Chapter: 70
After the highlight shoot of The Chaser, there was a brief pause.
Since they had filmed so much in one go, the remaining scenes could be taken a bit slower.
Director Bae Jin-hwan decided to take a break rather than shooting everything right away.
“Seoyeon, you’ve really thrown yourself into your acting lately. Let’s take it easy for a bit.”
This was Bae Jin-hwan’s considerate gesture, mindful of Seoyeon’s potential mental fatigue from method acting.
With no urgent scenes to shoot, there was no need to push the actor unnecessarily.
‘It’s not like I’m all that tired, though.’
That thought crossed her mind, but she was honestly grateful.
She had plenty to do outside of filming too.
And now she kind of liked that they were calling her ‘Seoyeon-ya’ instead of ‘Seoyeon-sshi.’
After all, older folks seemed to quite like her…
…It was just awkward around her peers.
‘But that’s just a matter of time.’
Seoyeon nodded to herself.
Now that they were preparing for the school festival, she’d have plenty of opportunities to chat with the kids.
Chatting occasionally would naturally lead to joking around and swearing, and they’d become friends.
It was perfect.
Then Lee Ji-yeon wouldn’t be able to mock her for having no friends anymore.
Yeah, Ji-yeon…
“……”
Seoyeon grabbed her head.
Ah, she had forgotten.
She meant to ask about that virtual YouTuber thing and how it even happened.
And what about that magician?
‘After focusing on Chae Seo-ah lately…’
There was still about a week until Ramiel’s first broadcast.
It was kind of a monumental event, wasn’t it?
She didn’t want to mess with it before it even started.
That would be like scratching a sore spot for no reason.
Especially since it was oriented around Ramiel’s first huge debut.
‘Honestly, I don’t know this person named Lee Ji-yeon.’
Maybe it would be best to watch the broadcast with that mindset.
No, that was correct but…
Ramiel’s Channel
Subscribers: 325.
Seoyeon squinted at that number.
While it was a small count, considering they hadn’t even had a proper broadcast yet, it felt absurdly high.
It was probably due to the impressive modeling and the magician she was broadcasting with.
‘……’
Seoyeon felt a bit sulky.
Ji-yeon had told the magician but hadn’t said a word to her.
‘…I really should go to that voice acting academy.’
Definitely after Ramiel’s first stream.
She didn’t particularly plan on doing anything special.
Going to the academy might give her some clues about Ji-yeon’s sudden interest in being a virtual YouTuber.
That was all.
*
At the Éclat Étoile advertisement filming site.
In truth, it wasn’t much of a filming site.
Most of it was going to be handled through graphics anyway.
Just ensuring the lighting and the green screen backdrop were in order was sufficient.
“Hee-bin, you really can’t be late today.”
“You’re telling me! She looked like she was dying to leave from the last ad!”
The actress, who had just skyrocketed to fame with a recent J-drama, had seemed quite uninterested the last time they filmed an ad together.
It was as if she was screaming, ‘I want to quit this washed-up brand ad!’
Although, she never actually said those words aloud.
Still, it’s often possible to gauge a person’s thoughts through their attitude and expressions.
If she reacted that way back then, how much worse was it now that she was riding high on popularity?
Some of the staff were already worried about the upcoming shoot.
“Oh, didn’t you hear? The model’s switching for this one!”
At that moment, a young staff member chimed in.
“What?”
“They’re saying Song Hee-bin is out, and they’re bringing in a different actress!”
“A different actress? Who? They said they didn’t have the capacity to swap actors, so was that all a lie?”
“I heard it’s Joo Seoyeon. You know, the child actor from The Sun Hidden by the Moon.”
“A child actor?”
“Oh, of course, she’s grown up nicely now. The Sun Hidden by the Moon was ages ago…”
“That’s right. Wasn’t that already ten years back?”
“Ten years? Wow, how time flies!”
Joo Seoyeon.
The moment they heard that name, several staff members reacted with an “Ah!”
She’d just made a grand return in Looking Back at the Past and was a familiar figure to those in the online community from Once a King: The Joo Seoyeon Episode.
“Ah, she had quite a few articles about her comeback recently. …But what else is there?”
“I saw that play she was in; it was no joke!”
One of the female staff members raised her hand and giggled.
The staff who often enjoyed plays and musicals knew a thing or two about her.
‘She’s already been busy with so much.’
Her announcement of a comeback from Looking Back at the Past was just the other day.
Yet, the staff knew so much about her through various channels.
It was fascinating for them.
That included Do Hyeong-tae, the director for this commercial.
‘Plays, variety shows, and now an ad.’
She’s living a busy life.
Her recognition might not be that high yet, but is this talent showing through?
Or perhaps there’s someone backing her up.
A young director in his thirties, Do Hyeong-tae found himself wondering.
Even if Song Hee-bin had bailed, Éclat Étoile wasn’t a small company.
This ad was certainly not just some mediocre job.
They surely had tons of actors waiting in line for it.
So, picking Joo Seoyeon meant she must have some connections or some outstanding talent.
‘Maybe they’ve seen a future investment? Nah, commercials aren’t messin’ around.’
Every now and then, someone goes all-in on a gamble thinking it’ll be a sure hit!
But it’s not that easy to pull off.
Commercials typically feature someone’s face for several months.
Thus, the model is the face of the brand.
Choosing an unknown actor would mean a loss for the brand, so a hasty ‘investment’ strategy isn’t feasible.
