I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 266

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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 266
The teaser for Yeokjeok swept through the algorithm in an instant, spreading everywhere.
It was the kind of teaser that deserved such a reaction. Seo Tae-rok’s distinctive visual style hadn’t lost any shine even within the teaser, and more than that, the presence of the actors themselves was remarkable.
It was a work by Seo Tae-rok, who had succeeded with almost every project until now. It was only natural that people’s expectations for this work ran high.
And if there was one name that particularly dominated people’s conversations,
Kim Quokka: Kim Seon-woo’s doing well, doing well, and he’s actually doing insanely well now..
it was Seon-woo’s name.
Theatre Purist: Why can’t I forget this line? “I intend to kill Goryeo” <-
Real Drama: Wait, I just came from the live performance, and honestly the sync is completely off. Is this even the same person lol
VitaminTakMore: Director Seo Tae-rok really went all out this time. The teaser’s color is insane.
Freshwater Snail: I haven’t even shaken off the Theatre Contest yet, and you’re throwing Yeokjeok at me?
sj97: Release the main episode. You’re really going to make us wait after a teaser like that?
‘At least the response is good.’
After reading those reactions, Seon-woo set down his phone with relief.
No matter how confident he was in his own acting, showing it to the public never ceased to make him nervous.
Winning people’s hearts wasn’t something that went according to plan.
But at this rate, Yeokjeok seemed to be in the clear, at least for now.
Seon-woo shifted his focus back to the Theatre Contest.
More precisely, to the performances of the other theatre companies.
He’d been curious about what kind of performances they would put on.
Since he had time anyway, Seon-woo decided to watch every company’s performance.
Manwol’s Late to the Funeral was certainly entertaining.
It was fascinating how they could use the subject of a funeral to make something this light and humorous, and yet at certain moments there were points that made the viewer grow solemn.
Yulyiseong’s Why Does Our Home WiFi Keep Disconnecting was even stranger.
The play itself was oddly youthful, but there was a sense of completion when watched alongside the chatroom.
It felt like viewers weren’t standing outside the performance but circling around it continuously, creating a single layer of noise.
Haemu’s stage was tranquil.
Though the numbers weren’t large, it wasn’t for nothing that people maintained their seats with high loyalty.
The sound of waves and the breathing of the actors lingered in an oddly persistent way.
And then, Nodeul was…….
“Difficult.”
Seon-woo muttered honestly.
There was nothing wrong with the acting ability. Since most of them were veteran actors, that was actually good.
But it was difficult.
A style of stage that had no intention of making the audience understand, where the audience had to do their best to understand on their own.
Those who’d watched theatre for a long time might enjoy it, but to someone seeing it for the first time, it could feel a bit distant.
Perhaps that’s why Nodeul hadn’t managed to carry the initial viewers all the way through to the end.
Because of that very uncompromising attitude.
It was a shame.
If only the world could have enjoyed that stubbornness a little more.
But this was unavoidable.
From that perspective, the National Theater Company seemed to have carefully maintained exactly the parts they needed to be stubborn about.
Not long after starting their performance, Seon-woo straightened his posture.
‘……So that’s why everyone kept mentioning the National Theater Company.’
Seon-woo had seen countless actors up until now.
And among them were masters like Lee Mu-beom and Kwon Seong-min. But Han Gi-ju’s acting was on an entirely different level.
That was the thought that came to him.
If there was such a thing as the ultimate extreme of theatre acting…… wouldn’t it be right here in Han Gi-ju’s performance?
On stage, an elderly man stood stock still.
Reaching out his hand as if searching for something, then looking down at that hand itself in confusion, clutching his head and falling into bewilderment, and then soon, as if forgetting why he’d fallen into bewilderment in the first place, tilting his head quizzically once more.
Even though it was acting that could be quite incomprehensible, Seon-woo could understand everything that Han Gi-ju was trying to convey.
It wasn’t because Seon-woo’s eye for acting was exceptional.
It was because Han Gi-ju’s expressiveness was extraordinary.
He carried the entire weight on his expressiveness alone, turning what could easily seem like “What is he doing?” into something entirely coherent.
……Truly, it was nothing but admirable acting ability.
Especially those subtle eye movements when he occasionally seemed to be looking at the audience—the panic and confusion he was feeling seemed to transfer directly to the viewer.
What he’d been trying to do just moments before.
Why he’d entered this room.
What he should be searching for.
The feeling of forgetting that very fact…… and that even his own sense of self was fading—it all seemed to be transmitted.
“……Wow.”
Seon-woo was struck anew by how beautiful a culture theatre was.
If only he could stand in that audience alongside him, how much joy that would be. Or rather, if he could stand on stage with him…….
‘……Maybe it’ll be possible someday.’
Seon-woo thought.
