I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 134

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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 134

No, that’s not right.

This probably isn’t love yet.

This feeling is still too small, too subtle, and too vague to call it love.

It’s too shallow compared to the love Hee-jae harbored.

Even in situations where he had to repeatedly face death because of Ye-bin, thinking of her gave Hee-jae the courage to repeat that cycle of death again.

But what about Yoon-seo?

He’s simply confused.

He thought So-hee was cold-blooded. He thought she was unfit to be a doctor. But that same person is now crying as if the world has collapsed, right in front of a patient.

In that moment, the world Yoon-seo believed in had no choice but to crumble as well.

Moreover, what Yoon-seo was facing now wasn’t just confusion about So-hee.

A patient was facing death. No, already dead and awaiting the declaration of death. The situation he feared most was unfolding right before his eyes.

His hands and feet were trembling, and his lungs ached with every breath.

The familiar precursor to panic.

Yet the reason Yoon-seo could avoid collapsing was singular.

Because So-hee was even more broken than he was.

Her pine-colored branches that always stretched out firmly, seeming to protect her… were now piercing through her.

A sight so terrible it was hard to keep watching.

“…Calm down.”

Seon-woo, as Yoon-seo, grabbed So-hee’s shoulders and pulled her away from the patient.

And Yun-seob… Min-hoon, who had been watching all of this with a grave expression, finally spoke.

“Time of death. Patient Kang Ok-ja, May 31st, 2026, at 17:27… has passed away.”

The declaration of death.

So-hee’s branches that had been clawing at herself froze as if time had stopped. Tears filled her trembling eyes that seemed unable to believe this reality, then flowed down.

Was Yoon-seo feeling love while watching such a So-hee?

…He still didn’t know the answer to that question.

But he could feel that emotion.

He wished she wouldn’t cry.

He wished she wouldn’t be in pain.

Because watching her cry somehow made him want to cry too.

Because watching her in pain somehow made him hurt too.

And then,

“Cut!”

Only after the cut signal rang out could Seon-woo finally exhale the breath he’d been holding slowly.

And watching Seon-woo’s confused eyes, Han Jeong-hun quietly twisted his lips.

‘I should reflect on this.’

When they decided to add romance to Yoon-seo’s character, Han Jeong-hun had honestly been skeptical.

Though he didn’t argue much because he trusted Yu Eun-jeong, he thought there would be more to lose than gain.

Yoon-seo is a pure character.

Though he may be clumsy and lacking in many ways, he’s someone who treats patients more purely than anyone. So adding romance to such a character might muddy that purity.

Even this scene was like that.

This scene is about a doctor understanding another doctor.

A scene confirming that while their beliefs may differ, the goodwill in their hearts is the same.

Inserting romantic attraction between opposite sexes into that scene honestly didn’t sit well with him. He worried it might blur Yoon-seo’s identity as a doctor.

But in this moment, looking into Seon-woo’s eyes… Han Jeong-hun had no choice but to realize.

That he had been worrying unnecessarily.

He had thought Yoon-seo must only be a doctor.

He thought he shouldn’t become a man.

But what Yoon-seo became wasn’t a man.

‘He became a person.’

Yes, a person.

What Yoon-seo showed wasn’t the appearance of a man, but of a person.

The appearance of an ordinary person who wavers and becomes confused in unexpected situations, while simultaneously opening his heart to someone showing weakness.

Watching that acting made him think.

Right. Doctors are ultimately people too. The work he’s doing now isn’t a story about doctors saving people, but about people saving people.

Because they’re people, they waver; because they’re people, they fall into confusion; because they’re people… they can open their hearts.

Yoon-seo’s romance didn’t destroy his character.

Instead, it created a more three-dimensional person.

‘I asked him to act love… and he’s acting out humanity.’

More than any performance he’d seen from Seon-woo before, this acting felt genius to Han Jeong-hun.

The script didn’t describe Yoon-seo’s confusion in such detail.

All it contained was that Yoon-seo would show wavering eyes when seeing So-hee cry.

But he expressed it to this extent.

Neither excessive nor lacking… he created the most realistic romance.

‘Better than the PD.’

Han Jeong-hun smiled bitterly. At the same time, he was certain.

This scene would definitely captivate all viewers.

Right now, the female production staff watching Seon-woo had faces that didn’t know what to do with their excitement.

It couldn’t be helped. Even Han Jeong-hun, being a man himself, felt his heart skip a beat for a moment, so how much more so for them.

It was that good of an acting performance.

And now capturing that on screen would be his responsibility.

His heart was pounding. Even though he had been holding a megaphone for 20 years already, good acting still made him nervous.

“Let’s go once more. We’re going for the shot.”

Han Jeong-hun stared at the screen with eyes that looked ready to pounce at any moment.

How should he do this.

