Chapter 256
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: The Practical Exam
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The waiting room for the Mirinae Arts High School practical exam.
The students assigned to the last time slot began to trickle in. Guardians weren't allowed inside, so adults could be seen at the door, fussing over their nervous children.
"I'm over here!"
"You're early?"
Since the chairs weren't numbered, friends gathered together.
Some students read over their scripts, their anxiety palpable, while others chatted in low voices to ease their tension.
"I wonder if we'll be testing with Lee Seojun?"
"Right? There haven't been any sightings of him posted online, have there?"
"Nope. None of the kids in the earlier slots saw him either."
"Then he must be in our time slot."
One of the students let out a soft sigh.
"I just hope he's not right before me."
At those words, a boy sitting directly behind the two students flinched.
"Why's that?"
"If the person before you is really good, they leave a strong impression."
"That's true."
The other students in the waiting room couldn't help but overhear the conversation.
"Imagine how impressive Seojun's acting would be. The person right after him probably wouldn't get a good score even if they did well."
"...You really think so?"
"Even if the teachers say they'll judge objectively, it's impossible for it to have zero influence."
The male student sitting behind the two sighed inwardly.
Exam number 541, Woo Jaehyuk.
Three years ago, his exam number had been 275, right after Lee Seojun, who was number 274.
After the practical exam, Lee Seojun had gotten into Yeoul Arts Middle School and even filmed the incredible movie *Yeok (Reverse)*. Woo Jaehyuk, on the other hand, had failed to get in and ended up at a regular middle school.
'Of course, it wasn't Seojun's fault, but…'
It would be a lie to say there wasn't a corner of his heart that held some resentment.
*Why did he have to apply to the same school? Why did we have to test on the same day? Why did he have to be right before me?*
But that resentment soon vanished.
It was after the videos of the successful Yeoul Arts Middle School applicants were uploaded to N-tube.
Even Woo Jaehyuk, whose resentment had been building, watched in a daze.
If he was this stunned, how shocked must the teachers who saw it in person have been? Even Jaehyuk had to admit that no matter how well the next kid performed, they would inevitably be compared.
Moreover, after entering middle school and auditioning for various projects, he came to a realization.
Even in auditions for small plays, there were child actors more talented than him. And even among those talented actors, some were rejected.
Only then did Woo Jaehyuk realize the brutal nature of the world he was in.
This was that kind of world.
The person auditioning right before you could be an Oscar-winning actor, and a competitor could be a Cannes Film Festival awardee.
'...Not that actors like that would actually audition, of course.'
Thinking of the one exception to the rule, top actor Lee Seojun, Woo Jaehyuk let out a dry laugh. If it weren't for an entrance exam, he probably would never have the chance to audition alongside him.
That just went to show how formidable the competition was.
A world full of people with skills far greater than his own.
That was why Woo Jaehyuk decided to push himself even harder.
'I won't be outshone, even if my opponent is Lee Seojun!'
Despite his resolve, as the application period for Mirinae Arts High began, Woo Jaehyuk found himself fervently praying.
'I'm not at that level yet, so please, let Seojun be after me!'
He had submitted his application on the very first day, never dreaming they would randomize the order for the practical exam.
'The probability of Seojun being one of the twenty people before me is higher than him being the one person after me, right?'
Still, it was unlikely he would be directly before him again, like at Yeoul Arts Middle School.
'...Right?'
Just as Jaehyuk was trying to force himself to read the script that his anxiousness made illegible, the door to the waiting room opened.
"I'll be waiting in the car. Call me when you're done."
"Okay, Daho hyung."
The voice of a man who seemed to be a guardian was followed by a familiar one. It was similar to what they heard through media, yet different. The students in the waiting room looked up.
"Whoa. Lee Seojun!"
It was Lee Seojun.
At the appearance of a real-life star, not only the kids who were seeing him for the first time but also Woo Jaehyuk, who was seeing him for the second time in three years, stood with his mouth agape. Seojun, smiling warmly at the children's dazed reactions, sat down in an empty chair.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
One of the students near Seojun bravely spoke to him. *Ooh!* The other kids' eyes sparkled.
"Can I ask what your exam number is?"
Seojun tilted his head and answered.
"? It's 542."
"! Oh, I see! Thanks! Ah, go back to what you were reading!"
"? Okay."
Number 542!
'He's last!'
Woo Jaehyuk and the other students let out a collective sigh of relief. Then, almost immediately, they all took out their phones.
<Lee Seojun is here!>
Sightings of Lee Seojun began to pop up online.
***
"Good afternoon! I'm number 541, Woo Jaehyuk!"
As the practical exams drew to a close, the teachers mustered their remaining energy.
Honestly, number 542, Lee Seojun, was as good as accepted, so this student, number 541, was the last true test.
A first-year teacher smiled gently at the visibly tense Woo Jaehyuk and spoke.
"Please introduce yourself and then begin your free acting piece."
"Yes!"
Jaehyuk eased his nerves during his self-introduction and prepared for his performance.
'My score probably won't be entirely unaffected by Lee Seojun.'
Looking at the recording camera, Jaehyuk took a deep breath in and out.
The teachers nodded as they watched Woo Jaehyuk perform a character from a youth play. They hadn't expected much, as he didn't have many credits, but he was doing very well. For a moment, the teachers even forgot to score him as they watched his performance.
"Thank you!"
Having given it his all, Woo Jaehyuk bowed deeply and left the exam room. The teachers then put on serious expressions and graded him.
