Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Acknowledged as a Genius
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"[Surging Wave Forecast]...
Yumi Yeon muttered in a peculiar tone.
Yi Moo-beom turned to look at her.
"Isn't that the one you starred in?"
"Yes, that's right."
Yumi Yeon nodded.
In that piece, she had played the role of Ji-su's mother. A woman who couldn't accept her son's death and kept scouring the flood-stricken area.
"It's a work with a pretty tricky emotional arc, and they picked it."
"Well, those three are more exciting than worrisome, aren't they?"
Seong Jun-il grinned as he watched Seonwoo's group take the stage.
Seonwoo, Minhee, Yeonwoo. All three were talents the judges had their eyes on.
Promising prospects they were betting on to make it to the 'TOP 10' at least.
Just one point of concern—or curiosity, really.
'I wonder if Seonwoo can hold his own between those two.'
It was Seonwoo.
He knew Seonwoo had exceptional talent. Considering his experience, it was genius-level stuff.
But even the greatest genius needed time to bloom.
No flower could blossom before forming its bud.
Meaning he was still a step short against Yeonwoo and Minhee.
Of course, he didn't think Seonwoo would just get steamrolled.
His acting last time had proven that... Seonwoo always surprised when you thought, 'This must be his limit.'
If he could pull it off again... Seong Jun-il chuckled to himself at the thought.
'Yeah, that's a tall order.'
Beating those two was still a distant dream.
Not that there was a massive gap between them. If anything, it was a tiny difference, imperceptible to the untrained eye.
But actors devoted their lives to closing that tiny gap.
No matter how talented Seonwoo was, bridging it in such a short time was tough.
'Still, I hope he does well.'
Ever since watching his showdown with Seo Jinwook, Seonwoo had been etched deep in Seong Jun-il's mind.
And rightly so.
A junior who pursued the true value of acting beyond immediate gains... Rare find.
Seong Jun-il's eyes sparkled every time he looked at Seonwoo.
To the point where Seonwoo felt the weight of it.
'...He's been staring at me way too much since last time.'
Yumi Yeon occasionally gave him warm looks too, but Seong Jun-il's were intense.
Almost too intimidating to meet his gaze.
Just as he thought he must have high expectations riding on him, Seong Jun-il spoke up.
"Let's watch their acting first."
Seonwoo glanced at Minhee and Yeonwoo.
No need for clichéd lines like 'Ready?' They'd rehearsed more fiercely than any other team over the past three days.
He hadn't expected to sync this well even with Yeonwoo, but...
Now they understood each other with just a look.
And then,
"Why... why did you bring me here? Huh? Why! Ji-su was there, Ji-su was right there!"
Minhee ignited her emotions in an instant.
A murky, yellowish-black rage blooming like a rotten, decaying flower.
Buried within that rage: terror and despair she couldn't overcome.
At first, her emotions were so vast and prettily formed it was hard to match.
One slip, and he might ruin her performance.
But now was different.
He'd learned from Yeonwoo.
How to truly handle emotions.
That venting wasn't the only way.
"What was I supposed to do? If we'd been ten seconds later, we'd have been swept away too. What could I have done? Let you die?"
Seonwoo spoke slowly, deliberately.
And in that moment, the judges' eyes all sharpened in unison.
'...He's playing it like this?'
Young actors facing the same emotional line usually reacted similarly.
They'd burn brighter just to not be outdone.
Especially with explosive emotions like rage.
But Seonwoo was different.
He twisted the texture of the emotion. While Minhee exploded in fury, Seonwoo portrayed rage suppressed, bottled up... yet ready to erupt at any second.
Different from the original.
The script had gone with raw, head-on outburst. But watching Seonwoo, it hit them.
...Maybe this was the right way all along?
"You should've let me die! At least let me decide if I'd stay! Who are you to drag me away? Huh? Why... why make me survive...!"
"Stop... please, both of you, just stop."
"I had no choice. If I hadn't pulled you then, you'd be dead too!"
"Right. But we wouldn't have had to abandon Ji-su! Who are you to save me? Huh?"
"Is that it? Should I apologize for saving your life?"
"You didn't save me—you stole from me. Stole my last chance to choose. Ji-su... Ji-su was watching me until the end...!"
Was it Seonwoo's acting?
Minhee's performance gained richer hues.
In Seonwoo's eyes, he could see it.
Every time his unchanneled rage reached her, her blooming petals grew larger.
And when Minhee's vivid color finally encroached on Yeonwoo's spot...
Yeonwoo erupted, as if waiting.
"I said stop!"
Or maybe it wasn't an explosion—too beautiful for that.
It scattered. Yeonwoo's pent-up rage spiked out like the quills of a curled hedgehog.
You could tell just by watching.
That pure white rage, potentially wounding others... was really for self-protection.
"What's the point of you two fighting? No one's at fault! It was... unavoidable. Not our fault. So please, just stop. Stop—!"
