WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
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◈ Why Do My Dramas Keep Becoming Hits!? ◈
Chapter 44: Fake Madness, Real Madness (5)
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People in broadcasting often say, "Dramas are all about the writer," but that is only half right.
The writer may build the framework of a drama.
But what gives that framework flesh and blood and determines the drama's scale is ultimately the actors.
The cast's market value directly affects a production's budget, while their good looks and ticket power carry the ratings. And that is not all. If even one lead actor causes a scandal, a drama that had been running smoothly can be taken off the air overnight, or its production can be canceled altogether.
That is why identifying, with a hawk's eye, which people among countless actors are gems that will make a drama shine and which are ticking bombs waiting to explode may be the most important part of producing a drama.
And here.
There was once a brilliant gem adorned with every glamorous label imaginable: the nation's first love, the queen of melodrama, the ten-million-ticket fairy, unbeatable at the box office.
But now, after a horrific drug scandal sent her crashing to the bottom, she was a massive landmine everyone had no choice but to avoid.
Where was she?
Right in my hands.
'Whew. That was almost a real disaster.'
Thinking back to the casting board meeting held in the large conference room a few days ago, I secretly patted my chest in relief.
The main and supporting cast lineup that had covered the whiteboard was enough to make anyone's jaw drop.
There had not been a single gap in that lineup of nothing but S-rank and A-rank actors whose names everyone would recognize.
No wonder the PDs had thought the project had a chance.
"If we go with this lineup, Baek Min-hee and Hong Eun-seo don't scare me at all."
"Haha! Exactly!"
"Baek Min-hee! Hong Eun-seo! Let's take them down!"
What were those lunatics going to take down?
Once the drama ended, they would probably be grabbing me by the collar first.
'I still don't get it.'
Did Studio Miracle have money rotting away somewhere? Why were they throwing money at a script that was doomed to fail anyway?
Or was this some shallow scheme to cover up the script's trashiness through the actors' dazzling performances?
'Heh... Could it be because of that? This is why people need to become famous.'
My name value after pulling 30 percent ratings with my debut work, <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>.
That was the only possible explanation for why they were pouring in money.
'I said I wanted to burst the bubble. I never said I wanted to burst it like this.'
Anyway, that was why I decided to cast that actress.
The surest possible excuse for why the drama had no choice but to fail.
In other words, the public would see my failure as inevitable, while some of the hype gathering around me would naturally fade. It was the perfect plan.
'Mm-hm. I'll throw this script away and go all out on the next one.'
As I happily imagined that perfect scenario of destruction, I got a message from CP Gong Myeong-ho.
[Writer Ji. I've sent you the audition location by text. Please contact me when you leave.]
"That's welcome news indeed."
[Excuse me? Ah, yes...]
At last, the time had come.
I got up with a light step, humming as I put on my coat.
'Okay. Time to go raise some hell.'
---
Top stars who have reached the summit tend to have one fatal flaw in their personality.
The unbearable fame, envy and jealousy pouring in from every direction, and suffocating pressure slowly twist a person's nature.
And it is far worse for former child actors.
From the days when they were still snot-nosed children, before their sense of self had even fully formed, they wore masks before cameras and pretended to be someone else.
While ordinary children their age went to school and spent time with friends, they learned first how to read the room and fake emotions in the brutal adult world of money and power.
Children who struggled through that filthy entertainment industry were likely to grow up with hearts twisted and festering beyond repair.
And among those former child actors, no, perhaps among all actresses, there was one who had achieved the greatest success story of all.
Woo Yeon-hee.
She had spent twenty years in this rotten entertainment industry and had even endured the public's vicious condemnation over a drug scandal.
It would not have been an exaggeration to call her a ticking bomb that could explode at any moment.
'...This will be okay, right?'
Inside the black van gliding down the road, Team Leader Han Young-soo glanced at the passenger seat through the rearview mirror while gripping the steering wheel.
Wine-colored hair fell neatly around her face.
Large sunglasses covered half her face, but the distinctive aura she gave off made it impossible not to recognize her.
"Y-Yeon-hee...? Aren't you sleepy? Want some caffeine gum?"
"..."
"Ahem... If you're tired, get some sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."
In response to Han Young-soo's question, she did not even move her eyes.
She simply rested her chin on the open window frame and stared endlessly at the scenery outside.
