"Umm."
Gil Dahyun was genuinely curious about what to say right now.
It wasn't that she had nothing to say, but rather that she had too much to say.
Honestly, Gil Dahyun was also curious.
No, everyone in this room couldn't help but be curious.
"Is that really a bear? They said it's a wild bear?"
"...Well."
「Originally, this bear is a Japanese black bear, and its habitat is quite vast. There are also reports of it being discovered in Shizuoka, so it's speculated that it came up from there.」
"...."
Just as she was about to make an excuse, interviews from other actors and the director aired in real-time, leaving no room for excuses.
Above all, the screen was currently broadcasting Seoyeon's appearance riding around on the bear.
A quick check of the internet showed:
- What's a bear-konbanwa ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Didn't Jo Seohee just faint???
- Even I would faint if a bear bear-konbanwa'd me....
- Is Joo Seoyeon out of her mind??? She's hitting the back of the bear's head like that while riding behind it???
- Ahem, can't you see Joo Seoyeon is educating the bear?
- It's absurd. The bear survived because it's gentle ㅇㅇ
- The bear survived because Joo Seoyeon is gentle ㅋㅋ
- I'm a bear and this is true
This was only the level of talk within the fan community.
Probably in a little while, she'd be known across all humor communities as the actress who hits bears on the back of the head.
Opinions ranged from being relieved that the bear was gentle, to various speculations about what exactly happened in places without CCTV.
「It sustained bruises on its face and fractured ribs. It's speculated that it was probably driven out from a territorial dispute.」
「Are bears usually that gentle?」
「No. Unless it's full, there's no way it would be like that... Furthermore, its stomach was empty so it was extremely dangerous... But it showed no signs of danger at all...」
Later, the appearance of an animal researcher who came to the filming set was also shown.
Of course, it seemed even the animal researcher couldn't quite believe the bear's behavior.
While they were saying it was dangerous, the video was incredibly peaceful.
Joo Seoyeon riding around on the bear, and the actors terrified out of their wits.
Among them, Reika bravely stepped up.
「Can I maybe ride it too?」
「Ride behind me.」
「Really? Thank you!!」
For reference, Reika was speaking Japanese, and Joo Seoyeon was speaking Korean.
It was a scene where neither side understood what the other was saying, vaguely communicating through body language.
- What kind of bear is a motorcycle that you ride pillion
- Tu..tuttu...
- Brain is confused because it can't accept the current situation
The problem was that while the bear was roaming around like that, the two extremely sensible actresses, excluding Joo Seoyeon and Reika, were lost in disbelief of the current situation.
For reference, let alone food, they couldn't even set up a tent.
「Are we sleeping like this tonight?」
「Looks like it.」
A situation practically akin to refugees.
The bear deliciously ate the feed the actresses had made.
Anyway, the actresses who had been living like barn pigs were finally saved the next day when Stella Baldwin arrived.
"Huh? Stella Baldwin??"
Gil Dahyun was startled.
No, everyone present was startled!
They were viewing the bear with a bit of a Disney sentiment, but this... how should one put it.
It felt like a real-life figure had suddenly popped out.
The sight of the bear licking with its tongue the always fairy-like smiling face of Stella was quite surreal.
Even the rare spectacle of Stella freezing stiff like a mannequin.
"Don't they sue for that kind of thing in America?"
"A safe bear..."
"Didn't they just say it was a dangerous bear earlier?"
Seoyeon was at a loss for words.
Saying it was fine because she was riding behind it had a strange nuance.
'Did my image just go down the drain?'
She started to get worried.
Bear Rider Joo Seoyeon, who had already conquered the internet, was swallowing up the cute magical girl image she had worked so hard to regain.
It was dangerous.
Cold sweat formed on Seoyeon's forehead.
"But, if it's Stella, it's that Stella, right? Wow, Seoyeon, are you even acquainted with Stella?!"
Anyway, while the bear fell fast asleep snoring, Stella worked hard to get the situation under control.
Setting up tents and making food.
Meanwhile, the four actresses sat blankly behind her.
- Is this right?
- Just looking at her image, it seems like Stella wouldn't be able to do anything like that at all ㅋㅋㅋ
- There go Dooly's crew. Exactly three of them, so Dooly, Douner, and Ddaochi.
- Joo Seoyeon: Give me food. If you act up, you become bear food. Watch yourselves.
- Stella: F***ing gorilla b****...
Anyway, Stella's usual image wasn't exactly on the very good side either.
She managed her image fairly well, but her interviews and actions around other actors inevitably gave off the nuance of 'I am different from you.'
While there were people who liked that, there were just as many antis.
An actress whose popularity was clearly polarized.
Separately, no one could touch her when it came to acting skills.
The problem was that such Stella was being particularly friendly to Seoyeon in the video.
