I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 48
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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 48
Training Kwon So-ri was… smoother than expected.
“Release the tension at the end of your lines. That way the emotion will be felt more in that moment.”
“Yes!”
“Think of it as painful every time you speak. Both your throat and your heart.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t speak immediately after my lines end. Listen to what I said, understand it, then deliver your lines.”
“Yes! I understand! Oppa!”
The way she eagerly accepted every piece of feedback Seon-woo gave made him wonder if this was really the Kwon So-ri he knew.
He thought she would be much more stubborn than this…
‘Well, whatever works.’
Seon-woo didn’t think too deeply about it.
The most important thing right now was ultimately creating a good performance.
In any case, thanks to Kwon So-ri accepting Seon-woo’s feedback so well, she was showing quite stable acting compared to the beginning.
Even Kwon So-ri said as much.
“…I think oppa teaches better than the professors at our school.”
It wasn’t empty flattery.
If professors and lesson teachers taught methods of expressing emotion, Seon-woo’s feedback… somehow guided her to become one with the emotions she expressed.
In fact, it would have been difficult for the old Seon-woo.
But after meeting Yeon-woo, Seon-woo’s approach to emotions had changed significantly.
He realized that through subtle gestures, eye contact, and changes in breathing… emotions could be expressed and felt more powerfully.
Combined with the power of color orbs, teaching became even easier.
But Seon-woo still felt disappointed.
Though he had desperately pulled Kwon So-ri along… she hadn’t reached the point he wanted.
‘In the end, it seems difficult to fully bring out the emotion.’
Unlike before, Kwon So-ri’s immersion wouldn’t break just from Seon-woo exploding with emotion.
But it was true that she still wavered.
If Seon-woo unleashed his emotions with full force like this… the flow of the acting itself would become unstable.
To show better acting… a situation where emotions must be suppressed.
Fortunately, Seon-woo had found his own alternative solution for this.
An alternative that would allow him to present a stage of comparable quality without just letting his emotions explode.
What kind of alternative was it?
…That would be confirmed soon enough.
Seon-woo raised his head.
On the stage, he could see the still-empty judges’ seats. Once all the judges gathered there, the final mission would begin.
Yes.
The final mission before the TOP 10.
“…Hyung, I’m so nervous.”
Ye-chan, who was standing next to him, spoke up.
He was anxiously shaking his leg, apparently quite nervous. Seon-woo chuckled softly as he watched Ye-chan.
“Did you prepare well?”
“Um… I don’t know about anything else, but this time I want to act without any regrets.”
Ye-chan clenched his fist.
“This time I’m going to act the correct answer.”
“Good.”
Seon-woo smiled.
The correct answer. Ye-chan seemed quite fixated on that concept.
He was curious. What kind of acting would Ye-chan bring this time?
It wasn’t just Ye-chan he was curious about.
Death. This mission was very interesting from the subject matter itself. There weren’t many things that could show as many facets of a person as death.
And then, a judge’s voice was heard.
【 The number of people has decreased significantly. 】
Unlike usual, it was Lee Mu-beom who spoke first today.
【 First, I’d like to tell everyone who has survived this far that you’ve done well. You really worked hard. 】
【 The reason all of you, who started from different places and walked different paths, were able to make it this far is probably the same for everyone. 】
【 It’s because you loved acting. 】
【 What I ask of you today is simple. 】
【 Show me. Show me how much you love acting. 】
Perhaps because it was the final mission before the TOP 10.
It was a request that somehow stirred the heart.
Seon-woo’s eyes grew calm.
Right. There was no need to overthink it. In the end, there was only one thing he had to do.
Acting.
【 The first stage will be… decorated by contestants Jeong Hye-seong and Song Jae-won. 】
Those two were the first to take the stage.
The scenario they chose was a historical drama, [Hunminjeongeum]. Hye-seong played King Sejong, and Jae-won played the Royal Guard captain who protected him.
A scene where the Royal Guard captain dies after taking a blade meant for King Sejong, who had been targeted by those opposing the distribution of Hunminjeongeum, and King Sejong cries out in anguish.
The fact that it was a historical drama was certainly refreshing.
Actually wearing the dragon robe and Royal Guard uniform made it visually interesting from the start.
Seon-woo was genuinely impressed.
‘Historical dramas can’t be easy.’
Historical dramas had countless details to pay attention to, starting with the speech patterns.
It wasn’t a genre that could be handled by hastily preparing in such a short time. For that very reason, Seon-woo hadn’t even considered historical dramas from the beginning.
Even though his opponents were Hye-seong and Jae-won, he was still a bit worried.
Could the two of them really handle historical dramas well?
“Royal Guard Captain, Jeong-gyeom! Ah, no… This cannot be. This cannot happen. You cannot go like this. You cannot leave like this. Stay conscious, stay conscious. Jeong-gyeom… Jeong-gyeom——!”
…And soon, Seon-woo realized that his worry had been unnecessary.
“Your Majesty…”
Jae-won looked at Hye-seong with unfocused eyes.
And then, coughing up blood, he laughed weakly.
“A new era has… opened… so why do you… show tears…”
“Jeong-gyeom, it’s an era that wouldn’t have opened without you… How can it make sense that you’re not here, that you cannot see this era!”
“Your Majesty, I have… already seen it…”
Goosebumps rose on his skin.
There was none of the awkwardness or cringe he had worried about. Even their emotional lines were perfect.
