Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: I Admit It
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I admit it.
Asking Yeonwoo for help was the best thing Seonwoo had done since arriving here.
Every little piece of advice from Yeonwoo felt like it was filling in that missing 2% Seonwoo had been lacking.
Thanks to her, he could even see his skills improving right before his eyes.
'I still don't know what kind of person she is... but at least she's definitely a great actor.'
And an excellent teacher, too.
The way she guided him to shape any emotion instantly through subtle facial expressions and physical changes...
She could probably become the top acting instructor in the industry in no time if she tried.
The one silver lining was,
"Could you try exhaling it a bit more shakily, like you're cutting it off?"
"Uh... like this?"
"Yes, exactly. That way, you can bring out the feeling of someone trying their absolute hardest to hold back their anger, but exploding anyway."
that Yeonwoo didn't seem bothered at all by helping Seonwoo out.
In fact, she approached him first and actively offered guidance, which actually made him feel guilty.
'If this weren't acting...'
Why was someone like her constantly acting all the time in everyday life?
Or did that mean he needed to be even more cautious? Acting like a good person ultimately implied she wasn't one, right?
But what reason could there be to act this convincingly?
He had no idea. Yeonwoo was a mystery—the more he tried to figure her out, the less he understood.
There was no need to force understanding something unknowable, especially not when he didn't have the luxury.
Seonwoo focused on his acting for now.
The situation wasn't leisurely enough for distractions anyway.
His performance still fell short compared to Minhee and Yeonwoo.
Someone might point out it was better than when he'd acted with Doyoung.
But back then, the emotions he and Doyoung expressed had been completely different.
Here and now, everyone was portraying the exact same category of emotion: rage.
When everyone expressed the same feeling, any weakness on one side stood out immediately.
The good news was that Yeonwoo's lessons had grown Seonwoo as an actor by leaps and bounds.
If before he'd simply understood the character and poured their raw emotions into his performance... now he knew how to refine them.
'...I've really been acting like a total amateur all this time.'
In truth, he'd just been relying on the power of his color orbs. Pure, unpolished acting, nothing more.
The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt.
Hadn't he been living off unearned praise as a "genius" purely thanks to this fluke ability?
'This can't go on.'
He didn't want acting dragged along by emotions. He wanted acting that controlled them.
Real actor-level acting.
What choice did he have? Practice.
Seonwoo poured every spare moment into rehearsal, just like always.
Not just radiating color, but actually painting something with it.
And the result?
"Unbelievable."
Minhee was frowning deeply right now.
"It's ridiculous for your skills to shoot up like this."
"...Haha, have I improved a little?"
"A little? Try a lot."
Minhee let out a hollow laugh.
She'd long known Seonwoo learned quickly.
She'd watched him closely back at the Cheongsong Troupe, after all.
But even that had its limits.
'A process that would take others months... and he catches up in just a few days?'
The more she watched, the clearer it became.
This guy was no ordinary person—from his baseline physicality to his growth speed. Minhee had never seen a case like his.
'Was Doyoung like this when he first started acting?'
Who knew.
She hadn't been there when Doyoung began.
But somehow, it felt like he might have been.
If given enough time, Seonwoo would one day become an actor on par with Doyoung.
—But not yet.
'I can't lose yet.'
Senior pride was still a thing.
Getting outdone by a junior this early would be humiliating.
Especially after even failing to beat her own older sister. Minhee was determined to hold onto her title as the reliable senior, at least.
That said,
'After all that wariness.'
Minhee glanced at Seonwoo and Yeonwoo.
Calling them "close" felt off.
They didn't seem particularly comfortable, nor had Seonwoo opened up.
But if asked if they'd grown closer? Definitely.
Lately, whenever Seonwoo had a question about acting, he'd seek out Yeonwoo.
Not that she didn't get it.
In her eyes, Yeonwoo's technique was... uncannily detailed.
She'd thought she'd seen all kinds during her acting career, but nothing like Yeonwoo's style.
"...Honestly, I didn't expect you'd improve this fast."
Even Yeonwoo herself looked genuinely shocked by Seonwoo's progress.
Her weary expression as she stared at him suggested she'd never imagined he'd pick it up so quickly.
Seonwoo smiled awkwardly.
"It's all thanks to you, Yeonwoo. Thank you."
"No need to thank me. I helped because I enjoyed it."
"...Still, thank you. I wanted to say it."
He meant it.
His guard against Yeonwoo hadn't fully dropped. How could he easily trust this woman still shrouded in that sky-blue aura, even now?
But separate from trust, Yeonwoo had consistently shown him kindness.
Gratitude was gratitude.
'If this were real and not acting, how great would that be?'
No helping it.
He couldn't just tell her to quit acting out of the blue.
Seonwoo slowly cleared his mind.
Yeonwoo wasn't what he needed to focus on right now.
'The contest is coming up soon.'
He wanted to show them.
Now he finally had some confidence.
Now he felt like he was actually acting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Main set.
The participants gathered ahead of filming, but the atmosphere differed from yesterday.
With the numbers halved, it was unavoidable.
The empty seats kept drawing eyes.
A nagging sense that any one of them could end up filling one soon.
"Sion."
"...Y-Yes?!"
"Don't be so tense."
Seonwoo patted Sion's shoulder.
The kid's slight frame was heaving up and down visibly—he was hyperventilating from nerves.
'Should I have looked after him more?'
Too absorbed in practice, he'd neglected Sion.
