I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 168

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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 168

He was offered a leading role.

In fact, for Seon-woo, this was something he hadn’t even imagined yet. Just until [Red Zone], he had to audition for supporting roles.

But now they suddenly wanted to make him the lead?

“…Is this normally possible?”

“Well, considering your recent buzz and future value, it’s not impossible. But it is rare. That’s why I’m asking you like this.”

“So there’s nothing to lose by accepting the offer.”

“You won’t lose anything, and it’s actually quite beneficial.”

Park Du-ho nodded.

“If I had to point out a concern, it’s that this is the PD’s debut work? Debut works are usually one of two things. Either a huge hit, or a complete mess. Usually it’s much more often the latter.”

“…Why did they choose me?”

“Well, obviously because you’re a good actor… but you want a more realistic answer than that, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a debut work, right? The broadcasting station probably didn’t allocate much budget for it. So they’d have to choose from washed-up actors… or find grateful A-listers willing to work regardless of pay, but unless there’s a personal connection, there’s no way such A-listers would exist. So what’s left?”

“Um… newcomers, I suppose?”

“Right. But not just any newcomer will do. Newcomers who’ve already established themselves as leads are busy raising their value as rising stars, so they probably thought it’d be better to find a new face. They started looking for an actor who’s a newcomer, has no leading role experience yet, but would definitely do well if given the role. They were literally looking for a unicorn…”

Park Du-ho chuckled.

“And you were exactly that unicorn.”

“…”

Seon-woo didn’t respond.

He knew that from an industry insider’s perspective, he would look like quite an attractive option. The fact that Park Du-ho and others had worked hard to bring Seon-woo to their agency proved that.

But he hadn’t expected this would apply to PDs as well.

“What do you think, CEO? Should I do this?”

At those words, Park Du-ho chuckled.

“You already know what I’m going to say.”

“…Well, you’ve been explaining it quite openly this whole time.”

Unicorn and all that.

In the end, the core of all those lengthy words was one thing.

While it might seem like an opportunity had come to Seon-woo, he was actually the one providing the opportunity.

In the future, rookie PDs would often come looking for Seon-woo like this.

And situations would arise where they’d bring even more attractive projects and promise leading roles.

So was there really a need to be swayed by just the promise of a leading role and do this project?

“I won’t do it.”

“Good. You thought it through well.”

And Park Du-ho brushed his chest as if relieved.

“I was actually a bit worried. Wondering what I’d do if you said you wanted to do it.”

“Then you could have just not told me about this from the beginning.”

“How could I do that? Even if I think it’s the wrong answer, you might think it’s the right one. I can’t force my answer on you.”

“…Honestly, if the script had been interesting, I think I would have considered it a bit.”

Seon-woo shook his head.

“There wasn’t a single scene that made my heart race.”

“Right. If your heart isn’t moved, the acting won’t come out either. There’s nothing good about being greedy for such projects. So, have you read all the other projects?”

“Yes. I read them all on the way here.”

“How were they?”

Park Du-ho’s eyes sparkled.

Seon-woo answered honestly.

“They were all attractive.”

“Which one was the most attractive?”

“Um… I thought I didn’t know yet, but now that you ask, there is one that comes to mind first. [The Traitor].”

“As expected, [The Traitor]…”

“[My Jade] was good too. I-mu-gi’s character was also good. But… I had a thought while doing the music video this time.”

“What kind of thought?”

“I should try challenging movies too.”

What Seon-woo felt while filming the music video was that pacing was extremely important.

Music videos that had to explain the entire story within 3 minutes naturally had every scene be sensual and stimulating.

It required a completely different style of acting from what he’d filmed before.

A filming environment where even when he performed dense acting that might be called “excessive” in dramas, they shouted for more, more, more.

What would movies be like?

It would definitely feel different from what he’d filmed so far.

“But then why didn’t [Dangerous She] come to mind? That’s also a movie.”

“You’re right. I thought that was a good project too…”

Seon-woo thought for a moment.

And soon nodded as if an answer had come to mind.

“I think the role is the problem.”

“That stalker? Why? Too creepy?”

“That was actually interesting as a new challenge… but the character felt too experimental. Rather than feeling like a living person, it felt like just a bundle of stimulating imagination that the writer came up with?”

“Haha.”

Park Du-ho burst into laughter.

“The writer would be very hurt if they heard that.”

“I feel sorry if they think that way, but it was a bit like that. Well, there might actually be people in the world with such inhuman mental worlds… but I don’t particularly want to become such a character.”

Talking this far actually helped organize his thoughts.

“That character really doesn’t seem very appealing. And I don’t want to force myself to make it appealing either.”

What wasn’t right just wasn’t right.

The Stalker wasn’t a character Seon-woo particularly wanted to act as. He’d heard that movie filming could take as long as six months, or in the worst case, up to a year… Having to live as that kind of person for all that time?

Just imagining it already made him tired.

“Then I can assume your heart is leaning toward [The Traitor].”

“I do want to do [My Jade] too… But yes, for now that’s right.”

“What about the role?”

