Baek Seungjun’s firm fist rested on the table. Doyun swallowed hard.
“Aren’t you listening to me? Get out.”
Baek Seungjun bit out the words, his fury palpable, as he commanded once more. In the chilling atmosphere, where no one dared to speak, Nam Yiwon leaned towards Baek Seungjun’s ear and whispered.
Though he feigned a hushed tone, covering his mouth with his hand, his voice remained at its usual volume, making it clear he intended for everyone to hear.
“You’re already working with a dirty bastard, Senior.”
Baek Seungjun glared back, his eyes bulging, as Nam Yiwon pointed a finger at himself. He then stretched his lips into a long smile, so wide that the bandage on his mouth pushed up his cheek.
After uttering words no one could possibly laugh along with, Nam Yiwon began to chuckle alone. His low laughter echoed through the room, where everyone held their breath.
Listening to the prolonged mirth, Doyun felt a disorienting confusion, unsure if this was reality or some grotesque dream.
‘This is absolutely terrifying.’
‘What was this bizarre atmosphere? Were these two truly going to collaborate on a production?’
“Alright, alright, life doesn’t always go our way, does it? Let’s begin now.”
Breaking the chilling tension, CP Jo Seonghyeon smoothly drew everyone’s attention. Baek Seungjun glared at Doyun with an expression that suggested he might flip the table at any moment, but thankfully, he offered no further objections.
****
The audition commenced in a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. Doyun silently listened to the ongoing conversations.
“Actor Jang Yun-gyeol. It seems you’ve appeared in many independent films. What role did you take on in
“Ah, in
While brief questions and answers were exchanged with all the actors, Baek Seungjun did not utter a single word to Doyun. ‘Surely, he isn’t just going to leave me sitting here, ignore me, and put me down, is he?’
Doyun shot Nam Yiwon an intense look, signaling his readiness. Whether it had an effect or not, Nam Yiwon finally called his name.
“Actor Kim Doyun, please read for the victim role in the first episode. Actor Ryujeong, would you mind playing the opposing role?”
“Yep!”
Doyun glanced sideways at Ryujeong, who had answered with a resounding voice. Ryujeong was a new actor of similar age who performed quite well, yet Doyun considered his own looks superior.
He licked his lips and scanned the script. It was a scene where a naive and diligent young man expressed anger over medical malpractice, making emotional expression key.
The narration alone stretched for five lines right from the start. Doyun lowered his voice and began to read the narration clearly and deliberately.
“Until then, I didn’t know. That catastrophe would soon strike and completely destroy a family, no, ruin it.”
As he diligently read the script to immerse himself, he met Ryujeong’s gaze, noticing Ryujeong’s lips twitching precariously. Doyun could see Ryujeong biting his lip and pressing his fist into his thigh, clearly struggling to suppress laughter.
‘Laughing at someone else’s acting? He’ll never amount to anything great.’ Doyun ignored him and continued reading until the last line of the narration.
Just as he was about to utter his first line, Baek Seungjun frowned deeply and shook his head.
“Stop. That’s enough.”
‘He hadn’t even read his first line yet.’ Before Doyun could even feel embarrassed, Nam Yiwon raised his hand.
“Actor Kim Doyun? Shall we try the third victim role as well?”
“Huh? Yes!”
Seizing the new opportunity that had immediately presented itself, Doyun quickly found the script. The script for the third episode demanded advanced acting skills right from the start.
“Just a moment.”
Doyun pulled out his secret weapon, prepared in advance from his pocket. He tilted his head back, sprayed artificial tears into both eyes, then blinked repeatedly to create the effect of tear-filled eyes.
Next, recalling the irritating Baek Seungjun, he flared his nostrils and made an expression of injustice. ‘Who even wants to be in your drama? You don’t know your place, throwing your weight around!’
Having shouted inwardly, he found himself able to summon the necessary emotion. For his passionate performance, Doyun sprang to his feet and pointed an accusing finger into the air.
“What is all this? Huh? You said you’d resolve my injustice, but this is a different story! I knew it from the moment you said you’d give me a little bit of money! You incompetent pieces of sh*t!”
The tip of his pointing finger involuntarily aimed at Baek Seungjun. To leave a strong impression, he even mixed in expletives not found in the script.
Baek Seungjun squeezed his eyes shut, brought his hands together neatly, and pressed them against his brow. His absurd posture, as if he were praying, made Doyun let out a hollow laugh.
‘Anyway, I just need to make a good impression on Nam Yiwon.’ Doyun lifted his chin, intending to perform while maintaining eye contact with Nam Yiwon.
The gaze he expected to meet was cruelly averted. Nam Yiwon wasn’t even looking at Doyun.
He was propping his chin with one hand, smiling as he watched Baek Seungjun. Even as Doyun shrieked and added non-scripted interjections in his fervent performance, Nam Yiwon offered him not a single glance, his eyes fixed solely on Baek Seungjun.
