I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 13

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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 13

It wasn’t just Da-sol who felt thrilled by Seon-woo’s acting.

Everyone in the audience seats trembled as they watched Seon-woo.

A strange charm that quietly captivated and enchanted people’s hearts.

Da-yeon was no exception.

‘Who is that person?’

Da-yeon had watched Confession at least ten times.

And Da-yeon’s viewing focus was always the same. Do-young’s acting. Only that one thing.

The other characters’ acting, to be honest… should I say it was just background that made Do-young’s acting stand out more?

It wasn’t just because of her fan feelings for Do-young that she said this.

Even objectively speaking, it was a level difference that couldn’t help but catch the eye.

The reason she liked Eun-seok was because he was one of the few actors who didn’t lose his shine even in front of Do-young.

When Eun-seok was there, Do-young’s acting seemed to come alive even more.

That’s why she had been disappointed that Eun-seok wasn’t here today…

‘What is that person…?’

She couldn’t help but be amazed.

First of all, his basic acting ability was excellent. The feeling of the dark aura unique to someone driven to the edge could be felt from his very gait.

And that wasn’t all.

‘…This is the first time I’ve seen such a sorrowful Seung-do.’

The Seung-do she had seen until now was like… yes, like withered and twisted firewood.

Firewood that had already been drained of its last bit of life force, just waiting to burn.

But this Seung-do is different.

Something… rebellious yet seemingly asking for help.

Should I say it feels like a wounded cat?

It was a Seung-do she had never seen before.

Unfamiliar. But her eyes keep being drawn to him.

Otherwise, it seemed like it would crumble like snowflakes at any moment.

But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

No, rather, if it weren’t this Seung-do… it feels like my heart wouldn’t resonate at all.

Probably everyone in this place is feeling the same sentiment.

That must have been why.

During curtain call time, when Seung-do appeared on stage…

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Amazing!”

Thunderous cheers echoed throughout.

* * *

Acting is really interesting.

The more Seon-woo acted at Cheongseong, the more he thought he had made the right choice in starting acting.

Had there ever been a time in his life when he had fallen this deeply into something? Even when he was completely absorbed in studying during his senior year of high school, it wasn’t to this extent.

It made sense.

Acting was filled with all the colors that Seon-woo had longed for so much.

Black suit. White dress shirt. Black necktie.

Black briefcase and pure white resume. And again, the black letters densely packed inside…

Unlike that world that was entirely stained in black and white, this stage is so colorful.

It’s beautiful.

‘…Well, Seung-do’s color is hard to call beautiful though.’

Seon-woo smiled bitterly as he looked at Seung-do’s color orb.

The color orb stained with dark red color.

Actually, at first, this color wasn’t very appealing. Dyeing himself with this melancholy, painful, anger-filled emotion wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing.

But now it’s different.

Because I know this color is Seung-do himself.

The more I studied and understood him… the more I came to truly cherish him.

‘It must have been hard.’

This was the first time digging this deeply into a single character for so long.

The more Seon-woo felt Seung-do’s hellish heart… the closer he felt Seung-do as a person drawing to him.

And the more he felt that way, the more pitiful Seung-do became to him.

The words he finally managed to say to ask the Priest for help… were “How will you punish me?”

How desperate must he have been, that even the punishment to be given to him could become hope.

There was nothing he could do for such a Seung-do.

He could only express it. So that the audience could understand.

What kind of person Seung-do was.

Why he had no choice but to act that way.

He was a little worried.

Whether these emotions he wanted to convey would be properly delivered.

Whether he could truly make them understand Seung-do as a human being.

“By the time the stage ends, you’ll naturally know. Whether your acting was properly conveyed.”

And watching such a Seon-woo, Eun-seok said this.

“How?”

“Curtain call.”

Eun-seok snapped his fingers.

“People’s hearts are quite honest… In the end, they can’t help but cheer louder in proportion to how much you moved them.”

“…You mean if I acted properly, I’ll receive a response in cheers.”

“That’s right. Simple, isn’t it?”

Right. It’s simple.

Seon-woo steeled his resolve.

Let’s not think complicatedly.

Let’s just think of Seung-do.

Paint it.

That stage, with Seung-do’s colors.

“You didn’t come to confess your sins. You came to announce them.”

Seon-woo raised his head.

The Priest was looking at him. Wrapped in brilliant Golden Light like the sun all over his body.

At first, he had been entranced by that light, and had even lost his fighting spirit.

