The Face Genius Actor

Episode 026

The wrap-up party continued until the third round at a bindaetteok restaurant, ending at 5 AM.

I had planned to leave after the second round, but my conversation with Director Kang Han-sung dragged on.

After I agreed to appear in “I Will Cast Love,” an excited Director Kang started sharing TMI.

Even though I said I needed to discuss the casting with my agency and confirm it, he was relentless.

As a result, I had to listen to Director Kang’s entire life story while sipping on iced dongdongju.

While there were some interesting parts worth paying attention to, most of it was tiring.

“Good job today.”

Yeo Kyung-chan, who had been waiting nearby until the end of the party, said while driving.

This was why I had wanted to leave by the second round.

I felt sorry for Yeo Kyung-chan, who had to wait for me until 5 AM.

Indeed, Yeo Kyung-chan’s eyes were bloodshot.

It seemed he had taken a short nap in the car.

“You’re the one doing the hard work, Manager. I wish it had ended earlier… I’m sorry.”

“No, this is part of my job. I’m just glad you didn’t drink too much.”

Although we haven’t been together for long, Yeo Kyung-chan was a good manager.

However, I was worried that his attitude had become noticeably more cautious recently.

I didn’t expect us to be like family just because we work together.

But I thought it could be a problem if he felt too uncomfortable.

When the mind is uncomfortable, the body unnecessarily tires as well.

‘I’ll observe for a few more days, and if the situation continues, I should talk to him separately.’

While I was organizing my thoughts.

The car arrived in front of my house.

As I opened the door and got out, I looked up at the sky and felt it was getting a bit brighter, as if the sun was rising.

‘After a short nap, I should head straight to the acting academy.’

I thought this while briefly enjoying the dawn air.

* * *

And in the afternoon.

I left home after having a late lunch.

With “Arrest” ending, Seo Myung-hee’s classes had resumed.

Upon arriving at W Acting Academy, I felt a new kind of energy that wasn’t there before.

There seemed to be more students and, consequently, more acting trainers.

The impact of “Arrest” was clearly significant.

It was positive.

‘I feel oddly proud.’

Thinking this, I made my way to the practice room where Seo Myung-hee was waiting.

Almost all the students recognized me and stopped in their tracks.

It was surprising that they recognized me even with a hat and mask on.

It felt like when I first became popular in my previous life.

“Senior, if it’s okay, could I ask for your autograph?”

One student gathered courage to ask, and I gladly obliged.

Then other students also approached me with courage.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned into an impromptu autograph session.

Because of this, I arrived at the practice room a bit later than the scheduled time.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Teacher.”

As I entered the practice room apologizing, Seo Myung-hee shook her head.

“I saw you in the hallway earlier. Were you busy dealing with the students?”

“I was surprised that so many people recognized me. How did they know it was me even with a hat and mask on?”

I asked this without much thought.

But for some reason, Seo Myung-hee smiled and asked back.

“Do you really want to know the reason?”

“Well… Do you know why?”

“Then don’t take off your hat and mask. Let’s go outside now. Your outfit is ordinary, so it’s perfect.”

“What?”

“You said you were curious about the reason. And sometimes it’s good to have outdoor lessons like this, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s true, but… What if someone recognizes us…”

“That’s why you need to disguise well. Come on, let’s go. It’s almost lunchtime, so we need to hurry.”

So I followed Seo Myung-hee out of the practice room without taking off my hat and mask.

Having an outdoor lesson while “Arrest” was still popular felt surreal.

Moreover, Seo Myung-hee was also a well-known actor who appeared in “Arrest.”

Also, W Acting Academy was located near Sangam-dong, where broadcasting stations are clustered.

For this reason, I was worried that too many people might recognize us.

Looking around carefully, I saw people already pouring out for an early lunch.

Standing in front of W Acting Academy’s entrance, I asked Seo Myung-hee.

“Are we really going out like this?”

“Don’t worry and come out. If we manage our gaze well, no one will recognize us.”

With that, Seo Myung-hee pushed my back, and I had no choice but to step out of the entrance.

Surprisingly, 30 minutes passed, and no one recognized me.

Occasionally, some people glanced at Seo Myung-hee and me, but that was it.

It felt like a lie that the students at W Acting Academy had recognized me instantly.

‘Why… is there such a temperature difference? Was I too arrogant?’

As if sensing my thoughts, Seo Myung-hee spoke from beside me.

“Don’t worry. It’s not that people don’t recognize you because you’re not popular.”

“No. I think I was too arrogant. To think I assumed people would recognize me… I’m embarrassed.”

“That’s not it. Even if it were Ji Jung-hyun standing here instead of Si-joon, no one would have recognized him.”

I couldn’t believe Seo Myung-hee’s words.

Because even during my flower vase days, so many people recognized me that I could hardly walk down the street.

