Shwaaa…
The curtain of the stage rose.
Between it, the students bustled about for practice.
“Seongtae, you can go up now.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Looking over the script, Han Seongtae nodded at the voice beside him and stood up.
Practice that had already continued for over a month.
Maybe because the practice period was longer than when doing a play, he felt closer to his classmates of the same year.
“Security’s gotten really tight lately.”
“There are more people watching us, too. The number of patrols has increased, so it’s gotten even harder to move around.”
On stage, Han Seongtae was conferring with the students playing other independence activists.
Recently one of the activists had been caught, and because of that they were moving with greater caution.
“Comrades, don’t worry too much.”
Han Seongtae spoke to the activists.
With his line, solemn music flowed in.
Someday we’ll be caught too.
But don’t be afraid because of that.
At Ahn Jung-geun’s words, the independence activists nodded with determined faces.
Songs of the martyrs flowed from their mouths as well.
The stage was being filled with their resolve.
“Now, let’s go!”
“Right. Let’s go!”
At Ahn Jung-geun’s words, they nodded as they held the Taegeukgi.
Now they had only to confront the Japanese army…
The song cut off abruptly.
“That’s not how you do it, is it? Make it a bit more solemn, huh? Do you not know the word ‘solemn’?”
Seeing Park Hae-gun coming up onto the stage, Han Seongtae could only let out a sigh.
They’d been doing perfectly fine. The flow was very good.
“I figured now that you’re second-years I wouldn’t need to step in… You’ll need to learn again from the start. Aren’t you embarrassed with the first-years here too?”
“…”
At the sight of Park Hae-gun on stage, both on and off stage filled with sighs.
No one stepped up to take issue with what he was doing.
“There he goes again.”
“Why’s he sticking his nose in again?”
Did he not even hear his friends’ voices?
Shaking his head, Han Seongtae stepped down from the stage.
With Park Hae-gun’s interference, it wasn’t the atmosphere to keep practicing.
“Should I just go home?”
It felt like it might be better to practice alone.
[‘Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says the best policy with guys like that is to ignore them.]
[‘The One Who Defined His Era’ turns his head, saying all he can do is sigh.]
Seeing the gods’ messages, Han Seongtae let out a laugh and took a seat.
He was able to focus on the script again quickly.
“Isn’t it sick? I’ve already looped this more than ten times.”
“Seongtae shows up here. That gaze is insane. I don’t get how that innocent face makes an expression like that.”
“Exactly. He’s amazing. He acts really well.”
He heard whispering beside him.
Talk about the second trailer for “War of Villains.”
Hearing them, the corner of Han Seongtae’s mouth was just starting to curl up when…
“Good, my ass. That’s all editing. I can do that too.”
“Hm…”
“Is that so… Ah, we’ve got to move props now, so we’ll get going.”
At Park Hae-gun’s words, people quietly slipped away.
They knew all too well that the best policy when talk like that started was to clear out.
“If it’s editing, who can’t act? The real thing is a musical. Once you get on a stage, it comes out in no time that you can’t act.”
Did he mean that sincerely?
Han Seongtae turned his head right away and looked to the side, and his eyes met Park Hae-gun’s just as he was getting up.
“…Tsk.”
Seeing him click his tongue and leave, Han Seongtae could only frown.
“Food’s here!”
An auditorium filled with the heat of musical practice.
At one student’s call, the students in the hall brightened and stood up.
A musical consumed a great deal of stamina.
They’d been practicing for hours, so everyone was hungry.
Han Seongtae was no different from them.
[‘Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ smacks his lips, saying it’s a pity how short the protein is.]
Taking a lunchbox, Han Seongtae sat down in a secluded spot.
As he ate, he raised his head at the gradually increasing noise around him.
“…?”
He had sat in a corner to avoid people, and yet somehow his friends were taking places around him.
“Hey, scoot over a bit.”
“Hey, I don’t have a seat either. Where am I supposed to scoot to?”
“Anyone need water? There’s water here too.”
Gathering as if it were the most natural thing, they sat and started eating as if it were nothing.
Watching them chat amiably, Han Seongtae blinked.
‘What is this?’
At school and on set alike, he had always eaten alone, and people hadn’t tried to approach him.
So seeing people filling the space around him now felt a little bewildering.
“Seongtae, why aren’t you eating? Is it bad?”
“Is it sticking in your throat? Want some water?”
They weren’t just sitting next to him.
They spoke to him naturally and even looked after him.
‘So things can change this much.’
At the changes around him, so different from his previous life, Han Seongtae let out a wry smile.
The difference between acting well and not was huge.
‘I’ll have to get used to it.’
Shaking his head, he picked up his spoon.
