Chapter 11
“Ju Seo-yeon, when will the audition results come out?”
As soon as we got to kindergarten, Lee Ji-yeon shook my arm while asking.
By the way, she had asked this same question every single day for a week since the audition ended.
What kind of obsession is this?
I have to admit, as far as obsession goes, I can’t knock Ji-yeon’s.
‘But it should be coming soon.’
I was pretty sure they said we’d hear back within a week.
However, there had been no news for my mom either, and no emails or anything in the mailbox.
‘What if, if I got rejected, there isn’t any notification at all?’
Thinking about it, I realized I had never experienced being rejected from an audition.
If it turns out that if you don’t get selected, you simply receive no news, I might actually be shocked.
“Ji-yeon.”
“What?”
“If someone gets rejected, do they not hear anything?”
“Why are you asking me?”
Her narrowed eyes made me look away.
I couldn’t bring myself to admit it sounded like she might have been rejected often.
Of course, aside from that, I had no doubt Ji-yeon would become a good actress someday.
“Seo-yeon!”
Just then, the flower class teacher called me in a flustered voice.
She waved at me frantically, looking so urgent it even felt tense.
‘Uh oh, is something going on?’
I thought for a moment.
It’s pretty rare for a teacher at kindergarten to call a child with that much urgency.
Is something wrong? Or has something dangerous happened?
“Oh dear, Hyun-young, calling her like that will scare Seo-yeon.”
“Ah! I’m so sorry! I was just too surprised!”
Hyun-young’s face finally looked apologetic after hearing from the Sunshine Class teacher.
“Sorry, Seo-yeon. Did I scare you a lot?”
“No, it’s okay.”
I was startled, but I was more curious about what was happening.
Hyun-young, the flower class teacher, was usually very calm.
For her to be calling me like this with such a flustered face was quite a rare sight.
“Come here. The other teachers are watching too.”
“Pardon?”
Watching?
I followed Hyun-young quietly, not quite understanding her words.
And Izzy, who had been observing the situation, subtly joined me from behind.
After glancing at Hyun-young’s back, Ji-yeon whispered in my ear.
“Do you think this is about the audition?”
“Surely not.”
What is she always connecting everything to?
‘If it was related to the audition, they would have called home, not the kindergarten.’
Even if it were good news, neither my dad, Young-bin, nor my mom, Sua, were the type to come to kindergarten for such matters.
They wouldn’t want to interfere with the teachers, after all.
“Seo-yeon, look over there.”
And in the place where Hyun-young led me, there was a little TV.
The teachers were gathered around watching the screen.
And not just the teachers; a couple of kids were also sitting by, watching the TV.
“Special Feature!! The making film of Taesumdahl, prepared with great ambition by KMB! The first one!”
I blinked at the words flashing in the upper right corner of the screen.
“Wow, Seo-yeon acted so well…”
One of the teachers murmured in amazement.
Hearing her words, I turned my attention to the screen.
It showed a familiar scene.
It was the audition for the roles of young Yoon Seo-il and young Lee Hye-wol that had happened not long ago.
My performance before the judges and many child actors was playing out.
Of course, because it included spoilers from the drama, the details were cut short.
But there I was, standing still, delivering my lines.
And then, the ad-lib that wasn’t in the original script flowed from my lips.
The camera zoomed in on the child actor teary-eyed from my lines.
At the same time, the serious face of Jo Seo-hee and my calm demeanor alternated on-screen.
“Wow, this is no joke. You can’t underestimate kid actors.”
“One teacher asked, who do you think will get the role? Is it our star, Seo-yeon?”
“But if you just look at the skills, that Jo Seo-hee was pretty impressive too…”
“I’ve seen her; she’s received a lot of praise in the daily dramas too.”
Three kindergarten teachers were discussing the performances they had just witnessed, debating who might have secured the role of Lee Hye-wol.
To be honest, it was flattering to be the topic of discussion, but I was also curious.
‘Could this be that they’re announcing the audition results through this making film?’
It was quite a plausible theory.
If so, then the reason they hadn’t informed us until now makes sense.
As everyone held their breath, waiting for the role of Lee Hye-wol to be revealed!
“Who will be the role of Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol?! Stay tuned for making film part 2!”
BANG! The words slammed onto the screen.
In that moment, everyone watching suddenly fell silent.
And then…
“#$!$%$#!!!”
“Ugh!!! Why does this broadcast suck so bad? The making film is just a preview of the drama!”
“Exactly! Why are they hinting at a preview within a preview?!”
“I’m leaving a comment on the broadcast station’s website.”
As soon as it was over, the teachers let out their frustrations.
Seeing their reactions, Hyun-young, who had brought me here, whispered in my ear.
“Seo-yeon, so, who got the role of Lee Hye-wol?”
“……”
Teacher.
But truthfully, that’s what I want to know!
