Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A Perfect 10
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"Crazy..."
"A 10? Isn't this the first time anyone's gotten a 10?"
"It is. Wow, this is insane. A perfect score without even saying a single line?"
"His acting deserved it, though."
"True, but still..."
The contestants were all plunged into shock, one after another.
A 10. Truth be told, they'd thought no one might hit a 10 before the show even ended.
Because a 10 was a perfect score.
Of course, it didn't necessarily mean the actor was flawless as a performer... but even so, to them, a 10 felt profoundly symbolic.
What was the word for it?
Like praise for something so perfect there wasn't a single thing left to tweak.
For them, who weren't even proper actors yet... it felt like too much acclaim.
And yet, a 10 had appeared.
The funny part was how convincing it felt.
Mute.
Despite the role having zero lines, no one in that moment questioned the result.
That was the caliber of acting Seonwoo had delivered.
On the contrary,
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "A... 10?"
The one most flustered by the score was Seonwoo himself.
He'd gotten a feel for the mute role and figured he'd score high... but even in his wildest estimates, it topped out at 9.
A perfect score? He hadn't dared imagine it.
Yi Moo-beom chuckled.
"What, do you think it's undeserved?"
"Yes. My acting... still feels really lacking."
Instead of replying, Yi Moo-beom just stared straight at Seonwoo.
Behind that calm gaze swam a deep curiosity and fascination that was hard to put into words.
"Seonwoo, you're aiming awfully high."
"...High?"
"Most people wouldn't even dream of that level, but that's your benchmark. And you haven't even been training for a full year yet."
"That's..."
Seonwoo started to deny it.
But Yi Moo-beom was right. Ever since joining the Cheongsong Troupe, the sole target... the standard Seonwoo measured himself against had always been one person.
Doyoung.
He hadn't realized it at first when they met at Cheongsong, but looking back now... running into someone like Doyoung felt like a miracle in itself. An absurd one.
Someone with zero career, cast as the lead in a Yoo Chanwoo film purely on raw talent.
Anyway, starting acting while surrounded by a monster like that had inevitably raised his baseline.
"If you can't believe in yourself, believe me instead."
Yi Moo-beom saw right through him.
He could tell there was someone intriguing at the end of Seonwoo's gaze, and that it left him no choice but to be strict with himself.
And that he needed to hear this.
"Seonwoo, you're a good actor."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The judging wrapped up.
With a team score of 9... and the unprecedented personal score of 10.
Even after stepping off the stage, Seonwoo wandered in a daze for quite a while.
A good actor.
He barely kept his lips from curling into a grin. It was odd. Hearing "genius" hadn't stirred him this much, but these words set his heart racing.
...Am I actually doing well?
Not a single day off since he started acting.
Starting late in life meant no room for slacking.
He hadn't shown it, but he was impatient inside. The two-year promise with his parents loomed, and he worried if he'd achieve anything meaningful in that time.
And now, he'd heard he was a good actor.
From none other than veteran actor Yi Moo-beom.
It was like a breath of fresh air. Like Yi Moo-beom had given his seal of approval: Just keep doing what you're doing.
How could his lips not twitch upward?
But not everyone could smile like that.
For instance...
"What a disappointment."
Sion and Yechun's team was a case in point.
Problematic from the start.
As Yechun had mentioned, the team lacked any real unity... and what they'd done to Sion was hardly normal.
No way a good performance could come from that.
And their prediction held true.
"Wh-where is this place?!"
"Let me out!"
"Heh, heh... gimme booze! Gimme the booze!"
"...!"
Individually, their acting might not have been bad.
But mismatched eye contact and breathing, overlapping movements... teamwork was nonexistent on stage.
Yoo Mi-yeon's face had turned so icy it was terrifying to even look at.
"Watching you all, I get it perfectly. How badly a stage driven by competition over acting can fall apart. Honestly... I was wondering why I even had to judge this."
No need to dwell on the rest of her critique.
Just know they set a record low team score.
3 points.
The previous lowest had been 5, so this was utterly dismal.
Even so, Sion and Yechun held their own, relatively speaking.
Yechun, for one,
"I could tell Yechun put a lot of thought into it. You brought that speechless character to life well. But... it didn't feel like the mute the writer intended. So, 6 points."
Scored a 6.
Not high, but decent for a mute. No one else had topped 6 in that role, Seonwoo aside.
And Sion,
"Sion, you did great. I could see you working hard despite the tough conditions."
"Thank you!"
Got a 7.
