Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Our Town
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“This naengmyeon is good.”
“Right?”
“It is. The dumplings were delicious too.”
After a satisfying lunch, the three of them started walking. With Seojun and Lee Jiseok wearing their hats pulled down low, and Yoon Sungoh with them, no one recognized them.
“At this rate, we could probably just meet outside like this.”
“I know, right.”
As Seojun and Lee Jiseok laughed and chatted, Yoon Sungoh shook his head. *I don’t know about that. I think it’s just because there’s no one around to recognize you.*
Just as Yoon Sungoh thought, the street was practically deserted.
The few people who passed by seemed to be in a hurry, merely using this street as a shortcut to somewhere else.
*Hmm. I heard they opened some new street across the main road. Looks like everyone went over there.* Yoon Sungoh scratched his cheek.
“Excuse me…”
A voice from nearby made all three of them jump in surprise. The man who had spoken to them was startled in turn.
Yoon Sungoh naturally stepped in front of the two actors and asked. Seojun’s eyes sparkled at the sight.
The manager of a top actor!
He remembered what his Samchon Chan had said about introducing him to a manager. *I wonder what they’ll be like! I hope they’re as cool as him.*
“What is it?”
The man flinched at the slightly cold tone of his voice. Seojun inwardly applauded Yoon Sungoh’s transformation from his usual easygoing self.
“Ah, excuse me. If you have some time, would you like to see a play? Kids can watch it too.”
“A play?”
A play.
The word made Lee Jiseok and Seojun react. The two actors could talk about movies and dramas all day long. Plays were no exception.
Yoon Sungoh’s stiff expression slowly relaxed. Sensing the change, the man continued in a clear voice.
“Yes. It’s at a small theater nearby. The story is fun, and everyone’s a great actor. You won’t regret it.”
The man handed out flyers, and Yoon Sungoh took them, passing them to Lee Jiseok and Seojun.
[Our Town]
*Hmm.* Just from the title, it was hard to guess what the story was about.
Lee Jiseok tapped Seojun’s shoulder. When Seojun looked up, Jiseok gave him a wink. *Wanna see it?*
Seojun nodded. He had seen a few plays in the States, but this would be his first time seeing one in Korea.
“If you buy tickets from me, I can give you a 20 percent… no, a 40 percent discount.”
“No. That’s okay.”
At Lee Jiseok’s words, the man’s shoulders, which had been buzzing with sales energy, slumped. He’d lost count of how many rejections he’d had today.
*Is the audience going to be empty again today?* The man thought of his fellow troupe members, who would pretend not to be, but would surely be disappointed. He was about to turn away to find other potential audience members.
Just then, Lee Jiseok’s voice caught his ear.
“We love plays. You should charge the full price. How much is it?”
At Lee Jiseok’s words, the man’s face lit up.
***
The actors of the small theater troupe, ‘Baram,’ were all gathered. Some had come from other troupes, while for others, this was their first.
They had pooled together every penny they had to rent this small, shabby theater, but they had no separate staff for stage management or production.
The actors built everything, and the actors moved everything.
Just seven of them. All people who loved theater and acting.
“Sigh. How many tickets were sold?”
“Seongwoo sold three. One child, two adults.”
“That’s a relief. Good thing our play is for all ages. Otherwise, we might not have even sold those three.”
At the words of Han Jia, who played the female lead, everyone managed a faint smile. Kim Seon-gon, the troupe leader who played the village chief, spoke up after getting a call from Kim Seongwoo, who played the supermarket owner.
“This is no time to be smiling.”
“Huh? Why?”
“They paid full price.”
“…What?”
“They said they love plays, so they insisted on paying full price even when he offered a 40 percent discount.”
Kim Seon-gon’s words left everyone speechless. *They love plays.* That single phrase struck a chord in their hearts.
“Seriously, why did Seongwoo offer a 40 percent discount? We won’t even make back the rental fee! And why would those people pay full price when he offered a discount…”
Though she sounded like she was scolding, Han Jia seemed to be choking up and couldn’t finish her sentence.
For three days, they had stood on stage staring at empty seats. It was just one simple phrase, “We love plays,” and a difference of only a few thousand won, but something overwhelming surged within them.
