Yuan walked slowly, his fists clenched by his side. His eyes were already glistening, and the room turned silent.
“She did not die… from illness,” he muttered.
His voice cracked quietly. There was a poetic kind of pain to his tone. His voice was quiet, too, so Daeshim had to lean closer to understand what he was saying.
After that, Daniel was next.
He had gone to the salon early in the morning just for this audition. His hair was styled to perfection, and he was wearing a hanbok-inspired jacket to elevate his look.
He flashed his ‘killer smile’ at the camera filming him before starting.
“Imagine that. My mother—who scrubbed floors with hands that once touched a prince—strangled like vermin.”
He delivered the line with intensity, but his brows furrowed like a model on a runway.
Annie tilted her head to the side. His gaze was quite magnetic, and he looked really good on the screen, too.
Annie pursed her lips. If this was a modern drama, he would have probably done better.
Then, the next esteemed actor entered the room.
Suho came in without a script, unlike the past two actors.
His face changed instantly as soon as he was instructed to start. A huge factor why he was in so many period dramas was because of his face.
He had one of that of a nobleman—an old face. Not in a literal sense, but he appeared like he was born in the ancient era.
“You people think you’re gods, sitting here. However, you are nothing but scums that do not have an ounce of contention.”
“If the heavens allow it, I will burn this house down…”
Suho wiped the tears away from his eyes and bowed as soon as he was finished.
“Thank you,” Chachi smiled. “We’ll let the company know about the result.”
Suho nodded with a wide smile. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said before leaving the room.
As soon as he was gone, Annie let out a deep breath, capturing Daeshim’s and Chachi’s attention.
“Let’s have a short break,” Chachi smiled.
Daeshim nodded in agreement. “Let’s talk about those three first. What do you think about them, Annie?” he asked.
Annie placed her hand under her chin.
“It’s… strange,” she started off. “All of them are decent actors, with Suho being the best one among the bunch. They also have different styles.”
“Yuan was a little too melancholic to my liking. Hajin is a prince who had been wielded by the worst. He shows tears, but this is not the instance for him to show his weakness to the rest of his relatives.”
“On the other hand, Daniel’s acting is too… handsome?” she asked, eliciting laughter from the two older individuals.
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing,” Chachi commented.
“Hmm,” Annie hummed. “I did portray Hajin as attractive. However, Daniel seems like the type to prioritize his looks over committing to the role. I don’t know,” she muttered.
“And Suho… he really is good at acting,” she said.
“I agree with that,” Daeshim muttered, encircling Suho’s name.
“It must be because of his experience,” Annie continued. “He was also the only one who spoke the early modern Korean language, as opposed to the other two.”
“But?” Daeshim asked, knowing she still had more to say.
“But, it seems he fits the role of the younger brother better,” Annie added.
Daeshim smirked, not commenting on her statement.
“Let’s bring the next one in,” he said to Chachi.
Chachi obeyed and told the next hopeful to enter.
Oska entered the room, and the three of them instantly felt the shift in the air. Daeshim was acquainted with Oska’s father, who was another esteemed director.
With that, he unconsciously straightened his back.
Annie, too, couldn’t deny Oska’s presence. It was different. As expected from an A-lister from Daebak Entertainment.
He didn’t introduce himself because he believed there was no use when they already knew who he was.
What he does first is laugh—loud and bitter with tones of mockery.
“YES! That’s the one!” he exclaimed, appearing full of energy.
His veins pulsed when he shouted, and his eyes showed the fury of a cornered animal.
“Remember this day. The day the bastard sat where the Crown Prince once did.”
Annie gasped as soon as he said those lines. Out of everyone who had said it, his felt the most emotionally aligned.
Daeshim and Cachi seemed to agree as they stopped scribbling on their notepads, merely appreciating the scene that Oska had acted out.
With that, Oska bowed with a proud smile.
“Thank you,” he said. “I am expecting good news.”
Annie was still lost in her thoughts when she heard Daeshim respond.
“You will,” the director said with a wide smile.
She turned to him with slightly wide eyes. Did he already make a decision?
As soon as Oska was gone, Annie turned to him.
“Do you think he’s the best Hajin?” she asked.
Daeshim crossed his arms in front of his chest. “His acting resonated well with me,” he said. “I would say that he did the best among everybody today. Along with that, he’s from Daebak. That company can bring in more sponsors.”
Annie’s breath got caught in the back of her throat. Daeshim’s last statement made her feel like everything had already been decided from the very beginning.
While she found Oska’s performance to be really good, she felt that something was missing.
Maybe it was because he had never truly encountered the feeling of starting at the bottom—as they were already rich even when he was young—but it lacked the struggle that Annie wanted from Hajin.
“There’s still one more, though,” Chachi said, pulling up the last piece of paper.
“Zeno Han,” she read, then her eyes widened in realization. “He actually came.”
Annie snapped out of her thoughts. “Zeno Han,” she muttered. She had heard of his name before, but she was sure she hadn’t seen any of his works.
“I’ve never heard of him before,” Daeshim muttered.
“He has acted in ‘Broken Chains of Justice’ as an extra and then on a popular YouWatch short series.”
“Makes sense,” Daeshim muttered. “I didn’t watch any of his content.”
“Anyway, he is rising to popularity,” Chachi commented. “But, in terms of projects, he hasn’t had a lead role, I believe.”
“Well, he’s already here,” Daeshim grumbled. “So, bring him in.”