Chapter: 55
The next day, Seoyeon hurried to school, forgetting her daily visit to the convenience store. She wanted to sneak a question to Lee Ji-yeon to confirm whether what she saw yesterday was true.
“Oh, Ji-yeon said she’ll be late this morning for a shoot…”
That’s right. Seoyeon squeezed her eyes shut. Thinking back, Ji-yeon was indeed busy.
She was filming a drama and swiftly gaining popularity, so it seemed she’d secured a CF deal too.
‘Plus, she’s become friends with PD Jeong Min-jae since Past, A Glimpse of Memories went live.’
Ji-yeon, unlike herself, had superb communication skills. It made sense how she became a popular VTuber in no time during her past life.
“…Okay, let me know when Ji-yeon arrives.”
Saying that, Seoyeon turned around and trudged off. Thanks to her, Ji-yeon’s former classmates suddenly found themselves the center of attention.
“What? What did she say?”
“I’m seeing her up close for the first time; her face is tiny! Is she really a celebrity?”
“Looks like even Ji-yeon is a celebrity now.”
The students chattered, awed. They had long forgotten about Ji-yeon, but now, with her showbiz streak, she was more recognizable than Seoyeon.
Sometimes, being too familiar with someone leads to forgetting some things. Couple that with the shock from Past, A Glimpse of Memories, and interest spiked!
“I wanna talk to her, but… she seems a bit intimidating.”
“She’s kind of scary if you think about it.”
There’s a saying that someone too pretty can be intimidating, and it suited Seoyeon perfectly. If she smiled, it might help, but she maintained a blank expression throughout.
Ji-yeon would probably tell her, “Just smile like you do at the convenience store!” but Ji-yeon wasn’t around to give that advice.
Fast forward to Fifth Period Physical Education. During a joint session with another class, Seoyeon finally got to see Ji-yeon.
“Just play dodgeball without going too hard. Be careful not to get hurt!”
As usual, the physical education hour involved dodgeball. It was practically a period of self-study in disguise.
How many students actually played dodgeball? Surprisingly, some put in serious effort since dodgeball often featured in the sports festival.
Since the school prioritized art and physical education, many students were quite confident in their athletic skills.
“I want to talk to her…”
Seoyeon, circling around without much luck, stumbled into the dodgeball game against her adjoining class. Deep in thought, she couldn’t help but notice Ji-yeon standing nearby, clearly exhausted after the morning shoot.
But directly opposite Seoyeon, a girl from Ji-yeon’s class was glaring sharply at her.
‘Joo Seoyeon.’
Even squeezed among other girls, her appearance stood out. Should she truly be called an actress?
‘But.’
The girl tightened her grip on the dodgeball in her hand. The Yeonhwa High School dodgeball team was a strong contender, always finishing in the top four at national competitions.
Though she was just a candidate, she was undoubtedly part of the dodgeball team.
‘I’ll show her what I’m made of.’
This wasn’t out of petty jealousy or anything. No, really!
It wasn’t that Seoyeon, who stole all the boys’ attention, bothered her. Or that she felt her senior from the dodgeball team had a crush on Seoyeon. Nope, none of that!
‘Now is my chance.’
As Seoyeon was about to engage with Ji-yeon, the girl prepared her throw.
“Huh!”
With all her might, she hurled the ball. Seizing the moment, Seoyeon was caught off guard, looking elsewhere.
Thwack!
“?”
It was so easy that Seoyeon caught it one-handed. The ball visibly squished under the pressure of her grip.
‘That can’t be right, her hands aren’t even that big!’
How was she able to catch that? How strong must her grip be? No, wait, she wasn’t even looking!
Just as this thought struck, WHAM!
“Gah!!”
The returning dodgeball smacked the girl squarely in the waist, sending her tumbling backward.
Not to mention, she barely had a chance to dodge!
Ji-yeon watched that unfold and thought, ‘…That girl is at it again.’
With three players down in one go, Seoyeon was glowing with pride.
Though her face looked unbothered, Ji-yeon could see the self-satisfaction oozing from her.
“Hmph.”
Seoyeon was truly reveling in her spectacular dodgeball skills, showcasing herself.
It was obvious she wanted to strut her stuff as cheers erupted from nearby students.
“I forfeit.”
“Eh?”
Ji-yeon calmly announced her decision to forfeit. After all, getting hit by one of Seoyeon’s throws was no joke.
*
“So, are you really going to be filming a movie?”
“Yep.”
After finishing their dodgeball match, the girls took a break, sitting side by side and chatting about their plans.
‘Am I only playing villains now?’
As Ji-yeon sat there quietly, Seoyeon fidgeted with her lips, attempting to bring up the subject of her YouTube channel. It wasn’t an easy task.
She could just ask directly, but…
‘Red pill!’
Seoyeon chewed on her lower lip. Bringing it up now would be as awkward as exposing her red pill moment.
Well, Ji-yeon was more of a blue pill kind of girl, but was it even confirmed she made a channel for being a VTuber?
