I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 67

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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 67

 

Kim Seon-woo was a gloomy character.

 

A person who seemed to be created by personifying the word ’emptiness’.

 

She thought it was a character that didn’t suit the acting Seon-woo had shown so far.

 

The characters Seon-woo had acted until now might have looked dull and dark… but at the same time, they had aspects that inevitably caught one’s attention… sparkling so brightly they were almost blinding.

 

But Kim Seon-woo was different.

 

From Kim Seon-woo, she couldn’t feel even a fragment of any emotion. Not even a sense of exhaustion.

 

Truly a character that seemed completely empty.

 

But why was it?

 

Looking at that man with nothing, who truly fit the description of being completely empty… why did she keep feeling this throbbing pressure in her heart?

 

‘It doesn’t seem like acting.’

 

Right.

 

No matter how great the acting, you’re bound to think that from moment to moment.

 

Wow, he acts well… like that.

 

That means you’re constantly aware that the other person is acting.

 

But watching Seon-woo’s acting now… she couldn’t help but think, is this really acting?

 

What was in front of her wasn’t just a role, but a real person named ‘Kim Seon-woo’.

 

It was unexpected.

 

She had thought Seon-woo was an actor with rich colors. An actor who shined brighter the more colorful and vivid the roles he played were.

 

But apparently that thought was wrong.

 

Compared to the characters he had acted before, this character could only be described as utterly gloomy… yet now Seon-woo was radiating a more intense presence than ever before.

 

As if this was truly the right fit for him.

 

—I’m… about to jump from Mapo Bridge right now, and I think I’ll be a bother to the paramedics.

 

Kim Seon-woo, having called 119, climbs up onto the bridge railing.

 

His face as he stood on the railing still showed no expression.

 

No hesitation, no ennui, no boredom, no sadness, not even fear.

 

‘…Strange.’

 

Right. It was strange.

 

Could suicide be this emotionless?

 

But what was even stranger was that somehow this bizarre emotional line made sense.

 

Kim Seon-woo’s emotions seemed to be transmitted directly.

 

His irony of choosing suicide without longing for death or fearing life… somehow felt understandable.

 

But why?

 

How was she understanding this?

 

Before she could get an answer to that question, Kim Seon-woo finally jumped.

 

And his perspective after entering the water gradually darkened, fading out.

 

With this, all ten stories were finished.

 

“…Suffocating.”

 

“I know…”

 

But without time to catch their breath, the scene changed.

 

Seon-woo opening his eyes blankly in a white room.

 

Seon-woo looked around.

 

Having fallen into the Han River and suddenly being in a strange space, he seemed confused, staying still and blank for a while.

 

Seon-woo slowly looked around the room that had only a bed and bathroom before getting up.

 

No lines, not even short exclamations. However, there was presence. A weight surrounding Seon-woo himself, you could say.

 

Da-yeon and Da-sol held their breath as if they had made a promise.

 

They kept getting immersed unintentionally.

 

A feeling as if their eyes were filled only with Seon-woo’s expressions, breathing, gestures.

 

‘This is just like…’

 

The moment the thought ‘Do-young’ came to Da-yeon’s mind,

 

Seon-woo left the room.

 

And what awaited Seon-woo was a truly chaotic scene.

 

All the characters who had appeared before Seon-woo were standing in the white plaza, causing a commotion.

 

—Damn it, where is this! You’re all in this together!

 

—Please calm down! We don’t know what this situation is either!

 

—Sob, no, I don’t want this, I want to go home. Mom…!

 

All kinds of emotions erupted like wildfire.

 

But even in the midst of all that, Seon-woo just quietly watched everyone. As if all that panic had nothing to do with him.

 

And then,

 

—We will now provide guidance.

 

A broadcast echoed.

 

—This program, One Room, is a survival game that continues until only one survivor remains.

 

—From now on, you must select one person to be eliminated each day.

 

—Tonight, please return to your rooms before midnight and conduct voting.

