Aura of a Genius Actor

He tilted his head once, then again.

The tone of his voice was eerily innocent.

“His left arm twisted ninety degrees the wrong way, and his right leg about two hundred seventy. Ah, humans break so easily. It’s rather amusing.”

A smile spread across his face.

He looked happy. How could he look so delighted with a corpse lying before him?

“Henry Jekyll is such a fool. This kind of thing is actually enjoyable.”

Yoomyeong hesitated.

What Seo Ryu Shin was portraying was not a filthy kind of evil, but something closer to the innocence of a child.

It was a marvelous interpretation. It might not suit his own Jekyll, but it fit Seo Ryu Shin’s Jekyll perfectly. Even more so because Ryu Shin embodied that concept with a beauty more striking than a painting.

“Ah, is there no one else left to break? If not a person, then perhaps a cat.”

Hyde ran his tongue across his lips.

The motion felt reptilian, emphasizing Hyde’s inhuman nature even further.

Every gesture was deliberate, chosen, and practiced. It was unmistakably Seo Ryu Shin.

‘As expected... he’s incredible.’

Yoomyeong nodded quietly.

Across his entire previous life, he had only seen a handful of actors with this level of passion for acting.

Clap, clap, clap, clap—

Thunderous applause burst out.

While everyone remained caught up in Hyde’s overwhelming performance,

Seon Yu-ri was deep in thought.

‘This is difficult...’

Unlike when Yoomyeong had first challenged the lead role, she could not reach a decision so easily this time.

In the end, she called a meeting with the directing team.

“Wow... what are we supposed to do?”

The moment she entered the empty classroom next door, Assistant Director Ji Hyung let out a groan.

Yu-ri nodded in agreement.

“They’re both incredible. It makes me hate myself enough to wonder whether I even deserve to call myself an actor.”

“Ah, as a director, it’s a happy dilemma... but as an actor, it’s bittersweet.”

“Both versions of Jekyll and Hyde clearly have strengths. Shin Yoomyeong’s performance absolutely draws out human empathy. It’s persuasive. You become absorbed while watching him, and you feel the conflict along with him.”

“And Senior Ryu Shin?”

“He has this overwhelming character that feels like an angel and a devil incarnated together. First-time viewers will probably be more captivated by him. The fact that he’s such a complete villain somehow makes that purity even more alluring.”

“So what do we do?”

Silence fell once again.

It was Yu-ri who finally broke the long stretch of indecision.

“If we can’t determine who’s better, then we follow the principle and keep the original casting.”

“Yes, but Senior Ryu Shin’s performance surpasses anything we’ve seen in the past three years...”

“That’s true. They say rivals accelerate growth. As an actor, I’m jealous. But right now I’m the director, so we have to stick to the principle.”

“Um...”

Jun-ho, who was attending the directors’ meeting as both adapter and assistant director, cautiously opened his mouth.

“If it’s difficult to choose one side... would double casting be too much?”

Yu-ri’s eyes widened.

“Double casting?”

“Yes. If one side were clearly superior, that would be one thing, but since both performances are exceptional, there’s no reason to force ourselves to choose only one.”

“So then, would we divide it by performance dates, or split the roles of Jekyll and Hyde?”

“We have a new writer who came up with an interesting suggestion. Let’s hear him out.”

Everyone turned toward Jun-ho, and with his face reddening, he began to explain.

“There are four performances total, right? Thursday evening, Friday evening, then Saturday matinee and evening. I was thinking that for one performance, Senior Ryu Shin could play both Jekyll and Hyde, and for another, Yoomyeong could play both. Then on Saturday, the two of them could split the roles of Jekyll and Hyde. Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

It was an entirely new idea.

It sounded incredibly difficult, but everyone’s eyes lit up at the thought that it might actually be fun.

The naturally gifted actors Ryu Shin and Yoomyeong felt the same excitement.

‘If I share the stage with Shin Yoomyeong...’

‘If I share the stage with Ryu Shin...’

Their hearts pounded fiercely.

“So then, what about the transformation scene?”

Ryu Shin asked the question, and everyone nodded as though they had all been thinking the same thing.

The transformation.

