Chapter 65: The Audition

“Sua, are you here? You too.”

“Hello, grandfather.”

“Yes, but why is Bom like that?”

Seeing Bom, who was utterly dejected in the corner, grandfather tilted his head.

“She’s caught in the curse of knowledge…. Because she found out something she didn’t want to know.”

“Huh?”

“Um, it’s nothing.”

I should stop talking about it any further.

I thought I might spoil it again, so I naturally changed the subject.

“By the way, do I really need to judge the audition? I think it’ll just be a hindrance.”

“What hindrance. Just think of it as a tour. It’s not just directing that’s important in making a movie, but also choosing the right person for the picture I’ve drawn.”

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s just a tour.

“Sua, you’ll need to have an eye for people if you become a director later. Try to cultivate that.”

“Wait, Hyungnim! Don’t keep luring her like that? If you keep doing that, I have no choice but to use a dirty trick?”

“Oh, come on. You’re so strict.”

While grandfather and the old man are bickering.

The small doorbell attached to the entrance door tinkled and the door opened.

And from there, people I had seen on TV sometime appeared.

Quite a variety of people arrived at grandfather’s studio one by one.

From children of the same age as Bom to middle-aged men.

I guess they’ve gathered everyone from the leading roles to the supporting roles.

Seeing them, grandfather hid the smiling expression he had until a little while ago and regained his solemnity.

Then they all bowed to grandfather with nervous expressions.

“It seems everyone has gathered. Then, we’ll start the audition soon. I’ll give you an hour, so read the script that was delivered in advance.”

Saying that, grandfather grabbed my hand and turned around and walked.

There were people who wondered who I was when they saw me, so I thought I should say hello, but since grandfather grabbed my hand without saying anything, I just gave a simple nod.

And I signaled Bom to do her best with my eyes, and I, grandfather, and Lee moved to another place.

“Phew….”

Inhale and exhale deeply.

Clean air fills the lungs and circulates through the blood vessels, clearing the blocked head as if it were being pierced.

After taking a few more deep breaths like that, the pounding heart quickly calmed down and the tension decreased.

The script I’ve been looking at every day since I received it from the director.

I look at the script again, which has already been worn out from too much handling, and check the part I’m going to act out several times.

No matter how much I pretend to be okay, it’s a lie if I say I’m not nervous.

Because it’s an audition where I can make my movie debut for the first time, when I’ve only appeared in dramas.

Of course, it might be that I got the chance to challenge the role by chance because Sua was by my side.

A chance caught by chance.

But I’m not stupid enough to kick away the luck that came rolling in.

“Phew….”

Take a deep breath again.

The turbid head becomes clear.

I raise my head and see the director sitting in his seat as I enter the audition room.

“Hello. I’m Choi Bom, who applied for the role of Cha Minah, the daughter of the main character Cha Seungmin. Please take care of me!”

“Yes, nice to meet you. Then, can I ask you to act right away?”

“Yes!”

Sua is not visible.

Is she watching somewhere else?

“Then, let’s start with scene 13. It’s a scene where you play cops with your father, Cha Seungmin, in the house. Do you need a partner?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Yes, then please start.”

In this movie, Cha Minah is not a very important character.

As the daughter of her father, Cha Seungmin, she appears in the beginning and shows the appearance of a happy and harmonious family, a bit like a cameo position.

A role that doesn’t matter if it exists or not, but sometimes the acting of such a small role can change the atmosphere of the entire movie.

That’s why I started acting.

The appearance of the main character’s daughter, Cha Minah, that I interpreted.

「Cha Seungmin, who finished his shift and took a vacation for the first time in a while, plays with his daughter Cha Minah in the house.

Playing cops, they roll around in the living room and Cha Minah arrests him.

“Ugh, damn it! I didn’t know you’d set up a trap like this!”

“I got you, criminal!”

“Ugh! Let go! I can’t go back like this!”

“Stay still! Dad has the right to remain mup, uh…, you can appoint a lawyer and you can hire a lawyer!”

Hearing his daughter’s words, Cha Seungmin laughed loudly while lying on his stomach and stroked his daughter’s hair.

Cha Minah doesn’t refuse her father’s somewhat rough hand and closes her eyes slightly.

Her hair was slightly messed up by the clumsy touch, but a bashful smile bloomed on Cha Minah’s face.

“My daughter has studied a lot? You know how to say the Miranda warning.”

“Yes, I learned it at school today! They say you have to say this when you catch bad people. Do you say it when you catch real bad people, Dad?”

“Of course, I do?”

“How many times have you said it?”

“Hmm~ About, 100 times?”

“Wow!”

Cha Seungmin says, puffing out his chest.

But Jeon Dongguk, a co-worker who was watching the scene from the kitchen, laughed as if it was absurd.

