I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 161

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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 161

After a lengthy conversation, Seon-woo and Park Du-ho agreed to slowly discuss the SNS name change later.

Honestly, at first Seon-woo had no major objections to changing the name itself, but after hearing the nickname Park Du-ho proposed, he couldn’t help but question the necessity of changing it at all.

‘No, standing_cow_kim is… it’s not like I’m a standing cow or anything.’

He could understand what Park Du-ho found funny about it.

…But that made him dislike it even more. Should this be called a dad joke? Somehow it felt like even the middle-aged men listening would get their pride hurt if he called it that.

But Seon-woo didn’t think about it any further.

That was because the script in his hands was quite stimulating his interest at the moment.

You Can’t Hear Me

(You can’t hear my voice.)

This was the name of this song.

The content of the lyrics was like this.

A lover who had always stayed by their side dies in an accident, and the narrator talks about gratitude, longing, and resentment toward the lover who had always been there for them.

What Seon-woo had to take on this time was the role of that lover who had passed away.

More precisely, it was the role of a boyfriend who, even after dying and becoming a spirit, continues to hover around his girlfriend wanting to comfort her.

And what was impressive here was,

‘The color resembles Yoon-seo.’

This part exactly.

When he read the script, the color orb that emerged from the boyfriend… had a bright yellow color that was surprisingly similar to Yoon-seo’s.

Of course, it couldn’t be said to be completely identical.

It was a character without a single line of dialogue. The color composition was similar, but even that exact feeling couldn’t completely match Yoon-seo’s.

Thanks to that, Seon-woo’s heart was moved even more.

He had the expectation that filming this music video might help him completely shake off his regrets about Yoon-seo.

And watching such Seon-woo, Park Du-ho smiled with satisfaction.

“I’m glad you’re viewing it favorably. Apart from the work itself, this is quite a good opportunity from a promotional standpoint too.”

“It’s because it’s Layla’s song, right?”

“Yeah.”

Layla.

It was a name that no Korean could be unfamiliar with.

Whenever she released a song, she would always dominate the charts, and she was the nation’s greatest diva who had maintained her position at the top of the music industry since her debut.

To the extent that calling her a walking conglomerate wouldn’t be an exaggeration, she was practically the biggest figure in the entertainment industry.

And most importantly,

“You’ve become Layla’s man.”

This was exactly that keyword.

‘Layla’s man.’

Every year when she released an album, one of Layla’s music videos would feature a male lead.

What was interesting was that all the male actors who appeared in Layla’s music videos showed tremendous growth, becoming icons of that year in the near future.

Whether she selected actors who showed promise and promoted them, or whether Layla’s music videos cultivated them that way, wasn’t exactly clear.

But among rookie male actors, there was already an atmosphere where being cast in Layla’s music video was considered a kind of gateway to success.

“…It is quite amazing.”

Seon-woo wasn’t unaware of such things either.

Layla’s man was one of the fairly famous memes after all.

As such, it was also a bit embarrassing.

“But somehow it feels like a position that’s too good for me…”

“What’s too good for you!”

Park Du-ho shouted loudly.

Even through his sunglasses, his eyes could be seen burning intensely.

“Do you think I’m an idiot who would go to that film set every day saying I’d bring you along? It’s all because you’re a gem of a guy. I’ll let that weak talk slide just this once. Not anymore from now on.”

“Yes, yes…”

Overwhelmed by his momentum, Seon-woo nodded awkwardly.

Watching such Seon-woo, Park Du-ho softened his expression.

“Anyway, apart from all that, it’ll be quite a good experience. Music videos… are more fun sets than you’d think.”

“…It must be quite different from dramas, right?”

“Extremely different.”

Park Du-ho nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

“Music videos have to captivate viewers with scenes alone, without narrative. As such, every scene must be sensual and explosive. It’ll be completely different in nature from the filming you’ve done so far.”

That’s what he meant by it being a good experience.

Music videos had their own grammar. Such new grammar itself would serve as fertilizer for Seon-woo’s growth.

Of course, there were some parts that were a bit worrying.

