Chapter 21

21. The Aesthetics of the Ending

With his deep, resonant voice delivering weighty lines, the intense close-up of his piercing gaze, and the stance of pointing a sword, it was a pose reminiscent of a historical drama movie poster. The title was "Challenge of Change."

"Swallow."

The audience swallowed their saliva.

The scene, frozen like a still image, was not particularly long. But those few seconds of silence felt infinitely long to Kang Do-hoon.

He needed to regain his composure. He needed to deliver his lines. Kang Do-hoon was sweating cold sweat.

No matter how unexpected the situation, he couldn't be overshadowed by Woo Jin-hyuk on stage. Do-hoon squeezed out his last bit of pride.

"Y-You dare! How dare you mock the royal inspector, you corrupt official! Do you really think you can get away with this?"

Byun Hak-do, played by Woo Jin-hyuk, glared at him with a piercing look, and Kang Do-hoon delivered his sharp lines with all his might.

Woo Jin-hyuk flashed a sardonic smile.

"I don't care about that. The only thing I know is this: if anyone so much as touches Chunhyang—"

Byun Hak-do, played by Woo Jin-hyuk, gripped his sword with both hands and took a fighting stance.

"None of you will leave here alive today."

Kang Do-hoon flinched at the murderous look in Jin-hyuk's eyes.

What, what is this? Is he really going to kill someone?!

Do-hoon swallowed hard at the absurd look in Jin-hyuk's eyes.

"Y-You, you corrupt official! I'll—"

He barely managed to squeeze out the lines. But before he could finish, Chunhyang, played by Min Seo-yeon, shouted.

"Sir, be careful with your words! There's no evidence yet to call him a corrupt official!"

"What?"

Seo-yeon approached Byun Hak-do, played by Woo Jin-hyuk, and then glared at Im Mong-ryong, continuing her lines.

"Compared to a sir who tests me, the magistrate's consistent desire is more honest. I will follow the magistrate!"

Oh no, this is a mess!

All the cast and crew were so stunned that they froze.

Although it was not intentional, the moment of silence provided the audience with the highest tension.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Cut! Cut!"

The sound director gave a signal to the operator. The operator, not knowing what to do, accidentally pressed the ending music button.

Ding—Dingdingding! Oh no, this is a mess!

The cheerful music that rang out was completely out of place with the stage situation.

It was the celebratory music prepared to congratulate Im Mong-ryong and Chunhyang's happy reunion.

Im Mong-ryong, the royal inspector, was frozen in shock.

Byun Hak-do, the dark noble, with his eyes filled with desire, was pointing a sword at the royal inspector.

Seong Chunhyang, the femme fatale, had thrown off the shackles of her era and reached out for forbidden desire.

The celebratory music ringing out from this bizarre frozen scene.

This is the avant-garde aesthetics of the ending.

In other words, avant-garde art.

If not, it might be black comedy.

"Hahaha! Hahaha…"

No Hyun-woo clutched his belly and laughed.

'What is this?'

It was an unexpected development. In a way, it was a ridiculous and implausible plot twist.

'But, the acting is really good.'

Woo Jin-hyuk's crazy acting gave legitimacy to Byun Hak-do's absurd actions. The chemistry between Chunhyang and Min Seo-yeon was perfect.

That guy, from the moment he appeared, was not ordinary!

"Brother, I need to meet Byun Hak-do."

No Hyun-woo said to his manager.

***

'Y-You, I won't let this go!'

Teacher Park Dong-chul wiped his face with both hands and gritted his teeth.

After the curtain fell and the cast returned to the waiting room, Park Dong-chul glared at Jin-hyuk as if he wanted to eat him alive and shouted at the cast.

"Everyone, don't move until I get back!"

Park Dong-chul hurriedly left the auditorium through the stage entrance. There was something he needed to do before dealing with Woo Jin-hyuk.

He needed to apologize to the board chairman and the parents. He also needed to explain the sudden actions of these audacious students.

He saw the board chairman talking to some parents while waiting for the students to leave at the front of the auditorium.

