[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ frowns, saying it feels like something is clogged up.]
[‘The Actor of Eternal Youth’ taps their chest, saying they feel stifled.]
The acting gods were frowning as they watched Yoo Beomsan’s acting.
Han Seongtae could fully understand how they felt.
There was something about Yoo Beomsan’s acting that made the viewer feel stifled.
‘Because he can’t properly let it explode.’
The Yoo Beomsan in front of him could not properly let his emotions explode when he needed to.
It could be that he does not know how, or it could be that he needs a trigger.
It was absolutely not that Yoo Beomsan was bad at acting.
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ smacks their lips, saying something feels lacking.]
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ feels frustrated by a strange sensation that cannot be explained in words.]
The acting gods, who criticized immediately if they disliked even a little, were not cursing his acting.
Even to the acting gods, Yoo Beomsan was not bad at acting.
Because he was not bad at acting, it was even more frustrating.
‘If he just had a trigger, he could show it for sure.’
What kind of trigger did he need?
In his previous life, how had Yoo Beomsan realized his shortcomings and broken through them?
For a moment, as Han Seongtae pondered, he let out a small laugh.
This kind of worry was meaningless.
‘Since when did I ever start worrying like this?’
Han Seongtae set down his pen and met Yoo Beomsan’s eyes.
Yoo Beomsan’s eyes were also on Han Seongtae.
“Hoo…”
Han Seongtae took a light, steady breath.
With the sound of his breathing, his gaze changed in an instant.
Not as Han Seongtae, but as Choi Deoksu.
He looked at Nam Seowoo, not Yoo Beomsan.
Flinch.
The moment Yoo Beomsan met Han Seongtae’s eyes, his body trembled.
A face like he had seen something terrifying.
As he hurriedly tried to turn his head away, Han Seongtae spoke at once.
“So, I told you. Not to come here.”
A voice with sticky killing intent seeping through it.
“…!”
“…?”
At the sight of Han Seongtae suddenly starting to act, Yeon Jaehun and Kim Minseok, who were right beside him, looked visibly flustered.
Han Seongtae had sat still the entire audition.
And yet he had asked to see Yoo Beomsan’s assigned acting, and now he was acting with him.
From their perspective, they would naturally wonder why Han Seongtae was suddenly doing this.
Han Seongtae did not explain.
His eyes were fixed entirely on Yoo Beomsan.
“I didn’t want to do this either. But life doesn’t go the way you want. Think about it. How would I beat a big guy like you?”
“…You bastard.”
At Han Seongtae’s line, Yoo Beomsan’s mouth, which had been stiff the whole time, finally opened.
The moment he heard Yoo Beomsan’s line, Han Seongtae’s mouth curled up even more.
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ narrows their eyes, saying it feels a little different.]
A tiny change that other people could not feel.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ tilts their head, saying that stifling feeling has eased a little.]
But the acting gods felt that change clearly.
Within their reactions, Han Seongtae matched Yoo Beomsan’s rhythm.
“But isn’t that size seriously cheating? If I hadn’t done this, I would’ve definitely lost.”
“You coward.”
“But do you only know how to swear?”
At Choi Deoksu’s words, Nam Seowoo’s face twisted sharply.
Watching him, Choi Deoksu continued.
“How should I deal with you? Yeah, I’ll cut the tendons in your arms and legs and drag you in front of that bitch. Slowly, very slowly, I’ll show you what dying means.”
At Choi Deoksu’s fishy smile, Nam Seowoo clenched his fist.
Blood was streaming from his forehead, side, and thigh, and he did not look like he had even a sliver of a chance.
“You think I’m going to die that easily?”
Nam Seowoo burned with rage and hatred as he stared at Choi Deoksu.
His wide-open eyes blazed like fire, and his tightly clenched fist seemed to show his resolve.
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ says the acting has become much smoother.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says Yoo Beomsan’s acting is changing through acting with you.]
Han Seongtae could also feel Yoo Beomsan’s acting changing.
Like a child who had finally started speaking, Yoo Beomsan was now properly showing the emotion he wanted to show.
‘This is Yoo Beomsan.’
Of course, Yoo Beomsan still had many shortcomings.
Even so, Han Seongtae felt satisfied.
Because once Yoo Beomsan started growing, his acting was changing in sync with Han Seongtae’s acting.
“I’m going to kill you.”
At Yoo Beomsan’s murmured line, a sound of astonished admiration came from right beside them.
“He’s insane…”
“Ha…”
Sounds of awe as they watched Han Seongtae and Yoo Beomsan act.
Even the other applicants behind Yoo Beomsan were staring blankly at the two of them.
“You’ll only know once we measure what’s long and what’s short.”
As he spat out the line, a curved smile formed at Han Seongtae’s lips.
An unknown actor in his third year, Yoo Beomsan.
He was not someone with outstanding talent, nor someone who was good at acting.
To the point that the title “actor” felt hollow, every role he had taken so far had been a minor role.
—Beomsan, you have no impact in your acting.
Yoo Beomsan’s acting was ordinary.
