RBCT Chapter 251 A Clash of Fates! The Battle of Two Kings in the Audition Room
Chapter 251 A Clash of Fates! The Battle of Two Kings in the Audition Room
Chapter 251 A Clash of Fates! The Battle of Two Kings in the Audition Room
Odaiba, Higashijigaeko-ku, Fuji Television Headquarters Building.
The weather was exceptionally clear today, but in the VIP audition waiting room on the middle floor of the building, the air seemed to have solidified into solid lead, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Takuya Kimura sat quietly on the sofa in the corner, head down, his eyes fixed on his hands.
Her once slender and fair fingertips now had a thin layer of calluses from months of frenzied, almost self-torturing piano practice.
For the role of "Sena Hidetoshi", he turned down almost all the high-intensity commercial appearances that Johnny & Associates had arranged for him.
He locked himself in the music room and practiced day and night.
He harbored a burning fire within him—in the past year, Johnny's Entertainment had been utterly crushed by that man, to the point that they were almost unable to hold their heads high in the film and television industry.
As Johnny's most talented and fastest-rising star, Kimura knows that he carries the last hope of the entire company on his shoulders.
The Johnny's executive leading the team sat next to Kimura, nervously wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Kimura, take a deep breath. Your preparation is impeccable." The executive lowered his voice, trying to encourage him, but also seemingly reassuring himself. "Your piano skills are now praised even by professional instructors, and your appearance and that melancholic air are practically tailor-made for Sena. As long as you perform normally, we can definitely beat you this time!"
Takuya Kimura didn't speak, but took a slow and deep breath, exhaling the stale air from his chest.
Kimura's feelings about the upcoming head-to-head confrontation are actually quite mixed.
As one of the top young actors in the Japanese entertainment industry, Kimura is by no means the kind of blindly arrogant fool.
On the contrary, he privately studied all of Kitahara Shin's works with great concentration.
From the deep affection in "Tokyo Love Story" to the aloofness in "Under One Roof", to the hot-blooded tough guy in "Bayside Shakedown", and most recently, the silent masterpiece that made women all over Japan cry, "Tell Me You Love Me".
When Kimura watched the man's performance on the screen late at night, he felt a deep sense of awe more than once.
He even secretly admitted to himself that if it came down to a head-to-head contest of absolute acting skill, he might not be able to beat that man right now.
But acknowledging the gap doesn't mean he'll back down and admit defeat.
In this world of fame and fortune, top actors rarely run into each other head-on during the audition process.
Especially for a super tycoon like Kitahara Shin, who has a box office legend and countless incredible ratings, all the TV stations in Japan would beg him to act in S-level scripts directly to his home, so why would he need to go through any audition process?
So when he learned that Kitahara Shin was going to personally audition for the male lead in "Long Vacation," Kimura Takuya was shocked, but deep down he felt an uncontrollable surge of fighting spirit.
This is a once-in-a-century duel between kings!
For a talented actor with extremely high pride, the opportunity to compete fairly with a "god" standing at the absolute pinnacle of the industry in the same audition room is even more exhilarating than directly getting the role.
Kimura's eyes gradually sharpened. He would never allow himself to give up easily. Even if the other party was Kitahara Shin, he had to bite off a piece of his flesh from the other party in this audition to prove himself!
Just as Takuya Kimura was adjusting his mindset to its peak, a huge commotion suddenly broke out in the wide corridor outside the waiting room.
"Mr. Kitahara! You've finally arrived! You must be tired from your journey!"
"Mr. Kitahara, the audition room has been rearranged for you, and we can begin anytime!"
Amidst a cacophony of greetings, thick with obsequiousness, the door to the waiting room was respectfully pushed open.
Takuya Kimura looked up, his pupils involuntarily contracting slightly.
When Kitahara Shin appeared at the door, he wasn't wearing any formal attire, just a high-quality dark shirt paired with casual trousers.
But the terrifying aura emanating from him, the one that came from long-standing power and control of a vast entertainment empire, swept through the entire room like an invisible hurricane.
