Chapter 88: The Perfect Yeji

The second morning of auditions. The sky was still blue and scorching.

Today is the day we finalize the lead female child actor.

The male lead was already confirmed the previous day.

Cha Bin.

Given the acting I saw yesterday, it was a decision no one could argue with.

The lower grade child actor for elementary school was decided yesterday as well, and now only Yeji, the middle schooler, remained.

At first, I hadn’t paid much attention.

I’d heard in the production meeting that the lead female role already had someone in mind at the higher-ups, and I was only supposed to act as a formality.

Still, I was quite surprised when I heard the name.

Shin Amin. A rookie actress who’s been making herself known lately.

For such an opportunity to come this fast meant someone had a strong will behind it.

She’d already appeared as a supporting role in a major drama and showed up in a few commercials too.

Above all, her ability to capture nuances in facial expressions and dialogue was good, and on-site reactions weren’t bad.

“Today, we’ll finalize the middle school child actor.”

At the staff member’s words, I nodded silently.

I wondered which child would surprise me today.

And so, the children’s performances began.

“I thought… I thought if I just said it, anything would happen.”

That was a line filled with real emotion.

Some spoke with tears brimming in their eyes, while others burst out in anger and ran.

It was remarkable—everyone’s acting was above average.

It was hard to believe they were child actors, they seemed so mature.

Unlike the elementary division, where the lines were memorized and recited clearly, here in the middle school division, the emotional intensity was much denser.

You could feel the immersion in every movement and breath.

I’m sure they all stayed up late practicing, desperate to pass the audition.

Yet even so, I couldn’t nod my head.

They were all outstanding, but none of them was the “Yeji” I was looking for.

In this work, the child actor’s role is very important.

You could say the beginning and end of the emotional line lies with them—the quality of the work is determined by the child actor.

Not just crying and laughing, even the way she looks at her brother had to contain a narrative.

Desperation, guilt, gratitude, and so on.

For that to be possible...

‘That’s hard. Should I let go of my expectations?’

Unless it was the person who appeared in my mind, it would be difficult.

“You Are the Star Within Me” is a story I created thinking of my younger sibling in a past life and this one.

Maybe no one can reproduce the image of a sibling I imagined.

Still, as a writer, I couldn’t let go of my greed.

Each time I shook my head, the faces of the other judges grew darker.

“That student just now was pretty good, wasn’t she? Not for you?”

The director sitting next to me asked.

“I’m not sure. She acted well, but it just didn’t fit my work.”

“Hm, that’s a problem. There aren’t many left.”

The director’s expression was far from pleased.

“If I can’t find someone who fits, I’ll leave it to you, Director.”

I started to wonder if I was being a burden, being one of the audition judges.

“Next up is... huh?”

I was looking to see who the next contestant was, when I found myself at a loss for words.

It was as if time had frozen.

I couldn’t think at all, just stared at the contents written on the paper.

[Yoo Da-hye / 15 years old / AC Planning / Auditioning for Yeji, Middle School Role / Height: 158cm / Weight: 43kg / Sponsored Advertisement / Reason for Applying: I consider Yeji a character created for me, so I decided to apply.]

My heart quietly sank.

‘You... showed up?! Here??’

Never, not once, had I imagined this would happen.

That Da-hye would actually try out for an audition for my work.

My gaze slowly rose to the door as it opened.

Da-hye entered, hair in disarray, wearing shabby clothes, all seen through the lenses of my black sunglasses.

She didn’t wear expensive clothes, but stood in the center dressed just as she had when things were hard back then.

“Hello. I’m applicant Yoo Da-hye. Born in 1988, fifteen years old. I belong to AC Planning, and today I’ll be auditioning for the role of Yeji, the middle school student in ‘You Are the Star Within Me.’”

As Da-hye introduced herself, the surroundings grew quiet.

Not knowing I was sitting right in front of her, she prepared to act as Yeji from my work.

The girl who used to get so shy standing before people, now stood more confidently than anyone in front of me.

“Did you wear those clothes to act as Yeji?”

Up until now, the director had always asked for a performance right after the introduction, but this time, he questioned Da-hye.

“Yes. I wanted to express that Yeji’s household is struggling financially, so I thought hard about what she’d wear and chose these clothes.”

Da-hye answered the director’s question without a hint of hesitation.

‘Da-hye, you’ve changed a lot.’

Watching Da-hye, I smiled.

No one would be able to see, hidden behind my mask, but I was grateful I could conceal my identity today.

