Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: "Optimized Character?"
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'Is this... the character optimized for me?'
Seonwoo stared blankly into his color bubble.
No matter how he turned it this way and that, it was gray.
'...Why?'
Seonwoo peered into his character sheet once more.
[Kim Seonwoo]
The character sharing his name was... undoubtedly the sort that could only appear gray.
Outwardly an ordinary office worker, Kim Seonwoo had... been battling suicidal impulses for a very long time.
No matter how hard he thought, Kim Seonwoo couldn't find a single reason to keep living.
There wasn't any particular reason he had to die, but dragging out a purposeless existence felt like pure torment, so he picked a date.
December 31st.
As everyone else awaited the midnight bell, he flung himself from Mapo Bridge into the Han River.
When he came to, he was locked in a stark white studio apartment.
Dragged into a battle royale called "One Room," where they had to kill each other until only one survivor remained.
That was how Kim Seonwoo's story began.
An ironic tale of a man who had once forsaken life now thrashing desperately just to stay alive.
...And that was everything Seonwoo currently knew about Kim Seonwoo.
It couldn't be helped.
He'd only filled out the questionnaire a single day ago, after all.
The mere fact that a character sheet had formed to this extent already was more astonishing than anything.
'The character itself is pretty intriguing.'
It just felt sticky. Unsettling.
That the character based on him turned out to be a "suicide aspirant," of all things.
And that the figure's color was nothing but gray.
'...Is it because there's not enough material yet?'
It didn't seem like that was the issue.
The emotional thread Seonwoo sensed from this character fit "gray" perfectly, after all.
A dreamless, empty life... existing solely because it continued, nothing more.
It resembled the Seonwoo from before he started acting.
Which might explain the deeper discomfort.
No disputing that the Seonwoo of back then had been gray... but why would the writer view the current Seonwoo and still hand him a character like this? Did it still feel off somehow?
He'd thought he'd grown far more vibrant since taking up acting.
...Did he still come across as gray?
He had no idea.
Seonwoo popped the color bubble for now. He could mull it over after experiencing "Kim Seonwoo's" inner world firsthand.
But...
Psssh—
"...Huh?"
Seonwoo blurted out loud in sheer bewilderment at what happened next.
The color bubble vanished.
More accurately, it crumbled away like ash scattering in the wind.
No rush of emotions like the usual torrent when a color bubble burst.
As if absolutely nothing had occurred... just serene calm.
"What the hell... is going on?"
The situation was crystal clear.
The color bubble's power hadn't triggered.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Lest there be any misunderstanding, the color bubble power itself hadn't vanished.
Pop other people's, and those emotions flooded in just as always.
The failure was confined solely to "Kim Seonwoo"—his own gray color bubble.
'Why?'
He couldn't figure it out.
A tangled mess of thoughts drew Seonwoo outdoors.
A few minutes of wandering empty streets later, a familiar voice halted him.
"Seonwoo-ssi?"
Seonwoo turned.
A face so pale it bordered on transparent. Brown eyes gleaming with a beast-like intensity fixed on him.
"...Yeonwoo-ssi? What are you doing out here at this hour?"
"That's exactly what I'd like to ask you. What's up?"
"Me? Well..."
Seonwoo hesitated, then gave a vague answer—omitting anything about the color bubbles.
The character supposedly tailored to him was so drab it had come as a shock.
Yeonwoo nodded at his words.
"Ah, I think I get that feeling. Truth is, that's why I came out here too."
"You too, Yeonwoo-ssi?"
"Yeah. Have you read my character sheet?"
"No, not yet..."
"Huh, hehe......"
Yeonwoo let out an eerie chuckle.
Seonwoo eyed her awkwardly. This creepy laugh was a first from her.
Indeed, her usual sky-blue aura was entirely absent around her.
Meaning she'd dropped even the pretense of acting.
"Um, I'm a psychopath."
"...?"
He knew that much, but.
Reading Seonwoo's expression, Yeonwoo realized she'd skimped on details.
She stared straight at him.
"My role's a psychopath."
"...Ah."
Seonwoo's eyes widened involuntarily.
Psychopath.
In a different context, it might not seem so odd.
But this sheet emerged after the questionnaire meant to analyze their characters.
And it cast Yeonwoo as a psychopath-tinged figure.
Coincidence?
...Hard to buy that.
That must've been why Yeonwoo—so rarely rattled—was losing her cool.
She grinned nonstop, clutching and staring at her character sheet.
"What is it? What's going on? Did they see right through me? Even if Seonwoo-ssi sensed my acting, they couldn't peer this deep..."
"...What'd you put on the questionnaire?"
"Questionnaire? Oh, that. I answered super normally. Like any average twenty-something woman would. Ah, I snapped pics. Wanna see?"
"Sure."
Seonwoo took her phone.
And let out a groan.
⚔ CHARACTER SHEET ⚔ [Lee Yeonwoo]
1. I'm the kind of person who can't live without coffee. 2. What scares you? I hate when people misunderstand me! 3. If you could grant one wish? Um, it's a secret! 4. You're about to die. If you could leave one last word? I won't even think about dying! Perfectly ordinary responses.
A faint sense of dissonance lingered for some reason... but nothing to unearth a "psychopath" from.
Yet it had saddled Lee Yeonwoo with exactly that.
Meaning it had discerned something invisible even to Seonwoo's eyes.
'Who the heck is the writer?'
At this point, anticipation was building instead.
Intuition keen enough to nail Lee Yeonwoo's core from these scant lines... whatever he penned next wouldn't be run-of-the-mill.
Yeonwoo scowled at Seonwoo's expression.
