LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 58
Chapter 58
“The cold noodles are delicious.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. The dumplings were good too.”
After a satisfying lunch, the three of them walked away.
Seo-jun and Lee Ji-seok wore their hats tightly and no one recognized them with Yoon Seong-oh around.
“At this rate, we can just meet outside, right?”
“Yeah.”
Seo-jun and Lee Ji-seok chatted and laughed, while Yoon Seong-oh shook his head.
Well.
He didn’t know because there was no one to recognize them.
As Yoon Seong-oh thought, the street was empty of ants.
There were few people passing by, but they were just using this road to go somewhere else in a hurry.
Hmm.
He heard that a new road had opened across the main street, and it seemed that everyone had gone there.
Yoon Seong-oh scratched his cheek.
“Excuse me…”
The voice that came from nearby startled the three of them.
The man who spoke to them was also surprised.
Yoon Seong-oh naturally blocked the two of them and asked.
Seo-jun’s eyes sparkled at his gesture.
The top actor’s manager!
He remembered what his uncle Chan had said, that he would introduce Seo-jun’s manager next time.
What kind of person would he be?
He wished he was as cool as him.
“What is it?”
The man flinched at the slightly cold voice.
Seo-jun applauded inwardly at Yoon Seong-oh’s change, who had been smiling all the time.
“Um, excuse me. Do you have time to watch a play? It’s suitable for kids too.”
“A play?”
Play.
That word caught the attention of Lee Ji-seok and Seo-jun.
They were two actors who could talk about movies and dramas all day long. Plays were also indispensable.
Yoon Seong-oh’s stiff expression slowly relaxed. Seeing his change, the man spoke with a clear voice.
“Yes. It’s at a nearby theater. The story is interesting and everyone acts well. You won’t regret it.”
The man handed out flyers to Yoon Seong-oh, who gave them to Lee Ji-seok and Seo-jun.
[Our Neighborhood]
Hmm. He couldn’t guess what the story was about just by the title.
Lee Ji-seok tapped Seo-jun’s shoulder with his hand.
Seo-jun looked up and Lee Ji-seok winked at him.
Do you want to see it?
Seo-jun nodded.
He had seen some plays in the US, but it was his first time to watch a play in Korea.
“If you buy tickets from me, I’ll give you 20 percent, no, 40 percent off.”
“No, thank you.”
The man’s shoulders sagged at Lee Ji-seok’s words. He didn’t know how many times he had been rejected.
Would there be no audience today either?
He pretended not to care, but he thought of the disappointed members and turned to look for other potential customers.
Then, Lee Ji-seok’s voice caught his ear.
“We like plays. You should charge us the full price. How much is it?”
The man’s face brightened up.
****
The actors of the theater group ‘Wind’ gathered together.
Some of them came from other groups and some of them were new to this group.
Pooling their resources, they rented this small and humble theater, but there were no separate staff to manage and produce the stage.
It was all created and moved by the actors themselves.
Only seven of them, all passionate about theater and acting.
“Ah, how many tickets have sold?”
“Three from Sung-woo’s side. One child, two adults.”
“That’s a relief. Our play is rated for general audiences. Otherwise, we might not have sold even three tickets.”
At Han Jia’s words, the lead actress, everyone smiled faintly.
Sun-gon Kim, the director playing the role of the village chief, spoke up after receiving a call from Sung-woo, who played the role of the supermarket owner.
“It’s not time to smile.”
“Huh? Why?”
“They paid the full price.”
“…What?”
“They love theater so much, they refused the 40% discount and paid the full price.”
At Sun-gon Kim’s words, everyone was at a loss for words.
The simple phrase “they love theater” struck a chord in their hearts.
“No, why did Sung-woo give a 40% discount? We won’t even cover the rental fee! And why did those people pay the full price when offered a discount…”
Han Jia couldn’t continue, choked up despite her scolding tone.
