Chapter 3: The First Audition (1)
Chapter 3: The First Audition (1)
‘Ju Seo-yeon. So, that’s Ju Seo-yeon.’
Jo Min-tae, the director of the CF, scanned the atmosphere of the waiting room.
Sure enough, the girl he had his eye on was monopolizing everyone’s attention.
‘It’s not just her face.’
It was her vibe.
She possessed a presence that captivated the room.
Having followed his father around to sets since he was young, Jo Min-tae had seen many actors. They were all beautiful and handsome, but the great ones had something more—something that seized a person’s gaze.
That girl, Ju Seo-yeon, had that quality.
It couldn't quite be called an aura yet, but she had something that drew people’s eyes toward her.
“She definitely has a good feel to her. If only her acting is as good as her looks.”
Great minds think alike.
The casting director, Kim Hyung-seok, was also keeping a close watch on Seo-yeon. Of course, his expectations were lower than Jo Min-tae’s.
‘There are kids like that sometimes.’
Kids who are born with both beauty and presence.
However, looks were just looks. Unless they were going to be a model, an actor was ultimately judged by their acting—even for a simple CF.
In particular, this CF wasn't a solo act; there was another actor involved.
‘We’ll need to prepare for that side too.’
He wondered if they could even find a proper actor when they were struggling this much just to cast the child role.
“It looks like everyone’s here. Why don’t we get started?”
“Ah, yes. We don’t have much time, so let’s hurry.”
It seemed all the children they had screened through profiles had arrived. It was about ten minutes before the scheduled audition time of 12:00 PM.
Hyung-seok stood up, opened the waiting room door, and called out.
“Alright, we’re starting the audition. You all received your numbers, right? We’ll call you in order starting from number one, so please come in when called.”
His dry announcement sent a wave of tension through the waiting room.
“Ji-yeon, there’s no need to be nervous. Just do what you’ve practiced.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Even Ji-yeon, the only one there who belonged to a management agency, showed signs of internal nerves.
Her mother, Hong Jin-hee, comforted her daughter while glancing over at the girl who had caught her eye earlier.
‘Does that kid have nerves of steel? Her expression hasn't changed at all.’
Jin-hee frowned at Seo-yeon’s calm face, but soon let out a smirk.
‘But with a face like that, I don’t even need to see her act.’
Acting was, after all, a profession where one poured emotion into a performance. This was a fact that remained true even for a small CF. If anything, because a CF was like a condensed short play, those emotional elements needed to be even more exaggerated.
A child that dull was bound to be clumsy at emotional acting.
‘Why is she smiling at me?’
On the other hand, Seo-yeon wondered if she had something on her face. There was a woman who had been glaring at her for a while now.
“Seo-yeon, you… you can’t be nervous. Okay? If you get scared, just hold Mommy’s hand tight.”
“Okay.”
The nervous one wasn't Seo-yeon, but her mother, Sua. Seo-yeon squeezed Sua’s hand—not because she was nervous, but to calm her mother down.
‘That’s strange. Aren’t I the one doing the acting?’
Despite the thought, Seo-yeon focused on today’s CF.
‘They said it was a food commercial.’
She didn't know the exact product, but she knew the general category. Food. That meant she would likely have to act out eating something.
‘Eating deliciously is important.’
The concept hadn't even been established yet, but in just a few years, the concept of "Mukbang" would emerge. Of course, that didn't quite apply to VTubers.
To be precise, while VTubers could do Mukbangs, it was usually just a part of their content rather than their main draw. Still, it was better to be capable of anything. After all, wasn't Mukbang a form of content too?
“Seo-yeon, look. The friends who went in first are coming out.”
Sua whispered into Seo-yeon’s ear.
Turning her head, Seo-yeon saw children trudging out of the audition room. One look at their faces told her they hadn't received good feedback.
“Next, number five, please come in.”
Numbers continued to be called.
Seo-yeon’s number was 22, if she remembered correctly. Looking at the number of participants, she seemed to be quite late in the order.
“Number thirteen.”
As she was wondering what kind of food it might be, the girl who was said to be in an agency jumped to her feet. Her face was tense, but she definitely looked better than the other children.
‘Huh?’
Seo-yeon watched the girl’s face idly when a certain advertisement suddenly flashed through her mind. She realized it just now—the face was familiar.
‘A soy milk ad.’
Was her name Ji-yeon? The woman who seemed to be her mother had called her that.
‘Right, it was a soy milk ad.’
She remembered seeing that girl. Even though it was an advertisement from a very long time ago, the memory was strangely vivid. Was this some kind of perk that came with reincarnation?
‘I think… I remember the reviews weren't that great.’
Of course, the mere presence of that girl didn't guarantee that this audition was for the soy milk ad in her memories. This Ji-yeon girl could have auditioned for many things.
‘But if it is that one…’
Seo-yeon closed her eyes.
The soy milk commercial from her memories played out. Lee Ji-yeon hadn't been the only one in it. There was another actor appearing alongside her.
Kim Jung-ha. That was the name.
She wasn't very famous right now, but in just three years, she would land a lead role in a cable drama and receive great acclaim for her acting skills. Furthermore, this CF would later be rediscovered, and it would become known that the "awkward" actor in it was Kim Jung-ha.
‘So, I remember there being a huge disconnect with the child actor.’
It was a strangely awkward commercial. Of course, that actually became a talking point, so the soy milk sold decently enough, but it wasn't a good commercial.
Incidentally, the reason this ad was rediscovered later wasn't just because of Kim Jung-ha. There was one more important factor.
“As expected of my daughter. You were perfect!”
While Seo-yeon was organizing her thoughts, Lee Ji-yeon came out of the audition room. Her expression was quite bright; unlike the others, she had clearly received praise.
