I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 38

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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 38

 

If he just stayed still, he’d end up getting caught by those people.

 

For now, Seon-woo quickly made the first move.

 

“Si-on.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Let’s team up together.”

 

If he could choose team members, he had already decided beforehand to work with Si-on.

 

Si-on was a kid who could display good acting ability if given proper guidance. With just a little coaching, he could expect fairly good results.

 

Of course, he didn’t really have any obligation to do so, but if Si-on got eliminated so pointlessly like this… it would somehow keep bothering him.

 

But the next moment, something happened that Seon-woo hadn’t expected at all.

 

“I’m sorry. I’ll do it separately.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

Si-on had refused.

 

The question “Why?” appeared in Seon-woo’s eyes.

 

Si-on hesitated and opened his mouth.

 

“I’m grateful that you’re looking out for me… but I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

 

“You’re not a burden. I wanted to team up because you’re a decent actor.”

 

“If I’m a decent actor, then I should do well even without you!”

 

Si-on pretended to act strong as he smiled and clenched his fist tightly.

 

“Don’t worry too much!”

 

“…”

 

For a moment, he was quite moved.

 

He thought that Si-on wasn’t just a naive kid as he had assumed, and that he might have been meddling unnecessarily.

 

“Alright. Do your best. If you need help, talk to me anytime. Got it?”

 

“Yes! You fight on too!”

 

His attempt to recruit Si-on ended in failure like that.

 

And what was waiting for Seon-woo was…

 

“Seon-woo, would you like to team up with me?”

 

It was Yeon-woo.

 

It might sound a bit strange, but honestly, after hearing that psychopath confession from before, Yeon-woo had become less uncomfortable than she used to be.

 

In the past, there were parts I couldn’t understand, like why does this person act? But now that question mark has been resolved.

 

At least now she had become someone I could understand.

 

“Yes. Sounds good.”

 

That was why I accepted Yeon-woo’s proposal without hesitation.

 

There was a lot to learn from her, and it would immediately strengthen the team’s power. And as soon as I accepted Yeon-woo’s proposal,

 

“S-Seon-woo! Could I possibly join as well?”

 

“Ahem, if there’s room, I’d also like to…”

 

People started asking to be accepted as team members one after another.

 

It was a somewhat difficult situation. It was unclear who among these people I should choose and by what criteria, and it was also hard to reject them all.

 

But sometimes people need to know how to make difficult choices.

 

“I’m sorry. I already have members in mind.”

 

Seon-woo rejected them all in the most polite tone possible.

 

Since things had come to this, I wanted to try creating the strongest team.

 

If there had been someone among them who showed remarkable acting, I would have accepted. But unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone that appealing.

 

‘What if I come off as rude on the broadcast later?’

 

For a moment, I did have that worry.

 

But it couldn’t be helped. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to form a good team and put on a good stage.

 

Looking like a good person is nice too, of course, but first I need to show good acting.

 

It was obvious who I needed to find for that.

 

“Hye-seong sunbae.”

 

“Yeah. Want to work together?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Seon-woo’s eyes sparkled.

 

“I think we could really put on a great stage if you join.”

 

“…Well, I think it would be pretty fun working with you too.”

 

Hye-seong grinned and nodded.

 

“Good. Let’s do this together.”

 

With that, they secured their third member.

 

Two more remained. The first ones that came to mind were Min-hee and Jae-won. So when they went to recruit them…

 

“Ah, sorry. I already have a team.”

 

Both of them had already formed teams. They were even on the same team together.

 

Hye-seong clicked his tongue.

 

“Wow, that team is going to be really strong.”

 

He was right.

 

At a glance, the other members beside them were also people who had shown quite decent acting ability.

 

It seemed Jae-won had also realized the importance of teammates this time. After all, he had suffered because of a strange partner just last time.

 

Anyway, because of that, they were in a situation where they needed to find two more teammates.