Higher than Yechun, and Sion's eyes sparkled with delight.
But Seonwoo's expression watching it all wasn't great.
Sion's cumulative score... 15 points.
He'd only had 5 before.
Depending on the passing threshold this round, dropping out wouldn't be surprising.
...He really acted so well this time.
Seonwoo clenched his fist.
Eliminations happened in competitions, sure. But seeing him go down because of a rotten team? He didn't want that.
It was too unfair.
But the world doesn't always play fair.
Once all teams were judged, Sung Jun-il snapped his fingers... and names scrolled up on the stage screen.
The moment Seonwoo spotted Sion's name,
Sung Jun-il spoke.
"Everyone on the list... please leave the studio."
Sion was out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 13.
The number of contestants eliminated this mission.
22 remained. Now, just one step from the TOP 10.
But Seonwoo couldn't simply rejoice.
"Here, your pillow."
"Oh, almost forgot. Thanks, hyung!"
Sion took the pillow from Seonwoo with a bright smile.
He'd been packing. Time to head home.
Seonwoo peered at Sion's face.
Not too down for someone eliminated. If anything, he looked relieved.
Seonwoo got it.
Looking at Sion alone, ignoring the team, his acting hadn't been bad at all. Quite good, even. Better than anything he'd shown so far.
Ironic.
His best performance yet... and it led to elimination.
Seonwoo ruffled Sion's hair.
"You did great today."
"Huh? What'd I do?"
"Your acting. You nailed it, tough as it was."
"...Really?"
Sion's eyes went wide.
Seonwoo chuckled.
"Of course. Why? Doubt it?"
"No, it's not that... Heh heh, I dunno. I got praise, but now I'm packing up again..."
"Bittersweet?"
"Bittersweet? What's that mean?"
" bummed out?"
"Oh... no. But it's fine."
Sion scratched his head sheepishly.
"Actually, I lied to you, hyung."
"Huh? To me?"
"About not missing Mom. Truth is... I really did."
"Did you cry?"
"N-no, I didn't cry!"
Sion waved his hands frantically.
"It was fun here... but I think this is as far as I go!"
"..."
Seonwoo held back any words.
Saying Yeah, this is it for you felt wrong... and No, you could've gone further was ridiculous.
"Keep acting out there too."
That was all the encouragement he could offer.
Sion nodded vigorously at Seonwoo.
"Yeah! I'll practice hard... and become an actor like you someday!"
"That's a huge honor. But there are tons of great actors—why me?"
"'Cause you're the coolest, hyung!"
Sion looked up at him with shining eyes.
Seonwoo felt those eyes oddly familiar.
Like the way he looked at Doyoung...
"Your acting was the most... what’s the word? Radiant! Especially this mute role—insanely so! I'll act like that someday. I want to."
"...Now my shoulders feel heavy."
Seonwoo smiled quietly.
A bit flustered. He didn't see himself as role-model material yet.
But if that's how Sion saw him, who was he to argue?
Just be grateful.
"I'm off, but you have to win!"
"That won't be easy."
"You'll be fine!"
Sion pumped his fist.
"You always nail the tough stuff!"
Their farewell ended like that.
Seonwoo didn't love sharing rooms, but now alone in their usual duo spot... the emptiness felt strange.
What was it? Not just loneliness... more like realizing how far the show had come.
TOP 10's right around the corner.
It hit him anew how surreal it was.
Before this show, he'd been scrambling just for bit-part auditions...
They said TOP 10 gets drama roles.
That part puzzled him a bit.
What drama casts everyone in the TOP 10?
No telling who'd make it, and could their script even accommodate them all?
...It won't just fizzle out, will it?
Seonwoo shook his head.
Im Young-do didn't seem the type to botch something like that. He'd have a plan.
Seonwoo just needed to focus on his part.
Acting.
No regrets.
Sion had said he wanted to be an actor like him someday.
With praise like that, he couldn't half-ass it.
Seonwoo summoned his color orbs.
Not just the mute's.
From the Painter he'd done first, to Seungdo, Heejae—all the characters he'd portrayed, their orbs floated up.
I've already experienced so many colors.
Suddenly, he pictured it.
Decades from now, after countless roles beyond imagination... how many orbs would surround him?
How gorgeous would those colors be?
Just imagining it set his blood aflame.
More than drama gigs or winning the show... envisioning the colors filling his world in that moment fired him up hotter.
Yeah. No need to overthink.
Just keep painting.
Until everywhere his eyes touched burst with vibrant hues.