Chapter 4: The First Audition (2)
Chapter 4: The First Audition (2)
They say such people exist.
Humans born to be actors.
Kim Hyung-seok had worked as a casting director for a long time, but he had never met such a person until now.
He had witnessed moments of incredible acting several times, but the phrase "born to be an actor" always felt like a mere exaggeration.
There really is one.
However, that phrase he once dismissed as hyperbole was now manifesting before him with startling realism.
A human born to be an actor.
The atmosphere shifted the moment she smiled.
The child, who had seemed devoid of emotion, instantly became bright and vivacious, like a cheerful, high-spirited girl.
Was that a cup in her hand?
No, looking at the shape of her hand, it was a milk carton. Or perhaps something more slender.
Like a soy milk pouch, for instance.
"Wow, Unnie! What’s this?"
Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok couldn't take their eyes off her as she chatted with a bright, innocent smile.
Her gaze is directed upward.
It was acting that assumed someone else was in the shot with her.
How?
The prompt they had given her was simply to "act like you're enjoying a refreshing drink of milk."
They had never mentioned that this commercial would feature two people.
The girl pinched something with two fingers.
A straw.
She poked it into the soy milk pouch held in her right hand and took a sip.
It was a simple action.
Gulp.
But just watching her made their own throats move involuntarily.
She possessed a charm that made one instinctively crave a drink.
It’s not awkward at all.
The most painful part of watching a novice act is when the actor themselves isn't immersed in the performance.
If the actor feels awkward or embarrassed, the audience feels that awkwardness and embarrassment right along with them.
This is due to human empathy.
In other words, acting becomes "good acting" only when it can draw out that empathy to its extreme.
And a child around five years old was capable of that?
Was it even possible?
"…I’m finished."
While they were lost in her performance, the girl spoke up before they knew it.
Her face was expressionless again, as if the vivacious child from a moment ago had been a lie.
"Oh, uh."
Jo Min-tae struggled to find the right words.
He could have just praised her, saying she was amazing or did a great job, but those were the same words he had given to Participant Number 13 earlier.
The difference in skill was too vast to use the same words.
This is a child actor?
Among all the child actors Jo Min-tae had seen, those who could perform at this level could be counted on one hand.
Even then, most of those children were a year or two older than this girl, Ju Seo-yeon.
Didn't they say this was her first audition?
There was no way a child with this much talent had never passed an audition before.
Child actors who actually knew how to act were rare.
To show this level of skill in her very first audition...
If this wasn't being "born to be an actor," who else could that phrase possibly apply to?
It seems…
The decision is made, right?
Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok exchanged glances and nodded.
"That was the best performance I’ve seen from a child actor recently."
"Your acting today was excellent. We will notify you of the results later via email or phone."
After saying that, they continued to shower Seo-yeon with praise.
They mentioned how impressive her emotional immersion was.
Or how incredibly delicate her expressions were.
Hmm.
Seo-yeon, listening silently, tilted her head.
Is it really that good?
She felt like they were overreacting.
In truth, she didn't really know how her own acting was.
She had practiced in front of a mirror, but it was hard to grasp exactly how exceptional her performance might be.
Maybe the daydreaming helped.
Daydreaming had been her specialty since her past life.
Even when working at a black company, her hobby was passing the time with various fantasies.
And the thing that brought those fantasies to life was VTubers.
2D appearing in reality.
The shock she felt when she first saw it was immense.
It was like seeing someone living inside a fantasy.
She had wanted to live inside a fantasy like that, too.
…Anyway.
Seo-yeon looked at the man who was still talking with a bright face.
Jo Min-tae, right?
It was indeed a soy milk commercial.
She had realized it the moment she stepped into the audition room.
As expected, this audition was for the "Pure Soy Milk" CF from Garam Dream.
So it’s true that Jo Min-tae was a CF director.
This "Pure Soy Milk" would be mentioned on a broadcast about ten years from now.
That was because Kim Jung-ha, who by then would have starred in two films with over ten million viewers, and the director of her second ten-million-viewer film, was Jo Min-tae.
Specifically, this Pure Soy Milk CF was mentioned when it was brought up that he "used to work as a CF director."
When she closed her eyes, the interview from that time came back vividly.
—"The first thing I filmed with Jung-ha wasn't a drama or a movie, but a soy milk CF. Do you remember?"
—"Of course. I never imagined that connection would lead us here."
The two of them had spoken with bright smiles.
However, Jo Min-tae’s bright expression wouldn't last very long.
Only three years later, his father, who was his idol, would commit suicide.
"So, that's why I liked Seo-yeon's acting today… Seo-yeon?"
"Ah, yes."
"Oh dear, I must have kept you for too long."
Jo Min-tae bowed his head slightly to Seo-yeon in apology.
A quick glance at the clock showed that nearly ten minutes had passed.
"As I mentioned, we will deliver the results in about a week."
"Thank you both for your hard work."
Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok bid farewell to Seo-yeon and Sua, who had been watching from behind.
It was a greeting filled with sincerity, as if they were truly grateful to her for saving this CF.
"Se-Seo-yeon."
"Yes?"
As soon as they left the audition room, Sua hugged her daughter tightly.
"My daughter, you’re so good at acting! Are you really a genius?"
