The departure of the actor Min Seo-ho, who played the lead role of Bae Seong-hak, happened quickly.

It seemed doubtful that they would make him quit before any issues had even surfaced, but Jo Do-yul and the production team decided to find another actor.

"It seems like there are just too many people involved."
"Even if just one person goes out of control..."

There must have been a heated debate about this behind the scenes.

With a little over a month until the play begins, now was the only time to make decisions.

“Usually, a play's preparation period is between a month and a half to three months.”

This means that the standard preparation period is between 6 and 12 weeks. Anything more is too long, and anything less is too short.

So, it is not too difficult to drop an actor from the play before rehearsals begin, especially if there is another actor ready to step in.

"…It’s Sim Cheong-seok."

Jo Do-yul quickly found an actor perfectly suited for the role of Bae Seong-hak. Sim Cheong-seok.

A man who has already played the lead in several plays in Jongno.

"Wow, Cheong-seok is going to be in it?"
"Isn't this his first time doing romance? I'm really looking forward to it."

When he first appeared at the gathering of the cast, the staff let out shrill screams.

Seoyeon looked at him intently and slightly tilted her head.

‘He’s certainly handsome.’

However, she wasn't sure how well he would fit in with "Eyes Closed." The previous actor for the role of Bae Seong-hak, Min Seo-ho, was often described as a refreshing handsome man. To be honest, he didn’t look like someone who would be juggling multiple relationships.

In terms of appearance, he looked like a pure and innocent young man.

"So even the swordmaster didn't realize."

Even if they knew, they might have assumed they were mistaken.

Someone once said:

"Longing is the emotion farthest from understanding..."

"Let's keep it brief today so that the actors can introduce themselves to each other. Rehearsals start tomorrow, you all know that, right?"

The person speaking was Lee Hyeong-hak, the stage director. He smiled warmly as he gestured to the assembled actors.

There were fifteen people in total. Three of them were in leading roles, and two were multi-role actors, so the numbers were quite significant.

"That girl..."
"Isn't she the one who appeared in "The Legend of Tae-sum" back then?"

Among the actors gathered, the person receiving the most attention was Seoyeon.

This was to be expected.

A child actor who suddenly disappeared ten years ago, no one imagined she would reappear in such a setting.

The most burdened were the two actresses cast in the same role as Hong Jeong-hee.

They had already seen Seoyeon's audition video, which could lead to unavoidable comparisons.

"Besides, is she really suitable for this?"

Isn't she too pretty to play Hong Jeong-hee?

Both actresses were confident in their looks, but Seoyeon seemed to be in a different league.

Then there was her presence.

Even when meeting many actors in Jongno, they rarely felt such a strong presence.

This was a child who had won the Youth Acting Award at a young age.

It was no exaggeration to say she had the qualities of a top actor.

"Why is a girl like her here?"

It was a question that arose separately from the burden.

Why did Seoyeon choose to audition for this play?

Even though it was her first comeback in a while, there must have been better opportunities for her if she wanted them.

Amidst such questions, everyone's eyes turned to Seoyeon.

"Ahem."

Someone cleared their throat.

"Hello, I enjoyed your audition. I am Park Hee-jun, playing the role of Bae Seong-hak. I look forward to working with you, Hong Jeong-hee."

The first to greet Seoyeon was Park Hee-jun, one of the actors playing Bae Seong-hak.

He was the eldest here and a veteran actor who had been active in Jongno for a long time.

"Should I call you senior? Considering Seoyeon's debut year..."
"Feel free to call me whatever you're comfortable with."
"Really? Then I’ll do that."

No one here had debuted earlier than Seoyeon, even if they had been acting for a long time.

Although the drama and theater scenes are different, there’s no rule that one must stay in the same place.

It's good to leave a strong impression on an actor with a promising future.

"Cheong-seok, why don’t you introduce yourself? You’ll be working closely with her."

At Park Hee-jun's words, Sim Cheong-seok nodded slowly.

Seoyeon looked at him and thought, amusingly, ‘Isn't he a bit young?’

"Pleased to meet you."

That was all.

He was taciturn and had a stiff demeanor.

That was Seoyeon's first impression of Sim Cheong-seok.

Rehearsals were usually three hours a day.

Naturally, this required taking time off from afternoon classes.

"I got permission from the teacher."

When I said this with a V sign, Lee Ji-yeon looked at me incredulously.

"When I asked, they hesitated so much."
"They seemed pleased."
"I'm really envious. Having a hit work is so important."

Lee Ji-yeon grumbled.

But even though she said that, she was a source of pride for Yeonhwa High School.

The presence of a celebrity is a huge asset for a private high school like ours, and since she was currently starring in a cable drama, Lee Ji-yeon was one of the most important figures at the school.

‘Actually, the reason I got permission so quickly was because of Ji-yeon.’

Thanks to her success, the school wanted to support my activities in the entertainment industry too.

But I didn’t mention it.

If I did, she'd definitely become smug.

"Oh, right."

