I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 81:

Chapter 81

As the modernization period (開化期) began, rickshaw pullers (くるまひき) also appeared in large numbers on the streets of Gyeongseong.

Unlike the carts that required several people to carry, the rickshaws were cheap and had no restrictions on the status of the passengers.

That’s why the courtesans used them as their main means of transportation.

“Chunsam, do you see that woman waiting for a rickshaw over there?”

Baek Muyeol pointed at a woman who was waiting for a rickshaw in a corner of Gyeongseong street with a smirk. Chunsam, his house slave, nodded briefly.

“Yes, I see her. She doesn’t look like a Korean by the way she’s dressed.”

“Listen, this is what you have to do. Go to where that woman is waiting and tell all the rickshaw pullers not to take her. It shouldn’t be too hard since it’s the time when the flowers are in bloom at the palace.”

“What, that’s not a difficult task if you have the master’s authority in Gyeongseong, but are you trying to seduce that woman this time?”

“Go on.”

Urged by Baek Muyeol, Chunsam (Ji Dongyeon) scratched his head and ran off. The woman in shoes waited for a long time, but no rickshaw came. She tapped her feet and looked around nervously. She was told that she could get a rickshaw here, but the rickshaws were either full or already reserved. Then it happened.

Creak.

A rickshaw stopped in front of her. But there was already someone in the rickshaw. As she felt disappointed, the man in the rickshaw asked her.

“Where are you going?”

The woman flinched at the sudden voice, but soon smiled at the soft Japanese that followed.

“Are you Japanese?”

“No, I’m Korean. I asked you in Japanese because you looked like a Japanese by your outfit. But can’t you speak Korean?”

“I can. But why are you talking to me?”

The man, Baek Muyeol, explained in Korean with a gentle smile.

“I felt sorry for her as I saw her waiting for a rickshaw at this hour. She must not know that this is the time when the courtesans are busy moving around, so there are no rickshaws left on the streets of Gyeongseong. If you don’t mind, I can take you to your destination. There is enough room for two people, after all.”

“No, I can’t do that. How can I go with someone I just met?”

“Very well, then I will give up.”

“Why?”

Baek Muyeol took out a handkerchief from his pocket and neatly laid it on the seat before getting off the rickshaw. She was startled by his sudden kindness, but her heart fluttered at his next words.”

“I have no ulterior motive. I just want to help someone in trouble. And if that someone is such a beautiful lady, I have no reason to refuse.”

Baek Muyeol took the woman’s hand and helped her onto the rickshaw. He then took off his bamboo hat and said.

The woman’s heart skipped a beat as she saw his face without the hat. He smiled faintly, as if he knew how she felt, and said.

“My name is Baek Muyeol.”

“My name is…”

“That’s enough. Tell me next time. If fate brings us together again, that is. Hurry and take care of the young lady.”

Baek Muyeol tipped the rickshaw driver and the rickshaw moved along the streets of Gyeongseong.

The woman on the rickshaw kept glancing back at the receding figure of Baek Muyeol. Soon, the rickshaw was out of sight and Chun Sam appeared.

“Master, who is that woman?”

“She was a lonely flower, trapped in a cage, and a blade’s accessory in Joseon, where everything was sharp and ruthless. She always dreamed of escaping her fate. Sometimes, she would sneak into the literary salon in Gyeongseong and read books before returning. Just like now.

Did he really wander around the street of the literary salon for half a month, morning and night, just to catch a glimpse of her?

“And if I did?”

“No, sir. Who is she to you that you would go to such lengths?”

“You should have figured it out by now. Her name is Misaki, a lady who speaks Joseon fluently and has a keen interest in Joseon literature.”

“But the direction the rickshaw was heading…”

“It’s the Joseon Governor-General’s Office. What’s so strange about that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? How many women would go to the Joseon Governor-General’s Office at this hour?”

“There’s nothing strange about it. That woman is…”

Chunsam’s eyes widened as he heard the rest of the sentence.

“She’s the only daughter of the Governor-General, Derauchi Arasuke.”

***

From behind the curtain, Yeon-soo looked at the stage of Young-guk.

She had done countless run-throughs, but she never felt as nervous as she did for the actual performance.

The pressure of the many eyes watching her was overwhelming, unlike the drama set she was used to.

“Whew.”

Yeon-soo steadied her breathing and glanced at the stage. Young-guk, who announced the start of the show, walked gracefully like a modern boy who used to roam the streets of Gyeongseong. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t amazed by his appearance.

‘Doesn’t he know what nervousness is?’

She knew it was his first time on stage, just like her, but Young-guk acted as if he had swallowed the word ‘nervous’. His blocking was flawless. He looked even smoother than he did during the run-throughs, as if he had been holding back. He dominated the stage with ease.

