I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 112

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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 112

Seong Jun-il suddenly had such a thought.

‘He really has such beautiful eyes.’

How old was Seon-woo again? Twenty-seven?

Usually, that’s the age when people start getting a taste of society and begin losing their vitality.

At such an age, seeing him sparkle his eyes like a child, Seong Jun-il couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course. Until I Am an Actor came out, it was hard to even get a proper audition.”

“Right, that’s how this industry is.”

Seong Jun-il let out a sigh.

How many actors like Seon-woo, who have the qualifications but haven’t seen the light yet… They say outstanding people will eventually be revealed like a jewel in a bag, but thinking about the time of hardship they must endure made him feel regretful.

“Actually, I had quite a few concerns after you left last time.”

“…What? What kind of concerns?”

“I wondered if I was wrong to say you didn’t need an agency. Without an agency, there are that many more things you’ll have to handle and solve yourself, and I thought maybe I spoke too lightly about it.”

“But that means I can become that much freer.”

“Right. And the freer you are, the more you’ll have to take responsibility for.”

“Hmm, actually I was concerned about that part too.”

Seon-woo nodded honestly.

Other places aside… KS’s offer was definitely attractive. Even though it was on the idol side, KS was still one of Korea’s representative major management agencies.

Their words about making him a star probably weren’t just empty boasting.

It was clear that taking KS’s hand would make many things easier and more convenient.

‘At least making a name for myself would have been much faster.’

And if he became a star that way, it would be easier to pick and choose the projects he wanted to act in.

There were quite a few reasons to take KS’s hand.

“But I want to try the difficult path.”

“…Why go out of your way?”

“Acting isn’t originally an easy job. It’s natural for it to be difficult, but if I try to take the easy path… I think I’ll end up being neither here nor there. You said I’d have to do what the agency should do… but I think the opposite. Originally, that’s not the agency’s job, it’s mine.”

“Hah.”

Seong Jun-il couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

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

“When you go to sets, the senior actors will really dote on you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You seem like you’ll receive a lot of affection.”

“…Thank you.”

“Good, so… you’re going to audition with this?”

Seong Jun-il touched the script with a strange expression.

“You chose something lighter than I expected?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. The acting you showed during [One Room] was… overall quite deep. That character suited you well. I didn’t expect you’d try to transform your acting so soon.”

“Rather than wanting to transform my acting…”

Seon-woo scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“I wanted to try a slightly brighter role.”

“A bright role? This one?”

Seong Jun-il answered with a dubious expression.

“To call it bright… isn’t this too much of a bitter character?”

The work Seon-woo chose this time was a medical drama called [Red Zone].

A story unfolding in an emergency room setting.

And among them, the character Seon-woo chose was named Yoon-seo.

A so-called useless resident who wants to become an emergency physician but panics when facing severely injured patients due to trauma.

It was a character somewhat distant from the ‘brightness’ Seon-woo mentioned.

But Seon-woo said with sparkling eyes.

“Even though she’s afraid of patients, the fact that she’s a doctor because she wants to save patients is somehow… doesn’t it sparkle?”

“…Well, if you want to see it that way, I suppose you could.”

Seong Jun-il didn’t bother to argue.

Originally, interpreting a role was the actor’s own responsibility.

The question was how the production team would view Seon-woo’s interpretation…

‘Well, if it doesn’t work out, he can just fail.’

Seong Jun-il thought that way.

Actors should become more accustomed to failing auditions than passing them.

If they don’t build resistance to failure, actors end up not challenging themselves and only doing the same acting they’ve always done.

“Alright. I’ll put in the contact.”

“…What might the audition schedule be like?”

“This one’s pretty tight. There’s a week left. How about it. Can you do it?”

“Yes.”

Seon-woo nodded with a determined expression.

“I’ll give it a try!”

* * *

He wanted to paint a beautiful picture.

Yeon-woo’s acting had planted such desire in Seon-woo.

No, it couldn’t be expressed as planted. This was a desire Seon-woo had held continuously since he first started acting.

It would be more accurate to say I just gave it some stimulation.

The problem was figuring out what kind of character would create a beautiful painting.

‘What’s the most beautiful painting I can draw?’

Finding this answer was more difficult than expected.

But there was one thing I could understand.

‘Leading roles are still too much for me.’

Lead characters naturally have more screen time, which means they have more complex emotions.

In other words, the colors that need to be expressed become more complex.

Seon-woo honestly didn’t have confidence in painting while handling so many colors.

The simpler the character, the better. Only by learning to paint with one color first could he gradually become familiar with mixing other colors.

That’s why he chose this character, Yoon-seo.

Yoon-seo was truly an intuitive and simple character.

Someone who wants to save patients but is afraid of them… a weak person.

Yoon-seo’s role in the story wasn’t that significant. Just the right level of supporting character.

A role that constantly gets scolded and beaten down by ‘Yong-taek’, the protagonist and emergency medicine professor.

The point Seon-woo needed to express in the work was simple.

Show Yoon-seo, who initially freezes up in front of most patients, gradually growing into a more competent doctor as the story progresses.

‘Of course, I should focus more on the scared appearance at first.’

It was natural that Seong Jun-il didn’t understand Seon-woo’s comment about this role being bright.

As he said, Yoon-seo was a character full of misery, always showing a withdrawn appearance.

However,

“Why is the color so pretty?”

Yoon-seo’s color orb contained bright yellow and soft light green that didn’t match his situation at all.

It reminded him of yellow flowers blooming on blue-green leaves.

Like having a spring meadow transplanted into one’s heart.

