TL: Aniea
“Hmm.”
I let out a sigh as I watched the rehearsal process. It was proving to be much more difficult than I had initially thought.
"I'm, I'm sorry. It's because of ...."
As if reading my mind, Kang Han-na mumbled an apology. The script in her hands trembled pitifully.
She's certainly a quick-witted child.
Right now, though, that was becoming too excessive and a problem.
“It’s okay. No one’s perfect from the start. It’s not like you’ve been practicing acting all along anyway, so being bad at it now is actually more natural.”
“B-but....”
Kang Han-na cut herself off and turned her head to the back. Following her gaze, I saw the children who were clearly distracted.
It had already been an hour since practice had started.
Kang Han-na, who was cast as the queen, had to kick things off, but because of her extre nervousness and constant stuttering, progress had been slow.
‘Children don’t have much patience.’
Even if I could endure it, for the children who hadn’t yet matured emotionally, one hour was quite a long ti.
They were doing their best to maintain a neutral expression, but their boredom and frustration were practically radiating from their bodies. Naturally, the more that happened, the more Kang Han-na shrank back.
‘Normally, this would be the ti to skip ahead....’
But the gloomy atmosphere that had been lingering around Kang Han-na was now growing even heavier.
If I skipped her part at this mont, the courage she had barely managed to muster would crumble like a sandcastle.
In that case, the experience of “I tried, but it didn’t work out” would only accumulate negatively, and Kang Han-na would shut her heart even more tightly.
“S-sorry. I knew from the beginning that it was too much for . Soone like , thinking I could act.... I’ll just drop out of the theater troupe now....”
“No.”
I firmly cut off her words. Kang Han-na raised her head in surprise, her eyes wide.
Her eyes, damp and on the verge of spilling tears at any mont, t mine. She truly was a tender-hearted girl.
‘...Of course, letting her go now would be easier for both of us.’
If I had t Kang Han-na not at the orphanage but out in society, I would have respected her choice without hesitation.
After all, ti was tight, and taking care of the actors’ ntal state on top of everything else was a heavy burden.
Kang Han-na herself would probably suffer extre stress from constantly worrying about what others thought. However.
‘I want to give her a chance.’
Han-na was still young.
A high school girl with more days ahead of her than behind, with a bright future still in front of her.
Though the circumstances of many adults were involved, this place was still an orphanage. A place ant to be a haven for children who have lost their parents.
That’s why I wanted to give Kang Han-na a chance. That it’s okay to make mistakes, even repeatedly, because it’s all part of the process toward success.
‘What Han-na needs now is a safety net.’
Every human makes mistakes.
That’s why what matters is not the fact that a mistake was made, but how one responds to it.
If soone climbs a steep cliff and falls due to exhaustion, especially if it happens repeatedly, they will naturally feel discouraged.
And if they fall hard enough to get injured, the re idea of climbing again becos daunting. Eventually, they may stop trying altogether.
‘It’s the adult’s role to catch the child when they fall from the cliff so they don’t get hurt.’
To make sure they don’t get too badly injured.
To make sure they can try again, as many tis as needed.
Usually, it’s the parents who take on that role, but for the children in the orphanage, including Kang Han-na, there’s no one they can wholly rely on like that.
Of course, there are wonderful sisters here, but just by numbers alone, there are more than dozens of children, so deep emotional interactions are realistically impossible.
‘I can guess why she beca this way.’
Most likely, every ti Kang Han-na had gathered her courage, it ended badly.
Those experiences accumulated over ti and shaped her current timid and cautious personality.
If I sent Kang Han-na back like this, it might beco her last attempt. That’s why I held onto her.
‘...Just once is enough.’
An experience of success.
The catharsis a person feels when their effort and courage return as a positive outco is beyond words.
Just once is all it takes to feel it.
Then, even without soone backing them up afterward, that experience itself becos a ntal safety net that will protect them over and over again.
‘Just like it did for .’
As my thoughts reached that point, I glanced over to Kim Eun-ha.
That day I was kicked out of the theater troupe. If she hadn’t reached out her hand to .
By now, I would have lost my driving force in life and would just be living chanically, repeating the sa routines day after day.
“Um, excuse ....”
“Unfortunately, the cast has already been finalized. We don’t have the ti or capacity to change anything now. Han-na, that ans there’s no one else but you who can take on the role of the queen.”
“A-anyone would do a better job than !”
“No, I don’t think so.”
I denied Kang Han-na’s words once more. Even if it seed a little forceful, it was better for her right now not to be given a choice.
She might not be consciously aware of it, but unconsciously, she was probably hoping her opinion would be rejected. It was part of confirming that it was okay for her to be here.
I looked straight into Kang Han-na’s eyes, which were trembling like a candle in the wind, and said,
“You seem to be misunderstanding sothing. The theater team isn’t so leftovers group that just accepts whoever’s left after the choir. It’s actually the opposite.”
“......?”
“Han-na, the impression you gave during the interview was very strong. I placed you in that role because I believed you were the only one at the orphanage who could play the queen.”
“M-?”
“That’s right.”
