I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 142

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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 142

Whether he knew or not that the newcomer beside him was looking at him in shock, Ye-chan continued to stare at the screen with a dazed expression.

It wasn’t that he was surprised by Seon-woo’s excellent acting.

He already knew that Seon-woo’s skills had surpassed the level he could gauge. It wasn’t surprising that Seon-woo seemed to have grown even more compared to when he last saw him.

He already knew that his growth rate transcended common sense.

Even so, this acting was surprising.

To be precise, that character was surprising.

‘It’s like he’s someone who originally only acted such characters.’

Yoon-seo is clear.

Pure and clear… a boy-like character. It was completely different in nature from all the roles Seon-woo had played so far.

Nevertheless, when looking at Yoon-seo, Ye-chan didn’t feel even the slightest sense of incongruity.

It suited Seon-woo surprisingly well.

To the point where one might think that Seon-woo originally suited such refreshing roles better.

‘No, he was definitely more of a strict, solemn, serious style…’

At least not in that screen.

Actually, this was a good thing.

It meant that the range of roles Seon-woo could cover was wide. Probably various industry people watching this would be sparkling their eyes right about now.

For an actor, the range of roles was as important as acting ability.

No matter how well one acts, if they show the same appearance in every work… wouldn’t that inevitably become tiresome?

He became curious anew.

Seon-woo, who he thought was optimized for serious roles, had now cleanly pulled off such a harmless and boy-like role.

What kind of role would Seon-woo take on in the future?

How well would he suit that role too?

While he was lost in such thoughts for a moment, episode 1 was already racing toward its end.

As usual, another patient transport call came into the busy Hanul Hospital Emergency Room, and just as the nurse was about to say it was possible while watching Lee Hyeok’s expression…

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

Sang-a appears.

With a relaxed smile on her lips, she responds to the phone call in a smooth voice that doesn’t match the situation, then hands it over to the nurse.

Naturally, Lee Hyeok’s expression, who had been watching her, couldn’t help but contort with anger.

An expression as if it was difficult to understand why this person was here in the first place. The others were the same.

Min-hee froze as if flustered, and Seon-woo looked back and forth between the two with a frightened expression as if his heart had sunk.

Even in the midst of this, the way they desperately avoided eye contact to not show that they were startled was quite cute… Ye-chan realized at this moment.

—Min-hee: Solo) Kim Seon-woo just received direction for ‘cutely frightened acting’

The text message Min-hee had sent in the past was referring to this very moment.

It was a bit absurd.

‘No, it’s not just Seon-woo hyung who’s cute?’

Min-hee noona was also trembling… just like a frightened baby fox. Had she left out that part when she herself was asked to do the same acting?

…Well, that would be just like Min-hee’s personality.

But it was certainly appropriate acting.

Thanks to the two of them showing such trembling, pitiful appearances beside them, the confrontation between Lee Hyeok and Sang-a didn’t feel as heavy as one might think.

Lee Hyeok growls.

—…What are you doing right now?

—Hello, honey? I told you. That I might be changing jobs. Please take care of me from now on. I’m Han Sang-a, appointed as the supervising professor of Hanul Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Department?

Sang-a extends her hand, and the title song of [Red Zone] begins to play.

The thrilling electric guitar sound piercing the ears seemed to hint that a storm was about to sweep through this emergency room.

And the screen went dark.

“…Wow.”

“That was good?”

“They made a good drama.”

And the Cheongseong troupe members expressed their admiration one by one.

First of all, the drama itself was interesting. Actually, a medical drama set in an emergency room wasn’t particularly new material… but the character composition seemed to enhance the sense of immersion.

“Seeing Seon-woo and Min-hee like this feels somehow unfamiliar.”

“Right, it suddenly feels like they’ve become stars.”

“At this rate, it’ll be even harder when we see Do-young oppa later.”

“Well, he’s already gone too far up.”

“No, but was Seon-woo capable of that kind of acting? He was so lovable?”

“What what. That’s a bit of a dangerous statement from you?”

“Ah, no…! I don’t mean as a man! Do you want to die?”

“Hehe, but Min-hee was pretty too. The doctor’s coat suited her so well. That somewhat unique atmosphere too, I think I’d fall for her.”

