The Genius Actor Who Lives Twice - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 11

“I… I don’t want to go outside.”
“No one will hurt you.”
“Oh, no. They’ll think I’m strange.”

As the scene unfolded, Professor An Chi-won’s demeanor shifted.
At first, he’d worried the female student’s skill would falter and disrupt the flow of the scene, but his concern proved unfounded.
She was demonstrating Breathing and Vocalization far beyond his expectations—steady and assured.
And the male actor… there was nothing to fault.
Layered atop a solid foundation of craft was something far deeper—an emotional truth that ran through every moment.
The angle of each line, the tremor in his gaze, even the faint vibration in his fingertips.
How had he woven together a Character so densely textured in so short a span of time?

“Let’s go outside together.”

The woman, who had been coaxing the man, took his hand.
His shoulders spasmed at her touch, convulsing slightly backward.
He twisted away instinctively, seized by a primal resistance, but the woman’s grip tightened and held him fast.

“You barely eat—that’s why you’re so weak.”
“No… I’m not going outside.”
“Look at the weather today. The sun’s blazing, but there’s a breeze—it’s perfect, not too hot.”

Beside An Chi-won, Professor Im Hyun-sik held his breath.
With each word the woman spoke, emotions crossed the man’s face with a precision far finer than he’d anticipated.

“Please… I really don’t want to go out.”

A wild animal’s vigilance, retreating deeper into shadow.

“Haven’t you ever thought, while stuck in this room, that you wanted to go outside?”
“……….”
“You wanted to, didn’t you? Even though you were afraid.”

Beneath that wariness, a longing lurked—a desperate hope that someone would pull him out of this place.

“I’ll help you.”

After her patient persuasion, the man finally rose from his chair.
He staggered the moment he stood—as if his legs remembered nothing—but the woman caught his arm in an instant and steadied him.

“I… I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. I’m right here with you.”

The man’s face hardened with resolve.
Fear, terror, bewilderment—
each emotion flickered across his features in barely perceptible tremors, and then, at last, he made his choice.
Using the small warmth of the woman’s hand as his compass, he began to move forward—slowly, carefully, one step at a time.

‘Interesting story. I really ought to ask who wrote it.’

A spark of curiosity lit Professor An Chi-won’s eyes.
The two performers mimed crossing the threshold, opening the door, and stepped out onto the Stage.
And at last, the man reached the front of the Stage.

“Are… are there people around?”

The man hunched his shoulders, his nerves primed to catch the slightest sound, ready at any moment to flee back into the familiar darkness.

“Yeah, there are a few. A mother with a stroller, some grandmothers who came out because the weather’s nice, some guys playing soccer….”
“C-can we go inside?”
“Jun-gi.”
“I don’t want to be here anymore. It’s all so predictable anyway. Everyone’s probably looking at me like I’m some kind of freak, right? I’d rather not deal with that kind of treatment—”

In the middle of his outburst, just as he spun around, the woman pulled him sharply into her embrace.
His words caught in his throat.
She patted his rigid back gently but firmly.

“Don’t worry about what others think. Just focus on me.”

In the silence, the man’s ragged, anxious breathing gradually began to settle.
At the whisper that tickled his ear, his body—which had been wandering in empty air—slowly released its tension, and he finally found himself again.
The pupil’s position, the pace of his breathing, the rigidity and release of his entire frame—he controlled it all with perfect precision, and even the professors’ section fell silent.

“Are you okay?”

The man tilted his head slightly, his ears alert, his whole body watchful.

“How… how are people looking at me?”
“Like something’s a bit odd. A grown man clinging like a child, after all.”
“Not that kind of look… like they’ve seen something horrible or—”
“No one thinks you’re horrible.”

Her voice was steady, low, and unwavering.
Her hand stroking down his back showed no hurry.

“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”

Her hand moved toward his hair.
His shoulders flinched slightly, but then he leaned into the touch, trusting it.

“If you still don’t believe me, listen for yourself. Not the sound in your head—the real sound.”

She released him completely.
His hands reflexively flailed through empty air.
Desperate not to lose the only support he had, he reached toward where she’d been.
But she didn’t take his hand.
When his grasping fingers closed only on cold air, he finally understood that she wouldn’t catch him.

……

He still saw nothing, but following her direction, he turned his taut nerves toward the sounds around him.
As he listened to the world’s peaceful noise, his expression transformed.
In that moment, both An Chi-won and Im Hyun-sik, watching from the auditorium, felt a spine-tingling chill.
Without a single line of dialogue, he was expressing the precise process of shedding his vast fear of the world.
The trembling of pupils that had wandered aimlessly, the subtle tempo of breath rising and falling deep in his lungs, the gradual unfurling of a body that had been sealed shut against the world—every detail of it.
The young man was already an actor who knew how to express with his whole being.
He perceived the world first, and only then looked at her.
His gaze still didn’t quite focus directly on her, but it was different than before.

