Chapter 45
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Male Lead Audition
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“Shall we hold auditions for the male lead?”
When Moon Woo-hyuk provoked me and I responded like it was no big deal, Yoon Jong-hoon’s eyes lit up.
“Sounds good.”
Moon Woo-hyuk clenched his fist tight and said.
“I’m fine with that.”
“You serious? Why are you even going along with that?”
Song Ha-na stared at me nodding along so readily, as if the whole situation made no sense to her.
She seemed to think I didn’t have to accept Moon Woo-hyuk’s provocation.
Well, from my perspective, the situation had already progressed to where I couldn’t back out.
“Auditions are just part of it. If you want the role you’re after.”
No need to spell out all the subtle maneuvering.
I couldn’t exactly say our director seemed eager for auditions.
Still, what I’d just said wasn’t a lie.
Auditions.
They happened all the time during Cheongyeom Arts High’s comprehensive evaluations.
I’d thought this time might go smoothly for once, but nope—business as usual.
To land the role you want as an actor, you’ve got to compete, whether it’s school or out in the real world.
I’d hoped it’d be easy this round, but fat chance.
“Hmm… How about tonight at 8 p.m.? I’ll book the practice room.”
“Tonight?”
Yoon Jong-hoon seemed the most excited of all.
Not sure if he wanted to test my skills or just found the drama entertaining.
Either way, the timing didn’t matter.
It’d be fair for both me and Moon Woo-hyuk.
“Why, you scared?”
Moon Woo-hyuk didn’t miss a beat with another jab.
Kid.
There’s no way your big bro’s falling for a 17-year-old’s taunts.
“Where can I get the script?”
Moon Woo-hyuk fumed beside me when I didn’t even bite, but I couldn’t care less.
“I’ll KakaoTalk it to you. Give me your numbers.”
Yoon Jong-hoon grabbed our numbers and quickly tapped away on his phone.
A group chat popped up instantly with me, Moon Woo-hyuk, and Yoon Jong-hoon.
“Hold on a sec.”
Yoon Jong-hoon glanced at his phone, and a file arrived.
“Perfect. The first page of that file should do it.”
What Yoon Jong-hoon sent wasn’t the full script.
Just the one scene needed for our auditions.
Since neither of us was guaranteed a spot in his show, no way was he leaking the whole thing.
‘Let’s see.’
Do-hyun and Moon Woo-hyuk dove right in, absorbed in the script.
Moments like this showed they were both born actors.
Yoon Jong-hoon loved Moon Woo-hyuk’s bold attitude.
Coming at it with his “son of Moon Kang-hyun” title was unexpected too.
‘Thanks to this, I can properly gauge Lee Do-hyun’s talent.’
Whatever the case, the situation wasn’t bad for Yoon Jong-hoon.
***
“This role is perfect for you, seriously. I wrote it thinking of you. Come on, join us.”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll think it over and get back to you for sure.”
Kim Sun-woo finally shook off the pleading director.
He sat in an empty corner and calmly sorted his thoughts.
Kim Sun-woo hadn’t made the first move.
One director had approached him wanting to team up, but it wasn’t the project he wanted, so he’d politely brushed them off.
With the director gone, Kim Sun-woo glanced over at Yoon Jong-hoon’s group from afar.
He muttered while eyeing Song Ha-na, who had her arms crossed with a dumbfounded look.
“Song Ha-na would’ve been perfect. She’s the only one who could match my level.”
He wouldn’t have minded working with Yoon Jong-hoon once.
But the lead in this show wasn’t his style, so no huge regrets.
Losing Song Ha-na to that side stung more.
‘There’ll be other chances.’
Kim Sun-woo turned his gaze away from them.
Time for him to start forming his own team.
That’s when one lone figure caught his eye, standing out plainly.
‘Lee Cheong-ha?’
It was Lee Cheong-ha, off by herself.
Her subject evaluation stages came to mind naturally.
Especially her singing—her vocals were solid, but the feel she brought to the songs was great.
Her acting and dance tests weren’t top-tier, but decent enough.
“Hmm.”
Kim Sun-woo recalled the number she’d sung in the last test, picturing it clearly.
Meanwhile, Lee Cheong-ha stared off somewhere with a glum expression.
“No chance this time either…”
Lee Cheong-ha was gazing at Do-hyun from afar too.
She wanted to team up with Do-hyun.
Nothing had matched the thrill of syncing with him during the vocal test.
No partner had guided her so well either.
Suddenly having to make a musical.
It felt daunting, a far cry from short stages—staying up there long-term scared her.
If only she could do it with Do-hyun; that’d be the most reassuring thing ever.
But Yoon Jong-hoon, top director prospect, had swooped in and taken Do-hyun.
She figured there was no room for her, so she hadn’t even approached.
“I want to show I can do great even without Do-hyun…”
Since it had come to this, Lee Cheong-ha wanted to excel too, naturally.
As she pondered how, Kim Sun-woo approached.
“Hey.”
Lost in thought, Lee Cheong-ha jumped.
Kim Sun-woo steadied her as she wobbled in surprise.
“Eek!”
“Whoa, sorry about that.”
“Phew. Oh, it’s Kim Sun-woo. I’m fine.”
Lee Cheong-ha smiled right away.
“Why’re you by yourself? Picked a team yet?”
Lee Cheong-ha shook her head.
“Then… wanna team up with me?”
The unexpected offer startled Lee Cheong-ha.
It shocked her a hundred times more than Kim Sun-woo calling out to her.
