a Seon-woo, Yeon-woo grinned mischievously.

“Do you think you’ll lose?”

This was a bit irritating.

Seon-woo looked at Yeon-woo with a slightly sour expression. Yeon-woo smiled brightly and tilted her head.

“What? No? Do you think you’ll win?”

“…I don’t know. Winning and losing isn’t what’s important.”

“Why isn’t it important? Winning and losing is the most important thing. Humans just forget about it because they’re corrupted by civilized society, but victory and defeat are originally matters of survival. It’s about eating or being eaten. Of course you have to win.”

“Are you confident, Yeon-woo?”

“Yes.”

Yeon-woo answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“I told you. I came here to win. I acted to win… and I will win.”

“That’s interesting.”

That’s when it happened.

A blunt voice cut into their conversation.

Jin-wook was grinning triumphantly, showing his teeth.

“I came here to win too.”

“Jin-wook can’t win.”

And Yeon-woo gave a sharp reply.

It was natural for Jin-wook’s expression to look dumbfounded.

“…I can’t win? Why?”

“Well, because you’re my student.”

Yeon-woo looked back at Jin-wook as if asking why he would question something so obvious.

“How can a student beat their teacher?”

“…Haven’t you heard the saying ‘the student surpasses the master’? Originally, teachers are supposed to eventually lose to their students.”

“Oh, so you do acknowledge that you’re my student?”

“That’s not what I meant…!”

Jin-wook got flustered and tried to respond, but soon closed his mouth with a sullen expression.

It seemed he belatedly realized that continuing this conversation would only make him Yeon-woo’s plaything.

‘It’s actually funny that he still falls for this.’

Seon-woo inwardly let out a hollow laugh.

Ever since asking Yeon-woo for guidance, that is, since receiving the ‘be kind to everyone’ mission, Yeon-woo had consistently tormented Jin-wook in various ways.

Of course, the reason Jin-wook could endure that torment was simple.

Yeon-woo’s advice had definitely improved his acting.

‘Senior Jin-wook’s acting… was characterized by its intensity.’

Rather than painting with colors, he would burst forth with emotions like exploding paint cans.

In a way, he was someone who acted purely on momentum. But after meeting Yeon-woo, that same person began to focus not just on momentum, but on technique as well.

Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to say all of that was purely thanks to Yeon-woo.

He was able to accept Yeon-woo’s advice because he had the desire to change in the first place.

Either way, what mattered was that Jin-wook had now become a formidable opponent.

‘And Yeon-woo too…’

The previous Yeon-woo was special, but not quite overwhelming.

While she had shown a unique character that no one could imitate when it came to psychopath roles, there was something slightly lacking in making the character feel truly alive… but now even that had been improved.

Was it thanks to her private session with Lee Mu-beom?

He didn’t know. What Seon-woo did know was that Yeon-woo’s acting was finally beginning to bloom.

And Hye-seong was…

‘Needless to say.’

Perfect.

Now that his eye for acting had grown a bit more, Seon-woo could see that Hye-seong was an even more remarkable actor than he had thought.

And that the distance between Seon-woo and Hye-seong was farther than expected.

He was practically the strongest rival Seon-woo considered.

‘This really isn’t easy.’

Seon-woo chuckled softly.

If he were concerned about victory and survival, Seon-woo would actually be under quite a bit of stress right now.

But Seon-woo decided to focus his attention elsewhere, not on winning or losing.

Had he truly shined?

Was he the kind of actor who could move hearts just by being watched?

He would know the answer soon.

─…Why are you doing this?

The scene where Lee Mu-beom and Kim Seon-woo face each other.

It was the first time he was seeing this scene with his own eyes.

And because of that, he was also worried.

He had thought he acted well at the time, but what if the actual result wasn’t as good as he had thought…

But it seemed that worry was unnecessary.

—If they had just stayed alive, they could have done anything, could have become something. They were people who would have shined someday… Why on earth.

‘Ah…’

The moment he saw the scene where Kim Seon-woo poured out his resentment to Lee Mu-beom… Seon-woo felt his eyes growing hot.

It was because he realized something.

Ah, that person on the screen… is alive.

Watching Kim Seon-woo stained with the colors of Park Moon-hyeon, Yoo Ji-eun, and Justin, raising his voice for their sake, Seon-woo couldn’t help but naturally think of his old self.

The him who used to say things he didn’t mean in interviews every day.

The him who was dyed gray, living as if dying.

Was that version of him inside that screen?

No, he wasn’t.

What he saw was just a young man acting with all his heart.

A young man who was dreaming… no, a young man who was unfolding his dreams.

