Seoyeon was surprised twice by Director Kang Tae-jin's words. First, by the fact that a variety show was being planned for a movie. Second, because it was a variety show she had never heard of in her previous life.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I can’t recall any variety show like this.’

This meant it was likely a completely new movie. A movie that hadn’t existed in the past, one Seoyeon knew nothing about.

While this realization surprised her, it also excited her. After all, every movie she had seen until now was one she had already known.

"By the way, the director for this project is Director Han Ye-gun."

Kang Tae-jin said, quietly watching Seoyeon’s reaction. She had heard of that name before.

A director known for his expertise in action sequences. He was known to have high standards but was also somewhat arrogant and had a distinct style.

"Hmm, you might have heard of him—he’s a bit difficult to work with, being a veteran in the industry."

"Yes, I’ve heard of him."

"Then we can move on quickly."

Kang Tae-jin silently observed Seoyeon, who remained calm, and was inwardly impressed.

‘Quite composed for someone so young.’

There was no sign of her being flustered or nervous while dealing with him. Was it because she was an actress? Kang Tae-jin had a talent for reading people’s emotions.

But with Seoyeon, he couldn’t read anything. She was like Cha Seo-ah from the movie.

‘They call it alexithymia, right?’

When he was younger, Kang Tae-jin had been told he was emotionally dull. He had wondered if it was a medical condition, but it turned out he was just a bit slow to grasp emotions.

In any case, he could somewhat empathize with Cha Seo-ah, so when he said he enjoyed The Chaser, it wasn’t a lie. He also genuinely admired Seoyeon and had been the driving force behind arranging this meeting.

Of course, he believed his high evaluation of Seoyeon as an asset was an objective judgment, not a subjective one.

"The title of the movie is still tentative, but it’s called Mine. It’s a modern fantasy with characters who have superpowers."

Seoyeon nodded slightly. It was indeed something she didn’t know.

"We’re planning a large-scale audition for the movie. In other words, we’ll be selecting the lead actor through this audition."

Was he asking her to participate in the audition? As she pondered this, he continued.

"Yes, I would really like for you, Ju Seoyeon, to participate in the movie audition. The variety show will also be aired on national TV."

It seemed like this was a properly planned audition program.

However, one thing puzzled her—why did they specifically invite her to participate in the audition? Normally, something like this could simply be requested through the agency.

"Of course, I understand that this request might seem a bit odd to you. I’m not asking you to appear in the movie, but to participate in the audition for it."

"Well…"

She tried to respond, but Kang Tae-jin spoke faster.

"This project was made possible thanks to The Chaser."

"Excuse me?"

"This movie, Mine, has strong action elements and a bit of a thriller aspect. With the recent decline of Korean films, it had been stuck in the planning stage."

However, the CEO of GH Group had been deeply impressed by The Chaser.

"In other words, you were invited here at the CEO’s request."

"…"

This was a much bigger deal than she had anticipated. The CEO of GH Group himself had specifically asked for her to be in the movie.

"In fact, we had gathered some information, including about your training at Cheonghong Action School… So we thought you would be more than capable of handling the audition."

"Is that so?"

"So even if you don’t win the lead role in the audition, you can still expect to be cast in a significant role."

They were saying she would compete for the lead role, but even if she didn’t get it, they would give her a role regardless.

"…"

Although this was a good offer, it was oddly insulting at the same time. Looking at Director Kang Tae-jin’s smiling face, she couldn’t tell if he was provoking her or genuinely believed in her abilities.

‘A superhero action movie.’

She could understand why the production had been delayed. After all, this was a genre dominated by Western films in recent years.

It was a genre categorized as superhero movies. Naturally, it would be compared to them, so the project had been postponed. Other domestic films with similar concepts had flopped.

Adding a thriller concept would make it even more challenging.

"I’ll think about it positively."

"Thank you."

She wasn’t sure if it was something to be thankful for. As she wondered if that was all, she looked at him.

"Shall we move on to the next topic?"