And for that to happen, he hoped theatre as a culture would be preserved.
No—that he’d preserve it.
* * *
Not many days later, Seon-woo headed to the Studio for the Theatre Contest.
The results announcement filming for the stage performance held via live broadcast previously was scheduled to take place.
Each theatre company had a vague sense of what kind of results they’d achieved. After all, you could get a rough idea just from the live viewer reactions.
And the two companies people were betting on as championship contenders were largely clear.
Cheongseong and the National Theater Company.
In terms of pure popularity alone, Cheongseong might have deserved the win. They’d drawn far more viewers than the National Theater Company.
Considering that the National Theater Company maintained 50,000 viewers by the end, the numbers were more than triple that.
But the Theatre Contest had already made it clear they wouldn’t judge results based solely on viewership numbers.
Otherwise, it would inevitably devolve into fandom wars.
Because of that, the National Theater Company had a fairly high chance of winning.
Considering the stage presence, completion level, the actors’ chemistry, and the work’s density…….
‘To be honest, they had the edge.’
You had to acknowledge what deserved acknowledgment.
Han Gi-ju’s presence alone was massive enough to overshadow Cheongseong. And the supporting performances from the other actors were perfect.
‘Well…… I’ll find out soon enough.’
Seon-woo looked ahead.
The air in the studio was lighter than expected.
It was the first time since the live broadcast that actors from all the theatre companies had gathered in one place.
They exchanged appropriate greetings, laughed, and offered congratulations. But that laughter wasn’t entirely comfortable.
After all, they’d all come to this place to compete.
More precisely, to prove themselves.
With the public’s judgment looming right before their eyes, it was difficult to just laugh carefree.
Of course,
“Wow, they’re celebrities……!”
“Cha Do-young is so incredibly handsome…….”
“……Can you guys please shut up? You’re embarrassing us.”
there were exceptions.
Manwol was a prime example. Perhaps because dark comedy was their specialty, they kept glancing over and marveling, looking just like high school students.
And Yulyiseong felt entirely different, with a lot of people who were spirited and lively.
“Oh dear, Cheongseong folks. We apologize for last time. We did a bit of campaigning in Cheongseong’s chatroom too.”
Yulyiseong’s lead actor said this with a straight face.
Min-hee let out a soft laugh.
“Wasn’t that campaigning more like kidnapping?”
“Even kidnapping is fine if everyone’s satisfied, don’t you think?”
“That’s a remarkable business philosophy.”
“Our theatre company basically survives on drumming up business like that.”
At that, laughter erupted from Cheongseong as well.
Meanwhile, the Haemu actors were a bit different.
They seemed to have lost their nerve seeing the other theatre companies, huddling together and trembling slightly.
“Aren’t we supposed to go talk to people and stuff?”
“We should, but…… what do we do? I’m scared. You go ahead.”
“……Let’s just stay still.”
Being the smallest theatre company, they seemed quite intimidated.
And among all that, Seon-woo’s gaze naturally drifted toward one direction from the moment he entered.
The National Theater Company.
And Han Gi-ju.
Han Gi-ju sat in a neat suit.
The elderly man collapsing on screen was nowhere to be seen.
There was only a quiet, composed veteran actor.
Yet Seon-woo found it oddly difficult to take his eyes off him.
The scenes he’d seen on screen kept overlapping before his eyes.
Young-taek, standing still in the room.
That acting—depicting how a human being was being decomposed in real-time, even forgetting that he was losing himself…….
In the end, Seon-woo couldn’t help himself.
He quietly approached and bowed his head.
“I watched Empty Room well, sir.”
Han Gi-ju looked at Seon-woo.
“Ah, thank you. How was it? Did it come across alright?”
It was a simple question.
But Seon-woo couldn’t answer easily.
Saying it was good felt too light.
The word “impressive” also didn’t feel quite sufficient.
After pausing briefly, Seon-woo spoke honestly.
“Watching your acting, I think I finally understand what theatre acting truly is.”
“Oh, that’s a really kind thing to say. Actually, I…….”
“Sir.”
At that moment, a low, rough voice was heard.
It was Moon Jeong-gil, a veteran actor from Nodeul.
Moon Jeong-gil swept back his white hair and looked at Han Gi-ju.
“I watched yesterday’s stage well.”
“Oh, thank you for that.”
“The National Theater Company is indeed the National Theater Company.”
There was sincerity in those words.
Moon Jeong-gil was acknowledging Han Gi-ju.
His attitude suggested that at least on that stage, there was no easy criticism to be made.
Han Gi-ju answered briefly.
“Nodeul’s stage was also good.”
Moon Jeong-gil laughed bitterly.
“It was a good stage.”
He paused for a moment.
Then he spoke as if muttering.
