Chapter 170: Is this really okay?
Yoon Jin Seong, a reporter for The Friendship Daily, had come to America.
It all started with Episode 7.
"Jin Seong, your English is pretty good, right? Didn't you live overseas when you were younger?"
"Yes. My father was stationed abroad when I was in middle and high school."
"The buzz around Casting Boat doesn't feel normal... how about taking a trip to the States?"
He'd hit the jackpot.
Working for a domestic newspaper, opportunities for overseas assignments were almost nonexistent unless you belonged to the international desk.
But thanks to the exclusive scoop he'd landed during his trainee days with Yu Myeong's Peter Pan, combined with his exceptional English, Jin Seong had been chosen for an assignment normally far beyond the reach of a rookie reporter.
Casting Boat Episode 8... if my instincts are right...
On the day Episode 8 aired, he landed at Los Angeles International Airport.
Even while negative articles about Yu Myeong had been flooding the media, The Friendship Daily had maintained the most neutral stance possible. After Episode 7 aired, they had even published several articles defending him.
Now came Episode 8, the one attracting unprecedented attention.
The newspaper had made a bold decision.
Waiting until the broadcast finished, was converted into a file, and reached Korea would already be too late.
So they had dispatched Jin Seong directly to America.
After checking into a business hotel near Hollywood, he unpacked his luggage and pulled out a large recording device, connecting it to the television.
It could record television broadcasts and extract them as digital files.
Then he laid out a notebook and pen before sitting solemnly in front of the TV.
Please...
Mr. Yu Myeong, give them one hell of a performance.
[Casting Boat — Episode 8]
Since the main competition had begun in Episode 7, the early portion of Episode 8 covered the teams ahead of Team 34.
When Team 33's performance—Hyo Jun's team—appeared, Jin Seong immediately began scribbling notes furiously.
...Something's off.
He tilted his head.
He hadn't seen the script, but as someone obsessed with film and theater, an odd sense of inconsistency refused to leave him.
Hyo Jun's level is clearly above the rest of his team... but something doesn't fit. What kind of script were they given...?
His suspicion proved correct.
Eva Dobransky was the first to passionately criticize the content itself.
Natalie criticized Hyo Jun's attitude.
Then Derek criticized the lack of dramatic credibility.
This is going to be a huge shock.
Hyo Jun is one of the hottest names in Korea right now...
An unknown Korean actor had appeared out of nowhere.
His flashy performances on Casting Boat, combined with his flamboyant personality, had earned him the label of "genius" back home.
Countless online fan communities had sprung up overnight, while reporters scrambled to dig through every trace of his past.
People who rise too fast usually fall just as fast...
Still... he really can act.
Thinking that, Jin Seong waited for Yu Myeong's team.
Then—
Static suddenly filled the screen.
No...
A broadcast accident?
Please don't!
Jin Seong's heart nearly stopped.
He had flown all the way to America for this.
This couldn't be happening.
Just moments earlier, the head of the Culture Department had texted him, ordering him to send a summary for an article the instant the broadcast ended.
Then subtitles appeared over the static.
Accompanied by mysterious background music.
[[On the first day of the CAL preliminaries, an emergency Casting Boat production meeting was convened.]]
"...What?"
"Why did a variety show suddenly turn into a documentary?"
Jin Seong stared blankly at the screen.
Once the interference faded, three people sat around a conference table.
Executive Producer Dennis Milton.
Emil Chrison, who had directed filming during the California regional preliminaries.
And Susan Laycock, head of the interview team.
All three wore immaculate black suits.
Anyone could tell.
This was a staged reenactment.
"A suspicious contestant has appeared."
Emil Chrison reported with a tense expression.
"What? What happened?"
"Among the contestants on the first day of the California preliminaries... there's one whose skill level is so extraordinary that we're beginning to question his purpose for entering the audition."
"...People are allowed to be talented."
"What other purpose would they have besides wanting a role in Kyler Unshaw's next film?"
Susan suddenly slammed her hand on the table.
"Producer."
"This isn't the time to be so complacent."
"Even Natalie Kassen said, 'Wait... is that person really just an ordinary contestant?'"
