A Thousand Faces (Soon to be Published)

Chapter 18

The Scene of the Pre-Screening of 'Actor Kingdom'

A hall spreads out under a high ceiling in front of the broadcast studio.

Inside the closed door, the screening was in full swing.

The hall was buzzing with activity.

The waiting participants sat on the floor, practicing their lines as they waited their turn.

There was a mixture of excitement and nervousness on their faces, but they never let go of their hope.

From children to middle-aged adults, people of all ages were expressing their emotions passionately in different parts of the hall.

The door creaked open.

"Next, please enter number 176."

The official spoke like a machine.

Everyone who came out of the studio had a dark expression on their face.

The faces of those who finished the audition were resigned, and their shoulders were slumped. Others cast sidelong glances at them, conscious of their own fate.

The tension escalates

From the end of the corridor,

slow, heavy footsteps could be heard.

There's a confident stride, growing closer.

Junwoo was walking towards the hall, his eyes filled with curiosity, taking in all the sights.

As he walked in, late, people began to turn their attention to him.

They glanced at him, their eyes lingering on his handsome features.

"Don't I know him from somewhere?"

"That's him. Gil Junho..."

Those who recognized Junwoo's face lowered their voices.

"Gil Junho?" They perked up their ears one by one when they heard the name.

In an instant, the commotion died down in the middle of the corridor, and Junwoo, who had been walking, stopped at one place.

"..."

He wasn't practicing, and he didn't sit down on the floor like the others.

He suddenly stood in the middle of them, his hands in his pockets. Some waiting participants thought he was doing it to enjoy the attention.

"But I find that kind of thing annoying. He's aware of the attention but pretends he doesn't know anything."

"He's just good-looking. Are you jealous?"

"I'm not saying anything."

The moment they made eye contact with Junwoo, they quickly lowered their heads.

"Huh?"

Junwoo was simply listening to something. He had instinctively stopped walking when he heard the sound coming from the studio through the crack in the window.

Inside, the sound of someone sobbing could be heard.

"Hey, someone's crying in there. It must be a tearful performance."

"Ugh, I'm not sure I can do that. I'm so nervous; my tears are all dried up."

In the midst of the audience's assumptions,

"He must have failed."

Only Junwoo, who had sensed the pattern of the voice, knew that it was not an act.