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「Seoyeon, what are you doing?」
「Playing with the bear.」
「Play with me too~.」
「No.」
「Ahaha, that's too much!」
Whenever Seoyeon was playing with the bear, she would gently approach and strike up a conversation.
Seoyeon was too distracted by the bear to notice at the time, but thinking about it now, the frequency of Stella initiating conversation was quite high.
So naturally, speculation arose that Joo Seoyeon and Stella were quite close.
Above all, Stella's interview inserted in the middle of the variety show was the decisive blow.
「Ah, did it look like we're close? That makes me happy.」
Stella smiled brightly, gazing at the camera.
「At first, when I saw the bear, I was a little surprised, but it was fun. It's something hard to experience in America, right?」
Up to that point, it was a smooth interview.
But.
「You're asking if I've met actress Joo Seoyeon before? Hmm~, yes. I have. I wanted to meet her so much that I even went to Korea. My father praised her acting, so I became a little curious.」
Who was the father Stella was referring to?
A world-renowned master.
Was it not Asher Baldwin?
At that remark, the panelists in the Japanese studio instantly caused a huge uproar.
Just how much did Asher Baldwin praise her, for Stella to go all the way to Korea to meet Seoyeon?
「At first, curiosity. So, when I met her in Korea, I was a little surprised. She is a person very much like me.」
Naturally, she wouldn't be talking about appearances.
Acting.
Or that kind of vibe.
Initially, on the internet, there were more posts mocking Stella's interview.
- Did the Korean broadcasting station give money?
- Ah ㅋㅋㅋ She's trying to ride the Korean coin
- Joo Seoyeon is doing a bit well, but saying she's similar to Stella is different
- Saying the bear-riding actress is similar to Stella???? Isn't that somehow weird??
- The certain thing is Joo Seoyeon fights better than Stella
However, those words disappeared with Stella's following interview.
「Acting. Her acting clearly conveys emotions. I also like that kind of acting. The kind of acting where you can share emotions with others.」
It was an interview, but it sounded like words meant for someone.
Because there wasn't enough time.
Or because she had a lot to say but was too shy to say it directly.
Such shyness seeped through the interview.
'Wait a minute.'
Seoyeon, who was watching the interview, started to get worried.
'When was this interview recorded?'
Fortunately, Seoyeon's curiosity was quickly resolved.
Because Stella mentioned it herself.
「I will be returning to America in three hours. I never expected to come all the way to Korea to conduct an additional interview.」
Three hours before departing for America.
In other words, one hour before she was to meet Seoyeon again at the airport.
Even more cold sweat formed on Seoyeon's forehead than when she was worrying about her image just a moment ago.
"Seoyeon, are you hot?"
"A, a little."
Seoyeon continued watching Stella's interview with a nervous face.
Stella's interview was mostly filled with words about Seoyeon.
When asked about other actresses, she answered vaguely, but it was different for Seoyeon.
「Actually, I'm trying to seduce her a bit.」
"!!"
Seoyeon's eyes widened at Stella's slightly playful remark.
No way, right? The moment she thought that.
「Ah~, of course as an actress. My oh my, were you surprised?」
At those words with a subtle nuance, Stella wore a mischievous smile.
As if she knew Seoyeon would be watching this.
「I'm going to tell her to come to Hollywood.」
Stella said seriously.
「Because I've come to want to film a movie with Seoyeon. Not simply a minor role, but a proper movie.」
At those words, the Japanese caster conducting the interview asked out of curiosity.
The mention of a minor role meant asking if she had already filmed something with Seoyeon.
「Ah, yes. We filmed it in Japan. A Korean movie,
Stella openly mentioned the title of that movie.
Saying she filmed there in a minor role, that it was a brief moment but very enjoyable.
Naturally, at those words, the internet was once again in a huge uproar.
The claim that Stella, of all people, had appeared in a Korean movie.
「Of course, during that shoot, it wasn't just Seoyeon, there was also a wonderful Korean male actor... but they said that's a secret.」
Stella smiled radiantly after saying up to that point.
As if to say the interview was over.
「Then the interview is over. I have to go seduce Seoyeon now.」
「That's a Hollywood story, right?」
「Huh?」
The Japanese caster spoke as if they wouldn't be fooled this time.
At those words, Stella narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled softly.
「Yes, that's close.」
And then, looking at the camera once again.
「Well then. I'll be looking forward to the moment we meet again.」
Those words sounded like they were addressed to her fans.
However, Seoyeon knew.
No, she couldn't help but know.
That these words were meant for her.
「Sincerely.」
And so, Stella's interview ended.
"Seoyeon, what's your relationship with Stella?"
"...."
Gil Dahyun's question was probably just asking if she was close with Stella.
