The Third-Gen Chaebol Becomes a Genius Actor

Chapter 114 <Audition>

The day after he returned from Gyeongju, Yoo Yeon Seo went to his office at JSENM headquarters.

(Send me the list of candidates as soon as you get it, I’ll check them out first.)

“Yes, hyung.”

(Thanks for your hard work.)

Yoo Yeon Seo sighed after he hung up the phone with Baek Seojun.

‘It’s nice to have someone to help me…’

He was making more progress than when he was investigating alone. He wanted to focus on finding the culprit, but his brother was busy and he had his own work to do, so he put it off for a while.

“How’s the report on Film Night?”

“I’ve organized it and put it on your desk.”

He thought he could ignore the surge of emotions that tormented him by immersing himself in other work. Besides, he had to go to an audition in the afternoon, where director Cheon would be watching. He almost missed the appointment because he woke up too late.

“Um… sir.”

“Yes?”

Yoo Yeon Seo turned his head at the cautious voice. Cha Yoonho, his secretary at JSENM, avoided his gaze.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, just do your work.”

He seemed to be following his mother’s instructions… Yoo Yeon Seo answered casually and entered his office.

Come to think of it, there were a lot of people who greeted him at the entrance. Did it go viral on the internet? People can get sick sometimes. It’s not a big deal, is it?

-AhㅠㅠㅠㅠJuseong too and why doesn’t the agency make an official statementㅠㅠ

-I hope it’s not serious.

-But is the person who was taken away really Yoo Yeon Seo?

└Yes, my friend is a nurse at Juseong Hospital and she said he came to the emergency room.

-Let’s see the agency’s statement ㄱㄱ

└What the hell

└Simple overwork? Is it simple overwork to go to the emergency room?

└No, his secretary and brother were at the scene and they called 119, doesn’t that mean it was serious?

└Explain clearly.

└But they don’t have to disclose everything, right? He looked fine in the Gyeongju sightings.

└Look at the announcementㅋㅋ They can’t do their job.

└└Hailo Media is good at their job for an actor’s agency, rightㅋㅋ

Hmm… is this a big deal?

He sat down on his chair and looked at Lim Seunghyun, who followed him.

“Mr. Lim.”

“Yes.”

“Did your sister worry about me a lot?”

He received a flood of calls and messages from Lim Hyeju as soon as Lim Seunghyun’s sighting was posted. He was busy dealing with the situation at the time, and he couldn’t help but frown when he saw over 100 messages piled up.

[Oppa, what is this picture? Is this you?]

[Everyone says the person who was taken away is Yoo Yeon Seo, what happened?]

[Why did you go to the emergency room, are you in a lot of pain? What’s going on?]

[Hey, why are you ignoring me! Hey!]

His actor was across the street, but Lim Hyeju, who had restrained herself from being a fan and an actor, went wild that day. She kept trying to contact him every day. He was annoyed by her persistent contact with different numbers even when he blocked her. Fortunately, she quieted down after the Gyeongju sighting yesterday.

“Any fan would be worried, I guess.”

His voice, which answered with a sigh, contained a lot of meaning. Is that so… Yoo Yeon Seo straightened his chair, which he had leaned back for a moment.

“Hmm… should I post a picture?”

“That would be nice. It’s perfect right now.”

Itaegyeom answered instead. There were some points that the fans would like, such as the luxurious office interior, the nameplate with ‘Executive Director Yoo Yeon Seo’ elegantly engraved, and the neat suit.

“Cross your legs, put your fingers on your knee, and pose.”

“What, are you a photographer?”

“This kind of thing is all about the direction.”

He couldn’t say anything when the result came out well. He uploaded the picture that Itaegyeom sent him to SNS and thought for a long time.

‘What should I say?’

He didn’t want to say that he was all better and fine now. He just wanted to show his normal appearance.

Y__Yeon Seo

Office reveal

└Sirㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠ

└Oppa, I missed youㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└Are you okay?

└SO GORGEOUS, WILL U MARRY ME

└Wow, crazyㅠㅠㅠ

└MINE

└WE MISSED U

The number of hearts and comments increased rapidly every time he refreshed the page. Yoo Yeon Seo closed the screen with a foolish gesture after refreshing it several times.

****

In the morning, he skimmed through the synopsis and pitching that came out on ‘Film Night’, and in the afternoon, he finally arrived at the audition site where Director Cheon himself was watching. Since he was a very famous director, the audition venue was also rented out a large hall to accommodate the many people who gathered.

Of course, regardless of the director’s reputation, this kind of audition opportunity was rare, so everyone rushed in like moths.

“Wow, what a crowd…”

Lee Tae-gyeom muttered from behind. There were some people who glanced at Yoo Yeon Seo’s appearance, but most of them were nervously reciting their scripts.

‘Are all these people here for this one thing?’

It was a minor supporting role, not a lead role, but the applicants were screened and filtered to this extent. Would they be able to see all these people by the end of today?

He corrected his thought that it was a mistake to come here. He didn’t have the confidence to play various roles in a short period of time from the bottom up.

“How are you? How’s your health?”

“I’m fine.”

Director Cheon looked up and down Yoo Yeon Seo briefly and frowned slightly. He knew what he was going to say. Something like, you look pale, you seem to have lost weight, etc. He took the initiative.

“Did you write the audition script yourself, director?”

“No, my adaptation writer did.”

The audition script was too well-made for a simple one. He looked over the audition script again and said.

“This person, don’t you have any plans to write a screenplay instead of an adaptation?”

“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m learning directing under me… I think I’ll sign a contract with a production company soon.”

