Seoul Dragon - Chapter 84

At the sound of her name being called, Taehoon carefully stepped forward.

In an instant, all eyes turned to her.

People who were auditioning, people preparing for auditions, everyone.

And Director An Jinho who had called her to the audition room.

Director An Jinho was impressed looking at Taehoon.

Just by walking, simply walking, her atmosphere was different from other participants.

Atmosphere. That's right.

What Director An Jinho valued most right now was that atmosphere, even more than acting ability.

Without even going through any kind of process, from the moment you saw her, your gaze was drawn to her as if mesmerized.

Even though she wasn't dressed in anything that matched the movie's setting, she gave the feeling of already watching an oriental-style background movie.

Therefore, Director An Jinho desperately hoped.

Please, please don't let it be terrible acting or robotic acting.

If only it wasn't that, there would be nothing wrong with casting her.

No one at this audition could oppose her casting.

Even the lead actors who came to the audition with Director An Jinho couldn't take their eyes off her.

In today's world, villains are as important as heroes.

An impressive villain, by itself, dramatically heightens the tension of a drama and guarantees buzz.

Naturally, the role Taehoon was taking on now, Hyeonhwa, had a narrative built up to match that.

These days, there was no need to give villains some elaborate sob story.

Villains should be villainous.

Rather than winning sympathy by elaborately adding pitiful backstories saying "they had no choice," it was better to show a clear villainous image.

Don't they call it whitewashing?

Director An Jinho wanted a character who was thoroughly arrogant from start to finish rather than such characters, and that was exactly Hyeonhwa.

A ruler of a group that worships arrogance and power, a tyrant who doesn't let those who go against her will be.

Could Taehoon really pull off such a role?

What Taehoon would show first was the designated lines that Hyeonhwa speaks in the work.

With the staff's words to begin, Taehoon's atmosphere suddenly changed.

Slightly lowering her eyes, she arrogantly looked down at the world.

While doing so, she smiled slightly.

"Interesting."

That was the line Hyeonhwa utters when first seeing the protagonist who lost his family, and it was also the line that signals the beginning of the drama.

Director An Jinho internally cheered.

That one line.

With just that one line, Taehoon had passed.

However, Taehoon didn't stop there.

As if she had directly become Hyeonhwa, she looked down at the invisible protagonist and spoke.

"Do you want to kill me?"

In Taehoon's eyes now, she could see the protagonist's form.

Eyes stained with hatred.

Eyes from which you could feel the will to stab and kill her immediately if only they could hold a sword.

In this moment, Taehoon understood the character Hyeonhwa, and understood the protagonist.

"Then, try to kill me. I'll be waiting as long as it takes."

Taehoon mixed in some ad-lib in that scene.

Looking to her side, she naturally delivered the line as if someone was there.

"Indeed, will that girl be able to satisfy me?"

A line that fully revealed the nature of one who craves battle.

It ended with that one line.

Jinho felt that his eye for talent was still shining.

"...Wow, that's amazing."

Ju Sohyeon, the lead actor playing the protagonist who was watching from the side, looked at Jinho and said.

"I really, when I first saw her at action school, I thought 'Wow, that person is Hyeonhwa.'"

"It's a face I'm seeing for the first time... Was she an actor before mutating?"

At Ju Sohyeon's words, the director shook his head.

"It's been about a month since she started attending acting academy. She was originally preparing to be a stuntman."

"...Really? Wow."

And that was at a level that impressed even Ju Sohyeon, who had been active in the film industry for a long time.

Taehoon had naturally depicted the dramatic situation and delivered lines while placing characters appropriate to it.

Above all, the atmosphere surrounding her was no joke. It really felt like Hyeonhwa was there.

There was a mysteriously mystical atmosphere, but more than that atmosphere, you could naturally feel the intimidating presence that dominated the surroundings.

However, Taehoon's acting wasn't over yet.

Her acting after that was truly flawless.

Some unpolished parts were slightly visible, but that much could be fully taken into account.

After all, she was someone who had only been learning acting for a month.

Her growth potential was limitless, and it naturally made one look forward to what kind of actor she would become by the time this movie was finished filming.

Above all... Director An Jinho knew what Taehoon's true value was.

What he had seen at action school.

If that were to appear right on set... well.

