NOVEL WEB Chapter 16
I’m completely stunned.
What is this? What was that?
For a moment, it felt like I had lived an entirely different life.
My mind couldn’t wrap around it, but my body absorbed that experience completely.
‘Did I just momentarily become Lee Jae-yi?’
A boy obsessed with talent more than anyone else, Lee Jae-yi.
To get completely immersed in his life and then come back out?
‘What the heck is this.’
The strange thing is, even after that experience, there were no aftereffects.
Usually, when someone does method acting, they say the emotions linger and it’s tough.
But I had none of that; I just sucked out the essence.
Flappity flappity.
How far did I immerse myself?
As a result of checking, it was a part divided by clips.
About the length of one episode.
‘The script goes up to episode five.’
Then there was only one thing left to do.
“Immerse.”
+++++
On the day of the script reading.
A single M-shaped table was bustling with activity.
“Move faster! How can it be so sluggish with this many people?!”
“Yes!”
Since it was agreed that there wouldn’t be any making film for the first script reading.
The atmosphere on set was even more tense.
A set that isn’t exposed to the outside world is fiercer and more brutal.
You could say it becomes more extreme since there’s no need for pretense.
Thanks to that, the lower staff were having a hell of a time.
Coming in from dawn, unable to eat, it was inevitable.
But on the flip side, I could somewhat understand this.
Since it was the first script reading, the cutthroat tension between the cast was guaranteed.
Thorough preparation outside of the work was a given in a way.
Especially in the case of Hydream, this tension was bound to be more intense.
The reason was, of course, due to the participation of various agencies.
If it was just a simple gathering of actors, it would be a battle of acting skills.
But with KBC, ST Entertainment, and Full Redy combined in the reading, there was a strange competitive structure.
Who would do the best?
However, there was one group that wasn’t getting much attention in this competitive structure.
That group was KBC.
Even though the script reading was happening at KBC,
no one thought KBC would win in that setup.
And it made sense because there was only one actor from KBC,
and it turned out he wasn’t even a seasoned actor.
“But did you really pick just one out of three thousand?”
“Three thousand is just a number; it was tens of thousands on paper.”
“Picking a fourteen-year-old out of tens of thousands… That’s incredible.”
“Right? I really don’t get what the higher-ups are thinking.”
In a situation where they could use experienced actors,
they unexpectedly picked a fourteen-year-old they saw for the first time.
There were rumors about him being something special, but everyone was like, “Hmm, okay.”
You don’t have to see to know some things.
The staff chatted casually, keeping their conversations discreet while checking the time.
I checked it.
There are about two hours left until the script reading.
If I prepare diligently, I could hit it right on time.
Grrr…
But I’m so hungry.
If only I had some kimbap to chew on while I work.
Just as that thought crossed my mind…
“Huh?”
I caught a whiff of sesame oil from afar.
My extremely hungry stomach located the source of food.
‘It’s getting closer.’
But who’s coming?
As far as I remember, no one was supposed to come.
The moment I saw the slowly approaching kimbap or rather, the unfamiliar person’s face…
“Wow… what the hell?”
I couldn’t help but marvel.
He wasn’t that tall.
At most, he was around 174 cm.
But the proportions and the face holding them were absurd.
Like a diamond star on a beautifully made Christmas tree?
The appearance that seemed like it dropped from the hands of a hardworking god was approaching.
Having seen countless faces while working at the broadcasting station, I can say without a doubt, he’s number one.
He looked like a freshly entered high school student, but his potential was no joke.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel incredulous.
How could such a handsome kid be just delivering kimbap?
‘No, shouldn’t they have cast him instead of that fourteen-year-old?’
Just as the staff preparing for the script reading were all having that thought…
The kimbap delivery guy bowed and greeted us.
“Hello! I’m Kim Donghu, playing the role of Lee Jae-yi in this script reading. Nice to meet you!”
Hearing that he’s been working hard since early in the morning, he added that he brought kimbap and coffee.
As soon as Kim Donghu finished speaking, everyone’s eyes widened.
And simultaneously, they thought.
“Wow, the higher-ups really know how to pick them.”
“Whoa, this is tuna kimbap!”
Someone’s exclamation shocked everyone.
Not only was it surprising that he brought kimbap, but it was tuna kimbap?
Right after hearing that, Donghu continued.
“Oh, by the way, I also got the ones without cucumbers.”
+++++
My dad, Kim Jeong-ryeol, always said.
“The younger you are, the better it is to arrive early, so there’s nothing bad about it.”
“Son, listen well. You’re here thanks to the people on the field, so you must show them respect.”
It wasn’t too complicated to show respect; just greet them and say thank you.
“If you have a chance, it’d be nice to bring them something to snack on, right? Like coffee and kimbap.”
By doing that, you’ll make a good first impression, and no matter what you do, you won’t end up being disliked.
As his son, I, Kim Donghu, followed this advice.
“Donghu! Kim Donghu! Oh my! My baby! You’re just picking the prettiest things to do!”
PD Kim Youngmo’s mouth was stretching to his ears with a big grin.
As soon as he heard I was here, he rushed over and hugged me tightly.
“I won’t let you go again! Donghu! Let’s be together for life!”
