As they walked home together, Seoyeon could feel Dahyun scrutinizing her from various angles.
It was a face that seemed to ask, "Why do you want to study with me?"
Seoyeon had no particular answer for that.
'Because I have no one else to study with.'
How miserable a response that would be.
Jiyeon was busy preparing for auditions, and in Jo Seohee's case, she somehow felt like she would lose, so she didn't want to ask.
Since Jo Seohee held a strong rivalry toward Seoyeon.
Seoyeon couldn't help but be mindful of it as well.
But asking Park Jungwoo?
"A female actor carelessly calling a male actor for something like that causes a scandal."
She would definitely be rejected with those very words.
So the remaining option was half-friends.
Among them, Gil Dahyun, who reminded her of the characters from
They had also spoken directly before.
"Is it okay not to invite other friends?"
"Yeah."
Dahyun apparently wanted to go together as a group, but Seoyeon refused.
'Then my studying skills would be exposed.'
Apart from Dahyun, who seemed tight-lipped, there was no guarantee others would be the same.
And so, Seoyeon ended up following Dahyun to her house to study.
"Ah, because of the drama?"
Dahyun could only understand after they arrived at her house.
The drama.
Studying hard for her role in the production...
'...But isn't studying something students always do anyway?'
Such an obvious thought crossed her mind, but seeing Seoyeon's incredibly serious demeanor, she decided to let it pass.
Well, it could be studying different from usual.
'Besides, Seoyeon seems like she'd be good at studying too.'
She had never specifically asked about her grades.
But isn't there such a thing as image or impression?
She had never seen Seoyeon sleep during class.
Always looking at the teacher with bright, attentive eyes, her posture so straight and noticeable that she looked like a model student straight out of a painting.
And what about her notes?
She had once glimpsed Seoyeon's notebook while passing by, and saw notes beautifully written with various colored pens.
...It felt a bit unnecessarily meticulous, but she probably just likes organizing things.
That was all she thought.
However, such thoughts of Dahyun's were...
"You don't know this?"
"...."
"This?"
"Mm."
Seoyeon looked at the problems with an extremely serious face.
Dahyun received a great shock seeing that appearance.
'She barely knows anything!'
No, thinking about it, it was actually obvious.
She rarely came to classes in the first place, so it made sense.
But isn't there such a thing as image?
"Ah, your memorization is good at least."
"Yeah."
That's because she always memorized scripts.
Seoyeon rarely made mistakes with her lines.
So her memorization was quite outstanding.
'Why, with such excellent memorization, are these grades...'
Such a question arose, but Dahyun didn't specifically say it out loud.
Seoyeon sensed Dahyun's mood.
So she cautiously spoke while gauging her reaction.
"Studying is something you learn, right?"
"T-That's right! Right!"
Dahyun hurriedly agreed with Seoyeon's words.
Anyway, from Dahyun's perspective, who devoted herself to her studies, it was a bit hard to understand, but she's an actor!
Besides, the Seoyeon she showed in acting was truly professional and amazing.
So it was just a bit bewildering, nothing more.
"This is middle school curriculum though."
"...."
"Shouldn't you know at least this much?"
Still, shouldn't she know what she learned before becoming an actor?
Looked at with eyes containing such thoughts, Seoyeon quietly averted her gaze.
Studying is for learning, so it's okay not to know.
But you should at least not know to a reasonable degree.
Being looked at with roughly such eyes, Seoyeon had no choice but to take notes like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
Like that.
"And when I see you, Seoyeon, you're good at sports too."
After several hours of being verbally battered by Dahyun.
Seoyeon, with a pale face, nodded at Dahyun's words after studying moderately as a 'warm-up.'
Sports?
Of course she's good at them.
No, good is an understatement.
Her abnormally developed body since childhood had now grown to a level reaching almost the realm of neuro-synchronization.
Honestly, she didn't even know herself how far she could go.
"Then, how about trying club activities like a sports club? It gives you internal grades too."
Of course, as an actor, it probably wouldn't matter much.
Still, she suggested it thinking it would be good to try various things.
"I'm already in a sports club."
E-sports, that is.
"Ah, really? As expected."
Dahyun nodded, saying she figured as much, while Seoyeon didn't specifically mention exactly what kind of sports it was.
Club activities were helpful in many ways, and Seoyeon was currently vigorously knocking on the door to Gold.
'I'm getting a bit tired of it though...'
She wondered how people who played only one game endlessly could do that.
These days, FPS games were popular, apparently.
She had been observing that direction closely.