Since this style of filming was his first time, he might struggle a bit…

“…”

Park Du-ho looked at Seon-woo.

The sight of him once again completely absorbed in the script, studying it intently.

Seeing that sight, he couldn’t help but think this rather than worry.

‘This guy…’

This time, just how amazing will he show us?

* * *

Yong-ho is a manager who has been with Layla since her rookie days.

As such, he prided himself on knowing Layla’s heart better than anyone. So much so that he could roughly guess what she wanted for dinner just by looking at the angle of her eyebrows.

But at this moment, he found it impossible to understand her feelings.

“…Why are you so fixated on that guy?”

People would normally think that ‘Layla’s man’ gets selected right away without any special process.

Just Layla making a proposal, and if the other party accepts, filming proceeds as is.

Well, that’s somewhat true.

In fact, ‘Layla’s man’ had always been personally selected by Layla herself.

But that didn’t mean she would pick just one person specifically. Considering the possibility of rejection, she would make a list and approach them one by one in order.

But this time was a little different.

Layla had insisted, ‘It absolutely has to be this person!’

That person was Kim Seon-woo.

Instead of answering, Layla grinned while watching TV.

“Oppa. Don’t you see that?”

“What?”

“It’s right there. That sparkling thing.”

At Layla’s words, Yong-ho turned his gaze to the TV.

On TV, Seon-woo in a doctor’s coat was embracing Min-hee. Someone must have thrown coffee at him – his white doctor’s coat was completely dirty and coffee was dripping from his hair.

But even in that situation, his eyes were completely focused only on Min-hee…

“I get what you mean.”

Yong-ho honestly had to admit this.

If he were a woman, it would definitely be a heart-fluttering atmosphere. Seeing Yong-ho’s reaction, Layla sipped water through a straw.

“The moment I saw that scene, I thought. Ah, if I ever fall in love with someone so deeply that I can’t forget them, it would be exactly that kind of man…”

“Hey, you don’t have personal feelings involved, do you?”

“Oppa. You still don’t know me like that? When have you ever seen me unable to separate work from personal matters?”

“…Ahem. That’s true.”

“Nothing else matters. That person has to be ‘Yoon-seo.'”

Layla didn’t mention Seon-woo’s name.

From the beginning, what she expected from him was entirely Yoon-seo’s image.

A boyfriend who gives absolute and unconditional love.

If such a boyfriend left this world first and stayed by her side, what would that feel like?

Layla was certain.

At least at this point in time, in South Korea, that man would be the one who could best portray the qualities of a guardian angel-like boyfriend.

There was no one more suitable as the male lead for You Can’t Hear Me.

Thanks to that, she had already strongly told the company.

This music video absolutely had to cast Seon-woo as the male lead, so don’t even think about Plan B.

They had to bring him no matter what conditions they offered.

Fortunately, Seon-woo had immediately accepted the role.

And today was the day for a preliminary meeting before filming.

Layla looked at Yoon-seo on screen and wondered.

What would Seon-woo be like in person? Would he have that same bright and cute quality?

She was actually looking forward to it a bit.

Yoon-seo was really a man who perfectly matched Layla’s ideal type. If Seon-woo really had a personality not much different from Yoon-seo…

Layla looked back at Yong-ho.

‘Sorry, oppa.’

Maybe separating work from personal matters might be a little difficult.

Layla swallowed her saliva. In this animal kingdom-like entertainment industry, if you find such a character, honestly you can’t help but feel greedy.

‘He’s also my type looks-wise.’

The more she thought about it, the more Layla was getting ready to fully immerse herself in the music video they would soon be filming.

Perhaps that’s why. Before the preliminary meeting, while waiting for Seon-woo in the conference room… Layla felt her heart racing, something that had remained calm even before concerts with tens of thousands of people.

A flutter she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Finally meeting Yoon-seo. She could look into those incredible romantic eyes!

And that was the moment.

“Ah, Actor Kim Seon-woo is entering now.”

At the staff member’s words, Layla perked up her ears and looked toward the entrance.

And she managed her expression with effort.

‘He’s a bit different from on screen.’

