Chapter 265
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 265
Chapter Title: The Critic's Review
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After finishing filming his movie review, the Film Critic settled in front of his television.
He usually watched his favorite movies or dramas during his downtime, and to experience them in the best possible condition, he used top-of-the-line television and speakers. Aside from his N-tube filming equipment, they were the most expensive items in his house.
The Film Critic, now settled before the large television, placed the still-unread novel 'Mirror' beside him. Being well-versed in all sorts of information, there was no way the Film Critic hadn't seen the reviews for the Yeoul Arts Middle School graduation performance.
“Hasn't it hit 5 yet?”
He checked the clock. Only a few minutes remained until five.
Sitting on the sofa, the Film Critic browsed his frequently visited sites to kill time.
From sites where film industry professionals posted, to general movie sites, forums for up-and-coming creators, foreign film sites, theater-related sites, drama-related sites, and even large online communities.
All of them were filled with posts anticipating Seojun's play.
Occasionally, there were posts from people sad they couldn't watch because of work, and many others who said they would sneak a peek while on the job. One post even mentioned a rather friendly company that was going to watch it on the conference room screen.
The real-time search rankings were already dominated by ‘Lee Seojun’ and the play ‘Mirror,’ and articles were pouring in.
If an ordinary play had generated this much buzz, it would have been considered a massive event, but…
“Hmm. Peaceful.”
When ‘Lee Seojun’ was the topic, this level of excitement was only natural.
Seeing no other major news, the Film Critic turned off his phone.
“Oh, my. It’s already five.”
Those few moments had passed in a flash.
The Film Critic quickly accessed N-tube on his television and went to the [Yeoul Arts Middle School] channel he had already subscribed to. He looked at the video at the very top of the list.
[Yeoul Arts Middle School Graduation Performance, Team 7’s Play ‘Mirror’]
Although it had only been a short while since Yeoul Arts Middle School uploaded it at 5 o'clock, the view count was terrifying.
Even for the Film Critic, who, after more than a decade of reviewing movies, thought he had seen every surprising thing N-tube had to offer, the number was shocking. But then again…
“Well, it’s Lee Seojun.”
It made sense for a superstar with fans not just in Korea but all over the world.
“Ah, right. This is no time to be doing this.”
A professional hazard, perhaps. The Film Critic, who had been marveling at the view count, snapped back to reality and pressed the play button.
A stage with a closed curtain filled the television screen.
The play ‘Mirror’ began with a silence thick with anticipation.
[Next up is a stage performance by third-year acting students Lee Seojun, Yang Juhee, Park Siyoung, and Jeon Sungmin, third-year music student Kim Chaeyeon… and first-year art student Park Minhyung. This play is based on the novel ‘Mirror.’ Please give them a round of applause.]
The sound of applause followed.
“The sound quality is good, too. Is this the Yeoul Arts Middle School effect?”
He had expected the sound quality to be lacking since it was a school play, but it exceeded his expectations. With a satisfied expression, the Film Critic watched the screen.
The curtain rose, revealing the entire stage.
A light came on, illuminating the left side of the stage. It was a hospital lobby, a familiar sight that could be found anywhere.
A nurse came out and answered a phone. Her voice was inaudible.
The Film Critic leaned forward.
‘Seojun wouldn't have included a scene like this for no reason.’
But he couldn’t figure out why. The Film Critic’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the television.
A woman in a light-blue striped shirt appeared. The nurse smiled and informed her that a patient was there.
The camera, which had been closing up on the nurse and doctor, shifted to show the entire stage.
The left side of the stage, previously shrouded in darkness, was now lit up. It was a consultation room. Someone was sitting inside.
The psychiatrist’s name was Jeong Chaewon.
The patient’s name was Kim Jinwoo.
After briefly glancing at the stethoscope around Jeong Chaewon’s neck, the Film Critic was quickly drawn into the play.
He was stunned when the dual personality emerged, and a chill ran down his spine at the explanation of how the other personality was discovered.
Kim Jinwoo’s expression, seen up close through the camera in a way that wasn’t possible in a live theater, clearly showed his terror. His jaw and lips trembled, and his eyes blinked rapidly. His face contorted as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.
The Film Critic couldn't take his eyes off one thing in particular—the precarious look in Kim Jinwoo's eyes. He unknowingly clasped his hands together. Having already forgotten the ‘inaudible voice’ from the very beginning of the play, he became completely engrossed.
The stage went dark, then lit up again. Kim Jinwoo rushed in. His shirt had turned gray, and his disheveled appearance caught the eye.
-That bastard knew!!
Listening to the dialogue between the unstable Kim Jinwoo and the calm Jeong Chaewon, the Film Critic swallowed hard. He felt his tightly clenched hands grow damp and wiped them on his pants.
And once again, the stage lights went out.
From that point on, the Film Critic could only stare at the television, completely captivated.
