Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Preliminary Audition Success
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[Righteous Love] was a film hailed as one of Korea's top three melodramas.
It was said that if COVID hadn't broken out shortly after its release, it would have easily hit ten million viewers.
'This won't be easy.'
Mi-yeon Yoo gazed at Seonwoo.
He was handsome enough to make it hard to look away. Undeniably the face of a leading man... the more you scrutinized it, the more striking features caught your eye.
A face that never got boring, no matter how long you looked.
But what they were judging here wasn't his looks—it was his acting.
And this scene demanded incredibly delicate performance.
"For someone with only five months of experience, this scene might be a bit too tough," Jun-il Sung whispered to Mi-yeon, glancing at her.
Mi-yeon nodded.
"The emotional arc is pretty complex."
The confession scene from Righteous Love was so famous that just about everyone had seen it at least once.
The male lead, Dong-yeop, is a college student.
Dong-yeop has a crush on his classmate Lee Seol, but he holds back because she has a boyfriend.
Even when she finally breaks up with him, he thinks it'd be cowardly to approach her while she's feeling lonely, so he lets the opportunity slip despite it being right there.
Dong-yeop keeps missing his chances like that.
Because Seol's heart is in turmoil. Because Seol is busy. He keeps hesitating, making unnecessary considerations, and never confesses.
In the end, Seol decides to go study abroad.
Only on the day she leaves does he finally chase her to the airport and confess—that's this scene.
At first glance, it might not seem that difficult.
Confession scenes were always like that. Compared to explosive emotions like sorrow or anger, they tended to be relatively subdued.
To perform this scene in a way that truly captivated, you needed serious skill to back it up... Did a newbie with just five months under their belt really have that?
"...I have something to say."
'Oh?'
As if answering that doubt, Seonwoo's voice rang out.
In that moment, the judges' eyes widened slightly.
It was a pleasant voice to listen to.
A soft mid-low tone that no one could dislike.
But they weren't perking up their ears just because of the timbre. It was the natural feel of that voice.
'His line delivery is surprisingly clean.'
It felt more natural than expected.
But they couldn't judge yet. The highlight of this scene came right after.
"Please... I'm begging you. Don't go. Don't leave... Is that impossible?"
Seonwoo wore an expression like he was on the verge of tears.
Seeing it, Mi-yeon unwittingly smiled.
'What's with this kid?'
Just watching made the tip of her nose tingle.
It felt like the pure scent of young love was rushing right at you.
It lifted your mood just to see it.
And that was one reason Seonwoo had chosen this scene.
Whether it was Seungdo or Heejae, all the roles so far had been too steeped in sadness and torment.
This time, for the sake of his mental health, he wanted something a bit sweeter.
"I like you."
That was Dong-yeop's essence.
Every time he opened his mouth to deliver a line, sky-blue waves rippled through his voice, sprinkled with faint cherry blossom sparkles. A lovely heart, lovely emotions.
The kind that made you feel good just watching.
"I know. It's too late. I know it's late... but I have to say it. Don't go. I'm begging you..."
Seonwoo packed Dong-yeop's feelings tightly into his face and voice.
So that they could reach the judges too.
"Can't you... stay?"
The performance ended.
No regrets.
At least he'd shown everything he'd prepared without a hitch.
As he felt Dong-yeop's color slowly fading from him, Seonwoo finally sensed the tension he'd forgotten crashing back down.
How had the judges seen his acting?
Would it work in front of a camera, not just on stage?
As Seonwoo clenched his fist, Jun-il shook his head and muttered.
"...Senior, didn't you say he's only been acting for five months?"
"Yeah."
"No matter how I look at it, that doesn't seem like acting you can pull off in five months..."
Jun-il shook his head with a hollow laugh.
It was hard to believe. What Seonwoo had just shown was at a level where even claiming five years of experience would get nods of approval.
Mi-yeon shrugged at Jun-il's reaction.
"What's with the fuss? We see kids like that in this industry sometimes."
"...True."
Yeah. Every once in a while, there were those juniors.
The ones who climbed mountains others spent lifetimes scaling, like it was just a casual stroll.
But this guy... was he one of those monsters?
Jun-il turned to Moo-beom Lee.
"What do you think, sir?"
"...Hmm."
Moo-beom stroked his chin beard.
Then he raised his voice toward Seonwoo.
"Kim Seonwoo, what do you think of the acting you just did?"
It was a heavy voice.
Even in a casual tone, it dominated the room in an instant.
"I think it was good."
Seonwoo answered reflexively.
He could have played it humble. But he didn't want to lie.
In his mind, that performance... was the best he could do.
"Why do you think so?"
Moo-beom stared straight at Seonwoo.
Seonwoo met his gaze head-on.
"Because it was my best. Even if I got another chance, I don't think I could do better."
At those words, the corner of Moo-beom's mouth twitched for the first time.
A tiny movement you might miss if not watching closely.
"Let's hear others first. Mi-yeon, what'd you think?"
"The emotional line was solid, for starters. This kind of acting feels awkward or cringy if you're even 2% off, but he nailed the balance."
"Great projection too. From a troupe, right? Makes sense—solid volume and diction that really sticks in your ears. But the concern is..."
