Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Assembling the Dream Team
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Staying put like this would only get him swarmed by those people.
Seonwoo struck first, quickly.
"Sion."
"Yeah?"
"Let's team up together."
He'd already decided in advance that if he could choose his teammates, Sion would be the one.
Sion was a kid who could deliver solid performances with just the right guidance. A bit of coaching, and they could expect some really good results.
Of course, the kid had no obligation to go along with it, but letting Sion get eliminated pointlessly like this... somehow left a bad taste in his mouth.
But the next moment, something utterly unexpected happened—something Seonwoo hadn't anticipated at all.
"Sorry, but I'll pass. I'm doing it on my own."
"...Huh?"
Sion turned him down.
Why? The question floated up in Seonwoo's eyes.
Sion hesitated before speaking up.
"I'm grateful that you're looking out for me, hyung... but I don't want to be a burden."
"You're not a burden. I only wanted to team up because you're a good actor."
"Then I should be fine without you!"
Sion flashed a tough-guy grin and clenched his fist.
"Don't worry about me!"
"......"
For a second there, Seonwoo was genuinely touched.
Sion wasn't just some naive kid after all, but it also felt like he'd been meddling unnecessarily.
"Alright. Give it your best. If you need any help, come to hyung anytime. Got it?"
"Yes! You too, hyung—fighting!"
His attempt to recruit Sion ended in failure just like that.
And waiting for Seonwoo as he turned around was...
"Seonwoo, want to team up with me?"
It was Yeonwoo.
It was a bit of an odd thing to say, but ever since hearing her psychopath confession the other day, she actually felt less uncomfortable to be around.
Before, he'd wondered why someone like her even bothered with acting, but now that question mark had been resolved.
At the very least, she was someone he could understand now.
"Sure. Sounds good."
That was why he accepted Yeonwoo's offer without hesitation.
There was plenty he could learn from her, and it'd boost the team's strength right away. And the moment he accepted...
"S-Seonwoo! Mind if I join you guys too?"
"Ahem, if there's room, count me in..."
One after another, people started begging to join his team.
It was a tricky situation. No clear criteria for picking from this crowd, and turning them all down felt awkward too.
But sometimes, you had to make the tough calls.
"Sorry, I've already got members in mind."
Seonwoo turned them all down as politely as he could.
Since things had come to this, he wanted to build the strongest team possible.
If any of them had shown standout acting, he might've said yes. But unfortunately, none had that spark.
What if they badmouth me on the broadcast later?
The worry crossed his mind for a second.
But there was no helping it. Wanting a strong team for a killer performance wasn't wrong.
Being nice was great and all, but solid acting came first.
And he knew exactly who to recruit next.
"Hyeseong hyung."
"Yeah? Wanna team up?"
"Yes."
Seonwoo's eyes lit up.
"With you on board, we could put on an amazing show."
"...Well, it'd be pretty fun working with you too."
Hyeseong grinned and nodded.
"Alright. Let's do it."
That secured the third member.
Two spots left. Minhee and Jaewon came to mind first, so he went to grab them... only to find...
"Ah, sorry. We've already got a team."
They'd already formed one—together, no less.
Hyeseong whistled.
"Whoa, that team's gonna be stacked."
He wasn't wrong.
The other members with them looked like solid performers too.
Jaewon must've learned his lesson about teammates after that disaster last time.
Anyway, now he needed two more recruits.
As he scanned the room wondering who to pick, Hyeseong spoke up first.
"Hmm. Seonwoo."
"Yeah? Got someone in mind?"
"What about Jinwook?"
Ugh.
Seonwoo struggled to keep a straight face.
He'd practically erased that name from his mind, so it hadn't even crossed his radar.
But setting personal feelings aside... objectively, Seo Jinwook was a reliable pick. Maybe a bit lacking in teamwork, but his raw acting chops were top-tier.
No real reason to say no.
