【Heart rate slightly elevated. Body temperature normal. Oxygen saturation normal. You’re in a state of tension but relatively stable. Shall I set it to ‘Do Not Disturb mode’?】

“Yeah.”

Yooil felt a pleasantly nervous tension as he sat in the waiting room. After waiting for about ten minutes, a staff member approached and called his name.

“You’re Han Yooil, the actor who applied for <The Last Diner>, right? Yes, please follow me this way.”

Yooil followed the staff to the audition room. As he turned the doorknob, four people seated at a long table came into view.

The first person Yooil noticed was Kim Mijin. His senior, sitting at the far left, made a ‘fighting’ gesture with a smile. Next to Kim Mijin was Director Yoo Jaeho, with the assistant director and the cinematographer also seated beside him.

“Hello, I am Han Yooil.”

“Nice to meet you~”

“You must be tired from coming here early in the morning.”

Even as the friendly greetings were exchanged, Director Yoo Jaeho in the center was looking at Han Yooil with an indifferent face.

 

“Yes, Mr. Yooil. You’ve checked the designated lines we sent you, right?”

“Yes, I’ve checked them.”

Han Yooil responded with a faint smile to the assistant director’s words.

He had stayed up all night because of those very lines.

“Good. Let’s get started quickly.”

“Please speak up when you’re ready!”

“Understood.”

Yooil closed his eyes briefly and took a light breath.

Meanwhile, the assistant director was slightly impressed by Yooil’s appearance. The mask looked good, and even though he was only wearing jeans and a white shirt, there was a peculiarly fashionable aura about him.

‘He’s taller than I thought. I expected him to add a few centimeters to his height. 185… seems about right?’

 

The problem was that Yooil looked more gentle and proper than expected.

‘Being neatly handsome is an advantage for an actor, but… I wonder if he fits our project.’

As the assistant director looked at Yooil with a half-convinced face, Yooil opened his eyes.

“I’m ready.”

“Ahem, then we’ll start.”

The assistant director cleared his throat and recited his first line.

“You. Tell me properly. Why did you try to kill Sohee?”

The assistant director, with no talent for acting, delivered the lines as if reading a book. However, Yooil’s face transformed instantly upon hearing the stiff dialogue.

No, it wasn’t just his face.

His entire body was transforming.

 

His shoulders shrunk, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and his hands clenched and unclenched as if he didn’t know what to do, turning white.

Then, in the next moment, Yooil narrowed his brows and began to laugh hee-hee.

“Ah… Mister~! Why, why would I try to kill Sohee Noona, huh?”

Although he spoke while laughing, every muscle in his body was tense with nervousness. The smile on his lips seemed ready to spasm at any moment.

‘…!’

Suddenly, a pitiful and pathetic man stood before them. The atmosphere had changed so quickly. The assistant director tried to hide his surprise and delivered the next line.

“You said you needed money. The reason you came here in the first place. The reason you even tried to… die. It was all because of money, wasn’t it?”

Then Yooil gave a pitiful smile. Despite his tall stature, he seemed to shrink even more.

Even though they had seen Yooil when he first entered, now he seemed to have always been a small person from the start.

“I’m not that bad of a guy, you know. Among my friends, I’m known to be quite reliable… That’s true. Please, believe me a little.”

“How can I believe you? Based on what?”

Yooil’s emotions subtly shifted with each line he heard.

His neatly shaped eyebrows suddenly shot up and then descended. A light sigh escaped from his slightly parted lips.

“…Ha.”

Now, as if unable to contain his frustration, he began to pace around the room. He moved with a contemplative face, then suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

At that moment, Yooil’s expression changed ever so slightly.

‘…!’

The assistant director’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

Now, a bit of confidence—or rather, arrogance—filled Yooil’s eyes.

He slightly lifted his chin and looked at the people before him, then stomped his foot down forcefully.

As if realizing something, he moved his index finger through the air.

The assistant director’s gaze involuntarily followed Yooil’s hand movement.

“I see now… I finally understand.”

Now, Yooil was smiling.

The assistant director, who had been lost in the performance, belatedly realized it was his turn to speak. He read his line with a trembling voice.

“…What, what do you think you understand?”

“What else? I understand why you suspect me.”

Step by step, he approached.

His eyes sparkled. A glint different from vitality or spirit.

“…You did it, didn’t you? That thing?”

This was… madness.

The assistant director clenched his fists. Sweat had already started to seep from his hands.

“Mister.”

Yooil leaned in closer.

“Why did you try to kill Sohee Noona?”

And asked.

With a tone that seemed genuinely curious.

But with eyes that were anything but sane.

“That will be all.”

…Hiccup.

The sound of the assistant director’s hiccup reverberated through the room. He quickly gulped down water.

“…Are you, are you okay?”

“Fine… Hiccup! I’m fine. You did… Hiccup! Well, you did well.”

Having finally calmed down and swallowed his water, the assistant director sat next to Director Yoo, who was still staring sternly at Han Yooil.

 

In front of him stood Yooil, his expression no different from when he first entered the room.

“Tha… Yes. We will contact you soon. Thank you for your effort.”

