I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 167

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 167

The filming of [I Can’t Hear You] was finished in just one day.

Though it was one day, it was filming that went on for nearly 20 hours.

They said this was actually finishing quickly, all things considered.

Was it because everyone had pushed through a 20-hour forced march? There was no company dinner waiting for them.

Nobody had left any energy for that kind of thing. Seon-woo was no exception.

‘When was the last time I was this tired?’

It seemed like the first time since writing his graduation thesis.

What was amazing was,

“Ah, good work! Seon-woo.”

Despite running that forced march, Layla looked as fresh as someone who had just woken up.

He knew that singers boasted iron stamina through their packed schedules… but seeing it like this, it was enough to inspire awe.

That was the reason Seon-woo’s head bowed so respectfully.

“You worked hard, senior.”

“Hey, come on. What senior? We’re the same age. Let’s just be friends!”

“….”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just….”

There was no need to mention that he suddenly thought of a certain person who, despite being the same age, insisted on being called senior.

Seon-woo glanced around and said,

“I’ll… do whatever you’re comfortable with, senior.”

“That’s what I’m comfortable with! Let’s be friends! We’re not even in the same field anyway, so what’s the point of worrying about seniority!”

“O… kay.”

Seon-woo nodded awkwardly.

Watching Seon-woo like that, Layla’s lips curved up.

“Anyway, thanks to you, I’m grateful. The filming went well, and I got excited for the first time in a while. If our Ann edits this well, I think the fans will really love it….”

“….”

“You suddenly got quiet after I asked you to speak casually?”

“No, it’s just that you were my senior until just now, so suddenly speaking casually feels a bit….”

Seon-woo made an embarrassed expression.

Seeing Seon-woo like that, Layla raised her eyebrows as if surprised.

“When you were acting, you acted like some world dictator, but at times like this you’re surprisingly like an ordinary guy.”

“I was like a dictator?”

“You guided me however you wanted to show whatever emotions I should show. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

…He thought she wouldn’t notice.

He figured it was something that people who hadn’t properly learned acting wouldn’t pick up on.

He felt like she’d hit the nail on the head. Seon-woo slightly avoided Layla’s eyes.

“Uh, ahem. I’m sorry.”

“Forget it, what are you sorry for? If the result had been bad then it might have been a problem, but the result turned out good anyway, right?”

Layla grinned.

“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve had this much fun filming a music video. You’re really a genius.”

“Hearing that from the most successful singer in our country actually makes me feel a bit embarrassed.”

“No, no. You really are a genius.”

Layla’s eyes sparkled.

Seon-woo looked at those eyes and hesitated for a moment. It was a kind of gaze he’d never seen in his life. How to put it. As if the world she was looking at was different, as if she could find different colors and forms from the same things others saw… that kind of alien and mysterious gaze.

“I can see it in my eyes. You’re definitely going to rise up soon. Ah, thank goodness. I called you before your price got higher. Otherwise, I might not have been able to film something like this because of budget constraints.”

She had become somehow more talkative since declaring they should be friends.

Before Seon-woo could choose words to respond, she rattled off more words.

“Anyway, thanks. I think we filmed a good work thanks to you.”

Layla extended her hand.

Seon-woo clasped that hand.

“I’m the one who got to do interesting acting thanks to you.”

“Got to do?”

“…Ah, casual speech doesn’t come naturally yet.”

Seon-woo answered with an embarrassed expression.

Layla chuckled and waved her hand.

“Take care. Let’s meet again soon.”

Would there be an occasion to meet again?

He didn’t know when that would be, but Seon-woo nodded, saying they should.

And just as he was about to head home like that,

Ann caught Seon-woo.

“Seon-woo, wait a moment.”

“Ah, yes. Director.”

She had a somewhat strange expression.

Should he call it happy yet somehow melancholy? In some ways, she looked terrified too. But why?

For Seon-woo, it was a problem he couldn’t solve no matter how much he thought about it.

How could he understand her inner circumstances – that it seemed like a life’s work might emerge, but if that happened, she might have to quit smoking, which filled her with terror.

Ann swallowed a sigh inwardly and opened her mouth.

“I don’t think I told you this. Seon-woo, have you ever thought about what kind of actor you are?”

“What kind of actor I am…? No. I don’t think I have much.”

