Chapter 5
Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Isn't This Level of Acting Something Anyone Can Do?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Isn't this level of acting something anyone can do?
In my past life as an actor, I'd immersed myself in method acting quite a few times.
Sure, I'd only ever played supporting roles, but as a full-fledged professional actor, I'd thrown myself wholeheartedly into my characters plenty of times.
But even so,
my performances never really caught people's attention.
I blended naturally into the story as a supporting player, but the consensus was that I couldn't deliver any real impact.
Whether that was because my skills were lacking,
or because of my vaguely forgettable looks—something I heard often as an actor—
or maybe my height in the mid-160s, I'd never know for sure.
I knew my appearance wasn't much to look at.
It would've been better if I'd had a pitiful vibe or a face that made people laugh just by looking at it.
No, mine was just an utterly ordinary look with no distinct personality.
Whatever the reason,
this insurmountable wall had been an enormous source of pain in my past life as an actor.
In this cutthroat world, my evaluation was always just "supporting actor No. 1."
Nothing more.
To overcome it, I'd put in bone-grinding effort, even considering going under the knife.
But no matter how much I honed my skills, my treatment stayed the same.
Plastic surgery was out from the start—my bone structure made it impossible.
Despite thrashing with all my might, the supporting actor life only made me feel more cruelly the fact that I could never escape.
And so, a wall you can't overcome no matter how hard you try will eventually break you.
Repeated frustrations and failures.
Growing despair and self-loathing along the way.
If it hadn't been for Plea, I really would've ended it all back then,
and that's also why, in this life, I'd personally stayed out of the industry.
There was no reason to flail against another unbreakable wall when my limits were so clear.
I was someone who didn't fit as an actor from the start.
Even so, the reason I'd kept practicing was solely for my daughter's future—
to help her even a little when she became a singer and an actress someday.
That's what I'd thought.
Until this moment today,
the first time in my life anyone had asked me to play a lead role.
"So, um, Seon-hwa's mom..."
"It's Soo-jeong. Chae Soo-jeong."
"Ah, yes, Ms. Chae Soo-jeong. Have you ever acted before?"
I couldn't exactly say "about twenty years," not at my current age of twenty-four, so I answered "honestly" based on this life.
"No, just some hobby practice. Never professionally."
"Th-that's... impossible! How could you act like that then..."
"PD Seo, calm down!"
"A... uh... my apologies."
Seo Ji-tae, the PD in the suit, shut his mouth with an apology at the woman's words.
Lee Dong-cheol PD gave a wry smile, then turned serious again as he spoke to me.
"Impressive. I've never heard anything about you before, Ms. Soo-jeong. But then... someone with that kind of genius talent would've been impossible for us to miss if they'd debuted."
Genius? Who, me?
Hearing "genius" for the first time in my life, I blinked in a daze.
Was I hearing things?
I'd assumed they meant my daughter, but no—it was directed at me.
The words that followed confirmed my ears were working fine.
"Let me ask once more. Ms. Chae Soo-jeong, could you take the lead role in our next project?"
"I beg you as well. We'll meet any conditions you want."
No way—even if the station was desperate, PDs wouldn't say this to someone like me. Was this some multi-level scam?
Of course Lee Dong-cheol PD wouldn't pull something like that, but the situation still felt utterly unreal to me.
I'd already evaluated myself brutally after twenty years in my past life.
A bland actor who could never escape supporting roles.
But right now, at this reset point in my career,
those words were ringing in my ears.
An offer to take the lead role.
Something I'd strained for twenty years and never heard,
a request that almost felt like they were toying with me.
"The lead role out of nowhere... Is it even possible to cast someone who's not even a rookie straight into the lead?"
"It's fine. The project's concept fits perfectly, so being a total newcomer is actually better. And with the acting you just showed, it'd more than cover it."
"...It wasn't that impressive. Just average-level acting. Any seasoned actor could do it, right?"
"Yes...?"
I meant it sincerely.
But Lee Dong-cheol PD started giving me a look like "What on earth is this woman saying?"
"N-no, not at all."
"I've seen plenty of actors as a drama PD. But acting that impressive, that grips the atmosphere so intensely? I can count them on one hand."
"I agree completely. Don't undervalue yourself."
What? No way.
I've got twenty years under my belt—I know all the people way better than me, stacked up high.
But seeing my confusion, they pleaded earnestly once more.
"Please, one more time. We'll match the signing bonus and any conditions, so star as the lead in my project!"
"We beg you!"
Lee Dong-cheol PD and the other two were practically bowing.
I thought, "Does this guy really have no eye for acting?" and started rethinking my past-life impression of him as a "competent, cool-headed genius PD."
However.
'The lead role? Really... for me?'
Separate from that, the opportunity right in front of me shimmered.
The dream and goal of my past life tempting me intensely in this situation.
I began seriously considering the offer.
A woman with mysterious purple eyes that gleamed sharply.
Chae Soo-jeong.
The more they talked with her, the more Lee Dong-cheol PD and the others felt an uncanny, chilling sensation.
It wasn't unpleasant.
The root was pure awe and excitement boiling over.
A woman with jaw-dropping acting talent.
And her face was beautiful enough to make most celebrities they'd seen look plain.
Plus that overwhelming aura.
A magnetic force that seized their gazes, no matter how unimpressive the looks.
And yet, she claimed zero acting experience—something they could hardly believe—which led them all to the same thought.
'Jackpot. We have to snag her!'
'This is the lottery number my ancestors sent...'
'Life's full of twists—my luck's been trash lately, and now this windfall...'
A celebrity's value skyrockets exponentially with fame.
One big-name singer costs dozens or hundreds of times more than a hundred unknowns.
If she blew up, she'd eclipse stocks or lottery wins—that's a celebrity for you.
In that sense, a talented unknown was a treasure chest in the mud.
Especially for them, seasoned in spotting celebs, her value felt crystal clear and massive.
Her ID showed she was twenty-four.
That skill at an age younger than even the junior writer meant limitless potential.
Let her slip away to someone else? They'd have no grounds to complain if they quit on the spot.
But...
"It wasn't that impressive. Just average-level acting. Any seasoned actor could do it, right?"
Her follow-up words,
delivered with 100% pure sincerity, no pretense,
took the breath away from the already hyped trio.
'No... impossible.'
'Humanity's acting hasn't evolved that far!'
'If this is average, a ton of actors need to pack their bags.'
Sure, plenty of actors could do method acting.
But with that stunning looks and aura, pulling such depth in mere seconds? Almost unheard of.
Especially the perfect eye lines accounting for the camera,
natural gestures without direction,
breathing timed to heighten immersion,
and that single, perfectly natural tear at the end.
Every meticulous movement oozed deep acting mastery no average pro could touch.
It even had the polish of someone with at least twenty years of grinding.
To treat that as "nothing special" sincerely meant her talent was insane.
One word fit her.
'Genius...'
A heaven-sent prodigy.
Reaching heights others slaved decades for—with a hobby snap.
A monster.
Shivering at the realization again,
Lee Dong-cheol PD subtly signaled the junior writer beside him.
The mom... Chae Soo-jeong was still mulling it over.
Even a generous signing bonus wasn't swaying her much.
How to turn her heart for sure in this situation?
Simple: Dangle what she wants.
They'd sealed countless deals.
Initial excitement from the jackpot fading, they'd regained cool heads and knew their play.
"Of course, it's not just you, ma'am. Your daughter has real talent too, so we'll cast her in the next project as well."
"!"
Her eyes changed the instant her daughter came up.
And so did the trio's, gleaming in unison.