Behind the Scenes
Chapter 1Yi Jeong heads for his mother's office
"Omma, here are the three different dramas I want to audition for out of the five" Yi Jeong places the scripts on the his mother's huge desks as his mother picks up her glasses and a pen.
Yi Jeong smiles to himself knowing that his omma was going to destroy the script, shout criticism at the writers and then advise him on which would be the best choice for him and how he should act during his audition.
Acting was the newest thing he wanted to try. Yi Jeong was always trying to find something new to do One minute it was swimming, then horseback riding, then painting, then he was learning a new language (He was on his fourth). He was good at pottery and knew that it was something he was going to do for the rest of his life especially because he was the heir to the Woo Sang Museum. He had been deemed a genius artist when he was still very young so pottery was something he did a lot as a kid. He wanted to try a lot of new things before he took over the business.
"The auditions are next week, the one for Boys before Flowers is on Wednesday and the others are on Monday"
Yi Jeong's mother looks up at him above her glasses "Yah! Why did you wait so long to give me the scripts? Its already Friday aiishh! This kid! " She sighs and takes off her glasses. "I'm going to do some research, now go to school you don't want to start the academic year on a bad note!"
Yi jeong smiles and hugs his mother "gamsahabnida omma!" and rushes out the door before his omma uses the scripts to whack his head.
His mum sighs and begins to start up the computer. She knows doing the research won't take long, besides she already knew the story of Boys before flowers or Hana Yori Dango well including the fate of each character
Yi Jeong arrives in school way to early. There is hardly anyone in sight. He knew he should have driven his orange sports car slowly but it is a sports car! It was built for speed!
He sighs and decides to take a walk around campus
Yi Jeong walks slowly knowing he has time before his first class at Shinwa taking pictures of things that grabbed his interest.
The young girl with the balloon, the red and purple flowers near the book shop, the Dalmatian. Apart from pottery and for the moment acting, photography was his favorite pass time which helped him appreciate the little beautiful things of life
He passes the school's café and smells the sweet aroma of coffee. His stomach growls and he doesn't hesitate to cross the street and enter the café.
As soon as he enters the café, the coffee was soon forgotten as he notices a girl with her long ebony black hair pulled up in a messy bun in a green and pink spaghetti strapped dress which seemed to emphasize her beautiful white porcelain doll-like skin. She was looking expectantly out the window, whilst holding a cup of steaming coffee. She was beautiful and yet strangely familiar.
He lifts his camera and carefully takes a picture of her. The flash grabs her attention and she turns and her face is full of surprise. Is this who she thinks it is?
"Yi jeong sunbae"
"Hi Ga eul, It's been a while" He smiles back, uneasily "Waiting for someone?"
"Ermm…not really, join me"
He walks over to the seat opposite her and orders a cappuccino much to the female server's delight. However, he was too deep in thought to even notice the server's flirty eyes.
Ga eul was his childhood friend but when she was about 10 her father was transferred and she had to move. Eventually they lost touch. Their lives were too different. No more emails. No more phone calls. He was surprised to see her here in Shinwa on the first day of school especially considering her financial background. It was a strained and awkward friendship now. Where they even still friends? Whose fault was it? His? Hers? That was a tough question.
"So what are you doing here?" he asks curiously
"Embracing myself for the new school year and just looking over some scripts, trying to decide on which roles to audition for" She sighs "I have no idea which one would be better, I have to pick three out of five and I think they are all so good!" She pouts
Yi Jeong can't help but giggle at her expression as he stared at her. She looked adorable
"What!"
"I forgot you always wanted to act. I remember that's how I first met you. I just decided to try out acting myself this year so I am taking an acting class and I'm going to audition for a drama next week. In fact, I was in the same position last night, gave my mom the scripts this morning."
Ga eul couldn't help but blush at his first statement. She would never forget the day they first met.
Suddenly he had an epiphany! "Hey! Maybe you can ask my omma! She would be glad to help you and you have not seen her in a while. Maybe we can walk back to my place after school"
She smiles. "I have missed Ajumma."
She pauses. Would it really be okay? She really did miss Madame so. She was her second mother and best friend. She hadn't been to the So mansion in so long. Eventually her nostalgia makes her decision for her
"Okay I will come after classes today meet me here at 2."
