"Is this really Minseo's?"
The lady of the Lee Hyuk-soo household, Gil Soo-jin, widened her eyes at the report card her daughter brought home.
A daughter who had never once made it inside the 3rd rank.
However, the report card she received today was entirely within the 2nd rank, except for just one subject.
This was something that had happened in a mere two months.
"Y-yes."
The daughter, speaking hesitantly, looked quite exhausted.
But that didn't matter.
Because this report card was everything to Gil Soo-jin.
Until now, she was just the cute second child with an uncertain future.
But now, she was a lovable child who had quickly brought exactly what Gil Soo-jin had so desperately wanted.
Moreover, look at these grades.
As expected, Lee Yoo-ju is the real deal.
Her own skills are one thing, but she became certain that Yoo-ju clearly possessed her older brother's portfolio.
'If she just does exactly that, she can get into Baekyeon Medical School...'
Minseo had practically given up, but at this rate, both children had ample potential.
"Our Minseo worked really hard, whereas..."
Gil Soo-jin's eyes narrowed, turning toward Minseo's quiet twin brother, Minhyuk.
Minhyuk's grades were overwhelmingly superior to Minseo's.
Most were 1st rank, with a few straddling the 2nd rank.
There was only one 3rd rank, and that was in a relatively unimportant subject.
"Same as always, our son."
"……"
However, the important point was that Minseo's grades had skyrocketed, while Minhyuk's remained the same.
Minhyuk might be higher this time, but the next mock exam...
And even the CSAT, it was uncertain if the same would hold true.
No, there was clearly a possibility that Minseo, who was stuck like a barnacle to Lee Yoo-ju, would score higher.
Considering her grades had leapfrogged in just two months, that was definitely the case.
"Please, don't disappoint Mom. From now on, make sure you join in when Minseo meets Lee Yoo-ju."
"Mother."
"Son. Everything Mom says is for your own good."
Gil Soo-jin said it like a habit.
Everything is for you.
Of course, Minhyuk knew that too. It was surely for his own sake.
It was just that her own selfish desires were mixed in there as well.
Minhyuk also dreamed of becoming a doctor.
However.
"I un-derstand."
Minhyuk had no choice but to answer like that for now.
Because whatever he said, Gil Soo-jin wouldn't listen anyway.
And so, Minhyuk had no choice but to accompany Minseo when she met Lee Yoo-ju.
"Ah, really? You want to get close to me?"
Lee Yoo-ju said with a bright smile.
For the record, Minhyuk had never once said such a thing.
He had just naturally slipped in beside her when Minseo met her.
But it seemed Lee Yoo-ju immediately grasped his intentions.
Well, if someone who had been cursing at you until now suddenly came visiting, the reason was obvious.
"If you don't like it..."
"I don't dislike it. It's just amusing."
After saying that, Yoo-ju quietly stared at Minhyuk.
That gaze was Yoo-ju's signature look of looking down on others.
It had already been a few months since entering high school.
In the meantime, Yoo-ju had already captured the hearts of the school's teachers.
That was because she was ranked 1st in the entire school.
Undoubtedly 1st among the elite students of Baekyeon High School.
It seemed her mock exam scores were also good, and her midterms went without saying.
"Hmm? Yoo-ju? You really don't mind being with my brother?"
"Not really. I don't care."
Rather, it was Minseo who looked flustered.
Yoo-ju just stared silently at Minhyuk.
Quietly feeling that gaze.
Minhyuk.
No, Kim Hyun-seok, who played the role of Minhyuk, felt a strange sensation.
That the gaze had changed somehow.
Before, it was simply an intimidating feeling of looking down on the other person, but now it gave a slightly fragile impression.
Like a hedgehog sharpening its quills.
Just hiding it.
Somehow, the feeling had completely changed.
Why?
The moment such a question was swirling in his head.
"Cut! Hyun-seok, the next line, you have to say your line!"
"Ah, I'm sorry."
He had made so many NGs by now that he was honestly becoming numb to it.
To the point where he inwardly empathized with Minseo's feelings.
Rather, you become numb when you don't receive expectations.
Of course, it wasn't like he didn't feel sorry.
He felt sorry to the actors whose mental energy was being drained with every NG cut like this.
However, after constantly being criticized and pointed out on the internet recently, he realized something.
That being anxious anyway would only bring negative effects.
Rather, one must be able to see oneself calmly and objectively.
So.
After wrapping up the scene reasonably well.
When filming ended, Hyun-seok approached Seo-yeon.
"…It feels like your acting has changed?"
Hyun-seok, who usually didn't even speak much, asked Seo-yeon that.
At those words, Seo-yeon's eyes widened.
A feeling that she hadn't expected him to ask her something.
Or rather, was she surprised that he had noticed the change in her acting?
It was a slightly ambiguous reaction.
"I changed it a little. Do you feel the difference?"
"R-really?"
The actress playing Minseo, Park Se-jin, seemed to have had no idea.
No, it wasn't that she didn't know at all.
She did feel something different, but just thought it was a condition issue.
"Somehow, it felt like Yoo-ju looked fragile."
