Chapter 12
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Premiere Night
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Clap clap clap
Kang Yonghwi showered the air with generous applause.
The play hadn't ended yet, so standing ovations were off the tablethis was his workaround.
Kang Yonghwi and Kim Sangcheol had taken seats in the very back corner of the audience to watch the premiere of People in the Attic House.
Not every seat was filled today, and quite a few around the two men sat empty.
Beside Kang Yonghwi clapping at thin air, Kim Sangcheol gaped with his mouth wide open.
Until this very moment on this very day, he'd harbored all sorts of worries, known and unknown.
He'd only ever vented them to Kang Yonghwi, but they'd kept him from sleeping properly lately.
Emergency Iron 777 had finally hit a stable tracknow this had to happen, and he fretted endlessly that something might go wrong.
If Han Siu burst into tears up there onstage, the backlash was all too predictable.
They pushed a kid onstage for the hype?
Do they even know the trauma a child might suffer up there? And so on...
Yeah.
Fine, he admitted it.
Even if the kid acted brilliantlyno matter how brilliantit was too risky.
Kim Sangcheol had scolded himself a dozen times a day for falling head over heels for Han Siu's performance.
Talent aside, the boy was still mentally a child.
This wasn't TV acting, where you could yell "Cut!" or call for an NG.
In live theater, any slip-up became an instant disaster.
Veteran actors could handle mishaps, but a newbie kid just starting out?
Could a mere five-year-old cope properly if he messed up?
On the day the full rehearsal wrapped without a hitch, Kim Sangcheol dragged Kang Yonghwi to their usual street food stall.
"You sure he can handle it? He's got that solo sceneif it flops..."
Kang Yonghwi set down his soju glass with a clink and fired back with one line.
"Siu's better than most actors out there. Quit worrying, hyung. Your guts are shrinking to pea size."
"Pea size, my ass!"
Kim Sangcheol barked as usual, but his mind stayed uneasy.
And yet, here we were.
Embarrassing didn't even cover it.
Stunned, Kim Sangcheol leaned in close to Kang Yonghwi's ear and whispered so softly it was barely audible.
"Hey, hey. What's that kid's deal? Digesting direction like that? He's even better than rehearsal."
"Nah."
"Wha...?"
Nah?
Nah? That performance was downright chilling.
If that wasn't perfect, how much further could it go...
But Kim Sangcheol's thoughts cut short.
Kang Yonghwi dropped another bombshell.
"I didn't direct him at all. He interpreted the script on his own from the start. Looked good, so I let him run with it. Even pitched ideas to me after rehearsal on what else he wanted to show."
"What...?"
Kim Sangcheol nearly jumped out of his seat, but the actors' lines snapped him backthe show was still on.
Realizing as much, he lowered his voice again.
"So... he's just freestyling it?"
"That's what I've been saying. All I did was tweak his blocking for the lights a bit. And even then, he nailed it right away."
Kim Sangcheol's jaw dropped in disbelief.
Beside him, Kang Yonghwi sank deeper into his seat, smirking faintly from one corner of his mouth.
"How's a kid better on opening night than rehearsal? You believe it? A five-year-old thriving more live."
"Huh."
"Never thought I'd live to say this about a five-year-old. Stage kid through and through. Star material, born for it."
"..."
Kim Sangcheol, too shocked for more surprises, just listened quietly.
This genius gushing at length about someoneit was a first.
And somehow, it didn't shock him.
It just made sense.
Sniffles rippled through the filled seats.
The stage atmosphere felt denser than usual.
The ongoing play featured the same familiar faces, yet it hit differently from rehearsal.
"Whew."
I wiped the faint sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and descended to the green roomno, backstage.
"Good job, Siu."
"Tanku."
A staffer handed me a chilled bottle of water and murmured.
I thanked him, then wrestled with the cap, grunting.
Crack.
Luckily, the staffer noticed and twisted it open for me.
Gulp, gulp.
"Ahh."
I felt alive.
All my scenes for tonight were done.
Leaning against the wall, I replayed the stage in my mind.
Not bad.
Not perfect, though.
Maybe because I'd regressed into this tiny body.