"I-I don't know…"
The hug was so tight she could barely breathe.
More than anything, her mother, Sua, had a chest that was… burdensomely large.
Because of that, Seo-yeon felt an indescribable sensation.
After all, she still had memories of being a man in her past life.
"Hmph, talk about overreacting."
At Sua's reaction, several other mothers watched with narrowed eyes.
Not many took Sua's reaction at face value.
Everyone thinks their own child’s acting is the best.
Still, the girl was so pretty that she caught their attention.
This was especially true for Hong Jin-hee, the mother of Lee Ji-yeon, who had received good feedback earlier today.
Surely not, right?
Seo-yeon’s audition had lasted far too long to be dismissed as typical parental fuss.
While others were in and out in five minutes, Seo-yeon had emerged nearly twenty minutes later.
Thinking that far, Hong Jin-hee squeezed her eyes shut.
It seemed this audition was a lost cause.
*
The notification of passing the audition came a week later.
Upon receiving the call, Sua jumped for joy and shared the news with her husband. Ju Young-bin, the father, was left speechless.
Really?
He wondered for a moment if his wife was playing a prank, but she wasn't the type to tell such a lie.
"I think Seo-yeon really is a genius. What should we do? Did I give birth to her too beautifully?"
"C-Calm down. Just calm down."
"But still!"
His young wife hadn't changed since her twenties.
Perhaps their daughter had inherited this girl-like sensibility from her mother.
"What about you, Seo-yeon? Do you want to keep doing this?"
The daughter, on the other hand, was sitting maturely on the sofa.
As if passing the audition was only natural, she was watching Ppiniping with a solemn expression.
Hmm.
With her eyes fixed on the TV, Seo-yeon tilted her head slightly.
She tried to turn her head toward Ju Young-bin, but her eyes, locked onto the screen, wouldn't move as she wished.
Perhaps because her body was young, her mind was being influenced as well; Ppiniping was surprisingly entertaining.
Anyway.
…So I got in.
In her past life, she never passed anything on the first try. She hadn't expected it to go like this.
After a moment of thought, Seo-yeon spoke.
It wasn't like passing would cause any problems.
"I want to try it."
"You do?"
"Yes."
Appearing in a CF meant income.
Knowing this, Ju Young-bin made a clear decision regarding what to do with that income.
"We’ll save all this money in Seo-yeon’s bank account. You can use it when you’re older."
Whether for college or other needs.
Seeing them uphold this promise made her realize that Young-bin and Sua were truly good parents.
Unlike her parents from her past life.
Money. I definitely need it.
Thinking about her VTuber debut, there were many things that would require funds.
In some ways, it might cost more than being a regular streamer.
The equipment needed for a normal streamer.
A 3D model.
Full-body tracking equipment.
She might even need to get a separate room.
Soundproofing… the expenses were astronomical when she thought about it.
I have to save up diligently.
Seo-yeon had no intention of burdening her parents by asking for money.
It was awkward at first, but they were precious parents to her now, so she wanted to do it on her own as much as possible.
Above all, Seo-yeon was conscious of the fact that her mind was that of an adult.
Do what you want to do with your own strength. That was Seo-yeon’s motto.
"Well, if you've made up your mind, Daddy will go with you this time."
"Okay."
"Great! And you did so well passing the audition. That’s my girl!"
Seo-yeon nodded as Ju Young-bin vigorously stroked her hair.
She didn't know exactly why she had passed the audition.
But since she was doing it, she intended to do it right.
*
A small studio in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
Kim Jung-ha, who had arrived early and was waiting for the shoot, let out a nervous sigh.
Let’s do well, let’s do well.
This was practically her first job.
She had challenged numerous auditions before, but she had never properly passed one until now.
Without an agency, she was currently a freelancer.
If she caught someone's eye with this CF, she might be able to find a proper agency.
Don't put too much emotion into it.
The reason she failed every audition was that her "tension" didn't match the commercials.
The same went for being an extra in dramas.
Even as an extra with only a few lines, her presence stood out too much.
Because of that, she usually only got roles where she was buried in a crowd without a single line.
"Jung-ha, no need to be so nervous. What makes a professional? Just doing exactly what you're paid for."
"Ha, haha."
Kim Jung-ha gave a clumsy laugh at the staff member's attempt to ease her nerves.
It was true that the contract fee for this commercial wasn't very high.
That was likely why they chose someone like her, since they couldn't afford a big-name actor.
"By the way, I heard from Director Jo that the child actor coming today is a total hit."
"A… hit?"
"Yeah, yeah. The casting director and everyone else are just head over heels for her. The staff who were at the audition have been talking about her so much, I can't even tell if they're exaggerating or not."
For Jung-ha, who had only received a good evaluation once in her life, such praise was truly enviable.
Even that one good evaluation had come from this very audition.
I wonder what kind of child she is.
Still, Kim Jung-ha inwardly thought, At the end of the day, she's just a child actor.
Especially for a small commercial like this, child actors were usually average or below.
However.
"Hello, Actress Kim Jung-ha."
Looking at the child who greeted her politely, Kim Jung-ha was forced to change her mind.
She realized that in this world, a breed of people known as "geniuses" truly existed.