The Chaser reached 10 million viewers, and Dream Future achieved a 20% viewership rating.

These two milestones were accomplished almost simultaneously, significantly increasing the interest in Seoyeon, who appeared in both projects. Considering that she played supporting roles in both, the attention was already substantial.

If she had been the lead, the level of interest would have been even greater.

"Honestly, this is already an extraordinary situation."

Lee Jun-bin, the head of the management division at XN Entertainment, one of the top three management companies, said this.

At XN Entertainment, the management division was responsible for both idols and actors.

"Completely different roles—one a killer, the other a fresh idol from the countryside."

Lee Jun-bin spoke to the other executives gathered in the conference room.

"I’ve heard that RY Entertainment has already made contact with her."

"Considering she’s still with a small company like Nova Entertainment, it seems they didn’t succeed."

Lee Jun-bin had heard about it too. It seemed RY Entertainment was one of the first to reach out.

"They must have failed to recognize her value initially."

"Hmm. But if you think about it carefully, she might be overvalued now."

"Whether overvalued or not, marketability is key. And her marketability is tremendous."

To be honest, when she first returned through a variety show, there wasn’t much thought given to it. There was some interest when she gained attention through her theater work, and she was seen as a decent actress with potential after Survival Show.

"She’s young—well, rather, she’s quite young. And above all, her appearance is extraordinary."

"That’s true. You can see her potential clearly in the CFs she’s done."

"The sales of Éclat Étoile increased by more than 10% compared to the previous quarter. This figure even dipped briefly before recovering."

Moreover, among those who went to see The Chaser in theaters, there were certainly some who went specifically to see Ju Seoyeon. Of course, it wasn’t a large number, but the fact that such viewers existed was important.

‘An actor who can draw an audience with their first movie.’

This was separate from the issue of acting skills. There are plenty of actors who are excellent but don’t have the ticket-selling power. But the fact that Ju Seoyeon had already drawn in an audience with just one film was significant.

The greatest strength an actor can have: ticket power. If she were to act in more dramas and movies from here?

"Nova Entertainment hasn’t had her contract for long, right?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"Is there a way to break her contract and bring her over to us?"

"If we push hard enough, it’s not impossible, but too many eyes are watching."

"Ugh."

Several executives expressed their frustration. XN was the largest of the top three management companies.

Naturally, the government kept an eye on them, and any missteps could lead to severe consequences.

"Still, should we try to approach this quietly?"

"Quietly?"

"Ah, I heard that Deputy Park knows actress Hwang Min-hwa."

"Didn’t Hwang Min-hwa move to Horizon Company?"

"Yes, but since she worked at Nova Entertainment for a long time, we might be able to use that connection."

"…Hmm. That doesn’t sound bad."

Would it really work that easily? Lee Jun-bin had his doubts, but Hwang Min-hwa was indeed a top actress. A true star who earned the title of “Million Actor” by leading a film to ten million viewers.

‘If a senior actor from the same agency approached her, it might be possible to make a move.’

With that conclusion, the XN Entertainment business division wrapped up the meeting.

"Does anyone here know Ju Seoyeon?"

"I heard Nova Entertainment’s schedule is fully booked…"

"Fully booked? They’re just testing the waters!"

While other management companies and various advertising industries kept an eye on her, Seoyeon was quite busy.

"Hello, I’m Kang Tae-jin, director of the Cultural Business Division at GH Group."

GH Group. She had a meeting scheduled with a major conglomerate ranked 12th in the industry.

Seoyeon received her first call the day after she heard the news that The Chaser had surpassed 10 million viewers. It was a call from Director Bae Jin-hwan, relayed through her manager, Park Eun-ha. Curious about what it was, she answered the phone.

"A director from GH Group has asked to meet you, Seoyeon."

"Excuse me?"

"They didn’t explain the reason clearly, but it’s not something bad."

Director Bae Jin-hwan explained. The Chaser was a film produced with investment from GH Group from the start.

However, GH Group had been somewhat skeptical about the film’s success. Although they gave full control to Director Bae Jin-hwan and supported him in many ways, The Chaser ended up being a much bigger hit than GH Group had anticipated.

"They originally expected it to reach around six million viewers."

Six million was already a substantial number. There aren’t many films in a year that exceed six million viewers.

You have to have heard its name at least once to reach six million.

"But it reached ten million. As you know, Seoyeon, ten million is very special in the film industry."

In the history of South Korea, there have been very few films that achieved ten million viewers.

The Chaser had secured a place in that hall of fame.

Considering its artistic value, it had potential for success abroad as well.

"Especially, GH Group seems to believe that Seoyeon played a significant role in the success of The Chaser."

Director Bae Jin-hwan was well-known. The lead actors who played the two detectives were also famous and renowned. Additionally, Jung Si-hyun, who played the role of Han Ye-hwa, was a well-known, talented actress.

When considering their ticket power and the marketability of the film, the expected number was six million. But The Chaser reached ten million.

Given the remaining screening period, it could even double that number.

"So, if the opportunity arises, I’ll arrange a meeting with GH Group."

Director Bae Jin-hwan left the decision up to Seoyeon. Honestly, it was a significant matter for someone as young as Seoyeon to decide on her own.

When she consulted her mom, Sua, about it:

"It’s up to you if you want to do it, Seoyeon, but if it’s too much, it might be better to decline."

Seoyeon nodded. It was true that overreaching wouldn’t be good.

When she asked her dad, Young-bin:

"Dad’s in the middle of a game."

Seoyeon then made her father pay attention.

