I Acted Once, and Now They Call Me a Genius - Chapter 98

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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 98

Whenever discussions arose about whether 【I Am an Actor】 Season 2 could surpass Season 1 if it were to be produced, people would say:

Impossible.

Season 1 had incredible luck with its actors. You could say heaven itself helped assemble such a cast.

And rightfully so.

One person.

They say a competition program only needs one star to succeed. More precisely, if there’s just one talent showing star quality, that program gains the momentum to become a hit.

But just how many stars does 【I Am an Actor】 have?

Da-sol could answer confidently.

At least for today, there were seven stars.

“Ugh…”

Da-sol let out a groan with a dazed expression.

After Lee Mu-beom disappeared, the group tried pulling the lever. When the lever was pulled, a floor would extend from the wall to fill the hallway.

The problem was that the moment someone let go of the lever, that floor would disappear in just a few seconds.

The person who pulled the lever had to cross the hallway within those few seconds… but who would be willing to take such a risk?

—…Seo Jin-wook, let’s bring that person.

Then Bang Hyeong-bin looked for Seo Jin-wook.

People brought Seo Jin-wook without complaint. They probably thought to have Seo Jin-wook pull the lever.

And as soon as Seo Jin-wook heard the situation, he chuckled and spoke.

—Crazy bastards. You think I’ll pull that lever for you? For whose benefit?

—Don’t you have any conscience? You killed someone and don’t even think to repent?

—If I’m going to repent, it should be to that girl, not to you guys. There’s a limit to how much bullshit I’ll listen to.

—This bastard…!

—Stop.

It was the moment Song Jae-won exploded and was about to rush at Seo Jin-wook.

Bang Hyeong-bin stepped between them with a resolute expression. Then he looked at Seo Jin-wook and spoke calmly.

—I think there’s been some misunderstanding. I’ll pull the lever.

—What…?

—W-wait a minute! Hyeong-bin! What are you saying!

—I was the one who suggested escaping. I should take responsibility. And I said it before too. If someone has to die today, let it be me.

—…Then why did you call me?

—I’m a firefighter. Since I’m already prepared to die…

Bang Hyeong-bin smiled.

—It’s good if I can save even one more person.

A refreshing smile that changed the atmosphere of the room in an instant.

It was truly a firefighter’s smile, one that seemed to be trying hard to overcome fear in the face of death’s threat.

Even Seo Jin-wook looked bewildered and dazed in front of such a Bang Hyeong-bin.

Needless to say, the chat room exploded at that moment.

AnxiousPing: Was Bang Hyeong-bin always this good at acting

meteor: No seriously, it’s like a rule that One Room actors explode with acting when they’re about to leave

EdisonMilk: Hyeong-bin hyung suddenly looks so handsome

Wonny: That hyung is just worn down by office life, but he’s actually good-looking

OTL: No way, how am I supposed to cure my older guy complex now…

Just moments ago, Kim Seon-woo facing Lee Mu-beom and pouring out his emotions definitely seemed like the protagonist.

But right now, at this moment, Bang Hyeong-bin had become the protagonist again.

The lever goes down, and everyone hesitates but slowly crosses that bridge.

And only Bang Hyeong-bin remains.

Bang Hyeong-bin holds the lever while crossing the hallway with tense eyes. It takes less than 2 seconds for the platform to disappear.

He has to cross this hallway in those 2 seconds.

Lyrical music plays, and various scenes flash over Bang Hyeong-bin’s sweating face.

At the same time, several resentful voices echo in his ears.

—Too… too late.

—You should have saved them, why… why—!

The lives he couldn’t save as a firefighter.

The fact that he’s thinking about such things even in the face of mortal danger means that even now, what he’s concerned about isn’t his own safety.

Perhaps Bang Hyeong-bin is even now… wondering how he can rescue everyone.

The moment such thoughts naturally crossed the viewers’ minds,

—Hup!

Bang Hyeong-bin runs.

Stepping on the slowly disappearing floor, using all his strength with each step.

Watching such a Bang Hyeong-bin, Da-sol clenched both fists tightly. Please run, get across. Live…!

The fact that this wasn’t real but acting had already been erased from her mind.

The only thought in her head was hoping Bang Hyeong-bin would safely cross that hallway, hoping he would live.

And,

Thud—

Bang Hyeong-bin’s foot touched the ground.

He did it. Relief and joy bloomed on Bang Hyeong-bin’s face, on Da-sol’s face, and on the faces of all the viewers watching… it was exactly that moment.