*
Typically, making films for dramas are not usually scheduled for broadcast.
They usually get released lightly online.
However, this making film related to Taesumdahl was exceptionally revealed during “Entertainment Live Report,” bringing quite a buzz.
Like a segment from a variety show.
And instead of ending in a short clip, it would be released in three parts, which led to the rumor that KMB was gearing up for this production.
“The simultaneous viewership rating during the entertainment live report went over 10 percent!”
Naturally, KMB’s producers and executives wore smiles of delight.
Given the heavy investment in the drama, it could not fail.
Yet to see such results from the making film was an unexpected benefit.
“The previous ratings for the entertainment live report were 4-5 percent, right? Almost doubled?”
Kim Jung-hoon, an entertainment PD at KMB, was left speechless by this outstanding achievement.
This audition for child actors was fiercely competitive, also due to its impressive visuals.
‘Including Park Jung-woo, the young Lee Hye-wol’s two roles!’
Jo Seo-hee and Ju Seo-yeon.
Comparing careers might mean Ju Seo-yeon was outclassed by Jo Seo-hee.
But just looking at this performance, could Ju Seo-yeon be considered lesser than Park Jung-woo or Jo Seo-hee?
‘Absolutely not.’
Moreover, people tend to cheer for the underdog.
Ju Seo-yeon was the underdog.
Initially viewed as a parachute placement, she turned the tide by validating her outstanding acting skills.
Even now, Seo-yeon, despite her remarkable talents, lacked a proper agency and had few career-building opportunities, making her sound like a pitiful child actor.
‘Director Jo Bang-woo’s status is rising alongside her.’
The name of the director who discovered Seo-yeon was mentioned as well.
Though not widely known, those in the broadcast station were all too aware of it.
“They should definitely have her guest star on a variety show while she’s hot.”
“Right, when child actors become the center of attention, they often get overlooked pretty fast.”
From KMB’s entertainment division perspective, they wanted to latch onto this momentum while they could.
As time passes and child actors grow, things might change.
The level of acting required increases, and there’s always the possibility of a transformation.
No matter how cute they are now, there’s no guarantee they’ll still look good when they grow up.
‘I’ll need to bring this up down the line.’
So they’ve got to snag this opportunity quickly.
Kim Jung-hoon was convinced of that.
*
Ju Seo-yeon was still just six years old.
As I approached the end of six and on the verge of seven, a major trial was coming my way.
“Seo-yeon, so who got the role of Lee Hye-wol?”
“Did Seo-yeon win?”
“How was Jo Seo-hee on set? Didn’t she bother you?”
I might have underestimated the ripple effect of a nationwide broadcast drama.
I had just caused a stir with the making film, and how would kids like Jo Seo-hee live with such pressure?
“I’m not sure.”
“Come on, that’s a lie…”
“Oh dear, Taeyong’s mom. Didn’t you hear? Usually, you shouldn’t talk about these things. Contracts bind us!”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry, Seo-yeon.”
A few mothers apologized, chatting up a storm as if it was total chaos.
Thank goodness I have a pretty easy-going personality; it would have been overwhelming for a regular kid.
“But today, the rest of the video is being released!”
My mom spoke in the calmest tone she could muster, but her face was as pale as a ghost, looking like she might faint at any moment.
Today was the day part two of the making film would be revealed, and it must have been nerve-wracking for her.
‘If it’s part two, that means my performance with Park Jung-woo will be shown.’
With the first performance already played out, it was basically a done deal that ‘young Yoon Seo-il’ would be Park Jung-woo.
Of course, that wasn’t officially announced, but everyone would’ve guessed as much.
So, subsequently, Jo Seo-hee and I would both be performing opposite him.
This must surely be something that never happened in my past life.
‘For sure… it was a bit different.’
With the name recognition of being the son of a big actor, Park Jung-woo felt different from the other child actors from the outset.
Even I found myself questioning whether this was the performance of a child actor.
“Seo-yeon, come on, let’s watch this together! Oh no, I’m so nervous!”
If my dad were here, he would have made sure to catch it live, but as luck would have it, he was still at work, leaving just me and my mom to sit tight.
“Special Feature!! The making film of Taesumdahl, prepared with great ambition by KMB! The second one!”
The newly created segment of Entertainment Live Report.
A moment everyone awaited to see who would play ‘young Lee Hye-wol.’
At that point, I had no idea.
That while Jo Seo-hee and I were performing opposite young Yoon Seo-il, the viewership of Entertainment Live Report surged to an astounding 15 percent.
And then…
“……Seo-yeon.”
Once every performance wrapped up, the role of Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol, was announced.
It was certainly a twist.
Even my mother, Sua, looked at me with a blank expression.
Taking down Jo Seo-hee, the princess of daily dramas.
The girl clutched the lead role in her hands.
That girl was me!
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