Han Seongtae was flustered by one message that appeared among the many others.
It was from a god of acting whose name he had never encountered.
“ ‘One Who Lives by Speed and Dies by Speed’ …”
It was a name he had never heard before.
It was the appearance of a new god of acting and the moment delivered a strong shock to Han Seongtae.
[‘One Who Creates Laughter in Tragedy’ greets the newcomer warmly.]
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ turns his head slightly and looks over.]
At the new god’s arrival, the other gods of acting reacted in various ways.
However, after that first message, the newly arrived god showed no further response.
It was quiet, as if someone had only passed by for a brief moment.
Han Seongtae did not feel disappointed by that.
‘So new gods of acting can still appear in the future.’
It was only a single message, but Han Seongtae gained a lot of information from it.
There were more gods of acting, and they could reveal themselves to Han Seongtae.
The gods he already knew were not the end.
“A new one…”
Muttering softly, Han Seongtae glanced over the gods’ other messages.
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ wonders if you plan to stay cooped up in the house.]
[‘Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ urges you to go outside and exercise.]
With the gods of acting at his side, Han Seongtae had come to live a life unlike his former one.
In his previous life, Han Seongtae had been a man with no talent.
No matter how hard he tried, there were limits and because of those limits, there were few things he could do.
But now that he was with the gods of acting, it was different.
‘It was different from the very start.’
He had gained the conviction that his acting could grow, and had received business cards from Choi Ye-chan and Jeong Du-sik.
He had become acquainted with Kim Mu-cheol and Ma Seok-dong, and had gained the chance to use Jeong Jae-in’s Action School.
He had even managed to enter PAN Entertainment with no proper résumé at all.
A lot had changed since he returned.
And even now he was producing changes this great.
‘If even more gods of acting show up…’
Even the gods of acting who were with him now had already brought him opportunities and abilities more than he deserved.
If additional gods appeared, how much more would change?
‘Will I be able to handle it?’
For an instant, worry rose within him, but soon that worry turned into anticipation.
The arrival of more gods meant he could grow that much more.
He couldn’t know exactly which great figure the newcomer was, but Han Seongtae was already looking forward to what kinds of acting he might be able to show in the future.
‘For now, I should get to acting.’
Setting his anticipation aside for the moment, Han Seongtae rose to do what needed to be done right away.
He had already chosen a project, so there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
Han Seongtae picked up his smartphone and dialed immediately.
—Yes, Seongtae-ssi.
At the familiar voice Han Seongtae smiled.
—You’re saying you’d like to audition for “Race Start”?
Jeong Du-sik’s voice came through the receiver.
Han Seongtae answered at once.
“Yes.”
—Hmm… I’m not opposed to you choosing your own project, but could I ask why you picked that one?
At Jeong Du-sik’s question, Han Seongtae glanced down at the script.
A work titled “Race Start.”
A war between gangsters and police.
The flow of the story itself was extremely entertaining, and the heavy focus on cars was intriguing as well.
Above all…
“Because it’s the genre I can handle best right now.”
—Ah…
At Han Seongtae’s words, Jeong Du-sik let out a breath as though he understood.
When choosing a project, the most important thing in the end is how well the actor can digest the role.
Just as an actor who’s only done romance suddenly doing horror can feel awkward, each actor has genres that suit them.
—Well, you did shoot a project with Director Choi Ye-chan.
Though it hasn’t even been released yet, Han Seongtae had acted under Director Choi Ye-chan.
Choi Ye-chan is famous for crime and action films.
And the person he personally brought in to use was precisely Han Seongtae.
—And you attend Seoul Action School.
Seoul Action School.
Founded by Jeong Hong-du and run by his son Jeong Jae-in, it was the best action school in Korea.
Han Seongtae was someone who trained there.
When the team leader and Jeong Du-sik first learned that, how surprised they had been.
Seoul Action School isn’t a place you can attend just because you want to.
“Out of all the scripts I received, it’s also the most fun.”
Han Seongtae had looked through all the scripts he’d brought, and thought Race Start had the best quality.
‘And its ratings weren’t bad.’
Knowing the future is handy at times like this.
At least he could foresee success or failure by knowing ratings or ticket numbers.
Race Start was a project he wouldn’t lose anything by appearing in.
‘And the most important thing is that a god of acting took interest.’
The newly appeared god had shown interest in the work.
That alone was reason enough to do it.
Race Start was a solid script on top of that.
Han Seongtae had no reason not to do it.
‘It’d be foolish not to.’
Having more or less made up his mind, the god of acting had given him certainty.
