Mansik and Junwoo sat at a table in a restaurant.
After finishing the preliminary audition, Junwoo was starving.
Mansik fidgeted nervously in his seat as Junwoo quickly finished his food.
'He said it was an impromptu performance. I'm so curious.'
Mansik was dying of curiosity about how shocked the industry people would be by Junwoo's performance, and what they would say.
On the other hand, he was also worried. He wondered if they would be able to appreciate Junwoo's true talent.
With a face full of curiosity, he was waiting for Junwoo to finish his meal.
"Whew, finally some breathing room."
As if waiting for Junwoo to finally put down the spoon, a question popped up.
"So, how was it? Tell me about it."
"I thought I was going to starve to death waiting all day. You should have warned me about it."
"I've never been to an audition before. But that's not what I'm asking. How was the scene?"
"Hmm..."
The scene. People waiting for their turn with desperation. A girl named Kim Yoojin who didn't give up on her script, even in despair. Junwoo's lips curled up as he quietly thought about the day's events.
"I didn't know there were so many people like me."
"People like you?"
He had asked about the audition, but there was no mention of it.
"That was a real eye-opener. I learned a lot."
Mansik was stunned for a moment. Junwoo's thoughts on Actor Kingdon seemed far from competition, skill, or evaluation. He appeared to have simply enjoyed the scene itself.
'I had worried that he might lose interest due to the overwhelming gap in skill between him and the other participants. But it seemed like that wasn't important to Jun-woo at all. It seemed like he had a deeper love for acting than I thought.'
Well, what's the point of asking about the results? Mansik's mind flashed back to the day he first had dinner with Jun-woo at this restaurant. He had been so shocked that he sat there like a stone for a long time. Jun-woo was the same now. He was just calm.
The pre-determined winner of Actor Kingdom. Mansik suddenly thought of that existence. He was worried that people like Yoo Sang-jun might interfere with Junwoo's entertainment because of him.
"Did he also come there?"
"Him?"
Junwoo made a soft "ah" sound, looking at Mansik slightly puzzledly.
"Kang Hyeok?"
***
The Actor Kingdom set.
An enormous studio located in the high-rise building of W Broadcasting Station.
Today, the first round of the finals will be held here.
The site for the first broadcast was busy. Producers and staff members were frantically communicating with each other through headset microphones.
On the large stage, there were about a hundred participants who had made it to the finals.
When the lights suddenly turned on the signboard with the large letters "Actor Kingdom: The Birth of a Star" on the back wall of the stage, the participants gasped and murmured in admiration.
On the opposite side of the stage, at a distance, the judges' seats were occupied by Gu Daewon, Cheong Myeong, and Jo Sungrae, respectively.
They were watching the participants from there.
"Boy, it's hot. I remember when I was like that. Right, Director?"
"This is actually my first time being on a proper broadcast like this."
It was a casual conversation between Cheong Myeong, who seemed to be there just for fun, and Gu Daewon, who appeared a bit tense.
While the other two were enjoying the scene, Sungrae simply stood there with his eyes closed and his arms crossed.
After giving the participants some basic instructions, Sang-jun, who had taken the stage, gestured.
The camera director gave instructions to the crew through a headset. After confirming that all preparations were complete, the director gave a signal.
"3, 2, 1... Camera rolling!"
The sound of the Actor Kingdom theme song began to play from speakers all over the studio.
As filming began, the camera zoomed in on the back of the stage. There, actress Seo Yeon-mi was walking out to the center of the stage in a dress.
"Welcome everyone to Actor Kingdom."
She was the MC for this season of Actor Kingdom.
"Wow... did I just see an angel?"
"I heard she's even more beautiful in person, and it's true. I don't even care if I get eliminated now."
The participants who saw her beauty in person couldn't help but gasp.
After announcing the program's start for about 10 minutes and exchanging brief remarks with the judges, Seo Yeon-mi raised her voice to get everyone's attention.
"So, everyone is probably wondering what the theme of the first round of missions will be. I think the most important thing for an actor is how much they can capture the viewers' attention. Am I right?"
Seo Yeon-mi looked around at all the participants, acting out her lines from the script.
"Of course, you all have such great looks that you don't have to worry about that. But that's not the most important thing, is it? I'm curious to see who will capture the public's attention the most."
When he mentioned that, everyone eagerly swallowed their saliva, curious about the mission theme.
