“Actor Joo Soo-yeon, and Actor Pyo Ji-woo.”
Director Jo Do-yul called Seo-yeon and Ji-woo over to speak.
“I’d like to see both of your performances again. Would it be possible for you to perform Act 4, Scene 3?”
Act 4, Scene 3.
This was not the scene where the male lead Baesung-hak appears, but the one where the female lead Song Min-seo is threatened.
It’s the section where Hong Jeong-hee’s latent violence in the atmosphere of dampness and ominousness is revealed.
‘Of course, I’ve memorized the whole script.’
Seoyeon thought about how to respond.
However, unlike Act 3 that she had practiced for the audition, she’d never actually performed Act 4, Scene 3 despite having memorized all the lines.
“…Before we start, would it be alright if we had a little practice time?”
“That’s fine.”
He glanced at the watch on his wrist and then spoke. There was still time left thanks to the other actors finishing their questioning quickly.
“Then…”
Just as Seoyeon was about to suggest taking 10 minutes for practice,
“I’m ready.”
A firm voice came from Ji-woo.
Seoyeon’s gaze shifted, and her eyes met Ji-woo’s.
“We can do it now, no problem.”
Ji-woo smiled at Seoyeon, who was staring at her expressionlessly, almost as if it were a provocation.
‘So, what are you going to do?’
Judging by her demeanor, she seemed like someone with a strong sense of pride. That much was clear just from how she retaliated immediately to a slight mockery.
Child prodigy?
Sure, maybe. That’s possible.
But despite that…
Ji-woo was genuine.
Just as she had said to Director Jo earlier, she had no issue with any scene from the ‘Hong Jeong-hee’ role.
She had memorized and performed every single scene involving Hong Jeong-hee multiple times, over and over again.
“Hong Jeong-hee is me.”
There was no one who could empathize more deeply with ‘her’ emotions.
That could be called method acting. That was her dedication.
She had spent an entire year to reach this stage, where until now she was just part of the audience for the play— all for one individual.
“It’s okay to practice.”
Ji-woo looked at Seoyeon as if to convey that message.
She was still a high schooler, after all. A teenage girl would surely fall for this kind of provocation easily.
“But then again, any chance of your victory will vanish completely.”
Ji-woo wasn’t belittling Seoyeon.
The performance she had just observed was truly impressive. It was indeed a performance that somewhat resembled Hong Jeong-hee.
If they were given practice time, Seoyeon could potentially achieve the same level again — and even worse, she might lose to her.
That was simply unacceptable to Ji-woo.
“…I’ll just do it now.”
Seoyeon responded emotionlessly.
Her expression was difficult to read. Her voice was neutral. But the clear competitive spirit in her eyes made Ji-woo curl her lips into a slight grin.
“Alright.”
Director Jo too looked surprised.
‘So she succumbed to Ji-woo’s provocation so easily?’
‘She’s still just a high schooler, after all.’
‘Too emotional; not good.’
Just as he was about to reassess Seoyeon…
“However…”
Seoyeon’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Can I perform after Ji-woo this time?”
“After Ji-woo?”
“Yes. I performed first last time, so…”
Jo glanced at the other judges briefly. Most of them nodded, indicating it was fine.
“Hmm, understood. Then this time, Ji-woo will perform first. Is that okay with you, Ji-woo?”
“…Yes.”
What’s going through her mind?
Watching Seoyeon’s expression, Ji-woo slightly smirked.
Her face was unreadable.
She looks like a doll.
Her emotional expressions are faint, and yet her beauty is startlingly captivating.
“Practice is fine too.”
Ji-woo looked at Seoyeon again, as if to say that.
After all, she was a high schooler.
A teenage girl would surely fall into such a provocation easily.
“Then the possibility of your success will be completely erased.”
Ji-woo wasn’t belittling Seoyeon.
It was undoubtedly a great performance she had just observed. A performance that quite resembled Hong Jeong-hee.
If they were given time to practice, perhaps the same incident could happen again. And it could lead to Ji-woo losing, which she considered absolutely unacceptable.
“…Alright.”
Seoyeon replied blandly.
Her face and tone were both difficult to gauge emotion from. However, the clear competitive spirit in her eyes made Ji-woo smirk.
‘Got it.’
Even if someone had immense talent, doing something they hadn’t practiced would be impossible. Even though she believed she would still win even if Seoyeon was given time to practice, this felt like Seoyeon giving up without a fight.
“Okay?”
