Chapter 9

“Our daughter looks absolutely stunning in Hanbok too!”

Sua was busy taking picture after picture of Seoyeon.

As the words suggested, Seoyeon in the prepared Hanbok was incredibly adorable.

Her long, flowing hair, usually let down, was now neatly arranged to match the Hanbok, and it suited her wonderfully.

“Showing all your acting with just your face, huh?”

“Should’ve kept quiet after parachuting in here.”

Of course, Seoyeon was greeted this way by Sua alone. Most others were only busy sending short, disdainful clicks of the tongue in her direction.

Appearance?

Naturally, she’s beautiful. She stands out even among the other pretty child actors. But this only furrowed their brows even more; to them, it seemed as if she’d only gotten this far because of her looks.

“Lucky too. She’s already made it to a place like this just from doing one CF.”

Soy milk advertisement?

Of course, they’d seen it. It was an exceptionally well-made advertisement, but drama was a completely different story.

“Apparently, she’s six years old now…”

“I doubt she can even memorize the script properly.”

“Still, at least thanks to her, we have one less competitor around. That’s something, right?”

A few managers and academy figures muttered such things amongst themselves. They restrained themselves from speaking rashly about the child actors affiliated with entertainment agencies, out of fear of angering the companies.

But Seoyeon, it was plainly obvious that she had flown in without any agency backing and simply had luck on her side, thus she was the perfect easy mark for them.

On the other hand, there was a child actor who was receiving attention in a good way.

“That’s the kid from that daily drama, right?”

“Ah, the one who shouted ‘I hate that older sister’? Wow, she’s grown so much.”

As those soft mumblings were heard, the child actor in question, Seohui Jo, scowled slightly.

“Why bother with these auditions when they’re such a hassle?”

Jo Seohui was confident. Sure, the other child actors were all formidable in their own way, but compared to her, they didn’t hold a candle to her.

She already had experience in a historical drama and had also appeared in a daily drama no less.

A daily drama, true to its name, airs every day, making acting a daily routine and demanding great stamina because they’re filmed daily.

However, the prime-time airings boost recognition quickly. One didn’t have to look further than the cult classic, “Sister-In-Law’s Temptation” which had gained enormous traction a few years ago to see its massive appeal.

Her historical drama experience, plus her overwhelming acting experience made it unsurprising that Jo Seohui and her manager were confident.

In terms of auditions, they saw no risk of failing.

“But, look who’s here!”

Even Jo Seohui had to give a nod of respect to this one person. A young boy walking slowly with his manager.

The onlooking girls couldn’t help but gasp softly.

“Wow, he’s just ten and already so handsome.”

“He seems to have a natural star presence. Genetics must be the difference!”

Even the director Ha Tae-oh watching from a distance smiled with satisfaction.

“I am already looking forward to Park Jung-woo’s performance. His skills are growing visibly every time I see him. This might make the other actors a little nervous — how will they handle being overshadowed by a child actor?”

This was not mere flattery.

This young actor was the son of Park Sun-woong, a renowned actor who had starred three times in blockbuster “Ten Million Movies.”

Park Jung-woo himself had already made an appearance in one such “Ten Million Movie.” As a child kidnapped by terrorists, his astonishing acting skills made waves nationwide.

Although he didn’t have experience in historical dramas, his sheer acting talent was enough to draw everyone’s attention.

“Wow, they say great people are different from the start.”

Even Seoyeon herself felt a twinge of amazement watching Park Jung-woo. He was truly a natural leader.

Park Jung-woo not only gained massive popularity with “The Moon That Hid the Sun” but also hit it big with the following dramas he starred in. The movies he appeared in also became runaway hits, creating a string of successes.

There were a few bumps along the way, but Park Jung-woo lived up to being the son of a renowned actor.

“Oh, this isn’t the time to be distracted. I need to memorize my lines.”

Regaining focus, Seoyeon checked the script handed out earlier at the audition. She had fallen behind a bit because she had been changing her clothes later than others.

“Ah.”

As she carefully looked through the script, Seoyeon’s eyes widened.

“This is the highlight scene.”

It was the highlight from the second episode, a key emotional part where the young male protagonist Yoon Seoil parted ways with the young female protagonist Lee Hye-wol.

It was the scene that aimed to make the entire nation cry in the second episode.

“There’s something about this scene…”

It wasn’t as though the actors performed poorly. It was indeed the highlight, but it just seemed uneventful — a well-done but standard scene.

While recalling the past episode of the drama she’d watched, Seoyeon started carefully memorizing her script.

She considered modeling her performance after Jo Seohui but immediately dismissed the idea.

“One shouldn’t follow others’ performances blindly; it doesn’t benefit you.”

Didn’t she already learn that lesson from the soy milk CF? Quietly reading the script, Seoyeon made Cho Min-tae, the CF director, curious.

“Soo-yan, do you think she’ll be able to memorize the script well?”

“I’m not sure about that. Do you know better than me?”