When he’d finished about half the lunchbox…
“Seongtae, I saw the trailer, you know? You looked really cool.”
“Right? When I first saw it, I didn’t even think it was you.”
“When will I be able to debut, I wonder. Seongtae, got any tips you can give?”
At their words, Han Seongtae chuckled.
Since he couldn’t talk about his previous life, he had to think what to say.
“I was just lucky. You can do it too. There are extra gigs for bit parts, right? How about starting from there?”
In the end, all he could give was advice anyone knew.
But the kids who heard it smiled.
“Ah. About our musical practice, how about we increase Seongtae’s share a bit?”
“Yeah, I was thinking that too. I think it’d be fine to structure it a bit more around Seongtae.”
“He sings quite well too. We could tweak the script a bit.”
At their words, Han Seongtae could only let out a dry laugh.
They all knew that at this point, revising the script was impossible.
He knew they were saying it to boost him, but still, it felt good.
“What’s he so good at, really. No eye for talent, any of you.”
At Park Hae-gun’s voice from the side, the kids’ faces twisted.
Every time, he seemed trained in the art of killing the mood.
“Hey, enough already.”
“Seriously. I’m getting embarrassed.”
“Enough what. Did I say something untrue? Saying he acts well in the first place makes no sense. The trailer just makes him look good through editing. The real thing is the actual stage. Once the musical starts, he won’t even be able to speak properly.”
They heard Park Hae-gun’s grumbling.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with him?”
“Does being a sunbae make you everything? I’m gonna lose it.”
Up front, his friends were grimacing at his behavior.
And still, that grumbling voice kept drifting over.
“Sunbae Park Hae-gun.”
Standing, Han Seongtae walked over and spoke to him.
“…What?”
Whether he was flustered by the move or not, Park Hae-gun’s body gave a little jolt.
Meeting the eyes of Park Hae-gun who looked up at him, Han Seongtae spoke without averting his gaze.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
He had put up with a lot already.
At the sight of Han Seongtae staring straight at him, Park Hae-gun clenched his fists.
‘A junior punk daring to talk back to a senior?’
Unthinkable back when he was a second-year.
Glaring up at the Han Seongtae looming over him, he sprang to his feet in a huff.
“Did I make something up? What responsibility.”
“You’ve been saying I can’t act. Can you take responsibility for that?”
“I’m just speaking facts. What responsibility!”
From the start, Park Hae-gun couldn’t accept the situation as it was.
“You think what you’re doing now is right? When a senior gives advice, the least you could do is say thank you. You dare to argue?”
“Wow… What century senior are you from?”
“There are still people these days who strut their seniority, huh.”
The answer to Park Hae-gun’s words came from elsewhere.
At some point, everyone in the auditorium was looking at the two of them.
At their stares, Park Hae-gun gnashed his teeth.
He didn’t like the mere fact that his juniors were glaring at him. He felt ignored.
“Hah, fine. You’re good when you do musicals, right? Then I’ll grant you one wish.”
In a fit of anger, Park Hae-gun shouted.
At that, they could see Han Seongtae let out a sigh.
“Why, can’t you do it? If you can’t, then don’t. Unlike you, I’m a generous senior…”
“Understood. I’ll make sure to remember your words.”
Park Hae-gun’s eyes twitched slightly as they met Han Seongtae’s gaze.
So brazen was his manner that, for a moment, Park Hae-gun even worried he might have spoken out of turn.
“Oh, yeah? Then what will you do if you can’t do it? Gonna kneel and apologize in front of everyone or something?”
“…”
“I put a condition on the table, so you should put something up too. Don’t think you can weasel out of it.”
At that, Han Seongtae sighed.
Why on earth was he going this far?
[‘The One Who Made Laughter in Tragedy’ says it’s laughable that he’s showing off in front of you.]
[‘The One Who Defined His Era’ shakes his head, saying he can’t understand what he plans to do later.]
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ says it’s not even worth dealing with him.]
Even the gods of acting clicked their tongues at Park Hae-gun.
His behavior, impossible to understand. How did he think he’d handle it?
“I’ll do it.”
Han Seongtae had no intention of backing down in the least.
Just having put up with it this long, he figured, was more than enough respect paid to a senior.
‘It’s incomprehensible, really. It’s not like I picked at him first.’
He had no personal connection with Park Hae-gun.
They’d met only when he came by saying he’d help with the musical.
Which made Park Hae-gun’s behavior all the more baffling.
“You keep your promise too, sunbae.”
Above all, Han Seongtae had no thought of losing.
A short break.
—Hello.
Han Seongtae took a call.
It was from Kim Minseok.
—We submitted to the contest judges.
Hearing his voice brimming with anticipation, Han Seongtae smiled.
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