“An echo?”
“Yes. I was thinking about how to portray Hols pursuing Lupin. What if Hols follows one step behind Lupin's tricks? I think that could be interesting.”
“How?”
“Hmm... would you read this for ?”
Yu Myeong held out a sheet of paper.
Lupin's lines.
After scanning it briefly, Ryu Shin read the first line aloud.
"A.L. Woman. Protection. Request. 540.
Sothing has happened to the woman designated 540, and she's requesting my protection."
Just as the line ended, Yu Myeong seized the tail end of it.
His voice instantly transford into Hols's—sharp and incisive.
"A.L. stands for Arsene Lupin.
The woman identified by the code 540 requested his protection through the notices section of Echo de France."
Ryu Shin blinked in surprise and continued.
"Madam. First, we must buy ti. If the lamp is to appear as though it was stolen by an outsider, several asures are necessary. Cut the window. Leave ladder marks on the ground and scratches on the balcony railing."
"He instructed an accomplice inside the estate to cut the window, leave ladder marks on the ground, and create scratches on the railing in order to make the theft appear to be the work of an intruder."
The sa information was repeated with only slight changes in wording.
An echo.
Hols's deductions flowed in imdiately after Lupin's lines, overtaking them at a much faster pace.
Spoken in Hols's voice, the reasoning unfolded with mounting tension.
It was brilliant.
This approach allowed them to display both Lupin's audacious criminal ingenuity and Hols's exceptional deductive ability at the sa ti.
“What do you think?”
"...It's good. A very good idea.”
Ryu Shin answered reluctantly.
The strength of Lupin vs. Hols lay in its familiarity and the powerful identities of its two iconic characters.
The problem was that once the story reached Hols's deductions—the climax—it beca difficult to create a aningful contrast with Lupin.
But with a theatrical device like this, both characters could occupy the sa scene.
He's not just a great actor...
He had felt it before during the production of Fred.
Yu Myeong wasn't rely a genius perforr.
He possessed a director's perspective as well.
Just what weakness did this man even have?
anwhile, completely unaware of Ryu Shin's thoughts, Yu Myeong was rembering sothing else.
I played a role like that back at the institute.
Shadow acting.
In one of the institute's productions, he had once played the role of a shadow.
He rembered it vividly.
It was one of the rare occasions in his life when a director had praised him.
"Your presence is indistinct, yet your movents match perfectly. You really do feel like a shadow. Excellent."
It was a strangely ambiguous complint.
Yet because positive feedback had been so rare for him back then, Yu Myeong had been thrilled.
He rembered working tirelessly to beco an even more perfect shadow, matching the protagonist's movents without the slightest deviation.
Now he had connected that concept—a shadow pursuing its original—to Hols pursuing Lupin.
The idea was born from countless experiences at the institute combined with his theatrical imagination.
Of course, Ryu Shin knew none of that.
From his perspective, the explanation could only be Yu Myeong's genius.
Not that such a realization would discourage him.
The path he had chosen was simple:
To outwork genius itself.
“Still, if we're going to make this scene truly dramatic, Hols's performance will be important. If he feels subtly synchronized with Lupin's speech patterns and gestures, I think the audience will get chills.”
“I think so too.”
“We only have two weeks. Will it be too difficult for you, Senior?”
Ryu Shin grinned, teeth showing.
“Not a chance.”
Chu Se Mi watched their performance with a determined expression.
Hols in the first scene had been astonishing.
Even as a competitor, she had nearly applauded.
The man radiated the essence of a detective.
But—
Our production is stronger theatrically.
That was the consolation she clung to.
Ignoring the fact that the preparation periods weren't remotely comparable.
The most important judging criterion in July's competition wasn't simply good acting.
The real question was how dramatic, how entertaining, and how comrcially appealing a production was.
If the judges ignored that and automatically favored the guest team, she had no intention of remaining silent.
Bzzzt—
The lights ca up.
The stage for the second scene brightened.
Only one person stood there.
Yu Myeong as Arsene Lupin.
Unlike Hols's composed image, Lupin appeared cheerful and mischievous, a newspaper held casually in his hands.
