Chapter 9

8. Agency Audition

Taeju passed the driving test with ease. It was only natural, having driven for over a decade. He decided to take his time deciding on buying a car. Tae also mentioned that there was no need to buy one since the subway station and the supermarket were nearby, and Taeju still had a few months before he turned 18.

"Hello, Manager Kim."

Taeju arrived a little earlier than the scheduled time, and Manager Kim was already waiting at the entrance of the company.

"Please come in. Everyone is waiting for you."

"Really?"

"Ah! Actually, the scheduled auditions are already over. The time I told you about is an extra slot. I arranged this separately with the company staff."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. In fact, the application deadline had already passed, but I insisted because I liked you."

The sudden audition proposal seemed a bit problematic. It was 5:30 PM on a Friday, and he had thought the timing was a bit awkward. No matter how busy an entertainment agency might be, no one would like to have more work before the weekend.

'Starting off on the wrong foot, huh.'

When Taeju entered the room Manager Kim led him to, several people were waiting. Taeju stepped forward confidently and stood straight.

"Hello, I'm Taeju, a 19-year-old aspiring actor."

"Wow! You look much better in person than in your profile."

"You seem a bit thin. I wonder how you'll look on screen. Manager Kim, can you connect the camera to the monitor?"

The audition room was set up with actual cameras used in real shoots. A monitor TV on the desk was prepared to check the footage immediately. It was more systematic than other auditions that only recorded video.

Taeju stood in front of the camera confidently. No one had told him where to stand, but he naturally positioned himself in the center of the camera frame.

Today, Taeju was dressed in a high-end suit and adorned with luxury accessories. He had visited a shop before the audition to get a makeup touch-up and a hair trim. Overall, he looked aristocratic and elegant, fitting the role of an elite lawyer as specified in the audition script.

"From your style, it seems you're playing the lawyer role, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Let's start."

Taeju performed the entire prepared script without stopping. Although there was no one to read the lines of the opposite character, his performance felt realistic as if he were acting with a real person in front of him.

'There's no reaction. Was it not good because it's been a while?'

"Hmm. Well done."

"Is it possible to do a free performance?"

"Yes."

"Start when you're ready."

Taeju found it quite surprising that they were also checking his free performance. He realized he hadn't done a free performance at auditions for a long time. It was fortunate that he had prepared for it out of habit.

"Ah! I drank too much, so I wasn't in my right mind. Oh, it's funny, but when I woke up, I remembered that moment. Hahaha. It was a mistake. What? Whether it was a mistake or not, I know I was wrong. I'm crazy. I, ah, really crazy, sigh. I'm really sorry." [Excerpt from the role of Park Jung-min in "Reply 1988"]

"Wow, 'Reply 1988' was great."

"You did well. There's nothing to fix."

"Indeed. Your profile says you're a complete newcomer, but it's hard to believe you're a real newcomer."

Taeju listened quietly to the people in front of him. He had nothing to say about his acting experience, and although it was just an audition, he enjoyed standing in front of the camera after a long time and wanted to savor the feeling for a moment.

"Wouldn't it be better if a real director filmed this? We didn't do a good job. It doesn't even show half of what you look like in person."

"Um. That's inevitable, right?"

Clap, clap!

"Turn off the local broadcast and let's do an interview."

Various questions were asked, from why he started acting to what kind of actor he wanted to become, his goals, and what genres he wanted to act in. The interview went on for quite a while, but Taeju responded naturally.

"Phew~. You're really natural. You don't seem like a newcomer at all. Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying it's bad."

"Um, this is a bit different. Are you the cat from 'Singing Baby'?"

"Team Leader Woo?"

"Yep. Yes, that's me."

He answered without hesitation, but was taken aback by the unexpected question. He didn't expect anyone on the panel to have seen that video.

"What is that? 'Singing Baby'?"

"Here. A YouTube video."

The woman called Team Leader Woo showed the video on her smartphone to the others. The song "Peep Peep Chicks" echoed in the audition room.

"Wow. It's really cute."

"Wow. How can a cat sing so well?"

'This is so embarrassing.'

Despite Taeju's embarrassment, the audition ended with very positive feedback. They said they would contact him again, but it seemed more about internal discussions on contract terms rather than just passing or failing.

*

"Yes? Yes. I understand. I'll come to the company tomorrow morning."

As expected, he received a call from Triz saying he had passed the audition. Now he was curious about what would happen to Nam Ji-hyuk. Originally, Nam Ji-hyuk was supposed to become an actor in Triz's new talent team and participate in major auditions and film shoots through Triz's network.

When Taeju joined a drama as a supporting actor, Nam Ji-hyuk was already a five-year veteran. They were both supporting actors, but Nam Ji-hyuk subtly bullied Taeju, who made his TV debut in a famous drama writer's work.

Taeju had been cast in an independent film where his acting skills were recognized, and he was about to debut in a TV drama. With no long period of anonymity and a short acting career, Taeju's debut on TV was a condition that anyone could envy.

Having been good at everything since childhood, Taeju often attracted jealousy. However, he was quite insensitive to the envy and ostracism from others. Nam Ji-hyuk, however, persistently and relentlessly bullied Taeju, which was exhausting.

