Chapter 6

Yui stood for a while, scanning the lines with a serious expression. Sojin watched Yui with sparkling eyes. On the other hand, Seomihui looked at Yui with a lack of expectation, even when Yui cleared his throat and when he crouched down after putting down the script.

...Until Yui opened his mouth.

The crouching boy pulled his legs tightly to his chest. He rubbed his arms, as if trying to warm his cold body. However, it seemed that rubbing his arms was not enough, as he began to shiver more and more.

"C-cold... ."

The boy, who had pulled his legs to his chest and was trembling, looked around. He frowned as if he had noticed someone. The boy, who had been moving his body with difficulty to avoid the debris, confirmed a lying figure.

The boy's eyes widened.

"Uncle... Are you hurt?"

Yui's clear eyes were tinged with worry. He took a step closer. With him, the smile on Seomihui's face disappeared.

'What, his voice...'

The voice Yui was producing now was that of a clear, young boy. Yui's expression and posture were the same. Even though she knew he was a man over 180cm tall who had shaken hands with her, Mihui felt he looked much younger.

The child coughed for a moment as if the dust rising from the debris was choking his throat. Then he continued speaking.

"...Can you talk? Where does it hurt?"

The troublesome vampire did not answer the child's question.

However, the boy approached him without giving up.

"You're alive... right? I saw you move... I definitely saw you..."

At that moment, the vampire spoke.

'...!'

The boy's eyes, which had heard the vampire's voice, sparkled again.

Joy and the relief of not being alone were reflected in his eyes.

"You're alive...! Really, really, I'm so relieved... I was worried you might be dead."

The child spoke calmly. However, his body was trembling despite his efforts to sound calm.

The boy's eyes changed, little by little.

"It's too cold and dark here... That's why I was worried."

Sadness and resignation mixed with joy and relief in the child's eyes.

And he forced a smile, with tears hanging in his eyes.

Seomihui, who had been staring blankly at Yui, opened her mouth slightly.

'...No way...'

Seomihui spoke urgently.

"Hey, Yui."

This was something she had to ask.

"What is that emotion now? What were you thinking when you acted like that?"

Then Yui, who had been looking at Mihui with teary eyes, wiped away his tears. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"The child... I thought he knew everything."

"Knew what?"

"That he might die here."

'...No way.'

To interpret the lines he had just been given like that? Without even reading the script from beginning to end?

Seomihui suppressed the words that were about to burst out and asked.

"...Why?"

"From the moment I heard the story, I thought the protagonist was a lonely child. Because he was trapped alone in this large building without any friends or family."

Han Yui paused for a moment and continued slowly.

"And... this is just my thought, but I thought the protagonist was a perceptive child."

"Why do you think so?"

Yui answered calmly.

"...Lonely children often grow up quickly."

"..."

Sojin, who had been admiring Yui's acting in silence, raised her eyebrows at Yui's answer.

Just now, Han Yui had perfectly captured the emotional line of the 'child' that Sojin, as the writer, had thought of. As if he had entered her mind and come out.

To think all of that in that short moment and act it out.

With her mouth open in shock, Sojin sat there, while Seomihui handed another piece of paper to Han Yui.

"Would you like to try this line too?"

Yui was a bit surprised to receive the paper.

'I didn't expect her to give me this script right away.'

What he received was none other than the lines of the boy's counterpart, the 'vampire.'

Of course, Yui, who had practiced all possible scenarios under Brwin's rigorous training, did not panic. He quickly memorized the lines and immediately began his performance.

This time, he neither crouched nor shivered.

He simply relaxed his whole body and lay down on his back.

'...Has he started?'

Sojin looked at him with an expectant face. The vampire in the play was a vampire suffering from severe apathy and burnout, who did not want to do anything.

So she was even more curious.

'How did he interpret this?'

Yui was still lying on his back. The only difference from the script was that Yui's eyes were closed as if he was about to fall asleep.

'...!'

Seomihui leaned forward.

The vampire in front of her looked very irritable. His eyelashes were trembling as if he was being bothered by unwanted noise. The corners of his mouth also moved subtly.

Then, in the next moment, the vampire's lips parted.

"...Hey, kid. Noisy."

'...!'

This was a different voice from when he was acting as the 'boy.' Yui's voice now was very dry and rough.

While the 'boy' was the embodiment of weakness and youth, the current 'vampire' was dangerous. Even though he was lying down, he gave off an aura that one should not approach him.

Like a predator just waking from sleep.

Sojin held her breath and focused. The smooth forehead of the 'vampire' in front of her was gradually wrinkling.

