Actor Lee Sangsoo was a seasoned actor, and he didn’t want to overlook the connection he had made through Star Angler. The reason was simple.

‘Director Jo Bangwoo’s movie.’

Jo Bangwoo was the father of Director Jo Mintae, who had a connection with Seoyeon when she was younger. His movie was scheduled to begin production early next year.

Seoyeon wanted to star in that movie alongside Lee Sangsoo.

‘Director Jo Bangwoo’s movies are never mediocre.’

The movie had decent funding, and Director Jo Bangwoo, considering this his last opportunity, was pouring everything into it. It was a rare disaster movie with a fairly fresh concept, and the lead character was quite compelling... or so it would later be evaluated. However...

"Tomorrow, Dream Future episode 14 will air."

"Oh, really?"

"It’s the last episode where I fully appear as Jo Harin."

In other words, it was the episode where Jo Harin competed against Song Soha for a place in the finals. In this episode, Song Soha would defeat Jo Harin and advance to the finals.

"I hope you’ll watch it."

"Haha, of course, I will. I’ve been watching it recently, and it’s not bad."

Even saying "not bad" was a significant compliment. After all, Dream Future was not the kind of drama that suited Lee Sangsoo’s tastes.

He had been watching purely to see Seoyeon’s performance.

"And…"

Seoyeon hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to say what was on her mind. But then, she shook her head.

‘Trying to persuade him with words here would be pointless; he’d just brush it off.’

Lee Sangsoo was nearly done with his acting career. All that remained was a spark of lingering attachment.

Seoyeon knew that the first thing she needed to do was to reignite that spark.

"I hope we can meet again sometime."

"Oh, of course. If you ever want to go fishing again, just let me know."

"Aww, senior, fishing is for guys like us old men."

"Why not? Seoyeon has talent for it!"

As the men chatted about fishing, Seoyeon quietly shifted her gaze to a young man who was barely managing to keep a composed expression in the lively atmosphere.

"Jiwoo, your acting was good today."

Shim Cheongseok said as he patted Pyo Jiwoo on the shoulder. Before leaving the theater group, he had managed to wrap up the play on a decent note.

"But you should try to add more variety to your acting style. Right now, it’s all in one color."

"I’ll try."

"Yeah, but you have talent, so you’ll get there soon enough."

Pyo Jiwoo let out a sigh of relief. When Shim Cheongseok ended with just these comments, it meant her performance that day was satisfactory.

If he had been displeased, he would have grilled her for two or three hours, as was his nature.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Just when she thought it was over, Shim Cheongseok seemed to remember something.

Pyo Jiwoo tensed up, wondering if there was more to come.

"Someone’s waiting for you outside, so you should hurry."

"What?"

Waiting for her? As strange as it might sound, Pyo Jiwoo had a very limited social circle. The number of people who would be looking for her was very small...

"Hello."

"…."

Ju Seoyeon.

The girl who had pulled her away from a dangerous path was waiting for her outside the theater. Unlike before, when she had worn a winter uniform, she was now dressed in a light summer uniform.

"So…"

At a nearby café, Pyo Jiwoo stared at Seoyeon. Her beauty was just as striking as before, almost unnervingly so.

"What’s the matter?"

Seoyeon’s calm gaze was fixed on her. Frankly, even Pyo Jiwoo, who was fairly bold, felt a little intimidated by that look.

‘Cha Seo-ah, was it?’

She had heard that Seoyeon had appeared in Dream Future, though she hadn’t watched it. But she had seen The Chaser.

Pyo Jiwoo liked thriller movies, so she had seen Seoyeon’s performance there. Maybe that’s why she felt a bit uneasy sitting across from Seoyeon now.

Why had Seoyeon sought her out?

‘Isn’t she doing pretty well these days?’

The Chaser and Dream Future. Recently, Seoyeon had been steadily raising her profile with Star Angler as well. Because of this, even Shim Cheongseok seemed to be considering taking a more serious step into the entertainment industry.

"Pyo Jiwoo, unnie."

"Uh, yes?"

"How do stalkers usually target their victims?"

"?"

Why are you asking me that? Although she had once briefly followed around Min Seoho...

"I’m not very familiar with the psychology of that, so I wanted to get some advice from an expert."

"I-I wasn’t really a stalker, though?"

"?"

Seoyeon looked at Pyo Jiwoo with an expression that seemed to say, "What are you talking about?" Pyo Jiwoo felt wronged. She had simply wanted to act alongside Min Seoho, so she had made an effort to join the plays he was involved in.

She hadn’t followed his every move or anything like that.

‘Maybe she was a low-level stalker.’

Seoyeon thought as she looked at Pyo Jiwoo. Considering the fact that she had been slow to realize Min Seoho’s infidelities, perhaps she hadn’t been that dedicated. Then again, it was possible that she was just obsessively focused on her acting.

‘People’s mindsets can be different. After all, she’s a professional.’

Seoyeon decided to let it go. After all, she was here to get advice.

"Well, usually they start by finding out where the person frequents."

This was basic information that even Seoyeon knew about stalkers.

"And then?"

"Sometimes they try to get close to people around the person, to gather information."

The first thing they usually find out is the person’s phone number. If the number changes, they quickly figure it out and send a message saying, "Your number changed, didn’t it?"

"Some even break into the person’s home to steal their seal and try to file a marriage certificate… Or throw themselves in front of the celebrity’s van while it’s moving…"

"…."

