Chapter 152: Early cards.
["Hey, Natalie."
"Doing well, Senior?"
"Same as always. What about you? How's the California preliminary?"]
A man's relaxed voice drifted through the phone.
Standing on the terrace of her villa in Santa Barbara, Natalie gazed out at the ocean sleeping beneath the darkness and took a sip of wine.
This man had always been someone who left others desperately thirsty.
But the reason she felt thirsty tonight was someone else entirely.
["Today, I met an actor who gave me the same feeling you do when I act with him."]
["Wow. That's good news. Is Natalie Karsen finally transferring her obsession to somebody else? Who's the guy?"]
The man laughed, but curiosity still slipped into the end of his words.
Derek McCurdy.
A man who found it tiresome to be the center of the world, yet couldn't truly comprehend the possibility of not being the center of it.
Natalie didn't particularly like his arrogance.
But she acknowledged that he had earned it.
["There is someone. If he makes it to the finals, you'll be interested too. Don't nitpick him. If he's good, just tell him he's good."]
["I don't know about that. Acting is something you learn by getting criticized. If people praise you too much, you develop terrible habits."]
["Like you?"]
["Haha. Yeah, I'm a perfect example."]
That pleasant baritone lingered in her ears.
Natalie's thoughts drifted back to the actor she had met earlier that day.
He had an incredible voice too.
Who was the better actor?
Him, or Derek?
If anyone heard her thinking such a thing, they'd call her insane.
Comparing Derek McCurdy to an unknown actor.
The very idea was absurd.
["The actor you dragged onto the stage today, by any chance?"]
["Did Dennis tell you?"]
["Yeah. He sounded thrilled. Kept talking about how a legendary scene might come out of it. Honestly, storming onto the stage yourself does sound like something Natalie Karsen would do. But hearing the other person was just some unknown actor at an audition? That's unexpected. Everyone in the New York preliminaries was hopeless. Most of them ended up crying after my critiques. Makes me wonder if I should've taken California instead."]
["If you had, California would've turned into a sea of tears."]
["Haha. Isn't that a little harsh?"]
No.
Not at all.
Whenever Natalie remembered filming Killing Smile with him seven years ago, it felt like a perfectly fair assessment.
Back then she had still been close to a newcomer.
That film had catapulted her straight into the ranks of Hollywood's top actresses.
But the humiliation she endured during filming still made her grind her teeth whenever she thought about it.
Derek McCurdy had been at the top then.
And he was still at the top now.
If he disliked something, he possessed the skill, the will, and the authority to tear it apart without the slightest regard for the other person.
Yet because of that—
Her acting had improved more during that project than at any other point in her life.
Even afterward, Natalie continued polishing her craft and repeatedly reached out to him, hoping to work opposite him again.
Every time, Derek rejected her.
"It doesn't seem like it'd be as fun as it was back then."
That was always his answer.
—Most women stop calling after getting rejected this many times. Pride alone would stop them. You're something else, Natalie.
—You didn't reject me as a woman.
I just want to act opposite Derek McCurdy again.
—That's impressive too. How can you possibly not see me as a man?
The man could say things like that without a trace of embarrassment.
And he had every right.
Even in Hollywood, among the world's most beautiful women, he was known for his endless string of affairs with only the hottest stars.
Which was why the proposal he casually tossed her a few months ago had been so bizarre.
—There's a program called Casting Boat being produced by TW. If you're willing to sit beside me on the judges' panel, I'll consider appearing in a project with you.
—A reality audition show? Why would you ever—
—Personal reasons. Not interested? If not, I'll ask Hazel Roth—
—N no. I'll do it. I'll do it.
A man who created a feeling unlike anyone else's whenever they shared the same frame.
To face him once more, Natalie had accepted immediately.
And yet today, she had felt that same sensation from an unknown Asian actor.
["You know something? I might finally graduate from you one day."]
["Haha. If that's possible, be my guest."]
