I Will Live As An Actor

Chapter 74

Jang Young-guk.

Actor Lee Chang-hoon was pondering over the newcomer Jang Young-guk. 

He was the oldest and most experienced actor in the play ‘Spring of Joseon’ by playwright Jung Yong-dae. 

He had left the theater scene and lived as a movie actor, but he still received many offers from the theater industry. However, he had never returned to the theater stage until now.

But there were two reasons why he decided to stand on the theater stage again. 

They were playwright Jung Yong-dae and director Sung Ji-hoon. 

If it weren’t for their passionate persuasion, he would never have gone back to the theater.

‘It’s amazing.’

His eyes were fixed on the filmography of actor Jang Young-guk on the TV screen. 

He had watched all the dramas and independent films that Jang Young-guk had appeared in over the past few days, and even the movies where he had cameo roles.

He was researching Jang Young-guk so much because he had taken the role of the temporary leader in ‘Spring of Joseon’. 

As a senior actor, he had to lead and guide the juniors. 

He was skeptical about the fact that the lead role was given to a rookie who had never been on a proper theater stage.

‘I heard he never learned acting.’

Actor Lee Chang-hoon felt a strange curiosity about Jang Young-guk’s performance in ‘The Man of August’ when he was a child actor. 

According to the behind-the-scenes story he learned from a magazine, the PD and the writer had found him at a market street in Yeongdo, a suburb of Busan. But the young Jang Young-guk’s acting on the TV screen was clearly that of someone who had learned acting.

‘Was he born with it?’

Could that be possible? 

Even in his entire acting career, he had seen some people who had natural talent for acting, but not to that extent. 

As proof, he outshone Park Soo-young’s acting in the scenes where they acted together.

At first, he thought he was just cast by playwright Jung Yong-dae to create some buzz. 

After all, he was a newcomer who had heated up the last year with the title of national first love.

“Everyone who worked with him praised him unanimously.”

Actor Lee Chang-hoon had asked around and found out that the praises for the newcomer Jang Young-guk were endless.

But.

‘Theater and drama are different.’

No matter how brilliant he was in dramas with his natural talent, he had seen many cases where actors failed miserably on the theater stage. 

That’s why Lee Chang-hoon was more curious. He wondered what kind of performance Jang Young-guk would show at today’s rehearsal.

***

Theater.

The theater industry has always had a clear hierarchy. Unlike the broadcasting industry, where the popular ones act haughty, the seniority system is clear among the actors. 

Since they have to act in front of the audience at a close distance, they can’t afford to make a single mistake. 

That’s why they have to be strict like a head chef inspecting the dishes.

‘Lee Chang-hoon, Ji Dong-yeon, Kim Min-hwa, Park Sang-ah, Son Ji-min…’

He was surprised to see the members who gathered for the rehearsal. 

They were all actors who had made their names in the broadcasting industry. 

They were all veterans who had gone through ups and downs in the theater scene. 

And even director Sung Ji-hoon was there.

He remembered what his professors used to say repeatedly in college. 

If playwright Jung Yong-dae hadn’t been desperately needed in the country, and director Sung Ji-hoon hadn’t left the theater scene, the theater industry would have developed faster by decades.

“Nice to meet you all. I know some of you, but not all of you, so I’ll introduce myself first. I’m Sung Ji-hoon, the director and stage director.”

The introductions of playwright Jung Yong-dae and the actors followed after director Sung Ji-hoon. 

The actors who had been worn out in the theater scene didn’t show any signs of nervousness. 

Yeon-su hid her trembling heart and greeted them cheerfully, and it was finally his turn.

“I’m Jang Young-guk, who will play the lead role of ‘Baek Moo-yeol’. It’s an honor to meet you seniors here today. I look forward to working with you.”

He remembered the first time he stepped into the theater scene in his previous life. 

He was so nervous that he stuttered at the meeting with the seniors. 

The director and some of the actors looked at him with curiosity. 

They must have wondered what kind of talent he had that captivated playwright Jung Yong-dae. That’s when it happened.

Clap!

Actor Lee Chang-hoon stands up from his seat and claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. 

Seeing him, stage director Sung Ji-hoon and playwright Jung Yong-dae quietly rise from their seats. Yeon-su looks bewildered, but I know what’s going on.

“I’m Lee Chang-hoon, the oldest and most experienced actor here, and I’ve been appointed as the temporary leader. The reason why we all gathered here, putting our broadcasting schedules on hold, is none other than rehearsal. As you can see, we rented the stage of the now-defunct Seonghwan Theater for a month. We’re not ready enough to show you a dress rehearsal level performance, but we can at least do a reading while moving along the lines. We have to work hard, since we only have a little over a month left until the Korean Theater Festival. This one performance will determine our reputation.”

