When the seven male trainees were pulled aside on the 3rd and received the news that they would be the ones taking on this great opportunity, they were also briefed on what this opportunity will actually be.
Together, the seven boys will be most of the main cast of a web drama organized by Royal. Along with them, one of the company’s female actresses, Shin Hayoon, will be accompanying them on this journey as a lead role. Her character, Joo Inhyeong, will get involved in a long adventure with the seven boys in the web drama to be called ‘Dream Knight’. The story is about a young girl living by herself and whose four dolls turned into humans to help her become happy again. Meanwhile, her affection for a certain three-membered boy group may cause some more trouble than expected!
The role of each trainee has been assigned as can be seen below:
DREAM KNIGHTS:
JB → KANGJOON
Youngjae → BAEKHYUN
Jackson → HONGJOONG
Mark → WONWOO
BOY GROUP MEMBERS:
Jr. → JAEHYUN
Yugyeom → SEONHO
BamBam → MINSEOK
Each of their characters will share the same name as their real one, except for Seunghwan whose character was agreed by the staff to go by Kangjoon. The boy group’s name will be JSM, following the initials of each trainee in it.
They will be given the script for all the 12 episodes to work on and will have their schedules modified to have acting-focused hours during their day alongside one of Royal’s acting coaches, Kang Joowon, to get them prepared for the real deal. This means that after lunch, as following their usual schedule, they’ll either have classes with the coach or will be left by themselves to practice.
On July 6th, they’ll have their measures taken in preparation for filming and, on July 7th, all the seven boys will have to go to a hair salon together in order to get their hairstyles set. If the hairstyles listed below match the one your muse currently has, he’ll have to go anyway for a simple trim and making sure his hair is in good condition. These will be as seen below:
Kangjoon — Black (reference)
Baekhyun — Brown (reference)
Hongjoong — Ash brown (reference)
Wonwoo — Black (reference)
Jaehyun — Brown (reference)
Seonho — Dark red (reference)
Minseok — Pink (reference)
The boys will go on July 13th to an indoor location to get their pictures taken on a fast and simple photo shoot before they start the recording of the opening that’ll go along with each episode along with the actress Shin Hayoon.
Joining the cast, there’ll be a few other Royal members taking part in this project, including idols and other trainees. These will be Luxe’s Ella taking on the role of Lee Jenny, and four female trainees (Kim Jisoo, Manoban Lisa, Park Chaeyoung, and Yoo Shiah) who will play the guest roles on the second episode as Jaehyun’s fans with Jisoo as their leader. A script reading will take place on July 15th with all the main cast in one of Royal’s meeting rooms to make sure everybody is ready to start with recordings on the following week.
The web drama will consist of 12 episodes normally ranging from 10 to 15 minutes in length. Due to this, the recording won’t take as long as it would for a bigger project. Recordings will start on a Monday, the 22nd, and go until August 16th. Expect not to have free time at all. Night scenes are usually filmed early in the morning hours and they’re all expected to keep up with the high energy and deliver good performances, no matter the time and place. Even so, they are expected not to get sick or injured since it’ll delay the entire filming process. Shorter actors will be required to stand on platforms as can be seen in this image for some scenes, including Shin Hayoon, Byun Baekhyun, Kim Hongjoong, Kim Minseok, and Ella.
They’ll be recording around three episodes a week with small breaks for the cast and crew. The day of the release will be announced later on.
All people involved are completely prohibited from sharing any information about this project (including pictures taken on the set) until the web drama starts airing.
Due to the preparations and recording taking most of these trainees’ time, the usual requirements for a trainee workshop must have at least HALF of them (1 thread starters and/or replies with someone from your company OR 3 script starters and/or replies OR 3 solos) be about this opportunity to earn the rewards. The other half may be used by old or new threads unrelated to this.
During this opportunity, trainees will have the chance to receive points for each week of recording. Alongside their usual weekly trainee workshop, those involved may receive +1WK ACTING ACHIEVEMENT, +2 DEBUT POINTS and +3 SKILL POINTS in any area they used during filming. This may be most commonly applied to charisma, but there are scenes in the drama that involve singing and dancing as well. To earn these, you are required to write 1 EXTRA thread reply with another person involved in the project or a 250+ words solo regarding the filming of the web drama. These can only start being submitted on July 31st since it’s the first Wednesday after the start of recording.
Please tag all your posts with #rkdreamknight and have them up by 9PM EST at the end of each Wednesday until August 21st.
DREAM KNIGHT (for the verification forms)
[link to solo or thread about recording]
+1WK ACTING ACHIEVEMENT (number of times taken + current level)
royal boys opportunity
reply 1997: confession scene
acting. jaehyun’s no stranger to it, and if anything, this is the kind of opportunity he’s more than happy to try for. he majored specifically in theatre back in sopa, and ever since, he’d take workshops every now and then in royal to keep up with his skills. as much as he liked music, he wanted to one day take the actor route as well.
it was an opportunity he wasn’t about to give up, something he had to take a chance on. acting, jaehyun liked that, and he whatever it was, he wanted to be a part of it.
finding a scene is the hard part. because there’s too many scenes to choose from and he’s never too sure which one would suit best; which one would be the most ideal. he’d juggled between the intensity of sky castle and the lightheartedness of strong woman do bong soon before he stumbled upon a scene from reply 1997. a classic drama about family and growing up that had taken the nation by storm. in particular, it was yoonjae’s confession to shiwon. while it wasn’t a loud scene my any means, it was an emotional one, one that showed the emotions that spiralled through yoonjae as he finally told his best friend he was in love with her and had been for years.
he practices the scene, goes through the lines over and over again. the more he practices, the more he finds himself absorbed into yoonjae’s emotions. every guy must’ve felt this once, he thinks, falling in love with your friend.
