Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I Just Acted Once, But They Say I'm a Genius
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Elementary school, probably first grade art class.
"Okay! Today, shall we draw what you all look like as grown-ups?"
Seonwoo picked up a crayon.
Red, yellow, blue... He filled his sketchbook with colors, making it vibrant and multicolored.
Not just Seonwoo.
The friend sitting next to him, the one next to that friend... Everyone's drawings sparkled, brimming with every color imaginable.
Yeah.
'...This definitely wasn't a black-and-white movie.'
Seonwoo adjusted his tie and peered into the bathroom mirror at himself.
A man in a black suit stared back with a sullen expression. And it wasn't just him. The people beside him were the same.
All dressed in black suits, their faces rigid with tension.
They were job applicants here for interviews.
Those people must have gripped crayons once too, sketching colorful futures for themselves.
Themselves holding hands with their parents, a red-roofed house and trees in the background.
But there were no houses here. No parents.
No colors at all.
"Number 32."
"Ah, yes."
"Come in."
Seonwoo stood up.
Today, his name was Number 32. Ever since he'd started job hunting after college, it felt like he was called by number more often than by name.
"Kim Seonwoo-ssi?"
"Yes, that's me."
"You have such a good look about you. How did you end up applying to our company...?"
"I've been interested in it since I was young..."
There was no need to recount the conversation from the interview room.
It was the same dull, colorless exchange you could find anywhere.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The important part was that when the interview ended, none of them showed any real interest in Seonwoo.
Which meant it would probably be tough to expect good results this time, either.
"Yes, thank you!"
Thankful for what, exactly?
Seonwoo bowed his head out of habit as he left the interview room.
Then he let out the sigh he'd been holding back.
Ever since graduating college, his days had felt exactly like this.
Bowing his waist, straightening his tie, crammed into the subway on the way home...
A hamster wheel of a routine, repeating endlessly.
'This isn't it.'
The grown-up he'd pictured as a kid wasn't like this at all.
He'd imagined something cooler, shinier, prettier... a life like that.
Seonwoo gazed at his reflection in the subway window.
Every time the tunnel lights flickered, his image appeared and vanished.
Dull and haggard, utterly lifeless. He was only twenty-six, the age when adults said people should be in full bloom... so why did he look so withered?
He couldn't even remember when it had started.
Even back in the grueling final year of high school, thoughts of the future had somehow conjured vague, pretty pictures... but now it just felt dark and murky.
What should he do?
How could he turn this black-and-white life into something colorful?
For starters, he couldn't keep living like this.
If he did, nothing but a boring, dull, worthless future awaited him.
But he didn't have any other path, either.
All Seonwoo could do right now... was keep scrolling through shorts that weren't even fun.
That was when it happened. In the middle of mindlessly swiping through shorts, Seonwoo suddenly froze his finger.
#Sung Dowon, youngest Best Actor Award winner's acceptance speech.
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Youngest Best Actor Award...
Seonwoo studied the actor's face. Definitely handsome. But more than that, his eyes were...
'So sparkly.'
He didn't know much about this actor, but one thing was certain.
His daily life had to be vibrant and colorful, nothing like Seonwoo's.
Just look at that scene.
The passionate red carpet that seized your gaze, the dazzling golden trophy, dresses seemingly woven from the most beautiful colors imaginable...
Seonwoo skipped past the short without even hearing the full speech.
Yeah, it was jealousy. Watching more would only make his stomach hurt worse.
This was the real harm of SNS.
It might be better to live in ignorance. But no, it always shoved a completely different world right in your face—one just a tap away.
A world he couldn't even dream of touching.
For the sake of the nation's happiness, SNS needed to be abolished.
Such idiotic thoughts on another ordinary day.
"I'm home."
"Hey, Kim Seonwoo. Got plans tomorrow?"
A long-haired guy called out to him the moment he stepped inside.
His mom's eldest son, Seonjun.
"...No plans. Why?"
"Perfect. Come with me somewhere."