Everyone swallowed their saliva at the last word of actor Lee Chang-hoon. The atmosphere that was friendly and warm as they greeted each other suddenly became tense. It was understandable. They were all actors who had left the stage. Their determination to take on this stage was no less than any other actor.

“From now on, let’s speak freely.”

There was a simple reason why Lee Chang-hoon, who was known to be polite, spoke so strongly. The unexpected situations that occurred on the stage were beyond the control of the stage director or the playwright. Moreover, the role of the leader was like a drill sergeant.

He had to be gentle like a mother at times, but strict like a father at others. In other words, he was saying that he would take the lead as a senior actor.

“Let’s start with Yeon-su’s rehearsal.”

I knew it.

In most theater rehearsals, the rookies are the first ones to go on stage. Yeon-su and I are no different. 

We are newcomers who have never had a proper theater experience. 

The actors who have been worn out by the theater scene must be curious about us.

“Yes!”

Yeon-su answers energetically and gets up from her seat. 

The auditorium is empty and hollow. 

Only the stage director, the playwright, and the actors are sitting there. 

I also take a seat and watch Yeon-su, who is alone on the stage.

‘Sigh.’

Yeon-su took a deep breath.

As she looked at herself, she remembered her first stage performance in her past life. 

Back then, she had acted in front of her senior actors who were sitting in the audience. 

She honestly couldn’t recall what kind of performance she had given.

It was only a rehearsal, but she was so nervous that her vision went white and her voice trembled. 

And of course, what followed was a scolding from her seniors.

‘I hope I don’t cry.’

Aren’t you supposed to take it easy during rehearsals?

As a theater actor, there is one thing that everyone agrees on: rehearsals are terrifying. 

Especially for newcomers like me. It’s more frightening to face the piercing eyes of the seniors than the packed audience. 

And I’m not just a minor role, but the lead. I have to memorize a lot of lines and move around the stage a lot.

“Act 1, Scene 7.”

The director’s voice echoes through the theater.

Only then do I start to move my feet and open my small lips.

“Who is that man to hang out with a Japanese woman like that? He is a disgrace to Joseon. He must want to be a dog of the barbarians, wagging his tail and fawning over them. Or maybe he wants to be a barbarian himself, if not a dog.”

Her voice and tone are good. 

She has tried hard to erase the traces of the drama she had played before. But there is a problem.

‘Blocking.’

A play is not a stage made of dialogue only. 

The actor has to show and convince the audience of his emotions and thoughts, without leaving a single straw. 

In that sense, the character’s movement and facial expression are indispensable.

And what Yeon-su overlooked was not just that. I closed my eyes slightly. 

As if I expected the loud voice that would soon come.

“Hey―!”

***

The atmosphere in the theater was cold and tense. 

The people sitting in the seats only stared at the stage without any interest. 

Yeon-su’s face, which had been cheerful when she introduced herself, looked anxious as if she would burst into tears at any moment. 

She bit her lip hard, trying to endure it all. But.

“Again.”

The rehearsal had been repeated countless times, more than he could count on his fingers. But Yeon-su was stuck at the dialogue of Act 1, Scene 7. 

As soon as the dialogue ended, the director Lee Chang-hoon shouted ‘again’ in a sharp voice, like a Möbius strip that never stopped.

‘He’s so harsh.’

Director Lee Chang-hoon didn’t point out what Yeon-su did wrong. He knew why he was pushing Yeon-su so hard, to the point of being too much. 

After all, there was a good reason why they had to rehearse on the stage right away, without even reading the script. 

There was not much time left until the Korean Theater Festival.

‘Shock therapy works best.’

I had gone through the same thing in my past life. 

On the first day, the seniors lined up and made me repeat the same thing over and over, without telling me what was wrong. 

Well, if they were going to teach me everything, I should have gone to an acting school, not a theater company.

‘I did it for three hours.’

Yeon-su was better off. 

When I had my first rehearsal in my past life, I had to do it again and again for three hours, while the director cursed at me. 

Repeating the same dialogue for three hours made my head go blank, and my hands and feet tremble.

Many rookie actors had run away from the theater scene after experiencing this. 

Every time, the seniors said.

-Only those who can do it stay in this business.

As if to prove their words, Yeon-su bit her lip and recited the dialogue. 

Shee was exhausted from the repeated dialogue, but he tried hard to maintain his voice and tone. That’s when it happened.

“Stop.”

Actor Lee Chang-hoon nodded his head with a satisfied smile. It had been an hour already. But the seniors never took their eyes off him. 

Now it was their turn. 

Usually, they didn’t point out the rookie’s problems right away. 

They wanted him to see their acting in the next rehearsal and find his own improvement points. 

That’s when it happened.

“Young-guk.”

Me?

Actor Lee Chang-hoon looked at me. I had forgotten for a moment, lost in the memories of my past life.

“Go up.”

I was also a rookie now.