Chapter 82
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82
“Ho-yun, don't panic! Don't be nervous! Just do what you usually do, and they’ll see how good you are! D-do you need a Cheongsimhwan?”
I glanced at my manager, who had been pouring out worries the entire way to the audition waiting room. It felt like the manager needed the Cheongsimhwan more than I did.
As I stepped inside the waiting room, I felt the eyes of the aspiring actors scanning me from head to toe. Following that, a sticky, mockery-laden gaze clung to me. It was the kind of look that said, ‘Well, well, look who it is. An idol has graced us with his presence.’
‘I wonder what kind of trouble will find me today.’
Feeling a slight sense of anticipation, I turned to the manager.
“Manager. I’m a bit thirsty. Could you go buy me some water?”
“Of course!!”
The manager sat me down in a corner seat and dashed out. The drink was, of course, just an excuse. I simply wanted to get him out of here.
From the moment I entered the room until now, the surrounding gazes had been prickling me. They clearly recognized my face. A few who didn't know me just glanced and moved on, but those who realized I was an idol gave me cold stares.
Furthermore, this audition was for a work by the famous writer Kim Suk-hee. To aspiring actors or rookies who were just starting to gain traction, they wouldn't want me cutting in and taking a piece of their pie.
For now, I quietly opened my script.
In the scripts for episodes 1 and 2 that I had received, Lee Jeong-hun didn't have that many scenes. At most, it was just scenes where he clashed with the protagonist over every little thing.
“Hmm.”
It didn't matter, since I had already seen all these scenes anyway.
I was flipping through the pages of the script.
“Hello?”
Just as I was losing myself in the script without much thought, a voice called out, clearly intended for my ears.
“You’re Seo Ho-yun, right?”
‘Wow, he bit right away.’
Only then did I lift my head and look at the person next to me. A man with a somewhat clean-cut impression was smiling brightly at me, but irritation and contempt were on full display in his eyes.
I felt like I’d seen him somewhere before.
“I’m Lee Kang-seok. I’m an actor.”
“Yes. I’m Seo Ho-yun.”
“I heard you’re doing well these days… I guess you’re challenging yourself with acting now, too?”
On the surface, it seemed like nothing, but the words were strangely grating—especially in a waiting room where these sharp gazes were already piercing through me.
Ding!
[Why is the entertainment industry always like this?? Is it really that hard to go a single day without picking a fight??]
Why? I find it entertaining.
The system window was getting annoyed on my behalf again today. I quirked an eyebrow at him.
Lee Kang-seok… I remembered seeing his face before I came here. We had never worked together, but I’d heard rumors a few times.
‘The type to pick at people.’
I smiled faintly, experiencing this kind of industry territorialism for the first time in a long while.
“Shall I take a look at how your acting is? I think you might need some practice before you go into the audition…”
“Oh~.”
“Ah, there might not be enough time to help you with this audition. Maybe contact me some other time. I don't think I'll be seeing you around here much longer…”
“Oh… Wow, that might be the case~.”
Since I didn't actually need to pass this audition, nor did I have any intention to, I answered half-heartedly. I let the words that followed flow in one ear and out the other.
Actually, no. I did listen, but I just pretended to let them slide.
Thanks to that, Lee Kang-seok’s face turned extremely pissed off.
Ding!
[The master of subtle 'fuck yous'...]
“…Um, Mr. Lee Kang-seok.”
I glanced at him. Since he’d helped me pass the boring time quite enjoyably, I lightly clenched my fist as a sign of sincere encouragement.
It was a 'fighting' pose.
“Fighting. Good luck with your audition. I hope you pass.”
So that I can fail the first round.
“……??”
Lee Kang-seok stared blankly at me, forgetting to even be sarcastic, when a staff member opened the door to the audition room and stepped out. Behind them, I saw the actor who had gone in just before me coming out.
“Seo Ho-yun, please come in.”
“Yes.”
As I stood up, I gave a slight smile to the man who had frozen awkwardly.
The staff member looked at me—having unintentionally drawn everyone's attention—and the surrounding atmosphere, then shook their head and ushered me into the audition room.
Inside, five people were sitting in a row behind a long table.
A director, a producer, an assistant director, and the rest seemed to be studio officials, plus one writer.
“Hello, Seo Ho-yun.”
Writer Kim Suk-hee.
