Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Audition (2)
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"Next, come on in."
A woman with long straight hair and a small face entered. Even after seeing countless actresses, models, and idols, her beauty was enough to make eyes widen in astonishment.
Her silhouette boasted perfect proportions that made it hard to believe she was 168cm tall.
"Hello. I'm Jeong Gyeowol."
"...Ah, h-hello?"
"N-nice to meet you!"
Jeong Gyeowol, who was practically a civilian, had simply shown up, yet they all jumped to their feet to greet her as if a top star had arrived.
Bae Jongwook's pick. Jeong Gyeowol.
Not only Director Kim Chi-seung, but the casting director and even the assistant director who had come to set up the audition camera and ended up watching—they were all there.
Every gaze turned to Jeong Gyeowol.
Silence stretched on after her greeting.
Jeong Gyeowol's profile photo had been strikingly beautiful.
Beautiful enough that most actresses wouldn't want to stand next to it...
But it was a rookie's profile with no credits listed and no agency.
Of course, there had been the prejudice that it must be heavily edited.
They hadn't even looked properly, so seeing her in person left them stunned.
The profile was unretouched, pure original.
It was the masterpiece created by Atelier CEO Kim Seulgi, who had rolled up her sleeves after hearing that Jeong Gyeowol needed headshots for the audition.
-At this point, shouldn't I put on a photo exhibit too?
-No, it feels like Ms. Gyeowol's face did all the work...
-Arang, who did you take money from?
-Atelier.
-...And who owns that Atelier?
-The clients.
-...Never mind. Let's drop it.
There had been a minor squabble internally.
But no one at Atelier could deny that a work worthy of being called a masterpiece had been born.
"...?"
While Jeong Gyeowol puzzled over the judges' reactions,
Bae Jongwook, the screenwriter who had already seen her once before, was the first to snap out of it.
"...That leather jacket. It pairs perfectly with the image of a darkened Lee Ji-an!"
"...Ah... This is, um... an outfit I chose thinking of Kim Ha-yul."
"...Pardon?"
Silence fell once more.
They were holding auditions for both the female lead and female supporting role simultaneously, so applying for Kim Ha-yul wasn't an issue.
But Bae Jongwook had insisted on casting Jeong Gyeowol as Lee Ji-an.
The director and casting director shot Bae a look like, what the hell is this?
But it was a story even he hadn't heard, so he had no answer to give.
"Ah... Anyway, shall we see some acting? Do you have anything prepared?"
"Scene 27. I'll do Kim Ha-yul's flashback scene."
It was the moment when Kim Ha-yul, facing an enraged Lee Ji-an, recalls her own past.
A memory from when Lee Ji-an's father, Lee Jang-woo, pulled her from a life like the depths of hell.
Just pressing the detonator in her hand would kill Codename: Nomen and let her live as human Kim Ha-yul.
But at this final moment, just one step away, Kim Ha-yul hesitates with the detonator in hand.
The hope of abandoning her killer past for a new life, guilt from her past actions.
Fear that a killer who had taken lives on commission could ever live normally in society.
All those emotions swirled together, yet Kim Ha-yul's face was expressionless.
She had been trained never to show emotion in any situation.
Except when acting out other identities to carry out orders, she had never revealed her feelings.
Inside, the emotions raged more fiercely than ever, but she couldn't express them outwardly.
Bae Jongwook, who wrote the script, and Director Kim Chi-seung, who planned to film it,
both thought it nearly impossible to portray Kim Ha-yul's poignant yet stoic demeanor through acting.
Only top actors or veteran masters in Korea could handle that subtle emotional acting, those minute expressions.
But stars of that caliber wouldn't take a supporting role like Kim Ha-yul, and their ages didn't match anyway.
Mid-level actors couldn't bring the scene to life either.
Director Kim Chi-seung planned to direct the actor playing Kim Ha-yul to stay expressionless and stoic, then add emotional voice-over narration.
So naturally, he had zero expectations for Jeong Gyeowol.
And yet...
"Can I... live like a human? These hands have killed countless people. Whether they were truly villains or good people, there's no way to check now. Even if I could, it wouldn't matter anymore."
Clearly stoic, expressionless.
It was acting just like Director Kim Chi-seung might direct on set...
Director Kim Chi-seung, who had been thinking casually that with a face like that, she'd be perfect for a bit part to draw eyes, felt his gaze waver.