The scene where Hyde transforms back into Jekyll before Dr. Lanyon. It was a sequence newly added by Jun-ho, and it was both the most difficult and the most powerful climax in the play.

“I just thought of this, but what if we use a screen?”

“A screen?”

“Yes. If we hang a white cloth and shine light behind it, it’ll create a silhouette. The actor playing Hyde can perform the transformation as a silhouette, and then the actor playing Jekyll steps out from behind the screen...”

Jun-ho’s eyes sparkled as he explained.

Yu-ri immediately raised an objection.

“But if the tones of the Jekyll and Hyde performances don’t match, the audience will feel a disconnect, like a completely different person suddenly appeared...”

“Ah... right. That’s true. Is it too difficult?”

At Jun-ho’s embarrassed question, the two actors locked eyes.

“I can do it.”

“Of course I can too.”

Rehearsals became more intense than ever.

The production staff was equally overwhelmed. Less than a month and a half remained, and they now had to prepare four separate stage configurations.

The constant script revisions were also a massive undertaking.

Then, in the middle of that chaos, an unwelcome guest arrived.

“Min Juran, what brings you here?”

Yu-ri’s tone was curt, but Juran smoothly pulled out a chair beside her and sat down.

“Yu-ri~ Aren’t you being too cold? What’s with that reaction?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You double-cast Ryu Shin and Shin Yoomyeong, didn’t you? If those had been the conditions from the start, I wouldn’t have boycotted. If you’d proposed a compromise like that, I would’ve seriously considered it and accepted.”

‘...What kind of person is she?’

Yu-ri stared blankly at Juran’s brightly smiling face.

“Use my script now. Revising that amateur’s script must’ve been difficult, right?”

“Go away, Min Juran. We already changed the script. Everyone’s memorized it and we’re in the middle of rehearsals.”

“Then what about me?”

“What?”

“You asked me to write the script, and I poured all my time into it. What about all my effort?”

“You’re the one who withdrew. How is that my fault?”

“It isn’t. But if I’d known Senior Ryu Shin was performing too, I wouldn’t have pulled the script. Now that he’s back in the production, shouldn’t my script be used?”

Yu-ri was speechless.

“Fine, I admit I handled it badly. I’ll apologize properly. But think about the script itself. What are you going to do if the main Oedipus production ends up with a weak script?”

“Our current script is better than yours anyway.”

“What?”

Juran let out a derisive snort.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I got a copy and read it too. The dialogue is crude, and all the stage effects and mechanisms are amateurish.”

“The scenes are innovative. The dialogue can be polished together.”

“This is completely unfair. Wasn’t Oedipus supposed to value skill above all else? Even as a guest member, I’ve built up a reputation among the Oedipus members. As the director, I expect a fair evaluation from you.”

Juran clearly had no intention of trusting Yu-ri’s judgment.

As Yu-ri looked at her in disbelief and Jun-ho fidgeted nervously, Yoomyeong finally spoke.

“What if an actor you can acknowledge says Jun-ho’s script is better?”

[Hello, senior.]

[Wow. Yoomyeong! Are rehearsals going well? What’s up?]

The bright energy practically radiating from the text belonged to the actress Lee Seon-ha.

Completely captivated by Yoomyeong’s talent during the Oedipus workshop, she had /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ given him her personal number and told him to contact her anytime he needed advice.

[Sorry for bothering you while you’re busy! We currently have two script versions for our production, and we were hoping to get the opinion of a professional actor.]

[Sure, sure. My regular production just ended, so I have some free time. Send them to my email. [email protected]]

“Make sure the writers stay anonymous. Let’s have her judge the scripts purely on their own merit, alright?”

“Of course. I’ll even show you the email before sending it.”

As the impromptu wager took shape, Jun-ho’s face brightened while Juran crossed her arms confidently and folded one leg over the other.

‘As if an amateur’s script could ever...’

Only an hour after the email was sent, a reply arrived from Lee Seon-ha. To keep things fair, everyone watched as Yu-ri opened the email and read it aloud.

—————————————

[Re: Attached scripts for review, senior.]

—————————————

[I read both scripts. Jekyll and Hyde, huh? Which one of you and Ryu Shin got cast? I’ll definitely come watch!

