The first day after the entrance ceremony at Yeonhwa High School.
The day she first set foot in a place called high school after graduating from middle school.
The freshmen's reactions were largely divided into two types.
Students revealing anxiety and nervousness about the new beginning with their eyes.
And students roaming the school in search of something.
Min Ara was among the latter.
"I-I-I saw her! She was running on her way to school today!"
"Really? Did you try talking to her?"
"I wanted to... but she was too fast."
They had tried to chase after her, but at the sight of the 'sunbae' who had already disappeared far into the distance, the girls let out disappointed sighs.
'Looks like they've known each other since middle school.'
Ara felt secretly envious watching those girls.
Because in many ways, she was like a loner on this remote island.
It was quite a regrettable part for someone who had even had many friends at her previous school.
The emptiness inside her grew even larger because the friends she used to hang out with kept sending her all sorts of photos through KakaoTalk.
'This is going to be hard again.'
She twirled the ends of her blonde hair between two fingers.
She had struggled quite a bit to get close to people in middle school too, so she figured it would be the same this time.
But she wasn't too worried.
At least Min Ara was confident in her sociability.
Especially.
'The reason I came to this school is for my own future, after all!!'
Recently, Yeonhwa High School had been putting effort into its arts and physical education track.
Especially the theater club.
There were currently two actors who had appeared as leads and supporting roles in ten-million-viewer films.
Because of this, many students dreaming of becoming actors had also set their sights on Yeonhwa High School.
The school administration, aware of this, was pouring generous support into that area, of course.
They had even arranged opportunities to learn by connecting with theater troupes in Chungmuro.
'Ju Seoyeon.'
Should I call her Seoyeon sunbae-nim?
She worried about how to approach and strike up a conversation in a friendly way.
Min Ara had watched every movie and drama that Seoyeon had appeared in without fail.
She had even watched the commercials, and recently, even the Eternity Camp broadcast.
She had even installed and played Eternity Camp, a game she had never been good at before, just to that extent!
'If I use the game as a topic, I should be able to approach her more easily.'
Ara more or less had Seoyeon's preferences figured out.
Because through all sorts of variety shows, Seoyeon's tastes had been revealed to the public.
Especially if you watched The Golden Duckling, she seemed familiar with that side of things because her father worked at a game company.
"Wow, she's pretty. Do you think she's an aspiring actor too?"
"An idol? Ah, but I feel like I've seen her somewhere before..."
"I know. She probably appeared in a web drama?"
"Really? A pro?"
At those words, Ara's shoulders straightened up proudly.
She didn't have what it took to daringly appear on cable or terrestrial TV yet, but she had some experience appearing briefly in a web drama because she knew someone who produced them.
The main age demographic for watching web dramas was quite young.
So occasionally, very rarely, someone among her peers would recognize her.
What luck.
Just as Ara was thinking that.
"What do you mean, making a fuss over a mere web drama. I'm here, me."
The one who rained on Ara's mood was a female student standing in front of the school vending machine.
She was short in stature, with a cute teddy bear-like appearance.
But her way of speaking gave off a rather arrogant feeling, unlike her looks.
"You know I'm appearing in a new Netflix drama this time, right? If that goes well, I'll crush ten-million-viewer movies and stuff like that easily."
"Ah, right. Right."
"Hyeri, I hope your drama becomes something like Child's Game too."
"If you just look at the work's quality, it's better than Child's Game. It's definitely going to be a huge hit."
A girl chatting away, filled with a strange sense of superiority.
If you listened quietly, she was implying that ten-million-viewer movies or dramas were merely 'domestic' anyway.
That hitting it big on Netflix once was bigger than that.
It wasn't necessarily wrong looking at recent trends, but Ara felt strangely annoyed.
Apparently, she didn't seem to have come to this school because of 'that actor' like Ara had.
No, perhaps she was conscious of that actor in a different sense.
'Should I say something?' Just as she was thinking that.
"We were lucky. Our drama originally went into production around the same time as Child's Game. But it got pushed back slightly, and we ended up benefiting like this..."
The moment the girl named Kim Hyeri said that.
A small resting area inside the school felt like it was stirring slightly.
The students who had been talking stopped.
You could feel gazes moving naturally.
For the returning students, it was a fairly familiar sight, but for students seeing her in person for the first time, some were gaping with their mouths hanging open.
Without distinction between male and female students, they watched the steps of the girl walking forward, one step at a time.
What caught the eye first was black hair.
And brown pupils tinged with red.
On top of that, a slender physique overall came into view.
Ju Seoyeon.
The girl who had definitely been clamoring that hitting it big on Netflix was more important than ten-million-viewer movies just a moment ago.
Even Kim Hyeri quietly closed her mouth.
'Her presence is different.'