"You're thinking right now, 'This writer's incredible,' aren't you?"
"...Ahem, they kinda are."
"Well, true enough. First vibe like this since you, Seonwoo-ssi. Might be even weirder than you."
"That kinda assumes I'm the weird one to begin with..."
"No pointless debates over the obvious, okay? So, how'd you fill yours out? How'd you end up with something so gloomy?"
"I'll show you the pics too."
Seonwoo displayed his answers.
Yeonwoo cocked her head.
"You did this on purpose? Some concept?"
"Huh? No? Just answered honestly."
"Anyone would peg this as a depression case."
"...Really? That's how it looks?"
"Yep."
Yeonwoo nodded without a trace of doubt.
Seonwoo felt a twinge of fluster. He'd only said "don't know" when unsure... and it screamed depression patient?
Interest fading, Yeonwoo wore a bored look.
"Anyway, that's what bugged you? The gloom?"
"Yeah... pretty much."
"But why care if you like it? That's the norm anyway. Just glance at folks on the street... all drab and lifeless."
"The norm... Never saw it that way, but yeah, fair point."
"Least it's not psychopath. Empathizable character's better than mine any day."
Seonwoo managed a wry smile in silence.
He got Yeonwoo's point, yet nodding along felt somehow rude.
Yeonwoo flashed a toothy grin.
"Really wanna see this writer's face."
Already slipping into role? The smile packed real menace.
"What kinda guy's he anyway."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Who the hell... is the writer?"
Wondering about the writer wasn't just Yeonwoo and Seonwoo.
Hyeseong let out a hollow chuckle.
"They've got me as some guy teetering on collapse."
The issue? Tough to deny outright.
Hyeseong was thirty-six now, after all.
Friends settling into careers, starting families, pillars of society—all plain to see. Yet he alone floundered without a thing to boast.
He played bright on the surface, but claiming his insides weren't festering... pure lie.
But what good came from airing the rot?
One hard-earned lesson with age: bury flaws and frailties deepest.
This script, though... demanded he lay them all bare.
'Sneaky bastard.'
Hyeseong smiled bitterly.
Hard to gripe, though. It nailed his truest self, after all.
Same for the others. Their sheets mirrored real selves, somehow.
Though a few drew eyebrow-raisers.
'Seonwoo and Yeonwoo-ssi... what gives?'
He'd skimmed theirs already.
Severe depressive and psychopath serial killer.
...But they didn't vibe that way.
'Eh, point isn't true nature anyway. Better view as fitting roles.'
For Hyeseong, the fit just echoed his raw interior.
He settled on that take.
Besides, no luxury for prolonged musing.
Script for episode 1 dropped mere days after the sheets.
Blistering pace.
Characters barely locked in. Writer should've been deep in plot-wrangling...
'...This workflow even human?'
Sure, drama world spat out rushed side-scripts aplenty... but this felt polished.
Even presuming prior framing, the speed wowed.
Shooting schedule tightened way ahead of expectations, thanks to it.
<<Shooting starts in ten days.>> Ten days.
Not generous by any stretch—even empty flattery.
But unavoidable.
I Am an Actor's live broadcasts were closing in; only three episodes remained till catch-up.
TOP 10's first mission—[One Room] episode 1—due in four weeks.
Chased stray thoughts clean out.
Prep alone would consume every waking second.
And on top...
"This script... it's seriously fun."
"Tell me about it."
Seonwoo nodded to Hyeseong.
Truth be told, expectations had been low across the board.
Variety-show filler drama. Quality and scale? Meh at best.
But no...
Spot-on direction breathing life into every character was baseline; the finesse in capturing each person's frantic mindset upon entering "One Room" was next-level.
Sheets hinted at an unusual writer, but the script? Even more uncanny.
Zero rookie vibes.
This caliber? Top-tier name in writer circles... but who?
'Script style feels oddly familiar...'
What was it? Seen somewhere?
Beats him. Only certainty: writer was no ordinary talent.
Hyeongbin chimed in, voice thrumming with excitement.
"If the PD's cool with it, our drama's gonna blow up, right?"
"Hey, it might even eclipse the show itself."
Hyeseong concurred.
Minhee shook her head.
"No need pitting the show against the drama. Drama fans'll tune into this too, y'know? It's airing in the show's slot anyway."
"Fair. Still... big-name PD seems unlikely. Variety side project? Probably some newbie."
"...Think so?"
Minhee's face fell slightly.
Harsh reality, though. Why would a vet PD slum it on this variety experiment—basically a glorified pilot?
They'd chase top stars and prime scripts for their own gigs.
That was the assumption.
It didn't hold long.
Three days later, at the pre-shoot script read... the shrouded PD emerged, freezing the cast solid.
"YBS's Park Myungjin PD here. Looking forward to working with you."
Park Myungjin PD.
Any drama buff knew the name.
Industry legend who'd shattered the 30% terrestrial ratings wall—twice.
Minhee jabbed Hyeseong's side the instant she spotted him.
See? You said no big PD, but here he is!
Hyeseong, though? Zero reaction.
Sensing wrongness, Minhee turned—only then clocking it. Hyeseong was too stunned to register pain.
Small wonder.
'...Wh-Why would a titan like Park Myungjin PD...?'
Felt like Ronaldo crashing the local elementary school's pickup soccer game.
...Overkill, maybe, but that absurd.
Why on earth?
Why helm this?
Frozen so long saliva nearly dribbled out, Hyeseong gulped it back in panic.
Details fuzzy, but one thing clear.
Something... was afoot.
No—was afoot no longer.