Chapter 33: Just Adjust To It

༺ Just Adjust To It ༻

The cold tone silenced the rehearsal room as if water had been spilled on the script.

“Wh… what…?”

Min Juran stuttered in embarrassment.

Jun-ho repeated the same words.

“So, are you going to quit?”

“No… That’s not what I meant… I’ve just been a bit busy lately…”

Jun-ho didn’t reply to that and shut his mouth. Yoomyeong had instructed him to do that, too. Even if Min Juran showed a weak side and apologized, he was to ignore it and switch to work-related topics.

“Act 2, Scene 7, the transformation from Hyde to Jekyll. It’s the most crucial scene. Let’s review the practice and adjust the script later.”

It was his usual calm tone. Even though Jun-ho had returned to his regular tone, Juran watched him with trepidation.

In fact, she was absolutely in a subordinate position in the current situation. The script team had agreed that she would be the one to step down if any conflicts arose between them and Jun-ho.

She thought he looked so ordinary and weak that she would be able to easily manipulate him, but the initial coldness in his tone had caught her off guard.

Feeling the pressure that she might be cut off at any wrong move, Juran could only respond meekly.

“Uh… Yeah. Got it.”

Yoomyeong gave a sly smile.

*

Before they knew it, the temperature had dropped and it was the season for coats.

Due to the colder-than-usual weather, pedestrians buttoned up their collars and hurried along.

“This mansion was connected to the mansion behind it.”

“I know the owner of that mansion. It’s Henry Jekyll’s house.”

“That mysterious man handed over a promissory note signed by Dr. Jekyll, too. What’s their relationship?”

Contrary to the cold weather outside, the atmosphere inside the rehearsal room was hot.

The members of Oedipus were always full of enthusiasm, but the skills and passion of the two main actors were making the overall atmosphere ignite to its limits.

“Senior Ryu Shin, everything else is fine, but when you face Dr. Lanyon, I wish you’d move a bit more to the DL (Down Left: front left of the stage).”

“This much?”

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

Ryu Shin took out his script and quickly jotted down notes. The script was already covered in numerous red and blue pen marks.

“Yoomyeong, that’s good. Once the stage is set, remember that the boundary will expand by about 20%, so position yourself accordingly.”

“Hmm, got it.”

Yoomyeong also checked his script. It was as worn out as Ryu Shin’s script.

“I like both versions where each of you performs the entire scene individually. But when you perform it together, it’s still a bit shaky. It’s improved a lot compared to the beginning, but let’s practice that part a bit more.”

“Understood.”

“Yes.”

It was one of their initial concerns.

The biggest issue was that when Jekyll and Hyde alternated roles in the same scene, the character’s tone changed.

While they were getting better at matching habits and characteristic expressions, making them seem much more like the same person than before, there was still a hint of awkwardness.

Yu-ri thought.

‘Actually, it’s just a matter of being greedy. When the general audience sees it for the first time, they would probably think less about the ‘different tones’ and more about how good both actors were.’

However, both the director and the two actors couldn’t let go of their greed.

Outside of practice hours, Yoomyeong and Ryu Shin would seek each other out during breaks to synchronize their acting. As time went on, they started to resemble each other more.

“Alright, let’s do a run-through (Run-through: playing the entire thing from the top) again.”

After the rehearsal ended, Min Juran approached Yoomyeong, who was packing up his belongings.

“Hmm… hmm… You’re really something.”

“…?”

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just that I understood why Seon Yu-ri didn’t follow my wishes after watching the rehearsal.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Ugh, seriously…! You’re a great actor! I was hasty back then. I’m sorry.”

Was this supposed to be some sort of apology?

“Well, thanks.”

“Yeah. Let’s not hold grudges if we meet in the professional field later. We’re both from Oedipus, after all.”

What a consistent character. Having spent nearly a month together in the rehearsal room and having seen his acting, she probably thought there would be no benefit in opposing him. Yoomyeong gave a hollow laugh.

