Chapter 426 Life of a Criminal (1)
The other participants definitely did better than Nico. The second one to go was none other than Ryan—one of the few people who actually had some background in acting.
Although he wasn't on par with Kang Minho, he was definitely able to channel his chosen character better compared to Nico. His members clapped for him as soon as the scene was finished, and he smiled proudly, thinking he got it in the bag. Gideon was the next one to go…and let's just say he was better off being a main dancer than an actor. He was on the same spectrum as Nico, if not even worse. He was stiff, almost robotic, and even Seobin, whom he had partnered with for the short skit, couldn't help but chuckle at his non-existent acting skills. "Next," Wonbin said, and Y excitedly stood up. For some reason, Y had a good feeling that he was going to act with Hana. "Please read your scenario," Wonbin instructed. "The confession scene in 'Love Knows No Boundaries,'" he said, a small smirk appearing on his lips. The scenario he picked was from a romance K-drama in 2019, and it definitely became one of the most famous confessions up to date. It was a heart-fluttering confession between a kindergarten teacher and a single father, and it gave birth to a lot of parodies that wanted to recreate the feeling.
Y was a hundred percent sure he was going to act the scenario out with Hana Lim. Their eyes met for a brief second, and Y swore he saw Hana smile at him. He felt his heart flutter, wondering how such a beautiful woman could exist.
Truth be told, Y didn't have a lot of opportunities to date in his younger years. It was attributed to the fact that they were discouraged to date by their company, and along with that was the fear of losing fans due to having a relationship. However, now that he was in his early 30s, he started thinking of romance more seriously. Hana Lim was the closest person to his ideal type, and he wanted to take this chance to get to know her better. "Five minutes is up," Robby said, causing Y to smile. It was time. Y stood in the middle, waiting for his partner to accompany him. However, his smile quickly dropped when Minho stood instead of Hana. "Wait," Y said, taking a step back. "We're performing a romantic scene." Minho smirked as he stood next to him. "We're aware. We're just taking the title of the drama to another level. Love truly has no boundaries," Minho winked, leaving Y stunned. His members snickered in their seats, enjoying seeing their leader suffer. "I don't care if you have a child. I love you," Minho said, fully immersing himself into character and even caressing Y's cheek. Y froze and didn't get to deliver his lines. In his heart, he had already accepted he had lost two things—the challenge and the chance to win Hana Lim's heart. Wonbin chuckled as their scene ended. It seemed more like a one-sided confession than a romantic one. "Let's call the next one," Wonbin said. Robby stood confidently and went to the center. "Good morning, judges," he bowed. "I have chosen the cheating scene from 'Basement.'"
"Oh, that's a hard one," Akira whispered. "I feel like he can do it, though," Jisung whispered. "He's played a similar role before." Indeed, Robby had played a similar role in one of his drama series. In the scenario he picked, he was going to act like he had caught his long-term girlfriend cheating on him with his best friend. In a recent drama he filmed, he was also cheated on. So, he already felt like acting out the scene would be a piece of cake. "Alright, let's start," Wonbin said. "Hana Lim would be playing as your girlfriend." Y pursed his lips to stop himself from cursing out loud. Hana walked to the front and stood before Robby. They were going to start the scene right after he had caught her cheating on him. The two quickly snapped into their characters, already a sharp contrast from the past acting performances. Robby held onto Hana's wrist, causing the latter's eyes to widen. She attempted to pull away from Robby, a flush creeping up her cheeks. Robby's jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists as he struggled to process the sight before him.
"What the hell is going on here?" Robby's voice trembled with anger and disbelief. The silence that followed was deafening, and the others were also immersed in their performance. "I don't want to talk about it," Hana said. "Don't want to talk about it?" Robby scoffed. "I saw you kissing my best friend on the couch I bought with my money." Hana sighed impatiently, her eyes finally meeting Robby's. "I'm not happy with you. I'm not satisfied. Is it a sin to feel loved?" Robby's eyes narrowed, his voice strained with hurt. "Yes. It is a sin when the love you crave isn't the one I'm giving you. You don't care that I give you love; you just want it from someone else."
Hana bit her lip, a tear escaping her eye. "Look, I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I just needed something more, something different."
The participants softly gasped as they observed Hana. How could she break into tears so easily? Meanwhile, in Y's mind—'she's still so pretty even if she cries.'
Robby's frustration bubbled over. "Different? You chose my best friend! How much more different can it get?"
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Sorry? That's all you have to say? You betray me, and all you can muster is a half-hearted apology?" Robby exclaimed. "And scene!" Wonbin exclaimed with a wide smile, causing the two of them to snap back to reality. Hana wiped her cheeks and smiled at Robby, giving him a silent affirmation. The other participants clapped loudly, knowing Robby nailed the role he had chosen. "I must say, I'm not surprised," Seobin said. "I always thought you were a decent actor from the projects I've watched, and I'm definitely not mistaken." June nodded in acknowledgment. Even if he still doesn't like Robby, he couldn't deny that he had the best performance out of everyone yet. Robby smiled and bowed once more before going back to his seat. A small smirk played on his lips—as if already certain of his victory. Meanwhile, June stood from his seat while the others continued to praise Robby. He stood at the center, getting the others' attention. "June," Wonbin smiled. "Are you ready to reveal your scenario?" June nodded, gently taking out the piece of paper from the envelope. He knew that beating Robby in this field would be quite difficult, especially since he had more experience. 'To hell with it,' he thought, finally revealing the content of his script. "Please read it out loud," Wonbin instructed. June pursed his lips and showed the piece of paper to the judges. "It's the confrontation scene from 'Life of a Criminal.'
