Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Aiming for the Top Ranks
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'Gotta aim for the top ranks.'
Seonwoo quickly sorted through his thoughts.
'Something with fewer people would be ideal...'
He glanced around.
The others were rolling their eyes here and there, clearly calculating the situation just like him.
Now it was all about reading the room.
'It's not about the smallest crowd—it's who else picks it.'
Even if a group was small, sharing it with heavy hitters like Jaewon or Hyeseong would make the ranking battle brutal.
"What are you going with, Seonwoo?"
A now-familiar voice came from beside him.
He didn't need to turn; the sky-blue aura fluttering in front of his eyes from the voice behind told him everything.
It was Yeonwoo.
"Not sure yet. Still thinking. You?"
"Hmm, tough choice. Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure... Anger or sorrow feel like the most fun."
Anger and sorrow.
Seonwoo agreed. For someone with acting experience, they were easier than joy or pleasure.
Anger and sorrow had such clear colors.
Joy and pleasure were trickier to nail perfectly.
They demanded more precise control.
But,
'She probably doesn't even need to try.'
Her life was one endless performance.
Wouldn't everyday emotions be even easier for her?
Seonwoo shook his head. No time to worry about others.
What emotion to pick?
'Time for something intense.'
Preliminaries: innocent young love from Righteous Love.
Yesterday: neurotic role from Three Brothers.
Both fun, but not stimulating enough.
Anger or sorrow pulled stronger.
He wanted to show the audience explosive acting, not just subtle stuff.
Seonwoo watched what others chose.
Better to pick something competitive but winnable.
Yechun seemed to think the same. He sidled up quietly.
"Hyung, what're you doing?"
"Probably anger or sorrow."
"You too?"
"Who else?"
"Jaewon hyung and Minhee noona are going that way too. Anger specifically!"
"...That's gonna be rough. Hyeseong sunbaenim?"
"Hyeseong hyung picked pleasure!"
"Fits him."
Seonwoo nodded.
Hyeseong owned the bubbly side roles at Cheongsong Troupe.
No one could embody pleasure better.
Minhee and Jaewon both on anger, though.
Sorrow might be the smart play—no need to fight them head-on.
But,
"Hyung, you're going anger, right?"
"...Why assume that?"
"You always pick the hard path. Figured Jaewon hyung and Minhee noona didn't scare you off."
"What am I, a masochist? I hate hard stuff too."
How did his image become this?
People thought he deliberately chased the toughest challenges.
Seonwoo wasn't that stubborn.
...Was he?
'...Why does it pull me?'
His expression grew subtle.
He knew anger meant self-inflicted pain, but it stuck in his mind.
Hadn't properly raged lately.
Maybe something built up.
Anyway,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Time's up. Participants, please gather at the flag for your chosen emotion. Seong Junil's voice boomed, and Seonwoo's mind finally settled.
When he snapped back...
"Ended up here, huh?"
"...Yeah, sunbaenim."
He was already between Jaewon and Minhee.
Jaewon smiled faintly at him.
"Looks like we're throwing down among ourselves. Go easy, Seonwoo."
"...That's what I should say."
"Neither of you plans to hold back."
Minhee clicked her tongue, shaking her head.
True enough. Holding back meant no chance at top ranks.
And...
"Whoa, everyone here's gathered~!"
An unexpected powerhouse joined.
Yeonwoo waved cheerfully. She'd picked anger too.
Seonwoo sighed inwardly. Hoped to avoid this matchup.
Not scared of her strength—if anything, he'd have skipped anger.
She just made him uncomfortable.
'Still...'
Seonwoo's eyes narrowed.
Suddenly felt like she'd followed him.
She'd been hovering since yesterday.
But that was paranoid. No reason for it.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Alright, you'll now receive scripts matching your chosen emotion. Scripts include 2-person or 3-person scenarios. Find partners, pick a script, and rehearse. Note: Scores are individual, not team-based. Good luck. Seong Junil cut through his wandering thoughts.
Seonwoo groaned.
Duos or trios.
'Who to team with?'
Needed strong partners—even individual scores benefited from good chemistry.
"Seonwoo."
Minhee called him, looking a bit tired.
"Team up with me?"
"Sure, works for me."
"Great. Let's do it."
"Ahem!"
Right then, Yeonwoo cleared her throat, hovering nearby.
