I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 54

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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 54

 

‘This is… the character optimized for me?’

 

Seon-woo stared blankly at his Color Orb.

 

No matter how he looked at it, it was gray.

 

‘…Why?’

 

Seon-woo looked at his Character Sheet once more.

 

[Kim Seon-woo]

 

This character with the exact same name as his… was certainly a person with attributes that could only appear gray.

 

Kim Seon-woo, who appeared to be an ordinary office worker on the surface… had been fighting suicidal impulses for a very long time.

 

No matter how much Kim Seon-woo thought about it, he couldn’t find a reason why he should live.

 

It wasn’t that he had any particular reason to die, but continuing to live a purposeless life felt like nothing but suffering, so he sets a date to die.

 

December 31st.

 

When everyone else is waiting for the New Year’s bell to ring, he throws himself into the Han River from Mapo Bridge.

 

And when he comes to his senses, he was trapped in a Pure White Room.

 

He had been dragged into a battle royale called ‘One Room’, where they must kill each other until only one person remains.

 

Kim Seon-woo’s story begins like that.

 

An ironic story of The Man who once gave up on life now struggling desperately not to die.

 

…And this was everything Seon-woo could know about Kim Seon-woo right now.

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

After all, it had only been a day since he filled out the questionnaire.

 

The fact that even this much of a Character Sheet had been completed was rather more miraculous.

 

‘Actually, the character itself is quite interesting.’

 

It’s just unsettling.

 

The fact that the character created based on him happened to be a ‘suicide aspirant’.

 

And the fact that this person’s color was entirely gray.

 

‘…Is it because there’s still not enough content?’

 

It didn’t seem like that kind of problem.

 

In fact, the emotional line that Seon-woo felt from this character was indeed fitting for ‘ash gray.’

 

Without dreams, without anything… an empty life lived simply because one is alive.

 

It was a character very similar to Seon-woo before he started acting.

 

Perhaps that’s why it felt even more uncomfortable.

 

There was no disagreement that Seon-woo back then was ash gray, but… why would the writer give him such a character even after seeing who Seon-woo is now? It felt somehow unsettling.

 

He thought he had become much more colorful since starting acting.

 

…Does he still appear ash gray?

 

He didn’t know.

 

Seon-woo decided to burst the color orb first. It wouldn’t be too late to think about such things after directly experiencing ‘Kim Seon-woo’s’ mental imagery.

 

But…

 

Pssss—

 

“…Huh?”

 

At the phenomenon that occurred, Seon-woo couldn’t help but panic and let out an audible sound.

 

The color orb had disappeared.

 

More precisely, it had crumbled and scattered as if it had turned to ash.

 

He couldn’t feel the usual torrent of emotions that came when color orbs burst.

 

As if nothing had happened… it was just peaceful.

 

“What kind of… situation is this?”

 

The situation was clear.

 

The power of color orbs had not activated.

 

* * *

 

To clarify in case of misunderstanding, the power of color orbs hadn’t disappeared.

 

When he burst other characters’ color orbs, he could feel those emotions filling him just like always.

 

The power of color orbs not working was limited only to ‘Kim Seon-woo,’ specifically to his ash gray color orb.

 

‘Why?’

 

He couldn’t understand.

 

His complicated feelings led Seon-woo outside.

 

And after walking the empty street for several minutes, a familiar voice called out and stopped Seon-woo.

 

“Seon-woo?”

 

Seon-woo turned his head.

 

A face so pale it was almost transparent. Brown eyes with a bright gleam that momentarily brought to mind a wild beast were looking at him.

 

“…Yeon-woo? What are you doing here at this hour?”

 

“I’d like to ask you the same thing. What are you doing?”

 

“Well, I’m just…”

 

Seon-woo hesitated before giving a vague answer, leaving out the part about the Color Orb.

 

He said he was a bit shocked because the character that was supposedly customized for him was too gloomy.

 

And hearing that, Yeon-woo nodded.

 

“Ah, I think I know how you feel. Actually, that’s why I came out here too.”

 

“You too, Yeon-woo?”

 

“Yes. Have you read my Character Sheet?”

 

“No, not yet…”

 

“Heh, hehehe…”

 

At those words, Yeon-woo let out an ominous laugh.

 

Seon-woo looked at her with an awkward expression. This was the first time he’d seen her laugh so creepily.

 

In fact, there was no trace of her usual sky-blue aura around her.

 

It meant she had even forgotten to act.

 

“I’m a psychopath.”

 

“…?”

 

I already know that.

 

Seeing Seon-woo’s expression, Yeon-woo seemed to realize her explanation was insufficient.

 

She stared intently at Seon-woo and said.

 

“My role is a psychopath.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

And at those words, Seon-woo’s eyes couldn’t help but widen for a moment.

