Chapter 4. Jung Chul-min and the Acting Test
"Well, sir, these days, succeeding in this field is more desirable than any professional career, isn't it? You have such a remarkable son, having inherited your handsome features. Wouldn't it be a loss for the Korean entertainment industry if he wasted his potential elsewhere?"
Jung Chul-min paused for breath before continuing, "We're currently running a promotion where you can take classes for free for a month. Why not let him try it out, even as a hobby? Learning to act can teach him how to express his emotions and relieve stress from his studies!"
The staff member sitting in the inner office marveled at how their director, usually not one for flattery, could speak so fluently. Just then, Yeon-woo's father, Cheol-woong, spoke, "Oh, a promotion? This must be fate! What do you think, Yeon-woo?"
"Yes, Father, I like it. I'll work hard."
At the son's response, Director Jung Chul-min cheered inwardly. Yeon-woo had lost even more weight since the start of the school year and was now attracting attention.
'I have to teach this kid myself, even if it means pouring my soul into it!'
Jung Chul-min, a kind and generous man, used the academy's profits every month to cover the losses of a small theater so his former students, who were still struggling in the local theater scene, could continue to perform.
He wasn't a shrewd businessman but an actor driven by his passion for the craft.
For him, Ryu Yeon-woo represented a potential lifeline for his academy, which was struggling to compete, not just with larger academies in Seoul but even within the smaller Daejeon market.
Of course, even aside from commercial reasons, Yeon-woo's looks alone made him want to nurture him as an actor.
"Then, sir, I'll discuss things with your son and arrange a lesson schedule."
"Yes, let's do that."
Shaking hands with Ryu Cheol-woong, Jung Chul-min rejoiced inwardly once more.
'A visual like that is hard to find even among the best aspiring actors in Seoul. Once he loses a bit more weight, it won't just be hard to find, it'll be impossible. Even if he has no talent, as long as he builds a solid foundation, he'll be able to ace even open auditions with hundreds of competitors.'
Director Jung Chul-min resolved to dedicate himself to Yeon-woo's training.
A week later, around lunchtime on Saturday, Yeon-woo returned to the academy and sought out the director's office.
Knock, knock.
"Hello, sir. I'm Ryu Yeon-woo, here for my lessons."
As Yeon-woo bowed politely, Jung Chul-min welcomed him with open arms.
"Oh! Yes, yes. Come in, Yeon-woo. Did you have trouble finding the place?"
"No, it's right in front of the subway station, so it was easy to find. The building is really big, too. It seems like a great academy."
Yeon-woo spoke with a charming smile. The academy's location in a prime building, which Chul-min had acquired with some difficulty, was his pride and joy. Hearing Yeon-woo acknowledge it brought a smile to his face.
"So, shall we start with a simple test today?"
"Yes, sir."
They moved to an empty practice room for a brief assessment.
Even Ryu Yeon-woo, who had faced countless trials and tribulations in his past life, felt a bit nervous about a test in an unfamiliar field.
Sensing his apprehension, Chul-min quickly added, "Don't worry too much about the test. The muscles used in acting, along with expressiveness and facial expressions, vary from person to person. I'm just looking at which muscles you use when making certain expressions, so I'm not evaluating whether you're good or bad."
"Yes, I understand!"
Chul-min couldn't help but smile at the enthusiastic response from the handsome young man.
"Then, shall we start with something simple? Let's express the emotion of 'anger' from among joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. From now on, imagine I'm a thug picking a fight with you, and try to intimidate me."
Jung Chul-min, expecting Yeon-woo to swagger like a gangster, yell, or curse, started with anger, an emotion relatively easy for even non-actors to mimic.
"Yes, I'll try."
Intimidation… In his past life, it was a skill he'd honed to survive in dangerous operational zones. He wondered if he could still do it in this new body.
Ryu Yeon-woo, slightly worried that his current handsome face might hinder his expression compared to his somewhat harsh features in his past life, stared directly into Jung Chul-min's eyes.
He focused, recalling his past, imagining he was in a dangerous operational zone and that the person in front of him was a target he had to eliminate.
"Ha!"
Jung Chul-min's eyes widened. He felt an overwhelming pressure from the high school student, enough to make him momentarily forget they were in the middle of an acting test. For a fleeting moment, in his familiar practice room, the thought that crossed Chul-min's mind was, ridiculously, 'I could die. This person is dangerous.'
