The Painter of the Room
Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that Sunwoo had taken an interest in Yoo Jieun’s level of completion was, from her perspective, quite a stroke of luck. The advice he tossed her way from time to time certainly broadened her horizons.
And as she found herself frequently entangled with Sunwoo like this, Jieun was slowly beginning to understand why he was called a genius.
‘He’s such a strange person.’
……Well, to put it more mildly, one might say he’s just different. If you wanted to put a positive spin on it, you’d call it being special.
Jieun didn’t think she was lacking compared to Sunwoo. In terms of technical aspects—the ability to summon emotions, how to handle facial expressions, how to use her body—she was on par with him. In some respects, she might even be better.
Yet, the judges, and indeed the world, pointed to Sunwoo and called him a genius. And they barely gave Jieun a second glance. Why?
‘Because what he sees is different.’
The gaze. If there was one thing most special about Sunwoo, it was his gaze. It was a gaze that managed to find things others couldn’t see—or rather, things they weren’t even conscious of.
Right now, Sunwoo was telling Yoo Jieun that she was "beautiful." Even thinking about it again, it was such an absurd thing to say. How could anyone look at a girl who had failed her entrance exams three times and killed a person out of sheer terror, and think she was beautiful? But perhaps that was exactly why Sunwoo was special.
Even Jieun herself… as she peered into the Yoo Jieun reflected in Sunwoo’s eyes, she could feel a sensation entirely different from anything she had felt before.
‘……I think I know why he says things like that.’
When Jieun acted as Yoo Jieun, she had focused on her anxiety and fear. She had thought those were the emotions that symbolized the character. But now, she could feel it. All those ugly, desperate actions Yoo Jieun took to survive…… were, in a way, beautiful. In a sense, it was the most human feeling of all.
It was a sentiment an ordinary actor could never feel. It was the perspective of someone looking at all of this from a step away… yes, the perspective of a director or a writer.
Jieun wondered. Did Sunwoo always act from this perspective? For someone standing a step away, he seemed incredibly immersed. Or perhaps he was immersing himself and observing at the same time? It was a sensation Jieun didn’t even dare to fathom.
‘Well, as long as it helps, that’s enough.’
In fact, Park Myeongjin had even praised her recently.
It was to be expected. Knowing why the character of Yoo Jieun shone and acting with that knowledge versus acting without it was the difference between heaven and earth. It was a waste of time to have acted without knowing this until now. ……If she had only known this sooner, perhaps she wouldn’t have been eliminated so early.
‘Well, I guess it’s fortunate that I know now.’
Jieun’s goal was clear. To become the protagonist of Episode 3. To make sure that after the episode aired, the internet was filled with nothing but talk about her.
Of course, just because she had Sunwoo’s help didn’t mean it was easy. Every other actor besides her was in a state of awakening as well…… and above all, the person she was entangled with most often after Kim Sunwoo,
"Ha, haha…… Hey?"
Seo Jinwook was also an incredible opponent. Personally, dealing with Jinwook was by no means easier than dealing with Sunwoo.
‘No, in a way, you could say it’s even harder.’
It couldn’t be helped. Jinwook was already an actor with intense expressions, and this scene was specifically designed for him to kill her. His voice was so sharp it made her skin crawl. His glaring eyes, his voice that sounded like he was grinding his teeth—everything about it was vivid. The only saving grace was…… that compared to the past, he felt a bit more composed. Emotions that could easily feel excessive if handled poorly now felt like they were staying just within the right lines.
And Jinwook himself felt this too.
‘…It’s definitely effective.’
Asking Yeonwoo for coaching had been the right choice. She seemed to have every formula for how to express emotions most efficiently stored in her head. Her ability to handle emotions technically was truly top-tier in the country.
‘Should I call this talent?’
Or should I call her a strange person? Jinwook stopped thinking. What kind of person Yeonwoo was wasn’t his concern. What mattered was that she was helpful.
Of course, that didn’t mean he could let his guard down. There were no easy opponents left among the remaining participants. Honestly, Jinwook was constantly gripped by the anxious feeling that he would be the next one to be eliminated.
‘I don’t know how many people will be eliminated next, but I’m not in the safe zone.’
The reason? The reason was simple. Hyeseong, Minhee, Yeonwoo, Sunwoo, Jaewon… everyone was showing incredible acting right now. Was there a single thing Jinwook did better than them? He didn’t want to answer this question, but he had to face reality. There wasn’t. Jinwook had nothing on them.
