Actually, there wasn't much to so-called promotional activities.
Just going on broadcasts or events to say hello, and that was it.
If I had to pick the hardest promotion I did this year, it was undoubtedly the promotion for
'I'm never singing an OST again.'
It was a remark that would make broadcasting officials vomit blood if they heard it, but Seoyeon was sincere.
She made a big splash on
How could they pass up the enthusiastic desire to hear the OST live?
Her live skills improved unexpectedly, but honestly, it was too burdensome every time.
Compared to that, the Japanese promotions were quite easy.
Originally, there was no real need to go, but YHJ had invested so much in
"The YHJ officials were so happy that you said you'd appear on their variety show, Seoyeon."
"Really?"
It wasn't that she particularly wanted to appear on YHJ's variety show; it just looked fun.
Variety shows should be fun, after all.
That was Seoyeon's thought.
So, when choosing variety shows, Seoyeon relatively preferred ones that looked fun.
"I thought you wouldn't appear because you've been caring a lot about your image lately. I think this is good, too. It can highlight your strengths, Seoyeon."
"……."
"Seoyeon?"
At her manager Park Eun-ha's words, Seoyeon realized it late.
'Ah, right. Image.'
Cold sweat formed on Seoyeon's back.
Because it was a part she hadn't thought of.
***
『The variety show is scheduled to be filmed on Wednesday, so you can rest until then.』
The PD of this
Ninomiya Daiki bowed his head respectfully as Seoyeon arrived.
Looking at him, Seoyeon thought.
'His attitude has changed from before.'
When she visited YHJ before, he wasn't this respectful.
That wasn't particularly about Ninomiya, but rather the atmosphere of the broadcasting station, should I say.
When Seoyeon first visited, the vibe was 'A Korean actress?', 'Will her appearing on Japanese broadcast even affect the ratings?'
But now, when Seoyeon came out, everyone welcomed her with smiling faces.
Seoyeon was almost flustered by the drastic change in attitude.
『Then, as you said, we will prepare as hard as we can.』
PD Ninomiya said that with a rather solemn face.
She was a bit worried about what exactly they were preparing.
She did say she was good at all physical activities, but she was still a little worried.
The response to the recent 'Violl commercial' was truly amazing, saving Seoyeon's plummeting image from the brink.
How else would Park Jung-woo have contacted her like this?
[Hey, do you have any thoughts on being a Violl model? The head office seems interested.]
"Me, a Violl model? Is that okay?"
[Well, wouldn't it be fine? As long as you manage your image properly…….]
"No, if I become a Violl model, aren't they going to expect the same look as in the commercial?"
[…Probably?]
"Hmm, is that so. But didn't you say you didn't really like that look, sunbae?"
[What?]
"The look I showed during the commercial. I did it thinking of the Yeonhwa Princess, but since you couldn't even make eye contact with me, I figured you disliked it."
At Seoyeon's words, Park Jung-woo was speechless for a moment.
As if deep in thought.
Seoyeon quietly listened to the phone.
Of course, Seoyeon knew what Park Jung-woo was agonizing over.
If she said she didn't like it here, but then Seoyeon never showed that look again, the one who would regret it would be Park Jung-woo.
[…I don't dislike it.]
"Yes~?"
[I was just flustered…… Hey. You're making me say this on purpose, aren't you?]
"No? It's just that the sight of you not being able to make eye contact back then came to mind."
[Hey, Joo Seoyeon, don't get too cocky.]
"Hehe. Is the wind chilly today?"
[Are you changing the subject?]
Seoyeon laughed triumphantly for no reason.
Well, it wouldn't have been seen since it was a phone call.
Anyway, the sight of Park Jung-woo looking extremely troubled at that time was vivid in her mind.
"Well, I'll think about it."
She said she'd think about it, but Seoyeon was full of thoughts of doing it.
Of course she was.
It's a luxury brand commercial, you know?
