Chapter 82

82

"Hoyun, don't be nervous! Don't be scared! Just act naturally, and they'll give you a good review! Oh, do you need a calming pill?"

I glanced at my manager, who kept worrying as we walked to the waiting room. It seemed like the calming pill was more needed by the manager than me.

As soon as I entered the waiting room, I could feel the eyes of the aspiring actors scanning me up and down. Behind them, mocking glances stuck to me. 'Oh my, an idol has come?'

'What's today's drama?'

I was a bit excited, so I turned to my manager and said,

"Manager, my throat is a bit dry. Could you buy me some water?"

"Of course!!"

The manager sat me in a corner and hurried off. The drink was just an excuse; I just wanted to get rid of him.

From the moment I entered the waiting room, the pricking gazes from around me had not stopped. Clearly, some of them recognized my face. A few people who didn't know me glanced and moved on, but those who figured out I was an idol gave me unfriendly looks.

Moreover, this audition was for a work by the famous writer Kim Soo-hee. As an aspiring actor or a newly rising actor, they wouldn't want me to join and take their chances.

I decided to quietly open the script.

In the first and second episodes, there weren't many scenes with Lee Jung-hoon. At most, there was a scene where he constantly clashed with the protagonist.

"Hmm."

It didn't matter since I had already seen all the scenes.

I was flipping through the script when a voice, as if speaking directly to me, came.

"Hello?"

While I was absorbed in the script, a voice that seemed to be directed at me sounded.

"Is this Seo Hoyun?"

'Wow, what a sharp mind.'

Only then did I lift my head and look at the person next to me. A man with a neat appearance was smiling at me, but his eyes showed irritation and disdain.

I felt like I had seen him somewhere.

"I'm Lee Kang-seok, an actor."

"Yes, I'm Seo Hoyun."

"You've been doing well lately... Are you now challenging acting as well?"

At first glance, it seemed like a casual comment, but it was strangely irritating. Especially in this waiting room, where pricking gazes were already making me uncomfortable.

Ding!

[Why is the entertainment industry always like this?? Is it really so hard to go a day without drama??]

Why, I find it amusing.

Today, the system window was venting on my behalf. I raised an eyebrow at him.

Lee Kang-seck... I remembered seeing his face before coming here. We hadn't worked together, but I had heard a few rumors.

'A show-off.'

I smiled faintly at the rare encounter of industry arrogance.

"Would you like me to see how you act? You might need some practice before the audition..."

"Ooh."

"Ah, I don't think I have time to watch this audition. How about you contact me sometime? I don't think I'll see you here again..."

"Ooh... Wow, that could happen~."

Actually, I didn't need or want to pass this audition, so I answered casually and let the conversation flow in one ear and out the other.

Or rather, I heard it but pretended not to.

Thanks to this, Lee Kang-seck looked extremely annoyed.

Ding!

[Subtle provocateur...]

"...Um, Mr. Lee Kang-seck."

I glanced at him. Since he made the time pass interestingly, I sincerely wished him luck with a light fist.

Fighting pose.

"Good luck. I hope you do well in the audition. I hope you pass."

=I'll fail the first round.

"......??"

Lee Kang-seck, forgetting to be sarcastic, stared blankly at me as a staff member opened the door to the audition room. The actor who had just gone in came out behind him.

"Seo Hoyun, please come in."

"Yes."

I stood up and gave a slight smile to the frozen man.

The staff member, unintentionally drawing people's attention to me and the surrounding atmosphere, shook his head and pushed me into the audition room.

Inside, five people were seated in a row at a long table.

The director, producer, assistant producer, and the rest seemed to be studio staff, with one being the writer.

"Hello, Seo Hoyun."

Kim Soo-hee, the writer.

The person who wrote the script for "Camera, Lights, Action!" and created the character Lee Jung-hoon.

"Hello."

I greeted and walked to the center.

"My name is Seo Hoyun."

*** 'He's here...!!'

From the beginning, the production team didn't like Seo Hoyun. The writer, who had been actively showing favor to Seo Hoyun, and the studio staff, who brought the idol to boost ratings, didn't seem to mind. However, Director Yoo sighed.

'Finally, a current idol in my directorial career...!!'

Seo Hoyun looked down and waited quietly. His face, without the stage makeup I had seen on screen, was cleaner than expected, and his sharp eyes made people tense. However, the director decided to challenge him.

"Ah, you're more suitable, right? I watched 'Shining Star' a lot."

=Why did such an idol come?

"Really? Thank you."

=Ha ha ㅋㅋ

Before the audition, there was a light power struggle. The studio staff led the process, but Director Yoo muttered while flipping through the script.

"I don't know if you read the script, but you must have been busy."

"Director."

The assistant producer tried to stop him, but the director was already set on challenging him. The atmosphere in the audition room became tense, but Seo Hoyun answered calmly without any reaction.

