I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 36

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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 36

 

Seon-woo stared intently at Yeon-woo’s face.

 

He wondered how she would react, but Yeon-woo pretended not to know and acted coy.

 

“Acting? Well, because I like acting…”

 

I knew it would be like this. That’s not the kind of acting I’m talking about right now.

 

Maybe it was a signal asking him to just pretend not to know. But Seon-woo didn’t compromise.

 

“No, not that. I mean right now, this moment, and usually too.”

 

If he didn’t address this, it would be difficult to get close to Yeon-woo in the future.

 

“Why are you always acting?”

 

And that was the moment he finally voiced the question he had always carried.

 

The sky-blue aura surrounding Yeon-woo wavered for the first time.

 

Like a candle about to go out, it flared up briefly, and then… soon disappeared.

 

How strange. The smile that had looked so natural just moments ago now seemed… somehow alien.

 

“Seon-woo, you really are an incredibly strange person.”

 

“…”

 

Since starting acting, Seon-woo had seen so many expressions.

 

He had to see and remember many expressions in order to be able to portray those expressions himself.

 

But this kind of expression was a first.

 

Even though she’s smiling, it doesn’t seem like she’s really smiling.

 

Even her smile seems completely empty.

 

As if all the emotions that should normally be contained within a smile were completely absent…

 

“Since when?”

 

Yeon-woo asked.

 

Seon-woo answered quietly.

 

“Since the first time I saw you.”

 

“I thought so. You kept looking at me with suspicious eyes. Really fascinating. Most people don’t notice. How did you know from the beginning?”

 

Curiosity appeared in Yeon-woo’s eyes.

 

She leaned forward and looked at Seon-woo intently.

 

“Does it have something to do with Seon-woo being an acting genius? Like you can see other people’s acting better?”

 

“…Well, it was just a feeling. Sorry. I wasn’t sure if I should ask, but I thought it would be rude to keep pretending I didn’t know.”

 

“I kind of thought so. The way you kept your distance, it was either because you fell for me or felt uncomfortable… but no matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t the former.”

 

Yeon-woo nodded.

 

Her voice still carried no particular emotion. Yeon-woo got up.

 

“Should we go outside to talk?”

 

“Yes.”

 

How long had they been walking after going outside?

 

Yeon-woo spoke casually, as if tossing the words out.

 

“I must have made you uncomfortable?”

 

“…I was a bit puzzled why you kept acting even normally. Well, honestly, it was uncomfortable too.”

 

“Mm. That’s certainly understandable. Even I would wonder what kind of person they were if someone was acting in front of me.”

 

“You… don’t have to talk about it.”

 

Yeon-woo’s steps stopped.

 

The way she looked back at Seon-woo seemed to say, ‘What are you talking about now?’ Seon-woo spoke in an embarrassed voice.

 

“When I asked why you act, it wasn’t because I wanted to know the reason.”

 

“…Ah? I understand. You can see all the acting. You just wanted to tell me that?”

 

“Yes. If I kept pretending not to know while knowing you were acting… it felt like I was making fun of you.”

 

“That makes sense. So, you don’t need to know the reason?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Seon-woo nodded.

 

It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious, but it wasn’t something he absolutely had to know either. She might have her own secrets.

 

He couldn’t claim the right to know such personal things.

 

“Hmm…”

 

Yeon-woo scratched her head with an expressionless face.

 

The more she looked at him, the stranger this man became. He said everything he had to say, and now he claimed he wasn’t curious about the reason.

 

This actually made her want to tell him.

 

Yeon-woo smiled.

 

“There’s nothing I can’t tell you about why I act. It’s not really a big secret.”

 

And then, as if sharing something truly trivial, she opened her mouth with a nonchalant tone.

 

“I’m a psychopath.”

 

* * *

 

For a moment, his thoughts stopped.

 

“…What?”

 

Psychopath.

 

Wasn’t that the word that followed like a tag whenever news about serial killers came out?

 

But Yeon-woo had said she was a psychopath. With an endlessly harmless smile.

 

If someone else had said such a thing, he probably would have taken it as a bad joke.

 

But if the person was Yeon-woo, the story was different.

 

The mysteries that hadn’t made sense until now… felt like they were being solved in an instant.

 

Seon-woo naturally realized.

 

This wasn’t a joke.

 

And then, he slowly parted his lips.

 

“…I think I can understand.”

 

“Understand?”

 

“Why you’ve always been acting in your daily life.”

 

“Aren’t you scared?”

 

“Should I be scared?”

 

“I could kill you right now, Seon-woo. Like this. Wah!”

 

Yeon-woo suddenly raised her voice and pretended to lunge at him.

 

But Seon-woo didn’t react at all. Because Yeon-woo was smaller than him? No, rather than that… he just didn’t see her as someone who would act so randomly without context.

 

Yeon-woo sighed as if her enthusiasm had cooled down after seeing Seon-woo’s reaction.

