Sometimes, people think.
That when they wake up in the morning, their life has changed.

And lately, I’ve been feeling that, in a small, indirect way.
In a slightly different sense.

"Uh, welcome… oh!!"

When I entered the convenience store I usually visit on Wednesdays, the clerk gasped.
He always gasped, but today’s gasp felt different somehow.

As I stared at him, the clerk, who seemed to have been opening a box, glanced nervously at the industrial cutter knife on the counter.

“H-ha. The weather is nice, right?”

He slowly, cautiously, moved the cutter knife out of sight.

“……”

As I frowned slightly, the clerk, looking somewhat embarrassed—or maybe a little frightened—cleared his throat.

“...I watched The Chaser yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“You were... Cha Seo-ah in that, right?”

He asked hesitantly, drawing out his words, and I nodded.
His face took on an expression that was hard to describe—a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"The, the acting was amazing. I didn’t even know something like emotional expression disorder existed. It felt so real, you know?"
“Did it?”
“...Yes, it really did... ...”

He trailed off as I looked at him calmly.

"...That was just acting, right?"

At his question, I smiled softly.
And with one hand, I touched the corner of my eye.

“Of course.”
“...!!”

In the nearby mirror, I caught a glimpse of my eyes turning red for a moment.
The clerk, noticing this, recoiled slightly.

Seeing his reaction, I chuckled softly.

“Just kidding.”
“Oh, I-I see.”
“Of course.”

I said that as I picked up the vitamin drink I had just purchased.

“Well, take care. And be careful about who you let into the storage room.”

As I left the convenience store, I felt a gaze following me from behind.
A gaze filled with confusion, or perhaps caution, trying to determine whether what they saw was real or fake.

This was a look I had become accustomed to since the movie’s release.

At first, it felt a bit strange.

‘But now, it’s kind of fun.’

I thought to myself that I should visit a different convenience store tomorrow.
The idea already had me looking forward to it.

Jung Hyunwoo, a rookie actor.
He was an actor who led a disciplined life.

In the morning, he went to the gym to work out, and in the afternoon, he searched for work.
...Although finding work lately hadn’t been easy, he was trying his best.

‘Should I do theater?’

After playing a supporting role in a cable drama, he hadn’t been able to find another suitable role.
Unfortunately, his drama had been crushed by another show airing at the same time.

Initially, both shows were on par, but as his drama’s story deteriorated, it was completely overshadowed by the other.

“Sigh.”

He let out a deep sigh as he prepared to start a deadlift, when he saw a young woman entering the gym.
She was someone he couldn’t possibly not recognize by now.

At first, he’d heard she made waves in the plays Looking at the Past, Memories and Closing My Eyes.
Then she appeared consecutively in Survivor on the Island and Dream Future, generating even more buzz.

Ju Seoyeon.
By now, even Jung Hyunwoo couldn’t help but know who she was.

‘She seemed familiar…’

She used to be known as the young princess of plays.
But that image had long since faded.

Now, a much stronger image had overtaken the girl.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“!!!”

When Seoyeon spoke to him, Jung Hyunwoo instinctively stepped back.
It was the first time she had ever spoken to him.

Her expression suggested she was expecting to hear something from him. Could it be...

“I watched the movie... it was great. Your portrayal of Cha Seo-ah was really amazing.”
“Oh, thank you.”

Only then did Seoyeon’s face soften.
So, this was what she wanted to hear.

Every time she came to the gym lately, she would ask the older men something. It seems she was asking about this.

‘A ten-million-viewer actress.’

It was understandable that she’d want to boast about it.
In fact, it was almost certain that today or tomorrow, The Chaser would surpass ten million viewers.

This meant Seoyeon would become a ten-million-viewer actress with her very first film.

‘I don’t even feel jealous.’

Jealousy usually comes when something feels within reach.
When it’s beyond one’s imagination, all that remains is amazement and admiration.
Besides...

Clank!

“Wow, Seoyeon, you’re in good shape lately.”
“Lots of good things have been happening lately.”
“That’s right. I watched the movie too. Just look—after watching Cha Seo-ah yesterday, my muscles are trembling just from seeing Seoyeon today.”

Ha ha ha, laughed the gym trainer, while Jung Hyunwoo swallowed nervously.
What could he possibly be jealous of when facing a woman lifting weights he couldn’t even dream of handling?
He was just thankful he wouldn’t get folded in half.

“But aren’t you worried that playing Cha Seo-ah might give you a bad image?”

During a short break, Jung Hyunwoo asked Seoyeon.
The role of Cha Seo-ah had certainly made a strong impact.
It was bound to affect the actress’s image.

Especially for a young actress.

“There are some downsides, yes.”

Seoyeon thought about everything that had happened since the movie’s release.
There were definitely concerns, but for now, things were fine.

Above all...

‘At least I didn’t lose my commercial contract.’

I saved my 400 million won.
The thought of that made Seoyeon smile.

Her primary goal had been to preserve that, so she was genuinely happy about it.
It seemed that Dream Future had played a role in that too.

The first episode, where Jo Ha-rin left a strong impression on viewers, helped to offset the effects of her portrayal of Cha Seo-ah.
And surprisingly, Cha Seo-ah had gained some sympathy from the audience, which worked in her favor.

“It’s okay. I’ll just change my image with my next role.”
“Really?”

