Chapter 145: Audition (1)

If Kang Ra-Eun was to star in a film, her original plan was to star in one that would pull in at least ten million in total audience attendance, since there would be no better film debut than that. However, her plan had gone slightly awry because Director Yoon’s gender bender film had caught her attention.

Since her plan to star in the sixteenth Korean film to ever pull in ten million in total attendance had gone down the drain, she was planning on starring in the very next one.

Director Yoon Tae-Yoon was still not very well known by the public, but Director Choi Yong-Woon was currently one of the top star directors. Most film actors wished to star in Director Choi’s productions since most of his films were guaranteed to become a hit. The actors couldn’t help but want it.

Shin Yu-Bin followed what Ra-Eun was doing and eavesdropped on the employees’ conversation as well. She then whispered, “Is that the ‘huge one’ that you spoke about last time?”

Ra-Eun nodded. Yu-Bin had finally understood why Ra-Eun had been waiting all this time.

“I guess a new production from Director Choi Yong-Woon is worth waiting for.”

But of course, it wasn’t like every single one of Choi Yong-Woon’s productions had been a hit. There had been a few that were sub-par. However, Director Choi’s productions followed a certain principle; a cycle of success and failure. In other words, if his previous work was a flop, there was an extremely high probability that his next work would be a hit.

His film last year had been a flop, so his new film would be a hit. And from what she knew of the future, his film that would be released this year would be a hit among hits. However...

‘There’s a huge problem.’

There was a con to her starring in this film, but she was still planning on waiting for a casting offer to come her way from Director Choi since she thought the pros far outweighed the single con.

“Miss Manager. I haven’t received any casting offers from Director Choi yet, have I?”

“Yeah. From their conversation, he just started working with the casting director, so I expect they’ll contact actors around next week.”

“I guess so, right?”

Ra-Eun decided to wait a little longer.

***

Ra-Eun knew very well what position she was in. She had amassed enough experience in her acting career for it to be weird to call her a rookie actress. As an actress, she was mainly known as a prodigy who displayed phenomenal performances if she resonated well with her character.

.

Not only that, most film directors were dying to cast her, to the point that she was being overwhelmed by the number of offers coming her way. Hence, she had believed that she would of course get a casting offer from Director Choi as well, but...

‘Was I too conceited?’

A week became two weeks, without any news from Director Choi. Chief Jung, who had heard the story from Yu-Bin, also thought it was weird.

“I thought you’d get an offer for sure, but still nothing,” he remarked.

“I thought so too. I wonder if they’re experiencing delays?”

Director Choi’s next work would have two female protagonists, and one of them fit Ra-Eun’s image very well. That was why Ra-Eun expected to get a call for sure, but like she had thought, she might have been too conceited.

“Chief Jung. Is it possible for you to find out how the casting for Director Choi’s next work would be held?” Ra-Eun asked.

Chief Jung had a vast net of connections in the entertainment industry. He would be able to get the information that Ra-Eun wanted for sure.

“Okay. Gimme a few minutes. I happen to have an acquaintance on Director Choi’s team.”

Chief Jung left for about ten minutes and came back to where Ra-Eun was.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“I found out, but...” Chief Jung muttered.

He did not look very good. Something that he hadn’t expected had occurred.

“The casting is gonna be done through auditions.”

***

An audition was the process in which actors gave sample performances to demonstrate their suitability for a specific role. Ra-Eun recalled her knowledge of the future. She knew that Director Choi’s next work would bring in at least ten million people into cinemas.

‘But I don’t know how he cast his actors.’ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She had no memory of it. Most people would only remember how the film did; they didn’t remember things like the casting process. Not only that, Ra-Eun had not worked in the entertainment industry in her past life, so it was no wonder that she wouldn’t remember.

“They’re casting every single role by audition?” Ra-Eun asked.

“Yeah. The lead roles, supporting roles, everything.”

“I guess they didn’t have a certain actor in mind when they were making the character settings.”

“Looks like it.”

If they had formed a synopsis with a certain actor in mind, they would have sent a casting offer to that actor first. However, it was different this time.

“Director Choi has always liked to choose his actors by audition,” Chief Jung said.

“Hmm...”

This had not been a part of Ra-Eun’s calculations. She had thought that she would be cast for sure since one of the female lead roles matched her image very well, but that plan had become completely obsolete.

“What do you want to do, Ra-Eun?”

She had two choices. She could give up on Director Choi’s production and star in something else that she wanted, or take part in the audition. She did not have to think for very long.

“When is the audition?”

Like always, Ra-Eun went for gold.

