Chapter 3

‘As expected, there are very few people auditioning for an unpopular sitcom.’

There were only fifteen people in the waiting room, including me and Yuna.

They were all staring intently at their scripts, pursing their lips.

‘Are they reading this?’

After carefully examining the paper I received from the staff, I noticed that the lines were written briefly.

‘As expected, I knew it would be like this.’

Following these lines, it was up to the auditionee to improvise for over three minutes.

‘No wonder there aren’t many sitcom auditionees….’

Going through the lines on the paper, I imagined what would happen next.

How should it continue to be interesting and captivating? A scene where the gang leader slaps someone at a food cart.

“The audition will start soon!”

The energetic voice of the audition staff echoed through the waiting room. The faces of those in the waiting room stiffened.

I’ve been there too….

Watching the tense figures, memories of my rookie days suddenly came to mind.

“Appa!”

Yuna suddenly called me, pointing at the words written on the paper.

“How do I read this?”

“You mean the lines written here?”

“Yes! Yuna wants to read them too.”

There were quite a few intense lines written on the paper. It didn’t seem suitable for teaching a child.

“Hmm….”

Well, she’ll hear it when they act anyway.

It should be okay to tell her now.

“This is what it says….”

“Number 6 and 7. Are you here?”

Just then, my number was called.

*Thump Thump*

Excitement surged through my chest uncontrollably at the thought of acting again.

‘Did I really like acting?’

I placed my hand on my chest.

This was the pounding heart of joy.

‘Five years spent as an unemployed…’

During that time, I didn’t bother watching dramas or movies at home.

Seeing my heart pounding like this,

It seems I liked acting.

“Are you not here? Then…”

I suddenly snapped out of it, waving my number ticket.

“Yes! Number 7, here.”

“I’m number 6.”

I was startled by the pleasant voice of the person who raised their hand belatedly. Their pronunciation was so accurate that I could believe they were a professional voice actor.

‘Maybe, can that person be an active actor?’

Their neatly trimmed beard and deep wrinkles around the mouth stood out.

They looked to be around their fifties.

‘First time seeing this face….’

Even though I was once an actor, it was natural that I couldn’t remember all the faces of celebrities.

“Now that the number confirmation is done, please follow me.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, okay.”

The middle-aged man with a creaking body followed behind me.

Seems like they’re not an active actor….

Looking at his rock-solid expression, it seemed certain.

*Clank!*

Finally, the staff who had been leading the way opened the large door and left.

‘Wait a minute…. Who is that person?’

I stiffened at the sight of the judges firmly seated inside.

The world sure is small….

Lee Han-sol, the director I first worked with when I was a child actor in my past life, was sitting right in front of me.

Usually, minor roles are handled by casting directors, so why is the director here himself….

Rough skin and vacant eyes.

Seeing his changed appearance, feelings of longing and joy welled up inside me.

“Ah, director…”

“Hmm, let’s start with number 6.”

I quickly closed my mouth tightly.

I am not the ‘Seo-jun’ that exists in his memory, but ‘Jun-seo’ who came to audition today.

I almost forgot and was about to greet Director Lee Han-sol warmly.

‘Oh, I need to be careful.’

I corrected my thoughts and now watched the middle-aged man who was about to start acting.

How good of a performance will he show?

“What the hell are these guys doing here! Without my permission. Trying to do business here?”

The acting of the middle-aged man began at last.

Although he had a good voice, his acting was disappointing.

His clear pronunciation conveyed what he truly wanted to express, but…

It didn’t fit the sitcom.

It felt like watching a daily drama.

Before I knew it, the lines written in the script had been perfectly delivered. Now it was time for the improvisation part.

“Will you keep coming out like this?”

I raised my head at his significantly changed serious gaze. Now, I couldn’t call it a sitcom anymore.

His serious demeanor and gaze were very close to a thriller movie.

“Tell the boss to come out!”

Just as he was about to start stomping on the ground,

I heard the director’s sigh.

“Sigh…. You can stop now.”