She’d assumed someone like him would go for higher-ranked partners, not her.
Her face practically screamed ‘Why?’
Even if she’d gotten first in vocals with Do-hyun.
She hadn’t posted standout scores in acting or dance for Kim Sun-woo to be satisfied.
“Overall rankings-wise, there are way better girls than you.”
His words hit like a gut punch right from the start, and her heart sank.
Lee Cheong-ha froze, head spinning from the blow.
Why talk to me if that’s how you feel?
“But in vocals, I don’t think any girl tops you.”
Her cheeks flushed a bit.
Embarrassing, but it made her happy.
First time someone other than Do-hyun had acknowledged her so directly.
“Acting and choreography? With practice, you could show even better. And most importantly, our vibes as actors seem to match.”
Like Kim Sun-woo said, they both had pale, similar features.
Lee Cheong-ha tilted her head, wondering if that was true.
Truth be told, from her position, there was no reason not to team with Kim Sun-woo.
She’d only asked out of curiosity about his reasoning, not to refuse.
Kim Sun-woo knew that.
Since they’d team up anyway, he just wanted her full, enthusiastic buy-in from the start.
“Decisively.”
“Decisively?”
“You want Lee Do-hyun to acknowledge you, right?”
His blunt words nailed it; her eyes widened.
She’d never admitted anything like that to anyone.
“Teaming with me boosts those odds big time. Honestly, it’ll make a higher-quality stage than with someone on your level.”
No lies in what Kim Sun-woo said.
And it didn’t come off arrogant—just a clever way of putting it.
Lee Cheong-ha focused more on his words.
“Next time, the kind where Lee Do-hyun picks you first.”
She swallowed hard, eyes full of anticipation at what came next.
“Let’s make that stage.”
“Okay!”
Lee Cheong-ha answered without long hesitation.
“Haha. More innocent than I thought.”
Kim Sun-woo couldn’t help laughing at her response—her face showed every thought so clearly.
He hadn’t realized Lee Cheong-ha had this pure charm that lifted people’s moods.
“Oh, not in a bad way. Sorry if that offended you.”
“Pfft. What’s wrong with being pure? I think it’s great. Once you lose it, it’s hard to get back.”
“Exactly. It’s a good thing. You’re right.”
Kim Sun-woo liked how sharp and straightforward Lee Cheong-ha was, even more than he’d expected.
Just like she said, she wanted Do-hyun’s recognition, to stand out.
Purely as a musical actor.
She’d learn plenty from Kim Sun-woo, and best of all, no relying on Do-hyun.
She vowed to grow by absorbing more from him.
And next time, she’d be the one pointing at Do-hyun from the stage, like Yoon Jong-hoon.
“Let’s do great.”
Kim Sun-woo grinned.
He made a similar vow inwardly.
To show he was a talent not outdone by Lee Do-hyun.
The moment two people with aligned yet distinct goals formed a team.
“Yeah! Looking forward to it.”
Kim Sun-woo chatted with Lee Cheong-ha and picked a director he liked.
As he’d said, the two fragile, flower-like figures looked like they shared an art style side by side.
They discussed at length, seeking a piece with delicate emotional arcs that highlighted both their strengths.
***
After the audition with Moon Woo-hyuk was set, the group split up in the auditorium.
Song Ha-na and Yoon Jong-hoon stayed to find the other three roles.
Once separated from Yoon Jong-hoon’s crew, we agreed to practice solo until the 8 p.m. audition.
I headed straight to a private practice room and drilled that one-page script relentlessly until dinner.
The hard work left me starving, and I arrived at the cafeteria right on time for dinner.
At the cafeteria entrance, no Woo-sik yet—Lee Cheong-ha was there first.
“How’s Yoon Jong-hoon? Prep going well?”
She spotted me and jumped straight to asking about Yoon Jong-hoon.
Must be really curious.
I forced a smile and answered.
“Yeah, it is, but…”
“But?”
“Actually, with Moon Woo-hyuk…”
“Moon Woo-hyuk? Why him?”
Lee Cheong-ha furrowed her brow at his name.
Looks like she still hadn’t gotten over the pumpkin incident.
Gotta watch my words around her.
Absolutely no getting on her bad side.
“We’re auditioning for the male lead spot.”
“What?! Yoon Jong-hoon picked you first.”
Her intense reaction left me no choice but to explain everything.
“Ha, ha. Wow. Seriously.”
Lee Cheong-ha showed unprecedented disbelief.
“Does he think he’s better than you, Do-hyun? Ridiculous.”
No good. Change the subject quick.
“Who’re you teaming with?”
I’d been too busy grabbing the script and prepping to check on Lee Cheong-ha.
With her stage fright, hope she found a solid team.
No getting blamed later.
“Oh, me and Kim Sun-woo!”
“Kim Sun-woo?”
Surprised at the unexpected name from her, but relieved too.
“Nice. You two match well. Similar vibes—should make a great stage.”
“Really? Kim Sun-woo said that too. Do we look alike?”
“Haha. Not the faces exactly.”
I explained the atmosphere and such enthusiastically.
As we chatted warmly, Woo-sik arrived.
“Hey! You’re early! How’s Yoon Jong-hoon? Prep good?”
He’s asking the whole long story again, Woo-sik.
I knew he’d hound me until I gave a proper answer—like a leech.
My fate.
With a sigh, I hurried toward the cafeteria.
“Let’s go in. We’ll talk over food. Over food.”