Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Seo Yi-Jun stepped forward with a confident smile. His beige half-coat flared dramatically as his brown wavy hair caught the breeze.

Standing before Oh Bok-Hee, Seo Yi-Jun greeted her in a cheerful tone. "Mrs. Oh, how have you been?"

"I've been good, Yi-Jun. It's been a while. Have you been practicing a lot?"

"You know me. I've been working to death!"

"You always say that, but I hear you've been spotted in Apgujeong pretty often these days."

"That's just rumors! This time, I actually mean it."

"Is that so? Alright, I'll look forward to it."

"Yes, Mrs. Oh!"

After exchanging pleasantries with Oh Bok-Hee, Seo Yi-Jun snapped open a prop fan with a dramatic snap. Then he began to embody the carefree demeanor of Kim Beop-Min with a few playful waves of the fan.

Though it deviated slightly from the character envisioned by Han Woo-Ju, Seo Yi-Jun's delicate and handsome features made his interpretation of the character feel surprisingly fitting.

Oh Bok-Hee took her seat on a chair placed amidst the tiled houses of the recreated Seorabeol street set. "Remember. This might be an audition, but we're doing it like it's the real thing. Stay sharp—any lapse in focus could lead to accidents."

The audition scene, Scene 11 from Episode 20, began with Princess Yu-Hwa rushing out of the palace and into the bustling streets of Seorabeol.

Spotting a beggar about to be struck by a galloping carriage, she threw herself into harm's way to push him to safety. Though she successfully saved the beggar, she failed to get herself out of the carriage's path.

At that moment, Kim Beop-Min, who recently returned from a ten-year study abroad in Tang China, witnessed the scene. He swiftly moved to save Princess Yu-Hwa and their faces met for the first time.

Kim Beop-Min instantly fell for the woman he had just rescued, but he was unaware of her true identity due to being away for ten years for his studies. It wouldn't be until a female bodyguard arrived and urgently called the princess by her title that he realized she was Yu-Hwa, the political rival of his family.

The scene required actors to portray rapid shifts in emotion including urgency, admiration, and shock in a high-stakes situation, making it a challenging audition.

Oh Bok-Hee reminded the action actors playing the beggar and coachman to be cautious, before calling out to Yoo-Jin. "Miss Yoo-Jin, please adjust your performance to match the rookies. Don't overshadow them, okay?"

There were only a few actors who could rival Yoo-Jin's acting prowess in Hwaranjeon. If she gave it her all, the three auditioning actors would risk being completely overshadowed.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Oh. I'll focus on creating a good rhythm with them rather than standing out."

"Thank you, Miss Yoo-Jin. And thanks for showing up in person to support the auditions."

"We're all in this together. I'm happy to help where I can."

Oh Bok-Hee looked relieved with Yoo-Jin agreeing to tone down her performance. Then, she turned to Seo Yi-Jun. "Yi-Jun, don't let your guard down just because Miss Yoo-Jin is accommodating you. Even if you give it your all, you'll struggle to match her level."

"Aww, come on. I already know how amazing Yoo-Jin sunbae-nim is."

Seo Yi-Jun shot a nervous glance at Yoo-Jin and gave her a polite bow. "I'll do my best. Please take good care of me, sunbae-nim."

Yoo-Jin smiled. "Of course, Mr. Yi-Jun."

Taking advantage of the moment, I leaned over to Deok-Bae beside me. "Deok-Bae, pay attention to how your competitors act. You can learn a lot."

"Yes, hyung."

In auditions, those who went after were often advantageous as long as the earlier performances didn't intimidate the actor.

Just then, the staff signaled that everything was ready.

Oh Bok-Hee nodded and raised her hand to signal the start of the audition. "Alright, then. Ready~ action!"

From the far end of the Seorabeol street set, a carriage pulled by two horses charged forward at full speed.

Although it was just an audition, it felt almost like a real production.

***

When Yoo-Jin pushed the beggar to safety and collapsed, Seo Yi-Jun leaped toward her in a heroic motion.

At that moment, the two-horse carriage barreled forward as if it would collide with Yoo-Jin. Though the actual distance was far enough to be safe, Yoo-Jin feigned shock and terror convincingly.