They said FPS relied heavily on physical ability, so with her physical ability, wouldn't she be good at it?
"Da-, no, Class President, do you not play games or anything?"
"Huh, games?"
Seoyeon, who was about to say "Dahyun does," changed her words.
No matter what, wouldn't the other person also be flustered if she spoke so familiarly?
17-year-old Joo Seoyeon was a person who knew consideration.
It was absolutely not because she felt awkward herself.
'Why did the conversation shift to games when we were talking about sports?'
Such a question arose, but she didn't think much of it.
More importantly, does she like games?
"Not particularly. I've been busy studying one way or another."
Dahyun said so and shook her head.
She had always been devoted to her studies.
Her only other hobbies were watching movies or dramas.
Actually, she often thought even that was a luxury, but it was the minimum rest Dahyun considered necessary.
That was movies and dramas.
When she looked back on her school days, wouldn't it be a bit lonely if it was only studying... with such a thought.
That was why she actively participated when things like festivals happened.
At Dahyun's story, Seoyeon recalled the characters of
'Lonely, huh.'
Among the people Seoyeon knew, the one who resembled the characters of
Mainly among the students.
If she had to mention it, Jo Seohee also resembled them somewhat.
It was just that she resembled the upper-class parents rather than fellow students.
Anyway, it was definitely also because of such acting that Seoyeon decided to study with Dahyun.
She could study and also reference her acting—truly killing two birds with one stone.
'But, it's different.'
Gil Dahyun was different from the characters of
"Wouldn't another school have been better for college prep? Well, that could be, but it's close from here."
Dahyun said she has two younger siblings.
Since she had to study with Seoyeon today, she told them to go play outside for a while.
Because her parents both worked late, she needed to be there to look after her siblings.
That was why Dahyun chose a high school nearby.
"You've been an actor since you were young, right, Seoyeon?"
"Yeah, with a short break."
"That's amazing. I'm nowhere close. You've already achieved your dream."
Dahyun felt a bit vague about that.
What she could do by studying.
Not knowing that, she simply worked hard.
She just studied diligently.
It might be a repetitive act to erase her anxiety.
To such Dahyun, Seoyeon seemed like a person already advancing toward her dream.
'Hmm.'
It's true that acting is her dream.
It's just that there's one more goal she wants to achieve... but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
To the incredibly diligent Dahyun, it was hard to even mention.
And as she said, she could still do it now if she wanted to.
Like Jiyeon.
But she still hesitated.
Honestly, Seoyeon didn't think she had the kind of decisive personality to handle two things at once.
Having barely returned to acting work recently, if she took on something else, she definitely wouldn't be able to do it properly.
So she kept hesitating.
Because she liked it so much, she couldn't help but be more cautious.
'I think Class President is amazing too.'
"Huh? Ah, um, thanks."
Anyway, Seoyeon was sincere.
And through Dahyun, she also learned a little about Lee Yooju of
Lee Yooju and Dahyun were almost completely different people.
Except for the category of "studies hard."
However, there was definitely a similar aspect.
'A dream.'
But.
While Dahyun simply hadn't set a signpost for what she should do.
Lee Yooju had only chased a predetermined path, so it was closer to not thinking about what came after.
This was a very big difference.
Dahyun had carried out all her actions through her own decisions.
Studying included.
From what she heard, her parents had never specifically forced Dahyun to study.
Dahyun's personality was originally diligent, so there might have been nothing to reprimand, but at least from what Dahyun said, that was the case.
Studying hard.
Coming to Yeonhwa High School.
All were decisions she made herself.
So, her anxiety about the future was closer to hesitation because she had to choose everything on her own.
'But Lee Yooju is the exact opposite.'
Studying hard.
Entering Taeyang High School.
All of it was moving along a path her parents had set.
But they didn't tell her what to do in the future.
Vaguely, if you study well, you can become anything.
A doctor, a lawyer.
Could become a popular academy instructor.
Or could become something like an admissions coordinator or teacher like her parents.
They told her the possibilities, but not a single one among them drew Lee Yooju's heart.
Since she studied mechanically, no matter how outstanding her talent, an obstacle in making choices arose.
Therefore, the disgust Lee Yooju harbored was not only directed at others.
'Herself.'
Self-disgust.
Blaming her parents' education, but ultimately a coward who couldn't decide a single thing on her own.
Perhaps Lee Yooju hated such a version of herself.
Through Dahyun, she could understand that.
Dahyun doing this and that was for the future.
When she looked back on her school days, wouldn't it be lonely if it was only studying?
Such an unremarkable mindset.
But thanks to that unremarkable mindset.
