Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 701: Haze Audition (3)

The God Illyeong and God Wolryeong who appeared in Haze were beings worshipped as deities on the island of Yeonmudo. But in truth, they were vengeful spirits bound to Yeonmudo for over a hundred years.

During the Japanese occupation, a southern island shaman named Wolryeong realized his spiritual power had weakened with age and decided to use a last resort. He aimed to create a child spirit from a seven-year-old girl known to have strong spiritual energy, hoping to enhance his own powers. A child spirit could foretell the future during divination, and was also called a child deity.

When the islanders of Yeonmudo heard the shaman had kidnapped a child and brought her to the island, they scoured the entire island to find her. However, by the time they killed Wolryeong and found Illyeong, she had just been murdered by Wolryeong. Pitying the dead Illyeong, the islanders built a shrine and held rites for her, while they threw Wolryeong's corpse into the deepest mountain pit to be eaten by crows.

Afterward, people began claiming they had seen ghosts on Yeonmudo—those ghosts were the sacrificed child Illyeong and the cursed shaman Wolryeong. Since then, the islanders have called them the God Illyeong and God Wolryeong, praying not to be harmed.

Strangely, the God Illyeong, a child deity, could only roam Yeonmudo when the sun cast shadows, while the sinister God Wolryeong appeared only when the moon cast shadows.

However, there was one exception. During one week each year, when the Great Haze event occurred, thick fog blanketed the island day and night, making it impossible to tell night from day. During that week, both ghosts could freely roam the island at all hours.

In the story, the seven-year-old God Illyeong endlessly fled from the God Wolryeong. This was because the shaman's ghost, God Wolryeong, had to steal God Illyeong's spiritual energy to escape his fate as a grounded spirit trapped on Yeonmudo.

However, unlike God Illyeong who retained her original power, God Wolryeong's soul had weakened over time. To prevent his spirit from dissipating, God Wolryeong lured people into the pit where he died and stole their souls. He was barely holding on, just long enough to absorb the God Illyeong.

The scene for episode 3's audition began with God Illyeong warning fishermen docked on Yeonmudo about where to escape the ghosts, only to face the imminent threat of running into God Wolryeong. Miso would play God Illyeong, while Park Sang-Gyu would play God Wolryeong as the audition began.

At that moment, PD Oh Sang-Do gave the signal to start. "Ready~ action!"

Park Sang-Gyu took a deep breath and began his performance. Having played countless roles during his time in a theater troupe, Park Sang-Gyu earned the nickname "Man of a Thousand Faces" and was skilled in all kinds of acting. He had another nickname too—Part-time King—because he took on all kinds of odd jobs when the troupe was on break.

Park Sang-Gyu had worked numerous times as a daycare assistant, making him one of the best in the country at reading children's emotions. Because of his experience, he knew exactly how to avoid scaring Miso too much while portraying the terrifying God Wolryeong.

Thump, thump.

He stomped in place, announcing his presence as he approached. Thanks to that, Miso, deep in the role of God Illyeong—had time to brace herself and begin her performance.

『Where are you~ Illyeong~』

Park Sang-Gyu added this line on the fly, not in the script, while slowly marching in place.

At that moment, Miso, immersed in her role, saw Park Sang-Gyu's twisted expression and flinched in fear. She began trembling like she truly was the God Illyeong.

『Grandpa Wolryeong...?』

Miso channeled the fear of a child about to be sacrificed a hundred years ago into her performance. As she fully embraced the role, Park Sang-Gyu began acting like a true vengeful spirit—God Wolryeong.

Park Sang-Gyu hunched over like an old man and let his arms go limp. Then, in a raspy, phlegm-filled voice, he began reciting the God Wolryeong's lines.

『Hehehe. You sly little thing~ There's nowhere left to run, so give up and come with me. You remember, don't you? I was the one who bought you from your mother for a large sum a hundred years ago. Hehehe. So your soul is mine.』

『No! I don't know anything about that!』

『Illyeong. It's no use. Stop burning me up and come here~ Hehehe.』

I delivered the lines threateningly, thinking of Illyeong as someone whose soul I needed to absorb. However, Park Sang-Gyu performed like a greedy old man eyeing a luscious peach. He came off more like a wicked steward than a ghost, and thanks to that, the fear Miso felt was clearly lessened. Most of all, Park Sang-Gyu didn't recklessly approach Miso.

Thanks to that, Miso was able to continue her performance steadily.

『What do I do... what do I do...』

Miso began to stomp her feet like a child. She kept glancing behind her as if the fishermen who would be the next sacrifices were right there.

Meanwhile, Park Sang-Gyu smirked wickedly and crept forward. Then, he stopped just short of touching distance from Miso.

『Oh my. You've lasted this long~ Illyeong~ You're mine, you know~ Hehehe.』

It was at that moment when Miso shut her eyes tight and thrust both hands straight forward.

『I don't want you, Grandpa! Don't come! Stop hurting people!』

Right then, Park Sang-Gyu flew backward and toppled to the ground even though Miso's hands didn't actually touch him.

Thud.

『Gah!』

Collapsing on the floor, Park Sang-Gyu clutched his chest as if he had suffered a great blow.

