Chapter 14
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Final Performance Crisis
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The simple rehearsal ahead of the final show wrapped up.
Phew.
I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and plopped down in my reserved seat.
At some point, the metal chair on one side of the stage had become my designated spot.
It was the same chair Id sat in during practice in the rehearsal room, but once performances started and we shifted to onstage rehearsals, Id asked Uncle to move it for me.
Sitting in the audience seats made me too short to see the stage properly.
Peeking from backstage only let me catch glimpses of the actors profiles or the backs of their heads.
So Id been struggling to drag the chair over when Uncle stepped in and carried it for me.
I was getting pretty perceptive.
A very good sign.
!
Kim Seonwoo nailed the energetic final scene.
As the last line wrapped up, Kang Yonghwi, whod been sitting in the audience, shot to his feet and shouted.
Okay! Is it because its the final show today? Seonwoo, you put even more power into it!
Wow, Kim Seonwoo. You happy to be parting ways with us?
The other actors piled on, agreeing with Kang Yonghwi.
Haha, no way. I loved this show so much. And Sius here too.
Huh? Me?
Id been quietly watching the rehearsal from my seat, and blinked in surprise at the sudden mention.
Oh, yeah, thats right.
Were gonna miss Siu now, Director?
There arent that many child roles.
Regretful murmurs popped up here and there, and I beamed at them.
Haha, well now.
I thought it was just the audience love, but apparently not.
At my current age of five, there werent many roles I could take ona regrettable fact I had to accept.
Still, I planned to show them Id be sticking around.
The prepared seize the opportunities, after all.
Uuung? But Sius gonna keep coming here?
I tilted my head reassuringly, and the actors worried faces instantly softened as they approached me.
Yeah, yeah, even if youre not onstage, you gotta keep coming to play, Siu.
Uuung!
Aww, so cute. Our little lucky charm. I swear, its thanks to you that our show did even better!
Eek! Pfft!
Man, why do Koreans always ruffle a kids hair when they call them cute?
As I smoothed out my thoroughly messed-up hair today, Kang Yonghwi called the actors over.
Alright, thats enough. Todays finally our last performance!
Yessir!
You all worked hard this past month. Lets wrap up todays show smoothly too, yeah?
Yep!
The actors replied energetically before scattering.
Some headed off to practice individually, while others stepped out for some pre-show yoga.
Once I confirmed Uncle had gone to the bathroom, I settled back into my seat.
Wed share a lunchbox when he got back.
Any spare time meant practice, of course.
I spread out my crumpled script on my little lap.
Even so, my assigned lines barely filled four pages.
I couldnt help but pout.
The more I went onstage, the more I regretted how small my role was.
Even when I came to the troupe, I spent way more time watching others practice than practicing myself.
Well, it wasnt boring or anything.
Watching the actors over the past two months, I could see their skills had improved a ton.
Practice helped, but actually performing onstage mustve had the biggest impact.
As I reread the script from the start on my own, a shadow fell over it.
Uuung?
Whos blocking the light like this?
It was Kang Yonghwi.
Diwector.
Ho ho. Siu, your vibes totally different now that youre sitting there.
Vibe?
Youre popular now, huh?
Ah, ehehe.
Phew, Uncle and I were planning to eat lunch and then stroll through the park out front.
By then, even more fans would be gathered in front of Emergency Iron 777 for the show.
Circling them once on performance days had become my routine lately.
Actors keep asking me to introduce them to you these days. A whole truckload of em.
Weally?
Yeah. Anyone in Daehakro who doesnt know Han Siu these days is a spy. Youre probably the only one whos gotten this famous in such a short time.
Heehee.
Even in this small world, youre really. Its amazing you act so well at your age, but youre just.
Uuung?
Look at that.
His gaze was downright irreverent.
I eyed him warily, wondering what hed say next, but Kang Yonghwi just shook his head.
Your fan service is top-notch.
Hm?
The noona fans say youre so sweet to them?
Ah! Noonas wike Siu. They say Siu pwetty, pwetty.
Yeah. Figures.
Kang Yonghwi laughed in exasperation.
Word was, my post-show walk home was the hot topic lately.
He pulled out his phone and showed me a photo hed just gotten yesterday.
See this? This one. They say you do this every time after the show?
Uuung. Whats wwong with it?
No pro actor fans in their shoes like this. Siu, arent you tired? They say you crash the second you get home.
In the photo Kang Yonghwi showed, I was in Uncles arms after the show.
The standout part? Fans surrounding us in layers.
Well, they were always waiting to see me after every performance.
How could I ignore them?
They lit up so much from just one smile!
This, this cold-blooded jerk.
Of course, the gifts I got afterward were just a bonus.
Uuung, its fine. Its fun.
Oh, really? Youre a natural-born actor, Siu.
Tank you.
That wasnt a compliment, kid.
A few actors wandered over, drawn by my conversation with Kang Yonghwi.
Theyd seen my post-show routine too, and chimed in with more testimony.
Sius super popular. Lots of fans come just for him.
Wow, really? When do I get there?
Theres tons of Siu posts on internet cafes and stuff.
I didnt know much about this newfangled internet yet, but I got the gist of the conversation.
So, this body of mine was a big deal, huh?
I felt my shoulders puff up a bit but replied humbly.
Uuung, I dunno.
Humility is the virtue of troupe life.
