Chapter 10

Chapter 10 (10/200)

Chapter 10

JAM Acting School.

A prestigious acting academy located in Mapo District.

It has achieved results that are not inferior to those of any decent theater and film department.

Wherever you go, there are actors who graduated from JAM Acting School.

Thanks to their strong connections, they even have their own network.

The reason why this academy could achieve such good results is due to its thorough winner-takes-all structure.

The principal, Mr. Park, recently felt a sense of unease.

'Is it really going to happen?'

It was all because of Min-ki.

Not long ago, Mr. Park made a bet with trainer Kim Ah-sung.

They wagered on whether Min-ki would pass or fail the Daon Entertainment audition.

In fact, he never thought Min-ki would pass.

Why?

Because Min-ki was so bad that counting him from the back would be faster!

Although he was in the debut preparation class, no one truly believed he could debut.

At best, he might get a minor role.

If he was really lucky, maybe a supporting role in a web drama.

That was the kind of person Min-ki was.

If you had an eye for acting, you couldn't help but look down on him.

But recently, he has changed.

“Ugh.”

After watching the practice room from the hallway for a moment, Mr. Park let out a long sigh.

'Indeed, his skills have improved dramatically.'

He realized this as soon as he saw Min-ki's acting.

His skills had improved to a degree that couldn't even be compared to just a short while ago.

His awkward acting had gained vitality, and his mistakes had drastically decreased. His previously dull body now showed subtle angles.

This change occurred in just one month.

'Even if acting skills are said to improve in steps, can it really be this much?'

While he was secretly watching Min-ki's acting,

“Eh? Principal?”

He flinched.

Mr. Park was startled by the voice from behind.

He quickly turned around to see a man dressed casually, smirking.

“Good morning.”

“What’s the matter this early in the morning?”

He chuckled, then glanced at the practice room and said,

“Oh, you don’t think?”

“...!”

Mr. Park frowned, trying to hide his unease, and said,

“I just happened to pass by. Just passing by. Can’t I walk around my own academy?”

“Of course. It’s your academy. Who cares what anyone does where?”

Mr. Park's blood pressure soared.

Trainer Kim Ah-sung, looking at Mr. Park's discomfort, chuckled and said,

“He’s doing well, isn’t he? Min-ki.”

“...”

“He’s incredibly diligent. He comes to practice a couple of hours earlier than others every morning. He’s even going to the gym these days. Wow, it’s rare to see someone as dedicated as him, even among professionals.”

“...”

“I don’t know how he does it. He’s a tough one, a tough one.”

“...Cough!”

Feeling uncomfortable, Mr. Park quickly changed the subject.

“I don’t care!”

“Sure, sure. Be careful on your way in.”

As he walked away quickly, a thought crossed Mr. Park's mind.

‘Is Min-ki really going to pass the Daon Entertainment audition?’

It would be a good thing for the academy.

Daon Entertainment is a prestigious agency in the industry, and producing a successful candidate would be a great achievement for the academy.

But he had made a bet with Trainer Kim Ah-sung.

He had agreed to pay a scholarship.

It wasn’t that he was stingy with the money.

It was just that he couldn’t explain the strange feeling in his heart.

‘What should I call this?’

Mr. Park didn’t know.

He didn’t realize that inside him, a growing support for Min-ki was taking root.

It was just hard to accept because he had ignored him for so long.

And as a bonus,

‘That guy will be over the moon, won’t he?’

The sight of Trainer Kim Ah-sung’s smirking face was unbearable.

As he was walking,

“Oh, it’s the principal.”

He ran into another person by chance.

This time, it was a man with yellow-dyed hair, Kim Tae-kyu.

‘This student.’

He was someone who never put in any effort and often skipped classes.

To put it bluntly, he was lazy.

He seemed to have talent, but he was the type who didn’t put in the effort.

They said his family was quite wealthy.

But recently, he hadn’t missed a single class and even came for morning practice.

“...Good job.”

“Wow! Thank you!! Have a good morning, Principal!”

He was unnecessarily energetic.

* * *

Do you know?

Time spent diligently passes strangely quickly.

Ten hours feel like one.

A week feels like a day.

A month ago feels like yesterday.

They say the most enjoyable moments pass in a flash, and Min-ki’s recent time was no different.

Morning practice, afternoon classes, and late-night gym sessions.

Repeating these three routines, the day he had been waiting for finally arrived.

‘Today is the day.’

When Min-ki opened his eyes in the morning, endorphins surged in his mind.

‘The Daon Entertainment audition is in 5 hours. Shower, eat, and warm up a bit before going.’

The audition starts at 11 a.m.

But as usual, Min-ki woke up at 6 a.m.

It takes time for the body to regain its elasticity after a night’s sleep, and to be able to respond calmly to any unforeseen emergencies.

He had adjusted his circadian rhythm to match Daon Entertainment’s schedule.

Shower!

As the water poured down, Min-ki mentally reviewed the acting he would perform today.

‘What I’ve done so far isn’t bad. But let’s try to be a bit more cunning.’

