The next day.
Seo Yeon hurried to school, forgetting even her daily convenience store attendance that had become routine.
She planned to arrive early and quietly ask Lee Ji Yeon if what she saw yesterday was real.
"Oh, Ji Yeon said she'll be late today because of a morning shoot..."
Right.
Seo Yeon squeezed her eyes shut.
Come to think of it, Ji Yeon was also busy.
She was appearing in a drama, and with her popularity gradually increasing, she seemed to have gotten a CF too.
'Not to mention, she seems to have gotten closer with PD Jung Min Jae after
One way or another, Lee Ji Yeon had excellent communication skills unlike herself.
It was probably because of her ability that she became a popular VTuber in a short time in her past life.
"...Yeah, tell me when Ji Yeon comes later."
Saying that, Seo Yeon trudged and turned away.
Because of that, Ji Yeon who had been called by Seo Yeon suddenly became the center of attention among the girls in the class.
"What, what did she say?"
"This is the first time I've seen her this close. Her face is really small. Is that what a celebrity looks like?"
"Seeing this, Ji Yeon is also a celebrity."
The students chattered among themselves saying such things.
Actually, they were friends so familiar that they had forgotten, but currently, Ji Yeon had been active in the entertainment industry longer than Seo Yeon, so more people knew her.
It was just that there were things you didn't know because you were too close.
Plus, the impact of
"I want to try talking to her too..."
"A bit scary, isn't it?"
They say that when someone is too pretty, it's scary.
That saying fit Seo Yeon perfectly.
Plus, if she walked around smiling a bit, it might be different, but Seo Yeon was expressionless throughout.
It wasn't particularly intentional, but she tended to give a cold impression to the students.
If Ji Yeon were here, she would say 'Just walk around smiling like when you go to the convenience store,' but Ji Yeon wasn't here.
From then until the 5th period PE in the afternoon.
During the joint PE class with the next class, Seo Yeon was finally able to see Ji Yeon.
"Just play dodgeball moderately. Be careful not to get hurt."
As always, PE class was dodgeball.
Actually, calling it dodgeball, it was closer to self-study time.
Really, how many students would actually play dodgeball? But surprisingly, since dodgeball was included in the sports festival, there were some who played quite diligently.
Anyway, since the school was pushing arts and physical education, there were many students who were confident in sports.
'I want to talk to her.'
Seo Yeon, who had lingered nearby for no reason and ended up joining the dodgeball match with the next class, fell into deep worry.
She could see Ji Yeon standing with a tired face.
Perhaps because she came after finishing her morning shoot, her noticeably tired complexion stood out.
On the opposite side of such Seo Yeon, or in other words, the girl from Ji Yeon's class looked at Seo Yeon with sharp eyes.
'Joo Seo Yeon.'
An appearance that shines even among other female students.
Should she really be called an actress.
'But.'
The girl tightly gripped the dodgeball in her hand.
Yeonhwa High School's dodgeball club was a powerhouse that consistently placed in the top 4 at the national sports festival.
Although she was a substitute, she was strictly a player of the dodgeball club.
'I'll give her a proper hit.'
It was absolutely not a petty sense of jealousy or anything like that.
No, really.
It was just that she stood out a bit too much, or she didn't like Seo Yeon monopolizing the male students' attention.
Or that it seemed like the senior in the dodgeball club she liked had taken a liking to Seo Yeon.
It was absolutely not because of such reasons!
'Now's the chance.'
While Seo Yeon was looking at Ji Yeon.
The girl's arm moved.
"Haah!!"
A pitch thrown with all her might.
The ball that flew fiercely, aiming for the opening of Seo Yeon who was looking elsewhere...
Thwap
"?"
It was caught so simply in one of Seo Yeon's hands.
Not bouncing off, but caught with one hand.
The ball was seen dented according to the shape of her fingers.
'Her hand shouldn't be that big either...?'
Why was it caught?
How strong was her grip?
No, before that, she wasn't even looking this way.
The moment she had such thoughts.
Pow!!
"Uwah!!"
The girl was struck in the waist by the dodgeball that instantly came back and fell over.
With a speed that couldn't even be seen properly, let alone catching it, dodging was impossible.
As for Ji Yeon who saw that...
'...That girl is at it again.'
She could see Seo Yeon's face looking smug after hitting three people at once.
To others, it was an expressionless face, but Ji Yeon could tell.
"Hmph."
Right now, Seo Yeon was in a state of being intoxicated by her own flashy dodgeball play.
She definitely seemed to have something she wanted to say, but that changed the moment she threw the ball.
To be precise, from the moment the surrounding female students went "Wow!" and clapped.
"I forfeit."
"Eh."
So Ji Yeon calmly forfeited.
Because it really hurt if you got hit by a ball thrown by Seo Yeon.
---
"Anyway, you decided to film the movie?"
"Yeah."
While Seo Yeon's group was taking a break after finishing dodgeball, the two sat side by side having such a conversation.
'Isn't she only playing villain roles?'
Thinking that while looking at the silent Ji Yeon, Seo Yeon opened and closed her lips several times.
Bringing up the topic of the YouTube channel wasn't easy.
She could just ask directly, but...
'Red pill!'
Seo Yeon chewed on her lower lip.
Asking about that here would be like uncovering the red pill herself.