It had been three days since they faced an empty auditorium from the stage. It was just one sentence about loving theater, just a few thousand won difference, but something welled up inside them.
Sun-gon Kim clapped his hands sharply.
“Snap out of it, everyone! They bought tickets at full price because they love theater! We need to show them a play that’s worth it!”
“Yes!”
It had been a while since they had an audience. Only three people, but everyone was fired up.
***
“Hello! Are you here to see the play?”
One child, two adults. These were the people! Han Jia greeted them with a bright smile.
The trio, looking for the entrance to the theater, nodded at Han Jia’s words.
“The entrance is this way. You’ll have to go up to the second floor. Just give me your tickets.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Han Jia took their tickets, tore them in half, and led Seo-jun and the two others up the narrow stairs into the theater.
The theater was small.
The stage and the audience were incredibly close, and there weren’t many seats.
As the trio looked around the theater, han Jia said with a smile,
“You can sit anywhere you like. If you want a broad view, the middle is best, and if you want to see the actors up close, the front row is good.”
“Where should we sit?”
Although there wasn’t much difference in the small theater, seo-jun carefully chose their seats.
“I’d like to watch from the middle.”
“Okay. Sit here. This is the best view.”
Han Jia, beaming at Seo-jun’s choice, pointed out the prime spot. She had thought they might leave, seeing the empty auditorium, but the three didn’t seem to mind.
“We’ll start in a little while. Enjoy the show.”
“Thank you!”
“We will.”
After Han Jia left, Lee Ji-seok and Seo-jun took off their hats.
“Ah, it’s hot outside!”
“It’s cool here, at least.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to take off your clothes like that? Both of you.”
“It’s fine. It’s fine. There’s no one to see us.”
Yoon Seong-oh sighed at Lee Ji-seok’s calm words. Seo-jun looked around the small theater with curiosity.
When they sat down, the tiny stage seemed to be right in front of them. Could they see the actors’ sweat from this close?
“But it’s really small.”
“It must be the smallest among the theaters. The rent must be cheap.”
“But there’s no one here… How can they make any money? I guess we’re the only ones here.”
Lee Ji-seok and Seo-jun nodded at Yoon Seong-oh’s words. They felt a bit sad for the empty seats.
***
“I don’t think they’re coming!”
Han Jia burst in. Kim Seon-gon rubbed his forehead.
“What are you doing? You’re the lead, you have to greet the guests!”
“I’m wearing casual clothes anyway. I don’t need any makeup! Besides, those three, I don’t think they’re coming. There were some people who left because there were not enough audience!”
That was the case even when they had five guests.
“Fine. Fine. Just get ready for the stage.”
“Yes!”
Han Jia and the other actors were excited for the rare audience. They all waited for the curtain to rise with eager faces. Kim Seon-gon clapped his hands.
“Everyone, calm down.”
“Yes!”
Kim Seon-gon put his hand on the center and everyone else put their hands on top of his.
They looked the same as usual. But today, they had an audience.
They all shouted their slogan with their pounding hearts.
“Our neighborhood!!”
“Fight on!!”
“We can hear you.”
“Hahaha. This place has less soundproofing than others.”
They didn’t know what they were saying, but they clearly heard the ‘Our neighborhood, fight on!’ sound.
The two actors and the manager laughed at the cheerful voices of the theater actors.
They wondered what kind of play it would be, and how they would act.
Soon, the auditorium where only three people were sitting darkened and the stage was lit up.
“I guess it’s starting now.”
Lee Ji-seok and Seo-jun’s expressions changed.
Yoon Seong-oh shook his head.
The actors changed in an instant when it came to acting.
He had seen Lee Ji-seok for five years, but Seo-jun too.
They had to be that good to star in Hollywood movies at such a young age.
‘Do they know that the people watching their play are Lee Ji-seok and Lee Seo-jun?’
No way.
Soon, Yoon Seong-oh also focused on the stage.
The play began with an incident that happened in a small town.
