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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Ad-Lib Knife
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The audience sat in deathly silence, all eyes fixed on the two shining students under the spotlight on the stage.
"No. I don't think that carelessly. If that were true, my brother wouldn't have died so unjustly."
Moon Woo-hyuk, playing the role of Woo-dam, let out a self-deprecating, bitter laugh as he spoke.
"Are you trying to mess with me right now? Do you think your brother died because of me? Is that why you're protesting? The dead have no meaning. Funerals mean nothing. Don't do something stupid."
The play that Do-hyun and Moon Woo-hyuk had prepared raced toward its climax.
In this scene originally, most actors exploded with emotion.
Do-hyun chose instead to suppress his emotions tightly rather than bellow them out with sharp tone and firm words.
The restrained emotions woven into his lines stuck in the ears more sharply and conveyed an even greater sense of intimidation.
'The first-years this time are really a field of talent.'
Han Hyo-jin had no choice but to acknowledge Do-hyun's talent in the end.
She still harbored an unconscious reluctance to admit it because he had rejected her own invitation.
But at least when it came to 'acting,' she decided to recognize it.
His vocalization wasn't stable yet, probably because his voice hadn't fully settled.
It didn't bother her much.
Even that unstable vocalization felt like a feature of the character 'Jun-sik.'
"Yes. Father, you're right about everything."
The silver lining was that Moon Woo-hyuk was handling it brilliantly too.
In contrast, Moon Woo-hyuk's vocalization was fully settled.
His innate physique, which perfectly mirrored his father Kang-hyun, combined with his effort, was shining through.
This was a stage that had long surpassed the level of a first-year.
'Both of them are incredible. Was I ever seen like that by the adults at their age?'
When she heard that Moon Woo-hyuk and Do-hyun wanted to practice separately, she had approved it.
His determination was impressive, and she thought it best to let him follow through if he had that kind of resolve.
Knowing the circumstances made the two exchanging lines on stage now seem even more remarkable.
They were immersed in their characters, conversing as if it were 'real,' perfectly in sync like they'd rehearsed it countless times.
But then,
"But..."
At Moon Woo-hyuk's single word, Han Hyo-jin's expression flipped 180 degrees in an instant.
'But? There's no such line.'
The line Moon Woo-hyuk had just uttered wasn't in the script.
A sudden ad-lib.
Han Hyo-jin stared intently at the stage, but it didn't end there.
'That punk...!'
She could see Moon Woo-hyuk pulling a prop knife from his pocket.
"If you keep blocking my path, I'll die right here!"
Moon Woo-hyuk held the knife to his own throat.
It was a situation that wasn't in the script at all.
Not just changing lines, but creating an entirely new situation.
There was a huge difference between altering lines and fabricating a nonexistent scenario, even if both were ad-libs.
The difficulty of the counterpart receiving it was on another level.
Han Hyo-jin looked at Do-hyun amid the sudden turn.
But her expression changed even more drastically.
She looked more shocked than when Moon Woo-hyuk had drawn the knife.
There was no change in Do-hyun's expression.
He still wore Jun-sik's face, expression, and posture perfectly.
Lee Do-hyun stared at Moon Woo-hyuk without the slightest disruption, embodying Jun-sik completely.
***
"I'll die right here!"
Moon Woo-hyuk, delivering his triumphant line while brandishing the prop, was convinced of his victory.
Outwardly, he was still acting as Woo-dam, but inside, not at all.
'See that? That's acting, you punk!'
Moon Woo-hyuk cheered inwardly.
He was sure Do-hyun would panic hard at his soul-infused ad-lib.
But,
"You foolish, arrogant bastard! You want to die that badly?"
Do-hyun received Moon Woo-hyuk's line too nonchalantly, perfectly.
And it wasn't just a simple catch.
Do-hyun unleashed emotions just as intensely as the ones Moon Woo-hyuk had been building up.
Since he'd been playing 'Jun-sik' with a consistently cynical attitude until now, the impact was even greater.
Moon Woo-hyuk, who had directly felt that pressure from Jun-sik with his whole body, froze, unsure what to do.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
Do-hyun charged forward with intimidating stomps and roughly snatched the knife from Moon Woo-hyuk's hand.
Even that motion was pure father worrying over his one remaining son—Jun-sik himself.
In contrast, Moon Woo-hyuk's eyes shook violently as he lost the knife.
Even clearly seeing the tremor in Moon Woo-hyuk's pupils up close, Do-hyun pressed on with his acting undeterred.
"Fine. If you want to die so badly, kill me first. Then do whatever you want."
Do-hyun held the snatched knife to his own throat, unleashing a tearful wail in a fervent performance.
It was an instantaneous emotional explosion with no regard for his vocal cords.
Moon Woo-hyuk, frozen by Do-hyun's ad-lib.
Three seconds of silence passed.
It was up to Do-hyun to salvage the situation.
Do-hyun tossed another ad-lib at Moon Woo-hyuk.
"Where are you looking! Is your dead brother gesturing for you to throw your life away too!"
Whether to hide Moon Woo-hyuk's fluster from the audience or out of true immersion, Do-hyun's ad-lib blended seamlessly into the scene, impossible for onlookers to discern.
Complete with a correspondingly desperate facial expression.
"Why are you doing this—!"
Do-hyun, shaking the dazed Moon Woo-hyuk's shoulders and screaming, was Jun-sik incarnate.
"Huh."
