"I'm in Tokyo, and this is some kind of movie star comeback system?!"

The corridor was narrower than I had imagined.

Sakamoto Yu followed Watanabe Mayumi through an inconspicuous glass door and into a long corridor covered with a gray carpet.

The walls were off-white, with several movie posters pasted on them.

Today is the audition day for "Human Crossroads".

After Watanabe negotiated, the production team agreed to give him half a day off so he could audition.

Upon hearing this news, Sakamoto Yu was genuinely curious about how Watanabe had managed to reach the agreement.

But none of this matters.

Even though half a day had passed since the audition, there were still more people in the corridor than he had imagined.

Some people were standing and reading the script, some were sitting in folding chairs with their eyes closed and resting, and some were pacing back and forth, muttering to themselves.

About twenty people filled the already narrow corridor to the brim, and the air was filled with the smell of coffee, cigarettes, and a subtle sense of tension.

After all, he acted alongside Akina Nakamori, so even if his role wasn't large, it's still a valuable asset on his resume.

Sakamoto Yu followed Watanabe in and immediately noticed someone looking at him as they entered.

First came the few people near the door, then the people further inside.

Not everyone knows him, but the fact that "a very good-looking young man walked in" is enough to attract attention.

"Sakamoto Yu..." someone whispered to the person next to them.

"Which one?"

"The one who was rumored to be dating Yasuko Sawaguchi a while ago."

He's even more handsome in person than on TV.

"Tsk, what's the use of being handsome?"

I don't know who said it, but the voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't so quiet that it was inaudible either.

Sakamoto Yu heard it, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

His face has caused him a lot of trouble since his debut.

He was looked down upon for no reason and suffered inexplicable hostility. From "Dangerous Detective" to "One-Eyed Dragon Masamune", he constantly accepted challenges.

He's become immune to this kind of thing, having gone from being unknown to having some popularity.

Watanabe walked ahead, her high heels clicking crisply on the terrazzo floor.

She seemed very familiar with the place, and walked directly into the depths of the corridor without looking at the signs.

She glanced at the seats on both sides of the aisle, her gaze lingering on one corner for a moment.

"Over there," she said softly, "wait here for a while."

Sakamoto nodded and found an empty seat to sit down.

He held the audition script in his hand, flipping through it quietly.

Watanabe glanced at his watch, then patted Sakamoto on the shoulder: "When the staff calls you, go inside. I'm going to find someone."

Sakamoto Yu agreed, and Watanabe walked away in his high heels.

She wasn't heading towards the restroom, but rather the office.

A sign on the door reads "No entry for anyone other than those with a relationship to the person in question."

Watanabe's actions did not attract much attention, except for one or two observant eyes that followed her back until she disappeared through the door.

They looked at Sakamoto Yu with intriguing expressions.

Sakamoto Yu remained unmoved, looking down at the script.

He knew what those gazes meant.

He also knew who Watanabe was going to see.

According to Watanabe herself, she was almost certain to get the role.

He comes with his own buzz and popularity, and his looks and acting skills are sufficient. He even has recommendations from high-ranking executives of the production company. All things considered, it's not an exaggeration to say that he was practically a shoo-in.

As long as the audition process isn't too bad, you'll basically pass.

Although he would prefer to earn the role through his own abilities, he is happy to accept the opportunity to reap the rewards without effort.

After all, that's how this industry operates; besides ability, connections and the resources of the agency also play a decisive role.

The corridor became increasingly crowded.

Sakamoto Yu occasionally looked up and noticed a man staring at him, a hint of contempt and disdain flashing in his eyes.

The man was in his early thirties, wearing a dark gray suit and a tightly tied tie. He was holding a stack of documents covered with notes.

Standing next to him was a bald man who looked like an agent, also looking at him. His gaze wasn't very direct, but it wasn't exactly friendly either.

Sakamoto Yu was overwhelmed with memories, confirming that he did not know him.

The man noticed that Sakamoto was looking at him. Instead of avoiding his gaze, he slightly raised his chin, as if to say: What's wrong?

Sakamoto Yu looked away.

There's no need to bother with this kind of thing.