‘Hmph, this CF belongs to my Ji-yeon anyway.’
Noticing Seo-yeon staring at her daughter, Hong Jin-hee smirked triumphantly. She made a show of stroking her daughter’s hair and picking her up.
‘What’s her problem?’
Seo-yeon understood being happy about a good audition, but she didn't get why the woman was gloating at her. Regardless, based on that reaction, it was highly likely that Lee Ji-yeon had been cast as the child actor for this CF.
‘The probability of it being soy milk just went up.’
It wasn't certain yet, but she decided to proceed under the assumption that it was soy milk. There were still nearly ten people left before Seo-yeon’s turn. She had time.
‘In the end, this is just like RP.’
She didn't know if there was a specific character like "a child who drinks soy milk deliciously," but she decided to treat it as such a scene.
She recalled the old advertisement. This wasn't a solo commercial. It was a two-person ad. That meant chemistry was vital.
‘And when you think of VTubers, you think of collabs.’
To make a collaboration work, it was important to move in sync with the other person’s traits. If they acted separately, they would just stifle each other’s strengths, and the result would be less entertaining than a solo broadcast. Especially if one valued RP.
‘Actress Kim Jung-ha had a very bubbly image.’
The CF was the same. She remembered it being very cheerful, with incredibly high tension. Because of that, the presence of the child actor, who played the role of a simple, refreshing daughter, had been completely overshadowed.
‘Can I match that tension?’
The only acting Seo-yeon had done so far was some stretching exercises. She had played various characters through RP, but…
‘Well, this is all experience.’
She would do her best, but Seo-yeon didn't even expect to pass the audition in the first place. She wasn't the only one who had practiced; every child here likely had. Perhaps even harder and longer. The girl in the agency went without saying.
‘It’s experience, but…’
Seo-yeon took a deep breath.
She put a bit of strength into her gaze. Her eyes glowed a slightly deeper shade of red.
“…It would be a shame to let it end at just that.”
She didn't want to regret doing a half-hearted job. Like her past self.
And then.
“Number twenty-two, please come in.”
It was finally Seo-yeon’s turn.
*
“Number thirteen was the best so far, right?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok nodded as they conversed. A total of twenty-five children were participating in today’s audition, so it was almost over.
“She’s already in an agency at such a young age, so I think she has some talent.”
Kim Hyung-seok said as he casually closed the remaining profiles. He felt there was nothing more to see.
“Yes, that’s… true, but.”
However, Jo Min-tae looked quite dissatisfied. Since this was his first job as a CF director, he likely wanted to work with a great actor.
‘But the world isn't that easy.’
The budget was tight, and top-tier actors wouldn't bother coming to an audition for a commercial like this in the first place. Beyond the money, it was obvious the ad wouldn't get much exposure.
“We still have number twenty-two left, don’t we? The girl you were watching earlier.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Jo Min-tae scratched his head and looked over the profile of number twenty-two, whom he had just called.
‘No prior acting experience.’
As expected, she was no different from the other children who had come to audition today. He had been hopeful at first, but after seeing the skills of the other children, he realized how significant a lack of "experience" was.
“It would be great if she could act even half as well as she looks.”
“Yes, that would be wonderful…”
Clack!
In the middle of their conversation, the door opened and a small child walked in.
Long black hair and eyes of a peculiar color. Her pale face was like a porcelain doll, making her look almost surreal. If it weren't for the child’s mother following behind her, they might have stared indefinitely.
“Ah, the guardian can sit over there.”
“Yes, yes.”
The mother sat down with a flustered expression, clearly incredibly nervous. She was the polar opposite of her daughter, whose face was so expressionless it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
‘No, maybe she’s just acting like that because she’s nervous too.’
Jo Min-tae nodded as he watched Seo-yeon sit gracefully in the provided chair. He had noticed it from the first time he saw her, but her posture was very proper. Her back was straight, and her gaze was fixed forward.
Meeting that steady gaze head-on, Jo Min-tae spoke.
“Right, your name is Seo-yeon, isn't it?”
“Yes.”
“Have you heard about what kind of acting you’ll be doing today?”
“I only heard it was for food.”
It was a calm, flat reply. Her emotions were so thin that his expectations for her acting dropped even further.
“Ahem, well, we’re going to do a drinking scene now. So… let’s see, try acting as if you’re deliciously drinking some cold milk.”
This was pure improvisation. No preparation for what kind of ad or character it was. It was an improv performance without even a script for the character.
Usually, in these cases, children would react with something like, ‘Right here?’ Even if they didn't say it out loud, innocent children tended to say it with their faces.
“Okay.”
But this time, too, it was an extremely short answer.
Jo Min-tae let out a hollow laugh and exchanged a look with Kim Hyung-seok.
‘This isn't going to work, right?’
‘With her being that blunt… food acting will be difficult.’
Their eyes conveyed that general sentiment. In auditions like this, the casting director’s word often carried more weight than the director’s. Since Kim Hyung-seok had already half-decided on Lee Ji-yeon for the role, it would be difficult for Seo-yeon unless she was exceptionally good.
‘That’s a shame.’
He had really wanted to work with that girl.
It was at that moment.
“Phew.”
A hint of a smile touched Seo-yeon’s lips. It was such a bright, innocent smile that it was hard to believe she was the same expressionless child from a moment ago.
The atmosphere changed. The dull colors of the room suddenly felt vibrant.
‘What the…?’
Jo Min-tae’s eyes widened.
He saw Seo-yeon’s hands moving as if in slow motion. She grasped something. When imagining drinking, people usually mimic holding a "cup."
However, the shape of Seo-yeon’s hand was different.
It was a "pack."
A carton.
And it wasn't a standard 200ml milk carton.
She held a slender, 190ml soy milk carton in her hand.