I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 121

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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 121

Despite Seong Do-won’s harsh words earlier, the filming wrapped up smoothly.

Seon-woo, who had clearly been acting with a slightly stiff feeling at first… showed completely different, clean acting right after getting scolded.

Whether his nerves had relaxed, or he had gotten the hang of it in that short time.

‘No matter what, it couldn’t be the latter, right?’

Chae Seo-ryeong’s eyes narrowed.

It wasn’t the kind of growth that could be shown in such a short period. Rather than a matter of skill, it would be better to see it as overcoming an attitude or mental issue.

But honestly, even if it were the former, it would still be impressive.

For a newcomer to overcome the weight of a film set was much more difficult than one might think.

Especially with that ill-tempered Seong Do-won right in front of him… needless to say.

But Seon-woo overcame all that pressure and delivered proper acting.

When she saw him confidently smiling and even sparkling his eyes in front of Seong Do-won… Chae Seo-ryeong couldn’t help but be inwardly amazed.

‘I thought he seemed a bit quirky… but his presence is quite strong, isn’t it?’

Even Seong Do-won himself seemed to not have expected Seon-woo’s reaction, as he was hesitating and backing down.

After filming ended, Chae Seo-ryeong approached Seon-woo as if she had been waiting. She sipped her Americano and spoke to him.

“Seon-woo.”

“Ah, yes. Senior.”

“You’ve got guts, don’t you? Even when Do-won was giving you a hard time, you didn’t even blink.”

“I did make a mistake, so I just thought I should do better. And…”

Seon-woo’s eyes sparkled.

It was exactly the same look he had shown when the acting scene had just ended.

“I learned a lot. What professional acting is really like.”

“Oh…”

Chae Seo-ryeong’s gaze became peculiar.

Learned. Though Seon-woo was speaking as if being modest, that’s precisely why it sounded incredibly special to Chae Seo-ryeong’s ears.

Saying he learned meant he had absorbed Seong Do-won’s acting, didn’t it?

In that brief moment, that quickly.

‘Is he bluffing?’

No, no matter how she looked at it, that didn’t seem to be the case.

First of all, Seon-woo himself didn’t seem like the type to bluff, and to think it was bluffing… he looked genuinely happy right now.

‘Now I’m starting to understand what kind of character he is.’

An acting maniac.

Chae Seo-ryeong organized Seon-woo’s image in her mind.

Actually, it was a common character type in this industry. People whose entire focus was on what kind of acting… what kind of work to create, rather than money, honor, popularity… all those things.

…She too had such a period once.

Looking at Seon-woo with a gaze that seemed envious, nostalgic, and mysterious, she thought for a moment.

‘Usually these types sometimes mess up because they get too intoxicated with acting.’

Method actors especially had this tendency even more severely.

There were often those who got too absorbed in method acting and became so immersed in their roles that they’d forget their lines.

Seon-woo seemed to be somewhat of a method style too…

‘Still, I’m less worried about him.’

If Seon-woo had been the same style as those typical narcissistic actors, he wouldn’t have been able to step back in front of Seong Do-won like that.

His skill in appropriately controlling his breathing to make Seong Do-won stand out was sensational enough for everyone to admire. Not too much, not too little… should I say he acted as if you could see the flow of emotions in his eyes.

Chae Seo-ryeong sucked on her already empty Americano and asked.

“So, how did it feel acting with Do-won for the first time?”

“Right. I also have a scene coming up where I have to go in with Senior Do-won…”

Min-hee picked up on Chae Seo-ryeong’s words and asked.

Even from the outside, Seong Do-won’s momentum was extraordinary. A top-tier actor who had held leading roles for over ten years was indeed different in every way.

Having just seen Seong Do-won handle Seon-woo like catching a mouse.

Seon-woo didn’t seem particularly hurt by those sharp words… but when those words would be directed at her, honestly, she didn’t have the confidence to be as composed as Seon-woo.

“Rather than impressions…”

Seon-woo trailed off for a moment.

