I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 70

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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 70

 

“…You want me to be eliminated?”

 

He managed his expression desperately, but couldn’t do anything about his displeased voice.

 

Seeing Seon-woo like this, Ryu tilted his head and soon went “Ah,” hitting his palm with his fist.

 

“Ah, no no. To be precise, it’s not that I want Seon-woo to be eliminated, but rather I want you to die.”

 

“…What?”

 

His head felt like it was going to malfunction.

 

He didn’t know how to react to this.

 

To hear someone say they wished he would die to his face, and from someone he just met? Even if he was an eccentric writer, this was a bit… Just as he was thinking this, a thought crossed Seon-woo’s mind.

 

“…Are you perhaps talking about dying in [One Room]?”

 

“That’s right. Ah, not in reality of course! What I’m talking about is Kim Seon-woo from [One Room].”

 

“But to die in [One Room]… I’d have to be eliminated in reality too, right?”

 

“Ah, the elimination part was about reality, yes.”

 

“….”

 

This was probably the most confusing conversation he’d ever had in his life.

 

It was hard to follow that unique flow of thought going through Ryu’s mind.

 

‘Let me organize this slowly.’

 

Ryu wants Kim Seon-woo from [One Room] to die.

 

For that to happen, Seon-woo would have to be eliminated from 【I Am an Actor】, so he wants Seon-woo to be eliminated… that’s what this is about.

 

He understood that.

 

But what he was curious about was,

 

“Why do you want Kim Seon-woo to die?”

 

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

 

Ryu smiled faintly.

 

As if someone like him would already know the answer.

 

He wasn’t wrong.

 

In fact, Seon-woo already had a hunch about it.

 

“…Kim Seon-woo didn’t want to die. He just couldn’t find a reason to live. Killing Kim Seon-woo as he is now wouldn’t have much meaning. Because to Kim Seon-woo, life and death aren’t that different.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Ryu nodded and smiled deeply.

 

And he spoke with a voice that couldn’t hide his excited feelings.

 

“So why would I want to kill such a Kim Seon-woo?”

 

“…Are you planning to make Kim Seon-woo want to live?”

 

This was something he had anticipated from the moment he first saw the character Kim Seon-woo.

 

Characters in a play always change. A character who doesn’t grow or change… is ultimately no different from having no story at all.

 

And Kim Seon-woo’s change… would inevitably lead to him craving life.

 

Because he was someone who couldn’t feel the value of life.

 

The kind of change such a person could have would ultimately be… finding that value, wouldn’t it?

 

And there would be no fun in killing a character who didn’t even want to live in the first place.

 

Seon-woo’s guess seemed to be correct.

 

Ryu’s smile as he looked at Seon-woo grew even deeper.

 

“Seon-woo… you’re definitely a smart person.”

 

They say you shouldn’t judge a person by just one aspect.

 

However, writers and actors are those who must read everything from that single aspect. Being able to portray and understand all the elements hidden in a character’s inner self through just a few lines of dialogue and stage directions was their ability.

 

Ryu personally believed this intuition ultimately represented the limits of an actor or writer.

 

The depth and delicacy of characters they could express and portray ultimately depended on this intuition.

 

And Seon-woo’s intuition was no less than any of the great actors he had seen.

 

From this brief conversation, he gained confidence that he could handle the character ‘Kim Seon-woo’ more boldly.

 

He liked him.

 

“What are you planning to give Kim Seon-woo?”

 

Even this question.

 

Ryu smiled.

 

“I hope Seon-woo survives as long as possible.”

 

“…You want me to survive for a long time, then die?”

 

“Yes. Kim Seon-woo surviving itself makes this work more beautiful.”

 

He thought he understood what that meant.

 

“Please. Survive as long as possible. Survive until the very end, and then get eliminated there—that would be perfect.”

 

“But Writer, you still haven’t answered my question.”

 

“Ah, you asked what I would give Kim Seon-woo, right?”

 

Ryu nodded and soon lifted the corners of his mouth.

 

“Well, would love be enough?”

 

* * *

 

‘Really… the strangest person I’ve ever met in my life.’

 

When the character meeting with Ryu ended, Seon-woo had to leave the room feeling more exhausted than when he was filming.

 

He was someone who made it impossible to let your guard down even for a moment.

 

It felt like if he relaxed his mind even a little, the man would immediately bewitch his spirit and steal his soul.

 

“No, that writer is seriously scary…!”

 

In fact, Hyeong-bin was trembling until Seon-woo returned.

 

“I barely said anything, but he knew everything – that I’m an only child and was bullied in my teens! Does that even make sense?”

 

“…Something’s strange. That person definitely reads minds.”

 

Ji-eun nodded her head.

 

Whether you’d call it Ryu’s insight, that gaze that seemed to pierce through and analyze people… honestly, it wasn’t very pleasant to deal with.