The effect was better than expected, right?
Honestly, I didn’t foresee such a good reaction.
I honestly didn’t expect such a positive reaction.
“Hey, we haven’t even done anything yet, and if you keep this up, I’ll be so stressed I’ll die.”
“What do you mean? You did something so commendable!”
At Kim Youngmo PD’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.
‘This wasn’t how I intended to draw attention.’
Sure, I wanted to score points, but I never dreamed I’d be so highly evaluated.
Perhaps because of that, I was able to spend the next two hours really comfortably.
‘By the way, it’s been a while since I last saw her.’
I kept glancing at the entrance as I waited for the script reading.
Today was the day I’d meet Kim Sujin after a long time.
‘But she’s fourteen now. How did she manage to get into HydraDream?’
Just then, a text arrived.
> Really? That’s great! I didn’t make it.
> Are you kidding? I heard she got in, but then she got flipped upside down at the last minute. By a senior…
> I’m so upset.
What? So it wasn’t Kim Sujin?
‘Oh, right.’
That’s when I remembered the actress from my previous life, who was also named HydraDream.
She definitely wasn’t there.
‘Who was it at ST Entertainment?’
Oh.
But one name came to mind.
“Dong-ho, long time no see.”
Kim Yu-ryun, Kim Sujin’s mother and once the queen of the small screen.
She was smiling brightly at me.
+++++
About thirty minutes before the script reading began, the main cast slowly gathered.
Actors, directors, producers, and writers.
As everyone came together, they greeted each other warmly to relieve the tension of the script reading.
Well, they should’ve relieved it.
“I think Dong-ho is just a bit too handsome, really.”
“Oh, no! It’s just that you see me that way.”
“How humble! I can’t tell you how great it is to meet like this.”
The star actress, Kim Yu-ryun.
The industry’s senior openly chatting with an unknown rookie made everyone’s attention naturally shift that way.
‘Who is he?’
‘Oh, he’s the one who got through the KBC audition. He’s super good-looking.’
‘Was he friends with Kim Yu-ryun? So, he’s not a complete rookie?’
Everyone was curious, but no one provided answers to their wonder.
“Then let’s start the script reading now. I’ll do the narration, and we’ll go through the total of three episodes, including parts with all characters.”
Because something bigger than curiosity lay ahead.
Everyone nodded at Kim Youngmo PD’s words.
Everyone sat in their designated spots.
They began to recite their lines, and that’s when the skill gaps became strikingly apparent.
The leads of HydraDream;
the actors playing students were relatively rookies, so the reading felt awkward.
It was as if they were simply spitting out lines, not acting through the script.
And it was the seniors’ job to package that awkwardness and guide them.
Starting from roles like the chairman, principal, vice principal, and homeroom teacher.
Actors who were life seniors both inside and outside the drama perfectly covered the rookies’ inexperience.
The senior actors perfectly covered for the incompetence.
And there was someone who found the situation very unsatisfactory.
“What’s with these kids lately? Can’t they even be prepared?”
Especially Jang Geonho, who took on the role of the principal Hidrim.
Having started acting since his theater days, he held pride in his craft.
Despite it being the first script reading, he was dissatisfied with the unprepared rookies.
“We’re reading with ST Entertainment, and if the actors can’t keep up, what’s going to happen?”
It was a mess when he should be setting an example.
Jang Geonho frowned as he glanced down at the script.
It was almost his turn.
The script was filled with traces of countless hours of research.
In comparison, what about the rookie’s script he was about to receive?
A quick peek.
“Too clean.”
Looking at the spotless script showed only zero notes, making Jang Geonho’s expression twist even more.
“Was it Kim Donghu?”
He didn’t know how he got through the audition, but wanted to show just how much effort it took to be here.
It seemed his face was all it took for him to be chosen.
“An actor isn’t completed that way.”
Jang Geonho wanted to wake up the rookie who had just started his path.
“Scene 55, Principal Wang Ho, calling for the peculiar student Lee Jae-yi.”
Let me show you what kind of path you need to walk from now on.
“Lee Jae-yi, do you know why I called you?”
He didn’t look at the script.
His gaze was fixed on the other, silently demanding them to meet his gaze.
It was an act born from having perfectly memorized the script.
It was a silent pressure to perform rather than just read.
Usually, newcomers would shrink back here and lose the flow.
Jang Geonho expected the same from this kid.
But.
“I know. You called me to clear out the trash at the bottom, right?”
The rookie responded to Jang Geonho’s words.
And in that moment, the air shifted.
What started lightly,
the space for syncing up no longer existed.
The boy called Kim Donghu was erased.
What remained was the talent that blossomed from hatred, Lee Jae-yi.
The disdain for the inferior students.
The lips, intermittently chewing, became a device to reveal his displeasure.
“I honestly didn’t like the idea of gathering useless things to do anything.”
Lee Jae-yi spoke.
He stated that the inferior must disappear.
That line sounded different in the ears of the actors present at the script reading.
If you prepared half-heartedly, get out.
If you’re at this level, bow your head.
In the overwhelming atmosphere, Jang Geonho’s eyes widened.
“This punk.”
A monster.