The person who wrote the script for Please Take Care of the Camera and created the character Lee Jeong-hun.
“Hello.”
I greeted them and walked to the center.
“My name is Seo Ho-yun.”
* * *
‘He’s here…!!’
The three members of the production crew hadn't liked Seo Ho-yun from the start. The writer, who had shown active interest in him from the beginning, and the officials, who wanted to bring in an idol to boost ratings even a little, seemed fine with it. But Director Yoo lamented.
‘An active idol is finally entering my directorial career…!!’
Ho-yun kept his eyes down and waited quietly. His face, stripped of the stage makeup he usually wore on screen, was cleaner than expected, and his sharply upturned eyes were more than just distinct—they had a quality that made people feel tense. However, the director decided not to be intimidated and chose to be a nuisance instead.
“Ah, you’re from The Dawn, right? I watched Shining Star diligently.”
= Why is an idol like you here?
“Really? Thank you very much.”
= Hi, lol.
A light battle of nerves took place before the audition began. While a studio official led the proceedings, Director Yoo flipped through the script and muttered.
“I don't know if you even had time to read the script, being so busy and all.”
“Director.”
The assistant director tried to stop him urgently, but… the director had already made up his mind to be a total jerk. The atmosphere in the audition room turned cold at the director's words, but Seo Ho-yun answered casually without the slightest reaction.
“Yes, I’ve read it.”
“Right, then let’s begin.”
As soon as the studio official finished speaking, Seo Ho-yun placed his script on the floor. Seeing this, the official picked up the microphone again.
“Aren't you going to look at the script?”
“I’ve memorized it.”
‘Ugh, I wonder what drama he’s been watching to pull this.’
Usually, they didn't look poorly upon someone trying to appeal for themselves like this. If they were diligent, at least they wouldn't skip out on filming.
However, the situation was different when that person was an ‘idol.’
He just didn't like anything about him, from head to toe.
He finally had a lead cast he liked (namely, Min Ji-heon and Yoo Ji-ah) and a fantastic script; he couldn't let an idol be thrown into the mix and ruin it.
To be honest, Director Yoo hadn't been very fond of Yoo Ji-ah at first either. It wasn't that he disliked her, but she was also originally a singer.
The reason his mind had done a 180-degree turn regarding Yoo Ji-ah was because of an independent film she had appeared in as a supporting actress a few years ago. Because it was a low-budget film made by a rookie director, it couldn't be released for various reasons until last year, when it was finally shown in a few small theaters. Despite that, it received such critical acclaim that it was even invited to prestigious overseas film awards. In particular, film critics were unanimous in their praise for Yoo Ji-ah.
Even now, the image of Yoo Ji-ah looking at the breaking dawn with clear eyes from a semi-basement staircase was vivid in his mind.
‘That was really… wow, it was incredible.’
Yoo Ji-ah, the queen of romantic comedies who had a fixed image of being cute and lovely, had completely overturned public opinion in that film. She played a character who was swept away by dire poverty and dragged through enough incidents to make her life miserable, yet she never gave up hope until the end. At the same time, she had completely captured Director Yoo’s heart.
Everyone acknowledged Director Yoo’s talent. However, he was just as stubborn, held strong stereotypes and prejudices, and had a firm philosophy regarding acting.
He was a person who couldn't accept something if he didn't acknowledge it himself. Even if it was just a supporting role.
‘Sigh…… Ratings are truly the enemy, the enemy.’
The director clicked his tongue.
The setting for Lee Jeong-hun, the role Seo Ho-yun was auditioning for, was a 33-year-old man who had claimed all sorts of ‘genius’ titles and was gaining fame as a genius PD.
Yet, they were putting a 23-year-old idol who had debuted just over a year ago—no, in Seo Ho-yun’s case, only a few months ago—as a candidate for that character.
Calm acting that lacked depth and remained unrefined, not matching his years of experience, could easily end up looking ridiculous.
‘I don't care if that Min Ji-heon is coming; how ridiculous do they think we are to do this?? I’m going to throw a fit!’
“Let’s start from here.”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”
The scene where Lee Jeong-hun appears at the broadcasting station involved the protagonist, Yoo Jeong-hwa, greeting him energetically, only for him to respond indifferently while talking to another official.
It was a part that strongly showcased Lee Jeong-hun’s rude personality.
