Chapter 93
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 093
Chapter Title: Hellbound Audition (2)
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"Adrian Hill!"
The first spot went to the strongest contender, Adrian.
As everyone watched on.
Adrian wore a completely different expression from the one he'd had yesterday during their run, when he'd been huffing and puffing as he chatted him up. It was utterly serious.
Hoo. He quieted his mind, focusing intently, then let out a short breath.
Adrian shook off his tension in an instant and stepped forward.
He stood in the center of a vast space painted with fluorescent green chroma key.
He planted himself confidently before the judges.
Shin Yi-han watched him.
There wasn't a hint of trembling under the crushing pressure.
The hot lights and all the staring eyes? He seemed so used to them that he even flashed a relaxed smile.
No wonder they called him Hollywood's rising star.
And Adrian Hill was the very actor who'd played Yohan in his past life.
There was a reason for all of it.
In fact, Adrian had long since made Yohan his own.
He nailed every scene the director demanded.
"I am merely a recorder. Whether you survive has nothing to do with me."
The stiff formality when he first meets the protagonist.
"I have no intention of mingling with trash."
Acting the contemptuous, perpetually stone-faced priest.
Then gradually revealing subtle flickers of pity in each scene.
"Get up! Get up, please!"
The man who'd always spat cold words.
"You... you can't die."
Right up to the scene where he mistakes the protagonist for dead and collapses.
Drip.
Those thick teardrops falling from his eyes.
Even though it looked calculated, it was artistically perfect, just as intended.
Like the sparkle of a pretty gem.
Any director would hate to cut a scene like that.
Almost angelic in its nobility.
Adrian's signature blond hair and blue eyes evoked an angel.
Yohan suited him perfectly.
His looks, that pure faith—complete contrast to the movie's protagonist.
His charm shone through.
Shin Yi-han smiled.
It was fun. Calculated, sure, but he knew how to act in a way that was engaging and charismatic.
And just as Shin Yi-han thought, everyone there was captivated by Adrian's performance.
The six judges—including the director and casting director John—nodded nonstop.
'As expected! Adrian Hill!'
'That's it! That's Yohan!'
They'd forgotten their headaches from the Yohan role falling through and welcomed Adrian with open arms.
'To think he'd do this well!'
'We should've called him for the last audition from the start!'
'Then it would've been Adrian all along!'
From the very first auditionee, the mood felt like it was already decided.
Especially the director's instantly brightened face proved the rumors that he favored Adrian most.
"Great job!"
"Wonderful performance—we loved it!"
Praise disguised as greetings soon followed from the judges.
Adrian approached the cluster of auditionees with light steps.
'Did you see that?'
Adrian was bursting with pride right now.
'Did everyone see~!'
He shrugged and grinned.
He'd specifically asked to go first in the lineup.
To make them realize the role was already his.
And as Adrian expected, a gloomy mood spread among the applicants.
The judges' clear reactions had them half-giving up already.
Not to mention the shock of witnessing someone who outshone them by miles.
Adrian savored the thrill.
'Yeah. Everyone else, just go home!'
He couldn't help feeling triumphant in front of the deflated crowd.
The director valued an actor's boldness, after all. Moments like these would doom them to elimination.
In the end, Yohan would be mine!
Adrian couldn't hold back his laughter.
But then.
"......"
Spotting Shin Yi-han, Adrian's expression hardened.
Why... is he still...
'Acting like it doesn't faze him at all?'
Adrian's brows furrowed.
Shin Yi-han's smile leaned more toward amusement than wariness. His competitive fire surged.
Adrian strode right up to Shin Yi-han.
"Go home, Korean."
He smirked, pretending it didn't bother him at all, and said to Shin Yi-han.
"It's pointless anyway, right? I told you—I'd get picked."
He said it even more forcefully on purpose.
"As you saw, the director clearly wants to work with me."
Adrian was convinced of his victory.
He'd asked to go first.
