I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 44

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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 44

 

【 Tonight, the first broadcast of “I Am an Actor” will air! 】

 

【 Please gather in the break room in time for the live broadcast. 】

 

【 Until then, everyone please rest freely! 】

 

The day after performing [Those in the Sealed Room].

 

The production team granted them an unexpected break.

 

It was the first time they had gotten some breathing room.

 

Until now, they would receive their evaluation and then immediately be given the next mission the following day. So there was no time to rest, whether mentally or physically.

 

But now that he was actually given time to rest, Seon-woo finally realized that he had been a bit exhausted.

 

While he loved acting, human stamina wasn’t infinite after all.

 

‘If I’m not careful with this work, my body could really break down.’

 

The elderly might be shocked to hear this, but… Seon-woo was definitely feeling his recovery ability declining as he turned twenty-six.

 

If he pushed himself too hard relying only on his youth, his body might suddenly collapse at some point.

 

That was why he decided to go jogging.

 

He hadn’t been exercising properly while focusing on acting, and he thought he might collapse from exhaustion at this rate.

 

He had originally planned to go alone, but when he ran into Ye-chan in the hallway who suddenly asked if he could come along, Seon-woo nodded.

 

And after running about 3km like that.

 

“Huff, huff… I’m, I’m dying, hyung…”

 

It would be better not to mention that you have to run this every day in the military.

 

Seon-woo looked back at Ye-chan and asked.

 

“Should we head back? Your breathing is all messed up.”

 

“No, no. I can, do, it…!”

 

Ye-chan shouted defiantly.

 

“When I, do some, thing, I do it!”

 

And about 1 minute later.

 

Ye-chan was sprawled out on a street bench like a wet towel.

 

Seon-woo wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled.

 

“Still, you’re running better than I expected.”

 

“Hyung… you don’t even seem out of breath. Shouldn’t you be running more?”

 

“No. I am a little winded. It’s been a while since I ran too.”

 

“How long has it been?”

 

“I haven’t run since coming here… about two weeks?”

 

“That doesn’t really seem like ‘a while’…”

 

Ye-chan shook his head.

 

He couldn’t understand why everyone did this thing called running in the first place. It was just too hard. The entire time spent running was pure agony.

 

Watching Ye-chan like this, Seon-woo tilted his head.

 

“But why did you suddenly ask me to run together? I can see you don’t even like running.”

 

“…I just felt like I needed to do something to clear my mind of random thoughts.”

 

“What random thoughts?”

 

“Um… Hyung.”

 

Ye-chan turned to look at Seon-woo.

 

His eyes looked somehow weary. It wasn’t because he was out of breath from running.

 

It was more of a fundamental exhaustion.

 

“Hyung, why do you act?”

 

“…Well, because I love acting?”

 

“Me too. Or at least, I thought I did.”

 

Ye-chan looked up at the sky blankly.

 

“But the more I act, there’s something like this. First you have to get recognition from people around you, first you have to pass auditions, first you have to get opportunities to act, and as that happens… ugh, how should I put it. It feels like I’m gradually becoming unable to focus on acting itself?”

 

Seon-woo nodded silently.

 

He thought he understood what Ye-chan meant. People who were doing interviews rather than acting. He’d often seen such people here too.

 

But he had thought Ye-chan wasn’t that type of case… it seemed Ye-chan’s thoughts were different.

 

“When sunbae told me about Mute, I actually knew then. That hyung was right. That acting Mute that way was the correct answer.”

 

“But it was too risky. It’s not strange that you didn’t act that way.”

 

“But hyung took that risk.”

 

Seon-woo was momentarily at a loss for words.

 

Ye-chan let out a sigh.

 

“I think that’s the problem. Being able to do something even when you know it’s dangerous, versus not being able to do it. The truth is, I was more focused on survival than acting.”

 

“Do you hate that?”

 

“Yes. I really hate it.”

 

Ye-chan nodded his head.

 

“You knew it was the wrong answer but didn’t give up on it. Because the right answer seemed too difficult. It’s cowardly and uncool….”

 

This isn’t why I started acting.

 

Ye-chan looked back at Seon-woo.

 

In terms of acting experience, Ye-chan had at least 10 more years than Seon-woo. But somehow, when looking at Seon-woo these days, Ye-chan felt like he was looking at a senior who had been around much longer than himself.

