A Thousand Faces (Soon to be Published)

Chapter 37

"Hey, are you listening? You're not in a position to judge or say anything. That's what we're saying."

Junwoo, who was chattering nearby, didn't take his eyes off Shin Dami.

Suddenly feeling his intense gaze, Shin Dami was flustered.

'What, what's this...?'

Junwoo had been confused about something for a while. It was,

"Why are you just standing there quietly? You're the best at this among us here."

"...What?"

At those words, the actors boasting about their spittle-flying skills suddenly fell silent.

"Why are you just watching kids with no skills strut around?"

"What did he just say?"

"Kids with no skills? Me, strutting?"

Junwoo didn't have any second thoughts.

He was genuinely curious.

To Shin Dami, who was blinking in confusion, Junwoo said,

"I saw your performance in the third round."

Shin Dami's heart pounded. She had never felt this way before.

Junwoo remembered Shin Dami's acting from the previous one-on-one team mission.

She didn't reinterpret the role like others, nor did she add any flair to her lines, simply delivering them straightforwardly.

'But it was different.'

How much could an actor refine and embellish a character?

It wasn't a matter of the actor's intention, but rather their presence.

Some actors could bring the same lines to life more vividly.

She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, nor did she have any remarkable, unique features, but Junwoo saw something in her.

She possessed a strength that others didn't have.

It was a natural intensity inherent in her as an actress.

While the judges praised her remarkable acting skills, they also added,

"The fact that you didn't change the character with your own interpretation was a bit disappointing."

He added

Jo Sungrae couldn't shake off his uneasy expression as he put down the microphone. Probably, they didn't realize it. They couldn't find a basis for their praise beyond 'acting skills.'

Because there was something there that couldn't be confirmed.

'What is this nagging feeling?'

Junwoo scrutinized Shin Dami's face, then tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Where are you looking? What is he doing...?"

As he was treated like an invisible person, Choi Han-gyeol's face turned bright red with anger.

But Junwoo had already lost interest in that direction.

Step by step.

Junwoo suddenly started to step backwards.

Without taking his eyes off Shin Dami.

'What is he doing...?'

Shin Dami blinked rapidly.

Then, step by step, Junwoo slowly walked forward again.