I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 21

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 21

 

‘As expected, this kid is a genius.’

 

Seon-jun also slowly applauded.

 

Even though he was just an understudy, when he heard that Seon-woo had taken on the lead role, he did think that Seon-woo would have grown more than he had expected.

 

But Seon-woo’s acting that he actually witnessed was beyond his imagination.

 

At this level… he thought that Seon-woo could take on a main actor role instead of just being an understudy.

 

The play had ended.

 

The murmuring of people who had held back their words throughout the nearly 2-hour runtime burst out here and there.

 

“Incredible… that actor is so good.”

 

“I was a bit worried since the lead actor was suddenly changed… but as expected from Cheongseong.”

 

“Isn’t that actor the person from back then? The one who said he would kill that person in [Confession].”

 

“Right, right. I thought his acting was good back then too… but today he’s completely flying.”

 

Jeong-hee’s ears twitched.

 

Since she could hear voices praising Seon-woo from here and there, she couldn’t help but be constantly aware of it.

 

‘No, this isn’t the time for this.’

 

She couldn’t just be happy because her son was being praised.

 

Jeong-hee turned to look at Seon-jun.

 

“…Now explain to me. What exactly is this situation?”

 

“Seon-woo started acting. I recommended it to him.”

 

“You recommended it?”

 

“Yes. No matter how I looked at it, he had talent.”

 

“Haah…”

 

A headache was coming on.

 

Jeong-hee held her head.

 

The couple was already worried enough just about Seon-jun doing movies. Even though Seon-jun was doing fairly well for now… his future was still unstable after all.

 

At least she had been relieved that Seon-woo was steadily following the elite course, but now acting. What kind of bolt from the blue was this?

 

Seon-jun read Jeong-hee’s feelings without much difficulty.

 

He looked at her with a serious expression.

 

“How long do you think Seon-woo has been acting?”

 

“Don’t tell me it’s been a long time? Has it already been several years?”

 

It was acting ability worthy of such thoughts.

 

The acting ability Seon-woo had shown wasn’t something that could be built up in just a day or two.

 

But Seon-jun shook his head.

 

“It’s been about four months now.”

 

“…Four months?”

 

Disbelief crossed Jeong-hee’s face.

 

She might not know acting well, but she could tell that wasn’t the kind of acting ability that could develop in just four months.

 

Seeing Jeong-hee like that, Seon-jun straightened his shoulders even more confidently.

 

“I told you. Seon-woo has talent.”

 

“…Are you saying Seon-woo is some kind of genius?”

 

This time it wasn’t Jeong-hee who asked the question, but Young-sik.

 

Unlike Jeong-hee, Young-sik’s eyes didn’t contain only confusion. Perhaps Seon-woo’s acting had made a good impression in various ways. His eyes seemed to be sparkling somewhere.

 

Seon-jun, who had found an opening, lit up his eyes.

 

“Yes. He’s a genius. To the extent that he wouldn’t fall behind any of the actors I’ve seen so far.”

 

No, maybe he might even surpass them.

 

But Seon-jun didn’t bother to share such thoughts. If it seemed too over the top, it might actually lower his credibility.

 

Fortunately, Seon-jun’s calculation seemed to work well.

 

Young-sik wrapped his arm around Jeong-hee’s shoulder.

 

“Well, first of all, we shouldn’t scold Seon-jun… Let’s talk with Seon-woo.”

 

“…What kind of talk?”

 

“Seeing how the kids prepared this surprise event… they must have something they want to say, right?”

 

Jeong-hee let out a sigh.

 

She already had an idea of what that might be.

 

Her head was already starting to ache, but she had to listen.

 

That was a parent’s role.

 

“…Seon-woo, where is he now?”

 

* * *

 

His heart aches.

 

There’s no need to specifically talk about how nervous Seon-woo was before going on stage.

 

It was his first lead performance… and his parents had even come to the audience seats.

 

But the moment he stepped onto the stage, all that nervousness disappeared like a mirage.

 

The moment he was colored with Hee-jae’s essence, all he could think about was expressing that color.

