Chapter 25

25. Your acting is better.

Author Han Yujing thought it was a bit strange. If he had this level of mask, he must have done some acting when he was young...

"But, have you ever acted as a child actor?"

"Ah, that... My dad didn't let me."

Even though things have changed a lot, many parents still oppose this kind of work.

But with this girl's appearance, shouldn't they not oppose it? This is a face that heaven has given to be seen by as many people as possible.

"Your dad didn't like you being an actor, huh? But is it okay now? I heard you're attending an acting school."

"Me? Ah..."

Sarin's big eyes rolled at Han Yujing's misunderstanding.

"That, that's... not that he disliked acting... My dad is an actor."

"Huh?"

"Mr. Yeon Seong-hoon is my dad."

"Ah!"

"When I was young, he didn't let me act."

"Ah..."

Han Yujing immediately understood Yeon Seong-hoon's intention. He must have been cautious because he knew this world well.

But if he had given her proper acting lessons for the past two years, it clearly meant he was now preparing her seriously as an actor.

Han Yujing, who knew Yeon Seong-hoon's acting skills, thought: He's Yeon Seong-hoon's daughter. Of course, his blood must flow in her.

If she had learned from Yeon Seong-hoon for two years, she would be more than capable of handling a role in High School.

Han Yujing's heart grew even warmer.

"Mr. Yeon Seong-hoon, what's your daughter's name?"

"Ah, I'm Yeon Sarin."

Yeon Sarin bowed again.

"Sarin, it's great to meet you."

"No, no, it's an honor for me."

Han Yujing's expression brightened.

Having caught a beautiful tropical fish in her net, Han Yujing now turned her head to the koi.

"What's the name of our male student?"

Jinhyuk answered with his usual indifferent expression.

"My name is Woo Jinhyuk."

Oh my.

Han Yujing almost let out a sigh.

What can I do with this atmosphere.

And that voice.

A chiseled face with deep, gem-like eyes. A coolness that doesn't waver even when he knows who he is.

His clear, deep voice, thrown casually, was like the first line of a heart-stirring ballad.

Indeed, Han Yujing's heart was beating faster.

A boy with the faces of a boy and a man. Based on experience, this was the perfect star material.

Trying to calm her thumping heart, Han Yujing asked,

"Jinhyuk, how long have you been learning acting?"

"I've been learning for a little over two months."

Clang. Something broke.

"Two... months?"

Ha. It's over. No, why! Just when things seemed to be going well...

Han Yujing lowered her head.

"But, Mr. Writer, Jinhyuk is a genius at acting."

"Genius?"

"My dad said he's a genius at acting. He's already much better than me."

Acting genius?

Han Yujing's eyes widened as she looked at Jinhyuk again.

If Yeon Seong-hoon, a method actor, said that, it must be extraordinary talent.

Better than Yeon Seong-hoon's daughter who has been learning for two years? Whether this is Sarin's opinion or the reality, I'm not sure, but...

Han Yujing's positive circuits started to kick in.

Could this be the second Jeong Ji-an!

Her heart, which she had just calmed, started racing again. She was desperate to see this boy's acting.

"That's great. From what I can see, both of you have the potential to become excellent actors. I haven't seen your acting, but just from the atmosphere, I can tell."

"Hee. Thank you."

'I should be the one thanking you,' Han Yujing thought. At the same time, she felt like saying, 'Please!'

Just hope the acting is decent. He doesn't have to be a genius. With that charming aura and dazzling presence, he just needs to do the basics. Just the basics.

"Fortunately, I know Mr. Yeon Seong-hoon. I'll contact the acting school through him."

"Me? Contact?"

"It's nothing else. There will be an audition for 'High School 2' soon. I'd like both of you to come. Definitely."

Han Yujing's eyes sparkled.

Sarin was so surprised she froze. She couldn't say a word. Neither did Woo Jinhyuk.

Since he didn't know what High School was, it didn't really affect him much.

***

"Thank you. 'Korean' is in Screen 3."

Woo Jinhyuk, passing through the security checkpoint and walking down the dark theater corridor, was feeling the excitement of his childhood again.