The female protagonist, a detective, investigated the townspeople and caused laughter with misunderstandings and confusions.
She caught the culprit by accident, like a cow stepping on a mouse, but she couldn’t clear the misunderstandings of the townspeople until the end.
“I’m not a real estate agent, I swear! I’m a detective! A detective!”
They heard the clear laughter of a child. They also heard the laughter of two adults. Kim Seon-gon’s hand tightened as he looked at the stage and the audience.
This vivid reaction.
He loved theater.
“Senior! It’s your turn to go out!”
“I know!”
Han Jia and the other actors had smiles on their faces.
“Hey. You can’t act if you smile like that! You’re supposed to be sad!”
“Senior! You’re supposed to be serious right now, but you’re totally laughing!”
They couldn’t help it. It was too fun and exciting.
Their hearts were pounding as if they would burst.
They enjoyed it, even though their clothes were soaked with sweat and their makeup was almost gone from running around under the hot lights.
That’s why they couldn’t leave this place.
“Come on, let’s go out!”
The play ended with a cheerful laugh.
Yoon Seong-oh clapped his hands with a grin.
“That was really fun!”
“I know. I didn’t expect much, but they all did well and the story was interesting. Right, seo-jun?”
“Yes.”
Seo-jun answered with his small hands, clapping hard, at Lee Ji-seok’s words.
“You all did great.”
Seo-jun knew that the acting of the members was lacking in his eyes, but that was because his standards were too high. He was aware of that.
‘If my co-stars were Ji-seok hyung, Evan, and Rachel, I would have improved too.’
Besides, he had studied hard for acting, watching dramas and movies. They were good enough for ordinary people, but not for Seo-jun’s standards.
But he liked it. He could feel how much they loved and enjoyed acting with their whole bodies. Just like him in his first life.
Seo-jun sent them a bigger compliment in his heart.
A small but loud applause echoed in the theater. The actors behind the curtain shed a few tears when they heard the applause.
“Hey. Don’t cry. We haven’t taken a picture yet.”
“Yes. But, they keep coming out.”
“Try to wipe them off.”
Kim Sung-woo, who sold tickets and went on stage, wiped his tears.
He was so glad that he talked to them then. He saw the happy members through his blurry eyes. He was really lucky.
They all stopped crying and held hands with red eyes on the stage. They bowed their heads to greet the audience, and the applause sounded again.
“Do you want to take a picture with the actors?”
Kim Seon-gon, whose eyes were a bit red, looked at the person without a hat and the boy and man with hats. The boy shrugged his shoulders and the man with the hat smiled slightly.
“I can’t help it. It was really fun.”
“Me too!”
“It’s going to be a mess.”
Yoon Seong-oh sighed and led the two people to the front of the actors.
They looked like bodyguards, and the actors tilted their heads.
“Sung-woo, who are they?”
“I don’t know. They came out of the cold noodle shop in front of us.”
“Jia, shh.”
Han Jia and Kim Sung-woo closed their mouths.
The leader of the theater group, ‘Wind’.
Yoo Seon-gon smiled brightly and stepped forward.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes. It was really fun.”
“Thank you…”
Yu Seon-gon stopped in the middle of his bow. It was because Lee Ji-seok had taken off his hat that he had worn deeply.
Under the brightened auditorium lights, Lee Ji-seok’s handsome face was revealed.
Everyone who had been on stage, starting with Yu Seon-gon, saw his face clearly.
“Wow!”
“Lee Ji-seok!?”
Kim Seong-woo, who had blurted out without knowing, covered his mouth. Lee Ji-seok greeted them with his eyes and said.
“Seo-jun also said he enjoyed it.”
“It was so much fun!”
Seo-jun also took off his hat and bowed, then smiled brightly.
What? What? Who?
A brief silence fell over the theater.
As if they had finally recognized Lee Ji-seok and Lee Seo-jun in their heads, the actors screamed.
A scream erupted among the actors.
“Lee Seo-jun!!”