wavenovel Chapter 1344 Audition
Chapter 1344 Audition
Chapter 1344 Audition
"Then there were some things about the audition..."
"...That's about it. You've auditioned for Ji-won many times, so I don't need to say more. I just saw that you did a very detailed character profile for this role. Just relax and be natural, and you'll definitely be fine."
A van was speeding across the bridge to Jongno-gu. Kim Ji-won was sitting in the back seat looking at her phone, listening to her manager and company representative, Kim Hyun-woo, talking to her about the upcoming audition for "Mouse".
“I heard that a lot of people have been eyeing this drama recently, so the competition for your role is quite fierce… The company has already found out that the producer and Ji Kyung-won have the most say in casting this time. As long as they think it’s okay, there won’t be any problems.”
Hearing her manager's serious words, Kim Ji-won looked up and asked, "Are there many people auditioning for the role of Choi Hong-joo?"
"A lot~"
Kim Hyun-woo nodded immediately, looking like he was well-informed: "Because of Netflix, and because there wasn't a complete script, the show wasn't initially highly regarded by powerful agencies and actors. However, after Ji Kyung-won was confirmed to play the male lead, and the final script was released, almost all the companies raised their ratings for the show."
"In addition, Netflix is very willing to invest, so although this show will not be broadcast on television, many companies have already regarded it as an A-level production, and the level of importance attached to it has naturally been raised to a very high level."
"and……"
He paused, then smacked his lips. "Besides these reasons, some actors, or rather their agents, are all after Ji Jingyuan. You've probably heard about some of his stories... Anyway, this audition is quite competitive."
"So, Oppa, who are we going there for?" Kim Ji-won asked with a teasing expression.
"Uh."
Kim Ji-won's words made Kim Hyun-woo pause for a moment. He glanced helplessly at his mischievous subordinate, but he was already used to it and didn't shy away from it. He shrugged frankly and said, "Although I really want to say that there is no reason for this, I really can't say that it is unrelated... After all, neither Ji Kyung-won himself nor the connections behind him can be ignored."
"But relatively speaking, the company actually values the opportunity to appear in this TV series more."
After making a couple of somewhat perfunctory statements of truth, the agent immediately began to try and cover up his lie:
"Of course, the company couldn't have done nothing during this time. Compared to other actresses, the production team has high hopes for you, Ji-won. The company has already communicated with the production team, and several of the main creators also think you are very suitable for this role. As long as there are no major mistakes in the audition, there shouldn't be any problems."
After recounting the efforts of his agency over the past period, Kim Hyun-woo suddenly seemed to remember something, and with a mysterious expression, he kept everyone in suspense: "According to information gathered by the company, the initial production team did not actually include you in the shortlist for the role of Choi Hong-joo... Ji-won, do you know who invited you to audition?"
"Who?"
Upon hearing this, Kim Ji-won became interested and blinked as she looked over: "It's not Ji Kyung-won, is it?"
She's not stupid; the agent's tone clearly indicated that he was someone connected to her... Of the entire cast and crew of "The Spy," she only knew Chi Jingyuan.
"Inside is Chi Jingyuan."
Kim Hyun-woo immediately smiled and nodded: "I heard that he thought you were suitable and invited you to audition..."
"..."
Although the manager seemed somewhat happy, as if this would significantly increase Kim Ji-won's chances of getting the role, Kim Ji-won herself wasn't particularly excited. Instead, she seemed to be thinking about something and slightly pursed her lips.
"...Speaking of which, Ji-won, you worked with Kyung-won on 'The Heirs' a few years ago. Have you not had any contact since then? I don't think I've ever heard you mention it before. What about his personality in private...?"
Kim Hyun-woo brought up past events, clearly showing interest in Ji Kyung-won. However, after talking for a while, he turned around and found Kim Ji-won slumped in her seat, staring at her phone intently.
He seemed to realize something, his expression instantly changed, and he shifted his tone, questioning, "What are you looking at? Park Joon-seo isn't asking you out again, is he?"
This year's "Fight for My Way" has achieved great success, bringing significant benefits to the lead actors Park Joon-seo and Kim Ji-won, which is something that Kim Hyun-woo and his agency are very happy about.
However, what displeased him was that the male lead, Park Joon-seo, clearly developed feelings for Kim Ji-won during filming. Not only did they play a couple in the drama, but he also began pursuing her after filming wrapped. Even after the entire drama had finished airing and all related activities had ended, he continued to pursue her, often taking the initiative to ask his artists out for meetings.
