I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 118

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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 118

A rookie actor takes on a leading role in a movie.

In truth, it might not be such groundbreaking news to cause an uproar.

But if that movie happens to be a ‘Yoo Chan-woo’ film, then it’s a different story. The greatest film director currently representing South Korea.

Yes, the greatest.

Not one of the top three directors or anything like that… just simply the greatest.

Every work Yoo Chan-woo had released since his rookie days had never once received harsh criticism. Rather, with each addition to his filmography, he swept awards at even more film festivals.

This was Yoo Chan-woo’s work.

A rookie taking the lead role in Yoo Chan-woo’s work, which even the highest-paid actors in the country desperately wanted to be part of somehow?

That alone was enough to shock everyone who had even the slightest interest in movies, but when the film’s still cuts were subsequently released, people were even more astonished.

Ddeutdol Village Complex 3: …Who is this person?

Cali: This is a rookie?

Face Supremacist: This face was a rookie until now?

eyesonyou: Wow… I was wondering what kind of rookie they brought in, but seeing his face, I’m convinced

Face Supremacist: For real lololol Finally, South Korea’s national treasure-level handsome actor has appeared

Positive Comment Fairy: Hmm, is he that good…

The moment they saw Do-young’s face, all doubts about why they hired a rookie completely vanished.

You could say his face itself was the plausibility.

A feeling that he wouldn’t be overshadowed at all even standing shoulder to shoulder with Korea’s legendary handsome actors of the past.

‘…Do-young hyung is certainly extraordinary.’

Seeing the public’s reaction, Seon-woo wasn’t surprised at all.

When Do-young was exposed to the world, he already knew that they would inevitably be amazed by him.

In a way, Do-young was still at his low point even now.

People thought his appearance would be his weapon after seeing it now… but compared to Do-young’s acting ability, even that appearance would pale in comparison.

‘What an absolutely ridiculous overpowered character.’

He didn’t feel jealous about it.

Do-young was like a milestone for Seon-woo in many ways. And milestones are better when they’re bigger and brighter, aren’t they?

Meanwhile, Do-young’s success worked as a great boon for Cheongseong as they had expected.

Someone who knew Do-young had mentioned him.

all_opened: Cha Do-young is an actor who works at Cheongseong! He was a star actor there too because his acting was incredible

Kim Quokka: That’s right lololol Anyone who used to go watch plays in Daehangno knows him

Anonymous: Wow, I never imagined I’d see him like this here… I knew he’d become big someday, but debuting as the lead in a Director Yu Chan-woo film is crazy

IvyKid: But seriously, what kind of place is Cheongseong? Is it a place where only monsters can get in?

meteor: Cheongseong really is a place where only monsters can get in

‘It’s a bit embarrassing…’

He felt proud to be part of the same Cheongseong as Do-young.

When the world sees Do-young’s acting, he’ll feel even prouder than now.

But this wasn’t the time to be getting cocky just because he was from the same Cheongseong as Do-young.

When the day comes that Do-young’s name and his are mentioned together, he should have built up a filmography that wouldn’t be embarrassing.

Not just Do-young… but so that Seon-woo’s name could also be a reason for Cheongseong to shine.

For that, he’d need to act well first.

‘…Will I be able to do properly in front of senior Seong Do-won?’

Other people were also a problem, but the most problematic person for Seon-woo was Seong Do-won.

Lee Hyeok, played by Seong Do-won, was a character who cornered Yoon-seo at every opportunity. Scolding her, getting angry at her…

It was understandable though.

In an emergency room where not even a moment’s mistake was allowed, Yoon-seo was a character who would freeze up whenever the situation worsened even slightly.

The problem was how Seon-woo would respond when Seong Do-won delivered such intense acting.

‘The situation is different from the competition.’

If this had been 【I Am an Actor】, he would have somehow directed his acting to not be overwhelmed by those emotions and to stand against them.

But this was a drama.

What mattered wasn’t how well he acted… but how good a scene they created together.

‘Still, I’m glad I can see the paintings now.’

In the past, all Seon-woo could see from acting was just colors.

But now he could examine the paintings those colors created from multiple angles.

Even during 【I Am an Actor】, he couldn’t properly understand the meaning of those paintings.

Of course, even now he still couldn’t grasp what made a good painting or how to draw one… but he knew at least one thing.

‘Paintings are works of art.’

Those lines created by the mixture of emotions and acting ultimately formed the work.

In other words, what Seon-woo needed now was an eye for examining works of art.

…Honestly, he’d been feeling a bit embarrassed lately.

In the past, he hadn’t really looked deeply into the work itself. Seon-woo had only been interested in the characters.

More precisely, the characters’ hearts.

Of course, an actor’s job was fundamentally about expressing those hearts… but shouldn’t he also have the perspective to examine the work’s composition?

When he mentioned this, Eun-seok made a fed-up expression.

“What kind of guy are you?”

“…Did I say something wrong?”

“No, you said it right. You said it right, but… this is too much. Have you been doing this for a year now? Not even a full year yet, right? But why are you talking like a veteran actor with decades of experience?”

Seeing such an intense reaction, it seemed Seon-woo wasn’t doing something pointless after all.

Seon-woo sighed.

“I’m just talking. I still can’t grasp anything at all. How to act while considering not just the role but the entire work… how to draw the painting.”

“The fact that you’re contemplating that already puts you several steps ahead of most people.”

Eun-seok added to that.

“And, as long as you’re pondering that… naturally your eye for works will also develop.”

