Chapter 321
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 321
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Auditionee
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A staff member from Bearround's casting team spotted an Asian man entering the main building. Judging by his tense expression and awkward gait, he didn't seem to be a Bearround employee.
"Are you here for the audition?"
"Ah, yes."
"This way, please."
The staff member led the man to a waiting room.
"Please wait in here, and you'll be called into the audition room in order. You'll be performing the same script from the first audition, and there may be additional requests from the director and casting director."
The employee, who had spoken in English, handed the man a translated guide in Korean. Once in English, once with the guide. The man, now fully understanding, nodded.
"Yes. I understand."
Seeing the man take a deep breath to calm his nerves, the staff member knocked twice on the waiting room door and opened it for him.
As the door clicked open, the man stepped forward.
He wondered what kind of actors would be his competition. Fairly confident in his own acting, the man's expression was a bit stiff with tension, but he entered the waiting room with a confident gaze, and then—
Slam!
He shut the door.
...Huh?
The man blinked several times, then turned to look at the staff member. The difference in their skin tone reminded him that he was not in Korea.
???
Which made it all the more strange.
With a look of utter bewilderment, the man glanced back and forth between the Bearround employee and the door. The staff member, equally surprised that he had closed the door without entering, blinked back.
His creaking brain finally managed to start thinking.
"Um... inside..."
*There's someone in there who shouldn't be here, right?*
The words were on the tip of his tongue.
*...No. I must have seen wrong.*
He hadn't realized it, but the possibility of acting alongside Lee Seojun must have been weighing on him quite a bit. Yes. That had to be it. As the man tried to erase the image he had just seen, the staff member spoke.
It seemed the staffer had interpreted the man's dumbfounded utterance as a question.
"Yes. There's someone who arrived earlier... I heard he's an actor working in Korea."
Ahhh.
So he hadn't seen wrong after all.
The staff member's definitive statement made the man squeeze his eyes shut.
Sitting on a chair in the waiting room, reading what was almost certainly the same script as him, was a middle-aged actor.
A famous actor, recognizable even from a fleeting glance.
"...Why is actor Kim Jongho here?"
That day, the casting team employee had to repeatedly witness the bizarre sight of auditioning actors seeing the man in the waiting room and reflexively slamming the door shut, just as this man had.
***
The casting director, flipping through applications for the audition screening, scratched his brow as he paused at one particular form.
[Jongho Kim]
"Kim is a famous actor in Korea. Shouldn't he have a separate waiting room? Korean-American actors will likely recognize him."
It wasn't just Korean-Americans; the casting director had also recognized Kim Jongho from his audition tape. He had been deeply impressed by both *Escape* and *Naeuiwon*. He was an actor who had crossed his mind whenever a role for a Korean man of a similar age came up.
*Though I didn't know he was interested in Hollywood.*
He had assumed that, given his age, it would be more difficult for him to start over in a new place compared to younger actors, but apparently, that wasn't the case.
"And we're not collecting phones, so the news will spread quickly."
In response to the casting director's concern, the head of the planning team shrugged.
"We told him beforehand that he'd be sharing the waiting room, and he said he was fine with it. Besides, everyone's already half-decided, aren't they? As long as he doesn't fail, it won't be a problem if the news gets out."
"Well, that's true."
The casting director nodded.
Among the many audition tapes, Kim Jongho's had received overwhelming attention.
Today was more or less a check to see if he could deliver that same performance again, and if he could do so with a new script, not just the one for the audition.
*Well, if he's below expectations, the role will go to another actor.*
But the planning head, the casting director, and even the actors in the waiting room knew the chances of that were slim.
"And news spreading also means an opportunity for publicity."
"Especially in Korea."
With the appearance of Seojun Lee and Kim Jongho, the movie's success in Korea was practically guaranteed.
As the planning head and casting director chuckled, Director Jeffrey, who had been sitting quietly between them, recalled the episode of *Naeuiwon* he had watched the previous night. The affectionate father, King Taejong, and his adorable son, Grand Prince Seongnyeong.
*They'd be a good fit.*
He couldn't imagine a more suitable father-son duo.
