Free Web Novel“Hello, seniors and juniors. My name is Min Juran.”
Despite the tense atmosphere, Juran greeted everyone with a bright smile and took a seat.
She scanned the faces of the attendees.
‘As expected, the only ones worth mentioning are Seo Ryu Shin and Seon Yu-ri. Well, the truly successful ones are busy with their professional schedules.’
Then she noticed an unfamiliar face behind Seo Ryu Shin.
‘That must be Shin Yoomyeong. His style is... not bad, but he’s probably still an amateur... The real draw here is definitely Seo Ryu Shin.’
She steeled herself.
Her portfolio had to be flawless. Although Seo Ryu Shin was highly likely to land the lead role, she was prepared to step in if, by some chance, he didn’t.
She knew Seon Yu-ri’s personality very well. Yu-ri was a perfectionist.
If she had been satisfied with the existing script, she wouldn’t have contacted her. Since she had, the decision was effectively in her hands.
Yu-ri spoke again.
“As previously announced, we’ll begin casting today. I trust you’ve all practiced with the script I sent out. Of course, today’s casting won’t be the end of it. In keeping with Oedipus tradition, if you believe you can perform a particular role better, feel free to challenge for it even in the middle of production.”
Oedipus’s rehearsal process moved faster than Changcheon’s.
Each actor prepared individually, and casting was decided from the very first meeting.
Even during main rehearsals, they only did physical warmups and no acting practice. Since they were all aspiring actors, they were expected to handle the basics on their own—a hands-off approach.
Group rehearsal time was also short.
However, the actors didn’t leave immediately afterward.
Most stayed behind, either practicing alone or seeking advice from others as they continued refining their characters.
“We’ll begin the audition.”
“Candidates for the roles of Jekyll and Hyde: Seo Ryu Shin and Shin Yoomyeong.”
The two actors stepped into the center.
Everyone had expected this development, but the room was still filled with keen anticipation.
After the summer workshop, those who had witnessed his acting couldn’t stop praising him. Even people who hadn’t seen it firsthand were eagerly anticipating his performance today.
In person, he looked modest and composed. His appearance didn’t quite match the reputation of an ‘acting genius.’
The role of Jekyll and Hyde was the lead role of the play.
As expected, there were only two serious candidates. The members of Oedipus had implicitly agreed not to interfere in auditions for the lead.
In three years, no one had ever surpassed Seo Ryu Shin. How would they handle a prodigy like Yoomyeong, especially after Yoon Hansung had called him a ‘new actor’?
Everyone watched from a distance as though witnessing the showdown of the century.
Yu-ri took her seat in the director’s chair.
“For Act 1, Scene 2, please portray Jekyll’s bright persona, and for Act 2, Scene 3, Hyde’s dark persona. As you all know, the core of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ lies in convincingly portraying these two opposing personalities. That’s what I’ll be focusing on.”
An 1886 classic by R.L.B. Stevenson.
Even after more than a century, this groundbreaking story exploring human nature remained widely beloved. It had been adapted into films, plays, and musicals countless times.
Dr. Jekyll, the protagonist, appeared noble and upright to everyone around him.
However, after developing a drug that released hidden impulses and consuming it himself, he awakened his evil alter ego, Hyde.
The theatrical appeal of the original work lay in the fact that Dr. Jekyll and Hyde shared the same body while possessing completely opposite inner selves.
Dr. Jekyll, who represented humanity’s will toward goodness, and Hyde, the pure embodiment of evil.
With every new adaptation, audiences were deeply interested in how a single actor would portray both roles.
Director Seon Yu-ri selected scenes that sharply contrasted the two characters and picked up her pen.
In the first round, Seo Ryu Shin would play Jekyll, while Shin Yoomyeong would play Hyde.
Seo Ryu Shin went first.
The assistant director stood onstage with him to feed him the lines.
“Act 1, Scene 2, begin.”
Seo Ryu Shin briefly closed his eyes to gather himself before delivering his lines.
“Ah, Utterson. It’s been a while, my dearest friend. You’re as steadfast as ever, with your comforting words and warm smile. I always find solace in seeing you.”
“You flatter me, Jekyll. You always seem to shine.” ƒгeewёbnovel.com
“Oh, you. But perhaps it’s because of tennis. They say running about beneath the blazing sun improves both the body and the mind.”
The elegant Dr. Jekyll, a nobleman as refined as a painting, radiated aristocratic grace.
Yoomyeong admired the performance.
He had watched Seo Ryu Shin perform many times after he became a renowned actor in his thirties.
However, this was the first time in this life that he had properly watched Seo Ryu Shin perform—excluding the role of Mary, which had limited screen time and the difficult condition of cross-gender casting.
‘Even back then... he was already an incredible actor.’
Onstage, he possessed an overwhelming presence that immediately captured people’s attention. Jekyll’s handsome face radiated nobility. He carried a natural charisma that drew people toward him wherever he went. Everyone watching wore enchanted smiles.
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
Dr. Jekyll’s scene ended gracefully.
The performance was so polished that no one would have believed it was merely a rehearsal before the actual casting.
Everyone clicked their tongues in admiration.
‘As expected of Seo Ryu Shin.’
“Next. Act 2, Scene 3. Hyde’s role, Shin Yoomyeong.”
Now it was Yoomyeong’s turn. freewebnσvel.cøm
After witnessing Hyde beating an innocent old man on the street, Richard Enfield intervened.
The assistant director delivered the opening line.
“Hey, you there! What are you doing?”
Yoomyeong let out a deep breath—hoo—and hunched his body.
His back bent crookedly, and his raised shoulders pressed against the back of his neck. It was a perfect embodiment of a deformed posture.
Then he spoke.
“This old man pointed at me. Called me a hunchback and mocked me in his heart. It hurt my feelings. Heh heh.”
