The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 124



Only Noblemtl

Episode 124

In his dream, Hyunsu was playing with children on a small playground covered in green grass.

“Sam, let’s do it together!”

“Let’s play ball together, Sam!”

A round ball kicked hard by a small foot rolled towards Hyun-soo.

‘Sam… …? Is it the teacher this time?’

Hyunsoo, who received the ball, looked around with a blank expression.

‘school?’

A building that is too small to be called a school.

As he was examining the building to get a feel for the surroundings, a child who was trying to snatch the ball Hyun-soo was holding fell to the floor and burst into tears.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry, stop.”

At the same time, all of Hyun-soo’s attention is focused on the child.

He wiped the crying child’s tears and returned the ball.

The child ran around holding the ball, laughing innocently with his friends around him as if he had never cried before.

As he was looking at that sight and smiling, someone approached Hyun-soo and held out his hand.

“Oh, Mother Superior.”

The person who extended his hand with the most detailed smile was none other than the director of this orphanage.

“Even though I said I wouldn’t keep coming here like this.”

Hyunsoo shook his head, brushing the grass and dirt off his knees.

“I’m telling you that it wasn’t me who came to find me, but the children who came to me in my dreams first?”

The nun bursts into laughter as if she can’t stop herself.

“It’s money you worked hard to earn. Running a daycare center is okay, so now you should live your life.”

Hyunsoo also burst into laughter.

It wasn’t that I laughed at the nun’s warm words, but rather that I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard the words, “hard-earned money.”

“It’s okay. That money wasn’t something I earned with difficulty.”

“… … .”

“I’ll come back again, Director.”

After gathering up the outerwear that had been carelessly hung on a bench in the corner, Hyunsoo leaves through the entrance of the small daycare center.

Behind that banner, children with bright faces are waving their hands like bracken ferns vigorously.

“Sam, are you coming to play again next time?”

“You have to come play again, Sam―!”

Hyunsoo, who was in a good mood seeing the children off, waved his hand with an embarrassed expression on his face.

“So, even if I’m not a teacher.”

Nodding to the words of the child who looked at me with eyes of admiration.

The next moment, Hyunsoo’s vision changes again.

In front of Hyun-soo is a green table that resembles the playground where children had been playing peacefully until just now.

“teacher.”

“… … ?”

“… … Teacher, it is your turn.”

Hyunsoo, who had come to his senses again, nodded at the woman in front of him and continued speaking.

“call.”

With those words, Hyunsoo pushed the round chip in front of him onto the green table.

Call, call, call, call.

die.

Call, call.

… … raise.

call.

-Double, double.

-Would you like to… bet?

Everyone’s tense gaze is focused on Hyunsoo.

But in the eyes of Hyun-soo, the person involved, a sense of leisure was evident.

“All in.”

Hyunsoo pushed in the chips that were piled up like a mountain in front of him.

-All in, all in.

―… … I don’t get it.

The dealer opens the cards, and soon the eyes of those watching nearby widen and cheers and applause erupt.

―Mr. Choi… … How on earth did you plan on going all-in there… …!

-You are truly amazing, Mr. Choi!

-Master Choi’s victory!

Throughout the dream, pictures, numbers, and cards were constantly mixing, flipping, and unfolding before Hyun-soo’s eyes.

Last night in my dream, Hyun-soo became ‘Mr. Choi’, a gambling addict and professional gambler.

* * *

The next day.

The staff at Pieroreum were busy preparing for the audition from early in the morning.

A line of new actors stretches from the audition venue, the acting training room, to the lobby of the office building.

The actors, still young, were busy practicing their lines while holding the script.

“Oh, isn’t that senior Kim Hyun-soo?”

“Is senior Kim Hyun-soo also coming to the audition?”

“Huh, really? Then I’ll be even more nervous… … ?”

It would be absurd for Hyun-soo, who was just starting to gain popularity, to critique someone else’s performance during an audition.

However, as Woo Ji-yoon said, most of the new actors who applied for this audition found out about the agency called Pioreum through Kim Hyun-soo.

Also, this was possible because the audition itself was only for new or unknown actors in their early 20s.

Junior actors who look at him with admiration.

But right now, Hyunsoo didn’t have the presence of mind to accept the attention of those juniors.

“I hope everyone has a good day today.”

