Aura of a Genius Actor

Derek returned to the judges' table, and now Teams 33 and 34 stood together onstage.

"Hyo Jun and Kai. The two actors who played the King in the same play."

Natalie spoke first.

"Let's compare the two Kings. Hyo Jun's King is a man plotting to overturn the Kingdom of Arizade while looking down on the Noble and the Merchant from above. Kai's King, on the other hand, possesses the dignity befitting royalty, but remains nothing more than a puppet manipulated by the Noble and the Merchant."

Hyo Jun stole a glance at Kai.

The young actor looked about his own age.

The same guy Yu Myeong had carefully looked after every day, bringing him back to the dorms to coach him.

He's so nice to him...

A trace of childish resentment crept onto Hyo Jun's face.

"In terms of acting ability, stage presence, and expressive power, Hyo Jun definitely had the advantage. However, when it comes to functioning as part of the overall production, and portraying that unique charm created by combining dignity with foolishness, Kai was also excellent. So while Hyo Jun possessed stronger fundamental ability, Kai served the play itself better in certain respects."

The judges continued comparing each role one by one.

Being measured directly against someone who had played the exact same character made every contestant shrink inward.

It made for excellent television.

Overall, Team 33 held only a slight edge in the King's role.

The Noble and Merchant were judged significantly stronger in Team 34.

As for the Slave...

Team 34 won by an overwhelming margin.

Finally came the evaluation of the team leaders.

"They're both excellent actors. Both were among the standout prospects during the preliminaries. But today's performances demonstrated exactly how much experience and leadership can affect the final result."

After the overall evaluation ended, Hyo Jun left the stage wearing as blank an expression as he could manage.

Damn it.

Where did it all go wrong...?

He replayed Team 34's performance in his mind.

He admitted their interpretation of the script had been brilliant.

He himself had sensed something unusual about it, but never imagined there was a hidden meaning beneath the surface.

As for the acting...

Fine.

He could admit that too.

There was no denying how much work had gone into what they had created.

But...

That team just had smarter actors.

Better actors.

They're nothing like the dead weight I got stuck with.

It wasn't as though Hyo Jun had refused to help his teammates from the beginning.

The problem was that they couldn't manage things he considered basic.

After offering advice several times, he had concluded they simply weren't capable.

There wasn't enough time to drag everyone up to his level.

So he had built a production that he could carry by himself.

If only I'd had teammates like theirs...

No... we're actors, not directors. Why are they expecting the team leader to direct? And why should we be cooperating in a survival competition in the first place?

His lips curled into a dissatisfied pout.

Still...

Objectively speaking...

Their play really was much better than ours.

He hated admitting it.

But he wasn't blind.

What bothered him most wasn't Yu Myeong's performance.

It was the undeniable fact that the team Yu Myeong had led had produced something better than his own.

By the time Team 40 finished, every performance was over.

"Team 39 was good too, wasn't it?"

"Still... today belonged to Team 34."

"Well, obviously. Where the hell did monsters like that come from?"

While conversations buzzed throughout the hall, Yu Myeong was quietly talking with Miho.

{But you already knew this program, didn't you? Doesn't that mean you roughly know who's going to pass and who's going home?}

Not really. I never watched the broadcast itself—just read a few articles. And that was so long ago I've forgotten almost everything. Though... I do remember who won.

{Was it that one?}

No. But the actor you pointed out did become pretty famous afterward.

Scattered throughout the contestant seating were several faces Yu Myeong recognized.

Some had already been working actors who entered after hearing Kylie Unshaw's name attached to the project.

Others had been complete unknowns—mere extras—until this program launched their careers.

The actor Miho had pointed out belonged to the latter group.

He had become one of Yu Myeong's favorite actors in the future.

The winner was... over there.

After following Yu Myeong's gaze, Miho tilted her head.

{Hmm... not really my type.}

Jerry returned to the stage.

Whether they had performed well or poorly, everyone felt relieved that the test was finally over.

All that remained was the judges' scoring and the announcement of the results—

Or so everyone thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we announce the finalists, we have some wonderful news!"

Whenever Jerry smiled that brightly...

...nothing good ever happened.

An ominous feeling swept through the contestants.

"You've gone from over fifty thousand applicants down to just forty. That's nerve-racking, isn't it? The thought of losing your fellow actors must leave a hole in your heart."

"..."

"So we've prepared something!"

He grinned.

"More fellow actors!"

"...?!"

The contestants stared at him in confusion.

Yu Myeong suddenly remembered.

Them.

Right on schedule.

"Everyone, turn around!"

Two hundred heads turned at once.

Behind the contestant seating stood a gigantic mirror.

It was the same mirror everyone had used while leaving the studio to straighten their hair.

Suddenly—

It lit up.

Beyond the now-transparent one-way mirror...

Eight faces appeared.

"Gah...!"

"What the...?! There was something behind that mirror this whole time? They've been watching us?!"

Panic erupted throughout the contestants.

The cameras eagerly captured every reaction.

Jerry looked equally delighted.

"Actors recruited from all over the world are here to raise your level even higher!"

The seeded actors had arrived.

Seeded competitors.

Strong contestants deliberately placed into a tournament so they wouldn't eliminate one another too early.

"These are the seeded actors invited from around the world."

Eight performers descended from the stage.

Each wore completely different costumes and makeup.

The contestants' expressions darkened.

Especially those who had seriously studied acting.

Many recognized familiar faces from foreign films and productions.

"These actors have already proven both their talent and their popularity. They'll be joining the competition without going through the preliminary rounds. They're not taking spots away from the forty finalists. We're simply expanding the main competition to forty-eight contestants. So don't panic!"