After all, they were working together and got along well during filming, so Kim Ji-won couldn't keep refusing... But what annoyed her manager the most was that, seemingly due to some immersion in the role during filming, he felt that Kim Ji-won also seemed to have feelings for Park Seo-joon.
This gave him a real headache, and there were even some rumors circulating outside... So every time he saw it, he would give him repeated instructions.
"Ji-won."
Before Kim Ji-won could reply, her manager immediately began to earnestly persuade her: "It's not that the company doesn't allow you to date, but you've just successfully landed a leading role in a drama and are currently in the rising phase of your career. You absolutely cannot expose your relationship now, as it will have a significant impact on both your popularity and endorsements."
"and……"
As he spoke, he curled his lip in disdain: "Even if we're going to date, it doesn't have to be him. There are definitely better options. You're not..."
"Oppa~"
Kim Ji-won was so engrossed in her manager's rambling that she didn't have a chance to speak. She watched helplessly as he rattled off a whole bunch of things, and finally couldn't take it anymore. She interrupted her manager, saying, "Oppa, it's not Jun-seo oppa at all. You should ask him first before you speak... Besides, you've said these things so many times already, I can recite them by heart."
After grumbling twice in dissatisfaction, and seeing her manager's slightly embarrassed but still somewhat suspicious gaze, Kim Ji-won straightened her expression and said, "I already made things clear with Jun-seo oppa before, and now we have a normal relationship."
Her manager was right. Kim Ji-won was quite invested in the filming and spent every day with her co-star, so she did develop some feelings for him and even felt that he was quite similar to her ideal type. But after filming wrapped up and she calmed down a bit, she realized that he wasn't her type at all.
"...Well, Oppa, look what I'm looking at. I'm looking at the news online. Today's news isn't all about the GUCCI dinner last night."
To convince her manager and stop bothering her, Kim Ji-won even brought her phone screen closer and sat up straight, asking, "Did you see that?"
Kim Hyun-woo pulled the screen and found that it was actually a news photo of Ji Kyung-won with the headline "Yuan attends GUCCI dinner in style and gives a speech as global ambassador".
"That's good now that it's confirmed... I was just saying that."
Realizing he had misunderstood, Kim Hyun-woo gave an embarrassed smile, but still offered a concerned word in the tone of someone with experience: "Ji-won, it's not that Oppa or the company is trying to stop you... Oppa knows your personality too well. You're rather introverted and quiet. I really suggest you don't date anyone in the industry. Many people in the industry... are really not suitable for you."
"Who can say for sure about these things?"
Upon hearing her manager's words, Kim Ji-won muttered something to herself, then expressed her gratitude and thanked her manager, saying, "I understand, thank you, oppa."
The car drove towards Jongno-gu. After a moment of silence, Kim Hyun-woo suddenly remembered something: "By the way, did you say hello to Kyung-won-ssi at today's audition?"
"How should I greet him?"
"You know him, wouldn't it be better to tell him?"
"No."
………………
The audition was held in a conference room at a business hotel next to the Netflix Peninsula headquarters in the Centropolis Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Although Netflix hasn't achieved much success in the peninsula market in over a year, its investment continues to increase. The Centropolis building is a modern high-rise building that integrates commerce and office space, with a monthly rent of around 8 million won per floor. The fact that Netflix was able to book an entire floor of it shows its financial strength.
“This is… Kyungwon-xi, Annyeonghaseyo~”
At the audition at the Chi Jing Yuan Hotel, as soon as I entered, several men who seemed to have been waiting there took the initiative to greet me, and their attitude was very enthusiastic and even somewhat humble.
"Annyeonghaseyo~"
He only realized after they introduced themselves that they were the agents of several actors who were auditioning that day.
He could tell at a glance that this was probably a small agency with few connections, or a new agent... For these small agencies, or even agents who work independently, Chi Jingyuan was definitely a powerful figure in the industry.
From a distance, Chi Jingyuan could see several young, handsome men not far away. They looked like models or up-and-coming actors. When they saw him, they naturally smiled, bowed, and greeted him.
Chi Jingyuan didn't hold back his politeness, greeting them with a smile. After exchanging a few meaningless words with the agents, he left.
"Jingyuan is here."
"PDnim, good morning~"
Upon entering the conference room, Chi Jingyuan saw several key members of the production team and Netflix staff. After exchanging familiar greetings and a few pleasantries, Chi Jingyuan sat down and asked, "Have all the auditioning actors arrived yet?"
