I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 109

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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 109

‘Audition?’

A question mark appeared in Seon-woo’s eyes.

Since he had decided to walk the path of an actor, he would certainly have to attend auditions frequently in the future… but why bring up auditions suddenly at this timing?

“Shouldn’t I find an agency first?”

“No, no. Not at all. Did all the management agencies you’ve met so far tell you that?”

“…Uh, they said it’s better to start with an agency from the beginning. They said that’s the only way to properly secure work…”

“Ha, seriously. This is ridiculous.”

Seong Jun-il frowned at Seon-woo’s words.

“Don’t worry about that nonsense.”

“Isn’t it true?”

“For people with no recognition at all, I can’t say that statement is completely wrong. Usually they can’t even break through private audition routes and just struggle.”

Seon-woo nodded.

Even he himself hadn’t been able to attend a single proper audition until appearing on 【I Am an Actor】.

“But you’re different. Right now in South Korea, at least tens of thousands, maybe even millions of people know your name. Of course, having an agency would make it a bit easier to find projects… but not having one doesn’t mean you can’t secure work.”

“…Hmm.”

“I personally think it’s better for you to work without an agency right now.”

“Is there a reason you think that way?”

“Now is the best time for you to decide what kind of actor you want to become.”

Deciding what kind of actor to become.

For Seon-woo, these were words that made his ears perk up.

“What kind of actor… what do you mean by that?”

“Look at me. When you look at me, what roughly comes to mind?”

“…When I think of you, senior, romantic comedies come to mind first.”

“Right. At one point I was even called a romantic comedy specialist actor. And do you know when I first started hearing this?”

“When was it?”

“Right after finishing my first project.”

Seong Jun-il chuckled.

“That was my first project, and my first romantic comedy. And ever since then, I’ve been called a romantic comedy actor. What do you think this means?”

“…The first button is important?”

“Exactly.”

Seong Jun-il shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course, in a way, you’ve already fastened your first button. You played almost a main role in [One Room]. Still, what’s fortunate is…”

“…The character hasn’t been established that strongly yet?”

“Yeah. Well, it was a character with somewhat serious and melancholic aspects, but that’s all, right? This actually has room to be inserted into any genre. So that’s why… Seon-woo.”

Seong Jun-il leaned toward Seon-woo.

His eyes were sparkling. As if he himself was getting excited.

“What kind of actor do you want to become?”

“…”

Seon-woo couldn’t easily open his mouth.

What kind of actor do you want to become?

Honestly speaking, he had never properly thought about it. Before appearing on 【I Am an Actor】, he just felt like it would be good to have any opportunity to act, and after appearing on it, he was too busy just completing the missions.

“You haven’t sorted it out yet, have you?”

“No.”

“That makes sense. That’s why I’m telling you not to find an agency right away. If you hastily sign a contract when you don’t even know what kind of actor you want to become… from that point on, you gradually lose the luxury of having your own thoughts.”

Seong Jun-il’s eyes narrowed.

He had seen so many such juniors over the years.

He had seen countless times how those who once sparkled brightly eventually got ruined by being swayed by entertainment companies’ greed.

‘I don’t want to see that again.’

Seong Jun-il’s gaze darkened.

“Anyway, think about that part now. What kind of actor you want to become.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

“Good. Let’s go back to what we were talking about earlier. Are you interested in auditioning?”

“Of course I’d love to. But… how do I find them?”

Seon-woo asked with a deliberately worried voice.

Looking at such Seon-woo, Seong Jun-il smiled confidently.

“Let’s go somewhere with me first.”

* * *

The place Seong Jun-il took Seon-woo to was his agency.

It seemed like it wasn’t discussed with the agency beforehand, as his manager shook his head with a slightly flustered expression.

“Hey, hyung. If you’re going to bring a guest, you should have told me in advance.”

“Sorry, sorry. I ended up bringing him while we were talking.”

“But the reason you brought him here… is it by any chance a contract?”

The manager’s eyes sparkled.

Actually, among industry managers, Seon-woo was quite a hot topic these days. Both his acting ability shown in [One Room] and the favorable response from the public, in many ways he was a promising prospect with high potential to become a star in the future.

There was even talk that whoever recruited him first would be the winner.

But Seong Jun-il shook his head.

“No, it’s not that. I just told him not to carelessly find a management agency, so don’t think about doing any sales pitch. Oh, and give me some of the scripts that came in for us.”

“Scripts? Why suddenly? Your next schedule is already set, hyung.”

“Give it to Seon-woo.”

“…Huh? To Seon-woo?”

The manager looked flustered.

He could connect them if needed, but why should he show such favor to an actor who wasn’t even under contract with them?

These scripts were meant for their company’s actors.

Connecting Seon-woo to them would essentially just be creating more competition.

Nevertheless, Seong Jun-il shook his head.

“Stop being noisy and just give it to him.”

“Got it.”

The manager didn’t bother arguing back.

He didn’t understand it, but when Seong Jun-il spoke this firmly, refusing was practically impossible.

And more than anything…

‘Maybe this could be a good investment too.’

Someone might point fingers and call it calculating, but it couldn’t be helped.

For their actors to float gracefully on the surface, they had to do all this dirty work underneath.

“Here are the projects we’re looking favorably upon. Take a look.”

So the manager deliberately put on a friendly smile and handed the scripts to Seon-woo.

Seong Jun-il glared at him slightly, perhaps reading his true intentions, but what could he do? If the manager was going to act like a manager, so be it.

“Thank you.”

Meanwhile, Seon-woo brightened up and accepted the scripts.

It had been a while since he’d received new scripts. As he looked through the synopses one by one, Seong Jun-il spoke up.

“If there’s a script you like, let me know. I’ll see if I can arrange an audition spot for you.”

