I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 182

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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 182

As the intro filming ended, the production team’s atmosphere heated up like a furnace.

“Phew, we can finally breathe.”

“Please, let’s just keep going like this…!”

Of course, it was still too early to feel relieved.

This was Seon-woo’s first leading role, and everyone has shortcomings at first.

But Seon-woo wasn’t particularly worrying.

The sight of him flipping through research papers and scripts whenever he had time on set… even in this industry overflowing with acting-obsessed people, it wasn’t a scene you could see very often.

So they had no choice but to trust Seon-woo even more.

And Park Hoon seemed quite pleased with this atmosphere.

“Everyone seems to really like you, hyung.”

“Why?”

“Can’t you feel it? Even people who usually have stern expressions immediately smile brightly when you just greet them?”

“Isn’t that just because I’m the lead actor?”

“Hmm… that’s not entirely wrong, but the atmosphere is different from the beginning. Even during the script reading, weren’t there more people who seemed flustered when you greeted them?”

Park Hoon said with emphasis.

Watching from the side, he could feel it more clearly. The production team’s attitude toward Seon-woo was softening in real time.

This wasn’t just because Seon-woo acted well.

The Seon-woo that Park Hoon saw was a man with surprisingly flexible manners. Whether the other person was the youngest or whatever, he bowed and greeted everyone so well that it was impossible not to win their favor.

‘If I were in hyung’s position, I’d probably be a bit stiffer.’

Sometimes he even thought that.

It seemed like Seon-woo had no awareness of his own position at all.

Of course, Seon-woo hadn’t reached the ranks of top stars yet, but he was certainly one of the rookie actors with the most buzz this year, yet Seon-woo showed no signs of being conscious of that.

Rather, he was always worrying about how his acting was full of flaws and how he should fix it…

‘He’s definitely going to have a long career.’

Park Hoon clenched his fist with renewed determination.

He had to stick by Seon-woo’s side for a long, long time.

In that sense,

“Alright, you’ve rested enough. Let’s go straight to the next set!”

“…Already?”

“Upper body 30 seconds, lower body 60 seconds rest. Didn’t I tell you that’s our rule?”

“I never agreed to that rule…”

Seon-woo grumbled as he went back under the barbell.

These days, Seon-woo was receiving PT from Park Hoon. Originally, he was going to find a separate trainer, but Park Hoon had stopped him by saying this:

—I used to work as a trainer in my younger days. I even won some competitions. Just work out with me.

Park Hoon was twenty-five.

He knew Park Hoon had been discharged from the military as a sergeant, but when did he also work as a trainer?

Thinking that he had lived quite a full life, Seon-woo lifted the barbell with his trembling arms.

And just as he was about to rack the barbell, Park Hoon put it back down with a stern face.

“Not yet. Do one more.”

“I’m at my limit…”

“You’re supposed to do one more when you’re at your limit for it to be a proper workout. Would Yi Bang-won whine about not being able to do it here?”

Park Hoon pulled out his cheat key.

The only reason Seon-woo was working out every day was because of [Yeokjeok]. Although Yi Bang-won was a scholarly character, he was also a military commander who had followed Lee Seong-gye through all kinds of battlefields.

Seo Tae-rok had instructed him to build a more solid body than now in order to properly capture Yi Bang-won’s strong image.

But even Yi Bang-won would have given up on this.

Seon-woo’s arms trembled as he tried to push the barbell up again. He couldn’t muster any strength at all.

Finally, the barbell was racked only after Park Hoon practically lifted it by himself.

Park Hoon smiled with satisfaction.

“You’re doing well.”

“I am doing well, right…?”

“Yes. Don’t you feel that your body has already changed compared to when you first started working out?”

“I’ve only been working out for a month.”

“That’s exactly it. For just a month of working out, you’ve already gained quite a bit of muscle. Maybe it’s because you have a good frame. You build muscle well and it shows easily too.”

Park Hoon smacked his lips.

“If you work out properly, your body will really improve dramatically…”

“…”

Seon-woo said nothing.

So what he’d been doing wasn’t proper exercise? But the moment he voiced this question, Park Hoon would probably say something like ‘Let me show you what proper exercise is’ and wring him out like dried fish.

It would be best not to poke the hornet’s nest.

Seon-woo subtly changed the subject.

“So, how was my I-mu-gi in your opinion? Express it in just one word.”

“It was good.”

“Not that kind of thing. Something like cool, pitiful, you know.”

“…Isn’t one word a bit too harsh?”

“Then one sentence.”

“Hmm…”

Park Hoon thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

“30 seconds are up. First, lift the barbell again. If you do ten reps, I’ll think about it.”

“But I could only do eight earlier.”

“One!”

“Ugh…”

When Park Hoon forcibly placed the barbell in his hands, Seon-woo returned to the set with a wronged expression.

And after somehow finishing 10 sets like that, Park Hoon looked at the exhausted Seon-woo and spoke.

“It was just like us.”

“…Us?”

“Yes. Ordinary people in modern society, you know. Everyone lives earnestly saying they’ll try something… but they don’t really know why they have to do it, and just run forward blindly looking ahead. It seemed just like that, so I could relate to it quite well.”

“…”

“Is this right?”

“There’s no right answer. Everyone has their own interpretation.”

Seon-woo shook his head.

Though it was something he hadn’t thought about, hearing Park Hoon say this made him think it could indeed appear that way.

The process where Seon-woo had tried to create a more dramatic, easier-to-watch I-mu-gi was ultimately a process of creating another portrait of them that they could relate to.

‘Mass appeal is really difficult.’