 

As they were looking around wondering who to choose, Hye-seong spoke up first.

 

“Hmm. Seon-woo.”

 

“Yes. Do you have someone in mind?”

 

“How about Jin-wook?”

 

Ugh.

 

Seon-woo desperately managed his expression.

 

It was a name he had been trying to erase from his mind, so honestly, he hadn’t even considered it.

 

But setting aside personal feelings… in truth, Seo Jin-wook was quite a reliable teammate. His teamwork might be lacking, but his individual acting ability was outstanding.

 

There was no real reason to shake his head.

 

“Let me ask him.”

 

And when they found Seo Jin-wook and asked if he wanted to join their team, Seo Jin-wook looked at Seon-woo with a somewhat surprised expression before shrugging his shoulders.

 

“Well, it’s possible… but I already agreed to team up with Hyeong-bin hyung.”

 

Hyeong-bin.

 

Had they already become close enough to call each other hyung? Considering Seo Jin-wook’s character, it was unexpected, but thinking of Hyeong-bin’s affability, it also made sense.

 

Hye-seong nodded.

 

“Hyeong-bin would be good. His acting is clean too. But where did Hyeong-bin go?”

 

“The bathroom. He suddenly said it was urgent and left.”

 

“Alright, if Hyeong-bin agrees, let’s go with the five of us.”

 

And when Hyeong-bin returned and heard this news, he nodded his head so vigorously that it seemed like he might hurt his neck.

 

“Oh wow, I love it! With these members, I feel like we can really do anything?!”

 

And so the team was formed.

 

A team with formidable strength that, just as Hyeong-bin said, seemed capable of anything.

 

Now the problem was the script.

 

‘…They said all teams get the same script, right?’

 

He had found it a bit strange from the moment he first heard it.

 

Each team would have different gender distributions, yet they said there was a script that all teams could perform the same way regardless of such differences.

 

But the moment he received and held the script, Seon-woo could understand how that was possible.

 

“…Interesting.”

 

The title of the work was [Those in the Sealed Room].

 

There were five characters in total. But instead of names, these characters had titles attached to them.

 

Coward. Braggart. Drunkard. Troublemaker. Mute.

 

Titles that directly contained the main characteristics of each character.

 

‘This way, there’s no need to worry about things like gender or age.’

 

But what was even more impressive than that was the content of the script.

 

The story begins with these five people suddenly trapped in a sealed room. The only thing inside is a single tightly locked door.

 

The overall story dealt with the process of these five people escaping from this sealed room.

 

It was a kind of coming-of-age story where each person disappeared from the sealed room one by one as they overcame their own flaws.

 

“Wow, where did they get a script like this?”

 

Hye-seong let out a hollow laugh.

 

Both the length and the character traits – it was a script perfectly optimized for use in this kind of competition.

 

Seo Jin-wook looked at the script and spoke casually.

 

“It seems like they took some homage from [Closed Room], it’s intriguing.”

 

“Oh, now that you mention it, you’re right.”

 

“But… I wonder what they were thinking when they created this character.”

 

Hyeong-bin looked at the script with a puzzled expression.

 

They could tell which character he was talking about without having to ask.

 

Seon-woo opened his mouth.

 

“You’re talking about Mute, right?”

 

“Yeah. I thought maybe since his name is Mute… but really, all his lines are just dots.”

 

Hye-seong was right.

 

There were action descriptions, but not a single line of spoken dialogue. Of course, there were a few impactful scenes because of that… but that was just on the script.

 

Could he really project proper stage presence on stage without a single line?

 

With this role that was practically no different from an extra?

 

‘Every team is going to clash over this.’

 

Indeed, when he glanced around at the other teams, many of them had quite troubled atmospheres.

 

It would be difficult to reach an agreement on who would take on this ‘Mute’ role. It would be very hard to secure individual points.

 

“I think we should decide who’s going to play Mute first before we start.”

 

Hye-seong spoke up first.