“Isn’t he amazing?”

That’s when the director, Lee Chang-hoon, appeared and pointed at Young-guk, who was performing on stage, with a smile.

“He’s not intimidated by the seniors, but rather he’s taking over the stage. He must have hidden his true skills during the last month of rehearsals. Otherwise, he couldn’t have started so smoothly.”

They were still waiting for their turn, the two of them who hadn’t gone up on stage yet.

“It’s not strange to be nervous, most actors are tense on stage. It doesn’t matter if they have short or long careers.”

“Do you get nervous too, director?”

“Of course, maybe not as much as when I first stepped on stage, but it’s not easy to act in front of so many audiences. Besides, me and the rest of the actors are all returning to the theater stage after a long time. Look at Ji Dong-yeon, who plays Chun-sam. He’s a veteran who spent more than ten years on the theater stage, but his forehead is sweaty right now. The audiences may not notice, but I do.”

Director Lee Chang-hoon and Yeon-soo look at the theater stage at the same time. Actor Ji Dong-yeon is also sweating on his forehead as he acts with nervousness, but in contrast, the face of the British man is so pale that not a drop of sweat is visible.

“But the true theater actor is the one who endures all that and transforms the tension into joy. In that sense, that guy is.”

He is like a master of the Gyeongseong street, walking around leisurely as if he is in his own living room.

“A natural, what else.”

***

The stage has changed into a mansion.

Misaki (Park Sang-ah) is pondering over the man named Baek Moo-yeol, whom her servant told her about.

-He was born and raised in a miner’s family, and he was such a talented person that he studied abroad in Kyoto when he was young, but he is a notorious playboy in the Gyeongseong street, who is known by everyone. Despite having a fiancée, he is rumored to have affairs with many women. Many of his partners are Japanese, so he is called a dog of Japan by the Koreans.

He didn’t seem like that kind of person when he showed kindness to her.

Especially when he took off his hat and smiled faintly, he reminded her of the male protagonist of the literary novel ‘Hot Flower’ that she liked, and she wanted to see that smile again.

Misaki is fiddling with the handkerchief that Baek Moo-yeol gave her when she rode the rickshaw. That was when.

Thump.

The window is knocked and opened slightly. Misaki’s eyes widen as she sees the person who pops out from the other side.

“What nonsense is that? I saw with my own eyes that our young master was born because the lady was full. You’re lying again. You’re not the best playboy in Joseon, you’re a novelist. A novelist.”

***

As soon as Chun-sam finished speaking, a loud laughter erupted from the audience. In one corner of the seats, director Shin Seong-hyun was also watching the stage as a spectator.

‘Amazing.’

He looked different from what he had seen on the movie set. Director Shin thought that Young-guk was an actor specialized in film shooting.

And why not?

He had mastered the use of voice and movement in film shooting. But the way he looked on the stage was as good as any professional theater actor.

‘How can a person change so much?’

The young priest I saw in the movie

The Priest Confession had changed drastically from his gentle appearance to the most notorious libertine in Joseon.

His voice, tone, accent, and facial expressions were so different that I felt like I was watching another person.

The actors on the stage were excellent, as well as the direction. I heard that the stage director was a famous giraffe in the theater world.

He perfectly recreated the streets of Gyeongseong, the capital of Joseon at the end of the 19th century.

The subtle lighting showed the red sunset, as if to symbolize the foreign influence that was gradually encroaching on the nation.

“Director, at this rate, Young-guk will be more popular than our movie before it even opens,” Kim Seokcheol, the assistant director who came with me to watch the play, whispered.

Shin Seonghyeon, the director, smiled silently.

To be honest, I was doubtful that Young-guk could fit in the theater stage when I first came to see the play.

The movie and the theater were different mediums, after all. But he erased his image of a young priest with his witty and debauched performance on the stage.

‘He’s a remarkable actor.’

Director Shin Seong-hyun had a hunch as he watched Young-guk’s performance. He was certain that Korea would be in an uproar once

The Priest’s Confession was released.

The finished film was more than his script had envisioned. But before that, Young-guk would surprise Korea with something else.

Not as a movie star, but as a theater actor. Look at him, who could say he was a novice on stage?

He acted like a perfect Paracelsus, with his witty voice and gestures, and his jokes and ad-libs that he threw at the audience from time to time.

They were so skillful that it was hard to tell if they were scripted or improvised. Just like now.

-But sir, why do you want to lure out a Japanese girl named Misaki?

-Does she look dangerous to you?

-Being the only daughter of the governor-general of Joseon, I knew the dangers were not trivial. If anything went wrong, even my father could be affected by the consequences.