Of course, Director Jo was also bewildered.
‘She really is still a high schooler?’
How could she so easily fall for Ji-woo’s provocation?
“Being too emotional won’t help.”
Just as Jo was about to lower his evaluation of Seoyeon…
“Instead.”
Seoyeon’s voice interrupted.
“Can I perform after Actor Ji-woo this time?”
“After Actor Ji-woo?”
“Yes. I went first last time, so…”
The daring words of Seoyeon made Jo look briefly at the other judges.
Most of them nodded, indicating they were fine with the idea.
“Hmm, understood. Then, this time, Actor Ji-woo will perform first. Is that okay with Actor Ji-woo?”
“…Yes.”
What’s going on through her mind?
Ji-woo squinted slightly as she observed Seoyeon.
Her unreadable face made it hard to detect any expressions.
She seemed like a doll, her emotional expressions faint, yet her beauty was striking.
“Practice is fine.”
Ji-woo looked at Seoyeon, as if to say that.
A high schooler, huh?
If teenage girls were prone to such provocations, this situation was perfect.
‘If you perform after Ji-woo, any chance of your success will be obliterated.’
Ji-woo didn’t undervalue Seoyeon.
The performance she had just seen was indeed impressive. Truly Hong Jeong-hee-like.
If they granted time for practice, Seoyeon could end up repeating her previous performance — and worse, Ji-woo might end up losing.
And that was something Ji-woo absolutely wouldn’t tolerate.
“Act 4, Scene 3. The scene where Hong Jeong-hee appears and threatens Song Min-seo.”
With Director Jo’s announcement, Ji-woo stepped forward.
And her performance began.
“You, do you really think you’re special?”
A trembling voice. Hong Jeong-hee shoved Song Min-seo against the wall with force.
Bang! The wall shook as her body trembled. With a hunched back, Hong Jeong-hee’s gaze was straight ahead, perfectly considering Song Min-seo’s height for the scene.
Staring at the frightened Song Min-seo, she stammered out her words.
“You, you, you’re just feeling sorry for him. Because our older brother is kind enough to endure looking at a woman who can’t hear anything!”
Heightened emotion shown through quivering eyes.
Even though the audience on stage wouldn’t catch the emotion, Ji-woo’s gaze was directed straight at the judges.
Simultaneously, her hand moved through the air.
Invisible walls were struck, mimicking punches through the empty space. Her arm shook as if it had really hit the wall.
This was a gesture indicating Hong Jeong-hee’s intense emotions and her violent tendencies.
At the same time, her whole body trembled. It was an overreaction coming from Hong Jeong-hee’s protective, but timid and introspective nature.
Ji-woo expressed this through both her words and gestures, bringing out the intensity.
“Huh.”
Director Jo was at a loss for words as he watched this performance. The other judges were in the same state. They unconsciously swallowed hard.
“Almost like Hong Jeong-hee herself.”
Ji-woo was reciting Hong Jeong-hee’s lines perfectly.
The inferiority complex in her voice, the fear, the resultant violence…
“This… even if it’s Joo Soo-yeon…”
The initial Act 3, Scene 6 performance was rather similar. Each had depicted a different kind of Hong Jeong-hee.
Either way, both performances were hire-worthy. Jo thought they both had their place in the role.
“So, roles really do fit specific actors, huh?”
Ji-woo suited the role perfectly. Her emotional expressions, her actions—it felt as if the role was made specifically for her.
‘This won’t do.’
Though it was unfortunate for Seoyeon, the role clearly belonged to Ji-woo.
As Jo glanced at Seoyeon, he felt a chill.
Her eyes were fixed on Ji-woo, not blinking once. Her expressionless face looked like she had forgotten even to breathe, and her eyes seemed eerily red in the dim light.
‘Clearly.’
Within Jo’s observation, Seoyeon thought:
‘When it comes to depicting Hong Jeong-hee, Ji-woo is ahead.’
Seoyeon acknowledged this fact from the moment Ji-woo began her second performance.
Indeed, this role belonged to you, didn’t it?
To be honest, if someone were to say ‘no’, she was prepared to accept it and step down.
There were other movies, dramas, or plays she could explore, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Even after some time, there would be many other opportunities.
However, now that she found herself in this situation, such thoughts didn’t even cross her mind.
‘Absolutely not.’
She couldn’t accept the loss.
Her competitive spirit.
Seoyeon experienced a new surge of passion.
She discovered a new side of herself.
