Aura of a Genius Actor

That was different from the acting Yu Myeong knew from Ryu Shin.

He had completely discarded himself and was acting according to the emotions carried in the voice.

The voice belonged to a man, presumably a French actor.

Were the emotions in that voice superior to the acting of the Ryu Shin Yu Myeong knew?

He could not say that.

They were simply different.

And yet Ryu Shin had thoroughly abandoned his own acting style, aligning every breath and every emotion to the voice.

Miho's sharp laugh sounded beside his ear.

"Kyahang. That director really is insane."

"The person giving the orders is one thing, but the person actually doing them..."

"What a bizarre way to break an actor's framework. I've never even heard of anything like this. It's fun."

Ignoring Miho's excitement, Yu Myeong focused on Ryu Shin's performance.

Gerasim began openly showing his affection for Tatyana.

After tapping her on the shoulder from behind and startling her into nearly falling over, he offered her molasses candy.

When she struggled with a heavy basket of blankets, he effortlessly lifted it for her.

The people around them began whispering.

"I think Gerasim likes Tatyana."

"Tatyana, what do you think of Gerasim?"

"A deaf mute is a bit..."

Immediately after those words—

Gerasim's voice spoke.

"I want to marry Tatyana. I should ask the Mistress for permission."

It was the innocent voice of a man who knew nothing.

Who did not realize Tatyana's heart belonged elsewhere.

Who did not know the Mistress had already decided to marry her off to Kapiton.

Filled with anticipation, Gerasim put on his cleanest clothes.

His gestures matched the voice perfectly.

But before he could even go see the Mistress, the marriage between Tatyana and Kapiton was announced.

And then he lost his expression.

He realized that love was not something suitable for a deaf mute like himself.

Nor for a serf.

As he silently devoted himself to work, time passed.

The scenery projected across the cyclorama swept by in rapid succession, expressing the passing years.

What restored joy to the heart of a man gradually losing his emotions was a single small dog.

Whine—

Yip—

An abandoned puppy that Gerasim began caring for devotedly.

As scenes Yu Myeong himself had once performed began appearing, his concentration deepened even further.

And then came what he considered the greatest piece of directing in the entire production.

"Gerasim, you've got a dog now? What's its name?"

A fellow servant asked through an exaggerated combination of gestures.

Gerasim's voice answered.

At the same time, Ryu Shin's mouth opened as well.

"Isn't she adorable? Her name is Joseph Copenhagen the Second."

"Muu... muu..."

"Oh, the dog's name is Mumu?"

Though Gerasim had given the dog an absurdly grand name, the only sound that emerged from his lips was Mumu.

A serf whose ears were closed and whose mouth was closed.

A man denied even the right to properly express his own thoughts.

Yet inside, he possessed grand dreams, plans, and hopes just like anyone else.

A human being.

And because of his circumstances, all of those things became twisted and meaningless.

Hugo Viard, that genius director, had expressed the entire idea through nothing more than the contrast between "Gerasim's voice" and "Gerasim's language."

Yu Myeong was completely captivated.

"Now you understand why people say Hugo's personality is terrible, right?"

"...Yeah. You must have suffered."

Ryu Shin let out a groan.

"You know there are five voices, right?"

"What?"

"Five. All different actors. And he makes me perform differently for each one."

Yu Myeong let out a low sound of disbelief.

There wasn't even a single definitive version.

"...Only you could endure that. But at the same time, it feels like nobody could have asked for a better teacher."

"That's true. Meeting someone that relentless was a stroke of luck."

For once, Ryu Shin agreed without hesitation.

"I want to see the other versions too, but I'm leaving tomorrow already. If I'd known there were multiple versions, I would've booked a later flight."

"There's not much to see. I've been here long enough. I've passed the stage where I'm itching to get back to acting."

"I can't exactly deny that."

Smiling, Yu Myeong extended his hand.

"I should get going. See you back in Korea."

"Take care."

Leaving the theater behind, Yu Myeong walked along the Seine with Miho.