Sustained projection left my lower belly aching from the tension.
I rubbed my protruding tummy and peeked out at the stage, just enough not to be spotted.
Kim Seonwoo was up there, giving it his all.
Blinding lights.
I'd realized it during rehearsal: in this era's theaters, the front-row audience vanished behind the lights.
With real viewers now, it sank in deeper.
Stepping onstage felt like I owned the world up there.
Past outdoor stages used torches, so no such illusionnight shows dotted the crowd with little flames anyway.
Stages were close to seats back then.
Bright lights revealing the audience had its charms, but this setup pulled me in deeper.
...!
Hmm.
Kim Seonwoo was solid, as expected.
I hadn't scoped other troupes yet, so no clue where Emergency Iron 777 ranked in Korea, but snagging the lead young meant something.
And he proved it, unleashing his talent fully.
-Ugh, so annoying.
Here it came.
The infamous scenethe one I'd questioned for lacking conviction.
In under a month, Kim Seonwoo had nailed a fix.
No more rote "be rougher here" delivery.
He spaced breaths between lines, letting facial expressions shine.
Overcome.
My note helped, sure, but not easy.
Back as Noah Battenberg, infusing lines with emotion had been hell.
-Why leave this on someone else's wall!
His booming projection rang clear.
Side glance: effortless, yet full-bodied.
Back row would hear fine.
Thump thump.
I patted my innocent belly.
Blame the unfinished growth, but projection irked me.
I used to fill vast halls effortlesslynow this.
Sigh.
Five years old was depressing.
Only fix: grow fast.
Eat big today.
Silver lining: indoor theater, smaller than my old hauntsso this body could carry sound fine.
Waaah-!
Clap clap clap clap.
Lost in projection woes, applause hit.
Signal: premiere wrapped safely.
Backstage erupted.
"Siu! Siu, there you are. C'mon, curtain call."
"Mhm!"
Uncle scooped me up mid-dash, carrying me onstage.
For my first curtain call this life.
Gentle music played as my fellow actors stepped center one by one to bow.
People in the Attic House featured seven cast members total, bit parts included.
My turn came quick.
'Curtain call?'
First time Kang Yonghwi practiced it, I'd asked what it was.
Natural for a kid, so Uncle and the actors explained kindly.
But curtain call? Shocking tradition.
Actors bowing post-show?
Performances ended, actors vanishedreappearing shattered the troupe's world.
Directors or staff handled cleanup onstage.
Actors returning? Taboo.
Yet here, everyone bowed to the crowd.
...And today.
I learned firsthand: curtain call was amazing.
"Waaah!"
Clap clap clap clap-!
Watching others, house lights rose.
Dozens of faces lit bright.
My little heart thumped wildly.
"Alright, your turn."
"Mhm."
One step forward: cheers cascaded like a waterfall.
Flanked by Kim Seonwoo and my "dad" actor.
My role wasn't huge, but kid perks landed me last with the leads.
We clasped hands, bowing to the audience.
"Waaah! So moving!"
"Best ever!"
Bigger cheers, louder claps poured in.
Exposed onstage, basking in thisunreal.
Something surged inside.
Damn this bodytears welled too easily since regressing.
Kid emotions: hell to control.
Totally the body.
Young age.
For real.
"Sniff, tanku. Tanku."
"Oh my, so cute!"
"Youngsu, be happy!"
Choking up, I bowed again to the beaming crowd.
My belly bow ignited them.
"Wooow..."
Never dreamed this minor role would draw such love.
The roar floored memouth agape.
Crowd giggled, cooing "cute!"
Hmph!
Back in my day...
I'd soaked bigger cheers plentytoo long ago, that's all! Real talk!
"Final bows before we go?"
Kim Seonwoo's cue: actors grinned, linking hands.
"Thank you!"
"Tanku!"
Spotlights bathed our bowing heads.
Heat and roars swelled my chest.
Straightening: dozens, hundreds of eyes on me.
Ahh.
Really back in this world.
Fingertips, toes tingling, I knew.
Reborn, onstage again.
Born this way? Crave more! More love.
As an actor, drown daily in this torrent.