More than half of the people want to do this but can't.
It was practically proof that she was a recognized celebrity in Korea.
Anyway, with her mind full of such thoughts, Seoyeon couldn't help but care about her image.
Please, let nothing that uses too much physical strength come up.
She could only hope so.
"Is this the zoo?"
"Yes, that's right."
And the remaining time.
Because the documentary for
It was more like an aftermath story, should I say.
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Among them, the most talked-about topic seemed to be the bear she rode around in the Aokigahara Forest.
That was why Reika naturally stuck by Seoyeon's side now.
"……You can speak Korean now?"
"I studied."
At those words, Seoyeon's eyes shook for a moment.
To Reika, who spoke as if it were natural, Seoyeon counted the days for a moment.
About a month, or two?
It had only been that long since she met Reika.
However, Seoyeon couldn't help but be astonished that Reika could speak Korean to some extent, even if there were many awkward parts.
Can a language be learned that quickly?
"Seohee-ssi taught me."
"……Seohee-ssi?"
"Yes."
When did she get close to Seohee again?
Seoyeon's eyes narrowed.
True to her title as a pro at networking, Cho Seohee seemed to have built a connection with Reika early on.
From what I heard, they had been keeping in touch until recently.
Even though she barely contacted me recently.
We did meet at a fast-food restaurant last time, but before that, she barely even called.
"What's wrong, Seoyeon?"
"It's nothing."
Reika was bewildered by Seoyeon's suddenly sullen appearance.
She wondered if she had done something wrong, but since that emotion didn't seem to be directed at her, she could only tilt her head.
『Miss Reika, let's get moving!』
『Ah, yes!』
Anyway, Reika wanted to get close to Seoyeon.
Cho Seohee had talked so much about Seoyeon that she had her strengths memorized perfectly.
On top of that, Reika had watched all the works Seoyeon appeared in.
From when Seoyeon made a cameo appearance in
When her own acting was completely overshadowed by a mere cameo.
After watching all the works like that, Reika could understand what Seohee was trying to say.
'I should ask her to teach me acting later.'
Of course, the acting expected in Korea and Japan is different.
But seeing Seoyeon's acting at that time, it showed that she was capable of acting that treads a certain line.
Because Seoyeon's acting back then was Korean acting with Japanese-style exaggerated expressions.
"Has the bear been doing well since then?"
"Yes. They say it's very healthy. It seems its body has fully healed too."
"That's a relief."
Seoyeon smiled as she recalled the bear she rode back then.
She gave it some ruthless discipline back then, but it couldn't be helped.
She wasn't sure if it tried to attack a person, but if it had, it would have definitely been dangerous.
'Well, with that many CCTVs installed, avoiding them wouldn't have been a problem, but.'
The problem was that filming would have been more difficult.
'It did have a good feel to it, though.'
Seoyeon looked at her hands for a moment.
This sensation in her hands was proof of the bond she formed with the bear.
Later on, didn't the bear act on its own just by making eye contact with Seoyeon?
This all meant they shared a connection of the heart.
『Hello. I heard the story.』
The zoo was in the area near Aokigahara where Seoyeon had stayed before.
It was the Fuji Safari Park in Shizuoka Prefecture.
A famous tourist spot in Japan, where you can move around by bus and even feed the animals.
Naturally, it was to the point where you could see bears living in groups.
"Is it perhaps getting beaten up by the other bears?"
Seoyeon asked the zookeeper who came to greet her out of concern.
It was a bear she had shared a connection with, after all.
She asked Reika to translate.
『Oh my, getting beaten? It's so healthy. In fact, it's the leader now. The other bears are terrified of it.』
"Really?"
『Of course. So it's quite a troublemaker. It still has some wildness left. So we usually keep it in a safe place. Because it's a bit rough. Of course, strangely enough, it listens to human words well.』
From what I heard, it tends to listen well to the black-haired woman, but when it doesn't, its rebellion is fierce.
