Chapter 203: Mimicry.

There are people like that sometimes in life.

Someone who is handsome, or if not quite to that extent, at least has a neat and stylish appearance.

Someone with the intelligence and leadership to consistently rank at the top of their class and serve as student council president.

Someone who has so much yet remains completely free of arrogance, possessing a warm personality that is considerate of those around them.

Everyone praises them. Everyone wants to get close to them.

But when someone gets too close, they smile and gently draw a line.

When you see someone like that, don't you sometimes become curious?

Are all those abilities and traits truly something they were born with, or are they something they calculate and perform with complete precision?

Mimicry

On the bundle of papers Kyler handed over, a single line of black text was printed as the title.

Yu Myeong read it carefully, line by line, before closing the final page.

It was still more of a synopsis than a screenplay.

"Um... Is 'As' a character who reflects the impression you have of me, Director?"

"That's right."

"I don't particularly live while 'mimicking' others..."

"I know. But anyone who looks at Yu Myeong would probably have that question to some extent."

Mimicry.

It refers to a survival method where an animal takes on a shape extremely similar to surrounding objects or other creatures in order to protect itself or hunt more easily.

And the protagonist of this script lives by mimicking others completely.

Why...?

"Is he... a psychopath or something?"

"Well..."

Kyler smiled faintly and let his voice trail off.

What the director had handed him was only the beginning synopsis.

"This is my script, but it's also a script where you are the inspiration. I'm planning to reflect your opinions as much as possible. After reading the synopsis, tell me what you think. If anything about the character or dialogue feels unnatural, or if you have any thoughts, I'd like to hear them."

"I'll have to see what comes later to know for sure, but the character is very interesting. However... if this is the first act of the film, wouldn't this be around thirty minutes?"

"That's right."

"Well... The first act seems quite quiet on paper. Doesn't anything happen that would draw the audience's attention?"

Movies have acts as well.

They are not divided as clearly as theater, where the lights turning on and off mark transitions, but most Hollywood films follow a three act structure.

The first act begins with an initiating accident that disrupts the protagonist's ordinary life. After experiencing that incident, the protagonist decides to solve the problem and steps into an extraordinary world.

As events unfold, the protagonist appears to achieve their original goal, but that success creates a new problem. The protagonist changes or resets their objective at this turning point, and the second act continues as tension steadily builds until the greatest crisis arrives.

The third act is where the story reaches its climax and all problems are resolved.

And the synopsis Kyler brought was exactly the first thirty minutes of the first act.

The character was clear and interesting, but there was no "first event" anywhere that would make the audience anticipate the ending.

Kyler answered Yu Myeong's question.

"Sharp as always. I didn't write any camera work separately."

"Camera... work?"

"Yes. These opening thirty minutes will unfold through the protagonist's perspective."

Yu Myeong blinked.

"It means Yu Myeong will not appear even once during those thirty minutes."

 The third week after Casting Vote ended, France.

<America's mega hit program Casting Vote confirmed for import by TF1 (TF1: France's largest private broadcasting network)>

At the Paris based Camille private ballet company.

A fellow dancer approached the Asian ballerina looking through a newspaper in the lounge.

"By the way! You're from the same country as Yu Myeong, right?"

"That's right. You watched Casting Vote too?"

"Of course. Somehow, a French subtitled version even spread online. I wonder which angel made it. Ah... he's really amazing. When I heard he appeared, I even subscribed to Vogue. Do you want to see it?"

Seol Su Yeon smiled and shook her head.

"I have it too."

"Wow, you're a Yu Myeong 'fan' too."

"...Yeah."

That's right.

A fan now.

The last time she saw him was a little over two years and nine months ago.

It had been a long, painful tunnel.

There were several times when she wanted to give up halfway through. The greatest crisis came exactly two years in.

She had been developing the additional ligaments and muscles needed to support pointe work, but excessive training caused inflammation in another ligament.

When she thought, I really can't go any further...

She remembered something she had casually said to Yu Myeong.

"Because of what you just said, it got extended by a year. Three years."

It wasn't a promise or anything.

But she felt like she had to keep it.