Park Dong-chul rushed over and bowed 90 degrees.

"Thank you for watching until the end."

Then he quickly prepared his words.

"Actually, this play—"

"Teacher Park Dong-chul!"

The board chairman's call interrupted Park Dong-chul's words.

"Yes?"

Park Dong-chul's tense eyes. He reaffirmed his resolve.

Damn, I'll deal with you, Woo Jin-hyuk.

"Ha-ha! This year's play was really great!"

"Really?!"

"That's what teenagers are all about! Ha-ha!

The board chairman's pot-lid-like hand patted Teacher Park Dong-chul's back.

"To be honest, I was a bit frustrated every year. These are passionate high school students, right? But every year, they were like well-behaved lambs. I thought it would be good to have something a bit more daring and unconventional. Ha-ha!"

The board chairman looked around at the parents.

"What is it? Creativity! Isn't that the most important thing? Isn't it? Ha-ha."

The board chairman's gaze returned to Park Dong-chul.

"It was really great. Whose child is this?"

"Ah, that's—"

While Teacher Park Dong-chul was searching for an answer, the principal stepped in.

"The person, being modest. This play was entirely planned and directed by Teacher Park Dong-chul. Chairman."

"Is that so?"

The board chairman tilted his head. He thought there must be another director who led the play, given the usual Park Dong-chul he knew.

Park Dong-chul thought, opportunities must be seized.

"Ah... Yes. I'm trying to encourage students to think more openly. I thought it might be too unconventional, but I'm grateful for the understanding of the chairman, the principal, the teachers, and the parents."

"Hehehe. I see. I'll look forward to it. Teacher Park Dong-chul."

The parents' atmosphere didn't seem bad. Of course, among them, Kang Do-hoon's mother's face was crumpled.

Still, the unexpected reaction left Teacher Park Dong-chul a bit flustered.

"Then, Teacher Park, keep up the good work."

Hearing the board chairman's encouraging words, Park Dong-chul's steps were light.

However, he couldn't just let this arrogant rebel off the hook.

Park Dong-chul hurriedly headed towards the stage entrance.

***

"Kukukuk—."

A laugh burst from Min Seo-yeon's lips. Jin-hyuk said calmly.

"Good job."

"Ah, it was fun. More fun than I thought."

It wasn't just empty words. Seo-yeon's heart was pounding uncontrollably. It had been so long since her heart had raced like this while acting...

She had felt it to some extent during practice, but Jin-hyuk in the actual performance was different. The situation was absurd, but the acting chemistry was thrilling.

"Here, have some water."

Seo-yeon handed Jin-hyuk a bottle of water. Perhaps because of her unusual attitude, Jin-hyuk didn't immediately take it and stared at her intently.

"Take it. My arm hurts."

Just as Jin-hyuk took the water bottle, Park Dong-chul's shout shattered the air in the waiting room.

"Hey! Woo Jin-hyuk!"

Park Dong-chul burst in, confirming that Seo-yeon wasn't the only one whose heart had raced because of Jin-hyuk's performance.

A person whose blood was about to burst from his head was glaring at Jin-hyuk from the stage entrance.

Everyone's gaze turned to Park Dong-chul. Kang Do-hoon twisted his lips as he looked at Woo Jin-hyuk.

'What excuse are you going to give?'

There was no room for excuses. It wasn't just a matter of forgetting lines or misunderstanding the character. It was a completely different, absurd plot twist.

This was clearly a deliberate attempt to sabotage the director.

"Hey, you. Is this because you couldn't memorize your lines? Or because you didn't understand the character? Huh?"

Strictly speaking, it wasn't just Woo Jin-hyuk's fault. The last-minute twist was due to Min Seo-yeon's active participation.

Moreover, it was Seo-yeon who recommended Woo Jin-hyuk for the role of Byun Hak-do. However, Park Dong-chul subtly overlooked Seo-yeon's involvement.

Who was Seo-yeon's mother? The board chairman of Seongdo Hospital and a key member of the school's support committee. Seo-yeon couldn't be implicated.

