The OST work for the drama Sky Garden was going quite smoothly.
The ‘wizard’s’ vocal training skills were quite outstanding, so Seo-yeon had already reached a point where she could sing somewhat.
Of course, when compared to a professional singer, it’s still lacking.
However, contrary to Seo-yeon’s thoughts…
“But the emotion is very deep. This is very important for ballads.”
Surprisingly, the producer in charge of the music, Han Pyo-yeol, gave positive feedback.
Hearing her voice layered with music brought a strange feeling.
‘Maybe I can sing pretty well?’
Recently, Seo-yeon began to feel that way.
So, the classmates were saying,
“Who wants to hit the karaoke today?”
“Me me me!!”
As they were lively chatting, Seo-yeon stealthily approached, looking around.
She wanted to go to the karaoke before it was revealed that she worked on the OST.
But suggesting it first felt a bit off.
There were no students willing to openly say, “Let’s go together!” either, which made it awkward.
‘It feels like I’m trying to show off my singing.’
Seo-yeon thought about when she went to karaoke alone.
When she mingled within the group and showed off her excellent singing skills, wouldn’t that be more eye-catching?
Seo-yeon imagined the scene when she naturally joined a coin karaoke.
“Wow, what’s that voice~.”
“Seo-yeon can sing well too.”
“She’s not just a good actress.”
While having such fantasies, she noticed the laughter of the excited students gradually decreasing.
“Um, students should study, right?”
“Shall we go to the study cafe today?”
The students subtly started to distance themselves while glancing at Seo-yeon.
Naturally, Seo-yeon couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
What had she done to make them avoid her?
But the reason was surprisingly simple.
Regardless of her image as an actress, there’s also an image felt as a classmate.
To put it plainly…
Her neat black hair.
Plus, her oddly intellectual expression.
Combined with her beautiful appearance, it gave off an impression that she’d excel in studies.
So, it was only natural that when Seo-yeon’s gaze fell on the students, they flinched.
Her gaze seemed to say, “Aren’t you going to study instead of playing?”
“Hmm.”
Seo-yeon remained and slowly packed her bag.
‘I want to go to karaoke…’
This was a desire that even Lee Ji-yeon couldn’t fulfill.
Ji-yeon wasn’t the type to actively cheer, so while it might be fun, she couldn’t perfectly satisfy Seo-yeon’s desire.
‘Besides, going with celebrity friends is a bit…’
They probably wouldn’t be impressed since they already listened to many real singers.
‘Jo Seo-hee?’
That name suddenly popped into her mind, but she quickly shook her head.
Seo-yeon’s lips pouted sulkily.
‘Traitor.’
However, Seo-yeon thought highly of Jo Seo-hee’s actions.
Very highly.
Though, on the side, she was slightly upset.
She never imagined Seo-hee would betray her like that.
The shock she felt back then was still vividly clear to this day.
‘Hmph.’
She thought she would meet Seo-hee again at the Hyper Action Star filming next week, so it wasn’t a big deal.
If they talked, they could do it then.
Plus, going to a coin karaoke with Ji-yeon felt awkward for the same reason.
Not to mention, not knowing their skills was also a problem.
‘What if they’re better than me?’
Anyway, Jo Seo-hee was a flawless perfectionist who excelled at everything.
So, it wouldn’t be surprising if she suddenly sung well.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Seo-yeon decided to give up on going to the coin karaoke today and headed to KMB instead.
Coincidentally, it seemed there were things to discuss about the drama Sky Garden today.
*
KMB Broadcasting Company.
Recently, among the three broadcasting networks, MDC had been enjoying a dominant position.
Since a few years ago, KMB had struggled to produce any notable hit, leading to a change in the head of the drama department.
And when the new head of the drama department came in, Dream Future became a hit.
In today’s era, having ratings over 20 percent was remarkably encouraging.
More importantly, Dream Future received a remake proposal directly from a Japanese broadcasting company.
Even without having properly aired internationally, this was significant, especially in Japan where high viewership was to be expected.
