Chapter : 35
Lee Hyuk looked at Do Kyung as if one question still lingered in his mind.
There was something about the relationship between Yoon Hae-in and Do Kyung that was too complicated to explain in words.
“Hey, didn’t you hate Yoon Hae-in?”
“Yeah. I do. Her pretty smile pisses me off.”
He still couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. Hyuk gave a small shake of his head.
“What are you going to do when you start getting hate comments?”
He said it out of genuine concern. Even if Do Do-kyung was reckless and brash, she was still an actress, and an actress lived on her image.
“Don’t worry. I can crush them all with my face.”
Do Kyung laughed for a while, stuffing her cigarette back into her pocket. It had probably been nearly ten minutes. Hyuk just looked at her quietly.
Ten years ago, or now—after all this time—she was still impossible to read.
“I think we’ll have to eliminate way more than twenty people.”
As the acting rounds neared their end, Director Lee Byung-in’s expression darkened.
From contestant number 28 through 70, just watching and recording the judging sessions had taken well over five hours.
Number 30, Do Do-kyung, delivered a performance that perfectly showcased her experience—flawless, but not excessive.
Contestant 52, Han So-yi, looked a little nervous, but cleverly found the parts that suited her best and received good reviews.
When number 70’s performance ended, the judges’ expressions finally began to relax. It was well past midnight, and everyone looked exhausted from the endless shoot.
“Alright, everyone, we’re moving on without a break! Please hold on for about two more hours!”
A staff member came up to organize the situation, glancing at the weary actors who had slumped into their seats. To have the next two episodes ready for broadcast that weekend, they needed to wrap up the final segment tonight.
“As soon as number 70’s performance is done, everyone, please relax your expressions—we’ll take one wide shot! Then we’ll move on to filming the judges’ discussion and the announcement of the final results!”
During that brief intermission, Ga-young came up to the stage with a puff in one hand and quickly tapped makeup onto Hae-in’s face.
“Hey, hey, don’t worry,” she whispered. “When Do-kyung was speaking earlier, the judges were totally defending her. You’ll definitely make it to the next round.”
“But the judges haven’t even had time to deliberate yet…”
Ga-young spread a light pink lip gloss on Hae-in’s lips as she continued,
“This isn’t their first audition show. They’ve probably already decided who’s getting cut.”
“Ga-young, by the way… did Director Seo leave?”
It had been a while since Hae-in last saw Do-jun, who was usually nearby, watching over her.
Ga-young’s hand froze for a moment. She gave Hae-in a knowing look, then nodded.
“I’ll ask about what’s going on between you two later. He said he had work back at the office. Looked like he had a lot piled up.”
Hearing that Do-jun had left, Hae-in felt an odd emptiness in her chest. She knew full well that her place was on stage, and his was at the company.
So why did she keep expecting more?
“All company staff members on stage, please exit!”
No sooner had Ga-young spoken than a staff member’s sharp voice echoed through the set. Ga-young patted Hae-in’s shoulder and hurried off, makeup kit in hand.
Once even the last makeup artist who’d been fixing Han So-yi’s look had left, another staff member came up holding a slate board. Beside him, the head writer climbed onto the stage with a megaphone.
“Urgent announcement! Originally, twenty contestants were to be eliminated in Round 1. However, after an emergency meeting, the judges have decided that twenty-two contestants will be cut.”
The sudden notice startled the actors, their reactions fully caught on camera. After the unilateral announcement ended, the slate-holding staffer looked around.
“Rolling!”
Clap.
With the crack of the slate, the main camera zoomed in on contestant number 70, who still stood on stage where she had performed.
She bowed deeply to the judges, and the actors behind her applauded sincerely.
It was applause for themselves—for all those who had poured two weeks of effort into this audition—and encouragement for number 70, who had given her all until the very end.
Hae-in clapped with a smile. Just then, Hyo-jin stepped onto the stage.
“Everyone, you’ve worked so hard. From contestant number 1 to 70—thank you for dedicating yourselves so passionately these past two weeks. Now, we’ll reveal the results of your efforts right here!”
As soon as she finished, the lights dimmed, and the screen behind them lit up with the MeTube channel: [The One: Actresses].
“As previously announced, the final ranking combines the judges’ scores and the public evaluation scores from your pre-recorded videos. Among the seventy contestants, twenty—no, twenty-two—will be eliminated. Right here, right now, we’ll reveal who moves on to the next round! And the top-ranked contestant in this evaluation will receive a special benefit in the next mission!”
“They’re really piling everything on, huh,” someone muttered nearby.
Hae-in chuckled quietly. It was comforting to know someone else felt the same way she did.
The main camera seemed to like her smile—it lingered on her face, capturing that soft, genuine expression.
A camera that was focused on her. Not Baek A-yeon, but her. A thrill, long suppressed, began to rise inside her.
She wasn’t a staff member for someone else anymore. She had made it here as a performer in her own right. The road ahead was still long, but this beginning was enough.
After the stage, she wanted to run straight to Do-jun and say, I passed the first round.
Hae-in clenched her fist tightly.
“First, we’ll start with the actor who ranked last among the seventy… Ah, this is really unfortunate…”
At Hyo-jin’s voice, Hae-in looked up at the screen, tension flickering in her eyes. The brief elation faded, and reality sank in again.
All video view counts had been hidden since five days before filming.
The last time she checked, Do Do-kyung’s video had the highest views, followed by Han So-yi’s, and then her own.
“Coming in at 70th place… unfortunately, contestant number 2.”
Gasps rose throughout the hall. The camera that had been focused on Hae-in swiftly shifted to contestant number 2, who couldn’t hold back her tears.
They had both performed Illusion (Hyeonhok), so Hae-in couldn’t help but feel the loss personally.
“Contestant number 2, thank you so much for your hard work. Unfortunately, your total view count was 82,341, the lowest among all seventy contestants. Now, let’s see what the judges had to say about your performance!”
What? They’re showing the judges’ comments right now?
The crying actress blinked in surprise, tears forgotten, staring up at the judges’ table.
Then, the screen displaying her video filled with a large red word in bold letters: FAIL.
“Oh no… oh no… sob.”
The actress sank to the floor, weeping, as Hyo-jin hurried over to comfort her.
It was obvious this kind of dramatic reaction was exactly what the producers wanted. A small smile crept onto PD Kang’s face.
The bigger the emotional outburst, the better. And if the mascara ran—that was perfect.
“Our contestant number 2, now that she’s been eliminated, we can call her by name—actress Lee So-young. You’re a newcomer, but your passion was incredible. However, since we’re looking for someone to lead a historical drama, we feel you’re not quite ready for that genre yet. But we’re confident you’ll grow beautifully and hope to see you again someday.”
