Chapter: 88
When the web promotion for Dream Future first came out, the reaction was honestly a bit lukewarm.
Given that it was released online, that response was somewhat expected.
But then…
“Wait, is Ma Yeon-woo from Just X in this?”
“Really? No way!”
The power of idol fandom isn’t something to sneeze at.
Especially when it’s about Just X, the hottest idol group around.
News that Ma Yeon-woo from Just X would be appearing sparked interest, and gradually people started to wonder how the web promotion would unfold.
“They say it’s actor versus idol, right?”
“They have one actor on the idol team and one idol on the actor team. Guess that’s how it’ll go.”
“The battles will be acting and singing? I can also dance.”
Such chatter could be overheard even at Yeonhwa High School, where Seoyeon was enrolled.
“Should I talk to her?”
“You go ahead.”
The female students exchanged glances.
Among them was the usually quiet Joo Seoyeon.
Even before she became an actress, she was the kind of girl that was hard to approach, and now it felt even more daunting. They had barely gotten closer since the festival.
Then…
“Se, Seoyeon!”
A brave girl finally spoke up.
“……”
Seoyeon slowly lifted her gaze.
Mind you, they were classmates, but they had never really talked properly before.
They froze up looking at her.
‘Wow, she’s unbelievably pretty.’
An actress is still an actress.
Just her upright posture and the aura she exuded made it hard for them to strike up conversation.
Plus, she always had this expressionless face.
Of course, Seoyeon was just as frozen in that moment.
‘Why?’
Why were they suddenly trying to talk to her?
Despite being active in variety shows and films, she had never experienced anything like this before.
“Um, are you really going to appear on the broadcast with Ma Yeon-woo from Just X?”
Lucky for the brave one, she got a response.
Seoyeon slowly nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Then, please, can I have your autograph? Just one! Please!!”
To that eager plea, Seoyeon shrugged it off as no big deal.
“Sure.”
“Really?”
Seoyeon’s simple reply brightened the girl’s face.
Then…
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, girls started lining up in front of Seoyeon.
They were all there to collect autographs from Just X.
‘Was I this popular?’
In that moment, Seoyeon pondered.
Just X.
The idol group that would explode in fame just a year later.
She had only thought of it as a group, but their recognition was apparently more impressive than she had anticipated.
‘Jung-woo didn’t have this many fans.’
Actors have fans, sure, but not this crazy kind of fandom.
At least not in Korea.
Thus, Seoyeon found herself bombarded with requests to sign everything.
Plain notebooks, clothes, you name it.
“…What’s going on?”
Upon arrival at the filming location, Ma Yeon-woo politely asked.
Surprised by his demeanor, Seoyeon tilted her head.
“I was wondering if it’d be okay to ask you for a favor?”
“A favor?”
“Yeah.”
Seoyeon said this while plopping down her load with a thud.
Ma Yeon-woo lost his words in an instant.
Did she bring all that to the filming location?
He swallowed hard.
Indeed, he hadn’t been wrong when he thought that he had lost in arm wrestling.
“I have a small favor to ask. You can definitely say no, though.”
“Y-yeah.”
Did she just say he could refuse?
Ma Yeon-woo looked at her belongings.
Though the quantity wasn’t outrageous, it certainly appeared to be more than enough for a high school girl to haul around.
‘Oh, it’s not as much as I thought.’
Just a bunch of random stuff mixed together, which made it look heavy.
But ordinarily, he would have refused without a second thought.
‘Getting too many signatures makes you lose prestige.’
That was the mindset of Ma Yeon-woo.
If his signature becomes common, doesn’t that lower its value?
So he typically refrained from signing as much as possible.
But—
“Can’t I?”
“……”
Seoyeon’s question, delivered in a tone that had no hint of uncertainty, left Ma Yeon-woo unable to utter a word of refusal.
Each time he heard her voice, pain shot through his right arm.
‘Am I causing trouble?’
Seoyeon reflected on it.
In her excitement to fulfill her friends’ requests, she’d dragged some things from other classes as well.
She had planned to return home quietly upon refusal, but—
“Of course, I’ll do it.”
Ma Yeon-woo nodded willingly.
Not because his sore right arm was the reason, but genuinely.
‘Cough, I have to work with the same team eventually, so this is manageable.’
Just X.
He felt pride in that group.
And he had an idol’s pride, so honestly, he didn’t want to lose.
Yes, he needed to act, but dancing and singing were still main elements.
Losing there?