 

—If no one votes, everyone will be eliminated.

 

—We wish you good luck.

 

It was an alien voice.

 

A voice with broken audio quality, as if made by cheap AI.

 

But what was even more unsettling than that voice was its content.

 

—Voting? Elimination? What the fuck is this bullshit?

 

—Ex-excuse me! Are you watching? I don’t know what this is, but please let me out right now!

 

—As if they’d let you out just because you’re whining like that. You think kidnappers would send you home just because you ask nicely?

 

—…So, this survival game thing… surely it doesn’t actually mean life and death, right?

 

—N-no way. In the 21st century, that would be…

 

—R-right. That doesn’t make sense!

 

Voices denying reality burst out from here and there.

 

And as the camera illuminated each person’s face one by one, starting with Hyeong-bin… it showed Yeon-woo’s face grinning as if she found it amusing, then suddenly faded out.

 

And then,

 

【 One Room 】

 

“…Wow.”

 

“Ah…”

 

As the title cut marking the end of episode 1 and the beginning of the drama appeared, Da-sol and Da-yeon finally let out long sighs.

 

The lingering impression was stronger than expected, leaving them speechless for a moment, and they could only open their mouths when the audience’s applause had died down.

 

“This is really beyond imagination? I didn’t know it would be this interesting.”

 

“I feel like I’ve never seen a drama like this before.”

 

“That makes sense. It’s very experimental. By the way…”

 

Da-yeon chuckled softly.

 

“Seon-woo was really good, wasn’t he? He acted like some kind of master?”

 

“…Ahem. R-right?”

 

“Last time when he played that, what was it, the Mute, I thought he was good… but this time it’s even better. Is it even possible for skills to improve this quickly?”

 

“Hmm, somehow this time it feels less like his skills improved and more like…”

 

Da-sol paused for a moment.

 

She wondered if this was the right expression. But in the end, she had no choice but to voice those words.

 

“Like he found his personal color? Something like that.”

 

“Personal color…”

 

Da-yeon nodded.

 

Though she hadn’t been watching Seon-woo’s acting as carefully as Da-sol had, she could at least sense that this performance was on a completely different level from his previous ones.

 

It felt like the depth had become much deeper.

 

Rather than acting, it was like he had simply become that character—a complete synchronization rate…

 

“Maybe he’ll become an actor who specializes in those kinds of roles later on.”

 

“That might… be possible.”

 

She wanted to say no, but Da-sol ended up nodding.

 

It was acting that would make even her, as a director, drool. That performance where emptiness seemed to drip from every aspect, from his expressions to his voice…

 

‘…Ah, but Seon-woo also suits colorful roles really well.’

 

But Da-sol couldn’t think about this any further.

 

The judging was already beginning.

 

Lee Mu-beom was holding the microphone.

 

—…Everyone, you were truly amazing.

 

* * *

 

If the day comes when you make the debut you’ve dreamed of so much…

 

What would it feel like then?

 

It’s a question every actor has asked themselves at least once.

 

And at this very moment, the participants of 【I Am an Actor】 could finally know the answer.

 

“…Hup.”

 

Amid the applause and cheers pouring from the audience, Hye-seong wipes away tears.

 

Min-hee pats Hye-seong’s back, but even Min-hee’s eyes are red with emotion.

 

Jin-wook has his head deeply bowed, Moon-hyeon has raised his hands to cover both eyes, and Justin is gaping with his mouth open as if he can’t get his bearings.

 

And Jae-won still seems unable to escape from that lingering feeling, staring blankly at the ending credits rolling up the screen.

 

The only one maintaining a relatively calm attitude is Yeon-woo, who is smiling gently.

 

And,

 

‘How about me?’

 

Seon-woo was confident that his expression was just as calm as Yeon-woo’s.

 

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t moved while watching the drama, but he didn’t feel like his emotions were surging that much.

 

How should he put it. He was rather more composed than he had expected.

 

But that’s when it happened.

