I Learned It from Lee Su-a
Industry insiders had all been thinking the same thing.
The audition for Director Hong Il-beom's next film would draw nothing but middling actors.
They were right. The performers gathered in the audition hall were, for the most part, aging rookies with nothing but vague supporting parts and bit roles on their resumes, or actors who had never quite broken through to leading-man status and had spent years bouncing from one supporting gig to the next.
A handful of lead-caliber names had shown up as well, lured by the simple fact that it was a Hong Il-beom picture. More applicants had crowded in than anyone expected, and packed shoulder to shoulder in the waiting room, the actors sent their gazes roaming in every direction, quietly calculating their own chances.
A lot of people.
Even those glances seemed to slide past Jo Yong-jin without quite landing. He kept his eyes on his clasped hands. If he looked up and happened to meet someone's gaze, the awkwardness would be unbearable.
Avoiding their eyes, however, did nothing to shut out the murmuring around him. Every time his own name surfaced in those whispers, he wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment.
I'm sorry.
He was, without question, in a better position than most of the people in this room. His last role had been the primary villain of the year's biggest first-half drama, and his acting had been recognized for it.
And yet the scripts that still came his way were supporting roles or villains, nothing else. He'd been wondering whether he ought to be grateful that villain parts had started arriving after a diet of nothing but supporting work — until his closest friend, his hyung Do Je-hyun, had set him straight.
"Hey, an actor's got to be greedy for roles. That's how your acting grows. You know that just from looking at me."
Do Je-hyun had locked down leading roles almost immediately, thanks to his natural looks and star quality, though his slightly lacking performances had always been a topic of gossip. But his willingness to learn from anyone, combined with diligent, relentless practice, had earned him a reputation as an actor who was always growing — and now, through The Master's Medical Log, he was being praised for having added a new layer of maturity to his craft.
Watching Do Je-hyun, Jo Yong-jin had found the courage to apply for this audition. He wanted the project. He wanted the lead. And he wanted the growth that would come from working under Director Hong Il-beom.
"Wow, it's been so long since I've done an audition — I'm shaking. Aren't you?"
"...Yeah."
If that hyung of his hadn't shown up, he might have found a little more courage.
Jo Yong-jin shot a sidelong glance at Do Je-hyun, who was sitting beside him and whispering.
Greedy bastard.
Then again, there was no way Do Je-hyun would let a Hong Il-beom film slip through his fingers. This was a man who would learn from a child actor he'd only just met.
The truth was, this kind of active wanting felt unfamiliar. He'd always been more hungry to polish whatever role he was given than to covet a particular part.
But the moment he'd shared the screen with Lee Su-a in The Master's Medical Log, he'd wanted a role for the first time — the role of Go Su-hyeok.
A protagonist weaves through every character in a story, interlocking with them or grinding against them. The more characters a lead shares the screen with, the richer and deeper that protagonist's flavor becomes.
And so Jo Yong-jin had begun to want a leading role. He wanted to act with a wider range of flavors.
"I'm going first."
Do Je-hyun's number was called. He gave Jo Yong-jin's shoulder a light tap.
"I'm going to give it everything I've got. I'm not going to lose to you."
"You'd land it even if you phoned it in..."
"Looking at your face right now, I'm not so sure."
Jo Yong-jin reflexively wiped a hand across his face. He couldn't tell if anything had actually changed, but Do Je-hyun just laughed and walked out.
Had he just been teasing? Maybe Yong-jin had looked more nervous than he thought.
Jo Yong-jin dropped his gaze again. To the other applicants, he might have looked lost in deep contemplation. In reality, he was just sitting there in a daze, trying to shake off the nerves.
Before long, it was Jo Yong-jin's turn.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"You've been waiting since this morning, haven't you? Thank you for sitting through all that."
Director Hong Il-beom — lean, with a sharp, imposing presence — and screenwriter Lee Ok-dan, whose smile was warm even as her keen eyes raked over him, greeted Jo Yong-jin. The casting director and cinematographer sat beside them.
Jo Yong-jin bowed in greeting and took his place. They would start with the assigned scene.
The scene they'd given him was the protagonist, Yang Ho-gun, haggling over prices at a marketplace, trading jokes as he bargained. Jo Yong-jin's stiff face melted into a sly, easy grin.
"Now, now~ A pretty young lady like you, getting so greedy — you'll wrinkle that lovely forehead. What's that? You're no maiden? Ah, then I'm a step too late. Your husband is a fortunate man indeed."
