I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 65

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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 65

 

The next morning.

 

In conclusion, Jin-wook seemed to have really made up his mind to go crazy.

 

“Good morning.”

 

“…?”

 

Morning.

 

Seon-woo, who had come out to the common kitchen with sleepy eyes, blankly rubbed his eyes.

 

Jin-wook was greeting him good morning.

 

And with a very grumpy expression at that.

 

“Good morning… to you too?”

 

“….”

 

Instead of answering, Jin-wook nodded and left the kitchen.

 

Looking exactly like he was running away.

 

…If he was going to act like that, why did he greet me in the first place.

 

It was the moment when Seon-woo’s expression became strange at this incomprehensible situation.

 

From beside him came the sound of someone holding back laughter with a “pfft.”

 

“…Ah, this is really funny.”

 

It was Yeon-woo.

 

She was looking toward the door where Jin-wook had disappeared and giggling. Seon-woo looked at Yeon-woo with a displeased expression.

 

“…Do you know something? Why is that person acting like that?”

 

“Hm? Of course I know. I’m the one who made him do it.”

 

“You made him do it?”

 

Seon-woo’s eyes widened slightly.

 

He wasn’t the type to obediently do what he was told, so what kind of weakness was she holding over him?

 

Fortunately, Yeon-woo soon revealed the inside story.

 

“He asked me to coach him in acting. So I asked for this in return.”

 

“Greeting me?”

 

“Mm, that’s also part of the payment. To be precise… acting as kindly as possible to everyone in this place?”

 

“…Wow.”

 

A kind Seo Jin-wook.

 

To think she could imagine something so terrible.

 

Seon-woo realized anew that Yeon-woo was not an ordinary person.

 

As if reading Seon-woo’s mind, Yeon-woo answered while pouring milk into her cup.

 

“Don’t misunderstand too much. It’s not like I’m doing this just to tease him.”

 

“…If it’s not to tease him, then what is it?”

 

“I wanted to see. How ordinary people react when you make them do the most un-characteristic behavior.”

 

“….”

 

“I want to know if it’s possible to become someone other than yourself? Well, you can think of it as a kind of social experiment.”

 

It was a very Yeon-woo-like answer.

 

Something subtly twisted about it – her emotional line was definitely different from ordinary people.

 

He felt it every time like this.

 

That this woman was definitely different from them.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“…What are you aiming for by conducting social experiments?”

 

“That’s obviously to win, of course.”

 

“Do you want to win because… of your ambition as an actor?”

 

“Huh? No? I don’t have any ambition as an actor.”

 

After saying that, Yeon-woo suddenly made a V sign.

 

What does this mean? As he was thinking that, Yeon-woo pulled up the corners of her mouth and spoke.

 

“200 million.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Everyone seems to have forgotten about the prize money at some point. It’s 200 million, 200 million. Well, it’s not an amount that would change your life… but it’s not small money either, right?”

 

Because of money.

 

In a way, it was a very Yeon-woo-like answer.

 

But there was still one question that remained.

 

He wondered if it was okay to ask this… but when he came to his senses, Seon-woo was already opening his mouth.

 

“Do you like acting, Yeon-woo?”

 

“Do you like breathing, Seon-woo?”

 

“….”

 

It was a sharp answer.

 

As if she had already anticipated this kind of question would come.

 

Yeon-woo took a sip of milk with a calm expression.

 

“I just came here to find out. How well I can breathe. But it was even better that they give money for breathing too.”

 

“…Don’t you plan to continue working as an actor?”

 

“Who knows? If it seems profitable, I think I’ll do it, and if it seems obvious I’ll waste my life just chasing dreams, I won’t. I have my own main job too.”

 

“Main job…?”

 

“Ah, I didn’t tell you.”

 

Yeon-woo rummaged through her wallet and pulled out a business card.

 

And even winked while doing so.

 

The Hair Beauty Salon

 

Yeon-woo | Designer

 

“I’m a hairstylist.”

 

“…This is really the first time I’m hearing this.”

 

Seon-woo looked at Yeon-woo with a flustered expression.

 

He thought he knew Yeon-woo somewhat by now, but it seemed he still knew nothing about this person… it was somewhat confusing.