"Pardon?"

She looked at him with eyes that seemed to ask if this was the only reason she had been called here.

"Didn’t I mention earlier? There are several proposals I’d like to discuss with you."

Then Kang Tae-jin pulled out some documents.

"They’re advertising proposals."

"Excuse me?"

"The recent Éclat Étoile commercial was quite impressive."

Kang Tae-jin carefully observed Seoyeon.

Her beauty was unparalleled even among celebrities. When she became an adult, her looks would undoubtedly shine even brighter.

Moreover, she had great potential as an actress. Considering everything, Kang Tae-jin was determined to secure her. While others hesitated, calculating the risks, he moved instinctively. Although there were still internal discussions within GH Group, he wanted to secure Seoyeon before anyone else.

"I want Ju Seoyeon to become the face of GH Group."

Kang Tae-jin had one clear goal. He wanted her face to be on every billboard in Seoul that bore the GH Group name.

Of course, this would require careful preparation. They needed to achieve results that everyone at GH Group could agree on.

These advertisements were just the beginning.

The day after the meeting with GH Group, Seoyeon was in a bit of a daze.

It was because of the contracts she received yesterday, which made her think a lot. Some of the offers were worth millions, and Director Kang Tae-jin had presented her with three advertising proposals.

While these were slightly lower in status than those usually received by top-tier celebrities, the amounts were still substantial.

‘Hmm.’

Honestly, it felt more burdensome than anything. There were also aspects of Director Kang Tae-jin’s intentions that were hard to read.

‘Well, it’s not a bad opportunity, so I should give it a try.’

After all, they said the ads wouldn’t be aired immediately. Likely next year.

Specifically, the advertisements would start in earnest after the release of Mine.

In other words, the success of Mine would be the test of whether Ju Seoyeon’s career would rise or fall.

If the movie performed poorly, these three advertisements would likely be the end of it.

‘Mine, huh.’

Since it was a movie that had never been released before, it was hard to gauge its potential. And there was one more significant issue that only Seoyeon knew about.

‘The release date overlaps with The Thief.’

This was the movie directed by Jo Min-tae, with whom she had a connection since childhood.

A ten-million-viewer movie.

And the lead actor in that movie was none other than Kim Jeong-ha, the actor she had her first shoot with.

An incredibly formidable opponent.

While The Chaser had completely overshadowed Utopia, The Thief was a different story.

When The Thief was released, there was another blockbuster movie released at the same time. The Thief thoroughly crushed that movie and reached ten million viewers.

It was hard to predict how well Mine would do against such a strong competitor.

‘I think it would be better to avoid it.’

Honestly, she didn’t want to compete head-on. She had no intention of gambling, nor did she want to clash with people she had a connection with. But things wouldn’t always go as Seoyeon wanted.

‘Anyway.’

Lately, Seoyeon had been noticing the gazes following her at school. During the release of The Chaser, people seemed to avoid her as if she were a cockroach.

"Hey, you’re pretty popular these days?"

Lee Jiyeon teased her. Seoyeon narrowed her eyes and glared at her in response.

"It’s scary when you look at me like that, you know?"

"I was just looking."

As Jiyeon teased her, she noticed that ever since episode 11 of Dream Future aired, male students had started looking at Seoyeon differently. In the drama, Jo Ha-rin was an incredibly cute character, and it seemed they were starting to see Seoyeon in the same light.

‘More importantly…’

Seoyeon glanced at Jiyeon. Recently, in Ramiel’s broadcasts, Jiyeon seemed to be diligently following Seoyeon’s dramas and movies.

Her reviews were detailed, full of praise, and included many compliments on Seoyeon’s acting, which made Seoyeon feel embarrassed.

She wanted to thank her, but there wasn’t an appropriate way to do so.

So, she was looking for another way to repay her when…

"You’re late."

"…"

Jo Seo-hee suddenly showed up. She was wearing her high school uniform.

‘She has plenty of other clothes. Why does she always wear her uniform?’

