I'll Be Your Megaphone
The last day of March arrived, and with it came a club meeting. They had to settle on a play and a script in March if they were going to be ready before May, which meant today was the day they had to decide. A small problem, however, had cropped up.
"Um, everyone. First of all, thank you so much for voting..."
"...The thing is, we keep getting a tie."
A tie.
Among all the candidates, two scripts had kept landing on the exact same number of votes. Even in the final runoff, with only those two left standing, they had come out even again.
It was a minor problem, if you wanted to call it that. One person changing their mind would have settled the whole thing. But even that change of heart kept running into complications, and after two more revotes still ended in a deadlock, they finally had to draw the sword.
"Which is why... everyone! Today, we're going to hold a debate: Romeo and Juliet versus The Merchant of Venice. Just to be safe, could you all sit according to which one you support? Romeo and Juliet over here, The Merchant of Venice over there."
The students split themselves naturally. And as Kim Haneul counted the heads, he let out a hollow laugh.
"...It's actually thirteen to thirteen."
For the record, the club had thirty-four members in all. There was a reason only twenty-six votes had been cast.
"Seniors, couldn't you vote with us too?"
The third-year OBs had sat this one out.
"Hey now. Leaving the decision-making to you guys is our motto. Hurry it up, future president."
"Haaa... Yes, understood. Then I'd like to hold a short debate — everyone's okay with that, right?"
"Yes~"
The students answered Kim Haneul in one voice, and not a single face in the room looked put out about it. Cheongyeon High School's Drama Club really did have a certain something — everyone here had joined because they actually cared.
It was just our year that felt off, honestly. Well, it said everything that eight third-year OBs had already stepped back, while the second-years only numbered ten to begin with.
Anyway, back to the debate. I was planning to side with Soye no matter what. So I waited, watching which way she went, then followed her over... and Soye, somewhat unexpectedly, had chosen The Merchant of Venice.
I'd thought she would go for Romeo and Juliet, since she liked romance. Instead, she had picked The Merchant of Venice. Why hadn't she gone with Romeo and Juliet? The question crossed my mind, but this was not the time to ask. If it was for Soye, I had to get The Merchant of Venice through.
"Alright, let's hear from the Romeo and Juliet side first."
One of the students on the other side started laying out their case.
"Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular romantic plays there is. A lot of our classmates already know it, so I think it'd be a great choice for our first performance. People will actually come see it."
Well, that was a fair point. Hard to argue with that logic.
Meanwhile, Soye kept parting her lips and closing them again. She clearly had something she wanted to say. I glanced over, then slipped her a note.
Soye.
Is there something you want to say?
Soye blinked in surprise at the question, then started writing something back. Even as I checked what she was putting down, I kept one ear on another student arguing for Romeo and Juliet.
That opinion wasn't worth considering, honestly — something childish like, I think a romance would be easier to act.
Soye, on the other hand, wanted The Merchant of Venice for some thoroughly logical reasons. You could tell just by looking at what she was writing down for me. And her handwriting was small and round and cute — so perfectly Soye. How can even her handwriting be adorable?
While I was busy admiring her penmanship, Soye set down her pen and looked up at me, her face tight with nerves. She had written out, at length, every reason she had chosen The Merchant of Venice. I read it through, then nodded.
Having confirmed it, I waited for Kim Haneul to give our side a chance to speak.
And then...
"Next, the Merchant of Venice side — please tell us why you're recommending The Merchant of Venice."
Our turn at last. I raised my hand at once, and Kim Haneul gave me a look of mild surprise as he called on me.
"Yes, go ahead."
I stood up and read from what Soye had written.
"First, we already have an adapted script for The Merchant of Venice in the Drama Club. The cast size has already been adjusted to match, so the acting burden is lighter."
"On top of that, since The Merchant of Venice is set primarily in an indoor courtroom, the difficulty for the staff — sets, props, all of it — is quite low, and we can substitute a lot of it with things we already have at school."