How should he put it.
It felt like the tone had changed.
From what he had observed so far, Seo-yeon's acting was emotional.
To put it into words, the delivery of emotions was clear, and she expressed her feelings in an easy-to-understand way.
That was why it had a distinctly immediate impact.
He meant that the emotion contained in her acting had changed.
"I just thought about it a little from Yoo-ju's perspective."
Seo-yeon hadn't been able to empathize much with Yoo-ju.
Therefore, her acting also had difficulty with deep emotional acting.
It was partly because she was an honor student to begin with, but also because it was hard to clearly understand the reason for looking down on others.
But now, she understood a little.
That Yoo-ju was surprisingly similar to herself.
"And I realized that Yoo-ju is just a child who hasn't grown up."
At Seo-yeon's muttering words, Hyun-seok felt a little puzzled.
Somehow, the atmosphere around Seo-yeon also felt a bit subdued.
'Could it be because of the viewership ratings?'
The viewership ratings for
At that level, it was definitely on the verge of being a mega-hit among recent dramas.
However, as long as
Even if it wrapped up with decent ratings, all the attention would ultimately go to
Because no matter how well 2nd place does, people only remember 1st place.
Unless there was some major turning point, this ranking wouldn't change.
So from the perspective of the lead, Seo-yeon, it was bound to be disappointing.
The ratings were good, but because of the 1st place above her, she wasn't receiving any attention at all.
"Ah, r-right. This week is episodes 7 and 8, right?"
Sensing that subtle atmosphere around Seo-yeon, Park Se-jin spoke brightly to refresh the mood.
"Yes, that's right."
"A-already? It'll be episode 10 soon... Episode 10 has some pretty intense scenes, so I hope we get some good reactions."
Episode 10 was the turning point episode for this drama.
For the drama, and for Lee Yoo-ju.
And for Minhyuk and Minseo.
However, he heard that
'Honestly, it seems difficult...'
'It's too much, really.'
Hyun-seok and Se-jin thought so even if they didn't say it out loud.
But that didn't matter.
The two were quite satisfied with
That was why they could just let it go even when they were being compared to Seo-yeon and criticized on the internet.
Well, Park Se-jin wasn't criticized that much.
Because the role of Minseo itself didn't have a particularly serious vibe, it didn't stand out that much.
"Oh right, the
Se-jin whispered to Seo-yeon in a small voice.
Seo-yeon was startled.
Wait, how did Se-jin know that?
"I had a meeting with PD Lee, and he slipped up then. Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret."
PD Lee Min-hwa was only human, so mistakes could happen.
Somehow, the topic came up while she was discussing
For the record, Hyun-seok seemed to have no idea what the two were talking about.
"I'll be cheering for you!"
At her words, Seo-yeon smiled ambiguously.
***
"U-um? You're asking if we can remake an anime song? Anime songs are a bit childish..."
Cha Na-hee looked at Seo-yeon with a flustered face.
Well, it was possible.
But why an anime song of all things?
"They said it's the song that brought my mom and dad together for the first time."
"Ah, no wonder it felt like a song full of nostalgia."
Cha Na-hee quickly added.
Phew, if she had said the wrong thing, it would have been a huge mistake.
Still, the thought 'But an anime song?' crossed her mind.
'Surprisingly, it's not bad?'
No, setting that aside.
"This was an anime song?"
"Yes."
"Wow, I didn't know that."
It was a song that subtly played in noraebangs and various places, so she naturally assumed it was an old pop song.
Cha Na-hee had never really watched anime or anything like that to begin with.
So perhaps the stories she heard from the 'Magician' recently felt like tales from another world, making her even more interested.
"But things like this usually have copyright issues too."
"I got permission for that."
Action!!
No, did you just decide on this and come over?
She truly wanted to emulate that tremendous action.
'But...'
Cha Na-hee subtly gauged Seo-yeon's mood.
She seemed more down than usual.
She wondered what the reason was, but when she tried to talk to her, she didn't really show any signs of it.
Did she just have something on her mind?
"Are you going to use this for the semifinals? But weren't you doing that with Yeo-hee sunbae-nim's song?"
"No, ...if I advance."
At the King of Mask Singer round?
Or does she have confidence in winning the semifinals?
"It's not like that. It's just that I can't prepare in a rush like this time."
"That's true."
If she were to win again here, that would be an even bigger problem.
Because Seo-yeon didn't have any songs prepared.
So, while preparing the song for the semifinals, she also had to prepare a song for the King of Mask Singer round.
"...Will it be possible?"
"Of course! But it's a bit tight on time. If we consider the King of Mask Singer round, we have about 12 days, right?"
"Yes."
If she won the semifinals, roughly that much time would remain.
If she had already received copyright permission, it could be barely possible.
'But of all things, Da-young unni is also busy...'
She was often called the 'Magician', but her real name was, after all, Ha Da-young.
She was also busy preparing for broadcasts lately.
Only someone like Cha Na-hee, who still didn't have much filming for
"I'll give it a try."
Still, Na-hee wanted to be of help to Seo-yeon if possible.