 

What’s more, he’d bluntly reveal what he saw through without any consideration,

 

—You’ve never dated someone you liked, right? Even if someone said they liked you first, your heart wouldn’t have been in it.

 

Coming at you like that, it felt like… having all your secrets exposed in an instant.

 

Ji-eun looked back at Seon-woo.

 

“Did you hear anything strange, oppa?”

 

“Well. Just that he hoped I wouldn’t win?”

 

“…Crazy.”

 

Ji-eun frowned.

 

“No matter what, isn’t that too much? It’s not like he’s looking down on us for being amateurs.”

 

“Well, rather than looking down on us… I think that’s just how he is originally.”

 

“I still don’t like it.”

 

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand Ji-eun’s feelings.

 

Seon-woo’s meeting with Ryu hadn’t been entirely pleasant either.

 

However, rather than his immediate feelings… he was more concerned about what he’d gained from their conversation.

 

‘…He won’t leave Kim Seon-woo as he is, right?’

 

He was already looking forward to it.

 

What color would be added to this man who was dyed entirely in gray.

 

And that’s when it happened.

 

“Heh, hehe… Ryu… Ryuu…”

 

“Eek.”

 

An ominous laugh.

 

Ji-eun backed away with a terrified expression. Yeon-woo was smiling while grinding her teeth.

 

“…What kind of conversation did you have?”

 

“Hehe, want to guess?”

 

“Well, Yeon-woo must have asked why she was given this kind of role, and given Writer Ryu’s nature… he probably asked back.”

 

Seon-woo glanced around, and only after confirming there were no other ears listening did he add,

 

“Don’t you know better yourself.”

 

“…Seon-woo, are you related to Writer Ryu by any chance?”

 

“No. Absolutely not.”

 

“Then how can you say exactly the same thing?”

 

Yeon-woo glared at Seon-woo with cold eyes.

 

And that’s when Hye-seong, who had just finished his interview, squeezed between them.

 

“What what, why is the atmosphere so scary?”

 

“…Oh, it’s nothing. How was your conversation with Writer Ryu, oppa?”

 

“Me? It was good.”

 

“…Good?”

 

Yeon-woo looked at Hye-seong as if that couldn’t be true.

 

Hye-seong nodded with a cheerful smile.

 

“We just talked about the role, discussed how to make it more interesting going forward, that was all.”

 

“…Nothing uncomfortable?”

 

“No? He even worried about me, saying I must have a lot of pent-up anger from not making it big despite my age!”

 

…Wasn’t that an insult rather than concern?

 

Seon-woo was wondering whether he should point this out or not.

 

“Huh?”

 

Ji-eun, who had been looking down at her phone, made a surprised sound.

 

Yeon-woo turned to look at Ji-eun.

 

“Why? What’s wrong?”

 

“Uh, um, well, it’s not that…”

 

Ji-eun flinched in surprise and lowered her eyes.

 

For some reason, Yeon-woo had always felt intimidating to her. Especially in situations like now when she seemed somewhat angry.

 

But fortunately, she held news in her hands that could calm Yeon-woo’s anger.

 

She held out her phone.

 

“Sister, you’re in first place!”

 

“I know that already.”

 

“No, not the judging results! The voting!”

 

“Voting?”

 

Yeon-woo looked at the screen.

 

【I Am an Actor Championship Candidate Predictions (ver. Round of 8)】

 

1. Lee Yeon-woo 22.4%

 

2. Kim Seon-woo 18.6%

 

3. Jeong Hye-seong 17.5%

 

4. Song Jae-won 14.1%

 

5. Na Min-hee 12.9%

 

6. Seo Jin-wook 6.5%

 

7. Bang Hyeong-bin 4.3%

 

8. Yoo Ji-eun 3.7%

 

votes 10,831

 

“…Huh?”

 

In an instant, the sky-blue aura surrounding Yeon-woo vanished without a trace.

 

The shock she received was so great that she even forgot she was acting.

 

It was understandable. This voting had somehow become quite a concerning factor among the participants.

 

There were even talks that this voting result would essentially become the competition result.

 

Even if that wasn’t the case, this voting result wasn’t meaningless.

 

After all, it was an indicator showing whose direction the public’s hearts were leaning toward.

 

It was a situation where jumping around with joy wouldn’t be strange at all.

 

But…

 

“Uh, Sister? Are you okay?”

 

“….”

 

Yeon-woo showed no reaction and just stared blankly at the voting results.

 

Seon-woo looked at Yeon-woo like that and inwardly let out a sigh.

 

‘She must be troubled.’

 

Seon-woo found it hard to dare guess Yeon-woo’s feelings.

 

Looking at just first place, it should be something to celebrate, but Yeon-woo wasn’t particularly pleased about being recognized for her psychopath role.

 

‘I hope she doesn’t get too hurt.’

 

One might think what hurt could a psychopath feel.

 

But well, being a psychopath doesn’t make one invincible, does it? At least Yeon-woo didn’t seem like such an invincible being in Seon-woo’s eyes.