Ga eul glances at her watch and explain "Aish! I'm going to be late for my speech class, Sorry Yi Jeong sunbae I have to go" She gets up hurriedly, grabbing her white bag. Yi Jeong calmly follows her as she rushes across the street. He calls out to her and quickly takes a picture.
She is smiling at him "Yah! Yi Jeong sunbae don't you also have class now"
He also glances at his watch "Aisssh! Is that really the time? "
She begins to laugh as Yi Jeong sprints to catch up with her
….
Ga eul stood nervously in front of Madame So's office. Yi jeong laughed at her nervousness.
"Come on she doesn't bite. You know that" and he opens the door
"Omma! Guess who is here" Madame So looks just above her glasses and her face immediately lights up
"Ga eul, My dear, come in come in" said Madame So as she showered Ga eul with hugs and kisses. She had always had a soft spot for Ga eul from the very first day Yi Jeong brought her home when she was 8. She remembered Ga eul's teary eyes and Yi Jeong's excited lit up face
**FLASHBACK**
"Omma, Omma, this is my friend Ga eul-yang, she didn't get the role she wanted in the school play so I was hoping you could encourage her the way encourage me every time I have an audition…." Yi jeong glances down at his shoes as if suddenly losing confidence in his little speech "….and maybe we could go for ice-cream later"
I can't help but smile at my son even though I am a little surprised by his request. I looked at the little girl seemed to be battling with herself on whether she should be embarrassed, surprised or excited. Her shifting eyes amused me as I walked up to her and hugged her.
"You are going to be an amazing actress one day, and just because you didn't get the role you wanted doesn't change that. It just means the role wasn't good enough for you"
She hugs me back as she bursts into tears and I can feel my shirt getting wet from her tears
I wipe away her tears and give her an encouraging smile
"Come on lets go get some ice cream"
I grab my purse and I notice Yi jeong grab Ga eul's hand confidently but gently and lead her out the door.
I smile. My son's first female friend. My son's first middle class friend.
Thank God I have a camera.
**FLASHBACK ENDS**
….
Ga eul was a regular visitor from that day on at the So mansion and became the daughter I never had. Ga eul and Yi Jeong ended up going to different high schools after Ga eul's father got transferred to the outskirts of Seoul.
I was going to miss their little skits and plays they did for me in my living room or in the park
I was going to miss the special girl time we had when she would come over for lunch
I was going to miss my pretend daughter
*sighs*
I was sad to see her go but probably not as much as Yi jeong.
And eventually they lost touch with each other. Their lives became too different.
I was so convinced that Yi jeong will….
"Omma, Omma" Yi jeong said to try to bringing his mother's thoughts back to the present.
"Oops sorry I spaced out" Madame So sighed distracted from her thoughts
They were now sitting at the table drinking hot chocolate. Yi Jeong and Ga eul were sitting next to each other across the table from Yi Jeong's mother.
"Ajumma" Ga eul spoke up "I was wondering if you could help me decide on three roles to audition for.
"Of course Ga eul, I would love too. I do it all the time for Yi jeong"
Ga eul was delighted and knew even before seeing Yi Jeong's mother's choices that she was going to do audition for the roles she suggested. No questions asked. Absolute trust.
"Why don't you leave them with me for the day and we can talk about it over lunch tomorrow. Do you have any plans for tomorrow? It's Saturday so I am free the whole day and we could have girl time whilst cooking"
"Yah! What about me" Yi jeong said jokingly. He used to love watching his mother and Ga eul prepare meals when they were younger. Madame so will dismiss all the maids and chefs for the day. Madame so and Ga eul would play their favorite music and sing and dance whilst cutting and peeling all the ingredients for the meal. Of course Ga eul couldn't do as much as Madame So when she was younger but he had always enjoyed how it would take Ga eul twice as long because she tried so hard to cut the vegetables just right. It made him feel like a normal boy for once instead of this rich kid with a huge responsibility ahead of him
Ga eul was also delighted she loved Madame So's cooking and preparing the food with her had always been a special girl time for the two of them before she left Seoul
"Yes, I would love too. Thank you so much Ajumma!" and gave Madame So a huge hug
"Yah! Now let me start reading these scripts. Go buy some ice cream or something!" and rushed the two youngsters out the door.
