Aura of a Genius Actor

"Yu Myeong, how have you been? Wow, you've been absolutely everywhere lately."

"Yes... Hello, Director. Ryu Shin is doing well, right?"

"Of course! The moment I said I had to step away for a bit, he kept saying, 'Don't go, don't go,' over and over."

"..."

"Ahem. By the way, did you see George's face earlier? He really wanted this team, but I told them if I didn't get it, I'd go back to France right now. In the end, I won, haha."

His personality hadn't changed at all.

"Marta, Priya, it's nice to meet you too. Let's make something great together."

"Yes!"

"I look forward to working with you, Director."

"Hmm... You two have completely opposite vibes."

As though appraising gemstones, Hugo carefully examined the two women.

Out of more than fifty thousand applicants who had auditioned for Casting Vote, Marta and Priya ranked among the very best-looking contestants. Each had already built a sizable fanbase.

Yet their images couldn't have been more different.

If you had to put it in Korean terms... one was a cat-faced beauty, the other a puppy-faced beauty.

Marta had sun-bronzed skin and mesmerizing turquoise eyes that tilted upward ever so slightly. Even her movements were leisurely, evoking the languid grace of a cat basking in warm sunlight.

Priya, on the other hand, had porcelain-white skin and a gentle smile that seemed to come preinstalled on her face. Though still young, there was something strangely compassionate about her, and she always wore that pure, serene smile.

Their height and build were almost identical, yet standing side by side, their completely opposite impressions created an oddly fascinating contrast.

After the introductions wrapped up, Susan approached to explain the next stage.

"The finals assignment will take place in a theater-style studio with a live audience. You'll have less than two weeks to prepare—just twelve days. You'll also need to put together a basic stage, sound design, costumes, and everything else, so it's going to be a very tight schedule."

It still wasn't a live broadcast.

But for the first time, real audience members would be invited.

It would truly be a stage performance.

"I'll be overseeing production for this team, so if the director or any of the actors need anything for the performance, just let me know."

"Perfect. So Susan's our assistant director. Looking forward to working with you."

"Yes! The performance should run between fifteen and twenty minutes. Director, do you already have a three-person play around that length in mind?"

Hugo took several steps backward, then framed the three actors with his thumbs and index fingers as if looking through a camera.

"Hmm... Most people, seeing America's hottest man alongside two beautiful women, would immediately think of a romance..."

A smug grin spread across his face as he lazily waved a finger.

"I don't make choices that predictable."

"So romance is out. Personally, that's a little disappointing... Then what are you planning?"

"Looking at these three together, a very specific image just came to me. Hmm, yes. Then this gets added... then comes the twist... ta-da! An angel, a devil, and a human. Perfect. I like it."

Priya always wore a bright, radiant smile.

Marta, meanwhile, usually showed little expression at all, and when she wasn't smiling, her features gave off a sharp, icy impression.

An angel and a devil...

Susan nodded in agreement.

"Oh... Priya would make such a beautiful angel, and Marta a captivating devil. That contrast would look incredible on stage."

"Hmm?"

Hugo shook his head.

"No. That would be boring."

"...?"

"Priya will play the devil."

He pointed toward Marta.

"And Marta will be the angel."

Hugo's declaration left everyone staring.

Time was short, so rehearsals began that very day.

The actors worked through their fundamentals while Hugo sat off to one side, drenched in sweat as he wrote furiously.

His left arm rested on the desk, his head practically buried in it, while his right hand raced across the page in nearly illegible handwriting.

"Ta-da... da-dun..."

Apparently, humming to himself while writing scripts was one of his habits.

Every so often, he would close his eyes, point a finger into empty space as if tracing invisible movements, nod vigorously, then resume scribbling across the paper.

To an outside observer, he looked more than a little insane.

Marta finally spoke.

"Hugo."

"Hm?"

"You're too noisy. I can't concentrate."