“You already fell for her. Everyone here knows you got rejected by Min-hee.”

“…Hey, won’t you be quiet?”

Such voices could be heard from here and there.

Ye-chan smiled warmly while listening to those voices, then turned to look at his junior with an “ah.” He should take care of his first junior a bit.

“How was it, did you enjoy watching?”

“Ah… yes.”

“How was it, did you understand a bit what I meant by painting-like acting?”

“Um… yes. Somewhat.”

The newcomer nodded awkwardly while smiling.

Ye-chan looked at the newcomer and thought. Hmm, he says that, but seeing that awkward expression, it seems he still didn’t properly understand.

I understood. Feeling acting and understanding it are completely different things.

Ye-chan looked at the newcomer with a reliable expression.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand while watching, let me know. I’ll explain what points I focused on while acting.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you! Um, but… senior.”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“…Ah, it’s nothing.”

The newcomer shook his head with an awkward expression.

…No matter what, he couldn’t tell his senior that there were drool marks around his mouth. Seeing the newcomer like this, Ye-chan chuckled inwardly.

‘I must seem a bit intimidating.’

He understood.

Ye-chan had also been terrified of his seniors when he first entered Cheongseong.

Ye-chan decided to deliberately be even kinder to the newcomer. He knew better than anyone how comforting a gentle word could be during this time.

What could be more joyful than becoming a shoulder to lean on for a junior?

Ye-chan clenched his fist with that determination.

‘I…’

This makes me seem like a pretty cool senior, right?

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time…

An ordinary family home. A newlywed couple in pajamas were holding the remote control and staring at the TV.

Their gazes moved toward the clock as if by agreement, then toward each other.

Current time: 11:13 PM.

Tomorrow was Thursday, so they had to go to work. Considering they usually left home around 7:30 AM… if they went to bed now, they could sleep for a little over 7 hours.

But…

“Do you want to watch?”

“…It’s awkward to stop here.”

“But if we watch this, we’ll only get 6 hours of sleep.”

“That’s true. Ah, going to work with only 6 hours of sleep would be pretty tough… should we just sleep?”

“That would be right.”

“…”

“…”

“But it’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it?”

“Right?”

“Let’s watch just up to episode 2. If we get too sleepy in the middle, we’ll just turn it off and sleep!”

“Sounds good, sounds good.”

The couple chuckled and turned back to the screen.

They couldn’t help it. I mean, stopping here would be too disappointing.

The wife sighed and muttered.

“No, Lee Hyeok is so pitiful. It’s like he killed his father with his own hands. What is this…”

“Exactly. The fact that he has to save patients also feels like he’s constantly doing his own penance… it’s kind of heartbreaking.”

“Right? No, I’ve watched most of Seong Do-won’s dramas so far, but this one feels better somehow. From the start, it’s something that really catches your eye?”

“That’s right. There are no holes in the acting either.”

“Right. That friend who had the panic attack? That friend’s acting was good too.”

“Ah, Yoon-seo?”

“…Oh, you even memorized the name?”

“It was memorable. The panic acting was good. It’s a face I’ve never seen before.”

“Exactly, I should look up the actor later. He was handsome too.”

“…Are you openly cheating right now?”

“You couldn’t take your eyes off that actress when she appeared earlier either.”

“When, when did I!”

The husband felt wronged but kept his mouth shut.

He already knew that continuing this conversation would ultimately be his loss.

Instead, he pretended not to know and changed the subject.

“Ah, it’s starting!”

“…”

The wife glanced at her husband briefly but eventually turned her eyes back to the screen.

Now wasn’t the time to focus on such trivial things.

On the screen, Sang-a was once again looking at Lee Hyeok with a relaxed smile.

—Why are you so angry?

—…What are you talking about right now? You’re transferring here?

—Yeah. That’s how it was decided. And… I’ll let you know my rules from now on. There won’t be any indiscriminate patient admissions. We’ll only take patients within our capacity. How’s that. Simple, right?

—…

Instead of answering, Lee Hyeok takes the receiver from the nurse.

And speaks in a calm voice.

—This is Hanul Hospital Emergency Room. I’m sorry. There seems to have been a mistake just now, so we gave you the wrong information. We can accept patient transfers. Please come right now.