 

Min-hee, who had turned to look at him, quietly pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him.

 

“Wipe it.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

“Stop crying and wipe it. The cameras are catching everything.”

 

“I’m not cry…”

 

-ing, he was about to say.

 

Seon-woo finally realized that something was flowing down his cheek.

 

It was tears.

 

“…Ah.”

 

Seon-woo wiped his tears with Min-hee’s handkerchief while thinking to himself.

 

He thought he was fine, thought he wasn’t moved enough to cry… when did the tears start flowing?

 

Min-hee forced a smile while her lips trembled.

 

“I’m jealous.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“I want to cry too but I can’t. Because of my makeup.”

 

“…It looks like it’s already smudged around your eyes though?”

 

“I know. Ugh, should I just cry anyway.”

 

Seon-woo smiled faintly as he watched Min-hee contemplate with a troubled expression.

 

And that was the moment.

 

“…Everyone, you were truly amazing.”

 

Lee Mu-beom grabbed the microphone and raised his voice.

 

Though they were too far away to see clearly, his eyes seemed somehow moist.

 

Could he have shed tears too? While everyone thought that seemed unlikely, Lee Mu-beom quietly continued speaking.

 

“I’m sorry. At a time when just talking about your hard work and efforts would be insufficient, we have to conduct judging today.”

 

Lee Mu-beom made eye contact with each participant one by one.

 

“But that’s exactly why I wanted to say this once. No matter who gets eliminated today, at least for me, there are no losers among you today. Everyone was a winner, everyone was a protagonist.”

 

“To add to that, this isn’t just what Teacher Lee Mu-beom thinks. All of us judges feel the same way.”

 

“That’s right. Today you all were… actors first, before being contestants on an audition program.”

 

The judges spoke in unison.

 

It wasn’t empty words. While watching [One Room], they had been continuously amazed throughout.

 

‘It exceeded expectations.’

 

Seong Jun-il’s gaze became serious.

 

They had been watching their acting up close all this time. As such, they had certain expectations about this drama.

 

It wouldn’t be unwatchable, but there would definitely be many parts that caught the eye.

 

But…

 

“While watching the drama, at some point I forgot that I had to evaluate. I just found myself watching in a daze.”

 

It literally exceeded expectations.

 

A work that made you forget to evaluate, or rather, made you not want to evaluate.

 

However,

 

“But regardless, we’re here to give scores, and today two of you will have to put a period on this journey.”

 

“For reference, today’s judging will proceed in the order that faces appeared in the drama.”

 

“Now then… let’s begin the judging.”

 

Everyone gulped at the judges’ words.

 

There was no more cumulative scoring system. One slip-up could mean immediate elimination.

 

Additionally,

 

‘What place will I be?’

 

There was also curiosity about that.

 

This was a mission where everyone was confident they had shown their best acting.

 

They couldn’t help but be curious about exactly how that would be evaluated.

 

The first batter was Hyeong-bin.

 

His total score was 85 points.

 

78 points from the judges and 7 points from the audience.

 

“Though clumsy, it was charming acting,” was probably the most accurate description of his performance from the judges.

 

Regardless of skill level, Hyeong-bin as a firefighter… certainly appeared incredibly charming on screen.

 

Next was Min-hee.

 

“You might wonder why I’m saying this when we should be evaluating acting, but I have to address this. Min-hee, you’re… so sparkling and pretty. And that’s a virtue that can never be overlooked in a female lead. I really want to see more of you in more works.”

 

Having received another round of praise about being pretty from Yu Mi-yeon, Min-hee’s score was also quite high.

 

Total 90 points. 81 points from judges and 9 points from audience.

 

Next was Hye-seong.

 

The championship candidate everyone thought would record the highest score.

 

Indeed, he received an evaluation that lived up to expectations.

 

“Hye-seong is perfect.”

 

The judge score was a whopping 86 points.

 

And the audience score was 8 points. With a total of 94 points, the highest score so far.

 

‘…I don’t think anyone will beat that score.’