"Come to think of it, almost no one performed characters that Lee Seojun has played."
"I guess they all figured it out."
If you watched the N-tube videos of the kids who got into Yeoul Arts Middle School three years ago, you'd notice that, strangely, none of them had performed the same characters as Lee Seojun.
"When a perfect answer already exists, any other performance is bound to look lacking."
'So the kids who still performed those roles were either just stubborn or had no discerning eye.'
Judging by their skills, it seemed to be both.
The teachers shook their heads, recalling the applicants who had attempted to play King Danjong and Go Joowon.
"Even if it's a different interpretation, unless it's on par with 'Lee Seojun's performance,' it's hard to get a decent score."
And now, it was the turn of Lee Seojun, the one who could be called the perfect answer.
***
"Number 542. You may enter."
"Yes."
Seojun stepped into the exam room. The teachers, who had relaxed a bit after grading the last student, instinctively straightened their postures at the sight of him.
They tried to keep their faces stern, not wanting to show their anticipation, but their eyes were sparkling. They looked less like judges and more like an audience waiting for a two-minute play to begin.
"Hello. I am number 542, Lee Seojun."
He was the final applicant for Mirinae Arts High, and a surefire acceptance, as the teachers, Seojun himself, the other applicants, and everyone else expected.
"Please introduce yourself and then begin your free acting piece."
The second-year teacher said with a bright smile. It was a smile so radiant it seemed to have erased all the fatigue from the morning and afternoon judging sessions. The other two teachers were no different.
"Yes."
Seojun nodded and began his self-introduction. It was a little longer than his one for Yeoul Arts Middle School. The content about loving acting and wanting to continue working hard on projects was similar, but the list of awards he'd received and projects he'd been in had grown.
As the titles of works and awards flowed from Seojun's lips, the three teachers almost applauded. It was hard to believe this was the resume of a mere sixteen-year-old.
"I will now begin my free acting piece."
At Seojun's words, the teachers swallowed hard.
Would it be a tense performance like his Yeoul Arts Middle School exam, or a chilling villain portrayal like Jin Natra from *Shadowman*? All three held their breath, their eyes fixed on Seojun.
His healthy complexion instantly turned pale.
His trembling eyes stared at someone, his lips pulled into a strained smile in an effort to appear normal. But inside, he was burning up. The boy spoke with difficulty.
"...You like Yoon Seonwoo, don't you?"
The boy was careful to keep his voice from shaking.
Watching the girl flinch in surprise, the boy clenched and unclenched his fists. His palms were slick with cold sweat. He clasped his hands tightly together. He absolutely could not let the girl standing before him notice.
"No."
Her voice was firm.
"Yujeong, you like Yoon Seonwoo."
The boy looked at the surprised Na Yujeong with warm, yet wounded, eyes.
"When Yoon Seonwoo is happy, you're happy, right? When he's sad, you're sad too. When he holds your hand, your heart beats so fast it feels like it'll break, and when he turns his back, it feels like your heart is being torn apart, doesn't it?"
He could almost see Na Yujeong's face, her expression asking, *how did you know that?*
The boy's smile, the one he always saved just for Na Yujeong, finally crumbled.
How could she not realize, even after he'd said all this? It just showed how completely her attention was focused on Yoon Seonwoo.
A pain that felt like his heart was being squeezed shot through him. The boy forced the words out, never forgetting the smile he always wore for the girl.
Her dependable friend, the same as always, spoke.
"Go now. Yoon Seonwoo should still be at the airport."
The boy's gaze followed the back of the girl as she thanked him and ran off. He didn't even blink as her retreating figure became a faint dot in the distance.
His vision blurred.
The pain and sadness he had held back for so long finally burst forth.
"...Because I'm the same."
His jaw trembled as he uttered that single phrase. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks. Only after Na Yujeong was gone did he finally let out the feelings he had hidden away.
He confessed where no one could hear.
"...When you smile, my whole day is bright. When you're sad, my whole day is sad, and when you're happy, my whole day is happy. When you hold my hand, my heart beats so fast it feels like it'll break, and when you turn your back, it feels like my heart is being trampled."
The boy clutched at his chest. The numerous wrinkles forming on his shirt seemed to make his pain visible.
"Even now, even now, it hurts so much I could die."
Time seemed to stand still.
Even breathing was painful. So many times, he had wanted to hold her back. So many times, he had wanted to confess. But he hadn't.
"I never intended to be greedy..."
Yoon Seonwoo liked Na Yujeong too, so if he just gave up, it would be a happy ending.
The boy was content as long as Na Yujeong was happy.
"So... just once. Just this once."
As tears fell, the boy remembered.
That brilliant, radiant smile.
The smile that made the whole world seem beautiful, the one he could never look away from for even a second.
The smile Na Yujeong gave to Yoon Seonwoo.
"Smile at me like that, too."
A tear traced a path down his pale cheek, falling from his chin to the floor.
***
"Thank you."
His face back to its healthy color, Seojun wiped his tears with a tissue he had prepared. In an instant, the boy who had given up his love for the happiness of the one he cherished was gone, replaced by an ordinary boy who had come for an exam.
'He's not an ordinary boy, though.'
The three teachers, who had been watching in a daze from his very first word, slowly came back to their senses.
"Ah, yes. You did well. You may leave."
As the three teachers watched Seojun's back while he bowed and exited the exam room, they all had the exact same thought.
'He doesn't actually have someone he likes, does he?!'