At the assistant director’s words, Han Yooil bowed politely.

“Yes, thank you. I will take my leave now.”

As the door closed, silence filled the room.

“…”

Kim Mijin, finally regaining her composure, shook her head and muttered something quickly. It sounded like cursing. Next to her, Director Yoo sat with his expression still rigid.

“…That guy is from the Department of Korean Literature?”

Director Yoo let out a chuckle of disbelief.

When he first received the profile, he thought Yooil was just a decent-looking newcomer, a novice who had just started acting. He tapped the profile of the young man who had completely defied his expectations with a pen.

“What an absurd thing has come rolling in.”

* * *

Even after the audition was over, Yooil, who couldn’t resist Brion’s threats and had to finish his acting practice, heard a familiar voice as soon as he returned home.

“Are you just getting back now?”

He looked at the woman, smiling brightly despite the tiredness evident on his face.

Jin Hayoung.

She had worked at a university hospital for a long time and had been teaching at a nearby nursing academy for the past few years.

“…Are you eating properly? You seem to have lost more weight.”

“Oh, not at all.”

Jin Hayoung chuckled softly and patted Yooil’s shoulder.

“Isn’t it hard, juggling part-time work and studying?”

“It’s alright. I can manage.”

“You say that all the time, how can I believe you?”

“Really, it’s true.”

Jin Hayoung looked at Han Yooil carefully.

“…You’ve really grown up now.”

Watching Yooil’s face had been one of Jin Hayoung’s long-standing habits. Han Yooil was the most precious legacy left behind by her sister.

Jin Hayoung soothed her sorrow by looking at the eyes and nose that resembled her sister’s and the long fingers. And the same was true for Yooil. Both Han Yooil and Jin Hayoung tried hard to find traces of Jin Soyoung in each other.

“Aren’t you working too much, auntie? Your face looks really tired.”

“What? Are you saying I look old now?”

Jin Hayoung laughed and playfully hit Han Yooil. However, Yooil’s expression remained serious.

Jin Hayoung had always casually said she had no intention of getting married and that there was no one she liked. But Yooil knew that it was because of him since he was very young.

That’s why he had tried to quietly study and find a stable life as quickly as possible. Yooil wanted to give his aunt the freedom to move on from him.

‘Until a few months ago, I thought that path would be a civil servant.’

But for the first time… he thought there might be another path.

“Uh… Auntie.”

“Hm?”

“I started acting.”

“…Acting? Like, the kind actors do?”

“Yes. Um… I recently participated in a play at school and it was quite fun.”

Jin Hayoung’s eyes widened.

Acting. It was a surprising story for Jin Hayoung, who had only seen Yooil living as a calm, model student until now.

“Oh my, why didn’t you tell me! I would have gone to see it.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. I’m just going to try it out until I graduate.”

Han Yooil spoke calmly, but Jin Hayoung soon realized. Her nephew was genuinely excited and looking forward to it.

‘I’ve never seen that expression before.’

Yooil had been talking about ‘finding a stable job as quickly as possible to become independent’ even before entering middle school. Jin Hayoung’s heart still ached when she thought of Yooil, who looked at her with a face that was not age-appropriate.

But the Yooil of today looked his age for the first time. The moment she saw his face, Jin Hayoung decided to support whatever Yooil wanted to pursue.

‘And our Yooil… he is handsome indeed.’

With his naturally clear skin, deep-set double-lidded eyes, a high nose bridge, and tall stature, every feature harmonized perfectly. Not just because he was her nephew, Yooil was like a child who inherited only the best traits from his parents.

Imagining Yooil’s acting career throughout the evening, Jin Hayoung even saw ‘Actor Han Yooil’ in her dreams that night. In her dreams, her nephew was already a top star.

Usually disturbed by sleep disorders, Jin Hayoung, for the first time in a long while, slept deeply and soundly.

* * *

[Writer Kim Mijin]

The next morning, seeing the name on the screen, Yooil immediately answered the call.

“Hello, Writer Kim. This is Han Yooil.”

– Junior! No, Actor Yooil~!

She hurriedly continued.

– Let’s work together, Yooil~!

“Excuse me?”

– I want you for that role, Yooil.

Kim Mijin muttered, ‘If only I hadn’t been late yesterday, I would have called right away,’ and continued.

– Are you free tomorrow? Where we met… No, wait! Where do you live, Yooil~? We will come somewhere close to you~!

“Ah… I’m free tomorrow except for my part-time work hours.”

– Oh, you have a part-time job too? Where? Near the school~? Ah, great~ Then let’s meet at the Star Cafe near Wolmyeong University~!

After quickly coordinating the time with Kim Mijin, Yooil stood for a few seconds, looking at the phone in his hand after the call ended.

‘Did I… make it?’

Just like that?

It didn’t feel real. Being in a movie was something he couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago. With a dazed face, Yooil, standing in front of the door, heard Brion quietly speak.

【I told you there’s no need to worry.】

-Actor Han, fighting!

Yooil pocketed the note his aunt had left on the door. His steps felt much lighter than usual.

.* * *

And the next day.

Han Yooil’s second audition was approaching.