Later, when my popularity declined due to acting controversies, no one approached me anymore.

Having experienced those times, it was hard to easily agree with Seo Myung-hee’s words.

“If you don’t believe me, try calling someone. My words will prove true. Should we ask Mi-rae, who’s probably the most famous person around us?”

Seo Myung-hee spoke so firmly that I had no choice but to believe her.

If I didn’t, it felt like she would really make the call.

However, believing Seo Myung-hee’s words didn’t explain the reason.

“Why is that?”

“There’s no special reason. People are generally not interested in others. Especially in situations like this where your face is mostly covered by a mask.”

“But the students at W Acting Academy recognized me instantly.”

“That’s because of eye contact. Think back to that situation. Did the students really recognize you first?”

I recalled the earlier situation as Seo Myung-hee suggested.

After thinking for a moment, I could understand what Seo Myung-hee meant.

‘It wasn’t the students who recognized me first…’

I had noticed the students first and looked in their direction.

That’s why the students also looked in my direction and then recognized me.

In the end, I was the one who noticed first, and the issue was in the eye contact.

“Do you understand now?”

“A little. So that’s why people can’t recognize us now.”

Just before we left the entrance of W Acting Academy, Seo Myung-hee had strictly warned me not to look at other people first.

Until then, I didn’t understand why that was such an important point.

“As I said earlier, people are less interested in others than you might think. Just like how we encounter countless faces every day but don’t remember them.”

“I see.”

“But if someone else looks at you, it’s different. You turn your head surprisingly quickly in that direction. As if some wild instinct remains.”

I could easily nod in agreement because I fully understood Seo Myung-hee’s explanation.

But Seo Myung-hee didn’t stop there and added one more thing.

“Si-joon’s acting is lacking in this aspect.”

Finally, the reason why Seo Myung-hee had set up this situation was revealed.

“You said it was an outdoor lesson earlier. So this was part of the lecture too.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What’s lacking in my acting?”

“Si-joon, you’re too conscious of the camera, as if it were a judge.”

“Ah…”

“But the camera isn’t a judge. Rather, it’s an entity that loves the actor more than anything else.”

“An entity that loves the actor more than anything else…”

“Yes. Because it stays in the same place, silently accepting even the actor’s most inadequate moments.”

Although the conversation became a bit difficult with the metaphorical expressions mixed in, I understood everything Seo Myung-hee was trying to say.

As Seo Myung-hee said, I was overly conscious of the camera.

From my perspective, I couldn’t help it.

I still hadn’t fully shaken off my pre-regression self.

So I felt like the camera was monitoring my every move.

The feeling of being closely watched and having my inadequate acting skills pointed out.

But as Seo Myung-hee said, it wasn’t the camera that was evaluating me.

Up close, it was the cast and crew near the camera, and from afar, it was the viewers beyond the camera.

In the end, I was afraid of these people projected onto the camera.

‘So…’

At least in front of the camera, there was no reason to be afraid.

There was no need to be conscious of the camera and reveal my inner thoughts.

Fully receiving the camera’s love and freely expressing my acting.

This was exactly what I needed to do as an actor.

‘There’s no need to fear the camera… What I fear is just other entities projected onto the camera…’

It sounded like wordplay, but after experiencing this fact firsthand, I couldn’t dismiss it as simple.

Above all, if I were conscious of the camera as Seo Myung-hee taught, the viewers beyond the screen would surely notice that fact too.

Just as others became conscious of me because I was conscious first.

“I understand what kind of lesson you wanted to teach, Teacher. I was indeed acting awkwardly without realizing it.”

“No. Si-joon, you’re already doing well enough. The fact that many people are surprised by your acting is proof of that. But if you correct the part I mentioned, even better acting will be possible.”

Delivering a satisfactory performance even to discerning viewers.

As I conversed with Seo Myung-hee, I felt like I had grown even more.

Somehow, I felt like I could deliver even better performances than now.

“I’ll take your words to heart, Teacher. By the way, I guess I can now confidently walk down the street. As long as I don’t make eye contact first, no one will recognize me.”

As I said this and confidently walked ahead, Seo Myung-hee followed and quickly replied.

“That would normally be true, but it’s still better to be careful. Ordinary people who aren’t interested in others might not recognize us, but…”

Before Seo Myung-hee could finish her sentence, I felt someone approaching us.

“Oh? Isn’t that actor Seo Myung-hee?”

“Ah.”

“And actor Lee Si-joon is here too?”

“Huh?”

As I turned my head, there was a familiar face standing there.

Surprisingly, the person standing there was Kim Hee-soo, the writer of “I Will Cast Love.”

Looking at writer Kim Hee-soo, Seo Myung-hee finished her unfinished sentence.

“…People similar to us might recognize us. Just like this.”