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Chapter 52: Script Reading (2)

『Hey! Kim Sky, is that any way to speak to your mother?』

『Who are you to call your unnie by her name like that? Are you crazy?』

『Yeah, I\'m crazy! Yell at Mom again, and I\'ll rip out every hair on your head, unnie or not!』

Yoo-Jin\'s trembling voice was filled with vivid resentment and anger. Her authentic delivery of emotions sent chills down my spine. Expressing a character\'s feelings through just a few lines is no easy task, yet Yoo-Jin did it effortlessly from her seat.

At that moment, all eyes in the script reading room turned toward Yoo-Jin. It was just a script reading, but Yoo-Jin was so immersed in her performance as if it were the actual shoot.

As Yoo-Jin matched Ju Yung-In\'s powerful acting, Ju Yung-In\'s brows furrowed more and more. She tried to dominate the entire room with her powerful performance but did not expect Yoo-Jin to match her performance.

Ju Yung-In started her lines again with a strong tone.

『Don’t meddle in my affairs and mind your own business! I saw your grades and they were pathetic. So what makes you think you can butt in, Ms. Know-it-all?』

『And what about you, unnie? Is doing well academically all that matters? Have you ever used that smart brain of yours to think? Do you even realize how hard Mom struggles to pay for your college tuition?』

As with any sibling rivalry, the exchange between Yoo-Jin and Ju Yung-In’s lines was sharp and intense. If they had been seated closer, they might have even been at each other\'s throats. Everyone in the script reading room watched the intense acting duel between the two with bated breath, as if witnessing a tightrope walk over a cliff, and gulped.

After about three minutes of intense performance, surprisingly, it was Ju Yung-In who first began to falter in her lines.

『Tha-that\'s... wait, let me start again. I got my lines mixed up.』

Ju Yung-In stumbled over her words, forgetting her next line. This marked the end of the exhilarating showdown. Ju Yung-In fiercely glanced at Yoo-Jin for a moment before reopening her script reluctantly.

The tension that had tightly wound the script reading session finally unraveled. At that moment, Jung Sam-Ryong decided to give the actors a break. "Phew, it\'s getting too heated for the first day. Let\'s take a short break. Anyone who needs the washroom, feel free to go now."

Jung Sam-Ryong deliberately stood up and made some noise with his chair. Only then did every staff let out a sigh of relief. "

“I feel suffocated just watching them."

"Why are they putting so much effort into script reading? They are making other actors feel bad for not memorizing the script."

"Yikes. Is this a script reading or an actual shoot?"

“Camera crew, please stay back after the session. We need to redo the plan for the camera route and setting!”

As the tension in the room loosened, the actors relaxed a bit and looked relieved. Yoo-Jin also belatedly reopened her script and checked her lines.

A thrill ran through me when I witnessed Yoo-Jin\'s potential, clearly on par with Ju Yung-In\'s—and I wasn\'t the only one who had witnessed this.

***

Kang Soo-Hoon, clearly pleased with the heated atmosphere, made an announcement with a flushed face.

"Great job, everyone! That\'s all for today. The next script reading is on the 22nd. See you next week."

Despite the script reading lasting for two hours straight, time seemed to fly by due to the tense atmosphere.

Clap clap clap!

The staff\'s applause filled the room.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”

"Wow, time flew by! Just reading the script felt more entertaining than an actual drama."

"Are we heading towards a 30% viewership rating with this, or what?"

"Oh my goodness. It was so intense, I couldn\'t even breathe."

Jung Sam-Ryong called the main directing team over and praised them for the excellent start. Meanwhile, the actors began mingling with one another.

"Miss Yung-In. Let\'s take it easy, will you? My heart was pounding in fear of making a mistake."

"I’m sorry. I just got carried away because I know how good you are, sunbae-nim.."

"Haha, is that so? And here I thought you were challenging me."

"Me? Challenge you? Never..."