Slip.

It was an instant. Bang Hyeong-bin’s body, having lost his balance, tilted backward, and just as he was about to plummet dozens of meters below,

—N-no!

—Hyeong-bin!

Jeong Hye-seong grabbed Bang Hyeong-bin’s hand as he was falling.

And just as he was about to be dragged down by Bang Hyeong-bin’s weight, the others barely managed to hold onto Jeong Hye-seong’s body and endure.

But Bang Hyeong-bin couldn’t climb up easily. The floor was slippery, preventing people from exerting their strength properly. Rather than pulling Bang Hyeong-bin up, it seemed like even Jeong Hye-seong, who was holding onto him, would fall down together.

The moment fear appeared on Jeong Hye-seong’s face as he felt this,

—…It’s okay, Hye-seong.

Bang Hyeong-bin smiled.

And seeing that smile, Jeong Hye-seong’s expression froze completely.

It was an expression Jeong Hye-seong hadn’t expected at all.

—Please. Everyone… live.

—W-wait…!

It was the moment Jeong Hye-seong was about to stop Bang Hyeong-bin in shock.

Bang Hyeong-bin released the strength he had been using to hold onto Jeong Hye-seong’s hand.

And amidst the screams of the others, he slowly fell toward the pit.

What followed was only a dull, wet sound of flesh hitting something.

And Jeong Hye-seong’s face, looking down at the pit with a half-crazed expression, was shown in close-up…

BareuAndGoodWords: Wow, fuck…

Gahyun: Really no dreams or hope

Deli Manju: I knew I was going to die, but… hah…

Cali: No, this is somehow the most tragic death we’ve seen so far

meteor: Hye-seong hyung’s expression is really giving me chills… You can clearly see a person breaking down

Good Comment Fairy: Agreed, seems like I’m becoming a shut-in in real time

Akung: It is the perfect environment for a person to fall apart…

Everyone in the chat room was overwhelmed.

The acting, direction, and plot development – nothing wasn’t groundbreaking.

Especially Jeong Hye-seong’s acting with his trembling pupils was enough to give you chills just watching.

Da-sol was now curled up like a hedgehog, hugging her knees.

“…What do we do.”

“…”

Da-yeon didn’t answer.

She was already too immersed in the work to hear anything.

—…Let’s go.

Kim Seon-woo was the first to speak.

He bit his lips as if he couldn’t bear to take a step, yet spat out each word deliberately.

—Hyeong-bin said it. To live. We have to live. Let’s go, us.

—Wait, wait a moment.

And Na Min-hee grabbed Kim Seon-woo with a pale face.

—Wait, let me… catch my breath.

—…

Kim Seon-woo quietly nodded and looked toward the pit.

And seeing Bang Hyeong-bin’s corpse below, he bit his lips. Song Jae-won cursed and violently punched the wall, while Seo Jin-wook watched it all with a complicated expression.

And Lee Yeon-woo was…

“Wow, crazy…”

Frowning.

As if she hadn’t calculated for this situation, she had an annoyed expression as if she had seen something extremely unpleasant.

An expression as if someone had touched her reverse scale.

While Da-sol shivered at that eerie feeling, Na Min-hee slowly opened her mouth.

—Can’t we stop fighting now?

It was a dry voice.

There was no trace of tears. As if she was already too exhausted to feel such emotions.

Na Min-hee raised her lifeless eyes and slowly looked around at everyone.

—Whether there’s reason to hate or not, whether it’s unfair or not, just stop fighting. Stop fighting and… let’s be together. Let’s try to live together. Why, why… is this so difficult.

Song Jae-won lowered his head, and Seo Jin-wook averted his gaze.

And Kim Seon-woo opened his mouth.

—I’m fine with it.

It was a clear gaze.

Perhaps that gaze resembled the gaze of Bang Hyeong-bin who had just died. While Na Min-hee, who trembled momentarily before that gaze, smiled weakly, Jeong Hye-seong hesitantly opened his mouth.

—Me too, me too.

Considering they had always been in conflict until now, it was certainly a meaningful decision.

But their decision was immediately put to the test.

At the end of the hallway.

It would have been fortunate if opening the door had revealed the outside world, but naturally, such a thing didn’t happen.

What was on the other side of the hallway was an elevator.

The problem was that the elevator had no floor.

At that moment, a broadcast flowed out again.

The GM’s voice mixed with mechanical sounds.

—I applaud the players who have made it this far.

—At the same time, we recommend again. Please return to the designated location. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee your safety.