"Alright, let's begin the auditions."
At the planning head's words, the doors to the audition room opened.
***
*Ding.*
The phone notification ringing since dawn made Park Seongwon, who had been sleeping, reach out to find it.
*...Not my alarm.*
He used the busking version of "Over the Rainbow" as his alarm tone; Gray Vainie's raw performance was perfect for jolting him awake.
This was probably a keyword notification he had set up on "From Sprouts" since Seojun was filming a movie called [Survivors].
Usually, trivial posts used search-avoiding terms like "S/urvivors" or "Survi-vors," so the notification wouldn't ring unless it was something truly important.
The last time it had gone off was for the news of Milan Chellen's casting.
"What could it be?"
Just as Park Seongwon was about to pick up his phone,
*Ding!*
*Ding!*
*Ding!*
The vibrating alerts made him pause for a moment before he quickly turned on his phone. He looked at the screen.
[Title: Whoa. Survivors is insane!]
[Title: In Survivors...!]
[Title: He went to the Survivors audition?]
Dozens of posts were flooding in.
"All the important details are missing."
Now fully awake, Park Seongwon went to the "From Sprouts" fan cafe and saw the notice pinned at the top. It was a direct copy of a news article.
"...Whoa."
[Notice: (Exclusive) Actor Kim Jongho! Auditioning for 'Survivors'!]
***
[(Exclusive) Actor Kim Jongho! Auditioning for 'Survivors'!]
Auditions for various roles in [Survivors] are currently underway in LA, where Bearround's headquarters is located. Today's auditions were for the parents of the character played by actor Lee Seojun.
And an unexpected face was present.
(Omitted)
Actor Kim Jongho's agency stated, "This is his first challenge in Hollywood. We ask for your support for actor Kim Jongho, who is participating in auditions in a completely new environment.">
Starting with the exclusive report that broke at dawn, articles began to pour in.
[Davis Garrett x Lee Seojun x Milan Chellen, and... Kim Jongho?]
[Pass?! Fail?! Kim Jongho in the midst of Hollywood auditions!]
-Wow... I thought there wouldn't be any more surprises while waiting for Survivors ;;;
=222 I got goosebumps the moment the exclusive article dropped.
=333 I never thought I'd see Kim Jongho in a Hollywood movie.
=4444 But it's a little disappointing. It would've been more fun if he made a surprise appearance like in Escape.
-But he hasn't passed yet, right?
=An actor of Kim Jongho's caliber will pass.
=Aren't you being a little too optimistic? Aren't there very few actors who do well in our country and then successfully establish themselves in Hollywood?
=Yeah, just because Lee Seojun is doing well doesn't mean everyone will.
=If he fails, there are going to be so many clickbait articles.
-Still, just taking on the challenge is amazing.
=222 No one is good from the very beginning.
-Actor Kim Jongho! You have to pass!
=Praying for him to pass!!
-I think there's a high chance he'll pass.
=222 It's good for promotion, with Escape and Naeuiwon.
=3333 With Lee Seojun and Kim Jongho, isn't its success in Korea already guaranteed?
-But Kim Jongho at an audition... If I were an actor, I would've just walked out.
=Same. I would've walked out without a second glance haha
=??? : ...Why is the final boss showing up here?
=??? : The mid-boss was too weak, so I came out myself!!
=??? : Excuse me? Can we get some game balancing???
***
From early in the morning, the BananaTalk group chat was flooded with messages.
Seojun, who had to go to school since it was a weekday, quickly washed up and grabbed his phone. There was still plenty of time before breakfast.
>Lee Jiseok: I think Jongho-hyung's agency leaked that exclusive.
>Park Dohun: Right?
Seojun nodded at Lee Jiseok's message.
With the agency's comment attached to a time-sensitive exclusive, it seemed likely. It made sense. It was important to set the tone from the beginning.
>Lee Dajin: Our set is in an uproar too.
>Lee Dajin: Everyone is saying he'll definitely pass lol
A wide smile spread across Seojun's face at Lee Dajin's message.
>Lee Jiseok: Right. Looks like we don't have to worry.
