I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 53

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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 53

 

After Episode 1 aired, I did receive a few contacts from old classmates.

 

They all seemed surprised.

 

How on earth did you suddenly start acting?

 

Why didn’t you say anything all this time… and so on.

 

And there were friends who said things like this too.

 

—Hey, I can’t stand watching those people talk nonsense when they don’t even know anything… Should I write something for you?

 

It seemed like it was hard for them to watch too.

 

Seon-woo understood their feelings.

 

Concealing his career.

 

That was the misunderstanding Seon-woo was facing, but the hate comments he was receiving were far too excessive compared to that misunderstanding.

 

What on earth made those people so angry and resentful? It was incomprehensible.

 

But Seon-woo told his friends not to bother doing that.

 

There was Im Yeong-do’s request, and honestly, those hate comments… didn’t really hurt Seon-woo that much.

 

He only felt something like, “If you use your heart like that, your own life will be harder.”

 

But it seemed like his friends were the ones who found it hard to bear.

 

A post about Seon-woo appeared on a community where university students were active.

 

Title: I’m Kim Seon-woo’s classmate, and it’s true that Kim Seon-woo has no actual acting experience

 

Praprapraprachacha│Seoul National University

 

Post: I’m Kim Seon-woo’s university classmate lol

 

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts lately saying Kim Seon-woo lied about having 6 months of acting experience, but really… from someone who knows him, it just sounds like complete bullshit.

 

This guy didn’t have time to act since university. Why? He only studied. And not just studying at a normal level. He was just top of the class all throughout his senior year, so other kids didn’t even think about competing. Anyone from our department would say the same thing if you asked them.

 

More acting experience?

 

The Seon-woo I knew was too busy studying at the library to have time to practice that stuff. lol He was the kind of guy who would refuse when classmates suggested going out for drinks, saying he had to go to the library.

 

So when we heard he was going to act this time, everyone was really surprised.

 

Seon-woo was the type to go through school very quietly… No one thought he would become an actor.

 

I understand why everyone is saying his experience doesn’t make sense.

 

But I can guarantee for certain that Kim Seon-woo has no acting experience.

 

Everyone seems to be misunderstanding, so I’m writing this!

 

Seon-woo is a good kid! He’s not the type to scam people with fake acting experience!

 

‘…Who is this?’

 

Seon-woo felt puzzled as he looked at the post.

 

From the way they spoke, it seemed like a classmate who knew him to some extent… but he couldn’t guess who it might be.

 

Could it be one of the classmates who had asked if he needed to explain himself?

 

He had no idea.

 

And this wasn’t the time to ponder who the culprit was. He had to deal with the other people around him who were staring at him with their mouths hanging open.

 

Why were their mouths hanging open?

 

Well…

 

“Seoul Universityyy?”

 

“…Seon-woo, did you really graduate from Seoul University?”

 

This was the reason.

 

Hye-seong and Min-hee were looking at him with shocked expressions. Their faces seemed to show a sense of betrayal for some reason.

 

Seon-woo nodded with an awkward expression.

 

“Yes.”

 

“What? Why didn’t you tell us?”

 

“You never really asked….”

 

Actually, Seon-woo was reluctant to bring up his university first.

 

Due to the nature of his university, saying ‘I go to this place’ somehow always sounded like bragging. There were often cases where people actually felt uncomfortable about it too.

 

So he had never really talked about his university to the Cheongseong people either… but thinking about it, they had every right to feel hurt.

 

They had spent a long time together, yet they didn’t know even this basic thing about him.

 

Seon-woo bowed his head with an awkward expression.

 

“I’m sorry. I don’t like bringing up university talk first….”

 

“Well, I can understand why….”

 

“Ah, forget it, oppa. It’s not like I’m your girlfriend, why am I being hurt over something like this? But it’s kind of unexpected. Seon-woo didn’t seem like the type who only studied. What was your major?”

 

“English Literature Department.”

 

“…Are you good at English?”

 

“No. I’m bad at it.”

 

“What’s up with that.”

 

Min-hee giggled and laughed.

 

And that’s when it happened. A long-haired man wearing a headband interrupted while clapping.