For a brief moment, everyone relaxed.

Then realization struck.

Even if the forty qualifying spots remained unchanged...

There were now eight additional rivals competing for a single championship.

That still made things considerably harder.

"And because we'll be assigning everyone to Action School classes, you also need to understand the seeded actors' styles. They've prepared the same four-person play as the rest of you. However, the seeded actors cannot be eliminated at this stage."

So that was why they were already wearing costumes.

They had performances prepared.

Yu Myeong's eyes lit up.

He never turned down the chance to watch good theater.

Miho suddenly asked,

{Huh? Isn't that the guy from before?}

"...You're right."

Antoine Monnier.

He was the leading actor of the Nice regional theater troupe that had performed Mumu at Ballon Parugier's request.

One of France's brightest rising stars.

Yu Myeong nodded.

Then he noticed the woman standing beside Antoine—

And momentarily froze.

Wow... Marta Garcia.

Right.

She really did appear on this show.

In Yu Myeong's original life, Marta Garcia had become Europe's undisputed number one film actress.

Even through the screen, her presence possessed an almost indescribable magnetism.

He finally remembered.

When she was still a newcomer, she'd appeared on this American audition program and created an enormous sensation.

He remembered something else as well.

She hadn't won the competition.

Yet she eventually starred in one of Kylie Unshaw's films.

The Equivalent Exchange of Salvation and Curse.

It was a philosophical horror film that Yu Myeong considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

Marta Garcia played a nun who received a revelation foretelling the world's destruction.

To save humanity, she planted a curse inside her own body.

As the curse grew, her body slowly transformed.

Her agonizing struggle...

Her desperate prayers to God as she fought not to be consumed by the curse...

And finally her execution after being condemned as a witch...

Her performance transcended horror itself.

It was art.

The current year was 2007.

The film did not yet exist.

Come to think of it...

Did Kylie Unshaw discover Marta Garcia through this very audition?

The seeded actors began performing.

The eight performers were divided into two groups of four.

Without question, the most striking team featured Antoine and Marta.

Cast as the Prince and the Princess, they looked so breathtaking they could have stepped straight out of a fashion editorial.

Watching the performance, Yu Myeong slowly tilted his head.

Could it be...?

Two hundred actors.

Fifty teams.

Forty qualifying seats.

Eight additional chairs had already been occupied by the seeded actors.

A twenty-percent acceptance rate didn't sound impossibly low.

But when viewed as fewer than one successful contestant per four-person team...

The needle's eye suddenly looked very small.

"Drumroll~~! It's finally time to announce the forty contestants advancing to the main competition!"

Every face grew tense.

"First, we'll reveal the team rankings!"

"The highest-scoring team is...!"

Every eye focused on a single point.

Many teams had acted well.

Others had displayed brilliant direction.

But only one team had excelled in every category.

The same team whose performance had compelled Derek McCurdy to step onto the stage in the middle of judging.

The judges could only acknowledge them.

"Team 34! Congratulations!"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Pace.

Jeffrey.

Kai.

All three threw themselves at Yu Myeong in a group embrace.

'If we put on the best performance out of all fifty teams...'

The words Yu Myeong had spoken when the four of them first met.

What they had dismissed as youthful overconfidence...

Or simply a motivational speech...

Had become reality.

The four teammates embraced one another as a single unit.

Highest-rated team.

Before they even had time to savor that achievement—

A far greater reward followed.

"As a special prize for the winning team..."

"All four members of Team 34 advance to the main competition!"

"Congratulations!"

The hidden reward was finally revealed.

Stunned speechless...

The teammates broke into tears.

Just as Yu Myeong had said from the beginning—

This challenge had never been about competing against one another.

It had always been about teamwork.

And now...

They would all advance together.

Yu Myeong secured his first ticket to the main competition.

After exchanging high-fives with his teammates, he walked toward the finalists' seats.

The expressions of the remaining contestants only stiffened further.

Four seats had vanished in an instant.

The statistical odds dropped sharply.

The expected average of 0.8 successful contestants per team had suddenly fallen to 0.73.

The announcements continued.

Some teams produced two or even three successful contestants.

Many failed to advance even one.

Although Hyo Jun had received harsh criticism, his acting ability was still recognized, and he advanced comfortably.

He was Team 33's only survivor.

In the end...

Forty contestants remained.

Together with the eight seeded actors, the main competition would begin with forty-eight performers.

Jerry addressed the successful contestants.

"Now that filming has wrapped for today, you'll all be moving into the accommodations where you'll be living together."

One brave contestant raised a hand.

"Is it different from yesterday's dormitory?"

"That's right. Yesterday's accommodations were designed to house two hundred contestants. But today's destination..."

He smiled.

"...is where you'll all be living together until the Action School portion of the competition is over."

The giant screen behind him lit up.

"This place is called..."

"Actors House."

A magnificent building appeared on the screen.

Beautifully furnished living spaces.

Practice rooms of every size.

A sprawling garden.

Even a small swimming pool.

Creating an entire complex like this solely for one television program...

American show business truly operated on a different scale than Korea.

Or rather...

It showed just how much TW expected from this program.

"Get plenty of rest tonight."

"Tomorrow..."

"...the Action School class assignments begin."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"The four judges standing here will each take twelve contestants into their own class."

"If only one judge chooses you, you'll automatically join that class."

"But what happens..."

"...if several judges all want the same contestant?"

Jerry grinned.

"This time..."

"...the contestants get to choose."

"So tonight, think very carefully about which judge you want to study under."

Class assignments.

That would be tomorrow's filming.