 

Of course, after the performance ended, the worries he had forgotten came flooding back.

 

Was it good acting? What did his parents think?

 

The curtain call gave him his answer.

 

Cheers and applause so loud it hurt his ears.

 

Faced with such intense praise that he had never encountered before… the first thing that caught Seon-woo’s eyes were his parents’ hands.

 

Two hands applauding for him just like everyone else.

 

Had he… received their approval?

 

The moment he looked into his mother’s eyes with such hope, Seon-woo couldn’t help but be startled.

 

…Those incredibly blazing eyes.

 

The same look he always saw before getting scolded.

 

And sure enough,

 

“What on earth were you thinking?”

 

That night, what awaited Seon-woo was a family meeting after a long time.

 

Seon-woo looked at his parents with an awkward expression.

 

“You were very surprised, weren’t you?”

 

“Of course. A child who never caused us any trouble since he was young… why are you suddenly acting like this? Did your brother influence you?”

 

“Ah, Mom. Why are you bringing me up right now?”

 

“You be quiet!”

 

Jeong-hee glared at Seon-jun.

 

Watching Seon-jun startle and shut his mouth tight, Seon-woo broke out in a cold sweat.

 

He thought they might view him favorably since they applauded during the curtain call… but things weren’t going to be resolved that easily.

 

“Mom. I’m sorry.”

 

“Being sorry isn’t what’s important right now. What exactly are you planning to do?”

 

“…I want to act.”

 

“Do you know how much of a starving profession that is?”

 

“I know.”

 

Seon-woo nodded his head.

 

Of course, if he succeeded, he wouldn’t have to worry about starving.

 

And Seon-woo had some faith. That if things continued like this, he too would eventually see the light.

 

But now wasn’t the time to talk about such vague beliefs.

 

“Please give me just a little time.”

 

“If we give you time?”

 

“I’ll become an actor you won’t need to worry about like this.”

 

“….”

 

Instead of answering, Jeong-hee quietly looked at Seon-woo.

 

Seon-woo said nothing and looked back at Jeong-hee. There were no more words he could say beyond this.

 

Right now, without any special results, all he could say was that he would work hard.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

Young-sik’s mouth, which had been tightly shut until now, opened.

 

“Seon-woo.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You act well. Maybe it’s because you’re my son, but it felt like you weren’t inferior to those actors on TV.”

 

At those words, Seon-woo felt a surge of emotion.

 

He hadn’t expected to hear such words from Young-sik.

 

But Young-sik hadn’t opened his mouth just to give praise.

 

“But there should always be a Plan B for everything. It would be great if things went smoothly as you say, but… from what I’ve experienced in life, it doesn’t work that way.”

 

Young-sik looked at Seon-woo.

 

“It’s good that you’re taking on challenges. But I hope it’s not too indefinite a challenge. How about setting a deadline for yourself?”

 

“A deadline….”

 

“That’s right. How much time would you like us to give you?”

 

Seon-woo thought for a moment.

 

And then he answered.

 

“Please give me 2 years.”

 

“…Will 2 years really be enough?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Seon-woo nodded his head.

 

“It’s enough.”

 

* * *

 

“Hyung, great work!”

 

“Hey, Seon-woo! You were really amazing yesterday!”

 

“Seriously, you could just do lead roles now, right?”

 

The day after his first substitute lead role ended, everyone at Cheongseong welcomed Seon-woo with great enthusiasm.

 

Since he had been dragged away by his parents on the actual day of his lead performance, they hadn’t been able to have a proper after-party.

 

And among those welcoming Seon-woo was Jae-won as well.

 

“You worked hard. Thanks to you, I could catch my breath…”

 

“Are you feeling better now?”

 

“Thanks to you, I’m much better. I think I’ll be able to go back on stage starting from the next performance…”

 

Jae-won looked at Seon-woo’s expression and smiled mischievously.

 

“You look like you wish I was still sick?”

 

“…No way, of course not.”

 

Was it that obvious?

