The very next day, a script came flying in via express mail.
<Prodigy Copywriter, Yoon Seo-eun, Episode 1>
And a business card.
[SBC Drama Division PD Yoo Myung-woo]
There was also a message from Uncle Chan-soo, telling me to meet PD Yoo Myung-woo at the broadcasting station by 1 PM on Friday of this week.
“Sure enough, people in this industry work fast.”
My father’s friend, Uncle Chan-soo, works at the drama production company ‘Phoenix.’
And he and PD Yoo Myung-woo were college classmates, very close friends.
So, my father believed that contacting Uncle Chan-soo would naturally lead things to work out that way.
Why? Because we’d already gone through a similar route once before.
So, it was about three years after I started acting, right?
I hadn’t wanted to disclose my involvement in acting until I succeeded. I was going back and forth doing minor roles and extras, but I eventually got caught.
My hope of revealing my career only after securing a supporting role in a reputable drama fell apart.
When my “triumphant return” plan failed miserably and I was left disheartened, my father introduced me to Uncle Chan-soo.
Uncle Chan-soo gave me PD Yoo Myung-woo’s business card just like this time.
To cut a long story short, I didn’t manage to get a positive response.
Because PD Yoo Myung-woo’s “interview” wasn’t some easy meeting where they’d automatically give me a role.
Among the directors who are reluctant to take requests for roles, PD Yoo Myung-woo was known for being very free-spirited about it.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say he enjoys it?
The fact that he gathers all those asking to see their acting and holds a private audition makes “enjoys” the more fitting word.
Most likely, on the day he told me to come, there would be countless other aspiring actors gathered for a private audition with PD Yoo Myung-woo.
He is famous for being precise in his decisions; if he sees potential, he’ll give a fitting role, but if not, he won’t hesitate to cut people.
PD Yoo Myung-woo sees auditions as a way to find hidden gems, not as a means to gain from unsuitable requests.
So, thinking about it, just consider that PD Yoo Myung-woo gives roles only to the aspiring actors he believes in.
“Initially, I resented it, but it wasn’t really justified. Sure, I realized this later.”
If you ask me why it’s such a big deal that he gives roles to actors with talent, I’d say it’s more significant than you think.
In this industry, getting a proper opportunity isn’t easy.
The networking in this field is beyond imagination.
Auditions themselves are almost private, so unless you’re connected through things like art high school, university, an agency, or a prestigious acting academy, you likely won’t even get a chance.
Getting an audition opportunity isn’t simple either.
There are public auditions, but in today’s world, even those aren’t very pure.
Most of the good roles already have predetermined candidates, and if not, it’s usually a doomed project.
So, actors like me, who have nothing, start at a huge disadvantage.
Of course, it makes sense to some extent.
People who have gone through proper channels from art high schools, universities, or reputable acting schools and theater groups are relatively better prospects.
And most decent talents are already signed to companies.
So, it’s not a waste of time for them to choose roles from talents that are already well-grounded.
If I had any sense of unfairness, I should’ve majored in acting, or somehow made it into a good agency.
If not, I should’ve paid a lot of money and become the star student at a prestigious acting school.
“That time ended in failure. I didn’t come away empty-handed, but the role escaped me.”
Anyway, after my private audition with PD Yoo Myung-woo, I didn’t secure the role.
The only takeaway was an objective feedback on my acting, which is rare in auditions.
Had I not been introduced to PD Yoo Myung-woo through Uncle Chan-soo, he wouldn’t have given me that feedback either.
But things are naturally different now compared to back then.
The person I am today is on an entirely different level.
Moreover, this is the only connection I have, and it’s probably the fastest way for me to debut.
In the current situation, the best course of action is to latch on somehow and debut.
“The timing is pretty good…”
It’s just around the time when the production has been confirmed and they are casting actors.
So, if we play our cards right, it’s normal to expect grabbing a pretty good role.
But the problem is that this drama looks like it’s going to be quite the hit.
PD Yoo Myung-woo and Min Woo-hee have hit it big twice already, so many decisions must have been made before the production was even confirmed.
People in this industry somehow know what makes money.
Of course, the major agencies must have already come in with the production budget and pushed their actors.
“It’s a stretch to aim for the lead or important supporting roles realistically.”
The investors are the main issue.
Regardless of where the investment came from, it’s unlikely they’d welcome unknowns as leads in such a big-budget drama.
Whether the investors brought in specific actors or just the funds, pushing an unknown actor as the lead or a key supporting role in a blockbuster project is akin to declaring war.
The lineup of qualified actors ready for the role will likely be long, so there’s no need to hunt for new talents.