After a while, a young woman who looked like a staff member came over with a list in her hand: "Sakamoto-san? Please sign in here."

Sakamoto took the pen and signed his name.

The girl glanced at his name, then at him, her face flushed slightly, and turned to leave.

The man witnessed this scene, his lips twitched, and he turned his head to say something to the bald man.

The bald man didn't reply, he just shook his head.

Sakamoto Yu continued reading the script.

A little while later, the door to the audition room opened.

A man in his forties came out, wearing a dark blue jacket and a badge from the production company pinned to his chest.

Sakamoto Yu glanced at him and learned his identity.

Casting director for "Human Crossroads".

His face was expressionless, he held a folder in his hand, and his gaze swept over the people in the corridor.

Almost at the same moment, the corridor fell silent.

The air was still moving, but everyone stopped talking at the same time.

Some people straightened their backs, some put out their cigarettes, and some closed their scripts.

All eyes were on the casting director.

The casting director's gaze swept across the crowd, as if searching for someone.

Sakamoto noticed that the bald man's eyes lit up.

He grabbed the man beside him and walked quickly toward the casting director.

He made a lot of a fuss, squeezing through the crowd and stumbling his way to the casting director.

Those around frowned, but no one dared to speak.

The bald man walked up to the casting director, a broad smile on his face: "Tanaka-san, long time no see. Last year on the set of 'Kitaguni no Haru'..."

The casting director glanced at him, seemingly trying to remember who this person was.

The bald man quickly pushed the man next to him forward:

"This is Nakagawa from our agency. He's here today to audition for a supporting male role. Nakagawa, quickly say hello to Tanaka-san."

"Hello, Director." Nakagawa nodded and greeted him.

His movements were reserved, but the upturned corners of his mouth couldn't hide the slightest hint of pride, as if he were putting on airs, with a trace of smugness hidden in his eyes.

Many of the waiting actors secretly rolled their eyes.

"Another one with connections."

"Looking like that, you think you can act opposite Nakamori-san?"

"That's right, look at your own face, you're almost thirty-something."

These sounds reached the man's ears, but did not arouse his disgust.

Instead, he raised his chin, looking quite pleased with himself.

Turning his head, Nakagawa gave Sakamoto a look, the corners of his mouth curving upwards even more.

The casting director glanced at Kimura, then at the bald man, a look of reminiscence on his face.

After a long while, I finally remembered it from some obscure corner.

"Oh, Mr. Fukuyama," he said calmly, "I remember you."

The bald man's smile widened.

"But it's not convenient today." The casting director spoke politely and quickly. "The auditions are still going on inside. I came out to pick someone up. We can talk about it another day."

The bald man's smile froze for a moment.

A crack appeared in Nakagawa's expression.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from deep in the corridor.

It wasn't the door to the audition room, but the door to the office further inside, the one with the sign that read "No Entry for Anyone Without a Relationship."

Mayumi Watanabe walked out side by side with a man in his fifties.

The man was wearing a dark suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he had an imposing presence on his face.

His gaze toward Watanabe held a hint of kindness and concern.

"Watanabe owes this person a favor, doesn't he?" Sakamoto Yu muttered to himself.

The two chatted and laughed, their relationship clearly more than just friendship.

The corridor was quiet for a few seconds.

Someone recognized Ishida and gasped quietly.

"That's... Mr. Ishida? A high-ranking official at the production company?"

"Why did he come out in person?"

"And he's so close to that agent..."

The bald man's expression changed.

He watched Watanabe and Ishida walk out side by side, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Nakagawa's expression turned even uglier.

He was just gloating over how he'd gotten on the good side of the casting director—even though it was a case of offering a warm welcome only to be met with a cold shoulder.

But now, it turns out that the person on Sakamoto Yu's side is a high-ranking executive of the production company.

They're not even in the same league.

Ishida's gaze crossed the border and landed on Sakamoto Yu.

He looked him up and down, his smile widening.

"Is it him?"

Watanabe nodded.

Ishida didn't say anything, but gave the casting director a wink.

The casting director understood, turned his head, and scanned the corridor before landing on Sakamoto Yu.

"Sakamoto-kun."