If one hotshot actor struts around, hows the team spirit supposed to hold up?
Phew, if only they truly appreciated the depth and breadth of my heart.
Haha, Siu, youre too cute. Thats why people have kids.
Director, no kids as cute as Siu.
Hey, youll make the director cry.
Outta here, both of you.
The play had been sold out all day for two weeks straight.
Thanks to audiences chasing last-minute cancellations, lines had formed outside Emergency Iron 777 in recent days.
Kang Yonghwis script had a stellar reputation too.
Id heard it from fans of People in the Attic House.
Classic Kang Yonghwi script.
Id sensed it from the first read, but it really hit me nowI was part of an amazing troupe.
Eating a full meal before a show is a no-no.
Id had a light lunch from Moms packed box and taken my usual lap around the park in front of the theater.
By the time I got back and finished makeup, we had about thirty minutes till curtain.
To think even this was the last time bittersweet.
Actor Choi Isub!
A troupe staffer rushed in backstage, voice hushed.
Choi Isub?
That was the actor playing my father in the show.
Wondering what was up, I hopped down from my seat and toddled over to the staffer.
A few already-made-up actors gathered at the commotion too.
Yes, Im right here?
The man himself appeared.
His makeup wasnt fully doneface powdered, but still wearing the mesh cap for before the wig.
Th-that! Take this call. Its urgent. Your phones off, so they called the troupe.
What? Oh.
Choi Isub paused mid-makeup and took the phone.
Yes, line switched. Yes, this is Choi Isub. Yes, yes. What?! What did you say?
Whats going on?
I stared at Choi Isub in shock as he raised his voice backstage.
The audience hadnt entered yet, but sound could easily carry outside from here.
Yes, yes. I consent. H-how longs the surgery? Oh, five hours. Okay. I-I cant go right now, but Ill get there as soon as possible. Two hoursno, three, and I should make it. Yes, yes. Sorry. Yes, please take care of her.
Choi Isub bowed repeatedly to the voice on the other end.
Surgery? Surgery.
Id seen it on TV.
A medical drama.
In this era, medicine was so advanced they could save sick people with this surgery thing.
Thats as far as my thoughts got before I looked at Choi Isub with worry as he hung up.
A-are you okay? Actor?
Surgery. What the hell is this?
Offstage, Choi Isub always had this warm, gentle smilelike a really nice guy.
But now, not a trace of that softness remained on his face.
Uh, my mom got rushed to the ER suddenly. Im her only family, so theyre asking if I consent to surgery.
Everyone went speechless at the bombshell from his twisted expression.
Will she be okay?
I glanced up at Choi Isub.
You should probably go?
Yeah. Isub, you okay?
The other actors asked cautiously, their faces paling too.
Haa.
Choi Isub buried his face in his hands and sank to the floor.
No one could find words in the heavy silence.
Choi Isub shook his head and stood, breaking it.
Ill do it. Ill perform and then go.
Without waiting for a reply, he hurried to the dressing room.
Maybe this harsh answer was inevitable.
In a small troupe with understudies for multiple roles, no one was on standby for something like this.
Plus, Choi Isubs role was heftyrivaling Kim Seonwoos in weight.
Unless they canceled, he had no choice but to go on.
Actors face all kinds of variables onstage, but for this to hit today, right now.
In live theater, an actors mental state directly impacts quality.
Backstage gloom hung heavy, but the audience wouldnt wait.
The stage lights were coming up again.
Daddy! Dont go.
The show was flowing smoother than expected.
Near the end, where Choi Isub appeared.
Youngsuthats megrabs his father, Choi Isub, begging him not to go to the protest.
Spotting my teary face, Choi Isub turns back and crouches down.
He places a hand on my shoulder and opens his mouth to speak.
...Hes supposed to deliver lines here.
Oh no.
The accident Id feared happened.
Choi Isub froze, words stuck.
Hed forgotten his lines.
His rigid face screamed panic.
Tension rippled from the backstage actors in an instant.
I noticed first, and now the offstage cast knew too.
Choi Isub couldnt get his lines out.
The audience would catch on any second.
I got it.
His moms sudden crisis.
Few actors could stay composed after that news.
From his face, he was on the verge of breaking.
His eyes were rimmed red, even though it wasnt the crying scene yet.
What now? If he broke down before his line, this scene was toast.
How to salvage it naturally?
I racked my brain briefly, then opened my mouth without delay.
One secondany second faster.
That sliver of time would decide if this was a disaster or not.
Gwandma said so.
Huh?
Luckily, Choi Isub reacted to my words.
No clue if it snapped him out of it or just shock.
But he responded, so I pressed on, choking up.
Daddy cant tell wies.
The line from my mouth now wasnt in the original script.
Our eldest son always keeps his pwomises.
Y-Youngsu. D-Daddy.
Choi Isub swallowed his lines, grinding his teeth.
A storm of emotionsregret for his mom, self-loathing, mixed with the father roles feelings and his own.
But he couldnt cry yet.
So youll come back, wight Daddy?
I gazed straight into Choi Isubs tear-filled eyes, speaking slowly.
Now, the timing was perfect for him to cry for real.
Hic. Sniff.
Finally, Choi Isub broke into sobs, tears streaming.
Huh? You pwomise to come back?
At my final question, Choi Isubface soaked in tearsnodded.
Unable to speak, he let out a massive wail.