I was somewhat aware of it.
Seven Live third generation.
There was definitely a character missing that should have occupied one of those spots.
The third generation of Seven Live was conceptually based on non-human entities.
Typically, it featured characters one would expect to see in fantasy.
And the character that was missing was Ramiel, the “Princess Harpy Who Can’t Sing.”
To be honest, if you looked at her outward appearance, she resembled more of an angel than a harpy.
Honestly, I thought she was an angel at first.
Especially, Ramiel was quite popular among the third generation participants.
Her voice was incredibly melodious, and her broadcasting sense was outstanding.
She quickly rose to a position that could only be described as a large corporation.
By the way, contrary to the concept of not being able to sing, she could surprisingly do it decently.
As is often the case with RP, she mostly stuck to the basics, with no behavior or speech that contradicted her setting.
The main content was communication broadcasts.
She was good at listening to others and had exceptional speaking skills, which contributed to her popularity.
“…….”
“Joo Seo-yeon, what’s wrong with you?”
I thought there might be a chance, but the world was truly cruel.
How could this happen?
“I’ve been trying to deny the possibility that this might be true.”
I looked at Lee Ji-yeon, who was staring blankly at me.
The first suspicion arose when I attended a voice acting academy with Lee Ji-yeon.
It was fine when it came to general vocalization, but her voice for “animation” dubbing was the problem.
It was a youthful voice, but one I had definitely heard before.
And that voice…
“Joo Seo-yeon?”
When I was called, I almost slump down.
…At that point, it was something I knew but was desperately denying.
Why was it specifically Lee Ji-yeon?
I couldn’t comprehend how Lee Ji-yeon could be that angelic Ramiel.
Where did the Ramiel who earnestly listened to my woes and comforted me go?
“Something is definitely wrong.”
Often, people talk about the “Red Pill.”
It’s a phrase used to describe the moment one sees the true face of a Vtuber and realizes the fantasy is shattered.
To be honest, did the fantasy really shatter? Not exactly.
The Lee Ji-yeon in front of me and the Ramiel I knew were entirely different people.
Separately, I thought, “I’ll see her someday,” but now that Oshi suddenly graduated, literally everything was dark.
“This time, I wanted to see her properly.”
The feelings I had when I watched Vtubers in my past life were about something ‘unknown.’
It wasn’t reality, but fantasy; from those who genuinely accepted it, I felt something I couldn’t describe.
Lacking normal emotions, that’s the best way I could put it.
When the time came, I watched in real-time, but most of it was condensed into Kiri-nuki, leaving me with nothing but short clips to view.
“So, this time, I wanted to feel that unknown I didn’t get back then.”
I was feeling a bit down.
Someone might say, “What’s the big deal?” But this was a very important issue for me.
In many ways.
“Joo Seo-yeon.”
“~~~!!”
Suddenly, I trembled and slumped down as an unfamiliar whisper resonated in my ear.
Thankfully, it was on a bench; had it been a regular chair, I would’ve fallen to the side.
I covered the ear that had just heard the whisper and spoke, flustered.
“What, what are you doing?”
“It’s you who didn’t respond when I kept calling.”
With a hmph, Lee Ji-yeon crossed her arms and furrowed her brows.
As if my attitude displeased her greatly.
“Didn’t you always get flustered when I used this voice? Is it that weird?”
“……Ah, no.”
Her eyes seemed to probe whether my words were true.
Unlike before, there was a glint of curiosity in her gaze.
Avoiding Lee Ji-yeon’s interested gaze, I added,
“I don’t dislike it.”
It was true. I was just genuinely surprised.
Everything else had changed, but that voice remained exactly the same.
“Still, I thought maybe, just maybe, there might be another voice just like that.”
That thought officially ended yesterday.
The Ramiel of this world had truly become an angel…
Though she was still a harpy.
“Hmm.”
Lee Ji-yeon, looking me up and down, contemplated whether she should clear her throat and use that voice again.
She eventually nodded.
“Okay, but what I’m curious about isn’t that.”
“Curious about what?”
“The theater audition. When exactly is it?”
Lee Ji-yeon was always attentive to my comebacks.
But since I had been silent until now, it was only natural she was curious about my rare response.
“Next Monday.”
“……Huh?”
To her question, as if saying, “What do you mean?”
“It’s literally next Monday.”
I intended to talk to the teacher and move if the timing didn’t match, but thankfully, that didn’t seem necessary.
The audition was supposed to start late in the evening.
*
In Jongno, the university district is home to various artistic venues, including theater facilities.
Theater performances are active, and a variety of theater troupes and clubs engage vigorously in stage activities.
And here, the audition for the play I was aiming for was scheduled for today.
I didn’t know how things used to be, but lately, you could simply sign up online.
Usually, theater actors are evaluated in two rounds.
The first round involves watching a video of a free performance and checking a brief profile.
“Honestly, if I failed in the first round, it would have been a disaster.”
It had been a while since I performed for an audience, and I felt a sense of tension.
Moreover, this free performance had to be recorded alone without a counterpart.
“Definitely around here… Ah!”
And the second round was a face-to-face audition.
