Free Web Novel* * *
All the freshmen here had their stats checked, but aside from Do Gyeoul, not a single person had Concentration Grade B.
‘Still... expecting Do Gyeoul to acknowledge me is impossible.’
Just by looking at her expression right now, I could feel the subtle hostility.
Yeah. Since I came up with the top scorer, she’d be wondering what the hell I was.
“Suit yourself. But if it’s not a play, then choose something you’re actually confident in.”
The professor standing in front of me had a Concentration stat of A+.
Which meant—
‘I have to get acknowledged by the professor.’
I held back the laugh trying to spill out.
‘Good. The first mission is easy.’
I felt certain I could succeed right away.
I began acting without any explanation. The core was to make the audience speak on their own.
‘If Do Gyeoul is an actor who understands the stage....’
Fine. I was an actor who understood the audience.
Back in the theater troupe, the days I couldn’t stand on stage and had to watch from offstage were countless.
‘But thanks to that, I can tell instantly which scenes pull the audience’s reaction right away.’
Observers always know this best.
‘And conveniently, I know one movie that went explosively viral around this time.’
Total audience: 7 million.
Rating: 9.2.
It gave both lead actors rookie awards, won Best Screenplay and Best Music, and thanks to endless mentions from critics and the public, the cultural impact felt well past ten million.
One famous critic’s review went around the internet for ages.
@Seon Woo Sun-uk
A bitter-tasting time machine that perfectly returned everyone to those days.
Becoming an adult is sadly pitiful. Just as much as the brilliance of the first time back then.
Reposts 22k Quotes 2,234 Likes 9k
‘Good. There’s no better choice for a piece.’
Because of the attention turning toward Do Gyeoul—who had returned to her seat—the room was a bit restless.
‘Then I need to steal their attention again.’
I slowly raised my right foot and stomped it down hard.
Boom!
The short reverberation spread far across the room. Maybe startled by the loud sound, the restless classroom went silent instantly.
And naturally, it created the situation where it looked as if I had startled someone standing in front of me.
Dding–!
System
[40]% of the audience has begun to focus on you!
Current audience: 38
As soon as I really started acting, a status window popped up before my eyes.
‘Forty percent?’
That meant barely half the audience was looking at me and focusing. Barely half.
But—
‘Good.’
There was nothing to worry about.
Because I was certain I could make 100% of them focus.
* * *
Do Gyeoul briefly turned her eyes toward the audience.
The admiration and envy directed at her were now so familiar they didn’t stir even a faint emotion.
‘Boring....’
All that bothered her was the freshman who had come up to the stage with her.
Who the hell was she, to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her while the runner-up, Myeong Jeha, sat over there?
Then it happened. With a thud that gathered the students’ attention, Han Yeoreum opened her mouth for her first line.
“You... don’t you want to do me a favor?”
The emotionless Gyeoul froze for ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a moment.
‘...Her projection?’
It was something any experienced actor would recognize instantly.
‘Without a mic....’
It was a simple everyday line, yet the voice resonated through the classroom like she’d been doing theater for years.
And judging by the reaction, she wasn’t the only one who noticed—Myeong Jeha, sitting right in front, lifted his gaze toward the podium.
‘When I was acting, he kept staring at his phone.’
Something hot and unpleasant climbed up her throat before she could stop it.
Meanwhile, Han Yeoreum casually spoke her next line and stepped forward, as if walking toward her destination.
As if the podium were a wide outdoor campus.
“No? But you look like you really want to do it for me....”
With just two lines, Gyeoul recognized exactly which film Yeoreum was performing.
‘Of course I’d know.’
Because Yeoreum was reenacting the lead actress’s performance exactly.
Gyeoul had studied the role as well, so she knew every detail. And then curiosity sparked.
“Suit yourself. But if it’s not a play, then choose something you’re confident in.”
The film had only recently been released. Geum Bitgang specifically emphasized choosing something you were confident in.
So there had to be a reason Yeoreum picked a recent film anyway.
‘...Why this one? Out of all the works she could’ve chosen...?’
It didn’t take long before Gyeoul realized why.
A Korean high-teen film about the awkwardness of a first love at twenty.
The trailer had been played everywhere—there wasn’t a single person here who wouldn’t recognize this scene.
Intube
@Movie Trailer 2.1k subscribers
[Freshman Welcome Event Trailer] 1:53
Views 30k
-When you watch it at twenty it’s my story, when you watch it at thirty it’s our story (Likes 1.2k)
-I bawled my eyes out in theaters... maybe I didn’t miss my first love but my pure old self ㅎ Anyway, it’s been a while since I saw a masterpiece (Likes 800)
-The OST that plays when the ending credits roll is insane T_T Makes me feel like I went back to my college days for no reason (Likes 522)
Even through trailer comments, everyone had been emotionally invested in this work.
