Chapter 92: The Female Lead’s “crying Scene” Test And “imaginary” Theater
Looking at the young captain in front of him, Lin Xiuyuan had to admit that plastic surgery had harmed quite a few idols.
Their features were already quite good, but due to the company’s requirements, they had to undergo some “minor adjustments.”
As a result, these minor adjustments didn’t make the idols stand out more; instead, they became a road to irreversible full-face plastic surgery.
What’s worse is that this kind of change can be addictive. Frankly, it’s no different from digital opium.
However, putting that aside, even with some deviations, this person’s appearance is still online, capable and resilient.
It’s just that the natural baby fat from 2013 is gone, along with the spirit and approachability from that time.
But besides that, that fair and rosy, cold-white skin is this person’s killer feature.
As Lin Xiuyuan was thinking this, Lin Yoona, who had finished chatting with Kim Tae Yeon, turned to introduce him, “Unnie, let me introduce you. This is Lin Xiuyuan, a tavern owner.”
Kim Tae Yeon’s gaze naturally fell on the young man.
At first glance, what she noticed was his youth. He looked like he had just passed twenty, with an age that still carried some greenness, as if he exuded the aura of early summer, clean and vigorous.
Then, his boyish charm was very strong.
In the sunlight, he wore a simple sports top and sneakers, with fair skin, clear features, and a faint smile on his lips.
But what truly made Kim Tae Yeon pause slightly were his eyes.
They weren’t the common round almond eyes or the single-lidded eyes of boys; they were the extremely rare phoenix eyes of the peninsula, a term she learned from the internet.
The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, his eyelashes were thick, possessing a hint of natural heroism and sharpness.
Yet, due to his youthful aura, they didn’t appear fierce, instead adding a touch of restraint and a clean feel.
Good, very good, excellent.
The good first impression prompted Kim Tae Yeon to proactively extend her small hand to Lin Xiuyuan, “Hello, nice to meet you, Boss Lin.”
Lin Xiuyuan, who had been gazing at her, nodded slightly, shook her hand briefly, and then released it, his voice crisp, “Hello, Captain Kim Tae Yeon.”
His voice was not loud but very clear, like the first glass of lemon sparkling water on a summer morning.
Paired with the title that touched her the most, it gave Kim Tae Yeon a refreshing sense of comfort, and then she looked at Lin Yoona and smiled.
“Captain? Haha, I like that title. Yoona, did you hear that? I’m still the captain of Girls’ Generation.”
Lin Yoona behind her smiled slightly, “Yes, Unnie, I’m also Lin Yoona of Girls’ Generation.”
When Kim Tae Yeon turned back to look at Lin Xiuyuan, the favor in her eyes was already evident.
Although it wasn’t to the point of being “captivated by a young boy,” she had to admit that the young man’s demeanor was clean and comfortable, and moreover, quite special.
After a brief introduction, they found seats and sat down.
However, with Kim Tae Yeon’s addition, Lin Xiuyuan very ‘consciously’ gave up his seat and began practicing with his club nearby.
Two people plus himself could serve as a bit of flavor.
But with three people together, adding one more would be a bit out of place; he understood that.
After he left, the conversation of the three beautiful women inevitably turned to him, initiated by Kim Tae Yeon.
“Yoona, where did you meet this young man? He’s really young.”
Because this age was very appropriate; any younger would be teenagers.
At that age, they were basically children to Kim Tae Yeon and the others, so there wouldn’t be any interest in chatting.
Facing Kim Tae Yeon’s curiosity, Lin Yoona looked at Lee Ji-eun next to her, “I met him even later than I met Ji-eun Unnie. But if you have to say how we met, it was through Soo Jung.”
“Soo Jung?”
Hearing this name after a long time, Kim Tae Yeon’s eyes softened slightly.
Unlike Lin Yoona, as a singer, she rarely had the opportunity to be on the same event stage as Krystal, who was an actress.
So compared to Lin Yoona and Krystal, who had some chances to meet, Kim Tae Yeon had almost zero, naturally she hadn’t heard from or seen the other person for a long time, let alone met her.
“Yes, Xiuyuan opened a small tavern, it’s membership-based. The alcoholic beverages he makes are quite unique, and you can have a private space without being disturbed. You can go there sometime, but only if they agree, otherwise, you can’t even get in.”
Upon hearing Lin Yoona’s explanation, Kim Tae Yeon’s first reaction was, “Can’t I just use my face to get in?”
Hearing this, Lee Ji-eun immediately looked at Lin Yoona, who burst into laughter, “Hahaha, Unnie, that’s what I thought too. But they don’t recognize faces; they require iris and fingerprint!”