Natalie drained the rest of her wine in a single swallow and ended the call.
A text message arrived while Yu Myeong was having coffee with Yu Seok.
After checking it, Yu Seok tilted his head.
"Your group's script was Number Two, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Hyo Jun's group got Number Two as well."
Today had been the filming day for Group Five, the group Hyo Jun belonged to.
It was already past five in the afternoon.
The filming must have ended.
Apparently Yu Seok had just received a message informing him that Hyo Jun had advanced.
"He made team leader too. Though that's strange. Did multiple teams get assigned the same script?"
"Probably two teams per script. There are fifty teams and twenty five scripts. That means every script gets assigned twice."
"But what a coincidence. You and Hyo Jun getting the same one."
"Nothing on television happens by coincidence. It's probably intentional."
Yu Seok nodded.
"The fact they created twenty five scripts in the first place suggests they want viewers comparing two teams performing the same material. Since both of you are Korean actors, they probably intend to tie your stories together. Though honestly..."
He hesitated.
"I'm worried about Hyo Jun being a team leader."
Yu Myeong merely nodded.
He wasn't particularly interested.
It wasn't as though someone performing the same script would change the performance he intended to create.
Ding—
This time it was an Outlook notification.
The email he'd been waiting for.
[Notice for Casting Boat Contestants]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Hello, Mr. Yu Myeong. Congratulations on passing the second preliminary round of Casting Boat!
The second preliminary round has now concluded in every region. The 200 actors who advanced from eighteen districts will be divided into fifty teams of four and proceed to the team assignment stage.
Your team, Group 14, has been assigned Script Number 2.
Your teammates are Face Shaper, Jeffrey Lane, and Kai Nunen.
For successful candidates from the California district, TW Broadcasting has prepared dedicated rehearsal rooms in a building located on Deli Avenue. Please make full use of the rehearsal facilities over the next two weeks and create an outstanding performance.
Attachments:
Casting Boat Main Competition Audition Script #2.doc
Rehearsal Room Map.pdf
Group 14 Contact Information.doc
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"TW's email?"
"Yeah. They finally sent the script. They probably waited until the last group finished filming."
"Thorough. So what's the script?"
Yu Myeong opened the file and frowned slightly.
"It looks original."
"Original?"
"I've never seen it before."
"Hmm... don't tell me they actually wrote all twenty five scripts themselves?"
"They might have. Finding suitable four person scripts wouldn't be easy."
"Even so, writing original scripts for a television show... they're putting an unbelievable amount of effort into Casting Boat."
"That much I've already noticed."
Natalie Karsen.
The fact that they'd recruited a Hollywood star still actively dominating the industry, rather than some aging veteran, was proof enough.
It made him a little curious.
Who would be judging the finals?
"Well then, I'll go read the script. I should contact the team too."
The moment Yu Myeong stood up, Yu Seok looked at him pitifully.
"We'll have dinner together and then practice, right?"
"No time."
"Come on."
"If Hyo Jun shows up, eat with him."
"You're unbelievable."
Yu Seok grumbled that Yu Myeong cared about nothing except work.
Yu Myeong pretended not to hear and headed straight for his room.
An hour later, a neatly arranged sandwich and a plate of fruit appeared outside his door.
Yu Seok was diligently fulfilling his duties as a manager.
"Ah, Susan. Have a seat."
Dennis Milton had returned from overseeing the New York preliminaries.
Before editing of the first-round footage was completed, Susan wanted to discuss something with him.
"How was New York? Any worthwhile contestants?"
"So-so. We got some good footage, though. Derek did a fantastic job carving walnuts."
Susan blinked.
"Carving... walnuts?"
"Yep. Picked up walnut crackers and crushed applicants into tiny pieces. Completely shattered them. It was glorious chaos."
Susan laughed despite herself.
Dennis's instincts and talent for creating addictive television had been famous ever since their days together at ABC.
When TW recruited him, he had insisted on bringing several staff members with him.