If it were up to Hyunsoo, he would have supported her more sincerely as a senior before she went into the audition, but he didn’t have the capacity to do so now.

Hyunsoo was currently dealing with the aftereffects of a new dream he had last night.

‘… …Why, a new dream the day before the audition?’

“Thank you, senior!”

“I will work hard!”

New actors who look at themselves and confidently express their determination.

The thoughts that went through Hyun-soo’s head as he looked at each of them were so embarrassing that he couldn’t even say them out loud.

‘That too, is the ‘gambler’s’ dream.’

The admiring gazes that had gathered around Hyunsoo also lasted only a moment.

Soon, the actors began preparing for the audition again, reviewing the performances they had prepared.

“hello.”

“Is actor Kim here?”

“Yes, sorry. I’m a little late.”

Hyunsoo, who entered the audition room, sat down in an empty seat and gulped down the water on the table.

“You don’t look well. Are you sick or something?”

“Oh, yes. It’s okay.”

Rather than being in bad condition… … .

‘What should I say… … I feel like I’ve been feeling anxious and nervous for some unknown reason all along.’

From the morning until the moment he headed to the audition venue, Hyunsoo had been fighting this inexplicable sense of anxiety.

“I’m new actor Kwon Hyuk-jun. Please take good care of me!”

“Okay, then show me your acting.”

Each person is given about 10 minutes to audition for the Piorum rookie actor.

Since it is not a place to cast actors for a production, it is conducted in the form of a free audition where each person can freely show off their individuality.

Among them, the time given to acting is only 5 minutes.

“I… … will never forgive you!!”

“I really didn’t know… … . That something like that would happen because of my, my actions… … ! I’m really, really sorry… … !”

“… …Mom, are you doing well there?”

“Have you ever thought about it? How much are those children worth? After all, they are children abandoned by their parents… …!”

An angry line.

A line that brings tears of sorrow.

A line full of madness.

“Kill me. If you don’t kill me… … you die.”

“You… … came to save me.”

“Let’s do it again! Music!”

There were also rookie actors who prepared to play Lee Ji-woon and Ji Yu-han, played by Hyun-soo, and even Yoo-seol, played by Lee Seo.

The actors gave it their all for three minutes.

He poured out all his abilities, emotions, and talents.

The judges looked closely at each of the actors’ performances, trying not to miss even one.

Still, 5 minutes is too short a time to see the acting and passion of those actors.

But Hyunsoo, even during that short time… … .

‘I just can’t… … concentrate.’

Clearly, until yesterday, Hyunsoo was wondering what advice he should give to those who walk the same path as him as a senior.

But Hyunsoo couldn’t concentrate on their acting at all right now.

“Your acting was good. The acting level of rookies these days is quite high. Your acting just now really stood out among them.”

The face of the new actor who was being judged brightens at Woo Ji-yoon’s words.

“Um… …What did Actor Kim think?”

Hyunsoo doesn’t respond to Woo Jiyoon’s words.

“… …Actor Kim?”

There is a hint of worry on Woo Ji-yoon’s face as she looks at Hyun-soo.

Whether it was because he was nervous or because he was not feeling well, Hyunsoo did not do any special judging while watching several auditions.

‘Did I ask you to do something too unreasonable?’

As Jiyoon was thinking that, Hyunsoo shook his head and opened his mouth.

“The smoke just now… … .”

“… … ?”

“Acting is… … .”

The reason Hyunsoo couldn’t focus properly on the new actors’ acting was simple.

‘Smoke… … or whatever, the cards keep appearing before my eyes.’

Green table.

Cards, dice, and roulettes are spinning before Hyun-soo’s eyes.

Yes, that’s right.

The reason I felt a burning thirst, anxiety, and restlessness since morning was… … .

‘Card, I want to play card… … .’

Seriously, I want to play cards like crazy.

Advice from a senior doesn’t even come to mind.

Now that he has woken up from his gambler’s ‘dream’, the first thought that comes to Hyunsoo’s mind as he looks at his junior with sparkling eyes looking at him is…

‘Go? Stop?’

That was the question of whether or not to ‘bet’ on that ‘actor’.

“… … This isn’t it.”

“Huh? Are you talking about my… … acting?”

When his junior responded to his muttering, Hyunsoo shook his head with a puzzled expression.

“no.”

‘Why does it have to be this kind of dream… …!’