 

“I’ve felt this since long ago, but your reactions are so boring, Seon-woo.”

 

“…I heard that psychopaths don’t just kill people randomly. Even if you are a psychopath, Yeon-woo, I thought you’d be a sufficiently socialized case.”

 

“You calculated all that in such a short time? You really are smart. You’re not just good at acting.”

 

Yeon-woo clapped her hands as if impressed.

 

“Anyway, that’s why I act. Psychopath. The exact diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder. If I act according to my natural personality… it’s a bit strange. Should I call it the uncanny valley? Like watching a robot that’s not human but pretending to be human?”

 

Seon-woo looked at Yeon-woo silently. He had expected this to some extent.

 

He had thought that having to constantly act in daily life meant there was something strange about her true self when not acting.

 

‘Though I never imagined that true self would be a psychopath…’

 

He especially never expected that psychopath to confess her identity in this way.

 

…Well, strictly speaking, it was Seon-woo who had forced her to reveal that identity.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Huh? About what?”

 

“For making you reveal a secret you didn’t need to share.”

 

Yeon-woo looked at Seon-woo with a strange expression.

 

“What do you mean? You said I didn’t have to tell you the reason, but I was the one who chose to speak. By the way, you don’t seem all that uncomfortable with me, do you?”

 

“If I had to choose, I was more uncomfortable when you were acting. Not knowing what you might be hiding inside.”

 

“Now that I’ve laid bare my inner self, there’s nothing particularly scary?”

 

“It’s a little scary, but not terrifyingly so?”

 

“…You’re really a strange person, Seon-woo.”

 

Yeon-woo stared intently at Seon-woo.

 

“Usually when I tell people I’m a psychopath, they all run away.”

 

“In movies, the people who run away first are the ones who get killed.”

 

Seon-woo said this with a small laugh.

 

But seeing Yeon-woo’s lack of reaction, he realized anew. Ah, right. This kind of joke probably doesn’t resonate with her either.

 

Yeon-woo belatedly clapped her palm with an “Ah.”

 

“You were joking just now, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Sorry. I’ve gotten somewhat used to reading people’s emotions, but I still get buffering sometimes.”

 

“Didn’t you say you can’t empathize?”

 

“Emotionally, no. But I can do it logically. If I memorize like formulas why this person said this, what this expression means, and such things… emotions aren’t really incomprehensible.”

 

She just can’t feel them.

 

Seon-woo suddenly recalled something Yeon-woo had said before.

 

She had said she thought emotions were ultimately a technique. Perhaps she had to think that way deliberately. That’s how she could adapt to this society.

 

Yeon-woo’s insight into emotions when acting… was a trace of that struggle.

 

“Does it feel creepy?”

 

“More than creepy, I’m curious. Why did you tell me this?”

 

“I don’t particularly want to hide it. Seon-woo doesn’t seem like someone who’d run his mouth, and actually, I’m more curious about something else.”

 

Yeon-woo tilted her head with an expressionless face.

 

“Why did you ask? It would have been more comfortable to just keep pretending you didn’t know. Was it really just out of politeness?”

 

“…Well, to be a bit more honest, it’s because you’re such a good teacher.”

 

Yeon-woo frowned.

 

Wasn’t that answer a bit too out of context?

 

But Seon-woo scratched his head and continued speaking.

 

“I’ll probably be asking you for advice on various things in the future, and it didn’t seem right to continue with this uncomfortable feeling between us.”

 

“…Seon-woo. Do you know something?”

 

“Huh? What?”

 

“From my perspective, you’re not normal either.”

 

Yeon-woo said while looking steadily at Seon-woo.

 

There was no trace of her usual sky-blue aura in her voice.

 

“You seem more psycho than me.”

 

She meant it sincerely.

 

* * *

 

Yeon-woo’s psychopath confession was honestly surprising.

 

However, nothing would change.

 

Just because she suffered from a personality disorder didn’t mean he could suddenly stop talking to her starting tomorrow, nor did he feel any need to do so.

 

Rather, since the uncomfortable feeling had been resolved, he could probably seek acting consultation from her even more often.

 

‘But why is she pursuing acting?’

 

Was it because she liked acting?

 

Or did she have some other purpose through this?

 

He was curious, but there wasn’t much time to think about this. Seon-woo had too many other things to think about.

 

For instance, Si-on’s dejected back of the head buried in his bed.

 

“Si-on. Aren’t you going to get up?”

 

“…I’m up.”

 

“Come out, let’s eat breakfast.”

 

“Can’t I skip it?”

 

“No. When things get tough, you need to eat even more.”

 

“Yes….”

 

Was it because of the harsh criticism he received in yesterday’s evaluation?

 

Si-on remained in a dejected state.

 

It seemed like all the confidence he had gained from the previous four-person play had completely vanished.

 

‘I really need to look out for him this time.’

