chapter 5

Chapter 5. The Private Audition

Jung Chul-min was taken aback by this sudden outburst. The overwhelming sorrow emanating from Yeon-woo made him think something serious was happening. He quickly embraced the boy, unsure of what to do.

"What's going on? A young man, no, not even a young man, a mere boy, what great sorrow could he have to burst into such tears?"

He wondered if Yeon-woo was an acting genius or, as his friend who had taught him the technique had said, if he was releasing pent-up negative energy from some emotional wound.

Even if it were the latter, this level of immersion was worthy of an acting prodigy.

Of course, shedding tears and expressing emotions within a frame were different skills, but Ryu Yeon-woo was a complete novice, here for his first acting lesson.

After a long while, Yeon-woo calmed down and apologized to Jung Chul-min.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I suddenly lost control…"

"No, no, what are you talking about? I'm the one who asked you to express sadness." Jung Chul-min waved his hands dismissively.

He considered ending the lesson there, but Yeon-woo's enthusiasm prompted him to try a few more tests. After that, Jung Chul-min came to a conclusion:

'This kid was born to do this.'

Despite some rough edges, Jung Chul-min saw Ryu Yeon-woo as a genius. He could subtly control even the smallest facial muscles necessary for acting. He could remarkably capture the nuances of different roles, from a limping beggar or a thief to a scoundrel, a nouveau riche, or a soldier, mimicking their characteristic mannerisms and even their unique auras.

Of course, Jung Chul-min couldn't know that this was because Yeon-woo's past life, where he had spent decades portraying various undercover identities in top-secret operations, was naturally infused into his acting.

While refining these raw talents and presenting them on camera would require various techniques and detailed adjustments, if he couldn't polish a talent like this, Jung Chul-min would feel his life dedicated to acting had been wasted.

Word gradually spread throughout the academy about the director's monstrously talented student, and the unofficial Ryu Yeon-woo fan club at school grew daily.

***

Prosecutor Han Hae-woon of the Busan District Prosecutor's Office. Han Hae-woon was a man who had lived fiercely, solely focused on becoming a legal professional.

Perhaps due to his intense lifestyle, he suddenly collapsed at work from a hemorrhagic stroke and was rushed to the emergency room.

The doctors attempted emergency treatment, but shook their heads, saying it seemed too late. It was then that he miraculously regained consciousness.

Even the hospital called his recovery a miracle.

Hae-woon interpreted this as a divine sign to continue his unfinished duties and worked even harder as a prosecutor.

At first, it was a dream. A dream so chillingly realistic that he questioned its nature. After his collapse, he kept having the same dream.

The dream, where he conversed with someone called 'Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan,' always repeated the same dialogue: a story about how the man had decided to donate to a certain charity upon his death.

Hae-woon initially dismissed it, but as the dream recurred, his curiosity grew, and he started investigating in his spare time.

He began by searching for a 'Team Leader' named 'Jeon Su-hwan' and found countless people across the country.

He spent every free moment looking into these numerous Jeon Su-hwans. It was driving him crazy, having the same dream every night.

Then, after a few months, a chill ran down Hae-woon's spine. Flipping through the pages, he saw a face that matched the one from his dreams.

The Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan that Hae-woon found was an employee of an ordinary water purifier trading company. His background and life story had no connection to Hae-woon.

Still, finding the man from his dreams in real life made it impossible for Hae-woon to dismiss it as a coincidence, and he began a full-fledged investigation.

But the deeper he dug, the more the mystery deepened. Initially trusting the information registered in the system, which listed Jeon Su-hwan as an employee of the water purifier company, he contacted the company directly, only to be told that no such person existed.

***

Six months had passed. Yeon-woo consistently ranked within the top three in his school, both in the final and midterm exams. Jung Chul-min was also running out of things to teach him, as Yeon-woo absorbed everything like a sponge.

"Yeon-woo," he said.

"Yes, sir?"

"A college senior of mine is directing a drama for a general programming channel. It's a romantic comedy set in college, based on a webtoon."

Ryu Yeon-woo, who had grown close to Jung Chul-min and now saw him as a sort of uncle figure, listened intently.

Jung Chul-min had heard at a recent film department alumni gathering that his senior, PD Kim Han-soo's production company was looking for new faces for a private drama audition. They had reached out to large academies where some of their classmates worked as instructors and to university theater departments.

"The main roles are already cast, but they're holding private auditions for a few supporting roles. If you're interested, Yeon-woo, I can put in a word for you."

PD Kim Han-soo had an intimidating aura and didn't interact much with his juniors, but he maintained a relatively amicable relationship with the affable Jung Chul-min.