Susan had been one of them.
Which meant the matter she wanted to discuss reflected his own production philosophy.
"Dennis. That contestant. Yu Myeong."
"Ah, the one whose tape got flown over from California. What is that kid? Is he really that good in person?"
"The camera doesn't capture even half of it. I honestly wondered where a monster like that came from."
"Wow."
"So here's what I'm thinking. Isn't it a waste to use him as an early card?"
"Hmm. I've been considering that. He's perfect for generating buzz, but first impressions tend to burn out fastest. It'd be a shame."
The issue was simple.
Audition shows naturally emphasized contestants who could attract viewers' attention.
The problem was that buzz had an expiration date.
Contestants heavily promoted at the beginning often suffered from audience fatigue later.
Unless they reinvented themselves dramatically, they risked losing momentum regardless of talent.
A common rule of reality television.
"What if we have a replacement card?"
"Who?"
A standard strategy was dividing contestants into expendable assets and long term investments.
Some contestants received heavy focus during Episodes One and Two through emotional stories or conflict arcs.
Others, the ones expected to last until the end, were shown only sparingly at first.
Then, midway through the season, all that saved-up momentum was unleashed at once.
"There's a contestant named Do Hyo Jun. He stood out in both preliminary rounds. Strong actor, bold ideas. In the first free-performance round he played Jesus, of all things."
"Oh? Then isn't he too valuable to burn early?"
"He's clever and inventive, but I don't think he'll last."
"...Why?"
"A feeling. He's talented, but lacks depth."
Dennis nodded.
"I trust your eye."
Susan looked harmless.
Round eyes.
A gentle face that made people lower their guard.
But she was fully capable of schemes like this.
Then again, everyone who survived inside a television network—a world of money, jealousy, dreams, and ambition—hid claws beneath the surface.
"At the editing meeting, let's push Do Hyo Jun during the regional preliminary episodes. Have you gathered enough material on Yu Myeong?"
"Of course. I'm planning to personally visit the rehearsal room and cover their practices up close."
"Good. When's the first meeting?"
"Tomorrow."
Their private discussion came to an end.
Susan immediately began gathering her staff in preparation for the next day's coverage.
After meeting Susan outside and hearing about the direction of the rehearsal-room coverage, Yu Myeong entered the practice room.
She seemed far too important a person to be shadowing him so closely, but somehow she kept doing exactly that.
Three people had already arrived and were exchanging greetings.
"Have a good few days off?"
"Yeah. Being in Group One was lucky. We got to rest while waiting for Group Five to finish."
"True."
Yu Myeong shifted his gaze from Kai to the entire group.
"Well... somehow I ended up as team leader. Please help me out."
"Of course, Hyung! Let's all work hard together!"
Unlike Kai's enthusiastic response, the other two seemed oddly lukewarm.
When Yu Myeong looked directly at them, Face Shaper—the boyish-looking female contestant—spoke first in a cynical tone.
"Um... I'm not very good at saying polite things. Can I be honest?"
"...Go ahead."
"I really wanted this. I worked hard to get here, which is why I came. But honestly... I'm not sure any of this means anything."
Kai looked ready to stop her, but Yu Myeong raised a hand.
"Why doesn't it mean anything? Didn't everyone apply to Casting Boat for a reason?"
"Because those reasons are basically gone now."
"...What?"
"Isn't the person advancing from this group obviously going to be you, Mr. Yu Myeong?"
Yu Myeong finally understood.
Jeffrey was nodding.
Kai wasn't agreeing outright, but neither could he deny it.
The advancement rate for the next stage was one in five.
If only one person among the four of them was likely to survive, everyone naturally assumed it would be Yu Myeong.
Well... after standing out that much in the second round, I guess they couldn't help thinking that.
But Yu Myeong didn't agree with them.
"That's not true."
Confusion spread across all three faces.
"I think this assignment is fundamentally a team competition."
The three contestants looked even more puzzled.