Even if he didn't know where it all went wrong, this brat was clearly the culprit. It had to be.

"Are you challenging me, you brat?"

Park Dong-chul shouted, but Jin-hyuk's eyes didn't waver.

No panic, no fear, no hint of wavering. Jin-hyuk's calm and composed demeanor left Park Dong-chul slightly flustered.

"Teacher."

Jin-hyuk's lips moved slowly.

"You said the chemistry was the problem."

"What?"

"The reason I was cast as the deputy magistrate. You said it was a chemistry issue with the lead, right?"

"What does that have to do with this!"

Jin-hyuk continued calmly.

"Since the original script said I didn't fit with Kang Do-hoon, I made some adjustments on my own."

"What? You're saying that's an excuse..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you in advance, but I was suddenly given the role."

"But this brat is spouting nonsense!"

Park Dong-chul shouted and grabbed Jin-hyuk by the collar. Jin-hyuk whispered.

"Teacher, let go."

"What, what?"

"I'm saying it to avoid making things difficult for you."

"Damn, you insolent brat!"

Park Dong-chul's grip on Jin-hyuk's collar tightened.

At that moment.

"Teacher Park!"

Park Dong-chul's gaze reflexively turned to the waiting room entrance, where he saw the board chairman.

He also noticed a few parents and teachers standing with wide eyes.

Park Dong-chul froze.

He was so flustered that he couldn't even let go of Jin-hyuk's collar.

"What are you doing!"

The board chairman's shout. Jin-hyuk gently lowered Park Dong-chul's hand.

Park Dong-chul's grip loosened and his hand fell limply.

Behind the waiting room door, Do Min-woo peeked in, made a V sign only Jin-hyuk could see, and quickly disappeared.

"No, no, no, I..."

The board chairman's angry gaze, demanding an explanation, hit Park Dong-chul directly.

But Park Dong-chul couldn't find the words to answer. His eyes darted around, unable to focus.

Jin-hyuk spoke up.

"We modified the script without permission, and the teacher is upset about it."

The board chairman's gaze shifted to Jin-hyuk.

"Modified without permission? What do you mean?"

"We made changes to the Byun Hak-do character and the final ending."

"What?"

The board chairman, surprised by the unexpected answer, looked back and forth between Park Dong-chul and Woo Jin-hyuk.

"You mean this wasn't the original script, but a modification?"

"The student originally cast as Byun Hak-do was rushed to the emergency room with stomach pain just before the performance."

"So?"

"I took over the role since I had practiced lines with him. Coincidentally, my original role was the deputy magistrate, so the costume was almost the same."

The board chairman continued to look at Jin-hyuk, encouraging him to continue.

"I wanted to do a good job, even as a last-minute replacement. Since the teacher said during the audition that I didn't have good chemistry with Kang Do-hoon, who played Im Mong-ryong, I thought I'd try to make some changes... I guess I was too ambitious."

Min Seo-yeon, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward.

"I thought Jin-hyuk's idea made sense, so I helped him."

"Wow, so this was all an impromptu improvisation?"

"Yes."

The board chairman looked at Woo Jin-hyuk and Park Dong-chul with a mix of surprise and amusement.

"That's different from what Teacher Park said, isn't it?"

"That, that's, Chairman. I wasn't trying to lie. As the person in charge, I was prepared to take responsibility for everything..."

"Teacher Park."

The board chairman interrupted Park Dong-chul and shook his head slightly.

"Let's talk about this later. We have guests. We came to encourage the students."

"Ah, ah, yes, yes."

Just as Park Dong-chul lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Kyaa—!"

A loud scream and commotion came from outside. Everyone in the waiting room turned their gaze to the entrance.

A statue-like figure walked into the waiting room, looking embarrassed.

The statue paused as soon as he stepped inside, noticing a group of adults near the entrance, along with the students.

The statue bowed politely.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for your hard work. I'm actor No Hyun-woo."

The top Hallyu star. The celebrity of celebrities.

No introduction was necessary; no one in the room was unfamiliar with actor No Hyun-woo.