I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 74

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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 74

 

Though it was late at night, Seon-woo immediately began the lesson for Moon-hyeon.

 

Tomorrow was another day of filming. If not now, there wouldn’t be time for lessons at all.

 

The problem was,

 

“But… what part would you like to learn?”

 

He hadn’t yet organized what exactly he should teach.

 

It seemed Moon-hyeon wasn’t much different, as his expression became somewhat troubled.

 

“It’s embarrassing to say this, but… could you first tell me what you saw as the problem? Honestly, I’m a bit lost on where to even start.”

 

“Should I be honest? Or should I put it gently?”

 

“…When someone asks like that, would anyone really want you to put it gently?”

 

Moon-hyeon chuckled and shook his head.

 

“Please be honest. Give it to me really hot and spicy.”

 

“Your acting today… didn’t seem like ‘Park Moon-hyeon.'”

 

“…It didn’t seem like Park Moon-hyeon?”

 

“No. Instead of Park Moon-hyeon, you just looked like ‘middle-aged man A who somehow got trapped in a strange place and is trying to calm people down.'”

 

“…”

 

Moon-hyeon was speechless at the harsh criticism that exceeded his expectations.

 

He thought he’d hear things like it was terrible, his line delivery was awkward, or his expressions were stiff… but to say he didn’t seem like Park Moon-hyeon at all.

 

An evaluation he’d never imagined, and therefore all the more painful.

 

“Could you describe who Park Moon-hyeon is in one line?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Moon-hyeon hesitated before answering.

 

“Someone who has lived without knowing who he is… I think.”

 

Even as he answered, Moon-hyeon felt strange.

 

It seemed like not only Park Moon-hyeon from [One Room], but he himself fit this description too.

 

Seon-woo read that expression on Moon-hyeon’s face.

 

“Do you think he’s similar to you, Teacher?”

 

“I suppose so. I’ve only known company and home my whole life too. That’s what being a breadwinner is all about.”

 

A life where not knowing who you are is natural.

 

A life where trying to know seems like a luxury.

 

“Then right now, at this moment, how do you feel, Teacher?”

 

“Hmm… I think I’m happy.”

 

“Then what about Park Moon-hyeon from [One Room]?”

 

“Well…”

 

Moon-hyeon, who was about to answer, paused for a moment as he looked into Seon-woo’s eyes.

 

They were eyes that seemed to boil with intensity. Like an athlete pumped full of adrenaline, his eyes flashed with light, as if the heat within might burst out through them at any moment.

 

This wasn’t even about his own role, yet just talking about acting made his heart boil like this?

 

These were eyes that made it understandable why everyone called Seon-woo a genius.

 

It was a look he’d occasionally seen during his corporate life.

 

Among young CEOs starting new businesses, there were sometimes those with eyes like that. And as time passed, they would eventually achieve results as brilliant as those eyes.

 

Moon-hyeon thought.

 

When the day came for Seon-woo to achieve his results, it would be wonderful to witness it firsthand.

 

It would surely be a magnificent sight.

 

“…Teacher?”

 

“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. Right, Park Moon-hyeon… it would be hard for him to be happy, wouldn’t it? Since he might die soon.”

 

Seon-woo shook his head at Moon-hyeon’s words.

 

“Hmm… it would be hard to say he’s completely happy, but I think he’d be in a kind of awakened state at the same time. And Park Moon-hyeon seems to refuse to accept that this is a dangerous situation where he might die.”

 

“He can’t recognize it’s a dangerous situation?”

 

“I’d say he won’t recognize it. He thinks this situation is actually an opportunity for everything to change. In a way, what Park Moon-hyeon is showing now… could be called hope. Hope that this might not be as serious a situation as it seems.”

 

“Then when that Park Moon-hyeon dies… the other characters will have no choice but to despair even more.”

 

“Exactly. That’s where the meaning of Park Moon-hyeon’s death lies. It’s a device that reveals the hopeless reality.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Moon-hyeon let out a sigh.

 

Actually, the script he had read didn’t feel like this.

 

A situation where he’s suddenly kidnapped to a strange space.

 

Park Moon-hyeon, who had been dragged around by his company his whole life, tries to be different from before. He proactively mediates between people and even makes the bold move of becoming the first ‘eliminated’… but the result is only death.

 

He thought his task was to express the tragedy of Park Moon-hyeon, a man who couldn’t become the protagonist of his own life until the very end… but Seon-woo was seeing such different things.

