I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 24

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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 24

 

If there was anyone as desperate as the participants right now, it would be PD Im Yeong-do.

 

Running an actor audition program was an extremely adventurous endeavor from the start. If he hadn’t had aspirations for this kind of program since long ago, he wouldn’t have tried to do such a show either.

 

‘There’s no platform of opportunity for rookie actors.’

 

Idols, singers, even rappers have platforms to challenge themselves on… but actors don’t have such places.

 

While most professions have at least some gateway for challenges open, rookie actors aren’t even given such opportunities.

 

That was the reason this program was created.

 

Because he wanted a new platform of opportunity to be established for actors.

 

…Perhaps it was just meddling from someone who once dreamed of being an actor.

 

Anyway, for that meddling to succeed, the ratings had to do well.

 

And this wasn’t something that could be helped just by Im Yeong-do’s efforts.

 

It was only possible if the participants showed enough charm to captivate the viewers.

 

‘What this program needs is a star.’

 

A cast member with star quality was needed.

 

That was also the reason for going to Cheongseong. He knew that Cheongseong had many attractive actors.

 

If such people appeared on the program, the probability of a star emerging from among them would increase accordingly.

 

And Seon-woo was one of the star candidates who caught Im Yeong-do’s eye.

 

During the following interview time, the reason all the other Cheongseong participants received questions about Seon-woo was for that reason.

 

“Seon-woo? Well… he’s really amazing. I’ve never seen a friend whose acting improves so quickly either.”

 

To Hye-seong as well,

 

“He’s talented, but he’s also a practice maniac. Seon-woo will definitely become a good actor.”

 

To Min-hee as well,

 

“That hyung is a genius!!”

 

To Ye-chan as well,

 

“….”

 

Even Seo Jin-wook was asked questions about Seon-woo.

 

Of course, all that came back was an expression that seemed somewhat uncomfortable with Seon-woo, but even that could become good material if used well.

 

Anyway, after receiving those questions, the troupe members also felt something.

 

“The PD seemed like he was trying to push you a bit, didn’t he?”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah. He asked a lot about you. Did he ask you questions about us too?”

 

“Well…”

 

He had been asked questions about Jae-won and Min-hee.

 

But there hadn’t been any particular mention of the other troupe members. However, he couldn’t exactly say that outright, so Seon-woo trailed off his words.

 

Reading Seon-woo’s feelings, Hye-seong smiled refreshingly.

 

“Anyway, that’s good. Making an impression on the PD is just as important as impressing the viewers. I’m kind of envious.”

 

“…Haha.”

 

Seon-woo laughed awkwardly.

 

As Hye-seong said, it was a good situation, but it was also burdensome. If he was framed as such a genius, it seemed like the aftermath would be quite severe if he made even one misstep later on…

 

Well, he just wouldn’t make any missteps.

 

Seon-woo steeled his resolve.

 

He couldn’t approach the competition thinking about making mistakes from the start. He would show his best from beginning to end.

 

And if he was lucky…

 

‘The lead role isn’t just a dream.’

 

Of course, it wasn’t a goal he could speak of lightly.

 

To get the lead role, he had to place first. That meant he had to achieve victory against countless competitors.

 

He didn’t need to think far.

 

Could he beat Jae-won?

 

‘Honestly, I can’t beat him right now.’

 

And in ‘I Am an Actor,’ there would surely be several others with the same level of skill as Jae-won, even if not Jae-won himself.

 

To win against them, he couldn’t stay as he was now.

 

So what should he do?

 

What else could he do?

 

He had to practice like his life depended on it.

 

Only two weeks remained until the finals.

 

The production team hadn’t told them to prepare any specific acting pieces.

 

They would probably give them separate missions on the day itself.

 

However, he couldn’t just spend those two weeks playing around.

 

Jeong-hee and Young-sik were already showing their excitement just hearing that Seon-woo was going on an audition program.

 

He couldn’t show them a half-hearted performance that would end in failure.

 

Seon-woo reviewed his acting with the troupe members.