Wasn't this the King of Mask Singer round of
If she could arrange a song that could achieve decent results there, she would definitely learn more herself.
And her name would be credited as the arranger as well.
It definitely wasn't something with no merits.
"Should I let Nova Ent. know a bit?"
"No, it's more comfortable for me to work on these things alone."
Na-hee said that.
And from that day, she threw herself into working late into the night.
The music facilities at Hoyeon were actually better than those at Nova Entertainment.
It was because they had poured money uselessly with the intention of properly raising an idol.
Because of that, most of the idols had flopped, and the expensive equipment was left behind like malignant dead stock.
"...I'm a bit tired, though."
Glancing at the clock, it was already past midnight.
But even if she wanted to go to sleep like this, the deadline was tight.
That was because she was essentially taking on work that was normally done by a team all by herself.
'A slightly more upbeat feel would be better.'
The original song had a slightly emotional vibe.
The songs Seo-yeon sang well were also of that kind.
The song by Yeo-hee that she would sing in the semifinals was also that kind of song.
But having a song with the same vibe all the way to the finals was a bit...
After all, wasn't this a competition?
If she just went with the same vibe she had sung so far, it would only feel familiar to the audience and viewers.
A creator must appeal their work to the public.
And what gets highly evaluated is usually when it wins the 'empathy' of the masses.
Seo-yeon's greatest weapon.
But sometimes, a sense of unfamiliarity is needed.
You can't just rely solely on empathy and repeat songs with the same atmosphere.
Cha Na-hee was currently looking for a way to blend that in appropriately.
Staying behind at the agency in the dark of night.
"...Is she still not gone?"
Ra-bin clicked her tongue as she glanced at the lit studio.
"You haven't gone home either, unni."
And her right-hand woman, So-eun, said as if rebuking her.
"No, this is my house. And in the first place..."
Ra-bin hadn't stayed behind to work.
Playing by herself at home wasn't fun, so she just brought So-eun along to play.
And it was for the mood!
She came to the studio saying, 'Let's go to a noraebang!'
It was, in a way, a place where she could sing for free.
Furthermore, since Ra-bin had secretly brought a noraebang machine and put it there, it was a great place to hang out.
However, Ra-bin was shocked to the point where her half-drunk mood was shattered.
She never expected Cha Na-hee to be working at this hour.
"Stubborn girl..."
"That's why she's successful."
"Yah, you wanna get hit?"
Ra-bin grumbled about how she couldn't even sing anymore and turned around.
"Hey, let's go outside."
She called So-eun like that, but So-eun didn't follow.
"Ah, why~"
"Unni."
"No, Cha Na-hee being like that is an everyday thing, isn't it? Just leave her..."
"I heard that's something Joo Seo-yeon requested."
That gorilla-like girl?
Well, what does that matter? They could just leave her alone and go.
Thinking that, she tried to turn back, but her feet wouldn't easily move.
A truly detestable girl.
But seeing her like this, it wasn't easy to just turn a blind eye.
Was it because of that so-called reluctant attachment?
"Ugh, must be because I'm drunk."
Ra-bin scratched her head as she spoke.
"Let's kick her out and finish playing. She's making me conscious of her."
"But is there anything we can actually help with even if we try?"
"How would I know that?"
Ra-bin headed towards where Cha Na-hee was.
Trying hard to convince herself it was just the alcohol.
***
'Ah, I shouldn't have come on Mask Singer.'
Yeo-hee, with a churning stomach, rested her chin on the throne that only the King could sit on.
That posture was truly befitting of a king!
On top of that, the mask she wore was an ash-gray crow, making it look even cooler.
Looking only at her appearance, she looked like a villain straight out of a special effects movie.
But inside, she wasn't.
'Please, please lose.'
Yeo-hee prayed desperately.
The two who took the stage.
Among them, the red-eyed rabbit.
The one who introduced herself as 'Max-Level Rabbit'.
Her voice was altered during the interview, but there was no way Yeo-hee wouldn't recognize her.
She was an actress she had watched faithfully since her debut in Tae-soon-dal.
She even sang the recent
The others didn't seem to notice, but Yeo-hee knew the moment she heard it.
Joo Seo-yeon is singing this!!
She used to listen to her often with a feeling of supporting her from afar, but she never thought she'd run into her like this.
'I doubt she knows it's me.'
She had moderately altered her singing style to begin with.
And the song wasn't in the style she usually sang either.
The moment Yeo-hee had that thought.
"Now then. It is Max-Level Rabbit's turn! The song is... 'Wings of the Wind and Birds'!!"
The moment she heard the name of that song, Yeo-hee almost jumped up involuntarily.
That was because 'Wings of the Wind and Birds' was none other than her own song.
'D-Does she know?'
Is it a warning?
No, I haven't done anything wrong yet.
To think she would be shaking like this at her age.
Yeo-hee remained frozen like a stone until the moment Seo-yeon's song ended.
Praying desperately for her to lose.
But perhaps her desperate wish reached the heavens.
Seo-yeon was able to snatch victory in the semifinals, overwhelmingly dominating her opponent by a wide margin.