The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 123



Only Noblemtl

Episode 123

“That is correct.”

“… … ?”

Gogun continued speaking to Yumi, who had a puzzled look on her face.

“Every time Hyunsoo starts a new project, he changes like a different person.”

Since Gogun is the one closest to Hyunsoo, he may have felt that side of him even more than Yumi.

“Well, sometimes it can feel like it’s a bit excessive… …but you’re the kind of person who can act in a way that makes that kind of behavior understandable. Hyunsoo hyung.”

Woo Ji-yoon nodded and accepted Go Geon’s words.

“It may be different for each person, but it’s a kind of penalty that actors who have to play someone else rather than themselves experience.”

Any actor has moments like that.

As I become extremely immersed in the role, there comes a time when the world in the work and reality become confused.

“I think this tendency is even stronger the more solid the world the author has built within the work.”

Only then did Yumi nod with a look of understanding at Joo In-ah’s words, who was renowned for her solid acting skills.

“So, let’s say… … it’s a kind of occupational disease?”

The owner nodded and continued speaking.

“This is a bit of a scary story, but in the early 90s in Japan, there was a legendary actress who was a very attractive heroine and was loved passionately throughout her life.”

Yumi tilted her head with a slightly puzzled expression after hearing the owner’s words.

“How is it that something that was so passionately loved as an actor becomes a scary story?”

“She experienced an immersion that she would never experience again as an actress and gave her all in acting. As a result, she received rave reviews from everyone around her.”

Woo Ji-yoon also opened her mouth in the middle of the story as if she knew it.

“It was something more than just praise. The public and fans alike identified her with the heroine in the role. Wherever she went, the shadow of the heroine followed her.”

Then, at some point, the actress started behaving strangely.

Even though filming for the piece was complete, she occasionally appeared confused between herself and her role.

“The actress couldn’t get out of the role in the end.”

“Not being able to escape from the role means… … .”

“The heroine in the movie she played makes an extreme choice in the last scene due to the grief of losing her lover.”

The owner didn’t bother to continue talking about what the actress had said.

“That’s a scary story… … .”

As Mrs. Im and Yumi turned their worried gazes toward Hyun-soo, Joo-in-ah smiled and waved her hand.

“It’s something that only one out of tens or tens of thousands of actors in the world would experience. The Hyun-soo I know is stronger than anyone else. You don’t have to worry about that. Right, Hyun-soo?”

Hyunsoo, who heard the owner’s words, just smiled and nodded.

No, it was so difficult to control my facial expressions that even maintaining a smile was a struggle.

‘It’s an occupational disease as an actor… … No, it’s not just that.’

Hyunsoo has gone beyond simply immersing himself in a role and experienced the lives and deaths of others.

Every time, Hyun-soo experienced the gap between dreams and reality, and that was where the ‘aftereffects of dreams’ came from.

Of course, no one else but her mother and Yumi could have failed to notice these changes.

But the reason Hyunsoo’s face is stiff now isn’t just because of this.

-Why do I always feel like you’re a different person every time I see you?

The moment he heard those words, a cold sense of discomfort came over Hyun-soo’s entire body.

I know very well what this sense of discomfort is.

‘This is… … similar to the feeling I get when I dream.’

Yes, that’s right.

Hyunsoo has now, for a very brief moment, ‘objectified’ his own existence.

‘Jang Ki-chun, Lee Jun-hyeok, Hwang Su-in, Kim Young-cheol.’

The lives and deaths of these four people contain the countless twists and turns of a human life.

They have been repeating the process of separating their emotions and wills through acting, overcoming them in the end, and regaining their original selves.

‘In the process, wasn’t it possible that I was looking at my own reality as a dream?’

Now that the dream beings are silent, I think I have completely regained my original self.

But Yumi feels unfamiliar with that version of herself.

‘I see. This is probably… … .’

The aftereffects of Kim Hyun-soo’s ‘dream’ itself.

Without even realizing it, Hyun-soo’s insides were becoming more and more tangled and twisted.

‘The aftereffects of my own dream… … How do I overcome them?’

It was a problem for which there was no immediate answer.

* * *

Although a slightly creepy topic came up in the middle, Hyun-soo’s housewarming party ended in a happy and cozy atmosphere.

Mrs. Lim, who was planning to stay overnight, was cleaning up the rest of the house, and Hyunsoo and Yumi went to the first floor of the officetel to see the Pioreum family off.

“Sister Ina, can I really contact you once in a while? I won’t do it too often!”

“Okay! You can do it whenever you want, so be sure to contact me when you come to Seoul!”

“Hehe, yes. I’ll definitely contact you.”

Yumi, who had become quite close with the owner, waved her hand with an expression that showed that she was sad to part ways.

“Brother, I really enjoyed today.”

“Okay, Gun-ah. Go in carefully. You too, sir, go in carefully.”

Woo Ji-yoon, who had been smiling and waving her hand at Hyun-soo’s words, continued speaking as if something had just occurred to her.

“Oh. So, have you thought about it?”

Woo Ji-yoon still hadn’t heard back from anyone about whether or not she would attend the audition she had mentioned earlier.

