Im Jin-ha, the writer, reduced Joo Ha-rin’s significance.
Joo Seo-yeon didn’t quite know the reason for it.
There could be various reasons why drama writers lessen significance.
Considering Park Jung-woo’s reactions, it didn’t seem to happen often.
“But.”
Seo-yeon wasn’t too bothered by Joo Ha-rin’s reduced significance.
After all, this role aimed to offset Cha Seo-ah’s image.
So, she thought the current level was enough.
Occasionally, Joo Ha-rin’s acting overlapped with Cha Seo-ah’s image, but that was fine.
It was funny too.
“Seo-yeon!”
“Yes?”
That was about the time Cha Na-hee, who played Song So-ha, spoke to her.
“I’m… lacking a lot in acting, right?”
“……Huh?”
“My significance has been reduced, you know.”
Cha Na-hee said that.
It seemed she thought it was due to Song So-ha overshadowing Joo Ha-rin.
Nope.
It looked like the writer had other intentions.
Seo-yeon wanted to say so, but she couldn’t mention that her own significance had actually increased.
She figured it would sound like an excuse to console herself.
“Could you help me a bit? I’ll make it work until the drama wraps up.”
Cha Na-hee was, after all, an idol.
Idols rarely get earnest when they act.
Well, they have their main jobs.
“Sure, I’ll help as much as I can.”
“Th-thank you!!”
What a good person.
She was clearly older but bending down like this to ask wasn’t easy.
– Song So-ha, is she the female lead?
– She has no presence, lol. At least she stands out when singing.
– Just make Joo Ha-rin the lead already.
– The director and the drama writer must be lacking in talent, y’know?
But even if Seo-yeon helped Cha Na-hee with acting, it wouldn’t immediately improve her skill.
Of course, she must have already learned from a proper coach, so dramatic improvement wouldn’t happen.
“…….”
Yet, seeing Cha Na-hee, Seo-yeon pondered many thoughts.
She reflected and realized.
“I wanted to avoid Joo Ha-rin’s acting.”
Acting from the perspective of loving another person.
To be honest, she lacked confidence in that.
Not having confidence meant she wasn’t really interested.
What a childish thought.
Though she claimed not to care about her roles as an actress.
Seo-yeon had pride as an actor.
She came to understand that thinking it’s okay if someone’s significance decreases was dismissive of Cha Na-hee.
“I want to see you act properly, Seo-yeon… like in the first episode.”
Cha Na-hee said with a smile.
Even while she was being criticized online.
She was strong.
Seo-yeon didn’t know much about Cha Na-hee.
Only that she was from a girl group and that group would soon disband.
And that she was the last member holding up the girl group as its leader.
Among the members of the girl group Cha Na-hee belonged to, only she remained active until the end.
Now Seo-yeon understood a bit why.
“……Yes, if I get the chance.”
Cha Na-hee smiled at Seo-yeon’s words.
And then:
“This upcoming stage scene is really important, understood?”
Joo Ha-rin’s significance suddenly increased.
Kim Pil-seok, the director, told Seo-yeon.
“Park Min-yul is dropping out, and Joo Ha-rin will take his place. Joo Ha-rin, who had absolutely no presence until now.”
That meant the 7th episode’s performance that had been lacking would need to fill in her presence from this single episode onwards.
“It’s a bit of a desperate request, but…”
Min Se-hee said while bowing her head.
Thus, the filming began.
Seo-yeon looked at Ma Yeon-woo on stage.
A top idol.
As Seo-yeon wished for a great actor, top actor for herself.
He was probably already at the highest point as an idol.
So she didn’t worry about his performance.
“Emotions…”
Seo-yeon took a deep breath.
It had been a while.
Grasping emotions properly.
Method acting.
She had deliberately kept it slightly aside for a long time.
Method acting is just a technique; it’s not particularly special.
It can provide immersion, but there’s no need to go that far.
It’s excessive.
Over-immersion can lead to awkwardness.
So, Seo-yeon, too, didn’t bother to utilize the emotionally recovering slow method acting.
But.
“Right now.”
It might not be special for others, but for Seo-yeon, it was a bit different.
It was the very first acting she did.
And it was the kind of acting that illuminated her emotions more than any other time.
Aligning her boiling emotions with the rhythm flowing from her surroundings.
The stage about to unfold.
The performance that Joo Ha-rin would showcase.
Seo-yeon felt Cha Na-hee watching her from below the stage.
She smiled at her.
As if smiling at the audience below.
“What Joo Ha-rin has towards Park Min-yul is still just a simple curiosity.”
A strange, flustered feeling.
Yet also the warmth spreading from her heart, which had started beating rapidly.
It was definitely that kind of emotion.
“Funny enough.”
Although Im Jin-ha, the writer, reduced Joo Ha-rin’s significance, it turned out to help.
Up until now, Joo Ha-rin had no significance, and the narrative with Park Min-yul was almost non-existent.
So now they would have to build it up.
Joo Ha-rin needed to convey to the viewers that wonderful feeling of unfamiliarity she had towards Park Min-yul.
Thus, Seo-yeon could empathize with Joo Ha-rin’s emotions.
For Seo-yeon, the affection of others was something unfamiliar and flustered.
And starting now, Seo-yeon would act that unfamiliarity.
That was the narrative, and it was the most radiant emotion Joo Ha-rin had to showcase from now on.
An acting so lovable that anyone would fall in love.
As a heroine.
“Wow.”
Cha Na-hee gaped as she watched Seo-yeon’s performance.
Brightly smiling, watching Seo-yeon dance on stage.
It felt like she was seeing a real idol.
