Chapter: 83
A serene silence came and went.
Recently, the idol Ma Yeon-woo from Just X, who was hot on the heels of RY Entertainment’s success.
With this, Joo Su-yeon’s appearance brought forth a quiet stillness.
Today, those participating in the audition felt a notable tension.
Especially among the female idols and actresses.
‘Well, this isn’t like a play, is it?’
Recently, Joo Su-yeon had made a glamorous comeback through the play Close Your Eyes.
She had also made a few appearances on variety shows, boosting her popularity, but success in dramas or movies was still on the horizon.
Still, they thought that way with effort.
However, the recently released trailer for The Chaser lingered on their minds.
‘She appeared as a convenience store part-timer, didn’t she?’
Su-yeon’s moment in the trailer lasted barely ten seconds out of nearly two minutes.
It was hardly anything significant, but even that short appearance gave a glimpse of her acting ability.
‘If she’s aiming for the role of Song So-ha…’
That meant, she had become one of the strong competitors.
Moreover, even without top-tier acting, simply pairing with Park Jung-woo could likely boost her chances.
And separately,
‘That girl just came from Survival Without People, right?’
Ma Yeon-woo compiled that thought about Su-yeon.
Princess Yeonhwa, of course, was someone he was aware of.
Footage of her had aired during Survival Without People.
‘She looks different from back then.’
With a curious demeanor, Ma Yeon-woo eyed Su-yeon.
This lead to Su-yeon’s brow furrowing slightly.
‘Ma Yeon-woo.’
A core member of the popular idol group Just X.
He challenged acting and garnered somewhat decent results in Dream Future.
Later on, he showcased his acting prowess in a war film… and he turned out to be a rather talented individual.
Of course, on another note, Su-yeon didn’t particularly want to get close to his kind.
That made sense.
‘The other members of Just X are a bit…’
Ma Yeon-woo had his share of personal controversies.
But stepping away from that, the other members had their fair share of issues too.
Drunk driving, drugs, assault.
Anyway, their record was quite remarkable.
It was projected to explode within three years, and she had no desire to be close to that mess.
Ironically, Ma Yeon-woo himself had previously been tangled in his own controversies.
“Excuse me, coming through.”
“Oh, sure.”
Ma Yeon-woo felt a little flustered at Su-yeon, who showed no particular reaction to his presence.
As an idol, he was accustomed to receiving envied looks, especially from women; this was a first for him.
‘Is it because my looks are no joke?’
Actors have a saying:
No matter how handsome an idol may be, standing next to an actor dims that radiance.
And Su-yeon fit that category perfectly.
As she walked past other actresses, it felt like she naturally absorbed all the light around her.
Naturally, the actresses beside her subtly shifted away from Su-yeon.
‘Why here, of all places?’
‘No, there’s plenty of room, right?’
Thanks to that, the actresses next to her looked quite disheartened.
Meanwhile, Su-yeon mulled over the script she had for today, observing her surroundings.
The role she aimed for today was undoubtedly Jo Ha-rin.
Honestly, there was a level of nervousness nagging her.
Then.
‘Ah, there he is.’
Su-yeon spotted Park Jung-woo and slightly nodded in greeting.
When their eyes met, Park Jung-woo’s frown softened, and he also nodded back.
There was no need for an exaggerated recognition.
However, the other actresses watching them clicked their tongues.
‘As expected, she’s after Song So-ha’s role.’
‘Is this a pre-arranged deal? Oh, that can’t be good.’
Under such a curious tension, the audition commenced.
*
“Na-hee, you’re going for the role of Song So-ha, right?”
“Yes.”
The woman with a pure image answered nervously.
A recent supporting actress from a nicely aired cable drama… no, she was an idol.
‘For an idol, she’s actually a decent actor.’
Casting director Shin-yoon pondered as he placed his pen under his chin.
This time, Dream Future wasn’t only about acting talent.
Since the story delved into ‘idol auditions,’ vocal abilities were also somewhat important.
In that sense, the audition particularly favored idols.
“This is your second attempt at acting, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
She replied calmly, and Chae Na-hee nodded.
Her demeanor was pretty decent.
Had it not been for the woman waiting right behind, he would’ve considered giving Song So-ha to her without a further thought.
“…Understood. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Th-thank you.”
Chae Na-hee let out a breath of relief as she turned around.
Then, she stiffened.
Because right behind her for the next audition was a contestant.
‘Joo Seoyeon.’
Chae Na-hee felt her heart racing.
Nervous. Anxious.
It was a mixed emotion.
She knew that Seoyeon was several years younger, but that presence was astonishing.
Not much of a career?
She had already proven herself once as a child actor.
Plus, she had recently displayed some flair in variety shows.
But, the disparity between the lively girl seen in variety shows and the emotionless girl in front of her made Na-hee shiver.
‘Could it be that the variety show was acting?’
If it were true, that would be astounding.
But if this was really Seoyeon’s true self, then the fun side from variety shows could only be perceived as a facade.
“…Seoyeon appears to be keeping a keen eye on Na-hee. Is there some issue between them? It feels quite competitive…”
Shin-yoon asked Park Jung-woo as he noted Seoyeon’s piercing gaze on Na-hee.
Given their past associations, he wondered if Jung-woo might know the reason.
“I don’t think she’s overthinking it.”
“Though she’s watching quite intently.”
“Probably just remembering where she recognizes her.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. She’s not the type to entertain complex thoughts.”
In the past, Jung-woo would have mistaken it for something malicious.
But the way Seoyeon looked at Na-hee had no hint of malice.
She was simply intrigued.
What could be so intriguing, he wasn’t quite sure.
‘Ah, she’s the actress going for Song So-ha.’