At first, the screen showed only Kim Jinwoo sitting in the lobby. The camera, which had been focused on the motionless Kim Jinwoo under a stark white light, panned past his bowed head and followed the shadow that appeared on the floor. The shadow, stretching in a straight line, met the hospital lobby wall and expanded in size.
The camera, which had closed in on the large shadow, slowly pulled back. As the shadow shrank, Kim Jinwoo, bathed in the white light, appeared at the edge of the screen. Yet the shadow was still large, and Kim Jinwoo was small.
It was then.
As the two personalities manifested outwardly, Kim Jinwoo’s body began to twitch. When Kim Jinwoo’s finger moved, the finger of the shadow moved. When Kim Jinwoo’s arm moved, the shadow’s arm moved.
The more Kim Jinwoo struggled, the more the large shadow behind him flickered with him. It seemed as though the two unseen personalities had revealed themselves and were fighting fiercely, but at the same time, it felt like watching Kim Jinwoo’s desperate situation, unable to escape no matter how hard he tried.
‘That is the relationship between a body and its shadow, after all.’
And then the situation changed rapidly. Two men appeared and started talking, and a detective suddenly struck Kim Jinwoo across the face. Kim Jinwoo fell, Jeong Chaewon shouted, and Dr. Oh Jeonghwan explained.
Thwack! Her wrist was caught.
-You found me out, huh?
The Film Critic flinched at the close-up of the second personality's face.
The second personality was smiling.
As if amused. As if regretful. The bloodless face was like white porcelain. It didn't seem human. The jet-black pupils glistened like beads.
Unlike the audience members whose gazes were slightly averted, Director Woo Jeonghan’s front-facing camera captured Seojun’s face in its entirety.
Thanks to that professional dedication, the Film Critic, who made direct eye contact with the second personality, felt a shiver run down his spine. Jeong Chaewon's tightly gripped wrist felt like his own.
After that, events unfolded quickly.
A terrified Jeong Chaewon threw the water from her teacup at the second personality, and the nurse, doctor, and detective checked on him. The doctor and detective led the second personality away to the edge of the stage, while Jeong Chaewon watched them, dazed.
As he watched the rapidly developing situation in a trance, the nurse’s voice pierced the Film Critic's ears.
-Yes. Yes. His aggressive tendencies are too strong, so I think he needs to be admitted.
The moment the curtain fell, as if struck by lightning, the Film Critic snatched the book he had placed beside him.
[Mirror]
The Film Critic had never dreamed that the ordinary cover, depicting a woman looking into a mirror, would ever strike him so profoundly.
* * *
[Title: For Today Only! A Review of the Play ‘Mirror’!]
“Hello. This is the Film—no, the Theater Critic!”
-lol The Theater Critic lol
-Are you making another persona now?
The Film Critic chuckled at the viewers’ laughter.
“No, this is just a special for today. The reason I started a movie review channel is because I love analyzing the messages hidden within films, what are commonly called foreshadowing or clues. But as I watched the play ‘Mirror,’ I saw clues everywhere and just couldn't resist.”
-Theater Critic, how many times have you watched Mirror?
-I went play-novel-play-novel-play-play…
-^Same. I've been watching it on repeat.
“I’ve been watching the play and reading the book back and forth since 5 PM yesterday. It's a good thing I pre-recorded yesterday's video, or I would have had to skip today's broadcast.”
-It's only been a day since Mirror was uploaded, but the reviews are insane.
-Yeah, analysis posts are popping up everywhere.
-The analyses are so fun! I've been reading them since yesterday lol
-It's not like a movie where you have to go to a theater, and it's short, so a lot of people have probably seen it.
-^Right? The view count is crazy.
-^^^It's like every single person in Korea has watched it.
-Did N-tube not crash? lol
The last comment made the Film Critic and the viewers burst out laughing. Before the review officially began, the Film Critic and the viewers chatted about various things.
“I heard through the grapevine that actor Lee Seojun did the adaptation and the stage direction himself.”
-Oh. As expected of Lee Seojun!!
-His acting was incredible.
-^For real. It wasn't even a horror movie, but I got chills.
-The part where the two egos were fighting was insane.
-Because he was Jin Natra, I guess he uses shadows in plays now too lol
The Jin Natra joke made the Film Critic and the viewers burst out laughing.
“But the fight between the two personalities really was that incredible. Since it was a play, they couldn't use any special CG, so if the shadow's movements were actor Lee Seojun's intention, it's truly amazing.”
-It was definitely just a shadow cast by light, but it really looked like it was fighting Kim Jinwoo.
-Amazing. Lee Seojun.
“There will probably be some differences for those who saw the play live. The advantage of video is that you can extend scenes and edit from multiple perspectives. To emphasize an impressive scene, they likely edited several shots together to make it longer. The scene of the two personalities fighting was probably shorter in the actual play than in the video.”
-Still, a live play has a feeling that… touches your skin, you know?
-Video feels like it's passed through a filter.
-I want to see that scene in person!!
The Film Critic nodded with a regretful look.