Even if the nuance was a bit subtle, Stella had spoken quite plainly.
However, Seoyeon struggled to answer.
'It's ambiguous to even call us friends.'
Because the atmosphere wasn't one where they'd believe her if she said that.
***
It was literally an instant for the Japanese variety show to spread across the Korean internet.
There were two major topics of interest.
One was Seoyeon riding the bear.
The second was none other than Stella.
The two topics competed, resulting in a relatively reduced mention of Seoyeon's 'Bear Rider' image.
For Seoyeon, it was truly a relief.
Of course, the second topic also became a buzz because it wasn't ordinary either.
"So what happened to the bear after that?"
"People swarmed in and took it away."
"It's really a tamed bear, right? Really?"
"It, it must have been tamed."
"Right? The Japanese broadcast lied and said it was a wild bear?"
Even students who normally wouldn't talk to Seoyeon swarmed over and asked her about it.
Thanks to that, Seoyeon instantly became a popular star... though she was originally a star.
Anyway, she had inadvertently gained a ton of opportunities to converse.
It spread on the internet. Clickbait sites picked it up.
Eventually, entertainment industry articles started being published too.
[What kind of movie is
[Who is the 'wonderful male actor' mentioned by Stella Baldwin?]
[Joo Seoyeon's great performance on a Japanese variety show. A huge buzz as
[Joo Seoyeon receives a love call from a famous overseas actress saying "Come to Hollywood"]
These were the articles that caught the eye first when looking at the internet right now.
It was a rare occurrence for an issue related to a Japanese variety show, let alone a Korean one, to become such a hot topic.
However, considering this wasn't just a simple Japanese variety show but ultimately a promotional variety show for the Korean movie
Besides, Stella Baldwin had talked quite a bit about Seoyeon.
Even Nova Entertainment called Seoyeon in separately to talk about it.
"Seoyeon, were you that close with Stella Baldwin?"
"Y, yes."
"Wow, seriously. How far are you trying to go. What about our company? At this rate, aren't you really going to advance overseas?"
The CEO of Nova Entertainment, Kang Chanyul, said so with a beaming smile.
In fact, with Seoyeon's recent activities, Nova Entertainment was full of actors who had visited this year.
On top of that,
The effect of Jiyeon also briefly showing her face on this Japanese variety show was quite good, so there were many talks going around about her as well.
'Jo Seohee, and now even Stella Baldwin?'
Kang Chanyul looked at Seoyeon sitting in front of him.
Seoyeon sitting with a composed face even in this situation just looked amazing.
At any rate, with this much attention focused on her, she should be nervous, but she didn't look nervous at all.
'...It's, a relief.'
Seoyeon was honestly a little relieved at this situation.
She thought her 'Bear Rider' image would massively increase, but it was somewhat offset by Stella's interview.
'It's still lingering, but wouldn't time solve it?'
Of course, because Stella's attitude was quite meaningful, there were also many subtle posts.
In many ways.
- Is the bear Joo Seoyeon rides a polar bear?
- The polar bear is smiling right now...
- So what's the relationship between Stella and Joo Seoyeon??
- You guys are going to get sued at this rate
Even though they said that, it was mostly jokes.
In the first place, Seoyeon and Stella weren't even people who met frequently.
To link a mere Korean actress and the fairy of the century, there were many aspects where the image was ambiguous.
While clickbait sites made meaningful remarks, internet articles simply emphasized their friendship, and no talk of anything special came out.
Probably because of Korean sentiment, and it being an article that could easily be dangerous.
If they misreported, Stella's side would never stay quiet, so that must be why.
"So, the thing is, GH Group contacted us."
"From GH Group?"
"Yes, I'm not sure if it's because of this Japanese variety show incident. Or because of Stella Baldwin... but they asked me to tell you thank you."
To tell her thank you?
What did that mean?
Seoyeon looked puzzled at those words.
"The filming for
"Has the casting finally been completed?"
"Yes, as you know,
"Yes."
"So, it seems they were trying to cast a famous Hollywood male actor for the male lead role of
"...A famous overseas male actor?"
"Yes, I don't know exactly who. But they said they kept reaching out, but got rejected."
Kang Chanyul stroked his chin.
So GH Group had apparently given up and tried to change course to another actor.
An actor less famous than that one, and with slightly inferior acting skills.
But, just yesterday.
"They said they got a call."
"From, that actor?"
"Yes."
An American actor participating in a Korean OTT drama?
Even if it was after
'What is this?'
This didn't happen even in her past life.
"But, what does that have to do with them saying thank you to me?"
"...Well."
CEO Kang Chanyul also opened his mouth with a slightly bewildered face.
"They replied that they decided to appear because of actress Joo Seoyeon."
"What?"
This was another completely unexpected remark.