 

Relentless.

 

That was Moon-hyeon’s impression.

 

Seon-woo’s gaze when looking into people was relentlessly persistent and accurate.

 

Well, he must have had such a perspective to begin with to show such acting.

 

‘This won’t be easy.’

 

Cold sweat ran down his back.

 

When he first asked for help, he thought he’d just get some advice and reflect on it. But it didn’t seem like it would end at that level.

 

Seon-woo didn’t seem like he’d be satisfied with Moon-hyeon just acting well enough to get by.

 

The atmosphere suggested he wanted to somehow make him act at the same genius level as himself.

 

He could already see it.

 

How rough and long the road would be to follow that guidance.

 

But Moon-hyeon didn’t back down.

 

“Could you watch me act once?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Asking for teaching from someone thirty years younger wasn’t embarrassing.

 

But running away because he couldn’t handle those teachings…

 

That would be far too shameful.

 

* * *

 

[One Room] is a work filmed with amateur actors.

 

For such a production, the atmosphere on [One Room]’s filming set had been quite good so far.

 

It wasn’t that Park Myeong-jin took an attitude of ‘it’s okay because they’re amateurs’ or anything like that. Rather, Park Myeong-jin had said this when they first started filming.

 

—I will approach filming thinking of all of you as professionals.

 

—So please show me. Professional, truly actor-like acting.

 

And fortunately, all the cast members had shown decent acting for amateurs so far.

 

Especially a few had shown acting that was in no way lacking compared to even active professional actors.

 

But in the end, amateurs are amateurs.

 

“What should we do about our department head?”

 

“…Right. He did look really struggling yesterday.”

 

And eventually, they revealed their limits.

 

To be precise, Moon-hyeon had revealed them. The actors couldn’t help but worry as they recalled Moon-hyeon’s poor performance from the previous day.

 

There was no way such tremendous change could happen overnight… At this rate, not only would filming be delayed, but Moon-hyeon himself would suffer too much.

 

“Seon-woo seemed to be doing something together with him though…”

 

“Is Seon-woo good at teaching?”

 

“I’m not sure about that.”

 

Hye-seong shrugged at Min-hee’s question.

 

Seon-woo had never really taught anyone in earnest. At most, during the room assignment mission when he coordinated breathing with Hyeong-bin and Si-on?

 

But Moon-hyeon’s current problem wasn’t that kind of thing.

 

It was pure lack of skill.

 

That wasn’t something that could be solved with a few words of advice.

 

And naturally, the person with the biggest headache over this problem had to be Park Myeong-jin himself.

 

‘This is why I only did pre-production before.’

 

There wasn’t enough time.

 

If he kept holding onto just Moon-hyeon, the work schedule would keep getting pushed back. Then not only this scene but the overall quality of the first half of episode 2 would collapse in a chain reaction.

 

However, the importance of this scene was too great to just rush through it carelessly.

 

It was like the first button that would set the tone for [One Room].

 

He couldn’t film it carelessly.

 

The problem was that unless Moon-hyeon showed acting as if he had become a completely different person overnight, it would be difficult to be satisfied.

 

With no clear answer emerging from the situation, Park Myeong-jin’s expression couldn’t help but grow even darker.

 

And because of that,

 

“33 years. I devoted 33 years of my life to the company. I didn’t start a family, couldn’t enjoy a single decent hobby. The company was my family and my hobby.”

 

‘…Hmm?’

 

“But it’s come to this. Not even once… I had never lived my own life.”

 

“…Do you regret it?”

 

“No, I actually think it’s fortunate.”

 

‘Oh?’

 

“Because even now… I’ve realized how important it is to become the master of your own life.”

 

‘Ohhh!’

 

It didn’t take long for Park Myeong-jin’s expression to brighten.

 

The scene where Park Moon-hyeon, who had initially calmed people down, was having a conversation with Kim Seon-woo before the vote.

 

‘What? What’s happening here?’

 

Moon-hyeon’s acting had improved.

 

And not just slightly better. He had perfectly captured that subtle emotion Park Myeong-jin wanted and returned with it overnight.

 

Somehow anxious yet energetic, and simultaneously hopeful… that strange positive energy that didn’t fit the situation was being fully expressed.

 

‘Did his understanding of the character improve in the meantime?’

 

He didn’t know.

 

He didn’t need to know either. The ‘why’ behind such reasons wasn’t something Park Myeong-jin needed to think about right now.

