I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 40

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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 40

 

“Isn’t this mission’s difficulty level too high?”

 

This was a question Seong Jun-il had felt from the moment he first received the script.

 

At first glance, it seemed quite intuitive and simple, but in reality, it was filled with characters that were extremely difficult to bring to life.

 

And Yu Mi-yeon agreed with that assessment.

 

“It is high. Well, but we need to increase the discrimination level at some point, don’t we?”

 

“That’s true, but… ‘Mute’ was really a bit much. Even I’m not confident I could handle that kind of character well.”

 

“That’s definitely half worry, half anticipation. It would be fortunate if even one person could cover it well.”

 

Yu Mi-yeon nodded.

 

Mute was such a unique character that it was difficult to even establish judging criteria, let alone act it out.

 

A character who doesn’t have a single line throughout the entire work.

 

It wasn’t like there hadn’t been such attempts in film history, but it wasn’t exactly a character you could easily encounter either.

 

“Well, what can we do? Just because they’re newcomers doesn’t mean they can only get easy characters. They’ll have to prove they’re different from the start.”

 

“So, does our Actor Seong Jun-il have any promising sprouts he’s watching?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

So the conversation was suddenly jumping in that direction.

 

Seong Jun-il fell into thought for a moment. Honestly, when he first agreed to appear on this program, he didn’t have high expectations.

 

Even the newcomers who came to sets these days showed mediocre acting ability compared to the past, so he wondered how much worse those who hadn’t even debuted would be.

 

Nevertheless, the reason he decided to appear was simple.

 

He thought actors needed more opportunities as well.

 

This was an era where rappers, idols, trot singers, and even dancers could make themselves known to the public through audition programs.

 

But only actors didn’t have such opportunities.

 

So he wanted to contribute even a little through this opportunity.

 

Well, there wasn’t much he could do directly, but if he could help create one more straw for his juniors to grasp through this broadcast, that alone would be good enough.

 

But there were more high-level participants than he expected.

 

No, level wasn’t what mattered.

 

There were many who kept catching his eye… people he couldn’t help but invest his heart in.

 

“Apart from Mute, I think I know which sprout has grown the most.”

 

“Oh, who?”

 

“Jeong Hye-seong, this guy.”

 

“Definitely… that kid honestly seemed like actors who are already out in the field. The density of experience itself felt different?”

 

“Yes. Actually, there’s nothing more to work on. If he appears on this program, there will probably be tons of directors who remember his name.”

 

It was sincere.

 

Hye-seong was at a level where he wouldn’t be lacking much even compared to renowned actors currently active in the field.

 

Perhaps after some time passes, he might become an actor whose face at least any South Korean would recognize?

 

“What about you, senior? Who catches your eye the most?”

 

“For me, it’s our Min-hee.”

 

She had already become ‘our’ Min-hee.

 

It seemed like she had already completely captured Yu Mi-yeon’s heart. Indeed, every time she mentioned Min-hee’s name, Yu Mi-yeon’s eyes sparkled like a young girl’s.

 

“She’s the most brilliant among the juniors I’ve seen recently. Both as a woman and as an actor.”

 

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen someone you like this much, senior.”

 

“Why are you saying it like that? As if I’m some picky person? I like all the juniors who seem decent enough.”

 

It wasn’t wrong.

 

It’s just that those who meet the standard of ‘decent enough’ appear as rarely as beans in a drought.

 

The two looked back at Lee Mu-beom.

 

They were cautious, worried they might be bothering him unnecessarily before filming, but they were still curious about this.

 

“Teacher, do you also… have a child you’ve taken a liking to?”

 

“….”

 

Lee Mu-beom remained silent for a moment.

 

Faced with that silence, Yu Mi-yeon and Seong Jun-il tensed up for a moment. Just as they were about to regret asking an unnecessary question,

 

“I’ve taken a liking to all of them. There’s no one I don’t like.”

 

“Ah, yes. I shouldn’t have said anything unnecessary…”

 

“But there is one I’m curious about.”

 

“Oh, could that be…”

 

“Kim Seon-woo.”

 

As expected.

 

Seong Jun-il nodded inwardly.

