Chapter 87: The Special Judge

Dding!

A text alert sounded.

[You should judge the audition too.]

Sender: Min Doyoon.

“What?”

I stared at the phone screen, repeating the words to myself.

Just three characters. Audition judge? Me?

Seeing this, my first emotion was disbelief.

“This is ridiculous. I really can’t figure out what goes on in this guy’s head.”

I read Min Doyoon’s message over and over. It was always like this. He never asks for anything in an official manner. He always does things his own way, following wherever his heart leads.

As if that’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Hah, seriously.”

I stared at the message for a while, muttering to myself.

It was so absurd that all sorts of words spilled out.

“Sigh, well, I guess this’ll be an experience for me too.”

A parachute appointment, or something like that.

It wasn’t something I couldn’t do, so I decided to accept it positively and move on. There’s a reason for all the experience I’ve built up so far. If Min Doyoon pointed me out, there must be a reason, and rather than questioning that reason, I felt it would be better just to try.

[Yes.]

I let out a long sigh, then sent a short reply.

Just one character. Saying more would only let him nitpick at my words.

After sending the text, I tilted my head back and looked at the ceiling.

Min Doyoon, that man. I have no idea what he’s thinking as he goes about his life.

To others, he may seem playful, but if you look deeper, his moves are often calculated.

Especially when it matters.

That means, this audition must be another one of his plans.

“The problem is, I have no idea what it is.”

I tossed my phone onto the bed and stood up.

I’d never judged anything like this in all my previous lives, but the role I had to play would be somewhat set. Watching actors perform, making decisions, choosing the right person.

It might be more fun than I think.

The very position of an audition judge is heavy, but at the same time, it’s a window to see people anew. For someone who has only evaluated people through writing, seeing and judging with my own eyes could be a refreshing stimulus.

Besides, who knows what kind of connections might come from this.

“Well, I guess things will work out somehow.”

I opened my wardrobe and picked out some clothes.

It looked like today would be busier than I expected.

A positive mindset is more useful than you think.

It’s one of the things life has taught me so far.

No matter what happens, there is always meaning in it.

Even if that meaning is unclear now, with time, I’ll surely understand.

“Man, how can a guy like me be so positive?”

It’s always been that way, and it probably always will be.

No, I intend for it to be.

Good things are good, and thanks to that, a new door might open.

With that in mind, I got ready for the day.

---

The morning sunlight stretched long through the window. After finishing my workout and taking a shower, time had already flown by.

Wake up at 5am, breakfast at 5:30, spending time with Min Doyoon’s family until 6:30, then exercising—before I know it, it’s 7:30.

The clock now points to eight.

“I didn’t even do much, but three hours have already passed. Seriously, time really flies.”

When studying, time seems to crawl, but when working, it passes faster than an arrow. It’s strange.

It still doesn’t feel real that today is the day of the audition. Judging an audition. It’s still an unfamiliar term, but one that’s also exciting.

I stood in front of the mirror, wondering what to wear today.

“Should I try to look as inconspicuous and dark as possible?”

I put on a black T-shirt, layered it with a shirt, and covered my face with a cap and mask. With dark sunglasses as the final touch, no one would recognize me.

“With my youthful appearance, people might underestimate me. I’d rather not be looked down on because of my age. Someone might recognize me too.”

Not that it was likely, but just in case someone from the acting world pestered me to cast their agency’s actor, I decided to hide my identity a bit.

“You’ve arrived.”

When I got to the building’s parking lot, a car was waiting. In front of it stood my exclusive driver.

“By any chance, have you received any list of participants?”

Strangely, I’d been told to judge the audition, but hadn’t been given a single profile of the contestants.

I wondered if the driver had received it, so I asked carefully.

“They said you’d get the list at the audition site.”

“Ah, I see. Yes......”

Agh, Min Doyoon!!

He’s really just playing with me.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I got into the car.

‘Well, it’s something, at least.’

Director and production crew, list of judges, scene summaries for the actors to perform.

That would have to be enough.

The audition venue was a studio not far from Hannam-dong.

“I’ll show you in this way.”

After entering through the designated entrance, a staff member carefully approached and greeted me.

“Yes, please.”

I nodded slightly and followed silently. My name must have been on the access list, as there were no extra checks before I was guided inside.

The building was bustling, but the judging area was very quiet.

My seat was a little apart from the other judges. Instead of a name tag, a small panel on the desk read ‘Special Judge’.

“All the materials you need are here.”

A thick file of copied actor profiles was finally placed in front of me.

Now I could see who would be auditioning today.

“This feels strange.”

At first, I felt absurd and burdened.