Kim Seon-gon clapped his hands together.
“Everyone, focus! These people bought tickets at full price because they love plays! We have to show them a performance worthy of that!”
“Yes!”
It had been a while since they’d had an audience. Though it was only three people, everyone was fired up.
***
“Hello! Are you here for the play?”
One child, two adults. *It’s them!* Han Jia greeted the three with a bright smile.
The trio, who had been looking for the entrance to the small theater, nodded at her words.
“The entrance is this way. It’s on the second floor, so you’ll have to go up. You can give me your tickets.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Han Jia took their tickets and tore them in half. Following her lead, Seojun and the two men climbed a narrow staircase and entered the small theater.
The theater was small. The stage and the audience seats were incredibly close, and there weren’t many seats.
Seeing the three of them looking around the theater, Han Jia said with a smile.
“You can sit anywhere you like. If you want a wide, clear view, the middle is good, and if you want to see the actors up close, the front row is best.”
“Where do you want to sit?”
The theater was so small that there wasn’t much difference between the middle and the front, but Seojun chose his seat carefully.
“I want to sit in the middle.”
“Okay. Then please sit here. This spot has the best view.”
Han Jia beamed at Seojun’s answer and pointed out the best spot. She had thought they might turn back since there was no one else in the audience. Contrary to her worries, the three didn't seem to mind at all.
“The play will start in a little while, once it’s time. Please enjoy the show.”
“Thank you!”
“We’re looking forward to it.”
After Han Jia left, Lee Jiseok and Seojun took off their hats.
“Ah, I’m sweating!”
“It’s cool in here, though.”
“I told you not to just take them off like that. Both of you.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s no one here to see us.”
Yoon Sungoh sighed at Lee Jiseok’s carefree remark. Seojun looked around, taking in the small theater.
From his seat, the small stage felt like it was right in front of him. *At this distance, I could probably see the actors’ sweat.*
“It’s really small, though.”
“Seems like the smallest of the small theaters. The rental fee must be cheap.”
“But with no audience… I doubt they can even cover that. It looks like we’re the only ones.”
Lee Jiseok and Seojun nodded at Yoon Sungoh’s words. The empty seats made both of them feel a little sad.
***
“I don’t think they’re going to leave!”
Han Jia came running in. Kim Seon-gon put a hand to his forehead.
“You’re the lead actress, what are you doing guiding the audience!”
“My costume is just regular clothes anyway. There’s no makeup to do either! More importantly, I don’t think those three will leave. There were people who left before when they saw how few audience members there were!”
That time, it had been a group of five.
“Alright, alright. Go get ready for the stage.”
“Okay!”
Han Jia and the other actors were excited about having an audience after so long. With flushed faces, they waited for the curtain to rise. Kim Seon-gon clapped his hands.
“Everyone’s too excited. Calm down.”
“Okay!”
Kim Seon-gon placed his hand in the center, and everyone else reached out to place their hands on top of his.
It was the same as always. But today, there was an audience. With their hearts pounding, they shouted their cheer.
“Our Town!!”
“Fighting!!”
“We can hear you.”
“Hahaha. The soundproofing here is a little lacking compared to other places.”
They couldn’t make out what was being said, but the cheer “Our Town, fighting!” came through clearly. The two actors and their manager couldn’t help but smile at the cheerful voices of the theater actors.
It made them even more excited to see what kind of play it would be and what kind of acting they would see.
Soon, the lights in the audience section, where only three people sat, dimmed, and a spotlight hit the stage.
“Looks like it’s starting.”
The expressions on Lee Jiseok and Seojun’s faces changed.
Yoon Sungoh shook his head. They were actors who transformed in an instant when it came to anything related to acting. He had seen it with Lee Jiseok for five years, but to see it in Seojun too… he supposed that was what it took to star in a Hollywood movie at such a young age.
*Do those people know that the ones watching their play are Lee Jiseok and Lee Seojun?*
Of course not.
Soon, Yoon Sungoh also focused his attention on the stage.
The play began with an incident in a small town.
The female lead, a detective, investigated the townspeople, and the mix of misunderstandings and mistakes drew laughter from the audience.