...
“jung jaehyun,” they call out his name and he enters the room.
he stands in front of the coaches and smiles. “i’m jung jaehyun,” he bows, “i’ll be acting out a scene from reply 1997.”
...
a deep breath before he gets into the right emotions; you love her, you’re in love with her. but she loves someone else. and you’ve held it in for so long. it’s painful.
he takes a seat and places both his hands together as he looks on at the coach. the scene is set at a karaoke room, him and shiwon are alone, and she’s asked him about a birthday present. she’d wanted a ring from a lover and jaehyun’s character, while deeply in love with her, isn’t her lover and only a friend.
“get it from my brother,” he begins, and his voice is laced with tiredness, because yoonjae is tired, he’s tired of being in love with someone who can’t love him back. “that present... as long as it isn’t from me, right?”
he pretends to take a sip of the can of ‘beer’ and lets out a loud sigh, face contorting into one of pain. “you’re so cruel,” he continues. “how can you ask me for that?”
why not? i’m too stupid to know why not.
a tilt of the head, eyes filled with hurt. “because i like you,” he says, “i’m really into you.” there’s a pause and he takes in a deep breath. “i’ve been at your side since we were born. we’ve seen each other everyday. i even remember your first period. but i still see you as a woman,” there’s anger in his voice, frustration that he’s still in love with her. “the first day of high school was the first time i thought you were pretty. after that day, i always gave you a hint.”
he moves closer. “i liked you. i wanted you to like me. but you didn’t notice.” bitter laughter. “fine, maybe you had only ever seen me as a friend. so i should confess. so i told you to meet me after the college entrance exam. i told you to meet me at the school playground at eight. that, it was my d-day,” desperation begins to seep through his voice, he lets himself feel as fragile as yoonjae had, letting his walls down in front of the girl he loved.
“but my brother said, ten minutes before... he told me... he liked you,” his eyebrows are furrowed, and he lets the pain show on his face, the hurt. “what should i do?” a pause as he looks at the coach for an answer she can’t give. “there are only two people i love,” desperation shows as he speaks, “one is my brother... who gave up everything for me. and the other is you,” his voice softens with the emotions. “it’s you... but... my brother likes you... a lot. like i do. what should i do?” and then it rises and softens once more. he’s desperate. yoonjae’s desperate for an answer but he knows that there’ll never be a right one. that it’s his fault for losing timing, for falling in love with a girl his brother did too. “what do you want me to do? i said what do you want me to do?” he almost yells out of frustration. he slams the can down.
so... you’ll still be my friend, right?
he stares at the coach in front of him, and he feels himself tearing up. the thought of being friends with someone you love, someone you care about, but the emotions aren’t shared (not like that). it hurts. his voice quietens down as he speaks.
“if a man... if he tells a girl who doesn’t like him... like a pathetic fool...” he takes in a deep breath and puts a hand to his chest. “if he confesses everything...” there’s a long pause, like he’s afraid to let this all go, to let her go. and then he speaks, “it means he never wants to see her again.”
he holds back his tears as he stands up and pulls a small ring box from his pocket. gently, he places it on the table. “throw it away,” he says, and yoonjae’s given up now, on loving her and having her love him back. he tries his best to convey the end of a friendship. he begins to walk but pauses for a moment. “a friend?” he asks, trying to find sense in the pain. “are you kidding me?”
the scene ends there and jaehyun takes in a deep breath before he thickly swallows his saliva, getting out of the yoonjae mood he was in.
◻︎ ◼︎ WHO ARE YOU? ━━━ acting as ɢᴏ ᴇᴜɴʙʏᴇᴏʟ , 21:23 - 23:57
and just like that, opportunity comes knocking.
things haven’t exactly been quiet in royal, what with the move to the new building and all of luxe’s comebacks. the evaluations too have been eating up a lot of their time, but there’s still a reprieve when the boys are all called in for a meeting. there’s a lot of speculation going around, but hongjoong doesn’t want to get his hopes up - things always seem to go downhill from there, and even if he’s hopeful, it doesn’t mean he wants to end up hopeless. still though, this is a different meeting than the rest … the only members among them are the male trainees in royal. something is definitely going on.
it takes him a minute to process when the news settles in. at least they lead with the fact that this isn't a debut notice as much as that in and of itself is disappointing .. because if not now, then when? but at the same time, the opportunity that presents itself is still one that's rare. hongjoong is nearing his two years at royal now, and this is something that hasn't been done for anyone.
an acting scene. when was the last time royal offered anything like this opportunity to its trainees? the last acting project that hongjoong remembered coming out from royal ( and kt, too - ) was dream high, and that was all the way back in 2015. here they are with something new, and something just for them, as long as they make it.
hongjoong can't keep the grin from his lips. he wants to make it.
