Chapter 44: Audition

When I first heard about Director André, I thought a French director would be elegant and refined.

Don’t they even serve school lunches in courses in France?

But the André I met was far too familiar.

Like the rough uncles I’d see at the market as a kid…

It reminded me of rugged workers drinking makgeolli from rice bowls at construction sites.

This was a trait of southern French people.

People often say Parisians take pride in being French, some even claiming Paris and France are separate countries.

Well, this might actually be better…

Even so, I wished he’d skip the cheek kisses.

Anyway, after dinner, we had a quick drink at a bar.

I’m exhausted…

It had been a while since I drank.

Since the kids arrived, I hadn’t drunk enough to get tipsy, and for the past week, I hadn’t touched alcohol at all.

The liquor piling up in the fridge called to me, but the thought of waking up early to cook for the kids kept me from drinking.

“You seem tired,” Loony said.

“Yeah, well…”

“Haha, I’ve never seen you this exhausted from just a few drinks, Writer-nim.”

Loony chuckled as he drove.

Yongsu Kwon could handle his liquor.

He didn’t drink much whiskey, but he could easily down four bottles of soju.

Seeing Yongsu tired after a few drinks was amusing.

“Well… I was already tired, to be fair.”

Director André kept talking to me.

I didn’t dislike him, but sometimes his questions were a hassle to answer.

Why is he trying to introduce his daughter? Especially when she has a boyfriend?

His sudden offer to introduce his daughter threw me off.

Especially since she had a boyfriend.

Then he showed me her picture, and unlike André, she was quite beautiful.

Even if I weren’t with Nicole, I’d have declined…

I brushed it off, saying I wasn’t interested in anyone right now.

I didn’t mention I was already dating.

“Oh, hold on,” I said.

“What’s up?” Loony asked.

“Let’s stop by that chicken place.”

“Where?”

Loony followed my pointing finger.

“Korean Chicken?”

“Yeah, for the kids’ late-night snack. I’ll get some for you too, Loony. Eat it at the hotel.”

“Haha, thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Loony parked near the chicken place.

Despite the late hour, the shop was still open.

Chicken’s probably better than Melona, right?

Smiling, I walked into the chicken shop.

—

For the kids, who’d already eaten, I bought two chickens.

I’d had pork belly, but the smell of chicken made me crave it.

Arriving at the hotel, I opened the door.

Are the kids asleep?

The room was dark when I entered.

It was late, so they wouldn’t still be out.

They must’ve had fun.

Wondering if I’d bought the snack for nothing, I heard a snap!

“Welcome back, Uncle!”

“Come on in!”

“Yawn…”

Suddenly, the lights flicked on, and the kids popped out.

I was dumbfounded by their appearance.

“What? You guys weren’t asleep?”

“Nope! We were waiting for you!”

“We were waiting to give you a present.”

“Jiyu… mmm…” Jiyu mumbled sleepily.

Their words made me clutch my chest without thinking.

I didn’t know why they did this, but one thing was clear.

A warmth I couldn’t explain surged from deep within, easing my hangover and fatigue.

My eyes nearly teared up.

“Really? A present?”

“You can’t wear that to meet your girlfriend!” Yuri said.

“Oh, you got me clothes?”

“Yeah!”

“You didn’t go sightseeing?”

They’d been talking about buying me clothes since yesterday, but I didn’t think they’d actually do it.

“We did sightseeing. Don’t worry, Jenny unnie showed us around.”

“Good to hear.”

I was worried they’d skipped sightseeing to shop for me, but thankfully not.

“But you didn’t use my card? I didn’t get any alerts…”

I told them to use my card so they wouldn’t lack anything.

But they hadn’t used it today.

“Oh, about that… Jenny unnie bought it,” Hye-yeon said.

“Chrissy’s manager?”

“Yeah. We said we’d buy it, but she insisted on paying.”

I tilted my head at Hye-yeon’s words.

Why?

I should be the one buying gifts, so why did the manager buy mine?

Anyway, I took the box they handed me.

“Thanks. I’ll wear it well.”

“It’s not even us who bought it.”

“Still, you went shopping for me.”

I’d need to call Chrissy later.

Or maybe send her manager a gift.

“Try it on!” Yuri urged.

I looked at the box.

The kids had gone to a department store for me, so I didn’t want to open it just yet.

“I’ll try it later. Oh, kids, let’s eat chicken.”

