I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 19

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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 19

‘Five people applied for the male lead alone.’

Ji-hwan looked at the audition list of troupe members who had applied for ‘Hee-jae.’

It had been a very long time since so many people applied for the male lead role. He had been worried about what would happen to Cheongseong’s morale once Do-young left… but it seemed his absence wasn’t having entirely negative effects.

Everyone must have been suppressed to that extent.

How much must they have wanted to play the lead role to rush forward like this, thinking it was their chance?

But…

‘That guy Seon-woo…’

He never imagined he would find this name here.

How long has it been since Seon-woo started acting? Two months? Maybe it hasn’t even been that long.

And yet he’s already aiming for the lead role…

‘Right. So you were born with a lead actor’s ego too.’

Ji-hwan understood.

Personally, Ji-hwan believed that actors were divided from the beginning into those who would play leads and those who would play supporting roles.

It wasn’t just about looks.

Even if their appearance didn’t fit the conventional standards of handsome men and beautiful women… there were those born with that stage presence that lead actors possess.

The magic power to captivate the audience’s gaze.

There was no doubt that Seon-woo had that magic power.

Just looking at the Seung-do that Seon-woo had shown in [Confession], he had demonstrated the ability to enchant countless audience members.

Didn’t they say he already had fans?

‘But it’s going to be difficult.’

Maybe he thought this even more after seeing Jae-won’s acting.

During the past quarter, it seemed like he hadn’t been working construction but had gone somewhere for special training… Jae-won had returned equipped with even more impressive acting ability than what he remembered from before.

A troupe member who was so obsessed with acting that calling him a practice maniac wasn’t enough.

If it weren’t for Do-young, there were even sayings that Jae-won would have been Cheongseong’s star performer, such was his overwhelming ability.

No matter how amazing Seon-woo’s acting might be, he wasn’t yet at the level to compete with Jae-won for the lead role.

That was Ji-hwan’s judgment.

However,

“If I just jump down… if I just die, I can go back?”

When Ji-hwan actually saw Seon-woo’s acting, he couldn’t help but be surprised once again.

“Ye-bin… she can live, right?”

‘This guy…’

His acting had improved again.

Of course, since he was continuously practicing, it was natural for his skills to improve.

But Seon-woo’s improvement wasn’t at a level that could simply be brushed off as ‘improved through practice.’

Solidly established diaphragmatic breathing and… a clean voice that resonated based on that foundation.

And Hee-jae’s emotions packed tightly into that voice.

It felt as if his earnest and devoted pure love was being engraved into one’s heart.

It was hard to believe this was the same Seon-woo he had seen not long ago.

It felt like his weight class had suddenly jumped up several levels. Previously, there were some signs that he had just started acting…

‘Who would think that kid has been acting for less than a year?’

Of course, the reason he could change so noticeably was voice training.

Hye-seong, who had been watching Seon-woo, smiled contentedly and brushed under his nose with his finger.

“See, I told you the Gwak-gwak-gwak Training Method was meaningful, right?”

“Shh. Be quiet, oppa.”

Seon-woo’s ability to grasp and express a character’s emotional line was already at a level that competed for the top within Cheongseong.

What Seon-woo had been lacking was… the energy itself to spread that feeling widely.

But now that voice training had supplemented that energy… it was natural that Seon-woo’s transformation was more noticeable.

For a brief moment, the thought crossed the troupe members’ minds… ‘At this level, he might be able to compete with Jae-won?’

Ji-hwan was no exception.

Until he first sat in this seat, Ji-hwan hadn’t even imagined that he would seriously consider Seon-woo’s Hee-jae.

But he kept imagining it.

He became curious about how the audience would react when they saw that Hee-jae.

When announcing the results, the reason Ji-hwan’s expression still showed signs of contemplation was probably for that reason.

However…

“Everyone worked hard. I can tell at a glance that you all prepared earnestly. But as you all know, we’re only selecting one person for the role of Hee-jae this time.”

“And that one person is…”

“Congratulations. Song Jae-won. You’ll be taking the lead role this quarter.”