"...Natalie said that?"
The screen darkened before footage from the first preliminary appeared.
The Truman Show.
Unlike the earlier broadcasts, which had deliberately chosen distant, flat camera angles and cut away the decisive moments, this time the audience was shown the entire three minute performance.
The edges of the screen were darkened, almost as though shot through a vintage Lomo lens, signaling that this was a flashback.
The performance ended.
The image froze.
Open mouthed spectators.
One frozen reaction after another.
Finally...
Natalie Kassen herself, staring in utter disbelief.
Yu Myeong's interview followed.
"I came here specifically to audition."
"I wanted an environment where many people were watching me... and among all those people, every single one was an actor."
"Only one person wasn't living through acting."
"They were simply living."
"In that sense, the situation overlapped with The Truman Show in many ways."
"I came up with roughly twenty two different scenarios beforehand."
The screen dissolved into the three producers watching footage together on the computer in the center of the table.
"He is rather suspicious."
"Right?"
"What if he's an agent sent to sabotage Casting Boat?"
"Hmm..."
Dennis frowned deeply.
Susan continued.
"And on top of that..."
"This actor declined a seed."
"What?"
Jin Seong nearly jumped out of his chair and began writing frantically.
"We confirmed that he'd originally been offered a seeded position."
"He turned it down."
"...Why?"
"Exactly."
"Which only makes him more suspicious."
"If his plan was to attract massive attention from the very beginning, only to withdraw halfway through and sink Casting Boat..."
"Hmm."
"Until we determine his intentions..."
"I think we'd better postpone giving him too much focus in the broadcast."
The screen changed again.
White typography rapidly appeared against a black background, like someone typing up an official incident report.
Thus, the contestant was classified as Case X and placed on hold. However, even during the second preliminary, he continued demonstrating abilities that left the production staff stunned.
Jin Seong glanced at the clock.
Five minutes had already passed.
Casting Boat had spent every second talking about a single contestant.
Yu Myeong.
...Is this really okay?
"I remember your name."
The screen filled with Natalie Kassen's beautiful face.
"And you remember mine."
"So we're even."
The logic she casually established was almost absurd.
After a brief exchange of playful banter between Natalie and Jerry, the camera settled on the man standing alone at center stage.
"Thomas."
"Sarah."
"Lucas."
"Philippe."
"And..."
"Elizabeth."
His voice sent chills crawling down Jin Seong's spine.
Was this really a reality competition show?
The performance tightened relentlessly.
The audience sat frozen.
The judges showered him with praise.
Then it was Natalie's turn.
Instead of speaking...
She stepped down from the judges' table.
"I simply wanted to act with him."
"Producer, that's all right, isn't it?"
Natalie Kassen.
One of Hollywood's greatest actresses.
The fact that she'd been captivated enough by an ordinary contestant's acting to step onto the stage was astonishing.
But even more unbelievable...
During the improvised scene that followed...
Yu Myeong overwhelmed Natalie herself.
Martin might have been the protagonist.
Elizabeth might only have been a supporting role.
Even so...
How could this happen?
The broadcast returned to the production meeting.
"What exactly are his intentions?"
"I'm beginning to think..."
"...he might simply be a normal contestant."
"And what if he isn't?"
"If we air this footage, he'll instantly become one of the favorites to win."
"What happens if he withdraws after that?"
"...The contestant who brought Natalie Kassen onto the stage."
"...Sigh."
"If he quits after something like that..."
"The damage would be enormous."
"Susan."
"What did he say in the interview?"
"Why did he reject the seed?"
"He said..."
"...he simply wanted to work hard from the beginning."
"That makes him even more suspicious."
"But hiding him much longer is becoming impossible."
"It's not just the editing."
"The contestants who were there are already spreading stories."
"Let's observe him..."
"Just one more time."
From then on, Susan Laycock practically shadowed Team 34.
The footage amusingly cut together scenes of her sneaking after Yu Myeong in black clothing as though she were conducting surveillance.
Everything that followed was deeply moving.
Faith insisting he refused to be reduced to an extra.
Yu Myeong calmly giving up first choice of character in exchange for complete control over directing.