 

“Probably nobody wants to do it… right?”

 

Hye-seong sighed inwardly.

 

He could tell the moment he first saw the script. Mute had no lines, but that’s exactly why it required even more skilled acting ability.

 

Making an impact with just physical acting without a single line was difficult even for someone with considerable experience.

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

In times like this, the one with the most experience had no choice but to step up.

 

Just as he was about to speak up.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

“…Huh? You’ll do it? Why?”

 

“S-Seon-woo. Will you be okay?”

 

Seon-woo volunteered for the role of Mute.

 

Since no one had expected anyone to volunteer for this role, Hye-seong was left speechless. Hyeong-bin also looked at Seon-woo with concern, seeming to think he had decided to sacrifice himself.

 

But Seon-woo shook his head.

 

“I’m not doing it because everyone seems to hate it. I just think this role… seems kind of appealing.”

 

“Think it through carefully. It might be appealing depending on how you look at it… but expressing that appeal is a different story. Just looking at the script, it’s clearly defined. Bringing this character to life properly is going to be incredibly difficult.”

 

“Then I guess I’ll have to do it the hard way.”

 

But Seon-woo stubbornly insisted.

 

As I said before, it wasn’t that I volunteered because someone had to make a sacrifice. I was genuinely interested in the Mute character.

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

The Mute possessed a color that Seon-woo had never seen before.

 

Seon-woo gazed at what bloomed before his eyes… a transparent color orb like a real soap bubble.

 

“I want to try it.”

 

The Mute had no color.

 

* * *

 

‘This is my first time with this kind of character.’

 

What does color mean?

 

Though no one could tell him the definitive answer, Seon-woo thought the most accurate expression to describe color was ‘mental image.’

 

And every character had that color.

 

Even if the color might be a bit faint, there was no character that existed without color.

 

That would be no different from having no mental image at all.

 

But this Mute is transparent.

 

…Why?

 

I don’t know.

 

That’s why I volunteered for the Mute role.

 

I also had a feeling that I might not get another chance to play such a role in my acting career.

 

It was ironic.

 

I started acting because I wanted to live a colorful life, but here I was drawn to a role precisely because it had no color.

 

Anyway, once the Mute was settled, the roles were distributed without much difficulty.

 

Coward was Yeon-woo.

 

Braggart was Hye-seong.

 

Drunkard was Hyeong-bin.

 

Finally, Troublemaker was Seo Jin-wook.

 

It was a role distribution that matched each character fairly well.

 

Now they just had to act their assigned characters well…

 

“Wh-where is this! Wh-what are you people? Did you kidnap me?”

 

“Stop talking nonsense and sit down. We’ve all been kidnapped.”

 

“…Wh-what did you say! By who? Why?”

 

“If we knew that, would we be here doing this?”

 

Once he actually started acting, Seon-woo realized that the role of the Mute wasn’t easy.

 

It had to be that way. Setting aside the fact that the Mute had no lines, there were virtually no stage directions either.

 

What little stage directions there were amounted to:

 

Mute: (Looking at the Coward) ….

 

Just looking at someone was all there was.

 

There were no stage directions like waving hands dismissively or turning one’s head.

 

Even scene-wise, the only time the Mute drew attention was in the final part.

 

Fortunately, the other team members were doing quite well with their roles.

 

There was one person who was particularly impressive:

 

“Then you just sit there and quietly grovel. I need to get out of here.”

 

It was Seo Jin-wook.

 

Seo Jin-wook had always delivered explosive acting. When he acted, violent colors would burst out from him as the center.

 

As a result, those facing him often struggled just to handle his emotions.

 

But just like when he worked with Hyeong-bin before, this time he… felt very emotionally restrained.

 

Rather than just exploding recklessly, it felt like he was honing and re-honing his emotions to stab sharply.

 

From the team’s perspective, it was much more manageable emotion to deal with.

