Hyunseok Kim's words were, in fact, half a provocation.

After all, it was like saying that everything Seoyeon had done so far was thanks to the broadcasting company.

Seoyeon didn’t show much of a reaction.

In truth, it wasn’t that she didn’t react, but rather, she was thinking about how to revert to being the "cute Ju Seoyeon" in her mind.

Sometimes people forgot, but Seoyeon was, after all, the advertising model for Éclat Étoile.

No advertiser liked their actress to be associated with such an image. However, this was irrelevant to Seoyeon.

“Hmmm~.”

Sungjin Han looked at Hyunseok Kim with a slightly perplexed expression.

After all, it was his question that prompted the recent comment.

“Was there really a need to say that?”

“What?”

“What you just said was quite a dangerous statement.”

Sungjin knew that Hyunseok harbored animosity toward Seoyeon. There were several reasons, but the fundamental one was:

‘He’s immature.’

When that immaturity was driven by passion, it could be seen as a strength, but harboring baseless hostility like this was a problem.

No matter how you look at it, claiming that everything filmed live was staged was absurd.

Well, sure. Let’s say that Hyper Action Star was pre-recorded.

But deflecting paintball shots with her bare hands was real, wasn’t it? Even the whole fish-catching stunt was shown live on the broadcast.

If that was faked, it would’ve caused an uproar long ago.

‘It’s clear that what really bothers him is how Seoyeon got cast without an audition.’

At the same time, Sungjin suspected Hyunseok was also afraid.

He had watched The Chaser with Hyunseok.

The overwhelming impression they had was, ‘So, this is what she’s capable of.’

An actress of the same age.

To be honest, Sungjin couldn’t even fathom attempting such a level of acting.

Even the two detective actors she had worked with were known for their incredible acting skills.

Yet, she shared the screen with them without feeling out of place, and her sheer presence drew praise from both audiences and critics.

That’s something not just anyone could pull off.

“Hah.”

But Hyunseok merely scowled.

Of course, even he must have felt it.

He just didn’t want to admit it.

It might be competitiveness, or it could just be immature hostility.

But still, they were actors and professionals.

Unlike Hyunseok, Sungjin had no intention of making an enemy of Seoyeon.

She was the lead actress, after all.

On top of that, being cast as the lead in a drama without an audition clearly meant she had some connections at the top.

There was no point in antagonizing an actress favored by KMB.

‘Seems like there are a few more actors like Hyunseok, though.’

People weren’t always rational.

Sometimes, Sungjin felt that way.

Some people let their emotions guide them rather than common sense.

But what puzzled him was—

‘Wasn’t this guy supposed to be on Ju Seoyeon’s side?’

Looking at Nahyi’s puzzled expression, he sensed her confusion.

“Ah!”

It was then that Cha Nahyi realized how bad Hyunseok’s comment had been.

In fact, Nahyi hadn’t interpreted it as manipulation, but as a criticism of the excessive staging in Seoyeon’s broadcasts.

Nahyi had a hobby of looking up information about her friends and herself.

Recently, Seoyeon, who had become quite the hot star, was a frequent topic of conversation in various online communities.

They often compared her to an elephant or a gorilla.

Every time Nahyi saw Seoyeon associated with such images, it upset her greatly.

• Why do you attach such negative images to this delicate actress? Are you anti-fans?

• Delicate? Really?

• Delicate? Are we talking about the same Seoyeon?

• What connection does Ju Seoyeon have with elephants or gorillas?

• Are you seriously asking? You must be clueless about her.

 

Of course, Nahyi genuinely didn’t know.

She had asked out of ignorance, and even now, she didn’t understand why Seoyeon was associated with those images.

To Nahyi, Seoyeon was simply a sweet and kind girl.

“Se, Seoyeon, I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought that image was a bit harsh for an actress…”

“Huh?”

“No, I’m sorry!”

Seoyeon was taken aback by Nahyi’s sudden apology.

What had happened while she was busy thinking about ways to improve her image?