“Not bad.”

The director, seeming pleased with her answer, twisted his lips to the side in praise.

“That’s a good foundation. Did your agency tell you to do that?”

“No, I made that decision myself.”

“Amazing. I hope your acting is as good as your presentation.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“All right, then, shall we begin?”

The questions and answers came to an end.

Swallowing hard, I took a deep breath.

“I’ll begin now!”

Da-hye took a deep breath and announced the start of her performance.

“I… I thought all I had to do was speak… I thought if I just asked for money, it would just come out.”

The atmosphere of the audition hall changed in an instant.

Da-hye’s small voice reached us, clear and precise.

She didn’t force the volume, but the sincerity in her voice made our hearts pound.

“...But it wasn’t like that. Oppa… I only now realize how hard you worked for me.”

Her expression changed.

Her eyebrows trembled, and her lips were damp.

Da-hye suddenly turned around, took a lap around the stage, breathing hard.

With a change of scene, a new expression came over her face.

“Who said I wanted money! Is it enough for only me to live well? Isn’t your life your life too?!”

Her words cut through the air and landed in the audition room.

Unconsciously, I pressed the pen in my hand tightly.

Drip, drip… drip.

Tears fell from Da-hye’s face, dropping to the floor.

She was crying.

It didn’t feel like acting; it felt like she was truly crying.

Why was that?

“I saw you passing out flyers, oppa. In front of the houses, smiling and enduring it even when people ignored you…”

I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

The overhead light reflected even more clearly the tracks of tears on Da-hye’s face.

Da-hye’s hands shook as she carefully opened her mouth.

“I only realized it now. I was so sorry, so sorry… I couldn’t bear it.”

She fell to her knees.

Pressing her hands to the floor, she curled up as if to prostrate herself.

A sobbing sound escaped her lips, but no one found it awkward.

Everyone in the room, including the director, looked on at the scene with serious faces.

A single girl was embodying anger, sorrow, and love all at once.

No one, I thought, could imitate what she was doing now.

I looked at Da-hye’s face.

On the day she came home drenched in rain as a child, the Da-hye who used to fall asleep on my back—now she was pouring out everything on stage.

“Oppa, I’m really… sorry.”

The moment I heard those words, I couldn’t hold back my emotions any longer.

Behind the sunglasses, my eyes grew wet.

At first it was just mist, but soon it became tears that streamed down my face.

‘I never saw this, not even in my past life.’

I had never seen Da-hye stand on stage with such sincerity.

I thought back on the years I’d lived for her.

The words coming from Da-hye’s mouth sounded like they were being spoken directly to me.

“Cut. That’s enough.”

The director’s voice filled the quiet audition room.

I snapped out of my daze, having been utterly absorbed in Da-hye’s performance.

“Uh, pl-please wait a moment.”

Da-hye bowed her head and wiped her tear-stained face with her hands.

Her shoulders still trembled as if she couldn’t swallow back all the sobs.

Maybe two minutes passed?

Gradually, her trembling subsided as she calmed down.

“Miss Yoo Da-hye.”

The director spoke again.

I watched the director’s mouth nervously.

“This scene was completed thanks to you today. It was a wonderful performance.”

The director broke into a wide smile and applauded Da-hye, praising her acting.

The applause quickly spread throughout the audition hall.

“...Thank you!”

Da-hye, who had been staring blankly at us, belatedly understood the meaning of the director’s words and hurriedly bowed.

She bowed to the director and everyone in the room several times, then left the audition hall.

“......”

I couldn’t say anything.

I could only clap, unable to form any words.

“At last, I think we’ve found the real Yeji. Don’t you agree, Writer Yoo?”

The director grinned at me, as if to say, “Well, what do you think?”

“Yes, I don’t think we need to look for any other Yeji. She’s the perfect Yeji.”

Taking off the sunglasses that covered my eyes, I wiped my tear-stained face with a tissue.

“Tsk tsk, that’s just like a writer. All right, let’s wrap up here. Good work, everyone.”

After seeing my face, the director lightly patted my shoulder and suggested we finish up.

Still struggling to calm my feelings, I stood up from my seat.

“Min Do-yoon, you knew, didn’t you? That Da-hye would audition.”

He’s the heir to the LN Group, with a truly wicked streak.

[I told you to get personally involved in casting, so I found it odd... but today I saw something rare and precious. Anyway, just leaving a note of thanks.]

I sent a message to Min Do-yoon as I left the audition hall.