In the end, mass appeal means being loved by as many people as possible.

Even while acting as a monster like I-mu-gi, he had to express emotions that as many people as possible could relate to.

Such contradictory situations would continue to await him in the future.

There was no need to think about the next project.

Even with just I-mu-gi, Seon-woo had only just finished the intro acting.

There was still much more he needed to prove going forward.

Seon-woo thought.

He hoped things would continue just like this.

But apparently that was too optimistic a wish.

It was the next filming.

Before filming the scene where I-mu-gi and Go Yu-na first encounter each other, what Seon-woo heard when he went to the film set fully prepared was…

“I’m sorry, PD. I can’t film today!”

Such an absurd statement.

* * *

Honestly, he had to admit it.

While studying with Go Yu-na, Seon-woo had somehow forgotten what kind of person Go Yu-na was.

It couldn’t be helped. Except for unnecessarily throwing around flirtation, Go Yu-na had never really been mean to Seon-woo.

He had forgotten.

That this was the person who had been an hour late to script reading because of drinking.

“Yu, Yu-na. Even so, saying you won’t film is a bit…”

“No way. Can’t you see this? I have a huge pimple.”

Looking at the flustered Jeong Yu-jun, Go Yu-na pointed to her cheek.

As she said, there was indeed a pimple that had sprouted up. Seeing this, Jeong Yu-jun smiled awkwardly and spoke.

“Couldn’t we cover that with makeup somehow?”

“No way. Even if makeup covers the color, it can’t handle the texture of the bumps. If we’re going to do that, just use CG instead.”

“…Wait a moment.”

Eventually Jeong Yu-jun went into an emergency strategy meeting with the staff.

Using CG was money too, after all. Of course, when hiring actresses, contracts actually included all these aspects.

Since image was life itself for actresses, clauses like ‘filming will not be forced when skin condition is poor’ were included from the beginning.

But to have to use CG because of that one pimple.

“By the way, if you say you’ll use CG and then just air it as is later… you know, right? I’ll really throw a tantrum.”

“Ah, ahaha. That won’t happen.”

A tantrum.

Though it was a cute expression, the moment those words came from Go Yu-na’s mouth, the story changed. If it was this much even when she was being somewhat cooperative, what would it be like if she really started throwing tantrums?

He didn’t even want to know.

After running the numbers, Jeong Yu-jun eventually reached an agreement with Go Yu-na by promising to do CG work.

He judged that having them start frame-by-frame correction work would be cheaper than delaying filming.

‘…This won’t be easy.’

The problem was that such incidents would often happen in the future too.

But it couldn’t be helped. Actually, actresses making such demands weren’t that rare, so they’d just have to accept it and proceed.

But Seon-woo, who had watched all this,

“Oppa, why do you look so unhappy?”

“I don’t.”

Couldn’t help but look unhappy in many ways.

Though he felt like he could understand Go Yu-na’s situation, that attitude of hers that seemed like she could overturn the filming anytime… wasn’t pleasant in many ways.

Go Yu-na seemed to have read Seon-woo’s feelings.

She crossed her arms and raised the corners of her mouth.

“What. You don’t like me being difficult?”

Should he say no.

Whatever else, Go Yu-na was much more senior than Seon-woo.

And she was also a colleague he’d continue working with throughout filming this project.

There was nothing good about getting heated for no reason.

“Honestly, I don’t like it.”

Nevertheless, Seon-woo answered honestly.

Whether it should be called fortunate. Go Yu-na didn’t particularly feel hurt or get angry at that answer. Rather, she looked at Seon-woo as if she’d expected as much and deliberately put on a sad expression.

“Don’t be like that. I have my own reasons for acting this way.”

“I know what the reason is. You must have things to protect as an actress.”

“…But why do you look so angry?”

Was it that obvious?

Seon-woo unconsciously touched his face. There was definitely a sense of stiffness somewhere.

“You seem to uphold what you need to as an actress, but you don’t seem to have much desire to uphold what you should as an actor.”

“…What?”

“I want to film a good work with you, senior. I want to create a work without regrets. But do you even have that kind of intention?”

“….”

Asking if she didn’t have that intention?

Go Yu-na looked at Seon-woo with a blank expression for a moment.

Of course she did….

….

Go Yu-na couldn’t bring herself to answer.

Seon-woo, who had been quietly watching her, soon left his seat as if he had nothing more to say. It seemed like continuing to stay together like this wouldn’t lead to pleasant words.

‘Did I say something unnecessary?’

No, it was something that needed to be said at least once.

No matter how unique a person she was, he couldn’t understand and accept everything forever.

Seon-woo thought.

What should he do?

What would be the wisest approach?

Actually, what Seon-woo wanted was simple.

For Go Yu-na to become serious about filming the work. Only when she was completely immersed in the work could Seon-woo also paint a more proper picture.

The problem was how to make Go Yu-na serious….

Should he continue nagging like this?

No, no matter how he thought about it, that wasn’t a very good method.

Nagging usually provokes resentment rather than achieving the opposite.

Then what should he do?

There was only one thing he could think of right now.

‘I need to move her heart.’

He had to make her love this work.

And what Seon-woo could do right now for that was, of course, acting.

‘Right, let’s act.’

In the end, going round and round, his essence was one thing.

Acting.

If it was acting that could captivate viewers’ hearts, there was no reason it couldn’t captivate a fellow actor’s heart.

He had to show her.

How lovely the work they were currently working on was.

How magical the meeting between I-mu-gi and Yeo-ui-ju was.

If he could make her understand how enchanting and overwhelming a picture that magic could paint….

Couldn’t he shake her heart too?

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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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