That was why he had asked Yeonwoo for help and consulted with Jihwan. Jinwook himself felt it, too. That he was far from enough.
But how could he overcome this? What was he lacking compared to them, and how could he fill that void? In fact, he already knew what he was lacking. It wasn’t just acting… it was something more important.
‘Marketability.’
Yes. Jinwook lacked marketability. It meant he lacked star power.
Jinwook ruminated on Jihwan’s final piece of advice. Being good at acting wasn’t enough. He had to imprint himself on the viewers. What kind of actor Seo Jinwook was. Why they should keep watching him. To do that, he had to know it himself first.
‘The Director said this suits me.’
Jinwook kept thinking about that. Honestly, at first, he wondered if the Director was just insulting him by saying, "You’re perfect for roles like a thug." But as he kept thinking, he understood.
‘……Cha Doyoung.’
Cha Doyoung. That name was the problem. Jinwook had joined Cheongsong in the same trainee class as Doyoung. It wasn’t that he was specifically compared to Doyoung. Doyoung was too different a being to be compared to. A monster-like rookie who overwhelmed even the seniors of Cheongsong. They weren’t even in the same league to compete. Yet, Jinwook considered Doyoung his rival. He wanted to perform acting that wouldn’t lose to him someday. He wanted to act like him someday.
Perhaps that was admiration disguised as a competitive spirit.
Yes. Jinwook wanted to be Doyoung. Because Doyoung was too perfect an actor not to envy. That might have been why. While acting… Jinwook had subtly imitated Doyoung. He hadn’t copied his acting style. But it seemed he had wanted to be dignified and cool, even while playing a thug.
‘A thug is just a thug.’
And Jinwook reached a conclusion. He could not be Doyoung. Seo Jinwook was just Seo Jinwook. He had to act out the worst. He had to become a villain so vicious that just looking at him would make people angry, annoyed, and want to beat him to death. A villain who was hated, not admired.
"Did you vote?"
"……Ah, I’m still doing it?"
"Is that so?"
Jinwook grinned.
"That’s a relief."
And then, he lunged at Jieun with the knife. What followed were the blood-splattering effects, the screams, the smile spreading across his lips, and……
"—Cut!"
It was just Park Myeongjin’s cut sign. Jinwook gasped for air and turned his head. Park Myeongjin, meeting his eyes while his face was covered in blood, trembled and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Wow, that was great! Jinwook-ssi! What is this? You’ve been possessed lately!"
"Thank you."
"Good, good! Keep it up just like this! The cut came out really beautifully!"
Park Myeongjin was so satisfied that it felt like every word he spoke was punctuated with an exclamation mark. Of course, because of that, Jieun, who had been dealing with Jinwook, could only have even more hollow eyes.
"What is it, Oppa?"
"What."
"……Why are you so good lately? It’s like you’ve become a different person."
"……."
"Ah, your lips are twitching."
"Shut up."
Jinwook frowned and turned his head. Then he muttered in a low voice.
"I have to survive. I can’t be eliminated like this."
"Hmm, looking at your acting now, I think you’ll survive."
"That’s not enough. I have to survive until the end… and win."
"Hmm, I think that’ll be a bit difficult?"
"Get lost."
"No, Oppa! Telling a lady to get lost!"
"Lady, my foot."
Jinwook grumbled, his face contorted. Watching him, Jieun suddenly thought: Contorting your face like that is bad for your skin. This Oppa, when he gets a bit older, his face will be all wrinkled like a bulldog.
That was when Jinwook spoke up.
"But, do I look like a villain?"
"In real life, or in the work?"
"In the work."
"You look like a villain in both."
No, she only asked about the work. Jinwook glared at Jieun, but she didn’t care. Since she was going to die soon anyway, what was there to be afraid of?
"But didn’t you decide to act like a villain?"
"That’s right. That’s my position."
"Hmm… thinking about it, I haven’t thought about my position. What’s my position?"
"You are……."
Jinwook thought for a moment before saying:
"You’re like John Wick’s dog."
John Wick was the protagonist of a movie who wiped out the mafia because they killed his dog. In short, Yoo Jieun was a sacrifice to awaken someone else. Jieun made a bitter expression.
"……That’s a pretty metaphor. So who is John Wick? Sunwoo Oppa?"
"Well, in a way, yes…… but it’s hard to call him John Wick. The characters are too different. I don’t think Kim Sunwoo would vow to take revenge for you. He might awaken, though."