“What are you talking about?”

Seoyeon’s nonchalant attitude made Sungjin chuckle in disbelief, while Hyunseok’s expression twisted further in frustration.

“Oh, I see. It seems I don’t matter at all to you, huh? Because you’re the lead?”

Seoyeon blinked at him for a moment.

‘Did I punch this guy in the face or something?’

It was a serious thought.

She had never experienced such one-sided hostility before.

Of course, if she had punched him, there’s no way he’d still be working as an actor.

So clearly, she hadn’t.

‘The guy next to him seems to be watching my every move.’

Though Sungjin was smiling, Seoyeon could tell he was being careful around her.

Perhaps his remark about enjoying Hyper Action Star was his way of trying to get on her good side.

If only his companion hadn’t ruined it.

While other actors also harbored less-than-positive feelings toward Seoyeon, no one had expressed it so blatantly.

After all, Seoyeon was someone they had to watch out for.

Even now—

“…Hmmm.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Seoyeon saw some veteran actors glancing her way.

Though they were deep in conversation, they were clearly observing the behavior of the younger actors.

Among them, Min Se-hee seemed particularly anxious, as if she wanted to intervene, but Kim Il-soo beside her gestured for her to stay calm.

It was as though they were waiting to see how Seoyeon would handle the situation, ready to step in if needed.

Director Kim Il-soo was already glaring at Hyunseok, clearly displeased.

There were rules on set, after all.

The lead actress was still the lead.

No matter how she got the role, disrespecting the lead was akin to disrespecting the director and writer who cast her.

Which made Hyunseok’s current actions incredibly reckless.

Seoyeon recalled something Jo Seohui had told her.

“Sometimes, you run into people like this.”

“People like what?”

“People who act completely irrational.”

Jo Seohui had smirked and crossed her arms, looking every bit the villainous noblewoman she often portrayed.

At that moment, Seoyeon thought she should buy Seohui a fan to complete the image.

“Usually, others will take care of it for you. But you shouldn’t just wait for that to happen.”

There were times when you had to show your own strength.

If you didn’t, the same thing would keep happening.

“Sometimes, being assertive can reduce the number of enemies you make.”

Jo Seohui knew Seoyeon was a gentle person by nature.

Or rather, Seohui felt that Seoyeon had become too accustomed to others’ hostility.

She didn’t know why, but Seoyeon’s reaction to hostility was always, ‘Well, it happens.’

Jo Seohui, being an actress, was used to observing and analyzing others.

That was what made her a top-tier actress.

She earned that title because she never stopped learning, which included studying Seoyeon.

“Enduring when you shouldn’t isn’t being kind.”

So Seohui had given her a firm piece of advice.

To ensure that this overly kind girl would learn to show her fangs.

“It's just foolish.”

And with those words in mind, Seoyeon spoke up.

“Are you okay?”

Seoyeon looked at Hyunseok with a bright smile.

That smile was her response to his earlier sarcasm.

“No matter what you say to me.”

“What?”

With a calm voice, Seoyeon responded.

There was no heat behind her words.

Rather, it sounded like she was genuinely curious, her tone professional.

Which made the meaning of his previous statement all the more clear.

“Actors are supposed to speak through their acting, right?”

Seoyeon’s red eyes met Hyunseok’s directly.

“Are you confident you can do better than me?”

“…”

He wanted to say he could.

But the words wouldn’t come out.

Though he had mocked her for her variety show appearances, her acting was another matter entirely.

He had seen her in The Chaser and Dream Future.

Even now, he believed he could outperform her if given the chance.

Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t say the words.

Because the Seoyeon standing in front of him was overlapping with Cha Seo-ah.

No, she wasn’t Seoyeon.

The person in front of him was Cha Seo-ah.

‘What the…’

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Seoyeon’s once sweet smile now felt awkward and mechanical.

“You said I didn’t matter, right?”

The scene from The Chaser where Cha Seo-ah had met the two detectives at the bus stop flashed in his mind.

After interrogating them, Seo-ah had boarded the bus and left.

