Aura of a Genius Actor

༺ Master’s Last Teaching ༻

The scene transitioned to a two-shot of Jeong Mong-ju and Lee Bang-won after class.

Jeong Mong-ju tried to leave the lecture room, seemingly eager to avoid the encounter. However, Lee Bang-won blocked his way, bowing deeply. Despite growing up in a remote northeastern region, his greeting was noble and sophisticated.

Jeong Mong-ju was forced to stop in his tracks.

“Greetings, ‘Master’.”

It was an uncomfortable title for Mong-ju. However, he couldn’t just dismiss Lee Bang-won and tell him to stop calling him master as he had just attended his lecture.

Mong-ju responded with an elegant smile and a polite greeting.

“Long time no see, Yudeok (Lee Bang-won’s *courtesy name).”

Mong-ju’s formal tone, a change from the informal speech when Bang-won was younger, could either be out of respect for Lee Bang-won, who had now passed the civil service exam and married, or perhaps to maintain a distance.

Lee Bang-won pondered over Mong-ju’s intentions.

“You’ve grown up so much. Your scholarly achievements are impressive.”

“I look forward to learning more from you, Master.”

“I’m only here for a special lecture at Sungkyunkwan.”

This was a subtle rejection and a roundabout way of saying that he was no longer his teacher.

One side of Lee Bang-won’s lips twitched slightly on his externally serene face. 

His father was someone who had no affinity for duplicity. Seong-Gye probably still hadn’t realized that this politician, whom he regarded as a friend, had already marked the Lee family as a threat.

Lee Bang-won suppressed his twisted smile. 

Just as he learned and just like the good example before him right now, he must not reveal his turbulent emotions.

Bang-won spoke again with a polite demeanor.

“I have been well.”

“That’s good to hear. I heard about your marriage. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“How’s your father?”

“He’s even more energetic than I am.”

“Haha. Song-heon (Lee Seong-gye’s pen name) is indeed a strong man. Send him my regards. I’ll see you next time.”

As Mong-ju quickly wrapped up the conversation and moved away, Bang-won’s facade shattered. 

His real expression spread across his face, starting from his twisted lips.

“Master!”

“…”

Mong-ju’s steps halted as he walked past Bang-won, held back by the emotions attached to the title. 

They now stood with their backs to each other, looking in opposite directions. This was captured in the two-shot. 

“Why…?”

“…”

“Why?! Why aren’t you making eye contact with me?”

Lee Bang-won’s resentment burst forth.

Despite being a prodigy and being mentored by the best, he was still only 16.

His seemingly sturdy facade unraveled uncontrollably.

He knew why Mong-ju had distanced himself. 

It wasn’t out of dislike for him or busyness. 

It was only due to the fact that Mong-ju sensed his father’s ambitions and had also marked him, the son, as a threat.

However, the figure who had been a hero to Bang-won for ten years and his teacher for 2 years turned his back on him once again.

‘It must be because our positions are different,’ Bang-won thought, trying to accept it coolly. 

However, this person was too significant in the 16-year-old Bang-won’s life to let go of easily.

Bang-won’s face eventually distorted, and he shouted out loud.

“Even if I tried to visit or send you letters, you never responded even once! Do you… really not want to see me at all?!”

His outburst, a mix of the last traces of his youthful innocence and impassioned fervor, seemed to tear through the air. 

The person who was the cause of Bang-won’s outburst responded:

“Use flattery with smooth words and an embellished face to gain the favor of others, kiss the hand you wish to cut off, display outward obedience and inner defiance, and show what is seemingly right but is actually wrong!” 

It was a soft yet clear rebuke.

“I taught you that revealing your feelings without gaining anything is something a politician cannot afford to do…!”

It was his master’s last teaching.

Realizing he had exposed his hand, Bang-won closed his mouth tightly. 

Jeong Mong-ju walked away and exited the frame, leaving only a furious Bang-won in the scene.

Jeong Mong-ju vs. Lee Bang-won. 

Round 1 ended in a complete defeat for Bang-won.

*

The shooting set fell silent, with only the chirping of birds in the background.

