I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 66

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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 66

 

“This is so frustrating….”

 

Da-sol clenched her fists and trembled with anger.

 

Even when she failed to get into her first-choice university, she had just accepted it as fate, but right now she couldn’t help feeling this frustrated.

 

It was because she had been rejected for audience tickets to 【I Am an Actor】.

 

‘If I went, I could see him in person after so long…!’

 

Da-sol had already made a complete plan for how she would cheer for Seon-woo if she went as an audience member.

 

But the result was a quick elimination.

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

If this was how it was going to be, she’d have to cheer enthusiastically from her room.

 

Da-sol took out a sketchbook she had prepared just in case and wrote in large letters, ‘Until the day our Seon-woo debuts!’

 

Da-yeon shook her head as she watched Da-sol.

 

“I did introduce you to him, but… I never thought it would turn out like this.”

 

“What do you mean by ‘like this’?”

 

“…I mean it looks nice. It’s cute.”

 

“Hmph. You should have said that from the start.”

 

Da-sol lifted her chin primly and looked at the TV.

 

Soon, episode 6 of 【I Am an Actor】 would be broadcast.

 

Seon-woo’s first drama was about to air.

 

Da-sol didn’t forget to post a promotional mention on social media too.

 

Freshwater Snail: 【I Am an Actor】 episode 6 airs in 5 minutes! The drama [One Room] will also be broadcast together, so please watch! Today is the perfect time to start!!

 

Well, how much promotional effect could one person’s mention have… but still, she had been raising her stock in this area lately.

 

From searching for all kinds of threads and mentions related to 【I Am an Actor】 and leaving comments, her followers had increased quite a bit and now boasted numbers in the thousands.

 

Anyway, that wasn’t what was important,

 

‘…What kind of role will Seon-woo play?’

 

Almost nothing was known about the drama yet.

 

The information officially released so far was…

 

1. The PD is Park Myeong-jin.

 

2. Someone gets eliminated every week.

 

3. The title is [One Room].

 

4. It’s about participating in a survival game.

 

Just about that much.

 

She was curious.

 

What kind of story would Seon-woo be in, what kind of character would he become… what kind of acting would he show?

 

“Seon-woo would really suit romantic comedies too.”

 

Da-sol was already disappointed that Seon-woo hadn’t shown any notable melodrama acting in 【I Am an Actor】.

 

She remembered Seon-woo’s days in Cheongseong.

 

It might be a stretch to call it melodrama, but Hee-jae’s acting when he had a one-sided crush on Ye-bin… definitely had a heart-wrenching appeal.

 

But if it was a survival story, it would be hard to expect romance this time too.

 

‘Well… if it’s Seon-woo, anything would work.’

 

Da-sol hugged her knees.

 

It didn’t matter what it was. This was Seon-woo’s first drama. Whatever flavor it came in, Da-sol was ready to enjoy it.

 

And finally, the live broadcast of 【I Am an Actor】 began.

 

—The TOP 10 mission is drama filming.

 

The broadcast that started with a low voice soon showed internet public opinion.

 

What kind of drama with amateurs.

 

It won’t work. Not a chance.

 

Even if PD Park Myeong-jin comes, the answer isn’t visible.

 

Reactions that were hard to call positive even as a joke.

 

And at that moment, what appeared on screen was none other than PD Park Myeong-jin.

 

—It’s not wrong. I thought the same thing when I was first offered this drama. That it was crazy, no, foolish.

 

—Creating good works even with proven actors isn’t an easy task.

 

—Much less working with actors who are just starting out… it would be infinitely close to impossible.

 

It was an unexpected statement.

 

She had thought he would say something like ‘Don’t worry. We can do it!’ but Park Myeong-jin actually expressed views as negative as the pessimists on the internet.

 

But somehow.

 

Rather, because of that, expectations were building.

 

PD Park Myeong-jin’s eyes as he spoke… didn’t feel like ‘Creating a good work is impossible, so don’t expect anything.’

 

—Nevertheless, I intend to try making a good work.

 

Right.

 

This was the feeling.

 

Whatever realistic difficulties there might be, eyes that seemed like they would break through all of that and show something.

 

The PD poses a question.

 

To make that good work… what would be needed?

 

—Blood, sweat, tears… and a bit of a miracle would be necessary.

 

A miracle.

 

The PD asks again.

 

Then what would be an example of a miracle?

 

Park Myeong-jin answers.

 

—A good story.

 

A good writer was needed.

 

But what writer would actually join this experimental work?

 

Who could meet these conditions of having to write organically according to situations where cast members must die each week based on competition results?

 

PD Park Myeong-jin showed exactly that answer.

 

—I thought it would be interesting.

 

A man reveals himself.

 

Snow-white skin with an ageless appearance.

 

Bright brown eyes so intense they were hard to read.

 

The man’s appearance is revealed with hair grown long enough to cover his entire neck, and his identity is shown beside him.

 

【 Writer — Ryu 】

 

“No way…!”

 

The moment she saw that name, even Da-yeon, who had shown no particular expression until now, couldn’t help but raise her voice.