“Thank you.”

At last, his lips curved into a soft smile.

“I really mean it.”

That smile was the first step of someone trembling with fear crossing the threshold into the world beyond.
Both for the actor and for the character.

* * *

Flash.
The moment the performance ended, the Stage lights flared brighter.

“Well, thank you for your hard work.”

At Professor An Chi-won’s words, Han Seo-hyun rushed forward from backstage.

“Thank you so much!”

I bowed at a ninety-degree angle in unison with Han Seo-hyun.

“So, who crafted this scenario?”
“The two of us created it together!”
“How did you complete the Character so quickly?”
“We started by adapting The Glass Menagerie into a twenty-first-century version, and developed ideas from there. In my case, I brought Laura into reality by adding visual impairment and scarring.”

I turned toward Han Seo-hyun and gave her a signal.
It was her turn to speak, just as we’d rehearsed.
Han Seo-hyun opened her mouth.

“I created a character as an older friend of the man’s sister. I portrayed her pulling the man out into the world. It may seem a bit forceful, but I believe that was the key that allowed her to bring him outside.”

The practice in oral presentation had clearly paid off.

“Quite well crafted. Let’s have other questions.”

Then Professor An Chi-won took the microphone.

“What do you want to study when you come to our Theater School?”
“First, I’d like to take Professor An Chi-won’s Breathing and Vocalization class to strengthen my basic dialogue delivery.”
“Your vocalization already seems quite good?”
“No, I’m still far from adequate!”
“All right, and the young woman?”

Han Seo-hyun opened her mouth slowly.

“Yes! I’d like to take Professor Im Hyun-sik’s Understanding of the Body class to release the tension in my body!”

Everything was flowing well so far, exactly as we’d practiced.

“Do you really want to come to our Theater School?”
“Yes! I truly do!”
“But I don’t see that passion.”

This too was expected.
It wasn’t that the passion wasn’t visible—he was testing how we’d respond to a disorienting situation.
The answer to this was simple.
Show that you mean it sincerely enough to embarrass the other person.

“I apologize! I’ll put more of my passion into my performance!!”

Speaking as loudly as I could and bowing my head, Han Seo-hyun bowed identically.

“Do you know what your Class Year would be if you enroll in our Theater School?”
“Yes, as far as I know….”
“No, not the male student. Let one of the female students answer.”

I stiffened for a moment, but forced myself not to show it, pressing my knees together.
This wasn’t on the list of expected questions I’d given Han Seo-hyun.

“You applied to our school without even knowing that?”

Part of the interview’s purpose was to test how students naturally pronounced and vocalized in conversation.
So saying I didn’t know wouldn’t hurt my score that much.
What I needed from Han Seo-hyun right now was to answer that she didn’t know while keeping up the character I’d crafted—confident, composed—without breaking a beat.
Han Seo-hyun’s lips parted.

“Class Year 47.”

Good. Exactly right.
And not a stammer in her voice.

“Keep going, female student.”

The professors began firing questions at Han Seo-hyun alone.

“What are the three elements of theater?”
“Actor, Stage, Audience.”
“What does a Beat mean in acting?”
“The smallest unit of emotion.”
“Chekhov’s four major plays.”
“The Seagull, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, and Uncle Vanya.”
“You’ve studied hard, haven’t you?”

An Chi-won’s face softened into a pleased smile as Han Seo-hyun answered without hesitation.

“Then try this one.”

The exacting professor paused to collect himself, then continued.

“What is the Meisner Technique?”

Wait. Han Seo-hyun shouldn’t know this.
Should I answer?
No—I’d lose points for attitude if I stepped in.
Just as I was weighing how to handle it, Han Seo-hyun beat me to it.

“It’s an acting theory where the actor doesn’t focus on themselves, but concentrates on their scene partner to derive emotional stimulus from their reactions.”

She knew that too?
I’d assumed she wouldn’t.
It seemed she’d put serious work into her oral prep as well.

“The applicants this year certainly have strong fundamentals.”
“Does anyone have further questions?”
“I think we’ve covered everything worth assessing.”

At An Chi-won’s words, Im Hyun-sik picked up the microphone again.

“Good work. You may go.”
“Thank you very much!”

And so my Theater Entrance Exam came to an end.
Han Seo-hyun thanked me several times for helping her perform well in the second round before she left.
The final results came several weeks later.
It was when I was filming my debut project.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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