Free Web NovelMiho had returned.
{How have you been?}
‘I’m good. Did everything go well?’
{Yep. It wasn’t anything serious.}
Yoomyeong, who had been lying under the blanket, sat up as Miho slipped through the gap beneath it.
Rustle, rustle—
{I want beer.}
‘You do?’
Thankfully, everything seemed normal.
Miho’s tone had returned to normal as well. It was neither the sharp tone she had used when she left in a hurry nor the listless one from when she had been sulking.
Yoomyeong gently stroked Miho’s ear.
{Kyung, that tickles! Hehehe.}
It was the same old reaction — flapping her long ears as if trying to shake off the ticklish sensation.
Yoomyeong couldn’t help finding her adorable as she cooled her ears against the cold beer can.
The sight comforted him somewhat.
Thinking about it now, he realized just how fortunate he had been.
Miho had instantly solved the lifelong problem of his lack of presence and even sent him fifteen years back in time. That was not something that could be done out of simple kindness alone.
Even if there was a price to pay, it was inevitable.
But right now, Yoomyeong was far too greedy to willingly give everything up.
Though his greed was directed toward nothing except acting.
He was relieved that the frequently mentioned ‘Law of the Celestial Realm’ seemed fairer than he had expected, and that Miho herself was kinder than she appeared.
Who exactly is she?
Whatever the answer was, she was still Yoomyeong’s benefactor.
That was why he felt slightly guilty for not answering her question about how much presence he had.
{What happened with that drama you were interested in?}
Thankfully, her mood seemed much lighter now.
‘I sent my profile to the casting director, and she contacted me. We ended up meeting in person.’
{Oh, I like that proactive attitude. How did it go?}
‘Because of some complications, they suggested considering me for a different role, but I insisted on that specific one.’
{Why?}
‘If the acting for that role changes, the drama itself could become much more successful. The other roles don’t have that kind of potential.’
Miho narrowed her eyes.
This guy is surprisingly greedy.
{When’s the audition?}
‘Only one week left.’ freewёbnoνel.com
{Is this the script?}
‘Yeah.’
A gust of wind flipped through the script in Yoomyeong’s hand.
{Hmm... so this is the character.}
She seemed to finish reading it in the blink of an eye.
Back during the performance, he had admired her ability to memorize an entire script in ten minutes, but now it seemed that had merely been part of her act to appear human.
{Do you happen to know anyone obsessed with luxury brands?}
‘Luxury brands...?’
“Hahaha, is he filming some kind of variety show?”
“But isn’t that watch from Xlex?”
“No way...”
KBK Drama Department.
Employees passing through the hallway giggled as they looked at him.
Completely unfazed by the laughter, Yoomyeong opened the door to the main seminar room.
The moment he entered—
Several people burst out laughing at the sight of him.
Yoomyeong returned to the seat he had been using earlier and set down his bag. Inside were the clothes he had been wearing before changing into the outfit he had prepared.
The spacious seminar room was crowded with people.
There were actors, as well as managers.
The relationships between them were obvious from the way each team sat together, and the sight was oddly interesting.
In front of a somewhat recognizable actor, a young manager who looked like a rookie was fanning him with a script.
In one corner, a manager dressed in obviously expensive clothes sat with the air of someone important. Beside him, an actor who appeared to be a newcomer kept glancing toward him for reassurance.
Ah, that person... was the actor who had played Bohyung in his previous life.
“Oh, Mr. Shin Yoomyeong! You’re here.”
Director Lee Min-jung, who had been checking the participants from one ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) side of the room, approached Yoomyeong.
“Pfft— What exactly are you wearing? Ah... did you recreate Bohyung’s outfit?”
“Yes.”
“I never imagined him looking like that... this must be quite refreshing for everyone in our department, huh? Hehe.”
Actors often wore outfits matching their characters’ concepts during auditions.
But the outfit Yoomyeong wore was bizarre. His worn-out shirt was missing a sleeve, and his pants were absurdly oversized, barely held up with a belt.
Yet on the exposed wrist of the sleeveless arm gleamed an Xlex watch. On his feet were brand-new DolC shoes. What kind of concept was this supposed to be?
“I did my best to improve my chances since I have no connections and very little experience.”
“Writer Yook is going to love this. Haha.”
The casting director’s laughter drew the attention of the people nearby.
‘Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before.’
‘Is he new? Is he close with the casting director?’
Min-jung patted Yoomyeong on the shoulder as she passed by.
“You were added at the last minute, so you’ll be going last. It’ll take a while, so wait patiently.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Even after she left with the first audition candidate, the seminar room remained noisy.
Anticipation, anxiety, uncertainty, hope.
The audition venue was overflowing with human emotion, almost like Pandora’s box.
As Yoomyeong lowered his gaze to the script in his hand...
“You’re an actor, right?”
A shadow fell over him.
“Yes, I am.”
“Hello. I’m Moon Yu-seok from Good Entertainment. Are you currently signed with an agency?”
“Not yet...”
Moon Yu-seok?
Yoomyeong’s ears perked up.
When he looked up, the familiar face before him did indeed belong to the man surrounded by countless rumors in the entertainment industry during his previous life. freёwebnovel.com
“I overheard earlier that you’re last in line. Would you mind stepping outside for a brief conversation?”
“...Out here?”
Chatter chatter—
Numerous gazes immediately turned toward them, sensing an interesting development.