"I-I didn’t do that!"

"That’s what they do?" Seoyeon squinted at Pyo Jiwoo. She seemed to know a lot, after all. The information Seoyeon was gathering from Pyo Jiwoo was about stalkers who follow celebrities.

These so-called "sasaeng fans."

The kind of thing that had been the downfall of Thunderst.

‘Though, it wasn’t just the sasaeng fans that were the problem.’

Seoyeon thought of Liam, or rather, Kim Hoseung. He was a member of Thunderst, and his constant lack of confidence showed that the agency hadn’t done much to care for him.

Thunderst. Sasaeng fans. Internal conflicts among the members.

These thoughts flashed through Seoyeon’s mind. Liam. Kim Hoseung.

She knew his real name, even if she didn’t know his stage name. He would eventually leave the idol world and debut as an actor—a very successful one, in fact.

‘But it took him a long time to get there.’

In her previous life, she remembered him rising to fame just a few months before the end of her own life. That meant it would take over five years from now.

"Whatever it is, you shouldn’t get involved in such matters recklessly."

Seeing Seoyeon deep in thought, Pyo Jiwoo advised her. She had experienced interference once herself, so she was naturally concerned.

"We’re short on actors right now."

"What?"

Pyo Jiwoo was puzzled by Seoyeon’s words, but Seoyeon didn’t explain further. There was no need to say more.

‘With Hwang Minhwa leaving, Nova Entertainment is going to go through a rough patch for a while.’

Seoyeon could have said that she would simply fill the gap left by Hwang Minhwa’s departure.

‘It would be good if even one talented actor joined.’

If Nova Entertainment grew, it would benefit Seoyeon when it came to future projects. After all, in her previous life, even as Nova Entertainment grew, it remained a second-tier agency.

‘If I’m going to do it, I should aim for first-tier.’

Seoyeon had chosen Nova Entertainment for a reason. No matter where she went, she had the confidence to elevate it to first-tier status. In that sense, she preferred Nova Entertainment, where she could have a say in decision-making.

‘At least to the level of RY Entertainment.’

She hoped it would grow to that level. Seoyeon was fiercely competitive.

"Stay still, it’s dangerous."

"I don’t want to."

"I’ll take care of it, just wait."

"Fine."

In the end, Pyo Jiwoo agreed to help after hearing Seoyeon’s request. It made sense to let an expert handle it instead of trying to tackle it as a novice.

‘It’s not going to happen right away anyway.’

There was still some time left. There was always a chance she could be wrong. It was important to approach such matters cautiously.

And just in case...

"Here, take this wooden sword."

"?"

"If you stab someone with a metal sword, they’ll die."

"You can kill someone with a wooden sword too. Besides, I’m not planning to fight anyone."

Well, Pyo Jiwoo would know how to handle it. Even if she had to face sasaeng fans, she wouldn’t lose with a sword in her hand.

Thinking this, Seoyeon headed to the convenience store she usually visited on Tuesdays.

"…?"

The reaction of the clerk was different than usual. For a while, thanks to The Chaser, Seoyeon could see the clerk’s pupils shaking whenever she appeared.

"Oh, hello."

Now, the clerk seemed oddly calm. In fact, they seemed eager to strike up a conversation.

The same thing happened at school.

"Oh, hi?"

"You’re early again today."

For the first time, her classmates greeted her. Just as she was considering asking Lee Jiyeon about it...

"I really enjoyed Dream Future yesterday. I was rooting for you, but it’s a shame."

Class president Gil Dahyun approached her with a bright smile. It was then that Seoyeon realized.

‘Ah, it’s because of episode 14 of Dream Future that aired yesterday?’

It was the episode where Jo Harin competed against Song Soha. Except for the ending part, it was the last episode where Seoyeon would appear in Dream Future.

She had only expected it to serve as a way to improve her image as "Cha Seo-ah."

But the reaction was much bigger than she had anticipated.

"…You’re asking me to work on the OST for the drama?"

In ways she hadn’t anticipated at all.

"Damn, Dream Future."

Drama director Kim Ilsu sighed as he tossed aside the materials he had received today. With the success of Dream Future as a "youth drama," it seemed KMB wanted to create a similar show.

They were even planning to use that rookie writer, Min Sehee. However, Kim Ilsu wasn’t thrilled with the situation.

After all, he wasn’t the type to enjoy light-hearted dramas like Dream Future. The dramas he directed were usually cynical and often had a strong social commentary.

"And the main character is supposed to be a high school student again? Dream Future was just lucky."

He had a lot to say, but it seemed the higher-ups in the drama department had taken a liking to that young actress.

"Ju Seoyeon, was it…"

The young actress who was stirring up all sorts of buzz lately. She certainly had the qualities that would attract the attention of those higher up.

"Episode 14, right. Today’s her last appearance."

He planned to watch all the episodes of Dream Future that he had missed. So far, he had only seen up to episode 4.

The first episode had been decent, but after that, it was just an average drama. That’s why he had stopped watching after episode 4.

But now, he was going to watch it because of his upcoming drama. Sky Garden might feature that same actress.

Her agency had already indicated that they were considering the offer positively...

"Let’s see what she’s like."

Recalling the intense image of Cha Seo-ah from The Chaser, he calmly began to watch Dream Future.

And he kept watching until the next morning, not taking a single break.