20 Audition

In an unknown corner of Weibo,

A passerby sneaked into a super topic with only a few dozen fans and a dozen posts. Then she excitedly posted a post as if she had found her home.

I'll just call her Momo-chan here: Is anyone here? Real people, I mean? People who like Kaleido's Song Ki-hyun. Ahhhh, I finally found the group. I was just blown away by how handsome he is! How can he act so well? Especially that scene where he's beating up the domestic violence guy. That little smile on his lips is absolutely amazing, so mischievous and so tempting. I found out he's only 18, and I thought he was some child star who'd become an idol. Anyway, I was completely hooked on him. Guys, I have a feeling he'll be a big star someday. Trust me, my instincts are pretty good.

After waiting for a few minutes without receiving any messages, she switched to another app. Over the next few hours, people began to leave comments under her post.

"+1, I'm the same as you! I fell in love with him at first sight. Although the fans of the group say that Hongmao is the face of the group, I think our Qixian can also compete for the face of the group. His facial features are very traditional and beautiful, a bit like Chinese."

"Look at the private messages above. Although I agree with what you say, we still have to be careful not to attract the enemy. That person has a lot of new fans now."

"Be good, let's not fight over some ridiculous title. I think since everyone is here for Qixian, let's not fight over those empty names and turn this place into a battlefield."

"Wow, I'm so touched that there are people like me. I also fell in love with Hyun-jae because of his scenes in the MV. I showed it to my roommates and they all said his performance was amazing! Coming here and seeing your post, I feel like there will be many people like us coming here in the future."

"The promotional stage has been released, everyone go check it out! Kihyun's performance on stage was even better, and his facial expressions were especially impressive. There were just no candids. Of the five members, only Kihyun and the maknae didn't have candids or an ending. You can protest under the official Bilibili account. The company values ​​the Chinese market very much, and they can see it."

…

Song Qixian didn't know what was happening in China. He didn't know that his fans were slowly growing one by one. His speed was not as fast as his teammates, but they were like a tenacious grass that could not be ignored.

Song Qixian's ears have been occupied by the number 66 for a long time. The reason is that Shen Minghe couldn't resist the temptation and checked the status of their title song on Melon, and saw that the number of likes was frozen at 61, which means that 61 people in South Korea liked their music.

This result was too dismal, so Shen Minghe immediately called on all five of them to like it. As a result, the number of likes became 66, and Shen Minghe was too embarrassed to ask his family and friends for help.

But perhaps the miserable result of his main hit dealt a heavy blow to Shen Minghe, so he kept repeating the number 66. Finally, Zhou Heyu couldn't stand it anymore and used force to shut him up.

The results were not good as expected, and everyone was silent. Ming Shangyu went outside to tell them a good news: although there was no stage for the music show, they had received a commercial performance.

Commercial performances are paid and can also replace some of the functions of a music promotion stage. For Kaleido, this is indeed great news.

Little did they know, CEO Choi Byung-hee was scowling over a shortage of working capital. Besides supporting the Kaleido group, the company also had a dozen employees, and in Seoul, where land is at a premium, the company faced significant daily expenses. Death, the company, was the product of Choi Byung-hee's entire lifeblood. It was his sole proprietorship, and all expenses were financed by his savings from his days as a producer.

Now, his savings are running out. Running a boy band is more expensive than expected. If his income next month can't cover the shortfall, his company will have two options: bankruptcy or acquisition.

Ming Shangyu is the only one in Kaleido who knows the predicament his uncle is facing, but he can do nothing about it because his status in the family is not high.

The day after their official debut, Kaleido had no schedule. Everyone was stuck in their basement dorm, feeling lost and unsure what to do. Should they continue practicing dancing? But it seemed to be no use.

Song Qixian felt empty inside, but he didn't stay in bed because today, he had an audition for the drama "Family Fun" directed by Kong Zhimin, which was recommended by Director Jin Ruizhen.

This is a hard-won opportunity, Song Qixian cherishes it very much, and he has been preparing for it for a long time.

Song Qixian left, and Park Youen looked at his empty bed and felt even more annoyed.

Thanks to some people, his debut was known to everyone in the school, not just his classmates. Just now, he received a malicious text message.

