CHAPTER 74

When scene 12 was about to end, Kang Soo-Hoon stopped Park Jin-Hee's performance with a very satisfied expression.

"Good job. Why don't we take a short break."

Park Jin-Hee, having concluded her impressive act, returned to her seat.

Now, it was our turn.

The judges returned from their short break and took their seats again.

"Now let's see Miss Jung Yoo-Jin's performance."

Following Cha Soo-Yeon's instructions, Yoo-Jin stood up and bowed deeply to the judges.

"Hello, I'm rookie actress Jung Yoo-Jin."

The head of Blue Dragon burst into laughter upon observing her 90-degree bow reminiscent of an idol.

Jung Sam-Ryong, who was seated next to him, also wore a pleased expression and asked, "Miss Yoo-Jin, I've been enjoying the drama you're currently in. When does it end?"

"On the 14th, Mr. Jung."

"MBS really struck gold. They got an extension of two episodes, huh? I wonder why Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon was so generous this time."

Jung Sam-Ryong looked at Kim Soll-Ip beside him and asked. "Ms. Kim, what was the viewership rating for episode 23 of The Morning Takes Off?"

"It was 23.8%."

Jung Sam-Ryong seemed impressed.

"Wow. Ms. Lee is truly talented. But I'm sure that Ms. Kim can achieve that record too, right?"

Despite the subtle pressure disguised as praise, Kim Soll-Ip responded with a smile. "There's nothing I can't do if I receive your strong support, Mr. Jung."

"Ha ha ha! You want me to pump in the ads, don't you?"

Jung Sam-Ryong laughed heartily as he read Kim Soll-Ip's intention right away.

After all, Kim Soll-Ip had been following Lee Ji-Yeon around the broadcasting station for five years. Although she was just debuting as a writer, she wasn't naive about the workings of the broadcasting world.

"Alright, then. Let's aim for record-breaking viewership ratings."

The highest-ranking person on the panel of judges wasn't Jo Eung-Gu but Jung Sam-Ryong who had the authority over program time slots at the broadcasting station.

Yoo-Jin's scene to perform was Scene 13. With Jung Sam-Ryong's nod, Kang Soo-Hoon signaled the start of the audition.

This scene followed directly after Scene 12, which Park Jin-Hee had just performed. As the red REC light on the camera lit up, Yoo-Jin started sniffing without speaking her lines.

『Ah! As expected of beef—even its fragrance is a blessing!』

Yoo-Jin brought her hands together and recited the lines with a dreamy expression. She looked like a fervent devotee of some newly emerged Beef Religion.

Yoo-Jin continued to sniff as she went on to recite her lines.

Sniff, sniff.

She seemed determined to inhale the smell of the sizzling meat on the charcoal grill. She even fanned the air towards herself, inhaling the aroma of cooking meat.

Then came the highlight of the scene.

『Cough, cough, cough! Mom! Soda! I need a soda! I inhaled the smoke!』

Holding her throat and running around in panic, Yoo-Jin acted out the scene of being hit on the back by her mother.

『Mom. If you don't want to see your daughter suffocating, give me the soda fast! Ouch! Why are you hitting me!』

Yoo-Jin's eyes welled up with tears as she touched her back where she had been hit. With just that one tear, she captivated the panel of judges.

"Shall we have Myeongryun Satto Ribs for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm craving meat now after watching Miss Yoo-Jin's performance."

"Was Miss Jung Yoo-Jin's acting always this good? This doesn't seem like a performance by a rookie who just debuted."

"It looks like her previous performances weren't just luck."

Yoo-Jin's performance was on a different level compared to Park Jin-Hee's. Her coughing sprayed saliva everywhere, her eyes reddened with tears even without real smoke, and her salivating and gulping almost made the judges hungry.

The just-debuted Yoo-Jin seemed to have completely overshadowed Park Jin-Hee, even though the latter had 17 years of experience.

'Well done, Jung Yoo-Jin!'

"Cut! Good job!"

Everyone on the panel wore complicated expressions at Kang Soo-Hoon's cut sign. Among them, Cha Soo-Yeon seemed the most unsettled.

'It seems like she's the one who benefited the most from the under-the-table negotiations.'

Similarly, Jo Eung-Gu, who most likely was involved in these shady negotiations, also looked like he was observing the situation.

It seemed like Kang Soo-Hoon was the only one who hadn't been involved with those negotiations.

However, such underhanded means only worked if there was a semblance of skill parity—in the face of such a talent gap, these unofficial under-the-table negotiations were ineffective.

Cha Soo-Yeon barely came to her senses and directed the continuation of the audition.

"Hmm. Both of you are really good. Let's continue to check out scenes 25 and 35, shall we?"

Jo Eung-Gu hastily agreed with Cha Soo-Yeon's suggestion as he tried to salvage the situation. "Y-yes. Let's see more scenes before making a decision."

Jung Sam-Ryong looked at them suspiciously but the two seemed too flustered to notice.

The audition continued with two more scenes. But the outcome was apparent.

The already mentally distraught Park Jin-Hee failed to close the gap with Yoo-Jin's crystal-clear performance, thanks to taking the Uhwang-Chungsimhwan.

Cha Soo-Yeon and Jo Eung-Gu became increasingly anxious. Then, as Park Jin-Hee and Yoo-Jin were about to start the fourth scene, everyone's attention turned to Jung Sam-Ryong as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hold on, Miss Jin-hee and Miss Yoo-Jin. Could both of you wait outside for a moment? Can the talent agents please take them out for some fresh air?"

"Of course, Mr. Jung."

Noticing Jung Sam-Ryong's face barely containing his anger, I quickly got up and took Yoo-Jin out of the room.

***

Click.

With the talent agents and actors gone, Jung Sam-Ryong leaned back in his chair.

"Chief Cha, are you messing with me right now?"

His one sentence laden with irritation caused the staff to freeze on the spot.

"Mr. Jo, you think that I'm a dumbass, don't you? Is that it?"

"No, Mr. Jung, that's not it. Everything is a misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding? You think I don't know you're playing games?"

"Well, that's..."

"Look, Mr. Jo. Park Jin-Hee is from Ace Entertainment, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Jo and Chief Cha, both of you must have taken money from Ace Entertainment."

Their inability to respond when confronted with the truth was evident in their restless discomfort.