“Seo-yeon’s style is exactly what they like over there.”
“Really? I thought Japan preferred cuter styles? Not model-like women.”
“Surprisingly, Seo-yeon isn’t really that tall. Her proportions are just good.”
From appearance alone, Seo-yeon looked like she was over 170cm tall, but her actual height was around 165cm.
Not that she was particularly short for a girl, but she wasn’t extraordinarily tall either.
“And her hairstyle is just what they like. Japanese friends love long black hair.”
“…Is that so?”
The one having such a conversation was Kim Pil-seok, the director of Dream Future.
And there was Kim Il-soo, who would direct Sky Garden.
They had been friends since college and had built a long relationship along the way.
The reason for being in this room today was mainly to support Il-soo.
In any case, the most recent youth drama was Dream Future, and since it was KMB’s first hit in a while, they were here to gather opinions.
“But when you succeed at a young age, there… are some difficulties, right?”
“Ah, yes, yes. But I’ve heard Director Kim Il-soo has already met Seo-yeon.”
“Yes, we met. But meeting once doesn’t mean you know everything about her.”
Il-soo had already met Seo-yeon once.
His impression of her was ‘the neat honor student.’
He had seen her act several times, so he had no doubts, but he was somewhat concerned about her personal life.
Looking at her, it didn’t seem like she’d have any major incidents in school, but who knows?
There were plenty of naïve-looking celebrities who stirred up trouble.
‘And it’s known that she’s never once failed at anything.’
They may do well for themselves, but one never knows how they will affect others.
Celebrities with two faces were numerous, and it was common for them to mess up behind the scenes.
Particularly for an actress like Seo-yeon, who had never failed, the chances were high that she might have lurking issues, just as any regular person would.
“Ah, Seo-yeon, you’ve arrived?”
At that moment, Seo-yeon entered the meeting room, bowing slightly.
She must have come right after school, still in her uniform.
That look paired well with the image of the future filming of Sky Garden.
‘It would be good to reference the Yeonhwa High School uniform for this.’
Director Kim Il-soo nodded and thought.
Since Yeonhwa High School is an arts-focused high school, its uniforms were quite pretty.
‘Speaking of which, didn’t Seo-yeon wear a uniform when she came to film Hyper Action Star recently?’
He couldn’t recall ever seeing her in outfits other than her uniform.
What did she wear outside the filming set?
“Sorry for calling you when school work must be tough.”
It was Director Kim Il-soo who spoke first.
Today’s meeting wasn’t specifically scheduled.
Rather, it was just a gathering for the director and writer to convey their opinions before coming up with a concept.
“Oh, Min Se-hee is here too.”
Min Se-hee then stepped into the meeting room.
Thus began the meeting about the concept for Sky Garden.
“As I mentioned earlier, Sky Garden is a drama that contains some social satire.”
Min Se-hee said while looking at Seo-yeon.
She had spoken about this concept to others before, exchanging opinions several times.
Being the only actress cast in advance and the protagonist, they set this gathering to ask for her thoughts.
For reference in the script they were about to write.
“First of all, the background of Taeyang High School is a renowned academic high school in South Korea.”
And it’s a wealthy school where the scions of notable families attend.
Sky Garden deals with events that occur within such a high school.
“Private education, and parents who try to get their children into top-tier universities.”
After saying this, Min Se-hee turned to Seo-yeon.
“And the role Seo-yeon will play is that of a girl from a relatively poor family caught in the cracks of such a prestigious school.”
An irregular who stumbled into an elite academy.
Naturally, she didn’t just enter Taeyang High School for no reason.
Hearing that it was the most famous academic high school in Seoul, she applied and managed to get in as a top student.
That was the character Seo-yeon would portray, ‘Yeon So-ha.’
“She’s quite a noticeable character among those who have been brought up through the escalator system from Taeyang Elementary School, but My Pace Yeon So-ha doesn’t pay it any mind. Instead, she’s alone at school, without any friends.”
This suited Seo-yeon’s image.
So, Seo-yeon nodded.
She was confident about being alone in school.
