Chapter 14

14. What to do about this?

He was certainly a noticeable kid.

Kang Do-hoon, who had been working as a child actor since he was young and had been coming and going to broadcasting stations like his own home, had met countless male actors.

So he knew exactly what the aura that Woo Jin-hyuk possessed meant.

When he met Min Seo-yeon's group at the entrance of the music room, Kang Do-hoon's approach was almost instinctive.

It was an instinct to confirm that the protagonist of this play could only be himself.

The only one who could match him, even a little, was Min Seo-yeon, who was also a former child actor. He wanted to confirm that to himself, and to them.

Especially to Min Seo-yeon.

In other words, it meant that Woo Jin-hyuk's presence was that strong. So strong that he couldn't bear it if he didn't take such action.

And just by sitting there, he was drawing all the attention around him.

What was even more annoying and irritating was his attitude.

The way he didn't seem to be aware of the commotion he was causing, as if it didn't matter to him at all.

‘Damn. Who does he think he is…’

Most actors who had gained a certain level of fame were arrogant. They acted as if they didn't care about the attention around them, as if such attention was natural.

But most of it was just pretense.

They were always hungry for attention. They were real attention-seekers who couldn't survive a moment without the public's interest.

That was the world of actors that Kang Do-hoon had experienced. Of course, he was no exception.

While being extremely interested in the attention around him, he acted as if he didn't care at all, exuding confidence in himself. Every word and action of actors was deeply imbued with a performative self.

Actors… it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that all of their lives shown to the public were performances.

But there were other types of people. Those who, as if the attention of others was naturally theirs, possessed the air of true royalty, never caring about it.

People who, having been born with everything, had an innate sense of superiority.

They didn't need to put on a pretense. They already had everything that others tried to inflate through pretense.

For example.

Senior No Hyun-woo.

A K-pop star who had been the lead in films since he was a child actor and had only walked the path of leading roles up to his early 30s. An actor's actor.

And the background of being from a well-known chaebol family. A person who was a true royal in every sense, lacking nothing.

Woo Jin-hyuk's attitude right now was just like Senior No Hyun-woo's...

‘Tch. I'm really something. Who am I comparing him to?’

It was absurd.

Kang Do-hoon tried to erase the fragment of inferiority that had risen without his awareness and turned his gaze away from Woo Jin-hyuk.

After all, he was just a regular person with a decent face.

The aura an actor could show was not just about appearance. The charisma on stage was as captivating as the actor's looks.

Once the auditions started, the kids would learn what a real actor was. When they saw the professional actors' performances, which they had only seen on camera, a whole new world would open up.

And then, all the attention would return to Kang Do-hoon himself.

Thinking about this, Kang Do-hoon leaned back in his chair more relaxedly.

***

"Hi— everybody."

Mr. Park Dong-chul's usual casual greeting echoed in the music room.

"Did everyone practice a lot? I'm very—very excited. Haha."

Mr. Park Dong-chul looked very pleased. In contrast, the kids were quite nervous, hoping they wouldn't be chosen.

Of course, if they were selected for leading roles, it would be a welcome event. There were many benefits, including performance evaluation items.

But the students knew all too well that it wasn't their turn, so they desperately hoped.

They didn't want to be chosen as mere extras, who would only suffer and gain nothing.

But they couldn't intentionally act poorly to avoid being chosen.

"I told you, right? If you don't show the minimum effort, if you don't try at all, you'll get a penalty."

The kids let out a stifled sigh. They were in a dilemma, unable to do this or that.

And so, with everyone's hearts pounding, the auditions finally began.

"Park Ja-ya. It's—amazing—what do you see?"

A grand display of terrible acting.

Were these kids truly fearless of penalties?

No.

Initially, they had... worried unnecessarily. Their fate of not being chosen, even if they wanted to, was their sin.

Occasionally, there were students who did a decent imitation, but most were terribly clumsy, even just reading the script.

Mr. Park Dong-chul's expression grew more and more sour.

"What the hell are you doing! Did you practice, or did you just mess around!"

He finally exploded. Then came a long speech.

"Didn't I tell you how important this play is? As a festival play, it's a long-standing tradition of our school..."

Mr. Park Dong-chul, whose face had turned red and blue, finished his speech and shouted.

"Next! Who's next? Come on up."

Mr. Park Dong-chul's face brightened.

"It's Do-hoon. Yes. Do-hoon, show them what real acting is."

Kang Do-hoon slowly stood up. Then, with neither too slow nor too fast steps, he walked forward, drawing the attention of the kids with each step.

As if declaring himself the final boss.

Kang Do-hoon took his place with his co-actor. And his first line as Lee Mong-ryong.

"Park Ja-ya. What is that thing over there?"

"““Wow!””"

The kids' exclamations of admiration burst out from the first line. Kang Do-hoon continued his performance smoothly without any hesitation.

"Is it a swing?"

"Of course. Isn't it the Dano Festival in May?"

"Yes. Can I see that girl, then?"

The kids were completely absorbed in the performance of the professional actor right in front of them.

The male student who was delivering lines with Kang Do-hoon, the one who usually hung out with Do-hoon, did a decent job as well.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!!

Applause erupted when the performance ended.

"Bravo!"

Mr. Park Dong-chul clapped standing up, a satisfied look on his face, as if confirming, "You're the protagonist."

Of course, the students who had performed terribly before also didn't doubt that Kang Do-hoon's performance was that of the protagonist.

And then it was Class 3's turn.

First, Do Min-woo performed with a student from another class.

"Yeon-ja. Park Ja-ya."

He proved that he had some talent as well.