Seo Yeon-mi smiled and raised the remote.
*Click.*
Light shone on the large screen above. A movie poster appeared on the screen.
'Heukryeong Island'
It was a hit three years ago, featuring top actors in Korea.
It was a work by Judge Gu Daewon.
The participants' hearts raced with excitement.
This movie by Gu Daewon, with its impeccable directing, acting, script, and music, is said to have rewritten the history of Korean cinema.
The cast of this film swept all the major awards, including the Baeksang Arts Awards, the Grand Bell Awards, and the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
The film featured a variety of charming characters, and more than ten star actors played lead and supporting roles. Even actors who were already famous were able to rise to even greater prominence thanks to this film.
"I think everyone here has seen this movie."
While everyone was focused on the screen, Seo Yeon-mi threw out the theme of the first mission.
"The theme of the first round of the finals is as follows. Please choose a role you think is the most important in this movie and act it out."
After hearing that, someone raised their hand.
"Is there a limit on the number of people per role?"
"No, there are no restrictions in this first round of missions, except for the theme. You can reinterpret the characters. Just keep the character's story, but you can change the tone of voice or personality according to your interpretation. Of course, you have to make a deeper impression than the original character to do that, right?"
The participants were already buzzing with excitement as they chose their roles.
Among the participants who were already coveting the popular characters that had been well-received, Junwoo stared intently at the poster on the screen.
"But, everyone."
The scene, which had been bustling with excitement, fell silent again as Seo Yeon-mi stepped in.
It turned out that Yoo Sang-jun had sent a signal from under the stage.
Seo Yeon-mi glanced at the card she was holding, confirming the signal.
"Before I reveal the theme of the first round of missions, I'm curious why so many of you decided to participate in Actor Kingdom."
Next, the one who picked up the microphone was Cheong Myeong, who was sitting on the judges' panel.
As the voice came from behind, the participants' heads turned in that direction.
"I just happened to find a participant with a unique background while checking the profiles."
A sweet voice. Cheong Myeong pretended to be flipping through a profile sheet. It was time for Junwoo to appear.
"...Is Han Junwoo here by any chance?"
Junwoo walked up to the stage a little later and made eye contact with Cheong Myeong.
"Oh, it's him."
Having heard about Junwoo's presence in advance, the faces of the three judges showed interest.
"I saw your stage with Gil Junho. I watched it on video, and it was amazing. How could you capture the madness of a murderer at such a young age?"
Of course, the first thing he did was bring up Gil Junho's name to get a rise out of people. But Cheong Myeong had never seen Junwoo's performance, either live or on video.
"What scene are you referring to when you say the madness of a murderer?"
"Huh?"
Cheong Myeong was taken aback.
"I'm not revealed as the murderer until the end of the play, you know."
"Oh..."
Cheong Myeong wondered if Junwoo was intentionally provoking him to get a reaction. However, there was no malice or intent in Junwoo's face. He had just answered a question.
'This isn't how it's supposed to go.'
Cheong Myeong felt a cold sweat run down his back.
He had expected the participant to be embarrassed by the famous actor's praise, or to boast more, or to say something like, "I want to do this mission well too."
If this kept up, the situation would turn into a veteran actor with less understanding of the performance than the participant. Since this wasn't important anyway, Cheong Myeong quickly changed the subject.
"I see. I must have been mistaken because I was so immersed in it. Well, I heard that you worked alone in a construction site without your parents at a young age..."
Cheong Myeong, aware of the cameras on him, gave a pitying look.
It was time for the participant's sad past story to begin. Everyone there began to look at Junwoo with sad expressions. It was the moment when several cameras focused on Junwoo.
"Yes, that's right."
"You were still young, and you didn't have your parents' support. It must have been hard to make a living doing manual labor like that."
"It was definitely a physically demanding job. But the rent wasn't too expensive there, so I didn't have too much trouble making ends meet."
Junwoo answered calmly.
"Ah, the rent. I guess that was a factor too. It must have been lonely being alone in a place like that without any friends your age. Before you decided to participate in the Actor Kingdom, didn't you ever want to come to Seoul?"
"It's not that bad there, actually. It's quiet and the air is clean. The only inconvenience is that it takes a long time to get to the city."
"Oh, I see. So..."
