Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Audition
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The next day, Na Gang-in visited THO Entertainment again. It was to briefly discuss the film's production schedule.
President Lee Tae-ho said,
"With Director Na helping out, we can drastically shorten the action scene shooting schedule now."
Director Byun Hyeong-chan chimed in.
"If you take care of the action, we'll wrap up the rest of the filming in a month."
Na Gang-in asked,
"A month? Isn't that rushing things a bit?"
"I've spent the last few years agonizing over the best order and method to shoot Fate's Window as quickly as possible. Whenever I had a spare moment, that's what I'd work on. Hahaha."
"Ah, I see. Then the timeline will shrink quite a bit."
"On top of that, the level of audition applicants has suddenly shot up. With so many skilled actors applying, we'll finish faster than originally planned."
"That's great."
Byun Hyeong-chan suggested,
"Speaking of which, about today's auditions. You'll join us to watch, right, Gang-in?"
"You want me to audition?"
"Hahaha. Just kidding. You'll help judge them."
Na Gang-in chuckled and waved it off.
"I don't know the first thing about acting. You directors decide on the cast."
Lead actor Kim Yu-chan spoke up from the side.
"Aw, come on. I heard from President Lee Tae-ho that you act great."
Director Byun Hyeong-chan turned to Lee Tae-ho.
"Really?"
Lee Tae-ho had witnessed Na Gang-in's acting prowess firsthand during the Gangnam Jackal incident.
But the fact that Na Gang-in had resolved that case was classified information known only to those directly involved.
Caught off guard, Lee Tae-ho gave a vague explanation.
"Well... I happened to see it once, and his facial expressions and voice work were incredibly realistic."
Byun Hyeong-chan proposed again.
"Everyone's saying this, so how about you join the audition judging, Gang-in?"
Na Gang-in flatly refused.
"Someone who can only mimic a bit shouldn't presumptuously judge pro actors. I'll pass."
Gong Ji-hyun had earned rave reviews for her acting in a drama that aired a few days ago.
She'd played a character who fought with the female lead, sabotaged her work, and pulled all sorts of annoying stunts. Yet viewers loved her performance.
Good buzz didn't mean she could pin all her hopes on that one drama. Her scenes had increased due to script revisions, but she was still a supporting role shooting only one or two days a week.
To keep her acting chops sharp and stay in the public's eye, she needed to line up other films or dramas in advance.
As someone not yet a lead, Gong Ji-hyun had plenty of off days without shoots. Today, she'd come to audition for rookie director Byun Hyeong-chan's film.
She glanced around near the audition venue.
"The address is around here... That way, maybe?"
Turning toward her destination, she spotted Na Gang-in walking across the street.
"Huh? Hey!"
She waved frantically and shouted,
"Excuse me! Sir!"
Na Gang-in didn't turn.
"Mister! Oppa!"
The young woman yelled openly. People of various ages matching her honorifics turned to look.
Na Gang-in glanced back and locked eyes with her.
Gong Ji-hyun quickly pulled down her mask and removed her sunglasses.
AI Jeon Ji-in reported.
Gong Ji-hyun called out urgently.
"Wait! Stay there! I'll cross over!"
Crossing the street directly was too dangerous. Still, she acted like she might dash into traffic.
Na Gang-in pointed to the crosswalk about 50 meters away.
Understanding the gesture, Gong Ji-hyun ran toward it.
By the time she arrived, the light was red. She fidgeted impatiently, then bolted across as soon as it turned green for pedestrians.
Na Gang-in strolled over slowly. Even so, he reached the spot before she finished crossing.
The moment Gong Ji-hyun stepped onto the sidewalk, she bowed deeply.
"Hello!"
"Nice to see you. We keep running into each other."
"I never imagined we'd meet here again. What brings you?"
"Just wrapping up some work talk with a friend nearby."
"Ah, got it. Oh, right."
She bowed again.
"Thank you so much for your help last time!"
Na Gang-in replied politely.