‘I…’
Hated losing.
“Hey, Song Min-seo. Do you think someone would genuinely like a girl who is deaf?”
She watched Ji-woo and the Hong Jeong-hee she portrayed.
Every emotion, every movement imprinted on her mind.
Her eyes didn’t blink as she absorbed everything Ji-woo presented.
“One thing after another.”
This was merely her habitual study.
It was also the only art she had mastered in her previous life.
Simulating the emotions like a canvas.
How many visual media had she absorbed? How many books had she read, trying to capture that vague something?
“Actually, I liked him before you.”
And now, Seoyeon, for the first time in a long time, remembered that moment she had picked up her pen.
She imitated the emotions Ji-woo was portraying as Hong Jeong-hee.
She meticulously replicated every detail of Ji-woo’s emotional canvas without missing a single stroke.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect.
Despite Seoyeon’s ability to come astonishingly close to the genuine emotions, she couldn’t quite reach Ji-woo’s method acting.
Then there was only one solution.
“Song Min-seo!”
Just as Hong Jeong-hee was about to slam Song Min-seo’s head against the wall after grabbing her hair, the motion froze as Baesung-hak appeared and grabbed Hong Jeong-hee’s arm to stop her.
“…That’s all.”
With those calm words, the judges applauded in a daze. It was undoubtedly a flawless performance as Hong Jeong-hee.
Could there possibly be a better performance than this?
‘The person who played Hong Jeong-hee back in the day…’
This play, “With Eyes Closed,” had premiered 3 years ago in University Road. This was merely a reenactment.
However, after watching Ji-woo, Jo couldn’t even remember who had played Hong Jeong-hee in the original.
“Next, please, Actor Joo Seoyeon.”
Jo Do-yul calmly called Seoyeon over and scrutinized her face. Given that Seoyeon was still in high school, she would inevitably feel immense pressure from that performance.
But at the same time, the intensity of Seoyeon’s demeanor earlier came to mind.
“Surprisingly…”
“Very calm.”
“Her mental fortitude is strong!”
The judges quietly whispered among themselves. That performance would easily create a significant amount of pressure for anyone.
Frankly, performing first would have been a better choice.
“Alright, we’re expecting your performance of Act 4, Scene 3.”
“Understood.”
Calmy replying, Seoyeon stepped forward. Right to the very spot Ji-woo had just occupied.
Looking at her, Ji-woo narrowed her eyes.
“Strange girl.”
No change in expression despite this, it made her seem kind of boring.
“Hmm… hmm.”
Nevertheless, Ji-woo struggled to suppress her smile at the corner of her lips.
The performance she just delivered was better than any she had ever practiced alone.
She understood the reason why.
“Because Hyung Min Se-ho is on the judging panel.”
Stealthily, Ji-woo glanced at Min Se-ho.
As a result, Min Se-ho’s body slightly but noticeably trembled, and he looked around nervously.
Of course, Hong Jeong-hee was hers alone.
To perform this play and approach Min Se-ho, how much practice had she done? Ever since the moment it was decided that Min Se-ho would be part of this play, one year ago.
“Then, we’ll begin.”
With Seoyeon’s calm words, Act 4, Scene 3 began.
The Hong Jeong-hee performance by Seoyeon commenced.
“… Huh?”
The first to notice something unusual was Ji-woo herself.
The footsteps, the movements of Seoyeon, her gestures.
The emotions visible on her face, her eyes darting around, the desperate breathing—it all felt similar.
“Uh, you!”
Her movement, her blocking—every step she took forward was almost identical to someone.
To whom?
Needless to say,
Ji-woo herself.
“Her, she’s…”
She mimicked Ji-woo’s portrayal of Hong Jeong-hee exactly.
“Me? She is imitating… me?”
Following the emotional path, the dialogue she uttered was similar to what Ji-woo had shown.
“What?”
But something was off.
“Mere imitation by understanding information won’t suffice.”
It might have worked when she was a child actor, but the standards had changed. There was no way she could beat Ji-woo through imitation alone.
So,
This emotion simulation used by Seoyeon was merely to understand the character.
Ji-woo sensed her own victory because she believed no one understood Hong Jeong-hee’s emotions better than she did.
Seoyeon lacked that depth in emotional expression because she hadn’t fully grasped this character.
But now, after simulating and comprehending the emotions Ji-woo had shown as Hong Jeong-hee,
The preparation was complete.
To completely immerse into the character.
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