“Uh-huh~ Then this is impressive.”
Kim Tae Yeon raised her ‘non-existent’ eyebrows and tilted her head slightly.
Her gaze went past Lin Yoona’s shoulder, looking at Lin Xiuyuan, who was preparing to swing at the golf course not far away.
Watching the young man stand before the tee, with sunlight slanting on him, as he lowered his head to gaze at the ball, the stray hairs on his forehead gently swayed in the wind, his facial contours outlined clearly by the light and shadow.
The next second, he exhaled lightly and swung his club.
“Dong—!”
A crisp hitting sound rang out; the moment the club met the ball was clean and sharp, and the white ball flew out in a beautiful arc.
Kim Tae Yeon, squinting her eyes, watched the ball land, then slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
As expected, he’s a young boy; looking at him made her feel a bit younger herself.
So after Lin Xiuyuan swung a few more times, Kim Tae Yeon also got into the mood and expressed with a hint of eagerness, “Since we’re here, Yoona, teach me how to play?”
“Ah, Unnie, Ji-eun Unnie taught me too. Why don’t you let her teach you?”
She hadn’t even mastered it herself, so how could Lin Yoona teach others? She quickly waved her hands, passed the buck, and pushed Lee Ji-eun forward.
After thanking her lightly, Kim Tae Yeon, led by Lee Ji-eun, began her very limited golf experience.
Seeing Kim Tae Yeon start playing, Lin Yoona also became interested. She went to Lin Xiuyuan’s side, watched him swing a couple of times, and asked, “Xiuyuan, you picked it up so quickly, do you have any tips?”
Facing Lin Yoona’s question, Lin Xiuyuan’s answer made her even more frustrated, “I don’t know. I think having good eyesight and a steady hand is enough. As for things like the waist and body uniting, you’ll get it after swinging the club a few more times.”
Lin Yoona chuckled, “And what if neither of those works?”
“Then you can only make up for it with diligence,” Lin Xiuyuan replied with a smile.
“That sentence of yours makes me want to hit someone.”
……
……
However, neither Lin Dajun nor Lin Xiuyuan in 2025 knew that in the parallel dimension of 2013, the young Lin Xiaolu was indeed “making up for it with diligence.”
Last night, she repeatedly pondered the details of emotional changes mentioned in the video and didn’t rest well all night.
After parting ways with Lin Xiuyuan today, she returned to her apartment’s master bedroom alone and, facing the camera on her dressing table, practiced grasping the rhythm of crying scenes over and over again.
She didn’t slack off during meals either, chewing food while her mind was filled with emotional progression and details of her gaze.
Until a phone call came in; it was her agent.
“Hello, oppa~”
“Yoona, where are you?” The voice on the other end was somewhat urgent.
Lin Yoona replied, “I’m at my own apartment.”
“Okay, hurry and change your clothes and come down. I’ll be there to pick you up now.”
Lin Yoona was a bit confused; she didn’t understand her agent’s urgency, “Where are we going, oppa?”
She thought it was another last-minute schedule arrangement, perhaps filling in for someone, or a schedule arranged by company executives for their own gain.
Unexpectedly, the other end delivered a surprise, “Choi Agent told me that screenwriter Kim Eun Sook is free this afternoon, and she’s already arranged a time for you. We can go directly to meet her and discuss script and character issues.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yoona abruptly rose from her seat, “Really? Oppa, don’t lie to me.”
“Why would I lie to you? Hurry up and change your clothes and come down. I’m driving over now.”
After saying this, the agent seemed a bit excited and added, “Yoona, I heard the script has an academic style. Try to dress as youthfully as possible.”
“Got it, oppa.”
After hanging up the phone, she returned to her room and glanced at her wardrobe, muttering, “Academic style… youthful…”
In the end, she chose a white shirt with light blue checks, paired with a high-waisted denim A-line short skirt, the hem just reaching her knees, and white canvas shoes.
Finally, she layered a light beige knit cardigan over it. The overall style was simple and fresh, exuding the liveliness of a female university student, perfect.
In less than twenty minutes, Lin Yoona went downstairs, got into her agent’s car, and they sped off towards a low-key but magnificent office building in Cheongdam-dong.
After the car stopped, the agent looked back at her, “Are you ready?”
Lin Yoona smiled slightly at him, “Don’t worry, oppa, I will succeed.”
Upstairs, in a tastefully decorated reception room filled with the aroma of tea.