***

On the day of the audition for Shuttered, Director Choi’s next work, Ra-Eun went through the script in the waiting room with other actresses who had also come to take the audition. They were putting their all into their performances to make the lead role their own. Ra-Eun couldn’t help but be impressed while watching them.

‘They’re all so passionate.’

If their passion was converted into heat, the waiting room would be like a steaming sauna. Ra-Eun could see actresses who were just as famous as her, as well as actresses who she had never seen or heard of before.

One of the unknown actresses caught her attention; it was a short-haired woman in her early twenties, Jin Seo-Yeong.

‘She looks familiar.’

She had never heard the name before, but her face was extremely familiar.

‘Where have I seen her?’

Ra-Eun was confident that she had never seen her in any of her own productions, since she remembered every single actor whom she had worked with in her film and three dramas. There had not been a ‘Jin Seo-Yeong’ among the people who she had worked with.

“Ra-Eun.”

As she was racking her brain to recall who Jin Seo-Yeong was, someone lightly tapped her shoulder from behind. Ra-Eun saw a familiar face once she turned around.

“Hello, sunbae.”

It was Seo Tae-Yeon, who had taught Ra-Eun the ways of the naked slumber. As Ra-Eun was about to ask her what she was doing here, her eyes caught the name tag on Tae-Yeon’s chest. Her name and waiting number was written on it. If she was wearing something like this, then...

“Are you here to take the audition as well, sunbae?” Ra-Eun asked.

Tae-Yeon nodded. “Yup. I’m auditioning for the role of Song Hye-Mi.”

Ra-Eun had never thought that the connection she had made during the female soldier special would reach this far.

“You’re not auditioning for the Song Hye-Mi role, are you?” Tae-Yeon asked while giving Ra-Eun a teasing look.

Song Hye-Mi was one of the female lead characters of Shuttered.

Ra-Eun shook her head. “No. I’m auditioning for the Hwang Tae-Yeong role.”

Song Hye-Mi had a passive and dainty image, while Hwang Tae-Yeong exuded heroine energy. Ra-Eun only had the role of Hwang Tae-Yeong in mind, and did not even consider trying out for the other roles.

“Hwang Tae-Yeong, huh? I guess it really does fit well with your current image,” Tae-Yeon expressed.

“Right?” Ra-Eun agreed.

“I hope the two of us get the lead roles.”

However, auditions were full of variables. Popularity was not enough to pass auditions; one needed to be skilled, and have a strong level of synchronization with the character they were trying out for. Due to this, there were many instances that a completely unknown actor managed to win the role rather than a popular actor.

Hence, in a popular actor’s perspective, going to auditions could be considered a risk. Since they were popular, they would be given casting offers left and right, so it was a gamble to go to auditions despite that.

Tae-Yeon glanced at the script Ra-Eun was holding.

“Looks like you’ve practiced a lot.”

Tae-Yeon was surprised by the number of post-it notes and highlighter marks that Ra-Eun’s script was filled with. However, Ra-Eun did not think it was anything to be surprised over.

“I saw others that were far worse than mine,” she remarked.

“I see... We’re in the age of endless competition, after all.”

They were in the age where only those who worked hard survived. However popular an actor was, they would be naturally selected out from the change in times if they did not work hard enough.

That was also why Tae-Yeon had entered the audition. She hoped to work in one of Director Choi’s productions, but she also wanted to gauge her skill level through competition.

Ra-Eun thought very highly of Tae-Yeon’s attitude. Not only did she have a great personality, Ra-Eun could learn a lot from Tae-Yeon since she had survived in the entertainment industry since her days as a child actor without a single negative scandal.

“Ra-Eun. Should we practice together with our respective roles?”

“I’d love to.”

They were going to practice more realistically through reading the script, since having a partner would be helpful in immersing themselves in their respective roles.

“You. That’s my seat. Could you move?”

As they were about to begin, the sharp tone of a woman froze the entire waiting room. All eyes shifted to a single area. Jang Seon-Bin, an actress with eight years of acting experience, was staring daggers at an unknown actress. Coincidentally, the unknown actress whom Seon-Bin was glaring at happened to be the same one that Ra-Eun had taken an interest in a few minutes ago.

‘Jin Seo-Yeong is in some real trouble.’

Seon-Bin was widely rumored to have a terrible personality in the entertainment industry. She was especially famous for picking fights with her juniors and bullying them for absolutely no reason. Seon-Bin herself thought she was disciplining them, but only she thought that way; the victims wouldn’t think that way in the slightest.

‘It’s not discipline, but just plain harassment.’

That was how Ra-Eun felt about it, and it also looked that way at this very moment.