I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 178

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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 178

The entertainment industry is a trash heap.

Go Yu-na could answer that way without a doubt if anyone asked.

She had been active for 17 years since her child actor days. The countless incidents and human nature she had witnessed during that time allowed Go Yu-na to be certain.

There was too much trash in this industry.

The director who subtly touched her legs before she even became an adult.

The co-star who spouted nonsense about how they should live like lovers in daily life to film love scenes.

The investor who told her to pour him a drink in exchange for giving her an advertisement…

Someone might say.

That it’s not just the entertainment industry.

That this world itself is already a trash heap.

However, if there was a difference for Go Yu-na, it was that she had no choice but to be exposed to those pieces of trash’s desires more often.

That’s what being an actress was like.

The higher her fame rose, the more dirty hands that wanted to covet her would increase.

Eventually, when the senior who had been like an older sister to Go Yu-na since she was young became so broken that she couldn’t even sleep without propofol… Go Yu-na realized.

You can’t be easy in this industry.

You have to become someone unpredictable, unmanageable, and who seems like they might bite if you carelessly touch them.

That’s why.

One day, Go Yu-na openly asked in front of numerous staff members on set.

“Director.”

“Yeah?”

“That investor, President Lee, why does that bastard keep asking me to drink with him?”

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

“He was going crazy saying he wanted to try it once, so why do you keep telling me to go to those drinking sessions?”

“Go Yu-na!”

How refreshing that director’s flustered face was back then.

After that day, strange rumors spread within the industry, and the places that called for her decreased significantly… but Go Yu-na didn’t regret it.

It was the first time she had felt this free since entering the entertainment industry.

Go Yu-na acted as she wanted from that day forward.

She said what she wanted to say, and sometimes even said things she didn’t mean. Because that would make her seem more difficult to deal with.

In a way, that could be seen as her own way of protecting herself.

It was an era where kind hearts had become so rare that she couldn’t just hope others wouldn’t hurt her.

Of course, at this point, someone might ask.

If she hated the entertainment industry so much, couldn’t she just leave?

Actually, she had considered that too.

She wondered if there was really a reason to endure this much here.

But if she quit, where would she go?

Go Yu-na was good at acting.

Whether it was thanks to the gifted education she received through child acting from a young age, or whether she had natural talent, she didn’t know.

What mattered was that she was good enough at acting to not be intimidated in front of anyone.

Everyone who knew her was certain.

If she continued like this, she would definitely become an actress representing an era. Naturally, corresponding wealth and honor would follow.

The problem was that acting wasn’t that enjoyable.

Was it because all her affection for the entertainment industry had disappeared? No matter what role or what project she encountered, her heart didn’t particularly flutter.

So,

“As you can see from this, I-mu-gi seems to have been quite influenced by the Buddhist culture of the Goryeo period. Just as humans become Buddha through cultivation, I-mu-gi becomes a dragon through cultivation. However, the Yeo-ui-ju here…”

‘…I’m envious.’

Watching Seon-woo with sparkling eyes, Go Yu-na’s gaze couldn’t help but become mysterious.

The way he flipped through papers while explaining this and that, his words getting faster as if he was getting excited.

She could roughly guess what kind of character he was.

The type who loved acting so much that he barely paid attention to other things.

Actually, when Go Yu-na had said things like “my type” to Seon-woo, it was partly to suppress his initiative.

Since male actors often bothered her so much in the beginning, she tried to suppress their spirit from the start.

But seeing him like this, it seemed like it was unnecessary.

‘Well, it wasn’t a lie that he’s my type though.’

Instead of saying anything, Go Yu-na quietly looked at Seon-woo’s face.

The place they were in now was a study room.

It was because there was nowhere else to go.

It would be concerning to have this conversation openly in a cafe because of people’s stares… and this was the only place where they could talk freely without worrying about their surroundings.

Go Yu-na inwardly let out a hollow laugh.

A study room. She had thought it was a place completely unrelated to her, having devoted herself only to acting since childhood. But to think she’d end up entering one like this.