‘The audience... watches influenced by their subconscious... and becomes immersed....’
And among all mediums, theater is the one that demands the most immersion from the audience.
‘And right now the setting is....’
It was almost identical to the film’s setting. They couldn’t ask for better conditions for immersion. Yeoreum used the stage as if it belonged solely to her.
It was the complete opposite style from Gyeoul, who overwhelmed audiences with expressions while barely moving from one spot.
“Let’s skip class! Just once!”
For an improvisation, it was absurdly clever. As if she’d endlessly studied the stage just for this moment.
For the first time in her life, Gyeoul felt as though the protagonist had been stolen from her.
‘...Right now. They’re all....’
The atmosphere was completely different from when she had been acting a moment ago.
‘They’re laughing...?’
Yes. They were laughing. Even Geum Bitgang.
“If you don’t skip, you’re a traitor!”
Yeoreum turned around. It was time for the film’s famous hook scene—the scene that made everyone fall in love with the heroine.
‘Slow motion... and then right after—’
Everyone smiled, waiting for Yeoreum’s next move.
‘Close-up.’
Even Gyeoul knew the scene.
And then—
“Hurry up.”
Just like in the movie.
For a moment, it felt like Yeoreum’s face filled her vision as if it were a giant close-up shot.
A fleeting moment of copied lines, copied actions, copied performance.
And yet Gyeoul was certain.
‘...It’s the same. It’s obviously the same but....’
There wasn’t a single person here who was thinking of the original actress.
‘...What is that.’
It was as if the movie’s protagonist had always been meant to be Han Yeoreum.
‘What is that.’
Gyeoul felt an indescribable wrongness at the sight.
Yeoreum turned back with a radiant smile, instantly capturing all eyes.
Sunlight streaming through the open window shone on her like a spotlight.
“Hey—! That was great!”
“DaeYeJong’s First Love!”
The moment Yeoreum finished, applause exploded. Not even a second of silence.
* * *
My heart pounded violently, mimicking the beat of a drum.
‘Yeah. What I wanted was....’
These gazes, these claps.
As soon as Professor Geum Bitgang fixed her eyes on me— ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
System
[100]% of the audience has focused on you!
Current audience: 39
The stage has been successfully completed.
▶Current Room Temperature (15℃) [F]
A status window popped up.
“Hey, did you watch that movie? I saw it twice.”
“No but suddenly I want to go watch it again.”
Everyone chatted with the person next to them, recalling the movie they had seen. As if Do Gyeoul’s performance earlier had already vanished from memory.
‘After exams, everyone goes to the theater at least once.’
It worked perfectly. The room’s atmosphere was now full of life.
Professor Geum Bitgang silently gestured for us to return to our seats. But I could tell she was quite satisfied.
Because—
Dding–!
「Mission Capture everyone’s attention」
The first step to becoming a star! You have successfully engraved yourself among the freshmen overflowing with passion for acting.
Success Condition
[You have been acknowledged by someone with Concentration Grade B or higher.]
Reward
[Popularity] has increased.
[Random Skill Ticket] has been granted.
〈Check Now〉 〈Store〉
Because the window confirming my first mission success appeared.
“We speak with expressions! We deliver with voice! We express with gestures! This is theater. What you must learn from now on is how to claim a space.”
Professor Geum Bitgang looked at me briefly.
“Like the performance just now, you must build your fundamentals starting with your gait. So you can sweep across the space naturally.”
I stored the Random Skill Ticket and shivered with delight.
‘...Yeah. This is it.’
The self I had desperately yearned for.
Thump, thump. The pleasant heartbeat spread through my whole body.
‘I wish they’d clapped even louder.’
I didn’t show it, but inside, a greedy desire for more recognition bubbled up.
How long had it been since I felt acknowledged like this? And clearly, I had drawn a far bigger reaction than that Do Gyeoul.
Some classmates even turned in their seats to greet me with a nod.
Among them was Do Gyeoul.
‘Did you watch closely, Do Gyeoul?’ frёewebnoѵēl.com
I gave her the same polite nod I had given the others.
‘The acting you kept stealing from me.’
Do Gyeoul stared at me silently, then turned her body back around. Without any reaction whatsoever.
‘Control your expression properly. I don’t like you either.’
My tightly clenched fists trembled, and suddenly something flashed in my mind.
Come to think of it... I thought I saw something odd in the status window.
Final audience: 39
‘...Huh?’
As expected, the audience count had increased by one partway through.