The large screen that spread out before him, like being sucked in, had always helped him forget his painful reality, even if only for a moment. That's how Jinhyuk remembered movie theaters from his childhood.

But this time, watching a movie was different. There was no painful reality to return to.

Jinhyuk was enjoying the movie with a different, more relaxed heart.

In his hand was a large popcorn and a cola, reminding him of the changed reality.

The 2 hours and 30 minutes of the movie passed in a flash.

"Wow, wasn't that really fun?"

As soon as they came out of the theater, Sarin started jumping around.

If she keeps this up...

"Kyaa!"

Sarin fell again.

"Hehe. I'm fine. I'm fine. You don't have to help me. I can get up on my own."

Saying her usual line, Sarin got up energetically. She dusted off her jeans, which didn't get dirty because they were indoors, and asked,

"How was the movie?"

It was a cautious question.

What's so cautious about asking?

Jinhyuk answered with a short smile.

"It was good."

"See!"

Yeon Sarin's expression brightened.

"By the way, that actor Jeong Ji-an, doesn't he act really well? He's only two years older than us, but he's really amazing."

Sarin enthusiastically shared her thoughts on the movie.

"But you know what? I like Jinhyuk's acting better."

"What? How can I be compared to an actor like that?"

He was sincere. No matter how much of a genius, there's always a genius above a genius. Like Jeong Ji-an.

To Jinhyuk, he didn't seem like an ordinary person.

Even if their talents were similar, Jinhyuk couldn't compare to Jeong Ji-an in terms of experience, and he even felt that Jeong Ji-an was more talented than himself.

Of course, in terms of appearance, he might look a bit better.

As a beginner in acting, Jinhyuk felt a wall between himself and Jeong Ji-an.

It wasn't a feeling of despair. To Jinhyuk, it was a feeling that sparked his competitive spirit. He wanted to see what was beyond that wall.

He also wanted to meet and talk to him.

He couldn't distinguish whether this was an extension of his uncontrollable competitive spirit or a desire to improve his acting.

"No, really. Of course, Jeong Ji-an acts really well... But, I can't explain it well, but Jinhyuk, I like your acting better!"

"Thanks."

As Jinhyuk smiled at the excited Sarin, someone called out.

"Jinhyuk!"

A friend, Do Min-woo, stood there with an even more excited expression.

"Hey, what's up!"

"What's up? I came to see a movie."

"No, I mean, why are you watching a movie... Hi? I'm Do Min-woo, Jinhyuk's friend."

Do Min-woo, without finishing his sentence to Jinhyuk, turned his head to Sarin.

"Hi? I'm Yeon Sarin."

"Ah... Yeon Sarin. Nice to meet you."

Do Min-woo stared at Sarin's face so intensely it was embarrassing, then turned his gaze to Jinhyuk.

So, that's a resentful look.

Then,

"Bro! Hurry up, we're late!"

"Really. We're late–Ah! Bro!"

Some elementary school kids, who looked like they were in the lower grades, urged Do Min-woo on. Do Min-woo bit his lip.

"Alright, alright. I'm going, I'm going!"

Min-woo, giving Jinhyuk a resentful look one more time, said to Sarin,

"Sarin, nice to meet you. See you next time!"

"Sure. See you."

Sarin, who was so friendly that it would make the second person cry, waved and greeted him warmly, as if they were already friends.

Do Min-woo left with a look of regret and resentment.

"Close friend?"

"Um, yeah."

"Ah."

Sarin nodded.

***

"The world!"

Do Min-woo, with quite a teary-eyed expression, slammed his head on the desk.

"Is a cruel place..."

Woo Jinhyuk thought.

Don't act like that at the drama audition.

Do Min-woo suddenly lifted his head and glared at Jinhyuk.

"Jinhyuk, I never thought you'd do this to me."

"..."

"I didn't even know you were going to an acting school. Wow, I'm having a breakdown."

"What kind of breakdown?"

"What kind of breakdown! There are no secrets in friendship. That's what I believe!"

"So that's why you told me to call you 'Bro'?"

Ignoring Jinhyuk's words, Do Min-woo jumped up.