After closing the door behind her son and Ga eul, she wore her glasses and began to look at Ga eul's scripts. She quickly looked through the names of the dramas for each of the scripts. On the third script she in bold typing
Boys before Flowers
Korean version of Hana Yori Dango
Official Script
KBS Entertainment
….and written in Ga eul's handwriting along the bottom of the page
Property of Chu Ga eul
Interested in auditioning for Kim so eun (Lead character's best friend) or Lee shin young (Betrays lead character)
A mischievous smile lit Madame So's face…..
Yes. She had a plan.
Chapter 2The rays of sun seeped its way pass the tiny gap Ga eul had left between her curtains last night, waking her up from her deep sleep. She groaned and covered her head with her pillow in annoyance. She had been up for hours last night pondering on the coincidence of meeting So Yi Jeong again and how easily she had been let back into their home even after being gone for so long.
So Yi Jeong…
She missed him when she left but they stayed in touch through emails and phone calls. Soon the emails and phone calls became less and less. Ga eul couldn't tell him about her first major crush, or her new obsession with Korean dramas, or her new best friend and she felt like he was holding things back too. She actually found out that he had a girlfriend through the tabloids and she wasn't brave enough to ask him about it. They had nothing more to say to each other.
Ga eul sat up in bed and let out a big sigh and started to get ready for her lunch date with Madame So
…..
Ga eul sat uneasily in one of the lounge in the So mansion. Had she come to early? She looked at her watch. 11:20 am. The butler had told her Madame So will be informed of her arrival and she had been sitting in the lounge for at least 15 minutes. Should she try looking for the kitchen besides she has been to this house a million times before but that was 5 years ago. Well it was worth a try wasn't it? She began to open doors
Meanwhile,
Yi Jung grumbled as his phone rang. It was Saturday! Who was calling him at this time?
"hello" he mumbled
"Yah! Yi jeong get out of bed! I need you in the kitchen in a few minutes. " Madame So screamed into the phone.
Yi Jeong held the phone away from his face and cringed at his mother's screaming. This woman! He got out of bed slowly. He was bare chested and wearing only the black trousers he had on the night before. He began to walk towards his bathroom when his door suddenly swung open to reveal Ga eul.
Their eyes met.
They both screamed as Yi jeong run to the bathroom and Ga eul hastily closed the door.
Looking for the kitchen was definitely a bad idea.
At exactly that moment Madame So came into the lounge. "Ah! there you are! The butler didn't specify which lounge you were in so I went to the other two first. Come on, let's get started with lunch and I will talk to you all about your scripts"
The day went by fast after that awkward encounter between Ga eul and Yi Jeong. It was soon forgotten when the tasty aroma of the food found its way to Yi jeong and encouraged him to leave his room. Yi Jeong watched his mother and Ga eul prepare a lovely meal and sing off tune to Shinee's "Hello" song. He also occasionally got hit by his mother from eating little bits of the food before it was ready. For the moment everything was back to normal. As if Ga eul never left.
The days seemed to fly by and soon the day for the Boys before Flower audition had arrived. Ga eul woke up with a smile ready to face a new challenge she was going to audition for the role of Kim so eun just as Madame So had advised during their lunch date together shampoo. She took a shower and washed her hair with her favorite strawberry scented shampoo, dried it and straightened it. She wore a white flower dress with a beautiful black pattern around the waist and at the ends of her dress. This was innocent enough right?
She took a deep breath as she stood in front of the mirror
"You can do this Ga eul" and she left her house with a determined smile.
Innocent but strong willed, cute but graceful, smiley but be able to show hurt with her eyes. Distinct facial expressions.
She pondered over Madame So's advice as she sat in a room filled with other aspiring actresses.
"I can do it, I can do it" She chanted to herself. Some of the other actresses in the room just sat there laughing with each other and others seemed to be eyeing their competition. She stared down at her hands on her lap that were fidgeting with the fabric on her purse.
