King of Dying Acting 116 - Masterpieces Require Sacrifice (6)
"Director Hong Ji-ho! From Sports Tomorrow!"
"Regarding the rumors about actor Kang Min...!"
"Broadway..."
"Do you know anything about his next project...!"
Recently, Hong Ji-ho, the director of Jiho Acting Academy, had been having quite a pleasant time.
It went without saying that this was thanks to the guy who had passed through the academy and was now making the most explosive moves of all—no agency to filter out the press, nothing.
As usual, after being chased by a few reporters and fleeing into the director's office, he rolled his shoulders with a crack and clicked his tongue.
"Whew, I don't think I've ever been this popular since retiring from acting. If we're judging by reporter sightings alone, it's practically my peak era again, right?"
"...Min's been dropping a line or two in interviews here and there, which has probably helped a lot. He goes around saying that if you hadn't forced him into that audition back then, he wouldn't be where he is today."
"Man, all I did was that one thing. The kid's got loyalty, I'll give him that."
Hong Ji-ho shrugged.
14 months since the King and Sovereign audition.
If counting from his full debut, just 10 months—
The time it took for a guy with absolutely nothing to come back from bare ground clutching an Emmy.
Hong Ji-ho had once been called a Hallyu star himself, but even so, this career trajectory was utterly mind-blowing.
At this point, forget what he'd done for the kid—no one could even claim they'd taught him without getting laughed out of the room.
"I was a bit worried he'd get shaken by winning such a huge award... but Must Die to Live proved that was needless concern."
"That guy's got mental steel from the start. You don't just endure seven years of mockery and brutal critiques without that kind of grit."
"Yes..."
The vice director, who had recently become something of an idol among the reporters on par with the director, hesitated for a moment.
Then his face darkened.
"Honestly, you could say that for yourself, Director, but I'm no one's benefactor to Min. You know how I was the one yelling at him to quit acting as soon as possible."
"Yeah, I did that too."
"You just let it slide and kept trying to help him somehow. Compared to that, I was the one hurling abuse at him whenever I saw him, telling him to stop wasting his life..."
The vice director trailed off, lowering his eyes.
Back then, he'd thought it was the right thing to do.
No—he'd believed it was absolutely necessary.
With the director leaving him to his own devices, it fell to him to stop this diligent kid from wasting any more time.
It had been arrogance.
If the director hadn't desperately held onto Kang Min when he wanted to quit and shoved him into that audition, this genius would have withered away unnoticed.
And even during that process, the vice director had disapproved and urged him to quit.
'......'
Chewing on his self-loathing as always, the vice director turned to his boss.
"...Director."
"Aigoo, that again? You wanna ruin some other kid's life too, so you're quitting?"
"......Yes."
"Listen up, Vice Director Yoo Myeong-woo. If you're that torn up about Min, go meet him and apologize first. Quit after if he's upset. That's the order of things."
"...Wouldn't an apology mean more after I've quit? To show sincerity."
Put himself in the kid's shoes, and even he'd be cursing up a storm. Who could forgive that? There was such a thing as basic decency.
Hong Ji-ho looked at the bowed vice director and let out a small sigh.
"Fine, we'll talk in a few days. If you're still thinking the same, I'll consider it."
"...Thank you."
"Yeah, go teach your class. You're next."
"Yes, sir."
Tricked again—
The vice director thought as he left the office, shoulders slumped. Hong Ji-ho seemed to think differently, but he had no confidence in changing his mind.
He was a senior actor before he was an instructor. And he'd nearly blocked a promising junior's path.
How could someone like that strut around teaching? He couldn't even face himself.
That was why the vice director had lately been avoiding eye contact with students from the podium.
"Yes, today we'll discuss theory."
"—?"
"──?"
"The debate on whether an actor's performance stems from emotion or physical action dates back to Denis Diderot in 1773—I've mentioned this before. What we commonly call method acting is more precisely an American formulation, stemming from Lee Strasberg's reinterpretation of Stanislavski at the Actors Studio..."
"—"
"──?"
As if sensing the vice director's lingering guilt, the lecture was unusually rowdy—not like him at all.
Whispers continued from various spots long after it started.
-No way...
-Is it real? For real?
-What, some event?
-Can't someone go talk to him?
-You do it!
-Jackpot...!
Of course, this attitude only made the vice director more deflated.
He bit his lip.