"I'll ask him."
When he tracked down Seo Jinwook and asked if he wanted in, Jinwook eyed him curiously before shrugging.
"Sure, I could... but I've already teamed up with Hyungbin hyung."
Hyungbin.
Already on a first-name basis calling him hyung? Unexpected given Jinwook's personality, but Hyungbin's charm made it believable.
Hyeseong nodded.
"Hyungbin's solid. Clean acting. Where is he, though?"
"Bathroom. Said it was urgent."
"Cool. If Hyungbin's down, let's make it five."
Hyungbin returned soon after, nodding so vigorously at the news that he might hurt his neck.
"Heck yeah! This lineup could crush anything!"
And with that, the team was formed.
A powerhouse squad that really could handle whatever, just like Hyungbin said.
Now, the issue was the script.
...Everyone gets the same one, right?
He'd found it odd from the start.
Teams had different gender balances and all, but one script for everybody?
But the moment he got his hands on it, Seonwoo understood how it worked.
"...This is fun."
The title was [Those in the Locked Room].
Five characters total. But instead of names, they had titles.
Coward. Braggart. Drunkard. Brawler. Mute.
Titles that captured their core traits perfectly.
No need to fuss over gender or age like this.
But even more striking was the story itself.
It started with the five suddenly trapped in a locked room. Just one firmly shut door inside.
The overall plot followed their escape attempts.
Each overcoming their flaw, one by one vanishing from the room—a sort of growth story.
"Where'd they dig up a script like this?"
Hyeseong let out a dry chuckle.
The length, the character traits—it was perfectly tuned for a competition like this.
Seo Jinwook glanced at his script and tossed out casually,
"Feels like an homage to [The Closed Room]. Kinda intriguing."
"Oh, yeah, now that you mention it."
"But... what's the idea behind this character?"
Hyungbin peered at the script with a puzzled look.
No need to ask which one.
Seonwoo spoke up.
"The Mute, right?"
"Yeah. The name had me suspicious, but... every line's just ellipses."
Hyeseong was spot on.
There were action descriptions, but not a single spoken line. Sure, there were impactful scenes because of it... but that was on paper.
Could you really make your presence felt on stage with zero dialogue?
Playing basically an extra?
Every team's gonna clash over this.
A quick glance around confirmed it—plenty of teams looked stumped.
Hard to agree on who takes the 'Mute' when it'd tank personal scores.
"We should decide on the Mute first, then get started."
Hyeseong took the lead.
"Probably no one wants it... right?"
Hyeseong sighed inwardly.
He'd known it the second he saw the script. No lines made the Mute demand even more skill.
Landing impact with pure physical acting was tough even for veterans.
No choice.
Time for the most experienced one to step up.
He opened his mouth to volunteer—
"I'll do it."
"...Huh? You'll do it? Why?"
"S-Seonwoo. You sure?"
Seonwoo volunteered for the Mute.
No one expected it, leaving Hyeseong stunned. Hyungbin eyed him worriedly, assuming it was self-sacrifice.
But Seonwoo shook his head.
"Not because no one else wants it. This role just... appeals to me."
"Think it over. It might seem appealing, but nailing that appeal's a whole other thing. Script shows it clear as day—this'll be brutally hard to pull off."
"Then I'll make it brutal."
Seonwoo stubbornly held his ground.
It wasn't about sacrifice, as he'd said. He was genuinely intrigued by the Mute.
He had no choice.
The Mute held a color Seonwoo had never seen before.
Seonwoo stared at the transparent bubble floating before his eyes... like a real soap bubble.
"I want to try it."
The Mute had no color.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ This is a first for a character like this.
What did colors mean?
No one could give a definitive answer, but Seonwoo figured the most accurate term was 'heart image.'
And every character had one.
They might be faint, but none were colorless.
That'd be like having no heart image at all.
But this Mute was transparent.
...Why?
No idea.