 

In fact, that thought wasn’t wrong.

 

“Jin-wook has a raw charm. What Jin-wook needs to think about now is how to make that charm completely his own.”

 

Jin-wook got a total of 88 points.

 

82 points from judges and 6 points from audience.

 

“Jae-won has a very clean energy. He acts in a way that doesn’t burden the viewer at all. I hope Jae-won continues to hone this as his weapon.”

 

Jae-won got a total of 91 points.

 

83 points from judges and 8 points from audience.

 

“It seems like exactly the level of acting we expected. In both good and bad ways.”

 

Ji-eun got a total of 85 points.

 

77 points from judges and 8 points from audience.

 

“Moon-hyeon seems to show how much experience living as a working professional can shine when it touches acting. However, what’s regrettable is that he can’t properly explode when he needs to explode.”

 

Moon-hyeon scored a total of 84 points.

 

77 points from the judges and 7 points from the audience.

 

“I heard that Justin has difficulties with Korean, but when he acts, that’s not the case at all. His lines don’t give even the slightest feeling that his Korean is lacking… I really think he worked very hard.”

 

Justin scored a total of 81 points.

 

75 points from the judges and 6 points from the audience.

 

So far, no one had surpassed Hye-seong’s stronghold.

 

Just when everyone was vaguely thinking that Hye-seong would take first place like this…

 

“…Yeon-woo’s acting gave me chills.”

 

Yeon-woo’s evaluation began.

 

The first to speak was Lee Mu-beom.

 

“I once said this before. That Yeon-woo needed to find her own color.”

 

“…Yes, you did.”

 

“I felt it during the last mission too, but coming to today, I think I’ve gained certainty as well.”

 

Yeon-woo has finally found her color.

 

She’s gained her own unique style.

 

Lee Mu-beom said that.

 

But Yeon-woo’s expression as she listened didn’t seem particularly moved by those words. Though she still wore a faint smile on her lips, Seon-woo could tell.

 

Because the sky-blue aura surrounding her… wasn’t wavering in the slightest.

 

‘Those words probably aren’t very welcome.’

 

Of all times, she heard that she’d found her color when playing a psychopath role.

 

To Yeon-woo, those words might have sounded like ‘A psychopath suits you perfectly’ or ‘You can never be ordinary.’

 

But Seon-woo understood why Lee Mu-beom spoke that way.

 

When Yeon-woo played the psychopath role… she didn’t feel like an amateur actor at all. She had the presence of a veteran who had already gone through countless works.

 

So,

 

“I’ll announce the scores.”

 

“As a result of the judges’ scoring, Yeon-woo received 86 points.”

 

“And the audience score is… 9 points.”

 

“A total of 95 points.”

 

“Congratulations. With this, Yeon-woo takes first place.”

 

Seon-woo wasn’t particularly surprised when the first place result was announced.

 

He thought it was acting that wouldn’t be strange to take first place.

 

Seon-woo glanced at Yeon-woo’s complexion.

 

Even if it was a score earned through a psychopath role, if she took first place, wouldn’t she be at least a little happy?

 

And Seon-woo froze in place.

 

‘…What is this?’

 

Yeon-woo was still smiling.

 

As if happy, as if overwhelmed with emotion, even with tears glistening in her eyes.

 

There was nothing wrong with that expression.

 

However, the sky-blue aura surrounding her… was fluttering violently like flames meeting a strong wind. Precariously, as if it might go out at any moment, as if it might spread.

 

‘Is she… angry?’

 

He wasn’t sure.

 

But he could sense that Yeon-woo was desperately maintaining her act right now.

 

And that tremendous emotions were raging inside her, enough to collapse her persona.

 

But he couldn’t keep worrying about her.

 

Before he knew it, the judges’ gazes were directed toward him.

 

Seong Jun-il squinted his eyes and opened his mouth.

 

“About Seon-woo… I really have a lot to say today.”

 

It was his turn.

—————
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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