Aura of a Genius Actor

["Casting Vote," Airs 30-Minute Special on 'Case X' Yu Myeong]

By Yoon Jin Seong, Friendship Daily

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On the evening of February 27, U.S. time, Episode 8 of Casting Vote aired.

The mystery teased in the controversial preview for Episode 7 was finally resolved in spectacular fashion: the program devoted a full thirty minutes of airtime to a single contestant.

"A Suspicious Contestant Has Appeared!"

Accompanied by ominous background music that sounded more suited to an investigative documentary than an audition program, the episode opened with footage of the production team's meeting. They openly admitted their bewilderment over one contestant whose abilities were simply too extraordinary to dismiss as those of an ordinary participant.

"Until we understand what this guy is really after, I think we should hold off on putting too much focus on him in the broadcast."

According to the producers, that was why they had intentionally kept Yu Myeong in the background. Whether that explanation was genuine or merely an excuse, and whatever their true intentions might have been, no one could say. But once his performances from the first and second preliminary rounds were finally revealed in full, they inspired not merely surprise, but outright shock.

"A test? I simply wanted the chance to act with him." — Natalie Kassen

"As a fellow actor, it was an incredibly stimulating performance to witness." — Derek McCurdy

Hollywood's finest actors spoke with one voice.

They had actually risen from the judges' table, walked onto the stage, and either performed alongside Yu Myeong or reenacted the roles he had just played.

The most astonishing part was that Yu Myeong's acting never looked inferior to theirs—not even for a moment.

America was now in an uproar over the actor who had appeared like a comet and taken Casting Vote by storm.

Over the past month, Korea had been flooded with criticism—bordering on outright condemnation—over Yu Myeong's decision to enter Hollywood. In the end, however, it became clear that those voices had simply failed to recognize the true worth of an exceptional actor.

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Follow-up Articles

Yu Myeong Turns Down Sid's Offer?

'Yu Myeong Leadership' Sweeps America—Stars Line Up to Express Their Admiration

Derek McCurdy vs. Yu Myeong? Which Action School Will He Choose Next?

Yu Myeong's Meteoric Rise and Do Hyo Jun's Fall—Two Actors on Opposite Paths

Local Reaction: An American Viewer in Tears—"It Was the Best Drama of the Year."

The response was so explosive that the Friendship Daily website temporarily crashed under the surge in traffic.

Apologies poured in from people who had doubted Yu Myeong's talent, alongside messages of support and countless demands for the full video to be released as soon as possible.

Others remained skeptical, insisting it was impossible to believe and suspecting some kind of manipulation.

All of those doubts vanished the following day when subtitled footage was released.

"Goosebumps... Is this really a variety show? It feels more like a superhero movie."

"Now I get why they couldn't air him at first. They were probably trying to figure out just how big this actor really was."

"This is the feeling! So exhilarating! I've got it on endless repeat. Go, Yu Myeong!"

"Where did all the haters who were everywhere just a couple of days ago disappear to?"

Many media outlets envied Friendship Daily for breaking the story first.

They hurriedly obtained recordings of the episode, rushed out articles of their own, and even dispatched reporters to the United States.

But before those correspondents had even landed, Friendship Daily released yet another exclusive.

["Is Casting Vote's Next Stage Action Acting? Exclusive Photos of Yu Myeong's Action Performance."]

By Yoon Jin Seong, Friendship Daily

The photographs were dynamic and breathtaking.

One image captured Yu Myeong the instant he launched himself off a training mat. His arms and legs blurred slightly from the speed of the movement, while his expression remained perfectly sharp—a living portrait that conveyed both the unwavering resolve of an operative carrying out a mission and the effortless confidence born of mastery.

It was impossible to look away.

And the photographer credited beneath the image was none other than Andy Lancer.

A world-renowned sports photographer.

"What the hell is Friendship Daily? Where do they keep getting this material from?!"

"...It looks like the same photographs were used in today's LA Times. They must have signed some sort of partnership."

