Chapter : 37
“However, the performance you showed on stage wasn’t that of Hong Seol or Yoon Hae-in. It was simply the performance of an actress trying her best to portray grief. Your acting was impressive, but as someone who believes that one of an actor’s duties is to interpret their character, I’ve made my decision accordingly.”
I understood what he meant—and yet, I didn’t.
Even so, Hae-in nodded toward Hyuk with an expression that said it was all right.
How hard must it have been for him to say that?
He must have agonized deeply before making such a decision.
“Yes, thank you, Actor Lee Hyuk. Each judge has their own criteria, so though it’s unfortunate, it can’t be helped. We truly hope that Actress Yoon Hae-in continues to challenge herself in the future. You may now exit the stage!”
As if to make sure the verdict was final, Hyo-jin spoke cheerfully, and the same elimination music that had played for Actor No. 2 began to sound.
So this was it—the result of my dream, my passion, my challenge.
Bowing deeply, Hae-in staggered offstage.
Goodbye, my stage. And hello, to the life I must begin again.
* * *
“A-yeon, are you in a good mood today?”
It was past midnight when the door code beeped and A-yeon stepped into the officetel.
Since the cursed filming of Yoon Hae-in’s audition had begun, she’d become so irritable that it was hard even to talk to her. So Jin-won brightened instantly when he saw A-yeon visit his place for the first time in ages.
“Hey, Lee Jin-won. You gonna keep calling your older sister ‘A-yeon’ like that?”
“Oh, there it is—the voice that only comes out when Baek A-yeon’s in a good mood. Why? What happened?”
There was a faint smell of alcohol on her breath.
Lately, she’d been too lazy even to share a drink or a meal with him, so Jin-won had to swallow the bitterness and irritation rising inside.
“Ah, this is freaking hilarious. Hey, give me a cigarette.”
Kicking off her high heels at the entrance, she flopped onto the living-room sofa and immediately looked for a smoke.
It was something Yoon Hae-in would never have done—not smoking, not behaving like that.
“Here. Cigarettes and a lighter.”
“You have to light it for me. What, don’t I have hands?”
A surge of anger rose in him, but Jin-won said nothing and instead put a lit cigarette between A-yeon’s lips.
After all, she was the only one still giving him financial support since work had completely dried up.
“So, what’s going on? Want me to slice up some fruit for you?”
“Ah, no. I drank a lot with the director today, so I can’t eat anything. You know that soft-drink commercial? Turns out it’s mine.”
A soft-drink commercial—it could only mean the MellangSweet beverage ad that had recently blown up on social media.
Just a week ago, she’d been fretting that she might be dropped at the final client meeting.
“See? Not everyone gets to be a top star. The more sensitive our A-yeon gets, the better she does.”
“Kyahaha! You wanna die? Are you teasing me for being temperamental?”
Weird.
She looked unusually happy today. Normally, she’d have snapped at least once during a conversation like this, but now she took it in stride.
“Then, A-yeon, my princess.”
“Go on, spit it out. Don’t stall.”
“Well… you said you had a friend who’s a PD at JBN, right? Could you maybe mention me for one of the lead roles they’re casting right now? Or at least set up a meeting…?”
“Ugh, seriously! Way to ruin my mood. You just don’t have a face for acting. No personality in that mask of yours. Grab any random guy off the street and put you two side by side, no one could tell which one’s the actor.”
The urge to grab Baek A-yeon’s thin wrist—the one that had just flicked his head—and snap it like a twig flared up inside him.
He suddenly thought of Hae-in, who used to somehow find roles that fit him perfectly and get him auditions.
He missed those days already—the days when he’d worked from bit parts to supporting roles, even landing a lead once or twice.
RRR—
The vibration of A-yeon’s phone interrupted his bitter thoughts. The caller ID showed a familiar manager’s name.
Normally, she wouldn’t have cared even if it rang through an entire cigarette, but perhaps because she was in such a good mood tonight, she stared at the screen for a moment before answering.
“Ugh, why are you calling this late?”
– Unnie! You won’t believe it!
The voice on the other end was full of excitement. Curious, Jin-won stepped closer, but A-yeon got up from the sofa and walked into his bedroom, phone in one hand and cigarette in the other.
Five minutes later, she came out wearing a completely different smile.
“My puppy. Want me to set up that meeting? Get you a role?”
“What’s gotten into you? You sound insane.”
When Jin-won looked at her in confusion, she smiled sweetly, her flushed cheeks glowing from alcohol.
“Yoon Hae-in—hahaha—this is freaking hilarious. That idiot got eliminated from the audition. Oh my god, I can’t stop laughing. She went through all that for a single episode?”
“…Eliminated?”
“Yup, the manager just told me. Unbelievable. She sold her dead brother’s story for sympathy and still got cut. Must’ve lost her mind.”
Her shrill laughter echoed down the officetel hallway.
Jin-won laughed along, though his expression was strange and unreadable.
That video on MeTube—it had been beyond anything he expected.
Even though he’d always looked down on Yoon Hae-in, watching her performance had given him goosebumps.
There was no way someone who acted like that could’ve been eliminated.
“Are you sure?”
“Totally. What an idiot. Best laugh I’ve had all year.”
There was no reason for Baek A-yeon’s manager to lie.
From Hae-in’s profile to her video, nothing had been lacking.
Jin-won tilted his head slightly.
He’d wanted Yoon Hae-in to fail more than anyone, yet now that it had happened, the aftertaste was strangely bitter and uneasy.
* * *
“Still no reply?”
Inside the Strategic Planning Department of AJ Entertainment.
The air in the meeting room was unusually frigid. Even considering the late-September weather, it felt like the air conditioner had been left running.
At Do-jun’s question, Manager Kang shook his head. They had already sent an official inquiry to JBN—the network overseeing the entire production—about Yoon Hae-in’s elimination, but two days had passed without a response.
[Actress Yoon Hae-in Eliminated in Round 1 of The One: Actresses]
[The Death of Her Brother Drags Her Down—Will She Remain a Fallen Star?]
After only two episodes, JBN’s audition program The One: Actresses was already dominating ratings.
The first contestant eliminated was revealed to be Yoon Hae-in—the very actress whose pre-evaluation video on MeTube had recorded the highest views. Even after publicly opening up about her brother’s death…
[AJ Entertainment’s Mistake—or Opportunity?]
Ironically, the first elimination from The One: Actresses, produced and fully funded by AJ Media (the parent company of AJ Entertainment), turned out to be one of their own talents, Yoon Hae-in.
As competition heats up for the title role in the highly anticipated drama From Crown Princess to Courtesan, AJ Media now finds itself investing in an audition show that no longer features any of its affiliated actors.
Do-jun skimmed through the articles spread out before him and let out a faint sigh.
They had tried every possible way to stop the broadcast, but since The One: Actresses was a flagship program that JBN had bet its reputation on, episodes 1 and 2 had aired as planned.
Although the remaining footage would be split between episodes 3 and 4—meaning Hae-in’s elimination scene had yet to be shown—articles had already flooded the internet, making her disqualification a widely accepted fact.
And now, two days later, rather than being able to manage the situation, they still didn’t even fully understand what had happened.
“Sir, Actress Yoon Hae-in’s elimination is already affecting AJ Entertainment’s stock value. Perhaps we should minimize our involvement with the audition project and start focusing on our top-billing actors instead…”