An actor must be able to monitor themselves.

Min-ki, like a skilled engineer analyzing a vehicle’s parts, continuously pondered his strengths and weaknesses.

He improved his acting every morning.

After waking up, Min-ki tightly tied his sneakers.

‘It’s a 1-hour leisurely walk from home to the Daon Entertainment audition venue. It’s a distance worth running.’

When did it start?

Running to the destination to warm up had become Min-ki’s morning routine.

He no longer worried about spraining his ankle while running.

He wasn’t anxious.

Instead, he could enjoy the subtle muscle soreness.

‘I’ve changed a lot, haven’t I?’

Squeak!

Opening the door and running diligently along the river, Min-ki thought,

‘I have a good feeling.’

Unlike the busy roads in the morning, his legs felt free and light.

The fresh morning air seemed to promise a bright future.

A gut feeling that he would pass the Daon Entertainment audition.

What he had only vaguely hoped for now felt like a reality within reach.

‘I’ve done everything I can.’

He spent a month diligently under a good teacher.

Kim Tae-kyu and Yoo Seon-a, who were initially uncomfortable, became good benchmarks that kept him on edge.

‘Good, it’s almost there.’

Running in a state of flow for a while,

He had already reached the destination.

“Phew.”

Min-ki stopped, exhaling hot breath.

The uphill path from the riverside promenade sparkled like a road to the future.

He had a good feeling.

* * *

Daon Entertainment.

Short for Daon.

A prestigious agency firmly established in Korea’s entertainment industry.

There was a feature of this place that only those who knew it would know.

What is it?

- Daon Entertainment? Do they even recruit people?

They don’t recruit people well.

In the industry, it was known as a company that pursued a small, elite team.

- Daon only has the best.

- They don’t often sign contracts, right?

Of course, there are many companies that claim to be small and elite.

But the reality was a bit different.

Since there are few star actors, it’s naturally difficult to expand, so most companies end up being small and elite.

But according to rumors, Daon Entertainment was different.

They truly pursue a small, elite team.

They respect the freedom of actors more than their own profit activities.

A company that seems questionable in a capitalist society. Fans often commented on the nature of this company.

- They rarely have public recruitment and only recruit through connections with famous celebrities.

- It’s their own league.

- My sister works at an agency, and she said Daon Entertainment doesn’t hire many employees. You can only get in through introductions.

- How does the company even run like that?

All sorts of good rumors circulate.

But the reality of this company was a bit different.

- The CEO is a gangster.

The CEO was a thug.

A gangster CEO who made money through loan sharking and entertainment, running a reality actor training game through cash flow. That was the truth about Daon Entertainment.

Why don’t they increase the number of actors?

Because the CEO collects actors like a hobby.

It’s a simple reason.

They don’t bring in actors just because they have high market value or are popular.

Everything from start to finish depends on the CEO’s personal preference.

- Daon Entertainment? They’re really picky.

- The CEO has built his own kingdom.

- What’s the point of holding auditions if they don’t recruit people?

- I’ve never waited 2 hours for a meeting before, but Daon was the first.

Because of this, the company is often mocked by those in the industry who know the real situation.

But regardless of the situation, the company is doing well.

Because the CEO’s foresight was secretly good.

Whether it’s luck or skill, the company’s success has led to good rumors.

Information in this industry is like that.

Since everything happens in secret, it’s hard to gather information if you’re not part of the mainstream.

For someone like Min-ki, who could at best get a supporting role and usually a minor role, it was even harder.

For this reason, the employees of Daon were in a tough spot.

“Has the CEO not arrived yet?”

“Ugh, where is he?!”

The CEO was known for acting on a whim.

Kim Jong-hyuk, the executive who was supposed to be one of the three judges for today’s audition, was also screaming in frustration.

“The audition started a while ago! How can he just leave without a word!”

“Can’t reach the CEO?”

“His phone is off! He’s not even responding to messages! I’m going to go crazy!”

Today’s audition was supposed to be judged by three people.

Kim Jong-hyuk, the CEO, and the head of the management team.

But the most important person, the CEO, was absent.

The remaining two could just pick someone, but it wasn’t that simple.

‘It’s up to the CEO’s preference whether to pick someone or not.’

Daon Entertainment’s structure was abnormally run.

While they respected the employees’ discretion in other matters, it was different when it came to signing contracts with actors.

If they brought in someone the CEO didn’t like, they might face criticism later.

‘This is how he’s showing up, right?’

The CEO was indifferent to this audition, but he pushed it as a necessary task.

If the results weren’t to his liking, he would nitpick.

Still, the audition had to proceed.

They couldn’t just let the people who came this far down.

After much deliberation,

“Raise the bar.”

Kim Jong-hyuk made his decision.

“Only pick two really good ones and reject the rest.”

“Wait a minute. You mean just two?”

Kim Jong-hyuk replied in a cold voice to the incredulous tone.

“It’s better not to pick anyone than to pick the wrong ones. Unless they’re exceptionally outstanding.”