 

He had expected it since the moment he used the expression ‘genius,’ thinking that the impression Seon-woo left on Lee Mu-beom seemed quite deep.

 

But when he heard Lee Mu-beom’s following words, Seong Jun-il realized that the impression he had of him wasn’t simply at the level of ‘deep.’

 

“Keep a close eye on that child. He’ll become the most watched talent in this entertainment industry.”

 

“…Wow, that’s an incredible statement.”

 

The most attention in the industry?

 

If he had said that about this program, Seong Jun-il would have nodded without much objection.

 

But what Lee Mu-beom was talking about was the industry.

 

He was essentially saying Seon-woo was talent capable of shaking up this country’s, South Korea’s film industry.

 

‘To that extent?’

 

Seong Jun-il did like Seon-woo too.

 

If asked to name the top five participants he liked most in this program, he would mention that name without hesitation.

 

But that was separate from this. Seon-woo was a genius? He did seem like a genius. But this industry was crawling with such geniuses.

 

Would the day really come when Seon-woo would gain attention, surpassing all of them?

 

Lee Mu-beom smiled as he looked at Seong Jun-il.

 

“You look unconvinced.”

 

“Ah, no. It’s not that I don’t believe it… I’m just curious. I wonder what aspects of Seon-woo made you say that, Teacher.”

 

“What aspects…”

 

Lee Mu-beom chuckled and shook his head.

 

To ask such a thing after seeing it directly with his own eyes. Did he truly not understand what it meant for that child’s acting to change so dramatically in just a few days?

 

“Watch this mission carefully. If you look closely, you might see it too. What I saw.”

 

“…Mmm, I’ll try my best.”

 

Seong Jun-il made a troubled expression as he looked down at the table.

 

On the table was a chart organizing the participants’ team compositions and assigned roles.

 

Right. Let’s see. What role did Seon-woo get assigned? Seong Jun-il’s eyes soon stopped as he scanned down the chart.

 

[ Kim Seon-woo: Mute role ]

 

And Seong Jun-il’s expression became displeased.

 

…Of all things, a mute.

 

Would there really be anything to see?

 

* * *

 

“…Honestly, I’m disappointed.”

 

As expected, there wasn’t much to see.

 

Ah, this wasn’t about Seon-woo. Seon-woo’s team hadn’t taken the stage yet.

 

What Seong Jun-il was glaring at now was the first team that had taken the stage.

 

“Your acting fails to properly express even the superficial aspects of the character. Park Se-yeon. Answer me. Why was the drunkard intoxicated?”

 

“Uh, that’s… I thought it was because he hated reality.”

 

“And what’s the reason he hated that reality?”

 

“…I’m sorry. I don’t think I thought about it enough.”

 

Park Se-yeon lowered her head with a face that looked like she was about to cry. Her small shoulders trembling was quite a pitiful sight.

 

But even faced with that sight, Seong Jun-il’s gaze didn’t soften. Rather, it became sharper.

 

“I’ve told you repeatedly. To always remember what a huge opportunity this place is. And this is the result? Do you think it makes sense to act without even thinking about why the character I’m portraying has such feelings and ended up in such a state?”

 

It was a problem he had anticipated from the moment he first saw the script.

 

In [Those in the Sealed Room], nothing about the characters’ individual traits is described. What their gender is, how old they are, what their occupation is… nothing at all.

 

But that didn’t mean they should abandon the heart to express them.

 

If there were many blanks, they should have filled them.

 

They should have drawn and completed who these people were themselves.

 

In fact, the main evaluation factor for this mission was precisely this point.

 

How an actor can understand and construct a character. That’s why he thought the mute would be more difficult. In Seong Jun-il’s view, it seemed quite hard to portray the mute attractively.

 

But there was no need to even get to the mute.

 

“It’s not just Park Se-yeon’s problem. Not a single person in this team gave what I’d call a living performance. Everyone here gave acting that was nothing but an empty shell. Ju Jin-young. Try answering once. Why exactly is it like this? Did you really think this would be enough?”

 

“…I’m sorry. When I saw the script, I just thought acting like this would be fine.”

 

He could tell without even asking further.

 

Rather, they probably thought this mission was easy. Since the script didn’t describe complex and elaborate character portrayals, they probably thought they just needed to act out some superficial aspects appropriately.