'Maybe... I was never cut out for this from the start...'
Still, he had to put a stop to this level of disruption. It was distracting those trying to learn.
Reluctantly, he raised his head to speak.
Or rather, he tried to.
And froze solid.
"......"
"......?"
The vice director finally understood.
No wonder it was rowdy.
No—this level of noise was actually proof of how incredibly patient the students at Jiho Acting Academy were.
The scene was that insane.
The vice director stared blankly at the young man diligently taking notes in the front row and asked.
"Uh, Min."
"Yes."
"...Why are you here?"
"Auditing."
"......"
Kang Min answered earnestly.
Unfortunately, it didn't really answer anything.
'Which one is right...'
No matter what the world chattered about, or even after returning from America, Kang Min's dilemma had always been the same.
The "righteous" acting method of directly manifesting his nightmares.
And the "demonic" method Aisling had taught him, focused solely on the audience's gaze.
His research had revealed pros and cons to each. Kang Min had carefully tried to discern their usefulness.
But in episode 13 of Must Die to Live, he hit a wall for the first time.
Upon receiving the script, Kang Min was struck by a Copernican shock.
'Kimchi...!'
'How the hell do I act out getting slapped with kimchi?!'
It wasn't his role. But that only made it more confusing.
Righteous method? No empathy there.
Kang Min, who had overcome countless nightmares, couldn't conjure one involving a kimchi slap.
Demonic method? No audience member had that memory either.
So what was the perfect way to act this scene?!
'Kuh...!'
Absurd scene or not, that only deepened the doubt.
Kang Min tried to find an answer himself, but it wasn't easy. And it fueled the inner demon of the King of Death Acting even more.
In the end, the only solution was to seek his long-time mentor for advice.
That was why Kang Min had come to his "sect" after much deliberation.
"Min oppa! Oppa! You didn't forget about me, right?!"
"Nah, Hwami. How'd the photoshoot go?"
"Perfect, of course!"
"Uh..."
"Long time, Suyeon. All good?"
"Yeah, no issues, hehe..."
"Um, excuse me, you're sure Bom unnie isn't coming with you...?"
"Yeah."
"F-For real, right...?"
"I said yes."
"Phew—senpai's the best! I cried when you won that award! So freaking cool! Congrats!!"
"?"
"Kyaaaa!!"
...Of course, from Director Hong Ji-ho's perspective as that mentor, it was just a madhouse.
40 minutes.
After staring blankly at the chaos for a while, Hong Ji-ho pushed through his old acquaintances and the starry-eyed students to sort things out.
Dispersing the disgruntled students, he dragged Kang Min and the vice director to a pub, half-slumped over as he pinched his brow.
A grumble was only natural.
"Sorry, Min, but... have you lost your mind a bit?"
"Didn't you say if I needed help, I could bring a gift and audit anytime? Vice Director's lecture was on that topic too."
"That was a figure of speech! I meant grab drinks and chat! You got time for sitting in class right now?!"
"Bom audits all the time."
"That was an excuse!"
"Excuse?"
"...Never mind."
Hong Ji-ho let out a long sigh as he accepted a very practical-looking tool set gift.
But inwardly, he couldn't help but nod.
'Well, that's Kang Min for you.'
Stubbornly pushing for seven years despite everyone's ridicule and "no way,"
tossing aside face or pride in the process,
even brushing off a pitiful vixen blatantly scheming beside him with "anyway, she's like a sister"—a bull through and through.
Fortune or misfortune, his essence hadn't changed amid the last year's insane antics.
'Feels more like misfortune, though...'
And while the director sighed, the vice director's face remained stiff.
He'd already prepared a sincere apology in every way, and now he hesitated.
With no other choice, he finally bowed his head empty-handed.
"Min."
"Yes."
"Sorry about the past."
"...? The past?"
"I nearly ruined your future. Couldn't recognize talent way better than mine, told you you had no right to act, that you'd live mediocre forever."
"......"
"I'm truly sorry."
The vice director closed his eyes. He was ready for whatever came back.
Hong Ji-ho read the mood this time and stayed silent.
A brief silence fell.
Kang Min shrugged moments later.
"No idea what you're talking about."
"...!"
"Anyway, if you owe me anything, could you hear me out on some advice?"
If there was any difference in perspective, it was that Kang Min held no grudge against the vice director.
