"You, what on earth is all this?"
Mansik said in a state of disbelief.
Junwoo scratched his head as if to say he couldn't believe it either.
"Ah, it collapsed because of the wind..."
Junwoo gestured towards the fallen shelf on the floor.
Only then did a rough picture start to form.
While organizing, the shelf collapsed, scripts spilled everywhere, and at that moment, that kid lost it completely.
It was understandable.
"No one but this guy could have put them back in place."
After observing him closely for a week, the guy who officially joined the theater seemed like a fish in water, his eyes sparkling as he explored every nook and cranny.
He held a script in one hand.
Other scripts were already piled up neatly on one side.
Mansik surveyed the mess that had become of the practice room. Clocks, chairs, tables, musical instruments, potted plants, and various stage props were scattered around as if they had been pulled out of a storage room. It seemed like he had an interest in directing after all. The shock aside, Mansik couldn't help but become increasingly curious.
"Why are you doing this?"
The guy looked a little embarrassed. It seemed like he was even feeling sorry as if he didn't know this would happen.
"I was just trying to read it once. I'm sorry; I'll clean up quickly."
"You read? The script?"
"Yes."
"You were doing a performance by yourself?"
"No, I just read it. With my eyes."
"Then, just reading should be enough. What's all this about?"
As if finding it difficult to explain, the guy cleared his throat and suddenly came up with a different idea.
Upon closer inspection, the guy was holding a classic play written in Russian.
"You know Russian too?"
"No, not that. This."
He pointed among the scripts.
Somehow, a Russian dictionary was lying there.
"Why are you looking at that? There must be plenty of Korean scripts available."
"I've already read all of those."
On one side, familiar scripts were piled up. It seemed like he had already read everything available, even delving into classical masterpieces.
Among his belongings, classical masterpieces of drama, deeply stored away, were scattered around. They were all in their original languages.
"So, you were setting up this scene without even knowing what you were saying? How?"
"I don't know it well, but I roughly understood the content after looking up a few words."
Barely understanding the content with just a few words? How is that even possible?
Mansik recalled studying this script multiple times several years ago.
The page the guy was unfolding was the part where the actor begins a monologue in anger.
Before the dialogue starts, the character throws and overturns objects in their room, expressing emotions explosively. Knowing this, as Mansik looked at the scattered props again, it was clear they weren't just randomly arranged.
The setup on the practice room floor by the guy was faithfully reproducing the emotions of the scene described in the script.
Mansik recalled the past week.
Upon observation, it became clear that this guy was more sincere about theater than Mansik had initially thought. There were instances when he acted childishly at other times, but once on the stage, his gaze transformed. Mansik often witnessed him concentrating intently, focusing like a child fixating on something.
Furthermore, now he was personally creating a stage within this cramped rehearsal room.
To have a classic play in hand that involves terms he barely understands, let alone recognizes, speaks volumes.
It's not just about natural talent.
Even without explicitly expressing it, he had an evident passion for the stage.
Mansik had been waiting for this. He hoped that the time would come when the boy would express it himself.
He believed that, eventually, the boy would develop a desire to personally arrange the stage.
That was the reason Mansik brought him here. Even though there was no specific reason to instruct him to do so.
However, witnessing this scene, Mansik could no longer suppress his curiosity.
"What on earth do you want to become?"
Junwoo, reaching out to tidy up the props, abruptly turned around as if questioning the unexpected statement.
"Why do you always keep your mouth shut even though you have someone like me right next to you? What is your dream, anyway? Stage director? Director? Come on, let me in on it."
"I dream of living just the way I am now."
"Just the way you are?"
"Yes. Just living an ordinary life."
He spoke calmly. Was it embarrassing for him to reveal something like that? But he didn't seem to be lying either.
"Then what is all of this?"
Mansik scanned the practice room with his eyes. His expression demanded an explanation for the scene before him.
Scripts scattered from the fallen shelf.
As soon as he understood, his hand moved first.