Actually, he himself hadn’t yet sorted out how to think about and accept the acting with Seong Do-won.

Supporting acting that backs up the other person. Just properly executing that was overwhelming enough for Seon-woo.

But he could understand this much.

“He seems to do very beautiful acting.”

“…Beautiful acting?”

Chae Seo-ryeong’s eyebrows twitched at that unusual expression.

Seon-woo nodded. Perhaps describing it as beautiful might be a bit ambiguous. The deep red color… amid silk spread in all directions, made of that silk… the image of a tree that seemed to be made by solidifying blood had something a bit frightening about it.

But Seon-woo could tell.

“I could feel it. Ah, every single breath… every expression, he must have thought tremendously hard about how to really act. Should I say I could feel the traces of agonizing over every single rise and fall of his voice…”

And that was also why he didn’t feel bad at all when Seong Do-won suddenly snapped at him.

If it was words from someone who acted like this… whatever it was, he felt he should listen first.

He knew.

That Seong Do-won was someone who, as a person, was… somewhat divisive. Whether to call it bad personality or poor social skills.

But Seon-woo didn’t care about such things.

Either way, as an actor, he was someone with a lot to learn from.

A smile bloomed on Seon-woo’s lips.

As if just imagining it was already enjoyable.

“Even if it’s just a little, if I could learn some of Seong Do-won sunbae’s sense… I think acting would become much more fun.”

“….”

While Min-hee said nothing as if she was used to Seon-woo’s reactions like this, Chae Seo-ryeong looked at Seon-woo with a somewhat dazed expression.

Chae Seo-ryeong had been continuously gauging him.

Whether Seon-woo was really someone who lived up to the rumors of being a ‘genius.’

Whether he was really someone on the level of a ‘crane.’

But putting acting aside, seeing him like this now… she felt like she could somehow understand.

“Seon-woo’s legs would probably split quite well.”

“…Excuse me?”

Seon-woo blinked his eyes.

What does that mean? Does she think I have good flexibility? No, but there’s no context… While he was confused, Chae Seo-ryeong chuckled and shook her head.

“Don’t mind it. I was just talking to myself.”

* * *

“Well, nice to meet everyone!”

After the first day of filming ended, the [Red Zone] crew went straight to a company dinner.

The dinner location was an old pork belly restaurant. Looking down at the pork belly cooking on the grill, Chae Seo-ryeong gritted her teeth.

“…This is really torture.”

In front of her were diet chicken breast and salad.

It seemed she couldn’t freely eat alcohol and pork belly because of her management. She looked back at Min-hee eating pork belly and asked.

“Min-hee, you… don’t gain weight easily?”

“Oh, that… I’m sorry. I’m not the type who gains weight as much as I eat.”

“No, why are you sorry. …But I’m jealous. Isn’t there some herbal medicine that can change me to that kind of constitution?”

While the two were grumbling and bonding with other actresses,

“Friend… you really drink well.”

Seon-woo was surrounded by various male actors including the directors.

At first, when they told him to have a drink and handed him soju from here and there, he just drank it without thinking, but as time passed and everyone saw that Seon-woo’s complexion didn’t change at all, they all started getting curious.

Especially,

“Seon-woo. Are you really okay? Can you drink more?”

“Mm, I can drink more, but…”

“Good, let’s go for it!”

This bear-like man in front of him was holding onto Seon-woo and wouldn’t let him go.

His name was Noh Chang-seob. He was a supporting actor in his 40s whose face would be recognizable to most Koreans. This time in [Red Zone], he was playing ‘Teacher Park,’ a male nurse in the emergency room.

Although he hadn’t filmed with Seon-woo yet, he seemed quite interested in Seon-woo from the start of the company dinner.

“You’ve been acting for a year now?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Wow. Amazing. I couldn’t act like this after one year.”

A genuinely admiring expression.

Actually, Seon-woo found it a bit awkward to know how to respond at times like this. He couldn’t answer ‘That’s right, I’m great’… but it was also awkward to say it was nothing special because then the other person would be someone who couldn’t even do that ‘nothing special.’

