Chapter 12

12. Who is the protagonist?

"First, we need at least one male and one female representative from each class to audition. Come on, let's see who wants to try. I'm interested in acting and theater. Raise your hand if you are!"

No one raised their hand, just exchanging glances.

The play for the festival. The grand finale and highlight of the festival.

It was a daunting event where the principal and parents' association members would all be in attendance, but it was also a chance to gain attention from everyone.

Moreover, students who played major roles received significant benefits in their life records and performance evaluations.

So, it was normal for there to be students who wanted to give it a try, not just those interested in acting and performance, but also those who wanted to manage their life records well for college entrance exams.

However, the problem was that for ordinary students, it was like a pie in the sky. The main roles in the play were almost always predetermined.

Mr. Park Dongcheol, who had been in charge of this play for years, was notorious for favoritism and discrimination.

It was an open secret that the main roles went to children of influential parents' association members or wealthy families.

The practice was notoriously rigorous, and even minor roles required participation in every rehearsal, even if they only had one line.

It was inevitable to endure Mr. Park Dongcheol's irritation, who had a pretentious interest in theater.

The information passed down from seniors who had suffered harshly was widespread: never participate in the festival play supervised by Mr. Park Dongcheol.

“Hey, didn't you say you wanted to be an actor?”

“No, right now, I desperately want to study.”

Even students who might have some interest in acting or performance clearly wanted to avoid the festival play.

“Any volunteers?”

Ms. Jeong Sojin asked again, but the students remained motionless.

“Alright. If there are no volunteers, I'll have to recommend someone. Who do you recommend?”

Silence continued.

It was obvious. Who would dare recommend someone in this situation? Only someone extremely clueless would...

“Me...”

... there was. A clueless student.

A boy sitting in the front row hesitantly raised his hand.

“Teacher, Youngjun was the president of the drama club in middle school.”

Youngjun's face twisted.

“Is that so? Youngjun! If that's the case, you should have volunteered. Being too modest isn't a virtue.”

As Ms. Jeong Sojin's smile deepened, Youngjun's face became even more distorted. He glared at the student who had recommended him.

‘Is this guy crazy?’

Although Youngjun, who dreamed of becoming a film director, was interested in movies and performances,

this was different.

In fact, the reason Youngjun didn't want to participate in the play was different from other students.

It was because his mother was a member of the parents' association, and he might end up being cast as a supporting role.

He didn't dislike acting, but he really disliked Mr. Park Dongcheol.

Youngjun didn't like being favored, but he disliked even more receiving unfair benefits due to his parents.

“Teacher! I'm sorry, but...”

“Yeah. Don't do things you're not comfortable with.”

Ms. Jeong Sojin wrote Youngjun's name on the board in large letters.

“People can't always do what they want. Someone has to do it. Show some responsibility.”

Ms. Jeong Sojin, despite her gentle appearance, had a straightforward and fiery personality.

In other words, this meant that if he backed out, he might miss out on various benefits, including the school's learning focus care program.

Youngjun's face turned red and blue. He glared at the student who had recommended him again, but it was futile.

Just as Youngjun was quickly resigning himself and biting his lip,

‘Youngjun. Woo Jinhyuk... is a genius. An acting genius.’

He thought.

A kid who might stir up something interesting. A kid who might change this annoying situation.

‘Just wait. Jinhyuk will become the best actor, a star. You know how good I am with uncles? Hehe.’

Thinking of his conversation with his uncle, Youngjun quietly raised his hand.

“Teacher. I have someone to recommend.”

Ms. Jeong Sojin looked at Youngjun with a pleased expression at the consecutive recommendations.

“Really? Who?”

Youngjun's gaze shifted to the back of the room.

“Woo Jinhyuk.”

All the students' eyes turned to Jinhyuk.

“Jinhyuk? Has Jinhyuk ever acted before?”

Jinhyuk met Ms. Jeong Sojin's gaze.

Acting... He had only been to a drama academy once.

He couldn't claim he had acted based on that. Jinhyuk shook off the curious gazes of his classmates and said calmly,

“No, I haven't.”

Ms. Jeong Sojin responded coolly.

“Great. Then it would be good to try this time.”

And Jinhyuk's name was written in large letters next to Youngjun's.

Jinhyuk's expression didn't change much. He didn't know what the festival play meant, but even if he did, it wouldn't have mattered.

If this was part of school life, he didn't particularly want to avoid it. Whatever it was, Jinhyuk wouldn't find it burdensome.

“Alright, we have a male student. Any female recommendations?”

Youngjun, who seemed to have gotten a taste of recommending, raised his hand with a meaningful smile.

“Teacher, I have someone.”

“Good. Youngjun, who?”

“I recommend Min Seoyeon. We were in the drama club together in middle school.”

“Oh, really? We have a lot of talented students in our class.”

As Ms. Jeong Sojin wrote the name on the board with an excited look, Min Seoyeon's eyes widened in shock and turned to Youngjun.

Seoyeon glared at Youngjun with a sharp look and mouthed something.

Even without a sound, the content was clear. It was...

an insult.

Min Seoyeon bit her lip. At that moment, a hand went up from the seat in front of Jinhyuk.

