The departure of Min Seo-ho, the actor who had been playing the lead role of 'Bae Sung-hak', came swiftly.
At a point where the issue hadn't even blown up yet, I wondered if they would really go as far as making him leave, but it seemed the production team, including Jo Do-yul, had decided on finding a replacement actor.
"It looks like too many people are entangled with him."
"If even one person blows up..."
There must have been debates back and forth in places where I wasn't present.
With a little over a month left until the start of the play.
If they were to make a decision, it had to be now.
'Generally, the preparation period for a play is between one and a half to three months.'
In other words, 6 to 12 weeks is the standard.
Anything longer than that is too long, and anything shorter is too brief.
Because of that, replacing an actor at a point when rehearsals haven't even begun wasn't that difficult a task.
Of course, that was under the premise that there would be a new actor entering the production.
"......It's Sim Cheong-seok."
And Jo Do-yul had quickly found an actor who was a perfect fit for this 'Bae Sung-hak' role.
Sim Cheong-seok.
A man who had already taken on leading roles in several plays in Jongno.
"Wow, Cheong-seok is coming out?"
"It's his first time doing romance acting, right? I'm really looking forward to it."
When he first revealed himself in the gathering of all the actors, the staff let out shrill screams.
Seo-yeon stared at him intently, tilting her head slightly.
'He's definitely handsome.'
However, she wasn't sure if he would suit 'Closing Eyes'.
The previous actor for 'Bae Sung-hak', Min Seo-ho, was what you'd call a refreshing handsome man.
Honestly, he didn't give the impression of someone who would have five mistresses.
Looking at his appearance alone, he was the very image of a pure and innocent youth.
'That's why even Swordmaster Pyo couldn't notice it.'
Even if he had known, he would have thought it was some kind of misunderstanding.
Didn't someone say that?
Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding...
"Then let's have the actors exchange simple greetings today. You all know rehearsals start tomorrow, right?"
The one who said that was the stage manager, Lee Hyung-hak.
With a good-natured face, he smiled and gestured to the actors gathered today.
Their number was fifteen.
With three lead-level figures and two multi-role actors, it was quite a substantial number.
'This kid...'
'Isn't that the kid who was in that Taesumdal before?'
And the one who received the most attention among the gathered actors was Seo-yeon.
It was only natural.
A child actress who had suddenly disappeared ten years ago.
Because no one could have imagined she would reveal herself in such a place.
The most burdened were the two actresses playing the same role of Hong Jung-hee.
They had already seen the audition video, so comparisons were inevitable if they weren't careful.
'And is that really her?'
Isn't she too, excessively pretty to play Hong Jung-hee?
Both had some confidence in their appearances as actresses, but Seo-yeon felt like she was on a completely different level.
And her presence.
A presence she had rarely felt even when meeting various actors in Jongno was vividly apparent.
A child who won the Youth Actress Award at a young age.
Having the qualities of a top actor was by no means an empty claim.
'Why would a kid like this be here?'
Apart from feeling burdened, it was a question that arose.
Why did Seo-yeon, of all things, come to audition for this play?
Even if it was a return after a long time, if she wanted, there would have been much better options, right?
Amidst such questions, gazes converged on Seo-yeon.
"Ahem."
Someone let out a small cough.
"Hello, I did well at the audition. I'm Park Hee-jun, playing the role of Bae Sung-hak. I look forward to working with you, Hong Jung-hee."
The first to greet Seo-yeon was Park Hee-jun, one of the actors for the role of Bae Sung-hak.
He was the eldest among them and a veteran actor who had been active in Jongno for a long time.
"Now this is awkward, should I call you sunbae-nim? Considering Seo-yeon's debut year..."
"You can call me comfortably."
"Ah, is that okay? Then I'll do that."
No matter how long they had been acting, none of them had debuted earlier than Seo-yeon.
Although the drama world and the theater world were different, there was no rule saying one would stay in only one place forever.
It was better to make an impression early on a promising actor.
"Cheong-seok, why don't you greet her too? You'll be working closely together in the same part."
At Park Hee-jun's words spoken with a jovial tone, Sim Cheong-seok slowly nodded.
Seeing him like that, Seo-yeon amusingly thought, 'Isn't he a bit young?'
"Please take care of me."
That was it.
Few words, and a stiff impression.
That was Seo-yeon's first impression of Sim Cheong-seok.
***
Rehearsals were basically three hours a day.
Naturally, she had to skip some afternoon classes.
"I got permission from the teacher."
When I made a V sign with my fingers and said that, Lee Ji-yeon spoke as if it was ridiculous.
"No, when I asked, you dragged it out so much."
"Actually, she seemed happy about it?"
"I really feel wronged. I didn't know one hit project would be this important."
Lee Ji-yeon grumbled as she said that.
But even as she said those words, Lee Ji-yeon was the pride of Yeonhwa High School.
The existence of a celebrity was of great help in promoting private high schools like this, so Lee Ji-yeon, who was currently appearing in a cable drama, was in that sense one of the school's most important figures.
'Truthfully, I got permission quickly thanks to Lee Ji-yeon.'
Thanks to the great promotion from Lee Ji-yeon's activities, the school wanted to actively support my entertainment activities as well.
However, I didn't bother to say it.
If I said it, she would definitely become smug.
"Right."