"A.L. Woman. Protection. Request. 540.
Sothing has happened to the woman designated 540, and she's requesting my protection."
He skillfully deciphered the coded ssage and sank into thought.
The habit of tapping his temple while thinking.
The way one foot lightly tapped against the floor.
With only a few lines, he effortlessly established the character of Arsene Lupin through speech patterns and mannerisms alone.
He's good, as expected... But just as I thought. Hols in Scene One, Lupin in Scene Two, their confrontation in Scene Three. A fairly straightforward structure.
Just as Chu Se Mi was thinking that—
Hols appeared from the opposite wing.
Huh?
"A.L. stands for Arsene Lupin.
The woman identified by the code 540 requested his protection through the notices section of Echo de France."
Standing on the opposite side of the stage, Hols repeated Lupin's words like a parrot.
As though he were reading Lupin's mind.
The stage itself was divided in half.
On one side, Lupin's actions in the past.
On the other, Hols's deductions in the present.
An echo structure.
Chu Se Mi's eyes widened.
Their lines crossed each other.
No—
it felt as if Hols were chasing after Lupin's words.
"I don't know the woman's exact situation. I'll need more information."
"540. Explanation. The following day's notice requested a fuller explanation from the woman identified as 540."
"A.L. Threat. Enemy. Ruin. She's being threatened by soone. She's afraid of being destroyed."
"A.L. Threat. Enemy. Ruin. The woman known as 540 left a ssage telling Lupin she was being threatened by an enemy."
The audience stirred.
Because they had already t Hols in the previous scene, they noticed that his speech patterns were subtly changing.
The deeper the deductions progressed, the more his mannerisms resembled Lupin's.
Then Hols tapped his temple.
The exact sa gesture.
A perfect copy of Lupin.
As if Hols were reading Lupin completely.
The resemblance was so uncanny that audience mbers found themselves looking back and forth between the two n in disbelief.
Snap.
Lupin folded his newspaper and spun around.
Now seen in profile, he was speaking with soone.
"Madam. If the lamp is to appear stolen by an outsider, several asures are necessary. Cut the window. Leave ladder marks on the ground and scratches on the balcony railing."
His tone was courteous.
Gentlemanly.
Reassuring.
"He instructed an accomplice within the estate to cut the window, create ladder marks on the ground, and scratch the railing in order to disguise the theft as the work of an outsider."
Hols repeated the words in a mocking imitation.
Matching the rhythm.
Matching the intonation.
He pursued the flamboyant criminal's words with ticulous persistence.
"Have soone keep watch on the man threatening you."
"Lupin ordered one of his n to watch that individual."
"Madam, is there anyone in this house who might stand on your side?"
"He also recruited Miss Demun, who was devoted to the woman known as 540."
"Madam, I will protect you."
"The na of the woman Lupin sought to protect was—"
"Baroness d'Ambleval." "Baroness d'Ambleval."
Their voices accelerated.
Overlapped.
Beca increasingly alike.
Until the final line rged completely.
As though a single voice had spoken.
Shhhk—
A chill ran down Chu Se Mi's spine.
Two spotlights illuminated the stage.
Two actors with extraordinary skill exchanged lines with razor sharp precision.
The dialogue overlapped more and more until it fused together at the end.
For a mont, she felt as though she had glimpsed a fully realized main-stage production.
By the ti the final scene ended—with Lupin appearing before Hols, teasing him with conversation before vanishing—the actors of July sat in stunned silence.
Only three scenes, yet it feels as though we've watched an entire production.
I thought they were accustod only to cara acting. How can they perform at this level on stage?
Actors in their twenties with that kind of maturity... and such beautiful direction that fully exploits the nature of theater.
They make it look effortless, but it's absurdly difficult. The timing required to seize each other's lines and the vocal precision needed to overlap without losing clarity...
This was unmistakably a performance created by actors who understood stage acting to their bones.
Clap...
Clap clap...
Clap clap clap clap clap—
Scattered applause quickly grew into thunderous ovation.
They were jealous.
Inspired.
So were even envious.
But all of them had dedicated their lives to acting.
They could not deny a performance this remarkable.