 

Yeon-woo finished her milk as if she understood.

 

“That makes sense. I deliberately didn’t go around telling people.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Well… I didn’t really feel the need to mention it, and later if the shop gets promoted because of my reputation, only our director would be excited, right?”

 

Would it be bad if the director got excited?

 

It was quite difficult to follow her train of thought in many ways, but Seon-woo nodded for now. It wasn’t his place to judge.

 

Watching Seon-woo like that, Yeon-woo tilted her head.

 

“But what about you, Seon-woo? Why do you act? Just because you like it?”

 

“That’s right for me. I like it, and how should I put it… when I’m acting, I can become someone different. Someone more sparkling and wonderful than myself…”

 

“Hmm~.”

 

Yeon-woo made a humming sound and nodded.

 

“But then you probably don’t like your current acting much? Kim Seon-woo from One Room is pretty dark.”

 

“That’s… true.”

 

Seon-woo honestly nodded.

 

Whether it should be called a side effect of Method Acting, it was quite difficult that he usually had no energy.

 

They say if you want to do what you want to do, you have to do what you don’t want to do… but there were times when his mind would go blank and he’d think ‘What am I doing?’

 

However,

 

“I still like it.”

 

It wasn’t a lie.

 

“The reason I came to like acting was because the world I felt while acting was a bit more colorful. But now…”

 

Seon-woo paused for a moment.

 

As if checking whether this was really his true feelings, just for a moment.

 

Then he looked back at Yeon-woo with firm eyes.

 

“I just like acting.”

 

“…Even if it’s acting without any color or tone?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Right.

 

This was the answer Seon-woo had reached.

 

At some point, Seon-woo had come to love acting itself too much.

 

Even if it was a character dyed in pure gray, when he saw it come to life through his acting… it made him feel that he too was alive.

 

That’s why he could answer that he was happy despite Im Yeong-do’s concerns.

 

“…”

 

Yeon-woo looked at Seon-woo silently for a moment.

 

Since entering Method Acting, Seon-woo always had dead fish eyes. But only in that moment when he said he liked acting, Seon-woo’s eyes were sparkling so brightly…

 

‘I’m curious.’

 

Yeon-woo’s heart was probably structured completely differently from what ordinary people had.

 

But even if she felt discomfort from them, she had never thought she wanted to become like them.

 

Their hearts only made them irrational and stupid creatures.

 

Love makes one blind, ideals make one deaf, and dreams prevent one from looking back.

 

Nevertheless, Seon-woo’s gaze made Yeon-woo think such thoughts, even if briefly.

 

That she wanted to borrow that person’s eyes just once.

 

The world contained in those eyes seemed like it would be quite worth seeing.

 

* * *

 

The filming of episode 1 of [One Room] proceeded smoothly.

 

And Park Myeong-jin’s impression of it was,

 

‘Everyone’s gotten quite fierce.’

 

As above.

 

Compared to when he first met them, everyone’s acting had become quite sharp.

 

Their efforts to somehow present acting that would leave an impression on viewers’ eyes were sometimes excessive to the point of feeling overdone.

 

But Park Myeong-jin didn’t think it looked that bad.

 

He knew well that the passion of newcomers often shines with a light that veteran actors can’t imitate.

 

Of course, it would be troublesome if the work became too full of just that passion…

 

‘Looking at them, it really feels like working with actual professional actors.’

 

Several people had already shown acting so polished that it was hard to consider them newcomers.

 

Specifically, Hye-seong and Seon-woo.

 

It wasn’t just Park Myeong-jin’s opinion.

 

The staff members working with him also said,

 

“We’ll be seeing those guys often in the field now, won’t we?”

 

“Who knows. Later on, they might become so big that we’ll have trouble seeing them even if we want to.”

 

“Hey, that’s going too far.”

 

They spoke to this extent.

 

Whether they would become big shots or not was unknown. But at least everyone present was certain that they would become good actors.

 

‘No, maybe they’ve already become good actors.’

 

And now it was Park Myeong-jin’s turn.

 

His turn to show why he was YBS’s flagship PD.

 

Fortunately, he had some leeway.

 

There were still 5 days left until episode 1 would air. Considering that editing had been happening live during filming, it wouldn’t be difficult to present movie-level finishing, with a little exaggeration.