For Junwoo, it was a natural process to understand the target and examine the stage before delving into the work in earnest, even before initiating the actual performance.
Yet, the performance had not yet begun.
"I've just set the stage before starting the scene."
"Scene? Did you have plans to act?"
"..."
"He didn't explicitly say no."
He had an interest in acting as well. Why didn't he mention it? So, he was interested in the stage that much.
Naturally, I thought he would be interested in directing.
"When I look at you, it seems like you should focus on directing rather than acting. Is it necessary to go to this extent for just one scene?"
"These things are not just laid out for no reason. They all have a purpose."
"Excuses. Veteran actors can grasp emotions anywhere and perform, you know."
"I'm not talking about that. Theater is different. There's this thing called a stage."
"Stage? What does a stage have to do with acting?"
"Each element on the stage needs to harmonize. Whether it's the actors or the props, everything."
Mansik squinted his eyes slightly.
"Are you saying that harmony is more important than acting skills?"
"That's part of it, but I hope the stage itself is perfect too."
Having recently entered the world of theater, Mansik's pride was wounded by the guy trying to teach him, but at the same time, he became curious. Even if he didn't know much, the guy seemed to have talent in directing, so there must be some thoughts behind it, Mansik thought.
Mansik still had a perplexed expression, as if he didn't understand what was being said. It seemed unlikely that he would understand even if he heard more.
Until he could grasp the meaning, Mansik seemed unwilling to move from there. That's when Junwoo spoke.
"I'll just show you here."
Toss.
Junwoo threw the script he had been holding.
They were characters that couldn't be read anyway.
Junwoo lowered his head.
And after a few seconds, he raised his face, sweeping his hair aside. Mansik's expression, which had been disapproving, changed.
From the beginning, it was evident. The guy wasn't making noise for no reason.
Among the props, the guy had a completely different expression from just a moment ago.
It was the face of someone who had nothing more to lose and nowhere else to go.
Mansik was looking into Junwoo's eyes.
How did this happen?
The white handkerchief was stained red due to burst blood vessels. It was a physical reaction that couldn't be achieved through acting alone.
Those eyes were truly the kind that only someone consumed by burning rage, with blood rushing to their head, could have.
"Is it possible to be so immersed in such a short time?"
That was what Mansik was thinking at that moment.
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the practice room.
"... What's the point of all this?!"
It was a voice that Mansik had never heard from him before.
While Mansik was lost in thought, the scene continued. And a little later,
Staggering.
He took a step back.
One step. Two steps.
It was a moment when he looked back at the scattered items that had just been thrown around, one by one.
"...!"
The guy stepped on the clock and, with a swift motion, fell backward.
Was it a mistake? Mansik suddenly shuddered.
It wasn't a mistake. The guy's movements as he grabbed the chair while falling are continuing naturally.
A pose and angle with all the muscles relaxed. Broken props scattered around.
The guy, seated on the floor, wore an expression of helplessness, as if he had no energy left to get up.
Each and every detail formed a perfect harmony.
The scene concluded.
Jinwoo, returning to his original expression, lifted his head.
There was only one line of dialogue. A scene lasting less than a minute.
He was right. There was not a single flaw in every direction and acting skill displayed.
Even each prop within sight carried emotion.
Was he calculating the exact distance the clock would fall to? Was he maintaining the emotional arc?
Does that even make sense?
Where does the calculation end and the immersion begin?
It was beyond Mansik's comprehension.
Creating such a scene with no lighting in a practice room and crude props.
Manshik couldn't shake the feeling that he had just entered and exited that time and place as if it were real.
A brief, tranquil silence filled the practice room.
To be honest, he didn't expect much in terms of acting. Emotions came from experience.
No matter how talented one might be, he thought a seventeen-year-old who had rolled around on a rural construction site wouldn't have much to offer in terms of acting skills.
Just five minutes ago, he felt foolish for thinking that way.
He believed that an exceptionally sharp mind and innate artistic talent couldn't coexist.