"Lastly, when you consider the weight of each role, The Merchant of Venice offers a pretty well-balanced distribution. The core characters — Shylock, Antonio, Bassanio, and Portia. Four major supporting roles — Nerissa, Gratiano, Jessica, and Lorenzo. And even the extras who still have real presence — the Duke, Tubal, the citizens, the jailer."
"The gender balance is solid too. I think The Merchant of Venice is the best option we have."
For the record, none of this had come from my own head. It had all come from Soye's. The fact that she had considered every one of those points told me she had a real depth of knowledge about theater — unlike me. That's our Soye. So smart.
I had said so much in one go that nobody on our side had anything left to add, but looking from the Romeo and Juliet camp to our own, it was obvious how my argument — Soye's argument — had landed. It was outstanding. The persuasiveness was almost unfair.
Maybe that was why, even though this was supposed to be a debate, someone on the other side raised a hand without so much as attempting a rebuttal.
"Yes, go ahead."
"...Um, I think I've actually changed my mind to The Merchant of Venice. Is it okay if I switch sides?"
"There hasn't even been a rebuttal yet. Have you really changed your mind? You can take your time deciding."
"Ah... yes..."
Kim Haneul, perhaps wanting a more thorough judgment, kept the debate going for now.
But...
"We can distribute the roles well in Romeo and Juliet too!"
"But Romeo and Juliet is too focused on just two people — Romeo and Juliet. As a drama club, we should of course consider the difference between leads and supporting roles, but since this is our first play, we want as many members as possible to have a good opportunity."
"I also think the acting in Romeo and Juliet would be easier..."
"Romeo and Juliet has to end in tragedy. I'm not sure we can fully pull off the grief of not being able to accept the other person's death. Not unless the third-year seniors are in it. The Merchant of Venice, on the other hand, doesn't demand that kind of emotional acting."
"I think that kind of emotional acting is exactly what we need more of."
"I don't think the sets and props for Romeo and Juliet would be that hard either."
"Romeo and Juliet needs additional sets like a balcony and a tomb. Would that really be easier than The Merchant of Venice?"
"We have plenty of set pieces!"
"But The Merchant of Venice can be done with just the desks and chairs we already have. And we have stage sets for that too."
The Romeo and Juliet side kept trying, one-sidedly, to poke holes in The Merchant of Venice. And that kind of pattern usually only happened when one side already held an overwhelming advantage.
Eventually, I drew the sword one more time.
"If you really want to do Romeo and Juliet, I'd suggest saving it for the end of the first semester, once the first- and second-years' acting has come further along."
What I meant was this: we would be doing an original play in the second semester anyway, so let's leave it at that.
At those words, Lim Chorok — Soye's friend, who had been arguing hard for the other side — stood up from her seat.
"Um, I'd like to go with The Merchant of Venice."
Starting with Lim Chorok, a few more students switched sides, and in the end...
"Then the first play of Cheongyeon High School's twenty-third Drama Club will be The Merchant of Venice."
The Merchant of Venice was decided.
Once the decision was made and club time was over, Soye called out to me.
"Um, senior...!"
"Yeah, Soye."
"Thank you so much... for speaking for me...!"
Soye bowed her head deeply in gratitude, and I shook mine.
"Nah. If you hadn't written all that down, I would've just sat there."
"Even so... I'm really grateful..."
Watching Soye bow her head once more, I thought: Soye is truly kind. All I did was be her speaker. She's the one who did this. And she is still thanking me. She's just too good. Our Soye.
On a side note...
"Hey, Cha Jaeha."
"What."
"...That just now didn't come out of your own head, did it? You two looked like you were passing love notes earlier. You were the one being puppeted, weren't you?"
Kim Haneul had seen right through the whole thing. Man, his instincts were sharp. Annoyingly so. But this was actually a good opportunity.
"Yeah. It was Soye's idea. I was just the speaker."
"Yoon Soye, huh. I'll have to take another look at her~"
A chance to put Soye forward. A chance to recommend her to this club — to the future club president.