I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 110

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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 110

Episode 6 began with a broadcast announcing Kim Seon-woo’s death.

—The voting has ended.

—As a result of the voting, player Kim Seon-woo has been eliminated.

And what the camera showed was Jeong Hye-seong.

Jeong Hye-seong with a face that seemed unable to comprehend this situation, as if all hope had crumbled.

Hye-seong stared blankly at the door with hollow eyes, then slowly stepped out into the hallway.

And waiting for him there was Lee Yeon-woo, smiling brightly.

—Oh, Hye-seong. You came out?

—…Yeon-woo. What is this about?

—Ah, Seon-woo was eliminated.

—But how is that possible? We agreed to vote for ourselves. So… so how could Seon-woo be eliminated?

—Oh, that?

Hye-seong’s voice was hoarse like scraping metal.

But even before such a voice, Yeon-woo remained calm.

—Because I voted for Seon-woo.

A calm voice as if asking what the problem was.

—…What are you?

—What am I? Pfft.

Yeon-woo burst into laughter with an attitude that still wasn’t serious.

—Well, how should I put it. I’m just me.

—Just when… when did you start playing with us? Since when!

—Hmm. From the beginning?

Yeon-woo shrugged her shoulders.

—Ah, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t kill that drug addict. I didn’t like him, but before I could do anything, another friend beat me to it. That cute girl Yoo Ji-eun.

—…

—But I did give the knife to Seo Jin-wook. I wanted to see how he’d act. I also put a piece of cloth to keep Ji-eun’s door from closing. Does that mean I killed Ji-eun too?

—You, just what…

—And I also killed Min-hee.

Yeon-woo smiles.

It’s an impossibly pretty smile. If someone who didn’t know this work saw only this scene, they might mistake it for a romance drama.

—You, you…!

—What, do you want to kill me? Then go ahead. Here.

Yeon-woo extends her arm.

In her hand is a knife covered in blood. Probably Na Min-hee’s blood.

—Just slit my throat with this. How about it. Want to try?

—…You think I can’t do it!?

Hye-seong rushes forward.

He snatches the knife from Yeon-woo’s hand and presses it straight to Yeon-woo’s throat. Watching such Hye-seong, Yeon-woo’s eyes sparkle as she grabs his hand and brings it closer to her throat.

—Yes, like that. Try putting some force into it. That’s all you need to do…!

—This, this…

And naturally, Hye-seong cannot slit that throat.

Hye-seong, who ended up dropping the knife, collapses right there.

—Why. Just why… we all could have lived together.

—We all could have died together too. There was no guarantee the game would end when there was a tie, right?

—…Are you doing this because you were scared of that?

—Hmm, no. Actually, that’s not it. To be honest…

Yeon-woo brings her face right up to Hye-seong’s.

Bringing her face close enough that their foreheads almost touched, she looked at Hye-seong’s dazed face and smiled broadly.

—I just like watching people die.

—…What?

—Actually, I was a bit disappointed when Seon-woo died too. I kind of liked that person. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone so pretty. But it can’t be helped. Since I’ve already killed someone here, I have to keep killing people. That’s my style. My own rule, you could say?

—…You’re insane.

—Yes. Everyone says that. But I’ll give you a chance, Hye-seong. Here.

Yeon-woo grabs Hye-seong’s hand again and puts the knife in it.

—There are two choices. Kill me with this knife. Then Hye-seong can live. If you can’t do that… well, we’ll have no choice but to go to voting, right? But who will I vote for? Myself? Hye-seong?

—Just… just why are you doing this?

—If I vote for myself and Hye-seong votes for me, that would be revenge too. Since I’d die. If we’re lucky, there might be a tie and we could both live, or if not… the votes might lean toward Hye-seong and Hye-seong could be eliminated. Ugh, it’s complicated. It would be better to resolve it with this knife. What do you think?

—Do you think… do you think I’ll kill you?

—I’m saying it’s okay to kill me.

Yeon-woo’s eyes flash.

—Why do you keep acting like murder is something you can’t do?

A thought process that ordinary people could never understand.

But perhaps that was Yeon-woo’s true nature. Wanting to be understood for aspects that no one could understand.

Through watching others commit murder, wanting to have her own murders validated.

And in this part, even the people from Cheongseong were all overwhelmed.

“…Wait, didn’t they say that person had never acted properly before this either?”

“She’s not being overshadowed by Hye-seong hyung at all.”

“No, it’s not that she’s not being overshadowed… it seems like her presence might even be stronger in some ways.”

“The character is so unique that might be part of it, but… Seon-woo wasn’t the only genius.”

That was the kind of presence he had.

But what caught Seon-woo’s attention most right now wasn’t Yeon-woo’s acting.

It was Yeon-woo’s character.

‘…So that’s what resembled Yeon-woo.’

Lee Yeon-woo is a serial killer.

But the Yeon-woo he knew, while certainly different from ordinary people in some ways, wasn’t someone who harbored strange desires like murderous urges.

Generally speaking, considering that [One Room]’s roles tend to deeply connect with the actors’ essence, Lee Yeon-woo’s character seemed to have gone too far… but now Seon-woo could finally understand what aspect of Yeon-woo Writer Ryu was expressing through Lee Yeon-woo.

