Free Web Novel‘That kid...’
Seated at the very back of the audience, Cheol-joo grimaced every time Yoomyeong appeared on stage.
After failing to control the timing despite Jun-han’s advice, and despite his repeated hints about maintaining balance, Yoomyeong seemed determined to dominate the stage.
Thinking he should tell Yoomyeong to restrain himself during the remaining two performances, Cheol-joo rushed out of the auditorium as soon as the performance ended.
Clap, clap, clap—
Applause seeped through the cracks in the door.
There were quite a few spectators, and neither the actors nor the staff had made any fatal mistakes. Thinking this might be one of their best performances yet, Cheol-joo wore a proud smile.
That’s when it happened.
Bang—
Someone pushed the door open even though the lights in the auditorium had not yet come on.
“Senior Lee-shin!”
He bowed to his senior with a bright smile.
“Oh, oh? Yes, Cheol-joo. I enjoyed the show.”
The senior seemed unusually excited.
Was the performance that good? Restraining his shoulders from lifting slightly, Cheol-joo tried to maintain a humble expression as much as possible.
“By the way, Cheol-joo. I want to ask you something.”
“Yes. Ask me anything, senior.”
‘Is this finally a scouting offer?’
Determined not to nod too quickly, Cheol-joo respectfully fixed his gaze on Lee-shin.
Sweat clung to his hands.
“The actor who played President Nam—what department and year is he? Does he have any acting experience? He’s serious about acting, right? There’s no way acting at that level could just be a hobby. He’s aiming to go professional, right?”
Cheol-joo’s expression hardened.
Without even noticing [N O V E L I G H T] the change in his expression, Lee-shin continued to bombard him with questions. With each new question, Cheol-joo’s face darkened further.
“He’s from the Business Department, class of ’00. This is his first acting role. Since we haven’t had any specific discussion about his career path, it might just be a hobby. He’s quite good though, isn’t he?”
“It’s his first time acting? Wow... so he’s not affiliated with an agency or anything? And ‘quite good’? It’s more than that. Cheol-joo, seriously... he should have been the lead—”
“...”
Oops.
Lee-shin finally noticed Cheol-joo’s reaction and the visibly awkward expression on his face. He had made a mistake.
As a director, Cheol-joo might have influence over that actor.
“Ah, right. Changcheon, that’s it. Yes, the fact that you gave a role like that to a first-time actor shows you have a keen eye for talent, Cheol-joo. I’m planning to invite that guy to join us. If he hesitates, please put in a good word for me. I’m counting on you!”
“Ah, yes, senior. I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Finding it harder to maintain his composure, Cheol-joo hastily excused himself.
Lee-shin ran backstage.
While waiting, Lee-shin managed to regain some of his composure and greeted him calmly.
‘Why is this senior...?’
Yoomyeong bowed his head with a slightly bewildered expression.
He knew Baek Lee-shin as well. He had seen him in the club. In his past life, there had been a time when he sat at the same table with him at a drinking gathering. Of course, Baek Lee-shin would have forgotten him the next day.
He remembered him as someone with a keen eye and a somewhat difficult personality. But who was this smooth, friendly man with a pleasant smile casually calling him by name?
“Hello, senior. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I enjoyed the performance. You seem quite talented. Are you considering a career in acting? Have you heard of July?” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
‘You seem quite talented—’
Lee-shin tried to choose his words carefully so as not to sound too eager, but his ambition clung stubbornly between the lines, impossible to hide.
“Yes, of course. Any aspiring actor would know July. It’s a great theater troupe.”
“Ah, are you interested? Would you like to try auditioning?”
Lee-shin’s true intentions finally surfaced.
Yoomyeong was a bit taken aback.
July. It was a theater troupe with Seo Ryu Shin as its headliner. It was a good place. It was one of the top three theater troupes in Daehak-ro and one of the few that could sustain itself through regular performances alone.
However, in this life, Yoomyeong had no intention of joining a specific theater troupe.
In his past life, he had been tied to a troupe for 15 years and had already learned everything he needed from such a group.
What Yoomyeong wanted was more freedom—to choose projects regardless of whether they were plays or films, and to act to his heart’s content.
“Senior, I’m truly grateful that you think highly of me. However, I don’t intend to join a theater troupe right now.”
“Why? If you want to build a solid foundation in acting, joining a theater troupe is—”
“I’ve thought it through and made my decision. If I ever feel like joining a troupe later, I’ll definitely come to you first.”
A firm refusal without a detailed explanation.
He seemed to have a rather straightforward personality.
Lee-shin, who had planned to somehow persuade him and bring him to July even if he refused, found himself at a loss for words.
Why did the phrase ‘thought it through’ from a 23-year-old feel so weighty?
‘If I push too hard now, the promise he added at the end might become meaningless.’
Lee-shin was a man with a good sense of intuition.
Those who were going to quit acting would quit, and those who were going to move to the film industry would move. If he returned to the stage, offering him an opportunity first would be a significant advantage. The stage had a different, addictive charm compared to the screen.
“Alright. Here’s my business card. Don’t forget our promise. But...”
After glancing around and confirming that no Changcheon members were nearby, Lee-shin continued.
“If you’re going to keep acting, I’d rather it not be with Changcheon. Your strengths as an actor will be constantly flattened if you stay there.”
Yoomyeong looked back at Lee-shin upon hearing his candid words.
‘He’s a sharp observer.’
And he was offering sincere advice with Yoomyeong’s best interests in mind.
“Thank you for your concern. This will be my last time participating in Changcheon’s activities.”
“It seems you already knew. I was worried for nothing.”
Lee-shin chuckled softly.
An actor who stood out beyond what Changcheon could accommodate. He must have already been disciplined numerous times.
