Was it because of the memories from my past life?
Joo Seo-yeon had never really cared about her weight since her previous life.
After all, it’s pretty common for guys not to be concerned about their weight.
Even in her reincarnated state, Seo-yeon had the same habit of rarely weighing herself unless something special occurred.
To begin with…
“Look at how slim I am!”
Every time Seo-yeon glanced in the mirror, she confidently smiled at her slender waistline.
Thanks to consistent exercise since childhood, her body was free of excess fat.
Then came the time when she started going to the gym and began checking her body composition.
“?”
She realized something was off in many ways.
What caught Seo-yeon’s eye was her weight.
“Hmm. With this amount of muscle, it should be light.”
“……”
The trainer said that, but Seo-yeon had a hard time accepting it.
No, more than that, this TS body is too strong.
Isn’t something off with this graph?
“Hmm.”
Even with those questions swirling in her mind, she shrugged them off as unimportant.
Considering she had been reborn, having a stronger body wasn’t a big deal.
With those thoughts, she decided to forget about the weight.
Who would even bother to look at her? Who would know her weight?
But…
“Seo-yeon?”
Hearing the persistent inquiry from Professor Kim Hong-baek, Seo-yeon felt a deep conflict.
When she was introduced here by Director Bae Jin-hwan, it would be rude to act like this.
“Ah, I haven’t weighed myself recently.”
Barely managing to utter those words, she continued.
“Then let’s check it out first. The scale is over there.”
Why is there a scale in an academy?
While she questioned that, it made sense for an action school to have one.
Professor Kim Hong-baek noticed Seo-yeon’s stiff demeanor but didn’t think much of it.
He just thought actresses might be sensitive about their weight.
However, it was essential to record this accurately.
It would help adjust the intensity of action training appropriately.
“……”
Seo-yeon stared quietly at the weight scale before her.
At least, it was a relief that other actors were far away.
She could feel Professor Kim’s gaze.
Realizing she couldn’t escape, Seo-yeon stepped onto the scale.
Not an electronic scale, but an analog one.
As the needle began to move, Professor Kim watched intently, pen in hand.
“Let’s see, 30, 40, 50, 60…”
The speed at which the needle tilted was alarming.
“Huh?”
When he noticed the needle still tilting, his eyes widened.
Seo-yeon hurriedly stepped off the scale.
Her face was flushed bright red.
As a side note, her eyes turned red too as she glared at the scale.
“Um.”
At that moment, Professor Kim, who had been quietly observing her, frowned.
“It seems the scale might be broken.”
“……”
“Unfortunately, please let me know your weight next time after you check it.”
Recalling the number displayed on the scale, Professor Kim shook his head.
He figured it was an old model that broke easily.
“Your height is 165cm… right?”
“Yes.”
Her height was quite average.
Not too tall, not short, just the average height.
“It seems like there was some error with the weight.”
Professor Kim reached that conclusion.
Given Seo-yeon’s current physique, that weight was impossible.
*
A little mishap happened, but it didn’t interfere with the class at all.
Today was just the first day.
Seeing other aspiring actors glancing in her direction, it seemed Seo-yeon’s presence was quite noticeable.
After all, from appearance alone, she looked far from action.
From their perspective, she seemed like a naive actress trying to show off.
If you forced action without a proper physique, it could lead to serious injuries.
“Director Bae Jin-hwan wouldn’t be unaware of that.”
Yet, for him to specifically recommend her meant he saw something in Seo-yeon.
“There are many running scenes in [The Chaser], right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then let’s try running a bit. I heard you’re fast.”
Professor Kim led Seo-yeon to the playground outside the action school.
A line that looked roughly about 50 meters.
Of course, Professor Kim wasn’t particularly trying to check how fast Seo-yeon could run.
What mattered was her posture.
After all, speed could be covered by the camera or direction.
However, the running posture was essential.
Running acting.
Kim Hong-baek, already having given the OK sign for that particular shoot, wanted to check it out again.
After all, Director Bae Jin-hwan recommended Seo-yeon based on her running.
As a result, a few aspiring actors wandered nearby to catch a glimpse.
It was a break time anyway, and they were curious about how well she would perform.
“Okay then.”
Kim Hong-baek raised his hand and waved it down.
The signal to run.
With that, Seo-yeon, standing at the line, prepared and took off.
As her elastic body leaned forward and shot out, he thought…
“Hmm.”
Watching quietly, two thoughts flashed through Kim Hong-baek’s mind.
First, “Ah, I should have timed that.”
The second was…
“Why is she even an actress?”
No other actor could keep up with her speed.
It made sense why Director Bae Jin-hwan recommended her to the action school based on just her running.
She was practically flying.
Why was someone likely to compete in the national sports festival here?
“First of all, everything was great, but…”
Although fast, there were some issues.
“Your posture could use some work.”
“Huh?”
Seeing Seo-yeon without a single drop of sweat, Kim Hong-baek was amazed again.
Though she initially seemed a bit lackluster, now things were different.
Watching her athletic abilities, he couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
No matter the context of the national festival, an actress with this kind of physical ability…
“If taught properly, she could be truly amazing.”