In the end, it was telling him to experience it firsthand.

There were still nearly ten days left until the filming date. Seon-woo’s goal was to develop a better eye for works within that time.

‘It’s not about standing out… I need to be able to do appropriate acting.’

What was fortunate for Seon-woo was that he had several colleagues to practice acting with.

First there was Min-hee, and then…

“Why am I doing this here?”

“Ahem. You said you had free time until your next project anyway.”

“That’s true, but…”

“I’ll buy you beer later.”

“Where should we start?”

Eun-seok was also with them.

He was helping them by playing their scene partners and matching their rhythm.

And the scene partner Seon-woo asked him to play was naturally…

“What are you? You’re a doctor? You who freezes up in front of patients call yourself a doctor?”

It was Seong Do-won’s role, ‘Lee Hyeok’.

Seon-woo was newly amazed. Even though there hadn’t been enough time to analyze Lee Hyeok, Eun-seok was properly expressing Lee Hyeok while scattering intense red emotions.

Of course, compared to Seong Do-won, there were shortcomings… but it was enough.

‘No, should I say it’s actually good?’

Seon-woo carefully observed the color Eun-seok had bloomed.

He could see torn traces here and there. Those scar-like marks probably represented that Lee Hyeok had lived a difficult life.

Thanks to that, the red silk flowing from him had very rough edges. It looked exactly like fabric you’d find in a vintage store.

The problem was that the fabric filled the entire floor of this room.

As if showing that this space was a battlefield soaked in blood. It was truly an overwhelming moment.

Then, what kind of acting should Seon-woo show at this moment?

Eun-seok was saying through his acting.

That the hospital is a battlefield.

Then what color should Yoon-seo paint on that battlefield?

‘…I see.’

Until before acting, he couldn’t get a proper feel for it, but seeing it with his eyes like this, he understood.

Seon-woo opened his mouth.

“S-sorry. I’m sorry. I, I didn’t mean to… I really didn’t mean to do that…!”

And he dyed it.

The world? No, himself… with Lee Hyeok’s color.

Now he had realized it.

Depending on the situation, losing one’s own color and being dyed instead… could create better scenes.

‘This is the role of a supporting actor.’

Seon-woo must not stand out.

Of course, if a place for him to shine was prepared, that would be fine, but in most situations his role would be to support the lead actor Seong Do-won.

Like now.

It scatters.

The yellow goodwill that Seon-woo, that Yoon-seo had somehow bloomed… that vague sense of justice, shatters and tears apart before Eun-seok’s blood-red emotions.

He felt it. The reality surrounding Lee Hyeok filling up Yoon-seo’s mind.

Yoon-seo slowly… being dyed with Lee Hyeok’s color.

And,

“…Hey, that’s good?”

Eun-seok admired with a bewildered expression.

This wasn’t the Seon-woo he remembered. He had certainly felt growth when watching [One Room], but seeing it in person like this… he could newly understand why he was called a genius.

‘It’s an incredible growth rate.’

Actually, Eun-seok had already thought about what advice to give while helping Seon-woo this time.

It was teaching supporting actor acting techniques.

Supporting actors in theater and supporting actors in broadcasting are completely different in nature.

In theater, it’s not a big problem if supporting actors receive the spotlight. Actors on stage, whether leads or supporting actors, tend to choose intense acting methods to spread their voice to all the audience.

But Theater Acting and Film Acting are different.

In movies, supporting actors shouldn’t stand out too much. If everyone becomes a scene stealer, it would only reduce the space for the lead to shine.

Ultimately, the role of supporting actors in film acting is… not to stand out, but to support the lead’s emotions to become clearer.

Creating a path for emotions to flow.

Eun-seok naturally thought Seon-woo would be lacking in this area.

Even though he had experienced broadcast acting in [One Room]… that was only half-complete. It was essentially a structure where everyone was a lead. He wouldn’t have had the luxury to think about supporting actor techniques.

But,

“Your power control is… skillful. Did you learn this somewhere?”

“No, rather than learning… I just started seeing it at some point.”

“Seeing what?”

“Not just colors, but I guess you could call it a painting…”

Seon-woo frowned and explained haltingly.

“When emotion meets emotion, how they interact with each other… what kind of picture gets painted? Because of that, I think I’ve started acting more carefully.”

Seon-woo let out a sigh.

Lamenting that acting seemed to get more difficult the more he learned about it.

Watching Seon-woo like this, Eun-seok couldn’t help but be even more astounded.

Of course it would be difficult. He was now acting while considering not just the role, but his scene partner, the situation… even how it would look to the audience’s eyes.

As he’d said before, these weren’t things you’d expect to see from someone with Seon-woo’s experience.

Even Eun-seok himself had only learned this after being corrected multiple times in front of the camera…

“…Seon-woo.”

“Yes?”

“This is really annoying me, so can I hit you just a little?”

Eun-seok clenched his fist.

Seon-woo broke out in a cold sweat and stepped back.

“Ah, why? What’s the problem?”

“You… you’re the problem!”

Eun-seok burst out in anger and lunged at Seon-woo.

And he thought to himself.

There were probably people within [Red Zone] who were worried about Seon-woo.

After all, he was from a theater troupe background and still a rookie. Many would think he wouldn’t adapt well due to his theater acting habits.

Even Eun-seok himself had worried about that, so how much more would others?

But it seemed like that would be an unnecessary concern.

The people at [Red Zone] would soon find out too.

Just how extraordinary a newcomer had joined them.

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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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