Her looks were obviously beyond question.
But the most important thing was her unique atmosphere.
Like her pitch-black hair, there was something that drew in gazes as if absorbing light.
'That's it.'
A ten-million-viewer actor.
They said she was the lead in the drama Mine, which was scheduled to be released on Netflix recently.
The intensity seen on that poster was vividly felt right before her eyes.
Because of that.
"Sunbae."
In a situation where everyone was only following Seoyeon with their eyes, unable to dare approach her.
Min Ara took the first step.
"I'm a fan of yours, sunbae! Wow, how can someone be this pretty?"
If one were to name her strong point, it was her overflowing sociability.
Despite her bright blonde hair and appearance where her biracial traits stood out, the reason she had been able to make many friends was because of Min Ara's warm and friendly personality toward everyone.
The sight of the girl stepping up close, looking with sparkling eyes.
At Ara's action of blocking her path and initiating conversation.
'Why is she suddenly talking to me?'
Seoyeon's pupils couldn't help but shake as if an earthquake had struck.
***
'I'm tired.'
Jo Seohee looked out the window with her heart feeling somewhat hollow.
The school Seohee attended was a so-called prestigious school.
It was a place with high academic fervor, so one might think they would neglect the so-called arts and sports tracks, but it was still a recognized place in that regard.
So Seohee had also come to this high school as a compromise.
'If I had known it would be like this, I should have gone to Yeonhwa High.'
Unfortunately, aside from Seohee herself, there were hardly any celebrities at the school.
So there weren't really people to talk to about work-related matters.
Of course, even if she couldn't connect deeply on a heart-to-heart level, Seohee had quite a few friends at school.
"Have you been busy filming these days?"
"Hm?"
"Because you look tired all day today."
Her deskmate sitting next to her was giving off signs of wanting to talk, examining Seohee curiously.
From her perspective, she was one of the few ten-million-viewer actors in Korea.
Moreover, she hardly got to see actors around her own age.
"I haven't been particularly busy..."
"Then?"
"I just had a bit of a restless night."
She figured she had probably dreamed.
She didn't know what kind of dream it was.
At first, she thought it was a dream related to her mother, but it felt a little different from that.
'What on earth was it?'
Of course, Seohee wasn't the type to brood over problems without answers for long.
She just didn't know what it was, but she wanted to get some good sleep.
That was her only thought.
On top of that.
'I wonder if Seoyeon is doing okay today.'
A new school year.
And the thought of freshmen coming had reminded her of Seoyeon's excited figure.
Usually, when Seoyeon was like that, things tended to go opposite to what she expected, so there was a slightly worrying aspect.
And, just as Seohee had thought.
'How should I answer in this situation?'
Seoyeon was faced with a very perplexing situation.
'This is outside what I had anticipated.'
In fact, Seoyeon found it hard to be conscious of the fact that she was an 'actor' at school.
Because people around her not approaching her to talk had been the same even before she returned as an actor.
Still, she had become a second-year, and Song Dayeon, the theater club teacher, had said there was a student who had enrolled at Yeonhwa High to see her, so she had harbored some secret anticipation.
'I even practiced my autograph in advance.'
Pretending she wasn't expecting anything.
She had said so to Jiyeon, but just in case, she had thoroughly practiced.
For reference, she even had a small ballpoint pen in her pocket.
In case someone requested an autograph, so she could give a cool one.
But this was truly unexpected.
'I can't believe she'd actually approach me like this.'
Seoyeon was bewildered.
She had a flashy appearance.
Blue eyes and blonde hair.
A foreigner? Or mixed-race?
"Ju Seoyeon, she just spoke in Korean, not English."
As she was worrying about such things, Jiyeon, who had followed belatedly, said that.
At her appearance, it felt like the surroundings were stirring once again.
This too was a different reaction from before.
Because before The Lady of Gyeongseong became a hit, most students hadn't recognized Jiyeon.
But now, people's gazes were visibly turning according to her movements.
"...What?"
"No, I just thought you might have mistaken it for English because there was no answer."
YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0Y250a3I2djE4bzhkQzE1UEMvbG5kMHU4eDJZMDdETXRRRzdxVVpvemYwTQ
'Did she think I was debating whether to answer in English?'
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Seoyeon looked at Jiyeon with icy eyes.
'I sometimes wonder, what on earth does she think I am.'
She herself was aware that she was a bit slow.
There were definitely times when her mind worked slowly depending on the situation.
But that was because her thoughts usually hadn't fully caught up yet, not because she was stupid.
...Though it wasn't to the extent that she could call herself smart either.
But still, her memorization skills were good, okay.
"A freshman?"
