Chapter 8

First Contract (3)

Dojun quietly waited for the manager to finish writing the message. After sending the message, the manager guided Dojun towards the conference room.

It wasn't as if actors had never shown up unannounced before. There were times when he chased away those who seemed completely out of it, with unfocused eyes, and other times when he gave instructions on how to submit documents to those who looked decent.

However, when they actually received the documents and videos, most of them weren't talented enough to be called for an interview. Every day, several emails would arrive at the new talent development team's mailbox, but even after reviewing them daily, they were all pretty much the same.

Of course, there were people who other agencies might welcome and embrace, but 'Pine Actors' was different from other small and medium-sized agencies.

Once an actor joined 'Pine Actors,' they had the strength to immediately be cast in a production. They were very selective, carefully screening actors multiple times, much like picking out grains of rice from a bowl of rice.

With such strict criteria, there were only two actors in their 20s currently under contract. They were the two carefully chosen, but the new talent development team was frustrated by the lack of significant achievements.

Of course, Lee Jin-a, one of the core members of the new talent development team, was one of those frustrated individuals.

Lee Jin-a was desperate, feeling like she was grasping at straws. At first glance, he seemed like a lifeline. It was too serious to just tell him to leave his documents like others.

"Please sit here."

Dojun nodded and pulled a chair to sit down.

"I'm sure you were surprised, but thank you for taking the time to see me."

"Uh... sure."

"My name is Dojun."

For someone who had shown up unannounced, he seemed very polite and composed.

'He has a face that would have gotten a call even if he had just sent an email... There was no need to come all the way here...'

Lee Jin-a began to seriously examine Dojun's face.

He was so handsome that it was impossible not to like him. Clean and neat, an image that would appeal to everyone, regardless of age or gender.

The moment she saw Dojun's smile, she had a strong intuition that she couldn't let him go, which shook her to the core.

"I'm Lee Jin-a from the new talent development team."

Lee Jin-a introduced herself, handing over her business card. Dojun took the card and placed it in front of him.

"Normally, it doesn't work to just show up like this... But since you're here, do you have a resume or any photos you brought with you?"

"Here they are."

Dojun took a document envelope from his bag.

Inside the envelope were a resume detailing his background and a profile photo.

"I recently passed an audition, and I came here urgently because I wanted to find an agency before starting the production."

The background on his resume was unremarkable. He had graduated from a theater and film department at a local arts university and had only appeared in a minor role in an unknown play.

Lee Jin-a, who had been casually flipping through his resume and photos, looked at Dojun with a puzzled expression.

"Oh... Is that so?"

Most new actors joined an agency after being introduced to an audition and getting cast. It was rare for a new actor to come looking for an agency after already being cast.

What kind of production could a new actor without an agency have passed? Lee Jin-a assumed it wasn't anything significant.

At that moment, a woman in her early forties, who looked about ten years older than Lee Jin-a, entered the conference room with a man of a similar age.

"What's so urgent that you suddenly want to hold an audition?"

"Manager Lee, it's been a while."

"Ah, Team Leader, you're here. Director, you came too."

Lee Jin-a stood up quickly to greet them, and Dojun followed suit.

The woman was the team leader of the new talent development team, and the man was the director of the management department, who oversaw the managers and actors.

"I'm Dojun."

The two people scrutinized Dojun as he introduced himself.

'He's different from the others.'

Under the sharp gaze of the two, Dojun sat up straighter.

"How old are you?"

Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a's voice was sharp.

"I'm 29."

"Hmm..."

The conference room was quickly filled with tension. Dojun, who was confident he would impress the new talent development team, was still nervous about being evaluated.

Lee Jin-a was also nervous. It was unusual to suddenly arrange an on-the-spot audition.

She had sent a message to the team leader, thinking it would be a waste to let him go. The team leader must have seen Dojun as a promising talent. If her instincts were wrong, she dreaded the backlash from the irritable team leader.

Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a scanned Dojun expressionlessly, while the management director observed the scene with his arms crossed.

"How tall are you?"

"183cm."

"Stand up."

Dojun stood up. To ensure the three people evaluating him could see him properly, he walked a bit away from the table.

His posture was impeccable. The team leader checked his attire: a white T-shirt and jeans. For an aspiring actor, his outfit was surprisingly modest.

While it could be considered basic, the people in this industry usually paid a lot of attention to their appearance, so even the same clothes would be scrutinized for their brand.

The white T-shirt was undoubtedly a plain one bought in bulk from a mart, and the jeans, likely purchased from an online shopping mall, were quite worn out.

