Chapter 7

After the audition ended and the other judges had left, the music director quietly headed toward the building’s emergency staircase.

Even before grabbing the door handle, he looked around carefully.

After entering, he checked both upstairs and downstairs for anyone nearby.

Only then did he walk down a few flights and stop in a corner of the landing between floors.

After confirming he was completely alone, he finally pulled out his phone.

After tapping the screen several times, he found a contact saved as “Sigma Entertainment Director Jung Taek-gyun.”

He pressed the call button and raised the phone to his ear.

Even then, he glanced around nervously once more.

A low voice soon came through the receiver.

“Hello.”

“Ah, Director Jung? This is Jang Woo-hyuk.”

“Yes, Director Jang. Since you’re calling, I assume the audition is over?”

“Yes. It ended just a little while ago.”

Covering the phone with one hand, he lowered his voice even further.

“So? Our Yeon-ho was the best, right?”

“Haa… well…”

Unable to answer immediately, he rubbed his forehead.

“An unexpected situation came up.”

“An unexpected situation?”

The warmth instantly disappeared from the other man’s voice.

“Yes. A completely unexpected applicant showed up. His name is Han Seo-jun.”

“…Han Seo-jun?”

Director Jung muttered quietly.

“Was there an idol with that name? I don’t think he’s from any top-tier group.”

“He’s not an idol. He’s an actor.”

“…And?”

“That guy’s acting is incredible. He even prepared the stage outfit perfectly. Honestly… wow. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find any flaws.”

A long silence followed.

The music director unconsciously rubbed the tip of his nose.

After a moment, a deep sigh came from the other end.

“Ha… seriously.”

Director Jung’s mocking voice sounded sharp in his ear.

“Wait. You’re saying an actor was better than first-tier idols at singing and dancing? Are you seriously telling me this Han Seo-jun dances better than our Yeon-ho?”

“…Not just dancing. His singing too. The assigned song could’ve been performed standing still, but he executed the difficult choreography perfectly while singing. His vocals were absolutely…”

He stopped himself before finishing.

After swallowing nervously, he continued.

“Even his acting completely overwhelmed everyone. The other judges have already leaned toward Han Seo-jun. I can’t do anything by myself.”

Another frustrated sigh came through the phone.

“This is unbelievable. If you failed to do your job properly, at least come up with a better excuse.”

Director Jung’s voice was filled with anger.

And honestly, the reaction was understandable.

There were actors who possessed impressive singing and dancing skills.

But idols spent years training intensely before debuting.

Even after debuting, only those with talent, hard work, and luck became first-tier idols.

Yet now he was being told that an actor whose main profession was acting had completely dominated nine top-tier idols at an idol audition.

“Director Jang, even if things don’t go as planned, you should still keep your promises. You were the one who suggested helping us get our boy cast. You accepted everything already, and now you’re trying to wash your hands of it?”

“I-I’ll return everything. I’m truly sorry. But things have gone so far beyond expectations that I honestly don’t know what I can do anymore…”

After repeatedly apologizing, he finally ended the call.

“Hoo…”

The music director wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He had intended to persuade the judges until the very end.

But Han Seo-jun’s performance had been so overwhelmingly superior that there was simply nothing he could do.

“Damn it… Why did someone like him have to show up and ruin everything…”

Grinding his teeth, he muttered bitterly.

Then he quickly looked around again.

After confirming nobody was there, he left through the emergency exit with a twisted expression.

***

Blizzard Entertainment Headquarters, 2nd Floor

The door to Management Division Team 1’s office suddenly flew open.

Team Leader Joo Tae-hwan immediately stood up when he saw the woman entering.

“Oh! Hwa-young, what brings you here?!”

The woman shot him a fierce glare before turning her head away.

She dropped onto the sofa and crossed her legs elegantly.

Her lips were tightly pressed together while her eyes flashed with irritation.

Tae-hwan hurried over and awkwardly squeezed himself onto the edge of the sofa opposite her.

As she stared at him, Lee Hwa-young’s cheeks gradually reddened.

It was hard to tell whether it was anger or frustration.

“This is seriously driving me crazy. Am I really supposed to be treated like this?”

“What? I just sent Jun-sik to your filming location. Didn’t he contact you?”

Her eyes immediately sharpened.

The look alone made Tae-hwan flinch.

“Teaaam Leeeader~! I’m Lee Hwa-young. Do you know how much money I make for this company? And you’re assigning me some rookie road manager? I had to stand outside freezing while waiting for a guy who’s only been employed for one month!”

Watching her explode in irritation, Tae-hwan softened his voice.

“Come on. You could’ve waited comfortably in the trailer. He would’ve arrived soon. Besides, it’s only September. It was nearly 30 degrees this afternoon—”

Her eyes instantly became colder.

“It was cold!!”

When she shouted, Tae-hwan fumbled awkwardly and lightly slapped his own mouth.

“Right, right. I meant it was warm during the day. It’s already after four now. It definitely got chilly. My mouth is the problem.”

