Free Web NovelThe cold tone silenced the rehearsal room as though cold water had been poured over it.
“Wh... what...?”
Min Juran stammered in confusion.
Jun-ho repeated himself.
“So, are you going to quit?”
“No... that’s not what I meant... I’ve just been a little busy lately...”
Jun-ho gave no reply and simply closed his mouth. Yoomyeong had instructed him to do that as well. Even if Min Juran showed weakness or apologized, he was to ignore it and immediately move on to work-related matters.
“Act 2, Scene 7. Hyde’s transformation into Jekyll. It’s the most important scene. Let’s review the rehearsal first and adjust the script afterward.”
His tone had already returned to its usual calmness. Even so, Juran watched him nervously.
In truth, she was completely in the weaker position now. The writing team had already agreed that if conflict arose between her and Jun-ho, she would be the one removed.
She had assumed he looked so ordinary and timid that she would be able to manipulate him easily, but that initial coldness in his tone had completely thrown her off balance.
Feeling pressured by the possibility that she could be cut off at any moment, Juran could only answer meekly.
“Uh... yeah. Got it.”
Yoomyeong smiled faintly.
Because the cold arrived earlier than usual, pedestrians hurried along with their collars pulled tightly shut.
“This mansion was connected to the one behind it.”
“I know the owner of that mansion. It belongs to Henry Jekyll.”
“That mysterious man also handed over a promissory note signed by Dr. Jekyll. What’s the relationship between them?”
Unlike the cold weather outside, the atmosphere inside the rehearsal room burned hot.
The members of Oedipus had always been passionate, but the skill and dedication of the two lead actors pushed the atmosphere to an entirely different level.
“Senior Ryu Shin, everything else is good, but when you face Dr. Lanyon, I’d like you to move slightly more toward DL.”
“This much?”
“Yes, perfect.”
Ryu Shin immediately pulled out his script and scribbled down notes. The pages were already filled with red and blue markings.
“Yoomyeong, that’s good too. Once the actual stage is set, remember that the usable space will expand by around twenty percent, so adjust your positioning accordingly.”
“Hmm, got it.”
Yoomyeong checked his own script as well. It was just as worn out as Ryu Shin’s.
“I like both versions where each of you performs the full role individually. But when you perform together, it still feels a little unstable. It’s improved a lot compared to the beginning, but let’s practice that part more.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
It had been one of their original concerns.
The biggest issue was the shift in tone whenever Jekyll and Hyde were split between two actors within the same performance.
They had become much better at matching habits and characteristic expressions, enough that they felt far more like the same person than before, but traces of awkwardness still remained.
Yu-ri thought to herself,
‘Honestly, we’re just being greedy. General audiences watching this for the first time would probably focus less on the difference in tone and more on how incredible both actors are.’
But neither the director nor the two actors could let go of that greed.
Outside rehearsal hours, Yoomyeong and Ryu Shin constantly sought each other out during breaks to synchronize their acting. The more time passed, the more they began to resemble one another.
“Alright, let’s do another run-through from the top.”
After rehearsal ended, Min Juran approached Yoomyeong while he was packing his things.
“Hmm... hmm... You really are something.”
“...?”
“No, it’s nothing. I just finally understand why Seon Yu-ri refused to follow my wishes after watching rehearsal.” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Ugh, seriously...! You’re an amazing actor! I was too hasty back then. I’m sorry.”
Was this supposed to count as an apology?
“Well, thanks.”
“Yeah. Let’s not hold grudges if we run into each other in the professional world later. We’re both from Oedipus, after all.”
What a consistently self-serving personality. After spending nearly a month together in the rehearsal room and witnessing his acting firsthand, she had probably decided there was no benefit in opposing him anymore. Yoomyeong let out a hollow laugh.
“We’ll see when the time comes.”
“Hey, you—”
Whatever Min Juran had been about to say was interrupted by a voice calling from afar.
“Min Juran, what are you doing? Hurry up, we need to revise the directing changes.”
“Oh... okay! I’m coming right now! Shin Yoomyeong, I apologized~ We’re even now!”
Throwing those words behind her, Juran hurried over to Jun-ho. It was an oddly mismatched pairing.
From that day onward, Juran became visibly nervous whenever Jun-ho showed even the slightest displeasure, while Jun-ho, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) unlike his usual self, became surprisingly assertive toward her.
The effect that simple assertiveness could have on relationships really was remarkable.
Yoomyeong chuckled as he watched.
Still, he needed to quickly solve the issue of performing alongside Ryu Shin.
“Huh?”
After hearing Yoomyeong’s concerns, Miho clicked its tongue.
{You’re overthinking something that doesn’t matter at all. Foolish humans, honestly. Tsk tsk.}
Even while speaking, Miho’s attention remained fixed on its own tail. It tried to catch the fluffy thing with one front paw, failed, and tried again. Yoomyeong slid his hands beneath Miho’s front legs and lifted it up to eye level.
“What do you mean by that? Explain it to me.”
{And what’s in it for me if I do?}
“Huh?”
Startled, Yoomyeong immediately set Miho back down. It sounded suspiciously like Miho was proposing another deal.
Seeing his reaction, Miho snickered.
{Why are you so startled? It benefits both of us if you receive my presence. And this favor is too trivial to turn into a deal. I’ll tell you.}
“Please tell me, Miho!”
As Yoomyeong practically prostrated himself, Miho happily ruffled his hair with a paw. Then, in an arrogant tone, it gave him the answer.
{Just adapt to it.}
“Huh?”
{It’s difficult because you’re trying to keep both your Jekyll and your Hyde consistent. Just match Ryu Shin’s tone. They’re separate performances anyway.}
“Ah...!”
A look of realization crossed Yoomyeong’s face.
