Chapter 26

Chapter 26

‘Why on earth am I number 1?’

Of course, someone will have to take the test first.

But knowing that someone was me was another story.

“Number 1, is there any applicant Kang Jinseok?”

At that time, the staff member who opened the door called my name.

“Even though I felt a bit embarrassed being number 1, I responded cheerfully, concealing any signs of it.”

“Yes, here it is.”

“Yes, I will head to the exam room now.”

“As I walked slowly toward the door, I felt the gaze of other students.”

“There was a mix of relief among those who weren’t number one and nervousness among those eager to start faster.”

“I’m even more nervous than during auditions...”

“Some might find it strange that someone like me, accustomed to auditions, is nervous in the entrance exam hall.”

The feelings of the many auditions I had seen so far and the university exam center I attended for the first time were completely different. With my heart pounding, I followed the staff to the exam room.

As we walked down the long hallway, the staff member who guided us smiled and said, “Are you nervous because you’re number 1?”

I replied, “Yes? Ah, yes. I’m a little nervous. I never thought I would be number 1...”

The host nodded in understanding, saying, “Actually, I also took the test the first time. So I know what it feels like.”

“Ah...”

“I’ll make sure to do well on the exam before I enroll and then have a drink. The people who took the exam number 1 are quite close. There are many great people among those who graduated.”

While we were chatting about small things, we arrived at the practical exam center. The exam center was on the first floor, and outside the window, numerous students were walking around with their bags on their backs. Everyone looked like high school students, not college students.

“Then, fighting!”

“Yes!”

After receiving the support of the staff member, I took a deep breath, opened the door to the examination room, and said loudly.

“Hello! “I’m majoring in acting my number is one!”

I said hello and gently placed the guitar I was carrying on my back on the floor. Then I looked up and saw the professors.

But the eyes of the professors were too intense.

Did I do something wrong?

I didn’t get that kind of look even at the audition. Rather, they talk to the applicant first so that they can see everything about the applicant and relieve the tension.

But there was nothing like that in the examination hall.

Fierce eyes that seemed to see through everything about me. They were like the eyes of an eagle looking at its prey.

They said that going to college was like reaching the stars in the sky, and it was true.

But strangely enough, I felt more comfortable as this atmosphere continued. Without knowing why, I remembered the first time I went to an audition.

I was really nervous then... but now I’m relatively calm. I have grown up.

I thought about it that way. It gave me confidence.

I looked carefully at the faces of the professors again.

The professor in the middle is Yeonmi’s father.

A slightly older face than the one I saw in my memory. His hair was white in places.

Unlike the other professors who were staring at me, Yeonmi Kim’s father was looking at documents.

It was then that the professor on the far left spoke.

“Please come forward and select the script for the day.”

Ambassador of the Day. It is literally an “ambassador” given “on the day” to find out the applicant’s true capabilities.

“Yes!”

He replied vigorously and walked forward. Keep your back straight and your eyes straight ahead.

Since he believed that every gesture would be judged, he was able to show Kim Yeonmi what he had practiced.

Standing in front of his desk, he thought for a moment about which script to choose. But it was upside down, so there was no point in worrying about it.

Let’s not waste our energy on something like this, let’s just pick the closest one.

I picked the script right in front of me. Then I turned around and went back to where I was originally standing.

The professor who had just spoken spoke again.

“I’ll give you 10 minutes. “You can read the script, analyze it, and then start acting.”

“Yes!”

In a solemn atmosphere, the professor shook his head slightly.

“Then not the person you’re dating, but the women among your friends.”

A slightly disappointed voice. But the nuance is: “There is still hope for you.

Now I was completely immersed in those times.

When the professor shook his head slightly again, my performance reached its peak.

“—doesn’t exist?”

Cracked.

A question that goes beyond disappointment and seems absurd. He said, clenching his molars.

“Close your eyes.”

A voice that was half air and half sound.

Then the professors closed their eyes.

I don’t know why, but there was a female professor, too.

***

“Close your eyes.”

Jinseok speaks with a long sigh. The professors closed their eyes without noticing when they heard Jinseok’s voice. There was no special reason.

I just felt like I had to close my eyes because I was told to.

“What do you see?”

Jinseok asked, and the professors answered in their minds.

I can’t see anything.

“Isn’t it dark?”

“Yes!

“Do you know what that is?”

‘—.’

“This will be your military service from now on.”

It was like lightning. This is an exam room where the professor is ‘A’ and Jinseok is ‘B’, but the professors couldn’t think of such a thing.

The acting was so realistic that I was transported back decades without even realizing it.

“This is your last chance!”

“—!”

“My older or younger sister!!”

Jinseok’s voice can be heard, not as calm as now, but full of excitement.

From that point on, everyone could tell it was a joke, but the professors had already empathized with the ‘new soldier’.

One of the professors remembered his older sister. It had been a while since she had been married, and her child had an older sister who was Jinseok’s age.

Maybe he read the professor’s expression, or maybe it was just good timing, but Jinseok spoke into the professor’s face with his eyes wide open.

“Uh, okay. sister. “Are you pretty?”

Jinseok’s voice was full of anticipation.

As soon as the professor heard these words, he thought of his older sister.

The question “Is she pretty?” brought a face to his mind that made it impossible for him to nod his head.

But he felt that he shouldn’t shake his head here, so he nodded.

Bang!

Then Jinseok hit the table where the professors were sitting. The professors were startled and jumped back at the sound.

Before I could calm my heart, Jinseok’s line continued.

“I don’t believe in words!!! Picture!!! Bring a picture!!! “Family photos or something!!!”

Jinseok’s eyes were so wide that they seemed to jump out of his head, and he spoke so fiercely that spit splattered on his face.

But none of the professors could say anything to Jinseok.

Because Jinseok’s acting is not acting...

Reminds me of that guy from 20 years ago.

This is not a level that can be achieved through practice. Even active soldiers can’t do better than this.

It is the kind of acting that seems to come with experience and countless rehearsals.

Because it felt real.