I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 139

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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 139

The runtime of the [Red Zone] teaser is 2 minutes and 3 seconds.

The video begins with the scene of a darkened emergency room.

An empty emergency room with no patients, nurses, or doctors in sight.

Dried bloodstains remain on the empty beds, and the sound of a heart monitor echoes slowly from somewhere.

And then,

—If the emergency room won’t take patients, isn’t that telling them to die?

The emergency room lights turn on with Do-won’s cynical voice.

The chaotic scene of the emergency room as if there had never been any silence. Stretchers continuously rushing in and doctors frantically clustering around them.

And numerous montages follow in succession.

Hands removing blood-stained gloves.

Min-hee performing CPR with sweat covering her face.

Do-won shouting “Epinephrine!”

Na-sae yelling “Intern, get it together!”

And Seon-woo trembling as if having a panic attack.

—No, I don’t think our hospital can accommodate them.

And then Seo Ryeong appears.

Smiling coldly and calmly while refusing a patient.

Do-won trembling with anger as he looks at Chae Seo-ryeong.

—…What are you doing right now?

—Hello, honey?

And Seo Ryeong waves her hand with a loving smile, and then the scene transitions.

With a table in front, someone hidden in shadows speaks in an emotionless voice.

—We can’t handle every patient.

—If they’re going to die anyway, is there any need to have them die in our hospital?

Then, patients are shown.

Inside an ambulance, a guardian begging them to please take his wife.

A patient saying something’s wrong with their body, losing consciousness.

And then,

—Give me medicine, medicine!

A patient causing a disturbance demanding drugs.

The moment Da-sol’s eyes flinch at that familiar face, the screen switches with a terrible sound of flesh being torn.

And in that screen, the moment Da-sol’s eyes widen seeing the blood-covered Seon-woo from the thumbnail…

—Professor, sir…

—Kim Yoon-seooooooo!

With Do-won’s shout, the screen transitions to the title cut.

As the red title [Red Zone] fills the screen and disappears, Da-sol couldn’t lower the hand covering her mouth for a while.

“…Amazing.”

Actually, if it weren’t for Seon-woo, she probably wouldn’t have bothered to look up the teaser for [Red Zone].

Nevertheless, once the teaser actually started… she could feel that this work itself was captivating her attention.

She didn’t know exactly how the narrative would flow, but just the brief direction and acting had the power to instantly draw her in.

And at this moment, Da-sol couldn’t help but realize the difference between [One Room] and [Red Zone].

‘…Professionals are definitely different.’

Different. Yes, that would be the most appropriate word.

People talked about [One Room] too. That it was hard to imagine it was a drama shot by amateurs. That it was really professional.

And Da-sol now realized.

How professional-like acting and professional acting differ.

One encouraging fact was that Seon-woo didn’t particularly get buried among those professionals.

No, rather…

‘He sparkled.’

Da-sol recalled the look in Seon-woo’s eyes when he was stabbed with the scalpel.

Wistful, deep, and sparkling… a feeling that seemed to be clearly imprinted in her mind despite being such a brief moment.

She’d have to say he did quite well.

Actually,

road_won: But what’s with that blood-covered guy? Never seen him before

└Cali: That’s Kim Seon-woo who was on the actor audition recently! He acts well haha

└road_won: His eyes are good though. Looking it up, he wasn’t the winner. But seeing him get that kind of role already, seems like he’s doing well?

eyesonyou: Min-hee is pretty…

└두쫀쿠주세오: This is seriously the most blessed CPR video I’ve ever seen in my life lol

meteor: For real but Seon-woo seems like his acting got even better. Why does his stabbed acting have such atmosphere

└Kim Quokka: The feeling is different from when he was on I Am an Actor lol I thought only completely worn-down characters suited him but that doesn’t seem to be the case

Bulganping: Kim Sunwoo But I think I’d be a bit nervous right now. Nabaewoo has built up this genius image so much that honestly, if I don’t show something, people are bound to be disappointed.

└NotACritic: lol But it’ll be hard to get called a genius here. Looking at the cast, they’re all nothing but serious actors.

