Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Audition Verdict
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Crack.
I tilted my head side to side to loosen up my stiff neck.
This was the first audition since my regression.
And it was for the lead role in the most important comprehensive evaluation of the semester.
It came right after Moon Woo-hyuk, my rival, had delivered his best performance of the term.
Was it because he was a high schooler?
His skills had visibly improved in that short time—what on earth had happened?
The gazes of students from other majors, buzzing with anticipation after hearing the rumors about me at school, were now fixed on me.
It would be weird if I wasn't tense in a situation like this.
But then again, traveling back sixteen years in time was already pretty damn strange.
Before the regression, how many auditions had I gone through?
I'd done so many—over a hundred—that I couldn't even remember when I'd crossed that mark.
With that kind of experience, why would I be nervous now?
One thing I'd learned from all those auditions:
In an audition, you just show your acting. That's it.
When was that?
Probably during the "Laundry Place" audition at the tail end of my twenties.
"Shall we start?"
I walked slowly to the center of the practice room and looked straight at Yun Jong-hoon.
All I had to do was show what I'd prepared, just like always.
An audition was nothing more and nothing less.
Yun Jong-hoon nodded.
At the same time, the kid by the lighting switch turned off the lights.
Total darkness, where I couldn't see a thing.
No need to rush.
I took a moment to steady my breathing.
Auditions required a different approach than the stage.
Since you were judged on a single scene, I cleared my mind of all distractions.
"Ready."
"Go."
The lights came on with the cue, revealing me standing alone in the center, much like with Moon Woo-hyuk.
But unlike him, my eyes were already open, staring straight at Yun Jong-hoon.
His expression shifted subtly, as if he'd already immersed himself in the Damious that I'd fully embodied.
*Interesting.*
Yun Jong-hoon could tell right away from that look in my eyes.
The Damious I was about to show would be a completely different breed from Moon Woo-hyuk's.
"Elody opens the door to room 901."
Yun Jong-hoon read the narration in the same tone as before.
"Why... why the hell did you open the door on your own...!"
Unlike Moon Woo-hyuk's Damious, which reeked of raw power and malice,
My lines came out in restrained tones brimming with pathos, not loud shouting.
Urgency laced with resentment, and somewhere beneath it, a quiet sorrow.
"I begged you not to open 901... That's what I asked. So why...!"
The fury and despair of a Damious whose secret had been exposed poured out.
I wanted to scream with all my might but held it back, bottling it up until it felt ready to explode.
I'd only delivered two lines so far.
But in those two lines alone, the staff's jaws dropped.
Yun Jong-hoon was stunned by how much better my performance was than expected.
He'd anticipated a different take on Damious from Moon Woo-hyuk's.
But watching me now, he didn't even have the bandwidth to recall anyone else's version.
Moon Woo-hyuk's Damious vanished from his mind without a trace.
"Haa..."
My breath trembled as I calmed for a moment.
"I... knew this play would end like this."
Then, tears streaming down, I locked eyes with Yun Jong-hoon.
Unlike Moon Woo-hyuk, who cried at the scene's end,
I let the tears fall right in the early middle of the scene.
Whether it was my voice or my delivery, the tears from my eyes looked exceptionally clear.
Not Damious's villainous side, but the character's rawest vulnerability laid bare.
"Could I... offer up her blood?"
By the end, it was as if Damious had collapsed in total resignation.
The agony, regret, and despair radiated from my body.
He seemed oblivious to his own tears.
His wavering gaze dramatically revealed the depths of his turmoil.
Then, in a flash, his eyes turned chillingly cynical as he whispered,
"If that's what happens... then could I escape this hellish torment...?"
With that final line, I dropped my head.
Everyone knew the scene was over.
They'd seen the exact same one twice now.
But no one said a word.
Yun Jong-hoon just stared at me, brows furrowed, lost in thought.
"What? Why's everyone so quiet?"
Song Ha-na broke the silence as she stood up.
"Okay. Good. That was great."
Yun Jong-hoon snapped back to reality and jumped up from his seat.
"So, Do-hyun and Woo-hyuk, could you step out and wait a bit? We'll wrap up the meeting soon."
The two auditionees headed out of the practice room.
But someone else came out too.
"Why are you coming out, Song Ha-na?"
It was Song Ha-na.
She ignored Moon Woo-hyuk's question and went straight to the hallway outside, leaning against the wall.