"Ryu Shin found himself a good teacher."

"He really did. There are so many incredible people in the world."

"This is where you're supposed to say, 'But I have an even better teacher.'"

"Haha. My teacher is beyond comparison."

The best teacher.

Without question.

Yu Myeong looked at Miho with sincere admiration.

"Meeting a good student is every bit as fortunate as meeting a good teacher. Hugo Viard got lucky too."

She was right.

For now, Yu Myeong's growth might seem extraordinary because of the opportunity he had received.

But Ryu Shin's persistence would allow him to close the gap little by little.

And Hugo would undoubtedly use every strange and obsessive method imaginable to polish Ryu Shin's talent.

Yu Myeong found himself eagerly anticipating the day they would act together again.

Of course, he had no intention of standing still in the meantime.

"You don't even understand what I mean... clueless human."

"Hm?"

Miho grumbled under her breath.

"It wasn't... not fun."

Smiling at Miho's grumpy response, Yu Myeong looked out over the Seine.

Moonlight shimmered across the water.

And it reminded him of someone.

A woman who resembled moonlight itself.

Somewhere beneath this same sky, enduring her suffering with all her strength.

Was she asleep at this hour?

Or was she still sweating through another round of practice?

Vallon had casually given him Madame Camille's address.

Even though he had made no effort to memorize it, he could still recall it perfectly.

Yet he had never gone looking for it.

Because if he went nearby, he might want to see her, even from a distance.

And if he saw her once, he might want to greet her.

And if he greeted her—

The years of patience she had endured might finally crumble.

Stay strong...

He entrusted the small wish to the chilly Paris wind brushing against his cheek.

And so Yu Myeong's first vacation came to an end.

From mid August to late November, the hundred day journey through Europe had been both an enjoyable trip and a period of relentless training.

Legend said that Ungnyeo became human after surviving a hundred days on nothing but mugwort and garlic.

Yu Myeong had spent a hundred days eating beer and delicious food and somehow emerged transformed as well.

It was all thanks to Miho.

As he imagined what role he might play with the growth he had gained, his heart was already racing.

Let's go home.

The next day, after a long flight, Yu Myeong returned to Korea.

Meeting Ho Cheol at the airport felt like a scene from a spy movie.

Wearing a mask that covered most of his face, Yu Myeong arrived at Parking Zone B, Space 27, where they had arranged to meet.

The chilly weather of late November had arrived.

At least masks no longer felt suffocating.

"How've you been?"

"Good. Did you enjoy your trip?"

"I did. What about you? Did you spend three months relaxing?"

"Oh, if only. I enjoyed exactly three days of heaven before another assignment dropped into my lap. They told me to stay attached to Su Yeon and manage her while she was training. She didn't have a project yet, but her face was everywhere. I followed her around nonstop. She finally got an official manager two days ago."

Hearing Su Yeon's name spoken so casually made Yu Myeong's heart ache a little.

After both he and Ryu Shin had suddenly disappeared, had she really been all right on her own?

"How's Su Yeon doing?"

"Oh, she's a complete troublemaker. Her face fooled me at first. I saw her and thought, 'There's no way someone that beautiful exists.' But inside she's just a kid. A total kid."

So she had still been hurting.

She had simply forced herself to act cheerful.

Yu Myeong could picture her state so clearly that he smiled bitterly.

At least she still had the energy to pretend.

That was something.

"Any other news?"

"You heard about Yoon Han Seong, right?"

"Yeah. I heard."

Paparazzi had photographed him on a date with Seon Ha.

Since they had just starred together in the ten million viewer hit Late Goryeo, Early Joseon, the media frenzy had been enormous.

Yoon Han Seong had responded with a bold move.

He simply announced his marriage.

Yu Myeong had already received a personal message.

They planned to hold a small ceremony attended only by close friends, and they would choose the date after he returned.

"Anything else?"

"The fan club's crying because Yu Myeong vanished without a trace. Same as always. Producers, directors, and writers begging to meet you have calmed down a little, but the calls are still coming."

