Chapter 10

Former Internet Celebrity Becomes Top Star - Chapter 10 (10/110)

10

A mutter echoed in the silence.

The problem was that the grumbling was heard too clearly.

Chung-hwa was the quickest to react.

Due to his wild behavior, Ro-won, on the contrary, became more composed.

“...What? What are you looking at?”

“Are you talking to me?”

When Ro-won asked, the man, Kim Jeong-ryul, his expression crumpled.

“Why me? What do you want?”

It seemed he was right.

Chung-hwa was fuming, and a crease appeared on Ro-won’s forehead.

Just a few days ago, he had decided to stop living as a clueless fool.

But.

‘Let it be for now. If I confront him, it will only make me more tired.’

It wasn’t the right time.

Not dying was the only way to avoid living like a fool, right?

‘...First, I need to survive.’

So, he should focus on the audition.

Just as Ro-won was about to refocus on the paper,

“Your acting skills are really a mess, aren’t they?”

The opponent, who was annoyed by Ro-won’s indifference, sneered again.

The problem was that it didn’t stop there.

“Now that we’re on the same team, isn’t it just bad luck? We have to deliver lines together, and being paired with someone who can’t even deliver a single line properly will make me look bad too. You need to be at a decent level to be worth working with. What bad luck.”

He was on a roll.

‘Ah, so that’s what a team means?’

It seemed the reason they were grouped together was to take on roles and act as each other’s partners.

“Why don’t you just stick to what you’re good at, like making money, instead of trying something new and holding others back? Why did I have to be paired with you? How can I expect to have good chemistry with someone who can’t even memorize a line properly?”

This changed the situation.

‘Why is he so hostile? Maybe he knows the original me, and not in a good way.’

He had expected that the original’s karma would catch up, but the timing was bad.

Moreover, he thought:

‘If I think about it, there will be many such people in every step of my future. Do I really need to deal with all of them?’

How much of a troublemaker must the original have been for even a passing applicant to hold a grudge against him?

He had already heard from the manager, but it was worse than he expected.

‘Denial won’t solve anything.’

Whenever something happens, trying to deny it is a low-level move.

The best way is to avoid making the same mistakes and show a clear change.

Then, naturally, the rumors will die down.

‘...Galion failed because he couldn’t do that properly.’

One mistake is forgivable, but not two.

Galion failed to show a change, which led to his downfall.

‘It’s amazing that my memories before death are helping me. Life is really a long journey to watch and learn.’

Meanwhile, Applicant 1, Kim Jeong-ryul, continued his rant.

“Did you memorize all the assigned lines? Or, can you even memorize the script you just received? Last time, you barely managed one line, and you couldn’t even deliver a few words properly, resulting in dozens of NGs. Do you know how many people suffer when someone like you is on set?”

His eyes, filled with complaints, scanned Ro-won from head to toe.

“Anyway, you’re still just full of yourself. You don’t even know what’s important for an actor.”

‘This is the karma of the past.’

He had expected it to be bad, but it was worse than he thought.

‘Should I really keep quiet? He’s talking like this...’

His calm self, urging him to think of the bigger picture, and his reborn self, determined not to hold back, were in conflict.

The conflict soon tilted in one direction.

‘If I stay silent, it will look like I’m admitting it.’

If he remained silent after being reborn, what would be different from Galion’s time?

During Galion’s time, most of the criticisms were true, but not now.

So, Ro-won decided to speak.

“I’ve memorized everything, so you don’t need to worry.”

“...?”

Kim Jeong-ryul, who had been spewing venom, was speechless.

He frowned and asked, “You memorized them?”

“Yes. I memorized them. And just in case, I’ve also memorized the assigned script.”

The script was only about two pages long, and even if it was a bit more, it was only about four or five pages.

That much could be memorized with just a couple of reads.

“And it’s not just for fun. I’ve never thought of it that way.”

For fun!

If anyone were to be the most desperate here, it would be Ro-won.

His life was on the line.

It was a matter of life and death, like in an old classic novel...

“...Wow, now you’re even lying.”

“Why would I lie about memorizing it? It will be obvious soon enough.”

Kim Jeong-ryul, who didn’t expect Ro-won to respond this way, was taken aback.

Moreover, when Ro-won stared at him, Kim Jeong-ryul’s eyes started to twitch.

“Hey, be quiet. Are you the only one using the waiting room?”

At that moment, another voice intervened.

It was Shim Sa-ro, who had been assigned to the same team.

Shim Sa-ro, who had been sitting on one side, looking at the script, lifted his head and spoke, making Kim Jeong-ryul flinch as he looked between Ro-won and Shim Sa-ro.

“Damn...”

He muttered a curse and then,

Bang!

Suddenly stood up and left the waiting room.

‘Is that okay?’

He had a moment of doubt, but then,

‘I need to focus on my own tasks. Time is precious.’

Ro-won quickly dismissed it.

Although he had responded slightly out of frustration, it was generally better not to engage with such people.

Even Shim Sa-ro didn’t seem to care about Kim Jeong-ryul’s departure.

Hmm. Can I really go through the audition with such a dysfunctional team...?

He had some concerns, but then,

‘Well... When have team members ever been problem-free? Why should it be different now?’

