Chapter 128
While I was making that vow to myself, the cinematographer gave one final instruction to the camera assistant.
“Giseop, make sure you film properly. When the actors deliver their lines, zoom in at the right moments and follow their movements carefully.”
Assistant Director Woo Jungin then gave a signal to the directing staff in the back to let the actors in.
After that, she moved to the far end of the judges’ table and took her seat.
And with that, the audition officially began.
The first applicant entered the meeting room.
He was a man in his late twenties, around 185 centimeters tall, with a fairly large build.
“Hello. My name is Choi Minho.”
Director Song Jaehyun and the other judges quickly alternated their gazes between the applicant’s profile on the table and the man standing in front of them.
Song Jaehyun looked at the profile.
“It says here you have a fitness trainer certification.”
He looked the man over.
“You can tell just by looking at you that you’re in great shape. You must work out a lot.”
The applicant, who seemed slightly nervous, cleared his throat before answering.
“Ah, yes. I do pay a lot of attention to maintaining my body.”
“The character you’re auditioning for is the youngest member of a gang.”
Song Jaehyun continued.
“He’s only just started working as a gangster, so he’s supposed to be a little clueless.”
“But right now, rather than looking like the youngest guy in the gang, you look more like the gang boss or his second-in-command.”
He smiled.
“If you’re cast, would you be willing to lose a little muscle?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
“Good.”
Song Jaehyun nodded.
“Then let’s see the performance you prepared.”
The applicant nodded, took a short breath, and began acting.
“B-Boss... I-I really can’t do this. That man... he’s a cop. I saw him...”
But perhaps because he was too nervous, his voice became so stiff that it started cracking.
And although he was supposed to express fear, it came across more like a child whining.
“Cut. That’s enough.”
Song Jaehyun looked disappointed.
He quickly exchanged glances with the other judges beside him.
They responded with looks that clearly said they had nothing else to add.
“All right. You may leave.”
The applicant bowed to the judges with obvious disappointment before leaving the meeting room.
“Next.”
The audition that had begun at ten in the morning continued past three in the afternoon.
After another actor finished and left the room, Baek Seonghan stretched lazily in his chair and checked the time on his phone.
“It’s three already.”
He looked toward the remaining list.
“We might finish earlier than expected.”
The auditions had been moving much faster than expected.
Only six applicants remained.
Director Song Jaehyun was the type who would ask an actor he liked to perform free acting or even improvise.
But today, there had been many cases where he shouted “Cut” before the applicants even finished their basic audition lines.
In other words...
There hadn’t been anyone he really liked.
“Bring in the next person.”
A moment later, a man in his late twenties entered the meeting room.
He was thin but solidly built.
His overall impression seemed gentle, but there was something strangely sharp about his eyes.
The moment I saw him enter...
I unconsciously held my breath.
Finally...
He’s here.
Actor Jung Hangyeol.
The reason I had come to this audition today.
And the one person I absolutely had to make sure failed.
Before my regression, Jung Hangyeol had been a promising rookie actor who slowly began making a name for himself by appearing in minor roles in films and dramas.
Then he was cast as a low-level gangster in Kingdom of Crime.
And while returning home after filming...
He died in an unexpected traffic accident.
Because he wasn’t a famous actor at the time, his death initially seemed destined to disappear quietly from public attention.
But everything changed when people learned that his wife had given birth on the very day of the accident.
Then the contents of his final phone call with her were revealed.
Their story was featured on the television documentary program Human Theater, and only then did the entire country begin mourning his death.
That day, Jung Hangyeol had originally been at the maternity hospital because his wife was about to give birth.
But he suddenly received a request for additional filming.
In the end, he headed to Ganghwa Island, where the set was located.
His final phone conversation with his wife had gone like this.
“Yeah, filming just finished. I’m leaving now. I’ll definitely get back before our baby is born. I have to cut the umbilical cord myself. And on the way, I’ll buy a whole bunch of the fish-shaped pastries you like.”
Jung Hangyeol never made it back.
And the day of his child’s birth became the anniversary of his father’s death.
Even during his long years of obscurity, Jung Hangyeol had never given up on his dream of becoming an actor.
For his beloved wife and the child who would soon be born, he worked at a logistics center during the day and drove as a designated driver at night.
And after enduring all of that...
Just when it finally seemed like he was about to see the light...
Jung Hangyeol died without ever seeing his newborn child’s face.
The entire country cried after watching his story on Human Theater.
There was even a later story that Director Song Jaehyun regretted for the rest of his life that he had forced the reshoot to continue that day.
And I knew all of it.
Which meant...
I could never allow it to happen again.
Right.
I have to make sure Jung Hangyeol fails this audition.
No matter what.
If I eliminated him here, I could prevent the death that awaited him.
Song Jaehyun looked at the profile.
“You’re twenty-eight, but you got married fairly early.”
Jung Hangyeol tried to maintain a relaxed expression.
“Yes.”
“My parents passed away when I was young, and I was raised by my grandmother.”
“So I wanted to build a family of my own early.”
He smiled faintly.
“And I wanted to give my grandmother a great-grandchild as soon as possible.”
“You’re a good grandson.”
Actor Han Seokgu laughed, seemingly trying to ease his nerves.
“Honestly, getting married early isn’t necessarily a bad thing for an actor.”
“It gives you stability.”
“You don’t get distracted by other things.”
“And if you have a wife and children to support, you work harder at acting too.”
He chuckled.
“That’s why I got married early myself.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Good.”
Song Jaehyun nodded.
“Then let’s see the performance you prepared.”
Instead of answering, Jung Hangyeol nodded.
He took one short breath.
Then his expression changed completely.
