Chapter 97. The Musical "Dejanor" (2)

Unlike Kim Joo-hyung, who stood with his mouth agape watching the stage, I began to focus seriously on the script.

With my singing skills, I probably won’t have another chance to do a musical, so this is my first and last opportunity to perform "Dejanor."

If that’s the case, the best thing to do is to pour everything into this one scene and deliver a performance without regrets.

'Here, I need to emphasize this part strongly... The French version I saw left a deep impression.'

'This line should be delivered a half beat faster, just like in the Austrian version I saw.'

I imagined the scenes where I would appear, recalling the many versions of "Dejanor" I had seen in various countries.

I began to draw out the best parts from the performances of famous actors and add them to my own, while cutting out the unnecessary parts.

Shane Dillinger’s father was run over by a car and shot by an opposing gang in front of his son, and was killed.

As an adult, Shane eliminated the opposing gang and took over the underworld of Detroit, but he was afraid of losing the driving force of his life as the targets for revenge disappeared.

Naturally, he began to think negatively about the development of technology, such as the car and the gun that killed his father, and came to hate the munitions and industrial factories that began to sprout in the United States in the 1930s.

On the other hand, his younger sister Jane was just a dreamy girl who found the rapidly changing world interesting and enjoyable.

She fell in love with a young man named Ezal, who managed the workers in an automobile factory, and found herself in conflict between her brother and the man she loved.

The role that Yeon-woo would temporarily play is that of Ezal, the representative of the factory manual laborers, or the chief of the blue-collar workers.

The scene where Ezal and Shane clash over their beliefs is a musical, but it is a part where the dialogue proceeds for more than five minutes without singing.

The troupe, which had been practicing up to the previous scene, took a short break.

Clap, clap, clap!

Whistle!

Kim Joo-hyung, who had been watching with his mouth open, clapped loudly, and Manager Kim Min-su whistled from the side.

Then, Jin Yu-han, who had just come down from the stage where he had been playing 'Shane,' approached Yeon-woo.

"How about it, Yeon-woo? Have you memorized the lines?"

"Yeah, I’ve memorized the lines. For the blocking, I’ve seen the original play, so I can follow that, right?"

The blocking isn’t that difficult. There’s one part where Ezal and Shane get close enough to grab each other by the collar.

"Right, the blocking is the same as the original."

Jin Yu-han nodded, looking at the stage with an expression of anticipation.

In fact, Yeon-woo was also looking forward to it.

Since it was the musical he had loved the most in his previous life, it was possible that no one in the troupe had seen "Dejanor" more times than Yeon-woo.

"Then, I’ll get ready."

Yeon-woo stood up from his seat.

***

Jung In-chan is a sixth-year musical actor.

When Jin Yu-han first visited the troupe he was a part of, it was just curious.

Jung In-chan nodded at the good-looking young actor who was doing well these days.

'You have to look like that to make it in serious dramas.'

When he heard that Jin Yu-han was cast in one of the leading roles, he felt some resentment, but since such things happen often these days, he also felt some anticipation.

It wasn’t anticipation for the stage performance, but for how much publicity it would generate.

'Musicals are completely different from serious dramas. Let’s see how much he can do.'

Sure enough, from the tone that didn’t match the musical to the small gestures that were too accustomed to the camera and not suitable for the stage.

'Camera acting doesn’t work here.'

He believed that true acting only comes out on stage, not from just a good-looking appearance.

'But this isn’t even funny.'

It was good that Ryu Yeon-woo came to support Jin Yu-han.

She brought delicious food and knew that it would help with the making-of video being filmed.

But to suddenly put Ryu Yeon-woo on stage, even though it was just a practice stage?

In his opinion, this was definitely not out of 'jealousy' but rather out of 'concern' as a caring senior.

"Mr. Ryu Yeon-woo, musicals, and especially this scene, are not scenes that can be improvised. Since it’s just a practice, how about reading the lines with the script?"

He gave 'advice as a senior' with a displeased look as Yeon-woo stepped onto the stage, but Yeon-woo quietly shook her head.