—If you must continue down this path… please board this elevator.

—If you take this elevator, you can choose one of two options.

—If you offer one person as a sacrifice right now, the elevator will have a floor.

—And you will be able to move safely.

—But if you refuse to offer a sacrifice… you must hang onto the elevator’s handrails and endure until the elevator reaches the designated location.

—Choose.

It was a terrible dilemma.

Either offer a sacrifice, or take the risk.

The players looked around at each other.

And then, Na Min-hee spoke up again.

—We can do it.

Burning eyes.

—Let’s not lose. Let’s not get our hands bloody by giving in to those bastards.

—…Do you know how long we’ll have to ride that elevator?

Seo Jin-wook sneered.

—What if they make us hang there for an hour?

—Look at my arms.

Na Min-hee held up her thin arms with a bitter smile.

—If someone’s going to fall first anyway, it’ll be me. Then a floor will appear, right? Isn’t that good enough?

—…

Seo Jin-wook said nothing more.

And so, everyone began hanging from the elevator.

—Don’t look down.

—Ugh, ahhh…

—Don’t think about anything, just hang on. Then… then it’ll be over.

How long could an elevator take? At most 1 minute. Even if it was long, it would arrive within 2 minutes.

Everyone thought so.

But no matter how much time passed, the elevator didn’t arrive.

Their sweaty palms were slippery and seemed ready to let go of the handrails at any moment, but the elevator wouldn’t stop.

Were they trapped in some incredibly tall high-rise building?

There was no way to know.

—Fuck… when the hell is this going to end!

As Seo Jin-wook’s angry shout echoed, Na Min-hee looked at the handrail she was gripping with exhausted eyes.

Her palms, drained of strength, began to slip.

The problem was that the others were also starting to show signs of struggle.

Seeing this, Na Min-hee slowly looked around at her companions.

And made a resolute expression.

—Everyone.

—…?

—Live.

—Wait…!

Those were her last words.

With Kim Seon-woo’s scream behind her, Na Min-hee threw herself toward the ground.

…More precisely, she tried to throw herself.

There was a hand that grabbed her wrist with a firm grip.

Song Jae-won.

He glared at Na Min-hee with stern, reproachful eyes.

—You said let’s live together, so what are you doing?

—…Let go. I’m at my limit. The others are too. If I fall instead… a floor will appear.

—Hold on. You didn’t slip and fall. You let go. Don’t act so half-heartedly.

—…

—I’ll help you.

Song Jae-won pulled Na Min-hee up. He made her grab the railing again and tucked her legs into his elbow.

—This way you’ll be able to hold on.

—…Don’t do this. If you do this, you won’t be able to hold on, Jae-won.

—You said we could do it. You said let’s not lose.

—I was wrong! This won’t work, we’re going to lose!

—I’m a boxer.

And Song Jae-won smiled.

—There’s no boxer who doesn’t enter a match because they think they’ll lose.

—…!

At those words, Na Min-hee looked at Song Jae-won with tears in her eyes.

If there had been an ending where the elevator reached its destination and they all safely escaped this place, it would have been a beautiful picture.

But even after more time passed, the elevator showed no signs of arriving.

By then, everyone’s faces had already turned completely pale.

They were all holding on with willpower rather than physical strength. If their spirits broke even a little, it wouldn’t be strange for them to fall immediately.

Song Jae-won looked around at everyone.

They looked precarious, as if they might fall at any moment. They were probably all at their limit. In a few minutes… maybe even in a few seconds, it wouldn’t be strange if someone fell.

Song Jae-won stared blankly at them for a moment, then suddenly recalled an old memory.

The memory of advice his coach always gave him before coming to this place.

—Jae-won, do you know what your problem is?

—You always hesitate at crucial moments. When you need to throw that one punch, you can’t throw it.

—That’s why you can’t win.

One punch.

Song Jae-won blankly raised his hand and clenched his fist.

And raising his hand here naturally meant he had let go of the handle with one hand. Seeing this, Na Min-hee shouted something with a horrified expression, but Song Jae-won couldn’t hear it.

At the decisive moment, one punch.

Song Jae-won, who had let go of the handle, threw his fist toward the empty air.

Looking at the shocked expressions of the people looking down at him as he fell, he smiled.

—How about it, Coach.

And the narration that plays over it.

—This time, I won, right?

And so the boxer disappears into the darkness.

And,

“…Ah.”

Along with Da-sol’s groan as if she couldn’t breathe properly… the world went dark.

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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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