The renowned screenwriter Kim Eun Sook of the peninsula sat by a low coffee table, dressed in a plain outfit, with a thick script in front of her.
Her gaze beneath her glasses was calm, her expression carrying her usual crispness and composure.
“Manager, Yoona is here,” the assistant whispered the announcement.
“Let her in,”
Kim Eun Sook looked up, her voice gentle.
Soon, Lin Yoona entered the reception room with her agent and bowed slightly to the senior.
The moment she stepped into the room, Kim Eun Sook’s gaze paused on her.
Her attire had clearly been given thought; it was decent and stylish.
With her fresh face and upright posture, as the visual center of the girl group, she indeed had the capital to look good on camera and didn’t lack youthful vitality.
However, more than her looks, she favored acting skills.
Besides, if one had to choose between looks and acting skills, Bae Soo Ji, the “nation’s first love” who became popular last year, seemed to have more spirit than the person in front of her.
Meeting with her this time was merely to placate the company’s favor.
With this thought, the interest in Kim Eun Sook’s eyes faded slightly, and she turned to the agent, “Hello, may I speak with Yoona-xi alone for a while?”
“Of course.”
The agent nodded in acknowledgment, quietly gave Lin Yoona a “good luck” look, and then exited the reception room.
When the door closed, Kim Eun Sook gestured to the sofa opposite, “Sit.”
“Hello, senior Kim Eun Sook.”
Lin Yoona sat down, her tone carrying a hint of nervous respect.
Kim Eun Sook didn’t engage in much pleasantry; she opened the script in front of her and went straight to the point, “To be honest, I already have a candidate in mind for the female lead of this drama, but your company strongly recommended you, so I’m willing to give you a chance.”
Lin Yoona nodded, suppressing her inner anxiety, and did not interrupt.
“I’ve seen some of your dramas, Yoona-xi. You are indeed malleable. But as it stands, you’re not quite suitable for my drama.”
Saying this, Kim Eun Sook flipped through a few pages of the script, her brow furrowed slightly with a hint of difficulty.
“However, since you’re here, I can’t have you leave empty-handed. Let’s not waste each other’s time. We’ll act out a scene. The female lead in my drama has many crying scenes. Just give me a crying scene.”
Crying scene!!!
This task made Lin Yoona’s whole body tremble, and her mind suddenly flashed to Lin Xiuyuan, to the video guidance from yesterday.
Then, she quickly adjusted her emotions and asked Kim Eun Sook, “Senior Kim Eun Sook, is there a specific scene?”
“No need, just act out what you’re most familiar with,” Kim Eun Sook said calmly, clearly not holding out much hope.
Lin Yoona took a light breath, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing and state of mind.
But the more nervous one is, the more scattered their thoughts become.
The more tense she became, the more chaotic the noise in her mind. She tried to force herself into character but found her emotions stiff, her gaze vacant, and her whole body like a taut bow, becoming even more unnatural.
Kim Eun Sook opposite her sighed silently.
Just as she was about to call for a stop, Lin Yoona also sensed something was amiss. A conversation from yesterday morning with Lin Xiuyuan suddenly flashed through her mind.
……
“Lin Xiuyuan, what do you think is most important for a crying scene?”
“You’re asking me?”
“Just chatting.”
“If I had to say, in my opinion, the amount of tears isn’t the key. What truly moves people is the three seconds of restraint before the tears fall, the effort to hold back from crying, yet still breaking down at that moment…”
“That makes a lot of sense, but how do you capture that emotion?”
“Yoona, how about I tell you a hypothetical scenario?”
“What?”
“If one day, Jung Soo Yeon leaves Girls’ Generation, and Girls’ Generation disbands, leaving only the eight of you, and you are on stage at the Tokyo Dome you’ve always dreamed of, performing ‘The World of Reunion’ 《》, what would you feel?
Think about it, really think.
If it’s not enough, I have more tragic stories to tell you.”
……
That hypothesis unexpectedly struck the deepest softness in her heart.
The emergence of this thought in her mind caused Lin Yoona to quietly close her eyes before Kim Eun Sook could speak, no longer forcing herself to cry.
She began to regulate her breathing and switch her emotions.
Three seconds later, Lin Yoona opened her eyes again.
She didn’t start performing immediately, nor did she immediately burst into tears. Instead, she slowly lowered her head, as if she had just received devastating news.
Sitting on the sofa, she leaned forward slightly, clasping her hands above her knees, her knuckles tightening.
Kim Eun Sook, who had thought there was no hope, suddenly observed Lin Yoona’s facial changes with interest, as if discovering some unexpected joy.