Minhee smirked and turned.
"Wanna join?"
"Mind if... I tag along?"
"I'm fine with it."
Minhee glanced at Seonwoo.
"What do you think?"
"...Check the scripts first?"
Best defense he had.
If a duo script appealed, easy to pass on her. Minhee nodded.
"Yeah. Cool?"
"Yes! Totally."
Yeonwoo smiled brightly, no offense taken.
Seonwoo exhaled in relief and scanned the scripts.
A few pages in...
"...This one's here."
He gasped softly.
A scene from his favorite disaster flick, The Swell Wave Forecast. Friends vacationing by the sea get swept by a tsunami, fighting to survive.
This: after losing one to the waves, the remaining three clash.
Three friends. Perfect.
"The Swell Wave Forecast? Let's do that."
Minhee asked, noting his serious look. Seonwoo hesitated, then nodded.
"Yeah, it's good, but..."
"Then let's go."
"...Okay."
No excuse to ditch Yeonwoo now...
Seonwoo steeled himself.
She wasn't a monster.
Better to face her head-on than keep awkwardly guarding.
'Need to read her properly to decide distance.'
Finally,
"Decided?"
"Yeah, let's team up. The Swell Wave Forecast okay?"
"Yes! Love it!"
They included her.
No real conflicts. Roles divided neatly too.
Minhee: Nahee, girlfriend of drowned Jisoo.
Seonwoo: Minseok, who dragged Nahee out against her will to save her.
Yeonwoo: Doyun, detached at first, exploding amid their fight.
'Solid combo.'
Team event? They'd crush.
Pity it was individual.
But teamwork was fine. Minhee was ace, and Yeonwoo... surprisingly proactive.
"Maybe hold back the emotion more here?"
Spot-on feedback, thoughtful.
"Like leaking anger bit by bit... not forcing the burst. More like inevitable explosion after holding back?"
"Yeah, that works better."
Rehearsing revealed her skill: technical mastery of emotions.
Logical analysis beyond Seonwoo—anyone he'd seen.
'No wonder she lives in constant performance.'
Maybe constant acting was training from being too serious.
But Seonwoo shook it off inwardly.
That chill vibe wouldn't fade.
Constant acting in daily life? Weird.
Whatever.
No answers now. No need.
Focus on acting.
Seonwoo summoned Minseok's color orb.
Base: blue.
Now muddied dark by disaster, loss, peril.
Like peering into night sea. Soul-soaking dread, panic.
"What was I supposed to do? Ten seconds later and we'd all be gone. What could I do? Leave you to die?"
Not just lines. Infuse Minseok's damp hue, tainting every corner it touched.
Dominate the stage.
"You should've left me! At least let me decide to stay! Who are you to drag me? Huh? Why... why make me survive...!"
"Stop... please, both of you."
But Minhee made it tough.
A massive forsythia bloom erupted around her.
Tightly budded for protection, petals rotting in spots.
Heart-wrenching sight.
Visualized a soul torn filthy by disaster.
"No choice. If I hadn't pulled you, you'd be dead too!"
"Yeah. But we wouldn't have abandoned Jisoo! Who are you to save me? Huh?"
"What, should I apologize for saving you?"
"Not saved—stolen. No last choice. Jisoo... Jisoo watched me till the end...!"
Even acting, Seonwoo marveled.
Explained her lead roles at Cheongsong.
'Color emission this beautiful.'
His Minseok hue faded beside it.
But not just her.
"I said stop!"
Yeonwoo raised her voice. Tried mediating, then snapped.
That moment.
'The color...!'
Hedgehog.
First image: quills of ragged hues spiking from her.
Stabbing everything nearby.
Their colors shredded on contact.
Didn't know color could sharpen like blades.
"Fighting each other fixes nothing! No one's at fault!"
Incredible.
Seonwoo admitted awe.
Flawless: breath, expression, gesture, tone.
Clear: total control, down to minutiae.
Overwhelming performance.
'...Competing with this for ranks?'
Doubt crept in.
Obvious from lines alone.
She outclassed him by levels.
But Seonwoo rallied.
Old saying: enter tiger's den alert, survive.
Mindset.
If right mindset...
"Just... it was unavoidable. Not our fault. Please stop. Stop—!"
Watching her quills shred their colors again, Seonwoo laughed dryly.
...Can I?