“The feelings towards Park Min-yul.”
That wasn’t everything.
Now, as a rookie idol, that aspect emerged in her actions naturally.
It was obvious; being an actor, Seo-yeon would show a clumsiness as an idol.
She transformed that into acting.
Ma Yeon-woo was a professional who naturally masked Seo-yeon’s shortcomings.
So the stage was perfect.
It truly felt like a performance.
Maximizing her strengths while concealing weaknesses.
Watching the cheerful Seo-yeon, Cha Na-hee couldn’t take her eyes off.
As if she had come to a real concert.
The cheers of countless audience members.
It seemed to echo in her ears just as it had during her visits.
When the song stopped.
Seo-yeon high-fived Ma Yeon-woo, only then realizing it was over.
Finally recalling it had been acting.
That realization probably wasn’t just hers.
And, just as Cha Na-hee had anticipated.
[[Dream Future] returns with 15% viewership!]
[Following the hype of [The Chaser], [Dream Future] makes a successful rebound!]
Articles began pouring out.
*
“Did you watch Dream Future yesterday?”
“I didn’t like it at first, but it turned out to be more fun than I expected.”
“That actor from episode 7, isn’t he the murderer from [The Chaser]?”
“Really? They felt completely different!!”
“Right? I was surprised too!!”
Starting from episode 7, people began discussing [Dream Future].
Until now, it was just a unique drama aired simultaneously with an internet broadcast.
A novel attempt.
That was the impression.
“Joo Ha-rin, she’s crazy pretty.”
“I thought she was no joke in [The Chaser].”
“Wonder why they didn’t give her significance before; perhaps it was a bigger plan?”
“No way.”
It wasn’t uncommon to see people discussing the drama.
Movies and dramas.
Seo-yeon’s name began to be mentioned in both.
– lolol [Dream Future]’s writer stepped down.
– ??? Really??
– They said a new writer took over from episode 7? Apparently, the previous writer was in a power struggle and quit.
– They say it was also the writer who reduced Joo Ha-rin’s significance??
– lol Must be trying to kill it on purpose.
The internet buzzed with talk about writer Im Jin-ha.
There seemed to be someone among the staff spilling the beans.
Or.
“Hmph.”
Han Sun-ah scoffed as she typed the latest news.
An article about Im Jin-ha, reported from inside KMB.
The title of the article roughly said [Drama Writer’s Abuse Controversy: Is the Audience Not at Fault?]
Something along those lines.
“Oh, this seems a bit too clickbaity.”
Reflecting, Han Sun-ah rewrote the article.
In any case, she wasn’t going to let it slide quietly.
Thus,
After episode 7 aired, episode 8.
With Joo Ha-rin entering the top ten and meeting Song So-ha.
“Did it go up again? How much?”
“17%!! It went up by 2%!”
“Wow, that’s insane! Could we finally have a drama breaking 20% after so long?”
With the viewership trend steadily decreasing, a rating above 20% would signify a major hit.
[[The Chaser] surpasses 8 million! Can it hit 10 million?]
[[Dream Future] makes a delightful comeback! Closing in on 20% viewership!]
Following episode 9 of [Dream Future], and then episode 10.
As Song So-ha displayed her brilliance, the male lead Kim Si-hwan also came to realize his feelings.
Meanwhile, Joo Ha-rin randomly encounters Park Min-yul.
– Ah, it’s killing me.
– Song So-ha’s acting has really powered up, huh?
– It’s not Song So-ha; it’s Cha Na-hee!!
– Isn’t that pretty much the same? There’s a reason she’s the girl group’s leader.
– Lately, she’s been posting a lot of pics with Joo Seo-yeon on her Instagram.
– Are they close or something?
Cha Na-hee poured her all into it as well.
As the heroine Song So-ha, she was gradually appealing to the public about her significance.
– Joo Ha-rin and Park Min-yul are giving me tickles.
– Honestly, the romantic arc is frustrating, ㅠ
– That’s the good part for the uninitiated.
– I doubt it’ll last until the end.
– Honestly, if she liked Kim Si-hwan and immediately switched, it’d be lame.
– ㅇㅇ That’s the right attitude.
Discussions about [Dream Future] were fervently exchanged in the community.
Thus, viewership continued to rise.
YouTube play counts also surged.
[Ramiel’s broadcast]
“I recently watched a movie, The Chaser.”
“Oh, everyone knows that. It’s fun, huh?”
“I heard the same actor appeared and decided to watch Dream Future recently, and I was stunned.”
“It was such a different performance, I couldn’t believe it was the same actor.”
“……Honestly, I thought it was really amazing.”
“Ah, really? You think you’ve heard my voice somewhere? Cha, it must be a mistake.”
“Ahem, anyway, a recommendation from Ramiel: The Chaser and Dream Future!”
As various internet broadcasts highlighted it, the buzz only kept growing.
Those who hadn’t watched either [The Chaser] or [Dream Future] were few and far between.
“Joo Seo-yeon? This actress is appearing a lot these days.”
“I first saw her on a variety show; she was cheerful and fun.”
“But maybe because of Cha Seo-ah’s image, she seems a bit scary. Like, she might show up holding an axe.”
“Haha, that’s valid.”
So, naturally, both sides now had Joo Seo-yeon appearing.
Mention of her was gradually increasing.
[[Dream Future] OST released, dominating the Melon charts!]
The OSTs featured in the drama began to rise on music sites, marking their presence.
[[The Chaser] hits 10 million!!]
As [The Chaser] achieved the milestone of 10 million.
“Yes, hello, Director Bae Jin-hwan… Huh? Me?”
Seo-yeon received a call around that time.
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