# Chapter 65
“It seems even astrology can’t defend his acting.”
“You think so? But I have a different perspective. Honestly, he’s not a good actor, but don’t you feel sincerity in Hajun’s acting?”
“The problem is that viewers and audiences don’t want to see an actor’s sincerity—they want acting skills that allow them to immerse themselves in the story.”
No one could match Tae Igyeol when it came to speaking hard truths. It’s a cold and cruel reality, but just as novelists must prove themselves through their writing, actors must prove themselves through their acting. Neither novelists nor actors add lengthy explanations about their writing or acting. If you have to explain in words what should be shown through writing or acting, it’s merely making excuses or justifications.
“Hey. Would you hate it if I asked your uncle for just one audition opportunity?”
“Don’t you know my father’s company only looks at acting skills?”
“I know. But your uncle’s company doesn’t have separate auditions, and the threshold is so high that there’s no opportunity at all.”
“If he auditions and fails, it’ll just crush his spirit.”
“Would someone who gets crushed by failing an audition still be cheerful after failing so many times? That eternally optimistic and positive guy—seeing him cry yesterday really broke my heart.”
There’s a Jewish proverb that says, “This too shall pass.” Everyone knows that difficult times will eventually pass as time goes on. However, no one knows how to endure the moment that must be endured until that time passes.
“Still, Ban Hajun’s acting needs to be at least somewhat decent before I introduce him or ask for an audition.”
“Hey, do you know how many actors with terrible acting skills still play lead roles? People watch them anyway, even while criticizing them. If he wants it that badly, what’s so difficult about giving him one audition opportunity?”
“He explicitly got a ‘No,’ didn’t he? Not just a ‘No,’ but a ‘No!’ with an exclamation mark.”
“Hey, that was just… for fun. Damn, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
I should have kept quiet about the tarot reading. This is why people should be careful with their words. But since I’d already spoken, regret wouldn’t change anything—the only solution was to persuade him with all my might.
“Who knows? Maybe Ban Hajun will pass and suddenly improve tremendously during lessons? Maybe he just hasn’t found the right acting coach all this time. I heard acting has different styles, so that could be it.”
“Sigh… You’re so meddlesome.”
“Come on, I’m not asking you to get him a contract—just introduce him so he can audition. If it were me, I’d do it. What’s so difficult about that?”
“Then why don’t you do it yourself?”
“Really? Can I ask your uncle myself?”
Tae Igyeol threw an unpleasant glance as if half resigned, and Mo Eunje smiled brightly, asking “Huh? Huh?” to get a definite answer. Although he had a personal relationship with Tae Hyunseok and didn’t need Tae Igyeol’s permission, he wanted to proceed without causing any conflict.
“Go ahead. Who’s stopping you?”
“Thanks! In return, if Hajun does well and gets a contract, we’ll say you introduced him. I’ll give you the opportunity to take credit.”
“Get lost.”
Even while telling him to get lost, Tae Igyeol was smiling incredulously, suggesting he wasn’t completely against introducing Ban Hajun. His concern about Ban Hajun getting hurt if he failed the audition was clearly conveyed. However, that was something Ban Hajun, who desperately wanted an audition, would have to bear himself.
Tae Igyeol, who had entered the underground parking garage, finished parking, and as they got out of the car, Mo Eunje immediately made a phone call. Tae Igyeol glanced at him briefly before walking ahead to enter the passcode for the main entrance and holding the door open while waiting. As Mo Eunje passed under his arm with his head lowered, Tae Hyunseok answered the phone.
– Yes, Eunje.
“Hello, Ila Actors CEO. Is it okay to talk right now?”
– Hmm? What kind of favor is our Eunje trying to ask that he’s using such awkwardly formal speech that gives me goosebumps?
Tae Hyunseok’s hearty laughter came through the phone. Since it gave Mo Eunje goosebumps too, he felt embarrassed and unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck as he got into the elevator.
Come to think of it, Tae Igyeol was the strange one. Mo Eunje had been speaking comfortably with Tae Hyunseok and Song Yeonhwa since childhood, so speaking informally became natural to him. Likewise, Tae Iden speaks informally to Mo Yeongwoo and Han Seola, whom he calls uncle and aunt. It wasn’t that he and Tae Iden were disrespectful—Tae Igyeol was the one pretending to be polite by using formal speech with both sets of parents.
“No, it’s just… I have a friend with the kind of visuals Uncle’s company might like, and I was wondering if you could give him just one audition opportunity… If it’s inconvenient for Uncle, you can absolutely refuse!”
– Giving an audition opportunity isn’t a difficult thing, so there’s nothing inconvenient about it. But if you’re asking personally, he must be a close friend?
“Yes. He’s good friends with Igyeol and me, but the truth is… he’s not very good at acting. No, he’s so bad it makes you wonder if it’s even possible to be that bad.”
– …
Since this was something that would become apparent during the audition anyway, he confessed honestly without guilt. But when there was silence on the other end of the phone, he suddenly felt anxious and quickly added more explanation as he exited the elevator.