Although it was "only" a team assignment for an audition, he never skipped the fundamentals.
Patiently teaching Kai, who was still inexperienced, one step at a time.
Then...
His passionate discussion of a completely new interpretation of the script.
His absolute sincerity toward acting.
Two weeks of rehearsals passed in montage.
Just as viewers found themselves emotionally drawn in...
The broadcast finally returned to the main competition.
"Whew~"
"Next up..."
"Team 34."
Four actors stood side by side.
Unlike Team 33's opening...
They began from an entirely different place.
At first, it looked almost ridiculous.
...What are they doing?
Their movements were stiff.
Mechanical.
Awkward.
Then...
Little by little...
The rigidity melted away.
The performance transformed.
It became impossible to look away.
It was tense.
It was funny.
Every character felt vividly alive.
And finally—
The slave's agonizing death.
As the performance unfolded, the camera repeatedly cut to Eva's stunned expression.
"Who..."
"Who interpreted the script like this?"
"Mr. Yu Myeong..."
"It was you, wasn't it?"
This is insane...
This is front page news.
With trembling fingers, Yoon Jin Seong hurriedly sent a text.
Chief. Twenty minutes in, and it's basically become a Yu Myeong special. Korea's going to explode.
But...
It still wasn't over.
Dennis and Susan were watching the broadcast together.
Susan looked uneasy.
"...Sigh."
"Are we really sure about this?"
"If we're going to do it, we might as well make it explode."
"There are fans rooting for the other contestants."
"Aren't people going to accuse us of favoritism?"
"The impact of revealing everything at once is simply too overwhelming."
"They won't be able to."
"His skill alone is one thing..."
"But the process of watching him gradually win over his teammates is a complete drama in itself."
"And then there's the fact that he's the contestant who brought both Natalie Kassen and Derek McCurdy onto the stage."
"Nobody's going to be talking about favoritism after that."
They devoted the final thirty minutes of Episode 8 almost entirely to Yu Myeong.
It was an unprecedented editing decision.
"Still..."
"There's a basic rule for audition shows, isn't there?"
"If one contestant seems too overwhelmingly dominant, doesn't the tension disappear?"
"That worried me too."
"But it'll be fine."
"As long as we shift the focus."
"Not onto relationships..."
"But onto the performances themselves."
"Fortunately, thanks to one particular contestant..."
"...everyone else's standards have risen."
"The resulting performances are becoming far more entertaining."
Rather than filling airtime with arguments, rivalries, and interpersonal conflict...
Casting Boat had become a show driven by the performances themselves.
Because the contestants had all grown stronger.
"And besides..."
"We have Derek."
"Derek?"
Just then, the broadcast reached the moment Derek could no longer remain seated.
He stepped onto the stage.
Taking the slave's place from Yu Myeong...
He began performing Derek McCurdy's own interpretation of the role.
"You don't necessarily need contestant versus contestant rivalry."
"The hottest person on this show isn't even a contestant."
"It's one of the judges."
"And look how fired up he is."
The screen alternated between Derek's performance...
...and Yu Myeong watching him.
Two extraordinary actors silently measuring one another.
The tension alone filled the screen.
"...This is going to go down as an unprecedented audition program."
"We're going to make it legendary."
"If Casting Boat ever gets a second season..."
"...people will spend the rest of time saying it could never match Season One."
"But that's fine."
"I just won't be directing it."
"...Wow."
"Producer."
"You're evil."
"Watch carefully."
"This..."
"...is the seasoned craftsmanship of a professional broadcaster."
While they joked together...
The episode reached its conclusion.
Derek's performance ended.
He praised Team 34 as...
"A performance that stimulated my imagination as a fellow actor."
Finally—
The screen split neatly in half.
On one side...
Natalie stepping onto the stage.
On the other...
Derek stepping onto the stage.
Episode 8 ended on that image.
[[The actor who summons actors... which class will he choose in the main competition?]]
"...Starting tomorrow..."
"...it's going to be absolute chaos."
"My phone's been ringing nonstop for the last thirty minutes already."
That day...
Casting Boat recorded the highest ratings in its history.