Nam Yiwon continued to gaze at Baek Seungjun throughout, only raising his hand when Doyun had nearly finished reading a full page of the script.
“Actor Kim Doyun? Would you like to try the victim in the second episode as well?”
“Stop it. My patience has its limits.”
Baek Seungjun, having reached his breaking point, snarled through clenched teeth. Doyun had thought Baek Seungjun was unrestrained, saying whatever he wanted—calling him a “dirty bastard,” telling him to “get out”—but apparently, that was him holding back significantly.
Doyun glanced between Nam Yiwon and Baek Seungjun, assessing the tense atmosphere.
“If you have something to say to me, say it directly after this. Don’t cause a scene here.”
“Cause a scene? I just want to see Actor Kim Doyun act more.”
“Why waste time watching a terrible performance with such poor pronunciation three times?”
‘That son of a b*tch’s words were too harsh.’ Seungjun continued to barrage him with words, not even sparing a glance for Doyun, whose face was flushing.
“And the victim in the second episode is a woman, by the way.”
“What does gender matter to a true actor? You can do it, can’t you, Actor Kim Doyun?”
“Yes. I’ll do it!”
Doyun sprang to his feet and took the script for the second episode. It was a script intended for casting a female actor, so he was reading it for the first time on the spot.
‘No matter what, they’re all victims of injustice, so I can just act the same, right?’ His voice was naturally on the higher side, so playing a female role wasn’t out of the question.
Doyun cleared his throat with an “Aah,” then raised his tone considerably.
“It’s so unfair. I can’t sleep even when I lie down at night, and even when I close my eyes, bile rises up. What should I do?”
As he tried to create a lingering effect with a trembling voice at the end, he started to gag on phlegm. It was disgusting to swallow the phlegm that had gathered in his throat, so he held it there, only to see Baek Seungjun staring at him with an incredulous expression.
Unable to remain like that or spit on the floor, he was at a loss. Doyun ultimately squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the phlegm.
“Ugh!”
Being somewhat squeamish, he felt a surge of dry heaves. He clamped his hand over his mouth, struggling to regain composure, and noticed staff members in the back trying to stifle their laughter.
The actors beside him were also flaring their nostrils, trying to hold back. ‘I was so embarrassed, I wanted to just die.’
Even in this humiliating state, Nam Yiwon was not looking at Doyun, but at Baek Seungjun. He watched Baek Seungjun, who was pressing a pen hard into the back of his hand, enduring the torment.
At first, Doyun had been pleased that Nam Yiwon was showing him attention, but gradually, the positive feelings faded, replaced by a growing sense of unease. Doyun had just realized why Nam Yiwon kept singling him out to perform.
Nam Yiwon wasn’t interested in him because he wanted to cast him. ‘It was to get under Baek Seungjun’s skin.’
“Actor Kim Doyun, your special skills include dancing and singing, I see?”
‘Stop it, you crazy bastard.’ Doyun lifted his head, his face contorted into a frown. Nam Yiwon held Doyun’s portfolio in his hand.
Typically, people would list every conceivable skill they were even slightly good at under “special talents.” Dance, song, English. The thought that Nam Yiwon might make him perform all the listed skills right there made his stomach churn.
“Yes. I was an idol trainee for a short period.”
“Oh? Can we see it?”
No sooner had Nam Yiwon finished speaking than a pen flew from Baek Seungjun’s hand. The well-sprung pen dropped from the table and rolled across the floor.
Fearing Baek Seungjun, now clearly enraged, might cause another scene, Doyun quickly stood up. ‘Since I had to do it anyway, it was better to dance quickly and get it over with.’
His mind went blank with nervousness, the only dance he could recall being the sexy choreography he had recently practiced. As Doyun began to sing and perform a sexy dance, Baek Seungjun started tearing at his hair with both hands.
Seeing Baek Seungjun suffer as if Doyun’s song and dance were some exorcism ritual, Doyun secretly felt a perverse satisfaction.
‘Begone, evil spirit!’ Doyun danced vigorously, intensifying his “exorcism” of Baek Seungjun. Watching Baek Seungjun’s stress levels skyrocket in real-time, Doyun grew increasingly excited and confident.
He could perfectly understand Nam Yiwon’s feelings, who was grinning beside him.
“You should have done better~ oh, oh, bad boy!”
“Actor Kim Doyun?”
While Doyun was swaying his hips in a wave, Nam Yiwon called his name again and raised his hand. Baek Seungjun, his forehead flushed crimson, snatched Nam Yiwon’s hand and forcibly pulled it down.
Their clasped hands fell heavily onto the table.
Thud.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the sound of friction. The staff member looking at their phone, the CP glancing at his watch, the actors idly watching Doyun dance—and Doyun himself—all froze, observing the clash of the titans.
Baek Seungjun and Nam Yiwon faced each other in that exact posture for several seconds. Nam Yiwon narrowed his eyes as he looked down at their joined hands, but Baek Seungjun did not smile, not even once. Nor did he withdraw his hand.