If she looked back on the past later, fun school days would definitely come to mind.
But when Lee Yooju recalled her past, what would come to mind?
'Empathy, huh.'
It's difficult.
Seoyeon sighed.
It was hard for Seoyeon to easily empathize with such a Lee Yooju.
It's a bit much to say this, but Seoyeon quite liked herself.
First of all, she was basically equipped with the fundamental mindset of 'I'm pretty, you know.'
She was just a bit shy, but.
The work she did.
The things she wanted to do.
The work she was doing now—she liked all of it.
The roles she wanted to play in the future, variety shows.
And VTubering too.
There were really many, and she liked herself like that.
Probably, because her past self had been so lacking.
She might like the current self called Joo Seoyeon even more.
For the positive Seoyeon, Lee Yooju was difficult to immerse into.
In a way, she was an even more difficult character than Cha Seoah.
With Cha Seoah, she could empathize because she had her past life.
But, Lee Yooju.
"...Still, I think I know the method."
"What?"
Seoyeon, who had been contemplating for a moment, muttered so.
At those words, Dahyun looked at Seoyeon with a puzzled face.
At that, Seoyeon belatedly raised her head and smiled softly.
Because she had learned many things in various ways today.
***
The first filming of the drama
A day when autumn felt like summer.
"It seems like there's almost no autumn anymore."
"They say it'll get hotter every year from now on."
"Ah."
Such trivial conversations went around the filming set.
However, that was also a conversation to forget their anxiety.
"With so much to worry about already..."
"Right, it would be so nice if they helped us out internally a bit."
The staff said so and looked at Writer Min Sehee sitting in a corner of the filming set.
It wasn't that they particularly wanted to blame Min Sehee.
Usually, a drama only needed to worry about other companies' dramas airing in the same time slot.
In an already nerve-wracking situation, internal politics had gotten mixed in this time.
Drama Department 1, Drama Department 2.
It wasn't confirmed yet, but this was practically the first battle.
The ratings war between the Mon-Tue drama and the Wed-Thu drama.
Both were assigned prime time slots, so it was essentially a battle of ratings.
Thinking about how much influence this first engagement would have on the power struggle within the drama department, the staff couldn't help but be nervous.
'If the results are one-sidedly pushed back.'
'There's a high probability one side will effectively be abolished.'
Dividing the drama department into two and making them compete.
It was an absurd move, but the reason was somewhat understandable.
For quite a long time, KMB's drama department hadn't produced any notable hit.
The previous drama department head stepping down.
The few dramas the new drama department head ruined.
Within just 2 years, he stepped down and Department Head Hataeo took his seat last year.
After producing moderate results, they finally achieved proper results with
And that led to this situation.
That was the circumstances of how the drama department came to be divided.
'Of course, that's just the official reason.'
'There's also talk that it's to secure a position for PD Baek Taesoo.'
The wretched school connections.
The staff clicked their tongues.
If Baek Taesoo, who had been moving behind the scenes, stepped to the front, it was hard to grasp what would happen next.
And that burden.
"...."
Fell entirely on Writer Min Sehee, who was on set.
'...What should I do.'
Usually, a writer rarely came to the set.
But today, she had come in person.
The first filming of the drama she had perfectly conceived from the beginning.
'It might be, too much.'
Min Sehee was a bit scared.
This time, her script had the writer's intentions largely reflected.
The romance elements were kept to a minimum, exactly as she wanted to do.
She had brought in the entire scenario that was originally supposed to go to a cable channel.
For Min Sehee, for whom this was practically her first work, it was terribly burdensome.
'So if the drama fails.'
Even if it wasn't all her fault, her mistakes would account for a large portion.
Then, would she be able to work at KMB in the future?
Would other companies take her in?
Would she ultimately be someone suited only for cable channels?
Such a burden.
"Writer Min Sehee."
At that moment.
"Hello."
She saw a girl bowing her waist.
Polite greetings as always.
Pitch-black hair, white skin.
Her beautiful appearance stood out especially today, dazzling.
Not the Yeonhwa High School uniform she always wore, but the 'Taeyang High School uniform' worn for filming.
That alone made her think not of Joo Seoyeon but of 'Lee Yooju.'
'Huh?'
Min Sehee felt it.
Something was subtly different from her usual atmosphere.
Seoyeon was the type whose vibe completely changed when she started acting.
But today was a little different.
Did she sense that gaze?
Seoyeon smiled as she looked at Min Sehee.
"It was a bit difficult, so I learned it."
Unlike usual, a bit cynically.
"The working process."