Chapter: 112
—
“Na-hee, your acting was really great!”
Director Kim Pil-seok clapped his hands, and the staff stared at Chae Na-hee in surprise.
This was the first praise she received while filming Dream Future.
Up until now, the applause had seemed a bit forced, but this time it was different.
Everyone’s reactions.
And Na-hee even surprised herself as she reflected on her recent performance.
Could she really do it like this…?
‘Wait, was it really acting?’
As the heat that had warmed her body started to cool down, the recent live performance replayed in her mind.
A live broadcast, no rather, acting.
The moment Seoyeon stepped forward and began to sing,
she was supposed to downplay her presence or struggle with her acting, but instead…
“Is this okay?”
Na-hee felt like her essence was being stolen as Seoyeon poured all her energy into overshadowing her.
Acting? Yes, it was acting.
Seoyeon was a monster who could do just that while acting.
Na-hee could feel it.
But she wasn’t about to accept it.
Her pride as an idol just wouldn’t allow that.
“The stage was already set at that moment.”
She might have felt it instinctively.
The moment Seoyeon appeared, Na-hee and Song So-ha’s feelings could only sync up.
It was a scene that hadn’t existed in the original script.
Confusion and embarrassment.
Jealousy that had simmered for so long.
As soon as Seoyeon took the stage, it made ‘Chae Na-hee’ appear as ‘Song So-ha’.
“Is that what acting is like?”
Even while filming with Park Jung-woo, she’d felt something similar.
But Seoyeon’s acting was rougher and more instinctual.
It almost felt like she was forcibly pulling Na-hee into that flow.
Thanks to that, on this stage, Na-hee was undoubtedly Song So-ha,
and the applause that followed on stage began to resonate with the viewers.
“Did you catch episode 14 of Dream Future yesterday?”
“Wow, it was insane! Chae Na-hee as Song So-ha? What group was that? That live performance was unbelievable.”
“I’m so bummed Jo Ha-rin got dropped.”
The showdown between Jo Ha-rin and Song So-ha.
Honestly, it felt less like acting and more like a genuine idol competition.
In the story, the protagonist was Song So-ha.
In that sense, So-ha’s progression in the battle against Jo Ha-rin was quite striking.
And that video…
“Pfft, she was just playing with acting!”
“Right? Even you think so, right, sunbae?”
Lee Sang-soo and Song Gwang-min, who had appeared together on Star Fisher, discussed episode 14 of Dream Future.
It was a drama that didn’t quite suit them,
but there was something captivating about it that drew them in.
Before they knew it, they had watched the entire episode.
Especially episode 14 from the day before.
Anyone with a keen eye for acting would have picked up on it immediately.
“She effortlessly drew out her co-star’s emotions, and that means the viewers’ emotions moved too.”
“Exactly. If it had gone wrong, it could have turned into a very uncomfortable scene.”
“Definitely. That must have been an ad-lib.”
Rewinding the scene, the moment Seoyeon stepped forward, genuine feelings burst forth from Na-hee. But it was so naturally embedded in the situation that none of the viewers noticed it was an NG.
Annoyingly, that slip-up transformed its way into the flow of emotional change, and Na-hee became Song So-ha.
“At this age, that level of acting…”
“It would be hard to achieve without a deep understanding of other people’s emotions.”
How could she do that at her age?
Such thoughts crossed their minds.
Her emotional understanding was incredibly profound.
“It feels like she knows exactly how people react in specific situations.”
It seemed her actions were mechanically learned based on how others would display emotions.
It was absurd considering Seoyeon’s age, yet it felt that way.
“Sunbae?”
“Yeah?”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
Seoyeon had asked Sang-soo to watch 14.
Her intentions were quite clear.
“She’s trying to get our junior to pull this off.”
“……”
After failing in Hollywood, he had forgotten his passion for acting.
“The spark.”
Once, a close junior of his said, “Someone who has both starlight and a spark.”
