Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Audition
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Her heart pounded endlessly, and her entire body felt limp, as if soaked through with water.
Whoa, the ground is spinning and twisting.
Whoa, the sky is turning yellow.
Just as her mind grew hazy and she wondered if she might die right then and there.
Weeeeng—
A phone rang like a siren, and her master snatched it up with incredible speed.
Finally, time to rest.
The call had saved her life.
"Administer 0.02mL of epinephrine IM and keep monitoring. We're heading in right now."
Her master's expression grew increasingly grave as she ended the call, straight out of a medical drama.
With an apologetic bow, she vanished. Walk another ten minutes to cool down before coming in—that was extra.
'...She really is a doctor.'
But Master.
Your disciple doesn't even have your contact info, and you just disappear like that? Does that mean I've been expelled in a single day?
If so, unworthy disciple that I am, I'll have to disobey your final order.
Walk another ten minutes? That's torture disguised as training.
Her legs felt as wobbly as a newborn calf's, freewheeling every which way.
She didn't think she could make it home.
In the end, she had no choice but to hail a taxi.
Her lord, CEO Kim Seulgi, must have sensed her plight, paying her a daily wage instead of weekly, so she hopped in without hesitation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The shoots went on for a month, about fifteen sessions in total.
Work hours ran roughly two to three hours each.
First week was daily pay, then switched to weekly from the next.
After a month, her account balance topped two million won.
She'd changed into hundreds of outfits, swapped dozens of bags, slipped into dozens of pairs of shoes, and layered on accessories just as often—yet after rent and living expenses, two million remained.
Maybe she could just fitting model her way through life forever.
"We had a ton of clothes to shoot, so the schedule was packed... Things should loosen up after this."
Manager Lee Arang, always looking out for her amid the chaos, delivered the bad news.
All the fittings for the in-house designer's creations and newly stocked luxury pieces had been hers.
That's why the shoots had been so frequent, but now the pre-made and pre-stocked items were all photographed.
Her schedule from here depended on how fast new clothes got produced and how many pretty pieces they bought in.
Time to cut back spending and tighten the belt again...
But she'd already started living like a top star, splurging without a care.
Her staple meals had upgraded from triangle kimbap and cola to lunchboxes and cola.
No turning back now.
She'd even gritted her teeth through diet management, shelling out several times a lunchbox's cost for salads and chicken breast.
How could she go back to those days?
"You're a total pro now. Nailing every pose, looking gorgeous on cue."
"Haha, all thanks to CEO's expert training!"
They bantered like fools, but it wasn't exaggeration.
Shoots had become second nature. She was a true fitting machine now.
Changing out and back in took two to three minutes, mechanical as clockwork.
Skirts, pantyhose—nothing phased her anymore.
Heels for long walks were still tough, but striking poses? Easy.
After that first shoot, doubting her ten-thousand-an-hour value, she'd scoured other fashion models' poses daily.
Studied top shopping sites' shoots, how fitting models conveyed vibe.
She'd researched before her debut too, but experience sharpened her eye.
Thanks to that, CEO Kim Seulgi gasped in awe at every session.
Sure, probably amping it up to boost morale and mood.
She never skipped workouts in between.
"...No show again today."
She hadn't seen her master since that day.
But once a master, always a master.
She ran hard, following those teachings.
"Huff, huff, let's go! Together!"
"Sis! I'm dying! Slow down! Slow down!"
"Haha, gotta dial it back to sloth speed for you to keep up?"
"Grr... You were a sloth yourself a month ago."
Before long, she could outpace the kids with ease.
Laziness crept in sometimes, but overall, a diligent, steady month.
Audition day arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Director Kim Chi-seung stared at screenwriter Bae Jongwook in disbelief.
The casting director beside him wore a similar look.
"...Jeong Gyeowol? Who's that supposed to be? You mocking me for tanking a two-hundred-billion-won flick and going low-budget now?"
"No way! She's incredible! Amazing! She has to be the lead! The protagonist!"
"If she's so incredible and amazing, why haven't I heard the name? And you pull this ten minutes before auditions? Director Kim Chi-seung? Cut and move on."
As if the casting director's words were air.
Bae Jongwook thrust forward the profile with sparkling eyes.
A profile blank where filmography should be.
No need to note "ex-fitting model"—irrelevant in film.
Newbies had to grind extras and bit parts, rise from the bottom—that was the director's creed.
Submitting ahead meant first-round rejection, so they'd held off.
Petty, rude, ridiculous—they knew, but no choice.
Once hooked on Jeong Gyeowol, a without her was unthinkable. Eyes squeezed shut, they'd done it.
Even prepared to burn bridges with the director.
Bae Jongwook was always dead serious about his films.
For a better movie, he'd clash with anyone, high or low.
Hence "mad genius writer" or "eccentric." Brilliant scripts, yet directors shunned working with him.
Director Kim Chi-seung, who'd bombed a two-hundred-billion-won project and fallen from grace, needed a comeback at any cost.
That's when Bae's script caught his eye.
Crazy bastard, sure, but the screenplay? Undeniably gold.
He knew Bae's temperament, figured he could handle it—that's why he signed on.
But this lunatic behavior already had him losing his mind.
Bae exceeded expectations.
"You throw a lone profile at me on audition day? Fine, photo's lead-worthy pretty, but it's photoshopped anyway—no need to look closer... You know me? No newbies for supporting either... Hey, this guy? What'd you take? Bribe? Cut the crap, Jongwook. If this flops, I'm retiring. Let's keep it normal, please."
"No bribes! Just audition her! You'll fall for her too, I swear! Betting my writing career!"
"...No need to bet your career. Ugh... Driving me nuts. If you don't like this Jeong Gyeowol, promise no meddling on set from here on."
"...Huh? That's a bit..."
"Why? No confidence? Can't trust your precious Jeong Gyeowol? Then toss the profile now."
"Deal! If I don't like her, I won't say a word on set! Hell, I won't even show up!"
"Ha, this punk must've taken one hell of a bribe."
The casting director watched the farce silently.
Couldn't override a director-writer decision.
Just soured his gaze at Bae Jongwook a touch more.
Crazy as rumored... Bribing behind the director's back too, huh.
His glare screamed it without words.
Misunderstandings piled on the director, but to Bae Jongwook, trivial.
Just a creeping anxiety inside.
'...Come to think, I haven't seen Jeong Gyeowol act either.'
Now it hit him—no, he'd never verified her acting.
Her face, figure, aura alone had cemented Jeong Gyeowol = Lee Ji-an internally.
No check if she could nail Lee Ji-an's nuanced emotions.
'...Nah, it'll be fine. Shoot the action-heavy back half first, train her acting in between—director'll buy it.'
As Bae's pupils shook, the audition room door cracked open. A staffer peeked in.
"Um, you have an auditionee here... But not on the list? Screenwriter Bae said to let her in though..."
"...Is her name Jeong Gyeowol by chance?"
"Ah, yes, that's her."
"She's in. Assign her a number in order and have her wait."
"Got it."
Director Kim Chi-seung smirked at Bae Jongwook.
Seeing Bae's eyes waver, he was sure he'd won the bet.
"Can't back out now? You said no set if she's bad?"
"...Yes."
"Ugh... Like kids."
With the director's sigh, auditions began.