Aura of a Genius Actor

The following day, Vallon left Hugo at the hotel and headed elsewhere.

He was on his way to meet one of the two people he most wanted to see during this trip.

"So you really came. Hello."

The place he arrived at was a private rehearsal studio.

A beautiful woman with her hair tied up wiped away sweat and extended a hand toward him.

Her English was unexpectedly fluent.

Her voice calm and composed.

Compared to how she had appeared in the film, her frame was leaner now, but her muscles possessed a sharply defined precision.

Vallon, who knew ballet well, immediately recognized how intensely she must have trained.

"My name is Vallon Farouzier, Mademoiselle Seol Ryeon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming all this way."

About a month earlier, Seol Ryeon had received a message from Vallon through Director Gi Do Han.

He had introduced himself as an enormous ballet enthusiast.

After watching Ballerina High, he said he sincerely hoped for her return and wondered, if it was not too intrusive, whether her rehabilitation was progressing well.

It was the sort of question that was both touching and burdensome.

But Seol Ryeon felt grateful toward him.

His comments after watching Ballerina High at the Busan International Film Festival had significantly boosted the film's visibility.

Not because she was its producer.

Because it had helped Yu Myeong rise more quickly.

Of course, Yu Myeong was the sort of person who would have soared regardless of fortune. Even if Ballerina High had failed, he would not have remained unknown for long.

Still, the thought that Vallon had played even a small role in helping him rise had always been a source of comfort to her.

That was why she had readily agreed when he asked to meet during his visit to Korea.

The two sat across from one another at a table in the corner of the studio.

After chatting for a while about ballet with the easy familiarity of fellow enthusiasts, Vallon carefully steered the conversation toward the topic he had prepared.

"When I came in, I noticed something. Can you stand en pointe now?"

"They say once a ligament is gone, it never truly recovers. I've managed to strengthen the supporting muscles around it enough to stand, but I can't maintain it for very long. As a result, my legs ended up different sizes."

Smiling, she stretched both legs out.

Now that he looked carefully, her right leg did appear slightly thicker than the left.

Imagining the immense pain and endurance hidden beneath her casual smile, Vallon's expression softened.

"Rehabilitation must be difficult. It's already been two years since then. Have you ever thought about giving up?"

"It's less difficult than I imagined."

She smiled.

"It was much harder when I was running away because I was afraid of how difficult it would be. I'd rather have my body suffer than my heart."

Then she shook her head.

"And no, I haven't thought about giving up. At least not until next year."

"Until next year...?"

"I decided to keep trying until then without overthinking it. I made a promise."

A strangely beautiful smile touched her lips.

Though he didn't fully understand her meaning, Vallon finally broached the subject that had brought him here.

"Have you ever considered studying abroad?"

"...Studying abroad?"

"The world's foremost ballet rehabilitation specialist is in France."

For the first time, Seol Ryeon's calm expression wavered.

"Could it be... Madame Camille...?"

"So you've heard of her."

Vallon smiled.

"We've been friends for a very long time. I showed her Ballerina High and told her about your situation. She was interested."

"..."

Seol Ryeon found herself speechless.

For two years, she had given everything she had.

No ballet company would accept her.

So she trained alone.

Sports rehabilitation specialists had helped her, but there were no true ballet rehabilitation experts in Korea.

Her struggle had been painfully lonely.

A road without a guide.

A road without a map.

And now Vallon was offering her something beyond her wildest imagination.

"Why would you give me an opportunity like this...?"

"I happened to have a reason to come to Korea, so I looked into how you were doing. When I heard you'd continued your rehabilitation all this time, it broke my heart."

He smiled apologetically.

"I'm only sorry I didn't contact you sooner."

"..."

"If you intend to keep going for another year anyway, why not do it with the very best specialist?"

"Can I really... do that?"

"Please."

Vallon's smile widened.

"I want to see your Giselle on a stage, not on a screen."

Tears of joy welled in her eyes.

From that day forward, Seol Ryeon began preparing for France.

"If you'd pay attention, you'd notice there's sweetness and depth beneath the spice. It has flavor."

"Are your taste buds broken?"

Vallon and Hugo sat inside a stir fried octopus restaurant in Daehakro.

Though it was only June, Hugo complained about Korea's early summer heat, the exhaust fumes, and the spicy food.

Vallon was reminded of a trip they had taken to Brazil years ago.

Hugo had been exactly the same then.

Complaining about everything.