“Chicken!?”

Jiyu’s sleepy eyes sparkled at the word.

“Yeah, Korean chicken. Have you all eaten dinner?”

“Jiyu can eat chicken! I didn’t eat much dinner!”

As Jiyu said, the kids hadn’t eaten much.

They had cupcakes, but those wouldn’t fill them up.

I set the chicken on the table.

“You’re not trying it on now?” Hye-yeon asked.

“I’ll wear it tomorrow. I have an important event anyway.”

Besides André, several directors had asked me to join them at auditions.

I usually dress casually, but since the kids got me clothes, I’d wear them tomorrow.

“You have to wear it, okay?” Yuri insisted.

“Don’t worry, Yuri. I’ll definitely wear it.”

I patted Yuri’s head with a smile.

“Come on, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“Okay!”

The kids rushed to the table.

They must’ve been craving chicken.

They couldn’t resist the smell, huh?

Pizza and chicken smells are hard to resist.

Especially for kids who only had cupcakes and were waiting for me, they must be starving.

Let’s put this away first.

Watching the kids prepare to eat, I took the box to the room.

When I came back, plates and cups were lined up on the table.

“Uncle! Hurry! Jiyu’s hungry!”

“Haha, alright.”

Laughing at Jiyu’s words, I headed to the table.

***

My schedule in the U.S. ended with the audition.

On the last day, I planned to sightsee with the kids before going home, so I’d leave them with Chrissy’s manager just for today.

Next time I travel for work, I’ll plan someone to watch the kids.

I’d only thought about bringing them along.

With fans and reporters unexpectedly swarming, it was chaotic.

Without Chrissy’s manager, the kids would’ve been stuck in the hotel.

I told them to use the card freely this time. They’ll have fun… right?

I was grateful for the clothes yesterday but also felt guilty.

I still didn’t know why she bought them, but I couldn’t accept more.

I hope Hye-yeon relays my message clearly…

I told Hye-yeon to absolutely not let the manager pay for anything.

I even said to buy something for the manager if she needed anything.

They’ll manage…

With a worried look, I left the hotel for the audition venue.

“Writer-nim,” Loony said.

“Yeah?”

“Your outfit today… ahem! It’s very stylish.”

“Haha, good to hear.”

“It’s like you’re going on a date.”

The kids had bought a suit.

I told them not to spend over $100, so they got a top and bottom separately, each under $100.

“I’ve never seen you dress like this outside a party.”

“Well…”

Honestly, it was a bit much for me too.

It’s a little uncomfortable, but… it’s wearable.

It was less comfortable than my usual clothes, but not unbearable.

We drove and arrived at the audition venue.

It’s been a while since I’ve been here.

It was an audition space set up by Letflix, where I’d been a few times with other directors.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

After parking, we entered the audition venue.

Following Loony inside, I saw Director André standing there.

He looks busy.

Normally, he’d rush over with a cheek kiss the moment I arrived.

But now, he was too engrossed in reviewing script documents.

“I’m here,” I said.

“Oh? You’re here! But are you going on a date after the audition? The sneakers are a disaster, but it suits you well.”

“Thanks.”

The kids didn’t buy dress shoes, so I wore yesterday’s sneakers.

They were worn in Canada’s snowy paths, so they were dirtier than I’d like and didn’t match the suit.

“Oh, right. Read this.”

Director André handed me the script he was reading.

It was just one page.

“Is this for today’s audition?”

“Yep.”

“Hmm…”

The script was short.

Ridiculously short.

No, it wasn’t even a script.

“This has no dialogue, no lines… Are you really doing it like this?”

“Exactly. I’m going purely on skill.”

“Wow…”

It was just a paragraph summarizing the plot.

A father arguing with his daughter.

A father traveling with his daughter.

A father helping his daughter.

A father comforting his crying daughter.

A husband fighting with his wife over money.

And so on.

There were several other paragraphs.

“I plan to pick three at random. We’re looking for an actor who can convincingly play a ‘husband,’ ‘father,’ and ‘man.’”

“Is that even possible?”

It was to see the actor’s free performance, but it could be too hard for them to act.

They might not even show their true skills.

“This work highlights the protagonist. It has to be this way.”

“Sure, but…”

Isn’t this a bit extreme?

I read through the document slowly, mentally organizing the scenarios.

Some time passed.

“It’s about time,” André said.

The audition was starting.