It was a misconception.
All the remarkable abilities he had been amazed by turned out to be nothing more than preparations for acting.
Without realizing it, Mansik blurted out a sentence.
"You should step onto the stage, not just here, but on a real stage." Mansik was excited. His heart was pounding intensely.
The guy remained calm whether he was aware of this side of himself or not.
Despite having just shown such a scene, he was casually organizing the props.
"I didn't even think about doing that."
"You don't realize how talented you are, that's why. If you just believe and follow my lead, it could really turn out great!"
"I'm fine. I like it the way it is. But is that all there is to the script in the practice room?"
He seemed genuinely uninterested in standing on stage. Why, though? From what he had shown, it was clear that he couldn't avoid being on stage. It couldn't be explained any other way; he was born with the fate of acting.
The guy's indifferent response was frustrating to the point of being annoying.
Mansik had to somehow convince him.
"If it goes well, you could even go to Seoul. Have you ever thought about going to Seoul?"
"Not really. It's quiet here, and I like it."
"Do you really have no desire to act? I mean, why, with that talent?"
"I don't want to become famous."
Huh. His confident response left me momentarily speechless.
He's well aware of his talent, and his attitude suggested that starting acting would inevitably lead to fame.
But Mansik can't deny it. No, maybe just becoming famous wasn't enough.
Was that it? Even so, I couldn't just give up.
"Hey, you may be some nobody with a mysterious background, but what have you accomplished at your age? It wasn't easy for me to get here either. I'll take responsibility for whatever comes after, so do what you want to do and live your life. Do you really want to rot away here forever?"
"Responsibility" Junwoo was taken aback by Mansik's offer to take responsibility for his life, given that they had only been dating for a month. He chuckled and asked,
"Why? Are you planning to kill me or something?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll take care of everything! Do you want me to?"
Junwoo's expression changed slightly. It was just a comment thrown out without much significance. Why was he so self-assured? It didn't feel like he was casually saying it just to persuade a kid. Mansik's straightforward response without any hesitation made Junwoo's feelings complex.
Mansik had been helping him all this time. Thanks to him, Junwoo quickly found a job and could access scripts for plays.
Moreover, Junwoo wasn't unaware of Mansik's feelings. He had only pretended not to know. He knew that Mansik didn't want to waste his talent and deliberately provided him with a job that allowed him to comfortably attend plays.
Moreover, now he even claimed that he would take responsibility for him.
It was impossible for him to refuse any longer?
"Do you want to get on the stage? Not here, but on a real stage."
Or maybe he didn't want to refuse?
***
"Really, he came up..."
Junwoo glanced through the curtain at the audience before the start. There were about twenty people scattered in the seats, aware that the lead actor had flunked.
It felt strange because it was the first time Jinwoo had ever acted on a stage in front of an audience with the intention of doing so.
"Is this okay?"
Gulp
Junwoo swallowed involuntarily.
Further thoughts were meaningless. It was the moment when all the lights in the theater went out.
The play had begun.
Behind the stage, more excited than the actors standing in front of the audience, Mansik engaged in a conversation with the staff.
"Is that the one you mentioned before?"
"Yeah. Don't be surprised. That one is really unusual."
"Why? Where did you pick up a kid like that?"
"I found him at a construction site. Why?"
"But anyway, the lead actor backed out 5 days ago, but they had 5 days to prepare? It's almost all monologue, so there must have been a lot of lines. But you brought in someone with some experience in the theater, right? I'm a little nervous."
Yeah, five days. It's an unreasonable amount of time. Especially for a seventeen-year-old who hasn't even studied the basics of theater.
Listening to the employee's words, Mansik chuckled quietly.
"Not five days, but twelve hours."
"What?"
"It's been twelve hours since I handed him the script."
"What did you say?"
Both Mansik and the staff turned their gaze to the stage.
Under the spotlight, Junwoo's monologue was beginning.
Author's Note
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