I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 165

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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 165

It seemed his claim of having 10 years of driving experience wasn’t a lie.

Park Hoon’s driving was stable. Beyond just stable, there wasn’t even the slightest feeling of the car lurching when he braked or anything… It felt exactly like he had been a chauffeur for some company chairman.

‘…What exactly did this guy do before?’

Seon-woo finally couldn’t hold back and asked.

What had he done before going to the military? But the answer he got back was quite something.

—I traveled around India and the Middle East doing part-time work.

What kind of part-time work could he have possibly done?

Whatever it was, it seemed like it would be beyond imagination, so he didn’t bother asking further. It didn’t seem like knowing would do him any good.

The fortunate thing was that while Park Hoon might be a bit unusual, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

Despite his rough appearance, he followed Seon-woo’s words well without objecting even once, and sometimes…

“Oh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just saw an elderly couple holding hands walking by… The scene was so beautiful I was momentarily moved.”

He would say such sentimental things, showing he wasn’t just a rough person after all.

Thanks to this, Seon-woo was able to become friends with Park Hoon faster than expected. That is, they became close enough to openly discuss acting.

“Hoon. Have you ever been in love?”

“Love, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“I have.”

Seon-woo’s eyes sparkled at Park Hoon’s answer.

Park Hoon clearly looked like a macho type. If so, he must have experienced quite old-school romance. He thought some pretty meaningful advice might come from this.

“Then if you had to leave someone you love behind, how do you think that would feel?”

This was the topic Seon-woo had pondered most while preparing for [I Can’t Hear You].

What would the boyfriend’s feelings be like when leaving Layla’s side? How should he express that to create the most beautiful scene?

However, Park Hoon’s answer was beyond Seon-woo’s imagination in many ways.

“I wouldn’t leave.”

“No, I mean if you absolutely had to leave?”

“I still wouldn’t leave.”

…He’s surprisingly hard to communicate with.

Just as Seon-woo was internally sighing at that firm answer, Park Hoon spoke again.

“If you love someone, you have no choice. Even if you have no choice but to leave, the story doesn’t change. You have to stay by their side.”

“…Ah.”

And Seon-woo’s eyes finally sparkled.

“You mean you couldn’t possibly accept leaving.”

“That’s what I would do.”

Park Hoon nodded.

“If you love someone, you have to protect them by staying close.”

The moment he heard those words, he vaguely understood.

He had to incorporate that mindset into his acting this time.

That was exactly the most ideal attitude for the boyfriend to have.

It was a helpful conversation.

That is, it was helpful enough to finally conclude his contemplation about the boyfriend that had been dragging on.

The unfortunate thing was that today was filming, and they were currently on their way to the film set.

But it was fine. He had already done enough thinking.

“Hoon.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Um, I need to think about something on the way… so I might not be able to respond even if you talk to me.”

“Ah, understood. I’ll drive at S-level so I don’t disturb your thoughts.”

“Thanks.”

Seon-woo immediately brought up a color orb above his palm.

If there was one thing he had gained from taking on this role, it was the ability to edit color orbs at will.

Should he say he had become much more skilled at changing colors by editing not only other characters’ color orbs but also desired identities?

The remaining time to the studio was about 20 minutes.

It wasn’t a long time, but it was enough.

The color orb began spinning rapidly.

Watching various colors extend around the color orb like plasma from its center, Seon-woo’s eyes sparkled.

* * *

“Kim Seon-woo, right? Layla’s man this time.”

“Yeah. Do you know him?”

“I watched [One Room]. I’m a fan of Writer Ryu. He acted well. But…”

The art director shrugged.

“It’s a bit unexpected. Isn’t he not quite at the level to be Layla’s man yet?”

“Well, that’s true. Until now, Layla’s men have been at least supporting lead level actors.”

Ann also nodded at the art director’s words.

Actually, Ann had also tilted her head when she first heard they were casting Kim Seon-woo as the male lead.

Watching Ann like that, the art director crossed his arms.

“So, how does he look to you? Is he good enough to be chosen as the protagonist even considering that?”

“We’ll know for sure once we start filming, but….”