At that moment, as if remembering something, Lee Ji-yeon took out her smartphone.
"What?"
"Isn't this you?"
Wondering what she meant, I looked at the smartphone screen.
-Wow, wow? Did you just see that? That guy almost flew?
(Loud noise)
-Ah, it's because she's a high school girl? That 1st tank 3 high school girls thing?
It appeared to be a video of someone who looked like a YouTube streamer.
The video wasn't long.
About 1 minute or so.
The problem was the two figures who appeared in it.
The video quality wasn't good so it was hard to see clearly, but there was a long-black-haired high school girl.
And a woman being dragged, half-stumbling, held by that high school girl's hand.
-I thought the club guard approached menacingly and scared her, but the person actually flew?
-Ah, look this way, this way. I should get out of here too.
Looking at the YouTube comments, there was a lot of discussion.
Some said it was fabricated.
Many also said why would anyone bother fabricating something like this.
In the first place, if they fabricated something like this, the club would surely file a complaint.
-I'm a current hell trainer. Judging from her physique, she appears to be a high school girl weighing around 50kg, so it's impossible. The weight class difference is ridiculous.
└Even non-trainers know that much;;
└I'm a high school girl and that much is basic these days
└ 되->돼
After that, various opinions went back and forth.
Generally, "That's ridiculous" received the most recommendations.
The YouTuber was saying it was unfair on their end, but not many believed it.
"This is you, right?"
"......"
"Don't avoid my eyes, Joo Seo-yeon. It's that thing you talked about before."
Lee Ji-yeon then put her smartphone in her pocket and clicked her tongue.
"They said they hid well and filmed it. You returned faster on YouTube than in theater. This person has over 500,000 subscribers, so they have quite a bit of recognition, you know?"
"I don't know."
I felt wronged at Lee Ji-yeon's words.
How was I supposed to know someone would be filming in that situation?
'I was hidden well in the alley.'
I definitely didn't even sense any gaze, but unluckily I got filmed by a YouTuber.
Still, looking at the video, it seemed like not many had noticed.
If there had been a big commotion, Min Seo-ho would have known too.
"Hmm."
Lee Ji-yeon stared at me piercingly.
It was a look that said, 'What kind of trouble is this kid causing where I can't see?'
"Just to be sure, you haven't met that woman since then, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then that's fine. Be careful, there's nothing good about getting entangled with dangerous people."
If you only heard her words, she sounded exactly like a mother.
Thinking that made me a bit anxious.
Because speaking of mothers, my real mother suddenly came to mind.
'What if Mom sees it too?'
Seo-yeon's mother, Su-ah, enjoyed watching YouTubers.
So if it became a topic, she might see it.
If she saw it, it wouldn't end with just an hour or two of nagging.
Just imagining it made my body shudder.
"Joo Seo-yeon."
"Yeah?"
"About the promise you mentioned before."
The promise from before?
Wondering what she meant, I thought about it carefully and barely recalled it.
"Ah, coming to my house?"
"Yeah. Once you start the play, it'll be difficult again for a while, is this week okay?"
"Yeah."
Rehearsals were starting today, but this week should still be fine.
Coincidentally, my parents also said they'd go shopping with my younger sibling that day.
'That day... I should do well.'
I glanced at Lee Ji-yeon.
It was fortunate that things were going well.
Still, I had hoped she would do it even as a hobby.
***
"Alright, we're starting in earnest from today, so let's all work hard."
Rehearsals for the play still began from the time afternoon classes ended.
So if I hurried a little, I could make it roughly on time, and I was able to arrive at rehearsals without being late.
Of course, once the performances began, I'd have to skip some classes, but that was a problem for then.
'Joo Seo-yeon.'
Acting guidance for the play was mainly handled by the assistant director.
Assistant Director Kim Cheong-un narrowed his eyes at Seo-yeon, the high school girl who had arrived late.
'Will she be okay? Her acting skills are definitely solid, but.'
He felt a bit anxious.
The audition was excellent.
He had been there too, so Seo-yeon's passing for the role of 'Hong Jung-hee' was fully understandable.
'That and character are separate matters.'
A talented child actress.
Considering she was still in her teens, there were many不安 factors in various ways.
Even if she had passed puberty, there were still many emotional aspects remaining.
"First, let's look at the acting on Bae Sung-hak's side, and then we'll try matching the rhythm between Cheong-seok and Seo-yeon. Is that okay?"
"Yes."
Brief answers were heard.
Sim Cheong-seok, Joo Seo-yeon.
Both showed rare changes in expression and thin emotional expression.
'Oh, my head.'
He thought there were particularly many blunt people among the actors in this part.
Was this really going to be okay?
He thought to that extent.
But Seo-yeon herself had no such thoughts at all.
She even thought it was rather convenient since there was no need to talk much.
Besides, Seo-yeon was now deep in thought.
'If it's Sim Cheong-seok...'
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes as she watched Sim Cheong-seok warming up.
From the first time she saw him, she had a feeling she'd seen him somewhere.
But looking carefully, he was indeed someone Seo-yeon knew.
'Definitely... the figure who became a hot topic in an OTT drama later.'
Outstanding acting skills.
And a handsome face. A figure who rose to stardom in one bound.
But the reason Seo-yeon remembered him was different.
Because he was an unfortunate actor who died right before the final episode while filming that very drama.