“…What did your wife see in such a liar to marry him? 100 times, my foot, he always forgets and passes it on to other kids.”

“Sigh, I don’t know. I must have been out of my mind.”

Seo Eunhye sighs deeply and eats a piece of cut fruit.

Still, she chuckles as if she can’t help it and watches Cha Seungmin and Cha Minah playing happily.

“But well, I can’t hate him. He plays so well with Minah like that. So, you have to tell me if he lies and says he’s okay in the future, okay? He’s the type to not take care of his body….”

“Oh, don’t worry. Mrs. There aren’t many incidents these days, so we don’t go out much. I’ll keep an eye on him, so don’t worry.”

While the two are having a serious conversation, Cha Seungmin and Cha Minah continue to laugh and talk and play with each other.

The play gradually continues to use toys, and eventually they play by throwing dolls.

Then, the doll that Cha Seungmin threw hits the wall and bounces off Seo Eunhye’s head. And again, it flies towards the sink and drops a plate on the drying rack.

The sound of a plate breaking echoes in the house.

Everyone freezes for a moment and watches Seo Eunhye’s reaction.

“…Well, I’ll be going now. Then…!”

Jeon Dongguk, reading the room, grabs his coat and quickly leaves the house.

Similarly, Cha Seungmin and Cha Minah, also reading the room, try to sneak into their respective rooms, but thud! They turn their heads creakingly at the sound of the table being slammed.

“Sit down.”

“Yes….”

“Yes….”」

I finish acting in the form of being scolded by my mother while kneeling.

I look downcast and dejected, with my shoulders drooping.

Then, I pout my lips as if I’m sulky, showing a slight dissatisfaction that I was scolded even though I didn’t break it.

“Good. I saw your acting well.”

“Thank you!”

When the director says it’s good here, it doesn’t mean that the acting is really great.

Just a formal greeting.

You shouldn’t be swayed by this.

“Then, I’ll watch the next scene and ask one question. Scene 65, the scene where the criminal is finally arrested and about to be taken away.”

I close my eyes and imagine the scene.

It’s late.

A late hour when the sky is dark. The air is slightly cold and humid. Police cars are around, and Cha Seungmin, who was injured in a fight with the criminal, puts handcuffs on the criminal.

“Phew….”

Click.

The handcuffs are fastened.

「Cha Seungmin barely manages to stand up, leading his legs that seem to be about to break, and succeeds in capturing the criminal.

He, who already had wounds all over his body, takes out handcuffs from his pocket and puts them on the wrist of the criminal he is subduing.

When the criminal sees Cha Seungmin connected by the wrist and tries to hit him, who is lying down, unable to overcome his anger, Jeon Dongguk kicks the criminal from behind and knocks him down.

“Hey, hey! Seungmin! Are you okay?!”

“…This f*cker. Why did you come so late.”

“You’re the one who ran out alone, you jerk. So where are you hurt?”

“My whole body hurts…. This guy is a really good fighter….”

“Damn it. I’m dead to your wife.”

The sight of them laughing while looking at each other’s faces seemed to mean that the incident was finally over.

But Cha Seungmin, who still had work to do, got up with the help of Jeon Dongguk.

And he approached the fallen criminal and said the Miranda warning.

“…You have the right to remain silent, and any statements you make from now on can be used against you in court. And you are…, that….”

“Oh, you said you’d do it for once.”

“No, what was it?”

Jeon Dongguk, who makes a pathetic expression as if it’s absurd.

Next to him, Choi Minah suddenly appeared and shouted in a confident voice.

“You have the right to an attorney! If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you!”

“Ha, Minah is better than you.”

“…Well, whose daughter is she.”

“Eunhye’s daughter.”

“Didn’t you see her throwing a doll at that guy earlier? She’s exactly like me, what are you talking about.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s say that.”

Choi Minah, who perfectly recited the Miranda warning, puffed out her chest and smiled as if she wanted to be praised.

And she approached Choi Seungmin and smiled brightly.

“Dad, did I do well?”

“Of course, thanks to our daughter, we caught the bad guy. Ouch….”

“…Dad, are you very hurt?”

“…Minah, shall we eat chicken secretly without mom knowing?”

“Yes!”」

“I saw your acting well. It was excellent.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing the acting, I take a deep breath and organize my emotions again.

The scenery of the damp road gradually changes to the appearance of the audition room.

A role without much weight.

But sometimes it appears and refreshes the atmosphere.

There is no problem even if you make it a simple, flat character, but I acted thinking about what kind of thoughts and feelings Cha Minah had as much as possible.

Acting that I myself am satisfied with.

Now, all that’s left is to hear the director’s result.

“…Hmm, there wasn’t much to express because it’s a role like a simple child without much emotional line, but I think you showed excellent acting.”

“Th, thank you.”

“But there’s one thing that’s disappointing.”

The director’s expression darkened slightly.