Lee Hyeok hangs up the phone and turns to look at Sang-a.

With eyes burning intensely.

—Then you should know my rules too. In our emergency room, I decide what that manageable limit is.

And showing the two confronting each other again, the title cut.

Clearly, up until episode 1, they were lovers who shared the same bed, even if a bit distant, but now those lovers had become opponents facing each other.

What kind of development was this? Just as question marks appeared in the couple’s eyes, [Red Zone] resolved their curiosity through a conversation between Sang-a and Lee Hyeok.

—Why Hanul?

—My dad is the hospital director here. Wouldn’t it be more natural for me to come here?

—You tried not to come to Hanul by any means. You didn’t want to work with me either. You said you didn’t like couples working together.

—Now I want to work together.

—…What?

—Do you know that lately, you don’t have a single night without nightmares? I thought it would get better with time. Because I understood why you were like that. But what is this? It’s getting worse as time goes on. Do you know how much they’re talking about you upstairs? Everyone’s just thinking about getting rid of you. If this continues, you’ll eventually be kicked out.

—…

—I don’t care what you say.

Sang-a looks at Lee Hyeok with a calm voice.

—You protect the patients. I’ll protect you.

—Sang-a….

In the end, even Lee Hyeok can’t sharpen his edge against those words.

He just ruffles his hair with a frustrated expression, as if he has no idea how to handle this, before leaving the room.

The wife, who had been watching the two, spoke up.

“Lee Hyeok is in the wrong.”

“…Why? From Lee Hyeok’s perspective, it’s natural that he can’t give up on patients because of what happened to his father.”

“I can understand that. But his trauma is destroying both his relationship and himself, yet he’s doing nothing about it. If he’s going to act like that, he should just break up! What did the person watching from the side do to deserve this?”

The wife’s appearance, completely immersed and even clenching her fists while trembling.

The husband smiled awkwardly and didn’t give any particular response. The wife sighed.

“People said there wouldn’t be any romance in [Red Zone], and they’re really right. This isn’t romance. It’s just reality. It’s almost like a couple observation program.”

“But the acting is good. Right?”

“Yeah. The acting is really good….”

The wife nodded obediently.

And then she sighed.

“But this is suffocating in its own way. I don’t know how those two will resolve this problem.”

“…Well, it seems like things will only get more tangled for now.”

The husband was right.

After declaring war, Sang-a began interfering with Lee Hyeok’s every move.

What was interesting was that it was more understandable and supportive than expected. It made sense that Sang-a’s behavior was actually for Lee Hyeok’s sake.

Rather, Lee Hyeok’s appearance of struggling to save patients was more… uncomfortable.

There’s nothing wrong with saving patients itself.

But pushing himself beyond his abilities like that… it’s nothing more than punishing himself.

“It’s pitiful.”

The wife muttered like that.

He’s not getting understanding from the hospital, nor is he feeling fulfillment himself. You can see a person slowly breaking down under the weight of the obligation that he ‘must save them.’

Just when she was thinking how unfortunate it was…

—Professor.

—….

—I think you’re… right, Professor. If the emergency room doesn’t accept patients, they have nowhere to go.

Yoon-seo stepped forward.

Still hesitant and reading the room as if she was scared of Lee Hyeok, but putting strength into each word as she spoke.

Lee Hyeok’s incredulous gaze turned toward Yoon-seo.

—Who told you to give your opinion so presumptuously.

—…I’m sorry.

—Don’t apologize. I didn’t say that to hear an apology.

It’s strange.

Lee Hyeok is the one receiving comfort, but somehow they also feel comforted hearing these words.

It’s probably because it’s filled with sincerity.

Naturally, Lee Hyeok wouldn’t have failed to feel that either.

—…Thank you.

“Hiing….”

The wife clasped her hands together as if moved.

The husband felt the same. He muttered with a somewhat moistened voice.

“Lee Hyeok must feel a bit like that too.”

“What do you mean?”

“If he had been like Yoon-seo from the beginning… if he had the same heart as Yoon-seo, wouldn’t he think that he wouldn’t have prevented his father from coming to the emergency room?”

“….”

“Maybe that’s why he gets angrier at Yoon-seo. Because he’s jealous of Yoon-seo.”