No reversal occurred.

Amid the cheers and applause echoing from all directions, Jae-won quietly bowed his head in gratitude.

Seon-woo clapped along with everyone else.

He had lost.

He had expected it, but… it was a strange feeling. His heart felt tingly and numb. It was like the feeling of being heartbroken.

‘…I have to accept it.’

There was nothing to complain about.

He simply lacked the skills to play the lead role yet. Then he just needed to practice more and polish his abilities.

What mattered was that he was growing. That he was steadily learning more about acting. If he continued to work hard like this, wouldn’t he become a good actor someday?

With that mindset, he was clapping enthusiastically when,

“However.”

Suddenly, Ji-hwan spoke up.

Seon-woo’s expression became strange as he noticed Ji-hwan’s eyes turning toward him.

What? What could he possibly have to say while looking at him in this situation?

“Kim Seon-woo.”

“Y-yes?”

“Your acting was good too. Good enough that it would be a shame to end things with just elimination. So… I have a proposal.”

“…What kind of proposal?”

Instead of answering immediately, Ji-hwan remained silent for a moment.

His expression suggested he was still deliberating even at this moment after bringing up the topic.

But the moment Ji-hwan opened his mouth,

“Would you consider becoming Hee-jae’s understudy?”

“!”

The audience was shocked.

Understudy? An understudy? Amazing, hasn’t something like this never happened before? The troupe members chattered excitedly.

Seon-woo felt the same way.

He never imagined he would hear such words.

An understudy!

He could become an understudy?

…What was that?

* * *

Understudy.

It was a term referring to a substitute who practices a role in preparation for situations where an actor might need to be replaced.

A concept similar to a relief pitcher.

But unlike baseball, the difference was that unless the starter got injured, there would be no chance to step onto the mound.

Anyway, did Seon-woo accept that proposal?

“Is Seon-woo going to pray every day for Jae-won to catch the flu now?”

“Haha… Of course not.”

Of course he accepted.

It wasn’t like he had anything else to do if he didn’t take the understudy role, so there was no reason not to accept.

However, he was a bit worried at first. He thought that being an understudy would mean having nothing particular to do unless Jae-won got sick or something.

But the understudy position turned out to be not as idle as he had expected.

Whenever the cast of [Until You Live for Me], abbreviated as [When I Was Four], practiced scenes that appeared together with Hee-jae, they would ask Seon-woo to rehearse with them.

For rehearsing with Jae-won, there was only one of him, but there were too many people who needed to practice with him.

And Seon-woo became quite a good substitute for those Troupe Members.

It was also welcome news for Seon-woo.

His body had been itching for action anyway.

If he could act with other actors like this, he couldn’t ask for more.

And among the Troupe Members practicing with Seon-woo were Min-hee and Hye-seong.

Both had been cast in the roles of Ye-bin and Fairy respectively.

“Can’t you just become a professional understudy actor from now on? It’s convenient and nice for practice.”

Min-hee teased Seon-woo with a grin.

Seeing Min-hee like that, Hye-seong clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“Look at Na Min-hee teasing Seon-woo again.”

“Teasing? What’s wrong with being an understudy? Is our Seon-woo embarrassed?”

“…Pfft.”

Min-hee retorted innocently, and even Ye-chan was desperately trying to hold back his laughter.

…In many ways, it was a heart-wrenching situation.

Seon-woo deliberately raised his voice, trying to appear dignified.

“Even if you tease me like that, I won’t get riled up. I’m satisfied with this.”

“Hmm~.”

“Originally, I wouldn’t have even had a chance to go on stage. Just the possibility of becoming the lead, even if it’s one in a million, is enough to satisfy me.”

“Heh~.”

“Besides, practicing with the seniors like this is fun enough.”

“Oh~ I see.”

No, I said I won’t get riled up.

…Anyway, even though he was being teased, it wasn’t a lie that he enjoyed the practice time with them.

When acting as Seung-do, he only had the Priest to interact with, but now he could exchange acting with all kinds of characters.