“We’ll see when the time comes.”

“Hey, you—”

What Min Juran wanted to say next was cut off by a voice calling her from afar.

“Min Juran, what are you doing? Hurry up and let’s fix the directorial changes.”

“Oh… Okay! I’m coming right now! Shin Yoomyeong, I apologized~ We’re even now!”

Juran quickly left those last words and rushed towards Jun-ho. It was a peculiar pairing.

From that day onward, Juran became restless whenever Jun-ho showed even a hint of displeasure, and Jun-ho, against his usual demeanor, was surprisingly assertive towards her.

Indeed, the effect of ‘assertiveness’ in establishing relationships was significant.

Yoomyeong chuckled as if he found it amusing.

However, he needed to quickly find a solution for the parts where he teamed up with Ryu Shin.

*

{Why are you worried about that?}

“Huh?”

Miho clucked its tongue after hearing Yoomyeong’s concerns.

{You’re worrying too much about something that doesn’t matter at all. The foolishness of humans, tsk tsk.}

Miho’s gaze was fixed on its tail even as it spoke. Miho tried to swiftly catch its bushy tail with its front paw but failed. Yoomyeong interlaced his fingers under Miho’s front legs and lifted Miho up to his eye level.

“What do you mean by that? Explain it to me.”

{What’s in it for me if I do?}

“Huh?”

Startled, Yoomyeong put Miho down. It seemed like Miho was suggesting another deal, which made him wary.

Seeing his reaction, Miho chuckled.

{Why are you so surprised? It’s good for both of us if you receive my presence. And this help is too trivial for a deal. I’ll just tell you.}

“Please tell me, Miho!”

As Yoomyeong prostrated himself, Miho gleefully tousled his hair with its paw. Then, with an arrogant tone, Miho gave him the answer.

{Just adjust to it.}

“Huh?”

{It’s hard because you’re trying to keep both your Jekyll and your Hyde consistent. Just match Ryu Shin’s tone. They’re separate performances anyway.}

“Ah…!”

Yoomyeong let out a sound of realization.

Right, why did he insist on maintaining his character’s integrity? After all, the performance where he played both roles alone and the performances where he shared roles with Ryu Shin on the 3rd and 4th days were different shows.

“Thank you!”

Yoomyeong quickly searched for his script. Holding a pen, he was about to jot down additional notes on the already packed script pages when he changed his mind and turned on the computer.

Vrrr— Vrrr—

A freshly printed, clean script started coming out of the printer, still warm to the touch. Recalling Ryu Shin’s performance down to every expression, Yoomyeong diligently checked it and matched it to the script.

In reality, it wasn’t an easy task.

How could it be simple to discard his already established character and match the tone of another actor to portray a new character?

Yet Miho had presented the solution so effortlessly, and Yoomyeong agreed, working on creating the new character.

The performance date was rapidly approaching.

*

“Oh, senior Seon-ha, you’re here?”

“Wow~ Hansung, you’re still so arrogant? Are you trying to compete because things are going well for you?”

“Not at all. Weren’t we equals even when things weren’t going well?”

As soon as they met, Hansung and Seon-ha playfully bickered, their laughter filling the space. Between them, Jae Pil interjected.

“Senior, have you been well?”

“Oh? Professor Lee Jae Pil, hello~ Your critique of our theater’s regular performance was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?”

“Heh… heh.”

Amidst Seon-ha’s radiant laughter and Jae Pil’s awkward smile, another man stepped in.

“Actress Lee Seon-ha!”

“Oh? Isn’t this Baek Lee-shin? Weren’t you from Changcheon?”

“Well, I came to see an actor I’ve been interested in. I never expected to run into you here.”

“Ha… ha. I wasn’t avoiding you on purpose, it’s just that I’ve been busy with the regular performance…”

“After today’s performance, can we talk for a moment…”

It was a persistent power struggle.

