To explain, Jo Seo-hee only recently found out about the true nature of the film. Jo Seo-hee, who had been active in the industry since she was a child actor, had built a wide network of connections over the years.

Veteran actress Jung Eun-sun was especially fond of Jo Seo-hee, and Seo-hee herself paid great attention to maintaining her connections.

‘In the acting world, you’ll see the same faces again and again.’

It was wise to maintain good relationships. She had thought this way since she was young, and that mindset hadn’t changed much as she grew older.

Director Baek Min was one of those connections, having known Jo Seo-hee for quite some time. When she was a child, they met through an introduction from actress Jung Eun-sun. Later, as she grew older, she appeared in a movie called Emergency Cooperation.

“The title is Gyeongseong Lady?”

At first, she thought it was just a film with an intriguing title. The setting was during the Japanese occupation, and she assumed it was a film related to the independence movement.

‘It might help improve my image.’

Jo Seo-hee pondered this as she sipped her warm Americano. With her sharp appearance, Jo Seo-hee often faced negative public opinion.

People speculated that she might have been a delinquent or that she seemed a bit too bold. Such rumors were widespread, so she welcomed the opportunity to improve her image.

‘It would be nice if I could play a role where I die heroically.’

If she could evoke the right emotions, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Moreover…

‘It’s a good chance to prove my acting skills.’

She thought of Ju Seoyeon, the girl who had suggested Director Baek Min’s film to her. She still remembered Seoyeon from her childhood, but Seoyeon had grown into a fine actress.

Although Seoyeon had only starred in one film so far, Jo Seo-hee knew she had the potential to rise quickly.

She hadn’t forgotten the helplessness she felt as a child.

She could still vividly recall Seoyeon competing with adult actors rather than other child actors.

‘This time will be different.’

She was no longer a child actor. Although she wasn’t very old, she now lived in the world of adult actors.

“This is a lesbian film.”

“Pfft!!!”

But Director Baek Min’s words caused Jo Seo-hee to spit out her coffee. Just as she was resolutely steeling herself, what on earth was he saying?

“I-I think I misheard you, Director.”

“No, you heard right.”

Director Baek Min laughed as he wiped the Americano Jo Seo-hee had spit out off his face.

“Oh, I-I’m so sorry. Here, let me get you a handkerchief…”

“It’s fine.”

Director Baek Min smiled cheerfully, just as he always did. He was a young director in his mid-thirties.

However, he was considered one of the most promising young directors. From Jo Seo-hee’s perspective, he was an invaluable connection.

“I really want to cast you as the lead in this film, Seo-hee. There’s no other actress your age who’s as amazing as you are.”

“That’s really flattering, Director, but…”

Director Baek Min had a high opinion of Jo Seo-hee. Not only did she have exceptional looks, but she was also the best actress among her peers. She had impeccable self-discipline. There was no other actress her age who could match her. He was confident in that.

So, he was determined to cast her as the lead in Gyeongseong Lady.

“And the actress you recommended, Ju Seoyeon, I’m looking forward to seeing her act as well.”

Director Baek Min hadn’t seen Tae-sum-dal or the play Seoyeon had performed in. Therefore, he hadn’t seen Seoyeon’s acting directly. However, he knew that Seo-hee had taken an interest in Seoyeon since childhood. Recently, Seoyeon had been making headlines, so he was curious about her.

“Will you be bringing her along next time? You said she’s your friend.”

“Yes, yes, she’s a friend.”

Jo Seo-hee managed a shaky smile with trembling lips. Fortunately, the facial muscles trained by years of acting performed their duty flawlessly.

“I’ll definitely bring her, Director.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

With a bright smile, Director Baek Min made Jo Seo-hee nod helplessly. And so, today…

“That’s how it is.”

“Oh, I see. It’s a lesbian film.”

“Yes…”

Seoyeon tilted her head at Seo-hee’s response.

‘Is this something to be so nervous about?’

