Episode 10: Audition Challenges
The subquests were simple, repetitive tasks: practice vocalization a few times, memorize a few script pages, rehearse acting a few times, and so on.
They didn’t give coins but awarded experience points instead.
Main quests offered a small amount of coins as rewards, but their experience points were generous, so I leveled up quickly.
I put the stat points from leveling up into my Appeal stat, which was the lowest at D.
I still didn’t fully understand what the stats meant, but I thought I could just keep collecting points and add them when available.
[Currently in a debuffed state, the number of points required to improve stats is increased.]
That wasn’t how it worked.
I tackled every subquest I could to gather stat points, and my level rose a bit, but my stats stayed the same.
Name: Kim Jae-ha
Level: 7
Status: Debuff (???)
Appearance: A
Diction: B
Action: C (B)
Reaction: C (B)
Expression: C (B)
Appeal: D (A)
[Stats are currently reduced due to a debuff.]
“Haa…”
Staring at the unchanged status window made me sigh without thinking.
“Jae-ha, are you sighing for me to hear?”
Oh, I was talking with the manager.
When I closed the status window, I saw the manager’s face across from me clearly.
He was smiling, but his expression showed annoyance.
It was the look of someone who thought I was acting cocky after he’d tolerated my begging.
But I needed him right now.
I lowered my head slightly and acted dejected.
“No, Manager. I’m just upset about this situation. I know I’m being ungrateful, but… I really want to go to that audition. If I can’t go with the company, I want to apply as a regular participant.”
Even though I’d already prepared everything.
When I took a humble stance, the manager’s attitude softened a bit.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly so eager for that audition… It has a bad reputation in the industry, so there won’t be many applicants. But you’re saying you won’t renew your contract to go? Giving up all the support we’ll offer in the future?”
Support?
What a joke.
I barely held back a laugh.
It was shameless for him to say that after ignoring me all this time.
He didn’t even give me a proper manager, so I handled everything myself.
The roles he occasionally tossed my way, claiming he got them for me, were minor parts with no significance.
Whenever I wanted to audition, he’d shoot me down, saying, “You don’t have the skills for that yet.”
And it wouldn’t change going forward.
When my anxiety got the better of me and I pushed him, he stuck me on a weird gossip show as a panelist.
Back then, I believed him when he said it was the best I could get, and that a little recognition there could lead to better roles.
Talking too much in these situations backfires.
I bowed my head fully.
“I’m really… really sorry, Manager.”
“Ha, fine. I’ll talk to the CEO.”
‘Got him.’
From what I’d seen of the manager’s personality, he was using the CEO as an excuse to save face.
He didn’t like that I mentioned not renewing my contract first, even though they were going to drop me anyway.
“But keep this in mind, Jae-ha. I’m the one who convinced the higher-ups not to renew your contract. You know that, right?”
See?
I was spot on.
I almost laughed at his predictable reaction but bit it back.
Keeping my head down, the manager couldn’t say more and just sighed heavily.
‘I know you’re acting to guilt-trip me.’
“Sigh, okay. What can I do if your heart’s elsewhere? Go.”
“Thank you. And I’m really sorry.”
I wanted to bolt, but I lingered before standing.
Before leaving the office, I bowed deeply again.
The manager waved me off dismissively.
He wouldn’t know my steps down the hallway were lighter than ever.
I put on my hat and took the elevator.
This agency had been mine for years, but the company, which I’d rarely visited, felt strange.
Well, I won’t come back here again.
‘Goodbye forever, Blue Night!’
A few days later, I got the call I wanted from the manager.
[Let’s forget about the contract renewal. Take care.]
At midnight on my contract’s expiration date, I finished applying for (Casting with My Own Hands!).
***
The main writer of (Casting with My Own Hands!) rubbed her tired eyes.
Holding an iced Americano with four espresso shots, she scanned the studio with a pale face.
The setup was simple: mentor seats, a stage, and participant seats ranked up to 57th place.
The first shoot was chaotic at first, but past the midpoint, the atmosphere settled, and tension grew.
She knew better than to be optimistic in the broadcasting industry, but it was a solid start.
The main writer smiled briefly.
“Okay! Next is participant Kim Jae-ha!”
Her brow furrowed as she twirled her pen excitedly.