It wasn’t that he was more or less handsome.

It was just that the feeling was a little different.

On screen he looked completely gentle and innocent, but seeing him in person, there was a somewhat sharp feeling.

It was different from the image she had in mind.

But that was okay. What Layla had fallen for about Seon-woo was none other than his eyes.

That tender gaze he had when looking at the patient and So-hee.

That kind and warm gaze that seemed to tell her everything in the world was beautiful.

That gaze, right there now…

“Hello. I’m Kim Seon-woo. Please take care of me.”

Right there…

…Is it there?

At some point, her heart wasn’t beating fast anymore.

It couldn’t be helped. The Seon-woo she actually faced didn’t have those sparkling eyes she’d imagined—rather, he had a somewhat gloomy atmosphere hanging around him… It was so different from what she’d seen on TV.

Layla thought to herself.

What did they call this kind of situation again.

‘False advertising…was it?’

* * *

“Well, um… Thank you all for coming.”

The director of this music video was a woman in her thirties with bright red hair.

Her name was ‘Ann’.

She had somewhat sunken eyes and wore a coat that reeked of cigarettes, so every time the hem of that coat fluttered, the cigarette smell seemed to spread around.

“Does everyone have any, um… questions? About the script?”

“Yes.”

Getting straight to the point without any icebreaking.

But it didn’t seem awkward at all, as someone immediately raised their hand… It was Seon-woo.

“The script doesn’t seem to properly show the emotional lines for each scene. Especially in scene number 13, it would be good if you could clarify what kind of emotional line I should emphasize when looking at Layla.”

A dry voice.

Though there was a slightly excited feeling somewhere, it was a businesslike voice as if handling company work. Watching such a Seon-woo, Layla couldn’t help but feel complicated inside again.

‘Did I see wrong?’

Honestly, she couldn’t believe the person in front of her was the same person as Yoon-seo.

No, Yoon-seo wasn’t like this at all.

The person in front of her was just like a company employee tired from work. She couldn’t feel any of that ‘definite boyfriend material’ quality she had sensed from any part of Seon-woo’s current appearance.

And it seemed she wasn’t the only one thinking that.

The moment her eyes met with Yong-ho’s, he asked with his gaze.

‘Will this be okay as is?’

Layla answered.

‘I’m not sure.’

The disconnect was so great that she wondered if the Yoon-seo she had seen was really this person.

No matter how different an actor’s real self and acting might be, wasn’t this too much? She was thinking that when…

“Ah, for that part, it would be good if you could emphasize a completely sacrificial love feeling. But could you show us some acting? I think I could get a better sense of direction if I see your acting directly.”

“Ah, yes.”

A good opportunity had come at just the right time.

Ann had requested Seon-woo to show his acting directly.

Right. She would know once she saw his acting. Whether choosing him had been a good decision or not.

If it seemed like a mistake… she would have to honestly talk about it even if it was late. That it didn’t seem to match the work direction she had in mind.

There might be quite a penalty fee, but that might be better than making a music video with poor quality.

It was the moment Layla thought that far.

Seon-woo turned to look at Layla.

Actually, even until that moment, Layla didn’t think much of it. The bland and dry feeling Seon-woo had shown until just before was imprinted in her mind, so her expectations had somewhat fallen.

…But then,

‘…Huh?’

For a moment, she felt that way.

As if the air itself had changed.

Perhaps it wasn’t just her imagination. At this moment, everyone in the conference room watching Seon-woo had momentarily stopped breathing.

The flow of air itself had actually changed.

And when Layla, who noticed that strange feeling, looked into Seon-woo’s eyes,

‘Ah.’

Layla couldn’t help but shiver.

It was a gaze she had never encountered in her entire life.

A gaze she hadn’t seen from her former lovers, from fans who cried looking at her, or even from her parents.

Unconditional and infinite affection, a gaze that seemed to accept everything about her as it was, as if she was being embraced just by meeting it.

At this moment, Layla realized.

Perhaps this might be the only time she could encounter such a gaze.

Kim Seon-woo. This man was…

Not false advertising.

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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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