Episode 54. Steps Towards a Dream (4)
As the names of the audition participants began to be called one by one, Kang Dae-oh quietly watched Kang Yebin.
Kang Yebin maintained her composure, just as she always did when auditioning in Korea.
However, Kang Dae-oh could roughly tell how much pressure she was feeling inside.
Her expression was the same, but her subtle movements were completely different from usual.
Like fiddling with the ends of her hair, or unnecessarily crossing and uncrossing her legs repeatedly.
These were habitual actions Kang Yebin often displayed when she was restless or her mind was complicated.
Since these were movements only someone who had watched her closely for a very long time could recognize, Kang Dae-oh knew his second daughter’s current feelings without her having to say anything.
Kang Dae-oh lightly patted Kang Yebin’s shoulder.
“Are you nervous?”
Kang Yebin, who had been reserved, soon nodded slightly.
“Actually… Yes. I’m nervous.”
Kang Yebin knew very well that no matter how well she acted, she couldn’t deceive her father’s eyes.
Therefore, instead of hiding her feelings until the end, she decided to speak honestly, just as they were.
Kang Dae-oh was grateful just that Kang Yebin expressed her feelings openly in front of her father.
“Didn’t Dad tell you earlier? That our daughter can do well enough anywhere. So, don’t worry too much and just do as you’ve been doing.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And if there’s anything Dad can help with, just say so.”
“Then…”
Kang Yebin, trailing off her words, made an unexpected request to Kang Dae-oh.
“Um, could you help me with the reading?”
“Reading? Me?”
“Yes. You just need to play the other role.”
There were other staff members present. Why would she specifically ask Kang Dae-oh for this favor?
The reason was simple.
Among the people who came with Kang Yebin, Kang Dae-oh was the most familiar with scripts.
Of course, the scripts Kang Dae-oh had seen weren’t for dramas or movies.
Still, he would be more familiar than people like managers, coordinators, or planning directors who had almost no connection to scripts.
This aspect appealed greatly to Kang Yebin.
And hadn’t Kang Dae-oh just told Kang Yebin directly?
To tell him anytime if there was anything he could help with.
It hadn’t been long since he said that. He couldn’t go back on his word immediately.
“What role do I play?”
“Here, look at this page and just read the part that says ‘Bank Teller’.”
“Got it.”
As expected for a Hollywood movie audition, the script was entirely in English.
Kang Dae-oh had been traveling back and forth to the U.S. with executives, so he was perfectly capable of reading the English written in the script.
It was literally a reading.
“Miss, What can I do for you?”
In response, Kang Yebin recited the lines of the character she would be playing in the audition.
“I’m here to look for someone.”
“Oh, is that so?”
At some point, the attention of the staff who came with Kang Yebin was drawn to the two of them, captivated by their natural back-and-forth reading.
Kang Yebin, continuing the reading, nodded her head significantly with a satisfied expression and said,
“As expected. It was a good idea to ask Dad for help. Your English conversation skills are amazing!”
“Well, I guess it’s because I’ve dealt with a lot of Americans recently.”
That’s not to say Kang Dae-oh directly communicated in English.
If he or another executive spoke in Korean, the accompanying interpreter would translate their words into English and convey them to the other party.
However, as this process repeatedly occurred, Kang Dae-oh’s English conversation ability, though slight, began to improve.
Because he continuously watched and listened with his eyes and ears to how the interpreter spoke and how they articulated their words.
This, subtly, became a great learning experience for Kang Dae-oh.
“Thanks to Dad, I got a lot of practice.”
“That’s good. Though it would have been even better if Dad could act too.”
Kang Yebin tends to speak with emotion even during readings, just like during actual filming.
However, Kang Dae-oh had no particular talent in acting, so he could only speak clearly, word by word, like reading a textbook, rather than conveying emotion like her.
Kang Dae-oh was quite bothered by this.
Nevertheless, for Kang Yebin, Kang Dae-oh playing the opposing role and reciting the lines was a tremendous help.
A short while later, a female staff member came to the waiting room where the participants were gathered.
“Number 12.”
Kang Yebin’s number was called.
She slowly rose from her seat with a determined expression.
“Then, I’ll be going now, Dad.”
“Good luck. I’ll be cheering you on.”
“Yes!”
It was time to unfold her dream.
The first thing that greeted Kang Yebin when she entered the audition venue was Director John Denny’s heavy expression.
Just by looking at his face, Kang Yebin could tell that among the eleven participants who had auditioned before her, none had pleased Director John Denny.
Even when Kang Yebin auditioned in Korea, when no satisfactory participant appeared, the judges’ expressions were usually similar to Director John Denny’s now.
Time was being consumed, but there were no results.
