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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Special Kind of Method
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"I don't think so."
"Why not? He's so immersed in his acting."
Richel Hill looked at the screen. There was a child in a red, flowing robe. He looked so natural and skilled, it seemed like he'd been doing this since birth.
Evan Block slowly began to speak.
"You know how Director Ryan advised Melissa Walton to take on a different kind of role for her next project."
"He did."
A year ago, the Hollywood industry was focused on Melissa Walton.
Directors, inspired by her devastating tears, sent her love calls for similar roles, but she turned them all down and filmed a cheerful romantic comedy.
It wasn't a huge box office hit, but many critics praised it as a film that showcased a new side of Melissa Walton's charm.
"According to the people on set back then, Melissa Walton couldn't break character and kept crying even after filming ended, but Seojun Lee wasn't like that. The child who had lost his mother was gone, and in his place was a boy happily drinking orange juice. Director Ryan must have realized it then."
"...Realized what?"
"That even if they both used a similar method acting style, Melissa Walton would struggle to break free if she took on the same role again, but Seojun Lee would be different."
Evan Block's eyes sparkled. Unsettled by his intense gaze, Richel Hill hesitated before asking.
"'This kid is special.' That's talent. To completely immerse himself in a role and then completely step out of it. What talent could be more perfect for an actor?"
Evan Block grinned and opened his notebook. It was filled with questions he wanted to ask Seojun Lee. Richel Hill instinctively took a small step back from him.
"I can't wait to meet him."
"...Lee, I think you need to run."
* * *
The dinner meeting was held in a private room at a restaurant inside Director Ryan Will's hotel.
Evan Block and Richel Hill, who were staying at the same hotel, had arrived first. Seojun and Lee Minjun, staying at a hotel a few blocks away, arrived shortly after.
"Hello! I'm Seojun Lee!"
"Hi, Lee! I'm Richel Hill."
"Please call me Jun!"
"And you can call me Richel."
Seojun warmly shook hands with Richel Hill, and then with Evan Block.
"Hello! So you're Seojun Lee? I'm Evan Block. Call me Evan."
"Okay, Evan! It's nice to meet you! Please call me Jun!"
Director Ryan Will introduced Lee Minjun, who was standing next to Seojun.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Evan Block, the actor playing Shadowman and Mac."
"Hello. I'm Richel Hill. I'll be playing Jun's older sister, even if it's just for a little while."
"It's a pleasure. Please take good care of our Jun."
Evan laughed cheerfully and shook his head.
"I think I'm the one who should be asking for your favor. I saw the movie, and your acting was no joke. With a performance like that, I might get completely overshadowed."
Having seen *The Specter*, Evan Block had nervously crushed the paper cup in his hand. It was a good thing he'd already finished his drink, or it would have been a disaster.
Seojun tilted his head.
"...Shadowman?"
"No, *Akryeong*. Hmm. Am I pronouncing that right? They changed the title for the English release, but I prefer original titles over translated ones."
Evan Block winked and lowered himself. As his gaze came down to Seojun's level, Seojun could hold his head more comfortably.
Seojun beamed. He was happy and intrigued to meet someone who had seen *Akryeong*.
"Yes. It's perfect."
"Great. Thanks. So, what do you think about when you act? Do you plan everything meticulously? Or do you act on instinct? I heard that the move where you sat down and then stood up during the William shoot was your idea. Is that true?"
"Uh..."
Evan Block fired off a barrage of questions. Seojun just stared blankly at his face. Richel Hill covered her face with her hands, and Ryan Will just laughed.
Listening to their conversation, Lee Minjun finally recalled the stories he had read about Evan Block online.
The Analyst.
Evan Block's acting was built on detailed character analysis and meticulous planning. He planned and acted out every detail, down to the trembling of his hands and the twitching of his facial muscles.
His thoroughness was said to astound even the directors and actors who worked with him. That was how he'd earned his nickname.
"Alright, alright. Let's eat first. I'm hungry! Ah, you two, please sit down. Jun, your legs must be tired, right? Sit down, quickly."