In one swift motion, Seo Yi-Jun grabbed Yoo-Jin and rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging the carriage. As the carriage sped past, Seo Yi-Jun brushed the dirt off his coat with a playful smirk on his face.

However, the moment he looked up at Yoo-Jin's face, he froze with a stiff expression.

Though the trembling of his cheek was a bit unnatural, Yoo-Jin graciously adjusted her performance to match his level and guided him gently as she had done with Oh Tae-Hyuk in the past.

Thanks to Yoo-Jin's support, Seo Yi-Jun's acting appeared more polished and compelling.

"Cut! Okay!"

Oh Bok-Hee's voice was filled with excitement.

"Yi-Jun, you must have practiced hard this time!"

Seo Yi-Jun shrugged nonchalantly, oblivious to the help he had received from Yoo-Jin. "I told you, I practiced a lot."

Han Woo-Ju also nodded approvingly from the sidelines. "Considering how little time you had to prepare, you've portrayed a rather charming Kim Beop-Min. I like it, Mr. Yi-Jun."

"Thank you, Miss Han."

Excited by Seo Yi-Jun's unexpected acting, Oh Bok-Hee clapped her hands. "Alright, let's see your action next!"

"Yes, Mrs. Oh!"

The second part of the audition began, this time focusing on action scenes.

The sequence depicted Kim Beop-Min and Guk-Seon meeting on the empty streets of Seorabeol at night where they engaged in a dramatic martial arts duel.

Oh Bok-Hee called the action director of Hwaranjeon, Ahn Seok-Chil, over. "Mr. Ahn, I'm counting on you for this."

"Understood, Mrs. Oh."

Ahn Seok-Chil brought out two lightweight wooden swords prepared for the auditions instead of the heavier prop swords. He demonstrated the basic moves meticulously, walking the actors through the choreography step by step.

"The key is to make your movements big and visually striking. Action acting is about showing the audience, not fighting your opponent for real. Most importantly, don't swing the sword outside the designated trajectory under any circumstances."

Ahn Seok-Chil swung the wooden sword repeatedly along the same path and showed them the precise timing required for their moves.

He continued explaining, "Right timing is everything, so pay close attention."

He then instructed Seo Yi-Jun and the stunt actor to practice their sequence together.

After the rehearsal, the actual action audition began.

"Hyaah!"

Though Seo Yi-Jun's battle cry was energetic, his action performance left much to be desired. The choreography required him to simply follow his opponent's movements while looking cool, but he frequently fell out of sync and disrupted the flow of the scene.

Several times, the mismatched timing nearly caused both actors to injure each other.

Oh Bok-Hee said with a disappointed expression, "Cut! That's enough! Any more and someone's bound to get hurt."

Seo Yi-Jun casually wiped the sweat off his forehead and responded without concern. "You know I didn't have much time to prepare, Mrs. Oh. If you let me pass, I'll make sure to prepare properly next time. Plus, the stunt double can handle the heavy action anyway, right?"

Seo Yi-Jun's mischievous wink prompted Oh Bok-Hee to chuckle in disbelief. "Haha. That glib tongue of yours. Fine, just go wait over there for now."

"Okay, Mrs. Oh."

Seo Yi-Jun headed to his seat with an exhausted expression. As he passed by us, he glanced at Deok-Bae and smirked as if to say "Can you do better than that?"

Nonetheless, Deok-Bae paid him no attention. He simply focused intently on processing everything he had observed.

"And next up… Park Jung-Min!"

Park Jung-Min, now dressed in a fitted blue durumagi[1] that clung to his well-built frame, walked confidently toward Yoo-Jin.

Yoo-Jin greeted him warmly. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Mr. Jung-Min."

At that moment, Park Jung-Min replied with a sly smile, "Me too, noona."

The unexpected use of "noona" left Yoo-Jin momentarily flustered.

'What's with this cocky little brat?' I wondered.

Few industries were as rigid about hierarchy as the entertainment world. Even older actors were expected to address those who debuted earlier as "sunbae" and adhere strictly to honorifics.

Despite not knowing her well and even after Yoo-Jin had shown him the respect of speaking formally, Park Jung-Min had the audacity to casually call her "noona" on their first meeting.