"...You're asking if I'm alive."

The vampire slightly opened his eyes. The look in his eyes... was very strange.

He seemed both irritable and annoyed, but a hint of curiosity was also visible.

"Alive. Yes, I am. In a way."

His voice, as if scratching his throat, resonated in the air. It was a low, hoarse voice, as if it had not been used for a long time.

"Worried... about 'me'?"

He slowly moved his neck.

"...What are you, exactly?"

His gaze followed the movement.

Like a well-made robot moving, or a predator taking a step towards its prey. In either case, it was not a human-like movement.

His head tilted to the left.

"What are you, to worry about me?"

Seomihui could not take her eyes off him.

It was a unique emotional line. He was not angry, nor particularly curious about the boy's feelings. He just found it 'incomprehensible' that a child was worried about him.

After all, from the beginning, he, as a non-human entity, did not have a human heart.

Seomihui couldn't help but chuckle.

'...How did he catch that?'

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Sense of Crisis

After sending Yui back, Sojin and Seomihui fell into a serious dilemma.

"...Writer, you said Han Yui was a junior, right?"

"Yes..."

"He's really good at acting, isn't he?"

"That's... right..."

Sojin answered with a dazed look. She, too, was still in shock from the audition.

"Director... To me, both the boy and the vampire seem perfect for Yui... What should we do?"

"...Huh."

Seomihui shook her head in disbelief.

Not because of any other reason, but because she felt the same way.

'I never thought I'd have to worry about this.'

Initially, Seomihui did not expect the actors to understand the emotional lines of the play in just one or two tries. She planned to give them about a week to have continuous conversations and develop their characters.

But Han Yui was different. He understood all the emotional lines with just a few lines of dialogue, as if he could read her mind.

She had never felt such emotions from someone's acting before, especially in an audition!

"I originally intended to cast Suho as the vampire."

"Then how about casting Jeong Suho as the vampire and Yui as the 'boy'?"

Seomihui furrowed her brows.

'...That's a pity.'

Both the boy and the vampire that Yui had acted were tempting. She wished she could use a cloning technique.

At that moment, Sojin, who had been pulling her hair, said, "Director, I just had a thought... No, never mind."

"...Why? Tell me."

"No, it's too much."

"It's fine, tell me quickly."

Encouraged by Seomihui, Sojin slowly began to speak. Seomihui looked at her writer with a strange expression after hearing her words.

"...Sounds good?"

*

After successfully completing the audition, Yui returned home and finished one of his major assignments. Lying in bed for an early night, Yui was startled awake by Sojin's call.

More surprising than the late call was the content.

"...Yes?"

- How about it, Yui? Is it possible?

"I... I don't quite understand yet. Could you explain it again?"

Hearing Han Yui's words, Sojin replied in a gentle voice.

- So... Yui and Jeong Suho will share the two roles. You two will alternate between the 'boy' and the 'vampire.'

"..."

Brwin quietly interjected as Yui listened.

【An unusual form of double casting.】

- How about it, is it okay?

A faint smile appeared on Yui's lips.

"Yes, I want to give it a try."

- Great! Hee hee, I just talked to Jeong Suho, and he found it interesting too!

【Jeong Suho. A male actor, 27 years old. Known for his distinct features and excellent acting skills, he is one of the popular actors among theater fans recently. His recent works over the past three years include...】

Brwin began reciting Jeong Suho's filmography as if he had been waiting for it. Yui had to close his eyes tightly to focus on the call.

- I'll call you later. See you then!

"Yes, thank you, writer."

【...Theater, musical...】

'Stop.'

Yui lay back in bed with a tingling feeling.

Saying he would participate in both auditions was partly a bold suggestion.

'...But it really happened.'

【Congratulations, Yui. Now you'll start theater practice during the final exam period, then immediately move on to film shooting after the semester ends, and prepare for the theater...】

Han Yui drifted off to sleep, listening to Brwin's voice.

The next morning, Yui woke up feeling refreshed and answered Kim Jinwoo's call as soon as he arrived at school. Kim Jinwoo, who had seen the drama club performance, always lit up when he saw Han Yui. He said not to pretend not to know him when he became famous.

As expected, he was a good socializer and a great talker.

"Hey, over here!"

Yui approached Kim Jinwoo, who was waving at him in a corner of the school cafe. Their conversation, which started with complaints about assignments, eventually turned to what they would do after the break.

Naturally, Yui mentioned that he would be participating in a film and a play, which made Kim Jinwoo's eyes sparkle with curiosity.

