The Face Genius Actor

Episode 007

The last day of April.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

I shouted loudly in front of all the Sorisaem theater group members.

Originally, I was going to pack my bags immediately.

But somehow my departure was delayed.

Lim Gyeong-ryeol asked for time so another actor could prepare for the role of Meursault.

So, I ended up performing in “The Stranger” until the last day of April.

Even this was a deadline set after several concessions.

‘Still, thanks to that, I was able to spend quite a fruitful time…’

It was a short but intense period.

I decided that since it had come to this, I would truly become Meursault.

So, my days were filled with practicing late into the night and cleaning in the morning.

Unexpectedly, rumors about “The Stranger” began to spread, and the number of audience members grew daily.

Finally, today we achieved our first sold-out show.

Even though it was just a 50-seat venue, it was still surprising as this had never happened in my previous life.

‘The tickets for “The Stranger” were never sold out. At least not until I left the group after playing the role of the prison guard, that’s for sure.’

Moreover, I wasn’t the only one surprised.

As the response to “The Stranger” started to improve, Lim Gyeong-ryeol persistently tried to keep me.

Although my mind was already made up and I didn’t waver, he seemed like someone who never gave up.

The fact that he was still looking at me with regretful eyes as I greeted everyone loudly was proof of that.

I deliberately ignored it and turned to look at the two new members who had joined Sorisaem with me.

“Ah…”

“Si-joon hyung…”

Perhaps because I had come in earlier than them every day since then and done most of the morning cleaning,

The two of them no longer seemed to hold any grudges against me.

I was as satisfied with this fact as I was with my satisfactory performance as Meursault.

It’s human nature to want to leave even a small meaningful trace.

“I’m sorry for being the only one leaving again. Let’s keep in touch when we have the chance.”

“I’ll definitely contact you.”

“Me too.”

And that was it.

The others just quietly looked at me without saying much.

But I wasn’t disappointed by this fact.

Compared to the past, it was a satisfactory ending.

‘This is enough. It’s better than causing a big scene.’

I organized my thoughts, bowed once more, and left the small theater.

There wasn’t much to pack.

It was just enough to fit in one crossbody bag.

‘Now that I’ve wrapped things up at the theater group, I should move on to the next step, right?’

It was while I was thinking this.

“Si-joon!”

Someone called my name from behind.

When I turned around, Lee Joo-yeon was standing there.

She was slightly out of breath, seeming to have hurried after me.

“Senior Joo-yeon? What’s the matter?”

“Well…”

Lee Joo-yeon caught her breath and trailed off for a moment.

Then, with a determined expression, she rapidly spoke.

“Your performance as Meursault today was really excellent. It was on par with Senior Jung-wook’s acting when I first joined Sorisaem. In some aspects, it was even better. While Senior Jung-wook portrayed Meursault as he was, traditionally, you had a soft charisma…”

After rambling on incoherently for a while, Lee Joo-yeon stopped again.

Then, as if realizing this wasn’t what she meant to say, she shook her head and brought up something completely unexpected.

“I’m really sorry… I shouldn’t have let you leave like this…”

It felt like a sincere apology.

This seemed to be what she really wanted to say.

And from this, I could tell what kind of guilt Lee Joo-yeon was feeling.

Lee Joo-yeon seemed disappointed in herself for not acting properly as a senior.

‘It’s understandable to feel that way. I felt something similar when I ruined my first lead drama role with my own hands.’

At that time, I was more devastated by the fact that I had disappointed others than by my own poor acting.

The other actors, the staff who accommodated me, my always supportive family.

As each face came to mind, my chest ached.

It was painful to know that I had disappointed others because of me.

Although the degree might differ, it seemed Lee Joo-yeon’s guilt was a similar emotion.

‘But…’

I had no disappointment towards Lee Joo-yeon.

Rather, she was a better person than anyone else at Sorisaem.

The fact that she came after me to apologize proved that.

I looked at Lee Joo-yeon quietly for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth to ask.

“Was it really good? My performance as Meursault?”

Lee Joo-yeon responded with a blank expression, a beat late.

“Ah… Yes. It was really excellent.”

I smiled and nodded.

“That’s enough. I’m fine, senior.”

“Are you… really okay?”

“Yes. So you don’t need to feel sorry either, senior.”

Only then did Lee Joo-yeon’s expression lighten a bit.

“Even if I got on my knees here, you wouldn’t come back, would you?”

“I told you, you don’t need to feel sorry. I’m really okay.”

“But still…”

“Besides, it would be awkward to just go back now, wouldn’t it?”

Realizing my intention was clear, Lee Joo-yeon nodded.

“That’s true. So… what are you going to do now?”

“I’ll act, of course. I’m thinking of enrolling in an academy.”

“An acting academy?”