Hyunsoo continued speaking with a slightly stiff face.

“I wonder if I can… … do well.”

“No, where did that old confident and spirited attitude go?”

Hyunsoo smiled bitterly at Woo Jiyoon’s words.

Perhaps right now she was thinking of Hyun-soo when he was dreaming of ‘Hwang Soo-in’.

At that time, I was sure that I would capture all the ‘light’ in the world.

‘But now… … .’

It’s hard enough to deal with the aftereffects of those dreams.

Woo Ji-yoon smiled and continued to speak to Hyun-soo, who had a slightly heavy expression on his face, as if telling him not to worry.

“If not actor Kim, who else would do it? In the first place, more than half of the reason we held auditions this time was because of actor Kim.”

Before Hyun-soo came in, there were only a few actors who stood out in Piorum, including Joo-in-ah.

Except for Joo In Ah, most of them were new actors, so their public recognition was minimal.

However, Hyunsoo gained enormous public recognition in less than two years after joining the agency.

Thanks to this, new actor profiles that used to come in sporadically have now become so constant that we have to create a separate cabinet for them.

‘It’s not possible to review each and every one of these as they come in, so how about we hold an open audition while we’re at it?’

This was the background for why Pieroreum held its first public audition.

“There’s no need to feel that burdened. Rather than judging, actor Kim is more of an observer who watches the performances of his junior actors.”

The owner, who had been listening from the side, nodded.

“If actor Kim’s acting skills are at that level, wouldn’t the people being judged be convinced? Why, Mr. Bae said the same thing last time.”

Joo In-ah recalled the last time she showed her acting skills to her juniors who were filming a variety show.

The acting advice that Hyunsoo gave to his juniors at the time was very helpful even to him as a veteran actor.

“It wasn’t just last time, but even before that, Mr. Bae Geum-sik recommended actor Kim instead of himself.”

In fact, at first, I thought of Bae Geum-sik, the in-house acting training instructor, as the audition observer.

Because of his long career in theater, he was somewhat well-known among actors, so he was practically the most suitable person to be on the audition committee.

“Mr. Bae also went to the countryside to film, and the main actor will soon start working on a project… … Now the only one left is actor Kim.”

When the company’s CEO says something like that, I can’t help but help.

“I don’t know if I can be of any help, but… … Okay.”

So it was decided that Hyunsoo would be a judge at the audition.

* * *

Auditions are the first gateway for every actor to achieve their dreams.

It would be rude to go out and meet new actors passing through that important gateway without any preparation.

After deciding to attend the audition, Hyunsoo thought a lot about the role he would play there.

‘There are three main things that are important in an audition.’

First of all, it is the actors’ character.

Basically, an actor and management have a relationship based on mutual trust and cooperation, moving towards the same dream.

What if actors and management don’t communicate with each other?

No matter how good an actor he was, it was natural that we couldn’t work together.

The second is passion as an actor.

As an actor, how much passion do you have for acting?

Of course, even if you pass the audition, you have only just passed the first hurdle.

The real beginning as an actor comes after the audition, and even greater hardships await there than before.

Whether or not an actor has the passion to overcome it could not have been an important factor in selecting them.

Lastly, acting skills.

Within the short time given, you must be able to appeal to the judges with all the strengths of your acting, including the situation, emotions, purpose, relationships, reactions, and character.

There is no need to explain how important acting skills are to an actor.

‘Which of these can I examine?’

Hyunsoo suffered the bitter taste of failure at countless auditions.

Most of the new actors we meet at auditions will probably face the same result.

“What was the thing I heard the most at auditions?”

Soon, numerous words came to Hyunsoo’s mind.

‘You’re good at acting, but it’s not fun?’

‘It seems like you’ve prepared well. But preparation alone isn’t enough. Don’t actors these days know this?’

‘Um… …Thank you for your hard work.’

‘Yes, I saw it well. Next.’

‘next.’

next.

After one audition was over, Hyunsoo always had to prepare for the next audition.

The audition scene was as cold as his passion as an actor.

‘Would such ruthlessness have helped me?’

To conclude, it was helpful, even if it was in an unfriendly form.

In the end, there is only one thing that Hyun-soo can put forward as a senior actor.

It’s not about outstanding looks, extraordinary personality, or shining talent.

Something that every actor has.

That is, ‘a heart that does not give up.’

Hyunsoo has never once given up on the path of becoming an actor since he decided to do so.

I was frustrated countless times, but I kept bumping into things.

It was broken and became hard.

Perhaps it was because of such strength that Hyunsoo was able to maintain his sense of self even while wandering in a ‘dream’.

‘As a senior, I want to tell stories that will truly help those who come to see Pieoreum.’

So, a few days later, the day of the audition arrived.

Even the day before, Hyunsoo couldn’t sleep properly.

It’s not that I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about my juniors.

‘Why at a time like this… … .’

Even though the new actors were acting hard in front of his eyes, Hyunsoo couldn’t focus on them properly.

It was because of the ‘aftereffects’ of the new dream.

Continued in the next episode ▶