Scene Number 17 was the first meeting between Gilsujin, the wife of Lee Hyuksoo and one of the other main characters in the story, and Lee Yuju. Up until this point, the narrative had been progressing from both of their perspectives, but from this moment onward, their stories would begin to intertwine like cogs in a machine.

The successful academic achievement of her son. A mother, Gilsujin, who wants to ensure her child walks a successful life.

And Lee Yuju, the one holding the answer sheet. In a way, this wasn’t too different from a chase.

The hunter and the hunted. The only difference from a typical chase was:

"The hunted is at an advantage."

Limiran, who played both Seoyeon and Gilsujin, understood this well. Gilsujin wanted the entrance exam plan that Yuju possessed—more precisely, the flawless portfolio that had helped Yuju's brother, Lee Seokchan, achieve the top rank at Baekyeon University.

Gilsujin's goal was simple: she wanted to claim Yuju for herself before anyone else did.

"I wonder if starting this intense from the get-go was the right choice."

Veteran middle-aged actors, who had been acting for a long time, thought so. This scene didn’t involve any action or strong emotions.

That’s what made it even more challenging to act. If there were exaggerated emotions, one could just throw oneself into the role and deliver the lines with passion.

However, this scene was quiet. Endlessly still, yet chilling, and in a way, it needed to express a fierce, burning emotion.

It was an extremely complex scene. It also revealed the theme and essence of the entire work.

The two main characters driving the plot. It was suitable to kick off the script reading with a conversation between them.

But…

"It's difficult." "It’s really difficult."

No one in the room had missed the series The Chaser. Whether out of pure jealousy for the rising young actors or with a sense of expectation for these emerging stars, everyone watched the performance with varying emotions.

And then…

Limiran, who faced Seoyeon, inwardly smiled.

"Impressive."

Seoyeon’s atmosphere had shifted. It was chillingly noticeable.

Perhaps the others couldn’t clearly tell the difference between the old Seoyeon and the new one. After all, Seoyeon and Yuju had many overlapping traits.

An emotionless expression, a calm tone. The overall lack of large gestures made them similar. But there was also a distinct difference.

"Yuju is an extremely cynical character."

From a young age, she was subjected to education that bordered on abuse by her parents. Along with her brother, Lee Seokchan.

The moment she saw her younger brother, a year younger than her, fail to keep up with that education and face discrimination, she believed that she had to succeed no matter what.

Years passed like that. By the time Yuju became a high school student, academics were nothing more than an inevitable achievement for her. A goal for the future. Something she must accomplish.

There were no personal desires or dreams. She existed solely to restore the glory of her father's position as an "admissions coordinator." Thus, adults coveted her.

A girl who despised students who mechanically immersed themselves in studies.

"That disgust."

Although Yuju’s face remained utterly emotionless, her eyes revealed a profound disgust. The deep loathing contained in her calm pupils could be felt distinctly.

It wasn’t just an impression. Subtle facial muscle changes naturally conveyed that feeling.

A faintly furrowed brow. Slightly narrowed eyes. A mouth subtly twisted into a smile.

These elements combined to give the impression of a sneer. Or perhaps, it could even be interpreted as self-mockery.

Yuju’s loathing wasn’t directed solely at others, but also at herself. And so…

"Yuju, it’s nice to meet you."

Limiran, in her role as Gilsujin, welcomed her with anticipation.

"Be good friends with Minseo. As classmates, you’ll be seeing each other for life."

Scene Number 17. Upon entering Taeyang High School, Yuju found herself paired with Gilsujin’s daughter, Minseo, in the school dormitory. They were seated next to each other simply because they shared the same surname.

Gilsujin considered this a stroke of luck. Her long-desired target had ended up sitting right next to her daughter.

So, she asked her daughter to invite Yuju to their house. To win Yuju’s favor, probe her true intentions.

And somehow, to obtain the portfolio Yuju’s brother, Lee Seokchan, had used to reach the top of Baekyeon University.

"We'll see."

Yuju responded with a serene smile. A smile that looked like it was drawn in a painting.

It wasn’t a human expression but a meticulously crafted smile.

"Forever? I wouldn’t be so sure."

"It’s just a figure of speech. But Minseo’s told me quite a bit about you."

"Has she? I haven’t had many conversations with her."

