“He’s good.”
Han Seongtae murmured quietly as he watched Lee Seunghyeon.
Lee Seunghyeon was performing mime in front of a group of people, and judging by how practiced he looked, he seemed to have spent a long time training at it.
“Hey, look over there.”
“Is that mime? Wow, he’s good.”
At the voices beside him, Han Seongtae turned his head.
When did this many people gather?
Han Seongtae blinked as he looked at the people filling the area around him.
There were more than twenty people within his field of vision alone.
After looking around at them, Han Seongtae turned his gaze back to Lee Seunghyeon.
Before his eyes, Lee Seunghyeon felt around in empty space.
He touched a wall, ate an apple, and kicked a ball.
There was clearly nothing there.
It was an empty space, a place with nothing in it except Lee Seunghyeon.
Yet Lee Seunghyeon behaved as though objects were really there.
Clap, clap, clap.
Applause sounded from beside him, but Han Seongtae did not join them in clapping.
No, he couldn’t.
He was already completely absorbed in the world Lee Seunghyeon was acting out.
While the others were impressed by the sight of him behaving as though objects existed in empty space where there was nothing at all,
Han Seongtae was watching Lee Seunghyeon’s acting not from the perspective of an audience member, but from that of an actor.
A baseball bat.
He could see the baseball bat Lee Seunghyeon was holding.
A sandwich.
He saw the sandwich sitting on the table.
Han Seongtae was seeing the imaginary objects Lee Seunghyeon had created along with him.
Han Seongtae smiled as he felt he could understand what kind of acting Lee Seunghyeon was doing.
Now I understand why he’s called a method actor.
Lee Seunghyeon was immersed in every single movement of his mime.
Miming driving a car, miming drinking coffee, and so on……
From what Han Seongtae could see, there was not a single performance Lee Seunghyeon gave that he did not completely immerse himself in.
It was something he could recognize because he was watching from one step back.
As he watched Lee Seunghyeon perform, Han Seongtae subtly shifted his eyes and checked the gods’ messages.
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ says that while watching Lee Seunghyeon’s acting, if it had been him, he would have brought out more detail in the movements of the fingers.]
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ points out that it is good mime, but his handling of his gaze is lacking.]
While everyone else was admiring Lee Seunghyeon’s mime, the gods were pointing out its shortcomings.
Watching their reactions, Han Seongtae let out a deep breath.
Through Lee Seunghyeon’s performance, he looked back on his own acting and furrowed his brow.
Until now, I’ve only been looking at my own acting.
Han Seongtae had been acting with the gods’ help, and until now, simply receiving their help had been enough.
But not anymore.
Han Seongtae wanted to act from the same perspective as they did.
Until now, the gods have always watched me from one step away.
Just as they had watched him, Han Seongtae would watch Lee Seunghyeon’s acting from one step away.
This was the first way Han Seongtae could act from the same perspective as the gods of acting.
Perhaps he did not need to go this far.
After all, people were already saying that Han Seongtae had entered the ranks of the great actors.
So why was he still worrying about something like this?
What if the gods suddenly disappear someday?
It was a thought Han Seongtae occasionally had.
There were aspects of acting in which Han Seongtae relied on the gods.
That was why he sometimes wondered whether he would still be able to show acting as good as he did now if the gods disappeared.
And that was why he was trying to become like them.
So that he could stand on his own at any time.
Of course, someone else might say that there was no point in thinking this way.
But Han Seongtae was human too, so he couldn’t help worrying.
Even if that never happens, if I want to show better acting, I need to improve my acting itself.
The gods’ help ultimately worked on the foundation of Han Seongtae’s own acting.
Just as something could not be created from nothing, they could not produce an incredible performance if Han Seongtae’s own acting did not support it.
Even comparing the first day after his regression with now, hadn’t many things changed?
If he wanted to act better, then in the end, he had to improve his own acting.
And when it came to growing as an actor, the greatest requirement was experience.
His time with Lee Seunghyeon would fill in the experience he lacked.
Bzzzt.
While watching Lee Seunghyeon, Han Seongtae immediately slipped a hand into his pocket when he felt it vibrate.
[Kim Minseok]
Seeing his friend’s name, Han Seongtae smiled with pleasure.
—Seongtae, sorry for contacting you out of nowhere like this, but can you come to Korea?
“What happened?”
—There’s a problem with the recording, and I think we need you here.
At Kim Minseok’s words, a strange look appeared on Han Seongtae’s face.
It seemed he would have to return to Korea.
Ever since they started filming Youth My Way, there had been one thing Kim Minseok was worried about.
Since the story centered heavily on a singer, the music that would go into the film was especially important.
They needed a singer to work on the OST, and Kim Minseok ran himself ragged searching until he finally found one.
That singer was Kay.
He was famous for his singing ability and vocal tone, and he was also in his early to mid-twenties, around Han Seongtae’s age.
They got along better than expected, so Kim Minseok had not been too worried.
Until Kay shouted,
“This isn’t it!”
This was how the problem began.
After all the filming was finished, Han Seongtae got on a plane.
Kim Minseok moved on to editing the film and tried to finish the OST.
One of the songs to be used in the movie, Revival, was Kay’s new song, and within the movie it would appear as a song composed by Park Sejun.
Naturally, Han Seongtae had finished all of his recording before leaving the country.
Both the part that would appear in the film and the featured section that would be included in the released track.
There had been no problems up to that point.
