Sky Garden was actually a drama that Seo-yeon from her past life couldn’t really relate to.
Parents fighting over private education to get their kids into prestigious universities.
And the kids, desperately struggling to get into those same universities, committing all sorts of wicked deeds without hesitation.
Seo-yeon, who couldn’t even attend school properly, couldn’t help but wonder, “Why go so far?”
After all, Seo-yeon wasn’t even in a position to enter a prestigious school, let alone a regular one.
And that situation hadn’t changed even now.
Neither her father nor mother cared much about her studies.
They even claimed that just living like a student was the best thing!
“Maybe that’s because I’m working as an actress.”
Anyway, the protagonist of Sky Garden was a character incredibly difficult for Seo-yeon to portray from her point of view.
Naturally, she felt a lot of worry.
“But hey.”
Seo-yeon scanned her surroundings.
Everyone was young.
Of course, there were many middle-aged actors too.
But the place where Seo-yeon would sit was filled with young actors.
In other words, it was a gathering of her fellow students in a place set in a “school” setting.
“It seems more comfortable to sit with actors around the same age, right?”
Lee Min-hwa, the PD of Sky Garden, said with a smile.
It was a warm smile, but it definitely didn’t just carry good intentions.
She couldn’t be ignorant of the rivalry among young actors.
“I guess they want us to handle this on our own.”
That’s why this gathering was arranged.
Since they couldn’t afford to have issues once filming started, it was a considerate gesture to resolve things beforehand.
“Everyone’s keeping an eye on Seo-yeon.”
“…That’s true.”
For Seo-yeon, who was used to a lively filming set, the atmosphere was quite unfamiliar.
Probably the same went for Cha Na-hee.
Honestly, the issue was more with Cha Na-hee than with herself.
“An idol, right?”
And not just any idol, but an active one too.
Summer Girl was quite a well-known group, though it was a bit ambiguous to call them Tier 1.
“Actors tend to look down on idols.”
They often call them “danda.”
With rigid-minded actors, there’s not much difference among those who learned from such attitudes.
It was even broadcasted how actors wouldn’t clap once for singers or idols performing at film or drama award ceremonies.
If that was the case for performances, imagine how it would be in acting circles.
The reason everyone was focusing on Seo-yeon was partly due to this.
Cha Na-hee was practically “invisible.”
They probably didn’t even have high hopes for her to do well.
“Even after achieving success in Dream Future.”
A small chuckle escaped her.
Just because she had successes, it didn’t mean she wasn’t looked down upon.
“Jung-woo sunbaenim was exceptional.”
Her fondness for Park Jung-woo grew again.
Park Jung-woo didn’t seem to show any bias against idols.
The fact that Dream Future had an equal half with idols and actors was also significant.
Because Park Jung-woo, the most prominent actor in the cast, had taken the initiative to set the right mood, there had been no issues.
“But here, Na-hee is the only one from an idol background.”
And the actors gathered today were certainly all quite reputable and promising.
“The cast is better than before.”
Still, many of the actors Seo-yeon had seen in her past life were present.
Perhaps they were the ones Min Se-hee had initially wanted.
However, the younger actors were different.
Unlike the majority being newbies from her past life, this time, they were all filled with potential.
Actors who, over time, would shine.
“Acting talents.”
“Charismatic types.”
Actors aiming to step onto the red carpet.
This Sky Garden was definitely a drama showcasing that KMB had sharpened their swords based on the success of Dream Future.
And just as Seo-yeon thought, the other actors were also keeping an eye on her.
“Joo Seo-yeon.”
“The main character, huh?”
“Not even auditioning.”
All the young actors participating in this Sky Garden had gone through auditions.
Except for two.
Joo Seo-yeon and Cha Na-hee.
So naturally, they couldn’t help but feel unhappy.
They had all built their careers steadily since their child acting days and had been groomed as promising talents within their agencies.
Yet, their indifference toward Cha Na-hee aligned with Seo-yeon’s thoughts.
“Just because she’s an idol.”
She wasn’t considered a competitive foe.
Since idols would just return to their main focus if they became disillusioned with acting.
But Seo-yeon was different.
Especially with peers.
“Having been away for ten years…”
Kim Hyun-seok, who was playing the oldest son of the Lee Hyuk-soo family in this Sky Garden, frowned at Seo-yeon.
When Seo-yeon had first made her comeback, he hadn’t cared much.
After all, she was just a former child actor returning after ten years.
Even if she had briefly shone in a variety show, he figured the interest would fade quickly.
Unless, of course, Seo-yeon hadn’t landed consecutive hit projects.
“The Chaser and Dream Future.”
Rumors were already circulating that the new project Hyper Action Star was all setting the groundwork for Seo-yeon’s lead role in a movie.
Although, since it was a public audition program, nothing was certain.
“She must have connections with some high-ranking people.”
Otherwise, there was no way she’d get that kind of push.
No matter how successful The Chaser had been, wasn’t the progression a bit too deliberate?
“Why, Hyun-seok?”
Then, his friend, Han Sung-jin, sitting beside him, chuckled.
“Are you that worried?”
“Pretending not to care while clearly being concerned.”
The two were close having known each other since child acting days.