He couldn’t help but be in a bad mood.
For Kang Yebin, in a way, this could be an opportunity.
However, it also meant that Director John Denny’s minimum cut-off standard was quite high.
“You’re participant Kang Yebin, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
One of the judges asked her.
Watching Kang Yebin respond briefly, the judge nodded slightly.
“You came from Korea… and you have considerable acting experience. I’ve also seen some of the movies you’ve appeared in, Yebin-ssi, so I knew. You’re a good actress.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Among the judges, Kang Yebin’s acting skills were already somewhat proven.
But what they wanted was not just someone who acted well, but someone whose acting suited Director John Denny’s next project.
Kang Yebin knew this well, so she didn’t intend to take the initial praises directed at her too much to heart.
Because if she started with the assumption that the judges thought highly of her, it might create a bias that would affect the improvisational scene she had prepared.
Director John Denny spoke for the first time.
“Shall we start the audition right away?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Yebin’s expression changed.
The corners of her mouth formed a crescent moon.
Her voice tone also went up by two levels compared to how she usually spoke.
“Hello, everyone~! I’m Chaeyoon, the leader of MINA, who just debuted! Please look favorably upon me!”
The character Kang Yebin was acting out in this audition was a K-pop idol singer active in Korea.
Because it was a K-pop idol, Director John Denny was looking for an East Asian actress.
Even if they were of Korean descent, they didn’t necessarily have to be Korean nationals.
As long as they could act well. And if they could handle Korean without problems. Director John Denny had no intention of considering the actor’s nationality.
Still, it was true that Koreans could certainly speak more natural Korean than Japanese or Chinese actors.
Kang Yebin maximized her advantages, showcasing facial expressions and body movements to exude an idol vibe.
An actor is not an idol. No matter how hard one tries to imitate a K-pop singer, there would inevitably be unnatural aspects.
Nevertheless, at some point, Director John Denny became completely engrossed in Kang Yebin’s idol performance.
Because her acting was so natural.
As if she were actually active as an idol singer.
Director John Denny made an additional suggestion to her.
“Are you perhaps capable of choreography as well?”
“Yes. Just a moment.”
Kang Yebin used her smartphone to play a song directly.
She performed simple dance moves to it.
Perhaps because she possessed idol-like beauty, even though she was only performing simple dance moves, the judges felt a sense of enjoyment.
Kang Yebin performed all of Director John Denny’s impromptu suggestions.
One of the judges asked her,
“Have you ever been an idol?”
“Not an idol… but my unnie is active as a singer in Korea. In a movie OST, my unnie and I appeared as idols in the same group, and we actually performed on a music show stage to match the movie’s concept.”
“So you had stage experience. No wonder. I thought you were doing exceptionally well.”
There would be no better teacher than practical experience.
Director John Denny looked at the judges and said,
“I thought she was not bad. What about the rest of you?”
“I liked her too.”
“Me too.”
Seeing Director John Denny smile for the first time today, Kang Yebin felt certain inside.
That she had passed.
As Kang Yebin had expected, as soon as the audition ended, Kang Dae-oh caught sight of a staff member, acting on Director John Denny’s instructions, whispering something to her.
A moment later, Kang Dae-oh quietly asked Kang Yebin, who had exited the audition venue,
“What did the staff member say?”
“The director said he would contact me directly after today’s audition, and asked me to answer if an unknown number calls tonight.”
“Did you pass?”
“It seems so.”
Even though there were still a few audition participants left, if Director John Denny said this much, it meant he was quite pleased with Kang Yebin’s acting.
“Congratulations, my daughter.”
“Still, I won’t let my guard down. The story might change later.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
Celebrating can wait until after receiving the official acceptance notice.
“I think I got in thanks to Dad. And one more person.”
“One more person?”
Kang Dae-oh recalled what happened before Kang Yebin entered the audition venue.
He didn’t remember seeing her receive direct help from anyone other than him.
So, when she said ‘one more person,’ Kang Dae-oh didn’t immediately realize who that person was.
“Who is that person?”
Kang Yebin said with a meaningful smile,
“The troublemaker who lives in our house.”
“Ah.”
Just hearing that, Kang Dae-oh immediately knew who Kang Yebin was referring to.
“It’s Yera.”
“Yes, that’s right. If it weren’t for unnie, it wouldn’t have been easy to act this role.”
Because she had someone who was actually active as an idol as her own unnie, natural acting was possible.
Because she had observed her unnie’s smile, movements, and way of speaking up close.
“When we go back to Korea, I’ll have to treat unnie to something big.”
“Yera will really like that.”
Kang Dae-oh already felt as if Kang Yera’s joyful expression was unfolding before his eyes.