There were several auditions for the main roles, which were scheduled for different time slots today. The auditions for the male roles were held in the morning and the first half of the afternoon, while the female roles were scheduled for the later part of the day.
"They're almost all here, and we're pretty much done with our preparations."
The group exchanged glances, and producer Lin Xiuyan checked the time: "Go and inform them that the auditions can begin, and have them come in in order."
Several key members of the production team sat in a row waiting for the actors to come in, while Ji Kyung-won sat in the middle right, looking slightly nervous as he waited for the audition to begin.
This was his first time sitting on the 'judge's seat' to audition and evaluate actors, so he found it quite novel and anticipated. He didn't actually have much experience with this kind of thing, except for the time he auditioned for the female lead in a music video.
But thinking back to the agents and new actors I met when I first came in, this feeling of 'having the power of life and death over others' is indeed very good. It makes you clearly feel the power in your hands... No wonder those directors and producers in the show are all so arrogant.
The first person to come in was the senior actor Ahn Jae-wook, and the person who auditioned was the biological father of the male lead Jung Ba-reum, who played the first psychopathic killer Han Seo-joon.
...Actually, the role had already been basically decided to be his, and everyone thought he was very suitable, so there was no need for an audition.
However, this guy seemed to still have some hesitation, so he took the initiative to apply for this audition, wanting to really confirm his suitability for the role through a live performance.
In terms of dedication, there's no doubt about it.
When Ahn Jae-wook appeared, seeing his handsome appearance with a mature and steady demeanor and a touch of melancholy, and his gentle and refined manner, Ji Kyung-won instantly knew that he was the perfect choice for the role of the psychopathic killer Han Seo-joon.
This guy is perfect in both appearance and public image; he leans towards the gentle and elegant type, but...
Although it's not nice to think like that, the moment Chi Jingyuan saw him, he felt that he was particularly suited to play a psychopath.
Moreover, his appearance is a good match for him... After all, they are biological father and son. With such an outstanding appearance as the son, Ji Kyung-won, the father cannot be just anyone.
Ahn Jae-wook is perfect for the role; he's handsome enough, and you can tell he has a story to tell.
Meanwhile, under Ji Kyung-won's observation, as soon as this guy appeared, director Ahn Gil-ho, writer Choi Ran, and several others all showed satisfied expressions... Clearly, everyone was very satisfied with Ahn Jae-wook.
What happened after the audition stage was quite interesting. It seemed that because it was his first time trying out the role of a psychopathic killer, Ahn Jae-wook, who had been acting for decades, actually showed some nervousness.
However, it must be said that the acting was really good. The way he sat there, raised his eyebrows, and smiled, perfectly captured the image of the psychopathic killer that Ji Kyung-won and the crew had in mind.
Given his status and fame, all the main creators instantly reached a consensus, and the first role was undisputed... Even Ahn Jae-wook himself felt it was a bit too fast, and he seemed a little hesitant when he left.
...But Chi Jingyuan always felt that this guy was still a little unsatisfied.
However, after the first role was confirmed as expected, disagreements arose during the audition for the second male lead, Gao Wuzhi.
After the auditions, two actors were deemed suitable for the role. One was actor Lee Hee-joon, who seemed to have gotten through to writer Choi Ran, who was quite supportive of him… and indeed, he was quite suitable. His audition performance was excellent; although he didn't have a particularly impressive resume, he had rich acting experience and delivered a very powerful performance.
The other is actor Heo Sung-tae, whose audition performance was not as good as Lee Hee-joon's, but his resume was obviously better.
Ji Kyung-won could tell that producer Lim Soo-yeon was more inclined to support him.
However, Chi Kyung-won felt that Heo Sung-tae was a bit too old and his appearance was a little too mature.
Because the male lead Zheng Balin's role was expanded in the final script, making him practically a one-man show among the male characters, the other male roles didn't need to be played by well-known actors. The most important thing for the character of Gao Wuzhi was his acting skills and explosive power.
...A male actor with real popularity and status wouldn't play a supporting role to Ji Kyung-won.
The same applies to the other male character, Sung Yo-han. The auditionees were all newcomers, idol actors, or young actors with little fame. The one who left a deep impression on Ji Kyung-won during the audition was Lee Soo-hyuk, a YG-signed actor... mainly because he had very distinctive features.
After a long period of auditions and discussions, the male roles were finally almost finished with their auditions, and in the afternoon, it was the female roles' turn to audition.