When the house lights ca up, the director rose to his feet, applauding as he spoke.
“Wonderful. Truly wonderful. This has been an incredible experience.”
Baek Yi Shin couldn't help smiling.
A smile that seed to say I told you so.
The director who had worried only monts earlier that the guest team might perform worse than Teams A or B was now staring fixedly at the stage, oblivious to Yi Shin's expression.
“The characters were vivid enough on their own, but that process of gradually becoming alike was extraordinarily precise. This must be a repertoire you've practiced for a long ti, right? I'd love to see the full production.”
Yu Myeong and Ryu Shin exchanged awkward looks.
“Uh... Director. There isn't a full script.”
“What?”
“We put together those three scenes specifically for the competition.”
“WHAT?! You're telling the script, direction, and rehearsals for everything we just saw were all done after joining July?”
“...Yes.”
The company mbers were stunned all over again.
“Amazing... Then what are you planning to perform?”
“We do have another work in mind. Would it be acceptable if we staged sothing different?”
“Well... technically the competition piece is supposed to be the production candidate. But given the short preparation period and the level of acting you've demonstrated, I think everyone will understand. Though it is a sha about Lupin vs. Hols.”
No official announcent had been made yet.
Nevertheless, the tone of his voice made it sound as though the guest team's victory was already settled.
The director glanced around the room.
Every actor nodded in agreent.
Even Yoon Jung Gun and Chu Se Mi, though visibly frustrated, could only accept it.
And so the competition ca to an end.
July's spring season would feature Team A and the guest team.
Yoon Jung Gun clenched his fist.
Chu Se Mi tilted her head back and slowly closed her eyes.
After that day, July's young actors split into two distinct groups.
Those who felt crushed by the genius of the newcors and chose to retreat.
And those who sharpened their resolve and worked even harder.
The latter would beco July's next generation of leading actors.
After the competition, they visited Baek Yi Shin.
“Welco! Your performance was incredible. I'm sorry I couldn't stop our actors from making things difficult at the beginning. But at the sa ti, I appreciate it. I think everyone learned sothing today.”
“It was fine. We gained a lot from the experience as well.”
“It was really excellent. Especially one thing that stood out...”
A sharp glint appeared in Yi Shin's eyes.
“The way Hols copied Lupin. It felt exactly like when Yu Myeong copied Ryu Shin's acting during the Audius production two years ago.”
Ryu Shin flinched.
Sharp.
This man was frighteningly perceptive.
He had spent an entire year struggling to reproduce what Yu Myeong had done, stung by the humiliation of having his own acting copied so perfectly.
It wasn't sothing he wanted Yu Myeong to know.
So he pretended not to understand.
“Did it?”
“Anyway, it was fantastic. I'm really looking forward to the production too. Any chance you could give a hint?”
“Well... before we talk about that...”
As Yi Shin smiled contentedly, Yu Myeong dropped a bombshell.
“Senior. How would you feel about becoming our assistant director?”
“...Huh?”
“We'd like you to do it.”
“Why ? If you need support, July's directing departnt can help. Besides, why assistant director instead of director?”
“We're planning to create the production collectively, without a dedicated director. But when all the actors are on stage, we'll still need soone with a good eye to evaluate the overall picture.”
Yu Myeong respected Yi Shin's instincts.
His eye for performance.
His artistic sense.
And he appreciated that Yi Shin could exchange ideas comfortably without imposing directorial ego.
“Uh... I'm honored, but... I'll have to discuss it with the director.”
At that mont, the director, who had apparently been listening from outside the office with his ears practically glued to the door, poked his head inside.
“I approve! We're not hiring any more actors next year anyway, so he's stuck doing managent support work!”
“Director! Why are you standing out there?!”
And so it was decided that Yi Shin would join the production as assistant director.
“Still... what exactly is the project you're planning?”
At Yi Shin's question, Ryu Shin answered.
“Peter Pan.”
“Peter Pan? The fairy tale?”
Then Yu Myeong added the explanation.
And both Yi Shin and the director froze in shock.
“It'll be an adult drama.
A story about Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Wendy...
who are patients in a psychiatric ward.”
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