“I feel the same way. Still, we got such an amazing video because three talented directors worked on it. If it weren't for them…”
The Film Critic shook his head.
-True, until last year, the videos of Yeoul Arts Middle School performances were just okay, pretty standard.
-^Right? This year’s videos are all amazing. The other students’ plays are fun too.
“Yes. I watched them while taking a short break, and they all did a great job.”
After chatting a bit about Team 6, the Film Critic checked the number of live viewers and the time before speaking.
“Alright, let’s begin the review. I plan to cover both the novel and the play, but I'll start with ‘Mirror,’ the play. The setting is a psychiatric hospital. Kim Jinwoo comes to see a doctor. His initial appearance is neat and gentle, so I was fooled too.”
-^Same here. He was trembling so much, I felt sorry for him.
-His acting was so good that I got scared along with him.
-The kid seemed so nice lol
-Who knew he was Kim-Fake!
The Film Critic smiled.
Though it had only been a day since its release, the two Kim Jinwoos—that is, the original personality and the second personality—had already been given new names.
“Yes. For convenience, let's call the original personality Kim-Real and the second personality Kim-Fake.”
-lol Whoever came up with that is a genius lol
-Kim-Real, Kim-Fake. They roll right off the tongue lol
“As you watch the play, you'll find several clues, but the easiest to spot was the color of the clothes Kim Jinwoo was wearing. The white, gray, and black clothes made you think that Kim-Real was gradually being tainted by Kim-Fake.”
-But that wasn't it.
-Kim-Fake. His acting was too good ;;;
-Once you know Kim-Fake is acting, every single line is chilling.
-^For real. ‘That bastard,’ ‘this thing.’ He was referring to himself the whole time.
“He probably saw Kim-Real go to Dr. Oh Jeonghwan for help six months ago from inside his mind and copied him exactly. And it was probably Kim-Fake who smiled at the camera on the CCTV.”
-Chills ;;; How can he act to that extent?
-Messing up his hair and wailing, that was all an act too…!
-But since Seojun was the one acting, we all fell for it lol T_T
-^Same. He was so good I got scared.
-I trusted him…! Kim-Fake!
“Actor Lee Seojun’s performance was brilliant. When Dr. Oh Jeonghwan appeared and explained things, even I was thinking, ‘No way.’ But the truth was cruel. And just like that, the second personality, Kim-Fake, revealed his true self.”
-??? : You found me out, huh?
-I made eye contact and got scared!
“While analyzing the play, I was amazed by actor Lee Seojun’s directing. A play has an audience in front of the stage. Unless it’s an audience-participation play, you have to act while excluding the audience as much as possible, but you can't ignore them completely. That's why stage actors speak while looking towards the audience, and props are placed facing them.”
Taking a sip of water, the Film Critic continued.
“In that situation, the blocking must also be planned so the audience can see clearly. The path Jeong Chaewon took to move to the side of Kim-Fake after he was hit by the detective was probably all planned.”
The Film Critic displayed something on his monitor and pointed to the ‘>’ symbol.
“This symbol indicates the direction of their gaze.”
[Audience (>) - Jeong Chaewon (>) - Kim-Fake (<)]
“Kim-Fake, having grabbed Jeong Chaewon’s wrist, lifts his head. From this angle, the audience can clearly see Kim-Fake’s face. Jeong Chaewon moving slightly to the side was likely for that effect as well. It was to show not just Jeong Chaewon, but also the audience, the drastic change in his expression as he transformed into Kim-Fake.”
-Seojun is the best!
-Lee Seojun!! Lee Seojun!!
The Film Critic couldn't help but laugh at the rapidly scrolling chat.
“After that, the situation changes quickly. Jeong Chaewon attacks Kim-Fake, and the doctor, detective, and even the nurse surround Kim-Fake as if to protect Jeong Chaewon. Soon, Kim-Fake is led away by them, and the play ends with the nurse’s final words, leaving a slight sense of unease.”
-Jeong Chaewon, who punished the criminal, is the best!
-…There was a time when I thought that.
-I can't believe Jeong Chaewon would betray us like that…!
“Me too. When I was watching the play, I thought Kim Jinwoo was the protagonist, but after reading the book… he wasn't. I was speechless after reading it. When I rewatched the play, I saw it from a completely different perspective.”
-After reading the book, the play feels new every time I watch it ;;;
“It's a brilliant work even if you only watch the play, but you have to read the book to know more of the truth. So now, let's re-analyze the play ‘Mirror’ along with the novel ‘Mirror,’ which threw us into a world of chaos and shock. For those who haven't read the novel yet, it would be better to read it first before proceeding.”
-I read it!
-Read it right away yesterday!
-Let's get started!
“Okay. Then let's begin the second review. As you all know, to get straight to the conclusion, the protagonist, Jeong Chaewon,”
-Shocking ending! Turns out?!
-Drumroll please!!
After building suspense for a moment, the Film Critic opened his mouth.
“is suffering from schizophrenia, a condition primarily characterized by delusions and auditory hallucinations.”
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