Jun-il rubbed his chin.
"Maybe from starting in theater, but your projection is pretty loud. You know that's a habit to fix for camera work?"
"Yes, I do. I'll work on it."
Seonwoo nodded vigorously.
It felt odd. He hadn't thought he'd done much theater time at the troupe, but in that short span, he'd picked up 'stage actor' habits.
Being critiqued felt good, oddly enough.
It meant he'd worked hard at Cheongsong.
Moo-beom removed his glasses.
His wrinkled eyes fixed on Seonwoo.
"I don't think it matters much what these participants lack today. No actor is ever perfect. What I want to see is charisma. The kind that makes you want to keep watching them."
Moo-beom stared at Seonwoo.
His eyes seemed to dissect the man piece by piece.
"...And your acting had that power, Kim Seonwoo. It held my attention completely."
"Thank you."
He didn't show it, but Seonwoo felt a lump in his throat.
Truth be told, he'd been a bit anxious lately.
Was this really the right path? Could he really do it?
Wasn't he chasing a dream beyond his station?
That's how Moo-beom's words sounded to him.
"By unanimous decision of all judges: You're in."
You can act.
Like that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You passed?"
"Yes!"
"Whoa! He did it! You did it!"
The troupe members celebrated Seonwoo's prelim pass like it was their own victory.
"As expected of our genius maknae!"
"...Hyeseong senior, not in front of the camera..."
"Why not? You're one of our troupe's star geniuses!"
Hyeseong teased Seonwoo with a playful grin.
Seonwoo ducked his head in embarrassment. 'Genius' felt too much when he thought of monsters like Doyoung or Jaewon—it just made him shy.
But Hyeseong wasn't just teasing.
'If he builds a strong image early... kids like Seonwoo could rocket up.'
Of course, there was risk of backlash.
Calling a kid who didn't seem genius-level a genius could breed resentment.
Why are they hyping him up like that among themselves?
But with Seonwoo, no such worry.
'He's the real deal.'
Hyeseong had been with Cheongsong from the start.
He'd watched countless so-called geniuses up close. But at Seonwoo's experience level, had any matched this skill?
'Maybe Doyoung.'
But even being in the same league as Doyoung put Seonwoo on another level already.
The troupe had quietly reached that consensus on Seonwoo.
If he'd started acting earlier... he'd already be a name by now.
Anyway, Seonwoo had fired the first successful shot.
Buoyed, the Cheongsong members headed into auditions one by one.
Confident expressions all around.
Cheongsong was top-tier in theater circles. They figured prelims would be a breeze.
But...
"...I didn't make it."
It didn't go that smoothly.
One by one, members faced elimination.
The standards were tougher than expected.
Thousands made it this far, but only a hundred advanced... maybe it was par for the course.
"I survived..."
"Congrats, senior."
Not everyone failed.
Hyeseong, Yechun, Jaewon, Minhee, Seo Jinwook, and others—out of about twenty Cheongsong members in prelims, seven passed.
Not a bad haul.
"Everyone... do your best for our shares too."
"Win it!"
The dropouts left with bittersweet cheers.
'Nothing's easy.'
Seonwoo sighed inwardly watching them.
He hadn't expected a fairy tale where everyone passed. Still, seeing hopes crushed wasn't pleasant.
Especially for faces he saw more than family.
But no time to dwell.
"Kim Seonwoo!"
"Yes. Here."
"Time for your interview. This way."
Passed contestants did separate interview shoots.
He entered a small room surrounded by cameras, where a familiar face waited.
Young-do Lim, main PD of I Want to Be an Actor.
"You again?"
Young-do grinned at Seonwoo.
Just as Seonwoo remembered him, Young-do remembered Seonwoo.
Hard to forget that face. So strikingly handsome, he figured good acting would make a fine character.
And Seonwoo hadn't disappointed.
"Hello."
"Saw your performance. Hard to believe you've only been at it five months. And..."
Young-do grinned mischievously.
"I heard people around calling you a genius... Is that true?"
Seonwoo's eyes calmed.
A trap. One slip, and the internet could roast him again.
But he was fine. He'd anticipated this since Hyeseong's teasing.
Time to deploy the polished interview talk from past experiences.
"I'd love to be a genius. But calling myself one just because I learn a bit fast feels embarrassing."
No empty words.
Seonwoo genuinely didn't think he was a genius.
He just had this unusual ability with color orbs. Playing genius with that... felt awkward.
Of course, Young-do couldn't quite buy it.
"People usually call fast learners geniuses."
"My bar for genius is higher."
"What's that bar?"
"You asked if I'm a genius."
"I did."
"If I were a real genius, you wouldn't need to ask."
Seonwoo spoke with conviction.
"The geniuses I've seen were like that."
"Hmm..."
Young-do silently studied Seonwoo.
Didn't feel like performative humility. He seemed to truly believe it.
'Doesn't even know how amazing his talent is?'
Young-do had seen more geniuses than most, even as a variety PD dealing with actors often.
And he was certain.
Seonwoo was a genius. No debate. This level in five months? Imagine a year, two...
But Young-do didn't say it.
Actually, this was more fun.
'A genius who thinks he's ordinary...'
This kid's got great character.