I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 170

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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 170

After [Red Zone] ended, Da-sol was once again forced into a semi-mandatory fan hiatus.

It was something you had to accept when living as an actor’s fan.

Unless they were extremely prolific, it was virtually impossible for works to pour out endlessly.

Still, she wasn’t particularly dissatisfied.

Just rewatching [One Room] and [Red Zone] was enough to somewhat soothe her longing, and more than anything… it was thanks to Seon-woo’s SNS activity becoming much more active than before.

sunw00kim: Spring seems to be slowly coming to an end now. It’s hot!

Seon-woo consistently posted at least once every few days.

This was Seon-woo who had never even touched SNS before. He wasn’t originally the type to enjoy posting like this… He was probably doing this on purpose out of consideration for his fans.

One thing that had changed was that the quality of his photos had improved significantly since getting an agency. He probably got a manager with quite good aesthetic sense.

And one more thing that changed… compared to the past, the proportion of Seon-woo writing long posts had decreased somewhat.

Still,

sunw00kim: I’ll come back to everyone soon with good news! I wish I could show you new works every single day, but it’s disappointing that I can’t. But I’m steadily filming, so please wait just a little longer!

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable about writing so briefly and disappearing, Seon-woo would eventually sneak back to leave additional comments like this.

He really was an impossible character to hate.

‘This is enough to wait patiently!’

Da-sol nodded with a pleased smile.

Just having this feeling of communication in between was definitely enough to lessen the longing from a fan’s perspective.

Of course, being able to see his works would be even better, but it had only been about a month since [Red Zone] ended. It would be wrong to expect that already.

That’s what she was thinking when.

cowcow: Everyone!!! Go watch Layla’s new music video right now!!! Hurry!!!

Such a post suddenly appeared on Seon-woo’s thread.

Layla. She was a singer Da-sol quite liked too. But why would they promote that on Seon-woo’s thread of all places?

Just as she was wondering whether she should say something about this or not, another post from him caught Da-sol’s eye.

cowcow: Seon-woo’s in it!!! Hurry!!!

‘…!’

In an instant, Da-sol’s mind became a complete mess.

Layla and Seon-woo. Those two, who she thought would never have any connection, had filmed a music video together?

‘Did he become Layla’s man?’

Da-sol’s fists trembled.

Becoming Layla’s man was a highly symbolic thing. Considering that all of Layla’s previous men had done so, it was like saying ‘Pay attention to this person because they’re going to be a star soon.’

Of course, even without Layla, Da-sol never doubted that Seon-woo would succeed, but still, at this moment she couldn’t help but be moved.

Wasn’t this proof that Layla was thinking the same thing as her?

She had recognized it too.

Just how outstanding an actor Seon-woo was.

‘The music video, let’s watch the music video!’

Da-sol hurriedly searched for Layla’s music video.

Layla was already famous for her good music video sense. Even without particularly provocative concepts, she had the talent to make classic materials trendy.

She definitely had expertise in stimulating people’s emotional lines.

And,

‘Wow…’

When the music video started, Da-sol thought.

Layla was indeed Layla.

In that scene of her sitting on the sofa, blankly staring ahead, you could feel it instantly. Whether it was a breakup or something else, she didn’t know… but that Layla had lost something.

Just from this moment’s scene alone, you could sense it.

That this music video would be a story about loss.

And that wasn’t a misconception.

When Layla picked up the phone receiver and whispered in a forlorn voice ‘Can you hear… my voice?’, and when the analog TV screen in front of her flickered and showed a man’s face, Da-sol realized.

Ah, this must be… a story about separation.

It had to be.

On screen, Seon-woo’s face looking at Layla was indescribably tender. If someone asked how to express love through facial expression, that face would probably come to mind immediately – a face overflowing with affection.

Seeing such a Seon-woo made Layla’s empty face feel even more painful.

Furthermore, the title [You Can’t Hear Me] felt even more sorrowful.

Because she vaguely felt that way.

Ah, perhaps… it wasn’t just a breakup, but maybe Seon-woo had died.

And just as she was thinking that.

As lyrics flowed about promising to be together forever but asking where he was now, a scene followed where Seon-woo was suddenly standing right in front of Layla, and the moment she saw his face, Da-sol immediately covered her mouth.

“This is insane…!”

Seon-woo’s expression… was something Da-sol had never seen even once before.

A face that seemed ready to collapse at any moment, so angry and sad, yet desperately trying to maintain composure as if refusing to be consumed by those emotions.

The moment she saw that resolute face that seemed to say he couldn’t collapse too, that at least now wasn’t the time, Layla’s lyrics seeped into her heart with an even more sorrowful resonance.

The words saying she missed him.

The words saying she resented him.

The words asking where he was…

All those words felt like desperate confessions and simultaneous cries of anguish.

Throughout watching the music video, Da-sol couldn’t lower the hand covering her mouth. She couldn’t. The poignant emotion the two created was too vivid for that.

If he let his guard down even a little, he felt like he might cry.

But then,

“Ah…!”

The ending scene.

Just when it seemed like Layla’s gaze, which had never once looked at Seon-woo throughout the entire work, was finally about to turn toward Seon-woo, the screen went completely black and Da-sol couldn’t help but let out a single scream.

Come on, they could have at least let their eyes meet!

How could they make people so sad right until the very end?

She was dazed.

This was the first time she had ever been so immersed while watching a music video, but she couldn’t help it. Not only did Seon-woo act well, but the overall quality of the music video itself was ridiculously high.