"What are all of you even doing?! And isn't that reporter supposed to be a rookie? You people still expect to keep your jobs?"

"...(Last week everyone was saying Yu Myeong was finished...)"

A few carefully placed hints only heightened anticipation for what was to come.

Which class had Yu Myeong entered?

Had he already been trained in stunt action?

The photos alone looked incredible—how amazing would the actual footage be?

Those questions spread across the internet like a tidal wave.

And while Korea was being turned upside down,

there was one person whose world had truly been overturned.

[In Praise of One Actor's Effort and Talent]

By Film Critic Shin Eung Su

I believed his talent was the sort that appears only once in a generation. That was precisely why I watched with concern, fearing that such a reckless decision might destroy his career. Instead, he used those very concerns as fuel and soared to even greater heights... (excerpt)

└ What the hell are you babbling about?

└ Start with an apology. Concern? Worry? Give me a break.

└ Someone shut this clown up already.

└ Just because your mouth opens doesn't mean you have to use it...

Shin Eung Su anxiously chewed at his fingernails.

After his review of Peter Pan, he had been driven out of Magazine Q by fan protests and boycotts, and his reputation as a film critic had collapsed.

Not only had his writing fees fallen, but the steady stream of lecture invitations and television appearances had almost completely dried up.

Even when he swallowed his pride and called around looking for work himself, the response was far colder than before.

So when Yu Myeong announced that he would be appearing on an American audition program, Shin Eung Su saw it as an opportunity.

When Entertainment Wide invited him onto the show, he enthusiastically tore Yu Myeong apart.

Using provocative phrases like "Hollywood fever," his market value began climbing again.

Determined to strike while the iron was hot, he tirelessly published article after article criticizing Yu Myeong across multiple outlets.

Now the backlash had returned as a full-fledged storm.

He made another call.

It was already irritating enough that he had been forced to move his regular column from Magazine Q to the lower-profile Cine Box, but now even the editor at Cine Box had ignored several of his calls throughout the day.

"God damn—"

"Hello."

His curse had barely escaped before the call connected.

Instantly changing his tone, he became all smiles.

"Editor! Why have you been so impossible to reach? It's Shin Eung Su."

"You know we've been swamped all day because of Casting Vote. I was actually about to call you myself. There's something we need to discuss."

"...What is it?"

"We're going to have to discontinue your column."

"What?!"

After being fired from Magazine Q, he had received plenty of one-off requests for sensational opinion pieces.

But Cine Box had been the only publication willing to offer him a regular column.

He hadn't even been writing it for a full month...

"You can't suddenly do this to me."

"...We've been flooded with complaint calls all day. You've seen the thousands of angry comments on today's column, haven't you? This morning our president was summoned by headquarters and got chewed out for damaging the company's image. Because we signed you, I'm looking at disciplinary action myself."

"T-Then... what if I write an apology column?"

"If you wanted to try that, you should've done it today. Now we're all drowning. We've just transferred payment for today's column. Goodbye."

The line went dead without mercy.

Staring at his phone, his face flushed crimson.

For a split second he almost hurled it against the wall.

Instead, he forced himself to throw it onto the bed.

Thump.

The phone disappeared into the blankets.

That same day, Cine Box Online announced that film critic Shin Eung Su's contract had been terminated.

The announcement was accompanied by a lengthy public apology.

The members of God Named were relentless.

They confronted media outlets that had suddenly reversed their stance, producing screenshots of their earlier articles and demanding apologies.

In the end, several publications issued formal statements admitting they had acted recklessly.

Even so, the fans never forgot which outlets had tried to tear Yu Myeong down.

It was a frightening display of fan loyalty.

Today was the graduation mission.

As they left the Actors House and headed toward the studio, reporters who had been camped outside the accommodations immediately swarmed around them.

"Yu Myeong! Over here, please!"

"Sarah Rose has publicly said she absolutely wants to meet you! Have you received any contact from her yet?"

"There are rumors you've already been guaranteed victory in Casting Vote! Would you care to respond?"

Camera flashes erupted from every direction.

