"Consider yourself as special people since you were the chosen ones," she continued.
"Some of you were chosen, some were recommended, or some used their connections," she joked, causing the group of men to burst into laughter.
June, on the other hand, didn't find anything amusing about it. Lin Zhi definitely got in because of his connections.
There was no other plausible explanation. Aside from Rising Stars, he doesn't have any projects at all!
"Nonetheless," she continued. "You would only be able to get the role with your skills."
"Today, we have three people who will be judging you."
"First is Hanlim Kang," she said. The tall guy stood and bowed at the aspiring Yians.
"He is the main editor of the film," she said. "He worked on a lot of hit films from VIVI productions and was partly responsible for the creative production of the film. Therefore, he is here with us to find the most favorable aspirant."
"You also have me, Risa Kang, the writer of the production," she smiled.
"Oh, they're married," Haruki giddily said, causing June to shake his head in amusement.
The more he got to know about Haruki, the more he was convinced that he was just a more serious version of Haruto.
"Anyway, this is my very first project. This was originally a novel that I'd been plotting for a year; however, it turned out to be a scripted play instead. I showed it to my husband, and it just so happened that the other director of this film read it on his desk."
"In the end, he really liked the plot and the writing, so he decided to adapt it into a movie. Now, here we are," she smiled.
"Last but not least, we have Director Bong, one of the directors of the film. He was interested in the production after the main director brought it up, and he volunteered to start the recruitment process."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Director Bong, a relatively old director in the country, was known for his action films. He had a lot of films under his name; however, only a handful of them became great hits.
Nonetheless, those hits definitely made a name for his brand since he could even afford such a beautiful house like this.
He stood from his seat and silently waved at the actors.
The aspiring Yians straightened their backs, determined to impress the old director.
"So, this is how the audition will go," Risa said. "You will all go based on your seat. Therefore, this gentleman will go first, and it will continue to the person next to him."
"Then, we will end with the gentleman at the very back," she said, glancing at June.
June shook his head. His main character's energy was definitely strong on this one. He was going to go last once again!
"You were all given one scenario—the part when Yian explodes and brings up his heavy past with the main leads," she continued.
"And to facilitate this audition better, we have called the lead actress over to run through the lines with you."
Just then, the door opened, revealing Hana Lim in all her glory. The actors exclaimed in surprise as her beauty graced the room. Director Bong stood from his seat, a wide smile on his face, and led the actress to her seat.
For a moment, she glanced around, and at one point, her gaze locked with June's. A small smile appeared on her lips as she nodded toward his way.
June shook his head since he understood right away what she was trying to say.
Hana was definitely the reason why he was given the chance to audition for this film.
"She smiled at you," Haruki said with narrowed eyes. "Is it true that you two are dating?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})June turned to him with one eyebrow raised. "Where did you get that kind of information?"
"She gifted something to you during King of Kings," Haruki said.
June then shook his head. "Nope. I don't think of her that way."
"Well," Risa clapped, capturing everybody's attention. "Let's not delay this any further. Why don't we call the very first gentleman to the front?"
The man, whom June recognized as Lee Ha-joon, an up-and-
coming actor who went viral because of his shirtless scene in a sci-fi movie, took the stage.
It seemed like the actors in the room were mostly newbies, with the directors probably wanting to give newer actors a chance to portray the supporting characters.
Lee Ha-joon took his position on the stage, sitting on the chair that they had prepared.
He sat amidst the remnants of his once-mighty empire, his gaze filled with anger. June tilted his head to the side as he looked at his twisted face.
This kind of anger seemed pretty forced.
Then, Hana spoke, acting as the male lead's proxy.
"Yian, you brought this upon yourself. Your insatiable thirst for power blinded you to the devastation you left in your wake. We never wished for your downfall, but justice demands accountability."
Ha-joon's eyes narrowed, and once again, June found it weird. It felt dramatic...almost too dramatic.
"And what about you?" he asked. "Do you revel in my demise? Does it bring you satisfaction to see me reduced to this?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Hana sighed and delivered her lines impeccably.
"We seek not satisfaction, but closure. For all those you've wronged, for all those who have suffered beneath the weight of your ambition. You know deep inside your heart that your downfall is the price of your own actions."
"You cannot blame anyone except for yourself," Hanlim continued, speaking for another character.
"I am the king of the world—of everything that you could ever have!" Ha-joon screamed this time.
However, the volume of his voice was too loud. It sounded uncontrolled, and it made Risa and Hanlim cover their ears with the sheer loudness of his voice.
"If it wasn't for you, then I would have everything! You haunt my mind even when I'm awake, and you took away everything I worked hard for with just a blink of an eye," he continued.
At this point, the other actors didn't care much for his acting anymore. All he portrayed was that he was angry—just that. But then again, Yian was quite an angry character. Time would only tell if this was the direction they wanted the character to go to.
"Alright, thank you," Hanlim said as soon as Ha-joon was finished.
The panel gave each other knowing glances before writing something on a piece of paper.
Then, they didn't waste any time in calling the next aspiring Yian.
"Young man," Risa said.
With that, Lin Zhi stood and went to the front. June kept his gaze on him all throughout, and at that moment, their eyes finally met.
Lin Zhi froze for a second before a smirk arose on his lips.
He kept his gaze on June while waiting for his signal to start.
"So...," he muttered under his breath. "You're here."