It wasn’t until the camera’s light returned to green that Hansung finally relaxed, and the tension also slightly eased from the silhouette of Yoomyeong, who still stood with his back to him. 

Hansung turned and looked at Yoomyeong’s back.

‘What kind of person is he?’

He had been watching him for two years. 

He first saw him in a video that Jae Pil showed off. 

Back then, Yoomyeong had an overwhelming talent that made viewers breathless, and even made Hansung want to tell him to relax a bit.

After seeing his acting at the Oedipus’s Workshop, Hansung had to acknowledge it. 

Although he was a newbie actor, Yoomyeong was more serious about acting than anyone else. He wasn’t just a junior, but an equal colleague with whom he could share insights about acting. 

And recently, he had become a close younger brother to Hansung. Sometimes, he even felt like a friend or an older brother. Yoomyeong was a good person who made him feel fulfilled.

And now…

For the first time, Hansung felt a sense of crisis.

No matter how intense the character of Lee Bang-won was, the center of this film was Jeong Mong-ju. 

The film, centered on Jeong Mong-ju’s life from Lee Bang-won’s birth in 1367 to Mong-ju’s death in 1392, required a balance. Also, Yoomyeong didn’t appear until 40 minutes into the movie.

Their confrontation must be tense, but Jeong Mong-ju cannot be overshadowed. Although he was eliminated by Lee Bang-won’s hands, he won by sticking to his principles. 

If the real Jeong Mong-ju was overshadowed, then it meant that his own acting was lacking.

That couldn’t happen. 

The pains he had experienced in the past had made Hansung somewhat numb to the world. But now, a sense of urgency returned to his face. 

Although he had always been desperate when it came to acting, 

He was going to become even more desperate starting today. 

*

Director Son barely managed to close his mouth, surprised. It became increasingly difficult to hide his emotions as he aged. No, that wasn’t it. He had rarely been so surprised before.

‘So the word ‘facade’ has such a meaning…’ 

Lee Bang-won and Jeong Mong-ju. 

These two characters never revealed their true selves and had always presented a socially acceptable attitude, making them inscrutable and cunning individuals. 

However, each of them had a moment where their true face was revealed.

For Lee Bang-won, it was at the age of 16, when he met Jeong Mong-ju after two years. 

The sight of the most influential figure in his life turning away from him caused the shell of the still-maturing young man to crack open and reveal his true self. 

From then on, his facade became increasingly solidified.

On the other hand, Jeong Mong-ju first appeared at the age of 29 and was already a fully formed politician. He showed a perfectly elegant face throughout the film except at the very end, where he revealed his true self just before his death. 

This signaled a generational shift.

Shin Yoomyeong had crafted two expressions: the vivid expression of an ambitious and passionate Lee Bang-won, and a more muted, well-masked version of the same character.

And the glimpses of Bang-won’s true self were revealed when the facade was momentarily peeled away, showing a deep longing for things he couldn’t have.

Remembering the vivid expression of these emotions, the director commented:

“This is… really good. It’s a shame that this expression only appears once.”

“I plan to blend it in subtly.” 

“Blend it in? How?”

Yoomyeong explained.

“When interacting with loyal retainers like Jo Yeong-gyu or facing other political rivals, the thickness of his facade will vary. Of course, it will also change depending on the situation. I’m going to adjust the thickness of his facade in each scene.”

“…”

Was this what genius looked like? 

The director had sensed it when Yoomyeong requested to do extra acting, but his approach to acting was truly unique. Even for someone who had been in the film industry for over 30 years, this method of acting was something new. 

It was one thing to describe such a nuanced portrayal, but it was quite another to convincingly implement it.

The director decided not to interfere too much with Yoomyeong’s acting. After all, he was someone who prepared and deliberated over his character and scenes more than anyone else.

The Director. 

That was the person who held the rudder and issued commands on the ship called a movie. 

However, Director Son realized that it was more about compromising than directing when it came to Yoomyeong.

Yoomyeong’s approach to acting resulted from years of self-taught methods and imagination, formed without a proper mentor.

Now, it was finally shining through.

{He’s definitely… one of a kind.} 

Miho thought, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the set and the ‘interesting contractor’s’ performance.

*

“Food truck, food truck!”

