“What?”
“Director, are you serious?”
The people sitting around looked at her in surprise as Eulhong, who had been indifferent until now, directly expressed her interest.
Eulhong twisted her lips, glaring at Suhyeon, as if she didn’t notice the gazes directed at her.
“Yeah. I fucking like him. Yes, the reason I’m here wasting my time and ears is to find the main character.”
With every word she spat out, the faces of the people around her turned pale.
Some glanced at Suhyeon with awkward smiles, while others avoided his gaze.
Suhyeon observed those who couldn’t stop her despite feeling uncomfortable and figured out who held the real power.
Whether it was due to her talent or abrasive personality, Eulhong was the center of this movie.
“How ridiculous it is for those young kids to boastfully play pieces they can’t even handle.”
“Ahem! Ahem!”
“Oh, what’s this? Mr. Seo, did you catch a cold?”
“Please, mind your language…”
“Did I say something wrong? Who do they think they are to act like they’re in a competition? If this was a real competition, I’d have torn them apart.”
“Director…”
Despite the investor’s cough and other judges and staff trying to stop her, Eulhong’s words were sharp.
Her musical talent made her evaluation accurate, but she had no mercy or acknowledgment.
…Wow, did she really talk to the kids like that? Is she okay? No matter how you see it, she’s at least a sociopath…
Was this what it meant to be a genius with a flawed character?
Even that sharp-tongued chef across the ocean was kind to kids, but Eulhong had no such consideration.
And just like her screwed up character, she didn’t know how to sugarcoat her words.
“Number 34, Kang Suhyeon.”
“Yes.”
“You practiced the script, right? Act out scene 3. Sangil, roll the camera.”
“What? Yes.”
“Sunmi, read the counterpart lines.”
“Yes.”
Suhyeon recalled the scene she had instructed.
The main character, who unknowingly played a piece from memory, became curious about his parents and eventually dreamed of escaping the orphanage.
A scene filled with excitement and adventure from the child’s perspective, although it seemed reckless and dangerous to adults.
And it’s totally different from the roles I’ve played so far.
The “young Jiwu” from Promise of the Blue Summer and “Yeonwu” from Praise were children with deep shadows.
A harsh home environment had ruined the kids, and their ruined parts were expressed in different ways.
But this protagonist remained bright even in a difficult environment and enjoyed even risky choices.
In a good way, he was like a protagonist from a shonen manga, but in a bad way, he had skill but was naïve.
It’s the easiest part for a child actor to show lovely childishness… She must have asked me on purpose, right?
While he was lost in thought, the camera that had finished preparations focused on him.
Seeing himself on the small screen in front of him, Suhyeon smiled brightly.
It was a slightly more lively and confident smile than the one he had shown during the interview.
If there’s doubt about whether I can do well, I need to show that cuteness and loveliness are my forte.
His previous performances were like espresso with condensed milk.
The bittersweet atmosphere wasn’t typical of child actors and greatly helped in showcasing his acting skills.
However, the performance Suhyeon was truly confident in was his bright and unwrinkled demeanor.
Although he was quiet, static, and an indoor type, he had to become a lively and smiling person in front of the camera.
It was also the most common appearance he showed to become a cheerful six-year-old.
“I want to find my mom and dad.”
“What? How are you going to do that?”
“If I become really famous, my mom and dad will recognize me. They said this is a song even the teachers don’t know. It must be from my mom and dad!”
Suhyeon shouted with eyes sparkling like they held stars.
The reckless statement was clumsy, but it conveyed the child’s impetuousness well.
“How will you become famous?”
“The man who came to volunteer before said so! If I become a… a berserker, I’ll become famous!”
“Pfft! Sorry.”
As Suhyeon ad-libbed to fit a six-year-old, one of the victims burst into laughter.
At that moment, Eulhong, who had been lightly tapping the table, slapped her palm down to calm the surroundings.
“You’re really funny. Good, you’re accepted. I’ll send the piece today and contact you when the revised script is out. Practice and be ready by then. With about three months, you can perfect the performance, right? Then I’m leaving now.”
“Director… there are still about 70 more child actors to see… and we have a second audition too. What do you mean it’s over?”
“Why see more? He’s perfect. Cancel the second audition. It’s much more productive to revise the script and cast supporting actors in that time.”
“No, no. Director! Director!”
With Eulhong’s sudden declaration, the audition room became chaotic.
The staff, who had been sitting together, were flustered and didn’t know what to do, while the investor called “Mr. Seo” sighed deeply.
Wow, really my way or the highway… Did she live like this and get into trouble with the higher-ups?
Despite the surrounding objections, the director glared around with fierce eyes, not budging from her stance.
Instead, she was annoyed as if wondering why they didn’t understand this simple thing.
“Do you think there’s a rough diamond among the kids here? Kids who can’t even distinguish between a competition and an audition! A genius. They might exist. A newbie who turns out to be great at acting, performing, and understanding the camera. But compared to a newbie, an experienced one is better, right? After looking through everyone, there’s no kid as good-looking as him.”