Without answering a single question, Yu Myeong simply inclined his head politely and continued walking.

The other contestants stole envious glances at him as he passed.

That morning, the front page of the LA Times featured a photograph of Yu Myeong performing stunt action.

The paper didn't stop there.

It also published an in-depth feature analyzing Yu Myeong's popularity in Korea and his previous works.

Friendship Daily had cooperated in preparing the article.

Introduced by Yu Seok, reporter Yoon Jin Seong had met with the LA Times and reached an agreement to exchange materials—the LA Times providing Andy Lancer's photographs, while Friendship Daily supplied detailed information on Yu Myeong's career in Korea.

I'm so jealous... Kai Nunen...

They had all started from the same starting line.

Yet Yu Myeong had already become someone who existed on an entirely different level.

Now it wasn't even Yu Myeong they envied most.

It was Kai, the one walking beside him.

I should've gotten close to him right from the beginning...

"If there's a beginning, there's an end!"

The recording began the moment they arrived at the studio.

Standing before the twenty-four contestants gathered together, Jerry High launched into his introduction in his trademark high-pitched voice.

"If you've enrolled, then naturally you have to graduate. But graduating from Casting Vote's Action School is anything but easy. Half of you have already failed once. And now, half of those remaining won't be graduating either."

Only twelve contestants would graduate.

Three from each class.

"The graduation mission is to perform your entrance assignment one more time. Yesterday, each of you spent thirty minutes rehearsing with one of our professional actors in teams of three."

Chairs had been arranged to the left, right, and rear of the stage.

Three professional actors sat waiting.

Following each contestant's requested approach during rehearsal, they would do nothing but deliver the dialogue.

The contestant alone stood at center stage, receiving those lines and expressing the entire performance physically.

Compared to the entrance assignment, where eye contact had been shared between partners, this setup carried a strangely different kind of pressure.

One by one, the contestants were called to the stage.

"For only two weeks of training, your breathing has become much steadier, and you've brought your character to life far more convincingly. I'd still like to see you eliminate some of those unnecessary fidgeting movements."

"You still haven't broken your habit of inserting far too many pauses between lines. Honestly, it nearly put me to sleep."

These weren't absolute evaluations.

The only point of comparison was the contestant from two weeks earlier.

Those who had improved received praise and encouragement.

Those who had stagnated were criticized.

Then it was Kai's turn.

"Wow... Kai has changed so dramatically. Surely Derek isn't that good of a teacher?"

"He's simply rewarding to teach. Though to be fair, one of the contestants has been mentoring him alongside me."

"Ah... him?"

"Yes. Him."

The judges all turned toward the same person, smiling knowingly.

Their eyes gleamed with greedy anticipation as they waited for the main course.

After the uninterrupted stream of praise for Kai came the next contestant.

Do Hyo Jun.

Yu Myeong watched as he stepped onto the stage.

At least he didn't run away.

Ever since the day Derek had harshly criticized him and Yu Myeong had delivered his own blunt rebuke, the smile had completely disappeared from Do Hyo Jun's face.

Yu Myeong couldn't help noticing the change.

He didn't regret what he had said that day.

Still, after hearing Do Hyo Jun confess his past and seeing the unmistakable signs of someone who had grown up deprived of so much, he found himself unable to stop thinking about him.

Has he matured at all? It really would be a shame to waste that kind of talent.

During fifteen years as an unknown actor, Yu Myeong had met countless performers.

Even among them, he had rarely seen anyone born with talent as extraordinary as Do Hyo Jun's.

Despite clearly acting however he pleased, without much discipline, he effortlessly drew every eye in the room with that dazzling natural gift.

Then again, if he had been Yu Seok's number-one pick, perhaps that was only to be expected.

But the moment Do Hyo Jun began his performance, Yu Myeong froze.

It wasn't a performance driven by dazzling ideas.

Nor one that seized attention with flashy movements and overwhelming charisma.

It was grounded in the fundamentals.

Quietly supporting the drama from beneath.

It was...

the performance of a supporting actor.