The Audition

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Yoongi sits on a couch at the back of a large meeting room, in the shadows. There is a brightly lit area, almost like a stage, at the front of this room. He's wearing the mask and the bucket hat again, and this time he has a large Iced Americano a staffer handed him as he sat down. Three men sit at a long table in front of him with their backs to him, and they're discussing headshots that have been submitted.

No one asked why Min Yoongi wanted to sit and watch auditions for an office romance kdrama being produced by a subsidiary of HYBE. No one questioned him, they usually just let him do what he wants. And today, he wants to be sitting on this couch in a meeting room watching nervous actors come in to read lines and answer questions and try their best to move the unimpressed faces of their panel of judges, and one person sat behind them who they can't quite see.

He slurps his Americano, careful to turn his head to the side as he pulls his mask down to drink from the straw. It's better if fewer people realize who he is. He should be in the studio working on his song. But this is interesting. He's done a little acting, just part of their tv show skits and of course in commercials. He was playing himself, but that does take a degree of acting to do it well because he wouldn't normally marvel at the sight of a massage chair and wow over a coffeemaker.

"The last girl was perfectly fine, there's nothing wrong with any of them really, they're all pretty but not too pretty, and seem to be able to act." One of the men says passing a headshot around to the others. "Honestly, it shouldn't take this long, it's not even the lead role," he whines.

"We should see everyone, you never know if someone might be right for a different part later." Another man chimes in. The third man groans and tosses the head shot back across the table.

"Fine, have them send in the next girl," he groans to an assistant nearby. He bows quickly and then rushes toward the door, stepping through it and closing it. "But you're buying the Soju tonight Baekho," the man warns them. Yoongi slumps back into his seat, settling in to watch monologues, instead of these bored company men. He takes one last sip of the drink and reaches over to set it aside when he hears her voice.

"Good afternoon, I'm Kim Soo Ah, I'm 27, I'm reading for the part of Haerin," she says nervously. Yoongi slowly leans back up to seated position directly between two of the men at the table. He watches her begin a monologue of the character he's heard a dozen times. He watches her movements, graceful but purposeful, and her voice is clear and sharp. Her face is soft and small and the pink hair looks really shiny under these small stage lights. He's believing her!

"Thank you,"  She finishes her monologue and bows low to them, slowly. There is a long pause, none of the men say anything and she looks up at them, expecting more, and confused. Yoongi looks at the back of the men and wonders why they haven't spoken. Why none of them has spoken. He feels uncomfortable with the pause and he can tell she's getting nervous by the way she clasps her hands together in front of her dark jeans. He wishes they would speak already, say something, anything.

"We don't seem to have your head shot Soo Ah," the youngest man explains. She nods and smiles. "My hair is dark in the headshot, I'm sure you have it," she offers and she stands straight, almost at attention.

"Oh, I see it. Your hair is very nice dark, would you consider going back to this color, we are really looking for a traditional image," another offers as he passes her headshot down to the others. She clears her throat.

"I can be whatever you want me to be." Her words strike Yoongi as a sort of challenge. One she doesn't realize she's offering.

The men chuckle amongst themselves and Yoongi gets an idea. He grabs a piece of scratch paper from the table and quickly writes a direction. He isn't really in a position to give direction to auditioning actors but he knows none of these men would dare deny him. He passes the note to the man closest to him and she notices him as he leans forward. She watches him curiously. The man reads the note and then looks up at Soo Ah.

"Do you sing?" he asks. She looks at him a bit startled.

"I can sing." She offers bravely, as if trying to convince herself more than them.

"Sing something for us then."

"What do you want me to sing?" Yoongi notices a heat flush in her cheeks and he wonders if this was a bad idea.

"Anything you want, just a bit from any song will do , we just want to get an idea of the color of your voice," the man bluffs well. She nods and thinks for a moment, a sly smile, almost a smirk, appears at the corner of her mouth and Yoongi notices. He sits quietly waiting but he unconsciously leans forward, showing his interest. She smiles and lowers her head, then she begins to sing, softly in a higher soprano voice.

The song is instantly recognizable to him, and he smiles, chuckling a little at hearing it, but he listens closely, watching her carefully. She sings only 30 seconds or so of the piece, enough to prove that she can in fact sing. Everyone sits in silence. The older man makes an unusual noise and draws her attention. Yoongi keeps his eyes trained on her.

"What made you choose that song?" the man asks. She smiles and her eyebrow cocks as she thinks. She looks directly at Yoongi.

"Because Min Yoongi wrote the song, and he's the one who requested that I sing," she says triumphantly.  He laughs a deep raspy laugh, impressed by her boldness and candor. It doesn't bother him that she recognizes him, instead, it's exciting. She seems to be enjoying her audition and it's refreshing to see her being so open.

The men at the table aren't sure what to make of her and they look at each other and back at Yoongi who stares at her approvingly.

"Yes, well, thank you for coming in," one man offers. He glances at the headshot again for confirmation,  "Kim Soo Ah, we will be in touch," he says, as if dismissing her. She bows a 'thank you' to each man at the table and then bows deeply to Yoongi sat behind them. She leaves the room, closing the door quietly and before anyone can say anything  Yoongi bursts out laughing, surprising them. They turn and look at him.

"I'd cast her!" He says almost as though he's not teasing. The older man shakes his head 'no.'

"She's too distracting, too pretty, and that hair! If she really wants to be an actress she's got to go back to the dark hair. She won't get any real work with pink hair," he warns. Yoongi frowns at him.

"Let me see the headshot," he reaches out his long arm and the man puts the headshot into it. He studies her face, she looks younger in the picture. It's a good picture. She looks pretty, but not unlike all of the other girls who came to audition. He thinks about what they've said. He likes the pink hair. It suits her.

"You can obviously cast who you want for the part but give her a call back." They each look at him shocked, unsure how to respond. "Just tell her it's a call back, for tomorrow, have her come to room 1730." He stands up. They look at him confused as though they don't have the full story.

"For what part?"

"I have a role she would be perfect in," he says already making plans in his head. "Not a word other than it's a call back, room 1730, at 2pm!" He pulls his hat lower on his head , obscuring his eyes, and adjusts his mask.  They watch him as he walks out the back door to the meeting room without another word.

"What's he up to?" The older man asks shaking his head. The youngest man makes a loud noise attracting the attention of the others.

"Whoa, he's casting a date, that's what he's up to." He laughs and the others start to grin as they think about what he's said. They exchange glances and chuckle privately. The older man calls to the assistant near the door.

"Send in the next girl!"

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