the first order of business is finding a scene to work with in the middle of all of the evaluation preparation. maybe they chose this month in particular to see what their ability of work balance is like. maybe what they're auditioning for is going to be that strenuous and they want to make sure that they can handle it. hongjoong knows that he can, but the difficulty for him lies in picking something right. in the end, that's what matters: picking a scene that he knows that he can show off well. it's just as important as actual talent in the end.
this isn't the first time that he's acted for the coaches, though. they once did an entire evaluation based on acting, and he took some lessons as time went by. what hongjoong showed them then was the lovable goofball. every day he shows them who he is: the comedian, the sweetheart. this time, he wants to show them something different. a different side of himself, both as an actor and as a performer - so it takes him awhile to choose a scene. this time, hongjoong wants to be a badass. someone chaotic, with good in their heart.
that's why he decides that go eunbyeol from who are you? is the right choice. he doesn't give a shit that this is originally a female's role. he wants to show off the right kind of intimidating, and honestly? women can be badass, too.
it's not the time for a political talk, though. that's for another day.
what matters today is the performance. the thing that he has to remind himself is that it's easy to remember lines, but it's much harder to put feeling into them. to become the character that you're trying to express is another kind of beast entirely. some take acting classes forever and still never quite manage to portray a character right and others can put themselves in another's shoes so easily. acting for him wasn't part of his plan when he was a child, but as time went on and as hongjoong got older, the more he wanted to become an all around performer. it's what it means to be the true definition of an idol. acting is another skill, but to his surprise, he enjoys it.
today has to go as he practiced all month long. in between his preparation for evaluations and his normal lessons, hongjoong took a few refresher courses on acting just to get his nerve up. it's proof that today, he wants to do well. but today, he is not kim hongjoong.
today, he's go eunbyeol.
when he's called in front of the staff, he's told to shut the door behind him and to introduce his scene before he begins. hongjoong bows his head and does as he's told: after all, this is the simple part. " i'll be acting the role of go eunbyeol from who are you: school 2015." he starts, meeting the eyes of the coaches that he knows well from his other courses. he produces a sheet of his lines printed for the coaches to read along with, marked with a highlight of the lines that they'll need to read back to him plainly so that he can continue on with his scene. they make a motion for him to start. hongjoong hasn't felt more ready to be someone else in his life.
it begins with a little smirk, the smallest quirk of a brow. slowly, he tilts his head to the side and from here it can be said that he's speaking with attitude - after all, it's what the scene calls for. in this scene, go eunbyeol calls out the bully of her twin sister, and beats her back with words. they say that you should always find a part of yourself in the roles you play. it was so easy to find himself in eunbyeol. after all, everything that she did is probably something he would do if his own twin were in trouble or being bullied. he would do anything to protect him, no matter what.
it's just that, kim hongjoong is a different person than go eunbyeol. he might do the same things, but he'd do them in a different way. right now, he's go eunbyeol: right now, he's a volcano threatening to bubble over, cool anger, ice in his veins. he's a storm ready to blow back everything in the room. that's what it means to be the person that he chose. " kang soyoung ... i'm sorry but you got both of them wrong. firstly, i'm not transferring out."
" and .. i am go eunbyeol." what makes a person a person is the little mannerisms. the smallest changes in their expression, the shifts in their weight, the way they hold themselves. hongjoong goes through the scene that way, pressing every button and making an imaginary soyoung shrink back with every step he takes. the line that the coach delivers doesn't even have to be done so well: what matters is that he delivers his lines well. on point. with as much aggravation and anger as a person protecting a loved one from someone who has destroyed their spirit can. go eunbyeol is a spark to a flame, ready to burn.
and she burns for just one thing. " it's my turn to ask you. what did you do to my sister?"
just like that, the spark burns, the volcano erupts, the storm becomes a tornado. hongjoong's hands ball into fists at his side, there's an ache of pain and anger in his voice when he starts to speak his accusations. " incessant verbal abuse and pulling her hair in front of people constantly." he takes a step forward. " dumping trash on her." another step. " framing her for something she didn't do." a look of contempt, disbelief. his face pulls back into a sneer, eyes giving a look up and down to the imaginary kang soyoung. he doesn't need her in front of him to hate her. " a person died because of you. yet you don't even bat an eyelash ..." it's easy to make his voice crack. the scene is an emotional one, after all - even though in the series, eunbyeol saves her sister from drowning in the river, that doesn't mean that soyoung knows it yet. that doesn't mean that she's going to lay that card out on the table.
not when soyoung hasn't suffered half as much. " you're shameless." his voice sounds stronger here. though it cracked before, it still carried the strength of his disgust in it and all of his contempt. now, the words bite with venom.
though here, soyoung raises a hand to strike eunbyeol, obviously that can't happen in a scene where hongjoong is acting alone. instead, he improvises: raises his hand and smirks, a little scoff of a laugh sounding from his lips. the look in his eyes? it's pity. " but you know what? responding to violence with violence is beneath me." he turns, and there's an empty chair - he throws himself down in it, crossing his arms and staring away from his vision of kang soyoung.
after all, he's made it clear: she isn't worth eunbyeol's time.
