Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

Haeun strode purposefully toward one side of the room, stopping just short of the wall before shoving his hands into his pockets. With an exaggerated slouch, he sauntered across the space, his steps carrying a deliberate air of indifference. Suddenly, as if colliding with an invisible person, his shoulder jolted slightly. 

 

A low mutter escaped his lips. “Ah, fu….”

 

With an almost predatory gaze, he snapped his head up and glared into the empty air in front of him.

 

“Yah. Did you just bump into me?”

 

Despite the lack of a physical counterpart, Haeun’s intensity made it feel as though he was in the middle of a street confrontation, and it was unsettlingly realistic. His casual delivery from earlier had completely transformed into an intimidating and confrontational tone. The judges watched, enraptured, as he embodied the rough-edged attitude of “Soohyung” without missing a beat.

 

“I said did you just hit me on purpose?!”

 

Ham Dabi subtly observed the panelists’ reactions with curiosity written on her face. Were they, like her, starting to question whether this bold attitude was a bit too natural for Haeun? For a moment, she wondered if the infamous rumors about Haeun’s prickly personality were more than just gossip.

 

But the rest of the panel was still, their attention firmly fixed on Haeun as he continued acting, totally immersed in her role. Ham Dabi quickly scanned the script, catching up to the details of the scene Haeun was performing.

 

[Scene/27 – Street (Daytime)]

 

Soohyung walks with a swagger, his hands shoved into his pockets. He collides shoulders with a passerby (Male, early 20s) coming from the opposite direction.

 

Soohyung

(irritated)

: Ah, fu…

 

Passerby

(taken aback)

: Ouch!

 

Soohyung roughly brushes off his collar, then asks.

 

Soohyung: Yah. Did you just bump into me?

 

Passerby

(in disbelief)

: What did you say?

 

Soohyung: I said did you just bump into me on purpose?!

 

Soohyung: When you hit someone, shouldn’t you— (

taps the other person’s arm

) —apologize?

 

Passerby: What? You’re the one who bumped into

me

! What’s your problem?

 

Soohyung leans his face close, saying nothing.

 

The passerby, thrown off by Soohyung’s intensity, takes a step back.

 

Passerby: Hey, why are you picking a fight?

 

Soohyung: I’m picking a fight? I’m already in a bad mood. (

gives the passerby a rough shove

) It’s your fault for bumping into me, got it?

 

At that moment, Soohyung hears the hurried footsteps of someone running toward him and turns around.

 

Yeonjun arrives, breathing heavily and grabbing Soohyung’s arm.

 

Yeonjun: Soohyung ah, what are you doing here?

 

Soohyung

(frowning)

: Why are

you

here?

 

Park Haeun’s performance ended. The judges each reacted differently—some leaned on their hands, appearing deep in thought, while others nodded with stern expressions. 

 

It seemed that Haeun’s almost painfully realistic portrayal of a punk had left a strong impression on all of them. This included Ham Dabi, who was now considering rewatching the controversial video featuring Haeun as soon as the audition wrapped up. 

 

After a moment of silence, the writer spoke up and asked a question on behalf of the others. 

 

“I noticed that Park Haeun ssi had some distinctive interpretations that set you apart from the other candidates. Let’s talk about the scene with the older sister first.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“The character Soohyung is someone who shows a stark difference in his demeanor toward his sister compared to others, right? Most of the other candidates focused on emphasizing this contrast in their acting. However, from the start, you seemed to approach it differently.”

“There wasn’t much of a difference in the tone or expressions you used for the scenes with the sister versus those with Yeonjun. You didn’t change any lines, but your delivery and expressions made it seem that way. Is that your interpretation of the character? What led you to perform it this way?” 

 

The questions came rapidly. This writer had been using a similar approach with the other candidates, leaving many shaken and sure they’d failed after just one question. The “What led you to perform it this way?” line could sound like a genuine question or like a thinly veiled criticism, depending on how it was taken. 

 

Given Haeun’s young and innocent appearance, Ham Dabi felt a bit concerned. She worried that he might feel hurt, get flustered, and abandon the audition altogether. But after a moment of thought, Haeun simply nodded, seemingly unfazed, and began to respond.

 

“Yes. I think Kim Soohyung is a straightforward, genuine person. When he’s with his sister, his tone comes off a bit… overflowing with affection, but I feel this isn’t something he’s consciously trying to create—it’s just how he naturally feels toward her. So, I didn’t think his tone would change drastically, as if he were a different person. If it did, it would feel forced, and I don’t see Kim Soohyung as that kind of character.”

 

Ham Dabi nodded slightly to herself, finding this interpretation intriguing. Every other candidate she’d seen had portrayed a dramatic shift between Soohyung’s behavior toward his sister and others, almost as if he had two personalities. It was how she had initially interpreted it, too, and probably how most people reading the script would. It seemed to match the writer’s intent.

 

“Still, wouldn’t that be the most straightforward way to show the contrast? It’s not just that the other candidates interpreted it this way—the script itself shows these distinct differences. Soohyung is depicted as a sweet, angelic younger brother to his sister, but a rude and harsh person to everyone else, especially this character, Jungho, who’s close to his sister. So, wouldn’t that make your interpretation of Kim Soohyung a misreading of the script?”

