Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 290

Hyung, am I cute? 290

Somehow, I ended up getting invited to the Haeoreum club.

Surprisingly, they were holding auditions for roles, and it seemed like the new theater and film students were also participating.

Of course, only those who had joined the department club.

Since most people join anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem.

But why did they call me to the audition? I just wanted to watch them practice.

But wouldn’t this be a good experience too?

When else would I see something like this?

With this in mind, I participated with Siha.

“Hyung. There are so many people.”

“It’s because this is the auditorium.”

“Ah? Ahh.”

This auditorium, located on the first floor of the building, is usually empty most of the time, but the busiest time is during exam periods.

Time slots are almost fully booked, so you can’t get a spot unless you apply in advance.

I’ve also taken exams here before.

“Oh! Writer SihaPepe.”

“Hello.”

“Hello!”

Siha and I greeted Shin Changmin, a theater and film student and scenario writer.

Shin Changmin grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically.

“Wow, thank you so much for allowing us to adapt your work. You’re the best, Writer SihaPepe!”

“It feels awkward to be called a writer.”

“I feel the same way. It’s awkward to hear things like ‘adapter’ or ‘scenario writer.’ Haha. But who is this kid?”

“Ah! He’s my younger brother. His name is Siha.”

“Ah! So that’s why you’re Writer SihaPepe!”

I couldn’t exactly say that we were both Writer SihaPepe.

It wasn’t something to hide, but I thought it would be annoying if other people found out later.

Siha didn’t seem interested and just pointed at the stage.

“Hyung. Big!”

“Yeah. This place is big because it’s used for lectures. Isn’t it about the same size as the small auditorium?”

“No. Bigger.”

Is it a little bigger?

Still, it wasn’t something to be so surprised about.

Shin Changmin said.

“You’re going to be judging with us today, right?”

“Pardon? No, I’m not.”

“Haha. Just kidding. Just kidding. But you should sit in the judges’ seats.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s the best place to see, of course.”

“Can I sit a little further away?”

“No way! No way! You have to watch it up close. And see how we write our evaluations! Aren’t you curious about what we write on the paper?”

“Isn’t it just scores?”

“If you see the parts we check separately, it might help with your work! We’ll also be discussing things.”

Ah…. But Siha is the one who draws, not me, so it wouldn’t really help, would it?

Well, it might not be bad to watch the students’ performances up close.

“Siha, should we watch from the front?”

“Ah ah!”

We had no choice but to go to the front row where the judges’ seats were.

Judges’ seats were just chairs in the first row in front of the auditorium stage.

“Siha, should I teach you something cool? These chairs have desks that come out.”

“Really?!”

“Of course.”

I opened the armrest and pulled out the desk.

Siha’s eyes widened in amazement.

“The desk is playing hide-and-seek! It’s hiding!”

“Pfft.”

A hide-and-seek desk. Seriously, he’s so cute when he talks.

Siha also took out the desk and tapped it.

Toc, toc.

While watching him, I quietly whispered.

“But Siha, later, the play… this is an audition, you know? It’s a competition to decide who will be the main character.”

“The winner is Red?”

“Yeah. That’s right. Red. Anyway, they asked me to draw a play poster, like when we made the dance poster at the daycare center.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Do you want to try drawing it?”

“Siha will do it.”

“They’ll give you money too.”

“How much?”

“Ten grandmas?”

“Lots of grandmas! Can we buy a house?”

“No.”

You can’t even buy a house with ten grandmas.

Maybe you can pay the monthly rent?

Siha became gloomy at those words. Oh dear. Siha. Ten grandmas is a really good payment.

Of course, I have to give them a rough draft first. They said they’d give me half even if they didn’t like it.

“Let’s watch the acting carefully. Okay?”

“Ah ah.”

At that moment, Shin Changmin approached from afar.

There was also a child, and that was Yeonju.

“Huh? Yeonju?”

“Ah? Yeonju! Hi!”

Yeonju’s eyes widened as she looked at Siha.

She seemed very surprised. I was surprised too.

“Siha. Hello. Hello, Sihyuk oppa too.”

“Yeah. Hello. How are you here, Yeonju?”

“My dad told me to come watch.”

“Dad? Ah!”

Come to think of it, I heard that Yeonju’s father had been appointed as a professor in the Department of Theater and Film.

Was his name Simon Smith?

I was trying to dredge up old memories, but the memory was…

「Oh! Sihyuk!」

“Huh? Ah! Hello. It’s been a while. Is your wallet safe?”

「I haven’t carried it around since then. These days, everything is done with phones. Korea is really great.」

Mr. Smith shook his phone.