Unfortunately, Sang-soo was the one with the spark.
An actor who could not shine on his own and would burn bright while acting.
But after being doused by the cold waters of reality, it became difficult for that spark to ignite again.
He could no longer find joy in films or dramas.
“Yet…”
The previous day, he felt the spark rekindle.
He had a strong desire to act again.
“Honestly, that’s what I was thinking.”
“Huh?”
“I thought I’d retire completely once Star Fisher finished.”
“!!”
Hearing his heartfelt thoughts for the first time, Gwang-min’s eyes widened.
Seeing him, Sang-soo smirked.
“But it seems I can’t really do that.”
The spark ignited by the young junior
glowed softly and beautifully.
And the one who blew that spark into flame asked,
“Could you teach me… a bit of singing?”
“……What?”
He was making a personal request from Na-hee.
—
Let’s rewind to the time when Seoyeon had been out shopping with Lee Ji-yeon.
Seoyeon wasn’t one to shop for clothes actively.
She mostly wore clothes her mom, Sua, picked out for her, so fashion had never really been her concern.
“Joo Seoyeon, why can’t you use that pretty face of yours?”
“I’m using it for acting.”
“……….”
“Sorry.”
Seoyeon quickly apologized, realizing her humorous response didn’t land with Ji-yeon’s sharp gaze.
Back then, she really didn’t think about clothes at all.
But more recently, hanging out with Ji-yeon had sparked a growing interest.
Seeing Seoyeon like that, Ji-yeon remarked a bit reluctantly,
“You strangely like skirts.”
“They’re comfy.”
“You’re probably the only one who finds skirts comfortable.”
Sure, they were comfy for her in some ways.
In an active sense, of course.
However, that meant they rode up with the smallest movement, making it not so easy after all.
“If you look closely, you might think she doesn’t really understand shyness.”
Sure, she occasionally seemed dull to emotions, but did she really not know?
In summer, they kept her cool, but in winter? Brrr.
But while Seoyeon mostly lived in school uniforms, she undoubtedly preferred skirts.
“This is probably all Sua’s influence.”
Honestly, when Seoyeon was younger, she only wore pants.
So at times, Ji-yeon found her preference strange, but Sua was determined to dress her that way.
“Hmm.”
However, Ji-yeon felt a bit uncomfortable with Sua’s influence.
That was all due to an incident in middle school.
“Wait, OST work?”
It was Seoyeon’s voice.
OST?
“What’s going on?”
“Um…”
Seoyeon pondered how to begin explaining.
Should she start with the part about possibly being the lead in the new drama?
“But…”
At this point, she sensed Ji-yeon’s feelings.
With the roles piling up for her, while Ji-yeon hadn’t secured anything decent since her cable drama.
She claimed she was taking a break, but…
“A new drama wants me to star.”
“That’s from your manager, right?”
“Yep.”
Originally, it was rumored to go to a different network.
The scriptwriter was Min Se-hee, who had yet to handle a significant piece.
But after Dream Future received rave reviews in its latter half, the higher-ups began to take interest.
It seemed to be another show with young actors in leading roles, and someone suggested airing it on KMB.
After hearing that, Min Se-hee might have requested Seoyeon for a lead role, and it was approved from the top.
“Plus, since you showcased a solid live performance in Dream Future…”
“They might have suggested you do the OST.”
Seoyeon tried to downplay her excitement while talking.
Fortunately, Ji-yeon didn’t seem to think much of it.
“What can you do?”
Of course, she wasn’t completely indifferent.
However, Ji-yeon knew Seoyeon well.
The little star.
She had been watching her grow and understood the vast differences between them.
Nonetheless, she couldn’t just leave it be, and her pride wouldn’t allow that.
“Gyeongseong Lady.”
The opportunity Jo Seo-hee had brought.
While it had been a generous thought to hand it over with the wish to act alongside Seoyeon, this was also a huge chance for Ji-yeon.
She genuinely appreciated Seo-hee for that.
