Chapter: 87
Dream Future.
A youthful romance drama featuring young actors and, well, kids.
The basic plot revolved around the journey of those participating in an idol audition program as they strive for their big debut.
Including the main characters Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha, there were a total of six lead characters.
“But it’s an idol-themed show. Aren’t the actors going to be okay? Don’t they have to dance and sing too?”
Myeon-woo casually tossed that out with a smile.
Currently, three out of the six lead roles were played by actors.
Seoyeon, Park Jung-woo, and Hwang Seol-ah.
Among them, Hwang Seol-ah had appeared as a supporting character twice in cable dramas.
Her experience wasn’t extensive, and this was, in fact, her first appearance in a public broadcast drama.
Myeon-woo’s remark rubbed her the wrong way.
“But let’s not forget this is a drama, okay?”
Her voice shot back like a bullet.
To be honest, Hwang Seol-ah never liked Myeon-woo from the get-go.
Just X.
Ah, right. She was aware that he was a popular idol.
When it came to popularity comparisons, he might actually be on par with the rather dignified Park Jung-woo seated over there.
But idol and actor popularity were worlds apart.
Idol fandoms tended to be more volatile, with a much thicker fan base.
In fact, you could say Jung-woo had quite a dedicated fan following.
“Singing and dancing can be practiced, but acting isn’t as easy.”
At her declaration, another actor from an idol background piped up.
Aiden, a half-Canadian idol, let out a chuckle.
“It sounds like you’re saying acting can’t be learned easily, while singing and dancing is a piece of cake.”
His tone was relatively calm, but underneath, tensions were bubbling.
Cha Na-hee, seated beside him, shifted nervously, clearly affected by Hwang Seol-ah’s comment.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Director Kim Pil-seok found himself slightly flustered.
Everyone being of similar age, he thought this would be a great opportunity to bond.
But having a mix of idols and actors stirred up a strange rivalry.
‘If I step in, this situation will only fester.’
The director’s authority was absolute here.
So, if he spoke up, the others might just zip it.
But would that resolve the conflict? Absolutely not!
So…
“Now, if I may ask, Jung-woo!”
He decided to subtly put a mediator in the mix.
At Kim Pil-seok’s pointed gaze, Jung-woo let out an exasperated breath at the realization of his predicament.
‘That’s putting it lightly.’
This wasn’t exactly a conflict that could be resolved quickly.
It seemed wiser to calmly approach each other’s perspectives.
As Jung-woo was about to open his mouth, Seoyeon interjected.
“Let’s have a showdown!”
“?”
Jung-woo shot a bewildered look at Seoyeon, who had raised a hand as if summoning attention.
Instantly, the previously noisy surroundings fell eerily silent.
“Actors with dance and song. Idols with acting.”
Was she out of her mind?
Jung-woo wanted to remark, but he found himself silenced by the strangely sparkling eyes Seoyeon possessed.
‘What does she even mean by that?’
So, essentially, did Seoyeon just suggest that the losers should listen to the winners?
‘Nah, that can’t be it.’
Those bright, innocent eyes probably meant she just lacked some insight there.
‘Did she mean to settle this with skills and then reconcile afterward? Something like that?’
Thinking it through made a bit of sense.
It was a rather naive notion.
Strange and absurd, sure.
He almost interrupted her, but…
“Wow, that sounds awesome!”
Myeon-woo jumped in with enthusiasm, operating under the impression that he was a total clueless bear.
“Let’s see who wins at dance and song. But how?”
“Oh, well…”
Seoyeon fell silent.
She hadn’t anticipated taking it that far.
She merely spoke out of the ancient belief that kids bond through friendly fights.
“Oh, this is great!”
Just then, Director Kim Pil-seok interjected, interrupting the tension with his cheerful demeanor.
“Oh, I’ll make the arrangements for that. Hey, smart thinking, Seoyeon!”
Everyone stared blankly at the director, completely lost in his words.
They simply couldn’t grasp what he was trying to get at.
Even Park Jung-woo was seriously taken aback this time.
Only Seoyeon had a triumphant smile on her face, thoroughly pleased with herself.
Jung-woo sighed at her expression, wishing he could give her a playful smack on the head.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
Director Kim Pil-seok was a young director who was well-connected, frequently mingling with variety show producers.
To put it nicely, he had a more open-minded perspective than the average director; conversely, he didn’t always adhere to traditional industry norms.
“Well then, let’s have a few more discussions today, and then we’ll call it a day. I’ve got some things to attend to.”
With a laugh, Director Kim Pil-seok left behind several staff members and Jung-woo, vanishing like a magician.
And so,
“……”
“……….”
An awkward silence descended once more.
Amidst Myeon-woo’s intermittent cheerful babbling, Jung-woo held his head in despair, considering this was how the first day of Dream Future concluded.
*
All said and done, after that first meeting wrapped up, Jung-woo gave Seoyeon a lecture on the way home.
He cautioned her to watch her words from now on.
He knew that Seoyeon wasn’t about to pit anyone against each other. Still, it could easily be misconstrued.
His advice came from genuine concern, but…
‘Isn’t it normal for the winners to call the shots?’
With her fiercely primal logic, Seoyeon had a point there.
The weaker party really should heed the stronger’s words; who did they think they were?
“Barbaric.”
Lee Ji-yeon deemed Seoyeon’s logic to be rather savage.
That was the extent of Joo Seoyeon’s socially-driven mindset.
“So what’s the plan then?”
“I heard we’re supposed to get an update today.”
