Chapter 2

“So, it’s Sooyeon Joo, isn’t it?”

CF director Cho Min-tae scanned the waiting room atmosphere.

Sure enough, the child he had previously noticed was capturing everyone’s attention.

“It’s not just the face.”

There was an aura.

An aura that captivated the room. Since childhood, having followed his father’s footsteps, Cho Min-tae had seen countless actors.

Actors invariably possessed striking beauty and charm, but there was something more that captured the eyes.

This young girl, Sooyeon, held that quality. Though not yet an aura that could be called commanding, she certainly drew people’s gaze.

“Indeed, the feeling is good. If only her acting can match this exact appearance, it would be ideal.”

People with an eye for talent generally notice the same things. Casting director Kim Hyung-seok had also taken note of Sooyeon.

Of course, his expectations weren’t as high as Cho Min-tae’s.

“There are kids like her from time to time.”

Children who are naturally pretty and exude an exceptional presence.

But, at the end of the day, appearances remain appearances.

If one isn’t a model, an actor’s ultimate strength lies in their acting, even for a simple CF.

This CF would feature two actors, not just one.

“Even the other side needs separate preparations.”

With such a setup, it was uncertain whether a truly capable child actor could be obtained.

“Everyone’s almost here, isn’t it? Should we start now?”

“Oh, yes. Since we don’t have much time, let’s proceed.”

It seemed like most of the children whose profiles had been checked had arrived. With about 10 minutes left until the audition began at 12 PM, Hyung-seok rose from his seat, opened the waiting room door, and announced.

“Alright, we’ll begin the audition. You’ve received your number tags, correct? We’ll call you in order starting from number 1.”

His monotonous voice spread a palpable tension through the waiting room.

“Jiyeon, don’t worry. Just act as you normally do.”

“Alright, Mom.”

Among them, Jiyeon, the only child under management, subtly revealed her nervousness.

Her mother, Hong Jin-hee, soothing her daughter, glanced at the girl who had caught her attention earlier.

“Does this child have nerves of steel? Her expression doesn’t change at all.”

Seeing Sooyeon’s calm face, Jin-hee frowned but then smirked slightly.

“But at this rate, there’s no need to see her acting.”

An actor, after all, is a profession that conveys emotion through acting.

Even in a brief CF, emotional expression is crucial to bring the scene to life.

But with this kind of expressionless child, her emotional acting would surely be awkward.

“Why is she looking at me and smiling?”

On the other hand, Sooyeon was wondering if something was on her face because a middle-aged woman had been staring at her intensely.

“Seoyeon, don’t be nervous. If you are, just hold Mom’s hand tightly.”

“Yes.”

Ironically, it wasn’t Seoyeon but her mother, Sua, who was the nervous one.

Seoyeon, sensing this, held her mother’s hand tightly—not out of nervousness, but to calm her.

“Isn’t this strange? Isn’t the acting supposed to be mine?”

Despite the doubt, Seoyeon focused on the CF she was supposed to audition for today.

“Wasn’t it a food advertisement?”

She wasn’t exactly sure what product, but at least she knew the general category.

Food. That meant there would be acting involved in eating something.

“Enjoying food is always important.”

Though she hadn’t grasped this idea yet, in just a few years, the concept of “mukbang” would emerge. This, however, wasn’t relevant for virtual YouTubers, who could incorporate “mukbang” only as part of their content but not as their main feature.

Still, anything was possible.

After all, wasn’t “mukbang” also a form of content?

“Seoyeon, the kids who went in earlier are coming out.”

Sua whispered to Seoyeon. Turning her gaze, she could see the children trudging out of the audition room.

Their expressions clearly indicated they hadn’t received good evaluations.

“Number 5, please.”

Numbers continued to be called.

Seoyeon’s number was clearly remembered as 22.

Given the total number of participants, it was a relatively late number.

“Number 13.”

While pondering what kind of food product this might be, the girl who belonged to a management company abruptly stood up. Though she wore an expression of tension, she was better composed than the others.

“Hmm?”

Seoyeon absentmindedly looked at the girl’s face and suddenly remembered an advertisement.

“Bean milk commercial.”

Hadn’t she mentioned her name was Jiyeon?

The woman who likely was her mother had called her that.

“Right, it was the bean milk commercial.”

Seoyeon had indeed seen this girl before.

Even though the advertisement was from a long time ago, the memory was shockingly clear.

Was this an enhancement she gained from reincarnation?

“Though… I remember her performance wasn’t that good.”

Of course, just because the girl had been in a commercial didn’t mean the audition Seoyeon attended was necessarily the same one. Jiyeon could have attended numerous auditions.

“But what if it is…”

Seoyeon closed her eyes.

The bean milk commercial appeared in her memory.

The commercial wasn’t just Jiyeon performing alone. Another actor also appeared in it.

Kim Jung-ha, wasn’t that her name?

Currently, she wasn’t very famous but would become a star in a cable drama in just three years, gaining immense recognition for her acting.

Moreover, the CF was later critically reevaluated and it was revealed that the actor who initially seemed awkward was none other than Kim Jung-ha.

“Remember, the awkwardness with the child actor stands out in my memory.”

It was a strangely awkward commercial. While it became a topic of conversation, leading to sales of the bean milk, it wasn’t a good advertisement overall.

Notably, the commercial didn’t just stand out because of Kim Jung-ha.

There was another important element.

“Of course, my daughter did wonderfully!”

As Seoyeon was sorting her thoughts, Jiyeon emerged from the audition room after acting, appearing rather content.