the scene ends this way, hongjoong clearing his throat and standing quickly. he bows his head to each of the coaches before him judging his performance, giving them his wide and toothy smile when he thanks them for watching. this time, he did what he set out to do: hongjoong showed a different side of himself. and that's all that he wanted in the end.
when they had been told the news about this new chance, seonho was all kinds of excited. he’s never really been the acting type, never been interested in acting or getting into dramas and such--but he also knows now that acting could become important for even idols. what with, needing to act in furture mv’s or for concert vcrs, or even just acting with whatever stage persona you might be given. these are all things he has learned about in his two years here at royal.
and with being here two years, things had very much become routine. sure the evaluations are different every month but it’s still the same concept. this chance meant potential for something new.
and seonho wasn’t going to just let the chance pass.
going back to the fact that acting isn’t really his thing, finding something to do for this was going to be hard on him. he’s never been one for watching dramas, never been interested in them really and his parents had never allowed it. sure, he’s seen movies--like disney movies and the like--but he wasn’t sure the ones he’s seen would be good for this.
thats why he turned to dongju.
now he is very aware of the fact they aren’t supposed to tell anyone but seonho needed the help. he went to dongju because ( well for one, dongju is his only actual friend outside the company ) the other seemed like he was good in this area. something about being on musical stages and stuff. this had to be something his friend knew about.
and talking with dongju did give him a few ideas. mainly he just went through and watched a few short web dramas to try and find something. which is how he found the one mischievous detectives. the whole show was soooo funny and seonho had really enjoyed watching it. the two main guys are so cool in the show too. he really found them admirable and after having binged the show three times in one weekend, found himself mimicking them the next week.
thus his scene was picked.
he decided to go with the opening scene of the two detectives. he had asked one of the instructors to read the line of the girl and he was going to do the lines for both the boys--though only one of the boys spoke often in the part he picked.
when it was his turn he was more than ready. seonho went as far as wearing part of his actual school uniform to follow the scene as well. he had a bottle of water in hand and the script that he handed the instructor. he was ready.
he starts by standing casually, comfortably while saying the first line. “so you’re saying you were just helping daeunie, who fell down after spilling the coke, to get up?” he questions. “so that’s why theres a coke stain on your uniform?” he makes sure to keep his tone in line with a touch unconvinced. but mostly as if he fully believed what he was told. like a good, sneaky, detective.
“thats what im saying. im just helping her.”
the blandness in the way the instructor spoke really didnt help him stay in character but he supposes this was all part of the challenge. and he stays in scene like he should. making a side eye with the invisible partner as if the whole case was already cracked wide open. moving into his next position all cool like.
“but it’s strange.” he says in a calm, almost smug tone. before picking up his bottle of water. he tend pretends to be the other guy in the scene by quickly backing away in a startled way snapping a fast. “hey hey don’t do it!” then switching just as fast back to guy number one with a more amused smug look.he chuckles and then turns to face the instructor again who was playing as their suspect in this scene.
“taehee, if what you say is true....” he starts. “then there should only be coke stain stuck on the front of your clothes after helping daeunie up, shouldn’t there?” he speaks as if he already has the answer. “but on your arm, you left shoulder at the back, on the left back, there are also stains of flying coke.”
“whats wrong with that?”
in an amused way he says his next lines. “you wouldn’t understand if i only explained in words. if so... this can’t be helped.” now, in the scene the first guy is throwing the water onto his friend and fellow detective. but since this is only seonho and he’s acting as both the guys then his next action should be obvious. after saying the line.
he tosses the water onto himself. “so cold...” he says while running a hand through his hair, doing the cool motions of the guy from the scene for a moment.
then switching back to guy number one for the next lines. “this is the trace left by the left-handed culprit after they poured coke on the victim. this ind of trace cannot be left if you were just hugging her. “ he speaks in a way that says this should be obvious, you’re just dumb. that kind of smug, amused way that he heard from the guy in the show. “the evidences direction pointed out that the culprit is left-handed.” he motions as if grabbing someones arm in front of him.
“which means your words of saying it wasn’t you who poured coke on daeunies face are all..” there’s a pause as he lets his words sink in, before uttering the final part of the scene. “a lie.”
he lets that hang in the air before falling back out of the roll with a wide smile. “was that good? i impressed you right?” he says in an excited way. then bowing and thanking them ever polite boy that he is.
· · · · · · · · · ROYAL BOYS OPPORTUNITY ,
♦ ┊ acting 、 the heirs ( 7:40 — 9:33 )
acting has never really been baekhyun’s thing. serious acting, like they do in dramas and music videos with heavy storylines and not how he does when he pretends not to know something, when he tries to fool his friends, when he feigns innocence. it just has never interested him that much compared to the other trainees who are seeking out a career as an actor or an actress in the future as well.
but this opportunity they are given interests him.
even though, they have to act out a scene of their choice, baekhyun wants to do it. because when will he get something like this again? anything that differs from their regular, repetitive schedule to make the time waiting for debut a little easier. to distract him and also give him a new challenge. something to grow, something to improve. a chance to be part of something. that’s why he does it, sitting in front of his laptop every evening after training to search for a scene he can act out that’s not too difficult for his low experience in the area, for something that suits him.
it’s more about initiative rather than talent, they said. there are aspects of acting in variety ; and baekhyun wants to be a singer but an entertainer as well, loves making people laugh. loves fooling around, it’s time to be open to something new. to expand his horizons .... . or something like that.