 

She was just a somewhat peculiar person.

 

‘Writer Ryu was too harsh.’

 

Seon-woo sighed inwardly.

 

He understood. Ryu probably had no malicious intent. He simply created characters that would best represent their essence, as he saw it.

 

But dragging out someone’s shameful secrets that they’d want to hide without any consideration… honestly, it couldn’t help but feel cruel.

 

No matter how good the acting or work might be… he felt it wasn’t something to pursue while hurting someone.

 

But such voices would sound meaningless to Writer Ryu.

 

Seon-woo frowned.

 

The feeling from when he had that conversation with him was still vivid.

 

Those eyes that showed no interest whatsoever in what he was saying, treating him merely as a component of a work….

 

Right.

 

In a way,

 

‘Rather, Writer Ryu himself is….’

 

Like a psycho.

 

* * *

 

Park Myeong-jin usually doesn’t pay attention to his attire.

 

This was because he believed that staying in a natural, unadorned state would make his intuition sharper as well.

 

Nevertheless, the reason Park Myeong-jin dressed up in a suit today was simple.

 

Today was the day he was having a meeting with Ryu after a long time.

 

“It’s been a while, Writer.”

 

“Yes. I watched episode 1 well, PD.”

 

“Haha, yes… I tried my best to express what you had in mind, so I’m glad you liked it.”

 

“It seems so. At least so far, there’s nothing disappointing about it.”

 

Ryu nodded with a faint smile.

 

Park Myeong-jin looked at Ryu and slowly began.

 

“I heard you met all the cast members today.”

 

“Ah, it was really interesting. Um… should I say it was the most pleasant thing that’s happened in recent years?”

 

“…To that extent? What happened?”

 

“Rather than what happened, there was a person.”

 

A person.

 

Who could have left such a big impression on Ryu?

 

Whoever it was, it was fortunate.

 

The more inspiration that dwelled in Ryu, the deeper characters and more captivating stories would be born.

 

“They really seemed like a psycho.”

 

But he didn’t expect to hear such words.

 

A psycho. The actors he saw on set were all polite and passionate people.

 

However, he shouldn’t take those words at face value. It might be different for ordinary people, but the word “psycho” coming from Ryu’s mouth wouldn’t be like ordinary swearing.

 

There was one person he could guess.

 

“About that, how did you see such potential in Yeon-woo?”

 

Park Myeong-jin’s eyes held a gentle reverence and respect that had been cultivated over a long time.

 

Lee Yeon-woo. Without a doubt, if there was anyone who benefited the most from this [One Room], it had to be her. Her psycho acting not only captivated the public in an instant… but also drew rave reviews from the judges.

 

Critics even said that the most decisive key to [One Room]’s favorable reception from the public was ‘Lee Yeon-woo.’

 

On the surface, she only looked like a delicate beauty, yet how he found the aspects of a psychopath within her was simply admirable.

 

However,

 

“…Hm? Ah, well, that was just what I saw. But what I’m talking about now isn’t about Yeon-woo.”

 

Ryu shook his head.

 

Doubt crept into Park Myeong-jin’s eyes. Since he said someone was like a psycho, he naturally thought it was about Yeon-woo.

 

“Then who are you talking about?”

 

“Kim Seon-woo.”

 

Ryu chuckled.

 

The words he had said to Kim Seon-woo before he left the room still echoed in his ears.

 

—Well, would something like love work?

 

Of course, he hadn’t been serious.

 

Giving love to breathe life into the character Kim Seon-woo… that would be like pouring sugar into badly cooked ramen to save it.

 

Still, the reason he had said such a thing was because he was curious about Seon-woo’s reaction.

 

What kind of reaction would Seon-woo show when faced with this wrong answer?

 

And the moment Seon-woo opened his mouth,

 

Ryu felt a thrilling sensation as if electricity was running through all his nerves.

 

—I don’t think it would be love.

 

Seon-woo had been frowning.

 

—…Oh, why not?

 

This was Seon-woo, who hadn’t shown even the slightest change in expression even when hearing curses telling him not to win but to fail.

 

But that same Seon-woo had frowned.

 

He had reacted reflexively to the threat of his character being ruined.

 

—The Kim Seon-woo that the Writer created… I think he’s truly a precisely crafted problem in himself. Honestly, even while acting, I often find myself admiring it.

 

At first glance, it was a polite tone.

 

—But precisely because of that, using love as the answer to solve that problem… don’t you think it would be a bit tacky?

 

But in the end, the meaning contained within was this:

 

Don’t even think about attaching such a story to me.

 

Don’t ruin this character like that.

 

That friend who had been unshakeable like a stone, immediately sharpening his edge just because his character might be slightly ruined…

 

Ryu smiled widely, tearing the corners of his mouth as he recalled those cold eyes again.

 

No matter how much he thought about it,

 

“He’s completely lost it, that guy.”

 

He’s a real psycho.

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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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