"Did you see the revised script?"

The new main writer for the drama, Min Se-hee, said this while cautiously observing Seoyeon. It felt like she was anxious about whether Seoyeon liked the script she had changed.

"Yes, it was fine."

"Th-that's a relief. Honestly, I still don't think I have the skills to be a main writer yet…"

"Uh-huh, Writer Min."

"A-ah, I'm sorry."

Director Kim Pil-seok gave Min Se-hee a look, as if to say, “How can a writer not have confidence in their own work?”

"Such words are disrespectful to the viewers who watch our drama, to the actors who have to trust your script, and to me as well."

"Yes…"

Min Se-hee looked a bit dejected. Seoyeon tried to recall if Min Se-hee had worked on any projects in her past life.

'Nothing comes to mind.'

Seoyeon’s memories mostly consisted of the countless media she watched in her past life to learn emotions, including information related to the entertainment industry. While her fond memories from her past life were fading, she could vividly recall details from these media as if pulling a specific book from a library.

In that regard, Min Se-hee was clearly not a particularly famous figure in her past life.

'But if Senior Park Jung-woo recommended her, she must have some talent.'

Seoyeon wondered about this while watching Min Se-hee's uncertain attitude, which might explain the lack of confidence.

"A-ahem. First of all, although Writer Im was fired for something unfortunate, the script itself was very cleverly structured."

"Really?"

Was it? Honestly, as an actor, some parts of Writer Im's script had felt rather absurd. Although it didn’t surprise her too much, having watched a lot of dramas in her past life.

"In fact, apart from the forced changes to Jo Ha-rin’s role, the character distribution was quite natural. However, those forced changes caused some cracks…"

Min Se-hee pointed to the revised scripts.

"I thought it would be best to restore it as much as possible while emphasizing Jo Ha-rin's charm. Actually, there’s not much more screen time added. So, I tried to emphasize the love line with Park Min-yul."

As she said this, Min Se-hee recalled what Park Jung-woo had mentioned when he grabbed her earlier.

"I think there's no need to force a love line to show the character's charm. Is there a particular reason you included it?"

"Yes? But… It was supposed to be there originally, and I just restored it… Does it seem strange?"

"Ah, I didn't mean it was strange. It's just that… hmm, every actor has things they’re not good at. Or perhaps, they might not be ready yet."

Or maybe there could be a better direction. Park Jung-woo had some awareness of this but didn’t share it with Min Se-hee.

Seoyeon must be aware of it too.

"It might be good to consider the actor's opinion as well."

"But it's a last-minute script, and there's not much time for further revisions."

"Don't worry, they can handle it. It'll be fine."

Park Jung-woo said this with a smile, and Min Se-hee nodded unconsciously. After all, it was hard to refuse when someone as handsome as Park Jung-woo was talking.

"A-ahem. So, there are some lines and scenes I want to revise a bit."

"Yes."

Seoyeon accepted the new script that Min Se-hee handed her. It seemed to be a freshly written draft. A truly raw script.

As she checked it…

'Huh?'

Seoyeon's eyes widened slightly.

"I’ve made the lines a bit more straightforward."

The relationship between Jo Ha-rin and Park Min-yul became more understated, almost like close friends or colleagues.

"But, as you can see, this is a scene where Jo Ha-rin's charm is supposed to shine. A duet with Park Min-yul."

The content was this: It was the part where Jo Ha-rin and Park Min-yul were heading to the final stage. A stage to decide who would make it to the top ten.

The mission was brutally decided as a mixed-gender duet. The theme was an idol song that showcased both dance and singing.

"Before going on stage, Park Min-yul expresses the feelings he’s hidden from Jo Ha-rin, and she shows a moment of hesitation."

Honestly, when Seoyeon first saw the original script, she thought it was a pretty good scene. Of course, that was before Jo Ha-rin's role was diminished.

After the reduction, Park Min-yul naturally started to feel disconnected, leading to a strange situation. Originally, Park Min-yul and Jo Ha-rin had a coupling relationship.

"Yes, so I thought forcing the love line in might make people think, 'What’s going on here?' Don’t you agree, Seoyeon?"

Seoyeon nodded at Min Se-hee's words. However…

"But… the overall development hasn't been changed much, has it?"

So, only the relationship between Park Min-yul, played by Ma Yeon-woo, and Jo Ha-rin, played by Seoyeon, had changed? The revised script had emphasized the love line more. It felt like it had reverted to its original state.

"No. Here, Jo Ha-rin originally fails the audition. As you know, Jo Ha-rin is weak in singing."

The reason Jo Ha-rin’s screen time was reduced after episode 8. It was because she failed the audition in that episode.

After saying this, Min Se-hee hesitated for a moment.

"Jo Ha-rin… won't fail."

"What?"

"And what do you think is the right way to portray the relationship between Seoyeon and Park Min-yul?"

Seoyeon blinked at Min Se-hee's question. Usually, actors simply follow the script as written, with little room for personal opinion.

While it’s not unheard of for an actor to influence the script, it often leads to controversy.

‘This is completely wild…’

Even as she thought this, Seoyeon glanced at Director Kim Pil-seok, who looked as if he was encouraging open discussion.

Was it possible to replace the script so close to the shoot? Or could they revise it quickly and still produce something new?

Either way, it required the writer’s full capability. Could it be done when the entire storyline had already changed? And would a drama made in such haste be complete?

‘But…’

Seoyeon thought about it. Park Min-yul and Jo Ha-rin. The revised script certainly restored Jo Ha-rin's original screen time, including the love line with Park Min-yul.