Even if PD Yoo Myung-woo is SBC’s top director, unless it’s an SBC standalone production, he can’t ignore the investors.
Even if PD Yoo Myung-woo throws a tantrum over an actor he likes, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the investors.
Certainly, since this drama looks like it’ll be a hit, changing the investors is possible, but there’s no reason to take such a risky move.
Unbeknownst to some, reputation matters a lot in the entertainment industry, and behaving like a tyrant, no matter how talented the director, will inevitably cause problems.
For that reason, I firmly believe that convincing the director and the writer with just acting skills, and using that to shake up the production and the investors, is something only found in novels.
“If the lead male and two supporting male roles are filled, there aren’t many impressive roles left. Is this one… good enough?”
When I crossed off the key roles that already had their owners, one role caught my eye.
It’s a role that had been struggling to find the right actor for a long time.
There were even rumors that the director had his eyes on a particular actor, but that actor declined multiple times.
With this role, the director can comfortably choose me.
“Plus, I’m actually confident in this role, so it’s perfect.”
Depending on how I handle it, it’s a role that could have more impact than most supporting roles. With proper preparation, I can make sure those within the industry remember my name.
*
While analyzing the script, the dimwit from the next room intruded into mine without warning.
Declaring war with such audacity, no less.
It was as if they saw me analyzing the script and immediately assumed I’d lost my mind.
“What, are you really doing this?”
“Or should I do it fake?”
“Hey, snap out of it. You’re only relying on your looks, but this industry is filled with people like you.”
“Whatever.”
“I’m… different. I have talent, you know.”
“Yeah, sure. Failed next debut round.”
“Ugh. Seriously, why do you keep saying ‘failed next debut round!'”
Hearing another one of Mom’s empty words with no impact makes it obvious there’s no reason to keep listening.
I urged her to state the purpose quickly since we’re not the kind of close friends who exchange sweet talks politely.
“Cut to the chase.”
“Ah, the point. So…”
“So?”
“Just letting you know you shouldn’t cry if you fail the audition.”
“Oh, you came to talk about that?”
Despite her casual tone, her eyes showed genuine concern for me.
Come to think of it, it’s not normal for her to visit my room, so should I take this moment to offer some serious advice?
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Do you work a part-time job?”
“…Part-time? Ah…No?”
“Nope. Keep that up, and you’re really going to fail the debut round. Snap out of it.”
“Ugh, how do you even know about the part-time?”
How did I know? I figured it out through the time-loop.
As I mentioned earlier, this dimwit fails to qualify during the debut round.
Instead of accepting it, she spends another two years as a trainee at another company, wasting her time.
The reason she couldn’t let go after the failure was her excuse of not being able to focus solely on training — she was secretly doing part-time jobs.
She’s from an ordinary high school, so her training hours were already limited, yet she divided her time even further to work part-time. I can somewhat understand why she couldn’t let go.
Still, doing part-time work even after starting as a trainee again is incomprehensible.
“Focus on practice now and don’t regret it later. I’ll earn the money. Has anyone pressured you to earn money?”
“…What did you say?”
From what I can see, she’s not cut out for being an idol.
The best course of action would be for her to quit quickly.
She won’t listen if I tell her to quit outright, so my plan is to remove her excuses and advise her to quit after failing the debut round.
According to my memory, she has good hand skills and a sense of fashion, so she was pretty good in the beauty industry.
She was the ace at the academy, and about two years after officially studying, she was hired as a probationer but already working at a well-known hairstyling shop in Cheongdam-dong.
I couldn’t check what happened afterward because I got dragged into Martial Forest, but I remember the shop owner’s review being quite good.
With these abilities, she should be more than capable of earning her keep if she gave up and pursued a career in beauty.
“Hmm… I’ll handle it myself.”
“Handle it however, but if I catch you doing part-time again, I’m telling your dad.”
“…Why would you tell dad?”
“Well, if I told your mom, it’d result in her slapping you, but dad would just cry over how unworthy you are. Would you like that?”
“.,. No way.”
“If you know that, stop the part-time job right away and focus on practice.”
“Ugh…”
Even a sensitive person like your dad crying is something no one wants to deal with.
No matter how stubborn this girl is, she’d avoid that situation.
The retreating steps of the dimwit who came giving advice but got slapped with facts felt unusually heavy.
I, too, feel the burden.
In the past, when this girl was earning money through part-time jobs, she was using it to pay for beauty school, but now that’s gone, so it’s my responsibility to cover her tuition.
Even so, what can I do? She’s still my mom’s daughter and a blood relative.
For some reason, I now have another reason to make my debut and earn money quickly.
The dimwit’s heavy footsteps fading away made me realize I had an extra weight on my shoulders now too.
