"At XN Entertainment, what?"

Hwang Minhwa had been in a bad mood lately. And for good reason: the highly anticipated film Utopia, which had been touted as a major project, hadn't received much response. Of course, the box office results weren't terrible. It had garnered 4 million viewers.

At least it seemed like it would break even. Yes, break even.

In other words, it just managed to cover the production costs. But today, her manager mentioned that XN Entertainment had contacted them.

When she asked what it was about, the manager replied:

"They were wondering if you, Hwang Minhwa, might be able to have a conversation with actress Ju Seoyeon, since you used to be at Nova Entertainment…"

This was the kind of statement that made Hwang Minhwa's anger flare up to the very top of her head.

"I can't believe this. I ended up like this because of that woman?"

"Minhwa, it's not like the results were bad. Sometimes, this happens."

Jang Cheolho, an executive at Horizon Company, wiped the sweat off his forehead as he tried to calm Hwang Minhwa down.

'Her pride is unbelievably strong.'

In truth, it's good for an actor to have strong pride. In some ways, it means they have ambition.

However, Hwang Minhwa was particularly extreme. Her desire for success was twice as strong as anyone else's.

"The Chaser must have been a natural disaster. The fact that it reached 4 million against that is impressive."

Jang Cheolho sincerely thought so. Although Ju Seoyeon had garnered attention, realistically speaking, it wasn't a result she could have achieved on her own.

The director, the script, and the other actors were all top-tier.

It was true that Ju Seoyeon, as the antagonist, had fully brought out their strengths, but in the end, it was the two leads who carried the film.

"Director Bae Jinhwan is certainly talented. With proper investment, his direction is impeccable."

The direction that brought out not just 100%, but 120% of Ju Seoyeon's acting—this showed the level of trust the director had in the actress. And that trust was rewarded with success.

"Hah! I can't believe it. So, XN asked me to be the bridge to connect them with Ju Seoyeon?"

"You don't have to comply with their request, so don't be too upset…"

Jang Cheolho worked hard to appease Hwang Minhwa. If he didn't, she would surely go back and give her manager a hard time.

'That manager shouldn't have told Hwang Minhwa without thinking.'

The request from XN Entertainment. The manager had relayed it to Hwang Minhwa without much thought, and this was the result.

'Who would have thought she had such a personality?'

Two managers had already been replaced. Hwang Minhwa would lash out at people depending on the situation.

To be precise, she only showed her temper to those who wouldn't easily spread her weaknesses externally. These were the employees working for her agency.

Actors live off their image. So, to prevent any tarnish to their product, the agency employees had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

After all, she was the one earning their salaries.

"I'll make sure to speak with XN Entertainment."

"…You’re not trying to make me the bad guy, are you?"

"Oh, no, of course not."

Even if he cursed her internally, Jang Cheolho continued to soothe Hwang Minhwa. Since she had meticulously managed her image, the general public didn’t perceive her as having a bad reputation.

So, XN Entertainment probably didn't think much of asking.

'It’s not like I can tell them to take her away.'

Although Utopia had only achieved modest results, Hwang Minhwa's name still carried weight. The fact that it even reached 4 million viewers was thanks to her acting skills and ticket-selling power.

But if she continued sulking like this, the manager would be replaced again...

"Oh."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, I have some recent information."

Jang Cheolho then shared some news about a variety show being prepared by the GH Group. It was related to an action movie, and there would even be an audition.

"...That girl is participating in it?"

"It's almost certain."

"Hmm. Interesting."

An action movie audition combined with a variety show? It was obvious.

'They must want to see how well the participants can handle action scenes.'

Are they planning to pick the cast through a survival-style competition? If that's the case, it likely won’t be aired on a major network. At best, it might be a web variety show...

'But if the GH Group is investing so much, there must be something more to it.'

As she pondered, Hwang Minhwa thought of Ju Seoyeon. It seemed that her action scenes in The Chaser had left quite an impression.