And Seoyeon was merely finding it interesting.
What a coincidence.
She never imagined her first audition would be against Na-hee.
She simply caught a glimpse of Na-hee’s audition.
‘As expected, she’s aiming for Song So-ha.’
One of the stars who gained significant attention thanks to Dream Future.
Chae Na-hee.
This was her second acting try, and while her acting skills were a tad lacking, her vocal prowess had garnered attention, and she was set to make a serious start in acting with subsequent hit films.
‘Meanwhile, her girl group would disband in a year.’
Though she famously took on the role of the family breadwinner, her fellow members could not bear to accept Na-hee, who monopolized all the popularity.
“Alright then.”
Just as Seoyeon was deep in thought, a low voice called out.
A man full of scruff on his face.
Kim Pil-seok, the director of Dream Future, was now at the audition.
This audition comprised of five judges, and he was the one with the most influence.
“Joo Seoyeon! Please step forward.”
“Yes.”
Feeling a pleasant thrill flow through her chest, Seoyeon stood up.
As she slowly approached, the judges internally marveled.
‘As expected, she’s different from an idol.’
‘Her posture is upright; she definitely… has an aura.’
They knew she had recently filmed The Chaser.
Though the release was still a while away, the timing meant Dream Future would likely overlap significantly.
‘If The Chaser does well, she could benefit greatly from this.’
Of course, the team behind The Chaser would also reap rewards if Dream Future succeeded.
So, it was a mutually beneficial scenario.
‘Very good.’
Though Kim Pil-seok didn’t show it overtly, he was inwardly pleased.
In the context of Dream Future, Joo Seoyeon was quite the catch.
Lacking a significant career?
That hardly mattered. Anyone auditioning now was bound to have deficiencies.
In contrast, Seoyeon boasted a hit drama from her child acting days.
Moreover, she had showcased her skills on variety shows.
‘She’s the actress Park Jung-woo vouched for in terms of acting.’
Glancing briefly at Park Jung-woo, Kim Pil-seok noticed his evident satisfaction despite efforts to conceal it.
Given his long career for his age, Jung-woo greatly valued acting ability.
Was it fair to call him a young old-timer?
In fact, he just recently gave Na-hee some tough love.
He showed no mercy even to those older than him.
Yet, for Seoyeon’s acting, he mentioned there was ‘nothing for him to critique’.
‘In fact, many aspects surpass his standards; wasn’t that an indirect call to pick her for Song So-ha?’
Such thoughts crossed their minds, as the judges internally agreed:
If Seoyeon demonstrated proper skills in this audition, the role of Song So-ha would surely be hers.
“Yes, perfect.”
After a brief Q&A and introduction.
“Do you have a specific role in mind? The one you’re auditioning for today?”
“I do.”
As anticipated, everyone’s eyes met Park Jung-woo’s, and they assumed it would be Song So-ha.
“I want to take on the role of Jo Ha-rin.”
“Oh, she’s aiming for Jo Ha-rin…”
Casting director Kim Pil-seok, muttering casually, found his words trailing off.
“…What?”
Jo Ha-rin.
One of the leading six candidates auditioning for the drama alongside Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha.
Among them, Jo Ha-rin had the least screen time.
While she held some significance up to episode 8, her appearances dropped off dramatically thereafter.
She was a character with a bit of a spark… but that was about all.
“…”
Naturally, the judges were momentarily speechless as they stared at Seoyeon.
To their reactions, Seoyeon could only tilt her head in confusion.
*
The audition for Dream Future went remarkably well.
Surprisingly, despite my anxiety,
‘Um, yes. We saw you well. You’re going for Jo Ha-rin, right?’
Hearing such questions plenty of times, I genuinely felt it went adequately.
Though I focused on portraying the lively character rather than love expressions, my performance passed as fairly decent.
“If I succeed this time, I’ll need to get vocal training.”
“What…?”
As I walked home with Ji-yeon for the first time in a while, my comment prompted her to frown.
“Why? Didn’t you do that before?”
“If I land this drama role, I need to sing too.”
“Oh, right. You mentioned it was an idol drama.”
Nodding at Ji-yeon’s words, I acknowledged.
Singing.
This was also an essential trait for becoming a Virtual YouTuber, so I had been consistently practicing since childhood.
“Joo Seoyeon, you can’t sing, right?”
“…”
In response to Ji-yeon’s remark, I shot her a quiet glare.
Not that I couldn’t sing.
Rather, it seemed like I couldn’t infuse my emotions into it.
Because of that, everything felt bland.
My singing was merely at a karaoke level.
“But I’ve improved a bit now.”
“Really?”
Having gone through puberty, I can now put some feeling into it.
And I can manage to sound somewhat decent.
‘Still, to join an idol drama, I’m still lacking.’
As I pondered whether to find a new academy, suddenly,
“Should I help a bit?”
Ji-yeon suggested out of the blue.
“Huh?”
“I know someone who can help; she did vocal training and was an idol, so she sings well.”
At her words, I felt a strange sentiment.
‘Did Ji-yeon have a contact like that?’
With a curious feeling, I asked casually.
“Wh-who is it?”
“She’s a noona I met at the voice acting academy. I’ve gotten a bit of help from her. What a great opportunity to introduce you to her.”
As Ji-yeon spoke, a character popped into my mind.
By chance.
Or it could be a simple coincidence.
‘The Magician!!’
Having already subscribed to that Virtual YouTuber and watched her numerous times, I couldn’t help but think of her.
Of course, she was the Virtual YouTuber famous for her singing.
In reality, in my previous life, Ramiel’s singing prowess was quite stellar.
‘If I were to learn singing from her…’
And now I finally comprehended that potential connection.
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