Kim Hong-baek was a master who had trained top action actors from all over the country.
In his eyes, Seo-yeon was a genuine gem.
A gem guaranteed to shine with the right polish.
What if she sparkled a little?
Then she could become one of the actors who would elevate the name of the Cheonghong Action School.
“The suggestion to change your posture means…”
“Right now, Seo-yeon, you’re running too much like an athlete.”
So while she was unbelievably fast, if Cha Seo-ah ran that way, there would definitely be a sense of discord.
Seo-yeon quickly grasped Professor Kim’s critique.
“Action acting is, in the end, acting. The action should change depending on the character.”
Even simple running movements applied.
Cha Seo-ah is a murderer, but not an athlete.
Not a superhuman, just a broken human being.
“Posture can be fixed with practice, and afterward, let’s take things one step at a time.”
“Ah, yes.”
Startled by Professor Kim’s sudden enthusiasm, Seo-yeon nodded.
It felt like his attitude had completely changed.
Meanwhile, the aspiring actors observing from the sidelines were thinking.
“Is this real?”
They were utterly flabbergasted.
*
After that, Seo-yeon’s day was packed.
Once school finished, she headed straight to the filming set.
On days without shooting, she had to go to the action school.
That said, it wasn’t too hectic; she could manage to rest between duties.
Though, that was entirely according to Seo-yeon’s standards.
For a typical teenager-turned-actor, it wouldn’t be unusual to collapse from exhaustion.
However, Seo-yeon was still holding a game controller.
In Seo-yeon’s personal room provided by her agency.
After all, she had to hide her gaming console, as she couldn’t play at home without feeling uneasy.
While her mother, Min Suah, never frowned upon her playing games, since Seo-yeon handled her own affairs, her father, Joo Young-bin, sometimes sat by her side and jokingly stated, “Daughter, you still can’t play well.”
Regardless of her father scratching her nerves, it still made her somewhat uncomfortable to play at home.
For the simple reason, thinking about her pathetic report card made it hard to face.
“But I still have to practice.”
The humiliation felt in [If Turned On, Then the King].
Even now, she was confidently listed in the community as a ‘bad gamer.’
It was ridiculous and shameful to the point of trembling in embarrassment.
A man, after all, cannot bear the insult of “You can’t play games.”
Even if she was now a woman, Seo-yeon couldn’t brush off those words.
She would go on any observational variety show and take her revenge.
And she would gain her father, Young-bin’s admiration by hearing him say, “You’ve got skills.”
With that determination firmly set, she was deep into training.
“Seo-yeon!”
At that moment, while Seo-yeon immersed in her game, Park Eun-ha burst into her waiting room.
Seeing Seo-yeon intently playing without a break, she widened her eyes.
“That child has some insane stamina.”
Usually, it wouldn’t be strange for someone to lie down dead, but Seo-yeon had not stopped for a moment.
From Park Eun-ha’s perspective, playing games felt like laboring.
She hadn’t taken a break from school, nor missed filming.
And on weekends, she was busy at the action school.
Watching Seo-yeon like this, she truly seemed like someone born to be an actor.
“Is something wrong?”
Pausing her game, Seo-yeon asked, and Park Eun-ha nodded belatedly.
“Ah, yeah. It’s something really good.”
“Something good?”
“You got an advertisement! An ad!”
Advertising.
It goes without saying, but advertisements are considered a measure of popularity for entertainers.
Getting an advertisement means you are a recognized celebrity.
Yet Seo-yeon already landed her second ad!
Even though she had regrettably turned down one, the second one came right after.
‘So far, her only notable appearance has been on [If Turned On, Then the King].’
Still, she received this much in ad offers.
Her play was successful, but that wasn’t particularly attractive to advertisers.
It meant that Seo-yeon’s topic—her buzz—was what charmed them.
From [Past, Looking At Memories] and [If Turned On, Then the King], her allure had made an impact.
“…Please tell me it’s not another gaming controller ad.”
Since she had already turned one down.
With a dubious expression, Seo-yeon inquired, and Park Eun-ha shook her head.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that! You’ll actually like this one.”
“Really?”
So, what on earth could this advertisement be?
Until now, Seo-yeon had shot two commercials.
Both when she was a child actor.
One was for soybean milk, and the other for a children’s nutritional supplement.
Especially for the children’s nutritional supplement ad, Seo-yeon had come back after declaring her break, so it created quite a buzz.
Naturally, the supplements flew off the shelves… and the advertisers even asked if Seo-yeon could shoot another ad.
And now, this would be her third.
What kind of ad could it be? Seo-yeon was secretly excited for the reveal.
“It’s a cosmetics ad!”
“……”
In fact, for women entertainers, a cosmetics commercial serves as proof of their appearance and popularity.
Only genuinely popular idols or actresses land these kinds of roles.
And if someone isn’t pretty, a cosmetics ad doesn’t come their way.
For Seo-yeon to receive a cosmetics advertisement was indeed unusual.
It’s likely they were investing in her potential rather than her current popularity.
But…
“C-cosmetics?”
Seo-yeon felt a bit taken aback by the ad.
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