Indeed, fewer and fewer people are carrying wallets these days.

Everything from transportation cards to everything else is on your phone.

「That must be very convenient. I unconsciously used Korean.」

「It’s okay. I understand everything. Although English is more comfortable.」

「I didn’t know you were working in theater…」

「Musical and theater work is fun. Haha. I’m quite famous.」

「So, have you become a full-time professor?」

「No. Hahaha. Just for two years for now?」

「Ah, I see.」

I nodded, realizing that was the case.

I guess it would be difficult to become a full-time professor since he doesn’t have any connections here.

「Anyway, I heard that Siha is playing well with our Yeonju. Please continue to take care of him.」

「Hey. Hana is the one who plays well with Siha. Hahaha.」

「Hahaha. I’ve heard that too. They’re best friends.」

If Seungjun is there for Siha, Hana is there for Yeonju.

It feels like a good balance.

“Yeonju. Here big.”

“Huh? Big?”

“Ah ah.”

Siha, is your only topic “Here is big!”?

Yeonju might not feel it’s that big because she’s been to places like this a lot.

Looking at it this way, I wonder if I should take Siha around to see more things.

Seeing those differences in perspective makes me wonder if I’m not doing enough for him…

Maybe it’s an overreaction to a single word, but I want him to see a lot of things when he’s young.

Every time at that age, thoughts change and feelings change.

I hope he feels it well, experiences it, and builds on it.

“Audition do. Audition.”

“Yeah. I heard that too. I’ve never really seen one, so I’m curious.”

“Yeonju audition do?”

“Huh? No. I don’t need to audition. I pass right away.”

“Yeonju amazing~”

What tremendous confidence, Yeonju.

Siha doesn’t need to audition either; he has a free pass!

Who am I fighting with?

“Everyone’s here. Let’s start the auditions then. Please take your seats!”

Shin Changmin said excitedly and gave me a thumbs up.

Why to me?

I heard he was suffering from a slump, is that really true?

Seeing that kind of behavior makes me suspect bipolar disorder.

***

There’s a reason why there aren’t any judges’ seats with desks and chairs prepared on the stage.

It’s to imagine the actor’s appearance, composition, and atmosphere when looking at the stage from the audience’s perspective.

That’s what Shin Changmin next to me kindly explained.

Of course, the ones in front are judges, not the audience.

“We apply for this lecture room and give them indirect experience. You know, like how they make you take mock exams at school to get used to the atmosphere of the college entrance exam, or set up school desks and chairs at home…”

“Ah. I know.”

“Hyung. Mock? Exam? Ah! Mock exam is go? Gather what buy?”

Siha, it’s not gathering to buy something, it’s an exam.

“Siha will know later when he goes to school. He’ll have to take them too.”

“Fun!”

He probably won’t find it fun if he knows the real meaning.

I hope he’s not taking out his stress on me.

I wonder if he’ll become a test taker who turns the TV volume down to 1 in the living room and is careful not to disturb me while I study.

I’m curious and worried about Siha’s middle and high school life.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah? Ah! The actors are coming out.”

“Ah ah!”

Siha turned his head again.

The first person who came out was a freshman. He seemed a little nervous.

“I want to play the main character, Kim Juhyuk!”

“Okay. Try Scene 23.”

I flipped through the scenario on the desk.

It’s a scene where a clear vision of the future is revealed. A scene where Siha lifts the cloth he drew, revealing the 80s and 90s era.

The student’s eyes in front of me changed.

They were filled with surprise.

“Am I dreaming? Such a vibrant landscape. It’s like I’ve come to the future. No. Is it the future?”

He opened the cloth as if he were holding a pistol in his hand.

Waking up from a dream, his face bloomed.

“It’s full of Korean signs. Korean… Korean…”

His eyes were full of conviction, as if he could know the future just from that.

He gently closed his eyes, then opened them again with a surprised face.

“Is that… me?”

According to the scenario, he’s looking at his reincarnated self.

“So… that’s what happened.”

The hand holding the pistol lowered the cloth.

He turns around and says.

“What I did wasn’t useless. Then I have to do it.”

As I watched the performance continue, I quickly skimmed through the back of the scenario.

He kills the officers with a gun and gloriously perishes with a bomb in the end.

And the scene that follows makes me nod.

A gun and a bomb instead of a bamboo flute…

‘The dialogue and direction are good.’

It made me feel something hot about Koreans.

While I was lost in such thoughts, the student’s performance ended.

“Siha, how was it? Did he act well? Do you want to give him a score?”

“Ah ah.”

For fun, they gave us paper.

There were columns for writing the number and name, and a column for scoring, and a space for simple notes was printed.