Script A feels really chaotic. I laughed a lot while reading it. Judging from the dialogue that completely misses the mark in some places and works surprisingly well in others, it seems like you’re still heavily revising a script written by an amateur?]

At the sharp observation, everyone nodded as though to say, “As expected.”

[Script B feels like it was written by someone experienced. The scenes are organized well, and the dialogue flows smoothly. It still has some rough spots, but it’s polished enough to go on stage without any problems.]

At the praise for her script, Min Juran smiled smugly.

However—

[But I like A more. The dialogue is rough, but the internal portrayal of Jekyll and Hyde is excellent. The writer may lack experience, but they have sharp instincts. I was especially surprised by the decision to include Hyde transforming back into Jekyll on stage. Normally, something like that would be difficult to pull off, but it sounds like you and Ryu Shin are going to make it work. I can already tell without even seeing it.]

As the email continued, Min Juran’s expression gradually stiffened.

[While having dinner with one of our company writers, I showed them both scripts, and they agreed with me. After the performance ends, could you introduce me to the friend who revised and finalized the script? They said that with some refinement, it could be considered as a candidate for Comet’s special spring performance. Is that alright? Let me know if you have any other questions.]

The email ended.

Jun-ho looked utterly stunned. It wasn’t just praise from a professional actor and writer — the script had even been mentioned as a possible candidate for Comet’s special performance.

Seon Yu-ri lifted her chin and looked at Min Juran as if asking, “Well?”

“...”

After biting her lower lip for a brief moment, Juran immediately changed tactics.

“The script is good, but the dialogue is still rough, right? So wouldn’t it be better if an experienced writer refined it?”

It was an astonishing level of shamelessness.

Jun-ho looked gloomy.

In the end, it was decided that Min Juran would participate in the adaptation process after all. There were two reasons for it. One was that they couldn’t completely ignore the amount of time she had already invested in writing a full adaptation. The other was that the production schedule was extremely tight, and having an experienced writer could genuinely help with revisions.

However, Woo Jun-ho would remain the head writer, while Min Juran would only serve as a secondary writer.

There was also one condition attached: if she interfered excessively, she would be removed immediately. Even Juran accepted those terms. It seemed the possibility of the script becoming part of Comet’s special performance was simply too valuable to give up.

“Jun-ho.”

“Hmm?”

“You read Jekyll and Hyde a lot while adapting it, right?”

“Yeah. I must’ve read it dozens of times.”

“Then let’s practice something together.”

Jun-ho blinked in confusion at Yoomyeong’s sudden suggestion.

“What kind of practice?”

“Playing Hyde.”

“Huh? Why me?”

“In life, you need a little of Hyde in you. Especially if you’re the Jekyll type, certain people will always underestimate you.”

“...”

“While working with Min Juran, there’ll definitely be moments when she tries to express her dissatisfaction or seize control of the atmosphere. With her personality, it’ll probably happen within the first few lines of revision work. And then...”

“...And then?”

“Then you. Will. You. Back. Down?”

Jun-ho instinctively leaned backward.

The atmosphere created by Yoomyeong’s words felt cold enough to freeze the marrow.

“How... how could I possibly say something like that?”

“You have to. The moment you pull it off, you and Min Juran will get along just fine.”

“But wouldn’t that make things worse?”

“Do you trust me? Alright, let’s practice.”

Yoomyeong spent a long time drilling Jun-ho on that single line. He corrected everything — the angle of the sneer, the coldness in his tone, even the irritated edge in his gestures.

Changing Jun-ho’s naturally submissive way of speaking took a very long time.

If Jun-ho hadn’t spent so much time imagining Hyde’s manner of speaking while adapting the script, he probably would never have managed it.

The next day.

The very first thing Juran said when she arrived at rehearsal was, ƒrēewebnovel.com

“Why do I even need to come here when we can revise the script over email?”

Just as expected, her first words were a complaint.

Yoomyeong raised an eyebrow, and Jun-ho, suppressing the pounding in his chest, delivered the line he had practiced hundreds of times.

“Then you. Will. You. Back. Down?”