While his flirty personality was well known, seeing it firsthand was both absurd and frustrating.

That's when Oh Bok-Hee's voice interrupted the moment. "Jung-Min and Miss Yoo-Jin, are you both ready?"

Though momentarily flustered, Yoo-Jin quickly composed herself like the professional she was. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Alright, let's begin. Ready~ action!"

Park Jung-Min flawlessly executed the initial sequence and rolled with Yoo-Jin to dodge the carriage. However, as they stood, Park Jung-Min reached out and wrapped an arm around Yoo-Jin's waist to pull her close without warning.

I frowned. 'That brat... where does he get the nerve?'

Unscripted physical contact with an actress without her consent was an unspoken taboo in the industry. While intimate scenes naturally occurred in acting, they were always discussed beforehand and agreed upon by both parties.

Despite this, Park Jung-Min, a mere nineteen-year-old rookie, had arrogantly decided to cross that line.

I made up my mind then and there. He would not appear on the same project with Yoo-Jin no matter what. 'I'll deal with you when the audition is over, Park Jung-Min.'

Though caught off guard by Seo Yi-Jun's move, Yoo-Jin seamlessly shrugged off his hand and continued the scene without missing a beat to stay true to her character.

Moments later, Oh Bok-Hee called out, "Cut! Okay. Wow, Jung-Min, your acting has really improved as well!"

Park Jung-Min replied with a bow, "Thank you,"

However, Han Woo-Ju frowned slightly and commented, "The performance was good, but your interpretation of the character is a bit off. Kim Beop-Min isn't meant to be so clingy. Keep that in mind."

Park Jung-Min responded with a nonchalant smile. "Understood. I'll adjust my performance."

Despite his inappropriate behavior of grabbing Yoo-Jin's waist, Park Jung-Min's acting definitely surpassed Seo Yi-Jun's.

While Seo Yi-Jun's portrayal was overly sweet, Park Jung-Min managed to convey a more layered and complex character aside from his unprofessional conduct with Yoo-Jin.

Oh Bok-Hee announced, "Alright, let's move on to the action sequence."

As Park Jung-Min returned to the waiting area, he kept stealing glances at Yoo-Jin.

"Park Jung-Min! What are you doing? Pay attention!" Oh Bok-Hee yelled.

The startled Park Jung-Min quickly straightened up. "Sorry, Mrs. Oh!"

Park Jung-Min took the wooden sword from Ahn Seok-Chil and exuded confidence. Having achieved a third-degree black belt in kendo, his movements were sharp and the wooden sword sliced the air with a satisfying whoosh.

Oh Bok-Hee said, "Alright, let's see your action performance."

"Yes, Mrs. Oh."

Park Jung-Min gave a confident smile before beginning his performance.

***

Clack, clack!

With precise timing, Park Jung-Min's action sequence came to life.

Unlike Seo Yi-Jun's earlier attempt, Park Jung-Min's kendo experience brought precision and grace to the performance, resulting in a visually stunning display.

Nonetheless, Yoo-Jin standing next to me was unimpressed as she grumbled under her breath. "Oppa, why's that kid so sleazy? He's only nineteen years old but he's acting like that?"

Yoo-Jin listed her grievances from his inappropriate use of "noona" to wrapping his arm around her waist. Every bit of it had clearly rubbed her the wrong way.

"Don't worry. Once this audition's over, I'll teach that punk some manners," I assured her.

Yoo-Jin's anger softened and was replaced by a small smile. "Fine. But don't hit him, okay?"

"Hit him? No way. What do you think I'm going to do?"

Yoo-Jin studied my face carefully. "Hmm... then bury him?"

"Why are you talking like that's any better? I'll just... quietly have a word with him."

Now fully relaxed, Yoo-Jin burst into laughter. "Hahaha. Yeah, right. Coming from you, Yoon-Ho oppa?"

Lately, it felt like Yoo-Jin knew me even better than I knew myself.

At that moment, the resounding call of "Cut! Okay!" echoed as Park Jung-Min wrapped up his audition and wiped the sweat from his brow.

His impressive action performance had left a strong impression, and Oh Bok-Hee couldn't hide her admiration. "Wow, your kendo training really shows. That was great."

