Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Audition
The day after returning from Gyeongju, Yu Yeon-seo went to his office at the JSENM headquarters.
(Send the list over as soon as you get it. I’ll check it first.)
“Yes, brother.”
(Take care.)
Hanging up the call with Baek Seo-jun, Yu Yeon-seo let out a sigh.
‘It’s so much easier having someone to help…’
There was more progress than investigating alone. He wanted to focus solely on finding the culprit, but his brother was busy, and he had his own commitments, so he put it aside for now.
“What’s the status on the ‘Film Night’ report?”
“I’ve organized it and left it on your desk.”
Besides, he felt that immersing himself in other work would help him ignore the torrent of emotions constricting him. Moreover, he was scheduled to attend an audition in the afternoon, which Director Cheon would be observing in person. If he had woken up any later, he would have missed the appointment.
“Um… Director.”
“Yes?”
Yu Yeon-seo turned his head at the cautious words. Cha Yun-ho, Yu Yeon-seo’s secretary at JSENM, avoided his gaze.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine, so get back to work.”
Seeing him so flustered, he guessed his mother had put him up to it... Yu Yeon-seo answered nonchalantly and entered his office.
Come to think of it, many people had greeted him at the entrance, asking about his well-being. Did it get posted online somewhere? People get sick sometimes. It’s not that big of a deal, is it?
-Ah T_T Juseong and the agency, why haven’t they released an official statement T_T
-It’s not anything serious, is it?
-But was the person who got carried out really Yu Yeon-seo?
└Yeah, my friend is a nurse at Juseong Hospital and said he came to the ER
-The agency released a statement, go check it out
└Huh? What?
└Simple exhaustion? Does simple exhaustion land you in the ER?
└No, his secretary and brother were there. If they had to call 911, doesn’t that mean it was serious?
└Give us a proper explanation
└But do they really have an obligation to explain everything? He looked fine in the Gyeongju sighting photos.
└Look at how they wrote the announcement lol They suck at their job
└└For an actor’s agency, Halo Media is actually pretty good at their job lol
Hmm… Is it a big deal?
As he sat in his chair, he looked at Im Seung-hyeon, who had followed him in.
“Im Seung-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
“By any chance, was your younger sister very worried about me?”
As soon as the news of Im Seung-hyeon’s sighting was posted, Im Hye-ju bombarded him with calls and messages. Busy dealing with the situation at the time, he couldn’t help but frown at the over 100 messages that had piled up.
[Brother, what’s this picture? That’s you, right?]
[Everyone’s saying the person who got carried out is Yu Yeon-seo. What happened?]
[Why did he go to the ER? Is he really sick? What’s going on?]
[Ah, why are you ignoring me! Hey!]
Although her favorite actor was just one connection away, Im Hye-ju, who had restrained herself to maintain the distance between a fan and an actor, went wild that day. She tried to contact him almost every day. Even when he blocked her, she would persistently contact him from different numbers, and he was now sick and tired of it. Fortunately, she had gone quiet since the Gyeongju sighting was posted yesterday.
“Wouldn’t any fan be worried?”
His sigh-like response carried a great deal of meaning. Is that so... After a moment of thought, Yu Yeon-seo straightened his reclined chair.
“Hmm… Should I post a picture?”
“That’d be great. Now’s the perfect time.”
Lee Tae-gyeom answered instead. The luxurious office interior, the elegant nameplate engraved with ‘Internal Director Yu Yeon-seo,‘ and his neat suit. It was clear that these were all points the fans would love.
“Cross your legs, and rest your clasped hands on your knee.”
“What, are you a photographer now?”
“Presentation is key for things like this.”
But the result turned out so well that he couldn’t complain. He uploaded the photo Lee Tae-gyeom sent him to social media and thought for a long while.
‘What should I write?’
He didn’t want to write a long-winded post saying he was sick but was all better now. He just wanted to show that he was fine.
Y__Yeonseo
Office reveal
└Director T_T
└We missed you T_T
└Are you okay?
