Looking back, it was a scene with nothing particularly extraordinary.
Princess Yeonhwa merely turned her body slowly at the boy's call.
That was all she did.
'Acting.'
Planning producer Ha Tae-oh naturally recalled that word.
Acting is not simply reciting lines.
Every action that expresses emotion.
From facial expressions, to the look in the eyes.
Even the movement of the body.
All of that is expressed through the act of acting.
「So, you were looking for me.」
The full-fledged lines had not yet come out.
However, everyone held their breath at the sheer presence of Princess Yeonhwa as she quietly turned around.
Princess Yeonhwa, leaving the palace for a distant place.
Those who played her expressed that emotion with sorrow.
And, Jo Seo-hee poured out her emotions, successfully bringing tears to her eyes.
But the Princess Yeonhwa before them did not cry.
Sorrow.
Of course, it was felt.
But beyond that, a greater fury appeared in her eyes.
I thought her eyes, which had been red like the sunset, grew a shade darker.
A fury that could not be buried by sorrow.
Herself, fleeing alone from the rebellion, and the mastermind behind it all.
A fury seething with intensity against everything stood contained there.
The young Yun Seo-il, facing that head-on, could not continue speaking.
His mind simply went blank.
He had to speak next. He had memorized all his prepared lines.
Only such thoughts swirled in his head.
「Why, do you have no words?」
Normally, it should have ended there.
But the lips of Princess Yeonhwa, who was looking at the silent boy, opened.
「Or, are words too precious, to waste on someone like me?」
This was close to venting her anger.
It was venting her anger at the boy who had called out to Princess Yeonhwa, who had been swallowing her sorrow alone.
"……Hiccup."
At that blade-like voice, a hiccup soon escaped from the young Yun Seo-il's mouth.
Looking closely, tears had even formed in his eyes.
It truly felt like standing before royalty.
Daring to utter a word here felt like committing a grave sin.
"C-cut! Cut! That's enough. The acting is sufficient at that level!"
Thanks to that, the fierce atmosphere vanished like a lie at the shout of Gong Jung-tae, the filming director of Tae Sum Dal, who had come to his senses.
The Princess Yeonhwa who had just been before everyone had changed to Seo Yeon, blinking blankly.
However, no one could mock Seo Yeon's attitude as they had before.
'……Didn't they say she was a parachute?'
Is that a parachute?
Airborne division all right.
Disbelief filled the faces of the child actors who had been aiming for the role of Princess Yeonhwa.
They didn't know there would be another child who could showcase acting of that caliber, following Jo Seo-hee.
'No way.'
Among the astonished crowd, the most surprised was undoubtedly Jo Seo-hee, who had been smiling confidently.
'She said she only filmed commercials.'
Is that the skill of someone who only filmed commercials?
It was infuriating, truly infuriating, but the scene just now was an interpretation that even Jo Seo-hee had not dared to think of.
'No, that's the wrong answer. The script clearly stated that Princess Yeonhwa sheds tears from a sorrowful heart.'
The acting the script demanded was of Princess Yeonhwa shedding tears toward Yun Seo-il, receiving comfort from him.
But in Seo Yeon's acting just now, a chilling coldness resonated more than anguish.
Therefore, it was wrong acting.
Jo Seo-hee desperately tried to think so.
"……I've heard child actors these days are scary, but."
"She's worth the recommendation, definitely worth recommending."
"I don't know about anything else, but her emotional delivery is really impressive? It's much better than most adult actors."
Ha Tae-oh glanced at Jo Min-tae, who had visited the filming set.
The CF director who was Jo Bang-woo's son.
'Is it luck. Or does he have a good eye.'
Those who were judging the audition, without exception, revisited Seo Yeon's acting from earlier.
'At first, she was definitely looking at the sunset.'
'Since she was staring at the sun head-on, her eyes must have been too dazzled to open properly.'
'And then she turned around at Yun Seo-il's call…….'
Needless to say, the sun was overhead.
There was still a long time left before the sunset.
But, watching Seo Yeon's acting, it felt as if the sunset was right in front of her.
It evoked the image of the moon standing with its back to the light.
"But, that was a line not in the script."
"It was an ad-lib. A really natural one, though."
"The emotional acting was also a bit different from what the script required. What did you think, Director Gong?"
This was where the intention of Director Gong, who was directing the filming, mattered.
Because he was the one who led the direction and acting of this drama.
"The acting was really good……but, honestly, a sensitive director wouldn't like it. Too much of her own subjectivity was put into the acting."
"That's true. This is honestly the first time I've seen a child actor like this. Usually, they just do as they're told."
"Yes, that's right. That's how it should be……."
Interpreting the script in one's own way and acting accordingly is behavior usually shown by experienced actors.
But Seo Yeon had naturally accomplished that at a young age.
Was this talent?
"Ah, wait. Could it be that she acted according to the original work?"
At that moment, someone brought up that point.
The original work.
Come to think of it, this Tae Sum Dal was a drama based on a novel.
"In the original work, Princess Yeonhwa gets angry at Yun Seo-il. She vents her anger, consumed by self-pity and fury."
But the drama's Princess Yeonhwa emphasized a more static aspect rather than such a fierce demeanor.