If anything, back during King and Sovereign, he'd died dozens of times per shoot regretting, 'Why didn't I listen to the vice director sooner...!' Why hold a grudge against someone like that?
'A fine adult.'
Meanwhile, Vice Director Yoo Myeong-woo teared up, deeply moved.
'Kuh, beyond forgiveness, to consider me like this!'
One side brushed it off as something good no matter what, the other swelled with emotion—warming the room instantly. Even Hong Ji-ho was touched.
...Until the consultation that followed soured it right away.
Hearing the question, Hong Ji-ho gaped before pinching his brow again.
"Uh, Min?"
"Yes."
"Normal actors can't distinguish and use two methods. Even I couldn't."
"Hmm..."
"Honestly, not sure I have advice for you."
Method acting.
Narrative or theatrical acting.
Commonly, the former was seen as acting's pinnacle, but the latter wasn't inferior.
In Marathon Man, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier both shone.
But Hoffman, running the set pre-shoot to immerse, couldn't understand Olivier resting calmly; Olivier mocked Hoffman for loosening up right before.
Both legends meant no single right answer.
Ultimately, Hong Ji-ho could only offer basics.
"My take? Use both. Directors know movies, PDs know dramas. Show both and pick what looks best each time."
"That's what I'm doing."
"Then what's the problem?"
"...There isn't one."
Kang Min smacked his lips.
Yeah. No real problem.
Shoots weren't suffering.
But Broadway had been intense. That experience gave him conviction.
'If I grasp it—if I grasp this, I can take another step...'
Vague.
Even the direction was vague.
True Death Acting: making himself believe he's dying, or others believe it?
No way to combine them?
Where did naturally slapping with kimchi fit?
For Kang Min, who'd only avoided and exploited nightmares till now, this was his first true quandary.
Like a swordsman swayed by talent hitting the absolute peak wall, seeking true enlightenment.
But to Hong Ji-ho, it was gut-wrenching.
"No, f***, that kimchi was s*** from the start...!"
"How can you say that, Director!"
"?"
"Min's agonizing over it!"
But only Hong Ji-ho felt that way.
The vice director, overcome with emotion and booze blurring his reason, slammed the table and shot up.
Kang Min had forgiven the man who'd nearly wrecked his life. And he was still agonizing.
Then the forgiven one's duty was obvious!
He grabbed Kang Min's hand with bulging eyes.
"Min, I'll help! I'm a Theater major linked to Lee Strasberg! It'll definitely help!"
"Vice Director...!"
Unfortunately, Kang Min had booze in him too.
He grabbed and shook the vice director's hand, even more deeply moved.
"You sure? You're busy!"
"After you showed me this much consideration, how could I hesitate! Director!"
"Huh? Uh..."
"I'll take leave for a bit! Approve it!"
"Uh..."
"I believed in you, Vice Director...! A true man after all!"
"Kuh, what are you saying! Can't compare to you!"
"Hahaha!"
"Uhahaha!"
"......"
The manly duo looked ready to swear blood brotherhood under the blossoms.
Giving up on damage control, Hong Ji-ho sighed long and downed his beer.
They'd sober up and snap out of it—something like that.
As always, a very short-lived thought.
Four days later,
"Director Hong Ji-ho! From Entertainment Today! Do you know anything about actor Kang Min quietly shopping for an agency lately?"
"No."
"Even with Vice Director Yoo Myeong-woo mobilizing connections from Theatre Guild—the method's origin—Actors Studio, even Moscow Art Theatre?!"
"...No."
"What do you think of rumors that Hollywood agencies like UTA, WME, CAA are showing interest?!"
"......News to me."
"Is the rumor true you're turning Jiho Acting Academy into Jiho Management?! What will you tell the students?!"
"Who the hell's spouting that crap!!"
As always, anything Kang Min-related spiraled into chaos.
But the real mess started with a certain decision from those fancy overseas agencies.
"Preparations are perfect."
The WME agent, successful in scouting countless Hollywood actors, adjusted his glasses calmly.
"To snag Kang, we need a Korean agent as a bridge. They call 'em managers there."
"Good. Anyone worthwhile?"
"Two in mind. Both handle big-name actresses, stellar careers, and most importantly, known to get as dirty as needed."
"Ho, reliable."
The boss nodded, flipping documents.
Chuyeonji.
And Seon-yul—
The papers he stroked his chin over listed names of actress friends that looked familiar.