"Why would I go anywhere with you...?"
"Gotta head out by 10 a.m., so don't stay up too late."
"Why? At least tell me the reason...!"
"Reason? Hmm."
Seonjun scratched his head and replied.
"Let's shoot a movie together."
"...What?"
At that point, Seonwoo couldn't have imagined it.
...That starting from this day, color would finally seep into his life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Seonjun was an amateur film director.
Thanks to that, he'd graduated from the film department and was now gearing up to become a director in various ways.
And right now, he was preparing a piece for the 1-Minute Film Contest...
"Ah, that bastard talked so rudely."
He'd gotten into a fight with the actor who'd agreed to star in it, over drinks.
But the reason for the fight was ridiculous.
"Said Tarantino was third-rate. Third-rate! How can a hack like that even make movies?"
"...Isn't Tarantino a B-movie director?"
"I'm giving you three seconds to take that back. Three, two..."
"I take it back."
"Good, little bro. You don't badmouth the great god Tarantino like that. Got it?"
"...Yeah."
He'd badmouthed Tarantino in front of Seonjun, who always sang the director's praises.
Fighting over something like that felt a bit absurd... but it was so like Seonjun.
Seonjun had always been the type who couldn't stand not doing things his way, ever since he was a kid.
Saying whatever he wanted, living however he pleased, doing whatever struck his fancy...
But Seonwoo had no intention of blaming him for it.
If anything, he felt a twinge of envy.
Unlike Seonwoo's life, Seonjun's always felt... colorful.
"Anyway, it's messed up my schedule big time. I put down a deposit on the shooting location, rented all the gear... can't let it fall through now."
"...But why me, of all people?"
"Tried finding other actors. No one's doing it for free."
"So I'm not getting paid either?"
"I'll buy you chicken later."
"...With bones?"
"Nah, boneless. Bones are a hassle."
What a flavor philistine.
Nothing ever clicked with this guy.
But that wasn't the real problem.
"No, but it doesn't make sense. I've never acted before. How am I supposed to just up and act? Wouldn't you be better off doing it yourself?"
"If I could, I would have. But reality says no... Still, you seem like you'd look better on camera than me."
Looks mattered, in other words.
It was the first time Seonjun had ever complimented his appearance. Seeing Seonwoo's awkward expression, Seonjun added,
"And don't worry too much. It's just a one-minute film anyway, and there's not a single line of dialogue. Check out the script. You'll get why I'm saying this. Think I'd drag a total newbie with no experience for no reason?"
"...Fine."
In the end, Seonwoo got dragged to the shoot.
No matter how much he protested, the vibe was that he'd end up there anyway.
Better to just get it over with quick.
"Take a look at the script first."
Seonwoo took the script.
It was the first time in his life reading one.
Well, Goethe's Faust was technically a script... but this felt totally different.
But surprisingly, it was interesting.
'They write stage directions like this, huh.'
The way it handled emotions was fascinating.
Instead of stating the character's feelings outright, it directed specific actions and expressions.
The underlying emotions behind those—the actor's job to unpack, he supposed.
Actors probably filled their scripts with notes analyzing stuff like that.
And man, this protagonist character was pretty unique... That's what he was thinking when—
✨ AWAKENING ✨ Pfshh— A soap bubble-like orb erupted from the script. Seonwoo froze on the spot.
What the hell. Magic? Had Seonjun set up some hidden camera prank?
No, that didn't make sense.
Seonwoo stared blankly at the bubble.
He first thought it was a soap bubble, but it wasn't. It was composed entirely of color and light... a shimmering purple orb.
Fear gripped him at the utterly incomprehensible sight.
What was going on? Had job-hunting stress finally driven him insane?
In a daze, Seonwoo raised a finger toward the bubble.
No way it'd actually be tangible, right? That's what he figured...
💥 BURST! 💥 Pwahk! The bubble burst. "...!"
And in the next instant, the colors exploding from the bubble dyed him completely.