He kept hitting his lips lightly while watching her reaction.

Seeing his silly behavior, she clicked her tongue.

“When are you assigning Manager Hwang to me?”

“Who? Hwang Dong-jun?”

“Is there another Manager Hwang in this company?”

“Ah, he’s handling Han Seo-jun right now.”

“I heard they got into a huge fight recently and decided to split up.”

Her expression turned cold.

“I know he came back after submitting a one-month vacation request. The Director said he’d handle it, but nothing happened, so I came personally.”

“Haa… about that…”

Tae-hwan glanced at her nervously.

“He did come back… but he says he’s going to keep managing Seo-jun.”

Her face darkened instantly.

“What?!”

Her voice came out almost like a scream.

“I thought he said he could tolerate bad acting but couldn’t tolerate an actor being unprofessional. So why is he changing his mind now?”

“Well… do you know that TV show My Child Has Changed?”

“…!”

Her expression froze.

She looked like she wanted to ask if he had lost his mind.

“Seo-jun completely changed. No, not changed… awakened! That’s it. He awakened.”

“What are you even talking about? Have you been drinking in the middle of the day?”

As her brows tightened, Tae-hwan hurriedly waved his hands.

“No way! I’m serious. He passed the first round for a Netflix original mini-series and went to the second audition today!”

She immediately laughed sarcastically and even clapped.

“Oh wow! He passed the first round? What wonderful news. Should the company put up a giant congratulatory banner?”

Tae-hwan closed his mouth.

“Seriously, that’s amazing. It’s a historic achievement. Are you planning a commemorative plaque too?”

Her merciless sarcasm made his ears turn red.

“It’s not like that…”

“When did our company start celebrating first-round auditions like this? As far as I remember… never.”

She counted on her fingers and smirked.

“Well…”

Tae-hwan awkwardly cleared his throat.

“You know Seo-jun was almost kicked out because his acting was terrible. But now he’s passed the first round for a Netflix original idol drama. All the top-tier idols are competing there. Just reaching the second round means he has real potential.”

She nodded as if agreeing before lifting one corner of her mouth.

“Potential, huh? Since when did this company care so much about potential?”

Seeing her smile, Tae-hwan couldn’t answer.

Lee Hwa-young.

At this moment, she was unquestionably the number one actress in the industry.

In the past, there had always been several top actresses sharing the spotlight.

But now she had no real rival.

It wasn’t that other actresses lacked beauty or skill.

It was simply that Lee Hwa-young’s presence was overwhelming.

Twenty-eight years old.

People called her arrogant and difficult.

Yet she possessed breathtaking beauty and acting talent acknowledged throughout the industry.

Even her flaws were considered charming by fans.

Her story began in Haeundae, Busan.

As a high school student enjoying a summer vacation with friends, she had caught the eye of a representative from AceCom, one of Korea’s largest advertising agencies.

At the time, a famous actress known as the nation’s sweetheart had starred in a chocolate commercial.

But after paparazzi exposed her affair with her best friend’s boyfriend, she fell from grace.

The person who filled the vacancy was Lee Hwa-young.

Just one TV commercial had made her a sensation.

“The arrival of a goddess who embodies purity and elegance.”

The media couldn’t stop talking about her.

Soon she debuted in television dramas.

Naturally, jealousy and criticism followed.

But once the drama aired, everything changed.

Her acting was somewhat lacking.

Yet her face alone dominated every scene.

Her fresh, elegant image and slightly imperfect acting captivated audiences.

From that moment on, her career soared.

Ten years later, she had accumulated countless hit projects.

No matter who you asked, she was the top actress.

And within Blizzard Entertainment, nobody could deny that Lee Hwa-young was the company’s biggest star.

Even if she was difficult and demanding.

“Yeah, you’re right. Even if that guy suddenly awakened, how much could he really improve?”

“Exactly.”

Tae-hwan laughed bitterly.

Hwa-young smiled in satisfaction.

“Fine. Then I’ll give you Jang Dong-hyuk. You know him, right? He’s been a manager for over ten years. And the actor he’s managing, Yoon Min-jun, is leaving for Japan next week for a Korea-Japan co-production. Two Team 3 managers who speak Japanese will accompany him, so—”

“I’ll take Hwang Dong-jun.”

Hwa-young interrupted him with a smile.

Her expression clearly said:

“Why are you talking so much nonsense?”

“…!”

Tae-hwan knew exactly why she wanted Hwang Dong-jun.

He was known as one of the best managers in the industry.

Reliable, hardworking, skilled at identifying good projects, and excellent at handling people.

Many actors secretly wanted to work with him.

“Fine. I’ll talk to Dong-jun for you.”

Just as he reluctantly nodded—

“Talk to me about what?”

A voice suddenly interrupted.

Before they knew it, Hwang Dong-jun had entered the office and was walking toward them.

And peeking out from behind him was Han Seo-jun.

A triumphant smile spread across his face.