July, whose pool of mid-career female actresses was shallow, coveted Lee Seon-ha. And Seon-ha had consistently avoided the insistent overtures of Baek Lee-shin. She hadn’t expected to encounter him here.

“I came today because of a coincidence, but it’s such a shame having to choose with double casting. I’ll have to come again on Saturday.”

“I’m going to watch all four performances.”

“You envious bastard. The title of a professor is a great boon.”

This was the conversation Yoon Hansung and Lee Jae Pil were having in the background.

Following them, a couple with awkward expressions wandered in. They were Yoomyeong’s parents.

“Is this the place…?”

“It seems so. We’ll finally get a proper look at our son’s face, won’t we? Leaving at the crack of dawn every morning and returning so late every night… What should we do if he gets sick?”

“It must be very important to him.”

The evening twilight had settled. Despite the chilly November end evening, the theater’s front was bustling with a large crowd. At this sight, Yoomyeong’s parents exchanged surprised glances.

“The club seems quite famous, doesn’t it?”

“It seems so.”

The auditorium was opened.

Yoomyeong’s parents were guided to one of the best seats. Their son, being part of the planning team, had specially reserved these VIP seats for them. From the central seats of the fourth row, where even the faintest breaths from the stage seemed audible, the couple carefully brushed off their clothes and cautiously took their places.

The audience poured in ceaselessly.

Though it wasn’t for Seo Ryu Shin, thanks to the widespread fame of Shin Yoomyeong in the acting department since the last semester, the reputation of the main performance of the renowned Oedipus, and the effective promotion by the planning team, the seats were soon fully occupied.

The couple, finding it hard to believe that their son was the main character on a stage watched by so many, repeatedly looked at their son’s face printed in the pamphlet.

The entrance BGM playing in the audience seats gradually faded.

The lights went out.

In the ensuing silence, ominous music slowly rose in volume. And when the lights finally came on,

The couple discovered their unfamiliar son on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen. The debate on whether humans are fundamentally good or evil has long been a topic of contention in both religious and philosophical history. After extensive research, I have come to realize that these two traits can physically be separated and that both these qualities coexist within the human body.”

Act 1, Scene 1.

Dr. Jekyll’s academic presentation.

After much discussion, the writing team decided to use Jun-ho’s scene composition where Jekyll appeared immediately without any supplementary explanation, and incorporated the smooth dialogue written by Min Juran into the opening scene.

Thanks to this, the protagonist who appeared at the forefront captivated the audience’s attention from the beginning.

Dr. Jekyll, who had his hand on the podium, quickly glanced down and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hand. That single action revealed a lot about the character’s personality.

A person with an extreme penchant for cleanliness.

The scene then transitioned to Act 1, Scene 2.

The conversation between Attorney Utterson and Richard.

“Richard, you also attended Dr. Jekyll’s academic conference, didn’t you?”

“Yes. His insights were astonishing but hard to believe. I’m eagerly awaiting his follow-up research presentation.”

“I feel the same.”

“But Attorney, have you heard the rumors these days?”

“What rumors?”

“Lately, there have been ominous rumors about the back alleys of London. A very unsettling villain has been appearing.”

“Not all rumors can be trusted.”

“But I saw it with my own eyes. He really… really was… an unsettling figure.”

As the lighting dimmed on the two figures occupying the left side of the stage, a blue light illuminated the right side. Without a blackout, the bold transition went directly into Act 1, Scene 3. Two individuals stood there, frozen like ice statues.

Richard left the motionless Utterson and walked into the blue light, slowly, as if entering a nightmare.

Once Richard’s figure was fully enveloped in the blue hue, the two figures began to move as if someone had hit the play button. It started with an assault.

Whack—

A man with a grotesquely twisted body kicked an old pedestrian. Despite the old man’s cries of pain, the aggressor’s violence showed no signs of abating.

As Richard intervened to stop the prolonged beating which made the audience grimace…

The face of the villain finally turned to fully face the audience.

At that nauseating smile,

Gasp—

The audience gasped in reaction.

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