They had eventually gotten into a massive argument, and Vallon had sworn never to travel with him again.

"So why exactly did we come all the way to this country for vacation? I don't like a single thing here. We could have been swimming in a comfortable hotel in Provence."

"Because there's something interesting here. You'll like it too."

Despite all his complaints, there was a reason Vallon had dragged him halfway across the world.

There was an actor he absolutely wanted Hugo to see.

In private, the man behaved like a grumbling child.

But when it came to his profession, calling him one of the best in the world would hardly be an exaggeration.

Vallon was genuinely curious how he would evaluate that actor.

"Did you read the script?"

"The script?"

"We're seeing a play today. I emailed it to you. Didn't you read it?"

"A play?"

Like many artists, Hugo had no interest in practical matters such as booking flights, reserving hotels, or organizing itineraries.

After years of experience, Vallon had long abandoned any expectations.

Naturally, he had handled all the reservations himself.

Naturally, he had emailed the schedule.

Naturally, the attached script had never been opened.

"I told you I emailed it... Fine. Read it now. There won't be English subtitles during the performance."

"Hm. It had better be a proper script. Reading a terrible script in this heat would be cruel."

"Read. It."

The frustration in Vallon's voice carried all the exhausted fury of a mother delivering her final warning.

At last, Hugo fell silent and opened the script.

Then he read it from beginning to end without a single interruption.

Tap.

"Well?"

"...This is interesting."

Something had changed in his eyes.

"Right? The concept is brilliant."

"Peter Pan is certainly insane. I've had thoughts like that myself. But that's not what interests me."

He lifted the script.

"The dialogue is multidimensional."

"Meaning?"

"This wasn't written by a single person."

Hugo flipped through a few pages.

"When one writer creates multiple characters, their personal voice usually bleeds through no matter how different the characters are supposed to be. But every character in this script feels distinct. Were there four co writers? That's unusual."

Watching his friend dissect the script with near supernatural accuracy, Vallon felt a surge of admiration.

Normally the man was a completely useless complainer.

But in matters related to his work, he was exceptional.

"Excellent observation. The cast was assembled before the script was written. Then each actor immersed themselves in their role and contributed dialogue. The final script was organized from that material. Apparently it's an experimental production."

"Oh..."

Hugo looked intrigued.

"Even so, the script isn't messy. The themes remain consistent."

He flipped through it again.

If Vallon's explanation was true, it was a fascinating experiment.

For four actors to build something of this quality together meant all four possessed extraordinary talent.

"How long has it been running?"

"Three weeks. Tonight is the nineteenth performance. It closes tomorrow."

"How did you get tickets?"

"I contacted the lead actor's agency. I couldn't exactly fly to Korea without knowing whether I could get seats."

"The lead actor—is he the Korean actor you've been talking about for years? He's actually good, right? Because if the acting doesn't support this script, it'll turn into comedy."

"You can look forward to it. Now memorize the script. Don't fall asleep halfway through because you can't follow what's happening."

"I've already memorized it. Scripts go straight into my head."

Confidently, he tapped his temple.

At six thirty, they left the restaurant, washed away the lingering spice with water, and headed toward July Theater.

Then they froze.

An endless line stretched in front of the theater.

"...What exactly is going on here?"

The seats Yu Seok had arranged for them were among the very best in the house—center seats in the third row.

"What was that crowd outside?"

"I heard a documentary was produced about the making of this play. It seems to have become quite famous."

"Hm. The stage is remarkably simple."

Inside the theater, an expert's eye noticed many things even before the performance began.

The curtain was open, leaving the stage fully exposed.

Its design was strikingly minimal.

A symbolic stage had both strengths and weaknesses.

It offered tremendous freedom in how the space could be used.

On the other hand, it sacrificed the sort of detailed realism that naturally immersed an audience in a setting.

In the end, whether such a stage appeared impoverished or imaginative depended entirely upon one thing.

The quality of the acting.

"My expectations keep rising."

"Based on what?"

"The audience."

Hugo glanced around.

"The anticipation is enormous."

After that, he fell silent.

Seeing the sudden seriousness on his friend's face, Vallon smiled faintly.

Meanwhile, every seat filled.

The house lights dimmed.

When the lights came up again, the two men looked at each other as though they had planned it.

Vallon wore a dazed expression.

Hugo's lips were pressed tightly together.

"...Are all Korean actors like this?"

It was the very first thing Hugo said after the performance ended.