White Blood – The Beginning
"Ugh… It's been so long. I'm nervous."
Jeong Su-yeon sat in the waiting room, fretting over hands gone cold with tension.
Her last credit had been a child role in Spring's Lover—already two years ago.
She had applied for an open announcer recruitment, been cut in the second round, and was preparing for next year's exam when she got a call from an acting-academy instructor she had known for a long time.
"They're looking for a female actress with good diction who can handle an announcer role. Want to give it a shot, Su-yeon?"
She had only grown sick of the industry's dark side after landing bad agencies since childhood—she had never fully abandoned the path of an actress—so Jeong Su-yeon found herself deliberating.
"…Should I try one last time?"
She nodded, and that was how she ended up at the audition hall.
Word about the project had not yet spread, so she knew nothing of the details—only that it was a fantasy, a rare genre in Korea, and a mega-project to be distributed through Netflix. LN Media, whose stock was currently soaring, was handling both production and distribution, and with the usual gateways for newcomers having dwindled of late, the hall was packed to the walls.
"The odds of getting cut are high anyway."
Su-yeon looked around. Familiar faces mixed with complete unknowns, all waiting their turn.
"Hey, look over there. Isn't that Axis's Dong-ha? Weird."
"The one next to him looks like N-Boys' Jae-yun."
At the voices from the seats behind her, Su-yeon glanced across the room.
"Jae-yun sunbae. Here for the audition?"
"Of course I'm here for the audition—you think I came to hang out?"
At Dong-ha's words, Jae-yun raked his gaze up and down with open displeasure.
Dong-ha only stared back for a moment, then his eyes curved into crescents.
The Jae-yun in front of him was a senior who specialized in viciously bullying rookie male idols. Axis's members had taken more than their share of it when they were clueless newcomers, so every time they ran into him, sharp words tended to slip out unbidden.
"You said it yourself last time, sunbae."
"I said what?"
"When actors Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun came on the music show for Jainari—you said actors should just act. Why crawl out and steal our rice bowls…"
It was not loud enough for the whole room, but Jae-yun still whipped his head around in a panic, then glared.
"Hey. Why are you bringing that up here? Shut your mouth."
Dong-ha shrugged with an indifferent expression and went on.
"Well, I mean. We're here to steal the actors' rice bowls right now too. By your logic, sunbae."
"What is this bastard…"
At Dong-ha's needling, Jae-yun's face hardened—then he felt the surrounding eyes and turned away.
"…Anyway, those Axis bastards all have zero manners."
Just then the assistant director shut the audition-room door and called out loudly.
"We'll begin the audition. Enter in the order called. Everyone else, wait quietly in your seats."
The audition started, and several people had already gone in one after another. Jeong Su-yeon's heart was hammering; she kept taking deep breaths.
Why am I like this today? So ridiculous. Ugh…
She had done dozens of auditions since her child-actor days, but the thought of competing for a role again after a two-year hiatus left the tension impossible to shake.
"Next, Han Byeol-nim. Number thirty-two, Han Byeol-nim."
"Yes!"
At the bright, booming answer from behind, Jeong Su-yeon turned without thinking.
A girl in a school uniform sprang to her feet—hair in two braids, face completely bare of makeup, plain and fresh.
A high schooler…? No—middle school?
No one stood beside her. She seemed to have come alone, without a guardian. Su-yeon had only received the sides for her own role, so all she knew about the part this girl named Han Byeol was auditioning for was that the character was called Ella.
Clap clap!
"Come on, fighting!"
The girl from the back seats lightly slapped both cheeks, shouted the cheer at full volume, and strode forward with cheerful purpose. The waiting actors smiled at the sight. Su-yeon, who had been wound tight a second earlier, found herself chuckling too.
So cute… I used to be like that.
There had been a time when she carried swelling dreams of acting, analyzing and practicing until every script went black with notes. She still analyzed and practiced hard now.
…But back then, I actually enjoyed it.
As the girl named Han Byeol came up beside her near the entrance, it felt like looking at her own past self. Su-yeon wanted to offer some kind of encouragement.
"…F-fighting."
At the quiet voice from beside her, Han Byeol looked over and beamed.
"Yes! You too, unnie!"
Han Byeol opened the door and went in. Some time later, N-Boys' Jae-yun and Axis's Dong-ha took their turns as well, entered the room, and soon came back out.
"Who's going to take the lead for this?"
"Dunno. Maybe it hasn't been decided yet. No articles or anything came out."
"LN's on fire these days—it won't fall through. Some famous actor will take it, right?"
At the voices behind her, Jeong Su-yeon naturally thought of her only friend under LN Entertainment. A friend who had become far too famous by now.
Would Yeon-woo know who's going in? LN is producing it in-house, after all.
Then a staff member's voice cut through.
"Next, Jeong Su-yeon-nim. Number seventy-six, Jeong Su-yeon-nim."
"Yes!"
"I'll go in."
"It's been a while since you went into a project, huh?"
"It has."
Director Jeong Ha-neul and the team were working over Yeon-woo's hair and makeup with quick, practiced hands. Yeon-woo studied his reflection in the mirror and gave a slight nod.
It really has been a while. Already ten months since Sketch wrapped.
After cranking up in October last year and the trip to Berlin, he had devoted himself to school. He had shot a few commercials and YouTube pieces in between, but otherwise no minor events—just pure school life until this next project.
"What's this one about?"
"Hmm. I'm a doctor who fights monsters and robots."
She had asked out of courtesy; the unexpected answer made Director Jeong break into a cold sweat.
