Audition.
Audition.
Before I knew it, the day of the audition had arrived.
I had flatly refused when Dad said he wanted to come along to the audition site.
"Do you... find me annoying now...?"
"Haah... If you come, Dad, you'll just draw aggro."
"....."
I got into the car driven by Jang Seong-man.
"The CEO is... pretty popular too..."
"Nah, Grandpa isn’t popular. It’s a child-actor audition, so there’ll be plenty of young mothers there. It’d be exhausting if Dad came."
At my words, both men fell silent.
"".....""
"Just polish the song you're putting out this time."
"Okay..."
"Make lots of money~"
"Got it..."
And so, leaving Dad behind, I got into Jang Seong-man's car and headed for the audition site.
When we arrived, it was obvious the director had been waiting for us.
I did not know whether that was due to Jang Seong-man’s clout or because Director Yoo Dae-yeon specifically wanted me.
Jang Seong-man was waiting at the entrance at Director Yoo Dae-yeon's request.
"Si-yoon, you’ve got this!"
I glanced at Jang Seong-man and then went inside the audition room.
""Whoa...""
When I entered, four people were seated, and one was standing to play the scene partner.
All five of them were speechless at the sight of me.
"Are you just going to keep staring?"
"".....""
"If you’ve got nothing to say, at least give me a script so I can act."
"Right... Let's do that."
A young man handed me a script.
The lines were short, so I read them for about two seconds before handing the script back.
"".....?""
"Do you... not like the script?"
"I memorized it. Can I start now?"
"....."
They stared at me with wonder in their eyes.
I planned to ad-lib from the very beginning, so I put on an exasperated expression and addressed the scene partner.
"You fucking idiot!!! How are you supposed to survive with that attitude?"
The emphatic stream of profanity caught everyone off guard.
"".....Ah... That's... the scene partner.""
"...Is that so?"
But Yoo Dae-yeon’s eyes lit up at my behavior and profanity.
And then he handed me the script for a different role.
Another judge, seeing this, spoke cautiously.
"The role of Han Ga-in... you're planning to have her try it?"
The director nodded and passed me the script.
"Si-yoon? Would you like to try this one?"
The dialogue written in the script he handed me was quite rough.
"Oh..."
As I read the script’s plot and scene setup, an old memory surfaced, drawing me briefly into the past.
That moment when I'd been numb to murder.
I handed the script back to the director and grabbed a pen that was lying nearby.
"The situation's interesting."
"".....""
The sudden change in my expression made them all swallow hard.
Si-yoon trudged toward the scene partner, who had finished preparing.
A man leaning against the wall, clutching his arm.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Haaah... hah... Is anyone there...?"
The breathing of the people evaluating the performance grew shallow.
When the man began acting, Si-yoon approached like a frightened cat, cautiously watching her surroundings and muffling her footsteps. Then she put on a worried expression and spoke in a tiny voice.
"A-are... are you okay...?"
Si-yoon naturally slipped a hand into her pocket.
"Little one... could I perhaps get some cloth...?"
Si-yoon pulled out a small pen, but her face remained utterly expressionless,
and the man, swallowing hard, realized from her expression that something was seriously wrong.
The man’s expression gradually twisted into horror, and Si-yoon drove the pen straight into his head.
Si-yoon stared down at the man without expression.
"Stupid bastard... if you got bitten, you should've just died quietly outside, you pain in the ass..."
She spoke without a trace of emotion as she searched the man’s body.
After checking everything, Si-yoon grunted and mimed throwing the motionless man out the window.
"Haah... doesn't even have anything on him, and yet he makes things difficult."
It was a short scene, but Director Yoo Dae-yeon nodded as he watched Si-yoon’s performance.
After Si-yoon left the audition room, silence settled over it.
Director Yoo Dae-yeon said nothing.
The actor who had played the scene partner spoke.
"For a moment, it felt like she was holding a real knife."
Si-yoon looked like someone who would never use vulgar language, yet her expression and curses had felt frighteningly real.
The film, adapted from a novel, featured a major boy character named Han Ga-in who had been born into the zombie world, but...
the role demanded a distinctive indifference and murderous intent—qualities that were difficult to expect from an elementary-school actor.
But that very atmosphere was already visible in Si-yoon’s expression.
"Let’s cast her."
At Yoo Dae-yeon's words, everyone nodded without a word.
"The script... will have to be revised first..."
Everyone sighed, but greed was blooming in Director Yoo Dae-yeon's eyes.
A determination to make the project a success, no matter what...
Time passed, and summer vacation drew near.
While I was lazing around at home, my script arrived.
Dad read through it and then wore a complicated expression.
"What?"
"Si-yoon, I think it's a bit too brutal..."
"Really?"
I snatched the script Dad was holding away from him and read through it.
"Oh... Looks like it'll be fun."
Dad considered it seriously for a moment, then nodded.
"Si-yoon, if you think it'll be fun... do you want to try going to an acting academy?"
"No. I’m only doing this one, then I’m done acting."
"...I see."
To immerse myself in my character, I read the script multiple times.
"Dad, read the other part for me."
"Huh?"
Dad took the script and recited the lines as though reading aloud from a book.
"Run away. Ga-in. You, at least. You have to. Survive."
Disappointed by his acting, I stared at him with a look of disgust, and Dad flinched.
"...What was that?"
"Sh-shall I... try again?"
"Yeah."
Dad’s performance was exactly the same as before, except that he had tacked on facial expressions and gestures.
"...Forget it, I'll just do it alone."
"Si-yoon?"
I snatched the script back from Dad and went into my room.
"Si-yoon!"
One day, Dad brought home some jumping boots.
"What're those?"