Kim Minseok sighed as he watched Kay singing inside the recording booth.
The problem began when Kay came to record and listened to the section Han Seongtae had sung.
Kim Minseok did not know exactly what was wrong.
But even to his ears, Han Seongtae’s singing and Kay’s singing kept failing to line up.
Is it because the emotions are different?
Han Seongtae’s emotions and Kay’s emotions were different.
Since the two of them felt differently, the emotions that needed to seep into the song inevitably became different as well.
If Han Seongtae had been there, they could simply record it again.
Kim Minseok gripped his smartphone tightly.
He did not want to bother his friend who was overseas.
Kim Minseok wanted to solve the problem among themselves without calling him.
But they couldn’t.
“If we’re going to record it, we need that person.”
Saying that there was no point in recording without Han Seongtae, Kay firmly closed his mouth.
Watching him, Kim Minseok squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that he really should not call his friend.
“Aren’t you disappointed that you have to leave without getting to act?”
Hearing Lee Seunghyeon’s question, Han Seongtae gave a small laugh and shook his head.
“I’m coming back. I can act then.”
There were things he had gained as well, Han Seongtae murmured quietly.
From Lee Seunghyeon’s perspective, it might have seemed as though Han Seongtae had done nothing.
But Han Seongtae had gained a great deal from this trip.
Hadn’t he at least begun to understand what kind of acting he needed to do and what kind of effort he needed to make?
“Don’t be too late.”
Lee Seunghyeon said nothing more.
But to Han Seongtae, it sounded as though he were saying, If you’re late, there won’t be a place for you.
Han Seongtae laughed.
He said goodbye to Lee Seunghyeon and boarded the plane.
—Jung Dusik: You’ll see me as soon as you come out.
It took a full day to reach Korea.
Han Seongtae had not even been away for a full week.
“Seongtae! It was hard, wasn’t it? Look at you, you’ve lost half your face! You didn’t eat properly, did you?”
Jung Dusik acted as though they had not seen each other in a year.
Pushing his fussing manager aside, Han Seongtae got into the car.
Jung Dusik’s chatter continued all the way until they reached the studio.
Thinking that this felt even more exhausting than the flight itself, Han Seongtae let out a dry laugh.
They reached Kim Minseok’s studio after an hour.
The moment Han Seongtae knocked, the door flew open.
“Why are you only getting here now!”
Kim Minseok approached him looking as though he might cry.
While Han Seongtae stared at his friend in bewilderment, he noticed someone standing behind Kim Minseok.
It was someone Han Seongtae knew.
Kay, the nation’s singer.
The genius singer who, in the future Han Seongtae remembered, would become a source of pride for South Korea was staring fixedly at him.
“Making you work the second you get here. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I don’t know what’s going on, and we’re doing this so the project turns out well. Don’t worry about it.”
Leaving his friend’s concern behind, Han Seongtae entered the recording booth.
As he put on the headset, he suddenly felt someone’s gaze and raised his head.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ says he is worried that your face might get a hole bored through it.]
He found Kay staring at him as though glaring.
What’s his problem?
Han Seongtae could not understand Kay’s behavior.
This was the first time they had ever met.
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ says ignoring him is the best course of action.]
Thinking something similar to the god, Han Seongtae turned his eyes toward the sheet music.
He had done nothing wrong, so there was no reason to shrink back just because someone was glaring at him.
Han Seongtae knew very well that the best thing to do in a situation like this was ignore it and focus on his own work.
—We’ll begin recording.
At the voice coming through his headset, Han Seongtae raised a hand and gave an “OK” sign.
At the same time, the accompaniment began.
After roughly ten seconds of instrumental music, a man’s voice brushed pleasantly against his ears.
As expected of Kay.
Han Seongtae could not help admiring Kay’s singing as it blended with the accompaniment.
It was a voice that made the very act of listening to music feel joyful.
And yet.
Why does it sound so stiff?
After listening for a while, Han Seongtae tilted his head at the strange feeling.
Kay’s voice was different from the one he knew.
The songs he had heard from Kay in his previous life had been much better.
He had heard Kay sing in a way that seemed to strike directly at the heart.
That was why Han Seongtae could not help finding something strange about the song he was hearing now.
This is… just someone who sings well.
His voice was good, and his singing ability was excellent, so all Han Seongtae could do was admire the skill.
But he could not empathize with the song.
He wanted to go outside immediately and ask why Kay was singing it like this.
I should do my part first.
Suppressing the impulse, Han Seongtae opened his mouth.
♪ I don’t want to get up
♪ I’ll only fall again anyway
Frustration and regret colored his voice.
It felt completely different from Kay’s stiff singing.
It was not that Han Seongtae was simply singing better than Kay.
If they were judging singing ability alone, it made no sense to say that Han Seongtae could beat Kay.
Their emotions were simply different.
Han Seongtae was acting.
The song was steadily approaching its highlight, and just as Han Seongtae’s emotions were reaching their peak—
—Beeeeep.
The accompaniment stopped, and the sharp sound severed Han Seongtae’s emotions.
It happened so abruptly that Han Seongtae stared blankly through the glass.
—Again. Please do it again.
Kay said it while staring straight at him.
[‘The Actor of Eternal Youth’ lets out an incredulous laugh.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ wonders how on earth he is supposed to interpret this.]
Watching Kay behave in a way that even left the gods bewildered, Han Seongtae frowned.
For some reason, it did not seem like this recording session was going to proceed smoothly.
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