Audition Preparations
Rustle.
In the academy director's office after Cheol-min had left, the only sound was the continuous friction of paper as Yeon-woo turned the pages of the script.
Before long he was completely immersed, reading the scenario straight through.
The script he had been given contained only the first three episodes of the sixteen-episode series, plus a few fragmentary later scenes that introduced the supporting role they needed to cast for this audition. Even those pages were likely to keep changing right up until principal photography began.
The original webtoon followed fashion-design major Jeong Yeo-reum as she and her classmates renovated an unused department storeroom into a clothing shop called Summer's Closet, all so she could earn the money to attend Paris Fashion Week—her lifelong dream.
Reading through the first three episodes, Yeon-woo could tell the adaptation had given greater weight to a love triangle between the female lead, the male lead, and a secondary male lead.
"This section has to keep the tone bright, so play it as lively as possible…"
He filled the margins until the pages were black with notes, empathizing with and analyzing every single character.
"Imagining myself actually performing it… honestly, the lead roles look pretty tempting."
Because it was a light, fast-paced romantic comedy, the supporting characters could never pull too hard against the grain; most of their scenes simply required them to echo the leads' actions or supply relatively comic beats that kept the atmosphere buoyant.
By contrast, the leads had been sculpted with such vivid, bouncing personalities and fine-grained detail that they practically leapt off the page—and desire stirred in him of its own accord.
Still, someday I'll get to play roles like these. Think of this as advance practice.
Once he finished analyzing the characters, he switched on the camcorder kept in the practice room, stood in front of it, and began reading the lines aloud, trying to match the delivery he had imagined in his head.
"What's this, Jeong Yeo-reum? You started it first? You started it first—hm. 'You' started it first?"
He experimented with stress and searched for the most natural tone for each situation.
What's this, Jeong Yeo-reum? 'You' started it first?
Yeon-woo delivered the line, rewound the camcorder, watched himself, and repeated the process over and over.
Several hours slipped by.
"Yeon-woo! You're still here?"
Cheol-min returned after finishing a lesson in the next room.
"Ah, Teacher. Just thinking that if this audition goes well it'll be my first real project—I'm on fire."
Yeon-woo's smile was genuinely radiant, as if he were truly happy.
"Still, kid, it's almost eleven. Your parents are going to worry. Tomorrow after school I'll help you properly, so go home for today. I'll drive you."
"Thank you!"
When Cheol-min pointed toward the door, Yeon-woo gathered the script, tidied a few things, and they locked up the academy together before climbing into Cheol-min's car.
"Yeon-woo, I had so many lessons today I couldn't help you at all. How was the project? Did you finish reading it?"
As they pulled out of the parking lot, Cheol-min asked with an apologetic look.
"There's only material through episode three and the stage directions are still rough, but it's fun!"
"Any role that caught your eye? During a break I called my senior and asked—he said they'll let you free-act within the script, and if they need something specific they'll give you direction on the spot."
Worried about Yeon-woo, Cheol-min had used a free moment to check the format.
"Among the supporting parts, Hwang Jae-il has the most weight, so that one's appealing… but if I can just get any role at all, even a small one, I'll give it everything."
"Right. Looking at your face alone you're pure lead material, but let's treat this as a chance to get that face known. Once you're on the screen—even in a tiny part—plenty more chances will come."
Having trained Yeon-woo himself, Cheol-min was confident.
Confident about this audition, and about Ryu Yeon-woo's future as an actor after it.
"Yes. I hope so."
Yeon-woo smiled lightly while making a quiet vow inside.
This life, I'm going to work so hard I succeed as an actor no matter what.
For the next four days, the moment school ended Yeon-woo raced to the academy and practiced, practiced, practiced.
"Tomorrow already. At this level I say you're a lock, Yeon-woo. Director Kim Han-su isn't about to miss a gem like you."
"Come on, Teacher—aren't you just being biased because I'm your student?"
Yeon-woo squirmed a little under Cheol-min's open flattery and tried to brush it off with a joke.
"Not a chance, kid. Tomorrow I'll drive you up and we'll come back together."
"Teacher, it's fine. I already bought the train ticket—I can go by myself."
Yeon-woo waved both hands in refusal.
"Cancel the ticket. You think your mother will work in peace if I send you to Seoul alone? I'll call and tell her."
"Ah… then I'm sorry, but I'll impose on you tomorrow. Thank you, Teacher."
In his previous life Yeon-woo had walked alone through combat zones where shells were falling; being treated like a child left him a little sheepish. Still, thinking of Cheol-min's warm concern and of his parents' worry, he stopped arguing and accepted the offer gratefully.
The next day dawned. The test was scheduled for one o'clock, but better early than late, so Cheol-min arrived first thing in the morning to escort his student to Seoul.
Cheol-min's car pulled up in front of a building in Gangnam.
"Yeon-woo, if I go in with you there might be familiar faces, and it could look like I'm pulling strings. Go up alone. It's the eighth floor of this building. Call me the second you're done."
"Yes, Teacher. I'll knock their socks off!"
