239 The Outstanding Rising Star (1/2)

Yeo Ri's turn arrived after what felt like hours.

Fueled by the ire fermenting within her, Yeo Ri felt more fearless in front of the interviewers. Her smile was brighter, her voice was clearer, and her temperament was sweeter.

”Hello, I am Lee Yeo Ri from Hope Entertainment.” Just as usual, she began with a greeting and a short introduction.

”I will be auditioning for the role of... Kwon Eun Young.” Placing her script aside, she announced the role she was auditioning for and bowed in respect to the interviewers.

”Ah, the main female lead. Director Choi and his wife have said many good things about you, Miss Lee. I have high expectations. Please, begin.”

And so, Yeo Ri acted.

Yeo Ri's calm and gentle atmosphere changed instantly as she got into character.

The main female protagonist of [Runaway Kids] was a spoiled rich young lady who ran away from home for a petty reason. Unable to handle the burden of being a homeless, penniless street rat, she ended up being deceived and thrown into many unsightly situations, mostly due to her own fault.

Yeo Ri thought of her own mother, the foolish Han Yeoreum. She had been born with all the right things—wealth, appearance, loving parents—and yet, she still ended up running away from home. Although pursuing her dreams was not a petty reason to run away for, the fact that she disregarded the safety net provided by her family and good background made her mother look so foolish to her.

Yeo Ri imagined the kind of complications that her mother might have and already had gone through, and channeled it into her acting.

And then, 'Lee Yeo Ri' became 'Kwon Eun Young'—the spoiled brat Yeo Ri would have turned into if only the heavens hadn't been so cruel to her.

”'—I'll let you hold my hand for ten seconds if you let me eat them, how about it? Hm? Hm? Please—'”

Yeo Ri's acting was like a fish swimming in water.

With just one scene, she had easily captivated the interviewers.

”'—Aw, please~? You know I hate being dirty—'”

Yeo Ri's 'Kwon Eun Young' had the right amount of endearing obnoxiousness and adorableness, and her act didn't feel forced or too pushy. Even people outside of the written script could easily see themselves getting led by the nose by this silly girl, much less the two boys who had somehow joined her escapade.

”'—No! No! I don't like this! Somebody—help!'”

As Yeo Ri finished the last of her lines, she noticed the approval in the interviewers' faces.

Once she was done, Yeo Ri was met with applause. They were visibly pleased with her performance.

”That was very good. I don't think I have any bones left to pick—it was simply perfect! Exactly the Kwon Eun Young I had in mind. No, perhaps even better than that!” One of the interviewers said. There were no name placards on the table which signified their identities, but Yeo Ri assumed that they were the producers of the film.

Yeo Ri was beginning to get used to receiving praises, but she still kept herself humble. ”Thank you very much,” she said, blushing shyly, her eyes shining like stars. It always felt good to be praised.

”I can't believe that that level of acting came from someone who had only entered the industry for a few months. Have you received any formal training before debuting?”

Yeo Ri shook her head and answered honestly, ”No, I only received coaching after joining the agency. Before that, I was too poor to attend an acting school so I just copied what the people on TV did.”

”...A genius.”

”And she's only sixteen... not even at her peak!” One of the producers gasped.

”Kids these days, so talented!”