Chapter 22

Reading (3)

From the moment he arrived at the condo, Kang Ujin's heart pounded incessantly. His tension had reached its peak. He wondered if this was really where he belonged. He had been thrown into this unfamiliar place without any time to adapt.

Despite his efforts to maintain a blank expression, his mind was in turmoil.

‘Stay calm. Don’t be scared, they’re just people. I’m confident, I’m cool.’

He performed intense mind control to cover up his true self, a regular guy.

Fortunately,

“Hong Hye-yeon, when did you confirm this role?”

All the actors approaching the top actress Hong Hye-yeon were completely ignoring Kang Ujin. It was strange that they recognized her but not him.

Thanks to this,

‘I need to hide behind Hong Hye-yeon.’

He bought some time. Kang Ujin used Hong Hye-yeon as a shield and focused on deep breathing. This condo was a crucial place for maintaining his concept, with hundreds of eyes watching.

‘They’re all seasoned pros in acting.’

It was a gathering of veteran actors. He had maintained his concept well so far, but if he faltered here, everything would be back to square one.

Thus, he needed to be even more alert than usual.

‘Damn. Facial expression control, facial expression control.’

Honestly, at this moment, just before the script reading, Kang Ujin was more invested in his concept than in acting. This was the case.

“Hong Hye-yeon, are you going to the after-party after today’s reading?”

At the entrance of the large hall, a tall, handsome actor approached Hong Hye-yeon. As soon as he saw him, Ujin recognized him.

‘Ah, Ryu Jeong-min. He’s really handsome.’

It was Ryu Jeong-min, the male lead from the profiler drama, as seen in the news. He had seen many actors on the way, but Ryu Jeong-min had a unique presence. It was at this moment that Ryu Jeong-min mentioned Kang Ujin, who was standing right next to him.

“Hey, have you seen the actor playing Park Daeri?”

Ujin almost raised his hand without thinking. He barely managed to stop himself.

‘That actor is right here, in front of you.’

The problem was,

“Oh, this person looks like a good manager. He’s handsome.”

Ryu Jeong-min suddenly took an interest in Kang Ujin, calling him Hong Hye-yeon’s manager. What’s going on? Why is he making such a mistaken assumption? However, Ujin focused on the compliment ‘handsome’ that came from Ryu Jeong-min’s mouth.

‘Crazy. I almost smiled.’

Even if it was a compliment from the national boyfriend Ryu Jeong-min, it should make his shoulders dance. But it didn’t end there. Ryu Jeong-min took a step closer to Ujin and said,

“Why don’t you try acting? Your face is too good to waste.”

Ah, but this guy is really handsome. He looked even better up close. A face that could handle long hair effortlessly. If men see him like this, women must go crazy. Kang Ujin couldn’t help but admire Ryu Jeong-min’s face, almost getting lost in it.

“······”

Then, Ryu Jeong-min muttered to Hong Hye-yeon,

“This person is cool. He has a presence. Or is he nervous? Is he a newcomer?”

It was a misunderstanding. Oh, this is really unintentional. Around this time, familiar faces appeared at the entrance of the hall—Producer Song Man-woo and writer Park Eun-mi. Ryu Jeong-min greeted Hong Hye-yeon and moved away.

Then,

“Mr. Ujin.”

Hong Hye-yeon tapped Kang Ujin’s shoulder and pointed to the middle of the L-shaped table.

“That’s the spot for the popular character Park Daeri. You probably won’t be nervous, but don’t be scared.”

What? I’m extremely nervous. Ujin took a deep breath without showing it and confirmed the middle spot she pointed out. Among the actors, he saw the name tag for the role of Park Daeri.

-Whoosh.

Ujin moved his feet to blend in with the hundreds of people. His heart, which had calmed down somewhat, started pounding again. It felt like it was about to burst.

‘Wow, this is intense.’

In this unprecedented situation, Ujin felt his fingertips tremble slightly. But there was no turning back. He had a clear goal.

Mind control for show.

Kang Ujin recited a mantra with each step. Fortunately, no one in the hall paid attention to him. When he finally reached the spot for Park Daeri,

“Director, what’s going on? The actor for Park Daeri isn’t here. Is he not coming?”

“He’s here.”

With a smile, Producer Song Man-woo nodded at Ujin. At that moment,

-Whoosh.

The attention of the hundreds of people in the hall focused on Kang Ujin. Oh, hold on. Ujin froze. The gazes of dozens of actors, the whispers of their managers, the puzzled looks of reporters, and more.

Hundreds of people were waiting for an answer from Kang Ujin.

Who are you?

Kang Ujin’s body and mind turned as white as a sheet. The interesting part was that amidst this loss of reason, his brain gave a clear command.

‘Damn, I don’t know.’

Concept. Straightforward and bold. No small details, just one clear goal. This habit was scary. Thus, Ujin could purely chase that goal and create a cold expression as he scanned everyone looking at him.

After a few seconds,

As Ujin’s rationality slowly returned,

‘Ah, self-introduction.’

He spoke in a low voice.

“Hello, I’m Kang Ujin, playing the role of Park Daeri.”

Soon, the large hall, which had been buzzing with whispers, fell silent. The atmosphere was strange. First, Kang Ujin pulled out a chair to sit down.

-Scrape.

In this vast reading room, only the sound of Ujin pulling out a chair echoed.

“······”

“······”

This heightened everyone’s focus. Famous veteran actors, popular actresses from variety shows, successful actors from recent films, and others—all were paying attention.

‘Ah, stop looking. I’m nervous.’

Ujin glanced at one of the actors and muttered to himself,

‘Ah, I bought a down jacket after seeing the ad this actor was in.’