Now the three of us stood there awkwardly.
"Aren't you joining the meeting?"
I finally asked, but Song Ha-na just alternated glances between Moon Woo-hyuk and me, saying nothing.
She had this side to her?
I had no idea why she was so worked up about this audition.
All I knew was this wasn't the usual Song Ha-na.
In the end, Moon Woo-hyuk and I quietly leaned against the hallway wall, waiting for the results.
"Ahem. It's super quiet."
With the chattiest one, Song Ha-na, silent, the hallway was dead quiet.
Moon Woo-hyuk cleared his throat awkwardly, but got no response.
He worried his pounding heartbeat might be audible to the other two.
And so, the three of us waited endlessly in silence for the meeting to end.
I was a bit excited, huh.
I closed my eyes, quietly gathering my emotions.
It was a bare stage—no sets, costumes, sound, or lights.
Without anything to amplify the emotions, auditions called for dialing them up a notch.
Otherwise, they came off bland.
Still, had I overdone it a little?
It was exciting, though. Moon Woo-hyuk's acting had lit a fire.
I replayed his performance in my head.
A truly astonishing change.
Without my pre-regression experience controlling my nerves, I might've been rattled.
It was that stimulating.
Even back before the regression, around this time, had he been this good?
As my mind wandered, the practice room door opened.
"Sorry. Kept you waiting."
It hadn't actually taken that long.
Enduring the deathly silence with the three of us was the tough part.
"Come on in."
We followed Yun Jong-hoon back into the practice room.
***
Everyone but Song Ha-na sat in a circle on the floor again.
Song Ha-na sat apart on a chair, draping her skirt over Moon Woo-hyuk's mic.
"Let's start with Do-hyun's performance."
As soon as we settled, the evaluation began.
Yun Jong-hoon called my name first, against audition order.
"Your eyes, your speech, your gestures... Do-hyun, what you showed was exactly the Damious I envisioned."
His praise hit straight on, no buildup, and I couldn't help but grin.
It was just a classmate's compliment, nothing from a big shot, but it felt good.
I'd never gotten that from a classmate before.
"Seeing the character right in front of me felt fresh, and the immersion was top-notch. Yeah, that's it."
Yun Jong-hoon was still buzzing with excitement.
The staff beside him nodded vigorously, thumbs up at me.
As the praise kept flowing my way, Moon Woo-hyuk's eyes flickered with unease.
Yun Jong-hoon met them and said,
"Woo-hyuk's Damious wasn't, strictly speaking, the image I had in mind while directing."
As expected.
My gaze drifted to where Moon Woo-hyuk sat.
"But."
Moon Woo-hyuk, whose face had started to twist, leaned in for the next words.
"That doesn't mean your Damious felt wrong. How to put it... it was surprising. Yeah. Might sound vague, but your acting just blew me away."
Vague or not, everyone nodded like they got it.
Me too.
Not just the rapid progress in such short time, but maxing out what he could express—that took serious talent.
Building a character this solidly in less than half a day.
"To sum up, the Damious I intended is what Do-hyun did. But Woo-hyuk's was a Damious I hadn't known—a side I hadn't seen. It felt fresh. I thought, damn, this Damious is cool too."
Why the long explanation?
"So, who's it gonna be? Just tell us the conclusion."
Moon Woo-hyuk voiced exactly what I was wondering.
Restrained a lot for his personality.
"Whew... yeah, got it. Dragging it out disrespects the actors."
I watched Yun Jong-hoon tensely too.
He nodded, glancing between Moon Woo-hyuk and me.
Then, flatly announced the result.
"Bottom line: We're casting Do-hyun as the male lead."
Moon Woo-hyuk's eyes shook.
He'd lost.
He couldn't beat Lee Do-hyun after all.
Defying his father had led to this.
He'd thought he could do it alone this time.
The relief after that call with his dad clogged up again.
Breathing felt heavy, vision darkening.
"Good work."
Afraid he'd show more ugliness if he stayed, Moon Woo-hyuk stood abruptly.
As he strode out, Yun Jong-hoon dashed over and blocked him.
"But I have a proposal for you."
"Move."
"Just hear me out?"
Moon Woo-hyuk glared down at the director blocking him, face murderous.
"I want to create a new character for you."
To that Woo-hyuk, Yun Jong-hoon stood firm as ever and dropped the unexpected bombshell.
"So, be my actor too."