Jung Hyunwoo was a little surprised by Seoyeon’s confident response.
As expected, successful actors have a different mindset.

‘The image of Cha Seo-ah is intense.’

Of course, Seoyeon’s thoughts were a bit different.
As long as she didn’t lose her 400 million won, she didn’t particularly dislike the image of Cha Seo-ah.

‘Maybe I should try an action role next.’

The fight scenes between Cha Seo-ah, Seo Gwangil, and Detective Im Seungcheol had received great reviews.
Because they hadn’t used stunt doubles, the action felt more natural.

...Although both actors had to rest in the hospital for a while after filming those scenes.
Still, it was their intense performances that contributed to the film’s huge success.

“You’re an actor, right? I’ve heard about you.”
“Huh? Oh, thank you. But I’ve only been in one cable drama so far.”
“I heard about it. My friend was also in a cable drama airing around the same time. So I wanted to talk to you and say let’s support each other.”

Seoyeon said as she tilted her head slightly.
Her long black hair slid to the side, revealing her sweat-soaked white neck.

“So, if you need help, just let me know.”
“R-really?”
“Of course. I can teach you anything about working out.”
“...?”

Usually, people offer to teach acting, right?
Did she mean "support" in a literal sense?

Jung Hyunwoo felt confused.

‘Is she speaking in code?’

Jung Hyunwoo thought this as he nodded.
He would soon regret that nodding.

At the time when The Chaser had just surpassed 5 million viewers,
Dream Future had aired its sixth episode.

"Who wrote this article?"

Lim Jinha’s hands trembled.
She first checked which online newspaper had published the article.

‘Seon Yang Media, written by a reporter named Han Seonah.’

She knew who it was.
A reporter who had recently been writing favorable articles about Ju Seoyeon.

That was fine.

But how?

[Dream Future Power Abuse Allegations?]

The article’s title was short but impactful.
The content included testimony from a staff member claiming that the drama’s writer had drastically reduced the screen time of a specific actor simply because she didn’t like them.

‘How did this get out?’

She had tried to reduce it as naturally as possible.
But how did they catch wind of it and start investigating?

“Are you in on this? Ha, this is ridiculous.”

Lim Jinha spoke, but her hands were shaking.
Lately, even Baek PD hadn’t been very supportive of her.

It seemed that the rumors about orders coming from higher-ups weren’t a lie.
But revising the script?

‘Now?’

She had already caused enough damage by reducing Seoyeon’s screen time.
But now the higher-ups were asking not just to restore the scenes, but to increase them.

"Writer Lim, you know who the most talked-about actor is right now."

The next day, Lim Jinha was summoned to the broadcasting station and heard this from Baek PD.

“The director has watched the movie.”
“...Excuse me?”
“He said it would be fine to give her more screen time. You understand? This means we need to increase it.”

Baek PD pressed Lim Jinha as he spoke.

“Do you want this to be your last project?”
“But, I...”
“Ah, I know you’ve had a hit before. You’re considered promising. But things are different now.”

Baek PD had also watched The Chaser.
And after watching it, he had one thought.

‘This is something worth pushing.’

Any producer, any broadcaster would have thought the same.
The image of Cha Seo-ah?
That could easily be overshadowed by her role as Jo Ha-rin.

Maybe not for other actors, but Ju Seoyeon definitely had that potential.
A ten-million-viewer actress at such a young age.
How many actors could boast such a career?

Park Jungwoo and Jo Seohui?

"Don’t misunderstand, Writer Lim. You’re still a rookie writer."
“......”
“If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been cut a long time ago.”

Lim Jinha’s hands shook at those words.
She hadn’t expected Baek PD to speak so bluntly.

"Look."

Baek PD turned on his smartphone and showed it to Lim Jinha.

"The press is already asking about the reduced screen time. See the number of articles popping up?"

“I... I didn’t mean to cut it this much...!”
“That doesn’t matter now. The screen time was reduced, right? In reality, Jo Ha-rin has barely appeared since the first episode.”
“That’s true, but...”

It was unclear who first fanned the flames.
Was it that reporter Han Seonah? Maybe.

But in the end, someone was bound to notice.
With The Chaser gaining popularity, it was only natural for people to turn their attention to the drama Ju Seoyeon was starring in.

“Restoring the original screen time won’t be enough. Her role was supposed to disappear after the eighth episode, wasn’t it?”
“......”
“This mess happened because you tampered with it. I’m giving you this advice as a final courtesy...”

Baek PD placed a hand on Lim Jinha’s shoulder as he spoke.

“You’d better handle this wisely. I’ll talk to Director Kim Pilseok for you.”
“...Yes.”

Lowering her head, Lim Jinha felt completely defeated.
She could hardly believe it.

That the ripple effect was caused by just one actor.
But anyone familiar with the industry would understand.

An actor’s fate is unpredictable.

When an actor truly breaks through, the level of influence they can wield is enormous.
The point at which the amount of money a single individual can move becomes significant to a company.

‘Ju Seoyeon is standing at that tipping point right now.’

So, of course, everyone would want to reach out to her.
She was an actor destined to rise.

And the most affordable time to invest in such an actor?
When was that?

[The Chaser Surpasses 10 Million Viewers! An Astonishing Box Office Blitz!]

Right now.