As the bus pulled away, Seo-ah had smiled at the detectives in the same exact way.

“It’s just…”

Her eyes softened, her smile warm and friendly.

“I found it a little laughable.”

At that moment, he finally understood what Seo-ah had felt toward the detectives.

“You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”

As soon as they left the meeting room, Sungjin sighed.

Overall, their first encounter with the cast of Sky Garden had gone fairly well, aside from the strange tension between Seoyeon and Hyunseok.

After Seoyeon’s parting words, Hyunseok had been left speechless.

‘Actors should let their performances do the talking.’

He couldn’t argue with that.

And he had been completely overwhelmed by Seoyeon.

Unable to say a word in return.

“Just show it on set.”

“Are you confident you can do better?”

“…”

He didn’t know.

Seoyeon’s presence had been overwhelming.

It felt as if she had swallowed up all the space around her.

‘If that had been on set…’

As Seoyeon had said, he would have looked utterly ridiculous.

The realization made his blood boil.

He had, after all, been called ridiculous.

At the same time, Seoyeon’s expression had relaxed, as if all her previous lines had been nothing more than an act.

A thinly veiled pretense, but no one had called her out on it.

No, they couldn’t.

‘Hah.’

Sungjin’s friendly words irritated him.

He wanted to say something snarky like, “Trying to suck up to the lead actress?” or “Don’t you have any pride?” but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Forget it.”

“What?”

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Thinking he should splash some cold water on his face, he trudged away.

Ju Seoyeon.

His feelings toward her weren’t just hostile.

There was definitely a competitive spirit as well.

But above all, there was jealousy.

Because he believed he could do better.

The fact that he had been completely overpowered by her acting left him feeling utterly pathetic.

At least it hadn’t happened on set.

That thought offered a small sense of relief.

But the realization that he was relieved only made him angrier.

What was there to be relieved about?

“…Next time.”

It would be different on set.

He clenched his teeth as he headed down the hall.

“Huh?”

That’s when Hyunseok noticed something shiny on the floor.

Walking closer, he picked it up.

“A coin?”

It was a 500 won coin.

But oddly enough, it was bent in half.

“What the…”

Looking ahead, he saw more bent 500 won coins scattered along the floor, almost like a trail.

It reminded him of Hansel and Gretel.

A bizarre sight—bent 500 won coins lying in a row.

Without thinking, he began picking them up.

It felt strange.

What was the deal with these coins?

Why were they all bent in half?

Those questions lingered in his mind as he gathered about a dozen of them.

“Aha.”

That’s when he ran into Seoyeon, who was doing the same thing.

For a moment, the two of them silently exchanged glances, each holding a handful of bent coins.

“…?”

Hyunseok’s attention shifted to Seoyeon’s bag.

A small nylon handbag, it appeared to have been torn at one side, as if it had snagged on something.

‘No way.’

It seemed unlikely, but…

Could it be that the coins had fallen out of that tear?

And was Seoyeon now collecting them?

Why did she have bent 500 won coins in her bag?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Hyunseok couldn’t shake the odd feeling that he was witnessing something surreal.

“That…”

Seoyeon spoke calmly, her voice controlled, much like it had been in the meeting room earlier.

“You know that feeling you get when you pop bubble wrap? I just couldn’t resist.”

“……??”

What did that have to do with the 500 won coins?

Was she saying that she bent the coins out of some compulsive habit, like popping bubble wrap?

As Hyunseok stared at her, dumbfounded, Seoyeon smoothly took the remaining coins from his right hand.

He didn’t even have a chance to resist.

“…See you on set.”

With that parting remark, Seoyeon quickly turned and disappeared.

Hyunseok glanced down at his left hand.

One coin remained.

A coin Seoyeon hadn’t managed to retrieve.

“……”

That coin served as a reminder that what had just happened was real.

Hyunseok never did figure out what the bent coins meant.

All he knew was that, in that moment, he had felt an inexplicable sense of fear toward Seoyeon.