“I definitely want to do this project.”
—Understood. If you feel that strongly, I have no reason to refuse. I’ll set up a date with the broadcaster.
“Yes, thank you.”
At Jeong Du-sik’s words Han Seongtae laughed lightly.
—No need to thank me. This is what a manager is for. I’ll call again once the date’s set.
“All right.”
—I have some business, so I’ll get back to work.
“Yes, thank you. Take care.”
Ending the call, Han Seongtae let out a deep breath and set down his phone.
“Having a manager really is convenient.”
If he’d had no agency, Han Seongtae would have wasted time applying for auditions and preparing all by himself.
With a manager, he could avoid unnecessary waste of time.
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ nods, agreeing with your remark.]
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ says a manager helps you focus solely on acting.]
Nodding at the gods’ messages, Han Seongtae blinked as he looked down at the script.
The audition issue was solved. Now he could do what he needed to.
“I wonder what he’s up to right now.”
Han Seongtae picked up his phone and called someone.
After a few ringing tones…
Click.
—…What is it?
A voice came through, hoarse with fatigue.
“I can’t understand the way you think sometimes.”
That was the first thing Kim Min-seok said the moment he met Han Seongtae.
Saying he couldn’t comprehend his friend’s thinking, Kim Min-seok shook his head.
At the sight, Han Seongtae chuckled and shrugged.
“So, why do you suddenly want to drive?”
“I’m preparing to jump into a project, and it’s got driving scenes.”
“Going for a new work?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you even auditioned?”
Han Seongtae shook his head at once.
Kim Min-seok tilted his head.
“What if you fail the audition? Wouldn’t it be better to pass first and then practice?”
Han Seongtae shook his head again.
Kim Min-seok’s point wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t entirely right either.
[‘One Who Made Laughter From Tragedy’ says the weather’s wonderfully clear and smiles.]
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ suggests that since they’re already out, they could drop by Dongmyo Market.]
As long as the gods of acting were with him, Han Seongtae didn’t think he would fail the audition.
Of course, nothing was certain, and he’d know only when the time came.
But even so, he was confident he’d pass.
“Even aside from acting, it’s good to practice driving early. You never know when you’ll need it.”
“True…”
Kim Min-seok nodded, seeming to understand.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Kim Min-seok slung an arm over Han Seongtae’s shoulder.
Glancing at that arm draped around him, Han Seongtae let out a small laugh.
“So, how’s the movie prep going?”
“The film? Eh, it’s moving along. I’m writing the script now. It’s going to take some time.”
“Take it slow. Scripts don’t pop out in a blink. If you need anything, just say so, I’ll help anytime.”
“Sure. Thanks. Oh, right. The semester starts soon. Can you focus on shooting?”
At that question, Han Seongtae paused.
‘Ah, that’s right. I’m a university student.’
Lately he’d been doing nothing but acting, so he’d momentarily forgotten that fact.
He wondered if he could juggle school and acting…
“It’s fine, isn’t it? Worst case, I can take a leave.”
Unlike compulsory middle and high school, he had freedom now.
“That’s true.”
“I’m not too worried.”
“Yeah, that sounds like you.”
Kim Min-seok laughed as Han Seongtae did.
The two strolled on while chatting.
“Still, once freshmen come in it’ll be easier. Helping the sophomores and juniors every time they put on a play was rough.”
First-years in the Theatre & Film Department always helped upperclassmen with their productions.
They learned acting while assisting and learned how to set up the stage.
“Ah, we’re here.”
At Han Seongtae’s words, Kim Min-seok looked up.
At the driver’s license test center, there were simulator machines for practice.
They were cheap to use, and since the practice was virtual, the risk was low.
“Never thought I’d come back here.”
“Who knew? Come on.”
Side by side, Han Seongtae and Kim Min-seok entered the building.
They could see people who’d come to take the test, and outside a truck and a yellow sedan circling the course.
“My heart was pounding like crazy when I took the test. Ah, there’s an open seat.”
On the second floor were two simulator rigs.
Both had been occupied, but just now one opened up.
Han Seongtae walked over and fed a 1,000-won bill into the machine.
“Let’s see how good you are. What was your score last time?”
“Eighty-four.”
“Not bad. What did I get? I think I was about the same.”
Kim Min-seok muttered behind him.
Ignoring the commentary, Han Seongtae sat down and gripped the wheel.
[‘One Who Lives by Speed and Dies by Speed’ pokes his head out.]
The machine hummed.
Vroom, vroom!
A smile rose to Han Seongtae’s lips.
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