—You know how in soccer there are guys who get it to the goal but don’t have the finishing blow? That’s exactly you.
Yoo Beomsan’s acting had nothing exceptional.
‘It’s stifling.’
Stifling acting.
His acting could not properly burst out, like someone surrounded by walls.
The audition for Haru.
A chance he had gotten again.
But he wondered if he could truly seize that chance.
No, maybe it was that he already carried the certainty that he would not be able to.
‘It’s dark.’
Even though he was clearly under the lights, it was dark.
Like someone was raising a hand to cover his eyes.
It was dark.
The moment Han Seongtae began acting.
He saw light.
“I told you. When I told you to go back earlier, you should’ve gone back.”
Han Seongtae’s acting was different from his in so many ways.
He delivered the lines clearly, and his facial expressions and small actions were packed with exactly what he was trying to show.
‘So this is what smooth acting is.’
Acting so good it was hard to compare to his, which felt like it was unnaturally cutting off.
‘Was I asking for too much?’
In that instant, Yoo Beomsan wondered if he had been foolishly trying to grasp something he could not even do.
Maybe he should just give up.
When that thought came to him, his eyes met Han Seongtae’s.
A piercing gaze.
Eyes that were Choi Deoksu’s from the script, speaking to Yoo Beomsan.
—You’re not going to do it?
Under Han Seongtae’s gaze, telling him to follow and act, Yoo Beomsan’s mouth opened regardless of his own will.
“Shut up. You piece of trash.”
The moment he spat out the line after Han Seongtae, Yoo Beomsan felt something strange.
A ray of light seeped into the darkness.
And it felt like the wall blocking his path had cracked.
Along with the illusion of a crunch, like a shell breaking.
‘Is this really me doing this right now?’
It was a very tiny change, but seeing his own acting, now different from before, Yoo Beomsan could not help but be shocked.
For three years, his acting had been stagnant.
And now, even if only a little, it was growing.
As if a clogged dam had broken, he could finally pour out emotion, even if only a bit, properly.
“A murderer bastard like you has to be thrown in prison no matter what!”
At his acting, he saw Han Seongtae form a fishy smile.
Han Seongtae’s eyes were shining, and his face looked slightly satisfied.
Only then did Yoo Beomsan realize one thing.
‘He drew my acting out.’
Han Seongtae was showing him the road, showing him what kind of acting he needed to do.
The moment he understood that, Yoo Beomsan felt something he could not explain in words.
How many people would help someone they had never met to this extent?
‘He’s really an incredible person.’
He was lucky.
Because he could meet an actor like Han Seongtae, Yoo Beomsan could push past his limits.
Even if he did not think he could catch up to Han Seongtae’s acting, he had gained hope.
‘I want to act with him.’
Not at a place like an audition, but on a real set, he wanted to act with Han Seongtae.
He wanted to taste his acting and get to know the person named Han Seongtae.
“Hoo…”
When the acting ended, Yoo Beomsan exhaled deeply.
While acting with Han Seongtae, he had gotten absorbed before he knew it, and he had acted without even breathing properly.
His breathing was rough, but inside, he felt refreshed.
Now that what had been blocked had been released, the world looked bright.
“Good work.”
Han Seongtae’s voice came slowly.
On his face, Choi Deoksu was no longer there.
Seeing him smile as usual, Yoo Beomsan clenched his fist tightly.
Because of that brief moment just now, a goal had formed inside Yoo Beomsan.
Even if he failed this audition, it did not matter.
He wanted to become an actor like Han Seongtae.
It was the moment Yoo Beomsan gained a role model.
“That was the last applicant just now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Everyone, you worked hard. Especially you, Seongtae, you really worked hard.”
At Yeon Jaehun’s words, Han Seongtae replied with a gentle smile.
“You’re the one who worked hard, Director.”
At his words, Yeon Jaehun shook his head.
‘It’s finally over.’
Maybe because they had dealt with over a hundred applicants, a lingering fatigue hovered on Han Seongtae’s face as he packed up.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ pats your shoulder, saying you worked hard.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ snorts, saying they’ll acknowledge that you can rest from working out just for today.]
With the gods’ encouragement, Han Seongtae stood up.
He planned to go home, look over the script, and rest.
“Ah, Seongtae. Are you free this evening?”
“I don’t have plans, but… what is it?”
“The audition ended safely, so I thought it might be good for all of us to have dinner together.”
At that, Han Seongtae considered for a moment, then slowly nodded.
‘Either way, I have to eat dinner.’
It would probably be easier to eat and then go in, rather than go in and prepare food.
“Then it’d be good for everyone to rest a bit on their own and meet at the restaurant. I’ll send you the address.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Minseok, come with me somewhere for a bit.”
“Yes.”
Yeon Jaehun and Kim Minseok left, and Han Seongtae, watching their backs, also moved and exited the audition venue.
A drink vending machine outside the building.
While Han Seongtae took out a drink there and was drinking it, he turned his head at the presence he felt beside him.
“Um…”
He saw someone about to speak, then hesitate.
‘Why is this person here?’
Yoo Beomsan was standing in front of him.
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