"..."
Honestly, getting her into this car had involved a great many trials.
Namgung Seok had personally visited her home and pleaded for a full ten days, but she had ignored every word and shut herself in her room.
When the persuasion continued anyway, she finally held a shard of broken glass to her own neck and issued a threat.
If they said that kind of shit one more time, she would slit her throat right there.
Even Namgung Seok had gone pale at that chilling threat and could only retreat with both hands raised.
But why?
A few days ago, her attitude had suddenly changed completely. She had called first and abruptly announced that she would audition.
Han Young-soo could not understand her intentions at all.
What was she thinking? What change of heart had made her reverse herself so easily?
It was ironic, but also terrifying.
Her calm appearance felt like the stillness before a storm.
"...Ahem. Yeon-hee. Like the representative said earlier, don't worry about what other people think at the audition. Just act the way you normally do. Don't let your nerves shake you, and just show them your acting..."
"I want to get out."
"...? H-Huh?"
Before Han Young-soo could stop her, she unfastened her seat belt and tried to open the door.
Han Young-soo hurriedly grabbed her with one hand.
"Y-Yeon-hee! What are you talking about? It's dangerous on the highway! Wait!"
"You're not stopping? Should I just jump out?"
"O-Okay! I'll shut up! I won't say another stupid thing! Just take your hand off the door first, okay?! Please?!"
"..."
Only then did Woo Yeon-hee settle down, resting her chin on the window frame as she looked outside again.
'This is seriously... making me nervous...'
Han Young-soo prayed desperately that the day would pass quietly and safely.
Please.
---
A seminar room inside the MBS station.
The room set up for the full-scale role auditions held a heavy tension.
At the front, a recording camera and an auxiliary camcorder stood on tripods, ready to capture every detail of the actors' performances. Long tables were packed with dozens of designated scripts, score sheets, stopwatches, and bottles of water.
Then Director Pyo Won-ho, one of the judges seated at the table, spoke bluntly.
"This is so ridiculous, I don't even know what to say. Does that actress have no shame? What kind of nerve does she have to say she's coming here?"
CP Gong Myeong-ho, seated beside him as he kept talking without pause, wiped away a cold sweat and hurriedly calmed him down.
"I understand how you feel, Director Pyo. But let's focus on the audition first."
"Focus? How am I supposed to focus when a druggie is coming to muddy up my project?"
"Don't say things like that here. The writer is sitting right next to you too. Ahem."
Unlike the agitated Pyo Won-ho, Gong Myeong-ho was calmer than expected.
How could Gong Myeong-ho not be?
There was already someone lined up for the role of Mantis.
Seol Jin-a, the certified top star whose stock was rising faster than anyone else's.
The moment she read the script, she had declared that she wanted to play Mantis no matter what, even setting aside all pride to come audition.
The production company, the network executives, and even the investors had all firmly leaned toward Seol Jin-a. It was practically already decided.
"Then shall we begin the auditions?"
"Yes, let's."
Before long, the auditions began in earnest.
At the same time, the formerly quiet seminar room filled with the voices of various actors.
"Hey! Are you screwing around with me right now?! Where did you hide the goods?!"
"Haa, haa... Hand it over right now! I'm going crazy, so hand it over already!"
After several hours had passed, countless actors had entered through the door and poured their hearts into their performances. Yet every actor who auditioned for Mantis had been disappointing.
Whenever they spoke their lines, they just tore at their hair and screamed, trying too hard to act crazy.
Not one trace of the genuine madness Mantis possessed could be found.
'Of course it is difficult.'
Mantis was a character so steeped in drugs that she had completely lost normal self-control.
You had to portray someone impossible to predict, a ticking bomb ready to explode at any moment. That was not as easy as it sounded.
The contrast between madness and instability, and the chilling coldness lurking beneath them, had to be brought to life vividly.
It required constantly shifting vocal tones, along with dialogue rhythms that jumped out of beat in certain situations. The actor had to keep perfect control of their movements and camera angles, while portraying a raw animal that seemed to have lost all control before the lens.
It was a role demanding truly advanced technique.
Furthermore, Mantis was a woman.
For actresses who had always maintained pretty, polished performances before the camera, pulling off something that raw overnight was nearly impossible.
In the end, they all left after showing off nothing but miserable acting. The only remaining hope was Seol Jin-a.