In response, Miso's eyes flew open in surprise. She stared at her own hands and blinked. It was the first time the God Illyeong, who only had memories of being a sacrifice, realized she had power of her own.

Looking back and forth between her left and right hands, Miso's face gradually flushed. Moments later, Miso turned and shouted as she regained her focus.

『Run! Hurry!!』

Miso roared a powerful shout toward the filming staff standing behind the set as if they were the fishermen in the scene. The voice bursting out of Miso's small body echoed through the audition room. Then she clenched her fists and glared at Park Sang-Gyu, determined to block him until the tourists escaped.

The fear she showed when acting with me had completely vanished. Her clenched jaw and face now radiated courage. Thanks to Park Sang-Gyu's amazing acting and delicate lead, Miso quickly regained her original form. Whether it was Park Sang-Gyu who immediately grasped the situation and adjusted, or Miso who instantly overcame her own issue—it was incredible talent either way.

And so, the audition drew to a close with Miso glaring and huffing at the fallen Park Sang-Gyu.

"Okay~ cut!"

Clap clap clap.

Oh Sang-Do stood and clapped as he spoke. "Wow~ You two. What was that? Did you rehearse your timing together beforehand?"

Park Sang-Gyu took a deep breath and bowed his head after the scene ended. "I'm sorry for changing the script on my own. Miso looked scared, so I toned the mood down a little."

Writer Yoo Tae-Pyung shook his head. "It's fine. But honestly, you suddenly showed up for today's audition and your character analysis was perfect."

"Thank you for saying so."

"Hahaha. No, really. I'm just telling the truth. Oh, by the way. You seem really experienced acting with child actors. But your résumé says you were only in a theater troupe?"

Park Sang-Gyu scratched his head. "I worked part-time for a long time doing puppet shows at LT Amusement Park. I played the role of the Chimera Overlord who always got defeated by a kid hero with a sword. I've been beaten up by kids on stage more than anyone."

He confessed that he played the role of Chimera Overlord Papillon in the LT Park puppet show Space Hero Kaiser. During the performance in that show, a staff member would hand a sword to a kid in the audience, call them the hero, and the actor had to act like they were slain by that child. It was a role where making the child feel like a true hero was everything.

'So that was why he was so confident.'

Of course, he admitted that he scared some kids and nearly got fired from the job in the early days.

Thanks to the wealth of experience that earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces," and all the part-time jobs he had done, Park Sang-Gyu was able to perfectly complete the role he was assigned.

At that moment, the faces of Han Yoo-Sik, Yoo Tae-Pyung, Oh Sang-Do, and Hyun Jong-Yeon lit up.

"We were a bit worried since you're young, but we clearly misunderstood. Your acting is excellent and your chemistry with Miso was great. Well done."

The staff on site were amazed by the unexpected acting ability Park Sang-Gyu showed. The reporters who had been focused on Hwang Jin-Seo now turned all their cameras toward Miso and Park Sang-Gyu. That was because the performance they gave wasn't something other actors their age could pull off.

The lead roles had already been cast with Ju Yung-In and Sung Gyu-Hwan, and even the key supporting actors were showing incredible skill, raising expectations for the drama.

Click. Click.

The rapid shutter sounds of cameras began echoing through the audition room. And in the midst of it, I checked Everyday's schedule entry.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 2, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Jung Miso]

-< Entertainment Everywhere> Child actress J makes repeated mistakes in front of senior actors.

-(Entertainment All Times) A child star who failed to live up to her name. Her repeated mistakes during the audition drew frowns.

(Meeting notes: Miso repeatedly made mistakes at the audition site for Haze. A countermeasure is needed.))

Just as I thought, Park Sang-Gyu's brilliant lead completely covered Miso's weakness. Not only that, but Miso portrayed the God Illyeong—who bravely tries to save people—exceptionally well.

Thanks to that, all the negative articles that were originally meant to question Miso's acting skills had completely disappeared.

***

Miso, who had just delivered a perfect performance with Park Sang-Gyu, was full of confidence.

I asked, "Miso. Should we try the next audition now? Are you up for it?"

"Yes!"

Miso immediately said she was ready for the next round. Most child actors would be exhausted after just one audition, but Miso was different.

With her confidence restored, Miso marched forward and bowed to Hwang Jin-Seo. "Hello. I'm Jung Miso. I look forward to working with you."

However, Hwang Jin-Seo kept his eyes closed. Miso tilted her head in confusion.

Then Han Yoo-Sik, sitting at the judging table, cleared his throat and said, "Miso. It looks like Mr. Hwang is focusing. Just start acting when we say 'action.'"

"Oh, yes! Got it."

From the looks of it, it seemed like it was Miso holding the audition, not Hwang Jin-Seo. This was actually the audition for the actor playing the God Wolryeong, and Miso was just the partner for the scene. But perhaps because of Hwang Jin-Seo's status, no one on set said anything.

"Mr. Hwang, we're starting."

Only then did Hwang Jin-Seo open his eyes.

"Ready~ action!"

The moment Oh Sang-Do gave the cue, Hwang Jin-Seo launched into a furious attack on Miso.