 

Seon-woo quickly composed his expression.

 

Watching Seon-woo, Hye-seong chuckled softly.

 

“You left early yesterday because of your parents, so how did the conversation go?”

 

“Right. You still hadn’t told them about your acting, right?”

 

“…I managed to tell them properly. They even said they’d support me.”

 

“Wow, that’s a relief. It’s really not easy to get support for this path… Your parents must be very open-minded.”

 

Seon-woo told the troupe members exactly what happened.

 

That in exchange for getting his parents’ permission, he had promised to establish himself within two years.

 

And when the troupe members heard this, their expressions became troubled.

 

“Two years is a bit… tough, isn’t it? Why did you specifically say two years?”

 

“Well, actually…”

 

Seon-woo scratched his head.

 

Well, it would be nice if he could answer something like “I’m confident I’ll definitely succeed within two years!” but… it wasn’t actually such a cool reason.

 

“If I said three years or more, I felt like they wouldn’t give me permission.”

 

“…That could be true. But two years is really not easy. You need to start diligently sending out your portfolio from now on. Audition, film, broadcast to raise your recognition – all of those processes need to go smoothly without any hitches for you to establish yourself within two years.”

 

“Hye-seong hyung is right. In this industry, getting opportunities is harder than acting well.”

 

Seon-woo silently nodded his head.

 

That’s when Min-hee casually threw out a question.

 

“What are you going to do about your theater troupe life?”

 

At that moment, everyone fell silent.

 

It was a topic they had all been intentionally avoiding.

 

If you focused on external auditions, you inevitably had to neglect your theater troupe life.

 

In fact, it was one of the biggest reasons why troupe members quit.

 

But Seon-woo had already thought about this too.

 

“If everyone doesn’t mind… I’d like to go back and forth.”

 

“Back and forth?”

 

“Yes. Do broadcast activities and also theater troupe life… I really love acting here.”

 

It wasn’t empty words.

 

Even if he became a famous actor later, he wanted to often perform on Cheongseong’s stage. That sensation of facing the audience and sharing breath with them… couldn’t be felt in front of a camera.

 

Didn’t Do-young also promise to return to Cheongseong someday?

 

Performing on stage together with Do-young then would be very enjoyable too.

 

Min-hee shrugged her shoulders as if she understood.

 

“Well, then I guess we don’t have to worry about not seeing your face anymore.”

 

“Actually, there are quite a few kids doing what Seon-woo’s doing. How many people here don’t send out portfolios for movie auditions?”

 

“That’s true. But this kid… somehow feels like he’ll quickly establish himself over there too.”

 

“Well, there is that kind of feeling.”

 

“…You’re too kind.”

 

He hadn’t expected them to suddenly praise him like this.

 

Seon-woo felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. Min-hee giggled watching him like that.

 

“But don’t get too excited. You might be doing all these auditions and whatnot, but end up with no one calling you back, still only at Cheongseong even two years from now.”

 

“…That would be really sad, wouldn’t it?”

 

“That’s why you need to seize opportunities well. Always keep your eyes wide open and look around. You never know when or where what kind of opportunity might come.”

 

She was right.

 

Now he couldn’t just giggle and laugh because acting was fun. He had to keep thinking about where and how he would act.

 

So Seon-woo went to a photo studio that very day to shoot his profile.

 

Photos were essential for sending out actor portfolios.

 

But even after going through all the trouble of making a portfolio… finding audition opportunities turned out to be not so easy.

 

He had searched through all the websites where audition announcements were posted, but there weren’t really any roles he could apply for.

 

All the supporting role auditions seemed to be completely private auditions… and even for minor roles, there wasn’t anything suitable for him to apply to.

 

So Seon-woo decided to look around for image-based minor roles.

 

What are image-based minor roles? Think of them as a step up from extras. For example, when there’s a scene where detectives appear in a group, you’d be one of those detectives, acting as background with a detective-like presence.

 

But honestly, even this wasn’t easy.

 

Image-based minor roles required distinct physical characteristics. Looking rough, or pathetic, or something like that.