“Ahem, Director… Please…”
“There are kids who act to immerse themselves in the emotion and kids who act to look like they feel the emotion. I’ll choose the latter. It’s the latter that captures the emotion clearly in the frame, and the audience empathizes more with the latter. And that kid is right there. And yet you want me to suffer through watching half-baked kids in the name of fairness? Why? I don’t want to.”
“No, I mean… Number 34, Kang Suhyeon. You did well. We’ll notify you of the results via contact. Good job.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Suhyeon quietly packed his violin and left the room as if he had seen nothing.
Eulhong’s excited voice rang out, but he calmly walked out to the waiting meant to hold five people as if he couldn’t hear.
“Uh, uh. Good job…”
“Thank you.”
Quickly gathering his case, he headed to the lobby where Sangil was waiting.
The 35th contestant left alone looked at Suhyeon with a face dying of curiosity, but Suhyeon pretended not to notice and walked out.
“Oh, you came out late, Mr. Actor. Did something happen?”
“Uh… let’s say I found out something I didn’t want to know…”
“Why? Did you fail? The ones coming out all had either bad or ambiguous expressions. Did you get scolded?”
“Well… if you can call it that.”
Suhyeon mumbled ambiguously and hastened his steps outside the building.
Sangil, noticing something strange, tried to ask, but Suhyeon wasn’t in the state to answer.
Ah.
Only after he got to the car and fastened his seatbelt did he finally come to his senses and relax his muscles.
The earlier situation kept replaying in his mind, tangled like a ball of thread.
Is this really okay?
Suhyeon realized one very clear fact.
She might be a genius, but Director Kim Eulhong had a terrible personality.
Not just terrible, but terrible to the point where words like “dog-like” and “insolent” suited her…
* * *
The audition ended like that, and that evening, Suhyeon received a call wanting to write up a contract with him.
The offered fee wasn’t high, but it included a running guarantee clause and some conditions for the child actor’s convenience.
Overall, it was a rather generous offer for Suhyeon.
Even without negotiations, the contract was favorable, so Suhyeon scrutinized the staff.
Such conditions were rare, even from production companies with money to burn.
“Actually, there’s a condition for this contract… Suhyeon, did you tell your mom or dad or anyone else about what happened yesterday?”
“No.”
“To your manager…?”
“No. He just said he might sign a contract soon. Was there an issue?”
Despite having heard the whole situation yesterday, Sangil calmly lied.
This was in contrast to Suhyeon, who hadn’t lied.
“Actor Kang Suhyeon must not disclose what he saw yesterday to anyone. The term is five years from the day of signing the contract. If violated…”
The employee explained the conditions and penalties in a gentle voice.
The good terms offered by the production company were bait.
Eulhong’s behavior was problematic, and the company needed to cover it up as much as possible.
Although they somehow managed to judge all 100 people in the first round, the second audition had been canceled due to Eulhong’s stubbornness, making the gag order even more necessary.
“Okay.”
“Then sign here.”
After exchanging the contracts, Suhyeon received the music and original lines composed by Eulhong.
The official script would be revised to suit Suhyeon’s age, but the lines and flow would remain almost the same, meaning he could practice in advance.
Oh, the song’s really good. A genius is a genius, after all… But why haven’t I heard this great song in the future?
The song he received was quite good.
It had a bright yet warm feel suitable for wishing a child’s health and happiness, and it was subtly addictive.
It’s not an easy task to convey this feeling with a violin.
To maintain confidentiality, Suhyeon’s lesson times were changed to early mornings before the academy opened.
Despite increasing the tuition, it was a considerable privilege, but it was smoothly arranged thanks to Sohee, who was eager to teach Suhyeon.
His real name is Kim Hyeono, and the name he got from the orphanage is Park Jiseok… The temperature difference in the names is too extreme.
While Suhyeon analyzed the character and focused on practicing the instrument, the script adjusted for six-year-old Suhyeon also arrived.
The friends and surrounding characters were changed to match the protagonist’s age, and minor settings were altered.
They said other roles are being cast now…? The first reading is in a month and a half… I need to work hard.
He declined incoming commercial offers and focused on “creating Park Jiseok.”
The advertising fees for child actors wasn’t big anyway.
Time was precious, so Suhyeon concentrated on one thing instead of being greedy.
“Suhyeon, you’ve improved a lot since you first came. Now you can express emotions naturally without lines.”
“Thank you.”
As a result, he received passing marks from his acting teacher, Siyeong.
“Suhyeon, how about entering a competition with me? It’s really because you’re too good to waste.”
“Teacher, I love acting. If you keep saying that, Suhyeon won’t like it…”
“Oh… I’m not usually like this, but, ah. You could really become Korea’s Paganini.[1] I really want to boast about you to another teacher, ah really…”
His violin teacher, Sohee, kept earnestly persuading him.
Although each day ran like a hamster wheel, Suhyeon steadily grew within that routine.
“Hello. I’m Kang Suhyeon, playing the role of Park Jiseok. Please take care of me!”
And then, one day at the beginning of summer.
Suhyeon introduced himself in front of the gathered director and fellow actors.
[1] Niccolò Paganini was a famed violinist who also composed the famous 24 Caprices for Solo Violin.