‘…Flowers?’
Seon-woo gazed at the pure white flowers blooming behind Hye-seong’s back.
How beautiful were the crimson flowers hanging abundantly on the branches that had grown using Hye-seong’s back as soil.
Moreover, crimson blood was flowing profusely from Jae-won who had collapsed in front, enough to stain the entire stage floor… seeing this, Seon-woo couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
It wasn’t even acting out the entire work, yet even while acting just one scene, such delicacy.
It was indeed Hye-seong, and indeed Jae-won.
But it wasn’t just them who made Seon-woo’s mouth fall open.
“Should we die?”
Min-hee, through her role as the sister who wanted to die together with her younger sister after being worn down by life, showed just how haggard the eyes of a human driven to the end of life could become,
“Damn it, I want to live too! But this fucking shitty world is telling me not to live! You know? They say even the air I breathe is a waste!”
Hyeong-bin portrayed a company employee causing a suicide commotion on the bridge while drunk with an absurdly realistic texture.
“…Hmm. Sorry. I don’t think I can let you live.”
“No, please don’t. I’ll forget. I have a bad memory! I can forget everything!”
“Well. I’m too pretty for you to forget.”
“No, please don’t… Aaaahhhhh—!”
And when he saw Yeon-woo’s acting, Seon-woo couldn’t help but feel genuinely chilled.
Whether it was intentional or not, Yeon-woo had taken on the role of a psychopathic serial killer this time. Watching her display the mineral-like gaze that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare attempt to act, all the hair on his body stood on end.
‘…Is it like this because I know about Yeon-woo?’
No, aside from that, the acting itself was intense.
Moreover, the acting of her partner was also clean. It felt like they were performing in a way that could bring out each other’s colors even more.
Could Kwon So-ri really support his acting like those people?
【 Participants Kim Seon-woo and Kwon So-ri. Please come up on stage. 】
While he was lost in such thoughts, their names were called.
As they went up on stage, Yu Mi-yeon looked at them and smiled playfully.
“Let’s see. [Young Ones]… You two took on sibling roles, how well did your breathing match?”
No.
Their breathing couldn’t have been any worse than this.
But saying that straight to Yu Mi-yeon’s face would be too tactless, so just as he was about to say it was fine…
“No, it was really bad!”
“…Oh, is that so?”
Kwon So-ri suddenly went off the rails.
When he looked back at her with a ‘why are you doing this?’ expression, Kwon So-ri grinned and opened her mouth.
“Actually, at first we really didn’t match! So we clashed a bit. It was really hard for me to act too.”
Seon-woo sighed inwardly.
…Was there really a need to say this.
But the words had already spilled out. Yu Mi-yeon’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, really? But what parts didn’t match at first and why?”
“Well, oppa’s what should I call it. Acting ability? Momentum? That kind of thing is too strong, you know? So honestly I had trouble handling it and asked him to tone it down a bit.”
“So what did Seon-woo say?”
“He said no! I believe you can do well! No matter what you say, I have no intention of giving up on you! So let’s do well together!”
‘…Did I really say it like that?’
Seon-woo’s face became bewildered.
No, I don’t think I spoke with that youth manga dialogue feel.
Wasn’t it more like telling her to stop talking nonsense and get it together? What kind of filter does Kwon So-ri have in her ears?
Yu Mi-yeon chuckled and looked back at Seon-woo.
“So, Seon-woo. How did it turn out. Are you confident now?”
“…I think I’ve prepared the best I can show.”
“Is that so?”
Yu Mi-yeon nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Then let’s see the acting right away.”
“Yes.”
Seon-woo looked back at Kwon So-ri.
The focus and expression quickly disappeared from Kwon So-ri’s eyes.
She was achieving immersion in an instant.
At the same time, gloomy dark purple spider webs began to tightly coil around her.
A form so solid it couldn’t even be compared to the past.
But it wasn’t enough.
When Seon-woo thought this would be sufficient and properly released his emotions… the emotions Kwon So-ri had poured out ended up being completely dismantled.
It meant that Seon-woo had grown that much, but such growth only had meaning when the other party could receive it.
Seon-woo pondered.
What should he do?
How could he deliver the optimal acting suited for this situation?
And the answer was…
“…I’m tired now.”
It was to suppress his emotions.
“Watching you act like that, living in This Damn House… I’m sick of it all.”
Crackle.
Menacingly flickering neon pink light was devouring Seon-woo.
As if telling him to let himself loose, it crackled incessantly, feeling like it was gnawing at Seon-woo’s soul.
But Seon-woo endured it.
If he released this emotion as it was… it would rush out and tear into Kwon So-ri.
So intensely that it would shatter her immersion completely.
“So leave me alone. Please…”
So he suppressed, suppressed, and suppressed again.
Right. It wasn’t an easy task.
Rage that couldn’t be fully released would inevitably end up gnawing at oneself.
Every time the light flickered, Seon-woo had to endure pain that felt like his heart would burst.
The problem was that the more he suppressed it, the greater that rage became.
Every time his heart throbbed, the light surrounding Seon-woo gradually grew larger.
“Just get lost.”
And this was exactly what Seon-woo had focused on.
If emotions were bound to grow larger the more you suppressed them… what if he deliberately built it up and exploded it all at once?
“Stop talking… bullshit!”
…Wouldn’t that be quite interesting?
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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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