The fighting spirit in Yeon-woo's answer made the corner of Cheol-min's mouth lift without him realizing it.
"What kid these days still says 'knock their socks off'? Anyway—fighting."
"Fighting!"
Yeon-woo spun around with energy and strode into the building.
"Senior… I'm sending you a monster. Consider yourself blessed."
Alone in the car, Cheol-min watched Yeon-woo's retreating back and muttered to himself.
Ding. Eighth floor.
When the elevator doors opened, a sign with an arrow stood directly ahead.
Summer's Closet — Audition Room This Way
"Finally."
Yeon-woo opened the door to the audition lobby and stepped inside.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the audition venue—already noisy since morning—sighs were circulating freely.
"I knew it. I had a bad feeling about that guy from the first time I saw him."
Choi Mi-hyeon, the writer in charge of adaptation and the scripts for the drama, spoke with a heavy sigh.
The casting director looked uncomfortable and tried to explain.
"His reputation in the industry was never great, but we cast him purely for the face and the popularity."
"I checked—apparently the reason he left his idol group was that his old agency already knew."
At the assistant director's words, Director Kim Han-su opened his mouth.
"What's done is done. Nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to find someone new. Still, we're lucky it blew up before the production presentation."
He said the words, yet even Kim Han-su—normally meticulous and unflappable—could not help letting out a sigh of his own.
That morning a call had come from the agency handling the acting career of former idol Jeong Min-hwan, who had been cast as the third-most-important role, the secondary male lead.
Drug-use charges have been confirmed; articles will hit any moment. He cannot join the project.
No formal contract has been signed between production and agency yet, and the presentation hasn't happened, so we won't be paying any penalty.
Recalling the conversation, the casting director spoke.
"The real problem isn't the penalty—it's that we don't even have a shortlist ready."
"Couldn't be helped. Who expected the air date to get pulled this far forward? Ugh, damn cable channels."
At Director Kim's words, every face in the room darkened.
Summer's Closet had originally been planned for a summer premiere the following year and was meant to be fully pre-produced, so there had been plenty of time. But a variety show airing in the same slot had been abruptly cancelled after its host's affair scandal, cascading the schedules of every subsequent program forward. The butterfly effect had forced Summer's Closet into an early-next-year slot.
Because it was adapted from a webtoon, they did not have to invent the story from scratch; Writer Choi could simply adapt and turn out scripts quickly, so production itself was not the issue.
The problem was that autumn was prime shooting season and nearly every drama already in the works had locked its cast. Young lead-level actors worth hiring were scarce. On top of that, this project required someone who could convincingly play a twenty-year-old, narrowing the pool even further.
So even though the budget was solid, they had resorted to the unusual step of casting supporting roles through open auditions—only for the secondary male lead to drop out at the last minute, leaving them in a thoroughly awkward position.
"Enough. Everyone stop sighing. Shooting starts any day now, so Casting Director Jeong, please put together the best shortlist you can. Until we roll cameras I'll dig through every connection I have as well."
Director Kim Han-su mediated, and the others nodded.
"Teachers, time's up. Let's lock down the supporting roles solidly in today's auditions and treat the secondary male lead as the final button we still need to fasten properly."
The assistant director forced some energy into the room, stepped outside, and told the staff to begin the auditions.
"All right, everyone up."
Director Kim rose; the rest followed and headed for the audition room.
And in the waiting area…
About thirty people were gathered, each preparing in their own way.
"Oh my, Hye-su! It's been ages."
"Senior, how have you been?"
Established actors who clearly knew one another exchanged warm greetings and smiles.
"Hey, you hear? Han Jun-gyeong got caught with drugs."
"No way—what about the drama he's shooting right now?"
"No idea. Why are there so many drug scandals in entertainment lately?"
Meanwhile, those who had come from academies or the same university department clustered in a corner, trading industry gossip like tabloid headlines.
In the middle of it all, Ryu Yeon-woo sat alone.
Yet every single person kept stealing glances at him.
"Hey, where did that guy come from? Never seen him before."
"Right? But if you put every actor I've ever seen together, a face like that would still eat them alive."
"'Every actor you've ever seen'—you mean besides our professors?"
"Whatever! You've seen them on TV."
Even the students from the top theater department in the country had to nod at their friend's assessment.
One of them, however, was staring at Yeon-woo with open dislike and spoke coldly.
"Doesn't matter. That guy's failing this audition."
The flat declaration made his friends look over.
"Why?"
"This is a Kim Han-su project. He never casts just because someone's pretty. A senior told me—you have to show charm that matches the character. Look at him: total rookie. He's going to be struggling just to act; how is he supposed to show any charm?"
Whoever this rolling stone was, anyone who had been in the industry since child-actor days rarely failed to recognize even the unknowns and aspiring hopefuls.
The fact that he himself had never seen the guy meant the kid was a complete novice.
Just some pretty-faced amateur trying his luck at acting, no doubt.
"We'll begin the auditions now. Contestant number one, Na Seong-jin, please come this way."
At the staff member's call, the whispering contestants stopped their sidelong glances and each began to focus.