Private audition opportunities used to come regularly to Chul-min's academy, but his students had performed so poorly in recent years that the academy had been pushed down the priority list, and audition offers had dwindled.

"I'd love to. I'm ready if you can get me the opportunity!"

"I'm not married, but man, if I had a son like you, I'd have nothing more to wish for. I envy Cheol-woong." Chul-min smiled at Yeon-woo's energetic response.

Over the past six months of teaching Yeon-woo, Chul-min and Yeon-woo's father, Cheol-woong, had discovered a surprising compatibility and occasionally went out for drinks together, they had become like brothers, despite their different family names.

"Aw, sir, you're like an uncle to me," Yeon-woo said playfully. He was truly grateful to Jung Chul-min for generously sharing his talent and knowledge.

"Well, if you succeed, it'll help our academy too," Jung Chul-min said, grinning and giving a thumbs-up. "Anyway, I'll talk to the director assuming you're in. I'm confident you'll pass with your looks and skills, but let's prepare diligently just in case."

"Yes, I understand."

Monday morning the following week:

Ring!!, ring!!

The ringing stopped, and a clear, composed voice answered.

–"Who is this? Is that you, junior Chul-min?"

Hearing PD Kim Han-soo's voice, Chul-min responded amiably, "Senior! How have you been? It's been a while since we last met at Kyung-joon's wedding."

-"Indeed. Time flies. It's been a while."

"Yes, senior. I heard you're starting a new project?"

Kim Han-soo, known for his peculiar and meticulous personality, addressed everyone formally, even juniors like Chul-min. He preferred to keep conversations brief and to the point.

Remembering his senior's personality, Jung Chul-min got straight to the point.

-"That's right. It's based on a webtoon, I hear. The script is well-written."

Despite his blunt manner of speaking and his seemingly cold personality, PD Kim Han-soo was known for capturing warm and youthful sensibilities in his works, both on the big and small screens.

"Yes, senior. I have a student I'm ambitiously training at the moment, and he's incredibly talented. Could I send him for the private audition for supporting roles?"

-"Hmm, alright. I appreciate you introducing promising talent. However, you know there's no special treatment based on personal connections, right?"

"Of course, senior. How about we have a drink with senior Joong-chul after you finish this project?"

-"Sounds good. I'll send you the audition schedule and script soon."

"Thank you, senior. Goodbye."

Click!

Beaming, Jung Chul-min forgot that Yeon-woo was in class and called him before realizing his mistake. He quickly sent a message instead.

Ryu Yeon-woo, changing his clothes after PE class, enduring the unpleasant smell in the classroom, noticed his phone screen light up. He opened the message:

-Got you an audition. Let's prepare diligently.

"Yes!" Ryu Yeon-woo pumped his fist.

Kim Joon-soo, who was also changing, asked curiously, "What? What's got you so excited? Share the good news."

"I'll tell you later if things work out," Yeon-woo said, smiling evasively. He didn't want to jinx it by celebrating prematurely.

"What do you mean, 'if things work out?' Is it a girl?" Woo Sung-sik, next to Kim Joon-soo, grinned.

If the Ryu Yeon-woo fan club at school heard that, they would be devastated.

Yeon-woo simply smiled without saying a word.

Tuesday afternoon, after school, Yeon-woo headed straight to the academy.

"Sir! I'm here!"

Chul-min smiled at Yeon-woo's eager entrance. "I bet you were waiting impatiently for school to end, haha."

"You're telling me. I was so curious about the script." Yeon-woo grinned and pestered him for the script.

Jung Chul-min had received the script that morning, and the audition was scheduled for Sunday, five days away. It was definitely late notice.

However, as long as there was enough time to familiarize himself with the script, holding onto it longer wouldn't necessarily improve the outcome.

"The preparation time can feel both short and sufficient."

"The key is character interpretation."

"Right. Since it's a rom-com, most of the supporting characters are two-dimensional, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Here, take it." Chul-min handed Yeon-woo the script.

"You need to familiarize yourself with the script before you can analyze it, so read it through. I'll be in practice room 3, coaching the university prep class. Come ask me if you have any questions."

"Thank you, sir."

Left alone in the director's office, Yeon-woo immersed himself in the script.

The title of the drama Ryu Yeon-woo was auditioning for was "Summer's Closet." It was based on a webtoon, but Yeon-woo had never read a webtoon in his life.

He briefly thought he should have read more comics when he had the chance, then chuckled.

He certainly had a yearning for acting, but in his past life as an orphan, a spy, and a field agent, a leisurely hobby like reading comics had been a luxury. And who would have thought he'd be reborn as an aspiring actor?

Shaking off his thoughts, Yeon-woo focused on the script.