His pride would likely be wounded so badly he might not sleep for a while.
And it wasn’t just Ma Yeon-woo who felt that pressure.
Chae Na-hee also shared his sentiment.
‘Joo Seoyeon.’
Even Chae Na-hee struggled to understand Seoyeon.
Leaving aside the “Let’s have a one-on-one match” comment, she questioned the casting decision itself.
‘Why am I cast as Song So-ha?’
During the auditions, the order was set such that those coming later could watch how earlier participants performed.
Chae Na-hee tried to sneak in a question about the auditions to a later idol who had just been chosen after Seoyeon, and she replied:
“Everyone seemed to want to cast Song So-ha.”
There was simply no comparison when it came to acting skill.
The gulf between actors and idols was that substantial.
However, that didn’t mean Na-hee couldn’t sing and dance, either.
“She was passable with singing but could practically soar with her dancing.”
Since that idol was on friendly terms with Na-hee, her words were likely genuine.
For Na-hee, even an idol could recognize the level at which Seoyeon danced.
She could sing well enough, and her performance level was decent; so it wouldn’t be surprising if she were cast as Song So-ha.
‘It might be due to her recognition, but…’
Currently, Seoyeon was only busy with one theater project, along with some variety shows and commercials.
It wasn’t that she was entirely obscure, but to the public, she might still be a bit unfamiliar.
Most of what the public knew was just her past glory.
But did Na-hee have outstanding recognition? Absolutely not.
‘Why did I concede?’
Thus, Na-hee could only assume that Joo Seoyeon yielded her role as Song So-ha.
Seoyeon felt a bit flustered at Ma Yeon-woo and Na-hee’s gaze.
‘Why is everyone looking at me?’
The place where Seoyeon stood was the filming set.
In other words, it was the set for the “idol team” set up for this promotional variety segment.
Leading the idol team was Ma Yeon-woo, with members Chae Na-hee and Joo Seoyeon.
It was a rather puny lineup for what they called a team.
After all, there were only six lead roles in total.
‘One actor on the idol team and one idol on the actor team.’
Naturally, Park Jung-woo was leading the actor team.
The idol team was indeed led by Ma Yeon-woo, whose reputation overshadowed his qualities.
‘The two roles, Park Min-yul, portrayed by Ma Yeon-woo and the character I’m playing, Jo Ha-rin, have no distinct weight, so we’ve got to include Na-hee, whose role is Song So-ha as a member.’
Seoyeon glanced towards a corner of the set where cameras were filming everything.
Today was a recording day.
And soon, the competition would be broadcast live.
“Anyway!”
Ma Yeon-woo clapped his hands, needing to steer the command as their leader.
“First and foremost, we’re the idol team, right? We need to win in singing and dancing.”
In their specialized areas, they had to come out on top.
This match ruled out draws—only a clean win would suffice.
“So, Seoyeon, how’s your singing?”
At those words, Seoyeon stared blankly at him.
“Feel free to say whatever.”
“Yeah?”
This all came up so suddenly?
What was with her right arm yesterday, then?
“Only during the broadcast.”
“……”
Seoyeon whispered softly so the camera couldn’t catch her.
‘Why’s the character not glued to respect when they’re supposed to be casual?’
Since it was a variety show, they’d need to maintain a natural and entertaining vibe.
It seemed Ma Yeon-woo wasn’t accustomed to treating younger members casually.
Despite wondering how he hadn’t gotten into trouble earlier, there was a need for some compromise.
‘What…’
Ma Yeon-woo thought about objecting.
His character might have cheekily retorted and stormed off.
But the throbbing pain in his arm kept that urge in check.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Good. First, let’s see some acting.”
Seoyeon said this enthusiastically.
This was a contest, after all.
She definitely didn’t want to lose!
Even if it was to someone like Jung-woo!
‘…Isn’t the leader supposed to be me?’
Ma Yeon-woo pondered that confusion deeply.
How did he end up following a flow led by an actress rather than an idol?
She had seamlessly commandeered the atmosphere, making it awkward for him to join in.
“So, keeping in mind it’s a promotion, we’re presenting a few scenes from the show.”
And those scenes…
Seoyeon examined the assigned missions from the script.
Those scenes were all laid out for them in their scripts.
“……”
“……….”
Everyone remained silent, having read through the scenes.
Even Seoyeon, who once scanned the script eagerly, felt momentarily taken aback.
Was it the romance scenes that threw her off?
Not quite.