'Hmph, but it was probably all done by a stunt double anyway.'

Of course, Hwang Minhwa had watched The Chaser. Although she hadn't wanted to, as the saying goes, "Know your enemy, know yourself, and you can win every battle."

Indeed, The Chaser was a well-made film.

While the action scenes Ju Seoyeon showcased were excellent, it didn’t feel like she had done them herself.

'When it comes to action acting, I might have the advantage.'

Hwang Minhwa had extensive experience in action roles. So, if she were to compete with Seoyeon in an action scene audition, she was confident she would win.

'With that delicate body, how much action could she possibly handle?'

Seoyeon wasn’t particularly tall. She barely reached eye level with Minhwa.

Moreover, Minhwa was very disciplined in her self-care. She had been practicing yoga consistently, so her stamina was strong.

'But still…'

Even so, you never know.

"I'm not entirely sure I'll pass the audition."

It's not that she lacked confidence in her physical abilities, but she didn’t know to what extent they would demand action acting.

Worst-case scenario, if Ju Seoyeon had already been in contact with them, they might create tasks that would give her an advantage.

So, with a subtle tone, Minhwa asked:

"Then, how about we look for another project? Something that would match the release of that action movie."

In other words, why not have another showdown? Minhwa believed that the reason she lost to Ju Seoyeon this time was because GH Group had invested in the film, and the director and other actors were all heavyweights.

'I know she’s impressive for her age, but still.'

But she’s not at Minhwa’s level yet. After all, Minhwa had practically risen to the same level as the top actors.

No, in fact, she was an S-class actress.

Minhwa was an actress who deserved to be called a star.

"…That sounds good."

Only then did Minhwa smile in satisfaction. Although she had thought of Horizon Company as just a stepping stone before moving to one of the top three management agencies, their work wasn’t bad.

'Ju Seoyeon.'

Minhwa recalled Seoyeon’s face from their last encounter. A face so beautiful it was chilling. And that overwhelming presence.

'Next time, I'll make sure to crush her.'

Ironically, Ju Seoyeon's image overlapped with Minhwa's in many ways. A beautiful appearance, a cool atmosphere. A look that suited villainous roles.

So, she didn’t want to lose. Absolutely not.

"…What are you doing?"

Lee Jiyeon was in the midst of contemplating how to best perform at the audition for Gyeongseong Lady. There was still plenty of time. In fact, considering the scheduled filming date, it could even be considered early.

"Preparing for a variety show."

Seoyeon was wielding a long stick threateningly. The sound it made as it cut through the air was intense.

Could the variety show be something like Gladiator?

"A fishing variety show."

"…Ah, you mean Star Angler?"

"That's right."

"But that's a cable show."

Although Star Angler was a fairly popular show. It had a solid fan base and was a good way for celebrities to showcase a new side of themselves.

More importantly, the cast was full of prominent actors. It was a show worth participating in, even from the perspective of building connections.

"Didn’t you get any offers from the major networks?"

"Nothing particularly appealing."

Seoyeon had reviewed the variety shows and commercials offered to her. Some were interesting, but most were interview-style shows.

'I wanted to do Running People though.'

It’s a variety show that every popular star has appeared on at least once. The format involves completing various missions and tearing off name tags from each other’s backs. Seoyeon was a big fan of Running People and had always wanted to appear on the show, but...

'Maybe it’s not time yet.'

She thought The Chaser would fit perfectly with the plot of Running People, but it seemed it wasn’t enough. They probably wanted to wait and see a bit longer.

'They probably didn’t invite me because I’m too close to KMB.'

She could roughly guess the reason. Up until now, all of Seoyeon’s work, whether dramas or variety shows, had been connected to KMB.

Running People was an MDC show. So, they were likely being cautious.

'I’ll have to make sure to appear on it later.'

If she managed to succeed in one or two more projects, she could even request to be on the show herself for promotional purposes.