- - - - -
they call his name and baekhyun feels his stomach churning, a weird feeling that he doesn’t feel that often because he usually is so comfortable being on a strage, performing in front of others and putting himself on display. but this is different.
this is an actual challenge.
he stands in front of the coaches -- after handing one of them a piece of paper with some highlighted lines on them with the request to read them out loud for him -- and bows lightly, a nervous smile on his lips as he speaks, “i’m byun baekhyun,” his throat feels dry, “and i will act a scene from the drama ‘the heirs’.” it probably is an easier scene than the ones some of the others are doing, with less obvious emotions but a great deal of depth about a bully seeking redemption for his past actions and a victim that rightfully refuses to give that to him.
.
.
.
a deep breath follows as baekhyun takes a couple of steps back in the room, for the proper entrance of the first character he’s playing. he tries to wipe his mind clean, unsure how to get himself into character actually since he’ll play two instead of only just one. both of them feeling emotions that are different -- fear versus guilt. anger versus shame.
but he closes his eyes briefly and then walks.
a laugh is on his face that falls the moment he stops, baekhyun staring ahead with wide eyes and arms pressed close to his body. he looks at a point behind the coaches, trying to look like he’s afraid of something -- someone. “what’s wrong?” the coach reads and baekhyun parts his lips but no answer follows for a moment. “who is he?”
“choi,” he breathes, “youngdo.”
“choi youngdo? the one who bullied you?” baekhyun swallows as the coach reads the line out loud and his eyes wander slightly, as if he’s following someone who’s coming toward him. “is that him? the hotel heir?”
joonyoung can’t believe that his former bully is right in front of him. that he’s following him even after he’s transferred schools because of him, the cruelty he’s been through, so baekhyun grits his teeth together, tries to bring tension into his jaw. “what brings you here?” a brief pause before he continues, “are you here to bully me some more?” before he takes a step to the side to allow him a clean switch to youngdo, hands slipping into the pockets of his pants and takes a quick moment to slip into what this character is feeling. it destroys the flow of the scene a little but that’s how it is. “that’s not it.” and his eyes are cast to the side, youngdo is not able to look at joonyoung’s face. the guilt overwhelming, hesitation obvious.
baekhyun presses his lips into a line before taking a deep breath to give him the bravery to speak the words he wants to say out loud, making it noisy as his eyes search for something to look at, settling back on the imaginary person in front of him. “i’m here to apologize to you. i’m sorry from the depth of my heart.” his voice is soft, a little rough. it’s not breaking, not filled with a load of emotions but it’s small. something that youngdo usually isn’t, it’s genuine. “i’m sorry.” another deep breath follows. “i really mean it.”
he switches sides again.
the same routine as moments before and baekhyun curls his hands into fits by his side. lips pressed together briefly. “i’m shocked you know that you could apologize.” and it’s the moment that determines whether or not youngdo will get his redemption. his piece. but joonyoung isn’t giving him that, so baekhyun tries to make his voice sound harder. “but if you’re really sorry, you should live with the guilty feelings for the rest of your life.”
there are supposed to be tears in his eyes but that’s something baekhyun can’t do. crying doesn’t come easy to him at all. ( that’s why he didn’t pick a scene including crying on cue. actual crying and more than watery eyes. )
another step to his left to show his change into youngdo. but he doesn’t speak for a moment, only stares as his lips part, a small nod coming from him. baekhyun wonders if he thought that that’s all. that this will mean that joonyoung will forgive him still or if he that’s where he resigns. “okay,” he says with another nod, “i’ll do that.” this time, baekhyun is a little faster with switching sides, doesn't want to ruin the moment too much. “i will never accept your apology.” he spits the words out a little more than the actual character does, looks down with his teeth worrying on his lower lip. “don’t ever come here again. let’s go.” but he doesn’t move, doesn’t switch sides -- he doesn’t act out youngdo’s broken reaction to that and, instead, lets a moment pass before he bows and thanks the coaches, leaving the room to end the scene.
〈♦〉JUNE 30TH, 2019 → kim mingyu. royal boys acting opportunity.
↳ marius pontmercy scene from the play les misérables.
↳ we are the republic monologue. ( 00:02 - 2:02 )
on that wednesday when they were first called out of practice for a special announcement, mingyu felt his heart rate increase to about ten times as fast as usual. it was odd when things happened out of the ordinary, and being a trainee, it felt so much more terrifying. he was both excited and scared to hear what the news was, which just left him a big ball of trembling nerves by the time he was actually seated in the auditorium.
truthfully speaking, everything got a lot worse instead of better the moment that one of the coaches began speaking. it was almost like they wanted to play tricks with the boys, not allowing them the comfort and satisfaction of knowing what was going on. all mingyu could focus on was the fact that whatever he heard, he was supposed to keep a secret. that didn’t bother him, however. it’s not like he actually had any real friends outside from another royal boy, so there wasn’t a risk there. still, the seriousness of it all make him uneasy.
much to mingyu’s delight, some of his worries are put to rest after an unnecessary pause that causes him to feel even sicker, once it’s stated that none of this is regarding a debut. although he wanted that to happen eventually, obviously, this didn’t feel like the best time. he had so much going on right now and he is convinced he would literally lose his mind and work himself into the ground if... he had to think about that. this was better. he could relax a bit now, nothing was going to be as horrible as he originally imagined.