Writers with strong power in dramas were weaker in movies where original storytelling ability was required.

They often got ripped off their fees, and they were often overshadowed by directors, so it was still one of the unsolved homework in the film industry. 

So usually these writers learn to direct and become directors themselves.

“That’s too bad. Then you don’t have any thoughts on dramas, do you?”

“Probably not.”

“Well, if you’re learning under the director, you don’t need to go to dramas.”

The industry perception was still higher for movies than dramas. But the side with strong writers was drama. Yoo Yeon Seo said to contact him if he had any thoughts and coughed softly.

“What are you going to look at first in this audition, director?”

“Mask, atmosphere.”

“Yes. A face that suits the director’s work.”

Director Cheon had written the appearance conditions very strictly when he announced the audition. He wanted thin or no double eyelids, fair skin, and so on. It was very detailed.

The strange thing was, there was no gender restriction. The original scenario was also expressed neutrally, and there was a lot of blank space as to whether to match the actor who would be cast.

“Don’t you look at acting skills?”

“Acting skills don’t have to be very bad. As long as you can deliver the lines well…”

Each director had different preferences for actors, but Director Cheon had the confidence that he could pull up any lacking acting with his directing.

“I envy you.”

He unconsciously blurted out his thoughts, but he wasn’t embarrassed. He invested in Director Cheon’s movie production to appeal like this.

Director Cheon smiled slightly.

“So you take a look at the acting.”

“Me?”

“Just the basics. Just the basics.”

Isn’t it too early for me to judge someone? Yoo Yeon Seo nodded his head for now.

“Hello! I am…”

As soon as the first applicant entered, he tilted his head slightly.

‘Ah, this person is out.’

The audition starts from the moment you open the door and enter. But he acts like that with no confidence. Director Cheon must have thought the same thing, as he flipped the profile to the side without looking at it.

“Yes, skip the greeting since I’m looking at your profile. Let’s see the designated acting first.”

The applicant almost cried at Yoo Yeon Seo’s interruption as he tried to introduce himself in a trembling voice. He hoped that it would get better once he started acting, but it was still a lackluster performance with no confidence.

“Thank you for your hard work. Next.”

The next applicant came in right away.

“Hello!”

He had more confidence than before. Yoo Yeon Seo frowned at the applicant’s profile picture. He tried to show his various sides, but he didn’t know what he wanted to show.

It would have been better if he showed his most attractive point… For example, the mole on his cheek…

“Yes, I saw it.”

Yoo Yeon Seo answered indifferently while looking at the profile picture, and the other person’s expression changed.

Hmm… Out. He shouldn’t show a bad mood. He gradually got interested in the audition. Was it this fun to evaluate others?

And he wouldn’t have to see this kind of audition, but if he did, he thought it would be good to use this as a negative example.

“Do you have poor eyesight?”

“Huh?”

“Take off your glasses. I want to see your eyes.”

At Yu Yeon Seo’s command, the applicant took off his glasses without a word. Director Cheon smiled slightly. He didn’t have to say anything, as Yu Yeon Seo gave the instructions for him. It meant that they were on the same page.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“You know you blink too much when you say your lines, right?”

“Uh…”

“You should fix that habit. Good job.”

He sometimes gave advice as well. Of course, some of the auditioners were around the same age as Yu Yeon Seo and had quite some experience, so they might not listen to him…

“Have you auditioned before?”

“No.”

“You looked nervous, but you did well. Just keep it up.”

Before the next applicant came in, Director Cheon chuckled and patted Yu Yeon Seo’s back.

‘I think I got dragged into this…’

He did all the trivial things, so Director Cheon just crossed his arms and did nothing. But he didn’t know that this was also a test from Director Cheon.

Then the next applicant came in.

“Hello.”

Oh, that person… He was the one who was practicing on the theater stage when he first met Director Cheon. He locked eyes with the applicant. He looked at Yu Yeon Seo with a strange expression.

“We know each other, right?”

“I found out later.”

“I see. I liked your practice.”

After the applicant finished his acting, Director Cheon spoke up before Yu Yeon Seo could say anything. Yu Yeon Seo, who had a good intuition, realized that this was a sign of acceptance from Director Cheon.

‘I’m jealous.’

I’d rather act than produce, if I could. He looked up from the next applicant’s profile and saw a familiar face.

“Hello!”

It was Hong Min-ah, who he had worked with in ‘Dreaming’. She didn’t act like she knew him and focused on the audition. Director Cheon uncrossed his arms and rested his chin.

“We know each other, right?”

“Huh?”

“I enjoyed your drama.”

“Thank you!”

Hong Min-ah passed, too. Yu Yeon Seo moved on to the next applicant’s profile.

“You have a nice voice.”

“Thank you, it’s easy on the ears.”

“What do you think is your charm?”

He answered without hesitation to the sudden question.

“My face.”

“What if your face limits your role choices?”

“What can I do? I was born this way. Roles are bought with money. Whatever.”

“What if there’s something you can’t do?”

“I have to try my best to please. I have to act well, first of all.”

He paused for a moment as he said that.

‘Acting… Acting…’

If the weak-hearted Yu Yeon Seo and the healthy-minded Kang Jin-hoo’s clash was the cause of his vomiting blood, wouldn’t he be able to stop it if he could act as Yu Yeon Seo properly? He coughed into his handkerchief.

“Your phone is ringing.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He had it on silent, but the vibration meant that he had an important message.

(Lim Seung-hyun) Sir, you should come out for a while when you have time.

‘Did grandmother already send someone?’

The shock therapy must have worked. He ignored the pain in his chest. He thought it was the guilt that the original felt.