└AnxietyPing: But I heard Seongdowon is famous for being scary to his juniors ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m kinda curious how he’ll act toward Kim Sunwoo

She could find quite a lot of comments about Seon-woo.

Considering this was essentially his debut work and there were more people who didn’t know his face than those who did… it could be said to be quite a good reaction.

Unlike during 【I Am an Actor】 when people unconditionally praised him as amazing, there were more people wondering ‘Will he be able to do well?’ but that was unavoidable.

[Red Zone] was now the professional world.

People’s standards would inevitably become more strict.

It was time to prove himself.

That he could perform well in real situations too.

That he was an excellent actor.

‘Well, I’m not too worried about it.’

Honestly, it seemed like Seon-woo would manage somehow.

This was the same Seon-woo who had stepped onto Cheongseong’s stage not long after he started acting. Compared to then, now that he had accumulated relatively more experience… wouldn’t he be able to handle one supporting role?

What was actually worrying was the drama’s success itself.

No matter how well you act, if the drama doesn’t hit big, the actor won’t either. For [Red Zone] to do well and become a hot topic, wouldn’t that be how Seon-woo’s name would become known too?

Fortunately, the comment reactions weren’t too bad.

POPO: Wow, PD Han Jeong-hoon really stepped up his game lol His directing skills have gotten so much better compared to his previous works

└whomadethis: Han Jeong-hun was famous for bland directing from way back, but this time he seems to have paid attention to even the color grading, so I’m a bit surprised. Did they change the cinematographer?

d_d: Wow, Seong Do-won’s acting ability is really king-tier… There’s a reason he’s always nominated for Best Actor

HalfFiftyGuy: But wait, does this have romance in it?

└ShiningLightSolo: They say Seong Do-won and Chae Seo-ryeong will appear as a couple, but since they’re already together, it probably won’t be much of a romance?

└Half-fifty: Korean medical drama without romance… this is pretty rare

└ShiningLoner: For real lololol I wish they’d tone down the romance a bit, it’s always romance as the climax of everything

There wasn’t a single criticism about the direction, acting, or subject matter.

That made sense. Even though it was just a 2-minute teaser video, Da-sol had been completely immersed while watching it.

Other people probably wouldn’t be any different from her.

Da-sol smiled.

Between the comment reactions and everything else, she had that feeling for some reason.

[Red Zone].

It seemed like it would do better than expected.

* * *

After [Red Zone]’s teaser was uploaded, the atmosphere on set changed subtly.

It would be better to describe it as starting to feel more vibrant.

It was natural since they finally felt connected to the public. Finally, their work felt like it had substance.

Most importantly, the public’s reaction was good.

Already, more and more netizens were talking about [Red Zone] as a topic,

and even Do-won was spotted smiling from time to time.

The momentum was good.

You could feel the public’s interest and expectations focusing on them. An atmosphere like they only had smooth sailing ahead.

But unfortunately, that atmosphere didn’t last very long.

An article that no one could have imagined broke.

—Director Yu Chan-woo’s ‘The Ladder of Eden’ wins Cannes Palme d’Or

—’The Ladder of Eden’s Cha Do-young wins Cannes ‘Un Certain Regard’ Acting Award

Director Yu Chan-woo’s The Ladder of Eden had hit the jackpot.

The Palme d’Or at Cannes, one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals… winning the grand prize.

Even Cha Do-young had won the ‘Un Certain Regard’ acting award, which could be called Cannes’ newcomer award.

Well, this couldn’t exactly be called bad news for them… but it was inevitable that all the buzz would shift over there in an instant.

A Cannes award-winning work emerging was that impactful.

Of course, Seon-woo didn’t particularly feel disappointed about it.

Rather, he felt proud.

‘That’s Do-young hyung for you.’

It was absurd though.

How could someone win an award at Cannes with their debut work?

But since it was Do-young, it made sense. Do-young was different. His camera debut was just delayed; he was essentially already a nearly complete actor.

Even now, working on [Red Zone] and acting alongside veteran actors, that thought hadn’t changed.

Do-young was special.

…And now the world had simply come to know him.

‘Honestly, it’s not even surprising.’

But not everyone could think like Seon-woo.

Especially in Do-won’s case, the shock seemed to be very great.

