I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 259

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 259
Time passed, and soon the day of the Theater Competition performance drew near.
The stages where the performances would unfold were in different theaters. After conducting the live streaming simultaneously from each…… it would be back to the studio then to receive the results of the competition.
Standing before that stage now, Yu Si-hun sat slouched on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.
doitnow: Theater as a survival show? What kind of combo is this?
└Anonymous: But when you see the lineup, it actually makes sense lol
└road_won: The moment National Theater Company showed up, it stopped being entertainment and became a war
└Anonymous: And Cheongseong’s coming too lolol Their lineup—Kim Seon-woo, Cha Do-young, Na Min-hee, Jeong Hye-seong, Kim Ye-chan, Seo Jin-wook—basically all the celebrities are gathered there
└mintetlatte: What is it, like a celebrity theater troupe?
└Anonymous: Nah, just a lot of actors from there went into broadcasting
hyun88: Isn’t Yeon-woo performing this time too? Old Cheongseong fans must’ve fainted hearing that name
└Cali: Who’s Yeon-woo?
└cheongpodo: An actor who was once called a monster at Cheongseong. I think she went abroad and came back
theaterdweeb: If National Theater Company and Noel are performing, this is seriously no joke. Cheongseong has strong topicality, but stage gravitas is a different matter.
└theaterdweeb: Actors like Yun Jae-moon and Seo Myeong-hee from Noel—even just sitting there their presence is insane
eyesonyou: The fact that they’re doing it live streaming is the craziest part. One mistake and it’s preserved forever.
└kimquokka: That’s what makes it fun though lol
└bulanping: But is it really right to judge theater by chat reactions?
└meteor: There’s an on-site audience evaluation panel too, so it’s not purely a popularity vote
└bulanping: Considering Kim Seon-woo’s fanbase, isn’t Cheongseong way too favored?
└notacriticjustguessing: But even if they survive on fan power at first, if they can’t act they’ll just get roasted lol
doyoungmom: Holding my breath hearing Cha Do-young’s performing.
└Anonymous: Do-young’s performing too?
└doyoungmom: Yep, he’s playing a bachelor and honestly it fits perfectly
naactordolphin: Why does it feel so overwhelming seeing those kids from Na’s Actor days reunite like this……
└sj97: Seon-woo, Min-hee, Hye-seong, Do-young all performing with Cheongseong is so good
└Anonymous: Lee Yeon-woo isn’t performing?
└naactordolphin: Right, Yeon-woo wasn’t originally a theater company member
└naactordolphin: I heard Yu Si-hun’s performing with National Theater Company—I’m looking forward to that too
kkkmmm: Isn’t National Theater Company’s first broadcast basically over?
└hongdaetheatrehead: National Theater Company does have overwhelming brand prestige though
└Anonymous: But if it’s broadcast entertainment, too heavy a team might actually be at a disadvantage
└kkkmmm: Oh right, does live audience reaction count toward the score?
└hongdaetheatrehead: Yeah, so comedy troupes like Manwol can’t be ignored
twodumplings: I’m looking forward to Noel. The Yun Jae-moon, Seo Myeong-hee, Kang Tae-oh combination—shouldn’t they just lock in the 40-50 demographic?
└Anonymous: My mom’s already saying she’s gonna watch lol
└catatage: Noel’s a team where you need to see the full version rather than clips to see what they’re really about
└twodumplings: Wouldn’t that actually make them stronger in a live stream? They’d watch quietly and then give a high score after it ends
theaterdweeb: But if this program does well, it could seriously change the whole atmosphere of Daehangno.
└Anonymous: Isn’t that a bit of an overstatement?
└theaterdweeb: No. Theater fails because people don’t see it—but once it really hits, people start paying attention
└catatage: The thing is, it all depends on the first broadcast. If they can’t deliver entertainment on that first episode, it’s over
Cali: So what’s Cheongseong’s play title?
└cheongpodo: Can We Still Break Up?
└Cali: That title’s kind of funny on its own
└kimquokka: I heard it’s about a long-term couple asking their friends if it’s okay for them to break up
└Cali: That sounds fun lol
Anonymous: So to summarize the Theater Competition lineup—National Theater Company represents authority, Noel represents experience, Cheongseong represents topicality, and Manwol represents comedy?
└hongdaetheatrehead: Baekyak is more of a domestic ensemble piece
└theatermusicalaccount: Hongryeon leans toward physicality
└Anonymous: There’s way more variety than I thought
Click.
Yu Si-hun stopped his endless scrolling and turned off his phone screen.
That was when it happened.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“Oh, Teacher.”
At the voice from behind, Yu Si-hun immediately straightened his posture.
Though Si-hun usually lived as he pleased, he still knew when and how to show proper respect.
Behind Yu Si-hun stood a small, slightly rotund elderly man, watching him with a gentle smile.
This was Han Gi-ju.
Appearing to the eye as merely a kind-faced grandfather you could see anywhere, this man was the pillar of National Theater Company and—simultaneously—the mentor whom Yu Si-hun trusted and followed most.
Yu Si-hun scratched his head sheepishly.
“I was reading some comments. People seem really interested in us doing the Theater Competition.”
“Is that so……? What are they saying?”
Han Gi-ju feigned indifference, but his expression betrayed subtle tension.