Just then, Lee Ji-yeon seemed to remember something and took out her smartphone.

"What?"
"Is this you?"

I looked at the screen, wondering what she meant.

“Wow, wow? Did you see that? That guy almost flew.”

(Loud noise)

“Ah~, is it because she's a high school girl? Like that 1st Tank 3rd High School Girl thing?”

It seemed to be a video by a YouTube streamer.

The video wasn’t long.

About a minute or so.

The problem was with the two people in the video.

Although the quality wasn't good, you could see a high school girl with long black hair.

And a woman being half-dragged by the hand of the high school girl.

"The club bouncer seemed to be approaching menacingly, but this girl sent him flying?"
"Ah, he saw us, he saw us. Let’s get out of here.”

There were lots of comments on YouTube.

Some said it was fake.

Others wondered why anyone would fake something like that, since the club would definitely lodge a complaint if it was.

"I'm a personal trainer. Judging by her build, she looks like a high school girl weighing about 50 kg, this is impossible. The difference in weight class is ridiculous."
‘Even non-trainers would know that;;’
‘I'm a high school girl, and this is basic these days.’
‘는->돼’

Various opinions were exchanged, with most popular comments saying it was unbelievable.

The YouTuber was defending himself, claiming it wasn’t fake, but not many people believed him.

"That’s you, right?"
"……."
"Don’t avoid my gaze, Joo Seoyeon. It’s what you mentioned before."

Lee Ji-yeon put her smartphone back in her pocket and clicked her tongue.

“You said they filmed secretly, but this is... You came back through YouTube faster than through theater. You know this person has over 500,000 subscribers, right?”
“I didn’t know.”

I felt wronged by Lee Ji-yeon’s words.

How was I supposed to know someone was filming in that situation?

‘I was hiding well in the alley.’

I didn’t feel any eyes on me, but unfortunately, a YouTuber managed to capture it.

Still, it seemed that not many people recognized me from the video.

If there had been a big commotion, Min Seo-ho would have known too.

"Hmm."

Lee Ji-yeon stared at me.

As if thinking, ‘What kind of trouble is this girl getting into behind the scenes?’

"You haven’t met that woman again, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good. There’s no need to get involved with dangerous people. Be careful."

Listening to her was like listening to a mom.

That thought made me uneasy.

Thinking of a mom made me think of my actual mom.

‘Is my mom watching this too?’

Seoyeon's mother, Sua, enjoyed watching YouTubers.

So if it became a topic, she might see it.

If she did, the scolding would last more than a couple of hours.

Just imagining it made me shiver.

"Joo Seoyeon."
"Yeah?"
"You know that promise we talked about earlier."

The promise we talked about earlier?

I tried to remember and finally recalled it.

"Oh, you’re coming over to my house?"
"Yeah. If your play starts, it’ll be hard for a while, so is this week okay?"
"Yeah."

Rehearsals started today, but this week should be fine.

Besides, my parents were going shopping with my younger sibling that day.

‘I need to do my best that day.’

I glanced at Lee Ji-yeon.

I was glad things were working out.

Even so, I hoped she would take it up as a hobby.

“Alright, we’re starting officially today, so let’s all do our best.”

The play rehearsals began after afternoon classes ended.

So if I hurried, I could make it on time and not be late.

Of course, during the performance, I’d have to skip some classes, but that was for later.

‘Joo Seoyeon.’

The assistant director was mainly responsible for guiding the play’s acting.

Assistant director Kim Cheong-un squinted as he looked at the high school girl, Seoyeon, who had arrived late.

‘Is this going to be okay? Her acting skills seem solid enough.’

He felt a bit uneasy.

The audition was excellent.

He was there, so he could fully understand why Seoyeon was cast for the role of Hong Jeong-hee.

‘But talent is different from personality.’

A talented child actor.

Considering she was still a teenager, there were several areas of concern.

Even though she had passed puberty, she still had a lot of emotional aspects to deal with.

“First, we’ll watch some of the Bae Seong-hak scenes, then we’ll check the chemistry between Cheong-seok and Seoyeon. Is that okay?”
“Yes.”

Short responses were heard.

Sim Cheong-seok and Joo Seoyeon.

Both had limited facial expressions and conveyed little emotion.

"Oh, my head hurts."

This group of actors seemed to be particularly stoic.

Was this really going to be okay?

That’s how it seemed.

However, Seoyeon herself didn’t think much of it.

In fact, she found it comfortable not having to talk much.

Besides, Seoyeon was deep in thought.

‘If it’s Sim Cheong-seok…’

Seoyeon narrowed her eyes as she watched Sim Cheong-seok warming up.

Since she first saw him, he seemed familiar.

Upon closer examination, he was indeed someone Seoyeon recognized.

‘Surely… the person who became a sensation later in an OTT drama.’

Outstanding acting skills.

Along with a handsome face, he quickly became a star.

However, Seoyeon remembered him for a different reason.

He was the ill-fated actor who died while filming that drama, just before the last episode aired.