It wasn’t surprising anymore that Jo Seo-hee came to visit her at school. It had happened too many times already. What bothered Seoyeon was that she always wore her uniform when she came.

"Well, I came right after school, so of course, I’m wearing my uniform."

"Is that so?"

"It’s ridiculous."

Jo Seo-hee crossed her arms. She looked like a haughty villainess from a drama.

Honestly, the uniform didn’t really suit her. Or maybe it did? Surprisingly, it seemed okay.

"…Anyway."

The three of them moved to a nearby café and began their conversation in earnest.

‘Why do we always end up talking about this?’

Jo Seo-hee was secretly nervous. After all, they were meeting to discuss something related to Gyeongseong Lady.

‘Why did it have to be this?’

Honestly, Jo Seo-hee had no prejudice against homosexuality. But if she were to play such a role, it could lead to various complications.

An actor must fully immerse themselves in their role. But the most important thing was…

‘I’ve never even done a romance scene before.’

The movie that brought Jo Seo-hee major popularity was a disaster movie. She had never been in a soft, romantic drama like Dream Future.

Her strong image had always made it difficult for her to land roles with sweet romance plots. Her age played a part in that too.

Now, her first romance movie might be a same-sex love story.

‘Why is she so nonchalant?’

Looking at Seoyeon standing there calmly, Jo Seo-hee felt even more tense. Though she was standing confidently with her arms crossed and chin up, it was all an act.

‘Cha Seo-ah…’

Suddenly, The Chaser came to mind. Seoyeon’s performance had been a shock to her.

She couldn’t believe that someone her age could deliver such an intense performance. The way Seoyeon portrayed ‘Cha Seo-ah’ was so real that Jo Seo-hee wondered if Seoyeon had actually suffered from such a condition herself.

‘Of course, that’s not possible.’

She had found out that it wasn’t even a curable condition. The fact that Seoyeon could give such a heartfelt performance was astonishing.

With these thoughts, Jo Seo-hee first shared her impressions of The Chaser and Dream Future.

And then…

"The Gyeongseong Lady audition will start soon. Are you planning to try out?"

"Yes. I told you already."

Seoyeon replied calmly. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.

‘And why does she only speak formally to me?’

Jo Seo-hee felt a bit hurt. Seriously. We’re the same age.

"And… did you mean that this friend of yours would be auditioning as well?"

"…"

Lee Jiyeon, who was already not too fond of Jo Seo-hee, was puzzled and looked at Seoyeon. She already didn’t like Jo Seo-hee following them around, and now she was suggesting they act in the same movie?

‘Why is she glaring at me like that?’

Looking at Lee Jiyeon, Jo Seo-hee thought they might be ‘kindred spirits.’ Her personality didn’t seem all that pleasant either.

"What kind of movie is it?"

But she didn’t want to upset Ju Seoyeon’s friend, so she asked politely.

"Speak comfortably."

"What kind of movie is it?"

"…"

As soon as Jo Seo-hee told her to speak comfortably, Lee Jiyeon immediately dropped the formal speech. That caught her off guard a bit.

‘Could it be…’

Jo Seo-hee looked at Seoyeon with hopeful eyes. Now that her friend had dropped the formal speech, maybe Seoyeon would too.

"It’s called Gyeongseong Lady, directed by Director Baek Min."

"Oh, the one you mentioned before."

"Yes, Seo-hee unnie introduced it to me."

Despite noticing the formal speech, hearing her say ‘Seo-hee unnie’ didn’t sound too bad.

‘Have they already discussed it?’

She must be quite open-minded to talk about such things with her friend so freely.

"And by the way, it’s a same-sex love story."

"Oh, I see…"

Responding nonchalantly, Lee Jiyeon’s words trailed off as she realized what had been said.

"…What?"

Lee Jiyeon’s expression changed. Seeing this, Jo Seo-hee sipped her warm tea.

‘Oh, she didn’t explain that part.’

Watching the two of them, Jo Seo-hee felt a wave of curiosity.