Hyunsoo tried to organize his thoughts once again, but this time it wasn’t easy.

This was neither emotion nor a strong willpower like Kim Yong-cheol’s.

It’s just a bottomless longing.

It feels as if there is a big hole in your brain.

Hyunsoo’s only desire right now was to dump a mountain of chips into that hole.

There is no immediate way to control these desires.

Even if you take a break and meditate, it is of no use.

Hyunsoo instinctively felt that the aftereffects of this dream were not something that could be treated with things like meditation.

‘For now… …I have no choice but to follow the aftereffects of the dream.’

Hyunsoo started judging whether the new actor who had just performed was a ‘bet or not’ as the consciousness of the ‘gambler’ flowed.

As for acting skills, as Woo Ji-yoon said, they are decent compared to actors of the same age.

Every word he used to introduce himself and appeal to others was full of enthusiasm and passion.

As an actor, his looks and commercial value are also excellent.

Future growth potential… … .

‘There is enough.’

So whether to bet or not… … .

“… …Can I say something from the perspective of a senior actor who is currently acting?”

“Yes! Please, senior.”

“In a word, the acting just now was a bit excessive.”

“……yes?”

When his eyes sparkled brightly, the new actor made a blank expression, and Woo Ji-yoon, who was sitting next to him, also made a bewildered expression.

However, Hyunsoo, who had already decided to leave, continued talking without paying attention to the reactions of those around him.

Due to the nature of auditions where actors have to show everything they have in a short period of time, most actors preparing for auditions prepare ‘impactful’ acting to show an impressive performance in a short period of time.

“This is a mistake I made a lot when I was auditioning as a rookie… … .”

“… … ?”

“In most auditions, male actors prepare to act as crazy psychopaths or angry characters, while female actors prepare to act as crying characters or sad lovers who have been dumped. This is especially true in auditions like this one, where the theme is free acting.”

“… … .”

“Of course, I understand the desire to show impactful acting in a short period of time. However.”

“… … ?”

“What do the judges think when they see that kind of performance dozens or hundreds of times?”

“That, that is… … .”

“There is a limit to the amount of dopamine that can be secreted in the human brain. No matter how focused a person is, if they keep seeing the same type of acting, they will get tired of it.”

The expression on the new actor’s face as he listened to Hyunsoo’s words suddenly became serious.

Because I realized that what he was saying now wasn’t just a criticism of his acting.

“As the CEO said, your acting skills are outstanding compared to your peers. However, I don’t think you need to act like other actors with your outstanding acting skills.”

What Hyunsoo was saying was simple.

‘Show your own acting as an actor.’

At first, he had a look of resentment on his face, but it was only for a moment.

The new actor, who was listening to Hyun-soo, seemed to realize something and spoke to everyone.

“I… … Would it be okay if I showed you another performance?”

Hyunsoo answered the rookie actor’s words.

“You are welcome to show it one more time, but for the sake of fairness with other contestants, it may not be reflected in the results of this audition. Is that okay?”

“… … Yes, it’s okay.”

When Hyunsoo’s gaze turned to Woo Jiyoon, she nodded with a bewildered expression.

Soon, the new actor showed off his acting skills once again.

It was a more natural, delicate performance that did not contain the same passionate emotions as before.

The faces of the judges who were watching the performance of the new actor suddenly had a different smile than before.

“It was much better than before. Right?”

“Yes, I think so too. If I had shown this kind of attitude from the beginning, my score would have been higher.”

The junior actor’s face brightened at the words of the judges, including Ji-yoon.

At the same time, Hyunsoo spoke to him.

“Remember this: you don’t create a character; it’s already built inside you. You don’t have to follow what other people have done.”

“Advice… thank you very much, senior.”

A new actor with a moved expression leaves the audition room.

Woo Ji-yoon, with a dumbfounded expression, opened her mouth to Hyun-soo.

“… … Actor Kim. Are you preparing for your next project as some kind of expert judge?”

Hyunsoo shook his head and let out an awkward laugh at Woo Jiyoon’s words.

“Haha… … Until a year ago, I also went to auditions every day. I just relayed to you the stories that impressed me from the senior judges I heard back then.”

Of course, Hyunsoo has never heard such a story.

The content just now is purely from a ‘gambler’s’ perspective, giving him realistic advice and strategies for taking ‘bet’.

Continued in the next episode ▶