Chapter 310 (1/2)
The current president had a tomboy-style look as well. The difference from last year’s president was that she looked a little cuter since she was short. Though, no one said this in front of her. She hated being called cute.
“I heard that Hyeha-seonbae is participating in the Geochang Theater Festival.”
“The Geochang Theater Festival?”
She, who was stretching her waist by putting her chest against the floor, abruptly raised her head. Hyena-seonbae, she was the former club president that graduated. She had heard occasional news about her, but this was the first time she heard that she was participating in a theater festival.
“You mean the international festival?”
“No, the college festival that comes after that. The international festival only allows full theater troupes so college clubs probably aren’t allowed.”
“Aha.”
She nodded. She found out that there were many different theater festivals while researching stuff for her blog. They ranged from college-level theater festivals, city-wide, nation-wide to international festivals. Many such festivals were held within the country every year. Among them, the Geochang International Festival of Theater was a rather famous one. From what she knew, there were only around 60,000 residents in Geochang, but the number of visitors that visited Geochang for the festival was twice that number.
“I would like to go if I have the time.”
“It’s held in November, so you might be able to go if the schedule allows it?” The president spoke with a smile.
Ex-president Hyena and the current president were on close terms. They were like real sisters. They were also similar in the fact that they were passionate about acting. There was one difference: the current president did not decide to take acting as her career. She decided to stop after high school. She already declared that she would focus on managing the club once the summer acting competition was over.
“We’re back with some food!”
The juniors who had gone out to get food had returned. They sat around the food in a circle. She liked meal time. Being able to share food with people that she got along with was a joyous matter.
‘I wonder if Maru had his meal,’ she thought as she put a piece of kimbap in her mouth.
Maru was very talkative, but he never talked about his own worries. She thought in one corner of her heart that Maru was a very sturdy person, and that he’d tackle any obstacles in his way with a smile. However, ever since she saw Maru crying silently at the cinema, she felt shock as well as pity for him. She never got to know why Maru cried that day. All she got back was that Maru cried because the movie was sad, when she tried to ask.
After that day, she thought that she should be more considerate of Maru. She understood - that Maru had his weak side. He never talked about his worries, so she had to be considerate of him more.
“Eat to your hearts’ content. We’ll be staying here until 11 tonight as well.”
“...Yes.”
The juniors started eating food hurriedly. Her colleagues did the same. She also started drinking the soup for the fishcake. It was likely that they would keep up this schedule until the festival itself. They would get exhausted if they didn’t get their fill properly.
After the meal, they did some light exercise before resuming practice. They had set up the stage and were wearing stage costumes as well. This was done in order to let the first years experience what it’s like on the stage. After a single run, they gathered around the club president.
“That was good. Let’s take a short rest before we start again. I know that it’s tiring, but endure it for now. The only way for you to not make any mistakes during the real deal is when you practice enough to the point that you can mutter your lines subconsciously just after waking up. The 2nd years know what I mean, right?”
She nodded at the club president’s question. There were occasions where people’s heads would go blank on stage. No matter how hard people resolved themselves to not make a mistake, there would be trivial mistakes made on stage. Voices would go hoarse for no reason, and bodies would go stiff without any cause either. The only way to escape that situation was acting that was engraved on the body. Practice was like insurance. It was the best when there was no need for it, yet the ‘what-if’ situation always comes by all of a sudden, and that’s when it shined.
Just as they were enjoying their rest, the door to the practice room opened.
“You guys are still practicing.”
A girl entered with coffee in one hand. The man that seemed to be in his mid twenties also entered with coffee in his hands. The coffee was from the store outside the school.
“I was thinking maybe you guys were still practicing, and I guess I was right.”
The first and the 2nd years stood up. She did the same. Lee Chaerim. She was one of the many celebrities that commuted to this school. Although she wasn’t a member of the acting club, she brought presents from time to time and gave them encouragement, so everyone liked her. She had a thin figure with a short haircut and was a member of a top-tier idol band that was super popular with the boys. She was also appearing in dramas recently and was becoming more popular by the day.
“Seonbae, didn’t you say you had a shoot?” She asked Chaerim as she accepted a cup of coffee from her.
She had heard that Chaerim had a photoshoot.
“Of course I finished all of it. Everyone sit down, why are you guys all standing up?”
Chaerim sat next to the club president. The man that brought coffee told Chaerim that he would be waiting in the car and left. It seemed like he was her manager.
“Thanks. We just needed some dessert too,” the club president spoke as she bit down on the straw.
It was her favorite type of coffee - café mocha.
“How’s practice?”
“It’s going well. They’re good. How about you? Since you’re here, why don’t you tell us about the drama? I mean, you’re in front of your fans, technically.”
The boys all shouted ‘I’m a fan’ joyously. Chaerim faintly smiled and spoke.
“It’s hard. It wouldn’t be surprising if I got used to it now, but it always feels new every time I go there, and the actors there are so good that I feel like I look good because of them as well. I want to get complimented with my own skills, but it’s difficult. Have you… seen the drama? I look awkward, right?”
“No. I saw you on TV and you didn’t look awkward at all.”
“You were so good.”
“He’s right.”
The juniors all complimented her. Chaerim blushed in joy. She, who was watching her while sipping on her coffee, made the same posture in her mind. Would Maru like it if she acted like that as well? Her face became hot immediately and she shook her head. Acting cute in front of him was not going to happen.
Every one of Chaerim’s actions looked cute because of her figure. She felt like she knew why she was loved by both men and women. It seemed that not just anyone could become idols after all.
“Oh yeah. Isn’t the drama about to begin? Today’s Friday, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Should we watch together?”
“Don’t. It’s embarrassing.”
Chaerim twisted her body as she said that. The club president turned on the power for the large TV in one corner of the practice room. The TV, which was rarely used outside of watching materials for learning, turned on. She switched the channel using the remote control next to the TV.
“It’s on RBS, right?”
“Yeah.”
The channel was switched to RBS. It was still on ads. On the top right corner was the logo for ‘Youth Generation’.
“Looks like it should begin soon.”
“Geez, this is gonna be embarrassing.”
“You shouldn’t be embarrassed of your own acting.”
The club president raised the volume. On TV was a shampoo ad. A long-haired actress was showing off her glistening hair.
“It’s Kim Suyeon.”
“She’s on TV a lot these days.”
The juniors’ words could be heard.
She actually knew that actress. She had seen her in person. She came to visit Maru when he was hospitalized. Every time she saw her on TV, it felt like the meeting back then was a lie.
‘But she didn’t look like she was close with Maru. Her first impression… wasn’t that good either.’