And when that color orb burst… Yoon-seo’s heart was so warm that Seon-woo found himself quietly smiling just from bursting that color orb.

‘This is what I needed.’

[One Room] from last time had been too devastating a work.

Seon-woo had even used Method Acting to immerse himself in Kim Seon-woo’s emotions. It felt like Kim Seon-woo’s emptiness, sadness, and helplessness still lingered on him.

For his mental health, he wanted to act as a bright, cheerful character this time.

And Yoon-seo was the perfect character for that. Although he struggled with the difficulty of being afraid of patients, apart from that struggle, Yoon-seo’s heart was so clear and beautiful.

‘Of course, that doesn’t mean I can just focus on healing.’

Audition.

What Seon-woo got wasn’t a role. It was just an audition opportunity.

It meant he couldn’t win this character without preparing his best.

‘Well, doing your best doesn’t guarantee you’ll pass either.’

That’s why he had to be even more thorough.

Seon-woo holed up at home and devoted himself to audition preparation.

Going to Cheongseong and asking others to play opposite roles would have made preparation easier… but that was difficult.

Everyone would be busy preparing for theater, so it felt wrong to take their time, and more importantly…

‘It might unnecessarily stir up trouble.’

Not everyone at Cheongseong was only interested in theater.

Rather, quite a few were dreaming of becoming major actors through broadcast networks. It was inevitable. To act for a long time, you needed money, and to make money, you had to stand in front of cameras.

Anyway, openly preparing for a private audition in front of such people… it would feel like a kind of deception.

Perhaps this was why actors who went in front of cameras found it hard to return to Cheongseong.

‘…Well, I’ll think about that later.’

Seon-woo burst the color orb again.

This time, the designated acting scene for Yoon-seo’s role was a scene where Yoon-seo panics in front of a patient brought to the Emergency Room after a traffic accident.

It was fascinating.

Despite being a character with such beautiful emotions, the designated acting scene they wanted to see was this one.

‘Well, in a way it makes sense.’

To viewers, Yoon-seo isn’t a ‘warm-hearted doctor.’ Of course, internally he has that side, but on the surface, Yoon-seo is ‘a useless intern who freezes up when faced with critical patients.’

How well can you act that superficial appearance?

That’s what the production team wants to see.

Seon-woo burst the color orb.

Yoon-seo’s characteristic gentle emotions made him feel good for a moment, but thinking about a critical patient being right in front of him made his whole body seem to tremble instantly.

Watching the yellow petals that bloomed before his eyes suddenly close their buds, Seon-woo clenched his fist.

One week left until the audition.

During that week, Seon-woo planned to make Yoon-seo completely his own.

* * *

And, one week later.

Anxious Ping: So, what’s Seon-woo doing these days? Haven’t you heard any news?

Freshwater Snail: There’s no news route at all.

Ppuppo: Hasn’t he opened any SNS or anything like that?

eyesonyou: He seems like he doesn’t do that kind of thing at all

Daseulgi: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Sunwoo isn’t really the type to make verbal slip-ups, so it would be nice if they gave him an SNS account

Two-room: Well, now’s not the time for that kind of thing hahahaha If I wait, it’ll happen someday

‘…Should I really make an SNS account?’

On the bus.

Seon-woo, who had been browsing through threads related to [One Room] and 【I Am an Actor】, found discussions about this topic and fell into thought for a moment.

He could see people who loved him more than he deserved appearing more often than expected.

He thought maybe he should create an SNS account to repay their feelings somehow… but it was a bit difficult to make a hasty move.

‘From this perspective, it seems like having an agency would be good.’

They would clearly point out what he could do and what he shouldn’t do, wouldn’t they?

He didn’t know. For now, thinking he should consult with Seong Jun-il or other seniors about this later, Seon-woo pressed the bell.

It was because he had almost arrived at the audition venue.

‘Finally, the audition.’

It was something he felt every time during [One Room] filming… but preparation seemed to feel insufficient no matter how thoroughly you did it.

However, if there was something he realized while acting for nearly a year… it was that the moment when preparation becomes perfect never comes.

No matter how much you fill and fill, humans are lacking.

You can’t not challenge yourself just because you’re not perfect.

‘Let’s do this…!’

Seon-woo clenched his fist tightly and got off the bus.

And how long had he walked? It was when he had almost arrived at the audition venue.

“Ex, excuse me, are you perhaps… Kim Seon-woo?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Kyaak! I’m, I’m a fan! I really enjoyed watching One Room! Co, could I get just one photo…”

“Of course.”

“Thank you!”

Some woman passing by jumped when she saw Seon-woo and requested a photo.

The problem was that other people who saw this started recognizing Seon-woo one by one, and everyone began requesting photos.

Seon-woo was inwardly flustered by the unexpected crowd but didn’t show it.

To think they would be this happy over just one photo with him. It was a bit embarrassing, but what was the big deal?

‘I came with plenty of time…’

How many people had he taken photos with?

When the crowd that had gathered finally left Seon-woo with words of gratitude, there was someone else approaching him again.

Another photo request, probably.

Time was starting to run a bit short… but still unable to refuse, Seon-woo put a smile on his lips again.

“Yes, shall I take a photo for you?”

“…Huh? What. Now you’re going to take a photo with me too?”

But the other person’s reaction was strange. Suddenly speaking informally.

The problem was that the voice wasn’t entirely unfamiliar… as Seon-woo’s brow furrowed, the other person chuckled and took off their mask.

“Alright. Take a photo for me once.”

And Seon-woo’s expression became dumbfounded.

“…Min-hee senior?”

Why is this person here?

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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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