Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Girl's Talent?
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We had our roles, we had our script, and there was only one thing left to do.
Practice like our lives depended on it until we stepped onto the stage.
“Lena, let's raise your voice in that part.”
“Okay, Teacher.”
“Bada, you're too stiff. Let's move more naturally. There's nothing to be nervous about.”
“Yes... Phew... Nothing to be nervous about... Just relax...”
“Leon, you're getting too emotional.”
“What?! Isn't it better to go all out here?”
The children began practicing so hard their faces and clothes were drenched in sweat.
With Rene's help.
And.
To the point of cutting into their own hobbies and playtime.
When we first started practicing, I wondered if they really needed to work that hard.
Of course, I'm not saying they were wrong. In fact, I approve of their actions.
I have no intention of belittling their efforts.
It's perfectly natural to strive to get what you want, to achieve something, to fulfill your desires.
The children genuinely wished for it.
To put on an amazing show for the audience, especially for Red and Rene.
Could their acting skills suddenly improve overnight without practice? Such miracles don't happen. They knew that themselves, which is why they were practicing so desperately.
However, I thought their practice was excessive.
We weren't entering some competition, nor were we aspiring actors.
It was just a children's play.
I thought as long as it wasn't embarrassingly bad, it would be fine.
No. In the first place, since it's a children's play, everyone watching would enjoy it even if it wasn't perfect.
In other words, I wished they would take it easy instead of practicing so relentlessly.
Hmm...
‘They'll get tired soon and start taking it easy.’
Children have weaker willpower than adults. They get bored easily and give up quickly.
So I thought they would just work hard at the beginning and then practice at a more leisurely pace as time went on.
But my prediction was wrong.
“Here's a drink that's good for your throat. Drink it while you practice.”
“Thank you, Teacher!”
“You're much more natural than before. Just keep doing it like that.”
“Hehe...”
“Leon, you've also gotten much better since you relaxed your body.”
“Ugh, I still haven't gotten the hang of it.”
Even as the days passed, the children practiced consistently.
Even when their faces were etched with fatigue, they didn't know how to give up.
Seeing the children so absorbed, I felt a sense of shame.
To some, it might just be a simple play to liven up the festival, but not to them.
Their earnest desire and desperate resolve to make the play a success.
I felt pathetic for looking down on it.
At the same time, I thought those children were amazing.
Anyone can make an effort.
From a child who can understand words to even animals, it's something they can all do.
But not just anyone can keep up the effort.
The desire to play, fatigue, and various other things get in the way of a person's efforts.
But the children were enduring it all and focusing on their practice.
They were accomplishing something that wasn't easy.
‘Come to think of it, they all have excellent concentration for kids.’
Lena with her singing practice.
Bada with her reading and writing.
It was the same for the other children.
They worked diligently and consistently at what they were doing.
I smiled faintly behind my mask.
The children are working so hard; I can't be the only one taking it easy.
‘But how can I work harder in this role?’
My motivation was high, but looking at my role, I was at a loss.
As the children wished, I took on the role of the princess.
The problem was, to accommodate me, the princess's character was unusual.
A princess who wears a mask and cannot speak due to a curse.
Not a single line of dialogue. No facial acting required either.
Acting through gestures was all there was to it.
Because of that, I easily mastered my role, unlike the other kids.
Normally, as the lead, it should have been the most difficult role, but somehow it became the easiest.
The bigger problem was the princess's existence.
If the princess were just an extra, it would be different, but she's one of the main characters.
A main character is supposed to be...
The one who leads the stage, who must captivate the audience with the most brilliant performance.
But would a mute, masked princess really work?
Is it okay for a main character to be like this?
Will people like it?
If I were in the audience, I'd probably boo and give it a one-star review.
Even as I practiced, my mind was in turmoil.
“Lily, why don't you try performing without the mask once? I want to see what it feels like when you have it off.”
Just then, Rene made that suggestion.
I tilted my head in confusion.
After all, my role didn't require me to take off the mask.
I understood the intention behind the direction, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was necessary.
Still, she wasn't one to give pointless directions, so I followed the director's instructions and took off my mask.
The children's gazes gathered on me.
The boys' eyes, in particular, sparkled to an uncomfortable degree.
*Sigh.*
I gave the girls a look, and understanding my intention, they each gave the boys a flick on the forehead to snap them out of it.
The boys groaned and rubbed their foreheads.
*Huhu.*
I stretched my soft arms high above me, then brought them down and shook out my hands and feet.
As I lightly warmed up, I looked at the kids.
Their eyes were filled with anticipation.
The thought that I had to live up to their expectations made me a little nervous.
After taking a deep breath, I turned to Rene and gave a small nod.
Rene gave the signal to start.
I moved my body according to the script, crafting facial expressions to match each situation.
My face is naturally expressionless.
While I inwardly thought it would be difficult to convey emotion, I poured my feelings into my expressions to fit the scene.
Anguish in painful situations, sorrow in sad ones.
I may look like this, but as someone who has been active as a Grim Reaper for a long time, I'm used to acting.
After performing a few scenes, I turned back to the children.
How was it?
The children stood frozen, their eyes wide and mouths agape.
The heavy silence made me worry that I had done a poor job.
"""Woooooow!"""
*Clap, clap, clap!!!*
Suddenly, the children erupted in enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause.
The children excitedly swarmed around me in an instant.