These days, such themes were commonplace in various works. Sometimes they were even inserted forcibly, leading to a drop in quality and receiving criticism.

‘It’s not good for an actor to be picky about roles.’

This was Seoyeon’s basic mindset. If there was anything she avoided, it was romantic roles. However, she knew she would have to tackle that eventually.

‘Gyeongseong Lady is certainly a challenging film.’

For the record, Seoyeon didn’t remember Jo Seo-hee being cast in Gyeongseong Lady. It wasn’t a big-budget film, and no prominent actress was willing to take on a role with a lesbian theme.

So three unknown actresses were cast. These three actresses became the main characters of the film, and it turned out to be a huge success, far beyond expectations.

It attracted 4 million viewers. It was even nominated for an Academy Award and received nominations at various international film festivals. The film won numerous awards and was a hot topic in the news.

‘Afterward, the actresses who starred in the film gained opportunities to appear in OTT dramas.’

Although they didn’t participate in any blockbuster projects after that, they initially became quite popular overseas. There was a buzz about “the new drama starring those ladies!” Although it didn’t live up to expectations, the initial impact was significant.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Oh, I was just thinking.”

Seoyeon replied casually, but Jo Seo-hee flinched. That was understandable because Seoyeon’s voice was typically calm and didn’t reveal much emotion. At first listen, it could sound like she was displeased or angry.

“If you don’t want to do it, you can decline.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“Huh?”

Seo-hee was surprised by the unexpected answer. She had assumed Seoyeon would reject the offer.

“I’ll just need to think it over a bit.”

“Okay…”

With that, Seo-hee thought, Oh, I guess she’s going to decline after all. She assumed Seoyeon was just politely turning her down.

For Seoyeon, though, she wasn’t rejecting the offer at all. On the contrary, she thought Gyeongseong Lady was a great opportunity.

‘It’s one of the few films that could boost my recognition overseas.’

Gyeongseong Lady was a movie that became a hot topic on international internet communities. Before the OTT market became widely popular, Korean actors were almost unknown abroad.

Of course, Korean movies and dramas would later gain significant recognition, but that was still a few years away.

‘It’s a great opportunity, but…’

The reason Seoyeon couldn’t give Seo-hee an immediate answer wasn’t because the movie dealt with a lesbian theme. It was purely because she was worried about whether she could perform well. She was concerned about her acting abilities.

‘I don’t know which role I’d get, but if I’m acting alongside Jo Seo-hee, it’s likely to be a significant one.’

The main roles in Gyeongseong Lady were three:

The ‘daughter of a prestigious Japanese family,’ her ‘rival,’ and the ‘maid of the daughter.’

Seoyeon didn’t know which role she would play. But all three required some romantic scenes.

Having never done a romantic scene before, Seoyeon wasn’t confident in her abilities.

“...Dream Future.”

“Oh, yes, I heard you’re appearing in that.”

“I’ll try it out there first and let you know.”

Dream Future also involved some romantic scenes. However, Jo Ha-rin’s character had fewer of those scenes and mostly involved unrequited love, so there were fewer emotional exchanges. Still, she couldn’t say there were no romantic scenes at all, as her character ends up paired with someone other than the male lead, Kim Si-hwan, at the end.

So Seoyeon thought it would be good to give it a try there and see how it went.

‘It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up just because I’m nervous.’

Setting aside the fact that the offer came from her friend, Jo Seo-hee, it was indeed a great opportunity, so she couldn’t refuse just because she felt pressured.

“Alright. There’s still time, so just let me know by the end of the year.”

“Yes.”

With Seoyeon’s response, Seo-hee seemed to relax a bit and ended the call on a lighter note. After hanging up, Seoyeon turned to find Ji-yeon with a curious expression.

“What was that all about?” Ji-yeon asked with a puzzled look.

Being nearby, Ji-yeon must have overheard part of the conversation. Seoyeon looked Ji-yeon up and down.

‘Hmm.’

Ji-yeon had only appeared in a cable drama so far. And then there was the movie Gyeongseong Lady that Seo-hee had just mentioned.

