Chapter 6

It's been 13 years since the last audition (3)

PD Yoo Jong-won's attitude was perhaps inevitable.

Suggesting acting to Haebi and Baek Seung-kyul? That's quite strange.

Who would have expectations for my acting?

My last appearance was buried in controversy over my acting.

Moreover, I said in interviews that I had completely given up acting and only worked as a delivery person.

In the end, they just want the buzz, not the acting skills.

That leaves a bitter taste in my mouth...

"Here, take this."

Writer Seo Eun-young handed a stack of papers in front of her.

The title 'The Youngest Daughter of the Family' was written on the pristine white paper.

The reaction of PD Yoo Jong-won, who didn't expect much, faded to the back of my mind as I touched the cover, like receiving a well-wrapped gift and imagining what's inside.

I wanted to enjoy this moment like a child, but unfortunately, the other party didn't give me the chance.

"Let's briefly go over the script. It's a family drama. The protagonist, Ahn Borah, is the youngest daughter of the Ahn family. She succeeds as a fashion designer and finds love. The role we have in mind for Mr. Baek Seung-kyul is Ahn Juyeon, Borah's older brother. In the early part of the drama, he has a complete loafer image, but in fact, he secretly goes to auditions, which is a bit of a twist."

I nodded and opened the script.

The wrapping was torn off, and I faced the ensemble of characters hidden in the printed text.

"......"

Rustle, rustle.

My hands got busy, and my eyes even more so.

After quite some time, I realized and lifted my head.

The two people were quiet.

Writer Seo Eun-young wore a satisfied smile.

And PD Yoo Jong-won.

He looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression, and when our eyes met, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Of course, you can't read all of this here, right?"

"Haha, right."

Actually, I could. If you just wait for me.

If you give me more time, I could even memorize it.

"Anyway, I'd like to see Mr. Seung-kyul act. The pages marked with colored paper. Yes, the parts highlighted with a highlighter. Can you read from there? Don't feel pressured, just be comfortable."

How many new actors must have felt uncomfortable at those words?

While thinking about that, I looked at the part he pointed out.

Let's see. The in-character name 'Ahn Juyeon' appears. Next is a colon (:). And then his lines.

The moment I read the first line, I almost let out a hollow laugh.

#

Actually, to PD Yoo Jong-won, the role of 'Ahn Juyeon' wasn't that important.

He's a member of the main family, but his screen time isn't much, so his importance is clearly lower.

From the perspective of Writer Seo Eun-young, who cherishes her work, it might be different, but to him, this drama is like a rite of passage, so it's even more so.

Of course, that doesn't mean he can be careless.

It's even more important. Because his current situation is like a mouse on a test bench.

If he stumbles in a daily drama with a guaranteed viewership, it could be a significant blow.

PD Yoo Jong-won, thinking of the worst-case scenario, shook his head.

He then looked at Baek Seung-kyul, who was flipping through the script non-stop.

He seemed intent on reading the entire script right there.

Seeing this, Writer Seo Eun-young looked satisfied. The image of Ahn Juyeon she had in mind matched this exactly.

A loafer who seems to have no passion for life but is incredibly serious about acting, that's 'Ahn Juyeon.'

Of course, whether this image will come through in the acting is another matter.

"Of course, you can't read all of this here, right?"

He snapped back to reality and pointed out the part for the reading.

His eyes returned to the script, and a moment passed. Then, his head slowly lifted.

"I really wanted to act."

It felt a bit different from the written lines.

It's clearly marked to be said with a sob, but the start is so matter-of-fact.

But it's not that there's no emotion.

On the contrary, a deep emotion is conveyed. That's actually the hardest part...

"Ha, isn't it sudden? Acting, all of a sudden. But Mom... 10 years? I couldn't give up this dream for 10 years. I couldn't quit. So I... I..."

Only then did Baek Seung-kyul's voice start to tremble. The suppressed emotion finally surfaced.

Looking at the raw emotion, PD Yoo Jong-won couldn't hide his own feelings.

He was surprised. Very surprised.

Did he secretly attend acting classes? No, if he could act like this, why didn't he...

Suddenly, Haebi's face, once praised as a genius by the media, overlapped with Baek Seung-kyul's sorrowful expression.

Remembering that he was one of the ten million people who cried and shivered in the theater, he shivered.

At that moment, Writer Seo Eun-young leaned in and whispered.

"Is it okay?"

Is it okay? This?

This is...

It's more than that.

#

At that moment, the attention of the 'The Youngest Daughter of the Family' production team was focused on the meeting room, hidden behind a blind.

"It's been a long time. Haebi. When did she grow up like that? It makes me feel old."

"Yeah, she was just a kid back then."

"What, isn't she about your age?"

"Yeah, I was like that too."

The assistant director chuckled at the embarrassed team member, scratching his head with the pen he was holding, lost in memories.

"I still remember. When Actor Cheon Gwang-yun went to break up the family. She screamed to protect the grandmother, so sad and chilling. I couldn't believe it was the first acting role of a child actor."

The assistant director, who was nodding along, suddenly noticed the youngest floor director, who was staring blankly.

"You wouldn't know, right?"

"Yes, I was in elementary school then."

"Watch it sometime. The plot might seem a bit predictable now, but the acting isn't."

The other team members also chimed in.

"The scenes where Haebi and Actor Cheon Gwang-yun clashed were the best."

"Actor Cheon Gwang-yun was already a top actor then, but when this child actor came out with equal energy, everyone was shocked."

Hearing the seniors' reviews, the youngest member looked even more puzzled.

"But why did such a child actor...?"

"Why did she fail?"

"Yes."

"Her subsequent works all flopped. Her acting became so strange, it was like a different person. It was probably due to the pressure, I guess."

"Being young, that could happen."

"Thinking about it, it's a bit sad."

"But it was quite severe."

After that, in the next few works, the boy who shone among the best actors became a completely different person.

If not for the glory of his first work, he probably wouldn't have gotten such opportunities.

Moreover, with the continuous failure of the movies he participated in, he became an icon of bad luck.

Surviving in this jungle-like industry was impossible.

"Then why is the PD considering such a person?"

In response to the youngest member's question, the assistant director shared his thoughts.

"Because of the buzz. Daily dramas are relatively low on buzz. Of course, it's the safest to keep it moderate, but from our perspective as creators, we want it to be a topic. That's why we sometimes have scenes like the seaweed slap."

"Oh, that..."

The scene was so shocking to the production team that some of them shuddered.

The assistant director laughed hollowly and continued.

"So, this audition is for... Haebi."

"Mr. Baek Seung-kyul."

"Right, Baek Seung-kyul. This is a good opportunity for him too. If he does it moderately, he'll get the role of Ahn Juyeon. Of course, if he can't even do that, then..."

Just as he was about to add, "He shouldn't act again," the meeting room door opened.

PD Yoo Jong-won came out first.

A team member, seeing his face, was puzzled.

"Why does PD's expression look like that?"

"Is the acting that bad?"

But it's not that...

"I'll let you know after the internal meeting."

"Understood."

Following him, Writer Seo Eun-young came out with Baek Seung-kyul, and her lips were high-fiving her cheeks.

If the acting was bad, the usually sensitive boss wouldn't be like this.

Even the assistant director, who knew PD Yoo Jong-won well, was puzzled by this unfamiliar scene.

His blank expression and awkward smile made it seem like he was in a daze.

"The atmosphere is really strange."