I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 92

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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 92

Of course, Park Myeong-jin wasn’t the only one who read Neogulnaegul’s review.

The actors, including Seon-woo, also looked into the content as soon as Neogulnaegul’s review came out.

And they were impressed.

“It really is amazing.”

Hye-seong clicked his tongue in admiration.

He was well aware that Neogulnaegul boasted such excellent analytical skills that people wondered if they were originally a professional critic in the industry.

But seeing their ability to dissect [One Room] firsthand, it seemed like they knew this work even better than the actors themselves.

Min-hee muttered blankly.

“It makes me reflect on myself. Even though I acted in it directly, I don’t think I thought about [One Room] as deeply as this person did.”

“Well, but honestly, that’s not something you can see just by thinking about it.”

“Still… it feels disappointing somehow.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Neogulnaegul did say the actors did well too, right?”

Hye-seong shrugged his shoulders.

As he said, Neogulnaegul had mentioned the actors like this:

—The production team was lucky. It’s actually a really difficult environment to find good actors, but somehow many good actors appeared.

—And what’s especially fortunate is that Kim Seon-woo wasn’t a terrible actor.

And among them, the one he particularly focused on was Seon-woo.

—If the character Kim Seon-woo had shown bad acting, no matter how well the others acted, this work itself would have collapsed. Kim Seon-woo is a very symbolic figure in this work.

—But at the same time, he’s also a very complex character. A unique person you’d rarely meet in real life. It must have been an extremely difficult assignment for actor Kim Seon-woo. But he really did that assignment well. I really want to applaud him for that part.

It wasn’t tremendous praise.

Just words to the effect that it was an important role, a difficult role, but he had done it well.

But when Seon-woo heard those words, he honestly felt a bit choked up.

He had heard plenty of praise like “amazing” or “genius,” but… he had never received comfort saying it must have been hard.

And only then did Seon-woo realize anew.

‘I guess there was more pressure than I thought.’

Seon-woo wasn’t unaware of how important a role the character ‘Kim Seon-woo’ played in [One Room].

His failure to act properly wouldn’t just mean his own failure. To exaggerate a bit, it could have ruined the entire work.

He couldn’t be a burden to others. That obsession had always been with Seon-woo. Yes, even until now.

That must be why.

Neogulnaegul’s voice acknowledging that hardship was so comforting.

‘So I need to do even better going forward.’

Seon-woo steeled his resolve.

Neogulnaegul had predicted that the upcoming episode 4 would be the episode where [One Room]’s full-fledged story begins.

And after receiving and checking the script for episode 4, Neogulnaegul’s prediction indeed made sense.

“…I really didn’t expect this kind of content.”

Seon-woo looked into the script.

Seo Jin-wook: (With an uncomfortable expression) …What? Who are you?

Kim Seon-woo: Did you… did you really have to kill her? You didn’t have to… you didn’t need to do that. Why, why on earth…!

Seo Jin-wook: Then would I just stand there and watch you bastards screw me over with votes? What’s with this act of being a good person? You all would have written my name anyway. It’s okay for you guys to try to kill me, but it’s wrong for me to kill to survive? Huh?

Kim Seon-woo, unable to answer, holds Yoo Ji-eun and stands up. As Seo Jin-wook flinches and steps back, Kim Seon-woo slowly lays Yoo Ji-eun down on the bed.

The beginning of episode 4 continues directly from the previous chaotic state.

What was impressive was the emotional line Kim Seon-woo showed toward Seo Jin-wook here. Rather than hatred, it was more like… should it be called regret, or disappointment. An emotional line that emphasized a somewhat sorrowful feeling more strongly.

‘I felt it in the last episode too.’

Kim Seon-woo doesn’t hate Seo Jin-wook.

No matter how brief their connection, he must have grown attached to Yoo Ji-eun, yet he shows no hatred toward the person who killed such a child.

This was certainly an unusual aspect.

