Just X’s Ro.
Among the members of Just X, known for its high crime rate, his status was indeed exceptional.
Because he would later shake South Korea with drug-related incidents at the club he would run, “Shine Moon.”
Even when other entertainers linked to him got caught up in controversies, he quickly got released.
I vividly remember the uproar in the community at that time, making it a particularly memorable incident.
“Even if I didn’t have this outrageous memory, wouldn’t I still remember it?”
It was almost representative of notable events in the entertainment industry.
“Oh, when? There’s still a bit of time left. The opening is next week.”
Next week.
That meant the club where the incident occurred hadn’t opened yet.
“So this is where he gathered people.”
Seo-yeon squinted her eyes as she looked at Ro.
A place that had been buzzing with ‘entertainment’ and whatnot in her previous life.
Naturally, Seo-yeon didn’t find the crowd gathered there appealing at all.
“What are you staring at?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Jo Seo-hee scanned the area following Seo-yeon’s gaze, squinting at Ro.
Then she let out a soft sigh.
“It’s best to avoid mingling, if possible.”
“Is that so? Still, Just X is a trending idol, right?”
“They’re popular. But the rumors aren’t great.”
Covering her mouth with a fan, Jo Seo-hee quietly remarked so that only Seo-yeon could hear.
“…I’ve heard that Ro is connected to the CEO of RY in various ways. There are whispers that this club opening is backed by RY’s capital.”
“How do you know that?”
“Haha, some things just come to light.”
As Jo Seo-hee smiled while saying this, it seemed she genuinely disliked Ro.
From this attitude, it was hard to believe they were of the same age.
“But who are Jo Seo-hee’s parents?”
At this point, curiosity started brewing.
She didn’t seem like just any wealthy kid.
If she was invited to a place like this, she had to come from a well-known family.
“Definitely a villainous noble.”
I nodded to myself.
That’s how betrayals happen easily.
Thinking that, as I looked at Jo Seo-hee, I noticed her flinch.
“Ah, why do you look at me like that after I answered you nicely?”
“……I just thought of something from a variety show.”
“That was just, uh, variety.”
Jo Seo-hee had definitely acted in a way that shone in a variety show.
Seo-yeon didn’t plan to comment on it.
Viewers had enjoyed it, after all.
But separately,
“I’ve been baited twice.”
Having been led on twice by Min Do-ha, it felt like being a beast lured by a bait.
As I glared at her with sharp eyes, Jo Seo-hee started sweating.
“You’re scary when you look at me like that, you know?”
She didn’t become famous just because of Cha Seo-ah.
With a strangely dissociated aura, staring back made one’s heart sink.
Moreover, her looks were otherworldly beautiful, making her seem even less human.
“I get why others look at me with fear now.”
They say, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is important.
Jo Seo-hee seemed to understand a bit about why others were scared of her.
Anyway,
“There are various kinds of people besides entertainers.”
There were internet broadcasters and athletes among them.
And there were those, just as Jo Seo-hee said, who approached Seo-yeon.
Swish!
As a fan was unfurled with a whoosh, the crowd jumped back in surprise.
It seemed a bit difficult for anyone to come past Jo Seo-hee.
Of course, there were those who dared to cross the fan barrier.
“Oh my, Seo-hee unni! You made it?”
A young girl, the host of the birthday party.
Wasn’t she said to be one year younger than them?
Dressed extravagantly, she brandished a designer bag.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“Got caught in the circumstances.”
“And this is… Ah! Cha Seo-ah?”
“This is Joo Seo-yeon. My… um, friend.”
Having said that, Jo Seo-hee glanced at Seo-yeon worriedly.
In Jo Seo-hee’s gaze, Seo-yeon just stared blankly back at her without saying a word.
So it seemed calling her a friend was okay!
Thinking this made Jo Seo-hee feel a bit pleased.
“Hello, I’m Chae Min-young.”
“Yes, hello.”
Seo-yeon accepted her greeting calmly.
Min-young frowned slightly at the simple reaction that had no hint of surprise.
“Currently, my parents run Hyoyoung Group.”
“Ah, I see.”
“……”
Seo-yeon just expressed a mild surprise.
Min-young frowned at Seo-yeon’s mechanical response.
It seemed it wasn’t the reaction she expected.
“Don’t do that.”
Instead, for no reason, Jo Seo-hee shuddered in response.
“You really seem to lack presence.”
“Whoa! I was just letting you know in case you didn’t know!”
Min-young said that, then screamed a back sound.
“And hey, unni, you think you’d ever work with our group? I’ll tell my dad everything!”