“I... I never did such a thing, sir.”
“Don’t lie! I can tell when someone’s being insincere! The nobles may not know this, but even if these people look pitiful on the outside, you’ve no idea what filthy thoughts they hide inside. They’re dogs and pigs, the lot of them, creatures that only understand the language of the whip. Would you like to try hitting them, sir? It feels very good. Heh heh.”
A sinister smile spread across his face. Malice seemed to seep from his entire body.
The actor who had appeared so ordinary moments ago transformed into a man who looked ready to pick a fight with any passerby.
Bang—
Yu-ri felt as though a piano wire had snapped inside her head, tension surging through her entire body.
A villain.
Not merely a wicked person, but a being that seemed to embody evil itself.
The Hyde Director Seon Yu-ri had envisioned stood before her.
‘How can he...?’
Seo Ryu Shin was watching the scene as well.
The physicality and line delivery were exceptional.
He thought, ‘There’s no way this is his first year acting,’ and immediately discarded the assumption altogether.
This guy simply made no sense.
Already dissatisfied with the Hyde he himself had prepared, Ryu Shin bit his lip in frustration.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—
The first round ended, and the audience erupted into fervent applause.
Both performances had surpassed the level of university students in every respect. Anticipation for the next round, where the roles would be reversed, filled the room.
However...
The next round turned out differently than expected.
‘Why does Jekyll... seem so ordinary...?’
The portrayal of Jekyll was solid.
But compared to Seo Ryu Shin’s Jekyll, who seemed to radiate noble grace naturally...
‘Hyde feels too kind...’
The portrayal of Hyde was decent.
But compared to Shin Yoomyeong’s Hyde, which seemed like evil itself given human form...
The soaring expectations from the previous round quickly deflated.
In a way, it was inevitable.
Every actor had roles that suited them, and roles completely opposite to their strengths often became weaknesses.
Yu-ri fell into deep thought.
“Let’s take a short break. We’ll confer with the directing team and return shortly.”
She entered a meeting with the assistant director.
“Well... I think it should be Ryu Shin, don’t you?”
The assistant director, Ji Hyung from the class of ’99, voiced his opinion cautiously.
“Yoomyeong would struggle with it, wouldn’t he?”
“Well... that Hyde was incredible, but the gap...”
In the end, it came down to Seo Ryu Shin’s performance versus Shin Yoomyeong’s.
Both had already surpassed the level of university students and delivered performances worthy of professionals.
However, if one were to score the roles of Jekyll and Hyde, Seo Ryu Shin would be a seven and a three, while Shin Yoomyeong would be a two and an eight. Even if the totals were equal, the disparity in Yoomyeong’s case was more severe.
“I think that’s the right decision. We need consistency in both roles.”
“That’s true, but... that Hyde...”
“It would be such a waste to let it go.”
“Yes...”
“But as the directing team, we have to make the best choice. It can’t be helped.”
“Right.”
Although Hyde’s performance still lingered vividly in Yu-ri’s mind, she ultimately pushed aside her regret, true to her rational nature.
“The role of Jekyll and Hyde has been assigned to Seo Ryu Shin.”
It was the directing team’s official announcement.
He understood why he hadn’t been chosen.
He had spent a great deal of time practicing to adapt himself to the classical script of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ but in the end, he still hadn’t fully grasped the character of Jekyll.
The world he knew was fifteen years in the future.
The era when theatrical line delivery was considered virtuous had already passed. There was now a tendency to avoid exaggerated tones that felt unrealistic. When performing older scripts, it had become common to adapt the dialogue into something easier on modern ears.
Among actors, Yoomyeong belonged to the type that pursued realism and convincing performances. For someone like him, adapting to lines filled with excessive formality and flourish was naturally difficult.
From the day the directing team distributed the casting script, Yoomyeong had practiced repeatedly to overcome that obstacle.
Playing Hyde had been somewhat easier. Hyde’s lines, belonging to such a radical character, diverged significantly from aristocratic speech. Jekyll’s lines, however, were filled with archaic expressions no one used in everyday conversation, constantly disrupting his immersion.
‘I can do it. If I just had a little more time.’
He believed that.
Or rather, he had to.
Supporting and minor roles had their own value, but this time there was one reason he absolutely could not give up the lead role:
His parents.
The biggest reason Yoomyeong had decided to [N O V E L I G H T] participate in another school production was to gently persuade his parents within the framework of a school environment.
As the title suggested, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ was a play entirely centered on its protagonist. It was driven by the protagonist, for the protagonist, and focused solely on the protagonist.
The other characters lacked both weight and individuality. To persuade parents unfamiliar with theater through acting under those circumstances was...
Yu-ri called the names of the next audition candidates.
“Candidates for the role of Lawyer Utterson: Shin Suho, Jo Min-seok, and Shin Yoomyeong.”
Oedipus’s casting system was unusual.
They chose the lead roles first, then moved downward in order of importance. Those rejected from earlier auditions automatically participated in the next round for secondary roles.
It was a system designed to build the strongest possible cast.
Since he had failed to secure the lead role, Yoomyeong was naturally expected to audition for the next major role.
However, he raised his hand.
“I apologize, but I will not be auditioning for the remaining supporting roles.”
Yu-ri’s expression stiffened.
“Don’t tell me... are you saying you won’t participate in the Oedipus production unless you get the lead?”
“No. Instead of a major role, I would like to apply for the role of ‘Extra 1.’”
Extra 1.
The old man beaten by Hyde.
It was such a minor role that there wasn’t even an audition for it. It existed purely for anyone who wanted to try participating, barely qualifying as a supporting role at all.
“...Why? What reason could you possibly have for that?”
“I intend to remain a candidate for the role of Jekyll and Hyde until I earn it.”
He played his final card.
