A straight line extended from the waist, curving slightly forward toward the neck.
The purity and patience conveyed by the hands crossed before the chest.
The Giselle line.
"Ah..."
Seryeon let out an admiring sigh.
His spine was perfectly straight, his arms relaxed to their limit, creating an alluring line. It was a movement impossible to imitate without having studied ballet.
From that posture, he extended his arms and bent his body into a cambré, a movement that begins at the waist and bends the body forward, backward, left, and right.
...It was Giselle’s despair in Act 2.
It was a masterpiece of classical ballet composed during the Romantic era.
In Act 1, the innocent village girl Giselle falls in love with a young man named Albrecht. However, Giselle, who has a weak heart, discovers that he is a nobleman engaged to another woman and is driven mad before dying.
In Act 2, Giselle becomes a Wili, a fairy from European folklore that rises from the grave at night to seduce young men and force them to dance until they die.
The Queen of the Wilis, Myrtha, sees Albrecht come to Giselle’s grave to beg forgiveness and curses him to dance until he dies of exhaustion. Still in love with Albrecht, Giselle dances with him through the night to protect him before disappearing into her grave at dawn.
The poignancy and sorrow of Giselle, who continued to love the man who betrayed her even after death, was the highlight of this classical ballet scene. The actor conveyed it using only port de bras, the arm movements of ballet.
How could that be?
How could someone who wasn’t even a ballet major, especially a man, express Giselle’s anguish so vividly?
Even if it was only a few movements.
He stopped the demonstration and spoke again.
"Look, Yoon Hwaran. The Giselle in Act 2 is a soul. Your Giselle still carries too much force. I can’t distinguish her from the village girl in Act 1."
It was a stern rebuke directed at Hwaran. Confidence and authority filled his voice.
It truly felt like a performance from the god of ballet himself.
Had he learned ballet as a child?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Seryeon hurriedly spoke as soon as the performance ended.
"Have you done ballet before?"
"No. During the preparation period before the competition, I practiced this particular movement while attending a ballet academy. I also referred to various recorded versions of Giselle from the library."
"Even if it’s only one or two movements, how could someone unfamiliar with ballet... Then why did you choose this scene in particular?"
"It was a scene where I needed to present Hwaran with an absolute mentor figure. I judged that using a stand in for the bust shot would be difficult, so I thought I should demonstrate the extent of what I could achieve as an actor. Though some correction may still be necessary."
Correction... Was that really necessary?
Judging solely by the movement of his upper body just now, it had been a flawless Giselle.
Seryeon’s ballpoint pen moved even faster across the evaluation sheet, and Director Ki Do-han also sprang to his feet.
‘What kind of person is he...?’
He had been somewhat anxious about the unrevealed free acting Yoomyeong had prepared, but he never expected this. Though he wasn’t well versed in ballet, as a director, he could tell that the scene just now was complete as it was, without a single point that needed cutting.
If every bust shot could convey that level of expression...
‘An unbelievably hard worker.’
The actor had spent countless hours with him analyzing the script. Until the end of the semester, he had also been occupied with classes and final exams. When could he possibly have prepared all this?
Ki Do-han glanced around. Kwon Sunghan sat there in shock with his mouth hanging open, while Director Kuk, who had competed against him, wore an expression swollen with greed.
He had won.
The actors’ chairs were pulled slightly forward. They faced the judges seated at the center of the room.
Though they were called judges, nearly all of Yoon Seryeon’s questions were directed unilaterally at a single person.
"Mr. Shin Yoomyeong, what do you think of Giselle?"
"If she were my younger sister, I would’ve smacked her on the back and scolded her."
Seryeon barely managed to suppress a laugh.
"But I understand her. To Giselle, wasn’t Albrecht more than simple love? Wasn’t he some kind of ideal? Even if I’m never chosen and always betrayed, there are still values I can’t help but pursue."
At those words, Seryeon’s eyes wavered.
Even though he was a complete stranger, she could tell that for this actor, that value was acting.
And for herself...
"Weren’t you upset by Hwaran?"
"I found her naive and pitiful, but I wasn’t offended. If someone could attain ‘that value’ only by hurting others, even I might find it difficult to resist the temptation. But it’s unfortunate that they don’t realize the value gained that way isn’t worth much."
Hmm...
Seryeon’s expression grew complicated.
"I wonder. In the end, Hwaran gets what she wants. Isn’t that a happy ending for her?"
"The end of a movie isn’t the end of the story."
"...?"
"How do you think Hwaran lived afterward?"
"...Perhaps she lived well as a prima?"
"She had already succeeded in pushing aside a colleague and eliminating any possible competition. But if a stronger rival appeared later, do you think she would try to overcome it through effort?"
"..."
"The movie ends with Hwaran becoming a prima donna. It doesn’t show how she lived afterward. But will the position Hwaran obsessively attained by hurting others truly become a blessing, or a burden? I think she would be tormented for the rest of her life."
"I can’t agree with that opinion. Even if she suffered, she still achieved her dream. Wouldn’t the happiness outweigh the torment?"
Seryeon responded with surprising irritation.
The young man before her.
At that age, he already possessed that level of acting skill. He must be a genius. Effort? Anyone could put in effort. But what if one encountered a misfortune too great to overcome through effort alone?
"That judgment depends on perspective. But if it were me, I think I would ultimately become miserable."