The assistant director slowly read Yoo Jeong-hwa’s lines from the side.
“Hello, Senior Lee Jeong-hun!”
Seo Ho-yun slowly turned his head. Until then, Director Yoo had his eyes glued to the script. The assistant director read the lines in a monotone, like reading a textbook.
“I saw you on the rooftop earlier! I’m Yoo Jeong-hwa, a new recruit from the open recruitment! I really enjoyed watching ‘Become a Chef,’ which you directed as an assistant director.”
“Ah, yes. The one who’s good at social life.”
“Ah, haha….”
The voice.
The director looked up instantly.
The assistant director, tilting his head slightly, even took on the lines of a minor character to continue.
“Is our location decided?”
“Ah, no. We haven't decided yet.”
“…It still hasn't been picked?”
‘What the, his diction is… good.’
It was a voice that was neither too heavy nor too light. It was stiff, but it was that exact voice heard everywhere in broadcasting stations—the one soaked in characteristic fatigue.
Seo Ho-yun’s eyes lingered in the air as if looking at a non-existent person in front of him, then dropped.
“Then what have you been doing all this time?”
“Well, that’s because the budget for the last location didn't match as expected… I think we need to look a bit more.”
“Wow~.”
Seo Ho-yun gave a thin smile.
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone be such a Salary Lupin.”
“……!!”
“How much time has passed, and you still haven't selected a location? And a buuuudget shortage? Why are you telling me that now?”
In an instant, the Lee Jeong-hun the writer had imagined flashed right before her eyes. Seo Ho-yun cracked his neck and perfectly recreated Lee Jeong-hun’s unbridled tirade from the script.
“That, gasp, that….”
Thanks to that, even the assistant director in front of him was genuinely startled.
“I’m sorry!”
“That… it’s not my fault… no! Yes! That is also my fault!”
“Ugh, aaah…!! P-please stop…!”
He kept spitting out the same words repeatedly.
‘Incredible…!’
It was a truly moving moment for the writer. To see the character she created breathing and living right in front of her……!!
Eventually, the lines of the minor character who ran away crying flowed very vividly from the assistant director’s mouth.
Having finished his fit, Seo Ho-yun chewed on a curse, let out a deep sigh, and had exhausted eyes.
“You there, you said you were Yoo Jeong-hwa….”
“Ye-yes!!”
“It’s hard to get picked in the open recruitment, so I guess you’re quite the talent. Then.”
“Well, I still lack experience, but if you just leave it to me, I’m confident I’ll work hard.”
“……What?”
Seo Ho-yun, who had been speaking indifferently, snapped his head up. Yoo Jeong-hwa’s lines continued with oblivious brightness.
“I’ve been assigned to work under you starting today, PD-nim!!”
“……Whaaaat??”
Seo Ho-yun, looking back and forth between the assistant director and the empty space next to him (presumably Yoo Jeong-hwa), opened and closed his mouth a few times in disbelief before clamping it shut.
The setting was that the Bureau Chief, who had a bad relationship with PD Lee Jeong-hun, had deliberately assigned him the new recruit with the worst grades as a way to screw him over under the guise of a staff reinforcement.
Director Yoo found himself completely immersed in the acting, as the image of Lee Jeong-hun was realized more naturally than he had expected.
The script ended here….
Normally, it would have stopped there.
“This is driving me crazy, seriously….”
However, Seo Ho-yun didn't stop at the end of the script; he went further. As if he couldn't stop, as if he were truly immersed in the role.
In reality, he wasn't.
Memories of being pissed off in the past were just starting to bubble up.
“So this is how you’re going to screw me over.”
“Pardon??”
Clicking his tongue, Seo Ho-yun reached into his inner jacket pocket with a slightly hurried gesture, then paused and pulled his hand out.
As if feeling a bit annoyed, Seo Ho-yun let out a sigh and brushed his hair back, then smiled ever so radiantly.
Because of that, everyone forgot that Lee Jeong-hun was a trashy PD and their gazes were drawn to him as if possessed.
“Jeong-hwa, my junior.”
“Ye-yes?!”
“Shall I buy you a coffee downstairs? What do you like?”
“Coffee?”
“Yes. Get something expensive. It’s a rare opportunity.”
‘Coooffeeee?’
“…Uh, yes! Seo Ho-yun, let’s stop here!”