Ann briefly recalled Seon-woo’s appearance during the preliminary meeting.

Even without proper time to prepare, the acting he showed right there on set was at that level.

By now, he’s probably prepared even more proper acting.

“The picture will probably be pretty.”

“Oh really? From what I saw during [One Room], I can’t really imagine it. He acted well, but he was kind of gloomy.”

“I was worried about that too. But he’s not.”

“Does he seem like boyfriend material?”

“Hmm….”

Ann thought for a moment.

Seon-woo’s warm gaze as he looked at Layla, like spring sunshine. That gaze was like….

“Like a puppy.”

“Huh? A puppy?”

He was like a puppy.

But to the art director’s ears, that seemed to sound completely out of the blue. As he frowned, noisy sounds came from the entrance.

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

Seon-woo had appeared.

As soon as he appeared on the film set, he greeted each and every staff member there. And they were no exception,

“Hello, Director. Ah, nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Kim Seon-woo.”

“Ah, ah. Yes. I’m art director Jang Hee-tae….”

“Ah, I see. The set is incredibly beautiful. I’d really want to live in a place like this.”

“Hahaha, what are you saying!”

Seon-woo, who had come to greet them as well, instantly captured the art director’s heart.

It was a peculiar way of speaking. It didn’t seem like he was giving any great flattery, but somehow it naturally felt full of sincerity.

Thanks to that, it felt like one would unknowingly let their guard down easily.

When Seon-woo left to greet others, the art director Hee-tae quickly got a goofy expression and looked back at Ann.

“I like that guy. I understand what you mean. About him being like a puppy. Hehe….”

“You’re swayed that easily by one compliment?”

“Hey! Do you think it’s easy for an art director to get praised anywhere?”

Hee-tae grumbled but looked at Seon-woo with a pleased expression, making one wonder if this was the same person who just said he wasn’t good enough.

Ann watched Seon-woo and fell into thought for a moment.

‘What kind of picture will come out?’

An actor is a being that’s difficult to judge until you put them in front of a camera.

You might think it’s definitely red, but suddenly find it’s changed to a completely different color.

For that reason, Ann hadn’t yet decided how to express Seon-woo.

It wouldn’t be too late to think about that after Seon-woo and Layla stood in front of the camera. Finding the best cut by adjusting on set was the director’s role.

Ann took out a cigarette, lit it, and muttered.

“I want to quickly film one masterpiece and retire.”

“Hey, why do you talk like that?”

“You know. Music video directors have short lifespans. I’m thirty-five. It wouldn’t be strange if I retired tomorrow.”

“…Ahem.”

Hee-tae didn’t deny it.

Because Ann was right. Music videos, due to their nature of having to explosively capture countless scenes in that moment, inevitably meant one’s senses couldn’t keep up as they aged.

Of course, with age comes improved technique and experience, but those weren’t particularly important virtues for music videos.

What’s most needed when filming music videos is brilliant inspiration and talent, and youth that goes beyond following trends to leading them.

Considering that music video directors’ prime is usually around thirty, Ann’s words couldn’t be dismissed as mere complaining.

“So what are you going to do after filming that masterpiece?”

“I’ll have to move to brand commercials. There should be some use for me there.”

“With your sense, I think you could last longer in music videos too.”

“I could probably endure it.”

Ann inhaled the cigarette.

It seemed like it was a long cigarette just moments ago, but somehow it had shortened with nothing left to smoke.

“But should I do this work while just enduring? If I can’t create something, I should leave. What reason is there to stay?”

“That’s… true.”

Hee-tae nodded at Ann’s words.

Ann put out the cigarette and immediately took out a new one. Seeing this, Hee-tae frowned.

“But seriously, smoke less. Do you know how terrible the smell is whenever I go near you?”

“It doesn’t get captured on camera.”

“My nose hurts! My nose!”

“Mind your own business. I’ll quit when it’s time to quit. Don’t worry about it.”

“When is that time?”

“Who knows.”

Ann shrugged and lit the cigarette.

Then he chuckled and opened his mouth.