Right. Why had he been so obsessed with preserving his character’s consistency? The performances where he played both roles alone and the performances where he shared the roles with Ryu Shin on the third and fourth days were entirely different productions.
“Thank you!”
Yoomyeong hurriedly searched for his script. Holding a pen, he was about to add more notes to the already overcrowded pages before changing his mind and turning on the computer instead.
Vrrr— Vrrr—
A fresh, clean script emerged from the printer, still warm to the touch. Recalling every expression from Ryu Shin’s performance, Yoomyeong carefully reviewed the script and adjusted it accordingly.
In reality, it was not an easy task.
Discarding an already established character and adjusting himself to another actor’s tone in order to create a new version of the role could never be simple.
And yet Miho had presented the answer as though it were obvious, and Yoomyeong accepted it, fully dedicating himself to building the new character.
The performance date was rapidly approaching.
“Wow~ Hansung, you’re still this arrogant? Are you picking fights now that things are going well for you?”
“Not at all. Weren’t we equals even back when things weren’t going well?”
The moment they met, Hansung and Seon-ha immediately began bickering playfully, laughter filling the air between them. Jae Pil stepped in beside them.
“Senior, have you been well?”
“Oh? Professor Lee Jae Pil, hello~ Your review of our theater’s regular production was a little harsh, wasn’t it?”
“Heh... heh.”
Amid Seon-ha’s bright laughter and Jae Pil’s awkward smile, another man approached.
“Actress Lee Seon-ha!”
“Oh? Isn’t this Baek Lee-shin? Weren’t you with Changcheon?”
“Well, there was an actor I’d been interested in seeing. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Ha... ha. I wasn’t avoiding you on purpose. I’ve just been busy with our regular production...”
“After today’s performance, could we speak for a moment...”
It was an exhausting tug-of-war.
July, whose pool of mid-career actresses was painfully shallow, desperately wanted Lee Seon-ha. And Seon-ha had consistently avoided Baek Lee-shin’s persistent recruitment attempts. She hadn’t expected to encounter him here.
“I only came today because of a coincidence, but it’s a shame I have to choose between the double casting. I’ll have to come again on Saturday.”
“I’m watching all four performances.”
“You lucky bastard. Being a professor really is a blessing.”
That was the conversation happening between Yoon Hansung and Lee Jae Pil nearby.
Following behind them, a couple entered with awkward expressions.
They were Yoomyeong’s parents.
“Is this the place...?”
“It seems like it. We’ll finally get a proper look at our son’s face, won’t we? He leaves at dawn every morning and comes home late every night... What if he gets sick?”
“It must really matter to him.”
Even though it was a cold evening at the end of November, the front of the theater was packed with people. At the sight of the crowd, Yoomyeong’s parents exchanged surprised looks.
“The club seems pretty famous, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
The auditorium opened.
Yoomyeong’s parents were guided to some of the best seats available. Since their son was part of the planning team, he had reserved VIP seats for them personally. Sitting in the center of the fourth row, close enough to hear even the faintest breaths from the stage, the couple carefully dusted off their clothes and cautiously took their seats.
The audience continued pouring in.
Even without Seo Ryu Shin, the combination of Shin Yoomyeong’s growing fame within the acting department since the previous semester, Oedipus’s reputation for outstanding main productions, and the planning team’s effective promotion quickly filled every seat.
Unable to believe that their son was the lead actor on a stage watched by so many people, the couple repeatedly stared at the photo of his face printed in the pamphlet.
The entrance BGM slowly faded.
The lights went out.
Silence settled over the theater.
Then ominous music gradually began to swell.
And when the lights finally came up—
The couple saw an unfamiliar version of their son standing onstage.
“Ladies and gentlemen. The question of whether humanity is fundamentally good or evil has long remained a matter of debate throughout religious and philosophical history. After extensive research, I have come to realize that these two qualities can physically be separated, and that both coexist within the human body.”
Act 1, Scene 1.
Dr. Jekyll’s academic presentation.
After much discussion, the writing team ultimately decided to keep Jun-ho’s structure, where Jekyll appeared immediately without supplementary exposition, while incorporating Min Juran’s smoother dialogue into the opening scene.
As a result, the protagonist seized the audience’s attention the moment he appeared.
Dr. Jekyll rested one hand on the podium, then quickly glanced down and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hand. That single action revealed an enormous amount about the character.
A man with an obsessive fixation on cleanliness.
The scene transitioned directly into Act 1, Scene 2.
The conversation between Attorney Utterson and Richard.
“Richard, you attended Dr. Jekyll’s academic conference as well, didn’t you?”
“Yes. His insights were astonishing, though difficult to believe. I’m eagerly awaiting his follow-up presentation.”
“I feel the same way.”
“But Attorney, have you heard the rumors spreading lately?”
“What rumors?”
“There have been disturbing rumors coming out of London’s back alleys recently. About a deeply unsettling villain.”
“Rumors can’t always be trusted.”
“But I saw him myself. He truly was... truly... unsettling.”
As the lighting dimmed over the two men on the left side of the stage, blue light illuminated the right side. Without a blackout, the scene transitioned boldly and directly into Act 1, Scene 3. Two figures stood there like frozen statues.
Richard left the motionless Utterson behind and slowly stepped into the blue light, as though entering a nightmare.
The moment Richard’s body was fully swallowed by the blue glow, the frozen figures suddenly moved, as if someone had pressed play.
It began with violence.
Whack—
A man with grotesquely twisted posture kicked an elderly pedestrian. Even as the old man cried out in pain, the assault showed no sign of stopping.
As Richard rushed forward to stop the prolonged beating that made the audience visibly recoil—
The villain finally turned fully toward the audience.
And at that nauseating smile—
Gasp—
The audience inhaled sharply.