“What? There are still 2 minutes left.”

“I said stop.”

We were given 3 minutes.

Saying to stop meant there was nothing more to see.

He definitely acts well.

But.

His lack of understanding of the sitcom genre was what tripped him up.

If this had been an audition for a different genre, he might have received a better response….

That was a bit regrettable.

“Yes….”

The slumped shoulders of the middle-aged man looked so desolate from behind.

Still, this is how it is in this world.

I calmly turned my head and looked directly at the director.

“Number 7, please start.”

“…”

I felt a little hurt that the director didn’t recognize me.

No, there’s no need to feel hurt….

“…Understood.”

After telling Yuna to stay quiet, I stepped forward.

“Phew, phew….”

I can do this.

After taking a deep breath, I immersed myself in the role of the gangster and slowly began to speak.

“What are you doing here?”

Gestures as big as possible.

Serious yet playful.

With the unique emphasis of a sitcom, I confidently continued acting.

Now, let’s focus here….

“Doing business without my permission? What are these things? Get out of here now!”

Stomping on the ground vigorously! Then I froze my body. Yuna, who said she would stay quiet, was now next to me.

I wondered, and as expected….

Yuna, with a determined look, parted her small lips.

“That’s right! What are you doing here? Without our Appa’s permission… doing business?”

She said she would stay quiet….

Yuna retorted with my lines and stomped on the ground with her short legs.

“Yap! Yap! Yap!”

“…”

The director’s expression changed.

His forehead wrinkled.

We were still in the middle of the audition. We had to keep going and use the situation that had been created in reverse.

‘Let’s go all the way.’

The short lines written on the paper were over, now it was time to create the situation.

Drawing on my past experiences, I mixed in some improvisation.

“If you continue doing business here, you’ll only make it worse.”

“That’s right! You’ll only make it worse!”

A situation forced into being.

The director’s expression changed noticeably.

I know that look when something interesting happens.

I needed to show off all my acting skills to surprise them, but there wasn’t enough time to fix the disrupted emotions.

“Yap! Yap!”

Right. That’s it.

A good idea came to me just in time.

I reached out and hugged Yuna, who was still stomping energetically.

This action bought us some time.

Let’s try again.

‘Yuna, sorry… Just hold on a little longer.’

I tickled Yuna’s waist and created another situation.

“Eek! Appa! It tickles!”

“Shh! Stay still. There’s a broken bottle on the floor, it’s dangerous.”

I created a character who acts tough but becomes a fool in front of his daughter.

Now, if I fall down here like a fool and show a pitiful sight, it’ll be over.

“Ouch!”

“Appa! Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

I observed the director’s reaction while receiving Yuna’s concern. He was looking at me with crossed arms.

‘His reaction is better than expected?’

If someone else had seen the director’s reaction, they would have thought this audition was a failure.

But I knew him well.

Crossing arms and leaning against the back of the chair meant he liked it.

If his habits were still the same….

I’d surely pass.

‘My acting is still alive after all.’

Later, I realized that despite using all the allotted time, I had continued acting for three minutes more.

***

While earning living expenses through various short-term jobs, a month passed while waiting for the final audition.

June arrived swiftly with its summer heat.

Even a little movement drenched me in sweat.

And then, the incessant cry of cicadas ringing loudly whenever there was a gap in noise.

*Mae-aem! Mae-aem! Mae-aem!*

Don’t the cicadas ever get tired?@@novelbin@@

Even though I raised my hand to block the scorching sunlight, I couldn’t escape the heat.

‘The weather is unnecessarily good.’

No, more than that….

‘Is that the kid who was crying earlier?’

Walking side by side, Yuna’s face was bright with laughter.

I wonder if she’s the same girl I saw earlier, mopping the floor with her clothes, crying because she wanted to play outside.

Still, this was a good thing.

For the first time, she spoke up about what she wanted.

Despite receiving neglect that could be considered a form of abuse, Yuna’s behavior and expression brightened quickly.

‘Four months.’