“I must land that audition.”
Given Director Baek Min’s taste for artistic films, he assured the competition wouldn’t be too tough.
Still, no one knows what might happen.
“But Ji-yeon…”
“Yeah?”
“Can we possibly get another lesson from that magician? The one who collaborates with Ramiel?”
Surely she was referring to Han Da-young.
“That ‘person’?”
The oddly distant title made Ji-yeon tilt her head.
But the moment Seoyeon recalled how Da-young became prickly whenever the ‘magician’ collaborated with Ramiel, she burst into laughter.
The irony of asking to learn singing from someone who’s a magician.
“By the way, she went to Japan.”
“Huh?”
“She has a meeting set up with… a certain company over there.”
“Uh, for how long?”
“Looks like she’s not coming back this month.”
She thought about mentioning that it was a virtual YouTuber agency but decided against it.
After all, this was more related to the infamous red pill variety of gossip, anyway.
Funny enough, Seoyeon was quite meticulous when it came to these matters.
“……Really?”
Seoyeon felt a rush of surprise at Ji-yeon’s statement.
Could it be, before the OST, they were proposing to do some test recordings in the studio?
That day would be precisely two weeks from now.
If she bombed, the OST could be canceled.
“I really don’t want that.”
To be honest, she wanted to try her hand at it.
Every first-time venture always felt like a thrilling experience.
Above all, everyone kept raving about how well she could sing, so didn’t that just make her want to sing even more?
“If I become a virtual YouTuber, there will be lots of opportunities…”
Muttering that out like an excuse, Seoyeon started to indulge in the idea of working on the OST.
“Thinking about it, getting the OST means I’ve already signed up for the lead role.”
That felt a little too mindless to agree so easily.
But the audition for the action movie, planned by GH Group, still didn’t have a firm date,
and Gyeongseong Lady wouldn’t start filming for months either, so, technically, Seoyeon was quite free at the moment.
“Usually, in times like this, it’s common to shoot commercials or variety shows for a break.”
Manager Park Eun-ha pointed out, but Seoyeon wasn’t thrilled about that.
Her overflowing energy couldn’t be satisfied with mere commercials.
“What now…?”
She hesitated.
Wasn’t there anyone around who could lend her a hand?
It was at that moment she remembered someone—a recently made friend from their past filming! An idol she had grown close to!
—
“Customers?”
Rabin from the girl group ‘Summer Girls’ tilted her head at Na-hee’s words.
“Ah, yeah.”
Na-hee answered evasively.
Her position within the group was quite flimsy.
More accurately, her relationships were.
Due to her accidental rise in popularity from a variety show, she had hogged the spotlight,
and now, her broadcasting activities were on the rise the most.
With Dream Future, she proved her skills, leaving ‘Summer Girls’ behind to play catch-up.
As a result, there was a certain distance between Na-hee and the other members.
“Lucky to have become famous.”
Rabin frowned at Na-hee.
When she first debuted, Na-hee was at the bottom of the pecking order.
She was picked purely for visuals.
“Aside from her looks and voice…”
Rabin tried to think that way to justify her feelings.
“Bringing Na-hee along is probably no big deal.”
Na-hee tended to be rather timid among the members,
thoughtful and cautious in forming relationships with people, leading her to be surrounded by mostly boring folks.
“Okay, fine, whatever.”
So, the leader of ‘Summer Girls’ nonchalantly agreed.
The next day.
“Hello.”
“……”
A slightly stiff voice.
Long, straight jet-black hair and neat school uniform.
A white face that was so stunning it sent chills down one’s spine.
This is what an actress looked like.
And here stood Joo Seoyeon, the girl who had just risen to fame with The Chaser and now dominated the narrative in Dream Future, calmly greeting them.
And as she watched the startled faces of the others, Seoyeon thought,
“Wow, those legs are really slender.”
She mused that they could easily snap if kicked.
—
That’s the last episode registered.
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