“Joo Seoyeon and Pyo Jiwoo.”

Jo Do-yul called for Seoyeon and Jiwoo.

“I’d like to see both of your performances again. Would you be able to do Act 4, Scene 3?”

Act 4, Scene 3.

This scene is where the female lead, Song Minseo, is threatened, rather than the male lead, Bae Seonghak. It reveals the violence inherent within Hong Jeonghee, amidst her ominous and foreboding nature.

‘I’ve memorized the script, of course.’

Seoyeon pondered how she should respond.

Although she had memorized the lines, she hadn’t actually performed Act 4, Scene 3. This scene was different from Act 3, which she had rehearsed for the audition.

“…Would it be alright if I practiced briefly before the performance?”

“You may.”

After checking the watch on his wrist, he replied.

There was still some time remaining.

This was because the questions posed to other actors had been resolved quickly.

“Well then…”

Just as Seoyeon was about to ask for a mere ten minutes to practice.

“I’m ready.”

Jiwoo’s firm voice was heard.

Seoyeon turned to meet Jiwoo’s eyes.

“I’m ready to start right away.”

Jiwoo smiled at Seoyeon, who gazed at her impassively.

It seemed almost like a provocation.

‘So, what are you going to do?’

The girl appeared to have a strong sense of pride.

This was evident by the way she had retaliated with a sneer earlier.

Child prodigy?

Sure, that might be true.

But even so, that’s all there was to it.

Jiwoo was genuine.

Just as she had told Jo Do-yul, she was prepared for any scene involving the role of “Hong Jeonghee.”

She had memorized every scene Hong Jeonghee appeared in and had rehearsed them countless times.

‘Hong Jeonghee is me.’

No one could empathize with her emotions more deeply.

Method acting. That’s one way to describe it.

Her persistence.

It had taken her a year to go from being a mere spectator to standing in this place.

For the sake of one person.

‘It’s fine to practice.’

She looked at Seoyeon as if to say that.

The girl was still a high school student, wasn’t she?

A teenage girl would certainly fall for such provocations.

‘Though, it would erase any chance of your victory.’

Jiwoo did not underestimate Seoyeon.

Certainly, the performance she had just witnessed was quite remarkable.

It was an impressive portrayal of Hong Jeonghee.

If given practice time, a similar incident might occur again.

She might lose by sheer bad luck.

Such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable to Jiwoo.

“…I’ll just do it.”

Seoyeon replied with a dry tone.

Her expression and voice were difficult to read.

However, the determination visible in her eyes caused Jiwoo’s lips to curl slightly.

‘Got you.’

No matter how talented, you couldn’t excel at something you hadn’t tried before.

Of course, she felt confident she would win even if Seoyeon practiced, but this was tantamount to Seoyeon surrendering on her own.

“Are you sure?”

Jo Do-yul, naturally, looked perplexed.

‘Is she still just a high school student?’

He couldn’t believe she had so easily succumbed to Jiwoo’s provocation.

‘Being too emotional can be problematic.’

He was about to lower his assessment of Seoyeon.

“But instead,”

Seoyeon’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Would it be okay if I performed after Pyo Jiwoo?”

“After Pyo Jiwoo?”

“Yes. Since I went first last time.”

At Seoyeon’s audacious request, Jo Do-yul turned to look at the other judges.

Most nodded, indicating they had no objections.

“Hmm, alright. Then we’ll have Pyo Jiwoo perform first this time. Is that alright with you, Pyo Jiwoo?”

“…Yes.”

What was she thinking?

Jiwoo sneered as she looked at Seoyeon.

Even her expression was hard to read.

Like a doll.

With barely any visible emotions, yet remarkably beautiful.

“Act 4, Scene 3. The scene where Hong Jeonghee appears before Song Minseo and threatens her.”

With Jo Do-yul’s explanation, Jiwoo stepped forward.

And her performance began.

“Do you think you’re special?”

With a trembling voice, Hong Jeonghee cornered Song Minseo against a wall, shouting aggressively.

Thud, the wall was struck, and her body quivered.

With her hunched posture, Hong Jeonghee’s gaze was level.

This considered Song Minseo’s height perfectly.

She glared at the terrified Song Minseo, her voice shaking.

“You’re just a pitiful act of charity. Our oppa is too kind to just watch a deaf, pathetic girl suffer!”

Her trembling eyes revealed heightened emotions.

While the audience couldn’t see these emotions, Jiwoo’s gaze was directed at the judges.

Simultaneously, Jiwoo moved her hand.

In the empty air.

As if striking an invisible wall, she punched the air.

Her body shook as if she had truly hit a wall.

This represented Hong Jeonghee’s intense emotions and violent nature.

At the same time, her body trembled.

Her aggression stemmed from the defensive mechanism of a timid and introverted Hong Jeonghee.

Jiwoo expressed this vehemently through her lines and gestures.

‘Damn it.’

Jo Do-yul was at a loss for words.

The other judges felt the same way.

Unconsciously, they gulped.

‘She’s practically Hong Jeonghee herself.’

Jiwoo recited Hong Jeonghee’s lines.

Her voice was laden with inferiority.

Fear, and the resulting violence.

‘This is... not even Joo Seoyeon can...’

Their initial performances of Act 3, Scene 6 had been similar.

Both had portrayed different shades of Hong Jeonghee.

They had thought either performance would be worth considering.

‘Perhaps the role is destined for the right actor?’

Jiwoo fit the role so well.

Her expression of emotions and movements.