Wouldn't it cause a sensation?

He still couldn't forget it.

That sight of her creating a burning sword and handling it extremely skillfully.

Jinho truly began to look forward to the filming day.

Taehoon clutched her trembling heart.

Had there ever been something so nerve-wracking in her life?

Definitely not.

When she looked around, everyone was paying attention to her.

'...Did I mess up?'

That thought crossed her mind momentarily, but all that her mutant's sharp senses picked up were words about how amazing she was.

'This isn't a hidden camera show, is it?'

The atmosphere on set was so unrealistic that Taehoon couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming.

Honestly, she didn't even know what state of mind she was in while acting.

She just focused on the character Hyeonhwa and immersed herself.

She did add her personal interpretation, but that was ad-lib she added while expecting harsh criticism.

Clearly, it could be seen as an act that was more likely to be viewed unfavorably by the director.

Unless the ad-lib was amazingly well-executed, it was usually hard to get good reviews.

But... since she was thinking of becoming an actor anyway, Taehoon just thought it would be better to create something of her own.

She waited for the director's evaluation with a trembling voice.

And what followed were rave reviews from the director and lead actor.

She was deeply immersed. They thought they would be overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

Hearing such praise, Taehoon couldn't come to her senses even more.

'...This really isn't some incredibly fun hidden camera show, is it?'

But even when she pinched her cheek, it was undeniably reality.

In a dazed state, she came out of the audition room.

Her heart felt light.

Therefore, the words that naturally came out.

"...Wow, this actually worked."

When I arrived to meet Taehoon with Hangyeol, Taehoon looked completely excited.

...That guy, I just noticed that when he gets excited, the tips of his horns turn slightly reddish.

Now I know.

"Did the audition go well?"

At that question, Taehoon smiled brightly and made a V with her fingers.

"I think it went incredibly well?"

"...Oh. So now you'll have your face on screen too?"

"Probably? But I don't know. Seeing what other people did, it was no joke. I was wondering if I could get a good evaluation among all those people... but fortunately they looked favorably on me."

"Wasn't that just politeness?"

At Hangyeol's words, Taehoon waved her index finger left and right and said.

"When I listened carefully, other participants were also saying I did well. Usually competitors' evaluations are the real deal, right?"

"...That's true. You really must have done well. Wow, what's gotten into Han Taehoon?"

Hangyeol looked at Taehoon with eyes that said this truly made no sense.

And I felt the same way.

Hasn't she only been learning acting for about a month? But she got rave reviews at the audition?

Did she really have talent?

Who knows.

"So are you buying us food today?"

"I said I would, so I will. Good job, anyway."

"Ehehe. Thank you."

Taehoon laughed frivolously.

Even after mutating, that guy seemed to still be that guy.

Hangyeol has quite a few changes related to religion and such, but this one doesn't seem to have changed at all.

Well, good things are good things, right?

I heard the news that Taehoon passed the audition while I was lounging in my room.

When I was lying down looking at the ceiling without any thoughts during a rest at home for the first time in a long while, at the contact that arrived for her, Taehoon felt her eyes spinning round and round.

"Wow, wait, really? This isn't a dream, right?"

She looked at her smartphone with trembling hands. And continuously pinched her cheeks.

It stung and hurt.

Therefore, this was reality.

"UOAAAAAAAK!"

Almost letting out a scream, she quickly contacted Seohyun.

-...Why.

Perhaps having just woken up, Seohyun answered in a half-sleepy voice.

"Hey, hey!"

-What's going on that you're making such a fuss...

"I, I passed!"

-...What?

"I passed! The audition! And as the main villain too! UWAAAAAAAK!"

-WAAAAAAAK!

And Seohyun was screaming too.

-Crazy, isn't this crazy? No, Han Taehoon is a movie actor? And the main villain from his first role? Is this right?

"Exactly! Does this make sense? Hey, this isn't a dream, right?"

-No, no! Wow, damn. Hey, then will you appear at, what is it, premieres and stuff later?

"Ah, probably...?"

-Hey, I'm coming too then.

"Come, come. I'll give you the time, place, and tickets. Surely if I'm the main villain, they'll give me at least one ticket...?"

Taehoon made a bold promise. No way. There's no way they wouldn't give that.