And at the same time, pushed Shin Yi-han's slot to dead last.
'Let's see how worn out you get from all that waiting.'
Waiting alone without a manager wouldn't be easy.
Especially for this guy, treated like a star back in Korea.
'He probably has no idea how much constant tension wrecks your condition.'
Maybe this would teach him what Hollywood was really like.
Adrian smirked inwardly.
But after his scheming and prodding.
"Ah, Adrian."
The other guy's voice came, sounding utterly unfazed.
"You were great. Loved watching it."
And it wasn't sarcasm or bravado.
It was pure, genuine praise.
"Uh...?"
Adrian flushed at the unexpected words.
"Wh-what... I mean, uh!"
Feeling exposed for being the only one flustered made him panic even more.
"O-of course!"
Adrian stammered without thinking.
Shin Yi-han even called him back over.
"But don't go just yet."
Adrian's eyes widened.
"Stick around and watch."
Shin Yi-han, who'd grabbed his arm, meant it sincerely.
"I want to show you, too."
He'd said some vaguely racist things, borderline or not.
But it felt more like childish rivalry.
Shin Yi-han didn't exactly dislike Adrian.
He was serious about acting.
Unlike the other applicants' blatant disdain, Adrian genuinely saw him as a rival.
Yesterday during the run, and now.
Adrian was the only one who'd approached him.
Honestly, Shin Yi-han didn't mind.
Shin Yi-han grinned brightly.
Adrian, on the other hand, flinched back at the smile.
"It's getting decided today—me. No way I'm leaving."
Adrian opened his mouth like it was obvious.
"I wasn't gonna go anyway...!"
But oddly, he felt subtly defeated.
Adrian pretended to head to the bathroom to hide his embarrassment.
The moment he stepped out of the audition room, he stomped his feet hard. Thud thud.
"Telling me to watch before I go."
Sheesh.
He was planning to hit the afterparty tonight anyway. And meet Kevin Peters!
Like he'd leave.
"I'll watch with these eyes of mine. Nice and clear."
But despite his grumbling tone, his face plainly showed he was now fixated on Shin Yi-han.
Annoyance and disbelief.
And... anticipation.
A subtle joy from the praise.
He couldn't help it.
Truth was, Adrian knew about Shin Yi-han.
He hadn't memorized the name for no reason.
He hadn't just randomly spotted him in a park full of runners.
He knew the actor Shin Yi-han properly.
Maybe it was coincidence.
The expression on that Asian guy in the Netflix promo banner.
It mesmerized him into playing the drama.
Adrian had binge-watched every episode with Shin Yi-han in it, staying up all night.
It was fun. Watching his performance in Brilliant Sky, all he could think was how amazing it was.
To the point where he got interested in a foreign actor for the first time.
And when he found the short film Innocent Boy with that actor.
Adrian was shocked.
'He can act in English too?'
'This insane acting, so freely?'
He'd rewatched that short on YouTube countless times.
...As an actor, it was obvious.
Anyone with a real eye for talent couldn't miss that skill.
Shin Yi-han was that groundbreaking.
And now that actor was auditioning for the same role as him.
No matter how nonchalant he acted, how could Adrian not be aware?
Adrian dry-washed his face repeatedly.
Of course, meeting Shin Yi-han as a rival—not a peer—made him petty and impatient.
That's why he'd pulled that lineup stunt.
'Not sure it even mattered. Damn.'
Far from crushing Shin Yi-han early.
The cliché of the protagonist always showing up last at the end...
Adrian started to worry it might come true.
And the longer the auditions dragged on.
Braden Rogers, director of Hellbound and one of the judges.
'Bunch of scaredy-cats, every last one.'
He inwardly locked in Adrian for Yohan.
"Next!"
The actors after Adrian were disasters, plain and simple.
Screaming at thin air like "Ugh, aaah! No!" was still the better ones.
Some forgot lines from nerves, freezing up after fixating on Adrian's act.