"Then that’s good. It means there’s room to get to know each other better."

"That’s true."

Their conversation was calm. Both of them wore smiles as they spoke.

"So, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. As a friend’s mother, I’ll help as much as I can."

"Thank you, but I’m fine."

"No, there must be things you need, things you want. Tell me, I can make them happen."

Having said that, Gilsujin confidently looked at Yuju. She knew Yuju’s father had been a famous admissions coordinator who had failed.

By enrolling Yuju in Taeyang High School, what could her father hope to gain? Publicity. Through his daughter, he intended to showcase the perfect admissions plan, the curriculum he had once held.

Therefore, Gilsujin felt confident. She was simply reaching for the product she wanted to buy.

No, in this case, she was helping the other party instead. After all, Taeyang High School, this <Heaven’s Garden>, was far too gracious to offer a hand to those who were unworthy of entering.

"That’s very kind of you."

Despite Gilsujin’s pressure, Yuju simply smiled in return. As if she had no interest whatsoever.

A strange tension hung between the two.

"The eyes."

The young actors participating in <Heaven’s Garden> swallowed nervously as they observed the scene. Although there hadn’t been much dialogue yet, the intense acting made it impossible to treat this as a mere script reading.

"Their eyes aren’t smiling."

Gilsujin’s eyes were sharp, as if trying to pierce through Yuju’s true intentions. Meanwhile, Yuju simply looked at her with eyes filled with disgust, silently mocking her.

It was like a battle between a spear and a shield. The exchange of offense and defense was palpable between the two.

"Oh, right."

In that silent exchange of gazes, it was Gilsujin who changed the subject.

"I heard your brother graduated top of his class from Baekyeon University. In medicine, no less."

"Yes."

"You must be proud. That’s quite an impressive feat."

With Gilsujin’s smiling remark, for the first time, an emotion appeared in Yuju’s eyes. Beyond mere disgust, a clear "displeasure."

It was unmistakable. But only for a brief moment.

"Indeed, it’s impressive."

Yuju responded with a smile of her own.

"Truly."

Her voice carried a distinct note of anger this time. The faint tremor in her voice seemed to reveal Yuju’s true emotions.

It was as if a fuse had been lit on a bomb, creating a palpable sense of tension.

The tension of feeling like Yuju was about to do something drastic to Gilsujin at any moment. On the verge of exploding. It was the perfect description for the scene.

"Minseo."

Yuju, still staring at Gilsujin, erased the smile from her face.

"I’ll make sure to befriend her."

Her tone was dry. Yet there was an unmistakable emotion she couldn’t fully hide.

And even after facing that emotion, Gilsujin simply smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes, I’m counting on you, Yuju."

And with that, their conversation ended.

"……"

Even as they put down their scripts and returned to their seats, a strange silence lingered.

"Wow."

The one who finally broke the silence was the director, Kim Ilsu. His face was filled with excitement as he looked at the two actresses who had just delivered a stellar performance.

"This is good. Honestly, I thought we might need to adjust the tone or experiment with some new emotions… but nope."

Everyone silently agreed with him. He was right.

There had been no flaws in that scene. It was as clean as if they had directly transposed an edited drama scene onto the set.

Even Seoyeon’s school uniform matched the scene perfectly, adding to the sense that this was a film set.

"Thank you."

Seoyeon bowed politely in response to the praise. But she didn’t show much reaction. It seemed as though she was simply calming herself, brushing her fingers across her eyes.

Watching this…

"What do you think?"

Han Sungjin turned to his friend, Kim Hyunseok, who was sitting next to him.

"Pretty intense, huh?"

"……"

Kim Hyunseok shot Han Sungjin a sharp glance. Intense, huh?

"Damn it."

It felt like he was about to curse out loud. He didn’t want to acknowledge it. He didn’t want to admit it, but instinctively, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis.

Kim Hyunseok’s role was as Minseo’s twin brother, who was tangled up with Yuju in various ways, as he was much more capable than his lacking sister.

"Do you think you won’t get overshadowed when you act alongside her?"

Overshadowed. He had never even considered it before.

He had always been proud of his acting skills. Both his agency and the people around him had always praised him for it.

But after watching that performance, all those words now felt like empty compliments.