If that were the case, it’d be slightly awkward, but that was a different matter altogether.
‘Ah, so Dream Future is this kind of drama.’
She marvelled again about how they had pulled off over 20% viewership rating with such a theme.
*
Initially, the drama Dream Future gathered buzz solely because Ma Yeon-woo from Just X was involved.
But that buzz didn’t last long.
After all, it was a modest team of 3 vs. 3.
Moreover, as a pre-promotion for a youth drama, it was bound to dwindle quickly.
– I’ll still watch it.
– Joo Seoyeon is busy. Is she diving directly into a drama right after a movie?
Even within Joo Seoyeon’s fan community, which barely crossed 300 members, some chatter popped up.
Though they had no towering expectations.
Just a curiosity toward the character “Joo Seoyeon,” who was getting spotlighted in variety shows.
There was virtually no anticipation regarding the drama itself.
Then came the first episode of the web entertainment show.
– It’s already becoming dull.
– How long are we going to sit through meetings?
In the case of the actor team, their leader Park Jung-woo’s personality shone through as they strictly strategized to gain success in ‘acting skills.’ They performed some dancing and singing, but it wasn’t anything remarkable.
Next came the idol team.
– What’s that guy doing? Get him off!
– Can he just tone it down a bit?
Initially, Seoyeon’s appearance threw those watching into a frenzy.
After all, fans had mostly gathered to see Ma Yeon-woo, not actually compete.
As they began their rehearsal seriously, viewership numbers started to climb.
The internet broadcast chat was alight with comments.
– Whoa, Park Jung-woo can sing a bit!
– Why is that guy Yeon-woo acting all shy? He’s usually more outgoing!
The name that drew the most reactions? Seoyeon.
– Wait, what? Is Joo Seoyeon from an idol group?
– She dances really well.
– Is that really how she sings?
– That sounds just like how my little sister sings.
Seoyeon didn’t sing poorly by any means, but it simply paled in comparison to her dancing.
Once rehearsals wrapped up, reactions streamed in.
– Hmm…
– It’s still somewhat…
The opinions regarding that first episode were less than stellar.
Most viewers called it boring, but just when they thought it was over—
– What? It’s not finished yet?
As the final scene changed, they began to practice the actual dialogues that were crucial to the show.
This competition would judge who performed better in both acting and singing based on those two scenes.
“I, don’t think I can do this.”
Seoyeon stepped forward.
No, it was Joo Seoyeon, playing Jo Ha-rin who delivered that line.
“No matter how much I practice, my singing isn’t improving. At this rate, there’s no way.”
This was a part that introduced the character of Jo Ha-rin, who excelled in dance but struggled with her singing.
In a way, it felt like a perfect fit for Seoyeon.
Yet, Jo Ha-rin’s crush on Kim Si-hwan was, in many ways, a completed idol.
In terms of looks and skills—singing and dancing—he was a top idol.
Desiring to stand beside him, she desperately chased after but couldn’t quite bridge that gap.
“Ha-rin!”
Just then, a man approached the dejected girl.
Park Min-yul.
Just as Kim Si-hwan was Ha-rin’s unreciprocated crush, Min-yul harbored feelings for her.
Only, he didn’t express it for fear of imposing.
“You’re doing great! I’m right here!”
The usual cliched lines rolled off the script.
Naturally, the reaction in the chat wasn’t particularly kind.
– Haha, that’s sooo predictable.
– Are we heading towards a cliché? Grabbing a romantic triumph over personal trauma?
In that very moment…
“Look at me, Ha-rin!”
Suddenly, Park Min-yul burst into dance.
– Huh?
– Wait, why’s he suddenly busting out moves?
“Look at me! I couldn’t dance before either, but look how far I’ve come!”
– Please stop!
– Can’t he just talk?
The speed of the chat picked up suddenly.
But the dance didn’t stop.
Park Min-yul proclaimed,
“So you can do it too! You can sing!”
– Oh no…
But opposite the chat, the scene continued.
Jo Ha-rin, lifted her head, smiling faintly at Min-yul’s words.
– Oh no, what?
And with that, Jo Ha-rin opened her mouth.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
– Wait a moment.
– Oh my.
– What?
A cheerful backing track erupted.
And the moment Jo Ha-rin began singing, the melody split the air beautifully.
Carried along by that enchanting rhythm, Park Min-yul’s dance grew even more frenetic.
– We were wrong… Please, stop this!
Unsurprisingly, the combination of song and dance ignited a chat explosion.
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