Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 209

209. Joseon Hwarang

“Can I expect a good result? Writer Yoon seemed to like you,” Jongwoo asked as they left, after Writer Yoon saw them off following the audition.

Rembrary replied, “We’ll see.”

As they entered the parking lot, Jongwoo glanced at Rembrary, surprised.

“What’s wrong? You’re always so confident.”

“Because I am amazing.”

“But you answered without confidence just now?”

“My being amazing and others recognizing my greatness are different matters. It’s not enough for only me to be great. Others must also have the insight to recognize me. I can’t help it if others lack that insight.”

“……I really want to have even half of your mental strength.”

Rembrary shrugged and got into the passenger seat.

Jongwoo shook his head, started the engine, and asked again.

“But seriously. Why did you say, ‘We’ll see’? In my eyes, Writer Yoon seemed to really like you. She called you her muse. Would she really drop her muse?”

“Didn’t she say something similar to the person who auditioned before me, as if it was confirmed?”

“Dong-un? Ah. That’s right.”

Jongwoo frowned.

He had forgotten for a moment while watching Rembrary’s audition and Writer Yoon’s reaction. Remembering it again made him feel unpleasant.

“Those guys were really mean. What if we had just left, feeling insulted? No, what if we had a scheduled appointment? Wow, thinking about it that way makes it even worse. They’re total thugs.”

* * *

Meanwhile.

Writer Yoon was earnestly persuading PD [Production Director] Lee.

“It has to be Woo Yeonwoo. It has to be Woo Yeonwoo. I like Woo Yeonwoo!”

“You said we should go with Dong-un after seeing his report. You said Dong-un was fate.”

“Fate is always confusing!”

“…….”

“Really! This time it’s real! Let’s release the article and finalize the casting?”

Her attitude was so passionate that the largest investor, who was also a judge, asked with curiosity.

“Why does it have to be Woo Yeonwoo? With Dong-un, his image is similar to the character he played before, and his external vibe is similar to the actor who originally played the role. These reasons were obvious. But with Woo Yeonwoo, well, maybe it’s because I’m not an expert. I didn’t see any of those differentiating factors.”

Writer Yoon’s eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together.

“I got a feel for the character the moment I heard the second line. I want to add something dark to the pure younger man character.”

PD Lee was dumbfounded and opened his mouth.

“You said it’s a pure younger man character. Well, I guess you did say he’d turn dark later.”

“He’s like cotton candy on the outside but filled with sticky betrayal and schemes on the inside!”

The largest investor asked, flustered.

“Would that be fun?”

*No, wouldn’t that mean it’s no longer a bright romantic comedy from the moment such a character appears….*

PD Lee also waved his hand.

“Don’t get carried away with strange ideas…….”

“Why? He’s going to turn dark later anyway, so we only need to modify it very, very slightly.”

“Is there really a need to go that far?”

“I liked the way he spoke the *hyeotbadak* [a playful, teasing Korean expression, literally ‘tongue’] line so sweetly. A younger man who’s white on the outside and black on the inside, a gloomy schemer would also be good.”

However, Writer Yoon stubbornly insisted. She really wanted to put Woo Yeonwoo in that role.

“Listen…….”

PD Lee frowned at her one-sided nagging, but as Writer Yoon brought the scenario and persuaded him about which parts to change, his expression gradually softened.

The role Rembrary auditioned for was a supporting male lead, but in the early part, he doesn’t have a big impact on the main story and is only involved with the female lead. So, whether he turns dark or is a sly character from the beginning, there’s not much difference. Just a slight change in the atmosphere of the lines?

Besides, the later part where the supporting male lead is fully involved in the main story hasn’t been written yet, so there was nothing to change or modify.

“Then, how about we do it this way…….”

Finally, PD Lee, who had only been listening, began to offer his opinion, and the largest investor listened intently to their conversation.

* * *

“How was the audition?” Hyegyeol asked as they returned to the dorm.

“I met a thug,” Rembrary replied, looking at his phone. A text message had arrived from Jang Taeri.

“[LOL, I heard Jo Woon was called in by his parents?]”

“A thug?”

“Dong-un’s manager.”

Rembrary answered casually again, replied to Jang Taeri, and then spent the rest of the day forgetting about the audition he had seen.

In fact, few people can concentrate solely on an audition while having a red finger attached between shadows [a reference to a superstition or game, implying distraction].

However, two days later, when they went to the mart with the members to spend the end of the year, Jongwoo called.

“[Yeonwoo-ya! You got it! You’re doing it!]”

Jongwoo’s joyful voice hit Rembrary’s eardrums as soon as he answered the phone.

Rembrary asked while picking out tangerines.

“Which is tastier, Jeju tangerines or Miryang tangerines?”

“[Is that what matters right now?]”

“It does. I came to buy them.”

“[You got the drama, you blockhead!]”

Jongwoo’s voice was loud enough for Jungseo, who was standing next to him, to hear, and Jungseo told him instead.

“It sounds like he’s talking about the *Joseon Hwarang* audition.”

“*Joseon Hwarang*?”

Jongwoo shouted when Rembrary asked back.

“[Yes! We got a call today. They’re casting you. See, what did I tell you? I thought you’d get it? It was obvious from your eyes!]”