Of course, exceptions do exist.
‘Well, I hope she behaves herself.’
Whether she has a strong backing or it’s a future investment, either way, that would put a bit of pressure on the actress.
Especially since Joo Seoyeon isn’t exactly old here.
‘Seventeen? Wow, so young, and she’s working hard.’
Honestly, that was also a concern.
Seventeen.
Éclat Étoile was, of course, a cosmetics brand targeting adult women.
But girls in their teens would undoubtedly still have some youthful charm.
The kind of ‘cuteness’ that adult women desire, not just the ‘beauty’ they seek.
There’s a saying that teens have makeup suited for their age, right?
So, it’s quite possible that her youthful looks might not even suit the makeup properly.
‘Of course, the advertisers would’ve considered that…probably.’
Yet, just because someone’s an expert doesn’t mean they consider everything.
In any case.
‘She probably has quite the wind in her sails.’
With so much activity already, it wouldn’t be strange if she was full of hot air.
She was a child actor who had hit it big from an early age.
It was a prejudiced assumption, but it was hard to imagine someone with a great personality.
Especially considering how Song Hee-bin had inflated her own ego.
“When is Joo Seoyeon supposed to arrive?”
“Oh, she’s already here. Makeup’s done too.”
“Really? She got here faster than I thought.”
Do Hyeong-tae checked the time.
They still had about thirty minutes before shooting.
Considering Song Hee-bin’s frequent tardiness, this was quick.
If you counted makeup, she probably arrived at least an hour early.
“She mentioned she came early just in case makeup took longer than she thought.”
“Hmm…”
In response to another crew member’s comment, Do Hyeong-tae crossed his arms.
Was she genuinely diligent? That would be nice.
Suddenly, about ten minutes later, the doors to the set opened.
The gazes of the staff, who had just finished prepping for the shoot, all turned to the entrance.
They were eager to see the face of the new advertisement model—all while knowing that she didn’t have much recognition yet.
“……”
For a moment, the staff’s movement froze.
Even Do Hyeong-tae, fiddling with his cigarette in his pocket, halted.
The first thing to catch the eye was her long black hair.
Then came the reddish-brown eyes.
Her porcelain skin, made flawless by makeup, was near indistinguishable from natural beauty.
One thing was sure, though: her makeup was on point.
They had heard she was only seventeen, but upon seeing her all dolled up, she exuded the beauty of an adult actress.
That struck Do Hyeong-tae impressively.
“Hello, I’m Joo Seoyeon. I hope to do well in today’s shoot.”
Then she bowed gracefully.
“A.”
Do Hyeong-tae let out a short gasp.
‘This is… interesting.’
What do they call it? Bottom buying? Future investment?
‘Looking promising enough.’
With that kind of appearance.
Éclat Étoile—a brand name fittingly linked to ‘shining stars.’
Song Hee-bin faded from his memory.
‘Wow… what a gem.’
It’s often said actors emanate an aura that makes them different from ordinary people.
Do Hyeong-tae had seen plenty of actors over the years.
Many of them genuinely conveyed that feeling.
Song Hee-bin had that too, somewhat.
But Joo Seoyeon?
This actress felt distinctly different.
Suddenly everything made sense about why she had made waves since childhood.
“It’s a pleasure. I’m Do Hyeong-tae, the director for today’s shoot.”
Breaking from his usual cynical demeanor, he extended his hand first.
At the same time, he thought to himself.
It seemed this advertisement was going to make a rather impressive mark on his career.
*
Three days until the Yeonhwa High School festival.
Preparations for the festival were reaching the final phase.
Especially since Seoyeon’s class was handling a large-scale project, there was a veritable mountain of work ahead.
Even students who weren’t particularly interested had to pitch in.
Had it been a school devoted to academics, it would likely have become a topic of discussion.
“…Um, uh, um…”
A girl was stuttering, unable to get her words out in front of Seoyeon.
In her hand was the makeup needed for the character.
No, not just makeup, more like full-on character transformation.
Caught off guard by Seoyeon’s blank stare, the girl stood frozen.
And for good reason.
“Are you sure you want to remove all that makeup on your face?”
Seoyeon was currently decked out in makeup.
No, it would be more accurate to call it character makeup.
‘Well, as the ad model, I guess I should use the brand’s products.’
Of course, that applied to Seoyeon too.
While not a strict rule, it felt like her duty as the commercial model.
In this area, she was notably diligent.
Even though makeup felt a bit awkward, since she was getting four hundred million won for this ad, she had to keep representing it.
‘What if someone teases me saying, “Don’t you use Éclat Étoile’s products while wandering around bare-faced”?’
Seoyeon was highly image-conscious.
She needed to avoid unnecessary gossip.
In any case.
‘…What should I say?’
The girl in front of her had an incredibly apologetic expression.
Seoyeon pondered deeply.
Should she go with a cool ‘Just remove it’ or a kinder ‘It’s okay’?
‘This doesn’t feel right…’
Everyone else was happily chatting while doing each other’s makeup.
It felt odd.
She had a perfectly nice time chatting with the makeup lady who had made her up before.
Maybe her communication skills were at fault?
She briefly considered that before shaking her head.
At least, she didn’t feel that way in her acting career.
Was it possible she struggled because she had no experience making friends since her past life?
‘…I’ll just make up for it when I practice my ghost role later.’
That thought crossed her mind as she watched the girl nervously wiping her face.
There was still plenty of time before the festival.
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