 

He knew. That Seon-woo was born with truly exceptional talent.

 

And that Seon-woo’s skills had already surpassed his own.

 

That wasn’t frustrating.

 

He could fall behind in skill. In fact, he had already experienced that several times.

 

But losing in attitude toward acting… that was hard to bear.

 

Talent was one thing. But when it came to passion for acting, he didn’t want to lose to anyone.

 

“Hyung. Next time, I’ll never choose the wrong answer. I’ll choose the right answer like you do.”

 

Seon-woo hesitated for a moment.

 

He wanted to say that he hadn’t particularly chosen the right answer, but had simply followed his heart… but somehow that didn’t seem like what he should say right now.

 

The man had made up his mind. What needed to be added to that was,

 

“Yeah. Do well.”

 

A single word of encouragement was enough.

 

* * *

 

Today was finally the day.

 

Self-proclaimed number one fan of Kim Seon-woo, Da-sol stared at the commercials flowing across the TV with a determined expression.

 

Of course, what she was steeling herself to watch with such resolve wasn’t just commercials.

 

The program that would come after this.

 

No, more precisely, the person who would appear on that program.

 

Kim Seon-woo was exactly that reason.

 

“…I can’t believe this day has already come.”

 

Da-sol clenched her fists.

 

It felt like just yesterday when she first saw him acting at Cheongseong… and now he was already on broadcast networks.

 

He was too brilliant a person for her to know alone. But still, she had hoped he would remain an actor known only to her for just a little longer… it seemed that was too greedy of her.

 

At first, she was worried.

 

She worried about what would happen if those broadcasting station people failed to recognize his value.

 

However, when she saw the preview, she realized her worries had been unnecessary.

 

—He’s a genius.

 

The editing blatantly pushed Seon-woo as the main character.

 

The problem was that it was a bit excessive.

 

—What makes him a genius?

 

—Isn’t he just good-looking and they’re doing this to attract attention?

 

—Y-Net being Y-Net again…

 

Thanks to that, people with negative reactions appeared instead.

 

Asking why they were already calling him a genius and whatnot.

 

At least it was fortunate that the messenger who said those words was Lee Mu-beom, renowned as a national actor and national father figure.

 

For now, the overall public opinion was along the lines of ‘There must be a reason why Lee Mu-beom said such things, right?’

 

‘He really needs to do well in the main episode…’

 

Actually, she wasn’t too worried about his acting.

 

The Seon-woo she had seen at Cheongseong had always delivered captivating performances that made it impossible to look away.

 

But believing in him and feeling nervous were separate things, so as Da-sol clasped her hands together and stared intently at the TV,

 

“Oh, it’s starting!”

 

“…!”

 

Da-yeon, who was beside her, raised her voice, and Da-sol held her breath as she began watching the live broadcast.

 

—I couldn’t see a path.

 

—Even when I wanted to act, there was nowhere to do it.

 

—I needed an opportunity.

 

It began with the voices of various actors delivering monologues.

 

An introduction explaining what this program was created for.

 

What the program showed next were people. Countless people who had dreams of becoming actors but couldn’t pursue them due to various reasons.

 

Those people and their stories were so compelling and heartwarming that even Da-sol momentarily forgot about Seon-woo and focused on them.

 

‘They did make it well.’

 

The characters’ stories themselves were attractive, and the PD’s skill in editing and directing them cleanly was also top-notch.

 

If they could maintain this form, it made him think that this program’s performance might be quite promising going forward.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

【 I’m Kim Min-hee. 】

 

A familiar face appeared on the screen.

 

Da-sol slapped Da-yeon’s knee and made a fuss.

 

“Oh, Sister! Isn’t that person from Cheongseong?”

 

“Oh, that’s right. Wow… she’s incredibly pretty even on screen. There’s no difference from real life.”

 

“Now Seon-woo will appear too…!”

 

They wouldn’t show Cheongseong’s actors separately.

 

In fact, the PD was emphasizing the theater troupe called Cheongseong itself a bit. Saying it was a place where only notable people from the theater scene gathered. They were probably trying to create characters for the Cheongseong people this way.

 

One might think they were pushing them too much, but when Da-yeon and Da-sol actually saw the Cheongseong people acting, they soon nodded their heads.