another thing that makes mingyu feel a hell of a lot better is discovering that this won’t be anything else variety-related. he hasn’t even finished this month and he already felt like he never wanted to try to make himself appealing again. he felt like he was being tossed into the deep end with no actual preparation or advice. of course, that wasn’t totally true given the endless training that he’s met with on a daily basis, but that was beside the point.
once he hears what is actually going to be happening, he feels mixed emotions. perhaps the biggest is disappointment, though not at what he’s being made to do... it was really directed at himself. acting was something that was so important to him, even if he hasn’t had the opportunity to do it himself. it was a dream of his and something he aspired to get better at... yet he’s always so busy. now, he has the chance to do something involving it, which would make him so incredibly grateful and happy, but he knows he doesn’t have what it takes.
after all of the boys were dismissed and sent back to training, mingyu did his best to avoid the conversation topic with anyone. he didn’t want to talk about it or face it, and he especially didn’t want to hear the other boys’ plans of what scene they would be doing. this was something he would just think about obsessively on his own and try not to feel too much bitterness about. it was his own fault, really. he should have expected an opportunity like this to arise eventually. it would have been smart for him to take it upon himself to get better and sharpen his abilities, chasing his dreams of wanting to acquire the talent... it was on him that he didn’t.
for a while, he told himself that it wasn’t something that he should even do. he practically decided against it, knowing that he wouldn’t get anything out of it. he would just be wasting everyone else’s time, so what would even be the point? but, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it wouldn’t matter, he kept hearing that voice in the back of his head that would remind him that “initiative is about as important as your actual talent.” what if he just skipped this opportunity and it came back to bite him later? he really didn’t want to unintentionally doom future mingyu... then he would think about this exact moment and regret it forever.
even if nothing came of it, mingyu had to give it a shot. it was hard for him to believe that he was worth all of the added effort, but he couldn’t just do it for himself. this was for won and for his mom, too. they would want him to take any opportunity that he has to both shine and get himself ahead. it was bad enough that he was so far behind in the first place... he felt like he had a lot of catching up to do in comparison to the other royal boys. perhaps he would make a total fool out of himself, but at least it would look good to the coaches that he tried his best.
as soon as he was on his laptop and trying to figure out a scene, he felt like giving up again. it was such a quick switch from optimism to pessimism that it practically gave him whiplash. it was then that he really processed that he had no idea where to start. this was something he wanted to do on his own, since he didn’t want to have to share the failure with anyone if he messed up, but he wasn’t familiar enough with dramas or movies to even come up with a solid idea. frustration took over him rather quickly, both inwardly and outwardly. in defeat, he leaned forward and put his head on his desk, though it was there that his line of sight aligned with the les misérables book on his shelf... so then he wondered...
clearly, he wouldn’t be able to do any singing. for one, that wasn’t part of the plan and he wasn’t sure if he would be penalized, but also... he was just a really shitty singer. still, it was a play and productions were typically riddled with monologues. it took him a while to find the perfect one for him to perform and he wasn’t totally sure if it’s what the coaches were looking for, however... they never told him that he couldn’t do something from a play.
mingyu did feel like he had a little bit of an advantage choosing something from his favorite story ever written since he was already so familiar with it. he didn’t know the scene word for word yet, but he knew bits and pieces and it wasn’t hard for him to connect the dots. when he was younger, he liked to pretend that he was an actor and he would stand in front of a mirror, examining his expressions and trying to make himself believable. since then, he has given up on trying so hard, but it was still a good tactic. being able to see himself meant knowing when he was making mistakes. it also just helped to think about the character for a long time and picturing yourself in their shoes. you are no longer quoting the character, you have to become them. their struggles are your struggles, their joy is your joy. you have to understand why they feel the way that they feel... think about their motives, their desires, their fears...
in this particular scene, marius was angry. he was angry and tired because basic freedoms were being taken away from people, innocents just trying to write and learn being arrested because of the king and his laws.
mingyu practiced religiously, more than he should have been for the monthly evaluations. for the first time in a long time, he was so genuinely excited for something. still, his brain was cruel and wanted him to believe that it was going to be pointless and that he was just going to take up more of the coaches’ time than necessary, but he had no choice but fight those intrusive and invasive thoughts. for once, he just wanted to be able to look forward to and enjoy something that was so important to him. he couldn’t allow himself to ruin this.
the 30th finally rolled around, and mingyu was so ready for the evaluations to be over and done with so he would finally get to perform his scene and stop thinking about it so much. it was constantly on his mind, even when he desperately needed to be focusing on something more important at that particular moment in time. needless to say, he was over the moon after he was eliminated from the running man game and everything for that month finally came to a close... well, everything except for acting out his scene.
he imagines that this is similar to what an audition must feel like. he never has experienced one for himself, but he doesn’t picture it being vastly different. clearly, he wasn’t auditioning for anything here, or if he was, he didn’t know about it... but it gave off the aura that he has always viewed for hopeful actors looking to land a role in something that they’ve been wanting for an extremely long time.
once he was in the room with those he was meant to perform the scene in front of, he greeted them with a smile and a soft, nervous laugh. but, he knew he was going to have to quickly shift from being kim mingyu to marius pontmercy if he wanted to do well. he took a moment, trying to ignore the shaking of his hands and the fast beating of his heart, closing his eyes and imagining his life as no longer as his own, but as the secretly wealthy boy that fights for freedom and love. he becomes someone that is greater than himself, then begins when he is instructed to.