He had thought a lot about what kind of acting he should do… but he had never thought about what kind of actor Seon-woo was.

To be precise, he thought he hadn’t developed that kind of image for himself yet.

After all, he hadn’t been active as an actor for very long.

Watching Seon-woo like this, Ann smiled with difficulty.

“Then I’ll tell you. If James Dean’s weapon was his distinctive rebellious image, then Seon-woo’s weapon is… an anxious feeling.”

“Anxiety?”

“Yes. Don’t misunderstand. The expression might sound strange, but it’s absolutely not a bad thing. There’s a charm that comes from the strange deficiency and instability that only youth can have. That unstable vibe you have… I guarantee it. It’s the greatest treasure you possess.”

“Unstable vibe…”

It was definitely something that needed thinking about.

Seon-woo thanked Ann for now and returned to the van.

And he asked Park Hoon.

“Hoon.”

“Yes?”

“Do I look a bit anxious to you?”

Park Hoon’s eyes widened.

“Are you anxious? …Oh, could it be because of my driving? I’m sorry. I’ll drive more carefully.”

“Ah, no. It’s not that… never mind. Don’t worry about it.”

“If there’s anything uncomfortable, please let me know!”

He was too scared to say anything.

For now, Ann’s praise… or should he call it that, her comment could be thought about slowly later.

Seon-woo closed his eyes for a moment.

Thanks to filming non-stop for 20 hours, honestly, if he rested his head against the headrest now, he felt like he would fall asleep immediately.

But he couldn’t go to sleep yet.

“…Finally getting to see them.”

Seon-woo took out the scripts he had been hiding away in his backpack.

He had deliberately avoided looking at them because he needed to properly immerse himself in [I Can’t Hear You]… but honestly, he didn’t know how curious he had been.

These were works that Park Du-ho had kept aside because he thought they would be good for him right away.

Seeing how confidently he had recommended them… it meant they contained equally attractive narratives and characters.

He could sleep later.

Right now, he needed to read these first.

Starting with the titles.

[Traitor]

[My Yeo-ui-ju]

[Dangerous She]

[Traitor] and [Dangerous She] were movies, [My Yeo-ui-ju] was a drama.

None of the three had offered Seon-woo a specific role, they were all open audition formats.

First, [Traitor] was said to be a movie that dealt with the journey from Lee Seong-gye’s retreat from Wihwa Island to overthrowing Goryeo and founding Joseon.

It was a story that dealt with the process of Lee Seong-gye, who tried to maintain his loyalty to the end despite Goryeo’s restraints, finally turning his sword toward his own homeland.

Park Du-ho had highlighted the roles he recommended with a fluorescent pen, and among them, there was one character with three stars attached.

Yi Bang-won.

‘Certainly…’

If [Traitor] achieved proper box office success and a sequel could be made, this was a character whose importance would increase much more later.

It wasn’t that he had no activity in [Traitor] either. Just the story of beating Jeong Mong-ju to death at Seonjuk Bridge was definitely content perfect for creating a famous scene.

But Park Du-ho hadn’t only recommended Yi Bang-won here.

Though it was one short compared to Yi Bang-won, there was another character who received two stars.

That was King Woo.

The 32nd king of Goryeo who was eventually dethroned by Lee Seong-gye.

A disastrous monarch famous for his eccentric behavior, no less than Yeonsangun or Gwanghaegun.

Park Du-ho had also attached this comment below King Woo.

—It’s definitely an attractive role, but there are many parts that would divide opinions, and I’m not sure if it would suit Seon-woo well.

That was exactly right.

King Woo was a style of character that Seon-woo had never dealt with before.

He could feel the appeal, but he had no idea how to approach it. More than anything, the madness-filled color of King Woo felt through the script didn’t feel very attractive.

Moreover, [Traitor] had another problem.

The fact that it was a historical drama.

Although he had tried many different roles so far, Seon-woo had never touched historical dramas.

If it was a historical drama where he had to learn everything from breathing to speech patterns from scratch… preparing for the audition alone would inevitably be quite a challenging endeavor.

‘Put on hold for now.’

Seon-woo moved on to [My Yeo-ui-ju].