It felt as though the role was tailor-made for her.

‘This isn’t going to work.’

Seoyeon’s performance had been impressive, but this role belonged to Jiwoo.

Thinking this, Jo Do-yul glanced at Seoyeon.

He felt a chill.

Seoyeon’s eyes were fixed on Jiwoo.

She hadn’t blinked once.

With an impassive face, she watched Jiwoo as if she had forgotten to breathe.

Her red eyes.

In the darkness, those eyes appeared strangely red.

‘Definitely.’

In Jo Do-yul’s gaze, Seoyeon thought.

‘Pyo Jiwoo is better at portraying Hong Jeonghee.’

From the moment Jiwoo began her second performance, Seoyeon acknowledged this fact.

Yes, this role was yours.

Honestly, if they said she couldn’t have it, she had been prepared to accept it and step back.

She could look for other films, dramas, or plays.

Even if it took time, there were many options.

However, being in this situation, she didn’t feel that way at all.

‘Absolutely not.’

She couldn’t concede.

Competitive spirit.

Seoyeon experienced a powerful new emotion.

She discovered something new about herself.

‘I...’

She hated losing.

She focused on Jiwoo and the Hong Jeonghee she portrayed.

She ingrained Jiwoo’s emotions, actions, and movements in her mind.

She absorbed all the information about the character being expressed.

One by one.

“Don’t mess around, don’t mess around!!”

This was, yes.

A habitual study.

And the only form of art she had been able to master in her previous life.

Replicating the canvas of emotions.

“I’ve loved him for much longer.”

How many video materials had she consumed to express human emotions?

How many books had she read, and how much had she imagined to depict that vague something?

“But you’re the one who suddenly intruded.”

Seoyeon recalled memories from long ago.

She picked up a brush.

She replicated the emotions Jiwoo expressed as Hong Jeonghee.

She traced her canvas with her brush, not missing a single stroke of color.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

Seoyeon’s replication of emotions was incredibly close to reality, but it couldn’t reach Jiwoo’s method acting.

In that case.

The answer was simple.

“Song Minseo!”

Thud, as Hong Jeonghee grabbed Song Minseo’s hair and tried to slam it into the wall, her arm stopped.

This was where Bae Seonghak appeared and grabbed Hong Jeonghee’s arm.

“…I’m done.”

The judges applauded her calmly spoken words with stunned expressions.

It was, without a doubt, a perfect portrayal of Hong Jeonghee.

One couldn’t imagine a performance more fitting.

‘Who played Hong Jeonghee before?’

“Eyes Closed” had already been performed three years ago at Daehangno.

This was merely a reprisal.

Yet Jiwoo’s performance made it hard to recall who had previously played Hong Jeonghee.

“Next, we have Joo Seoyeon.”

Jo Do-yul calmly called for Seoyeon, observing her face.

A high school student like Seoyeon would undoubtedly feel immense pressure from the previous performance.

However, he also remembered the look in Seoyeon’s eyes from earlier.

‘Surprisingly...’

‘She’s rather composed?’

‘Strong mentality, huh~.’

The judges whispered quietly.

The earlier performance was enough to pressure anyone.

To the point where performing first might have been preferable.

“Please show us your performance for Act 4, Scene 3.”

“Yes.”

A calm response.

Seoyeon stepped forward.

To the very spot where Jiwoo had stood moments ago.

As she did, Jiwoo narrowed her eyes.

‘Strange girl.’

Even now, she didn’t show any changes in expression—an uninteresting character.

‘Heh, heheh.’

Nevertheless, Jiwoo found it hard to suppress the laughter rising from her lips.

The performance she had just delivered was better than any she had practiced alone.

She knew why.

‘It’s because Seoho oppa was among the judges.’

Secretly, Jiwoo glanced at Min Seo-ho.

Then, Min Seo-ho trembled slightly, glancing around nervously.

As expected, Hong Jeonghee was her role.

To perform alongside Min Seo-ho in a play, she had practiced relentlessly to find a way to approach him.

Ever since it was announced a year ago that Min Seo-ho would be part of this play.

“I will begin now.”

Seoyeon spoke with composure.

Act 4, Scene 3.

Seoyeon’s portrayal of Hong Jeonghee commenced.

‘…What?’

Initially, Jiwoo, the person involved, felt the most significant discomfort.

Seoyeon’s steps, her movements.

The emotions on her face.

Her restless breath and desperate gaze.

‘This girl!’

She moved.

Her actions, her blocking, the way her body shifted—someone she was mimicking.

Who was it?

There was no need to question.

It was Pyo Jiwoo herself.

“Do you think you’re special?”

She moved as if she had absorbed the emotions Jiwoo had shown as “Hong Jeonghee.”

‘You copied me! Yes, you mimicked me…?’

Following the emotional trajectory, the lines she delivered.

It indeed resembled the emotions Jiwoo had expressed.

‘What is this?’

Yet, something was different.

‘It’s not enough to merely understand and imitate the information.’

As a child actor, that might have sufficed, but now the standards had changed.

Ultimately, she couldn’t defeat Jiwoo with mere imitation.

Thus.

The emotion replication Seoyeon employed was purely to understand the role.

Jiwoo anticipated her victory because she empathized with Hong Jeonghee’s feelings more than anyone.

Seoyeon’s emotions fell short because she hadn’t fully comprehended Hong Jeonghee as a character.

Having replicated and understood Jiwoo’s emotions as Hong Jeonghee.

She was now prepared.

Prepared to immerse herself entirely in the role.