She saw Lin Yoona’s throat tremble slightly but she held back from making a sound, her breathing becoming somewhat erratic.
……
Accompanied by the phrase “In truth, truly moving crying scenes are not about ‘crying well,’ but about ‘crying genuinely’,” she began to construct that hypothetical scenario.
The stage lights were dim, and the static on the opening audio crackled, “Chi la.”
She stood on stage in a line with Tae Yeon, Yuri, Soo Young, Seo Hyun, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyo Yeon, and others.
But in this always neat formation, Jung Soo Yeon was uniquely missing this time, not among them.
Perhaps, she would never be among them again.
Then, the melody of ‘The World of Reunion’ 《 slowly began.
The familiar intro was like a time machine, pulling her back to that heart-fluttering summer of 2007 when they debuted.
Back then, they wore matching white dresses and smiled without any impurities, like a girl’s paradise that would never end.
But what about now?
As the camera zoomed in, the people on stage stood in a line, but there was an empty space, making it particularly abrupt.
She lowered her head to look at the ocean of light sticks in the audience. Someone was still holding up the nine-member poster, but the colors were slightly faded, bearing the marks of time.
Then her chest felt like a huge void had suddenly hollowed out a piece.
She tried to sing the first line with a smile, but her vocal cords trembled, and the familiar melody felt like blades, slicing through her heart, one by one.
She saw that older sister Taeyeon’s eyes were red, older sister Sunny’s throat was choked, and even the usually strongest older sister Yuri turned her head away, trying hard to maintain a smile.
…
Under this imagined emotion, in the real body of Im Yoon Ah, a nerve suddenly snapped.
Sitting in front of Kim Eun Sook, her eyes gazed blankly into the void, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
Tears had not yet fallen, but the suppressed emotional fluctuation was so intense it was about to overflow, and in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, she trembled and whispered, “I really thought we could go on forever.”
Finally, at this moment of deep emotional build-up, a light appeared in the corner of her eyes.
Immediately after, tears slid down silently from the corners of her eyes.
Not a single drop, but a line of tears, silently streaking across her cheeks.
Across from her, Kim Eun Sook’s eyes behind her glasses gradually narrowed, and her expression shifted from calm observation to engaged scrutiny.
Im Yoon Ah, sitting on the sofa, didn’t wipe the tears from her cheeks, nor did she show the struggle of “I’m about to cry.”
It was just that the emotion, accumulated for too long and finally unbearable, burst forth like a broken dam.
Her entire body remained in a seated posture, leaning forward, but her shoulders trembled slightly from sobs.
The moment that broke her heart seemed to be replaying in her mind, again and again.
Finally, she spoke softly, her voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
“Can you, please, not leave?”
At this moment, she was no longer Im Yoon Ah.
But the young girl who smiled and sang on stage, yet shed silent tears under the spotlight.
Across from her, Kim Eun Sook remained silent, her expression complex.
At this moment, she knew she had misjudged this girl.
It wasn’t that the other person couldn’t act, but that no one had taught her how to “truly act.”
Im Yoon Ah, completely immersed in her emotions, slowly raised her head after more than ten seconds, looking at Kim Eun Sook with a slightly dazed expression, and softly asked, “Is that okay, Senior?”
The air was quiet for a few seconds.
Kim Eun Sook slowly closed the script, tapped the cover with her knuckles, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
“I’ll give you two months to improve your acting skills. I’ll re-evaluate you in two months. If you can still perform like you did today, this role will be yours.”
Im Yoon Ah froze, looking at the other person in disbelief, her eyes still teary but with a hint of shock.
“By the way,” Kim Eun Sook said lightly, “if you can, correct your leg posture.”
Actually, if the female lead of this drama were the girl in front of her, then her visual combination with the male lead would be an unexpected bonus.
A beautiful and moving female lead paired with a tall and handsome male lead. With such a pairing, who wouldn’t be moved?
It was rare to encounter such a situation before, and unexpectedly, she had found a pleasant surprise.
Moreover, if Im Yoon Ah could truly be trained, it would be an excellent promotional effect for her, or for this drama.
After all, Kim Eun Sook also really liked the story of a discerning judge recognizing a talented horse.
A super-long chapter of 5K+ words, the plot is continuous and not divided into chapters, I hope everyone will support and vote more.
I know what you want to see, vote, godfathers, you’ll get it if you vote.
（PS: I have a small request, I wonder if any godfathers who can, could give a small reward of a few cents or a dollar to increase the number of fans for this book. This would be very beneficial for smart recommendations. Thank you, big shots, I’m going to write now. ）