Despite this, his appearance didn't detract from his value; rather, he enhanced the value of the clothes. Whether it was his natural build or the result of regular exercise, his body proportions and occasional visible muscles were excellent.

Of course, these were the result of both his natural physique and the physical strength he had built from part-time jobs as a delivery person.

"We're all busy people. When you came here unannounced, I assume you were very confident. Show us the acting you prepared."

As soon as Dojun moved to an appropriate distance, the team leader crossed her arms and immediately ordered him to act.

A brief silence filled the conference room. While it was more sudden than expected, auditions were like that. They rarely gave much time.

She had seen hundreds of auditions. The atmosphere was often worse than this. She had even acted in front of people who frowned the moment they saw her face.

'Compared to that, this is nothing...'

Dojun clenched his fist, then opened it, and took a deep breath.

Lee Jin-a realized she should have watched his performance first before calling Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a. She must have been captivated by something.

She was worried he might perform poorly, like a person who looks good but can't sing.

"Aah!"

A voice filled with pain echoed loudly in the conference room.

At the same time, Dojun collapsed as if he had been whipped, falling to his knees.

Lee Jin-a, who was more nervous than Dojun, the management director with his arms crossed, and Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a, who was rolling a pen with a haughty expression, all turned their attention to Dojun.

"Father... Father, I'm sorry... I'm sorry."

Dojun, on his knees, rubbed his palms together, pleading for forgiveness. He looked like a son being abused.

"Please save me. Ah... Save me... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please, stop..."

His eyes half-rolled back, as if he had lost his mind from fear. He crawled on the floor, his body trembling, and the sound of his teeth chattering was chilling.

His performance wasn't exaggerated or burdensome; it was just desperate and realistic.

The three people watching Dojun's performance were speechless, unable to even breathe properly. Dojun had immediately taken control of the atmosphere, captivating everyone with his acting.

"Aah!"

He let out another painful scream and fell to the side.

"This can't be..."

Lee Jin-a, who had seen Dojun's performance, exclaimed. His acting skills were beyond her imagination.

Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a also thought it was unbelievable.

Yeon Jeong-a had a history of casting Jeon Woo-sung, who became a star immediately upon debut and has maintained his popularity ever since, from the street.

To her, Dojun's face was a guaranteed pass the moment their eyes met.

'He gave me the same feeling as when I first saw Jeon Woo-sung...'

Dojun had the rare, hard-to-find good looks that made it clear why Lee Jin-a had picked him up on the spot.

But now, he was even more impressive than when she first saw Jeon Woo-sung. Watching Dojun act gave her chills.

'His acting is this good. But this acting...'

Yeon Jeong-a quickly composed her amazed expression and spoke.

"Stand up, Mr. Dojun. Your acting was excellent."

Dojun, who had just been acting as an abused son, stood up and composed himself.

"Where did you get the script for that performance?"

Lee Jin-a looked at Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a, confused by her question.

"I was just about to tell Manager Lee that I passed an audition for a production. I've verbally agreed to appear, but the contract hasn't been signed yet. There are some issues..."

Dojun continued, watching Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a. She already knew which production he had been cast in.

"That's why I came looking for an agency."

"Is the performance you just did from the production you passed?"

"Yes."

"Ha!"

Team Leader Yeon Jeong-a let out a hollow laugh. For a moment, she saw Dojun's potential as an actor overflowing.

Even without the connection to Director Park Chan-jong, she would have considered signing him. She was just managing her expression to avoid creating an image of an agency that signs new talent and contracts them immediately.

It was a kind of psychological warfare. Many aspiring actors became overly confident just by signing with a major agency, so she planned to pretend to consider the contract until the next day.

But her expression management was now useless.

"Is the role the same? The professor's son?"

"Yes, that's right."

If they could secure Dojun, they wouldn't need to push Song Jeong-ho to insist on a new actor that Director Park wasn't satisfied with. Yeon Jeong-a raised her voice, determined not to let him go.

"Manager Lee, get the exclusive contract for the actor right away."

Lee Jin-a immediately stood up.

'Now I have an agency, and I can participate in the production without any issues.'

Dojun smiled quietly. He needed an agency to seriously pursue an acting career, and 'Pine Actors' was impeccable as an actor's agency.

Watching Dojun smile, Yeon Jeong-a thought,

'He will definitely become a big star. To the point where it will be overwhelming...'

***

After signing with 'Pine Actors,' the contract with the film production company also proceeded smoothly. Dojun's time was moving faster than ever.

It was now the first day of filming.

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