Chapter 4: Jeong Cheolmin and the Audition Test

"Ah, these days, success in this field is more envied than in professional careers, isn't it? Since you have a son who resembles you in appearance and is such an excellent person, wouldn't it be a loss to the Korean entertainment industry if he were to waste his talents in another field?"

After a brief pause, Jeong Cheolmin continued.

"By the way, we are currently running a promotion where you can receive free lessons for a month. Why don't you try it out as a hobby? Learning acting can help you express emotions and also relieve stress from your studies!"

The employee sitting in the inner office marveled at how our usually tongue-tied principal could spout words like a machine gun, and at that moment, Ryu Cheolwoong, Yenwoo's father, spoke up.

"Oh, it's a promotion, is it? This must be fate! It's perfect! Yenwoo, what do you think?"

"Yes, Father, I like it. I'll try my best to learn."

At Yenwoo's response, Principal Jeong Cheolmin inwardly rejoiced.

The current Yenwoo was even thinner than when school started, now at a level where he could attract attention from others.

'I have to teach this kid myself, pouring my soul into it!'

Jeong Cheolmin, who is kind and good-natured, is the person who, to maintain a stage for his former students who have yet to break out of the local theater scene, uses the monthly academy revenue to cover the theater's deficit. In reality, he was more of an actor passionate about acting than a savvy businessman.

Thus, as he gradually became more precarious in the competition with large academies in Seoul, let alone the small commercial competition in Daejeon, the existence of Ryu Yenwoo could be the foundation to revitalize the academy.

Of course, aside from commercial reasons, he wanted to cultivate such a promising appearance as an actor.

"Then, Mr. Ryu, let's proceed with that. I'll consult with your son and set up a lesson schedule!"

"Yes, let's do that."

Jeong Cheolmin shook hands with Yenwoo's father, Ryu Cheolwoong, and inwardly celebrated again.

'An appearance like that is hard to find even among the top students in Seoul. If he loses a bit more weight, it won't just be hard to find; it will be non-existent. Even if he lacks talent, with consistent and solid training, he could easily stand out in open auditions with competition rates of hundreds to one.'

Principal Jeong Cheolmin resolved to reignite his passion once more.

A week passed, and on a Saturday afternoon, Yenwoo visited the academy again and headed to the principal's office.

Knock knock.

"Teacher, hello. I'm Ryu Yenwoo, here to start my lessons today."

Yenwoo bowed politely, and Jeong Cheolmin, as if he had been waiting, opened his arms wide to welcome him.

"Oh! Yes, yes. Come in, Yenwoo. Was the way here difficult?"

"No, the subway station is right in front, so it was really easy to find. The building is also really big. It seems like a good academy."

Yenwoo smiled, and his words about the academy's location, which Jeong Cheolmin had chosen despite some difficulties, made him naturally smile.

"Then, let's do a light test today, shall we?"

"Yes, teacher."

The two moved to an empty practice room for the simple test.

Even for someone like Yenwoo, who had experienced everything, a test in an unfamiliar field was a bit nerve-wracking.

Noticing his expression, Cheolmin quickly added,

"Don't worry too much about the test. The muscles and expressions used in acting vary from person to person, so we're just seeing which muscles you use when you make certain expressions. It's not about evaluating how good or bad you are."

"Yes, I understand!"

Cheolmin smiled at the spirited response from the chiseled face.

"Let's start with something simple. Among the four emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—let's start with anger. Imagine I'm a troublemaker and try to threaten me."

Jeong Cheolmin thought that Yenwoo would express anger by acting like a thug, making noise, or using profanity, so he started with the emotion of anger, which is relatively easy for ordinary people to mimic.

"Yes, I'll try."

Threatening, in his previous life, was a skill he always carried for survival during dangerous missions... Would it work well in this new body?

Worried that his current good looks might hinder his expression, Yenwoo stared directly into Jeong Cheolmin's eyes.

Recalling his past, he imagined this as a dangerous mission and the person in front of him as a target that must be eliminated.

"Whoa!"

Jeong Cheolmin's eyes widened.

The intense pressure from a mere high school student was so overwhelming that he almost forgot they were in the middle of an acting test.