At that moment, Baek Mu-yeol, who was on the stage, looked at the audience and added.

-The more dangerous, the more attractive, right? Just like those roses that are scattered over there.

The female fans who filled the seats at the Adelphi Theatre in London screamed uncontrollably.

“Mu-yeol?”

“Can you lend me your hand for a moment? It would be easier to get over this place.”

“How did you get here, and who do you think I am?”

Baek Mu-yeol, who came in through the window, straightened his clothes and explained.

“Do you mean to say that you are the only daughter of the Governor-General of Joseon, Derauchi Arasuke? I came here to find a woman named Misaki.”

“How did you know my name?”

“It didn’t take long to find out the name of such a beautiful woman. A woman wearing shoes and a Western-style outfit is not common on the streets of Gyeongseong. Don’t you know why I came here today?”

At that, Misaki spoke with a voice mixed with panic and anxiety.

“If you came in here recklessly, you would not get away with it.”

“There is no greater pain than not meeting you. Don’t worry. Besides, the Governor-General is also out today. Just in case, I bribed the police officers who are patrolling and also prepared someone who is watching my back. But since you seem to be in trouble today, I’ll leave for now.”

“Wait a minute.”

Misaki grabbed Baek Mu-yeol’s hem with a restless expression.

“I heard rumors about you. They say you have a fiancée. Is that true? And that you spread scandalous stories with many women.”

Baek Mu-yeol took off his hat. Under the hat, his eyes were filled with deep longing. He spoke with a lonely voice.

“I once had to get engaged because of my father’s pressure. I was a child of Soshitsu. My mother, who was known to the world, could not bear a child, so my father brought a young girl from the neighborhood and made her give birth. That was me. But I had a twin sister who was born with me. My father, fearing that she would be a blemish in the future, abandoned the newborn baby in the mountains, I heard. I wandered around with resentment towards my father and guilt towards my sister. But my feelings for you are sincere. I felt that my rebellion turned into love the moment I met you.”

Meanwhile, Chun-sam, who had supported his back under the wall, muttered to himself.

“What are you talking about? I saw with my own eyes that our young master was born because his mother was full. You’re lying again. You’re not the best playboy in Joseon, you’re a novelist. A novelist.”

****

As soon as Chun-sam finished speaking, a loud laughter erupted from the audience.

In one corner of the seats, director Shin Seong-hyun was also watching the stage as a spectator.

‘Amazing.’

It was a completely different sight from what he had felt at the movie set.

Director Shin thought that Young-guk was an actor specialized in filming. It was natural, since he had mastered the use of voice and movement in film shooting. But the appearance on the stage was as good as any seasoned theater actor.

‘How can a person change so much?’

The contrast between the young priest’s appearance he had seen in the movie Priest Confession and the current appearance of the best playboy in Joseon was striking. Not only the voice and tone, but also the accent and expression were as if he was seeing a different person.

The actors on the stage were excellent, as well as the direction. He had heard that the stage director was Girin-a, who was well-known in the theater scene. As if to prove his words, he perfectly recreated the streets of Gyeongseong. He expressed the gradual infiltration of foreign colors into Joseon, which was called the nation of white clothes in the late Joseon period, with a faint light and a red sunset.

“Director, at this rate, Young-guk will be more popular than our movie before it even opens.”

Kim Seok-cheol, the assistant director who came to watch the play with him, whispered in a small voice. Director Shin smiled silently.

In fact, when he first visited the stage, he doubted whether Young-guk would fit well with the stage.

That’s how different movies and plays are. But he had to admit that he was wrong.

The cheeky playboy he showed on the stage erased the young priest’s image as if it was a lie.

‘A great actor was born.’

Director Shin Seong-hyun felt it as he watched Young-guk’s performance. He was sure that Priest Confession would cause a sensation in Korea as soon as it was released.

The finished film was more than his script deserved. But before that, Young-guk would surprise Korea with his role in the Korean Theater Festival. Not as a movie actor, but as a theater actor. Look at him, who could say he was a novice on the stage?

He acted like a perfect playboy, with his cheeky voice and gestures, and his jokes and ad-libs that he threw at the audience from time to time.

They were so skillful that it was hard to tell if they were scripted or improvised. Just like now.

-But, young master, why do you want to seduce a Japanese girl named Misaki?

-Why does it look dangerous to you?

-Well, she’s the only daughter of the governor-general of Joseon. It’s not a small risk. If something goes wrong, it could even affect the lord.

Then, Baek Mu-yeol on the stage explains to the audience.

-The more dangerous it is, the more attractive it is. Just like those roses over there, spreading out in a mess.

The female fans who filled the seats with Young-guk’s ad-lib screamed without hesitation.