Although this was their first time rehearsing together, they had already spent several weeks living in the same accommodations, and everyone had developed a fairly good understanding of one another's personalities.

Marta had absolutely no filter.

People often bristled when they first heard her speak.

But after arguing with her for a while, they usually realized there wasn't a trace of malice behind her words and simply gave up.

That was just who she was.

Her expressions, her tone, even her passing thoughts and emotions were displayed with complete transparency.

"Marta... Creativity comes from inspiration. If that's how inspiration strikes him, what can we do?"

Priya smiled awkwardly as she tried to smooth things over.

She was Marta's complete opposite.

Polite.

Kind.

Even in the brutal pressure cooker of this audition, no one had ever seen her lose her composure.

Everyone unanimously agreed:

"Priya is such a nice person."

Yet after spending time with them, Yu Myeong found Marta much easier to be around.

If you had nothing to hide yourself, there was nothing uncomfortable about someone else's honesty.

And more importantly—

That honesty was an incredible weapon for an actor.

Marta Garcia was the kind of performer who conveyed emotion exactly as it existed.

Joy reached the audience as pure joy.

Sadness arrived as pure sadness.

Her emotions seemed to preserve their original form completely, as though human feelings had simply been poured into the shape of a person before being delivered intact to those watching.

Yu Myeong found himself genuinely looking forward to acting alongside her.

Did she already possess the almost supernatural talent she would later display in Equivalent Exchange of Salvation and Curse?

"But it's still noisy."

Marta remained unconvinced.

"You could go outside and write. It's not like you're even watching us rehearse."

Tap.

Hugo deliberately set his pen down and looked over.

"No, Marta. Even if I'm not watching with my eyes, I'm sensing everything. I adjust the script by absorbing the energy your rehearsals give off."

"Really?"

She nodded matter-of-factly.

"In that case, I guess it can't be helped. You can keep making weird noises."

As always, once given a reason she found reasonable, Marta accepted it without another complaint.

Priya looked flustered by Marta's blunt addition and glanced nervously toward Hugo.

Hugo, however, appeared completely unfazed.

He simply waved the pages covered in chaotic scribbles.

"I'm finished anyway. I already had the basic concept in mind. I just reworked it after seeing the three of you together. It'll be a play worth watching. Haha."

He proudly showed off his script before sneaking a glance at Yu Myeong.

"Though... Yu Myeong is going to have a rough time..."

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Whatever he had planned, it couldn't possibly be good.

The God Named Gold Member Screening.

Despite its grandiose title, the event was being held in a rather ordinary officetel apartment.

Ding-dong.

Park Jin Hee hurried over and opened the door.

Three women bustled inside.

Bohyeongyangje.

Life Like a Chicken.

Phantom Fan.

They were veteran Gold Members who had weathered every twist and turn as God Named grew faster than any other fan community, and now shared the unshakable bond of comrades who had fought countless battles together.

"Yangje unni! It's freezing outside!"

"No kidding. It's already March—why is it this cold? So BrGod really isn't coming?"

"No. You know how he's kind of an old man at heart. He kept saying a man shouldn't visit a woman who lives alone..."

"He's only twenty-one. That's honestly hilarious."

The final Gold Member, Name of God, was the only man in the group.

Today, he had tearfully declined the invitation.

He insisted it wasn't proper to visit Park Jin Hee's apartment since she lived alone.

"Tae Lover converted the file and said he'd send it over as fast as possible, but it'll probably still take a few hours. We'll likely be watching it around dinner."

"All right... Until then, absolutely no internet and no checking messages. Anyone who spoils us gets thrown out of my apartment immediately."

"Obviously, unni. Betrayal is punishable by death."

Today, they had gathered to watch Episode 9 of Casting Vote together.

When the show aired Friday evening in America, it became Saturday afternoon in Korea.

Even if the file arrived as quickly as possible, it would still be Saturday afternoon.

Avoiding the fan café, the news, and every possible spoiler until then would be torture.

