Episode 6

Silence.

In the office after Cheol-min left, the only sound heard was the rustling of paper as Yeon-woo turned the pages of the script. Before he knew it, Yeon-woo was completely immersed in the scenario and had started reading the script.

The script that Yeon-woo received included only the short segments from the later part of the webtoon where the supporting character needed for the audition made their first appearance. Even this content was likely to be continuously modified until the actual filming started.

The original webtoon tells the story of a fashion design student named Jeong Yeoreum, who dreams of attending Paris Fashion Week. To earn the money for the trip, she teams up with her school friends to transform an unused storage room into a clothing store called ‘Summer Wardrobe.’

Looking at the contents of the first three episodes, it seemed that the adaptation had slightly amplified the love triangle between the main male and female characters from the original webtoon.

‘This part needs to carry a bright atmosphere within the drama, so try to make it as lively as possible…’

Yeon-woo muttered to himself as he read through the script.

 

While annotating the script to the point of blackening, Yeon-woo immersed himself in each character, analyzing them with empathy.

“As I imagine acting it out myself, honestly, the main characters seem appealing.”

Due to the light and fast-paced nature of the romantic comedy genre, supporting characters couldn’t be too overpowering. Thus, most of the scenes involved them acting in harmony with the main actors or performing relatively comedic acts to brighten the drama’s atmosphere.

However, seeing the main characters, who had lively and finely crafted personalities, made Yeon-woo naturally feel ambitious.

“But someday, I’ll have a chance to take on such roles, so I should think of this as practice.”

After concluding the analysis of the characters, Yeon-woo switched on the camcorder in the practice room, stood in front of it, and read the lines. Then, as he had imagined in his mind, he delivered them.

“What’s this, Jeong Yeoreum? Did you start first? You started first, right? ‘You’ started first?”

He experimented with various stresses and tried to find a natural tone that suited the situation.

“What’s this, Jeong Yeoreum? ‘You’ started first, right?”

 

Yeon-woo repeated the process of practicing lines, then playing back the camcorder to review his performance.

Several hours had passed this way.

“Yeon-woo! You’re still here and haven’t gone home yet?”

Cheol-min returned from the adjacent room after finishing a lesson.

“Oh, Teacher. I’m really excited, thinking that if this audition goes well, it might be my first project.”

Yeon-woo smiled brightly, genuinely happy.

“Still, it’s almost 11 PM. My brother and sister-in-law are worried. I’ll help you properly after school tomorrow, so let’s go home today. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thank you!”

When Cheol-min gestured towards the door, Yeon-woo grabbed the script, tidied up a few things, closed the academy door together with Cheol-min, and got into Cheol-min’s car.

“Yeon-woo, I had a lot of lessons today, so I couldn’t help you at all. How was the script? Did you read it all?”

As they left the parking lot, Cheol-min asked Yeon-woo, sounding apologetic.

 

“I’ve only read up to episode 3, and the stage directions are rough, but it’s interesting!”

“Are there any appealing characters? I asked the senior during break, and they said you’ll have the freedom to improvise within the script and follow directed acting on set if needed.”

Cheol-min continued, explaining the procedure, concerned about Yeon-woo’s well-being.

“It seems that among the supporting roles, the character of Hwang Jaeil, who has relatively more significance, is good. But whatever role you get, even if it’s a smaller one, you should give it your all.”

“That’s right, just looking at your appearance, you could be a lead actor for sure. Let’s consider this opportunity as a chance to showcase your face. Even with smaller roles, once you appear on the screen, many opportunities will come your way in the future.”

Cheol-min was confident in training Yeon-woo himself, and this audition was about not just the role but also Yeon-woo’s future as an actor.

“Yes, I hope so.”

Yeon-woo laughed lightly, silently making a promise to himself.

‘This life, I’ll work really hard to succeed as an actor.’

 

For the next four days, after school, Yeon-woo would rush to the academy and practice diligently.

“Already, it’s tomorrow. With this level of preparation, I’m confident I’ll definitely make it. Yeon-woo, Kim Han-soo, the director, won’t miss a gem like you.”

“Hey, Teacher, aren’t you bending over backward too much just because I’m your disciple?”

Yeon-woo felt a bit embarrassed by Cheol-min’s candid words, shaking his head.

“It’s not like that, you brat. Tomorrow, I will give you a ride, so let’s go up together and come back down.”

“Teacher, it’s okay. I’ve already booked the train ticket, and I can go to Seoul by myself too.”

Yeonwoo clapped his hands and replied in response to Cheol-min’s words,

“You can just cancel the train ticket. Do you think it’s alright for me to send you to Seoul alone and leaving my sister-in-law to work comfortably? I’ll make a call and let them know.”

“Well then, I’m sorry, but I’ll rely on you a bit tomorrow. Thank you.”

In his past life, Yeon-woo had roamed alone even in war zones where bombs were dropping, so being treated like a child was awkward for him. Yet, he graciously accepted Cheol-min’s warm heart and concern for his parents, without resisting further.

And then the next day arrived. The test was scheduled for 1 PM. Cheol-min decided it was better to arrive early than be late, so he escorted Yeon-woo to Seoul early in the morning.

 

Cheol-min’s car arrived in front of a building in Gangnam.

“Yeon-woo, if I go in with you, there might be people I know, and it might seem like I’m pressuring them, so go up alone. It’s on the 8th floor of this building. Call me right after you’re done.”

“Yes, Teacher. I’ll go confidently and come back!”

Unintentionally, Cheol-min’s mouth curved upwards at Yeon-woo’s spirited reply.