And it wasn’t just him. All the young actors who had made it through the auditions and joined the drama probably felt similarly.

Previously, the way people looked at Seoyeon was filled with jealousy, suspicion, or disdain.

On a screen or TV, it was easy to think, "I could do that." But facing it in person, the pressure was entirely different.

From the start, Limiran, who played Gilsujin, had acted with full sincerity. As if she was ready to devour Seoyeon’s very presence if she let her guard down for even a second.

However, Seoyeon had accepted that intensity with such composure. As if it were only natural.

That difference made the young actors feel a deep sense of defeat.

"Moreover, she doesn’t even care about us."

It was as if Seoyeon didn’t give a single thought to how the other actors viewed her. She simply scanned through her script leisurely.

Kim Hyunseok bit his lower lip at the overwhelming sense of defeat, even though he hadn’t even acted alongside her yet.

Then…

"?

Sensing his gaze, Seoyeon shifted her eyes towards Kim Hyunseok. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze.

"Why are you looking away? She’s watching you."

"…No reason."

Although he was still filled with jealousy and frustration, it was difficult to express blatant hostility like before.

"…That coin."

That coin still sat in his pocket. For some reason, it made it hard to glare at Seoyeon with the same animosity as before.

He didn’t know what that coin meant. But something inside him instinctively led him to avoid her.

It was better to steer clear of her. Han Sungjin tilted his head at Kim Hyunseok’s strange reaction. But soon, he nodded in understanding.

"Oh, you’re already worried about shooting scenes with her, huh?"

"……"

Kim Hyunseok slowly nodded in response to Han Sungjin’s comment. Of course, the meaning behind his nod was entirely different.

"It’s definitely tough."

Back in her room after the script reading, Seoyeon sighed. She didn’t know how others felt, but for her, the script reading had been incredibly challenging.

No one criticized her acting, and there weren’t any particular revisions to the script. From an outsider’s perspective, Seoyeon had delivered the most relaxed performance today.

But…

"My stomach feels queasy."

It was difficult to act out emotions of hatred. In her past life, she had never experienced such emotions, and there was little room for hatred in the life of "Ju Seoyeon."

Good parents. Good friends. The things she considered the greatest fortune in her life.

That made it even harder to portray hatred. If...

If she hadn’t followed Jo Seohui to an upper-class party. If she hadn’t met "Roh" there, the emotions might have remained vague.

The feelings Seoyeon experienced then were far more intense than they were now. She had felt something much more powerful than mere anger.

An indescribable revulsion. The feeling one gets when encountering a fundamentally different kind of existence.

She wanted to express that through her acting, but it didn’t turn out as well as she had hoped. Everyone had praised her, but personally, she felt unsatisfied.

She could have done better. That was the general feeling.

"Whew."

Sighing, Seoyeon turned on her computer. She saw the new graphics card, which she had recently bought, light up and start working.

"I hadn’t planned to replace it."

Her father, Youngbin, had pestered her to buy it, saying graphics cards were cheap these days, so she ended up buying it with him. In fact, since it was a rare occasion, she just bought it as a gift.

Seoyeon’s parents never expected her to use her earnings for anything special. Whatever Seoyeon earned was hers to keep. They always supported her when she wanted to do something, and they were always there to listen if she had a tough time.

…Of course, there were times she felt like hitting her dad for various reasons. But overall, that was the vibe.

That might be why it was even harder to immerse herself in the character of Lee Yuju. Because when she tried to immerse herself, it was too exhausting. More so than even the killer, Cha Seo-ah, from her past life.

"Maybe it’s because it feels strangely real."

The emotions felt stronger than murder itself, probably because they weren’t something she could just imagine her way through.

"Alright."

Seoyeon finally pulled herself together. She decided to watch Lamiel’s stream to cheer herself up from the gloomy mood. With that thought, she entered the channel.

"I think I’ll be introducing a new friend soon! Ta-da~!"

"?

Suddenly, a black silhouette appeared on Lamiel’s channel. A debut announcement for a new VTuber on Lamiel’s personal channel?

What in the world is going on? And who are you?

"I’m excited to introduce my new friend soon!"

Lamiel smiled kindly as she spoke. The horrible emotions that had been swirling in Seoyeon’s chest until just moments ago were now being consumed by something else.

A burning feeling, intense and fiery.