Yet when she could not figure out any way to move forward...

The ballet shoes, as if they had been a gift sent by him, appeared.

And now, nine months after beginning her work with Madame Camille,

Whenever she became exhausted or struggled, the wonderful image of Yu Myeong appearing on Casting Vote gave her strength, and Seol Su Yeon eventually succeeded in her rehabilitation.

With Madame Camille's recommendation, she was now preparing for the audition to join the Paris Opera Ballet.

He's become someone as distant as a star in the sky now...

The promise that she would contact him first someday.

She intended to keep that promise.

He had become such a distant star that even her French colleagues called themselves his fans.

But if she told him she was dancing ballet again, that it was thanks to him, he would surely smile brightly as if he had gained the whole world.

Because he was that kind of person.

Just a little... just a little later.

Ideally, after passing the opera company's audition and becoming a dancer capable of taking on roles in performances.

She wanted to tell him the news while looking a little more impressive.

Perhaps that was...

Her own small lingering attachment.

"That actor apparently appeared in a work called Ballerina High. I'm so curious how someone who wasn't a ballet dancer acted in the ballet scenes. Did you see that movie when you were in Korea, Su Yeon?"

"...No."

She hadn't watched it.

She had appeared in it.

If her colleague watched that movie, she would probably be shocked and gape in surprise.

Thinking about that, Seol Su Yeon smiled mischievously.

Then she stood up again and began practicing.

The audition was approaching.

 At the same time, another building in Paris.

Ryu Shin folded the newspaper he had been reading with a rustle and spoke.

"People here are starting to pay attention too."

"Since it became such a huge topic in America. Yu Myeong hyung is incredible, after all."

"Did you actually get permission from Shin Yu Myeong to call him that?"

Hyo Jun pressed his lips together and started practicing again.

Permission...

Not exactly.

It had been more of a declaration.

Ryu Shin glanced at him and smiled.

When Hyo Jun first arrived, he had bowed his head desperately, saying he would do anything.

Then he collapsed on the floor because he couldn't withstand the level of physical training Ryu Shin normally did.

Having a determined heart did not mean having a strong body.

But Ryu Shin had no intention of going easy on him.

From the moment he first saw Hyo Jun—no, from the moment he saw him play Jesus on the hill of Golgotha in Casting Vote—he knew.

That kid had truly gifted talent.

And it irritated him.

How should he put it?

Shin Yu Myeong was a naturally gifted genius, but because it was obvious that he worked even harder than his talent demanded, it was impossible to dismiss him as someone who relied only on natural ability.

The irritation he could not release toward Yu Myeong came out twice as strongly when he saw someone with that level of talent being so complacent.

So for a month, Ryu Shin trained him while constantly telling him that if he was going to act like that, he could go back anytime.

Surprisingly, Hyo Jun endured.

And now he was keeping up with practice quite well.

"He'll become a global star soon, not just in America."

"If the next project succeeds... then yes."

"That's obvious. Looking at how you keep talking about Yu Myeong hyung, you know it too. There's no way Shin Yu Myeong will fail because of his acting."

"I believe in Yu Myeong hyung, but... America has unpredictable variables."

Hyo Jun spoke meaningfully.

"What kind of variables?"

"Gossip."

"When gossip magazines' parasites start attaching themselves, destroying a successful star is easy."

"Distorted media reports happen a lot in Korea too. But if someone has real ability in the end—"

"Ah, Korea is nothing compared to this. Among American gossip magazines and paparazzi... there are some that are genuinely trash. Invasion of privacy is the basic level, and false and fabricated articles happen all the time."

"Still, Yu Myeong's image is incredibly good."

"That's why it's quiet for now... But once the cheers and excitement die down a little, they'll start testing the waters. Besides, Yu Myeong hyung is a perfect target. A foreigner. An Asian. I just hope public opinion doesn't turn too ugly..."

Ryu Shin still did not think any serious problems would occur.

But when it came to America, it seemed Hyo Jun, who had been born and raised there, knew the country better.

The malicious articles about Yu Myeong appeared about a month after Casting Vote ended.

It was around the time follow up stories about Casting Vote were beginning to run dry.

