Chapter 59
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Opening Night Jitters
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Kim Sun-woo, who was working with Lee Cheong-ha for the first time, quickly picked up on her habit shortly after they began practicing together.
Lee Cheong-ha had a habit of stroking her bracelet whenever she got nervous or faced a tough situation.
And remarkably, she would calm down right away and pull it off effortlessly.
After witnessing this happen time and again, curiosity naturally bubbled up.
What on earth was that bracelet?
From the conversation he'd just overheard, it seemed connected to Do-hyun somehow.
After parting ways with Do-hyun, the two arrived at the main theater.
As the first act up, the team they were on was about to start makeup.
They stood in the hallway outside the dressing room, waiting for the staff to call them.
"Nervous?"
"A little...? No, actually, a ton. Super nervous."
Lee Cheong-ha's face had gone completely pale, so Kim Sun-woo asked.
Her response came out shaky, breaking apart in little bursts.
She looked like she might collapse any second, which worried him.
Even during rehearsal, she'd seemed only mildly tense, not like this.
She hadn't even done makeup yet, but her fingertips were trembling finely.
She'd seemed a bit better after meeting Do-hyun, but now that they were back at the theater, the tension had returned full force.
Looking down, he saw her hand clenched tightly around the bracelet.
Kim Sun-woo glanced at the wrist she was gripping.
"But that bracelet."
"Oh, this?"
Lee Cheong-ha extended her wrist toward Kim Sun-woo to show him.
At first glance, it was just an ordinary bracelet, nothing special.
The kind of cheap trinket you could pick up easily on any street corner.
Yet as soon as the bracelet came up, her expression visibly improved.
"My personal lucky charm! Do-hyun gave it to me knowing how nervous I get, back during the vocal test."
Watching her boast about it, it was clear she relied on it heavily.
Whether it was the bracelet itself or Do-hyun, he wasn't sure.
Kim Sun-woo paused as if thinking for a moment, then rummaged in his pants pocket.
"Found it."
He clenched something in his hand and handed it to Lee Cheong-ha.
"It's all I've got to give."
"What is it?"
A faint smile played on Kim Sun-woo's lips as he opened his palm, revealing a small packet of jelly.
Her eyes widened round at the unexpected item.
"Instant tension-relief jelly."
"Pfft. What?"
Lee Cheong-ha burst out laughing at Kim Sun-woo's absurd words.
Thanks to that, her stiffness gradually melted away.
'Good.'
Kim Sun-woo had brought it on purpose, knowing she loved snacks.
She'd spent rehearsals rustling through jellies and chocolates nonstop, so he couldn't have missed it.
And despite all that snacking, she still devoured full meals like the huge one he'd seen her pack away in the cafeteria last time—it had shocked him.
He made a mental note not to mention this to Song Ha-na, even in passing.
It might make her feel deprived, with her 365-day meal management routine and zero junk food.
Lee Cheong-ha laughed as she tore open the jelly packet from Kim Sun-woo and popped it in her mouth.
Once the sweetness hit, her expression brightened considerably compared to before.
"Hope it works as well as the charm. If we just do the stage like we practiced, it'll be the best."
Kim Sun-woo smiled and said to Lee Cheong-ha.
She nodded vigorously, grinning as she chewed.
Having something in her mouth helped a lot.
And thinking back on the practice made her feel better.
Just moments ago, all she'd been picturing nonstop was the empty stage in the main theater.
In reality, their practice runs had been perfectly flawless.
"Team 1—! Dressing room, please—!"
Right on cue, the announcement came, and Kim Sun-woo turned his head.
"Let's go."
Lee Cheong-ha nodded nonstop, still munching away.
***
The Cheongyeom Arts High 1st-years' 1st-semester comprehensive evaluation, held every year on the last Friday of June in the main theater.
It was the first proper performance day since starting school.
With the 1st-years handling everything from direction to acting, it carried a whole different weight from subject evaluations.
Beyond the students' assessments, it was one of the major events within Cheongyeom Arts High itself.
The show kicked off at 2 p.m.
Three teams performed first, then after dinner, three more at 7 p.m.
It was a long haul in one spot, so the audience could easily tire out.
That was why everyone had been so sensitive about drawing the first slot.
The later you went, the more the audience's focus naturally waned.
And the audience's role in the comprehensive evaluation wasn't just watching.
"Announcement: The 1st-year 1st-semester comprehensive evaluation will begin in 10 minutes, so audience members, please..."
The area around the main theater was already packed.
The announcement signaled the evaluation was about to start.
To an outsider, it looked like the crowd before a pro troupe's show—absolutely massive.
"Please take a survey form—!"
"Once the show starts, no moving until each act ends! Anyone needing the bathroom, go now—!"
Student affairs kids were handling usher duties.
It was a Cheongyeom Arts High tradition.
1st-year student affairs for the 1st-year show, same for 2nd and 3rd years.
That's why management majors usually filled those roles.