“we can’t strike. why not? because it’s against the law to strike! the king has declared that everything is a crime! writing is a crime. two weeks ago, the police destroyed the galaty, the worker's newspaper. they smashed the press. they burned over two thousand newspapers but that didn't satisfy the king...” he was already beginning to raise his voice as he spoke, getting into the part and feeling himself feel frustrated and angry just as marius did. he felt as though he was talking to a crowd of people, trying to both inform, warn, and rally, instead of the coaches that were actually carefully watching him.
“three days ago at a student meeting, a peaceful meeting, soldiers broke it up and arrested two of my friends. writing... talking... going to class, speaking out is a crime.” at this point, it was too early for him to know how it was going, though it’d be a lie to say that it was even on his mind at all. the only thing that mingyu was focused on was what he was supposed to say, as well as getting across the emotions that he felt. he wanted them to be just as angry and upset... he needed them to feel what he felt so that they may stand with him.
his expression shifted from one that was merely frustrated to one that was both angry and hurt. he sorrowfully shook his head, almost as if he hated to admit what he was going to say next. his volume went down several notches, almost as if he was pitifully and sadly whispering his next line. “being poor is a crime...” then, his anger intensified once again, indicating how upsetting all of this was for him. “being poor is the worst crime of all. and if you commit these crimes, you are condemned for life. our government has no mercy... no pity... no forgiveness. and there's no work for us. and because there's no work, our children are starving.” after that line, he paused for the dramatic effect that he was going for, taking just a moment to harshly breathe, though he never broke character once. it was all just a part of the act.
“tell me... why are we powerless to save the people we love? all of you know. tell me — why? the king betrayed us. we were promised the vote, do we have it? do we have the vote?! where is the republic our fathers died for?!” after he shouted the question, he angrily scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment.
there is a short pause as he waits for it all to sink in, giving those watching a moment before continuing with a subtle smile. it’s hopeful and full of determination... desire for a better future. “it is here, my brothers. it lives here in our heads. but most of all... best of all, it's here in our hearts. in our hearts — we are the republic!”
once the scene has ended, there is a visible shift in mingyu’s expression as he transitions from playing the part to being back to himself. it’s only then that he can fully process what’s just happened and how he feels slightly embarrassed. a large grin forms on his face, his cheeks heating up and probably reddening. he laughs just a little as he bows, expressing his gratitude with a quiet “thank you.”
#rkrbact — acting scene in IT’S OKAY, THAT’S LOVE
june 30th, 2019: ROYAL BOYS ACTING
( 0:00-1:35 )
< tw: abuse / child abuse >
he was scared for the announcement. there was no way they would be debuting all of the male trainees in the company, so that must have meant some of them would be going out. thankfully, it’s not the case, and minseok allows himself to relax on one of the auditorium seats.
while the boy had never actively acted before, he did take a few classes while under royal out of curiosity. it was better to be taught what to do than to be thrown something random during improv. some people say he lets his emotions out too easily, but minseok isn’t too sure if that directly translates to being a good actor. he also doesn’t know what this audition is going to be about, but it’d be good to give it a try.
minseok had always enjoyed dramas, but he was the type to re-watch the ones he liked, and then only delved into something new if it was already done and the general public seemed to really like it. one of the dramas who had made the cut into his re-watch list was ‘it’s okay, that’s love’ from 2014. it brought to people’s attention a lot of important points regarding mental health and he appreciated it even when he was younger, it growing with each year that passed.
between all the other ones, that drama is one he tries to avoid looking into scenes to choose from. it had incredible actors and actresses in it and each scene had enough emotion and quality acting in it to make the drama as big of a hit as it was. still, he can’t help but like it. minseok goes looking for what can be quickly found on youtube, and scenes with an idol actor are easy to find. that was one of the more emotional scenes to anyone who saw it, but even more to those who watched the whole thing. it makes him think it may be too much, but eventually decides it’s better to go with something like this than a basic, silly scene from somewhere else.
remembering the lines isn’t the hardest part, especially since there aren’t actually too many of them. the boy spends at least too much time trying to figure out if he can cry on cue. of course, he can’t. turns out it’s not as easy as just squeezing your eyes together until they start to tear up. so minseok looks up techniques on the internet, as well as approaches the acting coach who gave him classes last time for any tips he could have. the most important piece of practice to him is still re-watching the show for what feels like the hundredth time, except always with newer eyes and deeper respect.
he decides not to cry before it’s time for the audition. they had just finished their last evaluation of the month and he sits somewhere to just stop and think. it’s better to get rid of all these minseok emotions before it’s his turn. there’s excitement after their activity, and that's not what he needs right now. it wouldn’t be too bad if he doesn’t actually cry. he could still deliver his lines well and call it a success, but he also isn’t too sure if he’d feel like it was a success without it.
