After a satisfying lunch, the three of them moved on. Seo Jun and Lee Ji-seok had their caps pulled down tight, and with Yoon Seong-oh around, no one recognized them.
"Maybe we can just meet outside from now on?"
"Indeed."
As Seo Jun and Lee Ji-seok laughed and chatted, Yoon Seong-oh shook his head. Well, it seems no one recognizes them.
The street was as empty as if not a single ant could be seen, just as Yoon Seong-oh thought.
There were a few people passing by, but they seemed to be using this street to get to other places, hurrying along.
Hmm. I heard a new street was built across the main road, and it seems everyone is going that way. Yoon Seong-oh scratched his cheek.
"Um..."
The three of them were startled by the voice coming from nearby. The man who had spoken to them was also surprised.
Yoon Seong-oh naturally stepped in front of the two and asked. Seo Jun's eyes sparkled at the sight.
A top actor's manager!
Seo Jun's uncle Chan had promised to introduce him to Seo Jun's manager next time. What kind of person would it be? It would be great if he were as cool as this.
"What's the matter?"
The man flinched at the slightly cold tone. Seo Jun silently applauded Yoon Seong-oh's change.
"Ah, um. If you have time, would you like to see a play? It's suitable for children too."
"A play?"
The word "play" caught Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun's attention. The two actors could talk about movies and dramas all day, and plays were no exception.
Yoon Seong-oh's stiff expression slowly relaxed. Sensing the change, the man continued in a clear voice.
"Yes. It's at a nearby small theater. The content is interesting, and everyone acts well. You won't regret it."
The man handed out flyers, which Yoon Seong-oh took and gave to Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun.
"Our Neighborhood"
Hmm. Just from the title, it was hard to guess what it was about.
Lee Ji-seok tapped Seo Jun's shoulder. When Seo Jun looked up, Lee Ji-seok winked. Want to see it?
Seo Jun nodded. He had seen a few plays in the U.S., but this would be his first in Korea.
"If you buy tickets from me, I can give you a 20 percent, no, 40 percent discount."
"No, that's fine."
Lee Ji-seok's refusal made the man's shoulders slump. This must be the umpteenth time he's been turned down.
Is it going to end up with no audience again today? Despite trying to hide it, the man thought of the disappointed cast members and turned to look for other potential viewers.
At that moment, Lee Ji-seok's voice caught the man's ear.
"We love plays. You should charge the full price. How much is it?"
The man's face lit up at Lee Ji-seok's words.
* * *
All the actors of the theater group 'Wind' had gathered. Some were from other theater groups, and some were new to this one.
They pooled their money to rent this small, shabby theater, but there were no staff to manage the stage or production.
Everything was done by the actors themselves.
Just seven of them. All of them loved theater and acting.
"Phew. How many tickets did we sell?"
"Three from the supermarket owner. One child and two adults."
"At least we're lucky our play is suitable for all ages. Otherwise, we might not have sold even three."
Everyone smiled faintly at Han Ji-a, who played the female lead. Kim Seong-woo, who played the supermarket owner, and Kim Seong-gon, the director who played the mayor, had received a call from Kim Seong-woo.
"It's not a time to smile."
"Huh? Why not?"
"They paid full price."
"......What?"
"They said they love plays, and even though you offered a 40 percent discount, they paid full price."
Everyone was speechless at Kim Seong-gon's words. They love plays. Those words struck a chord in their hearts.
"But why did Seong-woo offer a 40 percent discount? We won't even cover the rental fee! And why did those people pay full price when they were offered a discount......"
Han Ji-a couldn't continue, as if she was about to cry.
For four days, they had only seen empty seats on stage. Just a few thousand won difference, but something welled up inside her.
Kim Seong-gon clapped his hands.
"Everyone, snap out of it! They paid full price because they love plays! We need to show them a play worth the price!"
"Right!"
It was their first audience in a long time. Only three people, but everyone was determined.
* * *
"Hello! Welcome to the play!"
One child, two adults. These are the people! Han Ji-a greeted the three with a bright smile.
The three nodded in response to Han Ji-a's words as they were looking for the entrance to the small theater.
"The entrance is this way. It's on the second floor, so you need to go up. You can give me your tickets."
"Ah, thank you."
Han Ji-a took their tickets and tore them in half. Guided by Han Ji-a, Seo Jun and the two others climbed the narrow stairs and entered the small theater.
The theater was small. The stage and audience seats were very close, and there were few seats.
Seeing the three of them looking around the theater, Han Ji-a smiled and said,
"You can sit anywhere. If you want a good view, the middle is best. If you want to see the actors up close, the front row is good."
"Where do you want to sit?"
The theater was so small that there wasn't much difference between the middle and the front, but Seo Jun carefully chose a seat.
"I want to sit in the middle."
"Okay. Then sit here. This is the best spot."
Seo Jun's answer made Han Ji-a smile brightly. She thought they would leave because there was no one in the audience, but the three of them didn't seem to mind.
"The play will start when the time comes. Enjoy it."
"Thank you!"
"We will."
Han Ji-a left, and Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun took off their caps.
"Ah, I'm sweating!"
"But it's cool in here."
"Don't take them off so casually, both of you."
"It's fine. It's fine. There's no one to see us."
Yoon Seong-oh sighed at Lee Ji-seok's calm words. Seo Jun shook his head and looked around the small theater.
Sitting down, the small stage seemed right in front of them. At this distance, they could probably see the actors' sweat.
"But it's really small."
"It seems to be the smallest among small theaters. The rental fee must be cheap."