But they believed they could endure it together.

"Unni, wasn't Yu Myeong's stunt photoshoot in Friendship Daily absolutely incredible?"

"I printed it out and put it beside my bed. I hope today's episode has acting like that!"

"Even though he's in America now and we're getting more updates than when he was still in Korea... why does he somehow feel even farther away?"

"That's exactly how parents feel when they marry off their child..."

People who shared the same passion never ran out of things to talk about.

Especially after the events of last Tuesday.

It had been the happiest, most exhilarating week of their lives.

"The American fan site keeps lagging. I think the traffic suddenly exploded."

"We really need to upgrade the infrastructure. While we're at it, let's improve the Korean site too. Membership doubled almost overnight because of Casting Vote. When I reviewed new registrations, I noticed the age and gender distribution has become much more diverse."

"Well, he's become a national actor now."

"Oh, right. I've been discussing something with Yu Myeong's agency."

The club president, So Jin, smiled proudly.

"While we're upgrading the infrastructure, I want to give existing members something special."

"Something special?"

"Yu Myeong's fans are going to increase exponentially all over the world. I think it'd be nice if the members who've supported him from the beginning could take pride in being the original fans."

"Ooh... That's actually a clever marketing idea."

Bohyeongyangje, who worked professionally in marketing, immediately chimed in.

"I've got an idea. How about dividing members into BC Members and AU Members?"

"BC and AU?"

"Right. Western history is divided into Before Christ and Anno Domini based on the birth of Jesus. We could do something similar."

She grinned.

"Before Casting Vote—for everyone who joined before Yu Myeong became internationally famous."

"And Anno Umyoung."

"The Year of Yu Myeong."

"Wow... That's amazing! You're incredible, unni!"

While So Jin copied the idea into her planner, Phantom Fan suddenly checked her email.

"It's here! It finally came!"

"Download it!"

"And don't accidentally open Casting Vote news while you're doing it! Squint if you have to!"

Amid a chorus of panicked shouting, the download bar slowly crept forward.

The first half of Episode 9 covered the remaining teams from the main-round qualification challenge.

After the highlight reel from Teams 35 through 40 finished, Yu Myeong's team was officially announced as the first-place group, with every single member advancing to the main competition.

The women burst into tears and hugged one another.

"I knew they'd all make it!"

"It's the greatest underdog story ever! Yu Myeong! Did you save a black hole in your previous life, or did you become one in this life?!"

"Unni... I'm crying..."

Thanks to Bohyeongyangje's excellent English, she translated all the important dialogue as they watched.

Even without subtitles, they had no trouble following the episode.

"Wow... They really built a temporary dorm like that for a TV show?"

"That's Americans for you."

When the luxurious Actors House appeared on screen, everyone gasped at its scale.

"Ahhh! Why is he sharing a room with that guy again?!"

"This is making me uncomfortable just watching it!"

Seeing Yu Myeong assigned to the same room as Hyo Jun made all of them shudder.

Then came the class assignments.

They had already gotten a taste of Yu Myeong's charismatic leadership in Episode 8's making-of footage.

But this time, watching the judges react to it made the moment even more satisfying.

"Hahaha! What did Jerry just say? That everyone should prepare themselves for whatever torture chamber was waiting?"

"Torture chamber? They should be preparing for their jaws to hit the floor when they see Yu Myeong's leadership."

Then the making-of footage began.

The judges' mouths slowly fell open.

"Ah! Eva just said, 'What test? They should be begging him to come instead.'"

"Hehe. Eva really knows what's going on. She'd fit right into Korean society."

The group laughed together—

Until one line brought everything to a halt.

"Mr. Shin Yu Myeong, have you decided who you're going to choose?"

"Umm... So I'm the one making the decision?"

"Bohyeong!"

"That's Bohyeong! It's Bohyeong!"

"Bohyeong...!"

All four women screamed at once.