That way, Yun Seo-il's character would stand out in this scene.
"……If she read the original work, it might not be wrong acting."
"Hmm."
Of course, setting that aside, it was sufficiently good acting.
Natural ad-libbing.
Even deep emotional acting.
The problem was that it was different from the acting the script demanded.
"Compared to Jo Seo-hee……."
The princess of the daily drama.
That was what everyone called Jo Seo-hee.
A title praising her talent, believing without a doubt that she would become a great actress in the future.
"Honestly, if you only look at the acting, it's hard to compare."
"Her emotional delivery is leagues apart. In terms of skill…… Jo Seo-hee was certainly amazing too. No, she had many better parts as well."
Looking solely at acting, Jo Seo-hee was an honor student.
An honor student who received perfect scores in everything.
But Seo Yeon was like a wild horse.
Acting accompanied by her own interpretation and natural ad-libs.
This could end up a mess if the counterpart didn't receive it properly.
Just like earlier, when the scene partner couldn't utter a single word.
'The Yun Seo-il role is easy, but…….'
'To think I'd hit a wall with the Lee Hye-wol role.'
After a moment of conflict, they soon looked up and surveyed each other.
"Well, first of all, this isn't the only prepared scene, so let's watch everything and then decide."
"Yes. There's no need to be hasty."
They conversed like that and decided to continue the audition.
The role would be decided in a meeting later anyway.
But they already knew.
Who the child actress to play Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol, would be.
---
'Did I overdo it?'
The intense reaction she felt when she finished acting and looked at everyone wouldn't fade from her mind.
Crossing her arms and recalling that moment, her body flinched involuntarily.
She was worried that she might have just accumulated a dark history-level scene.
If there was a blanket in front of her, she would have definitely kicked it.
"Seo Yeon."
As she was having such thoughts while leaving the audition venue, Jo Min-tae spoke.
"This, I was really surprised watching your acting today."
"Yes?"
"Honestly, I was worried since it's your first drama, but rather, this side is your nature. I honestly thought the Princess Yeonhwa was really right in front of me."
Is this lip service?
No, looking at his expression, he seemed sincere.
'Thank goodness.'
I was worried that I had needlessly overdone it and accumulated a dark history, but it seemed to have been received fairly well.
As she let out a sigh of relief, her mom, who had also been quiet, tightly gripped her hand.
"Mom was really surprised too. You know Mom watches a lot of historical dramas. Even compared to the child actors who appear in those, Seo Yeon's acting was not lacking at all. No, I think it was much better."
"I-is that so?"
"Of course! As expected, our daughter is a genius!"
Perhaps because she was mindful of the eyes in the audition venue and couldn't speak up, Sua hugged her tightly and said so.
'A-air.'
Just as I was struggling against the heavy fat covering my face.
Jo Min-tae calmly continued speaking.
"Later, if there's an opportunity, and if I happen to film a drama or a movie. I would really like Seo Yeon to play the lead in that first work."
"Me?"
"Of course. But, by that time, Seo Yeon will have become a great actress whom one would hardly dare to even speak to."
He said that and laughed in a low voice.
"A-ah, no. If the opportunity comes, I'll definitely make sure to do it."
"Oh, really? No backing out later."
"Of course. It's a promise."
I answered like that and raised my arm high, extending my thumb from my clenched fist.
Then, as if stamping a seal, we pressed our thumbs together, ending a playful contract.
"Sometimes when I look at you, Seo Yeon, you're just like a boy. Actions like this are very refreshing."
"I-is that so?"
I flinched for a moment at the words comparing me to a boy.
Well, of course I'd seem like a boy. My past life was male.
My behavior has changed a lot, but my mind hasn't changed that much yet.
'Ahem, anyway.'
Jo Min-tae probably thought of this contract as a joke, but I was quite serious.
'If it's Director Jo Min-tae's first work, then it's 「The Thief」.'
It was an entertainment movie for killing time.
An exhilarating action movie from a genius director!
Well, it was promoted roughly like that.
If they put me in as the lead, I would only be grateful.
How many actors rose to fame with that.
Wasn't it the movie that sent Kim Jung-ha, who was on a high flight at the time, all the way to space?
'Ah, but I also have to do VTuber activities.'
The story of appearing in a ten-million movie was too much to even spin as a tall tale.
Saying I appeared as an extra would be unsatisfying.
If I said I appeared as the lead, it would be obvious who I was.
The red pill!
This was the part I had to be most careful about as a VTuber.
'Well, whatever.'
I'll think about that when the time comes.
I was still somewhat satisfied with my acting today.
Acting that was completely different from when I did the commercial, uniquely my own.
The moment of becoming another me.
Just like being a VTuber.
'I hope I get cast.'
Of course, that probably won't happen.
Jo Seo-hee acted amazingly well.
The reason I threw a bit of a wild card was also because I was overwhelmed by Jo Seo-hee's acting.
It was a gamble I put forward, thinking I could never win if I acted by the book.
I don't know if it sat well with the judges.
'Still, I really hope so.'
Like that, one week later.
The results of the Tae Sum Dal audition were announced.
Publicly, through a making-of video.