“That was amazing! It felt like I was watching a real princess.”
“I couldn't take my eyes off you.”
“You're such a good actor, why didn't you say so before?”
“Sob, seeing the princess's sad expression made me tear up without realizing it.”
Flustered by the children's praise, I looked at Rene.
Rene also had an admiring expression as she lavished praise on me.
“That was incredible. Honestly, I didn't expect you to be that good. I found myself completely drawn in. You're talented enough to consider becoming an actor.”
Not knowing how to react to such over-the-top praise, which felt almost rehearsed, I fidgeted awkwardly.
Just then, Rene stroked her chin and continued speaking.
“Hmm... The emotions came through much better with the mask off. How about performing without it?”
*Thump!* The shocking suggestion struck me like a bolt of lightning.
It's coming at me like this all of a sudden?
Everyone had praised my acting.
Perhaps performing without the mask would elicit an even better reaction from the audience.
But.
I shook my head.
Inside the orphanage might be one thing, but taking off my mask in front of so many people was still a no-go.
Sounds of disappointment spread through the room.
The children stared at me intently.
Their sparkling eyes tried to sway me, but this time, I stood firm in my refusal.
The princess role is one thing, but the mask is off-limits!
Leaving the children's sad faces behind, I put my mask back on.
And so, we continued our practice.
***
A week had already passed since we started practicing.
While the children were on a break, Lena and I went out with Red.
The place we arrived at was a music store.
The reason we visited such a store was to get some props for the stage.
Red was picking out the necessary props, while Lena and I wandered around the store, browsing.
As a child who loved music, Lena's steps were light, and her face was full of joy.
As I followed Lena, I felt a strange sense of unease.
I quickly identified the source of the feeling.
The store was crowded with people, but rather than shopping for items, they seemed to be waiting expectantly for something. They looked like pets waiting for their meal.
It seemed I wasn't the only one who noticed, as Red asked a clerk.
“Why is everyone acting like that?”
“Ah, they're all waiting for the store owner to bring *that* out.”
“*That*?”
“The machine with the recording of the 'Song of an Angel' that was rumored about a few years ago. The owner sometimes takes it out and plays it.”
Song of an Angel?
Did an actual angel sing it?
But in all my decades of existence, I've never seen a real angel.
Unless you count the winged races.
I, knowing nothing about the Song of an Angel, reacted indifferently.
Red, however, seemed to know about it and looked quite surprised.
“The Song of an Angel... could it be?!”
And Lena, too, with a very surprised expression, hurried over to the clerk.
Lena was so excited she flapped her small arms.
“Whaaat?! The Song of an Angel?! It actually exists? Isn't it just an urban legend?”
The clerk nodded and looked at Red.
“I thought it was just an urban legend at first, too, but it seems the owner got his hands on it somewhere. The recording of the Song of an Angel. If you're curious, you should wait. It's almost time for him to play it.”
Someone from another section called for the clerk, so he moved away.
I glanced at Lena and saw she was frozen with a dazed expression, completely stunned.
Is it that amazing? This Song of an Angel?
I poked Lena's shoulder and asked with a gesture what it was.
Lena grabbed both my hands tightly and brought her excited face close to mine.
She spoke much faster than usual.
“It's an incredibly beautiful song. Rumor has it that listening to it fills your heart with happiness and makes you feel ecstatic, as if you're in heaven. And also...”
Lena began to explain endlessly.
Seeing Lena this excited is a rare sight.
I got the gist of what it was.
I've heard that music is a drug. But this made me suspect it might be a literal one.
After all, an ecstatic song that makes you fall into a world of fantasy...
The circumstances make it sound like a drug.
A moment later.
The store owner took out a small box.
At that, everyone stopped moving in unison, their gazes turning toward the owner.
Red also looked somewhat interested, and Lena's eyes sparkled like stars.
The Song of an Angel...
I crossed my arms.
Just how amazing could this song be to cause such a fuss?
I waited with a heart half-anxious, half-expectant.
The owner fiddled with a few things, and a faint melody began to flow from the small box.
‘!!!’
*Flinch.*
A familiar voice I thought I would never hear again.
The song shoves my consciousness back into the past.
A distorted past, like a broken screen, flashes rapidly through my mind.
Nausea rises in my throat.
Behind the mask, my face slowly contorts.
***
The Song of an Angel truly had an ecstatic tone, as if sung by an angel.
The song enters people's hearts and drives out the darkness.
Color returns to a dull, ashen world.
A sky thick with dark clouds instantly scatters, revealing a clear blue expanse.
Life began to sprout on the desolate land.
Warm sunlight shone down, and a pleasant breeze greeted the world.
A gentle light spreads through the muddled heart.
The power held by the Song of an Angel.
The people were captivated by the song.
A sinister-looking man shed a stream of tears.
A gruff-looking man's face softened, making him look like a completely different person.
An old woman knelt, her hands clasped in prayer.
Red, too, was inwardly surprised.
To think such a beautiful song existed.
Just then, amidst the peaceful atmosphere, she felt a distinctly different emotion flowing.
A small fist raised high, as if to shatter heaven itself.
Red hurriedly approached and grabbed Lily's wrist.
‘!?’
The small arm was trembling faintly.
Rage.
Red was startled by the searing emotion.
The small arm slowly lowered, as if swallowing its anger.
While everyone else was lost in the song, Lily alone stepped outside.