Weaving compliments and banter together, Yang Ho-gun had managed to talk the price down to something reasonable. As he turned away, he let a faint smile slip across his face — a smile of an entirely different texture from the performance he'd just given, and the camera caught it.
The moment the scene ended, Hong Il-beom asked a question.
"What was the meaning of that last smile?"
"In the character profile you sent, Yang Ho-gun is a secret royal inspector. He's carrying out a covert royal mission, but that smile was him checking the mood and circumstances of the village he'd stopped in — and being reassured by what he found."
"Would Yang Ho-gun go that far? Is there a reason?"
"Well... I thought the reason belonged more to you, Director, and to you, Writer, than to Yang Ho-gun himself. The fact that this particular scene was chosen for the assigned performance — I figured it was because this is where we need to see a different side of him."
"Do you always take the writer and director's intentions into account like that?"
"To be honest, I only started doing that during my most recent project."
Hong Il-beom and Lee Ok-dan exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"Shall we see your free performance next?"
"Yes. Give me a moment to prepare."
Jo Yong-jin closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and dropped to his knees. His head hung low. His shoulders trembled in fine, rapid shivers, and the fists resting on his knees were clenched so tight the veins stood out.
When he slowly lifted his head, the face of the man he had become was overflowing with a fear and shame that looked ready to burst.
"I want to apologize to that child."
But he found the courage to speak.
"I want to tell her I was wrong, that I'm truly sorry... I want to beg her forgiveness. It's all right if she doesn't forgive me. It's all right if Min-seo resents me for the rest of my life..."
Ha Min-jun was pleading with someone. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them — as if registering the other person's reaction.
"I know, Mom. No — Mother. Father wouldn't let me get away with it. But I can't go on living like this—"
Ha Min-jun cut himself off and shrank back, as if the person across from him had just barked a reprimand. Terror of being abandoned written across his face, he chewed on his words, then bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"You're right! If I wanted to ignore this scrap of conscience, I could!"
Still on his knees, Ha Min-jun planted his right foot forward.
"But I don't want to live that way! I don't want to spend another day terrified of when my mistakes will catch up with me!"
He planted his left foot as well and slowly rose to his feet.
"It's time I took responsibility for everything I've done. I won't hide behind you, Mother, and I won't wait for Father to cover for me... I'll finish this with my own hands."
Standing tall, Ha Min-jun let his hard-set expression twist, just slightly, and bowed deeply at the waist.
"I'm sorry, Mother."
It was a declaration of independence — from the Ha Min-jun of The Master's Medical Log, the one who had dodged responsibility, been jerked around by his parents' will, and ultimately met his ruin.
Director Hong Il-beom's hand moved rapidly across his notepad. Lee Ok-dan, who had thoroughly enjoyed The Master's Medical Log, asked with a flushed, animated face:
"That's Ha Min-jun from The Master's Medical Log, isn't it? Did you create this scene yourself, Yong-jin?"
"Yes. In the drama, Ha Min-jun was always being pushed around by his parents, and he only ever showed strength toward people weaker than himself. I wondered if even a Ha Min-jun like that might have had some small desire to change... so I tried growing that feeling out."
"I like that. Did this kind of character interpretation also start while you were working on The Master's Medical Log?"
"Yes."
Lee Ok-dan whispered something to the casting director, looking thoroughly satisfied. The casting director asked, his face bright:
"You started a lot of things on The Master's Medical Log. Did you happen to learn those things from Do Je-hyun?"
"Ah... no."
Jo Yong-jin's face went red.
Once the auditions were over, the judges gathered. Screenwriter Lee Ok-dan was the first to speak.
"If I had my way, I'd put Jo Yong-jin as Yang Ho-gun and Do Je-hyun as Kang Geon-bok... but that wouldn't work, would it?"
"I don't think it'd look all that good."
"Having the two of them in the same production two times running would make the whole picture feel a bit stale, wouldn't it."
Director Hong Il-beom and the cinematographer objected immediately. The casting director added, looking regretful:
"And both of their asking prices have gone up quite a bit... haha."
"I was just saying it out loud. Can't be helped."
"We could probably still afford one of them, though. Which actor for which role?"
At the casting director's words, the three of them found themselves in complete agreement.
"Jo Yong-jin as Yang Ho-gun."
"Agreed. The look fits, and the acting was excellent."
"I'll second that."
After the protagonist Yang Ho-gun, the casting of Kang Geon-bok — who was essentially his partner — and the mid-boss villain character proceeded smoothly as well.
The cinematographer scanned the casting list and clicked his tongue.
"It's awfully lightweight, isn't it."