“Na-hee, your acting was really great!”
Kim Pil-seok clapped his hands and said.
And the staff looked at Cha Na-hee with astonished eyes.
It was the first praise she received while shooting [Dream Future].
If the previous applause felt staged, this was different.
Everyone’s reactions.
And she surprised herself as she reflected on her recent performance.
Could she actually do this……?
‘No, was that really acting?’
As the heat that had ignited her body cooled down, she recalled the recent live performance.
Live, no. Acting.
The moment Seo-yeon stepped forward and sang.
Normally, she would have diminished her presence or been clumsy, but this time…
‘As if to say that was fine.’
On the contrary, she completely seized Na-hee’s presence.
Acting? Yeah, it was acting.
Seo-yeon was a monster capable of such feats while acting.
Na-hee felt it.
But it wasn’t her.
Her pride as an idol wouldn’t allow that.
‘The stage was already set at that moment.’
Perhaps she felt it instinctively.
The moment Seo-yeon appeared, Na-hee and Song So-ha’s emotions had to align.
A scene that wasn’t in the original script.
Confusion and bewilderment.
The jealousy she had felt toward Seo-yeon until now.
The moment Seo-yeon appeared, it transformed the stage and made ‘Cha Na-hee’ look like ‘Song So-ha.’
‘Is that what acting is?’
She felt the same thing when filming with Park Jung-woo during this shoot.
But Seo-yeon’s was more raw and instinctual.
It felt as though something was forcefully pulling her into the current.
Thanks to that, Na-hee was clearly Song So-ha on this stage.
The applause that continued on stage began to spread to viewers as well.
“Did you watch Dream Future episode 14 yesterday?”
“Wow, that was insane. Cha Na-hee as Song So-ha? What group was she from? The live performance was no joke.”
“I was so bummed that Joo Ha-rin got eliminated.”
The competition between Joo Ha-rin and Song So-ha.
Honestly, it felt less like acting and more like a genuine idol showdown.
In the story, the protagonist was Song So-ha.
In that sense, the scene where Song So-ha outshone Joo Ha-rin in their duel was incredibly impressive.
And that video.
“Puh, she was just playing with acting.”
“Even the seniors agree, right?”
Lee Sang-soo and Song Kwang-min, who had appeared in [Star Fisher] together, discussed episode 14 of [Dream Future].
For them, it was a drama that didn’t quite fit.
Yet, there was something about it that made them invested.
By the time they came to their senses, they had watched the entire episode 14.
Especially yesterday’s episode 14.
Any actor with a keen eye would have picked up on it immediately.
“She naturally guided the emotions of her co-star. And that means the viewers’ emotions moved along too.”
“Right. If it had gone wrong, it could have been an incredibly uncomfortable scene.”
“That was definitely an ad-lib.”
Watching the scene again, the moment Seo-yeon stepped forward, Na-hee’s true emotions burst forth. But since it felt so natural within the context, no viewer noticed it was an NG.
The NG seamlessly transitioned into a flow of emotional change, and Na-hee became Song So-ha.
“At this age, acting like this…”
“It would be difficult unless you’ve observed other people’s emotions for a long time.”
How could she possibly achieve that at this age?
Such a question arose.
Her understanding of emotions was incredibly profound.
‘It felt like she knew exactly how people would react in specific situations.’
It seemed her actions were mechanically learned based on how others would feel.
Naturally, considering Seo-yeon’s age, it shouldn’t have made any sense, but that’s how it felt.
“Senior.”
“Yeah?”
“So, what do you plan to do?”
Seo-yeon asked Lee Sang-soo to watch the latest episode.
The intent was clear.
“Our junior is trying to entice us to act like this.”
“……”
Having failed in Hollywood, he had forgotten his passion for acting.
‘The ember.’
Once, a close junior had mentioned this:
‘Someone who possesses starlight and an ember.’
Unfortunately, Lee Sang-soo was the one with the ember.
He couldn’t shine like starlight and instead burnt himself out while acting.
Having been doused by the cold waters of reality, it was difficult to reignite that fire.
