I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 28

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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 28

 

‘…What a truly interesting guy.’

 

Seong Jun-il smiled.

 

It felt like coming to a theater rather than a competition.

 

Who would have thought the participants would cheer like that, as if they had become the audience. It was only possible because it was such a high-quality stage that made them forget this was a competition.

 

Perhaps ordinary viewers might focus on Seo Jin-wook after watching this stage.

 

His acting was certainly more stimulating.

 

But anyone who truly understood acting would notice Seon-woo.

 

After all, it was Seon-woo who created this entire stage.

 

It was Seon-woo who suppressed Seo Jin-wook’s momentum, and it was also Seon-woo who brought out the colors of the other actors.

 

‘He’s someone who keeps catching my eye.’

 

He recalled the conversation Seon-woo had with Seo Jin-wook.

 

He didn’t want to blame Seo Jin-wook. He understood well what kind of sorrow and impatience unknown actors felt.

 

In a situation where all sorts of scheming happens among even debuted actors to get just a little more attention, that level was rather cute.

 

Rather than saying Seo Jin-wook was lacking, it would be better to say Seon-woo was remarkable.

 

Should I say his attitude toward acting is really well-established?

 

Watching him made even Jun-il reflect on his own initial intentions.

 

So,

 

“It was a good stage. I could clearly see Kim Seon-woo working very hard in the middle.”

 

Seong Jun-il deliberately started his critique by talking about Seon-woo.

 

He wanted to give proper recognition. If he didn’t speak up, there would be many people who wouldn’t properly understand Seon-woo’s contributions.

 

Since Seon-woo had given up the protagonist role, he wanted to make him the protagonist instead.

 

“That’s right. Based on his acting in the preliminaries, I thought he wouldn’t be good at this kind of supporting acting… but that’s not the case, is it?”

 

Did she read Seong Jun-il’s feelings?

 

Yu Mi-yeon naturally added to his words.

 

Seong Jun-il smiled slightly while looking at Yu Mi-yeon. Since he had also told Yu Mi-yeon about what happened between Seo Jin-wook and Seon-woo, she must have gotten quite a good impression while watching Seon-woo’s acting.

 

That must be why.

 

Yu Mi-yeon’s expression, usually famous for being strict, was particularly soft today.

 

“It was really acting that held the center together. I remember Seon-woo’s career isn’t that long either… but judging by today’s acting alone, he seemed like someone who had already been working on sets for several years.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Seon-woo was a bit flustered.

 

He hadn’t expected to receive such praise.

 

Since he had held back his power in his acting, he was even prepared to receive less attention than last time, but to receive such praise from the start.

 

Of course, the other team members also received praise afterward.

 

Hyeong-bin and Si-on were told their acting was more stable than during the last preliminaries, and Seo Jin-wook was…

 

“You know that you’re an actor with good energy, right?”

 

“Yes. I know that.”

 

“But do you also know that energy isn’t always an advantage?”

 

“…Yes?”

 

“If it weren’t for Seon-woo, your acting today would have been completely disconnected, Jin-wook.”

 

He got scolded.

 

Of course, it was Seong Jun-il who spoke up.

 

It wasn’t because he disliked Seo Jin-wook’s attitude of wanting to survive alone. He said it because he knew that acting with such a mindset wouldn’t last long.

 

“Acting isn’t something you can do alone. It’s something you do together.”

 

“Yes… I understand.”

 

No matter how confident Seo Jin-wook was, he had no choice but to lower his tail in front of Seong Jun-il.

 

Just as Seon-woo was inwardly sighing while watching him weakly agree, Lee Mu-beom spoke up.

 

“Kim Seon-woo.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Seon-woo, whose name was called unexpectedly, turned his head in surprise.

 

Lee Mu-beom quietly looked at Seon-woo.

 

“When you live as an actor, such moments often come. There are times when the acting you want to do is one thing, but the acting you have to do is something else. Today, Kim Seon-woo, you did the acting you had to do. Will you continue to do this in the future?”

 

“…What I want to do is important, but I think what I have to do should take priority.”

 

“Even if you only do the acting you have to do, and end up never being able to do the acting you actually want to do for the rest of your life?”

 

Seon-woo was momentarily speechless.

 

Actually, he had never thought that far. Seon-woo pondered. What would he do if such a situation came?

