Chapter 3
They say it occasionally happens:
humans born to be actors.
Kim Hyung-seok had been a casting director for quite a long time, but he had never met such a person, not even once.
He had seen remarkable acting skills several times, but the phrase “born to be an actor” always felt like an exaggeration.
‘Is it real?’
Yet, that very phrase he thought was an exaggeration began to feel so real now.
A human born to be an actor.
Just by smiling, the atmosphere changed.
The child who seemed devoid of emotion instantly transformed into a bright and lively one.
What was she holding? A cup?
No, from the shape of her hand, it looked more like a milk carton—or something elongated.
Perhaps like a carton of soy milk.
“Wow, unnie! What’s this?”
Her cheerful smile and animated chatter left Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok unable to look away.
‘Her gaze is looking up.’
It was acting in anticipation of someone performing alongside her.
‘How?’
What they had requested was merely to act out “drinking cold milk delightfully.”
They never mentioned the advertisement featured two people.
The girl held something between her fingers—a straw!
She inserted it into the milk carton and sipped with a slurp.
A trivial action.
Gulp!
Yet just watching it made their throats involuntarily move.
She had an irresistible charm that made you want to drink along.
‘Not awkward at all.’
The worst part of watching novice actors is when they cannot immerse themselves in their performance.
When someone feels awkward or shy while acting, it makes the observers feel the same embarrassment.
This response is due to the natural empathy humans possess.
In other words, acting becomes “good acting” only when it can draw out that empathy extremely well.
Could a child of barely five truly do that?
Is it possible?
“…It’s over.”
As she spoke, her face returned to being expressionless once more, as if the lively persona moments ago had been a lie.
“Uh, um.”
Jo Min-tae fumbled for words, unsure of what to say.
He could praise her, but he had done the same for number thirteen earlier.
To utter similar words felt impossible given the vast difference in skill.
‘Is this a child actor?’
At least among the child actors Jo Min-tae had seen, it was rare to find one with such talent.
Most of those kids were even a year or two older than Seo-yeon.
‘Is this her first audition?’
There’s no way a child with such acting prowess had never succeeded in an audition before.
Talented child actors were indeed rare jewels.
To have such skill in her first audition…
If she wasn’t born to be an actor, then who would fit that description?
‘Well…’
‘Looks like the decision is made?’
Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok exchanged glances and nodded.
“She was the best among the young actors I’ve seen recently.”
“Her performance was fantastic, and we will communicate the results via email or phone later.”
After saying that, they continued to shower Seo-yeon with compliments.
How great it was for her to immerse feelings into her acting.
How incredibly delicate her expressions were.
‘Huh.’
Listening quietly to their praise, Seo-yeon tilted her head in confusion.
‘Is that all?’
Such exaggeration felt a bit much.
In truth, she didn’t really know how her own acting measured up.
She had practiced in front of a mirror, but the understanding of how great her performance truly was always felt distant.
‘Maybe daydreaming helped.’
Daydreaming had always been her specialty since her previous life.
Even when working at a black company, her hobby was passing the time with various daydreams.
Those daydreams eventually translated into the visual medium of VTubing.
The shock she felt when she first encountered that 2D reality was immense.
It felt like living in a fantasy world.
She had always wanted to experience living within such a dream.
‘…Anyways.’
Seo-yeon watched the man chatting away with a bright expression.
‘Jo Min-tae, right?’
It was indeed a soy milk advertisement.
The moment she walked into the audition room, she realized it immediately.
This audition was for “Pure Bean Soy Milk” from Garam Dream.
‘So Jo Min-tae was the CF director after all.’
This “Pure Bean Soy Milk” would be mentioned in about ten years’ time on broadcasts.
At that time, Kim Jeong-ha would have starred in two blockbuster films, while Jo Min-tae would be the director of her second hit film.
To be precise, this commercial would be referenced under the context of “having worked as a CF director,” and that was for this “Pure Bean Soy Milk.”
When she closed her eyes, she could vividly recall an interview from back then.
“I first worked with Jeong-ha not in a drama or film, but in a soy milk CF. Do you remember?”
“Of course. I never thought that initial connection would lead us here!”
The bright smiles of both during that conversation filled her mind.
However, Jo Min-tae could not keep that bright expression for long.
Just three years later, his idolized father would take his own life.
“So, the reason I liked Seo-yeon’s acting so much is… Seo-yeon?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Ah, it seems we’ve held you for too long.”
Jo Min-tae bowed slightly to Seo-yeon, expressing his apologies.
A quick glance at the clock revealed nearly ten minutes had passed.
“As I mentioned earlier, we will inform you of the results in about a week.”
“Thank you both for your hard work.”
Jo Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok bid farewell to Seo-yeon and Sua, who had been watching from behind.
It was a genuine expression of gratitude for saving this CF.
“Seo-Seo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
Once they exited the audition room, Sua embraced her tightly.
“Our daughter acted so well! Is she really a genius?”
“I-I’m not sure…”
She squeezed so tightly that it was hard to breathe.
Moreover, her mother Sua had quite an ample figure, which added to Seo-yeon’s discomfort.