 

Honestly, considering his experience, Seon-woo’s acting didn’t have any particular flaws.

 

But despite that, Seon-woo still wasn’t entirely satisfied with his acting.

 

‘I want to act like Do-young hyung.’

 

His color had been so intense that it filled not just himself but the entire stage.

 

He couldn’t emit that kind of color overnight, but he wanted to feel that he was getting even a little closer to it.

 

And when he asked the other troupe members about this, their advice was as follows.

 

“Repetitive practice is the answer.”

 

“Repetition?”

 

“Yeah. Whether it’s sadness or fear. You need to pick any emotion and practice it over and over again. The more you do that, the more familiar you become with that emotion.”

 

“That’s right. They say only people who know how to get angry can really get angry, right? Acting is the same.”

 

Min-hee shrugged her shoulders.

 

“You need to become familiar with that emotion.”

 

Becoming familiar with emotions.

 

At that moment, Seon-woo admitted it. Relying on the power of color orbs, he had been somewhat lacking in thinking about how to actually express emotions.

 

That had been Seon-woo’s best effort before.

 

Just radiating the color he had absorbed was overwhelming enough for him at the time.

 

Seon-woo decided to take this opportunity to explore emotions, and furthermore colors, more deeply.

 

Even if he burst a color orb and became immersed in a character’s mindset… ultimately, the subject experiencing all of that was the person called ‘Kim Seon-woo.’

 

If Seon-woo himself didn’t develop a deeper understanding of emotions, there would ultimately be limits to the emotions he could feel and express.

 

It was a bit difficult, but that was okay.

 

He had thought from the beginning that it wouldn’t be easy, and more than anything, even these complex processes felt enjoyable to Seon-woo.

 

After all, weren’t even moments like these colorful in their own way?

 

There was no need to complain.

 

Seon-woo focused on his acting practice for now.

 

The sight was a bit amusing. Reading the script, staring blankly into space, then grinning to himself before making a sad face repeatedly.

 

What kind of emotions was he feeling without saying a single line?

 

Even Jae-won shook his head watching Seon-woo like that.

 

“He’s not normal, right?”

 

It was Min-hee who spoke up.

 

She looked at Seon-woo as if he was truly amazing.

 

“Since oppa, this is the first time I’ve seen someone act with such tenacity.”

 

“…It’s different from me.”

 

“Huh, what? Are you saying oppa worked harder?”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

 

Jae-won’s lips trembled for a moment.

 

Min-hee, who had turned to look at Jae-won without much thought, was momentarily surprised. What’s with that look in his eyes? It’s like he’s envious of Seon-woo or something.

 

“He’s enjoying it more than I did.”

 

Enjoying it.

 

She hadn’t thought about it from that perspective…

 

Min-hee turned her head to look at Seon-woo. Come to think of it, Seon-woo showed no signs of ‘depression,’ the passive skill of unknown actors.

 

She had just vaguely thought that since he hadn’t been acting for long, he hadn’t fully experienced the sorrow of this unknown life yet, but looking at it now, that didn’t seem to be entirely the case.

 

“None of us are enjoying acting like he is.”

 

Jae-won was right.

 

Seon-woo was definitely enjoying acting more than anyone else.

 

Whether things went well or not, he was enjoying acting in its purest form.

 

Min-hee stared at Seon-woo blankly for a moment.

 

When was it? When was the time she could smile happily just from acting like that?

 

She muttered bitterly.

 

“They say those who enjoy are first-rate. By that logic… Seon-woo is already first-rate.”

 

“Well, we’re seniors in our own right, so we can’t fall behind.”

 

Jae-won smiled while tying up his hair.

 

“Let’s try enjoying it too.”

 

And the sight of him approaching Seon-woo.

 

Watching the two practice their acting in sync before she knew it, Min-hee chuckled softly.

 

Right.

 

Let’s not think too hard about it.

 

Let’s just enjoy it for now.

 

* * *

 

The day of the finals.

 

Filming Studio. Entering the plaza surrounded by cameras, Seon-woo muttered as if slightly surprised.

 

“…There really are all kinds of people here.”