"There wasn’t anything else that suited me."

"A lot of offers, but nothing substantial, huh?"

"Exactly."

For the record, Star Angler wasn’t a show Seoyeon particularly watched. It was a show mainly viewed by older men.

If her father, Youngbin, had watched it, she might have watched it with him… But Youngbin wasn’t interested in such shows. He would probably be watching highlights of the Worlds tournament or YouTube Shorts instead.

With that in mind, something suddenly occurred to her.

"Oh, Jiyeon."

"What?"

"I want to join a club."

"…?"

Jiyeon couldn’t help but be puzzled by Seoyeon’s rather random statement. It was one of those moments where the phrase "out of nowhere?" seemed most fitting.

'Could she be interested in joining the drama club?'

Come to think of it, since Looking Back on the Past there had been hints that the drama club was desperate for Seoyeon to join. But no matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t seem like that was why Seoyeon brought it up.

"…Which club?"

"The esports club."

Seoyeon genuinely wanted to get better at gaming.

"Is our guest an actress this time?"

"Hmm."

In the meeting room of Star Angler, the two regular cast members, actors Song Gwangmin and Lee Sangsoo, looked uncertain.

"Has she ever gone fishing before?"

"We’re not sure."

"Hmm."

Well, being older men, they didn’t mind going fishing with a young woman. However, they weren’t sure how well it would work for the show.

"She’s the actress who recently rose to fame with The Chaser and Dream Future, right?"

"Oh, didn’t Mr. Lee watch those?"

"No, I haven’t. I’ve been struggling with my own acting lately. Both of those seem tough to watch."

In his mid-fifties, Lee Sangsoo was not a fan of thrillers. And Dream Future was a drama for young people. He had tried watching it briefly, but the tone didn’t resonate with him, so he gave up.

'I’ve heard he’s been in a slump lately.'

PD Jung Seunghyun of Star Angler sighed inwardly with regret.

Lee Sangsoo.

An actor who had been active for a long time. He had starred in countless hit films, including three that surpassed ten million viewers. In two of those, he had even played the lead role.

'He lost his passion after his unfortunate experience in Hollywood.'

About five years ago, when his career was at its peak, he tried to break into Hollywood, thinking it was his last chance. But he faced great difficulties. The roles didn’t suit him, and Hollywood didn’t give him a proper role.

Even though he was told it would be a significant supporting role, his screen time didn’t even amount to five minutes. After that, Lee Sangsoo gave up on overseas ventures and returned to Korea. He then tried to make a comeback through dramas, but even that was met with harsh criticism.

Since then, Lee Sangsoo had taken a break, but PD Jung Seunghyun eventually brought him back through Star Angler, utilizing his only hobby: fishing.

"If I were a bit younger, maybe I’d get along well with her like a granddaughter."

"Well, the other cast members are all men, so that should be fine…"

The middle-aged man who spoke was five years younger than Lee Sangsoo. He was actor Song Gwangmin, a man deeply passionate about fishing. So, the idea of having an actress who probably didn’t know the first thing about fishing as a guest didn’t sit well with him.

"What if she starts complaining about wanting to go back home on the boat? Can she even handle herself properly?"

"Oh, don’t worry. We’ve thoroughly researched everything."

"...Ahem. Well, I know PD Jung is meticulous."

Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, Song Gwangmin coughed and said that. But his displeasure still hadn’t completely disappeared.

'Still, if it’s PD Shin’s recommendation, it should be solid.'

PD Shin Youngwoo of Island Survival. He was a senior to PD Jung Seunghyun from the same high school. Through that connection, he had heard about Ju Seoyeon.

After doing some digging, they had decided to extend an offer for her to appear.

'Even if half of what I’ve heard about her is true, it’ll be fine.'

That alone would be enough. After all, the rest could be covered by her looks and popularity to drive the ratings. PD Jung Seunghyun’s expectations were just that.