Behind Kitahara Shin, like stars surrounding the moon, followed three stunningly beautiful top actresses: Matsushima Nanako's gentle elegance, Miyazawa Rie's bright and proud charm, and Matsu Takako's pure and dignified beauty.
These three stunning beauties, any one of whom could easily carry a prime-time drama, were now quietly following behind this man like docile concubines.
This doesn't look like an actor auditioning; this looks like a king inspecting his territory with his queens!
What made Johnny's employees feel even more humiliated was the attitude of the Fuji TV executives.
The director of Fuji TV's production department and the chief producer were all fawning over Kitahara Shin like lapdogs, their smiles extremely obsequious, practically kneeling down to polish his shoes.
This stark contrast in treatment, bordering on the absurd, caused the Johnny's executive leading the team to turn ashen-faced, clenching his fists in humiliation. But they dared not utter a single word of protest, because in this era where capital reigns supreme, a giant with 5 billion in box office revenue is entitled to enjoy such extreme double standards!
However, sitting in the corner, Takuya Kimura's gaze grew increasingly calm and sharp. The vanity and pomp of the outside world couldn't sway him; he only believed in his absolute ability to perform in the audition room later!
"Everyone, it's almost time. The audition for Sena Hidetoshi, the male lead in 'Long Vacation,' is officially beginning."
Following the script supervisor's announcement, everyone moved into the spacious audition room.
Behind the long table sat several of Fuji TV's core directors and producers, as well as the soul of the drama—the award-winning screenwriter, Eriko Kitagawa.
Kitagawa Eriko was overwhelmed with emotion. As a screenwriter, witnessing two of Japan's top talented actors vying for her script was an unparalleled honor.
"Kimura-kun, you go first." The director flipped through the list and gestured for him to go first.
Takuya Kimura stood up, took a deep breath, and strode to the center of the audition room.
The moment he stood still, the dazzling aura of "national idol" surrounding Takuya Kimura vanished instantly. He seamlessly switched gears, his shoulders slightly hunched, his eyes revealing the weariness of an introverted young man who had long suffered setbacks yet had to force a smile.
The audition scene he chose was a classic outburst scene from the middle of the script. In the apartment, Ichinose Na, feeling lost and insecure about his future, had a heated argument with the female lead, Hayama Minami. However, after saying hurtful things, he was immediately filled with extreme regret and self-blame.
"I want to play well too! I want to stand on that dazzling stage! But what do you know? You know nothing..."
What does a washed-up woman who just hangs around in other people's houses know?!
Takuya Kimura suddenly raised his head and roared out the line with all his might. His eyes instantly turned red, and the veins on his neck bulged slightly. The hysteria that came after being hit where it hurt was extremely visually striking and charismatic.
But then, he handled the emotional shift perfectly.
The moment he shouted those words, Kimura's voice abruptly stopped. He looked at the void (the imagined female protagonist), and the rage in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a pitiful regret and pain, like that of a puppy that had done something wrong.
He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to apologize, but swallowed the words back because of his pitifully small amount of self-esteem. He slowly turned around, clutching his hair in agony, perfectly portraying the helplessness of a "genius fallen to earth".
"good!"
Sitting in the audience, Kitagawa Eriko couldn't help but shout "Bravo!" in her heart, unable to contain her excitement.
To be fair, Takuya Kimura is absolutely a top-tier genius who was blessed with natural talent.
He perfectly captured the core of the character "Sena"—a frustrated, introverted man with an irresistible gentleness.
His performance was emotionally rich and explosive, and he seamlessly integrated his own fatal personal charm into the role.
The directors nodded in agreement. This acting was in no way inferior to Kitahara Shin's previous performances in those hugely popular dramas!
Often, acting also depends on improvisation and the suitability of the role.
At this moment, Takuya Kimura looks exactly like Hidetoshi Sena, who stepped right out of a script!
Seeing the director team's highly approving expressions, the executive in charge of Johnny's finally breathed a long sigh of relief, a confident smile spreading across his face.
It's a sure thing! Kimura's performance today was absolutely phenomenal. Even for Kitahara Shin, it would be no easy task to surpass Kimura in terms of emotional outburst!
After finishing his performance, Takuya Kimura bowed respectfully and stepped back to the side.
