Chapter 018

<Episode 18>

‘He told me to kill him if I ever meet a bastard princess.’ .’

When Henry was practicing ‘emotional memory,’ he honestly told his story to the princess.

Louisa said after hearing that.

‘But why didn’t you kill him?’

‘Yes? Me? Kill me?’

‘Okay. It’s your father’s will, right?’

‘Oh, but….’

‘Why did you do that? Tell me honestly.’

Henry hesitated.

To be honest? To be really honest….

‘Why should I do that?’

‘…….’

‘Honestly, I don’t like killing people. It’s true that I hated the princess, but that doesn’t mean my life will change if she disappears, so do I really need to have the courage to do that? Worth it….’

‘Tell me more. Just say it!’

Henry, who unconsciously became very nervous at the urging tone, spoke.

‘It’s not worth it, princess!’

Ugh.

I spit it out.

Why do I always make mistakes like this?

What’s left now is to be killed by the princess?

It was when Henry was trembling.

Louisa smiled softly and said to Henry.

‘Okay. This is you. You were hidden under that gentle face. You show yourself. Only then can you do your own acting.’

The princess was not angry. Rather, it was a satisfied face. As if he saw a possibility.

My own acting.

My own Benvolio.

Every time the princess says something, it is full of mystery.

The audience was laughing at Henry, but Henry wasn’t sure who his Benvolio was.

I was just amazed at how fun the audience was.

I got excited without even realizing it.

Was that why?

The moment Mercutio asked this on stage, I felt strange.

“Romeo didn’t come home?”

In fact, if you include practice, I’ve already been asked this question dozens of times.

Ha the hot lights, he looks a little tired from sweat and recites the given lines.

But today was a little different.

The actor who said that line appeared to be Mercutio.

Mercutio.

He is the biggest troublemaker and prankster in Montague. At the same time, he was the one who learned the most about Montague’s hatred of Cepulet.

Benvolio knows that…. No, I’m afraid for some reason that Romeo will reveal that he enjoyed a secret relationship with Capulet.

Mercutio’s dynamic eyes looked like those of a dangerous adolescent boy, and the set on stage looked like the streets of Verona.

In this dangerous city of Verona, he wants to hide his love from Romeo.

It’s not because I support Romeo’s love. It was because I didn’t want to shed any more blood.

‘It’s not worth it.’

The moment I thought cynically, the line came out. The lines that were always uncomfortable, as if wearing someone else’s clothes, naturally convey emotions.

“I don’t know.”

“I guess you stayed up all night? Do you really not know?”

“…They said they didn’t come in. I asked the servant.”

The desire to hide Romeo, who stayed up all night at the Capulet the night before, clashes with the feeling that he should not lie.

However, even after saying this, Benvolio noticed Mercutio’s feelings without even realizing it.

What if Mercutio notices something strange? Benvolio quickly changed the subject.

“Tybalt sent a challenge to Romeo.”

I felt relieved when Mercutio naturally took interest in the ‘challenge’.

At the same time-.

The audience’s eyes were visible.

A look of relief together.

‘Why?’

Why are we both relieved because I am relieved?

Why are so many people’s emotions conveyed to me as is?

For a moment, Henry felt an involuntary shiver.

I am breathing together with these many people.

From then on, I couldn’t tell how time passed.

I acted while imagining this and that place on the streets of Verona. Benvolio, who did not play a large part in the entire play, did not have much to say, but Henry’s concentration was not interrupted.

Every time Romeo said a word, every time Mercutio said a word, Henry’s Benvolio responded to each emotion they gave.

It was scary, scary, and finally sad.

Benvolio, who saw Mercutio die before his eyes, shed tears without even realizing it.

Patter.

“Mercutio….”

Just like when his father passed away, the sadness of losing someone close to him pierced through his heart.

‘Father. Don’t die!’

It wasn’t that I loved my father. To Henry, his father was something he could not understand throughout his life. My father was warlike and loved drinking and fighting.

But even if you don’t understand, that doesn’t mean the breakup wasn’t sad.

Don’t die. Mercutio.

That was when he was muttering to himself.

“……?”

Someone’s tears fell on the back of his hand.

Benvolio raised his head.

And then I saw Romeo.

Her bright red eyes were shedding tears.

It was my first time.

Unlike Benvolio, who shed tears a few times during private practice, Romeo, no, this handsome boy never cried, but….

I’m crying.

“…Tybalt!”

And the moment his body stood up, unable to overcome his anger, Benvolio was amazed.

‘This is it…. Your Romeo.’

Then no way….

‘Is this my Benvolio?’

Henry came off the stage wiping away his tears. And I immediately found Louisa.

“Well, I…!”

I didn’t know how to express this excitement.

My heart was racing.

However, the moment he stood in front of Louisa’s cold face, Henry’s expression calmed down a little.

Is it okay to make a fuss about something like this?

