OATCG 24

Chapter – 24

If there was anyone as desperate as the contestants right now, it was PD Im Yeong-do.

From the very beginning, producing an actor audition program was an enormous gamble. If he hadn’t harbored this ambition for a long time, he probably wouldn’t have attempted a show like this at all.

‘There’s no stage for rookie actors.’

There are platforms for idols, singers, even rappers to challenge themselves… but actors have nothing like that.

In most professions, at the very least, the door to challenge is open. But for rookie actors, even that opportunity isn’t given.

That was the reason this program was created.

He wanted to open a new stage of opportunity for actors.

…Perhaps it was nothing more than meddlesome sentimentality from someone who once dreamed of becoming an actor himself.

Anyway, for that meddling to succeed, the ratings had to be good.

And that wasn’t something Im Yeong-do could control through effort alone.

The contestants had to show charms strong enough to captivate the viewers.

‘What this program needs is a star.’

They needed a contestant with star quality.

That was why he went to Cheongsong. He knew that Cheongsong had quite a few compelling actors.

If they appeared on the program, the chances of a star emerging would naturally increase.

And Sunwoo was one of the star candidates who caught Im Yeong-do’s eye.

That was why, during the following interview segment, every Cheongsong contestant was asked questions about Sunwoo.

“Sunwoo? Hmm… he’s really amazing. I’ve never seen anyone improve so fast.”

From Hyesung,

“He’s talented, sure, but he’s also a practice maniac. Sunwoo will definitely become a great actor.”

From Minhee,

“That hyung is a genius!!”

From Yechan,

“…….”

Even Seo Jinwook was asked about Sunwoo.

Of course, all that came back was an expression of discomfort toward Sunwoo, but even that could be turned into good material if used well.

Anyway, after receiving all those questions, the troupe members started to sense something.

“Doesn’t it feel like the PD is trying to push you a bit?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. He kept asking about you. Did he ask you about us too?”

“Well, that is…”

He had been asked about Jaewon and Minhee.

But there was no mention of the other members. Still, Sunwoo couldn’t bring himself to say that outright and trailed off.

Reading his feelings, Hyesung smiled brightly.

“Well, either way, that’s good news. Making an impression on the PD is just as important as appealing to the viewers. I’m kind of jealous.”

“…Haha.”

Sunwoo laughed awkwardly.

As Hyesung said, it was a good situation—but at the same time, it was burdensome. If the “genius” frame stuck this firmly, then even a single misstep later would bring serious backlash.

Well, then he just couldn’t misstep.

Sunwoo steeled his resolve.

You don’t enter a competition expecting to fail. From beginning to end, he would show his best.

And if luck was on his side…

‘Being the lead isn’t just a dream.’

Of course, it wasn’t an easy goal to speak of.

To be the lead, he had to take first place. That meant defeating countless competitors.

There was no need to think far ahead.

Could he beat Jaewon?

‘Honestly, not right now.’

And besides Jaewon, I Am an Actor would surely include many others with comparable skill.

To beat them, he couldn’t stay as he was now.

So what should he do?

What else?

Practice like his life depended on it.

There were only two weeks left until the main competition.

The production team hadn’t told them to prepare any specific acting.

They probably planned to give them missions on the day itself.

But he couldn’t spend those two weeks idly.

Jeonghee and Youngsik were already looking forward to hearing that Sunwoo was appearing on an audition program.

He couldn’t let them see him half-heartedly fail.

Sunwoo reviewed his acting together with the troupe members.

Honestly, considering his experience, Sunwoo’s acting didn’t have any glaring flaws.

Even so, he still wasn’t satisfied with his performance.

‘I want to act like hyung Doyoung.’

A color so strong it filled not only himself but the entire stage.

He couldn’t suddenly emit that kind of presence overnight, but he wanted to feel that he was at least getting closer.

When he asked the other members about it, their advice was simple.

“Repetition is the answer.”

“Repetition?”

“Yeah. Whether it’s sadness or fear, pick one emotion and practice it over and over. The more you do, the more familiar you become with that emotion.”

“That’s right. They say you can only express anger if you know anger. Acting’s the same.”

Minhee shrugged.

“You have to become familiar with the emotion.”

At that moment, Sunwoo admitted it.

He had relied on the power of the color droplets, but perhaps he hadn’t thought deeply enough about how to release emotions.

Back then, that was his best.

Just emitting the colors he took in was already overwhelming.

This time, Sunwoo decided to explore emotions—and even colors—on a deeper level.

Even if he burst a color droplet and synchronized with the character’s psyche…

In the end, the one feeling everything was still Kim Sunwoo.

If Sunwoo himself didn’t gain a deeper understanding of emotions, there would always be limits to what he could feel and express.

It was a bit difficult, but that was fine.

He’d expected it to be hard from the start, and more than anything, even this complicated process felt enjoyable to him.

In any case, even moments like this were colorful.

There was no need to complain.

Sunwoo focused on practicing his acting.

The sight of it was a bit amusing—reading a script, staring blankly into space, suddenly smiling to himself, then putting on a sorrowful face, over and over.

Without a single line of dialogue, what kind of emotions was he even feeling?

Even Jaewon shook his head when he saw Sunwoo like that.

“He’s not normal, right?”

The one who spoke was Minhee.

