Chapter 73: Good News

"Youjeong, what do you think—how does this Chen Zhe compare with Seo In-guk?" After Chen Zhe left the audition room, Shin Won-ho stopped the staff member who was about to call in the next actor. He turned to Lee Youjeong, his tone probing.

Although Chen Zhe currently came with popularity and buzz, and his performance had just been quite decent for a newcomer—not to mention his connection with Director Kim—Shin Won-ho was not the sole decision-maker on the crew. The screenwriter Lee Youjeong’s opinion was also crucial.

"If you ask me personally, I would lean toward Chen Zhe," Lee Youjeong replied crisply, her tone unwavering. "I think this newcomer from LOEN has remarkable acting skills. Especially in that last performance, he truly embodied Yoon Yoon-jae—it was as if Yoon-jae had stepped out of the story and appeared before me."

After listening to her, Shin Won-ho lowered his head and pondered for a moment. When he looked up again, his expression was resolute, as though he had made up his mind. He nodded lightly to Lee Youjeong, signaling for the auditions to proceed.

After leaving the TVN building, Chen Zhe felt a tinge of regret; he hadn’t run into Eun Ji-won as he’d hoped. He’d wanted to invite his senior to lunch as a gesture of thanks for his earlier help.

"Ah Zhe, how did the audition go? Do you think you have a chance?" Spotting his van in the parking lot, Chen Zhe had barely settled in when Lin Soo-ho, having started the engine, turned to him with a hint of anxiety in his voice—as if worried Chen Zhe hadn't done well.

"I think I did great, but I can’t speak for the director and screenwriter," Chen Zhe replied, running his fingers through his slightly long hair. Seeing Lin Soo-ho’s worried face, he even cracked a joke to lighten the mood.

"Well, I hope you get selected," Lin Soo-ho replied with a forced smile. After all, Chen Zhe had only had four days of crash-course acting training; Lin’s confidence was understandably low. With a sigh, he drove away from the TVN station toward LOEN.

——A silent journey behind the wheel——

Back at LOEN, Chen Zhe didn’t head straight to the acting classroom as he had in the past few days. Instead, he went to the recording studio. His main priority was to get his debut single finished; acting practice would have to wait until the production team contacted him.

"Director Bae, I’m here!" After knocking and hearing permission to enter, Chen Zhe pushed open the door and immediately saw Music Director Bae Soo-yong at the workstation, adjusting the track. Chen Zhe quickly bowed in greeting.

"Oh, Ah Zhe, you’re here. Jeong-min must have told you we’re recording the song these days, right?" Hearing Chen Zhe’s voice, Bae Soo-yong snapped out of his work and turned to him with a gentle smile.

"Yes, Director Bae, the president already told me. I’ll be reporting to the studio every day for a while!" Chen Zhe had already been briefed on this by Kim Jeong-min during acting class yesterday, so he was well prepared.

"Since you know, go warm up your voice and get ready. I’ll make a few more tweaks to the track, then we’ll start recording. We’ll begin with the Korean version; the president already had someone rewrite the lyrics," Bae Soo-yong said, his smile fading as he slipped into his usual strict, work-focused demeanor, directing Chen Zhe with authority.

Director Bae was extremely strict in the studio. Apart from breaks for meals and resting his voice, Chen Zhe spent the rest of the day recording, only finishing after 11 p.m., when the Korean version of "Melody" finally met Bae’s standards and he was granted a brief respite.

"Director Bae, I’ll be heading off now," Chen Zhe said carefully after soothing his throat with water. He got up and approached Bae Soo-yong to bid farewell, his tone cautious; in his mind, this music director was as much a demon as his own sister.

"Go on, but be here early tomorrow. The recording schedule is still tight. The president is in talks with SM Entertainment—the duet with Krystal should be confirmed soon. Be ready!" Bae Soo-yong waved him off like shooing a fly, clearly not wanting to be disturbed. But as Chen Zhe was about to leave, he still reminded him to prepare for the possible collaboration with Krystal and not embarrass the company.

"Understood, Director Bae. I’ll get going then!" Though he’d been shooed away, Chen Zhe was delighted to be released. Once he confirmed he understood, he dashed out of the studio as if lingering might bring disaster.

Time sped by, and before he knew it, two days of song recording had passed. In that time, he completed the Mandarin version of "Melody" and even re-recorded the Korean version. The male-female duet, however, was still pending due to ongoing negotiations with SM Entertainment.

With nothing else to do, Chen Zhe spent each day at the studio, practicing under Director Bae’s strict supervision to stabilize his vocal performance. While his singing was decent, he was still a slow starter, and his consistency left much to be desired.

After another session, Chen Zhe sprawled limply on the studio sofa when he heard a knock at the door. Curious who might visit at this hour, he glanced over. After Bae Soo-yong called for them to enter, the door opened to reveal his agent, Lin Soo-ho.

"Ah Zhe, I’ve got some good news for you!" After politely bowing to Bae Soo-yong, Lin Soo-ho turned to Chen Zhe, unable to hide his excitement.

"Oh, Soo-ho, what’s the good news? Did we finalize the collaboration with SM Entertainment?" Chen Zhe perked up instantly, shifting from a slouch to sitting upright, curiosity on his face.

"Ahem, Yoon Yoon-jae, please report to the crew of ‘Reply 1997’ in three days!" Lin Soo-ho feigned a cough, playing the part of a teacher calling roll, before announcing the news to Chen Zhe.

As it turned out, after watching Chen Zhe’s audition, Director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Youjeong had reached a consensus: Chen Zhe would play the male lead, Yoon Yoon-jae.

Though both felt his acting still needed work, his portrayal of Yoon-jae captured the character’s spirit and essence, earning the high praise from Lee Youjeong that it was as though Yoon-jae had walked straight out of the script.

Thus, they agreed to cast Chen Zhe as the lead, which, incidentally, also did a favor for Director Kim at TVN.

What neither of them realized was that Chen Zhe’s impressive audition had been a one-off burst of inspiration. In the days to come, the "Reply 1997" crew would face many challenges owing to Chen Zhe’s fluctuating acting skills.