The day of the second audition.
Park Min-tae, who wasn’t even a judge, was lingering in front of the studio.
‘He’ll come, right? I didn’t go out of my way to contact him.’
There were five people who passed the first audition.
Of course, both Jung Yun-woo and Jeon Yeo-hu made it through.
He hadn’t been worried about that, since he knew both of them would easily pass the first round.
What he was concerned about today was Jeon Yeo-hu’s whereabouts. Even if he made it to the first round, would he get scared and run away at the second?
“Hello, Director.”
“Oh, Writer! Hello~.”
The person who greeted him on the street was Kim Hye-mi.
She was the writer of the drama , for which Jung Yun-woo and Jeon Yeo-hu were both auditioning in the second round.
“Of course, I’m well. But what are you doing out here, Director? Why not just go inside? Weren’t you here to see the director?”
“Not today.”
Kim Hye-mi looked around, curious about Park Min-tae’s awkward behavior.
“So, are you waiting for someone out here?”
“There’s a rookie among the actors who passed the first audition whom I personally chose. I just wanted to see if he showed up.”
Kim Hye-mi tilted her head in puzzlement.
‘Park Min-tae coming out to see a rookie? Really?’
Having worked with Director Park Min-tae a few times before, she had a decent idea of how he did casting.
She rolled her eyes, interest piqued by this side of him she was seeing for the first time.
Who on earth was he waiting for?
“Who is it?”
“If I say it, that could be considered cheating.”
“Oh, come on. If you recommended someone, it’ll be obvious anyway, won’t it?”
“Haha. Even if I don’t say it, there’ll definitely be one kid who stands out. You’ll know just by watching him act. He’s a real genius.”
A real genius?
“Is that so?”
“He’ll probably be the best looking one, too.”
While Kim Hye-mi gave a courteous smile, she thought Park Min-tae was making too much fuss.
Face geniuses, acting geniuses—they were everywhere in this industry.
“If you say so, Director, I’ll look forward to it. Thank you.”
“Good.”
“Well, I should go in for the audition now. You come in, too. The wind’s cold.”
“Yes, Writer. Let’s grab a meal sometime soon.”
“Sounds good~.”
With a gentle waft of coffee scent, she left, and after checking the time, Park Min-tae let out a deep sigh. About twenty minutes left until the audition started, but he still hadn’t seen that kid’s face.
Was it only going to be Jung Yun-woo showing up?
‘Not that Jung Yun-woo’s lacking or anything. Honestly, just having someone like him would already be a great casting.’
Just as he was thinking that, Jeon Yeo-hu appeared across the crosswalk, as if a tiger would show itself when you speak of it.
He’s here! He came! My gem! My uncut diamond!
This beautiful brat!
“Jeon Yeo-hu!”
“……?”
“-ssi!”
A broad smile bloomed on Park Min-tae’s face.
Maybe finding his attitude burdensome, Jeon Yeo-hu actually took a step back.
“Hello, Director.”
Like Kim Hye-mi earlier, Jeon Yeo-hu tilted his head to the side.
A face that clearly couldn’t understand why he was here.
“Are you on the second-round judging panel, Director? Why are you out here…?”
Park Min-tae waved his hand widely.
“Our agency isn’t involved in the second round. I just stopped by because I was curious if you’d show up, Jeon Yeo-hu-ssi.”
“Ah, because you don’t trust me?”
“Ha, haha.”
“I’m joking. Sorry for making you come all this way. You can go now.”
Jeon Yeo-hu left only a simple greeting and headed into the studio building.
Park Min-tae hurriedly called out.
“Then! Can I take it that you’ve made up your mind about today?”
Jeon Yeo-hu nodded, wearing the same sullen expression as the first time they’d talked.
But his answer was different.
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
Park Min-tae clenched both fists.
Who knew I’d be rooting this hard for a rookie in my life!
He shouted out, like a parent sending a child off to college entrance exams.
“Fighting!”
—
What a strange person.
‘Do people usually care this much about a rookie?’
Well, sure. If a rookie acted like me, I guess that would be strange enough.
After a simple briefing in the first-floor lobby, I went up to the conference room where the audition was being held.
Jung Yun-woo had already done his audition, so there was no chance I’d see him today.
Right after his audition, he’d spread all sorts of feedback on his own, so I didn’t even have to dig for information.
[Usually, a second round audition is different from the first, which is just acting. They check if you’re fit for other roles, too. Sometimes they’ll hand you a different script on the spot. They might ask you personal questions, too. It’s just for ice-breaking, so you don’t need to prepare anything special for that part.]
[Okay.]
[It’s all about charm. The charm that fits the character perfectly!]
[Got it.]
It was amazing how even through text, Jung Yun-woo managed to be noisy.
My charm, huh.
I guess acting well is my charm.
I was certainly handsome, but being good looking and having charm weren’t the same thing.
“Jeon Yeo-hu-nim, you can come in now.”
“Yes.”
There were three people in the conference room who, at a glance, looked pretty important.
“You can take a seat over here.”
“Thank you.”
The first to speak was the director of this drama.
He briefly introduced himself and scanned my profile.
“You’re Jeon Yeo-hu, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You went to Korea National University of Arts, so you know Jung Yun-woo, who auditioned yesterday? You’re the same age too?”
“Yes.”
“I see. It’s good to see friends auditioning together.”
After a brief ice-breaking, the director pointed to the sidescript in my hand.
“You got the script we handed out before you came in, right? Please act out that part for us. We’ll continue the conversation afterward.”
“Yes, understood.”
About thirty minutes before coming in here, I’d received this script in the waiting room.
It was a short, one-page script, but it was packed with lines for just one person.