'But, if you think about it, isn't Nam Ji-hyuk in a situation where he could envy others? After shooting short films and independent films for about two years, he signed with Triz and immediately started shooting commercial films. Isn't that a smooth path?'

It was a smooth path. Of course, Taeju's path was even smoother. He met a good teacher, Park Jae-sung, at an acting school by chance, built a solid foundation, and signed with an agency before even debuting. He took the lead role in an independent film just three months after learning to act and debuted as a supporting actor in a TV drama after his acting skills were recognized.

He accomplished in one year what others took years to achieve and continued to succeed with good projects. Although he didn't have a lucky charm, he had good luck with projects, and his performances were consistently good.

Because he was so good at choosing projects, when it was time for Taeju to select his next project, scripts literally poured in. He succeeded in both films and dramas, earning the nickname "Box Office Guarantee," and actors competed to be in his projects.

"Am I a bit of a god character?"

Reflecting on it, he realized he had been quite talented. While he couldn't understand Nam Ji-hyuk's bullying, he could see why others might envy him. This time, it was even more intense. He had signed with Triz before debuting, and if Nam Ji-hyuk didn't sign with Triz, Taeju might have participated in the film auditions Nam Ji-hyuk had.

"Yoon Seok and Joo-ju should be here. I was supposed to meet them at the company two years later. Is there any way to bring them here?"

It didn't seem easy. Since Triz had already formed the new talent team and held auditions, if he signed, he would be part of that team. The fact that they managed the difficult Nam Ji-hyuk for years without issues suggested they were competent.

It had been so long that he couldn't remember who Nam Ji-hyuk's manager was. At the time, he was just starting his second project and making his TV debut, and he was being bullied by Nam Ji-hyuk on set, so he wasn't in his right mind. He had tried to focus all his energy on acting day and night.

'If I hadn't, I might have been sued for violence.'

This time, he hoped to avoid getting entangled with someone like Nam Ji-hyuk.

*

When he arrived at the company, Team Leader Woo greeted him with a robust man. Taeju recognized the man standing next to Team Leader Woo as Nam Ji-hyuk's former manager, whom he had forgotten about until he saw him in person. He remembered the man coming to apologize to him.

"Welcome, Actor Taeju."

"Hello. That title still feels a bit burdensome. Please call me by my name."

"Then I'll call you Actor Taeju. I find it more comfortable."

"Okay, sure."

'Oh. She's a tough one. I shouldn't mess with her.'

The conversation gave Taeju a clear sense of Team Leader Woo's personality. He resolved not to cross her.

"This is Manager Kim Geun-woo. He will be your manager."

He was about 180 cm tall, slightly shorter than Taeju. He had a healthy brown complexion and a strong, sturdy build, giving him the look of a special forces soldier or bodyguard.

After the introductions and greetings, they began the contract negotiations. Triz's contract terms for new talent were indeed good, as expected. There were no particularly annoying clauses, and the profit-sharing ratio of 50-50 was fair. They agreed to sign the contract after adding a clause about adjusting the ratio in the future.

Although he wanted to sign immediately, Taeju was still a minor. He had a few months before turning 18, so he needed his mother's consent. He called his mother on the spot and arranged to meet her in 30 minutes.

*

When he arrived at a coffee shop near his mother's workplace and waited for a moment, his mother, looking tired, appeared. She still looked the same. Despite going through a divorce and having a lot on her mind, she didn't look disheveled.

"Let's look at the contract first."

Taeju handed the contract to his mother, which he had received from the manager.

"Is a 50-50 profit share good? I don't know much about this industry, but I know agencies usually take a 20% commission."

"Agencies and management companies are a bit different. Management companies handle various tasks, like planning, training, and promotion. They also provide support for vehicles, makeup, managers, and coordinators."

"Is that so? Then a management company might not be bad in the early stages. It's good that they added a clause about adjusting the profit-sharing ratio, but it would be better to set a specific time for readjustment or criteria based on cumulative earnings or contract size."

They added the conditions on the spot and completed the contract. It seemed the company had thought about it in advance, as the process went smoothly.

Taeju wanted to talk more with his mother, so he sent the manager away first. His mother also called the company and then sat down again.

"I heard you're getting a divorce."

"Yes. It's time to move on."

"What will you do from now on?"

"Will it be any different from now?"

A faint anger flashed across his mother's face as she talked about the divorce. His father's mistakes were too great to forgive.

"Take good care of Tae. I'm not confident in myself. I'm afraid I might find his faults in Tae."

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."

"More importantly, why a management company all of a sudden? What are you thinking?"

"I want to become an actor. I like acting."

"What about school?"

"I won't register."

"Even though it's an unrelated major, it's Y University, so it might be helpful someday."

She seemed to have some interest, knowing the university and major he was supposed to attend.

"It's fine. If I need it later, I can go then."

"True. The entertainment industry isn't easy, and you need to focus on it to succeed."

"You're right."

Before ending the conversation, his mother mentioned that she would cover Tae's living and school expenses. Taeju understood her desire to compensate Tae in some way.

Although it wasn't a good ending, the divorce might be a new opportunity for his mother. Taeju wished her only the best for the future.