 

‘At this level… that scene should be fine too?’

 

Park Myeong-jin’s eyes sparkled.

 

What he had been most worried about while watching Moon-hyeon’s acting was precisely ‘Park Moon-hyeon’s death.’

 

The scene where hope is crushed and shows how terrifying this game really is… essentially the scene that announces the beginning of [One Room].

 

When he saw yesterday’s acting, he thought there was a long way to go… but with this level of character comprehension, surely he could show something in that scene too?

 

‘Show me what experience means, Moon-hyeon. You can do it! Right?’

 

As he met Park Myeong-jin’s passionate gaze, Moon-hyeon…

 

“…It’s definitely different.”

 

Looked at Seon-woo and quietly nodded.

 

Even without looking at Park Myeong-jin’s expression, he could feel it. That he was showing completely different acting from yesterday.

 

And honestly speaking…

 

“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”

 

“Not at all. It’s because you worked hard, Teacher.”

 

“First the tide has to come in for rowing to be meaningful, right?”

 

So it’s all thanks to Seon-woo.

 

Moon-hyeon wasn’t saying that for no reason. Since last night, Seon-woo had really taught Moon-hyeon to the point where one might think ‘there’s no need to go this far.’

 

It didn’t end with simply presenting a new character interpretation.

 

—How about raising the ending tone a bit more there? That way it would better show that Park Moon-hyeon is still finding hope even in this situation.

 

—Just now your expression was too confident. No, it’s not that you shouldn’t be confident… Park Moon-hyeon doesn’t fail to feel anxiety, he ignores it. He turns away from it. To bring that out… I think you need to show him subtly avoiding eye contact.

 

Like that, Seon-woo pointed out Moon-hyeon’s acting in every single detail, even the most minor parts.

 

So meticulously that even paid instructors probably wouldn’t go this far.

 

Of course, it wasn’t purely out of goodwill.

 

‘…I got too absorbed in it.’

 

It was fun.

 

Not only watching Park Moon-hyeon’s color change, but feeling Kim Seon-woo being influenced by it every time Park Moon-hyeon shined… Seon-woo couldn’t help but be drawn in.

 

Because his anticipation kept growing.

 

When the character Park Moon-hyeon truly begins to shine, how will Kim Seon-woo accept that?

 

In what way will he be sparkling?

 

And,

 

“…Scene number 26, filming begins!”

 

Finally, that scene began to be filmed.

 

The scene where Park Moon-hyeon, who asked to be chosen as the eliminated one… meets his end.

 

The voting takes place inside each person’s room.

 

With the doors tightly locked, everyone writes down Park Moon-hyeon’s name… and Park Moon-hyeon raises his voice from inside his room.

 

“Everyone, don’t worry too much! Everything will be fine! Everyone… let’s go home! Let’s go back and start over!”

 

What emotion was contained in that voice?

 

Hope? Anxiety? It’s unclear. It was such a complex emotion that even Park Moon-hyeon himself would find it difficult to answer.

 

But what sentiment was contained in the voice that followed was certain.

 

—An eliminated player has been selected.

 

—Player ‘Park Moon-hyeon’ has been eliminated from the game as of this time.

 

—Proceeding with elimination process.

 

Malice.

 

A coldness that seemed to not treat them as human beings at all.

 

And then, it was the very next moment.

 

“No, no, n-no, no! P-please. This, st-stop… Aaaaaaahhhhh———!”

 

Park Moon-hyeon’s screams echo out.

 

That voice which always spoke of hope with a positive face, now cries out in pain, miserably torn apart.

 

And all the other players have to just listen to it from their waiting rooms.

 

In that terrible reality, Seon-woo…

 

‘…Amazing.’

 

Ironically, he felt exhilaration.

 

It’s not that he suddenly went crazy or anything like that.

 

His ash-gray color emission that had always shone gray until now… that only briefly held the light of others… was shining completely for the first time.

 

And it was holding Park Moon-hyeon’s grass-like color, however clumsily, glowing bluish-green.

 

It meant that Park Moon-hyeon’s death was having enough influence on Kim Seon-woo… no, enough to fill this entire space.

 

Along with a thrilling shiver running down his spine, Seon-woo had an intuition.

 

Park Moon-hyeon’s death, this episode 2… would force the public who had been suspicious of them until now to uncross their arms.

 

It would surely drive them crazy.

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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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