Even after seeing it countless times, Seonwoo shivered.
Yeonwoo's emotional control was mesmerizing every time. From huddled tension to sudden collapse, explosion, spewing pent-up frustration and hurt...
But no time to just admire.
Seonwoo slowly drew up Min-seok's color.
The hues he'd raised before shredded against Yeonwoo's quills.
But now?
No.
"Stop? How can I stop? I said it's my fault. Huh?"
Yeonwoo's advice for this scene:
Breathe in deep, hold it like swallowing, then hurl out with the lines.
Short pauses between words to show suppressed rage.
Tighten throat for a choked rasp, crack voice at line ends.
Big arm gestures.
And at the final burst... rage like bursting into sobs.
"I killed him. It would've been fine if not for me—that's what you're saying—!!"
Bam! Something exploded in his head.
And with it, the bottled frustration poured from Seonwoo's body.
Like a dam breaking, a fierce inky-blue wave surged.
For a split second, the stage felt submerged in ocean.
Just like the title [Surging Wave Forecast]... as if raging swells had swallowed the stage.
And what remained was,
"...Unbelievable."
The dazed contestants watching them...
And Seong Jun-il, half out of it.
* * * Insane.
The other contestants' reactions were all the same.
Unreal acting. Hard to believe they were fellow participants.
Even Hyung-bin was floored.
'Seonwoo really is on another level.'
How shocked he'd been hearing Seonwoo's resume at first.
He'd assumed years of experience. Nothing else explained that skill.
But his actual acting history was far shorter than Hyung-bin's hobby gigs.
Yet Seonwoo's acting reached heights he couldn't touch.
No, that wasn't even the issue.
Compared to their joint scene last time, his presence was different.
Like he'd grown as an actor.
...In just three days? Possible?
Logically no, but logic didn't apply to Seonwoo.
Hyung-bin glanced at Seo Jinwook.
"Jinwook-ah. Isn't your junior too good?"
"......"
Seo Jinwook stared at Seonwoo with unreadable eyes, silent.
Not thrilled, but undeniable—the acting was top-tier.
Breath, intensity, color... matched Minhee and Yeonwoo in every way.
Grown several levels beyond what he remembered.
A perfect stage.
Yumi Yeon's assessment wasn't hype.
"Honestly, I never thought I'd say this, but I got chills. Your trio's synergy was so perfect... I forgot I was judging and just got immersed."
The same mouth that spat venom at 'Hope' team earlier now wore a pleased smile.
"'Rage' is more complex than it seems. People rage from fear, from hurt, from... sorrow. Yours captured it all. Especially Minhee."
"Y-yes!"
"How to put it... You're not just good—you hold the gaze. Might sound premature, but you have star quality."
"...Thank you!"
Minhee bowed deeply.
She fought tears, playing it cool. Recognition from a senior like Yumi Yeon soothed all her hardships.
Seong Jun-il nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. As a viewer, immersion is key. In that sense, Yeonwoo was stellar too. Always impresses me. How do you nail such precise acting?"
Perfect critique for Yeonwoo.
Ask Seong Jun-il the contest's best? He'd hesitate. Most precise? Yeonwoo, no question.
Even in seconds of screen time, Yeonwoo wove dozens of details.
Rare even among pros.
But another shone just as bright.
"Kim Seonwoo."
Yi Moo-beom called him.
"You don't usually analyze technically, but today you did. Didn't just act emotion—you directed it."
Yi Moo-beom adjusted his glasses, fixing Seonwoo with a stare.
"Honestly, baffling. Acting styles don't change overnight... How?"
Pure curiosity beyond judging.
Seong Jun-il and Yumi Yeon nodded, eyes on Seonwoo. Too different from days ago.
They'd figured he'd lag behind Minhee and Yeonwoo given his prior level... but no. Explosive, outshining all momentarily.
Seonwoo's presence never faltered.
The question was 'how.'
How could he?
How could someone grow this fast day by day?
"Yeonwoo's advice was huge."
Seonwoo credited Yeonwoo.
Of course, the color orbs helped too. Seeing hues shift with every expression and tone made emotions intuitive.
But without Yeonwoo, no change at all.
Yeonwoo taught details to amplify his emotions; Seonwoo made them his own.
Simple as that.
"Following his advice, I felt the acting shift."
Seonwoo's sincere answer.
But to listeners, absurd.
Acting didn't skyrocket from tips alone.
Like saying 'I aced SATs after cram school.'
Seonwoo made it sound casual, almost skipping over it... but no mentor explained this growth speed.
But what could they do?
The 'how' had no answer from the start.
Or if one existed,
Yi Moo-beom removed his glasses.
Dry-wiped his face with a hollow laugh.
"This year marks 53 years in acting. I've seen countless performers over those long years. But... I never imagined saying this myself."
Yi Moo-beom spoke,
Hesitating until the last, doubting if he should... but he said it.
"Kim Seonwoo... you're a genius."