In that moment, in the practice room that felt like his own living room, the thought that crossed his mind was, "I might die. This person is really dangerous."

'What? Am I scared of a high school student?'

Having lived in a theater troupe in Hyeonhwa for over 20 years, Jeong Cheolmin had seen it all and didn't think he would be intimidated by a high school student.

"Teacher?"

Ryu Yenwoo called out to Jeong Cheolmin.

Startled, Cheolmin quickly responded.

"Uh? Oh, yes. Yenwoo, your innocent face can make a terrifying expression. That's quite unexpected."

"Really?"

'Is this acting...? Or did this kid, maybe, do something... somewhere? He was supposed to be the top student in his school.'

For a moment, Cheolmin had some strange thoughts.

"Um, then let's try a more difficult emotion from the four—sorrow. Some students confuse it with love, but it's the sorrow of sadness."

"Yes, I understand."

"Should I set a situation to help you grasp the emotion, or do you have any sad memories to recall?"

Jeong Cheolmin, thinking that an 18-year-old might not have many truly sad experiences, offered to help.

Recalling his tumultuous past life, Yenwoo nodded. Surely, there must be something that touches his emotions.

"Let me try first. If I can't do it, please help me."

Cheolmin was excited by Yenwoo's proactive attitude.

"Sure, Yenwoo. If you can't do it, just say so. It's not easy for a non-actor to force a sad emotion."

In reality, when actors are asked to perform on variety shows, they often ask how quickly they can make tears, and non-actors often praise actors who can quickly focus and shed tears.

"Yes, I'll start."

Yenwoo closed his eyes and concentrated.

Would he feel sad thinking about someone?

He had no family.

Friends... He didn't have many close friends.

Fellows who had left before him?

Death during missions was rare, and in his previous life, Yenwoo was just trying to survive in a monotonous life, without forming deep relationships with others.

The emotions worn down by a harsh life had become hardened and calloused.

A wall of emotion so solid that even a needle couldn't pierce it.

Despite his concentration in the silence, Yenwoo couldn't find true sadness.

"Teacher, I don't know what to do."

At Yenwoo's words, Jeong Cheolmin, thinking 'Of course not,' went to a cabinet in the corner of the practice room and took out a candle.

Dimming the lights and lighting the candle, Cheolmin asked Yenwoo to look at the flame.

One of his former classmates was a therapist who used acting to treat emotions.

This method, learned from that classmate, is a form of meditation that helps one reflect on their inner self.

Cheolmin found it effective for guiding students who were awkward at expressing emotions.

Following Cheolmin's guiding words, Yenwoo reflected not just on his current life but also on his past life. He thought about himself, not others.

He reflected on his lonely and rough life.

Thinking of himself as 'Ryu Yenwoo,' a person different from his past self, and recalling 'Jeon Suhoan' from a third-person perspective, he felt the pain and loneliness more objectively, cutting deep into his heart.

The hardened wall of emotion, worn down and calloused, was solid but paradoxically in a precarious state, ready to collapse at any moment.

His mental state, which would have likely collapsed even if he hadn't died in a mission, was softened and lubricated by the pure and young heart of the original 'Ryu Yenwoo.'

A weak and fragile spirit, but with a heart purer and brighter than anyone else's.

When he removed that heart, a desolate desert in the Middle East appeared.

'That's where I died.'

Why was I born so lonely and died so alone?

Why couldn't I give or receive love from anyone?

Was there anyone at my funeral?

No, my death was probably a secret.

Was there anyone who felt and remembered my death with sorrow?

Poor soul.

Just a few seconds after Yenwoo closed his eyes, tears, like chicken droppings, fell from his eyes, surprising Cheolmin.

He didn't expect to fill Yenwoo with emotion so quickly; he just wanted to show him that there was a way to bring out his emotions.

Yenwoo, collapsing as if he had been struck, began to cry and sob as if he had lost a family member.

Unexpectedly, Yenwoo shook off the darkness of his past life and the original pure and kind heart of 'Ryu Yenwoo' took its place.

Ironically, through the method of expressing emotions, which Cheolmin had used to persuade Yenwoo's father, Yenwoo was able to shake off the last bit of dark emotion in his heart.

"Oh, Yenwoo? Ryu Yenwoo?"