 

He could see quite a few young children who looked like they might be around ten years old.

 

Of course, there had been such kids during the preliminaries too. But he had thought it would be difficult for them to make it to the finals – he was wrong.

 

It wasn’t just those young children that surprised Seon-woo.

 

He could see many elderly grandmothers and grandfathers, and middle-aged people who looked like ordinary office workers appeared frequently too.

 

Being here must mean they showed good acting during the preliminaries… How much effort must they have all put in to prepare that acting?

 

It was a moment when wonder filled Seon-woo’s eyes.

 

【 Thank you for your hard work, everyone who made it this far. 】

 

A familiar voice echoed from the speaker.

 

Seong Jun-il’s voice.

 

At the same time, the curtain that had been drawn across the stage opened, revealing the judges.

 

Seong Jun-il, Yu Mi-yeon, and Lee Mu-beom.

 

They slowly looked around at the hundred participants standing in the plaza.

 

【 Starting today, you will walk a long journey for 80 days. Of course, not everyone will be able to complete that entire schedule. Some might last half, some might… not even endure a few days. 】

 

【 But if there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that whoever makes it through this journey to the end… will definitely be able to live a different life than before. 】

 

Seon-woo inwardly nodded.

 

Right. Just making it to the end would surely change his life.

 

The question was whether he could make it to the end…

 

【 To create an environment where you can focus entirely on acting, we have done our best. 】

 

【 Double rooms that rival any hotel have been prepared for all participants. 】

 

【 However… there are only 25 rooms. 】

 

Something quite ominous had come up right from the start.

 

There were 25 double rooms, but 100 participants.

 

While participants who had already anticipated what would happen were clutching their foreheads, Seong Jun-il continued speaking in a voice devoid of laughter.

 

【 From now on, you will move to the accommodation behind here and each choose a room. 】

 

【 Movement will be done sequentially, one person at a time, and rooms with 4 people will be locked. 】

 

【 And after that, an acting battle is prepared to determine the 2 people who will become the owners of the room. 】

 

…As expected.

 

Sighs could be heard from here and there.

 

Well, I thought this kind of development might happen, but to eliminate half from the very first day.

 

Seon-woo looked around at the troupe members.

 

As if they had the same thought, the troupe members also looked back at Seon-woo.

 

“…Please, let’s not meet each other in there.”

 

“Exactly. Fighting each other to the death would be too…”

 

They might end up meeting each other in there. Just imagining it was terrible.

 

If they fought among themselves, even winning wouldn’t feel like winning.

 

“Well, let’s all try to avoid each other somehow.”

 

【 Now, we’ll begin room assignments! 】

 

With Seong Jun-il’s voice, the participants slowly began to move.

 

It wasn’t a lie that they had prepared hotel-grade double rooms. The building prepared as accommodation had quite a clean exterior at first glance.

 

The problem was that a life-or-death battle would now unfold inside there…

 

“I’ll go first.”

 

“…Please, let’s not meet each other!”

 

Before long, the troupe members also began walking toward the accommodation one by one.

 

Seon-woo gulped. He felt strangely nervous. It would be really nice if they just didn’t meet each other in there.

 

“Kim Seon-woo, please go in.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Before he knew it, it was his turn.

 

Seon-woo entered the accommodation with a nervous expression. He was as nervous as during the preliminaries, or perhaps even more so.

 

Please, just not a troupe member.

 

Even a strong opponent would be fine, just not a troupe member.

 

‘Let’s go…!’

 

Seon-woo reached his hand toward the door handle.

 

The door opened. And seeing the participant inside, Seon-woo’s expression became subtle.

 

“Oh, hello!”

 

There was a young boy who looked to be only around ten years old at most.

 

He bowed his waist deeply while greeting.

 

At a glance, he was so visibly nervous that it was pitiful to see.

 

“Hello.”

 

Seon-woo greeted back with an awkward expression.

 

Uh… I thought it would be fine as long as it wasn’t a troupe member, but I didn’t expect this kind of situation.

 

Even so… he’s way too young, isn’t he?

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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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