Yet, to still be able to deliver such a performance on the main stage meant he was no ordinary person.
“I’m curious about something. How did you practice the president’s expression?”
“This one?”
Yoomyeong demonstrated. His risorius muscles, which created that vile impression, contracted, forming the exact expression Lee-shin had seen.
A vile smiling expression. A vile expression of anger.
And finally, a vile neutral expression.
Lee-shin gulped as he watched Yoomyeong’s expressions shift freely before him.
“I created a neutral base expression and layered the others on top of it.”
“You maintained a base expression consistently the entire time you were on stage? Is that even possible?”
“Well, it worked.”
Yoomyeong gave an awkward smile, unintentionally sounding a bit cheeky.
Cheol-joo finally exploded.
“Shin Yoomyeong. Do you think my direction is bullshit?”
Cheol-joo had been particularly sensitive over the past two days. After Lee-shin had dealt him a heavy blow and left, the words that always followed after people said they enjoyed the performance struck him hard.
— There was a noticeable kid, you know~
— The kid who played President Nam was good.
— Wasn’t the main character too ordinary? Is it because he’s supposed to be an ordinary commoner?
Afterward, he warned Yoomyeong not to stand out again, but the situation remained unchanged in the second performance.
“I told you not to stand out on your own, didn’t I? Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”
Yoomyeong kept his gaze lowered and accepted Cheol-joo’s scolding without responding.
He had never intended to stand out deliberately. His acting was neither more nor less than what was required to portray ‘President Nam’. He had no intention of compromising on that.
It was like a professional vocalist joining an amateur choir.
Even without using technique, his voice would have a different resonance, pitch, and emotional depth compared to those around him.
Eventually, the assistant director intervened and took Cheol-joo away, leaving Seon-ho pacing anxiously in the tense atmosphere.
The conductor was asking him to adjust to the overall level.
It was possible not to add any more technique, but was it reasonable to lower his natural volume or deliberately distort his pitch and rhythm to match the others?
Jun-han returned after a while and apologized to Yoomyeong.
“Are you okay? Cheol-joo’s been a bit sensitive these days.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry. I should have calmed him down earlier.”
“I’m fine.”
“...Directors are supposed to present a unified stance, so it’s not fair for me to say this, but I think your portrayal of President Nam is good. Don’t get discouraged.”
At Jun-han’s reassurance, Yoomyeong gave a small smile.
“The director can’t come up on stage during the performance.”
“...?”
“So, I’m really fine.”
As Yoomyeong walked away, Jun-han stared at his back in disbelief.
‘I shouldn’t be convinced by something like that as a director... but he’s right. That’s incredible mental strength.’
‘That cheeky bastard! Should I expel him from Changcheon?’
Cheol-joo had always lived in the spotlight.
In relationships where he was certain of his superiority, he could be generous to any extent. In fact, he had a reputation among seniors and juniors for being considerate and humble, and he enjoyed that reputation.
However, he had no tolerance for situations where he was not the center of attention.
‘I guess I’m a born actor, after all. Directing isn’t for me.’
Denying the emergence of a talent that far surpassed his own, Cheol-joo made excuses.
The excuse that, unlike actors, directors exist below the stage and therefore do not receive attention.
Deep down, he forcibly suppressed the uneasy thought that he might lose even if he competed with that guy in acting.
‘July has always been second-rate. The real elite one is Comet.’
Over the past two days, he had mobilized his strongest defense mechanism to rationalize everything.
He belittled July as mediocre and shifted his ambition to ‘Comet’, the undisputed number one troupe he had previously avoided because of the formidable actors there.
In forming that self-justification, ‘that’ sight also played a part.
Seo Ryu Shin.
Once again, he was waiting in the front row.
As this was the final performance, he held a bouquet of flowers in one hand.
‘That bastard... what’s with the flowers between men? It suits him, though, since he’s pretty.’
Seo Ryu Shin had been in that spot yesterday as well. In other words, he had watched all of Cheol-joo’s performances.
He knew Seo Ryu Shin saw him as a rival, but he hadn’t thought it was to that extent...
Cheol-joo let out a bitter smile.
‘It looks like the audience size will be similar to Oedipus... this will indeed be a legendary production.’
A large group of students approached from afar. Cheol-joo watched the scene with satisfaction.
He thought he could wrap things up in a decent mood—as long as Shin Yoomyeong didn’t act out in the final performance.
.
.
.
Rush—
That group of students was from Yoomyeong’s Business Administration department.
“I saw the first performance on Thursday, and senior Yoomyeong’s charisma was insane!”
“Right. He was so different from usual that I checked the program several times, thinking it was someone else.”
The two female students at the front openly dropped spoilers. Around forty students quickly filled the front of the theater. They were a group.
“Oh, so this is a theater. It’s my first time here.”
“Be quiet. The lights are off.”
The bustling chatter faded into the darkness, and the final performance began.
Act 1.
Act 2.
Act 3.
Rustle—
A few people flipped through the program as if they couldn’t believe it.
During intermissions, they turned to meet each other’s wide-eyed gazes.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—
Betty Hall resonated with a standing ovation at the end of the final performance.
Watching the actors’ curtain calls and the staff and director’s greetings that only took place on the last performance, the audience gave generous applause.
Today, the curtain did not close even after the performance ended. It was a day when the audience could come on stage, greet the Changcheon members directly, and take photos.
Click— click—
Congratulations, bouquets, and camera flashes filled the space. Ryu Shin walked slowly among them, holding a bouquet in one hand.
Despite receiving greetings from here and there, Cheol-joo was aware of his movements.
Finally, Seo Ryu Shin approached him...
“Huh? Thank—”
...and passed him by.