But not anymore.

Seon-woo walked slowly.

Step by step… he carved Seung-do’s dark red footprints into the Stage.

“…I intend to kill someone.”

It’s not just dark red.

Seon-woo looked at the Priest and placed his hand on his chest.

“How… will you punish me?”

He pleaded.

To save him.

From the tip of Seon-woo’s hand placed on his chest, a Silver Thread appears. And that thread slowly reaches toward the Priest.

However,

“I do not punish for crimes that were not committed.”

The Priest ultimately does not grasp that thread.

The Priest’s Stage still gleams with golden light, but Seung-do alone remains dark red in its midst.

Yes.

“I have come.”

Until that moment when he comes to find the Priest again, and probably even after that… continuously.

“Will you punish me now?”

And that was the moment.

For just an instant, the moment when Seung-do’s dark red color seemed to encroach upon and stain Do-young’s golden Stage…

Click!

The Stage went dark.

His final part had ended.

His heart is pounding.

It doesn’t feel real that he had just been on Stage moments ago.

So even in the Backstage, Seon-woo just sat there in a daze for a long while.

Had he done well?

Did people properly understand the Seung-do he had shown them?

Ye-chan appeared when Seon-woo’s mind had become complicated with such thoughts.

“…Hyung. That was amazing.”

“Yeah. …Huh?”

“The atmosphere at the end was really incredible. All the audience members looked completely mesmerized… I think you might be the star of tonight’s curtain call.”

“Haha… No, but thanks for saying that.”

Seon-woo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Then he turned to look at Ye-chan with a question that suddenly came to mind.

“Ye-chan.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“How was my Seung-do… what did you think?”

“It was good!”

“No, not like that… I mean as a person. What thoughts did you have?”

“Uh…”

He seemed not to have expected such a question.

Ye-chan looked confused for a moment, then fell into serious thought.

And soon gave a brief answer.

“He was pitiful.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I mean… I don’t know about the killing people and all that, but he just seemed really pitiful.”

At those words, Seon-woo finally smiled.

Because that was the same feeling Seon-woo had held for Seung-do.

He had acted to make a pitiful person look pitiful. That was… at least covering the basics, wasn’t it?

Honestly, words saying it was good acting didn’t really resonate with him.

Watching Do-young act right in front of him made it feel even more so.

His own acting felt like it was nothing in comparison.

But right now, it would be right to be satisfied and grateful for each of these small achievements.

Let’s not get too caught up in every little thing. That’s what he thought.

However,

“Thank you!”

“Whooooooo!”

When curtain call time came, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

The other actors who had appeared in [Confession] went up on stage one by one to bow. And each time, applause and cheers erupted.

Actually, when he was just watching from the sidelines before… he hadn’t paid much attention to the volume of those sounds or anything like that. After all, the applause wasn’t for him.

But now the story is different.

‘…Why is my heart beating like this?’

His heart was pounding even more than when he was on stage.

Back then, he only had to think about Seung-do… but curtain call time was actually his time—Kim Seon-woo’s time, not Seung-do’s.

And then,

“Seon-woo. Go up.”

“…Yes!”

Finally, his turn had come.

Seon-woo forced on a smile and went up onto the stage.

Ah, I feel like my expression must look really weird right now.

When acting as a character, it might be different. But this kind of Expression Management isn’t easy at all.

Seon-woo tried his best to use Mind Control.

Even if the applause or cheers were quiet, he told himself not to feel disappointed. This was his first stage. He should be grateful as long as there were no boos.

But then,

“Kyaaaaaaaa———!”

“So cool!”

“Wheeeeee——!”

What is this?

What kind of situation is this?

His feet wouldn’t move at all.

It was an incredible roar of cheers. With just a little exaggeration, it felt like his eardrums might burst.

That was all directed at him right now?

“Th-thank you!”

Seon-woo was so flustered that he even stammered for a moment.

He hadn’t expected to receive such enthusiastic cheers.

Thanks to that, he ended up bowing twice, and only after exiting with awkward steps did Seon-woo wipe his dry face.

His heart was pounding.

The cheers he’d been hearing just moments ago felt like a lie.

Really… had his acting been that good?

“…Amazing.”

Seon-woo muttered in a daze as he looked down at his trembling hands.

It doesn’t feel real. His mind is still in a haze.

But why is this happening? He keeps wanting to laugh.

Acting…

It really seems like he made the right choice to start.

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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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