 

‘We need to captivate them with episode 1.’

 

He knew about the worried gazes being directed at [One Room].

 

Those were gazes that even Park Myeong-jin’s reputation couldn’t help with. Making a drama with amateurs who had no proper experience.

 

It had even reached the point where articles like this were coming out.

 

—’This is reckless’… PD Park Myeong-jin forces drama production with acting beginners

 

—Has PD Park Myeong-jin lost his mind? ‘Viewers shocked’ by all-amateur casting

 

Every single one had the nuance that PD Park Myeong-jin had made a misjudgment.

 

People who knew their acting abilities did defend them a little, but even fellow directors contacted him to scold him, asking ‘What’s lacking that you’re taking such a pointless adventure?’

 

Park Myeong-jin had to show them this time.

 

That he could create a beautiful picture even with these people.

 

Of course, there would be limits if the actors showed acting that didn’t even meet basic standards.

 

But fortunately, none of them showed such ruined acting. Depending on how Park Myeong-jin polished them, he could create a sufficiently decent work.

 

However,

 

‘I can’t be satisfied with just a decent level.’

 

Park Myeong-jin’s goal was the same as always.

 

To create a work that critics and the public alike would unanimously call a ‘well-made drama.’

 

After the last shoot ended, he headed straight to the editing room without even a simple company dinner for that reason.

 

Park Myeong-jin clapped his hands and looked around at the editing team members.

 

“Alright, let’s put in some effort and finish this up.”

 

His heart was racing.

 

“Let’s create something that will surprise This World!”

 

He absolutely couldn’t afford to be leisurely.

 

* * *

 

And time passed, and the day of the mission arrived.

 

The studio of 【I Am an Actor】 was decorated like a movie theater.

 

Rows of seats for the audience were lined up, and a screen for movie viewing was installed on the stage.

 

Jeong-hee sat in the audience seats and muttered.

 

“…It doesn’t feel real somehow.”

 

“You’re telling me.”

 

Young-sik let out a hollow laugh at Jeong-hee’s words.

 

“I wonder if acting really improves this quickly…”

 

“Didn’t you hear what Lee Mu-beom said? He called him a genius, a genius!”

 

“…Seon-woo was always a somewhat unique child.”

 

Young-sik nodded his head.

 

The couple still couldn’t believe that Seon-woo had survived this far.

 

More precisely, it would be fair to say they couldn’t understand that Seon-woo was this good at acting.

 

“I never imagined Seon-woo would have talent for acting.”

 

“…That’s true. He was a child who was a bit distant from having that kind of flair.”

 

“But watching variety shows and such, I saw that actors aren’t all that lively and outgoing. It seems there are many introverted people too.”

 

“Isn’t Seon-woo introverted? Well, he was a bit gloomy before he started acting…”

 

“…Still, I’m glad that Seon-woo seems to have brightened up since he started acting.”

 

Young-sik quietly nodded at Jeong-hee’s words.

 

When was it? When he started feeling like all the vitality was disappearing from his second son’s face.

 

It seemed to have been around the time he entered university…

 

Back then, he thought it was a kind of college blues.

 

He had worked his whole life to get into university, but once he actually got into that university, it wasn’t special so he became disappointed.

 

But no matter how much time passed, Seon-woo didn’t brighten up.

 

How should he put it. Sometimes when he looked at him… it felt like looking at a machine.

 

When Seon-woo said he wanted to act, the reason he didn’t oppose it was for that reason.

 

His son was sparkling so brightly.

 

He couldn’t bring himself to take away that light.

 

“He looked really good when acting too.”

 

“…Right?”

 

“Yeah. He’s so full of life.”

 

Young-sik nodded and smiled warmly.

 

At first, he was more worried, but now he looked forward to seeing Seon-woo’s acting every time.

 

Seon-woo on stage, becoming all kinds of characters and sparkling brightly… looked literally like a star.

 

Victory? 200 million? Success?

 

Those things weren’t important.

 

What they were looking forward to today was just one thing.

 

Their beautiful, proud, and beloved second son.

 

What kind of character would he become today?

 

How brightly would he sparkle today?

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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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