"But with no one here...... They probably won't even make that much. It looks like we're the only ones."
Yoon Seong-oh's words made Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun nod. The empty seats made them a bit sad.
* * *
"I don't think they'll come!"
Han Ji-a ran in. Kim Seong-gon rubbed his forehead.
"What do you do when the main character is guiding the audience!"
"Anyway, we're in casual clothes. No need for makeup! More importantly, three people, they're not coming. There were people who turned back because there weren't many audience members!"
Even when there were five people in the group, it was the same.
"Right, right. Get ready for the stage."
"Okay!"
The actors, including Han Ji-a, were excited about their first audience in a long time. They all waited with eager faces for the curtain to rise. Kim Seong-gon clapped his hands.
"Everyone, you're too excited. Calm down."
"Okay!"
When Kim Seong-gon put his hand in the middle, everyone reached out and placed their hands on top.
The usual scene. But today, there was an audience. With pounding hearts, they shouted their slogan.
"Our Neighborhood!!"
"Let's do it!!"
"We can hear you."
"Ahahaha. The soundproofing here is worse than other places."
Although they couldn't understand what was being said, the "Our Neighborhood, let's do it!" was clearly heard. The two actors and the manager laughed at the cheerful voices of the actors.
They were even more excited about the play and the performances.
Soon, the audience area with only three people darkened, and the stage was lit.
"It's about to start."
Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun's expressions changed.
Yoon Seong-oh shook his head. Actors could change instantly when it came to acting. Lee Ji-seok had experienced it for five years, but even Seo Jun. It seemed that one had to be at this level to act in Hollywood movies at a young age.
'Do they know that Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun are watching their play?'
There's no way they could.
Soon, Yoon Seong-oh also focused on the stage.
The play began with an incident in a small town.
The female lead, a detective, investigated the townspeople, and misunderstandings and misconceptions intertwined, eliciting laughter.
In the end, the culprit was caught by a stroke of luck, but the detective couldn't clear the townspeople's misunderstandings.
"I'm not really a real estate agent! I'm a detective! A detective!"
The clear laughter of the child was heard. The laughter of the two adults was also heard. Kim Seong-gon, who was watching the stage and the audience, clenched his fists. This vivid reaction. Indeed, they loved plays.
"Senior! It's your turn to go on stage!"
"Got it!"
Han Ji-a and the other actors had smiles on their faces.
"Hey. If you laugh like that, you can't act! You're supposed to be sad!"
"Senior! You're supposed to be very serious, but you're laughing!"
There was no helping it. It was too exciting and fun.
Their hearts were pounding as if they would burst. Running around on the hot stage, their clothes were drenched in sweat, and their makeup was about to come off, but they were having a great time.
This was why they couldn't leave this place.
"Come on, hurry up and go on stage!"
The play ended with cheerful laughter.
Yoon Seong-oh clapped and smiled.
"It's really fun!"
"Indeed. I didn't expect much, but everyone did well, and the content was interesting. Right, Seo Jun?"
"Right."
At Lee Ji-seok's words, Seo Jun clapped enthusiastically with his small hands.
"Everyone did an amazing job."
Although Seo Jun's eyes saw the actors' performances as lacking, it was because his standards were so high. Seo Jun knew this.
'With Ji-seok as my co-star, and Evan and Richelle, my standards couldn't help but be high.'
Moreover, the dramas and movies he studied hard for acting raised his standards even higher. While ordinary people might think they did well, by Seo Jun's standards, they were lacking.
But he enjoyed it. He could feel with his whole body how much they loved and enjoyed acting. Just like in his first life.
Seo Jun gave them even more praise in his heart.
A small but loud applause echoed in the small theater. The actors behind the curtain, hearing the applause, couldn't help but shed a few tears.
"Hey. Don't cry. We haven't even taken pictures yet."
"Right, but they keep coming."
"Try to wipe them away."
Kim Seong-woo, who had sold tickets and gone on stage, wiped away his tears.
It was really lucky that he had approached those people. Through his blurred vision, he could see the happy cast members. It was really lucky.
Everyone stopped crying and stood on stage with red eyes. They bowed deeply, and the applause sounded again.
"Would you like to take a picture with the actors?"
At Kim Seong-gon's words, the man without a cap looked at the child and the man with a cap. The child shrugged, and the man with a cap smiled.
"There's no choice. It was really fun."
"I like it too!"
"It's going to be a mess."
Yoon Seong-oh sighed and led the two to the actors. It looked like a bodyguard, and the actors tilted their heads.
"Seong-woo, who are these people?"
"I don't know. They came out of the cold noodle shop in front."
"Ji-a, shh."
Han Ji-a and Kim Seong-woo, who were whispering, closed their mouths. The director of the theater group 'Wind,' Yoo Seong-gon, stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes, it was really fun."
"Thank you......"
Yoo Seong-gon stopped bowing. It was because Lee Ji-seok had taken off his cap, which he had pulled down tight.
In the brightened audience lights, Lee Ji-seok's handsome face was clearly visible. Starting with Yoo Seong-gon, everyone on stage saw his face clearly.
"Wow!"
"Lee Ji-seok!?"
Kim Seong-woo, who had spoken without thinking, covered his mouth. Lee Ji-seok continued with a nod.
"Seo Jun also enjoyed it."
"It was really fun!"
Seo Jun also took off his cap, bowed, and smiled brightly.
What? What? Who?
A brief silence fell over the small theater.
As if recognizing Lee Ji-seok and Seo Jun for the first time, a scream of "Seo Jun!!" erupted from the actors.