"I watched the drama. You were great."
"Heehee. You saw it? Thank you!"
Running into the man who'd vanished from the drama set right here on the street had her a bit excited.
But she still didn't know his name. It hit her belatedly.
"By the way... your name..."
A passing car screeched to a halt right beside her.
The window was already down. The man in the driver's seat leaned over and yelled,
"Ji-hyun! What are you doing here? We're gonna be late!"
She blinked.
"Huh? Why is Manager here?"
Her agency manager explained frantically.
"Couldn't reach you, so I came myself! What happened to your phone?"
Gong Ji-hyun checked her smartphone.
"Oh. It's on silent. Forgot I switched it."
"Get in quick."
"Huh? But I have to go to the audition."
"I'm here supporting you for that audition. Let's go."
"Okay. One sec."
Gong Ji-hyun turned to Na Gang-in.
"At least give me your number..."
He was gone.
The manager asked,
"What? Someone you were talking to? He left?"
Gong Ji-hyun panicked.
"No, when?"
"Soon as I called you, he checked his watch and took off."
"He shouldn't have..."
The manager grew wary.
"Why? Who was he? Don't tell me... you're not dating at a time like this, right?"
Gong Ji-hyun waved her hands.
"No! It's not that..."
"Then get in! Being late to an audition is minus a hundred points right off the bat."
Dozens of actors had shown up for auditions for the film Fate's Window. A few were already quite active in the industry.
Gong Ji-hyun had heard it was rookie director Byun Hyeong-chan's debut. With Kim Yu-chan as the lead, she figured the competition wouldn't be too fierce compared to bigger films.
But the scene was nothing like she'd expected.
"This atmosphere is no joke."
Her manager explained beside her.
"The script turned out great. Plus, Kim Yu-chan's locked in as the male lead, and Shin Eun-ha and Lee Bo-ra are attached."
"I know. Still, I didn't expect it to be this competitive."
"Before that info leaked, the real competition wasn't this bad. But things changed."
"Huh? What info?"
The manager lowered his voice.
"You know Na Gang-in?"
Gong Ji-hyun clapped.
"Of course! He's the action director for Sunny Day and Blue Sky. Sunny Day was on the verge of not even getting a theatrical release, but he turned it into a ten-million hit. And Blue Sky's ratings skyrocketed after he handled the action."
"You know him too well, don't you?"
"I've always wanted to do action scenes with him. That's why I envied Eun-ha unnie and Bo-ra unnie so much."
Last year, Shin Eun-ha, Lee Bo-ra, and Gong Ji-hyun had similar name recognition. This year, their positions had diverged completely. The other two soared; Gong Ji-hyun plummeted.
She knew Na Gang-in had played a huge role in their rise. That's why she envied them so much.
The manager said,
"That Na Gang-in is officially on board this film."
Gong Ji-hyun's eyes widened.
"What? For real?"
"Word spread yesterday. That's why audition competition spiked. Companies that were lukewarm suddenly got aggressive. Same with actors."
"So that's why so many people..."
"Today's auditions for the roles we eyed got so many applicants they're extending to tomorrow. Big-name actors aren't even here—they're meeting the director privately. So the crowd you see isn't even all of it. Real competition's fiercer."
Some auditionees had managers with them.
Gong Ji-hyun realized why hers had come.
"Ah! That's why our agency sent you."
"Well, even without Na Gang-in, I'd have..."
"It's fine."
"Ahem. Anyway, only male lead Kim Yu-chan's confirmed. Female lead favors Shin Eun-ha or Lee Bo-ra, but it's not locked. Actresses thinking they can compete jumped in last minute."
"Lucky them."
The role she was gunning for wasn't lead-level but had solid screen time.
"With things like this, stay sharp for your audition. Nailing your target role is ideal, but even another part would help your career. Aim to pass first."
Gong Ji-hyun steeled herself.
"Got it."