Park Yoo-eun, how does it feel to have no fans? After all the hard work of choosing such a company, I finally won. You know what I hate most is your arrogant attitude. Every time I see that stinky face of yours, I can't help but slap it a thousand times. At school, I've never seen your expression change, so I really want to know, are you disappointed right now? Your music is so bad, and there's not a single fan in Korea. How does it feel to have so much hope, but then be heartbroken? Are you heartbroken? Do you regret it? I hope you don't fall so soon. I want to keep watching you perform.

Park Yoo Eun knew who the texter was, but what he hated most was getting entangled with crazy people, so he blocked the number and got up and went next door.

Song Qixian took the bus for more than ten stops to reach the audition location. Following the guidance of the front desk, he came to a temporary waiting area on the second floor.

There were several people sitting in the waiting area for "Kim Eun-woo," none of whom Song Qixian recognized. He put his bag down, pulled out his headphones, put them on, and closed his eyes. He slowly recalled the role he was auditioning for.

Director Kong's assistant only gave him two pages of the script, and from those two pages, Song Qixian could tell that Kim Eun-woo was a lively, talkative, but kind boy. He hadn't figured out anything else.

But now that so many people have come to audition, how can he get Director Kong to notice him? Song Qixian fell into deep thought. He didn't have a face as stunning as Yuen's, so he could only work harder in other areas.

There seemed to be a noise outside, and Song Qixian opened his eyes to find another person coming. He knew this person, Bian Yixu, the child star who played the leading male role in many popular dramas in the 10s.

As a child, Bian Yixu had a round, cute face and a pair of black grape-like eyes that made many mothers wish he were their own son, earning him the nickname "National Son." However, his face changed as he began to grow. His cheeks became rugged, his eyes lost their youthful sparkle, and he stood only a little over 5 feet 4 inches tall. His development had slowed considerably compared to his childhood.

But he is just a male No. 2 after all. If Director Kong wants an experienced and familiar face, then he will have no advantage at all.

Bian Yixu was obviously very confident. Unlike others, he did not secretly observe his competitors. After sitting down, he crossed his legs and started playing games, looking very relaxed.

Several waiting areas gradually filled up, and Song Qixian saw many familiar faces. He didn't necessarily recognize who they were, but he knew that they could all be considered his predecessors in filming.

Jin Enyu's audition was next, and Song Qixian could only wait and wait. Fortunately, he had patience, and after Bian Yixu had played the game for several rounds, Jin Enyu's audition finally came.

People came in and out one by one, and it was impossible to tell from their faces how the audition went. Finally, it was Song Qixian's turn.

Song Qixian took a deep breath and walked in.

There were more than a dozen people sitting in the room. The bald middle-aged man sitting in the front row was Kong Zhimin, and the fat, round-faced woman next to him was the famous screenwriter Ha Meishu.

Everyone in the room had a hint of fatigue on their faces after being so busy. The assistant distributed Song Qixian's resume to everyone.

"Well, Song Qixian, 18 years old, appeared in 'Revenge' directed by Kim Seo-jin. So, this is your second audition?"

Song Qixian greeted the director, but also corrected the mistakes in the director's words.

"Actually, 'Family Fun' was my first audition. Director Jin invited me to star in 'Revenge' a few months ago, so I have no experience in auditioning."

"Oh?" Kong Zhimin was very interested and straightened up. This kid was actually invited by Ruizhen, so he must have some talent.

Ruizhen was his good friend, and he knew how meticulous he was when making films. It was no exaggeration to say that he would stop and fix a shot just because it wasn't right. What was it about this young man that made him so impressed?

As soon as Song Qixian stepped into the room, everyone began to observe him, especially the director Kong Zhimin.

Unlike Choi Byung-hee's assessment, Kong Zhimin's focus isn't on a performer's appearance, but rather his skeleton. The quality of his bones determines his photogenic appearance. A well-developed face must have skin and flesh that fits seamlessly with his bones. This differs from how idols look on camera. Even the most ordinary music performances will have intense lighting to compensate for any imperfections in their bones, while actors need to possess a face that can withstand even low light.

After just a moment's scrutiny, Kong Zhimin was satisfied. Song Qixian's bones were undoubtedly well-developed, with slightly high cheekbones, a face devoid of flesh, and a striking jawline. He also had a pair of bright, bright eyes, neither too big nor too small, which was a real plus.

"Then you should act out the scene where Kim Eun-woo discovers that her sister Eun-mi is secretly dating her neighbor Cheong-hwan."

Song Qixian bowed to everyone, and then he began to perform.

【Author’s words】

Ah Xian is actually quite talented in filming [Cai Gou]