But once I saw the list, my mood wasn’t so bad.

Director, writer, PD, and agency heads chatted together as they looked over the list.

“Writer Yoo, your concept is unique today. What’s with your outfit?”

A director I’d become friendly with after a few encounters leaned over and asked about my getup.

“So I won’t be underestimated.”

“Underestimated? Who would underestimate Writer Yoo?”

“Haha, some of the contestants are my age. If they see me at the judging table, they might not take it well, so I tried to cover my face.”

“Haha, you never know. Most people get cocky in this position, you know?”

“Haha, I’m not really the cocky type.”

“Honestly, I’m odd too, but you’re even odder.”

The director shook his head and focused on the front.

Up ahead, the time for the audition to begin was announced.

“Let’s do our best.”

“Yes.”

Listening to the director’s whisper, I looked at the audition list and waited for things to begin.

After a while, the first round started. The auditions for the role of Yeji’s older brother were divided by age group.

I decided to start by checking the brother roles.

The first actor came on stage, and the lights turned on.

[Kim Dojin / 22 years old / Unaffiliated / Auditioning for Yeji’s Older Brother]

An unaffiliated amateur was the first to step up.

“Hello. I’m Kim Dojin. I was deeply moved by ‘You Are My Star Within’, so I really wanted to participate in this project, and that’s why I’m here.”

The man, entering carefully, bowed politely and introduced himself.

“So you’re reading for the adult brother role. Let’s get started.”

The director, not particularly curious, instructed him to begin acting right away.

The mood in the room changed.

Any lively sounds faded, and everyone focused their attention on the man who introduced himself as Dojin.

“Yeji! Yeji!”

A familiar line rang out. It was just a line with a name, but it wasn’t easy.

On the man’s face, I could sense his effort to bring up emotion.

‘That emotion shouldn’t come out before he hugs Yeji.’

I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

His emotions were over the top. He acted as if he couldn’t contain his feelings and exploded.

Raising his eyebrows, eyes wide as he shouted—it all made the emotions seem exaggerated.

Instead, it looked like he was expressing anger at Yeji.

Silently observing, I scribbled a brief note on the profile copy with my pencil.

[Overdone emotions, excessive gestures.]

Everything was just too much.

The second and third actors went on stage. They were generally better than the first, but none of them made me think, ‘This is the one!’

Their emotional subtleties were lacking, or their gaze, or the tone of their voice was unnatural.

‘There needs to be a balance between affection, relief, and resolve.’

I kept taking notes. The actor on stage was crying, but it wasn’t the kind of tears that moved the audience. I wanted to feel real emotions beyond the performance.

‘The brother role will take some time.’

It seemed others felt the same; nobody looked fully satisfied.

People really do think alike.

“Hmm, next is...... Wait. This person!!”

The moment I saw the profile, my mouth fell open.

[Cha Bin / 25 years old / Blue Entertainment / Auditioning for Yeji’s Older Brother / Height 178cm / Weight 66kg / Education: D Arts University, Theater and Film / Numerous short and independent films.]

“...... He’s auditioning here?”

For a moment, my heart dropped with a thud.

I looked up to see him coming in.

Neatly styled hair, casual shirt and jeans.

【One step left.】

The man who’d delivered that famous line was standing right in front of me.

“Hello. I’m actor Cha Bin. I wanted to try expressing the feeling of wanting to protect my family, so I applied.”

Even his voice was different. He wasn’t forcing anything, but it was clear and resonant.

‘Introductions done. Let’s begin.’ Again, the director’s cold voice set the tone.

I swallowed nervously and fixed my gaze ahead.

“Yeji!”

Just one word. But with that single word, the temperature of the room changed.

He fixed his gaze somewhere on the floor and slowly crouched down.

Just from his trembling eyes and hands, you could read his feelings.

In his appearance, I saw myself.

“It’s okay. Oppa’s here. You were scared, weren’t you?”

This wasn’t acting.

It really felt like, somewhere in an alley, a little sister was sitting and crying.

I drew a breath. My eyes naturally followed his.

The tension in his fingertips, his shaking shoulders, the desperation that came through.

Without any props, just facial expressions and movements, the scene was complete.

‘This one really is different.’

My hand picked up the pencil again.

[Incredible immersion. Clear emotional lines. The flow from anxiety—relief—resolve is seamless.]

I wrote down my feelings in that moment.

Anyone would say it was a perfect performance.

“Cha Bin......”

I repeated that name to myself, slowly getting lost in his acting.

And I spent that moment accepting that there was no one else to replace ‘me’ in this role.

But, even then, I didn’t know yet.

That something truly astonishing was waiting for me.