“Improv?”
“Yes.”
The director stared at Seo Hoyun with wide-open eyes.
“If you’ve read the script, you’d know that PD Lee Jeonghun is smart but rude, speaks bluntly, and loves making fun of others. He’s a top-notch jerk. And that’s not all. He sometimes resorts to threats without caring about the means.”
“….”
“In short, he’s a trashy person.”
“Is… that so?”
Seo Hoyun muttered hesitantly. Yet, no one refuted the director’s words. The writer even proudly agreed, saying while giving a thumbs-up,
“That’s right, he’s a complete piece of trash!”
“So, I’d like to see how close Seo Hoyun can get to PD Lee Jeonghun.”
“Um.”
“As I said earlier, PD Lee Jeonghun drinks alcohol and smokes cigarettes. Plus, he has a foul mouth. He’s the kind of person who does everything people say not to do.”
“…Yes.”
Frankly, alcohol and cigarettes were merely “offensive” elements, so even if PD Lee Jeonghun had such a setting, there was no need to act out those parts for the role. However, the director just wanted to test him.
Let’s see how far he can go.
He wanted to see how far this brave and powerful-looking idol could go.
I’ve offended him!
In reality, Seo Hoyun was already disgusted by the director’s blatant fronting, but the director, misinterpreting it as him being pressured, proudly said,
“To be honest, it might be a bit rough for an idol to take on this role.”
“I’m fine with that.”
Although Seo Hoyun wondered if he was being too eager, his response was half out of hope that he would pass the audition and half out of wanting to impress the writer as a passionate rookie. Unaware of this, the director was touched to the point of being choked up.
He still wants to try acting even if it hurts his idol image… That’s incredible.
The misunderstanding only deepened.
While the desire to give this fearless and desperate idol the role of Lee Jeonghun grew stronger, the director quickly shook his head.
“…If it’s okay, could you show me some of your acting as PD Lee Jeonghun?”
“Excuse me?”
“Swearing, alcohol, cigarettes – everything PD Lee Jeonghun loves.”
“Director!”
Beside him, the AD looked over with pleading eyes, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade the director, who was determined to test Seo Hoyun.
He probably can’t do it, right?
However, Seo Hoyun merely tilted his head slightly.
“…Should I start with swearing?”
“…Yes?”
As the production staff was taken aback, Seo Hoyun hesitated for a moment before pulling a chair to the center and sitting down with his shoulders straight.
“Who should I direct the swear words at?”
“…The department head. Their relationship is bad in the setting.”
“Ah….”
Seo Hoyun chuckled. He touched the corner of his mouth and glanced at the director momentarily.
“Swearing at the department head.”
“Yes, just say whatever comes to mind. Casually.”
“Alright. I apologize, but please keep everything I say here a secret… I’m still an idol, after all.”
What kind of amazing thing was he trying to do?
The director slightly furrowed his brows, and in that instant, Seo Hoyun broke his composed sitting posture, crossed his legs arrogantly, and looked up at the ceiling.
“Um… Department head….”
“…”
Seo Hoyun curled his lips as if he was thinking of something.
“Our department head….”
And then, he opened his mouth.
“…(beep) like (beep-)brains stuck on (beep) ratings, I know, he should hide it, but he dares to compare that program to mine, even dares to… then he asked for more (beep) staff, saying it’s not enough, while all the (beep) work from elsewhere is being piled on us, he gets to eat all the benefits while closing hid mouths and pretending to be (beep) innocent, it makes the viewers feel (beep)…”
“…”
“…”
“…Is that enough?”
What… did I just hear?
“…Yes, it’s enough. It wasn’t too bad.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The director looked extremely flustered but tried to act casual as he shakily sipped water. His hand trembled and spilled some, but he wiped his chin as if nothing happened.
…Well, that could happen.
Anyone can curse well, even if it’s not specifically PD Lee Jeonghun. It wasn’t a vulgar curse, but rather a curse that seemed to express a PD’s desperation in Yeouido… For now, he could do it well, yes.
Seo Hoyun stared quietly at the shaken director and wiped his chin.
“…If it’s not enough, should we try the version of an overbearing star instead of the PD?”
“No, no more! That’s enough!”
“Yes.”
Seo Hoyun closed his mouth neatly. Then, the director quickly moved on to the next topic.
“Lee Jeonghun is also famous for his drinking skills! Not only is he a heavy drinker, but he also knows how to handle alcohol after meeting various types of people!”
“…It seems like a lot of detail has been added?”
Even though Kim Sukhui, the writer watching with interest, whispered from the side, the director remained firm. The AD glanced at the director with a bored expression.
There’s no way they’d ask him to prove his drinking skills by suddenly drinking alcohol during the audition, so how could they ask him to show that?
However, the director was truly a formidable lunatic.