 

A psychopath.

 

If this had been any other situation, it might not have seemed too strange.

 

But this was a Character Sheet created after they received questionnaires analyzing their characters.

 

And in it, Yeon-woo had become a character with ‘psychopathic’ tendencies.

 

Could this be a coincidence?

 

…Honestly, it was hard to think of it as a coincidence.

 

The reason Yeon-woo rarely lost her composure was probably because of that.

 

She kept grinning and looking down at the character sheet clutched in her hand.

 

“What is this? What could it be? Did he see right through me? Even when Seon-woo felt I was acting, he couldn’t see this deep into me…”

 

“…What did you answer on the questionnaire?”

 

“The questionnaire. Questionnaire? I answered as normally as possible. I just answered like an ordinary woman in her twenties would. Oh, I took a photo of it. Want to see?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Seon-woo took the phone Yeon-woo handed him.

 

And he let out a groan.

 

[Lee Yeon-woo]

 

1. I’m someone who can’t live without coffee.

 

2. What makes you afraid?

 

I hate it when people misunderstand me!

 

3. If you could make one wish come true?

 

Um, it’s a secret!

 

4. You’re about to die. If you could leave one last word?

 

I don’t want to think about dying!

 

These were answers that weren’t particularly strange.

 

Though for some reason they gave off a subtle sense of unease… it wasn’t enough to identify a provocative character like a ‘psychopath’ from this.

 

But he had specifically given Lee Yeon-woo the psychopath character.

 

…It meant he had read something that wasn’t visible to Seon-woo’s eyes.

 

‘Just who is this writer?’

 

At this point, he was actually starting to feel anticipation.

 

If he had the intuition to see through Lee Yeon-woo’s true nature with just these few sentences of answers… the work he would write would surely be extraordinary too.

 

Yeon-woo frowned as she watched Seon-woo.

 

“You’re thinking this writer is amazing right now, aren’t you?”

 

“…Ahem, well, he is amazing.”

 

“Well, that’s true. This is the first time I’ve felt this way since meeting you, Seon-woo. Maybe he’s an even stranger person than you.”

 

“That statement seems to be based on the premise that I’m a strange person…”

 

“Let’s not waste time arguing about such obvious things. But, Seon-woo, how did you write your answers? How did you end up with such a gloomy character?”

 

“I’ll show you my photo too.”

 

Seon-woo also showed them the answers he had written.

 

Seeing them, Yeon-woo tilted her head in confusion.

 

“Did you write it like this on purpose? As a concept?”

 

“Huh? No? I just answered honestly.”

 

“Anyone looking at this would think you’re a depression patient.”

 

“…What? Does it look that way?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Yeon-woo nodded as if there was no room for doubt.

 

Seon-woo was a bit flustered. He had just answered “I don’t know” when he didn’t know… but did this really look like a depression patient?

 

Had she lost interest? Yeon-woo showed a somewhat indifferent expression.

 

“But is that why you don’t like it? Because it’s gloomy?”

 

“Hmm… That’s right.”

 

“But is there really anything to dislike? Actually, that’s the most common thing. Just looking at people’s faces on the street… they’re all gloomily dead inside.”

 

“Common… I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right about that.”

 

“At least it’s not a psychopath. If it’s a character people can empathize with, it’s better than mine.”

 

Seon-woo smiled bitterly without saying anything.

 

While he could relate to Yeon-woo’s words, nodding and saying “You’re right” also seemed rude somehow.

 

Yeon-woo smiled, showing her teeth.

 

“I really want to see the face of this Writer person.”

 

Whether she had already immersed herself in the role, it was quite a menacing smile.

 

“What kind of person are they anyway.”

 

* * *

 

“Who the hell… is the Writer?”

 

It wasn’t just Yeon-woo and Seon-woo who were curious about the Writer.

 

Hye-seong let out a hollow laugh.

 

“They completely… portrayed me as someone who could collapse at any moment.”

 

The problem was that it was hard to completely deny that.

 

Hye-seong was already thirty-six years old.

 

He could see all his friends around him settling down, starting families, and becoming solid members of society… but only Hye-seong was still struggling without anything to show for himself.

 

He acted bright on the outside, but if he said his insides weren’t rotting… that would be a lie.

 

But what good would it do to show that rotten interior to the outside world?

 

If there was any wisdom he’d learned with age, it was that hiding weaknesses and flaws was the best approach.

 

But this script… was demanding that he show all those aspects of himself.

 

‘This is vicious.’

 

Hye-seong smiled bitterly.

 

But it was hard to complain. This was certainly the most Hye-seong-like portrayal.

 

The other participants were the same. Looking at their characters, it definitely seemed like their real selves were reflected in them.