"Dad thinks what matters most is what you want, Seoyeon. If you want to try, it’ll be a valuable experience."

With such advice in mind, Seoyeon spent the night pondering the matter and finally talked to Jiyeon.

"GH Group?"

"Yeah."

"That’s a big opportunity, isn’t it?"

Jiyeon understood Seoyeon’s dilemma. GH Group wasn’t just any company. Even the cable drama Jiyeon was starring in had GH Group’s influence behind it.

"…If you have a meeting with them, it’ll be hard to turn down whatever they offer."

"I think so too."

"But I still think you should go for it."

She didn’t know what the offer would be, but she had a strong feeling it wouldn’t be something bad.

"And I don’t think it’ll be as big a deal as you fear."

"Really?"

"You already knew that, didn’t you? You just wanted confirmation."

Seoyeon nodded slightly. The offer from GH Group might not be as daunting as she feared. However, once the meeting was set, it would be difficult to refuse the offer.

An excessively large deal would be problematic, but if it turned out to be nothing special, she might still find it hard to say no.

‘They might call me a million-viewer actress.’

Everyone was calling Seoyeon a "million-viewer actress." Dream Future also had great success.

But there was one drawback from the perspective of a big corporation. She wasn’t the lead in either of the projects.

She had significant roles that made an impact, but she wasn’t the lead. In The Chaser, she played a major villainous role, but it was still a villain role.

Companies evaluate everything in numbers, and whether an actor plays the lead or a supporting role matters a lot. Just because there’s a lot of buzz in online communities doesn’t mean it directly translates into numbers.

Numerically, the lead role has more influence than a supporting role, so even with a lot of buzz about Seoyeon in communities, companies might remain skeptical. If anything, the quarterly sales of Éclat Étoile might have more impact on their decisions.

"Pfft, you’re lucky. I wish I had a meeting with GH Group."

Jiyeon playfully nudged Seoyeon’s side with her elbow. Jiyeon, being ambitious, was envious of such an offer.

‘Well, she deserves it.’

Jiyeon also felt proud. She had even promoted Seoyeon a bit on her broadcasts, hoping for her success.

‘I need to work hard too.’

As much as Seoyeon was an important figure to Jiyeon, Jiyeon was equally important to Seoyeon.

Since they were kids.

"Oh, Jiyeon."

"What?"

Seoyeon hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Jo Seo-hee wants to meet sometime. With me, of course."

"Isn’t she your friend?"

"She’s not."

Despite that, Jo Seo-hee seemed to act quite friendly with Seoyeon. Honestly, Jiyeon didn’t like her much.

‘She called Seoyeon a "nepo baby" when we were kids.’

While Seoyeon didn’t seem to care much, Jiyeon hadn’t forgotten. She was persistent, and she never forgot anything that had happened to her.

Still.

"Sure."

Maybe it was time for a proper conversation. After all, Jo Seo-hee was the most successful actress of their age group.

"First of all, congratulations on The Chaser reaching ten million viewers."

Kang Tae-jin, Director of the Cultural Business Division, said this with a smile to Seoyeon. Although his mouth was smiling, his eyes were not.

‘Unsettling.’

People like this were uncomfortable to deal with. She had encountered several in her past life.

‘The look of someone appraising a product.’

Back then, it hadn’t bothered her much because she couldn’t fully grasp emotions. In a way, it was easier to deal with them because she could quickly figure out what they wanted by observing their emotions.

"I also enjoyed watching The Chaser. The emotions of the villain, Cha Seo-ah, were portrayed so vividly. It was different from the initial explanation I received from Director Bae Jin-hwan. I could tell there was a personal interpretation from the actor. And the action scenes were excellent too. I heard you trained at Cheonghong Action School? Professor Kim Hong-baek mentioned you had a great talent for action acting. We were surprised to hear that you did all your stunts yourself at GH."

"…"

"And recently, I’ve been following Dream Future as well. At first, I watched it because my daughter was interested, but I wasn’t really drawn to it. I remember it received some criticism online at the time. However, the performance you gave as Jo Ha-rin in the first episode received high praise. I wish I had watched it live; I think I would have been even more impressed. I also heard there was a small conflict with the writer. These things happen sometimes. Don’t worry too much about it. After episode 7, your screen time increased significantly, and the ratings exceeded 20%. It’s a drama worth watching. I’ve been enjoying it a lot lately. Honestly, the way Jo Ha-rin…"

"Director."

At that moment, a person who appeared to be his secretary gave a small reminder, and Director Kang Tae-jin nodded.

"I really enjoyed watching your work."

"Th-thank you."

Seoyeon hesitated as she watched Director Kang Tae-jin smile at her. His eyes still weren’t smiling.

‘What’s going on?’

Had he memorized those compliments about her acting? He was a hard person to read.

"The director wanted to emphasize how much he enjoyed the films and dramas you’ve appeared in."

The secretary repeated the point, emphasizing the director’s sincerity.

Given that, Seoyeon grew genuinely curious.

‘Could it be that he has trouble expressing emotions?’

Like she had in her past life.

Such thoughts seemed almost rude, but Kang Tae-jin’s demeanor was so intense that it made her wonder.

"To get to the point, I’ve brought a few proposals to discuss with you."

"Proposals?"

A few proposals? Seoyeon’s mind began leaning towards the idea that these offers might be overwhelming.

"An action movie."

An action movie.

"And before that, we’re planning a large-scale audition. It’s for a variety show."

As he spoke, he smiled again. His eyes gleamed like a snake’s.