Chapter 6

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on April 7, 2025

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The next day.

Sua woke up early. It was along with a message from PD Son Ji-woong.

[Sender: PD Son Ji-woong]

[Due to the huge size, it’s taking longer to upload to the cloud server. We appreciate your understanding.]

Upon checking the arrival time of the message, it was 5 a.m., just before sunrise. Could he have been working overnight?

[Take your time.]

An anxious message was sent, and a reply swiftly came back.

[Sorry. I’ll send it as soon as possible.]

Sua slightly tilted her head.

“Never thought he’d be so considerate.”

Muttering that, Sua put her phone down.

How was her acting?

Though she was definitely curious, it wasn’t urgent enough to check right away. There was a more interesting third special feature given to the current Sua. The world’s most entertaining toy.

And there was the notice of approval to join the script-sharing cafe.

[Congratulations!]

[You are now a regular member.]

[You can access all the materials.]

[Our cafe does not handle illegal scripts.]

This was good news for Sua.

The ability to access additional scripts meant that she could delve deeper into the special features than before.

“That’s good.”

Sua quickly downloaded a few scripts. It took only a moment to print them all out and arrange them into a binder.

As soon as she placed her hand on the neatly stacked piles of scripts…

Shuuuuu—

A now familiar thrill. A sense of dizziness.

[‘Acting Time’ welcomes you.]

[This space is configured to your preferences.]

[Currently ‘Acting Time’ is inactive.]

[Free script experience is permitted.]

Sua passed by the now familiar notification windows casually. What had changed from before was key.

The doors now had long nameplates.

[Audition Script]

▲ Not categorized

▲ Lacks fundamental elements

[TV Series ‘Catch if You Can’]

▲ Sufficient realization elements

[TV Series ‘Speed Over’]

▲ Sufficient realization elements

The two dramas received from the cafe. Both were works that Sua quite liked. While working, she used to set her phone to play them in a corner.

‘Catch if You Can’ was a crime thriller. ‘Speed Over’ was the story of a racer’s victory.

Sua blinked marveling at it all.

“So, from now on, I can freely experience this?”

With the audition scripts, she went in with no knowledge, but now, things were quite different. Sua knew how the storylines of these two works flowed.

“…”

After swallowing hard,

“Can I stand this? Can’t!”

She flung open the door with all her might and dashed inside. The first script she turned the handle on was ‘Speed Over’.

Bang!

“Guuuuk!”

Right after entering, she had to endure a major collision. First came the confusion, then the pain as if her forehead would crack.

“Aaauuuu…”

Sua rubbed her forehead and looked inside the door.

She had expected to immediately dive into the script’s world, but it wasn’t so. It was more like a little booth, similar to a phone booth.

“So, suddenly a phone booth? Was I tricked?”

However, she understood after seeing the adjacent phonebook.

[Kim Hyun-cheol] 001

[Bak Mi-sook] 002

[Bak Dong-ha] 003

“Ah, that’s right. I need to set the character.”

Call the desired number, and it’s done, right? But wait, the gender of the protagonist Kim Hyun-cheol is male, isn’t it? Sua moved her fingers while mulling over various considerations.

Picking up the receiver, she dialed three numbers. 001.

Chchchchch—!

As soon as the dial tone played, she started feeling dizzy.

…

“Wow…”

After a while, Sua appeared down the corridor with an incredible look on her face.

“Wow… Wow…”

She quietly stared at her hands.

“My, my hand… won the race…!”

Subsequently, Sua instinctively folded her arms. It was to suppress the exhilarating sensation surging from her toes to her head, along with the goosebumps still covering her entire body.

“Aaauuuu…”

Sua trembled with pleasure.

The sensation of gripping the steering wheel was still vivid, and her right leg was still tingling from pressing the accelerator with all her might. How about that drift that turned a near-loss into victory?

‘Speed Over’ was the same. It was extremely enjoyable to mock the investigative agencies while stealing masterpieces.

“Thrills, fun, could I live here forever?”

The audition scripts had been awful, but the entertaining ones felt close to pleasant dreams. With much less fatigue.

It was then.

“Eh?”

Amidst her joy, Sua noticed something.

[TV Series ‘Try to Catch Me’]

▶ Sufficient realization elements

▶ Completed Experience / Grade 3

[TV Series ‘Speed’]

▶ Sufficient realization elements

▶ Completed Experience / Grade 5

Both works had an additional line.

“Understood about ‘completed experience,’ but what’s the ‘grade’?”

Some immediate assumptions did come to mind. Could it mean Sua had failed to properly assimilate into the character?

“That’s not it, though.”

Slowly shaking her head,

The moment Sua entered the experience world, she immediately thought and acted like the character. It wasn’t just being thrown into that world but becoming the character altogether.

What else could define the grade?

“Grade, grade, grade…”

Sua muttered the two syllables over and over, deep in thought, then soon realized she was doing something silly.

Upon reflection, there was a much smarter person than herself in Sua’s dorm room—her computer.

“Yeah, I’ll ask him.”

Shuuuuu—

After leaving the Special Feature Hotel, Sua immediately began typing at her keyboard. Searching for each drama title brought up a whole slew of articles.