"Anyway, this is something I can't just let go."

"Can't just let it go?"

"We need to reaffirm our friendship!"

Why is he doing this?

"Can you confirm that?"

"No."

"How?"

"By confirming your sincerity."

"..."

"Meaning, if you answer my questions truthfully from now on, I plan to recognize you as my best friend again."

Do Min-woo sat back down and took out a pen with a serious face.

"What's the name of the acting school you attend?"

"Ah, I... SH Acting School."

"Location?"

"..."

"Hmm. I can just look that up on the internet. Never mind. How long have you been attending?"

Should I keep this up? Jinhyuk thought.

"A little over two months. Is that enough?"

"Okay. A little over two months. What's your relationship with Yeon Sarin?"

"What?"

"Come on. Answer precisely. What's your relationship with Yeon Sarin? Friends? More than friends? Or...?"

"What are you doing?"

Do Min-woo, who had been looking at his notebook, glanced at Woo Jinhyuk and then buried his head in the notebook again.

"I'm the one asking the questions. I'm just asking formally. I already have a hunch, but I'm just confirming."

"What hunch?"

"Are you trying to test our friendship? I already know about your relationship with Sarin. I'm not that clueless."

Indeed, he was a clueless guy.

"Are there other female students at the school besides Sarin? Of course, it's an acting school. What about their appearances... Is that right?"

Jinhyuk didn't answer.

"Ah, are there many female students, or not? Answer honestly... Huh? Where did you go?"

Jinhyuk was already up and walking away.

"Hey, where are you going without answering!"

Jinhyuk answered without turning back.

"I'm going to the snack bar."

"Suddenly?"

"You're asking for something I can't accept."

"Huh? Hey, when did I ask... Oh!"

Do Min-woo's face broke into a wide smile.

"Hey, come on! Let's go together! My best friend–!"

***

"Sorry, Mr. President. I'll hang up now."

Click.

Yeon Seong-hoon frowned as he put down his phone. This was the third student to leave the school this month.

It was more accurate to say they had transferred rather than quit. Three students had transferred to CMI, a large acting school nearby.

He had heard long ago that the new principal had launched aggressive marketing, but he hadn't expected it to reach other schools' students.

CMI was known in the industry for enrolling students with little talent through sweet talk, and for being only interested in profit.

But despite the bad reputation, the school was always packed. It was large and had a mid-sized entertainment company, CM Entertainment, as its parent company.

CMI promoted its actors as if they were all graduates of CMI, and this approach worked well with teenagers.

After the new principal took over, they had even started reaching out to students from other schools.

"The students have great potential. I guarantee it."

"If you enroll in our school, you can debut in a few months."

"Six months is enough to prepare for acting college entrance exams!"

"With your talent, you can definitely get into a Seoul acting program!"

They lured students with promises of debuts and college admissions, regardless of the reality.

Once a student was hooked, even Yeon Seong-hoon's sincere persuasion was useless.

"Mi-young, if you just prepare a little more..."

"Mr. President, I'm sorry, but CMI said I can get a supporting role in 'High School 2' this time."

There were no teenagers who didn't want to be in the High School series.

But the supporting roles and above in High School were reserved for idol stars.

Even in the first series, which received less attention, it was the same. How much more so for 'High School 2', which was a hit?

When they said they were holding an open audition, it meant they were looking for actors who could surpass idol stars, not ordinary beginners.

But to teenagers, High School was a dream drama. In front of the bait of being cast in the drama, realistic judgment faded.

Others might not make it, but I will. That's the psychology.

CMI's current marketing strategy was exploiting this psychology to the fullest.

'They're like scammers...'

Yeon Seong-hoon couldn't say it out loud, but he thought this kind of marketing could be a fatal scam that ruined students' futures.

Just as he clenched his lips, his phone vibrated.

"Hello, this is Yeon Seong-hoon."

- Hello, Mr. Yeon Seong-hoon. It's been a while. This is writer Han Yujing.

"Hello? Who is this?"

The sound had been cut off for a moment, so Yeon Seong-hoon asked again. Then his eyes widened.