"What?! Whose work?"

"Writer Sojin and Writer Kim Mijin."

Kim Jinwoo's mouth dropped open.

"Hey, those seniors are really famous. They're from Tujins!"

"...Tujins?"

According to Kim Jinwoo, Sojin and Kim Mijin were quite famous seniors who were often mentioned in the department even after graduation.

"Hey! They both won contests before graduation, so their banners have been hanging in front of the building, and it's famous that they used to write together and fight in the department room...! Our freshmen year, the seniors told us about it!"

'Anything can be famous.'

Kim Jinwoo, looking at Han Yui's expression, narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

"Are you sure you're in the Korean Literature department, Han Yui?"

Yui shrugged instead of answering and took a sip of coffee. Kim Jinwoo shook his head and flopped onto the table.

"Ah, I want to be famous too~"

"Famous for what?"

"Ah, I'll think about it when I become famous."

Kim Jinwoo chuckled with his cheek pressed against the table.

"To be honest, if I had the talent, I'd want to be an actor or a writer. But I don't seem to have that talent... I want to change my career path, build a career in planning or management, start a company, and hit it big."

【...Interesting.】

'What?'

【Nothing.】

Kim Jinwoo, who was enjoying his imagination, checked his watch absentmindedly and jumped up.

"Ah! Hey, we're going to be late! One minute left!"

And Han Yui and Kim Jinwoo successfully entered the lecture room in one minute with a full sprint.

*

On a day in November, a man entered a meeting room on the second floor of the A Cultural Foundation building. He had prominent double eyelids and full lips.

"Oh, Mr. Jeong Suho!"

"You're early, Mr. Actor."

Jeong Suho bowed to the staff welcoming him.

"I feel I'm quite lacking, so I thought I should come early."

"Oh, don't say that!"

"Don't say that!"

The staff waved their hands, looking at his reaction. Jeong Suho smiled at the staff who were watching him and sat down.

He was smiling, but in fact, his pride was quite hurt. This was the first time he had received such a casting format. Although he said he was doing it because he liked the work, he couldn't help feeling bad.

'They said I was perfect for the vampire role... but suddenly double casting?'

Moreover, it wasn't just double casting. They wanted them to alternate roles. If he had disliked the work a little, he would have refused without hesitation.

Moreover, what Seomihui added bothered him.

- The actor you'll be working with is a newcomer, but he has a lot of energy. He really, really acts well. Ah, of course, Suho also acts well, but...

Seomihui laughed and ended the call, saying that since they were around the same age, they could create good synergy.

'Really, really acts well.'

'Something impressive must have happened.'

Jeong Suho raised one corner of his mouth. He would see for himself anyway, whether it was a fuss or not.

'I'm curious which it will be.'

Jeong Suho leaned back in his chair, thinking. At that moment, a staff member checking his phone spoke.

"The director and writer will be here soon."

"Ah, Han Yui will be arriving soon too!"

Jeong Suho waited for Yui with a polite smile. Soon, the door opened, and a young man with a pale face entered.

'...That's him.'

He had a striking appearance that would catch attention anywhere.

"Hello, I'm Han Yui!"

"I'm Jeong Suho."

Jeong Suho shook Yui's hand and continued.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 21."

"Wow~ You're really young. I thought you were my age because the director said you were around the same age."

Han Yui smiled gently in response.

"It's an honor to share the stage with you. I'll do my best."

Jeong Suho raised his eyebrows. Yui's attitude was more relaxed than he expected.

Just then, Sojin and Seomihui entered as the first reading began.

"The reading will be done twice. For the first reading, Yui will play the boy, and Suho will play the vampire. For the second reading, they will switch roles."

Seomihui clapped her hands loudly.

"Alright, let's start the first reading!"

Writer Sojin began reading the script.

"Stage. A collapsed building, a cold and dark space beneath it. Occasionally, debris breaks and creates threatening noises."

With her voice, the curtain of the first reading rose.

"Stage direction. A child is crouched among the debris, shivering from the cold."

As Sojin read the stage direction, Yui's movements changed.

Even Jeong Suho, who had been looking at Yui with disapproval, could not help but widen his eyes when Yui spoke his first line.

"Mom..."

What Han Yui said was just one word.

Jeong Suho fixed his gaze on Han Yui. Yui was really shivering as if he was cold.

Han Yui blew into his hands.

"...So, so cold..."

Jeong Suho whistled.

'What, really.'

He would have believed if Yui had eaten a child.

However, it did not feel like he was just pretending to be cute or young.