Clearly, she received praise different from the others.

“Hmm, it’s obvious the CF is meant for my daughter Jiyeon.”

Realizing Seoyeon was staring at her daughter, Hong Jin-hee smirked proudly, affectionately caressing and picking up Jiyeon like a show of pride.

“Why does she behave like this?”

While Jiyeon might be happy with how her audition went, Seoyeon didn’t understand why she was pleased in response to Seoyeon’s gaze.

At any rate, judging from her reaction, the probability was high that Jiyeon would be cast as the child actor for this CF.

“The possibility increased that this is for soy milk.”

Even though it wasn’t confirmed yet, assume it’s soy milk and proceed with the thought.

Only about ten participants remained before Seoyeon’s turn. Time was available.

“Ultimately, this is like RP.”

She wasn’t sure if the role of a child happily drinking soy milk existed, but just assume something like that.

Recalling the past advertisement, this wasn’t a solo role.

Two people were involved, requiring synergy.

“If it were a VTuber collaboration…”

To successfully collaborate, syncing with the other person’s characteristics was key.

If they don’t work well together, their strengths could be overshadowed, and the final product might taste dull compared to a solo broadcast.

“Actress Kim Jung-ha had a very lively image.”

The CF too had been lively and intense.

Because of that, the color of the young child actor faded, meant to portray the refreshing daughter character.

“Can I keep up with that kind of energy?”

Seoyeon’s acting repertoire consisted mainly of stretching exercises and a few other roles.

Though she had acted some RP-related character types…

“Hmm, but it’s all part of experience.”

Seoyeon didn’t think she would pass the audition in the first place.

Her practice level likely wasn’t the best either, and the other children here had likely also prepared thoroughly.

Some might have worked harder, and those from management companies surely had an edge.

“Still, it’s experience…”

Seoyeon took a deep breath.

She slightly intensified her gaze.

Her pupils reflected a slightly reddish hue.

“…It’d be disappointing if that’s all I have.”

She didn’t want to casually audition and regret later, like her previous self.

And then…

“Number 22, please come in.”

Finally, it was Seoyeon’s turn.

***

“Probably, the best was number 13, right?”

“Yes, probably.”

Cho Min-tae and Kim Hyung-sek exchanged nods after discussing.

With a total of 25 children at today’s audition, the session was almost over.

“Still, at such a young age entering the entertainment world, we should give due credit to their skills.”

Kim Hyung-sek said this while casually covering the remaining profiles since there was nothing more to see.

“Yes, that’s true…”

But Cho Min-tae still looked dissatisfied.

Understandably, as a CF director, he wanted to start with a good actor.

“But the world isn’t that forgiving.”

With insufficient budget, and a good actor not choosing to star in this kind of advertisement anyway due to inadequate exposure.

“There’s still number 22, remember? The one you noticed earlier.”

“Ah, yes, indeed.”

Scratching his head, Cho Min-tae glanced at the profile of the recently called number 22.

“Her first acting experience is this.”

She was, again, no different from the other children auditioning today.

Initially, he had been expecting much, but after observing other participants’ skills, the lack of “experience” struck him as the biggest drawback.

“If she manages to convey even half of that face, it would be great.”

“Then, it would really be…”

Suddenly, there was a noise as the door opened, and a small child walked in.

Long black hair with peculiarly colored eyes.

Her pale complexion resembled a porcelain doll, surreal in its lifelike detail.

Had the child’s mother not been following behind, he might have stared at her endlessly.

“Ah, the guardian can sit over there.”

“Yes.”

The mother, visibly tense, sat down with a disheveled face, in stark contrast to her daughter, whose expression was unreadable.

“Perhaps, she’s nervous too,” Cho Min-tae thought as he nodded at Seoyeon, who sat poised on her chair since the start.

Her posture was impeccable from the start, her spine straight, and her gaze forward.

While her steady gaze landed on Cho Min-tae, he began.

“So, your name is Sooyeon, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know what kind of acting you’ll be doing today?”

“I just know it’s food.”

Her monotone response was emotionless, diminishing the already low expectation for her acting skills further.

“Ahem, then we’ll start with an impromptu drink acting. So… let’s try acting like you’re savoring cold milk.”

This was truly spur-of-the-moment.

Nothing about the ad or character was prepared beforehand, without a proper script to match the screen character.

Typically, children in such scenarios respond with “Huh, where?” sort of reactions, showing this through their puzzled expressions though unspoken.

“Yes.”

But another extremely curt response came.

Smirking wryly, Cho Min-tae exchanged looks with Kim Hyung-seok.

“It won’t work, will it?”

“This much stiffness, food acting will be tough…”

The exchanged glance carried such meaning.

Though casting directors often held more sway during auditions like these, Kim Hyung-sek had already nearly decided on Yi-jeon for the role.

Therefore, unless Seoyeon performed exceptionally, her chances were slim.

“What a pity.”

Cho Min-tae regretfully thought when…

“Hmm.”

A hint of a smile graced Seoyeon’s lips.

So uncharacteristic from the emotionless girl they had just seen, her radiant smile now was disarmingly bright.

The atmosphere in the room shifted.

The dull ambience transformed into a vibrant, lively one.

“What is this?”

Cho Min-tae’s eyes widened.

Slow-motion-like, he watched Seoyeon’s hands move.

She seemed to grip something.

If one imagined drinking, the hands generally depict holding a “cup.”

But Seoyeon’s hand shape was different.

It was more like a “pack.”

A milk pack.

Not the standard size of 200ml milk pack but a tall and slim…

190ml soy milk pack.

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