The location was a practice room set up in the university area.
To be honest, I didn’t know much about theater.
Unlike dramas or movies, I had never experienced it in my past life.
I only learned about this play because of the events that was later connected to it.
“How many people will show up for a theater audition?”
As I searched for information, none was readily available.
Especially since the role I was auditioning for was that of a villain.
Given that, I thought there would be relatively few participants, though it was just a vague assumption.
Creeeak.
As I carefully opened the door to the building, I couldn’t help but freeze in place.
‘……So many?’
I knew it was a production with decent funding.
So I had heard about the strong competition, but glancing around, it looked like there were over 50 people.
Each of the actresses had their interpretations of their roles and filled the building with their costumes.
‘If this many are in the second round, then surely there were hundreds of applicants.’
I was nervous internally.
Honestly, I didn’t have much audition experience.
I had only experienced two auditions during my child acting days.
But this was the first time I found myself in an audition with this many people.
‘Plus, they’re adult actors, or should I say aspiring actors?’
Each of them held the scripts they received after the first round and warmed up their voices, while some were getting into their characters.
Everyone was an actor, so their appearances were all quite stunning.
“High school student?”
I heard someone mutter, looking at me.
The role I was auditioning for didn’t have a particular age restriction.
However, considering the age of the character, it had to appear “adult,” so I was barely over that threshold.
“Seriously?”
“Isn’t she a high school student?”
A barrage of mixed looks pierced me.
Curiosity about a high school student being here.
Wariness.
And fascination.
The silver lining was that their gazes didn’t linger for too long.
It was as if they deemed showing interest in others a waste of time.
“Right.”
I pulled out the script I had brought.
It was already somewhat worn from having been read multiple times.
This was also the case for others.
We had been given a week to prepare the scripts. There was no room for slacking.
In many auditions, participants often received scripts on the spot.
But being given the script a whole week in advance indicated the judges’ standards would be quite high.
‘……Alright.’
I took a deep breath.
Recalling the role I was to play today, I centered my emotions.
Let’s skip the method…
It wasn’t the right time to overexert the emotions.
‘Today, I’ll be playing Hong Jeong-hee from “Close Your Eyes.”’
“Close Your Eyes” is a lyrical and romantic play.
But Hong Jeong-hee was a character far removed from romance.
She was the obsessive fan of the male lead, the popular idol Baesung-hak.
An outcast in society with a strong possessiveness toward Baesung-hak.
In the latter half, when Baesung-hak gets into a special relationship with the female lead, Song Min-seo, she attacks Song Min-seo.
With a knife, no less.
‘While her role is not extensive…’
She undoubtedly leaves a strong impact.
So I suppose it makes sense that the character of “Hong Jeong-hee” garnered additional role suggestions.
‘This is surely a character that doesn’t suit the method.’
If I acted as this character using the method, I’d likely spiral into gloom for several days.
I shut the script and closed my eyes.
Breathing slowly, I etched the character in my mind.
I imagined Hong Jeong-hee through the emotions penned in the script.
I had memorized all the lines.
Glancing at the clock, there was still some time before the audition started.
‘Let’s practice once.’
There were plenty of people around me chanting their lines anyway.
So let’s reflect on the character of Hong Jeong-hee.
With that thought, Seo-yeon slowly opened her previously closed eyes.
*
The actors and aspiring actors gathered in the audition room frowned upon seeing the late-arriving female student.
‘High school student?’
‘How did she pass the first round?’
Her outfit was a school uniform; typically, actors wore attire fitting their roles to show visually how well they understood their characters.
But in a school uniform…
The age of the character Hong Jeong-hee was not specified at all.
There was only a brief note stating she was “taking a break from school.”
Whether she was a college student or a high school student wasn’t clarified.
‘Moreover, her appearance…’
Long black hair.
Fair skin.
Even seasoned actresses, familiar with beautiful appearances, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
Even though she was still a high school student, her looks spoke of an accomplished actress.
‘But acting isn’t about looks.’
‘No matter how pretty, ultimately, it’s acting that makes the difference.’
Even while thinking that, the sight of the schoolgirl reading her script resembled a painting.
The worn script indicated at least she had put in some effort.
‘But…’
‘Something seems familiar about her face?’
Those watching the high school student felt a strange sense of familiarity from her.
As if they had seen her somewhere before.
Could she perhaps be an actress who had already appeared on TV?
If she were a former child actor, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to be here.
‘But, given those looks, she should have been a topic of discussion, right?’
The shift from child actor to ‘actor’ was a significant leap, considering the high school student’s appearance.
Tak.
The schoolgirl reading the script suddenly closed it.
Was she done checking?
The moment that thought crossed my mind.
She slowly opened her eyes.
“…!”
It didn’t abruptly change the atmosphere.
It was quiet.
Expressionless and calm.
It wasn’t an acting face per se.
‘Acting, right?’
Actors often have what’s called a base expression.
That’s the fundamental face upon which they build their performance when they begin acting.
They layer emotions and expressions upon that base and enact their roles.
Furthermore, a veteran actor could even convey emotions and performance using just that basic expression.
‘Could it be…?’
Yes, just like now.
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