Chapter 8: Audition
Where do young Koreans usually gather for meals? It's almost always a barbecue restaurant.
There are various types of barbecue restaurants, such as grilled beef, grilled pork belly, and grilled intestines, all centered around the concept of grilling.
The group casually found a barbecue restaurant on the street that seemed popular and went inside.
"To be honest, when I saw you before, I always felt a bit familiar, but I never expected…"
After they were seated, Gao Yunzhen sat beside him, turning her head to look at Kwon Xuanhe.
After she returned home, she searched for Kwon Xuanhe's name and then remembered that he was a contestant from the recent Produce101.
He didn't look like those male idols with delicate makeup who resemble girls.
"You didn't expect it, right? It feels a bit regrettable."
Kwon Xuanhe's tone was somewhat dejected, revealing a hint of melancholy.
As the saying goes, the winner takes all. Even if he was only a few votes short, not debuting means not debuting. No opportunities or main roles would come knocking on his door. It was clear that his popularity would only last for a few days and wouldn't be long-term.
"I didn't mean to ask."
Gao Yunzhen didn't expect him to be so sensitive and immediately became flustered, trying to make amends in a panic.
"The acting I just did was good, right?"
Seeing her flustered appearance, Kwon Xuanhe burst into laughter, saying triumphantly.
Upon hearing him, Gao Yunzhen breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he didn't take it to heart, but at the same time, she was annoyed that he had tricked her.
However, this made the atmosphere instantly relaxed and lively.
"Do you have any plans next?"
Kwon Xuanhe tried to search online for the works in his mind, but found nothing. Due to the secrecy, he didn't try to ask Park Zhengting either.
If no news had been released yet, then it wouldn't be a recent work; it would be something for at least a year or two later.
"I participated in an audition, but the company told me to practice acting more and then appear in works later."
Gao Yunzhen's company is MAA, a company established in 2018, but it has strong backing and will not lack resources.
She started as a model, gained high popularity on Instagram, and later transitioned to acting. She was also the first artist signed by the company and was basically confirmed to be heavily promoted.
Bloggers with many followers on Instagram are called "influencers," a recent internet buzzword referring to popular bloggers with over 100,000 followers on social media platforms like YouTube or Instagram.
Gao Yunzhen debuted as a model, then shot commercials and uploaded beautiful photos on Instagram, gaining many followers. Her beautiful appearance gave her high online visibility, but in reality, not many people recognized her.
"What about you?"
Hearing this, Kwon Xuanhe smiled, "I'm about to prepare for an audition."
"That quickly? Didn't you just start learning acting?"
Gao Yunzhen was quite surprised, her expression showing some confusion.
"Yes."
Kwon Xuanhe nodded and readily admitted.
"And then?"
Seeing him say that without further explanation, Gao Yunzhen was even more bewildered and puzzled.
"What 'and then'? Am I supposed to do nothing? Life shouldn't stop; it should keep moving."
Kwon Xuanhe joked.
Gao Yunzhen couldn't help but pout slightly, leaning closer to him, "Talking like that is boring."
The restaurant was bustling with people, men and women talking loudly, discussing at length, and full of lively chatter.
After knowing him for some time, Gao Yunzhen had a general understanding of Kwon Xuanhe from online interactions and real-life conversations.
He was cheerful and outgoing, very courageous in whatever he did, and particularly good at talking.
Most importantly, he was truly handsome.
Not all young girls in real life prefer effeminate boys; some masculine charm is still the most attractive.
"My talking is boring?"
Kwon Xuanhe looked surprised.
"You seem to know that you're very handsome." Being at the dinner table can quickly bring people closer. Gao Yunzhen teased him with a smile.
"No, not really."
Kwon Xuanhe laughed heartily, humble in words but very smug in expression.
No matter how handsome, could he be as handsome as the esteemed readers?
With laughter and chatter, the young people enjoyed a pleasant evening until it was time to go home.
There were no classic drunken scenes or messy incidents when they left, just a very common gathering among young people.
"See you in class next time. I'm going to the audition tomorrow."
Kwon Xuanhe said this to her before leaving.
"I wish you success in your audition and hope you get the role you want."
The atmosphere of the gathering was very pleasant, so Gao Yunzhen was also very happy when she left. Hearing him, she cheered him on, a beautiful smile remaining on her pretty face.
"I will definitely succeed."
Kwon Xuanhe said confidently.
...
The MBC Broadcasting Center on Sangam-ro in Mapo District was the location for Kwon Xuanhe's audition.
Kwon Xuanhe came here alone. Park Zhengting was not his exclusive manager yet, so he did not accompany him.
This area is mostly composed of broadcasting stations and office buildings. Modern high-rise buildings are everywhere, giving Seoul a bit of a metropolitan feel.
Outside another building next to the one where he was preparing for his audition, there was a large crowd of fans gathered at the entrance.
They were likely fans attending a music broadcast program under MBC, holding various cheering sticks and waiting to enter for the pre-recording.
Kwon Xuanhe glanced at them twice and then walked straight into the building to prepare for his upcoming audition.
According to information revealed by his uncle, there were no strong competitors in this audition. Most were newcomers who had just entered the industry with few works, and their appeal was basically nonexistent.
Actor auditions are fair to a certain extent, just like this one.
A considerable number of drama roles are decided before the audition, with scripts already given to preferred actors for their designated roles. The remaining undecided roles are then put up for audition selection.
This is even more true for larger productions.
Auditions for drama roles often occur within a few agencies that have good relationships with the production company, or through mutual networking resources related to the director, screenwriter, and other main creative staff, as well as through being noticed by famous screenwriters or directors, which is a rare opportunity.
Of course, there is also an Actors' Association in Korea. Typically, information about role auditions is publicly announced among them, but at this stage, the competition is usually extremely fierce, like winning the lottery among millions.
The idea of some 'hard-working' actor auditioning and becoming the male lead in a major production only exists in dreams.
Is it fair? Certainly not, but talking about fairness with capital projects is somewhat unrealistic.
This drama has a low investment, and its setting requires the main cast to be mostly newcomers, so there is a large-scale public audition.
Kwon Xuanhe's popularity was booming right after the idol survival show ended, and at the same time, his uncle was managing him behind the scenes, making it almost a sure thing.
Kwon Xuanhe followed the information to find the audition location, outside a conference room, with an adjacent waiting room for those awaiting their audition.
When he arrived, Kwon Xuanhe had already done his homework and smoothed things over in various aspects, and he was told about his potentially biggest competitor in this audition.
Li Zaixu.