└SO GORGEOUS, WILL U MARRY ME
└Wow, this is crazy T_T
└MINE
└WE MISSED U
The number of hearts and comments shot up every time he refreshed. Yu Yeon-seo refreshed it a few more times before turning off the screen with a lingering touch.
In the morning, he reviewed the synopses and pitches from ‘Film Night,‘ and in the afternoon, he finally arrived at the audition site where Director Cheon would be present. Because the director was so renowned, a large hall had been rented for the audition, and it was packed with people.
Of course, regardless of the director’s fame, such audition opportunities were rare, so everyone flocked to it like moths to a flame.
“Wow, so many people…”
Lee Tae-gyeom muttered from behind. Some people glanced at Yu Yeon-seo, but the majority were anxiously memorizing their scripts with tense faces.
‘Did all these people come here just for this one role?’
It wasn’t even a lead role, but a minor supporting one, yet this was the number of applicants after several rounds of screening. Will they even finish seeing all these people today?
He revised his opinion that coming into this body was a mistake. He didn’t have the confidence to work his way up from the bottom and take on such a variety of roles in a short period.
“You’re here. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
Director Cheon gave Yu Yeon-seo a quick once-over, then frowned slightly. He knew what the director was about to say. Something about how his complexion was bad or that he’d lost weight. He beat him to the punch.
“By the way, did you write the audition script yourself, Director?”
“No, my script adapter did.”
For a simple audition script, it’s remarkably well-written. He said, looking over the audition script again.
“Does this person have any interest in writing original screenplays, not just adaptations?”
“They do. That’s why they’re learning directing under me… I think they’re about to sign with a production company.”
Compared to dramas, where writers have significant influence, writers with original storytelling abilities had less power in the film industry. They often had their fees withheld and were frequently overshadowed by directors, an issue that remained one of the film industry’s unresolved problems. That’s why such writers usually learn directing as well and debut as directors themselves.
“That’s a shame. So they’re not considering dramas, then?”
“Probably not.”
“Well, if they’re learning under you, Director, I suppose there’s no need to go into dramas.”
The industry still holds films in higher regard than dramas, after all. But writers have more power in the world of dramas. Yu Yeon-seo said to let him know if they changed their mind, then coughed lightly.
“Director, what are you going to look for first in this audition?”
“Their face, their aura.”
“I see. A face that fits your work.”
When Director Cheon posted the audition notice, he listed very specific appearance requirements. Things like wanting faint or no double eyelids, fair skin, and so on—it was extremely detailed.
The unusual part was that there was no gender restriction. The original script also portrayed the character androgynously, and there were many blanks, presumably to be filled in according to the actor who was cast.
“Aren’t you looking at their acting ability?”
“As long as their acting isn’t terrible, it’s fine. If they can deliver their lines well…”
Every director has their preferred type of actor, but Director Cheon was confident he could elevate even subpar acting with his own directing.
“I’m envious.”
The thought slipped out unconsciously, but he wasn’t embarrassed. After all, he’d invested in Director Cheon’s film to make this kind of appeal.
Director Cheon chuckled softly.
“So, I’d like you to take a look at their acting.”
“Me?”
“Just the basics. Only the basics.”
Isn’t it too soon for me to be judging anyone? Yu Yeon-seo nodded anyway.
“Hello! I’m…”
As soon as the first applicant entered, he tilted his head slightly.
‘Ah, this one’s a fail.’
An audition begins the moment you open the door. But to act so unconfidently. Director Cheon seemed to think the same, as he set the profile aside without looking at it.
“Yes, we’re looking at your profile, so you can skip the introduction. Let’s start with the designated scene.”
The applicant, about to introduce themselves in a trembling voice, looked on the verge of tears after being cut off by Yu Yeon-seo. He wondered if it would get better once the acting started, but sure enough, their performance was also riddled with a lack of confidence.
“Thank you for your time. Next.”
The next applicant entered immediately.
