Chapter 02

 

First Audition (1)

 

‘Ju Seo-yeon, it’s Ju Seo-yeon.’

 

CF director Cho Min-tae observed the atmosphere in the waiting room. As expected, the girl he had his eye on was attracting all the attention.

 

‘It’s not just about her face.’

 

There was an atmosphere, a presence that captivated everyone around her. Having followed his father's work from a young age, Cho Min-tae had seen many actors.

 

Actors always had beautiful and impressive appearances, but beyond that, they had something that captured people’s attention.

 

That girl, Ju Seo-yeon, had that kind of presence. It wasn’t quite an aura yet, but she had something that drew people’s eyes to her.

 

“She definitely has a good vibe. It would be great if her acting matches her looks.”

 

Great minds think alike. Casting director Kim Hyung-seok also had his eye on Seo-yeon. However, his expectations weren’t as high as Cho Min-tae’s.

 

‘There are kids like that sometimes.’

 

Kids who are pretty and have a good presence. But looks are just looks. If you’re not going to be a model, being an actor is all about acting. Even if it’s just a simple commercial.

 

Especially since this CF involved not just one actor, but another actor as well.

 

‘I need to prepare for that too.’

 

With the child actors being like this, he wondered if they could find a decent adult actor.

 

“It seems like everyone’s here. How about we start?”

 

“Yes, let’s hurry. We don’t have much time.”

 

Most of the kids they had identified from their profiles seemed to have arrived, and it was about 10 minutes to the scheduled audition time of 12 PM.

 

Hyung-seok stood up, opened the waiting room door, and called out.

 

“We will start the audition now. You have your number tags, right? Come in order from number 1.”

 

His dry words caused a wave of tension to sweep through the waiting room.

 

“Ji-yeon, you don’t need to be nervous. Just do what you always do.”

 

“Yes, Mom.”

 

Ji-yeon, the only child affiliated with a management agency, also showed signs of nerves. Her mother, Hong Jin-hee, tried to calm her daughter while glancing at Seo-yeon.

 

‘Is that kid’s heart made of steel? No change in her expression.’

 

Jin-hee frowned as she looked at Seoyeon’s unperturbed face, but soon smiled.

 

‘But with that kind of dull expression, her acting won’t be worth seeing.’

 

An actor's job is to convey emotions through acting. This fact doesn’t change even for a small CF.

 

In fact, because CFs are like short one-act plays, emotional elements needed to be maximized. But if a kid was that dull, they’d surely be poor at expressing emotions.

 

‘Why is she smiling at me?’

 

Seo-yeon wondered if there was something on her face. There was a woman who had been glaring at her for a while.

 

“Seoyeon, you mustn’t be nervous. Understand? If you get nervous, hold my hand tightly.”

 

“Yes.”

 

It wasn’t Seo-yeon who was nervous, but her mother, Suah. Seo-yeon held Suah’s hand to calm her, not because she was nervous.

 

‘This is odd. Isn’t the acting my job?’

 

With that thought, Seo-yeon focused on today’s CF.

 

‘It’s a food commercial, right?’

 

Although she didn’t know exactly what product it was, she could guess it was something food-related. This meant she needed to act like she was eating something.

 

‘It’s important to eat deliciously.’

 

Though the concept wasn’t established yet, a few years later, the idea of mukbang would emerge. However, this wasn’t directly relevant to Vtubers.

 

For Vtubers, mukbang could be part of their content, but it couldn’t be the main attraction. Still, it was good to have versatility. Mukbang was content after all.

 

“Seo-yeon, look, the kids who went in before are coming out.”

 

Suah whispered to Seo-yeon. Turning her gaze, Seo-yeon saw the kids walking out of the audition room with dejected faces.

 

They clearly hadn’t received good feedback.

 

“Next, number 5, please come in.”

 

Numbers continued to be called. Seo-yeon’s number was 22, which meant she was quite far down the line.

 

“Number 13.”

 

As she pondered what kind of food it might be, the kid affiliated with the management agency stood up. Though her face showed signs of tension, she was clearly better off than the others.

 

‘Huh?’

 

As Seo-yeon watched her, she suddenly recalled an advertisement. She realized that the girl's face was familiar.

 

‘Soy milk ad.’

 

Was her name Ji-yeon? Seoyeon remembered the woman, presumably her mother, calling her that.

 

‘Yes, it was definitely a soy milk ad.’

 

Seo-yeon remembered seeing the girl in an ad. Despite it being a long time ago, the memory was strangely vivid.

 

Was this a result of some kind of enhancement from reincarnation?

 

‘I remember the evaluation wasn’t great.’

 

It was unlikely that this audition was for the same soy milk ad Seo-yeon remembered just because Ji-yeon was there. Ji-yeon could have auditioned multiple times.

 

‘But if it is...’

 

Seo-yeon closed her eyes. She recalled the soy milk ad from her memory.

 

It wasn’t just Ji-yeon in that ad. There was another actor.

 

Kim Jung-ha, that was probably the name. Not a big name now, but in about three years, she would be recognized for her acting in a cable drama.

 

Moreover, this CF would later be reevaluated, revealing that the ‘awkward’ actor in it was Kim Jung-ha.

 

‘I remember there was a huge gap between the child actor and the adult actor.’

 

The ad had a strange awkwardness. Although it became a topic of conversation and the soy milk sold decently, it wasn’t a good commercial.

 

The ad would be reevaluated not just because of Kim Jung-ha. There was another important aspect.

 

“Perfect, my dear! You were amazing!”

 

As Seo-yeon sorted through her thoughts, Ji-yeon came out of the audition room. Her face was quite bright, indicating she had received positive feedback.