"Hello. I'm applicant number 111, Seol Jin-a."
The moment she spoke and gave a small bow, the stagnant atmosphere in the seminar room instantly melted away.
Even Director Pyo Won-ho, who had been sulking with a face like he had chewed shit and tapping his pen, straightened his back and began focusing as though nothing had happened.
She had not even begun acting yet, but the judges' eyes had long since stamped her as accepted.
And as her performance continued, that impression only became certainty.
'Whoa! That tiny tremor in her facial muscles... Her control of the tension is incredible.'
'Her diction is excellent. She's panting and delivering her lines like she's excited, but not a single word is muddled. Haha! Her vocal fundamentals are monstrous.'
'Hm. Seol Jin-a truly is Seol Jin-a. There won't be any surprises now.'
It was a flawless, technically polished performance with a perfect score.
A dazzling show of skill that immediately satisfied the judges.
Once the designated-script performance ended, the judges' faces all brightened, and satisfied nods followed from all around the table.
"Thank you for your hard work. That was very good."
"Thank you!"
"We really enjoyed your excellent acting. Though honestly, we were surprised. We never expected an actor of your stature to come all the way to the audition in person. If you had contacted us first, we would have come running to you."
Everyone seated among the judges nodded as if they agreed.
At Gong Myeong-ho's question, Seol Jin-a smiled faintly and glanced toward Ji Yeon-woo.
"Actually, I really enjoyed the writer's <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>. I'm a huge fan."
"Ah, you're a fan of the writer."
"Yes. So when the script first came through my agency, I naturally read it with the protagonist's lover, Lee Ha-na, in mind. But..."
For a moment, Seol Jin-a's eyes grew as serious as they had been during her performance.
"The moment I read the script, I became completely fascinated by Mantis. As an actor, I simply couldn't let this character go. So when I heard about the audition, I begged my CEO. I said I had to have this role no matter what."
"Hoho. It is truly an honor to have an actor like you think so highly of it. Aren't you lucky, Writer Ji?"
"Yes. Thank you for thinking so highly of it."
Praise for the script and perfect passion for the role.
The judges smiled fondly at her humble but confident answer, but the writer receiving that praise did not seem moved in the least.
He merely kept glancing at the next applicant's profile in his hand.
"I enjoyed your performance too. Shall we bring in the next applicant?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work."
Seol Jin-a left awkwardly after Ji Yeon-woo's flat reply.
Gong Myeong-ho watched her departing back before lowering their gaze to flip through the next applicant's profile.
[Woo Yeon-hee]
The moment Gong Myeong-ho saw the name on the paper, their brow slowly furrowed.
Here it came.
There was not even one percent of expectation. The role's owner had already been decided, so she would merely show up as a formality before being sent away.
Gong Myeong-ho had just opened their mouth to call in the next applicant.
Bang!
The audition room door flew open, and a woman strode inside.
But something about the atmosphere was strangely wrong.
Behind her, Hi-Up's Team Leader Han Young-soo was trying to stop her in horror.
'What's going on?'
Before Gong Myeong-ho could grasp the situation, Woo Yeon-hee marched up to the judges' table and stopped directly in front of Writer Ji Yeon-woo.
Then.
Swoosh!!
She swung her arm viciously, sweeping the designated scripts, water bottles, pens, and score sheets from the desk onto the floor.
Crash! Clatter!
As the objects scattered everywhere with a loud racket, the seminar room instantly descended into chaos.
The stunned staff shot to their feet, and Gong Myeong-ho shouted, veins bulging in their neck.
"W-What do you think you're doing right now?!"
Woo Yeon-hee did not even glance at the shout.
She roughly swept back her hair and stared only at Ji Yeon-woo before her.
"I've been thinking myself crazy about this for days. Whether this bastard thinks I'm easy enough to toy with, or whether he wants to use some washed-up bitch to get attention."
Grinding her teeth, she spat out the words and stepped even closer to Ji Yeon-woo.
"But I can't figure it out."
Thud!
Woo Yeon-hee reached out roughly and grabbed Ji Yeon-woo by the collar as he sat there.
People who had gone pale rushed over to stop her, but she paid them no mind and shoved her face close to Ji Yeon-woo's.
Then she opened her mouth with a growl.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, you fucking bastard?"
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