“Teacher, I want to try too.”

“Really? Do Min? Good, good. How great is it to see such initiative.”

Do Min, who had turned slightly to whisper, said,

“My brother had a lot of worries. But, who will protect you if I don't stand by you? Don't worry, just trust this brother.”

Seeing his friend, who was uncharacteristically determined for his sake, Jinhyuk couldn't help but smile. Then,

“Teacher, me...”

A girl's hand quietly went up.

“I want to try too.”

It was Kim Minyoung, the class president. Minyoung glanced at Do Min.

***

“Hey, Youngjun. Do you want to die?”

“No.”

“But, why did you mention my name there!”

Youngjun deflected Min Seoyeon's glare with a sly smile.

“I can't die alone, can I?”

“What?”

“Who made me the president of the drama club in middle school?”

“Hey, that's...”

Min Seoyeon, at a loss for words, stammered. Youngjun smiled and said,

“Hey, we've been friends since kindergarten. You have to do this much for me.”

“Talking about friendship! Ugh, really, this!”

Min Seoyeon raised her fist as if to punch Youngjun.

“Seoyeon, calm down.”

The class president, Kim Minyoung, tried to calm Min Seoyeon from the next seat. Seoyeon asked curiously,

“But, why are you here, Minyoung?”

“Ah... Well...”

Minyoung glanced at Do Min and said,

“I... just thought it would be fun.”

“Fun? Haha!”

Min Seoyeon laughed and said,

“President, you don't know what the festival play is like, do you? Do you really think it will be fun?”

“... No... right?”

Minyoung looked embarrassed.

“Hey, what class are they in?”

“Seoyeon and Minyoung are in Class 3.”

While the Class 3 group was bickering, the surroundings were buzzing.

“Class 3, right? Do Min is there too.”

“That guy? The one with short hair next to Do Min. He's really handsome.”

“Who is he?”

Due to his striking appearance, all eyes were on the Class 3 group.

“Hey, the teacher is here.”

At someone's words, everyone's eyes turned to the music room door.

Mr. Park Dongcheol, who was in charge of the play, walked to the front of the room, carefully combing his neatly styled hair.

“Ahem.”

He cleared his throat and said,

“Hi— everybody.”

With a not-so-good pronunciation, he greeted them with a forced enthusiasm.

“Oh— fantastic! It's great to see such enthusiasm for the festival play. Thank you for coming in such numbers.”

Mr. Park Dongcheol's eyes swept over the students, curving like a bow.

“But, given the nature of the event, only a limited number can be on stage. You know that, right? Unfortunately, about half will have to be cut.”

The students' faces brightened. Those who had been hanging their heads in anticipation of being cut raised their heads and their eyes sparkled.

“I hope everyone will do their best for the auditions. No pain, no gain. The important thing is effort. You know that, right?”

Misinterpreting their expressions, Mr. Park Dongcheol, satisfied with their attitude, nodded proudly.

“Even if you don't make it, I hope to see evidence of your effort. If you show a lack of sincerity, you will naturally receive a penalty.”

Students who had been dreaming of a grand debut with a mediocre performance lowered their heads again.

Mr. Park Dongcheol, taking their lowered heads as a sign of seriousness, felt even more satisfied.

“The play for this year's festival is Chunhyangjeon. It's a modern adaptation of Chunhyangjeon, and Mr. Jeong Dophil, who teaches second-year Korean, has done a lot of work.”

He then gave a long speech about the importance of the play and the festival. As he was finishing, the music room door opened cautiously.

A student's face peeked out, and upon meeting Mr. Park Dongcheol's eyes, bowed.

“What? Why are you so late!”

Two students hurried in, bowing repeatedly at Mr. Park Dongcheol's irritable shout.

“Sorry, sorry.”

Then, a male student followed, entering the music room with a much more relaxed expression and gait than the first two.

“Oh! Do Hoon is here!”

“Sorry for being late.”

“No, no. It can happen. Come, sit down. Sit.”

Although he was the last to arrive, Do Hoon sat in the front row, and the other two followed suit.

“This year's first-year class is incredibly lucky. To have Do Hoon participate in the play is an honor. Everyone. Haha. I have high hopes for this year.”

Seeing Mr. Park Dongcheol, who was speaking with great excitement, Do Min leaned towards Jinhyuk. He clicked his tongue and said,

“Tsk. Do Hoon. He's a former child actor and still appears on TV occasionally. His mother is... well, you know.”

Although Do Min stopped speaking, the atmosphere was clear enough.

A teacher who could smile so warmly at a mere student.

Jinhyuk smiled. Some things never changed, even in a second life.

“Pass this back. There are separate scripts for males and females, so take the one that applies to you.”

The audition scripts were distributed. They were abridged scripts of the main scenes from Chunhyangjeon.

“We will hold the auditions right after the midterm exams. Practice the scripts I've given you. That's all.”

Mr. Park Dongcheol, looking pleased again, glanced at Do Hoon and left the music room.

“The protagonist is already decided.”

“Indeed.”

The students' gazes, which had been on Mr. Park Dongcheol as he left, turned to Do Hoon.

***

“Oh, you're going to do a play at the festival?”

“No, it's not decided yet. There will be auditions