Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: A Child's Insight
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I sat on the metal chair Uncle had brought me, swinging my legs back and forth.
My role in this performance was so small.
Now that my scenes were done first, all that was left was watching everyone else's acting!
Sure, it was a shame my part was tiny, but being able to watch the play come together live without any worries was pure bliss.
No other paradise could compare.
Unlike when I lived under the Battenberg name, I no longer had to fret about my parents finding out I was acting.
No more sneaking home after rehearsals with my heart in my throat.
"Siu-ya, if you're sleepy, let me know?"
Oblivious to my thoughts, Uncle asked with concern.
Mom was worried sick too, of course.
She'd stayed home so she wouldn't distract the other actors by tagging along with Uncle, but sending me off alone must have eaten at her.
The Emergency Iron 777 Theater was close enough to walk to from our house.
That's why Uncle had moved in with us.
His commute load was insane as a result.
Not just my snacks and lunchboxhe'd even packed a blanket.
"Uung. I'm f-fine."
But I wasn't sleepy in the least.
How could I be, with a show more exciting than TV unfolding right in front of me?
"Next, Yeonseop's entrance."
Oh ho.
I sat up straight the moment Director Kang Yonghwi spoke.
"Uncle, focus."
"Huh? Oh, right."
I made Uncle face forward too.
And for good reasonthis was today's highlight.
The lead actor, Kim Seonwoo, was stepping up to perform.
"Ha, this damn house won't sell. Gotta get outta here quick."
Kim Seonwoo stood alone in the center of the rehearsal room.
The gentle tone he'd used to greet me earlier was gone.
His eyes scanned the surroundings slowly, irritation simmering in his grumbling gaze.
"Damn it. They drew this crap again. Freaking old geezers."
He spat out the lines with a rough edge.
The dialogue was spot-on, but his eyeline work was masterful.
His gaze swept the empty air in sequence, as clean and precise as if the shantytown set from the play was already there.
Mom's sole legacy, that shantytown. Complex emotions flickered in his stare as he took it in.
Then he flung his gaze far off, his face twisting in irritation.
As if noisy protest chants were echoing from that direction.
I wonder if they'll add sound effects here for the actual show.
I thought, glancing at the quiet surrounding actors.
According to the script, this was meant to hint at ongoing protests.
"Why the hell defend a dump that's falling apart? Ugh, it's infuriating. Why leave this junk on someone else's wall!"
With that, Kim Seonwoo yanked off his shirt and scrubbed furiously at the air.
As if wiping away red spray paint stains from a crumbling wall.
"Good. Next, straight into the scene with the Nadong folks and Yeonseop."
At Director Kang Yonghwi's cue, the actors for the following scene joined Kim Seonwoo.
In the meantime, admiration erupted from the watching actors.
"Wow, Seonwoo's flying high again today. As expected from Hyehwa's touted genius actor!"
"Seonwoo could go straight on stage right now, no problem."
Uncle was no different.
He tilted his head dramatically to the side at Kim Seonwoo's acting, then let out a gasp.
"Wow, he really nails it. Right, Siu-ya?"
"Uung!"
Hmm.
Indeed, the lead lived up to the title.
But there was one sticking point.
He was good, no doubt...
I watched Kim Seonwoo flash his usual kind smile and sank into thought.
Watching him act naturally brought someone to mind.
Noah Battenberg.
It felt just like seeing my younger self.
I recalled the day Oscar Pitt, head of the Oscar Theater Troupe, called me to the green room behind the stage.
"Here, your requested item."
"What's this?"
"What else? A magic prop that lets young Master Battenberg take the stage."
I took the mask from Oscar and grumbled.
"Magic, my foot. It's just a mask."
"But with this, no one will recognize you. You said you wanted to perform, didn't you?"
At the word "stage," I hurriedly slipped it on.
To hide my noble status completely, it wasn't some eye maskit covered my entire face.
Holes only for eyes, nose, and mouth.
"But is this color the best you could do?"
It was a yellowish gold.
They'd slathered on gold paint to make it look fancy, I supposed.
Maybe because I'd grown up surrounded by luxuries in the castle.
It just didn't cut it for my tastes.
Oscar shrugged at my complaint.
"So what? It's cool. It'll shine brilliantly under torchlight."
"...Parvenu nonsense."
Oscar, who'd amassed a fortune as a commoner merchant, hated that word most.
He beamed across his whole face and asked in exaggerated theatrical flair, all mock politeness.
"Ah, it seems young master has no desire to grace today's stage?"
"A most splendid visage it is."
I flipped the mask back on and replied solemnly.
In a grave tone befitting the golden mask.
What did the color matter before my debut?
"Golden Mask!"
"Is the Golden Mask performing today?"
But months later, I regretted it to my bones.
I should have put more thought into that color.
Before I could dream up a stage name, fans of the Oscar Troupe started calling me "Golden Mask."
Its fame spread through London faster than I could blink.
But the limitations of a masked actor hit quicker than expected.
"'Golden Mask'? I skip any show with that performer. Actors need expressions. What emotion can you get from someone hiding their face?"
"Right? And with that mask, if you sit in the back, you can barely hear his lines."
Audiences voiced tons of complaints about the mask.
To conceal my identity, it hid my whole faceno facial acting possible.
And the tiny mouth hole made clear delivery a struggle.
"Noah, you've got a headache these days, huh?"
"Just make your lines audible even without taking off the mask."
The troupe actors wouldn't leave my moping self alone.
They pooled ideas to fix it.
The boldest came from one performer.
Speak louder, more enunciated.
While preserving my individuality.
No easy feat.
But after a grueling transition, my revamped pronunciation and delivery shattered the mask's limitsand even the outdoor theater's.