What he could give back was,

“When I watch sunbae’s acting… I often think it’s very solid.”

Changing the topic as naturally as possible.

Noh Chang-seob’s eyes widened.

“Huh? My acting?”

“Yes, somehow… I often thought ‘this is what acting by an actor with solid inner strength is like.’ Especially in [Heavy Rain] when you… played Park Min-cheol. When Park Min-cheol cried in the rain there, I really got goosebumps. I should say I want to try acting like that someday…”

“Ahem, ahem. Hey, you, why are you saying such things… Ah, drink!”

Noh Chang-seob’s ears turned red.

Normally he might think it was just empty flattery, but since he spoke in such detail, there was no room for such misunderstanding.

He really genuinely likes my acting, he couldn’t help but be moved.

How does Seon-woo remember all those scenes of Noh Chang-seob?

Is he really such a great fan of Noh Chang-seob?

Of course, that wasn’t it.

The reason Seon-woo could talk so fluently about Noh Chang-seob’s old works like this… was entirely thanks to Eun-seok’s advice.

—Do you know who all the sunbaes appearing there are?

—Yes.

—Then study.

When he first heard those words, question marks appeared in Seon-woo’s eyes.

He had no idea what he was supposed to study.

—You don’t need to study all their works, but if you know what their representative works are and what roles they played, it’ll be easier to break the ice.

Some might think it was a bit excessive, but Seon-woo thought Eun-seok’s advice was quite valuable.

At least there would be no loss in following that advice.

And it wasn’t particularly difficult either.

Seon-woo had enjoyed watching dramas and movies even before he started acting. If they were reasonably famous actors, it was impossible that he hadn’t seen their works.

Seon-woo just had to look up impressive scenes from their works that he had watched once.

And if he talked about that, game over like now.

Like Noh Chang-seob now, they would smile warmly and pat Seon-woo’s shoulder.

‘Well, it’s not a lie either.’

What he said about being impressed by Noh Chang-seob’s acting wasn’t empty words.

[Heavy Rain] was a movie he had watched long ago, but when he rewatched that scene again because of Noh Chang-seob… he was actually impressed.

Delicate acting that didn’t match his build, like drawing colors in the air with a thin brush pen.

When he saw the painting that his acting drew, Seon-woo felt his heart flutter with excitement all over again.

Because soon he would be able to act alongside an actor like this.

And naturally, Seon-woo had been studying the acting of not just Noh Chang-seob, but all the actors working together at this place.

What this person’s strengths were. What style of acting they did. What kind of character suited them…

Thanks to this, the actors who were sharing drinks with Seon-woo had, before they knew it,

“…This won’t do. You’re going to be our youngest from now on!”

“I really don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve seen such a likeable newcomer.”

“Seon-woo! If anyone bothers you, tell your hyung! Got it!?”

Reached a state where honey was practically dripping from their eyes.

Ah, of course not everyone was like that.

“…”

Take Seong Do-won for instance – he wasn’t saying anything and was just quietly staring at Seon-woo.

Anyone could see it wasn’t the same atmosphere as the other actors who found Seon-woo adorable to death.

At best it was indifference, at worst… should I say it felt like he was slightly displeased?

No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t think he had made any particular mistakes with him…

‘Well, let’s not worry about it.’

Wanting to be loved by everyone is greed.

As long as there’s no immediate trouble, it should be fine for now.

How Seong Do-won thought of him wasn’t important.

What was important was handling his acting, absorbing it, and… growing.

Seon-woo asked himself.

When this drama ended, how much would he have grown?

By then, would Seong Do-won’s acting… feel much more manageable than it did now?

Honestly, it was hard to gauge at this point.

He could only hope that would be the case.

Well, still…

“I, I can’t drink anymore…”

Looking at Noh Chang-seob collapsing right in front of him, and the seniors who had already passed out and fallen over, he thought.

He wasn’t sure about Seong Do-won, but… at least this thing called a company dinner was surprisingly manageable.

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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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