Starting with Grade 3, ‘Try to Catch Me.’

[Low budget but pulled it off!]

[Great acting, but subpar props…]

[Actors barely saved the movie.]

Average viewership: 6%.

And Grade 5, ‘Speed Over.’

[Such a hidden gem… Critics sighed.]

[Racing genre was ahead of its time in Korea.]

[Didn’t even reach the break-even point.]

[But workmanship is top-notch.]

Average viewership: 1.8%.

“’Speed Over’ did so poorly?”

Sua was surprised. After accidentally watching it, she had been completely captivated, but it seems other people’s tastes were different.

Looking up the information narrowed her search.

‘Speed Over’ was highly praised by all the experts, yet had a low grade. Definitely not an artistic quality grade.

So, the most likely candidate was just one.

Grade 3, ‘Try to Catch Me’. Viewership 6%.

Grade 5, ‘Speed Over’. Viewership 1.8%.

“Could it be discussing box office success? It seems like it.”

That thought led her straight to the Special Feature Hotel. An idea struck her.

[Independent movie ‘Catfish’]

▶ Realization elements sufficient

‘Catfish’. This one was not from the shared cafe materials but from the casting notice.

Thus, it’s something that hasn’t been born yet. An incomplete work.

“Could it be that if I experience this, it will also have a grade assigned?”

Talking won’t help. Sua swiftly opened the door.

“Ah…uuuugh…”

And a little while later,

“Ohh… ohhh…”

She crawled out of the door. Actually, she wasn’t even crawling properly, more like writhing.

“Shrimp boat… insane… why is it called ‘Catfish’…?”

Sua muttered weakly, on the verge of d*ath. No matter what happens, could anyone title a shrimp fishing boat ‘Catfish’?

She’s aggrieved. Should she go look for them and ask?

But as she barely raised her head,

“!”

The vitality returned to her eyes all at once.

[Catfish]

▶ Realization elements sufficient

▶ Completed experience/ Grade 6

“I can see it! The grade!”

Sua sprang up immediately from her sitting position.

The pain of working on a shrimp fishing boat for two hours was gone.

She could see the grade of a yet-to-be-released film. There was nothing more amazing than this for the current Sua.

Shuuuuu—

After exiting the space, she frantically searched online.

[Casting for short film ‘Basement’]

[Casting for comedy sketch actors]

[Casting for music video]

[Casting for short video advertisements]

Sua collected all the ones attached with scripts.

If, this really does show the entertainment value and if she can see the grades of still incomplete works beforehand…

“Hehe…”

Sua couldn’t help but smile.

And right then,

[Sender: PD Son Ji-woong]

[Ms. Sua, I’m sending the link.]

An answer sheet that would clear up her lingering questions about both her acting skills and the script grades had arrived.

Without delay, Sua clicked on the link.

Finally, it was time to face herself.

◈◈◈◈◈

The exhibition hall where the audition ‘This is How I Became an Actor’ was taking place.

A space previously bustling with no room to stand was now, unbelievably, almost empty.

This was because the four-day long first round of auditions had ended. Occasionally, the staff could still be seen walking around.

And amidst all this scene,

Crackling—

A man was sitting inside a high-class van, quietly flipping through the scripts. The sharpness of his features was stunning.

Crackling— Crackling—

With dignity. With precision.

As the man was soaking the space with his elegance,

The van’s door suddenly opened slightly. A woman’s face peeked out, brightening the dark and heavy space instantly.

“I figured. So Kim Sun-il, you’ve been here all along?”

Suh Yeon-ju, an epitome of purity that made others try to glimpse her again and again. However, he seemed completely uninterested.

“Hmm.”

It’s just familiar. Kim Sun-il and Su Yeon-ju share the same agency, have worked on several projects together, and have similar popularity.

“There was a rumor about a fancy banquet, but there’s absolutely nothing to eat.”

He had been receiving live updates on today’s auditions, and was repeatedly disappointed. There were no sparkling gems.

“What were you looking for? Oh, I get it.”

“Yeah, the next project with Lee Geum-sook.”

This next project with the famous writer was excellent—something he couldn’t decline. But ever since, Kim Sun-il had been sighing every day.

Since he unexpectedly faced a problem.

Could it be because the script was so amazing? He’s unable to find suitable actors for the other parts. After all, dramas cannot be created alone, so he’s only left with regret.

Suh Yeon-ju clicked her tongue, exasperated.

“Fix your pickiness first. Not just obsessive-compulsive disorder, but you insist on choosing your co-actor as well. What kind of psycho are you?”

“If you’re dissatisfied, look. Find someone better at acting than me.”

Kim Sun-il briefly answered and lightly put the script down.

“I’m leaving. My interest has waned.”

“What about the participants? Or the script?”

“Both. No point holding on to them.”

“Ah, if you came on the first day, it wouldn’t have been like this.”

Su Yeon-ju shrugged, causing Kim Sun-il to furrow his brows.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There was a quite fine gem in the first round.”

At the same time, Su Yeon-ju swung the slightly open door wide.