Chapter 40: The End of the Movie, The End of the Story

༺ The End of the Movie, The End of the Story ༻

A straight line that extended from the waist curved slightly forward to the neck.

The purity and patience depicted by the hands crossed in front of the chest.

The Giselle Line.

‘Ah…’

Seryeon exclaimed in admiration.

The spine was perfectly straightened, and the arms relaxed to their limit, creating an alluring line. It was a motion that someone who hadn’t learned ballet couldn’t imitate.

From that posture, he extended his arms and bent his body in a cambré (a movement that starts at the waist and bends the body forward, backward, left, and right).

…It was Giselle’s despair in Act 2.

<Giselle>

It was a masterpiece of classical ballet that was composed during the Romantic era of ballet.

In Act 1, the innocent village girl Giselle falls in love with a young man named Albrecht. However, Giselle, who has a weak heart, discovers that he is a nobleman engaged to someone else and is driven to madness before dying.

In the second act, Giselle becomes a Wili (a fairy from European folklore that awakens from their grave at night to seduce young men and makes them dance until they die).

The Queen of the Wilis, Myrtha, sees Albrecht, who came to apologize at Giselle’s grave, and places a curse on him to dance until he dies from exhaustion. Still in love with Albrecht, Giselle dances with him all night to protect him and disappears into her grave at dawn.

The poignancy and sorrow of Giselle, who loved the man who betrayed her even in death, was the highlight of this classical ballet scene. The actor was showing it with just the use of port de bras (ballet movements using the arms).

How could that be?

How could someone who isn’t even a ballet major, especially a man, express Giselle’s anguish so vividly?

Even if it was just a few movements.

He stopped the demonstration and spoke again.

“Look, Yoon Hwaran. The Giselle in Act 2 is a soul. Your Giselle still has too much force in her. I can’t differentiate her from the village maiden in the first act.”

He gave a stern rebuke to Hwaran. There was confidence and authority in his voice.

It was truly a performance that felt like the god of ballet.

Had he learned ballet as a child?

Unable to contain her curiosity, Seryeon hastily spoke as soon as the performance ended.

“Have you done ballet before?”

“No. During the preparation period before the competition, I practiced this particular move by attending a ballet academy. I also referred to various versions of videos on Giselle from the library.”

“Even if it’s just one or two movements, how could someone unfamiliar with ballet… Then, why did you choose this scene in particular?”

“It’s a scene where I needed to show Hwaran an absolute figure of a mentor. I judged that it would be challenging to use a stand-in for the bust shot of this scene, so I thought I should show what I could achieve as an actor up to this extent. Although some correction might be needed.”

Correction… Was it necessary?

If one were to judge just based on the movement of the upper body at that moment, it was a flawless Giselle.

Seryeon’s ballpoint pen swirled even faster on the evaluation sheet, and Director Ki Do-han also jumped up from his seat.

‘What kind of person…?’

He was somewhat anxious about the unrevealed free acting that Yoomyeong had prepared, but he didn’t expect this. Although he wasn’t well-versed in ballet, as a director, that scene just now was entirely intact without anywhere to cut.

If only every bust shot could be portrayed with that much expression…

‘An incredibly hard worker.’

The actor had spent a lot of time with him analyzing the script. And until the end of the semester, he was tied up with school lessons and final exams. When could he have possibly prepared to this extent?

Ki Do-han glanced around. Kwon Sunghan seemed shocked, his mouth gaping, and the cheeks of Director Kuk, who had competed with him, was swollen with greed.

He had won.

*

“We will proceed with the final interview.”

The actors’ chairs were pulled a bit forward. They faced the judges in the center of the room.

Though they were called judges, almost all of Yoon Seryeon’s questions were unilaterally directed at only one person.

“Mr. Shin Yoomyeong, what do you think of Giselle?”

“If she were my younger sister, I would’ve smacked her in the back and scolded her.”

Seryeon barely suppressed a laugh.

“But I understand. To Giselle, wasn’t Albrecht more than just a simple love, but some kind of ideal? Even if I’m never chosen and always betrayed, I also have a value that I can’t help but pursue.”

At those words, Seryeon’s eyes wavered.

Even though he was a complete stranger, she could see that the value for that actor was ‘acting.’

And for herself…

“Weren’t you upset by Hwaran?”

“I found it naive and sad, but I wasn’t offended. If someone could attain ‘that value’ only by hurting others, even I might find it hard to resist the temptation. But it’s a shame that they don’t know that the value they get that way isn’t worth it.”

Hmm…

Seryeon’s expression became complicated.

“I wonder. In the end, Hwaran gets what she wants. Isn’t this a happy ending for Hwaran?”

“The end of the movie isn’t the end of the story.”

“…?”

“How do you think Hwaran lived after that?”

“…Perhaps she lived well as a prima?”

“She had already succeeded in pushing aside a colleague, eliminating any potential competition. But if a stronger rival appeared later on, do you think she would try to overcome it with ‘effort’?”

“…”

“The movie ends with Hwaran becoming a prima donna. It doesn’t shed light on how she lived afterward. But will the position that Hwaran so obsessively achieved by hurting others in the process really be a boon or a burden to her? I think she’ll be tormented for life.”

“I can’t agree with that opinion. Even if she was tormented, she realized her dream. Isn’t the happiness greater than the torment?”

Seryeon reacted surprisingly irritably.

The young man in front of her.

At that age, he already possessed that level of acting skill. He must be a genius. Effort? Anyone could make an effort. But what if an insurmountable misfortune comes that cannot be overcome with effort?

“That judgment is based on one’s perspective. But if it were me, I think I would end up being miserable in the end.”