 

Ryu.

 

It was a name she never could have imagined seeing in a place like this.

 

He was one of the most prestigious writers in Korea right now.

 

Now she could understand. 【I Am an Actor】 wasn’t just being cocky.

 

Park Myeong-jin and Ryu.

 

With this combination, even working with rookie actors, they could create something worthwhile.

 

‘…I didn’t have high expectations for the drama itself.’

 

Da-yeon’s eyes sparkled.

 

Maybe a more interesting work than expected could come out.

 

A truly ‘well-made drama’ might actually emerge.

 

—One Room will be the most experimental and living work I’ve ever created.

 

—The life and death of roles are intertwined with the survival of actors.

 

—This unique emotion created by these special circumstances… will bind viewers more strongly to the work.

 

—So what kind of work is this?

 

—Well, it’s not difficult. It’s an obvious and simple story.

 

Ryu smiled at the camera.

 

—A story of dying, killing, and surviving.

 

Ryu’s interview ended with that.

 

And finally [One Room] began.

 

The first scene was decorated with a building engulfed in flames, constantly making explosion sounds as if it would collapse at any moment.

 

And against that building as backdrop, Hyeong-bin appears.

 

—No, please, let me go in! Please?!

 

Hyeong-bin says he wants to enter the building.

 

If he goes in, he can save them. He can’t give up.

 

But despite disobeying his superior’s orders and ultimately rushing into the building, Hyeong-bin eventually loses consciousness as the building collapses.

 

Next was Min-hee.

 

Working at the university hospital, she tries to report a medical accident that occurred within the hospital, but gets injected with anesthetic by her supervising professor. And loses consciousness just like that.

 

The next batter, Hye-seong, was a rather bland character compared to the previous two.

 

He lost all his fortune in stocks, and because of that, he’s always getting nagged at home.

 

Thanks to this, he gradually begins to fear going home, and later even just standing in front of the entrance causes him breathing difficulties.

 

Eventually, as he collapses unconscious in front of his house entrance, a man in black clothes looks down at him and it fades out.

 

“…Wow, that Jeong Hye-seong guy is definitely different.”

 

And Da-yeon clicked her tongue.

 

If Hyeong-bin was clean and Min-hee was pretty… Hye-seong was, how to put it, deep.

 

The feeling that all the burden, despair, and panic he felt was being transmitted to them through the screen.

 

Da-sol nodded and said.

 

“By the way, it looks like they’re going to spotlight each character one by one like this.”

 

“Right. It’s my first time seeing a drama develop this way…”

 

“They probably won’t try to spotlight this many characters. Especially not this fairly.”

 

“…It’s a drama only possible on this program.”

 

A regular production company would immediately reject this concept upon hearing it.

 

At first, she wondered why Ryu bothered to hand over the script to 【I Am an Actor】, but watching it, she could understand.

 

“By the way, if they spotlight them one by one like this… there’ll be a lot of comparisons.”

 

“That’s true. Rather, this opportunity might make it really stand out. What level this person is at.”

 

At those words, Da-sol gulped.

 

What level would Seon-woo show?

 

No, what kind of character would he come out with in the first place?

 

‘Something slightly military-like would suit him too… or maybe a lawyer? Ah, I don’t know. Everything would suit him well.’

 

While Da-sol was making such a fuss internally, the next location was already appearing.

 

Prison.

 

Surely Seon-woo didn’t come out as a prisoner? While thinking that, a familiar face appeared.

 

A red-haired prisoner whose roots had already begun to turn black.

 

It was Jin-wook.

 

“…It’s a bit awkward to say this, but it really suits him well.”

 

“Right. That person always had a certain… feeling about him.”

 

Da-yeon chimed in agreement with Da-sol’s words.

 

Jin-wook had been famous for his bad personality since long ago. In a way, he had gotten a character that was perfectly suited to him.

 

But Jin-wook’s acting was definitely refreshingly bold.

 

—So I told you, don’t, mess with me! You fucking bastards———!

 

The sight of Jin-wook, half-crazed, beating down on another prisoner’s already bloodied face was chilling even knowing it was acting.

 

—Why, why won’t you leave me alone! Huh? Why!

 

And Jin-wook, who had been screaming like that, eventually got hit in the back of the head by another guard and collapsed with his eyes rolling back.

 

‘…He’s good.’

 

Before they knew it, Da-sol and Da-yeon had forgotten this was an audition program and were immersed in the drama.

 

Their worries seemed pointless as there was nothing jarring so far.

 

Even the other participants who followed were the same.

 

The next batter after Jin-wook was Ji-eun.

 

The character Ji-eun played was just an ordinary student repeating her third year. She was a person with no particular distinguishing features except for frequently getting irritated with her parents.

 

But despite that, Da-sol and Da-yeon were already feeling tense.

 

“She’ll also… lose consciousness, right?”

 

“Probably…”

 

“Ugh, scary…”

 

All the characters who had appeared so far met the ending of losing consciousness.

 

Then Ji-eun wouldn’t be an exception either.