 

‘Hmph, this CF is definitely Ji-yeon’s.’

 

Noticing Seo-yeon staring at her daughter, Hong Jin-hee smirked and hugged Ji-yeon, stroking her head.

 

‘What’s up with her?’

 

It was understandable to be happy about doing well in the audition, but Seoyeon couldn’t fathom why the woman was looking at her while rejoicing.

 

Given her reaction, Ji-yeon was likely to be cast as the child actor in this CF.

 

‘The probability that it’s the soy milk ad just went up.’

 

Although it wasn’t certain, Seo-yeon decided to assume it was soy milk for now. There were still about ten kids before her turn, so she had some time.

 

‘This is just like RP.’

 

Whether there was a character like ‘a kid who drinks soy milk deliciously’ didn’t matter. She imagined the scene.

 

Recalling the past ad, it wasn’t a solo commercial.

 

Two actors were featured, meaning their chemistry was crucial.

 

‘This is like collaboration in Vtubing.’

 

Good collaboration requires adapting to the other person’s characteristics. If they don't mesh well, it could ruin the appeal, making it worse than solo content.

 

Especially if RP is important.

 

‘Actor Kim Jung-ha had a very lively image.’

 

The CF was the same. The lively and high-energy performance overshadowed the child actor’s fresh and sweet role.

 

‘Can I match that energy?’

 

Seo-yeon had only practiced by doing stretching exercises and some RP of various characters.

 

‘Hmm, well, this is also an experience.’

 

Although she would do her best, Seo-yeon didn’t expect to pass the audition. There were other kids who practiced just as hard, if not harder.

 

Especially those affiliated with management agencies.

 

‘It’s an experience, but...’

 

Seo-yeon took a deep breath and focused her gaze, making her eyes shine a bit more red.

 

“...It would be disappointing to just let it end like this.”

 

She didn’t want to regret doing something half-heartedly, like in her past life.

 

And then.

 

“Number 22, please come in.”

 

Finally, it was Seo-yeon’s turn.

 

***

 

“Anyway, 13 was the best, right?”

 

“Yes, it seems so.”

 

Cho Min-tae and Kim Hyung-seok nodded as they exchanged such comments.

 

There were 25 kids in total for today’s audition, so it was almost over.

 

“Given that she entered a management agency at a young age, she seems to have some skills.”

 

Kim Hyung-seok said this as he roughly closed the remaining profiles. He thought there was no point in looking further.

 

“Yes, that’s true...”

 

However, Cho Min-tae was still dissatisfied. As a CF director, it was his first job, so he wanted to work with a good actor.

 

‘But things in life aren’t that easy.’

 

With a limited budget, good actors wouldn’t come to such an ad. It was clear that the ad wouldn’t get much exposure anyway.

 

“There’s still number 22 left, right? The kid you were eyeing earlier.”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

Cho Min-tae scratched his head and looked at the profile of number 22 he had just called.

 

‘No acting experience. This is her first time.’

 

Like the other kids who came to audition today, there was nothing special about her profile.

 

Initially, he had high hopes, but after seeing the other kids’ skills, he realized how important experience was.

 

“It would be great if she could perform at least half as well as she looks.”

 

“Yes, that would be really nice...”

 

Clunk!

 

In the middle of their conversation, the door opened, and a small child walked in. With long black hair and strangely colored eyes, her pale face looked like a porcelain doll, almost unreal.

 

If not for the mother following behind, they might have kept staring.

 

“Oh, the guardian can sit over there.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

The mother was so nervous that she clumsily took her seat, a stark contrast to her expressionless daughter.

 

‘Or maybe the daughter is also nervous in her own way.’

 

Cho Min-tae nodded at Seo-yeon, who was seated neatly. From the moment he first saw her, he felt she had a very proper posture. Her back was straight, and her gaze was forward.

 

Receiving her direct gaze, Cho Min-tae spoke.

 

“So, your name is Seo-yeon, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did they tell you what kind of acting you’ll be doing today?”

 

“I only heard it was food-related.”

 

Her calm answer lacked any fluctuation. With such a flat tone, their expectations for her acting dropped further.

 

“Alright, then you’ll be acting as if you’re drinking something. Imagine drinking cold milk deliciously.”

 

This was purely improvised. She wasn’t given any preparation about the advertisement or the character. It was impromptu acting without a script.

 

Typically, in such cases, kids react with confusion or at least show it on their faces.

 

“Yes.”

 

But again, she responded with a very short answer. Cho Min-tae exchanged glances with Kim Hyung-seok, laughing wryly.

 

‘This isn’t going to work, right?’

 

‘With such a stoic expression... acting with food will be tough.’

 

Their exchanged looks conveyed this meaning. In these auditions, the casting director’s opinion often carried more weight than the director’s.

 

With Kim Hyung-seok almost set on casting Ji-yeon, it would be hard for Seo-yeon to succeed unless she performed exceptionally well.

 

‘What a shame.’

 

He really wanted to work with her. As Cho Min-tae thought this, something happened.

 

“Phew.”

 

A smile appeared on Seo-yeon’s lips. It was a bright, cheerful smile, far from the expressionless face she had before.

 

The atmosphere changed. The dullness turned bright.

 

‘What’s this?’

 

Cho Min-tae’s eyes widened as he watched Seoyeon’s hand move in slow motion.

 

She grasped something. When thinking of drinking, people generally mimic holding a cup. But Seo-yeon’s hand shape was different.

 

It was mimicking a carton. A milk carton. Not the usual 200ml size, but a long, 190ml soy milk carton.