‘Hmm.’
A man with a strikingly handsome face stepped onto the stage.
Even in the entertainment industry, full of unique looks, his face stood out as cool.
He was tall, too, so she felt a bit intimidated during his interview.
‘He was better than I expected when we talked.’
The guy who sang a musical number in his self-PR video.
The silence among the officials evaluating Kim Jae-ha’s video was telling.
Among general participants, many showed off singing or dancing.
It was like a talent show, and they often joined just for the program’s hype.
But Kim Jae-ha was the only one who sang a musical number so seriously.
The issue was… he was good.
His acting, singing, and body movement weren’t bad.
That’s why the officials stayed quiet.
The main writer was just touching her lips when the youngest writer handed over Jae-ha’s self-introduction.
Before she finished reading, someone said, “Dalkong?”
About 17 years ago, he played the male lead’s nephew in Destined Love, a drama with over 50% viewership, winning over every household.
After that, he appeared in dramas occasionally but vanished, later debuting as an idol.
That was all the main writer knew about him.
His self-introduction said he quit being an idol and returned to acting, but most of his projects flopped, and he only had minor roles with no impact.
The officials, tired of mediocre applicants, started discussing Jae-ha, who had some name recognition.
-His looks and skills are solid. He was a hit once, so why only minor roles?
-His old agency was Blue Night… Hmm…
-There are slots for non-affiliated experienced people among general participants, right? I’d recommend him for that spot.
-It’s hard to say his skills are great. He played a tin robot, right? He acted naturally, but it’s a stretch to judge his skills from that.
-I heard Kim Jae-ha has a bad reputation. They say he fled a shoot once. And his personality is not great either.
-Hmm, but isn’t a musical number too flashy for an actor audition? It’s clearly aiming for the Shin Hayoon role. If so, why not just get a famous idol who wants to act?
-Why even hold an audition?
A drama production company official, skeptical of survival auditions, chimed in.
-I heard Dreamer’s coming out. Why pick another ex-idol? A survival audition can boost interest, but don’t lose sight of the core.
The (Casting with My Own Hands!) team’s eyes turned to the main writer and main PD.
The main writer, facing looks saying, ‘This face! This past! It’ll trend!’, ‘He’s fine… Can’t we pick him?’, ‘General participant videos are boring, let’s choose him and wrap up!’, was a bit annoyed.
‘They act like they’re in charge.’
That official, some team leader, had been nitpicking since the show’s planning and wouldn’t shut up now either.
Plus, she’d only slept one hour after three all-nighters!
She gritted her teeth and said firmly:
-Let’s pick him to stir things up.
The main PD agreed, and after some debate, Kim Jae-ha was selected as a general participant.
In a way, she chose him half-emotionally, but the main writer had concerns.
First, the rumors about Kim Jae-ha were bad.
They came from vague sources, so she took them lightly, but in this industry, where there’s no smoke without fire, sometimes the smoke comes from a chimney that deserves it.
‘Well, I heard he greeted all the production staff on interview day.’
People in this industry are endlessly kind to those who can help them.
Personality aside, her biggest worry was something else.
-Kim Jae-ha? He has stage fright? Camera fright? Something like that—he can’t handle attention.
After picking him, she asked around, and a college junior at an entertainment company told her.
She regretted choosing him after hearing that.
But if he did well, Kim Jae-ha could be a valuable talent.
‘Just do well.’
Don’t stir up pointless drama.
The main writer crossed her arms and focused on Jae-ha.
***
“Hello, I’m Kim Jae-ha.”
The stage lights burned hot on my head.
Dozens of cameras and even more people watched.
Maybe because I’d walked the studio before filming and made eye contact with everyone, it didn’t feel totally alien.
I lowered my gaze and saw participants who’d performed and gotten their grades in their assigned seats.
Some recognized me, pointing and whispering to others.
Normally, my mind would’ve frozen by now.
But I naturally shifted my gaze to the mentor seats in the center.
Three of the four mentors watched me with curious eyes.
“Shall we talk more after seeing your acting?”
Shim Young-won, an actress from a girl group center, said.
I nodded quietly.
“I prepared the role of Kang I-won from Trivial Habits.”
Some looked confused, some tilted their heads, and some frowned.
Some knew the drama, and some didn’t.