“I thought about joining another theater group, but I think this would be better for improving my skills more professionally.”

“That’s one way to go about it. But wouldn’t it be better to gain practical experience in the field?”

Joining another theater group or enrolling in an acting academy.

I had been torn between the two options as well.

But I decided that enrolling in an acting academy would be better for improving my skills using the Method Mask.

Theater group activities involved too many additional tasks besides practice.

It was even more intense for groups like Sorisaem that put on their own plays.

Sometimes we had to do hard labor to create the stage sets ourselves.

This would naturally reduce the time available to practice with the Method Mask.

‘I must avoid that at all costs.’

Moreover, in the case of an acting academy, I could learn aspects that the Method Mask couldn’t cover.

While it was possible to learn acting from seniors in a theater group, their expertise couldn’t be guaranteed.

Also, what I could gain from practical experience on my own was extremely limited.

‘If I had the ability to learn on my own, I would already be a veteran actor. I have more practical experience than my skill level warrants.’

In the end, to secure enough practice time while getting professional advice, enrolling in an acting academy was the answer.

“During my brief time with the theater group, I keenly felt the need for professional education.”

Hearing my answer, Lee Joo-yeon thought for a moment before speaking.

“I see. If that’s the case, that might suit you better. I hope you get good results.”

“Thank you.”

After that, I had quite a long conversation with Lee Joo-yeon before we parted ways.

Until the end, Lee Joo-yeon couldn’t hide her apology and blessed my future.

“I’ll be going now, senior.”

“Get home safely. Keep in touch.”

For some reason, I felt like I would really meet Lee Joo-yeon again.

Considering that she would enter the drama industry in a few months, it was quite possible.

* * *

After leaving Sorisaem like that.

I practiced with the Method Mask while looking into acting academies.

Along with leaving Sorisaem, I was able to learn a new function of the Method Mask.

It turned out that the Method Mask wasn’t just for practicing the play “The Stranger”.

With simple commands, the Method Mask could help practice any movie or drama role in the world.

“I want to practice the lead role of Kim Seok-cheol in the movie ‘The Heart of the Watching Window’.”

Just saying this allowed me to practice that work, that role.

I hadn’t realized this aspect because I had been focusing on practicing for “The Stranger” all this time.

And thanks to discovering this function, I was able to practice other works sufficiently while looking into acting academies.

Honestly, the practice was so fun that sometimes I forgot about looking into acting academies.

‘Feeling the emotions of characters in movies and dramas is always surprising and new.’

But I couldn’t keep postponing enrolling in an acting academy while being absorbed in the Method Mask.

Above all, the longer I practiced, the more I needed expert advice.

Especially, I needed someone to confirm what level my acting was at now.

I was conducting tests with a camera I bought, like before the regression, but there were clear limitations.

‘It seems like I’m improving bit by bit, but…’

I still couldn’t make an objective judgment about what level my acting was at.

‘This is the limit now. I should enroll in an acting academy soon.’

It’s not that I hadn’t looked into acting academies at all.

From broadcasting station-affiliated academies to private schools run by celebrities.

I had gathered information on various academies and narrowed down some good options.

‘Which one would be good? Should I choose one with famous trainers?’

Personally, the most appealing place right now was the acting academy run by ‘Tree Actors’.

Not only did it have the reputation of being one of the top actor agencies in Korea,

Tree Actors was also the first agency I had belonged to as an actor in the past.

While my personal acting skills were the issue, I had many good memories of the place.

Above all, it was impressive that they directly scouted and consistently supported me when I was just a rookie actor.

‘I don’t remember much about the acting academy they directly ran, but at least it should avoid the worst.’

Still, a very small number of acting academies were parasitizing numerous aspiring actors without proper systems in place.

In that sense, it was a great fortune that I had caught Tree Actors’ eye without much difficulty in the past.

‘I need to choose a good academy. It’s with father’s help after all.’

The academy enrollment fee came from my father’s pocket, who runs a restaurant.

Although my father willingly offered to pay the enrollment fee, I couldn’t help but feel a bit burdened from my position.

Especially considering that until recently, I had been receiving a small but steady salary from the theater group.

‘Above all, considering that I was thirty years old before the regression, I can’t help but feel sorry.’

It would be nice if there was a trainee system like idol agencies, but that wasn’t common for actors.

Most started acting activities right away without a trainee period.

This meant that all training costs had to be borne by the aspiring actor.

‘Even though I agreed to help at father’s restaurant for a few hours a day, I need to decide carefully.’

Having given up theater life for acting practice, I couldn’t spend too much time on restaurant work.

If that were the case, it might have been better to practice acting while continuing theater life.

As I was thinking these complicated thoughts and searching for acting academies,

Suddenly, a familiar name caught my eye.