But that’s also why it felt like a very Kim Seon-woo-like aspect.

‘Because Yoo Ji-eun isn’t the only one who shines in Kim Seon-woo’s eyes.’

Park Moon-hyeon, Na Min-hee, Jeong Hye-seong… and even Seo Jin-wook are just dazzling people to Kim Seon-woo. That appearance of doing their best to live was something Kim Seon-woo definitely didn’t possess.

Just being able to be sincere about their own lives was, in a way, something for Kim Seon-woo to admire.

Rather, if there was someone who uniquely didn’t sparkle in Kim Seon-woo’s eyes…

‘It would have been Justin.’

It couldn’t be helped.

Justin was alive but no different from being dead.

A pitiful life intoxicated by drugs, unable to even think about looking back at the life given to him. Perhaps he could be called the only life more pathetic than Kim Seon-woo’s in this place.

From that perspective, it was a bit regrettable that Justin was eliminated early.

If Justin had continued to live, there would have been a tremendous amount of story to unfold about Kim Seon-woo’s gaze toward Justin.

Seon-woo felt certain of this for some reason.

Ryu was probably quite regretful about that too.

But now wasn’t the time to think about such things.

Seon-woo continued reading through the script.

People now begin to corner Seo Jin-wook.

Song Jae-won: Put the knife down.

Seo Jin-wook: (Lifting the knife and laughing) Are you crazy? If I put it down, you’ll beat me up again.

Song Jae-won: I’ll beat you up even if you don’t put it down.

Seo Jin-wook: Really? Then try it.

Bang Hyeong-bin: (Stepping between them) Stop!

It was Bang Hyeong-bin who mediated the situation that seemed like another bloodshed would occur at any moment.

Bang Hyeong-bin: Please, just stop now. Okay? Already… too many people have already died! Please, let’s stop killing each other!

Song Jae-won: Didn’t you see that bastard kill someone? If we leave him alone, who knows who he’ll kill next.

Seo Jin-wook: Right. Next time, he’ll probably kill you first.

Song Jae-won: See? We can’t leave a guy like that alone.

Bang Hyeong-bin: I’ll… (squeezes his eyes shut) I’ll die!

Everyone stares at Bang Hyeong-bin with blank eyes. Bang Hyeong-bin beats his chest and shouts as if venting his frustration.

Bang Hyeong-bin: If someone has to die again tomorrow, then I’ll die! So… please, please stop fighting. Instead of thinking about how to kill each other… let’s think about how we can live together!

When Seon-woo read this part, the thrill he felt was indescribable.

Even when Yoo Ji-eun or Park Moon-hyeon died, he hadn’t felt the same thrill as now.

It couldn’t be helped. Even though he wasn’t watching acting, and was simply looking at a story in the script… an incredibly brilliant light was radiating from Bang Hyeong-bin.

‘…Beautiful.’

For a moment, he was envious of Bang Hyeong-bin.

What would it feel like to act a character with this kind of color?

But there was no need to be too envious.

Seon-woo could also act Kim Seon-woo, who would witness such a Bang Hyeong-bin.

The more Bang Hyeong-bin shined, the more Kim Seon-woo watching him could shine as well.

He was curious about what came next, but unfortunately, the script delivered this time ended at this part.

‘…Living together.’

Were they planning an escape? Thinking about the future content, it seemed likely.

Seon-woo focused on preparing the given script for now. There was practically no time to spare. He had to memorize the lines and refine the emotional line, and of course, receive basic makeup before filming.

What makeup when they’re trapped in a space without cosmetics?

Actually, that’s precisely why the makeup took even longer. They had to express how people gradually became haggard as time passed in there.

And Seon-woo was particularly a subject the makeup team found quite difficult to handle.

Song Yu-kyeong from the makeup team let out a sigh.

“You just don’t get grimy at all.”

“…Isn’t this grimy enough?”

Seon-woo tilted his head while looking in the mirror.