Richel Hill pushed Evan Block by the back. Evan, who looked like he would have waited for an answer indefinitely, shrugged and sat down.
Once everyone was seated, Richel let out a sigh of relief as Director Ryan called for a waiter, then smiled at Seojun.
"Jun. You seem taller than you looked in the movie."
Sitting in his chair, Seojun straightened his back, beamed, and said proudly.
"I grew 10 centimeters in the last year!"
It was all thanks to [Slime's Digestive Ability]. It was a precious skill that delivered an abundance of nutrients to every corner of his body at just the right times.
He was the tallest in his kindergarten class. His family all said he would probably be the tallest in his class when he started elementary school next year.
The assigned waiter brought the food that had been pre-ordered. The waiter, who opened the door to the private room he serviced daily without much thought, felt his eyes widen in shock.
A closet Marine Company fan, the waiter maintained a professional, expressionless face as he set down the food, inwardly exclaiming, "Oh! Oh!"
'Evan Block! And that Asian kid... he's grown a lot, but that must be Seojun Lee! And Richel Hill and Director Ryan Will, too! This is the cast of *Shadowman 2*...!'
He wanted to pull out his camera right then and there. But he held back, finished his duties, and closed the door to the private room. *Maybe I can ask for an autograph after they finish their meal.*
After they had eaten for a while, the conversation among the five began. Evan Block was the first to speak.
"What do you think about William?"
"?"
Seojun, who was happily chewing on his steak, tilted his head. He quickly chewed and swallowed the meat in his mouth before answering.
"That he's pitiful?"
"And you don't feel like you're William?"
At those words, Ryan and Richel's gazes turned to Seojun. *What kind of strange question is that? William is a character in a movie, and I'm Lee Seojun.* Seojun shook his head vigorously.
"No. Not at all. I'm Lee Seojun, Seojun Lee."
"See? I told you he's special."
Pleased with the answer, Evan smiled. Richel shook her head. When Lee Minjun tilted his head in confusion, Richel explained.
"I see. So it's method acting..."
He didn't know the specifics of the acting technique or what it felt like, but he had heard of method acting. It was a term often associated with great actors, but there were also frequent anecdotes about actors who became so immersed in their roles that they confused them with reality.
"Jun's acting is completely different from the method acting you know."
Evan Block nodded in agreement. Director Ryan Will continued.
"Jun snaps out of his roles perfectly. It's completely different from method acting, which has the drawback of dragging the character's emotions and thoughts into real life. If Jun had truly been method acting, he would have lost himself in that situation and lived as William for a while."
Who could have predicted that such a young child would deliver a performance like that? Even Seojun himself never dreamed he would get that deeply immersed.
At the time, if Seojun hadn't been able to break character, Ryan Will would have told his guardian on the spot to never let the child act again.
But Seojun Lee was different. When patted on the head and told he did a good job, he beamed with joy at the praise.
"But he returned to being Jun right away, as if nothing had happened."
Seeing Seojun, a mere five-year-old, give such a magnificent performance and then smile so brightly, had given Ryan Will goosebumps.
"Jun's acting is similar to method acting, but it isn't method acting. I became certain of it during the long eight months of practice. Jun is probably the only actor who can immerse himself in a role to that extent and then snap out of it so quickly."
Ryan Will took a sip of wine.
He hadn't seen him in many roles, but Seojun's level of immersion was different from other actors.
That's why Ryan never let his guard down during the eight months of practice. He was ready to stop at any moment if he saw the slightest sign that the first villain role was affecting him.
But contrary to Ryan's worries, Seojun was the same as always. He seemed like a good kid. He didn't give up and, in the end, pulled it off perfectly.
Listening to the story, Richel Hill asked Seojun.
"What do you think, Jun?"
"Hmm."
Seojun thought deeply. Everyone fell silent, their attention fixed on his lips. After tilting his head left and right, Seojun began to speak.
"I don't think it's method acting."
"Why not?"