“I’m happy because you’re happy.”

“[Only warm in words, only in words.]”

Jongwoo grumbled, but there was laughter in between.

In fact, Jongwoo was happy that Rembrary got the role itself, but he was also happy that Dong-un, who had auditioned earlier, had been dropped, so his joy was doubled. But Jongwoo didn’t tell Rembrary this story. He thought it sounded a bit petty even to himself.

“[You can revamp your image after filming that. That writer is one of the best in Korea at creating romantic comedy male leads, right?]”

“Am I doing a romantic comedy male lead?”

“[Ah, not the male lead. Supporting male lead, supporting male lead. But it’s okay. Usually, if you do well, the supporting male lead is more popular than the main male lead.]”

Even in the midst of this, Rembrary still couldn’t leave the two tangerines, so Jungseo, unable to watch any longer, put one bag of each in the cart.

“Let’s buy both.”

He was thoroughly realistic, but Jongwoo’s voice was still soaked in dreams.

“[Let’s change your image this time. Don’t get involved in dark…… strange…… scary things with that bright face. Writer Yoon’s younger men are really the best. If you do well, you might become the nation’s younger man.]”

After hanging up the phone, Rembrary thought, is the pure younger man image that good?

‘Anyway, I guess it’s good since he likes it so much.’

But as he was walking past, pushing the cart, he heard whispering not far away.

“Isn’t that Woo Yeonwoo?”

“It’s like Wild Animal?”

“One, two, three…… Wow, I think all the members came out!”

When he looked over, a group of students were huddled together, glancing this way. Then, when Rembrary lowered his large sunglasses slightly, a scream erupted from among the students.

“It’s really Woo Yeonwoo!”

“Go, you’re a WA [Wild Animal] fan. Ask for an autograph.”

“I think they just came out, how can you do that!”

“There aren’t many people, just say one word!”

Then, one person who was particularly fidgety was pushed forward by a friend and ran out as if falling.

Kesh, who was hesitating between rice cake soup and dumpling soup, suddenly looked at the student who came forward.

The student, who had come forward in a daze, hurriedly held out the snack box they were holding.

“I’m a fan, I’m a fan! Hello! I’m Maeum!”

Kesh smiled broadly at the rambling appearance.

“Wow, thank you. Are you giving it to us?”

Neither the giver nor the receiver realized that the snack box had not yet been paid for.

Later, at the checkout, Hyegyeol realized this and burst into laughter, but everyone had a happy face.

On the way back to the dorm.

Rembrary watched the members laughing and chatting excitedly from a step behind.

Honestly, he wasn’t that close to the members except for Jungseo. But…… still, he wanted the members to be safe and sound.

The original world, which was ruined in the blink of an eye by the invasion of the Demon King, is vivid in his mind. Please don’t let them change into that appearance…… May the cracks in the air and the members’ continuous dreams all end in vain anxiety…….

* * *

Because the schedule was so tight, Rembrary’s contract for appearing in the drama , where he plays a ‘pure younger man,’ was quickly completed.

And even before exchanging all the contracts, Rembrary went to the filming location first, following PD Lee’s advice disguised as an order, to get used to the filming atmosphere and get to know the actors.

“Woo Yeonwoo is coming? Oh, that’s amazing.”

“Hello?”

Fortunately, the filming location had a bright atmosphere. Moreover, since he came in as a replacement for someone who had caused a big accident and left, most people welcomed Rembrary.

After greeting the staff and actors, Rembrary watched the filming site for a while and then met Writer Yoon separately in the waiting room to receive the script.

“This is the script that has been released so far, and the parts that need to be re-shot are marked with a highlighter, so please check them all. The PD told me not to show you the previously filmed footage, so I won’t show it to you. What we want is Woo Yeonwoo’s newly interpreted character, not the previous character.”

“Yes.”

Rembrary received several copies of the script made into books and skimmed through them. It’s a virtual background, but is it because it’s a historical drama? There were many unfamiliar words. Still, thanks to studying a bit while preparing for the *Three Kings* entertainment show, he could understand it to some extent.

Writer Yoon subtly hinted to Rembrary.

“Um, but Woo Yeonwoo. Why, the line about the *hyeotbadak* [a playful, teasing Korean expression, literally ‘tongue’] during the audition.”

“What about that line?”

“Please express the younger man’s lines with the image of a younger man who would say such lines. A younger man who pretends to be pure but has a very dark inside.”

“?”

Rembrary stared blankly at Writer Yoon and then quickly turned his head to look at Jongwoo. *Did you hear that?* Asking with his eyes.

He heard it. Instead of answering, Jongwoo covered his face with both hands and silently screamed before asking.

“Writer Yoon, wasn’t the character a pure younger man character? A personality that viewers find touching. Pitiful for unrequited love and wanting to support him…….”

“Ah, that’s what I was thinking. I changed the plan slightly after seeing Woo Yeonwoo’s audition. I thought a character who is the sun on the outside but full of night on the inside would suit you well. I think that kind of acting would suit you better too.”

As soon as Writer Yoon smiled brightly, explained, and left the waiting room, Jongwoo called CEO Lim while crying.

“CEO! His image is going to get even darker!”