when they call his name, minseok walks inside the nearly empty room and finds his spot at the center, greeting the few people present. “good afternoon! my name is kim minseok, i’ve been a trainee for a year and a half, and i’ll be using a scene from the drama ‘it’s okay that’s love.’ i hope you’ll enjoy it.” the boy bows once again, and then looks a bit around before figuring out he should just start.
so he lays down on the floor, trying his best to pretend he’s at the same park like the one on the show. “i’ll be starting!” he announces just in case anyone is confused, and then places his hands on the back of his head. accustomed to doing it every day during gym hours, minseok starts to do sit-ups, following along to the scene he had chosen. the boy lets out a few huffs while he does so to make it seem like he’s showing off before his eyes become bigger, looking forward. “hey!”
the boy stops seated, one of his brightest smiles splattered on his face. this is only the start of the scene, so needs to look content. so he waves at the coaches and screams like it’s the best day of his life. “i hit my father who attacked my mom! like a man.”
it’d be natural to think someone would be happy about that. if anyone ever hurt his mother, minseok honestly didn’t know what he would do. she had always been the center of strength in the house. even if he had always tried his best to help out, no one was stronger than a mother. “i wasn’t afraid.” the boy announces by raising his fist for the others to see. in the drama, the character’s knuckles were bloody, but it’s only now that he realizes it would have been smart to get his own hand dirty as well for the scene. it’s a bit too late, and minseok tries to move on without any more regrets.
he stands up, running in a circle instead of forward so he wouldn’t come crashing into the coaches, and then stops back on the spot he was before. “father…” minseok looks down at his hand which is still closed in a fist before looking back up. “left the house in shock.” the smile on his face is now starting to fade. the rational thought of being happy about his actions starts to disappear, and the boy starts to realize what he’s done. “his nose was bleeding.”
when he looks down again, it’s towards the floor. the many signs of happiness from only mere moments ago are gone. minseok stands in silence for a few seconds before delivering his next line. “now… he won’t be able to treat me that way.” unlike his character, the boy’s father had always been a good man, even if it was only during the few years minseok got to spend with him. he had died when minseok was still really young, so it took him some time for him to realize what had actually happened.
it’s now that he starts to twist his face, thinking back to everything he learned up to that day. “i did it.” his voice is shaky and now his eyes are closed. “i wasn’t afraid.” on the original scene, the other character would deliver his lines, but minseok didn’t think about asking the coaches to read them out to him. after all, there would be no more lines from him after that. instead, he stands in silence in the middle of the room, trying his best to cry.
he hopes it’s not too awkward for them to be there. minseok most likely look stupid simply standing there, trying something that shouldn’t be feasible for someone as inexperienced as himself. it takes him more time than it should under this awkward situation, but when he opens his eyes again he can feel it coming. a few moments later, a single tear falls down his cheek.
honestly, the thing he most wanted to do at that moment was cheer, but minseok knew it’d be inappropriate due to the theme of what he had just shown. so the boy is forced to spend a few more moments standing still before he eventually gives in and bows once again to those in front of him. “thank you for your attention!” automatically, his hand presses against his face and then hovers in front of it for him to see the barely noticeable trace of something wet. “yes!” he turns around, whispering as he leaves the room.
It's during the morning vocal classes of what should be a regular Wednesday that the male trainees under Royal Entertainment are called out for a special announcement. They make their way to the auditorium of their new company building and take a seat, one of the coaches standing on top of the stage simply watching as the trainees start to speculate what exactly would happen. Is it a debut announcement already? With all of these trainees around it's hard to guess. Maybe a survival show? Those seemed to be popular with the companies these days.
When the coach in charge of taking them inside gives the man on the stage a thumbs up, he starts his speech and the trainees stop speaking at once. "Hello. The ones found here are the current male trainees signed under Royal Entertainment. What is said here should be kept a secret from anyone outside the company. We won't be revealing much exactly because we can't trust all of you, but we hope that, by the end of the month, we can find the few that we do." He makes a small pause and then starts pacing through the stage.
"This does not regard a debut but a very special project that you should all look forward to taking part in. Those who don't, won't." When he's too close to the left side of the stage, he starts going right. "We're looking forward to seeing what you have to show during this variety. After all, being an idol isn't only about singing and dancing, but a lot of different factors. What we're here for isn't variety, but something else."
The coach stops when he reaches the center once again, scanning the room for a few moments in order to raise suspicion before revealing what he needs. "After the final week evaluation is done, which you won't get to know before everyone else, we'll prepare a room where each of you will have to act out a scene of your choice. No groups are allowed, of course. One trainee will go at a time, present his scene, and then leave. We'll reveal who'll take part in this project on the following month."
Murmuring starts again throughout his audience, but the man doesn't pay it much attention. "You're all free to opt out of this if you'd like, but initiative is about as important as your actual talent. Again, don't share this with people outside the company if you wouldn't like to get in trouble, and get back to practice. Variety has aspects of acting in it, so use your month well. Dismissed." He claps his hands twice and leaves the stage while the other coaches start motioning for the trainees to leave.
You may write a 300+ words solo about his time spent on June 30 performing his chosen scene to earn +2 CHARISMA POINTS. Please tag all related posts with #rkrbact and have them up by midnight EST at the end of Sunday, June 30th. There is no need to confirm interest beforehand or not.