“I don’t know. If I film a decent work that makes me think I’d have no regrets even if I died tomorrow, maybe I could quit smoking then?”

“…So you’re saying you won’t quit.”

Hee-tae shook his head.

Like a dog would stop eating shit. What kind of beings are artists? They’re the type who would tear their hair out saying something’s lacking even after creating the sun, moon, and stars. He could tell because Hee-tae himself was that kind of person.

Well, there’s no point worrying about things that can’t be helped.

Hee-tae decided to just watch the filming proceed.

As the art director, there wasn’t much for him to do on set. His role was already mostly finished just by constructing the set.

Nevertheless, the reason he stayed on set was because he personally believed that his work was only truly completed when the actors took their places.

‘Space only gains meaning when there are people in it.’

He knew this was a statement that would be quite controversial among space enthusiasts.

But at least in Hee-tae’s artistic world, that was the case.

A grassy field only allows us to glimpse life and the future when there’s a child present, and similarly, even on burning earth, there must be people to evoke the sense of suffering.

It’s always people who complete a space.

And,

“Wow…”

“She’s beautiful.”

“As expected of Layla.”

Watching people gasp in admiration at Layla’s entrance, Hee-tae was once again convinced that his philosophy was correct.

‘As expected… just as I thought.’

He could feel dopamine constantly exploding in his head.

The white room.

On a sofa made of silk so white it was almost pale silver, Layla sat quietly.

She picked up the receiver of a dial telephone that was rose pink… but had a texture that was cool rather than soft.

‘…Perfect.’

Hee-tae smiled so wide his lips nearly split.

This was why he loved participating in top stars’ projects. Whether singers or actors, those who had reached the ranks of top stars had an aura that dominated the surrounding space just by existing.

And Layla was a top star among top stars.

Regardless of acting ability, just by casting her eyes down sorrowfully, she gave life to all the props and stage he had prepared, making them feel alive and breathing.

This was his first time working with Layla.

Hee-tae thought to himself that he hoped there would be more opportunities to work with Layla in the future. Working with such a captivating presence as material wasn’t something one could easily experience.

If he could always do this kind of work, he felt he could even endure Ann’s cigarette smell for a lifetime.

‘I wonder how our newcomer will be?’

It probably wouldn’t be too bad.

What he saw during [One Room] was quite attractive. He had a definite sense of his own color, you could say.

Though he had what you might call his own pattern, something that felt a bit complex… it would be good if he could just control that well.

He was quite three-dimensional, you could say. Seon-woo was the type where just capturing him on screen could easily make the message contained within too complex and heavy.

Seon-woo’s first shooting scene was a cut where he looked down at Layla from right in front as she spoke into the receiver with a listless expression.

A scene where he had to show frustrated eyes toward Layla, who wouldn’t look at him despite him being right there.

It wasn’t a particularly special scene.

But it was a moment later.

The moment Seon-woo stood in front of Layla as directed, Hee-tae froze with his smiling face unchanged.

‘Huh…?’

An unexpected color was blooming.

He had matched the overall color tone of this room to be cool to express the temperature of the breakup Layla was currently experiencing.

So that the sharp, aching emotion could be felt through that color tone alone.

But the moment Seon-woo stood before Layla’s eyes…

‘Buried? My stage got buried.’

The stage wasn’t visible.

It was enough to make him feel that way, even if just for a moment.

It was because Seon-woo’s gaze looking at Layla was so intense. Intense enough to wash away the coolness of this room in an instant.

Information was forcibly injected into his mind.

That woman sitting on the sofa wasn’t a pitiful person. She was someone more beloved than anyone else.

It was a gaze that seemed to contain every explanation of the emotion called love, to a degree that was incomprehensible even while watching.

The kind of gaze that made the temperature in the room heat up in an instant.

It was a different feeling than he had imagined.

But it was beautiful.

Absurdly beautiful.

Hee-tae trembled.

A level of catharsis he had never felt in his life washed over him. He couldn’t help it. He was fundamentally someone who trembled before beautiful things.

Hee-tae let out a hollow laugh.

‘That bastard Ann…’

Maybe I should quit cigarettes?

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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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