 

Coming up with an answer wasn’t as difficult as he thought.

 

“I just like acting.”

 

Perhaps it might be a somewhat unexpected answer.

 

But this was Seon-woo’s true feelings.

 

Even while helping Si-on and Hyeong-bin this time, Seon-woo didn’t think he was losing out or sacrificing anything.

 

He was trying to create a better stage.

 

If there was acting needed for that, then he should just do it.

 

“Today’s acting was enjoyable too. I couldn’t ask for more if I could always act like this.”

 

“…I see.”

 

At those words, a smile appeared on Lee Mu-beom’s lips for the first time.

 

“That’s quite fortunate for you as well.”

 

Lee Mu-beom had truly seen countless actors up until now.

 

He had seen countless actors who disrupted the atmosphere of the film set and ended up lowering the quality of the work itself because of petty scene greed.

 

The reason they acted that way was always the same.

 

Because they had leftovers in their hearts instead of ashes.

 

That pathetic mindset of wanting to become a star rather than an actor.

 

But there wasn’t a trace of such signs in Seon-woo’s heart. It didn’t feel hidden either. He could truly feel that he genuinely loved acting.

 

How could he not smile at this?

 

“I hope you’ll always maintain that mindset.”

 

“Yes, I’ll keep it in mind.”

 

The judging comments ended like that.

 

The Golden Ticket recipients and eliminated contestants hadn’t been decided yet. That would be announced after all teams finished their performances.

 

Seon-woo came down from the stage with his teammates. Then he placed his hand on Si-on’s shoulder.

 

“You did well, Si-on.”

 

“Y-Yes…! Thank you!”

 

Si-on answered with a slightly trembling voice.

 

Though he was pretending otherwise, it must have been quite scary. Countless people were watching, and there was a giant like Lee Mu-beom in front of them.

 

On the way back to their seats, the Cheongseong Troupe Members gave them thumbs up. Seon-woo smiled inwardly at that quiet praise.

 

‘This should be… good enough, right?’

 

Actually, he himself had felt confidence building throughout the performance.

 

The combination of colors that the four of them created together was quite pleasing to watch. At this rate, getting a Golden Ticket wouldn’t be too difficult either.

 

…But it was a moment later.

 

When the next team took the stage, a strange uneasiness couldn’t help but appear on Seon-woo’s face.

 

‘…That team’s pretty good too?’

 

It was Hye-seong’s team.

 

Since Hye-seong was known as Cheongseong’s finest supporting actor, he performed brilliantly in the middle, pulling the stability of the entire play to its limits.

 

The judges didn’t spare their praise for Hye-seong either.

 

“Hye-seong seems ready to go into the field right now, doesn’t he?”

 

“I agree. Did he say he’s been with the theater troupe for 15 years? Indeed… his acting truly showed the value of all that time.”

 

It wasn’t just Hye-seong.

 

All of Cheongseong’s troupe members received good evaluations.

 

In Ye-chan’s case, although his team didn’t deliver a good performance, he at least received praise for being lively and bringing life back to the stage whenever it was dying.

 

And as for Jae-won, there was nothing more to say.

 

“Wow, that team is just… perfect.”

 

Even the participants watching were shaking their heads in disbelief.

 

Birds of a feather flock together, you could say. Jae-won had perfect luck with his teammates from the start. Members who wouldn’t seem out of place as professional actors, from their looks to their acting abilities.

 

Thanks to that, each member freely expressed their own colors, yet despite that, they didn’t overshadow each other—it felt like watching a truly professional stage.

 

But the team that actually caught Seon-woo’s attention the most was different.

 

‘Senior Min-hee…’

 

There was no need to mention that Min-hee’s acting was captivating.

 

But what caught Seon-woo’s attention just as much was Min-hee’s teammate.

 

“I, I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me!”

 

How should he describe her first impression?

 

It would be best to say she looked incredibly striking. White, translucent skin with vivid complexion, and facial features so harmonious it seemed impossible.

 

But what stood out even more than that… was the color she was emitting.

 

‘Was something like that… even possible?’

 

The colors she emitted with each line took on various forms and swept across the stage.

 

Diverse forms of emotion he had never seen before.

 

It meant her acting was that detailed.