By a stroke of luck, she eventually caught the culprit, but the detective was never able to clear up the townspeople’s misunderstanding of her.
“I’m telling you, I’m not a real estate agent! I’m a detective! A detective!”
The clear laughter of a child rang out. The laughter of two adults followed. Kim Seon-gon, who was observing the stage and the audience, felt his hands tense. This vivid reaction. This was why he loved theater.
“Sunbae! Sunbae, it’s your cue!”
“I know!”
Han Jia and the other actors all had smiles on their faces.
“Hey, you can’t act if you’re smiling like that! You’re supposed to be sad in this role!”
“Sunbae! You’re supposed to be super serious right now, but you’re totally smiling!”
They couldn’t help it. It was too exciting, too fun.
Their hearts pounded as if they would burst. Their clothes were soaked with sweat from running around under the hot lights, and their makeup was on the verge of melting off, but they loved it.
This was why they could never leave this place.
“Now, let’s get out there!”
The play ended with cheerful laughter.
Yoon Sungoh grinned as he applauded.
“That was really fun!”
“It was. I wasn’t expecting much, but they were all good, and the story was entertaining. Right, Seojun?”
“Yes.”
Seojun replied to Lee Jiseok’s question, clapping enthusiastically with his small hands.
“Everyone did a great job.”
To Seojun’s discerning eye, the troupe’s acting was clearly lacking, but he knew that was only because his standards were exceptionally high. He was well aware of that.
*After acting alongside Jiseok hyung, Evan, and Richel, my standards were bound to be high.*
Moreover, the dramas and movies he had diligently studied to improve his acting had raised his bar for performance even higher. To the average person, their acting was good, but by Seojun’s standards, it fell short.
But he loved it. He could feel with his entire being how much they loved and adored acting. Just like him, in his first life.
Seojun sent his greatest praise to their passion.
The sound of small but loud applause filled the theater. The actors standing behind the curtain heard the applause and finally let a few tears slip.
“Hey, you can’t cry. We haven’t even taken the picture yet.”
“I know. But they just keep coming.”
“Try to wipe them away.”
Kim Seongwoo, who had sold the tickets and performed on stage, wiped away his flowing tears.
He was so glad he had approached those people. Through his blurry vision, he could see the joyful faces of his fellow troupe members. *I’m so glad.*
Everyone managed to stop their tears, and with red-rimmed eyes, they held hands and stood on stage. As they bowed deeply, the sound of applause filled the air again.
“Would you like to take a picture with the actors?”
At the words of Kim Seon-gon, whose eyes were also a little red, the man without a hat turned to look at the boy and the other man who were still wearing theirs. The boy shrugged, and the hatted man gave a small smile.
“I guess we have to. It was really that good.”
“I’d like that too!”
“This is going to cause a stir.”
Yoon Sungoh sighed as he led the two of them toward the actors. He looked so much like a bodyguard that the actors tilted their heads in confusion.
“Seongwoo. Who are they?”
“I don’t know. They were coming out of the naengmyeon place across the street.”
“Jia. Shh.”
Han Jia and Kim Seongwoo, who had been whispering, fell silent. The leader of the small theater troupe, ‘Baram,’ Kim Seon-gon, smiled brightly and stepped forward.
“Did you enjoy the show?”
“Yes. It was really wonderful.”
“Thank you…”
Kim Seon-gon, who was about to bow, froze mid-sentence. Lee Jiseok had taken off the hat he had been wearing pulled down low.
Under the brightened lights of the audience, Lee Jiseok’s handsome face was clearly revealed. Starting with Kim Seon-gon, everyone on stage got a clear look at him.
“Gasp!”
“Lee Jiseok!?”
Kim Seongwoo, who had blurted it out without thinking, slapped a hand over his mouth. Lee Jiseok gave a nod of acknowledgment and continued.
“Seojun enjoyed it too.”
“It was super fun!”
Seojun also took off his hat, bowed, and smiled brightly.
*What? What? Who?*
A brief moment of silence descended upon the small theater.
As if their brains had finally registered the identities of Lee Jiseok and Lee Seojun, a collective scream erupted from the theater actors.
“Lee Seojun!!”