Chapter 274 (1/2)

They had a break after a round of practice. Maru asked that question to Miso and Ganghwan who were sitting in front of the window, watching them practice. They didn’t have perfect control over their lines, some people burst out laughing, and it was far from perfect, but this was their first run that they showed to others. He wanted to hear their honest opinions.

“You guys need a lot of practice. It’s far from perfect. Especially the first years. Confidence is good and all, but skill is something different to confidence. Are you sure that you’re putting all your effort?”

“Honestly speaking, it’s not as hot as it was last year.”

“You were never hot though.”

“That’s true,” Maru replied with a smile.

Last year, they had an objective that was to win the nation-wide competition. In the first place, Miso had the students practice with the competition in mind, so the atmosphere was very competitive and practice was arduous.

However, this year was different. The first problem was the lack of practice space. As their practice space had become smaller, there was a limit to their training. The instructor in charge, Suyeon, was also different from Miso in regards to the way they handled things. Suyeon did not care about the achievements. To her, being an instructor was just a job that Junmin gave her. She never had the ambition to recreate the past glory like how Miso did. Lastly, the members of the club also had their own circumstances, leading to lack of practice.

“It’ll be good if we win, but I’m planning to listen to their opinions first. Also, Daemyung’s opinion is very important too.”

“I do want to see Woosung High School winning the nation-wide competition, but well, I’m not in charge anymore. They look like they’re enjoying it and it’s not bad.”

“They’re all good kids after all,” Maru looked back as he spoke.

Daemyung was giving the others an explanation regarding the script. The members were concentrating on him as well. They definitely had a higher sense of unity than last year.

“If you guys are satisfied with the fact that you guys are preparing for a play and don’t mind about the results, then I guess this is enough. You’re doing well. With a bit more practice, you might be able to aim for 2nd prize.”

“What if we aim for the grand prize?”

“Then, like I said, you guys are far from perfect.”

At that moment, Ganghwan, who was listening this whole time, spoke,

“It’s good to enjoy it. Maru, you are well aware of how Miso can be tiring if she decides to put her mind to it.”

“That I do.”

“That sounds very charming for me.”

“Really? Just moderately doing things?” Ganghwan asked in surprise.

Maru made a bitter smile.

“Honestly speaking, I want to invest as much time as I can in this on the condition that it doesn’t get in the way of my work. No, I want to focus more on it even if I have to push myself a little. You know? I actually felt very frustrated that I wasn’t able to go on stage last winter. I’m only saying this now, but I would sometimes stare at the clock while stroking my broken leg, thinking that the others should be on stage by now.”

“That’s because of the effort you put in. That much investment leads to that much loss.”

“You’re definitely right. If I did things moderately back then, I wouldn’t have been frustrated either.”

“It didn’t feel that good, did it?”

“It was horrible.”

“Doesn’t that make you desire to win even more?”

Hearing that question, Maru shrugged his shoulders. Victory. How many people in this world liked to lose? Any human would want to wear the crown if they could. He was unable to go on stage due to his burns. After moving around vigorously until he smelled sour; reciting his lines until he could hum the words, it felt even more frustrating after it all ended in vain.

He did become ambitious. This year, everyone’s talents were better than last year and they were better unified as well. They definitely had what it takes to challenge the competition.

However.

“Maru, can I see you for a sec?” Daemyung called out. Maru looked at his two seniors as he spoke.

“The club president is calling for me, so if you would excuse me.”

Miso smiled back at him.

“We should get going too, right?”

Miso pulled Ganghwan up. The members of the club realized what was going on and stood in front of them.

“Work hard. And enjoy yourselves. Don’t leave behind any regrets.”

“I’m not a graduate from this school, but I’ll be cheering for you as someone working in the industry. Good luck.”

The two left after saying their goodbyes. Everyone was going to see them out, but the two refused them.

After sending the two off in the corridor, the club members returned to the classroom.

“Miso-unni was so cool,” Aram said as she raised her two thumbs.

Jiyoon also nodded.

“If you spend time with her, you’ll find out that she’s not as cool as you think she is.”

“That’s true.”

Maru and Daemyung smiled at the same time. It was ‘memories’ in retrospect, but at that time, they had an extremely hard time.

“Can I have your attention again?” Daemyung sat down and spoke.

“It’s definitely worth complimenting that you aren’t making as many mistakes as before. First years, well done. However, you still have a lot to go. Lines are something that’s hard to memorize by themselves. You need to engrave them into your body according to the flow of the story. It’s just like how song lyrics are hard to memorize without the melody, and it’s easy to learn it if you try singing it. Acting is the same. Don’t just memorize your lines but try to learn the lines before and after your lines. Going further, try to remember the flow of the story.”

The members nodded.

“Aram, your pronunciation and vocal power are perfect. You sound full of confidence as well. However, I want you to bring out the traits of a scammer some more. I’m saying that you should be dynamic with your words. Normally, you should lower your voice and erupt out loudly at the most important moment. That gives you more impact. You’ll see what I mean if you try watching videos of people giving speeches. Scammers are people whose voices are very important so bear that in mind.”

“Yes, seonbae.”

Aram wrote the things that Daemyung pointed out on her script.

“Bangjoo, I like that you aren’t shy when you’re acting. However, you’re mashing your pronunciation too much because you’re too absorbed into the situation. Right now, there’s only us here and we all know what you’re going to say, so we can understand what you’re saying, but it’s likely that it’s not the same for the audience. You’ll have to show that you’re drunk with your actions, and make your speech a little clearer.”

“Yes!”

“As for Jiyoon… I think it’ll be better if you let yourself go a little more. The script says this, but the hostess is a charming woman to the point that the people in the cell are giving her glances. But what’s important here is that ‘charming’ doesn’t just mean pretty. But right now, you’re trying too hard to look pretty. Hm, was that too difficult for you to understand?”

“No. I think I get what you’re saying. I’ll try to fix it.”

Jiyoon nodded as well. Daemyung smiled and continued onto the next person.

“Dowook, you are doing really well. I don’t really have anything to point out. If there’s just one thing, I wish you could react to your conversation partner’s words a little more. You have the tendency to interrupt others mid way because you’re too focused on your words, but while that fits the character of a delinquent, it might make your conversation partner panic a little.”