"Yes, I read it."

"Okay, let's start then."

As the studio staff finished speaking, Seo Hoyun put the script on the floor. The studio staff picked up the microphone again.

"Aren't you going to look at the script?"

"I memorized it."

'Oh, did he watch a drama again?'

Actually, I didn't think badly of someone who tried to promote themselves this way. If they were diligent, at least they wouldn't mess up the shooting.

However, the situation was different if that person was an 'idol.'

Everything about him, from head to toe, just didn't sit well with me.

It was a rare opportunity to have a satisfying lead role (that is, Min Ji-hun and Yoo Ji-ya) and a great script, and I couldn't let an idol ruin it.

To be honest, Director Yoo initially didn't like Yoo Ji-ya either. He wasn't against her, but she was also a singer by origin.

However, his opinion of Yoo Ji-ya changed 180 degrees because of an independent film she starred in a few years ago.

Due to the low budget and a new director, the film couldn't be released for various reasons until last year, when it was shown in a few small theaters. Despite this, it received high praise and was even invited to prestigious international film festivals. Critics especially praised Yoo Ji-ya.

I still vividly remember her looking at the dawn with a clear gaze from a semi-basement staircase.

'Back then... wow, it was a hit.'

Yoo Ji-ya, known for her cute and lovable image in romantic comedies, played a character in the film who, despite being dragged through numerous events due to extreme poverty, never lost hope. This performance completely overturned public opinion and captured Director Yoo's heart.

Director Yoo's abilities were recognized by everyone, but he was also stubborn, had strong prejudices, and a firm philosophy of acting.

He was a person who couldn't accept someone he didn't recognize, no matter how minor the role.

'Ah... Ratings are really a pain, a pain.'

The director sighed.

Initially, the character Lee Jung-hoon, for whom Seo Hoyun was auditioning, was set at 33 years old, a famous PD who had earned all the 'genius' titles.

But to cast a 23-year-old idol who had debuted a little over a year ago, or in Seo Hoyun's case, only a few months, as a candidate for this role...

An unrefined, shallow, and calm performance that didn't match his experience could easily come off as ridiculous.

'No matter how much Min Ji-hun is coming, how ridiculous do we look? We need to show some attitude!'

"Let's start from here."

"Yes, please."

The scene where Lee Jung-hoon appears at the broadcasting station, where the protagonist Yoo Jung-hwa greets him enthusiastically, but he answers indifferently while talking to another staff member, strongly portrays Lee Jung-hoon's rude attitude.

The assistant producer slowly read Yoo Jung-hwa's lines.

"Hello, Senior Lee Jung-hoon!"

Seo Hoyun slowly turned his head. Until then, the director had been focused on the script. The assistant producer read the lines as if reading a textbook.

"I saw you on the rooftop earlier! I'm Yoo Jung-hwa, a new hire. I really enjoyed watching 'Become a Chef' that you produced as an assistant director."

"Ah, yes. The one who's good at socializing."

"Ah, ha ha…."

Voice.

The director suddenly looked up.

The assistant producer, slightly tilting his head, continued reading the extra's lines.

"Have we decided on the location for the shoot?"

"Ah, no. We haven't decided yet."

"…Still not decided?"

'What, the diction… is good.'

It was a voice that wasn't too heavy or too light. Firm but tinged with the fatigue of a broadcasting station, the kind of voice you always hear around.

Seo Hoyun's eyes lingered in the air as if looking at a non-existent person in front of him, then fell.

"What have you been doing all this time, then?"

"That, that's because the budget for the last location didn't match… We need to look for more options."

"Wow~."

Seo Hoyun smiled.

"I've never seen someone waste salary like this."

"……!!"

"How much time has passed, and you still haven't decided on a location? And a budget shortage? Why are you telling me this now?"

In that moment, the writer saw the Lee Jung-hoon he had imagined flash by. Seo Hoyun, tilting his neck, perfectly recreated the tantrum from the script.

"Ah, ah, ah…."

Thanks to this, even the assistant producer in front of him was genuinely startled.

"I'm sorry!"

"That… It's not my fault… No! Yes! It is my fault!"

"Ugh, ugh…!! Please, stop…!"

Repeating the same lines.

'Wow…!'

For the writer, it was a truly moving moment. To see his character come to life right in front of him…!!

In the end, the extra's line, where they burst into tears and run away, came out vividly from the assistant producer.

After finishing the tantrum, Seo Hoyun, muttering curses, sighed deeply and looked exhausted.

"Yoo Jung-hwa, right…."

"Yes, yes!!"

"Getting hired as a new recruit is hard, so you must be talented. Well, then."

"That, that's true, but I lack experience. If you give me a chance, I'll work hard."

"…Yes?"

Seo Hoyun, who had been speaking indifferently, suddenly lifted his head. Yoo Jung-hwa's lines continued naively.