 

‘…Has he really changed?’

 

Maybe he had really matured.

 

Lately, it seemed like he showed much less of those ridiculous words and actions from before. Maybe it was because they were in front of cameras… but whatever the reason, it was good that his behavior had been corrected.

 

Anyway, with even Seo Jin-wook being so cooperative, the team had nothing particular to worry about.

 

‘I just need to do well.’

 

Seon-woo wanted to find out how the Mutes from other teams were preparing their acting.

 

Fortunately, Ye-chan happened to be assigned the role of the Mute. Thanks to that, he tried to discuss the Mute with him… but Ye-chan sighed with a very angry expression.

 

“I really don’t like our team.”

 

“…Why? Is something wrong?”

 

“Well…”

 

The situation was as follows.

 

Ye-chan said he had formed a team with Si-on and three other people that Seon-woo didn’t know. At first, the atmosphere wasn’t that bad.

 

But the moment they received the script and discovered the mute role…

 

—Si-on, do you want to play the mute?

 

—Huh, m-me?

 

—Yeah. There are no lines, so it’ll actually be easier to act, right?

 

That’s how they cornered Si-on.

 

Since he was still young and lacked acting ability, he should take on an easy role without lines!

 

And Ye-chan, who couldn’t stand watching it anymore, stepped forward and volunteered to play the mute himself.

 

“I mean, I know surviving is important, but… how could they do that to a kid?”

 

“…Their team luck was pretty bad.”

 

Seon-woo let out a sigh.

 

If he had known this would happen, he should have just kidnapped Si-on for their team even if Si-on refused. But there was no point in dwelling on what had already happened.

 

However, another situation arose that forced him to keep doing that meaningless thing.

 

It was that evening.

 

Practice Room. While taking a short break from acting practice… he could see Si-on rehearsing with his team in one corner of the practice room. He was about to smile warmly at the sight of Si-on practicing so hard that his bangs were soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead,

 

“Ah, Si-on! Are you going to keep missing your breathing like that?”

 

“S-sorry.”

 

“This is screwed. How are we supposed to advance with him? Our team score is going to be destroyed.”

 

The short-haired woman was looking at Si-on and laughing as if she found it ridiculous.

 

For a moment, even the other teams practicing nearby maintained silence and watched.

 

But as if she couldn’t feel those gazes, the woman looked around as if she found this situation amusing.

 

“Oh, this is terrible. Si-on is really so bad. What should we do?”

 

…His head suddenly throbbed.

 

He felt his blood pressure spike. How could she say something like that to a kid? Even if he wasn’t a kid, it would still be a problem. Isn’t this wrong as one person to another?

 

He wanted to rush out right now and say something.

 

But Seon-woo carved the character for patience into his heart. Going out there wouldn’t improve Si-on’s situation. It might even make things more uncomfortable and difficult.

 

“That’s why I told you to just play the mute. Why are you being so stubborn? Everyone’s suffering because of you!”

 

——But even so, this was absolutely unacceptable.

 

Seon-woo pressed his hand against the floor. Whatever happened, he felt like he had to say something. If he didn’t, he felt like he couldn’t bear it.

 

“Crazy bitch.”

 

…But I wasn’t planning to say it this harshly?

 

Seon-woo turned to look beside him with a stunned expression. It wasn’t Seon-woo who had just spoken.

 

Seo Jin-wook.

 

He was glaring at the woman with no change in expression.

 

The woman turned to look at Seo Jin-wook, her eyes trembling.

 

“Are you talking to me right now?”

 

“Yes. There’s a limit to how much nonsense I can listen to. I really can’t stand watching you throw a fit at a kid when you can’t even think about your own acting.”

 

Words without any filtering.

 

Verbal abuse so harsh that even the woman who was about to charge at him with fire in her eyes was momentarily stunned.

 

Seo Jin-wook twisted the corner of his mouth.

 

“Is what I almost said?”

—————
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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