Lost in thought, her eyes darted around when suddenly…
“And about variety shows…”
Ji-yeon spoke up before Seoyeon could.
“What do you think of cable variety shows?”
“Cable?”
“There’s nothing suitable for public broadcasting, and it can be pretty pressuring, right?”
Past, A Glimpse of Memories was technically a public broadcast variety show, but it barely got noticed.
Seoyeon was at the stage of returning after ten years as a child actress. She’d become a hot topic lately, but…
Honestly, she’d never done a proper variety show before, so yes, she felt pressure.
“Past, A Glimpse of Memories felt closer to a play than a variety show.”
‘Cable variety shows…’
A few options popped into Seoyeon’s mind. Though cable shows often leaned toward higher intensity or edginess.
Plus, would they really help soften her villain image? Hardly.
“Ah.”
Just then, a thought struck Seoyeon.
‘It hasn’t wrapped up yet, has it?’
There was a cable variety show that ended around now, which could potentially influence an actor’s image. It had been widely discussed in communities.
“Actually, there’s one show I’m thinking about…”
Wondering if it would be okay, she turned to Ji-yeon.
“…What is it?”
Ji-yeon shot back with interest.
And rightly so, considering the show Seoyeon wanted to join had been running for a whole decade on a cable gaming network!
*
With the casting for The Chaser confirmed, Seoyeon finally wrapped up her plans with her agency, Nova Entertainment.
Taking a deep breath with a hint of nerves during a rare outing with her mom.
“By the way, Seoyeon’s mom, how do you feel about this? I genuinely think there’s potential!”
“Oh my.”
Her mom awkwardly laughed at Kang Chan-yul’s words, who came to oversee Seoyeon’s contract.
…Was that a joke?
She considered it for a moment but seeing Kang Chan-yul’s serious expression made her rethink.
‘Sure, Mom looks great for her age, but…’
Glancing down at Sua, she saw the unmistakable features of their family.
Seoyeon redirected her gaze.
This time, her sight stayed focused primarily on herself.
It wasn’t particularly significant, or maybe…
‘……Am I destined to grow as big as her?’
It must be because of her genes!
She felt fine now, yet imagining her mother’s size raised worries for performing.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m too busy with household chores.”
“What a shame, really.”
Kang Chan-yul wore a genuinely disappointed expression.
With a mother and younger sister who possessed such mysterious beauty, it wasn’t surprising.
I mean, could anyone believe she was nearly forty?
At this rate, it was no wonder even passing actresses would stop to ask her about her skincare routine!
In any case, her mom wasn’t cut out for the entertainment industry.
Beyond looks, she didn’t mingle well with others.
Not like Seoyeon, of course.
“So, have you made many friends at school? Ah, excluding Ji-yeon, of course.”
“…”
“Hm? Is there an issue with your school life?”
Seoyeon froze at the sudden sharp question as if her thoughts were read aloud.
“That’s been hard to count on both hands.”
“Really?”
Unless Ji-yeon was excluded, telling the bare truth was easy. Kang Chan-yul nodded, satisfied.
“That’s important, maintaining good relations even if you miss class often. You get that, right?”
“Yes.”
“If your friends ever want to come over, let me know in advance. Kids definitely want to see some celebrities!”
“Y-Yeah, I can bring them next time. I promise.”
Oh no.
Seoyeon forced a dry smile as she pondered how this would unfold.
At least there was no set timeframe, and that gave her some comfort.
“Well then, that wraps it for now. This is Park Eun-ha, your new manager who will take good care of you moving forward.”
With that, Kang Chan-yul introduced the woman standing near him.
She looked to be in her late twenties, wearing a rather serious expression.
“She originally managed Hwang Min-hwa, so she knows the industry well, feel free to ask if you’re curious about anything.”
“Yes.”
Seoyeon replied while observing Eun-ha’s face.
Having been the manager of the top star Hwang Min-hwa, she’d likely take very good care of Seoyeon.
Yet it was puzzling.
‘Is she already preparing to leave?’
Usually, change of managers is rare unless something special occurs. It’s because, while working closely, switching up often carries its risks.
Plus, for a manager used to handling a top-level actor like Hwang Min-hwa, she seemed a bit too tense.
‘…I’ll need to investigate further later.’
There might have been a myriad of happenings behind Hwang Min-hwa’s transfer.
Thinking about it, it was quite unusual for an agency like Nova to let go of a superstar like Hwang Min-hwa.
‘Hmm.’
Seoyeon felt something was amiss regarding this transfer.
Of course, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, so she decided just to observe for now.
If something were off, it would surely come to light soon enough.
And then, two days later…
“Okay, everyone’s here, right?”
Director Bae Jin-hwan cast a glance over the gathered actors, beaming with satisfaction.
Especially when his gaze landed on Seoyeon, gleaming with strong expectations.
“So, let’s get started.”
Filming for The Chaser, the film that closed with a mere 2.5 million audience, was now kicking off officially!
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