“She memorizes other things well, but I’m not entirely certain with this…”

Sua believed without a doubt that her daughter was a prodigy, but even she worried. Cho Min-tae was also concerned, especially about the script.

For Seoyeon, who had only done CFs before, this was a significant challenge. After all, the lines in this script were vastly different, far more numerous.

“Alright, it seems our time has come. Let’s begin.”

After two hours, Ha Tae-oh sprang to his feet and addressed everyone.

“First, the opposite roles will be chosen by numbers. For the role of Lee Hye-wol, please draw from the red box, and for Yoon Seoil, from the blue box. Match your numbers, and consider yourselves partners.”

In a duo performance, the opposite role is crucial. However, the decision was entirely random, leaving most feeling understandably tense.

“Just please, not Park Jung-woo!”

“Please, anyone but Jo Seohui!”

The managers and acting academy teachers desperately hoped their young actors wouldn’t encounter the risk of performing opposite these talented individuals.

The male actors dreaded being paired with Jo Seohui, and the female actors with Park Jung-woo. Being paired with such skilled actors would undoubtedly cause them to be overshadowed.

“Please, anyone but the parachute kid! Please, anyone but the parachute kid!”

Ironically, the easiest pick was Seoyeon, standing there with an inscrutable expression. It was clear she had no comprehension of what was going on, making her seem like any ordinary child.

“Now, let’s start with number one. Draw your numbers please.”

Number one.

Two children nervously stepped forward under the heavy weight of being the first performers. They started, somewhat relieved that neither of them were “dangerous” characters.

“Hmm…”

Their performance was observed by Director Ha Tae-oh, the cinematographer, casting director, and many others.

“Next, number two.”

One after another, teams performed. No particular standout comments were made, as most of them did well but not overly impressive.

“Number seven, please.”

Jo Seohui stepped forward as number seven.

“Ah…”

Naturally, her opposite actor looked utterly devastated. Her accompanying drama instructor had warned explicitly to avoid being paired with Jo Seohui at all costs.

Their scene began. It depicted the emotional parting where Lee Hye-wol promises to return as Yun Seoil departs for distant lands due to a coup.

“Once more, I will return. Surely, I will come back…”

With her voice filled with moisture, Jo Seohui delivered her lines with such emotional depth that her opposite — despite trying hard — was completely overshadowed, his presence almost completely erased.

“Wow, she’s not just any daily drama princess.”

“Exactly.”

“It’s not easy to bring out such emotions in such a short time.”

The first real applause arose. Jo Seohui basked in the praise, sweeping her eyes over the room before returning to her seat, quite satisfied.

“Now, where were we… Let’s keep going.”

As numbers were called out one by one, when number ten was mentioned, Park Jung-woo stepped forward. Naturally, his presence caused some sighs of relief and some despair among the participants.

“Once again, I’ll return…”

The following performance was a disaster. Overpowered entirely by Park Jung-woo, the young girl couldn’t even deliver her lines properly, struggling to speak coherently. Her vocal projection was also subpar, far below what could be called acting.

“Hmm… It’s hard to say since the partner wasn’t able to keep up.”

“Still, the difference with Park Jung-woo is apparent. He’s on a completely different level.”

Several kids flinched at the searing criticism, aware that if they had been paired with Jo Seohui or Park Jung-woo, they might have met the same fate.

“Alright, a few teams left, let’s call on number eleven.”

A tense young boy stepped forward at his name. Standing right after Park Jung-woo, he feared comparison was inevitable.

“Ooh!”

The boy initially blurted out a cry of joy before quickly covering his mouth. He’d spotted none other than the famed ‘parachute’ girl finally stepping forward.

As a result, the boys still waiting their turn watched him enviously.

“Another child who only did a few commercials and somehow caught the eyes of the producers to make it to the audition.”

The universally acknowledged parachute candidate — that was Seoyeon’s impression in the room.

“Her looks, definitely.”

“She must have some presence to have appeared in that good CF, right?”

Even those who mocked her acknowledged the presence Seoyeon exuded as she quietly stood there, with an aura not typically found in children of her age.

“But acting isn’t only about presence or looks, right?”

“Then… let’s begin.”

At the director’s call, the boy, clad in a neat Hanbok, boldly spoke.

Facing Seoyeon with his back turned:

“Your highness… Your highness! Where shall you go?”

Reaching out to grab Princess Yeonhwa, who must leave soon, he cried out as Yoon Seoil would on the hill they frequented, preparing for what would be one last exchange.

After hearing Yoon Seoil’s words, Princess Yeonhwa, after a pause, slowly turned her body.

What caught the attention first were her eyes. They were slightly narrowed, as if struck by blinding light, and then gradually widened as they focused on Yoon Seoil, conveying longing, sadness, and the happiness of reunion.

In her crimson pupils, like the evening glow, the young boy’s face was reflected.

For a moment.

The boy facing her lost his words, forgot how to speak his part, his lips and tongue frozen.

Of course, how could he not? Right before him stood Princess Yeonhwa.

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