Londoners flocked to Golden Mask shows because they could hear better than anywhere else.
"Golden Mask shows are best up front. Those glimpses of his soulful eyes... I don't mind not seeing expressions. Just catching that gaze for a moment makes me his captive."
They say you move audiences by not crying when your character does.
The mask's mystery sparked wild imaginations.
Fans who loved the enigma outnumbered detractors, turning Golden Mask into a hot ticketworth extra coin.
And eventually, even that actor acknowledged me.
Just like me back then.
My past self, slamming into the wall of "How do I act this?"
Kim Seonwoo was in that exact spot now.
A fleeting flaw, imperceptible to mostbut not to eyes that had been there.
Could he overcome it alone?
Maybe...
But if he didn't realize it, it'd take ages.
"Alright, next! Nadong people versus Gadong people clash!"
Uncle shot to his feet at Director Kang Yonghwi's shout.
Conversely, Kim Seonwoo returned to the sidelines.
Other actors took his place for the scene.
Towel around his neck, Kim Seonwoo wiped beaded sweatand our eyes met.
"Hic!"
But...
This tiny body found the brief fluster overwhelming, and hiccups started.
"Hic, hic! Kk! Hic!"
Why now, of all times!
I'd locked eyes with him earlier while advising Uncle, and the memory hit.
With this body, such words might make me seem like a weird kid.
But Uncle's acting had been unbearableI couldn't hold back.
"Hic, kk!"
Hiccups bursting like a guilty conscience caught red-handed.
Then Kim Seonwoo grinned and strode right over!
"Siu-ya, see all my acting?"
"Kk, u, ung! Y-yeah, I did."
Hiccups mangled my reply into stutters.
What an embarrassment.
To save more face, I clamped both hands over my mouth.
Stop, stop, you!
"Hehe, yeah? So... how was my acting?"
Kk.
Shock halted the hiccups dead.
Look at this guy.
Staring weirdly before, now straight-up asking for critique.
What did he know?
I eyed Kim Seonwoo's complexion suspiciously.
That handsome face wore a gentle smile...
No ulterior motives?
"Hm-hm, g-good."
"Oh, really?"
"B-brother. Act believing in yourself. Lots of feelin', right? I feel it. Voice good too. Best!"
"Waa... I'm the best? What an honor."
He looked briefly startled, then beamed at my praise.
Never expected feedback like this from a kid-bodied me.
Pinpointing elements echoing my past life's style was easy for me.
Merits and flaws alike.
"Ung, but... Brother get the high parts?"
"Uh...?"
His face changed at my question.
"Earlier, those uncles guarding brother's mom neighborhood. Protest? Fighting uncles. You get them?"
"......"
No answer.
But his shocked expression confirmed it.
He knew.
Kim Seonwoo seemed the type who couldn't act convincingly without buying into the script.
Hence the tell in that moment.
'Why the hell defend a dump that's falling apart? Ugh, it's infuriating.'
I'd clocked it instantly.
He didn't grasp why his character felt that irritation.
I'd faced the same hurdle refining my delivery.
Parts I fully understood flowed naturally, even with pronunciation focus.
But lingering emotional doubts made the effort glaring.
Obvious in hindsight.
I'd faked the play's required emotions through delivery to hide shallow interpretations.
Overdoing pronunciation, projection, tone as a result.
My knowing look up at him made his eyes waver.
"Why's that?"
I tossed the question to hear his thoughts.
He laughed "haha" and whispered back.
"Keep this between us? No one knows."
No one? Oh ho, not even Director Kang Yonghwi.
Eyes sparkling at the secret, I nodded.
Others' secrets are the juiciest.
"I've not been acting long either. First time with a role like thisinterpretation's not perfect yet. Ah... 'character interpretation' too advanced?"
Not advanced.
But another part intrigued me.
"Not long?"
"Yeah. About a year now."
More talented than I thought.
Minus the flaw I spotted, no major issues.
Plenty to polish, but this level in one year?
I was dying to see his acting once experience piled up.
"By next rehearsal, I'll fix what Siu caught. Tell me then. Got it?"
Finishing his secret, Kim Seonwoo straightened up.
I nodded, then added,
"It's fine. No need to fix. Per, Per... Argh."
What's personality in Korean!
Grunting, I blurted approximately.
"Make it brother's own! Different from other actors."
He paused thoughtfully, then nodded slightly.
"Make it... with my own flair?"
"Yes! Exactly! Flair!"
Right, flair.
Whew, he got it.
I patted my chest in relief.
"Yeah. I point out the issue then spout nonsense. Fix laterinterpretation first."
Kim Seonwoo grinned wide and ruffled my hair.
"Siu-ya, you're a real genius!"
"No way?"
"Yeah! The genius label belongs to you."
Behind him, a black shadow appeared out of nowhere and chimed in.
"True that."
"Director!"
"Ah... When did you get here?"
Eek, startled me.
Director Kang Yonghwi, popping up suddenly.
Kim Seonwoo asked awkwardly.
No replyjust a sly grin.
"Siu's right. No need to agonize."
"You knew too, Director?"
"Of course. Just waiting for you to say it."
Kim Seonwoo laughed in exasperation at the shameless reply.
He really knew?
Staring suspiciously at Director Kang Yonghwi, I spotted a crowd around meUncle came sprinting over.
"Wh-what happened?!"
Director Kang Yonghwi chuckled at Uncle's sharp tone.
"Your nephew's a total genius."
"Right, Dongwook hyung. Siu even praised me."
Uncle's mouth split in a grin at their words.
"Ahaha, told you so?"
But why are you looking so damn proud?