Working on the movie scenario felt like a battle with the unknown.
And what was that unknown? It was the presence of an old man next to me who endlessly spouted knowledge I had no clue about.
“This scene would look better if we used sunlight as the key light. Can’t we change the background to an outdoor setting?”
“Ah, you see, that’s…”
By this point, everything So Tae-woong said sounded to me like,
I was a complete outsider when it came to movies, whereas So Tae-woong was practically a walking embodiment of cinema. Our collaboration wasn’t exactly smooth.
Film speed, emulsion sensitivity, curvature, rotoscoping, loose framing, ripple dissolve, variable focal transitions, angle of view, screen persistence, and so on…
As the exceptional time traveler that I am, I dodged yet another dangerous situation today, narrowly escaping a dreadful fate.
But sometimes, dreadful fate came seeking me out directly.
Like today, as I was watching Gu Yu-na cause yet another bloodbath during art class, a text message arrived.
-Author Moon, do you have a moment?
There is a saying that life is the ‘C’ between ‘B’ and ‘D’.
It means that between Birth and Death, there exists a ‘C’, and the widely accepted academic theory is that this ‘C’ stands for Chicken.
However, some argue that the ‘C’ actually stands for Choice.
So much is already decided the moment you are born.
Humans don’t have the right to choose anything.
This is my gloomy personal theory.
But this time, I had no choice but to rethink the importance of choice.
Life is a series of choices, and if you make the wrong one, you can end up in a pretty miserable situation.
And accepting So Tae-woong’s proposal was the beginning of that.
“A casting audition judge? Me?!”
So Tae-woong nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
But it didn’t feel natural to me at all.
I didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, and I knew even less about the film industry. How could I possibly evaluate actors?
Yet So Tae-woong was adamant that I had to be on the judging panel.
“If the screenwriter doesn’t look at the actors, who else has the right to?”
“But I’m still young…”
So Tae-woong responded with his eyes instead of words.
“Young? You? Don’t make me laugh.”
Apparently, the age excuse didn’t work on So Tae-woong.
The unbeatable shield I used to flip-flop between being a child and an adult, depending on what was convenient, failed me this time.
Even Lim Yang-wook, who was standing beside us, took So Tae-woong’s side instead of mine. Truly, as expected of a ‘honorary Japanese’ who sold out his country and people for money.
“Don’t be so scared. Just give it a try. Wasn’t working on the script also a kind of challenge for you?”
“Why are you siding with the director and not with me? Aren’t you my manager?”
“Well, why did you sign a direct contract for the movie project with Director So, without your manager?”
“Let’s move on to the next topic.”
“I swear, I can’t take this…”
Lim Yang-wook shook his head and then tried to persuade me with a more practical argument.
“Honestly, your expertise doesn’t really matter. Just having you sit there will be helpful, right? Isn’t that right, Director?”
That was enough for me to grasp the situation.
“So, it’s for my name value?”
“Exactly. Name value. The shocking news of ‘a screenplay co-written by So Tae-woong and Moon In’ making its way into the media. The impact would be no joke.”
“Why are you mixing in English instead of speaking Korean?”
“Because I’m working overtime to send your novel to the U.S., while also helping with the film adaptation, and I’m so sleep-deprived I’m losing my mind. Why?”
“Let’s move on to the next topic.”
As Lim Yang-wook and I had our usual back-and-forth, Director So Tae-woong chuckled.
With a smile still on his face, he chimed in to Visit NovelHub for more amazing novels and chapters.
“Well, beyond the business reasons, you’re more than qualified. There are things only someone who knows the story inside out can see. We need multiple perspectives, which is why there are multiple judges. The screenwriter’s role is essential in that sense.”
“If you say so, Director…”
As I’ve reflected many times before.
I shouldn’t have said ‘yes’ back then…
A high school freshman is in a bit of an awkward position to be called a child actor. It’s an age where you need more than just crying on cue.
At this point, more skills are required.
This is the stage where acting ability starts to matter more than the actor’s actual age.
Especially in the entertainment world, filled with young, pretty, and even younger-looking people. High school roles are something anyone with the guts to wear a school uniform would take a shot at.
And when too many people apply for a job, it becomes a problem for industry professionals.
Kim Byul was feeling the same emotions that radical Americans wearing MAGA hats experience after seeing their jobs taken by immigrants.
‘Law…! We need a law to protect our jobs…!’
If a law like were to pass, Kim Byul would happily cast her vote in favor.
But there was no such law, and Kim Byul had to endure the harsh winds of this cruel world.
As she looked at the women in their 20s and 30s waiting in the audition room, Kim Byul couldn’t help but think.
“Oh my, Byul! Long time no see!”
She stretched out her words and added a nasal tone, feigning excitement, but inside, Kim Byul was filled with hatred for these ‘job thieves’.
If Baekhak Entertainment found out, they might cover it up with something like, . But Kim Byul was desperate.
It wasn’t the first time older women had stolen high school roles from her.
What irritated her the most was how these women pretended to be embarrassed about playing high school students, yet secretly took pride in saying things like, ‘Can I still pull off wearing a school uniform?’
‘When on earth are these people going to age!’
‘Why do they still look like high school students!’
What fueled Kim Byul’s anger even more were the employees at Baekhak Entertainment who made a big fuss, saying,
Wasn’t this supposed to be a child actor audition?
Why were these women, old enough to have ID cards, here?
Of course, Kim Byul knew full well that the reason was their fierce ambition to attach their names to Director So Tae-woong’s film.
And Kim Byul also had that same ambition burning inside her. She waited for her turn more eagerly than ever.
Ten years of struggle.
Step by step, she had climbed her way up.
If she could land a lead role in Director So Tae-woong’s movie…
Could she finally be rewarded for the past ten years?
The script in Kim Byul’s clenched hand crumpled, and soon, her turn arrived.
“Kim Byul, it’s your turn. Please come in now.”
With a determined heart, Kim Byul took one step after another.
She stepped into the most nerve-wracking audition room she had ever faced.
And what she saw there was…