 

“Oh, Seon-woo hyung! You were an English major?”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

“Great! I can speak English with you then, hyung!”

 

Korean that sounded awkward somehow.

 

Justin. A Korean-American friend who had come over from America. One of the members who made it to the TOP 10 with them this time.

 

Min-hee frowned as she looked at Justin.

 

“Be quiet. Don’t even think about speaking English in front of me.”

 

“Ah, noona! You’re too strict. I wish you could be a little more easy.”

 

“…I can’t really tell a Korean-American not to mix in English.”

 

Min-hee let out a sigh.

 

Hyeong-bin watched the two of them and then turned his gaze back to Seon-woo.

 

“But what’s this, that person really seems to be your schoolmate, Seon-woo?”

 

“Yes. We went to the same school and… from what they’re saying, they seem to know me a bit.”

 

“Really? That’s kind of unexpected…”

 

“The school?”

 

“No, not that. The part about you being introverted.”

 

Hyeong-bin shook his head.

 

“Looking at you now, Seon-woo, it doesn’t seem like you just lived studying all the time.”

 

“…Well, I have a personality where I can only focus on one thing at a time.”

 

Well, that’s probably how he got into Seoul National University.

 

Hyeong-bin looked at Seon-woo as if finding it remarkable. He felt like he could understand where the exceptional analytical and comprehension skills that Seon-woo showed when acting came from.

 

He had probably reached the pinnacle in his studies. That’s why he could understand the principles more easily when acting too.

 

In fact, the netizens’ reactions weren’t much different from Hyeong-bin’s.

 

Anonymous: Damn if they were top of their class at Seoul National University, they must have been a real study bug ㄷㄷ It’s more amazing that they can act like that

 

Anonymous2: Wow… Top of class at Seoul National means he’s really a talent monster;; But isn’t it too game-breaking if he has that face, that acting ability, and is good at studying too

 

Alumni verification: I went to the same school and this post is true. Seonwoo was really quiet. He was the type who wouldn’t say a word at drinking parties and would leave early lol

 

Fact-checker: That post about having 6 months of experience was complete nonsense lol Don’t go around putting people down for no reason

 

Daseulgi: I wish the whole world knew that our Seonwoo is a genius even though he couldn’t act because he was focused on studying ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Seonwoo was just born to be a star on stage✨

 

ㄴ Anonymous4: What’s with this person already going “our Seonwoo” like that

 

ㄴ Lurker: Right, don’t you dare hit on our Seonwoo

 

Memory Storage: lololol for real, whenever I went to the library I’d always see them there like an NPC

 

GoguMaster: Now I’m certain they have no acting experience. Being top of their class at Seoul National University is proof enough lol

 

RealityCheck: Rumors really are scary;; They can easily distort someone’s life

 

NewFan: I wasn’t a Seon-woo fan but suddenly my favorability went up… He looks like a really healthy person somehow

 

It was absurd how completely public opinion had reversed.

 

Seon-woo honestly found it a bit ridiculous.

 

Even though he hadn’t presented a clear timeline that could prove it had only been 6 months, all public opinion had quieted down just from the single title of ‘Seoul National University.’

 

He suddenly remembered his interview with Im Yeong-do.

 

As soon as he heard that Seon-woo was from Seoul National University, he clapped his hands and said this.

 

—Perfect. I was a bit worried about how to prove Mr. Seon-woo’s background later without causing a stir… but now I feel relieved.

 

—…Because of my educational background?

 

—Yes. Mr. Seon-woo’s educational background will serve as the answer to all this controversy.

 

When he heard those words, he honestly didn’t understand them well.

 

Isn’t there no connection between acting and educational background? But educational background could serve as an answer to problems related to acting experience…?

 

‘It really turned out exactly as he said.’

 

Seon-woo chuckled softly.

 

It was a bit absurd how people heard his educational background and immediately accepted it thinking ‘Oh, then it’s probably not a lie that he has no acting experience.’

 

On one hand, it was also a bit bitter.

 

Because he could understand how severe this country’s academic elitism was.

 

Although Seon-woo wouldn’t particularly suffer losses from that academic elitism, even so, this didn’t feel very healthy.

 

‘…Well, now isn’t the time to worry about social problems.’