Siha pondered and wrote 4.

“Is that 4 out of 10?”

“No!”

“Then what’s the highest score?”

“Hyung score.”

“???”

Siha wrote ‘ㅇㅅㅎ’ next to it.

“If you get this, it’s the highest score.”

What number is that?

It was an incomprehensible scoring system. From now on, is ‘ㅇㅅㅎ’ included in Arabic numerals?

Or like an infinity symbol?

Is 4 high or low?

“Next, please come out. The main character is the last one.”

It seems that only two people applied for the main character.

Was the first person a freshman? He was definitely nervous at first, but he did well once he started acting.

But the second person did even better.

I heard he was a sophomore, and he definitely seemed like he had been there for another year.

Looking at Siha’s score, he wrote 3.

Huh? Our opinions are a little different.

“Siha, that person has a lower score?”

“No. Three score more high.”

“4 is higher than 3, right?”

“Siha three score more high.”

Yeah. Our Siha can’t give up on three.

It seems that [Siha Score] is higher with 3 points. But only you know that!

If other people see it, they can only say it’s lower!

“Yeonju, how is it?”

“Hmm.”

“Why?”

“Everyone’s good. But I think I’ll do better.”

“Ah, really?”

What tremendous confidence. Is that because she grew up in the American style?

“Siha.”

“Huh? Yeonju why?”

“You can do better too, right?”

“Hyung do better than Siha.”

Hey. Siha? Why are you passing it on to me?

Of course, our Siha doesn’t know that kind of method and really thinks I’m good.

At that time, Shin Changmin smiled and said next to me.

“Then, Mr. Si Hyuk, would you like to try it too? As a bonus?”

“Excuse me?”

「That’s a good idea!」

Mr. Smith?!

“Uh… really? Are you kidding?”

But from the club president to the director who came as judges, they looked at me with shining eyes.

Why? Why do they all have such fun expressions?

“Hyung. Siha want see!”

“Yeonju too!”

I scratched my head.

“I can’t do acting like in a play. My pronunciation isn’t good either.”

Shin Changmin laughed out loud.

“Everyone knows that. We’re just watching for fun.”

“Hmm. Then can I do it with a different story?”

“Excuse me?”

“Just change it a little with a sub-story.”

“Ooh. That sounds fun. Can you tell us the story?”

“Actually, the main character is going on a train to kill the officers, and a woman is going with him.”

“Are they in love with each other?”

“No. They’re comrades doing their jobs. I’m going to try playing the woman’s role too.”

“?!”

Yeonju also widened her eyes and showed interest.

I decided to show the story I came up with rather than focusing on acting.

I raised the desk and sat down on the stage with a thud.

First, the female lead’s acting.

“Aren’t our eyes perpetual snow?” [A metaphor for a situation that seems hopeless and unchanging, like a landscape permanently covered in snow.]

It was a line questioning whether it was perpetual snow that would never melt and spring would never come.

I stood up from my seat and naturally sat next to him. I’m holding something in my hand.

The male lead’s acting.

“It will definitely melt. I saw it.”

Sitting in the middle, I only turned my head to the side and acted as the female lead again.

Now, I was going to show the female lead and the male lead separately just by turning my head.

“I saw it too.”

“Did you? Really? You saw beyond the sky too?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hmm?”

“What I saw was a bonfire lit on perpetual snow. It can’t burn brightly and it’s going out.”

“You’re so negative, but your courage is bold. To be so calm with two books worth of data.”

It meant the key figures and confidential documents of the enemy forces that were secretly received.

Perhaps because of the times, everyone seemed to vaguely know what the data was.

The female lead says.

“Without even knowing where it is.”

“Don’t worry. Even if you hid it in your arms, I’ll protect you.”

The female lead raised one corner of her mouth and sneered.

If you carry it around like that, you’ll definitely get caught in the police officer’s body search.

“To be so naive.”

“What?”

“That’s why you try to burn brightly. I’ll quietly crackle.”

“Looks like I didn’t need to protect you either. You seem so confident.”

“Let’s go our separate ways. We’re on different paths anyway.”

“The final destination will be the same.”

“It’s different…”

The male lead is talking about the regained homeland in the distant future, and the female lead is talking about the present.

The female lead gets up first.

The hand holding the male lead and the female lead’s open hand show the presence or absence of an object.

The female lead says.

“I’ll get off first.”

“Goodbye.”

“Oh, right. I have to satisfy your curiosity before I go.”

I looked not at the male lead next to me, but at the judges’ seats in front of me.

With a slightly sneering smile.

“It’s here.”

I tapped my head.

“……”

Silence.

The judges realized what that meant and slightly opened their mouths.