 "These crazy bastards..."

Yu Seok slammed the thin magazine titled Hollywood Week onto his desk.

A new gossip magazine with low circulation had taken the first step.

It seemed they calculated that they had nothing to lose anyway.

Ho Cheol became even more furious than Yu Seok after seeing the title printed across the front page.

<Young Asian actor's rapid rise to stardom. Was there a 'sponsor' behind it?>

Actor Shin Yu Myeong, who had risen to stardom at an impossible speed.

An anonymous source claimed that his success had already been guaranteed.

The sponsor he pointed out was a powerful female Republican politician known as N... (excerpt)

"President. Isn't this grounds for a lawsuit?"

"...It's ambiguous. This country values freedom of the press above all else, and protecting sources is practically a journalist's ultimate weapon. Besides, the article doesn't state it as fact. It just frames everything as the source's claim."

"But publishing an article without checking the facts..."

"Even if we strongly protest, at best we'd only get a correction after the article has already spread everywhere. And our company doesn't have enough influence here yet to exert that kind of pressure... Sigh. I'm sorry, Yu Myeong."

Yet Yu Myeong himself did not seem particularly bothered.

"Can you really work in America while worrying about every gossip magazine? It's not even an influential publication. Don't worry about it too much."

"The information they provide is oddly detailed, so they wrote it in a way that makes people wonder if it's actually true. And these cunning bastards immediately followed it with another article: 'Did Shin Yu Myeong Really Have the Acting Ability to Win Casting Vote? Interviews With Readers Questioning the Result.' They attached garbage like that right after."

Hearing Yu Seok's voice become harsher, Ho Cheol asked:

"Isn't that something we don't really need to worry about? Anyone who watched Casting Vote even once knows how amazing Yu Myeong hyung's acting was."

"How many people in America do you think watched Casting Vote?"

"......"

"This is an enormous country. How many people do you think truly understand how incredible Yu Myeong's acting was on Casting Vote, what kind of characters he portrayed, and what kind of story he showed?

Even if a variety program becomes a massive hit, reaching ten million viewers is almost a record. And Casting Vote consistently reached that number after the middle of the show.

But do you know what ten million viewers means as a percentage of American television audiences?"

"......"

"Only 4.5 percent.

More people probably saw reruns or downloaded it, but do you think even ten percent of people truly understand Yu Myeong by watching the show itself rather than just hearing about him through the news?

Everyone else could easily look at an article like this and wonder if there really was a sponsor.

Because what Yu Myeong has achieved is that unbelievable."

Ho Cheol fell silent.

"...Sorry. I wasn't angry at you. Unlike Korea... it's frustrating because there's still not much I can do. I just hope this doesn't spread like wildfire."

This was the first time Ho Cheol had seen Moon Yu Seok like this.

After working at Good Enter for several years, the Moon Yu Seok he had known was someone who remained almost unnervingly calm no matter what happened, and who would repay any bad situation several times over.

But he had changed a lot.

He had started speaking casually even to Ho Cheol, who he had always treated formally in Korea.

And seeing how devotedly he took care of Yu Myeong...

It was almost excessive.

Then again, anyone who spent time following Yu Myeong around would sincerely want an actor like that to succeed.

Yu Seok was probably no different.

As Yu Seok laughed at himself slightly, Yu Myeong spoke with a smile.

"Don't worry, President."

"...?"

"Variety programs might only reach ten million viewers at most, but movies, when they become successful, can reach tens of millions, sometimes even over one hundred million people, right?"

"That's true, but..."

"Then I'll just have to do well. So everyone can see. So everyone can understand."

Once again, a shiver ran down Yu Seok's spine.

Sometimes he felt like Yu Myeong's eyes were looking somewhere impossibly far away.

From the very first time they met, he had set his goal at a place far beyond reach.

That was why he was never shaken by small things.

The reason his words never felt like arrogance or empty boasting was probably because—

He had never once failed to make his own words come true.

"I'll be going now. I have my first meeting today."

Yu Myeong stood up.

Reference: The Secret of the Three Act Structure (Kwon Seung Tae), Communication Books, 2012