Why am I even here?
That was the only thought looping through my head as I stared at the filming happening in front of me.
Just a few hours ago, I had been on my way home after buying some fried rice when this red-haired guy suddenly appeared out of nowhere and told me to follow him.
Naturally, I refused.
Who in their right mind would follow a suspicious stranger just because he said so?
But then he shoved a card into my hand.
Mikhail—Assistant Director.
After that, he launched into a long, frantic explanation about a missing actor, a delayed schedule, and how they were letting amateurs try out for a scene.
Honestly, I thought it was a huge hassle I wanted nothing to do with.
But the man standing in front of me was unbelievably persistent… and strangely persuasive.
"Come on, it won't be hard. You just have to speak some lines in front of a camera."
He said it with such an encouraging smile that, being the soft-hearted fool that I am, I eventually agreed—mostly because I didn't want to see him get disappointed or sad because of me.
And now…
Two hours had already passed.
With no end in sight.
The other twelve guys who came with me were all trying their best; no, actually, only eleven tried their best.
But what could you really expect from a group of complete amateurs?
Once you stand in front of that camera, it feels like someone sets your nerves on fire.
The harsh lights burning into your face.
The intense stares from the crew.
The mechanical hum of filming equipment surrounding you.
It makes you want to dig a hole in the ground and disappear into it.
Right now, only two of us were left standing at the back.
Me… and a thin guy who looked like he might faint at any moment.
He was the first one to try out the scene, and since then, the poor guy has looked traumatized.
Neither of us seemed particularly eager to step forward.
To be honest, we both looked like we were searching for an escape route.
Meanwhile, the others were still enthusiastically lining up for their turns.
Especially that blue-haired guy.
Handsome devil.
And for some reason… I just didn't like him.
Maybe it was because I envied his looks.
Or maybe it was his confidence.
I lacked both.
He had already gone up the most times, and every single attempt somehow managed to be funnier than the last.
It felt less like he was acting in a tragic hospital scene and more like he was auditioning for a comedy skit.
Whenever he spoke, he oozed exaggerated confidence. Every gesture screamed try-hard.
Then there was also Mikhail.
Turns out, the assistant director had been dragged into this madness along with us.
Whenever he hadn't gone up for a while, the director would simply call out his name, sending him toward the camera like a criminal being summoned to court.
He was another strange case.
His acting didn't look nervous… but somehow, it was still funny.
Not embarrassing.
Just… unintentionally comedic.
But as more and more bad takes piled up, I could see something else changing.
The hope in the director's eyes was slowly fading.
I felt a little bad for him.
He was clearly trying his best to save this production, yet nothing seemed to be working.
I still remembered the seriousness in his gaze when he gave us that advice from his actor friend.
But now, after so many failed attempts, that confidence looked like it was quietly crumbling.
"Hey, why aren't you going?"
I lifted my head.
It was Mikhail.
Looks like he finally noticed me hiding at the back.
I sighed.
Pointing to my right, I asked with a faint smile,
"Why aren't you asking him too?"
Mikhail glanced at the thin guy beside me and grimaced slightly.
"He doesn't look like he's in good condition to act for this role."
After going through the trauma, the thin guy looked even worse.
Mikhail's gaze then returned to me, and he smiled:
"But you… you're perfect."
"…Huh?"
I tilted my head in confusion.
Perfect?
For what?
Mikhail continued seriously,
"I noticed you only did two takes, but the second one was way better than the first."
His eyes shone as he added,
"By that logic, if you try one or two more times, you might actually pull it off."
Then he scanned me from head to toe and said,
"Also, your appearance fits this character really well."
I stared at him, completely baffled.
How could someone misunderstand reality this badly?
Shaking my head, I explained,
"In my first take, I froze and then shouted because I panicked."
Then I shrugged.
"The bar was too low for the second one. Of course I improved."
Yes, my second attempt was better than most.
But that didn't mean I wanted to act.
Public speaking already made me uncomfortable, let alone performing emotions under bright lights.
I preferred staying invisible.
Fame and attention were the last things I wanted.
I was happy with only money and respect.
Who wanted fame and all that bullshit?
So I really had no reason to try again.
And that was when Mikhail asked,
"Then why won't you try again? Do you not want money?"
"…Money?"
My eyes widened.
"We get paid?"
No one had mentioned that.
"Of course," Mikhail said, sounding surprised. "What did you think?"
"I thought we were helping out of the goodness in our hearts," I replied honestly.
Mikhail smirked and held up five fingers.
"You'll get fifteen thousand Siera."
My eyes widened again.
It wasn't an insane amount… but it definitely wasn't small either.
For just one scene, that was absolutely worth considering.
But Mikhail wasn't done.
His smile grew even wider.
"If you do well, you might even get twenty-five thousand Siera."
My brain instantly switched into calculation mode.
For a college student like me, that was serious money.
I even converted it into dollars if I wanted to invest it in foreign stocks.
One dollar was fifty Siera.
So that meant… Fifteen thousand was three hundred dollars.
Twenty-five thousand was five hundred.
My mind immediately began planning what would be the best way to spend that money.
Noticing my expression, Mikhail chuckled and added,
"You only get that if you satisfy the director with your acting."
"Who knows?" He shrugged. "He might even give you a bonus."
And that…
That was all the motivation a poor college student needed.
Before my nerves could talk me out of it, I stepped forward and joined the line.
To my surprise, the others let me go first.
Maybe they were afraid of embarrassing themselves again.
Or maybe they just wanted to give me a fair chance.
Either way…
A moment later, I found myself standing in front of the camera for the third time.
Under the lights.
Beside the hospital bed.
With the crew watching silently.
And as they say—
The third time's the charm.