The makeup he had received was roughly as follows:

1. Apply foundation about half a tone darker than his skin tone.

2. Apply dark circles under the eyes and create a reddish tone around the eyes.

3. Deliberately leave the facial contours blurred by not using concealer.

4. Remove lip color.

5. Style the hair to look slightly pressed down.

Actually, at this point, most ordinary people would immediately be called a wreck.

But,

“Seon-woo, you basically have bright skin tone and too good complexion.”

Normally, that would actually be an advantage.

However, it wasn’t in situations like this where they needed to create a haggard look.

“Light reflects well, so it feels like vitality keeps remaining. The reddish tone of your skin under the foundation also stands out more.”

Of course, there were countermeasures.

Create dark circles first, then cover overall with foundation. And tone down the reddish areas where complexion lingers, and deliberately create uneven, blotchy coloring on the bridge of the nose – even a healthy person would have to look like a wreck.

But even after doing all that,

“The problem is this gleam in your eyes.”

Yu-kyeong crossed her arms and looked into Seon-woo’s eyes with a contemplative gaze.

Eyes like starlight.

A subtle light that becomes more noticeable the longer you look at it. But perhaps that’s why, once you set your eyes on it, you can’t seem to look away.

No matter how haggard the makeup was, when those eyes sparkled, it felt like all that makeup lost its meaning.

As a makeup team member, it was bound to give her a headache in many ways.

But Seon-woo casually shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s okay. Kim Seon-woo is originally a character whose eyes should shine.”

“But is it okay if the person himself shines because of those eyes?”

“Yes. It’ll be fine.”

“Hmm…”

Yu-kyeong tilted her head.

Wasn’t Kim Seon-woo a dark character?

She didn’t know.

From here on, it was actually the actor’s domain. What the makeup team could do was, as mentioned earlier, just remove the complexion.

‘What a peculiar kid.’

Yu-kyeong inwardly clicked her tongue while looking at Seon-woo.

She had been doing this job for over 10 years already. Having seen countless actors in that time… actors who gave such a special feeling were truly countable on one hand.

It was just a vague feeling, you could say.

That this kid would become a star someday.

There was no logical basis. Just an instinct developed from working in this industry for a long time.

Even she, being from the makeup team, felt this to such a degree.

The directing team staff who actually entered filming went without saying.

Whenever Seon-woo’s name came up, they would all say in unison:

“Seon-woo is really unique.”

“Exactly, it’s surprisingly hard to find an actor with that kind of atmosphere.”

“First of all, I can’t figure out what kind of kid he is. Seeing how he greets people well and all, he seems to have good social skills… but to say he’s outgoing, he doesn’t talk much.”

“But that’s not because he’s introverted and quiet either, it’s more like that feeling, you know? Like his head is full of thoughts so he doesn’t really have time to chatter?”

“It does feel like that. That’s why he doesn’t say a single word before entering a scene.”

The conclusion of all those words was simple.

Seon-woo is a genius.

Thanks to that, at some point, when Seon-woo was acting, the staff members often found themselves just mindlessly admiring his performance.

It really felt like Kim Seon-woo from [One Room] had come to life.

At least the old Kim Seon-woo had a character that was gloomily lifeless, but lately, how should I put it. No matter how intensely they applied the grimy makeup, his eyes were starting to sparkle more and more…

“…Doesn’t he seem to have gotten more handsome?”

“Hmm, he does seem more captivating than before.”

“His acting also seems to keep improving.”

“There’s definitely that feeling.”

The ones most sensitive to that change were probably the filming team and lighting team.

Since they always had to keep an eye on the actors’ appearances, they couldn’t help but quickly notice even small changes.

And the fact that there were the most sensitive ones meant there were also those who were less sensitive.

The Sound Director was exactly that example.

“What exactly has changed so much?”

The Sound Director tilted his head in confusion.