Lee Jeong-hun, who had been wearing a beautiful smile while suppressing curses… no, Seo Ho-yun, turned his body forward at the assistant director’s signal that it was over and bowed his head. At that moment, Writer Kim Suk-hee raised her hand.
“Jeong-hun… no, Seo Ho-yun.”
“Yes.”
The person standing in front of them after bowing was definitely the ‘idol’ Seo Ho-yun. Yet, why did Lee Jeong-hun seem like a more fitting shell?
Director Yoo exhaled the breath he’d been holding at the sense of dissonance he felt. Meanwhile, the writer asked a question with a bright smile.
“What were you looking for inside your jacket just now?”
It was an action that wasn't in the script. Kim Suk-hee was incredibly curious about what Seo Ho-yun was thinking when he did that.
At that question, Seo Ho-yun answered very calmly and as if it were obvious.
“Cigarettes.”
“……Pardon?”
Everyone was momentarily stunned by a word they hadn't expected to come from an idol. The writer, having regained her senses, asked again.
“O-of course, PD Lee Jeong-hun has the setting of being a smoker. But why did you look for cigarettes just now?”
Seo Ho-yun stared at the writer, then rolled his eyes slightly as if in a difficult spot. Eventually, he blurted out an answer.
“…Because I felt frustrated.”
“Why?”
“Work is piled up to the sky, but the new person isn't even someone who can be immediately deployed to the field….”
“…….”
“We’re already short-staffed… and I can't help but think the HR team is crazy for actually sending someone like this just because the Bureau Chief told them to… I thought it would be better for Yoo Jeong-hwa to be put in a relatively peaceful weekday morning variety team rather than this crazy survival variety show…. Thinking that, I felt like I’d want to look for a cigarette.”
Was this really an answer that could come from a 23-year-old idol….
“But why did you put them back?”
“I thought about it and realized it’s a broadcasting station, so I held back…. If the Bureau Chief had actually been in front of me, I might have lit one. Just to show him.”
‘Is he a madman?’
The director stared with surprised eyes at the answer that fit perfectly as if it had been planned.
No, putting aside this delicate detail, what was with this look of genuine annoyance…?
The director, feeling flustered, asked once more.
“Then why did you say you’d buy her coffee?”
“Pardon? Ah….”
Seo Ho-yun rubbed the back of his neck.
“Since it’s already something that can't be undone, I wanted to be a little nice to her so she wouldn't run away….”
“…….”
“If you don't do at least this much for a rookie, they desert the post immediately….”
The truth was, to put shackles on a rookie (read: slave), you had to buy them lots of delicious food and be unconditionally nice to them for the first month. Then, once they were comfortable enough with the work to feel safe, you’d start picking at them with kind words so they couldn't tell if they were being scolded or not. And once they were fully adjusted, you’d calmly and quietly grill them with facts. Raising your voice was for amateurs.
‘My goodness.’
The writer suppressed a laugh and directed the next scene.
“Episode 1, Scene 26. The meeting with the lead, Min Seung-tae.”
“Yes.”
After that, Seo Ho-yun continued to do exceptionally well.
His accurate diction, while speaking naturally, had a charm that captivated people.
Above all, that expression.
That face, which seemed to have ‘I want to go home right now, but since no one else is doing it, I guess I have to finish this’ written all over it, looked like the expression of an experienced person coming from the veteran vibes of a master of social life.
‘Wow.’
The director marveled quietly. For someone who hadn't experienced a workplace to make such a face meant, in other words, that their powers of observation were incredible.
It was a truly magnificent misunderstanding.
The director watched Seo Ho-yun’s acting with focus. And just as the assistant director next to him was about to call out a scene he’d made previous audition participants do….
“Episode 2, Scene 7. The full-blown argument between Yoo Jeong-hwa and Lee Jeong-hun….”
“Wait.”
“…Yes?”
The director stopped him. Seo Ho-yun, who was standing still, twitched an eyebrow slightly.
“Let’s try some free acting, not from our script.”
That was… like the director’s final struggle.
The director smiled while inwardly grinding his teeth.
No matter how hard Seo Ho-yun had prepared, he believed the boy wouldn't be able to perfectly mimic PD Lee Jeong-hun’s trashy behavior—the drinking, smoking, swearing, and intimidation.