Others scraped their throats for over-the-top emoting.
"Enough. Stop there."
Irritation crept into Braden's voice.
Even for a last-minute role fill, it felt like they were just padding numbers.
Compared to Adrian, they were abysmal.
The director just wanted to end this audition fast.
'Yeah. We'll go with Adrian.'
The answer was set.
The problem? He couldn't just bail because of some Asian guy who'd flown from Korea to the US.
Articles had poured out in Korea over their casting director's invite.
'Can't outright ignore him. Annoying.'
Tap, tap, tap.
Braden irritably drummed his pen on the table.
And after he'd rushed through about ten more applicants.
"Last applicant. Yi-han Shin."
Finally, Shin Yi-han's turn arrived.
Every head in the room snapped up.
Casting director John—who'd personally contacted Shin Yi-han—could only watch with bated breath.
'Ugh. Please! Nail it, Yi-han!'
This was the moment to prove his choice right. At least save face.
No trembling like the others! Please!
The other applicants, desperate to undermine him, were the opposite of John's hopes.
'He'll freeze the second he steps up!'
'Korean acting in English? Yeah, right.'
'Isn't he just here for a Hollywood tourist trip?'
'Exactly. How good can an Asian even be? Kung fu or something?'
The stares weren't friendly.
Only Adrian Hill among them watched Shin Yi-han with a serious face.
Shin Yi-han strode up to the judges.
"Please take good care of me. I'm Shin Yi-han!"
He gave a simple intro and scanned the panel.
Unlike him, who'd amusingly passed the time watching Hollywood actors.
They looked worn out, not expectant.
Casting director John seemed desperate enough.
But the director in the center just tossed his score sheets aside and crossed his arms.
Except for a slight flinch when their eyes met.
'Worst possible situation.'
His eyes screamed zero chance of casting him—pure boredom mixed with annoyance.
But Shin Yi-han calmly lifted the corner of his mouth.
Doubts and disdain toward rookies. Familiar faces from this life and his past one alike.
Overturning them was par for the course for Shin Yi-han.
"Whatever. Let's move on."
The director waved dismissively at him.
"Since you came all this way."
His voice dripped with clear condescension—like granting a tourist a special demo.
"Show us a key scene right off the bat."
And the director did something no one expected.
Riiip. He suddenly tore a chunk from the script on the table.
"Yohan's final highlight scene."
Not the pre-distributed audition script—this was from the real Hellbound script.
The snippet he handed Shin Yi-han had just a few short paragraphs.
"Starting from when Yohan gets possessed by the demon Belial."
Naturally, he hadn't asked Adrian—or anyone else here—to do this scene.
The judges on either side looked shocked; it wasn't pre-discussed.
"Improv. You gotta show us that much, right?"
Braden's intent was obvious.
Less special treatment.
More like forcing a quick end to the audition.
Possession acting out of nowhere? No CG, no emotional buildup?
'He'll just roll his eyes back, scream, flail around comically, and done.'
The director shrugged inwardly, smirking.
He just planned to watch the Korean perform his little circus act, laugh, and cut him.
'No hard feelings, of course.'
Honestly, Shin Yi-han's first impression up close? Hm.
Better than expected.
When their eyes met, he got why the casting director called him.
Definitely not ordinary.
Compared to the others, his boldness and looks were top-notch. Race aside, he liked him.
'But still, this is too much.'
Why shoehorn in a Korean for Yohan? Why bother?
They already had a perfect one in Adrian.
"What, can't do it?"
The director asked Shin Yi-han again, eyeing the torn script.
But he never imagined.
The scene he'd tossed out.
Was one he'd watched countless times in his past life via Hellbound.
And the one performing it was Shin Yi-han.
"No, I'll do it."
Shin Yi-han looked up with a grin.
He wasn't unflappable, honestly.
But it was kinda welcome, too.
A scene he loved, after all.
He'd wanted to try it.