"It seems it got a bit rough because it misses Seoyeon. It was so gentle back then."
At the zookeeper's words, Reika frowned unnecessarily and said.
From Reika's perspective, who rode the bear with Seoyeon back then, she couldn't believe the bear was rough.
"Right? I need to coax it well."
Seoyeon also nodded as if she agreed with Reika's words.
There was no other bear as gentle as the one Seoyeon had seen.
'What in the world are they talking about?'
The zookeeper was bewildered by Reika's words as she translated and conveyed their opinions.
Because it was hard to tell whether these young ladies were speaking sincerely or if it was just a comment for the broadcast.
Seeing the cameraman standing behind nodding, it seemed fine.
'Actors these days have a hard time making a living. To think they have to film with a bear.'
From the zookeeper's perspective, she couldn't help but admire the acting skills of the actresses who were casually conversing even in this frightening situation.
If she weren't a zookeeper and lacked knowledge about bears, she would have been terrified.
『……Anyway, let's go.』
At the zookeeper's words, Seoyeon and Reika nodded.
Because the long-awaited reunion was finally approaching.
***
The group of bears gathered together.
A bear sitting calmly in its place could be seen.
The other moon bears moved around, carefully watching the mood of the bear with exceptionally black fur.
Because it hurt a lot if they got hit for being unnecessarily close to it.
Bears are not animals that particularly have a leader.
However, when they live together like this, the strongest individual naturally stands out.
In that regard, the black bear was the closest to a leader.
First of all, it was tough, and it listened to human words relatively well.
『I heard it was pushed out in a territorial dispute with another individual, but I don't think so.』
The zookeeper said that while heading toward the bear.
In fact, that black bear was on the larger side compared to other bears.
A size large enough to momentarily mistake it for an Ezo brown bear.
That's why it could carry two people on its back and walk around.
A bear like that lost a territorial dispute on Mt. Fuji?
Honestly, she thought that didn't make sense.
『I'll be by your side, so you don't need to worry too much, but…….』
First, it was a bear that listened well to human words, and there were safety personnel in case of emergencies.
Like that, Seoyeon quietly waited for the bear to come.
The filming staff moved the cameras to capture this moving reunion.
『It's here!』
Someone said.
The sight of the huge bear the zookeeper brought.
She felt it when she saw it in Aokigahara, but it really was a scary-looking fellow.
『Seeing a fellow like that become so tame around Actress Joo Seoyeon, maybe even bears recognize a beauty?』
『Haha, I wouldn't know.』
While everyone was talking like that, the bear stopped in its tracks as it saw the two women waving at it.
As if it was facing an unexpected person.
『Are they filming right now?』
『That actress, that's the actress! The one from
『Then is that bear the one from the documentary?』
『Oh my, what do we do.』
Tourists passing by on a bus nearby also reddened their eyes seeing that sight.
Because it felt like just yesterday they saw Seoyeon and the bear parting affectionately in the documentary.
'Has it been a month?'
Seoyeon thought.
Maybe a little over a month has passed.
Honestly, she didn't think much of it, but facing it like this, the memories of playing together in the Aokigahara Forest came back, and she felt her eyes slightly reddening.
'This kind of emotion is unfamiliar again.'
Is this the emotion called being moved?
Feeling a new emotion, Seoyeon gently wiped the tears forming at the corner of her eyes with her index finger.
At that moving sight, the zookeeper and Reika also looked at her with warm faces.
"Uwoooooh!"
The bear cried out looking at Seoyeon.
At the bear's sudden cry, the zookeeper spoke with a startled face.
It was because tears were welling up in the bear's eyes!
『The bear is crying too!』
Could it be that the bear also recalled the memories of the forest?
At the rare sight of an animal shedding tears, the zookeeper's eyes reddened too.
People were crying, and the bear was crying.
At this moving reunion, everyone clapped and shed tears.