How should he film it to most beautifully capture that gaze, that expression, that breath… those delicate emotions dwelling within?

“Ready——”

He had to find it.

A way to not miss even the smallest fragment of the excitement he was feeling right now.

“——Action!”

That would be the PD’s role, after all.

* * *

In the end, Seon-woo never understood what love was until the very end.

But perhaps not knowing was the right answer. If you could understand everything, it wouldn’t be love in the first place.

Incomprehensible, unknowable confusion.

That anxiety and bewilderment might perhaps be love’s true identity.

Well, he still couldn’t know if this was the right answer… but at least it didn’t seem to be wrong.

“Seon-woo, you’re pretty good?”

“…What’s with those eyes? What happened exactly?”

“This is like the level of someone who’s had a crush recently…”

Even the three hopeless brothers were praising him like this.

Even Min-hee said,

“Better than during Hee-jae.”

She said it like that.

It meant he had grown that much.

Honestly, he couldn’t say he didn’t feel a bit proud inside, but Seon-woo didn’t let his guard down.

‘Still not enough.’

Seon-woo knew.

That his acting still had many gaps.

To avoid regrets later, he would have to fill all those gaps.

For that, he had to move diligently.

That was why Seon-woo was getting up and moving before dawn even broke.

He usually came home around midnight after filming ended, but woke up at 5 AM. His sleep time was woefully insufficient.

Actually, this wasn’t strictly necessary.

Seon-woo wasn’t even the lead, and he could have gotten much more rest if he just showed up at the film set when he was called.

But he didn’t want to do that.

Even when not filming, being with the actors naturally taught him things… and above all, watching others act made him feel like he was melting a little more into this world.

He just vaguely felt that way.

The longer he stayed on the film set, the closer he seemed to get to his role, bit by bit.

If he could make Yoon-seo’s flower garden bloom more brilliantly, this much effort was nothing.

However,

“Leaving already?”

“Oh, Mother. You’re awake?”

Lee Jeong-hee seemed worried about Seon-woo in various ways.

Having woken up at some point, she was looking at Seon-woo with still sleepy eyes.

“Coming home late every day and leaving early. You can’t be getting proper sleep.”

“I’m still young, so it’s fine.”

“Still. If you rely on being young like that, it’ll suddenly hit you hard, you know? The film set is in Ilsan, right? Should Mother find you accommodation near there? What kind of hardship is this every day.”

“No, Mother. It doesn’t even feel like hardship.”

This was sincere.

Seon-woo smiled slightly.

“I’m enjoying it.”

“…I see. Your face does look good.”

Jeong-hee chuckled as if she couldn’t stop him.

And she slowly examined Seon-woo’s face.

“Is it just my imagination? You seem especially good lately.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It feels like you’re in love or something? Your face has bloomed like a flower? That’s right. Mother went through the trouble of giving birth to you handsome. You should make good use of that face.”

At those words, Seon-woo was momentarily speechless.

Somehow those words sounded like they were pointing out the times when Seon-woo had lived gloomily.

“…I’m sorry, Mother.”

“Hm? For what.”

“Just. I could have lived well, but I feel like I didn’t.”

He didn’t know then, but he knew now.

How much he had lived like a dead person.

He should have tried to shine. He should have known how to love himself, and furthermore this world… but he couldn’t.

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“…What are you sorry for, Mom?”

“Just. For you turning out that way… I feel like I might have put some pressure on you.”

Jeong-hee smiled bitterly.

There was something she used to say like a habit.

At least it’s a relief that you’re living with your head on straight.

What would we have done if it weren’t for our second son….

She had meant it as praise, but looking back now, she had this thought.

Maybe all those words had made Seon-woo live an unwanted life mechanically.

…Wasn’t it none other than her who had made Seon-woo so gloomy?

“No.”

But Seon-woo shook his head.

“I just didn’t know. How to live.”

“Still, I’m sorry. I feel like… I did something wrong.”

“No, it’s really okay….”

Seon-woo waved his hands with a troubled expression, but Jeong-hee kept apologizing to Seon-woo.

He didn’t think it was something that needed an apology, but maybe it kept bothering her heart.

With Jeong-hee acting like this, Seon-woo couldn’t help but feel bad too.

Even though he kept saying it was okay, seeing her so dejected made him worry.

Perhaps that’s why. The moment he got into Yun Bin’s van. Yun Bin’s expression, who had been greeting him with a smile, became strange.

“Hyung, your expression… did something happen?”

“Huh? No. Why?”

“No, you just look like you have a lot on your mind….”

Should I say he looked melancholy?

His deer-like eyes, which were already gentle, had become deeper than usual, to the point where it was scary to look into them.

If you happened to meet his gaze, you felt like you’d be sucked into them.

Seon-woo looked back at Yun Bin and smiled quietly.

