Chapter 6: New Experience
The next day, Kwon Xuanhe, fully prepared, arrived at an office building located near Central University on Heukseok-ro in Dongjak-gu.
According to the message Park Zhengting sent, there weren't many students in the acting class, and only a few teachers, but they were all highly experienced, and the tuition was expensive, essentially high-end private tutoring.
Evidently, the target audience was individuals who embarked on an acting career midway, such as newcomers like Kwon Xuanhe with a major company background, or idols who transitioned from other industries.
South Korea's education and training industry is highly developed, with all types of cram schools, to the extent that cram schools even push schools, making it almost mandatory to attend cram school to succeed in school, otherwise, one definitely wouldn't pass.
After entering the office building, Kwon Xuanhe navigated through several turns before finally finding his destination.
He first knocked on the door, found a staff member to complete the procedures, and then Kwon Xuanhe found the classroom, casually picking a seat to prepare for the upcoming class.
Two or three people had already arrived in the classroom, but Kwon Xuanhe didn't recognize any of them; he simply returned a smile when their gazes met his.
Regarding acting training, it was supposedly part of the trainee curriculum, but at that time, Kwon Xuanhe focused all his time on dance and vocal lessons, so he directly skipped the acting classes. He was a 'black household' (unregistered student), and no one managed him.
Subsequently, two or three more students arrived sporadically, and then, as the teacher entered the classroom, the lesson officially began.
The teacher's name was Li Yingzhen, and her smile was as warm as a spring breeze. Because she maintained herself quite well, it was hard to tell her exact age, but she was definitely over forty.
“You are all students who have recently joined our acting school. Next, I will set a scene, and first observe your understanding of acting,” the acting teacher said, looking at the students below the stage.
“A couple breaks up, and then meets again several years later. A male and a female will perform together. Who wants to come up and perform first?”
After she finished speaking, she looked at the group of students, waiting for an eager student to volunteer.
“Here.”
Kwon Xuanhe was very proactive, raising his hand and standing up.
He had only a few days left until his audition; what else was he waiting for if not to sharpen his skills at the last minute?
Li Yingzhen looked in the direction of the voice, her eyes lighting up at his excellent physical condition.
Kwon Xuanhe saw her looking at him and responded with a bright smile.
One doesn't hit a smiling person; having a handsome face should naturally be utilized, it's a natural tool for social interaction.
“What's your name?”
“Kwon Xuanhe, the Xuanhe of 'Xuanhe for a generation'.”
Li Yingzhen nodded slightly, then looked at the remaining students and asked again, “Is there any female student willing to partner with Kwon Xuanhe?”
The students seated in their positions turned their heads unevenly to glance at Kwon Xuanhe.
Some found his face somewhat familiar but couldn't recognize him immediately, but after hearing his name, some understood internally.
He started transitioning to acting right after the show ended?
This was the thought of some people present.
Kwon Xuanhe didn't know anyone in the room, but when he saw a female student turn to look at him, his eyes lit up, and he gave her a signal with his gaze.
She was the prettiest girl he had seen in this class.
The female student who received his gaze was slightly surprised but went along with it, standing up directly without hesitation.
“Teacher, I'll do it.”
Li Yingzhen nodded, then asked her, “What's your name?”
“Gao Yunzhen.”
The two walked forward to the front of the podium. As they got closer, Kwon Xuanhe finally got a clear look at the girl in front of him.
She was beautiful, but her speaking voice was a bit low, creating a sense of contrast.
“I'll give you two minutes to communicate, and the performance time is three minutes.”
Listening to the instructions, Kwon Xuanhe and Gao Yunzhen began to converse in low voices.
“Long-lost reunion, both people still have lingering feelings for each other. Let's set the scene in a convenience store.”
This plot setting is very common.
Gao Yunzhen looked up at the male student in front of her, feeling that she had seen his face online, but she couldn't recall his name at the moment. She stopped thinking about it and focused on the task at hand.
Their discussion ended, and the performance began.
“Long time no see.”
As the performance began, Kwon Xuanhe's expression changed, as if he instantly immersed himself in the role.
He seemed to want to speak but held back, his expression was somewhat surprised, but more so silent, yet his gaze remained fixed on her face.
“Mm.”
Gao Yunzhen looked up at Kwon Xuanhe in front of her, her expression slightly evasive, but some of the subtle details in her facial expression were more natural than Kwon Xuanhe's.
After all, she had already debuted as an actress and participated in formal works, so her experience was richer.
“How have you been lately? Is life going smoothly?”
Kwon Xuanhe was well aware of his deficiencies; he lacked fundamental skills.
“It's alright, nothing major has happened, everything is still the same as before.”
Gao Yunzhen's tone of voice fluctuated.
At this moment, Kwon Xuanhe noticed Gao Yunzhen's hair was a bit messy and instinctively reached out to tidy it for her, but stopped midway, awkwardly retracting his hand. “Your hair is messy.”
Gao Yunzhen, seeing his action, played along, smoothing her hair, her face also showing a somewhat constrained, awkward smile of former lovers meeting.
Three minutes passed very quickly, and the two then exchanged a few more lines before ending the scene.
They looked at each other, and finally, both looked at their teacher, Li Yingzhen.
“Kwon Xuanhe lacks some parts that require hard practice; these are fundamental skills: behavior, actions, and line delivery. However, his expression was still very good.”
Although Kwon Xuanhe didn't have much hard-earned skill, he understood one principle: immersing himself in the role and becoming the character he was playing made the performance feel much smoother.
This approach actually aligns with one of the schools of acting, the Method Acting school.
According to the actual situation, Kwon Xuanhe's complete immersion and embodiment of the character was probably the fastest way for him to quickly improve, secure roles, and perform adequately.
You might ask if it's difficult to immerse oneself; honestly, Kwon Xuanhe found it quite simple, not difficult at all. Perhaps this was his talent.
“As for Gao Yunzhen, she still has a lot of room for improvement. However, her performance was consistent with the character, but she wanted to express micro-expressions that didn't quite come through.”
As a professional acting teacher, she could discern their shortcomings, and a few casual remarks made it very clear.
“You two can go down for now.”
Then, one pair after another went on stage to perform, followed by the acting teacher's diligent instruction until class ended.
After class, Kwon Xuanhe proactively greeted Gao Yunzhen, the girl he had just acted with.
“Hello.”
He still enjoyed making friends, especially pretty female friends.
In South Korean society, where young people love socializing and the social atmosphere also promotes interaction, proactively making friends, and even forming cliques and small groups, is very normal.
“Hello.”
Facing Kwon Xuanhe's outstretched hand, Gao Yunzhen showed a polite smile and extended her hand to lightly shake his.
The moment their fingertips touched, a familiar stream of information flooded his brain, with fragmented pieces of information constantly refreshing in his mind.
He hadn't fully gotten used to this strange sensation yet; he paused for a moment, surprised that this girl in front of him had triggered his sixth sense.