It was something to be grateful for.

In that moment, Seon-woo felt his heart become surprisingly peaceful.

He couldn’t help it. Considering the value of the change he had achieved now… how well he had acted, whether he could survive this episode, such things could only feel like trivial matters.

From then on, Seon-woo was able to purely appreciate and enjoy the drama.

At the same time, he realized what kind of attitude an actor should have normally.

‘…I shouldn’t be impatient.’

When 【I Am an Actor】 first started, there was something Seon-woo had said in an interview.

That he wasn’t interested in things like winning or losing.

That the only thing Seon-woo was interested in was acting.

But Seon-woo only realized now.

Even though he had said he wouldn’t focus on winning or losing, at some point he had secretly wanted to win.

A desire for recognition had emerged.

He had been hoping that everyone would admire his acting, the pictures he painted.

‘I was being pathetic.’

Seon-woo quietly watched [One Room].

Watching [One Room] with anxiety and greed set aside, it was truly an admirable work.

Not only were the development and direction sensational, but the actors’ performances were also… truly at their peak.

Watching the scene inside the screen where all sorts of colors swirled together, Seon-woo was amazed… and simultaneously grateful.

What a tremendous blessing it was that he could be part of that picture.

Seon-woo’s expression became calm.

It was because he had realized something.

There was nothing to be nervous about, nothing to worry about.

He just needed to enjoy it.

【 …I feel this every week, but everyone’s skills are improving at a frightening pace. 】

Yes, even this judging.

Seon-woo lifted his head.

Yu Mi-yeon was the first to grab the microphone. She shook her head and let out a sigh.

【 Especially those who died in this episode… Maybe because they died so dramatically, everyone was so impressive. I even teared up when Hyeong-bin died. 】

【 That’s right. Especially when our teacher appeared… Whew, honestly I was a bit surprised. Teacher didn’t tell us about it, so I found out for the first time while watching the broadcast just now. 】

Seong Jun-il looked back at Lee Mu-beom with an expression that showed his surprise hadn’t yet settled.

Lee Mu-beom smiled quietly.

【 I made a request to the PD. I wanted to feel and learn from our young colleagues’ passion. Even thinking about it now, it seems like it was a really good choice. Through this filming… I felt so many things too. 】

【 What part was most impressive to you? 】

【 You all looked like you were having fun. 】

Lee Mu-beom answered briefly.

And with a smile, he slowly added an explanation.

【 Whether your acting went well or not, I could feel that you all enjoyed every moment of it. Watching that, I thought to myself: Wow, this is really cool. I really need to learn this from these kids. That’s what I thought. So… 】

Lee Mu-beom smiled.

It was a warm smile, like one used to comfort a child.

【 Regardless of what today’s results turn out to be, I hope you all don’t worry too much about it. Today’s results can never have any impact on your acting. Right now, when you have an attitude that all actors would envy, I hope you don’t lose that. 】

【 …Yes! With that in mind, let me first tell you how many will be eliminated today. 】

Taking Lee Mu-beom’s words, Seong Jun-il continued with the proceedings.

【 Today’s eliminations will be two people. Like last time, we’ll proceed with the evaluation according to rankings. Today’s evaluation order will be 2nd place, 3rd place, 4th place, and then 1st place. 】

Two eliminations.

Hearing those words, Seon-woo clenched his fists.

It was the worst-case scenario. If two people were being eliminated… honestly, even Seon-woo couldn’t guarantee his survival.

Could he really survive?

Could he survive and act in this work until the very end?

【 Lee Yeon-woo, please come up to the stage. 】

While he was having such thoughts, Yeon-woo was called up to the stage.

Since they said the first person called would be 2nd place, the remaining rankings were 1st, 3rd, and 4th place.

Either he got 1st place, or he was eliminated. It was one of the two.

‘Could I have gotten 1st place?’

Last time, he had recorded 1st place.

But this time, it felt like it wouldn’t be as easy as back then.

Seon-woo tried hard to let go of his concerns.

Hadn’t he decided not to be obsessed with winning or losing?

Winning and losing weren’t important. Seon-woo recalled himself on the screen. Had he been drawing a sufficiently beautiful painting?

Was he colorful in his memories?

‘It looked good.’

Right. That was enough.

Everything else wasn’t important.

It shouldn’t be important, but…

【 Kim Seon-woo. 】

After Yeon-woo’s evaluation ended and his name was called… why did his heart sink?

Seon-woo clenched his fists.

Being called after Yeon-woo meant he had recorded 3rd place.

【 Please come up to the stage. 】

His journey was about to end at this very moment.

It was elimination.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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