 

The writer’s tone was questioning but not entirely accusatory; it seemed more like she was probing for something deeper in Haeun’s answer. 

 

Ham Dabi, who was surprised at the writer’s assertiveness at first, realized the writer wasn’t so much criticizing Haeun as trying to gauge his understanding. Satisfied, she turned her gaze back to Haeun, wondering if he would handle this question as smoothly as the last. Haeun, however, responded calmly, unfazed despite his gentle appearance.

 

“Soohyung grew up with a lot of love, right? He’s a bit spoiled, the kind of kid who was coddled growing up. People like that don’t automatically go all in and give their undivided attention to others. So, while it’s true he shows a lot of affection toward his sister, I don’t think he would entirely lose his selfish or cocky side. It’s still part of him, and I thought that would come through in his tone.”

 

He spoke with such natural conviction that it almost felt as if he were talking about himself, rather than a fictional character. Ham Dabi was impressed. The writer, who had been watching Haeun with a sharp gaze, leaned forward, hands clasped beneath her chin. Haeun continued, still calm and composed.

 

“And it’s not that I ignored the parts in the script that say things like ‘gently’ or ‘with care’ in parentheses. I interpreted those instructions in a way that I think Soohyung would, from his perspective.”

 

“So, are you saying it’s not a misreading, and your interpretation is correct?” the writer immediately pressed him further. It was a tone that could make anyone feel intimidated, yet Haeun simply paused for a moment, then replied in a voice that bordered on nonchalant. 

 

“Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it.”

 

There was something about his response that felt almost impudent, yet it was hard to say if it was because he was simply immersed in the character’s attitude. The writer shifted gears, moving on to a question about his interpretation of the character rather than his performance. 

 

“Do you think the female lead, Kim Sooyul, is aware of Soohyung’s true nature?”

 

“Uh… wouldn’t she be?”

 

“Why do you think that? Kim Sooyul is written as a character who lacks perceptiveness, right?”

 

Ham Dabi, who had often expressed frustration about Sooyul’s character, had been told by the writer herself that “Kim Sppyul isn’t necessarily unperceptive, and her slower response in romance doesn’t mean she’s clueless.” 

 

It was likely that the writer’s question was once again intended to test Haeun’s insight. Tilting his head slightly, Haeun responded.

 

“Is she really clueless? If she can’t read the guys’ feelings instantly, I think it’s more a confidence issue than a matter of being perceptive or not. She’s actually quite sharp in other areas.”

 

Whether he was sharp enough not to fall into the writer’s trap or just indifferent to his intentions was unclear, as Haeun continued without hesitation.

 

“Like I mentioned earlier, Soohyung is someone who grew up feeling loved and even has a certain type of self-love. He doesn’t seem to feel any guilt for acting out toward people around his sister, so why would he even bother hiding it from her?”

 

“…….” 

 

The room fell into a thoughtful silence.

 

Ham Dabi almost nodded in agreement without realizing. The writer, who had been jotting notes busily, moved on to the next topic.

 

“Now, about the next scene—you did well on this one. I felt like there’s no way someone could come across as more of a thug than that.”

 

“Th….Thank you.”

 

It was a comment that left Ha-eun unsure if it was a compliment or not, but he responded with a polite, albeit slightly uncertain, “Thank you.”

 

“If it weren’t for that baby face of yours, you might have just come off like an actual delinquent. But your young and gentle look offsets that and makes the whole thing feel fitting for Kim Soohyung.”

 

“Th… thank you.”

 

Again, a hesitant thanks escaped him. While Ham Dabi was studying his expression, wondering what he might be thinking, the writer quickly continued with another question.

 

“Any special reason for choosing this scene? When asked to select one scene with his sister and one with someone else, all the other applicants chose scenes where they were acting opposite Jungho or Yeonjun.”

 

As a result, they had witnessed at least ten other ‘angry younger brothers confronting the female lead’s romantic interest’ that day. More than half had even performed the same scene, making things feel repetitive. In that sense, Ham Dabi thought Haeun’s choice had been refreshing.

 

“I just thought this scene best captures Soohyung’s character. Plus, Yeonjun makes a brief appearance at the end.”

 

The writer nodded at Haeun’s simple, precise response and then posed the final standard question.

 

“Just one last question, then. How do you think Soohyung feels about Yeonjun and Jungho?”

 

“Well, in the story, he gets along with Yeonjun and dislikes Jungho, but if we’re talking about the people themselves, I don’t think Yeonjun is Soohyung’s type. If they’d met without his sister around, or if Yeonjun had shown interest in her right from the start, Soohyung would’ve disliked him too.”

 

“What about Jungho?”

 

“With him, I think Soohyung would’ve had a good opinion if his sister wasn’t involved.”

 

His answers flowed seamlessly, making it seem like he’d anticipated each question.

 

“Thanks for your hard work. You’re free to go now.”

 

Haeun bowed deeply, just as he had upon entering. With a slight nod of farewell, he left the room without hesitation, prompting Ham Dabi to glance at the writer and director.

 

“He’s definitely unique. So, what are you thinking?”

 

Their expressions seemed to hint at different responses.

 

A few days later, Ha-eun received his acceptance notice for the audition.

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