Chapter 21.

                                    

                                          
FIGHT OVER A GUY!
                          
The audition hall was filled with nervous yet excited buzzing and chatter of young ladies, who were patiently waiting. Kurosaki strolled inside followed by the other spectators, causing all the chatter to die in the hall as silence consumed the air. His eyes automatically darted around face to face as he searched for the Love Me duo. It didn't take long for him to spot them in their neon pink jumpsuits. A snicker came out his lips, which he tried to hide with his hand, when he noticed them and he took off his sunglasses. 
                          
Those are glorious, that's the way you stand out without trying. His body quivered as he gulped back the rising fits of laughter bubbling up from his throat, his eyes fixated on Kyoko and Moko. Man, those jumpsuits. They're like janitors in a bubble gum factory.
                          
"Alright ladies," the man with the specs, who had introduced himself as the casting director yesterday, said once all the spectators were settled. "Before we begin the second round, there is a special person I'd like to introduce to all of you. This is the director, Ushio Kurosaki."
                          
"That thug is the director?" Kyoko whispered to Moko as she eyed his earrings, glasses and goatee suspiciously.
                          
"He looks like a low rank yakuza," Moko replied in an equally aghast tone. Almost all of the girls looked shocked.
                          
It's him, Erika narrowed her eyes. The snooty director who thinks he is too good for my money.
                          
"I am sure you've seen many fantastic commercials Mr Kurosaki had directed. His work is-" the casting director was saying but he was cut off midway by the director himself who stood up and leaned on him by placing his elbow on his shoulder as he clutched the mic from him.
                          
"The reason the public responses so well to my commercials is obvious," he said. "I think you already know why. It's because they are works of art."
                          
Oh, please, commercials are nothing but trash, Erika rolled her eyes at his smug, condescending and self-praising attitude. What a pompous ass!
                          
"You get what I am saying," Kurosaki continued. "Commercials are psychic battles that are won in seconds, and in those seconds we must make a strong enough impact so as to leave our battle scars in the consumer's mind. We must be extraordinary." He put a stretch on the word 'extraordinary' to make them realise how serious and important commercials actually were.
                          
He pointed at a cardboard box filled with folded slips of paper and signalled each of the contestants to draw one. One by one, all the girls picked a slip. Inside, they found a number and a letter printed. Moko and Kyoko's slip read, '5-A' and '5-B' respectively.
                          
"I am going to structure this commercial as one of those dark emotional television dramas," Kurosaki explained. "You've all drawn your numbers, right? Somewhere there is an actress who holds the same number as you, so find her and pair up."
                          
He waited as the girls shuffled around to look for their partners. Kyoko and Moko remained seated with each other since they already had the same number.
                          
"You'll also have an A or a B." The director spoke each word slowly and carefully as he started explaining the rules and the technical details, once the girls were settled with their partners. "These will be your character's names to keep it simple. To spell it out, girl A and girl B will be scene partners. And I'll only choose two of you. Also, I might not choose both girls in the same pair. I am watching how you all perform and I'll pick the ones I like best. That's your assignment. And rest assured, I do judge harshly. So make it good."
                          
Kurosaki paused for a moment before continuing. His eyes darted around the faces of each contestant, not staying for more than a few seconds, to make sure that everyone is following without stairing too long and making them nervous.