Cheong Myeong thought that this conversation was going strangely. He was asking the questions that were given to him, and the answers were kind and well-spoken, but it wasn't the flow he was expecting.
Usually, in these kinds of interviews, the participant would get emotional and choke up as they think about their past, or they would appeal to the audience's sympathy by emphasizing how hard their journey has been.
His attitude was as if he didn't care about the past at all.
No emotional fluctuations. No matter how he asked questions, he couldn't get the angle he wanted.
"Then this time..."
It continued like this. A repetitive cycle of questions and answers. Cheong Myeong was the only one who was getting more and more impatient because he couldn't get the desired production. No matter how he touched on sensitive topics, Junwoo answered everything calmly and kindly. Even the staff and participants on the scene blinked their eyes, wondering what was happening all of a sudden.
Cheong Myeong's words became more tangled, and his face contorted; the other participants nervously glanced at him.
Unable to figure out what question to ask next, Cheong Myeong stopped talking.
"..."
For a few seconds, the entire studio was silent as if it had died.118Please respect copyright.PENANA2eIwvEHlxI
In the dead silence where everyone was looking around at each other, Junwoo was the only one with a calm face.
***
A group of participants gathered in a large rehearsal room. They were each given a blank piece of paper.
"If you have decided on a role, please write your participant number, name, and role name on it and put it in this box. We will give you 30 minutes."
Said a staff member with a microphone. He then left.
Some participants started writing down their chosen roles without hesitation as soon as they received the paper. Others began to look around the room, perhaps trying to find inspiration. Still, others seemed to be struggling to decide what role they wanted to play.
"As expected, there's no role like Baek Du-hyeon, right?"
"Isn't it too risky? What if everyone leans towards that side?"
Those sharing opinions, those keenly listening to the choices of others, and those struggling with indecision, unable to make an easy decision.
"Damn, I fell asleep watching this. I'm screwed."
Many types of people emerged, including those frustrated because they didn't watch the movie. They all chose roles that they thought they could do best, or, if not, they chose roles that would stand out so that they could appear on TV again.
"..."
Junwoo was staring blankly at the empty paper. He was carefully recalling the content of the movies he had seen before.
"Just choose the role you think is the most important in this movie."
After recalling the mission theme, Junwoo quickly wrote something on the paper and effortlessly put it into the box without much hesitation.
***
The box with the participants' papers was moved to the waiting room for the judges.
Cheong Myeong was unfolding the papers one by one.
"As expected, Baek Du-hyeon's role is the most popular. It's already come up twice out of the five."
With a pleased expression as if he had anticipated correctly. In contrast, Gu Daewon's expression wasn't great.
"Darn. This is disappointing from the start. The highlight of this movie is not Baek Du-hyeon but Taesan Min."
It seemed like they had made a bet on which role would appear more frequently.
"That's right! Add one more for Baek Du-hyeon."
Cheong Myeong, who was unfolding the papers one by one, suddenly stopped.
"Hmm."
He grinned as if he found something amusing.
"Check this out."
"Why? What is it?"
Curious, Gu Daewon asked,
"Someone chose a strange role here."
"A strange role?"
"Yes. Someone picked an extra who doesn't have a long screen time in the movie. The fact that he remembers the extra's name, I guess he's not just trying to stand out."
Cheong Myeong raised his eyebrows, looking excited.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Gu Daewon snatched the paper from Cheong Myeong's hand. Cheong Myeong continued speaking.
"I was curious, to be honest. I've only heard people say that he's good."
Gu Daewon checked the number and name written at the bottom of the paper.
[Participant number 11, Kang Hyeok.]
Gu Daewon nodded after confirming the name.
'Not many people know that this extra has a relatively large role.'
He had been trained and experienced professionally overseas since he was a child. Gu Daewon thought that he was indeed different.
Since he had made the movie himself, he knew everything about each character. He had been hoping that one of the participants would catch on, but he knew that it was unlikely. Most aspiring actors only had a superficial knowledge of acting. They would not be able to understand the nuances of the characters.
"What the hell is this?"
Gu Daewon turned his head again, wondering why Cheong Myeong was so upset.
Cheong Myeong was scowling.
"Director, was there a name like this in that movie?"
Gu Daewon, checking the paper that Cheong Myeong unfolded, shook his head.
"No, there isn't. Must have confused it with another movie. Who would submit something like this, anyway?"
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