She looked at Sunwoo as if he were something incredible.

“After you, oppa, he’s the first person I’ve seen act this obsessively.”

“…He’s different from me.”

“Huh? What, are you saying you worked harder?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Jaewon’s lips trembled slightly.

Minhee, who had looked at him without much thought, was momentarily startled.

What was with that look?

It almost looked like he was jealous of Sunwoo.

“He’s enjoying it more than I ever did.”

Enjoying it.

Minhee hadn’t thought of it that way.

She turned her head to look at Sunwoo again.

Thinking about it, Sunwoo showed none of the “depression” that usually came packaged with being an unknown actor.

She’d assumed it was because he hadn’t been acting for long and hadn’t fully felt the bitterness of being a nobody yet—but now, that didn’t seem to be the whole story.

“Among us, there’s probably no one who enjoys acting as much as he does.”

Jaewon was right.

Sunwoo was enjoying acting more than anyone.

Whether things went well or badly, he enjoyed acting in the purest way possible.

Minhee stared at Sunwoo blankly for a moment.

When was it, she wondered, that she could smile happily just from acting like that?

She muttered bitterly,

“They say those who enjoy it are first-rate. By that standard… Sunwoo’s already first-rate.”

“Well, we’re seniors too. We can’t just fall behind.”

Jaewon smiled as he tied his hair back.

“Let’s try enjoying it too.”

He walked toward Sunwoo.

Watching the two practice together in sync, Minhee let out a small laugh.

Yeah.

No need to think too hard.

Let’s just enjoy it, for now.

The day of the main competition.

At the filming studio, stepping into the plaza surrounded by cameras, Sunwoo muttered in surprise,

“…There are really all kinds of people here.”

There were quite a few children who looked barely ten years old.

Of course, there had been some during the preliminaries too, but he’d thought it would be hard for them to make it to the main round. He was wrong.

And it wasn’t just the children who surprised him.

There were many elderly people, and even middle-aged individuals who looked like ordinary office workers.

If they were here, it meant they’d shown strong performances in the preliminaries.

How much effort must they have put in to prepare that acting?

A sense of awe filled Sunwoo’s eyes.

<< Thank you all for making it this far. You’ve worked hard. >>

A familiar voice echoed from the speakers.

Sung Jun-il’s voice.

At the same time, the curtain covering the stage lifted, revealing the judges.

Sung Jun-il, Yoo Mi-yeon, and Lee Mu-beom.

They slowly surveyed the hundred contestants standing in the plaza.

<< Starting today, you’ll be embarking on an 80-day journey. Of course, not everyone will make it to the end. Some will last halfway… others might not even endure a few days. >>

<< But there’s one thing I can promise you. Those who make it through this journey to the end… will be living a different life than before. >>

Sunwoo nodded inwardly.

Yes. If he made it to the end, his life would surely change.

The problem was whether he could make it to the end.

<< To ensure that you can focus solely on acting, we’ve done our best to provide the right environment. >>

<< We’ve prepared double rooms comparable to those of high-end hotels for all participants. >>

<< However… there are only 25 rooms. >>

From the start, things sounded ominous.

There were 25 double rooms, but 100 participants.

As contestants began clutching their foreheads, already anticipating what was coming, Sung Jun-il continued in a voice devoid of humor.

<< From now on, you will move to the dormitory behind us and choose your rooms. >>

<< You will enter one by one, and once four people enter a room, the door will be locked. >>

<< After that, an acting duel will be held to determine the two owners of the room. >>

…As expected.

Sighs erupted from all around.

He’d thought something like this might happen, but eliminating half the contestants on the very first day?

Sunwoo turned to look at the troupe members.

As if thinking the same thing, they looked back at him.

“…Please, let’s not meet inside.”

“Seriously. Killing each other like that would be awful…”

They could end up meeting each other inside.

Just imagining it was terrifying.

If they fought among themselves, even winning wouldn’t feel like a win.

“Well, let’s all try to avoid each other.”

<< Now, we’ll begin room assignments! >>

At Sung Jun-il’s announcement, the contestants slowly began to move.

The claim about hotel-level double rooms wasn’t a lie.

The building prepared as the dormitory looked quite clean at first glance.

The problem was that inside, a deadly battle was about to unfold.

“I’ll go first.”

“…Please, let’s not meet!”

One by one, the troupe members headed toward the dormitory.

Sunwoo swallowed hard.

For no clear reason, he felt tense.

If only he didn’t meet a troupe member inside.

Anyone else was fine—just not them.

“Kim Sunwoo, please enter.”

“Yes.”

It was his turn.

With a tense expression, Sunwoo stepped into the dormitory.

He was more nervous than during the preliminaries—maybe even more than that.

Please, not a troupe member.

Strong opponent or not, just not a troupe member.

‘Let’s go…!’

Sunwoo reached for the doorknob.

The door opened.

And when he saw the contestant inside, his expression became complicated.

“Ah, hello!”

Inside was a young boy who looked barely around ten years old.

He bowed deeply as he greeted him.

His whole body radiated nervousness—it was almost painful to see.

“Hello.”

Sunwoo returned the greeting with an awkward expression.

Uh… he’d said anyone was fine as long as it wasn’t a troupe member, but this wasn’t what he had imagined.

No matter what…

He’s way too young, isn’t he?