“An echo?”

“Yes. I was thinking about how to portray Holmes pursuing Lupin. What if Holmes follows one step behind Lupin's tricks? I think that could be interesting.”

“How?”

“Hmm... would you read this for me?”

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.

Something 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 transformed into Holmes'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 time. If the lamp is to appear as though it was stolen by an outsider, several measures 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 same information was repeated with only slight changes in wording.

An echo.

Holmes's deductions flowed in immediately after Lupin's lines, overtaking them at a much faster pace.

Spoken in Holmes's voice, the reasoning unfolded with mounting tension.

It was brilliant.

This approach allowed them to display both Lupin's audacious criminal ingenuity and Holmes's exceptional deductive ability at the same time.

“What do you think?”

"...It's good. A very good idea.”

Ryu Shin answered reluctantly.

The strength of Lupin vs. Holmes lay in its familiarity and the powerful identities of its two iconic characters.

The problem was that once the story reached Holmes's deductions—the climax—it became difficult to create a meaningful contrast with Lupin.

But with a theatrical device like this, both characters could occupy the same scene.

He's not just a great actor...

He had felt it before during the production of Fred.

Yu Myeong wasn't merely a genius performer.

He possessed a director's perspective as well.

Just what weakness did this man even have?

Meanwhile, completely unaware of Ryu Shin's thoughts, Yu Myeong was remembering something 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 remembered it vividly.

It was one of the rare occasions in his life when a director had praised him.

"Your presence is indistinct, yet your movements match perfectly. You really do feel like a shadow. Excellent."

It was a strangely ambiguous compliment.

Yet because positive feedback had been so rare for him back then, Yu Myeong had been thrilled.

He remembered working tirelessly to become an even more perfect shadow, matching the protagonist's movements without the slightest deviation.

Now he had connected that concept—a shadow pursuing its original—to Holmes 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, Holmes'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.

Holmes 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 commercially 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 came up.

The stage for the second scene brightened.

Only one person stood there.

Yu Myeong as Arsene Lupin.

Unlike Holmes's composed image, Lupin appeared cheerful and mischievous, a newspaper held casually in his hands.

"A.L. Woman. Protection. Request. 540.

Something has happened to the woman designated 540, and she's requesting my protection."

He skillfully deciphered the coded message 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. Holmes in Scene One, Lupin in Scene Two, their confrontation in Scene Three. A fairly straightforward structure.

Just as Chu Se Mi was thinking that—

Holmes 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, Holmes 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, Holmes's deductions in the present.

An echo structure.

Chu Se Mi's eyes widened.

Their lines crossed each other.

No—

it felt as if Holmes 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 someone. She's afraid of being destroyed."

"A.L. Threat. Enemy. Ruin. The woman known as 540 left a message telling Lupin she was being threatened by an enemy."

The audience stirred.

Because they had already met Holmes 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 Holmes tapped his temple.

The exact same gesture.

A perfect copy of Lupin.

As if Holmes were reading Lupin completely.

The resemblance was so uncanny that audience members found themselves looking back and forth between the two men in disbelief.

Snap.

Lupin folded his newspaper and spun around.

Now seen in profile, he was speaking with someone.

"Madam. If the lamp is to appear stolen by an outsider, several measures 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."

Holmes repeated the words in a mocking imitation.

Matching the rhythm.

Matching the intonation.

He pursued the flamboyant criminal's words with meticulous persistence.

"Have someone keep watch on the man threatening you."

"Lupin ordered one of his men 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 name of the woman Lupin sought to protect was—"

"Baroness d'Ambleval." "Baroness d'Ambleval."

Their voices accelerated.

Overlapped.

Became increasingly alike.

Until the final line merged 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 moment, she felt as though she had glimpsed a fully realized main-stage production.

 By the time the final scene ended—with Lupin appearing before Holmes, 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 accustomed only to camera 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.

Some 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 came 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 seemed to say I told you so.

The director who had worried only moments 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 time, 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 me the script, direction, and rehearsals for everything we just saw were all done after joining July?”

“...Yes.”

The company members 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 something 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 shame about Lupin vs. Holmes.”

No official announcement 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 agreement.

Even Yoon Jung Gun and Chu Se Mi, though visibly frustrated, could only accept it.

And so the competition came 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 newcomers and chose to retreat.

And those who sharpened their resolve and worked even harder.

The latter would become July's next generation of leading actors.

 After the competition, they visited Baek Yi Shin.

“Welcome! Your performance was incredible. I'm sorry I couldn't stop our actors from making things difficult at the beginning. But at the same time, I appreciate it. I think everyone learned something 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 Holmes 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 something 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 me 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 me? If you need support, July's directing department 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 someone 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 moment, 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 management 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.”