After the script reading session ended, Ju Yung-In went around bowing her head to the sunbae actors to praise them. She approached Jung Beon-Gyu and Lee Sa-Rang, who played the role of her parents, saying that she fell in love with their acting. Her social skills were just as impressive as her acting, though they were strictly reserved for those who could benefit her.

In contrast, the actors and staff approached Yoo-Jin first, thanks to the impact of her strong performance against Ju Yung-In.

"Miss Yoo-Jin, that was impressive!"

"Did you actually memorize the whole script?"

"Such an attitude is needed in a rookie. Bravo!"

"Take it easy. What are we supposed to do if you don’t look at the script?"

Yoo-Jin quickly reverted to her cheerful self after the performance. Her transition from role to reality was astonishingly quick. Even seasoned actors struggled with this, but Yoo-Jin, a mere rookie, handled it effortlessly.

I recalled veteran actress Choi Soo-Hee, known to be the best actress in South Korea, mentioning how difficult it is to return to herself after immersing in the role.

This made me wonder if we had yet to see the full extent of Yoo-Jin’s talent even in my past life. I couldn’t help but tremble at the thought that I had caught a glimpse of the potential of actress Jung Yoo-Jin.

"I’m sorry, sunbae-nim! I\'ll make sure to read the script next time!"

When Yoo-Jin humbly apologized, everyone responded warmly.

"Hey, Are you teasing me right now because I didn\'t memorize the script?"

"N-no, not at all!"

"Haha

“Don’t worry about Choi sunbae. She always jokes around like this anyway. Let\'s do well together, okay?"

"Yes, sunbae-nim!"

The mood was heartwarming. However, it wasn’t time to relax yet. Knowing the drama\'s success, I was also aware of the male actors\' notorious reputations for womanizing.

Not surprisingly, one of them approached Yoo-Jin.

"Miss Yoo-Jin, not only is your acting great but your voice is really nice too. I\'ve always envied people with good voices."

Ju Seong-Jin, wearing a red sweater with wavy hair and a sharp jawline, complimented her. He was well known for his scandals with every single actress he acted with ever since his debut. Despite making mistakes in the script reading, he seemed unfazed and approached Yoo-Jin in a flirty manner.

Yoo-Jin responded to Ju Seong-Jin’s compliment with a bright smile. "Thank you, but I still have a lot to learn. I\'ll take your words as encouragement."

"Come on, what do you mean you have a lot to learn? Oh, by the way, you can call me oppa. We\'re going to be working together for a while and sunbae-nim sounds a little too formal."

Following my advice, Yoo-Jin kept a professional distance. "I can\'t be informal with a sunbae-nim like you. I\'ll be respectful."

Ju Seong-Jin smiled awkwardly at Yoo-Jin’s rejection as he was unaccustomed to being turned down.

“I-is that so? Call me whatever you want then.”

Then, a muscle-bound man with short sports hair approached the two. He was Choi Jong-Hyuk, who was cast as Seong Blue\'s brother, Seong Clear. Since Choi Jong-Hyuk was known for his preference for older glamorous women, he did not pose a concern for Yoo-Jin. He never showed interest in younger women as he considered them unattractive.

"Seong-Jin hyung, are you trying to stir up another scandal?"

Ju Seong-Jin hastily denied Choi Jong-Hyuk\'s teasing accusation. "Hey! What do you mean by scandals? Don\'t believe those nasty reporters writing fake articles! Miss Yoo-Jin! Don’t believe what he says!!"

Choi Jong-Hyuk slyly dissed Ju Seong-Jin and reached his hand out to Yoo-Jin for a handshake.

“I’m Choi Jong-Hyuk. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

‘Okay. That’s just an ordinary conversation between actors. I don’t need to butt in yet.’

However, my thoughts quickly changed when Choi Jong-Hyuk handed Yoo-Jin his phone with a smile. "It seems like we have many scenes together in this drama, so let’s exchange contact details for better coordination, shall we?"