>Park Dohun: But shouldn't the audition be over soon?
>Lee Dajin: T_T I have to go shoot my scene.
After Lee Dajin left for filming, the others were chatting about what to eat when Kim Jongho returned. Just then, the message Seojun and the three actors had been waiting for arrived.
>Kim Jongho: It's over.
>Kim Jongho: Scheduled to arrive in Korea tomorrow.
Seojun beamed at Kim Jongho's message.
***
[Actor Kim Jongho, Returns to Korea!]
[Actor Kim Jongho, Takes on Hollywood!]
[Kim Jongho, "I wanted to challenge myself before I got any older."]
***
After Kim Jongho's return, Seojun and the other actors gathered at his house.
They finished a lunch of hot samgyetang that Lee Jiseok had brought as takeout and chatted leisurely.
"Jongho-samchon. How was the Hollywood audition?"
At Park Dohun's question, Lee Jiseok, Lee Dajin, and Seojun's eyes sparkled.
"...Seojun, why do you look so curious?"
"Well... the last Hollywood audition I participated in was for Shadowman 1. And it wasn't an ordinary audition. So I was curious."
Park Dohun marveled as Seojun spoke, scratching his cheek.
"As expected of a Hollywood star."
"So cool."
Everyone burst out laughing at Lee Dajin's heartfelt words. Kim Jongho, laughing cheerfully, stroked his chin and began to speak.
"The audition didn't seem that different from the ones in Korea. I guess showing your acting and being evaluated is the same everywhere."
Kim Jongho smiled with satisfaction as he talked about the audition.
The audition, his first in a long time, had made him nervous. And Kim Jongho had enjoyed that nervousness. He didn't know the result, but he had done his best.
"It was fun."
At his words, Seojun and the three actors also smiled.
It was then.
They heard someone pressing the buttons on the electronic door lock.
"Hyung. Were you expecting someone?"
"No. Nobody."
While everyone looked puzzled, the door opened.
"You passed! You passed! Jongho-hyung!"
Kim Jongho's manager, who had accompanied him to the US and was supposed to be on vacation until the day after tomorrow, rushed in breathlessly. Kim Jongho blinked at his manager's flushed and excited face.
"Passed what?"
"The audition! The Survivors audition!"
"...The results are out already?"
Seojun and the three actors, who had been just as puzzled as Kim Jongho, broke into bright smiles as they understood the manager's words.
"Jongho-samchon! Congratulations!"
"Hyung! Congrats!"
"I knew you'd pass!"
"A party! Should we have a celebration party?"
As Seojun and the others grew boisterous, reality seemed to be sinking in for Kim Jongho. His puzzled expression slowly morphed into one of astonishment. Seojun, Park Dohun, and Lee Dajin giggled at the change in his expression.
Lee Jiseok considered it seriously.
"Now that you're going to Hollywood, Hyung, maybe I should give it a try... Hyung, are you crying?"
"...I'm not crying!"
Kim Jongho, feeling called out, snapped back. At his reaction, Lee Jiseok's expression turned mischievous. Kim Jongho could already guess what was coming next.
Seojun, Park Dohun, and Lee Dajin burst into laughter at the sight of the two actors bickering as always.
***
[Actor Kim Jongho! Passes 'Survivors' Audition!]
[Davis Garrett x Lee Seojun x Milan Chellen and Kim Jongho!!]
[Meet Korean Actor Kim Jongho in a Hollywood Film!]
[Kim Jongho and Lee Seojun! As Father and Son Once Again!]
[Actor Kim Jongho, "Thank you for all your support."]
-Waaaaah!!!
=I'm so happy for him!!
-I'm used to seeing Seojun, but I never thought I'd see actor Kim Jongho in a Hollywood movie!
-Doesn't this make Seojun his senior?
=222 In Hollywood, Seojun's the senior lol
=Seojun, if he doesn't know anything, teach him well lol
=Please take good care of our actor.
-Whoa. Wait, if he's the father... Taejong? Is King Taejong coming back!
=Grand Prince T_T
=Survivors... the title sounds ominous for some reason...
=222 It really does sound ominous...