La Luna 2: The Fanboy's Lucky Break
I poured out all my worries to my acting coach, Gu Min-jun. He immediately instructed me to get up on stage right then and there.
"Let's see you act once."
"Right here?"
"Yes." He nodded with his arms crossed, his eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and expectation.
I climbed onto the stage as he directed. The elaborately decorated musical set came into view. It felt slightly different from the stages I usually performed on—not flashy, but closer to a dreamy atmosphere. It was like stepping into a fairy tale book.
"Don't feel pressured. Just do a rehearsal like you normally would."
Gu Min-jun watched me from the audience seats. He said not to feel burdened, but...
...how could I not?
I gave an awkward smile and glanced around the stage. The trainees had stopped their lessons and were all staring at me in silence. Even the coaches teaching them were the same. Everyone was staring right through me.
Pressure level: x500.
I was used to people's gazes to some extent, but that was only as an idol. Here, I was just newbie actress #1. In simple terms, this wasn't my home turf.
Standing there awkwardly for a moment, Ha Yu-ri from across the way clenched her fist.
"Senior, fighting."
She sent me a tiny whisper of encouragement. It was a small comfort. Truly, only juniors look out for their seniors.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
After exchanging a quick glance with Yu-ri, I dove straight into the rehearsal. The result was the same as before. It felt somehow 2% off.
The coach seemed to sense it too, nodding with a complicated expression.
"Definitely... compared to when you played Lee Ha-eun, it feels a bit awkward, doesn't it?"
"What's the problem?"
Ever since Want to Reach You became a massive hit, expectations from the film industry had skyrocketed for me. To live up to them, I wanted to fix the issue as quickly as possible.
"Hmm."
The coach pondered for a moment before sharing his thoughts.
"It's awkward, but you're not bad at acting... In cases like this, it could be the role itself or a lack of chemistry with your scene partner. Let's try a different character this time. And switch partners too."
With that, he started gathering other trainees nearby.
Soon, nine trainees gathered in front of me. As aspiring actors, they were all strikingly good-looking—handsome guys and beautiful girls.
The coach casually asked them,
"Anyone want to do a one-on-one rehearsal with Ruti?"
As if they'd rehearsed it, they all shot their hands up in unison.
"Me! I want to do it!"
"I raised my hand first!"
"Doing it with another girl would probably be more comfortable for Ruti too."
They started bickering over who would get to do it. When no decision was reached after a while, the coach tossed the choice to me.
"Pick one from these that you like, Ruti."
The trainees stopped fighting and fixed their gazes on me, each face brimming with anticipation.
The stares were seriously burdensome. It didn't really matter who my partner was. So I decided to pick randomly.
Ding dong dang—♪
Singing a little tune in my head, I selected a partner at random. The one I ended up choosing was a tall male trainee.
"I'll go with this guy."
I pointed at him without much thought. That was all...
"It's an honor."
But the guy looked deeply moved, like I'd bestowed some great favor on him. I tilted my head.
...What's with him?
We regret to inform you that you did not pass the final audition.
It arrived a week after the final audition. The movie was Want to Reach You. Since it was directed by an unknown director, I hadn't expected much from the start. So when the rejection came, I took it in stride. There were plenty of better roles out there anyway.
That's what I thought, at least—
The moment I heard that breaking news, my mind went blank. It felt like I'd been smashed in the back of the head with a hammer—my skull throbbed.
I'd thought it was just some no-name flick, but who could've guessed that Ruti would land the lead? If I'd known from the start, I wouldn't have half-assed the audition. I'd have fought tooth and nail for the role. And I probably would've gotten it.
Not to brag, but I had confidence in my acting skills. Even phoning it in, I'd made it to the final two. If I'd gone all out from the beginning, the result would've been different for sure.
But what did it matter? It was water under the bridge. No amount of regret could change it. The role had gone to someone else.