When I showed interest, Dad showed me his own pair.
The small jumping boots looked custom-tuned, while Dad’s pair looked plain.
"Wanna give them a try?"
"Yeah."
Dad and I tried them along the apartment complex’s walking path.
"They said you’ll have to use these while filming the movie."
"Really?"
Dad put the jumping boots on me, then put on his own and stood up.
Dad couldn't even keep his center of balance and toppled over.
As expected, his coordination was hopeless.
"Dad... move like this. Don’t just stand there."
As soon as I put the jumping boots on, I began to adapt.
The custom-made jumping shoes bent easily even under my light weight.
Using the incredible elasticity of the springs, I jumped, and Dad was horrified by the immense height I reached.
"Isn't that... way too dangerous?"
I almost lost my balance for a moment due to the jumping power, but I thought it was more fun than I'd expected.
"Dad, this is insane!"
I bounced across the ground toward Dad.
"Like this, with the feeling of pressing down firmly with your weight."
The semi-circular springs bent easily and launched my body into the air.
"Ooooh..."
"Is it fun?"
"Yeah!"
When I did a somersault on the spot, Dad panicked and stopped me.
"Si-yoon! Don’t do anything dangerous!"
"Hmph... Alright~"
As I began bounding around, the nearby children stared, and so did the adults who had been exercising.
My speed was overwhelming. As I grew accustomed to the shoes, I leaned farther and farther forward.
Dad was stunned as my running speed started to increase, and right in front of Dad, I leaned backward and came to a stop as if putting on the brakes.
The rebound bent the springs to their limit and launched me higher than Dad’s 210-centimeter frame, even with his jumping boots on.
"Whoa!!! I can jump so high!!!"
Dad's expression upon seeing this couldn't contain his shock,
and he quickly took the jumping boots off me.
I came home, washed my sweat-soaked body, and turned on the Maple Leaf game to take down a boss.
"Sheen, how many times do I have to tell you to dodge that..."
-"Sorry!!!"
"At least deal some decent damage... lately you’re doing less than I am."
-"Don't be like thaaat... I'll really try hard."
That's when Park Ji-hoon, who was casting invincibility on me, spoke up.
-"No! Why do you keep going over there?!"
-"Hey! I’m old, okay?! You’re being way too harsh!"
-"Sheesh... I don’t know what to say to a thirty-two-year-old calling himself old."
-"Ohh? You crossing the line now?"
"Hey, lay off. He’s older than Dad."
-"Wow... kick me when I’m down, why don’t you... wow..."
I spoke to the speechless Sheen.
"Anyway, if we lose this, I’m never playing with you again. Just so you know."
-"Yah! Don't be like that!"
"Each run costs forty thousand won! We’re eight years old, you know?"
Sheen let out an aggrieved voice.
-"Yah! An eight-year-old who's flipping about 50 million won in cash on the trading post shouldn't pretend she's broke!"
"At this rate, looks like we could fail over a thousand more times."
-"...Sorry."
In Maple Leaf, where the level cap was 300, I was only level 264, but my damage ranked among the top players.
"Yah! Park-gong, what're you doing! I told you to keep the heals coming steadily!"
-"Fuck! I'm working my goddamn ass off right now, you know!?"
At that moment, the voice of Ji-hoon's mother came through Park Ji-hoon's mic.
-"You little shit! Who taught you to talk like that!"
And right in the middle of taking down the boss, Park Ji-hoon quit the game.
"....."
-"....."
These days, Ji-hoon and I had been appearing on streams with the Neotuber Sheen. I was paid 200,000 won per appearance, while Ji-hoon received 150,000.
-"Yuja."
"What?"
-"Is the game fun?"
"What’s fun about a trash game like this?"
I answered while looking at my phone.
"Ah... I have to do homework... Wait a sec, let me try calling Park-gong."
-"Got it."
My username was 'Prince Siyu,' while Park Ji-hoon’s was 'Park-ji Princess.'
That was why I was called Yuja and Ji-hoon was called Park-gong.
"He's not picking up... I'll have to shake him down for the 40,000 won boss entrance fee at school~"
We chatted for a while, and then Sheen asked.
-"What are you doing right now?"
"Trading. Oh... the thing you gave me sold."
-"The one I gave you cheap?"
"It wouldn’t even sell, and you’re really milking the favor. If it were expensive, nobody would buy it. This one barely sold after two weeks."
-"Yah! I practically gave that away for free, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah, thank you sooo much."
Sheen pretended to get angry on-screen at my sarcastic tone.
"Ugh, why do they assign homework? They should just give us tests..."
-"You like tests?"
"Memorizing stuff is better than pointlessly writing things out."
-"....."
That's when Dad called me to come eat.
"Dad says it’s time to eat. Later."
-"...We’ve only been at it for two hours. Should I cut your pay in half?"
"...Not a chance. Pay me properly. I’ll check while I eat."
-"Yah! Isn't that too petty? I mean, 200,000 won for two hours..."
"Then should I not go when my dad calls me?"
-"...No, of course not."
"Alright then, good work~"
Still playing Sheen's broadcast on my phone, I went over to Dad.
"Is that the Sheen you mentioned?"
"Yeah. He's older than you, Dad."
"Wh-what...?"
Dad was flustered that the person playing with me was older than him.
Dad was thirty now, but his once baby-faced looks seemed to have matured to suit his age.
'Maybe it's because he's been hitting the gym so much lately...?'
While we ate, I put on a variety show Dad had appeared in, and he kept glancing at it over his meal.
It was the kind of variety show built almost entirely around running.
"That's actually really hard, you know?"
"That's just because you have no motor skills, Dad~"
"....."