Mid-July, when summer vacation had begun.
I was reading posts on the internet again today, on the morning commute bus.
[Who's the girl in the "Think of Me" MV?]
I think I'm smitten,,, Who is she?ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please, she's so prettyㅠㅠㅠ
[OMG, the "Think of Me" song is so good ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
I'm a forever-single, but after listening to the song, I've been gaslit into thinking I got dumped a few days ago..^^ I think it's gonna stay in the top ranks for a long time...
[Who's the female lead in "Think of Me"?]
Is she an actress? She's not a trainee, right.? She's so pretty........ Really pretty......
[Has anyone found out who the "Think of Me" female lead is?]
Ugh, she's totally my type. I'm so curious who she is
[Who is the "Think of Me" female lead? Is she a trainee?]
I saw a comment saying she's a Topist trainee, not sure if it's true... I got mesmerized because she's so pretty in the MV......
Three weeks had passed since the "Think of Me" MV had come out.
X1 sunbaenim's song had gradually climbed the ranks and eventually hit number one on the charts.
Of course, it wasn't because the song had been recognized for its mainstream appeal.
The surge in chart tally scores from X1 fans' streaming.
And the buzz within the young female demographic that had great interest in male idols.
The combined firepower of these two was more than enough to propel a male idol song to number one on the charts in an instant.
And along with that, interest in me—the female lead of the MV—had grown immensely as well.
The numerous posts that came up when searching "Think of Me MV female lead" on the internet proved it.
Of course, these posts were mainly uploaded on female-dominated communities, but.
"Ha... I want to comment right now that I'm Topist Entertainment trainee I Dohui."
I was still a non-public trainee whom the company had not yet revealed to the public, so the masses had no way of knowing who I was.
There were only speculations that since I had appeared in X1's music video, I might be a trainee at Topist Entertainment, the agency X1 belonged to.
"It's the era of self-promotion anyway, so can't I just leave a comment..."
Feeling the urge to leave a comment while reading these posts, before I knew it, the bus had arrived at the stop in front of the company.
I got off the bus, lowered the corners of my lips, and began to manage my expression.
There was no need to show off my good mood for no reason and create awkwardness among the trainees.
Everyone was practicing hard to debut, so I felt like I'd be walking on eggshells for no reason.
However, rendering such feelings of mine meaningless, the team leader called me as I arrived at work and said,
"Dohui."
"Yes?"
"You're going to an ad audition next week."
"An ad audition, all of a sudden?"
While I was bewildered by the team leader's sudden words, they spoke up.
"Yeah. Looks like the ad agency took a liking to the MV you were in. They contacted us asking you to participate in this ad audition."
"Ah... Understood. If I may, what kind of ad is it?"
"Yeah. You know Ion Sweat, right?"
"Excuse me? Ion Sweat?"
"Yeah. Ion Sweat."
An Ion Sweat commercial.
It was considered one of the most famous ads, a promotional springboard for rookie actresses, and was widely known as the quintessential commercial embodying an image synonymous with pure innocence.
In short, it was an ad that everyone coveted.
But it didn't seem to fit my image...
I was only 14 years old now, and the existing models were actresses in their twenties with innocent images.
"Team Leader, don't they usually cast well-known actresses in their twenties as Ion Sweat models?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then why me..."
"Since last year, Ion Sweat changed their ad strategy from pure innocence to youth. And with that, they started using teenage actresses as models too."
"Ah..."
"Anyway, what matters is that they reached out to us. Of course, passing the audition will be difficult, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so do your best."
"Yes."
From that day until the audition, I took additional acting lessons tailored to the audition every single day.
Finally, the day of the audition.
I headed to the audition venue in Soyeong unnie's car once again.
When I arrived, I saw more than ten young actresses sitting in the waiting area at a glance.
Even though I had come an hour before the start time, seeing that there was already a waiting line showed just how much attention the Ion Sweat ad was getting.
"So where should I sit..."
Seeing empty seats here and there, it seemed there was a separate audition order.
A staff member approached me and spoke.
"May I ask your name?"
"Ah, I'm I Dohui."
The staff member handed me a script, pointed to a seat, and said.
"Miss I Dohui, please have a seat over there for now. Since this audition involves acting with a designated script, please make sure to memorize it before your turn."
"Yes, thank you."
I took the script and sat in the seat the staff had assigned, opening it.
//
Spring.
It would be nice if it were always warm, but sometimes there's a spring cold snap.
It would be nice if the skies were always clear, but sometimes there's yellow dust.
But so what.
Finding the greenery amidst such a spring is what youth is all about, isn't it?