This was a fantasy drama that could often be seen. An I-mu-gi who had been practicing for a thousand years to become a dragon sets out to find his yeo-ui-ju for the final gateway to becoming a dragon, and the yeo-ui-ju he discovered was a woman named ‘Yeo-ui-ju’.

And the I-mu-gi, who must swallow her to become a dragon, tries to persuade her by promising to grant her a wish in return.

A story about how the two, who were initially entangled in such a deadly relationship, slowly fall in love.

And the role Park Du-ho recommended for Seon-woo here was…

—The only one you should aim for here is this guy.

It was I-mu-gi.

Honestly, when Seon-woo first saw that comment, he wondered if Park Du-ho was joking. A lead role? He thought it wasn’t a position that someone like him, who hadn’t even debuted a year ago, should covet.

But setting aside those qualifications, it was certainly an attractive role.

The process of I-mu-gi, who initially exuded a dry and inhuman atmosphere befitting a divine beast, gradually being influenced by Yeo-ui-ju and falling in love was truly captivating.

It was almost like the moment when Seon-woo first encountered acting.

The process of I-mu-gi, who had nothing but the goal of becoming a dragon, slowly feeling love for Yeo-ui-ju and his dull world brightening up was remarkably similar to what Seon-woo had experienced in the past.

Except for the fact that it was a lead role, it was definitely a character he wanted to challenge.

And lastly, [Dangerous Woman].

This was a story that began with a detective tracking serial murder cases that kept occurring around one woman.

Eventually, she is temporarily arrested and interrogated, but instead she claims that she has a stalker and that the stalker killed everyone.

And indeed, even while she’s detained, serial murders continue to occur, throwing the case into confusion… The main story follows the detective bumbling through solving this case.

Here, Park Du-ho recommended one role.

Her stalker.

A character who seemed like a dangerous person, or perhaps just her victim… someone who gave off both mystery and discomfort, making it impossible to know his true identity.

This was also a role that would be quite a challenge for an actor.

‘…There’s definitely a reason why he gave me these three.’

Seon-woo nodded after skimming through all the scripts.

They were all attractive roles without exception. No matter which role he chose, he would inevitably regret the other roles he couldn’t act.

It was while he was pondering this.

His phone rang. It was a call from Park Du-ho.

“I answered the phone. This is Kim Seon-woo.”

—Ah, Seon-woo. I heard filming ended. Good work. Are you very tired?

“Yes, Director. I am tired, but… I was just looking at the scripts.”

—Really? Um, I’m really sorry about this, but could you stop by the company before going home? There’s something I need to discuss face to face. I wouldn’t want to call you out like this normally, but it’s urgent.

“Ah, yes. That’s fine. I’ll tell Hoon right now to head over there.”

—Thanks, I appreciate it!

Urgent business.

Park Du-ho normally wouldn’t call someone out again after they’d been filming for 20 hours… Did something bad happen?

But Park Du-ho’s voice over the phone didn’t sound particularly negative.

Then it must be something good…

Seon-woo asked Park Hoon and headed to Wild headquarters.

As soon as he entered the director’s office, Park Du-ho jumped up to greet Seon-woo.

“Good work, Seon-woo! Are you very tired?”

“Ah, yes. But Director, what exactly is this urgent matter…?”

“Well… I could have discussed it over the phone, but it would be a bit difficult.”

“…Nothing’s wrong, is there?”

“Rather than something being wrong… shall we talk after you look at this?”

Park Du-ho said this while handing over a script.

It was a script he’d never seen before. The title was [Can Even Ghosts Fall in Love?].

It was a romantic comedy about a fake exorcist who accidentally encounters a virgin ghost and ends up falling in love with her.

The problem was that compared to the other scripts he’d seen so far, this one didn’t seem particularly special.

As Seon-woo’s expression became subtle, Park Du-ho, who had been watching his complexion, quietly spoke up.

“Not good?”

“…Well, it’s not particularly appealing.”

“That’s true. Honestly, it’s predictable.”

“But why…?”

“Well…”

Park Du-ho scratched his head.

“They made an offer. If you come, they’ll give you the lead role right away.”

“…What?”

“Considering your skills, it’s natural, but considering your experience, it’s quite a bold offer. So I thought I should ask you first.”

Park Du-ho looked at Seon-woo.

“Do you want to do this?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————