A Thousand Faces (Soon to be Published)

Chapter 30

The leading figures of Actor Kingdom gathered in the meeting room.

Jo Sungrae, Gu Daewon, Cheong Myeong, Park Jun-gil, and Yoo Sang-jun.

Before they started the second round of filming, they were in the middle of a meeting about the composition of teams 1 and 9.

And in the middle of them sat Jung Hyun.

"I heard you have a video of that kid's acting. Can I see it?"

In response to Jung Hyun's request, Yoo Sang-jun turned on the power to the screen in the meeting room.

Jo Sungrae was tense. He couldn't imagine what Jung Hyun's reaction would be or what he would feel as he was about to discover the existence he had been searching for so long. Would he be happy? Surprised? Or...

Soon, Junwoo's figure appeared on the screen.

-Hello.

Junwoo's voice came through the speakers. It was when he stood in front of the judges in a zombie state because he was hungry during the preliminary screening.

Participant number 97, Han Junwoo. The person on the screen was the same child that Jung Hyun had seen behind the broadcasting station earlier.

He secretly wished that the things that the child was showing were nothing. He wanted to return to the hospital with a little disappointment, spend his days as usual, and end his life.

Junwoo's scenes continued to pass on the screen.

The impromptu performance from the preliminary screening.

Kim Mu-myeong from the first round of the main competition.

A stagehand filmed a 23-minute one-act play called "The Black Spirit" from below the stage with a camcorder.

Even the answers that confused the judges and the way Junwoo played with the camcorder alone in the practice room.

Jung Hyun didn't say a word throughout the video.

He kept his eyes glued to the screen, but he let out long sighs or breaths through his nose every now and then.

However, it was neither. Jung Hyun simply simmered with frustration.

After the video ended, Jo Sungrae's eyes wavered when he saw Jung Hyun's face.

It wasn't the joy of finding the person he had been searching for his whole life or the confusion of being overwhelmed by his unbelievable talent.

Jung Hyun had a sad and despairing look on his face.

He began to desire to live.

***

Seoul Station Square.

Under the direction of Park Jun-gil, the camera crew was filming with cameras hidden all over the square.

The staff members were blending in with the citizens so that the filming would not be obvious.

"Sir, everyone will see you if you hold the script out in the open like that."

"Excuse me, then, how am I supposed to practice?"

"Look. You have to hide it in your clothes like me. Like this."

Junwoo and his team arrived at the scene and were preparing for the upcoming second round of the main competition.

One of the staff members was watching them from a distance.

With a determined expression, Kim Yoojin pulled on Heo Soon-tae's nylon shirt, and Heo Soon-tae groaned.

From the perspective of a staff member, it looked like the team members were having a serious conversation with the script.