Han Hyo-jin, who had been holding back from making a sound throughout, finally let out a sharp exhale.
As the one who knew Moon Woo-hyuk best, she instantly spotted that he had panicked and frozen.
At the same time, she couldn't help but recognize Do-hyun's immersion and sense in taking complete control of the stage alone afterward.
Turning an opponent's freeze-up into an even higher emotional peak, driving it to climax.
She could only let out pure admiration.
On the other hand, Han Hyo-jin's gaze toward Moon Woo-hyuk had turned icy compared to the start of the stage.
'How can he be so immature?'
It was obvious.
The fact that he'd prepared a prop meant it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment ad-lib from over-immersion.
He'd clearly done it on purpose to mess with Do-hyun.
That's why he couldn't make a single move after Do-hyun's follow-up ad-lib hit him.
What an idiot.
Han Hyo-jin shook her head and signaled with her hand.
At her gesture, the stage lights went out.
"Good work. Both of you."
***
After finishing the stage, Do-hyun and Moon Woo-hyuk returned to the audience seats.
'What have I done... I...'
Moon Woo-hyuk's mentality had completely collapsed; his face was steeped in despair.
He went back to his corner seat, head bowed, clutching his head in silence.
"Sun-woo. Why's he acting like that?"
Song Ha-na watched Do-hyun from a short distance away and asked Kim Sun-woo.
Kim Sun-woo just shrugged once, unable to answer.
Only someone of Han Hyo-jin's caliber had noticed; in truth, none of the students caught Moon Woo-hyuk's mistake.
The play had remained flawless even after his fluster, as if scripted that way from the start.
His flustered actions even perfectly embodied Woo-dam.
"That was probably the best he's done lately. What's got him pissed off now? Jeez. Tsk."
She couldn't understand why he was so angry when he'd done so well.
"Yeah. That might've been one of the best performances I've seen from Moon Woo-hyuk during acting. Maybe Do-hyun's impact overshadowed it."
Song Ha-na flinched and stiffened at Kim Sun-woo's words, which again acknowledged Do-hyun, then muttered.
"Impact my foot."
Song Ha-na tore her gaze from Moon Woo-hyuk and looked back at the stage.
Meanwhile, Do-hyun was also sitting alone, a bit away from the others.
But his posture and expression were worlds apart from Moon Woo-hyuk's.
"Whew."
He'd burned bright.
It had been a while since he'd burned so purely white-hot.
It was fun.
Acting with an audience was always thrilling in a way solo practice could never match.
He'd practiced a lot alone in this small theater, but nothing gave him this high.
Because it wasn't under the direct gaze of spectators.
The tension rippling from the audience when Moon Woo-hyuk drew the knife.
He hadn't felt flustered at all.
His fingertips had trembled slightly from the sheer thrill.
There had been a near-mishap mid-scene because Moon Woo-hyuk couldn't catch his ad-lib, but it didn't faze him.
He'd handled it well enough.
"Good work, everyone. Thanks for not fumbling around up there; I appreciate it."
With all teams' performances done, Han Hyo-jin took the stage and spoke.
Of course, the differences in acting skill among the students were visible.
Still, at least no one had put on an amateurish, sloppy show.
One dimwit had nearly blown it today, but since it passed smoothly, no face lost.
It hadn't happened in front of the other teachers she'd gathered, with her own mentee making a disgraceful scene.
"Now, applause for all the teachers who worked hard today."
Including Kim Geun-tae, the judging teachers stood beside Han Hyo-jin, and the students clapped.
Now that the stages were over, the students' faces had relaxed noticeably with relief.
"Take a 10-minute break, then we'll start feedback right away."
The feedback session was one of the traditions of Cheongyeom Arts High's acting tests.
After all stages ended, giving open feedback in front of everyone.
Han Hyo-jin, as the lead, would mainly handle it, but students or judging teachers could freely chime in anytime.
Well, that didn't mean students would easily add their two cents.
The 10-minute break flew by, and those who went to the bathroom or grabbed water gathered back in the small theater.
Han Hyo-jin and the judges set chairs on stage and sat in a row facing the students.
Feedback began with the first team.
Han Hyo-jin's expression twitched slightly as she smoothly read the evaluations passed from the judges and her own observations.
Regaining her composure, she spoke.
"Next, Lee Do-hyun. Moon Woo-hyuk."
Finally, my turn.
His butt fidgeted, eager to hear the feedback ASAP.
In contrast, Moon Woo-hyuk in his corner seat closed his eyes.
It was awful. He didn't want to hear it.
He knew his mistake today better than anyone.
He just wanted to rush back to the dorm and be alone.
His lips were bitten so hard they nearly drew blood.
As Han Hyo-jin was about to say something,
"Can I ask these two a question first?"
Kim Geun-tae, who had barely chimed in on feedback before, raised his hand politely with a kindly smile and jumped in.
The other judges sent intrigued looks at Kim Geun-tae's remark.
"...Yes, of course. Go ahead."
Han Hyo-jin paused briefly but readily accepted the input from the hitherto silent Kim Geun-tae.
Kim Geun-tae slowly glanced at me and Moon Woo-hyuk once each before posing his question.
"The ad-lib you showed in the play—was that a pre-agreed directorial choice?"
Well, well. As expected of Teacher Kim Geun-tae.
Behind that kindly smile, he always harbored a sharp gaze.
He seemed intent on confirming the most sensitive point first.
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