Chapter 74:

Chapter 74:

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 werent for their passionate persuasion, he would never have gone back to the theater.

Its 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-guks 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-guks 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-youngs 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.

Thats why Lee Chang-hoon was more curious. He wondered what kind of performance Jang Young-guk would show at todays 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 cant afford to make a single mistake.

Thats 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 hadnt been desperately needed in the country, and director Sung Ji-hoon hadnt 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 Ill introduce myself first. Im Sung Ji-hoon, the director and stage director.

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

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 characters 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-sus 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 Mbius strip that never stopped.

Hes so harsh.

Director Lee Chang-hoon didnt 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. Thats 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 didnt point out the rookies problems right away.

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

Thats 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.