 

He was already busy enough solving his immediate problems.

 

“Mr. Seon-woo, you need to do an interview now!”

 

“Ah, yes. I’ll go now.”

 

In the midst of all this, an interview request suddenly came in.

 

Seeing how an interview came in at this exact timing… it’s probably because of this post that just blew up.

 

“Hello, Seon-woo.”

 

“Yes, hello PD-nim.”

 

“The internet reactions… you’ve already seen them, right?”

 

“Yes. It seems like the controversy will die down faster than expected.”

 

Seon-woo nodded with a faint smile.

 

And then he realized something was strange. Something about Im Yeong-do’s expression didn’t look good. No, rather than not good… it was more like a worried expression.

 

What on earth was he worried about?

 

“…Did the controversy end too early perhaps?”

 

“No! No. That’s not a problem at all! It’s actually fortunate. To be honest, I was quite worried that Seon-woo might be too stressed because of the hate comments…”

 

“But your expression seems somewhat troubled…”

 

“Ah, d-does it?”

 

Im Yeong-do smiled awkwardly.

 

But he couldn’t help it. Just yesterday… he had heard something from Writer Ryu that he couldn’t ignore.

 

—Normally, someone at this level wouldn’t be able to do external activities at the very least, and wouldn’t even be able to continue living… It’s fascinating.

 

Severe depression patient.

 

That was Ryu’s assessment.

 

He could have ignored it if he wanted to. Ryu wasn’t a psychiatrist after all.

 

But what came to Im Yeong-do’s mind at that moment… was the image of Seon-woo nodding without any hesitation when asked if he could endure hate comments for a while.

 

‘…Could that have been because of depression?’

 

He was well aware that people with depression couldn’t take care of themselves.

 

But he had never imagined that Seon-woo’s attitude could be due to depression. After all, the way he usually presented himself… was quite passionate.

 

But after hearing Ryu’s words, it felt like everything was starting to make sense.

 

Seon-woo has depression.

 

He has depression, and yet…

 

“Seon-woo.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you… feeling alright emotionally?”

 

“Yes? Ah. If you’re talking about the hate comments, you really don’t need to worry. Aside from being concerned about my family, I didn’t really pay much attention to them.”

 

“I-is that so?”

 

His reaction was so healthy that honestly, he was having doubts.

 

He seemed too normal to be someone suffering from depression.

 

But he had to prepare for the worst-case scenario, just in case.

 

Im Yeong-do opened his mouth with a serious expression.

 

“Seon-woo, if you ever… have any personal difficulties or troubles, please talk to me about them. Even trivial worries are fine, okay?”

 

“…What? Oh, yes.”

 

“It’s a promise! You must!”

 

Im Yeong-do even got Seon-woo to seal it with a pinky promise.

 

Seon-woo was a bit flustered. He couldn’t quite understand why Im Yeong-do was suddenly showing such concern for him.

 

‘He seems even more worried than when I first received hate comments…?’

 

Was there something that would cause him to worry?

 

After finishing the interview and returning to the accommodation, Seon-woo kept thinking. What could possibly make Im Yeong-do worry about him to such an extent?

 

But the moment he returned to the accommodation, Seon-woo stopped thinking about Im Yeong-do.

 

More precisely, it would be better to say he couldn’t think about him.

 

“Oh, Seon-woo’s here!”

 

“Senior, is that perhaps…?”

 

“Yeah. Character sheets!”

 

Hye-seong nodded with a bright smile.

 

In his hands was a thick paper bundle.

 

“I got yours too. Here!”

 

“Thank you…!”

 

Seon-woo felt his heart racing as he received the character sheet.

 

This was actually what he had been looking forward to most.

 

His role, for him, by him.

 

Moreover, this role was a character created specifically to match him as an actor. He couldn’t help but be even more curious.

 

Seon-woo slowly read through the character sheet, savoring every single word as if chewing and swallowing each one.

 

He wanted to properly appreciate it.

 

What kind of person his first role would be.

 

What color it would have.

 

But a moment later, having finally finished reading the script, Seon-woo… could only make a bitter expression as he looked at the color orb that appeared before him.

 

“…Isn’t this too much?”

 

His color was ash gray.

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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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