“But he’s really diligent, passionate, and sincere about acting. If you think he’s no good, you can reject him—I just called to see if he could at least get one audition opportunity…”
– Go ahead. I was wondering what you were up to with this uncharacteristic behavior—I thought you were going to secretly ask to borrow money, but it’s just a simple favor like this?
“If I were asking for that kind of favor, I’d call when Tae Igyeol wasn’t around. But he’s right beside me now, so I can’t.”
Tae Igyeol, who was spraying disinfectant at the entrance, asked with his eyes what he meant. Mo Eunje shook his head as if it was nothing and took off his shoes.
– Alright. I’ll talk to the casting director. Send me your friend’s name and contact information. If he has a profile, email that too.
“Wow, really? Thanks, Uncle! Have I told you that I love you?”
– I’d like to hear it now.
“I love you, Uncle! I really, really love you! And if I ever need money, I’ll be sure to contact you secretly!”
Pleased to have gained strong support, he even made kissing sounds—smack, smack—into the phone before ending the call. As he headed to the dressing room, he looked at Tae Igyeol. He expected to see an exasperated expression with a disparaging look because he had gone overboard, but surprisingly, Tae Igyeol’s face was serious.
“Do you need money?”
“What money? I was just joking around with your uncle.”
“…”
“Why? Would you lend me money if I needed it?”
“No.”
Though he asked with aegyo and eye-smiles, what came back was a cold, frigid, and firm rejection. This is why Tae Igyeol was comfortable to be around. He blocked potentially awkward situations from the start.
“Good thinking. Close friends shouldn’t borrow money from each other.”
“…”
Though it was meant as a compliment, Tae Igyeol didn’t even pretend to listen and began unbuttoning his shirt one by one. Thinking how slowly he was undoing them—it’s not like he was memorizing the shape of the buttons—Mo Eunje quickly and carelessly stripped off his t-shirt and elastic-waisted pants.
“I’ll use the bathroom here?”
He said this as he slipped into the bathroom attached to the bedroom and promptly closed the door. He planned to cleanse not only his body but also his mind and spirit, and start a new piece of writing today.
2-6
Mo Eunje had been holed up in the study all day for ten days straight, except during mealtimes. In his new work, he planned to explore uniquely human emotions as a theme and develop them into a story. Since he was still in the research phase before starting to write in earnest, his desk was piled with related books borrowed from the library. There were philosophy books, humanities, non-fiction, essays—a diverse range of books dealing with human emotions.
The library only allowed six books per person at a time, so he had enlisted Tae Igyeol and Gye Minho’s help. On “Culture Day,” you could borrow twice as many books, but he couldn’t wait until the last Wednesday of the month, so in his urgency, he had dragged his friends along.
Even with 18 books borrowed under three IDs, it took less than ten days to extract all the necessary information and finish reading them. In fact, he was now reviewing the books he had already read to see if there was anything else he needed.
Tae Igyeol, who presumably had obsessive-compulsive disorder, always bought books he wanted to read. However, Mo Eunje, who was an avid reader with an extremely high volume of reading, couldn’t afford to buy all the books he wanted to read. In the past, he would naively buy books he wanted to read right away, but after realizing he had countless books he’d read once and never opened again, he sold them all secondhand. Since then, he would first read books at the library or bookstore and only purchase those he felt a desire to own.
“Take some sugar breaks while you’re working.”
Tae Igyeol lightly knocked on the glass of the alpha room, entered with a cream castella cake and a cup with a logo from the nearby cafe, and placed them on the desk. Mo Eunje hadn’t even realized he’d gone out.
“Oh? Ah, thanks.”
Mo Eunje took off his glasses and rubbed his dry eyes. Although it had only been ten days, staring at text all day had made his eyes tired.
To explore human emotions as a theme, he first needed to perfectly understand the characters and situational settings before constructing the story. That’s why he had no choice but to continue studying and researching like this for a while. He was planning to enlist Tae Igyeol and Gye Minho to go to the library once more tomorrow.
After fully understanding the theory, he would need to shape the story and then consult with experts through interviews. For this piece, he needed to hear real-world verification from renowned psychologists. Even if he set up characters based on his research, there might still be parts in the characters’ behaviors that lacked persuasiveness.
Readers can’t understand writing that isn’t adequately prepared by the writer.
“Delicious…”
When he forked a chunk of cream castella into his mouth, the sweetness spread instantly. Sitting at his desk for a long time after so long made his shoulders feel heavily tensed. As he stretched his neck from side to side, Tae Igyeol placed his hands on his shoulders and began to massage them refreshingly.
“When did you go out?”
He asked, tilting his head back and making eye contact.
“After lunch, not long after you started working.”
“You were out for quite a while?”
He straightened his head while checking the time on the wall clock. He had gotten up around 11 AM, washed up, eaten right away, and started working around noon, but it was already past 4 PM.
“I went to the gym. Then I stopped by the sports center and sparred with the instructor.”
“Are you obsessed with exercise? You’ve been going during the day recently, and then after dinner, you go to the gym again after 8 PM.”
“…I have my reasons.”