Being understood by others.

Not being shunned as a different being, but being accepted with understanding.

That was the greatest desire driving the character Lee Yeon-woo right now.

Writer Ryu really is Writer Ryu, I suppose.

His insight into people is immeasurable.

‘No wonder he’s called a genius writer.’

And that thought would only become more solid shortly after.

Jeong Hye-seong stays away from Lee Yeon-woo, holed up in his room quietly.

His appearance, sitting there emptily as if he had lost everything.

And what woke him from spending time in such a daze was the broadcast announcing it was time to vote.

And he agonizes.

Whose name should he write down.

Whose name would leave him with the least regret.

In that moment, Hye-seong expressed all the anguish and pain flashing through Jeong Hye-seong’s mind with just his expression.

To the extent that everyone watching him could indirectly feel his panic.

And then,

—Voting has ended.

—As a result of the vote, player Jeong Hye-seong has been eliminated.

Jeong Hye-seong is eliminated.

And Lee Yeon-woo, who came out to the empty hallway, slowly looks around the open space with an expression that’s neither particularly happy nor joyful.

Then he looks up at the camera installed on the ceiling.

—I won, right? Now let me out.

It was Lee Yeon-woo’s victory.

But no particular broadcast comes through.

Just as Lee Yeon-woo’s expression starts to frown slightly at this fact,

—Ending hypnotherapy for patient Lee Yeon-woo.

Such an unexpected broadcast announcement flows out.

It was a moment that left not only Lee Yeon-woo but also all the viewers watching completely stunned.

And then, with a sharp snap, the space suddenly began to twist.

When that twisting ended, Lee Yeon-woo was bound in a straitjacket, positioned in a hospital ward painted completely white like [One Room]’s game room.

And in front of him stood Lee Mu-beom in a doctor’s coat, quietly observing her.

—What, what is this? What’s going on? Why am I here?

—I’ll inform you of the examination results. Your empathy index toward others has risen slightly compared to previous treatments, but simultaneously, your homicidal impulse score has also increased.

—What is this? What do you mean!

—Your potential for socialization… I’m afraid I’ll have to mark it as ‘very low.’

—Excuse me!

—Is there anything else you’d like to ask?

Only then does Lee Yeon-woo finally realize that the doctor wasn’t talking to her.

The police officers standing beside her nod their heads.

—So you’re saying if we release her into society, she could kill someone at any time?

—…I cannot give such an opinion, and the numbers I mentioned earlier are the only information I can provide.

—That’s enough. Thank you, Doctor.

The police officer smiles and extends his hand for a handshake.

—Thanks to you, we can lock this devil away forever.

“…What, what is this?”

“It was all a dream?”

“No, not a dream… it seems like they looked into her mental world through hypnosis?”

Seon-woo stared at the screen with a dazed expression.

Actually, he had seen similar posts before. Something about how there must be a reason why [One Room]’s players specifically wore ‘straitjackets’ in the game room.

Seon-woo had also wondered why they specifically made them wear ‘straitjackets.’

But he had passed it off without much thought.

Just assuming it was the art director’s preference.

But apparently that wasn’t the case.

Every single one of those details was for this moment.

“Wow… this is giving me a headache.”

Min-hee clicked her tongue and let out a bitter laugh.

Her head was spinning. To think that everything they had acted out was actually happening inside Lee Yeon-woo’s mind.

“So we weren’t even real people.”

“…That would be the case, wouldn’t it?”

“Wait, hold on. But what if Yeon-woo had been eliminated early? What would they have done then?”

“If that had happened… it would have been inside someone else’s mind, wouldn’t it?”

“Is that… possible?”

“Normally it wouldn’t be. But… we’re talking about Writer Ryu, aren’t we?”

“That name is like some kind of cheat code. Whatever he does, hearing that name makes it understandable.”

“…But, it’s good.”

Seon-woo muttered in a dazed voice.

It was shocking, but that didn’t mean he disliked it.

Rather, he felt good.

“I can’t shake off the goosebumps. Really… it’s a development I never could have imagined.”

Seon-woo stared blankly at the screen.

In the hospital room with its pure white background, all kinds of colors bloomed from Yeon-woo who remained alone.

She was terrified like Yoo Ji-eun,

despaired like Jeong Hye-seong,

tried to pretend she was okay like Park Moon-hyeon,

but soon screamed in rage like Seo Jin-wook.

Seeing all the colors of every character who had been in [One Room] pass across her face like that, Seon-woo’s expression became ecstatic.

Yeon-woo’s acting ability to pull off such complex acting with ease was impressive, but…

‘Beautiful.’

This wasn’t about her face.

This was about her acting.

More precisely, the painting created by that acting… that chaotic combination of colors was so beautiful.

That beauty seemed like it would make his soul resonate.

‘…Yes, this is it.’

In that moment, Seon-woo found the answer to the worries he’d had for the past week.

What kind of actor did he want to become. What kind of acting did he want to do. He couldn’t come up with a clear answer to that… but now he seemed to understand.

In the end, there was no need to think about it so hard.

He just wanted to paint such beautiful pictures.

He wanted to become an actor who painted this world with all kinds of colors.

So that someday he could hear such words.

I can’t take my eyes off the world you’ve painted.

Your world is truly beautiful.

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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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