They had been part of the same agency and even appeared in the same dramas and films.
“She’s the protagonist of this drama, isn’t she?”
“Do they really pick the protagonist based on connections instead of auditions?”
“They went off her career.”
That career of hers—
As if it was just two works: The Chaser and Dream Future.
Sky Garden might be too early to count as a work.
If we just count the number of projects, they surely had done way more by now.
Even if it was just the successful ones.
“What matters is how impactful the roles were.”
“…”
He never denied that Seo-yeon’s performances were impactful.
Though there was definitely some hostility, he wouldn’t call himself a true actor if he disregarded her acting.
“Cha Seo-ah and Joo Ha-rin.”
Completely different character types.
The performances were so distinct it was hard to believe they were by the same person.
It certainly didn’t feel like the acting of their peers.
But that was because—
“It was that kind of role.”
Kim Hyun-seok thought to himself, looking at Seo-yeon.
If he were given such a role, he believed he could pull it off too.
He had that kind of confidence.
On the positive side, he had a strong pride as an actor; on the negative side, he was a bit overly confident.
Amidst this strange silence…
“Have you all exchanged some words?”
Finally, the writer Min Se-hee and director Kim Il-soo appeared, officially kicking off the discussion.
“Those who were at the auditions must already know the vibe and content of the drama.”
Taking a quick glance at Min Se-hee next to him, Kim Il-soo, the director of Sky Garden, began to speak.
“The story unfolds around ‘Sky Garden,’ where royal families reside.”
Moreover, at the prestigious ‘Taeyang High School’ located within ‘Sky Garden.’
“To start off, the main character, Lee Yoo-joo…”
Director Kim Il-soo said, looking at Seo-yeon.
“She’s the sister of a perfect score student who got into the prestigious Bakyeon University’s medical school… a notable figure in her own right.”
Like her brother, she had entered Taeyang High School through a special procedure.
Her brother, Lee Seok-chan, had successfully enrolled in Bakyeon University with an independent curriculum.
And it was said he passed that curriculum down to his sister as well.
“You all are the parents vying for that curriculum. That’s why you’re targeting Yoo-joo.”
Trying to get close to her for various reasons.
Some would threaten, some would use power tactics.
All to extract that curriculum from Yoo-joo.
Their goal was solely their child’s success.
Also, maintaining the family’s name as doctors.
Or as lawyers, or prosecutors, they wanted that prestige.
“It’ll be a drama satirizing private education and academic hierarchies.”
After sharing various insights, Director Kim Il-soo took a breath.
“For now, that’s all about the project. Today is just to get familiar with each other before we dive into the script reading.”
He said with a smile, creating a relaxed atmosphere, encouraging everyone to mingle.
This was a different vibe than when PD Lee Min-hwa was around.
A strange silence.
But this time, the director was watching, after all.
“As if I needed to act that way on top of the troubles from my son.”
“Honestly, I’ve never been associated with prestigious schools.”
“It’s a real headache. Ah.”
The first to break the ice were the middle-aged actors.
As they began to spark conversations, it naturally influenced the younger actors.
“Seo-yeon, can I ask you something?”
With a friendly smile, Han Sung-jin, who was sitting next to Kim Hyun-seok, started speaking.
“I recently enjoyed Hyper Action Star. Was that all real?”
Han Sung-jin was genuinely curious.
I mean, come on.
Seeing someone deflecting incoming paintballs and running at such high speed?
The acting and the level of choreography there were downright impossible without rehearsals or script readings.
“Well…”
Seo-yeon had not expected that question aimed directly at her and was slightly aghast.
Just when she thought she might try to answer earnestly—
“That’s clearly staged.”
Kim Hyun-seok, grinning, chimed in.
Wait, did he just make a comment like Mr. Satan?
“How naive. Do you honestly think someone can poke a hole in a coconut with a finger? Or burn things causing a big log to break, while lifting a single 200kg fish? Paintball? That’s like 90 meters a second. How do you possibly deflect that? Even if multiple shots are coming at you, you’d surely need a pre-set strategy!”
“…”
Anyway, Kim Hyun-seok kept up with all the variety shows Seo-yeon appeared in.
His overall impression was—
Variety shows tend to be overly embellished.
It seemed so real, it’d make anyone think it was!
Just a rough feeling.
“That’s right.”
What was amusing was that Cha Na-hee agreed with him.
“It feels like they’re trying to impose too much of that image onto actresses.”
Cha Na-hee felt frustrated!
As if the internet was forcefully reshaping Seo-yeon into a meme.
“Seo-yeon can’t possibly be that violent!”
Anyway, while both meanings were diverse, their sentiments aligned.
“Hmm.”
That reminded Seo-yeon of her recent fan community.
Where various edits were circulating.
Honestly, Seo-yeon found them pretty amusing and liked that she looked strong.
But as an actress, perhaps it was a bit…
“I-I should manage my image…”
It was a bit embarrassing how she felt slightly uplifted after appearing on various shows.
But after hearing Kim Hyun-seok’s words, she thought maybe it had gone a bit too far.
For now, she decided to keep it moderate.
Thinking so, Seo-yeon exhaled a sigh to herself.
Phew!
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