'What? Did I just get intimidated by a high school student?'
Having spent over twenty years in the theater scene in Hyehwa meant he had seen it all, and Jung Chul-min considered himself someone who wouldn't be easily intimidated.
"Sir?" Ryu Yeon-woo called out.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Chul-min quickly replied, "Uh? Oh, yes. Yeon-woo, it's surprisingly intimidating when you make a scary face with such a gentle appearance."
"Is it?"
'Is that… acting? Or is this kid… you know… a bit rough around the edges? I'm sure they said he was first in his class.'
Chul-min entertained a strange thought for a moment.
"Um, then shall we try 'sorrow' next? It's a bit more difficult. Some students get confused, but it's 'sorrow,' not 'love.'"
"Yes, I understand."
"Should I set up a situation for you to get into the emotion? Or do you have any sad memories you can recall?"
Jung Chul-min doubted there would be anything truly sorrowful in the life of an eighteen-year-old.
Remembering his past life, full of twists and turns, Yeon-woo nodded. There had to be something that could trigger his emotions.
"I'll try it first. Please help me if I can't do it."
Chul-min was pleased with Yeon-woo's proactive attitude.
"Alright, Yeon-woo, tell me right away if you can't do it. It's harder than you think for someone who hasn't learned acting to conjure up sadness."
Indeed, even on variety shows, when actors were asked to perform, they were often asked how quickly they could cry. The audience would often praise the acting skills of actors who could quickly focus and shed tears.
"Okay, I'll begin."
Yeon-woo closed his eyes and concentrated.
Would thinking of someone make him sad?
He never had a family.
Friends… he had hardly any close friends.
His colleagues who had passed away in his past life?
Deaths during operations were rare, and in his past life, Yeon-woo had been too busy just trying to survive in his repetitive life to form deep connections with those around him.
Jeon Su-hwan's emotions, worn down by his harsh life, had become hardened. A wall of emotions so solid that there wasn't even a crack for a needle to pierce.
Despite concentrating in silence, Yeon-woo couldn't find true sorrow.
"Sir, I don't know what to do."
At Yeon-woo's words, Jung Chul-min thought, 'Just as I expected,' and retrieved a candle from a cabinet in the corner of the practice room.
Dimming the lights and lighting the candle, Chul-min instructed Yeon-woo to look at the flame.
One of Chul-min's college classmates was a therapist who used acting for emotional healing. This technique, similar to meditation therapy, was something he had learned from his classmate. It encouraged self-reflection, and Chul-min found it surprisingly effective in guiding students who were awkward at expressing emotions.
Following Chul-min's guidance, Yeon-woo looked back, beyond his current short life, to his past life. He thought about himself, not about others in his life. He reflected on his lonely and harsh existence.
As 'Ryu Yeon-woo,' essentially a different person, he considered his past self, Jeon Su-hwan, from a third-person perspective. This allowed him to feel more objectively, and the pain and loneliness pierced his heart like a blade.
The wall of emotions, worn down and hardened, had become solid, but paradoxically, it was also precariously close to collapsing. He felt that even if he hadn't died during the operation in his past life, his mind would have soon crumbled.
Now, he realized that what had soothed and lubricated his hardened heart was the pure and innocent heart of the original owner of this body, 'Ryu Yeon-woo.'
Although weakened by bullying, his inner self was kind and bright.
As he peeled away the layers of that struggling heart, he saw the desolate sand dunes of the Middle East.
'That's where I died.'
Why was I born so lonely and died so lonely?
Why couldn't I give or receive love from anyone?
Was there a chief mourner at my funeral?
No, even the fact of my death would have been top secret.
Was there anyone who felt and cherished sorrow at my death?
You poor soul.
Barely ten seconds after Yeon-woo closed his eyes, tears started streaming down his face, surprising Chul-min.
He hadn't expected immediate results. He had simply wanted Yeon-woo to discover a pathway to his emotions.
Suddenly, Ryu Yeon-woo collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, as if mourning the death of a close relative.
Through this unexpected experience, Ryu Yeon-woo purged the darkness of his past life from his heart, replacing it with the original Ryu Yeon-woo's kindness and innocence.
Ironically, as Jung Chul-min had eloquently put it to persuade Yeon-woo's father, he had managed to cast off the last vestiges of his dark emotions through expressing them.
"Oh dear, Yeon-woo? Ryu Yeon-woo?"