He couldn’t find pleasure in watching dramas or movies.
‘But.’
Yesterday, he felt a sense of joy he hadn’t felt in a while.
He wanted to act again.
“To be honest, that’s what I was thinking.”
“Eh?”
“Once [Star Fisher] wraps up, I’ll retire completely.”
“!!”
Song Kwang-min’s eyes widened at the first admission of his true thoughts.
Seeing him, Lee Sang-soo chuckled.
“But, it seems I won’t be able to do that.”
The young junior had breathed life into the ember.
And that ember was gently glowing.
And the one who stoked that ember said,
“Can you teach me a bit about singing?”
“……Huh?”
She was making a personal request to Cha Na-hee.
*
So, this was when she was shopping with Lee Ji-yeon.
Seo-yeon wasn’t one to shop for clothes often.
She wore the outfits her mother, Suah, picked out for her and never really cared about fashion.
“Joo Seo-yeon, why don’t you use that pretty face?”
“I’m using it for acting.”
“……”
“Sorry.”
Seo-yeon apologized sincerely at Ji-yeon’s piercing gaze.
She thought it was a moderately humorous reply, but that didn’t seem to be the case for Ji-yeon.
Either way, she hadn’t really thought about clothes before.
But recently, hanging out with Ji-yeon had certainly sparked some interest.
Seeing Seo-yeon, Ji-yeon remarked with a hint of reluctance.
“……You oddly like skirts.”
“They’re comfortable.”
“You’re probably the only one who thinks skirts are comfortable.”
Well, if she had to say, they were comfortable.
Activity-wise anyway.
But since they tend to ride up with any sudden movements, it’s not easy.
‘She seems to lack a sense of embarrassment.’
The girl occasionally showed emotional bluntness, but she wasn’t clueless enough to be unaware of it.
In summer, they’re cool, but cold in winter.
Yet, Seo-yeon mostly wore her school uniform, but she indeed preferred skirts.
‘I guess that must be due to the aunt’s influence.’
Back when she was little, Seo-yeon only wore pants.
So, Ji-yeon found it strange that Seo-yeon had changed like this, but Suah had worked hard to dress her this way, and now here they were.
‘Hmm.’
However, Ji-yeon found it somewhat uncomfortable.
It was all because of an incident that happened in middle school…
“Excuse me? OST work?”
Then Seo-yeon’s voice broke her thoughts.
OST?
“What’s up?”
“Nothing……”
Seo-yeon was contemplating where to start.
Should she lead off with the possibility of becoming the lead in a drama?
‘But…’
At this point, she felt Ji-yeon’s eyes on her.
It seemed like she was constantly getting roles while Ji-yeon had yet to secure any significant ones since the cable drama.
Ji-yeon claimed she was taking a break, but…
“I got a call asking if I could take the lead in a new drama.”
“From your manager?”
“Yeah.”
Originally, it was a script that was supposed to go to a general cable channel.
The one in charge of the script was writer Min Se-hee.
Since she had never really handled a proper production before, it was surprising.
However, thanks to the latter half of [Dream Future] receiving high praise, the higher-ups seemed to have shown interest.
Coincidentally, it was another drama led by young actors, like [Dream Future].
It seemed they proposed to KMB to possibly air it.
After hearing that, Min Se-hee requested if Seo-yeon could possibly be the lead, and it got approved from higher-ups.
“Along with that, since you had a decent live performance in [Dream Future]…”
“It seems there was a suggestion about doing OST work.”
Seo-yeon spoke calmly, making sure not to show any signs of being anxious.
Fortunately, Ji-yeon didn’t seem to think much of it.
‘What can I do?’
Of course, she wasn’t completely unconcerned.
But Ji-yeon knew Seo-yeon well enough.
The young star.
Having watched her grow up, she was acutely aware of how big the gap was between them.
That said, she couldn’t just let her slip away either, as it raised concerns and her pride wouldn’t allow it.
‘[Gyeongseong Young Lady].’
An opportunity brought to her by Jo Seo-hee.
It was clear she had that thought of wanting to act alongside Seo-yeon, but this was also a significant opportunity for Ji-yeon.