“Just apparently not an entertaining one.”
Seon-woo could easily feel the emotions contained in those words.
Self-deprecation.
Rage.
And a sense of injustice.
Everyone knew Nodeul’s stage wasn’t bad.
But the audience hadn’t stayed long.
Perhaps that fact was the most painful point for Moon Jeong-gil.
Moon Jeong-gil’s gaze briefly flicked toward Cheongseong.
“Congratulations.”
He said it.
“The loudest theatre group yesterday was yours, wasn’t it?”
It was an odd way of speaking.
It seemed like praise for how Cheongseong had drawn so many viewers yesterday, yet there was an underlying sting to it.
But Seon-woo promptly bowed respectfully.
“Yes, sir. I also really enjoyed watching your performance.”
“You watched mine?”
“Yes, especially the monologue acting was deeply moving.”
It wasn’t a lie.
An old, small theatre facing closure.
An elderly actor who’d lived his whole life on stage, delivering his final monologue to empty seats—that scene had the power to make your heart ache.
Perhaps sensing Seon-woo’s sincerity,
Moon Jeong-gil’s eyes lost that edge for a moment.
“We’ll be heading in shortly. Each theatre company’s actors, please take your places!”
A staff member announced the start of filming.
The conversation ended there.
Filming began.
The MC, with a bright expression, mentioned the achievements of the first live broadcast.
Peak concurrent viewers: 170,000.
Search volumes that skyrocketed after the live broadcast.
The clip view counts for each theatre company.
And the passionate reactions continuing online as well.
Every time these points were mentioned, applause echoed through the studio.
The atmosphere was good.
It had to be.
No matter who won first place, the fact that this live broadcast was a successful start for the Theatre Contest remained unchanged.
Even Nodeul was the same.
Though they’d accepted a disappointing result in viewer numbers, the acting ability of their veteran actors was definitely being discussed.
So you could say all those gathered here had achieved some level of success.
But a competition was still a competition.
“Now then, we’ll proceed with the Round 1 results announcement that many have been waiting for.”
At the MC’s words, the air in the studio changed slightly.
Laughter diminished,
and the actors’ gazes focused on the screen ahead.
“First, let me remind you once more. The Theatre Contest’s Round 1 results were not determined solely by real-time viewership numbers.”
Evaluation categories appeared on screen.
Expert judging.
On-site audience reaction.
Live indicators.
Online topic appeal.
Stage completion level.
“Based on these five categories, this competition’s rankings have been determined.”
At that, the actors turned to look at Cheongseong and the National Theater Company.
They’d all assumed first place would be one of these two.
In terms of real-time reactions alone, Cheongseong had the strongest showing.
But adding expert judging and stage completion level, you couldn’t easily say they’d surpassed the National Theater Company.
Seon-woo thought the same.
“And the first-place theatre company will be granted a special privilege to use in the next round.”
Large text appeared on screen.
[Guest Actor Nomination Right]
“The first-place theatre company can request a guest appearance from one actor from another theatre company in the next round. Of course, final confirmation requires consultation between the relevant actor and their theatre company, but the nomination right is granted to the first-place theatre company.”
This time, there was a clear reaction among the actors.
“Oh…….”
“That’s strong.”
“Then the next round will be completely different?”
The nomination right was the kind of thing that could completely change the game depending on how it was used.
You could immediately recruit key members from the opposing team, and more importantly, it was an excellent tool to strengthen your own lineup.
By this point, both Cheongseong and the National Theater Company showed visible signs of tension.
Their theatre company’s core actors could end up on another stage. This was a risk that was difficult to stomach in many ways.
And enjoying their reactions, the MC opened his mouth.
“So, I’ll announce it now. The comprehensive first-place winner of Round 1 is……!”
The moment everyone held their breath,
Seon-woo clenched his fists.
And then the screen changed.
[Cheongseong – Can We Break Up?]
“Congratulations! It’s Cheongseong!”
And then exclamations spilled out here and there.
“Wow, Cheongseong……?”
“The reaction was good though.”
“Wow, congratulations!”
Applause came from various places.
Some even offered quiet cheers.
That was how it was.
“Does this even make sense?”
Until Moon Jeong-gil opened his mouth.
The applause died down just a moment too late.
The MC and the others turned to look at him.
“Sorry? Professor Moon Jeong-gil? Do you have something to say……?”
“I said, does this make sense? Han Gi-ju’s acting couldn’t have been more perfect. As an actor, I have no choice but to respect that kind of performance. And you’re telling me you’re putting these youngsters’ stage at first place over that flawless performance? What kind of ridiculous standards were used to evaluate this?”
Moon Jeong-gil let out a scoff.
And he turned to look at the MC and the production team with blazing, angry eyes.
“What kind of theatre competition is this!”

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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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