“Hello!”
A bit more confident than the last one. Yu Yeon-seo frowned as he looked at the applicant’s profile picture. It was clear they had tried to show their various sides, but because of that, it was impossible to tell what they actually wanted to showcase.
It would have been better to pick their most charming feature and highlight that... like the mole on their cheek, for instance...
“Yes, we’ve seen enough.”
When Yu Yeon-seo answered dismissively while still looking at the profile picture, the applicant’s expression changed.
Hmm… Fail. You can’t show that you’re upset. He was starting to find the audition process enjoyable. Was judging others always this fun?
And while he would probably never have to audition like this himself, if he ever did, he could use this as a lesson in what not to do.
“Is your eyesight very poor?”
“What?”
“Take off your glasses. I want to see your eyes.”
At Yu Yeon-seo’s instruction, the applicant took off their glasses without a word. Director Cheon smiled faintly. It was convenient that Yu Yeon-seo was giving instructions on his own, without him having to say anything. It meant their thoughts were aligned.
“Are you done?”
“Yes.”
“You’re aware you have a habit of blinking excessively when you deliver your lines, right?”
“Uh…”
“You should work on fixing that. We’ve seen enough.”
Sometimes, he would toss out a piece of advice. Of course, some of the people auditioning were around Yu Yeon-seo’s age and had considerable experience, so there were those who didn’t pay his words any mind...
“Have you ever held an audition before?”
“No.”
“You seemed hesitant, but you’re doing a fine job. Just keep it up.”
Before the next applicant came in, Director Cheon laughed heartily and slapped Yu Yeon-seo on the back.
‘I think I’ve been roped into this…’
Since he was handling all the minor details, Director Cheon was just sitting with his arms crossed, doing nothing. However, he didn’t realize that this, too, was a test from Director Cheon.
Following that, the next applicant entered.
“Hello.”
Ah, that person... It was the actor he saw practicing on the theater stage when he first met Director Cheon. Just then, his eyes met the applicant’s. The actor was looking at Yu Yeon-seo with a peculiar expression.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“I found out later.”
“Right. I enjoyed your practice.”
After the applicant’s performance, before Yu Yeon-seo could say anything, Director Cheon spoke for the first time. Yu Yeon-seo, who had good intuition, noticed this was Director Cheon’s sign of approval.
‘I’m jealous.’
If possible, I’d rather be acting than producing. He was flipping to the next applicant’s profile when he looked up at a familiar face.
“Hello!”
It was Hong Min-a, with whom he had worked on ‘Dreaming’. She didn’t acknowledge him and focused on the audition. Director Cheon unfolded his arms and rested his chin on his hand.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Pardon?”
“I enjoyed the drama.”
“Thank you!”
So Hong Min-a passes, too. Yu Yeon-seo moved on to the next applicant’s profile.
“You have a good voice.”
“Yes, it’s easy on the ears.”
“What do you think your charm is?”
To the unexpected question, Yu Yeon-seo answered without hesitation.
“My face.”
“Even if that face limits your choice of roles?”
“I was born this way, what can I do? I’ll just buy the roles with money.”
“And what if there’s something you still can’t get?”
“I’ll have to try my best to be liked. I suppose I’ll need to be good at acting, first and foremost.”
As he said that, Yu Yeon-seo paused for a moment.
‘Acting… acting…’
If coughing up blood is caused by the clash between the weak-hearted Yu Yeon-seo and Kang Jin-hu’s robust mentality, then perhaps if I could properly act the part of Yu Yeon-seo, I could at least stop myself from coughing up blood? He held a handkerchief to his mouth and coughed.
“A phone is vibrating.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
He’d set it to silent, so the vibration meant an important message had arrived.
(Im Seung-hyeon) Young Master, you should step out for a moment when you have time.
‘Don’t tell me Grandmother has already sent someone?’
The shock therapy must have worked. He tried to ignore the stabbing pain in his chest. He thought this pain was the guilt felt by the original body’s owner.