The kid was still young; even on a show, he might've needed more adult attention... Right as that thought hit,
"Keke, Kim Sion. Scared?"
"...I'm not scared, okay?"
"You are—look how riled up you got. Totally scared."
Yechun appeared.
Grinning as he teased Sion. Hard to believe these two, who'd snarled at each other initially, had gotten this chummy.
"I'm fine! Worry about yourself, hyung. You're scared too."
"I'm not."
...Or maybe not chummy?
More like they'd settled into a comfortable rivalry.
Seonwoo smiled quietly. Tension eased either way. Good enough.
"All set?"
A familiar voice called out.
Jaewon was looking at Seonwoo. He paused briefly before nodding.
"Yeah. Pretty well, I think."
"Hmm."
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"If even you say you prepared well, you must've really nailed it."
Seonwoo wasn't one to praise himself generously.
For him to claim he'd "prepared well"... he must truly be confident.
Seonwoo shook his head sheepishly.
"It's not that great..."
"Anyway, you gave it your all."
"Yeah, pretty much. No need to ask about you, senior. You're fine."
Seonwoo chuckled.
No worries there. Jaewon would be flawless, obviously.
But Jaewon's response was oddly hesitant.
"Me... I'm not sure."
"...Huh? Something wrong?"
"Not exactly wrong, more like..."
Jaewon started to reply—
📢 ANNOUNCEMENT 📢 "Long time no see, everyone." Seong Junil's voice boomed over the speakers.
The judges took the stage. Participants held their breath as Seong Junil slowly scanned them.
📢 ANNOUNCEMENT 📢 "Today, some will take their first real step toward becoming actors, while others will have to turn back and go home." 📢 ANNOUNCEMENT 📢 "And it all depends on what you show us today." 📢 ANNOUNCEMENT 📢 "Don't waste your chance." Today, what I expect from you is your best.
With only a few words, the atmosphere grew solemn.
The participants asked themselves:
Had they really prepared their best today?
<< The evaluation will proceed in the order of Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure. >>
They would soon know the answer.
Teams who chose “Joy” went up on stage one by one.
Among them, Seonwoo recognized Hyungbin and Seo Jaewon.
Interestingly, they were on the same team.
Had Hyungbin suggested teaming up first? Or Jaewon?
‘I hope they do well.’
He meant it.
They had only acted together for one short day, but even then Seonwoo had felt Hyungbin was a good person.
If there was one worry, it was that his partner was Seo Jaewon.
Given Jaewon’s personality, he’d probably focus on showing off his own acting rather than teamwork.
Could Hyungbin handle that?
But then—
“We’re here! Go in! We’re first! First place!”
“Holy shit! Hyung! We won! We’re first!”
“Wait, what was the betting rate? Twenty times? How much is that?”
“…Three thousand! We made three thousand! Three thousand——!”
Their synergy was better than expected.
Seowoo’s eyes widened.
Not because they did well—that was impressive too—but because Jaewon’s acting had changed a lot.
‘He toned it down?’
No—rather than weakened, he had deliberately restrained it.
That was surprising.
Of all people, Seo Jinwook changing his acting style was unimaginable.
Maybe the harsh criticism from the judges last time had actually sunk in.
Judge Lee Mubum seemed to have noticed too.
He looked at Jinwook with an unusually gentle expression.
“Seo Jaewon.”
“Yes.”
“Do you like acting?”
“…Yes. I do.”
“Why do you think I asked that?”
“Did I… look like I wasn’t enjoying it?”
“No. The opposite. Today, your acting was very comfortable to watch. Last time, it felt like you were forcing yourself. Today, it felt like you were enjoying acting.”
“……”
“I hope you continue acting like this. That’s what I wanted to say.”
That was Lee Mubum’s comment.
For a moment, Jaewon’s eyes looked slightly moist.
But Seonwoo decided he must have seen wrong.
Seo Jaewon and tears didn’t match.
The performances of the “Joy” teams continued.
Not everyone got good reviews.
In fact—
“Kanghee.”
“Yes!”
“While you were acting, were you happy?”
“Uh… I think I was happy in my own way.”
“To me, you didn’t look happy. You looked nervous. I saw Kanghee, not the character.”
“Kanghee… gets 4 points.”
Most participants received sharp criticism like that.
But Seonwoo didn’t think the judges were just being harsh for atmosphere.
The performances really had problems.
‘It’s not just a skill issue.’
Seonwoo narrowed his eyes.
Lacking skill was understandable. They weren’t professionals. Some, like Hyungbin, had come from completely different fields.
But the real problem was—
‘They’re not focused.’
They were more interested in scores and evaluations than in the acting itself.
‘This feels like an interview, not acting.’
It was ironic.
He had started acting because he loved this colorful, shining world.
Yet here, he was seeing the very scene he hated most.
A dull interview room filled with white shirts, black ties, and lifeless eyes.
That dreary monochrome world again.
‘…I can’t act like that.’
Seonwoo reflected.
He couldn’t say he himself had no desire for points or victory.
So he reminded himself:
Focus only on acting.
Let go of greed. Think only about what color to bloom.
“Kim Seonwoo, Na Minhee, Lee Yeonwoo. Please move to the stage.”
As if on cue, the announcement called them.
Seonwoo stood up.
Minseok’s dark-blue color orb slithered around his body as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Feeling its cool touch, Sunwoo lowered his gaze.
As always, his goal was the same.
To paint the stage.
Beautifully.