"I’ll do my best not to be a burden. I memorized the lines while you were practicing the first act."

Jung In-chan’s expression stiffened when he heard Yeon-woo’s words.

'...Ha, what a brat. You should listen when a senior speaks. Anyway, when you succeed at a young age, you think you can do anything.'

He saw quite a few of his fellow actors with mysterious smiles, probably thinking the same as him.

'Sigh, what’s so funny about a young actor embarrassing himself? They’re really in bad taste. What was Jin Yu-han thinking, suggesting this to a friend who came to support him?'

In fact, the smiles were mostly due to the anticipation of seeing Ryu Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han perform, but as In-chan started to see everything in a bad light, it all looked twisted to him.

Jung In-chan was confident that Yeon-woo would stumble over her lines, or even if she memorized them well, she wouldn’t be able to properly portray the role due to her lack of stage experience. He climbed the stage, which was gradually darkening.

He took his place in front of the fluorescent markers on the stage and waited for the performance to begin.

The low trombone sound that created tension echoed, and a spotlight fell on Jin Yu-han and Yeon-woo, who were five steps apart.

Thud.

"What’s going on here? Who are you?"

The actors on stage flinched at the first line.

'Perfect timing. It’s as if he knew when the trombone sound would end.'

Yeon-woo took a large step forward and continued.

"Didn’t you hear me? Who are you to come to the factory and cause trouble?"

"You dirty coal-black dog, talking so much. Who am I? I’m Shane Dillinger of Detroit."

When Jin Yu-han said his name, the other actors shrank back.

"...Hey, Colson. Did you say Shane? Could it be that Shane?"

"Shh! James, be careful. If you draw attention, you’ll get beaten up."

The actors, who were naturally whispering and stepping back at the appearance of the mafia boss who ruled the underworld of Detroit, contrasted with Yeon-woo, who straightened up and took a step forward.

Kim Joo-hyung, watching from the audience, sensed that Yeon-woo’s performance was different from the other musical actors.

'...Ah, so that’s why he seemed a bit small at first? He was intentionally slightly hunched. To stand out in this scene.'

When Yeon-woo delivered his first line, he was over 180 centimeters tall, but he seemed small compared to the other actors, and now he understood why.

'Yeon-woo, you had a plan.'

Joo-hyung nodded, and Yeon-woo continued.

"Shane Dillinger? Are you here to introduce yourself? I’m Ezal."

Unlike the others, who shrank back at the sound of his name, he stepped forward confidently and looked at the man in front of him, who was offering a handshake, with a steady gaze. Shane felt a hint of interest, and his subordinates laughed exaggeratedly at the fearless young man.

"Ezal. You’re an interesting guy. I’m here to kill all of you and blow up the factory."

"I thought you were an Italian, but you’re a German. Well, they’re allies, aren’t they?"

At the sarcastic remark, Shane’s subordinates tensed, ready to attack, but Shane raised his hand to stop them.

"Italian? German? What are you talking about? I’m American."

"Bringing those big guys to secretly sell alcohol and strut around the back alleys, I thought you were imitating Italian mafia, but seeing you come in a group today, talking about blowing up and killing, what’s the difference from some mustachioed guy from far-off Germany?"

Yeon-woo delivered the long and complex lines with perfect diction and showed relaxed facial expressions, leaving the actors on stage in awe.

Kim Joo-hyung, who was analyzing from the audience, was also surprised.

'...Something’s different. It’s different from the performances of the other actors I saw during the first act. What’s different?'

Kim Joo-hyung, who was used to analyzing everything from his film enthusiast days and club activities, couldn’t pinpoint what was different, which frustrated him.

'Ah! That’s it. The other actors feel like a Korean adaptation, but Yeon-woo feels like the original version is automatically translated. How is that possible, even though they’re both speaking Korean?'

Meanwhile, Jin Yu-han was feeling the same thing as Kim Joo-hyung.