He was a Seoul National University graduate after all. Should she say he showed signs of having studied in a place like this?

‘What an interesting date.’

Of course, Seon-woo probably didn’t think of it as a date at all, but that wasn’t really important.

What mattered was that Go Yu-na had become more interested in Seon-woo.

Go Yu-na tilted her head.

“Oppa.”

“Yes.”

“Do you always act like this?”

“Um… you mean studying like this?”

“Yes.”

“It wasn’t always like this. To be precise, while preparing for [The Traitor], I learned that studying like this also helps with preparing for acting…”

Seon-woo fell into thought for a moment, then soon smiled.

“I’m actually considering continuing like this from now on. Even for [Red Zone], if I had looked up more medical papers and such, I might have been able to do slightly better acting… Yes, that’s how it was.”

It was something he wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t tried a historical drama.

Modern dramas didn’t really have much room for studying to that extent while acting. Rather than papers, he’d end up looking more at other actors’ performances or documentaries.

But through this opportunity, Seon-woo newly realized the greatness of written material.

Every time he crammed compressed information into his head in the shortest time, he confirmed that the character’s completeness itself changed beyond recognition.

‘I should properly study acting too.’

Although he was busy just preparing for filming, he needed to somehow make time to systematically study acting.

Just learning a bit of information related to the role was already this much.

If he studied acting itself, he might be able to perform on a completely different level than now.

“You really do love acting, oppa.”

Watching such Seon-woo, Go Yu-na quietly muttered.

Seon-woo’s eyes became subtle at the strange nuance in those words.

“Don’t you, sunbae?”

“Well, I…”

Go Yu-na shrugged her shoulders.

“I think I liked it in the past, but honestly I’m not sure these days. Rather than that, I think I’d prefer drinking wine with a warm person like oppa.”

“…”

He had no idea what to answer.

Fortunately, Go Yu-na had no intention of pushing herself on Seon-woo any further. She couldn’t help it. Seeing Seon-woo like this made her feel self-loathing for no reason.

She was also a bit annoyed.

This man was smiling happily like this while looking at papers, not scripts… Why couldn’t she share those emotions?

‘Should I really quit?’

Ironically, watching Seon-woo made Go Yu-na think even more strongly about retirement.

She had no confidence she could make the same expression as Seon-woo while acting.

That fulfilled look in his eyes, as if he had everything in the world…

That’s when it happened.

“I think sunbae also loves acting.”

“…What?”

Wait, didn’t she just say otherwise?

That she wasn’t sure. Shouldn’t he understand that meant she didn’t really like it?

Go Yu-na looked at Seon-woo with a sour expression.

But soon after seeing Seon-woo’s eyes, her desire to say something completely disappeared.

“I could feel it watching Yeo-ui-ju. That sunbae was completely immersed in Yeo-ui-ju. You like Yeo-ui-ju, don’t you? Then you must like acting too.”

“…”

Go Yu-na was momentarily speechless.

It wasn’t that she was convinced. Honestly, she thought that was because she acted well. She had prepared hard too.

She didn’t particularly want to refute Seon-woo’s words.

She hoped those words were true. She did think that.

However,

“No.”

Go Yu-na shook her head.

And for the first time, a bitter smile formed on her lips.

She knew.

Because she had once loved acting more than anything, because there was a time when just imagining the next day’s filming made her too excited to sleep, that’s exactly why she had no choice but to know.

“I don’t like acting.”

She had to admit it.

Acting no longer made her heart race. So,

She hated acting.

* * *

Yeon-woo: Did that woman do anything weird?

After the study session with Go Yu-na ended, he found such a message from Yeon-woo.

Anything weird. There wasn’t really anything like that, but he understood why Yeon-woo was worried about this.

Go Yu-na’s attitude at the script reading had been quite shocking.

Seon-woo: Are you worried about me?

Yeon-woo: No, just curious. They say know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never be defeated. I need to know what kind of person I’m dealing with.

Already treating her as an enemy?

Seon-woo smiled bitterly. And replied briefly.