That's why he volunteered.
Plus, he had a feeling an opportunity like this might never come again in his acting career.
Ironic, really.
He'd started acting to live a colorful life, only to be drawn to a colorless role.
With the Mute settled, roles were assigned smoothly.
Coward: Yeonwoo.
Braggart: Hyeseong.
Drunkard: Hyungbin.
Brawler: Seo Jinwook.
Solid matches all around.
Now they just needed to nail their characters...
"Wh-where is this place?! Wh-what are you people? Did you kidnap me?!"
"Cut the crap and sit down. We're all trapped here."
"...Wh-what?! Who? Why?!"
"You think we'd be sitting here if we knew?"
Once they started rehearsing, Seonwoo realized the Mute was no easy role.
Obviously. Beyond no lines, the stage directions were practically nonexistent.
The few that existed were like:
Mute: (Gazing at Coward) ...
Just staring at someone. Nothing about waving hands, turning away, or anything.
Spotlight moments were only in the finale.
At least the rest of the team was handling theirs well.
One stood out especially:
"Then you sit there sniveling quietly. I've gotta get outta here."
Seo Jinwook.
He'd always exploded with energy before. His colors would burst violently around him, overwhelming anyone facing him.
But like with Hyungbin last time, this performance felt... restrained.
Not blasting out, but honed emotions stabbing sharp and precise.
Much easier for the team to handle.
...Has he really changed?
Maybe he'd finally matured.
He seemed less obnoxiously out there lately. Could be the cameras... but whatever, improvement was good.
With Jinwook cooperating like this, the team had nothing to worry about.
I just need to do my part.
Seonwoo checked how other Mutes were prepping.
Luckily, Yechun had the role. He tried chatting about it, but Yechun sighed, fuming.
"I hate our team."
"...Why? Something happen?"
"Well..."
Here's what went down.
Yechun teamed with Sion and three others Seonwoo didn't know. Started off fine.
But when they got the script and spotted the Mute...
—Sion, wanna do Mute?
—Huh? Me?
—Yeah. No lines—should be easy acting, right?
They pushed it on Sion.
Young and inexperienced, so take the easy no-dialogue role!
Yechun stepped up, volunteering instead.
"Even if it's survival of the fittest... picking on a kid like that?"
"...Tough team draw."
Seonwoo sighed.
Should've kidnapped Sion onto his team anyway. But no point dwelling.
Except then, another pointless worry cropped up.
That evening.
Practice room. During a break mid-rehearsal, he spotted Sion syncing up in the corner. Sweat plastered his bangs as he worked hard—heartwarming sight.
"Argh, Sion! Keep dropping your breaths like that?"
"S-sorry."
"We're screwed. How're we supposed to go up with this? Team score's toast."
The bob-haired woman smirked at Sion in disbelief.
Even other practicing teams went quiet, staring.
But oblivious to the eyes, she scanned around laughing.
"Oh man, big trouble. Sion sucks so bad. What now?"
...Headache hit instantly.
Blood pressure spiking. How could she talk to a kid like that? Kid or not, that's no way to treat anyone.
He wanted to charge over and say something.
But Seonwoo held back, engraving 'endure' in his chest. Interfering wouldn't help Sion—in fact, it'd make it worse.
"That's why I said you should've done Mute. Why be stubborn? You're making us all suffer!"
——But even so, this was too much.
Seonwoo pushed off the floor. Had to say something, or he'd explode.
"Crazy bitch."
...He hadn't meant to go that far?
Seonwoo whipped around, stunned. It wasn't him.
Seo Jinwook.
Staring her down, expression blank.
The woman's eyes twitched as she turned.
"You talking to me?"
"Yeah. I only listen to bullshit in moderation. Can't stand watching you ignore your own crap acting to harass a kid."
Unfiltered venom.
Even she froze, eyes blazing to lunge.
Jinwook twisted his lip.
"...Or not?"