"Yes. I applied here right away after hearing that Ju Seoyeon sunbae-nim was a student at this school. I'm also aspiring to be a celebrity, and I've had experience appearing in several web dramas? So I was thinking, if I get the chance, maybe I could receive all sorts of advice from you~"
The girl said so, making a V with her fingers and grinning.
Truly an energetic girl.
But different from a chatterbox or a cheerful feeling.
'She's like a character that comes out often in anime these days...'
A gyaru character that was recently trending.
In Korean terms, the ultimate insider among insiders.
While her impression wasn't as fierce as Seoyeon's or I Jiyeon's, the Korean gyaru, she had a strong, sophisticated feel to her looks.
Perhaps because her hair was blonde too, that feeling was even stronger, making her the type that Seoyeon would normally find hard to approach.
'But web dramas?'
It wasn't something Seoyeon was particularly interested in.
Even if she searched her memories for it, nothing appropriate came to mind.
Seoyeon, whose knowledge of the entertainment industry popped up like a wiki, but that too was limited to what she had seen in her previous life.
She couldn't recall things she had absolutely no interest in.
'Since I had absolutely no interest in web dramas.'
The target demographic was young to begin with, and personally, it felt like it didn't suit her.
'And as for that one over there...'
From the moment she set foot here, Seoyeon had heard various words floating around this place.
Among them was the girl's words about appearing in a Netflix production.
'If it's a work that's premiering soon, what could she be talking about? Yaksha? Or Hellbound?'
Immediately after Child's Game was released, Korea seemed to have been waiting and poured out various works.
Of course, they hadn't additionally produced them because Child's Game hit it big.
There hadn't been enough time for that.
Even Mine, which Seoyeon had filmed, had begun preparations before Child's Game hit it big, so the others would be similar or even faster.
'...But except for one work, most of them failed.'
There was no law saying it had to be exactly the same as her previous life.
But if the script hadn't changed, she felt the results wouldn't be much different from her previous life either.
While thinking that, Min Ara tilted her head at Seoyeon, who had fallen into a silent silence.
'I think she had a lighter feeling on variety shows, but was that because it was a variety show after all? Her original personality must be as cautious as her looks. She's as cool as I imagined.'
'Hmm,' Min Ara thought so.
And turned her gaze to Hyeri, who had been chatting boastfully just moments ago.
'Can she even compare after seeing this?'
The girl who had described movies as if they were 'setting suns' until just now had already slunk away long ago under Seoyeon's unwavering gaze.
Thanks to that, Ara felt unnecessarily triumphant for a moment.
Seoyeon, who had been watching her figure, hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
"Could I perhaps know the titles of the web dramas?"
"Ah, yes! Of course."
Afterward, Ara kindly informed Seoyeon of the web dramas she had appeared in.
As expected, they were titles she had never heard of.
'I'll have to check them later.'
Web dramas themselves certainly had aspects where the acting was inferior compared to regular dramas or movies.
First of all, most of the actors appearing in them were high school students.
Their experience differed, and their level was lower too.
But the fact that they were still actors didn't change.
'Especially since web dramas are easy for teenage actors to break into.'
Flamboyant blonde hair.
Mixed-race.
On top of that, a flashy appearance, so she had a strong feeling of being far removed from the image of an ordinary high school girl.
The fact that she could still land roles despite that meant she must have great strengths in other areas.
"Seoyeon sunbae-nim, if you watch them and get the chance, could I hear your impressions? And I'd appreciate it if you could tell me about areas where my acting is lacking."
Seeing Ara, who sent an eager gaze and took another step closer, Seoyeon stepped back cautiously.
'Regardless of anything else, our compatibility is...'
Both Seohee and Jiyeon were quite good at communication.
Their types were different, but Ara was more than that.
Since their tension levels themselves were different, she was hard to keep up with.
'For this type of kid, it's better to keep some distance...'
No matter how much she liked her, she was the type who would be quite exhausting to be around.
She would check Ara's acting once, but apart from that, wouldn't it be difficult to get close?
'It's best to keep an appropriate distance from this type.'
It was a bit of know-how she had learned from Seohee and Jiyeon.
To begin with, keeping distance from people she didn't click with reduced exhausting situations.
"Ah, and sunbae-nim."
"...?"
"I saw the commercial you appeared in recently too! I was really surprised because you're so good at games. You have great wit too, and I think if you hadn't become an actor, you would have become an amazing streamer if you had gone into broadcasting."
"..."
"Especially the VTuber you were with? I felt like the chemistry was good?! You two looked as familiar as if you had known each other from before!"
At those words, Seoyeon felt the distance in her heart, which had been growing farther, narrow in an instant.
'That's right, she's just a bit noisy, but she's a junior with an eye for quality and proper taste.'
Seoyeon's favorability toward Ara rose sharply.
Because it was the first time she had heard someone sincerely say she was good at games.