“…Thank you. But I’m not sure if it’s okay for me to receive this much help.”

“Of course it’s okay. You’re my junior. I’m your senior. When a senior offers to help, you should take full advantage of it.”

“I’ll definitely repay this kindness.”

How could he not find him endearing when he kept saying such admirable things?

Seong Jun-il chuckled and patted Seon-woo’s back. Then he opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Seon-woo.”

“Yes.”

“If you really want to repay this kindness… don’t forget your current mindset. Watching juniors get corrupted by worldly things one by one makes me feel depressed too.”

“Yes. I’ll never forget.”

Seon-woo answered without a moment’s hesitation.

Watching such a Seon-woo, Seong Jun-il thought to himself.

Seon-woo would probably think it wouldn’t be too difficult to not lose that heart.

But in reality, it wasn’t like that. People changed all too easily in the face of money and fame.

And more than anything, this world wouldn’t leave him alone.

It would somehow make him intoxicated with unimportant things and neglect what was important.

‘Will you be different?’

It was hard to say.

But seeing Seon-woo holding the scripts preciously like treasure, Seong Jun-il couldn’t help but smile with that thought.

Maybe this kid wouldn’t change after all.

* * *

Five.

The scripts he received from Seong Jun-il this time totaled five.

Each genre was different.

The first was romantic comedy.

The second was thriller.

The third was historical drama.

The fourth was fantasy.

The fifth was… regular drama.

The roles all seemed to be supporting character level. Not major supporting roles, but they felt too substantial to call minor roles.

‘…All of these are good opportunities for me.’

But it was difficult to decide easily.

—This is a very important time. How you build your image now will determine your market value, Seon-woo. This is a golden chance to become ‘premium quality.’

Those were the words Kim Ji-hun from KS had said.

Of course, he wasn’t obsessed with being premium quality or market value.

However, it was also an undeniable fact that success would allow him to act in more diverse roles.

In fact, Seong Jun-il had also said this about it:

—Being too greedy would be a problem, but not being greedy enough is also a problem.

—…Then what should I do?

—Balance is important in everything. Calculate moderately, and look out for your interests moderately too. That’s not a bad thing. However… you need to have your center firmly established in your heart. That you became an actor not to become a star or make money… but to act.

And Seong Jun-il had added this at the end:

—Just think of it this way. Don’t think about being a star or market value, try to become a good actor. Then you’ll be able to have everything you want.

Becoming a good actor.

What he needed to do immediately for that was clear.

Showing good acting.

Then what kind of project should he do?

Seon-woo planned not to rush too much for now. It wouldn’t be good to waste all the good times by being too leisurely, but there was nothing good about being hasty either.

‘First, let me think about what kind of actor I want to become.’

Being unable to answer this question was somewhat of a fresh shock for Seon-woo.

Even though it had been almost a year since he started acting, he didn’t even have a blueprint of ‘this is the kind of actor I should become.’

‘What kind of actor do I want to become?’

The first thing that came to mind was Do-young’s face.

That overwhelming figure who didn’t just dominate the stage, but painted the entire audience seats with his color – that sight still remained as a shock to Seon-woo.

But if there was something he learned while filming [One Room], it was that actors shouldn’t try to become someone else.

An actor must be themselves.

More precisely, they had no choice but to be themselves.

What mattered now was how to cultivate oneself.

‘What kind of actor should I become?’

It wasn’t a question that could be answered easily.

Perhaps it might be a question that would take a lifetime to answer.

Thanks to being lost in thought by himself, a week had passed before he knew it.

In other words, it meant the broadcast day for the final episode of [One Room] had arrived.

Before the live broadcast, Seon-woo gathered at the theater troupe with the Cheongseong people. It was natural that a barrage of questions was directed at Seon-woo.

And naturally, the main question among them was,

“What are you going to do from now on?”

It was about Seon-woo’s future plans.

Well, honestly, there wasn’t really much of a plan at the moment, but when he said he was preparing for auditions,

“What? Didn’t you get a lot of contacts from management agencies?”

“Right. Min-hee and Ye-chan already signed contracts, so I naturally thought Seon-woo would have too.”

“…Really?”

This was the first time Seon-woo was hearing this.

When he looked at the two, Ye-chan laughed sheepishly and spoke up.

“Fortunately, I got contacted right after the broadcast ended. It’s a small company, but the CEO seems really passionate about work… so I decided to trust them and give it a try!”

“It’s good that you found a nice place.”

Seon-woo smiled.

Inwardly, the advice Seong Jun-il had given came to mind.

Those words about not carelessly choosing a management agency. But since they had already signed a contract, saying such things would only be like pouring cold water on them.

“But I didn’t expect you to have already signed a contract too, senior.”

“Me, well… actually, there’s a place where my family works.”

Min-hee scratched her head with an awkward expression.

“I was just lucky.”

“Hmm.”

“But Seon-woo, you must have gotten contacts from many places.”

“There were places that contacted me…”

“Were they all not good?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Seon-woo hesitated for a moment.

How could he explain this without causing misunderstandings?

But his contemplation seemed to have gone on too long.

“Ah, it’s starting.”

Before he could find that answer, episode 6 of [One Room] was finally beginning.

Seon-woo’s eyes sparkled.

What kind of ending would this first journey they shared together meet?

Although he wasn’t part of that ending, his heart still raced. After all, that ending was possible because he and everyone else had been there.

‘Writer Ryu probably didn’t prepare an ordinary ending…’

What kind of ending would it be?

He didn’t know. But Seon-woo was now sufficiently familiar with Ryu. He was prepared not to be particularly surprised no matter what shocking development came out.

…That’s what he thought.

But, five minutes later.

“What is… this?”

Seon-woo,

“Crazy…”

No, everyone couldn’t help but be shocked.

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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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