And what Seon-woo gained from becoming an understudy wasn’t just that.

“Thanks. I feel a bit more relaxed thanks to you.”

“Oh, no. I’m doing this because I like it too.”

It was the opportunity to get closer to Jae-won.

He had wanted to become friends with Jae-won from the first time he heard about him. Not only was his passion for acting while doing construction work admirable… but the fact that he was the only person who challenged Do-young also stimulated Seon-woo’s interest.

The problem was that Jae-won himself was quite introverted, making him difficult to approach, but being an understudy provided a good excuse.

“You’re removing emotion from this scene instead? Why?”

“I think showing exhaustion would be more fitting. Hee-jae has already died multiple times trying to return to the past. No matter how much he loves Ye-bin, love alone isn’t enough to endure such great pain.”

“…That’s true. If we emphasize his exhaustion, the heart that still doesn’t give up despite everything would feel even more pitiful.”

“Yes, exactly!”

Like this, Seon-woo often discussed with Jae-won how they could create a better ‘Hee-jae.’

Of course, they didn’t only talk about theater-related things.

There was also some small talk in between.

“Why I challenged Do-young senior?”

“Yes. Honestly… you could have just chosen something where you could definitely get a role.”

“…That’s something I want to say to you too. You didn’t necessarily have to challenge for the lead role either.”

“Uh…”

“I think it’s probably the same reason.”

Jae-won answered with a nonchalant expression.

“I had this thought. If I didn’t challenge that senior, I would become someone who doesn’t take on challenges whenever things get even a little difficult. Wasn’t it the same for you?”

“…I’m not sure, but I just wanted to challenge myself.”

“I think that’s good. Isn’t there a saying like that? Knock, and it shall be opened.”

Those were good words.

Right.

I have to keep knocking. Until it opens.

After hearing Jae-won’s story, Seon-woo felt more settled in his heart.

The other seniors had teased him so much that he’d started to think challenging for the lead role might have been reckless… but now it was clear.

It didn’t matter if no one else recognized it.

Didn’t he know? That he was growing. That his Hee-jae was quite impressive.

Of course, it was disappointing not to be able to go on stage… but couldn’t he use even this as an opportunity to grow further?

Well, it would be a lie to say it wasn’t mentally difficult.

When the troupe members he’d been practicing with raised the curtain on “When I Was Four” without Seon-woo, and when the sound of the audience’s applause echoed during the curtain call… the melancholy he felt then.

Among all that applause, not a single clap would be for him – such pitiful thoughts came to mind.

Whenever that happened, Seon-woo threw himself into practice.

When he was acting, at least he could think only about acting.

But the more he did so, the greater the thirst in his heart grew. He wanted to perform in front of an audience. He wanted to show them his Hee-jae.

But it was impossible.

Frankly speaking, unless Jae-won actually caught the flu or something… there would be no chance for Seon-woo to step on stage.

But he couldn’t picture that Captain America-looking man getting sick.

…But then, another month later, when “When I Was Four’s” schedule was nearly at its end.

“Cough cough… I’m sorry, Director…”

“Geez, what’s a guy with a body like a beast doing catching a cold?”

“I can still… go on stage…”

“Forget it. Your voice isn’t even coming out properly, what stage?”

…So very unfortunately, Captain America – no, Jae-won – had caught a cold.

A severe throat cold that made it hard for him to speak properly.

“I really didn’t expect this to happen… Seon-woo, it’s your time to shine.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you’re the understudy. You can do it, right?”

An opportunity he’d half given up on had appeared.

Seon-woo stood there dazed, then hurriedly nodded his head.

While Jae-won being sick was truly sad and unfortunate, he had to fill the gap so Jae-won wouldn’t worry.

“I can… I can do it. I’ll do it!”

“Good. You’re going on stage tonight, right?”

“Yes! I understand!”

Seon-woo answered energetically.

Seeing Seon-woo like that, Jae-won grumbled in a deflated voice.

“…Even so, aren’t you smiling a bit too much?”

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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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