 

He still didn’t know what kind of mission they would face.

 

But Seon-woo was willing to team up with Si-on if necessary to help him out.

 

Some might think why go that far in a competition program, but he’s still just a kid. Plus, he’s his roommate.

 

He wanted to take care of him.

 

It felt like the right thing for an adult to do… and it wasn’t particularly difficult for him anyway.

 

He just needed to look out for him a little more.

 

As he headed to the restaurant with Si-on for a meal, he spotted Hye-seong and Ye-chan.

 

As soon as Ye-chan saw Si-on, he grinned mischievously and raised his voice.

 

“Hey, Kim Crybaby!”

 

It was a creative nickname.

 

Crybaby immediately got flustered and raised his voice.

 

“I’m not a crybaby!”

 

“Why? I heard rumors that you cried yesterday?”

 

“Gasp, h-how did you…!”

 

“…What? I was just guessing, but you really did cry?”

 

“N-no! I don’t cry!”

 

Si-on clenched his fists and shouted loudly.

 

Seon-woo smiled inwardly as he watched Si-on. He had been worried because Si-on couldn’t pull himself together, but he was relieved to see him showing some spirit, even like this.

 

It was thanks to Ye-chan. While always pretending to tease him, he seemed to subtly look out for Si-on.

 

“What are you talking about? Looking at you now, your eyes are swollen too. You really are Kim Crybaby~!”

 

“I told you I’m not a crybaby!!”

 

…Looking at them, it seemed like they were just on the same level.

 

As he watched the two with amusement, Hye-seong approached him.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

 

“Yes. I slept soundly.”

 

“That’s amazing. If Teacher Lee Mu-beom called me a genius, I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep for a week.”

 

“…That is a bit burdensome.”

 

Seon-woo let out a sigh.

 

Hye-seong nodded as if he understood. Honestly, when someone of that caliber… especially says something like that in front of cameras with the public watching, it would be scary.

 

“Still, this much is fortunate. Looking at other audition programs, they immediately frame someone as some ridiculous genius the moment they do even slightly well.”

 

“That’s really malicious editing in a different sense, I think.”

 

“Right. They don’t even care about the criticism that person will get from the public. But for someone like you, Seon-woo…”

 

Hye-seong made a playful smile.

 

“It seems like you could handle having that kind of image a bit~?”

 

“Absolutely not. Even now, I’m already at my limit. Any more than this really won’t do.”

 

“Well, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

 

Hye-seong nodded.

 

“Honestly, how could they hype you up any more than this?”

 

Seon-woo agreed with that statement.

 

He had already received the excessive praise of being called a genius. And from none other than Lee Mu-beom.

 

The situation couldn’t get any worse from here.

 

…That’s what he had thought.

 

It was lunchtime that day.

 

【 All participants, please gather in the central break room. 】

 

An announcement echoed through the building.

 

It wasn’t calling them to Plaza Studio as usual. Suddenly the break room? As he walked over wondering why, he soon found out the answer.

 

“The teaser video was just released!”

 

“We’ll just do some simple reaction filming, so please just watch comfortably!”

 

It was interesting.

 

Reaction filming for watching a teaser, not even the main episode. With a teaser, there wouldn’t be much to react to, would there?

 

But when the teaser started a moment later, Seon-woo had no choice but to change his mind.

 

—An actor audition program? Well, it would be nice if there was one… but would that work?

 

The teaser began with someone’s scoffing laughter.

 

—Honestly, do you think there would be friends who can act properly among those pros? Even the actors appearing on screen right now are mostly bad actors, so how many capable people could there be among amateurs?

 

Words that lowered expectations.

 

It can’t be helped. There are reasons why people who haven’t made it big haven’t made it.

 

Their skills must be terrible. Such stories continued one after another.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

—They seem too good.

 

—This doesn’t make sense. They’re just on a different level?

 

The dejected voices of participants could be heard.

 

Along with that, the faces of various participants came into view.

 

Jae-won, Min-hee, Yeon-woo, Hye-seong… The figures who seemed to have stood out in this competition were each shown once.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

Seon-woo’s face also appeared following theirs.

 

Honestly, up to this point, it wasn’t that surprising. It wasn’t just him alone, and other figures had been captured on screen quite a bit so far.

 

The problem was what came next.

 

—I never thought the day would come when I’d have to say these words with my own mouth.

 

Lee Mu-beom’s voice rang out, and Seon-woo’s figure staring straight ahead was captured on screen once again.

 

Lee Mu-beom’s words that followed.

 

—He’s a genius.

 

And then, the screen went black.

 

…As if portraying Seon-woo as some kind of tremendous secret weapon.

 

After the broadcast ended, people turned their heads as if they had made a promise.

 

Of course, at the end of those gazes was one person.

 

Seon-woo.

 

Seon-woo let out a bitter laugh.

 

“…This is really driving me crazy.”

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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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