“The CEO recommended two. Yi Bang-won and King Woo.”

“Yeah. I thought both would be good roles to showcase your abilities. They both have this precarious feeling… which suits your character well too.”

A precarious feeling.

The moment he heard those words, Seon-woo recalled what Ann had told him just a few hours ago. That Seon-woo was an actor whose instability was attractive.

“Do you also think my anxious side is attractive, CEO?”

“Hmm… It’s a bit different actually.”

Park Du-ho shook his head.

“It’s not just the anxious appearance. What’s attractive is how you struggle desperately in anxious situations, trying to escape from them. In [One Room] to survive, in [Red Zone] to save people.”

Park Du-ho’s eyes gleamed.

“That desperate look in your eyes in those moments… that’s something you can’t easily find.”

Desperation.

Seon-woo nodded at Park Du-ho’s new expression. He somehow understood why he said that.

More than the roles actually being like that, Seon-woo had a tendency to express them even more desperately.

That was probably a result of Seon-woo’s personality being reflected.

Seon-woo, who in his days without acting had never once been desperate for anything.

So when they showed even the slightest desperation for something, he would receive and express it several times larger.

Because those desperations felt so tremendous to Seon-woo.

For such a Seon-woo, both Yi Bang-won and King Woo had to be quite attractive existences.

Of course, there would remain the question of whether King Woo was truly a desperate existence.

Yi Bang-won, who resolved to seize Joseon even if it meant becoming a traitor, even if it meant staining his sword with his brothers’ blood, was naturally a desperate character.

But what part of King Woo, who did nothing while watching Goryeo crumble, was desperate?

Looking at it from a historical perspective, one would certainly think that way.

But [The Traitor] portrayed King Woo as a somewhat more mysterious character. Not as a tyrant simply intoxicated with women and pleasure, but as a pitiful figure who had to act the fool to preserve his life in a situation where royal authority had already collapsed.

As someone who sought to live even if it meant abandoning all pride, dignity, and duty as a king.

“…The more I think about it, the choice isn’t easy.”

“Why, because you want to do them all?”

“Yes.”

“Are you torn between [The Traitor] and [My Jade]? Or between Yi Bang-won and King Woo?”

“Both. I’m torn about both. But…”

Seon-woo thought for a moment, then nodded.

“For the latter, I’m more drawn to Yi Bang-won.”

“That’s the orthodox choice. What’s your reason?”

“King Woo is desperate but… he also gave up. Even though he decided to survive, he already knows it’s actually impossible and has resigned himself to it.”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand that.

Anyone in King Woo’s position would find it difficult to make better choices. However…

“I’m not really drawn to roles that just give up like that.”

Perhaps someday he might find charm in such roles too.

But Seon-woo still preferred people who kept struggling. Whether they could succeed or not, he liked characters who constantly challenged themselves.

From that perspective, if he had to choose just one character from [The Traitor]… it had to be Yi Bang-won.

Yi Bang-won would surely let him see a world that King Woo couldn’t show.

That picture would surely be beautiful.

Park Du-ho wore a satisfied expression.

“Good. Then that’s one thing settled. Let’s move to the next problem. [The Traitor] or [My Jade]?”

“That’s also [The Traitor] for now. But that’s more because I want to try movies rather than thinking the work would be more interesting, and [My Jade] seems like it would have quite an attractive story too, so I’m a bit regretful.”

I-mu-gi was a character that resembled Seon-woo in many ways.

Finding the jade to become a dragon. Not knowing why he had to become a dragon, or whether he himself wanted to become a dragon, but just running toward that goal he’d chased like inertia his whole life without any thought… that appearance was quite familiar to Seon-woo.

Should he say he definitely wanted to try acting it once if given the chance.

So he was thinking how regretful it was, when…

“Then why don’t you try both?”

“Both?”

Park Du-ho brought up an option Seon-woo hadn’t considered.

Seon-woo’s eyes widened. Since they’d given him three scripts at once and told him to choose, he naturally thought they couldn’t overlap.

“Anyway, you might try both and not get either… Even if you got both, there wouldn’t be a big problem. I already confirmed their filming schedules don’t overlap. Of course, your schedule would get a bit tight.”

“…Come to think of it, the possibility of getting both in the first place is extremely slim.”

Seon-woo nodded too.

Thinking about it, trying both and getting even one would be fortunate. Yi Bang-won was a role anyone would covet, and I-mu-gi was also a main role, so there were quite a few people aiming for it.

“My mind feels more at ease now.”

“Why. Because you think you don’t need to choose?”

“Yes. I can just try my best at everything… and go all-in on whichever side accepts me.”

Seon-woo said that with a slight smile.

Yi Bang-won and I-mu-gi. Just thinking about preparing for these two Lee’s made him feel excited already.

Of course, if by any chance he got both, it would probably be quite hectic…

‘That’s a useless worry.’

Seon-woo inwardly chuckled.

There was a limit to being overly self-conscious.

Actors of all levels, both seniors and juniors who were the cream of the crop, would be lining up to land that role…

There was no way he could beat all of them, right?

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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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