“Hmph, do as you wish. I’m scared!”
Though it was a not-so-subtle threat, Jo Seo-hee scoffed, causing Min-young to tremble and turn her back… but not without bowing to Seo-yeon beforehand.
“But she has good manners.”
She said she just became a high school student.
So, Seo-yeon, in her heart, thought,
“She’s a little cute.”
“……That?”
Jo Seo-hee looked at Seo-yeon with a face that seemed to ask if she was okay.
More than that, she had said those words to me.
“Joo Seo-yeon, you.”
Just then, as Jo Seo-hee was about to say something,
“Oh, there you are.”
Ro, who had been diligently promoting the club, approached the two of them.
He seemed to have come over to Seo-yeon, waving his hand cheerfully.
“Is this your second or third time?”
“Not sure.”
Not that she cared.
His cold words made Ro’s eyes narrow for a moment but quickly softened.
“Well, this is fate. If you’re ever interested later, swing by.”
He said that as he handed her a small business card.
It was a card with the address of the upcoming “Shine Moon.”
Seeing that, Jo Seo-hee’s eyes sharpened.
“……Are you nuts? We’re underage.”
“Uh? What? Really? I thought it was just a concept!”
A concept?
Seo-yeon was secretly taken aback.
Though she often saw Jo Seo-hee being misunderstood, it was the first time she had been treated like that herself.
“Oh no, I didn’t mean you look old. It’s just the aura!”
Then, after peeking at Jo Seo-hee, he quietly whispered to Seo-yeon,
“And just because you’re underage doesn’t mean you can’t visit a club. If you’re interested, it’s okay to say.”
“……”
Seo-yeon’s eyes narrowed at those words.
Receiving her gaze, Ro flinched for a moment.
“Oh, just kidding! Just kidding.”
As he said that, he swiftly left.
Probably thinking it was pointless to say more with Jo Seo-hee nearby.
“……He’s not right in the head.”
Jo Seo-hee chuckled at that Ro.
There are jokes that are acceptable, and others that shouldn’t be made.
A club for minors.
Especially concerning a female actress, it sounded even worse.
Was there a twist in this?
Amid that suspicion, Jo Seo-hee remarked,
“Just throw that away.”
“Okay.”
Seo-yeon looked at the business card for Shine Moon in her hand.
Of course, she wasn’t thinking of throwing it away, just as Jo Seo-hee suggested.
After all, it might come in handy someday.
‘And.’
Seo-yeon noticed Ro talking to Min-young and her group a little further away.
It didn’t seem just because he was an idol; Min-young and her crew greeted him with birdlike screams.
‘Fans?’
That was the only conclusion she could draw from their reaction.
Watching him exchange friendly smiles with Min-young, Seo-yeon’s eyes narrowed.
A peculiar discomfort.
A strange feeling that made her insides feel sticky.
It felt like facing a being fundamentally different from herself.
Disgust.
Yes, this was disgust.
Seo-yeon let out a quiet breath while viewing him.
She had learned many emotions for a long time,
But the feeling sensed today was especially unpleasant.
*
After that, not much happened at the party.
Meeting various upper-class individuals was certainly a slightly different experience.
And,
“Is there no way to strike up a conversation?”
“Because Jo Seo-hee is right beside me…”
It was also an opportunity for her to gauge her popularity.
In fact, many people tried to approach Seo-yeon.
Mostly, Jo Seo-hee had to brush them away.
This made Seo-yeon wonder about Jo Seo-hee’s family background that made everyone back off with just a fan.
“She invited quite a few utterly loaded folks, so it wasn’t of much help. Sometimes there’s a decent party.”
On the way back, Jo Seo-hee said that.
“When the host is an entertainer, people from this industry tend to show up.”
Such gatherings were often held to manage and build connections.
Not just simple birthday parties, but special occasions to enjoy lightly.
“At that time, you can do well and build relations with some higher-ups. Well, it doesn’t concern you, though.”
Still, she encouraged Seo-yeon to bring it up later if she was interested.
Of course, Seo-yeon merely nodded, having no desire to dive any deeper.
After all, work would come in without her trying too hard.
‘Just X’s Ro.’
What stuck in her mind more was him.
His interaction with Min-young.
She didn’t want to think otherwise, but considering he had handed her this business card, there was certainly something suspicious.
‘…Should I tell Jiwoo unni?’
For reference, the club that Pyo Ji-woo had once single-handedly taken down was bigger than this “Shine Moon.”
The incident had become a topic of discussion mainly because the club had thirty bodyguards.
If Pyo Ji-woo could penetrate that, she could probably end it all.