It was about time for them to reach out.
Having finished filming The Chaser, Seoyeon had no other tasks lined up and was simply attending school.
There was still about a month left for shooting Dream Future.
And as for Dream Future, the shooting schedule wasn’t overly demanding.
To begin with, Jo Ha-rin’s role didn’t require too many appearances.
‘Roughly around the time episode 6 goes live, The Chaser will premiere.’
Since they were filming a bit ahead, that would mean episode four would have aired by then.
“Seems like it’s going to be tough.”
“Not really that tough.”
“Not you.”
“?”
Seoyeon’s light-hearted comment made Ji-yeon feel somewhat pitiful.
It was exhausting trying to manage someone like Jung-woo, someone whose wild behavior was just short of a primitive animal.
Bzzz.
The message came through just as school was letting out.
“Web promotion?”
“Yes, that’s what they said.”
A call from manager Park Eun-ha reached Seoyeon.
She sounded a bit excited as she explained.
“They’re thinking it’ll be more like a web variety show. Apparently, it was prompted by something you suggested earlier.”
‘My suggestion?’
That remark reminded Seoyeon of the incident during which she got scolded by Jung-woo and labeled a barbarian by Ji-yeon.
‘Look at that. I knew this was the right call.’
With a triumphant expression, Seoyeon glanced at Ji-yeon, who looked utterly baffled by her demeanor.
“They’re going to split into teams to carry it out. The voting will be through an online poll. It won’t be aired on TV, only available online.”
“Online broadcasting?”
“Yep, that’s right.”
Slowly but surely, online broadcasting was becoming mainstream.
Before long, public attention would shift from terrestrial broadcasting to the web and then to OTT platforms.
That change was probably just around the corner.
Given this transitional phase, they aimed to promote through online broadcasting.
‘Seems like a good move to garner interest in Dream Future as well.’
After all, Dream Future was a youth romance drama targeting a younger audience.
If they were promoting online, it meant utilizing every possible resource for advertising during the campaign.
Online broadcasting would definitely be one of them.
“Speaking of explanations…”
Manager Park Eun-ha calmly laid out what she knew.
First, they would split into two teams for competition.
Those on the winning side would receive prizes through a lottery.
“The winners would take home all the cash generated from this promotional variety!”
“Not exactly a large amount, is it?”
“Right. But for the actors, merely gaining recognition is a huge perk.”
They probably didn’t need to offer anything substantial.
At the end of the day, it was the message of competition that mattered.
However…
“So, it’ll be actors against idols, then?”
“Well, kinda. But the teams won’t be strictly divided into idols and actors.”
What does that even mean?
She pondered quietly.
The team compositions were roughly like this.
It would be a mix of actors on the actor’s team and idols on the idol’s team.
“Basically, one idol on the actor team and one actor on the idol team.”
This would create an avenue for mutual learning.
“And Seoyeon, you’re on the idol team.”
The manager’s words caught Seoyeon completely off-guard.
*
Thus began the promotional activities for Dream Future, garnering more enthusiasm than expected.
To put it plainly, both of the most widely recognized individuals among the youth were now team leaders.
On the actors’ side, the team leader was Park Jung-woo.
On the idol side, it was Myeon-woo.
In fact, this promotional effort was particularly fitting, given Dream Future was essentially an idol drama.
Moreover, the drama was set to be aired in real-time through both public broadcasting and web platforms.
So, it was like a live joint performance.
They were conducting a preliminary promo to kick things off.
“Yooah! Myeon-woo, you hit the jackpot!”
The Just X members were congratulating Myeon-woo with playful pats on the back.
“Show that arrogant brat what’s what!”
Among those playful pats was the group’s leader, infamous for his drug accusations set to arise exactly a year later.
The so-called ‘drug-using idol,’ leader of Just X, no less.
“Right, hyung. Honestly, I think you can wipe the floor with them with your acting too.”
And the guy who would later be known for hitting six pedestrians drunk driving said that.
“Uh-huh.”
Myeon-woo felt a surge of motivation from their comments.
And then he asked, “By the way, hyung, that Joo Seoyeon? I heard she’s in the same team. Is she really pretty?”
“Ah, well. I guess she is.”
True, she was pretty, but…
Myeon-woo couldn’t shake his concern.
After all, this was the day they first met because of Dream Future.
“Is it cool if I talk casually to you, Seoyeon?”
He had chased after her for an answer at the moment they were parting.
Because the way she had been chatting with Park Jung-woo caused his brows to furrow.
However, Seoyeon had unexpectedly returned a pleasantly surprised response.
To be precise, she was thankful that he broke the awkwardness of the reprimanding she had been receiving.
“Not a chance.”
“……”
“Hmmm, but if I say no outright, that’d be rude.”
She raised her arm.
“I’ll acknowledge you if you can win in arm wrestling.”
Arm wrestling? Suddenly?
Myeon-woo chuckled at Seoyeon’s proposal.
Oh, was she perhaps hinting that she wanted to hold hands?
“Yes, yes, let’s do it.”
“No, wait…”
Jung-woo seemed poised to intervene, but Myeon-woo shook his head as if to say, “Leave it alone.”
Given how it looked, perhaps Seoyeon was keen on keeping her turf off-limits.
“Alright! Let’s have a match!”
With exuberance echoing in the air, the outcome was…
“By the way, didn’t you almost break your arm last time? Wasn’t it someone who hit you?”
“Uh, nope, not at all.”
Honestly, he was just relieved that his arm hadn’t broken from that encounter.
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