Park Sang-min beat the ground in remorse that day. And why not? He was a Ruti fan. He'd blown his chance to get close to his favorite idol with his own two hands. How could he not regret it?
This kind of opportunity won't come again...
A chance to act alongside his ultimate bias. He'd never get another shot like that.
Or so he thought.
"I'm Si-hyeon, from the same agency as Yu-ri. Nice to work with you."
Ruti had come to La Luna theater herself for lessons. That alone was dreamlike enough, but now he had the chance to act with her too.
"Anyone want to do a one-on-one rehearsal with Ruti?"
Park Sang-min shot his hand up fast, but everyone else did too, so he wasn't picked right away. In the end, Ruti would choose herself.
Please pick me...
He closed his eyes and repeated it like a mantra. Then came her magical voice.
"I'll go with this guy."
When he opened his eyes, he saw her pale, slender finger pointing right at him. Out of all these people, she'd chosen him. It moved him to tears, and he felt proud to have been selected.
Park Sang-min's shoulders shook with excitement for the first time in ages.
Guess I do have a bit of charm.
Chosen as her partner, Park Sang-min joined Ruti on stage. They were about to rehearse just the two of them. He memorized his lines quickly and faced her.
Thanks to the rehearsal pretext, he could stare straight at her face. She was in casual clothes with subtle makeup that didn't scream "idol." Not as glammed up as on TV, but that plainness only amplified her pure charm. Her skin was so clear and white—it made her seem ethereal. If someone lived on dew alone, they'd look like this.
"Um, can we start the rehearsal now?"
"Ah, yeah."
Park Sang-min cleared his throat and gripped his script tightly.
"You—how long are you gonna keep being so shameless?!"
Immersing himself in his character—a boyfriend furious at his cheating girlfriend—he dove into the act. He widened his eyes and let out his rage, determined to show his ultimate bias only his best, most immersive performance.
That was the plan, anyway—
"Sorry."
Her short apology disarmed him instantly. With a face like that, couldn't he just forgive her? By the time he snapped out of it, he was grinning like an idiot.
"Hey! What're you smiling at? You gonna do this right or not?!"
The coach watching the rehearsal bellowed, but his words didn't reach Park Sang-min. His eyes were fixed only on his beloved bias.
...Just an angel.
**
Acting is ultimately about expending emotions. And burning through emotions can sometimes feel more exhausting than physical labor. Especially for a newbie actress like me.
"...Whew."
We wrapped the rehearsal and took a break. Sitting in the audience seats, I sipped the coffee I'd bought. Only then did I feel alive again.
"Senior, how were the lessons?"
Yu-ri sat down next to me, cautiously asking for my thoughts. Her face was half expectant, half worried.
I gave her my honest impressions.
"Fun. Everyone was nice too."
Rehearsing in a musical theater set was novel, and acting with all sorts of people was a fresh experience after a while.
"Maybe I should take proper lessons here sometime..."
It was just idle musing. But somehow, one of the male trainees resting nearby perked up his ears. It was the guy I'd just rehearsed one-on-one with.
He hurried over to me in one stride.
"Our troupe isn't bad, right? The coaches are all pros and teach really well."
"Yeah, sure."
"And if it's not too rude, could you give me your thoughts on my acting?"
"It was good. Lots of emotion, and it helped me get immersed too."
We had a few NG takes at first for some reason, but after that, it went smoothly without issues.
"If it was good, that's a huge relief."
The guy beamed idiotically and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Call me anytime you need a rehearsal partner. So... could I get your number?"
He held out his phone to me.
...Ah.
I let out a silent sigh. I hadn't told the people here, but the one who'd brought us all the way here was CEO Kim. I'd assumed he'd left right away, but apparently he was worried about me and had slipped into the theater without me noticing.
"Behind you."
"Huh? Something behind me...?"
The guy turned around and froze solid on the spot.
There stood CEO Kim.
With a slightly pissed-off look on his face.