“Wow~ what’s on the menu?”

“Who sent it?”

A food truck arrived at the shooting location with a large ad balloon floating above it.

[Please give love to actor Shin Yoomyeong ♥]

‘They drove down the highway like that…’

Yoomyeong blushed with embarrassment.

Two days earlier, Ho-chul had brought him news. 

Since Yoomyeong had to stay in Mungyeong for the shoot, Ho-chul had an unexpected vacation. He would casually visit Yoomyeong’s house and the shooting location every two or three days to deliver laundry and had excitedly told him the news. 

“Hyung, your fan club is sending a food truck!”

“Uh…?”

Yoomyeong had heard that his first internet fan community, <GodNamed>, had received approval from the agency to become his official fan club. 

There had been a meeting with the fan club’s managers in Seoul, and it was attended by Yu-seok and Ho-chul. Yoomyeong was very disappointed that he could not attend because he was filming. 

Having never met a fan face-to-face, the existence of fans felt unreal to him. That held especially true for a fan-sent food truck!

“Thank you… but I’m worried this might set a precedent and put pressure on other actors’ fan clubs. No one else has received one yet.” 

“Hyung, what are you talking about? This is just a cute way for fans to show their support for the youngest member!”

“Really? Well, everyone’s tired of having kimbap during shoots, so a proper meal would be nice.”

“Okay then, I’ll confirm it!”

However, Yoomyeong hadn’t expected the bright yellow ad balloon with the text ‘Please give love to actor Shin Yoomyeong ♥’ in flashy purple. 

As the food truck was being prepared, passing actors and staff commented:

“Love you!”

“We love actor Shin Yoomyeong~”

“We’ll enjoy the food. Love, love~”

Haa— 

Yoomyeong’s head was nearly sinking into the ground with embarrassment. 

“Hyung, the fan club’s president came in person.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she took a day off from work to come… Maybe you should greet her?”

“Of course. Where is she?”

At the food truck, a woman with her hair up in a ponytail was checking the preparations. After confirming with Ho-chul that she was the president, Yoomyeong tapped her on the shoulder from behind. 

“Um…”

“Oh… Oh my God!!!”

The president turned around to see who it was and stepped back screaming as she faced Yoomyeong.

Yoomyeong awkwardly lowered his hand from her shoulder and bowed.

“Hello. You must be the president, right? I’m actor Shin Yoomyeong. Thank you.”

It was a polite but somewhat awkward greeting. After all, he was still not used to having fans.

The president, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, became momentarily tearful and stomped her feet.

“Oh my, what should I do…? This is real. Just a moment, please. Hoo, hoo-“

She took several deep breaths and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“Hello! I’m Jung So-jin, the president of ‘GodNamed,’ Shin Yoomyeong’s official fan club. I started my fan life as a fan of Do-Soo’s fan club at the age of 16, moved to manage GOT7’s fan club, was vice-president of the WARM fan club, and was president of actor Ji Seong-Bin’s fan club.

Now, at 26 years old, I’ve decided to fully commit to actor Shin Yoomyeong. I promise to support you with reliable experience and firepower that won’t lose to other celebrities’ fandoms!”

She nervously recited her experience.

‘…A professional in fan club activities?’

“Uh, thank you.”

“I’m not saying this because I’m fickle! I’ve decided to settle with supporting actor Shin Yoomyeong, so please be assured!”

‘It seems like she had planned to settle with other celebrities in the past…’

Yoomyeong found her a bit eccentric, but she seemed like a kind sister. 

“It’s okay to like several people, haha. Thank you, noona.”

“Agh…”

She clutched her chest.

“Wait. Noona… Oh, my heart. I should have recorded that.”

“Should I say it again?”

“Wait… It’s bad for my heart.”

She blushed and held her hand out.

“Anyway, I have a request!”

“What is it?”

“You haven’t been doing dramas, variety shows, or even commercials since your drama ended! Everyone’s dying for updates…”

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

“So, I got permission from the agency and the director, but I need your approval too… Can I film a bit of the shooting?”

So-jin pulled out a large telephoto camera from her bag.

FOOTNOTES

* Courtesy name – a name bestowed on someone in adulthood in addition to their given name.

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