For that reason, she was genuinely grateful to Jo Seo-hee.
‘I must pass the audition.’
Because it was an artistic film directed by Director Baek Min, he mentioned the competition might not be that fierce.
But who could really tell?
“But, Lee Ji-yeon.”
“Why?”
“……Could I perhaps learn from that person again, like last time?”
She was undoubtedly referring to Han Da-young, the ‘sorceress’ who occasionally Collaborated with ‘Rabin’.
‘That person.’
With her peculiarly distant way of addressing, Ji-yeon tilted her head.
But suddenly, she imagined how Seo-yeon became more prickly every time the ‘sorceress’ collaborated with ‘Rabin’, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Learning singing from the sorceress was a bit ironic.
It’s not that the sorceress was a bad singer; she was quite talented.
“However, your sister went to Japan.”
“Huh?”
“She has a meeting set with a company over there.”
“Oh, how long?”
“Probably won’t be back this month.”
She hesitated to mention it was a Vtuber agency.
After all, this was something considered trivial in the industry.
Funny enough, Seo-yeon was rather meticulous about such matters.
“……Really?”
Seo-yeon was taken aback by Ji-yeon’s words.
With good reason, considering they had just agreed to do a test session in the studio before the OST was recorded.
That day was exactly two weeks away.
If she showed up with a terrible performance then, there was a chance the OST could be canceled.
‘I don’t want that.’
Honestly, she wanted to try doing OST work.
After all, when it was something she had never done before, she was eager to give it a shot.
Above all, since everyone had been praising their singing, she felt a desire to sing again.
‘If I become a Vtuber, I might have more opportunities to use my voice…’
Muttering those excuses, Seo-yeon became increasingly greedy about the OST work.
‘Thinking about it, getting the OST means they’re planning on casting me as the lead as well.’
Was she too thoughtlessly agreeing to everything?
However, as the audition for the action film planned by GH Group still had no set dates and [Gyeongseong Young Lady] wouldn’t even start filming for a couple of months, there was no need for auditions anymore.
So Seo-yeon found herself with quite a bit of free time.
“Usually, in such cases, you take a break filming ads or variety shows.”
Manager Park Eun-ha said, but she wasn’t particularly interested.
Seo-yeon’s overflowing energy couldn’t be satisfied with mere advertisements.
‘What to do…’
Seo-yeon hesitated.
She thought of someone who might help her.
Just then, one person sprang to mind.
Indeed, among those she had worked with, there was an idol she had grown close to!
*
“Customer?”
Rabin of the girl group ‘Summer Girl’ tilted her head at Cha Na-hee’s words.
“Oh, yeah.”
Cha Na-hee mumbled uncertainly.
Within the group, her standing was a bit delicate.
More precisely, it was a question of interpersonal relationships.
Having randomly risen to popularity due to a variety show, she monopolized the limelight.
And she engaged in the most broadcasting activities.
With the drama [Dream Future], she had proven her skills, and ‘Summer Girl’ became an afterthought.
Thus, there was a certain distance between her and the other members.
‘It was a lucky break.’
Rabin frowned at the sight of Na-hee.
When she first debuted, Na-hee had the lowest rank among the members.
There were even whispers that she was selected solely for her looks.
‘Except for appearance and singing.’
Rabin tried to convince herself and pondered.
‘Bringing Na-hee along wouldn’t be a big deal anyway.’
Na-hee was quite timid among the members.
Thoughtful and cautious when making friends, she mostly associated with rather dull people.
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
Thus, the leader of ‘Summer Girl’, Rabin, nonchalantly granted permission.
And the next day.
“Hello.”
“……”
A slightly stiff voice.
With long, straight black hair and a neat school uniform.
Her pale face and stunning beauty filled the view.
This is what it means to be an actor.
Moreover, the girl who had suddenly risen to stardom due to [The Chaser] and [Dream Future].
Joo Seo-yeon calmly greeted them.
And as she watched their startled reactions, Seo-yeon thought,
‘Her legs are really slender.’
If she kicked, they might break; that was the thought that crossed her mind.
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