Find your greenery.
The blue inside you, Ion Sweat.
//
Hmm...
It felt more like a narration than a script.
How should I act it out?
Should I focus on my vocal tone first?
While I was agonizing over how to perform and memorizing the script, an hour passed and it was time for the audition.
A staff member called out.
"We'll begin the auditions starting from the front row."
The actress in the front row entered the audition room.
And then the next.
And then the next.
The actresses finished their auditions one by one, and finally it was my turn.
"Next person, please come in."
I got up from my seat and entered the audition room.
Inside, just like during month-end evaluations at the company, there were judges sitting in front, and a camera was set up.
The judge sitting in the center among the three spoke.
"Now then, let's start with a self-introduction, shall we?"
"Yes, hello. I'm I Dohui, 14 years old. I'll do my best."
"Ah, you're that trainee from the MV, right?"
"Yes, that's correct!"
"I see. Have you ever filmed a commercial before?"
"Ah..."
I did film one when I was five, but...
That dark history doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned.
"Never."
"Got it. Then, do you have a prepared free acting piece?"
Even though I had heard this was an audition with a designated script, the judge was suddenly requesting a free acting piece.
I put on an expression of resignation, looked blankly at the judges, and spoke.
"I'm failing anyway, right? Since it's come to this, I'll be honest with you."
The judges put on slightly flustered expressions.
"Rather than having an interest in makeup, I got a certificate with the mindset that I should at least fill in the special skills section since I'm ordinary compared to the other trainees."
"You can't do it properly, right?"
"Must it... be a dream...?"
"I don't have a dream in my life. Because I'm afraid and scared of failing. But if you give me a chance, I'll work hard. I'm confident in one thing: my ability to endure."
When I finished my acting, thankfully, the judges' expressions weren't bad.
Whew...
It was a script I had practiced in advance with Hye-yeong ssaem in case they suddenly requested a free acting piece.
The judge on the left spoke.
"That's the most interesting free acting piece I've seen so far."
"Thank you."
"Now then, let's check your expression this time. Can you give us a bright smile?"
"Yes!"
I looked at the judges and smiled brightly.
At the sight of my smile, the corners of the judges' lips rose in turn.
One of them even let out a laugh.
It was my first audition ever, but the atmosphere seemed good so far.
"Okay. Now we'll see the designated acting piece. Have you memorized the script?"
Ah...
I had been so immersed in the free acting that I suddenly couldn't remember the designated script.
After a brief internal struggle, I decided to just be honest.
I put on a cute, troubled smile and spoke to the judges.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry, but could I take a quick look at the script before I do it?"
Fortunately, the judges didn't look disappointed.
"Yes, go ahead."
"Thank you~"
I figured this was better than messing it up without looking for no reason.
After briefly looking over the script, I began to act as if narrating.
"Spring."
Conscious that a typical commercial ran rather long at 30 seconds, I slowly continued my monologue.
"It would be nice if it were always warm, but sometimes there's a spring cold snap."
"It would be nice if the skies were always clear, but sometimes there's yellow dust."
"But so what."
"Finding the greenery amidst such a spring is what youth is all about, isn't it?"
And after pretending to take a drink.
Imagining a fresh image, I smiled and said,
"Find your greenery."
"The blue inside you, Ion Sweat!"
The center judge said with a smile.
"We enjoyed watching you."
"Thank you!"
"Your facial structure is definitely excellent. We will contact you regarding the results within the next few days."
"Yes! Thank you."
After finishing my greeting, I quickly left the audition room.
When I came out, Soyeong unnie was standing and waiting.
We talked as we headed down to the parking lot to get in the car.
"So, how did the audition go?"
"Um... It wasn't too bad, but I was a bit nervous and blanked on the designated script for a moment."
"Really? So you couldn't do it at all??"
"No. I just asked for their understanding, looked over the script again, and then acted."
"That's a relief."
"Still, I'm pretty disappointed about it."
"It's okay, you did well. That's better than getting it wrong without looking. Just take it easy. If you pass, great; if not, it can't be helped."
"Okay."
.
.
.
Three days later.
I went up to the third floor at the team leader's call.
The team leader spoke to me with a wide smile.
"Dohui, you passed."
"Excuse me? Really?"
"Yeah. Come to the commercial shoot in five days."
I had blanked on the designated script and thought I'd obviously fail.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
More than that, it was my first time seeing the team leader smile so brightly.
They always had a stern expression or only smiled slightly.
Anyway, it definitely felt like I was getting closer to debut, one step at a time.