 

And that guess was correct.

 

Ji-eun chuckled when she heard from her study room friends that ‘there have been frequent kidnapping incidents in the neighborhood lately.’ Saying ‘What kidnapping in this day and age?’

 

That’s why.

 

On her way home, she readily approached an elderly person struggling with heavy luggage in a corner of an alley.

 

—Young lady, you have such a kind heart~.

 

Her smile at the elderly person’s praise was brief.

 

She soon realized something was strange. She couldn’t tell well in the dark place, but the moment the streetlight’s illumination came closer… she noticed that the person dressed as an elderly man was actually a young male.

 

But it was already too late.

 

—…!

 

The man was already covering Ji-eun’s mouth.

 

She didn’t even have a chance to scream. Ji-eun’s eyes began to roll back as she smelled the chemical odor from the damp handkerchief…

 

Once again, fade out.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The Da-yeon and Da-sol sisters had become speechless.

 

They didn’t know how to react to the continuing shocking developments.

 

The stories of other characters weren’t much different.

 

Park Moon-hyeon was unjustly forced to resign, and realized that he had lived a life where he had nowhere to go except the company.

 

A life with no family, no friends, nothing.

 

Eventually, drunk, he went to find the president and got into an argument… only to be pushed by the president and roll down a slope.

 

And Justin, who followed after, boasted perhaps the simplest narrative among all the characters so far.

 

He just went from club to club, intoxicated with drugs and alcohol, throwing flirtatious glances here and there, then received a ‘new drug’ from a dealer he met in the bathroom… and after taking it, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

 

“…I roughly understand what kind of feeling this is.”

 

And Da-sol finally spoke up.

 

Now what remained were Yeon-woo and Seon-woo.

 

But they wouldn’t be much different either. They would live some life with their own problems, then face a crisis and lose consciousness.

 

That was probably the thought shared not only by Da-sol, but by all viewers currently watching [One Room].

 

Since they had shown a consistent flow across eight people.

 

There wouldn’t be anything particularly special after that either.

 

Just as the tension was about to ease with that thought,

 

Crack!

 

A chilling sound rang out.

 

It was impossible to tell what the sound was. The screen was completely black.

 

But the screen that appeared next made it possible to understand what that sound had been.

 

—You know human necks are a bit different from chicken necks, right?

 

—Ugh, ughhhhhhh!

 

—Chicken necks just go snap! when you apply pressure with a twist. The neck is thin and long, and the muscles around the spine are weak. But humans aren’t like that. The muscles hold on very strongly, so you have to apply force all at once with a snap! That’s how you break the bone. How about it. Interesting, right?

 

The sound of a human neck being twisted.

 

…No, it was the sound of killing a person.

 

Da-sol’s eyes became vacant.

 

What was this. Everything that had appeared so far were all victims. How should I put it. Rather than predators, they all felt more like prey.

 

But suddenly an apex predator had appeared.

 

A serial killer who kills people like it’s a game.

 

The problem was that the one playing that role was none other than Yeon-woo.

 

‘Was she this kind of actor?’

 

I knew she was good at acting.

 

But I didn’t know she was this good.

 

Yeon-woo was, how should I put it, an actor who felt like she was missing that 2%. She was good, but somehow disappointing.

 

But at this moment, Da-sol felt a thrill watching Yeon-woo that she hadn’t even felt from Hye-seong.

 

A stage presence that could never be found in ordinary people.

 

That stage presence didn’t fade even when Lee Yeon-woo was hit by a car while chasing after the victim, enjoying their escape.

 

—Shit…! You, you— what the hell are you doing————!

 

Clang! Yeon-woo getting knocked unconscious after being hit with a shovel.

 

But perhaps thanks to the murderous aura she had shown until then, even the sight of her being subdued felt somehow terrifying.

 

At this point,

 

‘…What about Seon-woo?’

 

She couldn’t help but worry more about Seon-woo, who was up next.

 

Da-sol bit her lip anxiously.

 

She didn’t know what kind of character Seon-woo would be playing, but it seemed difficult for him to show something that could overcome Yeon-woo’s impact.

 

And when Seon-woo actually appeared dressed as an ordinary office worker, Da-sol inwardly gave up.

 

Ah, it seemed like it would be difficult to surpass Yeon-woo’s impact after all.

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

Today, Yeon-woo had shown an absolutely incredible performance.

 

Even with a good character, it wouldn’t have been easy to surpass her.

 

Since things had come to this, Da-sol decided to just focus on enjoying Seon-woo’s acting.

 

After all, it was a historic moment of Seon-woo’s debut work.

 

The problem was,

 

‘The character is… a bit gloomy.’

 

The character was somewhat disappointing.

 

Instead of this kind of character, it would have been better if he had played something more lively… or a character with a clearly defined color.

 

All the other actors seemed to have received roles that suited them, but somehow only Seon-woo seemed to have bad luck with his role, and just as she was about to feel a bit disappointed…

 

‘Huh?’

 

Da-sol’s expression gradually became subtle.

 

‘What is this?’

 

Why… is it good?

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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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