Given that, Seo-yeon felt a strange sensation hard to describe.
Especially with memories from her previous life as a male.
“Hmph, that’s an exaggeration.”
Several mothers nearby squinted at Sua’s reaction.
Very few truly accepted such enthusiasm as genuine.
‘It’s typical for parents to think their child is the best.’
Still, Seo-yeon’s beautiful appearance drew attention.
Particularly the mother of Ji-yeon, Hong Jin-hee, seemed more invested.
‘Surely not, right?’
Considering how long her audition time was, it felt too lengthy for mere parental excitement.
Typically, one would leave the audition room within five minutes; Seo-yeon had been in there for nearly twenty.
With that thought, Hong Jin-hee closed her eyes tightly.
It seemed this audition might not have gone well after all.
*
The notification of passing the audition arrived a week later.
Upon receiving the call, Sua jumped with joy and shared the news with her husband, and father Jo Young-bin was left speechless.
‘Really?’
He briefly wondered if his wife was joking, but he soon realized she wasn’t the kind of person to make such a prank.
“I really think Seo-yeon is a genius! What should we do? Did I make her too pretty?”
“C-Calm down, please!”
“But!”
His youthful wife had not changed a bit since her twenties.
Perhaps their daughter inherited that youthful spirit from her mother.
“How about you, Seo-yeon? Do you want to keep pursuing this?”
Surprisingly, their daughter sat composedly on the sofa.
As if passing the audition was just a given, she solemnly watched ‘Pinipin’ on TV.
‘Hmm.’
While keeping her eyes glued to the screen, Seo-yeon cocked her head slightly.
She turned to look at Jo Young-bin, but her gaze remained fixed on the TV.
Maybe her mind was still affected by her younger body; it seemed ‘Pinipin’ was more entertaining than she anticipated.
Regardless.
‘…Looks like I nailed it.’
In her previous life, she had never had a single successful audition, yet now this unexpected turn of events was quite shocking.
After some deliberation, Seo-yeon spoke up.
“No issue with passing, right?”
Not that it posed any problem since nobody raised objections.
“I want to give it a go.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
After all, appearing in a CF would bring in actual income.
Knowing that, Jo Young-bin had already decided how to handle that money.
“All of this will be deposited into Seo-yeon’s account. It’ll be for her when she grows older.”
Whether it was for college or when she needed money for something else, they would save it reliably, indicating that Young-bin and Sua were genuinely good parents.
Unlike her previous life’s parents.
‘Money is essential, indeed.’
Thinking back to her VTuber debut, she realized it would require a significant investment in many areas.
In fact, it might even be more than for regular streamers.
From necessary equipment for ordinary streamers to:
– 3D models.
– Full tracking gear.
– Perhaps even a separate room.
Considering the soundproofing walls… there were countless costs involved.
‘Gotta work hard to save up.’
Seo-yeon did not want to burden her parents, as much as she could avoid it.
Though she found it awkward at first, they were now precious parents, and she wanted to become independent and manage things herself.
Above all, Seo-yeon was aware of her adult mentality.
Doing what she wanted on her own terms was her motto.
“Then if you’re adamant about it, let’s have Dad join in this time.”
“Yes.”
“Great! And also, congrats on passing the audition! You’re definitely our daughter!”
As Jo Young-bin patted her head enthusiastically, Seo-yeon nodded.
While she didn’t quite grasp why she passed the audition,
she felt determined to do it right if she was in.
*
In a small studio located in Seocho District of Seoul.
Kim Jeong-ha sighed nervously as she waited for the shooting of this audition to begin.
‘Let’s do well, let’s do well.’
This was practically her first gig after all.
She had tried out for many auditions over the years but had never succeeded in any.
Currently a freelancer without an agency, she hoped this CF might get her recognized, allowing her to find a proper agency.
‘Don’t overdo the emotions.’
The reason she had been turned down in auditions was due to her tendency to overact.
That happened with small roles in dramas as well.
She often stood out too much, even for lines that barely had a few words.
Therefore, she would merely end up playing background characters with no speaking lines.
“Jeong-ha, no need to be too tense. What’s a pro? Just do your job!”
“Hah, haha.”
Trying to lighten the mood, the staff’s words drew a forced laugh from Kim Jeong-ha.
The contract amount for this commercial wasn’t particularly high.
That meant they likely had no noteworthy actors available, which was why someone like her ended up here.
“By the way, I heard from Director Jo that today’s young actor is incredible?”
“Really incredible?”
“Yes, yes. They say she’s incredibly cute! The staff who auditioned with her can’t stop buzzing about it. So much so that it’s hard to tell if it’s real or exaggerated!”
Having only received praise once in her life, Jeong-ha felt envious of those comments.
That one kind assessment was received in this very audition.
‘What kind of child is she?’
Despite her curiosity, Jeong-ha inwardly scoffed, thinking, ‘Come on, she’s just a child actor.’
Especially for a small commercial, most child actors were perfectly average or even less competent.
But…
“Hello, Ms. Kim Jeong-ha.”
Seeing the young girl greet her shyly, Jeong-ha couldn’t help but revise her judgment.
She recognized that genius truly existed in this world.
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