"Thank you for the kind words."

With such a significant gap in action performance, Seo Yi-Jun's presence had nearly faded into the background while Park Jung-Min emerged as the frontrunner for the role.

Finally, it was Deok-Bae's turn.

I patted him on the back and said, "You've got this. Go show them all you've got."

"Yes, hyung."

Taking a deep breath, Deok-Bae walked forward.

He was ready to deliver the performance he had been tirelessly preparing for over the past three days without any sleep.

***

Although he only had three days to prepare, Deok-Bae had poured every ounce of his energy into practice and even skipped sleep to repeat the scene hundreds of times.

The intensity of his focus during such a short preparation period was nothing short of extraordinary.

Deok-Bae had honed his performance to the point where his acting was quite convincing, though a few rough edges remained compared to the polished skills of Park Jung-Min who had years of experience.

Catching up to someone with years of acting under their belt in just three days was no easy task. Even so, Deok-Bae's progress exceeded my expectations.

I smiled and silently cheered for him. 'You did well, Deok-Bae.'

"Cut! That's it!"

The judges offered their positive feedback to Deok-Bae.

"Your delivery has depth and I appreciate how clearly you enunciated every word."

"And that voice... It's surprisingly captivating. I was almost blushing!"

"Did you rehearse separately with Yoo-Jin or something? Your chemistry was seamless."

Thanks to hours of practice with videos recorded by Choi Ji-Yung, Lee Tae-Poong, Go Jae-Soo, and Yoo-Jin, Deok-Bae achieved a level of performance that was genuinely commendable.

However, Park Jung-Min still remained the top contender. He had not only scored the highest in acting but also demonstrated exceptional movement in the action sequence, befitting his kendo expertise.

Oh Bok-Hee said, "Let's move on to Deok-Bae's action scene and finish the audition. Mr. Ahn, please guide him through the rehearsal."

Due to Park Jung-Min's impressive acting, Deok-Bae needed to close the gap in the action category to secure the role of Kim Beop-Min.

However, I wasn't worried. After all, Deok-Bae's reflexes and athletic ability rivaled my own.

Ahn Seok-Chil handed Deok-Bae a wooden sword upon hearing Oh Bok-Hee's instruction. Deok-Bae took it confidently, gripping it with surprising precision.

Ahn Seok-Chil tilted his head in curiosity. "Deok-Bae, are you trained in kendo too? Your grip is spot-on."

"No, sir. I just mimicked what you demonstrated earlier."

Ahn Seok-Chil looked intrigued. "You picked that up just by watching once?"

Deok-Bae nodded humbly.

"This is interesting. Then do you remember the action sequences of the other actors from earlier? Can you replicate them?"

"I think I remember the movements, but I'm not sure if I can pull them off."

"Really? Alright, let's give it a try. Ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Get in your position. Let's go."

Clack!

When the wooden swords met perfectly in sync at their first clash, Ahn Seok-Chil's jaw dropped slightly.

"Mrs. Oh, this kid doesn't need a second rehearsal."

"Can we go straight into the test, then?"

Ahn Seok-Chil replied confidently, "Absolutely."

While Deok-Bae might struggle to surpass Park Jung-Min's years of martial arts training in pure technique, action acting wasn't just about skill—it was about how well the actor brought the choreography of the action director to life.

With his towering 185 cm frame and long, well-proportioned limbs, Deok-Bae cut an imposing figure. Simply standing with the wooden sword, he radiated an aura of confidence and charisma.

"Alright, if everyone's ready, let's start."

It was time to see if my gamble on Deok-Bae would pay off.

Taking a deep breath, Deok-Bae gripped the wooden sword tightly in both hands with resolve. His determination to win the role was written all over his face.

At that moment, Oh Bok-Hee raised her hand to signal the beginning of the audition. "Ready~ action!"

With a commanding shout, the stunning display of martial artistry began.

At that moment, Deok-Bae, who had been an action actor in my past life, moved with breathtaking fluidity and precision, leaving the entire set captivated.

1. Traditional Korean coat ☜

Ristretto's Thoughts

Why are all these actors so cocky 😂😂😂

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