His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his chest was still rising and falling slightly, but the look in his eyes as he looked at Kitahara Shin was full of a sharp and challenging intent.
"A truly brilliant performance, Kimura-kun." The director nodded with admiration in his eyes, then looked at the man sitting on the lounge chair next to him in an extremely respectful tone, "Kitahara-san, now—I'll leave the rest to you."
The air in the audition room suddenly became quiet.
Nanako Matsushima, Rie Miyazawa, and Takako Matsu, the three beauties, stopped their hushed conversation at the same time. Their beautiful eyes sparkled with fervent admiration as they stared intently at the man who slowly stood up.
Kitahara Shin didn't make any exaggerated deep breathing preparations like Kimura did.
He didn't even take off his extremely expensive haute couture coat; he simply casually raised his long, slender fingers and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt collar.
In that split second when those two buttons were undone and the director yelled "Action!"
Takuya Kimura's pupils suddenly contracted.
He could feel with absolute clarity that the dazzling aura of a movie star and the terrifying pressure of a financial tycoon emanating from the man in front of him shattered and vanished without a trace in a mere 0.01 seconds, like glass being smashed by a heavy hammer!
Kitahara Shin did not choose the kind of visually impactful emotional outburst scene that Kimura had just performed.
He walked calmly to the center of the audition room, as if there were an invisible chair there. He sat down slowly, his posture unusually relaxed, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible decadence.
He chose a scene that was barely mentioned in the script—"Late at night, Sena looks at his own hands and doubts whether he has any talent for playing the piano at all."
This is a dangerous and thankless scene.
Without an opponent or intense dialogue, all emotions can only be conveyed through extremely restrained micro-expressions; a slight misstep can make one appear like a wooden puppet.
But Kitahara Shin chose this particular passage.
The audition room was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Kitahara Shin lowered his head slightly, not looking at anyone. He slowly and almost reverently raised his hands and placed them in front of his eyes.
The moment his gaze fell upon his own hands, a chilling transformation occurred.
It was a profound emptiness and bewilderment that was so deep it was suffocating.
Kitahara Shin simply stared silently at his fingers, but his fingertips were trembling uncontrollably at a subtle yet extremely unnatural frequency.
That trembling wasn't because of the cold, but because an artist who considered the piano his whole life suddenly realized in the dead of night, with utter despair, that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't cross the insurmountable barrier called "talent."
He managed to force a tiny, self-deprecating smile that was even more unsightly than crying.
At that moment, it was as if he had sucked all the air out of the entire audition room.
An overwhelming sense of despair and loneliness, like icy seawater, engulfed everyone present.
He portrayed the pain of hitting a bottleneck with such terrifying restraint and subtle expressions, revealing it vividly and profoundly!
He didn't say a word, but everyone could hear a soul silently collapsing and weeping in his silence.
Sitting in the audience, Kitagawa Eriko stared blankly at Kitahara Shin.
She didn't know when, but her eyes were completely wet, and two hot tears slid uncontrollably down her cheeks.
She got it.
Takuya Kimura portrayed Hidetoshi Sena's "form" and that captivating "external emotion"; but Shin Kitahara, like a scalpel, precisely and cruelly dissected the character's chest, nakedly presenting the most real, bloody pain and inferiority in the depths of Sena's soul to her!
It wasn't hysterical, but it was deafening.
Standing in the corner, Takuya Kimura seemed to be frozen in place as if under a spell.
He looked at the man not far away who was quietly watching his hands, his face turning pale under the glaring light.
crack.
Kimura truly heard the crisp sound of his own pride and confidence shattering deep within him.
His personal charm, which he was so proud of, and his explosive power, which he believed he had brought to its fullest potential, appeared so thin, superficial, and even like a child bluffing in the face of Kitahara Shin's soul-stirring, godlike acting.
This is simply tearing apart a living soul without any mercy and showing it to them!
The suffocating pressure only gradually dissipated when Kitahara Shin calmly lowered his hands.
But Takuya Kimura knew that in this battle of the two kings in the audition room, the moment Shin Kitahara unbuttoned his shirt, he had already lost completely.