『Illyeong! Come here! Today, I will swallow you and make you my child spirit!』

Hwang Jin-Seo's voice rang out loudly. However, the tone and delivery of his lines were completely different from Park Sang-Gyu's. He just shouted with a scary expression, aggressively radiating hostility. His eyes were wild and foam gathered at his mouth like a rabid dog. On top of that, his hands slashed the air like claws.

It was a good portrayal of the God Wolryeong's madness, but it completely ignored any chemistry with Miso, his audition partner. I worried for a moment that Miso might get scared, but thankfully, my concern was unnecessary.

Having gained confidence from acting with me and Park Sang-Gyu, Miso began to show a completely different side. She overcame her fear, clenched her fists, and faced off against Hwang Jin-Seo's threatening performance.

Then, Miso did something totally unexpected.

『I don't want you, Grandpa! Don't come! Stop hurting people!』

'She's saying that line now?'

When Hwang Jin-Seo changed the script, Miso pulled a line from later in the scene and used it early. It was such an impressive bit of improvisation that even the judges at the audition were visibly surprised.

'Mr. Hwang, this is our Miso!'

But unlike my pride, Hwang Jin-Seo's expression began to falter once Miso didn't back down and started matching his performance. He had unintentionally found himself in a head-to-head acting match with a child half his height.

As a result, Hwang Jin-Seo began acting even more aggressively. Nevertheless, Miso didn't back down either. She immersed herself deeper into the role and began delivering an even more convincing performance.

It was what someone would call an evenly matched duel. Only, it was a battle between a toothless old dragon and a baby tiger learning to walk. And as time went on, the dignity of the old dragon who couldn't even overpower a cub started to crumble.

The judges and reporters also began to wear subtle expressions. They couldn't help but wonder if this really was the great Hwang Jin-Seo.

After a heated exchange of performances, it was finally time to act out the final scene of the audition.

『Go away!!! Bad Grandpa!』

Miso thrust both hands forward as if furious.

At that moment, the clearly annoyed Hwang Jin-Seo skipped the fall and refused to act out the scene properly.

"Well, I've shown you enough... let's stop here. It's not like we need to roll around on the floor for an audition, right?"

No matter how much of a veteran he was, cutting the audition short on his own whim was pure arrogance.

That alone was enough to make Han Yoo-Sik, Oh Sang-Do, Yoo Tae-Pyung, and Hyun Jong-Yeon all shake their heads.

***

Hwang Jin-Seo's audition for the role of the God Wolryeong had finally ended.

Since Park Sang-Gyu showed such amazing chemistry with Miso, expectations for Hwang Jin-Seo had naturally risen. After all, Hwang Jin-Seo was a veteran with decades of experience compared to the rookie Park Sang-Gyu,.

However,Hwang Jin-Seo had tried to steal the spotlight for himself and ended up barking orders at Miso. If Miso had been an average child actor, she might have panicked or burst into tears. But thanks to the strength she gained while acting with Park Sang-Gyu, Miso finished the performance without flinching.

There had already been whispers that Hwang Jin-Seo's acting wasn't what it used to be, and in trying to outshine everyone, he had only exposed his weaknesses.

"Mr. Hwang, you may head out now. We'll inform you of the results this evening," said Oh Sang-Do.

However, Hwang Jin-Seo didn't leave and he asked for the result on the spot. "So? What did you think, President Hang?"

It was utterly rude to ask for results during the audition itself. Even so, Han Yoo-Sik replied without hesitation. "You did well, Mr. Hwang. You really did, but..."

"If I did well, then what's with the 'but'?"

"Fine, I'll be honest. I don't think your chemistry with Miso was very good. I'm sorry, but this role just doesn't suit you."

Because Hwang Jin-Seo pushed for an immediate decision, Han Yoo-Sik gave him one—he was rejected on the spot.

At that moment, the reporters in the back began tapping away at their keyboards. It was a headline-worthy moment that a major actor like Hwang Jin-Seo had been rejected from an audition.

Hwang Jin-Seo frowned and began to protest. "You're turning me down?"

"Your acting wasn't bad. But in this project, the chemistry between God Illyeong and God Wolryeong is absolutely crucial. That's why we had Miso, who's already been cast, audition with you."

There was no way Hwang Jin-Seo didn't understand how important that chemistry was. Nevertheless, he refused to accept it.

"Hey, President Han. You're close with Chief Jung, right? Don't tell me this whole thing was rigged to get Park Sang-Gyu the role. You guys planned this, didn't you?"

As expected, Hwang Jin-Seo started spewing nonsense as if he was trying to cause a scene on purpose.

The reporters' fingers typed faster. It was already newsworthy that Hwang Jin-Seo had been rejected, but if they could spin this as a rigged audition with a pre-selected winner, the clicks would pour in.

I had erased the scandal around Miso's acting, but this, in its own way, could become just as damaging if turned into an article. It seemed like it was time for Hwang Jin-Seo to get a taste of how bitter the world can be.

'Sixty years living off the sweet life as a star... it's about time a regressor put you in your place, Mr. Hwang.'