Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Another Genius
Translated by POWERPUFF
Kim Namseok.
He first saw a play during his first year of high school at a school festival.
The emotion he felt at that time was only one.
Envy.
Unlike himself, who had only studied under strict parents, his peers acting on stage looked free.
So that day, he secretly joined the theater club without his parents knowing.
Since he had to hide it from them, he couldn’t participate often, but he made time whenever possible and worked hard even in small roles.
Though it was a short time, he felt a sense of freedom he had never experienced before while constantly studying.
On top of that, being praised for having talent in acting made him enjoy it even more.
Rather than living the life his father wanted—graduating from a good university and working at a large corporation—he thought living as a theater actor might not be so bad.
But secrets don’t stay hidden forever.
As his interest in acting grew, studying became harder, and naturally, his grades dropped.
Sensing something was wrong, his parents discovered he had joined the theater club, and after being severely beaten by his father, he gave up acting.
After that, he focused on studying, entered Hanguk University, and got a job at one of Korea’s top companies.
Later, he met a loving wife, had a daughter as cute as a rabbit, and lived a happy life.
Yet, deep in his heart, there remained regret about the acting he had given up.
Still, he decided to bury it.
He was no longer a dream-filled high school student, but the head of a family.
He had people to take responsibility for.
Then, six months ago, his father passed away.
Before dying, his father apologized for not letting him pursue acting.
He said he thought theater couldn’t make money, so he became greedy, wanting his son to live a successful life unlike himself.
He told him to do what he truly wanted now.
Kim Namseok felt a mix of emotions.
He understood his father, yet also resented him.
As time passed, the resentment faded.
Instead, his thirst for the acting he had abandoned only grew stronger.
But at the late age of 37, with only a year of experience from high school, becoming an actor was no easy task.
And he also had a family to support.
At that time, his wife asked if something was troubling him, and he told her everything.
Without a word, she hugged him and told him to finally pursue the acting he wanted.
Encouraged by his wife, Kim Namseok quit S Electronics and enrolled in an acting academy.
For the sake of his wife who believed in him, he even sacrificed sleep to focus on acting, eventually earning the chance to audition for “Afterlife Restaurant.”
But he knew he had a fatal weakness.
Without a counterpart, his immersion would break.
At first, he thought it was due to lack of practice and tried countless times to fix it, but it never improved.
So for this audition, he even prepared by starving himself to avoid making that mistake.
But the result was the same.
He immersed himself briefly, but the moment he spoke his lines, the awkwardness broke his focus, and he couldn’t show even a fraction of his true ability.
“I messed up…”
Seeing the judges’ disappointed expressions, he already knew the result without hearing it.
“I should’ve just asked…”
He regretted not asking if someone could play the counterpart.
But regret always comes too late.
As he was leaving after failing the audition, Baek Seungchan stopped him.
“Wait a moment, Kim Namseok. It feels like a waste—could we see your acting one more time?”
To him, Baek Seungchan’s words were like a lifeline.
“Kim Namseok, this time I’ll act as your counterpart, so please perform the same scene again.”
“Ah… okay.”
Hearing that the role he wanted to request would be played for him, his face brightened.
Then the acting began, and he experienced something strange.
“Is your body alright?”
“Th-thank you, sir…”
He immersed himself more deeply than ever before.
Though it was an audition room, it felt as if he were inside the script’s world, and both he and Baek Seungchan had become the characters themselves.
And he clearly knew who caused this change.
“As expected… there’s a reason he’s so recognized…”
When Baek Seungchan had been sitting as a judge, he looked like just a handsome young man.
But the moment their acting began, he became a completely different person.
His gaze, expressions, actions, and voice—everything changed.
Baek Seungchan’s acting elevated Kim Namseok’s immersion as well.
From the very first line, he even felt as if the nobleman he imagined was truly standing before him.
Thanks to that, he delivered a much better performance than usual.
“All nobles must die…”
Even after the acting ended, he remained immersed, only coming back to his senses when he saw Baek Seungchan smiling.
“Good work.”
“Ah, yes!”
The silence broke, and Park Taeho and Kim Sehee, who had been watching intently, applauded.
“That was great.”
“Really impressive.”
Their reactions were completely different from before.
“Thank you.”
Kim Namseok’s face lit up.
“You may go now.”
“Um, I prepared a special skill. May I show it before I leave?”
At Park Taeho’s words, he hesitated before asking.
“A special skill?”
“Yes, I couldn’t show it earlier.”
He had prepared it to leave a strong impression but hadn’t had the chance after losing his composure.
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
With permission, he opened his bag and took out a black plastic bag.
Inside was a white paper bag, and a delicious smell spread through the room.