“Ah, wait. Stop. I think I’m going to cry….”

Seeing his wife’s eyes actually welling up, the husband closed his mouth and patted her shoulder.

And he thought. Yoon-seo… at first he thought she was just an annoying character, but she seems like a quite mysterious character.

Should he say that they threw in all the clichés that people ideally think about being a doctor.

Having a panic attack in front of a critical patient is a bit problematic… but if you think it’s because her sense of mission as a doctor is too strong, it doesn’t seem like just a flaw.

Of course, this was a viewer’s perspective.

The perspective from inside would naturally be a bit different.

—You say we shouldn’t just send patients away? You’ll freeze up when patients come anyway. You won’t be able to save them anyway. Why do you talk as if you can definitely save them?

Indeed, So-hee snaps at Yoon-seo like this.

It was right after Yoon-seo said that Lee Hyeok was right, that they should accept as many patients as possible.

Naturally, Yoon-seo got fired up and glared at So-hee.

—If we chase away all the patients, then who will save those people? Are you even a doctor? Do you want to save patients?

—Wanting to save them isn’t what’s important. Whether you save them is what’s important.

—…There’s no result without process.

—Right, there wouldn’t be. But a lousy process only leads to lousy results. Doing it that way only kills patients.

And seeing this scene, the wife immediately muttered.

“…Ah, this has romance vibes?”

“Huh? Where?”

“No, no. There’s this feeling you get from decades of K-drama experience. Those two have a perfect setup for romance.”

“Which part exactly?”

“They hate each other.”

“…So that means romance?”

“When people who couldn’t understand each other become able to understand each other, that’s when love finally blooms. Ah, but I don’t really want to see romance here….”

The wife frowned.

[Red Zone] had been showing itself as quite a well-made drama so far. This was thanks to the story being well-focused on stories of doctors, for doctors, by doctors.

Even Lee Hyeok and Sang-a weren’t portraying a typical romance feel, but rather emphasizing a more realistic relationship that felt half like a married couple… but this kind of love story between interns? It felt questionable whether that would really help the narrative.

His wife muttered with a disappointed expression.

“It would probably be better if romance didn’t come out.”

And dozens of minutes after saying that,

—Please, sob, please…! Wake, up! Sniff… please…

—…Stop.

—Breathe! Breathe!

—Stop it! He’s gone. So… stop it.

His wife was covering her mouth with both hands, holding her breath as she stared at the screen.

It was a tense scene. It was also a sad scene. A scene where a life was fading away. A scene where someone who seemed only cold-hearted was crumbling vulnerably.

—…What do you mean stop. How can I stop! I can save him. If I just don’t give up… I can save him!

—…

However, that wasn’t the reason his wife was covering her mouth.

The look in those eyes.

‘What kind of look is that?’

It was an unfamiliar look even to her, who had experienced countless melodramas and romantic comedies.

Was it because she discovered a completely unexpected side of the other person?

She could feel it. That Seon-woo’s known world had just collapsed, and the barriers of his heart had also crumbled.

However, all those emotions were just confusing, and meanwhile the patient kept weighing on his mind, but So-hee’s tears and pain concerned him just as much as that patient, leaving him not knowing what to do… So despite being so confused, since he himself couldn’t be like that, he was doing his best to somehow hold onto his reason – that tender yet strong look seemed to fill her vision completely.

—…Calm down.

Even when Yoon-seo eventually grabbed So-hee’s shoulders and pulled her away from the patient as if embracing her, when those deep eyes filled with So-hee and wavered, his wife felt a sensation as if her heart was sinking.

What is this. This thing. What is that guy’s identity. Why is he like this…

‘This is crazy.’

And the husband watching his wife like that made a somewhat bitter expression.

“…Didn’t you say you hoped romance wouldn’t come out?”

“Shh.”

His wife answered without even looking back at her husband.

“I’m feeling excited for the first time in a while right now. Leave me alone.”

“…Okay.”

The husband’s expression became dejected.

But she couldn’t pay attention to her husband. To think she could feel this kind of thrill from this moment’s acting that she couldn’t taste even in the carefully crafted melodramas these days.

Okay. Acknowledged.

Honestly, it was true that she was a bit worried at first…

Maybe this kind of romance would be okay?

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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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