Chapter 489 (2/2)

“Is the act you just did a portrayal of your actual self?”

“No, I thought about what a stereotypical shy person is like, and expressed such a character through acting.”

“The first character was an outgoing character?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Let us put in an order. Show us a person hopping around in joy.”

Park Hoon crossed his arms and waited. Just then, someone tapped him from behind. When he turned around, he saw a fellow producer. The junior producer stood up from his seat and took a bow.

“Sit down. I’m just visiting while I’m on my way to something else.”

“Are you here empty-handed? You should’ve brought us some coffee at least. For Miri and the junior.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

His fellow producer looked towards the front and said ‘oh’ in a rather surprised voice.

“That fellow.”

“Do you know him?”

“Are you getting old already? Didn’t I tell you that there was a good guy? Who was it again? Uh, Mari, Mara, Ah! Han Maru. It’s Han Maru, right?”

The moment he heard those words, Park Hoon remembered where he heard the name Han Maru before. He heard it from this fellow, who was the main producer of The Witness. Recently, the team that worked on The Witness was given holiday tickets to Jeju island. If they got over 50% viewing rates like the Wednesday-Thursday drama on RBS, they would’ve gotten tickets to Thailand at least, but since the drama was really unique and didn’t have a big fanbase, the viewing rates weren't that high.

“May I start?” The boy on the stage asked.

“Please begin.”

As soon as he said those words, the boy hopped on the spot as though he was a soccer player that scored a goal. He was smiling so brightly and was boasting so much that even Park Hoon ended up laughing. This boy perfectly understood his request and did not hold himself back. He liked the fact that the boy could exaggerate when he had to. If his act did not pop here, he would’ve just remembered the boy as someone who was good at bland acting.

“That suits him too, huh,” his fellow producer said behind him.

“Well done.”

“Thank you.”

Park Hoon took out the script for the first episode of New Semester. There was a character among the supporting actors who he needed a rather m.a.t.u.r.e person for, and from the way the boy’s character so calmly told the teacher that she was wrong, he was reminded of that character.

“I think he might suit the Lee Chan character,” he tried saying to Miri.

Miri immediately looked at the boy and asked him to do a few poses.

“Uhm. Mr. Han Maru. Can you look at the camera with an expressionless expression?”

“Understood.”

Park Hoon turned his eyes to the camera screen. The boy on the screen had sharp eyes. His lips were stiff, and his gaze wasn’t wavering. For a high school student, his eyes were pretty decent.

“Can you try saying this just like that? The line goes: ‘You don’t want to do that’.”

After saying the words, the boy looked at the camera and uttered those words.

“Can you smile just a little there? Like you’re a little shy about it.”

The boy quickly accepted the trivial requests.

Park Hoon nodded his head as he looked at the boy’s gradual change in expression. He had a good feeling about this. Since the drama was a school drama, he needed characters that had student-like mindsets. One character was a student that had a calmness that did not lose out to a typical a.d.u.l.t’s. He seemed to suit the character that might invoke the catharsis of the students.

“That’s enough. Thank you for your work,” said Park Hoon as he raised his hand.

“Let’s pick this guy as well if we don’t find anyone suitable after him.”

“I don’t think there will be one though?” Miri smiled as she spoke.

Park Hoon did not deny that. There was no need to reject an already-proven resource. A fellow producer already used him once, didn’t he?

“Also, apparently he learned acting from sir Yoon Moonjoong.”

That’s really tempting - he thought to himself as he reminded himself of the words that his colleague left behind while sending him off. After that, he looked at the boy that was returning to the line. Han Maru, huh.

“Well, then. Next.”

Park Hoon called out the next person. The audition wasn’t over yet. If someone caught his eyes, he might be able to turn that person into a ticket to success.

* * *

“Oppa, you got a call.”

Bada picked up Maru’s phone from the living room and knocked on his door but there was no response. When she opened the door, only an empty room greeted her.

“Is he out?”

Bada stared at the phone before picking it up.

“Hello? Ah, yes. It is. Yes, yes. Understood.”

As soon as she hung up, the front door opened and her brother came back. Bada stared at her brother with a dazed expression before exclaiming.

“Mr. Han Maru. You passed the audition, apparently.”

“There was a call?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good. I thought I didn’t make it since there was no news.”

“Congratulations! My brother is popular now, huh.”

“Like hell I am.”

“Since you made it, why don’t we celebrate?”

“By doing what?”

“On a day like this, we should eat fried chicken.”

“What about the money?”

“Well, I don’t have any.”

“Haah….”

“I’m ordering one then, okay?”

Bada threw Maru’s phone at him.

“But what was that audition for? A play?”

“A drama.”

“A drama? What drama?”

“New Semester.”

“...New Semester? You mean the one on YBS? Like, for real?”

“Yeah.”

“My lord, my brother is doing super well. What are you? An extra? That can’t be right. There’s no way they’re holding an audition for an extra.”

“A supporting role, apparently.”

“Really? I guess we should congratulate doubly as much. I’m ordering two, okay?”

“You are really… fine, go ahead.”

“I’m not taking the opportunity to order it. I’m ordering them to congratulate you,” said Bada while grinning.