"Ms Chu Ga eul, you're next" A man with a huge build and dark shades announces
Ga eul's heart rate accelerates.
She steps into the auditioning room with a fierce look of determination
She bows and with a determined smile "Annyeong haseyo Je ireumeun Chu Ga eul imnida"
There was a panel of four people; two men and two females.
"Annyeong haseyo Ms. Chu Ga eul, my name is Jun Ki Sang and me fellow castings call members Yoon Ji Ryun, Kim Mi young and Geum Jan di. Now Ms. Chu Ga eul, Geum Jan di is our first official casting and she will be acting as the lead character of Ku Hye Sun. You will be doing your audition with her and if you progress to the next stage, you will be doing another audition with the person who will be acting Kim Bum. Do you understand?"
"Yes"
"Okay, now you will be acting a few scenes we have planned for episode 2 and 3, Ms Geum Jan di could you join her upfront"
"Araso" She smiled brightly at Chu Ga eul and whispered to her before the director could describe the scene "You will do just fine, trust me"
Ga eul smiled and whispered back "gamsahabnida"
Then the audition really began
After almost 30 long minutes Ga eul was allowed to leave
That was the longest audition ever! Was it just her or the other actresses didn't spend more than 10 minutes in the room for their audition. She sighed and walked towards the room they had directed her to go to.
Room 153
She walked slowly down the hall. She was exhausted, and hungry! Its already 20 minutes past 12 in the afternoon.
"Ga eul-unnie!" shouted a cheerful voice from behind her.
Ga eul closed her eyes. She could spot that voice anywhere. Don't get her wrong she loved Son Young-In but she needed a coffee or an energy boost before she could handle Son Young-In's energy.
"Young-In ah" Ga eul turned with a small smile
"Yah! You don't seem happy to see me Ga eul-unnie! I've missed you! I hate the fact that we are not in the same class anymore. I still have to pass Acting across the ages, I hate history but you know that already. Ga eul-unnie Ga eul-unnie, I can't believe you are here, what are you doing here?" Son Young-In rambled
"I just finished my audition for a new drama"
"Omo, me too! But I don't think I got the role. I hear the director for this drama is really strict and his auditions are really hard. I got sent back to the lounge so I am guessing they are going to break the news to us soon. People who passed the audition are being sent to Room 153. The director is choosing just 5 finalist for the role I auditioned for from over 20000. Stingy much! Omo, Are you going there now? YAH! That's great you should get going! Bye Ga eul-unnie! " and as quickly as she appeared she disappeared.
Ga eul couldn't help but smile to herself. Son Young In was so bubbly and lively all the time. Everyone loved her. Of course only when they had enough energy to match hers. Suddenly she realized exactly what Son young-in had said. Wasn't she heading to room 153 now? She just may get this role. She quickened her steps and headed to Room 153.
Unknown to her, a pair of eyes seeping with hatred watched her as she walked away.
Room 153 was a small room and that intimidated Ga eul not to mention the other two actresses in the room that looked smug knowing that they were through to the next round, in their heels and brightly painted nails.
Over the next 10 minutes to more actresses came in and Ga eul's tummy began to make itself known. She was hungry and was beginning to get irritated. Why were they taking so long? She rummaged through her bag for anything! Protein bar, chocolate bar, gum! She looked around the room and noticed a vending machine in the corner. Aha! She walked towards it briskly. Now if she could only find enough coins…
*** Meanwhile heading towards Room 153 ***
"So Yi Jeong, thank you so much for assisting me with the auditions today, I just need to make sure people can identify the chemistry between Kim Bum and Kim So Eun because they don't have much screen time"
"It's alright, Director Jun, It's my pleasure. I also wish this drama will be a success"
They opened the door and suddenly the girls in the room all screamed with glee apart from one who was too busy looking for coins to get a protein bar.
She couldn't be bothered to turn because she knew no actress was dumb enough to squeal at the director of the movie. One more coin and she could get her protein bar.
"Ms. Chu Ga eul"
Oh o, she was in trouble. That was the director's voice. She turned slowly to see none other than So Yi Jeong who matched her expression of surprise and shock exactly.
This was going to be another long audition.
Ava369