 

Complacent.

 

Seong Jun-il couldn’t even sigh anymore.

 

“Do you know what makes me angriest right now?”

 

“…”

 

“The fact that I seem to value this more than you do. Don’t you find it precious? Don’t you find it regrettable? That you could make it if you just did a little better here. That depending on how you spend each day now, whether your dreams become reality or not is decided. But how can you be like this? How can you be so half-hearted about it?”

 

Those words hurt more than outright criticism.

 

And it wasn’t just those currently on stage who felt stung by those words. There were many who hadn’t shown their performance yet, but thought their upcoming acting wouldn’t be much different from what they’d just seen.

 

While several participants belatedly realized their complacency, there were also those who maintained a relatively relaxed atmosphere.

 

Jae-won and Min-hee were among them.

 

“…We did well to keep giving each other feedback.”

 

“That’s right. At least everyone can explain what their character does.”

 

[Those in the Sealed Room] was a scenario with strong theatrical characteristics.

 

From their perspective, it was rather easy to approach and analyze.

 

Moreover, this time they had formed a team entirely of those who had professionally learned acting, including Theater and Film Department graduates.

 

There was no way they would perform acting that failed to cover even the basic parts like those others.

 

And that wasn’t arrogance.

 

Jae-won and Min-hee’s team took the stage right after.

 

And the judges’ reaction was completely different from the previous team.

 

“…First, I’d like to say thank you.”

 

Seong Jun-il let out a sigh with a somewhat relieved expression.

 

“It was a charming stage. Not a single person was lacking. Especially Min-hee’s part where the coward shakes off fear at the end… everything from breathing to the look in your eyes was perfect. I should say it felt like I had become Min-hee myself.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“And Jae-won too. Jae-won, you…”

 

What followed was a shower of praise.

 

It was clear they had done their best to somehow give life to their characters. Thank you for working so hard. Those kinds of compliments.

 

However, if there was an exception…

 

“…Justin, you were a bit disappointing.”

 

It was Justin who had acted as the mute.

 

A Korean-American young man who had flown from America for this program.

 

But the judges couldn’t be too critical of Justin either. That was because,

 

“I understand. The mute is quite difficult, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes. It was a bit… no, very difficult.”

 

Justin answered in a voice mixed with a slight Korean-American accent.

 

When he first chose the mute, he said it seemed like a role that could overcome his accent.

 

Because the mute had no lines.

 

And actually, Justin’s acting wasn’t bad.

 

To somehow overcome the handicap of having no lines, he matched his breathing with the other actors through maximally exaggerated reactions.

 

Like watching a mime performer, with surprisingly eye-catching actions.

 

That was the problem.

 

“I could feel that Justin put in his own effort. I can see that he did his best to figure out how to bring the Mute character to life. However… it doesn’t seem like quite the right interpretation?”

 

Yu Mi-yeon looked at Justin with pitying eyes.

 

And Lee Mu-beom drove the nail in.

 

“What Justin acted wasn’t the Mute. It was just someone who chose not to speak.”

 

In the end, that was the evaluation Jae-won’s team received.

 

Overall decent, but disappointing in terms of the Mute’s character interpretation.

 

Jae-won’s team received a score of 7 points.

 

But Justin and Jae-won’s team, and even the judges, didn’t really think much of it.

 

Rather, from their perspective, this was actually doing well.

 

The Mute was disappointing, but it didn’t seem like it would be particularly easy to express the Mute better than that anyway.

 

If you stayed faithful to the Mute’s character interpretation, wouldn’t you just end up as an object crouched quietly in a corner without opening your mouth once?

 

Everyone thought that way.

 

The Mute was… too big a wall for them to overcome.

 

To be precise, everyone except Seon-woo’s team.

 

“Contestants Jeong Hye-seong, Kim Seon-woo, Seo Jin-wook, Lee Yeon-woo, Bang Hyeong-bin. Please come up on stage.”

 

They climbed onto the stage with smiles.

 

An atmosphere strangely filled with confidence. But it couldn’t be helped. Watching the previous stages, they were already filled with certainty.

 

Today, they would be the protagonists of this place.

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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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