After that answer, a brief silence followed before she turned toward Kwon Sunghan.
"I’d like to ask Mr. Kwon Sunghan. What do you think about the Phantom?"
"Uh... I think he’s a fantastic character! His absolute and strict attitude toward ballet is very, very cool, and because of that, I think someone with a ballet background would definitely have an advantage in portraying him..."
Kwon Sunghan carefully watched their reactions while fully expressing his thoughts.
"And what about you, Shin Yoomyeong?"
"The Phantom? I like the character, but he feels somewhat lacking."
"In what way?"
"This script is written entirely from Yoon Hwaran’s perspective. Hwaran’s thoughts and intentions are portrayed in detail, but the Phantom remains an enigmatic figure we can’t truly understand. He feels somewhat flat."
"But in reality, the Phantom is that kind of being."
"Is he? Could a man who has lived in the shadows of this theater for as long as he can remember, obsessively consumed by ballet, truly exist as some flawless divine being without any twisted aspects?"
"..."
"I think the story would become much more compelling if the Phantom revealed a more human side."
Ordinarily, these were not the kinds of comments an actor could make directly to a playwright during an audition.
If an actor had opinions regarding the interpretation of a role, they would discuss them with the director. If the director found the interpretation convincing, they would then consult the playwright.
However, because she would also be acting opposite him, and because he would rather abandon the project altogether than work with someone he couldn’t communicate with, Yoomyeong found himself speaking more boldly.
Wearing a displeased expression, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the playwright asked her final question.
"But Mr. Shin Yoomyeong’s performance just now perfectly matched the intended enigmatic quality of the Phantom, didn’t it?"
Yoomyeong answered.
"Yes. Because that’s how the current script is written. I acted accordingly."
That response momentarily stunned everyone present.
The competition ended without incident.
Director Kuk scolded Kwon Sunghan, who stormed out with a fierce expression. Seryeon smiled and extended her hand to both of them.
Yoomyeong paused briefly while looking at the hand offered to him, then slowly took it.
Director Ki Do-han let out a sigh of relief.
While the director stepped out of the conference room to take a phone call, Seryeon approached Yoomyeong, who was gathering his belongings and preparing to leave.
"I was rude earlier. I’m sorry."
He glanced at her, then placed the script back into his bag before speaking.
"Did you practice all night?"
"...Pardon?"
"It doesn’t seem like you’ve been drinking."
He recalled the muscles on the ballerina’s back he had seen that morning. They were not the loosened muscles of someone who had spent the entire night drinking.
Those muscles, strained to excess, were taut and tightly defined. Why was she pretending to live recklessly while overworking herself so severely?
"Ah... It’s because...!"
Startled, she hastily said she would see him later and quickly disappeared.
In her absence, a faint scent of chamomile lingered in the air.
About two weeks after the casting was confirmed, Yoomyeong announced this to his family after dinner.
"Can’t you finish your studies first... and then take a break?"
His mother looked worried.
"In the arts, timing is important. He’s not quitting altogether, only taking a break. I’m sure he’s thought it through carefully."
His father comforted her with those words.
"Do you already have something planned?"
"Yes. I’ve been cast in a supporting role in an art film produced by a company called Blue Film."
Jiyeon immediately chimed in.
"Really? Since when?"
"About two weeks ago."
"Why are you only telling us now? ...Oh, because of my job applications. That’s fine."
Jiyeon, who had entered the Teachers’ College the same year as Yoomyeong, was now in her fourth year and had applied for a teaching position in Seoul. She had returned home for the exam and had only finished her second interview the day before.
"What’s the movie about?"
"It’s about ballet. Think of it as a ballet version of ."
"Wow, ballet? Which role are you playing?"
"The Phantom."
"Our son will do well. Good luck!"
That was his mother’s encouragement.
"Since you’re still a newcomer, rather than focusing on box office success or things like that, make building your fundamentals your priority."
That was his father’s advice.
"Ah... so that’s why there were tights in your room. I thought it was your personal taste and tried to respect it..."
His younger sister teased him.
"Hey, Shin Jiyeon. Why were you in my room?"
"I wanted to borrow your baseball jacket. Oversized clothes look good on me."
"Borrowing something without asking is basically stealing, isn’t it?"
"Just let me borrow it. I’m asking now, okay?"
Watching the siblings bicker playfully while instantly discarding the maturity they had shown moments earlier, their parents chuckled with the helpless laughter of people who knew there was no stopping them.
"But... a ballet movie? Are real dancers appearing in it? I love ballet."
After eating some fruit, Yoomyeong returned to his room. Jiyeon, who had come to return the baseball jacket, plopped down onto the bed.
"Right, there was that."
Come to think of it, the memory was vague since it had been over twenty years ago, but back in high school, Jiyeon had collected photos of ballerinas and occasionally begged their mother to take her to performances.
"Do you know Yoon Seryeon?"
"...The Yoon Seryeon from Jinhwa Arts School?"
"Yes, I think that’s right. She’s the lead actress in this production."
"Wow... has her foot recovered?"
"...?"
Then he remembered what Director Ki Do-han had mentioned.
She had retired from ballet because of a foot injury.
"That unni had an enormous fan base. Everyone praised her skills and artistry, saying she possessed a rare talent difficult to find in Korea. There was a lot of anticipation that she might become the youngest prima ballerina after joining the Aurora Ballet Company, but..."
"But what?"
