Chapter 45: Tonight Is Christmas Eve After All

"Hello, would you like a cup of coffee or juice?"
"A glass of plain water is fine, thank you."
Accepting a paper cup of water from the staff member, Lin Shouxiu glanced around the venue, moistened his lips, and lowered his head to focus entirely on the script in his hands.
Just as Lee Do-hyun had mentioned, given that this was a television series with a stellar cast, even supporting roles with minimal screen time were drawing crowds of professional actors for auditions.
As a rookie singer attempting to transition into acting, he did not hold much of an advantage in terms of industry standing.
However... since he had already promised Lee Do-hyun that he would seize this opportunity, he was determined to give the audition his absolute all.
"How are your preparations coming along?" As an actor favored by the director's team, Lee Do-hyun had secured one of the roles without needing to audition, thanks to his sunny and radiant public image.
At the moment, he was leaning lazily against the wall, observing the newcomer who was deeply absorbed in his script.
It would be an exaggeration to say Lin Shouxiu was nervous, but he certainly did not look relaxed either.
In truth, after seeing the lineup of auditionees today, Lin Shouxiu's psychological burden had lightened considerably.
So many industry veterans were breaking their necks fighting for the exact same role, including popular actors who already commanded the status of male leads.
As a newcomer like him, even if the audition failed, public opinion would hardly subject him to harsh criticism.
"I should be fine now." Lin Shouxiu closed the script, took a deep breath, and nodded with a feigned nonchalance.
"Then you want to be the first one to go in?"
"Eh?"
Wait a minute, what was wrong with this older brother? Asking him to audition first—was he deliberately trying to sabotage him?
"If you are already prepared, there is no need to keep dragging it out. The longer you wait, the higher the PD's standards and criteria will drift."
Moreover... Lee Do-hyun checked his surroundings, and ensuring no one was paying attention, leaned in close to Lin Shouxiu's ear. "Director Ha Byung-hoon places a great deal of importance on first impressions. Who knows? You might walk in first and get accepted right away."
"Or what if the actor right before you catches the PD's eye first? Wouldn't your trip here be entirely wasted?"
Lee Do-hyun was genuinely trying to help him out, pulling strings to make introductions, sharing the director's preferences, and offering little audition tips.
If not for the rumors that this hyung had recently shown signs of being in a relationship... he might have felt the need to keep a more cautious distance.
"Think about it again."
"There's nothing to consider. I'm ready. I'll go in first."
"Alright." Lee Do-hyun returned shortly after leaving, followed by a member of the production crew. He beckoned to Lin Shouxiu and led him into the office.
"So this is the newcomer Do-hyun recommended. Do you have confidence in your performance?"
Seated in the center, Ha Byung-hoon pressed his hands atop the script in front of him. Because of Lee Do-hyun, he felt compelled to look upon the newcomer with a higher degree of expectation.
He had also heard that this kid was a labelmate of IU; surely an artist produced by a major agency would have some guaranteed baseline of talent.
"I do."
"Good then. Let's try out this scene." Ha Byung-hoon flipped the script in the young man's hands to the very final page, pointing to a scene depicting a character's death, eager to witness Lin Shouxiu's portrayal.
"Do-hyun ah, since you're the one who recommended him, why don't you step in and act opposite him? What do you think?"
"Huh?"
"Wait, me?"
There was no heartwarming scene of fraternal harmony or senior-junior bonding. Upon hearing the director's suggestion, the previously smiling Lee Do-hyun reacted as if he had been struck by lightning, his entire body language rejecting the director's kind offer.
"This is the person you recommended."
"I..."
"Hey, couldn't you have assigned me a male role instead?"
When a person is utterly speechless, their facial expressions tend to slip beyond conscious control.
Just like Lee Do-hyun right now—his brows tightly knitted and a deeply troubled look on his face, entirely at odds with his usual warm-guy persona.
Helping out with an audition partner was fine in theory, and since Lin Shouxiu was recommended by him, it was logically his responsibility to assist.
But casting him to play a mob boss's woman? Was that something a sane person could dream up?
Worse still, it was the kind of role where the mob boss loved her deeply and ultimately ended up shooting her to death...
Tch, looking at Lin Shouxiu, he couldn't possibly summon the right vibe for that kind of dynamic at all.
This wasn't acting assistance; this was deliberately ratcheting up the difficulty setting for Lin Shouxiu.
"Just do it. You're the only actor from the cast here right now. You don't expect me to call Yoon-jin over to help, do you?"
"Tch..."
"Don't waste time."
"Fine."
Though he desperately wanted to decline this wretched assignment... considering Lin Shouxiu and his own standing as a senior, he bit his lower lip and decided to tough it out.
Besides... it was all fake anyway.
It was just a temporary audition favor; footage like this surely wouldn't leak to the public, right?
After Lee Do-hyun had taken a moment to steep himself in the required emotions, the audition collaboration officially began.
Lin Shouxiu stumbled forward, clutching a box tightly as he collapsed right in front of Lee Do-hyun. His eyes were filled with the intoxicating joy of success and bright, naive fantasies of swiftly striding toward a shared future with his "lover."
"Eun-ji ah, I did it. We're... finally going to live a better life."
The young man was drenched in sweat, his eyes laced with bloodshot exhaustion from narrowly escaping death.
Lee Do-hyun hadn't expected this kid to genuinely dive headfirst into character while facing him.
Caught off guard and forced to pick up the cues, he found himself momentarily overwhelmed.
He took a deep breath, looked at the thoroughly immersed Lin Shouxiu before him, reached into his pocket, and mimicking the gesture, formed his fingers into the shape of a pistol.
Then, he caught the flash of utter disbelief in the young man's eyes, witnessed his overwhelming regret and pain, and as a single tear slipped from the corner of Lin Shouxiu's eye, the sound of Ha Byung-hoon's clapping filled the room.
As the director, the gaze he directed toward Lin Shouxiu grew increasingly filled with satisfaction.
Originally expecting nothing more than a routine formality of an audition, he never imagined Lee Do-hyun would actually dig up such a remarkably fitting actor.
"Your acting is quite good. I believe you can pull off the role of Lee Joo-hoon. Granted, your face looks a bit too youthful, but that's easily fixed—we'll just have the makeup artists handle it."
Hearing praise from a renowned director as a newcomer was naturally an exhilarating experience.
Yet he did not forget to exercise restraint, maintaining a modest and humble demeanor before the director.
He rubbed the back of his head, offering a shy, embarrassed expression as he thanked Ha Byung-hoon for his recognition.
The subsequent steps were straightforward. Having secured a suitable actor, Ha Byung-hoon dismissed the remaining auditioning artists, and after confirming Lin Shouxiu's willingness to sign on, immediately instructed his staff to draft the contract.
With work concluded, the young man naturally felt a great sense of relief and left the production building in the company of Lee Do-hyun.
"How about it? Since I introduced you to such a great job, shouldn't you treat me to some Korean BBQ?"
"Hyung is right." The young man glanced down at the time on his wristwatch, swiftly swapped into a more understated outfit, and then... flatly refused Lee Do-hyun's invitation.
"Today isn't a good time. Let's reschedule for another day, hyung."
"Tch, this kid."
Watching Lin Shouxiu's receding figure, Lee Do-hyun checked his phone and a sudden look of realization dawned upon him.
Ah, right. Today was Christmas Eve.