Chapter 4

Lucky Break to Become a Top Star - Chapter 4 (4/200)

Chapter 4

"Remember the assignment? Let's go through it one by one."

At the instructor's words, Min-gi's expression stiffened.

"......"

This is bad.

Was there an assignment?

It's been so long, I can't remember anything.

I remember the big things, like failing an audition. But I can't recall a class assignment from seven years ago at all.

"Let's see."

The instructor's finger moved in his direction.

Please, just turn away, please turn away.

At least point to someone else first.

Then maybe I can recall and refresh my memory.

Min-gi silently prayed several times, but the instructor's finger slowly and precisely pointed at him.

"Today, Min..."

Just as his name was about to be called,

"Can I go first?"

Someone suddenly raised their hand and shouted.

And who was that person?

'Jin-tak?'

Jin-tak, the representative troublemaker in the Jam Acting School acting course, whom Min-gi recognized.

He looked at Min-gi with a triumphant expression, which was familiar even to Min-gi, who came from the distant future.

Watch closely.

Watch what I do. Then suffer when you're compared to me.

It was a blatant attempt to embarrass him.

Originally, Jin-tak's acting skills were about 0.5 steps ahead of Min-gi, making this possible.

Back then, that smile would have seemed unlucky.

But.

That was when Min-gi was in the past.

'You, you were actually a good guy.'

To the current Min-gi, Jin-tak's smile looked like that of an angel descending to save humanity.

"Sure, go ahead."

The instructor, who didn't care about the order, said indifferently.

Shortly after Jin-tak started his performance, Min-gi was surprised in two ways.

'Ah, this was the assignment.'

First, it was the difficulty of the assignment.

It came back to him.

The theme of this assignment was melodramatic acting. The task was to act out a sad scene, regardless of the character.

And the second surprise was:

'Jin-tak, did he originally act this badly?'

Jin-tak's performance.

"No, I don't want to. Don't go. I'm still here. How will I live if you go too, Dad?"

He was playing a child abandoned by their father, and it was a complete disaster.

His movements were stiff.

His expression was no different from the usual Jin-tak.

His voice was exaggerated and jarring.

Moreover, he awkwardly turned everything that could be expressed through facial expressions into dialogue.

It was a typical performance of a beginner, not quite at the intermediate level.

'...Is he really playing an abandoned child?'

No matter how you look at it, it seems like a delinquent son begging his father for pocket money.

Combined with Jin-tak's unlucky appearance, it looked even more like that.

Was Jin-tak really that bad at acting originally?

'Looking at the serious performances of other students, it doesn't seem like he was that bad.'

That's right.

Jin-tak's skills hadn't deteriorated.

He was still at the same level. It was just that Min-gi's standards had risen.

His discernment had greatly improved from working as a professional in the industry.

Even if his life as a low-level unknown actor was tough, the difference between having such experience and not having it was extreme.

Amateur and professional.

There was a difference like that between an ant and a longhorn beetle.

'Still, I can't just be happy about it.'

Min-gi calmed himself down.

It was a melodramatic performance.

And this was a challenge he usually struggled with.

Originally, this type of emotional acting required either a calculated approach or complete immersion in the moment.

But Min-gi was weak in both aspects when it came to melodrama.

'What should I do?'

It's not coming to mind.

Does a melodrama have to be a sad performance?

Is there no way to get through this smoothly?

No.

Do I have to avoid it? Is there no way to face it head-on? Isn't this a place for growth?

If I can't do it, can't I try to do it well despite that?

"Sniff, sniff."

Soon, Jin-tak's performance ended with fake sobs.

"You did well. Pay more attention to your diction. Your final consonants are getting blurred."

After a brief applause, the instructor's indifferent comment followed, and it was Min-gi's turn next.

"Min-gi, come up front."

The instructor's expression showed no hint of expectation.

* * *

When Min-gi stepped forward into the practice room, his first thought was:

'The atmosphere is lighter than I expected.'

It was light.

Recalling the past, the atmosphere during such assignment presentations was so heavy it was hard to bear, but it wasn't like that now.

Perhaps it was because, compared to an actual filming set, this was nothing.

'Good, breathe in, breathe out.'

But the sunlight streaming through the window stung his eyes. The dust floating around also irritated his eyes.

'I won't pay attention. I need to focus all my concentration on the acting.'

Just then, the instructor gave the signal.

"Start."

Min-gi visualized a character in his mind.

A man.

A man who had been nursing his wife, who fell ill right after their marriage.

He was usually stoic, but his love for his wife was genuine.

But illness has no feelings.

It destroyed their cozy home and eventually took away the most precious person.

'I need to recall that feeling.'

How sad must he have been?

What thoughts did the man have at that moment?

Did he blame his own powerlessness? Or did he blame the illness?

In less than five seconds, the character's framework formed in his mind.

Min-gi opened his mouth.

"We were happy, weren't we?"

There was no response, as there was no partner to answer in the empty space.

But Min-gi heard the virtual partner's response.

"I know. I know, but I feel like I need to ask."

"Did you know, seahorses live with one partner for life. When they travel long distances, they hold each other's tails, like people holding hands."

"I'll take good care of myself. I'll remember everything you've done for me."

Fortunately, he was able to empathize.

Perhaps because he recalled the saddest scene from a movie he had seen, he gradually felt as if he was immersed in the movie's background.

A quiet hospital room.

The curtains swaying gently in the occasional breeze.

And the sunlight subtly shining through the window... sunlight... sunlight...

'Ah.'

The sunlight stung his eyes.

The sunlight kept pouring in from outside the window.

It didn't happen when Jin-tak was acting, but in that short time, the sunlight started to shine perfectly into the practice room.

'Ah, why now?'

His luck was really bad.

As his stomach churned, his immersion in the performance was broken.

"......"

Damn.

He missed his line timing.

Min-gi tried to regain his composure and refocus on the performance.

But the world didn't let him.

'Ah, dust.'

This time, a piece of dust floating in the air landed near his eye.

It stung.

He wanted to scratch it immediately.

But if he did, the performance would definitely be ruined.

He had to endure, he had to endure.

It was a 50-second acting assignment, so there were only a few seconds left.

He had to hold on.

He had to endure.

Min-gi did his best to endure. Despite the world's cruel fate making his eyes itchy and stinging, he kept his eyes wide open and endured until the end.

And.

It led to a new conclusion.

"......"

The instructor, who had been indifferent, opened his mouth and stared at Min-gi's performance.

The instructor, who had been so indifferent, couldn't take his eyes off Min-gi's performance at that moment.

'Is he doing a crying scene now?'

Min-gi.

His eyes were red-rimmed.

He wasn't crying, nor was he not crying.

They were just red.

But this subtlety made Min-gi's performance stand out even more.

'Just crying is hard enough, but he's even controlling the intensity?'

Unbelievable.

Was he originally that good?

Was it a coincidence?

But the level of his performance just a moment ago was exceptional.

From his diction to his calm gestures, he used only what was necessary.

It was clearly at a professional level.

At first, it seemed like he had just practiced a lot.

But when the crying scene was added, it reached a new dimension.

The image of a husband holding back his tears to be with his wife in her final moments.

The great performance spread sadness throughout the practice room.

"......Honey."

Just as the invisible, unseen hospital room started to appear.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, 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ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, 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ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,