He probably ignored Yuna for four months. The reason I’m sure of it is because lit coincided with the anniversary of his wife’s passing.

It’s been two months since I possessed this body.

During that time, I investigated about Lee Jun-seo, and surprisingly, Yuna’s birthday coincided with his wife’s anniversary.

He probably thought blaming others would make him feel better. Fool.

“Hehe. Interesting.”

*Hop! Hop!*

Setting aside serious thoughts for a moment, I threw a question at Yuna.

“Is it really fun? Just walking around?”

“Yes. I like being with Appa.”

“Haha. Right. Appa likes it too.”

Walking quietly with Yuna, we found ourselves on a crowded street lined with shops.

Even though it was early morning, there were quite a few people busy preparing to welcome customers.

‘People are diligent from the morning.’

Isn’t there a saying about early birds catching more worms?

With a sense of leisure, an unused proverb came to mind.

“Huh? It’s gone….”

“What? What’s gone?”

Yuna, who was walking well, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Then, she reached out her arms towards me with sparkling eyes.

“Appa! Help me!”

What does she need help with?

Did she say she wanted to be held?

I bent down slowly, aligning myself with Yuna’s eye level, and asked cautiously.

“Do you want me to hold you?”

Yuna, with determination in her raised head, pointed ahead with her tiny finger.

“Just carry me to there.”

The place her tiny finger pointed to was the ground. Since she asked for help again, I just chuckled it off.

Well, she must have some idea.

As requested by Yuna, I slowly put my hand under her armpit and lifted her.

“Whoa! It’s high!”

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Just as I took exactly five steps, Yuna, who had been squirming, kicked my important area with her foot.

“Here! Here!”

“Ouch!”

It was pain to the extent that I thought I might experience death again.

While groaning in pain, Yuna jumped down from my arms and moved away.

After collapsing to the ground, our eyes met. Only then could I guess the reason she asked to be moved forward.

‘The line got disconnected.’

Suddenly, memories of my past life came to mind.

I once thought my parents, who didn’t even pay attention to me, were fake.

So, I stepped on a white line to find my real parents and ended up getting lost and crying on the journey….

It remained a painful memory for me, but I prayed that it would become a good memory for Yuna.

‘Huh? Disconnected again this time?’

Yuna’s eyebrows furrowed in distress, forming small wrinkles.

She must be asking for help again this time.

“What should I do?”

“Hmm.”

I pondered with my arms crossed.

Should I tell her about the rule I made back then? Or should I just wait and see….

It was at that moment.

Once again, Yuna turned her head towards me and reached out both arms.

“Appa, help me….”

That child is my daughter.

Her actions were so adorable that I never grew tired of being with her. I cleared my throat with a cough and slowly spoke up.

“Shall I tell you an interesting fact?”

“An interesting fact?”

“When the line gets disconnected, you just have to cover your nose like this with your hand and cross over.”

“Re, really?”

“Yep. Appa doesn’t lie.”

Yuna’s expression brightened.

Confidently turning her head, Yuna covered her nose with her hand and crossed over to the other side.

‘Such a silly thing.’

Sometimes, Yuna’s spontaneous actions caught me off guard, but looking back, I found them amusing and endearing.

Could it be that I’ve grown attached to her even a little bit now?

With a sunny smile, Yuna waved her tiny hand towards me.

Strangely, I’ve been smiling more often since becoming Jun-seo. It’s not a smile crafted through acting but one that comes from the heart.

As I approached Yuna with a smile, ready to laugh, my phone rang loudly like a solid rock in my pocket.

*RING!! RING!!*

‘Whoa, that surprised me….’

Taking out my phone and checking the message, I raised my eyebrows more than usual.

[Congratulations! You have passed the audition for a minor role in the sitcom “Protect the Food Cart!”

We will send you detailed information in a file. If you have any questions, please contact us here.]

‘As expected, I got the part.’

I have memories and knowledge from my active years in the industry.

Using all of that….

I’ll climb back up to the top.

This is just the beginning for me….

With determination, I clenched my fist tightly.