Yun Bin was half-terrified as she said this:

“No, I accidentally missed my lines… and he didn’t curse at me? Does that make sense?”

…Though I think cursing shouldn’t happen in the first place.

Well, even aside from that, Do-won clearly looked like his soul had left his body. He did regain his focus when filming began, but somehow that sharpness wasn’t quite up to his usual standard.

Seon-woo understood Do-won.

He was the one who had persistently chased after Director Yu Chan-woo asking to work on a project.

But the work he was rejected for had won the Palme d’Or, and even its lead actor had won a newcomer award…

‘His heart must be in turmoil.’

But he didn’t know it would be this much turmoil.

It was that evening. Do-won came looking for Seon-woo. And suddenly asked this:

“Kim Seon-woo. You said you were in the same theater company as that actor Cha Do-young.”

“Ah, yes. Senior.”

“…What kind of actor is he?”

It seemed like he was really curious about that.

Curious enough to approach Seon-woo first and ask about it.

Seon-woo pondered for a moment.

How should he explain this? What words could best describe Do-young?

Only one word came to mind first.

“He sparkles.”

“…Sparkles?”

“Yes. When he was on stage… it was impossible to look at anyone else. His acting ability, atmosphere, face, voice – there wasn’t a single thing about him that didn’t shine.”

“You mean he was perfect?”

“He was overwhelming.”

“…What about his individuality?”

“Hmm. I don’t think anyone other than that senior… could act like him. That’s how much I thought so.”

“I see. Is that so.”

Do-won nodded in understanding.

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

“So I deserved to be criticized.”

“…”

Seon-woo kept his mouth shut.

It was awkward to say yes, and awkward to say no.

He just stayed quiet.

He thought Do-won would leave on his own if he stayed like that, but it seemed the turmoil Do-won felt this time was quite significant.

He sat down on the folding chair and began muttering as if lamenting.

“Do you know what Director Yoo Chan-woo said when he criticized me?”

“…What did he say?”

“He said looking at me doesn’t bring any particular image to mind. That I don’t inspire him.”

Doesn’t inspire him…

It didn’t seem like an outright aggressive comment, but hearing it would probably take your breath away.

If he said you can’t act or something is lacking, you could at least work on those areas… but when you’re vaguely told ‘you don’t inspire me,’ what exactly are you supposed to do?

Just hearing it felt overwhelming.

“I tried to ignore it. It was presumptuous thinking, but I wanted to believe that Director Yoo Chan-woo just lacked insight. But… in the end, the director found an actor who inspired him and even won Cannes.”

Hearing that, Seon-woo understood why Yoo Chan-woo’s news had disturbed him so much.

The moment Yoo Chan-woo won Cannes, it must have felt like he officially became ‘an actor who doesn’t inspire.’

Seon-woo hesitated for a moment.

What should he say? What words would comfort Do-won?

But,

“But I don’t accept it.”

It seemed Do-won didn’t need comfort after all.

His eyes sharpened. He growled and clenched his fists.

“I’m going to make him take back those words about not being inspired by me. I don’t care if Director Yoo Chan-woo wins Cannes or an Oscar. I’ll somehow make him want to work on a project with me.”

What tremendous intensity.

Though colors weren’t visible to the eye… if they were, Do-won’s color would be filling this entire hallway right now.

Passion and fighting spirit that could only be called dazzling.

“Kim Seon-woo.”

“Yes.”

“[Red Zone]… I’m going to make it the drama that represents this year no matter what. No, I’ll make it so when people think of medical dramas, only [Red Zone] comes to mind. So follow me properly. Do it right.”

“…”

“Not going to answer?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll do it right.”

At Seon-woo’s response, Do-won snorted and stood up.

Then he headed back to the film set.

Watching his retreating figure, Seon-woo suddenly thought.

When Do-won asked what kind of actor Do-young was, Seon-woo answered that he was a sparkling actor.

Because when he thought of Do-young, the first thing that came to mind was the waves of brilliant, multicolored light flowing from him.

So what kind of actor was Do-won?

If Do-won had asked him what kind of actor he was, what would Seon-woo have answered?

No matter how much he thought about it, there seemed to be only one answer he could give.

That he also sparkles.

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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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