“Alright! Seo Hoyun! Please show us your drinking skills!”
“It’s, it’s a setting!”
What were you telling an idol to do right now!
The AD scolded the director in shock.
But Seo Hoyun was Seo Hoyun.
After hearing that, he calmly stood up and picked up a plastic soda bottle.
“I’ll borrow this. Ah, do you have a paper cup?”
“…Yes? Oh… Yes.”
“With this, hmm… Although the neck is a bit short, it should work. Please hold the paper cup.”
Seo Hoyun casually opened the soda bottle, snapped his wrist flamboyantly, and poured the drink into the paper cup from a distance.
“…!!”
What is this??
It was pure astonishment. The director stared wide-eyed at the paper cup in his hand. Seo Hoyun tilted his head slightly and murmured.
“Hmm, as expected, the neck is too short. If it were a soju bottle, it would be cleaner.”
“…Yes?”
“Next, please. Give me the paper cup.”
And he even managed to successfully pour the drinks into the AD and the writer’s paper cups with his brilliant alcohol skills—no, soda-pouring skills.
What on earth is this??
An idol who knew how to flaunt alcohol skills??
Everyone drank the drink in the paper cups with bewitched expressions, but Seo Hoyun simply closed the cap without drinking.
…Details? Could it be a detail representing PD Lee Jeonghun’s personality, who learned drinking skills because he didn’t want to get drunk?
It was just because Seo Hoyun didn’t want to drink, but the director, now thoroughly enchanted by him, misunderstood it in his own way.
However, since he had worked all night and gone through a lot of trouble preparing for the show, the director couldn’t readily admit it.
Alright!
Since he prepared a scene anyway, he wanted to use it even if it was a waste! The director clenched his eyes tightly.
“Then, cigarettes! They say PD Lee Jeonghun smokes at least a pack a day…!! His lungs are as black as his personality!!”
“Director!!”
“…It kinda hurts.”
Seo Hoyun muttered under his breath, but everyone was too excited to hear it. The AD poked the director’s side in annoyance.
“Do you want him to smoke here?? Are you crazy? It’s indoors!”
“No, just pretend! Just pretend!”
“Ugh… well, fine. Seo Hoyun, you’ve shown us everything else, so… can you at least pretend? Here, I’ll lend you my cigarette.”
“…”
Despite it being the most straightforward request so far, Seo Hoyun stared strangely at the Malboro Gold that the AD held out to him.
And then, he fell silent with a slightly awkward expression.
…Huh?
It was a strange occurrence for Seo Hoyun, who had never refused a cigarette until now. Seo Hoyun deliberately turned his gaze away from the cigarette offered by the staff and asked,
“…Um, can I… not a real cigarette, but use candy instead?”
“What?”
“I have candy.”
“…Well, okay.”
Wasn’t it easier to act with a real cigarette? Did he dislike cigarettes?
Regardless, it didn’t matter. It was his choice.
Just as the AD was about to put away the pack of cigarettes, Seo Hoyun approached and asked him again.
“Can I borrow a lighter?”
“Yes. Here you go.”
Seo Hoyun, bowing his head slightly, rummaged through his pocket and indeed pulled out a stick of candy. He then let out a deep sigh and said,
“Let’s begin.”
Gulp.
Everyone swallowed nervously.
What’s so nerve-wracking about someone smoking a cigarette? Moreover, the guy was a 23-year-old idol who was not even holding a real cigarette but candy in one hand and a lighter in the other!
Yet, everyone’s gazes were irresistibly drawn to Seo Hoyun.
“Huff…”
Nonetheless, Seo Hoyun showed no signs of nervousness as he held the lighter he received from the AD in one hand and flicked it open with irritation.
“Fuck, it’s not working…”
Then, he pretended to shield the lighter from the wind and tried it again. Finally, it seemed to catch fire as Seo Hoyun sucked the end of the candy so hard his cheeks hollowed out. He slumped into a chair and tilted his head.
“…”
He stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment and exhaled a long breath as if blowing out smoke.
…Cigarette smoke?
For an instant, the director, AD, and writer all… had the illusion that they saw cigarette smoke coming from the candy Seo Hoyun was holding.
Just as if a halo erupted behind a handsome actor in a domestic occult movie, they all believed it…
As they all stared, entranced, Seo Hoyun flicked off the imaginary ash from his candy and muttered,
“Life is really…”
“…”
“Always so shitty…”
…He’s insane.
It was just Lee Jeonghun.
There was nothing more to see.
This was… just Lee Jeonghun.
In the minds of all the judges looking at him, “Seo Hoyun the Idol” was completely gone, replaced by “Lee Jeonghun the Genius PD.”
They couldn’t help but think that he must pass the first round.
For additional chapters, swing by our Patreon and join the club!
Love the series? Share your thoughts on Novel Updates by rating and reviewing it now!