The ushers inside got to watch tons of shows, so it was pretty popular among musical theater kids too, from what he'd heard.
Countless audience members filed into the theater following the ushers' directions.
The comprehensive evaluation audience? None other than fellow students from other majors at Cheongyeom Arts High.
Classes were canceled all afternoon for everyone to watch the musical theater 1st-semester comprehensive evaluation.
With review essays and surveys due, this was today's lesson.
Each grade got assigned one theater.
1st-year evals usually had low expectations, so they didn't draw huge crowds.
But this year, rumors about the musical theater trio had tons of people heading to the main theater with high hopes.
"Wow, they really go all out. When you think about it, isn't this just like finals?"
Woo-sik sneaked a peek at the seats from backstage and let out an admiring whistle.
He was right.
Break it down, and it was basically like other schools' end-of-term exams.
Except the whole student body handled proctoring, announcements, and grading.
Anyway...
Following Woo-sik, he tiptoed up to check the seats.
Had the audience ever felt this huge before?
For some reason, it seemed even bigger than pre-regression.
Well, back then, he'd been too frantic and terrified to notice the crowd at all.
"You don't seem that nervous?"
He asked Woo-sik, who was still purely awestruck as he lowered his tiptoes.
Even Moon Woo-hyuk had been robot-stiff in the dressing room.
He hadn't expected Woo-sik to be this iron-willed.
"What can ya do? Can't practice more now. If I mess up, just ad-lib through it."
Woo-sik said it cheerfully, even in this situation.
Come to think of it, the guy had a seriously good personality.
Seemed like he enjoyed the stage too.
Weird how no one had ever heard of actor Min Woo-sik in the future.
"What're you two doing? Get in here."
Huh Ji-woong had snuck up and called them.
He headed backstage with Woo-sik, following Ji-woong.
***
"Hello, everyone. I'm Han Hyo-jin, in charge of musical theater and acting. Nice to see you—!"
Right on schedule, Han Hyo-jin took the stage.
The red curtain hid the set, and she stood in front of it, emceeing.
What do you expect from the musical theater teacher?
Her vocal projection and expressions made it feel like a real show was underway.
In one fell swoop, she captured the attention of nearly three hundred audience members.
"Looking at your faces filling the seats, I bet you're wondering how you'll last six hours—but once it starts, that thought'll vanish."
With teachers present beyond the students, Han Hyo-jin emceed politely.
Her charisma toward the students remained undiminished.
"It's the annual 1st-year 1st-semester comprehensive evaluation, but somehow it gets me excited every year. Especially this year's 1st-years—they're supposed to be insane, so look forward to it."
A musical theater actress who'd graced stages countless times before becoming a teacher, Han Hyo-jin proceeded with relaxed poise.
"Before we start, a few quick notes. Students, everyone got your eval sheets and surveys?"
"Yes—"
"Ooh, nice response. You could all transfer to musical theater. Love those voices."
Watching her expertly work the crowd, he thought, yeah, an actor's an actor.
Today's students weren't mere audience.
They were key judges for the musical theater comprehensive evaluation.
Teachers judged too, of course, but student feedback counted as audience scores and heavily influenced the totals.
Messing around could undermine the objectivity, so Han Hyo-jin explained the importance and issued a warning.
"You're all proper Cheongyeom Arts High students, so I trust you know without me saying—but just in case, there it is. Alright, then!"
With all announcements done,
"No need to drag this out."
Anticipation swelled in the now-quiet auditorium at Han Hyo-jin's line.
"Cheongyeom Arts High Musical Theater 1st-Semester Comprehensive Evaluation. Starting right now."
With her final words, Han Hyo-jin vanished behind the curtain.
Soon, every light in the theater went out.
Pitch-black darkness fell, and the curtain rose on the 1st-semester comprehensive evaluation.
***
Rustle rustle—
The main theater at Cheongyeom Arts High lay silent under total darkness, not a foot ahead visible.
Only the occasional fidgeting of survey and eval sheets broke the quiet.
Kids whispered faintly here and there too.
Pre-show calm laced with an oddly thrilling buzz.
Rumble—
In the dark, the sound of the curtain parting echoed.
"It's starting."
"Heard this year's musical theater is insane."
"Makes me nervous just watching. Must be brutal for the musical kids."
The murmurs rippled softly through the students.
Then,
Pop—
Before the buzz could fade, a single bold spotlight snapped on.
No BGM, just a harsh pin light crashing center stage.
Bathed in it stood Kim Sun-woo.
No need to wait for quiet.
His lone appearance under the light silenced the entire house instantly.
"Why......"
His small, anguished voice carried through the theater via the mic at his waist.
Eyes on the verge of breaking, clutching a bouquet.
A funeral spray of white chrysanthemums.
Kim Sun-woo slowly bent down and placed the bouquet gently on the stage.
Then came the first line.
"Why... did you leave without a word."
Kim Sun-woo's voice, stirring emotions from the very first note, signaled the opening of the show.