Chapter 36 - The Last Hopeful
The atmosphere inside the conference hall became even more nerve-wracking after Hyunjin's messy audition.
"Crap. I thought he was doing well."
"It seems we'll actually finish early if Chaewon PD keeps interrupting the audition scenes like this."
"I'm glad I didn't sit in the first row."
Hyunjin walked back to his seat, his head hung low in shame. Jihwan patted his back, but it did little to comfort him. Minseok, on the other hand, shook his head.
"Is this how Moonrise Media actors are?" he asked himself, capturing the attention of Selina's bodyguard.
The next person to go up the stage was Jisoo. Zeno had watched her before in Daniel's series, and he knew she was a good actress. It seemed that Chaewon PD thought so, too, since she didn't interrupt her audition process.
"Hold still. This is going to sting," Ian said.
Jisoo smirked, at ease. "Are you always this gentle with your patients?"
Ian shook his head. "Only the ones who can't follow basic instructions."
"Why?" Ian asked.
Jisoo even managed to wink at him in the process. "Well, it seems you're being too gentle. I'm irresistible, aren't I?"
As soon as her scene was over, she received a round of applause.
"She's not bad," Insu said.
"Yeah, she's got a pretty face, too," Jiho smiled.
The next person was Jihwan, and like his friend, Hyunjin, he was interrupted in the middle of his act. Hyunjin comforted him right after; however, on the inside, he felt relieved—he wasn't the only one who messed up.
After Jihwan, Selina took the stage. Her demeanor completely changed. She had removed her sunglasses and was now looking at the panel with the sweetest smile. The scene melted the hearts of many, causing Selina to internally smirk.
She knew she was a star.
Fortunately for her, the scene she had chosen was just right for her personality—a spoiled brat who was used to getting everything she wanted.
"What is this? Selina is good at acting, too? She's perfect!"
"I think she's going to get the role."
Jisoo, too, felt pretty nervous. She thought she had the speaking role in the bag, but after seeing Selina's performance, she wasn't so sure anymore.
Minseok was up next, and Jace perked up. "Oh, I know this guy," he said. "He's a freaking scumbag. We met at a function once, and he acted like he was above everybody else. He kept boasting about his car, too. If I were you, I would stay away from people like him," he said, turning to Zeno.
However, much to his surprise, Zeno was sleeping! He had the straw hat over his face, with his shoulders slowly moving up and down.
Jace frowned. "How could you even sleep at a time like this?"
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Minseok was up next, and much to Jace's dismay, he actually did pretty well. He wasn't stopped by Chaewon PD, and those beginner classes definitely helped his once-non-existent acting skills.
As he got down, the smile on his face couldn't be painted.
He stopped in front of Selina. "Looks like we're going to be seeing each other on set," he winked.
Selina frowned and looked away, not wanting to pay attention to him.
The next auditionees came after. The process was faster than most had anticipated because Chaewon PD wasn't afraid of stopping the acts, even on the first line.
"Are you getting tired?" Chaewon asked Ian softly. Her tone was so different compared to when she was speaking to the hopefuls.
Ian merely smiled. "It's alright, PD. I already prepared myself for this day."
Chaewon couldn't help but smile. This was why she loved working with Ian! What a handsome and obedient young man!
Just then, Zeno got furiously shaken, making him open his eyes. He clicked his tongue and removed the straw hat from his face, glaring at Jace.
"Am I next?" he asked.
"No," Jace answered, making Zeno's frown deeper.
"I am," he smiled. "Watch me, alright?"
"But wait," Jace suddenly said, observing his face now that the straw hat was removed. "I think you look really familiar."
"Next!" Chaewon PD exclaimed. Jace's eyes widened. "Oh, crap. Talk to you later."
With that, he stood from his seat and went to the platform. At this point, most of the people were already tired and couldn't wait to go home. It was nearly 8 PM, too, which made the atmosphere even gloomier.
"Jace Moon," he introduced himself. "Scene 1."
Ian started off again. "You don't want to do this. Let her go."
"Don't move!" Jace exclaimed. "I swear I'll do it."
Everyone in the conference hall froze. Zeno, too, was surprised.
His acting...
... was atrocious. No, even that adjective sounded generous.
It became apparent why he had gone on 18 auditions but only acted in 3 unknown films. This guy definitely didn't have any talent in acting.
Even Ian was a bit flustered.
"I said don't move! Drop the scalpel!" Jace continued.
The way he delivered his lines made everyone feel they were watching a high school project.
Chaewon PD shook her head. "Maybe we should have limited the number of auditionees even more," she muttered.
"Next!" she exclaimed, making Jace freeze.
"B–but," he stammered, but the PD didn't even glance at him.
"Move down," she slowly said.
Jace pursed his lips and nodded, going down the platform with a dejected expression. He sat back in his seat and placed his hand on Zeno's shoulder.
"Don't be upset if you're stopped," he said. "Even someone like me had been stopped."
Zeno shook his head. Was this guy unaware of his limitations?
"Where's the last one?" Chaewon exclaimed, turning around. "What are you waiting for? Christmas?"
With her bad mood, Zeno couldn't help but smirk.
Oh, this was already going well.
Zeno placed his straw hat on and started walking to the stage. The other hopefuls were already fixing their items, preparing to go home after the last act.
Minseok clicked his tongue. "Do we even have to watch the last one? It's the hillbilly, isn't it?"
Selina, too, began playing on her phone. Hyunjin, Jisoo, and Jihwan were already stuck in their own conversations. In fact, it seemed no one wanted to watch him anymore.
Zeno arrived at the platform with none of their eyes on him.
"Name?" Chaewon PD asked.
"Zeno Han."
And with those two words, everyone finally paid attention.