It felt like watching a short film.

She felt like she wanted to enjoy this melancholic emotion and stay buried in bed all day.

‘…Still, I have things I need to do.’

Da-sol first checked the comments.

A/C: This settles the 2026 music video category.

tinycat: Wow… is this a music video or a movie

└ssabi: Please, if only we could get a romance drama with this kind of content

ambiguous_rin: Isn’t it cheating to use such a sweet guy in a breakup music video?

Amanda: Who is that male actor? Very good acting & looks.

└salt&pepper: His name is Kim Seon-woo, he’s a Korean actor!

meteor: Wow, who would’ve thought Kim Sunwoo would become Layla’s man ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

└crabman: Is he famous? I’ve never seen his face before

└meteor: lololol One of the hottest new talents these days. Amazing actor for real

└IvyKid: With this, Kim Seon-woo has definitely established himself as a rising star, right?

AEIOU: WOW

myfatherisvery화났어: Why is the music video so pretty… ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

SKR: Sister Layla is really so good at her main job that I’m not even amazed anymore

whitemouse: But wait, so did the guy die?

└zerochicken: No matter how I look at it, he seems dead… Layla misses him but can’t see him

└White Rat: Ah, it really felt like we made eye contact at the very end ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Gahyun: Their chemistry is insane…

Well, the comments were exactly the reaction she had expected.

Every single one expressing emotion and admiration.

Among them, what particularly caught Da-sol’s eye were the reactions from foreigners.

Overall reactions asking ‘Who is that guy?’ But what was interesting was that other foreigners were answering those questions.

‘Is Seon-woo building recognition among foreigners too…?’

Foreigners did occasionally comment on Seon-woo’s SNS.

It was natural since [Red Zone] and [One Room] had been broadcast overseas through OTT platforms. But SNS was where they had followed Seon-woo’s trail to get there, and here where Layla’s fans would mainly be gathered, she could still see people who knew Seon-woo…

She couldn’t help but think that for a moment.

Perhaps her actor had grown more than she had thought.

And probably appearing in Layla’s music video this time would make him grow even more.

At least ten million people would watch this music video in the future.

Da-sol checked the view count while she was thinking about it.

The video hadn’t been up for very long yet, but she could roughly tell how big this would get by looking at the current view count.

But wait a minute.

How much is this exactly, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million…

…Ten million?

* * *

—Ten million! It’s ten million!

Over the phone, Layla couldn’t hide her excitement for even a moment.

This result seemed quite surprising to her too. Seon-woo became a little puzzled.

“Isn’t ten million nothing to you?”

—What are you talking about! Well, maybe if this was after a week had passed… but this is only a few hours later! If it’s already ten million now, then later this could… definitely surpass 100 million!

“100 million…?”

Seon-woo’s expression became stunned.

For him, it was a number he couldn’t quite grasp. 100 million. Would 100 million people see his face?

—Anyway, it’s thanks to you! Thank you for making such a good music video! I’ll buy you a meal later!

Layla said that and hung up the phone.

For Seon-woo, who had only been thinking about auditions, this was definitely unexpected news.

Moreover, the impact of this music video seemed to be far from ordinary.

His followers had increased by 30,000 in just the past few hours… and above all, he was getting so many contacts from people around him that it was difficult to reply to each one.

Even Seon-jun,

Seon-jun: Did you film a music video with Layla??

Had sent him a text message like this.

Come to think of it, Seon-jun was a longtime fan of Layla. Should I have gotten him an autograph… Seon-woo shook his head at the thought.

He could get an autograph anytime.

Now was the time to focus on I-mu-gi.

While preparing for this I-mu-gi role, Seon-woo was once again using the method acting approach.

This was thanks to having a clear answer about how to express the character of I-mu-gi.

I-mu-gi is a being… no, a monster that cares about nothing except obtaining the Yeo-ui-ju to become a dragon.

A thousand years of cultivation had left him with nothing but ennui and obsession, and a life that began as a snake was too barren and withered to follow human emotions.

However, I-mu-gi doesn’t like being that way.

I-mu-gi is fundamentally a creature dissatisfied with himself.

That’s why he can cultivate so hard to become a dragon instead of remaining himself.

I-mu-gi hates his withered self.

I-mu-gi also hates his barren self.

I-mu-gi wishes for flowers to bloom in his world.

He believes that if he obtains the Yeo-ui-ju and becomes a dragon, the snake’s world filled only with damp fishy smells will finally end.

In a way, I-mu-gi was Seon-woo. That is, Seon-woo from the days when he had no acting.

No, perhaps he might be better than Seon-woo. Back then, Seon-woo wasn’t even trying to change himself.

I-mu-gi is a snake that constantly struggles to change.

Then what aspect of Seon-woo’s I-mu-gi should stand out?

The conclusion Seon-woo reached was as follows.

Seon-woo burst the Color Orb.

A pitch-black, damp color reminiscent of a nighttime lake overturns his world. It feels as if the world has been completely submerged in water.

That water seems to strangle his throat.

Breathing becomes uncomfortable, and his skin stings.

A sensation as if this world itself rejects him.

He feels like a foreign substance that doesn’t belong in this world.

At the same time, Seon-woo was certain.

He didn’t know how great the actors coming to the audition would be, or how diverse the I-mu-gi portrayals would appear. But one thing was certain.

More than anyone else’s I-mu-gi, Seon-woo’s I-mu-gi would surely…

Despise himself the most.

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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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