Moon Yu-seok smiled and gestured for Yoomyeong to follow him.
“Let’s talk outside. I’ll get permission from the staff.”
“Ah... alright.”
“Director! Where are you going?”
The actor who appeared to have come with him protested weakly.
“You still have plenty of time before your turn. Keep rehearsing.”
Ignoring the protest, he headed outside first.
He handed Yoomyeong a white business card.
[Good Entertainment – Executive Director Moon Yuseok]
The silver lettering embossed on the premium silk paper shimmered subtly.
The head of a company... Normally, someone at that level would never personally attend an audition for anything below a lead role.
Either they were short on managers, or he had another purpose for coming himself.
“Yes. I’m Shin Yoomyeong.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up at a private audition like this without management representation? Did the casting director contact you directly?”
“I heard about the drama somewhere, so I contacted them myself.”
Hmm...
Interest flickered across the man’s face.
With his wavy hair, perfectly tailored suit, and polished shoes, he could easily have passed for a celebrity himself.
The luxuriously dressed man in his mid-thirties studied Yoomyeong curiously — Yoomyeong, who stood there in that bizarre combination of mismatched clothes and expensive accessories.
“By any chance, are you auditioning for Bohyung?”
“Yes.”
So that really was Bohyung’s outfit from his entrance scene. Moon Yu-seok chuckled softly.
Then he immediately got to the point.
“How about joining Good Entertainment? We may not be a large company, but our actors are top-tier. We also offer favorable terms to newcomers. Especially in your case, Mr. Yoomyeong, since we wouldn’t have any investment costs to recover.”
Good Entertainment.
It truly was exactly as he described — a mid-sized agency with a strong roster of actors.
And at the center of it all was this man.
Executive Director Moon Yu-seok. Although his official title was merely ‘Executive Director,’ he was in fact the founder and real force behind the agency.
The title itself was little more than camouflage that allowed him to move more freely.
Like a tiger pretending to be a cat among actual cats.
“You’re making an offer without even seeing either my audition or my profile?”
“Haha, I’m not some scam artist. I simply trust my instincts. I admire the nerve it took for you to approach the casting director directly without agency backing.”
Despite his easygoing manner, he was also famous for his ruthless business sense.
There were even rumors that running the agency was merely a ‘hobby’ to him.
“Our contracts run for five years. Since you’re a newcomer, there’s no signing bonus — just profit sharing. If your acting turns out to be too amateurish, we may extend the contract period to include training time, but somehow I doubt that’ll be necessary. Those are our conditions.”
He wrote several figures on the back of his business card.
‘The conditions don’t seem bad, but...’
“I’d like you to watch my audition before making an offer.”
There was something Yoomyeong wanted to confirm.
“Nothing’s going to change even if I watch it. Besides, I wouldn’t even be allowed inside during your audition...”
“You can come in and watch. I’m sure someone with your capabilities can manage that.”
The rookie actor’s tone was strange, almost as though he were leisurely testing him.
‘Look at this kid...’
Moon Yu-seok felt a spark of interest he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
The once-crowded room had mostly emptied out.
Even the actor who had originally played Bohyung had already auditioned and left.
Finally, Yoomyeong’s name was called.
Startled—
“What... is that outfit?”
“Hahaha!”
The moment the door to Seminar Room 1 in the drama department opened, hysterical laughter erupted.
The heavy atmosphere created by the hours-long auditions instantly lightened.
Around six people sat behind the long conference table at the front, while a camera stood in one corner.
And in another corner sat a very familiar face.
Director Moon Yu-seok.
He had somehow successfully slipped into the audition room.
“Last up is Shin Yoomyeong, twenty-four years old, currently unsigned. He has no drama experience, but recently appeared in a supporting role in an independent film that’s still in production. Prior to that, he acted in a university theater club.”
As Director Lee Min-jung summarized his brief profile, the people seated at the table looked down at the documents in front of them.
The middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses appeared to be the director. Beside him sat a woman with eccentric clothing and an unusual hairstyle — undoubtedly the famous eccentric writer, Yook Mi-young.
The others were likely assistant directors and production PDs.
“Hello. My name is Shin Yoomyeong. I’m a rookie actor, and I’ll do my best.”
Standing in the center of the room, Yoomyeong gave a slight bow.
“Nice to meet you. Is that Bohyung’s outfit from Scene 27 of Episode 1?”
The writer, who had burst out laughing the moment he entered, asked in a friendly tone.
“Yes. It’s imperfect, but I tried to recreate it as closely as possible.”
“It already looks usable as it is, doesn’t it? Hehe. Are the watch and shoes genuine luxury brands, or are they fake?”
“I borrowed them from an acquaintance.”
“Ah... I thought so. They really do look authentic.”
Yoomyeong had combined several luxury items borrowed from Jeon Minhee with clothes he found in a donation bin.
“It definitely stands out, but... what matters is whether you can actually act. I’m hungry, so let’s move things along quickly. You prepared the assigned scene, right?”
The director sounded especially irritable. Was it simply because he was exhausted...?
Before beginning, Yoomyeong politely asked a question.
“Yes, I did. But for the assigned scene where Bohyung approaches Hana, I prepared two versions: one where he’s genuinely pitiful, and one where he’s pretending to be pitiful. Which version would you like to see?”
At those words, Writer Yook Mi-young’s eyes lit up, while the interest on Moon Yu-seok’s face deepened even further.