But if it were restored during the climax, it wouldn’t have the same impact.

Moreover, Jo Ha-rin would win the audition in the revised plot. A changed development.

‘And the love line.’

The love line couldn’t be removed. After all, from the beginning, Dream Future was a drama where the six main characters each had a coupling relationship. It would be absurd to remove the love line just because Seoyeon didn’t like it or because she wasn’t good at portraying love.

Seoyeon was an actress. And now she had pride in her craft. She wouldn’t consider lowering the quality of the drama just because she didn’t like something.

‘But, whether I can do it well is another issue.’

She looked at the script. Quickly scanning the lines, she recalled Jo Ha-rin’s scenes in order, just as she had done when she first acted in a commercial as a child, recalling Lee Ji-yeon's performance.

One by one. Scene by scene. And the emotions that stemmed from them.

The things Seoyeon couldn’t do, and the things she could.

"…Seoyeon?"

Min Se-hee looked at Seoyeon quietly examining the script. And then…

"Shooting is starting, shooting!!"

At the staff's call, Ma Yeon-woo moved with heavy steps.

'This is scary…'

In various ways, Cha Seo-ah—or rather, Seoyeon—was a difficult person for Ma Yeon-woo.

Cha Seo-ah's intense image still lingered in his mind. The other members of Just X teased him, calling him a coward, but Ma Yeon-woo felt it was unfair. How would they know how he felt, having to face her on set?

‘Moreover, the script has changed so that I lose.’

Ma Yeon-woo didn’t really mind. But his manager was angry, saying this would reduce Park Min-yul's importance. Director Kim Pil-seok and Min Se-hee assured him that they would adjust the screen time later so that he wouldn’t lose out.

‘I could just leave.’

He was simply tired. Acting still seemed too much for him. Ma Yeon-woo thought this as he climbed onto the set for the final audition scene. The set resembled the stage he often saw on music shows—a very familiar place for him.

As he stared blankly at it…

“What are you doing?”

“!!”

Someone tapped his shoulder and walked past. When Ma Yeon-woo turned in that direction, he saw Seoyeon spinning around.

“Shouldn’t we be getting ready?”

“Oh, yes.”

Something was different about her today.

‘What is this?’

Her expression hadn’t changed much. The same usual expressionless face. Slightly red eyes. But something was different about her atmosphere. It was as if she was warming up before the main event, like an athlete.

“Do your best on stage.”

“Well, of course…”

He always did his best. The problem was that the result was always “bad acting.”

When he gave a half-hearted response,

“You’re a senior, right?”

Seoyeon smiled, showing her white teeth.

“What?”

“As an idol.”

It was rare to see Seoyeon smile so brightly. Only then did Ma Yeon-woo realize what she meant.

In this scene, he didn’t need to act as “Park Min-yul.” After all, it was an audition scene for singing and dancing.

“...That’s true.”

It wasn’t boasting, but this was something Ma Yeon-woo was very confident in.

“Today is crucial.”

Han Bong-sik, a YouTuber with 1.35 million subscribers, said this to his viewers as he waited for episode 7 of Dream Future to air. Having already capitalized on the character “Ju Seoyeon” from The Chaser, Han Bong-sik was now starting to do live commentary on Dream Future as well.

“You all know Ju Seoyeon, who gained a lot of popularity from The Chaser? There’s been a lot of talk about whether her screen time in Dream Future would increase.”

• Won’t the story get weird if they force it?
• Even if it gets weird, they should increase it.
• The truth is, Dream Future was weird from the start.
• That’s true.

In any case, expectations for the drama Dream Future were quite low. Yet, there was still something about it that kept people watching.

“Today’s episode will show the final audition between Jo Ha-rin and Park Min-yul. Based on the previous storyline, it seems likely that Jo Ha-rin will fail.”

Han Bong-sik chatted with his viewers as he waited for the broadcast, speculating about the audition results and discussing how Dream Future could potentially recover. Most of it wasn’t very professional commentary.

“Ah, it’s starting.”

Han Bong-sik hoped that Jo Ha-rin would have more screen time and that there would be some good scenes to use in his content.

‘No matter how popular Ju Seoyeon is, it would be difficult to revive a sinking drama like Dream Future.’

Yet, it’s human nature to hope. As Han Bong-sik and the online viewers watched, episode 7 began.

Ma Yeon-woo and Ju Seoyeon. And Park Min-yul and Jo Ha-rin.

The scene opened with those two on screen as episode 7 of Dream Future began. At first, it seemed like just another ordinary episode.

However, about ten minutes into the episode, something felt different.

“What do I… do?”

For the first time in a while, Jo Ha-rin had a proper solo part. This scene showed her expressing her inner thoughts for the first time, instead of just appearing as a side character with other members.

Jo Ha-rin finally realized the feelings Park Min-yul had for her. It was the same emotion she once had for Kim Si-hwan.

A feeling that had been too overwhelming for a young girl from the countryside who didn’t know what love was. Though she had given up on that feeling because of Song So-ha, she now realized that Park Min-yul harbored those same feelings for her.

“What… should I do…”

Jo Ha-rin’s murmur was almost a whisper. Her conflicted emotions.

The unfamiliarity with emotions she didn’t understand. The youthful innocence was conveyed beyond the screen.

It naturally allowed the viewers to immerse themselves in Jo Ha-rin’s story. This was the moment when viewers who were flipping through channels began to stop and focus on Dream Future.