"Starting today, I'll be working under this PD!!"

"…What?!"

Seo Hoyun, looking back and forth between the assistant producer and the empty space (probably Yoo Jung-hwa), opened and closed his mouth a few times before clamping it shut.

The setting was that the section chief, to provoke Lee Jung-hoon, deliberately assigned the worst-performing new recruit to him as a form of hazing.

Director Yoo was already deeply engrossed in Seo Hoyun's performance, which portrayed Lee Jung-hoon more naturally than expected.

The script ended there...

Normally, it would have ended there.

"Really, I'm going crazy…."

However, Seo Hoyun didn't stop at the end of the script. He continued as if he couldn't stop, as if he was truly immersed in the role.

In reality, it wasn't.

Just the frustration from the past was bubbling up.

"This is how you hazing works, right?"

"…Yes?"

Seo Hoyun, clicking his tongue, frantically searched his jacket pocket and then pulled his hand out.

Seo Hoyun, looking a bit annoyed, sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and then smiled brightly.

So everyone, forgetting that Lee Jung-hoon was a jerk, were drawn to him.

"Jung-hwa, junior."

"…Yes?!"

"Shall I buy you some coffee? What do you like?"

"Coffee?"

"Coffee. Get something expensive. It's a rare opportunity."

'Coffee?'

"…Ah, yes! Seo Hoyun, that's enough!"

The Lee Jung-hoon, who had been holding back curses with a pretty smile... no, Seo Hoyun, turned to the assistant producer, who signaled the end, and bowed.

At that moment, Writer Kim Soo-hee raised her hand.

"Lee… no, Seo Hoyun."

"Yes."

Clearly, the person standing in front of him was the 'idol' Seo Hoyun, but why did he look more like Lee Jung-hoon?

Director Yoo, feeling the strangeness, exhaled. On the other hand, the writer smiled and asked.

"What were you looking for in your jacket?"

It was an action not in the script. Writer Kim Soo-hee was very curious about why Seo Hoyun did that.

To this, Seo Hoyun answered very calmly and matter-of-factly.

"Cigarettes."

"…Yes?"

The word that no one expected to hear from an idol left everyone speechless. The writer, regaining her composure, asked again.

"Of course, Lee Jung-hoon PD has a smoking habit. But why were you looking for cigarettes now?"

Seo Hoyun, staring at the writer, slightly rolled his eyes and finally answered.

"…I was feeling suffocated."

"Why?"

"There's a mountain of work, and the new person can't be immediately put to work on the set…."

"…."

"Especially with the shortage of staff… I thought the section chief was crazy to send someone here. I thought it would be better for Yoo Jung-hwa to be placed in a relatively peaceful morning variety show team rather than this crazy survival show… So I wanted a cigarette."

Is this the kind of answer that can come from a 23-year-old idol…?

"But why did you put it away?"

"I thought about it and held back because it's a broadcasting station… If the section chief was really in front of me, I might have smoked. Just to show him."

'Is he crazy?'

The director, surprised by the fitting answer, looked at him with wide eyes.

Not to mention the subtle details, but the genuine frustration...?

The director, feeling flustered, asked again.

"Then why did you offer to buy coffee?"

"Ah…."

Seo Hoyun rubbed the back of his neck.

"To make them stay and do a good job, even if they can't run away…."

"…."

"If I don't do something like this for new hires, they'll run away soon…."

To control new hires (which means slaves), the first month is about buying them lots of good food and being nice, then gradually criticizing them in a friendly manner so they can't tell the difference, and finally, when they get used to it, calmly and quietly pushing them to their limits. Raising your voice is a sign of weakness.

'Oh my.'

The writer, trying to hold back her laughter, instructed the next scene.

"Scene 26 of Episode 1, the meeting with the lead Min Seung-tae."

"Yes."

After that, Seo Hoyun really did well.

His natural delivery and precise diction had a captivating charm.

Most importantly, that expression.

The face that seemed to say, 'I want to go home, but no one is doing anything, so I have to finish this,' looked like it came from a seasoned professional with years of work experience.

'Wow.'

The director was impressed. For someone who hadn't experienced work, to have such a face meant they had great observational skills.

It was a truly remarkable illusion.

The director focused on Seo Hoyun's performance. Just as the assistant producer was about to call the previous audition participants for a scene...

"Scene 7 of Episode 2, the serious argument between Yoo Jung-hwa and Lee Jung-hoon…."

"Wait."

"…Yes?"

The director stopped him. Seo Hoyun, who had been standing quietly, slightly raised his eyebrows.

"Let's do some free acting, not from the script."

That... was like the director's last resort.

The director, grinding his teeth in frustration, smiled.

No matter how well Seo Hoyun had prepared, he couldn't perfectly replicate the trashy behavior (drinking, smoking, cursing, and threatening) of Lee Jung-hoon PD.