'...How do emotions show through an expression like that?'
The shock wasn't just his.
In Bae Jongwook's mind, the scene he had envisioned was unfolding before his eyes.
Kim Ha-yul exactly as he had imagined and written her.
It hadn't been long since he'd thought Jeong Gyeowol was Lee Ji-an incarnate, and now Jeong Gyeowol was Kim Ha-yul incarnate struck his mind like lightning.
A treasure salvaged from a chance meeting, a chance conversation, and a drinking party born from a coincidental scolding.
Bae Jongwook had found the muse of his dreams.
Whether they were shocked or not, Jeong Gyeowol's acting continued.
Normally, the casting director or assistant director would feed her lines,
but those two were just staring blankly at Jeong Gyeowol.
The assistant director, already captivated from the moment she entered, unconsciously covered his mouth with one hand.
-You've only been used by Babylon. You've just lived an unlucky life.
There was no Lee Jang-woo line to follow, but Jeong Gyeowol's flowed naturally.
As if an invisible Lee Jang-woo had spoken to her, the rhythm was perfect.
"Yes, I've lived as Babylon's tool. I've only ever followed orders, never killed of my own will... but these bloodstained hands are still mine. Pressing this button would let me start a new life. But even if it does... can I really live like a human?"
Not in the script's description, but a single tear rolled down her near-perfect expressionless face.
Exactly one tear.
After that, Lee Jang-woo's lines would follow, and with them, Kim Ha-yul snaps out of the flashback, smirking at Lee Ji-an.
So Jeong Gyeowol's performance ended there.
Everyone was so stunned by her acting that they couldn't speak.
Even she herself thought it was on another level from her acting days as male Jeong Gyeowol.
But seeing the judges' serious faces and silence...
A feeling hit her. A kind of trauma.
'Ah, I bombed the audition.'
-The acting's decent, but what can I say...
-Don't waste our time. Please leave.
-Why not try a different path? This doesn't suit you.
-Ha... Good work.
-What a mess! Everyone and their dog thinks they can act these days.
-Ms. Jeong Gyeowol, you're pretty famous in the industry... Isn't it time to quit?
Harsh words from auditions in her past life as a man flooded back, making her voice tremble naturally.
"Um... I-I'm done... acting."
Jeong Gyeowol couldn't even look at Screenwriter Bae Jongwook.
He'd gone out of his way to get her this audition, but she'd switched roles on her own and blown it?
Regretting ever saying she'd do it, she moistened her parched lips.
The casting director broke the silence first.
"Wh-what was that? She's a rookie, a civilian!"
"The profile! Give me the profile again!"
Director Kim Chi-seung started rummaging for the profile he'd tossed aside without looking.
While Jeong Gyeowol stared blankly at the judges in confusion,
she whipped around at the sound of applause from behind.
"Wow, I've never seen anyone act like that before!"
It was the assistant director.
His face flushed, he clapped wildly with his mouth agape.
"Ah... Thank you."
Jeong Gyeowol's cheeks warmed too.
She hadn't heard from the judges yet, but...
For the first time in 12 years, someone recognized her acting.
Was her acting really that good?
Had talent finally come to her?
Could her efforts finally bear fruit?
With a flicker of hope, she looked toward the judges.
"Um... Ms. Jeong Gyeowol? Sorry, could you wait outside for a bit?"
"Ah... Yes... Got it."
But the response was just to go wait outside.
A bit dejected, Jeong Gyeowol trudged back to the waiting room.
"...Looks like you didn't make it. There'll be other chances, so don't get too down. Want me to look up other auditions for you?"
"If you need an agency, contact us. We're a actors' specialist agency."
"A junior begged me desperately, so I scouted an actor on a whim... Guess fate brought us together! I'm DK Entertainment Executive Jang Sang-wook."
The moment Jeong Gyeowol emerged, agency reps swarmed her like they'd been waiting.
Mostly team leaders, with some executives mixed in.
Regular road managers couldn't even compete and just watched enviously.
Ignoring their own actresses' glares,
they kept courting Jeong Gyeowol.
"Ah, yes. I see. Okay."
Jeong Gyeowol just mechanically took their business cards.
Their voices weren't registering right now.
'What was I missing? Honestly, that was the best acting of my life... Sigh, even with acting like that, I fail? Maybe I'm not cut out to be an actor.'