To her puzzled expression, I lightly shrugged and added an explanation. Follow current novels on novel~fire~net
“If the choir values ‘harmony’, then the theater is more about ‘individuality’. Breathing life into a character is entirely up to the actor.”
“...But the queen is a character so different from . She doesn’t get intimidated even in front of the king or his officials, and she even has the courage to throw herself against an evil sorcerer.”
“Exactly. That’s the point.”
“Huh?”
“You have a deep understanding of your role.”
Smirk-
Looking at Kang Han-na, who was practically wearing a question mark above her head, I quietly lifted the corners of my mouth. She didn’t seem to realize what her strengths were.
“An introverted personality that constantly reads the room. In today’s world, where extroversion is idealized, it can be viewed as a kind of sin, but it’s not all bad.”
“.......”
“Being overly conscious of others ans you’re that much more sensitive. In other words, it ans you have a high level of empathy for other people’s emotions. That’s a huge strength for an actor.”
“...Reading the room is a strength?”
Kang Han-na blinked her eyes as if she couldn’t believe it. In response, I nodded with a serious expression and continued.
“Everything has its pros and cons. Rather than trying hard to change your natural personality, it’s more efficient to amplify your strengths.”
“...Amplify strengths.”
“Han-na, you’re probably the most sensitive to others’ emotions among everyone gathered here. And since you have such a broad emotional spectrum, it’s easier for you to imrse yourself in your role.”
"Others' emotions, imrsing in the role...."
Kang Han-na repeated my words quietly.
At so point, the tearful expression she had been wearing was completely gone, and she began nodding with a deeply thoughtful expression as if she had realized sothing.
People of this type are generally diligent. And since they're also good at self-reflection, as long as I help her get started, she’ll figure out the rest on her own.
“Picture the image of the queen in your mind. Soone around you.... or even a celebrity is fine. If there’s a similar image, it’s okay to model it after them.”
“Soone similar....”
Swoosh-
For a mont, Kang Han-na’s gaze swept across her surroundings. Then her eyes stopped dead at a certain point. Standing there was Kim Eun-ha.
Then, perhaps their eyes t, and Kang Han-na flinched again and lowered her head deeply.
“Did you find soone?”
“...Yes. I think so.”
“Good. Then imagine layering that image over your body. Your skin. No, at first, just think of it as putting on a mascot costu.”
“A mascot costu?”
“Yes. You're overlaying that person's behavior and tone over yourself. It’s okay if it’s a little different from reality. It doesn’t have to be perfect right now.”
“.......”
Kang Han-na closed her eyes and sank into thought. It looked like she was visualizing the image I had ntioned earlier.
“...putting on a mascot costu.”
She mumbled endlessly in a barely audible whisper.
Her efforts must not have been in vain, because the atmosphere around her slowly began to change.
“......?”
Noticing the change in her, the children who had been goofing off at a distance suddenly focused their attention.
But Kang Han-na, fully imrsed in her own world, didn’t even realize this and plunged completely into her role.
Her once-slouched back and shoulders straightened. The awkward stance beca upright and proper.
Inhale- exhale-
Her calm, deep breathing brushed past everyone's ears. Mouths of those watching gradually fell open.
‘...Huh?’
Even I, who had given her the advice, was startled by the sudden transformation in Kang Han-na’s aura. With a mix of disbelief, I continued watching her imrsion.
“...The queen. A woman strong enough to be called a queen in every right, yet sowhat suppressed by the male-centered society. Her posture must always be composed and dignified to avoid revealing any weaknesses.”
...What the hell is this, it’s scary.
Watching Kang Han-na mumble endlessly like soone possessed gave goosebumps all over.
I was about to step in, wondering if I should stop her, when soone firmly grabbed my shoulder from behind.
“...Eun-ha ssi?”
“Let’s just watch for a mont.”
At the heavy voice of Kim Eun-ha, who had quietly observed everything until now, I barely managed to pull my hand back.
Not knowing where to put my confused hand, I folded my arms and kept watching Kang Han-na’s strange behavior.
“...Both corners of the mouth, slightly raised more than usual. Maintain a relaxed expression while being careful not to look frivolous or like you're sneering.”
Swoosh-
As if her words were so kind of spell, everything she uttered started to materialize.
Indeed, the corners of Kang Han-na’s lips subtly lifted, and with just that slight change, her entire impression was transford.
“Hm?”
But sothing felt strange.
It was definitely the first ti I had seen such a composed smile from Kang Han-na, but it felt oddly familiar sohow.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, as everyone around began tilting their heads in confusion. Everyone except for one person.
‘...No way?’
Exhale-
As if to answer my doubts, Kang Han-na let out a long sigh. As she erged from her trance, she slowly opened her eyes.
Her pupils, now clear and unwavering, t mine without even the slightest hesitation, so different from the timid girl before.
“Ah-”
A gaze I was all too familiar with.
Even her voice sounded similar.
“Is this how I do it, Woo-ju ssi?”
The gaze, a perfect replica of Kim Eun-ha’s, captured completely. Faced with a scene that felt unbelievable even though I was seeing it with my own eyes, I was utterly lost for words.
*****
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