‘Of course, that would never happen.’
Half-jokingly.
Still, such things shouldn’t happen in modern society.
It was obvious it would end up on the news.
Anyway,
‘I think I have a rough idea now.’
Seo-yeon felt she somewhat understood the emotions Lee Yoo-joo, the protagonist of “Sky Garden,” would experience.
Her cynical nature.
And she could slightly grasp the disgust she harbored toward others.
Perhaps that was how her academically obsessed parents appeared to her.
Including herself and her own parents.
Thus,
“Today, we will be doing a script reading.”
Seo-yeon held the script in her hand.
Today was the first script reading, and the gazes directed at her felt sharper than usual.
As if everyone wanted to see the skills of the soon-to-be “protagonist.”
‘First lead role.’
Seo-yeon tightened her grip on the script.
She had taken on many roles so far and believed she had delivered results beyond expectations.
Villains and supporting characters who held substantial weight.
Each role was significant to a degree, but none could truly be called “protagonist.”
In fact, what she learned at the party lingered.
“Isn’t Joo Seo-yeon the one who plays Cha Seo-ah?”
“Really? I watched ‘The Chaser’.”
In the public’s mind, Seo-yeon remained as “Cha Seo-ah.”
Occasionally, “Jo Ha-rin” from “Dream Future” would get mentioned, but it lagged in comparison to Cha Seo-ah.
Probably because Cha Seo-ah was the villain driving the story.
If asked to name her signature work, everyone would still cite “The Chaser.”
Other works might just be seen as side projects.
‘In that sense, “Sky Garden” is different.’
The protagonist.
This was, in essence, a place where Seo-yeon’s true acting would be tested.
And the pressure the protagonist faced was unlike any other role.
‘If you fail, everyone dies.’
That was essentially the look in their eyes.
It was true.
If the audience or readers can’t immerse themselves in the protagonist of any creation, the work dies.
To truly be called a protagonist, you must immerse yourself in the role and carry the viewers with you.
“Though I’m sure you’ve all read it, think of the atmosphere as filming a thriller.”
They must all be familiar with the content.
Director Kim Il-soo looked around the room as he spoke.
“In this piece, the atmosphere is key. The tone of the performance must align with it.”
After saying that, he turned to Seo-yeon.
With the script in hand, she appeared almost inexperienced.
A young actress.
Kim Il-soo had no doubts about Seo-yeon’s acting skills.
After all, she had shown a lot until now to deserve no doubts.
Though younger actors seemed unhappy about her having been cast, he wasn’t.
Of course, if an idol lacking acting skills got parachuted into a role, that would be infuriating.
But Seo-yeon was not that kind of actress.
The head of the current Drama Department, Ha Tae-oh, wasn’t one to hold onto unreasonable biases either.
“The director’s eyes are sharp.”
He was a figure who had stood in that position without a single failure.
Not once had he inserted a role into a drama like this, aside from Seo-yeon.
Thus, he held expectations.
He wondered how Seo-yeon would showcase her acting.
And,
“Shall we start with scene 17?”
“Yes, that seems good.”
“Um, understood.”
The response came from a middle-aged actress.
This time in “Sky Garden,” she would be playing the role of “Lee Hyuk-soo’s” wife.
Known for her emotional acting skills, actress Lee Mi-ran thought as she quietly observed Seo-yeon.
Perhaps this might suit her character quite well.
When she announced her participation in “Sky Garden,” she had the chance to meet actor Kim Dae-heon, who starred in “The Chaser.”
She wanted to know more about the protagonist, Seo-yeon.
“Underestimating her would backfire.”
“I’m not underestimating her.”
“No, somehow when you meet her, you think that unconsciously. I mean, she’s young, right? And her experience isn’t exactly extensive.”
If considering from her childhood acting days, it had been ten years.
However, mostly due to a hiatus, she has only starred in two proper works so far.
Looking at her career, it was natural to harbor doubts about her skills.
But,
“You can tell once you see her.”
The famous actor renowned for his acting prowess, Kim Dae-heon, declared.
And as he stated,
“Hah.”
Seo-yeon lifted her head after exhaling.
At that moment, her previously calm eyes took on a strangely different light.
Or rather, the energy she emitted felt entirely different.
Everyone gathered for the script reading must have sensed it.
A persistent, strong disgust radiating from Seo-yeon’s gaze.
No, the person before them was no longer Seo-yeon.
She was Lee Yoo-joo.
And she stood right before Lee Mi-ran.
A chill ran down their spines.
The unbelievable transformation made Lee Mi-ran unintentionally smirk.
It was a change that no young actress should show.
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