“No. I’m just a bit tired since it’s early morning.”

“That’s true, you’ve been working hard lately too, hyung.”

“You’re working harder, going to the salon from early morning.”

“Haha, well, me….”

Yun Bin laughed awkwardly.

While doing so, he gradually started scanning Seon-woo from top to bottom.

How should I put it. Today especially, the person looked particularly forlorn, making him keep looking.

‘This hyung’s visual potential has been extraordinary lately….’

No one is more sensitive about appearance than idols.

So he could say with confidence. Seon-woo’s face lately was completely exploding with potential.

‘Is it because of the romance acting?’

The saying that you become prettier when you’re in love might actually be true.

It looks like he only has basic makeup on, but somehow he seems to sparkle much more than him, who went to the salon from early morning.

That’s why he took out his phone.

It was an occupational hazard of being an idol. Not recording moments when visuals exploded like this felt like such a waste.

“Hyung, um… could you take a photo with me?”

“A photo?”

“Yes. I’ll take a photo with hyung and post it on SNS. I’m close with hyung! I want to brag to people too….”

Yun Bin said hesitantly.

Seon-woo was slightly flustered. A photo all of a sudden.

“Of course it’s fine… but would I be worth bragging about? I feel like I should be the one bragging about you.”

“No! I brag about hyung to the members so much these days! Now I want to brag to the fans too.”

“Ah… thank you. Let’s take a photo. But don’t you have a lot of followers?”

“Well, um… probably a little over 3 million.”

Seon-woo’s lips parted slightly.

…3 million? It was a number he couldn’t even imagine. To show his face to that many people. It was a different kind of nervousness from standing in front of a camera.

But he couldn’t take back words already spoken.

If he was going to be an actor, he’d have to get used to things like this.

Seon-woo nodded with a determined expression.

“…Let’s do it. How should I do it? Should I make a V? Or should I give a thumbs up?”

Yun Bin waved his hands in shock.

“No! Just don’t do anything! Hyung just needs to smile quietly.”

“Just smile?”

“Yes. I’m an expert in this field, so trust me and just smile.”

At those words, Seon-woo awkwardly curved his lips.

Seeing that, Yun Bin was inwardly dumbfounded. Why is someone who flies around so well in front of cameras freezing up over just taking one selfie?

But…

‘This isn’t bad in its own way?’

That stiff curve of his lips, tinged with awkwardness and tension, wasn’t bad to look at.

Rather, combined with Seon-woo’s deep eyes, should I say the person looked clearer?

This works.

Inside Yun Bin, his persona as Straw’s official photographer, who had captured countless life shots of the members, awakened.

‘So I don’t stand out, but not too much focus on Seon-woo hyung either… capturing the feeling of neighborhood friends’ daily life.’

Ideas quickly organize in his mind.

The phone camera’s built-in flash flickered several times, and Yun Bin smiled with satisfaction as she looked through the photos.

“They came out well.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. There are more A-cuts than B-cuts. You really do look incredibly handsome today, hyung.”

“Ahem.”

While Seon-woo could only clear his throat, not knowing how to respond, Yun Bin quickly began writing a post.

And she was amazed anew. Seon-woo’s appearance captured on screen… was something that would inevitably draw people’s attention regardless of age or gender.

It wasn’t simply because he was handsome. His gaze and atmosphere somehow stimulated people’s emotions, had a quality that tickled the heart.

‘I think the response will be good already?’

For no reason, he felt excited.

Well, of course, since his followers were all his fans, Seon-woo might not receive that much attention.

Still, they would at least show interest in who that person was.

Yun Bin felt proud just imagining that response.

Because his words about wanting to show off Seon-woo weren’t lies.

Well, if usually he was proud of him as an actor… today the focus was a bit more on his face,

“…Did you post it?”

“Yes, it’s going up now.”

Yun Bin posted the update.

And after just a few seconds, seeing the view count skyrocket and comments appearing, Yun Bin smiled with satisfaction.

Somehow, posting this friendship shot like this made him feel closer to Seon-woo.

But then,

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong? Is something happening?”

“No, it’s just…”

Yun Bin’s expression gradually became strange as he checked the post.

During his idol activities, he had posted photos with so many different people.

What he realized from that experience was that the speed at which responses exploded was definitely different when with stars.

Depending on how much buzz the other person had, there were enormous differences in likes, comments, views, and all other areas.

Naturally, he had no expectations for such performance regarding the photo taken with Seon-woo.

Regardless of Seon-woo being a good actor, he was still a rookie who wasn’t well-known enough yet.

But then,

“No way…”

Yun Bin’s jaw gradually dropped.

It was skyrocketing. Views, comments, likes… rising as fast as when he took photos with popular idols.

‘No, maybe even faster than that…’

Yun Bin swallowed.

What is this?

At this rate, we might set a new record?

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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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