 

Acting so perfect that even Min-hee’s presence momentarily faded before her.

 

‘This won’t be easy.’

 

Seon-woo let out a sigh inwardly.

 

Even aside from Cheongseong, there were indeed many monsters here.

 

It was a moment when he realized once again that surviving until the end in this place… would never be an easy journey.

 

‘Golden Ticket… will I be able to get it?’

 

He was gradually starting to feel a sense of crisis.

 

Even when he received praise from the judges, he thought he would be able to get a Golden Ticket at this rate, but it was because he felt that it wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.

 

Did that anxiety show on his face?

 

Hyeong-bin, who had been glancing at Seon-woo, quietly approached him.

 

“Seon-woo.”

 

“Oh, yes.”

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

“…I think I am a little.”

 

“Why are you suddenly getting nervous? You were so confident when acting and when being judged.”

 

Hyeong-bin chuckled softly.

 

He seemed to understand what Seon-woo’s feelings were like. He was probably worried about what would happen if he couldn’t get a Golden Ticket.

 

It was a bit strange though. Honestly, even if they didn’t receive Golden Tickets, it didn’t seem like Seon-woo would be eliminated.

 

Wasn’t it obvious that the judges liked Seon-woo? It was clear that Seon-woo wouldn’t be eliminated.

 

But despite that, the reason Seon-woo was this nervous was probably really because of him and Si-on.

 

If there were no tickets, the ones who would most likely be eliminated would be the two of them.

 

‘I’m really grateful.’

 

Honestly, he had some misunderstandings at first.

 

Was he doing this to show a good image because they were in front of cameras?

 

But the more he watched Seon-woo, the more he could tell.

 

This wasn’t simply for the sake of image.

 

He was genuinely caring for them.

 

“…Thank you, Seon-woo.”

 

“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

 

“I know well that you didn’t have to go this far. You’ve been working hard for our sake.”

 

“Rather than that… I just wanted to do a good performance.”

 

“Let’s say that’s the case. Either way, I was really grateful from my perspective. So…”

 

Hyeong-bin looked straight at Seon-woo.

 

“Even if we get eliminated, don’t worry about it too much.”

 

“Don’t say that. You won’t be eliminated.”

 

“That’s right. It would be nice if you don’t get eliminated. But even if you do get eliminated, don’t worry about it. It’s not Seon-woo’s fault.”

 

“R-right!”

 

Si-on, who had been listening from the side, nodded his head vigorously.

 

“Thanks to hyung… I acted well! It was really good!!”

 

“…”

 

Seon-woo closed his mouth.

 

Everyone was saying it was okay, so it would be awkward to insist it wasn’t, and more than anything, he seemed to understand what their hearts were feeling.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

【 All teams have finished their performances. 】

 

【 Now it’s time to decide who gets to keep their room and who has to leave. 】

 

【 We judges have carefully considered each and every team. 】

 

【 Who showed better acting? And who seems like they’ll become a better actor? We judged considering everything from the present to the future. 】

 

【 The results are… as follows. 】

 

The moment Seong Jun-il said that.

 

Numerous names began appearing all at once on the screen behind the stage.

 

As people became agitated, Seong Jun-il opened his mouth.

 

【 These are the names of the eliminated contestants. 】

 

Eliminated contestants.

 

At those words, people began earnestly searching for their own names among them.

 

Seon-woo was the same. He quickly scanned through the 50 names that appeared on the screen. And soon, he swallowed hard.

 

Bang Hyeong-bin

 

Kim Si-on

 

Those two names caught his eye.

 

When he glanced back at the two of them, they seemed to have discovered their names as well, their eyes shaking slightly.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

【 But not all of these people have lost their place. 】

 

【 For teams that received the Golden Ticket, those four members will be exempt from elimination. 】

 

【 And that Golden Ticket goes to… 】

 

Seong Jun-il clapped his hands.

 

And at that moment, four of the names that had appeared on the screen began glowing with golden light.

 

The moment he confirmed those names, Seon-woo’s expression changed.

 

【 Justin Oh, Joo Yeon-ho, Bang Hyeong-bin, and Kim Si-on. 】

 

The names he had hoped for… were shining in golden light.

 

【 Congratulations. You have survived. 】

 

He got it.

 

The Golden Ticket.

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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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