‘Cha Hae-jun…….’
That was the name of the role I’d be playing if I passed the audition.
Once I learn a character’s name, memories and emotions tied to that character come to mind through the script.
‘Cha Hae-jun.’
I hadn’t seen The Prosecutor of Revenge before my regression, but when I read the short plot summary and lines in the script, I knew immediately.
Cha Hae-jun was probably the character Writer Kim Hye-mi cherished most in this drama.
A beloved character is always detailed and three-dimensional.
And acting such a character made me the happiest.
Because that’s what makes a true ‘person.’
“Begin whenever you’re ready.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes and breathed.
And when I opened them again, I had to become Cha Hae-jun.
—
Kim Hye-mi, sitting beside the director, nearly let out a gasp as soon as Jeon Yeo-hu walked in.
‘Director Min-tae, this rookie really is insane!?’
How could anyone bring such a perfectly suited, handsome kid here?
My goodness. He’s a sculpture. A living sculpture.
I couldn’t tell if he meant to, but even his outfit seemed styled to match the role.
When he was expressionless, his face didn’t reveal much emotion, which is exactly what I’d wanted.
‘With a face like that, he could’ve debuted as an idol and been a guaranteed success.’
Now he just had to act well.
‘But I’m torn. Jung Yun-woo was also handsome and acted so well.’
Jung Yun-woo, who auditioned yesterday, was also obviously handsome at first glance.
That kind of fresh, uplifting handsomeness—like a blue ion drink.
With the right project, a face like that could rocket to stardom.
And his atmosphere changed 180 degrees when he acted, which I liked.
Honestly, if auditions had ended yesterday, Kim Hye-mi would’ve been satisfied.
For a rookie actor to fit this script and act at this level, Jung Yun-woo was the best option.
But against all expectations, Jeon Yeo-hu appeared.
‘What kind of acting will he show with my script?’
Kim Hye-mi read over the sidescript she’d written.
The script’s main character was Cha Hae-jun. Not a huge part, but a crucial role that needed to capture attention early on.
In this drama, Cha Hae-jun was bright and good-hearted, like sunshine. During college, he served as the protagonist’s emotional anchor, but ultimately, he got caught up in an incident and died early on as a supporting character.
Because of this, the main character chooses to become a prosecutor and starts digging into the case’s true culprit.
Based on just this much information, you might think Cha Hae-jun should be played by a rookie with a bright smile, like an ion drink model, but he too had gone astray for a while in high school because of misunderstandings.
After his mother collapsed between his second and third year, he pulled himself together and entered college, becoming a figure who could serve as the protagonist’s spiritual support—someone who had lost his own parents as a child.
That’s why Cha Hae-jun needed to be someone who could express both light and shadow.
And, ideally, played by a rookie without any lingering, established image.
There was a reason Kim Hye-mi, who usually didn’t interfere in casting, insisted on being present for the casting of Cha Hae-jun.
She wanted to see Cha Hae-jun come to life right before her eyes.
Just like now.
The protagonist learns that Cha Hae-jun is searching for the culprit who hit his mother with a car and left her in a vegetative state during high school, and warns him that it’s too dangerous for a student.
But Cha Hae-jun ignores Yoon-seong’s advice, saying that once he’s an adult, he’s determined to find out who did it.
This script scene was about expressing those rising emotions.
[You think my mother wouldn’t want me to do this?]
Hae-jun smiles bitterly.
[Yoon-seong, I didn’t want my mother to end up like this, either. I don’t even know who caused the accident. The only one who came to give us settlement money was their lawyer. They handed over the money, but only if we agreed to never make an issue of it again. I… .]
Cha Hae-jun’s hands tremble.
The blood vessels burst in his eyes as he bites his lip hard.
[I didn’t want the money, Yoon-seong. But even so, I accepted the settlement because, in some small way, I wanted to keep my mom by my side. If my family had money, I never would have signed that miserable agreement.]
Yoon-seong protests.
Let’s report it to the news, even now.
Let’s do it, now…
But Hae-jun shakes his head.
[Do you think people will sympathize with my misfortune? No, they’ll just curse me for taking the settlement and only now telling the news. They’re right. I never should have taken the money.]
[They never even tried to meet my family. Do you know what the lawyer said to them on the phone? Thank goodness they’re poor. He said it was lucky I didn’t have any money.]
[They could have just met us, held our hands, and apologized in tears. That would’ve… that would’ve been enough.]
Hae-jun was always smiling.
Even when group assignments went awry, or when someone slandered him behind his back.
For Hae-jun, to reveal his true feelings to Yoon-seong for the first time, his expression had to be a mix of despair and gloom that everyone could feel.
In Kim Hye-mi’s script, the atmosphere was described for the final line:
‘A single tear runs down his cheek.’
[Yoon-seong, I’m okay.]
Cha Hae-jun smiled as brightly as ever, but a single tear rolled down from his eye.
And as she watched, tears welled up in Kim Hye-mi’s eyes as well.
When she first wrote the script, she couldn’t picture Cha Hae-jun’s face in her mind.
Normally, she’d be able to imagine what kind of actor would be right, who would suit the role best, but this time nothing came to mind.
It was as if, without her knowing, someone had already decided who would play Cha Hae-jun.
Kim Hye-mi, lost in thought for a moment, met Jeon Yeo-hu’s gaze.
Then came Cha Hae-jun’s last words.
[I’m okay.]
And then, for the first time, the emptiness in Cha Hae-jun’s face was filled—like a black hole gaining substance.
‘Cha Hae-jun… is…’
Jeon Yeo-hu’s acting had made it so.
‘It’s him.’
From the very beginning, it was him—he was Cha Hae-jun.