“And… the important thing is her image as ‘a honor student that looks like she’s been drawn in a picture.'”
Min Se-hee looked at Seo-yeon.
With her neat posture and appearance.
Always wearing a school uniform.
Min Se-hee slowly nodded.
“Seo-yeon, you study well, right?”
“Excuse me?”
Wait, are we seriously discussing grades here?
“Ah, s-sorry. It’s not like that! It’s just that your image gives off that feeling! I shouldn’t have asked such a pointless question.”
Min Se-hee didn’t notice Seo-yeon’s trembling pupils.
And the same went for the other directors.
“Seo-yeon does have that image, for sure.”
“So what’s it like for you, Seo-yeon? At school?”
With a slightly teasing tone, Seo-yeon awkwardly smiled.
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
“Of course.”
“Worry about her acting as an honor student? Nah.”
With their reactions, a bead of cold sweat rolled down Seo-yeon’s forehead.
A good student.
Well, she was a good student, but does being a good student mean you have to study well?
Nowadays, studying isn’t everything—art and physical education are also important.
Seo-yeon was living proof of that.
Her mother, Suah, supported her endeavors.
And her father, Young-bin, was similarly encouraging.
Though there was a slight difference in feeling.
‘Acting like an honor student…’
They essentially wanted her to show an intelligent performance.
She hadn’t really thought much about it until now, but Seo-yeon began to worry about it.
Seo-yeon’s acting was fundamentally about empathy and expressing emotions.
But as for being an honor student…
That was an image that felt distant.
‘…’
Seo-yeon fell into deep contemplation.
It seemed she could use a bit of help.
*
In the Ho-yeon headquarters in Seoul.
Given that Ho-yeon was an agency somewhere in the 3rd tier, this building felt excessively good.
There were rumors that the company’s representative had a lot of money, and it absolutely matched that description.
The only hit idol was ‘Summer Girl.’
Even then, it was essentially Cha Na-hee driving the whole group by herself.
So, Cha Na-hee was exceedingly busy.
Especially with the Sky Garden OST work.
She had committed to three songs of the insert tracks for Summer Girl.
‘Are they practicing well…?’
She worried about her group members.
They had a cocky attitude and didn’t practice properly.
Even when Na-hee tried to help, they didn’t listen, making the OST preparations stagnate.
It would have been easy if Na-hee could just sing alone, but unfortunately, it was a lively girl group song, so that wasn’t an option.
“I heard the vocal trainers have all run away. Are you okay?”
“…Not okay.”
Cha Na-hee sighed while venting to her friend and popular idol, Ye-na.
It was difficult for her to concentrate on the entertainment filming happening today.
“Whether they listen to what I say is questionable… ”
This song was tricky, so practice was essential.
But with the members ignoring her suggestions, it was proving quite troublesome.
“If Seo-yeon is going to help out…”
Yesterday, a message arrived from the younger sibling she had recently become friends with.
Seo-yeon heard Na-hee’s words and readily volunteered to help.
But there was no way an actress like her could teach singing, so it was essentially a long shot.
And it was unlikely that naive Seo-yeon could effectively handle those troublemakers.
‘What do I do now?’
Cha Na-hee sighed, wishing someone would show up to whip those troublemakers into shape.
And then…
At that moment…
‘What on earth is this?’
Rabin found herself in deep thought, staring at a large screen.
Honestly, if the girl with black hair and red eyes, who was staring at her, wasn’t a psychopath, she would have left ages ago.
Everyone was sitting neatly in their chairs, watching the screen.
And then their eyes met with a strange character reflected on the screen.
It was supposed to be a wizard, as Seo-yeon introduced it…
A cartoon character, but apparently, there was a person inside.
“Today, I have specially invited my vocal trainer.”
Seo-yeon said cheerfully, looking at their pale faces.
Of course, there was nobody here who could respond to her enthusiastic declaration.
Neither Summer Girl nor the now awkwardly-staring “Wizard Erchebet.”
In other words, Han Da-young was also confused and wondering…
‘How did it come to this?’
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