“Everyone has high expectations. Since the play’s going on broadcast, people are curious whether it’ll be interesting…… There’s a lot being said about our company too.”
“What do they say?”
“That National Theater Company is the best in theater.”
At those words, Han Gi-ju’s expression became complex.
He looked pleased yet burdened all at once.
Eventually Han Gi-ju chuckled and nodded.
“So…… people still remember our company even now.”
“In terms of history alone, our company has been around the longest. We’ve had so many performances that could be called masterpieces…… It seems people recognize that.”
“Yes, that would be true. The weight is heavy. We’ll have to show them something real this time too.”
Some might find this sight unexpected.
Han Gi-ju wasn’t particularly famous in broadcasting circles. This was partly because he’d concentrated more on theater, and his works had simply had bad luck.
But in theater circles, Han Gi-ju was nothing short of a legend.
A historical figure who had journeyed alongside the entire history of Korean theater, producing and nurturing countless theater actors.
Yet here stood such a man, trembling before the stage.
Yu Si-hun felt something bittersweet in that fact.
Si-hun considered Han Gi-ju to be a true master—one who had mastered almost everything there was to know about acting.
Yet even such a master still showed this nervousness before taking the stage.
Shouldn’t he be relaxed by now?
But that was precisely why Han Gi-ju was a master.
Even having reached such heights that it seemed almost beyond reach, he never grew careless—and that was why his performances were flawless.
Yu Si-hun smiled slightly and spoke.
“People were saying that Cheongseong has better topicality, but National Theater Company has better skill.”
“Ha, that’s kind of you to say.”
“I hope we can bring the topicality our way as well going forward.”
To be more honest, Yu Si-hun wished for Han Gi-ju to receive more public recognition.
He believed that Han Gi-ju received far less attention from the world than his skill and character deserved.
‘I wish for him.’
Han Gi-ju was not someone who craved popularity, wealth, or fame.
As such, public recognition might not actually be necessary for him. But Yu Si-hun was different.
Yu Si-hun wanted Han Gi-ju to become more widely known to the world.
He wanted people to remember his name and face, and whenever they thought of his acting, to nod and say this:
Yes, he was a truly remarkable actor.
Just like that.
There was a reason for Si-hun’s dedication to thinking of Han Gi-ju.
When Yu Si-hun first began acting, Han Gi-ju had been the only person to support his dream.
People had told him:
—Hey, quit it. You think just anyone can be an actor?
It was probably also because Si-hun’s appearance wasn’t particularly handsome.
These days, fortunately, aesthetic standards had changed enough that his name sometimes came up among handsome actors—but back then, he couldn’t even be called handsome as a joke.
And it wasn’t as if his acting was remarkable either.
His skill had been built up laboriously through constant input. He tried everything, all for the sake of developing the details of his acting. Because without doing so, he had no confidence he could surpass the naturally gifted others.
Yet despite all that, he could hardly land roles at this company.
During those days when he’d done nothing but bit parts with maybe a line or two of dialogue, the single phrase Han Gi-ju had spoken to him became the greatest strength that allowed him to endure.
—I find your acting interesting, Si-hun.
That trivial-seeming words had been the only straw he could grasp at the time,
—Someday people will find your acting interesting too.
It was only natural that Si-hun still couldn’t forget those words.
And it was only natural that he wished to elevate Han Gi-ju’s name.
However,
“This stage isn’t for us.”
Han Gi-ju seemed largely uninterested in such matters.
He shook his head with a calm expression.
“For the first time in theater’s history, an opportunity like this has come. We must go up there representing all theater artists.”
“Yes, of course that’s my intention.”
And in doing so, it would be nice if Han Gi-ju’s name became properly known.
In truth, there was nothing Si-hun needed to do about this. It all depended on Han Gi-ju’s performance.
But Si-hun wasn’t worried about that at all.
‘The Teacher’s acting is…… exquisite.’
A monster among monsters.
Moreover, this time the play National Theater Company was performing had a structure that concentrated almost all the focus entirely on Han Gi-ju alone.
People wouldn’t be able to help but understand.
What National Theater Company truly represented.
And moreover, just how remarkable an actor Han Gi-ju was.
Yu Si-hun looked ahead.
The stage was dark and quiet.
The audience hadn’t arrived yet. But soon those seats would be filled with spectators.
Yu Si-hun already felt the weight of their gazes.
Not just their eyes, either.
He felt the gaze of the masses already.
Those eyes would inevitably pass judgment and evaluation. Who performed well and who didn’t, who was good and who wasn’t, and…… whether this art of theater held any charm at all.
Thinking in such terms, Yu Si-hun’s shoulders felt decidedly heavier.
His eyes had grown steely.
Surely he wasn’t the only one feeling this way right now.
Everyone in the other companies was probably feeling something similar—weighted down by the sense of mission to save theater and simultaneously driven by the desire to make their names known, to make their companies known.
And Seon-woo wouldn’t be an exception either.
‘……What expression would he be wearing now.’
It was certain he wasn’t his usual self.
Si-hun knew well how sharp Seon-woo became once he committed fully.
But there was no thought of losing.
Yu Si-hun clenched his fists.
He would show them.
What the history of National Theater Company meant. And moreover…… how many people had kept shining in this world without ever receiving a single spotlight.
How beautiful an actor Han Gi-ju was.
‘I won’t lose.’
Victory, without fail.

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