To his eyes, everything still looked exactly the same. Honestly, he felt like the other staff members might be overreacting.

Seeing that Sound Director, the Cinematographer let out a sigh.

“Hyung. You didn’t watch the drama this time either, did you?”

“Ahem, you know me. I don’t watch the finished product.”

The Sound Director coughed awkwardly.

He usually didn’t watch the works he had worked on. When he watched the finished product, he would only see the parts he had done wrong, which just caused unnecessary stress.

His job was to maintain the on-site recording quality above a certain level.

As such, he couldn’t pay much attention to the actors’ performances. More precisely, he didn’t have the time to worry about such things.

He was busy enough just doing sound checks.

Seeing that Sound Director, the Cinematographer shook his head.

“Come on, you’ll see the acting when you’re working on the sound during mixing sessions.”

“I’m busy balancing things. If I try to watch the acting too, I can’t get my work done.”

“Fine. Then today, even if it’s just for a moment, properly watch that guy’s acting.”

“Hmm… I need to watch the sound though?”

“Oh come on! The kids are all checking anyway. How much is there to worry about in indoor filming. Just watch the acting first and then think about it.”

“…Alright.”

The Sound Director nodded with a reluctant expression.

The wait wasn’t long.

Today’s filming started with Seon-woo’s part.

“…What? Who are you?”

Jin-wook speaks first.

The Sound Director nodded inwardly while watching Jin-wook. Good voice. Not that it was a beautiful voice. A voice that pierced right into your ears when you heard it, with sharp definition.

The actors from Cheongseong definitely all had good Voice Projection. Not only was their delivery accurate, but they could also easily press emotions into their voices.

Among them, the one with the least skill in handling his voice was actually Seon-woo.

‘Voice Projection ultimately develops according to the time you put into it.’

From that perspective, it was unavoidable.

Seon-woo had the shortest career among them. Showing this level of Voice Projection with that much experience was impressive in its own way, but… as a Sound Director, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

Maybe that’s why he felt more resistant to the Kim Seon-woo genius theory.

Judging by voice alone, Kim Seon-woo wasn’t that amazing an actor. Of course, he did convey emotions well, but… the technical aspects were lacking.

So,

“Did you… did you really have to kill him?”

When he heard that voice soaked like water… damp and sorrowful,

“You didn’t have to… you didn’t need to do that. Why, why on earth…!”

When he saw that face about to collapse at any moment, colored with grief and Sadness, the Sound Director had no choice but to fall silent for a moment.

This was the first time he had focused so intently on Seon-woo’s acting. What he always paid attention to was only the sound.

But looking at it this way,

‘My breath is…’

Caught.

A feeling like a heavy stone had dropped into his chest.

He could feel it. The sharp Emotion that Kim Seon-woo was feeling was being transmitted to him without any filter.

‘Was this the kind of acting this kid was doing…?’

The Sound Director’s expression became strange.

The Sound Director hadn’t avoided watching finished products from the beginning.

There was once a time when his pleasure was watching the finished product and seeing the acting of the actors whose voices he had captured.

It’s just that at some point, all of that started to become exhausting.

It couldn’t be helped. No matter how special a job is, if you repeat it day after day, you’re bound to get tired of it.

A kind of burnout had set in.

But suddenly, he had this thought.

Under the excuse of burnout, hadn’t he been turning his gaze away from things he should have been watching?

In the works he was creating, the actors were shining like this.

The Sound Director unconsciously clenched his fist.

The Cinematographer, who glanced at that fist, chuckled and asked.

“How is it?”

“…I understand why you say that.”

“What?”

The corners of the Cinematographer’s mouth rise.

The Sound Director let out a sigh.

How should I put it. I felt inexplicably frustrated. Should I say it felt like I had lost?

But there was nothing I could do about it.

“Compared to when I first saw you… you feel like you’re shining much brighter.”

I had to acknowledge what deserved to be acknowledged.

“You’re sparkling.”

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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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