‘Since they couldn’t find any applicants, unknown actresses were cast.’

There was a good chance that no well-known actresses would audition by the next year, as Seo-hee mentioned. That meant it could be a great opportunity for Ji-yeon.

“Ji-yeon, would you consider auditioning for a movie?”

“What?”

Ji-yeon was rarely caught off guard, but Seoyeon’s question left her momentarily stunned.

“Seon-ah, have you finished writing the article?”

“Yes, it’ll be up soon.”

Han Seon-ah smiled and responded to her senior before letting out a sigh. With the trend shifting toward online articles, there was a lot of work to do these days.

Reporters often got lumped together and criticized because of others posting articles without proper research.

“Huh? The Chaser?”

“Oh, yes. Have you heard about it?”

“Of course! That’s the movie GH Group invested in, right? No need to worry about the audience numbers.”

Han Seon-ah smiled at her senior’s words. As Seoyeon’s number one fan, just hearing this made her feel good.

“But Ju Seoyeon? Hmm, do you really need to write an article? Isn’t there already a lot of coverage on her?”

“Oh, it’s not for immediate release. I’m planning to publish it when the second or third PV comes out.”

The article Han Seon-ah was preparing traced the growth of the actress Ju Seoyeon and speculated on how she would perform in The Chaser. It was intended to introduce the relatively unknown actress to the public.

“It’s a bit vague. Writing something like that won’t generate much buzz, you know? What’s the term they use these days? Clickbait? It’s not that catchy.”

“I’m not a fan of writing overly sensational articles…”

“Come on, don’t worry so much about that. We actually focus too much on that kind of thing.”

The media company ‘Seon-yang Media’ that Han Seon-ah worked for was relatively moderate.

However, being moderate meant it was less recognized compared to outlets that produced more provocative articles.

“Well, you’re good at what you do, Seon-ah. I trust you.”

“Thank you. I’ll make sure to do it right.”

After her senior walked away, Seon-ah let out another sigh. Half of her motivation for writing about Seoyeon was fandom, but she also believed in Seoyeon.

‘She’s definitely going to make it big.’

With The Chaser.

Recently, there were also signs that Seoyeon had auditioned for a drama. Seon-ah planned to dig around to find out more about what happened during the audition.

About the new role Ju Seoyeon had chosen.

And that role was…

“I’m Ju Seoyeon, playing the role of Jo Ha-rin. I look forward to working with you.”

Seoyeon bowed to the other actors who were looking at her.

It was the first meeting for Dream Future.

The actors who passed the audition had gathered in one place. It was their first meeting, organized by Director of Photography Kim Pil-seok.

It wasn’t a script reading, just a chance for the cast to get to know each other.

“They’re young actors, after all. They’re all around the same age,” Director Kim Pil-seok said with a hearty laugh.

Most were in their early twenties. The younger ones were in their late teens.

Among them, Seoyeon, at seventeen, was the youngest by far. Besides the male lead, Kim Si-hwan, and the female lead, Song So-ha, the four main supporting actors were each brimming with personality.

They were young, and some had already found success at a young age, so they exuded confidence. The most representative of this group was…

“Wow, Seoyeon, you’re still in high school, right? Feel free to speak casually with us.”

A guy with flashy blonde hair and an earring, Ma Yeon-woo, was the prime example.

His remark caused the other four’s faces to twist in displeasure. They didn’t openly say anything, but since Ma Yeon-woo had the largest fandom, they couldn’t voice their complaints.

‘Not good.’

Seoyeon subtly nodded as she observed them. These were young actors who would likely go on to great success in the future. There was nothing to gain from souring relationships here.

‘In this group, I need to be the one who keeps things together.’

She thought to herself. Though she struggled with school life, she was top-notch when it came to social interactions.

As Seoyeon nodded to herself with this thought…

‘…It seems she’s getting some strange ideas again.’

Park Jung-woo sighed, predicting that this would be a challenging group to work with.