No, if it were Ji Yeon, the blue pill would be right, but putting that aside, she wasn't even sure if she really made the channel for VTuber activities.
While Seo Yeon's gaze wandered here and there, lost in thought.
"And about variety shows."
Faster than Seo Yeon opening her mouth, Ji Yeon spoke first.
"How about cable variety shows?"
"Cable?"
"There aren't any suitable public broadcast variety shows right now, and it's a bit burdensome, right?"
It was just that the viewership was excessively low, making it similar to the level of cable variety shows.
Seo Yeon's current recognition was that of a child actress returning after 10 years.
A somewhat hot potato who recently gathered a lot of buzz on variety shows.
If she wanted to, she could definitely appear on public broadcast too... but honestly, since she had never properly appeared on a variety show even once, it was indeed burdensome.
'Cable variety show.'
Seo Yeon also had a few things that came to mind.
But cable variety shows also tended to be high-level or a bit raw.
And as for whether it would help neutralize her villain image... well...
"Ah."
Thinking up to there, something came to Seo Yeon's mind.
'It shouldn't have ended yet, right?'
Come to think of it, there was one cable variety show that ended around this time.
It was a rare variety show among cable variety shows that could influence an actor's image.
Because it was a variety show that was often mentioned in communities.
"Then, there's one I can think of..."
When she spoke to Ji Yeon thinking it might be okay.
"...What?"
A gaze asking if she was serious came back.
That was understandable.
The cable variety show that Seo Yeon said she wanted to appear on was a long-running variety show that had been airing for a whopping 10 years on a cable game broadcasting station.
---
Confirming her appearance in
Nova Entertainment.
The agency I would be affiliated with from now on.
Breathing out a sigh mixed with tension at the outing with my mom for the first time in a while.
"But, would Seo Yeon's mother also be interested? I see real potential."
"Oh my."
At the words of representative Kang Chan Yool who came to see my contract in person, mom smiled as if embarrassed.
...It's a joke, right?
I looked at him with that thought, but surprisingly, representative Kang Chan Yool had a serious face.
'Mom does look young for her age, but...'
Seo Yeon glanced at Soo Ah's face and then slowly lowered her gaze.
That which still exerted a great presence was there.
Seo Yeon lowered her gaze again.
This time, mainly toward herself.
It didn't particularly have any meaning.
It really had no meaning, but.
'...Will it get even bigger here?'
Was it because it was her mom's bloodline?
It seemed big enough already, but at mom's level, it was a bit... too big.
Honestly, she felt it would be uncomfortable when acting.
"S-sorry, I'm busy with housework."
"That's really a shame."
Kang Chan Yool had a face that was genuinely disappointed.
Mom, Soo Ah's appearance was mysterious enough to warrant it.
Was that really the appearance and body of a woman approaching forty.
No wonder a passing actress asked what cosmetics she used.
Anyway, being a celebrity was impossible for mom.
Setting aside her appearance, she was the type who didn't get entangled well with others personality-wise.
Unlike me.
"Right, did you make many friends at school? Ah, of course excluding Ji Yeon."
"......"
"Hmm? Why, is there some problem with school life?"
At the sharp dagger that suddenly flew in, I closed my mouth.
It was as if he had read my thoughts.
"Enough that I can't count them on both hands."
"I see."
If you excluded Lee Ji Yeon, that was an undeniable truth without a speck of lies.
Thinking that my school life was also without problems, Kang Chan Yool nodded.
"It's important to maintain smooth relationships even if you're often absent. You know that, right?"
"Yes."
"Later, if your friends say they want to come, let me know in advance. Since they're students, they'd want to see celebrities too, right?"
"T-that's right. N-next time I'll bring them. Definitely."
What should I do.
I smiled dryly and worried.
It was a relief that there was no set period, at least.
"Then. The contract is done, and this is Park Eun Ha, the manager who will be in charge of Seo Yeon from now on."
Perhaps thinking the conversation was roughly over, he introduced the woman next to him.
She was a woman with a gentle impression who looked to be in her late twenties, but she looked quite stiff.
"She originally managed actor Hwang Min Hwa, so she knows the industry well. If you have any questions, ask her."
"Yes."
I answered like that and examined Park Eun Ha's face.
If she was actor Hwang Min Hwa's manager, she must have taken great care of me.
At the same time, there was a puzzling part.
'Is she already preparing to leave?'
Generally, a manager in charge doesn't change well unless it's a special case.
Since they share the daily routine, once they get in sync, there are various risks when changing.
Plus, she seemed overly nervous for someone who was the manager of an actor of Hwang Min Hwa's caliber.
'...I'll have to look into it later.'
There might have been various things going on with actor Hwang Min Hwa's transfer.
Come to think of it, from Nova Entertainment's position, letting go of Hwang Min Hwa, a ten-million actor, was also an exceptional case.
Well, cases of handing over a flagship celebrity to another agency were usually rare.
'Hmm.'
I sensed there was something to this transfer.
Of course, there was nothing I could really know, so I decided to watch the situation for now.
If there was a problem, it would definitely surface soon anyway.
And, two days later.
"Now, is everyone here?"
Director Bae Jin Hwan smiled as he looked over the gathered actors.
A very satisfied face.
Especially, the eyes looking at me were filled with strong anticipation.
"Now, let's begin."
The movie
The ill-fated movie that ended with a total audience of 2.5 million.
Its full-scale filming had begun.