After that answer, there was a brief silence, and she turned her head towards Kwon Sunghan.

“I’d like to ask Mr. Kwon Sunghan. What do you think about the Phantom?”

“Uh… I think he’s a fantastic character! His absolute and strict side regarding ballet is very very cool, and therefore, someone with a ballet background would definitely have an advantage in playing him… I think.”

Kwon Sunghan subtly gauged their reactions while fully expressing his thoughts.

“And how about you, Shin Yoomyeong?”

“The Phantom character? I like it, but it feels somewhat lacking.”

“In what aspect?”

“This script is entirely from Yoon Hwaran’s perspective. Hwaran’s thoughts and intentions are detailed, but the Phantom is depicted as an enigmatic figure, one we can’t truly understand. It feels somewhat flat.”

“But in reality, the Phantom is such a being.”

“Is that so? Could a man, who has lived in the shadows of this theater since his memory began and who is madly obsessed with ballet, truly be a divine being without any twisted aspects?”

“…”

“I believe the story would be much more captivating if the Phantom showed a more ‘human-like’ side.”

Normally, these were comments an actor couldn’t make to the playwright during an audition.

If an actor had feedback about interpreting a role, they would discuss it with the director. If the director found the interpretation convincing, they would then consult the playwright about it.

However, considering that she would also be acting alongside him and that he would rather give up on this project than work with someone he couldn’t communicate with, these factors emboldened Yoomyeong.

With a displeased expression, the playwright posed her final question.

“But Mr. Shin Yoomyeong’s acting just now perfectly matched the intended enigmatic aspect of the Phantom, didn’t it?”

Yoomyeong responded.

“Yes, because that’s how the current script is. I acted in accordance with that.”

His response momentarily startled everyone who was present.

*

“Director Ki Do-han, Mr. Shin Yoomyeong, I look forward to working with you.”

The competition had ended, and there were no complications.

Director Kuk scolded Kwon Sunghan, who wore a fierce expression and stormed out. Seryeon smiled and extended her hand to both of them.

Yoomyeong paused for a moment while looking at the hand extended to him, then slowly took it.

Director Ki Do-han let out a sigh of relief.

While the director stepped out of the conference room to take a phone call, Seryeon approached Yoomyeong, who was gathering his belongings and preparing to leave.

“I was rude earlier. I’m sorry.”

He glanced at her and then put the script back in his bag before speaking again.

“Did you practice all night?”

“…Pardon?”

“It doesn’t seem like you’ve been drinking.”

He recalled the muscles on the back of the ballerina he saw in the morning. Those couldn’t be slackened muscles from drinking all night.

Those muscles, overly strained, were tight and toned. Why was she pretending to lead a reckless lifestyle and overexerting herself?

“Ah… It’s because…!”

Startled, she left a message saying she’d see him later and quickly disappeared.

In her absence, a faint scent of chamomile lingered in the air.

*

“I’m planning to take a leave of absence from school.”

About two weeks after the casting was confirmed, Yoomyeong declared this to his family after dinner.

“Can’t you finish your studies… and then take a break?”

His mother wore a worried expression.

“In the world of arts, timing is crucial. He’s not quitting for good, just taking a break. I’m sure he’s thought it through well.”

His father comforted her with these words.

“Do you have something planned?”

“Yes. I’ve been cast in a supporting role for an art film produced by a company called Blue Film.”

Jiyeon chimed in.

“Really? When?”

“About two weeks ago.”

“Why are you just telling us now? …Oh, because of my job application. That’s fine.”

Jiyeon, who entered the same year as Yoomyeong at the Teachers’ College, was in her fourth year and had applied for a teaching position in Seoul. She had come home to take the exam and had only just finished her second round the day before.

“What’s the film about?”

“It’s about ballet. Think of it as a ballet version of <Phantom of the Opera>.”

“Wow, ballet? Which role are you playing?”

“The role of the Phantom.”

“Our son will do great. Good luck!”

That was his mother’s encouragement.

“Since you’re still a newcomer, instead of focusing on box office success or such, make building your fundamentals your primary goal.”

That was his father’s advice.

“Ah… so that’s why there were tights in the room. I thought it was your taste and tried to respect it…”

His younger sister teased him.

“Hey, Shin Jiyeon. Why did you go into my room?”

“I wanted to borrow your baseball jacket. Loose-fitting clothes look nice on me.”

“Borrowing without asking is stealing, isn’t it?”

“Just let me borrow it. I’m asking now, okay?”

Watching the siblings playfully squabbling and throwing away the maturity they displayed just a few minutes ago, their parents chuckled with a ‘you-can’t-stop-them’ kind of laughter.

“But… a ballet movie? Do real dancers appear in it? I love ballet.”

After having some fruit, Yoomyeong came back to the room. Jiyeon, who had come to return the baseball jacket, plopped down on the bed.

“Right, there’s that.”

Come to think of it, it was a vague memory for Yoomyeong since it was over 20 years old, but in high school, Jiyeon had collected pictures of ballerinas and occasionally pestered their mother to go see a performance.

“Do you know Yoon Seryeon?”

“…The Yoon Seryeon from Jinhwa Arts School?”

“Yes, that sounds right. She’s the lead actress in this production.”

“Wow… has her foot healed?”

“…?”

Then he remembered that Director Ki Do-han had mentioned it.

She had retired from ballet due to a foot injury.

“That sisterhad a huge fan base. Everyone praised her for her skills and artistry, saying she had a rare talent that was hard to find in Korea. There was anticipation that she might become the youngest prima ballerina after joining the Aurora Ballet Company, but…”

“But what?”

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