Mr. Park Dong-chul's face soured again as Min Seo-yeon and Kim Min-young appeared.

"Hmph. Now I see you're relying on your master's authority to act up."

"Seems so. Miss."

"You're looking down on me because I'm the daughter of a courtesan."

Min Seo-yeon's performance was amazing. It was hard to tell much difference from Kang Do-hoon's.

"Wow—!"

Exclamations of admiration poured out. Woo Jin-hyuk was also quite impressed.

"Wow. Is that Min Seo-yeon? She's an amazing actor?"

"I heard she used to be a child actor."

"Ah, that makes sense."

While the students were amazed and murmuring, only two people had a different reaction. Kang Do-hoon and Lee Young-jun both had expressions that said they already knew this would happen.

Kim Min-young's performance wasn't outstanding, but because of the terrible performances before, she stood out quite a bit.

Mr. Park Dong-chul also had a pleased look on his face.

"Seo-yeon did very well. And... um... Ah, Min-young did a good job too. Next."

Woo Jin-hyuk stood up. The time had come when the glances that had been sneaking his way could now openly focus on him.

In an instant, all eyes were on Jin-hyuk.

'Hey, I'm here too.'

Lee Young-jun also stood up, but no one paid attention.

'If I were just 10 centimeters taller...'

Young-jun blamed his height once again.

Mr. Park Dong-chul looked surprised.

As Woo Jin-hyuk approached, Mr. Park Dong-chul couldn't help but open his mouth wide at his appearance.

His appearance was astonishing. He hadn't seen him until last semester, but he suddenly appeared in this semester's class.

'Where did this kid come from all of a sudden?'

He tilted his head and asked.

"Did you transfer?"

"No."

"Really?"

Mr. Park Dong-chul's head tilted the other way. It was strange. He hadn't seen this kid all semester. But he quickly lost interest.

As far as he knew, no student had transferred to the first year in the second semester. He had asked just in case, but as expected.

If he had transferred, he would have needed to check his family background. But if not, he wasn't worth much attention.

There were no students in the existing influential families that he hadn't noticed.

"Right. Young-jun will be Lee Mong-ryong, and... what's your name again?"

"Woo Jin-hyuk."

"Right. You'll be 'Park Ja-ya.'"

The students giggled.

"Hey, isn't this a mismatch?"

"With this casting, it's not 'Chunhyangjeon,' it's 'Park Jayajeon.'"

"From now on, my favorite character is Park Ja-ya."

Mr. Park Dong-chul's eyebrows furrowed.

"Who's talking!"

Mr. Park's shout cut off the whispers. Lee Young-jun, embarrassed, hurriedly delivered his line.

"Anyway, Park Ja-ya. Can't you call her over?"

It was a decent performance.

Now it was Woo Jin-hyuk's turn.

Even while Lee Young-jun was delivering his lines, the eyes that had been fixed on Woo Jin-hyuk became even more intense.

If this kid delivered a terrible performance here, the students might have a glimmer of hope that the world was fair.

"Oh, Master!"

A line that left everyone speechless.

Indeed, the world was unfair.

How could the chiseled face of a handsome man, who had seemed so cool like an elf, suddenly become so friendly, as if he had truly become Park Ja-ya?

"Are you going to sit here and call Chunhyang? No way. That girl is a noble's daughter, and her pride is so high."

"Is she a noble's daughter?"

Everyone was completely absorbed in the performance of Jin-hyuk and Young-jun, who were exchanging lines.

"““Haha!””"

The students burst into laughter at Jin-hyuk's humorous line, as if they were at an old market where a folk play was being performed.

But among the students, only one person's face, Kang Do-hoon's, remained stiff, not fitting the atmosphere.

'What is this?'

This is completely professional.

A performance that couldn't come from someone who had never stood in front of a camera or on a stage dozens or hundreds of times.

'Did he used to be a child actor?'

Given his looks and acting skills, it was a natural inference. But Kang Do-hoon quickly shook his head.

The world of child actors wasn't the Pacific Ocean, and among those of his age, they were all about the same. He would have known if there was a child actor with such skills.

So the answer was one.

A genius.

An undiscovered gem.

A shining appearance, the qualities of a star that drew everyone's attention. And a genius for acting.

"Hey, isn't he better than Kang Do-hoon?"

"Yeah, his acting and looks are both great."

"Hey, shh! He might hear us."

Damn... this is so frustrating.

Kang Do-hoon felt the inferiority he had been suppressing in the depths of his heart slowly creeping up.

'Damn it!'

Do-hoon shook his head more strongly. It wasn't to deny the answer he had given about Woo Jin-hyuk.

It was just a gesture to erase the talented acting genius who was better than himself, whom he no longer wanted to see in front of him.

"Ahem."

Mr. Park Dong-chul, who had laughed along with the students without realizing it, quickly composed his expression.

'What is this kid?'

Mr. Park Dong-chul was certainly not an acting expert. But he wasn't a complete novice who couldn't distinguish such outstanding acting.

The main roles were already decided in his mind. There was no room for an unknown kid to interfere.

But with that level of appearance and acting... as long as the students' eyes were on him, there would be a problem.

Everyone might think he favored the children of influential families, but the reason it didn't become a specific issue was clear.

A solid reason. And a delicate balance.

It had to be at a level where everyone knew but pretended not to. It shouldn't be obvious that it was unfair.

The answer he needed to find was clear. He had to find it. A reason to exclude this kid from the main roles.

'What to do about this?'

Mr. Park Dong-chul's mind became very complicated. His anxiety was clearly revealed in the hand that was rubbing his lips.