 

Of course, there were some who received somewhat puzzling characters.

 

‘Seon-woo and Yeon-woo… what’s with them?’

 

He had already read their character sheets.

 

A severe depression patient and a psychopathic serial killer.

 

…But neither of them gave off that kind of vibe.

 

‘Well, showing their true nature isn’t what’s important. It’s better to think they were given suitable characters.’

 

And in Hye-seong’s case, that suitable character just happened to… resemble his honest inner self.

 

Hye-seong decided to understand it that way.

 

And actually, he didn’t have the luxury to ponder such things for long.

 

That’s because the script for episode 1 came out just a few days after the character sheets were delivered.

 

It was a shocking speed.

 

It hadn’t been long since the characters were decided. The writer himself should still be deep in thought about how to develop this drama…

 

‘…Does this work speed even make sense?’

 

Well, of course there were cases in the drama industry where partial scripts and such came out hastily… but this script didn’t feel that sloppy either.

 

Even considering that they must have had a framework prepared beforehand, it was quite an impressive speed.

 

Anyway, thanks to that, the filming schedule was set much faster than expected.

 

【 Filming will begin in ten days. 】

 

Ten days.

 

Even being generous, it wasn’t enough time.

 

But there was no choice.

 

There were only 3 episodes left before 【I Am an Actor】’s live broadcast caught up to the current point.

 

By 4 weeks from now, the TOP 10’s first mission—episode 1 of [One Room]—had to be ready.

 

Thanks to that, distracting thoughts actually disappeared.

 

It was a time when even pouring all attention into filming preparation wouldn’t be enough.

 

Moreover…

 

“The script… it’s really interesting.”

 

“I know, right.”

 

Seon-woo nodded at Hye-seong’s words.

 

Honestly, everyone hadn’t had high expectations for the script.

 

It was a drama being inserted into and aired during a variety show. They couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t be that impressive in terms of quality or scale.

 

But… that wasn’t the case.

 

The proper direction that brought each character to life was just the basics, and the sense for handling the urgent emotions of each character as they entered the ‘One Room’ was extraordinary.

 

He had thought the writer was extraordinary since seeing the Character Sheet, but after seeing the script too, it became even more intriguing.

 

No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t feel like a rookie writer.

 

At this level, they’d probably be quite famous among writers… who could it be?

 

‘Somehow the script style doesn’t feel that unfamiliar…’

 

What was it? Where had he seen it before?

 

He didn’t know. What he could tell right now was that the writer’s level was extraordinary.

 

Hyeong-bin also spoke up with an excited voice.

 

“If we also get a decent PD, won’t this drama really be a huge hit?”

 

“Well, if that really happens, the drama might become a bigger hit than this program.”

 

Hye-seong agreed.

 

Min-hee shook her head.

 

“There’s no need to think of this program and the drama separately. People who watch the drama will end up watching this program too, right? They said they’re airing the drama during this program’s time slot anyway.”

 

“That’s true. But… even so, wouldn’t it be hard for some really famous PD to come? If it’s a program attached to a variety show… I think it would probably be a rookie PD or someone like that.”

 

“…Do you think so?”

 

Min-hee made a slightly deflated expression.

 

But that was reality. Why would an experienced PD participate in this kind of experimental… essentially pilot program-like drama from a variety show?

 

They’d just make their own drama with top stars and a good script.

 

That’s what she thought.

 

However, it didn’t take long for that thought to change.

 

Three days later, during the script reading session before filming… the PD who had been shrouded in mystery finally appeared, and the cast members froze in place.

 

“I’m PD Park Myeong-jin from YBS. Please take care of me.”

 

PD Park Myeong-jin.

 

It was a name you couldn’t help but know if you had any interest in dramas.

 

He was a legend in the industry who had broken through the 30% viewership rating barrier twice during his broadcast network days.

 

As soon as Min-hee saw Park Myeong-jin, she poked Hye-seong in the ribs.

 

Look at this. You said no great PD would come, but here he is! She wanted to protest.

 

But Hye-seong didn’t react at all.

 

The moment Min-hee turned to look at Hye-seong, sensing something strange, she finally realized. Hye-seong was in such a state of shock that he couldn’t even respond to pain.

 

He had no choice.

 

‘…Why… why is someone like PD Park Myeong-jin here?’

 

It was like Ronaldo suddenly showing up at an early morning soccer club meeting at the elementary school next to your house.

 

…Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but anyway, it was that absurd.

 

But why?

 

Why on earth was he filming this?

 

Having been frozen for so long, Hye-seong hastily swallowed the saliva that was about to drool out of his mouth.

 

He wasn’t sure about much, but he could tell this much.

 

Something… something was happening.

 

No, had happened.

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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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