“These days, who uses the expression ‘go confidently’? Just say ‘fighting.'”

“Fighting!”

With renewed energy, Yeon-woo turned around and headed towards the building.

‘Senior, I’m sending a monster. Receive my blessings.’

Cheol-min murmured to himself inside the car, watching Yeon-woo’s departing figure.

‘Ding’ Eighth floor.

As I stepped out of the elevator, an arrow with a sign stood in front of them.

[Summer’s Wardrobe – Audition venue is this way.]

 

“Finally.”

Yeon-woo opened the door to the audition lobby and entered. Meanwhile, inside the important meeting room of the audition venue, there was a mixture of sighs.

“I knew this would happen. He seemed strong from the moment I first saw him.”

Choi Mi-hyun, the writer responsible for adapting the drama and writing the script, let out a sigh as she spoke.

Casting director, trying to justify herself with an awkward expression while looking at Choi the writer, who was in a dilemma.

“Originally, the broadcasting company had not received favorable feedback about him, but they pushed for him purely based on his face and popularity.”

“After I looked into it, it turns out he quit being an idol because his agency found out earlier.”

At the words of the assistant director, Director Kim Han-soo chimed in.

“What’s done is done. What can we do? We’ll have to find someone new. Still, luckily, the incident happened before the production announcement.”

 

While he said that, Director Kim Han-soo, who was usually well-prepared and relaxed, couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Early in the morning, they received a call from the agency managing the idol-turned-actor Jung Min-hwan, who was taking on the third significant supporting male role. The agency informed them,

‘Since he’s suspected of using drugs, it’s likely to become a news story soon, and he won’t be able to join the project.’

“And we haven’t formally signed a contract between the production company and the agency, and the production announcement hasn’t happened yet, so we can’t ask for a penalty fee.”

The casting director, who was recalling the contents of the call, said.

“Actually, it’s not a penalty fee issue, it’s more about the breach of contract.”

“Well, there was no choice. Who would’ve thought the broadcast date would be leaked so soon? Geez, this cable channel.”

Everyone’s expressions darkened at Director Kim Han-soo’s words.

 

The drama “Summer Wardrobe” was planned to air next summer as a pre-produced project, so there was enough time. However, the variety show airing in the same time slot had suddenly ended due to a scandal involving the host, causing the broadcast dates of subsequent shows to be moved up hastily. As a result, “Summer Wardrobe” was pushed to be broadcast early next year.

 

Nevertheless, since the webtoon was the original source, they didn’t need to brainstorm the script, so if writer Choi adapted the script quickly, there wouldn’t be any problems with the production. However, with the favorable filming season of autumn starting, many dramas were beginning production, and young lead actors who were suitable for the role were scarce.

Moreover, in this drama, they needed actors around 20 years old, which further narrowed down the selection pool. Therefore, despite having enough budget, they found themselves in a difficult position since it was rare to hold auditions for supporting roles. On top of that, the supporting male lead dropping out unexpectedly put them in a tight spot.

“Alright, everyone, let’s take a break from sighing. Since shooting is about to start, Manager Jung, please do your best to create a list. I’ll also use my connections until the very last moment before shooting.”

As Director Kim Han-soo intervened, everyone nodded.

“Now that we have some time, let’s make sure to fill the supporting roles firmly with the audition, and for the secondary female lead, think of it as the final touch and fit it in well.”

 

The assistant director made an effort to lighten the mood and walked out of the meeting room, notifying the participants that the audition was about to begin.

“Okay, everyone, let’s get up.”

When Director Kim Han-soo stood up, everyone followed suit and headed towards the audition room.

And then, at the audition waiting room. There were about thirty people gathered, each preparing for audition.

“Oh my, it’s been a while, Hye-soo.”

“Senior, have you been well?”

Established actors exchanged smiles and greetings as if they were familiar with each other.

“Hey, did you hear? Han Joon-kyung got caught using drugs.”

“Wow, then what about the drama he’s shooting now?”

“Why are there so many drug-related incidents in the entertainment industry these days?”

Amidst this, those who came from academic departments like acting schools huddled in the corners, sharing celebrity gossip like tabloids and chatting away. In the midst of them sat Ryu Yeon-woo, all alone.

However, everyone stole glances at Ryu Yeon-woo from the corner of their eyes.

 

“Hey, where did this kid come from? I’ve never seen him before.”

“Yeah, seriously. Even if you add up all the actors I’ve seen, that level of talent won’t cut it.”

“Yeah, who else is there among the actors you’ve seen, except our professors?”

“Well, whatever! We see them on TV.”

The students who came from the country’s top drama schools nodded in agreement with their friend’s statement, which was something they had to acknowledge.

However, among them, someone who seemed displeased with Yeon-woo stared coldly and spoke.

“Even so, this kid won’t pass this audition.”

His friends looked at him when he definitively concluded Yeon-woo’s failure.

“Why?”

“Because this drama is directed by Kim Han-soo. He’s not the type to pass someone just because they have a somewhat balanced face. I heard from a senior that you need to show the charm that matches the character. Just by looking at him, he seems like a rookie, and in a situation where acting is already challenging, how can he show any charm?”

They didn’t know where he had come from, but having been in the acting scene for a long time, including starting as a child actor, it was rare to find someone unknown. The fact that they were seeing him for the first time clearly indicated he lacked experience. It was obvious he was a newcomer trying his hand at acting just because he had a somewhat balanced face.

“We will now begin the audition. Contestant number one, Na seong-jin, please come this way.”

As the MC announced the start, the contestants who were chattering fell silent and began to concentrate.