The audition panel consisted of director Byun Hyeong-chan, THO Entertainment president Lee Tae-ho, and male lead Kim Yu-chan.
Kim Yu-chan wasn't there just as the lead. He'd declared he'd star from the start and pulled in THO Entertainment, making the film possible.
Gong Ji-hyun stood before the panel, catching her breath.
Byun Hyeong-chan greeted her.
"Saw your work in that recent drama. Impressive."
"Thank you!"
"You're auditioning for So-yeon. Whenever you're ready."
So-yeon was a Joseon-era female warrior skilled with the blade. She shared a face and name with a modern office worker.
Gong Ji-hyun first performed as the Joseon warrior So-yeon.
This So-yeon was stoic. Her speech was always measured, and she'd scan her surroundings with sharp eyes at the slightest odd vibe.
She even acted swinging her sword at foes. Swordless, but her icy glare made it look real.
Aiming her imaginary blade at enemies, she declared in a chilling tone,
"Any who try to pass me will be cut down!"
Byun Hyeong-chan thought while watching,
She'd crush a historical drama too.
Gong Ji-hyun's intense performance shifted abruptly to the modern office worker So-yeon.
This So-yeon was a klutz who bungled everyday tasks. She'd fumble a water bottle tossed lightly by a friend, spill coffee mid-sip, mismatch her socks often.
"Ehehehe."
She'd grin sheepishly at every blunder. It was so endearing, you couldn't stay mad.
"But I'm amazing at peeling fruit, they say."
Despite her mishaps, she excelled at paring fruit with a knife. In the time others took for one apple, she sculpted eight rabbits.
Everything Gong Ji-hyun showed was straight from the Fate's Window script.
Byun Hyeong-chan had written and refined the screenplay himself. He had detailed images of every role in his head.
What she delivered matched his vision closely, with slight differences.
He tweaked the mental image of So-yeon. Her performance outshone what he'd originally envisioned.
She's good.
Byun Hyeong-chan recalled her nuanced expressions from last week's drama.
Revise the script a bit? Let audiences glimpse Joseon So-yeon's inner turmoil through expressions, reveal modern So-yeon's sorrow too.
He'd conceived those layers long ago but cut them from the script to avoid dragging the runtime.
A few tweaks, and her expressions alone could convey it all?
Script fixes came to him instantly. He jotted the new ideas onto her evaluation sheet.
Kim Yu-chan was impressed too.
"Wow. Knew she was talented, but this is great."
Gong Ji-hyun bowed.
"Thank you!"
"One thing I'm curious about... Hope it's okay to ask."
"Ask anything!"
Kim Yu-chan asked cautiously.
"Last year, I thought your acting in those projects was top-notch. But this year, there was negativity about your skills?"
"Ah, yes. I've been in a slump lately..."
She bowed again.
"Sorry!"
"No need to apologize to me. Your recent drama and today's audition show you've shaken it off completely. Congrats on that."
"Thank you."
"But it doesn't seem like you just escaped the slump—your acting's leveled up massively. What's the secret?"
Gong Ji-hyun recalled that day and beamed.
"On the drama set, I got a quick acting lesson from someone I met there. After that, the slump vanished on its own."
"Right there on set?"
"Yeah. I was brooding alone in a corner about why I couldn't act, and he passed by, saw me, and taught me briefly."
"Escaping a slump from a quick lesson? What did he teach, exactly..."
Gong Ji-hyun's eyes sparkled as she explained.
"He demonstrated first—showed how to act it properly. Seeing his expressions up close is just... wow. Then he fine-tuned mine down to the millimeter so I could match. And..."
She grinned wide.
"He praised me, said I did well."
That was the key.
Kim Yu-chan marveled.
"Millimeter precision? Incredible. A passerby like that is scary good. Wait, no— you pulling it off on the spot is impressive too, Ji-hyun."
"Thank you!"
Kim Yu-chan leaned forward slightly.
"Someone with that level of skill must be a pro actor I know. Who was it?"