"…Uh. Is that so?"
"Haha. It might sound weird, but it'll be fun."
He was an actor who hit big with everything he touched, so Director Jeong Ha-neul nodded—whatever the explanation, it would probably be fun.
"There. All done."
In the mirror, a professionally polished look stared back after a long absence.
"Yeon-woo, try this on first."
Stylist Lee Ye-eun, who had been waiting beside him, held out a deep purple suit.
"Isn't it too much? It's just a script reading."
"What! You're at a level now where you have to dress to match your stature."
He was the lead of a fantasy masterpiece with a massive budget behind it. He had headlined before, but this time it was a solo lead—the weight was different.
"Got it. I'll leave it to noona's eye."
Yeon-woo took the suit into the changing room, put it on, and came back out.
"How is it?"
"P-perfect…"
Lee Ye-eun grinned with pure pride; the makeup staff beside her raised thumbs with dazed expressions.
"With this, he-me-co is perfect."
"He-me-co?"
"Hair, makeup, coordination."
Hearing Lee Ye-eun's answer, Yeon-woo shook his head and stood.
"These days they abbreviate everything…"
"That's theyabbrev."
"…Ahem. Shall we head out? Min-su hyung, we're done."
They left the shop and climbed into the car bound for the script reading.
"Departing now."
The car pulled smoothly away toward the LN Entertainment building.
Meanwhile, the large conference hall on the third floor of LN Entertainment was busy with script-reading preparations.
"Hehehe—it's the script reading. I'm so nervous I could die."
"Hey. Please maintain some dignity as a director."
As Director Hwang Min-gwon fretted and bustled in every direction, CG Director Jeong Yo-han clutched the back of his neck and chased after him. Writer Kim Jin-ju watched the pair from behind, shaking her head.
She had gotten involved in this project because Ryu Yeon-woo had reeled her in, but Director Hwang Min-gwon's unpredictable imagination had made the writing process a genuine ordeal. Whenever she had the content drafted to a certain point, he would suddenly spit out ideas with no beginning and no end—stories completely divorced from what she had written. And yet, when she actually listened, they were plausible enough that she could not simply ignore them.
"How many times have I rewritten because of that guy."
He was a human whose brilliant ideas gushed like an inexhaustible spring—but without Writer Kim Jin-ju, those ideas would never have seen the light of day. She shifted her gaze to the script in her hands.
White Blood.
Still, the script she had written that way looked perfect even to her own eyes.
Then the actors began filing into the script-reading hall one by one. Writer Kim Jin-ju beamed at the girl coming through the door.
"Oh my—Han Byeol. You dressed up pretty today?"
"Yes! Hello, Writer-nim."
The girl scurried over and bowed deeply at the greeting.
"Writer-nim, I have a question!"
"Hm?"
"Who's the protagonist of our project?"
Was this the MZ generation she had only heard about, or just a personal trait? Rookie actors usually arrived at their first script reading timid and hesitant—but watching Han Byeol keep glancing around and chattering about whatever she was curious about, Writer Kim Jin-ju nodded to herself.
Definitely Ella. Good pick.
She fit the character perfectly. Kim Jin-ju grinned and opened her mouth.
"Secret! He'll be here soon anyway."
Right after that, major supporting cast including Jeong Su-yeon and Axis's Dong-ha entered, each exchanging greetings and taking their seats.
Usually, when a broadcast station handled things, finished casting got reported and people heard the news in advance. Films sometimes held separate lead-and-support meetings. This time, though, casting had been finished as fast as roasting beans over a lightning flash, and nothing at all had been reported about the cast or the project—so the actors were busy greeting one another without knowing who else had been cast.
"Hello. I'm Jeong Su-yeon."
"Ah—I'm Dong-ha from the boy group Axis. Looking forward to working with you."
As Jeong Su-yeon and Dong-ha exchanged greetings, a bright voice piped up from beside them.
"Unnie! You're the unnie we cheered each other on last time, right!"
"Huh? That student from back then."
While they were still greeting one another, murmuring rose from the entrance—other minor-role actors and staff. Heads turned naturally toward the source of the sound, and through the doorway came the lead of the project: a young actor in a deep purple suit, radiating presence and flaunting an unmistakable aura.
"…Eh?"
It was so unexpected that Jeong Su-yeon made a foolish little sound without thinking. Beside her, Han Byeol's mouth fell open.
"A-amazing! I'm a total fan of Oppa Ryu Yeon-woo?! Is he the protagonist of our drama?"
The making cameras swung around as well, tracking Ryu Yeon-woo as he smiled and greeted the staff. By the time he reached the center of the table, he had spotted Jeong Su-yeon.
He had deliberately not asked the production team about casting so as not to interfere—so facing an unexpected face, Yeon-woo was just as surprised.
"Su-yeon? So we're working on a project together this time."
"Y-yeah."
Come to think of it, during Spring's Lover he had only done a cameo as a one-day helper—so working on a project with Jeong Su-yeon was essentially the first time. She was glad at his sudden appearance, but the dazed feeling was stronger.
Remembering that she had recently been preparing for the announcer exam, Yeon-woo thought he knew what role she had taken.
"Ah—the narrator role?"
"Yeah. That's right."
Then greetings poured toward him from every side.
"Hello! I'm Han Byeol!"
"I greeted you once at a music show before—I'm Axis's Dong-ha."
"Yes, nice to meet you. Han Byeol-nim, Dong-ha-nim."
At some point everyone had filed in. Closing the conference-room door, the assistant director called out.
"Alright—let's begin."