Seon-woo: She didn’t do anything weird. We just studied acting together and that was it.

Yeon-woo: Studied acting?

Seon-woo: Yes. We looked at papers and writings related to Eastern folklore and did some research. Would you like to join us next time, Yeon-woo?

Yeon-woo: No. I don’t really want to do that.

Yeon-woo was firm.

Actually, he hadn’t expected much from her. Yeon-woo wasn’t particularly someone who loved acting either.

Hadn’t she said so during 【I Am an Actor】? That she acts for money.

‘I guess Go Yu-na sunbae is the same.’

Go Yu-na said she hated acting.

Those words wouldn’t leave his mind. Even while saying she hated acting, she had such sad eyes… it felt like she was desperately missing acting.

It was like looking at an ex-boyfriend whose heart had left but still had lingering attachments.

Perhaps Go Yu-na’s somewhat eccentric words and behavior stemmed from that reality. It would be fair to say she was going through confusion as her love for acting cooled.

‘Is it like adolescence?’

Thinking of it that way made Go Yu-na a bit more understandable.

Seon-woo pondered for a moment. Was there anything he could help with?

‘Well, we did agree to study together frequently from now on.’

This was something Go Yu-na, not Seon-woo, had suggested.

Even if not daily, at least two or three times a week until filming started, they would meet to practice their acting chemistry.

Watching such a Go Yu-na, Seon-woo couldn’t help but feel puzzled again.

For someone who said she hated acting, wasn’t she being quite proactive?

Perhaps without realizing it herself, she still loved acting.

He hoped that was the case. Otherwise, it would be somewhat pitiful.

‘…Now isn’t the time for me to worry about my senior.’

Seon-woo shook his head.

After the script reading ended, he had received some direction from Jeong Yu-jun.

—Um, Seon-woo… could I say just one thing…?

—Your I-mu-gi is all good and very charming, but there’s one disappointing aspect. Rather than disappointing, it’s a part that’s difficult for us to handle.

—Right now… the movie tone feels a bit heavy!

It was an unexpected criticism.

Seon-woo had never even filmed a movie. Yet his acting gave off a movie tone.

Seon-woo had already discussed this with Go Yu-na yesterday.

And Go Yu-na had said this with a nonchalant expression.

—Oh, that? That makes sense. Your acting is too full. It’s I-mu-gi-like, but maybe too much like a real I-mu-gi.

Too much like a real I-mu-gi.

He wondered what could be wrong with that. But Go Yu-na was firm, as if this wasn’t even worth worrying about.

—Drama protagonists need to be approachable.

They need to be approachable.

It was a perspective he’d never considered before.

—They need to be approachable so people can immerse themselves more comfortably and grow attached. That’s what creates the motivation to watch the work. But your I-mu-gi doesn’t feel approachable at all. You’re like that from the start. Look, even when I suggest having wine, you say you’re going home. How about it? For character transformation, let’s just have a drink together now? I know a really delicious place.

It was definitely helpful advice.

That is, if you excluded the last part.

Being approachable. In a way, that probably meant being more human and friendly.

‘Come to think of it, I think I focused too much on just the I-mu-gi aspects.’

I-mu-gi is not human.

But if he stayed too faithful to I-mu-gi’s essence, viewers would inevitably have fewer elements to find entertaining.

Seon-woo reflected.

He felt that while focusing on realism and historical accuracy, he hadn’t paid enough attention to dramatic entertainment.

How ridiculous must it have looked to Go Yu-na, seeing him spread out papers and books to study?

He bursts a color orb.

Feeling I-mu-gi’s melancholy and dry emotions wash over him, Seon-woo slowly pondered.

What should he do?

How could he make this character ‘approachable’?

Unfortunately, Seon-woo couldn’t find that answer.

A text message came and his phone rang. If it were unimportant contact, he would have just replied later and focused more on acting… but this time he couldn’t do that.

Do-young: Seon-woo, are you busy tomorrow?

Contact came from a longed-for name.

Do-young: If you have time, want to grab a meal?

It was Do-young.

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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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