“What is that?”
“Chicken.”
What he brought was fried chicken—an old-style whole chicken.
“You’re going to show a skill with chicken?”
“I wanted to portray a starving slave eating chicken.”
“I see… though usually it would be boiled chicken, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s true, but… the chicken brand Baek Seungchan advertises… I wanted to make a good impression…”
The chicken he brought was from “Life Chicken.”
After honestly explaining, he sat down and began devouring it ravenously.
It truly looked like a starving slave eating meat.
“…”
Watching the unexpected eating performance, even the three judges began to feel hungry.
“Thank you for the meal—no, I mean, I’m finished.”
“Yes, you may go.”
“Good work.”
Leaving behind a strong impression and the smell of chicken, Kim Namseok exited the audition room.
“Still… that was really something.”
Waiting for the elevator, he thought of Baek Seungchan.
“Is that the aura of a top star?”
There was something indescribable about him.
Perhaps it was the aura his acting teacher once mentioned about A-list actors.
“I want to act with him again…”
He had originally hoped to pass the audition, but now he wanted even more to act alongside Baek Seungchan.
He wanted to feel that immersion again.
“Kim Namseok.”
As the elevator arrived and he was about to step in, someone called him.
Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Kim Sungho, team leader of the actor team at Dream Entertainment. Are you currently signed with any agency?”
The one who called him was Kim Sungho, the team leader of the actor division at Dream Entertainment.
After Kim Namseok left, Park Taeho looked at Baek Seungchan in amazement.
“Seungchan, what kind of magic did you pull?”
“It’s nothing. I thought he was losing immersion because he was acting alone, so I just wanted to check.”
“But can having a counterpart really make that big of a difference?”
“I know, he was like a completely different person.”
Even after hearing his explanation, the two couldn’t fully understand.
They had seen many actors, but never such a drastic difference just from having a counterpart.
“And… it’s just a feeling, but I thought he’d do well.”
Though he said that, the real reason Baek Seungchan stopped him was because of memories from his past life.
In his previous life, he had a peculiar subordinate.
Since spies risked death if caught, they trained constantly.
One of the trainings involved acting as someone else in disguise.
That subordinate couldn’t act well alone, but with a counterpart, he performed flawlessly.
Kim Namseok gave him the same feeling, and his guess was correct.
“Maybe actors just see things differently from us.”
“Yeah, it was a great decision to have Seungchan as a judge.”
The two, who already trusted him, began to trust him even more.
“Alright, not many left. Let’s push through.”
Ten more participants auditioned afterward.
But none stood out, and the auditions ended.
“Hmm, we don’t need a second round, right?”
Both Kim Sehee and Baek Seungchan nodded.
“Yes, I think Kim Namseok would be good. He’s a bit rough due to lack of experience, but he fits the role best. Especially how his expression shifts from gentle to evil—it’s very impactful.”
“I agree. And things like breathing, projection, and emotional control—I think I can help him with those.”
As Kim Sehee said, he was still rough.
But Baek Seungchan could help with that.
“With Seungchan helping, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Park Taeho had seen firsthand how Nam Siwoo improved.
He trusted Baek Seungchan more than anyone.
“Good. Then let’s cast Kim Namseok as the villain.”
Thus, the main antagonist role was given to late-blooming rookie actor Kim Namseok.
Unlike other art fields, actors are rarely called geniuses.
Acting varies too much by individuality, and there are simply too many great actors.
Yet, there were still those called geniuses.
Lee Byunghoon.
An actor who could handle all genres and even advanced to Hollywood, he was known as Korea’s representative genius actor.
And there was another once called a genius.
Cha Minhee.
Debuting at the age of 10, she was praised for her extraordinary talent and expected to become a global star.
But contrary to expectations, she suddenly left the entertainment industry at 17.
Though many rumors circulated, the reason was simple.
She was lonely.
She loved acting, but over time, it made her feel increasingly alone.
She could somewhat relate to older actors, but with those her age, she couldn’t connect at all.
At that moment, she realized.
There would be no one to walk this path with her.
Her overwhelming talent had become a curse.
So she chose to live an ordinary life.
To avoid that loneliness, she even avoided watching dramas and films.
Five years passed, and just as people began to forget she had been an actor, she happened to watch a video.
It was a highlight of Baek Seungchan’s role “K” from the trending “A Shop for Killers.”
She tried to ignore it, but in that brief moment, she was captivated and watched it all.
For the first time in five years, she smiled a genuine smile.
“I wasn’t alone…”
She realized there was someone like her in the world.
She believed that with Baek Seungchan, she could walk that path together.
And upon hearing about the audition for “Afterlife Restaurant,” she immediately applied.