Then, Ju Sung-Jin also chimed in. "That’s a great idea. Let me share my number too."

I had already expected Ju Seong-Jin to ask for Yoo-Jin\'s number, but Choi Jong-Hyuk initiating this was surprising. In my memory, Choi Jong-Hyuk never bothered with women he wasn’t interested in.

Sensing a chill down my spine, I quickly intervened in the conversation between the three.

"We have a tight schedule, so we must get going. Here\'s my business card. If you need to contact us, please use this number."

Ju Seong-Jin and Choi Jong-Hyuk grumbled in response.

"Come on, what\'s this? We can\'t exchange phone numbers when we aren’t even idols? Why are you being so strict?"

"You’re being too harsh, Mr. Jung."

However, I was being generous considering their history of scandals.

Yoo-Jin made a bright smile, seemingly relieved by my timely intervention. She smiled politely while keeping a professional distance once again. "Then I’ll see you next time, sunbae-nim."

\'You’re doing great, Yoo-Jin.’

I quickly left the script reading session with Yoo-Jin.

***

After the script reading, Ju Seong-Jin headed to the washroom to fix his hair. Then, he spoke to Park Ju-Oh, his talent agent, who followed him to the washroom.

"Hey, Ju-Oh. Don’t you think Yoo-Jin is pretty?"

Park Ju-Oh immediately turned pale and began to scold Ju Seong-Jin. "Come on, hyung. Stop focusing on the actresses, will you? The president said he won\'t let it slide if you cause another scandal this time!"

"Are you being serious right now? It’s not like the President could do anything to me. I\'m Ju Seong-Jin."

"Ugh, I don’t want to hear it. Anyway, Jung Yoo-Jin isn\'t even your type."

“Hey, you’re saying that because she’s too young right now. But if she gets made up real good, I bet all the male actors will line up until they reach Busan.”

Park Ju-Oh covered his ears with both hands and left the washroom. "Sigh, whatever. I don’t want to hear it."

At that moment, Choi Jong-Hyuk entered the washroom. He clicked his tongue and washed his hands at the sink.

"Hyung, you’re always fixing your hair every time I see you. Are you shedding or what?"

"You punk. Respect your sunbae, will you? And why are you so interested in Yoo-Jin anyway? She\'s not even your type."

Choi Jong-Hyuk dried his hands and rebutted, "That’s my question to ask. Isn\'t someone like Ju Yung-In more your style, hyung?"

"I thought so too, but after seeing her in person, I figured she’s not my type. She’s too bossy and I hate bossy women."

"Be honest with me. You’re just embarrassed because you messed up your lines, aren’t you?"

"Whatever. But what’s up with you? You’re always chasing older women but why are you suddenly going after Jung Yoo-Jin? Is she secretly 30 years old or something?"

Choi Jong-Hyuk just snorted dismissively.

“Wait. Are you...”

“What?”

“Ah, never mind. It’s none of my business anyway.”

“You’re lame.”

When Choi Jong-Hyuk was about to leave, Ju Seong-Jin subtly asked. “Hey, Jong-Hyuk. Do you wanna bet who can win over Jung Yoo-Jin first? Let’s make it worth 5 million won. What do you think?”

“What kind of bet is that? We’re not kids, you know.”

Visibly annoyed, Choi Jong-Hyuk left the washroom with an unpleasant expression.

Ju Seong-Jin watched Choi Jong-Hyuk leave and muttered to himself.

"That asshole. He is definitely lying. There’s no way he would go after a woman younger than him. What\'s going on with him? He must be up to something..."

Grasping the situation, Ju Seong-Jin clicked his tongue.

“Things won’t go your way, Choi Jong-Hyuk. You know who I am—I’m Ju Seong-Jin.”

Ju Seong-Jin looked at himself through the mirror and combed his hair back to fix his style.

“Looking good as always.”

His narcissism was evident in his self-congratulatory monologue.