Hong Hye-yeon, sitting in the front, curled her lips, trying to suppress a smile. The male lead, Ryu Jeong-min, still had his eyes wide open, looking at Ujin with a very puzzled expression.

In any case, the hundreds of people in the hall were shocked in a different way.

The actor they had never heard of was sitting in the role of Park Daeri. In fact, to everyone, Kang Ujin was just an ordinary person. Thus, it was natural for all the actors to have confused expressions.

This was the same for the reporters and manager teams who had come for the script reading.

Around this time,

“Alright.”

Producer Song Man-woo broke the silence in the hall.

“Everyone, you’ve all been curious about the actor for Park Daeri, Mr. Kang Ujin. Have you all exchanged glances?”

At this, the attention that had been on Kang Ujin was finally withdrawn. Ujin let out a breath of relief and Producer Song Man-woo continued the script reading.

“We’ll do the introductions as we go. Everyone, open to the first part of the script.”

-Flip, flip.

Soon, the actors, who were a mix of surprise and confusion, opened their scripts. They still glanced at Ujin and whispered.

“Who is he? Do you know?”

“No, I’ve never seen him before. Is he an unknown?”

“An unknown... but he’s too unknown. I know a bit about theater, but he’s completely unfamiliar.”

Everyone was the same.

“Doesn’t Producer Song usually not cast unknowns or newcomers?”

“That’s right, and Park Daeri is a major supporting role. Casting an unknown? This is crazy.”

Of course, the actors sitting next to Kang Ujin also greeted him.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kang Ujin? Have you done theater?”

“Hello, no, I haven’t.”

“You have a good voice, is this your first role?”

“Yes, it is.”

Kang Ujin maintained a stern demeanor. Since he didn’t know much, his answers were as short as possible. However, this was interpreted differently by the surrounding actors.

“What’s with his stiff response? Has he already got a star complex?”

“He has a decent face... but is this his usual personality?”

“I was actually looking forward to Park Daeri, but his acting might be a bit flat.”

“But since Producer Song cast him, he must have some basics, right?”

“If he just has the basics, it’s not a big deal.”

At this point, Producer Song Man-woo said,

“We’ll start with the introductions.”

The script reading officially began.

A short while later.

The introductions of the production team and the actors had gone around. During Ujin’s introduction, the whispers grew louder, but the introduction session ended smoothly.

The reading started with Producer Song Man-woo’s lines.

“S#1. In the mountains, morning. Police officers are gathered in the mountains.”

‘Profiler Hanrang’ is a story set in 2010.

Although the writing is not yet complete, the plan is to have four episodes for each of the four episodes, totaling 16 episodes. Among these, Park Daeri is a key character in the first episode, setting the tone for the entire series and opening the story properly.

In the first scene, the body of a man in his 50s is discovered in the mountains.

Here, the male lead, Ryu Jeong-min, appears. He plays the role of profiler Yoo Ji-hyung, who is a genius but is called Yoo Hanrang because of his laid-back nature.

Yoo Hanrang delivers his line upon appearance.

“Oh, the body is in pretty bad shape. I just had breakfast.”

Next, Hong Hye-yeon appears. She plays the role of passionate detective Jeong Yeon-hee, who chases down her targets relentlessly.

Jeong Yeon-hee frowns as soon as she sees Yoo Ji-hyung.

“Why is Yoo Hanrang here? Is there no one else?”

“There aren’t many profilers nationwide. Why don’t you do it, Detective Jeong? I’m going to have dessert.”

“Ha, this is ridiculous.”

They seem to know each other and bicker. Other actors join in, surrounding the male body. The reading atmosphere becomes intense as the actors, known for their acting skills, exchange lines they have analyzed.

“What’s the estimated time of death?”

“It looks like last night.”

“What’s that red stuff under the nails?”

“It’s nail polish.”

“Nail polish? What’s this uncle’s hobby?”

The actors continue their performances, fully immersed. The reading is intense. However,

‘Hmm-’

While watching the actors, Kang Ujin subtly tilted his head.

‘That actor. His line just now seemed a bit off.’

To him, this place was not a reading room but the world of ‘Profiler Hanrang’ Part 1. Having experienced the lives of each character directly, Kang Ujin was the one who could deliver the most raw performance in this reading room.

‘No, you need to emphasize it. He’s in a hurry, right? Why did he deliver the line so blandly?’

Sure enough,

“Mr. Tae-san, your line just now was flat. Add some emphasis.”

Just as Kang Ujin felt disappointed, Producer Song Man-woo pointed out the issue to the actor. Ujin reacted internally,

‘See? The actor’s expression was off from the start.’

At the same time, writer Park Eun-mi, wearing a headband, scolded the supporting actor, Jang Tae-san.

“Mr. Tae-san, did you analyze the character properly? I don’t understand why you seem so lifeless.”

“...I’m sorry, I analyzed it differently. I’ll do better.”

Everything was as Kang Ujin had thought. Of course, he couldn’t know the female roles, but the role of Park Daeri, which was mostly opposite male roles, was not a problem. Maintaining a poker face, Kang Ujin was tense but gradually began to enjoy the reading.

Comparing the actors’ performances with his own experiences. Sometimes, he even wanted to jump in and show them.

‘That’s not how you do it. I almost said it.’

It was like quietly playing in the mud during roll call in the playground. At this moment, Kang Ujin suddenly realized, ‘Ah, this is the desire to act, isn’t it?’ In the middle of ‘Profiler Hanrang’ Part 1, a plot twist shook the story.

It started with the lines of profiler Yoo Ji-hyung.

“Look at this. Red nail polish, upper body undressed, weapon, and the body positioned before it stiffened. This method has been used before in unsolved cases.”

It turned out that the method of this murder was the same as that of a serial killer who had created five bodies in the past, which remained unsolved. This caused a nationwide uproar. Here, the lines of the female