It was really bad luck to have such a team.

Still, Ro-won had experience from his Galion days in dealing with dysfunctional groups.

Based on his past experiences, it seemed he didn’t need to worry too much.

After some time,

“Mr. Ro-won, Mr. Kim Jeong-ryul, Mr. Shim Sa-ro. You’ll be going in soon. But where is Mr. Kim Jeong-ryul?”

A staff member, who had come to announce their turn, looked around the waiting room and asked.

“Huff, huff, Kim Jeong-ryul, huff, I’m here!”

“Leaving your seat without permission is problematic.”

“I’m sorry. I just needed to focus and get some fresh air...”

“Just follow us.”

Kim Jeong-ryul, who had rushed in, was the last to be led to the audition site.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by

Pop-up message windows.

What’s going on here?

Fortunately, the message windows, which had been appearing like popcorn, stopped.

Through the windows, which were gradually becoming transparent, the inside could be seen.

Two cameras were pointed at them, and a large table was set up in front.

‘These must be the judges. Is that Kim Sung-ha, the director?’

He was a bit surprised.

The director looked very unenthusiastic.

His slouched posture and lack of interest in looking at them made it clear.

The other judges, aware of this, tried to appear overly friendly.

“Oh, nice to meet you. Since we’ve met, let’s do introductions, shall we? Starting from the right.”

Following the judge’s words, Kim Jeong-ryul, who was on the far right, began his introduction.

“Hello! My name is Kim Jeong-ryul. I’ve been acting for 8 years and am a member of the Dandelion Theater Group. I’ve appeared in...”

As Kim Jeong-ryul introduced himself, a judge, who was taking notes, spoke.

“Oh, you’re from Dandelion? You must be a good actor. They don’t accept just anyone. Are you aiming for a leading role?”

“Ha-ha, I’ve been lucky. I’ll do my best in any role you give me!”

“That’s a great attitude. Next, Mr. Shim Sa-ro?”

Shim Sa-ro, who was called next, began his introduction.

It was brief but neat compared to Kim Jeong-ryul.

And the next person was...

“Let’s see. Next is Mr. Ro-won. Oh, you’re an actor? This team is all experienced. So, Mr. Ro-won, your introduction... Wait. Actor? Ro-won?”

It was Ro-won’s turn.

However, the judge’s reaction was a bit strange.

“Really, Mr. Ro-won?”

“...?”

“Wow, Mr. Ro-won is also auditioning?”

It seemed the judge knew the previous owner of the body.

‘Wasn’t he unknown? Having such a bad reputation with zero recognition is quite a talent...’

It was a moment of curiosity about how much of a troublemaker the original must have been.

Fortunately, the judge didn’t react as strongly as Kim Jeong-ryul.

He just looked at Ro-won with a bit of indifference.

“Alright, we didn’t gather here to chat. Let’s see some acting. Since you’ve all prepared the assigned scenes, let’s skip that and see some on-the-spot acting. Those who are ready can come forward. We’ll give you one of the scripts we provided, and you can choose a partner from the people here.”

The judges’ explanation made Kim Jeong-ryul and Shim Sa-ro flinch.

However, Kim Jeong-ryul soon stepped forward, seemingly determined.

“Oh, Mr. Kim Jeong-ryul. Great. Who would you like as your partner?”

“I’d like Mr. Ro-won.”

“Oh... Mr. Ro-won, are you okay with that?”

“Yes.”

Kim Jeong-ryul’s gaze was intense and unsettling.

‘It seems he’s trying to make me look bad on purpose.’

Ro-won wasn’t about to be easily swayed.

He needed to survive, after all.

“The script will be ‘To My Dear Romeo.’”

As the judge chose the script, Kim Jeong-ryul nodded at Ro-won.

Standing in front of him, Ro-won thought,

‘He seems confident in his emotional acting.’

The chosen script was a scene that required intense emotion.

If the acting skills weren’t up to par, it would just sound like reading from a textbook.

“I’ll take the female lead. Mr. Ro-won, you’ll take the male lead.”

“Understood.”

The male lead starts the scene.

So, Ro-won had to start first.

“Oh, you can look at the script if you need to.”

The judge, misunderstanding Ro-won’s deep breath for preparation, spoke.

“No, I’ve memorized it, so it’s fine.”

Kim Jeong-ryul, who was holding the script, flinched.

“Um... Okay, then let’s start.”

Ro-won took a deep breath.

This was important.

‘Don’t worry about anything else. Just do my best.’

The other applicant was openly trying to sabotage him.

The judges had clearly lowered their expectations.

‘But if I were going to give up, I wouldn’t have come this far.’

Ro-won closed his eyes and then opened them.

At the same time, the lines began.

“Write me.”

A calm, restrained voice, as if suppressing something.

Yet, the storm of emotions beneath was palpable, creating a delicate duality.

“Write me, not someone else, and take that place.”

Ro-won no longer looked like the troublemaker he once was.

He was just a man, vulnerable and on the verge of collapse in the face of love.

And a moment later,

“Mr. Ro-won? Is that really you? Are you not a stand-in or something?”

The director, with a clear, ecstatic face, was there.