Isn’t it true that Henry said that he felt the audience on stage and that he felt the other actors?

It was time for doubt to come to him.

Louisa opened her mouth.

“Okay. I saw it.”

“……!!”

“I can feel that. I got the feeling.”

Louisa spoke sincerely.

She was backstage, clearly watching Benvolio on stage.

A guy who does everything she says, but plays a different Benvolio than her.

‘At times, it became a comedy character that was far from my interpretation as well as the original….’

Honestly it wasn’t bad.

In particular, Benvolio, who clumsily maintains neutrality but actually tries to escape from everything.

This guy gave her exactly the interpretation she wanted.

He also added his own interpretation.

Benvolio has become a character who says everything he has to say despite being somewhat clueless.

Just because you’re a coward doesn’t mean you can’t be a foolish character.

Even though it seems like you’re saying everything you need to say, you can still be timid.

Humans are multifaceted, and therefore the work that actors do is creative and complex.

She teaches actors speech, vocalization, and emotions separately, but the moment they are done, everything becomes natural.

Just as Benvolio on stage was standing as Benvolio as if it was natural just now.

I’m sure you felt it yourself.

That my sense of self has been opened.

Maybe if I were alone, I would have opened up my senses but not had confidence…

“I feel right now. Push on.”

“…Yes!”

Louisa was now in front of Henry.

A leader who will accurately see and evaluate his performance.

An actor gains confidence the moment others acknowledge what he or she feels.

And those who have gained that confidence will absorb more from now on when they stand on stage.

‘Maybe it’s easier to prepare a two-person play than you think?’

Even Leo Peer was swayed by Benvolio’s emotions and his senses opened up.

Louisa began to look forward to future practice as she watched Leo’s senses improve.

Benvolio had a feeling that ‘something was different’ from the moment he went on stage today, but Leo showed no signs of that at all.

But the moment Benvolio’s acting opened up, Romeo’s acting bloomed as if he had been waiting.

I was stimulated.

It is true that if there is one good actor, the skills of other actors improve. Until now, Romeo has benefited from the acting of Louisa, that is, Juliet.

Because she was good at giving emotions, it was easy to accept them.

However, what I received from Benvolio this time was a little different.

A crowd scene where there was no clear dialogue between the two people.

The other actors who did not have eyes to see Benvolio’s performance clearly increased, but Leo did.

And I felt a sense of crisis.

‘Up until now, I’ve been holding on and trying not to get emotional.’

It may not have been because he felt embarrassed.

Maybe…. I guess they thought it was dangerous to put emotions into it.

He is a man who has suffered numerous betrayals while hiding his identity for 9 years.

In fact, he sensed an instinctive sense of crisis that if his emotions were revealed, the things he worked so hard to protect could collapse.

But Leo Peer’s acting had to increase.

He couldn’t just be pushed out by Benvolio in a two-person play.

Leo should stand out.

It is not simply to find the ‘sign star’ she wants through a two-person play.

There was another purpose for her going to the party. And for that purpose, she decided to have Leo appear in a two-person play.

The two-person play she plans to direct is <The Prince and the Pauper>.

Leo will become a prince, and Benvolio will become a beggar.

While Leo was acting as a ‘prince’, his identity had to be discovered by someone at the party.

That someone is the best assistant to the next emperor who will come to the party.

It was the Marquis of Burbage.

In order to attract the attention of the Marquis Burbage, who knew Leo’s appearance well, Leo had to show through his acting that no matter how much he was acting like a beggar, he had not forgotten the dignity of a prince.

No matter how hard I tried to hide it, I needed real ‘emotions’ that inevitably came out.

Benvolio has now provided the clue.

Louisa smiled brightly without realizing it and stopped while trying to ruffle Henry’s hair.

“Good job.”

Then Henry bowed his head to Louisa and made a sullen face.

“Aren’t you petting me, sir?”

What do you mean by not stroking it?

Is it a dog?

‘Why are there all these strange people around me?’

Louisa frowned and ruffled Henry’s hair.

“Ugh!”

“What are you doing, teacher? Why am I your teacher?”

“Then what do you call me? I’ve never seen someone so respectful since I learned math from my math teacher at school….”

I can’t tell if he’s really dumb or if he’s saying everything he wants to say.

Louisa thought for a moment, then tilted her face and looked at Henry.

“Director. In that case, call me director.”

“Yes? What does that mean?”

There is no such thing as directing in this world.

The actors’ performances are directed by an older actor called an actor, the stage is created by a producer, and the play is written by a screenwriter.

But what else can you call this special job that mediates between the script and the actors, and connects the audience and the actors?

Louisa thought so and slapped Henry on the forehead.

“That’s exactly what I feel when I think you want to call me teacher.”

“……?”

“So just call me director.”

“…Yes, director!”

Listening to Henry’s answer, Louisa felt a similar kind of joy as Henry had felt earlier.

Director.

I wanted to hear that.