 

Unfortunately, none of that applied to Seon-woo.

 

People often told him he was handsome… but casting for ‘handsome image-based minor roles’ didn’t happen as often as you’d think.

 

He did get one opportunity though. A crime drama. He was selected as an extra dancing in a club.

 

But there was nothing to it.

 

He just danced in the club with other model-turned extras and the filming was over.

 

It was barely even acting.

 

“Thank you for your hard work!”

 

Of course, even this might have been an opportunity.

 

With that thought, Seon-woo went around diligently bowing and greeting each of the staff members.

 

But nothing special happened.

 

He thought it would be nice to at least make an impression, but they didn’t seem to really notice him.

 

The female staff members did throw him a few compliments about being handsome… but that was it.

 

But Seon-woo didn’t get discouraged.

 

If there were no opportunities, he just had to work harder to find them.

 

Except when he was practicing acting, Seon-woo was always searching for audition information.

 

It was still difficult to find auditions for proper roles. What Seon-woo could appear in was mostly just background extra work.

 

Background extra work didn’t really allow for meaningful acting… but still, Seon-woo tried to show the best performance he could within those constraints.

 

Even when working as a customer eating rice in a restaurant, he tried to appear as natural as possible.

 

Honestly, it wasn’t like he didn’t have expectations.

 

—Young man, I saw your work today and your attitude was excellent. Would you be interested in appearing as a supporting actor?

 

Or something like,

 

—Our actor had to drop out today due to personal circumstances. Is there anyone who could fill in as a substitute?

 

…He had expectations that such lucky situations might arise.

 

But such things only happened in novels after all. The production team’s attention wasn’t particularly focused on supporting actors to begin with.

 

It was from this point that Seon-woo began to feel a sense of crisis.

 

‘…Will I be able to establish myself within two years at this rate?’

 

The words his seniors had said came to mind.

 

That seizing opportunities was harder than acting well.

 

It was certainly true. To seize an opportunity, you first had to be seen, but what could you do when the opportunity itself was nowhere to be found?

 

With Eun-seok leaving to do movie filming, and Do-young being scouted by Director Yu Chan-woo… Chungmuro had seemed closer than he thought.

 

It wasn’t.

 

As they say, you see as much as you know – now that he was actually trying to jump into this field, he could finally see how high and solid the walls built there were.

 

But what could he do?

 

He couldn’t turn back just because the wall was high.

 

After all, beyond that wall was the world he wanted.

 

Then he had to climb over it.

 

By any means necessary.

 

And the opportunity came to Seon-woo in a form he had never expected.

 

It was near the end of the quarter.

 

Around the time when Cheongseong should start preparing for a new season… Ji-hwan gathered all the troupe members.

 

The troupe members who gathered at the theater tilted their heads as soon as they saw Ji-hwan.

 

It was because an unfamiliar middle-aged man was standing beside him.

 

Ji-hwan cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

 

“Ahem, the reason we gathered today is because there’s something to announce. This person here is my school senior… YBS PD Im Yeong-do. Senior, would you like to explain the matter directly?”

 

“Yes, yes. Everyone, the reason I came today is nothing other than… to find people to participate in the program I’m in charge of.”

 

“Um… could we know what kind of program you’re referring to?”

 

The actors’ eyes sparkled.

 

They wondered if he had come to do drama casting.

 

But what Im Yeong-do had brought wasn’t a drama.

 

“Yes. We’re currently planning an actor audition program. Usually we receive video applications, conduct document screening, then proceed with preliminaries, but since Cheongseong’s troupe members are already verified, we’d like to let you skip straight to the preliminaries.”

 

“YBS is doing an actor audition program?”

 

“They’re doing audition programs for actors too?”

 

“…We can skip the document screening too?”

 

The troupe members murmured.

 

Since it was such a sudden event, everyone seemed unable to process how they should take this.

 

But Seon-woo’s eyes sparkled.

 

He didn’t know much, but one thing was certain.

 

‘…This is it.’

 

He couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

 

He had to seize it.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————