At the very least, Sunwoo didn’t seem like a character who would proactively vow to take revenge. Of course, this might change depending on the development of Episode 4, but at least for now, no.
Jieun nodded in understanding.
"Since we’re on the subject, let’s sort out the others’ positions too. What are everyone’s positions?"
"First of all, Nam Minhee and Hyungbin-hyung are the protagonists."
"……Hmm, they certainly look like protagonists."
Both were a doctor and a firefighter who valued the weight of life. There couldn’t be anyone more protagonist-like than them in this work.
"Hyeseong-hyung is… a realistic 'sweet potato' character……."
"Yeonwoo-unni is, well, the final boss."
"……Well, that’s true."
Jinwook frowned for a moment. He wondered why Yeonwoo was the final boss and he was just a villain…… but it couldn’t be helped. Their presence in the work was already different, so what could he do? Jinwook shrugged.
"And Kim Sunwoo is the observer."
"The observer?"
Jieun tilted her head. Wasn’t his presence too big for an observer? As if reading her mind, Jinwook added:
"How should I put it, he’s a… unique observer. There are times when I just get that feeling. The feeling that my character is completed only when his gaze touches it."
"……Ah, I think I know what that feeling is."
It was a difficult explanation, but Jieun nodded immediately. It was because she often felt that way when acting with Sunwoo. The feeling that when his gaze touched her, the character of Yoo Jieun came more alive.
"How on earth does he do that kind of acting?"
"……."
Jinwook kept his mouth shut. If he tried to answer that, he would inevitably have to praise Sunwoo. He didn’t want to do anything so embarrassing. Jieun read Jinwook’s mind and smiled inwardly. What a dishonest person.
But suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Sunwoo had said something like that to Jieun once. That "Yoo Jieun is beautiful." That she was lovely and dazzling. Jieun thought that the reason her character could shine more when acting with Sunwoo was because of that gaze of his.
But if Jinwook felt the same thing as her when acting……
‘……Is Seo Jinwook also dazzling in Kim Sunwoo’s eyes?’
Is he pretty and beautiful and all that? Jieun frowned. She felt a bit sick to her stomach.
"Why is your expression like that?"
"……No, I just felt really unpleasant for a moment."
"Suddenly? Is your stomach upset?"
"My stomach is upset. I haven’t even eaten anything, so why is this happening?"
"It’s because you haven’t eaten anything. Go eat something."
"Do I really have to……."
Sunwoo placed his hand on his solar plexus with a sour expression. It had been a long time since he felt this sick. He wondered if he had been overdoing it lately. But it couldn’t be helped. Because acting had been so much fun lately.
‘It’s a bit much to say this already, but…….’
He felt like he had realized something about acting. ……Realized sounded a bit arrogant, so let’s say he had gotten the hang of it. Should he say he finally understood what acting was?
‘If a character is a color…… the work is a painting created by gathering those colors.’
Of course, Sunwoo’s brushstrokes were still clumsy. After all, he had only just picked up the brush.
But he finally understood. What good acting was. What a good painting was.
It was all thanks to Kim Sunwoo. Kim Sunwoo’s gaze had always been feeling out others. Because of that, his gaze, which had always been fixed only on the colors he painted, was able to move toward the work as a whole for the first time. And this work, contained in Kim Sunwoo’s eyes, was……
‘Beautiful.’
It was beautiful beyond measure. It wasn’t just when he was acting. Just looking at the script, Sunwoo was sometimes intoxicated by ecstasy. It was because he could see what a mysterious flow of colors this small world created by Ryu was making.
Thanks to that, from a certain moment on, Sunwoo would often feel like he was becoming one with the Room, not just Kim Sunwoo, when acting. Should he say that all the colors flowing through the work felt more natural and comfortable?
As such, a new goal naturally had to arise for Sunwoo. Perhaps it would be better to say he realized it rather than a goal had arisen. What an actor’s job was.
‘It’s not just about painting colors.’
He had to draw a picture. Of course, Sunwoo wasn’t the director, and he couldn’t paint the colors of the entire work. All he could paint were the scenes he appeared in.
But at least, in that moment……
‘I can paint this world.’
Sunwoo’s goal was simple. To convey the painting Ryu had drawn in this script to the viewers as accurately as possible. To make all the viewers who watched this think to themselves without even realizing it.
That this messy, chaotic, and devastating world……
Was strangely beautiful.