 

“The Cheongseong people are really good.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Among the participants who had appeared so far, there were theater and film department graduates and current acting instructors.

 

But the most eye-catching were still the Cheongseong people. Not only Min-hee, but also Hye-seong and Jae-won… they all had a sparkling, radiant feeling.

 

Seon-woo would surely show a radiance equal to theirs… maybe even more brilliant.

 

Just as Da-sol’s fists were getting sweaty with anticipation,

 

【 The person you should pay most attention to among you? 】

 

The PD asked that question to the Cheongseong people.

 

And it was the next moment.

 

Min-hee, Hye-seong, Jae-won… and many other Cheongseong people began mentioning the same name one by one.

 

【 Kim Seon-woo. 】

 

【 Seon-woo is… how should I put it… different. 】

 

【 You’ll know when you see him act. Why he’s special. 】

 

【 His career is still short, but if given just a little time… I feel like he’ll definitely become a great actor? 】

 

‘…This is bad.’

 

And Da-sol held her head in her hands.

 

While she was grateful and proud that everyone acknowledged Seon-woo like this, editing the situation this way was still unfair.

 

If they raised expectations this high… ordinary acting wouldn’t be able to meet those expectations.

 

Even Da-yeon let out a hollow laugh.

 

“How is he going to handle that?”

 

“…I don’t know.”

 

Da-sol hugged her pillow tightly.

 

Just as anxiety began to embrace her, wondering whether Seon-woo could really show acting that would match such expectations,

 

【 I’m Kim Seon-woo. 】

 

Seon-woo appeared on the screen.

 

And for a moment, Da-sol’s eyes went blank.

 

This was the first time she was seeing his face on screen… and in such a proper solo shot at that.

 

But then,

 

“…What? Was Seon-woo always this handsome?”

 

Right. He was handsome, just like Da-yeon said.

 

In reality, it was hard to stare at his face so intently, and since she usually saw him from some distance… but seeing his face enlarged like this, it was quite harmonious, she supposed.

 

He might not be the striking type of handsome man like Do-young.

 

But how should she put it. He had a kind of magic that made you become more and more captivated the more you looked at him.

 

‘…Seon-woo looks good on camera too.’

 

But Da-sol shook her head.

 

This wasn’t the time to get distracted by his face. Depending on the acting he showed right now, how many hate comments would be posted for Seon-woo tomorrow would be decided.

 

【 I like you. 】

 

And when Seon-woo’s mouth opened, Da-sol nodded for now.

 

She had worried that he might be more nervous than usual because it was a broadcast, but fortunately that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t much different from how he was at the theater.

 

【 I know, it’s late. I know it’s late… but I have to say it. Don’t go. Please… 】

 

…No, wait.

 

It actually seemed even better than when he was at the theater?

 

“Oh…”

 

Even Da-yeon, who was sitting next to her, was gaping with her mouth open, completely absorbed in watching Seon-woo’s acting.

 

Seon-woo’s romantic acting in [Until You Live] had been quite impressive too. But seeing another romantic performance like this… especially with his face filling the entire screen, the feeling was dozens of times more vivid.

 

‘…He looks even better on camera…’

 

The corners of her mouth twitched upward without her realizing it.

 

Even Da-yeon’s nostrils, who was a Do-young fan, flared momentarily.

 

Da-sol realized anew that whatever else might be uncertain, Seon-woo was someone who didn’t need to worry about his acting.

 

【 Can’t you just… stay with me? 】

 

“This is insane…”

 

Da-sol let out a laugh with her mouth hanging open.

 

Da-yeon didn’t tease Da-sol for her reaction. She was in exactly the same state. Could anyone express a boy in love, caught in that transparent atmosphere of not knowing what to do, any better than this?

 

Just watching his acting was enough to make her feel like she was falling in love too.

 

Seon-woo’s performance was over.

 

Seeing the judges nod at Seon-woo with smiles on their faces, Da-sol was finally able to let go of some of her worries.

 

At least with this level of performance, even those who had been glaring at Seon-woo with clouded eyes would have to acknowledge him.

 

He wasn’t called a genius for nothing.

 

…That’s what she thought,

 

but that night.

 

hot new lololol that guy’s been learning acting for less than half a year? the production team is totally pushing it lmaooo

 

An unimaginable controversy erupted.

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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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