From the perspective of delivering lines face-to-face, he felt an unfamiliar sense of disharmony compared to his usual practice.

'...The emphasis is different? It feels dynamic and sticks. How is he doing it?'

Unlike the even and flat tone of Korean, each of Yeon-woo’s lines had a clear emphasis.

It was natural.

Yeon-woo had studied top-notch musical actors from around the world who had performed "Dejanor" in their native languages, and had carefully selected and refined the best intonations for each line, making the lines stick to his mouth.

"An interesting story. The reason I’m here today is to eliminate things like the mustachioed German you mentioned. The cars, tanks, and guns you create are the root of all evil in this society."

Shane, delivering the lines as if chewing them, made Yeon-woo’s eyes shine.

Taking a light step forward, Ezal, played by Yeon-woo, spread his hands and spoke with the force of an orator, drawing the audience’s attention to him.

"Is the sin of harming a neighbor with a knife in the knife or in the one who wields it? If all the knives in the world were eliminated, would people not die? Then, what do you use to shave your mustache at the barbershop, and what do you use to prepare the ingredients for the stew you ate this morning?"

"Rhetoric. A knife and a tank are different. The iron lumps you create reduce people’s sense of guilt."

Bang.

Click.

Shane’s eyes glowed with madness as he fired a shot into the air.

Ezal, played by Yeon-woo, took a step forward with a look of anger, shouting as he saw the factory workers cower and cover their ears at the sound of the gun.

"Is this your idea of justice?"

"Justice? I don’t have such grand reasons. I just need a target for revenge for my father."

At the start of the scene, Ezal was five steps away from Shane.

One step when the trombone sound ended.

One step when the others stepped back, straightening his shoulders.

One step when he talked about introducing himself and offered a handshake.

One step when he spread his hands like an orator.

And finally, one step forward with a look of anger.

Without Shane or the audience realizing it, Ezal reached out and quickly snatched the gun from Shane, pointing it at his head.

"Hey, big guys. If you don’t want a hole in your boss’s head, get out of this factory now."

A moment of silence fell on the stage, overwhelmed by the charisma.

The actors, who practiced this part every day, were struck by the clear difference in the delivery and atmosphere of the lines.

'...What is this? Could this scene be delivered with such intensity?'

'The energy is overwhelming. Can this really be felt from such a young actor?'

As the silence dragged on, everyone looked at one person.

Jung In-chan, who had been stiff with displeasure at Yeon-woo’s appearance on stage, was no different.

"Jung In-chan! Deliver your line."

Startled by the senior’s command, he opened his mouth.

"...What do you mean, you?"

Jung In-chan’s mind went blank in panic, and he couldn’t recall his next line.

'Damn it! What was it?'

At that moment, Yeon-woo whispered.

"Are you ordering the brothers of Detroit around?"

"Ah! Are you ordering the brothers of Detroit around!"

Jung In-chan’s face broke into a smile of relief at having averted the crisis, but it quickly turned to a look of disgust.

'Damn!'

Before the performance, he had told Yeon-woo to hold the script because he thought she hadn’t memorized her lines, but now he had to rely on her help to deliver this short line. It was a humiliation.

The other actors were once again surprised by this.

'He must have been struggling to memorize his own lines, yet he knew everyone else’s lines...?'

Meanwhile, the audience was not the only one surprised.

Kim Joo-hyung, watching the practice from the audience, felt chills run down his spine at every moment.

'...This is acting.'

Seeing Yeon-woo’s performance with his own eyes, he finally understood what he had been longing for all this time.

'What I want to do is this.'

Of course, he didn’t dream of becoming an actor. He knew he wasn’t cut out for it and couldn’t act, but he could look in a mirror.

It started with the liberation of finishing college entrance exams and staying up all night watching "Summer Wardrobe."

He gradually became more engrossed in movies and even joined a club.

But today, watching the stage, he felt a strong desire.

'I want to write a play. I want to write lines that feel alive and moving.'

This was the moment when he first confirmed his desire to become a playwright who would cast Ryu Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han in a double role in the near future.