Evan Block asked again, opening the notebook he'd brought. With a look of exasperation, Richel Hill scooted her chair a little to the side.
"The method acting you're all talking about is something that affects your real life, right? That's why Dad worries. 'Will the role I play affect me in reality? Or not?'"
"That's right."
"But I was normal when I played William, I was fine when I did *The Specter*, and even while I spent eight months playing a child who resented the world, I was still me."
When filming, I definitely immerse myself in the role. What actor doesn't?
But when the cameras stop rolling, I'm still Lee Seojun, who loves monster dolls. Look at the slime doll on my bag. I was me.
"So it's not method acting. I'm just good at acting."
Seojun said triumphantly. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at his quirky answer.
"Then how do you act?"
Evan Block asked. After some thought, Seojun replied.
"I read the lines and stage directions and think, 'This character has this kind of past, so their personality is like this, so I should act this way.' Sometimes, once filming starts, I get better ideas. My body just moves naturally. That's what happened with my performance as William."
"It certainly is similar to method acting."
"But it's not. I'm perfectly fine."
*Perhaps.*
Seojun thought.
*Is method acting a skill inherent to this 'body'?*
*A skill I can use when I'm born into my next life, just like the abilities from my other lives.*
*And since my 'mind' is the 'me' that possesses the Library of Lives, isn't that why it's different from ordinary method acting, where it's hard to break character?*
The talent of ordinary method acting met the special me.
*'If I could turn this ability into a marble, this is what it would say.'*
`[(Good? Evil?) Lee Seojun's Special Method Acting]`
`During filming, grants immersion as if you have truly become the character.`
`Allows you to completely break character at will.`
*What would the grade be?* Seojun wondered with an inward laugh, then turned to Evan Block.
"How do you act, Evan?"
"I calculate everything meticulously. For example, Mac is an orphan. But he's surrounded by good people. Why? Maybe because of his bright and cheerful personality? I think about things like that and analyze Mac's every action, down to the direction of his gaze and the placement of his feet. If I know someone with a personality similar to Mac's, I observe them closely. Even a minor habit can be helpful for filming. That's why my friends hate it when I get a movie script. They say that when they watch my movies, they sometimes see a piece of themselves in my performance."
"That's amazing."
Seojun's eyes sparkled at Evan's words. *So you can act like that, too.* The two actors eagerly discussed their acting methods. Richel Hill also joined the conversation.
"When it comes to method acting, Evan Block is actually the one at greater risk. If he keeps preparing so meticulously, a time will come when he feels something is lacking. To fill that void, he'll eventually let it affect his real life."
"I see."
"It's easier to just think of Jun as an actor with a natural gift for it. He's a smart kid. He won't do anything that would harm himself."
"No matter how smart a child is, a parent is bound to worry."
Lee Minjun smiled as he watched his son laughing and chattering excitedly with the two actors.
* * *
"Wow. Looks like they're filming a movie here."
"Yeah. I wonder what it is."
Tourists wandering through Central Park craned their necks to look at the crowd that had gathered.
Central Park, a park in the heart of Manhattan, New York, was one of the most frequently featured locations in movies.
Locals, accustomed to film shoots, were passing by without a second thought when a familiar voice made them turn back.
"Evan Block?! They must be filming *Shadowman 2*!"
The film crew for *Shadowman 2* was gathered on the Sherman Running Track in front of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the largest body of water in Central Park.
The staff were setting up a few tents to block the sun while they waited, as well as large filming equipment like lighting rigs.
In one of the first tents to be set up, two people were sitting in chairs.
Seeing the two figures affectionately discussing their scripts, tourists from various countries who had come to New York found themselves lowering their voices as they talked.
"Is that Evan Block and William?"
"William's gotten so big."
"The first *Shadowman* was filmed a year ago. Kids really do grow up in the blink of an eye."
"Wow. That was so heartbreaking. I can't wait to see how he appears in *Shadowman 2*."
Someone ran over to the tent where the two were sitting. Soon, they both stood up.
"Looks like filming is about to start."
The filming of *Shadowman 2* had begun.
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