"That's good news. Any good scripts?"

At that question, Ho Cheol's expression turned bleak.

"Please stop Team Leader Moon."

"Huh?"

"He might actually work himself to death."

"...What?"

The seriousness in Ho Cheol's voice caused Yu Myeong's expression to stiffen.

Yu Myeong visited Good Enter three days after resting at his home in Suwon.

The moment he saw Yu Seok, he immediately understood Ho Cheol's complaints.

The man who always looked polished enough to be a celebrity rather than an agency executive now appeared exhausted.

He had not even shaved.

His eyes were hollow.

"Uh... I had a great trip, but... it doesn't look like you've been doing very well."

"Sigh... I look terrible, don't I?"

Yu Seok laughed weakly.

Apparently he was aware of it himself.

Inside the office, books were piled into mountains.

Colored sticky notes protruded from every direction.

"The closer it got to your return date, the more pressure I felt. I bragged about making you rest for six months and promised I'd pick the perfect next project. But the more scripts I read..."

He rubbed his forehead.

"The less certain I became about what's truly best."

The famous industry kingmaker, the decisive Yu Seok?

That wasn't really what was happening.

It was simply that he cared too much.

Yu Myeong could guess what was going through his mind.

"I'd have fun with any project. If you chose it, it's probably excellent."

"That's exactly why I was worried."

After objecting, Yu Seok suddenly remembered something.

"Listen to me. How was Europe?"

"It was amazing."

A smile spread across Yu Myeong's face as he recalled the journey.

At Yu Seok's prompting, he began sharing stories.

The thrill of the first musical he had ever seen.

The grandeur of opera.

The puppet theater he watched in the Czech Republic.

Meeting Vallon and Ryu Shin.

"Wow. You said you were going on vacation, but it sounds like you spent the whole trip studying acting."

"Not at all. I had plenty of fun. Ate a lot of good food too."

"You didn't perform in any street shows or anything, right?"

Yu Seok's unexpectedly sharp question made Yu Myeong break into a cold sweat.

"I did not."

He hadn't.

Miho had.

"That's a shame. I'd have liked to see that."

Taking the answer at face value, Yu Seok moved on.

"For your next schedule, I've narrowed it down to three options."

"Three?"

"I wanted to pick one and throw it at you with absolute confidence, but..."

He smacked his lips regretfully.

"I don't think I'll ever get another chance like this. But after narrowing it down to these three, I decided the choice should be yours."

"Now you've got me excited. What are they?"

Yu Seok picked up two scripts marked with red sticky notes.

"The first is an SBK Channel pre produced drama they're betting heavily on. Director Park Jin Su, writer Yuk Mi Yeong. The male lead is a doctor with Doctors Without Borders who becomes entangled with a foreign terrorist organization during overseas volunteer work. It's part mystery, part professional drama, part romance. Half the filming will be overseas, half domestic."

Even from that brief description, it sounded massive.

And with Yuk Mi Yeong involved, quality was practically guaranteed.

While Yu Myeong flipped through the script, Yu Seok pulled over another thick screenplay, also marked with a red sticky note.

"The second is Director Shin Hak's new film. It's backed by Cinema Q, so the funding is solid. A blockbuster disaster movie."

He grinned.

"The interesting part is the disaster itself. A typhoon. I never realized wind could be so terrifying until I read this. The protagonist is a meteorological observer. The basic setup is familiar, but the characters and incidents are excellent. Honestly, when I read the lead role, I could picture you playing him immediately."

A character that made Yu Seok think of him.

Yu Myeong was curious.

"And the third option..."

Unlike the confidence with which he had presented the first two, Yu Seok hesitated.

A lot.

"Whew... I struggled with this one until the very end."

"What is it?"

"It's a proposal from an American network. TW Network."

"...?"

"It's an acting audition survival program."

Yu Seok handed him a thick stack of papers filled with English.

"Title: Casting Vote."

For the first time since returning to Korea, uncertainty appeared in Yu Myeong's eyes.